A sad day...

in the world of modest fashion.

Perhaps you have heard that Christa~Taylor will be closing its online store on December 30th. You can check out her blog for more details.

Her store will be greatly missed by many; however, she explains on her blog that she is trying to follow the leading of the Lord in this and that she will actually be a "personal consultant" to any young woman interested in starting a online clothing store!

If you are interested in buying anything else from the store, you will pleased to find that all prices have been slashed!

Home Remedies

Before motherhood, I scoffed at the idea of home remedies (What did I know?).

Nevertheless, after experiencing three pregnancies, post-partum problems, and having become a in-home nurse to my own family, I welcome any legitimate home remedy.

Not only will a good home remedy save you money and a trip to the doctor, but it provides you and your family with a safe-alternative to many drugs and chemicals that have negative side effects.

Here is a list of home remedies that I have yet to try, but sound really interesting!

• Did you know that drinking two glasses of Gatorade can relieve headache pain almost immediately-without the unpleasant side effects caused by traditional pain relievers?

• Did you know that Colgate Toothpaste makes an excellent salve for burns?

• Before you head to the drugstore for a high-priced inhaler filled with mysterious chemicals, try chewing on a couple of curiously strong Altoids peppermints. They'll clear up your stuffed nose.

• Achy muscles from a bout of the flu? Mix 1 tablespoon horseradish in 1 cup of olive oil. Let the mixture sit for 30 minutes, then apply it as a massage oil for instant relief for aching muscles.

• Sore throat? Just mix 1/4 cup of vinegar with 1/4 cup of honey and take 1 tablespoon six times a day. The vinegar kills the bacteria.

• Cure urinary tract infections with Alka-Seltzer. Just dissolve two tablets in a glass of water and drink it at the onset of the symptoms. Alka-Seltzer begins eliminating urinary tract infections almost instantly-even though the product was never advertised for this use.

• Honey remedy for skin blemishes... Cover the blemish with a dab of honey and place a Band-Aid over it. Honey kills the bacteria, keeps the skin sterile, and speeds healing. Works overnight.

• Listerine therapy for toenail fungus: Get rid of unsightly toenail fungus by soaking your toes in Listerine Mouthwash. The powerful antiseptic leaves your toenails looking healthy again.

• Easy eyeglass protection... To prevent the screws in eyeglasses from loosening, apply a small drop of Maybelline Crystal Clear Nail Polish to the threads of the screws before tightening them.
  

• Cleaning liquid that doubles as bug killer... If menacing bees, wasps, hornets, or yellow jackets get in your home and you can't find the insecticide, try a spray of Formula 409. Insects drop to the ground instantly.

• Smart splinter remover: Just pour a drop of Elmer's Glue-All over the splinter, let dry, and peel the dried glue off the skin. The splinter sticks to the dried glue.

• Hunt's Tomato Paste boil cure... Cover the boil with Hunt's Tomato Paste as a compress. The acids from the tomatoes soothe the pain and bring the boil to a head.

• Balm for broken blisters... To disinfect a broken blister, dab on a few drops of Listerine, a powerful antiseptic.

• Vinegar to heal bruises... Soak a cotton ball in white vinegar and apply it to the bruise for 1 hour. The vinegar reduces the blueness and speeds up the healing process.

• Quaker Oats for fast pain relief... it's not for breakfast any more! Mix 2 cups of Quaker Oats and 1 cup of water in a bowl and warm in the microwave for 1 minute, cool slightly, and apply the mixture to your hands for soothing relief from arthritis pain.

Do you know of any other effective home remedies?

Simply Mickey D's

Conveniently, there is a McDonald's with an indoor playground just 3 blocks from our home. This is especially dandy during times like these, when we would rather not take our children to an outdoor playground where the cold Chicago wind can get them!

Tonight, since we wanted to go somewhere we knew our children would actually eat all of their food, McDonald's was our dinner location of choice.

Here are some pictures of the girls right before they finished their nuggets and started to play:

Sure, at face value there doesn't seem to be anything particularly phenomenal about spending a Saturday night at a local McDonald's with your family. Even so, to me there is something so wonderfully special about evenings like this.

Think about it. Here I am, with my iced coffee to the right of me, and the man of my dreams to the left. Here I am, watching the man of my dreams as he holds our son, who is peacefully sleeping. The same son who we so eagerly and earnestly prayed for, and who is now almost a year old. Our blessing. Our legacy.

Here I am, watching my curly-haired, mini-versions of myself, run up and down the indoor playground equipment, enjoying one another and occasionally calling me, just so I will look up for a minute and wave. I shake my head as I realize they are trying to make friends with the other kids, amazed at how fast their growing.

Here I am, laughing and pondering life's delights and challenges with the man whom God has given me as a head, a leader, a protector. We converse about something job-related and then he somehow casually slips in that he thinks I'm beautiful. I say, "Huh? Oh Really?" and we both chuckle and move on. We reminisce on old times. We laugh at inside "you had to be there" jokes that only the two of us can understand.

In a world where so many are chasing money, power, and prestige, by the grace of God, I am sitting in a McDonald's on a Saturday night, enjoying something that money can't buy. There is just something so marvelous in the simplicity of that. This is the kind of simplicity that I am coming to value more and more.

Mrs. Anna T. writes beautifully on the subject:

I'm living a wonderful life...A life of simplicity and finding joy in the simplest things.

You will be encouraged by the stories of countless people who spend less and live more, people who made choices of frugality and simplicity, people who cut up their credit cards and have never been happier. Frugality isn't just spending less. It's being creative and resourceful, patient and thankful.

In our day and age, home life is – sadly - devalued, unappreciated, and sneered at; good home life, with its orderliness, cheerfulness, peace, contentment and simplicity is so very rare, that some people of my generation grew up without knowing it at all.

Simplicity and letting go of non-essentials has been a blessing in all areas of my life...It's sweeter than I could have imagined, to simply let go...It's so important, so essential if I truly want to delight in the beautiful and simple life of a wife and mother - a life I was so richly and abundantly blessed with.

You can read more from Mrs. Anna T. and the value of simplicity at Domestic Felicity.

Timeless Glamour...

...is now 15% off!

Check out the sale going on at Christa~Taylor!

Great Online Resources

Here are just a few online resources that I have found out about recently that may help you save money and lose weight!

Deal Seeking Mom is a site dedicated to helping moms learn how to save money in order to stretch their budgets.

Curr Click is a site that provides convenient and affordable to homeschooling resources.

Fat Secret is a online resource for people interested in joining a community of others who are trying to lose weight. There are a variety of diets to learn about as well at tools for weight loss, such as, journals, food and exercise diaries, tips, recipes and plenty of advice from the community.

20 Frugal Things I do

I saw it here first. Here's mine:

1. I breastfeed.

2. I buy alot of milk when its on sale and freeze the extra until we need it.

3. I fill my gas tank up whenever I'm far out and find really cheap gas.

4. I shop at discount stores like Aldi, Walmart, and Save a lot.

5. I live on a budget.

6. I buy beverges you have to mix yourself instead of juices and soda that come in a bottle.

7. I don't have a cell phone, I use payphones when I'm out (yes, I know its 2008!)

8. We save a portion of our income every month in a seperate account to pay for annual events, like Christmas and birthdays.

9. We live in an VERY affordable apartment, so we can save up for a house. (Remember, my testimony about our place?)

10. I cook a whole chicken and then divide it up to use it for different meals.

11. I do my own hair most of the time instead of getting it done professionally.

12. I rent movies out of the redbox instead of blockbuster.

13. I try look for inexpensive or free family outings and check out free museum passes from the library.

14. I welcome hand-me-downs from others.

15. I use target brand diapers and wipes (the best generic brand I've found without comprimising feel and durability).

16. I get most of my information online instead of buying magazines.

17. I try to buy one kind of soap (like dove or lever 2000) that our whole family can use, instead of something different for everyone.

18. I do the same with shampoo.

19. I turn my car off when I get stuck by a train.

20. I buy used movies and dvds (like Veggie Tales and Bible Stories) for our children at thrift stores.

For all you cheapskates...

Frugal Hacks is a web resource and community for all who are devoted to " ...frugal living, finding deals, and spending less..." Anyone can read and benefit from the site. However, in order to be apart of the blogroll and get that nifty little badge you see to the left, your blog must have some obvious focus on frugal living.

Although I'd like to join the blogroll, (and add that nifty little badge on my sidebar;), I realize that I'm not quite "frugal" enough just yet. I might fit a "frugal hacker in training" blogroll, if there was such a thing. Nevertheless, I've decided, until I become a real-life, bona fide, money-saving, penny-pinching frugal hack, I'll just follow suit behind Kelly over at www.almostfrugal.com by writing a list of frugal things I do.


I hope this list helps you think of more ways to save money and be thrifty. Also, I encourage you to include your own list on your blog, or in the comments section under my post. Your ideas may just assist myself and others in becoming a sensational frugal hacker!