Saturday, May 22, 2010

Study of Psalms and some summer fun for free....

My study
Free summer fun

My study

I discovered this website when deciding to study Pslams a little more in depth.  I must say, I could probably spend the whole year studying this book.  But I have decided that I am going to keep pressing forward without pausing too long just yet.  After I complete reading through the bible cover to cover, i am going to read it again, though in a different order.  The seeds are sprinkling right now and by the next time through, they will have begun to take a small root. 

I think most people turn to Psalms when they are in need of prayer.  Pslams covers praising God, affirming his that Christ is the Messiah, and there is a Psalm for every human emotion.  I recently discovered through a study we are doing called Celebration of Discipline, about HOW to meditate.  I guess I really never understood what it was.  One of the suggested methods was to meditate on a specific scripture.  The first thing that popped into my mind was Psalms.  So in studying, I realized what a great way to study it, by finding the emotions that suit you at the time and meditate on it.  I love the concept.  No, that is not the only way to meditate of course, but a method that I love.

Therefore the book of Psalms can be used as a hymnal, prayer book, to strengthen your faith in Christ, and a guide to teach us how to live more Christ-like.

Free summer fun

I have been on a quest to find some things for the summer that will enable us to have A LOT of fun without breaking the budget!  I was reading a blog and came across this.  Looks like fun!!  I am an out and about kind of person but I run out of ideas and also I am impatient so when it comes to planning things like this, I fall very, very short!  I don't want to reinvent the wheel, so thankfully people plan these things and put them out there for people like me!!  You may also be interested in free bowling  and more free bowling.  These are two different places so click on both.  Check out Money Saving Mom too with her gigantor list!


Keep posting your summer ideas!  You can comment here, on facebook, or email me at christinasawyer@rocketmail.com.  Be ready!!  Summer is here!!!!!

Wednesday, May 19, 2010

Muddy Buddy, thrifty ideas for summer and my experience in Pslams!














IN THIS BLOG:
Muddy Buddy
Some thrifty summer ideas!
My experience in Psalms


MUDDY BUDDY!!
Last weekend, my very good friend Emily and I did a race as partners.  Mike went with his friend as a partner and all 4 of us did it.  It was an approximately 7 mile run/bike.  You either ran 3 legs and biked 2 legs of a total of 5 or visa versa.  In between each leg you had to do an obstacle of some kind.  There were climbing walls,  a balance beam, you had to crawl under a cargo net, and then the last one was a GINORMOUS mud pit!!  Yes, we voluntarily crawled through a mud pit...see pictures for a good laugh!  I did the 3 runs 2 bikes.  Emily did the 3 bikes 2 runs.  We had an absolute blast doing it and did an awesome job!  We finished it in 1 hour exactly.  Mike and his partner did a little better in finishing in 47 min with a minor "couldn't find the bike" mishap!  At one point, I rode off on someone else's bike that ALSO had an orange bandanna on it and had to come back to find ours!  What are the chances???  We felt very good when we were done and had truly accomplished something great!  BONDED IN MUD!  As her husband so eloquently put it!

Thrifty summer ideas...
I have been trying to compile ideas for some time now on things to do for the summer.  In considering that our gas prices may be sky rocketing, the ideas are needing to be creative!  I go to a group on Mondays called ipray and this was our topic of discussion this week.  We talked about ideas for learning, games, day trips and other such ideas.  I have also been toying with the idea of doing a cooking day where people can team up together and cook in bulk to freeze!  We have a membership to the Orlando Science Center which also gets us into the Museum of Science and Industry in Tampa, so when we carpool, this becomes a pretty good little event.  We also talked about getting an "after 2" pass to the water parks, or weekday only.  Turning these trips into a little treasure hunt makes it a bit of a learning experience.  I also will be doing a children's literature list with Madi and will do either audio books or read with her then do the movie!  There are also several theaters that do dollar movies during the summer.  I am so looking forward to this as I plan on part-time home school for the summer until our Washington DC trip.  I will be covering Washington DC with her throughout the summer from Cantering the Country.  If you have any ideas, please feel free to post here or on FACEBOOK!

My experience in Psalms...
Psalms stopped me dead in my tracks.  I decided, thanks to my small group from church, to do an in depth study on Psalms.  I have gone here to do this.  I will not be doing Proverbs until I have finished this and I can see it may take a while.  I will probably do the dame for Proverbs.  In my discussions with people about reading through the bible, I can only say that I am barely scratching the surface.  There is so much to this book of life that reading it through once hardly enables me to hold up a conversation though it is planting seeds.  I know that however I decide to read it next time, I will have a better grasp than I do this time!  I am also able to recall things right now that enable me to discuss.  I am feeling like my initial endeavor to read through the bible has become more like a new addition to my life.  I do love delving deeper, but I plan on doing this again after I am finished. 


Moments...
-Emily and I finishing Muddy Buddy together accomplishing our goal of crossing the finish line laughing!!  (Though I think we far surpassed our own expectations!)
-Visiting with my aunt and uncle from New Jersey after they came to suprise my parents for the anniversary party! 
-My recent gain in the number of hours I sleep at night!!  YEAH!
-Madison reading to Mackenzie at bedtime!

Sunday, May 2, 2010

What happens when you CAN'T use coupons? and an unwelcomed intruder!

I know!!  It sounds absurd.  But it is true.  I shopped yesterday without coupons.  I had no choice.  It was out of necessity that I shopped.  So why was I so unplanned, you ask?  Let me tell you my story.

As I sat here at my desk, planning my shopping trip, getting ready to clip and print my happy savings, when I hear a rustling to my left in the girls' bathroom.  Sure that it was Mackenzie who was playing in her room, I giggled that she sounded like a snake slithering.  (That is not an embellishment.  I actually thought that.)  As I turned my head toward the bathroom, there, on the floor, racing behind the toilet and toward Madison's room, was an intruder.  A Black Racer Snake somehow found its way into our house. We still don't know how and we don't WANT to know when!!!)  I screamed so loud I was sure I busted out the neighbor's windows, ran into Mackenzie's room, only to find she was actually IN the bathroom with the snake, now screaming herself.  I stood there staring at her, completely frozen.  Finally, I grabbed her, ran to my unfolded laundry pile,  (I always have one of those handy),  grabbed clothes for Mackenzie, who had on only a diaper, Madison, who was now screaming AND dressed up like a pirate, a diaper bag (not fully sure if it even had diapers in it), and keys and ran out the front door screaming for my neighbor.  He searched but found nothing, so the girls and I headed out for the day.  I would not be returning until the snake was GONE!!

Needless to say, I had to shop without my beloved coupons.  We went to Walmart.  I can trust their prices without coupons and I did manage to find everything I needed at or below what I would have paid with coupons, making my total $54 which is about what I aim for each week.  My bags were stocked including 2 gallons milk and 2 extra large Ocean Spray juices, a super large Gatorade as well as some fruits and snacks, cheeses, breakfast stuff, and a few other odds and ends.  It was reassuring that in times of TRADGEDY!!! there is an answer!  Whew!

Oh, and Mike managed to find the snake in about 5 minutes flat, proudly coming out the front door holding it out like a lion with his kill!  Not twenty seconds after, our other friendly little visitor that lives in our train set had the nerve to pop his head out as if to say, "Na, na, na, na, na, na...you didn't catch me!"  But not for lack of trying.  All our neighbors and Mike went after him, but the booger is still there.  Needless to say, anyone who comes into our home better SHUT THE DOOR!!!!

If I may add to my moments...
-Mike walking out the front door holding up a very...VERY angry intruder!  So proud of my manly man!!!