A few months ago, Crystal did a series of posts on how getting up early could give you more time in your day. I took those posts to heart, and decided to give it a try…
Read the rest of my guest post on Money Saving Mom today!
Our Compost Garden
August 27th, 2012 
Jessica When we first moved into our house, it had three separate compost piles in the backyard. Brad cleared away two of those piles, but we kept one. We don’t do anything fancy. We just dump our organic leftovers in a pile. At one point, I decided that the pile was getting unsightly, and turned the whole thing over with a shovel. Well, you wouldn’t believe what happened.
Our compost pile started growing, and growing, and growing!
Our friend Roah gave us two tomato plants, which Brad also planted in the compost pile.
We have more acorn squash than we know what to do with! It looks like I’ll be digging up a lot of acorn squash recipes this autumn!
We were also really surprised to see a watermelon growing in our garden!
And of course we have tomatoes.
At one point I was disappointed that we had forgotten to plant a garden this spring, and let the time for planting get away from us. However, it seems that God decided to grow us a garden without our help! What a wonderful picture of how he always provides for our needs.
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“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?
And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” Matthew 6: 25-34
Freebie Friday! Nescafe, Garnier Fructis, & Cheerios
August 24th, 2012 Jessica 
This week I received a lot of fun freebies in my mailbox!
- Garnier Fructis Shampoo & Conditioner (2) & coupon
- Nescafe Memento (2) & coupon
- Honey Nut Cheerios
What fun freebies have you received in the last week?
Crockpot Chicken Tacos
August 22nd, 2012 Jessica 
Recently I was looking for some summer crockpot recipes because our house is hottest during the late afternoon hours when I am cooking dinner. Cooking in the crockpot keeps me out of the kitchen during that time of day, and keeps the house cool. I found this recipe on Pinterest, from a website called Chocolate Therapy. It’s very easy, and only has 3 ingredients! I used it for chicken tacos on 2 nights, and used it for Chicken Enchiladas (another Pinterest find) on 2 more nights. Enjoy!
Crockpot Chicken Tacos
Recipe from Tasty Kitchen
Serves: ~12 people
- 1 envelope Taco Seasoning
- 6 pieces Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts (I substituted bone-in leg quarters because they were cheaper)
- 1 16-ounce jar Salsa
Dump everything into a crock pot and give it a little stir to blend the seasoning with the salsa. You do not need to add any water to the taco seasoning. Cook on high for 4 to 6 hours or on low for 6 to 8 hours. When done, the chicken should shred easily when stirred with a fork.
For tacos, serve the chicken with soft flour tortillas, guacamole, lettuce, shredded cheese and/or sour cream. This is very versatile and can be used for enchiladas, nachos, tostadas, quesadillas, etc.
What are your favorite summer crockpot recipes?
Fresh Tomato & Basil Pasta
August 20th, 2012 Jessica 
For the past few weeks I’ve been cooking from the Simply in Season cookbook again, and enjoying many delicious recipes! This is one we just tried, and loved! It reminded Brad and I of a recipe his mother used to make every summer when we would come to visit. It’s so easy and it only has 6 ingredients!
Fresh Tomato and Basil Pasta
Serves 6-8
Ingredients:
- 4 large cloves garlic (minced)
- 2 pounds/1 kg tomatoes (chopped, seeded, and drained)
- 1/2 cup / 125 ml fresh basil (chopped)
- 1/4 cup / 60 ml olive oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
Combine and let stand at room temperature 1-2 hours.
- 1 pound / 500 g whole wheat pasta shells or ziti
Cook according to package directions. Combine hot pasta and sauce. Garnish with freshly grated parmesan cheese or feta cheese. Serve immediately.
Mint variation: Replace basil with 1/3 cup / 75 ml chopped fresh mint plus the juice and grated rind of 1 lemon.
How much money does a blogger make?
August 18th, 2012 Jessica 
One of the questions that I often get, is “How much money do you make blogging?” My usual answer is, “Very little.” Although I have enjoyed my last 16 months of blogging at The Abundant Wife, I would be lying if I said that I am in it for the money. Earlier this week I thought that I ought to sit down and write out my expenses and profits, for tax purposes and out of curiosity. I was not surprised to find out that I ended my first year of blogging in the negative.
The Abundant Wife (March-December 2011)
Expenses:
Hosting (www.bluehost.com): -$95.40
Domain (www.GoDaddy.com): -$13.17
Profits:
Google Adsense: $0.59
Total: -$107.98
However, I was shocked this year when I received a direct-deposit to my checking account in February, and another in June! At this point, I am delighted that I will end 2012 in the positive. Woohoo!
The Abundant Wife (January-August 2012)
Expenses:
Hosting (www.bluehost.com): -$107.40 (Expires March 2013)
Domain (www.GoDaddy.com): -$35.97 (Expires March 2014)
Profits:
Shareasale.com: $63.03
Commission Junction: $95.99
Total: $15.65
Of course, if you add up both years, I still end in the negative at -$92.33. So if you’re thinking of blogging for income, be forewarned that you may be in for a long uphill climb. Hopefully you’ll start making money faster than I have. But I have learned so much else over the past 16 months that cannot be measured by money. So before you give up entirely on the idea of blogging for income, consider how much time you are willing to invest, and what you are hoping to gain (aside from income). If you’re still excited about the idea of blogging, then jump in!
Have you ever considered blogging, or blogged for income? What advice would you give to new bloggers?
Freebie Friday! Tea Forte, Carnation Breakfast, & Mary Kay
August 17th, 2012 Jessica 
Happy Friday! This week’s round-up includes some fun items. In fact, the chocolate milk has already been consumed by yours truly!
- Tea Forte (cucumber mint, honey yuzu, and cherry marzipan)
- Mary Kay FREE Premier Pampering Session
- Carnation Breakfast Essentials: Rich Chocolate Milk
What fun freebies have you received this week?
The Cost of Substitute-Teaching in California
August 15th, 2012 Jessica 
Brad and I both have a professional teaching background, his in math and mine in art. Later we both taught English in China. So it made sense to become substitute-teacher certified each time we moved as a way to earn additional income. We have now become certified in three states: Maryland, Minnesota, and California. Well, let me just tell you that California has proven to be the priciest and lengthiest process of all three. This past week we finally completed our substitute teacher orientation, and are now certified to begin substitute-teaching.
The entire process took us 6 months to complete (February-August).
These were the expenses of getting certified:
- CBEST Test in Sacramento: $101.00 (Thankfully we both passed on the first attempt!)
- TB Test: $40.00
- Fingerprinting: $76.00
- Transcript: $5.00
- Teaching Credential: $57.00
- 2nd Teaching Credential (the 1st one expired while we waited on transcripts to arrive): $57.00
That’s $336.00 per person.
The Total Cost for both of us to be certified to substitute-teach in California: $672.00.
PHEW!!!
Today I looked over our daily pay-rate chart for substitute-teaching to see how long it will take us to begin earning money from our investment. Depending on where we teach, it will take us 6-8 days just to make back the money we spent on our certification.
Lesson Learned? Substitute-Teaching might not be worth your while if you only plan on subbing occasionally. In addition, you will need a lot of cash up front (and a college degree) before you can begin earning any money.
Despite the high cost, I am delighted that we both have a new source of income, and a way to meet more students, teachers, and faculty to involve in youth ministry. I am also relieved to finally come to the end of this long process of preparation!
What ways have you found to earn additional income recently?
Calvin College Annual Fund
August 11th, 2012 Jessica 
Good morning, and happy Saturday! Today The Abundant Wife is being featured on the Calvin College Annual Fund Facebook page. Check it out!
While you’re there, don’t forget to “like” The Abundant Wife Facebook page for more photos and thoughts on living abundantly on less!
And Baby Makes 5!
August 10th, 2012 Jessica 
May 17, 2012: Test Positive!
On May 17, 2012 Brad and I found out that we are expecting our third child!
We are delighted at the prospect of being a family of 5. As many of you already know, we had a miscarriage this past December. So when I found out I was pregnant again, I had many mixed feelings that were new to me. I was reluctant to share our good news with anyone, including our families. In fact, we waited to tell our families until May 29 (6 weeks).
To complicate matters, I began spotting on May 29 and became convinced that I was miscarrying again. This time the grief was worse than the original miscarriage. I was inconsolable, and clung to our two toddlers. When the bleeding stopped as quickly as it started, I consulted the OB/GYN only to find out that I was experiencing “implantation bleeding.” Since I had never experienced it before, I just assumed it was a second miscarriage. Instead, I was reassured that all was well. However, the scare was enough to cause numerous miscarriage nightmares in the weeks that followed.
After that scare, I was even more reluctant to tell anyone that we were pregnant. Even as I experienced 3 weeks of nausea and exhaustion, I doubted that I was still pregnant and that the baby was healthy. I wanted to hear the baby’s heartbeat myself before I started sharing the news with others. We waited to tell our friends until July 19 (13 weeks).
Recently I was on Facebook when I saw an advertisement for a free ultrasound at a local pregnancy resource center. They are in the process of training their staff so that they can offer ultrasounds every day of the week. They requested that “pregnant models” call for an appointment. So today we packed up the family to get our first peek at “the baby in Mommy’s belly.” While the technician trained three staff people for 45 minutes, I got to gaze on our wiggling, sleeping, hiccuping, thumb-sucking bundle of joy. Naomi remarked that the baby was “swimming” in my belly.
So at 16 weeks and 2 days, having heard the baby’s heartbeat and having seen the baby on the ultrasound, I am finally convinced that I am indeed pregnant, and that the baby is fine. It is a joy to be able to share this news with you, our families, and our friends!
August 9, 2012: Ultrasound (16 weeks 2 days)
