Cow Appreciation Day

This morning when we went out to take J to preschool, there were seven cows in the yard. I had forgotten that it was cow appreciation day so I didn't take a picture. I called Animal Control because the cows were out in the street and I was afraid someone would hit them. I took J to preschool and his teacher told me it was cow appreciation day.

When I logged onto Money Saving Mom, I saw the post about free food at Chick Fil A for dressing like a cow and told T about it. He was very excited about free food and got busy making his costume and a mask for me. He got a free combo and I got a free entree. We split his fries and I bought a drink so we had a yummy lunch for $1.50. We had lots of fun....

Free Money!!!

There is a new company competing with PayPal. They do not charge fees to send or receive payment like PayPal does and they are offering $25 for signing up. You can also receive $10 per referral up to $500. I signed up and they credited the $25 to my account within just a few minutes so if you've not signed up for RevolutionMoneyExchange and can use an extra $25, be sure to do it! You can click on the button below.

Frugal Baby Gift....

I really enjoy making mini scrapbooks or brag books as baby gifts especially for people who I know don't scrapbook. However, it can be really difficult to find an inexpensive album for these books. Several years ago I saw a paper bag album on a scrapbooking site. I made one for my youngest and since then have made several as baby gifts.



This is the one I made this week for a friend who had a baby boy a couple of weeks ago.


These are very easy to make and inexpensive. Everything I used for this one was in my stash of scrapbook supplies. I got the tags and ribbons previously at Walmart for very little and the tags come in a large package at Office Max and last a long time.


The bags just stack together alternating the open ends. I usually use 5 or 6 bags. You fold them in half, punch holes in them, thread with ribbon and decorate the inside pages. I usually write appropriate bible verses and quotes on tags and use stickers and various ephemera that I have on them. The tags go in the open ends of the bags.

What Holiday Are You?

You Are Easter

You are an optimistic, hopeful, and genuinely sweet person. Sensitive and affectionate, you are easily touched. You love nature, animals, and anything cute or cuddly. For you, every day is a new chance - no matter what happened yesterday. What makes you celebrate: Almost anything. You love most holidays and celebrations. At holiday get togethers, you do best as: The peacemaker. You can prevent any squabbles that might break out. On a holiday, you're the one most likely to: Remember to include everyone

What Holiday Are You?

Menu Plan Monday....

I'm trying planning out my menu for the week so I thought I'd participate in Menu Plan Monday as well....

Monday - Shamrock Shakes without the mint, bacon, cheesy scrambled eggs, and pancakes
Tuesday - boys w/ their dad - soup or sandwich for me
Wednesday - quick dinner before bible study - Cheesy Tuna casserole, peas, & fruit
Thursday - Rachael Ray's Chili Dog Nachos
Friday - boys w/ their dad - leftovers or sandwich for me
Saturday - homemade pizza for lunch, dinner grilled chicken alfredo & garlic bread
Sunday - Resurrection Rolls for breakfast, lunch at church, grilled salmon, corn and mac n cheese for dinner

Resolutions

Last year I made a really long list of goals/resolutions and posted them here on my blog. I only accomplished a couple of them. Part of that was because of the huge life change of separation and divorce. A lot of my goals became obsolete and some of them were pretty insignificant and fell to the wayside.

The one goal that I did accomplish for this year that was really important was finding a church home. I put it as a priority on my list and I am so glad I did. My church family and the pastors have been a huge support to me and my boys through the changes we have faced. I've lived in my current town for nearly 8 years and I've made more friends through church in the last 6 months than I made in the 7 years before. Fellowship really is important. As a result of finding a church home, I have grown a lot in my walk with God this year. If anyone reading this is not part of a church family, I would urge you to find a church home. It really has changed my life for the better.

For this year rather than make a long list of goals/resolutions I am going to make only one. Over on the FIAR boards there was a long thread about picking one word to describe your attitude, hopes, prayers and resolutions for the coming year. I really liked the idea.

God has been telling me for some time now that I need to quit putting Him in the place of co-pilot of my life and to turn my life over to Him completely. I've been stubborn, resistant and strong willed. I like to have my own way and I pretty much usually think I am right about stuff. I'm sure that fault was a contributing factor in my divorce. Pride is definitely a thorn for me and I sure could use a bunch of big doses of humility. So my word for 2008 is SURRENDER. My goal for the year is to SURRENDER my will to His. I'm pretty sure that if I manage that everything else will take care of itself. I'm also pretty sure that it's not going to be easy. Dying to self is hard. It's not even so much an issue of I want to do it but I struggle. It's more I don't really want to do it but I know I need to do it. Despite quite compelling evidence that me being in charge of the show has not worked all that well, I still don't want to give up the control.

I was looking for a different verse when I came across this one.

Galatians 5:19 (The Message)
The Message (MSG)
Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson

"19-21It is obvious what kind of life develops out of trying to get your own way all the time: repetitive, loveless, cheap sex; a stinking accumulation of mental and emotional garbage; frenzied and joyless grabs for happiness; trinket gods; magic-show religion; paranoid loneliness; cutthroat competition; all-consuming-yet-never-satisfied wants; a brutal temper; an impotence to love or be loved; divided homes and divided lives; small-minded and lopsided pursuits; the vicious habit of depersonalizing everyone into a rival; uncontrolled and uncontrollable addictions; ugly parodies of community. I could go on.

This isn't the first time I have warned you, you know. If you use your freedom this way, you will not inherit God's kingdom."

The NIV translation says "the acts of the sinful nature are obvious". It's easy to think oh that doesn't apply to me. It's not so easy to overlook "It is obvious what kind of life develops out of trying to get your own way all the time". That is quite the biblical face smack. I think it is going to be an interesting and challenging year.

Give it all Away...

I'm a control freak. I like to be in control of my life and everything that happens to me. Of course, this doesn't really work too well. Over the last year, I've felt that I need to surrender my life to God and that part of the reason I've been struggling is because I'm trying to do things on my own power and in my will and not His. This am when I prayed I was asking Him to help me to surrender my will to Him.
He gave me two scriptures:

"Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and He will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Grieve, mourn, and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will lift you up." James 4:7-10 NIV

"Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's might hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast your anxiety on Him because He cares for you. Be self controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings. And the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will Himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. To Him be the power for ever and ever. Amen."
I Peter 5:6-11 NIV

I was also reminded of a song, "Give It All Away" by Aaron Shust
"Search my heart, search my mind, search my soul, make me clean, make me new, make me whole. All of my plans, all of my dreams, I lay them down before Your feet. All of my time, all that was mine I now submit to your design because You are the one and only one who dared to give it all away for me. You dared to give it all away for me.

You are my strength, You are my God, You are my King, You make me laugh, You make me dance, You make me sing. All of my plans, all of my dreams I lay them down before Your feet, all of my time, all that was mine, I now submit to Your design, because You are the one and only one who dared to give it all away for me. You dared to give it all away for me. You gave it all away.

everything inside everything outside I give it all away, You never change you rearrange my heart more everyday, all of my plans, all of my dreams, I lay them down before Your feet, all of my time, all that was mine I now submit to your design because You are the one who can make my life complete, you are the One who can give light to my feet, because You are the one and only one who dared to give it all away for me.

Search my heart, search my mind, search my soul..."