Frugal spring decor

Posted on March 27, 2012 by Jolene

A few weeks ago we got some very warm weather here.  It was in the high 70′s to 80′s for a few weeks.  Unheard of around here in March!  Feeling the very spring/summer weather made me pack up (most of) the snowmen around my house and start thinking about spring decor.  Have you shopped for a spring wreath in the store lately?  Wow!  Anything decent is $29.99 and  higher.  Not in my budget!  So, thanks to my newly discovered love of Pinterest, I found inspiration on making my own!  Armed with ideas and $10 I went to my local thrift/resale shops in hopes of finding the makings for a frugal spring wreath!  The wreath was a $3.99 Goodwill find and the eggs are actually candles I found there for $.49 each.  The moss, ribbon (which I ended up not using for this project) and flowers were all dollar store finds.  The “nest” is made from some wood excelsior I had in my craft room, so FREE!

So, below is my finished product, not too bad if I do say so myself and it only cost me around $7.50 for the supplies!!!

Have you made any spring crafts for your home lately?

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My BIG score

Posted on March 6, 2012 by Jolene

So recently I have been getting couponing lessons from a friend I met through my wonderful God given husband.  She was mentioning that she was not happy with spending $3000 last year on food for her family of 5.   I almost laughed out loud.  I told her I would love to only spend $3000 a year on food.  Oh yeah, that included her household items and toiletries too!

Well, we made a Starbucks date one day and she brought along her binder.  Yes, she actually has a binder.  In it she has all the adds from the stores near her home and even some not so near her home.  She also had pages of coupons.  Yep, pages.  One of the  tricks, she taught me was to get multiples of the same coupons.  She didn’t suggest I run out and buy 3 papers to get the coupons, she suggested I find relatives and/or friends to get/swap coupons with or from.  The trick is to pair up a coupon with a sale.  Now this may seem common sense to some of you, but it was kind of news to me.  The idea is to pair up these savings and start to build a little stock pile for the family.  Now, I am not going to be all consumed like some people who have 300 tubes of toothpaste sitting in their basement…but it would be nice to have a ready supply of some common items so we are not caught running out of things like toilet paper or dental floss or whatever.

So, with some basic instructions, I bought 2 papers and clipped away.  I clipped only coupons I thought I might use if there was a sale anytime in the next month or two….or however long the coupon was good for.  I then went through the store sales and circled things in the adds that I had coupons for.  The next day I set out to test how well this works.  Below are my results from 2 separate trips on the same day to 2 different stores.  Both of these stores are close so I wasn’t driving all over the state to try and save a few pennies!

 

So, I got all the items in the pictures above, by matching coupons with sales for $12.12!!!!!  Yep, a gallon of milk, 3 loaves of bread, shampoo, conditioner, 3 dozen eggs, butter, a bar of soap (to make laundry detergent) sliced cheese and a box of cereal for basically $12.

I was so excited, I sent pics to my friend and did a little happy dance!  Apparently next I will be taught about Internet coupons……can’t wait.!

What awesome deals have you gotten lately?

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Not such a wise woman yesterday…..

Posted on March 1, 2012 by Jolene

Happy March everyone!

I love March.  It is the month I consider the beginning of Spring.  The snow starts to melt away, I start to plan my garden for the upcoming year and I celebrate my anniversary with my wonderful God given husband Paul.

This year, we are going to be out of town for our anniversary.  I am so excited I can’t stand it!  Now, my wonderful husband is a hard worker.  He is dedicated to his job.  He is extremely responsible when it comes to his employees and the units he manages.  He has always been that way.  In fact, and this is not an exaggeration….I bet I can count on one hand how many times my husband has missed work in the last 13 years!

When we were discussing and planning this out of town adventure, I suggested to him that we leave a day early so we are not driving so early in the morning.  I wanted to avoid heavy commuting traffic, and thought it would be nice to have one extra day with him!  Now, here is where men and woman can differ.   I suggested what to do, but I never clarified or explained why I wanted to leave a day early.  My husband, loving man that he is agreed that yes, it would be wise to leave a day earlier to avoid the morning traffic, and he rescheduled our hotel stay for an extra night.  All was good in “anniversary-vacation land”…..until last night.

I started talking about our arranged child and pet care and suddenly it became very clear we both had different ideas of what an extra day meant.  I had it planned out in my mind that we would drop off our youngest and pooch with one set of grandparents, while the others would pick up our boys from school since we would be leaving late morning/early afternoon at the latest.  My plan was for us to check out the city, maybe  go to a museum or something and just enjoy the extra day.  My wonderful God given husband however had a different plan in mind.  He figured we wouldn’t leave until early evening after he got off work and the boys were home from school.

So, upon this revelation and realizing my husband did not take off from work the extra day, I did the only rational thing….I got upset and pouted!  I just did not understand him.  Didn’t he want to spend some extra time with me?  Why does he NEVER take off work except for his military obligations or work related activities…why was our family never a good enough reason to take off work?!  These were some of the thoughts roaming around in my random mind.  I was upset.  I was hurt and yes, I admit it now….I was extremely selfish!

We didn’t talk much for a bit…until Paul said something about finding coverage for his job.  In that moment, it was like a slap upside the head.  My husband just can’t take off work whenever he feels like it!  He manages 2 unit in a hospital….if he is not there, someone needs to be covering those units for him….I felt so small, so selfish, so ungrateful towards him.  I was ashamed.

I told him I was so sorry for my attitude and that I had forgotten that it is not so easy for him to just take off work.  I forgot he is responsible to try and find someone to take care of his job while he is gone….I asked for his forgiveness…..and, being the wonderful and honorable man he is….he forgave me.

Not so wise yesterday…..no so wise on many days…..I am a work in progress and man do I have a LONG way to go.  I am just so thankful to my Lord for working in my marriage and speaking to our hearts daily so we can honor Him the way He deserves to be honored.  Twelve, eight, heck even 2 years ago, I would not have been so quick to realize my mistake and ask for forgiveness.  But the Lord is faithful in His workings in us if we just ask…..and listen.

A Wise Woman…..

*reads and studies the Word regularly* *is in proper alignment:God, husband, children,others and then self* *uplifts her husband with her tongue to him, her children and others* *is careful in all her ways* *forgives, forgives, forgives* *guards her heart and mind* *prays for her husband and children* *lives righteously before her children as a living example* *accepts her husband…flaws and all* *allows Daddy God to fill the voids* *is thankful* *does not allow complaining to live on her tongue* *loves, loves, loves* *prefers her husband* *is a good friend* *listens* *submits*

Proverbs 31 Wives

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Book Review ~ Alienation

Posted on January 11, 2012 by Jolene

I just finished reading the second book of the CHAOS triliogy, Alienation.  I was so excited after reviewing the first book, Invasion to be given a copy of the second book to review as well.

All Colt wants to do is return to his old life….where aliens don’t exist….where mankind hasn’t been targeted for destruction…..and where his parents are alive.  Unfortunately, life doesn’t work that way.

The United States government believes Colt holds the key to our survival, so they’re sending him to the CHAOS military academy along with his best friends Oz and Danielle.  There they’ll be trained to defend Earth against a swarm of alien shapeshifters know at the Thule.  But someone is trying to eliminate Colt before he can lead that charge.  Unsure who he can trust, Colt is on the run…

This book was just as good as the first.  I was happy to see so many returning characters from the first novel, in addition to some new and interesting characters in this novel as well.  Colt, Oz and Danielle have left school in order to travel to the CHAOS military academy to start their training.  However, before they even get started, they learn of a conspiracy lead by a high ranking CHAOS official, involving the deaths of senators and other influencial people responsible for cutting funding to the CHAOS program.  And even more surprising to the trio is that Colt’s name appears on the list of people targeted for elimination.  Can Colt even survive long enough against a Thule hitman for hire to make it to the academy and discover who’s an enemy and who he can trust?

The characters are well written and there is not too much “flash-back” stuff to the first book.  Just enough to help this story move on it’s own.  I enjoyed the very descriptive elements the author uses, making it easy to picture everything for myself, from the uniforms the cadets wear, the super futuristic weapons the agents and cadets wield to the green, large eyed CHAOS instructor, who is secretly keeping an eye on Colt to keep him out of harms way.

I am very much looking forward to book 3 of this series, and hope I will be lucky enough to get to review that one for free as well.

I received a copy of this book for free from Booksneeze in exchange for my honest opinion of this book. 

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Very random thought

Posted on January 7, 2012 by Jolene

ok, in case you don’t know by now…I often have very random thoughts….about….all kinds of things.  Last night I was riding home with my wonderful God given husband Paul when a thought occurred to me.  To him, I am sure it came from left field, but he has been married to me long enough now to just overlook that :)

The thought however, was not random at all.  We had just dropped our boys off at my parents for the night.  While we were there I asked my mom if she had any extra pants belonging to the eldest.  I had done (almost) all their laundry and only have 2 pairs of jeans for the boy.  Upon looking through the dresser there….yes, my mom has dressers especially for my boys and their clothes…and yes, I realized I am spoiled to have such wonderful parents…we discovered she only has 1 pair of the boys pants.  So she made a comment that I better get to Goodwill and get the boy some more pants.  So this lead to the thought about looking in the boys section at Goodwill for some size 10 pants.  Then I started thinking about sizes of clothing in general for both men and women.

“Why is it…” I asked Paul “that men and women don’t have the same numerical system when it comes to clothes size?”  I am sure many thoughts entered his mind at that moment…after all, we had been driving in silence for awhile….so again….this must have seemed to come out of nowhere to  him.  Had he heard or known about the conversation on clothing my mother and I had earlier, it might not have seemed so…”Jolene”  but, being the loving and kind man my husband is, he just shook his head and said “I don’t know honey”.

It is probably a blessing to men to have that ability to tune out their spouse at will because I then launched into a vocal conversation with myself about why this occurs.  I talked for a bit and then came to the conclusion that the reason they are different is that we women need to see smaller numbers on our clothes tags.  Even if the woman, like myself is a bit fluffy…our size number will still be much smaller than that of a comparable sized male.  It must be an ego thing for us.  That is the only (semi) logical reason I can come up with, because other than that, wouldn’t it just be so much easier if the sizes ran the same for both men and women like it does for boys and girls?

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New Year….new ideas

Posted on January 6, 2012 by Jolene

So, it’s a new year.  How has 2012 been for you so far?  I love a new year.  It feels like a fresh start for everything!

Seeing it’s a new year, I have decided on some new “projects” in my life.  I hesitate to call them Resolutions as they are more life style changes I felt needed to be made.  A few Christian mom groups that I follow on line have been discussing the “word” focus.  You basically pick a word to represent something you would like to focus on for a set period of time.  Say for example the word LOVE.  Now, that could mean showing more love to certain people, it could mean learning to love yourself more, it could mean trying to love the circumstances you are in during this season of your life….it is a personal issue.

So, the word I picked for myself is DILIGENCE.  In particular diligence in keeping my house running smoothly.  To me that involves keeping the house clean, keeping up with paperwork, keeping up with schedules, the budget, etc.  Now, that at first seemed overwhelming to me.  But, I have made a discovery….when I concentrate on keeping the house clean…every day…I have more time to work on other things!  It seems crazy but I used to get up at 5:30 am and clean the kitchen in order to get ready to mess it up by making breakfast and packing the boys lunches.  Now, I make sure that the boys lunches are packed for the next day right when they get home from school and I make sure the kitchen gets cleaned right after each meal so that it is always ready to go!  Doing this has allowed me the luxury of not getting up until 6am if I choose!   I am also assigning my boys monthly tasks to aid in keeping the house clean.  This also frees up some time for me and is teaching my boys responsibility and cooperation.  When I free up more time, I can slowly tackle other projects that need my attention such as cleaning out closets and organizing kitchen cabinets!   Because we have been working together to keep the main areas of our home clean and organized, we have been able to spend more time together as a family in the evenings!  The other benefit of having our home cleaner and more organized is how relaxed my wonderful God given husband is now!  It makes my heart happy to see him smile more and I know it is because of how I am working on my word.

Have you made any new year life style changes?  If you had to chose a word for yourself…what would it be?

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Book Review – Saving Grace

Posted on December 28, 2011 by Jolene

My latest review is of a book called Saving Grace by Annie Jones.

I did not realize until the end of the book that this is actually a sequel.  On that note, you don’t need to have read the first book to read this one, although I am sure a few things in this book may have made better sense.

Every year on the night of New Bethany’s Splendor Belle Gala, reclusive Grace Grayson appears on her porch in a tattered gown, waiting for the man who deserted her over 50 years before.  Rosemary, Naomi, Gayle and Lucy, decide to reach out and help her.  But they soon discover that playing angels to an eccentric old woman may destroy the special bond they share.

I was a bit conflicted on this book.  While I like that you are given glimpses into each of the characters lives and situations, about 3/4 through the book it seems to drag on and move quite slowly to me.  The women who had formed a prayer group (in book 1) have somewhat grown apart and taking on Miss Grace as they call her for a project brings them back together.  The trials each woman goes through ends up bringing her closer not only to her family and friends, but to God as well.  I never could truly understand Lucy, perhaps that is why reading book 1 might help, but other than that, the characters were likable and interesting.

I may look into reading book one and will most likely read book 3 if and when the author writes another of this series.

I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.  My opinion is my own and was not conditional on receiving the book.

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Book Review ~ Invasion

Posted on November 12, 2011 by Jolene

I recently had the opportunity to read Invasion, by Jon S. Lewis.  This is the authors first solo book, having cowritten other titles in the past.

Now, I am not usually a Science/Fiction type of person.  I do like Star Trek, the original just fine, but don’t care so much for today’s remakes and new shows regarding space, other planets etc.  However, after reading this book, I may have to change this opinion of SciFi.  Invasion has invaded my heart!

Colt McAlister is a 16 year old California boy who’s whole world is forever changed with a visit to a top secret, elite military prep school that as far as the rest of the world knows, does not exist.  In fact, it is so top secret and the students and agents who attend the academy and then proceed to protect the world from other planets inhabitants, cannot even tell their family what they do.  Many of Colt’s 7 brothers, his father and his grandfather are all graduates of the academy.  Colt’s grandfather as it turns out is a legend of sorts, having a whole comic book series based on his exploitations during WW II.

Colt soon learns more than he cared to know about C.H.A.O.S and other wordly creatures such as the Thule and other mutant hybrid beasts when his parents are killed and he relocates to Arizona to live with his grandfather.  Colt soon starts to learn the reason his parents were killed, and with the help of his new friend Oz, and his friend Danielle, Colt’s adventures of flying motocycles, jet packs and underwater wrestling matches begin!

I really liked this book.  The author’s descriptions of the chacters and aliens is so realistic, I can picture each and every one of them….and that is something I haven’t been able to do in a while in reading a book.  The action is good, the life from a teen boy perspective is interesting and entertaining and the story moves along at a good pace.  This is kind of like a Men in Black for teens.  There is no foul language or suggestiveness, which as a parent I appreciate.  I would let my 11 year old read this book.

I received a copy of this e-book for free from Booksneeze.com  in exchange for my honest opinion of the book.  I was not asked to submit a positive review…this is my personal honest opinion of this book.

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Book Review: Regret Free Parenting

Posted on October 31, 2011 by Jolene

I received this book for free from Booksneeze in exchange for my honest opinion of it.

I had the pleasure of being chosen to read Regret Free Parenting by Catherine Hickem.  I was a bit torn with this particular book.  While the author did make some wonderful suggestions throughout the book, she also is primarily writing as if mom is the main disciplinarian, for lack of a better word.  Now, I realize the majority of people who would most likely read a book like this are moms, but it would have been nice to see more of a father-head-of-the-household portrayal throughout the book, or maybe even have a few chapters discussing particular family situations such as single father, grandparents raising children, etc.

Hickem writes, “being an intentional mom and a regret free parent means you spend good time being intentional about yourself, your role as a mom and your understanding of yourself.”  She does cover this extremely well…intentional mothering, and to be quite honest I had never actually thought about the intentional part of it before.  The principles she address in the book made me think and evaluate my role as a mother and how I was performing…or failing.

Hickem is a psychotherapist and interweaves this knowledge with Biblical principles to try and get her points across, but instead it sometimes comes out a bit redundant as she on a few occasions repeats things in a few different chapters.

Overall, it was interesting to read her opinions and it did make me more aware of what I portray to my boys as their mom.  Is it a book I would go back and refer to?  Probably not as much as I do other books….but again, it was nice to be able to evaluate my role and try to be more conscious of my decisions and actions.

 

 

 

 

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Meal Planning Challenge wk. 2

Posted on October 10, 2011 by Jolene

Ok, for the most part, I kind of stuck to our meal plan.  There were a couple days I had to switch things around because I forgot to thaw something in time, or an ingredient got eaten by the “Not Me” ghost in the house…and one day I completely didn’t follow the plan except for breakfast…I volunteered to help out at my boys school with a project, wasn’t done by the time I had to leave to pick up my youngest, so I volunteered to come back after we went home and had lunch.  No sooner did I tell them this when my mom called and needed me to take her to pick up her car from the repair shop too.  So, between running all over South East WI, I decided to swing through a drive thru and get us some lunch….sigh…the day before that my dinner plans went down the drain.  My second boy had a cross country meet in a city about an hour from our home.  Now, in theory I should have been home by 5:30 to relieve my mom who was watching my 3 other boys and it would have given me plenty of time to cook supper.  However, the bus with all the kids from our school on it broke down.  A few of us parents went out to pick everyone up.  This put about a half hour delay on the meet start.  Then, I felt I needed to stay until the entire meet was over, to make sure all the kids and the coach had a ride back to school.  I didn’t make it home until after 6:30, so it was a fast food night then too, as the supper I had planned to make was about an hour prep/cook.

This is why, it is so important, I have learned to take into account your kids nightly activities.  Not only that, but I have decided that on any night there is any activity in which I need to transport children somewhere, it will be a slow cooker meal night.  That way, no matter what, supper will be ready no matter what time we finally sit down to eat.

On that note, we have slow cooker twice this week.  Here is The Random Woman’s Meal Plan for week 2 of the Plan It, Don’t Panic Meal Planning Challenge:

Monday:   B – breakfast burritos   L – sandwiches and fruit  S - slow cooker sausage & potatoes 

Tuesday:  B – french toast & smoothies  L – grilled cheese, celery & carrots  S – Mexican potato casserole

Wednesday:  B – sausage & eggs  L – cheesy beef & rice  S - slow cooker easy cheesy chicken

Thursday:  B – breakfast casserole  L – alfredo & noodles  S – freezer meal

Friday:  B – cereal & fruit  L – sandwiches & fruit  S – homemade chicken strips & veggies

Meals in red are new meals for our family.  On a side note, the slowcooker applesauce chicken from last week did not go over very well with the family, so that will most likely not be making a reappearance.  I will let you know next week, how this week went.  

Did you start menu planning yet?  What have been some of your best and worst moments with menu planning?

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