Shelves are flying off the shelves!

Oh.my.word.
I'm seriously doing a happy dance.  Hotsauce is too.  He's just doing it in my mind! ;)

As I said last week Turkey Bottom Haven has expanded its business and is now selling shelves and a few miscellaneous items at The Pickin' Shed (you should check it out on Facebook).  Well, I believe that we had a successful weekend!  We have one shelf on hand as an example and then brought in four shelves to actually sell on Friday afternoon.

We sold one on Friday.
Yes!

We sold another one on Saturday.
Oh ya baby!

We sold another one on Sunday.
Shut the front door!

We almost sold out in our first weekend!  I was so nervous about them selling that on Friday night I woke up in the middle of the night and started praying.  I probably woke up three or four times and prayed that God would have them sell.  He came through!

This was one of my favorite ones!  She already sold, but we will spend this week making more and restocking the shelves at The Pickin' Shed!

What do you think of her?  Tell me you're in love.

We are also planning on making some with hooks this week.  And we have plans for another style of shelves that will blow your socks off!





I'm still doing a happy dance!

Never forget those eyes...

I've been going through a bit of a blogger blah.  I have several posts that I have started and for what ever reason I haven't been able to finish.  Perhaps a little bit of the winter blues?

Part of the reason is that we are in the midst of Baby Step #2 and while we are plugging away at our debt snowball I don't really feel like we are accomplishing much ... or what we are accomplishing doesn't deserve a blog shout out.

I think God is reminding me that even in the slow and steady parts of life that something is happening.  This whole process will take several years.  We often dream of the day when we will be free to bless others with our money.

And that is a blessing that we felt last night.

I just finished writing about how our business, Turkey Bottom Haven, is expanding.  Well, part of expanding our business is needing materials to build our shelves.  In order for our budget to work we have to use our blow money and Christmas money to buy materials.  We are more than willing to do that, though we anxiously await the day when we start selling them so we can have our pocket money back!! :)

Last night we headed to Independence to go to the lumber yard.  We bought the extra lumber we needed and headed to Walmart for paint.  Of course while we were at Walmart we thought of several other items that we needed.  So into the cart went 5 gallons of milk, 3 lbs of butter, shampoo, conditioner, chicken breasts, cheese and so on and so on.  Why does this always happen when you walk into that store?

The paint was coming out of my blow fund.  So I paid for it first.  While standing in line the lady behind us kept making eye contact with us and smiling.  I noticed that she kept her eye on the kids, who were patiently sitting on the salt bags waiting for us.  As the groceries were totaled up I started going through my "food" envelope to pull the money out and noticed that the smiley lady was pushing her cart closer and closer to us.  I thought she was getting overly anxious for us to finish up our transaction and get out of her way.

Turns out she had another plan.

She whispered to the cashier that she would like to pay for our groceries.  Hotsauce and I were preoccupied and didn't hear what she had said.  I looked at the cashier waiting for him to tell me the total and he looked at me and stuttered, "Um, she, she, she, shhhheeee, waaa...."

To which, I scrunched up my forehead and stared at him.

So he started motioning to the lady behind me.  And in a very shy manner she said, "I would like to pay for your groceries."

I didn't know what to do.  This doesn't happen to us.  My face immediately turned red.  I could feel it starting in my neck and crawl up my face.  It was pure emotion.  I look at Hotsauce to see what I should do next and he looks at the lady and says, "Thank you."

Hmmmm.  Why didn't I think of that?  He's so profound sometimes.

She replies, "You're welcome.  You have a very nice little family." And she smiles a wonderful smile that comes out of her eyes.


And I'm blessed.  More by a smile that comes out of her eyes... or perhaps her heart? ... then I am by her actually paying for our groceries.

As we wrangle up the turkeys Hotsauce adds, "God bless you and thanks again."

I pray that God will bless that smiley lady.  I know He blessed us.  I also pray that I never forget her eyes and I pray that God will give me those eyes some day.

Thank God Sunday?

Let's pretend that it's Friday. 
Wouldn't it be great if it really was Friday night instead of Sunday night? 

Three people have asked me why I didn't post Thank God Friday ... so I know that I must be in high demand.  Of course, those three people were my husband, my mom and my friend that lives in my house.  Seriously, I.AM.BIG.TIME!

This one is pretty exciting.  At least it is for me! 

Turkey Bottom Haven is the beginning of a dream for me.  I would love to turn our small online shop into something bigger.  I would love to go into business with Hotsauce and open our own store.  And make millions.  Or enough to make a solid income.

We are a long way from that.  But, every day I pray that God will bless Turkey Bottom Haven.  I pray that it would be a blessing to our family and a huge help on our debt free journey.  I have developed a friendship with Emily from The Pickin' Shed and on Saturday Hotsauce and I made the journey to see her shop.

It was exactly how I pictured it.  A glimpse at my own dream.  I'm pretty sure she's making millions right in the middle of Coggon, Iowa.  It's a pretty much a metropolis... so it could happen. 

While talking with Emily we developed a plan to consign a few of the shelves that we (and by we I mean Hotsauce) are building. 

Here's a look at it:

I know, she's a pretty girl!  She's going to be available in a couple of different colors. 

And so our dream is building.  Our business is expanding.  Our debt is shrinking. 

Our God is good.  Oh, so good to us.  We are thankful and looking forward to where He's taking us!

Air Freshner on the Cheap!

If you've spent any time on Pinterest you've come across pictures of oranges, cloves, cinnamon sticks and other such goodness being used as a room air freshener.

I pinned such a link and immediately knew that I would try it out for myself sometime soon.

The problem though is that the budget doesn't really allow for "wasting" oranges and boiling them for no other reason than to make the house smell less like little boys and more like someone has been slaving over a stove.

One way to do this is to teach your sons how to aim better.  But, there are just no guarantees here.  Another way would be to slave over the stove all day.  But, there's not a whole lot of room in the budget... oh, who am I kidding... I'm not going to slave over anything all day long.  Here's a little secret, I'm kinda lazy.

So, I broke down and bought some oranges.  I found cinnamon sticks at the Amish Bent and Dent (aka Carter's Discount Groceries) for fifty cents and for some reason I had some whole cloves from Plainview Country Store.  I think they were a few years old, leftover from a hot apple cider experiment.

I filled a small pot with a couple of oranges that I quartered, the cinnamon sticks, cloves, a little vanilla and covered it with water.  Put that on high until it starts to boil and then lower the temp to 2-3.  When the water evaporates, add more.  Pretty simple.  Plus this concoction will last a few days. 

Even Hotsauce loves the scent.  I try not to burn candles as much as I like to, because they give S.O.S. headaches and I sometimes try to be a considerate housemate.  :)  This doesn't seem to bother her head much!

After doing this a few times I really started feeling like it wasn't the best use of the oranges... thereby not the best use of our money.  So I stopped.  It was sad.

But, whenever I get sad, I stop being sad and start being AWESOME!

That's when this brilliant idea hit me.  The Turkey's love fruit.  They especially love oranges and apples.  So why not keep the orange peels and use them instead of the whole orange?  I can still use the cloves and cinnamon sticks that I have, because I really have no other use for them.  And whenever someone starts an orange and can't finish it I could use those pieces too. 

And why not throw the apple cores in too?  It would be worth a shot.

So, no where near as fancy looking as the ones on Pinterest.  But, it still smells fabulous and for a lot less money!

Here's another tip if you decide to do this on the cheap!  Once the cinnamon sticks boil in the water a few times they will start to unroll.  Once you're ready to throw out the peels and cores or whatever else you come up with ... pull out the cinnamon sticks.  Let them dry overnight on a paper towel or dish.  When you wake up in the morning they will roll back up into their original state and be ready to use in your next batch!  It's a frugal alternative to throwing them out every few days.  And to be real honest I've used the same peels for up to a week.  They start to look pretty gross when they cool off, but they still do the job!

I also just started using apple cores today and haven't noticed them giving off a lot of scent.  But, I'm wondering if they're just being overpowered by the orange scent.  I am going to keep a few cores in the fridge for a few days until this round of peels have gone "bad" and then try an apple cinnamon mixture. 

I have also stopped using vanilla as I don't really pick up on that scent either, so why waste good vanilla??

I have also seen mixtures of lemon and rosemary as well as cranberry and pine.  I'm sure the different mixtures are only limited by our imaginations... and budgets of course!

Have you tried any of these air fresheners?  Do you have any combinations that you like best? 

Thank God Friday - Busy and Blessed!

I still have 1 hour and 23 minutes to get this out while it's still Friday.  No judging me.

So, I guess today I am most thankful for the things that keep me busy.  Things that keep from blogging, even though there are few things that I like more than writing.

In the last few hours besides our normal family evening activities we have been whirling with creative activity.  Hotsauce is working on making some amazing shelves for Turkey Bottom Haven.  We've been working on a custom sign order that has to be finished by Christmas.  When we finish that sign I'm hoping to get to work on another sign for a Christmas gift.  It has the potential to be my favorite sign ever.  But, you've heard me say that before right??

The new cabinet.

This morning we also picked up a cabinet to bring home and take pictures of it to list it on Turkey Bottom Haven.  We're hoping to have a reasonably quick turn around because our Christmas money (Hotsauce and mine, not the Turkeys) is wrapped up in that cabinet.  Also the longer it stays here, the more I grow attached to her.  I'm even thinking about naming her.  I wish I was joking when I typed that.

Adelle? Perhaps Josephine?  Maybe Mary Kathleen after my late grandmother?  No, then I could never sell her... I have issues.

I also pulled out a beautiful table that I've been meaning to post pictures of and never get around to it.  I think she'll go fast.  She's a little flawed, but it certainly adds to her beauty.  I find that true about people too. Perhaps I'm just weird like that?

Look at those legs!!

I believe that this busyness is an indication of God's blessing.  I pray (almost) daily that God will bless Turkey Bottom Haven.  And not just my portion of the business, but the other vendors also.  I believe that God wants us to be diligent in working.  He wants us to lead productive lives so that we won't be a burden to others.

But, I know that we can labor night and day and without God's blessing on our work it will be in vain:

Psalm 127:1

Unless the Lord builds the house,
    its builders labor in vain.
Unless the Lord watches over the city,
    the watchmen stand guard in vain.

We are thankful to be serving a God who blesses even though he doesn't have to.  He truly is good to us!

Are you finding your work to be a blessing?   

Last night of FPU

Tonight is our last night of Financial Peace University.

I feel like it has been a complete success!  God has done some amazing things in our behaviors.  He's changed the way we think about money.  I believe that He has given us a gazelle type intensity and has started us on the path to financial freedom.

I hesitate to post this next picture, but I do not do it to boast in anything that Hotsauce and I do, but instead to boast in what God has done in our lives.

It truly is a snapshot of what the last nine weeks have meant to us:

It is my hope that it will encourage you on your journey.  It hasn't been easy.  We haven't always done it right.  But, we have learned and we have grown.

If you haven't started your journey for whatever reason.  I would say that I have no idea if our results are typically, if they're more or less than the average FPUer... but it brings great joy to our hearts.  We have one regular income that is slightly higher than the national average.  We have 5 children.  They don't have jobs... yet.  I do sell a few things online, but things have slowed down this month (even more than I expected).  Though Hotsauce has made up for my slacking by getting 3 odd jobs this month.

What I'm saying is that there's nothing exceptional about our income.  We have a lot of dependents children.  But, God is blessing.  He will bless you too!

No excuses.  I don't care that it's December... start today!

Thank God Friday!!! You.Will.Die!!

I thought about holding off until after my big Christmas outfit reveal this Sunday at our church's annual Christmas Program... but I promised to let you all see the best.white.elephant.gift.EVER!!!

You are going to die when you see how amazing it is!  I'm giddy.  I'm horrified. I'm overwhelmed with emotion. I have so many intense emotions all at the same time that I cannot adequately explain what's going on inside of me!!!

It is my hope that all of you LOVE ugly Christmas sweaters as much as I do.  I'm not sure that you could possibly love them as much as I do, but I will give you the benefit of the doubt.  This gift is the PERFECT compliment to anyone who loves a good old fashion ugly Christmas sweater.

Are you ready? You.will.die.

What did I tell you???  So much emotion.  So much love and disgust all wrapped up in one huge package of joy!  Now, these are Christmas shoes!!

Now, fans of PETA, please do not get upset.  But, one of the fantastic features of these terribly wonderful Christmas shoes is that they are made out of REINDEER fur! I am not even joking.  Reindeer fur Christmas shoes from Scandinavia!!

Look how they curl up at the toes!  I am just sure that the Elves are coveting these babies.  Well, except for the fact that they're made out of Rudolph's mom... just kidding kids!  No fictional reindeer moms were hurt in the glorious making of my new Christmas shoes.

Well, "new" is a bit of an exaggeration.  It's my understanding that the previous owners kept these hidden in the back of a closet for at least a decade.  Why?  I don't know.  But, they did mention that they're starting to smell a bit.  And they are.

Anyone have any ideas on how to remove the stench from Reindeer pelt?  If so please let me know.  Because stink or no stink, I'm wearing them!

They also have a tendency to shed.  Since we don't have any pets my shedding Christmas shoes are a bit gross... it's one of the reasons that we had to get rid of our last dog... because we were afraid that Mo-Mo might be allergic to him.  I hope he's not allergic to my Christmas shoes!! Wouldn't that just beat all?

Oh, did I mention the pom poms on the ends of the laces?  It just adds to the tacky, yet, blissfully Christmasy love that I have for them!  Ahh, I cannot get enough!  Is anyone still reading, or have you all died?? I know Hotsauce has died a thousand deaths since I first put these on... He just loves the idea of me wearing them out in public too!  So.much.joy.

One last picture for you to ogle and then I'll call it a day!!

So today, I am thankful for the small things in life that bring me joy.  The way that God knows that I'm an odd duck and yet, still gives me the desires of my heart.  Even the desires I don't know that I have.  Because, trust me, I never knew how much I wanted these until I opened them up last Sunday at our white elephant gift exchange!
I'm thankful that some of the best gifts cost nothing and for the reminder as we continue on our debt free journey to look past the material things this world has to offer!  Jesus is enough.

What ways has God filled the desires of your hearts this Christmas season?  What's the best gift you've ever gotten from a white elephant gift exchange?  How much do you love and hate my Christmas shoes?