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The Guilt and the Gimmies

We’re going to be super cheap, super frugal and super-D-duper tightwads this year for the holidays.
Amazingly enough the icky economy is helpful. I find that I am not so scared to say No.
“No, I can’t donate to your worthy cause- I am my own worthy cause this year.”
No is hard for me. I feel like a heel when I don’t have the bit of cash needed to give to the local mission for holiday dinners or to the sheriff’s department for the special fundraiser. Or to the kids in my youth group selling cheap wrapping paper, icky cheese balls and cookie dough so overpriced I could make 12 dozen for the same price as their 2 dozen.
No, I’m sorry I can’t donate, we’re really having to pinch our budget and just don’t have the extra money.
You know, you don’t even have to explain that much- No should mean NO.
Period.
My Grampa was once an insurance salesman (one of his many interesting jobs he had in his lifetime) and he said the key was to make a person say NO seven times before you give up because people usually can’t hold out that long.
I’ve kept that in mind- I don’t want to get to seven- mostly we find that “No, I’m sorry, I can’t at this time,” seems to be enough but other times it isn’t. It makes me uncomfortable when they go into that “Don’t you have an extra $5 a week you could spare to give us $20 a month? Surely you can do that?! Don’t you realize these people/worthy organization need your help?”
It boils down to this: guilt.
Guilt over the phone from people I don’t know and will probably never meet.
Here’s another way of looking at it . . . . .
My money is not mine.
Everything I have belongs to God. My money is God’s money and I should really be praying about how I spend it- all of it. Not just my tithe but each and every single little cent.
I’ve decided to quit feeling guilty when I have to tell so-and-so on the phone NO. I’ve learned to pray about the money and goods we are able to give and ask that God would multiply it- thinking loaves and fishes, loaves and fishes. Just because it’s a little from me doesn’t mean God can’t do great things with it.
Loaves and fishes.
With my new reduction in pay we have even less to stretch around here.
Here’s something else I’m not really sure of- whose cause is needier? How much of the money that I’m giving to xyz organization really goes where it’s needed and how much goes towards administrative fees and overhead?
In the past, I’ve found out that only about 20 cents of every dollar we gave went to the actual cause. That’s not good enough for me and so I’ve learned to do a bit of investigating rather than just hand my money over in the midst of a feel-good moment.
I learned a long time ago that giving isn’t just a holiday thing- it’s a year-round thing. Need doesn’t just creep up around the holidays- it’s every day. I’ve thought about the different things we do as a family and though it’s just a drop in the bucket- each drop helps fill the bucket up and it would be that much less without my little drops.
I’m learning to fight the guilt. I can’t help everywhere I would like to but the little I do matters to someone somewhere.
Even though we give to different needs over the course of the year, we still have definite things we do around the holidays.
So what will we be doing this year?
We’ve got a bag of Christmas dresses, two other bags of nice clothes, a bag of gently used winter coats & snow pants and respectable toys going to the local free store (people come in and pick up anything they want for free- really!) which excites the kids- thinking they are really truly doing something to make another kid’s day.
We’ve got a box we are filling up bit by bit for the local food bank. We buy 2-3 “extra” items when we are at the store each trip and add them to the box.
We are purchasing items for the crisis care kits at our church and for personal care kits for the local domestic assault shelter. The kids think it’s awesome what $20 can buy you at the dollar store.
And that’s about it. Of course we’ll enjoy putting change in the bell-ringers’ red buckets throughout the season too . . . . .
NO will probably always be hard for me to say but I am determined to remind myself of what we are saying YES to this year- to think of the people we are helping and pray that God will stretch our contributions.
Say it with me-
Loaves and Fishes.
Loaves and Fishes.

What a weekend!

We had the most lovely 4^th of July Weekend. God blessed us with

incredible beautiful weather on Friday- mid-70’s and sunny. Simply gorgeous. We enjoyed a wonderful laid back day of visiting with friends and family, playing games and eating.

Gearing up for a party- Look what I did!

 We’re gearing up for our 4^th of July party here on the homestead.
My whole family plus an itty bit of Mr. Steady’s family (1 sister and family- 6 of them- and that’s an itty bit when you consider he’s one of 9). Oh and our dear, dear friends will be here too.
There will be at least 26 of us but we always manage to add a couple of tag-a-longs too.
Adds zip to the fun.
Our Little Bitty Town Parade comes right past our front door and so we’ll begin the day with the parade.
Followed by a scrump-dilly-ish-ous luncheon on the lawn featuring Mr. Steady’s homemade Port-a-Pit chicken (shh, secret recipe).
With tons of homemade and homestyle outdoor games- hillbilly horseshoes, 2 different washer games & corn hole (everyone has a different name for these games).
As well as bocce ball and croquet. And squirt guns if the kidlets can get away with it.
And bubbles. Lots of bubbles and popsicles for the littles.
Which will probably then lead us to a bit of nap time.
Then it’s a rip-roarin’ rendition of lunch leftovers.
Lightening bug catchin’.
Mr. Steady’s small fireworks prequel.
Ending with a stumble bumble walk in the dark to an open field a few blocks away for . . . .
4^th of July Fireworks!!!

And all that just to say--------- that today I made the most wonderful, dazzling, pat-myself-on-the-back-cuz’-I’m-ingenious invitations.
Take a gander---

Aren’t they just gobble-you-right-up dandy?!
I made them all by myself.
From scratch with my ancient printshop program.
They’re suppose to look like a firework- hence the ribbons at the top.
Yeah, Mr. Steady didn’t quite get that when he looked at them. He did indeed like them though.
It's just printed on white cardstock and cut out.
And it fits into a regular legal size envelope- of which I have a ton of.
On the back we included a list of items our guests may want to bring with them (outdoor games, lawn chairs, bug repellent by the gallon- you know, "the usual") and our request of two dishes to pass.
I've started a stack in the kitchen of red, white and blue things . . . .
Gotta have decore-- even if its outdoors.

A special breakfast

Here is what the children saw when they came into the kitchen for breakfast this morning:

The girls were having the special scones and Mr. Conductor had opted for his favorite vanilla yogurt topped with crushed Oreos. I took apart a bouquet from Walmart (It was marked half off- cost $2.41) and made small arrangements at each placesetting (and still had enough flowers and filler left over to make 5 more small vase arrangements that grace the kitchen windowsill above the sink). The big vase of roses was also half off at Walmart (cost $9.49) and was later on cut down to make a smaller full arrangement in my latest treasure- a milk glass goblet/vase.
Oh and here is what the kids gave me back:

Valentine Kisses!!!