my views on simplistic living

~ hello lovely friends ~



Keep falsehood and lies far from me;
    give me neither poverty nor riches,
    but give me only my daily bread. 
 Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you
    and say, ‘Who is the Lord?’ 
Or I may become poor and steal,
    and so dishonor the name of my God.
proverbs 30:8&9

i have been wanting to, for so long, write down the way i feel passionately about how we live.  truly believing in the simple way of life.  trying hard to teach our girls that life is more about making memories than collecting things.  more about following our Jesus, than talking about it.  and treating everyone kindly.  these things really are the bottom line at our house, everything else is just secondary.  so, in a nutshell, here are some of our guidelines.  some you might think are cool, and some you might think are corny!  but none the less, it's what we believe whole heartedly. the verse above sums it all up. 

1.

whenever possible, buy secondhand.  this means hunting for the everyday items at a local thrift store, goodwill, garage sale. and yes, i have been known to pick things off the side of the road and give them new life!  see pictures below!  we only buy items that we need, and also believe in quality over quantity.  example:  buy expensive boots for the winter, and thrift for your outfits.

2.

re-use.  for example: we found a dresser on the side of the road. we took it home, sanded it, pulled the yucky veneer top off, and stained it, and then painted the piece.  we also took the top drawer and made it to fit the dvd player and the wii, and this lead us to have a drawer we no longer needed.  we then took the drawer and hacked it all up and made this great number 5 sign. see below!

3.

sew.  if you don't have a sewing machine, go.  get.  one.  right now!  this will be your key to a "custom" style home. {curtains, pillows, clothes, and so much more.}  i am pretty much self taught, but do have some ah-maaazing people that helped me along the way; with tips, tricks, short cuts, and lessons on fabric. i have made the girls clothes too, with them often helping.

4.

forget the cable.  it's silly, really.  of course we have a t.v. and love to watch movies.  but with the hundred dollars we save, we can keep on thrifting, and saving for those quality items. also, not having a t.v. gives us so much more time to be creative!  we become engaging in things like playing games, or painting, or making decor, that includes all family members!

5. 

do it yourself.  as much as you can!  if there is something you want to purchase, ask yourself this: can i make it?  can i thrift for it? if you can answer... yes!! to these then go ahead and try your hand at it!  you may just be surprised by yourself.  and this falls right back to guideline number 1....which is life is all about making the memories!

{the sign}

{ the dresser found on the side of the road }

{ home made pillows }

hope this helps you find the creative side in yourself, and in your family.  if you have any questions, let me know!  i have a handful of books that have been so helpful, and have formed these thoughts for us.