This is a guy who can fix anything at home, run the sound room at church, help with a my catering, meet clients, dance with his girls, camp with his son, and do the dishes for me. I couldn't ask for more. Ok, I had to brag. God is good!

Hayden

Here is the youngest of our bunch, Hayden. What a handsome young man, if I do say so myself. He began boy scouts this past year and is working on 2nd Class right now. My husband is an Eagle Scout so it is special to him to be able to guide Hayden through scouts. I love to see them go camping together and work on projects. Life is such a blessing. Children are such a blessing.

Psalms 127:3

Catalog Choice

Over the years we have gotten more and more catalogs. Recently I found "Catalog Choice" that will help you remove your name from company mailing lists. It is free to sign up and they do all the work! And my 'environmentally aware' daughter says it is good for the trees!

Reusable Bags

We began using reusable bags a couple of months ago in an effort to reduce our use of plastic. It is incredible how long it takes for a plastic bag to decompose. Reusable bags are inexpensive and it does not require as many for our groceries as it does plastic bags. You can purchase them online or in many grocery stores. This is an easy thing to do and a good place to start reducing. We are addicted to them now and use them in every store we go in.
greenbag.info
Plastic bags consumed this year:

The Clothes Line.

Another ‘going green’ idea we’ve decided to implement is using a clothesline instead of the dryer, it uses less energy and supposed to save us money too. Our first attempt was a mess. My husband (the Boy Scout! Haha) decided to use rope, which of course couldn’t take the weight of the towels, plus they got rained on twice, thanks to our unpredictable Georgia weather. I suggested the plastic coated wire, but what do I know! Hehe. Finally he went and got a cable, which makes it look like we are going to hang meat, but it does hold the towels. Now all we have to do is keep our rain dances to a minimum!

Making Tough Changes

Gas is 4.00 a gallon for unleaded and almost 5.00 a gallon for diesel; we have both kinds of vehicles. Last year our business took a nosedive and we had no jobs for 5 months. We lived off our savings and we are fortunate we do not have a mortgage. Now we have a child going off to college. All this has necessitated big changes in the Queen household. We do not eat out like we use to, we do not buy something 'just because, and we aren't planning any vacations. We are changing how we shop for groceries, what we do for entertainment, and how much we drive. But it's all good. It has challenged us to work together as a family and trust our heavenly Father. I choose to view this as a positive for us.

Bakin' Bread!

One of my first changes on the homefront was to stop buying bread and start baking it. SUCCESS!!! Flour flew and encouragement rang out and two rises and 35 minutes in the oven later, we had BREAD! I chose a simple recipe that makes a honey wheat bread. It is wonderful and easy for beginners. Here is the link for the recipe. I love this website also.
http://www.tammysrecipes.com/homemade_wheat_bread

An introduction of sorts.

I am a city girl who moved to the country seven years ago. My husband owns a small business and I homeschool our two younger children. Our oldest daughter is leaving for college in August. We are making major adjustments to our lifestyle and I thought maybe it would be helpful to share our ups and downs with others.
I love to laugh and find humor in much of my life. I have gone from having little worries financially to pinching pennies. I look at each day as a blessing and challenge. God won't give me anything I can't handle with His help!!
My mom was not a cook and therefore I learned NOTHING about cooking. I learned NOTHING about saving money because I was an only child with fairly well off parents. Ok, so now for reality. Real life decided to interrupt my "princess lifestyle" sometime after I got married. I wouldn't change a thing, but it isn't always easy.
This year I have begun a garden, cut down on prepackaged foods, started baking our bread, and adjusting our spending. We use, reuse, and do without. We also recycle extensively thanks to my almost 18 yr. old. Hannah is a brilliant young lady with a passion for the environment. You will hear alot about her and her two siblings. They are my heart and soul.
My husband is a hard working man with an unwavering devotion to his family. He runs his own business and works around our home thanks to his "honey do list". William is a proud Eagle Scout that is now enjoying helping our son Hayden in scouts.
Our middle child is Sarah and she is an extraordinary 13 yr old. She has poise and wisdom beyond her years. She loves to bake as does her older sister. We cater events in our area and both girls are HUGE assets.
I hope you enjoy 'Life with the Queens'. Our lives so far have been an incredible journey.