Lifting Up.

I've always had that sun shine attitude and the ability to share a smile.  It's just who I am.  What I haven't always had was the ability (or knowledge) to lift up others in thought and prayer.  It's so simple.  You don't have to spend money,or give up large amounts of time.  It's as simple as a thought  and/or prayer. 

I've been working on this.  I have to admit, it makes you feel great when you lift up others!  So here are two ideas I have for you...

The first idea I gleaned from our female pastor at our church.  She spoke at our MOPS meeting last year and shared the idea that she drives through our town and prays for specific people, but then also pray those people you see that you DON'T know.  Pray for their day, their family, their needs. 

The second idea I am sharing with you from Pixel Perfect , a photography blog I have stumbled upon and have found is so much more than tips and tricks for photography...it's also tips and tricks for your life.   She shared in a post recently how to use social media in a different way.   Let's be honest, Facebook and Twitter can sometimes be used as places that people use a little too much indiscretion.  They complain, boast, swear, gossip, banter, and other not-so-beautiful things. However it's others' way of communicating needs.  Needs for prayer, needs for support, needs for lifting up.  You can use this social media tool to do this!  You can take those negative statuses and lift those people up in prayer.  Pray for their day, for a change in attitude, for a look on the bright side.  You can pray for those who ask for prayer, for their needs.  You can pray for those who aren't asking, aren't making a statement, but just plain being.  Pray for them.  Pray for their families, for them to be open to the Lord's plan.

Social media is a great way to reconnect, connect, and stay in touch.
But best of all, you can use it to glorify Him.
~Amber

Making It All Work

Recently at MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) meeting myself and several other moms gathered to pray together, chat, support, and learn together.  Our meetings are monthly and this month we had a fabulous speaker who shared the importance of financial peace.  The woman who shared many words of wisdom about finances gleaned her perspectives on several ways to save money on every day living expenditures.

In past blog posts I have shared sites that I have utilized in saving money.  You can find those posts here and here. I have since then found more sites and more strategies to saving money.   Here are some of the strategies I use to get the most on what we've been provided.

1)   I scour and search for steals and deals on gifts, necessities, and the occasional splurge.  Some of the sites that I have added to my money saving scavenger hunt are
PocketYourDollars 
Creative Couponing 

2) I always buy a Saturday paper ( they're cheaper than Sunday) sometimes I buy 2, purely for the coupon inserts.  Both of the above websites alert me as to the number of inserts that will be in the paper for that weekend, as well as the value of the coupons I'll find.  It's always nice when someone else does some of the work for you.

3) In order to keep to my $60-$80/week grocery budget for our family of 5, I plan the week's meals based on the foods that are on sale at Cub Foods and Target.  Both stores offer deals and they also offer coupons either in store, by mail, or on the web.  Many times you can match up a store coupon with a manufacturer coupon to score even bigger savings.  I spend a good amount of time each week devising my plan for meals for the week in order to come out with a best case scenario, which usually keeps the pocketbook a little more full.  I only go to the grocery store with a detailed list, and I rarely deviate.

These are just my top three things I've been doing to save money recently.  It's all become so natural and routine now,that I don't really think before doing it, it's all become habit, and I'm working hard to make it all work.

~Amber

More Thankful

It seems each year as the holidays surround us, I'm always more thankful.  More thankful for the obvious things and more thankful for the intricacies of life in general.

This year I feel more thankful than ever.  I feel this is the first time in my life that I gave everything I had over to Him and away he went with my life.  So many doors opened, so many new friends, new opportunities, and new ways of living.  Amazing.  That's the only word to describe what has been done in my life this year.

The things I am most thankful for are too many, but our little guy is the biggest blessing in our life this year.  Almost exactly a year ago, I became pregnant with him and twenty weeks into our pregnancy we didn't know what God's plan was to be for him or for us.  The ultrasound was missing some vital parts and the prognosis of our Little One wasn't one that we or any other expectant family wished for.  We wept, we were scared, and we prayed.  We summoned the prayers and hope of others that the follow-up testing would show that the first sonogram was wrong and our baby would be just fine.  We prayed, begged, and pleaded.  A week later with butterflies in my stomach, I laid on that bed in the ultrasound room and the second ( I'm not exaggerating) that the technician peeked in on our little guy, the vital parts that were once missing were right there.  We were elated, excited, but most importantly thanking God for this blessing.  Some of the people we shared our worries with said the technician probably just missed it, and maybe they did. I, however, believe it was His handiwork.

My top ten things I am most thankful for this year are (in no particular order):

• My baby Lachlan
• My busy boys
• Another fabulous year with my husband
• My family
• My friends, old and new
• A job that has brought me closer to the Lord 
• Dave Ramsey! :)
• A piece of my personal life puzzle that was once missing
• Health
• 13 wonderful weeks with my boys and just being "Mommy"

Happy Thanksgiving to Everyone!  Remember your blessings and count them every day! God Bless!

Food for Thought...Gossip Girl

No, not the show, but reality.  Where does the line of caring for another person end and the line of gossip begin?

There are so many situations one wants to discuss with another close person, not openly with the world.  And it's all about caring for another, but where does that care end and the gossip begin?

Let me know your thoughts....

I just really don't want to be one of THOSE people that talk about others with false information, share intimate details, or ruin trust that I've earned.  I care.

I care about trust, relationships, and my faith.  I want to be known as someone of good character that another can turn to in need of a hug, an ear, or a shoulder.  And sometimes those conversations need to be shared with a third party, and maybe even a fourth, because I feel the need to help, to pray, and to lead.

It's gets sticky...and the line that separates is very fine.  But I love and I care. 

Gossip is vindictive. 
Love is kind.