On March 31, my husband received his monthly paycheck, and it was $510 less than usual. We were not surprised, as we had been anticipating this hit for awhile, but it still hurts our budget. We will be on reduced salary for the next several months until we can raise our ministry budget. That same […]
Archive for the ‘Decorating’ Category
How to Find Encouragement When You Are Discouraged by Debt
April 9th, 2014 
Jessica 
Posted in 
3 Kids in 1 Bedroom: New Bunk Beds!
March 24th, 2014 Jessica When our family moved to California from Maryland, we knew that one of the primary ways that we could save money was by finding an affordable place to live. We planned on having more children, so that meant fitting a lot of people in a small space. When Brad saw our house, he knew it […]
Our White, Tan, & Turquoise Bathroom
March 21st, 2014 Jessica When we moved into our house in September 2011, our youth ministry committee was kind enough to prepare it for us. They spackled, sanded, sprayed, and painted our entire house white. Later that week they helped Brad and I paint 5 of the 6 rooms a solid color. However, the bathroom linoleum and plumbing were […]
The Gift of Curtains: Our Master Bedroom & Dining Room
March 8th, 2014 Jessica Last year for Christmas (2012) my father-in-law gave Brad and I curtains and curtain rods for our living room, and then helped us install them. It may amuse some of you to know that we’d been living in our house for 1 1/2 years, and still didn’t have curtains anywhere but in the kids’ room. […]
A Pink Princess Party
July 17th, 2013 Jessica I tend to get stressed before birthdays, especially Naomi’s birthday. I tend to set too-high expectations for myself, and then procrastinate out of a fear of failure. After talking with Brad and a friend about my concerns, I decided just to have a simple “Pink Princess Party” with just our family for Naomi’s 4th birthday. […]
Birthday Morning: Doorway Surprise
July 15th, 2013 Jessica The night before Naomi’s 4th Birthday, I thought it would be fun to try something I’d seen on Pinterest. I used some crepe paper (leftover from previous birthdays) and balloons (the ones that I wouldn’t need for her party) to create a Doorway Surprise. The kids got a big kick out of their special doorway. […]
A Free Fence! (Part 2)
July 5th, 2013 Jessica Two weeks ago I mentioned that our neighbors had decided to replace the fence between our yards. They have been working on the project whenever they can, so it’s been fun to see their progress! You can see that the new fence should be a lot stronger than the old fence, and the planks are […]
A Painted Bus Stop Bench
June 18th, 2013 Jessica When we first moved into our house (which we rent) in September 2011, there was a bus stop in our backyard. I was not overly impressed with the concrete and broken wood structure, or the words “LSD”, “Coke”, and “Cocaine” carved into the Bireley’s Soda advertisement. However, with little other seating in our backyard, it […]
A Free Fence!
June 13th, 2013 Jessica On Saturday morning, the landlord of our neighbor’s house stopped by to introduce himself. He wanted to know if it was okay if he and his sons removed and replaced the broken old fence between our yards this week. He wanted to make sure that we wouldn’t mind the yard waste and building materials laying […]
Free Sod!
June 12th, 2013 Jessica Somtimes God surprises us with the things we need or want, before we even think to ask! Last week, a friend posted on Facebook that she needed to find a home for 30 extra pieces of sod. She and her husband had ordered too much, and it needed to be used immediately or else it […]
