Within the Lines

Grateful Praise

I am so thankful for God's provision.  We live in northern MN, the middle of nowhere by some standards, not even civilized (and certainly not habitable!), by others.  But I have some wonderful places out here in the "middle of nowhere" that God uses to meet the needs of my family quite happily. 

There's the ARCC, a local second-hand clothing store that's one of the best I've ever been in.  They collect their goods from a consignment shop and then sell them for much less than even the consignment shop had marked.  4 or so times per year I go in and spend a couple of hours shopping, leave with a pile (usually several large bags) of great quality clothes (some even with store tags), one item of which would cover my cost of $20-$30.  It's like Christmas and my birthday all rolled into one when I "have to" go clothes shopping!

Then there's Share & Care, a second-hand clothing and variety shop.  They are a great place to take the clothes we outgrow or no longer use.  Best yet, they are a fabulous source for stocking our library.  I don't know where they find them, but I can count on filling our Christmas book box (and more) with wonderful old classics and all those "gotta own" quality books.  All children's books are 10 cents apiece.  I've gotten Kingfisher encyclopedias, numerous children's classics, Golden Books, Arch Books, Scholastic science readers, etc, etc, all for just a few dollars.  Every time I leave, I am overwhelmed with God's provision for our kids' education and enrichment.

And -- last (on today's list) but not least -- we are just minutes away from what I understand to be the last volunteer-run food co-op in the state.  Nuts & dried fruits, bulk spices, flours, beans, cereals, cheeses, many other natural/organic items all for excellent prices and great quality.  They emphasize fresh and bulk rather than "health food" so it truly is an old-fashioned food co-op.  Besides the volunteers are generally neighbors, so it's a great place to run into people you know from the area!

What a blessed homemaker I am!

Untitled Comment

{ 03:13, Wednesday, April 11, 2007 } { Posted by Jonash2004 }

Thank you so much for the comment! It is so strange to be raised one way and my brothers another. Since meeting my husband's family I've learned that some people actually don't "burn out" and I cling to that hope that I can be like them!!
Blessings,
Ashley