. . A People the Lord Has Blessed . .

A couple weeks ago, as I dropped Annabelle off at her special preschool, I noticed some very questionable men walking past her school. I know this goes without being said, but while we would love to home school, Annabelle is receiving the therapies she needs where she is at. We hope to home school in the near future.

This was not the first time I'd seen questionable looking people around her school. You see, Annabelle goes to a tiny school in a tiny town out in the country. While it's definitely not the WORST neighborhood, I wouldn't consider the BEST. The town barely consists of more than one road and a lot of run down homes that border the other side of the fence that edges the school playgrounds. One of the times when I noticed strange people walking around this crazy looking town, I whipped my car around and went back to the school to sit in the parking lot for a little while. . . just so I could guard those doors :)

Well things have changed. I am no longer bound by the fear that you I was once bound by. I still have my worries, but I am not crippled. This last time when I noticed the strange men I thought about turning my car around, but I kept going. Before I turned back onto the highway God sent me a little picture text, so to speak. In the picture there was a storm raging around Annabelle. Strong winds were blowing past her, objects and animals where whizzing around her. But there in the middle of all that chaos was little Annabelle playing. She had no idea what was going on around her. She just sat there playing in total peace and enjoying herself.

Then I heard a still small voice say, "No worries. I've got this one."

 Their descendants will be known among the nations and their offspring among the peoples. All who see them will acknowledge that they are a people the Lord has blessed.

Isaiah 61:9

The NO MORE PAPER towels Challenge

Have you ever gone through a roll of paper towels in a couple of days or a week??? Or maybe I should ask, " Do you have small children?" 

Maybe you have seen the commercial where the young hip mom scolds her mother for cleaning the counter with a "germ covered" sponge  and ends her lecture by handing her mother a disinfecting Clorox wipe.

Well to be honest with you. . . .  for the last couple of years I have been ashamed of myself for going through so many paper products. Just the thought of how many virgin trees are being chopped down to make paper towels, disinfecting wipes, diapers, and toilet paper.

 Now let me make myself clear, I am NOT a tree hugger. However, trees are a part of God's beautiful creation and I LOVE to look at them. How about we chop down Mt. Rainier and make it into something useful =P I think it's totally reasonable to chop down a tree to heat your home, but to wipe your crumby counter?? seriously??? To be honest, it usually takes more than one paper towel to get peanut butter off those chubby little fingers (not mine) and chubby cheeks (again, not mine) :)

For the last couple of months we have been on a mission to simplify our lives and our finances. We have made multiple trips to thrift stores to unload all of our extra stuff! We went from twenty towels to seven. I can't even tell you how many baking dishes and utensils I turned loose of. We hit every area of our home; the kitchen, to our kids' bedrooms, and the bathrooms. Several times I had to ask myself, " Have I used this at all this year? Will I next month?"  Our reward has been less hassle, less stress, and more organization.

Last month we switched to cloth diapers. Don't worry cloth diapers have come a long way.

Last week I purchased some recycled paper towels and I'll be honest, I'm not going to pay that much for paper towels every month. We are not trading old expenses for new ones here!

So I had this idea. I'm sure moms have been doing it for thousands of years. We will not buy another roll of paper towels! We will use pieces of old clothing and towels to clean crumby counters and cloth napkins to wipe peanut butter mouths! Join me?

For every house in the U.S. to have one 2-pack of 140-sheet virgin paper towels, 720,000 trees have to be chopped down. Now isn't that just wasteful? Aren't we supposed to be frugal??

Proverbs 13:22

 A good man leaves an inheritance for his children’s children,
but a sinner’s wealth is stored up for the righteous.