Oh my, Oh my, Oh my!

Oh my goodness!  We started a money saving blog last week called The Frugal Family and it has been crazy ever since!  I have been figuring out deals, coupons, where to buy what, where to get freebies, etc. 

Our internet has been down for a few days so I've had more time to relax and this song by Lenny Leblanc kept going through my head.  I want to share this post with you from The Frugal Family.  If you have questions, please feel free to ask!

Misty


I know this is a money saving blog, teaching you how to be a Frugal Family. However, first and foremost, I am a Christian. It's been 6 days since we set up this blog and right at 2,000 people have viewed this blog. I want to make sure you know that there is a Savior and His name is Jesus. He is the Son of God and died on the cross to save you from your sins. Sin separates us from God and the blood of Jesus on the cross covers our sins. His blood allows us to approach God because it covers our sin. I have had this song stuck in my head all day. If you don't know me, I love to sing so music is such an important part of my life.


Here are the lyrics to a song by Lenny Leblanc. I wanted to post the previous paragraph before I posted this song. If you don't know Christ, I hope you find a relationship with Him. One day, every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus is Lord!
Princes and paupers
Sons and daughters
Kneel at the throne of grace
Losers and winners
Saints and sinners
One day will see His face

And we all bow down
Kings will surrender their crowns
And worship Jesus
For He is the love
Unfailing love
He is the love of God

Summer and winter
The mountains and rivers
Whisper our Savior's name
Awesome and holy
A friend to the lonely
Forever His love will reign

He's the light of the world
And Lord of the cross


And we all bow down
Kings will surrender their crowns
And worship Jesus
Worship Jesus
Worship Jesus
For He is love
Unfailing love
He is the Love of God

Call Me Crazy!

Word to the wise: This is not a typical Misty post.  Don't read this if you aren't serious about your faith.  It will probably just make you mad and make you think I'm a good two shoes... which I am not.  I am just serious about the things of God.  I have made just as many mistakes as most, if not more!  I am a sinner and thankfully, have been saved by grace!  Without the grace of God, I would be a hopeless individual headed through life blinded to the things of God and would have no hope apart from the hope of salvation! 

If you are a Christian, surely  you can relate to me.  Have you ever said something to someone, shared a testimony with someone, stood up for your faith and people look at you like you are crazy???  That's how I've felt this week.  If you stand up for something you know is wrong, SATAN is going to try to knock you back down.  To get you to refute what you just said, to change your mind, change your tune or change your status!  That's satan wanting you to not be used by God.  It's discouraging to have people look at you like you're a nutcase or a prude because you are opposed to sin.  Recently I made a comment about a Facebook game and someone replied, "I'm sure even the man upstairs enjoys a good game every now and then!"   HOLD UP!  Please!  God is a holy, righteous and just God!  He is perfect, the creator of the universe, ALL that ever was and is to come!  HE IS!  Or as He said, "I AM"!  Can you believe that we, as a society have reduced GOD to being "the man upstairs who enjoys a good game every now and then?"  I know that God loves us, I do believe that God wants us to ENJOY LIFE, to live, to laugh, to love, to find joy in everything we do!  I think most of you know that I LOVE to laugh!  It's probably one of the things I'm best at.  I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE to laugh.  No one can deny that.  I love to laugh and joke.  However,  NOT at the cost of sinning! 

So, my response to anyone who doesn't like my comment on Facebook or the way I live my life or who thinks I'm crazy is this:  You can call me crazy.  Read these lyrics.  This is a song called Crazy  by MercyMe.  It has, for a very long time, been one of my favorite songs.  Today, I just felt like sharing this with you.  Maybe you feel you can be called "Crazy" too!  Here are the lyrics and there's a link in this post in case you're interested in downloading it.  It's on the Spoken For cd. 

Why I would I spend my life longing for the day that it would end..
Why would I spend my time pointing to another man..
Isn't that crazy


How can I find hope in dying, with promises unseen..
How can I learn your way is better
In everything I'm taught to be..
Isn't that crazy


I have not been called to the wisdom of this world..
But to a God who's calling out to me..
And even though the world may think
I'm losing touch with reality
It would be crazy
To choose this world over eternity


And if I boast let me boast
Of filthy rags made clean
And if I glory let me glory
In my Savior's suffering
Isn't that crazy

And as I live this daily life
I trust you for everything
And I will only take a step
When I feel You leading me
Isn't that crazy


I have not been called to the wisdom of this world..
But to a God who is calling out to me..
And even though the world my think
I'm losing touch with reality
It would be crazy
To choose this world over eternity
Call me crazy
You can call me crazy
Call me crazy

It would be crazy to choose this world over eternity!

Why Won't God Give Me A Rice Krispie Treat?

And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called, according to HIS purpose. Romans 5:8

I know, I know, what a goofy name for a Blog post, but you know me...I like catchy titles.

Our lives have changed so much in the last few months with Molly going off to Pre-K! We have all missed her so much, but I especially have missed her! Today I decided I'd get her out of school before lunch and she could spend extra time with me today. Before school started, her teacher referred to this as "Mommy Time" which was okay because she's in Pre-K.

I decided today would be the day. She came home and we ate lunch. After Andy finished his work, Molly and I headed to Champaign. In my mind I thought this was going to be great, but I also forgot what my friend Kristina told me. She warned me that Fridays were especially whiney. The kids are little and it's been a long week and Friday is usually the day they are just plain worn out. Molly was excited to go, but a little whiny and grumpy. She wasn't particularly pleased with anything I wanted to take her to do and she especially wasn't pleased that I wasn't taking her to Steak and Shake, her favorite restaurant. I know she was tired and she can't possibly understand that we just could not do it. I HAD to feed Katie at noon and therefore, we had to be at home at lunchtime. We went and she seemed to get better as the afternoon went on.

When we got home, Andy had more work to do before I made supper so I fed Katie and Molly and Ryan played. I am almost certain they got into 4,325,908 fights, yelled at each other double that many times and got in trouble at least 40 times. All that in about an hour and fifteen minutes.

At dinner, we had Molly's favorite! Breakfast! Cinnamon rolls, scrambled eggs and bacon (for the rest of us who will actually eat meat). We all enjoyed it and quickly after finishing decided we should make Rice Krispie Treats. Molly and Ryan LOVE to help in the kitchen. They help me with almost any bread or dessert I make. While they were helping, they weren't really listening, getting too close to the stove, fighting, trying to eat all the stuff while I was trying to get it in the bowl, climbing on chairs, climbing on the countertops, etc. I told them that was enough and they could go find something to do while I cleaned up. They decided they'd watch a little of their favorite cartoon, Tom and Jerry! They kicked each other, wrested around and yelled at each other and Andy told them and told them and told them to stop. And then it happened! He walked over to them, told them to go to the bathroom and get ready for their baths. He told them they'd have a bath and go to bed. No RICE KRISPIE TREATS! Oh my goodness, they wailed and whined and thought the world was ending! How were they going to make it til tomorrow without a Rice Krispie Treat?

Shortly after that, while Andy was giving the kids a bath, Katie was really fussy so I wrapped her up in a blanket and took her outside to rock on the porch. It was such a beautiful night. Quiet, cool, a few stars in the sky and I was holding a sleeping baby! How peaceful. I started thinking about the Rice Krispie Treats. I started thinking about Andy being a father. I started thinking about how those two things strangely enough go together.

God doesn't always give us a Rice Krispie Treat when we want it. So many times in our lives, God doesn't give us what we want. We don't get everything when we want when we want it. Andy knew that giving the kids a Rice Krispie Treat was not in their best interest. If they were already having a hard time listening to him and already had been in trouble, then why would he give them a sugary treat to make them even more likely to fuss and whine? I realized instantly that that is how God is! GOD is a perfect Father! So many times we think we know what is best for us. We think we know what we want and how wonderful it's going to be when we get it. However, God knows the big picture. He knows what is going to benefit us and what is not. He knows that giving us everything we WANT could cause us to mess up later or cause us heartache so He doesn't give it to us. As children, we don't understand and get mad and whine to God or gripe to our friends or say God doesn't care what we want! The truth is that God knows what we NEED and that's more important than what we want! Aren't you thankful for a Heavenly Father that loves us that much? He doesn't give in to our every command. He is omnipotent, omniscient and omnibenevolent (as we discussed in Sunday school last week). He is perfect and His plan is perfect...from the beginning of time to the end of the world.

And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. Romans 5:8

It should make us, as Believers, thrilled to know that every time we don't get the Rice Krispie Treat that we ask our Father for that He's not just being mean to us. He knows what's best for us and our lives! Remember that the next time you don't get your Rice Krispie Treat. I've been reminded of it a lot lately and am thankful for God and his PERFECT goodness!

Johnny Appleseed Never Said It Better!

Today, I went shopping! And when I say shopping, I mean SHOPPING!!! I went to Menard's, Toys R Us, CVS, Dollar Tree, Schnuck's, Wal-Mart and IGA. Yep, seriously, we went to 7 stores today and it was worth it. I used to always say to only shop at Wal-Mart because they price match everything. Now I'm learning more and more about the way other stores work and boy, I feel like I've won the lottery! Today I spent $120 and saved $165! Seriously, I saved way more than I spent! I bought enough diapers for 2 months, Christmas cards, a birthday gift, groceries, etc, etc, etc. TONS of things. Why in this world if you could, wouldn't you do this? I know that I have more time than some people do. So, if you're a working mom and you drive a long way to work and don't get that much time with your kids, then I understand. But for those of us who are sitting at home, why not?

I started thinking about stewardship. Stewardship, in the sense of being a good steward with what the Lord has given you. In my accurate (because the Bible says it's so), but humble opinion, EVERYTHING is God's. He made it, He gives it to us, He supplies our needs according to HIS riches in glory. So, there you have it. Everything is God's. Everything we have been given is because He chose to give it to us. He does tell us to be good stewards with what he has entrusted us with. I know that some people probably think I'm a hobo who lives in a car and I have to scrape pennies to live. That is not the case. I'm just trying to be a good steward with what the Lord has given me.

Yesterday in Sunday school, we were discussing the perfect Goodness of God. He is perfect and His love is perfect. That means his provision for His children is perfect! He gives me what I need, day by day in order to live and glorify Him. And He's so good that he even provides me things I enjoy, not just my needs. Plus, a wonderful husband and 3 great kids!

So, to sum it all up, here are the lyrics to a good old Johnny Appleseed song. He said it better than I could!

Oh, the Lord's been good to me.
And so I thank the Lord
For giving me the things I need:
The sun, the rain and the appleseed;
Oh, the Lord's been good to me.

I'm thankful the Lord's given me all I need. He is so good!

Molly the Model!

Do you remember getting your school pictures taken? I personally remember loving those days. In the first grade, I had Mrs. Dickens as a teacher. When it was time to get the class picture taken, we'd all been outside running around on a nice warm day. When the group gathered, most everyone looked like sweaty little kids. But not me.... there I was... lavendar polo shirt, plaid skirt, dress shoes and Farrah Fawcet hair. Yes, I said it...Farrah Fawcet hair. And I was proud of it.

I remember my cousin Brooke getting her first school picture taken. She forgot to wash the conditioner out of her hair. She was a little girl, so you can't blame her, but oh my! It was quite a picture. As a matter of fact, if I had a copy of it, I would post it right now. It's that good! Especially if you know how beautiful she is without conditioner in her hair!

Well, today is the day for Molly's first school picture! You know by now if you read my blog that Molly is SHY!!! She doesn't like being taken to school, she doesn't like the playground and she doesn't like anything that's new unless it's a toy. She says she is NOT getting the pictures taken. I payed for them, I picked out the blue background, got her a cute little outfit with puppy dogs on the skirt and socks, fixed her hair so cute with a big bow and she still says she isn't getting her picture taken! As a matter of fact, she has told me since Monday afternoon that she would not be getting it taken. I asked her last night why she didn't want to and she quickly told me that she didn't think she'd like the backdrop! Okay. She hasn't even seen the backdrop, but she thought that would be an easy way to get out of it. I talked to her teacher yesterday who told me not to worry about it. She said there are makeup pictures in November, maybe she'll want to take them then. As a last ditch effort, I offered to bring her lunch and have lunch with her at school if she'd get her picture taken. She said, "No, maybe some other time!" That's where I said, "Okay". Obviously she is scared to death about it if the "Mommy will come to school" card won't work. So, since my daughter will not be getting pictures taken, I took some at home this morning. The child that will not have her picture taken at school took these pictures this morning. I didn't tell her to pose, I didn't tell her to smile, this is just what she came up with! She is so funny - acting all "Tyra Banks" on us! Posing like she's in the next issue of Highlights Magazine (LOL)! I don't understand her shyness or her reasoning for not wanting her school pictures taken, so I'm just learning to go with it. At least I got some good ones at home!

I hope next year she'll see Ryan taking pictures and want to get some done herself. Now I'm sure that will be an interesting blog post...Ryan getting school pictures taken. It will probably include Ryan with nicely combed hair, a tongue sticking out, eyes crossed, and a camera man chasing him. I can't wait.

Wow, God makes kids so differently, but I am so thankful for them all. Molly "the shy one", Ryan "the wild one" and Katie "the screaming one". Hopefully Katie will grow out of hers. I love my kids and everything about them! And I know, soon they'll be taking Senior Pictures and this will be a distant memory.

I Feel Like I'm Falling for Fall....

In the voice of Nick Jr's Moose A. Moose, I have to say, "I feel like I'm falling for fall"! What a fun song! We've been continuing our fall decorating and activites around here and have been working on a new one that I wanted to share with you.

It's the Fall/Thanksgiving Tree! I'm calling it this because it's really a fall tree, but the tree will lose a leaf each day until Thanksgiving. After that, the branches will be bare and it will be time to start a Christmas tree. Last week I gave my kids brown, yellow and orange construction paper and gave them paint in red, orange, green, brown and yellow. I let the paint as much or as little as they wanted on each piece of paper. My kids love to paint and more importantly, love to make messes, so this was fun for them. We used all kinds of paint brushes. Some were round sponges, some small, some large. After a few days of drying, I cut pages into leaf shapes. We used brown construction paper to make a tree trunk and the branches. Used a crayon to make knots on the tree. And of course, tape to make the leaves stick. Now, on our tree, we added apples. The apples are a WHOLE different thing at our house. Apples are the way we handle discipline at our house, but that's a different post at a different time. We just thought the apples would look nice on our tree. Nonetheless, the kids enjoyed making it, it looks cute in the living room and for me, it's a countdown to getting out the Christmas decorations! Yep, Christmas is another post for another time too!

I hope you're having a fun fall (even though it's not even technically fall yet).