Sometimes I walk through particular rooms in my home and think, "I've put it off long enough. We need to talk about new furniture." And as much as I love the idea of new furniture, I loathe the idea of going to a furniture showroom. With our four children, the problem isn't them rolling all over the furniture (much), but rather them exclaiming (loudly), "I LOVE this bed!!! This would look GREAT in my room!" And guess who is close by? Right. The sales associate. Looking at my kids and seeing dollar signs.

But here is an online site where you can look at bedroom furniture, kid furniture, and child furniture in the privacy of your home and at your own leisure. Apparently, in the world of furnishings, "kid" is slightly older than "child," and you can see the difference in the more mature look of "kid" furniture.The king beds section is another great spot.

So go take a look. There are plenty of styles for all tastes.

Labels: PayPerPost

I'm a spring kind of gal. I think living in Michigan for two and a half years did this to me. The seasons are so sharply contrasted in that region of the country. But now that we are back in the Motherland (kidding- sort of), I find that there is really no definitive spring here. It's cold and rainy one week, and the next week the temperature shoots up to 80 degrees- only to plunge back down to mid-50's the week after that.

So.

I have slowly begun to turn my affections toward a different season- fall. (Students of mine: did you remember we do not capitalize seasons? Except when they are used as titles...) After the severe drought we had/are having this year, I don't expect vivid colors. But that's okay, because it isn't necessarily the colors that I love about this time of year. I really enjoy the crisp coffee-on-the-front-porch mornings. And because I am such a foodie, I love that I can make soup and fresh bread during the week and not pass out from heat exhaustion. And if I can let you in on a little secret, I like that I can "fudge" on the kids' bedtime after the time change every once in a while. They are more likely to go to bed earlier during the fall and winter months, and that helps facilitate week night home dates!!

There is one danger for me during this time: I am tempted to "hibernate" spiritually. I can get so busy with the holiday, school, and family schedules that I neglect the better thing of seeking after the Lord. I don't want that to happen this year. I want to be purposeful to pursue sanctification. And when spring comes, by God's grace I will see the fruit of spiritual growth.

Labels: fall, spiritual growth

My two youngest children are in kindergarten and pre-k. Ask any mom, and she will tell you that artwork gets backed up quickly. What to do? Well, last year about this time, I stumbled upon this idea for original place mats. My kiddos will bring home finger painted pictures, and I will smooth them out and store them flat. Then, when Christmas time rolls around (or birthdays, etc.) I take them to Office Max where a kind assistant cuts thems to the same size and laminates them. Voila! Instant placemats!

For other great tips, head over to Shannon's place.

Labels: works for me

So I mentioned my new money-making venture with PayPerPost, right? Well, I know how easy it is to become all excited about something only to find out that the whole "deal" just isn't as thrilling as I thought it would be. So I wrote my first post and waited. Then I got feedback telling me there were a few things I needed to tweak. I made the corrections, re-submitted the post, and was later notified that my post was accepted!! FYI, the "rush" from getting that first post accepted really fuels the confidence to go for another post.

I really understand the need for the "bottom line" information. In short, I have been a "Postie" since the beginning of August and have submitted three posts (not counting this one). I have earned $35.00. I don't post every day, or even every week for that matter, but you can do the math and see the enormous potential for earning. The beautiful thing is that I can scroll through a list of available oppotunities. If I don't see anything of interest, I just check back another day.

We are slowly paying off debt and building up our emergency fund- I love contributing in this way!

traffic generation

Labels: PayPerPost

Amy Wilhoite was completely healed from her battle with leukemia this afternoon. She is with her Savior. Please pray for Brandon, her husband, and Gary, her 21 month old son, as well as her parents and siblings. Amy's amazing grasp of God's sovereignty built my faith because she saw her battle with this sickness as a win/win situation: either she would be given more years with her family, or she would be with Jesus.

Labels: maranatha

The "money," you say? Yes, the money!!! I have discovered, through the aid of a dear friend, a money-saving little gem called The Grocery Game. This is such a cool site! So, you go to their website and find the spot where you can enter your zip code. Once you do this, a screen pops up with all the stores (grocery and drug) in your area that are a part of this network. For instance, when I entered my zip code, up popped Publix, Kroger, Ingles, Food Lion, Walgreens, CVS, RiteAid, and Eckerd.

Let me back up a bit and explain the principle behind this. The people at The Grocery Game search grocery (and drug) store ads by region. Their goal is to find the rock bottom price of an item, pair it with a store and/or manufacturer's coupon, and give you the super-low price. The list also gives the store's sale items as well. This "game" works in conjunction with the coupon inserts in the Sunday paper. The Grocery Game will even tell you which edition of the Sunday paper the coupon was in. Example: In today's paper, there was a General Mills coupon for $1 off 3 boxes of General Mills cereal. The list told me that Publix had General Mills cereals on sale Buy One Get One Free (limit two deals). It instructed me buy both deals and use the 9/9 coupon. The cool thing is, the list will also tell you the final price you will pay!!

This is not a free site, but the fee is minimal, and since I consider that my time is money too, this fee is way worth it for me. The fee is $1 for the first 4 weeks. This gives you unlimited access to every store in your area, so that you can decide which one will give you the best return. I chose Publix as my main store, not because I don't like Kroger or Ingles- I do- but primarily because Publix is about 2 miles from my house. Here is the important part: after 4 weeks, the charge is $10 for the first store and $5 for each additional store thereafter, but the billing cycle is every 8 weeks. So, basically, I am paying $1.25 per week for someone else to comb through the sales and combine those sales with coupons. Not a bad deal, eh?

The operating principle for this "game" is that you stockpile sale items and plan your weekly menus from your stockpile. Eventually, your "needs" list grows shorter each week because your stockpile will grow.

Now if you are like me- at least in this way- you might think, "This sounds all well and good, but I want to see some PROOF!!!" I'm glad you think that way, because I will give you exact totals from my receipts.

Kroger Dollar amount of groceries- $87.19 I spent- $61.66
Publix Dollar amount of groceries- $83.26 I spent- $47.05
Publix Dollar amount of groceries- $160.15 I spent- $106.44
Publix Dollar amount of groceries- $160.82 I spent- $132.61
Publix Dollar amount of groceries- $128.51 I spent- $96.22
Publix Dollar amount of groceries- $167.31 I spent- $102.45

So, you can see how "real" the savings are!!! You can earn free weeks on this site, too. Just tell a friend to try it out, and make sure that friend enters your e-mail address (the same one you will enter when you sign up). If any of you decide to give it a try, would you be so kind as to enter my e-mail address? It is sdwilkersonATjunoDOTcom and y'all know to replace the words with cyber symbols!!

Happy shopping! Please drop back in to let me know if you tried it!

Labels: The Grocery Game

I have to admit, this is just about the coolest thing I've seen in a while. This travel company, Golden rule, specializes in (but not limited to) missionary travel, adoption travel, and travel arrangements for humanitarian aid. This is a great site that offers airfare quotes, testimonials, and bio information to explain exactly why this company is in business.

Haven't we all known people who desire to share God's Word with others, or couples who long to adopt children from foreign countries? Sometimes the travel is cost-prohibitive, leaving these dear people frustrated and without resources. How kind of God to lead people to create such a business as this! Golden Rule Travel meets a legitimate need for pastors, missionaries, and adoptive couples.

Labels: PayPerPost