4 Sweet Sisters

Just a quick note of a wonderful blessing that fell upon my eldest chick. Last week she was asked to participate in a shopping excursion by our Pastor's wife. The trip was to buy back-to-school outfits for children in our community. So about 10 of our teens/young adults and Miss Becky hit the Target Superstore. Each was given anywhere from 9 to 15 paper bags with the name, size of the child/teen they were buying for and how many outfits to pick out (2 or 3), including shoes. My chickadee had about 14 bags throughout the 4 hours and was completely wiped out when she arrived home! BUT she was so excited about all the wonderful things she had chosen for each person and so wanted them to be more than pleased with what she found. Even though she could not personally afford to buy all those clothes - she gave of her time, love, and creativity to be part of a blessing to someone else. She in return is seeing where she can do things in a small, but tangible way that will show her love...

It's finally here! Can't you just see the excitement? Truly, she has been chomping at the bit to get started!!!! Chickadee #1 must wait a couple more days.......... I'm so excited to have a fun, up to date program to help instill stewardship and personal finance in our girls. Thank you Dave Ramsey, it looks wonderful! We will be holding Financial Peace for teens in our home starting next week. I can't wait! Chicakdee #1 will be guest blogging here on Tuesday and I'm sure she'll have wonderful updates on the class. Stay tuned ! My other frugal idea was born out of necessity, okay maybe it's not a need...... But I really wanted to have our flag back and couldn't afford a new pole. So my Bocia had bamboo growing in her backyard! It's held up for a month and gives it a carefree, let's go fishing this summer kind of look. Bamboo, zip ties (love um!) and twist ties (what I did to see if it would look good before I used a precious zippy). What's...

www.rocksinmydryer.typepad.com/shannon/ I really tried to get the logo up.....I need picture instructions! Okay, real quick this what I like...... I know what you're thinking,"a yucky old bucket.... hmm ". Now picture with me (if you will) all the uses for this baby! Soaking unmentionables until laundry day, kitchen composter , wash rag soaker , snake catcher. Oh yeah, and what it was originally sold as... a paint bucket! Seriously, I love it for it's lid! It keeps smells in and vinegar water from spilling on my counters. I bought this beauty 2 years ago and finally found it's twin a couple of weeks ago. You don't know how thrilled I was!!!! Secondly. How I have come to appreciate my vitamin holder! Actually I got 2 for free for walking into the grocey store. So I have one for a.m. and p.m. I'm pretty lazy and didn't want to have to deal with all those bottles in the morning! So I fill once a week and it's so much easier on my brain when I have f...

Beautify your Home! I think Lots of color helps! Well let me just start off with a re-cap of last week. I was literally going crazy trying to input every one's school plans into the computer. Freaking out about not getting 4th chickadee's b-day gift started sooner (thrift store find, wooden stove and fridge- more when complete)! When Superman and I were taking a break (after me growling at my chicks all day for quiet). Yes, we sat on the front porch; candles lit, (citronella of course!) chatting about the day (me feeling horrible about my behavior)and the rest of the months activities when he says... "Babe, I don't know what the trouble is... August doesn't start for another 2 1/2 weeks." I said,"No way"!!! I was dumbfounded with delight (is that possible?). Yes, my friends I had been shorting myself a week of summer!!!! Can you believe it? Yes, I have a day planner. Yes, I'm pretty sure I had used it recently. Yes, I'm using "YES"...

www.biblicalwomanhood.com Frugal or not so Frugal? You make the call! Do you ever get to the place where you're ALWAYS wearing a banana clip in your hair and your feeling kinda hagged out like an Old Fish Wife? (no offense to any ladies out there!) I mean just put me in some Wellies and give me a Mackerel! Well......... Last night my 2 older chickadees and I tried a night out at the local Beauty College. We had a great time! Normally I cut every one's hair but sometimes you have to splurge. Trying to become and stay debt free,Superman and I usually get family haircuts. So this was nice,pampering and helped the students out. We each got shampoos, cuts and styles for $8. That is alot right now, but so worth it! My oldest chick paid her own way. I'm so proud of her! ($8 is really good, with coupon the a "dry cut" around here is $10) Most of my friends pay between $35 to $45 for what we got for $8. The other nice thing about the beauty school is that the Head Instruct...

Today is Works-For-Me Wednesday! I haven't figured out how to put the button up, but Rocks in My Dryer is listed in my Friends and Interest. So go over and click when your done here! Now to our boots! These little babies are so cute and a "steal" on clearance! Okay, maybe not a "steal" when your investing in 5 pairs! But they are just marvelous for the garden. At home and at 4-H we have a rule of no open shoes. So if you wear crocs;, which we normally do, then you would have to put socks on! Even though I L.O.V.E. my homemade laundry soap, I would need a wash board and bristle brush to get the stains out of those socks! So for $3.74 these cuties Really work for me! Have a Great Evening!

We have had a super busy weekend here. The 1st one in a while. I'm not so sure I like them....I'm feeling tuckered out today! We started off the weekend early with our favorite "fast food". Thank you Chick- fil -A! We hadn't been in quite a long time and was it yummy! Going also made for a nice goal! The chickadees knew on Thursday night that weekly household chores needed to be completed before making costumes. What incentive! Yes here I am. I wasn't going too, but where would have been the fun in that! I had a wonderful yummy lunch. 7/11 Can you believe it! We hit 7/11 too! We haven't had a Slurpee in I can't remember when. Great for our health and the pocket book. But it sure was fun! P.J. Palooza Then my oldest and I went to the P.J. Palooza at our church. Every summer our church host an event for all the ladies 13 and over. It's a fun/crazy night of crafting, dance (...

Veg Co-op & Financial Update www.biblicalwomanhoodonline.com/blog.htm Looking back at June.......... Hmmmm . We stayed in budget, but I feel VERY impatient ! I like to get things done and fast! (I've known this about myself for years, and usually by day 2 or 3 I figure out I need to run to my Heavenly Father and place it all with Him) So needless to say I've been having to stave off many a pity party and I haven't been to happy with Dave R. (like he really has anything to do with it). We did make some good progress in power dept. We have had one of our lowest energy bills for the summertime in years. Usually we would be at $240 by now and we came in at $181 for the month of June. - We turned A/C to 80 and turned it up to 85 when leaving for more than 2 hours. -We hung all laundry in laundry room except for undies, towels, jeans (1/2 dryer time) -Turn off fans and lights when they are not in use. That's it! We also tried to make the gas stretch. We each only filled u...

Independence Day signifies the closing of summer for our family. While most families summer's are gearing up, we are getting ready to crack the books. Although this year I'm not quite ready. We have a couple of weeks left and it feels like I have a lot to do. I think that just because they are task that I don't enjoy. I really hate plunking all the data for the school year into the computer. I promise we're learning. Do I really need to have book keeping proof? On to more fun topics... This year we decided to take action and make a Independence Day 1st Aid kit. It worked, only 2 bandages were needed. Last year we had so many booboo's! Here's one of the chicks with Grammy. Look at that yummy blueberry pie. It was from our blueberry picking a couple of months ago. It was soooo tasty Grammy! And finally a yummy cookie cake our oldest chick decorated! Fireworks and everything. We had a wonderful talent show put on by all the children, homemade slip and slide, croque...