TEN THINGS MRS. ROY LOVES ABOUT BEING A GRANDMA

Going home when the grandkids start being bad.

Sloppy, wet kisses.

“I love you, Grandma” in a little bitty voice.

Holding little hands.

Watching them learn.

Watching them embarrass their parents.

Having Thomas the Train plates.

Coloring with crayons without feeling silly.

Seeing the world through their eyes.

Having an excuse to play instead of doing laundry.

OK, eleven things - listening to them pray. 

MOTIVATION

What is your motivation?

On this blog, Mrs. Roy writes about the way I do things.  Mrs. Roy writes about saving money and being ecologically friendly and about serving the Lord, not necessarily in that order.  Mrs. Roy reads lots of blogs and newsletters and books and articles about folks who are interested in these things, too.  What sets these folks apart is their motivation.  Mrs. Roy will give you an example:  Mrs. Roy used to be part of an office paper recycling program.  Mrs. Roy talked her office into participating in this program because Mrs. Roy believes in recycling to help us preserve our planet.  There was a fellow who worked for the recycling program who Mrs. Roy always thought had a totally different motivcation.  He was an ultra-hippy type fellow who always smelled like BO because he apparently thought it was eco-friendly not to bathe very often or to wear deodorant and he always had on the same clothes.  Mrs. Roy is sure he was very sincere but he and Mrs. Roy were worlds apart on how to get things done. 

Mrs. Roy believes my first priority must be serving the Lord.  Mrs. Roy takes that seriously and it is the primary motivator for Mrs. Roy’s life.  For instance, Mrs. Roy believes God expects me to be a good steward of the blessings God gives me.  That includes not wasting money or resources and supporting our church and charities.  Mrs. Roy believes God expects me to take care of this planet He created, too.  That’s why Mrs. Roy recycles and tries to buy earth-friendly products and watches water and electricity use around the house.  Mrs. Roy believes that God expects me to do my job as though I was working for Him.  That’s why Mr. and Mrs. Roy have always tried to instill good work ethics in our children and why we practice them ourselves.  Mrs. Roy believes God gives us family so we can take care of each other.  And so family is very important to Mrs. Roy, from helping care for elderly parents to helping raise wonderful grandchildren.

Mrs. Roy became conscious of budgeting and money management years ago, at a time when Mrs. Roy would lay awake at night worrying about how to pay the next credit card bill.  It honestly never occurred to Mrs. Roy that an American family could survive in today’s world without credit.  Mrs. Roy didn’t think it was possible.  So when Mrs. Roy read Dave Ramsey’s book, Financial Peace, it was a major eye-opener.  Mrs. Roy was motivated by the idea of becoming debt free – was that even possible???  That motivation led to following Dave’s babysteps and being incredibly intentional about paying off debt while keeping my family afloat.  You know what – Dave is right.  You can live successfully in America without credit – and you should!  As Mrs. Roy progressed with living debt free and frugal, I realized that this lifestyle honors God and the motivation shifted from pure economics to good stewardship of God’s resources.

Mrs. Roy has become increasingly motivated to preserving our earth and our fragile ecological systems ever since I learned about the terrible legacy Mrs. Roy’s generation is leaving for our children and grandchildren.  Already we see the results of landfills filled with toxic waste and plastic bags that won’t biodegrade for thousands of years.  We have lakes and rivers too polluted to swim in or to eat fish out of.  We have icecaps melting and crazy weather patterns.  We have rising gas prices and electricity bills.  How can Mrs. Roy make a difference?  Mrs. Roy uses the “eat an elephant” approach to this problem.  We recycle.  We burn wood harvested from our yard to heat our house in the winter.  We open windows instead of running the AC.  We buy a lot of used products instead of buying new to reduce manufacturing and packaging.  We try to consolidate errands or not drive at all – folks think Mrs. Roy is very strange for walking to the grocery store!  Mrs. Roy doesn’t like using paper plates and I bring home the plastic utensils from carry out meals, wash them and reuse them.  Mrs. Roy prefers cloth napkins and dish towels to paper towels and paper napkins.  This lifestyle is also motivated by Mrs. Roy’s faith as God specifically tells us in Genesis that He created man to be a steward of all His creation.  It is our duty not to be wasteful or disrespectful or selfish with earth’s resources.

In all these instances, Mrs. Roy’s commitment to God and family motivate how Mrs. Roy lives.  If you want to be successful in the way your live your life, you need to figure out your motivation.  Do you want to retire early?  Do you want to get out of debt?  Do you need a new car?  Does your family want to live on one income?  Do you want to be a self-sufficient homesteader?  Do you want to work for yourself instead of going to an office job every day?  Do you want to save the whales or be a dog rescuer?  Do you want to homeschool your children or send them to college debt free? 

Once you know your motivation, you can start developing a plan that helps you work toward your goal.  Living a life of purpose will put a spring in your step and help you stay focused as you move forward.  It’s easier to pack your lunch every morning if you know you are putting an extra $20 each week toward your goal.  It is worth the extra time it takes to shop for a used item instead of new when you know why that’s important to you.  If you want to go back to school, that desire might motivate you to give up some of your evenings in front of the television to take classes online.

So, what is your motivator? 

A Perfect Evening's Musings

Mrs. Roy spent this evening on the back porch reading.  Yes, dear friends, it is January 24 and Mrs. Roy sat on the back porch all evening.  In fact, the bedroom window is open as Mrs. Roy types this post.  There is definitely something good about living in south Georgia!

As Mrs. Roy said, I have been enjoying coffee along with a good book this evening - decaf, of course, since Mr and Mrs. Roy aren't as young as they used to be and caffeine is no longer our friend.  sigh  Oh well.  There is still something so relaxing and fulfilling about a cup of coffee and the peace and quiet and a good story.  Mrs. Roy enjoys that much more than the surround sound big screen experience Mr. Roy loves so much. 

Mrs. Roy also mused about the fact that Mrs. Roy is reading a .99 cent book from the book warehouse and Mrs. Roy's mom is reading a 9.99 digital book on her Kindle.  Mom loves her Kindle but Mrs. Roy doesn't really feel a need to join in on that just yet.

Mrs. Roy did get a little tickled this evening as Mrs. Roy's mother got dressed to go out for the evening while Mrs. Roy put on her pj's and grabbed the coffee and book aforementioned.  Mom is busy all the time, running here and there and doing this and that.  Mrs. Roy just wants to come home from work and rest.  It didn't used to be that way; seems there was always something to do a few years ago.  But it is nice to come home and relax and slow down; Mrs. Roy enjoys not having something to do every minute.  Just watching Mom go is entertainment enough.  ha

All these musings have led to thoughts of contentment and yes, Mrs. Roy is content.  It is a blessing to be able to find contentment in our home and simple pleasures.  Thank you, Lord.  Life is good.

Just A Little Bit At A Time

Occasionally, Mrs. Roy can be a real pig.  Like during the holidays with all those goodies sitting around and the perfect excuse to cook casseroles smothered in cheese and dinner rolls as a snack.  Unfortunately, Mrs. Roy is now carrying around the remnants of that excess on various and sundry body parts better not mentioned.  And thus begins what has become Mrs. Roy's January tradition - watching what Mrs. Roy eats.

Mrs. Roy has discovered that a little bit at a time is a good rule of thumb for eating.  Small meals or snacks several times a day of the right kinds of foods really can make a big difference.  And changing just a few little things along the way makes a difference, too.  Mrs. Roy has given up her morning poptart in favor of whole wheat cinnamon toast.  Sodas are replaced with water.  The bread had to go.  Baked potatoes only get butter instead of butter, sour cream, cheese and bacon bits.  Less meat helps, too.  Mrs. Roy might get real ambitious and add a little exercise but there's no need to go crazy just yet!

Mrs. Roy knows that just a little bit at a time works in other parts of life, too.  If Mrs. Roy cleans just a little bit of the house each day, it never gets out of hand.  Putting $1 a day in a savings jar results in a healthy stash by vacation time.  A few minutes blogging or journaling every day keep writing from becoming a task.  One load of laundry every now and then is much better than an all-day marathon of washing, drying, folding and putting away.  And Mrs. Roy is toying with the idea of putting one item every day in a give-away box; that would mean 365 pieces of stuff out of the house by the end of the year!  Mrs. Roy might even find at least one piece of garbage to throw away each day for 365 days.  Wouldn't that be fun!  Actually, Mrs. Roy has blogged about this before - with the 100 day challenge.  You can check out the previous entries by clicking the label below.

Mrs. Roy even has some sewing and quilting projects that need to be handled a little bit at a time.  Mrs. Roy got to do some hand quilting today and got batting cut out for a couple of other projects.  Fifi over at her blog is working her way through some great projects just a little bit at a time.

So how do you eat an elephant?  One bite at a time, of course.  And that Mrs. Roy's way of doing things, too.

Life is good.

My verse for 2012

Every year for the past dozen or so, Mrs. Roy has chosen a Bible verse to live by for the year.  It's not very scientific; Mrs. Roy prays about it and looks around for verses that speak to where I am at that point in my life and then Mrs. Roy tries to apply that verse for a whole year.  Some years Mrs. Roy gets bored with it and has to go back and look up the verse in July just to remember what it is.  Some year the verse takes hold and really changes Mrs. Roy in some way.  It was like that last year, as Mrs. Roy tried to be more open to whatever God brought my way. 

Anyway, this year's verse is about being a Godly example to the young women in Mrs. Roy's life.  It is amazing, not to mention intimidating, that God has very intentional instructions for Mrs. Roy at this point in my life!  Mrs. Roy is constantly amazed at how God is into the details of our lives!

The verses Mrs. Roy has chosen are Titus 2:3-5:

 ³ Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good. ⁴ Then they can urge the younger women to love their husbands and children, ⁵ to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God.

Mrs. Roy can tell it's going to be a great year!

CHEAP SHELVING. REAL CHEAP SHELVING.

See, Mrs. Roy had a need for some shelves in a corner of the walk-in attic. And there were two large stacks of old college textbooks and skateboard magazines (which have been abandoned by Mrs. Roy's favorite son) sitting in the way. So a quick check in Mr. Roy's shop revealed some sufficiently wide shelving boards and Mrs. Roy soon had a very servicable shelving unit AND got rid of the useless book and magazine stacks. Now those books and magazines are supporting Mrs. Roy's shelves and everyone is happier for it.

 

A couple of soda flats sitting around work very nicely as pull out drawers, making Mrs. Roy's t-shirts and shorts much more accessible.

Mrs. Roy's daughter gave me a wonderful set of lined baskets for Christmas and three of them are now part of the shelving unit, holding small items and miscellaneous.  Aren't they beautiful?

Yes, those are old VCR tapes now creating a support pillar for the shelving unit.  If you want to use this idea somewhere other than attic space (like somewhere where people would actually see it), you could wrap the VCR tapes (and books) in pretty wrapping paper to coordinate with your decorating theme. 

If any of you have bought a college textbook lately, you know this may actually be the most expensive shelving unit in the universe!  But since they were just collecting dust in the corner, Mrs. Roy is very happy to put them to use holding up shelves.  Mrs. Roy did try to sell some of these textbooks online but after a couple of years, the schools update their book lists and these editions were not longer usable.  And why didn't Mrs. Roy's son sell these back at the time?  Don't know, maybe he did.  End result is Mrs. Roy has very "smart" shelves in the attic.

 

Life is definitely good.

Mrs. Roy's Great Deals Day

Mrs. Roy went thrift store shopping today and snagged some GREAT deals.  Check this out!

Mrs. Roy picked up this Cappelli purse for $3.50 - it looks brand new and Mrs. Roy can only find one on EBay that is starting at $6.

And this gorgeous woven lined jacket for 50 cents.  Yep, 50 cents!

 

And these cute Thomas the Train plates and bowls for $4.00 total.  On Amazon, one plate, one bowl and a tippy cup sell as a set for $15!  Mrs. Roy's grandsons are going to love coming to Grandma's house and eating out of these!

And this great vest for 50 cents!

And these gorgeous shoes were $4 a pair.  The ones on the left are Coldwater Creek and the other ones are Via !Sola.  Both of them look brand new and Mrs. Roy has no problem wearing second-hand shoes as great as these!

And this Jansport Auburn sweatshirt was also a deal at 50 cents; Mrs. Roy's boy is a big Auburn fan and he will look really good in this sweatshirt that will keep him warm now that he's moved north for his new job.

Of course, the problem with thrift store shopping is that Mrs. Roy sometimes ends up buying things Mrs. Roy would have been perfectly happy not owning except that they were such a good price.  There must be some balance in there somewhere and so that is why Mrs. Roy has opened an account at a local consignment shop.  Mrs. Roy is presently selling four pairs of jeans bought for $1 each at yard sales that didn't fit Mrs. Roy or the granddaughters or daughter when they got home, a Tommy Hilfiger suede jacket bought for $3 at a yard sale that also didn't fit, a handpainted jacket bought for $3 at a thrift store that Mrs. Roy thought about keeping but decided to make a nickel or two instead, a name-brand jacket given to Mrs. Roy that didn't fit, a skirt bought for $1 that didn't fit and a suit that Mrs. Roy can't quite squeeze into anymore.  Notice that most of these items were sizing mistakes and/or related to Mrs. Roy's increasing width - something better not mentioned. 

So, Mrs. Roy's way to shop is to find a great bargain and then brag about it!  Thanks for coming along.  Seriously, though, buying used is good for Mrs. Roy's personal economy, good for the environment by eliminating packaging and the need to produce new goods and Mrs. Roy can bless her family with great bargains.  And the consignment store donates unsold items to charity after 90 days so it's all good. 

Life is so good.