First Light Blog

Kelly's Thrifty Tips

2011-04-28T08:10:00.002-07:00

Are you a social butterfly who loves to entertain? Do you like to be the one who is totally "in the know"? Do you like to have gatherings at your home? Do you like to try products for free? If you answered yes to any of these questions or are just curious then you will want to check out houseparty.com. Houseparty.com is where companies connect with customers to introduce new products and ideas. You could host a house party where you can try any number of new products. It is all for free and quite fun. Get details at the link below.

LINK: houseparty.com

Now this is something I am bringing up, because I have been doing it for a long time, and I was shocked that no one I know is. I am talking about the My Coke Rewards program. It is pretty much what it says it is. It is a reward program for buying Coke products.

It works like this, you buy a soda and twist off the cap. Under the cap is a code. You go online to My Coke Rewards, register and then add in your code. You can even put in codes that are found on the 12 pack boxes. Each code is worth different values, but they all add up. Once they do, you can turn them in for prizes.

I have received magazine subscriptions to Better Homes and Gardens, Good Housekeeping, and Family Circle thanks to My Coke Rewards. You can also trade them in for picture prints from Snapfish, rental car discounts, coupons for 12 packs of Coke products and more. And this is the coolest, you can also donate your points to organizations like Habitat for Humanity. Really the variety is crazy, and it is all free. Get some details at the link below.

LINK: My Coke Rewards

FREEBIES

Folgers is offering its Facebook fans free samples of their Special Roast coffee. Like them on Facebook to be part of this offer.

LINK: Folgers Special Roast Sample

Each day until May 4, Gillette is giving away some free Gillette ProGlides on their Facebook page. I suggest that you try this one early. If you got this last year like I did, you don't qualify.

LINK: Gillette ProGlide

Oh I love a birthday freebie! Joe's Crab Shack is one of my favorite fun places to eat, and you can sign up for their email updates and get a free appetizer when you sign up as well as another one on your birthday! As far as Arizona goes, I could only find two locations in Tempe.

LINK: Joe's Crab Shack

FREE MUSIC

iTickets.com has free downloads this week for the Newsboys song "Save Your Life" and Martha Munizzi's song "Excellent." Remember you have to be a member to get the downloads, but they are great about not spamming you.

LINK: iTickets free music

Free CCM download this week is Chris Rice's song "Oh Love That Will Not Let Me Go." You can also still download for free songs from Bart Millard, Laura Story, Jonny Diaz, The Choir, Catalyst Music Project, and Cloverton. Get in on these free downloads while you have the chance.

LINK: Free CCM music downloads

FREE KINDLE OR NOOK BOOK

I found a great book for free via Amazon Kindle or Barnes & Noble Nook. It is called The Heart of Memory: A Novel by Alison Stobel. I downloaded it to my Nook, and I have to tell you that I just love it! Remember you can download both the Amazon Kindle App or The Barnes & Noble Nook App to your iPad, iPhone, Android or PC.

LINK: The Heart of Memory (Amazon)
LINK: The Heart of Memory (Nook)

FREE EBOOK

Sign up for email newsletters from Common Sense With Money and you will get a link to her Ebook "Extreme Couponing 101." More and more, this kind of information is truly a blessing.

LINK: Common Sense With Money Extreme Couponing 101

Making your business card work for you

2011-04-26T06:45:00.006-07:00

In this day and age where we are in a social media world business cards are not recieved the same way they used to be. We are also in a different economy. Business cards are expensive to have made and leaving them just anywhere is not frugal or wise. Click here to find out 7 tips to get people to keep your business card.

Kelly's Thrifty Tips

2011-04-21T08:41:00.003-07:00

With summer break rapidly approaching, I thought it would be a great time to re-mention a great website for teen job hunting. In addition, if your teen is interested in looking for a job for the summer, you might want to inspire them to get started as soon as possible because in addition to their classmates looking, adults and college students and grads are also out there or going to be out there hitting the pavement. Some of the listings below are for teens but others are for adults as well.

SnagAJob.com is a great place for you to help your teen locate local jobs in retail, hospitality and more. And grownups, you can also look for jobs there too.

LINK: SnagAJob.com

Summer jobs, internships, and lots more can be found at SummerJobs.com

LINK: SummerJobs.com

For those college kids of yours who enjoy the great outdoors, you might want to direct them to SummerCampStaff.com. I have to say that this was a dream job for me when I was in my college years.

LINK: SummerCampStaff.com

More camp jobs can be found at the American Camp Association's website. Follow this link if you are interested in a camp job and a change of scenery.

LINK: Summer Camp and Camp jobs ACA

While looking at various websites for jobs, I found something else that you might be interested in checking out. It is called camp hosting. Camp hosting is also known as work camping. Basically a couple with an RV can work at a camp doing things like maintenance, cleaning, and taking money from customers in exchange for a camp site for the season and often a monthly wage as well. These are usually seasonal jobs running from May to October. Want to learn more? Follow the link below to get some more information.

LINK: Camp Hosting
LINK2: Camp Hosting
LINK3: Work Kamper News (yes that is a K)

If you have a problem with an appliance and you want to save some cash or you want to keep your appliances maintained and save on repairs from letting things slide, you might want to check out RepairClinic.com. RepairClinic.com has tips and online assistance for appliance repair and maintenance.

Several months ago, I put in a recipe that I found for making your own laundry soap, and I thought now might be a good idea to give some recipes for making your own fabric softener. First make sure that you have a gallon container that you can put the mixture into.

Recipe:

6 cups of water
3 cups of white vinegar
2 cups of hair conditioner (I find suave on sale all the time and it comes in lots of great fragrances)

I have read that lots of people really like this recipe especially when they have family members with sensitive skin. I have also read that this works will with HE washers.

Of course you can also forgo the fabric softener and try dryer balls. I picked up a pair at Target the other day. It was $5 for two. Using them speeds up the drying process in addition to softening clothes. They are reported to last about 1000 drying cycles so this is definitely well worth the $5. I have read that tennis balls also work well for this, but that the nubby fingers on the dryer balls seem to hep it work better with drying time.

FREEBIES

Want to get your hands on a full-sized Origins cleanser? Fill in and print out the form at the link below and on April 22 bring it and your usual skin cleanser (does not have to be full it can be empty) to your Origins store, and they will trade it for one of their fabulous cleansers while supplies last. There isn't one over here in Prescott, but follow this particular link to see if there is an Origins store near you (there are definitely some in Arizona).

LINK: Form for free Origins cleanser

Remember to bring in a travel cup to participating Starbucks on April 22 and you can get a free coffee or tea! Yum!

LINK: Free Starbucks on April 22

While supplies last sign up for a free sample of Garnier Fructis Pure Clean Shampoo and Conditioner. I love Garnier's product line, and I am sure this is another winner.

LINK: Garnier Pure Clean Samples

In case you haven't seen it, in celebration of Earth Day Lowe's is giving away one million trees. Go to your local Lowe's on Saturday, April 23 to pick up your own tree. Get them before they are gone.

LINK: Lowe's Free Tree

Another Walmart free sample that will probably go very fast. Check out the free sample for Gold Bond Ultimate Deep Moisture Body Wash.

LINK: Gold Bond Body Wash Sample

iTickets.com has three free music downloads right now. There are songs by Shawn McDonald, Bethany Hamilton, and La Will and Izreal. You do need to be a member to get the songs.

LINK: iTickets Downloads

Fun & Frugal Family activities

2011-04-18T10:12:00.004-07:00

Doing fun activities with the whole family doesn't have to be something that breaks the bank. Click here for some fun and relatively inexpensive ways to enjoy some priceless family time together.

Kelly's Thrifty Tips

2011-04-14T08:10:00.002-07:00

TODOS -

I thought I would dedicate today's post to todos. I brought up Spring cleaning a short time ago, and it is a good time to get in gear with that, but I want us all to remember the fun todos. These are simply things that might be fun to do.

Get OUT! This snowy Saturday reminded me of how important it is to take advantage of the lovely weather we have been having. Arizona is simply loaded with lovely places to enjoy. Start taking advantage of the fabulous weather we have been blessed with. A change of scenery and a change of pace is an instant mood lifter. Doing something new is good for the mind, and getting out and moving around is definitely good for the body. Do things locally and save on gas. Get creative and have an adventure of your own.

1 - Open all the windows in your home and let the sun and fresh air stream through. Tackle a cleaning project when you can take advantage of the bright sunlight and fresh cool air. Yes...this is a chore, but a chore is so much easier to do when you have a that sense of flushing out the icky. No?

2 - If you have the yard, clear up an area and look into gardening. There are lots of great resources online that can help you. If you don't have much room, you can still garden by utilizing some large pots.

3 - Explore your neighborhood and take a nice walk. You might catch a yard sale or meet some new neighbors.

4 - Pack a lunch and take it to the local park with a book or camera. You can enjoy the fresh air, a good story or people watch. Just enjoying a change of scenery is such a lift after a gloomy gray winter.

5 - Have fun with the kids. My son used to love when we would go outside and play with squirt guns. I used to blow bubbles and he and his friends would run around shooting them down. There are lots of recipes for making your own bubble solution online.

6 - Check out your community calendar. Most towns and cities have one online. Look up your town's community calendar and see what is going on. There are always plenty of fun events for the kids and adults. I found several pretty awesome happenings just by looking up Prescott's calendar. You can find concerts, craft shows, classes, and more just by taking the time to look.

7 - If you have a GPS system or even a smart phone (you can get a free GPS app), you might like to try Geocaching. Geocaching is a treasure hunting game that you play by using a GPS system. People hide a cache at a site and log the coordinates in using a GPS. Then they post it on the Geocache site. You look for the sites in your area, and go on the hunt. For a real break down head on over to the Geocaching site here.

8 - Want to get out and about and tourist it? April 16th to the 24th is FREE NATIONAL PARK WEEK! Hooray! Yes, I get excited about this one. There are some wonderful parks here in Arizona, and now is the time to enjoy a slew of them for free! This year's theme is Healthy Parks, Healthy People. Follow the link below to learn more and get in on all the details. There is even an event calendar here with events for parks here in Arizona.

9 - Want a change of scenery without going too far? Why not check out the neighboring city or town. I am sure there are plenty of local attractions you can enjoy by just going a town over from your own.

10 - Local arts. Start checking out all the fabulous entertainment in your city. It usually doesn't take long to locate a fine arts association in your town. Support the local arts and enjoy some home entertainment. When it comes to live entertainment, the price is always right. Look for local concerts in the square, theater groups, art walks, and symphonies. You can enjoy some very high end entertainment locally and save on gas and ticket prices.

LINK: National Park Week

FREEBIES

I have to say that so many freebies come and go all the time that it is hard to keep up with them. I just may start posting them here whenever I see them rather just when I post on Thursdays.

CVS will send you a coupon via email for a free full size Essence of Beauty product when you like their Facebook page and go to their promotions page (link is on the left side of their FB page). You do need to enter your CVS loyalty card, and if you don't have that. Let me just say that you need to get one now! They are great for getting some extra special deals at CVS. Sign up at the link below.

LINK: Essence of Beauty Coupon

Sam's Club members can sign up now for a free sample of Huggies Supreme baby wipes. Yes, you do have to be a member and they are in limited supply, but a great little thing to have on hand for minimal work. :)

LINK: Sam's Club Huggies Supreme Baby Wipes Sample

Rewards Gold has another fabulous free magazine opportunity and this time it is for Forbes Magazine. These do not always last long, but I have noticed that you can usually get your hands on the financial magazines for longer than the fashion magazines. I get this particular subscription thanks to Rewards Gold and like it a lot. It is a simple process of joining up, referring friends, completing a watch survey and two reviews, and a free year subscription is yours. Not bad at all.

LINK: Rewards Gold Forbes Magazine

FreeCCM has a free song download of Laura Story's "Faithful God." You can also listen to her new album "Blessings" as well as download songs from Jonny Diaz, The Choir, David Walker, Derek Webb, and Cloverton. You can also still listen to Jonny Diaz's new album. Remember you do need to be a member, but it is totally free, and they are very good about only updating you once a week.

LINK: Free CCM

FREE ACTIVITIES

Check out Michaels for a great activity for the kids. They have an activity on April 16th where the kids can design and color their own canvas tote to take with them. This is for ages 3 and up while supplies last. Contact your local Michaels to see if they are participating. This event runs from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm, but remember that it runs while supplies last. PS This canvas bag might make a nice treat for mom for Mother's Day.

LINK: Michaels Store Events

Loew's has some great Build and Grow clinics coming up. On April 23rd your kids can build a window birdhouse (apparently it sticks to your window so you can see the nest through the glass. On May 7th the kids can make a beautiful Happy Mother's Day flower vase. Follow the link below to sign up your children and get all the details. This is always a great treat for the kids and you truly can't get better than the free price. :)

LINK: Lowe's Build and Grow Clinics

Speaking of free things to do don't forget that next Wednesday, April 20th, Ken Lain from Watters Garden Center will be at the Radio Shine studios giving us some of his tips and tricks that will help all of us gain some gardening success. You can bring your lunch making this a totally free event or order lunch for $8. If you would like to sign up for this awesome luncheon session follow the link below to our website, and you will get all the details under latest news.

LINK: How Does Your Garden Grow? with Ken Lain at Radio Shine

FREE WAY TO GIVE

Okay here are a few ways that you can give right now without taking a dime out of your pocket.

Like Rite Aid on Facebook and they will donate $1 to the American Heart Association's Go Red For Woman movement. They are giving up to $25,000. When I signed up they were at $4,108. Spread the word for a good cause.

LINK: Like Rite Aid and Give

For every person who takes the World Food Programme's short hunger quiz, a child will be fed. Test your hunger IQ and then spread the word! This quiz literally takes about three minutes. Not only will you learn a little more about the world's hunger problem but your participation will feed a child. How cool is that?

LINK: World Food Programme's Hunger Quiz - Feed A Child

Free Rice is a vocabulary quiz also from World Food Programme that donates 10 grains of rice per right answer. You can improve your vocabulary and help others. The Free Rice program has given 90,023,711,930 grains of rice to date! You can sign up with your facebook and track your progress, get friends involved, expand your vocabulary and best of all...give.

LINK: Free Rice

And last but not least, don't forget Goodsearch.com and Goodshop.com. Goodsearch and Goodshop allow you to donate to your favorite nonprofit by simply doing what you do online every day...searching and shopping. Search through Goodsearch.com and your nonprofit of choice will get a penny per search. Here is how it works. Type in goodsearch.com. When you get the main page simply type in who you are searching for and verify. After that, you simply search. You can change each time you search or you can simply keep it the way it is. Each time you search, that charity will get a donation. This money can really add up. You can also shop via their Goodshop.com site and a portion of those sales go to your favorite nonprofit (the price doesn't change. It is just like if you shopped by going to the site directly. Read all about it at their website link below. And if you are curious as to how those gifts can add up, after you verify your favorite nonprofit, click amount raised. This will give you a current tally. Imagine, if you searched twice a day every day for a year, you would painlessly give $7.30, and if you shared this tip with your friends, the donations could seriously climb.

LINK: GoodSearch and GoodShop

Top 10 Power Foods

2011-04-12T09:52:00.002-07:00

What is the secret to a long and healthy life? It is in the food that we eat. As you well know, all foods are not created equal. God wants us to be good stewards with all He has blessed us with…including our bodies! Choosing and eating the right foods will not only honor Him, but it will help increase our quality of your life. Click here to see the list of foods.

Kelly's Thrifty Tips

2011-03-31T08:10:00.002-07:00

Oh where to begin today? There are so many things to share, but actually one thing struck me this weekend while reading Woman's World magazine. It struck me so much that I clipped a little article snippet and saved it to my little tip notebook.

As I have worked to save money, I have been learning what I should buy fresh, frozen or canned. This weekend I found a way to save money and do something good for yourself too. I love orange juice! I especially like it when I am coming down with a cold. I don't know about you, but I crave OJ when I am close to getting ill. I usually buy what is on sale, but go for carton juice with vitamin D. That stops today. I read in Woman's World that there was a study in the journal of Nutrition Research that showed that orange juice from frozen concentrate may assist in reducing LDL cholesterol. Apparently this is because the frozen concentrate will use the entire orange from the peel on in. These parts have more flavanoids than pulp alone. I cannot fully explain what flavanoids are but I do know that they have wonderful antioxidant qualities. These can help prevent free radical damage that leads to LDL build up. Quite often you can get the frozen concentrate orange juice for a much lower price than the carton or bottle so it really is a win-win.

April is literally a day away, and it is time to get those shopping plans made. The best way to save money is to plan when to spend it. Here are a few things that are good buy bets for the month of April.

April is a slow month for gym memberships so head on out to the gym and see if you can get yourself a deal. In fact with summer coming, isn't this a great time to get started on a new more fit you? Don't be afraid to ask for the best deal you can get. A lot of places are more willing to work with you now than ever before.

Looking for a television? Apparently the Japanese fiscal year ends on March 31 (picked up this information from yahoo.com) and that can mean a drop in prices for you on a fabulous new television.

You may not need these items now, but April is also a great time to buy winter tools and winter wear.

I don't know if it is because there are lots of weddings around the corner or what, but cookware prices are excellent during the month of April. If you need to upgrade few items in your own kitchen, this is a great time to get started. I highly recommend pricing yourself a crockpot or two. That is one of my cooking tools that I absolutely love.

Don't forget to start hitting all the thrift stores, because more and more people are Spring cleaning and donating those goodies. By the way this is a great time for you to Spring clean and do a little donating yourself. Don't forget to get a tax receipt.

I have also heard that April is a great month for purchasing used cars. With gas prices the way they are, this might be a great time to downsize into something smaller and more economical. Because new vacuum cleaners make their way to the floor in June, markdowns are going to be taking place at a quick pace. If you have been entertaining the idea of a new model, this is the time to act.

Tools are also priced right during the month of April. Why not pick up a few awesome tools for dad that you can gift him on Father's Day?

April is also a great time to pick up seeds, and with the prices I have been seeing for veggies, this is also a great time to chat with your local nursery and get some recommendations. I just purchased a double four x four raised garden bed, and I am totally planning on going to town in the gardening zone. Thankfully I have inexpensive assistance in the form of a fabulous 16-year-old son.

Lastly I also read that April is a good time to pick up some inexpensive cruise tickets. Apparently European cruises are especially lower priced. If you would like a getaway, this could be a good way to go about that.

FREEBIES

Oh one of THE best freebies comes from the Sample Showcase! The Sample Showcase sends lots of free samples through UPS, and it is a MUST. The free sample box opportunity is in just a little over four days. Register now so you can get in on the samples when the offer goes live.

LINK: Sample Showcase

If you are interested in business news you might want to sign up for the free issue of Bloomberg Business Week. I got a free subscription to it a while back and it really is a great magazine.

LINK: Free Issue of Bloomberg Business Wee k

Rewards Gold has the opportunity for you to get a free subscription to Newsweek magazine. I have mentioned Rewards Gold before. It is a very simple program where you recommend Rewards Gold to a friend, complete a Breakfast survey and then do two simple reviews. That is it, and in return, you get a fabulous no strings attached free magazine subscription. Rewards Gold has kept me in free magazine subscriptions for years. The magazine offers change quickly so get in while you have a chance.

LINK: Rewards Gold Newsweek Magazine

Get your free sample of Fiber Choice fiber supplements. They are tasty, good for you, and of course free. Get them while supplies last at the link below.

LINK: Fiber Choice

Register now for a free sample of Zantac 150. Free and available while supplies last.

LINK: Zantac 150

Yay! It is back! Free samples of Nescafe Taster's Choice coffee singles. These are way tasty and awesome to have on hand. They come in a variety of flavors too.

LINK: Nescafe Taster's Choice Coffee Singles

Okay I am telling you this one now so you can mark your calendars! I am also telling you now, because as I grow older, I forget this stuff when the time comes (I have set my email calendar for this one). On April 22nd bring in your travel mug and participating Starbucks locations will fill it with coffee or tea. Get details at the link below, and ask your Starbucks if they will be participating.

LINK: Starbucks April 22

FREE MUSIC DOWNLOADS

FreeCCM has some great free downloads for everyone this week. Songs from The Choir, Catalyst Music Project, Derek Webb, Desperation Band, Gateway Worship (featuring Kari Jobe), and Cloverton. Every Tuesday, they have a new song for you to download for free. They also have some great contests too. Don't miss out. It is free to join.

LINK: FreeCCM Music Downloads

Join New Release Tuesday and get access to download Phil Stacey's "More Than That," Caedmon's Call "She," and "Because of Your Love" by The Ambassador.

LINK: New Release Tuesday Downloads

FREE KINDLE DOWNLOADS

If you are looking for some free Christian Kindle downloads from Amazon, here is a quick list for you to check out. And remember, you can download the Kindle app to your PC, iPhone, Blackberry, Android, and iPad. So you do not have to own a Kindle to enjoy this awesome feature.

Leota's Garden by Francine Rivers

She Walks In Beauty by Siri Mitchell

Michal: A Novel by Jill Eileen Smith

Invisible by Lorena McCourtney

Stuck In The Middle by Virginia Smith

Fave Crafts has a wonderful ebook on recycling crafts. When you click on the link a window will open asking for your email. Do not bother with that window. Close it and you still get your ebook.

LINK: Fave Crafts Recycling Craft eBook

Kelly's Thrifty Tips

2011-03-17T08:10:00.002-07:00

In the past two months, there have been some dramatic changes in the world, and these have brought about some changes locally. I don't know about you, but it is getting harder to buy cheap. What I have learned in my recent trips to the supermarket.

1- A list is a real must for keeping yourself on the spending track. Stick to it, and you will be better off. It is when we get sidetracked by goodies (which can even include a great sale) that we can start to go over our limits and bend our budget. I am pretty strict with myself about shopping, and I have thought I can get away without a list...I CAN'T.

2- If at all possible, combine your shopping with either errands or do it all in one day. I like to put a styrofoam cooler in the car and shop at all my stores and be done with it.

3- It is now more important than ever to know your prices and buy when those faves of yours are at "your price." For example, I don't buy a lot of canned soups, but I will buy them when I have coupons and they are on a price that is good for me. I will buy Chunky soup like crazy during Football season, because I can always find lots of coupons and get them at a sale price of $1.00. If I cannot get an item at my price, I do not buy it. When the item IS at my price, I buy A LOT! :) This is why I totally stocked up on Ravioli when it was on a crazy sale of 69 cents when you bought 10 participating items (the deal also included a buy later catalina at Fry's for $3.00 off a future order). Needless to say, I bought 10. Normally my price for Raviolis is a dollar so this deal was practically a joke.

4- Meat prices are going up so again, when you see your price GRAB IT and grab a lot of it. Also do not pass up the manager's mark downs. You may find your favorite cuts at your favorite prices. Just freeze it up when you get home. I do this all the time.

5- Get comfy with the fruits and veggies that are on sale. You can still get good nutrition and buy fresh fruits and vegetables, but you may have to enjoy different varieties as you wait for your favorite to cycle through the sales. And of course you can definitely enjoy frozen and even canned veggies because they are processed within hours of processing. For recipes, I have found that I can buy frozen chopped veggies and really save that way.

6- Coupons are your friend, do not leave home without them. Truly if you are going to hit the store, bring your coupons with you (what works for me is just leaving them in my glove compartment). I try to stay away from quick stops at the grocery store, because it means I am shopping outside of my usual shopping trip and probably coloring outside the lines of my budget, but there are times when I pick my son up from school and will make a stop at Albertsons (it is on the way home) because I need to grab hamburger buns or something like that. On these occasions I may take a quick look around, and I have often found a sale or two that have worked with my coupons. I have also found great manager markdowns that I have been able to get an even better deal on because I had corresponding coupons.

BUYING SOCIALLY

Since the Superbowl, more people are becoming aware of social shopping sites like Groupon. Groupon is a great way to get a local and occasionally a national deal by using the power of collective buying. It is like buying in bulk online. Here are a few sites to check out:

Groupon: I imagine at this point if you caught the Superbowl commercial or if you are just browsing on the internet, you have probably seen Groupon. Groupon can connect you to some amazing local deals. As far as us in AZ, there are great deals in the Phoenix area as well as Tucson, but you can often find some nice online deals with Groupon as well. Sign up and they will email you the deals or log in and check out what is up.

LivingSocial: Living Social shares local deals with you. You decide what to buy and if you refer some friends to the deal you got and three buy using your link, YOU get yours FREE! Either way you are already getting a great deal, but by spreading the word socially you are sharing a good deal with friends who may want in on that deal and helping them and maybe yourself.

Woot: Woot is the original daily deal site. Sign up with Woot and get in on some amazing deals. From midnight until 11:59pm or until the deal is sold out. You never know what you will find, but you will definitely find some cool things (from electronics to toy gadgets) and great prices.

Jasmere: I love Jasmere. Jasmere hooks you up with online businesses that they have checked out thoroughly. Jasmere works online like Groupon works on the street. Jasmere brings a daily deal to you for fabulous web based specialty shops. If you like the deal, you sign up for it. If not, pass on it. Get friends to join Jasmere, and get $10 credit. When you see a deal you like on Jasmere, buy it at the current price. The more people who buy the deal will bring the price down and you will not be charged until the deal is over, and you will get it at the lowest price.

FREEBIES

Share a free sample of Quaker Oatmeal Squares with up to 10 friends. Follow the link below and get to sharing while supplies last.

LINK: Quaker Oatmeal Squares

Follow the link below to NeilMed Sinus Rinse which will take you to their Facebook page. Like them and sign up for a free sample. I swear by their netipot.

LINK: NeilMed Sinus Rinse

Miracle Whip still has samples available so go now while supplies last.

LINK: Miracle Whip

Icejump.com is offering a free pedometer. Stop by the link below and get the details.

LINK: Free Pedometer

Get your hands on a sample of Purex Complete with Zout. I found this freebie last Thursday evening, and it is still going strong so get it while it lasts!

LINK: Purex Complete with Zout

Join Chili's email club and get a free order of Skillet Queso and Chips.

LINK: Chili's Email Club Freebie

Mio is a cool water flavor enhancer, and right now they are offering a free sample to facebook fans. Check them out at the link below.

LINK: Mio

Get the Amazon Kindle version of Living Rich by Spending Smart - How To Get More of What You Really Want by Gregory Karp. This is an awesome book that will help you learn to save on every day expenses.

LINK: Living Rich by Spending Smart

Amazon also has a Kindle version of Money and Marriage by Matt Bell which will help a couple focus on their financial strengths. Bell also focuses on Biblical principals. This is a great read for couples who need some financial guidance.

LINK: Money and Marriage

Remember you do not need a Kindle to download these books. You can get Kindle on your Blackberry, iPhone, Android, iPad, and PC.

GREAT DEAL

Do you have some pics just waiting to get developed? You can get 100 pictures developed for just $5 with free shipping at Snapfish. Simply use the code PADDY20 before March 20th! Don't pass this up.

LINK: Snapfish Deal

Kelly's Thrifty Tips

2011-03-10T08:10:00.001-07:00

Because my son has a sore throat, and I keep seeing more and more people with colds, I decided that I would share some health tips. This isn't all about cold and flu symptoms.

Sore Throat - Oregano oil has been shown to be as effective at killing germs as streptomycin and some other prescription remedies. I have read two different ways to use it. One advises mixing two drops of edible oregano oil into 6 to 8 oz of water and gargling with this mixture three times a day. The other advises dropping four drops of edible oregano oil onto the tongue twice a day for two days.

Acne - Cod liver oil has been recommended by many as a great treatment for acne from the inside out. I have to admit, I have not tried this yet, but from everything I read this is a great treatment. Cod liver oil contains large quantities of vitamin A, D and Omega 3 fatty acids. These help your body more easily fight an accumulation of toxins.

Daily Health Boost with Green Tea - Research has suggested that drinking two cups of green tea can double your ability to destroy viruses before they can make you sick.

Garlic is another fabulous healer. It has a natural ingredient called allicin which kills bacteria again more effectively than many antibiotics. When my son had earaches growing up, we would mix garlic and oil and warm it slightly before putting it in his ears. The aches would be gone within days. Usually no more than two. It was great because we were able to avoid having to use prescription antibiotics.

Because I was thinking about health, I started to also think about screenings and thought I would share a few resources that can assist people with free or low cost medical screenings.

Go to the Well Woman HealthCheck Program that provides free cancer screenings to woman who qualify. Follow the link below to go to their website and get contact information to see if you qualify or to share with someone you know who would need this.

LINK: Well Woman HealthCheck

Vision USA provides basic eye health and vision care services free of charge to uninsured, low-income people and their families. It is a group of AOA doctors of optometry who donate their services.

LINK: Vision USA

Skin Cancer Screenings - American Academy of Dermatology works with many of their dermatologists for free skin cancer screenings. Follow the link below to look up the screenings in Arizona.

LINK: Skin Cancer Screenings

FREEBIES

If you like to cook and like new recipes, sign up now for Sorrento's limited edition cookbook "For The Love Of Lasagna." There is a part where it asks for a promotion code, but a code is not necessary.

LINK: For The Love Of Lasagna Cookbook

Right At Home is back with a free Pledge Microfiber Cloth to the first 3,000 to sign up. Take a chance and see if you are one of the pack.

LINK: Pledge Microfiber Cloth

I am always looking for a planting opportunity. Red Robin is offering Heinz tomato seeds at their website while supplies last. When you get to the website, they have a slide of different promos. Just look for the one for Heinz tomato seeds and sign up.

LINK: Red Robin Heinz Tomato Seeds

Sign up for a free Organizing In Style booklet which comes with $35 in savings and great organizing tips. Get yours while supplies last.

LINK: Organizing In Style

Wow! I was going to share a free sample from Walmart for OXY Clinical skin care, and it went too fast! Soooo I rushed over to their website, and at least right now they are offering a free sample there. So sign up in a hurry!

LINK: OXY Clinical Sample

While supplies last, sign up for a sample of Parent's Choice Baby Formula. These samples are great to have on hand when you want to have some formula quickly at hand or of course just to get a try on. :)

LINK: Parents Choice Baby Formula

Jiffy has updated their recipe book with new recipes that will utilize even more of Jiffy's fabulous boxed mixes. Get in while supplies last.

LINK: Jiffy Recipe Book

If you haven't ordered one yet, there is another chance to pick up a sample of Shout Color catcher. This is a great little laundry helper in that it will snag the dye from something that is runny and keep it on the catcher rather than your other clothes.

LINK: Shout Color Catcher

Here is another free magazine subscription, American Baby. Definitely a great magazine for parents of wee ones, and while supplies last you can get a free subscription. American Baby has been around for quite some time. I heavily relied on it back when my son was a wee one.

LINK: American Baby Subscription

Free CCM again is one of THE best stops for your free Christian music downloads. This week's newest download is "Light Up The World" by Desperation Band. And of course, they still have some wonderful downloads still up from Gateway Worship, Cloverton, Know Hope Collective, Parachute Band, Jonny Diaz, Todd Agnew and Sara Groves! That is quite a song collection right there.

LINK: Free CCM Music

Amazon has a couple of new free Christian book downloads that you can download to your Kindle, Kindle App on your smart phone or download with a Kindle App to your computer.

Calm My Anxious Heart - A Woman's Guide To Finding Contentment by Linda Dillow

Moms' Ultimate Guide To The Tween Girl World by Nancy Rue

Michal by Jill Eileen Smith

Whisper on the Wind by Maureen Lang

Riven by Jerry B. Jenkins

The Secret (Seasons of Grace Book 1) by Beverly Lewis

Kelly's Thrifty Tips

2011-03-03T08:10:00.002-07:00

There is a wonderful organization that I want to share with you. They do not have any branches meeting right now in Arizona, but I am praying that one day they will. Crossroads Career Network is a national non-profit Christian ministry that is helping churches minister to individuals who are facing the job market lows. They meet all over the US and have a website with a huge amount of information! They have everything from workbooks, job listings, and helpful videos. Seriously this is a great place for a job hunter to gain some insight.

One of the things I was really excited to share was their Career Workbook which helps as they say "define the right job and career for you." It is 80 pages of serious career help. Follow the link below to download the workbook, but stick around for all they have to offer. This could be a real help for you or someone you know. There is also a wonderful section called Discover Your Calling. How many times have you wondered and wanted to know God's calling in your life? This could really help you find some direction.

LINK: Career Workbook

Tax time is here, and you definitely want to do all you can to minimize your taxes. Take a look at this link to a great article from Bankrate.com about ten overlooked tax breaks. It is a very brief article that may have quite an impact on you.

LINK: Ten Overlooked Tax Breaks

FREEBIES

Walmart.com has a free sample of Purina Beyond can or dog food.

LINK: Purina Beyond Sample

Costco members can sign up for a free sample of Kirkland Household Surface Wipes.

LINK: Kirkland Household Surface Wipes

Costco members can also sign up for Frederic Fekkai hair care samples. If you are a member, I strongly urge you to check it out. I love Fekkai's products. Again samples are while supplies last.

LINK: Frederic Fekkai hair care samples

Check out Eucerin's Facebook page and give them a like for a free sample of Daily Skin Balance while supplies last.

LINK: Eucerin Sample

While supplies last sign up for a free subscription to Ski Magazine at Value Mags.

LINK: Free 12 issue subscription to Ski Magazine

I have no idea if this offer has gone yet. The first 3,000 to respond and sign up at Right At Home will receive a Spring Clean Gift Pack.

LINK: Spring Clean Gift Pack

Because Tide had some technical difficulties the last time they did their giveaway, they are going to do it again. Check out their Facebook page for details today.

LINK: Tide Giveaway

Teachers, librarians and book sellers can sign up for one free Poetry Month poster. It is really beautiful and if you are a teacher it really is a great way to publicize poetry month (April) in the classroom. Limit one per person.

LINK: Poetry Month Poster

Get a free subscription to Living The Country Life (three years four issues a year) by following the link below. Get this while supplies last.

LINK: Living The Country Life magazine

While supplies last sign up for a free sample of Miracle Whip. The link is at the top of the page on the website.

LINK: Free Sample of Miracle Whip

Another great sample while supplies last, sign up now for a free sample of Natural Nutrition Cat Food. I was pretty happy about this because I have a VERY finicky cat. I actually have two cats. One is finicky. The other will eat anything like tape, pebbles and beyond. :)

LINK: Fee Cat Food Sample Natural Nutrition

iTickets.com has some new free music this week. This week it is all about praise and worship music. Sign up for membership if you haven't already. This week you can download Paul Baloche's "Open The Eyes of My Heart" and "You Alone" by Reflect Worship.

LINK: Free Music Download

Free CCM also has a heart for worship this week with a free worship song from Gateway Worship. Download "O The Blood" featuring Kari Jobe. Free CCM still has downloads from Cloverton, Know Hope Collective, Parachute Band, Jonny Diaz and Todd Agnew.

LINK: Free Music Download

Kelly's Thrifty Tips - Give A Little Bit

2011-02-24T08:10:00.001-07:00

Before I get started with some thrifty tips, I wanted to offer up a few ways that you can give in a way that will bless and cost you nothing.

Dress For Success: Dress for Success is an organization that is all over America as well as moving on in some other countries as well. Dress for Success strives to help disadvantaged women achieve independence by providing attire, career assistance and also networking support. From today, February 24 to 27 they are having SOS Weekend which stands for Send One Suit. You can bring a nearly-new dress suit in to any Dress Barn to donate to Dress For Success. They have all kinds of needs too. Suits, pocketbooks, and shoes. Check out the Dress For Success website for more and for Dress Barn locations go to Dress Barn's website.

LINK: Dress For Success
LINK: Dress Barn

Donate used cell phones to Shelter Alliance for recycling. Domestic violence shelters can earn up to $30. Go to the website to print out a prepaid shipping label.

LINK: Shelter Alliance Donate Cell Phones

Are you an avid reader? Consider donating your books to soldiers. Books For Soldiers helps you donate to a soldier or a whole unit. For soldier's security, you do need to register. Get details and get started at the link below.

LINK: Books For Soldiers

GREAT GIVEAWAY SITE

How long has it been since I have posted a cool giveaway site. I think it has been a while so how about a fabulous one? Check out Blog Giveaway Directory which truly can be your one stop, blog giveaway place. I have mentioned time and time again how much I love blogs and how you can not just learn a thing or two but also win a thing or two. Check out Blog Giveaway Directory where they will point you to some amazing giveaways. You can win clothing, gift cards, food, entertainment items like books and movies. The possibilities are endless!

LINK: Blog Directory Giveaway

FREE SAMPLES

While supplies last you can sign up for a free sample of New Fragrance Shampoo from Creme of Nature. We are talking yummy Sunflower and Coconut! Doesn't that sound amazing?

LINK: Creme of Nature Shampoo

Join Kraft First Taste and you can take advantage of some amazing offers. It is lots of fun getting the chance to try a new product and give your opinion. If you haven't signed up, check them out and sign up. If you have signed up in the past, go sign in and check your account. You may have an offer for a coupon for free Philadelphia Cooking Creme.

LINK: Kraft First Taste

Lowe's Build and Grow Clinic has another event this weekend. The Build and Grow Clinics are a great activity for the kids. This Saturday they will make a wooden race car with a pull back motor and on March 12 they can build a shoot around basketball game. These are all free fun for the kids. Don't miss out. Follow the link below to sign up.

LINK: Lowe's Build and Grow Clinics

Another fun free event is at Target. Target will be hosting Dr. Seuss Story Time from 9 am to 11 am at your local Target. Encourage your child's love of reading and maybe get some fun giveaways and snacks too. Contact your local Target to see where their reading event will be located.

LINK: Target Read Across America

More awesome music awaits at Free CCM. You can download Cloverton's "Take Me Into The Beautiful" as well as Know Hope Collective "Build Us Back," Parachute Band "Peace On Earth," Jonny Diaz "What I'm Waiting For," Todd Agnew "Reach Down," and Sara Groves "When It Was Over." The Cloverton song requires you to go on a special link and put in your name and email and the download link will be sent to you. The other downloads are free on the FreeCCM website.

LINK: Free CCM Free Music Downloads

iTickets.com has a free download of Brian Doerksen's "The Jesus Way"

LINK: Free Music at iTickets

Learn to make some tasty restaurant treats in a healthier way. Not only are these recipes better for you, they will eliminate your need for some of the more pricey restaurant options because you can make them at home. Download the free ebook from Fave Diets called "28 No-Guilt Copy Cat Restaurant Recipes." Making these great recipes at home will definitely help take a bit of a load off of your wallet. When you go to the page just click to download you do not have to join anything even though a pop up opens. Just close it.

LINK: Recipe Book

Go to the Redbox Facebook page and click on Freebie today to get your free code for a free movie tonight! Remember it is only good for today (February 24th)

LINK: Redbox Freebie

Kelly's Thrifty Tips

2011-02-17T08:10:00.005-07:00

After all the yummy candy indulgence that Valentine's Day brought, I thought I would share with you an awesome fitness site. FitDay.com is amazing. It is a free online diet and fitness journal that helps you keep track of calories, exercise, goals and lots more. Seriously it is a fabulous fitness tool that you can enjoy for free. It has very extensive information that will really help you make wise decisions and stick to your fitness goals.

LINK: FitDay

Lately I have been thinking about preservatives along with prices. Prices are still one of the highest concerns for me. This has caused me to start looking into what I can make at home rather than pay for the convenience of premade. Here are a few recipe links that I have found.

MEATBALL RECIPE

Back in the day, I used to make meatballs, sausage and peppers. For convenience sake, I stopped making my own meatballs and started buying frozen. They were definitely convenient, but not necessarily a good value. One of the good things about frozen meatballs was that they taste great. I had no idea that they did. I finally realized that if I can make meatballs fresh, I can certainly make them and freeze them for later. There are a lot of great recipes out there, but one that I liked is from Tammy's Recipes. Tammy has a lot of fabulous recipes. Even if you do not want to try your hand at meatballs take a browse around her website. You will not be disappointed. The link here is for a spaghetti and meatball recipe, but it is separate so check out the meatballs they are good for anything. I also have a great Italian meatball recipe that I got from Cooks.com that is pretty awesome too.

Freezing is super easy too. I fill the sink up half way with water, put the meatballs in a freezer bag, and submerge the bag enough in the water to get the air out and also making sure the water doesn't go in. This has worked like a charm.

HOMEMADE LAUNDRY SOAP

Another thing I have wanted to make of my own is laundry soap. I have found lots of great recipes and this one below I have found all over. This one in particular I got from the Duggar's Favorite Family Recipes. :)

4 Cups - hot tap water
1 Fels-Naptha soap bar (can get at some grocery stores and many hardware stores)
1 Cup - Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda (this is not baking soda make sure you buy the right stuff)
½ Cup Borax

- Grate bar of soap and add to saucepan with water. Stir continually over medium-low heat until soap dissolves and is melted.

-Fill a 5 gallon bucket half full of hot tap water. Add melted soap, washing soda and Borax. Stir well until all powder is dissolved. Fill bucket to top with more hot water. Stir, cover and let sit overnight to thicken.

-Stir and fill a used, clean, laundry soap dispenser half full with soap and then fill rest of way with water. Shake before each use. (will gel)

-Optional: You can add 10-15 drops of essential oil per 2 gallons. Add once soap has cooled. Ideas: lavender, rosemary, tea tree oil.

-Yield: Liquid soap recipe makes 10 gallons.

-Top Load Machine- 5/8 Cup per load (Approx. 180 loads)

-Front Load Machines- ¼ Cup per load (Approx. 640 loads)

HOMEMADE YOGURT

I am a true lover of yogurt, and though I am thankful to find it on sale fairly often, I was thrilled when I found a totally easy recipe. This is from one of my favorite bloggers, Kristen The Frugal Girl. This is a recipe that you can do without any fancy equipment. Check it out here.

GRANOLA BARS

Kristen also has a fabulous recipe for granola bars. I only by these when they are on a super sale and I have coupons with this recipe, I won't have to. My son loves them. Check it out here.

FREEBIES

Okay this is again one of those deals that you need to go to Facebook for and you need to be there at a certain time. To show appreciation to their fans, Tide is offering a bottle of Tide Stain Release to the first 5,000 fans to respond at 3:00 pm EST. Give it a shot by following the link below. Don't forget to "like" them.

LINK: Tide Facebook Freebie

Join P&G Everyday Solutions, and you can request a huge variety of coupons that will be mailed to your door. They also have a great quarterly free sample program.

LINK: P&G Everyday Solutions

If you didn't order these last week, I highly recommend ordering Love Handles Cards from Dr. David Jeremiah. I ordered mine last Wednesday, and I got them this Wednesday. They are really cool. You get to see how men and women approach things and how to merge those ways together to better your relationships. Truly I highly recommend this set.

LINK: Love Handles Cards

Join Benihana's Chef Table and you will get a $30 Benihana Birthday Certificate.

LINK: Benihana

Sign up with Rewards Gold, refer three friends, take a survey and do two reviews, and you can get a subscription to Forbes magazine. It is VERY simple. I have been fortunate to get many subscriptions through Rewards Gold, and I cannot recommend it enough. Follow the link below.

LINK: Rewards Gold subscription to Forbes magazine

Download the Parachute Band's "Peace On Earth" at FreeCCM. As usually FreeCCM still has some of their amazing download offerings from the last few week's artists Jonny Diaz, Todd Agnew, Sara Groves, Phil Wickham, Chris Rice and The Afters.

LINK: Free CCM Music downloads

iTickets.com has some wonderful music downloads this week with "Show Me" by Audrey Assad, "Attention" by Know Hope Collective, and "Be Lifted High" by Bethel Live.

LINK: iTickets Music downloads

New Release Tuesday Members can download "Skeleton" by Hawk Nelson from their new CD "Crazy Love" and "Gave It All" by Parachute Band from their CD "Love Without Measure." Join up, it is free to join, you get great music and great CD previews too.

LINK: Free Music Downloads from New Release Tuesday

Tips on a good Dining out Experience

2011-02-16T09:46:00.002-07:00

Some interesting tips provided by waiter's and waitresses to help you have a better dining experience. Click here to read the entire article.

Credit Card Crisis

2011-02-16T09:37:00.002-07:00

Here are some credit card purchases that experts say cash-strapped consumers should avoid at all costs. Click here to read the entire article.

Kelly's Thrifty Tips

2011-02-10T08:10:00.001-07:00

Here is a great website for saving money. Mashupmom.com. Mashup Mom is a website with all kinds of valuable information. There are printable coupons, e-coupons, store deals and freebies, and information on working from home. Seriously, this is a fine site that you are going to love.

LINK: Mashup Mom

RECYCLING ORGANIZING TIP

It is cold and flu season which means if your family is anything like my family, you are using a lot of tissue. Instead of just throwing the empty boxes out, consider cutting the tops off and using them as organizers in the various drawers around the house. They are great in the bathroom to organize make up, brushes, curling irons and hair accessories. They also work great to keep an underwear and sock drawer in order. Don't cut the tops off and use them to hold the plastic bags you take home from the store for later use. Keep them in the laundry room to toss in lint from the dryer. When it is filled up, toss it out.

Or don't toss out that dryer lint. There are actually some things you can do with it.

Dryer Lint Crafts - PlanetPals.com has some craft recipes that help you make clay, paper, and paper mache.

Dryer lint can be used as a compost ingredient.

Dryer lint can be left in the trees for birds to use as nesting materials. This works great for the birds but the draw back is it also provides some cozy materials for mice. Weigh this into the equation before you spread the lint out for this use.

I have also seen dryer lint suggested as a great fire starter for camping or for the fireplace. Some suggest putting some lint inside toilet paper or paper towel tubes, and filling the ends of the tubes with newspaper. The tubes can be inserted into the wood as kindling. I also read about filling up cardboard egg carton slots with dryer lint, covering the lint with melted wax, letting this dry and then separating each egg cup by tearing them apart and using those as starters as well. Some are for these methods and some are against it. Do you own searching and check it out. By the way, safety was not an issue. Some people just felt it didn't work well where others felt it did. I do know that one of our listeners, BJ uses egg cartons and melted wax as starter so that definitely does work. The lint is just an added part. If you do use dryer lint for burning, I have been told that cotton lint is the way to go. Stay away from polyester lints as they can be smokey.

FREE SAMPLES

Walmart.com has another free sample of Maybelline FIT Me foundation. Sign up and get all 18 shades. This is a whiles supplies last so don't wait on it.

LINK: Maybelline FIT Me Foundation

FREE FOOD

Taco Bell is giving a coupon to the first 1 million people to like them on Facebook. This coupon is worth one free crunchy taco. You do have to print the coupon. You will probably notice that they have over a million people already liking them, but this is new so give it a shot.

LINK: Taco Bell Free Taco

Like Cheez It on Facebook and vote for their new flavor, and while supplies last you can get a free sample. I love Cheez-Its so this is a freebie, I couldn't pass up. Hurry though.

LINK: Cheese It Sample via Facebook

FREE FAMILY RESOURCE

Dr. David Jeremiah has Love Handles. No not the belly kind, the kind that can lead to relationship bliss. Here is a quote from the website: Love Handles” provides twenty-five key topics where the two divergent views can be looked at and the “perfect blend” can be found to promote harmony in a relationship. Learn how to “get a grip on bliss” with “Love Handles.”

LINK: Love Handles

FREE ENTERTAINMENT

I just love, love, love FreeCCM. They always have interesting music news, interviews and even devotionals, and of course there is the plethora of free music! This week's newest free be is Jonny Diaz song "What I am Waiting For." There are still some great flashback tunes from Todd Agnew, Sara Groves, Phil Wickham, The Afters, and Chris Rice.

LINK: Free CCM Music

For a limited time you can download a 4 song EP from Abandon Kansas via Amazon.

LINK: Abandon Kansas download

If you are new to Amazon On Demand you can sign up and get $5 credit. This credit has to be used by March 31, 2011 and cannot be used on every video on demand (the video will tell you this). The credit will be applied to qualifying purchases through their video on demand.

LINK: Amazon Video On Demand promo

Lowe's Build and Grow Clinics has a special project on February 12th. Your child can build a music box with a heart shaped lid. It is very, very cute. While at the sign up page you might also like to sign up your child for the class on February 26th to build a pull-back #48 race car. Check out the link for all the details and to sign up. Classes begin at 10:00 am, and remember you must follow the link to register.

LINK: Lowe's Build and Grow Clinics

Send a virtual Valentine from an app on the Redbox facebook page, and you will get a code for a free Valentine's movie rental for you and your recipient will get one too! This rental code will only be good on Valentine's day. There are several varieties to send, and they are awfully cute. Even the intro is pretty sweet.

LINK: Free Redbox rental code when you send a Valentine

The Nose Knows

2011-02-09T08:59:00.003-07:00

Find out 5 everyday scents that may help you in weight loss, upping your workouts and may help you sleep better. Click on the title above to read the entire article.

Kelly's Thrifty Tips

2011-02-03T08:10:00.001-07:00

Whether you are all about Valentine's Day or not, I thought it would be nice to share some ideas and links for inexpensive Valentine gifts and crafts, because it is always nice to show the ones we love how much we love them. If money is tight, do not spend more than you can afford. There are lots of ways to share your love with the ones you love if you just get a little creative.

KID CRAFTS

When I was a child, I loved crafts. Kaboose has some amazing crafts for the kids that are fun and frugal. Follow the link below to get lessons on making Valentine Cards, a Valentine Pinata, paper crafts (I just love the puffy paper heart) and candy rings. Seriously, you and your child can get lost for hours making fun treats to share. You will also notice on the right of their web page a video loop of fun crafts from Family Fun.

LINK: Kaboose Valentine Day Crafts

TREATS FOR YOUR SWEETHEART

If you would like to spoil the love of your life with some yummy treats, Kaboose is the place for you too. They have scads of fabulous recipes for you to play around with. I was extremely intrigued by the dessert pizza and the cappuccino truffles really called to me. Of course I plan on making the treats and giving.

PRINTABLES

Mint Printables has free printable Valentine stationary that might be just right to make a sweet note for the ones you love.

Presentation Magazine has some lovely printable free Valentine Cards. All you need is some card stock and a printer.

I found some nice romantic coupons at parenting.leehansen.com. These are of the Breakfast in Bed, A Hug For No Reason variety with two coupons you can write in. Might I suggest the coupon for winning one argument no questions asked. That is a nice gift to give.

I can't draw a heart. I should correct that statement. I can draw a heart, but I cannot draw an even heart. My hearts always end up somewhat lopsided. This caused me to look around for some simple heart templates. I found one at Family Fun. This will work great for any kind of craft where you need a nice, perfect heart.

RANDOM ACTS OF VALENTINE'SNESS

Here are a few other things you can do for Valentine's Day. Surprise your children or spouse with love notes. This requires planning. Take the time to write some small love notes and leave them in various places where your loved ones will find them. Put them in pockets, under pillows, in lunch boxes, the car, silverware drawer, the bathroom mirror and wherever else it will be a surprise. Even if your loved one doesn't find the notes all in one day, it will be nice for them to randomly find these sweet notes from you.

Does your spouse like coffee? Send them off to work with their favorite blend.

Create a love jar. Pick up a Mason Jar or even recycle a jar you have at home. Fill this jar with candies (Hershey kisses, jelly bellies, those candy hearts with the sayings on them), little love notes from you, and some coupons like the printables above.

If your love likes crosswords, buy them a puzzle book. My husband loves Arizona Highways Magazine so one thing I like to do when at Thrift Stores is look for old issues so he can have fun looking at the past. Make a mixed CD of songs that remind you of him/her.

Hand massages. Yep. Hand or feet really, but if you are squeamish with feet, I totally recommend a hand massage. My husband didn't even know he liked having his hands massaged until I did that for him.

Instead of doing dinner which can be pricey and definitely crowded, go out for lunch or make a dinner at home. Rent a movie that will make your spouses day, and pick up their favorite theater treats and have a fun date night at home.

Always keep in mind that it is not what you do but who you do it with. Shower the people you love with kindness and love all day. You will all reap the benefits.

FREEBIES

Looking to get your Omega 3 vitamin kick, but not sure what to buy? Walmart has a sample on their site for MegaRed Omega 3 Krill Oil. Follow the link below. Don't forget that these deals are available only while supplies last.

LINK: MegaRed Omega 3 Krill Oil

I am always looking for the next best thing to make my skin feel amazing. I jumped on the chance to get a free 1.5 ml sample of Origins Plantscription anti-aging serum. Like them on Facebook and you are in!

LINK: Origins Plantscription

If you like almonds, check out this deal. On game day, February 6 at 6pm EST, you can go to Planter's Mr Peanut Facebook page and get a coupon for free Flavor Grove Almonds. They are giving 25,000 coupons away.

LINK: Planter's Flavor Grove Almonds

February 4th is free Coffee-Mate day. Coffee-Mate will be giving out 100,000 coupons for a free bottle of Coffee-Mate on February 4th at 9:00 am PST. You can sign up at their website or their facebook page. You can even text them for deals, but I would stick to the FB or website. Like them on Facebook now so you can get the signal when they start the giveaway.

LINK: Coffee-Mate Website or Coffee-Mate Facebook

Perhaps back by popular demand, but quite possibly not around for long, Walmart has Breathe Right Strip samples. Follow the link below, but don't wait too long.

LINK: Breathe Right Strips Sample

FREE TAX PREP

H&R Block and Turbo Tax are offering free simple form tax online tax filing. When filing was simple, I was all about Turbo Tax. It is not so simple anymore for us, but if it is for you or you know someone who can use it, lead them to these links.

LINK: H&R Block and Turbo Tax

MORE KINDLE FREEBIES

I hope that you were able to take advantage of some of the awesome free Kindle books that I posted a few weeks ago. They do change fast, and I have to say that I am glad that I picked the ones I did while I had a chance as many aren't free now. Remember you do not have to have a Kindle to get the free books. You can get the program on your iPhone, Windows PC, Mac, BlackBerry, iPad, Android (that is what I have), and Windows Phone 7 just go to this link.

Here are a couple free books that you might want to check out while they are still available.

The One Year Book Of Devotions For Couples by Teresa Ferguson (This could be a nice thing to kick off together on Valentine's Day. You don't have to start with January after all)

After The Leaves Fall by Nicole Baart

The Choice by Suzanne Woods Fisher

FREE MUSIC

Blast to the past continues at freeCCM with Todd Agnew's "Reached Down" from his CD "Grace Like Rain." You can still get downloads from Sara Groves, Phil Wickham, The Afters, and Chris Rice.

LINK: Free Christian Music

Members at New Release Tuesday can download "Give It All " by Parachute Band and can still snag "New Beginnings" by Luminate.

LINK: New Release Tuesday Music Downloads

Kelly's Thrifty Tips

2011-01-27T08:10:00.005-07:00

I have to see my doctor soon, and let me tell you...I dread it. I don't dread seeing my doctor. I dread the price for the blood work I have to get before hand. This got me to thinking that there has to be a way to get blood work done at more affordable prices. I knew of one way and that is Healthwaves which is AWESOME. Seriously it is great.

Healthwaves sends lab techs to various grocery stores in Arizona. They have a schedule on the website as well as the tests that they do. You go to the location, fill out the forms, and get your blood work. Your results are mailed to you, and from there you can give them to your doctor. This has saved me serious money just on my thyroid blood work alone. Check them out at the link above. You can get their full 2011 schedule as well as what tests they provide. You can even download and printout there form so there is one less thing for you to do when you go to get your tests.

As I mentioned, Healthwaves does some of the tests my doctor orders, but because they do not do them all. Additionally, I do have to wait for them to come to my area. This isn't a terrible strain, but time can be of the essence when getting lab work done. I searched a little harder to find another way to get my lab work done at a lower price. This led me to PrePaidLab.com. Let me just say I was thrilled. PrePaidLab.com also offers inexpensive lab work, but you order it and pay for it in advance online.

It works like this, you go to their website and locate a participating lab near you, then you order your blood work and pay for it, next you print out your requisition and bring it to your lab. The results are mailed to you. This all sounded amazing to me, but I wanted to be sure that I could really order and pay for my labs through PrePaidlab.com and get the work done at the lab in my area. I called one of the labs listed who directed me to call their main office, and they told me that they did work with PrePaidLab.com and to follow the instructions on the site and bring the requisition to their participating lab. There are five in my area and the farthest is less than 13 miles away. What I liked about PrePaidLab.com was that the prices are great and I can get lab work done when I need it. They have an extensive list of lab work that you can have done. Don't take my word for it, CNN did a story on it here.

FREEBIES

I'm starting with free music today. FreeCCM is continuing with their Blast To The Past with a free song download of "When It Was Over" by Sara Groves AND you can still get free music downloads from Phil Wickham, The Afters and Chris Rice. Don't pass up these fabulous and free tunes. To get your free songs you do need to be a member, but it is free and they do not overload your inbox with a bunch of junk email.

LINK: FreeCCM

iTickets.com has two new downloads for you as well. You can get "Come Home" by Luminate and "The One" by Javen. If you are looking for local Christian concerts and events, iTickets is also a great resource for that too!

LINK: iTickets

New Release Tuesday has free downloads for members. You can get "New Beginnings" from Luminate, "Leaving Eden" from Brandon Heath, and an 18 song compilation from independent artists courtesy of Compassion International. If you like Christian music, this is going to be THE hookup.

LINK: New Release Tuesday

While supplies last Sam's Club members can get samples of Genuine Bayer Aspirin.

LINK: Bayer Aspirin Sam's Club

Did you send Kleenix to a friend back when that was free? If so you may want to share some Quaker Oatmeal Squares cereal with a friend too. Maybe talk a friend into sharing some with you. Follow the link below and arrange to share some yummy Quaker Oatmeal Squares with some friends.

LINK: Share Quaker Oatmeal Squares

Newsweek Magazine through Rewards Gold. I have gotten many of my free magazine subscriptions through Rewards Gold. They are completely free subscriptions with no obligations of renewal, and they are really easy to get. They do go fast however. Follow the link below to get Newsweek magazine. Here is what you have to do: Join Rewards Gold, Refer Two Friends, Take a Survey and do two reviews (we are talking easy). That is it. You give your details, and your in.

LINK: Newsweek Rewards Gold

I was not sure if I gave this last week so I thought I would share it just in case. While supplies last, sign up for Lactaid Fast Act. These can be really helpful for those people who have problems with dairy.

LINK: Lactaid Fast Act

Don't forget those printable coupons. Cellfire.com doesn't only have coupons that you can download to your Fry's loyalty card but you can also print coupons. Be sure to check them out and print what you can use. Redplum.com has some great printable coupons for groceries too, and don't forget to check out Coupons.com and Smartsource.com. For personal savings join Safeway's Just For U. There are lots of coupons that you can load directly to your Safeway loyalty card.

REBATE

Get a $5 rebate from Nature when you purchase $30 of Nature Made products. The details are on their website. Buy any combination of Nature Made brand products totaling $30 or more between 1/16/11 and 2/20/11. Mail the register receipts along with the form you get from filling out the rebate request. Get it in the mail ASAP (postmarked by March 4th and received by March 18). Oh...the $30 total is less coupons so if you are using coupons the total has to be $30 after those coupons are deducted.

LINK: Nature Made Rebate

Keebler has a Wheatables Rebate. Try Wheatables free after rebate. Go for original Golden Wheat or Toasted Honey Wheat. The rebate must be post marked by 3/30/11 and in by 4/13/11.

LINK: Wheatables

Kelly's Thrifty Tips

2011-01-20T08:10:00.010-07:00

There are a lot of great finance blogs out there, and I thought I would share one with you that is about a lot more than just finances. Check out Wisebread.com. Wisebread is a collection of bloggers who write on some great finance topics and more. Main subjects include Personal Finance, Frugal Living, Career & Income, and Life Tracks. Here is just a few of the articles they had on their main page today: How To Really Save Money When You Shop, 8 Reasons To Drink More Water, 5 Ways To Yank The Leash On Pet Expenses. There is a lot more, you could literally spend the day learning about ways to save money.

If I can find another way to use an item rather than toss it, I am going to go for it. Here are a couple of ways to reuse some household items once they have filled their initial purchase.

SILICA PACKETS

I came across instructions for recharging silica packets which led me to look for ways to reuse those packages. First of all, silica packets are often included with the items we buy. Companies put these silica packets in to protect these new items from moisture, but you can keep them and reuse them for items around the home. The packets often look like little sugar packets. I know When you are not using the silica packets, put them in a baggy to keep them fresh.

You can put the silica in toolboxes and tackle boxes to help prevent rust.

Drop some silica packets in with clothes that you put away seasonally to keep the clothes fresh and wick away moisture.

Moisture can tarnish jewelry from silver to costume. Put some silica packets in your jewelry box to help keep away moisture as well.

Store some silica packets in your camera case to keep moisture from damaging your camera.

I do not know how well this works, but I read that if a cell phone or a camera gets water on it, you can put it in a baggy with some silica packets and they will help remove that moisture. This may or may not prevent damage to your phone, but it is worth a try.

Now to recharge your silica packets, put them on a cookie sheet and put them in the oven at 200 degrees for an hour.

DETERGENT SQUEEZE BOTTLES

Fill an empty detergent squeeze bottle with water and keep in the car to use to clean your hands after changing a flat or to clean off the car windows when you are out of wiper fluid.

Fill the clean detergent bottle with water to water plants in your home.

Fill the clean bottle with water to easily add water to an iron.

PIE TINS

I kept a pie tin after Christmas and it has been used and reused in our house at least ten times already to store and heat up leftovers. It kind of reminds me of the TV dinners my mom bought back in the 70s when they were still made with foil pans. They can be cleaned and used again and again.

COFFEE CANS

This is something I do not use anymore, but if you do or if you can get your hands on some, you can use the extra large ones and a regular sized coffee can to make ice cream. You simply fill the larger one with ice and salt and put the ingredients to make the ice cream in the smaller can. Roll it around until you have ice cream.

When I was a child we used to have our parents poke holes in the coffee cans, feed twine through the holes and make stilts.

You can use the plastic or the metal cans to store items around the house. They both have great lids to keep things dry. I like to use canisters to hold all the free samples I get. This way they aren't just piling up everywhere.

FREEBIES

Free samples of Bragg seasonings. I don't know if you have checked them out before, but seriously this stuff is great. Follow the link to the website. The free sample link there is on the left side.

LINK: Bragg Samples

While supplies last enter to get a free sample of CoverGirl NatureLuxe Foundation. The free sample link will be at the bottom right. The ad changes from Lip Perfection to NaturalLuxe.

LINK: CoverGirl NatureLuxe foundation sample

Maggi is a base that you can use for homemade soup and while supplies last you can get a free sample of their Chicken Flavored pasta soup. The link is on the right side of the page.

LINK: Maggi Soup sample

Walmart.com has a free sample of Purena Beneful dog food. This like all other Walmart samples is available while supplies last.

LINK: Purena Beneful

When my son was little, it was always nice to have a little formula on hand. Sign up now and while supplies last you can get a sample of Parents Choice Premium Infant formula.

LINK: Parents Choice Premium Infant Formula

If you like books with photographs from exotic locations, you might want to sign up for the free book from National Geographic called "Reflections of Seoul in Four Seasons" with photography by Jodi Cobb. This beautiful book is full of fabulous pictures that you will surely enjoy. These books are only delivered to street addresses not PO Boxes and are available on a first-come-first-serve basis. This is a free offer from the National Geographic Channel.

LINK: National Geographic free book

ENTERTAINMENT FOR FREE

iTickets has a free download of Brandon Heath's song "Leaving Eden" from his new CD of the same title. There is also a free download of "At Your Feet" by Godspeed3 from their CD "Redeemed."

LINK: iTickets Free Music

FreeCCM has free downloads from Phil Wickham, The Afters, Chris Rice, and MercyMe.

LINK: FreeCCM Free Music

How about a free movie. Here are some free Block Buster kiosk codes. These codes can change at any time and not work, but at that point you can always cancel. I hope you took advantage of last week's code.

14CHD2X (Expires Jan 20, 2011)
MRC37H (Expires Feb 25, 2011)

FREE COUPON CLASS

I have read books and taken some online classes, but I have never had the opportunity to take one in person. Here is a chance for anyone in the quad city area or for that matter, anyone who would like to drive on in to Prescott to get some knowledge from a real savvy saver.

Practical Saver, Kara Rozendaal has been helping Arizona families save money for years with her tips and fabulous website. She has some totally valuable information on couponing that she is willing to share in a free class. This is a three week class January 26th, February 2nd, February 9th from 6:30 pm to 8:00 pm at Tri City Prep School at 5522 Side Road Prescott. This class is going to teach you how to save money for your family as well as bless others. Get more information at our online calendar where you can get Kara's email and phone number to register. Seriously, this is a series you are not going to want to miss.

SEE YOU NEXT WEEK!

Kelly's ThriftyTips

2011-01-13T08:10:00.006-07:00

Recently my husband upgraded my phone to a Droid. First of all, let me say that I just love it. Second, I have been totally thrilled in that it has a Kindle app. I am a book freak, and having the opportunity to have a book with me all the time via my phone is just awesome. Another awesome thing is that Amazon has a bunch of free books for the Kindle. You do not need a Kindle or a smartphone to enjoy this. You can load the Kindle software to your computer for free. Check out this link for that: Free Kindle Reading Apps

Now back to the free downloads. There are many ways to look for free downloads. There are three ways that I have used. One is to go to the Amazon Best Sellers list in the Kindle Store. One side shows the top paid book, and the other side shows the top free books. Another thing that I do is go to the Kindle section and type in different Christian publishing houses (example Tyndale, Kregel, Revell and Thomas Nelson). A list of their available Kindle books will show up. I sort the list according to price (low to high). You can quickly see what is free. Also when you look at one book, you will often see other books people bought when purchasing that title. Many of those will also be free. You can also search people's lists. There are many lists that other members created with free books they found.

When doing my free book hunt, I was thrilled to find not only a bunch of free books, but free books by many of my favorite Christian authors and other awesome Christian authors I have heard of but not read. I can tell you that I have been going a little crazy, but in a totally good way. The free books change frequently, but here are some you can check out right now. Follow the links to learn more about the books. Again, some of the books will only be free for a short time. All the books I listed are rated on average four stars.

The Holy Bible English Standard Version from Crossway Bibles (I do want to say that from the reviews it can be a bit hard to navigate as you can go to chapter but will have to page turn for verse. It is still great to have a Bible right on hand and you can't beat free).

Craving God by Lysa Terkeurst (This is a 21-Day devotional challenge to accompany Made To Crave. I have been re-reading More Than A Good Bible Study Girl by Lysa, and knew I had to grab this one).

A Woman Called Sage by DiAnn Mills (looks like a western romance)

Fools Rush In (Weddings by Bella, book 1) by Janice Thompson (a book set in today)

Happily Ever After by Susan May Warren (One of my faves. This book looks sweet. Also set in today)

Stuck In The Middle (Sister-to-Sister, book 1) by Virginia Smith (I have read lots of Virginia's books. She is a fabulous author. I am also reading this now. Again, set in today)

Love On A Dime by Cara Lynn James

Hide In Plain Sight by Marta Perry (mystery romance)

The Apothecary's Daughter by Julie Klassen (a Regency book)

The Centurian's Daughter (Acts of Faith, book 1) by Janet Oke and Davis Bunn (the story of the Roman soldier whose servant is healed by Jesus)

The Potluck Club (The Potluck Club book 1) by Linda Evans Shepherd and Eva Marie Everson

Invisible (Ivy Malone Series #1) by Lorena McCourtney

Last Light by Terri Blackstock

Against All Odds (Heroes of Quantico Series, book 1) by Irene Hannon

The Justice Game by Randy Singer

Deeper Water (Tides of Truth series) by Robert Whitlow

Happy reading!

FREEBIES

With the winter chilly weather, this is a freebie I think you will love. Actually I have had this before and it is incredible. While supplies last, sign up for your free sample of Cream of Wheat Cinnabon. It is so good, you would almost want to eat it for dessert. Follow the link below for your sample.

LINK: Cream of Wheat Cinnabon

Get Ready Hand Washing Timer. American Public Health Association is offering the Get Ready Hand Washing Timer. Proper hand washing plays a key part in maintaining good health. Follow the link below get yours while supplies last. If you miss out, remember you can also wash your hand while singing the Happy Birthday song.

LINK: Hand Washing Timer

Blockbuster joined the DVD rental trend and is located at many Safeway stores. Here is a one-time use code available that is supposed to work until January 18: ESU11B. You do need a credit card in order to rent.

Don't ignore this freebie. I used to work for an orthodontist, and one thing I learned was how important it is to floss. Flossing can be hard, but DenTek has worked to make it easier. They have a free sample available on their website now. Take advantage of this freebie while supplies last.

LINK: Free DenTek floss pick

I brought this up last year when they did it, and I have to mention it again this year. Pedigree is offering a coupon for 20 lb of Pedigree dog food to anyone who adopted a dog in the year 2010. This is a printable mail in form, and you are required to fill out the form in its entirety and include proof of adoption. The documents required are on the form. Do not send in originals. The form needs to be received by February 2011. It does not say end of February, so be on the safe side and get it out quickly.

LINK: Pedigree free dog food for adopters in 2010

Become a Fan of Go Red for Women on Facebook, and you can get a red dress pin. Go Red For Women encourages awareness of the issue of women and heart disease, and also action to save more lives (directly from facebook page). This is a great way to fashionably spread the word.

LINK: Go Red for Women red dress pin

If you haven't tried for this one, sign up for a free sample of EmergenC. They will send you more than one. This is another great thing to have around during this chilly weather.

LINK: EmergenC

True Lemon is a great way to add some lemony zing (oh how corny is that?) to any beverage. The packets are totally convenient, and now they also have lime and orange. Follow the link below.

LINK: True Lemon Sample

Dove is still offering a free sample of Dove Damage Therapy. If you have not picked this up, get it while you can. It will make your hair feel great.

LINK: Dove Damage Therapy

This one is a tasty offer. Literally, Yoplait yogurt which just happens to have 2 times the calcium of the leading yogurt is offering a freebie! Fill out the easy form and get yourself a cup. This offer is good while supplies last or until May 31, 2011. No PO Boxes.

LINK: Free Yoplait

I don't know if I have the guts to do this, but with Shout Color Catcher you can mix your colors and not worry. Just pop in the color catcher, and it will grab those colors so they will not bleed. Available while supplies last. One per household.

LINK: Shout Color Catcher

It is back again for those people who haven't picked it up yet. Check out Nescafe Taster's Choice gourmet coffee singles.

LINK: Nescafe Taster's Choice Coffee Singles

If you like tea, you may like to get a sample of Persimmon tea. Get your sample while supplies last.

LINK: Persimmon Tea

Get on this one fast. Walmart.com has free samples of Crest 3D White Whitestrips while supplies last. These are pretty awesome so don't hesitate.

LINK: Crest 3D White Whitestrips

Here is a link to some free samples from Fry's. Included are samples of John Frieda, an American Baby magazine subscription, Poise, and Prilosec.

LINK: Fry's Free Samples

Free sample of Steviacane through their Facebook page. Steviacane is another sweetener from the stevia plant.

LINK: Steviacane

Costco members can sign up for a sample of their Kirkland shampoo and conditioner. I have liked a lot of the Kirkland products so far. Hit the link. Samples available while supplies last.

LINK: Kirkland Shampoo and Conditioner

FREE ENTERTAINMENT

iTickets.com has two free song downloads this week. You can download "Gave It All" by the Parachute Band and "Say Say" by Kristian Stanfill.

LINK: iTickets free downloads

FreeCCM has some great free music downloads too. You can join up and download The Afters "Love Lead Me," Chris Rice "O Freedom," as well as "Silent Night" by MercyMe and "It Came Upon A Midnight Clear" by Sara Groves.

LINK: FreeCCM free downloads

To Do Justly

2011-01-05T08:56:00.003-07:00

To Do Justly

"He has shown you, O man, what is good; And what does the LORD require of you But to do justly, To love mercy, And to walk humbly with your God?" Micah 6:8

The Pharisees of the New Testament were obviously not the first Jews to believe that the letter of the law outweighs the spirit of the law. The Pharisees' form of "checklist godliness" was obviously being practiced by the hearers of Micah's prophecy.

Micah 6:8 reminds us of the conditions God set on His promises to Abraham, namely to do righteousness and justice (Gen. 18:19). Additionally, the directions for Israel from God (via Moses) come to mind: And now, Israel, what does the LORD your God require of you, but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all His ways and to love Him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to keep the commandments of the LORD and His statutes which I command you today for your good? (Deut. 10:12,13)

Both Samuel and Hosea emphasize God's preference for obedience, knowledge, and mercy over sacrifice and burnt offerings. (1 Sam. 15:22; Hos. 6:6.)

With all of these Old Testament passages in view over the next 3 weeks let's examine Micah's three imperatives individually so we can understand better what it means to fulfill the Lord's requirements and come to realize and live "what is good."

To Do Justly

Adam Clarke suggests that for man to do justly, he must render unto everyone that which is due to them. Of course Clarke does not mean "what is due them" in men's eyes, but "what is due them" according to God's will.

To give God His due. God is deserving of our heart, body, soul, and spirit; our wisdom, understanding, judgment. Jesus tells us (Mk. 12:28-30) that the first commandment is to "love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength." Because He created us in His own image, God rightly and justly deserves all of our worship and adoration. "This is the first commandment."

To give your neighbor his due. Jesus continues (Mk 12:31) His discussion of the greatest commandments with the second, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." Can we sin against someone we truly love? Perhaps we might momentarily sin against a loved one, but not continually. True love desires to bless and not to injure. Note however that we are not to give that which is due to God to any man - neighbor or self

To give to yourself what you are due. According to Paul, we are not our own but instead our bodies are the Temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 6:19). So what we have coming must be tempered by what we must avoid. Paul reminds us first of all to "flee sexual immorality." Elsewhere Paul gives us lists of characteristics to avoid and attain (Gal. 5:19-25)

We do not realize how important it is to do unto others as we would have them do unto us. If we do not have a holy reverence for this law of love, yet claim we have salvation, we are deceiving ourselves. To show mercy is to treat people far and above what they deserve; that is, "...to walk humbly with our God," MIC 6:8.

There is a very important principle in our text. God has assured those who walk uprightly of protection and provision of His providence. We often see people who are struggling and having such a hard time in the things of providence. Why is the Lord withholding His provision? Let's look to ISA 33:15-16, "He that walketh righteously, and speaketh uprightly; he that despiseth the gain of oppressions, that shaketh his hands from holding of bribes, that stoppeth his ears from hearing of blood, and shutteth his eyes from seeing evil; He shall dwell on high: his place of defense shall be the munitions of rocks: bread shall be given him; his waters shall be sure."

Next week, “TO LOVE MERCY!”

Kelly's Thrifty Tips - When It Snows...Make ICE CREAM!

2010-12-30T11:40:00.002-07:00

With the snow outside, I thought it might be fun to post a recipe that you can do with the kids on a snowy day.

Fill a gallon freezer bag halfway with snow and add six teaspoons of salt in with the snow
Fill a quart freezer bag with:
1/2 cup of half and half
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
1 tablespoon of sugar

After you put all the ingredients in the quart sized freezer bag, squeeze out as much air as you can, and seal it. The best trick I have found for doing this is filling your sink up part way with water and dipping the bag in the water. This will push most of the air out. Just be careful not to get water in the bag. Put the quart bag into the gallon freezer bag (again squeeze as much air out of the freezer bag as you can). Seal the freezer bag. Put on some gloves and squeeze the bag until the ice cream is frozen.

A nice, easy treat to make using snow without worrying about the dirt. :)

Here is a link to a recipe from Paula Deen for snow ice cream. This is a little sweet for me, but uses real snow. If you can get good clean snow try it out. Well...you can use shaved ice too.

LINK: Paula Deen Snow Ice Cream

With 2011 coming up quickly, I have been really thinking about what to do this year or brush up on this year to help me financially. One thing that is a real must is a small notebook to write down expenses. The new year is coming, this is a perfect opportunity to get a handle on exactly where every dime is going. Does your doctor's office give out those little pocket booklet calendars? If so they are the perfect size for writing down what you spend each day. Here are a few other things you might like to check into to get a good handle on your finances.

One of the tools that has been indispensable with our budget is mint.com. It is safe and secure. You do not have to download anything. You can categories and track all your spending. You will see if you are working in your budget or beyond it and figure out how to make changes. Check out their website where you can watch a video and learn more.

LINK: Mint.com

Have a need to write things down? If so, I have found the website for you. I have connected you to the Organized Christmas site in order to get Christmas planning in line, but now it is time to hit the ground running for 2011 by checking out Organized Home. Follow the link below to a list of printables to make a fabulous household notebook. This thing will help you organize and fly through your Spring cleaning, menu planning, weekly planning, shopping, camping, yard sale planning and more! Seriously you are going to love these printables.

LINK: Printable Pages For Your Household Notebook from Organized Home.

And in the upcoming weeks, I will be taking some online coupon classes. After I review them, I will post again to let you know what ones I recommend.

FREEBIES

Allure Magazine will have some fun freebies starting January 1st. The first day is a contest where one winner will win $1,138 of Shiseido Skin Care and Makeup. Each day will have a different prize for the first 500 Allure readers to sign up at noon EST. If you are near a computer, you might want to give this a try. Just make sure to CHECK NO next to the request to sign you up for a year subscription or you will get signed up. Here is a link to their sign up page which shows you the dates and prizes for January 1 to January 7.

LINK: Allure giveaways

If you like Gucci perfumes, you just might like to try out a free sample of Gucci Guilty. Just follow the link below to their Facebook page and free sample link.

LINK: Gucci Guilty

While supplies last, sign up for a free sample of Purina One for dogs or cars at Walmart.

LINK: Purina One

Change, Now Is The Time

2010-12-29T09:51:00.005-07:00

Change, Now is the Time

Luke 21:34-36?

34"Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with dissipation, drunkenness and the anxieties of life, and that day will close on you unexpectedly like a trap. 35For it will come upon all those who live on the face of the whole earth. 36Be always on the watch, and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen, and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man."

34 “Watch out! Don’t let your hearts be dulled by carousing and drunkenness, and by the worries of this life. Don’t let that day catch you unaware, 35 like a trap. For that day will come upon everyone living on the earth. 36 Keep alert at all times. And pray that you might be strong enough to escape these coming horrors and stand before the Son of Man.”

What does this mean?

The context of this passage is Christ speaking to His disciples. He was preparing them for when He would go to Heaven and they would face persecution. It is also a good warning for us that we should not get sucked into the cares of this world. Jesus is saying not to get complacent in your spiritual walk. Don't get too caught up in things of this world or you could lose your faith. Don't get caught up in the party animal mode and hang out with the wrong friends. Don't get worried about your finances and not trust in God. Don't worry yourself to death, but rely in the Father's tender loving care. Compare this to 1 Peter 5:7, "Cast your care upon him, for he careth for you."

What a relief that we worship the God of second chances!

If there's one truth that's indisputable about human beings, it's that we have an infinite capacity to mess up. But even more infinite than our ability to sin is God's desire to forgive us. For those of us who have accepted Christ as our Savior, that means God will forgive us every time we ask.

A favorite of the God of second chances

One of the most effective people in the Bible received a second chance from God. In fact, he received many, many chances. We can draw hope from the story of Moses, found in the book of Exodus.

Moses killed an Egyptian taskmaster who was abusing Hebrew slaves. When Pharoah found out, he tried to kill Moses. Escaping to Midian, Moses became a shepherd, married, and started a family. He had given up and "settled" for the life he had. Does that sound familiar? But God gave Moses a second chance.

God wouldn't listen to any excuses. He ignored the fact that Moses had failed before. He didn't care about Moses' low self esteem or speech disability. God had a job for Moses to do, and he was going to give him as many chances as he needed to do it.

God will do the same thing for you today!

A second chance for God's enemy

If anybody in the Bible deserved a lightning bolt from heaven to incinerate him on the spot, it was Saul of Tarsus. He is introduced in Chapter 9 of the book of Acts. A zealous persecutor of the fledgling Christian Church, Saul deserved to die for his treachery against God. Instead, God gave him a second chance. Not only did Jesus convert Saul to believe in him, he used him--as the apostle Paul--to take the Gospel to the Gentiles. During the rest of his life, Paul was shipwrecked, beaten, stoned, robbed and imprisoned, yet God protected him from death, giving him chance after chance to complete his assignment. Paul did.

What the God of second chances has for you

Do you have to be a Moses or Paul to receive a second chance--or third chance or millionth chance--from God? No. Christ has a second chance for anyone who needs it, including you. Maybe you've failed at something in life, and you think that dream is lost. I can tell you, though, from my own experience, that we serve the God of second chances. Right now I'm on my 47th or 48th chance. Or is it 348th chance? I lost track about 30 years ago--and God doesn't keep score either. Whether it's marriage, a job, a relationship, or your finances, God hasn't given up on you. He wants to heal you, make you right, and guide you into the purpose he has for your life. Your new mission for him may be different, in fact completely different from what you had in mind, but if you're obedient, God will give you every tool and circumstance you need to accomplish it.

Don't sell God short

Our Focus verse today is a strong reminder to us to remain vigilant in life at all times. Our last day on earth is unpredictable; it can happen anytime.

So we must be aware of our death as well as the death of others. We might not be alive tomorrow and the same is applicable to everyone else. So there is no tomorrow for us, only today. We must live according to the will of God today and thus everyday. Please also remember the words of Jesus not to worry about tomorrow. We only have this moment, and make sure that each moment of our life is submitted to God by loving Him and by loving others. The Lord is ready to meet you where you are. We all tend to expect too little from God. We tend to imagine that he's angry with us, that he carries a grudge and refuses to give us a second chance. That's not the God of the Bible, and that's certainly not Jesus. Jesus continually reached out to people like you and me, people who need a second chance. Some had enough faith to receive it. Will you accept the second chance that God is offering you today? See God realistically. See him mending your disappointment. See him running out to meet you, to give you another chance, just like the father of the prodigal son. Your life isn't wrecked for good. The most loving, powerful being in the universe wants to heal it, and he does have the power and creativity to do just that. Will you say "yes" today to the God of second chances? 2011 could be your year of great chance and change!

Rev 2:10 says, "Be thou faithful unto death and I will give thee a crown of life."

Holy and righteous Father, the Eternal God and Creator of the universe, Give me another chance at New Life! Work in me your righteous will to make me ready for your Son's glorious return. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

I pray. Amen.

Why Is Christmas So Important?

2010-12-22T09:27:00.004-07:00

Why Is Christmas So Important ?

The commercialism of the Christmas season continues to grow with each passing year playing to our wants and desires increasingly pushing Jesus out of the picture. So what are we as Christians supposed to do? Stop celebrating Christmas because Jesus no longer appears to be the reason for the season as some have? No!

The day is still called CHRIST - mas. Carols are still sung of His birth and can be heard through most mall sound systems. Christmas needs to be looked at differently, with an eternal perspective. To the Body of Christ, Easter is perhaps the most dear and sacred of days. Jesus rose from the dead three days after He died as a sin offering for the sins of the world. Important because if there was no resurrection there would be no Christianity and as Paul says , "your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins" (1 Corinthians 15:17, NASB). But what of His birth and the effect that had on the entire world. For me Easter means nothing without Christmas. Jesus was born to die for our sin and be raised from the dead for our justification (Romans 4:25). Christmas' meaning then becomes more significant, for without the birth of Jesus we would not be redeemed either. It was His unique birth which brought a unique life. Because of the virgin birth He did not have the sin nature as we all have, but one free from the effect of the fall. This allowed him to live a life wholly without sin (2 Corinthians 5:21, Hebrews 4:15) in obedience to the Father. As a result of this Jesus could be the lamb without spot or blemish to be offered up for man's sin (Hebrews 9:13-15). Linking these two events will help us gain a greater understanding of who our Lord truly was and is. For instance the Gifts of the Magi represent who they understood the Baby Jesus was and would become…….

Luke Chapter 2

…..The star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. ¹⁰ When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. ¹¹ On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.

Gold is meant to portray how Jesus is a "King" since He stems from the line of King David; Frankincense is something Jewish priests use during temple ceremonies, and hence stands for Jesus as the "mediator" between God the Father and His people. Also this could be said to foreshadow His sacrifice on the cross as an "offering" for the forgiveness of our sins; Lastly, Myrrh is used to embalm the dead during Jesus' time, and like what was mentioned above, it symbolizes Jesus dying on the cross for the salvation of mankind.

Maybe we should be hearing more sermons on the birth of Jesus at Easter, more sermons on the resurrection at Christmas

"Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,
and they shall call his name Immanuel (which means, God with us)."

Matthew 1:23, ESV

Joy to the world ... the Lord is come!"

We wish you a Merry Christmas ... time to celebrate our Savior's birth and reflect on His great grace in our lives ... and a blessed New Year!

My Peace I Give Unto You

2010-12-15T08:16:00.006-07:00

My peace I give unto you

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6

"Peace I leave with you, My peace I give unto you." John 14:27

These two verses speak of the one thing all people long for…Peace! Peace with God, Peace with People and Peace with ourselves. Many seek it so many different ways. Money, Status, even Love! The message of Christmas is about receiving inner peace that can only be found only in knowing this God-Man, Jesus. Listen to Luke 2:14 in the EAV…

¹⁴ "Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!" Luke 2:14 (English Standard Version)

When Our Lord speaks peace, He makes peace, His words are ever "spirit and life." Have you ever received what Jesus speaks? "My peace I give unto you" - it is a peace which comes from looking into His face and realizing that He is peace.

He is the Sovereign God who creates all things and controls all things. Jesus Christ is not the best human being the human race can boast of— He is a Being for whom the human race can take no credit at all. He is not man becoming God, but God Incarnate— God coming into human flesh from outside it. His life is the highest and the holiest entering through the most humble of doors. Our Lord’s birth was an advent— the appearance of God in human form.” So how should we respond??

His Birth in Me

Paul writes in (Galatians 4:19) “My little children, for whom I labor in birth again until Christ is formed in you . . .” Just as our Lord came into human history from outside it, He must also come into me from outside. Have I allowed my personal human life to become a “Bethlehem” for the Son of God? I cannot enter the realm of the kingdom of God unless I am born again from above by a birth totally unlike physical birth. “You must be born again” (John 3:7). This is not a command, but a fact based on the authority of God. The evidence of the new birth is that I yield myself so completely to God that “Christ is formed” in me and once

“Christ is formed” in me, His nature immediately begins to work through me. The Spirit of God testifies to and confirms the simple, but almighty, security of the life that “is hidden with Christ in God.

When you really see Jesus, I defy you to doubt Him. If you see Him when He says, “Let not your heart be troubled . . .” (John 14:27),

I defy you to worry. It is virtually impossible to doubt when He is there. Every time you are in personal contact with Jesus, His words are real to you. “My peace I give to you . . .” (John 14:27)— a peace which brings an unconstrained confidence and covers you completely, from the top of your head to the soles of your feet. “. . . your life is hidden with Christ in God,” and the peace of Jesus Christ that cannot be disturbed has been imparted to you.

All the failures in the Christian life can be traced to losing our focus or taking our eyes off Jesus. Are you painfully disturbed just now, distracted by the waves and billows of God's providential permission, and having, as it were, turned over the boulders of your belief, are you still finding no well of peace or joy or comfort; is all barren? Then look up and receive the stable calmness of the Lord Jesus. Reflected peace is the proof that you are right with God because you are at liberty to turn your mind to Him. If you are not right with God, you can never turn your mind anywhere but on yourself. If you allow anything to hide the face of Jesus Christ from you, you are either disturbed or you have a false security.

Are you looking unto Jesus now, in the immediate matter that is pressing and receiving from Him peace? If so, He will be a gracious benediction of peace in and through you. But if you try to worry it out, you obliterate Him. We get disturbed because we have not been considering Him. When one confers with Jesus Christ the perplexity goes, because He has no perplexity, and our only concern is to abide in Him. Lay it all out before Him, and in the face of difficulty, bereavement and sorrow, hear Him say, "Let not your heart be troubled."

John 14: 1-3, 27

¹Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. ²In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. ³And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.

Romans 8:1-2, 37-39

¹ Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, ² because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you

free from the law of sin and death. ³⁷ No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. ³⁸ For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, ³⁹ neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Kelly's Thrifty Tips

2010-12-09T08:10:00.002-07:00

Christmas is just 16 days away! That gives you about 15 shopping or crafting days to go! There are gifts to buy and meals to make. Lots of fun and family time to be enjoyed too. There are also some great opportunities to give. So please look around and see where you might be able to do that as well.

Radio Shine is happy to once again sponsor the Christmas Cradle Project which will benefit local CPCs. We have a list of drop off locations all over Arizona. Please take a moment to take a look at that page and pick out a little something to help these pregnancy centers help these families. They consistently work to help the working poor, and this is a great opportunity to help. Follow the link below which will not only show you the needs but also the drop off locations in the area. If you have a Bible study or group and you would like to get involved, maybe instead of a gift exchange where you might get another coffee mug or candle, you might consider a baby shower and bring those gifts to a local drop off location.

LINK: Christmas Cradle Drop Off Locations

You might also want to consider the Salvation Army, Toys for Tots, and the Prison Fellowship Angel Tree. All of these fabulous groups are working to make Christmas better for many children. I understand that Toys for Tots is in a toy donation deficit of about 10%.

WEBSITE

With Christmas comes usually a whole new slew of clothes. Now just could be the time to get out the old to make room for the new. I found a great site for you! It is called ThredUP.com. Members at ThredUp exchange gently used clothes online. I have found that exchanges like this work really well with the younger kids clothes. Let's face it, babies and toddlers grow fast and don't usually wreck a lot of their outfits. They usually have well defined baby clothes. ThredUp is a great exchange option. Of course never underestimate the power of setting up an exchange with other mommies in your neighborhood, church or even work.

Anyway, members use Medium Priority Flat Rate boxes which at this time are $10.70. You pay $5 for your box and the shipping fee to get your box. Each member lists the items that are in their box, and some members even have pictures so you know what you are getting.

Of course I totally recommend trying to exchange through your own community first, but this is definitely another great avenue to explore.

LINK: ThredUP

WINTER WEATHER TIP

I have been going through tons of my magazines in order to minimize some clutter for my husband's sake (I am SOOOOO bad about clutter). While doing that I found some tips that I was totally jazzed about and just had to share.

With winter's bite really starting to sink in, I recalled the annoyance of a foggy window. Here is a great tip. Fill a spray bottle with three parts water to one part white vinegar. Before locking up your car for the night, spray the windshield with the water/vinegar mix to naturally keep those windows clear. This can be a great savings in two ways. You can save time in not scraping your windows like crazy or you can save energy by not having to run the defrost for a long period of time before you can actually get moving.

CHRISTMAS COOKIE RECIPES

Last week I posted some links to some awesome Christmas cookie recipes which are great for cookie exchanges, gifts or just your own celebration. Here are a few more.

Holiday Peppermint Thins These looks absolutely amazing. They have a low prep time and look absolutely delicious.

Windowpane cookies This is a cookie that I have always wanted to make. They absolutely scream Christmas. Apparently if you can make a sugar cookie, you can make windowpanes.

Pecan Tart Cup Cookies I had to look for this recipe. This was a mainstay of all the cookie exchanges I have ever been involved in.

FREEBIES

If winter air is drying you up, you may be in want of a little sample of Garnier Fructis Anti-Dandruff shampoo. We've tried it, and I can tell you it smells GREAT and leaves your hair nice and soft so it really can work for . Check it out yourself by following the link below. This sample is available while supplies last.

LINK: Garnier Fructis Anti-Dandruff Shampoo

This is pretty neat. I don't know how long it will last, but check the link to Kroger's special freebie page where you can sign up for a free sample of Frieda Sheer Blond, and Prilosec (if you qualify through their survey. There is also a free subscription for American Baby!

LINK: Kroger Freebie Page

If you are a Sam's Club Member you can sign up for a free sample of Slim-Fast Peanut Butter Crunch Snack bar. You definitely do not have to be on a diet to enjoy these treats!

LINK: Slim-Fast bar

FreeCCM has a free download available of Sara Groves "It Came Upon A Midnight Clear." If you haven't picked them up yet, you can still download songs from Todd Agnew, 33Miles, Skillet, Fee, and The Choir.

LINK: Sara Groves Free CCM

New Release Tuesday has a free download this week "Angels We Have Heard On High" by Seabird, "Adore Him" by Kari Jobe, "The First Noel" by Revive, and "Body Language" by Qheem The Redeemed. Remember you do have to sign up to be a member. Membership is free, and I can attest to not getting any garbage from New Release Tuesday. All I get is great Christian music and news.

LINK: New Release Tuesday

The Parachute Band is offering 9 free songs from three of their CDs "Love Without Measure" which releases in January, "Roadmaps & Revelations," and "Technicolor." Three songs from each CD. All you have to do is go to their Facebook page and sign up.

LINK: The Parachute Band Free Music

iTickets.com has a free download of "Yaweh" from Hillsong Chapel CD of the same title. Again, you do need to be a member.

LINK: iTickets

Hear It First has an awesome 25 Days of Christmas celebration going on with different goodies each day. These are treats you can enjoy any day of the 25 days. Click on the link below to get more details. I think you do need to be a member.

LINK: Hear It First

COUPONS

Cellfire has more coupons up that you can download to your loyalty card. I understand that they do not have Safeway coupons anymore, but you can still get deals downloaded to your Fry's card. Follow the link below.

LINK: Cellfire

Print out some awesome coupons at Coupons.com. There are even loads of great candy coupons which maybe you can use to add to some Christmas stockings.

LINK: Coupons.com

Redplum has some great coupons too. Get them while they last.

LINK: Redplum

Have a great week!

This Christmas Fix Your Eyes On Jesus

2010-12-08T10:51:00.004-07:00

This Christmas ….Fix your eyes on Jesus

Christmas is often a season when we forget the true meaning of the holiday and become wrapped up in, and overwhelmed by, the seemingly insurmountable “to do” list of sending cards, baking cookies, decorating, and shopping. Rather than letting ourselves get swept away by the pressure of finding that “perfect” gift for each person in our lives, let us be obedient to Scriptures’ directive in Hebrews 12:2

² fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Hebrews 12:2

Oswald Chambers writes “

“That Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God (Luke 1:35). Jesus Christ was born into this world, not from it. He did not emerge out of history; He came into history from the outside. Jesus Christ is not the best human being the human race can boast of— He is a Being for whom the human race can take no credit at all. He is not man becoming God, but God Incarnate— God coming into human flesh from outside it. His life is the highest and the holiest entering through the most humble of doors. Our Lord’s birth was an advent— the appearance of God in human form.”

His Birth in Me

. “My little children, for whom I labor in birth again until Christ is formed in you . . .” (Galatians 4:19). Just as our Lord came into human history from outside it, He must also come into me from outside. Have I allowed my personal human life to become a “Bethlehem” for the Son of God? I cannot enter the realm of the kingdom of God unless I am born again from above by a birth totally unlike physical birth. “You must be born again” (John 3:7). This is not a command, but a fact based on the authority of God. The evidence of the new birth is that I yield myself so completely to God that “Christ is formed” in me. And once “Christ is formed” in me, His nature immediately begins to work through me.

God Evident in the Flesh.

This is what is made so profoundly possible for you and for me through the redemption of man by Jesus Christ.

The Spirit of God testifies to and confirms the simple, but almighty, security of the life that “is hidden” with Christ in God.

When you really see Jesus, I defy you to doubt Him. If you see Him when He says, “Let not your heart be troubled . . .” (John 14:27), I defy you to worry. It is virtually impossible to doubt when He is there. Every time you are in personal contact with Jesus, His words are real to you. “My peace I give to you . . .” (John 14:27)— a peace which brings an unconstrained confidence and covers you completely, from the top of your head to the soles of your feet. “. . . your life is hidden with Christ in God,” and the peace of Jesus Christ that cannot be disturbed has been imparted to you.

All the failures in the Christian life can be traced to losing our focus or taking our eyes off Jesus. On different occasions in the book of Hebrews the writer admonishes us to turn our eyes upon Jesus.

We read in Hebrews 3:1, "Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus." The word "consider" means "to observe fully." The ideal is to fix and keep your eyes on Jesus, the Apostle and High Priest of our profession.

In our text, Hebrews 12:1-2, the writer speaks to us of the importance of keeping our eyes on Jesus. He admonishes us to keep, "Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith." The word "looking" speaks of "looking away to Jesus" and carries the idea of a fixed gaze. We are to look away from everything else, and look away to Jesus.

The songwriter put it into word ...

O soul, are you weary and troubled?
No light in the darkness you see?
There’s light for a look at the Savior,
And life more abundant and free!

Refrain:
Turn your eyes upon Jesus,
Look full in His wonderful face,
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim,
In the light of His glory and grace.

Through death into life everlasting
He passed, and we follow Him there;
O’er us sin no more hath dominion—
For more than conquerors we are!
His Word shall not fail you—He promised;
Believe Him, and all will be well:
Then go to a world that is dying,
His perfect salvation to tell!

Kelly's Thrifty Tips

2010-12-02T08:10:00.002-07:00

In the spirit of all things Christmas, I thought it would be nice to again give some link ups to some awesome homemade items you can make for Christmas for decorating, gifting, or enjoying on your own.

CHRISTMAS COOKIES

I love Christmas cookie exchanges. I used to work at an orthodontic practice back in Rhode Island, and we used to have an cookie exchange with all the assistants. This was such a great way to kick off the holiday. Here are a couple of recipes for you to try and maybe share with your own exchange or maybe wrap up as gifts for neighbors or coworkers.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Balls

I got this recipe from Kellogg's. These are great because they are tasty and a no bake cookie!

Magic Cookie Bars

I get this recipe of the Eagle's Brand Sweetened Condensed milk every year. My son is an absolute nut for these cookies. Our only change is that we do not use margarine, we use real butter and we use chopped pecans. My son hates nuts, but he will polish these cookies off.

Butterball Cookies

These were a cookie staple back East. In fact, I had never even eaten a cookie like this until I lived in Rhode Island, but now I am hooked.

CHRISTMAS DECORATING

According to Good Housekeeping you can save money and maximize your decorating dollars by decorating just at the focal points in your home. These would be the front door, mantel, tree (of course) and dining table.

If you can't afford to pick up a wreath ask the person selling the Christmas trees if you can gather some of the greenery to make a wreath or use in as a centerpiece on your table or on your mantle. Most will be happy to let you take some for free.

Good Housekeeping has some cool wreath pictures that could spark some great ideas. Follow the link below.

LINK: Good Housekeeping Wreaths

How Cast has a really cool CD wreath. I am including a link to their instructional video. It is beyond something I would do, but still pretty cool.

LINK: Howcast.com How to Make a Christmas Wreath out of old CDs

Last week I was all about checking out the Black Friday deals. For the most part, I didn't go crazy, but there were things I wanted at several stores so it meant being up and shopping at midnight. Of course I am not done yet. I will be doing some final shopping online. I have about $130 in Amazon gift credits thanks to searching through Swagbucks, and I signed up for Amazon Mom and have free shipping for one more month. And for those orders that are not related to Amazon, I will take advantage of Free Shipping Day. Free Shipping Day is Friday, December 17, and according to the website freeshippingday.com more than 1,000 participating merchants will offer free shipping with delivery by Christmas Eve (YES by Christmas Eve) in the continental United States. Make sure that the store of your choice is listed by hopping over to their website.

LINK: Free Shipping Day

Here is a great website for you to check out today. Today, tomorrow and the next even. Let's face it, it is Christmas season, and we are all doing a lot of shopping. You want to take advantage of all the deals you can find, and What's Cheap Today is going to help you do just that. What's Cheap Today has loads of deals found by members which will lead you to some serious money saving! Follow the link below. You will definitely like what you see.

LINK: What's Cheap Today

FREEBIES

Whiles supplies last, sign up for a free sample of Elizabeth Arden's perfume Pretty. I love trying out new fragrances over the holidays. It gives me a chance to figure out what I want for Christmas!

LINK: Pretty - Elizabeth Arden

Are you a recipe lover? If so you should sign up for this free Karo recipe booklet for cookies and bars.

LINK: Karo Recipe Book

If you are thinking that Thanksgiving and all the upcoming parties before Christmas are going to take their toll in the calorie department, you just might want to sign up for The Atkins Community. Sign up is totally free. With sign up you will get a quick start guide, three Atkins bar and lots more.

LINK: Atkins Community

Take care of the winter dry skin in a pinch with a quick free sample of Vaseline Intensive Rescue. Walmart has the link up while supplies last.

LINK: Vaseline Intensive Rescue

This Friday at noon EST you can get a chance at one of 5000 Tide Stain Release Pre-treat sprays via their Facebook page. They will be giving out lots of products over the next several weeks so if you miss out on this one you can try for the next.

LINK: Tide Facebook

Got a dog or a cat? Sign up for a sample of Purina ONE at the Walmart link below. There are three page numbers. Click on number 3.

LINK: Purina ONE

Oh how I love free music! I found several free song downloads you just have to check out from Amazon.com

Trans-Siberian Orchestra - Dream Child

Sixpence None The Richer - Silent Night

Veggie Tales -
Candy Cane Blues
For Unto Us A Child Is Born
Caroling Medly

FreeCCM of course is one of my favorite go-to spots for free Christian music, and this week they have another awesome song. This week you can download "God With Us" by Todd Agnew, "Joy To The World" by 33Miles, "Best Kept Secret" by Skillet, "Send Me Out" by Fee, and "Between Bare Trees" by The Choir. Follow the link below.

LINK: FreeCCM Christian Music

Okay this next group is not free but a great price for a CD download. How good? How about five dollars good? Right now you can download these CDs at Amazon.com for just $5.00.

Jars of Clay Presents The Shelter

Tenth Avenue North The Light Meets The Dark

Third Day Offerings A Worship Album

Chris Sligh The Anatomy Of Broken

Leeland Sound of Melodies

Michael W Smith Worship Again

Barlow Girl Home For Christmas

Sara Groves O Holy Night

Amy Grant My Best Christmas

Christ Is Come Big Daddy Weave

Build A Bear is a store that I only wish was around when I was a child. As it is, I made my own lamb several years, and she still sits prominently on one of my shelves. If you have a child who would like to build a bear or maybe needs some new outfits for their bear (or other cute little critter) then click on the link below for a printable coupon for $5.00 off a $25 purchase.

LINK: Build A Bear $5.00 Printable

GIVEAWAY

Okay. Everyone also knows that I love giveaways. One of my favorite review blogs is Simply Stacie and she is hosting a giveaway hop that seriously you need to check out. The giveaway runs from December 1st to December 5th. All the giveaways are gift certificates, gift cards, gift codes for websites or cash. This is so they can all be easily sent and in a timely manner. The entries are designed to be quick so you can enter them quickly. At just a quick glance I saw a $25 Visa gift card, a $20 gift code to Amazon.com, a $100 gift code to CSN stores, and lots more. Give it a shot. :)

LINK: Holiday Gift Giveaway Hop

God Revealing His Word-Jesus

2010-12-01T12:38:00.005-07:00

Don’t Miss The Real Christmas

God Revealing His Word-JESUS

Jesus is unique, The Second Person of The Godhead. The Eternal Word is a person and that person is The Son of The Living God. He was never created. He had no beginning. The heaven-sent Son of God is The Only source of Eternal Life through Grace (undeserved Favour), He is The Word of God. Jesus has Eternal Life in Himself. He is Eternally Alive.

The Bible reveals that the Word of God is not a characteristic of God, but single within the Godhead, being The Son of God dwelling with God before Creation began. The Word, as The Son of God, existed in His own right. From Eternity He has not been distinct from within The Godhead.

TLB John 1:1-5 Before anything else existed, there was Christ, with God. 2 He has always been alive and is himself God. 3 He created everything there is--nothing exists that he didn't make. 4 Eternal life is in him, and this life gives light to all mankind. 5 His life is the light that shines through the darkness--and the darkness can never extinguish it.

NIV John 1:1-5
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
2 He was with God in the beginning.
3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.
4 In him was life, and that life was the light of men.
5 The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.
-
God is concerned with the disclosure of Himself to mankind.

The Word of God is the Name of Jesus Christ. Eternal Truth is embodied in The Word. The Word spoke to the prophets of The Old Testament and Christ is the Spirit of prophecy. In Christ, God has expressed Himself to mankind. Christ's words have Sovereign power and as God's Word so is Christ, trustworthy, true, flawless, infallible, obeyed by angels, eternal, pre-existent, exalted above all things, it is living, active and enduring. The Word of God restrains evil, heals and rescues, saves and brought about The Kingdom of God.

The Bible reveals the Word of God and that Word was in the beginning, was with God and is God. Jesus being The Word of Life, is a straight forward declaration of Christ's deity, since The Word is used to describe Jesus. The Word is the very quality of God although still retaining personal distinction from God the Father. The fullness of The Godhead and Christ the Word, are recognized. The Word possessed nothing less than full deity. The Universe was made by The Word of God, who is Jesus Christ, the second person of The Godhead. God's Word has sovereign power.

Christianity is not a legal system or religious rituals, but a commitment to a Living Person. It was what Jesus has done for mankind personally. Religious ceremony cannot change a person because there is no life in it. The Word of God has the power to create, to sustain all of creation, has the power to heal, the power to give new birth, the power to judge the thoughts and attitudes of the hearts of mankind, the power to save people, to make believers holy, to give faith and hope to mankind and the power to fight against the enemy.

· Jesus is the Creative Word of God

· He is The Word of Life

· The Victorious Word, He has overcome Death

· Jesus is “The Word” embodied in flesh; invested with a body of a human form.

God's Word is exalted above all else, and is the two edged Sword of the Spirit. Christ is God's Word and is reliable, true, flawless, alive and active, eternal, enduring and will not return empty. To know Jesus, and listen to what He has declared and expounded about God, the Father, is to know as much as humans can know, what people are capable of knowing until He shall be seen as He is, when He appears at His Second Coming.

But you say “Jesus isn't there for me to see and focus on as He was for those who lived during His time on Earth??”

When you have your mind fully occupied by God's Word it's the same as having it fully focused on Jesus. How can this be? This is because Jesus is the incarnation of God's Word.

Let me give you a practical example of how this works. Let's say your capabilities are being stretched to the limit. You can live above the tension or pressure of this by focusing your mind on Jesus. How? By focusing your mind on a Word of God that He gives you in the Bible like this one,

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Philippians 4:13

The Word is the Voice of Jesus Our Savior and Lord. The Living Word! He speaks to His Children in His Word. Turn to that Word and hear Him Speak to You Now!

Kelly's Thrifty Tips

2010-11-18T08:10:00.003-07:00

Thanksgiving is right around the corner! And I thought it would be a good idea to go over some nice Thanksgiving tips. First of all, no matter how you slice it and how many people are over for Thanksgiving, there are always leftovers sooooo I thought it might be a good idea to give some ideas on what to do with those leftovers so nothing gets wasted. In fact, even if you are going to someone else's home for Thanksgiving, you should take advantage of the awesome prices for turkey right now and make one of your own at a later date.

After the meal is through get all the meat off of that turkey carcass. You can easily freeze left over turkey by separating it into cup sizes, wrapping it up in foil and then putting it in a freezer bag. You can put the carcass in the freezer to and work on making a turkey stock the next day.

I have come to completely rely on the stock I have made rather than buying soup broths or stocks. It is really easy to do. If you have a crock pot, I highly recommend using it, because it couldn't be any simpler. Just put the carcass and some veggies in the crock pot and cover it with water. Cook it on low all day. A crock pot will use less energy than putting it on the stove, and you don't have to watch it at all. After 8 or more hours, strain the fluid out and put in containers to freeze. You can use this stock later as a base for soups, gravy, or for your liquid when doing other crock pot cooking. Seriously since I started doing this, I never buy canned broth any more.

Now when it comes to the left over turkey there are many recipes you can try. My family loves to make turkey sandwiches, but even that can get old. For me a turkey sandwich tastes best the first day. Here are some recipe links you might like to try.

Turkey and Mashed Potato Croquettes (here is a great way to use some leftover turkey and left over mashed potatoes). This recipe came from About.com from Diana Rattray

Stuffing Frittata (another great recipe which will give you a way to get some use out of that tasty leftover stuffing). I found this recipe at My Last Bite.

After Thanksgiving Turkey Salad recipe. Why not enjoy something with a little nut and crunch? This recipe really looks tasty, and I picked it up at CDKitchen.

Turkey Tetrazzini II Kind of self explanatory here. Just another way to use up that yummy turkey. This came from All Recipes which has loads of amazing recipes you will want to check out.

Now for those people who may not have someone to share Thanksgiving with or who may not be able to afford the celebration, there are several communities offering a free Thanksgiving meal for their community. Here are some details:

Word of Life Assembly 8th Annual Free Thanksgiving Dinner

Word of Life Assembly of Chino Valley, welcomes the tri-city community to Thanksgiving Dinner on Tuesday, November 23rd from 4-7:30pm. Enjoy smoked rotisserie turkey and ham, garlic mashed potatoes, green beans, yams, dressing and dessert. We are honored to bless those in our community who can not provide for themselves. We also will deliver meals in chino Valley and Paulden to the homebound. Come join us for a wonderful time of food,fellowship and fun. Jump castles for the kids! 590 W Road 1 North, Chino Valley, AZ For more information 928-636-4224

Fourth Annual Community Thanksgiving Dinner - Mayer, Cordes Lakes and Spring Valley

Tuesday, November 23rd will be our fourth annual Community Thanksgiving dinner for Mayer, Cordes Lakes, and Spring Valley. Don't miss out on a hot meal for the holidays. Because of the generous donations from many, we have been able to feed 100s of people who might not have a hot meal for the holidays. Begins at 5:00 pm at Mayer High School. Call for more information: 928-533-4451

Church on the Street annual Thanksgiving Feed (November 26)

All are welcome! Come join us in fellowship, food and the love of Christ as we feed Thanksgiving dinner to the public the day after Thanksgiving day (Friday 26th) at 11:00 am at Joe's Place 105 West Carleton St, Prescott.

Those who would like to volunteer please call pastor Wes at 928-771-8428.

FREEBIES

Burt's Bees is giving a free sample of their lotion. Follow the facebook link, take the quiz, and get hooked up with some fabulous Burt's Bees moisturizer.

LINK: Burt's Bees Moisturizer

Sign up with Beyond Bodi Heat for a free Bodi Heat patch. One per household.

LINK: Beyond Bodi Heat

While supplies last, Sam's club member can get a free sample of Dove hair care.

LINK: Dove Sample from Sam's

If you are still on the look out for a calendar, you can get the 2011 Unity Calendar: The Year of Abundant Living.

LINK: The Year of Abundant Living Calendar

Want a little help with your Thanksgiving cooking? Follow the link below for a free Martha Stewart e-cookbook.

LINK: Martha Stewart Cookbook

Get Sara Groves O Holy Night Tour - The Prison Show album for free straight from her website. Follow the link below.

LINK: Sara Groves CD O Holy Night

The free download of the week from FreeCCM is Skillet's "Best Kept Secret."

LINK: FreeCCM

Amazon has a free album download of Veggie Tales "The Incredible Singing Christmas Tree."

LINK: The Incredible Singing Christmas Tree

Here is another free way to help those who are less fortunate. Image links to Marine's Toy's For Tot's site

Okay you facebook people! Here is a great opportunity to do some good without spending a dime. Pier One Imports is the official drop off for Toys For Tots, and they are also doing something special. For each new fan they get on facebook, they will donate a $1 to Toys for Tots up to $100,000! I don't know where they stared in the fan zone so even if they are past 100,000 fans, please like them because this is for every NEW fan. This is going on from November 1 to December 1.

And please do not forget to search through Goodsearch.com. This is another painless way to give that I cannot suggest enough. Simply put Radio Shine in the charity sight, click verify, and every search will give a penny to Radio Shine. Those pennies add up, and especially so when you also shop through Goodshop.com. Again, put Radio Shine in the charity box, click verify, and Radio Shine will receive a percentage of that sale at no additional cost to you. It is a completely painless way to bless. Also when you shop through Goodshop.com you also will have a chance to receive special discounts. I do hope you check it out. Follow the link below. Check this out, if just 100 of Radio Shine's listeners did two searches a day through Goodsearch (again putting Radio Shine as the charity), Radio Shine could earn $730! With shopping, it goes up from there!

LINK: Goodsearch

BLACK FRIDAY

The day after Thanksgiving is swiftly approaching. Get some Black Friday sneak peeks by following the links below.

GottaDeal
Bargain Finders
BlackFridayAds
TheBlackFriday
BlackFriday2010 (has a contest too!)

What Produces A Thankful Heart?

2010-11-17T10:21:00.005-07:00

What Makes a Thankful Heart?

Loads of images come flooding in when you hear the word Thanksgiving. What does the word trigger in your mind? Turkey. Back-to-back football games on TV. A break from school, Pumpkin pie, Shopping, Family squabbles, Fun and games. Oddly enough, sometimes the whole 'giving thanks' part of the day can get lost in all the flurry and fuss. Unless we're careful, Thanksgiving can easily miss the original intent of the holiday - to gather with others and give thanks to God!

What makes for a thankful heart? Does it overflow from having an abundance of the coolest technology, clothes, or car? Does it come from having a warm house to live in? From being popular? From having a positive cash flow? Or a boyfriend or girlfriend to make you feel special and loved?

Frequently, our minds go down those roads when we collect our thoughts to focus on what we're thankful to God for. But as followers of Jesus, we should look to him as our model for thankfulness. And Jesus didn't have an abundance of 'stuff' in his life, or a nice house, a steady income, or a girlfriend. Yet he lived a life of gratitude and thankfulness. Check out these examples from the Bible:

Faith, faith the size of a mustard seed you can move mountains!

What would happen if you had no doubt? How would your life transform if you consistently looked for the gift beyond challenges? What if you consistently approached life with an open heart, sincere appreciation and more certainty and confidence in Christ than ever before?

Even researchers are discovering that two specific states can make all the difference in living a powerful and purposeful life: Faith & Gratitude.

FAITH is a belief and feeling of absolute certainty that what God says is true and that it is true for our lives. It is an inner knowing. Faith dispels doubt, disintegrates fear and offers peace. It is a state of total confidence and contentment.

GRATITUDE is the state of sincere appreciation and thanksgiving. Expressing gratitude expands your ability to give and receive abundance. When you are grateful you experience the abundance of life that Jesus talks about in

Faith & Gratitude offers practical teachings that you can use everyday to condition your brain and body to live in harmony with your Spirit. It is the highest states of excellence and joy. It gives you real resources, mindsets, tools, and exercises to support you.

John 10:10 The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.

The Expositor's Bible Commentary says this about John 10:10:

Jesus' main purpose was the salvation (health) of the sheep, which he defined as free access to pasture and fullness of life. Under his protection and by his gift they can experience the best life can offer. In the context of John's emphasis on eternal life, this statement takes on new significance. Jesus can give a whole new meaning to living because he provides full satisfaction and perfect guidance.

Barclay's Daily Study Bible adds,

Jesus claims that he came that men might have life and might have it more abundantly. The Greek phrase used for having it more abundantly means to have a superabundance of a thing. To be a follower of Jesus, to know who he is and what he means, is to have a superabundance of life.

A Roman soldier came to Julius Caesar with a request for permission to commit suicide. He was a wretched dispirited creature with no vitality. Caesar looked at him. "Man," he said, "were you ever really alive?" When we try to live our own lives, life is a dull, dispirited thing. When we walk with Jesus, there comes a new vitality, a superabundance of life. It is only when we live with Christ that life becomes really worth living and we begin to live in the real sense of the word.

We often hear that the key to Christian obedience is thankfulness for what God has done. But the Bible stresses faith and hope much more than gratitude. The Baptist pastor and author John Piper has written,

“Nowhere in the Bible is gratitude connected explicitly with obedience as a motivation. We do not find the phrase ‘out of gratitude’ or ‘in gratitude’ for acts toward God. Christian obedience is called the ‘work of faith,’ never of the ‘work of gratitude’ (1 Thessalonians 1:3; 2 Thessalonians 1:11). We find expressions like ‘live by faith’ (Galatians 2:20) and ‘walk by faith’ (2 Corinthians 5:7), but never any expression like ‘live by gratitude’ or ‘walk by gratitude.’

We find the expression ‘faith working through love’ (Galatians 5:6), but not ‘gratitude working through love.’ We read that ‘the goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith’ (1 Timothy 1:5), but not ‘from sincere gratitude.’ We read that sanctification is by ‘faith in the truth’ (2 Thessalonians 2:13), not that it is ‘by gratitude for the truth.’ We read that ‘faith without works is dead’ (Jas. 2:26), but not that ‘gratitude without works is dead.’ And when Jesus deals with the disciples’ hesitancy to seek the kingdom first because they were worried about food and clothing, he did not say, ‘O men of little gratitude,’ he said, ‘O men of little faith’ (Matthew 6:30).”

Our primary motivation according to the Gospel has to be faith–confidence in what God has given to us and has promised to give us.

What this means is that we, as Christians, are never supposed to merely “gut it out.” We don’t tell ourselves that we need to simply endure because of our obligation to be grateful. No, we endure because we hope in what God promises in the Gospel.

Hebrews 11, among other passages, makes this extremely clear. It speaks of what the saints do “by faith” and makes quite clear what that means. Noah didn’t come home to his wife one day and say, “Well honey, I know life has been good. But God has told me we have to build a big boat in the middle of dry land, and become a laughingstock to everyone around us. It will take time and money and destroy my credibility but we should do it because we should be grateful to God for making us and besides, he’s God and it is always wrong to disobey God.”

Now, if anyone should have been able to simply gut it out, to simply obey because God ordered him to do so or simply out of gratitude for past blessing, it should have been Jesus Christ, the Divine Son of God.

But that’s not what the inspired word of God tells us is it! No, he did what he did because he hoped in God and new that the path God had for him to trod would leave him infinitely better off than any other course of action.

So it should be with us. Yes God had given us much, but he always promises us much more. Hope in God’s promises–saving and justifying faith–is the key to the Christian life.

Childlike Faith is the wonder and awe at what Christ did for us. It is a synergy of trust, hope, and unpretentiousness that knows the Lord loves us and will lead us. Because of our trust in the Lord, we are more able to take comfort in Him. Childlike faith sees the world as exciting and adventurous, and worth pursuing with our faith so opportunities to please God override our complacency and the attitude of “been there, done that,” even though we may have. It is a part of us that we should never lose. It enables us to maintain our humbleness and enthusiasm and not become just a subculture or routine!

Jesus sees the value of faith as paramount over anything else; faith is lifted up as the most important thing we have or do. Yet, all too often, we do not seek faith, but rather just what we can get. May be that is why we do not have a Thankful Heart?

What would it be worth to consistently experience Faith that produces Gratitude in your life now?

Faith is the foundation upon which we build our character; it supports the house where the Spirit can dwell and empower us. This is a fruit of the Spirit given to us as we grow and mature. It comes from being "conformed to the image of His Son." (Romans 8:29) Faith and our trust in Christ will be the quintessential aspects of applying obedience and growth in our maturity and character and it will lead to a Thankful Heart

Philippians 4:5-7

⁵ Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. ⁶ Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. ⁷ And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Kelly's Thrifty Tips

2010-11-11T08:15:00.001-07:00

This weekend, I was visiting my family in California and my niece told me about all the money she has spent recently on her car. I imagine there are a lot of people in the same boat right now, and because of that, I just have to tell you about this site. Check out repairpal.com the next time you are going to get repairs on your car. With repairpal.com you can see if you are being charge a fair price for car repairs. It is simple and straightforward. Check out the site for yourself. :)

LINK: Repairpal.com

Can you believe that we are just weeks away from Thanksgiving? And shoppers know what that means. We are also weeks away from Black Friday! Crazy! Here is your website tip. There are many, many Black Friday sneak peek websites that give you some clues and more on what Black Friday sales are coming your way. Check out Black Friday 2010 for your sneak peek now. You can just search like crazy online too for other sites and links.

Who loves free food? I do! If you like Jack in the Box is offering two free tacos (limit two per person) just for the asking on November 16th after 2 pm. Mind you, do check with your local Jack in the Box because this offer is limited to participating locations. So once more: TWO TACOS AFTER 2PM AT PARTICIPATING JACK IN THE BOX LOCATIONS.

LINK: Jack in the Box 2 Tacos After 2pm

Try for your chance to win a sample of Thomas Coffee. There are 250 people chosen each month. I love coffee and will definitely give it a shot. :)

LINK: Thomas Coffee Sample

Looking for a calendar for the upcoming year? You can head over to Pilsbury's website, and sign up for one of their news letters, and an awesome Pilsbury 2011 calendar is yours!

LINK: Pilsbury Calendar

If you are a Betty Crocker fan, you can sign up for some of their email newsletters, and get their yummy 2011 calendar. Is it just me or is it almost crazy to think that we are that close to even needing a 2011 calendar?

LINK: Betty Crocker Calendar

At Everyday Health you can sign up for a free sample of Vaseline Intensive Rescue (first 1 million). There is a limit of one sample per household.

LINK: Vaseline Intensive Rescue

Today is Veteran's Day and participating Applebee's restaurants are going to again offer free entrees to all veterans and active duty military who come in on November 11th.

They can choose from a special Veteran's Day menu which has lots of favorites like 7 oz House Sirloin, Bacon Cheeseburger, Fiesta Lime Chicken, Double Crunch Shrimp, Oriental Chicken Salad and more. The link below will have details and the menu.

Again, check if your Applebee's is involved in this event and make sure to bring proof of service which includes: U.S. Uniform Services Identification Card, U.S. Uniform Services Retired Identification Card, Current Leave and Earnings Statement (LES), Photograph in uniform, Wearing uniform, Veterans Organization Card or DD214

LINK: Applebee's Veterans Eat Free on Veteran's Day

Chili's is also hooking up our veterans on Veteran's day. Again, proof of service is required, and it is limited to a specific menu (I will have a link to that menu here), but some of the items are Quesadilla Explosion Salad, Cajun Chicken Pasta, Chicken Club Tacos and more. Always check with your local restaurant for participation.

LINK: Chili's Veterans Eat Free on Veteran's Day

Golden Corral is having a Military Appreciation Monday on November 15th from 5pm to 9pm. Last year they honored over 335,000 veterans and active duty military with a free dinner buffet and beverage. Check to see if your local Golden Corral is participating.

LINK: Golden Corral Military Appreciation Monday

Dollar General is offering a 10% discount on Veteran's Day for Veterans, Active Military and their families. :) Follow the link to their website for details. Definitely again ask your local Dollar General if they are participating.

LINK: Dollar General

Let's not forget that EVERYONE gets free entry to US National Parks today! So if you are at home because you got Veteran's day off...go have some fun.

LINK: Free Entry to US National Parks on Veteran's Day

This Saturday, November 13th is Lowe's Build and Grow Clinic, and your child can make a fun periscope. November 20th workshop will be for a Snowman gift card holder. Check out the details.

LINK: Lowe's Build and Grow Clinics

While supplies last, sign up for a Style-n-Smile magnet frame from Scholastic and the American Association of Orthodontists. Also your order counts as an entry in their $1500 gift card sweepstakes so you may want to take the leap. :)

LINK: Style-n-Smile Magnet Frame

If you know someone who is expecting, how about taking advantage of a free download of Sing To Me A Lullabye Album at the WIC website.

LINK: Sing to Me Lullabye Album Download

iTickets.com has a free download this week of "The First Noel" by Revive. This is a great song to start off your Christmas collection for 2010!

LINK: iTickets Free Song Download

FreeCCM has a free download of Fee's song "Send Me" from their CD "Hope Rising." Also still available are songs by The Choir, Israel Houghton, Lincoln Brewster, and John Mark McMillan.

LINK: FreeCCM Free Song Download

While supplies last take advantage of the opportunity for a free sample of Purina ONE brand pet food.

LINK: Purina ONE

Oh His Marvelous Ways, May We Never Forget

2010-11-10T12:59:00.002-07:00

Oh His Marvelous Ways, May we Never forget!

"God thunders with His voice wondrously, Doing great things
which we cannot comprehend. For to the snow He says, 'Fall on the earth,'
And to the downpour and the rain, 'Be strong.' He seals the hand of every man, that all men may know His work. (JOB 37:5-7)

”For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.”-Isaiah 55:8,9

Tomorrow is Veterans Day. This is a day to honor and remember the great sacrifice, bravery and service the men and women of the military have given to this great Country. The will be parades, special ceremonies and a time to view memorials. In Honolulu is the memorial to Pearl Harbor, where you can see the memorial to the heroes of the sunken ship, the Arizona. It is a very moving experience to be taken out to the memorial built above the sunken ship and quietly contemplate the events that led to its destruction and the death of so many crew members. It is easy to be very moved, and to this day, the memorial, and the events it represents remain in our minds. Such sacrifice!

We can sometimes forget events of the past. To help His people remember the works He has done for them, the Lord commanded that certain memorials be erected to remind the people throughout the future generations of His miracles and His special care for them.

The Lord knows how important it is for the people to remember His works. For example, in Deuteronomy 6:10-12, He tells the Israelites: “10 ‘So it shall be, when the LORD your God brings you into the land of which He swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give you large and beautiful cities which you did not build, 11 houses full of all good things, which you did not fill, hewn-out wells which you did not dig, vineyards and olive trees which you did not plant—when you have eaten and are full— 12 then beware, lest you forget the LORD who brought you out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage.’”

We find in the Old Testament histories, in fact, that many times the people of Israel are told not to forget all God had done for them, by the Lord Himself, as well as by Moses, Joshua, and the prophets.

Look at Joshua 4 for a moment. The meaning of the Hebrew word for" memorial" in verse 7 is literally “to remember” or “rememberance.” Memorials have frequently played an important role in biblical history—memorials like this pile of stones, altars, the ark of the covenant—and memorials consisting of special holy days and celebrations

It is to be a time of remembering what God has done

“And these stones shall be for a memorial to the children of Israel forever” (v. 7). First, the memorial stones were to be a reminder of their own personal experience. Notice that in verse 6 that this memorial will cause the children to ask; “What do these stones mean to you?” These stones are first of all to be a reminder those who were present of their personal experience, what they saw, heard and felt. To paraphrase, “Tell your story, Keep a clear memory of what God did for you. Keep on telling your stories so that you never lose your own sense of awe and wonder of what God has done in your life.”

I want you to consider with me: What kind of memorials do we have in our lives? We all have memorials in our lives, no not a monument of stones, but one built of memories. There are memories of places, places that trigger memories just as the memorial stones in Gilgal. There are some significant places in your life that bring back memories.

We also have other memorials in our memories. There are memories of people God has used in our lives. For me, many of these are the people who encouraged me when I was wrestling with giving up a career and going to seminary. There are memories of experiences, of God’s answers to prayer and of God’s marvelous hand of provision. I remember in seminary how God always provided for our needs. We learned some valuable lessons about faith. Most lessons in faith are not something you can be taught, it is something that you must experience to truly understand. Those days in seminary and God’s constant provision for our family are memorials in my memory of His faithfulness and love.

There are also mementos of the past. If you were to come into my office and look around you would see miscellaneous objects that are reminders to me of life experiences—a picture of the family and many others. No doubt when you look around your home, you find similar memorials. Each of those objects triggers memories of what happened then, of the things that God did, and of things you experienced; some are experiences that have changed your life; others are memorials to warm memories you always want to remember.

The point is that God knows how we think and that is the reason that he instructs Joshua to build a memorial. So that each time the Israelites saw it they would be reminded that they had not crossed the Jordan on their own ability, their own strength but because of God. To understand what God was trying to teach His children Israel, spend some time thinking through your memorial stones, let them draw you closer to God and remind you of His faithfulness.

As with other memorials in the Old Testament, the intention of the memorial was to provoke questioning especially from future generations.

We need to remember that our faith is never more than one generation away from extinction. Just think about our own country. We have drifted away from our Christian foundation in just the last couple of generations. We need to tell each generation about the eternal life God offers to anyone who believes and the great things God has done for us and the rest of His people.

Perhaps we, too, can remember a monument, a pile of stones, a memorial to a time when we by an act of bold faith we decided to abandon ourselves to God and step out into the unknown to take new territory for Him—to step into the waters of the flooding river in faith that God will take us across and show His mighty Ways are true and can be trusted.

Kelly's Thrifty Tips

2010-10-28T08:10:00.003-07:00

Want to save money on gas? Ask directions. According to a British study, men drive an additional 276 miles a year because of not asking for directions which can waste up to $3000 in gasoline over a lifetime! I am not saying that women do not waste gas as well. I just don't have any numbers on that.

LINK: Lost Male Drivers

WEBSITES

If you are looking for some awesome shopping deals, sign up with Eversave. You sign up with your email to Eversave, and you will get daily deals sent to your email. You can go for them or pass. These deals can be local or online. A great online deal right now is for magazine subscriptions through Blue Dolphin. You can pay just $12 for $26 magazine subscriptions. To learn more about Eversave follow the link below.

LINK: About Eversave

You might also want to check out Groupon. Groupon features daily deals from different cities all over the country. People sign up and then see the deal and decide if they want to buy in or not. You can save mad money! There isn't a Prescott, Arizona Groupon, but there is one for Phoenix and Tucson. Maybe the Prescott businesses will jump on this soon. You can also get some pretty cool online deals there just like Eversave. Check them out at the link below.

LINK: Groupon

FREEBIES

While supplies last you can get a free subscription to Forbes magazine through Rewards Gold.

LINK: Free Magazine

Tom's of Maine is offering a sample of their Wicked Fresh toothpaste. There is a limit of 100,000 samples so get it while supplies last.

LINK: Wicked Fresh Toothpaste

While supplies last, click on the link below for your sample of Breathe Right Advance nasal strips.

LINK: Breathe Right Advance

FreeCCM's free download this week is Israel Houghton's "You Hold My World." You can still get "Reaching For You" by Lincoln Brewster, "Skeleton Bones" by John Mark McMillan, "What Grace Looks Like" by 33Miles, "Raising Up The Dead" by Caedmon's Call, "Power in the Blood" by Bart Millard, and "Eyes Wide Open" by Sara Groves. Don't forget that you have to be a member to get the freebies.

LINK: FreeCCM Music Downloads

More Free Test Prep!

Kaplan Test Prep and Admissions is pleased to offer free online test preparation for the SAT, PSAT and ACT for Students. All students, freshmen through seniors, now have 24-7 on demand access to comprehensive preparation. These lessons will guide students through instruction, practice and mastery on every skill tested on the exams.

Kaplan’s proven methods are delivered through instructional video lessons, guided practice problems, and independent practice quizzes. Kaplan’s adaptive learning technology, Smart Track, analyzes the student performance and adjusts to provide each student with a customized learning plan. Smart Track also moves from course to course, and test to test with students, so that demonstrated mastery in the PSAT is carried over to the SAT.

Here’s how to sign up:
1.) Visit www.kaptest.com/kas. Under “Free Resources” select “SAT Online”, “PSAT Online” or “ACT Online”.

2.) Click “Enroll Now”, then click “Proceed to Next Step”

3.) Fill out “Billing Information” (don’t worry, it’s still free). You must complete all fields, including student and parent contact information.

4.) In the “Promotion Code” box, enter the discount code for the course you would like to begin :
• SAT Online KAS2S711
• PSAT Online KAS2P711
• ACT Online KAS2A711

5.) Click “Apply” next to the promo code box. Total should automatically reset to $0.

6.) Click “Submit Order”, and you’re done!

I found this deal at Big Big Forums.

God is Powerful and In Control But Also Personal

2010-10-27T12:26:00.004-07:00

God is Powerful and in Control, But Also Personal

“When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have set in place, what is man that You are mindful of him, the son of man that You care for him?” (Psalm 8:3-4 NIV)

A few weeks ago I was standing on our back deck looking up at the evening sky.

There are millions of these tiny points of light laid out over the canopy of darkness

It is always amazing to think that God, our Creator, set all of the stars in place. So many billions of stars and galaxies! Yet, He cares for each one of us. He cares so personally that Psalm 139 describes it this way:

Psalm 139: 2 -He knows when we sit down and when we rise up.
3 -He is familiar with all of our ways.
4 -Before a word is on our tongue He knows it completely.

Think of this one for a minute; He hems us in–behind and before; and He lays His hand upon us (vs. 5)! When I am afraid, I ponder that and am so comforted. He is in front of us, behind us, and He lays His hand upon us. We are completely covered with His love!

When I am facing an unpleasant test or procedure, I remind myself of this verse. To think of how big our Creator God is, and how personal His love for us can be. When we are facing an uncertain future because of ill health, we can know that He is right there with us. All of His creation, the moon and the stars, the birds of the air, the lilies of the field, He created. He is familiar with all. He knows. And He covers us.

“How precious to me are Your thoughts O God! How vast is the sum of them! Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand” (Psalm 139:17-18).

*The Concept of Divine Control

. . . how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him! —Matthew 7:11

Jesus is laying down the rules of conduct in this passage for those people who have His Spirit. He urges us to keep our minds filled with the concept of God’s control over everything, which means that a disciple must maintain an attitude of perfect trust and an eagerness to ask and to seek.

Fill your mind with the thought that God is there. And once your mind is truly filled with that thought, when you experience difficulties it will be as easy as breathing for you to remember, “My heavenly Father knows all about this!” This will be no effort at all, but will be a natural thing for you when difficulties and uncertainties arise. Before you formed this concept of divine control so powerfully in your mind, you used to go from person to person seeking help, but now you go to God about it. Jesus is laying down the rules of conduct for those people who have His Spirit, and it works on the following principle: God is my Father, He loves me, and I will never think of anything that He will forget, so why should I worry?

Are you expecting God to act on your behalf today?
The following story was written by a doctor who worked in South Africa.

One night I had worked hard to help a mother in the labor ward; but in spite of all we could do she died leaving us with a tiny premature baby and a crying two-year-old daughter. We would have difficulty keeping the baby alive, as we had no incubator. (We had no electricity to run an incubator.) We also had no special feeding facilities. Although we lived on the equator, nights were often chilly with treacherous drafts.

One student midwife went for the box we had for such babies and the cotton wool the baby would be wrapped in. Another went to stoke up the fire and fill a hot water bottle. She came back shortly in distress to tell me that in filling the bottle, it had burst. Rubber perishes easily in tropical climates. "And it is our last hot water bottle!" she exclaimed.

As in the West it is no good crying over spilled milk, so in Central Africa it might be considered no good crying over burst water bottles. They do not grow on trees, and there are no drugstores down forest pathways.

"All right," I said, "put the baby as near the fire as you safely can, and sleep between the baby and the door to keep it free from drafts. "Your job is to keep the baby warm."

The following noon, as I did most days, I went to have prayers with any of the orphanage children who chose to gather with me. I gave the youngsters various suggestions of things to pray about and told them about the tiny baby.

I explained our problem about keeping the baby warm enough, mentioning the hot water bottle. The baby could so easily die if it got chills. I also told them of the two-year-old sister, crying because her mother had died.

During the prayer time, one ten-year-old girl, Ruth, prayed with the usual blunt conciseness of our African children. "Please, God," she prayed, "send us a water bottle. It'll be no good tomorrow, God, as the baby will be dead, so please send it this afternoon."

While I gasped inwardly at the audacity of the prayer, she added by way of a corollary, "And while You are about it, would You please send a dolly for the little girl so she'll know You really love her?"

As often with children's prayers, I was put on the spot. Could I honestly say, "Amen?" ! I just did not believe that God could do this. Oh, yes, I know that He can do everything. The Bible says so. But there are limits, aren't there? The only way God could answer would be for a package to arrive from the homeland.

I had been in Africa for almost four years at that time, and I had never, ever received a parcel from home. Anyway, if anyone did send me a parcel, who would put in a hot water bottle? I lived on the equator!

Halfway through the afternoon, while I was teaching in the nurses' training school, a message was sent that there was a car at my front door. By the time I reached home, the car had gone, but there, on the verandah, was a large twenty-two pound parcel. I felt tears pricking my eyes. I could not open the parcel alone, so I sent for the orphanage children. Together we pulled off the string, carefully undoing each knot. We folded the paper, taking care not to tear it unduly. Excitement was mounting.

Some thirty or forty pairs of eyes were focused on the large cardboard box. From the top, I lifted out brightly colored, knitted jerseys. Eyes sparkled as I gave them out. Then there were the knitted bandages for the leprosy patients, and the children looked a little bored.

Then came a box of mixed raisins and sultanas-that would make a batch of buns for the weekend. Then, as I put my hand in again, I felt the.....could it really be? I grasped it and pulled it out-yes, a brand-new, rubber hot water bottle, I cried.

I had not asked God to send it; I had not truly believed that He could. Ruth was in the front row of, the children. She rushed forward, crying out, "If God has sent the bottle, He must have sent the dolly, too!"

Rummaging down to the bottom of the box, she pulled out the small, beautifully dressed dolly. Her eyes shone! She had never doubted. Looking up at me, she asked: "Can I go over with you, Mummy, and give this dolly to that little girl, so she'll know that Jesus really loves her?"

That parcel had been on the way for five whole months. Packed up by my former Sunday school class, whose leader had heard and obeyed God's prompting to send a hot water bottle, even to the equator. And one of the girls had put in a dolly for an African child-five months before-in answer to the believing prayer of a ten-year-old to bring it "that afternoon."

Jesus said there are times when God cannot lift the darkness from you, but you should trust Him. At times God will appear like an unkind friend, but He is not; He will appear like an unnatural father, but He is not; He will appear like an unjust judge, but He is not.

Keep the thought that the mind of God is behind all things strong and growing. Not even the smallest detail of life happens unless God’s will is behind it. Therefore, you can rest in perfect confidence in Him. Prayer is not only asking, but is an attitude of the mind which produces the atmosphere in which asking is perfectly natural.

“Ask, and it will be given to you . . .” (Matthew 7:7).

So many people pray with an attitude as if they are trying to hit a dartboard blindfolded! They know the target is there, they have an idea of the general direction; they just hope they´ll just get somewhere close. But understand, when you get into God´s Word and declare His promises over your life, it´s like taking the blindfold off and walking straight up to the bull´s eye! When you pray with expectancy according to God´s Word, you´ll hit the target every single time.

What are your needs today? Find the promise in God´s Word that addresses those needs. Then, expect God to act! He is faithful to His Word, and He´s just waiting to show Himself strong on your behalf.

A PRAYER

"Heavenly Father, today I come to You with an attitude of faith and expectancy. I know that You have good plans for me, and I choose to come into agreement with Your Word. Thank You for hearing my prayers as I wait patiently for You. In Jesus´ Name. Amen."

"Before they call, I will answer!" Isaiah 65:24

Kelly's Thrifty Tips - October 21

2010-10-21T08:10:00.001-07:00

I have talked about ways to save money, win prizes and get free stuff. Right now I just wanted to mention a few ways to give. These are easy as can be and totally free.

Go to Target and make a pledge to take time to read with a child, and Target in turn will donate a book to children in need. You will be doing good in two ways. One by reading to a child and the second by getting a book into the hands of another child. Pretty cool. :) Follow the link below to make your pledge.

LINK: Target Reading

If you head to The Hunger Site you can click and give. There are several causes that you can click on and each click will give a donation from sponsors. They also have items you can purchase there which enables the sponsors to give more. Again though, you don't have to pay a thing to give. You can give for hunger, literacy, child health, breast cancer, the rainforest, and animal rescue.

LINK: The Hunger Site

Goodsearch is a search engine that you may have heard about on Radio Shine. It is very easy to do, and can be a huge benefit to the nonprofit you search for. To do a search you can simply go to goodsearch.com and put in the name of your charity in the box where it asks who are you searching for. Put the charity name in and click verify. That is it! Then you just do your search. You don't have to constantly fill this in if you use it frequently. Each search will give a one cent donation to your charity. It may sound small, but it really adds up.

Check this out:

Charity or School Size	Number of Supporters	Average Searches Per Day	Estimated Revenue/Year from Search	Amount Purchased Per Person/Year via GoodShop	Average % of Sale Donated	Estimated Revenue from Shopping	Total Donation/Year
Small	100	2	$730	$500	3%	$1,500	$2,230
Medium	1,000	2	$7,300	$500	3%	$15,000	$22,300
Large	10,000	2	$73,000	$500	3%	$150,000	$223,000

One of the cool features is you can also check on your charity and see how much money has been raised so far.

Goodsearch also has Goodshop which is a shopping link that allows you to shop online and a portion of those proceeds also go to your charity at no extra cost to you! These are stores you probably already shop at online. Stores like Amazon, 1-800-CONTACTS, Barnes & Noble, bebe, Best Buy and many more. PS Radio Shine is a Goodsearch Charity so feel free to search and bless today! :)

LINK: Goodsearch

Free Rice gives just that. Free rice. You go to the site and you answer the quiz vocabulary questions. For each right answer ten grains of rice is donated. Sounds like a small amount to you? Since its inception Free Rice has donated nearly 83 billion grains of rice. Read more here: Donation Impact

LINK: Free Rice

FREEBIES

For this one you have to pay for shipping, but it is definitely an awesome freebie. Right now you can get a hardcover photo book at Picaboo. New customers qualify for this freebie that will definitely make an awesome Christmas gift for someone special!

LINK: Picaboo Free Hardcover Photo Book

New Release Tuesday members can download lots of free songs, but the special can't miss song this week is Third Day's "Make Your Move" from their new CD "Move."

LINK: New Release Tuesday

If you want you can also listen to "Move" this week at NRT. Click the link below. LINK: New Release Tuesday Listen to "Move"

FreeCCM has a free download of Lincoln Brewster's song "Reaching For You" as well as several other songs AND an opportunity to download 10 free songs! Crazy cool! Got to love being a member!

LINK: FreeCCM free song download

iTickets.com has two free downloads including "Love Amazing" by Circleslide and "Let Us Go" by Konviction. Remember you have to be a member, but it is a great site. I find out about lots of great concerts thanks to iTickets.com.

LINK: iTickets Free Music

Taster's Choice is STILL giving you the chance to try their instant coffee packets. They do come in great flavors. I got mine last week. If you have been passing this by...commit now!

LINK: Taster's Choice Sample

While the offer lasts, you can join Rewards Gold take a brief survey and get a subscription to Men's Fitness. I have picked up many free magazine subscriptions through Rewards Gold. Give it a shot.

LINK: Rewards Gold

If you have a Kindle and you want to get a little more financially savvy, you can take advantage of a free Kindle edition of 16 Expert Lessons for Successfully Managing Your Personal Finances (Collection). This is free for a limited time. Of course you do have to have a Kindle reader.

LINK: 16 Expert Lessons for Successfully Managing Your Personal Finances

SHOPPING DEALS

Get a $5 Target gift card from Real Simple while supplies last when you spend $15 or more on a combination of Target Wise Buy products in one transaction at Target. Products that you can purchase are:

Silk Soy Milk Reach
Access Flosser
Oxyclean Versatile Stain Remover
How to Train Your Dragon on DVD and Blu-ray
Hershey's Milk Chocolate Bars
Eucerin DAILY SKIN BALANCE Skin-Fortifying Body Lotion
Curel Sensitive Skin Remedy Lotion
Garnier Skin Renew The Brusher Gel-Cleanser
Garnier Ultra-Lift Anti-Wrinkle Moisturizer SPF 15
Garnier Skin Renew Anti-Dark-Circle Roller
Garnier Ultra-Lift Pro Gravity Defying Cream
Colgate Total
Bertolli Frozen Meals
all Small & Mighty

If you are planning on buying some of these items, why not take advantage of the gift card opportunity? You can use it for yourself or maybe make it a nice little stocking stuffer.

Make your $15 purchase in any of the above combinations between October 5, 2010 and November 12, 2010 (I recommend getting it done ASAP as it is while supplies last). Oh this needs to be postmarked by November 13th. Again...I wouldn't wait long.

Mail your receipt and your name and address printed clearly on a 3" x 5" card to:

Real Simple Smart Shopping GiftCard Offer
c/o DW Direct
P.O. Box 5067
South Hackensack, NJ, 07606

There you go. Nice and easy. Take advantage of this deal if these are products you will use. There is no point in spending $15 on products you don't need or use in order to get a gift card. Want more details? Follow the link.

LINK: Real Simple $5 Target GiftCard

Pier One has two printable coupons that are good until November 7th. One is for $10 off a $30 dollar purchase and the other is for a free reusable bag with a $25 purchase. You can get some awesome Christmas gifts here. I personally love their candles and their table settings.

LINK: Pier One Coupons

Okay, we covered freebies, some coupons, ways to give, and lastly I would like to share a cool giveaway. Chicago Coupon Confessions has a giveaway for $150 in Safeway gift cards! One winner will win a $75 gift card and three will win a $25 gift card. One of the ways I stretch my budget is by keeping an eye out for giveaways like this. So head on over to Chicago Coupon Confessions. The giveaway ends on October 31st and the winners will be emailed so you need to include your email in the entry. You will notice how other entrants spell out parts of their email (like AT instead of @). That is a trick to keep spiders from grabbing your email. So be sure to put your email like that.

LINK: Chicago Coupon Confessions Safeway Gift Card Giveaway

The Power of Praising God

2010-10-20T10:29:00.005-07:00

The Power of Praising God

¹⁵Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that confess his name. Hebrews 13:15

Praise invokes God's presence. It gets God's attention, it creates an atmosphere. Praise is to the New Testament what sacrifices, and offering was to the Old Testament, praise is sacrifice. Psalm 22:3 “says that God inhabits the praises of His people,” so when God's people praise Him, He draws near and worship results. God has given each of us a praise ministry with a worship "team" that is never any farther away than an inch below our noise: our lips, mouth, and tongue.

God does not need either our praise or our worship-He is God no matter what we do or don't do-but we need His presence. God's presence comes through our praise. If we desire to live abundant lifestyle, we must learn to cultivate a continual environment of praise. Hebrews 13:15 says, "Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise-the fruit of lips that confess His name." Praise is a sacrificial offering to God, the spiritual "first-fruits" of our lips.

4 Facts about Praising God

I. It is God’s desire that we praise Him with childlike faith.

Praising God in the midst of negative circumstances can turn seeming defeat into total victory. Psalms 8:1-2; Matt. 21:16

II. Praise Demonstrates Faith.

1. God has promised to answer prayer upon His established principles. Phil. 4:6-7.

2. It is our duty and privilege as kings and priests to offer God praise, Heb 13:15.

III. Victorious Living Through Praise.

1. Through Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection, victory belongs to the child of God. It is appropriated through praise. 1 Cor. 15:56-57; 2 Cor. 2:14.

2. David shows us how to appropriate God's power. Psalms 9:1-4; 50:14, 15, 23; 56:4-11.

IV. Biblical Examples Of Victory Through Praise.

1. The first thing Jehoshaphat did was seek God. Then he prayed according to the word. 2 Chron. 20:9. The results of praise - 2 Chron. 20:17-22.

2. Jonah put action to his faith by praising God. He offered the sacrifice of thanksgiving. Jonah 2:1-10.

Paul and Silas got victory when they praised God in spite of there circumstances - Acts 16:16

Why is praising God important?

The reasons are countless. First, God deserves to be praised and He is worthy to receive our praise:

"For great is the LORD and most worthy of praise; he is to be feared above all gods" (Psalm 96:4).
"Great is the LORD and most worthy of praise; his greatness no one can fathom" (Psalm 145:3).
"I call to the LORD, who is worthy of praise, and I am saved from my enemies" (2 Samuel 22:4).
"You are worthy, our LORD and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being" (Revelation 4:11).

Second, praising God is useful and favorable for us. By praising God, we are reminded of the greatness of God! His power and presence in our lives is reinforced in our understanding. "Praise the Lord, for the Lord is good; sing praise to his name, for that is pleasant" (Psalm 135:3).

Third, praise discharges strength in faith, which causes God to move on our behalf. "From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise because of your enemies, to silence the foe and the avenger" (Psalm 8:2). Praising God also transforms the spiritual environment that we have. 2 Chronicles 5:13-14 clearly illustrates the alteration that happened when the Levites gave praise and thanks to the Lord and the temple was filled with a cloud signifying the glory of God.

"The trumpeters and singers joined in unison, as with one voice, to give praise and thanks to the LORD. Accompanied by trumpets, cymbals and other instruments, they raised their voices in praise to the LORD and sang: 'He is good; his love endures forever.' Then the temple of the LORD was filled with a cloud, and the priests could not perform their service because of the cloud, for the glory of the LORD filled the temple of God."

Fourth, God inhabits the atmosphere of praise. Psalm 22:3 says, "But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel (KJV). If we want to see a clear manifestation of God's blessings and grace, all we need to do is to praise Him with all our heart, our mind, and our soul.

Praising God - Who and When?

Who is to praise God? "Let everything that has breath praise the LORD. Praise the LORD," states Psalm 150:6.

"I will extol the LORD at all times; his praise will always be on my lips (Psalm 34:1)."
"Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you. I will praise you as long as I live, and in your name I will lift up my hands" (Psalm 63:3-4).
"Praise the LORD, all you servants of the LORD who minister by night in the house of the LORD. Lift up your hands in the sanctuary and praise the LORD" (Psalm 134:1-2).

We cannot embark on the true joy and benefits of praising God unless we have received Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. As children of God, He dwells in our bodies through the Holy Spirit. This means that wherever we go, God is to be praised. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 states that "Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body."

Praising God - How to Praise and Worship God

How is praising God possible? Singing songs and hymns, clapping our hands, even jumping for joy…the list is endless. We can give glory and praise to our God with the use of our physical bodies, with our hearts and minds, and with our deeds. There are many ways to praise God!

No matter how you praise and worship God, it should result in an awe of God's power, love, and grace for all of us! However the best way to Praise God is to Obey Him.

One thing I want to make crystal clear is the importance of the presence of God. It is one thing to know of God's omnipresence, but quite another to experience the reality of His personal presence on a continuing day-to-day basis through praise, quiet time in His Word and personal intercessory prayer.

Before anything else, we need the presence of God. Everything else in life depends on God's presence. Praise attracts the presence of God. True praise is an exercise, a discipline that flows from a pure heart and a humble spirit. When we praise and acknowledge God, we are acknowledging His sovereignty and Lordship as well as our own dependence on Him. That spirit of humility is just what God is looking for in us. If we approach God with a humble spirit He will do two things: When we come near God, He will come near to us; and when we humble ourselves before Him, He will lift us up. And with those two actions all things all possible! ( Phil: 4:13)

Praise is an act of FAITH. It is the highest expression of faith because it shows we are trusting God.

¹ ^[a]I will praise you, O LORD, with all my heart;
I will tell of all your wonders.

² I will be glad and rejoice in you;
I will sing praise to your name, O Most High. Psalm 9:1-4

Kelly's Thrifty Tips

2010-10-14T08:12:00.008-07:00

Good morning!!!!! I have some awesome things to share today. I have been looking up some ways to save money with cooking substitutes, play substitutes and even some grooming substitutes. I also have some more job hunting sites to share with you today, because you really just can't stop at seasonal sites. And finally I have some awesome freebies for you to peruse. Take a little stroll through this post. I think you will see something you'll like. :)

This week I made fried chicken for the first time! Let me tell you, I was beyond proud. At first I was a little scared as I had never made it before. Honestly it is amazing what you will try to make in order to give your husband a little smile! At least that is how I am.

See the plan went like this...Saturday afternoon my husband and I were driving home from the Shepherding Your Teen conference (which was amazing), and he told me he was craving fried chicken. This mainly translates to expensive fast food eating. In all fairness I should admit I do enjoy a little KFC now and then (though I was a bigger fan when they tried skinless fried chicken). At this time of my life, I just don't enjoy the prices. On a whim, I decided to make it myself. Truly I thought for a moment that I had made a big mistake, but once at home I found a great recipe and there really was no stopping me...I was committed. There was only one problem, I needed buttermilk. I don't buy a lot of buttermilk. No that isn't true. I NEVER buy buttermilk. I purposely avoid buttermilk and have ever since I was seven and mistook buttermilk for eggnog. BLECH. In fact, I don't even think I have seen buttermilk at my local store. They probably have it, but then again, maybe not. This is not an item that rings very high on my shopping list. I recalled a recipe that you can use to make a buttermilk substitute. I jumped on line and found it.

All this searching made me decide to show you a few substitutes that you can easily make in order to save money or make when you don't have certain things on hand.

Buttermilk - Mix one cup of milk with one tablespoon of lemon juice (we usually keep those plastic lemons full of juice in our fridge). Let sit for five minutes and then use as recipe requires. I used this in the fried chicken recipe and it was GREAT!

Mayonnaise - Honestly I wanted to do this because I have a thyroid condition and soy is bad for my thyroid. Soy has been a main ingredient in just about every mayonnaise I have found so I hunted for a recipe I could make on my own. Follow this link for very easy mayo instructions: Mayonnaise recipe

Fingerpaint - When my son was little, he just loved fingerpainting. It wasn't very expensive. We just ran out a lot. I wish I had these recipes back then: Make your own fingerpaint

Playdough - No matter how hard we tried, our Play-doh would always dry up or get mixed up into an ugly purplish-brown color, and no one would want to use it. So I got in the habit of making our own playdough. Here is a link to a very easy recipe: Make Your Own Playdough

Natural Dye for Playdough - Honestly food coloring always worked for us, but if you want to go that route there is a nice instruction guide here, and the colors are lovely: Natural dye for homemade playdough

Shaving Cream for ladies - Now this substitute has nothing to do with mixing an item with another. A while back I mentioned using conditioner for shaving cream (talking to you ladies out there). I have to say that this truly is one of the best substitutes I have ever come across. You don't even have to go pricey. Last week Suave shampoo and conditioners were on sale for 99 cents. I bought two huge bottles of strawberry conditioner and totally replaced my shower shaving cream. It smells great, works great and you don't step out of the shower with dry and itchy legs.

SHOPPING TIP - Did you know that you are more likely to purchase an item when you physically touch it? Ohio State University did a study that found that people who handled an item were more likely to buy it. It takes about 30 seconds to already "feel" like an item is yours. Keep that in mind the next time you go shopping especially Christmas shopping. :) Here is a link to an article from MSN about this study: If you touch it, you buy it

WEBSITE TIP- Where the jobs are

A few weeks ago I gave a couple of websites that are great for seasonal job hunting. Today I wanted to give you a website that is helpful for the job hunt in general. Check out Simplyhired.com. This is an amazing search engine that enables you to search for jobs in broad terms by state or more specific by keyword or category. Definitely give it a look and pass it along. It is a great tool.

LINK: Simplyhired.com

Another awesome site is LinkUp.com LinkUp goes though thousands of corporate sites and posts the jobs that you may not normally stumble on. Again it is another fabulous resource to take advantage of.

LINK: LinkUp.com

Remember you do not have to own a computer to use these sites. Simply go to the library where you can have access to computers and the internet for free.

FREEBIES

Start Sampling which is totally one of my favorite sample sites has a huge listing of freebies. Follow the links below for each one:

Crest Pro-Health Clinical Gum Protection (quiz to qualify)

Cottenelle Fresh Flushable Moist Wipes

Redken for Men Clean Spice 2-in-1 Conditioning Shampoo

Gas-X Prevention

True Lemon (also orange and lime - great in H2O)

Sun Crystals

PowerBar Energy Gel Blasts

Dove Ultimate Go Fresh Deodorant (Sam's Club Membership # required)

Lanacane Anti Chafing Gel (Brief Survey)

John Frieda Root Awakening Shampoo and Conditioner

OXY Clinical

Dove Daily Treatment Conditioner

Nature's Bounty Your Life Multi Adult Gummy

Shout Color Catcher

HUGO BOSS Cologne Sample

Eucerin Daily Skin Balance (facebook sample)

Gas-X Thin Strips

Garnier Fructis Ant-Dandruff Shampoo

Emergen-C Vitamin D & Calcium

And some more samples from around the web...

Ester-C Gummies

The First 10,000 entries will win a FREE studded bracelet from Seventeen. Entries are limited to females ages 13 to 29. This is while supplies last. A notice will be posted when they reach 10,000 entries.

Make Me Chic Studded Bracelet

Kashi still has two of their snack drive samples left if you haven't gotten in on this freebie.

Kashi Snack Drive Sample

Vaseline Intensive Rescue sample while supplies last (giving away 1 million samples)

Vaseline Intensive Rescue

Printable Coupon for two free 5 x 7 instant HP Photo Cards from Walmart. Print your coupon, bring your best photos and leave with two awesome cards.

Coupon for 2 free 5 x 7 instant HP Photo Cards

My son is taking Japanese, and one of the things he has toyed with is oragami. When I saw the free samples of Origami paper from Everything In Paper Crafting. I knew I had to check it out. They have tutorials too so you might want to check it out yourselves. One thing after I entered for the paper it mentioned a sample for comet. It was one of those participation samples (register, complete offers, and get samples)...don't do it.

Free Origami paper

FREE REDBOX MOVIE CODE

There is another free Redbox code circulating: CHANCEMONOP This code can only be used once per account. The code is supposed to last until it has been used 1 million times.

Well, that is all for today. See you next week!

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14 "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!" Luke 2:14 (English Standard Version)

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1 Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, 2 because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you

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John 10:10 The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.

Philippians 4:5-7

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*The Concept of Divine Control

Kelly's Thrifty Tips - October 21

The Power of Praising God

The Power of Praising God

2 I will be glad and rejoice in you; I will sing praise to your name, O Most High. Psalm 9:1-4

Kelly's Thrifty Tips

¹⁴ "Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!" Luke 2:14 (English Standard Version)

¹ Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, ² because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you

² I will be glad and rejoice in you;
I will sing praise to your name, O Most High. Psalm 9:1-4