Worth the slime

So, I really feel like I need to post a picture. But that wouldn't be fair unless I posted a before and after picture. And that wouldn't be any fun unless I posted a during picture. And of course, I don't have any...

My hair-- I have pretty thick hair anyway... and pretty shiny? I think? But I definitely noticed a "fuller" feeling to it... almost thicker too. Gabe said in the sun it looked more red, too, but I think we have just had a lack of sun these past few months (it is winter ya know). It does feel healthier... In the mirror, my roots look, well, cleaner.

See-- How am I supposed to describe this? My hair is fluffy? My hair is redder? My hair is cleaner? These comments are going to leave you wondering "well, what in the world did it look like before?" or "and I want this why?"

Anyway, my final opinion is that I will do it again, in a month or so (as instructions instruct). With a little more planning. And a camera. Hey, maybe you all should buy some too, and we can have a Beautiful Hair Party!

Another Fabulous Safeway Deal-- This time it's better!

Ok, all of you Safeway shoppers, and non-safeway shoppers, you might want to pay attention.

Check out this deal at imommies. We are looking at next to free groceries people! I, for one, definitely plan to apply this deal when I go shopping!

Basics: Buy 5 Saralee products (which include Jimmy Dean, Hillshire Farms, BallPark, Miltons, and others) and get $10 catalina for your next trip!

Good Luck!

Well, that was interesting...

Close your eyes. We are going on a field trip....

Picture me, (fully clothed) in my bathroom, holding my hair above my head. My hair is green, dripping, and smells like a hay barn. I am frantically looking for something, anything, to catch the drips. And then I think, "hey, maybe my hair should be wet for this to work" so I use our detachable shower head and wet my head. Now it is really dripping, more like sopping, and I am trying to manuever a plastic grocery sack over top of my head. But it's too big! I thought I would secure it to my head and that would hold the drips! So I twist the end around and around, trying to tighten the bag so I stop getting nasty green glops and slimy drips all over the bathroom.

I scamper out to the kitchen, grab a clothspin from the pantry, and secure the bag. Now, I am supposed to get a towel wet with Hot water, and secure that around my head as well. So I get it nice and hot, but OW! whoops, too hot... I wait a minute, wring it out, wrap it around my head as well, and secure it with another clippy thingy. Whew! brrrr, my head is getting cold! I am supposed to keep this goop warm???? I dash into the bedroom, yank open my box of Hand Hotties that I meant to give away for stocking stuffers, open two and stuff them into the towel. There, that should do it! Now, I wait....

After a particularly thrilling (not really) episode of Ghosthunters Int. (the only show that I watch that isn't affected by the writer's strike...) I return to rinse out my hair. I kid you not, the bottom of the bathtub appeared to be layered by peat moss.... I must say, though, it felt much better to be rinsing it OUT of my hair compared to slathering it into my luscious locks. ugh.

What, you ask, was I doing? I purchased this - Beautiful Hair Red, from bulkherbstore.com and I am trying it out. I know, I know. Next time I will take a picture, I promise! This time I was enough ill-prepared as it was! No need to throw an expensive camera into the mix!

Check back tomorrow for an update...

Static Electricity

One night Melia came running into our room-- she was very concerned about something, not really scared, but she needed me right then. Of course, I am halfway asleep trying to translate from Meliaese to English, but having any success. So I said "show me what you are talking about..."

We went to her room, and she moved her blankets around her bed.

"See Momma, sparkles in the night in my blankets!"

Melia Update

So, Melia was better yesterday other than being really emotional and slightly cranky. But this morning her temperature is back up to 102*. But her throat is alot better, she has not had a coughing fit since the one Monday morning that alerted me to her condition. So we are still home...

Kiera is still fine...still onery as ever. :-)

Kitchen Tip Tuesdays: If you're in the market...

Ok, so my post is not the most frugal, but it is definitely one of my best investments in my kitchen. It has everything to do with ease in the kitchen. These are my pans.

I bought them about 4-5 years ago, and have loved them ever since.
Just in case you can't read this, they are Ameriware Professional cookware. I will start off with - no, they are not cheap. But they are not any more than any other "high quality" cookware set either. However, they are better than anything I have ever used. They are non-stick to the core! To clean, you take a wet paper towel (or wash rag) and wipe them out. I am not even kidding! NO SCRUBBING! This is the description from Costco.com (where I bought mine)

Ameriware® Professional Cookware is commercial grade and American made. It features the Pro Series plus Ti-2® nonstick system. This three-layer system is internally reinforced with ceramic and titanium. This is the most durable nonstick system available and comes with a 25 year warranty. Approved for use with metal utensils, Ameriware® Professional Cookware is nonstick inside and out and is NSF approved. Commercial grade tri-riveted, nickel-plated steel handles are oven proof to 500F/260C.


Did you catch that? The warranty is for 25 years. Yes, that is Twenty Five Years.

I have purchased these for wedding gifts and been thanked many times over! My sister-in-law says she uses it every day, and when she has to use different pan, she sits at the sink washing it, wondering aloud "Why won't you come clean already?"

Anyway, I wanted to share these with everyone- not so you would go out and buy some, but so that next time you are in the market, you will know which way to jump so you are never in the market again. Oh, and by the way, as far as I have seen, Costco is the way to go to purchase these. They have their own fantastic return policy, plus their prices were at least 25% cheaper than the "home show guy." The main set is $400; I think it had 12 pieces.

Giveaway Carnival!

So, I know I don't have a lot of readers. Or I do on somedays, like when I link somewhere else...

But I just thought this Giveaway Carnival was SOOO much fun that I have to partake! So I am doing a giveaway!

As many of you know, Created to be His Help Meet by Debi Pearl has been one of the most helpful, formative, guiding, edifying... books in my whole life. I could go on and on, but basically it showed me what the Bible says about my role as a wife to my husband, and how important it is that I do my best to live according to God's plan. I LOVED THIS BOOK. Hands down. Now, not everyone may feel the same, as it WILL step on your toes. We all have toes, and they are meant to be stepped on. But I used to be a feminist, women-can-do-it-better-anytime,... whatever. You get the picture. How Gabe ever fell in love with me, I don't know. In short, this book changed my life. And our marriage. For the better, forever and ever. :-)

So I am giving one away! I don't care if I have given you one in the past and you want one to giveaway too, or if you have never met me, but are curious what book could make such a dramatic difference... I don't even care if you are male or female... (but guys, Debi's hubby Mike is writing a book for guys, so I will probably give one of those away someday too!)

So, comment with your name and I will post the random winner next Tuesday!

Oh, and click here if you want to check out Mike and Debi Pearl's ministry, No Greater Joy.

"I'm sad because I'm sick..." (sob)

Poor Melia has the croup. Her voice is a squeak of it's normal self and she sounds pathetic. She was barking this morning when she woke up, but I noticed the different sound and went right to my YL Essential Oils desk reference and then the testimonial site to find which oils to put on her. Thank goodness it was RC and Exodus II, two that I have! I put them on her and she stopped coughing almost immediately and hasn't since (2 1/2 hours later).

While this was meant to be a prayer request, it is also our own testimonial to how powerful these oils are. So please pray that she would heal quickly and that the oils would continue to keep her comfortable and help her heal.

PS, Just because I personally didn't know what the croup exactly was, here is a quick description.
Croup is a common respiratory illness in children that causes a change in breathing with a hoarse voice and a brassy, barking cough. Doctors sometimes call croup laryngotracheitis because it usually involves inflammation of the larynx (voice box) and trachea (windpipe). Symptoms usually go away in three to five days, with no lasting complications. (Everydayhealth.com)

Likes and Dislikes... by choice or instinct?

I have been discovering new and wonderful flavors that I didn't know I liked. Growing up, we were not forced to eat things that we may not like. So, I think I assumed that I wouldn't like many things just because my mom didn't like them. But lately, I have been trying new things that have surprised me with how much I do like them, or how I can choose to like them. Here is a quick, incomplete list of my new foods:

Foods that I do like:
Avocado
Peppers
Zuchini
Red potatoes
Sour Cream
Onions

Foods that are in progress:
Cooked Carrots
Cucumbers (in progress)
regular potatoes

Foods that I still cannot stand at all:
Miracle Whip
Hard Boiled Egg Yolks
Sweet Relish or Pickles

Other:
mushrooms (afraid of)
squash (not sure yet)
watermelon/other melons (just can't seem to like them yet)

Anyway, I just thought this was interesting, and we are having a sick day here at our house, so I had some time to write up a bigger post :-)

Our HouseGuest

His Name? Horatio Carpenter

What he is good at: Making himself comfortable.

What He gets out of this deal: lots and lots of toddler love

Rite Aid and Walgreens

This week was pretty good-- I didn't find any spectacular deals at Safeway, but this was a good thing, as I had blown my whole weekly budget at Costco. I think Costco needs it's own budget catagory. I got great deals (I should have taken a picture, maybe I will next time) because of the coupons, but between the coupons (stock up) and regular needs that just came up, that took my $100. So, I went through the stuff I had at home and came up with a book (Jesus, the One and Only by Beth Moore) that I could take back because this is actually the study we are doing next at church and I have to buy the workbook anyway... and a box of Hoodia that I bought on coupon last summer that I had never opened, and while being truthful with myself, I probably never will. So that funded my RiteAid and Walgreens for this week :-) Here's the deals:

Out of all the above, The Citre' Shine, the Aroma Organics, and the John Frieda Glaze were all free after rebate. The Sunsilk were 2/$6, plus B1G1 packaging, minus a $1/1 and $1.50/1 coupons, so $3.50 for 4 bottles shampoo/conditioner. The gum was .99, minus a $1/1 coupon. So in the end, I will have paid $3.50 plus taxes!
My end all total for the above? $.40! Seeds were on store coupon 10/$1. Deodorant was $1.99 each, minus a $1/1 coupon on each. The hand sanitizer was 2/$3, and if you buy 5 you get $10 rebate.... plus a 10% bonus if the rebate is on the Walgreens gift card. Note: There were a few other items I meant to buy, but had to get rainchecks on. Oh well!

The best part was that I pretty much figured all the above out on my own-- Thanks to moneysavingmom and everyone over there for the lessons!

Burping the ABC's is impressive, but what about the other end?

I know, I know, this may be inappropriate, but this is my blog and I can do what I want. Kiera will hate me when she is 15, but we will teach forgiveness! *wink*

Sunday night I had both of them in the bathroom ready for bed, brushing teeth. Now, Melia was first because she made it to the bathroom first when I called (a little incentive). Courtesy of their Grandma, I sing the ABC's while I brush their teeth. They love it, and my singing is slowly getting better... So I am singing along, and pretty soon "toott toototoootto" from Kiera's... toushy. And a lovely odourous aroma to boot. And more and more ....

Imagine, Kiera and Mommy's first duet.... in the bathroom... A-B-C-D toototottootttoot E-F-G totoottotottoott H-I-J-K tootototottootototo LMNOP tototototto Q-RtoottototoStotoottTUV totototoototot W toot X toot Y toooandtootoZ Now I know My ABCs! Next time won't you sing with me!!!!!! TOOOOTT


Her diaper was about as pretty as our duet.

Giveaway!

Over at BiblicalWomanhood, Crystal is hosting a $100 VisionForum giveaway!

Check here for details!

Paranoid

I have a fear that is eating away at me. It will pop up in the most unusual places, and then the most usual as well. Mostly I dwell on it at work, because I am basically alone, in a small padded room.... oh, just kidding... alone in a small room with lots of time to think. I ponder who is going to have the next child in my family, or Gabe's family, or in our group of friends... I wonder if I can beat them to the boy. Not because I want to have the next boy, per se, but....

I am terrified they are going to steal our boy name.

And this is why God made marriage a partnership-- so I won't have another baby just so no one can beat me to my boy name....

(Yes, Gabe thinks I am crazy.)

(No, I won't tell you what our boy name is...)

(It is no longer Torin, so feel free to use that one)

Tea Question

I am trying to use a homemade blend of tea, and am having some difficulty. My problem is that I end up with floaties, or sinkies, but either way I find it unappetizing. I have the little strainer that sits in the top of the teapot, or I have one that dangles, but neither one is "keeping it all in."

Is this something I just have to get used to? Or am I missing something?

Please help!

Peace?

Why do I always forget? Why do I think that I can just struggle through something on my own?

Last Friday, I woke up in a bad mood. And I mean bad. I wanted to bash my head against the wall; every little thing made me so terribly frustrated! (OK, so maybe I sometimes, every once in a while, get PMS. sometimes.) I went through the whole day just fuming over nothing! (Kiera was awfully "needy," as Gabe put it, though) So, in the afternoon, I decided I absolutely had to get out of the house. Had to. Because, you know, with toddlers, that is the best thing to do when you are mad at the world. I will angry them into obedience, by golly. So we did. We went to the bank, and they actually did very good for not getting to see Grandma Debbie while we were there (it was really busy). Then I thought, hey, why don't I stop at Hastings and see if I can pick up a used book to read tonight, since I need a "get-away" night.

Walking through the parking lot, God just hit me as I was praying for Him to bless me with a good find. I cannot reiterate exactly what hit me, but I was moved to tears immediately. Along the lines of "why are you fighting me?" "why are you praying for a good book, and not praying for wisdom, patience, deliverance, control, etc...?" So we prayed for Mommy on our way into the store. And no, I did not find a good book, but through the next few hours He molded me back into the mellow, peaceful temperment that I can keep a handle on like usual.

Maybe that is why I need PMS sometimes. He uses it to wield me back under His control, when I am getting into a "I can do it"mode that I naturally tend towards. I need to realize I need help, that struggling through it is possible, but much more exhausting than requesting and receiving His peace, which by the way, according to Daniel 10, is waiting to be given to me as soon as I ask. Isn't He Amazing?

Comments

For all of you who have left a comment, I am loving hearing from you! Not just because you are reading my musings, but because you are so encouraging!

Thank You!

Wow....

So, if you look under my Unbelievable post, you will see that I got TWO comments! Holy Moly! The first was from a darling long lost friend (not really lost, just married and moved away :-), and the second was from I don't know who... or maybe I just can't put two and two together... which happens sometimes. Ok, alot of the time.

But when I read the second one, I thought hmmm ok, well, lets go look at the counter. You know the classic spewed-coffee-on-the-keyboard scene? Put me in that mental picture, and there you have it. Because my counter said that this blog - this little measly funny worthless blog - had 144 hits yesterday. Now, that may not be much for the professional bloggers, but that is a LOT to me.

So it has finally hit me. More people than just my family and friends will see this. Apparently a lot more when I post on Super Savings Saturdays and Kitchen Tip Tuesdays. So, I am making this disclaimer right now. Take nothing seriously. Except those awesome deals I get when God helps me put two and two together, and make $.50 :-)

Further explanation? I am NOT planning on 15 children, but I am not limiting God either. On the other hand, if I have a dozen C-Sections, I think the doctors will tie my tubes without my consent, especially if I say "See you next year!" on my way out the door.

Anyway, for those of you who don't know me real well, or not well in a while, you should know this. You would have to verify this with my parents, but I don't think I was the most onery one growing up. BUT! Since being married to Gabe-whose-middle-name-is-onery-in-CAPS- S****h, (no last names here please!) I have learned to compensate. At least in my head. If I am too onery to him out loud, he shows me their latest defensive tactics moves... and believe me, that is no fun! (Joking!)

Unbelievable!

I thought for sure I would get some kind of comment from my plan on birthing 10 CHILDREN!!!!

But nothing! Not a word! You people are numb... from reading too many blogs...I must find ways to be more creative. Would 15 children do it?

PS- Do you think they would let me win the Amazing Race out of compassion for having 10...oop... 15 children?

Kitchen Tip Tuesdays: Recipes

Hooray! I thought of something I have recently learned to do that I can share on Kitchen Tip Tuesdays over at http://tammysrecipes.com/

My tip has to do with recipes... I have been getting all kinds of fun ideas for meals from my few fav sites (see list at right), but many of them are too big for our little family of four. Now, if I want leftovers, I will make the whole batch, but if I don't have room in the fridge, I like to half the recipe. If I think this is something that I might do often, I write in the margin next to each ingredient what the halved portion would be. That way, the next time I am using that recipe, I don't have to think so hard! :-)

Hope this makes your next cooking experience easier!!!


*wink*

Denaye

Yeah TK and Rachel!

I am an Amazing Race junkie. I admit it. Fully. I can't wait to come home on Sunday nights from work and get my Amazing Race fix.

Someday, I will sign up for this. Only I want to be in the one where you just compete for prizes, not where people get bumped off. Cause I want to see everything, do everything, experience everything.... I would weep incessantly if I got eliminated. Until my someday, I will live vicariously through the current competitors.

Until my Someday...

after I am done having our 10 children...

and then after I lose the baby weight...

X 10.

Who knew?

it was a bright, sunny day outside

we couldn't resist enjoying it

even Kali was being frisky... but who knew...

that when you plant your face in the snow, it is really cold?

Safeway Score!

Can you believe regular price for all these items (a total of only 4 bags worth) came to $80? But this was my $21.54 shopping trip! Here is a break down:

Buy 10 items, get $10 off instantly items:
2 Tree Top apple juice = $4
2 Life cinnamon cereal = $4, minus 2 $1/1 coupons =$2
2 Quaker Chewy granola bars = $4 minus $1/2 = $3
1 Quaker Oats to Go bars = $2 minus .55/1 = $1/45
1 Toaster Strudel $2.25 minus .50/1 = $1.75
1 Quaker Oats $something like 2.69 - .60/1 = .. I can't remember
1 Simply Potatoes Hashbrowns $2 minus .55/1 = $1.45

Buy 10 Items get $5 off instantly items:
3 Progresso soups $4.50 minus $1/3 = $3.50
3 Progresso soups $4.50 minus $1.10/3 = $3.40
1 Wishbone Salad sprizter $1.50 minus .60/1 = $.90
1 Wishbone salad dressing $1.50 minus .75/1 = $.75
2 Campbells Select soups $3 minus .50/2 = $2.50

Plus a few other items, like POPCORN :-) we really like popcorn...
PopSecret 10 bag box $2.50 each (2) minus two $1/1 = $3 (savings of $4.50/box!)
Whole wheat flour (I can't remember)
Taquitos I think were $3.25 after coupon...

Oh, yea, and the cat.... :-) Kerzon was looking to see if I brought HIM any treats!!!!

Anyway, God really blessed my shopping trip-- I greatly value the advice that Crystal gives: Pray before you go that God would stretch your dollars and help you to be a good steward. I had never thought of that before, but it makes so much sense. We pray about everything else, why not grocery shopping? He's waiting to bless us if we just ask and seek His will and wisdom.

So, Thank you, Father God, for blessing us with wisdom through your will and through moneysavingmom, and from all the sources you put in our lives. Thank you for the ability to see through the sales to find the ones that meet our needs, and blessing us with treats as well. I pray that others would be encouraged by my success, and that you would bless their desire to be better stewards.

Amen.

Super Savings at Safeway!

Ok Kids! Check this one out!

I spent $21.54 at Safeway today.

Guess how much I saved?....hmmm?

$58.70!!!!!!!

How'd ya like them apples? :-)

(Check back later for a picture and break down. I will be posting more in detail for Super Savings Saturday at MoneySavingMom!!!) (I even might go back to safeway, as many of these items would be perfect for our mini stockpile...)

Super Mom!!!

I know, you all think I am Super Mom! I can do anything I set my mind to. My children are perfect, not a flaw between the two. I meet every need of my family, and I never second guess myself, nor do I need to. Mistakes? Those are someone else's problem. I KNOW that I am RIGHT, and you'd better take my advice, because I have it all figured out!

Hee hee, are you laughing yet? Or are you a bit peeved at my presumptuous attitude? :-) The more accurate statement is that I am living day by day, sometimes hour by hour (like today!), and actively being molded into a servant of the King.

But!!! The thought hit me yesterday, or the day before.... or sometime... that I should maybe explain my ONE little ad here on my blog. This label is not labeling me! Far from it!!!! This is actually a vitamin that I take because it really makes a difference in my mental stability. When I am good and remember to take it, I notice a difference in my energy, which affects my sleep habits, and especially my monthly moods.

Sometimes I have trouble sleeping. A lot of trouble. And this makes life with toddlers not so much fun. But when I take my vitamins, I notice that I am more energetic during the day, which really helps me to fall asleep at night and sleep harder (sounds pretty logical huh? but not as easy in real life. it's a vicious cycle).

I don't get PMS, but I do get depressed, sometimes pretty low. I have never been "diagnosed" with anything, but I do notice that it hits hard right around when PMS should hit. I can safely say that I have avoided this a few months for certain because I have been taking my vitamins.

So, if you are unhappy with what you are taking, or trying to fix something and think vitamins are the way to go, I do recommend these. They are reasonably comparable (a little less I think) to other brands of "good" vitamins-- which means not your run-of-the-mill multi's from the grocery store. They also have SuperDads, and SuperKids. We do use SuperKids, and the girls LOVE it! It is a liquid that lives in the fridge, tastes like kid vitamins, and they can't wait to take it everyday. Great stuff. Just great stuff.

So go buy some. If you want to.

Love, SuperMom *wink*

Financial Shape in 2008: Short and Long Term Goals

Another addition to Crystal's Financial Challenge over at Money Saving Mom! This week is an installment about making short and long term financial goals. Since hubby is at work, but I would like to post, just to keep myself thinking about our financial plans, here is what I can come up with on the fly!

Short Term Goals: This Year! 2008
1. Pay off all our credit cards. This is very possible, as long as we don't have some unforseen emergency expenditure. I just have to stay on track (we, but mainly I since I am pretty much the hand behind the checkbook, bills or otherwise!)
2. Be able to put money down on a truck for Gabe. This is really a "dynamic" issue, as I am praying for God to bless us like he did with our van, but.... well, it is, so to say, not something we are totally in agreement on. But I absolutely want to support Gabe 100%, so I am going to do my best to enable us to do this for him.
3. Keep up with the savings we do monthly- both girls' savings accounts, money market account and "vacation" account (my measly dream...)
4. By the end of the year (the end of cc payments), be paying a whole extra monthly payment on both mortgages annually. (We pay a small amount extra currently, but only maybe half a payment on each yearly)
5. Have $1000 set aside for emergency expenditures for the rental.
6. This may be more of a side-note, but we believe that the time for the dollar *may* be ending. No one knows exactly what this may entail, but we do need to be prepared to survive without our savings, as one day it may not be worth anything. We don't have a written plan yet, although I think I may post more on this as we do make plans. One of our goals this year is to acquire solar panels and back up batteries. Another one is to build and get working a garden area (and learn how to grow more!)

Long Term Goals:
1. In 10 years, have our home equity loan paid off. (It is big, more of a middle-mortgage really, since it was part of our second home purchase.)
2. Each year, make our home more self supporting.
3. If we do finance a truck, pay it off in at least half the time of the loan.

OK, so my thoughts may seem a little random, but what better to lead off into further discussions and posts?

Kiera's First Kiera-ism

Tonight, when I went to pick up the girls from Grandma and Papa's house, Melia was already in bed, but Kiera was fighting sleep with all she had. (This is about 10 o'clock pm-- she had taken a 4 hour nap earlier!) Goofy goofy silly goofy....

We went in to get Melia, who was absolutely dead to the world, and Kiera was terrible interested in why Sissy was sleeping. She pointed and grunted a few times, and then all of the sudden she screamed in Melia's face! I jumped- it was that loud! And then-- She laughs hysterically, like she had just done the funniest thing in the world! Of course, poor Melia's eyes were rolling around in her head as she tried to manuever that twisty world between sleep and wake, especially when someone is chasing her and screaming...

Oh me, oh my... She is a fun one! (You know, the kind that you can't punish because you're busy desperately trying not to pee your pants laughing... yea, that kind...)

Something to Benefit You

I have this very clever (IMHO) little post about our snowman, but alas, I cannot post it because I cannot upload any images.

Our router (like a modem?) is going caput (sp? capoot?), and every few seconds it fails. I can still do things online, most of the time, but no uploading with all the interruptions. So, why don't you all pray for a new (or used!) router for us so you can see my funny posts that I wish I could do! (Or, if you have one laying around, you can send it our way!)

Happy Monday to you all!

Coupon Train

I want to start a coupon train. I have many many extra coupons that I do not need, but I am sure would be valuable to someone else! This would be a train that stops at each persons house, unloads coupons, loads new coupons, and then travels on. If you are interested-- read on!

Rules:
1. Participants may take only what they need and will use before expiration.
2. Please put as many in as you take out, if not more.
3. Participants must be able to put coupons and list in new envelope and post within 2 days, preferably as soon as possible.
4. Group will be limited to 15 people so hopefully everyone will get it approximately once a month.

Anyone who wants to participate, please email me @ smittenkennels@gmail.com with your name and address, and, just for fun, coupons that you would love to see on the train! If I get more than 15 responses, I will start another train!

Yea! Let's do this!

Prayer Answered!!!

THANK YOU LORD!!
Gabe ended up getting the graveyard shift that he wanted, working with the sergeant that he did this past year, and greatly simplifying family activity planning for the coming year. This is a blessing that we needed-- thanks to all of you who prayed for us, and Glory to our Father who knows what we need when we need it. :-)

AeroGarden: Salad Greens-- Day 6

Check out these lil' darlin's! Aren't they just adorable?

It is so hard to avoid falling in love with teenie tiny baby plants...but their sad ending is that I am going to eat them.

And I am going to love every single bite!

Snow Day!

The other day (Thursday? whenever we got that last decent dump of snow, maybe Friday) we all layered up and went outside to build the girls' first snowman. That poor guy only lasted a day before he lost his head and middle :-) But the girls had a great time, not to mention Daddy, who built the biggest snowman I have ever been involved in making. (not many, I get mad at the snow...) Enjoy these darling snow bunnies and my *snow*man* ;-)

Financial Shape in 2008: The Budget

One of my favorite sites, as many of you know, is the Money Saving Mom. This is where I learned to coupon proficiently, work Walgreens and Rite Aid, and wish wish wish that we had a CVS!

Crystal is doing a challenge this year to involve us all to get into financial shape, and I want to share our journey so you can be praying for us too!

Here is the first step: The BUDGET
We do not have a budget. *shame* We spend a lot. A lot more than we need to, and then we don't track it. SO! I am not going to post our income levels and debt publicly, but I am going to list the areas I am working on, and the progress we can make. We do have a load of credit card debt ever since we bought this property and had to come up with extra down payment fast. We haven't been able to dig ourselves out in the three+ years we have been here, so that is my main goal this year is to get the three cards paid off! So here is a little budget detail--

What I want to do:
Groceries: $100 week
Gabe cash: $30/week
My mad money $25/week
RiteAid/Walgreens: To only use what I have received back in rebates (currently I have about $35 in hand)
Debt payments: 10% more than what we spent, with a minimum of $1000/month

As we work out more details, I will include them further. I know I can get our groceries to less than $100, but I want to have a few weeks to test it out before I strangle myself! I do plan on using the envelope system to get myself under control, as in my opinion, having a debit card is almost as bad as a credit card. Everything just gets sucked out, and it is not regulated. We will still have them, and there will still be money there (I hope!) but for our normal expenses, I plan to be limited.

So that is it for now. I do appreciate your support and prayers as we seek to develop a working budget fully. I would also ask for prayer for wisdom, as we truly battle with impulse buying. We need to seek Him first, in all things. Now, just to remember that statement. :-)

Denaye

Work Prayer Request

Gabe found out today that he did not get the court team corporal position, and that the individual who did is the only one under Gabe, corporal seniority-wise. This is discouraging because it means two things: One, Gabe will still be on graveyard for the next year, and Two, He will no longer have his choice of graveyards, as now he is the bottom again. We were ok with the graveyard thing, as his chances were mediocre for getting the court team position, but the bummer is that even if he didn't get courts, he should have still been able to have his pick of graveyards, and he wanted the one that at least matched my dad's shift schedule to make family events so much easier to plan. But now he gets no choices, no nothing. The positive side to this is our knowledge that God has a plan, and even if we see nothing but night (pun intended), He is using Gabe where ever He puts him.
My request would be for encouragement for Gabe, and long-suffering patience for both of us. Graveyards are hard on Gabe, which then becomes hard on us, so we both need prayer for the coming year.
Thank you, my friends. My appreciation is more than I can say.

Happy New Year Encouragement!

Yesterday morning, Melia told me something important.
"Momma, I have been thinking that it would be a good idea to for these horses to be Kiera's."

Translated: Because she got so many horses for Christmas, she decided to give her older ones to Kiera. I praised her decision and told her how generous and sweet she was by giving her sister her toys, but it didn't even come close to how I felt in my heart. This whole Christmas season I have been torn and concerned about teaching her that giving is more important than receiving, and that it is a JOYFUL responsibility our Lord has given us. BUT I have not tried to force her into anything, other than taking her shopping to fill her "shoebox" (for the Campus Crusades ministry) for another child. She did really enjoy that, and she learned about why babies/toddlers can't have certain things because they are not safe :-), but I didn't know if I was getting through to helping her understand.

Now I know, something is sticking. And that is encouragement in the form of an answered prayer....