Hot Glue Gun = Home Repairs

A few months ago, I remembered that somewhere in my mess of craft stuff was a hot glue gun.  Over the past couple of months, I've had hot glue repair days where I've grabbed everything needing to be "fixed" in the house and glued up a storm.

I've glued pillows, toys, hair things, you name it.  Yesterday, I glued a plate.  Yup - a plastic plate.

The kids had broken it Monday night playing "frisbee" with it (I think) - after being told NOT to, of course.  And since I use it almost daily, I decided it was worth trying to save.

Not too bad, if I do say so myself!

And that's why Hot Glue Gun Home Repairs works for me!

This post is linked to Works for Me Wednesday at We are THAT Family.

Win Free Books

I just got an email from WaterBrook/Multnomah Publishers, and I thought I'd pass the information along to you!!

Three Easy Ways to Win Free Books!
From Your Friends @ WaterBrook Multnomah Publishers

	1) Follow @WaterBrookPress on Twitter and then tweet: "@waterbrookpress - I want to read BOOK NAME by AUTHOR NAME http://j.mp/DDH5f" We'll watch for your tweets and direct message (DM) you on Twitter if you've won. We choose winners all the time - so be sure to enter as much as you'd like!
	2) Follow WaterBrook Multnomah on Facebook and then simply post... "I want to read BOOK NAME by AUTHOR NAME" ...in the comment box on the WaterBrook Multnomah fan page. We will choose dozens of lucky winners in the next few days!
	3) Visit our contest page and tell us which book you want to win. In the "Contest Code" box enter contest code "WinABook" and then in the "Notes" section tell us which book you want to win. We'll choose 12 winners at random and send them a free book! View our latest titles here.

Get OUT of bed and get ALONE!!

I've been struggling with getting up recently... and I decided to ask God to start waking me up. He has. But I haven't. Feel free to read: When You Pray (Part 1) and When You Pray (Part 2). The following was written yesterday...

 

Mark 1.35: "In the early morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house, and went away to a secluded place, and was praying there" (New American Standard).

In the early morning... Jesus got up. I tend to hit the snooze button - over and over and over again. (Even this morning, I decided to stay in bed for "five more minutes" to the tune of two more hours.) I need to follow Jesus' example: Jesus got up. Waking up isn't the issue (even what time you get up isn't the issue) - the action is simply getting up.

Jesus... left the house. He left the house because there were so many people in it. He would not have been able to get alone. I don't necessarily need to leave the house, although there are times when it can be beneficial, but I do need to find a secluded place to spend time with God in prayer and meditation.

Getting up means I'm able to "start my day". If I get up before my kids, I'm able to have the quiet time I'd like to read the Bible, pray, and meditate before starting my day - having this time helps me to better react in the Spirit throughout the day.

Finding a quiet and secluded spot to pray and meditate helps me to truly focus on what the Lord is trying to tell me. To focus on HIM without all the distractions that life brings. While I need this daily, occasionally extended times of solitude are also critical for spiritual refreshment and reflection.

When you pray... Part Two!!

Last week, I was struggling with responding to God when He woke me up after I had asked Him to do so!  I kept snoozing Him.  Well, Sunday morning, He turned off the snooze option.

Saturday night, I had been really tired (shaking due to exhaustion), so I went to bed early, thinking I'd get a solid night's sleep and be ready to worship on Sunday.  I even prayed for a wake-up call from God, with the stipulation that it had to be after 4:30am, so I'd be able to get a full night's sleep first.

(Can you see where this is going?)

1:30am - The wakeup call comes.  Are You kidding?  I said "4:30", not 1:30!!

1:50am - Jenny wakes up needing me to change her and help her use the bathroom (she had started to go in her PJs).  While helping her, David woke up, so I found myself sitting on the step stool in the bathroom with two kids cuddling on my lap.

2:00am - I put the kids back to bed, grab a glass of water (I've been dehydrated at night lately), and crawl back into bed, fully intending on going back to sleep.  My watch beeped, so I connected with God.

2:15am - Since I'm not falling back asleep like I'd planned, I decided God must want me to use the time to pray (I've been doing a lot of reading about prayer for my classes this week), so I started to pray.

3:00am - My watch beeps, and I pause to reconnect in thanksgiving.

3:30am - Having prayed off and on for over an hour (praying for whomever and whatever came to mind), and still seeing no signs of sleep, I decide to play some Sudoku on my cell phone while laying in bed.

4:00am - My watch beeps, and I pause playing for a moment to reconnect with God once again.

4:30am - I vaguely remember thinking something along the lines of: Should I just get up now? My alarm's going to be going off in an hour and a half.  Plus, this is the time I told God He could wake me up.

5:00am - My watch beeps = reconnect with God.

5:30am - I finally start to drift off to sleep, just in time for J's alarm to go off.

6:00am - I'm finally asleep... until I have to snooze my alarm at 6:10am.

7:30am - Exhausted, I drag myself out of bed and quickly get ready for church... I have to be there with both kids in tow by 8:30am.

While I needed a good catnap this afternoon, I definitely enjoyed my time with God last night (at least for the first hour or so).  And who knows (but God), maybe somebody I prayed for during that time needed prayer right at that moment! 

If God can use me in the middle of the night, I'm all for it... as long as He gives me the strength and energy to get through the day!

"Here Burns My Candle" by Liz Curtis Higgs

Here Burns My Candle had me hooked within the first chapter.  I picked it up late at night and thought "oh no, I'm going to have to use my brain on this book" (due to the time period and Scottish language), but I quickly found myself immersed in the story.

I've not read any books by Liz Curtis Higgs before, but after reading Here Burns My Candle, I will definitely be watching for other books she's written.  She did such a great job of merging current events of the time period (Prince Charlie's march on Edinburgh) with the the details of the fiction that you truly believe you were watching history happen.

Thanks to WaterBrook/Multnomah Publishers for providing me with a copy of this book.

Links to Live By... Has Been Cancelled

...at least for this week.

I feel like I've been playing "catch up" all week this week.  Might have something to do with the fact that I was away from a computer from Friday afternoon until Monday afternoon last weekend.

My birthday was on Sunday, and my parents were trying to figure out when they could come down and celebrate with me over the weekend, but they are WAY too busy for their own good, and couldn't find a time that would allow us to really spend any quality time together.  Since I was "freed" from my Sunday morning responsibilities at church, I decided to take the kids north for the weekend and spend the weekend with my family.  (J was on-call all weekend and had to work on Sunday, so he stayed home.)

Can I just say that I love spending time with my family and my friends at my home church?  You all are the best!

Not having Sunday "off" to relax, and then not getting home til lunchtime on Monday, my internal clock has been a bit off this week.  I'm still not sure what day it is!  Since I was still playing "catch up" on Wednesday, I opted to forgo our weekly trip to town to try to tackle some stuff on my to-do list from Tuesday.  Since my normal Wednesday routine was off, I forgot to start reading for next week (normally done on Wednesday afternoon while the kids are napping)!

Last night, I attended a Pampered Chef party, so there was yet another abnormality in my weekly schedule (but I'm definitely not complaining that I got to have an evening without kids)!

One of my best friends is coming for a visit this afternoon, throwing another (welcomed) intrusion into my weekly routine.  I can't wait to meet her son (he was born at the beginning of February) and to see her again!

Hopefully I can regroup on Saturday because next week has a bunch more curveballs heading my way. We start the 60/60 challenge on Sunday, and then next weekend is Easter weekend, which means more traveling to be with family.

What abnormalities did you experience in your normal weekly routine this past week?

This post is linked up with Company Girls Coffee 3.26 at Home Sanctuary.

When you pray for something...

... expect to be answered!

This week, I half-heartedly prayed for a wake-up call from God.  I really want to start getting up earlier and spending more quality time in the Word (among other things).  I know God can do it.  I'm just not sure I thought He would.

He did.  And then He did it again.  And again.

And I have yet to respond.

He answered my prayer - as half-hearted as it may have been - and I haven't managed to get out of bed when He wakes me up.

Lessons to learn??

#1 - Don't pray for something you're not willing to see answered!
#2 - When God wakes you up, it's probably for a pretty good reason... so get your lazy butt out of bed!
#3 - Accountability is key to any discipline... will you help me?

The 60/60 Challenge starts SUNDAY!!!

Are you excited?  I am!

(For those of you asking "What's the 60/60 challenge?", here are the basics of the 60/60 challenge.  We'd love for you to join us!)

Hopefully by now you've gotten yourself a watch or timer that will alert you on the hour each hour.  (I still need to run to Walmart this weekend and get one!!)

Some of you have asked if this is a 24 hour challenge, or only during waking hours.  Unless you really want to wake up every hour during the night (which is fine by me), this is only a waking hours challenge.  (Personally, I need my solid night of sleep in order to function the next day.  Sixty days of interrupted sleep would not be a pretty sight!)

So, Sunday morning, when you wake up (not necessarily when you actually get out of bed!!), take a minute to connect/engage with God.  Put on your watch/set your timer and go about your day.  Every time your watch/timer alerts you (along with any time you think about it), re-engage/connect with God.

This week, we're going to focus on the character of God.

(Excerpt from Soul Revolution) As you begin this experiment, reflect every hour on the character of God - the one who loves you most and is "on your side." Thank him for his character throughout the day. Thank him that he promises to give you good gifts as you follow his will. If you're not sure of God's character, write down what God says about his love and goodness toward you, and then read them each hour your watch beeps. [See Jeremiah 29.11-13; 31.3; Matthew 6.26-33; Romans 8.31-32; 38-39]

There are a couple of ways you can participate with the group:

1. Blog your discoveries each day as you're doing this experiment.  Each week, I'll have a MckLinky available for you to link your posts to.  Be sure to visit the blogs of those participating and comment on their posts.

2. Participate in the discussion in the comments of the sixty60 posts.  Share your discoveries, be encouraged, and encourage others participating in the challenge.

3. Tweet about your discoveries.  Follow #sixty60 on Twitter and use it as you share your journey with others participating.

I've created a button for your use, if you'd like to have one:



<a href="http://apfreewriting101.blogspot.com/search/label/sixty60"><img border="0" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_MAuz_J9Yf3M/S56LxEoQWaI/AAAAAAAABJ0/VrxouK3Ea6k/6060button.jpg" /></a>

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to email me or leave me a message in the comments.

The Busy Mom's Bible by Zondervan

I was recently given the opportunity to obtain a copy of the Busy Mom's Bible from Zondervan.

The slogan of the Bible is "Daily Inspiration Even If You Only Have One Minute".

Throughout the Bible, there are brightly colored pages with quick devotionals for Busy Moms to easily locate, read, and meditate on as they go throughout their day.

As a Busy Mom myself, I appreciate what Zondervan has done with this Bible.  I really like the size and color, too!  It's compact enough to keep in my bag, yet large enough to read without squinting (can I tell you how long it took me to sound out and spell that word?!!).

My only "dislike" is that the Bible is in NIV only.  Personally, I prefer to read NASB or ESV.

Thanks to Zondervan for providing me with a copy of this Bible!

I'm a "newbie" gardener

Monday afternoon, for the first time EVER, I thinned my seedling starts to one per pellet.

Then I got online to see if the starts I'd thinned out were edible (I was thinking sprouts instead of starts).  I searched Swagbucks to see if broccoli sprouts are edible.

While I decided I probably didn't want to actually eat them, I did learn that I should be getting ready to transplant the starts I was keeping into larger pots - like a week or two ago.  Oops.

But now, thanks to finding this gardening site, I think I might actually have a clue when it comes to my garden!

And that's why Swagbucks and helpful websites work for me!

This post is linked to Works for Me Wednesday, hosted by We are THAT Family.

Let's kick some...

Today's goal is to kick some serious to-do list butt.

1. Visit the Company Girls from Friday. (Sorry girls, I didn't make it all the way through.)
2. Visit the Feed Me Books Friday posts.
3. Update our finances/balance our checkbook.
4. Update my coupon database - I haven't added any coupons since early February- and purge expired ones.
5. Do school.
6. Read and review a book (or ten).
7. 3-4 loads of laundry.
8. Wash dishes
9. Purge my magazines - I make a pile of them as they come in... I have 10ish to read and recycle.
10. Do school with Jenny.
11. Go walking with my mentor.
12. Go to the bank.
13. Keep my sanity while trying to "character train" a 1.5 year old.

What's on your to-do list?

EDIT: I managed to get a few things checked off my list.  Hopefully a few more will disappear yet tonight!

I need a little RR...

... Random Ramblings, that is.  I'm trying to get my brain to focus on my writing assignment for class that I have to do today, but I'm still trying to catch up from the weekend away, and my brain isn't focusing.  So, here comes a little bit of ooze... hope you're far enough away to stay dry!

RR#1 - I'm eating cookie dough for lunch.  I decided a few minutes ago that eating might help me focus, so I opened the fridge to find something to eat, and I found the cookie dough.

RR#2 - I should probably clean up lunch.  The kids ate lunch when we got home a little after 1pm, and it's still sitting there waiting to be cleaned up.  David managed to throw most of his on the floor (not sure why he wasn't more hungry), so I have sandwich pieces and bites of apple to sweep up.  I should probably do that before they get up from naps.

RR#3 - The kids switched rooms for naptime today. Usually David sleeps in the PNP in our room, while Jenny sleeps in their room, but since he's figured out how to climb out of the PNP, it's a safer bet that he'll actually sleep if he's in his own room.

RR#4 - I had a great weekend at "home" with my parents (and my sister and soon-to-be brother-in-law).  It was nice to be able to spend some time with them, as well as see all my CBC friends (the church I grew up at).  Weekends like this make me wish harder that we lived in the BC area... maybe someday.

RR#5 - We are very excited to go back to BC in a couple weeks for Easter.  My grandparents will be back from Florida (they winter there), so we'll get to see them then!

RR#6- Maybe caffeine would help my clarity of thought process in regards to the reading response I need to get written... I haven't had any today.

RR#7 - I tried to buy a watch yesterday for the 60/60 challenge that starts on Sunday, but I couldn't find one that beeps on the hour.  I'm thinking a timer might actually be better, anyway, because I would have to manually shut it off and reset it, which would definitely get my attention.  I feel a trip to Walmart in my very near future.

RR#8 - I am not like other women.  I do NOT like to shop.  I also cannot stand Walmart.  (If they didn't have such low prices, I would avoid them even more than I do now!)  My mom and I went shopping yesterday, and after about an hour, I decided I was DONE.  I really don't like to shop.

RR#9 - The cookie dough is now gone.  And when I got up to throw the wrapper away, I decided to go ahead and sweep the kitchen and clean up lunch.  And I found MOUSE POOP under the high chair.  EEWWW!!!!  I pretty much hate mouse poop - since that means there is a mouse living in my house.  I kind of knew that already, but I really hoped it would leave the house when the weather got so nice last week.  I guess it's time to get another trap!

RR#10 - I now have a Diet Pepsi sitting next to me and my brain is slightly less cluttered (I think/hope), so I'm going to attempt to get my school stuff done while the kids are still napping.  Hopefully they'll stay asleep for at least 20 minutes!!

This post is linked to Top Ten Tuesday at Oh Amanda.
 

Links to Live By...

I did better this week! I actually made it through my reader once or twice - too bad it's back over 500 unread posts after two days away from it! Yikes - I think I 'read' too many blogs!

Anyways, here are a few posts I thought you all might like...

Did you know somebody wants what you have?

If you're planning a garden, check out these free garden planning printables.

Do you make time for the important dailies in your life?

Ever felt like you married the wrong man?

Decide what's important to have control on and what you can relinquish to your child's choice.

Got a few minutes with nothing to do? Do SOMETHING!!

Remember - you're not just cleaning up stuff, you're taking care of people.

What's for dinner? How about a crockpot BBQ pork roast?

Ever felt like you needed a good cry in the bathroom when things get to be too much?

Are you overwhelmed with homeschooling or the idea of it?

Got a link you'd like to share? Feel free to share your links in the comments below!

Writing for the masses is getting old...

Lately, I've being feeling like I'm writing for the masses - writing in such a way that I can join the memes in order to bring more traffic to the blog.  When I'm writing for the memes, I try to "stay true" to what the blog is about, but honestly, the blog doesn't really have a lot of direction right now.

I feel a little bit lost.

This week, I came up with a "blog mission" that I want to try to start to incorporate into my postings:

"To use the written and spoken word to encourage women in their everyday lives."  

This is just a rough draft, work in progress mission statement, but I think it reflects my heart and my desire concerning the direction of this blog.  While I want it to continue to be an outlet for my "oozing brain clutter," I want to "ooze" the love of God and encouragement to you through my random ramblings and thoughts that I share.  I want to use my life to encourage you, my readers.

If you have a few minutes, would you take a look through some of my recent (or not so recent) posts and let me know which ones encouraged you the most?  If you don't have time, could you maybe share something I've said (paraphrase is totally fine) in the past few weeks that God has used to encourage you?

I want to be God's hand of encourage in each of your lives.  It's not about me - it's all about HIM!
 
This post is being linked to Company Girls 3.19.

Making do with what I have

I love being creative.  I love thinking of creative ways to do tasks that need to be done when I don't have "the necessary items" to get them done.

Yesterday, I had a few items that I wanted to hang outside - one for the sun to strip and the other to dry w/o using the dryer all day.  Only problem is - we don't have a clothesline or a convenient spot to hang one.

No problem - I got creative with what we do have - a deck railing!

I drapped Jenny's mattress protector over the railing to strip it of the urine stains and smell, then used clothespins to secure it to itself through the openings.  Then I took a pair of our "dusting" socks and some clothespins and hung a pillow I'd washed out to dry.

And of course, what's a sunny day without letting the plants have some sun too! (These are my tomatoes, broccoli, and cauliflower starts.)

This post is linked to Works for Me Wednesday hosted by We are THAT Family.

Top 10 Things I Learned This Week

This post is being linked to Top Ten Tuesday and What I Learned This Week.

1.  Naptimes are great for getting stuff done.

2.  I have very little self-discipline.  I'm trying to use a "timer" while I'm online, to limit my computer time while the kids are awake.

3.  My brain does remember how to function at an academic level, versus the Mommy-level it's been on.

4.  I learned how to make a Facebook Fan Page.

5.  I learned how to automatically feed my posts to my FB Fan Page.

6.  I learned how to go about getting a sponsor for blogging conferences.  (BTW - anybody looking to sponsor a blogger for Relevant 2010, feel free to pick me!)

7.  I learned that it's actually possible to keep/reach goals when you set them and put them in writing for the world to see!

8.  I learned that asking is half the battle.

9.  I learned that there are lots of women out there - just like me - who need to be reminded to engage with God throughout the day and are willing to join me in the 60/60 challenge!

10. I learned that staying up late isn't very cohesive to being awake before my children - oh wait, I knew that... I just haven't implemented it!

What have you learned this week?

Back to SCHOOL!!!

Today is my first day of "classes" (I'm taking them online) in almost four years!  My brain is having problems remembering how to talk/write educatedly versus in kid-talk. 

Although, the fact that it's spring and my sinus allergies are causing my head to want to implode doesn't help my brain function at this level, either.

All-in-all, though, I've got my reading done for the whole week, and I managed to post two (in my opinion) educated responses to the reading this morning.  I even manage to read and respond to my professor's comments based on my initial response to the reading.

I think I'm going to like all this reading and writing!  My brain is finally having to focus on something other than cartoons and picking up toys.

I feel like I'm already learning so much, and we're only on the first day!  My highlighter and pen definitely got a workout while I was reading, and having to write "educatedly" is helping to improve my writing skills.

Maybe by the time I'm done with my degrees, hopefully next May, I'll know what I want to do when I grow up.

What do you want to do when you grow up?

Checking in...

Now that we're into March, and life is about to get a lot busier, I decided that it was probably time to check in with my 2010 Blogging Goals and revamp them to fit with this season of life.

Major Goal: Increase the number of readers.

I've been consistently growing in readership over the past three months (thanks to all of you!!!).  I ran a comparison of my average number of readers from this previous week versus the same time period in December.  I am up 185.19% in the number of visitors to my blog.

One way I've been attempting to "gain readers" is through a "real post" each day of the week (in addition to any reviews I may share).  While I have been able to meet this goal most of the time, I'm finding that it may be slightly high for my current season of life.  I want to continue to post regularly, but I'm going to back down from posting every day to only scheduling posts Monday through Friday.  That doesn't mean I won't post on the weekends occasionally, but it won't be a regular occurrence.

One reason for fewer posts will be so that I can take the time I'd like to visit other blogs and build relationships with my readers.  Most of the "visiting" is currently taking place during the weekend, so I want to allow myself more time to do so without spending all weekend on the computer.

I have also started to participate in a few memes each week, which has brought additional traffic to my blog.  I will continue to participate in these memes, as they fit with my blog content.

Major Goal: Spend less time on the computer and more time with my kids.

This has definitely been an area of struggle for me.  I did great for about a week.   Then, my schedule changed so the hours I had allotted to blogging and computer time needed to be adjusted, and I got tired of having to switch "between accounts" (as I had actually "locked" myself out of the computer during non-computer times) to allow myself to get on when I had time.

As I enter this new season of life, I'd like to try to come back to this idea of setting limits on my computer time, using a timer to help my monitor my time on the computer.  I'll have a link to this timer on my desktop, so when I get on the computer, I remember to set it right away.

I do want to start writing posts ahead again, as it definitely saves me computer time.  We'll see how this pans out as time goes on.

Major Goal: Redesign my blog to "work" for me.

I have actually made great strides in this area over the past few months.  As I have time, I will begin to reveal the new layout and design I've created for this blog.  (It's currently being used on a "test blog" until I get the kinks out and get it "just right".)

I recently switched my comments over to Disqus in order to be able to better communicate with my readers, as well as to foster interaction within the comments section of each post.

I've added Google AdSense and Amazon Affiliates to my blog, in addition to my other affiliate links (along the right hand side of the blog) to help generate revenue for the blog.  I've also started working with various companies to provide giveaways for you, and I look forward to hosting more giveaways in the future.

All in all, I've been doing well as far as following my blogging goals.  I'll be stepping back a little bit over the next few months as I enter this new season of life, but I want to continue to build on what I've been able to do the past 2.5 months.

Good Morning (uh.. Afternoon), Company Girls!

It's been a pretty busy week around here this week.  I haven't had my blogging head straight much at all this week.  When I have managed to come up with post ideas, it's taken me way longer than normal to put it all together!

Sunday was a pretty low-key day: church with the kiddos in the AM, then home to have a quiet day.

Monday, my mom came down for the day, so we had a busy day with Grandma.  We got to go to Taco Bell for lunch (I'm a big fan of their $.89 five-layer burritos), stopped at the bank and Aldi, then headed home to have some fun in the yard.  It was SO nice and sunny!  David thought the ramp to the deck was a slide, so he went up and down it multiple times.

Tuesday... I really don't remember Tuesday.  I think it was a low key day around here, but I honestly can't remember!

Wednesday is our normal crazy day, but this week, we added a little more crazy to it!  I was trying to convince myself that I needed to get up and get going when a friend called and needed my help right away.  So I jumped out of bed, woke the kids up, dressed us all and grabbed some breakfast for the road.  We met up with my friend and her son.  The crisis was over, but I decided to take her son for the day so she could recover a bit - plus her son and Jenny are great friends and they don't see each other that often.  So, I headed into Wednesday with three kids three and under in tow.  We hit up CVS and Walgreens, as well as enjoyed StoryTime at the library.  On the way back to our house, I decided to use some of the freebies the kids got for Valentine's Day (thanks GCs!) at McDonald's, letting them play in the PlayPlace for a bit.  We took my friend's son back around 2pm, so my kids could get a nap in before we had to be at church for Bible study (I lead) and Cubbies (Jenny).

Yesterday (Thursday) was a low-key "jammie day".  Jenny and I had some "school time", and I tried to get caught up on life... though, since I'm still trying to get caught up, one can only guess that I never did!

How was your week?

Oooo... before you go, be sure to check out the 60/60 challenge.  I'd love for you to join me!

This post is linked to Company Girls 3.12.

Links to Live By...

My Google Reader is seriously backed up right now.  I haven't had it to zero since last Saturday!  But, as I read this week, I starred a few posts to share with you all today:

* What are you motivated by? at SarahMarkley.com

* Do you have one minute to spare? at SmallNotebook.org

* The power of just asking! at SarahMarkley.com

I'll try to "do better" next week - maybe life will be a little less busy (yeah, right)!

Wanted: Spiritual Running Partners

This morning, I put a tweet out: "I'll be starting a #6060 challenge in the next few weeks... anybody interested in joining me? DM for details. Pls RT!"

I got a bite. And she's joining me!

Would you like to join me?

What is the challenge?
One of the books I'm reading for class over the next few weeks is Soul Revolution, by John Burke.  In the book, he challenges his readers to take the 60/60 challenge.  Touching base with God at least once each sixty minutes for sixty days.  As part of the class, I'm required to do the challenge and to report/journal my journey.

What's this got to do with you?
I want to invite you, my readers, to join me in this challenge.  I'll be blogging about my experience with the challenge, using the questions/discussion topics at the end of each chapter.  My invitation to you is to take the challenge, responding to my posts with your thoughts and experience with the journey.

How does the 60/60 challenge work? (These are taken from the book.)
1.  Get a watch with a count-down timer, or some other means of reminder that will beep or interrupt you every sixty minutes.  You can also make "Re: 60-60" stickers to put on your watch, computer, or rearview mirror as reminders.  The more reminders the better.
2. The goal is an ongoing, minute-by-minute conversation of willingness with God.  You will fail more than you succeed, and that's why you need the reminders.  So every hour or every time you're reminded, remember God is with you, and re-engage in conversation with him.

Each time I post, I'll give you suggestions (from the book) of things to think on or pray about during each of these re-connections with God.

If you're willing to do the 60/60 challenge with me, fill out the form below.  



We'll start the challenge on Sunday, March 28th. I'll post again with instructions for the first week the week before.

You can also follow my experience on Twitter by searching for the hashtag #sixty60.

When the ingredients aren't there...

... improvise!!

Monday night, I got ready to make dinner and realized that I didn't have two of the key ingredients to make the meal I had planned to make.  (I was going to make breakfast burritos, but didn't have enough tortillas or any sausage.)  I decided to stick with the same idea of the breakfast burritos, just tweaking the recipe a bit.

I substituted Grands! Biscuits for tortillas and used some cooked ham I had in the freezer instead of sausage.

Egg/Ham Breakfast Sandwiches

In a skillet, I heated the ham (1.5-2 cups) with a bit of water (to keep it moist), then added a can of mushrooms (with the water).  Once that was warmed through, I scrambled a dozen eggs and mixed it in with the ham and mushrooms.  I scrambled the mixture together over medium heat until the eggs were cooked.  Then I added about 1/2 cup of cheddar cheese on top, covered the skillet, and turned off the heat.

I served the egg/ham mixture on the biscuits in a sandwich style.  

Two biscuits each (for J and me) was VERY filling, and the kids each had one, leaving two for leftovers (which I ate for lunch today).

Revamping this recipe worked for me!

This post is linked to Works for Me Friday, hosted this week by Rocks in My Dryer.

Fuzzy Brain = Top Ten Jenny Quotes

My brain is really fuzzy right now.  Could be partly due to the fact that I've been up til 1am the last two nights reading, or it could be that my allergies are starting to kick in with the warmer weather.  I don't really know what it is, just that I can't think straight.

And since I can't think straight, I can't come up with a thought-provoking post for you all to read today.

So here's a Top Ten Tuesday list (in no particular order) of quotes/conversations from my daughter (she turned 3 in January) that I've managed to record over the past couple of weeks:

1. Jenny: "Mommy, you NEED to be nice."
Me: "I'm always nice. Right?"
Jenny: "No, Mommy, because all have sinned are coming."
She then started singing "All Have Sinned" (Critter County) at the top of her lungs.

2. Around 7:30am, Jenny came running into my bedroom with her "coupon book" (expired coupons I gave her to play with):
Jenny: "Mommy, it's March now! I can cut my coupons!"
Me: "Yes, it's March.  But you'll have to wait for a bit for your scissors, since I'm still sleeping."
She had lost scissor privileges back in February for cutting a hole in the pack'n'play. 

3. A little while later...
Me: "Jenny! What are you doing?" (Loud banging was coming from the other room.)
Jenny: "I'm playing my drums really loud so you'll wake up!"

4. Jenny: "What's that noise?"
Me: "It's an airplane."
Jenny: "It's going to come in my window, and I'm going to be scared!"

5. Jenny: "I'm going to talk to Jesus and tell Him."
Me: "Tell Him what?"
Jenny: "Tell Him 'thank you for dying on the cross' so I can go to heaven when I die!"
Me: "Oh, ok."
Jenny: "Thank You for dying on the cross, Jesus! Mommy, I'm not in heaven."
Me: "That's because you're not dead yet."
Jenny: "Oh, ok."

6. Jenny: "I want to watch Cinderella, not Ariel, cuz Ariel is crying when the boat leaves and she can't see all the people anymore."

7. In regards to David: "Mommy, can you put him in the living room? He needs to go to the ball so he can get handsome!"

8. Jenny: "I'm playing with MAGGETS!" (I think she forgot the "n" sound.)

9. Jenny: "Since Jesus came into the world to save us, we can't live in Indiana anymore!" (We were talking about what her verse for Cubbies means - "Jesus came into the world to save sinners." I Tim 1.15)

10. Jenny was dunking her celery in apple juice: "I put it in my juice and it makes me feel better."

First Giveaway Winner!

It's time for to pick a winner for my FIRST GIVEAWAY!  I tabulated the results, using Random.org, and we have a winner!

One More Equals Four won!!  She picked the LSU platter for the boys in her house.

 

Congratulations!

Thanks to ALL of you who entered! If you didn't win, but you'd like to own one of these fun platters, be sure to head over to CSN to order one.  They are currently "on sale" for $20!

Cheap and Frugal Date

Last Friday, J and I had a frugal date night. (Although, we didn't actually declare it "date night", it felt like a date, and thus the post.)  It was a lot of fun, and didn't cost us much at all!

After we put the kids to bed, we sat down in the living room to spend some time together.

We had our weekly devotion time together, using a book we picked up when we went to the Marriage Retreat a few weeks ago.  Total cost: $.29 ($14.99 for the book, divided by 52 weeks of devotions).

We played a few rounds of a new card game we'd purchased the day before. Total cost: $1.24 plus tax (game was $5.24 at Walmart, and I had a $4 off coupon).

We watched a movie we'd rented using our half-off rental membership.  Total cost: $1.39 (normally $2.59/night).

Total cost for our frugal date night: $2.92!

What frugal dates have you been on lately?  Do you have any suggestions for future frugal dates?



***Remember to register for the giveaway - I'll be picking a winner on Monday at 12pm (EST)!!***

Links to Live By...

Welcome to this week's edition of Links to Live By.

I'm your host, Ashley!

This week's theme is going to be keeping life simple. Each of the links below are ones that have come through my Reader this week and have been tagged as ones I want to keep handy in order to keep life simple.

Link #1 : Are YOU on Your To-Do List? from Simple Marriage - a reminder to take time for yourself in the midst of being focused on others.

Link #2 : The Importance of Organizing Your Pantry from Good (&CHEAP) Eats - helpful tips to keep your kitchen organized and efficient.

Link #3 : Would You Fire You? from Zen Family Habits - a good self-check on how I'm doing in my "job".

Link #4 : Planning with a Purpose from Steady Mom - a look at different ways to plan and keep a schedule.

Link#5 : Redeeming the Days from Life As Mom - a good reminder to take time to enjoy your kids while they're still kids!

What did you read this week that reminded you to keep life simple?  Leave your links in the comments below so I can take a look!

And don't forget to enter the giveaway! A winner will be drawn Monday at 12pm (EST)!!

Random Ramblings, vol 304, issue 1124

My brain is on full-steam ahead mode, so I decided to just ooze rather than trying to make a post make sense this morning...

RR#1 - I am "officially" registering for classes today. I think. The school is still missing some parts of my application (that were mailed three weeks ago), but they said they'd push it through since classes start on the 15th.  It's a little overwhelming to think about, but I know it's all in God's plan.  He would have slammed the door if I wasn't supposed to be doing this!

RR#2 - I get to spend some time with one of my best friends today for the second month in a row!  (Let's just hope she doesn't end up in a car accident again this time on the way home.)  In a few minutes, we're headed to Ft. Wayne to meet her for lunch on her way home from her parents' house in Michigan.


RR#3 - Have you entered my giveaway yet?  I'm really surprised at the LACK of entries!  I'll be drawing a winner on Monday at NOON (EST), so hurry up and enter!

RR#4 - I'm having a hard time saying "no" to book reviews for the next few months.  I have a feeling I've already accepted too many for April.  But the books just look SO good - I can't resist!  April, though, will help me get a good sense of what I can/can't handle, since I'll be fully into my classes.

RR#5 - I'm taking a "double load" of classes this session, since I didn't take any last session.  In order to get the bigger scholarship, I have to take a "full load" during the semester, so I'm taking a full semester's worth of classes in one session.  It's really not that much, at least as far as I can tell.  It's only two classes, and I even picked two classes that looked like some of the work might double-up and be able to be used for both classes.  Plus, I have to take two classes in the summer session, so I figured I might as well jump in with both feet all at once!

RR#6 - Coffee is a good thing.  Yesterday, I didn't drink any.  I ended up in the wrong lane at an intersection I go through EVERY time I go to/from town.  And then, when I got home, I parked in the driveway and was working on unlocking the door to the house before I realized I never pulled into the garage.

RR#7 - Seven is the number of completion in the Bible.  And I'm happy to report that we are DONE with Leviticus - finally.  I've been reading through the OT in a year with a group of people on Facebook, and we finished Leviticus today.  YEAH!!

Alright... it's time for your random ramblings... leave them in the comments! And don't forget to enter the giveaway!

This post is being linked to Company Girls 3.5.

I love Oxi-Clean!

(This is NOT a sponsored post or anything of the sort. This is solely my opinion about something I recommend.)

I love Oxi-Clean. Specifically, Oxi-Clean Laundry Stain Remover.

We discovered the wonders of Oxi-Clean for the laundry when our oldest was a baby.  She had the tendency to blow out her diapers frequently.  We fell in love with the Oxi-Clean spray and laundry booster.  We added the laundry booster to every load of laundry, and we sprayed all our stains religiously.

However, in the past few months, we ran out of the laundry booster (and didn't restock it) and the pre-treat spray found its way to the back of the cleaning closet shelves.

Until yesterday.  Yesterday, I had a brand new white item of clothing that got a dark red blood stain on it.  I was not going to let it go.  It was going to be removed.


I grabbed the Oxi-Clean spray and an old toothbrush (a blue smiley version of that one >>) and went to work.  Within minutes, the stain was starting to vanish in front of my eyes.  Less than five minutes of a little bit of elbow grease and the Oxi-Clean, and the stain was gone.


And that is why Oxi-Clean works for me!

This post is linked up to Works For Me Wednesday, hosted this week by Rocks in My Dryer.