This Week's Thrifty Finds

I managed to get up early enough on Saturday to hit a few sales.

Of course, I always manage to find a few hidden treasures.I found this 3 tiered shelf which works perfectly for our family store-$2. I LOVE old linens, and I just had to have the Mr. and Mrs. towels. I have already found a place for them. The bag on the bottom left of the photo is an old ballot bag. I also found the game, JENGA, for $1 which A is bound to love!
I found all of this CHEAP stuff to go in our family store. The kiddos were thrilled!
I needed a lamp for the office, and this black lamp was only $1. I really don't like the shade, but I have plans. I am going to let A make a "harvest sign" out of the wooden sign, and I just love Americana decorations. This basket was only $.50.

I found these 3 adorable outfits for $6.00. I have been looking for a brown and turquoise dress for O. That is the color scheme for our family photos this year.

I bought these Christmas items for $4. I love the vintage Santa sign, and I am collecting fun stockings to make a Christmas Countdown for A and O. Two down.....23 more to go!
I also collect red handled kitchen utensils. When at antique stores, I always point them out to Scott, and we have decided that is how we are going to pay for A to go to college. Don't laugh....I have A LOT of red handled utensils. However, I think that this mixer would look great as a decoration on a Christmas gift. I bought the lifesaver tin because it would be fun to fill it with lifesavers and give it as a teacher gift with a card saying something about being a "lifesaver".

Monkey Cupcakes

Aren't these just the cutest monkey cupcakes that you have ever seen?

My friend, Laura, made them for baby C's first b-day.

They make me smile....and they were yummy too!

Laura is such a great mom...and crafty to boot!

Shout Out to Ms Becca

This week's Shout Out goes to the one loved by all...Ms Becca.

This is the only photo that I have of Becca. It makes me laugh, and it is a true testament to her adorable personality. It was taken at this year's Outrageous Prom Night (Dress the Decade that You Were Born).

Every now and then, you meet a person and there is an instant sense of connection and teamwork. We have experienced that with many people who have partnered with us in children's ministry over the years. Ms Becca is one who definitely makes that list. Becca's sincere love and concern for the children she encounters is truly inspiring. She has a true gift from God which allows her to connect with them while maintaining control. Scott and I can not even begin to say thank you enough for all that she has done the past few months.

She is loved and respected by the kiddos and parents alike.

We love you Ms Becca. Your love, dedication, talents, and sacrifices don't go unnoticed. Thanks for being one of our partners on this exciting journey.

One of My Favorite Things & One of My Not-So-Favorite Things

There are 2 things that I think that you should know about me before reading this post.

1.) I am pretty easy to please. The simply things in life thrill me.

2.) I am not really a "lover" of dogs. I was bit by a so-called family friendly dog while working for the Census Bureau in 2000, and recently my dad was attacked by his dog which he practically bottle fed for the first few weeks of its life.

Anyhoo...this black lunch box is one of my favorite things. I LOVE it, and I take it with me practically everywhere. It is one of the few things that I refuse to share with my Scotty.On Friday, I had the wonderful opportunity of going on a field trip with A to one of my favorite places to visit in the fall, the apple orchard. It was a beautiful day, and we had so much fun picking apples, eating a few in the orchard (pesticide and all), watching pig races, drinking apple cider, and just enjoying the day.
Yes...they were as yummy as they look!

After leaving the orchard, we stopped at a local park to have lunch and play. After lunch, I placed our lunch boxes beside me on the ground. I noticed 3 unleashed dogs running carelessly through the park. I proceeded to give their owner the "look". After turning my attention back to my kiddos, I saw A's teacher run over and grab my lunch box. However, she was a few seconds too late. One of the unleashed dogs peed all over my lunch box.....one of my favorite things. Seriously!

Dollar to Disney Update-Week 6

We saved a total of $83.77 this week.

Coupons: $33.77

Photo Money: $50.00

Nothing too exciting! However, we have discovered NetFlix. It is gonna save us money!

Fraidy's Week in Review

Yep...this week hasn't been much better!

Life-Changing Night

If you know my family well, you probably have heard about the frightful night in April 2007.....the night I carried my 2 babies out of our burning home in their footed pj's. Anyhoo....I ran across these photos yesterday, and I decided to share them. Very few people have actually seen them because they have always brought back awful memories. However, I can stand before you and say that God protects, restores, heals, and provides. This is the front of our house the week after the fire.
Garage
Our dining room.

Above the back door

Kitchen

Thank you God for teaching us in this way!

This life-changing night was a true gift from God.

We now have a new view of "stuff".

Thank you to all of our friends who prayed for us, cried with us, and just listened.
Would you like to see the "after" pictures?

This Week's Thrifty Finds

Here are a few of the treasures that I found this weekend!I don't use candles since I now have an understanding of the consequences of open flames in our home. So, I fell in love with these antique lamps. I paid $8 for the set. I have already spray painted them black, and now I am waiting for my honey to rewire one. I can't wait to use them for extra lighting this winter.
I found these glass candle holders for $1. I filled them with sea shells that I already had in storage.

I gave $5.50 for all 4 pieces of dragonfly art work. They have already found the perfect spot in our master bath. It is amazing what that $5.50 did for my plain old boring bathroom.

The "H" Family

I had the wonderful privilege of getting to know this family a little better on Sunday evening. They were such a blessing to me. The pride that I saw in the parents' eyes was so adorable. They are proud of these women...as they should be. Good parenting was evident as I observed this family!

Thanks for inspiring me and giving me hope!

Balloon Race

This weekend we went to a hot air balloon race downtown. It was absolutely beautiful, and the weather was perfect. My mini-photographer, A, snapped this photo of me and my honey. It is so much fun watching him take photos. He pays such close attention to detail! Yesterday, my pastor made an analogy between hot air balloons and our lives when completely surrendered to Christ.

When hot air balloons take off, they have no idea where they are going to land. It is entirely dependent upon the air current.

When we completely surrender our lives to Christ, we have no control or idea of where we are going to land. We are completely dependent on God's plan and love for us. It is just so amazing to me that God has a perfect plan for my life. I need to continually surrender!

Dear Heavenly Father,

Help me to surrender my thoughts, actions, aspirations, and desires so that I might land in the perfect place!

D2D Update-Week 5

We saved/earned an extra $80.60 this week.

Coupons: $11.61

Photo Money: $50.00

I bought a kit to make my own leaf stencil because I couldn't find a leaf stamp. Then, I found this perfect stamp at a garage sale for $0.25. Needless to say, I returned the stencil kit. This saved me $6.74. Now, I just need to stamp the leaves in the bathroom.
One of A's friends loves Nascar. We were actually invited to his b-day dinner this week. On Saturday, I found all of these collector's edition Nascars CHEAP! Don't worry....I didn't keep it a secret. He LOVED them. WooHoo! I saved $12.25 on this b-day gift.

The little boy asked A, "Where did you get these cars?" A stated proudly, "My mom bought them at a garage sale for like $.0.50!" He was so proud!

I aslo bought a cute secret pal gift, but I am not going to talk about that because my secret pal just might be the only one who actually reads this blog. That would be my luck! I am not very good at the "secret" part.

Friday

So....you think that you are having a bad Friday!?!

Try being 11 years old, 10 pounds over-weight, on a boring never-ending diet of food for "mature adults", and forced to mope around the house in a Dora the Explorer top!I don't want to hear any complaining!
Happy Friday!

$2 Chair Make-Over

You may remember this dated chair that I bought at a local thrift store for $2 last week. I decided to paint it black and add some new fabric.Check it out now!

Paint is AMAZING!

I still need to work on the cushion cover, but you get the general idea.

I can't wait to finish the other pieces that will accompany this chair at the bottom of our stairs.

However, life has become really crazy for me. Could it be the new job, new kindergartner, new preschooler, new program at church? All blessings from God..... but boy I am exhausted!

If you are anything like me, you are interested in how people make a house their own. I believe that our home speaks a lot about who we are as people. Here are a few non-traditional things that are hanging on the walls in our home.

A few years ago, I found myself searching for the perfect thing to hang above our couch. What better than an old bar door. Isn't it lovely! I wanted to display some old photos (of people that we don't even know) in a creative way. I especially love old wedding photos because everyone appears down-right miserable. I found this old fence picket at an antique store for $2. I then convinced my mom into trading her old clothespins for new ones. I hot glued the clothespins to the picket and .......
I hand stitched this many years ago. In fact, it was on our mantle the night our house burned. The glass in the frame broke, and the stitching was soiled and smelly. However, it really adds to the character. The fire is a part of our life story, and this wall hanging is always a reminder to me of God's protection.

Anyhoo....that is what is hanging on my walls.
Do you have anything that tells a story hanging on your walls?

This Week's Shout Out Goes To.....

This week's Shout Out goes to the one and only....Jamie B.

Jamie and 3 other fantabulous women lead a ministry in our church called Thrive. It is a hands-on, life-changing Bible study for youth girls. They are making a forever impact in the lives of these girls. The Thrive leaders are also the creative forces behind the anticipated Outrageous Prom Nights. They are all 4 deserving of a Shout Out, but there are countless Tuesdays left.

I have watched Jamie on many occasions, and I am always moved by her servant's heart. On Friday night, I observed Jamie as she spent the entire evening behind the sound board with little to no interaction with others. However, she was all smiles and full of laughter. God has given her so many talents and skills. It is an honor and true pleasure watching her in action.

Jamie is a behind-the-scenes kind-of girl, but she doesn't go unnoticed.

Jamie, you are valued and loved. Thank you so very much for all that you do. You are spectacular!

Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace Jr

My honey and I desire for our children to have a healthy relationship with money. We believe that it is an important gift that will last a lifetime. We have been allowing A and O to work for an allowance for over a year now. Scott made these GIVE, SAVE, and SPEND jars with them. We were recently introduced to Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace Jr. It takes what we were already doing and tweaks it into such a life-changing learning experience. Our children now earn a "commission" as opposed to an allowance. They have chores that they do just because they are part of our family, and then there are ways that they can earn money. He still teaches dividing their earnings into 3 distict categories.
This is such an awesome tool for parents who desire for their children to ALWAYS live in financial peace!
God commands us to be good stewards of ALL that He has given us! What an exciting and thought provoking challenge!

Outrageous Prom Night

I went to prom last night! Crazy! Every year a group of creative, energetic, young women in our church hosts an Outrageous Prom Night with a theme. This year's theme was dress the decade in which you were born. 1977 here I come! I was up for this challenge! It was so much fun! Music from each decade was played. There was competition between the different decades, and a princess and queen were crowned.

I found these shoes at a local thrift store for $1, and I made the daisy hair clips with materials that I found in my craft closet. THE DRESS was found at a thrift store for ....$3. What a bargain! Yes, it is actual polyester. Total of $4 spent on this beautiful outfit!

I am so very blessed to be part of such a wonderful community of believers.

Cuteness & D2D Update

The other day my sweet, adorable O was riding her tricycle when she stopped suddenly. She climbed off her pink trike, picked up this dead-as-a-door nail worm, and proclaimed, "Momma, look at da cute worm!" It had been dead for days and ran over by quite a few cars. I only hope that she can always find the "cuteness" in things even when others do not! Have I mentioned that she REALLY likes to pick up worms? Yuck!

D2D Update-Week 4

We saved/earned an extra $68.90 this week.

Coupons: 5.90

Photo Money: 50.00

We have not purchased any Coca Cola products for 2 weeks. I don't think that this is going to last much longer. I NEED my daily can of Coke! This saved us 6.00!

This is a photo of the freebies that my mother-in-law gave me on Sunday. I needed a few glasses, and I almost bought a box of Twinkies last week. A LOVES Twinkies, and another child in his class brought one in his lunch box. He played the momma-guilt card. She also gave me an "All You" magazine which is full of great coupons. Total saved: 5.00

My sister-in-law brought me a jar of homemade jelly and zucchini relish: 2.00

This Week's Trash to Treasure

Remember this boring valance from yesterday's post.

Well....I decided to dress it up a little!I wanted the valance to match this shower curtain in our master bath.
So, I made a similar leaf stencil out of card stock using my Xacto knife.
Here is the finished product!

I think that it is a step up from where it started.

Now, I want to stencil leaves around the top of my bathroom walls.

One thing always leads to another....

On to the leaf candle dishes.....

I bought 2 autumn harvest votive candles at Hobby Lobby today. They were on sale for $.50 each. I then used a piece of scrap fabric and tied them together. I want to add a tag that says, "I am so glad that I have "fallen" into your kindergarten/pre-school class."

My little man saw them when he got home from school.

He said, "Mom, these are CUTE!"

He wants to take the one that is less "pointy" to his teacher!

Gotta love this $1 teacher gift!