Beautiful 2 God

Spring Cleaning- Outside Living Area

2010-05-03T08:01:00.003-04:00

I have been horrible about pictures updates on here, and I will get them up. I will also get the link page for Friday's "after" on our Kitchen/ dining area. I will have to do that tomorrow, because I cannot do 2 linkies on the same day. I apologize. I have been crazy busy, and it is extending into this week, unfortunately. But, with God's help and my obedience, I will get everything that God sees important, this week.

So this week is the outdoor living area! I LOVE this area, because it seriously is where we LIVE in the summer! Daytime, supper, evening (after working outside). We hardly ever eat inside, unless it's raining. We enjoy being outside. I love taking food from the garden, preparing our meal then serving it just feet away from the garden itself. I am so thankful to be able to be enjoying food and look out into the garden and see right where I got it from! I love that.

So are we ready?

Our plan for our outdoor areas:

Clean-up! Rake up, sweep, hose down.
Is your outdoor furniture in good condition? Does it need repaired? Does it need a good cleaning? Do it now.
Clean out your flower beds and pots. Pull weeds!
Start planting! Plant flowers, herbs, etc.
Clean your grill. Take off the part of the grill that the meat goes on, and take it in the house and give it a good scrubbing with soap and hot water. Rinse it well. But it back on! Your grill is clean and ready!
Set out your furniture and set out your pots.
Decorate! This is STILL a living area, and can be nicely decorated! Make sure the items you decorate with are painted to be able to withstand weather, or that you bring them in in rainy weather. Don't be afraid to get creative!
Anything else need done? Do it now!

Enjoy your newly cleaned outdoor living area!

Now let's link up!

Spring Cleaning- Kitchen

2010-04-26T08:07:00.003-04:00

Have I been horrible at taking my after pics?! I can't believe these weeks are just flying by. And so many more things to do. If I set aside chores (barn), kid's activities, and regular housecleaning, I would still have church things (Women's ministry party coming up in May, board meeting in 2 weeks- need to have board minutes done, worship team, nursery schedules made, small group, and finishing up the pictorial directory layout! ) and all of the unexpected things that come along. Am I singin' a tune anyone else knows? :)

Well, today start the biggest job I will have in my home. The kitchen.

But first, some "fun" facts for you today...

Top Ten Dirtiest things in Your Home:

#1. The Bathtub
#2. The Kitchen Drain
#3. The Telephone
#4. Your Toothbrush
#5. The Remote Control
#6. Computer Keyboard and Mouse
#7. Wooden Cutting Board
#8. Behind Appliances
#9. The Top of the Refrigerator
#10. Doorknobs

This coming from Howtocleanstuff.net

Several of these items you see here are found in the KITCHEN!

On another search of the GERMIEST places:

#1- Sponges (solution: run through dishwasher or in microwave)

#2- Women's purses (where do you set your purse when you potty in public? And then wash your hands?)

#3- Men's Wallets (you sit on them and keep them nice and warm...)

#4- Make-up Case

#5- Remote Control

#6- Pillows & Mattress (The average person sheds about 1.5 million skin cells per hour and perspires one quart per day while doing nothing...)

#7- Refillable liquid soap dispensers! (They suggest not to reuse them!)

#8- PDAs, Personal digital assistants ( like a Blackberry)

#9- Phones

#10- Bottoms of desks drawers (inside, because of food and things stored in desks)

#11- Computer Mouse

#12- Door Handles

These were compiled by Life Script.

You ready to clean yet?

So, let's get started:

Start with a general clean-up of your kitchen
Go cupboard by cupboard

- Take everything out, look at expirations, wipe down shelving, add shelf liners, reorganize

- Fix squeaky doors, add bumpers to doors so they don't slam shut

- Put "like" things together, so thing are more organized

- Put stockpiled items in a separate location???

- Consider taking inventory of what you have.

Take everything off of your counters- wipe down everything, remove anything that does not need to be there.
Wipe down all cupboard fronts
Clean all decorations, wipe down with damp cloth or wash in soapy water
Refrigerator

- Clean off top

- Take everything out (check expirations)

- Wipe down shelves, or take out and wash

- Put things back in, organize

- Add a box of baking soda, to take away odors

Freezer (clean out the same way as fridge)
Microwave (heat a cup of water with 1/2 cup of lemon juice for 2 minutes, then wipe down inside!)
Clean oven top and inside!
Clean oven vent hood.
Garbage Can- Clean out, wipe down, clean garbage area
Clean floors, windows, curtains

Dining Area

Thoroughly wipe down table tops and legs, underside
get a new centerpiece for spring or revive the old one!
Clean floors thoroughly
Clean decor
Get rid of anything that doesn't belong
Clean windows and curtains
Thought about saving money on napkins? Get cloth ones!

Oh, where to start! I guess with a general clean-up... Then my goals are to get some cupboards organized. I have been making a lot more food from scratch, and thus needing less of the "boxed" foods. So I need to reorganize the spaces where I kept some of the boxed items.

I also want to do a THOROUGH wipe down of everything. I did this about a month ago actually. I caught a mouse under my sink (the "entry point" is where I keep all of my cleaners!), and it grossed me out so much, I cleaned and wiped down a bunch at that time. I want to do this again, and extend it to other parts of my kitchen.

What is YOUR plan? Please share in the comments section, or by linking up!

Spring Cleaning- Living Room, Pt. 2

2010-04-23T06:00:00.000-04:00

What a beautiful week here in Indiana! It was nice to be able to wear a light jacket, and pull your hair back (aka WINDY!), and be able to work outside! I am SO glad Spring is here! Aren't you? Sorry my posting hasn't been as frequent, I am currently praying over a new routine in my life, and it is in the beginning "action" stage. I will share about that another day...

But for now, we need to share how we did on our Living room!

On my living room, I told you I had just worked on it some the week before. Well, this week called for finishing up finding proper spots for things that didn't find their spots last week, more thorough dusting on other shelves and our ceiling fan, etc...

I still want to get the carpets cleaned soon, which I did not get accomplished this week. But definitely will! And I am pretty happy with how it turned out!

I will get my picture up later on this afternoon (when I can get a daytime shot, and after I get home from taking a baby sheep to my son's Preschool!)... so stay tuned!

Now for YOU to share!!! Can't wait to see them!

Spring Cleaning- Living Room!

2010-04-19T08:47:00.003-04:00

Good Monday to all of my friends! It is the start of another beautiful week of Spring! Last week on our Children's Rooms challenge, I was so busy during the week, I got very little accomplished in their rooms. This week, I hope, is a slower week, and I am going to work on their rooms as well as the Living Room!

Are you all ready to work on our living rooms this week?

Here is your assignments:

Take everything off of shelves, tables, out of drawers, baskets etc. Wipe down, dust, sweep!
Get rid of any un-needed items (garage sale/ donation!)
dust/ sweep off ceiling fan, sweep down cobwebs!
Clean off your furniture! (Make sure to look at your furniture's manufacturer's directions on how to clean!) Sweep out furniture, tip back & sweep under!
Clean windows, blinds, curtains, screens
Dust/ clean pictures on the walls and on tables/ shelves, replace old pics with new ones if needed!
This would be a great time to clean the carpets! Wash rugs, sweep floor.
Rid out those old magazines you don't read anymore, or won't read. Throw away or donate.
Go through music, tapes, CD's, DVD's, etc. Get rid of the things you won't watch or listen to any more. Donate or set aside for garage sale.
Replace seasonal decor. Decorate for Spring/summer!
Does anything need replaced? Fix it now, or get rid of it!
Put everything back! Step back and take a picture! Very nice!

Last week, we had a family garage sale and I got rid of an old shelf and got a new, bigger one. SO I spent my Wednesday night last week cleaning and rearranging my living room until late. So I actually got a lot of the shelf cleaning done and organizing done, BUT there is still more to accomplish (always is!). Here is what my living room looks like this morning, a little bit of disorganization from the weekend but ready for a good DEEP cleanin'!

Who's with me? Don't give up now, we are almost to the end! If you haven't joined us for any of the other challenges but would like to join us today, please do! We would LOVE to have you! So join us on your blog, or add yourself to the comments and just let us know what you are working on this week!

Spring Cleaning- Children's Bedrooms, Pt. 2

2010-04-16T09:34:00.002-04:00

Friday! Yay! Well, kind of...

We are finishing up on children's rooms, and hopefully this week you were able to take this challenge with us! This is a room that can VERY easily get out of hand. Especially in children who are able to dress themselves!

Cleaning out clothes that are too small, cleaning out trash, cleaning out broken or unused toys/ games, will make your children's room a LOT nicer place, and then when you want them to CLEAN their room, it will be a lot easier for them to do so!

So how did you do this week? My pics will be coming by Monday. Garage sale, 4H, animals, bees and MANY other things have kept me OUT of the house! So I will be posting them by Monday...

Please link up below or share in the comments how you did this week!

Spring Cleaning- Children's Rooms

2010-04-12T06:00:00.001-04:00

Oh my... this last week was nothing short of tiresome and hectic for us! But life doesn't stop for the weary! I just need to remember to stop and pray over what I am doing. Which are the MOST important things to do? What does GOD consider the most important? We may be surprised, but He probably has different priorities for us each day... And I need to remember to seek that each day. I encourage you to pray over each thing you do, or desire to do each day... And then your day WILL be productive. So as you join in this challenge, pray over what you are doing! You will be blessed!

So, this week is our children's rooms. If your family is anything like mine, this can be a MAJOR chore! But with prayer and a determination to succeed at this challenge, we will accomplish a mighty work! :)

This week, we can to do the following:

Rid through the toys! Remember to use the 3 boxes: trash, keep or garage sale/donate. If there is anything broken (not fixable) trash it. If there is something you want to keep, keep it temporarily in the keep box. And anything that is still in good shape but you want to get rid of, put it in the donate/ garage sale box for now. After you have all toys rid out of their homes (toy box, baskets, etc) clean the “home” out. Sweep it, wipe it down, whatever. The toys you are keeping, is the best spot in the toy box or should it be in a separate basket with other “like” items (like Legos, Barbies, Hot Wheels Cars, etc).

Rid through clothes. Go through drawers, shelves and closets. Look at all of the clothes, are they the right size? Are they never worn? Are they too ruined to wear for anything beside playing? I usually put my clothes in a tote with the size market on the outside. I have totes from 0-3 months all the way up to size 8-10 right now, and when one boy out grows a size, I put it in the tote for the next boy! You can use your sorting system (keep, trash, donate) to weed through all of the clothes. The ones that you are keeping should all have a spot! That way, your child knows where to put them. Right now, you can also be preparing for spring by writing down which clothes you need to get (for the warm weather) for each child.

Wash bed sheets, comforters, pillows. You may wash bed sheets often, but usually the comforters and pillows rarely get washed . You can stick pillows in the washer (if it is big enough). And the dryer fluffs them right up.
Dust. This one will be a chore for me, because the boys like to “display” lots of stuff on their dressers and any other flat top in their room. So remove everything from the tops of dressers, bedside tables, shelves, etc. Use your sorting system for this stuff. Then dust! Dust ever surface in the room that could collect dust, even along the bed rails, window sills, etc. Then put everything that you are keeping, back.

Wash down walls, windows, ceiling fan/ wash curtains. My boys play outside then go to their rooms and leave little dirty prints. Wash parts on the wall beside their beds, beside doorways, etc. Clean windows, inside and out. Spray off screens, if needed. And wash any curtains or blinds.

Clean from under the bed. Using your system, then putting everything where it needs to go.

Clean out the closet. I know we have sorted the clothes, but there is PROBABLY more in there then just clothes! Use your system to take care of those things.

Is everything working in their room? Are all of the light bulbs in working order? Does anything need fixed? Are all of the dresser drawers in working order? Fix anything that needs it this week, or get rid of it!

Sweep! Now, everything should have a place, so you should have a clean floor. Sweep it, and spot clean any carpets. Wash any rugs.
Do you need to decorate? If you have been wanting to decorate your child’s room, do it this week!

Does your child have a laundry hamper? If your child does not have a place to put their dirty laundry, then obviously it ends up on the floor and under beds. Get them a clothes basket or hamper to put those dirties in.

Does your child like a light on at night? Use night-lights, which are low wattage, instead of leaving larger-wattage hall or room lights on at night. This will save you money in the long run.

Last but not least, pray over your child’s room, and your child. You want your child to have nothing but good memories of living at home. And God’s blessing as they grow.

Here are pics of my boy's rooms:

Now it's YOUR turn! Link up or share in the comments what you are doing this week!

Tomorrow- Spring Cleaning

2010-04-11T19:17:00.002-04:00

Don't Forget! Tomorrow we are starting to Spring Clean our children's rooms! If you are like me, this is going to be a major undertaking- And to be honest- NOT a great week for me! BUT, it has to be done! Who's with me?

See you tomorrow!

Spring Cleaning- Office Area, Pt. 2

2010-04-09T07:46:00.003-04:00

Friday... This week has truly been a whirlwind week! Last week was Spring Break for my kids and I thought this week was going to be better, but after posting my Spring Cleaning on Monday, I went to our barn and found we had a sheep in labor! We started last Fall raising Jacob sheep, and had a female bred, and then bought a young male and female. Well, Monday we had 2 sheep, Tuesday we had 12 puppies, and yesterday we had another sheep (from our young one)! You can see all that has been going on HERE... On top of that I have been trying to get things ready for a garage sale and keep house...

So, I will be posting my pics later this afternoon... assuming I won't find any new surprises when I go down this morning!

So, how did you all do today? Please share!

Spring Cleaning- Office Area (And Laundry Pt. 2)

2010-04-05T07:45:00.003-04:00

Sorry, I didn't post on Friday a follow-up to our Laundry Area. We were busy Friday, with kids and hubby off, and with Good Friday services at our church (which I was a part of...). I DID actually get my laundry done. Well, as done as it will get! Our basement is an large, unfinished room. The laundry is in one corner. So, I cleaned and swept down everything. I cleaned the tops of the washer/ dryer. I even moved a table into the area so I could fold laundry in the basement. There is one thing my hubby doesn't like, and it is laundry piled up in our living room (where I usually sit and fold it). And I try to respect his wishes. He is not a picky guy, and he doesn't make a big deal of it, but I want to try to make things better for when he comes home. By having the laundry in the basement! :)

Here is my after photo:

I don't know if you can see a difference or not!!! But I can, that's what counts, right? :)

So on to the Office area!!! Are you ready!?

The Office Area... Some of you may have a room that is your office, or if you are like me you just have a small space in a larger room that is your office. Whatever you have, your office should be the "hub" of a woman who is Beautiful to God! Think of all of the planning, all of the organizing that could take place in our office area!

So, let's get organized so we can really work as efficient as possible.

First, take everything out. Clear shelves, clean out drawers, clean off table tops, etc. As you are taking it all out of where it was, decide if you should keep it, trash it, sell it, or here's a new one, file it (my hubby loves that one). Then Do It!
Second, dust, wash down and sweep before you put anything back.
Reorganize! Let's not let our areas get out of control again. Use baskets, tubs, shelves, files, etc to help us organize!
Put it all back! Find a home for everything that is going to work the best. For example, do you use a hole punch (for example) a lot? Do you store it in the lower shelf, and hate to put it back so then it lays on the table of desk, out of place? Put frequently used items in a easy to reach spot, so you can ALSO put them away just as easy!
Do you have a coupon stash, like I do? Are they organized like they should be? Have you been wanting to try another system to organize? DO it this week! I use a binder for mine, with baseball card pages. But you may want to use envelopes or even a shoebox! Whatever it is, make sure it works the best for YOU.
Take a list of all of the supplies that you need, or will need in the near future. Then as sales come, you can pick those items up, and not have to pay full price. We have a Staples that has good sales every now and then, and places also have great sales starting around July! Don't forget that!
What about decoration? Do you need to redecorate to make you feel more excited to use this area? Do IT!

Oh, heaven help me. I can't believe I am actually admitting my "office area" (aka- my desk) looks this way! But, all in the name of encouragement! RIGHT???

In the last few weeks, this "area" got DUMPED on. I ask the boys to clean up the living room, or clear off the table, and anything that is mine, usually gets thrown onto the desk. I just have this little desk in my dining/ kitchen area. SO not a lot of space to put much! But it all gets shoved under the roll-top...

I have SO been looking forward to this week! I need this area back in order BIG time! How about you??? How does your office area look today??? Please share in the comments section or by linking up!

Praise Him!!!

2010-04-04T06:00:00.000-04:00

Heb 10:10 Because Jesus Christ did what God wanted him to do, we are all purified from sin by the offering that he made of his own body once and for all.

Thank you Jesus, for your gift of eternal life with you in heaven. Thank you for dying on the cross for the very people who beat and mocked you. May we all learn a lesson. Thank you for defeating sin and the grave, all for us. Thank you for the painful sacrifice that You made, may we be walking proof of your unfailing grace and love. Thank you JESUS!!!

Have a wonderful day, in celebration of the One who deserves all of our honor and praise!

Spring Cleaning

2010-04-03T13:48:00.003-04:00

Spring Cleaning Laundry Results will be on Monday, along with Spring Cleaning the Office. To see the list and dates of Spring Cleaning, go HERE.

In the mean time, have a wonderful weekend of celebration for the King of Kings, Lord of Lords, Lamb of God, the One and only one worthy of all our praise!

Spring Cleaning- Laundry Area

2010-03-29T08:14:00.003-04:00

Oh boy! This last week was BUSY! Birthdays, projects, garden, more birthdays...

This week, I need to regain focus! This week we are looking at our laundry area. I say area, because some of us have nice rooms all for laundry, but some of us don't. The laundry area is simply the area that houses you washer /dryer, and other laundry supplies.

That area for ME is my unfinished basement:

It's a very small space with NO organization, I sometimes get a nice tool selection on the top of the dryer, when I do laundry clothes sit on the ground right in front of the washer and dryer...

Many Problems!

Some facts about laundry:

The average American family does 8–10 loads of laundry each week (AHAM). (found here from GE)
A single load of laundry, from wash to dry, takes an average of one hour and twenty seven minutes to complete (AHAM). (found here from GE)
What happens to the germs and bacteria that are in and on our clothing? Does it go down the drain? Go HERE and read about how it DOESN'T.
U.S. consumers wash more than 660 million loads every week, or about 35 billion wash loads a year, totaling 100 million tons of clothes. That translates to 1,000 wash loads started in the United States every second of every day. (found here)

What can you do to keep that Laundry Area Clean?

* Wash hands after sorting laundry

* Wash hands after transferring wet laundry to the dryer

* Launder underwear at the end, not the beginning, of laundry loads

* Use liquid bleach in underwear washloads, if possible

* If bleach is not used, sanitize the machine's surfaces by simply running an empty wash cycle on cold water. Add one cup of bleach to the wash-water.

What's the Plan This Week???

Clean out the laundry area, wipe down everything (probably with some sort of bleach based product!), sweep.
Rid out anything that does not need to be in the area. This area can get cluttered anyways!
Organize! Bring in baskets, hampers, hangers, etc and organize!
Wipe down Washer and dryer (inside and out!)
Is everything working? If it isn't replace or fix anything that needs it.
Decorate?

So, what is YOUR plan this week??? Care to share?! Please link up or add a comment! I would LOVE to see or hear what you are doing this week!!!

Spring Cleaning- Master Bath, Pt. 2

2010-03-26T09:59:00.003-04:00

Oh My! It's Friday! This week has been cRaZY!!! It is Spring Break for my boys, and everyday has seemed like Saturday! So, sorry I am posting this so late!!! Schedules are WAY OFF!

So, I don't have pics, but as you saw Monday, there isn't a lot to do. I sorted through all of the supplies I had in my tub, and donated some items, and now I just have to find a permanent spot for the rest of the things....

Nothing exciting! And Of COURSE, my eggs are going to hatch any day! So, we still have the incubator in there too!

So, how did you do this week??? Please share with pics!

And don't forget, next week is the Laundry Area!!!

Spring Cleaning- Master Bath

2010-03-22T08:17:00.005-04:00

Good morning! I hope all of you had a wonderful weekend! We had a busy one as usual! This week is Spring Break for our kids, and we also have 5 birthdays in 9 days, so BUSY!!!

Today, we are starting our Spring Cleaning in our Master Bath or our Second Bathroom, OR starting something else that I don't have on our Spring Cleaning list (HERE). So, here we go- our outline is basically going to be the same as our Main Bathroom was:

If you want to read about all of the nasty germs in the bathroom, go HERE. Believe me it will motivate you to clean your bathroom!

Give the shower/tub area a good scrub down. Use a really good cleaner and even get out a scrub brush and scrub every inch of that shower. Use this as an opportunity to clean out any unused items from the shower, like the rest of that conditioner that you don't use anymore, or the old razor.
Also, replace you shower curtain, if it needs it. If you have a cloth one, take it off and wash it this week. Usually they recommend not drying these in the dryer, so they should be fine hanging them a little damp. My suggestion would be to wash the curtain either first thing in the morning or right before bed. And let it dry at a time when not many people will touch it. I would do it during the day when my boys are at school.
Sweep. Wipe down the floors and the walls with a disinfecting cleaner.

Clean the mirror. Wash your curtains. All of these things on the walls and floor will catch any germs as the toilet is being flushed with the lid up.
Clean your sink. Clean Anything that is also sitting around your sink. I use an old toothbrush around the faucet fixture. You would be grossed out on how much dirt those boys drag in... Summer is horrible! And then it sits around the faucet. Make sure you are wiping down your sink area DAILY. Especially if anyone in you home is sick with colds or flu.
Rid out you cupboards. Organize! This is needed in my bathroom! I get so many good deals on things in all kind of gets shoved in our cupboards and then, doesn't really scream organized. Add baskets and drawers, as needed to organize your toothbrushes, combs, and other person items.
Have a laundry hamper. This seems to go with out saying but it does reduce a lot of mess in a bathroom if there is somewhere for those dirties to go! And if you already have a hamper make sure you clean it!!! This is also a place for germs and bacteria. Spray this down regularly with a disinfecting spray.
If everything working? Make sure you get those things fixed this week. Are all of the light bulbs working? Anything else need done?
Last but not least, how is the decorating? Did you want to do anything different? Add anything new? Now's the time!

Now, you can link up with pics of your bathroom ! Pics will motivate you to come back and show us that it CAN look better!

With my Master Bathroom, it is unfinished! Surprise! And it probably won't get finished this week. You may see from the pics there really isn't much to do, BUT there is one major job. And it's all in the tub. In the tub is where I had tried to keep my extra "deals" on soap, toothpaste, deodorant, Kleenex, etc. This week I am determined to find a spot for these things and clean out that tub! Even if I have to get a cardboard box and store it all in. THEN, maybe if I have the bathroom ALL cleaned out, we will be motivated to DO something to it.... or not. Oh, and right now we are hatching baby chicks in my bathroom! Yes, I'm a farm girl... Those should be hatched by Sunday! :)

Here are the before pic:

So, what room are YOU cleaning today??? Please share!!!

Spring Cleaning- Master Bedroom, Part 2

2010-03-19T07:38:00.005-04:00

So, how did it go this week? I know it was beautiful outside, and hard to stay inside and clean! But, I got it done!

I swept. I moved sweeper parts and table leaves (oh my!) from sitting up against the wall in my bedroom, to our new closets in our entry room! Woot! ( Pics in a sec!) I also tried to organize what we had in our closet, and I got some shirts that I could wear in Spring and brought them out (I am hopeful!) I just cleaned out most everything about 2 months ago, so didn't have too much extra in there... There wasn't TOO much to do, just CLEANING! Oh, today I am washing my bedsheets, comforter, and pillow shams. Maybe, I can hang them out on the line! Cleaning that I usually put off because no one sees that room, right? (that statement is WRONG, by the way...) :)

So, Here are the pics of my master bedroom AFTER cleaning:

A few weeks ago, we were working on our Entry room. Here is the "before" pic:

Horrible! We lived with that for 3 years. We couldn't do dry wall, besides being too expensive , we just aren't "skilled" in drywalling! So we did a bead board type on the walls and closets. And LOTS of painting! We still need to work on shelving, which hubby will make to keep costs low... And I have some decor I want to put up. But here is the after:

So, how did you all do this week???
Link up and share!
Don't forget, next week we are working on the Master Bath/ Secondary Bath or some other part of the house that isn't on the list of "to clean" areas!

Groceries This Week...

2010-03-17T07:42:00.003-04:00

Ahh, grocery time already! In shopping this week, I grabbed up some more baking supplies. SOMEDAY those supplies will take over the expenses of the other pre-made items (or lots of them anyways!).

This weekend, and next week we have 3 birthdays in this house! My oldest son will be 9 and my youngest will be 2! My hubby will also be having a birthday. As well as MY mother and my hubby's mother! So there will be LOTS of partying the next 2 weeks. So, I had to buy a tub of ice cream ($5.99), I wanted to MAKE it with our DELISH recipe, but the 2 different milks would have been $9-10. So I went cheaper! :S

I also am making the cakes, so I had to get supplies to make the cakes. I actually had a "baking day" yesterday with my sister, in which I baked NOTHING! I put together a few mixes that are ready to bake! So, instead of $1.-$1.25 for a cake mix, I probably have $.40 in one cake mix? It could be lower than that, with out wanting to figure too low. Look HERE for a great yellow cake mix recipe, that upfront you will have to buy dry milk, but you only use 1/2 cup each time, so you could get LOTS of uses out of one box!

Back to groceries! So here is what I got this week for $74. (56 items) at Aldi's & Meijer:

There is a lot in this picture! I have a huge pack of toilet paper ($5.49), ice cream ($5.99), dry milk ($5.99), 6 milks ($2.29 ea.), 3 soy milk ($2.94 ea), I bought some stock-up items that I didn't really need, but want to be building my pantry with my basic supplies, such as oil and cocoa. I also picked up other items that were a good price but didn't really NEED at this time. But with these items, you can throw them in your freezer or pantry and have them stocked up "just in case". These items you won't have to pay for later at full price! For me, this week that was hot dogs (my family only likes these grilled or over the fire!), boxed potatoes (for some reason hubby LOVES these and they were free with coupon), chex mix (also a free item), olives, refried beans (which I hope to make these on my own someday soon!), butter, margarine...

So, for next week, which will be my last shopping day of the week, I have $62. to spend on groceries. Then the following week, I am going to do another "supply" run to our bulk supply store.

How are you doing on your groceries? I hope you are achieving the goals that you have for your family! Can I help in any way? Now, it's time to go clean! :)

Spring Cleaning- Master Bedroom

2010-03-15T06:00:00.000-04:00

Today is Master Bedroom day! My master bedroom doesn't get too messy or dirty, but I tend to neglect my room because no one sees it. Well, except for my number #1 and he deserves a nice space too, so I need to make sure this stays on my weekly cleaning schedule.

Let’s not forget, get a box for donations/ garage sale items, a box for things to keep, and a box for trash. I will be using all of those this week!

This week we need to:

Rid through all of your clothes. I just did this not too long ago, but I need to have hubby work on his. So, put away (or get rid of) all clothing that does not fit you at this moment. Also, get rid (donate or garage sale) all clothing that you don’t wear, or won’t wear. Also, how is your summer clothes? Go through those this week and see what you need to get between now and a few weeks from now when it starts to feel like summer!!!

Clean out closet. This may kind of be what you just did, but this includes everything. Are there shoes in there that need thrown out. Are there old purses that you will never use again? Anything else? Rid through it all. Put it in the appropriate boxes. Sweep, and get into those corners, top and bottom. Dust shelves.

Organize closet. Put all of the items back into the closet. Do you need baskets, or other organizational help? Get those this week. Go through your dressers. Do the same thing that you did in your closet, for your drawers. Then put everything back that you are keeping, and use currently.

Bedside table. Clean! My bedside table is covered with pictures and little mementos that my boys love to give me and “decorate” my table with. So, I need to clean and try to organize all of my prizes! Go through drawers, stacks of books, magazines, etc. What can go? What needs to stay?

Wash bed sheets, comforters, pillows, etc. Does a big winter blanket need to get put away for the winter? Wash it up and put it away for next season. Vacuum your mattress. You don’t even want to know the info I just read on dust mites living in your beds and pillows (well, if you do you can look it up in your Swagbucks bar **shudder**. ) At this time, also dust your headboard and footboard, with whatever cleaner works best (wood cleaner, water, etc).

Clean your windows, screens, curtains, blinds & ceiling fan!

Dust. Take things off shelves, tables, etc. Dust and determine if it really needs to stay there. If not put it in the appropriate box.

Clean out from under bed. Some people I know use under their beds for storage. Clean those storage areas, and make sure you need to keep everything that you are storing. Sweep before you put anything back. Sweep the entire room.

Everything working? If something is not working, replace it, fix it, or whatever.

Did you want to redecorate this week? It’s a great week to start!

Here are my pics:Eeek!

Actually, you may see somethings in this pic (sweeper parts!) that will be moved to my new closets in my Entry Way. I will be showing you pics of my ONCE HORRIBLE but now wonderful Entry Room on Friday along with my afters for my Master Bedroom! Man, this room needs some reorganizing!!! AHHH!

Get your before pictures and post them on your blog. Remember- they don’t need to be pretty! That is what Friday is for! So, by Friday then link up again, and show us what a great job you were able to do this week!

Spring Cleaning- Main Bath, Part 2

2010-03-12T06:00:00.001-05:00

It' s Friday, and you all know what that means!? Spring Cleaning Day!!! See the beginning of these challenge HERE.

I didn't have a LOT to do, just cleaning and organizing! So, I spent a few hours one day doing just that. From my picture, you can still see all of the things in the trash that I threw out. It was the type of stuff you keep around, because you don't know what to do with, and you hate to throw it out. Well, I took the plunge and threw it out!

I also reorganized what was there and wiped EVERYTHING down. This picture doesn't look as good as it does in person, but I am happy that now the cupboard is organized!!!

It feels good to have all of the walls wiped down, and the floor also wiped clean.

And now that we have our bathrooms deep cleaned, we need to make sure weekly (at least) we wipe down the major traffic spots (around the pot, the sink, sink handles, cupboard doors and handles, shower, sinks, door handles, etc).

I also make sure I replace our hand towel DAILY. With 4 little boys, you never know WHAT is on a towel. I've actually seen my youngest LICKING the towel... yeah. And not just once, MULTIPLE times. I'm not sure if that means he has a vitamin deficiency... ;)

So, how did YOU do this week??? Please share with a link to your blog OR in the comments section! And visit these blogs! It is awesome not only to see how everyone did, but to be an encouragement! (Don't forget: Next week is cleaning the Master Bedroom!!!)

Link up!

God's Word for Us Today

2010-03-11T06:00:00.001-05:00

Psa 37:23 The LORD guides us in the way we should go and protects those who please him.
Psa 37:24 If they fall, they will not stay down, because the LORD will help them up.
Psa 37:25 I am old now; I have lived a long time, but I have never seen good people abandoned by the LORD or their children begging for food.
Psa 37:26 At all times they give freely and lend to others, and their children are a blessing.
Psa 37:27 Turn away from evil and do good, and your descendants will always live in the land;
Psa 37:28 for the LORD loves what is right and does not abandon his faithful people. He protects them forever, but the descendants of the wicked will be driven out.

I love these verses. If we do things to please the Lord (give freely to others, turn away from evil & do good, be faithful!), He will protect us and our children. We will not go hungry, neither will our children, He will never leave us! So, no matter the situation your family is in, ALWAYS trust in the Lord and His promises. He will never leave you...

Groceries This Week

2010-03-10T15:48:00.003-05:00

I was not excited with the deals this week, and when there are weeks with not so great deals, I stock up on things I don't normally buy. This week, my "extra" purchases were a gallon of Olive Oil and wheat flour. I also grabbed an extra thing of butter to throw in the freezer.

My total this week, was exactly $50.

Not many meals? Well, besides trying to make more from Scratch, I have good grocery deals stocked up. So, say there is a good deal on ketchup, instead of buying one, I may buy 2 or 3 (or more!). Like right now, for instance, I have about 25 boxes of cereal in my cupboard. Because we NEED 25 boxes? Not exactly. But I got MOST of those boxes for right around $1. Considering some of those boxes are too big to stand up in my cupboards, I'd say that is pretty good. What is also good is, that I won't have to pay full price for cereal!

If you shop the deals and use your coupons WITH the good deals, in stores that double and triple coupons, you can end up saving a lot of money.

So far this month, I have spent a total of $136. on groceries. That means I have $139. left to spend for the month.

How have you done this month?

Groceries Coming... And a Word

2010-03-10T07:53:00.006-05:00

Today, I will be going grocery shopping. Of course today is rainy, instead of the sunny that it has been for the last 5 days! But, that just gives us more of a challenge, right? 2 kids, groceries, 5 stops... Oh boy.

Ecc 9:8 Always look happy and cheerful. (GNB)

Thank you, Lord! I realize that in my life, when I allow myself to stress, I am not only feeling SICK, but it so quickly rubs off onto others. I walk through the store, as best I can, with a smile. This is a testament to Who is living IN me. So when people frown their way through the store (and maybe through LIFE!), I hope I can be a good part of their day.

So often stay-at-home mothers wonder how we can witness to people and share how awesome our God is. THIS is how: give a smile, be friendly when others aren't, give the cashier a nice word on a tough day, when others give a "downer" comment- give a positive on (example: oh... 4 boys huh? (in a sad voice). I say, Yes, we are blessed!).

Have a wonderful day everyone! :)

Spring Cleaning- Main Bath

2010-03-08T06:00:00.000-05:00

I am so excited to be working on another thing to get my home "Spring Ready"... With the temps rising a bit and with 12 days left until the first official day of Spring.... I am SO ready. How about you?

This week, we will be working on the Main Bathroom. This is the bathroom that everyone uses, including guests when they come to your house. Are you ready??? I sure am!!!

Like we did last year, let's first talk GERMS. Yeah. In the bathroom, as you can imagine there are LOTS of them (and if you have kids there are probably more!). And we are going to try to get them all cleaned, and learn how to keep the germ level down.... Here are some that we mentioned last year:

Did you know it is recommended that you flush the toilet with the lid DOWN? According to Charles Gerba, PhD, a professor of microbiology at University of Arizona in Tucson, flushing the toilet with the lid up is not wise. "Polluted water vapor erupts out of the flushing toilet bowl and it can take several hours for these particles to finally settle -- not to mention where," he says. "If you have your toothbrush too close to the toilet, you are brushing your teeth with what's in your toilet." Nice. That is why for the last year, I have been nearly obsessive with making the boys flush with the lid closed! YUCK!

About scrubbing your tub/ shower- These should be cleaned to help reduce the spread of viruses, fungi, and bacteria. "Do it at least twice a week with a disinfectant that contains bleach," Horowitz says. Here's what can happen if you don't: "Germs can line the walls (of the tub) and you can easily touch the surface and then touch your mouth," he says. What's more, the dead skin cells that sit on inside of the tub can be contaminated. If someone with a cut or open wound goes in the tub, those organisms can infect that wound and increase the overall load of bacteria." Sweet. I usually spray mine down and let it sit for about 10-20 minutes then scrub it down...

Wipe down sinks and drains each day with a cleanser containing chlorine bleach. This will knock out 99.9 percent of fecal organisms. Countertops, appliances, and faucet handles should get the treatment two or three times a week, and toilets, tubs, and showers once a week. I usually replace my hand towel by the sink daily also.

Just a few little tidbits to gross you out this fine day! So what is the PLAN???

This week we need to:

Give the shower/tub area a good scrub down. Use a really good cleaner and even get out a scrub brush and scrub every inch of that shower. Use this as an opportunity to clean out any unused items from the shower, like the rest of that conditioner that you don't use anymore, or the old razor.

Also, replace you shower curtain, if it needs it. If you have a cloth one, take it off and wash it this week. Usually they recommend not drying these in the dryer, so they should be fine hanging them a little damp. My suggestion would be to wash the curtain either first thing in the morning or right before bed. And let it dry at a time when not many people will touch it. I would do it during the day when my boys are at school.

Sweep. Wipe down the floors and the walls with a disinfecting cleaner. Clean the mirror. Wash your curtains. All of these things on the walls and floor will catch any germs as the toilet is being flushed with the lid up. When wiping down the floor, start at the furthest point away from the toilet, then work your way TO the toilet. That way none of the "toilet germs" are spread across the floor.

Clean your sink. Clean Anything that is also sitting around your sink. I use an old toothbrush around the faucet fixture. You would be grossed out on how much dirt those boys drag in... Summer is horrible! Spring and mud do us NO favors... And then it sits around the faucet. Make sure you are wiping down your sink area DAILY. Especially if anyone in you home is sick with colds or flu.

Rid out you cupboards. Organize! This is needed in my bathroom! I get so many good deals on things in all kind of gets shoved in our cupboards and then, doesn't really scream organized. Add baskets and drawers, as needed to organize your toothbrushes, combs, and other person items.

Have a laundry hamper. This seems to go with out saying but it does reduce a lot of mess in a bathroom if there is somewhere for those dirties to go! And if you already have a hamper make sure you clean it!!! This is also a place for germs and bacteria. Spray this down regularly with a disinfecting spray.

If everything working? Make sure you get those things fixed this week. Are all of the light bulbs working? Anything else need done?

Last but not least, how is the decorating? Did you want to do anything different? Add anything new? Now's the time!

Here are the pictures of my bathroom:

Not too bad, needs some organizing. And I will definitely be scrubbing it down. I try to keep it clean because I read all of those "facts" last year about germs and try to keep them at bay.

So, now it's YOUR turn! Let's see what you got!

Spring Cleaning- Entry Way, Part 2

2010-03-05T06:00:00.000-05:00

It's Friday! And time to take a look at all of the hard work we have done this week, on our Entry Areas! Please take time to check everyone's hard work out, I can't wait to see it myself!

Well, this week for me was a week that I have been waiting for, for 3 years now... Almost 3 years ago, the "dry wall guy" as we will call him, ( because that is a NICE name ) stood in my kitchen and promised he would be back the following week. Well, I'm still waitin'... And while I was waiting, I had to deal with my entry looking like this:

I was always apologizing for my horrible entry room, because it was unfinished, there was NOWHERE to put anything... It was just, all right there... for all to see as they walk into our home. WELCOME! Right?

So, after 3 long years (I have been very patient!), we are finally tearing into our entry room! Bye, bye unfinished room!

This is what the room looked like as of Thursday night.

No. Still not finished, but STARTED! Which is SOMETHING! Like the floor?! I have a floor covering! YAY!!! Saturday will be a workday. We are building 2 closets in the room, you can see the start in the 2 corners. Then under the window will be some coat hooks for the boys' coats and backpacks.

I WILL be posting more pics very soon! So, not exactly Spring Clean, but definitely on it's way!

So, how did YOU do this week??? Care to share? If you don't have a blog, just leave a comment for us sharing how you did. And if you DO have a blog, please link up the POST to which you are talking about Spring Cleaning. You can also copy the Spring Cleaning Image above to add to your post, if you'd like...

So, SHARE! I can't wait to see! :) PS- Join us Monday for Cleaning the Main Bathroom! Tips and tricks coming!

Don't Forget! Spring Cleaning Tomorrow!

2010-03-04T17:57:00.003-05:00

Can't wait to see how everyone did with Spring Cleaning in their Entry Area! Start linking up tomorrow morning!

If you weren't able to join us and link up on Monday, never fear. You can just show us your before and after pics tomorrow!

And if you are like me, you MAY NOT be done by tomorrow! Join me tomorrow morning and find out why! (Oooh! I'm sooo happy!)

And if you don't really have an entry that needed work, join us on Monday for the Main Bathroom! Don't EVEN tell me you don't have one of those! :)

See you tomorrow morning! YAY!

God's Word for Us

2010-03-04T06:00:00.000-05:00

Psa 19:1 How clearly the sky reveals God's glory! How plainly it shows what he has done!
Psa 19:2 Each day announces it to the following day; each night repeats it to the next.
Psa 19:3 No speech or words are used, no sound is heard;
Psa 19:4 yet their message goes out to all the world and is heard to the ends of the earth. God made a home in the sky for the sun;
Psa 19:5 it comes out in the morning like a happy bridegroom, like an athlete eager to run a race.
Psa 19:6 It starts at one end of the sky and goes across to the other. Nothing can hide from its heat.

I taught our K-3 kids in church on Sunday, and we were talking how AWESOME the things that God has done, really are. One of those things we talked about was the sun! And how God made it! And He made it perfectly!

Praise His Name! And we get to see that perfect light each day. When we feel the sun on our faces, let us not forget the God who loves us made it!

Groceries This Week

2010-03-03T13:34:00.003-05:00

OK, I haven't done this in a LONG time, mostly because I feel silly taking pictures of my groceries. BUT... I am doing it again, at least for a little while, because I have had some inquiries to how we spend around $70 a week on groceries for 6 people...

For one thing, check my posts on Money Saving. Also, this post on how I organize my coupons then go grocery shopping...

Well, there is a bulk food place about 25 minutes from my house. I have in the past only gone there about 2-3 times a year. But I can see myself going a little more now that I am making more from scratch... The prices aren't AWESOME, but they are good. I MOSTLY shop there because baking items don't have many coupons (if ANY), and the prices usually run about what they would in a store with a good sale.

SO here is my shopping trip to the Bulk Food store. We spent $28. on flour (25 lbs!), oats, flax, 2 boxes of cereal, bananas, yeast, 4 small loaf pans, cheese (some is gone from the pic, hubby and boys ripped into it!), and milk chocolate chips.

Next shopping trip, was Meijer. This is my usual shopping spot. Not because the EVERYDAY prices are great, because to be honest, they aren't. But the sales, combined with doubled coupons are what I am looking for. It helps me get things like cereals down below $1 per box, and free tomato sauce, free coffee mate creamer & something we NEVER buy, Lunchables (FREE!)! I spent $58. for everything pictured here. Plus I got back a few dollars in Catalinas (the print out coupons from the register) for our next trip.

Not bad, with organic veggies (except for the free Dole salad), Soy Milk, Milk, 12 boxes of cereal, olive oil & more...

So, this week, because of my "Bulk Store" trip, my weekly spending is $86.

Now, since my budget this month is $275., which comes our to about $68. per week, I will now have to watch my next weeks purchases, to keep on track. That shouldn't be a problem since I actually bought a LOT in bulk (FLOUR!). I go through about 5 lbs of flour a week, so that trip will save me money for the next 5 weeks! Also, I should NOT have to buy ANY cereal for about a month! So, take that off of the bottom line too.

But, if it all comes down to starving your family or spending over your monthly budget. DON'T starve your family!

Also, the first month you make your family a food budget, start at something DO-ABLE. Like if you spend $200 a week, start at $175 a week for your budget. And as you get better at spotting deals and using your coupons with good sales, then you will DO better! Then the following weeks, slowly move your budget down...

I am planning on my budget going down this summer, because of all of the fresh fruits and veggies. If you don't have a garden of your own, try growing something like a tomato plant in a pot or in your flower garden. Or offer to help a family member or friend with their garden, and you can share in it's harvest! If you have the time, a little SHARED manual labor can really go a long way!

Anyone CAN change their budget in a good way, it DOES take time and effort though. To some people, it isn't worth the time, and that's OK if you can afford it. But I was shopping with no coupons( or an occasional one or two) at Wal-Mart and Aldi's. I was buying all generics, and NO organic foods. I was spending $200. or so each week, and that is when I had a family of 5. I WANTED something better for my family. I WANTED to be able to buy a better product for our money. And I DID actually HAVE the time to spend each week figuring out the "deals". So, I did it, and I will never look back...

If you DO have any questions about shopping or saving money on your groceries, don't hesitate to ask. I'm sure you will get answers from several people! In the end, figure out what works the best for YOU and your family. Then work at getting BETTER AT IT!

February's Grocery Budget- How Did We Do?

2010-03-02T06:00:00.000-05:00

If you recall, I started at the first of the year working on my grocery budget again. I had let it go over Thanksgiving and Christmas, and was kindly asked by my husband to start back up on it. Our grocery budget before I had quit, was $70 per week for the 6 of us. That included diapers, wipes, toiletries, food and more.

Last month, just starting back, I gave our budget plenty to work with while I tried to get back into "deal shopping". Well, luckily I had no trouble remembering what I was supposed to do. I spent about $70 per week, right back on track. But my goal for February was to bring my total down even more. But slowly!

So, if any of you are also visitors to my other blog, you know how I have been personally working towards making things from scratch. Not buying the mixes but making the mixes myself, not buying the bread but making the bread myself... So, I gave myself the $70 a week budget, but with the goal of working on not buying so much pre-made but making more homemade.

The result? For the month of February, I kept under my budget, and spent about $69. per week. We spent $277. for the month on 193 items. Figured out, that is only a 39% saving with coupons and everything.

This month, I bought more flour, baking soda, baking powder, oil, etc. than I have in previous months. The problem with these items is they rarely go on sale, and when they do they rarely have coupons. So I bought flour on sale, buy there was no coupons for it. So savings total goes up... I'm not complaining though. We kept our budget, AND I have been making more from scratch. So I am happy!

The challenge next month is that I am lowering my monthly budget by $10. It doesn't seem like a lot, but we will see! I am going to continue on the road of making more from scratch, and keep plugging away at finding the sales. I am also going to be working at getting my almost 2 year old to NOT be afraid of the potty! Getting rid of diapers and wipe will be a HUGE savings! (February alone I probably spent around $32. on diapers and wipes! YIKES!)

So, how did YOU do in February? Any new goals? Any new "tricks" you'd like to share?

To see how I work on saving money, go HERE.

Spring Cleaning- Week 1, Entry Area

2010-03-01T06:00:00.002-05:00

Welcome to Week 1 of Spring Cleaning! I am excited to get started, how about you? This week we will be working on the Entry Area.

Your Entry Area is the area that all of your guests enter into your home. Where do they take their shoes off and jackets off? Where do you greet them? THIS is the Entry Area.

This Area should be welcoming! This is their first impression of your home! And of YOU! Is there a place that they can easy put coats? Shoes? What about someone who needs to sit and put on shoes? Can they do that in this area? (I remember when I was pregnant, if I didn't have slip-on shoes, I HAD to sit to get my shoes on, cuz I couldn't see then otherwise!) How is your organization?

Coats~ Rid through your coats, what are you wearing right now? Are you ready to put away those winter coats? If you are, get those washed up and put away (somewhere else, like an unused closet or basement area). Get out those spring jackets, wash them up if needed. May be put away those gloves and hats??? Wash them up too. We won't be putting away our winter coats yet, but I will be washing up coats, hats, gloves, and pulling out some Spring jackets getting them ready! Woot!

Sweep, wipe down, dust... (I know around the "kid level" on our doors, seems a little dirtier then on other places on the door, Clean it!)

Wash any rugs. Shake them out outside, then throw them in the wash! Or get new ones, if needed...

Reorganize! Use baskets, tubs, shelves, hooks, etc to get everything back into a "working" order. Look at your room with "fresh eyes". Act like you are walking into that area, like if you were a guest. Does it look cluttered? Fix it!

Clean Windows, spray off screens, etc.

Everything working??? If something needs fixed, fix it today! If it needs thrown out, do it!

Decorate. Does your area need to say more "Hello!" than "good-bye..."? Make this area as warm and welcoming as possible!

Our entry area need BIG TIME work. We have tried different things to try to organize, but it is still an unfinished room. So, it still, to me, seems unwelcoming. It's always embarrassing to see the cluttered mess of barn boots, winter boots, tennis shoes, dress shoes, barn coats, good coats, backpacks and more... It's always muddy (I hope it's mud, it COULD be poop...I suppose), and we are constantly trying to mop it up. Time to put the thinking cap on!

Here is what our entry looks like today:

Ouch!

Needs work, is an understatement! So, it time to get crackin!

I would love if you would join me! If you can, link up! Share pics and ideas you have. If you don't have a blog, at least leave a comment and tell us you are Spring Cleaning too! And don't forget to join us again on Friday for the end results!

God's Word for Us Today

2010-02-27T06:00:00.000-05:00

Psa 121:1-8 I look to the mountains; where will my help come from? My help will come from the LORD, who made heaven and earth. He will not let you fall; your protector is always awake. The protector of Israel never dozes or sleeps. The LORD will guard you; he is by your side to protect you. The sun will not hurt you during the day, nor the moon during the night. The LORD will protect you from all danger; he will keep you safe. He will protect you as you come and go now and forever.

Why do we worry about things that we have no control over? Our God is an AWESOME God, and He is continually with us! He NEVER sleeps! Praise His Holy and Wonderful Name!

Thank you, God, for being there for us, even when we are afraid we are on our own! Help us to remember that YOU are in control. All you ask is that we trust in You. Thank you, Lord!

Spring Cleaning- Starts Monday!!!

2010-02-26T06:00:00.000-05:00

Monday is the big day! We are starting to Spring Clean! Oh, I have been itchin' to start... but have had to try to hold myself off. The Lord tried to teach me self-control in the funniest ways...

But, Monday is the day. Check out the schedule HERE. This Monday starts with the Entryway... And mine needs some work! Hopefully, I will get some MAJOR stuff done! And getting the hubby involved in this one is a MUST! :)

So, don't forget to join us Monday! See you then!

SWAG BUCKS, Awesome News!

2010-02-25T08:00:00.000-05:00

Great news for people with and without Swag Bucks accounts:

OK, you may have heard me talk about swag bucks on here before. And I seriously LOVE it. It is basically a search engine that you do all your searches through (you can download a toolbar onto your computer). When you do your searches, occasionally you will win something called Swag Bucks. What are those? Well swag bucks are basically dollars you can use (save them up!) to purchase things like gift cards or other things online! I used some of mine at Christmas to purchase accessories to go with a Wii we had bought the boys. I got all of the accessories and a few games for FREE! All with my Swag Bucks searches!

I have some great news for those of you who DON'T already have a Swag Bucks account AND for those of you who DO! SO listen up!

If you don't already have a Swag Bucks account, today is the day to get one! For signing up today, you will get 6 Swag Bucks! Just for signing up. But WAIT! There is more!

Now, this applies to those of you who already have an account and for those of you who are going to sign-up today... Today, they are multiplying whatever is in your account by 10! So, if you sign up today and get 6 swag bucks, you will really be getting 60!

If you had 50 swag bucks in your existing account, you will now have 500! The Swag store will be proportional to this change. So if something was 45 swag bucks, it will now be 450. Got it?! Plus, they will be giving away even MORE Swag Bucks than before! So go do some searches!!!

So, if you would like to start earning today, and DO NOT YET have a Swag Bucks account go HERE and enter the code: SWAGGYBOOTS. This code is go from now until March 4th at 6 am (PST).

Have fun doing searches!

God's Word for Us

2010-02-23T06:00:00.001-05:00

Oh, to have a heart like this! I pray that we strive toward this. I pray that we are content with the plans that God has for our lives!

Psalm 131:1 LORD, I have given up my pride and turned away from my arrogance. I am not concerned with great matters or with subjects too difficult for me.
131:2 Instead, I am content and at peace. As a child lies quietly in its mother's arms, so my heart is quiet within me.
131:3 Israel, trust in the LORD now and forever!

Next Monday's Spring Cleaning!

2010-02-22T06:00:00.000-05:00

Next Monday, is the big day! It's the day I looked forward to as soon as I could see the dust and clutter when the sun shone through my windows the other day. You don't think your home is THAT bad until the sun shines on it!

So, here is the rundown. Much is like it was last year. Monday, we will post before pics of our rooms, or areas. And link up here. Then, during the week, work on those rooms! I will give you ideas, and hopefully some inspiration to complete your tasks! Then, Friday we will regroup and post pics of our finished area or room...

Here is what we will be covering each week:

March 1-5, Week 1: The Entry. This is the point that most people enter our home. When you have people over, does this area get cluttered with shoes and coats? Is this area Welcoming? If you walked into your home for the first time, what would your first impressions be?

March 8-12, Week 2: Main Bathroom. This is the bathroom that everyone uses. Are there changes you would like to make in making this small room more efficient?.

March 15-19, Week 3: Master Bedroom. Often a neglected room. What changes would you like to make in your room? We need to treat ourselves and our hubby a little better!

March 22-26, Week 4: Master Bathroom, or a Secondary Bathroom. These are also a very neglected space, not many people see it so why bother? Well, the most important people in our family see it, so that should be enough to step-up this room a bit...

March 29- April 2, Week 5: The Laundry Area. I know these come in all shapes and sizes. Mine in is a unfinished basement, and I dislike "my" area. I know some of you actually have a room for laundry, but is it as welcoming and as efficient as it could be??? If mine were cute and more efficient, I think I would like to spend more time in it!

April 5-9, Week 6: The Office. (No, not the TV show). The room (or area) that houses your desk, your bills, your computer, your coupons, etc. I just have a desk, but you may have a room. Do we need to get into some of those drawers and rid out? Do we need to take an inventory of what we have? This week could also include homeschool areas. As the school year comes to a close, is there an area that has been neglected? We have a set of drawers for our boys when they come home (from a public school) and we put all of their important papers in files and drawers. How can we steam-line these areas better?

April 12-16, Week 7: Children's Bedrooms. So, get everything together for better organization. Make a place for everything! Cleaning out clothes, make a list for clothes needed for the summer! Maybe start to put away some winter stuff!

April 18-23, Week 8: Living Room &/or Family Room. Are there things in your living room that could really be thrown out, do you need to redecorate? Do you need to go through all of those CD's and DVD's? What about that ceiling fan, is it ready to be turned on for spring? Lots to do in this room!

April 26-30, Week 9: Kitchen & Dining Area. I know for me this is a BIG one. I do have a lot of things in my cupboards. Do I need everything? Are there squeaky doors or drawers? Does the decor need a good cleaning or replacing? How about the refrigerator? The freezer? The microwave? The Stove??? I know we probably (hopefully) use this area the most. This is a gathering place, a family place. We need to spend lots of time here, making it a better place for our family.

May 3-7, Week 10: Main outdoor Hang-out. Woo Hoo! By this time, it should be getting warmer, and we will probably be starting those gardens. Let's not forget that outdoor living room! This area is the area that my family spends the most time in the summer. We have a patio out a back door, with a grill and flower beds. So, we need to drag that grill out and get it cleaned up! We need to clean out those flower beds, get mulch, and start planting! Drag out your outdoor furniture, and get ready to enjoy the outside again! YAY!

So, there it is! The run down of what we are going to do for the next 10 weeks. For those large areas, don't try to get everything done at once! We have 5 days! Take it one step at a time...

Well, who's ready??? I know I am! See you Monday!

Spring Cleaning!!! You Ready?

2010-02-18T22:57:00.003-05:00

Starting in 10 days, I will once again be hosting a link-up for Spring Cleaning. With each area that we cover, I will give ideas, tips, and info...

You can join along by taking pictures of the area we are going to clean that week, post BEFORE pics on Mondays on your blog. And the AFTER pics on Fridays! If you don't have a blog, join in anyways!

The sun ACTUALLY was shining today at my house, and it ACTUALLY got above freezing! WOW!!! The sun shining in my windows made me realize how BADLY in need of a Spring Cleaning my house really is!!! ICK!

So, join up with us on March 1st to get started! I can't wait!!!

More information coming next week!!!

God's Word- He is Our Protector!

2010-02-05T09:06:00.004-05:00

Psa 27:1 The LORD is my light and my salvation; I will fear no one. The LORD protects me from all danger; I will never be afraid.
Psa 27:2 When evil people attack me and try to kill me, they stumble and fall.
Psa 27:3 Even if a whole army surrounds me, I will not be afraid; even if enemies attack me, I will still trust God.
Psa 27:4 I have asked the LORD for one thing; one thing only do I want: to live in the LORD's house all my life, to marvel there at his goodness, and to ask for his guidance.
Psa 27:5 In times of trouble he will shelter me; he will keep me safe in his Temple and make me secure on a high rock.
Psa 27:6 So I will triumph over my enemies around me. With shouts of joy I will offer sacrifices in his Temple; I will sing, I will praise the LORD.

January's Grocery Budget- How Did We End Up?

2010-02-01T10:38:00.003-05:00

I told you earlier about, how I fell of the wagon for a while with my grocery deals...

And how this month, I was asked by my hubby to start back doing 'the deals' again. I knew it was time. Our grocery budget was normally $70. or less per week for our family of 6. And at the end of this year, we were over $100. and more towards $130. on average weeks. And that was using some coupons, but not really trying hard to find the BEST deals.

Well, working at finding the best deals is worth it! In the end, my average per week for groceries, was $70. Which is where I was when I 'fell off the wagon' before. In the month of January, my first month back to 'deal shopping', I spent $284.71 for 284 items! That is $1 per item! Considering, each week I buy 6-7 gallons of milk ($2.29 ea), 3 gallons of Soy milk ($2.95 ea), and diapers ($8.99 on sale), I think my average is pretty decent!

And in fact, my goal for up coming months, is even LOWER. I had a high goal of $380. for January, which is a little higher than I wanted it to be, but I was getting back into the 'groove'. Heck, I still had over $95. to spend! :)

So, my goal for February is $285. I am hoping to get lower than that. My goal for March (as of right now) is $280. Then when Spring hits and I start being able to produce some garden vegetation, I am going to slowly start to lower my budget again. I am also planning on canning and freezing lots of garden veggies, so this will bring my grocery bill down even more!

On our small farm, we are going to be getting some meat chickens, a cow (for meat), more egg laying chickens, turkeys, and we will have goats for milk. We already have a freezer full of venison from my hubby this last Fall. I am hoping our budget can drop even more than I am planning. I am hoping at the end of the summer, I will only be spending $200. per month. So in August and September (5 shopping weeks) I will only have $40 to spend on my family of 6!

One thing that may help in that equation is that I am planning on having my littlest one potty trained... We shall see how THAT goes! :)

I am excited again, to be working on reducing our grocery budget. I am going lower than we have even gone before, and I am excited about it!

We have some other areas we are looking to apply that $$ to. We are hoping in a year from now to take our kids to Florida and go to Disney. We are of course doing this in the most economical way possible! More on THAT later! We are also starting the process of adoption. We would LOVE to add a little girl to our mostly masculine family. And unfortunately, to place a child in a good and loving home, is very expensive.

But, I think we can do this. So far, God is leading the way. And I pray that we continue to follow in His footsteps.

So, are you on a grocery budget? How did you do this month??? What changes are you planning on making for the future???

Back on Budget for the New Year

2010-01-22T08:03:00.005-05:00

Late Fall of last year, I lost my coupon holder that I take tot he stores with me. There was about $45 in ECBs fro CVS, my CVS card, my Kroger card, majorly good coupons, and much more that just couldn't be replaced. I was SICKENED...

SO for the next several months, I didn't do much with coupons. My budget for the 6 of us went from $70 a week, to $110+. I was failing miserably. On top of that, more money was going out in improvements on our barn and fencing, and new animals! So money was quickly escaping our bank account.

At Christmas time, my hubby asked (nicely) when I was going to start couponing again. We were saving so much money, and we needed to try to do that again! So reluctantly (and sadly) I started to regroup and visit some of my old favorite sites for money saving. I also downloaded a spreadsheet to my computer to help track my savings. I gave my self a $380. budget for the month (about $95. per week), just to take it easy on myself.

Well, with a little over a week left in this month (1 shopping trip left), my total for the month has been $206.88 for 198 items ( diapers, soy milk, 6-7 gallons milk per week, etc)! The first week of January, I visited Aldi's which I always hate to do, because you don't use coupons, there are no "sales" and I always spend so much! I can definitely get things cheaper shopping sales/ coupons. So next month, I may shop Aldi's for the milk and maybe VERY FEW other thing, but not like I did this month.

I think I can get the total even lower next month if I really try. And I am going to really try!

If you'd like to see what I do to save money, go HERE. Also visit some of the Money Saving sites that I have listed on the left.

Another thing I am really working at this year is taking our food supply up to the next level AND paying a lot LESS. We are getting more chickens (we don't pay anything for feed, money for selling eggs pays for their food and for tithing). FREE EGGS! We are going to raise meat chickens this year, and turkeys. We are also increasing the size of our garden, with lots of Heirloom plants (which means we can save the seeds from year to year, which also saves us $$$!). The more we are able to produce and possibly sell on the farm, the more we save on our own food budget!

What are you doing to save money this year?

Swagbucks

2010-01-13T18:37:00.001-05:00

If you haven't seen me post on this, GREAT! If you have, I hope this is a reminder of a great, FREE tool that you can use to earn loot!

This Christmas, we got a good deal on a Wii (yes, we are a little behind the times, but we didn't pay as much as people did last year!) for the boys. But the accessories and games can be expensive! And if they aren't expensive, they are few are far between to find anything good.

So we had been doing searches through our Swagbucks tool bar. It is so easy, and I usually have no trouble finding what I need to find, because they use Google and Ask.com. The really great part about the searches then is you can win "Swagbucks" which you can use to purchase anything from gift cards to other prizes. I have used mine to purchase Amazon.com e-gift cards.

This Christmas, I was able to get extra accessories and games with my Amazon.com e-gift cards! Woot! I even had enough that I am now saving for a new set of stainless steel pots and pans through Amazon.com. I can't wait!

If you are interested, all you have to give them is your name and e-mail! Then you can download the free toolbar (the easiest way to do searches) or you can just click into Swagbucks each time.

***Actually right now they seem to be giving an abundance of Swagbucks away, so if you already have Swagbucks, remember to do your searches through them! We have been getting 4 or more Swagbucks a day!***

Freebies!

2010-01-13T12:10:00.004-05:00

Here are 2 favorite freebies today:

Gold Bond Ultimate Hand Sanitizer Moisturizer

- This is alcohol-free plus has 7 hydrating moisturizers!

Thanks Money Saving Mom!

Free Kotex Pads (Variety pack!)

- I love getting samples of these, they are great to throw in your purse!

Thanks Freebies for Mom!

Free Disney Tickets

2010-01-13T10:32:00.000-05:00

Check out my post HERE on how you can do something good, and earn a voucher for free tickets to Disney! Great thing for the whole family!

Challenge for Today

2010-01-08T10:52:00.003-05:00

Matthew 5:3 (from the Message Bible)~

"You are blessed when you are at the end of your rope. With less of you there is more of God and his rule. "

Ever notice THAT is when we call out to God the most? When we are at the end of our rope? That is the time when we realize how much we need Him. Let's make it a habit of calling out to Him BEFORE we get to the end of our rope, thanking Him for all of the blessings in your life and for His mercy and grace in our lives.

Long Break!

2010-01-07T12:47:00.005-05:00

Ducks from our farm on a COLD January morning!

Thanksgiving & Christmas are hugely hectic times around this household, and throw a birthday and a mini-farm in there, and we have a BUSY SEASON!

But now, I am back. Hopefully to be post a few times a week. More of the household tips, money saving ideas and links, on being a mom and wife, and more from the Bible. I hope to see you all back here very soon!

To see some of the stuff I have been doing, and some new animals we have on our farm, so HERE.

Cleaning for the Holidays! The Bathroom!

2009-11-23T09:00:00.004-05:00

Last week we cleaned our living room, and I did too! My son, Caden and I took everything off of shelves and dusted everything (Ah-CHOO!). We swept under all furniture, and swept down cobwebs, wiped down all of those little milk spots (from a little Mister's bottles...) on our leather furniture... But in the end, it all go done. This morning you can't tell much, but once the floor (the boy's blankets and Legos!) is cleaned up, it looks a LOT better... Everything in it's place!

This week, is our Bathroom. If you have more than one, you can focus on your MAIN bathroom, or all of them! I have one (finished!) bathroom, so I will focus on that! Here is a list of things I am going to make sure I cover:

Spray down the outside and inside of toilet, sink & tub. Scrub down!!! If you are using one rag, start with the sink first. Then go to the tub, THEN the toilet. Washing the rag thoroughly with HOT water each time. You don't want to carry the germs from the toilet to your sink! YUCK!
Do your cupboards need a good cleaning/ organizing? OH, buddy... Mine needs a good organizing! With 4 little boys digging in the cupboards all the time, it gets a little disorganized! Clean where you keep your toothbrushes!
Wash the walls! Our walls get all steamed up, and then cool down. When the toilet flushes and the lid is up, there are little particles that go into the air and can land on your walls and such.... I know, YUCK! Scrub 'em down! Scrub down cupboard fronts. Dust!
Scrub the floor! Scrub around the toilet LAST. Work from the opposite side of the room from the toilet, work toward the toilet. That way, you don't spread those germs from around the toilet to the rest of the floor.
Clean the door handles and light switches! These are touched the most in your bathroom, make sure they get a good cleaning!
Need to replace bulbs? Replace ANYTHING? DO it this week!

Along with getting ready for Thanksgiving, I will focus sometime on cleaning the bathroom. You KNOW if you have people over, everyone will hit the bathroom a few times! Make sure it is clean and ready for guests! Make sure you have enough T.P. out, and soap by the sink.

Join me! Let's clean that bathroom!

Ready for the Holidays- Clean-up Living Room!

2009-11-16T10:35:00.004-05:00

So, last week I skipped out on my Clean-up of my Entry Area. I will definitely be coming back to it though.... I had a sick kid and the week filled up with "stuff" really quick. But, this week is my Living Room Week!

You can participate if you would like, but this is just something I like to make sure is done before the Holidays!

Living Room

This week I will be:

First, do a "general" clean-up. Then, go to "spot cleaning".
Take everything off of shelves, dust! When I go to put things back, does this really belong here? Maybe Re-arrange!
Look through all of my free magazine collection, and weed out what I don't NEED anymore. The rest put back away, nicely in a basket.
Move all furniture, sweep under! Move furniture how I am going to want it when we get our Christmas tree. So it will be all ready to go!
Anything doesn't belong in the living room? Get it out! This is the week!
Wash blankets and pillows on couches.
Clean-out/ Straighten-up CD/ DVD collections.
What do the windows look like? Clean 'em! Do curtains and/ or blind need a cleaning? Do it!
Get rid of all cob-webs!
No toys in the living room but baby toys. Clean out baby toy collection, clean the toys.
Anything need fixing? Fix it?
Light bulbs need replaced? Replace 'em!

My Goal: Not for a perfectly cleaned home, but for a cozy home that is less maintenance in the future months. I don't want to have people over and wish I had thought about cleaning the cobwebs!

Update on how everything went on Friday!

Our Reminder...

2009-11-10T06:00:00.001-05:00

Titus 3:1 Remind your people to submit to rulers and authorities, to obey them, and to be ready to do good in every way.

3:2 Tell them not to speak evil of anyone, but to be peaceful and friendly, and always to show a gentle attitude toward everyone.

3:3 For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, and wrong. We were slaves to passions and pleasures of all kinds. We spent our lives in malice and envy; others hated us and we hated them.

3:4 But when the kindness and love of God our Savior was revealed,

3:5 he saved us. It was not because of any good deeds that we ourselves had done, but because of his own mercy that he saved us, through the Holy Spirit, who gives us new birth and new life by washing us.

3:6 God poured out the Holy Spirit abundantly on us through Jesus Christ our Savior,

3:7 so that by his grace we might be put right with God and come into possession of the eternal life we hope for.

God is SO good. Don't be afraid to remind YOURSELF & OTHERS!

Our God is Awesome!

2009-11-06T06:00:00.000-05:00

(Psa 24:1) The world and all that is in it belong to the LORD; the earth and all who live on it are his.

(Psa 24:2) He built it on the deep waters beneath the earth and laid its foundations in the ocean depths.

(Psa 24:3) Who has the right to go up the LORD's hill? Who may enter his holy Temple?

(Psa 24:4) Those who are pure in act and in thought, who do not worship idols or make false promises.

(Psa 24:5) The LORD will bless them and save them; God will declare them innocent.

(Psa 24:6) Such are the people who come to God, who come into the presence of the God of Jacob.

(Psa 24:7) Fling wide the gates, open the ancient doors, and the great king will come in.

(Psa 24:8) Who is this great king? He is the LORD, strong and mighty, the LORD, victorious in battle.

(Psa 24:9) Fling wide the gates, open the ancient doors, and the great king will come in.

(Psa 24:10) Who is this great king? The triumphant LORD ---he is the great king!

Ready for the Holidays- Clean-up!

2009-11-05T06:00:00.000-05:00

As we all know, the holidays can produce a LOT of stress. Especially if we are hosting an event or 2... This year, as in the last couple, I am hosting my family's Thanksgiving AND Christmas. Which, I DO love to do! But, if I don't plan ahead, I could get a little stressed out. I want to focus on the REASON for the holidays, not focusing on me and how much I have to do!

So, starting next week, and each week up until Christmas, I am choosing a room in my home, and I am turning it upside down, and then turning it right side up again, so it will be ready for company this holiday season.

Here is my clean-up line-up:

Nov. 9-13 Entry Area ( This is the clutter area in my house! I want this to be a warm & inviting welcome spot in my home!)
Nov. 16-20 Living Room (This just needs a GOOD cleanin...)
Nov. 23-27 Bathroom ( I know this is the week of Thanksgiving, but I am assigning the bathroom to this, because it was the smallest job! I think I can do this in 2 or 3 days!)
Nov. 30- Dec. 4 Bedrooms ( I have a few kid's rooms to go through and rid out, and my room could probably use a good cleaning too.)
Dec. 7-11 Kitchen/ Dining Area ( For me, these 2 rooms are the same area. And it could really use a good straightening up!)
Dec. 14-18 Outside ( If you haven't decorated or even cleaned up your outside area, now is the time to do it. At this time, I will probably add a few winter items outside, and make sure everything is in Christmas condition!)

So, that my friends, is my plans for cleaning up! If you would like to join me in clean-up, I would love it! You can link up in the comments area. But Mondays, I will show you a before pic, and on Fridays, I will post an after pic.

Now that I have the cleaning planned out, now to look at the Thanksgiving Meal... Mmmm! Can't wait! See you Monday, so I can start cleaning!

Have You Tried Swagbucks?

2009-10-31T03:00:00.000-04:00

So far, I have bought over $70 in Amazon.com gift cards, and I have more Swag yet to use!!!

Check it out, click on the pic above...

Tropical Traditionsl Virgin Coconut Oil, WINNER!!!

2009-10-30T13:22:00.002-04:00

We have a winner for our Tropical Traditions Virgin Coconut Oil giveaway, and it is........

Random Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers:

Timestamp: 2009-10-30 17:21:26 UTC

Ms Mel!!!

Congratulations!!!

I Love This Gift from My Son

2009-10-29T06:00:00.000-04:00

One thing that I hold very close to my heart is this picture given to me from my 8 year old son...

He earned it from his Bible class in (public) school. And he gave it to me, because he "just knew I would love it". And I do! It's in a little metal frame, and obviously it is of Jesus... And best of all, whenever I look at it, I know that my first born son, gave it to me, because he knows I love Jesus!

What do you love today?

Go HERE to see more things that people LOVE!

Christmas Break is only 6 Weeks Away...

2009-10-28T08:35:00.004-04:00

...my son informs me the other day. 6 WEEKS? I haven't even BEGAN to prepare! That is when I thought of something I am always curious about and also motivated by...

When are YOU ready for Christmas?

Like when are you finished gift shopping and finished decorating, wrapping gifts, etc?

Take our poll, and we can see what others have to say also!

New Look!

2009-10-26T23:00:00.004-04:00

Yes, if you've been here before, you probably noticed the new look of this blog! Oh man, I found a great little place to find cute shabby chic decoration for your blog... shabbyblogs.com. So, I am so proud of myself, I got this cute background picked out, I install it. I go into the template choices on blogger and I change it, so my header color would be different. BIG MISTAKE. All of the work I had previously put into making my blog a 3 column blog went right out the window... Arrg!

So, if you have never messed with HTML's and such on a blog, then this conversation is pretty boring, but let me just say a LOT of super hard work was flushed in the 1 second it took to click on a button. And I was slightly frantic, to say the least!

So I went to work! And after over 3 hours hard work, I think I can live with what I came up with. If you like it, please let me know!

I also have to tell you, I just COULD NOT figure out why there was one certain problem happening and I could NOT fix it (I will spare you the long and boring details). I looked over my work like 10 times, I changed some numbers around... Did a little tweaking here and there... but NOTHING! I was so frustrated! That's when I stopped and prayed. Yes, I prayed about the LOOKS of my blog, and that God would help me figure out the problem. I took a walk and checked in on my boys, all asleep and snuggled in their beds. When I came back, I did a little changing of a few things that I hadn't tried before, and WA-LA! It worked! Within 1 minute of sitting back down at my computer! I nearly cried, and then I thanked my AWESOME God, who sees no request too small.

So, if you get nothing else from this entry (especially with all of the crazy HTML talk), please remember, no request is too small for God! Especially when you BELIEVE He will actually do it for you. Because my friends, He CAN do ANYTHING! He can move mountains, and He can fix blogs! We serve an awesome God! =) Am I right?!

Lots more fun stuff coming up! Keep checkin' back!

A Few of My Favorite Things...

2009-10-26T09:33:00.005-04:00

The weather is getting colder, and the holidays are just around the corner. I was just thinking about cleaning and redecorating (rearranging more like it). And I thought I would share with you some of my favorite things!

To start out, I have a very season appropriate item... Thermos! My husband and I don't get to go 'antiquing' very often, but when we do, and if we see a Thermos in great shape, we will grab it! Only 3 have any sort of a story, the silver one and the Dunkin' Donuts one in the first pic, were my grandpa's. When we went to Florida in July (you may remember that), I got these two from their house down there. The other 2 on the left are just some we've picked up along the way...

One here has a story... My sister Elizabeth picked up the Mickey Mouse thermos on the right for me. It was like $.50 at a garage sale. And she knows Mickey is my fav! The other 2 we have also picked up along the way...

We love our Thermos! Do you have a collection of things that YOU love? You can share if you like! If there is a good response, I could start putting up a link for you all to show pics of your favorite collections... I have several things around the house that I am going to show you in days to come... Hope you enjoyed!

"Clean" Home in a Jiffy!

2009-10-23T09:07:00.004-04:00

OK, so you get a call that someone from your church is running something over to your house, or that your mother-in-law is dropping by to say 'hi'... You say, "Sure! We'll be here!". You hang up the phone, and you scan your house. 'Oh my goodness... This place is a MESS!'

If your house is like mine, and your life is like mine too, you home isn't really a MESS, but more 'lived in'... In a hurry, my home could probably be all 'cleaned' in 45 minutes - 1 hour. But you have 5-10 minutes.. What do you do???

First, if you have kids, don't be afraid to put them to work... EVER. It is good for a child to learn to help around the house. Don't be afraid to make them do this everyday! I have a chore chart, and have for about a year, for my boys. This has not only been great for my boys to learn not to make such a big mess, but also has been great for me! I don't have to try to do 6 hours work in 2 hours!

Second, realize homes will be lived in! ESPECIALLY when you visit someone else's home! How can you point out the speck in your friend's eye, when you have a PLANK in your own, yet don't see it?

Third, make sure you focus your attention on the worst offenders. These usually are your kitchen sink, your counter tops, your table tops, and your entry area. If these are a mess, the rest of your house can be spotless, but no one would notice! So, if you have only a few minutes, go to it! Stick those dishes in the dishwasher, or at least rinse them and stack them nicely in the sink. Or run a sink full of soapy water to soak those dirty dishes. Clear off those counters and table! Usually mine just gets stacked with things when we come home from somewhere, we drop them on the counter. The A LOT of times, everyone "forgets" about those things! Make each one of the children take THEIR things to their rooms... Make small piles of things that go together. If there are several things that get put away with the coats, make a pile. Make another pile of things that go on your desk or to your office. Then, you make ONE trip to each area, instead of 10. If you still have a minute, make sure they are all wiped down! Stuck on food or spills make a surface look HORRIBLE! Spray a stuck on food area with some cleaner, then let it set. This helps, instead of stressing and scrubbing over a tiny food spot that, when revisited in a few minutes of spraying down, would wipe right up!

If you have a half an hour, one thing that ALWAYS makes my house look TONS better is to pull out the sweeper and go to work! Don't ask me why, but the house always looks SO much better after it has been swept...

Fourth, look in the mirror. Then smile! Take a breath and be happy! Don't worry about things that you can't control... Enjoy your company!

One thing that also helps in keeping a home that you AREN'T embarrassed about, is to either before you go to bed or first thing in the morning, have your house picked up. Then when people "drop by", you won't freak out when you see them in your driveway!

Health: Top 10 Anti- Indoor Pollution House Plants

2009-10-22T06:56:00.001-04:00

I just came across this great article on eco-friendly, safe houseplants great for helping get rid of that indoor pollution.

You know, air pollution from mold, mildew, chemicals (from cleaners, aerosol sprays, scented candles, etc), plastics, etc.

These 10 plants will not only help to improve the air quality in your home, but it will also make your home more beautiful.

1. The Feston Rose Plant

2. Devil's Ivy

3. Phalaenopsis

4. English Ivy

5. Parlor Ivy

6. African Violets

7. Christmas Cactus

8. Yellow Goddess

9. Garlic Vine

10. Peace Lily

Check out the article HERE, and start making your home less polluted and more beautiful!

Young or Old, You Can Still Be Wise...

2009-10-21T10:09:00.003-04:00

"When he saw that the three men could not answer Job, he was angry

and began to speak. I am young, and you are old, so I was afraid to tell you what I think.

I told myself that you ought to speak, that you older men should share your wisdom.

But it is the spirit of Almighty God that comes to us and gives us wisdom.

It is not growing old that makes us wise or helps us to know what is right." Job 32:5-9

We need to remember as young people to ALWAYS be respectful to our "elders", but God also gives the Holy Spirit to live in US TOO! So, we can have God's discernment living IN US! Never think you are too young to know, or to have the ability to know God and His plans!

Make a Life Change...

2009-10-19T09:26:00.000-04:00

I am calling out another challenge for you ladies, because I think you can handle it. Sometimes we get stuck in this rut... You know, doing the same things day in and day out. Cleaning, cooking, blaa, blaa, blaa... But I want to challenge you today to fill in these blanks, and then DO them. I gave you some options below. WARNING: this WILL make you think outside the box...

Today I will:____________________________________

Tomorrow I will:______________________________________

This week I will:_________________________________________

_________________________________________________

This month I will: _________________________________________

____________________________________________________

Say a prayer for someone new.
tell a stranger how great her outfit looks.
Bake bread or cookies, FROM SCRATCH.
Take some flowers to a friend.
Invite someone new over for coffee or lunch.
Talk a long walk and talk to God the WHOLE TIME.
Send 5 friends a post card telling them how much you appreciate them
Invite a new couple over for dinner.
Give your husband a back rub or foot rub, after he gets home from work.
Write or talk to your children and tell them one thing you are very proud of them for.
Learn a new Bible verse.
Clean out a much needed area in your home.
Ask your husband what is one thing you can do for him today.
Send your pastor a letter of encouragement and appreciation.
Volunteer to do something new at your church.
Donate food to a Food/Clothing Basket.
Drop off gift/groceries to a friend o neighbor in need (but do it in secret!).
Do something special for someone who is always serving at your church, then tell them how much they are appreciated!
Start a prayer notebook, and make an entry EVERYDAY!

These are just a few ideas to think outside the box. But DO THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX! And make sure you are not simply doing these things for YOUR glory but that these kind and loving gestures would point back to our wonderful God!

If you are up to the challenge, make sure you share that with us! =) May God to glorified by you today!

Swagbucks and the Holidays!

2009-10-18T19:55:00.000-04:00

I've posted a couple of times about earning Swagbucks. I have yet to buy anything with my "swag", but have started to redeem my Swagbucks, for Amazon.com gift cards. I am SO excited because of all of the free money I have earn for doing simple searches!

If you have not heard of Swagbucks, let me tell you briefly about it! First, I LOVE Swagbucks. I get no more special treatment than anyone else in sharing Swagbucks with you. With Swagbucks, you can earn "Swagbucks" for doing simple searches on a toolbar that you can download or by simply logging into the Swagbucks site. Swagbucks needs no info from you other than your first name and e-mail address. I NEVER get any spam from Swagbucks.

You can redeem your Swagbucks for TONS of different things. I have started redeeming mine for Amazon.com gift cards. I am SO excited because this is FREE MONEY for doing searches! You can get one, three, five or ten swagbucks on every 2-6 searches or so. I am so excited to get the boys some FREE STUFF from Amazon.com for Christmas! And a lot of times around Christmas and other times of the year Amazon.com has free shipping!

In the future, I want to get some new pots and pans! For now, like I said, I am getting Christmas presents!

If you haven't checked Swagbucks out, do it today! You automatically get 3 for signing up! If you share about Swagbucks with your friends, you can earn even more! Have fun earning free money! =)

That's Who I Want to Be!

2009-10-16T10:05:00.001-04:00

I saw this quote the other day. If you know who said it, please tell me so I can post that too. I thought I would share it, because that is the kind of woman I strive to be!

"Be the kind of woman that when your feet hit the floor in the morning, the Devil says, "Aww crap, she's up!"

Being a Woman of Virtue... Doing!

2009-10-15T21:35:00.004-04:00

I hold a few things in my life top priority. God is NUMBER 1. Most definitely. My husband, is also deservingly, number 2. Then of course my beautiful and energetic boys. And the rest of my family and my close church friends are next.

As I look to what God wants me to be, and what he requires of me. I am EVERY TIME taken back to Proverbs 31, to the Virtuous Woman. And each time, I am reminded of how important it is to hold the things that our grandmothers did, close to our hearts. I am constantly challenged by this. Things like making more food from scratch. Yeah, we have busy days, but even in those days, if I make sure I have a meal planned ahead of time, I can still make something fairly easy from scratch (or close to it). This isn't just a luxury anymore, this is almost a necessity if you want to eat healthy. Also things like learning to sew, even just simple sewing. I know MANY people who do not own a sewing machine. They just don't know how to sew. And that is probably most of you also. But I think sewing is a skill that we should have even if it is very basic! I bought my machine for $79 at Wal-Mart about 6 or 7 years ago, and I have used it in a small business and for simple things around my own house. I learned to sew in home ec. class in Middle school. Let me tell you, it was very basic! I NEVER again used that skill until I got my own machine ! So with about 15 years in between, I had to learn most things over. And I was able to do it, and sew curtains for my house! I didn't even have a pattern. I have slowly improved my "skills" to even make robes for the boys and other kids in our family this last Christmas. Saved a lot of money, and ended up being a lot nicer than what I would have been able to buy on our "budget". What about gardening? Or caring for animals, like chickens, who could produce a product your family could use? Are these skills going to be lost on our grandparents generation?

I want to encourage you, as I have before, to learn SOMETHING new. And keep doing it, even if you don't succeed the first time (or the second!). If your grandmothers are still alive, even better, learn something from THEM! My grandmother was able to teach me to crochet before she past away 2 years ago, and whenever I sit, relax and use that skill, I think of her.

Being a woman of Virtue includes DOING... She works with her HANDS... Be challenged by this today. Not only will you be able to pick up a valuable skill that you could someday pass on to your daughters, but you are carrying on a legacy. And SOMEDAY, you will be glad you learned your new skill!

I have been wanting to learn to Knit for the longest time. And I have a sweet neighbor woman who is willing to teach me! I am excited!

What new skill would you LOVE to learn?

Tropical Traditions Virgin Coconut Oil- Giveaway!

2009-10-12T09:40:00.004-04:00

I hope all of you were able to read my review of Tropical Traditions Virgin Coconut Oil. If you didn't, PLEASE read it! Your health may thank you!

I want to add, my condition is still showing signs of being better, and I couldn't be MORE pleased with using this Coconut Oil.

As a quick recap, I have been using Tropical Traditions Virgin Coconut Oil for 3 weeks now, and as I was using it, I was also reading all of the health benefits of using REAL coconut oil (not like the kind you find at most regular grocery chains). One of the conditions that could be improved by using coconut oil was intestinal problems, which I have. So, I started monitoring my progress and almost immediately, I found improvement! I was SO excited! So, after 3 weeks of using this product, I have actually placed another order! It is SO important to me to keep my health up so I can be there for my husband and my 4 active little boys!

If you don't know that much about REAL Coconut Oil, read my REVIEW HERE. Or do a search on the Internet, including your condition and the words coconut oil. There is a lot out there! Also, if you would like to place an order with Tropical Traditions, which really is a GREAT COMPANY, you can use this referal code (5366195 ) and get a FREE Virgin Coconut Oil Book with your first online purchase!

Here is also some great news... The wonderful Tropical Traditions Company has offered to giveaway one 32 oz. jar of their Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil!

I have to tell you, this isn't just Oil, this isn't just some oil to cook with even. It could mean a HUGE change in your health. I actually was just expecting some healthy oil to use for cooking, but found SO MUCH MORE. I wish I were getting paid a commission from this company, but aside from my original jar, I am not! This is just how much I KNOW this has changed me.

So, what do you need to do to enter for a chance to win this? I am so glad you asked! =)

First, visit Tropical Traditions site HERE and sign up for their e-newsletter, which will periodically send you sales, free product specials, free recipes and more... And sign-up for their e-newsletter!
Go to Tropical Traditions and share what product you would love to try...
Grab our Button, and place it on your site! (Leave us a link!)
Blog about this giveaway on your site! (Leave us a link!)
Tell us WHY you would like to try this Coconut Oil!
Subscribe to this Blog! (Tell us you did or that you already have!)

That's it! Enter today! Giveaway ends October 28th!!!

Tropical Traditions Virgin Coconut Oil- Review & Freebie!!!!

2009-09-28T09:40:00.007-04:00

A while back, I got the privilege of trying Coconut Oil from Tropical Traditions. Tropical Traditions, as I have heard from many family members and acquaintances, is a WONDERFUL place to buy organic food items. I decided to do some checking out on my own. Because I of course want to be healthy and would LOVE to IMPROVE our health!

So, Tropical Traditions was wonderful enough to send me a jar of their Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil, and a book about Virgin Coconut Oil.

First of all, I was delighted to find out that the founder of the company is a Christian! And he even has a part in his book explaining his relationship with Christ and how you can also have one! Refreshing!

Second, I tried the coconut oil in frying potatoes on the stove, and OH. MY. GOODNESS. These were the MOST WONDERFUL I have even tasted! They were the normal fried potatoes but with a hint of coconut flavor! I added a small bit of sea salt to them and I can imagine we will someday be eating THOSE in Heaven! =)

Third, I am anxious to see how my health will improve! Most of you don't know, but I suffer from IBS, which is a not so fun issue with my bowels. Coconut Oil, I discovered in my readings, is supposed to help STOP the symptoms of IBS! OH HAPPY DAY! Now, that I know that I have been monitoring my intake of coconut oil, trying to get in at least 1-3 tablespoon to my diet each day. I am a BELIEVER in this product! I am ready to now place my first order with them. It has been about a week and a half with NO symptoms of my IBS, and it has been such a HUGE blessing! I am seriously THANKING GOD each morning for this product. I can't believe what an improvement this has already been!

Here is a brief rundown of health benefits that I have found, so far (REAL Coconut Oil is MULTI-PURPOSE!):

Hair Care and Skin Care (Great Moisturizer and Healing for different skin related issues)
Heart Disease (Contains 50% Lauric Acid, which is great for your heart!)
Weight Loss
Pancreatitis
Digestive Problems (aids in absorbing the right nutrients!)
Immunity (great for immune system, and great as an antiviral!)
Healing (speeds up healing of damaged tissue)
Infections (of ALL sorts!)
Liver (great source of fatty acids that the liver needs)
Kidneys (helps in preventing kidney and gall bladder diseases and in dissolving kidney stones)
Diabetes
Bones (absorbtion!)
Dental
HIV & Cancer
Sun protection
Thyroid Health
and MANY MORE!!!

If you want to find out more in depth information on any of these ailments and the benefits of using Coconut Oil with it, just do a search like "coconut oil and Diabetes" or "coconut oil and antibacterial". I encourage you to do your OWN research!

Also be sure to check out the Tropical Traditions web site. They frequently run deals on products that make them more affordable. But you cannot put a price on the good health of your family! Check them out!

Like I said, this is one product I will probably use for the rest of my life! I have seen the results and I am going to be able to do (and EAT) more of those things that I enjoy! If you have any questions for me on this product, PLEASE e-mail me!

Tropical Traditions has even offered to send you a FREE Virgin Tropical Coconut Oil Book (like the one I got!), with your first order to them! All you have to do is enter "5366195" as a referral code!!!

If you have any of the major issues that I have listed above, please do some research on Coconut Oil! Check out the Tropical Traditions site and see what wonderful products they have to offer!

Now through October 11, there is a Buy 1 Get 2 FREE Sale!

Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil

Certified Organic

3 pints (16 FL. oz. ea.) - glass jar

***Coconut Oil that you can buy at Wal-Mart IS NOT the same! This is REAL coconut oil! imitation WILL NOT work the same. Not even the taste in cooking with it. There is NO comparison to the REAL THING!

Meals This Week

2009-09-28T08:59:00.004-04:00

Oh my, it has been a while since I have done this, and I think I am a little rusty at it, because it took me forever to figure out what we eat! But, I haven't had a meal plan in so long, and have REALLY needed it. I hate having supper roll around (before you know it) and I am stuck with kids begging for food, me in a project half done and I have NO idea what to make for supper! So, after kicking myself for WEEKS now for not having one, HERE is our meal plan!

Monday- Scalloped Potatoes (Mmmmm!!! Nice to keep warm on a cold day like today!)

Tuesday- French Toast & Homemade Applesauce

Wednesday- Tatertot Casserole (This day is when my baby is having a surgery to have a cyst removed. It was undeveloped tissue and there shouldn't be much to the surgery... Prayer is appreciated!)

Thursday- Pasta with diced tomatoes & corn

Friday- Women's Conference for Me in Fort Wayne, Boys will probably go to the fish fry at our church!

Saturday- Women's Conference during the day, Maybe have Tacos that night??? Made by Hubby???

Sunday- Grilled Chicken, Salad & Broccoli

So, there it is. A small list that definitely makes my life easier! So what are YOU eating this week??? GO HERE to find out what other people have on their meal plans...

Question! (Yes, I am Back Blogging!!!)

2009-09-21T18:31:00.003-04:00

With a small hiatus, I am back. There has been lots of farm work going on, in addition to sick kids. So, I went for the most important and left my poor blog to fend for itself... Apparently a blog cannot write it's own stories because I think I have lost some friends in my absence...

But I am back with a question and HOPEFULLY I still have some friends around to answer!

My question is, with Fall rapidly coming, where would be your IDEAL place to vacation in the Fall???

My answer will come tomorrow!

Join Me!

2009-08-26T21:56:00.001-04:00

Join me HERE today for Things I Love Thursday...

You will get to see my new hair cut!

Envirosax, Review and Giveaway!

2009-08-17T21:19:00.000-04:00

OK, I do a lot of shopping. I am not going to lie. I have 4 boys and a hubby, and it's like feeding an army. Their appetites are getting bigger and bigger...

So, when I go grocery shopping and I get enough food to feed my small army, I get home and put everything away, and am left with a gazillion plastic bags. Anyone hear what I'm sayin'?

And no, I never just throw them out (unless there is a big tear in it or something). I always use then for a liner in our bathroom trash, or to throw those really stinky baby bombs in... But, the pile usually grows and grows. I actually HATE those bags. I hate that they accumulate so quickly. I hate that the people at the grocery only pack one or two things in each bag. I hate that there just aren't many uses for all of those CRAZY BAGS!

Anybody else with me?

I love having my own reusable bags to take with me to the store. The problem with the 2 that I have, is that they are so big to carry! So I have to tuck them under my arm and hope they don't fall out while I throw my baby up on my hip, and grab my purse and coupons. Oh yeah, then lock the doors of my truck. Then balance all of these very important items in wind/ rain/ sleet/ snow... praying that I won't drop anything...

There is good news in all of this! I have found a WONDERFUL solution! They are called ENVIROSAX! This company has made all other reusable bag companies run home crying to their mamas... (hehehe) Just look at some of their GORGEOUS reusable grocery bags:

Here is mine, it is from the Mikado collection:

Oh, and there is more, MUCH MORE. And they are all as gorgeous as the ones I showed you. It gets even BETTER. They also sell packs of 5 of these beauties, like this:

You wanna know how big this is in actuality? Well, one folded reusable grocery bag folds up, nicely and EASILY into about the size of the palm of your hand (long ways). The bag then expands to a very nice size, probably enough to haul 4-5 big boxes of cereal, with extra room for some small stuff. It could haul lots of smaller boxes and canned items.

I also, keep this folded up in my purse for those "just in case" times. Like at church this Sunday. I took my accordion file folder and Bible with me, along with my purse. Which is no problem... then I get to church and was handed a CD right away. Along with a small stack of papers. I have a wonderful friend who also gets a newspaper for me. And the boys all hand me their wad of projects after class. Now NORMALLY, I have full hands. But I remembered I had the BEAUTIFUL bag in my purse, and so I whipped that puppy out! I filled it with all of my newly found "treasures", and it EASILY accommodated everything. WITH ROOM TO SPARE. I love it.

Have I told you how much I love it? =)

Well, I think you get the point here. Now here is the GREAT NEWS...

YOU could win an Envirosax POUCH, in the Mikado pattern (the pouch pictured above COULD BE YOURS!) !!! Katy, and the wonderful people at Envirosax are giving one of these pouches to one very blessed person!!!

WOO HOO!!!

OK, now contain yourself. The next bit of info is also VERY IMPORTANT. If you live anywhere on this Earth, you can enter this giveaway! YES! ANYWHERE! YAY!!!

SO, here my girlfriends, is how you have a chance to enter (please leave a separate comment for each one):

GO to the Envirosax site HERE, and tell me which type of bag or series of bag that you would like to have.
Follow this blog! And then tell me that you follow!
Grab our Button, and then leave a link to you site!
Subscribe to our feeds, or tell me if you already are!
Blog about this giveaway on your site, and then leave me a link so I can check it out!
Tell me what the one change you would make in your life to be a little more "green"...

That's it! Now good luck! This giveaway will end on September 2nd! So enter today!!!

Ahhh, LIFE.

2009-08-17T09:58:00.002-04:00

I am FINALLY back from camping (2 weeks! AAAHHHH!!!), and I am caught up on almost everything, now BLOGGING can have it's turn! Sorry about the blog friend abuse, I didn't intend to ignore, but as life should go, Family should come before blogging! =)

I have some great things planned this week, including AT LEAST one giveaway, if not more... We will see how far I can stretch! =)

Hopefully some fun blog entries will also come!

I will talk to you all soon!

Winner of the Azuri Pashmina Shawl!

2009-08-14T21:04:00.003-04:00

Congratulations to:

Random Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers:

Timestamp: 2009-08-15 00:59:19 UTC

Julie VW!!!! She is the winner of the Pashmina Shawl! These are gorgeous! I LOVE mine!

Sorry about the stop in blog entries! More to come soon! Done with camping tomorrow (thank goodness!). More Giveaways!!!!

Bubble Planner, WInner!!! (FINALLY!)

2009-08-03T21:45:00.002-04:00

Sorry about the wait. I have been super busy, and now I am camping... downtime, right???

Anyways, here is the winner of the Bubble Planner for busy women, and the grocery list:

Random Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers:

Timestamp: 2009-08-04 01:44:15 UTC

Danielle, The Happy Housewife!

Congrats! I am sendin you an e-mail now!

Stay tuned for more great giveaways!!!

Great Giveaways!

2009-07-30T14:50:00.002-04:00

Don't forget to enter our great giveaways!

Ending tomorrow~ The Bubble Planner and Grocery List! I love how simple it is to use! This would be great for you or great to save for a gift! Think Birthdays, Christmas, etc...

Also, check out our newest Giveaway, the Azuri Pashmina Shawl! I have one and I absolutely LOVE it. I think it will be a new "fashion friend"! =)

On my other blog, please swing by to enter for the "See Kai Run" shoes for little kids. You get to pick any pair you want, but ONLY if you win! Check it out. If you don't have any kids of your own or they are grown, get a pair and give them to a friend or grandchild! ANYONE would delight in having a pair of these shoes for their child!

Keep your eyes open, and keep checking back on BOTH of my blogs. I have a LIST of great things that are going to be reviewed, and LOTS of giveaways!!! WooHoo!!!

**If you don't want to have to keep checking back, add yourself to our "Subscribers" list or "follow" this blog. Both are great ways to keep up with what NEW stuff is happening!

Groceries This Week

2009-07-28T10:24:00.003-04:00

Boy was I excited about groceries this week! I know, I'm a geek right? But, when you can get such great deals on groceries and save SO MUCH MONEY, it is FUN!

To recap, I have 6 people in my family, one being a baby who still needs diapers! I spend $70 a week in groceries. Which some weeks it is a real challenge, some weeks it is SO easy. This is one of those weeks, thanks to Meijer.

Here is what I got at Meijer:

At Meijer, I spent $42. !!! That was for 75 items, so that is $.56 and item. Not to bad considering soy milk if $3 a half gallon and I got 4! I also got a catalina for a free milk (from buying the General Mills cereals).

Here is what I got at Kroger this week:

I spend $24. there, and got a $1 catalina back. Not too bad...

And here is what I got at CVS:

Well, add 2 gallons of milk in the pic and that is what I got. I actually paid NOTHING out of pocket after ECB's. I needed some eye liner and my hubby uses the Tom's of Maine toothpaste! I actually need to get one more gallon of milk and I get a free one (there is a deal where you buy 5 milk and you get one free!).

So, all in all, I spent $66. on groceries this week. Not bad! I couldn't even fit everything into one pic like I usually do, that's great!

How did YOU do this week?

Azuri Reversible Pashmina Scarf - Review & Giveaway!

2009-07-27T22:00:00.000-04:00

Isn't this shawl beautiful!? When I came across the Nimli website, I noticed their shawls right away. And there are so many different kinds!

Well, Nimli sent me this shawl:

I LOVE it. It can be dressy, or you can just make it casual and pretty, and it's all in how you put it around you! I can see I will be using this a lot more in the coming days! It is SO versatile! Great for ANYTIME. (Here is a video on some ways to tie a shawl)

The shawl is a Pashmina shawl (made from fine cashmere wool), and it is made of Pashmina and silk (55% Pashmina 45% Silk) It is 60 x 12'' and it is LOVELY!

So, how much would YOU love to own one of these beautiful shawls? Well, Ja and the wonderful people at Nimli are offering one lucky winner the baby blue shawl (pic all the way at the top!). Woo hoo!

So, what do you have to do to enter? I am SO glad you asked! If you are in the US, here are your 6 ways to enter:

Go to the Nimli website and tell me what else you see that you would LOVE to have.
Tell me why you would like to have the beautiful baby blue pashmina shawl...
Follow this blog, or tell me if you already are.
Grab my button, and leave a link to your site.
Blog about this giveaway.
Follow me on Twitter, and blog about this giveaway!

That's it ladies! 6 different ways to enter to win this great giveaway! Hurry though, this giveaway ends August 12th!

Baking Day!

2009-07-27T21:48:00.000-04:00

As I mentioned about a week and a half ago, I was planning on having some baking/ non-baking days. Well, I had them last week!

I wanted to get some pictures posted, so you could see what we are enjoying!

I also want to encourage you, if you say your not good at baking or whatever, if you have the desire, KEEP TRYING! No one does it all perfectly every time! In fact, I had a recipe for bread last week, and I made it 2 times and it NEVER came out! I have 2 days on a row of flat bread. But on the third day, I decide to try a different recipe so I could make sure I wasn't letting this recipe defeat me! SO I tried another recipe, and it worked wonderfully!

Here is the 2 loaves of bread I make and some rolls I also make with the remaining dough:

And here are some of the delightful noodles that myself, my mom and sister Katie made:

I wouldn't have been able to do it without the help of my dehydrator! I was able to dry them out a lot quicker in there! I am SO thankful for it! And the noodles are DELICIOUS!

Get in the kitchen and try something new~ You will be glad and your family will be amazed! =)

Meals This Week

2009-07-27T17:21:00.002-04:00

Boy, am I behind on blogging!

I did some grocery shopping today, the deals were so good and I had some things that were going to expire today, so I went! And if you don't have a Meijer store near you, I would protest! Shopping this week was FULL of coupon match-ups! Post will come later!

But for now, I have my meals for this week!

Here they are:

Monday- Pork Chops and garden veggies w/ Homemade bread

Tuesday- Fried Fish, potatoes

Wednesday- Chicken & Homemade noodles, corn

Thursday- Blueberry pancakes

Friday- Pizza, homemade potato chips

Saturday- Dunes? Eat out or pack lunches.

Sunday- Baked Potatoes w/ the works!

***Stay tuned for picks from my baking day, and an EASY bread recipe!

Old Navy Resetting Coupons Tonight???

2009-07-23T20:57:00.003-04:00

Join the chat tonight, while we wait for the Old Navy site to reset their coupons. It was fun last week. Basically just chatting about coupons!

Go HERE if you want to join the "Wait-n-See" for the ON coupons! See you there, and good luck! And as always you can send any extra coupons my way! =)

Camping- Yes or NO!?

2009-07-23T08:56:00.004-04:00

One thing that my family and I do enjoy is camping. My husband and I have been camping, well, we got engaged one week while camping with his family. So we have been camping together (separate tents!) since before we were married.

It was a small (3 small person) tent, we got that for one of our wedding gifts I think? Along with a lot of great camping equipment, like the pans and the dishes. Then when we camped for 2 or 3 summers and has a little mister along with us, we realized that sleeping on rocks was NOT comfortable, and we should get an air mattress! So, we upgraded. We also upgraded tents to a 2 room tent. I know, big time, right? Then when little mister #2 came along, we were a little more cramped. So little mister #3 meant, an upgrade was mandatory. SO we upgraded to the pop-up camper.

Oh yeah. We were big time. It was great not having to set up a tent anymore, and great to be able to sleep on a (thin) mattress! But, for me, even the pop-up has grown too small. There is NO room for anything. We now have a mister #4, and with all of our stuff, we are cramped. And it feels like living in my bedroom that I had growing up, you know there is enough space to walk and clothes and supplies EVERYWHERE ELSE.

SO that last 2 summers, my in-laws have been so wonderful as to let us use their pull behind camper. There aren't any bunks for the kids (which I would LOVE) BUT it is much better. We can actually put things away and I feel like things can be cleaned up. (I hate feeling like you just have to LIVE in chaos! Organized chaos is MUCH better!)

As part of camping, we like being able to go for lots of walks, bike riding (we live on a very busy road, so these are luxuries!), we like the camp fires and fishing. I like the chocolate left over from s'mores, so I can eat later... That's our secret! ;)

So, that is how we have been camping! Do you camp? DO you enjoy camping? Tell us a little about your camping!

Granola/ Bars- Favorite Recipes!

2009-07-20T21:00:00.004-04:00

This is my first time participating the the MckLinky Blog Hop, but here I am givin' it a try! Seems like a great way to find more great blogs!

So, this week they are asking people to submit their favorite recipe! This one is easy for me. Right now, our favorite as a family, is my granola recipe. And out of the granola recipe, I make granola bars. It is super easy, and SO delicious! SO, here's my recipe:

Granola/ Granola Bars

6 C. Old Fashioned oats

3 C. whole wheat flour

1 Tbsp. salt

1 C. olive oil (I have also used 1/2 canola, 1/2 olive oil)

1/2 C. water

1 C. honey

Can add- nuts, dried fruit, cinnamon and vanilla. ( I usually add all of this- walnuts, dried cranberries, cinnamon & Vanilla)

Place on baking sheet & cook for 50 minutes at 250 degrees, turning mixture 4 times during baking. Cool. Keep in ziploc bags.

*** to make Granola Bars:

Use all of the above ingredients, plus add 1 Egg. Mix in. Press the granola mixture into a baking sheet . Cut into desired pieces, but leave in pan. Bake for 50 minute, but don't turn! The after 50 minutes, let cool. After cooled, take each bar and put into individual ziploc baggies.

**Tip: Snack baggies work great for granola bars, but SAVE them each time! This will save money, and create less trash!

This is something ALL of my boys like, and it is super good for you! Enjoy!

Emerson Creek Pottery = LOVE!

2009-07-20T13:00:00.000-04:00

Emerson Creek Pottery.

I came across them the other day, and I fell in LOVE. I decorate in primitive/ antique/ country. I love finding great yellow ware bowls at garage sales or auctions. I love finding great old kitchen stuff that has been worn and loved.

Look at this beauty:

Yeah. That's my new coffee mug. And I love it. Absolutely. It is heavy. And it "looks" old. It's handmade. It's called "Go Green", and it is from Emerson Creek Pottery. They have more where that came from:

It's so beautiful! Here is some more great stuff about this line:

It is lead-free, non-toxic and safe for daily use, unlike the majority of ceramics sold in the big box stores today.
Each lovely piece is crafted by hand, keeping your family's planet greener.
Emerson Creek Pottery's Go Green Earthware ceramics are made in the USA, supporting the economy in which your family lives.

I am ALWAYS a fan of things made in the USA. Especially in this economy. And a big fan of "safe for my family" too. And I, as an artist can appreciate hand made, and how unique each items truly is. I hate buying JUNK that is going to fade or have to be thrown away in a year. These pieces are timeless, and of heirloom quality.

If you aren't into the "old" like I am, there is definitely more. Here is a piece from their "cranberry" line that I liked too:

There are lines for every taste! As well, as season!

Well, Rebecca and the wonderful people at Emerson Creek Pottery are willing to give my beautiful readers (yes, that is all of you!) a 10% discount on all orders over $25.! The code is BH809. This code will be good until 8/31/09.

So, if you are looking for some great, unique pottery from a wonderful company, look no further then Emerson Creek.

Meals This Week

2009-07-19T19:30:00.003-04:00

OK, so I am trying to switch things up a little bit this week. Hubby is tired of Spaghetti, and pasta for a meal. Spaghetti, OUT. Tuna Noodle Casserole, OUT. Great. Those were my two CHEAP meals too...

Which is fine. I want him to be happy with our meals, and I want him to be happy. PERIOD. So, for now, I will throw out (most) pasta from our menu, and try for more meat, which he wants. So, we will see how my shopping day reflects this new change!

For this week though, here is our menu:

Breakfasts
Cereal
Scrambled Eggs, sausage, toast
Oatmeal (with dried peaches)

Lunches
Leftovers
Peanut Butter & Jelly
Mac-n-Cheese (These lunches are for the kids!)

Dinner

Monday- Sloppy Joes, french fried potatoes, froz. peaches
Tuesday- Chicken Salads (with garden fixings! Mmmm!), maybe a blueberry cobbler...
Wednesday- Scalloped Potatoes, Veggie
Thursday- Baked Mac-n-Cheese, Sausages, corn
Friday- Tacos
Saturday- Young Couple's Meet (church group)
Sunday- Grilled Pork Chops (didn't have last week), garden veggie stir-fry (YUM!)

OK, so I got a little pasta in there, but hubby likes the baked mac-n-cheese. So, I guess I am OK for a while! ;) And this is also coming from a man who likes most everything, he's not real picky. SO, when he makes a point to tell me he DOESN'T like something, I take note. And am glad to do so!

So, what are YOU making this week???

Bubble Planner- Review & Giveaway!

2009-07-17T09:00:00.004-04:00

I am a list person. If I don't have a list, I don't have my brain. I am great at thinking ahead and planning, but it all very quickly escapes my brain, then as quickly as it came... it is gone.

Well, the other day, I came across something called the Bubble Planner. The word "planner" always intrigues me, as well as the word "bubble" used with it. =) I read into it and thought it sounded like something I had to try.

Bill, from the Bubble Planner Company graciously sent me a Bubble Planner for Busy Women AND a grocery list.

Now this planner is super simple and easy to use. I thought it would be a little more complex, but it really is very easy! User Friendly! On the inside are pages for goal setting (of all kinds), projects, places to keep track of birthdays, and calendars. There are also the planning bubbles like shown here:

On each open page there are places to make phone calls, computer work, house work and running errands. And in the bubbles you can fill out what you need to do each day. Like mine for today~ calls I had to make were to a campground to change reservations, and to call my aunt. Computer work was to blog about the bubble planner! House work was to do laundry, to start the dehydrator, and to finish putting away things from my trip. Errands- I had nothing for today. And it is that easy! As you do them you could mark them off or whatever. Nothing hard to do, just a written reminder of the things you want to accomplish! I am loving mine so far!

And the grocery list, well, those are ALWAYS nice to have. This one even has reminders at the top, as well as a "don't forget your coupons" reminder! Like it!

One last thing. When I got the Bubble Planner in the mail, Bill, who I have been talking to, wrote a message hoping I liked the planner and after his signature wrote "Pr. 16:3". I instantly went to my Bible to look up Proverbs 16:3. Here is what it says:

Pro 16:3 "Ask the LORD to bless your plans, and you will be successful in carrying them out. "

How awesome! What a great company!

Would you like to purchase a planner from Bubble Planners? When you make a purchase of a planner, you can enter the code moms and get a free grocery list (with your planner)! Awesome!

Would you like to WIN a planner??? Well, you have a chance to! Thanks to Bubble Planners, one blessed person will be able to win a Bubble Planner for Busy Women!

Here is what you need to do to enter... please one entry per comment! Available to the US and Canada!

GO to the Bubble Planner site, and tell me if you see anything else that you would like to have.
Share with us ~What do you use now to help remember what you have to do each day? Or do you just remember? =)
Blog about this giveaway (then leave a link)
Follow me on Twitter.
Add our button to you web site (then leave your site address)
Subscribe to this blog.

There you go! 6 chance to win. Enter before July 31st!

New Old Navy Coupon Tonight???

2009-07-16T19:46:00.005-04:00

** Coupons Posted at about 9:30 PM! I didn't the good ones because my computer (my internet card, from Verizon) loaded SOOOO slow! New ones to post on or after the 23rd. I will let you know when I find out!

Sometime soon, Old Navy is supposed to be adding new coupons to their Old Navy Weekly site. This time there are supposed to be $75 of $100 coupons! I am going to try to get these! Last time they put them out at 5:00 AM, my time in Indiana. Before that when I did it, they put it out at 8 AM. And I know they have put them out at midnight, and so on. SO you never know when they will be up!

But one thing that DOES help is talking with others who are also looking for the coupons! And I just found a site tonight that has a live chat up and will be chatting as they watch for coupons. I will be there. It is STL Mommy.
The chat is at the bottom of her page on the right. And you will probably see me there!

Oh yeah~ ON has been allowing you to share a coupon of the same value as the one you find- with a friend... I just wanted to confirm that YOU ARE MY FRIEND! So you can share your awesome coupons with me if you wanna! ;)

Good luck!

Non-Baking Day and a Baking Day

2009-07-16T06:00:00.000-04:00

I haven't had a baking day in a while, and I definitely need to. Especially with the weather getting warm (finally!). Here are some reasons a baking day is a good idea:

Get all baking done in one afternoon, and have baked goods ready to eat when needed over the next few weeks.

Get all baking done in one afternoon, so your kitchen isn't hot day after day. You just have one afternoon to contend with. So make it a cooler day, start in the early morning!

FRUGAL! Baking your own items is a lot cheaper then purchasing them in the store.

HEALTHY! The items you make are most likely more healthy for your family also.

In the next few days, here are the items I want to make on a "Baking Day":

muffins for breakfasts (this will cut down on the cereal consumption if I don't wake before the kids do).

Tortillas for tacos

Granola Bars (wonderful recipe coming soon!!!)

I also want to have a Non-baking day, where I make things that don't require the use of the oven. Here is what I hope to make:

homemade noodles

dehydrated peaches and apples (for snacking).

Do YOU have baking days? If not, you should try it out. Last time I did it, I had rolls that lasted in the freezer for about a month, and it was wonderful to pull them out last minute for an extra side to our meal.

Happy Baking!

Great Freebies & Giveaways!

2009-07-15T15:00:00.000-04:00

Freebies

Don't be afraid of the freebies! Yesterday on the mail, I actually got a whole roll of toilet paper from Scott. It was a freebie from WalMart, and I was not expecting a whole roll! So, get the great freebies and use them when you travel, give as a white elephant gift at christmas (a bag full of free samples!), whatever! I usually use all of my freebies though, and it is really nice to have!

So here are some freebies I see right now:

Carefree or Stayfree Pads, from WalMart.com (coupon also available with the Carefree Sample!)

Kotex Overnight, from WalMart.

Viva Papertowel, from WalMart. This sample contains about 4 folded papertowels in a package, BUT they are a thick, strong papertowel and this would be a great sample to throw in your car or in your diaperbag for those little accidents!

Avendo Nourish + Hair Care System, from StartSampling.

Bodycology, lotion, from WalMart.

Giveaways

There are some great giveaways going on right now, so go and enter!

$75 Worth of Carolina Pad Products! These are SO cute! Great for kids for school or for a list making mama! By Daily Essentials and Deals. Ends 7/18.
20 piece Rubbermaid Easy Find Storage Containers. These would be wonderful to have! How many times a day do I search for that missing lid, that I never seem to be able to find??? By Daily Essentials and Deals. Ends 7/27.
Complete Laundry Ball System & 5- 1 year Laundry Balls. You have heard me sing the praises of this laundry system. It is such a money saver, and it is SO SAFE for you and your family, not to mention the environment. It is very different then anything you have used, but you will also sing its praises! By Mom of Three Little Princesses. Ends 7/27.
The Safe Sippy 2 Sippy/ Straw Cup. I gave this cup to my little guy and he INSTANTLY loved it. Enter for your chance to win 3 of these sippys! By 8-MuddyBoots.

I hope you are blessed by these!

How I Keep My Sanity and Still Allow Myself to be a Little Nutty...

2009-07-15T06:00:00.000-04:00

I have 4 little boys, ages 8, 7, 4 and 1. It's not like I have 15 kids. I have 4 boys. And I have to say, for the most part they are well behaved. They ARE boys though, so to push them to be "good" and not be running around for 3 hours is asking too much. They have energy to spare, and I know that sometimes you just can't contain that energy for too long. It's going to come out.

So, I go to the grocery with 4 boys in tow. They all know their places: Koen in the cart seat, Deklyn on one side, Austin on the other, and Caden rotates depending on which boys is being more tolerant at the time. They DO migrate from their places though on occasion, and find their way to the lobster tank or to stare longingly at a display of cookies, but I give them a second and call them back.

But often, people give me different looks. Here are some that I get: The "Are You CRAZY?" look, the "Awww, that poor woman" look, and the "WOW, You have your hands full" look.

The "Are you crazy look", is also accompanied by some grumpy looking eye brows, and pinched lips or a frown of disapproval. These often come from the "children should be seen and not heard" people, who are more times then not, older people.

The "Awww, that poor woman" look is accompanied by a head tilts and often a half smile, as they scan all of my kids, trying to figure out what is going on! Sometimes this look is followed by...

The "Wow, you have your hands full" look. This look can consist of almost a look of shock, and comments like "Wow, you have your hands full!" or "Are these all YOURS?".

I often follow up any comments with a "Yes, I am blessed!" Then all of the people revert to the "Are you crazy?" look....

To start off, I really am NOT crazy! I am a completely sane (according to medical standards) woman in my lower 30's, happily married, Christian. I am not a woman who is held under the thumb of her husband. My husband values me and I value him tremendously as well.

I say that I am not crazy, but I WILL say that I could be a little nutty! The difference, well... there may not be MUCH difference. But I say that to be nutty is to NOT be stuffy or uptight, I definitely have a sense of humor (I have to!), and I have learned which things are important in life, and which aren't!

How do I keep from going completely grey? Well, THAT one is easy. My sister is a beautician, and she colors my hair for me. How do I keep from screaming at the top of my lungs? This one is easy too. I actually DO scream at the top of my lungs, and sometimes that is the only way I can be heard over the top of all of the fighting...

So, I how do I stay sain, and nutty?

Well, first I give my boys responsibilities. They have a chore chart of things they do in the morning and things they do after dinner. Each day they have different jobs, and yes, sometimes I have to oversee and make sure things are done correctly. Jobs consist of: weeding the garden for 30 minutes, trash out, table cleared, dirty clothes to the basement for washing, sweeping the kitchen floor after dinner (broom), feeding our animals (dogs, cats, chickens, ducks), dusting, etc. I am NOT super woman, and I WILL NOT clean up after everyone leaving behind messes all of the time. I think it has been an eye-opener for them to see that a mess left behind always gets cleaned up by someone, and MAYBE I shouldn't leave behind a mess!

I also hold them to a higher standard. I EXPECT them to be able to sit for a little while, or to store that energy for at least a little bit! And if they don't they get in trouble. I want to show people it IS OK to have many children. I want to be an encouragement to others, not an argument of why we should limit the number of children to 1 per married couple... So to hold your children to a higher standard is OK!!! As long as you ALSO understand that they ARE kids! They DO need to get that energy out! So give them adequate opportunities to do that.

NUTTY IS GOOD! To be nutty is to be able to have fun, to laugh at their silly kid humor, to be able to not get too upset at them wearing their underware outside or for peeing in your flower beds. Being Nutty, allows you to live, love and laugh! A lot of people have heard that saying but don't really KNOW what it means.

So, go ahead. Allow yourself to be nutty! But also keep you sanity by letting those kids help! And set some boundaries! Then watch those beautiful babies of yours blossom and grow!

Are you sain and nutty?

To see some more Works for Me Wednesdays go HERE.

Eco-Store Winner!

2009-07-13T11:08:00.004-04:00

Sorry about the delay, but without further ado, our $25 Eco_store Winner is:

Random Integer Generator
Here are your random numbers: 11
Timestamp: 2009-07-13 15:02:15 UTC

Megan! Congratulations Megan, you should have got an e-mail from me!

Thank you to all who entered, and be looking for some GREAT giveaways coming up in the near future!!!

Meal Plan- Getting Back into It

2009-07-13T10:24:00.000-04:00

I wasn't technically on a "vacation", although I did get to go to the beach and enjoy some time around a pool (mainly to cool down after working hard). We did also get things done that we needed to accomplish at my grandpa's place, including selling the place ourselves while we were there! I guess NOTHING is selling, but somehow (GOD!) we were able to not even TRY to seel it and people came to us. BIG TIME BLESSINGS on this trip, God was DEFINITELY there!

So, I got back yesterday about 4:30 PM, and today I need to try to figure out out meal plan for the next week... (Akward pause, deeps sighs and dread........)

So, HOPEFULLY I can successfully figure out our meals. It would be NO help to make a meal plan, if it weren't able to accomplish what it is supposed to, you know, less chaos at dinner time, money saving, etc.

Soooo, here are our meals:

Monday- Sloppy Joes, french fries, veggie

Tuesday- Tuna Noodle Casserole (tuna, noodles, veggie)

Wednesday- Grilled Chops, veggie

Thursday- Chicken/ Broccoli Casserole

Friday- Pizza, homemade breadsticks

Saturday- Leftovers/or Out to Eat

Sunday- Grill Somethin' including garden veggies!!! Mmmm!

SO, there it is... this took me about 2 hours to figure out between phone calls and laundry, cleaning and feeding baby. So, what are YOU eating this week???

For more menu plans, go to org junkie.com.

We're BACK! And WInner Coming SOON!

2009-07-13T08:12:00.002-04:00

Yes, we made it back yesterday late afternoon, and I am one tired mama. I slept hard, and Today, I will be working hard!

I will be posting the winner to the Eco-Store Giveaway, later this afternoon.

And don't worry, more posts and giveaways are in the future! (I knew you were worried about that! ;) ) So stay tuned, for more posts and winners later today!!!!!!!!

...now if I could just get back in the groove again...

Ho Hum...

2009-07-08T19:33:00.004-04:00

Man, being in Florida, I keep wanting to stop at Publix, stop at CVS, SOMEWHERE! I can hardly stand NOT deal shopping! But, along with deal shopping, SOMETIMES you get a little burn out. And I was getting there, a little. So, as MUCH as I want to go DEAL shopping, I also DON'T want to burn out on it.

If you have been deal shopping for a while, and you start to get a little burn out, JUST STOP. Stop for a week, or 2. It DOES help. Plus, if you allow yourself to get burnt out, then are you helping save your family money?

So, instead of getting more burned out, I am going to fight the urge to go shopping (even though I DID bring my coupons with me...). And I am going to work on the thing I need to work on here, and enjoy a little down time with my son...

We Made It!

2009-07-07T23:00:00.000-04:00

My son, Caden & I made it to Florida safely yesterday. We made a brief stop at the Disney Marketplace (Disney Shops on the Disney complex). My niece and Caden LOVED it.

We arrived at Ft Myers LATE last night. When we woke today, we got a lot accomplished and even got to make a run to the beach tonight! We were hoping to see the sunset but got to see this beautiful view instead:

Thank you for all of your prayers! I will try to keep you updated, as well as maybe blog a little!!! Talk to you all soon!

Pray for Me Today!

2009-07-05T11:00:00.000-04:00

Right now, I am on my way, with my mother, my son Caden and my niece, to Florida. I decided to help my mom pack up my grandpa's Florida home and put it on the market for sale. He is now in a nursing home, and we have to get this house ready ASAP to sell quickly.

Please pray that we have safe travel, and that we accomplish all that we need to during this week. Our travel time from Northern Indiana to Ft. Myer, Florida is about 20-21 hours. We will be resting at night and driving during the day.

Thank you so much for keeping us in your prayers today. I will try to keep you updated and posting throughout the week still. Because hopefully we will be getting to enjoy ourselves a little this week!

Talk to you all soon!

Help Finding the Good Deals for this Week!

2009-07-05T06:00:00.000-04:00

If you are like me, you need help finding the good deals, because well... there just isn't enough time in the day! And any additional help is always welcome! So, here are some shopping resources (with their links) to look at to find the deals this week:

Daily Essentials and Deals. Posts for Meijer, Kroger, and links for CVS & Walgreen's. Also, posts for Menard's, a great way to do the deal shopping for the MAN in your life!
Mommy Snacks. This is a site that I have just started exploring, and she also posts many great deals to different stores, including CVS, Walgreen's & Rite-Aid.
Deal Seeking Mom. This site includes many different stores, like CVS, Walgreen's, Rite-Aid, Meijer, Wal-Mart, Aldi's, Kroger, and more.

The reason I don't just look at ONE site, is because everyone has their own take on the deals that week. So, it is great to be able see several different people's deal scenarios.

If you are just beginning in this little journey many call "Deal Shopping", you can start HERE and see how I do it. I budget $70 per week for our family of 6. This includes diapers to dish soap, cereal to cleaners, veggies, fruits, breads, meats, EVERYTHING.

Try this for about 2 or 3 months before you give it up. I was able to see a difference almost immediately, just shopping the deals and get absolute necessities. But you may need a little more time depending on how much you currently have in your cupboards.

Don't forget to print off your new coupons on our right sidebar. There are NEW coupons up now, so check them out! Also, don't forget to get your Sunday paper, or if your Sunday paper is like mine and a little weak in the coupons, check out this site where you can purchase your coupons. It's great if your like to purchase multiples, and/or go in on it with someone else!

If you have questions, just ask! Have a great shopping week!!!

Happy Birthday America!

2009-07-04T06:00:00.000-04:00

Here's to a great 4th of July! May your weekend be fun and SAFE! Have a great weekend!

Weekend Inspiration will not be posted today, because of the holiday weekend. See you next Saturday!

New Swagbucks Perk...

2009-07-02T20:00:00.001-04:00

You have probably heard me talk about how great I think Swagbucks is. (You know, doing searches, earning money, FOR FREE>) Well, Swagbucks just keeps on getting better!

They JUST added Paypal to their list of gift cards. For 80 Swagbucks, you can get $5 to go toward your Paypal account. You know Paypal. You can take money from Paypal and put into your checking or savings account, and you can pay bills!

Swagbucks said they saw the need in these hard economic times to offer something like Paypal. I think it is an awesome idea!

TO kick it off, Swagbucks is offering NEW MEMBERS 5 Swagbucks to start off their new account. All you have to do is enter CASHISKING for the registration code, and they will give you 5 Swagbucks. The code expires on July 6th at 12pm PST. So hurry!

And to remind you all, if you have Swagbucks or if you are new to Swagbucks, ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS NORMAL SEARCHES TO EARN SWAGBUCKS! That's it! You can add a Widget like mine to your blog or download their toolbar to your computer, and keep searching! Then earn money for whatever!

Have fun!

In His Word Wednesday- Life in Christ

2009-07-01T09:00:00.000-04:00

(Psa 65:1) O God, it is right for us to praise you in Zion and keep our promises to you,
(Psa 65:2) because you answer prayers. People everywhere will come to you
(Psa 65:3) on account of their sins. Our faults defeat us, but you forgive them.
(Psa 65:4) Happy are those whom you choose, whom you bring to live in your sanctuary. We shall be satisfied with the good things of your house, the blessings of your sacred Temple.
(Psa 65:5) You answer us by giving us victory, and you do wonderful things to save us. People all over the world and across the distant seas trust in you.
(Psa 65:6) You set the mountains in place by your strength, showing your mighty power.
(Psa 65:7) You calm the roar of the seas and the noise of the waves; you calm the uproar of the peoples.
(Psa 65:8) The whole world stands in awe of the great things that you have done. Your deeds bring shouts of joy from one end of the earth to the other.

All of Psalm 65 is beautiful, and I encourage you to read it.

I know I am not the only one to thing, what if I gave God up right now? What would my life be like? Well, I always get the same answer. What can I do? What can I do in comparison to what MY GOD can do? I look at my imperfect existence and I don't want this forever! I want to live in a PERFECT EXISTENCE with GOD!

The Earth cries out, the mountains move through HIS prompting, the sparrows are fed, and WE ARE FORGIVEN ALL! Who DOESN'T want to serve an AWESOME GOD who promises all of this AND MORE?

If you don't know about God and who He is, don't be afraid to ask! It is NEVER too late. No matter what we have done. No matter where we have been. Nothing that has happened before in our lives matters. NOTHING! And that is a promise! Not by me, But my awesome God. All are forgiven, we just need to come to Him and ask. Asking does take some humility but, we can do it. Push that pride aside. Push that FEAR aside. I have to do this DAILY. And each time, He washes me clean of all sins.

In turn, I TRY as hard as my Earthly body can to serve Him and tell of His great love and forgiveness.

If you want to be a child of God, if you want His promise of being His Forever, If you want to be forgiven every sin, pray this today:

God, thank you for being there for me today. I am sorry it has taken me this long to come to you, but today I KNOW beyond a shadow of a doubt that you love me. God, please forgive me for all of those things that I have done before. I am sorry for those things, and I don't want those hanging over my life anymore.

Thank you for your love and please help me to feel you in my life today. Help me to strive to be a better person, the person YOU want me to be. Thanks for all you have done and all you are about to do in my life. I love you! ~Amen

If you prayed this prayer today, and you want to talk to me, e-mail me HERE. Or if you need us to pray for you, leave a comment. But talk to SOMEONE. Let them celebrate with you that TODAY is the start of the rest of your life in God.

To see more encouragement and prayers, go HERE.

Vacationing with Family- Check it Out!

2009-06-30T12:00:00.000-04:00

On my other blog, I have been posting tips and trick for traveling with family, including those little ones! Check it out, and maybe some of these ideas will be helpful for you as you travel this summer!

WINNER of over $400 in Kiss My Face Products!

2009-06-30T09:00:00.000-04:00

CONGRATULATIONS TO~

Random Integer Generator
Here are your random numbers: 117
Timestamp: 2009-06-30 13:40:02 UTC

Winner is:
Just for Me & You, Megan & Erica!!!

Congratulations! I just sent you an e-mail!

Thanks you so much for all of you who entered, and keep checking back for more great giveaways coming up shortly!!!

EASY Chicken & Broccoli Casserole

2009-06-29T11:37:00.000-04:00

Have I ever told you that I love EASY recipes??? Well, in case you haven't heard me say it a thousand times.... I DO! I am all about easy, healthy and frugal. Sometimes it is tough to get all of those into one recipe. Sometimes you get lucky!

I came across this recipe recently, on the back of a "Jiffy" Baking Mix box, funny enough. I saw it, and had to whip something up in a JIFFY (haha). I saw this recipe and I had all of the ingredients, so I thought we would try it.

And it was a hit! After boy#1 got over his "trying new foods" fear, then he even decides he liked it. So, it is now a permanent on our recipe rotation....

Chicken & Broccoli Casserole (with adaptations by ME!)

1 C. "Jiffy" Baking mix, other baking mix, or even pancake mix will work well!
1 large can or 2 small cans (about 4-5 oz) Chicken
3 eggs
1 C. milk
1 1/2 C. Shredded Cheddar Cheese
1 pkg. (about 10-12 oz) frozen broccoli or other frozen veggie (we have used corn with success!)
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Spray a casserole dish with non-stick spray.

Place chicken, veggies & cheese in dish.
In a separate bowl, blend baking mix, milk, eggs, salt & pepper. Blend with whisk, until combined! Pour over chicken mixture in casserole dish.

Bake for 35-45 minutes (until knife inserted in the middle comes out clean). Let cool a few minutes then serve!

Like I said, this is a very easy, cheap and pretty healthy recipe. The total cost of this dinner is probably not over $3. Which is great, and depending on the food in your area, and if you shop coupons and sales, you will PROBABLY be able to get this cheaper!

Enjoy!

Weekend Inspiration

2009-06-27T05:00:00.008-04:00

Encouragement:

Ecc 9:7-9 "Go ahead---eat your food and be happy; drink your wine and be cheerful. It's all right with God. Always look happy and cheerful. Enjoy life with the one you love, as long as you live the useless life that God has given you in this world. Enjoy every useless day of it, because that is all you will get for all your trouble."

Wow. I don't remember reading those verses before. But what an encouragement that God is in control. We can work to try to achieve riches, and it can all be taken away. Or we can enjoy what the Lord has given us, and it is up to Him how long we enjoy it.

WE ARE NOT IN CONTROL.

Enjoy what you have and make the most of everyday God has given you.

Try Something New:\

In going with our verses above, I want to encourage you all to get out and do something with your family. Something meaningful. Go to the zoo. Go for a picnic. Go to a museum. What does your family enjoy? Go do it! Make some memories that your children (and/or grandchildren) will remember.

This weekend, we are going to the Dunes along Lake Michigan. I will always remember this place, because my husband proposed to me there. Now 11 years later, I get to take my children back there. They are going to love it. Climbing the sand hills, playing in the water... It isn't anything that will cost much but it will make lots of memories.

So, again, I encourage you to enjoy what God has given you. Get out there with that wonderful family that God has blessed you with. Have a great weekend!

Eco Store- Review & Giveaway!

2009-06-25T11:37:00.001-04:00

I was recently contacted by Eco Store, a company who makes eco friendly, plant-based household cleaning products. They sent me 2 products to try out. They sent me the Citrus Spray Cleaner and the Baby Body Wash.

The first thing I tried out was the Citrus Spray Cleaner. I happened to have, at the time, red kool-aid on my white laminate counter top. Which I usually have a tough time getting out. I sprayed down my counters with the cleaner, and wiped it up with a wash cloth. To my satisfaction, it was clean! The smell? Well, there really isn't much of a smell. Definitely no chemical smell. Which makes me happy! I HATE using chemicals on my counters and table. I know our food touches these surfaces and I want them clean, but I don't want to fear the chemicals on them either. This cleaner made me feel very good about my counters.

Second, I tried the Baby Body Wash. It got sudsy like it needs to, and it washed clean. The smell? I had a very light eucalyptus-y smell. After bath, the skin felt nice and soft. And smelled clean! Plus, you know it makes you feel good when you are putting something on your baby's skin that has no nasty chemicals!

They have a lot of products ranging from Baby care, to bath, to household & laundry. They even have pet care products!

I would personally recommend their products!

Eco-Store has recently been sold in the USA, and is available throughout the MidWest in most Meijer stores. Yes! You probably have seen these products but never paid much attention to them! They are also available on-line from their web site. And will be expanding nationally!

So, does this sound like something you'd like to try? Well, you can WIN a $25 gift certificate here to EcoStore on-line! Here is how:

Go to EcoStore on-line and tell me which products you would like to try.
Sign-up for the EcoStore newsletter on their blog (for Updates, coupons, deals and more!), and leave me a comment telling me you did.
Twitter about this giveaway, and leave a link.
Blog about this giveaway, and leave a link.
Follow our blog, or tell us you already are.
Subscribe to our blog, or tell us you already are.

There you go! Another great Eco-Friendly product!

Giveaway ends 07/12.

EcoStore is also giving one person a chance to win $500 Visa Card! This is good through June 29th, so enter before then!

Check Out these Giveaways!

2009-06-25T11:16:00.002-04:00

Here are a few things for you to check out:

Ultra HD Flip Video Camera from MommySnacks! This would be wonderful to win! But hurry, this one ends Sunday!
Don't forget about the Complete Laundry System! This giveaway of the laundry system plus MORE, ends in 2 days!
"See Kai Run" toddler shoes giveaway. Very cute, durable shoes for those little ones! Ends 6/30!
UV SKinz Giveaway. This is for any one item from UV SKinz! Nice!
Don't forget about our giveaway here for over $400 worth of Kiss My Face face cleaners, lip shimmers and glosses, and sun care! Ends 6/29!

New Giveaways coming!