Sunflower Faith

Archive for Tuesday Tip Jar

28 Oct 2008

Tuesday Tip Jar

No joke that homeschooling brings out many creative sides that one never realizes they have till they are creating a project, putting together a lesson plan or finding new uses around the home.

Top it off…sometimes we can’t replace a much needed item or just need a way to make things last for as long and as frugal as possible.

Many uses of WD-40

In this case, the dry erase board plays a huge part in conveying ideas, making a point or just scribbling but eventually we find ourselves in situations where the board we are using, isn’t holding up or erasing like we wish it would.

Out of curiousity and checking online we soon discovered that a regular household product that was just as usual for getting squeaks out of the door hinge, with a spray, gives a dry erase board, it’s original usefulness again.

So if you too, find yourself in a situation where, though you may have scrubbed the marks off, the dry erase board won’t retain it’s original abilty to wipe off as easily as the markers can mark on, clean off the board with an abrasive cleaner or SOS pad, then spray on the good ol WD-40 and it’s as good as new.

Sunflower Faith | 10 comments | Tags: frugal tips, homeschool frugal, Homeschooling, Meme, Tuesday Tip Jar

15 Oct 2008

Tuesday Tip Jar

Word Filled Wednesday

I’m not surprised if I haven’t received this from many people or Gentle Readers by now. Lol!

: Genesis 31:49; Image Copyright: Inspire21.com

Since the hurricane and with the full swing of homeschooling, most of my time has been taken up with schooling and then catching up with non-school errands.

As time went on and I actually realized the need to take the time to re-organize my dayplanner to suit the change in life, it also meant catching up on email and just catching up with dear friends and even family that I had lost touched with in the past months.

The absence and just working to better manage my time, made me reflect so much on our Heavenly Father and how easy it is ourselves to get lost in spending time with Him.

I realize that I missed just blogging like I did, and more than anything, I missed the time I spent with Him and reading His word and realized that as busy as I was with homeschooling and taking care of every day life, that I was neglecting as well, my spiritual life with our Heavenly Father.

We are all entering that time of year where the holidays are slowly creeping around the corner and the rush to prepare for the holidays will begin, but in the process, it is a time we need to make extra sure that just as much as we go over our holiday lists and begin to get into that holiday mode, that we don’t forget to take the time to spend with our Father too and not forget Him.

This is a fitting verse I feel that when we are absent, just as we pray and hope we are not lost in the thoughts of others, that we don’t get lost in the thoughts of our Heavenly Father.

Life does happen where we get so busy and caught up we forget, accidently or not and it’s with prayer and hopes that we remember that we need to make time just as our Heavenly Father makes time and nothing is too big or too small for Him.

Lord, I pray that in our daily lives, in no matter what the circumstances are, that we don’t forget You, Heavenly Father. I pray for Your strength and Your love and just help us do what we can not do ourselves, but what we need YOU to do, which is to make time in our lives and not get so caught up that we get needlessly swept away.

Sunflower Faith | 9 comments

12 Aug 2008

Memes • Tuesday Tip Jar

Tuesday Tip Jar-White Vinegar

: Join up in Tuesday Tip Jar, hosted every Tuesday by Blog Mommas

I came across this tip while trying to find not only an effective (and sanity saving way) to combat pets soiling in the home but to help encourage (and discourage) my young puppy from going in the house while housebreaking him at the same time.

White Vinegar. Water. Spray bottle.

Natural.Simple.Cheap.Works.

I have to add that it helps to use this along with anything that breaks down enzymes as well but as a stand alone product, white vinegar mixed with water in a spray bottle works really well in diffusing areas that the puppy has decided to go at.

The white vinegar basically neutralizes traces of ammonia that tends to linger behind and removes any scent from the spot so the puppy can not come back to the area.

Used with baking soda…it’s effective with housebreaking, because as long the puppy can no longer pick up “cues” in the home, he is more likely to go outside, but if he can still smell where he has gone before…it’s a never ending cycle.

This helps to if the puppy is older as well because as young puppies, they still don’t have good bladder control (sounds familiar to potty training I know, and white vinegar helps there too for those occasional on the floor accidents).

In our case, he is 4 months old and still prone to accidents particularly when playing with his older brother (oh that is just so much fun there), however for on the spot treatment short of tearing one’s hair out…this works great.

A plus to this as well is that white vinegar can be used to clean shower doors (thank you so much to Amydeanne of “The 160 acre woods” for alerting me to that fact) and keeps puppy from licking the shower door (don’t ask, I won’t tell).

Sunflower Faith | 9 comments

06 Aug 2008

Tuesday Tip Jar

Word Filled Wednesday

: Photo Credit: Pentocelo

When I saw this scripture, it just really stirred so much emotions inside me.

I felt like it was a reminder that we shouldn’t hold our faith in check or measured by how others may or may not perceive us, but rather how we desire and seek to have that personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

Being a follower of Jesus Christ isn’t something we should be ashamed of or leashed to an “acceptable and comfortable living”, but to have that simple and authentic relationship and walk with God, we must be open and willing to cry out to the world with our words and more than anything with our hearts, that we aren’t ashamed to have a living and personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

For the past week, and for the longest while I have found myself just considerable challenged and convicted in my walk with God and I realized why. I wasn’t allowing myself to truly live an authentic life with God because in the back of my mind, I was worried what others thought and I still am and I find myself haunted by that.

Often I found myself comparing myself to other and feeling that I was failing rather than measuring up and that’s not what being a Christian is about.

Being a follower of Christ, means knowing we are imperfect and we are going to have days that we will fall and we will be vulnerable and feel vulnerable and that’s okay because we have our Heavenly Father to fill in, even when we may feel like He isn’t.

It’s not about what we do or do not feel. It’s about the fact that HE is perfect and that He is consistent in His promises to us.

Our Heavenly Father calls us to live an authentic, simple and real, living, breathing life with Him and He calls to you, to me, to all of us….to just lift up our trumpets and sing out in glory to Him.

Come join "Word Filled Wednesday" over at the 160 Acre Woods

Sunflower Faith | 15 comments

27 May 2008

Memes • Tuesday Tip Jar • Uncategorized

Tuesday Tip Jar

This is something my hubby FINALLY decided to share with me and my mother in law and even she was shocked to learn this so I knew it was a keeper.

From what I can tell this works with fresh fruit juices only and not ones that has had time to dry and really soak in the carpet and pretty much eliminates the need to give kids clear juices unless you wait to late to get to the stain in time.

When an accident happens, get a cup of water, warm or cold, doesn’t matter and pour it on the spilled juice and the water actually thins the juice out to the point it literally disappears.

All that is left is a rag or towel to dry up the water; works like a charm every time.

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