Lucy Doo

Love Is In the Air

2012-02-08T09:11:00.001-06:00

I just adore February! Valentine’s Day is such a fun celebration for which to decorate! You don’t have to spend a lot of money either to have a festive home. Here’s a peek at my decorations this year.

This is the “wreath” I usually have on our door for most of the year. But, I picked up these cute heart pics at my local Dollar Store and they just make the door “happy”, don’t you think?

As I’ve said before, our front porch is one of the places that I really enjoy decorating. The inside might just be a mess, but that front porch looks pretty cute! You can see how I made these precious pillows here. It’s super easy!

Today I’m hosting my February Open House to showcase Lucy Doo’s Spring Collection. And of course, I had to search for new recipes on Pinterest. (side note/“squirrel”!! ha! : I sure wish I had been the one to dream up the idea of Pinterest! I have several boards there with loads of need stuff if you’d like to follow them.) There were so many delicious choices but I chose these:

Strawberry White Chocolate Bars

These were super, duper easy! 2 ingredients!! What could be better? I think I’ll cut them smaller next time to more of a bite size because they’re pretty rich, but oh, so yummy!

White Chocolate S'mores Gooey Cake Bars

Wow! Are these good! And really easy! My kids inhaled {heart} them. What’s better than chocolate and marshmallows, for goodness sakes!

Enjoy spreading some L.O.V.E. today, would ‘ya?? Have you found some neat ideas for Valentine’s Day? ?Would you share??? Pretty, please??

Love That Sticks {Challenge}

2012-01-31T08:45:00.002-06:00

Tomorrow is February 1st…..and February is the month of L.O.V.E.!!! I absolutely adore February because everyone feels free to share their love with those around them.

The Christian radio station in our area challenges all of it’s listeners to share God’s love in a fun & unique way during the month of February. They call it “Love that Sticks” and they challenge everyone to leave sticky notes in random places. How cool is THAT??

I heard of one situation where a lady put a sticky note on her money in her purse that read “God loves you”. Well, she was robbed and when the robber reached in her purse and pulled out that money, he stopped, his eyes became teary, and then he ran off! God’s Word is a “two-edged sword”!! Amazing!! You just never know how God will use His Word.

So our family is taking on this challenge starting today. (we just couldn’t wait to start! it’s only January 31st!! ha!) I am excited to see how God uses these notes to unsuspecting people. We may never know the result, but God will. My family is armed today with pre-written sticky notes so they are ready for action!!

Here are some ideas:

Leave this one on a random locker at school.

How about this one on a mirror in a store dressing room!

Or this one on the stall door in a public restroom!

Will you take on this challenge? Maybe your family can do it together. It will be fun to see what creative ideas we all come up with! Will you share them in the comments, please? It will inspire everyone to share L.O.V.E. this month!!

Love & Hugs,

It’s Not About the “Stuff”

2012-01-06T13:43:00.002-06:00

When our kids were little, we felt like Christmas was about the “stuff”. That’s not how we intended, but just the way things became. We know and celebrate the real Reason for the season, but when we had preschoolers in the house, they loved to make their wish lists and they were chock full of things they really didn’t need or sometimes even want. SO, we decided to institute the “Three Gifts Plan”….just like the Wise Men who brought gifts to Baby Jesus, we would give 3 gifts to each of our children. That worked great and really helped to reinforce the the true meaning of Christmas…..the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ.

Now that we have a true, 100% teenager and a true, 100% “tweenager” in the house, we just want to spend time together this Christmas. So, this Christmas we decided that we would make sure to spend time making irreplaceable memories. So, here’s what we did:

Moody Gardens in Galveston, Texas has a wonderful dinner theatre where the Nativity comes to life.

After our delicious dinner, we enjoyed the millions of lights, hot chocolate, & s’mores at the Festival of Lights!

This tradition will definitely continue!

The Kids Ministry at our church wanted to bring the Nativity to life and our family was able to participate. A Night in Bethlehem.

My son was a shepherd (he’s the one on the left)

And our daughter was a Spice Girl!! (ha!)

Then, to finish out our very special & memorable Christmas, we were ALL IN for the Alamo Bowl in San Antonio to cheer on our Baylor Bears to victory!! (my alma mater….sic ‘em!!)

I’ll share more about our time in San Antonio later.

I hope that you will look at this New Year 2012 as a golden opportunity to pour time and effort into the lives of your children and into the things that really matter to you.

I’m excited to see what 2012 holds!

Just Being Real, People.

2011-10-18T19:23:00.002-05:00

Do you ever feel as if nothing is going right? When it “rains it pours”? Well, that’s how our family has felt recently. If I were list all of the bazaar things that have either happened, broken, been damaged, and so on during the past month, you wouldn’t believe it! And most of it was completely out of our control. That’s the frustrating part.

Last night, I felt like a 2 ton elephant was sitting on my chest! Oh the pressure!! I cried and it’s amazing how therapeutic tears can be. I believe God sometimes wants us to get to the place where we literally throw our hands up to Him and give it up. Oh, not give UP, but give IT up….to HIM….the One who can handle it! His shoulders are broad, HIs ears are big, and His heart is more than willing to pick up the pieces and handle it for us. To quote a dear friend, “Leave it at the cross, Sandi!” And boy, is she right!!!

Today, I begin this day with a spring in my step and joy in my heart waiting to see what God will do! My family is healthy, our blessings are many, and there is love in our home. It’s just the other “stuff” that muddies the water and clutters our minds. If we “let the main thing be the main thing”, everything will be just fine. It may not happen in exactly the manner we expect, but God will make “all things beautiful in HIS time.”

Watching for His hand today,

HUGE Fashion Giveaway Hop {October 14-19}

2011-10-14T22:38:00.002-05:00

I am so excited to let you know about the 2011 Fall Fashionista Giveaway Event! This is a HUGE event where over 100 blogs have come together to offer amazing giveaways valued at over $50 each! Thank you, Shelly over at Still Blonde After All These Years for hosting this fun event and Libby at Libby’s Libraries for hosting this Lucy Doo giveaway.

It’s where everyone wants to be from October 14-19. Take a peek here to see what other giveaways are in progress. The list is incredible!

I am excited to be able to offer this beautiful beaded set with pewter cross pendant as well as this multi-strand beaded bracelet. ($50 value) So hop on over here and enter to win!!

This gorgeous jewel-toned beaded necklace set is the perfect compliment to so many outfits. Every time I wear mine, I get compliments. PLUS, the pewter magnetic cross pendant is a lovely addition to this set. It is removable so you can wear it with other beads for an entirely different look.

And don’t you just love these colors? Each strand of these beads are individual so they can be worn together or separate, whatever is your pleasure.

To enter this giveaway ($50 value), here’s what you do:

Visit Lib’s Library and follow her tips on entering this giveaway. You’ll be glad you did!

Giveaway ends October 19 11:59 PM EST

Winner will be selected by Lib at Libby’s Library.

Good luck!!

Pretty, Spunky Girl’s Room

2011-10-06T10:37:00.002-05:00

{This post was on my old blog a couple of years ago so I thought I’d bring it back. My daughter is now outgrowing her twin bed so we’re in the process of tweaking her room a bit with a larger bed and a smidge of zebra thrown in for good measure. I’ll let you know the results coming up!!}

When we first began to work on my daughter’s room, I went to the paint store with a color in mind for the walls: Pepto-Bismol Pink! I completely let the “paint lady” talk me out of it! I ended up with a pastel pink……that is NOT my daughter’s personality! Every time I walked into her room, I kept thinking it didn’t look right.

What do you do when you don’t like something? Just cover it up, right? LOL

SO, we bought one of those really cool loft beds at Pier 1 Kids and they were fun BUT, she outgrew them very quickly (we have very tall kids and the ceiling got in the way!)

Before

Don’t ever let anyone talk you out (or into) something you don’t want to do! You have great ideas!!! Go with it!!

So, here is the AFTER…

A cool, spunky girl needs a spunky chandelier, right?

I looked everywhere but the ones I found were too plain. Until this one….

I found this chandelier at a little shop in Fredericksburg, Texas. I saw it and knew it was THE ONE! It was made to plug into a wall outlet, but my Father-in-Law cut the wires and hardwired it just like a ceiling fan. That was $100 well spent because it really completes the room.

We took off the closet doors and hung curtains. It really gave her more room. Don’t you just love her “self-portrait”? She painted that in 1st Grade. LOVE it!!

Every little girl needs a mirror to primp!

I bought 2 full-length mirrors at Wal-mart and used super strength tape to attach them to the wall. My daughter helped me paint the border. She’s quite the crafty little girl!

The perfect room for my pretty, spunky little girl!

Blessings,

A Little Sump’m Sump’m

2011-09-21T22:57:00.002-05:00

When my husband and I were at the Metropolitan Cooking & Entertaining Expo this past weekend, not only did we get to eat the delicious food at the luncheon I told you about the other day, but we got to sample all of the food and treats from all of the vendors. Oh my goodness, that was fun!

I’d like to share with you some of our favorite treats…..

Simply Southern Cupboard

These are THE most deliciously moist & flavorful pancakes you will ever eat! Can you believe PB&J Pancake Mix???? OMWord!!!!

“Simply Southern Cupboard specializes in Gourmet Pancake Mixes. Once you've tried them you will never want store bought pancake mixes again.”

Dread Head Chef

Okay, this guy was so cute! Can you see that little dread-wearing guy on the jar? That’s a sketch of the chef who developed this product. He served the Strawberry Mango Salsa on Cinnamon tortilla chips. Yummm-O. He served the Pineapple-Banana-Pecan Salsa on tortilla chips dusted with chocolate powder. Delish! He said both of these dessert salsas are wonderful on ice cream too. Gotta try that!

Chocolate Pizazz

These little goodies were our “take-homes” from the Paula Deen Luncheon. (bonus: our kiddos thought we brought them home for them! Yikes! I want some!!!)

Custom Cafe

Okay, this might just be my new favorite pumpkin treat this Fall. Mix this dip with a little cream cheese, and you’ve got a fabulous go-to item for a quick Fall get-together. (I bought 3!!)

And now, for my absolute FAVORITE goodie from our day……

Garlic Grater

It’s the size of a saucer and hand-painted. Can you see those little bumps in the center of the saucer? Well, this is the fun part. If you rub a garlic clove, a piece of chocolate, onion, nutmeg, or ginger over those bumps, they become your grater!! You can mince garlic in a snap! AND, it looks pretty sitting on your counter. BONUS!! This European Gourmet Ceramic Garlic Grater was recently featured on the Today show with Giada De Laurentiis of "Everyday Italian". How cool is that?

I’ve added links to each website for you to get some of these for yourself or for gifts. Just click on the link below each photo and you’ll be shopping in no time!

Enjoy!!

Only a Breath {Giveaway}

2011-09-20T08:09:00.002-05:00

I am so excited today that my sweet friend Melanie over at Only a Breath is hosting a Giveaway for Lucy Doo!!

Mel has been a cheerleader of Lucy Doo for several years now and I am so thankful! Thanks Mel!

When you read Mel’s posts, you can see that she’s a Southern girl who loves her family, loves her life, and “cherishes each breath along this journey.” I LOVE that!! She is so encouraging and transparent with the love of Christ that it’s contagious. She “drips Jesus”, as my friend Lucinda says. LOL

So hop on over to Melanie’s blog and read her Giveaway post. She’ll tell you what you need to do to enter. Hurry up, though, because this giveaway closes Saturday, September 24 at midnight EDT!!

Happy Shopping! I can’t wait to read your comments!!

Our Day with Paula Deen

2011-09-19T20:32:00.002-05:00

When I opened my birthday present from my sweet husband back in April, I was SO surprised at my gift! He knows that I {heart} Paula Deen so he gave me tickets to see Paula at the Metropolitan Cooking & Entertainment Show! What a treat!!

For those of you who have met my mother, you know that she resembles Paula Deen and often would get stopped by random people wanting to take a photo with her when she could be in a crowd. {Weird} When you see her in person, it is uncanny how much they favor. When I watch any of Paula’s shows on The Food Network, it really throws me for a loop sometimes when I least expect it. They are obviously not an exact clone of each other, but when you see my mom, you would automatically think she might be Paula. (I made a t-shirt for my mom last Christmas that said, “Paula Deen looks like ME!” Ha!!)

This was the first year that the Metropolitan Cooking & Entertainment Show came to Houston and was a HUGE hit! So you people in Washington, DC and Atlanta need to attend when it comes to your city. Houston was the “most successful launch they’ve ever had”, so they are definitely coming back next year. {yay, me!} We love our food in Texas.

When I received the two tickets, I planned on taking my mom with me. However, for the past two years, her perfume & cologne allergies have kept her from going in crowds. {sniff, sniff} SO, my sweet husband went with me. How cool is that?? Well, since my mom couldn’t be there, I decided to wear a button that said “My mom looks like Paula Deen!”

I even had some people tell me that I looked like I could be Paula’s daughter! LOL

Our morning started off with a wonderful luncheon. We were so excited!

Paula and her husband Michael came into the room and the crowd erupted! And in true Paula-style, she walked right up in front of us!

All of these women jumped up and began taking pictures and Paula was so gracious. I was so flustered and just tried to get any picture of them up close.

One lady gave her a pair of earrings to match a pendant that she wears all the time. So, seeing an opportunity, I turned and asked my husband if I should give her the photo of my Mom that I brought to show her. He said, “Sure”. That’s all I needed to hear. SO…..

I walked right up to Paula and said hello. She kept looking at my button trying to figure it out and I said, “Would you like to see a picture of your twin?” and held up the photo. I said, “This is my mother.” Her jaw dropped as she stared at it. She could not believe it! I told her that people always stop Mom and think she is her and she thought that was hilarious!. I said, “Well, my Mom couldn’t be here today so I wanted to bring this photo to you to show you that a sweet woman in Texas looks like you.” She took it and thanked me and then was wisked to the front of the room to pose for pictures with all of us. What a treat!!

OMGoodness…that was so exciting!!

After the photo session, we were served a delicious meal.

Can you see that basket of bread in this picture? It was filled with cornbread, rolls, and, of course, biscuits. And a HUGE slab of B.U.T.T.E.R. Nothing else will do!

The food was prepared using recipes from Paula’s new cookbook coming out next month called “Paula Deen’s Southern Cooking BIBLE”. You can pre-order now and get a signed copy sent to your home! Winner, winner, Fried Chicken Dinner!!

We enjoyed …….

delicious Black-eyed Pea Salad

The most absolutely DEE-VINE Fried Pork Chops with mashed taters & tomato gravy (just like my Mamaw used to make. Mm, Mm, MMMM!) And to quote Paula, she said, “Now if that don’t make your hair gray, then grits ain’t groceries!”). And for a little color on the plate, the most delicious green beans and red bell peppers you ever put in your mouth!

Then, as if that wasn’t enough, they served….

Peachy Upside-Down Cake

Wow! Now that was yummy!!

After our fantastic meal, we went on to the Food Theater where Paula and Michael (and Michael’s brother) entertained a crowd of about 750 or so. I’ll tell you more about that and what we did afterwards later this week.

Now, I’m off to do a little Turbo Jam after eating all of this Southern good stuff this weekend!

Keep smiling,

Just Got to Share!

2011-08-28T21:27:00.002-05:00

Have I told you all lately how much I LOVE the blog Under the Table & Dreaming by Stephanie Lynn???? She’s got it all together!

To quote Stephanie Lynn, “I love simple and classic styles with a mix of whimsy and fun. I have a passion for do-it-yourself décor, home projects and anything that keeps my creative mind going. I enjoy the challenge of figuring out how to make something on my own. {Better yet, simply by using things I already have around me} I believe style does not have to be compromised by a budget; no matter what that budget may be.”

Not only is she talented, but she has such a beautiful way of writing posts and sharing information. She’s at the top of my blog roll for sure!

Each week she hosts fabulous linky parties where you can find TONS of great ideas. She also shares yummy recipes that will make you drool at your computer screen! Love it!

This is just some of the excitement that goes on “Under the Table”!

Come Showcase

What You've Been Working On

Every Sunday

New Posts Every Week

I am so thankful for the opportunity to be giving away some Lucy Doo pretties on her blog today. You can visit her blog here and enter to win a $40 Gift Certificate from Lucy Doo! I can’t wait to see who wins and what they choose!

Blessings to you this week. We’re having a major drought and heat wave in Texas so we’re staying inside and praying for rain.

Hugs,

Summer Sale!

2011-08-25T20:12:00.002-05:00

Well, this summer has completely FLOWN by! My kiddos are back in school and we’re trying to settle back into a routine. I enjoy summer immensely, but there’s something great about having a bit of a routine. I just feel more productive, don’t you?

I always like to start fresh each Fall with new “pretties” in my Lucy Doo collection. SOOOO….I’m offering a S.A.L.E. for you so that I can make room for all of my new pieces! Here’s what you can get for much less than $20 if you use the Coupon Code SUMMER at check out.

If you like silver, there’s something for you……

Or if more blacks & grays are up your alley…..

And of course, there are more colorful pieces if that’s what “trips your trigger”! LOL…….

Don’t forget to use the coupon code SUMMER from now until August 31, 2011 to receive this fabulous discount. These pieces are flying out of my shop, so you’d better grab them while you can! The faster these are sold out, the quicker my new “pretties” can make their appearance!!

Blessings to you,

No Bake Fresh Peach Pie {Great Summer Recipe}

2011-07-23T14:50:00.002-05:00

I live in Texas and during this time of year, I absolutely love picking up peaches while at my local produce stand. They’re so sweet and juicy!

When my sweet friend Kima introduced me to this delicious pie, I knew that I had a new favorite! It is THE perfect recipe for summer! It’s so quick and easy to make!

I’d love to share it with you, so here it is.

No Bake Fresh Peach Pie

(can also be made with strawberries!)

1 cup cold water

1/4 cup cornstarch

1/4 cup sugar (more or less to taste)

1 small package peach Jell-O powder

1 graham cracker piecrust shell

4-6 fresh peaches, pealed and sliced (good peaches are the key)

Whipped Topping

Dissolve the cornstarch in cold water, then add sugar and Jell-O package to that mixture in sauce pan. Bring mixture to a boil and remove from heat, stirring constantly as it thickens. Add the sliced peaches and then pour into pie shell. Let set in refrigerator for at least 3 hours. Serve with Whipped topping.

*If you want your pie sugar-free, then use Sugar-free Peach Jell-O and leave out the sugar. It tastes just the same!

Try it and let me know what you think!!

Stay cool,

4th of July Ideas

2011-07-04T13:42:00.002-05:00

Nothing says Summer like celebrating the 4th of July and the freedoms we enjoy here in America. I’m always looking for neat ideas for my home and for my family’s tummy! Would you like to see some of my favorites?

source: Pinterest

Can’t you see this in a frame on your entry table?

source: Under the Table & Dreaming

This is one of my all-time favorites! Stephanie Lynn always has tons of great ideas….and they’re easy to make!

source:Under the Table & Dreaming

source: Country Living

source: Better, Homes, & Gardens

Source: Better, Homes, & Gardens

As we celebrate our God-given freedoms today, I hope you are enjoying time with family and friends. May God richly pour out His blessings on The United States of America…..land of the free and home of the brave. I’m SO thankful to live in the good ole’ USA!

Happy Independence Day!!

You’ve Come a Long Way, Baby.

2011-06-07T17:40:00.002-05:00

Happy birthday to you…..happy birthday to you….happy BIRTHday, dear Lucy Doooooo,……happy birthday to you!!

Can you believe that Lucy Doo is officially 1 year old? Although the actual business is 12 years old, the name “A Touch of Silver” was retired last year and “Lucy Doo” was born!

When I decided to change my business name, I was terrified! What if you all forgot me? Well you didn’t! Plus you’ve spread the word even more because of the catchy new name and online shop. THANK YOU!!!

As a way to say “Thank you” for continuing to be cheerleaders and for your support for the past years, I want to give you a Coupon Code for you to use in my shop! It will be available for 15 percent off of any purchase made during the month of June, 2011. I hope you will take advantage of this sale. What a great time to go ahead and stock up on early Christmas presents and/or birthday presents.

So here it is: FIRSTBIRTHDAY

We all love a bargain, don’t we? Nothing peaks my interest more than getting a coupon code for one of my favorite stores!

Can I tell you how excited I am to finally be able to make Coupon Codes available at Lucy Doo??

Happy June!!

Lucy Doo is Even Better!!

2011-05-31T11:50:00.002-05:00

I know that I’ve not posted here in a while, but I’ve been a busy little beaver winding down my Spring Show schedule with Lucy Doo! Thanks to all of my cheerleaders out there for supporting Lucy Doo!! I’m so grateful!!

In addition to “Lucy Doo-ing” and my regular mom & wife duties, I’ve been adjusting things on my online shop in order to give you all discount codes! I’m SO excited!! What’s better than treating yourself to a new “pretty”? Getting that already affordable “pretty” with a DISCOUNT! Oh my goodness, I can’t stand it!!

Do you want to receive a discount code from Lucy Doo to be used the whole month of June?? Here’s how:

Visit my shop, look at all of my “pretties” and decide which ones you like best. Then……

either leave a comment here or

leave your comment on my Facebook page.

I’ll send you a discount code by the end of this week (just make sure you leave your email address!!)

Happy Tuesday!!

Dance Your Shoes Off

2011-04-13T11:10:00.001-05:00

Have you ever watched something that had you tapping your feet, singing along, and shedding tears all at the same time? Well, watch this video posted on YouTube from Second Baptist Church in Houston, Texas. It will truly inspire you to do something “different” and special for those less fortunate.

Let me know what you think! Makes you want to walk out of your shoes, doesn’t it?? LOVE it!

He is risen!! Celebrate Easter in a new and fresh way this year.

Watch for It! {Guest Post}

2011-04-10T14:51:00.002-05:00

This is one of the most special experiences I have ever been able to be a part of. I continually learn so much from my parents. They have the most incredible heart and are always watching for God’s hand in each and every situation. This post is in my mother’s own words. I witnessed this actually happen and we were all in tears….of joy, knowing that God guides and orchestrates the experiences of our lives. Sometimes we forget that. I know this post is long, but I hope you will read it and you will be inspired to watch for God’s hand in the daily things in your life.

I said…

I THINK I HAVE SOMETHING FOR YOU, SON. . .’

We own a commercial building in Louisiana that my Mother and Daddy purchased many years ago to be used as a church, pastored by my Uncle Howard. It was an Independent Baptist Church, as known in those parts. It had no “corporate identity” as such, but flourished as “my church” for many of the locals there.

Several years passed; my Mother and Dad passed away; my Uncle Howard passed away; and we told the folks there that they had free use of that building as long as they wanted it. I felt like that was what my Mother and Dad would want, because they had originally dedicated it to God. The little “country” church went through a period of declining attendance as its members either died off or moved away. Eventually it closed because no one was left.

It fell our lot to “clean out” the building and that’s where this truly amazing story really begins.

Among the several items left in the building when it closed were some hymnals, some Sunday School literature and some “kiddie”things -- colored papers of Bible characters, and two Bibles – one with the name Shawn D. Thompson* embossed on its cover and the other with no apparent identification. It looked like the people had just gotten up and left after a service one Sunday morning and took nothing with them.

My husband and I took the two Bibles with us, partially because it just didn’t seem right to leave them there, and partially because we had hopes of eventually locating their owners and returning their Bibles to them. That was almost 20 years ago.

What happened next is truly amazing.

As time passed we frequently would return to that sleepy town in Louisiana ever so often, and I would always take those Bibles with us, hoping to somehow find their owners.

Fast forward to January, 2011.

A few months ago my Uncle died and when we packed our car to head to Louisiana for his funeral, I took those Bibles with us one more time. I thought: ‘Surely I can find their owners this time.’ The funeral service itself was at the local funeral home and the burial was at the family Cemetery, located several miles out in the country. My Grandfather had fenced off a space on the old home place for a family cemetery.

After a beautiful graveside service with Military Honors, the small crowd began to return to their cars to leave, but some of us stayed back, talking with friends and relatives that we had not seen in years, and some we had never met.

I was talking to one dear elderly couple that I went to church with when I was a little girl, when I noticed this beautiful young girl standing nearby alone, and she appeared to be listening to what I was saying. I had noticed her earlier because she was so beautiful, but I did not know her. We made eye contact and smiled. She stood there a minute and appeared to be starting to leave. I reached out (without a doubt even this was a “God thing”!) And clutched her hand as I finished my conversation with that dear couple.

I turned to the young girl and introduced myself and said, ‘I don’t think I’ve met you.’ She replied, “I’m Sarah, Shawn’s girlfriend.” I was a little taken aback. And I said, ‘Did you say Shawn?’ She said, “Yes ma’am, that’s him standing right over there”, pointing to a tall, nice looking, well dressed young man, at least 6’ 5”, probably in his early to mid thirties. He was talking to my husband, and I said to Sarah, ‘I want to meet him.’

As Sarah introduced us, the young man extended his hand and said, “I’m Shawn D. Thompson.” I almost fell over! I immediately thought, “Could this be the Shawn Thompson, on the cover of that Bible in the car?” I said to him, ‘I think I have something that belongs to you, son.’ He said, “What on earth could that be, ma’am?” I replied, ‘A Bible with your name on it.’ He said, “I haven’t had a Bible since I was a small boy.”

By then my husband was headed out to our car to get the Bible we had retrieved from that little church so long ago, and when he came back with it I handed it to Shawn. He was immediately visibly shaken and as he looked at it, he clutched it to his chest and exclaimed, “My grandmother gave me this Bible when I was just a kid.” He began shaking noticeably, and he welled up with tears as he opened its cover and saw where he had written something in it so many years before.

I said, ‘Son, I think God definitely has a message for you in this.’ He replied, “Yes ma’am, I think you are right. I talk to Him pretty often but it’s kind of hard when you don’t have a Bible of your own.” Evidently Shawn left his Bible at that little church when his grandmother took him there when he was but a little boy.

Sarah was equally shocked as she saw all this and she said, “Surely this was a “divine appointment.” We all agreed.

I shudder to think ‘What if I hadn’t reached out for her hand? What if I hadn’t taken the Bible to that sleepy little Louisiana town that one more time? What if my husband and I had not retrieved the Bible from what was left in that little church when they disbanded? So many ‘What if’s !!

By then we were all in goose bumps and tears. I grabbed both Sarah and Shawn and I prayed for them, but I don’t remember the words of my prayer. Ironically, Sarah had earlier told my daughter, Sandi that she and Shawn had been discussing Bibles a couple of weeks prior, and he seemed noticeably sad when he told her that he didn’t have one.

Well, after that very emotional exchange and as we were leaving I laughingly told Shawn, ‘Son, you’d best take care of that Bible because I may not be around next time to rescue it for you.’ He said, “Yes, ma’am” as he again clutched it to his chest -– “I’m never going to lose it again, I’m taking care of this Bible.”

I forgot to mention another “twist” to this: Shawn D. Thompson is my cousin, Bobby’s son and I had never met him. Thank God for this “country cemetery encounter!” Yes, truly “a God thing! “ We will continue to pray for Shawn and Sarah as we thank God for that “divine appointment”. Yes, God does indeed works in mysterious ways!

As we left I couldn’t help but think of the story in II Timothy where God’s Word gives the account of Timothy’s grandmother Lois and her influence on his life. Shawn’s influence on his life was renewed and refreshed at our Uncle’s funeral, and it was obviously still very real -- long after her passing several years before. Now, Shawn has his Bible back.

THANK YOU , LORD, for the blessing of being a part of something so amazing.

SHIRLEY T. HAYMAN

*for privacy reasons, some names in this post have been changed.Please respect that this story is published with permission and should not be copied.

Cool Tool {Thrifty Thursday}

2011-04-07T16:13:00.002-05:00

Yes, we are part of the 2 million + Americans who carry credit card debt. We incurred it many years ago while living in another city and not forcing ourselves to live within our means…..unfortunately. Bad choice.

Since that time, we have been whittling down that debt slowly but surely. It just takes time.

Part of the reason for the delay is due to the higher interest rates that most often beset us….sadly.

I recently discovered a pretty neat tool to help you reduce the interest rate on credit cards. It is called NegotiateMyRate. Have you heard about this? It’s a super cool tool. They have scripts for you to use while talking with your credit card company. They offer a tremendous amount of tips to use when negotiating rates. TONS of info!

We’ve all seen those segments on the morning news shows that tell us all about how to lower our interest rates, I don’t know about you, but I don’t always have a piece of paper close by to write them down…..and I certainly don’t remember them after the segment ends!

And the tool it’s FREE!! (winner, winner, chicken dinner!!)

Why not give it a try? It certainly couldn’t hurt. Leave a comment and let me know what you think. Have you tried it? Any other tips on reducing your interest rates? Share, People, SHARE!! :-)

Living deliberately and intentionally,

The Fires in Kansas Got Personal

2011-04-04T14:42:00.002-05:00

No one ever wants to hear the words, “You have 5 minutes to GET OUT!!”. No time to get your belongings…..no clothes, no photos, no favorite toys, no keepsakes, no treasured heirlooms…..nothing….NO-THING. You only have time to grab your dogs and your laptop computer. That’s IT!

You see, my Sister-in-Law Kat has a sweet sister Kim who lives with her quiet, cowboy husband Red outside of Garden City, Kansas. They live on a ranch that has been in Red’s family for generations. The scenario I just described at the top of this post is not a horrible nightmare. It’s Red & Kim’s reality as of yesterday, April 3, 2011. You see a prairie fire triggered by, what they think was, lightening, grew rapidly to become a wall of fire 10 miles wide! Winds were blowing at incredible speeds which fed the fire truly like “wildfire”! The flames literally RAN across the prairie headed straight for Red & Kim’s home that they share with their precious children Annalisa (almost 11), J.C. (9), and Hadley (6). After the authorities allowed them to return to their home, this is what they found…

No words can describe this. They lost absolutely everything! My heart is breaking for them!!

I am about to POP with desire to help them!! They are going to have to try and replace everything. Pots, pans, toiletries, bedding, furniture, etc… Of course no amount of money can replace memories, photos, saddles & belt buckles earned over time that were planning on being passed down to the next generation. A little help will go a long way!

What can I do when I live thousands of miles away?? In addition to prayer, I can send GIFT CARDS!! I would absolutely LOVE to see an outpouring of gift cards from all over the country being sent to this family and to their community. What an amazing way to reach out to them and show them that others care.

If you can and feel the desire to send a Gift Card in any amount for Walmart, Target, or Sam’s, you can mail it to:

Red & Kim Miller

P.O. Box 459

Satanta, KS 67870

Let’s flood their mailbox with Gift Cards!

Thank you in advance for reaching out and for helping me be “Jesus with skin on”.

Expecting God’s best,

Free Family Fun

2011-03-17T15:42:00.002-05:00

When my husband and I got married 17+ years ago, he told me that I could pick out anything for our house that I wanted just as long as I didn’t mind if he watched college basketball!! Winner…winner…chicken dinner!!! Duh!!! He didn’t have to ask me twice!!

Each year, he has always made his “picks” and entered into a family pool with his brothers, cousins, etc… Well, this year, me and the kids decided to jump in on the action and make our own pool! It was so much fun listening to why each of us chose our teams.

On the Yahoo Sports page, you can make your own bracket at the tab "Tourney Pick “Em”. It’s free and easy!

Some of you might choose your teams based on seed placement, or type of mascot, or even by color! I just heard of someone who chose their teams last year based solely on team colors and they won the whole pool!!! Hillarious!!

So grab your family and get on the computer and make your own FREE pool!! You might even want to come up with your own prizes…maybe a treat like eating at your favorite restaurant, or even a small trophy! Make it fun for your family.

Not sure who will win our family’s pool, but it will sure mean bragging rights for the next year, I do know that much!

Go Ohio State!!! (not really sure why I picked them. I know absolutely no one who went there, but I hear they have a really good team! LOL!)

Enjoy your weekend!!

Our Sponge

2011-03-14T15:21:00.002-05:00

We have two children and their personalities seem to follow the birth order. Our son is the true first-born leader and strong personality. Our daughter is almost 11 and she is more reserved and quiet (until she gets to know you).

When our daughter was one year old, I asked our Pediatrician why she wasn’t talking much. He said that some children talk as they learn and others are more like sponges. She soaks it all in and then, one day when you least expect it, she will surprise you.

Our daughter is so sweet and kind. She wants everyone to be happy, so my husband and I have been praying that she will always have the courage to resist peer pressure.

A situation presented itself a few weeks ago that took us pleasantly by surprise.

Our daughter was at an event for a group she is involved with. At the end of the party, the other girls wanted to watch a particular movie and our daughter stood up for herself and for our family values. You see, we do not watch certain rated movies unless we all talk about them beforehand. Even then, there are very few of those movies that we would feel appropriate to watch. Isn’t that sad?? And when the other adult at the party tried to tell her that it would be fine to watch that movie, regardless of the rating, our daughter remained strong. She never gave in.

She really does absorb things like that sponge. And it’s so wonderful when you get to see your children hold strong to their beliefs regardless of the pressure. I pray that strength will continue as she grows. We’ve got those lovely teenage years on the horizon!

“Even a child is known by his actions, by whether his conduct is pure and right.”

Proverbs 20:11

Thankful mama,

A Tender Heart

2011-03-11T21:02:00.002-06:00

Do your children ever touch your heart so deeply that you have no words?

My 13 year old son has such a tender spot for the homeless people in the world. Several years ago, while living in another city, we started a tradition of focusing on others during Christmastime. We would see a homeless person standing on a street corner and buy them a fast-food meal. When we couldn’t stop, for whatever reason, our son would cry uncontrollably. We knew then that God created that tender spot…we just had to nurture it.

Since that time, we have seen him reach out for any opportunity to serve and help the homeless.

This is Webster. We met him Christmas morning when we began our Christmas Day feeding the homeless in downtown Houston. Webster has a college degree in Psychology….and was homeless. He made poor choices and was addicted to drugs and alcohol for 20+ years. He has turned his life over to Jesus Christ and now tries to make sure young men do not make those same choices.

When our son had the opportunity to join a Mime Team at our church, he jumped on it! Their team is able to present the Gospel to homeless men and women in a way that says more than words could ever say.

My son inspires me…..to be a better Christ-Follower…to be a better witness to others….to make godly choices….

I just thought that my children would always learn from me. I had no idea that I would learn so much from them.

”Sons are a heritage from the LORD, children a reward from him. Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are sons born in one's youth. Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them.”

Psalms 127:3-4

Blessed beyond words,

Need Help with Gas Prices? {Thrifty Thursday}

2011-03-09T22:56:00.002-06:00

What in the WORLD is going on with gas prices?? I drive an SUV and the gas prices right now are not helping me be thrifty these days!!

Recently, while taking a trip out of town, my husband and I discovered a helpful application on my smart phone called Gasbuddy. If you don’t have a smart phone, you can just use their website. Easy, peasy.

Look! You can search for gas prices in your area and their site is very easy to use.

After you select your search area, you can sort by closest gas station or by price.

As you can see, you can also search by your preferred grade of gasoline.

Before we used this app, we stopped at a gas station that wanted $3.75 per gallon. By using this app, we paid $3.55 per gallon just down the road! 20 cents a gallon in a 30 gallon tank adds up roughly $6…that’s a decaf vanilla latte with soy, 2 Splenda’s, extra hot…and some change to spare!

Living deliberately and intentionally,

Platinum Party Time {Thrifty Thursday}

2011-03-02T23:17:00.002-06:00

Do you know what your “Golden Birthday” is? It’s the birthday when the date of your birthday matches your age. For me, it was a VERY long time ago!

Well, I am the mom of a Sa-WEET daughter (and one pretty smart son) and in just a couple of months, she will have a very special birthday. We call it her “Platinum Birthday” because not only will she become 11 on the 11th day of the month, but it’s 2011!! That’s extra-extra special, if you ask me!!

We’ve got some time before her birthday, but for a Platinum birthday, we have to do something amazing and memorable (yet still affordable) for her, don’t ‘cha think?

Will you help me come up with some ideas?

For this week’s linky party, let’s share any posts you have about birthday parties! Boy or girl…any age….doesn’t matter. Share, share, share!!! I’m SO excited to see what ideas you have!! Please don’t keep them a secret!!

Blessings,

You Can Afford Free{Giveaway}{Thrifty Thursday}

2011-02-23T21:10:00.002-06:00

****Giveaway Winner is Cathy B of ProjectHope7!!!****

I am SO excited because today is my very first blog linky party!! I hope you will join me! (see instructions at the bottom of this post)

As you can probably tell by now, I am a coupon FANATIC!! It’s gotten to where now, after trying to be so thrifty this year, that I absolutely despise paying full price for anything!

Did you know that there are specials “out there” that just go unnoticed? I’ve always known of the traditional way to get coupons (newspaper) or print them online, but after doing some research, there are GOBS of coupons for the taking! You just have to know where to look.

Most of you have probably heard by now of Groupon. It is a site that will notify you of any coupons in your designated area. The whole idea is that when you purchase in bulk, you save! Groupon will pre-determine the number of “takers” it will need in order to offer a particular special, so if that number of people in your area buy that “groupon”, then you save money!

For example, today, there is a coupon for a Lifetime Membership and Two Classes at My Gym Children’s Fitness Center for only $39 (instead of the normal rate of $116.20!).

They post lots of coupons every day! Sign up for their free savings today!

I also found these sites for rebates, promo codes, and other coupons. Check them out

Ebates- they post online rebates and deals from over 1.200 stores.

Retail Me Not- this site is amazing! They post online coupon codes for over 60.000 stores!

Coupon Mountain- another site that posts online promo codes and online coupons.

Coupon Cabin- right now they have 151.118 online coupon codes and specials posted!

Coupon Code-another great site for online promo codes.

Did you even KNOW there were so much savings out there?? I wish I had known about this before Christmas!! I hate to think of the money I threw away by not taking advantage of sales. {sniff,sniff}

****GIVEAWAY****

I WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!! Let’s link up! As a “thank you” for joining my first linky party, I’m giving away one…

$20 value

To enter this giveaway:

{1} Leave a comment {one entry}

and/or

{2} Link a Thrifty tip, recipe, or project {make sure you follow the Party Guidelines, please}- you may enter more than once if you prefer! {one entry per link}

How to join in the Party (a few guidelines)?

Write a Thrifty Post on your blog about any Thrifty tip, recipe, or project that you'd like to share. Then add your link by clicking on the blue frog at the bottom of my Thrifty Thursday post each week.

Grab my Party button and add it to your actual blog post, not your home page, please.

After the Party is over, I’ll choose a winner randomly and then showcase the most popular posts!

So visit around, leave some comments....you might just discover some new blogs to follow!!

I can't wait to see what you all share!!

Easy Orange Chicken

2011-02-21T22:27:00.000-06:00

My children absolutely LOVE Orange Chicken from Panda Express. I have been on a quest to find an easy recipe that tastes the same. Do you KNOW how many Orange Chicken recipes are out there?? I've tried many of them, much to my family's chagrin.

I saw this recipe in the HomeLife Magazine available at my church this past week. It looked so yummy! I did make some modifications to it to suit our family's taste. I hope you like it!

Ingredients:
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, each cut into 6-8 pieces
2 tbsp. mayonnaise
1 cup bread crumbs
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
2 tbsp. soy sauce
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup white vinegar
1/2 cup orange juice, divided
2 tbsp. water
1 tbsp. cornstarch
Directions:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Spray baking sheet with non-stick coating. In a medium bowl, mix chicken pieces with mayonnaise and 1/4 cup orange juice. In a flat dish, stir together bread crumbs, salt, and pepper. Dip coated chicken pieces in bread crumbs and place on baking sheet. Bake 8-10 minutes or until golden brown and crispy. While chicken is baking, make the orange sauce. In a small saucepan, whisk together soy sauce, sugar, vinegar, and 1/4 cup orange juice. Bring to a simmer. In a small bowl, whisk together water and cornstarch and then whisk into simmering liquid. Whisk and simmer 1 minute, until thickened. Serve baked chicken pieces with orange sauce either as a dip or drizzled over chicken.

This dish was a huge hit with my family! It's so super quick and easy. Serve with your favorite sidedish and fresh green veggie and you're good to go! Enjoy!

Real Life {Thrifty Thursday} on Friday

2011-02-18T06:50:00.001-06:00

When we began Thrifty Thursday almost 2 months ago, I promised to be transparent on this journey to be “thrifty”. Well, this has been one of those “let’s back up and start over” kind of weeks!

I had great plans for the post this week……but……life happened!

My husband (who never really travels) has been out of town all week. The children’s schedule for schoolwork and extra-curricular activities has been gruesome (why does everything always seem to be due all at once??). 3 days of work for Lucy Doo, etc…… Normally, we would just push on through and everything would get done. BUT…

…I’ve been sick. Oh my goodness! Not fun! No sleep because of a cough. Ugh! Calling the doctor AGAIN today!! (pray for me, will you?)

SO, looking forward to next week’s post, I want to hear from YOU!! Have you found something that helps your family stick within your budget? Have you figured out some fun family activities to do that don’t cost a lot of money? Anything Thrifty!! If you have a blog, write a post about it NEXT THURSDAY. Let’s have a carnival and talk about it!

Mark your calendars for next Thursday and we’ll have our first blog carnival. It will be fun!!

Have a great weekend and DRINK LOTS of VITAMIN C!! Too many bugs going around these days.

Blessings,

Trash to Treasure {Thrifty Thursday}

2011-02-09T22:59:00.001-06:00

Actually, this week you already had a Thrifty project in those adorable Valentine’s Day pillows {read about it here}. I hope some of you copied that idea because it is SO easy!!

Did you notice that cute chalkboard sign?

My sweet real-life friends Kristen (We are THAT family) and Amanda (The Eck Life) made it! They bought some old tin trays at a garage sale, painted them with chalkboard paint and transformed them into something useful for today! I bought mine from Kristen at her “indoor garage sale” last year after she returned from her Compassion trip to Kenya.

I used my 40 percent off coupon at Hob Lob and bought the Chalk Bistro Markers (4 pack). They write so plain on the chalkboards and they don’t smear!

I had an issue recently with those markers, however. I could not erase them off of matte chalkboard finishes. I tried EVERYTHING from rubbing alcohol to nail polish remover, and even GooBeGone. Nothing worked! Then a friend suggested the Magic Eraser! I’ve never really used one because I thought it was a scam, but not anymore! It WORKED!!

So, look around your house, or get up EARLY on a Saturday morning to go Garage Sale-ing, and find some old trays and transform them into a nifty sign you can use for just about anything.

Living like no one else now so we can live like no one else later,

Valentine’s Adorable Pillow Project

2011-02-08T10:46:00.001-06:00

My front porch is a place that I love to make beautiful. It’s the first thing friends see when they walk up to my home.

Needless to say, after all of the Christmas decorations were put away, my porch just looked tired and sad. Don’t you think so?

I bought these pillows probably 3 or 4 years ago at Garden Ridge.

BORING!!!!

They need a facelift.

I went to my local Hob Lob and found this precious fabric that could be used throughout the Spring. Do you like it?

My mother is an amazing seamstress! She learned from her mother who used to make her own patterns out of newspaper! She would just see a dress in the store, come home and cut a pattern, and then make it beautifully for my mom. My mom has that same talent. I, on the other hand, have sewn a few things over the years, but this is an area that has really intimidated me. But I wasn’t going to let that stop me. My porch needed me in it’s time of crisis!!

I researched online how to make an Envelope Pillow Cover and found step-by-step instructions on About.Com. They explained everything.

The steps were SO clear!

Ta-Da!!!!

That’s great for everyday, but I wanted to spice it up a bit more for Valentine’s Day, but on a budget. I went to Dollar Tree and bought a bag of 300 silk rose pedals for a buck! Then, I cut out my heart pattern out of newspaper (my Mamaw would be so proud), and found some extra fabric I had leftover from a skirt that I tried to make many, many years ago. After cutting my heart shape out of the fabric, I hot glued the rose pedals onto the heart.

So I can remove the heart after Valentine’s Day, I just pinned my new heart appliqué to the pillows. Voi-la!!!! So now my porch is showing a little LOVE!

Why don’t you share some love today?

{heart},

Want to Treat Yourself?

2011-02-04T11:38:00.001-06:00

It’s February!! The LOVE month!! February is so much fun. I love all of the hearts, candy, and sweets that are in the stores. We all seem to get “cheesy” this time of year, don’t we? What other time of the year can you give your 13 year-old son a stuffed animal and he likes it!

February is also a good time to treat yourself to something pretty! There’s no need to get out in the cold to shop in the stores! You can shop at my online store! Everything in my store is $20 or less! You can’t beat that!! You will look like you spent more money than you did. That’s my goal! Isn’t that cool?

My online store has been updated with so many new necklaces, bracelets, earrings, and much more! Want to take a peak?

Necklaces:

Pendants:

This one is reversible!

Bracelets:

Earrings:

Believe me, these are just a “taste” of what I have at my store! You might even want to put a “bug” in your husband’s ear that you would like TREAT from Lucy Doo for Valentine’s Day!! I offer FREE SHIPPING within the Continental United States. What a deal!!

I’d appreciate you leaving a comment to give me some feedback! If there is something you’d like to see in my store, let me know!

Enjoy your hibernation! It’s brrrrrrr cold out there!!

Blessings,

Affordable Dinner Idea {Thrifty Thursday}

2011-02-03T16:51:00.001-06:00

If you’re like me, you’re always looking for a delicious, yet affordable, dinner idea for your family. Given the fact that we are expected to be “snowed in” here in Texas tomorrow, I thought I’d share one of our favorite one-dish-dinners that’s easy on the pocketbook.

Bowtie Pasta with Roasted Veggies & Chicken

2 Yellow Squash

2 Zucchini Squash

1 Sweet onion

2 Red Bell Pepper

Shredded Carrots

Bowtie Pasta, cooked

2 Chicken Breasts, cooked with Italian seasoning and chopped (can use rotisserie chicken)

Parmesan cheese

Thinly slice all vegetables and place on 2 baking sheets. Drizzle with Extra Virgin Olive Oil, salt & pepper, and Italian seasonings. Place in 400 degree oven for approximately 20-30 minutes or until roasted. Set aside.

Combine cooked pasta, chopped chicken, and roasted veggies in a large bowl. Stir with parmesan cheese to desired consistency.

You can cook the chicken and veggies beforehand and just toss together with the cooked pasta and parmesan just before serving. This recipe makes a lot so you can have leftovers!

My family begs for this recipe often. I hope yours does too! Let me know what you think. Stay warm, everyone!

Enjoy!

Super Easy Ice Cream Dessert

2011-01-28T20:03:00.001-06:00

Are you ever looking for a simple dessert to take to a friends’ house? This recipe is one of our family favorites and it is SO simple to make!

You will need:

2 boxes of Ice Cream Sandwiches (unwrapped)

1 large container of Cool Whip (or your favorite dairy topping)

Chocolate Syrup (and/or Caramel sauce)

In a 9”x13” dish, cover the bottom of dish with a single layer of the sandwiches. Cover them with a layer of Cool Whip. Drizzle with chocolate syrup. Repeat layers. Place in freezer overnight or for at least 4 hours until dessert sets. When ready to serve, let thaw slightly (it will be easier to cut).

I hope you enjoy this recipe. When served, it looks like you spent more time preparing it than you actually did! I LOVE those kind of treats!!

Happy Weekend!

Out to Eat. It’s Still IN for the Thrifty. {Thrifty Thursday}

2011-01-27T10:03:00.001-06:00

If you’re like our family, you can easily rack up a large bill(s) eating out. Fast food, eat-in restaurants, or your favorite gourmet steakhouse. The money can easily get away from you when you go out to eat. But you don’t have to give it all up to live on a budget.

There are restaurants where we like to go. It’s just a matter of how frequent, the day/time you go, and what you order. We have figured out the best times to go, what coupons might be available, what prices might be best.

For example, we enjoy going out to Sunday lunch after church with our friends. Frequently, we go to a Mexican restaurant close to our home called Rico’s. On Sundays, kids eat free at Rico’s. So….two orders of kids’ quesadillas (no beans, double rice!), 1 order of lunch fajitas, which my husband and I split, an order of Queso , and waters to drink….total bill, including tax and tip….less than $20. Not bad, huh?

Another restaurant we like is Sweet Tomatoes, a soup and salad bar. We signed up for their “Club” and get coupons online every two weeks or so. One of the coupons we receive often is for $19.99 for a family of four, as long as you eat Monday-Thursday, after 4:00 p.m. If all of us drink water, the total bill with tax is about $21.

Finally, we have a local Domino’s Pizza near our home. They’re “all the time” carry-out special is 2 Medium, 2 Topping pizzas for $13. That’s plenty of food for our family. A great weekend meal.

So that’s three nights eating out for less than $55 TOTAL for a family of four! That’s what I’m talking about!

I’m sure there are many other restaurants in your area that offer ways for your family to enjoy eating out and stay on budget. Please leave a comment and share them with me. I’m excited to read about your ideas!

Living deliberately and intentionally,

The Lord’s Day

2011-01-23T10:36:00.001-06:00

“This is the day the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it.”

Psalm 118:24

A Cool Budget Tool {Thrifty Thursday}

2011-01-20T06:36:00.001-06:00

This week, I’d like to pass along a tool that has really helped us to stay within our budget. It is The Grocery Game…

The Grocery Game is a plan for shopping that allows you to take advantage of coupons both in your weekly newspaper as well as the online downloads from your grocery store. You choose the store(s)! The idea is that you buy when the prices are at their lowest and pair that with coupons.

Do you see the percentages next to the items in the list? That is the percentage discount off of the original price. I usually only buy those items that are at least 60-70% off and then plan my meals accordingly.

Our local grocery store offers digital coupons that can downloaded to our Plus Card and receive additional discounts on items. You can use these in addition to the clipped coupons from the newspaper! Bonus!! Also, any coupon $.40 or less can be doubled. Another way to save extra money!!

When I first started The Grocery Game, I felt overwhelmed at the thought of figuring and planning my grocery shopping. I’m all about a sale, but give me a break! You see the whole idea is to stock up on items you use often when they’re at their lowest price. Then, you just fill in on other items as you need them. Sounded great and all, but I just didn’t know if it would work. Clipping coupons was not high on my list…. until one day I was watching the checker process all of my items at the register and my heart began racing. You see, I was at the beginning of my “stockpile” so I had 2 carts full of groceries (cereal, shampoo, laundry detergent, meat, etc…). The total on the screen began to creep up to almost $450. I was about to hyperventilate. I handed the lady my coupons and, miraculously, my total began to go down and down and down…. to my final amount of $224 and some change !!! Woo-hoo!! Amazing!!! From that day on, I was a Grocery Gamer!!

Some things I’ve learned while “playing” the Grocery Game are:

1. Not every week has oodles and oodles of sales with multiple items marked way, way down. Just be patient. There is a cycle to the sales and after you’ve played for a while, you’ll begin to notice the cycle.

2. Buy multiple Sunday newspapers and keep the coupon “packs” intact marked with that Sunday’s date. I keep mine in an accordion folder so that when the Grocery Game list tells me what date the coupons were issued, all I have to do is go to that coupon section and cut only that coupon out. No need to cut all of them out and file them away. That takes too much unnecessary time!

3.Stock up on as many items as you can get for the number of coupons you have. You may buy 6 bottles of shampoo and pay less than $.50 each. I have an “overstock” cabinet in our Master Bathroom, a separate “overstock” cabinet in our laundry room, and an extra “overstock” shelf in our kitchen pantry. Just get creative. You’ll find places to store your stock.

4. Check your local grocery store to see if they have a coupon swap basket where other customers have left coupons they do not need. They are free for you to take! (just leave some of your unnecessary ones in return).

It will take a month or 6 weeks to build up your stockpile, so be patient. It will definitely be worth it. There is a slight cost to be a member. It’s about $10 for 8 weeks which is $1.25 per week. Two weeks ago, we saved over $80. You’ll make your money back.

If you do decide to try it, would you be so kind as to put my name as a referral? I’d love hear your money-saving tips. Leave a comment and share.

Living deliberately and intentionally,

You CAN Live on a Budget! {Thrifty Thursday}

2011-01-13T07:43:00.001-06:00

Remember last week our family set a two-week expense goal of $700 to live on. We started the first two-week period on Friday, December 31, 2010.

Our first two-week tally?: $690.18!

We spent $95 on gas, $75 on restaurants, and $520 on groceries and other domestic expenses (like newspapers [for coupons], lunch money for school,etc.). This two-week period was tough because we had school projects (remember Wax Museum?), a volleyball tournament (on the other side of the city), plus our annual New Year’s Day, football-watching, food-stuffing extravaganza in which to account.

THE most important thing that helped us was planning. This includes activities as well as meals. If you are trying to juggle kids’ activities, your own social calendar, and the inevitable unplanned things that come up, you know what happens, right? You start getting to know drive-thru fast food personnel on a first-name basis….”I’ll have that #1 right out for you, ma’am”… and there are not many family meals around the kitchen table anymore. Not good.

Here is a snapshot of some of the savings we’ve been able to achieve at our local grocery store. Next week, I’ll give you the specifics as to how to get those discounts yourself and maximize your grocery shopping, minimizing your bill!

Do you have any tips you’d like to share? Let’s link up next week, okay?

Living like no one else,

A Fun Night for 5th Graders

2011-01-11T21:14:00.001-06:00

Tonight, we attended a really fun night at our daughter’s school. It was called Wax Museum! Each student is allowed to choose a famous person, conduct research on their life, and then dress as that person. They are to “come to life” on this one night and share what they have learned with their family and friends.

Two years ago, when my son was in 5th grade, my daughter began planning who she would be for Wax Museum. She decided then that she wanted to be……Shirley Temple! Not only is Shirley Temple absolutely adorable, but there is special family significance for the name Shirley Temple.

She didn’t want to wear the typical Shirley Temple “Cheer Me Up” polka dot dress. She decided on “The Little Princess”.

(Her inspiration)

And here she is!!

The doll she is holding was given to her when she was 1 year old by her grandparents. I made the muff and fuzzy collar. My mom had the hat and spray painted it black. A fun project!

We had so much fun making her hair curly!! (Did you know that the real Shirley Temple actually had 52 curls??)

Their presentations were on laptops. (just 2 years ago, my son used a Tri-board! Technology is EVERYWHERE!!) They built a timeline of the character’s lives, designed a stamp that represented their character, and held a “question-and-answer session” with their character. Pretty neat!

Some of the other characters represented tonight were……

David Livingston

Amelia Earheart

And Davy Crockett!

I had SO much fun helping my daughter transform into Shirley Temple!! I hope enjoyed a little look-see into our life tonight!

Blessings,

Introducing Thrifty Thursday!!

2011-01-05T23:07:00.001-06:00

Last week I told you all about 4 very important goals for our family in 2011. I’m excited to share ideas with you each week in a series I am calling Thrifty Thursday!!

Each Thursday, either my husband or I (or both of us) will share real-life experiences of “living like no one else now, so we can live like no one else later”. I hope you will find them helpful in your own life.

My husband and I have been married for 17 years and it has been a process to come to where we are today. We have had many, many conversations about our finances….some good and some….not so good.

We are excited that 2011 is going to be the year that we make a difference in the way we “do life”! Every Thursday, we will pass along great ways that we have made a difference in our family.

During this first post, I actually want to focus on Goal #4 “Giving Ourselves Away”. My real-life special friend Kristen from We Are THAT Family, as you may or may not know, travelled to Kenya last year with Compassion International. From reading her blog, you can tell that her life was changed on that trip. Since that time, she and her husband have been in the process of opening a maternity home in Kenya called The Mercy House. The Mercy House is going to forever change the lives of the young girls and women in Kenya. I’m excited to see how God is going to use The Mercy House for HIS glory.

We are so excited, in fact, that Lucy Doo wants to be an active participant in ministering in Kenya through the Mercy House. Therefore, for the entire year 2011, Lucy Doo will donate 25 percent of all online sales to Mercy House! All you have to do is mention “Mercy House” when placing your order! Easy as pie!

Thank you for helping us lend God’s children in Africa a helping hand.

Living for God deliberately and intentionally,

Welcoming 2011{My Own Hope in Change}

2010-12-31T21:04:00.001-06:00

Another year has come and gone. That would be 40?? for me and none of them the same. As always, there were incredible days where I enjoyed the blessings of God and the fruit of His Spirit. Other days, not so much. I know the reason was me and not Him and that there are things that I and my family can do to keep the closeness that He desires.

One of those things is in the area of finances. {just being transparent here} I can’t tell you how many horror stories I have heard and continue to hear about people putting themselves (their family, their marriage, their friendships, their careers) at risk by how they manage the money God has given to them.

God has blessed our family with two great careers. My husband is a Senior Environmental Engineer with an Oil & Gas Company. And, of course, I have Lucy Doo! However, we both feel that we need to be better stewards of God’s provision in our life. So…

…we have committed to living on as small a budget as we possibly can. For us that is $700 every 2 weeks. That includes gas, groceries, out to eat, clothes, movies, Starbucks (Lord, help me!), Orange Leaf (a local yogurt shop), home decor “treats”, etc.

There are 4 reasons for doing this:

1) Life simplification – we need to slow down, have more family dinners at the dinner table and not after we pass the drive through.

2) Debt reduction – we have too much debt. No more! Its not worth the eventual pain and sorrow that always follows the euphoria of the immediate.

3) Memories – Living on a strict budget doesn’t mean we won’t enjoy a luxury item every now and then. But we will delay gratification until we can afford it {as Dave Ramsey says, “Live like no one else now so we can live like no one else later!”}. We’re treating Saving as a bill that must be paid every month.

4) Giving ourselves away – There are people that are hurting that we can help if we’ll be a little unselfish (actually a lot unselfish!). Check back soon for more about how Lucy Doo will go the “extra mile” in 2011.

I’m looking forward to seeing what 2011 holds for our family. Check back often as we testify to God’s goodness and faithfulness in our lives.

Expecting God’s absolute BEST,

A Christmas Tour

2010-12-28T13:41:00.001-06:00

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from our family to yours!!

Don’t you just love the “Merry Christmas Y’all” phrase on my front door? Can you tell we live in the south?

This is our main Christmas Tree. It holds all of our very special ornaments. Each year, our tradition is for each of us to choose a new ornament that represents our year or something we love. It’s fun to unwrap each one from storage and notice the year we bought it written on each one. Our tree is getting pretty full!

Several years ago, my parents gave us a very special ornament to hang on our tree. It is “The Christmas Nail”. It is always the first one my husband hangs on our tree. It represents what Christmas means to us as believers and as a family.

This is the Christmas Nail. It is to be hung on a sturdy branch near the trunk, a branch that will hold such a spike without being noticed by well-wishers dropping by to admire one’s tinseled tree. The nail is known only to the home that hangs it. Understood only by the heart that knows its significance. It is hung with the thought ‘the Christmas tree but foreshadows the Christ-tree which only He could decorate for us, ornamented with nails as this.’”

I share this with you so that you can pass along this tradition in your family. It is such a reminder to our children and to us that Christmas is not about gifts, but about our Savior who was born so long ago in Bethlehem.

One of our special friends from Austin made this beautiful ceramic Nativity for us 17 years ago for our wedding present. What a keepsake.

We have trees everywhere! This one is my 13- year old son’s tree. Lots of trucks, trains, & now sports.

And my daughter has one in her room too! Many angels, elves, and cute animals live on her tree.

We have a very special tree upstairs in the hallway and it holds all of our children's’ handmade ornaments from school. Oh my goodness, there are treasures there!!

I found these great plates at Walmart this season and decided to attach them in the center of some of my wreaths for added beauty.

Something I started doing many years ago, was to buy a new Christmas frame each year and display that year’s Christmas card photo for us to enjoy all season. My, my have my children grown!!

This Christmas season, I hope you’ve been able to enjoy time with your family and friends. I wish you God’s richest blessings in the New Year 2011!!

Expecting great things,

A Lovely Christmas Tradition

2010-12-12T21:56:00.001-06:00

My real-life friend Amanda hosts a lovely Christmas Tea every year on a Sunday afternoon in December. She truly has the gift of entertaining and decorating. Not only is her home beautiful, but so is Amanda, inside and out!

This afternoon my daughter and I were delighted to attend the Tea. It was my daughter’s first time to go. What a treat! Bridget from Bake at 350 was there and I always enjoy spending time with her. Amanda’s friend Christa has written a beautiful blog post to showcase the Tea Party. These photos belong in a magazine! Prepare to be inspired!!

It’s beginning to FEEL a lot like Christmas after today!! Thank you, Amanda, for inviting us to your Tea Party. It truly was delightful!

Christmas blessings,

Exciting News from Lucy Doo!

2010-11-28T21:32:00.000-06:00

Hi there, blog friends!! I know it’s been a long time since I checked in with all of you. I’m sorry!! As you know, I own my own jewelry business and it’s kept me quite busy this Fall. I’m so very thankful!

Would you like to see what I’ve been up to"?

For the past 8 years, I’ve been privileged to be a participant in the Christmas Spectacular at First Baptist Church in Georgetown, Texas. It has grown to be one of the top Christmas shows in the Austin area! If you live anywhere near Austin, you HAVE to save the date for November 10-12, 2011! It is SO worth your time to come! Check out their website and save it to your “Favorites”!

Then, last week, I had a BLAST at the Junior League of North Harris & South Montgomery Counties Holiday Market. Oh…my…goodness…..was that fun!!!! So festive and a great variety of vendors! Great job, Ladies!!!

This was my first time to be a vendor there so I had no idea what to expect.

On the last day of the Market, 3 ladies from the Junior League were waiting to talk with me. I had no idea what they needed and I was a bit nervous, being the rookie on the block.
Well…… they were there to present me with the Best In Show Award!!! Woo-Hoo!!! To say that I was shocked would be an understatement!! Can’t wait until next year, November 4-6, 2010.

I don’t know what I’d do without my special friends! I call them my “sisters by choice” because they truly are like my sisters!!

Michelle, Jennifer, & Kelly rocked the house at the Preview Night!

Here I am with Kim and Ashley. My precious friend Kim came all the way from South Carolina to help me! And Ashley was such a trooper after having 7 stitches put in her finger only days before. (keep her in your prayers)

I appreciate you carving out time for me last week, Michelle, Jenn, Kel, Ash, & Kim! I will never forget it!! It’s truly a blessing to have good friends like you!

It is so nice to dream up something in your head and trust that you are following God’s plan and then have others appreciate it. I never dreamed that my little card table of silver jewelry 11 years ago would bring me to this point today. God is good!!! All the time!!!

Blessed,

I’ve Been Scolded…

2010-10-18T12:29:00.001-05:00

…..by my child!!

Last night, we were having our family devotional. This is something that we try and do every night, but it doesn’t always happen. We read a lesson out of Sticky Situations:2, by Betsy Schmitt . We love that book!

We then went around and took turns praying. {no names will be given to protect the innocent. LOL!} One of my children prayed the way they usually do, thanking God for the day, asking Him to give them a great day at school tomorrow, and asking for protection from bad dreams while they sleep, among some other things. Nothing wrong with that at all.

The next child prayed…..more of a sermon…..talking to God about the qualities that make Him God, asking for blessing on specific prayer requests, and so on.

My husband was gone, so it was my turn.

I prayed thanking God for my family and for the amazing things He is doing in the lives of my children; talking to Him about how excited I am to see the plan that He has in store for them; thanking Him for a godly husband who strives to lead our family in the ways of God; asking God to protect my husband’s job and asking Him to help my husband me a success according to His measuring stick. And then, I went on to thank God for my jewelry business, Lucy Doo, and asking Him to bless it and send me lots of customers. Then my prayer ended the usual way, asking God to help my children live a “healthy, happy, and holy life” (as our amazing former Pastor Dr. J. Kie Bowman prayed over our children when they were little).

Well, then it happened, the child who prayed basically a sermon, proceeded to ask the other child, “Why do you say the same things in your prayers every night?” (that didn’t go over so well, as you can imagine!) I immediately asked {child} not to make {sibling} feel as if their prayer was not good enough and explained that we all mature at different speeds and that as long as they were talking to God from their heart, that’s what matters.

I just thought it was over………..

…..until I was tucking {my child} in bed a few minutes later. {My child} said, “Mom, why was it wrong that I commented on {sibling}’s prayer?” I said, “Because you don’t need to be judgmental about the way others pray.” {Child} went on, “but we’re not supposed to ask God for selfish things. We’re supposed to pray for others and for God to reach others through us”. Thinking they were still talking about {sibling}’s prayer, I said, “You just don’t need to criticize the way {Sibling} prays. Just ask God to teach them how to pray through your example.” Then {Child} said, “Mom, I wasn’t talking about {sibling}! I was talking about YOU!!

W.H.A.T.???? {Child} said, “You asked God to send customers to Lucy Doo and you’re not supposed to do that because it’s selfish.” I went on to try and explain that I wasn’t asking for selfish reasons. I want God to bless Lucy Doo so that I can help provide for our family. The Bible says in James 4:3, “You have not because you ask with wrong motives.” I think God wants us to ask for His blessing on our jobs when our motives are to honor Him with our work, don’t you?

This experience was a good reminder that our kids are listening to our words and our prayers! I’d love get your feedback!

Praying Mom,

Bundle of Sticks

2010-10-09T13:03:00.001-05:00

Have you ever experienced something that changed the way you think about family? I have.

Many years ago, I couldn’t understand why I did not get a “career job” right out of college. I had a fantastic degree from Baylor University, but no job. I lived at home with my parents after graduation for a few months. My mother is an only child and her sweet mother suddenly suffered a massive stroke in Southeast Louisiana. Guess what? I could just drop everything and leave in the middle of the night with my mom to go and be with my grandparents. We were able to spend 6 amazing days with my sweet Mamaw until she went to be with Jesus. Things became perfectly clear to me. The reason I didn’t get a job right out of college……was so I could be with my family during a really tough time.

I remember one afternoon, my Papaw, who had an elementary education, no teeth, and the sweetest disposition you could ever imagine, leaned over to his precious wife of over 50 years and said with a cracked voice and tears in his eyes, “We be one, Baby, we be one.” I looked at him and words came out of my mouth that I did not remember thinking (God gave me those words, I know). I said, “Papaw, we’re like a bunch of sticks. You can break one easily, but when you put that stick with others, you can’t break them.”

A few days later, at my grandmother’s funeral, my mom wanted the florist to put a bundle of sticks in the flowers in the family flowers. Only 6 short months later, we were attending my beloved Papaw’s funeral…..there was also had a bundle of sticks in his family flowers as a reminder that our family will continue to “stick” together.

My mother gave both my brother and I our very own bundle of sticks as a reminder that our family bond is strong and nothing can break us.

So why don’t you gather up some sticks from your area, or even a craft store, tie them together with twine, and sit down with your family and share the story of the sticks. It will be something that will set the stage for the theme of your home…..you’re a team and your bond cannot be broken.

“…a cord of three strands is not quickly broken.” - Ecclesiastes 4:12

Share with me who is in your bundle of sticks? Precious family members? Special friends? Your church family?

Blessings,

Life and Times of Junior High- Volume 2

2010-10-08T00:01:00.001-05:00

It has now begun…..some girls think my son is cool! How do we know?? We woke up last Saturday morning to this:

They did a pret-ty good job. Our neighbor said he saw “the culprits” and it was a carload of G.I.R.L.S.!!

One of my son’s friends had a birthday party and wanted to “TP” (or as we used to say in the good ‘ole days, “wrap”) our house and another friend’s house. It was so funny listening to our son try and figure out who did it. Was it random? Did they confuse our house with our next-door neighbor who is a high school cheerleader? Then, he went to church on Sunday and were talking about it. The “guilty” couldn’t hold it in any longer. They smiled and gave it all away!

Well, like my brother said, “At least it wasn’t a carload of boys!” LOL!

I wish I could have been listening to all of giggles that night.

One of my friends asked me if I was okay with this happening. It seemed as if she would have been a bit ticked, to say the least. But I told her that this was all in good, clean fun and I didn’t have a problem with it. (especially since my son was going to clean it up!!)

He and his friend cleaned it up (without complaining, I might add). Now THAT’s a good friend!!

All I have to say about this is……payback will be so much fun!!!!!!

Enjoying life,

Finally, It’s Fall

2010-10-01T07:24:00.001-05:00

We live in Texas. It’s HOT in Texas!! There is no such thing as 4 seasons. We have 2 seasons: HOT and NOT SO HOT. And this year, we added a 3rd season (mid-August through mid-September)…SPONTANEOUS COMBUSTION! Summer of 2010 will go down in my family as the Summer-That-Wouldn’t-End!! Just early last week, we had temps in the upper 90s! Ca-Razy!!

Finally, this week, we had a taste of Fall. Our highs have only been in the 80s. Fall decorations are popping up everywhere in our “Mayberry”. Gorgeous!!

Time to de…co…rate and bake some delicious Fall-like desserts!!

One of our favorite recipes to enjoy this time of year is a recipe from my friend Kim in South Carolina. I hope you enjoy it as much as we do.

Margaret’s Pumpkin Cake

4 eggs 2 tsp. baking soda
2 C. sugar 1 tsp. baking powder
1 C. butter, melted 2 tsp. cinnamon
2 C. flour 1 (16-oz.) can pumpkin
1/2 tsp. salt
Icing:
1 stick butter, softened 1 box powdered sugar
8 oz. cream cheese, softened Dash of vanilla

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Combine 4 eggs, sugar, melted butter, and beat well. Add flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, and cinnamon and mix well. Mix in pumpkin. Butter and flour cake pans. Bake 25 to 30 minutes for small cake pans or 50 minutes for a bundt pan. Cool cakes and ice. To make icing: Mix together butter, cream cheese, powdered sugar and vanilla.

This is the perfect fall dessert!

Life and Times of Junior High- Volume 1

2010-09-30T21:29:00.001-05:00

Wow! have times changed since I was in Junior High!! Growing up on South Mississippi, the biggest thing we had to think about was how was I going to get my hair to stay fluffy instead of falling flat by the time I got to school. I didn’t wear makeup until High School! Those were the days….

My son is now a 7th grader and his world has changed. :-(

School has now been in session for over a month now and since the beginning, he’s been telling me, “Mom, it’s different!” I thought I understood what that meant…..until…..I was a volunteer at the 7th/8th Grade S.O.C.I.A.L.!! Oh…..my…..GOSH! I could not believe my eyes!!

The girls were so much more “advanced”(and not in a good way, I must say) . The makeup, the shorter skirts, the flirting! Ugh! (I have lots of friends who have 7th grade daughters, so please understand, I’m not talking about YOUR girls, by any means!) I stood there working the “Ring Toss” booth with a friend who also has a 7th grade son and I know we looked like deer in headlights. This girl walked up and had bright blue eye shadow, heavy eyeliner, mascara, & lipstick {in SEVENTH GRADE??}. And the short skirts, we just won’t even go there! My friend and I just looked at each other.

I was so relieved when some of the girls whom we’ve known since 2nd grade came over to our booth. It was so refreshing! Sure they wore some face powder and lip gloss. Maybe a little pale eyeshadow. Fixed their hair a little more. But they were so beautiful! They didn’t have to paint their faces or wear an outfit to draw attention to themselves…..they just were laughing and having fun. Good, clean, fun. Why do some girls think they have to be flashy to be noticed by

(my son & his buddy)

the cute boys??

I know there will be times coming up when we’ll have girls calling our house (I won’t give the phone to him because GIRLS SHOULD NOT CALL BOYS!!), or being very forward with my son, but we will be on guard and try and teach our son how a nice girl behaves.

Where did all of those days of looking for frogs, fishing, thinking girls had cooties go???? {sniff, sniff}

Praying Mom,

Giveaways Galore

2010-09-29T21:45:00.001-05:00

I was asked recently to partner with GiveawayScout. With so many blogs out there, there are giveaways that go unnoticed. Have you seen some of the amazing things bloggers are giving away?? Jewelry, craft cutters, organizers, and those adorable “treats”. I don’t want you to miss a single one!

GiveawayScout.com is a search engine which scans thousands of blogs to bring you the latest blog giveaways, sweepstakes and contests. You won’t miss out on a giveaway ever again! All you have to do is do is go to their website and subscribe. They just send you a quick email. Easy as pie!!

They’re also on Twitter and Facebook.

Whatever is your pleasure. :-)

I’m going to use them for my own Lucy Doo giveaways! AND, I’m going to sign up myself so I don’t miss out either! I can’t let you get ahead of me, can I??

Check it out and let me know what you think!

Blessings,

My Mommy-Intervention…

2010-08-11T14:37:00.001-05:00

I absolutely adore my 2 children. They are the joys of my life. I am always “preaching” to them that we are a team and their daddy and I are their coaches. But, they’re kids and they argue. They argue about what color the sky is. Is it blue? or blue/gray? Oh, my goodness, sometimes it feels like the arguing will go on forever! Especially when there is less than 2 weeks before school starts and they are R-E-A-D-Y!!!

The other day, we went to Wally World. From the minute we got inside the store, they began arguing…..over crazy, silly stuff! I had already warned them that there was going to be a consequence if they continued to be unkind to each other. Well, you guessed it, they continued arguing. Time for a mommy-intervention!!

I told them that they needed to learn how to get along and how to treat each other with kindness, so they were going to have to HOLD HANDS with each other while we continued our shopping. You would have thought I asked them to jump off of a cliff….or shave their heads……or do their own laundry!! They looked at me like I was Ca-RAZY!! They are 10 years old and almost 13!!! I’m pretty sure they were mortified at the thought.

Well, by the time we meandered all around Wally World and up to the registers, they were working well together and actually putting the other one first. It was amazing!! So, I guess that particular Mommy-Intervention worked!

I asked them when we got to the car what they learned from that “experience” and they both said it was the worst punishment they have ever received! They said they got some “looks” from other shoppers. {Really??} They said they will think twice before arguing in public ever again!! Hmmmm……..

So the next time you’re in a store and your kids argue, try having them hold hands……..

It worked for me!!

Blessings,

It’s Always Something….

2010-07-14T23:28:00.001-05:00

Do you remember my post over the weekend? The one where I talked about the deal my husband ~~got~~ was offered at the car repair shop?

Well…you know things have gone sour when you receive a phone call from the repair shop that starts out with “We were inspecting your car when…”. Have you ever heard those words? In my world, those words usually are worth $500. Specifically, my car was going to fail the inspection because of a leaking power steering “gadget”. Of course, all would be made right again for the low, low price of $503 (and change). I’m convinced that the minimum payment threshold for any car repair is $500. I think all car repair shop managers get a book when they become managers entitled “Becoming a Millionaire $500 at a Time”.

I have to go now…my vacuum cleaner just made a sound equivalent to swallowing a cat!

An Amazing Opportunity For You

2010-07-12T08:45:00.001-05:00

My real life friend Kristen has an absolutely AMAZING blog, We are THAT family. God has truly blessed her with some mind-blowing experiences over the past few years, but mainly this year. In March, she was asked by Compassion International to travel to Kenya and blog about their work there with the children of Kenya. That trip has been life changing for her and her family.

Even before she went to Kenya, God began to give Kristen a heart for Africa. Her twin sister adopted a PRECIOUS little girl from Ethiopia last year. You can read Kara’s story on her blog Into the Streets of Ethiopia. God placed a little angel into their family and now He is using them to minister to others around the world!

Kristen found out about a desperate need RIGHT NOW for the babies in Ethiopia. They are starving!! She is asking for help to provide formula for the babies in Ethiopia. PLEASE read all about it and give as you feel led.

I’m so excited to see how many cans of formula are given this week!!

Will you help spread the word!!!!!

Blessings,

What a Deal!

2010-07-10T11:20:00.001-05:00

Well, you never know when you’ll get a “treat”!

This morning, my husband took my car in for an oil change and state inspection. Over the five years we have lived here, we have spent GOBS of money on his truck and my Suburban. We have over 200,000 miles on each of our vehicles. They are paid off (thank our good Lord!) and we are driving them until the wheels fall off! (Dave Ramsey would hopefully be proud)

Well, when my husband walked into the service facility this morning, he said to the man at the front desk, “I’d like an inspection and oil change please, Sir.” Then my husband jokingly said with a smile, “Man, as much money as I’ve spent in this place, I ought to get a free inspection.” Much to my husband’s surprise, the man said, “Okay.” Wow!

The moral of this story? It never hurts to ask…….they might just say YES!!

Enjoy your weekend!

Blessings,

Happy Independence Day 2010!!

2010-07-04T07:42:00.001-05:00

“If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”

2 Chronicles 7:14

God Bless America!!!!

July 4th Festivities (on the 3rd!!)

2010-07-03T15:17:00.001-05:00

I just LOVE living in a small town!! We have the privilege of living in a quaint, small community. I lovingly call it “Mayberry” (am I giving away my age??)

We weren’t sure if we would even be able to leave our house today. For the past couple of days, we have felt like we needed to build an ark like Noah. There has been SO much rain! I’m thankful the rain stopped and one of our favorite July 4th traditions went off without a hitch this morning.

We attended the July 4th Parade through our town!! We wore our patriotic colors proudly!!

We’re SO thankful to live in the USA!!

These are our special friends, the Crowders. The parade is a family tradition each and every year!!

There were ALL kinds of floats today. Some were filled with wonderful veterans from all branches of the Armed Forces who served in years and wars past…..

Thank you for your service!!!

…And some are still serving….

Thank you for your sacrifice!!

I had chills just watching them.

Our friend Phil Burmaster drove his “baby” in the parade this year.

I just LOVE that old horn!!

And our cute mascot car from our high school made an appearance. We’re the Highlanders and the car is a little Scotsman!! Just plain C-UTE!!!

Seeing these Patriot Soldiers reminded me of the brave men and women who fought in the early years to build this country into an amazing place to live.

I’m grateful for my dad, my father-in-law, and my brother-in-law for their brave service. I’m so proud of them!

And seeing the current soldiers reminds me of the brave men and women who are still fighting today.

THANK YOU for your service!! Because of you, my family and I have the freedom to celebrate our independence, to worship, and to pursue our dreams!! We are blessed.

I can’t wait to hear about your celebrations!!

Do You Have to Show it ALL??

2010-06-30T23:38:00.001-05:00

My family and I went to Schlitterbahn Water Park in Galveston, Texas last weekend. It was such a fun day. We enjoyed the fun water slides and spending time together. We floated in the lazy river, rode the roaring rapids. At one point, however, my husband and I looked at each other and said, “Don’t you feel a bit like cattle in a feed lot?” Gosh! there were a lot of people there! (I’m so thankful for chlorine!)

My courage was tested on some of the rides. Why is it that as I get older, I am more afraid of heights and going fast? Am I the only one? Oh, please tell me that I’m normal!!

Yikes!!

We went, fully expecting to have nothing but good, clean family fun. But one thing I did NOT expect was seeing lots of skin and every style of bathing suit made (some flattering and some not so much…), every tattoo imaginable, and every location possible for piercings. Needless to say, there were LOTS of questions from my children AND their friends who we took along for the fun. Ooooooo……Some things are better left to the imagination.

Just sayin’……………..

It’s Summertime {Giveaway}!

2010-06-27T18:00:00.001-05:00

I’m so excited it’s Summer!! Time to relax and enjoy having no schedule. We get the chance to pick and choose what we want to do each day. I ~~need~~ love it!

Recently, I discovered the Executive Homemaker website.

It is packed full of useful tips, templates, and information for any “Executive Homemaker”. I love hanging out there and discovering all of the amazing templates to help with organizing my life and pretty items to accessorize myself!

There is a really neat feature there and it is a list of wonderful giveaways. It gives you a quick go-to list of the giveaways so you can find and enter the ones that strike your fancy! I just posted one with my jewelry business, Lucy Doo. You can find the giveaway details on Executive Homemaker's site.

To enter this giveaway (each worth 1 entry):

*Become a Subscriber of Executive Homemaker’s blog.

*Follow LucyDooShop on Twitter.

*Become a Fan of Lucy Doo on Facebook.

*Go to my online shop then come back here and tell me what items you would choose if you won this giveaway.

(Continental United States residents only, please. This giveaway will remain open until 7/2/10 at 11:59 pm.)

Good luck!

Blessings,

Can You say “Delicious”??

2010-06-25T09:29:00.001-05:00

This week, our church was taken over by Vacation Bible School (or VBX-treme for the preteens)! It is a highlight of the summer for our family. The tradition is to have Family & Friends Night on Thursday night of VBS/VBX week and invite every family to come and have a great night of food, fun, and games (including an old-fashioned cake walk—yummy!!)

After making this recipe for one of my donations for the Cake Walk, I decided that you needed to know about it. If you don’t already have this recipe in your collection, you MUST have it!!

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Sopapilla Cheesecake

1 stick butter

2 cans Crescent Rolls

3 (8 oz.) packages cream cheese, softened

Granulated Sugar

Cinnamon

In a 9”x13” pan, spread out 1 can of Crescents in one sheet (they make the solid sheets now instead of having to smush all of those triangles together. GREAT idea!!). Mix softened cream cheese and 1 1/2 cups sugar together and spread over Crescent sheet. Spread the second can of Crescents over the cream cheese. Melt 1 stick of butter and pour over Crescents. Mix 1/2 cup of sugar with cinnamon and sprinkle over the melted butter. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes. Store leftovers in the refrigerator.

This recipe is delicious served warm or cold!! You could also serve it cold topped with fresh strawberries or blueberries. A perfect summer “sweet”

I hope your family enjoys it as much as mine!!

Blessings,

Summer Camp Fun!

2010-06-23T17:47:00.001-05:00

Last week, both of my children were gone to camp for the first time without me as a chaperone (usually my husband is working so it’s me who gets to go with them). It was kind of nice for the first day, but then I really missed them! You know those kind of days where the tears were right behind your eyes and if someone said ANYthing about them, I would have burst out in the ugly cry!

Isn’t it amazing how many things our children get to experience that we didn’t? I grew up getting to go to little church camps and they were fun. But, since we went to a very small church (I mean 100 people on “Homecoming Sunday”…now THAT’S small!!), my circle of friends was pretty small. There are lots of Christian camps, academic camps, etc… that our children get to choose from nowadays.

Last week, we embarked on a 2-day journey to deliver our son and daughter to their respective camps. They were so excited, as you can hopefully tell….

(sorry it’s sideways!!)

Our daughter was first. She went to a week-long camp called Frontier Camp. It was an amazing week for her! I was so concerned that she would have to call us in the middle of the night because she couldn’t sleep. But, just the opposite! The night before she left, she asked if I could print some pictures of our two Yorkie dogs for her to take with her. I asked her if she wanted any pictures of us and she said, “No, that’s okay”. Wow! didn’t expect that!

She went to camp with 3 other girls from church. It was such a great week of bonding for them as friends because, even though they go to church together, they have been at different elementary schools. Now this next year, they will all be at the same intermediate school. What a blessing their friendships are becoming to our family.

It’s fun to watch our children grow and spread their wings. I was really impressed that she wanted to participate in those activities that she interested her. She chose horsemanship, Adventure Challenge (zip lines, giant swings, rock walls, etc..), boatmanship (canoeing, fishing, etc…), and waterskiing. She actually learned to water ski!! Quite impressive!

Here are some snapshots of her week…

Rodeo…

Watching the Giant Swing…love that laugh!

End of the week Sports Banquet!

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Next it was time to drive to Austin and take our son. He was recommended a couple of years ago by a teacher for the Lone Star Leadership Academy. It is amazing! It’s a camp led by certified teachers who are out of school for the summer and want to continue to work with kids. Last summer he went to the Dallas/Ft. Worth area and learned everything that made those cities important to Texas and to the United States. They visited the United States Mint and watched how money was made. The JF Kennedy Memorial as well as other really neat places.

My parents, who live in the Austin area, were able to go with us to take him to camp. My dad told my son that he might just go and get his air mattress and come back and camp out too! Needless to say, our boy wasn’t very excited about that. :-)

He was able to visit all of the political hot spots and met with our Legislators. Popped in to the Texas Supreme Court and got to sit on “the bench”. It was fun visiting the Bob Bullock State History Museum and seeing lots of Texas artifacts. They went to Inner Space Caverns (his favorite spot), and even took a ride on the Lone Star Riverboat Bat Cruise and saw those famous Austin bats as they flew out for dinner. Amazing things!!

He was so excited (and tired) when I picked him up near the Texas State Capitol. All the way home I heard about everything he saw and did. It was a wonderful 3 hours in the car.

He left a 12-year-old and came back much older. He actually asked me to stop and pick up a newspaper so he could read it on the way home!!

If this is how our summer has begun, I’m excited to see what else is in store for us!! We’re now enjoying those lazy days of summer and catching up on laundry and our rest.

I’ll keep you posted on our adventures.

Happy Summer!!

You’ve Come a Long Way, Baby.

2010-06-03T16:49:00.001-05:00

Why does time have to go by so quickly? When I was a child, I could not wait to get older! Even when I was graduating from high school and then college, I couldn’t wait to get married, have babies, etc…. Then, when my “babies” went to school, I just wanted time to stand still.

I’ve never wanted time to stand still more than today! My youngest child left elementary school. (sniff, sniff) Seems like just yesterday, she was graduating from Kindergarten…..

And today, she graduated from Elementary School having blossomed into a beautiful, intelligent, and kind young lady. Her class voted her Most Helpful this year. What a compliment. I can’t believe my little girl is now a 5th grader!

I know that each chapter is exciting once it starts. The hard part about the end of school is that they haven’t yet begun that new chapter which is full of exciting and amazing things.

I just can’t wait to see what is in store for our precious angel-girl. Mom and Dad are SO thankful and proud!!

Thankfully,

May IS the New December!

2010-05-31T15:04:00.001-05:00

Do you feel like that? Oh my goodness, our lives are busy! Not only do we have the normal activities of life, such as lessons, sports, & church, but we have Pajama Day, Sports Day, Field Day, Park Day! Ugh!! And those are just for school! Not counting a pool party with friends, end-of-year piano social, …..I could go on and on.

I don’t remember things being this busy when I was in school. Maybe I was, but my mom has blocked it out (kind of like childbirth! ha!) And of course, I feel like I need to volunteer at all of them because of “Mommy guilt”. Am I the only one??

Now let’s talk money! At the beginning of the school year, I was buying yearbooks (for elementary school, REALLY?), band instruments, uniforms, and on and on. Well, now I’m donating money for teachers’ gifts, supplies for all of the end-of-year activities, paying for summer camps, plus buying school supplies for NEXT YEAR! There goes that budget.

I really struggle with how busy things have become. I want my kids to enjoy their childhood and have fun with friends, but if I let it, there could be something every single day! My kiddos’ last day of school is this

week and I’m really looking forward to being on our own schedule. If we want to sleep in and stay in our PJs ‘til noon, then we can! If we want to go swimming, then perfect! They have a few camps and VBS at church this summer, but for the most part, we’re going to relax!

I’d love to hear from you about ways you handle all of the busyness this time of year. Do you struggle with “mommy guilt” too and feel like you need to volunteer for everything? For some strange reason, that “Just Say No” slogan a few years ago is very appropriate for us now, don’t ‘cha think?

Enjoy your day!

Thank You from Lucy Doo!

2010-05-27T17:05:00.001-05:00

So apparently, you guys like the name Lucy Doo. You all are AMAZING!! Over the past week, you guys have shown me so much love and support. Transforming your business is quite an undertaking and you have helped to make it a huge success. And for that I am truly grateful.

To show my appreciation, I am offering 15 percent off of your order if you mention this blog! Just email me the items you’d like to purchase, I’ll give you the discount and email you an invoice through PayPal! Easy as pie!!

So go to my website and make your selections fast! Some items are selling out quickly!! I wouldn’t want you to miss out!

I can’t wait to see what you pick out!!

Technorati Tags: Giveaways

Blessings,

Big & Exciting News!

2010-05-17T12:34:00.001-05:00

It’s me, Sandi from Magnolias and Mudpies! Do you like my new name and blog home?

My new name stems from the new name of my jewelry business, Lucy Doo. As most of you know, I began my jewelry business almost 11 years ago as A Touch of Silver because I had mostly silver jewelry. The name remained as my business grew. Oftentimes over the years, I thought about changing the name, but wasn’t sure exactly when I should tackle such a huge project. I wanted the name to reflect what I have become. Well, I’ve decided there is no better time than today!!

You see, Lucy Doo was the name my mother called me as a little girl. She has absolutely no idea why, but the name stuck. “Lucy” nor “Doo” are in my name ANYWHERE! It was my “pet name” from my mom and I loved it! So, I thought is was such a perfect fit for my new company and blog name…very sassy and boutique-y, don’t you think?

Thanks, The Frilly Coconut, for my new design and logo! Friends, if you want to redesign your blog or just spruce up what you’ve got, let Jessica know. She’s fabulous and so easy to work with! Get on her design list right away!!

So, please check out my new site and give me your opinion? Grab my button and pass the word!

Blessings to you,

Technorati Tags: Exciting News