Kid-O's Vision

Kid-O thought that the area under the TV needed to be a fireplace. So she proceed to make one of construction paper, with logs and flames. Then the stockings had to be hung. After that, she looked and decided that there was a need for a Christmas tree to finish out her vision. So, Saturday evening we ventured to Wally World to purchase her a 4 foot tree. Her and the brothers decorated it. Now she believes the vision is complete. What do you think?

Red Rooster

Red Rooster week is here and so much to do. Get my stuff together, print photos, buy supplies. Lots and lots to do, but I can't wait. I think I will have to not transcribe any after tomorrow.

Update of the fast...

Well, we are doing better kind of sort of, but we still don't like it. We know God is in control and He will continue to carry us through, even though it has gotten more difficult with each passing day, but I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me and the Hubby.

So I've already called AT&T, Nintendo, and Knology this morning. Now off to transcribe two files and then clean house. Wooh, I'm already tired.

Results

The Boobs are just fine.

How do you like that for a whole post?

Mmmmm...

Headed for a Diagnostic Mammogram this morning. Sure that will be lots and lots of fun to have my boobs flatten in to pancakes for how ever long it takes. Can't wait. I'll let you all know how it comes out.

Silly Quiz...

Take the Quiz here!

Coupon Saving Update...

So I did not get around to posting my couponing update last month, up I have managed to get October's up plus my overall total since I started couponing back in April. Remember my budget is $300.00 per two weeks. So since April the amount I am allowed to spend is $4500.00.

So here are the totals:
Monthly Totals (October 09)
Total before savings $812.01
Coupon total $188.23
Advertised savings $225.42
Total out of pocket $398.36
Spent of total 49.10%


Totals (Since April)
Total before savings $7,245.90
Coupon total $1,753.13
Advertised savings $1,372.38
Total out of pocket $3,807.07
Spent of total 52.40%

So as you can tell I am inside my allowed budget by $692.93. So your next question, what have we done with that money. Well, we do what we want with it. Eat out, save it, buy Christmas gifts, pay for Red Rooster, etc. Just whatever we feel like doing with the money. As I said in another post, I am inside my budget which is fabulous, but the greatest part of us is that I used to actually spend the total before savings. We are even eating even better than we were. I love to try new recipes which usually requires none staples, therefore, increasing your cost. Well, before couponing we would eat two maybe three new meals in a two week period. This two weeks, twelve meals.

Pork chop with apples
Beef and sausage stew
Chicken and red bean tostadas
Slow cooker Ratatouille
Beef Fajita stir-fry
Chicken marsala
Shrimp scampi
Oven fried chili chicken
Mini penne zucchini and sausage pasta
Gaucho Chimichurri steak
Tenderloin with black bean salsa
Shrimp Po-boys

Yes, you see steak, shrimp, pork tenderloin (center cut), and pork chops, not just the standard ground beef and chicken. Couponing is so worth all the work and effort. By the way, I have 24 bottles of laundry soap, lots of toilet paper, more shampoo, conditioner, deodorant, tampons,and shaving cream to last a year along with 20 + boxes of cereal. And I have given lots of stuff away.

My children love this couponing thing too, becuase they get more of the snacks that they love. Kid-O is even beginning to figure out you can get things for free. I gave her my coupon for a free bath and body item no purchase required. Couponing is trickling over into everything else. Example, I went to Children's Place, bought two pairs of blue jean (2/$28) and a bath robe for Kid-O for Christmas ($24.50). I used my 20% coupon on the total, then gave the cashier my $20 off $40 purchase and got all three items for $23.00. Can you say fabulous?

A little getaway...

During fall break, the hubby and I left the kids with grandma and grandpa for about three day. It was really great to get away, even if it was for all a couple of days. We were able to get a little bit of Christmas shopping done, as well as have a great time together. One day before a little bit of shopping we went this place call Alligator Alley. It was fun and interesting.

By the way, I don't want this guys job. Although, it looked like he was enjoying the gators.

He is the hubby holding a little gator. We only took this picture for the kids, then we forgot to show it too them, so I guess you guys get to see it. It was wonderful spending alone time with the hubby. Eating what we wanted, when we wanted, and not having to stop to go potty every hour. It was fabulous. On night you even order Chinese take out to the hotel room. It just doesn't get much better than that.

I'm 3

Mini-Me turned 3 badck on October 5th. I'm a bit behind it you haven't noticed. Anyway, I thought I would just upload a few pictures from his birthday. It fell during fall break, so we were in Mississippi for his birthday this year.
Mini-me got Mack and Chick Hick's semi trucks for his birthday. He loves things that he can stick other things in side of. So of course you have to have Lightening McQueen and Chick Hick to put in the semis.
Ice cream cake... Well, there's really nothing else to be said about that.

Homemade pizza. It's a toss up between the homemade ice cream cake and homemade pizza. Mini-Me seemed to enjoy both.

Fast...

Update: Day 12 or 40
Scripture is how it is going...

1 Corinthians 10:12-13
"So if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don't fall? No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a wya out so that you an stand up under it."

Build-A-Bear

So for each of the grandchildren's third birthday, Mamaw takes them to Build a Bear. Mini-Me picked the monkey, which is fitting being that Mini-Me is a bit of a Monkey himself. Anyway, he had alot of fun building his monkey, especially the bathing part. He was a bit bothered by the fact that the fake hair drier did not work.
He was a lot of fun to take. Kid-O, crying and whine the whole time. It was too loud according to her. Little Man, well he's a down to business kind of kid. Task, check mark, done. Mini-Me took his time in each spot doing everything they told him to do and having lots of fun with it.
By the way, he doesn't like stickers on his clothes, they go on your belly.

Trouble

So Mini-Me got into trouble a couple of weeks ago. I can't remember what he did, but anyway, I sent him to his room. So he got up on his bed and fell asleep. I though he had covered himself up with all the books before he went to sleep. But the truth came out later. His sister decided he needed to be covered up with all the alphabet books. We knew he likes to read, but this beat all.

I'm 5

So Little Man turned 5 on September 28th. I just posted the pictures of his favorite gifts. First off, he loved his new shoes. Which by the way, he asked for. I thought that a little odd, but hey, he is my kid.
Another one of his favorite gifts was his five dollar bill from his Uncle Scott. He says he is going to buy a red cup, but he hasn't yet.
Then his Mamaw got him Mario Party for his DS. I have to say, Mario Party is a pretty fun game. Little Man and I play it a lot.
Then of course the cake. Which the ice cream store messed up, so Mamaw and I did a little re-decorating of the cake. Little Man like it much better when we were done with it.

First Day of Preschool

Okay, so this post is almost two months behind the first day of preschool, but I still wanted to post it.

This was Little Man's first day. Which by the way, he loves preschool. The first week, he was upset because there was no school on Saturday. I'm sure that won't be the case next week when we hit Kindergarten, but I can always hope.

All Aboard

So over a year ago, my dad, Papaw gave Little Man his old Lionel Train that he got when he was about five or six. This train is about 58 years old. Anyway, the hubby and I were going to get it up in the old house, but then we decided to sell, so that never happened. As finally, the hubby has been able to find time to get the train up. I think if could about a month of working along for a couple of hours several times a week.

Anyway, this is the finish project. It looks great and the picture just does not do it justice at all because you can't see the whole room. But anyway, the train track goes all the way around Little Man's room which the bridge going across the door way at an angle. Hanging the bridge was the most difficult part, because we wanted it to look nice, but be structural sound, since the train is so old. Also figuring out how to put a fence around the train that looks nice, but yet again was functional was difficult. We needed the fence because there is no way to regulate the speed of the train, so we were concerned about derailments with a five year old, seven feet off the floor with a 58 plus year old train. Imagine that.
Anyway, here is a picture of Little Man and the hubby playing. I think they are both quite happy.

So much to post...

Just some pictures of the kids. They are growing up quick.

Here's Mini-me and Little Man. Mini-me turned 3 October 5th, Little Man turned 5 September 28th. I've got birthday pictures to post, if I make it that far.

Mini-Me, knowing he is cute.

Little Man hamming it up for the camera. He has now entered that phase of goofy smiles. Hope it doesn't last long.

Kid-O and Little Man being silly.

Kid-O, beautiful. We're hoping for awkward, not embarassing teenage years, then into a beautiful women inside and out.

Day 2

So day 2 of the 40 day fast has begun, what had God shown me already?

Let me start with, we are not fasting food; however, many are on this journey. For the hubby and I, we both truly believe that God was telling us to fast something else, other than food. Something for us that would be a great sacrifice for us. Which by the way, we are only on day two and God is carrying us. Fasting is to give up what is a sacrifice for you. For some it is food, for some spending, for some watching TV, it depends on the person or people. Fast what God leads, then you know you are in His will.

First, He will carry me and the hubby through.

Secondly, we are reading one chapter a day starting with Jonah to the end of the Old Testament. There are exactly 40 chapters. Last night reading the first chapter of Jonah, which I have read several times, God gave me something different. It's found in Jonah Chapter 1 verses 5, 6. It reads:

"Then the sailors became afraid and every man cried to his god, and they threw the cargo which was in the ship into the sea to lighten it for them. But Jonah had gone below into the hold of the ship, lain down and fallen sound asleep.

So the captain approached him and said, "How is it that you are sleeping? Get up,call on your god Perhaps your god will be concerned about us so that we will not perish."

So where do we see such a response in the New Testament? Can anyone guess? You got it Matthew Chapter 8: 24,25 along with the other gospels as well.

"Without warning, a furious storm came up on the lake, so that the waves swept over the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. The disciples went and woke him, saying, "Lord, save us! We're going to drown!"

Anyway, nothing profound, just found it interesting that Jonah obviously trusted and had faith, otherwise he would not have been asleep as Christ did.

??? Balance ???

I completely agree with Going Goofy. It is difficult to find a balance between work, home, children, etc. Most of you know I started transcribing for an insurance company several months ago, to make saving for that family ski vacation that the Hubby would like to that a reality. As you can tell, no post in one month, finding a balance is nearly impossible.

If I work around the house getting things done, I'm not transcribing and falling behind. If I am transcribing, I'm not getting things done around the house. I have tried to cut back to three hours per day, but it still seems impossible to get it all done. Along with taking kids to school and preschool, doctors appointments, picking kids up, grocery shopping. Or I get done all the things I need to get done, but not the things I want to get done. Example: blogging, scrapbooking, painting, etc.

So, It is very difficult to find that balance. You don't want to let anyone down, so you try to do it all. Needless to say, I have seriously cut back on the amount of transcribing I am doing. From about 150 to 200 pages per two weeks to around 100 pages per two weeks. Which is still a lot of listening to people and typing what they say. Like you know like what I mean like. HAHA.

I have so much I want to post with no time to do it. I guess I am going to have to take another day and just marathon post as many post as I can.

Amazing Hubby

For those of you who are married, do you ever really stop and think about what God has blessed you with in your husband.

This is what God gave me... A man of strong convictions... A best friend... A man who cares for me and about me... Loves me as Christ loves me... He is my daily picture of God... If you were to ask me when I was the closest to God this week, most of the time the answer would be when the hubby did this... He praises God... He talks to God... He talks about God with me... He sees me as a gift from God... He tells me I am perfect and means it... His pleasure comes from my pleasure... A great dad... Patient... Head of household, I don't have to be... A picture of Christ to our children... Soft spoken, unless it is the time to not be... Focused... Thoughtful... Loving... Tender heart... God loves me though him daily...

I could go on all day. I just felt the need to tell others just how wonderful he is, and how God blesses me daily through him.

The Face of God...

Have you ever seen the face of God?

I have several times. This time was different though. Let me give you the background information leading up to this face of God.

So as many of you know, the Hubby and I work the Walks to Emmaus. We love serving God in such as a way. Well, when saying yes to serving on these walks, you know that Satan hates them and will attack the team. Well, I have not been the recipient of attacks until this walk coming up this weekend, other team members have been. The hubby was serving on the conference room team for the men's walk this past weekend while Satan was attacking me.

So anyway, Saturday returning home from my final team meeting, I was traveling down Research park at 60 to 65 miles per hour. Anyway, someone came passed me on my left, then obviously realized they were about to miss their exit to head west. So this individual comes to a dead stop, and I mean dead stop in the right hand lane trying to get into the exit lane. I had to slam on my brakes to keep from hitting this individual. Anyway, I didn't think much about it, other than they just weren't paying attention to what they were doing.

Then not ten to fifteen minutes later, I was traveling on a five lane road, two east, two west, one turn lane. Anyway, I was traveling east and to the north there was a road coming out up ahead. I see an individual on a bicycle coming up on that road. I see him slow down, so I assume he is stopping and not coming out into the road. Well, I assumed wrong. He proceeded to come on out crossing the westbound lanes of traffic, through the turn lane and about to come out in front of me, as I am traveling 40 to 45 miles per hour. I managed to miss hitting this guy by a matter of three feet or so. Not much.

At that point, I begin to pray, asking God, "What is going on? Why all the craziness today?" Then proceeded on to my final destination. Well, later that same night (Saturday) coming home from a Emmaus worship service with a van full, literally. I was traveling on the highway where the speed limit is 65, and I was traveling around 72, 73. Anyway, we get off the main highway to cut through to get back to my house. I was listening to one young person talking, and driving, and I guess just not paying attention or something. I have no clue what I was thinking. Anyway, not but a mile or so after getting off the main road, I got pulled over by a police officer. He came up to the van, and asked why I was traveling 68 in a 45. I apologized like you would not believe. I really didn't know what else to say. I don't travel that fast with all my kids in the van.

Anyway, he goes back to his car, comes back a few minutes later and says, "I'm going to let you off with a warning this time." In shock, and still apologizing because I deserved the ticket, I signed the warning ticket. As he was handing the warning to me, I looked up at him and knew I was looking at the face of God. I touched his hand and said, "thank you, thank you" All the while looking at his face knowing I was looking at one of the many faces of God and he had just saved us from something horrible. I don't know how to explain it, I just know. I don't know what God saved us from, and I will probably never know. I just know that God saved our lives that night. Whether I was traveling too fast or whether there was danger up ahead. Nobody knows other than God what he saved us from, I just know that God saved us that night. I so wish there was words to explain how you know it is God, but there are none. You just know, in the pit of your Spirit, you just know. You just know that God has spoken to you.

My God is so much bigger than Satan. Needless to say, I was a wreck, because I knew. I never know how to explain, other than I just knew that was God telling me to turn around an go back to the main highway. See, when that cop said, you've got to turn here then there and so on, it dawned on me about the detour. Remember, I said we were heading the back way home. Well, I forgot that you had to detour around, to literally in the middle of no where. No lights, no main roads, no towns, no nothing, just roads in not great parts of the county.

I knew to most this is just all coincidences, but it is not. And if you don't think it's a conincidence then you might not understand. That's okay too. But my quess is, if you are a child of God, you have similar experiences were you have seen God protecting, loving, caring, etc. for you. See Satan does not want me on this upcoming walk, but God does. Satan hates these walks, becuase God uses them to change peoples lives. God is bigger.

God is allowing me to be tested. I just have to stay focused on God and that he is bigger than the one that causes the trouble. Satan can only touch me if God allows him too. Praise God that I am His. That he is a Father that protects, provides, loves, but yet disciplines when we need it.

God is Amazing!!!!

Broken...Part 3

Okay, so back to my brokenness. I was no longer confused about what God did, or why for that matter. But I was confused about why I told anyone, I'm not now, because I see now how God used it to grow me more into the image of Christ. Example: Did I handle the situation (trials and tribulations) the way I should have, NO. I failed God horribly, but the good news is, He knew I would, He has forgiven me, and has grown me. You ask, where/how did you fail God? Well, God showed me that I did not love those throwing stones the way I am called to love them. God showed me that I was sitting in the judgement seat, Ouch, not looking forward to being judged by God, but I will be. These are the areas where God showed me I failed. God lead me to send a letter of apology and explanations of where I failed.

So you ask, why are you so broken, if you not longer doubt, are confused, and understand why you went through it. Well, James 3:6 says, "The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell." Verse 8-10, "...It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God's likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be." I urge you to read all of James chapter 3, but my understanding is that words destroy. Here I believe it is talking about the church body, but I believe it to be just as relevant to individuals in situations that God allows. That is where my brokenness is at. I was called a "liar, gossip, and prideful." It is very difficult to get those words out of your mind. I have to think on what is true, noble, praiseworth, etc (Philippians 4). Words destroy. God is rebuilding my heart slowly, one piece at a time, showing me my failures. At this very moment, I can think of one thing I said, that probably caused some destruction as well. I have had to ask God for forgiveness of that as well. There may be more as well, I don't know. I don't claim to know, and I sure don't claim to know where God has shown others where they failed. I have had to ask for lots of forgiveness, for mistakes I made.

The Hubby and I, with God's direction of course, has lead us to a new church where the Spirit is alive and very active. We praise God for that, but it is hard. We were so comfortable with our church family, which was our family since we are transplants and have no local family. The hubby told me Sunday, as we were discussing my brokenness and my healing and the difficulty in entering a new church that I should be praising God that I am even still going to church. The hubby said, many people that go through issues within the church many times, just leave the church altogether never to return. He is right.

So I prayed that I would come out unscathed. I didn't, but I know I am stronger for it all. I ask that you all pray for me and my brokeness. That God continue to grow me past it. Showing me my failures and where I was in His image.

Broken...Part 2

So back to my brokenness. Being confused after God laying me on that church floor, I prayed much and often for God to show me, to speak to me, to give me scripture. For everything to be from Him and only Him. I wanted to understand. Through some scripture, from the Book of Acts and Pentecost, I began to understand that it was God that laid a hand on me that night. I fought God tooth and nail on everything in my life.

Example: I thought I was saved at a young age. I could not tell you my age, I just remember walking the isle, answering "I Do" to a few questions and that was it. No praye, no repentance, no nothing. So for all those years, Satan had me where he wanted me, God didn't, but I thought He did. So as God would gently nudge me, I would think that Satan was trying to make me doubt, but I was really fighting God. Finally, it got to the point that I could not drop it, so as I was going to bed one night, two years ago, I prayed "Okay, God if I am not yours, wake me in the middle of the night." Well, along rolls 2 something in the morning, if I remember correctly, and Kid-O, the child that sleeps like the dead, literally, comes into our room, to my side of the bed, and wakes me saying, (I will never forget these words)"Mommy, this light came on and I can't turn it off." Well, that light, was a blinking Magnetix light, the kind you have to twist to turn on and off. How did it get turned on in the middle of the night, and then wake the one child that never wakes. I immediately got on my knees, after a potty break, and began to repent. I saw ALL my sins on that cross. My SINS put Christ there. My SINS speared Him in the side. At that point, I prayed, I repented, and I believed. It took God about 18 years to get me to stop fighting Him.

So that night, on the church floor, God was telling me, you will not fight me any more. So, I don't fight God much any more. Example: God told me to lay hands on a young women who had been unable to get pregnant for about two years, I think. Anyway, I fought God. I will not do this, you can't ask me to do this. I even talk to my pastor about it. After about two weeks, of God talking to me, telling me you will do this, I finally called this young women, that I had only met about two months prior to this, and told her what I believed God was telling me to do. She accepted what I was telling her and I immediately went to her house. I laid hands on her and prayed for her womb to be opened. After that, there was a peace in me. Four months later, she and her husband came over to tell us they were having a baby. They had just found out. So needless to say, I don't fight God as much as I used too. I am not perfect by any means, so please don't think that is what I am saying. I am just learning to listen and obey.

In the midst of all of this, that same dear, sweet wonderful friend, knowing my confusing, urged me to talk to someone about what had happened to me. So I did. Which is one of the best decisions I have ever made, even though it ultimately led to my brokenness, ill-spoken words on my part as well as others, and us leaving the church that God drew us to six and an half years ago, I am a stronger Christian for it. I finally got up the nerve to speak to my minister. I could tell when I spoke to him that he doubted what I was saying. Which is fine, we are all entitled to our beliefs. Anyway, through that doubt, my confusion came back. Which yet again, God used. I prayed more, and more, about it, asking God for some scripture to support what He had done in my life. And God being God, Faithful, He gave me Daniel Chapter 10. Daniel Chapter 10 (I'd link you but that was before I started blogging) was exactly what I needed at the time. I no longer doubted what God did, nor will I ever. I had never read the Book of Daniel, so to read chapter 10 was my answer from God. The hubby and I still don't truly understand what the real problem was or is, we just know if was a problem.

I am going to stop now and try to finish this in one more post. We'll see.

So Broken...

So this past weekend was a wonderful one. The hubby and I started our meetings for the upcoming fall Walks to Emmaus. At these meetings, you find yourself examining yourself. You can't serve others if you are not in the right spot with God. Anyway, Saturday sitting in the meeting, God was speaking to me, so clearly about how broken I am. I didn't not realize how broken until Saturday and then again on Sunday when the pastor preached on Dave and Nathan.

So here is part of my testimony taken straight from my journal, written 9-29-07, the middle of the night. I will not explain everything in this one post. It would be too long; however, I will explain and write all of it, to completely explain why I am so broken.

Sometime in the middle of the night, 9-29-07:

"Wow, what a night. First I knew about candlelight, but I did not know what would happen or what to expect. I knew Mom and dad would be here. I had no clue that Chris would come. I know I hoped he would but I did not expect it because of the kids.When I saw him that was a blessing. I began to cry as if I had not seen him in weeks. Just making eye contact with him and taking that rose from him was more than I could handle or imagine. It was almost like I was seeing him differently and he was seeing me differently. Then just knowing all those people came just for us to know they were praying for us. Wow! what an amazing experience. Then after everyone left we had our time of release again if we wanted too. Well last night I thought I laid it all down but I did not. This morning when we went back in for communion, they asked us to place a piece of bread in the basket as we lay the things down that we don't want to carry anymore. I felt led to place a piece in for each burden I was carrying and wanted to let go of. I did and my load was so much lighter. So tonight I had nothing else to lay down, but I was still crying uncontrollably. Pastor Phil asked why? I told him I was tired of being that verse in II Timothy where you are always studying but never coming to the truth of the knowledge. He asked if I had ever asked God to give me the full power of the Holy Spirit. I said, "no". I don't know what that means or what to think of that either. He placed his hands on me and began to pray over me. Me head began to feel light, my arms were beginning to go limp. I was aware of everything because I was trying to keep control I wanted to make sure they weren't doing anything to me. He wasn't other than praying over me. As all went limp, I just laid back on the floor, still aware of what was going on telling myself this was not real, but I did not do anything, they did nothing to me. I can not explain it. It is scary and surreal. I am scared to tell Chris. What if that was the one thing he did not agree with. What if he thinks Iam stupid and lost my mind. I still don't know what to think about that experience. I know in my heart if it was a true God give experience that He well grow it. If it was not from my Father I ask that you remove I from me. I only want to be honorable to you, no one else, and no one thing. Whether what I experienced tonight was real or not I know that I have freedom from the craziness that was in my mind before laying all that crap out on the cross. I am changed for the better. I just pray Father that I don't leave with more questions than I came with. I am trusting you to remove from me the verse in II timothy. I am trusting you to give me that teachable heart, the one that desires to know you, see you, talk to you , and hear you."

9-30-07 (morning)
"I am scared Father,I don't understand what happened and why. I know I am scared and I need and want to talk to my husband, to get his idea. I am afraid he will find the experience quite crazy and think I'm weird. I don't even come close to understanding so how do I explain it to anyone else."

9-30-07 (later that morning)
"Father, I think you for sending me to the chapel during breakfast this morning. I knew I needed some answers. I thank you for putting Randy where I could see him. Someone my father trusts. I talked to him and told him what happened and how I felt. He helped to explain, but left to get Donald. Pastor Donald gave me some scripture to back up what had happened because I don't want to do anything to displease you. Then you sent Cathy in. She told me how after you had filled here with the Spirit the Word just came alive. Well that is what I was asking for. I believe that your Words will jump off the page and become alive to me."

So these are words from my journal. Here is the filler information. The night that I hit the floor. I was at the alter, fighting God. I was telling Him, he was not going to make me hit the floor. I was not going to fall. Needless to say, God won, I lost. He laid me on that floor. My dear wonderful friend came over to me and asked me if was okay. I said yes. I wanted to get up, but I couldn't. All I could do was roll my head one way or the other, and tell my friend I was okay. I was laying there, still fighting God, telling him I was going to get up and He was telling me no. Holding me there until I had given up all fight that I had in me. Later that evening when I went to the restroom, I looked in mirror and I glowing, or so pale that I was glowing. I knew I was looking at myself, but there was no definition to my face. That Randy that I saw the next morning, that I knew I could trust because my dad knew him and had worked with him for many years. Well, it was the wrong Randy, God knew I needed someone, so He lined everything up for me to be able to talk to some one, some one I knew I could trust. My father thank Randy for talking to me later that week at a meeting. That's how we figured out it was not the same Randy. Then the hubby, believed every word and understood every word I was telling him. God had spoken to him, but he was not able to tell me until I came home from my walk. So He experienced the power and realness of God as well, just in a different way.

Okay. I think that is enough for now. I could type forever, but I know you all have more important things to do than read this. I will finish in one or two more posts. (This post will explain many posts from a year ago or so.)

Update...

Rock Guys' insurance company is paying to fix my van, and providing us with a rental. They said they may not be insuring this guy much longer. Too much of a liablity.

Thought you might like to know how that turned out.

Coupon Saving

Yes, I am still couponing and saving lots at the grocery store. Today, I got around to doing my totals for July and then my four month total. So here are the results.

July 2009
Total Before Savings $970.84
Total Coupons $233.29
Total Advertised Savings $246.06
Total out of pocket $548.56
Inside my budget by $51.44. Plus some of that money (about $50) was spent on Christmas gifts.

Four Month Total
Total Before Savings $4158.26
Total Coupons $990.82
Total Advertised Savings $1007.96
Total out of pocket $2216.55
Inside four month budget by $483.45 which is a huge accomplishment being that I was actually spendig the amount before savings which is $1458.26 over budget. Wow. So for me, I really have saved $1458.26.

The Final Vacation Post

One of the days that we spent with our college friends, we took the kids to a play water park and play ground. They had a ball there, and it was a hot one, so it was really nice to for them to play in the water.

I thought these pictures were pretty self explanatory. What do you think?