Taking the Hill

Wednesday Wit & Wisdom: 25 July 2012

Melonie — Wed, 25 Jul 2012 01:26:01 +0000

“A wise and frugal government, which shall restrain men from injuring one another, shall leave them otherwise free to regulate their own pursuits of industry and improvement, and shall not take from the mouth of labor the bread it has earned — this is the sum of good government.”

~ THOMAS JEFFERSON, Inaugural Address, Mar. 4, 1801 ~

Wednesday Wit & Wisdom: 18 July 2012

Melonie — Wed, 18 Jul 2012 01:23:39 +0000

“True individual freedom cannot exist without economic security and independence. People who are hungry and out of a job are the stuff of which dictatorships are made.”

~ Franklin D. Roosevelt ~

Wednesday Wit & Wisdom: 11 July 2012

Melonie — Wed, 11 Jul 2012 01:22:39 +0000

“The best way to appreciate your job is to imagine yourself without one.”

~ Oscar Wilde ~

Wednesday Wit & Wisdom: 4 July 2012

Melonie — Wed, 04 Jul 2012 01:16:48 +0000

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. …

Prudence … will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.

~ Thomas Jefferson, Declaration of Independence ~

Wednesday Wit & Wisdom: 27 June 2012

Melonie — Wed, 27 Jun 2012 01:15:15 +0000

“Never turn down a job because you think it’s too small; you don’t know where it can lead.”

~ Julia Morgan ~

Wednesday Wit & Wisdom: 20 June 2012

Melonie — Wed, 20 Jun 2012 01:13:34 +0000

“America was not built on fear. America was built on courage, imagination, and unbeatable determination to do the job at hand.”

~ Harry S. Truman ~

Money Saving Monday: Laundry and Towels

Malia — Mon, 18 Jun 2012 03:40:35 +0000

For years I have been of the mindset that you can use a towel more than once. If you are just using a towel to dry your clean body, it is fine to hand it up and re-use it. This has been great. It reduces the laundry and subsequently saves money-less water, less detergent, and less electricity for drying. Also, less work for the laundry person.

However, in the last couple of years, more of the children are bathing in my bathroom,and they have developed this habit of taking my towel off the rack. Sometimes they hang them up neatly, and sometimes they leave them laying around somewhere it does not belong. Both of these annoy me. I get grossed out when the children use my towel and I go to dry off after a shower and find my towel is already wet. So, my wonderful plan of using fewer towels has not been happening for the last several months. Finally, I decided to do something about it.

I thought if each child had his or her own towel that was clearly marked, I could end this towel madness. But, I did not want to go spend money on monogrammed towels. So, with my daughter’s help (Christina Wong of www.youthfulhomemaker.com), I took an old washcloth and cut out initials for each child. Then, I had her sew them on towels we already have at home. Now, each child has a towel they are responsible for using and hanging. With the additional of the initials, they are excited to do so. I let them choose which towel would be their own, and now I can go back to enjoying my reduced laundry load.

Malia Russell is the blessed wife to Duncan, thankful mother to five children, ages 2 to 21 and an author, conference speaker and director of www.homemaking911.com and www.wheat-n-things.com. Visit her site for inspiration, encouragement and practical help in your roles as a godly wife, mother, homemaker or home educator.

Wednesday Wit & Wisdom: 13 June 2012

Melonie — Wed, 13 Jun 2012 01:11:44 +0000

“When you are asked if you can do a job, tell ‘em ‘Certainly I can!’ Then get busy and find out how to do it.”

~ Theodore Roosevelt ~

Money Saving Monday: “Prepping” on a Dime

Malia — Mon, 11 Jun 2012 05:19:13 +0000

Being prepared is something we try to do in a gradual but effective way. I have seen many sites and articles which talk about being fully prepared for emergencies and what you need to keep on hand. If you look at those huge lists, it can seem overwhelming. Then one day I received a list someone made of $5.00 “preps.” This was a list of items that you could purchase for only $5.00 – something you can do over the course of several weeks or months to be more prepared. Here are a few ideas to jump start your own ideas.

5 pounds of beans
5 pounds of rice
1 flashlight
10 cans of vegetables on sale
Package of batteries
5 gallons of water.
Water purifying kit
Bag of dehydrated fruit
Package of jerky
Vitamins
Cooking fuel
Several packages of seeds
Water treatment tablets

What other $5.00 items can you add to your weekly shopping list? Just adding one or two things per week is affordable for most families. If you watch for special sales or coupons, you can stretch your money even further!

Wednesday Wit & Wisdom: 6 June 2012

Melonie — Wed, 06 Jun 2012 01:08:57 +0000

“If it’s your job to eat a frog, it’s best to do it first thing in the morning. And if it’s your job to eat two frogs, it’s best to eat the biggest one first.”

~ Mark Twain ~