The Wisdom of Noodles. . .

"We have but five loaves, and two fishes." (Matthew 14:17)

Our little high school sent another wonderful class out into the "real world" at the end of May. It is always such an exciting time for high school seniors. They experience their first real tastes of freedom at the same time that they swallow a big gulp of responsibility!

I stopped by the school on Monday and had the opportunity to chat with the wonderful mother of one of our best and brightest. Her daughter is headed to Troy University on scholarship (Yayyyy. . .Amy). Her daughter is excited and will be living alone for the first time ever. Mom is of course excited as well as a bit worried. We began to talk amount how college students can learn to survive on a very tight food budget. She told me that her daughter had it all figured out. She told me that her "little girl" planned to load up the car with mama's canned beans and tomatoes when she came for a visit. The conversation progressed as we shared our tips on eating cheap when she shared a nugget of wisdom from of all people her little girl. She said, "Do you know what she said? She said, ya know mom, I like noodles. I can eat a lot of noodles!" I smiled and agreed.

I have thought about the wisdom of this young woman in that little statement. Do you hear it? She is not fussing about what she doesn't have or can't afford. This young woman is wise enough to realize that sometimes loaves and fishes (noodles) are plenty! We forget to be thankful for the simple things that bring us joy and sustain us. Who doesn't love hot noodles sprinkled with Parmesan cheese?

So tonight in honor of this wise young woman (shhhhh. . it is Amy Bishop), I took simple noodles and made a feast. We had noodles topped with cherry tomatoes, cucumber, purple onion drizzled with Light Italian and sprinkled with Parmesan. It was simply abundant with flavor!

I have another favorite with noodles: Take hot noodles and toss with high quality sun dried tomato pesto and sprinkle with Parmesan. Your family will think you have taken an Italian cooking class and all you have done is spend less than $10 and boil a little water. Now that is simple abundance! P.S. Best of luck Amy!

This is a good one:

The Wilson's Lemonade Stand

"When life gives you lemons, you make lemonade. I have several stands around here." -James Brady

Hahahaha. . I love that quote. On Facebook the other day someone posted, "If life gives you lemons and expects you to make lemonade. . . why doesn't life give you sugar and water too?" I have to agree!

Joking aside, lemonade is a simple "Joy of June" that you just cannot pass up. On this journey to simple abundance we have to learn over and over again to enjoy life's simple pleasures and lemonade in June is high on my list. It just simply tastes like summer to have a large, ice-cold glass of lemonade.

I want to share with you a little Simple Joy tip that we do in our house. . .we have a lemonade stand. We always have a large container of lemonade made ready for thirsty little boys, friends, and back-door neighbors. I usually prepare it when I see that we only have a serving or two left. Now, it has to be simple for it to fit my life and bring me joy so I use Crystal Light (Country Time is great, but my mom is diabetic and doesn't need the sugar). To add variety I sometimes cut up a couple of limes and mix in the lemonade or add 1/2 cup (thawed & mashed) frozen raspberries. . .yyyuuuuummmoooo! I keep small paper cups beside our "stand" so the boys can serve themselves. . .an added plus in my book.

So bring a little June Joy into your home and set up your own lemonade stand. . . .then simply enjoy!!!

I love this old fashioned lemonade dispenser. . .check it out!

My Sanctuary!

"If I were a psychiatrist, I think I would like to inspect my patients' bathrooms before investigating any other area of their lives." -Mark Hampton

I have a little "joke" about my bathroom. I refer to it as my sanctuary. I am a wife, a mother of three boys and two dogs, a writer, a full time college student, a substitute teacher, and a new Mark representative. . .the bathroom is the only place I can go to actually pray. Don't think "uuuggghhh". . .the Creator has seen you naked, so get over it!

It came to me recently that this was no joke at all. It was the real me screaming out to make my bathroom a joy to be in. Don't you find joy when you walk into your sanctuary every Sunday. . .I walk into mine every day. . .LOL!

Organizing the bathroom is tough. Here is the first thing you need to do: Throw away the old medicines that your kid was prescribed two years ago and don't act like it's not in there. . I know better! Throw away it all. Throw away that $14 lipstick that you bought but hate; you are not going to wear it. It is just cluttering up your space and robbing you of the joy you could be finding in your own at home sanctuary. Next, really look at what all you have in there. Why do you need 20 towels? Do you have 10 kids? Are you going to go a week without doing laundry? We often clutter our lives with too many things that we think are necessary. I have come to learn that most of us could throw 1/2 of the stuff we own and be just fine.

Clean it all out. Clean your bathroom from top to bottom, slap on a fresh coat of paint if it needs it, update the hardware, and fill it with the essentials that you just love. Look on my counter. That is my makeup bag full of the Mark face cleanser, moisturizer, mascara, and lipstick that I use. The silver tin holds my hair supplies. The vanity set is a treasure to me. It belonged to my mother-in-law and brings me joy each time I walk in my bathroom. On the back of the toilet is a scripture prayer book by Beth Moore. . yes, I really pray there!

Make your bathroom your personal sanctuary. Clear our the unessential so that the Essential can speak to you. Remember this: if an item in your bathroom is not bringing you joy then it is robbing you of joy!

This is the Beth Moore prayer book I mentioned: Praying God's Word Day by Day (click to follow link)

Confessions of this clothesaholic. . clean out the skeletons!

"When we are authentic, when we keep our spaces simple, simply beautiful living takes place." - Alexandra Stoddard

I have been on the road all day and I was wondering which part of my day to share with you, then I read an e-mail from a friend. She asked me about my household organizing and inquired as to what had inspired me to begin on this journey. So. . .here it is!

I am a clothesaholic. . .well shoes too. This is not a joke. This is not to be funny. I am very serious. When the recent recession hit God began to deal with me hard about my addiction. He brought to mind all the money I have wasted over the years on clutter that did nothing but fill up my house and clothes that never got worn. I usually went and purchased something else when I had something at home. . I was just so unorganized that I did not know where to look. I could go to my closet, but that was like finding a needle in a haystack. All the colors and seasons just ran together and I would seriously stand there and say, "I have nothing to wear." There was one point in my life when I shopped on average 2-3 days per week spending at least $150-$200 each time. Let's see 2 days multiplied by 52 weeks is 104. If I spent $150 each day for 104 days. . .correct me if I am wrong, but I get $15,600. I just threw up. .that is almost a year's college tuition!!!

I was not a good steward of the money God had entrusted me with. I am ashamed. Praise be to God that He opened my eyes and is helping me every day. Sooo. . .skeleton out. . .now what about your closets? She asked me how I started. . .I started with the closets. Today's post has a picture of Matthew & Nathan's closet so you can see that their closets have been streamlined too. Start by taking it all out and cleaning your closet. . add great smelling sachets! Throw away or give away everything that you have not worn in the past 12-18 months. . just do it. Try on the rest. . if it doesn't fit. . .it goes. OK, now inventory. . .do you need 8 pairs of jeans. .can you wear them all at once? Do you really need 5 different pairs of . . ok. . breathe. . .cute red pumps. .NO! If you are now mad at me and feel attacked. . that's because you are as guilty as I am. If you decide to take on this journey and simplify. . .just jump in and start with one closet. . .just one you can do it! Need help with getting more organized. . . follow this link. . .Eliminate Chaos: The 10-Step Process to Organize Your Home and Life

The Simple Joy of Simple Foods!

“I am better off with vegetables at the bottom of my garden than with all the fairies of the Midsummer Night's Dream.” - Dorothy L. Sayers (1893-1957) 'Lord, I Thank Thee'

My, my. . . June offers so many wonderful items from the garden! I do not have a "real" garden. I only have a tomato plant, a bell pepper, and cucumber; yet, I love to shop our farmers market and local grocers for nature's bounty. It is simply a joy to taste of the natural foods that God has provided for us.

Today I want to share with you that my boys love my Eggplant Parmesan. . .we just call is lasagna in our house to hide that fact that it is made from eggplant. I even assemble it lasagna style (picture below is dish 1/2 assembled). This meal is simply made of Eggplant, Italian Bread Crumbs, Spaghetti Sauce, Ricotta and Mozzarella cheeses. I like to have whole green beans (canned) tossed with Lite Italian Salad dressing on the side. Tonight we wrapped it all up with strawberries and blackberries topped with Ready Whip! The great thing about this meal is that it feeds 6-8 people for under $3.00 a serving ( I have a little left over too)! Yes, my entire meal cost me about $17.50. . .simple goodness for a simple price. That is simple abundance!

This journey to simplify my life has me looking at every aspect of daily life even our meals. God designed wonderful foods for us to enjoy. Learning to enjoy these "simple" foods in a new way is fun. I am going to experiment with eggplant more and discover what other dishes I can sneak it in. . .wonder if they will figure it out. . .LOL!

Take a trip to your farmers market or the produce section of your local grocer and try a new fresh food. There are tons of recipes online for all those yummy foods you have been afraid to try. . .simple foods bringing abundant joy to our simply abundant lives. Bon appétit!!

Quick-Fix Vegetarian: Healthy Home-Cooked Meals in 30 Minutes or Less (Click here to check out this great cookbook!)

"I wish that life should not be cheap, but sacred, I wish the days to be as centuries, loaded, fragrant." -Ralph Waldo Emerson

I love Emerson! I do wish for life to be sacred, full, and fragrant. How about you? Part of learning to live in simple abundance is learning to enjoy the simple joys of life. What simple scents do you cherish?

The picture in today's blog is from the gardenia bush in my front yard. It is so beautiful and fragrant. The scent of gardenias brings back memories of playing in my grandmother's yard with my cousins. . .simple times full of simple joys. Since my gardenia bush has been in bloom I have been going out and bringing in a bloom each afternoon to place in my kitchen. When I awake to prepare breakfast for my family I am greeted by a creamy white blossom dripping with the sweet scent of summer. That is simply a joy!

If you have a scent that brings back fond summer memories then fill your home with that scent. Essential oils are an easy way to do this. You can purchase essential oils just about anywhere.Lavender 100% Pure Essential Oil -10ml (Greenals) Rub the oil on unfinished or unpainted wood. I rub them under my tables and chairs, inside my windowsills, and inside my wooden drawers. My favorites are gardenia, pomegranate, and lavender. I also love to have sachets of cedar (you can find at Wal-Mart in the closet supplies. . hangers. . organizers) inside my closets. . .reminds me of grandmother's house.Giles & Kendall 308 Cedar Sachet Bags

Bring simple joy to your life by bringing fragrance into your home. I promise you. . .it is a simple joy that you will learn to cherish!