Onto the task before me…try to learn about the wisdom found in Proverbs 31, hands on.

Proverbs 31:14

¹⁴ She is like the merchant ships,
bringing her food from afar.

photo credit: anthropologie

Like merchant ships she brings food from a far – basically grocery shopping.

Grocery shopping with 4 kids 5 and under!? Not. going. to. happen. Can you even image the scene? Cart wheels squeaking, breast milk leaking, children fighting, babies crying. Even on a good day, where would I put the food?

Enter online shopping

I am fortunate to have a local service in my community that provides pick-up or delivery service. The small fee I pay for having someone else shop the aisles for me and bring the food to my house, is worth every penny.

Shopping online provides the opportunity to watch my finances. I can easily “put back” items that have put my budget over. I can also stick to my list a lot better when I don’t have the chance to roam to the “other side” of Target. You know what I am talking about…holiday decor, clothes, clearance end caps and toys.

Add extra help

Even the thought of taking all the little ones (in this freezing weather) on a small trip to restock fresh foods or small items can really wear me down. I try to ask for help whenever I need some assistance. I love my friends and family!

The wisdom

Being wise is knowing when to push yourself and knowing when to set your limits. I set my sails to gather food, I just require a crew to help me navigate the way home.

Love,

Jess

I’ll be back with more grocery and meal planning adventures.

Hey Y’all!

I took a trip to Dallas/Ft.Worth TX last week to visit and reconnect with friends that relocated down south. Hot, yes! Worth it, of course.

Upon returning home, my gracious parents, Grammy Lu and Papa Den, cleaned my whole house! Even the oven.

They brought in flowers, caught a mouse and even organized my spices! Nice.

I am working on my own nesting and I’ll have some projects to write about soon. But, for now I am easing back into the daily routine that was so wonderfully tossed aside during my trip.

Peace,

Jess

Or maybe I am complex.

I can whittle away time, minutes which turn into years, dreaming of this and designing that.

Planing for a simple life takes energy, focus and endurance.

Some things I’ve done to get shifting from dreaming to doing:

• I bought a wall plaque that says LIVE SIMPLY for one dollar at a garage sale.
• I thinned out my list of blogs that I read. I unsubscribed to 3 blogs related to “Simple Living”. (ironic I know)
• I cleared off all the clutter on top of my refrigerator .
• I reached out and asked for help! Simple living doesn’t have to be done alone. (more to come on this topic)

So while I will never give up dreaming (my favorite hobby) I do intend to involve a lot more doing into my life!

PS

iPhone capture from Mother’s Day. Of course, Daddy is getting all the love!

The top of my soon-to-be dresser.

This week my heart felt like gunk. I can easily be discouraged which is odd because I find it so easy to encourages others.

This week I tackled missed deadlines, family sickness and cold weather as I tried to get my heart up and running. I needed to give my gunky funk a tune up.

I always forget to ask for help. Pride, maybe. Insecurity, sure. But, I really think I just forget to ask sometimes! This time I had help.

A friend and follow MOPS leader spent a great deal of time with me over the phone offering help and pointing my heart upward to my Creator. Plus an added bonus, my Mother-in-Love Kris baby sat the kids for 8 hours on Saturday freeing me up to rest and work on the house (cabinet doors are on their way to becoming Cottage White)!

I am still battling a cold and my laundry mountain but I have been renewed with a stronger sense of direction and my heart is beating freely only now without all the crud. Now that’s just in my nose.

Bible, Book of Psalms, Chapter 51, Verse 10
Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me.