To the Unbeliever

To the unbeliever,

I write this with a broken and heavy heart. I think many believers may agree with me, but I want to personally take responsibility. Many times people generalize their thoughts and by doing that, aren’t claiming responsibility themselves... I want to start by apologizing. I am sorry for not unconditionally loving and accepting you where you are, as Jesus did. I am sorry that as soon as I find out you are not a believer; I automatically categorize you in a different group, and subconsciously judge your actions. Most of all, I am sorry that I claim to be a believer, but reflect Jesus poorly. You deserve to see who Jesus is in a better light. Jesus deserves to be reflected in a better light.

Jesus didn’t call me to choose who to love or accept and I have no right or responsibility to judge you, because guess what, I may be more of a mess than you, I’m just ashamed to show it and am better at hiding it. Maybe that’s the reason why you are turned off by the idea of loving Jesus, because I, as a believer, am so good at being fake and wearing masks that hide my “ungodly” actions; or maybe you are intrigued by what Jesus has to offer, but wouldn’t dare step foot into my church because you know that I am going to judge you for being there because you don’t have “the right clothes” or you don’t “say the right things”. I am so so sorry for that. I am striving to do better.

The truth is, I am not any better than you. I claim responsibility for “prioritizing” sin, and thinking that somehow my sin is not “as great” as yours. Guess what? It is. I confess, I sin daily, and don’t always repent for it. Thank goodness for grace.

I want to share a little bit about who Jesus is and also who I am as a believer, not to try to convince you of anything. I’m sure you have been told many different viewpoints on who he is and have tried to be “persuaded” to agree and believe. I have no intentions of doing that. I just want you to see a better picture, coming from a believer in complete humility and honesty, and asking for grace and forgiveness as I share.

Jesus, the Son of God, came to earth knowing that He was going to die. He willingly came to sacrifice himself, so that I, as a believer could spend my life after death in a perfect place. So that when I messed up, I could receive mercy, grace, and forgiveness. While on earth, he hung out with prostitutes, homeless, alcoholics and people who were not accepted by “believers.” Never once did he care about what others thought and never once did he judge them. He loved unconditionally, spent his days helping people in need, and committed his life to others. He was (and still is) a son, friend, healer, comforter, teacher, and many other things. He never categorized others according to race, religion, financial status, or gender. He accepted them all and spent time teaching and encouraging anytime he was given the opportunity. There are so many incredible stories that tell of all that Jesus did.

This is me: I am a believer in Jesus. I have been honored to be called a wife, mother, daughter, sister, and friend. I strive for excellence in all that I do; an all or nothing kind of girl. I am stubborn and strong willed, and am learning to use those things to not cower from what I believe in. I try not to show emotion, but care so deeply about what others think of me. I try to speak positively about others, but also struggle with judging others.  I am a sinner, with real emotions and real struggles. I have good days and bad days. I have insecurities and mountains. I am a believer because I see who Jesus is, and I want to be like Him. I want to love without conditions and give all I have to help and encourage others. After life on earth, I want to know what it feels like to live in a place with no sickness, death, or sin. Today, I want to strive to be greater. Love more and hate less. Forgive without conditions. Spread joy, even in the midst of sorrow. Most importantly, show the world a glimpse of who Jesus is. 

Be Blessed,

~Jess

Raised Bed Gardening 101

I have done a TON of research this year on gardening and have been trying to find the time to write it all out, mostly to share with you, but also so I have it to look back on. It will probably be WAY more than you will ever want to know about gardening, so feel free to skim the parts that I start to ramble. I tend to do that a lot... such as now, I suppose.

Getting Started

There are a few questions that you should ask yourself before gardening...

1) What kind of garden do I want? 

2) Where will I put this garden and what will I make it out of?

3) Am I ready for a long term commitment? 

4) What time of year will I be gardening?

What kind of garden do I want? 

Vegetable vs flowers... or both! I LOVE to garden, and I have the time and space to have both. I suggest if you work a lot and have little time to tend to your garden, keep it small and easily accessible. There is a ton of info out there about small gardens, but for the sake of this blog and my experience, I will focus the larger garden that includes flowers and vegetable (and herbs). I'll talk later about companion planting, which incorporates flowers and herbs into a vegetable garden.   

Where will I put this garden and what will I make it out of?

I have a pretty big backyard and an awesome husband who sees my visions and lets me do what I want (and usually helps make it come to life). You'll want to pick a place that gets sunlight at least 6-8 hours of the day and is sheltered from critters, such as dogs and small children.

I have had experience with making gardens out of wood and cinder block. If you decide to use wood, my suggestion is to get untreated, as the chemicals can be harmful to your edible produce. The only downside of using untreated wood is that it rots quickly. Ours only lasted two years.

Our first garden made out of wood.

This year, we used cinder blocks. I wasn't sure if I would like the look of it, but found this awesome idea to plant flowers and herbs in the holes of each cinder block, and I think it turned out great. I have also seen people spray paint designs on the cinder blocks.

Am I ready for a long term commitment? 

Gardening is not something that happens over night. It takes weeks and even months to reap the fruits of your labor. It also requires upkeep along the way. My suggestions is, if you are just starting out, to pick a few easy growing and forgiving plants, so if you forget to water for a few days, they will perk back up after being showered. Some good hardy vegetable plants are beans, okra, pumpkins, squash, and zucchini. They produce big leaves that protect the vegetable itself from the harsh sun. Some good herbs and flowers to start out with are basil, rosemary, mint, and marigolds. 

What time of year will I be gardening?

Different plants have different growing seasons. Make sure you are planting according to your climate. If you are starting plants from seed, most seed packages have the best growing season for your area. If you are a new gardener, I would suggest starting with plants. You will see results much quicker, as the store has done all the hard work for you. If you are planting anytime after early/mid April, buy all plants. I typically always buy marigolds, peppers and tomatoes as plants, no matter the time of year. They just takes too long to start from seed.


Building Your Garden
Look online for different ideas on sizes, shapes, and materials used for raised bed gardens.

Here is what we did to build our cinder block raised bed garden.

Supplies:
- Lots of cinder blocks (measure the size you want and buy accordingly)- Approx $1.48/ea
- Shovel
- Hand dirt compactor
- Work gloves










The most important factor into making your garden look good (minus the plants), is making sure it is level. Having a good, solid, and flat foundation is key. This is by far the worst part. I nominated my husband (who has lots of upper body strength) to do this part. He dug a few inches into the ground just enough to frame the garden and then used the dirt compactor to level the dug out areas. It may be best to do this part after it has rained; the ground will be softer. (Helpful tip: Put all the extra dirt in the center of the garden, as it can be used as *free* filler dirt later.) After the dirt is compacted, place the cinder blocks, making sure they are level. We did all three steps for every 3-4 feet that we dug, to ensure we were keeping it all level and to help keep the excess dirt in place. You can decide whether or not you want to do just one row of cinder blocks or two. We chose two rows. Benefits of two row: sturdier and more likely to keep the cinder blocks from shifting; you don't have to bend down as far when gardening; *in my opinion* it looks nicer. Cons: costs more and you have to buy twice as much dirt.
             
Buying Dirt

You are going to need both filler dirt and vegetable garden fertilizer. The extra dirt from digging the space from the cinder blocks should fill 20-25% of the garden (maybe more). We had a TON of extra dirt from a previous patio project so we were fortunate to not have to buy any filler dirt. It is fairly inexpensive per bag though. Filler dirt should fill about 2/3 of your garden and fertilizer 1/3. There are a TON of different kinds of each. Filler dirt doesn't really matter what kind, but make sure that your fertilizer is for *vegetable* gardens. The fertilizer is nutrient packed and spongy to ensures that water can reach the roots and drain properly. I also used filler dirt to fill 3/4 of each cinder block hole and 1/4 fertilizer.

Helpful hint: I would also recommend using some sort of weed barrier. I typically use newspaper or cardboard. Lay a thick layer on the ground, underneath the filler dirt, to keep weeds from popping up.

Planting
Now for the fun part! Time to pick out your plants. This is where my intense research came into play. I am a strong believer in not using pesticides, unless you absolutely have to. I have an obsession with saving honey bees, and most pesticides, although they kill the bad bugs, they also kill the good ones. I decided this year to find alternative ways to repel harmful insects that do not include toxic sprays. I discovered this incredible method called companion planting. Companion planting, by definition, is any plant that is purposefully planted next to another to enhance growth, beauty, or flavor. I found a good companion planting chart here. Scroll down to the bottom to see a full list of what to and not to plant together.

Citronella Plant

It's easy to get carried away when buying plants, so be sure to make a list of what you want before you go and maybe leave room for one or two random plants that are "impulse buys." Also, be sure to only get the number of plants that will fit in your garden. Although you are buying plants when they are small, most take up a few feet of space when they are fully grown. You can maximize your garden space by building a trellis and training some of your plants to grow up the trellis. 

Lavender

One problem I faced last growing season, after all my plants were fully grown, was some plants were creating too much shade, which cause others to stop growing and producing due to lack of sun. This year, I mapped out where each plant would go according to how the sun hit the garden. Okra tend to grow really tall, so I put them in the far corner that is shaded first during the day. I planted beans next to them because they grow on a trellis away from the okra. Peppers like the sun, so I made sure they were on the side of the garden that gets the most sun during the day and planted garlic next to them because bulb plants grow underground.  All of my leafy plants I planted in the middle- squash, zucchini, cucumbers, pumpkins, and melons - they have similar growing needs so they won't hinder the growth of their neighbor. I also planted garlic throughout my garden (except by the beans) because they repel the bad bugs. 

The herbs and flowers that I planted in the cinder block holes consist of: marigolds, parsley, lemon thyme, lemon balm, rosemary, spearmint, peppermint, basil, lavender, chamomile, and catnip. I also have lemon grass and citronella in separate pots on the patio because we have a huge mosquito problem and these plants repel mosquitoes. Last year, if I stepped outside for a minute, I would have at least 2-3 bites, this year I have seen very few mosquitoes. Although it is still early in the summer, I am convinced that my plants are repelling them. 

Composting

Crushed egg shells around the plants

Composting doesn't have to be difficult. I used to think I didn't have room to have my own compost, but after doing some research, I found that it is actually quite simple and doesn't have to take up a lot space. 

Composting is basically just using kitchen scraps as fertilizer for your plants. The three main things that I compost are coffee grounds (I even throw the coffee filter in with the grounds), eggs shells, and banana peels. I also toss in any vegetable or fruit scraps. I have a gallon sized bucket next to my kitchen sink that holds my scraps. Instead of waiting for the food to decompose, I throw it all in a blender with some water and make a (nasty) compost liquid then pour it around the base of my plants. Occasionally, I will leave the eggshells out of my compost and rinse them out, crush them, and spread them around the base of the plants, by themselves, to serve as a natural insect repellent for soft bodied bugs such as slugs and caterpillars. 

Marigolds

• Can be planted next with almost any other plant 
• Repel bugs such as mosquitoes and gnats
• Attract good insects (such as bees) to aid in pollination and eat the bad bugs
• Don't "crowd" your other plants and are good neighbors

Cons:

• Attract spider mites (these can be eliminated by spraying the plants with the water hose)
• Can't be planted next to beans

Good Companion Plants

Basil 

Basil companioned with tomatoes

Plant near: most garden crops

Keep away from: Rue and cucumbers
Benefits: Repels mosquitoes and improves the flavor and growth of garden crops, especially tomatoes and lettuce. 

Beans

Plant near: cabbage, carrots, catnip, cauliflower, corn, cucumbers, potatoes, savory, strawberries
Keep away from: peppers, fennel, garlic, leeks, onions, shallots, and marigolds

Beets

A little garden friend

 Plant near: broccoli, brussels sprouts, bush beans, cabbage, cauliflower, chard, kohlrabi, onions

Keep away from: charlock, mustard plants, pole beans

Borage

Plant near:  squash, strawberries, tomatoes
Comments: repels tomato worms. Improves flavor and growth of companions.

Broccoli and Brussels Sprouts

Plant near: beets, buckwheat, calendula, carrots, chamomile, dill, hyssop, marigolds, mints, nasturtiums, onions, rosemary, sage, thyme, wormwood.
Keep away from: peppers, tomatoes,squash, and strawberries



Comments: marigolds repel cabbage moths. Nasturtiums repel aphids.

Cabbage and Cauliflower

Plant near: broccoli, brussel sprouts, celery, chard, spinach, tomatoes.
Keep away from: peppers, tomatoes,squash, and strawberries
Comments: tomatoes and celery repel cabbage worms.

Cantaloupe

Plant near: corn
Keep away from: cucumbers

Carrots

Plant near: cabbage, chives, early potatoes, leeks, lettuce, onions, peas, radishes, rosemary, sage, salsify, wormwood.
Keep away from: dill and parsnip
Comments: onions, leeks, and wormwood repel carrot flies

Chives

Plant near: apples, berries, carrots, grapes, peas, roses, tomatoes.
Comments: Improves flavor and growth of companions. Deters aphids and Japanese beetles.

Corn

Plant near: beans, cucumbers, early potatoes, melons, peas, pumpkins, soybeans, squash.
Comments: soybeans deter chinch bugs.

Cucumbers

Plant near: beans, cabbage, corn, radishes, sunflowers.
Keep away from:cauliflower, potato plants, basil, rosemary, lavender, or thyme
Comments: Radishes deter cucumber beetles. Cucumbers encourage blight in late potatoes.

Dill

Bell Peppers

Plant near: broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, cucumber, lettuce, onions
Keep away from: carrots
Comments: Improves flavor and growth of cabbage family plants.

Epplant

Plant near: green beans, peppers, potatoes, tomatoes
Comments: green beans deter Colorado potato beetles.

Garlic

Plant near: cabbage, cane fruits, fruit trees, roses, tomatoes
Keep away from: peas, beans
Comments: deters Japanese beetles and aphids. A garlic oil spray deters onion flies, aphids, and ermine moths. A garlic tea helps repel late potato blight.

Kale

Plant near: aromatic herbs, buckwheat, cabbage family, marigolds, nasturtiums
Keep away from: pole beans, strawberries
Comments:

Kohlrabi

Plant near: cabbage/cauliflower companions (except tomatoes)
Keep away from: fennel, pole beans, tomatoes
Comments: kohlrabi stunts tomatoes

Lettuce

Plant near: carrots, parsnips, radishes, strawberries
Keep away from: cabbage family, beets, parsley
Comments: lettuce tenderizes summer radishes.

Marigolds

Plant near: all garden crops
Keep away from: beans
Comments: stimulates vegetable growth and deters bean beetles, aphids, potato bugs, squash bugs, nematodes, and maggots.

Marjoram

Plant near: all garden crops
Keep away from:
Comments: stimulates vegetable growth.

Mustard

Plant near: alfalfa cover crops, fruit trees, grapes, legumes
Keep away from:
Comments: stimulates growth of companion plants.

Nasturtiums

Plant near: apples, beans, cabbage family, greenhouse crops, potatoes, pumpkins, radishes, squash
Keep away from:
Comments: repels aphids, potato bugs, squash bugs, striped pumpkin beetles, and Mexican bean beetles and destroys white flies in greenhouses.

Onions

Plant near: beets, cabbage family, carrots, chamomile, lettuce, parsnips
Keep away from: beans, peas
Comments: deters most pests, especially maggots.

Oregano

Plant near: all garden crops
Keep away from:
Comments: deters many insect pests.

Parsley

Plant near: corn, roses, tomatoes
Keep away from:
Comments:

Parsnips

Plant near: onions, radishes, wormwood
Keep away from:
Comments: onions and wormwood help keep root maggots from parsnips.

Peas

Plant near: beans, carrots, corn, cucumbers, early potatoes, radishes, turnips
Keep away from: garlic, leeks, onions, shallots, peppers
Comments:

Peppers

Plant near: basil, carrots, eggplant, onions, parsley, tomatoes
Keep away from: fennel, kohlrabi
Comments:

Potatoes

Plant near: basil, beans, cabbage family, corn, eggplant, flax, hemp, marigolds, peas, squash
Keep away from: apples, birch, cherries, cucumbers, pumpkins, raspberries, sunflowers, tomatoes, walnuts
Comments: hemp deters phytophthora infestans. Basil deters potato beetles. Marigolds (dug into crop soil) deter nematodes.

Radishes

Plant near: chervil, cucumbers, lettuce, melons, peas, nasturtiums, root crops
Keep away from: hyssop
Comments: radishes deter cucumber beetles. Chervil makes radishes hot. Lettuce helps make radishes tender. Nasturtiums improve radishes' flavor.

Rosemary

Plant near: beans, cabbage, carrots
Keep away from:
Comments: repels bean beetles, cabbage moths, and carrot flies.

Sage

Plant near: cabbage family, carrots, tomatoes
Keep away from: cucumbers
Comments: deters cabbage moths and carrot flies. Invigorates tomato plants.

Soybeans

Plant near: corn, potatoes
Keep away from:
Comments: chokes weeds and enriches soil.

Spinach

Plant near: celery, cauliflower, eggplant, strawberries
Keep away from:
Comments:

Strawberries

Plant near: borage, bush beans, lettuce, pyrethrum, spinach
Keep away from: cabbage family
Comments:

Sunflowers

Plant near: cucumbers
Keep away from: potatoes
Comments: can provide a trellis and shelter for shade-loving cucumbers.

Swiss Chard

Plant near: bush beans, kohlrabi, onions
Keep away from: pole beans
Comments:

Tarragon

Plant near: all garden crops
Keep away from:
Comments: improves vegetables' flavor and growth.

Thyme

Plant near: all garden crops
Keep away from:
Comments: deters cabbage moths.

Tomatoes

Plant near: asparagus, basil, cabbage family, carrots, gooseberries, mustard, parsley, onions, rosemary, sage, stinging nettles
Keep away from: fennel, kohlrabi, potatoes, walnuts
Comments:

Turnips and Rutabagas

Plant near: peas
Keep away from: knotweed, mustard
Comments: mustard and knotweed inhibit the growth of turnips and rutabagas.

(Complete list derived from here)

Happy Gardening!!

~Jess

Credit Cards

This is a pretty controversial topic in the money saving world. I know many financial advisers recommend that you stay away from credit cards, and if you are absolutely unable to control yourself with a credit card, then yes, just scroll past this post, because this one is not for you, BUT, if you think you would be able to handle your spending, then hear me out. I am 100% for credit cards if used responsibly. In fact, I use my credit card every chance I get. I know I sound crazy, but like I said, hear me out.

Let me start by telling you the two HUGE benefits of having one.

1. There is this thing called ‘credit’ that every person has. I will never understand how they come up with the numbers, but it is very hard to make a big buy (such as a house) without having good credit. Also, the better your credit, the lower your interest rate. One way to build your credit is to get a credit card. (Side note: it is possible to have awesome credit at a young age. Daniel and I are in our early 20's and are both in the highest bracket of credit that you can have.) We have only been actively “building credit” for 3-4 years.

2. Credit cards are targeted for the people who don’t know how to control themselves with it. Companies lure you in with all these awesome deals like “get 3% cash back on all your purchases” or “get x amount of frequent flyer miles for every dollar you spend.” Usually these credit cards also have a ridiculously high interest rate. I would never ever use a credit card like this for purchases that I don’t plan on paying off at the end of the month.  As a frugal, controlled spender, I use the awesome deals they offer to my advantage. This can save you a TON of money if you do it right.

Ok, so here’s how I control myself. The MOST important thing to remember when having a credit card is that you have to think of it as if it were a debit card; meaning, you are not able to spend more than you have in your checking account and what is budgeted. I use mobile apps for both my checking account and my credit card and check them daily to make sure that I am not over spending. My last post talked about using the envelope system. I know people who have physical envelopes with cash in them, but to utilize my CC as much as possible, I have an app (Good Budget) on my phone that tracks it all, so I can use my credit card the same way as cash and just deduct it from my “virtual” envelope. Sounds simple, right? I will warn you that it does take some work and consistency. It is easy to forget to add your purchases to the Good Budget app (guilty!), but if you are able to keep up with it, the benefits are pretty substantial.

We have a Southwest credit card. I have found that out of all the airline cards, Southwest has the best deal. Their frequent flyer miles never expire, it cost less FF mile to buy a ticket, and you get two bags checked free. Plus, I have only ever had AWESOME experiences flying with them. It does have an annual $100 fee, but it is worth it. Once or twice a year, they have a deal where you can sign up and if you spend $2,000 in the first 3 months, you get $50,000 bonus miles. Last summer, we were able to buy all of our plane tickets for $5.95 each (basically just tax) with the bonus miles. Also, if you are married, you each can get a card and each qualify for the 50,000 bonus miles. I signed up for the credit card last year, and we both were able to use the card. We got the 50,000 points and used them last summer. I also have a ton of points from spending throughout the year that I have bought random plane tickets with. This year, Daniel signed up for the card, is getting 50,000 bonus miles (for our plane tickets this summer) and we plan to cancel mine and spend only on his card. He also used me as a referral so I got 5,000 bonus points to my name. Woah! So basically within the last 2 years we will have gotten 105,000 points just in bonus miles, just for signing up. A one way ticket averages 12,000 points. That is almost 9 one way tickets. We have taken advantage of other offers throughout the year too where they give bonus miles. We have gotten close to 150,000 miles overall. So there is my Southwest plug for you. I could go on and on about how good of a deal this is, but you get the idea.