Coupons!

Okay, so for years...I have been trying to coupon. I clip and clip and clip....only to get to the store and it seems like I can only use like ONE or TWO coupons and my grand savings are usually around, oh, I don't know...$2.00 or so! So then I "quit"...I give away or throw away (yes, I have done it!) my coupons in frustration! Then several months later I will hear people talking about their GREAT savings and amazing stories of getting things for 25 cents, 50 cents, and in some cases even FREE!

I have read articles, blogs and even BOOKS on couponing trying my best with my little mind to comprehend ALL of this overwhelming information! So then, once again, I will clip, clip, clip and it all starts OVER AGAIN!!!!.....This has been going on, for.....let's see....pretty much since I've been married, so about 5 years!

All of this brings me to my AMAZING friend, April Brumm. April and I go to church together and she, honestly, is one of the nicest, most sincere people I have ever met. She is always talking, e-mailing and telling unbelievable stories of "couponing", and not just saving 1 or 2 dollars like I had always done, but saving REAL amounts of money! I have always been amazed... and a little jealous...of these stories.

Well, a month ago, I once again started my trend of clipping coupons and feeling OUT OF CONTROL with the chaos of it all, when I put on my facebook status something to the effect of giving up on coupons forever! And what Happened???...

Lovely April Brumm came to my rescue! Within MINUTES she offered to help and by the end of the day, she had called and told me to come over one day soon and "learn" her tricks! I can NOT TELL YOU how excited I was!

The girls and I went over on Tuesday, and while her wonderfully patient and kind husband, Chuck, watched all SEVEN KIDS (my two, April's two and 3 others she was babysitting!!), April made me coffee...(I told she's GREAT!!)....and taught me how to "coupon."

So, today I started...I had my list, my coupons, And I headed out to the store WITHOUT children, which I have to say, is SO wonderful! I almost felt like I was at the spa... Driving to and walking through Kroger with NO children...It was pure goodness!

And I have to say, I did GREAT! Here is what I got:

And I just WISH the picture could do it justice!!!! There is TONS of meat, fresh veggies, bread, condiments, cleaning supplies and tons more....

For....here goes.....a SAVINGS of $70.18!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! OOP was $68.23, which means...I SAVED more than I spent!!! And I MUST add, I got....EIGHT FREE ITEMS!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am SOOOOOOO excited that I FINALLY am understanding how to coupon and coupon the RIGHT way!!!!

THANK YOU APRIL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

November 4, 2008...A Day I will Never Forget!

On election night, I started writing, as I often do, and I wanted to share it with all of you. Before you read my first thoughts, please read my ending thoughts, which, I will start with...

As a Child, I became obsessed with Martin Luther King, Jr. As I read books on the great, strong man, I became, even as a little girl, concerned for racism and prejudice. I love all the races and different people that God created, I love to learn about all of the amazing cultures around the world. I am a white person, who is friends with African American people, related to Jewish people and married a Hispanic person. There are not many things I want more than to raise my children in a world where racial prejudice will not effect them.

I know the historical importance of the presidential election tonight. I am Happy, YES, happy, for Barrack Obama and his family. What a wonderful accomplishment and historical moment, not only for them, but for America. I will pray for him, for his choices, for his views, and for our country. I will not, most assuredly, agree with a lot of what he does as a president, but I will respect his position while opposing his views. I congratulate Barrack Obama on being the First African American President of the United States of America.

A Day I will Never Forget

As I sit up late and hear the words I've been dreading, stream out of my Internet from a leading news source, "Barrack Obama is the next president of the United States!", I stop. Stop. No thoughts. No movement. I swallow hard and look around the room...at no one. I am here alone. My husband is working and my daughters are asleep.

My mind starts racing with a million thoughts, my stomach is full of butterflies. And chills. I have chills? yes. Chills. I feel myself start to shake. I'm not crying, just shocked. But then, haven't I been the one saying that this would happen? Am I shocked? Or just lost....confused....in a daze?

"My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?" Comes to my mind, but No! No! "I will never leave thee or forsake thee," quickly follows.

And then...calmness....like I can't believe. A calm, a warmth comes over me and I hear, not with my ears, but with my spirit, "Let not your heart be troubled..."

"It's okay, It's okay" I'm talking out loud now...to an empty room!

And suddenly I am assured...it is not about an election, or a party, it's not about an elephant, a donkey or abortion. It's not about gay marriage or the right to own a gun, it's not about taxes or the economy or any other issue that we have heard talked about for the last weeks with what seemed, without end! There is so much more to life than arguing over our own agendas, fighting for our own selfish desires and feeling like life as we know it is "over", just because our candidate of choice was defeated.

It is so important to stand up for what we believe in and to defend our faith, and I am not for one second suggesting that we "give up"on what we know to be true and right, but I am saying that more than believing in prayers in school, the right to life and the sacred union of one man and one woman, I believe in a God that is bigger than an election, in a God that loves Barrack Obama just as much as he loves me, in a God that is NOT asleep, is NOT taking a break and is VERY MUCH in control of everything I can see and everything I can NOT see, in everything I can understand and everything I can NOT understand.

So now as I sit in my living room, at my computer, I am comforted by my God.

"what time I am afraid I will put my trust in thee" comes to my mind,

followed by, "lean not on your own understanding," and, "The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and I am helped."

I praise God in this second for his comfort and his love. I praise him for my home, for my husband and children, for my family and my church and the friends that I have, I praise him for not being surprised by anything that happens and for holding me so tightly when I am surprised by everything that happens. I praise him for my country. I praise him for AMERICA and I pray for America.

For Today Monday November 3, 2008...

Outside my Window... It's dark...of course....I'm always doing this at night!!

From the learning rooms...We are working on vowels in Phonics, 1-20 in Numbers, writing vowels, our name and "1, 2 & 3" in Handwriting, Presidents in Social Studies, memorizing our address and phone Numer in Readiness Skills and today in Art we made the letter "Ii" out of glitter and in Bible we learned about the tower of Babel.

I am thankful for...God helping me get up early this morning!!

From the kitchen... Sloppy Joes!

I am reading...Lifetime Guarantee, preschool curriculum, A Fish out of Water, everything and Anything Dr. Suess, recipes!

I am creating... A routine for my Children

I am hearing... quiet

Around the house... It is peacful! Candles are lit, everything is straightened (for THIS five minutes, at least!) and put away.

One of my favorite things... My kids laughing together

A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week... I'm learning how to coupon tomorrow!! YAY!

Here is a picture thought I am sharing with you...

Pumpkin Carving with my Babes!