- Friends who recently bought a farmhouse can no longer stay there due to lack of water and heat (!) so they’ve moved in! They’ve been here almost a week and will probably be here another week! I’m getting a great lesson in menu planning and hospitality and soooo enjoying being able to help them and care for them; and I have to say I just adore their company! They are a lovely couple and would seriously be the best in laws on earth
- I was able to get up this morning at 6 am to spend an hour in prayer! Seeing the images of Haiti is hard, but a big thank you to everyone who commented or emailed to share what they’ve been able to do, it really does make my heart leap for joy to know we do care and we are willing to sacrifice to help others!
- My 40 days of prayer and fast is going really well, I’ve had to modify the fast as needs dictate but I was able to seek some wise counsel from a good friend last night who assured me about the importance of doing what we can do with a joyful heart and that modifications when needed are not necessarily a bad thing! I’m finding even if I can’t always make my goals each day, I’m so much more prayerful and thankful which are both areas I really need to grow in!
- Amazingly, one of my favourite bloggers Tea For Joy sent me the book A Purpose Driven Life, well isn’t it amazing that it is about changing your relationship with God over a 40 day period?? I’m learning so much from the book (which provides ample scripture as encouragement) and it is really helping me with self-doubt, an area I really struggle with!
- On that note, I’m getting quite creative about applications but am focusing on prayer, listening to where I feel called and am “on hold” until my 40 days are up!
- I’m planning a trip to London for the weekend of Feb 19/20/21/22 (to coincide with the end of the 40 days of prayer & fasting). If anyone would like to meet up, let me know
- My flu is finally, finally better! My fever is gone 90% of the time, my cough is more manageable and while I still sound pretty gross, I can feel I’m turning a corner! Having had four bouts of flu since the beginning of July, I’m ready for a break!
- I am very much looking forward to watching Kevin McCloud exploring the real slums of Mumbai tonight on Channel 4. Sadly it also coincides with a year’s review of Obama’s Presidency on BBC 2, which I’ll be watching on iplayer. My media fast is over (I did 8 weeks with no television/films), I must do a post on it at some point!
- I’m very much looking forward to attending a dinner party tomorrow night and having a break from cooking
- On that note, last night I made (with the wonderful guest) an awesome stir-fry broccoli & toasted seed dish, with a honey and cinnamon sauce. Absolutely delicious
Welcome!
I'm Frugal Trenches (no, not my real name!) a lover of natural, simple and frugal living! I use this space and my camera to document a beautiful, purposeful, downshifted and abundant life! Life is not always simple (oh how I wish it was!) but it is always rich and I hope this space demonstrates beauty and joy!
If you have a question, feel free to leave it in the comments! I read and appreciate every comment and will reply to questions within the comment section, even if it takes a day or two (or three, but whose counting!).
Archives
Money Spent On Groceries in 2013
January $198.39
February $231.88
March $248.71
April $Books Read in 2013
Myself
Fiction:
1.The Help
2. Away
3. Flowers For Algernon
4. Animal Farm
5. Room
6. The Secret DaughterNon-Fiction:
1.The Two Nazanins
2.Confessions Of A Bad Beekeeper
3.The Encouraging Parent
4.Freakonomics
5.Why Be Happy When You Can Be Normal?
6.Raising A Right Brained Child In A Left Brained World
7.How To Make Your Child A Reader For Life
8.The Bookseller of Kabul
9.The Sane Woman's Guide To Raising A Large FamilyDaughter Grade 3 (Chapter Books)
Stanley's Christmas Adventure
George's Marvelous Medicine
Sarah Plain and Tall
Ramona Books x 5
Road To Avonlea Chapter Books x 3
Junie B Jones Chapter Books x 6
James and The Giant Peach
Freckle Juice
Reader Level 4 Books x 9Son Grade 1 (Picture Books)
January: 62 books
February: 73 books
March: 95 books
April: 89 books



That is the loveliest wallpaper ever! I also love how your glasses coordinate with it. I have a copy of The Purpose-Driven Life but never read it; I’ll be curious to hear your thoughts concluding it. Best of luck on the fast–I fasted a couple of years ago (though only for a week) when I was making a decision about moving across the country or not and it was a great experience!
Ooh, I can’t wait to hear about your media fast.
How generous of you to open your home to your friends. A friend of mine stayed with us for a month last year and I was amazed at how uch it turned my life upside down. It can be hard, but so worth it!
I am so glad you are feeling better. How much fun to have some friends for several weeks.
I too love that wallpaper. It is very nice of you to take in friends like that especially while you are unemployed!
I’m sorry, I forgot to reply to your email! Would love to do london but sadly can’t afford it. When Chris is working again we should definitely meet up!
I would love to meet up as well in London but sadly the journey from little old Adelaide is somewhat long and expensive!
Is that Kevin McCloud from Grand Designs? If so this show would certainly be a loooooooong way from that, but would be very informative, I don’t guess we’ll see that here, certainly not for a while, if at all!
Dinner sounds delish!
Cheers
Judy
well I could be up for a london meet up….
what are you fasting from?
So glad you’re feeling better and hope you have a lovely trip to London!
I’m too far away to meet you there, but have plans to be in Wales/Scotland in September, so who knows what might happen?
Thanks for the heads up about Kevin McCloud… I must watch anything that he does, is there anything that man can’t do?
Glad to hear that you are feeling better
I really admire you for being able to dedicate as much time as you do to praying.
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I love how you’ve opened up your home to the couple that needs a place to stay. I’m great at offering a place to lay a person’s head but I’m not so good at cooking for others and tending to their needs as I’m not even good at that for myself. I’m trying to develop this site of hospitality. You mentioned Haiti. I haven’t given yet but have been doing a lot of praying. I will be sending my donation through to World Vision or Red Cross in Canada.
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