How do you hear?

This list blew me away.  I will not listen to a sermon the same way again.

How about you?

Ready, Set, Save!

Here is a guest blog from my daughter in law Taylor- she named me Bubbles! 

When Andrew and I got married and I relocated to a city where I was unable to find a job, I discovered the world of couponing. I have learned a lot about saving and earning money over the past few years, and although I am by no means an expert, the strategies below have helped us to stretch our budget , allowing us to save more, give more, and travel more.

Couponing – There are a multitude of blogs on couponing; however, I entered the world of couponing and drug store shopping through Money Saving Mom.  Currently, I visit Southern Savers the most often, as she offers the ability to easily create a shopping list by clicking on the items that you would like to add to your list. You can then print your custom list complete with coupon matchups. Although Money Saving Mom and Southern Savers are the blogs I visit most often, I also visit Common Sense with Money and Deal Seeking Mom on occasion.

Shopping – For online shopping, I shop through Ebates, Mr. Rebates, or Shop at Home to get cash back on my purchases. Mr. Rebates is the site that I use most often, as it typically has the highest rebate. These websites will also list coupon codes that may be available. Another website that is useful is dealnews, which lists some of the best online shopping deals. For information on Amazon-specific deals, Jungle Deals and Steals blogs about great Amazon deals.

Dining Out/Entertainment –  Groupon and Living Social are my favorite sites for entertainment and restaurant deals. I have found half price deals on my favorite restaurants, salons, and local entertainment (walking tours, cooking classes, etc.). There are several other websites that offer daily deals; however, Groupon and Living Social are the ones that I visit most often. For dining out, some cities have great restaurants listed at www.restaurant.com. There is always a coupon code for this website - just search for one on your search engine prior to purchasing.  I’ve gotten several great restaurant gift certificates for very little money through restaurant.com.

Travel –  Groupon and Living Social offer fantastic deals for travel – from one night stays at a Bed and Breakfast to two-week excursions. From the Groupon website, click on Getaways, and on the Living Social homepage, click on Escapes. These are updated weekly, and although the deals typically last one week, the lower priced deals frequently sell out prior to ending.

For hotel stays, I have discovered Priceline, which has helped us to save hundreds of dollars on our trips. We use two websites, Bidding for Travel and Better Bidding, to give us an idea of what hotels we might end up getting through bidding on Priceline. This also gives me an idea of what prices other people are paying, so that I do not waste any bids, as you only get one opportunity to bid in a particular zone (unless you change the star level) in a 24-hour period.

Another option for vacations is to book an apartment via www.vrbo.com or www.homeaway.com. There are several other websites for searching for vacation rentals, but these are the two that we use most often. We booked an apartment for our stay in Rome, and we loved it. Not only were we able to save money by renting an apartment, but also we are able to cook our own breakfast and do laundry at the apartment.

One last resource that I use for travel deals is Clark Howard’s website, where his team posts travel deals (focusing specifically on flight deals from Atlanta). He also has several great tips for traveling and saving money.

Earning Money – There are a few easy ways to earn money online. Now, you won’t become a millionaire, but something is better than nothing, right? One way is to earn points that can be redeemed for gift cards through SwagBucks. You can earn points by using SwagBucks as your search engine and also through completing daily polls on the SwagBucks page. 

Another easy way to earn money is through the completion of Pinecone surveys. Pinecone only sends you surveys for which you have already qualified, and you get paid $3 for each survey. Occasionally, you will also get the opportunity to test out new products that have not yet hit the market.

PaperBack Swap and SwapADvd will not necessarily make you money, but you can exchange your used books and dvds with others for only the price of postage. We have exchanged several books and dvds through these websites and recommend it highly.

Well, in a nutshell, those are the tools that we use to save money – I hope you find this helpful! Happy saving!

3 of 1000

Ann Voskamp is the author of the book 1000 Gifts. Her blog- A Holy Life is on my blog roll. She offered a free download for the month of January, that offered suggestions for making a list of your 1000 gifts. 3 per day. Today is 3 things blue!

machine gun maybe?

Do you have a favorite TV show?

I have several and one of them is Top Shot.  A new season starts on February 14 at 9 central.  It is a reality show with marksmen. The contestants start the competition on teams until enough of them have been eliminated, then they compete against each other.  They use everything from rocks to Gatling guns.

 I have no idea why I like this show so much.  I joined the facebook group for the TV show and I don't look like most of those people, in fact, I don't look like any of those people.  The facebook page for Top Shot encouraged me and all the others to upload pictures from our Top Shot parties. Wow!  They all showed off all their guns!  I don't have a gun.  I keep telling Carl that I need one and he just laughs.

Thanks Ashley!

Ashley was in charge of our table for 4 for December. We met at a restaurant and had an ornament exchange. There were 9 of sharing in the laughter for the evening!!

This month Jill is in charge. It will be fun I am sure!

Have an Ordinary Day!

This post is from Ravi Zacharias Ministries.

The Feast of Ordinary



On the occasion of still needing to buy a new calendar for 2012 (the encroaching speed of January is always a little shocking after the race of December), a thought of Oscar Wilde's crosses my mind. Wilde thoroughly resented the power of modern calendars to remind us that, though full of activity, "each day that passes is the anniversary of some perfectly uninteresting event." He would no doubt be further troubled to know that we are currently in a season the church calendar calls "Ordinary Time."



There are actually two intervals of Ordinary Time within the Christian church year, unbeknownst to most calendars. The first interval begins after Epiphany (the remembrance of the arrival of the wise men to the birthplace of Jesus) and continues until Lent (the forty days of remembrance  leading up to the crucifixion of Jesus). The second interval of Ordinary Time begins at the conclusion of Pentecost (the celebration of the coming of the Holy Spirit)
and continues until Advent (the celebration of the coming of the Christ child). We are currently living within this first interlude of Ordinary Time, having just celebrated the feast day of Epiphany and now waiting for the approach of Lent. But this is hardly the Church's way of saying the day before us is ordinary.



Far from announcing days that are commonplace or mundane, Ordinary Time is meant to be a season of anticipated living. The term actually comes from the word "ordinal," which means that it is time "counted" or "numbered." Though the Church's festive banners may have come down after the celebrations of Advent and Epiphany have ended, the startling realities of life under the banners of a new born King and the presence of a savior have begun. The Church attempts reminds the world to live expectantly between the mystery of the incarnation and the assurance of the unique one within our midst. 



Though Jewish feasts and holy days were a major part of the
lives of Jesus and his disciples, the same was true for them as it is for the church: the majority of their time together was the time spent between holy days. Yet far from being described as the lull between holidays, the disciples' "ordinary time" was spent healing and feeding crowds, proclaiming the kingdom, raising the dead, and learning at the feet of Jesus, the Son. More often than not, they were genuinely surprised by the one in their midst, no matter how ordinary the day. In the everyday lives of Christ's followers today there is a similar expectant quality within each moment, time that is hopefully being shared with the world as an invitation to join them. It is time counted; time that matters.



It is appropriate that the first signs of Jesus's identity were displayed not to Jerusalem's religious leaders or in the pious celebrations of a chosen nation. The first bold signs of the startling work of God came to foreigners, people who had to journey a great distance
to see what the heavens were revealing. In the form of a great star to foreign astrologers, the God of Israel chose to reveal the birth of Jesus to nations far beyond the religious activities of Jerusalem.



Later revelations of the child's identity were similarly filled with ordinary time and people. After the hype of Passover had settled in Jerusalem and the last of the festivities were waning, long after the villagers who had traveled far were on their way home, twelve year-old Jesus had stayed behind, though his parents were unaware of it. Three days later they found him in the temple courts, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. And "everyone who heard him was amazed" (Luke 2:47). Likewise, the first miracle Jesus performed was not in the temple or as a religious leader but at a wedding as a wedding guest. Quietly and discreetly for a party that was running short on wine, Jesus used the symbols and waters of purification, and he created
enough wine to bless the bride and groom and all their guests long after the wedding was finished—a sign of both his coming hour and the coming feast. And once more, ordinary time was marked by the extraordinary.



While the calendar may seem to set us up to live from one major holiday to the next, what if there is far more to expect from the rest of our days? While holy days mark events that dramatically shape both religious and secular worldviews, our ordinary days give us the space to live these events out. In the repetitive rhythm of the church calendar, human hearts are invited to beat expectantly of a greater kingdom. For ordinary time is never ordinary, as God's presence always involves the unexpected.


Jill Carattini is managing editor of A Slice of Infinity at Ravi Zacharias International Ministries in Atlanta, Georgia.

Hand on the hip, ladies!

I am blest to call these my friends.  We took this sorority pose during a recent women's event.  Sandy was in charge of the wonderful meal and we were her underlings.  A good time was had by all in the kitchen and the women at the event loved the food too- I am sure because it was made with so much love.

I hope you have a smiling good day!

21 years old!

Happy Birthday Robert!  You are so cool!!

War Eagle

In honor of the National Championship game tonight have a look at AUBURN uniforms from the past.

I thought my brother, John, would enjoy this!  I hope you do too!

A Bread and Butter gift!

 Here is a picture of our good friends Monica and Michael with Kaitlin.  They used to live in LR and came back for a visit.  We had the privilege of having them stay in our home for their visit.

I bought some fun cereals for us to have for breakfast, changed the sheets on several beds and got ready for them to arrive.

We had a great visit!!  Lots of laughing and sharing and then more laughing.  I have a few new books to try from Monica's reading list, we laughed about the fun dancing at John and Marisa's wedding reception and we watched lots of Sportscenter plus a few bowl games.  Their son, Parker, told us he was glad they stayed in a home where he could watch lots of sports.

Just before they were to leave our house, their daughter, Olivia, brought me a gift.  My mother would have called this a 'bread and butter' gift- a gift you bring your hostess.  I was so impressed with their gift that I wanted to share it with you!

First- a thank you note that they all signed! In the gift was a grocery gift card,

   

some shower gels and lotions

 and some fun dish towels!  I was so touched by everything.   I was inspired to leave a fun gift the next time we are guests in someone's home.  Thank you Michael and Monica!!


Here is a fun article about writing Thank You's !  They are always appreciated.

Thank you for reading my blog!

2011 in pictures

National Championship game on January 10th

Super Bowl Party in February

Savannah in March

Kaitlin's senior show in April

Kaitlin's graduation in May

with family in Atlanta in June

with Linda in Kansas City in July

moving Robert back to college in August

John and Marisa's house in September

Race for the Cure in October

Thanksgiving

fun new, Christmas trees for December!

My friend Sarah Berry did this on her blog and I loved it.  Thanks Sarah Berry!

themes, goals, plans

I love New Year's resolutions.  I have made them for as long as I can remember.  When my children were at home, I made them make them.  My list is probably more a goal list rather than resolutions.  A few of my goals are-  have folks over more, read 60 books, get rid of/organize/throw out lots of stuff in our wreck room, memorize Romans 8, watch less TV, use the scrapbook paper I have and don't buy any new-that was painful to write, go to Physical Therapy 3 times a week, etc etc etc

I plan to have a theme for each month that helps with my goal thinking.  January's theme is Just do it.

I have made a theme for 2012 that helps with my goals too.

2012 theme is  Simplify. Forgive. Move.


What are your resolutions?

Books!

My friend, Ann, asked me to report on recent books that I have read.  I was honored!

The Christmas Singing and The Sound of Sleigh Bells by Woodsmall were both good, quick, holiday reads.  Read the sound of Sleigh Bells first because you meet some of the same characters in the second book and you need to know their story.  I plan to look for more by this author.

The Sisters by Jensen.  I read this book in one evening.  My first thoughts were not positive but after I thought about it more the more I can recommend this book.  It is a hard read and I like happy.  It is a story about what bitterness can do.  I struggle with bitterness and I think this book hit too close to home and I was convicted.  I don't share the same story but the same stubbornness to hold onto my bitterness.

The Little Princesses by Crawford.  This book was delightful on many levels.  First- it belonged to my mother.  She has been dead for 15 years and it did my heart good to read a book of hers that she loved.  Second- what a fun read.  It is written by the governess of Princess Elizabeth and Princess Margaret before King George abdicated and continues til Elizabeth gets married.  I learned so much history and spent many hours on google looking up the houses they lived in and where they traveled.  If you need a fun read, I highly recommend.

The Island by Hilderbrand.  I enjoy her books.  They are cotton candy beach reads.  Sometimes one needs some cotton candy.

I'll be back with more soon, I've got more football to watch!

I like New Beginnings!

New Year's thoughts from Nancy Wilson