Now that's what I want for Christmas!

In Jesus we find amazing gifts such as:

Good news-

And it doesn't matter even if you don't have even a penny to your name! He does not look at you how this world does who assigns status and worth by the size of one's bank account Freedom for prisoners- not all prisons have bars we can see...
Ability to see- eyes to see the eternal

Release for the oppressed- I love that word "Release". It's hard to even say without relaxing a little. The release He gives doesn't depend on our circumstance but is even in the midst of them. We only need to ask

And a HUGE one Favor with the Lord- the gift of being able to come right into His very Presence 'over the bridge of the cross of Jesus , right into His very Presence but find favor there- a hearty welcome.

Now that's what I want for Christmas and the day after and the day after.......

Evel Knievel

I couldn't sleep and was surfing the net and came across this video of Evel Knievel's story of coming to believe in Jesus Christ as the Son of God and I just had to put a link here to it since he passed away recently . Link to transcript Link to video

Friday, November 30 marked the end of what will forever be remembered as the longest and most courageous battle between one man, a man we all know as the world's greatest daredevil, and death. Robert Craig "Evel" Knievel died in Clearwater, Florida, finally succumbing after nearly a three-year bout with the terminal lung disease, idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. He was 69.

Cutting grocery bill

One thing I have learned along the way about cutting the grocery bill is if you can shop from a preplanned menu it will save a lot and free you from running back to the store for forgotten items. The less trips to the grocery store the move you save. I have included a page element,for now, with weekly menus from "menusforMoms.com" a FREE weekly service I stumbled across surfing the net. I have used the website "Saving Dinner.com" also which is not free - though if you sign up at their web site you will get 6 free sample menu mailers which includes one week's menu/grocery shopping list of each type they offer- but $9.95 for three months of weekly menus and grocery lists mailed to you and I save them and reused them. They have a much bigger selection of types of menus such as "heart Healthy", "Frugal" . "Crock Cooker" -( one of my favorites cuz I can fix it early in the day when energy is higher), "Low-Carb" , "Body Clutter" which is the same dinner menu as the Low Carb but adds breakfast and lunch low-carb menus and shopping lists and weight loss tips, and "Regular ". They include nutritional info also. Obviously you can also make your own from your own recipes and since you've gone to all that work you might as well save them on your computer for reuse.
A book I've checked out at the library which has some great tips for cutting costs all around including groceries is America's cheapest family gets you right on the money : your guide to living better, spending less and cashing in on your dreams /by Steve and Annette Economides. Another is Once-a-month cooking by Mimi Wilson . I did this for about two years and loved it but couldn't do it now with the health issues. Leave a comment if you find this helpful and add any tips you've learned along the way. May the God of peace ( we could all use a little more peace) fill you with hope (ahh hope -oxygen for the soul) as you trust in Him through His Son Jesus.

Beauté

This video shows why our perception of beauty is distorted.

Am I getting old or what!!

I took my nephew to the doctor this afternoon. It looked like his strep throat was coming back AGAIN so we just took whatever doctor was available. She walked in and I thought-it's a child. My sister had met us at the doctor's and I texted her- now we are sitting in the same room but it's rude to whisper so I texted-"if she were any younger she would be an ovum". My poor twin sister started cracking up. Here she was trying to be "the Mom". Anyway, I thought am I getting old or what when doctors look like college students. I hope today for the blessing of humor to fill your life- what a gift from God it is. Next time i'm with my sister at a doctor's appt I bet she doesn't read any texts from me! Oh and yes, he did have strep again- poor darlin

under construction

Wow, it has been a long time since I posted! It seems like life just passes faster and faster. I really want to get this blog up and running and ,Lord willing ( I'm reading in the Book of James in the Bible ).I will. until then...hold on to Jesus and when you feel like you can't let Him hold on to you.

Family Cultural Passes

One amazing way to save money is using "Family Cultural Passes" from the Clackamas County Library http://www.lincc.lib.or.us/cp/cp-list.html It's free- all you need is a library card from Clackamas County. You reserve them in advance by calling your closest library . Currently ones are available

Portland Classical Chinese Garden

Crystal Springs Rhododendron Garden
Japanese Garden
Museum of the Oregon Territory
Stevens-Crawford House
Oregon Garden
Pittock Mansion
Portland Art Museum
Portland Children's Museum 2nd Generation
Oregon Sports Hall of Fame

You can save a TON of money using these. Check out the link to the passes above for more information. I know the Portland Art museum alone is $10 for an adult last time I was there!