Get this Sampler

GREAT Free Music

One word...or should I say one website: www.noisetrade.com.

I've been using this website for over a year now and have gotten countless free songs and albums. It's simple. There's no contract, no fees and you don't have to give your credit card information. Best of all, they won't bombard you with a bunch of obnoxious emails.

Here's how it works. Click on the link (www.noisetrade.com), and start sampling all kinds of music. Most of it is Christian, and not only that it's REALLY REALLY GOOD Christian music. You can either email 5 friends about the album you want to download or pay noisetrade any amount of money over a dollar.

I have been very impressed and can honestly say I haven't downloaded one single song or album that has disappointed me. I cannot think of even one drawback associated with using this website.

Most of the music sounds like artists like Ray LaMontagne, Feist, Surfjan Stevens, Muse, Kings of Leon, Snow Patrol, Travis and U2.

Some of my favorite artists from noisetrade have been Lovelite, Lovedrug, Matthew Perryman Jones, Derek Webb and Katie Herzig.

Try it. You'll like it.

Bob's Red Mill Bran Flax Muffins (with some extra healthy twists)

This is one of my favorite recipes because it is really healthy but still really delicious. I've made a few changes and substituted egg whites for whole eggs, molasses and honey for brown sugar, craisins for raisins, and organic whole wheat flour for pastry flour. Even my husband (who is not the biggest fan of "healthy") has given these muffins his seal of approval. Don't be fooled by the picture. They're more appetizing than they look. My camera doesn't have very good resolution. :)

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups Organic Whole Wheat Flour
3/4 cup Flaxseeds Meal
3/4 cup Oat Bran Cereal
1/4 cup Molasses
1/4 cup Honey
2 tsp Baking Soda
1 tsp Baking Powder
1/2 tsp Salt
2 tsp Cinnamon
1 1/2 cups finely shredded Carrots
2 peeled and shredded Granny Smith Apples
1/2 cup Craisins
1 cup chopped Sliced Almonds
3/4 cup Skim Milk
3 beaten Egg Whites
1.5 tsp Vanilla

Directions

Mix together flour, Bob's Red Mill Flaxseed Meal, oat bran, honey, molasses, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon in a large bowl. Stir in carrots, apples, craisins (if desired) and nuts. Combine milk, beaten eggs and vanilla. Pour liquid ingredients into dry ingredients. Stir until ingredients are moistened. DO NOT OVER MIX. Fill muffin cups 3/4 full. Bake at 350 degrees F for 15-20 minutes.

Makes about 20 muffins.

Nutritional Info

• Servings Per Recipe: 20
• Amount Per Serving
• Calories: 98.9

• Total Fat: 2.5 g
• Cholesterol: 0.2 mg
• Sodium: 229.2 mg
• Total Carbs: 17.6 g
• Dietary Fiber: 2.9 g
• Protein: 3.1 g

We as Women

The majority of books that I've been reading the last couple of years have been centered around homemaking and rearing children. One of the things that has struck me so many times is the great privilege and responsibility that we women have in taking care of our husbands, children and others in our church family. The concept does not discriminate. It is our DUTY as women, whether we are single, married or even widowed. I have often fought and struggled with thoughts of inadequacy like "what I do doesn't matter. I stay home and raise a child and take care of my husband and home." (Look back at my blog over the last year and you will see what I mean). In reading these books, I have gained a wonderful and warm sense of fulfillment knowing that what I do is so much more than that. It is so beautiful for all of us, no matter what season of life we are in or heading towards, that we have such a grand responsibility as daughters in Christ. All women, mothers or not, can teach Sunday School, lead a Bible Study, reach out to the teenage girls at church who are just trying to get through what seems like the toughest years of their lives, or bring meals to the sick and elderly.

I think the point that I'm trying to get to is that we as women are capable and gifted in such a way that we can care for all of those around us, be it friends, family or even strangers, and be a light for Christ whether we are in the home or out in the world with our peers. It is not an easy concept to wholeheartedly accept, but we MUST. And we must not only accept it, but we must LIVE it. We have to ask ourselves wherever we are, at church, the grocery store, the office, on the street, in the car, in front of our children, in front of our spouse, at the mall, at our children's sporting events, "When people look at me, can they see Jesus?"

Thankful in all things

I am thankful that in my simple human mind what I deem as bad for me, my Savior knows better. He allows me to go through trials and difficult circumstances to grow me into someone more like His Son Jesus.

1Thessalonians 5:16-18 - "Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you."

That word "all" stands out for me at this time in my life. We are to be thankful in ALL circumstances. No matter how bleak our situation, there is always much to be thankful for. We can even be thankful for the situation itself because any time we have difficulty to overcome we know there is an opportunity to grow.

This earth is only a pitstop in our journey to eternity. This is where we face opportunity and challenges everyday where we can decide whether we will hide and wither and stunt our growth or we will rise to the occasion, honor our loving Father and allow Him to shape us and sanctify us into the children He would have us be.

We are not promised tomorrow, an easy life, lots of money and possessions, a husband or wife to share our life with, a roof over our heads, good health, lots of children or anything else that we might desire. Each of these is a gift. Maybe we even have one or all of these, and maybe it just isn't exactly HOW we want it. Maybe we don't have enough money. Maybe we don't like our house. Maybe we don't like our spouse. Maybe we have children but not as many as we would like, or maybe they don't behave the way we'd like them to. Maybe we are healthy, but we don't feel like we're 16 again. Isn't it interesting that no matter how God has blessed us, it just never seems to be enough. The truth is we are not owed anything, yet if we really ponder and really consider our circumstances we are all blessed in some way.

I am amazed when I look around me and see so many Godly men and women who have either gone before me or are still living with some type of daily struggle. I've seen women battle cancer and still do it with a smile on their face. I've seen them take care of their husbands and children happily. I've seen them, no matter how afflicted, drive themselves to church so they can worship and thank their heavenly Father who has blessed them with another day. I've seen men have to stop working and doing the things they love because of a life threatening illness, unable to provide for their family and reduced to sitting in a chair in their backyard, still thankful to be alive. I've seen women lose their husbands unexpectedly and raise their small children alone without complaint or bitterness, still teaching them how good God is. I've seen women who are barren, overcoming their own disappointment enough to open their home to children they have never met before and raising them as their own.

I am thankful today for so much. God has given me so much more than I deserve. I am thankful for the example and standard that so many Godly men and women have set for me. I can only hope to develop just SOME of the character that they have exhibited.

To God be the glory. He has given me so much, and I lack nothing.

Happy Belated Halloween!

I should have posted these days ago. I can't resist. He is just too perfect...

Our little scarecrow...

Freebies & Saving $$$

I have been obsessively clipping coupons ever since I got my driver's license (it's been 10 years already!) In the last few months I've really kicked it into overdrive. I get multiple items for free every week now, and I think I've gotten my system down to a science. Here are some easy, helpful tips to get the most out of your money and to get the most without SPENDING your money:

1. Buy at least 3 newspapers for triple the amount of coupons each week. This is key, especially when there is a sale on items that you have to buy multiples of to take advantage of the sale price.

2. Match your coupons against all of your local grocery stores, chain stores and drug stores weekly circular. I probably visit at least 3 of these stores in my area each week to take advantage of each of their deals that week. For example, at CVS one week I got my husband a free Gillette Fusion razor. That same week I got 2 sample sizes of Tide detergent and 1 sample size of All detergent at Target. I also got free frozen vegetables at Shop Rite and 4 free pints of Starbucks ice cream, among numerous other items that I cannot recall at the moment. Another week, I got 2 free bottles of salad dressing, 3 free candy bars and 2 free bags of shredded cheese at Walmart. After a few weeks of searching for these types of deals you should have a pretty good idea what stores are going to give you the best deals. This is your core group of stores where you should focus your energy.

3. Take advantage of rebate programs. Rite Aid has a fantastic rebate program. Last month alone I made $60 back in overages, earned a $20 gift card and got $100 in free products, just for purchasing rebate items and using my coupons. This is a great opportunity to make some money and get lots of free products. I charged everything to my credit card and a month later had a check mailed to me to cover the amount that I charged plus the additional $60. This program has been my biggest money maker so far.

4. I cannot emphasize this one enough - scour the internet for coupons. I get many of my freebies from checking out coupon forums to see what deals other people are getting and from printing my coupons off the internet. www.coupons.com and www.hotcouponworld.com are both great sites. I also get many of my deals from checking out blogs like www.thethriftymommy.blogspot.com and www.krazycouponlady.blogspot.com. I've gotten free mp3 downloads and tons of free samples through the mail because I follow websites like these.

5. Combine manufacturers coupons with store coupons. Target is a great place to do this. You can get something free or very close to free every week from this store just by combining sale items with store and manufacturers coupons. A couple weeks ago I got several bags of Chex Mix from doing this. Skippy peanut butter was only a few cents a couple weeks before that. Most recently I got 2 packages of baby wipes for free using just a Target store coupon. Sometimes, it isn't even necessary to have BOTH a manufacturer and store coupon to get something for free.

6. The more time you put in now, the less time it will take you later. Many people are turned off by the idea of couponing for the sake of time constraints. Here's what I would say to this: it is an investment that pays itself off quickly and if maintained properly will take up less time the longer you keep up with it. I have two coupon filing systems - one is for groceries, the other is for eating out/house (drycleaning, home repairs, etc.)/clothing. Because I have these filing systems set up, every week when I clip my new coupons I already have an organized way to keep track of them. I probably spend about 30 minutes a week clipping my coupons from the newspapers and filing them and about an hour comparing my coupons with whatever sales are going on that week. I save an average of roughly $40 to $50 a week (and maybe even sometimes more than that) on our grocery bill. You do the math.

7. Farmers Markets - Okay, so this part isn't really about coupons, but I have to share anyway because this concept is close to my heart. I LOVE cooking with whole foods. I'm not really one to buy processed foods for my family. Because of that, vegetables and fruits are a staple in our home. Since I have been buying our produce at the Farmers Market our fruit and vegetable grocery bill has been slashed in half. Some weeks, if the week prior I have stocked up on meat and other items, I don't even have to visit the grocery store. I love avoiding the hustle of the grocery store and the long lines whenever I can. At the Farmers Market everything is fresh, cheap and I'm in and out quick.

I'm going to stop here for now.

Happy couponing!!!