Preparing for the Year to Come

 Good Morning~ So we are coming to the end of the year and it is time to set up goals for the new year. I realize a lot of people don't even bother with resolutions because they always seem to fail at following through, but if we do not set goals for ourselves then we may lay stagnant and who wants to be stuck in a rut going no where with their life. 

This year I have decided to to set several realistic goals for myself. In fact, I have already started working towards at least one of them. One thing I have planned to do is to incorporate my goals into my calendar. By beginning each month by reviewing my goals and how I am doing and what I need to do in order to be successful. This will help keep me on track. I am thankful that my husband picked out a nice yearly calendar that has a section at the beginning of each month to actually write goals. It also has encouraging Bible verses. I really like this because I am realizing, the older I get, that without God I will not achieve a victory. It is only with His help. 

If you have not set up any goals for the new year to come I suggest you spend a bit of time thinking and praying about what direction God may want to lead you. Then think about what steps need to be followed. Set realistic goals. Maybe even put some fun things in there as well. 

May God guide us as we enter into this new year and may He give us the wisdom to make good decisions for ourselves. 

Oh and God has already given me a word - actually 2 words for the year to come. But that will have to be another post. God Bless :O) 

06 - “The Altar of Burnt Offering” - The Sanctuary Salvation & Our Savior

 Just jumping on here to say Merry Christmas! I hope you all are doing well. I have been very, very busy lately but hoping things will soon slow down a bit so I can do a bit of catch up here on my blog soon. 

Merry Christmas!! 

05 - “Glorified in the Most Holy Place” - The Sanctuary Salvation & Our ...

04 - “Sanctified in the Holy Place” - The Sanctuary Salvation & Our Savior

03 - “Justified in the Courtyard” - The Sanctuary Salvation & Our Savior

02 - “It’s All About Jesus” - The Sanctuary Salvation & Our Savior

Good Morning! I hope you all are doing well. Just wanted to say a quick hello! 
Be blessed! :O) 

01 - “Back to the Father’s House” - The Sanctuary Salvation & Our Savior

Happy Sabbath!! 

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Happy Thanksgiving!! 

We have our grandson today so we are really busy. But I wanted to jump on here and say Happy Thanksgiving! I hope you all are doing well. :O)  

"Motives of the Heart"

Here is another great sermon that I have heard lately that I really got a blessing out of so I wanted to share it with you all. If you are only interested in the sermon you can skip to the 36 minute mark. Be blessed! :O) 

What is the Power of Praise?

"Come See A Man"

What's Up?

 We have been very busy with extra drs appointments. Early voting. And trying to get yard work done - especially since we ended up getting at least 10 inches - possibly more rain last week!! Wow! I am thankful but would really rather it be spread out better. This feast or famine is not fun - especially for us and at least 2 families I know who have issues with flooding in their homes when we get a WHOLE lot of rain at one time. Lucky for us - it is only the sunroom.  And since this last time it had water come in I have made a few changes to make it easier to clean up the mess. This involved moving a older sewing machine/desk out of the room so I could get the area that floods easier. I am very happy to have done this. When I look out there I am very happy for the changes made. So it was a plus. 

Still don't have definitive answers for my husband shoulder. He could still possibly need a surgery. But Dr tried a shot this week. If that does not help. Then maybe PT for a couple of weeks. Dr. said that it would be clear by 2 weeks if the PT would help or not. If there is still pain- that is when the choice for a surgery will come in. Thankfully it looks like IF a surgery is needed that it would be able to do it this year since he has meant his deductible for this year so there would not be a WHOLE lot of money out of pocket - however with there will be a good amount out of pocket since insurances don't cover anywhere near as good as they used to just a few years a go....sadly... 

We have also gotten our first freeze...sadly. I had about 6-8 little yellow squash that would have made a great harvest had the freeze/frost come when the farmers almanac said it was likely- in a week or so... This is the first year I really planted and tried to do a fall garden. And truthfully I am a bit disappointed. I tried to cover a few things but the day before the first frost/freeze was a very busy day- cold and drizzly.... I sure hope that my potatoes that I did not get covered will pull through and I can get a decent harvest of them. I might just have to make a few adjustments of what I grow next week. But hopefully we don't have a really long, drawn out HOT summer next year so I can get fall stuff planted earlier and maybe get a decent harvest before frost/freeze comes....I sure hope so. 

Hope you all are doing good. I will try to get on here and get some posts typed up. :O) 

"The Everlasting Gospel"

Steps to Christ...Recovery Edition....4c

Step 4 

We made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.

"Let us examine our ways and test them, and let us return to the Lord."

 Lamentations 3:40 

 "When you sincerely repent, your heart will be umble and broken and you'll have some sense of the immense love of God and the infinite cost of the cross. Then nothing will be able to stop you from coming clean to God- the Father who loves you. And the Bible says,

'If we confess our sins to Him, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness' 1 John 1:9

That's a promise you can count on!" 

Choosing Faith Over Anxiety...series

 Speaking of when the children of Israel found themselves in what looked like an impossible situation with mountains on both sides and the sea before them in Exodus 14:

"I think it is quite paradoxical that God then gives instructions for Israel to go forward (see verse 15). Forward? Where should they go, exactly? The Lord told Moses, "Lift up your staff and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it, and the sons of Israel shall go through the midst of the sea on dry land" (versus 16). Dry land?! Oh, yes. This would be done God's way! God's GPS wasn't broken after all. His GPS (Grace positioning system) has an ability that our GPS does not have: His GPS doesn't just guide; it creates new routes; in this case, through the sea, God would create a way out where there was no way. Never forget: the God of the Pass-over is also the God of the crossing-over."

Elizabeth Viera Talbot in "The Exodus Journey~ choosing trust over anxiety on our way to the promised land"

What Makes Christianity Different?

Have you ever wondered what makes Christianity different than all the other religions? This 2 minute video will answer that question! May you be blessed!

Not a Fan ~ Ryan Day

I have to warn you  - This is a long sermon. I had to watch it in several different sections because I don't have 1 1/2 hours straight to watch a sermon. But it is well worth your time. Hope you are blessed!! :O) 

Steps to Christ...Recovery Edition...4b

Step 4 

We made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.

"Let us examine our ways and test them, and let us return to the Lord."

 Lamentations 3:40 

 "Until you've humbled your heart before God and admitted your guilt, you haven't met the first condition of acceptance. If you aren't sorry, if you have no shame or regret, you aren't serious about seeking forgiveness. And if you've never really wanted to be forgiven, it's certain you haven't found peace with God. Confession isn't about saying the words. It's about humbly admitting to God that you were wrong and that you deeply desire to be right with Him. That is the only condition you must meet. And that's why no one should twist your arm and force you to confess. Make your confession only after you have recognized your sin and truly repented. Then you can be sure that God, who loves you with such deep compassion, will accept your confession with open arms. David, the psalm writer, says, 'The Lord is close to the broken hearted; He rescues those who are crushed in spirit' Psalm 34:18." 

You Won't Be Disappointed...

Saw this on Facebook as you can see. But I feel it is a message that is important for everyone. Jesus is really our only hope. I used to have more faith in the political arena but not any more. I do not think that the best for the people is the goal any more...and wondering if it was ever...I believe at the beginning of the US history it was with the founding fathers. There was belief in God and allowing God to give them wisdom to set up our government. But now... I have about been disappointed in it, BUT I do believe in Jesus and Him being our only Hope. If you don't already know Him- I encourage you to get to know Him - You WON'T be disappointed. 

 

Exodus - The Great Deliverance

So this week was a week with no appointments. I was looking forward to just focusing on what needs to be done around my home and yard. But this week end my husbands left shoulder started hurting and it has gotten worse. Took him to a minor emergency place to see if we could get answers. They took an xray and there was nothing broken - and they did not have an MRI machine - so we have contacted the orthopedic Dr and hoping to get him in to be seen soon. It's a challenge because we don't know for sure what is going on. It could be a torn rotator cuff but we won't know till there is an mri done. So what to do between now and then? Anyway please pray we can get answers soon and have wisdom to know what to do. Thanks. I will be leaving you with a great quote I read yesterday morning in my devotional time. And this is the book I am currently reading. Be blessed! :o) 

 "The precious Saviour will send help just when we need it. The way to heaven is consecrated by His footprints. Every thorn that wounds our feet has wounded His. Every cross that we are called to bear He has borne before us. The Lord permits conflicts, to prepare the soul for peace. The time of trouble is a fearful ordeal for God's people; but it is a time for every true believer to look up, and by faith he may see the bow of promise encircling him."

~ "Exodus-The Great Deliverance" pg.48

Choosing Faith Over Anxiety...series

 "... The ultimate sacrifice: the life of the Son of God offered on the cross so that we may live eternally. But this was not an accident. It was the plan of salvation since the foundation of the world. The fact that we were loved to the point of death is the single most important truth that allows us to choose trust over anxiety on our way to the heavenly Promised Land. True love casts away fear, and when we understand that God's love for each one of us surpasses His love for Himself, then we can start living in the freedom that true love creates."

~ Elizabeth Viera Talbot in her book " The Exodus Journey- choosing trust over anxiety on our way to the promise land"

Seeds Want to Grow

In 2020 when I really got into watching Youtube channels - I came across Jess at Roots and Refuge and she would say, "Seeds want to grow" The longer I garden the more I am realizing how true that statement really is.  

These are just a few of the volunteers you will find around my garden right now... 

Marigold seedlings, tomato seedlings, and basil seedlings. I love it! I hadn't planted any basil or marigolds yet - it the weather doesn't get too cold too soon- I will get to enjoy these plants as well. And that makes me happy. 

The weather has cooled off from the triple digit temps we kept getting and my garden is appreciating it so much. And a little over a week ago by the time you read this - we got 2 3/4 inches of rain overnight. What a blessing!! I look forward to what my fall garden will do. I sure hope I can get a decent amount of produce before a freeze hits. I know some of you may already have experienced a frost - around here the first frost usually happens around November 7th area or so. It's hard to believe it is that close since we have had temps in the upper 80's and last week temps were sometimes in the 90's. 

Hope you all are doing well. :O) 
 

What Does God Require, part 2

This week I wanted to share with you part 2 of this talk about what God requires. I hope you are blessed! :O) 

Steps to Christ....Recovery Edition 4a

 Step 4 

We made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.

"Let us examine our ways and test them, and let us return to the Lord."

 Lamentations 3:40 

 

" 'People who conceal their sins will not prosper, but if they confess and turn from them, they will receive mercy' Proverbs 28:13 

The conditions of receiving God's forgiveness are simple and fair and reasonable. God doesn't expect you to make a great sacrifice or perform some painful penance in order to prove you're sorry and earn His forgiveness. If you simply confess your sins and choose to leave them behind, God will forgive you fully and freely." 

You Used These Herbs for What?

 

When I had covid - two of my friends were concerned about me. Not only did I get a jar of natural antibiotics which helped me regain my sense of taste and smell. But they also helped me get ingredients together to make a recipe to do a steam treatment. 

Here is the recipe for this: 

Herbal Face Steam for Congestion 

1 T. Thyme 

1 T. Rosemary 

1 T. Basil 

1 T. Oregano 

1 T. Peppermint 

1 T. eucalyptus 

1 T. Lavender flower

Put about an inch of water into the bottom of a large pot and bring to a boil. Add the ingredients and cover with lid and let sit for 1-2 minutes. 

What I did was set some potholders on my table. Get a towel and have ready. Remove the lid, Bring the pot to the table. Put the towel on the table on the other side of the pot. Sit down and lean your head over the pan and bring the towel up over your head. You want the steam to come into your face so you can breath in the steam. You will want to do this for 10 minutes. 

I believe my friend got this recipe from Wellnessmama.com  you can click on link to find out more about the recipe and tips about it. 

So as my friends and I were texting - I realized I did not have lavender flowers or peppermint. So my other friend sent over jars with them. For the eucalyptus I used 2 drops of essential oil. So I only did this treatment on the day that I started the natural antibiotics - and I could NOT smell a thing. I did feel like it helped me though- at least be able to breath a little better. So it would be helpful to have this recipe for something like it on hand. It says on the website that you can use what ever of these you have because not everyone will have all things listed. And if you need to you can do what I did an use a drop or 2 of an essential oil of these things listed. 

Keeper of a Recipe - My Experience

 So HERE I shared the recipe for this natural antibiotic that my friend made for me. It was so very helpful to me while I had covid and it convinced me that it was a keeper kind of recipe. 

I am sure you have heard that most if not many people who get covid lose their sense of smell and taste. It was no different for me. This time I think it was more pronounced than last time because this time I was very congested as well. When I first began to take this antibiotic - I could not smell it or taste it. Not at all! And let me tell you - once you try this stuff for yourself - you will probably be shocked that I could not smell or taste it. But I faithfully got my Tablespoon of it almost every hour throughout that day. And by that evening I could begin to taste it- just a bit. Oh and yes - I forgot to mention - it is chunky. So as I took it every hour - I had to chew up the garlic, onion, and ginger. The next morning I began again to take a Tablespoon about every hour and I could taste it more and more. I truly believe that it was this concoction that helped me get my sense of taste and smell back. It is a keeper of a recipe - for sure!! 

Soon I will try to write up a post about the herbs. 

Natural Antibiotics Recipe

 

I have found it amazing how God brings just what you need at just the right time! 

A couple days in of having Covid a couple of my friends were concerned and put their concerns into action. I truly believe they were being the hands and feet of Jesus. 

One friend made me a jar of natural antibiotics- the middle jar. 

She also shared the recipe with me. And I would like to share the recipe with you just in case you find yourself in a situation where you need help as I did. But first I just wanted to say that I have had several friends tell me about a flu bomb or natural antibiotics and while it was helpful information the problem is when you are really sick- you do NOT feel like making something and especially something you have never made before. And another thing is when you are sick you can't go get ingredients you may need. That is why I felt like my friend was being the hands and feet of Jesus because He knew I needed this stuff but I couldn't make it- didn't have all the ingredients and didn't feel like it even if I did. 

So I am gonna suggest that maybe you try this recipe out when you are feeling good. It can be used to help prevent sickness as well. That way when the time comes that you really need it - you will not be intimidated. 

Natural Antibiotics 

1 bulb of garlic (15-20 cloves) 

1 onion (preferably red- or purple as my husband and I call them) 

1/4 cup ginger - my friend only used about the size of her thumb but a little fatter - wasn't as much as 1/4 cup - she knew that just might be too much for me- she was probably right) 

1 T honey (or more) 

2 lemons - juiced

 

Smash garlic ~ Wait 15 minutes so properties can be activated 

Cut everything into small pieces ( My friend uses a hand held food processor- I will share a photo of what she uses at the end) 

Mix all the ingredients together. Put into a quart sized jar and cover with purified water. 

Put jar in a pan with water, bring the water in the pan to a boil, once it gets to boiling turn off the heat and let cool down. Keep in fridge. Can last up to a month in the fridge. 

When you are real sick it was suggested to take 1 tablespoon every hour while you are awake. 

So for some reason blogger or my computer are giving me fits so I will have to share my experience with this recipe on another post. Be on the lookout for the next part. 

And then another post will explain the herbs in the above photo. 

Choosing Faith Over Anxiety...series

 "In my own experience, it took great pain for me to become real and intimate with God, and I discovered that God can handle my questions, my feelings, and my perplexity. God wants to hear from the "real" person, not from the "nothing-can-get-to-me" us. He wants to see the real, hurting, anxious, and fearful person that no one else sees. This is when He reveals Himself to us in a totally new way, and our souls can start developing a true trust in Him. It is at the point of our brokenness and powerlessness that we meet our graceful and powerful God in a real way."

~ Elizabeth, Viera Talbot.

"The Exodus Journey~ choosing trust over anxiety on our way to the promised land."

God Is SO Amazing In Both Cases!!

 Something to ponder... 

What Does God Require, part 1

Since I was sick last week end, I stayed home. I watched several sermons that were really good so I wanted to share them with you guys so you, too, can be blessed. Happy Sabbath! :O) 

Steps to Christ...Recovery Edition...3f

 

"As you see the awfulness of your sin, don't five up in despair. It was sinners that Jesus came to save. You don't have to make peace with God; instead God, through Jesus, is making peace with you. What amazing love! He is 'reconciling the world to Himself ' (2 Corinthians 5:19). He's romancing the hearts of His rebellious children with His gentle love. No early parent could be as patient with the faults and mistakes of His children as God is with those He's trying to save. No one could plead more lovingly  with the rebel. No human lips ever poured out sweeter invitations that God does. All His promises and all His warnings are spoken in love. 

When Satan tells you that you're too wrong to be made right, too filthy to be made clean, look to Jesus, your rescuer. Talk about Jesus and what He has done for you. It will encourage in the rough times to remember that Jesus has not given up on you, that He loves you, and that He will save you from yourself even now. Admit your mistakes. Admit that you have sinned, but tell the enemy that 'Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners' (1 Timothy 1:15) and that He loves you too much to let anyone tear you away from Him." pg41-42

TobyMac - Faithfully (Lyric Video) and an update....

The first several days of having Covid, I was pretty sick. Some from covid -some was my reaction to an antibiotic that I had taken before with no issues....weird. Anyway I was reminded of the importance of praising God through the tough times. I have talked about it before - it is called a sacrifice of praise. You know when you really don't feel like praising God- but you choose to do so all the same. Anyway I went to my usual favorite praise songs- "Every Praise" by Hezekiah Walker! This song is awesome and it always gets me into a much better place to worship God! Then, the great thing about Youtube is that when you listen to a few of your favorite praise songs, youtube will keep a memory of them and so you play one of them and more than likely it will set up other favorites to go after the one you pick. Then sometimes it randomly picks a song. That is what happened last week. And this great Tobymac song came on and I felt like it was especially picked for me.  So today I would like to share it with you just in case you have not heard this song before. :O) 

By the way - I am feeling better this week but I am certainly feeling the fatigue that I have heard many people talk about when dealing with covid. That and brain fog. So I am not totally back to normal but I am so much better than last week. I hope you all are well and healthy! :O) 

Choosing Faith Over Anxiety....series

 "I just want to point out that if you are facing a no-way-out (dead end) situation right now, be encouraged to know that God has the ability to turn that very spot into a place of deliverance for His glory, I need to remember this myself. Constantly. "

~The Exodus Journey- choosing trust over anxiety on our way to the promise land" by Elizabeth Viera Talbot

"Every Praise"

Good Morning! This week my mother in law reminded me that I needed to be praising God. And I will tell you this that when I pulled up one of my favorite praise songs to God - this one below and listened to it - I actually began to feel better. It was like a turning point. Yes - there were other factors involved. And I plan to come back another day and share a recipe or two with you all that has really helped me. But for now I wanted to share this wonderful praise song because whether you are going through a storm right now or not- it is always a great time to praise God! So join me as I praise God!! 

By the way - a big thank you to each of you for your prayers. May God bless you in a special way! :O) 

Steps to Christ...Recovery Edition...3e

 

"Every sin you harbor makes you less interested in God. Unless you surrender all your junk to Him, you will eventually end up rejecting God completely. In all the Bible there is not a more fearful warning against playing around with evil than King Solomon's words: 'an evil man is held captive by his own sins; they are ropes that catch and hold him' (Proverbs 5:22). 

Jesus is ready to set you free from Sin, but He will never force you. If you persistently rebel, if you're determined to do evil, if you don't want to be set free and you won't accept His grace, what more can He do? You will have destroyed yourself by your stubborn rejection of His love. 'Indeed, the 'right time' is now. Today is the day of salvation.' (2 Corinthians 6;2). 'Today when you hear His voice, don't harden your hearts' (Hebrews 3:7,8)." pg.40 

Wouldn't You Know It?!

 Wouldn't you know if as I am reading and sharing quotes with you all about choosing faith over anxiety on our way to the promised land that I would come face to face with a test on that very topic.... 

Anyone who has been along this journey with me very long probably remember back in 2021 how I got Covid and such a bad case of it that it was only by the grace of Jesus Christ that I did not end up in the hospital. Well Sunday morning I got a call from my son- He has tested postive for Covid. I had seen for 4 straight days in a row. I had taken care of his son/s for 4 days in a row. I had already started feeling soreness in my neck- I began to pray and hope it was something else. I tested Sunday morning - negative... I tested a couple more times and by Monday evening I was positive for Covid and of course had a very rough night my Monday night. As soon as I saw the positive results I remembered how very close I came to being put into the hospital and I was brought face to face with the choice of faith or anxiety. In fact I am still facing that choice even today as I am still suffering from covid. It still scares me because I know how sick I got last time and how fast the really serious part hit - after days of being sick and thinking that things would get better any day and instead things went down hill fast. So now I have a choice will I pick faith in Jesus or anxiety. To be honest I have cried more than once dealing with the anxiety of the fear of what could happen. And thankfully each time Jesus is there reaching out His hand of love for me to grasp and be pulled back into faith. And I am trying to be quicker to pick the side of faith when those feelings arise. 

The antibiotics that I was given at first caused me to get nauseous and throw up like 5-8 times- that happened 3 different times till I pinpointed for sure the cause. Tuesday was a pretty miserable day. Wednesday morning I woke up feeling a bit better and thought I was on my way to feeling better. That afternoon I got very congested. By this morning I woke up and I felt worse that I had yesterday. And anxiety hit again - pretty hard. I remembered that Sabbath morning back in June of 2021 - I thought I was going to die. It has been a rough day. I can not get my nasal passage to clear up and I have realized I can not smell. 

 Today I made a pot of bean soup and some cornbread. Later as my husband was sleeping in the bedroom with the door shut, I began to clean the kitchen. I finished with cleaning the iron skillet and put it on the stove and turned the burner on. Then a minute or two later I walked across the room to the computer desk that is in the dining room and I turned on the computer. A few minutes later I remembered the iron skillet. I turned around to find the kitchen - and really the house was filled with smoke. It was so bad that the smoke and smell woke my husband up and he came out to investigate. He said it would probably be a good idea for me to go take a nap....trying to keep me from doing anything else dangerous. I had not realized how dangerous it could be to not have your sense of smell. It doesn't seem like a big deal but really it is! 

Anyway as I continue to face this choice of faith or anxiety- my prayer is that God will continue to give me the strength and courage to choose faith over anxiety! Hopefully I can get on here in a few days and tell you how much better I am feeling. Until then I will continue to do all I know to do to help my body fight. I hope each of you are well. May God bless you and hold you close to His heart! 

Choosing Faith Over Anxiety... series

 "God will use for His glory anyone and everyone (young or old, male or female) who surrenders to His will, even in the midst of the bleakest of circumsdances and during the darkest night. Don't despair when you don't see a way out. God is sitting on His throne."

Elizabeth Viera Talbot ~ in her book "The Exodus Journey- choosing trust over anxiety on our way to the promised land"

"Remind Me You're Here"

Today I want to share a song I heard for the first time this week. It was such a blessing. I know there are a lot of hurting people out there and wanted to share this. May this song be a salve to your hurting soul. God loves you! :O) 

Steps to Christ...Recovery Edition...3d

 

"Don't be deceived by the idea that God is too loving and kind to judge those who reject Him. If that was true, there was no need for Jesus to suffer the horror of the cross. Only look at Jesus on the cross t know that God is serious about eliminating sin. Jesus died for us because there was no other way to save us from the consequences of sin. Without the total surrender of his will and the sacrifice of His own life, it would have been impossible for the human race to escape the deadly power of sin. But He couldn't bear to give us up, and so He took on Himself the guilt of our disobedience and suffered in our place. god in shackles. God impaled on a cross. God dying in agony. The unquenchable love of God for a world twisted and broken by sin! We have no escape from sin's power, no hope of a higher life, except through the surrender of our live to Jesus who suffered all that to save us." pg.38

A Fall Garden...Yay!!

Hello my friends~ I hope that you all are doing well. I just have a few minutes and thought I would come on to say Hello and a bit of an update. 

Thankfully since the last time I posted we have had a bit cooler weather- Thankfully we have not had any triple digit weather since the last time I wrote but boy those last 2 days were certainly record breaking heat. We are going into a second summer at this point with temps in the mid to upper 90's. But I won't complain because it is a lot better than the triple digit temps. 

We actually got almost 1/2 inch of rain last week and then the week before we got another 1/2 inch. Thankful for that rain but we certainly need a lot more. 

I am actually trying for a fall garden. I have worked hard to keep a few things alive throughout that hot, hot summer - and happy about that. And then I planted more things. And then yesterday I worked for a couple of hours in the garden cleaning it up and planting -direct sowing- seeds in the garden. I planted: 

• carrots 
• beets
• rutabagas
• collard greens
• radishes 
• arugula 

A week or so I planted lettuce seeds out and have seedlings coming up. Yay! I almost forgot to get them planted. I planted a favorite - Parris Island Lettuce and then a new one - Landis Winter Lettuce - maybe ? It was a free seed pack with a Baker Creek order. It will be fun to try this lettuce and see if it is a keeper or not. 

I tried growing rutabagas last year and nothing came up. :( I sure hope that I have better luck this year. If not I may have to do the trick I did with my beets last spring - sow indoors and then transplant a couple of weeks later. I direct sowed my beets this time - fingers crossed that they will grow. I tell you what - Beets from the garden are so good!! I better close for now - for some reason I am not able to scroll to make sure I am typing what I intend to type. So at this point I am typing blind. So if there are errors, please forgive me. 

Hope you are doing good. May God bless and keep you close to His heart! :O) 

Richie Halverson + A Closer Walk

Happy Sabbath! Sermon starts at about 39 minute mark. 

Steps to Christ...Recovery Edition 3c

 "If you see your sinfulness, don't wait to make yourself better. You may think you aren't good enough yet to come to Jesus. But do you expect to become better through your own efforts? 'Can an Ethiopian change the color of his skin? Can a leopard take away his spots Neither can yuo start doing good, for you have always done evil' (Jeremiah 13:23). The only way you can change is by God's help. Don't wait to feel more deeply convicted. Don't wait for a better time or to feel more qualified. You can't do it alone. Come to Jesus now, just the way you are." pg.38

Richie Halverson + Making All Things New part 2

Richie Halverson + Making All Things New part 1

Here is the beginning of an awesome sermon series that was also at Oklahoma Campmeeting. The sermon starts at about the 29 minute mark - if you would like to jump to sermon. And the sermon got cut off and so there is a part 2 and I think that it should automatically go to part 2 - but I will post the part 2 after this post - just in case it does not do it. So look for a second post today. Happy Sabbath. May you be blessed! :O) 

Could This Be The Last One??

So since I was on the computer to pay some bills I thought I would jump on here for a few minutes and do a bit of a catch up. Today we are experiencing our #53 of triple weather days for this year and wouldn't you know it, it's super hot out today. 109 out right now at 4:35 pm. I have seen weather reports that say tomorrow will be 100 and some that say 99. So we will just have to wait and see. The positive news to share is that it may look more like a normal warm fall weather next week with highs in the upper 80's and 90's. That looks so much nicer to me than these triple digit days. It has been oppressive. Yesterday was very hot as well at about 107. I did see where one of the new channels posted on Facebook that in the past we have actually had a triple digit day as late as October 3rd! Can you believe it?! Don't think they said what year. But I just looked it up and it was October 3rd, 1951 and the temperature was 106!! So we may finally be almost done with this scorcher of a summer. So thankful. My garden and I have been in survival mode and we are both ready to thrive!! 

Speaking of gardens, I actually started plants for a fall garden. And a week or so I had to take the plants outside and place them on a picnic table- they were getting too big to have in my sunroom. Anyway something ate the leaves off of some of my plants. Other plants are SO VERY ready to be planted in the ground and I am trying to hard to be patient. Hoping to get them planted in a couple of days. I had to plant the sugar snap peas several days ago - they were looking like they were already struggling - I may lose some plants - but either way I would have lost them. I plan on planting some more in the ground in a few days as well. And hope and pray they do well. I love sugar snap peas!!!! 

Well I still have a whole lot to do around here so I will get off for now. I do hope you all are doing well. I hope your weather is getting more and more fall like as well. Take care and God bless! :O) 

Richie Halverson + When the Storm Keeps Raging part 2

Here is part 2 just in case it did not automatically take you to it. :O) 

Richie Halverson + When the Storm Keeps Raging Pt. 1

Here is another great sermon series. I am so happy I was told about Oklahoma Campmeeting meetings being available on Youtube. I have gotten such a blessing from them and I hope you do as well. This sermon got cut off and so there is a second part to it and it should go right to the second part - but just in case it does not I will put another post and link the second part. By the way the sermon starts at about 22 minutes.  Happy Sabbath! :O) 

Heatwave continues and what is that stuff coming out of the sky?

 After about 3 months without rain we finally got 1/2 inches of rain today!! Praise the Lord!! 

Rewind a few hours..... 

This morning at about 11am my husband and I went to an Antique Mall. As we were walking around one of the venders was there and he began talking about how hot it had been and our need for rain. Towards the end I told him - I know that even if rain in NOT on the forecast that if God decides to give us rain - we will get rain... At about 4:30 this afternoon our power flickers off 3 times. I was a bit worried. Many times if your power flickers several times it is an indication that the power is about to go off. And because it was at least 100 degrees outside I was NOT wanting the power to go out. I decided to go out and do some of the daily cares for my chickens. As I was out there it was a bit over cast and began to get windy. There were a few little jobs out there that I needed to take care of so that if it rained. I got them taken care of - I checked the radar on my phone and saw a system moving through. I had seen it a bit earlier but was worried it would bypass of to the west. As I was checking the radar - I began to feel big drops of rain. I was so excited. I had known that if it rained I had every intention of getting out in the middle of and I sure did. As it began to rain harder - I did go under our small porch. The wind was blowing the rain towards the porch so as I stood there I still got quite a bit of rain on me. It felt so good. I was afraid to go inside. I was afraid that if I did, it might stop raining. After about 15 minutes I went in and opened the shade and the curtains so I could watch it rain. If that wasn't nice enough I got a phone call from my granddaughter who lives a couple of hours away right now. She wanted to let us know that it was fixing to rain there. It was great to hear from her and to get out in the rain. We desperately need rain. 

Today was day number 47 of triple digit temps, which ties the number of triple digits for last year. And it looks like we will blow that record out of the water. As I look at the 2 week forecast it looks like the next 4 days will be in the upper 90's and then 10 more triple digit days. I think we will end up in the top 5 maybe even top 3 most triple digit temps for the year. Oh and up to this point in history our area has only had 7 triple digit temps in September but on that 2 week forecast - those 10 days would all be in September - so we will probably break that record as well. Oh Friday and Sabbath both we made it up to 110 and broke records set for both of those days.... ugh... its been a rough summer.

Although it has been a rough summer I have to say that the rain we got today was so refreshing. On May 23 we got 1/2 inches of rain. And June 5th we got a tiny sprinkling of rain that equaled .07 inches. So 3 months since any measurable amount of rain. I am so thankful to God for blessing us today with a decent amount of rain. Although we got 1/2 inches of rain we are still under a burn ban and in severe drought but that rain was so refreshing to the earth as well as to me and my soul. I think it will help me make through the next couple of weeks of the heatwave we have been going through. 

And I hope that if the gentleman that I was talking with this morning about God being able to send us rain was blessed with rain. I hope he remembers our conversation like I did and that he will give God the glory for the blessing of rain today!! :o) 

Jesus

Steps to Christ...Recovery Edition...3b

 "You can resist His love. You can refuse to be drawn to Him. But why would you want to, when you realize that He's been working to rescue you since long before time began? Knowing that, you'll fall at the foot of the cross, filled with sorry for the suffering your sin has caused Him.

God is speaking to your heart, creating a craving you can't explain for something you don't have. Addictions, sinful pleasures, money: these things can never satisfy your longing. The Spirit of God is pleading with you to come to Jesus- the only One who can truly satisfy your thirst. He's doing everything possible to make you want His good ways instead of the things that will destroy you. Don't keep trying to drink from the broken water-fountains of this world. God says, 'Let anyone who is thirsty come. Let anyone who desires drink freely from the water of life' (Rev. 22:17)." pg 35 

He Must Increase

Steps to Christ ~ Recovery Edition...3a Sorry Enough to Quit

"When you hit rock bottom, you'll discover that you are deeply loved." 

This quote come from page 34: 

 It's true that repentance comes before forgiveness because it's only when your heart is broken over your sin that you'll feel your need of a Savior. But do you have to wait until you feel sorry before you can come to Him? Is repentance a roadblock between you and Jesus? 

The Bible does not teach that! It doesn't say you must be sorry for your sins before you can accept Jesus' invitation, 'Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest' (Matt. 11:28). It's the goodness of Jesus that leads us to repent. Peter made this very clear when he said God sent Jesus to give us both repentance and forgiveness (Act 5:31). Jesus changes how you see your addictions and your sins. He brings you to a heartfelt regret for the damage your mistakes have caused to yourself and others. At the same time He forgives you. Not only does Jesus help you to see the full picture of the damage your sin has caused, He changes your desires, giving you a hatred for sin and a desire to do what's right. Every time you clearly see your sin, every time you want to be pure, you can be sure His Spirit is working on your heart. 

What Else?

 During this hot, dry summer I am reminded of the fact that sometimes I take things for granted. Most of my marigold plants are on their last leg. Many of my plants were so big and full of beautiful blooms but now - mostly I see dead, shriveled up remnants of flowers. Did I appreciate them enough while I had them? I know that I used to not be so fond of marigolds, That is until I started growing them in my garden. Another factor that caused me to love them is that when many other flowers give way to the brutal conditions - the marigold continue on. It takes a lot longer for them to succumb to the circumstances. And as I ponder this quote I wonder what else there is that I have not quite appreciated enough that God has provided. It is something worth thinking about. 

Hope you have an awesome day!! :

Don't Forget Who He Is

"For today I Can Handle This"

 Just checking in. Sorry it has been so long. Things have been busy, but part of the reason I have not posted much is due to the fact that my mom taught me if you don't have any thing nice to say don't say anything at all. 

Truthfully I have been struggling a bit. This summer has been brutal. Today makes the 19th consecutive days of triple digit temps - and more times than not that temp has been around 105 or above....ugh... Today also marks the 34th triple digit day of the year. But that is not really a fair way to look at it because many of the days that it may not have reached triple digit temps actually the humidity and the dew point made it feel like 100 plus temps - several of them as much as 120 degrees... ugh. 

If that isn't bad enough then we are in a pretty severe drought. I have been keeping track of rain fall since about May- thinking I will continue to do so. Anyway the last "rain" event we got a whopping 0.07 of rain.... I means seriously if I had of tried hard enough I probably could have counted the number of actual drops we have gotten. Oh and that 0.07 of rain happened way back on June 5th, nothing since then. We have cracks all over our yard that are getting bigger and bigger... 

Our low temperatures are in the low 80's many days. DFW broke a record of the highest low this past week - of 86 degrees. Many people aren't even getting highs that are 86 degrees and that is our LOW temperature. 

And the worse part is that on the 2 week weather forecasts it looks like 103 might be the lowest temp we can expect. Just this evening they are showing 98 0r 99 for Tuesday but they said that about last Tuesday and I believe it was 105 as the actual temp for the day. So I won't believe that "low" of a temp until I see it. 

Ok - so a whole lot of negativity here - no wonder I have not been posting much. But I had a few extra minute this evening and thought I would give you all an up date. I am doing my best to just focus on one day at a time. And to tell myself "For today I can handle this" trying not to allow the long term forecast to get me down. But I have to be honest - I do check that long term forecast hoping to see the temps at least trend downward. I mean 100- 103 temps are a lot easier to handle then the 105 and above temps. Plus you always have to factor in the humidity and the dew points- they have been high this year and it has felt miserable. Last year we had 47 days of triple digit days- at the rate we are going it is very possible that we will surpass that number. I will certainly let you know if we do or not. I would be thrilled if we did not.

I not only pray for our temperatures to decrease, I continue to pray for rain. We are in desperate need of rain. The only positive for no rain - is that I don't need to mow. I will need to take a weed eater out and weed eat the small area around our septic sprayers. Other than that our grass is actually crunchy... It's been 2-3 weeks since I have mowed. 

Please join me in praying for rain for Texas- especially the parts like mine that have not gotten any rain for 2 months or so.

I hope you all are doing well. I hope your weather in more mild than our weather has been.  I will drop back by when I get a chance. :O) 

Steps to Christ~ Recovery Edition...series 2b

"Before Adam sinned, he loved to talk with God. Think what it was like to talk to the One who is the source of all wisdom and knowledge (Colossians 2:3)! But when he rebelled, Adam disconnected from God. He became afrai and wanted to hide. It's like that for all of us until God changes our hearts. We get disconnected from God and caught up in our dysfunction and addictions, and we can't enjoy talking to Him. As sinners, we could never be happy being with god or with those who love Him. If God let us into heaven we'd hate it. We would never understand the unselfish motives of the angels. Becase of our evil thoughts and interests, we'd feel like misfits. We'd be like a wrong note, out-of-tune with the melody of heaven. Heaven would actually be torture to us. We would want to run away and hide from God- the One who is the source of joy to everyone else. That's why God leave it up to us to choose whether we want to be with Him in heaven or not. He won't force us to be with Him because, as sinners, His holiness and glory would consume us like fire. In our sin, we'd welcome death in order to hide from Jesus, the One who died to save us."

From "Steps to Christ~ Recovery Edition" by Cheri Peters with Sophia Berecz 

quote found in chapter 2 
  

 

Father and Son

Steps to Christ~ Recovery Edition...series 2a

 "In the beginning, Adam and Eve were strong and perfect in mind and body. They adored God and only wanted to please Him. But after they believed Satan's lies and disobeyed God, their minds were twisted. Instead of loving God, they cared only about themselves. That one act of disobedience crippled them and they became powerless over their behavior. Their lives became unmanageable. Satan easily took advantage of them and trapped them like slaves in a life of dysfunction and misery.

Every person since has been born enslaved. Satan intended to fill the earth with grief and pain and then point to all this evil and say it was God fault since He had created us. All humanity would have remained his victims forever if God had not stepped in to rescue us."

~ From "Steps to Christ- Recovery Edition" by Cheri Peters with Sophia Berecz 

*quote found in chapter 2 

Let These Go Their Way

Steps to Christ~ Recovery Edition.....series 1b

 "Through Jesus, God poured out His relentless love upon a bruised and broken world. "God was in Christ, reconciling the world to Himself." (2 Corinthians 5:19). God suffered with His son. In the agony of Jesus' suffering and His awful death on the cross, God paid the price for our full recovery.

Only the Son of God could save us, because only He was close enough to the Father's heart to be able to show us God's passionate love. Nothing less than the enormous sacrifice Jesus made for sinners could give us a clear picture of the Father's vast love for us."

~ From the awesome book "Steps to Christ~ recovery edition" by Cheri Peters with Sophia Berecz

quote found in chapter 1

 

Money Saving series

 

Today's tip is to be sure and compare prices. It is very important. Here is a great example. So I wanted to pick up a couple of packs of this ranch dressing seasoning packets. I pulled out a package or two. Then I thought it might be a good idea to stock up a bit. And I almost grabbed the box of ranch dressing and then I stopped and I thought no way. They want 48 cents more to buy 4 pack in a box then if I just bought 4 single packages. Wow! 

Be sure and compare- you might be surprised. I know I was surprised when I was at TSC and my husband asked about a 40 pound bag of chicken feed - come to find out when I compared - I would save $4.00 by buying the smaller. And not just because it was less feed. I took the price of the largest bag and divided it by 50 - for the amount of pounds and then took that amount and multiplied it by the 40 and found that I would save at least $4.00 buying the brand that sold the 40 pound bags- plus the bag is easy to carry and dump- double win. 

Even if you think that what you are doing is a good deal- be willing to compare ever so often to make sure that you are still getting a good deal. 

Bleeding Out

Steps to Christ ~ Recovery Edition....series 1a

 Last week end I found an awesome book!! I just love it when God provides great books for me to read! The price on the back of the book says $10.00 - I paid $1.00 if not less (the way the lady at the thrift store figures the price when you get several things is in her head and so it's hard to tell for sure how much. But for the $10.91 we paid we got my husband 2 pairs of Dickies over alls and a couple of toys as well as this book! What a Deal!! I will be sharing tidbits from this book with you all in a series. I am just picking the quotes that really speak to me that I think will bless you. But believe me the whole book is well worth the time to read!! May God bless you! :O) 

"Jesus always spoke kindly, even when He told someone a difficult truth. He listened thoughtfully and gave each person his full attention when He talked with them. He was never rude; He never spoke harshly; and He never hurt anyone. Jesus didn't criticize people for being weak or for having faults. Instead, He told them the truth with love. Even when Jesus spoke against hypocrisy, unbelieve, and evil, there were tears in His voice. Jesus cried over Jerusalem, the city He loved. His heart broke for the people who had refused to receive Him, the one who was the Way, the Truth, and the Life. They had rejected Him, even though He was the only one who could save them from their dysfunctions and addictions. But despite their rejection, He still cared deeply about them. He always looked out for others even when it meant personal loss for Himself. Every person was important to Him. Even though He was the son of God, Jesus was never too good for anyone. He took special interest in the life of every person He met, no matter how little they mattered to anyone else. In every wounded person He saw a friend that He had come to save."

From an awesome book I found this week. "Steps to Christ~ Recovery Edition" by Cheri Peters with Sophie Berecz

quote found in chapter 1 

Menopause ~ Tip #4 Benefits of Progesterone and products for hair hair l...

 

Master and Lord

Menopause Tip #3 ~ Learn how to alleviate hot flashes and mood swings na...

 

Money Saving Tips...series

8 Essential Tips to Extend the Lifespan of Microwaves, Washers And Dryers!

Today's Money saving tip is about taking better care of the things we have so they last longer. 

I had decided to go to doing my laundry 1 time a week - with one dark load and one light load, however after watching this video I realized I could be doing harm to my washer by washing too big of loads. I have a top loader wash machine- and according to this guy - it is not a good idea to over load them. So instead of just doing laundry 1 time a week - I will be watching my laundry hamper to decide when I need to wash the load of clothes. So it may be more than one time. But I am using my dryer less and less. Not using the dishwasher at all. I stopped using it, mostly several years ago. Ever so often we run a load but I think during this hot summer - I will just wait till summer time is over to do my next load. I know when I stopped using it I noticed our bill lowered a good amount. And I am perfectly fine with not using it very much. Enjoy the video! :O)  

"Touching Eternity" - From 1 John 1:1-4

Menopause ~ tip #2 Have you noticed your eyes feel strange?

Money Saving Tips...series

 This weeks money saving idea is Spend Your Money At The Grocery Store NOT Restaurant! You can have the same meals at a fraction of the cost by fixing it yourself. 

I have to be honest - we are not always good about following this one, but I think we are getting better with this one. The truth is ever so often we like to go out. One thing has happened recently that will make it easier for us to say no about going to our favorite mexican restaurant. They used to make their own ranch dressing and it was SO delicious! Yummy!! But then they were short handed and not able to make it so had to go to a less delicious ranch dressing. Then prices began to climb and then climb again. So quality slowly went down hill and prices up hill. I totally understand with the economy the way it is. But I am glad that we recognized these issues because it makes it where it is not so hard not to go. 

Thankfully we have some reward points that we get when we use our credit card- and we can use them for gift cards - so we can use those to go out sometimes. And this is nice because we can go out without money out of our pockets. 

But like I said in at the beginning when you spend your money at a grocery store on food - you can make great meals at a fraction of the cost of eating out. My husband loves bbq - so we bought a brisket and he will cook it up in the smoker today. We will then divide it into several meals. One of which is a baked potato with bbq brisket on top. And my husband makes us tanglers- just like Dickie's BBQ used to do before they shut down. So we can have that same meal at much less cost to us. We will use some of it and then we will put some in freezer for individual meals for later. 

I used to hate to spend very much on meat - probably because i am not a big meat eater, but when I realized that my husband really wants his meat and if it is not served at home - then he is more tempted to eat out. So I am willing to spend more money on meat now. It really is a good investment. It helps the money stretch further. Buying groceries to make some good meals at home it well worth the investment in the over all picture. 

I will be honest when money wasn't so tight we went out to eat maybe once a week. Sometimes we might stop for something quick every now and then as well. But now we know that we need to be more watchful of how we spend out money. And I hope that I can keep in mind that we will do much better if we will spend our money on keeping the pantry stocked with ingredients to make good meals. :O) 

For those of you in the USA - Happy 4th of July!! 

"Coming Into the Light (or, It's the Coverup!)" - from 1 John 1

Menopause ~ first tip to deal with hit flashes… naturally!

Today I want to start sharing a series that was done by one of my cousins. She has a lot of great information that I hope will help if you are dealing with menopause. Even if you are not I am sure there will be helpful information. :O) 

Money saving ideas....series

 Today's money saving tip will be a short one because I really don't have a lot of time. Also I have to give my husband the credit for this one as well. So yesterday my husband and I went to HEB to do a bit of shopping. When we got to the sugar, I stopped to look at prices. I picked up a 4 pound bag of the Hill Country brand - because it was cheapest and cheaper than what I had been seeing at other stores. Then my husband looked to the shelve below at the 10 pound bags. He told me he was looking to see if it would be cheaper to buy it in the 10# bag as opposed to the #4 pound bag. I pulled out my phone and pulled up the calculator. It is very easy to figure and compare prices. I took the price of the 10# bag of sugar and divided it by 10 - then I multiplied that number by 4 to see how much a 4# bag would cost if the same price per pound as the 10# bag and sure enough the actual price of the 4# bag was more expensive per pound than the 10# bag. So we bought the 10# bag. I store what we don't use right now half gallon canning jars. So it was no problem to buy the bigger bag. When we got to the foil - the same thing happened and we went with the 200 yard container of there brand foil because it was the better deal. 

Thankfully my husband was able to get some over time for last pay period and also this one. That is one reason why we were able to go with the larger product- that cost more. So it might be more money out front but overall it is saving money. We will not have to buy foil for a super long time. And since HEB does great sales on things from time to time- I am hoping that I can catch a great deal between now and then for more foil. It really helps you save money when you buy things that are on sale. 

Speaking of sales - Albertsons had Speed Stick deodorant on sale for 99 cents. This deal was on their 1.? oz product. So yes it was small but for 99 cents it was a great deal. And it was a limit of 6 and we bought 6. We won't have to buy deodorant for my husband any time soon. It's not the normal brand that he uses but he realized that it was a great deal and was willing to use it for a while. 

So when shopping be sure to divide the price by the number of units - oz, pounds, or what ever it may be. You may be surprised at what it really a good deal and what is not. 

"Necessary Deaths" - Matthew 16:24-25

Money Saving Ideas....series

 So today I want to talk about something I learned recently. It has been obvious to me that God know what was coming. He knew long before my husbands check was cut. And He has been slowly working with me in order to help this transition go smoother. 

Living on a Dime- one of my favorite youtube channels - they have a blog as well- was sharing how many people use way too much laundry detergent and dish washing soap. I have already implemented this new way and it is going well. 

I have always wondered how in the world do the containers of laundry detergent say such high numbers and yet- I knew I wasn't getting near that many loads out of them. Well it is because I have been using - probably double the amount of laundry detergent needed. They have a large cap on the bottles - and it makes it SO tempting to use too much soap. But using too much soap will probably wear out our clothes faster and also fade the fabrics faster as well. 

So what was suggested is using: 

1 Tablespoon for small loads 

2 Tablespoons for large loads 

I took a measuring spoon out to my garage and I measured 2 T. into the lid and I marked the lid with a magic marker. That way when I am pouring my soap I can keep it below that line. I think this will really help stretch out the soap I have for a good long time, which is great news. That will save me money. 

For a dishwasher - I believe that she suggested 1 T. of soap. Again the place you put the soap is about 2 times, maybe even 3 times bigger than needed - encouraging the usage of more soap than needed. 

When doing dishes by hand only about 2 teaspoons is needed - she said she uses an old hand soap dispenser and uses 2-3 squirts. 

I also decided I needed to cut back on the amount of fabric softeners that I use. I use fabric softeners because I hang all my tops on hangers to dry. I do this to help prevent shrinking. 

So there you have it - by using smaller amounts of these products they will last 2-3 times longer than before. I hope that this money saving idea helps you as you try to look after the needs of your family. 

Even though I had no idea that this pay cut was on it's way - God did and He started bringing helpful information into my life. I am so glad He cares so much for us!! 

:O) 

Divine Plans (and demonic Ones)

Happy Sabbath - May you be blessed! :O) 

Money Saving Ideas....series

Today I wanted to share a bit of a post I shared in 2013 - just a little reminder of things to watch for when trying to save money.   

The following is a list of some things that I have learned over the past year:

#1. The store brand is not always the cheapest option. Case in point:
I have been buying my cats Whiskas cat food- but last week I thought that maybe I could save money by choosing the store brand instead. Boy was I wrong. 6# bag of store brand cat food- $7.22. Same size bag of Whiskas cat food- $6.98. A savings of 24 cents by going with the name brand.

#2. Buying bigger packages are not always the better deal. Sometimes it is a good idea to buy the bigger package because it ends up saving you some money in the long run by spending less per serving - but this is not always true. It is a good idea to have your calculator with you and figure up the price per unit- many times this info is given on the tag for the item on the shelf.

#3 Buying in Bulk is not always the best deal. Some people love to shop at stores like Sam's and Costco but when I have gone - I have many times realized that buying a regular sized item would be a better deal. Or even buying the store brand. Just don't get fooled into believing that your saving money just because you are buying in bulk. A lady I know would buy the bulk sized cans of beans and such for her family of 3. Many times half of that can would be wasted. That is not saving money.

#4. Using coupons is not always the way to get things the cheapest. Ever since I have checked out Aldi's I have been going there once a week, why? Because I save money every time I go. Many times I can get things for a better deal than if I bought a brand named item with a coupon.

And don't forget - most coupons are not free. I really loved to use coupons, especially back with our local Krogers would not only double but triple coupons up to $.39 cents. This would help me get really good deals- sometimes even free items, but they stopped that a couple of years ago.

For me to use coupons now- I would have to pay $3.00 or more for a double back Sunday paper to get double the coupons. Then the extra trip to a store that sells that double pack - more money spent on gas. Some would then say will you can get coupons free on the computer- yes you get them for free- but in order to use them you have to print the coupon, which would mean you would have to have ink for your printer. The ink costs money- and right now we don't have ink in our printer - and haven't for the past month or more because we just don't have the money to spend on ink. So my point - the coupons that save you money- cost you money- make sure that you are saving enough to make it worth using them .

#5. Sometimes it really does save you money to shop around. So what I do now is compare prices at different stores. I learn where the best deals for things are and buy them where I can get them cheapest. It really makes a different.