After years of coupon usage, I have come up with a better way to sort my clipped coupons. The most time consuming part of using coupons is sorting them into categories, well, at least for me! Sitting still for me was the most boring aspect of my “part time job”! I finally had an epiphany, and as you can see in the photo, I could have been using this much sooner. I first had the idea to use a shoe organizer to slip my coupons into each pocket. I labeled each pocket according to the categories in my binder. Now, I can stand while sorting, which is a lifesaver for me, because I have a hard time just sitting! Since, I have two binders, I needed two sorters, but only had one shoe organizer. I remembered, that I had used a word sentence builder back in my teaching days, and I decided to use it for my non-food coupons. I like the word sentence builder more, so I may invest in purchasing another one. But, for now, the two I have will work just fine! After I get the coupons sorted into each pocket, I place them into my binder sections, and it only takes a few moments for each section. It beats sitting in the floor or at my kitchen table, and I don’t have to worry about leaving my coupons laying around. If I want to sort some, and then start dinner, or load the washer, I can! The last time I sorted, I prepared dinner at the same time! Now that’s how I roll!
Deuteronomy 6:4-9 (English Standard Version)
4″Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one.[a] 5You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. 6And these words that I command you to…day shall be on your heart. 7 You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. 8 You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. 9 You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.
My Take: We are so fortunate to live in a time, whereby, we can have instant access to God’s word. Some carry a small type Bible in their purse or in their pockets. Some have an app on their smart-phones and can search by key word or act…ual verse, and in a second or two, they can refer to a needed verse. The walls in our homes are decorated with artwork of scriptures that have special meaning to us. God’s word becomes a huge part of our lives. As Christians, we have a strong desire to know more about God, and we are drawn to His word to lead us all the days of our lives. It gives us strength and encouragement during those most trying times of our lives.
I have realized many times over, it is during these times that my favorite place to find God’s word comes quickly and assuredly! What is that place you might ask? IT IS MOST DEFINITELY MY HEART! I am not one of those blessed people that can remember and quote scripture out of the blue, BUT, I do read my Bible regularly. Even though my bank of memorized scripture is limited, I have never been at a loss of scripture to come to my mind, when I need it most! I have a heart that has a strong desire to be close to God, and reading my Bible takes me as close as it gets, well, with the exception of my prayer time. My Bible Study time is when God speaks to my heart, and my prayer time is when I speak to God. I want our relationship to grow and grow, for all too sadly, I do know what it feels like to be estranged from God. My doing of course, for God has never walked or turned away from me. As my relationship with Him continues to grow throughout my current Bible study, I am excited about each and every new lesson that I will encounter. God is good………..Have a wonderful night everyone!
1 Corinthians 2:9 (English Standard Version) 9But, as it is written, “What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined,what God has prepared for those who love him
Genesis 17:1-11 (English Standard Version)
Abraham and the Covenant of Circumcision
1When Abram was ninety-nine years old the LORD appeared to Abram and said to him, “I am God Almighty;[a] walk before me, and be blameless, 2that I may make my covenant between me and you, and may multiply you greatly.” 3Then Abram fell on his face. And God said to him, 4″Behold, my covenant is with you, and you shall be the father of a multitude of nations. 5No longer shall your name be called Abram,[b] but your name shall be Abraham,(c) for I have made you the father of a multitude of nations. 6I will make you exceedingly fruitful, and I will make you into nations, and kings shall come from you. 7And I will establish my covenant between me and you and your offspring after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your offspring after you. 8And I will give to you and to your offspring after you the land of your sojournings, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession, and I will be their God.”
9And God said to Abraham, “As for you, you shall keep my covenant, you and your offspring after you throughout their generations. 10This is my covenant, which you shall keep, between me and you and your offspring after you: Every male among you shall be circumcised. 11You shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskins, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and you.
My TAKE: Covenants are very important, but we sometimes take them for granted. They aren’t just important for the here and now, they are vitally important to our future generations. The decisions that we make today will affect our future, either in a good way or a bad way. I want to make decisions that will prove my love to Jesus, and not just what I would like to do. When I study the lives of Christians from the Bible, it is encouraging to me, and I can draw strength for my journey. It is a religious heritage that connects me to my ancestors’ dedication toward fulfilling a covenant to God, thereby keeping me tied to a covenant to God. I have a hope that has stood the test of time, and the results are evident everyday: answered prayers, safety in times of danger, a true hope in times of distress.
If God can change a man such as Paul, and use him to make a difference, then I am assured that He can use even me. I pray that I will become more aware of the CALL that God has upon me, and that I will make the choices that can impact my future generations in a positive way.
Try putting the password in, then double clicking the link again, it will come up again, double click it again, and the file should open! I think you have to subscribe to the rss feed, in order to open the files, too. Email me if you cannot open the files after trying the above comment!
OK,HERE IT IS! I am learning so much, continue reading and you will find out a few things, too!
I have completed the Caramel Cake Recipe and learned how to work Powerpoint! I am soooo excited! I hope you enjoy the presentation, as it did take me a whole day to get it ready. That doesn’t include the actual baking of the cake! HaHaHa! 🙂
Well, here is the link that will open up in a Powerpoint form, I hope!
As I prepared for sleep last night, I could hear the cows bellowing. I knew it was time to begin weaning the younglings from their mothers, but I had not thought about the lowing that would ensue. The mothers wanted to put their children to bed, and the younglings wanted the comfort of being with their mothers. Sometimes, it is the sheer determination for comfort that will bring us to our Comforter.
During the night, the calves were still trying to get to their mothers.
I was awakened this morning, as every morning lately, by my puppy Otis, who was desperately ready for his morning walk. I am not by nature a morning person. What better motivation to get you going in the morning than, a puppy wanting to take care of his business outside. Well, I struggled out of my slumber, put my clothes on, obviously, not fast enough for my morning companion. He was whining, dancing, and just rushing me along. We made it outside, and met the lingering bellows of the night before. We were walking happily along, until, I noticed cars slowing on the road and speeding up again. I immediately knew that the cows were out, and WERE IN THE ROAD! I turned around, and began running toward the house, yelling, hoping someone would hear me, so I could stop running. Remember, before, I was barely awake, and now running full throttle!
I got close to the house and my husband came to the door, and I shouted to him, “the cows are out and in the road.”
He quickly threw on his clothes and shoes and was in his truck before, I could ask him what he wanted me to do. After a while he returned to the house, with the news; they had gotten the cows back into their lot. He finished his breakfast, and was off to finish his morning chores on the farm; as if nothing had gotten him off track. I am still recovering from my morning walk, uh, run.
“Sometimes, it is the sheer determination for comfort, which will bring us to our Comforter. I am so thankful, that I have a Comforter to call out to in my times of need.” When I feel separated and alone, I call on Him and am comforted beyond measure. I can feel my pain, because I know the one that will take my pain away. How sad for those without a Saving Comforter, what do they feel? Most likely, desperation, solitude, fear, hopelessness, surely, this leads to numbness. Not being able to feel anything, isn’t that death, eternal death!
Oh, Jesus, my prayer today, is for those who are suffering from eternal death. I pray that they feel the comfort that only You can give. I pray, they call out to You today, and grasp the eternal comforting life, only You can give. Lord, please help us that know you, share your love to those in need, to be a comforter to those that do not know to call out to you.
Hebrews 13:1-4;5-6
1Let brotherly love continue, 2 Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers for thereby some have entertained angels unawares. 3 Remember those who are in prison, as though in prison with them, and those who are mistreated, since you also are in the body. —5Keep your life free form love of money, and be content with what you have for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” 6So we can confidently say,
I have embedded some still photos that will explain the tools needed to set up a coupon binder.
I. You may have seen my coupon binder(the first video, check below).
A. Of course, you will need a binder large enough to hold the amount of coupons you are willing to work with. I buy three newspapers on Sunday, so I have a large inventory of coupons! You can still save a lot of money, even if you buy one paper on Sundays!
B. You will need dividers for each section of items.
C. You will need baseball card holders, 2 pencil holders, binder clips, paper clips.
II. You will need the tools found in the following picture.
A. Magnifying glass
B. Reading glasses
C. Ruler
D. Scissors
E. Stapler and staples
Coupon tools!
III. You will need the coupon sections out of the Sunday paper, or magazines, store coupons, or internet coupons.
Sources of coupon info, and coupons!Sources all laid out, ready for filing and placing into the binder!
Beginning to lay all of the coupon sections out!
That concludes the still photos for setting up a coupon binder.
I will post the final videos as soon as they finish uploading to youtube.
Can you believe that spring is finally here? I have enjoyed two very pretty days, with weather that couldn’t be better. It reminds me of a song, that we all know here in the south, “Nothing could be finer, than to be in Carolina in the morning”. I am sure, if you live in another state, and your weather has been great lately, you just might argue with that song. Well, I live in SC and the song fits us to a T!
I have been busy getting the house in order and doing some spring cleaning. It is a good thing that spring has sprung, because the cleaning couldn’t have waited much longer. Perhaps, it is the increased Vit D running through my system, that has caused me to have more energy, and a stronger desire to get things done. Whatever, the reason , I am thankful.
Over the past few years, God has been convicting me to be a better helpmate for my husband. Molding me into the woman, that I need to be. I have learned to never under-estimate God’s ability to meet our families needs. I am constantly amazed, at the great works taking place in our lives. Even if, we never even lift a finger. Of course, with many blessings that come our way, we do have to make an effort here and there in order to see the fruits of our labor. One major area that God has worked within me is to take Proverbs 31 and write it on my heart. What an incredible life lesson of motivation for women! God did make a woman to be very strong, able bodied, frugal, talented and wise. And we can, that is, when we allow Him to take us under his wings.
Proverbs 31: 10-31
The Woman Who Fears the LORD
10[d](P) An excellent wife who can find?
She is far more precious than(Q) jewels. 11The heart of her husband trusts in her,
and he will have no lack of gain. 12She does him good, and not harm,
all the days of her life. 13She(R) seeks wool and flax,
and works with willing hands. 14She is like the ships of the merchant;
she brings her food from afar. 15She(S) rises while it is yet night
and(T) provides food for her household
and portions for her maidens. 16She considers a field and buys it;
with the fruit of her hands she plants a vineyard. 17She(U) dresses herself[e] with strength
and makes her arms strong. 18She perceives that her merchandise is profitable.
Her lamp does not go out at night. 19She puts her hands to the distaff,
and her hands hold the spindle. 20She(V) opens her hand to(W) the poor
and reaches out her hands to the needy. 21She is not afraid of snow for her household,
for all her household are clothed in(X) scarlet.[f] 22She makes(Y) bed coverings for herself;
her clothing is(Z) fine linen and(AA) purple. 23Her husband is known in(AB) the gates
when he sits among the elders of the land. 24She makes(AC) linen garments and sells them;
she delivers sashes to the merchant. 25(AD) Strength and dignity are her clothing,
and she laughs at the time to come. 26She opens her mouth with wisdom,
and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue. 27She looks well to the ways of her household
and does not eat the bread of idleness. 28Her children rise up and call her blessed;
her husband also, and he praises her: 29“Many(AE) women have done(AF) excellently,
but you surpass them all.” 30(AG) Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain,
but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised. 31Give her of the fruit of her hands,
and let her works praise her in the gates.
God has revealed a very important area of “necessary” growth to me, that, of becoming more frugal. I have always tried to get the most for my buck. I have to admit, I was being strong willed and stubborn. I thought that “I” could not do anymore to save and make the income of my husband go any further. “I” was doing the best that “I”could with what was available. Then I read Titus 2. That was an eye opener for me. God was point blank telling me, that it was necessary for me to teach those younger than me. Well, that was a little intimidating for me, how could I teach others, if I wasn’t teachable.
Titus 2
Teach Sound Doctrine
1But as for you, teach what accords with(A) sound[a] doctrine. 2Older men are to be sober-minded, dignified, self-controlled,(B) sound in faith, in love, and in steadfastness. 3(C) Older women likewise are to be reverent in behavior,(D) not slanderers(E) or slaves to much wine. They are to teach what is good, 4and so train the young women to love their husbands and children, 5to be self-controlled,(F) pure,(G) working at home, kind, and(H) submissive to their own husbands,(I) that the word of God may not be reviled.
With my convictions, there came a strong desire to fulfill my commitment, to be a better helpmate to my husband. Suddenly, I began to observe the habits of other Godly women. As a result, I began to see good examples, everywhere I looked. The INTERNET has been a good resource to find helpful ways to become more frugal. I have learned a lot in the last years, and the time has come for me to share these lessons with others.
I will start a series of videos, and I hope they will be helpful to all who watch them. I would not be where I am today, without the help God has given me. I am what I am because of Him, and I give all glory to Him for the gifts, He has given to me.
I do hope that you will find these lessons helpful, if you have any ideas that you would like to share, please send them. I know that God is not finished teaching me, and I am still a work in process. Forever, I will be ” one” that can be taught!
My TAKE: Covenants are very important, but we sometimes take them for granted. They aren’t just important for the here and now, they are vitally important to our future generations. The decisions that we make today will affect our future, either in a good way or a bad way. I want to make decisions that will prove my love to Jesus, and not just what I would like to do. When I study the lives of Christians from the Bible, it is encouraging to me, and I can draw strength for my journey. It is a religious heritage that connects me to my ancestors’ dedication toward fulfilling a covenant to God, thereby keeping me tied to a covenant to God. I have a hope that has stood the test of time, and the results are evident everyday: answered prayers, safety in times of danger, a true hope in times of distress.
