I used to think that having a garage sale was a great way to make a little extra cash (just enough for my husband and I to go to Ruby Tuesday's for dinner :) yum). I thought it was worth all of the time spent gathering my stuff up and setting it up outside, sitting all day trying to sell it and then at the end of having to put whatever was left away. Every year I ended up having more to put out because I would have to put the previous garage sale leftovers with all of the new stuff I wanted to get rid of.
And then my neighbor told me about www.lupuspickup.org. Now, maybe everyone already knows about this. Maybe I'm the last one to find out. All I know is thanks to www.lupuspickup.org I will never have a garage sale again.
All you have to do is take ANYTHING you have that you want to get rid of, and when I say ANYTHING I mean ANYTHING. You can go to their website and schedule a pickup online, or you can call the Lupus Pickup phone number at 1-888-44-LUPUS. You schedule the pickup, leave all of your stuff outside your garage door or front door at 7am the morning they are coming for the pickup and they come by at some point that day and take it away for you.
It is so simple, and there are so many benefits.
1. You are donating to a good cause.
2. It's a tax write off (this is my favorite benefit).
3. You don't have to set everything up for a garage sale and sit there all day (sometimes in very hot weather or muggy, rainy weather), and you don't have to put anything away. They will take anything you want to give them.
4. This is a great opportunity to do some spring cleaning and "decluttering."
No more garage sales for me!
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Heaven is My Home
I confess that lately it has been a real challenge to stay positive, to stay dependent solely on Christ. I have been dealing with some difficult medical issues over the last several months. My faith is being stretched and strengthened daily, and some days are better than others.
I was truly struck by the message at church today. We were reading from Romans 8. Verses 18 through 25 say:
"For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we are saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees: But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience."
When the pastor reminded us that this is not our home, that we are "visiting" here I felt my eyes well up with tears. There was a time that when I heard that concept mentioned I felt a twinge of sadness at the thought of leaving this earth, not being with my family or friends and giving up the silly pleasantries of this life. The thought of death frightened me; I associated it with pain and suffering. How foolish! Today when my eyes welled up with tears at the thought of leaving this place, I felt relief. I felt joy and excitement at the thought of leaving all of this behind and being with my Savior, the thought of living in eternal bliss and having peace forever. The thought of going home...
I love my husband, my son, my parents, my siblings, my church and my friends. I have a great life. God has blessed us over and over and over again with so much more than we deserve or need. I have no right to complain about anything. Every breath that God gives me, every second is a gift. I am grateful for His goodness to me. But as I get older and grow closer to meeting my Heavenly Father and as I learn more about the beauty and overwhelming fulfillment of being in His great and wonderful presence, I groan for that day. I long to be in my Father's presence.
At the close of the sermon this morning we sang "It is Well with My Soul." I choked back tears as I recited the words, "Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come, Let this blest assurance control, That Christ has regarded my helpless estate, And hath shed His own blood for my soul." The reason for my reaction was twofold. The first being that I can ALWAYS still hear my Grandad's voice singing the lyrics. This was a favorite of his. He, a man who suffered severe physical ailments for most of his adult life, would really belt it out when we sang it. The second being that these lyrics are as though they were written just for me. They echo the sentiment that I have felt in my heart for the last few months.
Before the service was over the pastor also reminded us that suffering is to be expected in this life. We are not guaranteed anything on this earth. Being a Christian doesn't mean that we will have a loving or respectful spouse, perfect children, good health, money, a job or even a home. In fact, what we are actually GUARANTEED is suffering. "The whole creation" is "groaning together in the pains of childbirth." But we are also guaranteed this: Our suffering does not even come close to comparing "with the glory that is to be revealed to us." Oh, to taste that glory!
While I am navigating my way through each day here and facing some difficult circumstances lately this is my comfort. A concept that once was a source of sadness, and even sometimes fear, has finally become my peace, just as it should be.
"Come, Lord Jesus."
I was truly struck by the message at church today. We were reading from Romans 8. Verses 18 through 25 say:
"For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we are saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees: But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience."
When the pastor reminded us that this is not our home, that we are "visiting" here I felt my eyes well up with tears. There was a time that when I heard that concept mentioned I felt a twinge of sadness at the thought of leaving this earth, not being with my family or friends and giving up the silly pleasantries of this life. The thought of death frightened me; I associated it with pain and suffering. How foolish! Today when my eyes welled up with tears at the thought of leaving this place, I felt relief. I felt joy and excitement at the thought of leaving all of this behind and being with my Savior, the thought of living in eternal bliss and having peace forever. The thought of going home...
I love my husband, my son, my parents, my siblings, my church and my friends. I have a great life. God has blessed us over and over and over again with so much more than we deserve or need. I have no right to complain about anything. Every breath that God gives me, every second is a gift. I am grateful for His goodness to me. But as I get older and grow closer to meeting my Heavenly Father and as I learn more about the beauty and overwhelming fulfillment of being in His great and wonderful presence, I groan for that day. I long to be in my Father's presence.
At the close of the sermon this morning we sang "It is Well with My Soul." I choked back tears as I recited the words, "Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come, Let this blest assurance control, That Christ has regarded my helpless estate, And hath shed His own blood for my soul." The reason for my reaction was twofold. The first being that I can ALWAYS still hear my Grandad's voice singing the lyrics. This was a favorite of his. He, a man who suffered severe physical ailments for most of his adult life, would really belt it out when we sang it. The second being that these lyrics are as though they were written just for me. They echo the sentiment that I have felt in my heart for the last few months.
Before the service was over the pastor also reminded us that suffering is to be expected in this life. We are not guaranteed anything on this earth. Being a Christian doesn't mean that we will have a loving or respectful spouse, perfect children, good health, money, a job or even a home. In fact, what we are actually GUARANTEED is suffering. "The whole creation" is "groaning together in the pains of childbirth." But we are also guaranteed this: Our suffering does not even come close to comparing "with the glory that is to be revealed to us." Oh, to taste that glory!
While I am navigating my way through each day here and facing some difficult circumstances lately this is my comfort. A concept that once was a source of sadness, and even sometimes fear, has finally become my peace, just as it should be.
"Come, Lord Jesus."
Friday, February 19, 2010
Thursday, February 11, 2010
$25 Restaurant.com Gift Certificates for only $3!
Click on the link and use discount code "PAYPAL" at checkout. You will get 80% off the cost of the gift certificate.
www.restaurant.com
Bon appetit!
www.restaurant.com
Bon appetit!
Going Organic on the Cheap
For a whole bunch of great coupons from Organic Valley click here:
http://www.organicvalley.coop/coupons/
And if you want even more great coupons, a Kids' activity flyer, newsletter and bumper stickers click here http://www.organicvalley.coop/farm-friends/moo/join-moomom/ to join M.O.O. Mothers (& Fathers) of Organic. All you have to do is provide your mailing address.
With all of printable coupons on the internet now, going organic doesn't have to be expensive!
And if you want even more great coupons, a Kids' activity flyer, newsletter and bumper stickers click here http://www.organicvalley.coop/farm-friends/moo/join-moomom/ to join M.O.O. Mothers (& Fathers) of Organic. All you have to do is provide your mailing address.
With all of printable coupons on the internet now, going organic doesn't have to be expensive!
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
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.
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