Gratituesday: Season Changes

Certain times of the year get me amped up and just overall excited.  (have I mentioned that I am an excitable person?)  Fall is one of those times.  I also get really excited at Thanksgiving (and the Black Friday sales at office supply stores), Christmas, New Years (oh - the fresh slate and organizing possibilities....), Easter, spring, summer,  fall, and winter.

Season changes offer a fresh slate of sorts.  Each season has its clothing necessities, housing necessities (I mean, who really uses flannel sheets in July?), and decorating opportunities.  Each season offers a time to rethink life and make adjustments.  Each season offers new types of entertainment.

I just love the PROMISE of what is to come with each season.  I love the CHANGE that happens right as the previous season has grown dreary and dull.

For this season change, I am enjoying a bloggy Fall Festival on my other blog.  Come join in and celebrate the start of fall with us!  Also, share what you are grateful for over at Gratituesday at Heavenly Homemakers.

Freebies, Deals, Coupons

Click here to see my Gratituesday post for today over on my other blog.  I am in the process of prepping for a Kroger MEGA sale trip!  So far, we have spent only $40.80 on groceries this month, so we have some wiggle room.  I also got an email from SheSpeaks with an invitation to do a shopping study that pays $10 for this shopping trip!  SWEET!

On to the deals!

• Click through to Hip to Save for details on a Free Portrait Package from the Picture People!
• MoneySavingMom has a great list of freebies and cheapies at Kroger this week!
• Woot deal - silicone oven mitt $14.99 + $5 shipping
• Woot kids deal - Naxos audio books classics cd set including: Epic Adventures/Treasures/Storytelling Magic, Happy Endings/Tales Of Friendship/Enchanted Worlds.  $15.99 + $5 shipping
  

Gratituesday: Good News from the Doctor

Good news from a doctor is always a welcome thing. It's seemed like doctors around us have been doling out a good bit of bad news lately. Within the past 2 weeks, 2 of my pastors have been diagnosed with brain tumors! Yes, one pastor stepped down from the ministry a few years ago, but he married us and I still count him as one of my pastors.

On Friday, Baby was diagnosed with MRSA on his leg. I wasn't too concerned since the doctor assured me it wasn't a huge deal. I didn't have the internet at the time so I didn't do a search to learn more. I felt like it was the "olden days" that I remember from my childhood. Well, once we finally had internet back on Sunday, I did my search and was quite alarmed at the second sentence - "may be fatal!" Ack! This is my BABY we're talking about!



We were able to get in for a follow-up with our regular doctor (had to see the on-call doc on Friday). She put my mind at ease! The culture of the grossness came back from the lab and it was NOT MRSA but just a bad strep infection on his skin. This news didn't negate the fevers and just overall sick baby, but BOY, did it make me feel better! We now have a new prescription antibiotic cream to add to the oral antibiotics to kick this nastiness out of there quickly! I also have a renewed resolve to keep those fingernails cut closer since the infection probably began with a teeny nick in the skin.

Praise God my little man is almost healed!

Gratituesday: Good Friends

I am excited! Have I told you I get excited easily? Have I told you I don't sleep for 3 days before Christmas? That I give birthday presents WAY too early because I just can't wait? Well, if Baby wasn't keeping me up all night, I would be up anyway because I am excited! On Thursday, I will get to spend the day with a dear friend, Lisa, from college! I will get to meet her darling daughter and she'll get to meet Baby! We have only seen each other a handful of times for short visits over the last 10 years. Gah! Have I been out of college that long?!?!

I am so thankful for the friends God has brought into my life. He has provided wonderful, godly friends each time we moved. These friends have loved me and challenged me. They have helped me through hard times and have pushed me to grow. On this Gratituesday, I am so thankful for good friends!

Gratituesday: God Uses the Young

Yes, I have already done a Gratituesday blog for the day. I want to do another one! Why? Because I can! Actually, because I MUST!

Yesterday I was thinking through all the hundreds, no, thousands, no, millions of things I am thankful for. The most pressing WAS how I have learned to stretch our dollars and to be a better steward of our resources. Well, one small moment from yesterday keeps replaying itself in my head and I can't keep from sharing.

Luke 10:21
At that time Jesus, full of joy through the Holy Spirit, said, "I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this was your good pleasure.

I remember years ago hearing a message on how God can use anyone regardless of age or size or even belief in Him. I have seen it happen, but not very recently - until yesterday.

Baby and I were shopping at Kohl's. I had foregone a cart and just carried him thinking we wouldn't be in the store too long. Who knew they would hide the umbrellas?

I set baby on the floor so I could enjoy the feeling of blood back in my arm as I contemplated purchasing a $25 umbrella that Hubby would probably lose within weeks. It was a short contemplation. Near me was a woman shopping for a deal on a purse. I hardly noticed her. Baby, however, crawled right over to her (just a mere 2 feet), raised his hand up to her, and shouted, "HI!" or something that sounded like a happy greeting.

This woman turned around and looked down with great surprise. Her eyes brightened as she engaged Baby in a "conversation." She turned to me and told me how thankful she was Baby said hello to her, you see, her son was going off to college this week and she was very sad. She told me how Baby helped her instantly remember the big picture, remember her son as a baby and how much he has grown.

There is no way I could have known the pain this woman was feeling. She was just another bargain shopper. Baby knew what she needed. I imagine God speaking to his tiny heart and Baby simply obeying. That picture makes my heart lift! Some might say Baby is just an outgoing little guy. True, he is. However, that fact does not diminish the fact that he got to "be God with skin on" to someone yesterday.

Gratituesday: Hard Working Bloggers

I am lazy. I am just a lazy person. I could do so much more throughout the day, but I like to sit and relax. I have been a stay at home wife/mother for just a year now and it feels like I should be prepping for another year of teaching. This past year just felt like one very long summer break and I have treated it that way. Now that school is starting up, I am getting the itch to get organized and to get a ton done.

With all that said, I am so thankful for all the ladies that spend hours putting together blog after blog of shopping deals and coupon match-ups. Through these blogs, I have learned how to shop at various stores. I have learned how to stock my pantry so I spend the least amount on groceries. Through these blogs I have shaved about $100 off my monthly grocery budget. I hope to shave another $50 off within the next few months. There is no way I have the time or energy to do all these myself. What a wonderful gift to give others - to teach them to be wise stewards of the resources God has entrusted them with.

I am especially thankful after my Monday shopping trip. I spent a total of $3.oo out of pocket. I purchased one 10-pack of men's athletic socks at Kohl's and paid $.53 after using a $10 gift card that came in the mail with an advertisement. Our next stop was CVS #1. I spent about $1.25 out of pocket. I used $2 in ECB's from a previous deal. I got $8 back in ECB's! I bought 6 Johnson & Johnson Travel First Aid kits for $.99 each and used a $1.00 coupon with 5 of them (the 6th beeped and the cashier would not let me use it although I have used many in the past no problem) and got $6 ECB's. I also got 2 packs of filler paper for $.99 each with $.99 in ECB's back. I was hungry so I got a candy bar. On to CVS #2. I didn't get my favorite cashier. I got one more first aid kit with the same $1 coupon (cashier tried to tell me I could not use it saying the travel pack was a trial size - Johnson and Johnson has sent out emails saying it is fine to use this coupon - she finally pushed it through), a beach ball for Baby, a pack of pens with a raincheck ($.99 with $.99 ECB's) and another candy bar for me. I used $2 ECB's and paid about $1.50.

Money has been really tight with me staying home. We would not be able to afford simple luxuries like cable tv and internet and would not have been able to replace a car with a van if I was still shopping like "normal" people. I am so thankful for these ladies and how they have helped our family! What a blessing!

Gratituesday: Too Much Grace - I am Overwhelmed

Gratituesday is by far the most difficult post to write each week. I am certainly not lacking in blessings. The problem is having too many to choose from. Today will be a hodge podge of thanksgiving.

I am grateful that I don't get what I deserve. I am a sinner. I deserve Hell. Jesus took my sins and took my place. I deserve Hell but receive blessings instead. Astounding. I can't even begin to wrap my brain around those truths.

I am grateful for the beauty that surrounds me. I catch myself staring at my surroundings. A lot. I grew up near here - the upper Ohio Valley. I moved away to Knoxville, TN and Lincoln, NE and was able to move back. After living on the prairie, I am just astounded at the beauty of the mountains. I took this beauty for granted for 21 years of my life. I vow to never take it for granted again.

Lastly, for today, I am thankful for a blast-from-the-past song. While doing my bargain hunting, I was undone by an old favorite song, "Dandelions" by Five Iron Frenzy. Having a little boy gave this song new meaning. I hope you enjoy it!

Gratituesday: The Pull of the New School Year

I know - this is a strange post coming from me. I have no children in school. I am not teaching. I'm a stay at home mommy. There is just SOMETHING about the start of school that gets me all amped up. Maybe it is from teaching for so long. Maybe I am just strange. Something about the FRESH START. The blank grade book and lesson plan book. The adventure awaiting. The endless possibilities.

This is start of my second year without school of some sort in 27 years! I feel a little lost without preparing a classroom or preparing for taking classes. I am thankful Hubby is a professor so I can help HIM prepare for classes!

I need to remember that I am still a teacher. Every day, my little man is learning amazing things. What will I teach him? Will learning happen accidentally? Of course! Should that be the only way? Of course not.

I am thankful that the start of the school year is spurring me back to being intentional. I am raising a child. I want my child to know Jesus. I want him to hold our family values. I want to be the best mom I can be.

I may just go out and buy myself a lesson plan book. Can't hurt to be organized! I want to be intentional in this most important job!

Gratituesday:Home Sweet Home

Over the past 9 years we have moved. A lot. We have owned 4 houses, none of which we have rented out. We have lived in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Tennessee, Nebraska, and West Virginia. With each move, I was more and more guarded about feeling "at home." I was afraid of making the close friendships just in time to move away. It just hurts too much.

I am home now. Home from vacation. Home to stay. Home where we won't be moving for many, many years. Hubby has no more schooling. No more summers filled with packing and unpacking from big moves. Summers are now for packing for family vacations.

Now that we are back from our first vacation while in this house, I a am noticing anew - we are HOME. Unpacking feels different now - better. We can take our time fixing rooms to be just how we like rather than fixing them for resale.

We've been here a year. The walls I built up in our previous moves are slowly coming down. I thank God for the years of moving around. He used those years to show us that Heaven is our true home. He has now blessed us with an earthly home for years to come.

Gratituesday: Little Tiny Bundle of Pain

My father made an astute observation a few weeks back. He said that babies are not only bundles of joy, they are also "really cute and sweet bundles of PAIN!" My goodness - as Baby grows and becomes more and more mobile and independent, he is becoming increasingly painful to his mommy and daddy. I will be surprised if I make it through his toddlerhood with all my teeth and without going bald (he LOVES my long hair - it has many purposes: horsie reigns, pull toy, leverage to stand up, and a chew toy).

With all that said, I couldn't be more thankful for the little guy. I love our sweet moments together snuggling. I love his sense of humor. He currently thinks it is HYSTERICAL to put his hand in my mouth while nursing so I use his hand to blow kisses to his daddy. I swear, I saw a little milk come out his nose (Baby's nose) one night when he laughed so hard.

Gratituesday: the Book

I was sitting on the living room floor watching Baby rip his train off the tracks and insert it into his mouth when I was struck by something - books. Not just any books. MY books. In front of me is a bookcase towering FULL of books of all kinds. One book caught my attention - my Bible. Actually, the number of bibles on my shelves caught my eye.

A couple weeks ago we had a guest pastor speak at church. He spoke of his days as a young man leading groups from his church to smuggle bibles into communist China. He spoke of his first trip - the fear, the anxiety, and the Grace. He spoke of the complete thankfulness of the Chinese recipents of their bibles - something they were severely lacking.

I have never suffered to get a bible. I have never faced the possibility of prison for having a bible. We have such easy access, yet we often don't read. I know I give in to the tyranny of the urgent far too often. I imagine a conversation with the Lord. "Do you know I desire only good for you even if it seems bad at the time?" "Yes, Lord." "Do you know I love you?" "Yes, Lord." "Have you read the love letter I wrote for you?" "Bits and pieces of it, Lord."

I think how I poured over love letters from my hubby, drinking up every word. How I long to do the same with God's love letter. I am so blessed to have 8 copies in my house. Now, I just need to read them!

Gratituesday: Boo-boo's and Microwaves

I am in the kitchen preparing French toast for breakfast. I hear Baby cry and Hubby comfort and redirect. A few minutes later, Hubby is in the kitchen cleaning blood off his hand. He thought he had cut himself and didn't realize it.

I finish preparing breakfast and serve it up in the family room. Baby is playing on the floor. Hubby is chowing down while I gather my food. Baby cries, Hubby brings baby up to the chair with him to snuggle. More mysterious blood appears on Hubby's arm.

We look at Baby and discover a large gash in his foot, dried blood all over his foot and leg, and fresh blood on his foot. Add to the picture a large streak of black grease across baby's face from where he tried to suck on the inner parts of the recliner just moments ago.

A few minutes later, the boo-boo was fixed in spite of the world's wiggliest baby. Hubby was able to finish his breakfast. Mine was cold. As usual. I think I have eaten TWO hot meals in the past week - if that.

For this Gratituesday, I want to sing the praises of the microwave! Thanks to this wonderful device, I am able to easily reheat my food to get a hot meal - not always anywhere near the actual mealtime, but still a hot meal.

Moments like this remind me of a scene from A Christmas Story where the mom keeps getting up to get food for the family and hasn't eaten a hot meal for herself in a decade! I love my job as a wife and mother and wouldn't change it for the world!

Gratituesday

I love Gratituesday.  It's a great way to remember to be thankful for all we have.  We are so incredibly blessed in so many ways.  

I am so thankful for God's provision financially.  We had a rocky past year.  We sold a home and lost a little money on the deal.  We moved across the country.  We had our first baby.  We adjusted to me staying at home.  We adjusted to a slightly higher mortgage payment. We replaced a transmission.  We sold a car and bought a van.  It's been quite a year.  

Little by little, God has been providing for us to dig our way back to financial freedom.  We have taken Financial Peace University and long for that freedom again - not that we've been completely out of debt, but I digress.

I am grateful that Hubby was able to teach a summer course at his University.  I am even more thankful that Friday is the last day of the class and that Hubby gets paid shortly after class ends!  I am so thankful for Hubby.  He has worked so hard to become a professor.  He works so hard at his job, always striving towards excellence.  He is such a good provider - he takes on extra jobs any chance he gets.  He is an excellent role model for our little baby boy!  Happy first Father's day, sweetie!