My Very First Walgreens Trip ...

Okay, so I am SO not an EXTREME COUPONER !! LOL  BUT I think I did pretty well for my first time ...

Here is what I got ...

Transaction #1 ----->

Gillette Fusion ProGlide Shave Set (1 Razor w/ 1 Blade, Cooling Gel, Body Wash & Face Scrub)

$5 RR WYB Gillette Fusion ProGlide or Venus Razor System at $9.99
$9.99 - $4.00 Coupon from PG 6/05
Paid $6.69 with tax and got a $5 RR, so it was like getting it for 1.69 with tax.

Transaction #2 ----->

* Joy, 12.6 oz, or Gain, 11 oz, Dish Liquid, 89¢ w/in-ad coupon (I got the max you could get, 3)
* Jif Peanut Butter 18 oz or Smucker’s Strawberry Jelly, 20 oz, $2 each w/in-ad coupon
-.55/1 Smucker’s jam, jelly, preserves or fruit spread, RP 5/22(I used *2* .55/1, making it $1.45 each, which is cheaper than the Wal-Mart brand at the same size that is about .40 more & yes, I checked LOL)
* NOW ... I screwed up & got the wrong size of the Crest Pro-Health Mouth Wash that was supposed to get me another $1 RR, but I did use a $2 off Crest Rinse, 946 mL+, PG 6/05 so I only paid $2.99 for that ... **SIGH** I really have GOT to pay more attention, but it was my first time & I was FLUSTERED ...
* Arm & Hammer 2X Laundry Detergent, 25-32 loads, $2.99 (-$1/2 Arm & Hammer Laundry detergent or 100 ct + Fabric Softener sheets PRINTABLE) ~ Makes them $2.49 each 
* 1 pack of hair clippies for $3.99


So, I used my $5 RR from the first transaction & paid a grand total of : $13.84 for all of the stuff pictured above including tax.  I saved $22.78.


AND on July 3rd, I scored *4* of the 88¢ each Pepsi Product 2 Liters (3 Mountain Dews & 1 Pepsi) AND got a raincheck for the maximum number of $1.99 24-packs of water (3).  My store is still out of the water & I went to two other Walgreens & they were also out of the water, but I was told that the raincheck doesn't expire.  The total for my *4* 2-Liters was $3.77 with tax & I saved $4.04 on that trip.

So, I spent a total of $24.30 for over $54 worth of stuff.  Not too shabby for my first try.


Anyway, I am going to be very strict about only buying stuff we use & need and not go crazy just because it's a "good deal."  I am also going to set a budget aside each week for this type of shopping & stick to it.  I was pretty bummed I didn't get any of the FREE Oral-B Indicator Toothbrushes ... All 3 stores I went to was out of them ... 


Also, I am not sure how much CVS shopping I will be doing ... I checked out their sales this week & just didn't see anything that caught my eye or that I thought was even a good deal on some of the things that we use ... We shall see about the coming week of 7/10 ... But so far, I like Walgreens MUCH better ...

Red, White & Blue ... Strawberry Shortcake

The Fourth of July is one of my FAVORITE holidays & I decided to make a YUMMY dessert to share with my family this year !! It was super easy & didn't take much time AT ALL !!  It was also really good, if I do say so myself !! ;)

The recipe is here :

Red, White & Blue Strawberry Shortcake

And this is what it looked like before we gobbled it up :

The Judahs In Our Lives ...

This afternoon at church, the pastor spoke on the Judahs in our lives & it really hit home for me (we're studying the Bad Boys of the Bible).  If you don't know the story of Judah, you should read it in the book of Genesis.  He sold his brother, Joseph, into slavery, he had sex with his daughter-in-law, Tamar, who was disguised as a prostitute & then became pregnant with twins .. Judah should have had the worst of the worst things happen to him, but they didn't ... Why ?  Well, I will explain to you in a moment.

Amazingly, Judah turned his life around & he changed his life ! Why ? Because of GRACE !!! Joseph showed him grace, even though Judah had sold him into slavery.  He forgave him & took the family back into his good graces.  Tamar could have exposed Judah for his sins, but instead showed him grace by quietly letting him know he was the one who had gotten her pregnant ... Jacob's (Judah's father's) blessing of Judah, in Genesis 49:8-12, includes a passage that is traditionally understood by Christians to mean that Judah's descendants would rule over the land of Israel, culminating with Jesus.  And Judah was GRATEFUL for all of this grace shown to him !! He appreciated it & learned from it !!

So, what exactly did Judah ever do to deserve all this grace ? Absolutely nothing ! He didn't have to.  Jesus died for all of us & we all deserve God's grace & blessing upon our life. We all have Judah's in our lives.  We know people who may not be living the best life in our eyes or are the meanest, most hateful person to ever walk the Earth yet things always seem to go right for them.  If we just change the way we look at each & every person as deserving of God's grace & love, just as we are, and show grace to each & every person we come into contact with, just imagine how the world would begin to change !! 

This message really made me think about my life & what I can do differently and how I can treat people differently in the future.  I hope maybe some of you will get at least a little something out of it as well.

The Altar

I'm at the end of myself, I just dropped out of the running
I don't recall when I last pulled the shades and said "here comes the sun, here comes the new day"
Someone remind me again that joy might show up on occasion
I'm sitting here with my hands on my head, and my eyes on the ground, wondering if I'll be found by You

Will you make me new? Will you take what's left of me?
I guarantee that it won't be a fair trade.
Will you set me free from what's keeping me afraid?
I know I've prayed it all before, but I'm back on the altar

I don't believe what they say about one foot in front of the other
If my life was a map, you'd see every last step just circling around, still lost, never found by You

So will you make me new? Will you take what's left of me?
I guarantee that it won't be a fair trade.
Will you set me free from what's keeping me afraid?
I know I've prayed it all before, but I'm back on the altar

Maybe last year I'd have made empty promises
Maybe last month I'd have tried to pull strings
But I don't have one single chip left to bargain with
The only thing left is me needing You to make me new

Will you take what's left of me?
I guarantee that it won't be a fair trade
Will you set me free from what's keeping me afraid?
I know I've prayed it all before
But I'm back
On the altar

God, If You Want Me To Carry It, I Will ...

God, I don't know why You want me to carry this load. I can see no good in it & it's awfully heavy. But, if You want me to carry it, I will ...

 

I found this today ... And it sums up my life right now in a nut shell ... I feel like I am carrying an awfully heavy, no good load, but if God wants me to carry it, then I will !!

For the most part, I try to live a good life.  I have a wonderful husband, 5 beautiful & healthy kids and a very select few good friends.  I try to bless people when I can with positivity & keep my mouth shut when I can't ... Sometimes, I fail miserably at this !! I'm only human, after all ...

There are people in my life that I wish were not there... I can't do anything to change that.  So, instead, I pray that God gives me the wisdom & the strength to deal with them in the best way I can & to ignore the things that they do that cause me hurt.  I pray that God shows me the positive in why I am forced to deal with them & helps me over look the bad.

I have had a tendency lately to have the attitude that if people ignore me & the things that happen in my life, then I am going to ignore them.  God has laid it upon my heart that that is the wrong attitude to have ... Just because people do me wrong, doesn't mean that I should return the favor.  Instead, I should do the exact opposite.  I am slowly & steadily trusting in God and realizing that He is, as always, right and I feel much better for it ... So, I began to do that just today.  I make the effort when I really would rather just sit & sulk and gripe to myself about the person.  I pray for them instead !  I don't want to just "get over it" anymore.  Instead, I want to trust God to get me through it.

It is amazing what a new attitude can do !!

Matthew 7:7 "Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you."

Thankful ...

Be thankful that you don't already have 
everything that you desire.
If you did, what would there be
to look forward to?

Be thankful when you know you don't know something,
for it gives you the opportunity to learn.

Be thankful for the difficult times. 
During those times you grow.

Be thankful for your limitations,
Because they give you opportunity for improvement.

Be thankful for each new challenge,
Because it will build your strength and character.

Be thankful for your mistakes,
They will teach you valuable lessons.

Be thankful when you're tired and weary,
Because it means you've made an effort.

It's easy to be thankful for the good things.
A life of rich fulfillment comes to those who
are also thankful for the setbacks.

Gratitude can turn a negative into a positive.

Find a way to be thankful for your troubles,
and they will become your blessings.

It's The Little Things ..

I haven't written in quite some time, and I have a MILLION other things I need to be doing right now ... filling orders, laundry, MT coursework ... And as my head is STILL pounding over a week after my migraine began, I can STILL find joy in the little things ....

As a stay-at-home mom, I am blessed as well as cursed.  It is a complete joy & blessing to be able to stay home with my children & watch them grow & be there for them ... But it can also be frustrating, annoying & sometimes even depressing ... Today, however, the joy of it completely overwhelmed me ...

I love to hear the giggles down the hall as Maddi & Dylan play games ... I listen to the words they say & laugh to myself sometimes at the things their sweet little minds imagine ... After I put the kids to bed tonight, Dylan came toddling down the hall about 30 minutes later & cried, "Hold me, Mamma!"  My first instinct was to tell him to go back to bed, but instead, I picked him up & in literally seconds he was asleep.  I held him for about another 30 minutes & just pondered how blessed I am.  I have BEAUTIFUL, HEALTHY, HAPPY children.  Dylan told me probably 10 times today that he, "loved me this much in the world."  I can't even tell you how it melts my heart to hear that.  I could be absolutely livid & if that kid came up to me & said that, the anger would just fade away ...

Maddi starts Kindergarten in August ( I absolutely CANNOT believe this !!) & she is SO stinkin' smart !!  She's ready to go.  She asked me if she was going to Kindergarten in five days yesterday.  LOL  I said, "NO !! It's months & months away !!"  More to appease myself than to answer her question.  She will be fine.  I will be a blubbering mess .....

And my oldest is going to COLLEGE this fall ... I am getting old ... My babies are growing up way too fast, and it seems like just yesterday that Brandon was Dylan's age.  I mix their names up all the time (a Young trait).  When all 5 of my children are in the same house, it is total chaos.  But I LOVE it !! Nothing makes me happier than to have all of my family in the same place, at the same time.  The times that that happens are few & far between.

But I just needed to take a minute, a break, whatever you want to call it and tell my children how much they mean to me.  Time just goes so fast & before you know it, it's over.  No matter how old they get, no matter how far away from me they go, I will always see them as my babies !!  I love you, Brandon, Nicole, Shaelyn, Madalyn & Dylan & you will ALWAYS be my babies, no matter how old you get !!!!!