WordFilled Wednesday

Two are better than one, Because they have a good reward for their labor. Ecclesiastes 4:9

I love this verse. Lately in our family it is very true that two are better than one. We are working hard in our separate lives to provide for our family. My husband is doing a better job than I am, as his side jobs are pure profit- minus the little bit of extra gas. I can't really say that for my quilting. Sometimes my profit from each quilt is very minimal. I am so thankful we can work together as a team, and that our efforts are combined to help one overall goal.

I will say though that I feel disconnected lately. I feel our weekends are rushed, and we get little time together. Saturday he worked outside while I did something else, I can't even remember. Then we took our oldest to a competition, went grocery shopping, picked our oldest up, came home unloaded everything and attended a pancake breakfast a friend so graciously provided tickets for. Sunday was the game and while he watched that I worked on tagging 11 buckets of clothing for SOS. Then the weekend was gone..

He worked Monday after work. I found out late Tuesday that he had another side job scheduled and he is needed again tonight. I feel a little down just because we haven't connected in so long. I miss the feeling of being one and not two individuals in a race. I am so thankful for the extra side jobs. I know they will help provide gas money and then also money that Jakob needs for a trip coming up for school. I just realized how much I miss our family togetherness in rushed times like we have had lately. I need to do better at trying to get to sleep earlier so that in the mornings I can steal away a few moments then, just to talk. So what do you do with your spouse to connect when life sweeps you by?

Tackle it Tuesday

Today I made some sunshine quilt blocks for a quilt I want to put together. I have not decided if I will make 3 more 9 patches but I am going to border the quilt blocks with a fabric. Probably a yellow. What do you think of a yellow border with all these pretty colors?

Here is my John Deere quilt. I had to wait to take a picture until after I washed it, because of the wash away stabilizer I used on the name for the front. That means I couldn't get a better picture then these two.

I really love the way it turned out. I wish this picture was better because it does not do it justice. It is about 43 by 58. A nice size Crib quilt/playmat. The backing is a soft blue flannel

Menu Planning Monday

Monday

Tostadas

Tuesday

French Toast

Wednesday

Spaghetti, Garlic Bread and Green Beans

Thursday

Chicken* and Rice

Friday

Fried Pork Chops*, Mac n Cheese, Mashed potatoes and white gravy

Saturday Jakob's 16th Birthday Meal

Steak, Mashed Potatoes with white gravy and brocolli

Homemade cheesecake for dessert

Sunday

Fajitas*

Grocery List for week
Spent $46 bought a couple of things for next week since they were on sale

Eggs

Milk

Prego Spag Sauce

Bread

Steak

Flour Tortillas

Onion

Peppers
Granola Bars

Peanuts

** means I have the meat in the freezer

Big Bad Wolf

Sometimes I feel like the Big Bad Wolf. Do you ever feel that way?

I have had to say no to some things that family wants to do lately. 

For example my husband wanted to go to a local brewery across town this afternoon, his brother and family are going to be there. It would be fun. We own the pilsner glass so the cost is nothing, you get three free tokens and can drink for free with those. However, we would have to spend money for gas to get there. Honestly we don't have that gas money. 

So, I said no, not this time. He was a little upset

The moment has passed.

I had to tell my daughter no last night to a trip with a friend and her friend's family this summer.

The cost $150, we don't have that. Also its a trip with the dad and his new wife and we don't really know them. I don't feel its a good idea.

I know she is disappointed.

The moment has now passed.

Last night I had to say no to our son Zekaryah. 

We had one chilis card left from a friend who did something nice for our anniversary.

Paul wanted to have a date last night and see a movie at the $2.50 location in Tomball.

Zekaryah wanted to go- I said no.

Then he wanted to go to a friends house. 

I did say yes, however he never reached him.

He then wanted us to wait around, it was already 6:30 to ensure his friend would not call.

Again I said  no.

We went on our date.

We did not go to the movie. 

I decided dinner only cost $5 but the movie would cost additional money

We didn't really have it

We came home, a little disapoointed

The moment already passed.

I made our menu for the week. The family members that participated all had some grand ideas, many I had to say no too. We just need to keep things as cheap as possible for 6 months. We are using up as much as we can in the stockpile that I had from all that Kroger couponing a year ago. I really miss their double and triple coupons and matching with sales to get some great prices. It is a little scary to think we are having to depend nearly soley on the stockpile but I am trusting the Lord has a great plan in 6 months time or less - when the stockpile is exhausted, when our freezer, deep freeze and pantry is bare. So I made my list. I have our $20 from my friend who sent me a kind note this week. I have our $100 gift card that another friend sent and we are prepared for the store. I have decided to just do our list one week at a time. I had planned to buy our foods that were non perishable all today with the gift card but then I decided the Lord might move mountains and help our items we need to go on sale so we are shopping for this week not the month.

Here is our list.

Household                                                                                                     Bread

Borax                                                                                                             Tortillas for fajitas

                                                                                                                      French Bread

                                                                                                                      Sandwich Bread

Dairy                                                                                                            Produce

Milk (later in week)                                                                                        Onion

Eggs                                                                                                               Peppers

                                                                                                                      Tomato

                                                                                                                               

Frozen

Okra

Canned/Processed                                                                                    Meat

Prego                                                                                                          Ham Lunchmeat

Spaghetti Noodles                                                                                       Bacon

 I pray for this coming week that we continue to stay strong.
Last weekend the porch steps- bottom two collapsed. Zekaryah created a temporary fix.
This weekend the rain has caused a huge drainage issue. Our trenches stopped holding. We need 4 inch pipe.
I have a $50 gift card to Home Depot so I am praying that will cover those expenses.
I get frustrated at times when we think we have a plan and then it get sucked down the drain so to speak.
I am trying so hard to not use our credit cards. We already had to break that since 2012.
Taxes for our land went on the credit card, gas money, Jakob's dental visit this past week was $104, we didn't have it, more gas money, then to mail my two quilt orders and the sewing machine I had to charge those shipping fees yesterday too. Its sad to see that my balances that were going down, just went back up, so we start February with more debt than we had in January. I know the Lord will continue to help us.
We just need to continue to pray, try to be faithful and I need to continue to say No to the things we do not need, but rather just want.
Eventually maybe they will stop asking?
Probably not, but it is a good thought.

Thankful Thursday

We have been through such an emotional week. I am so thankful for the power of prayer. I am thankful for the ability to live in a country where I can do so freely. I am thankful that I can also ask for prayer publicly, whether that be by phone, email or even facebook and my blog. I am thankful that while I may not get much encouragement from friends that are close to me in our area, mainly because I don't have many friends that live near us, I do get that encouragement from those that follow my blog and pages. I cannot tell you how much online friendships truly mean to me. How people that I have never met in person reach out and pray for us, or even share their prayer requests with us. It is amazing to see how the world has transformed in such a short time.

I am thankful that this week we took a look at refinancing, while after much prayer, we decided to not go forward with it, I am so thankful that the Lord allowed me to think of our son's friends mom. We now have some help with a property tax issue and our focus has been realigned. I pray that the county will hear our petition and make the necessary adjustments so that we can live a little easier. I know the Lord already has a hand in this situation.

I am very grateful to a friend this week, who last night, decided to buy my short arm quilting machine. I am so excited that while I have to part ways with it, I know it is going to a wonderful home. I am so thankful that the Lord helped ease my heart about parting with this machine. I know he has a greater plan and for that I wanted to listen. It really has helped me feel less anxiety to know that the money gained from the sell will help us have grocery money for 5 months. I am now praying for great sales and coupons to help that money stretch.

I am thankful for our wonderful children this week. They have been so great about trying to pitch in as they could just to make life a little easier. Our middle son actually cooked dinner one night this week. I am thankful for the extra side jobs that my husband was able to work and that we have had two additional inquiries on the piano we have listed for sale.

I close with a prayer for a dear family in our community who lost their son. The viewing is this Friday and the funeral Saturday. I pray for them as they say goodbye to their loved one. I cannot even imagine the emotion they are feeling. I pray that the Lord will provide them with comfort and strength. I pray that the lives he was able to touch will continue to spread by them paying it forward. I pray for the community to heal from this loss, for all the young children, teachers, adults and friends also attending services this weekend. That they remember it is not goodbye but we will see you later. I am so grateful that we know with certainty that heaven is real and that when we loose our loved ones early we know they are with the Lord and no longer in pain, sorrow etc. Please remember this family this weekend in your prayers.

WordFilled Wednesday

Whoever gathers money little by little makes it grow. Proverbs 13:11

 

 

I have been praying a lot since Saturday. What I mean that is praying even more than I normally do. We have really struggled more than ever financially this month. I am used to selling a quilt here and there, my husband getting side jobs here and there and pretty much that has not been the case for January 2012. It has really put us in a bind. I subbed all of one day this month. I was looking to the Lord for answers and I noticed this verse.

Whoever gathers money little by little makes it grow. Proverbs 13:11

How true is that right? I mean when you are scraping pennies to make ends meet you sure do find a way to get things done little by little. We started going through our home, thinking about things we don't use very often or things that we could reasonably part ways with. I listed a couple on craigslist. I wasn't greedy. I kept the price low enough that someone else could afford to buy it but also where it would help us out little by little for each selling item. 

I have really worked so much harder this month at our menu items. I try very hard to stick to what I have planned each week and only go to the store the extra time if we really need something like milk or bread. I also continue to work on a plan to pay down our debt. I am encouraged by some books I have been reading that are fictional that talk about how they would have a family tradition of going to the people they owed money to on the last day of the year and settling those debts so that they would start the new year with blessing and honor. I love the sound of that. I think just not going into every year with debt makes you feel a lot less stressed. The bible is very clear on debt.

 Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love on another, for whoever loves others has fulfilled the law. 

Romans 13:8

I think it is beyond fitting that today as I ponder this verse about collecting little by little we meet with the bank to see about refinancing our home. We checked into this concept a year ago and it was not enough of a difference to make it worthwhile. I am praying that since we have paid our home down a little more and that interest rates are just around 4% that someone will work for us and help us out. I also pray that they will help with the recent Itunes situation that really made us realize that there are companies out there that do not care about the customer just about the profit they make, even if it is made illegally. 

So I make a continued commitment as we move into February 2012 to the Lord we will continue to collect money little by little so that he can pour out blessings so that we may do His Will and live Debt Free. I will have faith that He will continue to provide and I will trust that we will not ever do without what we truly need.

Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and your plans will succeed. 

Proverbs 16:3

Tackle it Tuesday

Here is my Tackle it Tuesday. A special Pirate quilt for a customer's son's birthday. She picked out all the fabrics and had them sent to me and just asked me to put it together. I had to wait to quilt it last night because I wanted to make sure she liked it before I did the quilting portion.

After a long morning of trying to figure out how we would make it with my bank account drained of the little money we had and the paypal account emptied, I made the tough decision to go ahead and list my Juki Short Arm machine. I think what is nice about this machine is it is not complicated. If you are learning to sew this is a great machine, there is on stitch, so piece of cake. For us quilters it is great due to the extra height in the throat area, the extension table and the auto thread cutter. I am praying the Lord will provide it with a new home.

Menu Planning Monday

I am a little late again. I had the menu on my board just never posted it.

Monday

Chicken Soup- boys

Tomato Soup- Kenzei, Mom and Dad

Grilled Cheese Sandwiches

Tuesday 

Burritos

Wednesday 

Pancakes, Bacon and Sausage

Thursday

Chicken and Rice

Friday

Baked Potatoes

Saturday

Chicken Tenders, Fries and Okra- we didn't get to celebrate Zek's birthday yet

Lemon Cake with lemon Filling and Lemon icing

Sunday

Chicken Kabobs and Rice

Love Yourself Giveaway

 

CEO of Me, Inc.com, Sunshine & Sippy Cups & This n That with Olivia are very excited to be teaming up with 40 other amazing Blogs and great Sponsors for the "Love Yourself Event & Giveaway" from Feb 1-14. The mission of this event is to raise awareness about domestic violence and to celebrate the brave women, children (and men) who have made the decision to leave abusive relationships and environments.

Each of the blogs participating paid a fee to participate. 50% of that fee was donated to Brave Woman.org. (The other 50% went towards the grand prize Kindle Touch & Amazon Gift Card).  Brave Woman.org is a wonderful charity that supports domestic violence awareness and changing the perception of victims of domestic violence.

Brave Woman.org is much more than a charity though, it is a movement. It is about brave women, children (and men) coming together "with messages of overcoming life fears, picking ourselves up and trying again" to support survivors of domestic violence. There is no need to be ashamed if you have been a victim of domestic violence. You can find support, information and assistance through many resources.

We want to encourage you to visit Brave Woman.org and Take the Pledge and support this cause by joining the community of other Brave Women. Please also consider donating or volunteering to Domestic Violence shelters, centers and charities local to you.

If you have been or are currently in an abusive relationship or environment, please reach out and let other Brave Women & men help you.  "You are not alone, even when you feel small, unsure and maybe even terrified." - BraveWoman.org

To enter this giveaway use the Rafflecopter form below.

Thank you so much to the participating blogs and sponsors. Please be sure to visit their sites too!

Frugal Fanatic, Thrifty Jinxy, Coupon Spice, Kat's Cafe, Rainy Day Pennies, Tracer's Coupon Affair, I am a Couponer, Food N Service, My Un-entitled Life, Meg's Moxie, Madame Deals, This n That with Olivia,   Suburban Coupon Mom, Coupon Savings in the South, Coping with Frugality, Money Saving Parent, Sunshine & Sippy Cups, Rewards Station, Front Page Freebies, CentsLess Deals, 4 Little Monsters and Me, CEO of Me, Inc., Full Price? Never!, Cori's Coupon Corner, Debt Free Spending, Sweeties Freebies, The Shopper's Apprentice, Whole Lotta Mama, MyCouportiera, Growth in God, SAVING with a Working Mom, The Tales of Bubba & Mack, Pharmapack, Fit Moms for Life, Sunshine of Autumn, Scentsy Consultant Jennen Gonzalez, AVON Consultant Sandy Kearns, Zija Weight Management, Mary Kay Consultant Olivia Douglass and The Homestead Company.

Words of Comfort

It seems like lately I lean to words of comfort. There is so much going on in our lives, in the lives of our family, in the lives of our friends and in the lives of others that we know and don't know.

I find that life is so stressful lately.

It is rushed, chaotic, demanding. 

Sometimes it is full of great anxiety and sorrow. 

I sat back yesterday and watched my children, 

how their emotions were so mixed up 

and they were fighting because they didn't quite know how to deal with what they were feeling. 

I understood this emotion. 

How sometimes just the amount of stress in life 

can allow you to react in a way that really was not intended, 

you just burst at the seams,

like a teapot, that is nice and hot and ready to pour. 

This all leads me to the word of God this morning 

and some verses to share 

in hopes that if you need some comfort or reassurance 

you might find it in the Words of our Heavenly Father.

The Lord has heard my weeping. The Lord has heard my cry for mercy, the Lord accepts my prayer. 

Psalm 6:8-9

In my distress I called to the Lord, and he answered me. From the depths of the grace I called for help, and you listened to my cry. Jonah 2:2

This is what the Lord says to you, Do not be afraid or discouraged.. For the battle is not yours, but God's.

2 Chronicles 20:18

Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor; If they fall down, they can help each other up. But pity those who fall and have no one to help them up! Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm, But how can one keep warm alone? Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves.

A cord of three strands is not quickly broken. Ecclesiastes 4:9-12

I pray for you today. I pray that your needs be met, that your heart be lighter. I pray that you find the goodness in the midst of the storm. If you would like prayer directly please comment and I would be happy to lift up your requests.