Tuesday, May 25, 2010

A little encouragement!


Maybe you need a little encouragement today. Well, I have something so special to share! I spent January-April in a wonderful, wonderful Bible Study... Anointed, Transformed, Redeemed: A Study of David. The video sessions are recordings of three gifted women at a 2007 Deeper Still conference. You might be familiar with Beth Moore and Kay Arthur. Well, Priscilla Shirer also joined them and shared what follows as part of her message. I get to do this study a second time with our summer Bible study and can't wait! And I was so glad to be able to get my hands on this little speech so I could share it. {If you have a link to it on video, I'd love to get it!} Enjoy!

These are Priscilla Shirer's words:

Get a good look at God, remembering who He is. You belong to HIM!

He is the first and the last. . . the beginning and the end.
He's the keeper of creation and the Creator of all.
He's the architect of the universe and the manager of all times.
He always was, always is, and always will be.
Unmoved, unchanged, undefeated and never undone.
He was bruised, but brought healing.
He was pierced but eased pain.
He was persecuted but brought freedom.
He was dead, and brings life.
He is risen to bring power
And He reigns to bring peace.
The world can't understand Him.
Armies can't defeat Him.
Schools can't explain and leaders. . . they can't ignore Him.
Herod couldn't kill Him.
Nero couldn't crush Him.
The New Age can not replace Him
And Oprah can not explain Him away. . . she can't . . . she can't do it!
You remind yourself -- He is Life, He is longevity & He is the Lord.
He is goodness & kindness & faithfulness and He is God.
He is holy & righteous & powerful & pure.
His ways are right. His Word eternal. His will unchanging and
His mind is on us.
He's our Savior, our guide, our peace, our joy, our comfort, our Lord.
And He rules our lives.
I serve Him because His bond is love, His yoke is easy, His burden is light
And His goal for us is abundant life.
I follow Him because He is the Wisdom of the wise, the Power of the powerful,
The Ancient of Days, the Ruler of rulers, the Leader of all leaders.
His goal is a relationship with me.
He'll never leave you, never forsake you, never mislead you, never forget you,
Never overlook you, and never cancel your appointment in His appointment book. . .
Never!!
When you fall, He'll lift you up.
When you fail, He'll forgive you.
When you're weak, He's strong.
When you're lost, He's your way.
When you're afraid, He's your courage.
When you stumble, He will steady you.
When you're hurt, He's going to heal you.
When you're broken, He will mend you.
When you're blind, He will lead you.
When you're hungry, He will feed you.
When you face trials, He is with you.
When I face persecution, He shields me.
When I face problems, He will comfort me.
When I face loss, He will provide for me.
When we face death, He will carry us all home to meet Him.
He is everything for everybody, everywhere, every time and in every way.
He is your GOD
And THAT , Sisters is who YOU belong to!!

Monday, May 24, 2010

Saving Money on Groceries

Saving money on groceries is one of my constant goals in life! Today I am sharing this very helpful article because these are many of the strategies I use to keep my grocery budget low, low, low! I have been reading Leanne's newsletter for years, have purchased her menus, and listen to her on blogtalk radio. How do you keep your grocery budget under control?

5 Ways to Save Money on Groceries
By Leanne Ely, C.N.C.

Unemployment is in the double digits in some areas of the country. Foreclosures are at an all time high. If you listen to enough news on television, you'll end up depressed and glum with a negative attitude to rival Eeyore's!

But the facts are the facts; the American Psychological Association reported that 80% of Americans feel stressed out by the economy, 60% are angry about it and another 52% are having trouble sleeping.

Those are alarming statistics, but what's even more alarming is just sitting around doing nothing about it. One of the best ways to take on the economy is tackling your own economy by getting your budget in line and your finances handled.

In my opinion, the number one way to really get a grip on reducing your spending is via your grocery bill. You can only turn off the lights and hang your laundry out to dry to save a little. When you eat at home you save a TON.

How's this done? The biggest way to save money is by planning your meals. I know it's not a lot of fun, I know you think you can handle your local grocery store without a grocery list or meal plan. I know that. We are SHE's and we always think we can just scoot by the seat of our pants and get it done. We go to the grocery store week after week without a weekly menu planned and no grocery list. Is it any wonder family budgets are so out of control?

Start TODAY. Get your menu planned for the week. You need to feed that family of yours breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks 7 days a week. So sketch it out on your computer. Write down everything. What does your family like for breakfast, lunch and dinner? What about snacks?

Remember too, you're the gatekeeper of your family's nutrition, so make sure you've got plenty of good stuff that will keep your family healthy. Food is fuel and not just entertainment for the mouth.

Here are 5 big things to help you stay on track both nutritionally and budget-wise.

1. Cook breakfast. Yes I know you're trying to all get out the door, but homemade pancakes and waffles are cheaper and better than the store bought frozen variety. Make extra on the weekends when you have the time and freeze your own. You'll save a bunch of money.

2. Stop buying the single serving packages of oatmeal, chips, applesauce, etc. Yes they're convenient, but you have to pay for that and the extra packaging is hard on the environment. When you buy chips, dole them out into snack sized bags and hide the stash so when you need them for lunch boxes, they're waiting for you.


3 .Use your crockpot for tougher cuts of meat and cheaper pieces of chicken. You can make a multitude of different dishes with shredded beef from barbecue beef sandwiches to taco meat. The chicken will work in a variety of ways too--chicken salad, chicken for Mexican dishes, chicken sandwiches.


4. Speaking of crockpots, cook your own beans. Buy them dried, soak them and cook them in your crockpot. The directions are right on the package. Freeze leftovers for another time.


5. And speaking of beans, extend your meat or chicken by adding beans to it. The bonus is the extra fiber and nutrition and your meat will go a lot further.


It's a tough job being the family nutritionist, food manager and chef. The importance of planning your meals wisely cannot be stressed enough, you're growing a family!

Love,
Leanne
www.savingdinner.com
Saving your dinner for nearly 10 years!


Copyright (C) 2010 www.savingdinner.com Leanne Ely, CNC All rights reserved.

Tuesday, May 18, 2010

School's Almost Out!

The end of the school year brings celebrations, special activities, goodbyes, and many photo opportunities. You just may have a special student, teacher, or grad and be wondering what to do about an end of the year gift. Here are a few easy ideas you still have time to make!



With a completely-coordinated scrapbook kit, you can put together a teacher thank-you album in record time! {And if you are like me and love a bargain, check out these kits that are on clearance.} An easy idea is to give each student in the class a journaling box on which to write a note to the teacher. They can also submit a photo, or you can go to class and take pictures of each child for the book. Once you have the pictures and notes, the album goes together fast!

Personalized photo gifts are quick and easy to make, and are always appreciated! How about a T-Shirt with a class photo on it, a mousepad made with a scanned image of a child's artwork, a mug for a special teacher, a photo panel with a group picture to say thank you, or a poster for a grad to take to college? The great designs available make your project beautiful!

And for more great ideas, check out this helpful post about journaling your child's school year, and some photos you don't want to forget to take!

Monday, May 17, 2010

The Soccer Season is over!

We all had a great time with our Spring Soccer league! Saturday, however, it all came to an end. It was a fun day of final games, parties, and trophies!



Gil really enjoyed coaching Jacob's team. I think he did a great job. The beginning of the season had some wet weather, so the team name "Mud Dogs" stuck. The 6 year olds all played hard and had a fun season.



Abbie's team really bonded over the season. They played hard, and played well. Abbie even scored one of the two goals in their win on Saturday! Coach Pete was awesome, and well-loved by all.

I was honored to make these end-of-the-season certificates for all the players!

Saturday, May 15, 2010

Warms a mama's heart!

Every week, Jacob's 1st grade teacher puts a smile face in his reading record. This particular week was the only week she has ever written a comment up to now. We are so proud of Jacob, and so thankful that his teacher appreciates his faith.



I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth. ~3John 1:4

Friday, May 14, 2010

A Few Quick Cards

I used to love to browse through greeting cards. Buying them was my weakness. But then they seemed to get so expensive.

These days, I pull out my scrapbooking supplies and enjoy making my own cards! While I haven't gotten much scrapbooking done lately, I have managed to make a few cards on an as-needed basis. It is a great way to use up supplies and keep the creative juices flowing!


Thursday, May 13, 2010

You know the economy is tough when...


even the Tooth Fairy is getting charged interest!

A certain little girl in our house was upset about the Tooth Fairy forgetting about her tooth. So the next night, the Tooth Fairy found this note, along with the tooth! {Disclaimer: I am not the Tooth Fairy!}

Wednesday, May 12, 2010

Undefeated

Last week was a busy week for my kids! Abbie and her 5th-grade friends had decided to try out to be 6th grade cheerleaders. And Zachary had spent a couple weeks working on a rocket for his 7th-grade science class.



Thursday, I picked Jacob and Abbie up from school so that we could head over to the middle school to watch the rockets launch. I am not sure that Zac was thrilled with our presence... or maybe he was just trying to act cool! He had built his rocket all on his own out of three 2-litre bottles and a couple of small coke bottles. He even fashioned tailfins and wings from carefully cut and sanded balsa wood. Zachary's rocket was his own creation that he designed, built, and painted all by himself! I thought he did a great job!!!

The rockets were filled with water, then had compressed air pumped into them. That was their fuel. It was fun to see all the rockets go up. Most of them did really well. A few fell apart in flight. Some went up really high, or flew very far. Most of the students had the opportunity to launch their rocket several times.



Zachary got to make three attempts. With his first, a malfunction caused his rocket to not take off at all. His next two attempts had moderate success... his rocket went up, and came right back down. Most of the others had gone higher and farther. But his didn't break on impact and he was able to try again. I felt disappointed for him. Of course I wanted him to have success and for his rocket to be the best one out there!

But Zachary didn't show any frustration or disappointment. He said his rocket was "an experimental design" so he still got 100% on the assignment! I was proud of how he handled it.



Later that afternoon, it was time to head back to the middle school and drop Abbie off for cheer tryouts. She had spent Monday and Tuesday at clinics, learning the chant, cheer, and dance. She and her friends had gotten together Wednesday afterschool to practice more. And, of course, every recess all week was spent in practice.



I was really proud of Abbie for trying out. Interestingly, she has never even wanted to be a cheerleader. She also has a tendency to not want to try new things. And, of course, I had to fight my own tendency to want to live vicariously through her! But I prayed that the Lord's will would be done whether she made it or not. I was most concerned that she not be hurt in the process.



So, after practicing all week, Abbie's tryout was Thursday afternoon. I dropped her off... then headed back to the school at 6:30 to pick her up. While waiting, I got a call that she wouldn't be done until 7:30... so I waited. Then I got a call that it would be 8:15 before she was done! The drama was getting to me!!! I drove home, ate a quick dinner, grabbed some food for Abbie, and headed back to the middle school for the 4th time that day! She was done and felt fine about her tryout. She seemed to be ok with whether she made it or not.

Just as she was heading to bed, I got an email saying the results were in. We quickly checked the website, scanning for her number. It wasn't there. Abbie didn't make it. She wasn't disappointed or sad -- she was fine. We have been talking about all the other things she will have the opportunity to go out for instead.

This day blessed me so much. I saw my kids try new things. Their success was in the trying, in doing their best, and in being pleased with their efforts. Though others might say they were defeated, my children did not walk away feeling like failures. They faced defeat without feeling defeated or deflated. I am proud of both Zac and Abbie! And I pray that their worth would be not in what they do or accompish or what others think of them, but in who they are in Christ.

Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight. ~Proverbs 3:5-6
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