Good Stewardship Habits for Mom

I found some dresses for my girls this weekend at a consignment shop, and I'm almost finished outfitting my children for spring and summer. I include these thrift store posts on my blog for one important reason. 

My desire is to highlight the good stewardship inherent in choosing thrift stores and consignment shops to outfit ourselves and our families. God has been gracious to us, and he desires that we use our financial gifts responsibly. He asks us to help support the poor and needy, and the widows and orphans. One way to do that is to decrease our own financial burden so we can free up money to give.

Buying good quality clothes makes sense, especially if you have smaller children to hand them down to. There is also the possibility that you can help the poor by donating to Goodwill. Good quality clothes last longer and fade slowly so they can be handed down (or over) at least three times, provided Mom or Dad use spot remover promptly, and/or try covering a child's clothes before serving berries, mustard, juice or chocolate.

I found the following listed brands at a consignment shop, and these are the same brands I find at Goodwill. When I can't find what I need at two different Goodwills, I then go to the consignment shop. Goodwill hasn't had many dresses for my girls for the past year, and finding jeans for Peter has been very difficult there as well. 

Goodwill charges $2.50 per child's garment, and consignment shops typically charge $2.50 to $7.50 per garment, and more for outerwear. 

Here is the count for my last consignment trip (many, but not all, are pictured below):

Lands End - 5 garments

Hanna Anderson - 3 garments

The Children's Place - 5 garments

The Gap - 1 garment

Gymboree - 5 garments

Jumping Beans - 1 garment

Crazy 8 - 2 garments

Old Navy - 2 garments

Talbots - 1 garment

Rothschild - 1 garment (outerwear)

Sonoma - 2 garments

Arizona - 1 garment

Carters - 1 garment

Tommy Hilfiger - 1 garment

Green Dog - 1 garment

Maggie & Zoe - 1 garment

Urban Pipeline - 2 garments

Timberland - 1 garment

Misc. garments with label removed or missing - 4; and 3 sandals, not pictured

Total with a 20% off punched card to redeem = $253 for roughly 46 items

I don't typically spend that much at once, except after a tax refund. It's usually more like $30 to $60 per trip, with either a 20% or 35% off coupon or punch card. When you donate to Goodwill (at least around here) you are given a 20% off coupon. 

I could consign my items, but I want to bless the Goodwill shoppers who may not be able to afford consignment shops. Heck, I can't always afford consignment shops! I appreciate the families who donate good quality clothes to Goodwill.

I prefer dresses to be below the knee, and I find that Land's End, Hanna Anderson, and Gymboree usually make them that way. I only buy sleeveless if I have a sweater in mind to go over it. The sleeveless dress will be worn for Easter with a white sweater. One reason is to prevent skin cancer later because our shoulders are vulnerable, and the other is that sleeveless can sometimes be immodest depending on the cut. The dress on the left looks too busy with all the color, but it is very becoming on Mary.

The flowered dress may be worn with pink leggings. That's how I make the shorter ones work for my girls. I also put shorts under them in the summer because my girls still don't sit appropriately when they have a dress on.

Beth loves anything that looks like ballerina clothes. The hot pink number (too loud for me) comes with black leggings (it's Hello Kitty). She doesn't usually like black, but the definite ballerina look delighted her and it looks cute on her.

I don't ever find any shorts that seem appropriate for Christian girls, so I buy my girls cropped pants. There are 2 or 3 other jeans or cropped pants not pictured, with flower embroidery. 

Are you all ready for spring? Do you have a good consignment shop near you?

A Blessing in Disguise

In regards to our upcoming yard sale, Peter asked: "Can I charge people $.05 to look at my praying mantis?"


I'm still chuckling about this three days later, ahead of our September 17th sale. I usually give everything to Goodwill and to relatives, but with the smog-work money not yet procured for the van, it seemed time to try our hand at selling.


What I regarded as a nightmare, God turned into a blessing. 


My children can barely contain their excitement, and I'm enjoying the prospect of starting the school year with decluttered closets and cupboards. The teamwork involved continues to draw us closer together. 


What's more, the children have loosened their grip on things as they've evaluated what they truly need to have around, versus what they might only use on occasion. The value of a dollar is not lost on them either, as they help decide what we should charge for each item.


In other news:  Peter, off school since the second week of August, desperately needs his routine back. His ADHD and OCD symptoms worsened with the absence of a schedule. Thus, we're starting school two weeks earlier than I'd planned. My own headache situation--and our lives in general--will improve as he approaches a more acceptable equilibrium.





My appearance will be spotty here this week as we continue to prepare sale items, and as I work on writing a daily school schedule.


Homework


In case I don't get back on here before Wednesday, the new Gospel-reading homework is Luke 4 to Luke 14.


Have a good week!

knees and blessings

Miss Beth's sprained knee is still swollen, though she seems to have full use of it most days. Pediatricians commonly tell worried parents that toddlers will stay off their injuries when necessary, unlike adults who try to push themselves. Well, she re-injured it on Monday, so I'd say that's not necessarily true. Though less swollen than the first forty-eight hours, there's still visible swelling and I'm concerned that the longer the fluid stays around, the more chance for infection in the joint. They'll eventually decide to insert a needle and drain the fluid if it stays around too long.

Yesterday morning she started with a limp again, and I considered taking her back to the ER, but after the stiffening subsided and the limp stopped, I changed my mind.

In an attempt to keep her off of it, we are trying to run extra errands and keep her in a stroller or carseat. Since I sold a little more curriculum, we went to a thrift store yesterday to gather fall/winter things for Miss Mary, who only had two pairs of pants to start the season. I hate getting myself into a one-to-wash-one-to-wear laundry situation. That never works around here.

In other news, my Peter--regular readers might recall--prays every summer for a praying mantis. Around this time they are full grown and more visible. Once again, the Lord provided, as you'll see below. 

Running into the house, Peter yells, "I caught a praying mantis!  Jesus told me to look in this one bush and at first I said to myself there was nothing there. Then I decided to look and I found a female mantis! Maybe we'll get an egg sac!" 

All these clothes are like new, though I'm not sure the pictures show that.

A Talbots jumper for church

pink Gap chenille pullover

Children's Place layering sweater in red

Old Navy fushia stripped hoodie

red Esprit sweatshirt

Simple shirt dress from Walmart, new

Cherokee jeans, look brand new though the picture makes them look old

new Arizona jeans with diamond jewels on pockets

A pair of new jeans for Peter and new navy cords for Paul (not pictured)

Always love finding book treasures at the thrift store! I'm sure there were more classics, but with four kids along, I could only look briefly.

Can you tell she wasn't thrilled about a picture just then? I'm mourning the loss of my sweet girl! While she still cuddles lovingly, there is much more attitude and whining over minor things. A stage I hope? She will be five in December.

Weekend Wonder

Psalm 34:1

I will extol the LORD at all times; his praise will always be on my lips

My Gratitude List

~ sisterly love

~ lots of yard to delight them

 ~ toothless smiles

~ eyes like the sky, and a heart just as big

~ His little boy face, here to stay.

~ Shin guards found at first garage sale we stopped at, along with a doll cradle for the girls, and jeans and pajamas.......all were on our list.....daily manna testimony.

~ Two- and four-year-old wonder....even at tomatoes they see in their own garden every year

~ The year of the matching pink hats.....they always make me smile
~ Littlest one watching big sister's every move.

A thunderstorm brewing, we had the whole farm to ourselves.

~ Little girls running back and forth between Mommy's and Daddy's berry baskets
~ Beth picking fruit like a champ this year, while last year she was stuck in a stroller.

~ A daddy who spends time teaching and loving his family
~ Kids eager to soak up Daddy's lessons

Raspberry pickin'

~ Green, green, green. I'm not in the desert anymore! 
~ August weather infinitely better than July's.

 ~ Pictures reminding me how fast the years pass.....encouraging me to say thanks for this moment, today.....and live in it.

 ~ Their smiles, telling me thank you for this day...meaning more than the words. 

 ~ Two year olds in Dora nighties, shucking local corn

~ The Lord's earth, blessing us with wonder, joy, peace and flavor.


~ The joy of cooking together.....Momma the cobbler......Daddy the meat and squash.....children the corn and potatoes......the Lord providing the bounty.

~ Sharing the most brilliant rainbow I've ever seen with amazed children, and hearing them give credit to Him. At one point this was a double rainbow. Magnificent way to end a weekend!

Easy Peach Cobbler (print recipe here)

Ingredients

1/2 cup unsalted butter
1 cup flour
2 cups sugar, divided
1 tablespoon baking powder
Pinch of salt
1 cup milk
4 cups fresh peach slices
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Ground cinnamon or nutmeg (optional)

Preparation

Melt butter in a 13 x 9 inch baking dish

Combine flour, 1 cup sugar, baking powder, and salt; add milk, stirring just until dry ingredients are moistened. Pour batter over butter (do not stir).

Bring remaining 1 cup sugar, peach slices, and lemon juice to a boil over high heat, stirring constantly, pour over batter (do not stir). Sprinkle with cinnamon, if desired.

Bake at 375 degrees for 40 to 45 minutes or until golden brown. Serve cobbler warm or cool.

What did you enjoy this weekend?

don't be silent; sing His praise

Psalm 30:12 

That my glory may sing your praise and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give thanks to you forever!

Sunday Gratitude List:

* little girls in the loveliest feminine dresses for church, complete with white sweater, white tights, and new white flats.  They don't always deck out so, but it makes them so excited when they do! I try to memorize every giggle, every twirling spin, every delicate little-girl feature.

(I read on Simple Mom's blogging tips last week that I'm not supposed to write with exclamation points, unless it's my general style of writing.  Sorry, friends.  I guess it is--at least when it comes to my children.  They excite me!!)

* a freshly mowed lawn

* white-crowned sparrows coming to the feeders and delighting my Peter

* all natural vanilla bean chocolate mint ice cream

* Peter picking tulips and putting them in a vase for Momma

* freshly laundered sheets

* baby soft cheeks to kiss

* a strong husband to hug

* a litter soda bottle over the plexiglass feeder, solving our squirrel problems

* Peter feeding the squirrels dried corn cobs, to keep them happy

* Barilla PLUS multigrain elbow pasta (no mess involved when two year olds eat this with spaghetti sauce, and it takes great.)

* little girls giggling in the tub

* sisters kissing and hugging

* sisters playing with dolls (not an everyday thing around here)

* big boys saying I love you

* I've been collecting skirts for myself from thrift stores for about a year, after growing to hate the jeans, jeans, jeans mother-at-home uniform. I like being a woman! I've worn jeans all this time only because they make mothering easier, and it's cheap to find tops that match.  It has been difficult to find new-looking coordinating tops for my skirt collection, but I've made progress on my last two thrifting trips.  I can now wear skirts at least three times a week, and still comfortably mother and do chores.

I picked out skirts that looked brand new, were machine washable and didn't need ironing.  I wear flat shoes at home, but sometimes change to slightly healed shoes to do errands.  I wear nylons or tights if it's cold, or paint my toes and wear black or brown sandals if it's warm.  I've collected:

- 2 long jean skirts (different styles)

- 1 knee-length jean skirt (I don't wear the knee-length if I'm going some place to sit down, like someone's house or to church, because knee-length skirts aren't very modest once you sit down.  But grocery shopping in it or mothering in it are fine. My husband likes it.

-  2 below-the-knee flowing polyester skirts with black background and lots of pretty flowers (solid black tops or short-sleeved black sweaters coordinate with these, because the flowers provide so much color).  When the weather turns quite humid, I'll abandon all polyester, except for church.

- 1 light-weight cotton broomstick skirt in various shades of green (I finally had to break down and buy a white, short-sleeved sweater top for $7 at Walmart to go with this one.  I couldn't find anything at thrift stores after looking for a year.)

- 1 dressy below-the-knee rayon/spandex/polyester blend skirt in black for church  

* Last night Peter spilled a quart of lemonade all over himself, all over me, the counter, the dishwasher, and the floor, just as I was about to prepare dinner.  It delayed me twenty-five minutes because the clean up was so extensive.  As I was down on the floor cleaning, I noticed that all the appliances needed a good Windexing, the baseboards needed a good wiping, and the inside of the dishwasher needed a good cleaning.  I was immediately downcast about the messiness--wanting to sob really--but then the Holy Spirit put a picture in my head.

I imagined an immaculate home with all deep cleaning caught up--walls, baseboards, appliances, windows, blinds, ceilings--but it was devoid of children, of laughter, of plentiful hugs, of children's books, of children's paintings and drawings.  Suddenly, I stopped wishing I had time for deep cleaning. And I gulped down tears, thanking the Lord for my four wonderful blessings! Shame on me for caring about deep cleaning when abundant blessings--the best kind of blessings--flowed around me.

Thrifting fun

During my thrift store trip the other day, I also worked on Mary's spring and summer wardrobe.  Peter scored a couple pairs of jeans, but I couldn't find anything new looking for Paul.  I knew he'd be downcast, so I was delighted to find a fabulous Little Tykes truck perfect for hauling things.  They've been pretending to be farmers and truck drivers, taking farm products from the farm to the factory to the grocery stores.

Daddy needed nice t-shirts for work and I found four brand-new ones, including one featuring a sports team from our area.  Unfortunately, on the back of the shirt, it featured the name of a player who went to play for the Miami Heat, which upset the fans here, who apparently expect absolute loyalty.  The man is hated here, which is probably why the shirt was given to Goodwill, still brand new.  :)  When my husband saw the back of the shirt with the name James, he said he would get a lot of heat from the men at work.  He's tough though--he can take it.  He also wore the sports shirt I bought that said, "Property of Jesus."   

Here are the girls, fresh out of the bath and ready for night church, with their new dresses.

 My silly Paul, being a ham.

Paul and Peter also scored this neat book that teaches kids all about using compasses.