Day 4- Budget Friendly

Day 4: Tips/Tricks to a Budget Friendly holiday season

This is a toughy!I am not an expert. I am not even a novice. This is not my speciality simply because I am not in a position to be planning a budget friendly Christmas. I am not the one "planning" it. I don't have my own house and stuff so it isn't something that I have to do...if that makes sense.

But, I do like to save a dime or 3 so I can give a few of the ways I do.

Coupons - Even now...it is most important. Coupon.com is a great source for coupons of ALL kinds!!! It takes a little work but it pays off in the end. Look in the paper for the Moneyclip, or valpak, or P&G clippers. All are full of different coupons. Some are for carpet cleaning, or re roofing, of paving companies, BUT a lot are for food, and personal items.

Catch sales! - Look out for when things are one sale. Don't be a last minuter...!!! Waiting makes things expensive...end of story! Plan out early. Look for when things are on sale. Take advantage of Black Friday. Look for clearance. etc.

End of the year - Great way to save on decorations...Go December 26 - January whenever for GREAT deals on decorations! No one wants last year's decorations! =) NOT! I am all for it especially when you can find strings of light for 50% off and boxes of ornaments for $1 a piece! Craziness!

Make it - I have found that making sometimes...SOMETIMES saves money...sometimes it doesn't but it is also more meaningful.

Enjoy! Feliz Navidad!

Day 3 - The most meaningful gift

**Don't really know why it didn't post yesterday!**

Day 3: Most meaningful gift/best gift you've received

At the risk of sounding sappy, radical, crazy, whatever you want to peg me as, I can confidently say that the best gift I have ever received is the one that my Father gave me. Not that my parents have not given me good gifts. They have. They have been extremely generous and lavishing when it came to gifts and they have been wonderful but the one my Father gave to me by far trumps them all.

You see when I was still dead in my transgressions He gave me life in Christ because of His great love for me. (Eph. 2:4) He gave His one and only Son (John 3:16) to be fully human in every way to be an atonement for my sin. (Heb. 2:17) It was NOTHING I did to "get" it but God's gift to me. (Eph. 2:8-10)

There is nothing I could "do" or "be" to receive His great love. I did not do anything. That is the most meaningful gift I have ever received.

Day 2 - Black Friday and a Birthday!

Day 2: Black Friday/General Shopping Tips & Tricks

Seems kinda pointless to post this now but with the way stores have sales every waking moment I guess it could come in handy at some point!

Let's see! Black Friday Shopping! I am NOT one of the crazies up at some unknown hour to get the MEGA sales. But, I do, however, enjoy getting a good deal on something. I also like to plan ahead. So, here is my strategy.

-Write lists. Decide who I am buying for. What I might want to get them.

-Take a look! Look though the sales paper and see what is on sale where. Compare. Decide if it is really a good deal to go to that particular store and get that particular item, or if it is not that big of a savings.

-Plan a route. Choose the path of least resistance. I don't live in a Huge city but the area I live in is heavy on the traffic, especially this day. Plan out what places first and what places can wait (sales only last until so and so time).

I am not a parent so the BIG things that are heavily advertised such as electronics, or clothing is not really on my radar. I am searching for more of the obscure or not so frequently sought after items, such as DVD's, books, and smaller gift items. For example: I didn't even plan on heading to Walmart this black Friday but ended up going with my family that evening...like after 6...to pick up a few things. Not intending to buy anything I came across a middle-aisle display of scrambled toys with various hand-written price tags. After digging a few minutes I found a 10 count pack of hot wheels cars for a grand total of $5. Yes, you read that right! So monkey has a very nice present coming his way! Just to give those of you who don't know what pricing is like on those cars an idea. Individually they can cost anywhere from $.80 - $1 a piece. In packs of 5 they can cost anywhere from $6-$8 depending on styles and kinds. So a 10 pack for $5 is pretty good!

I also keep a basket in my closet for any good deals I may come across while I'm out. Last year after Christmas I went to Pier One's 70% off sale. I picked up 10 - 15 bracelets that were on sale for a $1-$2 a piece. They have been great to pull out when there is a need for a gift at any point. So be on the look out for the "handouts" as I call them. Good way to put up for the future so you are not scrambling last minute!

This post has a double meaning! I want to make sure I add a very Happy Birthday to my oldest sister! We are 7 years apart and other than the first few years of my life that really hasn't made that much of a difference.

Happy Birthday! I hope you have a wonderful day! I love you and I am so thankful that we have "lived" together the last few months! I love being with you and Bubby even when the days are long and trying! I know my monkey enjoys it! Praying the Lord's blessings over you and the year to come! May God bless you 10 fold how you bless those around you!

Day 1 - TRADITIONS!

Day 1: Christmas/Holiday traditions

We have a lot of things we do...not sure if that is considered "traditions" or not but here it goes!

Celebrating Jesus

We do one of two things on alternate years to celebrate the birth of Jesus.

-One year we will do Advent. Starting 4 Sundays from Christmas as a family we get together each Sunday night/afternoon to light a candle and read Scripture that corresponds with the day of Advent we are on.

-The following year we will do Jesse Tree. Beginning usually at the start of December each of us girls are assigned an account in scripture to portray artistically some how. Starting from Creation and going all the way to Jesus' birth.When we were younger we would meet together each night to show the ornament we had made and get our assignments for the next day. Now that we have gotten older and schedules don't lend themselves to nightly meetings we meet usually on the weekends to go through the Bible account.

Decorating

Usually the weekend following Thanksgiving begins our Christmas celebration. This is typically when we put up the tree and decorate the house. Our dad ALWAYS hangs the lights. ALWAYS! There are no other options! =) Then mom passes out all the ornaments and we hang them on the tree. Every year mom has bought or made us an ornament. She does this so we will have some ornaments to take with us when we get married and have a tree of our own. So as she is passing them out she hands our ornaments to us and let's us hang them.

Gift Giving

With 5 girls it was far too easy to go cheap on Christmas gifts. Not that the gifts are what it is about but when mom is trying to help us pay for the gifts it can get pretty expensive even just to do 1 small cheapo for each other. So, when we were younger we decided to draw names. At the beginning of the fall we put all our names in a pot and draw one. We each buy for the sister on the paper. This allows for a much more meaningful gift. We are able to think about it and plan it. Not just buy something.

Christmas Morning

When we were younger it was a lot more crucial that we begin this morning at like 5:30...now that we are getting older we realize the importance of waiting...maybe! Still having a 10 year old living in the house makes for a reality check that Christmas morning is still very much of an exciting day and it calls for a prior to the sunrise wake up call! We open our stockings first and then gifts. For years...and I mean years mom has made the same Christmas breakfast. Egg casserole. I would not have it any other way! =) After gifts we chow down on some Christmas breakfast and then we usually chill. It is typically not planned out. We don't have to go anywhere. We don't have an agenda.

I am sure I will think of some traditions but for now I will leave you with, Kala Christouyenna!

On the first day of Christmas...

In this house Christmas starts at about 6:00 a.m. Black Friday morning. No one knows why. No one planned for it to happen that way. It just is. Almost immediately after that last bite of turkey is passed our lips we whip out the lights and candy canes so fast it will make your head spin! Friday is usually spent with mom out shopping for all the list items prepared for that day. Saturday begins the d-e-c-o-r-a-t-i-n-g! Yeah baby! Then it is a smooth sail to Christmas day just a matter of days away!




So for this year I have decided to do a bit of celebrating here! I also thought it would be a fun way to meet some of the bloggers out there! =) So my friends I introduce you to...

For some reason my "of" disappeared so ta-da! This is what happens! Gotta love technology!

Now, I know that I have promised to do the 30 days blog challenge, and post about my sister's 16th bash, and I need to finish posting about Peru. I will get to that I promise! But, with the way all those events backed up to my trip which slid full speed ahead into Thanksgiving and now Christmas I thought I would post about the things applicable to this season and move on with blogging about those things when I need some ideas! =)

So, here is what is on the menu (which I may have spun a little bit my way)!

Day 1: Christmas/Holiday traditions
Day 2: Black Friday/General Shopping Tips & Tricks
Day 3: Most meaningful gift/best gift you've received
Day 4: Tips/Tricks to a Budget Friendly holiday season
Day 5: Favorite Holiday Movie/TV Show Special
Day 6: Gift ideas (what do YOU want? We all have family/friends reading our blogs...so let them know!)
Day 7: Holiday Craft/DIY (If you don't make anything, what do you WISH you could make?)
Day 8: Least favorite thing about the Holidays
Day 9: Favorite Holiday recipe
Day 10: Favorite Christmas Songs/Carols
Day 11: New Year Resolutions
Day 12: Show us your decorations (indoor/outside)

I may even try a linky! Oooh! I am getting ambitious now! =) So come along with me as we celebrate the season of my Savior's birth! The first installment will be here tomorrow!

Thanks

1. health over all
2. family that supports and loves me.
3. friends that come in all ages and kinds.
4. the ability to worship the God who gave me breath and life.
5. the opportunity to come before the Father in other languages.
6. Warm water to take a shower comfortably...
7. ...the ability to take showers numerous times a week (that's not a typo)
8. more than 2 changes of clothing.
9. enough clothing for the different and varying seasons.
10. a job that I enjoy.
11. other than a few minor set backs the ability to do with my money what I need/want to do.
12. provisions for my recent trip to Peru.
13. Godly ladies as mentioned in 1 Timothy 5.
14. peace that passes ALL understanding that come from my Jesus in storms I may encounter.
15. salvation from eternal pain and suffering and deliverance to eternal fellowship with my Savior.
16. a car that runs.
17. the presence of all 4 grandparents and both parents.
18. the relationships given as an example to me through my parents, sister and brother-in-law, and other friends.
19. sight to enjoy the visual beauty of God's world.
20. hearing to listen to the sounds the Father made.
21. clean water to drink upon desire.
22. a healthy start to life.
23. a teen hood filled with Godly wisdom and very few bad decisions.
24. technology that connects me with friends that live thousands of miles away.
25. books that open a world to learning.
26. a roof over my head.
27. a ceiling fan.
28. shoes that don't have holes.
29. washing machines
30. indoor plumbing
31. laughter.
32. growth
33. wood stoves
34. electricity
35. a bed.
36. the ability to wear what I would like without being arrested for showing ankles, wrists, or my face.
37. living near the ocean, the mountains, and historical sites.
38. tooth brush
39. make up (yes, I am that shallow)
40. the comfort in knowing that anyone I "loose" this side of heaven will once again be with me in the presence of the Father.
41. forgiveness

The list is forever growing...but for now I will leave with this. Happy Thanksgiving! May it be blessed! Remember to be thankful in whatever circumstances you are in!

Beginning to miss this

Man, it has been a week! It is hard for me to believe I have been home almost a week. This week went by faster than the week I was away! Weird! Usually it's the other way around! Oh well!

Life back home has been exciting. I landed in the States Sunday morning after flying all night, arrived home around 3 that afternoon, and started work Monday morning...NO in between time! Everyone I tell that to about freaks when they realized what I did! Yea, I did too! =) All in all though it really hasn't been that big of a deal. In some aspects it was nice to just get back to it so there wasn't a whole lot of "what now" moments.

Two of my team members came home with some intestinal bug. Not sure what it is but they were knocked out! Kind of kept me on my toes for a day or two until I was convinced I was ok! One of them was my roomie, food sharing, close proximity, friend...yikes! But, here it is Saturday night and I have been clear! PTL! It was a GREAT trip, and when I say this it might sound like it wasn't. But, I was SO ready to be home by Sunday a.m. that I did not want to go anywhere for a while. Now that I have had a few days of being home I am starting to miss it. I am not ready to get back on a plane but please tell me you can look at that picture and not want to be there? Trust me, it is worse when you have seen it in person! Pictures just can not do the work of my God justice!

My pastor asked me to share a bit of what God taught me about Himself tomorrow in church. If you know me you know that this is NOT my thing but I do it anyway! You'd think I would be used to it by now! =) God showed me that in my weakness HE is strong. That is my inadequacies HE is made known. That in my doubts HE is made sure. I went on a Dental mission trip with a group of Spanish speakers...not even lying. I went into this unsure of how I was going to be used. I was not medically trained. I can not speak Spanish well. I am not a great speaker. My sister wrote me a note to open while I was on the trip and her verse of encouragement was this-

Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity. Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to preaching and to teaching. Do not neglect your gift, which was given you through prophecy when the body of elders laid their hands on you.

1 Timothy 4:12-14

I have heard the first part a million times. It still struck a cord that I should not let anyone think little of me because of my age or the fact that I was not trained medically or linguistically. But, it was the second part that I really had to get a hold of. That I do have gifts that the Father gave me. It is my job to use them and not forsake/neglect them. That I had to work at whatever job I had been given to the best of my ability.

Later I was reminded of what I had been challenged with when I said that I would not be able to do something. The lady I was talking to stopped me where I was and said, "the verse said NO one look down upon you because of your youth. No one! That means you can't either."

So, there is no telling what I am going to say in church. I think through it a million times but in the moment I will most likely say something completely different! But, that was one of the main things the Father showed me!

Diri-what?

Whew! In some aspects it seems like a whirlwind of a week and in other way I feel like it has been a lifetime at least since I have even dreamed of blogging! I can not believe my Peru trip is over. It seems like yesterday I was signing up!

Over all it was an amazing week! These two ladies made the week about 10x more enjoyable to than if they had not been there! Here is where the title comes in. The one of my right is from Japan and speaks Japanese, English, and Spanish fluently! The one of my left is from Puerto Rico and speaks English and Spanish fluently! Needless to say I was the odd ball here! =) Miss Japan challenged me to memorize a verse in Spanish. Went well and we kept going! We ended up only memorizing 4 by the end of the week but hey, 4 is better than 0 and it's a start! =) The first verse we memorized was Luke 9:23. The first word is 'Dirigiéndose.' For the LIFE of me I could not say the word! I finally mastered it!...kinda!I experienced things that I never have before. I learned things taught be some people who surprised me. I loved being back and wouldn't trade this past week for anything.

This is someone I met while we were there. We have worked with her mom for 3 years now and she is a strong believer. Sandra just recently prayed to receive Christ. I witnessed her baptism and her 7 month old son's dedication!

I guess you could say a piece of my heart is still there!

I will do a real post later including pictures from the trip! For now this will have to do!

I'm going to be busy!

Man am I going to be busy when I get home! I have SO much to update on (with pictures!) and not enough time! We have had a busy few weeks with harvest festivals, M's 16th birthday party, church retreat, etc! To wrap it all up I leave in 3 days for Peru...so, I suppose posting will wait until I get home!

I am getting SO excited! I started laying some stuff out yesterday and every time I think of something else I go grab it and throw it on the pile! I am also getting semi-nervous! This is the first trip I will take not being in high school with all my friends and without a single family member. There is a close'ish family friend going so that makes it a little better but I am here to tell you, I will be missing this girl! We went together last year so not having her there is going to be super weird! I have a feeling that a million things are going to spark a memory in me and I am going to want to tell her and not be able to! *sniff sniff*

But, I know that God has me going and her not for a reason. I am confident that God will use me simply because I will be "alone." Having her with me is my preference but, it may just be a comfort zone that God needs to break me of...maybe I just need to appreciate her more! =) We will see!

I have to be at church at 7 on Saturday so I may or may not post until later! Until, thanks everyone for your prayers! I am so ready to go!

love this guy!

I have to brag on this guy for a minute! He pretty much is the greatest and I don't need to be convinced but I wanted to rest of everyone to see it!Go here to see his latest accomplishment!
How great is that!?

1 Timothy 4:12
Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity.