Those Hard to Buy for Guys

Do you have one of those hard to buy for guys in your family?  I have 3 of them!  My Dad, My Dad-in-law and My Man.  So, Father's Day is coming and I was stumped as to what to do for them.  And then I remembered the old saying, The way to a man's heart is through his stomach.

So, I found buckets (the kind you might use to wash your car) at the dollar store to put their gifts in.  These guys have very similar likes in food, so it made my shopping easy!

While at the grocery store I picked up for each of them:

6 pack of Snickers bars

2 liter of soda

bag of their favorite chips/munchies

package of Oreos

box of Swedish Fish

Yes, the men in my life all have a sweet tooth. 

This is one gift I know they will definitely use!  And I didn't spend money I don't have.  So, the moral of this story.  Think outside the box. literally.  Sometimes the best gift isn't one from a nice department store in a box with fancy paper.  (Most men are not impressed by fancy paper anyway).  Sometimes, just remembering what someone's favorites are and getting them for them is even better.  It says you know them and you love them.  It doesn't say I'm buying this tie for you because I think your other ones are ugly.  Or I'm giving you this tool because I think you need to learn how to use it.  Or worse, because I have no clue what to buy for you.

Now if the man in your life wants a new tie, go for it.

If the man in your life wants a new tool, go for it.

But maybe the man in your life just wants some yummy in his tummy, then go for it.

Most importantly, no matter what gift you give, or if you give gifts at all, make every moment matter with your Dad this Father's Day.  Make sure he knows how much you love and appreciate him, while these moments are still yours for the making.

I was going to put a picture of the wonderful men in my life on this blog, but for some reason that feature isn't working. :-(


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Catch the Reminders

I had to take Little D to the neurologist today.  He has been having seizures, and we have been searching for the answer as to "why?" and "what kind?".  So far, neither of those answers have been found.  As I looked around the waiting room, waiting along with me and my mom, and my 4 healthy boys, I saw around me some reminders of how fragile life is and how thankful I can be for healthy children.  Even though our little guy has been having seizures, he does not remember them, and they haven't really affected his life.  He's a normal active boy with great physical and cognitive development.  I thought about how many parents wish for that blessing for their children.   And though I wish for my son that he did not have this disorder, I also realize it could be worse. much worse.

How can you make every moment matter today?  Look at your children, if they are healthy and running around, and maybe even driving you a little bit nuts.  Think for a moment about how different it could be.  When they run circles around you....remember, it could be worse.  they could not run at all.  When they talk non-stop....remember, it could be worse.  they could not communicate at all.  When they cause you to have to be selfless, when they demand your time and attention....remember.  they could not be yours at all.  Realize how thankful you should be for their health...for their very lives.  Then determine to appreciate and enjoy your children just as they are... and then go do it!

"For you formed [his] inward parts; you knitted [him] together in [my] womb.  I praise you, for [my son is] fearfully and wonderfully made.  Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well." Psalm 139:13-14

"You have multiplied, O Lord my God, your wondrous deeds and your thoughts toward us; none can compare with you! I will proclaim and tell of them, yet they are more than can be told." Psalm 40:5

Every Dollar Matters

Now, we all know how important it is to make every dollar count. I am in that pursuit every day as a stay at home, home-educating, home-owning mom with 4 active little boys. We've all become more aware of the need to be more frugal and make the most of our money. I hope to share with you my frugal finds, delicious deals, and money saving tips. I love this delicious deal I found at Target.com recently.

The deal was on the suit, not the cute kid. :-)

The suit was originally $50. I got it for $17.48! It fits him so good, and the shipping was very quick. I was so pleased with the suit (better quality than I expected) and the deal!   With tax and shipping I paid $23.13!  And best of all, my little man looked so sharp in this pin stripe suit at his Kindergarten graduation.

So, how do we make every moment and every dollar matter?  Next time you are in need of something, instead of going out and buying it, do a little research on line and in stores and find a deal.  I saved my family  $33.50 by buying this suit on clearance.  This was not the only place I looked.  I allowed myself time to shop around and only bought what was in my means to purchase.  It's worth the little bit of time I spent surfing the web and checking out the kids' departments in our local department stores.  Next time, I might hit the internet first for a purchase like this, because I could not find any deal even close to this in any store.  How have you made every dollar matter recently?  I'd love to hear how....please post a comment!

Oh Be Careful Little Mouth What You Say

Recently, I was talking to my neighbors on a hot humid day. In the process of complimenting my neighbor on her lovely hair, I complained about my own. Now, I have legitimate reason to complain. My hair has been torturing me all my life. In fact, I remember as a kid my mom took me to the beautician and told her she had no idea what to do with my hair and that we needed help! Once upon a time, my hair was actually cute. Somewhere along the way about the age of 5, it got crazy. My mom would comb my hair and turn around and it looked like I just got out of bed. It is seriously hair with a mind of its own. It likes to be curly and wavy, thick, frizzy and unmanageable. When there's any humidity it gets frizzy and poofy and there's no fixin' it. I've always wanted silky straight hair. And I'll admit I get awfully envious of those with wash and go hair.

Well, my 6 year old boy was listening to me talk to my neighbors. He came over and stood right in front of me looking at me very seriously, gave me a hug, and said, "But I like you just the way you are." What a sweetheart. He loves his momma, faults and all, and he didn't like hearing me compare myself with someone else's mom. And then I thought, how bad of me. To complain about the way God made me in front of my child, while all the time telling him to be happy with the way God made him. To compare myself outloud with someone else, while teaching him that we are all special unique creations made in the image of God. A bit of hypocrisy I'm sure, and a lot of bad example. Made me think that I should be a whole lot more careful about the things I say. I'm confident I have alot of work to do in this area. How about you? There are little ears listening, and they will model what they hear.

So, how can we make every moment matter? Oh be careful little mouth what you say!

JOY!

"Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb is a reward." Ps. 127:3-4

"He grants the barren woman a home, like a joyful mother of children. Praise the Lord." Ps. 113:9

My study Bible states in the notes, "No image better conveys human emotional suffering in biblical times than that of the barren woman. In that time and culture, a barren woman was without significance and without joy. Note that God stoops down to bring her the joy for which she craves--happy children. Salvation is like that. Not only does God fill us with significance, but also with joy."

I agree, even though there may not be the same social stigma now as there was in biblical times, that not being able to have children is intense human emotional suffering. I've been there, I've walked that road. I've spent Mother's Days in grief and left church in tears. I know that joy for which that barren woman craved. I craved it myself. And then God gave me that for which I craved. I prayed for one, and then just one more. God doubled what I requested of him, he filled my cup to overflowing, and he filled my heart with the unique joy of motherhood.

This was the joy that greeted me this morning. Four handmade Mother's Day cards from my babies. There's nothing sweeter than a card made just for you. I love 'em!

Me and my 4 guys. Aren't I blessed? I don't merit God giving me the privilege of being their mom. They are truly gifts!

And just like the gift of my children, my salvation in Christ is a gift, unmerited, undeserved, and unearned. And, like the gift of my children, it brings joy. I'm thankful that God didn't leave me without children. Even more I'm thankful that God didn't leave me without His love, His sacrifice, His forgiveness and His JOY.

Happy Mother's Day!

A special wish for my Mom, and thankfulness for her love and guidance and care, and for introducing me to Jesus.

And for my Mom-in-law, with gratitude for shaping the heart of my man, and for her love for me as a daughter and friend.

Finding Inspiration

I received at my door a wonderful surprise on Thursday. My husband ordered 15 tulips and a vase to be delivered to me. I love flowers, and tulips are one of my very favorites. In fact, I really wanted to have them in my wedding nearly 13 years ago, but the florist discouraged me that they would not survive well in a hot August wedding. My 6 year old used to call them "kiss-lips". You know, last year, before he was a kindergartener and was so wise. I love those little mispronunciations and slip ups kids make. So cute. Anywho, when they arrived, 3 days before Mother's Day, "Big E" got all concerned. "Oh no, Daddy's not going to be happy." He had this distraught look on his face. "They were supposed to be a surprise on Mother's Day!" I tried to explain to him that ProFlowers (shout out to them for sending beautiful fresh flowers!) couldn't deliver them on Sunday. And it is okay to get your Mother's Day gift early. And I'm sure Daddy knew they would arrive before Sunday. I had to dial the phone and let him tell Daddy so he could see that it was all ok. I've been enjoying having these beautiful colors gracing my table.

Well, I went to check the mail yesterday, and lo and behold there was another ProFlowers box on my step. Huh? Some one else sent me flowers, too? But who? I opened the box, and there lay 15 more beautiful tulips, and the exact same message card that came with the previous delivery. We checked with ProFlowers and apparently, they made a mistake on their end, and only have record of one order and shipment. So, I got a second set of tulips for free. Rarely do you get more than you paid for, so as the customer service rep said, I'm just going to enjoy my table full of tulips!

I took some pictures of my lovely blooms because I just love the colors. As I was loading them on my computer, I realized they could be just the inspiration I need. I just finished last weekend with a painting project in our bathroom. I painted all the woodwork white and the walls gray. Soon, the old vanity and medicine cabinet will get a facelift with a coat of black paint and satin nickel hardware. For some reason, I've been stumped as far as what to do with the window and the shower curtain, and rugs and the blank wall. Looking at these pictures I think I saw my inspiration. If I take some of these pictures and blow them up, I could make a collage of them on my wall. I could use the colors of the stems and the blooms in my room. Imagine how beautiful and bright that will make the room, which previously had natural wood trim and cabin red walls, and was very dark. What do you think? Good idea or bad?

I saw a similar idea at Target recently, one large piece of art stretched over a wooden box. It was $20. I wonder if I can create my own look for less. And have a personal touch, always being able to remember when I walk into my bathroom of the 5 men in my life who love me and whom I love dearly, and for whom I'm thankful to have the privilege of being the woman in their life. Even if it costs the same, it would make every dollar matter. I like that idea!

Make Your Own

Today, I made my own thin mint cookies. They were easy, frugal, and delicious. Easy means I didn't have to spend alot of time on them. Frugal means I didn't spend alot of my family's resources on them. Delicious means....well, that just means I will have to spend alot of time working them off! The boys will enjoy them. It's so much more lovely to hand your child a homemade snack than to pull one out of a plastic package inside a cardboard box. And at 80 cookies per batch, they'll go a lot further....I hope!

My tip for the day. Try something new. Make something you haven't thought of having handmade before. It will be fun, it will save money, and you just might find you like your homemade version much better than what the stores offer.

Bonus....I only covered the top of the cookies, rather than completely dipping them (which I think is fine....tastes just as good, and maybe less messy for the boys to eat and saves a few extra calories), so I had left over melted chocolate. I knew I needed to think fast, or it would be wasted. I had some Snyders Peanut Butter Pretzel Sandwiches on hand. I don't buy them often, because they aren't cheap for a smaller size bag, but Target sends me coupon booklets, and most times there is a coupon for Snyders in there, and Target has them on sale from time to time as well. The first place I found them though was Aldi. When I can get them there or on sale and with a coupon at Target I pick them up, because my family members all enjoy them. I took the mini sandwiches out of the bag, and topped them all with the left over melted chocolate. I have dipped them in chocolate before, so I knew this would be yummy. The only down side is, that they will disappear much quicker!

If these slim mints sound like something you'd like to make, here's the recipe, thanks to Jonni McCoy of Miserly Mom's. This recipe was in her cookbook Healthy Meals for Less. All my ingredients came from Aldis, except the peppermint which I already had on hand.

Slim Mint Chocolate Cookies

Makes 80

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Chilling Time: 2 hours

Cooking Time: 10 minutes/sheet

Dough:

18 oz. devil's food cake mix

3 T. butter, melted

1/2 c. flour

1 egg

1/4 c. water

1/4 tsp. peppermint extract

Coating:

1/4 tsp. peppermint extract

6 T. butter

4 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips

(I cut the coating ingredients in half, because I only had 2 c. of chips. And I only coated the tops of the cookies, but still had left over melted chocolate. So, if you only want to coat the tops, halve the ingredients listed above.)

In a large mixing bowl, combine the dough ingredients. Mix by hand until a crumbly dough forms. Roll the dough into 4 logs about 1 1/2 inches in diameter. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours. (I actually did this step last night while I was already in the kitchen whipping up supper. Then today, all I had to do was pull them out and bake them.)

Remove wrapping, and slice logs into 1/2 inch cookie rounds. Bake on a greased nonstick baking sheet at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. Remove the cookies form the baking sheet immediately after removing from the oven, and cool on a cooling rack.

Place the coating ingredients in a double boiler over medium heat, and melt, stirring frequently. Add a bit of water (1 T. at a time) if it thickens too much. (I don't have a double boiler, so I placed the ingredients in a bowl and used the "melt" setting on my microwave, stirred, added a little water, and repeated until it was just right.) Once melted, remove chocolate from the heat and dip cookies one at a time into the chocolate (or just coat the tops), then place on a cooling rack to dry. Placing the rack in the refrigerator will speed up cooling time. Once dry, store in an airtight container.