Sometimes there are little surprises in life, like when a peach iris comes up amongst the white ones.
A secret that only some people know -- I wish more did -- is that you can live on one income --even a journalist's ;) -- and prosper.
Those few of us work hard at not frittering away hard-earned money. The focus is on raising our family, even if it means going without and making do for years and years. A lot of the things we do have come from yard sales...or were even free.
We use a lot of spray paint.
We put off buying new things, and very often we find what we need in a thrift store.
Yet we prosper. I don't mean we get rich and have a lot of stuff.
I mean the prosperity of love and enjoyment.
Yesterday evening we had a simple supper on the deck -- just leftovers after all who were leaving caught their respective planes.
The temperature was perfect.
{These days seem to be rare, here in the rainy zone.}
The lawn needs mowing, but we're pretty tired.
We were in that magical, elusive moment between the mayflies and the mosquitoes.
The sunlight slanted on the wood, under the picnic table.
Thank the Lord we have a table to sit at and enjoy our food and each other's company.
And yes, this is a Knight of Malta Playmobil guy.
27 comments:
And where, pray tell, does one get a Playmobile Knight of Malta?
Yes! Pray tell!!
Amen. We did it, too, and I felt immeasurably blessed, to be an available Mom to my girls.
I'm still "at home," although the girls are off at graduate school and on their own. It's a bit more of a challenge right now; my husband lost his job 2 months ago.
We are back in tightwad mode, and you know what? It's no big deal. We've been there before.
Wonderful post; thanks!
Cass
Thanks for the reminder ~ we live on a pastor's salary and we too have decided to NOT buy new if we can wait and buy it used. Yet sometimes, I can get impatient and want it NOW!!!
This is a nice reminder that we can not only "live" on my wonderful hubby's salary - we can prosper!
It's good to remember what blessings He has given to our family! And you've encouraged me to try dinner outdoors tonight....BEFORE the mosquitoes are out in full force~ ;)
Nearly cried when I saw the title of your post today. I can remember that I really do agree with what you said... I guess some days are just tougher than others.
Ain't it the truth? I'm used to thinking of myself as a thrifty, make-do, can't-buy-retail, raising-a-baby-on-a-grad-student-stipend kinda gal, but you know what? I have everything I need and more. I have more books than I can read and more clothes than I can wear. God is good.
Yes, and we've had people wonder how we can make it on my husband's teacher salary. I say, "We have everything we need, and a few things that we want."
Thanks for sharing such encouraging thoughts, and for reminding me that we are prospering.
Mom in MO
Joseph (aka Jojo) (aka, the 2nd son in the family) brought the Knight of Malta as a little coming home gift from DC. He had recently visited the Embassy of Malta!
I would imagine that they're hard to find anywhere else...
Your pictures of your meal outside are so sweet. I love those meals, made with leftovers and good company. I like how you wrote you are grateful for a table to sit at...I am grateful for that, too.
Eeww. Apologies for the stinky self pitying comment back there. Yuck. Attitude adjustment in full swing. Off to bake bread. Thank you for your company on a day when it was needed!
Yes, those journalist's/writer's salaries are pretty thin. But I'm glad we did (are doing) it, especially since it means my husband got to work at home and be an integral part of the kids daily lives. I think we've had to be a lot more creative and life has been more interesting because of that. My husband says our life is like one of those cartoon characters who run off a cliff and keep running in the air, but as soon as he looks down and sees where he is, he crashes to the ground. We don't look down!
The slim salary also means that our two college aged children have gotten extremely generous financial aid to private Catholic colleges. We keep counting our blessings (and our pennies).
This is a very timely post. We are a one income family, and we're like the mom in Missouri- we have a few things that we want.
The temptation is strong for me to get a job. All of that money would be applied to debt or desires. But if I got a job, we would lose so much more! We would lose prosperity. It's worth it. :)
Dear Puffin Hen,
I'm glad you came to! :)
It is so worth it to be grateful. We stumble when we compare ourselves to others or dwell on what we lack. Yet around us, all is grace!
Thanks for the update ;)
Prosperity, indeed! The real deal, not the imitation material stuff!
Love the playmobile guy.
And the Ulrich Madonna. I have 2 of them!
First, The Viking has a pair of Playmobile vikings keeping watch over his desk at work.
Second, BRAVA! We've been a one-income family since Redheaded Snippet's birth nearly 15 years ago and have learned to redefine not only prosperity but also success, needs, wants and stewardship. It has not been easy, but it's been so worth it for all of us!
Your post is God speaking to me today. I read an article in the paper this morning that says a family of four needs $55K to survive in these parts. I doubt my family of four will achieve that. We are frugal out of necessity and habit. I do see that we are prosperous and happy, but I do the adult-worrying about money too. This economy has hit my family very hard. I just need to keep counting my blessings and noticing our prosperity, a gift from God. Thank you, Leila.
Posts like this one is why I love this blog. Thank you, Leila!
Since we became a one income family we are infinitely richer: in faith, and in relationships with family and dear friends. Thanks for helping me see it!
Yes, it can be done, and all the better to understand true prosperity - just as your lovely photos show!
It's all in how we define prosperity, isn't it? I totally agree with you.
And your photos are beautiful!
I love this post. This is the reason my husband and I chose for me to stay home. Since we do not have children yet, our friends all think we're a little nutty, but I know how much we have gained by our choice!
I am trying to make the most of this childless time by learning how to keep the house running smoothly and efficiently. Better to learn now than at the same time that I am learning how to care for a small human, right? The extra quilting time is a bonus! :)
Jessica, I definitely think Better to learn now than at the same time that you am learning how to care for a small human. We had a honeymoon baby so there was almost no time between getting married and dealing with morning sickness and pregnancy and then baby. My desire to learn how to keep house efficiently coincided with my inability to get anything done. It's been humbling to say the least to discover a craving for order at the same time I'm learning how to let go of my need for control.
Enjoy your time of learning and quilting. I am so jealous of that extra quilting time!
If God sends you a childless time, by all means use it to learn to do... anything and everything!
It's true, Melanie, that all things childbearing (and I know you had a really hard time with feeling sick) do not conduce to growth in the orderliness area.
But believe that God sends those times too -- for sanctification.
Who knows, other than He,what our souls need? I know that for me, those many years when I had to accept not having control over order (once I noticed ;) made me more compassionate.
There's an insufferability that comes along with having everything under control before you take a step...don't go there, or regret not having gone there.
Babies are more important.
I know you know that, and you express your experience very well, as usual.
On the other hand, if you have time to figure things out, then do! ;) XOXO
Melanie, enjoy this time! Learn how to make really good, freezable things, and your own chicken stock and and and. We sort of had a honeymoon baby, too, so I learned "on the job" with a baby how to do a lot of that stuff. Either way, God works it all out. Also, though, you should sleep in and nap a lot and just enjoy it. I was a teacher before I stayed home with our baby, and I felt so guilty for napping on hot summer afternoons while my fiancee worked, and now, I am so happy I have those memories. (and I am so happy that I have a baby, too, of course!).
Also, yes yes yes Leila. I didn't know how we'd afford it, but now that we're doing it, we live just fine on one income. Also, it is such a good witness to our friends. Look: Stuff is just stuff, see? Especially around Christmas, we learned a lot about small gestures and small gifts and no gifts and thoughtfulness.
Ps. Today is the feast day of St. Philip Neri, the joyful saint. I'd like to think that he had a little something to do with this idea of joyfully living our vocations of simple lives.
Leila, you are so right about those times being about sanctification. I just think it funny that until I was married I was quite content with messiness and chaos it was only the advent of motherhood that made me want to learn how to keep house. Sometimes not only does God give and then take away, blessed be his name, but he does it at almost the same time. He's funny like that.
I'm working on the compassion thing. I'm sure eventually I'll get there. Once I learn to stop punishing everyone else for my inability to impose my own will on my surroundings. At some point I will know deep in my soul and not just in my head that babies are more important than the mess on the living room floor or the gunk in the kitchen sink or or or....
Leila, I needed far more than a year to learn how to keep house, myself! :)
We've lived very happily and peacefully all our married life on my precious husband's wage. We have had all our needs met and many, many wants. Glory to God.
Thanks Leila for your great posts and ladies for your lovely comments. Linda
P.S. (There was an excellent article on homelivingblogspot recently, titled something like, "Women at Home, Men at Work, How It Should Be.")
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