Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life.  It turns what we have into enough, and more.  It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity.  It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend.  Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow. – Melody Beattie

FAVORITE RECIPES FROM LAST MONTH

• Chicken Fried Rice.  This recipe satisfied our craving for Chinese takeout.  We served it with eggrolls from the freezer. 
• Pretzel Bread.  My favorite bread of the month!  Because the bread machine does all of the mixing and rising, the hands-on time is only minutes.
• Cinnamon Applesauce Muffins.  Thank you to my dear friend Tabitha for this one.  I had D makes these on his own and he’s made them about six times!  The recipe calls for 1/2 cup of sugar, but we’ve reduced that to almost 1/4 without any complaints. 

• ✔ I want to spend time with God everyday.  I’m still working through the Bible (as of Feb 29, I was on day 234/365) and haven’t missed a day.  I also watched the first six segments of The Wild Goose series on the Holy Spirit.  I’m really enjoying them and recommend it.  It gave me a lot of clarity as I struggled through the roots of my latest bout of stress/anxiety.  

• ✔ I want to keep on, keepin’ on with our debt freedom journey.  We used most of our tax refund to pay a big chunk off of our car loan.  The end is near!

• ✔ I want to be a better steward of my home.  I’m still using The Confident Mom’s Household Planner with great success.  I completed only 9/29 decluttering “missions” but still find it helpful, so will continue in March.  Frugal accomplishments hit an all-time high in February – I was on a roll!  

• ✔ I want to hand write 52 pieces of mail.  I didn’t have anywhere near the numbers I pulled in January, but I’m still on track!  I sent out 5 pieces.  (Here is the post.)  Current total = 24 pieces

• ✔ I want to write 150 blog posts.  I hit a mini writing slump at the beginning of the month, but still managed to post 14 times.  Current total = 34

• ✔ I want to read 52 books.  I read 6 books. (Here is the post.)  Current total = 14

• ✘ I want to take the first steps for postpartum doula certification.  Still nothing.  

• ✔ I want to create a family culture of generosity.  Another successful month with our 20/20 Giving:

• February’s $20 Donation // We learned about a holy priest who has recently been diagnosed with ALS.  We donated to help him with expenses that are not covered by insurance and for the eventual need of assistance as the disease progresses.  
• February’s 20 Minutes of Time and Talent // leading a men’s group at church, altar serving, baking cookies for the first Lenten Supper, helping out at a children’s retreat

“To be grateful is to recognize the Love of God in everything He has given us – and He has given us everything. Every breath we draw is a gift of His love, every moment of existence is a grace, for it brings with it immense graces from Him.
Gratitude therefore takes nothing for granted, is never unresponsive, is constantly awakening to new wonder and to praise of the goodness of God. For the grateful person knows that God is good, not by hearsay but by experience. And that is what makes all the difference.”  – Thomas Merton

+ We committed to a No Spend Month.  We did have some unexpected purchases come up, but were able to pay them without too much stress.  Our goal was to use this month to gain some momentum on our debt and we were able to do that – (see below) – so I’m considering it a success! 

FAVORITE RECIPES FROM LAST MONTH

• French Bread Pizza.  Big loaves of french bread are only $1 at our Walmart.  I just cut it in half lengthwise, sprinkled with sauce and cheese and stuck it in the oven for an easy weekend lunch.
• Twice Baked Potato Casserole.  This casserole was fairly inexpensive and the boys devoured it!  I may need to make a double batch next time.
• Slow Cooker Taco Chili.  This recipe makes a ton and I was able to get two meals out of it.  The second night, we put the leftovers on top of baked potatoes.
• Crockpot White Chicken Chili.  I couldn’t eat this chili because of my dairy sensitivity, but the others said it was delicious.
• Bean and Cheese Burritos.  I’ve been on the hunt for meatless meals that my kids will eat and stumbled on this simple recipe on Pinterest.  You mix a can of refried beans with a can of Rotel and heat on the stove.  It definitely brings the flavor up a notch!  Some of the kids drizzled queso blanco on top too.

• ✔ I want to spend time with God everyday.  I started again where I left off with my Bible in a Year plan (as of Jan 31, I was on day 206/365) and didn’t miss a day all month!  I also worked through a Bible verse writing challenge that I found on Pinterest (I just did step #2).  It was the first time I’ve ever physically written out Scripture every day and I was surprised at how much I enjoyed it.

• ✔ I want to keep on, keepin’ on with our debt freedom journey.  We paid off another student loan!  Feels so good to see some forward progress.

• ✔ I want to be a better steward of my home.  I started using The Confident Mom’s Household Planner and it is working so well for me so far!  Every morning, the kids and I have a “morning meeting” and divvy up the chores for that day.  It usually takes us less than 15 minutes to complete.  The house is still a work in progress, but we’re making big strides in the right direction.  Also!  I found a monthly decluttering plan from Home Storage Solutions 101 and have been loosely following that as well. I completed 20/31 “missions” in January.

• ✔ I want to hand write 52 pieces of mail.  A strong start!  Current total is 19 pieces.  (Here is the blog post.)

• ✔ I want to write 150 blog posts.  Another solid start!  I wrote 20 posts and participated in one linkup: Top Ten Tuesday.  (I hope to find and participate in more linkups in the coming months.)

• ✔ I want to read 52 books.  I read 8 books. (Here is the blog post.)

• ✘ I want to take the first steps for postpartum doula certification.  Nothing yet.

• ✔ I want to create a family culture of generosity.  After reading Emily Freeman’s book, Simply Tuesday, I’ve been pondering the idea of taking back “small.”  I may not have hundreds of dollars to donate or the ability to spend weeks in third-world countries, but I can still do something.  Lots of small acts can still make a difference.  So this year, my family and I are committing to something we’re calling 20/20 Giving: a $20 donation to non-profits we love and 20 minutes of using our time and talents to serve others.  Obviously if we’re able to give more, then we will, but this is the minimum we hope to achieve each month.  
• January’s $20 Donation // We read this powerful story about Emmanuel Ofosu Yeboah in school and then watched this documentary about him.  It was such a beautiful testament to the dignity of all human life.  My biggest boys were especially impacted by his story and his unwavering mission to help the disabled in Ghana.  Inspired by Emmanuel, we gave our first $20 donation to the Free Wheelchair Mission, an organization that provides wheelchairs to disabled men, women, and children around the world.
• January’s 20 Minutes of Time and Talent // Teaching the high school CCD class at church, altar serving at mass, and responding to the latest call for non-perishables for the church food pantry