Date Day!

Joel and I are so excited about our day trip together to this great event. We still have two extra tickets if anyone wants to go!

"My Legacy I Leave To You"

There is a lady the6Stricklands have grown to love.....we call her "Nanny-Sue", but her real name is Suzanne.

She lives in the retirement facility just down the road from our house. Her husband is strategically living in the nursing home on the other side of our road. All within walking distance.

Fate had it that we met, and have had an ongoing relationship for almost 2 1/2 years. Nanny Sue will stop by our house frequently, and there are times we will stop by her house. We exchange gifts, hugs, and lots of love. This lady is at least triple my age and Im sure she can out walk me! She will walk to see her husband, and walk to see us. She is incredible!

She is also a witty woman, full of jokes and humor. She has always impressed me by frequently quoting some of her poems. She recently dropped off a copy of her book called "My Legacy I Leave To You". I just love these poems and writings, especially coming from Nanny Sue.

She gave me permission to share these poems with whomever I chose, and I'd like to share at least one for today on our site.

This poem is also the title of the book, its called "My Legacy I Leave To You" by Suzanne.

I have no riches or large estate
Which I can leave to you.
No plane to fly or yacht to sail
Upon the ocean blue.

There are those who think this important
And strive these goals to achieve,
For they feel it is their duty-
Great wealth to their loved ones leave.

None of these things have I
To give to you, my child;
But the gift that I do leave
Is far better and more worthwhile:

For it is the truthfulness
Of the teachings of our Lord,
With the promise of Eternal Life
When lived to the best of your accord.

This poem is under the copyright of Suzanne, if you would like to copy this poem,
please comment below with your email and I will seek permission.

Replenish:

This is the last post- replenish- following a series of posts, because of Earth Day this week-we wanted to share some ways we are taking action to help take care of our earth. We hope at least one person has been enlightened and/or inspired as to how to practically be more earth friendly.

We are not claiming to be extraordinary people, but we have just chosen to be intential with the way we do things- and have seen what a difference it makes. If we can do these things- surely you can too!

re⋅plen⋅ish

~to make full or complete again, as by supplying what is lacking, used up, etc
~to inspire or nourish

The 6 Stricklands have decided to go all out and start a garden. We needed some compost to mix into the dirt to help give our soil some nutrients. We ended up buying some compost. Compost is a soil conditioner, mulch and fertilizer all wrapped into one.

When reading what exactly compost was made of- we decided "HEY! We could make our own compost pile!" So that is what we did!

Things that can be thrown into our compost:

Paper napkins
Freezer-burned vegetables
Pet hair
Post-it notes
Freezer-burned fruit
Wood chips
Lint from behind refrigerator
Hay
Popcorn
Old spices
Leaves
Matches (paper or wood)
Old, dried up and faded herbs
Paper towels
Grass clippings
Potato peelings
Unpaid bills
weeds
Hair clippings from the barber
Stale bread
Coffee grounds
Tea bags and grounds
Shredded newspapers
Egg shells
Alfalfa
Winter rye
Grapefruit rinds
Pea vines
Houseplant trimmings
Old pasta
Grape wastes
Garden soil
Jell-o (gelatin)
Aquarium plants
Sunday comics
Felt waste
Wheat straw
Peat moss
Kleenex tissues
Tree bark
Melted ice cream
Flower petals
Pumpkin seeds
Q-tips (cotton swabs: cardboard, not plastic sticks)
Expired flower arrangements
Elmer's glue
BBQ'd fish skin
Bone meal
Citrus wastes
Stale potato chips
Wheat bran
Guinea pig cage cleanings
Nut shells
Granite dust
Moldy cheese
Straw
Shredded cardboard
Fish scraps
Tea bags (black and herbal)
Apple cores
Electric razor trimmings
Kitchen wastes
Outdated yogurt
Shrimp shells
Crab shells
Lobster shells
Pie crust
Onion skins
Bagasse (sugar cane residue)
Watermelon rinds
Date pits
animal manure
Peanut shells
Burned oatmeal
Lint from clothes dryer
Bread crusts
Cooked rice
Banana peels
Fingernail and toenail clippings
Wooden toothpicks
Moss from last year's hanging baskets
Stale breakfast cereal
Pickles
'Dust bunnies' from under the bed
Pencil shavings
Fruit salad
Tossed salad (now THERE's tossing it!)
Brown paper bags
Soggy Cheerios
Theater tickets
Burned toast
Feathers
Animal fur
Vacuum cleaner bag contents
Old or outdated seeds
Greeting card envelopes
Dead bees and flies
Peanut butter sandwiches
Dirt from soles of shoes, boots
Sawdust
Ivory soap scraps
Spoiled canned fruits and vegetables
Produce trimmings from grocery store
Grocery receipts
Wood ashes

Not only does compost save space in our trash bin- we are stockpiling a nourishing supply of compost for our next year's garden! What a great way to replenish the earth!

Here is a picture of our compost pile.

Our pile started with last Fall's leaves. In our kitchen-we have a bucket that we fill with compost- when its full- a kid takes it to the pile and dumps it. Joel throws in grass clippings, I throw in weeds..ect. From time to time we will rotate it all, and water it. We can already see it all breaking down. I have seen lots of different ways a compost can be done. Look online and you can find something that might suit your needs if your interested in composting.

Emmy-licious!!

We are always calling Emily "emmy-licious" because she has always been so adorable- we could just eat her up she is so delicious!!





Today we celebrate Emily's NINTH birthday! My goodness- nine? Seriously?

Anyway! Emily loves strawberries, so we took her to our first annual "Strawlicious Adventure". (Strawlicious-A word made up by Emily) We went to a strawberry patch and picked as many strawberries as we could. Nana joined us and helped pick the best berries. She is a good helper- in more ways that one ;)

On our way home, I asked Emily how many strawberries she had eaten, and she said "oh, at least 20". I love that girl! We all love this girl!

We plan to continue eating our 10 pounds of strawberries in honor of Emily's birthday. (Strawberry muffins, strawberry smoothies, strawberry pancakes, strawberry lemonade, and strawberry cake.)

Emily loves birthdays, and is so excited today is her actual birthday she was the first to wake up!

If you'd like to send her a birthday greeting, send it to the6stricklandsATgmailDOTcom .



HAPPY BIRTHDAY EMILY!!!!!

Reduce! Less is more!!

In honor of Earth Day this week, we wanted to post some ways we are taking action to help take care of our earth.

This one has been the hardest for me. REDUCE! We have chosen to simplify our lives in so many ways. But I will share one MAJOR area we have chosen to reduce.

Our clothing!!! (And shoes)

First off, we now buy a higher quality of less clothing- instead of having more of the cheaper stuff that would barely last a season.

We enjoy our account at our local children's resale shop. We turn in our quality clothing, and with that money earned- buy quality clothing. Its a switchout!

We dont have an abundance of clothing. Whats in the closet is whats being worn. We have formal wear- casual wear - play clothes- all in our appropriate sizes. Nothing more!

I definitely pass down clothes. Taylor is in Dylan's last year summer clothes! They are almost wearing the same size!

With just the amount of clothes we're wearing-we wash fewer clothes! (Saves energy, saves detergent, saves money, and saves time!) NOW, 6 people make alot of laundry- I have to cut corners anyway I can.

We also try to hang dry our clothes as much as possible. Which of course, reduces the amount of energy by not using that dryer!!

Im excited because Joel just put up a new clothesline for the back yard! YIPEE!! (Note to neighbors- we will not be hanging up our undies- so dont worry!)

What about you? Is there anyway you are being purposeful in reducing?

Restore

In honor of Earth Day this week, we wanted to post some ways we are taking action to help take care of our earth.

Just wanted to share a few ways we have chosen to restore. I love restoring old things into new. Furniture especially! And of course! This helps our environment!!

There have been a few toys that we decided to restore- to keep them fresh for the boys.

One toy was those big plastic cars the kiddos can ride in. Dylan had his since he was one. Taylor got a new one last year, and the boys fought over the new one. So I made his new with some paint. It became the "race car"! Now, they have their own special cars!

This other toy had sentimental value. It was Joel's when he was a little boy. He refurbished it into new. Our boys LOVE to play with this tractor- no new tractor could have been loved better!










Is there anything you have in your home that you dont neccesarily need to replace- but maybe can make it new again? A table, a toy, a Its amazing how much you'll love it more the second time around!

Reuse, why not??

In honor of Earth Day this week, we wanted to post some ways we are taking action to help take care of our earth.

This post is about Reusing!

We have been getting creative in ways I never thought we could. We have been trying to not consume so much! And by that- we are trying to reuse some of our items we use alot. Not only does reusing items help our earth- it helps our pocket book!!

Here are some things we reuse in the Strickland home.

Jars- I reuse jelly/hot sauce jars as my tupperware. We also use the jars as vases, or to catch bugs, or to make homemade sauces or dressings.

Ink Cartridges- did you know that Walgreens have a special machine that will refill your ink cartridges? They will also check the functionality of the cartridge to ensure its woking properly. Not only is this earth friendly- it saves LOTS of money! Call your local Walgreens and find out how to refill your cartidges.

Ziplock bags- We rewash some of our ziplock bags to be used again. It just depends on what was inside it. I also try to reuse the sandwhich baggies in the kiddos lunch a few times. It really does help!!

Grocery Bags- We reuse our grocery sacks as trash liners, as lunch bags, or to hold items to carry.

Newspapers-paper-and magazines- During the winter, when we build fires- we use all kinds of paper around the house. Also, we use newspapers or ads as tablecloths while we paint or make a messy project.

FREECYCLE Have you ever heard "One mans trash is another mans treasure"? Well, we are apart of an online local group called Freecycle. When I have some shoes, or planters, or clothes, toys etc... that I dont want- I post it on freecycle and I promise- no more than 24 hours there will be a person in my town that wants or needs my items. What a great way to reuse our unwanted items. And we have actually gotten things from Freecycle that we needed or wanted. Really cool!!

Regifts and represents Im trying not to be embarassed by saying this, but if you have given us a gift that we dont neccessarily need or want- we are more than likely going to regift it (if its regiftable. We also save gift bags and wrapping paper and use it in the future. Its RARE that we buy gift bags..we are usually just passing some we have recieved along!!

Extras For school this week, we had the girls make LITTER BUGS. These are bugs they made out of items around the house. Get creative and use supplies like straws, bottles, bottle caps, lids to make fun things like bird feeders, crafts, and gifts.

Do you reuse anything not listed here? If so, please share!!!

Recycle: A no brainer!!

In honor of Earth Day this week, we wanted to post some ways we are taking action to help take care of our earth.

I thought I would start off with posting about recycling. It appears to be the easiest way we can help our environment in a major way!

Our family can produce SO much waste. There were times we would have our large trash bin overflowing with trash... several days before the trash pickup! We almost got another trash bin!

But instead, last year, we brought home a free big recycle bin provided by the city. Its the same size as our normal trash bin. It took a while to train ourselves to put aside recycled items. But in a few months, we were filling up the recycle bin and our trash wouldn't overflow anymore.

Things that can be recycled in our bins:
plastics
metals
glass
papers

We have reduced at least a third of our trash by recycling. Can you imagine, if everyone reduced a third of their waste- the opportunties of recycling, and landfill space saved? It would make a difference, and I believe our family is now making a difference by making these changes to our waste.

This is how we recycle.

We have a recycle can next to our trash- so when its time to dispose of the item- we either trash it or recycle it. (Or composte it- but we will share more on that later)








Then, when the bin is full- we carry it out to the large recycle bin outside. Every Friday, with our normal trash- we set out both bins to get emptied.




It REALLY isnt hard to do this. It just takes a little training and effort. If you feel guilty about not recycling- you should! Its too easy not to do. If you live in my town or one like it- that provides buckets and pickup service---there is no good excuse not to recycle.

Also, try to buy recycled products. This week, in honor of Earth day, you will see recycled and earth friendly products on sale. We like to buy recycled printer paper for homeschool.









Again, we want to share this week about ways to help take care of our earth. This is the future home of my childrens children(unless Jesus comes back)- I want to make sure Im doing all that I can to preserve this place we call home!!

To find out how you can recycle in your town, call your local city services and see if they have any bins, or pickup recycled goods or have any drop offs locations available.

Earth Day!

Hello world! In honor of Earth Day this week, we'll be posting a few ways we can be good stewards of our earth.

Why?

Because in the past year, our family has personally seen the difference in recycling, reusing, restoring, replenishing, and reducing. We think if our family can make these type of changes- so can anyone else.

We invite you to discuss your thoughts and share your ideas on the matter this week.

Taylor is TWO!!

Today we celebrate Taylor's second birthday!


I was a little sad last night putting him to bed realizing it would be our last time to put to bed a little one year old. We are so blessed to have him as t baby of our family. I remember when we felt impressed to try again for a fourth and there was a little push back from others for so many reasons. Im so glad we we heard directly from the Lord and went through with it!

We started his day off right with his favorite- pancakes! We sang Happy Birthday and he ate up most of his plate! That boy can eat!










Here are a bunch of our favorite pics of Taylor from his last year. ENJOY!!

A new bloom!

All of our plants in our garden are just growing like crazy! Here is the latest bloom. This is from our Iris plant, and one of about 20 upcoming blooms!! So beautiful!

Math never tasted so good!!

We are having lots of extra fun with math these days. Someone loaned us these delightful books. You use a certian type of candy as a tool with each book. The extra fun part is when the book tells you to eat some of the "tools".

So far we have used just the M&M Math. Scrumpcious fun!

This is Kayla sorting and grouping her M&M's and making patterns with them.










This is Emily sorting and graphing her M&M's.