F.A.Q.

First of all, thank you so much  to all who sent in questions!


I received quite a few, both on my facebook page and in my inbox. You'll notice that some have been edited or added to if I received similar questions.  Hopefully everything you want to know gets answered!

This is going to be a long post, so let's get started!


Q: How did you get started blogging?


I began blogging my senior year of high school, 10 years ago, when a friend introduced me to the Xanga blogging community.  I've been blogging somewhere about something ever since.  I love to write and connect with the great friends I've made via blogging.  So blessed to know you all!

Q: Where do you order your yarn and what is your favorite weight/fiber to use?

I order my yarn from knitpicks.com, mryarn.com and often participate in yarn co ops to get quality yarns for a lower price.  I prefer wool to pretty much anything else and like a light worsted/dk weight that combines great yardage without being so small that projects take forever.  Some of my current favorites are 100purewool, madelinetosh dk and swish worsted.

Q: If you could design the perfect house, what would it look like?

Living in a small house for the past 5 years has definitely opened up my eyes to what I would like in a house.  My preferred house would be a brick or stone farmhouse with a wraparound porch, approx. 2500 square feet.  I'd like a really big, sun-filled kitchen out back with space for a large amish table, a family room/library and a formal livig room.  Wide plank wood floors throughout, big farm sink, etc.  I'd want 3 big bathrooms and a full sized basement.  I'd want a mud room to keep all the grime out of my kitchen.  4 bedrooms would be ideal - a boy's room and a girl's room, a parent room and a guest room for my husband's parents to stay in when they visit.  I'd also like 5-10 acres and a barn.

That's my dream house.  Reality will probably be very different!

Q: How many children do you think you'll have?

I got this one from quite a few people.  My sisters tell me that people even ask them!  I know no one like the real answer, but it is what it is:  I don't know.  Children and babies are, to me, God's best gifts here on earth.  I am not one who will say they are ready to stop changing diapers, or long to go on a grown up vacation or back to work.  I'm living my life goal right now, so that makes it a very different question for me.  When I think on my family 10, 20 years down the road, I see kind of what I grew up with: a large group of close knit siblings and hopefully lots and lots of gorgeous grandbabies gathered around.  The specific number is not one that has been revealed to me.  I suppose the answer is that I am subject to God's leading in this matter and ultimately the decision of a specific number will be on that God, my husband and I come to together.  Also, there is nothing new to report on that front.  Peter is still the baby!

Q:  How do you define the simple life and how can one make that happen?

I must say, this question stuck in my mind for days as I thought out my answer.  The one word that kept coming t0 my mind was freedom.  I define the simple life with the word freedom.  In choosing to live in a simple manner - one income, no debt, one car, renting a small home, eschewing pricey vacations and new furniture - we are able to live in abundant freedom in other areas.  We're free to have another baby without trying to scrape together funds for daycare due to having 2 working parents.  We're free to give our kids

private education through homeschooling.  We're free to pick and choose very intentionally what activities the kids participate in so that the majority of our evenings are spent at home together.  There is a sacrifice element there, but I definitely feel that the things we sacrifice are worth the freedom we attain by living this way.  This freedom extends to the letting go of previously held ideals.  The last 100 years has brought a great change to how people (especially Americans) view needs vs. wants.  We have become confused as to what is really necessary to live a good, rich life. Somehow we all got conned into thinking that unless you can take the kids to Disney or throw big birthday parties or pay for college or them a car for their sweet 16, you're not living a good life.  We reject that, and instead embrace faith, family and frugality and find that, in many ways, the very best things in life are free.  You just have to stop getting in your own way, break unhealthy financial habits, get rid of excess constraints on your time and enjoy the things that make you happy and that bring you closer to your family and your faith.  That's the simple life, to me.

Q: How do you manage Homeschooling with a baby in the house?

I'm a pretty relaxed homeschooler.  There are things that I require to get done each day, but our daily schedule varies greatly, and usually the baby at the time has a great deal to do with that.  I try to get the one on one schooling done while the baby is sleeping - things like read alouds and having the kids read to me, etc.  Subjects that the kids are more self sufficient in such as math and spelling can be done when the baby is awake as they don't need quite as much from me.  A baby carrier is a must have for homeschooling when the baby is awake!  It is is a tremendous help to remember that the time a baby is in the house is such a short season!

Q: How do you budget/live on one income?

This is something that is currently in flux as we do a budget re-vamp.  Basically we live very simple with very few extras.  We do not use credit cards and are moving toward using a cash system with regular bills being pulled out of our checking account automatically.  I cook almost entirely from scratch so that saves us quite a bit.  Any extra purchases or trips require saving up or being creative with making a little bit of extra money.  My favorite ways is to do a bit of extra knitting over at my side project,  ThisBusyMamaKnits.

Q: What curriculum do you use for homeschool?

I use a hodge podge of different curricula that I string together.  Currently we use A Beka for 
science/history/readers, Horizons and Teaching Textbooks for Math, Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons and Explode the Code for phonics, Sequential Spelling for spelling, A Reason For Handwriting for handwriting.  I usually go by the book lists on amblesideonline for literature.

Q: What is your testimony of Faith?

This could very easily get quite long, so I'll make it quick (and hopefully come back to it later on!).  I was raised in a lovely Christian home with wonderful moral parents.  I was baptized, made my first communion and was confirmed in the Lutheran church as a child.  During my teen years I fell prey to some typical teenage rebellion, lost my way a bit,  but I gained new ownership of my faith once I was married and had my son.  My journey is far from over and, as I explore it further and further every day, never ceases to amaze me.  God has been so good to me.

What a wonderful way to ring in a new year!  Thank you all for your lovely questions.  It was so fun answering them all!