So thankful for:

26. A new child's play table! Our youngest son now has a wonderful hand made table made by his dad to get his new to him train set and car track set on. Children's furniture is SO expensive and we really needed a table for these things, Lego's and things that need a higher place than the floor. The table wasn't made with perfect quality or appearance in mind (it was started and finished in ONE day) bec/ we wanted to get it done to put the sets on safely. It is beautiful to me!  I'll share a picture if I get a camera soon to share it!

27. BEAUTIFUL weather!  The big B is now outside more than inside. When I hang clothes on the line and when I gather them, when we are working on the yard and gathering roses or flowers, while his dad and older brothers work on cars and on it goes. Playing catch and baseball with dad and anyone he can rope into it, playing soccer until his sister gives up and swinging as high as his growing legs will push him on the swing set! The joys of sunny days ;)

28. Hen eggs. Our son is bringing hen eggs from a local farmer and I would give gold coins for these delicious and gorgeous... deeply golden ovals! The LORD has answered my prayer in providing these... He is our Provider!

29. Hot coffee. Hot coffee with real or f/f half-n-half and/or with sucanat or agave nectar!

30. Banilla milk. This child is five and he still calls the vanilla milk  he loves "banilla" --- and I found a plastic mini pitcher to shake this up in. I bought it before we tried to stop buying plastic but it only holds 1-3 little boys servings so it isn't in the container long. I just fill part way with whole milk, add a few drops of vanilla extract and a squirt of agave... and shake.

Keeping my post down to get better at actually making them. As you see --- I have a long way to go!

We've been making step by step changes for the past several years in how we live. Our situation was brought on by:

* Job loss due to a company closing.

* Learning to survive while building, running, and maintaining a business.

* A growing awareness of the need to care for God's creation --- our land and natural environment and more.

Some of this all started 15-20 years ago when we stopped use of weed killers and such in the yard.

In the past 14 years, we have made these changes:

* No paper towel or paper napkins. We use cleaning rags we either buy in bulk from Sam's or cut from worn out material sources.

* No commercial snacks and/or sodas. We drink water, natural juices, or milk for our cool/cold beverages.

* All natural hand made house cleaners or purchased. Mainly, we are down to what we can make ourselves now.

* No commercial lunch meats. We do eat deli meat and similar items on occasion (mostly when the kids carry their lunches if I don't keep things in order and stocked!) but it is the exception rather than the rule!

* Limiting commercially canned foods to eventually replace all we can with healthier alternatives.

* Making more and more of our breads and baked goods from our kitchen. Eventually, I hope to make all of our baked goods from here but I also don't want us to ever be legalistic. We will eat, make, and purchase as He provides and if that means not applying some of the habits we've learned along the way, so be it! We just have a general approach to most of it and pray for His guidance over all!

* Clothesline use a large part of the year. This is a big one!

* Husband and sons do almost all vehicle maintenances and we all do yard work ourselves. Fix the appliances ourselves if possible. All home repair we can manage is done here... so far, that has been 100% done without hiring someone other than air conditioner/heater work.

There are others but I would rather stop than create even more yawns than I may have already generated :)

This was just prompted with some happiness over the challenge I just posted from Sylvia's blog and seeing others at work in the same direction. Each one of us can make changes from JUST ONE THING to as many as God guides and a difference will be made. Differences that do affect us, do add up, and DO COUNT.

Will you consider praying for God to show you an area to make a change in/with? A habit to break and one to replace it? Let me know how you feel Him leading you!