Some of my New Favorite Blogs!

I'm on a savings kick! Aren't we all with this economy, trouble in the Middle East and the general uncertainty of life lately? Besides that, TLC did that Extreme Couponing show last month and got me thinking....Why do I pay for toothpaste? I mean really, $5/tube for the sensitive stuff that just gets spit out?

I used every excuse in the book before...I don't have time! We don't have any stores that double coupons. We don't use the stuff that they have coupons in the paper! Well! I'm here to tell you that I was wrong! We do have one store that doubles on Saturdays, up to 70 cents and Kmart has double coupons from time to time. I have also decided that it is worth it to try new brands to save money. I also learned to work the sales like a pro!

Yesterday, I went to CVS to get the Colgate Sensitive toothpaste that is on sale this week. I broke up my order into 3 transactions, so I didn't spend as much out of pocket. Here's how it all went down:

Transaction #1

Colgate Sensitive $3.79 -$1 coupon (Q) ...Received a $3.79 Extra Care Buck (ECB) to use on my next order
Ladies Speed Stick $2.99 - .50 Q ...Received a $2 ECB

Paid $5.91 OOP (out of pocket)

Trans #2
Colgate Sensitive - $3.79 - $1 Q ....received $3.79 ECB
2 pack of Reach toothbrushes $3.99 - $2 Q ...received $2 ECB

Used my $ 2 and  $3.79 ECBs from the first transaction

Paid $0.03 OOP!

Trans #3
2 Emerald Pecans which are on a buy one get one free (BOGO!) $3.89 minus a $1.50/2 Q

Used my $2 ECB

Paid $0.59 OOP!!!

My total out of pocket was $6.53!!!

So where do you go to learn how to do it?

The Krazy Coupon Lady
Hip2Save
We Use Coupons

Start there and be prepared to be amazed!

Start! The Bible for New Believers, NKJV, a review

Book Description (What they say)

Start! The Bible for New Believers, NKJV was developed to help those beginning a brand new life of faith to place their trust in Jesus Christ while refreshing the foundations of the faith for longtime believers. START! is designed to take the hand of a new believer, or perhaps a believer who does not know their way around the Bible as they ought to, and lead them through. All of the notes are written to be understandable, conversational, and friendly while never assume that the reader knows what all the words mean. Start! The Bible for New Believers focuses on basic discipleship with articles and devotions on subjects including prayer, Bible study, church involvement, sharing your faith, and discovering God's will. Core biblical themes are introduced at basic levels of theological sophistication and presented in very simple language. Features include: · Grow entries, revealing key disciplines of the Christian life. · Know articles, exposing the core beliefs of Christians. · Live messages, focusing on various aspects of salvation. · Learn notes, providing mini-commentaries on key passages for spiritual growth. · Topical Index to articles and Scriptures · Secrets to Spiritual Success from the General Editor Greg Laurie – a crusading pastor and author who has impacted over four million people with the Gospel message, and seen well over 340,000 people come forward to make professions of faith in Christ.

 My Take

The Start! Bible is a great resource for new Christians. The NKJV is a great bridge between the traditional King James Version and our modern language. The Start! Bible starts with the plan of salvation and Secrets to Spiritual Success. It ends with What Every Christian Needs to Know about God and Jesus. It also has a topical index. Each chapter contains an introduction which sets the stage for readers to better understand where the writer is coming from. I love that chapters are broken up with subtitles that help new Christians find their way in the Bible. Key scriptures are printed in bold, large fonts. Know, Learn, Grow and Live sections provide application.

The Start! Bible would be a great Bible to provide new Christians or for ministers who work with new Christians.


I was provided this book for free in exchange for my review through the Thomas Nelson Booksneeze program.

I am a Promise!

Just sharing some of the cutest kids in the world!

Heaven Is For Real!

Book Description from the publisher:

A young boy emerges from life-saving surgery with remarkable stories of his visit to heaven.
Heaven Is for Real is the true story of the four-year old son of a small town Nebraska pastor who during emergency surgery slips from consciousness and enters heaven. He survives and begins talking about being able to look down and see the doctor operating and his dad praying in the waiting room. The family didn't know what to believe but soon the evidence was clear.
Colton said he met his miscarried sister whom no one had told him about, and his great grandfather who died 30 years before Colton was born, then shared impossible-to-know details about each. He describes the horse that only Jesus could ride, about how "reaaally big" God and his chair are, and how the Holy Spirit "shoots down power" from heaven to help us.
Told by the father but often in Colton's own words, the disarmingly simple message is heaven is a real place, Jesus really loves children, and be ready there is a coming last battle.

My Take:

Born and raised in a Baptist preacher's home, I was always taught to be skeptical of anyone's near death experience, so it was with skepticism that I approached this book. I was pleasantly surprised though. I'm the mom of a 4 year old, who like Colton, has been in church her whole life. I know what she knows about the Bible, because for the most part, I'm the one who taught her. The descriptions of Colton are far from what is contained in the preschool Sunday school curriculum. Beyond my own skeptical nature, this book is a wonderful testimony of God's love and faithfulness. It was uplifting to read. It is thought provoking and emotion invoking!

As I was curled up in bed reading, my 4 year old came in and curled up next to me and said, "Read to me, Mommy!" So, we laid in bed together reading about Colton's heavenly experiences. She loved the book which got me thinking about her imaginary friend, Inky. Could Inky be an angel or the Holy Spirit? We never know what children are able to understand in the spirit.

Check it out for yourself! I would love to hear other people's take on it!

My next book review will be Start! The Bible for New Believers. I can't wait to check this one out! Here's a sample for you!

I was provided this book for free in exchange for my review through the Thomas Nelson Booksneeze program.

Menu Planning...trying again!

I'm terrible about meal planning which means that I end up going to the grocery (WalMart) 3-4 times a week. I know...crazy! I know that if I would shop for two weeks at a time, I would save money and stress. So, here I am trying again!

I have created a list of meals... actually, I borrowed one from here and personalized it for my family. I have shared it via Google Documents for everyone. I printed out the list of meal ideas and the menu planning form from the about.com site. I'm the type of person who likes to work on the computer, but really want something in writing when it comes to menu planning, so I laminated both the meals list and the menu planning form. I have a Vis-a- Vis marker that I'm using to write  on the laminated pages, so I can wipe them clean and make new plans. I like that I can mark out meals on the list that I have used, so hopefully we can get some variety in our meals! Currently, I'm focusing on planning suppers and weekend lunches, but eventually I hope to plan breakfast lunch and supper. One thing I should have done is print the menu planner on both sides, so I could plan an entire month at a time.

Looking at my plan for the next week, I will need to go to the grocery this weekend to get bread and milk, but I can do that at our locally owned grocery or dollar store, rather than running to WalMart. We'll see how it goes!

So many thoughts...so little brain to think them...

Ready for an emotional one? It was June. The summer garden was starting to produce; the heat starting to become more oppressive by the day, when I get an email from my aunt who lives about 800 miles away. Her daughter has three children in foster care, and the social workers are talking about taking them away permanently. The state wants to know if anyone in the family would like to take them in to their home. We've been through this before with her first child. To say the least, it was ugly, lots of hurt feelings and broken relationships. I was glad to be 800 miles from the epicenter of it all, a bystander, not required to choose sides...Here we stand again though, this time, I'm in a different place in my life. I have a child close in age to the kids. I'm in a stable relationship. I'm financially secure. And the question is being asked...Will you?

After a much too brief discussion with my husband, who I was positive would say no, we agreed to take the two little girls. All this was dependent on the court's decision to end my cousin's parental rights. The little boy would go with his uncle. We just don't have room. We have 2 adult children, one living with us, one in college, and a little girl.

 At heart, I'm a planner, so my first response was, "We need bunk beds! We need money to travel 800 miles to get our new girls! We need to save all of E's clothes that she grows out of for the little one. What am I going to do about homeschooling? What about my job? Taking one little girl to work at the office is one thing, but 3? My car! How am I going to fit 3 car seats in the back of my car??? Three teenage girls? We need a gun! College??? Weddings?" LOL I know, I totally get ahead of myself sometimes. Thankfully, I have a wonderful, procrastinating and often pessimistic husband to keep me grounded. While I'm shopping for bunk beds online, he's certain of God's provision and the government agencies' lack of organization to get any thing done in a speedy manner.

Fast forward to 3 weeks ago, God shows Himself in the circumstances: 1)I got a letter from an organization that I had worked for over the summer that was unable to pay me. The letter said that they knew that they owed me over $1000 and that they would be paying me by November 15. Thank you God! Won't that be a wonderful Christmas bonus? Yeah, I think God had other plans, because a few days later, 2) I got a call from my aunt. Social Services wants my information, so they can start doing background checks. They have a court date and hope to be ready to be able to give us the kids in December. There is still the possibility that another chance will be given to the mom, but right now it isn't looking good for her. 3)My brother, Mike, was given a set of bunk beds. He didn't know what to do with them, but decided to keep them in case someone needed them. Isn't it amazing how God works?

My husband, the pessimist, is afraid that I'm getting too excited, that I'm going to have my heart broken if this doesn't happen. He doesn't know that if this doesn't work out, I'm thinking we should go through the foster care classes and look for other little girls that need a home. Honestly, I will be terribly devastated if something happens and we can't have them. I know my aunt is grieving right now with the possibility of having 2 grand daughters move 800 miles away. I feel for her. I can't imagine losing my child, but my heart is already in love with two little girls that I have never even met. I always thought that E would be my one and only. I thought God was done with me. Now He's opened up this possibility in my heart, and I'm afraid to believe that it could be real. That I could be mama to three little girls! Please God let the answers come quickly...I don't know if I can stand waiting!

Adventures in Booga Booga Land - Volume 1 (DVD)

 This week I'm reviewing a kids' DVD for Thomas Nelson's Booksneeze program.

The introduction episode introduces us to  the Marty the monkey and Gerard the Giraffe. Each adventure relates to the parables of Jesus. Episode 1 conveys the parable of The Workers in the Vineyard with its story of how Marty and Gerard get a job  and learns that the boss, Stan, can be generous to others who don't deserve it. Episodes 2 portrays Marty and Gerard as the Wise and Foolish Builders.  The final episode,  The Lamp under The Bowl, features our heroes building a lighthouse and keeping it lit.  These stories are appropriate for early elementary aged children.

I watched the DVD with my 4 year old daughter. Personally, it lacked substance for me, but she loved it. The animation and silly situational comedy reminded me of several cartoons that come on the kids channels that contain such questionable material...think cellulose in pants. There were instances of minor violence, Marty's improper use of power tools and Gerard's using dynamite to explode the rocks, but over all it was nothing compared to what is found on TV. I didn't find it offensive, but then I don't leave power tools laying around for my daughter to find. 

The lighthouse episode totally lost me. It was unclear what the light was that Marty and Gerard were catching in the bottles that eventually provided light for the lighthouse.

Overall, my child loved it. She watched it over and over again which is honestly the true test of a good kids DVD.

I was provided this DVD for free in exchange for my review through the Thomas Nelson Booksneeze program.