Minimal Monday

So, I skipped out on Friday because what could I tell you to eat? I had Chinese food for dinner.  I suppose I could have mentioned that I recently discovered how yummy sliced and roasted tomatoes could be, drizzled in olive oil and sprinkled with salt, pepper and garlic.  Homemade cashew cream is yummy too.  Roasted peppers, tomatoes and broccoli are some of my faves.  But then, there was breakfast.

3 - 4 Medjool Dates, pitted, soaked
1/2 cup whole rolled oats
1/4 - 1/3 cup almond milk
cinnamon to taste
frozen raspberries
crushed walnuts

First, determine how long you want the dates to soak.  Overnight makes them super soft.  Fifteen minutes makes a difference too.  I used to use the regular dates because I figured they weren't that different except that I got more for less.  I was wrong.  The Medjool is where it's at! Anyhow, just soak them for 15 minutes or more.  I cooked the oats and almond milk mix for however long it would take to cook the oats.  I drained the dates.  If the oatmeal is a bit dry or hard (you know how oatmeal can lose its moisture) add more almond milk or keep some of the water in with the dates.  Add the oatmeal to a food processor with the dates, and cinnamon and process until the dates are fully incorporated without any "date bits" floating around.  I suggest doing this while the oatmeal is still a bit hot.  It will gently thaw the raspberries.  Then pour the oats over the frozen raspberries and top with the walnuts.  This was amazing.

Can you tell?  The photo was an after thought.

This is a great way to reduce the refined sugar in your oatmeal.  The dates made it perfectly sweet while the raspberries added a nice somewhat sour note that paired nicely with the sweetness and the walnuts provided that crunch while bumping up some of the protein value.  Besides that, the oatmeal was creamy with none of those random oat bits that I just realized I didn't like.  It ate more like a porridge.

In minimizing news, the only thing I've done recently is remove most of my children's toys.  This was done because many were broken bits, also many of them were argued over so often that I was going mad.  So, that was one big removal that I had undertaken.  I did have to add to my collection of stuff by buying some more school books.  I also had a lapse and bought some cotton/bamboo yarn.  That was a huge mistake because it has caused me to long for new yarn.  I am, however, knitting away on a shawl to use up four balls of Eden Silk that I had bought some time ago.  So, I'm still trying to be faithful to destashing.  I also need to finish up with basket that would be perfect to hold the working yarn so it doesn't roll all over the floor while I knit.  We did recently minimize our debt burden by paying off something that loomed large and terrifying over us.  Does that count? Lol.  Y'all take care and remember as King Solomon said in Ecclesiastes, "It's all vanity."  In other words, it's just stuff.  Get rid of it.  Hope you're having more success than I am.

Wednesday Wisdom

Good Evening!

I apologize for the break. We were in revival in our church and it was amazing.  The word preached was refreshing and timely and (aren't these all cliched terms?). Basically, it addressed issues that everyone was dealing with but wouldn't talk about.  But revival really pulls a lot out of my time, since I tried to maintain my home, squeeze in some knitting and for several days in a row, had to be sure to have church clothes.  It is Wednesday, however, and so I have to share what has been brought to my attention lately.

I went to the store and bought some Cardamom.  How I have longed to make all of the those spiced beverages and spice my buckwheat porridge.  I dove right in, and added it to a spiced Almond Milk recipe I had found online.  Whoa...

These little things really did a number on my tongue.  Albeit, a temporary number, but it did it.  It numbed my tongue.  That made me think about how important it is to mind our words.  I am known for being more than comfortable in my home in terms of mentioning things that my wonderful husband does that bother me.  I know that the Holy Spirit is working on me to be quiet.  He would like me to allow Him to work on my husband without my interference.  Sometimes, our idea of help as a wife is not helpful at all.  It is hurtful because we are supposed to be our husbands' biggest fans.  I know that I am.  So, I have been trying to catch myself when that small voice in my head says, "Don't say that." There were times when I went ahead and said it anyhow and it net me nothing at all.  Wouldn't it have been nice to have my tongue too numb to speak?  As wives in Christ, we have to remember that regardless of how we "feel" about something (and I don't mean things that are sinful or abusive), we still have to be mindful of our influence over our husbands.  Great men have supportive, thoughtful wives behind them.  No successful man ever came from a nagging, dissatisfied wife.  God created us to be help meets, not hurt meets.  We will find that God can move freely when we restrain our mouths.  Some verses to help support my point are:

Proverbs 21:23 - Those who guard their mouths and their tongues keep themselves from calamity (NIV)
Proverbs 10:14 - The wise store up knowledge, but the mouth of a fool invites ruin (NIV)
Proverbs 15:28 - The heart of the righteous weighs its answers, but the mouth of the wicked gushes evil (NIV)
Proverbs 18:20 - From the fruit of their mouth a person's stomach is filled; with the harvest of their lips they are satisfied. (NIV)
Proverbs 16:24 - Gracious words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones. (NIV)
Proverbs 15:1 - A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger. (NIV)

There is so much more about the mouth and our words in both Proverbs and James.  I would encourage anyone to pray that God "guard their mouth" and read Proverbs and James for more clarity and wisdom on the subject.  When we begin to reign in our mouths, we will begin to see true revival in our lives.

I hope to post again soon.  I have so much to share.  I hope you have a blessed night.

Knitting and Destashing

Good evening internet world! This unexpected post is about one of the big obstacles to my minimizing.  It is all about my knitting.

I am a knitter. Long ago, I learned to crochet. I'm not knocking the crocheters out there, but I always thought those two needles clicking away looked SO COOL.  So, I picked up one of those teacher yourself to knit books with drawn diagrams and learned a basic knit stitch.  A friend taught me pearling and knitting in the round and basic binding off.  All I need, as far as I'm concerned.  Unfortunately, a love for knitting leads to a love for yarn.  So much yarn...yikes.  I had hopes for many projects and during the school year, I am simply not that productive with my knitting.  But this summer, I tackled a few hanks of yarn (those oddly twisted bunches of yarn that look like cinnamon twist donuts, for you non-knitters) by making my first shrug.  I am so pleased with it.  Here is one look at it from the back:

And from the front:

And then I realized that it was reversible.  The bulk of the ruffles could be on the bottom.  That made me even more pleased.  Of course, I seemed to have only uploaded a photo from the back, but here it is:

Sometimes, when I am not on time with my posts, it is because I am too interested in my knitting to get off the couch.  When this was finished, I picked up some other needles and got straightaway to work on a hat that would use up some of my Red Heart yarn.

 When the hat is done, I will have dusted off 7 skeins of yarn.  Quite an accomplishment for me.  I also, have not purchased new yarn in some time.  Trust me, those A.C. Moore coupons are tempting but if I have no specific project for it, I'm resolved to not buy it.  Best way to keep the supply down, and never have more than 3 projects on the needles.  That's a tip to live by, as a knitter.  Best of luck tackling your stash and enjoy your night.

Minimalist Monday

I have zero pictures but I still have something to share about minimizing one area of your life, if it applies of course.

Homeschool.

I have started to plan the school year in an attempt to be more organized.  When it was time to begin filling out my other areas of study besides History, I realized that some of the children did not have the next grade's book.  Normally, I would just research and purchase something else.  Maybe it would be from the same publisher, maybe not.  I have always been a HUGE fan of BJU Press, but not BJU Press prices.  So, I often wander away in search of a cheaper curriculum.  This year, I thought about it differently.  I still have many Teacher's editions of various books.  I decided to hunt solely for the matching student worktext.  If you are homeschooling multiple children, as I am, the oldest tends to be the only one who needs yearly updates.  For the younger ones, have them write their answers in a notebook, leaving the worktext untouched.  This will allow you to keep it for many years.  I'm super excited, plus I get packages in the mail this week.

One other thing that I have been doing is giving things away.  I could wait for people to buy it, but it feels better when you just give it away.  I've cut the kids toys in half and every chance I get, I fill a bag for the thrift store.  Sadly, I still am building a stock pile of household necessities.  I confess that I have a lot of shampoo and other things I may not use right away.  If my friends ask, though, I give.  It is the most rewarding part of minimizing your life.  It really is.  Give liberally and often and for all of the stuff you remove from your life, you will replace it will joy.  Abundant joy.

Also, one tip for ordering your day: make a laundry schedule.  When we are following out schedule, no one complains about not having enough clothes.  Also, get rid of everything but seven outfit combinations.  Regularly consider what items you wear and don't wear and remove the ones you don't wear.  You just need to be able to switch out your clothes once a day for one whole week.  By the last day, you'll have clean clothes again.  It has truly helped to bring one area of order to our lives.  Assuming we actually follow the schedule.  I hope you can use these tips to increase the peace in your life.