Art Journaling!

I love contests! And I absolutely adore looking at mixed media and people's art journals. So, as I was looking at Journal Artista's blog the other day. I stumbled across an art journal stencil contest. I decided to give it a go, but sadly, I had gotten rid of all of my stencils a few years back when stenciling went out of style.

So what do you do when you don't have a something and you "need" it? Go shopping? Not on Dave Ramsey! I found a card stock cut out in my scrapping supply that had the shape I wanted and used it! This is the page that my 5 year old and I worked on together. I had this little drawing that she had done when she was 4 that I loved and wanted to do something with....honestly, I have lots of little drawings that she did laying around that I want to do something with!

This is the little artist with what I thought was her finished project.....Again, I was wrong! The little artist got my embellishments and decorated a little more!

 Well, since this is easy enough for a 5 year old...I decided to try it! We are leaving later today for a our anniversary weekend get-away, so I wanted to do something about travel and relaxing! I found this super cute word art from Digital Scrapbooking Place.

We are going to the bayou's of Louisiana, Avery Island where Tabasco is made and maybe a little fishing for my husband. I wanted this page to remind me of the bayou, so I picked greens, blues and browns. I used the same chipboard cut-out that we used for my daughter's, but I used a bracket.
I used a vellum butterfly, but had a little trouble with it. For some reason, vellum doesn't seem to like acrylic medium. The butterfly kept trying to fly off the page! Maybe I'll look for something different to glue down vellum. Any suggestions? Thanks for looking!

My new menu planning board

Ugly picture in a perfect frame from a garage sale.....$1
Scrapbook paper, ribbon and decorations.....free....given to me by a friend
Letters....$3.49 from Michael's
EXPO marker....on hand
This idea was borrowed from Recycled Interiors. She used fabric which would have prevented the seam that I have on mine, but  it isn't too noticeable.

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Daddy Dates

I think Greg Wright may have stolen this idea from my dad! Not really, I think that God speaks to godly men when they truly seek Him. I wanted to read this book specifically because my father "dated" my sister and me. It is a concept that my parents came up with when we were kids and honestly, it works! My sister and I both have high expectations of what a future spouse should be. Hers are so high, she never plans on marrying, but don't blame that on the dates.

I remember people looking at me strangely when I would tell them about "dating" my dad, because our world doesn't understand the concept of dating to connect with a person on a deeper level, but rather our world sees dating as a means to an end. (While I'm talking about this, if you aren't "dating" your spouse, you need to commit to doing that too!) This book is filled with ways to understand and communicate with your daughter. Wright is humorous and heartfelt in his accounts of his experiences. It is an easy read that will help not only fathers better communicate, but is a great read for moms too.

Oh, and if you are a single guy looking for dating tips....pick up this book too! Follow his 2 rules of dating, no dinner and no movie...come up with something original that she would like to do that doesn't involve staring at something other than her and you will do well with women!

I received this book FREE via Booksneeze for the purpose of this review, and no other monetary compensation was received.  All opinions are 100% mine. 

Money Secrets of the Amish

When I asked for this book, I was thinking it might tell me to go off the power grid and start canning my own food that I grow. Well, since I'm a blogger and manage a web-based business, going off the grid was out and my small garden doesn't provide enough to survive on all year.

But that wasn't what this book was about at all! Money Secrets of the Amish is practical advice for the everyday "Englisher" (anyone not Amish). Use it up! Wear it out! Make do! Or Do without! De-spoil the kids! Don't Eat the Marshmallow! Shopping second-hand! Things we all know, but need to relearn and put into practice more often.

My favorite idea is in the chapter on Rethinking Gifts. The author, while not willing to go completely Amish in gift-giving, implements the principal of the three wise men: "We each get something we want, something we need and a surprise!" What a great way to curb the gimme's during the holiday!

Some books, I read once and then pass along, but Money Secrets of the Amish is one book that will be used as a reference in the future!

I received this book FREE via Booksneeze for the purpose of this review, and no other monetary compensation was received.  All opinions are 100% mine. 

God's Promises for the American Patriot

For months now, I have been listening to the news talking about all of the conflict in America. We have political conflict, racial conflict and class warfare. We have arguments about the direction of our country. We have large group of people who fear the financial future of our government. On the other side stands a group of people who seek to have the government level the playing field for all people, sometimes at the expense of those who have worked hard to get ahead. 

Then I heard a commentator say that the conflicts we now face are not the worst conflicts of our American history. The Civil War was. Then God led me to this quote from Abraham Lincoln in God's Promises for the American Patriot:

 "We have been the recipients of the choicest bounties of Heaven. We have been preserved, these many years, in peace and prosperity. We have grown in numbers, wealth and power, as no other nation has ever grown. But we have forgotten God. We have forgotten the gracious hand which preserved us in peace, and multiplied and enriched and strengthened us; and we have vainly imagined, in the deceitfulness of our hearts, that all these blessings were produced by some superior wisdom and virtue of our own. Intoxicated with unbroken success, we have become too self-sufficient to feel the necessity of redeeming and preserving grace, too proud to pray to the God that made us!
It behooves us then, to humble ourselves before the offended Power, to confess our national sins, and to pray for clemency and forgiveness."

It is so true! If you have someone who loves America and is looking for quick daily devotional, this is a great gift! When I am done with it, I plan on sending it to a soldier with a thank you note for their service. What have you done for your country lately? 

I received this book FREE via Booksneeze for the purpose of this review, and no other monetary compensation was received.  All opinions are 100% mine. 

May Budget Challenge!

Do you ever feel that your budget is out of control? I know I do. Even though we are saving money and not using the credit card. I still feel like we could be doing more. So, this month I am challenging myself to write it down! I want to know where the money is going this month.

So, is any one willing to do it with me? Anyone up for a budget challenge? What if there were a prize at the end of the month? I'm not going to say what the prize is yet, but I will come up with one if someone join me!