Free groceries!

Today we took advantage of a deal at a local furniture store, netting a new dining room table and four chairs and a certificate for $500 worth of groceries!
Basically for the next 20 months, we buy groceries every month (at the same store), submit up to $100 worth of receipts and then get a $25 gift card per month. Pretty interesting concept. So, of course with coupons and store sales, wow! Imagine the deals and stock!
I am also pretty excited to be getting a new dining room table! :) Ours was worse for wear before we had human kids! We bought it back in '99 or so, when we were in North Carolina. The cats, our kids then, scratched it up some, especially when they used it as a launch pad! They would sit on the table in order to look out the kitchen windows. So when they wanted to get off the table, they would take off. Or sometimes, if they were going at a full run, they'd jump on the table and slide for a little bit.
And then my DH decided to use it as a saw-horse so the table has a couple chunks missing! It's been around a while, especially considering that we'd been in five different houses! As C says, it's the only table our family has known. And, truth be told, we didn't use it much until we had kids. When we get the new table this week, the old one will go into the basement, to be used in my "craft corner."
Getting a new table was one of those things on "Our List." The need has come up now that M is sitting at the table with us. She is still in her high chair, which has been lowered to table height and the tray has been removed so she is eating from the table. But eventually she will need her own chair. Oh, yeah, we only have three chairs as the fourth was broken somehow.
So the grocery deal made it enticing to get a new table. We had thought to get a new mattress too but shopping for that will HAVE to be done without kids. The girls were OK at the furniture store but S wanted attention and M, although in the umbrella stroller, tired quickly of sitting in it. And it was tight to maneuver the stroller around the store at times.
How does one shop for a mattress anyhow?? In my opinion you really don't know how it will work until you've had a chance to "sleep on it" for a while. But it seems to be that you can't simply return a mattress after a couple weeks. You almost have to take your chances that what feels right or OK on the showroom will be the same way when you bring it home to sleep on for years to come!

Friendship Bread

A couple weeks ago, I was given some starter batter for Amish Friendship Bread. I haven't seen Amish Friendship Bread since I was in high school and my mother was making it with her friends!

So this time around, a friend "gave" some to me because she did not intend to make it. Not enough time, she said.

OK. I decided to give it a go. I had to add some more ingredients to the bread and then divide it into four bags. There was batter in the bowl yet, which I was able to then take and make into bread by adding yet more ingredients, including vanilla instant pudding mix!

The bread came out real yummy. I was pretty darn proud of myself.

I was concerned on who would take the other starter breads. Thankfully I had a lunch date with some ladies from church, who took the bags off my hands!

AND I gave a bag back to my friend who originally gave me a starter bag! I haven't heard if she ever got around to making it. She swore then that she was going to get another starter bag to me. Ha!

Another friend of mine said she and her friends had a nickname for this Friendship Bread. Wish I could remember because it was pretty funny.

Future quilter

This week we focused on the letter Q. We talked about Queen and read and talked about Queen Esther. Then we talked about Quilts. I found a great craft on-line so that S could make a paper quilt block. On her own, she colored each piece. Some were solid colors and others had circles inside, framed by a color. Turns out that we were then able to make a pattern based on what she colored!

She had fun putting it all together. Maybe when she gets older we can try to make a quilt. I will, however, need to call on my close friend A for pointers!! She makes amazing quilts!

I am looking forward to R next week, and not just because I put that lesson together! One of the activities I found was a Rocket Day, in which we do all sorts of activities to pretend we are astronauts in space! And maybe I can find some freeze dried ice cream!

Like how S drew a person "sleeping" under the quilt. :)

To be His daughter

I’m doing a book study after all this winter.
In the last couple weeks, I felt God convicting me to face my past, which will help me build a stronger foundation as His daughter.
So I am doing a book study on Lies Women Believe by Nancy Leigh DeMoss.
It’s a book that has been in my radar; something I’d see in a catalogue, glance at, let click in my mind before moving on to something else. I even saw last semester that it was being offered but intended to take this semester off to do other things.
God had other plans!
I guess I was curious enough about the book but, to be brutally honest with myself, I was afraid to get it/read it because I didn’t want to face the lies I have been fed, led to all my life. Lies I willingly believed even.
Through different signs from God, I agreed with Him that I was meant to read this book and do the study. I don't know that I would have read the book on my own, honestly, again because I was afraid to see the real me.
Going through the first chapter today didn’t quite scare me off but I know I have a long road ahead, one that will reveal even more lies that I was unaware of.
That is how Satan works. He tells such deceptive/clever/sweet lies. And, without the right tools, like God’s truth, we eat them up.
I know there are A LOT of lies/sins in my foundation. A lot! I did not grow up in a Christian home. We were Sunday worshipers during my childhood and I stopped attending church in high school. I did not know what it meant to have a close personal relationship with God. I did not know truly what Christmas was about or what Easter was about. They were just holidays really. We did not read the bible or have family devotions. I did not know that God was someone I could talk to at any time; someone to turn to in times of need and celebration. He was just someone out there, untouchable, cold, hard, unforgiving.
And so, probably as a matter of survival, I’ve been in the mindset that what is in the past is in the past and move on.
Lies!! All of it!
Now, I am not saying that now, as a Christian, I am perfect. FAR from it!! I fail God, my husband, my children, myself on a nearly daily basis.
But, as I have thought about this book, I know that in order for me to live as Christ would, to be a true daughter of His, to be one to enjoy a good marriage and have Godly children, I need to address who I am, faults and all. I need to break from the bondage of these lies that fill my life.
The lies grab us, even more so as Christians because Satan is out to get us. He doesn’t want us to have a relationship with God. He wants to break us.
I see that as a Christian woman in today’s society. It’s a hard job. A lonely one. And it becomes so tiring that we fall prey to the prowling Lion.
We are constantly bombarded from all ends, which causes us to question who we are; what is our identity in Christ? Family members question and mock me for my decisions and how I raise my children. Who are you, they think, to be a Christian given your past? Friends, especially non-believers, also poke at my weak foundation. They don’t know me all that well but they do _____ so why shouldn’t I? Why should I make them look bad?
And society and all the media forms….don’t get me started! There is absolutely no support from those outlets. Christian women are left feel alone, to struggle with their identity. They are made to feel like some goodie two-shoes and outcasts.
SO I am hoping this study will reveal the lies in my life. Help me to address them. To recognize all the lies. To learn to resist the lies. And especially help to equip me more with God’s True Word so that I can stand firm as a Christian woman, wife, mother and daughter of my King.

More deals!

I think I am starting to get a hang of this couponing thing. I went to the grocery store and spent about $40 on two transactions with a total of over $40 in savings with sales and coupons!!
I had to remind myself to do two transactions to, as the cashier remarked, get the best bang for my buck since today is double coupon day!
Some of the items I saved on: store brand cheese (99 cents); Pillsbury Savorings (2/$6, minus 2 $1 off coupons, which were doubled); baby carrots and hamburger buns were B1G1; Totinos Pizza rolls (2/$5 minus a $1/2 coupon, which was doubled); and Romano Macaroni Grill meals were on sale (2/$7) so I got to use two coupons for $1.10 off! I also took advantage of the boneless, skinless chicken breast sale. I bought a couple packages that will go right in the freezer, unless I decide to cook them up right away to save some time in the future when making meals.
I also made sure to steer clear of the cashier I had last week because I had Internet coupons in my pile. I don't think he would have been happy to see me again!
The cashier I had today was AWESOME! She didn't bother to scan the Internet coupons, instead just typing them in by hand! So easy! Why couldn't the guy do that last week?? And she made sure to point out that I had a B1G1 opportunity. The bag lady was also very good in bagging everything up right.
All in all another good shopping day!

Date night!!

I'm so excited! My $15 gift card came in the mail today from Oil of Olay!!! :)
I had gotten the card by buying Olay Regenerist products last month, which I got for GREAT deals! I turned in the UPC codes, dropped the form in the mail and now here it is!
I'll combine this card with a little rebate I got from SC Johnson and Chris and I can enjoy a nice date. Now we just need to schedule a date. :)

Music is my life

I love music. I love music to meditate to. I love music to dance to. I love music that moves and inspires. I love music for praise and worship.
I recall as a child listening to Oldies and Classic Rock. I went through a hair band, rock-n-roll phase; due to a boy, of course.
My first concert was when I was a junior high student. It was a Carmen concert at the Rosemont in Chicago. I remember singing at the top of my voice that "our God is an awesome God." Sadly, I did not understand what that all meant as I was growing up. But now I do and so my songs of praise are truly heartfelt.
My second concert was a Yanni concert. I know. Hardcore. But it was AWESOME!
So I've been super excited to have access playlist.com, where I can share my music pics on this blog.
Yesterday I added some great pieces. The first song on the play list is from The Lord of the Rings and was the song that I used as my "wedding march." Talk about moving music! I tear up every time I hear it as it reminds me of that glorious day!
The second song is from The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe movie. The third song is from Prince Caspian movie. And the fourth song is U2's Beautiful Day, which was another song we played for our wedding; after we were pronounced husband and wife.
I've left my other picks on the play list and added some songs from Riverdance. I love Irish dance (wish I were that talented but I'll have to settle on just watching) and Celtic music as well.
I really hope you get an opportunity to listen to the songs. Enjoy!