Inspiration is everywhere!

Simplify. It's time.

Last year at our annual women's retreat I was given scripture by one of our guest speakers...1 Thessalonians 4:11-12, 11 Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business and to work with your hands, just as we told you, 12so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody.

This didn't "speak" to me at first...as a matter of fact I thought, "What? Me? Be QUIET? I don't think so...she was WAY off the mark."

Regardless,I took the little slip of paper and tucked it into my bible and forgot about it. Until about 6 months later, anyway. By this time it was summer and I had a little garden going. I was sitting on my deck reading my bible when I came across that scripture. Suddenly it made PERFECT sense to me. God was telling me to lead a quiet LIFE, not to be quiet by not speaking. Lead a quiet life...be easy on the earth...be easy on others...lead by example...quiet down, simplify, slow up. Mind my own business and work with my hands...of course! Gardening...canning...taking care of my own. It was a message to move toward that more self-sustaining lifestyle I was desiring...so that we will "not be dependent on anybody".

Yes. It makes perfect sense.

SO, tomorrow we'll be seeing about getting pre-qualified to buy 2.5 acres in the country. It's got a large home, a decent sized shop to run the business out of, a very cool little garden shed/greenhouse and plenty of acres for some small livestock. Should we be able to afford it, this will definitely be the next step in leading a "quiet life".

But didn't I start off shouting about "inspiration"? In researching self sustaining lifestyles and preserving food and raising small farm animals I have run across some amazing (and some quite interesting!) blogs. It wasn't so long ago that everyone raised their own food...even making their own sausages and cheeses and yogurts! We've really only been on this whole "convenience" thing for a short time. Doing it ourselves is not really so far-fetched. And it's better for us on so many levels. Just eliminating all of the additives is reason enough for me. But when you get into it, there's so much more. It's healthier, it's more economical, it's better on the environment...there's a purity about it. While it may seem like more work to some...to me it's seems much more simple. And I'm willing to give it a try.

SO,again, this inspiration I'm talking about...it's in the form of blogs written by women (men, too I'm sure...but mostly women where I'm looking) who are also on the path to simplicity and who are mindful of their spending. The two blogs that are really hitting home with me the past few days are: choosingsimplicity and grocerycartchallenge. At Choosing Simplicity Heather shares with us her journey toward a more self-sustaining life. Not to mention, her love for God is contagious! At Grocery Cart Challenge Gayle documents her efforts to feed a family of six, yes, SIX,on just $60 a week. Wow. She shares her finds, her budget, her recipes (including one for homemade detergent that I'm going to try out once my store bought container runs out) and her thoughts on living a frugal life.

There are other inspirations out there...and I'll share more another time. But for now, these two amazing women are giving me so many great ideas that will fit right into my attempt to "lead a quiet life". What's inspiring YOU right now?