Thursday, December 04, 2008
Free Cookie Cutter
Click HERE for your choice of a snowman, gingerbread house, or bow cookie cutter!
Tuesday, December 02, 2008
Freebie of the Day!
I started writing about our trip to Gatlinburg last night but the post has been growing and growing. A new transmission and tire later, all the mishaps make me think that they wouldn't even write the things that happened into a sitcom because it would be too unbelievable. But, we all are safe and we are able to laugh about it. Maybe we're laughing to keep from crying but we're laughing.
Anyway, I'm still working on it so I thought until I figured out how to break it up into readable segments, I would try to keep my blog alive by offering you links to freebies that I have come across during my coupon quest. Which by the way, I'm going to have to get even better at to pay for the debt we've occurred in the last couple of days. So, today's freebie is for a Schick quatro razor. Just click on the link and fill in your info and the razor should be on it's way.
Blessings,
Dana
Anyway, I'm still working on it so I thought until I figured out how to break it up into readable segments, I would try to keep my blog alive by offering you links to freebies that I have come across during my coupon quest. Which by the way, I'm going to have to get even better at to pay for the debt we've occurred in the last couple of days. So, today's freebie is for a Schick quatro razor. Just click on the link and fill in your info and the razor should be on it's way.
Blessings,
Dana
Monday, December 01, 2008
Today's Redbox Code
Every Monday, Redbox has a code for a free DVD. Today's code is SNSDVD6. I haven't tried it yet. Adam is about to go get a new tire for my van since the one on it is flat (that's only a small piece of our fun car adventure but I'll post about that later). Anyway, I'll get him to try out the code when he goes. Also, it is rumored that if you use the code Cows now through Dec. 31 you can get a free dvd rental with a one dollar rental.
Blessings,
Dana
Blessings,
Dana
Friday, November 21, 2008
A Christmas of Presence...
This is really really long. Some of you have asked me to elaborate on what I meant by doing Christmas differently. Well here you go. So come back and read it in shifts. My counter will go up and I will feel like I have lots of friends. If you haven't watched the video that I posted a couple of weeks ago, this will probably make no sense at all to you. So do that before you proceed further.
Okay, I admit the title of this post is cheesy but I just couldn't resist. So here's the deal with Christmas... When we were making our move to wonderful South Carolina, I was overwhelmed by our collection of stuff.. I've never been much of a shopper and when I do buy something, I'm thrifty. It thrills some people to spend money. Well, let's just say that it thrills me to pinch a penny until it screams. It's something my mom instilled in me. I thought she was packing picnics and taking us to the park because she was better than all the other moms. Turns out, she was more broke than all the other moms. Regardless, she taught me a lot about being resourceful and somehow managed to make it seem fun to me. So, I was amazed at how much stuff we had accumulated. Around the time of our move, I read a book called, "Serve God Save the Planet" by Dr. J. Matthew Sleeth. This book was written by a a a very educated medical doctor, and though I didn't quite go to the lengths he went to, this book, along with our abundance of stuff made me very aware of how wasteful Americans have become and how my family had contributed to that problem. I haven't gotten to the point where I'm willing to give up my clothes dryer, dish washer, or stop cutting my grass (or letting Adam cut it that is) as Dr. Sleeth has but I did start to make a more cautious look at our decisions and how they effect our economy and our environment. Since that point about six months ago things have evolved in our economy and I've become even more convinced that the fear I was experiencing about our actions was a reality.
There are so many events that have led us to the decision that we have made about Christmas this year and I don't think that I can accurately convey them to you without boring you to death. But, Adam and I have always been torn about the Santa Claus thing. We weren't sure if entertaining this make believe would be seen as lying to our kids and we were a little concerned that they might later confuse this relationship with their relationship with God. IE: There's this guy, he knows if you've been bad or good. He can see you but you can't see him... You get the point. But on the other hand, we didn't want our kids to "those kids" that ruin it for everyone else.. And, we have fond memories our our experiences with Saint Nick. Our faith made the transition so could it be that we can instill a faith strong enough in our kids? Anyway, our decision on that pretty much came to us just sort of downplaying the Santa Claus thing and trying to make sure that Christmas didn't revolve around it. We had already had a discussion with Emma and told her that we were only going to ask Santa for one gift so that he could buy gifts for children who's parents couldn't afford gifts. We were pleasantly surprised at how agreeable she was to the idea. And were pretty comfortable with that plan.
Until... Adam convicted me of a few things in a few of his recent sermons, one ending in referenced video.. Stinking preachers.. Seriously, he has podcasts on his blog and you really should listen to them. I often question whether God made me to be a preacher's wife but I never question God's leading in Adam's life.. He's doing what he was born to do. Don't worry, you don't have to leave me a comment telling me that God made me Adam's wife and if God made him a preacher then he must have made me to be a preacher's wife. I know that... I just sometimes wonder if this world is ready for that mold to be broken because man am I breaking it.. (sorry tangent) So anyway, Adam preached some convicting lessons of things I've been trying to tell him for years of course :). And then one of our elders challenged the church to raise $8000 to send to a community that doesn't have clean water. With $8000 they can supply a community with clean water... FOREVER.
Before I sound more noble than I am, let me say that about three months ago, I booked us a trip to Disney World for New Years. I had originally thought that this would be the main thrust of our Christmas anyway. Since I'm pulling in a little bit of money through babysitting and all of our off time when we lived in WV was spent visiting family, I decided we needed a vacation. Btw, it's a surprise for our kids so if you talk to them please don't tell them. Emma is going to be so excited. However, since I've never been, I'm not sure she's going to be more excited than I. So, once again, we sat Emma down and showed her a video about what we wanted to do. We told her that we were going to do one really great family present but we didn't want to do any other presents so we could send some money to this country that didn't have clean water to drink.. I told her that instead we were going to make a plan where we would do lots of family things together, like baking cookies and making ornaments for our tree and playing games and that sort of thing.. One of my proudest parenting moments was when she responded with, "I think a family present sounds really good. I've got plenty of toys".
So here's the nitty gritty of it all. Since opening presents is such a fun part of Christmas morning, and well, A Christmas tree just looks sad without them, I don't want to leave that part out. So, my plan is to make them each packages that have things in them to do each event.. For example: We're going to make family tie dyed Christmas pajamas. Oh come on, you know your dying to have retro pajamas that match your whole family.. I handed over cool for a minivan a couple of years ago. Do you think I care if I'm a dork? So in those boxes, I'll put each persons pajamas and some dye. We'll open those gifts and do those activities. The next box will have something like cookie cutters to make cookies. Etc, Etc..
And then, I've picked up various disney character items at the dollar tree and Christmas morning we will have a scavenger hunt where each disney item will lead them to the next item until we end with the last items which will be these amazing plush Mickey and Minnies that I found looking brand new with the tags still on them at a yard sale for just 25 Cents a piece! And along with there Plush Disney Characters that their cheap yardsaling momma picked up will be there DISNEY WORLD TICKETS. I've dreamed it all up in my head like most little girls do their weddings. (I dreamed of using the money that I would spend on a wedding on an investment. The wedding was for Adam.) Doesn't it make getting no presents for Christmas sound like the coolest idea ever? Well we will see. One day, they will either think I'm awesome like I do my mom or they'll get a good laugh when they think of that year mom went crazy. Either way, I'll never be far from their thoughts :).
So there it is.. Be thinking of any ideas that you might have for our Christmas family times together. I know that there is a lot of creativity among you mommy bloggers and I'd be honored if you shared. And I ask for your prayers for our sweet little church. It's full of people with struggles of there own that are so full of love that they put those struggles aside to help those that are struggling more. What a beautiful place to be.
Blessings,
Dana
Okay, I admit the title of this post is cheesy but I just couldn't resist. So here's the deal with Christmas... When we were making our move to wonderful South Carolina, I was overwhelmed by our collection of stuff.. I've never been much of a shopper and when I do buy something, I'm thrifty. It thrills some people to spend money. Well, let's just say that it thrills me to pinch a penny until it screams. It's something my mom instilled in me. I thought she was packing picnics and taking us to the park because she was better than all the other moms. Turns out, she was more broke than all the other moms. Regardless, she taught me a lot about being resourceful and somehow managed to make it seem fun to me. So, I was amazed at how much stuff we had accumulated. Around the time of our move, I read a book called, "Serve God Save the Planet" by Dr. J. Matthew Sleeth. This book was written by a a a very educated medical doctor, and though I didn't quite go to the lengths he went to, this book, along with our abundance of stuff made me very aware of how wasteful Americans have become and how my family had contributed to that problem. I haven't gotten to the point where I'm willing to give up my clothes dryer, dish washer, or stop cutting my grass (or letting Adam cut it that is) as Dr. Sleeth has but I did start to make a more cautious look at our decisions and how they effect our economy and our environment. Since that point about six months ago things have evolved in our economy and I've become even more convinced that the fear I was experiencing about our actions was a reality.
There are so many events that have led us to the decision that we have made about Christmas this year and I don't think that I can accurately convey them to you without boring you to death. But, Adam and I have always been torn about the Santa Claus thing. We weren't sure if entertaining this make believe would be seen as lying to our kids and we were a little concerned that they might later confuse this relationship with their relationship with God. IE: There's this guy, he knows if you've been bad or good. He can see you but you can't see him... You get the point. But on the other hand, we didn't want our kids to "those kids" that ruin it for everyone else.. And, we have fond memories our our experiences with Saint Nick. Our faith made the transition so could it be that we can instill a faith strong enough in our kids? Anyway, our decision on that pretty much came to us just sort of downplaying the Santa Claus thing and trying to make sure that Christmas didn't revolve around it. We had already had a discussion with Emma and told her that we were only going to ask Santa for one gift so that he could buy gifts for children who's parents couldn't afford gifts. We were pleasantly surprised at how agreeable she was to the idea. And were pretty comfortable with that plan.
Until... Adam convicted me of a few things in a few of his recent sermons, one ending in referenced video.. Stinking preachers.. Seriously, he has podcasts on his blog and you really should listen to them. I often question whether God made me to be a preacher's wife but I never question God's leading in Adam's life.. He's doing what he was born to do. Don't worry, you don't have to leave me a comment telling me that God made me Adam's wife and if God made him a preacher then he must have made me to be a preacher's wife. I know that... I just sometimes wonder if this world is ready for that mold to be broken because man am I breaking it.. (sorry tangent) So anyway, Adam preached some convicting lessons of things I've been trying to tell him for years of course :). And then one of our elders challenged the church to raise $8000 to send to a community that doesn't have clean water. With $8000 they can supply a community with clean water... FOREVER.
Before I sound more noble than I am, let me say that about three months ago, I booked us a trip to Disney World for New Years. I had originally thought that this would be the main thrust of our Christmas anyway. Since I'm pulling in a little bit of money through babysitting and all of our off time when we lived in WV was spent visiting family, I decided we needed a vacation. Btw, it's a surprise for our kids so if you talk to them please don't tell them. Emma is going to be so excited. However, since I've never been, I'm not sure she's going to be more excited than I. So, once again, we sat Emma down and showed her a video about what we wanted to do. We told her that we were going to do one really great family present but we didn't want to do any other presents so we could send some money to this country that didn't have clean water to drink.. I told her that instead we were going to make a plan where we would do lots of family things together, like baking cookies and making ornaments for our tree and playing games and that sort of thing.. One of my proudest parenting moments was when she responded with, "I think a family present sounds really good. I've got plenty of toys".
So here's the nitty gritty of it all. Since opening presents is such a fun part of Christmas morning, and well, A Christmas tree just looks sad without them, I don't want to leave that part out. So, my plan is to make them each packages that have things in them to do each event.. For example: We're going to make family tie dyed Christmas pajamas. Oh come on, you know your dying to have retro pajamas that match your whole family.. I handed over cool for a minivan a couple of years ago. Do you think I care if I'm a dork? So in those boxes, I'll put each persons pajamas and some dye. We'll open those gifts and do those activities. The next box will have something like cookie cutters to make cookies. Etc, Etc..
And then, I've picked up various disney character items at the dollar tree and Christmas morning we will have a scavenger hunt where each disney item will lead them to the next item until we end with the last items which will be these amazing plush Mickey and Minnies that I found looking brand new with the tags still on them at a yard sale for just 25 Cents a piece! And along with there Plush Disney Characters that their cheap yardsaling momma picked up will be there DISNEY WORLD TICKETS. I've dreamed it all up in my head like most little girls do their weddings. (I dreamed of using the money that I would spend on a wedding on an investment. The wedding was for Adam.) Doesn't it make getting no presents for Christmas sound like the coolest idea ever? Well we will see. One day, they will either think I'm awesome like I do my mom or they'll get a good laugh when they think of that year mom went crazy. Either way, I'll never be far from their thoughts :).
So there it is.. Be thinking of any ideas that you might have for our Christmas family times together. I know that there is a lot of creativity among you mommy bloggers and I'd be honored if you shared. And I ask for your prayers for our sweet little church. It's full of people with struggles of there own that are so full of love that they put those struggles aside to help those that are struggling more. What a beautiful place to be.
Blessings,
Dana
Sunday, November 16, 2008
Have You Fallen Off The Face of the Earth?
That's the question I've started getting. The answer... something like that.. at least it feels that way. Chloe has had a two month long ear infection. She has had three different antibiotics and a shot. We went to see an ENT the other day. The infection is gone but the fluid remains. Which apparently makes her very susceptible to another infection. The ENT wants to do tubes. Since that was the first ear infection that she had ever gotten and it co insides with when she started drinking cow's milk, the dr. thinks she may have a milk allergy. So, we're taking her off dairy. He also said that if we have any hope at all of clearing the fluid up without tubes, then I need to keep her away from all other small children for several weeks. So, I'm sleep deprived and I can't think straight and I have cabin fever ... Oh and did I mention that somewhere in the middle of this, Emma was throwing up for two days? So anyway, until I can get a little sleep, I'm afraid that all I have is one very long run on sentence and a plee for prayers.... I NEED THEM!
Oh, and a fun website for baby/toddlers. Fisher Price ABCs It goes through the ABCs and then sings the song at the end. Simple but effective. I found this when Emma was a baby. We did it all the time and she could identify all of her letters by the time she was two. Now, when Chloe sees me at the computer, she reaches her arms out for me and says, "AAAA" with the most delectable southern draw.
Blessings,
Dana
Oh, and a fun website for baby/toddlers. Fisher Price ABCs It goes through the ABCs and then sings the song at the end. Simple but effective. I found this when Emma was a baby. We did it all the time and she could identify all of her letters by the time she was two. Now, when Chloe sees me at the computer, she reaches her arms out for me and says, "AAAA" with the most delectable southern draw.
Blessings,
Dana
Monday, November 03, 2008
Christmas will be different this year...
The following subject has weighed heavy on my heart for quite a while. We're doing Christmas different this year. I have a plan that I hope I can unpack on this blog. My prayer is that this will be the Christmas that my girls look back on as there best Christmas ever even though we gave hardly any material gifts at all. Please join me in prayer that as parents, we all will teach our children the true joy of Christmas this year. Please watch the following clip and I'll be back soon with more details on the exciting adventure we'll take this year.
Blessings,
Dana
Blessings,
Dana
Saturday, November 01, 2008
The Best Holiday of the Year!
No, not Halloween, not even Christmas... I'm referring to the extra hour of sleep we get tomorrow! Don't forget to set your clocks back!
Blessings,
Dana
Blessings,
Dana
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Am I loosing my MoJo?
Since it's been a while since I got pictures of the girls, I decided today was the day. I had thought we'd make a trip to the pumpkin patch but the temp is cool and with ear infections abounding, this didn't seem like the best plan. So I ran each girl outside for a few seconds and snapped just a few. None of them were big fans of the idea.. So here is what we got.
First up is Maggie. Okay now for any new person that I might have stumble across here, Often when I refer to "my girls" I am including Maggie. I babysit Maggie. She's a part time child.. She fits in just fine but we all know that I could never have a child as calm as Maggie. Usually, Maggie is all smiles for her pictures but today, she had more of a look that said she was thinking, "oh my goodness lady, have you lost your mind? Can't you tell it's cold out here"? I promise we were only out there a couple of minutes..
Though the temperature was cooler, the lighting was much better this time of the day. By the time I got to Chloe, the sun was too high over head which is why they are in black and white. I do like black and white photography but I do black and white a lot because I'm not happy with the color.
Chloe was actually more cooperative than normal which is weird considering she STILL has an ear infection. That's right we're on our third round of antibiotics for this one infection. But I'm not going to go into anymore about that or I'll start crying.. Seriously, I feel panic when I think about it... Anyway, she was compliant but it wasn't the best time of day..
And last but not least is Emma. She kept wanting to lay her head on her shoulder or put arms out or give me the Chandler smile. But, I did sneak one that I liked pretty well. Again, wasn't crazy about the color..
Hopefully, I will get a chance to get some better ones but if not, this moment in time is officially documented.
Blessings,
Dana
First up is Maggie. Okay now for any new person that I might have stumble across here, Often when I refer to "my girls" I am including Maggie. I babysit Maggie. She's a part time child.. She fits in just fine but we all know that I could never have a child as calm as Maggie. Usually, Maggie is all smiles for her pictures but today, she had more of a look that said she was thinking, "oh my goodness lady, have you lost your mind? Can't you tell it's cold out here"? I promise we were only out there a couple of minutes..
Though the temperature was cooler, the lighting was much better this time of the day. By the time I got to Chloe, the sun was too high over head which is why they are in black and white. I do like black and white photography but I do black and white a lot because I'm not happy with the color.
Chloe was actually more cooperative than normal which is weird considering she STILL has an ear infection. That's right we're on our third round of antibiotics for this one infection. But I'm not going to go into anymore about that or I'll start crying.. Seriously, I feel panic when I think about it... Anyway, she was compliant but it wasn't the best time of day..
And last but not least is Emma. She kept wanting to lay her head on her shoulder or put arms out or give me the Chandler smile. But, I did sneak one that I liked pretty well. Again, wasn't crazy about the color..
Hopefully, I will get a chance to get some better ones but if not, this moment in time is officially documented.
Blessings,
Dana
Monday, October 27, 2008
Here you go... Dana on Politics...
We've almost made it. Less than a week to go and I've really pretty much avoided political posts. And, though I've wanted to avoid opening that can of worms, I'm afraid I may be doing it now.. I'm not going to tell you who I'm voting for. That's what those little curtains around the voting booths are for. But, this is the first time that I have followed an election so closely. I have re read the constitution. I have looked at charts of parties in the senate and in congress under different presidents of the past. I've looked at tax levels under presidents of the past. I've looked at tax plans and health care plans of the candidates. I've looked at court cases involving abortion. I have looked at poverty, abortion, education, divorce, economy statistics and how they relate to certain laws, governing, taxes, and the economy. I investigated almost every e-mail forward that I received giving me information on why I should not vote for a candidate. Just for the record, I found a lot of that information to be false. I received these e-mails from people pulling for both candidates. If you sent me several e-mails and I discovered the first few to be false, I wrote you off as an in-credible source on this topic. I will try to be open minded towards you about other subjects in the future. But I will do so with caution. I believe that you should investigate and make sure that information is true before you pass it on. Especially when someone's character is at stake. In an effort to get unbiased information, most of my research has come from historical records. There will always be various opinions but there are some irrefutable facts. Though, this can never be done completely, I've tried to start from a blank slate, putting everything I've ever thought about politics back up on the table. I have the desire to find out who I am for myself. The conclusion? I still don't know... But these are the things that I have discovered. Some of these seem to fit directly into politics and some don't. But in my mind, they're all connected. I cannot separate my views from my faith. I make no apologies for that. However, I do realize that my faith is my own and not yours. I welcome you here regardless of whether you agree with me or not. The question is, will you still welcome me? If I'm being honest, I'm glad that I don't fit neatly into one category..
I believe that political parties by nature divide our nation.
I believe in feeding the poor, clothing the naked, taking in strangers, caring for the ill, and visiting those in prison. I believe that when we do those things, it as if we're doing them to Jesus. Matthew 25.
I Believe abortion is wrong. However, I believe that if we insist that these children are born, we have the responsibility of making sure they don't starve to death once they are.
I believe in an honest days work for an honest days pay. However, I believe that the world is a better place when those that have more share with those that have less.
I believe that there will always be those that take advantage of a heart willing to help. I don't believe that relieves us of our responsibility.
I don't believe that children should be held responsible for their parents choices.
I believe that the idea that everyone in America has an equal opportunity for education is uninformed.
I believe that our economy might benefit from privatized social security. However, I also wonder if that could be disastrous.
I believe that America is the land of opportunity and we should never forget why we are here to start with. However,I believe that immigrants should have to pay the same taxes as Americans and that English should be the official language of the U.S.
I believe that taxes are sometimes a necessary evil. Especially when America is borrowing money from other countries. I believe it is Biblical to repay debts.
I believe that war is also sometimes a necessary evil but that God hates it and that we should always be moving in a direction of peace.
I believe that there has to be a way in a country as rich as America that everyone can have affordable health care.
I fear that outlawing firearms completely would put guns in only criminals hands.
I believe that true friendships can endure a difference in opinion and come away respecting each other.
I believe that you can never achieve right by doing wrong.. I don't believe that political campaigning is an exception. A lie is a lie no matter your reason for telling it.
I don't think that fear is a good motivator.
I believe that my first allegiance is to my God, not my country.
I believe that Americans could solve world hunger if they would reduce their Christmas spending by 10 percent and place it in MUCH more needed places.
I believe that as in anywhere there are always people who do bad things but I believe that at the core, America is a great country that wants to do the right thing. I'm proud to be an American.
I believe in all things.. moderation. Except in love and of that, there is no limit to it's benefit.
Blessings,
Dana
I believe that political parties by nature divide our nation.
I believe in feeding the poor, clothing the naked, taking in strangers, caring for the ill, and visiting those in prison. I believe that when we do those things, it as if we're doing them to Jesus. Matthew 25.
I Believe abortion is wrong. However, I believe that if we insist that these children are born, we have the responsibility of making sure they don't starve to death once they are.
I believe in an honest days work for an honest days pay. However, I believe that the world is a better place when those that have more share with those that have less.
I believe that there will always be those that take advantage of a heart willing to help. I don't believe that relieves us of our responsibility.
I don't believe that children should be held responsible for their parents choices.
I believe that the idea that everyone in America has an equal opportunity for education is uninformed.
I believe that our economy might benefit from privatized social security. However, I also wonder if that could be disastrous.
I believe that America is the land of opportunity and we should never forget why we are here to start with. However,I believe that immigrants should have to pay the same taxes as Americans and that English should be the official language of the U.S.
I believe that taxes are sometimes a necessary evil. Especially when America is borrowing money from other countries. I believe it is Biblical to repay debts.
I believe that war is also sometimes a necessary evil but that God hates it and that we should always be moving in a direction of peace.
I believe that there has to be a way in a country as rich as America that everyone can have affordable health care.
I fear that outlawing firearms completely would put guns in only criminals hands.
I believe that true friendships can endure a difference in opinion and come away respecting each other.
I believe that you can never achieve right by doing wrong.. I don't believe that political campaigning is an exception. A lie is a lie no matter your reason for telling it.
I don't think that fear is a good motivator.
I believe that my first allegiance is to my God, not my country.
I believe that Americans could solve world hunger if they would reduce their Christmas spending by 10 percent and place it in MUCH more needed places.
I believe that as in anywhere there are always people who do bad things but I believe that at the core, America is a great country that wants to do the right thing. I'm proud to be an American.
I believe in all things.. moderation. Except in love and of that, there is no limit to it's benefit.
Blessings,
Dana
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