The Things We Learn...

Last week we have learned 2 things...

1. Mommy can't blog or check email or look for mystery shops while the kids are on the computer. We have 2 computers but only one monitor available. Once school starts it will be better. We will have another computer set up.

2. We learned that we can't run the less-than-a-year-old microwave without anything in it. For 20 minutes. Or this is what happens...it gets extremely hot, smells funny, and stops working. I never realized how much I took having a microwave for granted until it was broken. I tried to make soup, I tried to make popcorn only to remember that there was no microwave to make it in.

Free on Friday

Here is today's free stuff...

Hallmark Channel Daily Survival Kit Click here to see what's in it.

Nestle Crunch Bar (they only give away 2000 per day and they go fast. They are gone for today already.)

Free Bible in mp3

Have a great Friday!!!!

My Take on Speeding

Do you speed?

I used to drive really, really fast. I had no regard for the speed limit. I had somewhere to go and did whatever it took to get there. I felt such freedom in driving fast.

Then...God spoke to me. He convicted me of speeding. He asked me this question (or something like it) Why do you feel you can break man's laws? Do you feel you can break My laws? Why then is it okay to break man's laws? Yes, I argued. Yes, I pleaded. It was after all just a small law of man, right? Can you guess who won?

Fast forward a few weeks:

The real test came...I had somewhere to go and was running late. It was supposed to take 20 minutes to get there and I was running 10 minutes late. You do the math. I would not get there on time without speeding. I decided to do what any normal person would do in that situation. I started to speed. That's when I heard that very familiar still small voice.

"What are you doing? I thought we discussed this. Why are you speeding?"
"But Lord, I am running late. I won't get there in time! (said in a whiney voice)."
"Do you trust Me?"
"Yeah, but Lord, I AM LATE!"
"Do you trust ME????"
"I think so?"
"Trust me in this. Drive the speed limit and see if you get there on time."

My natural mind can't comprehend how but I did indeed get to where I was going on time. Ever since then I drive the speed limit. Every time I am late and start to drive fast, I hear, "Do you trust me?"

Even though I sometimes feel like I am driving like a little old grandmother (no offense anyone) when people are constantly flying past me, I still trust Him. I learned my lesson. How are we to show others that we love Jesus if we break man's laws?

The REAL Price of Home Improvement

This is the part that no one tells you about when you buy a house! The things you do in the name of home improvements!

Free on Friday

Here's today's free stuff...

Opti-Free Replenish drops (for all of you contact wearers out there)

Dove Clear Deodorant (Come on, admit it. We all stink at one time or another.)

Metamucil Fiber Kit (no comment)

Have a great Day!!!!

Sort-Of New Blog

Natalie over at Mom in Action just changed her blog name to Like I was Saying. Same stuff, just a different name. Check it out .

I Am a Hopper!

Are you a hopper? I sure am. Although I will say that I have not hopped as much this year as I have the previous 2 years. Two years ago, I did 7 weeks. Last summer it was eight weeks.

For those of you who don't know me, let me explain myself. I love summer VBS. I enroll my kids in everyone that I can. Of the 17 VBS's that I have enrolled in, only one of them was a dud. I think that is a really good ratio.

At the end of last summer we moved to a different location and there aren't that many churches around me so this year I have only enrolled my kids in 3 so far. This is the whole reason for this blog. I have got to tell you about the VBS that I have just enrolled my kids in.

You can check it out here. It is Harrisburg, PA. It is ALL day. Let me repeat...it is ALL DAY!!!! Can you feel my excitement????? The dates are August 2-4 (Thursday, Friday, Saturday) from 8:45 AM to 4:00 PM. It's free AND they provide lunch. For anyone who know my hopping history, this one is a no brainer for me!

I hope to see some of you there!

Dishwasher Detergent

Here's my recipe...

1 Cup Washing Soda (not Baking soda). You can find this in the laundry section of most grocery stores. It's made by Arm & Hammer. It's sold as a laundry booster. Comes in a big yellow box.
1 Cup Borax soap powder. You can find this in the laundry section of most stores.

Combine. Add 1 - 2 TBSP to closed soap section. No need to add to pre-wash section with this detergent. It works well.

After using this for a while I realized that I was using too much (I don't measure. I just pour it in) and there was a white film on my dishes. To combat this (since I am still too lazy to measure), I added 1/2 C powdered Cascade to the mix. That took care of the problem.

I honestly don't know if it is cheaper. I never figured it out. It should be though because I have been using it for a bunch of months and have only had to buy another box of washing soda. I do like however that it is safer on the environment.

Enjoy!

Free on Friday

Here's todays free stuff:

Eucerine Foot Repair Cream (it's flip flop season)

Eucerin Redness Relief

Eucerin Daily Replenishing Cream

K'Nex Building Blocks (we are all kids at heart)

Have a great day!!!

Other Uses For...

I just wanted to give you some options in case you are having a party and run out of chairs. Or if you can't find your crib and need to put your baby down for a nap, it works well for that too. Here's a good substitute.



You notice which one looks more comfortable? She is a smart girl!

My Tag Answers

I have been tagged. Here are the answers to the question...Eight random things about me...

1. Without my contacts, I am pretty much blind. I have had to wear glasses since I was 5 years old. Not just any glasses but thick, thick glasses. I daily thank Jesus for the technological advance of thin lenses!

2. I grew up on a farm. We had 75 acres of farmland, 100,000 chickens (then pheasants, then ducks), pigs, horses, cows, dogs and cats. I used to play tag with one of our pigs. It was calico and everyday after school, I would go to the barn and teach it to play tag. One day I got off the bus, went to the barn to play tag and "my" pig was gone. I was devastated but not enough not to eat it. I had my first taste of dog food on my farm. My brother and sister dared me to eat it. So I did. VERY salty is all that I remember it tasting like. Because of growing up on a farm, I have absolutely NO desire to have any pets.

3. I used to sing and play in a band with Matt Goss. He played bass drum and tuba and sang. I played flute, piccolo, and sang.

4. I LOVE to read. I read for at least and hour every night before I go to bed. My favorite type of books are fiction.

5. I make my own fabric Softener and dishwasher detergent.

6. I hate to dust and fold socks (I make the kids do it)

7. I sucked my thumb until I was 12 years old.

8. I always wear my seat belt. If I don't have it on, I feel naked.

I now tag Beautiful Grace.

Singing Sunday

Today's song is by an artist I have never heard of before the other day. I heard this song and I have been singing it ever since. It is very catchy. It's such a great song to sing and shout and dance to. This album is definitely on my I want to buy soon list.

The artist is Steve Fee. He is from Georgia and gives a fresh approach to worship.

Let's make this song the anthem of our lives. We are free! We shine the light of Jesus whether we want to or not! We worship the king with everything we are! Sin is defeated!

The song should play automatically when the page loads.

We Shine by Steve Fee

We shine, we shine the light of God
And when we speak, we speak with words of Love
And when we dance, we may get a little wild
Cause we’re the people of God, yeah the people of God
And when we sing, we sing the angel songs
The worlds been singing around the throne
Yeah, yeah, we’ll worship the King with everything that we are
Cause we’re the people of God, yeah the people of God, yeah

And now is the time for the people to rise
Lift up a shout, everybody cry out
Raise your voice, and shout out a noise
Dance the dance of joy!

We are the redeemed
We are the ones who are free
And we belong to Jesus
We are now alive
And in this world we will shine
And we belong to Jesus

And where the spirit of God is freedom rings
And come, come on, throw off your prison chains
We’re liberated by a King, only freedom remains
For the people of God, yeah the people of God, yeah yeah
We’re living in a Kingdom that will never end
We’re living in a power of defeated sin
So come on everybody, let’s praise the King
Jesus is alive, and he’s coming again!

And now is the time for the people to rise
Lift up a shout, everybody cry out
Raise your voice, and shout out a noise
Dance the dance of joy!

We are the redeemed
We are the ones who are free
And we belong to Jesus
We are now alive
And in this world we will shine
And we belong to Jesus

We’re going into to all the world
We’re carrying the light of Jesus
And we shine, we shine
In the darkest place, we shine

Yeah, we’re going into all the world
We’re carrying the light of Jesus
And we shine, we shine
In the darkest place, we shine

And now is the time for the people to rise
Lift up a shout, everybody cry out
Raise your voice, and shout out a noise
Dance the dance of joy!

We are the redeemed
We are the ones who are free
And we belong to Jesus
We are now alive
And in this world we will shine
And we belong to Jesus

Come on, come on
The Kingdom is coming
Come on, come on
The Kingdom is coming
Come on, come on, come on
Let the Kingdom come down

Orange Juice Milkshake

I found this recipe a while ago from a book I used when making baby food. I have a hard time getting Shadow to drink milk unless it is in this form. Here's the recipe. It reminds me of an Orange Julius.

Orange Juice Milkshake

1 Cup orange juice
1 Cup Milk (higher fat milk work the best)
Put all in a blender and process for 2 minutes or until frothy and blended.

Free on Friday

Here's today's samples:

Reynolds Slow Cooker Liners I have always wanted to try these but wasn't willing to spend the money on them.

Reynolds Parchment Paper I use this stuff all of the time. I love it!!!

Gas-X Thin Strips (be truthful...we all have this problem at one time or another)

Have a great day!

Experiments

Shadow has been doing lots of experiments lately. Most of them deal with food. One of the things he wants to do when he grows up is find new foods.

Here are a few...

1. COW M Drink
Mix equal parts of Cranberry Juice, Orange Juice, Water, and Milk together in a cup. Enjoy. (The little neighbor boy who Shadow got to try this said it was good. I beg to differ!)

2. Milky Water
Mix equal parts of milk and water. Enjoy.

3. Oyster Cracker Ice
Mix equal parts of water, ice, and oyster crackers. Freeze for 2 hours. Enjoy.

I would love to hear about the experiments that happen in your house.

Happy 4th of July!

Happy 4th of July everyone!

I am so glad I live in a country that I am able to worship Jesus without fear of going to jail or being killed. Even though I take this country for granted I feel very fortunate to live here.

My thanks goes out to all of the men and women who fight to keep those freedoms!

Pray today for our leaders that they would get back to the way our forefathers ran our country. Pray today for the safety of our troops.

Fireworks Happy

No, I am not like oH mY wORD and am Hershey Park Happy. Instead I am Fireworks Happy.

We along with probably half of our church, went to CLA's July 4th celebration. It was really fun. A little crowded, but really fun. The fireworks display was one of the best ones I have ever seen. (I LOVE fireworks, I go to see them whenever possible.)

I have seen many, many fireworks displays in my lifetime but on Sunday night, I had a first. It was the first time I ever got hit by a flying fireworks part. Yes, you read correctly. I got hit by a flying fireworks part. And I was covered in paper ash. We had great seats to watch but the wind must have shifted and caused the slight snow shower of paper ash.



To see a picture of Shadow enjoying his day, click here and wait for the 71st picture (we stopped counting at 101 pictures.).

Singing Sunday

Today's song has been going through my head all day yesterday. It is performed by Russ Taff along with the Bill Gaither Band.

I chose this song because it talks about the unsaved turning their hearts to Jesus. When I first started singing this song on Friday, I thought of the guys outside paving my street. None of them know who Jesus is. And I need to be praying for them.

Every one of us has someone who doesn't know who Jesus is. Take a few minutes today to ask God for their lives. Also ask God how you can be used by Him to bring people to Him.

I believe one day there will be a big party for all of my loved ones when they come to know Jesus.

If you are not familiar with the song, you can listen to it below the lyrics.

Trumpet of Jesus by Russ Taff

I listen to the Trumpet of Jesus
While the world hears a different sound
I march to the trumpet of God Almighty
While the others just wander around
I'm a member of the Holy Ghost traveling band
We're moving on up to a better land
I hear the voice of a Supernatural Savior
Like only those who know Him can

One sweet sound makes
A whole world of difference
When the world seems indifferent to you
His Melody of love calls you to be great
when mere content was all you thought you could be
So if you've been playin' all your days by ear
Never knowin' what your song was to be
Then pull up a chair, let down your hair
And take a few lessons from me

A spiritual fanfare has a sound all it's own
At the birth of a lasting song
It's been two thousand years since Jesus was born
And still the celebration goes on
If you feel the need to get your life in tune
'Cause you're tired of the drudge every day
Then turn yourself around,
Put your feet on the ground
and just hear what I have to say