I went back to Kroger's today and stockpiled on some more stuff! The sale this weekend was continued over from last weekend's mix and match and I couldn't resist!
One of the things I went for today was meat. I bought quite a bit of meat and will freeze it for future meals. They had their spiral hams on for such a great deal.....I bought a $30 ham for $10!! Pork Loins were on for $1.77 a pound - I got them for $4 and $5 dollars a piece!! Chickens were on sale for .88 cents........I bought two of them for $4 a piece.................
The sale that was going on was a mix and match sale.....you buy 10 items that were participating items and they would give you $5.00 off......so, I went through the sale paper - picked out the items that fell in the mix and match category and separated them by groups of 10...example
5 Kraft Mac Cups
3 Rotel Tomatoes
2 Philadelphia cream cheese
etc.
Some examples of what were on sale: they had "Can't believe it's not butter" for .99c - I had a $1.00 coupon........which means they were FREE. (I had 3 coupons - bought 3 butters).....
When I sit down with the sales paper - I pick out what I want to buy - then I comb through my coupons.......I mainly buy what I have coupons for - unless it's rock bottom prices - like the butter on sale for 99c....I would have bought that anyway because it was so cheap.
Another example - they had Dreyers Ice cream on sale for $2.77 - I had a $1.00 coupon........I got ice cream for .77c.....I had three coupons - I bought three of them - .77 cents a piece.
I bought Lays chips - my son loves them - on sale for 1.88....you can FREEZE chips.
I bought Tostitos - you can freeze them too
My total today was $389.00 - I walked out for $180.00............amazing!!!
Now, please note that I do not always spend over $300 in two weeks - EVER. but, the sale was that good and I have tons of meat products now and other stuff that I have stockpiled. My total would have been well over $800 these past two week and I would have never been able to do it - but with the coupons and the loadable coupons on my Kroger card (that you get from www.cellfire.com and www.shortcuts.com ) I was able to swing it...............
for those of you saying - "I'll never stockpile" - that's ok - you don't have to do like me. I've always been a planner and a saver - so, what you can do to maximize your savings is start clipping coupons - loading your coupons from the two websites above and just start using the coupons. I've also heard "I never buy anything that has a coupon - we don't eat that"....well, you have a choice - if you are interested in saving money - you can switch your eating habits.....instead of shopping around my meal plans - I make meal plans around what I have purchased. It's all a matter of what you want. I want to save money on food and spend it elsewhere (like vacations,etc)....so, I choose to purchase food that is on sale and change some of my habits......we are all different - so you make it work for your family - but I promise you - if you start watching the sales papers and start buying things on sale (using your Kroger card)....you are going to be amazed!
btw - I'm not bashing HEB - I love HEB and shopped there for years - unfortunately, they don't triple and double coupons and that is where you will find the most savings. I do, however, go there when I want really good produce and meat............so, I'm plugging them too :)
Stay tuned.......on the 27th - I have Melanie Perego coming to teach my group of friends some additional ways to save.............so excited and then on March 27th - I'm hoping to have someone from my parents church come and share her success story!!! It's so much fun............get a group together and start your own group. It's a great way to share ideas and save money together!
Until then - clip, clip, clip!
Karen
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Just call me coupon QUEEN!!!!!!
well - sort of! I finally decided to try my hand at this "coupon" shopping.........so I went to Kroger's this weekend for the Mix/Match sale and - I am ADDICTED!!!!!!
First, let me tell you that you will have to commit to spending at least an hour of your time getting everything together - but hey - for the money you are going to save - it is worth it! I did it at 9:00 at night after Jake and Mark were in the bed and there was silence!! LOL......
There are multiple ways of doing this - it really just depends on what works best for you. My friend, Veda Burton, and I are weirdo's and we HAVE to clip everything......some others, like my friend Becky, just files the whole coupon book that comes in the paper in a hanging file that she has created and then when she visits the sites that tell you what to buy that is one sale at rock bottom price, or is on sale for a great price, how many to buy and which paper the coupon is in (like Smart Source or RedPlum) - then she goes and clips it at that time..........did you catch that I mentioned there are websites that do all the work for you!!! Amazing!!! You basically just log on and it tells you what is on sale, how many to buy, what your savings will be, etc.......how cool is that!!!! So far, my favorites are www.couponmom.com and www.coupontom.com
What took me the most time on Monday night is that I took the sales paper, checked everything that I wanted to buy and then matched up what I had coupons for (because that is where you get the most savings). Example: Last weekend (and this week too I think) Kroger had Mustard on for $1.19 if you have a Kroger card. Well, I just so happen to have 3 coupons for 35 cents - which Kroger TRIPLES up to either 35 or 39 cents.......so, the mustard was 1.19 - $1.05 (my 35 cent coupon tripled) so I paid like 14 cents a piece for my mustard's (I bought 3 because I had 3 coupons). Get it? Kraft Shredded cheese was on sale for way low - I bought 6 because I had coupons for it and paid like $4.00 total for 6 cheeses - those things are expensive - like $3.00 so I bought six and stuck them in the freezer!!!!!
The other cool thing that I discovered is that there are sites that you can go to that will load directly onto your Kroger card (www.shortcuts.com and www.cellfire.com )....that way - when you are at Kroger and you purchase something that you have a loadable coupon for - it automatically subtracts your savings when you swipe your card!!!
You can also go to www.kroger.com and create your very own grocery list by the sales paper - ie - when you go to the site - it will pull up the sales paper and you just click on the item and put the amount of items needed..........I mean - it can't get any easier than this - right??? However, if you are purchasing other items that are not in the sales paper - you will have to create an additional list for those.....
The most time that you will spend is deciding what is a good sale and what you have coupons for.....this is only learned by sitting at the masters feet and learning!! LOL. We have a group of girls that get together once a month to listen to the pro's (or at least they are pro's to us) and get all kinds of information that we in turn - share with others. The first class I took was with a friend of mine at First Baptist - amazing - I was hooked. Then, Becky came and showed us how she does it and once again - I was like - SHUT UP! No WAY!!!!.......she brought all the groceries with her to our class - because like me, she is very visual and we have to "see" it to grasp it - and she had bought $480 something worth of groceries and by the time she left the store between her Kroger card and her coupons - she was at $182!!!!!! When she said that - I was all up in that meeting - paying full attention to details!! LOL
I'm still learning - will keep blogging about it..........but, for now - even if you aren't interested in doing the game - you should collect coupons and save every little bit that you can. Kroger is amazing - they have taken the place of all the other stores that I use to shop at because they double and triple coupons all the time - it's not just on the weekends - it's all the time. so, start pouring over those sales papers and as I learn - I will keep sending out the information.
Oh - and before i leave - my shopping trip last weekend - when I got to the check out counter - I told her to ring me up before scanning my Kroger card so I could track my savings......first total - $404.....she scanned my Kroger card - it went to $280 - she took my coupons and it went to $219!!!! I would have hit under $200 but I bought some meat to put in the freezer............so, it really does pay off!!!
For some it may sound cheesy - for some it may sound like too much work - but for those who need to save some money or you just want to have a little extra to play with - this is a great way to do it. I walked out of Kroger's with basically $180.00 that I saved just by using coupons.
Until next time.....clip, clip, clip!!!
Karen
First, let me tell you that you will have to commit to spending at least an hour of your time getting everything together - but hey - for the money you are going to save - it is worth it! I did it at 9:00 at night after Jake and Mark were in the bed and there was silence!! LOL......
There are multiple ways of doing this - it really just depends on what works best for you. My friend, Veda Burton, and I are weirdo's and we HAVE to clip everything......some others, like my friend Becky, just files the whole coupon book that comes in the paper in a hanging file that she has created and then when she visits the sites that tell you what to buy that is one sale at rock bottom price, or is on sale for a great price, how many to buy and which paper the coupon is in (like Smart Source or RedPlum) - then she goes and clips it at that time..........did you catch that I mentioned there are websites that do all the work for you!!! Amazing!!! You basically just log on and it tells you what is on sale, how many to buy, what your savings will be, etc.......how cool is that!!!! So far, my favorites are www.couponmom.com and www.coupontom.com
What took me the most time on Monday night is that I took the sales paper, checked everything that I wanted to buy and then matched up what I had coupons for (because that is where you get the most savings). Example: Last weekend (and this week too I think) Kroger had Mustard on for $1.19 if you have a Kroger card. Well, I just so happen to have 3 coupons for 35 cents - which Kroger TRIPLES up to either 35 or 39 cents.......so, the mustard was 1.19 - $1.05 (my 35 cent coupon tripled) so I paid like 14 cents a piece for my mustard's (I bought 3 because I had 3 coupons). Get it? Kraft Shredded cheese was on sale for way low - I bought 6 because I had coupons for it and paid like $4.00 total for 6 cheeses - those things are expensive - like $3.00 so I bought six and stuck them in the freezer!!!!!
The other cool thing that I discovered is that there are sites that you can go to that will load directly onto your Kroger card (www.shortcuts.com and www.cellfire.com )....that way - when you are at Kroger and you purchase something that you have a loadable coupon for - it automatically subtracts your savings when you swipe your card!!!
You can also go to www.kroger.com and create your very own grocery list by the sales paper - ie - when you go to the site - it will pull up the sales paper and you just click on the item and put the amount of items needed..........I mean - it can't get any easier than this - right??? However, if you are purchasing other items that are not in the sales paper - you will have to create an additional list for those.....
The most time that you will spend is deciding what is a good sale and what you have coupons for.....this is only learned by sitting at the masters feet and learning!! LOL. We have a group of girls that get together once a month to listen to the pro's (or at least they are pro's to us) and get all kinds of information that we in turn - share with others. The first class I took was with a friend of mine at First Baptist - amazing - I was hooked. Then, Becky came and showed us how she does it and once again - I was like - SHUT UP! No WAY!!!!.......she brought all the groceries with her to our class - because like me, she is very visual and we have to "see" it to grasp it - and she had bought $480 something worth of groceries and by the time she left the store between her Kroger card and her coupons - she was at $182!!!!!! When she said that - I was all up in that meeting - paying full attention to details!! LOL
I'm still learning - will keep blogging about it..........but, for now - even if you aren't interested in doing the game - you should collect coupons and save every little bit that you can. Kroger is amazing - they have taken the place of all the other stores that I use to shop at because they double and triple coupons all the time - it's not just on the weekends - it's all the time. so, start pouring over those sales papers and as I learn - I will keep sending out the information.
Oh - and before i leave - my shopping trip last weekend - when I got to the check out counter - I told her to ring me up before scanning my Kroger card so I could track my savings......first total - $404.....she scanned my Kroger card - it went to $280 - she took my coupons and it went to $219!!!! I would have hit under $200 but I bought some meat to put in the freezer............so, it really does pay off!!!
For some it may sound cheesy - for some it may sound like too much work - but for those who need to save some money or you just want to have a little extra to play with - this is a great way to do it. I walked out of Kroger's with basically $180.00 that I saved just by using coupons.
Until next time.....clip, clip, clip!!!
Karen
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Thought for the day...............
Philippians 2:5 Life Application
"Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus"......
Jesus Christ was humble, willing to give up his rights in order to obey God and serve people. Like Christ, we should have a servant's attitude, serving out of love for god and for others, not out of guilt or fear. Remember, you can choose your attitude. You can approach life expecting to be served, or you can look for opportunities to serve others.
Be blessed
"Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus"......
Jesus Christ was humble, willing to give up his rights in order to obey God and serve people. Like Christ, we should have a servant's attitude, serving out of love for god and for others, not out of guilt or fear. Remember, you can choose your attitude. You can approach life expecting to be served, or you can look for opportunities to serve others.
Be blessed
Friday, January 22, 2010
Devotional today
Wow - my devotional had me reading the whole chapter of 1 Corinthians 1 today........it spoke volumes to me - especially beginning at verse 10 all the way to the end! Instead of me sharing my thoughts and opinions - I thought I would just post the chapter and let it speak to you in it's own way........taking it from the Message Bible:
1 Corinthians 1
1-2 I, Paul, have been called and sent by Jesus, the Messiah, according to God's plan, along with my friend Sosthenes. I send this letter to you in God's church at Corinth, believers cleaned up by Jesus and set apart for a God-filled life. I include in my greeting all who call out to Jesus, wherever they live. He's their Master as well as ours!
3May all the gifts and benefits that come from God our Father, and the Master, Jesus Christ, be yours.
4-6 Every time I think of you—and I think of you often!—I thank God for your lives of free and open access to God, given by Jesus. There's no end to what has happened in you—it's beyond speech, beyond knowledge. The evidence of Christ has been clearly verified in your lives.
7-9 Just think—you don't need a thing, you've got it all! All God's gifts are right in front of you as you wait expectantly for our Master Jesus to arrive on the scene for the Finale. And not only that, but God himself is right alongside to keep you steady and on track until things are all wrapped up by Jesus. God, who got you started in this spiritual adventure, shares with us the life of his Son and our Master Jesus. He will never give up on you. Never forget that.
The Cross: The Irony of God's Wisdom
10 I have a serious concern to bring up with you, my friends, using the authority of Jesus, our Master. I'll put it as urgently as I can: You must get along with each other. You must learn to be considerate of one another, cultivating a life in common.
11-12 I bring this up because some from Chloe's family brought a most disturbing report to my attention—that you're fighting among yourselves! I'll tell you exactly what I was told: You're all picking sides, going around saying, "I'm on Paul's side," or "I'm for Apollos," or "Peter is my man," or "I'm in the Messiah group."
13-16 I ask you, "Has the Messiah been chopped up in little pieces so we can each have a relic all our own? Was Paul crucified for you? Was a single one of you baptized in Paul's name?" I was not involved with any of your baptisms—except for Crispus and Gaius—and on getting this report, I'm sure glad I wasn't. At least no one can go around saying he was baptized in my name. (Come to think of it, I also baptized Stephanas's family, but as far as I can recall, that's it.)
17 God didn't send me out to collect a following for myself, but to preach the Message of what he has done, collecting a following for him. And he didn't send me to do it with a lot of fancy rhetoric of my own, lest the powerful action at the center—Christ on the Cross—be trivialized into mere words.
18-21 The Message that points to Christ on the Cross seems like sheer silliness to those hellbent on destruction, but for those on the way of salvation it makes perfect sense. This is the way God works, and most powerfully as it turns out. It's written,
I'll turn conventional wisdom on its head,
I'll expose so-called experts as crackpots.
So where can you find someone truly wise, truly educated, truly intelligent in this day and age? Hasn't God exposed it all as pretentious nonsense? Since the world in all its fancy wisdom never had a clue when it came to knowing God, God in his wisdom took delight in using what the world considered dumb—preaching, of all things!—to bring those who trust him into the way of salvation.
22-25 While Jews clamor for miraculous demonstrations and Greeks go in for philosophical wisdom, we go right on proclaiming Christ, the Crucified. Jews treat this like an anti-miracle—and Greeks pass it off as absurd. But to us who are personally called by God himself—both Jews and Greeks—Christ is God's ultimate miracle and wisdom all wrapped up in one. Human wisdom is so tinny, so impotent, next to the seeming absurdity of God. Human strength can't begin to compete with God's "weakness."
26-31 Take a good look, friends, at who you were when you got called into this life. I don't see many of "the brightest and the best" among you, not many influential, not many from high-society families. Isn't it obvious that God deliberately chose men and women that the culture overlooks and exploits and abuses, chose these "nobodies" to expose the hollow pretensions of the "somebodies"? That makes it quite clear that none of you can get by with blowing your own horn before God. Everything that we have—right thinking and right living, a clean slate and a fresh start—comes from God by way of Jesus Christ. That's why we have the saying, "If you're going to blow a horn, blow a trumpet for God."
Be blessed
Karen
1 Corinthians 1
1-2 I, Paul, have been called and sent by Jesus, the Messiah, according to God's plan, along with my friend Sosthenes. I send this letter to you in God's church at Corinth, believers cleaned up by Jesus and set apart for a God-filled life. I include in my greeting all who call out to Jesus, wherever they live. He's their Master as well as ours!
3May all the gifts and benefits that come from God our Father, and the Master, Jesus Christ, be yours.
4-6 Every time I think of you—and I think of you often!—I thank God for your lives of free and open access to God, given by Jesus. There's no end to what has happened in you—it's beyond speech, beyond knowledge. The evidence of Christ has been clearly verified in your lives.
7-9 Just think—you don't need a thing, you've got it all! All God's gifts are right in front of you as you wait expectantly for our Master Jesus to arrive on the scene for the Finale. And not only that, but God himself is right alongside to keep you steady and on track until things are all wrapped up by Jesus. God, who got you started in this spiritual adventure, shares with us the life of his Son and our Master Jesus. He will never give up on you. Never forget that.
The Cross: The Irony of God's Wisdom
10 I have a serious concern to bring up with you, my friends, using the authority of Jesus, our Master. I'll put it as urgently as I can: You must get along with each other. You must learn to be considerate of one another, cultivating a life in common.
11-12 I bring this up because some from Chloe's family brought a most disturbing report to my attention—that you're fighting among yourselves! I'll tell you exactly what I was told: You're all picking sides, going around saying, "I'm on Paul's side," or "I'm for Apollos," or "Peter is my man," or "I'm in the Messiah group."
13-16 I ask you, "Has the Messiah been chopped up in little pieces so we can each have a relic all our own? Was Paul crucified for you? Was a single one of you baptized in Paul's name?" I was not involved with any of your baptisms—except for Crispus and Gaius—and on getting this report, I'm sure glad I wasn't. At least no one can go around saying he was baptized in my name. (Come to think of it, I also baptized Stephanas's family, but as far as I can recall, that's it.)
17 God didn't send me out to collect a following for myself, but to preach the Message of what he has done, collecting a following for him. And he didn't send me to do it with a lot of fancy rhetoric of my own, lest the powerful action at the center—Christ on the Cross—be trivialized into mere words.
18-21 The Message that points to Christ on the Cross seems like sheer silliness to those hellbent on destruction, but for those on the way of salvation it makes perfect sense. This is the way God works, and most powerfully as it turns out. It's written,
I'll turn conventional wisdom on its head,
I'll expose so-called experts as crackpots.
So where can you find someone truly wise, truly educated, truly intelligent in this day and age? Hasn't God exposed it all as pretentious nonsense? Since the world in all its fancy wisdom never had a clue when it came to knowing God, God in his wisdom took delight in using what the world considered dumb—preaching, of all things!—to bring those who trust him into the way of salvation.
22-25 While Jews clamor for miraculous demonstrations and Greeks go in for philosophical wisdom, we go right on proclaiming Christ, the Crucified. Jews treat this like an anti-miracle—and Greeks pass it off as absurd. But to us who are personally called by God himself—both Jews and Greeks—Christ is God's ultimate miracle and wisdom all wrapped up in one. Human wisdom is so tinny, so impotent, next to the seeming absurdity of God. Human strength can't begin to compete with God's "weakness."
26-31 Take a good look, friends, at who you were when you got called into this life. I don't see many of "the brightest and the best" among you, not many influential, not many from high-society families. Isn't it obvious that God deliberately chose men and women that the culture overlooks and exploits and abuses, chose these "nobodies" to expose the hollow pretensions of the "somebodies"? That makes it quite clear that none of you can get by with blowing your own horn before God. Everything that we have—right thinking and right living, a clean slate and a fresh start—comes from God by way of Jesus Christ. That's why we have the saying, "If you're going to blow a horn, blow a trumpet for God."
Be blessed
Karen
Thursday, January 14, 2010
ok - well that didn't last long!
Basketball season for Jake is over!! I know, the shortest season ever - right.
Well, the league that we signed up with (who will remain nameless - even though I would like to slander them!!!) lost their minds - literally. The League has been around for a long time - very well organized and put together...........or so we thought. From what I found out - since we pulled ourselves out of this league - is that the Kindergarten part of the league is NEW!!!!! Ok - explains a TON!
Let me explain.....when we signed up - the practices were suppose to be at 5:00 PM on Fridays' with games on Saturday at 1:00 and 2:00.....both of these events were to happen at a place called The Gym - which is located close to where we live.......which would be the reason we signed up with them...........
They kept canceling practices - I couldn't figure out what they were doing - I mean - you would think that if you are going to have a game - you might need to practice - especially since you are 6 years old and want to grab your face and run every time the ball is coming towards you - you might want to practice!!! Then, the game times kept being moved around. The problem with all of these changes is that they would send you an email about 2 hours before the change in schedule......I can't work this way - all of you who know me well - you know that I am a very organized person and don't do well if it's not planned down to a tee!! LOL - I don't do well doing impromptu stuff.....I'm getting better - but I'd rather everything be planned out for me.
Then, they decided to change the practice from Friday to Tuesday - from 7:00 - 8:00 PM - uh hello - these are kindergarten kids who go to bed at 7:30.......and, they wanted to send us to a Kindergarten middle school about 30 minutes away and the practices were going to be held in the cafeteria.....Ok - this is not good.....I'm already thinking - I'm done....this is crazy!!!!!
The last straw - they games are now being held on Saturday and SUNDAY......that was it - I was finished. I'm old school and was raised to respect Sunday. We go to church as a family and we are not missing church so my 6 year old little kindergartner can play basketball.............
Mark and I both agreed that the league we signed up for was not what we were getting and my business man husband drafted a brief, but very STERN letter to them and we terminated our participation and requested a refund.
come to find out - since this part of the league was new - they didn't think that we would mind being shifted around with a moments notice.........they have quickly found out - after losing several kids.......that is not so much the case.
so, another saga down and out in our life.....LOL....jake was like - ok - whatever. Next.
No future of a NBA star coming from this house............Mozart?
Love to all
karen
Well, the league that we signed up with (who will remain nameless - even though I would like to slander them!!!) lost their minds - literally. The League has been around for a long time - very well organized and put together...........or so we thought. From what I found out - since we pulled ourselves out of this league - is that the Kindergarten part of the league is NEW!!!!! Ok - explains a TON!
Let me explain.....when we signed up - the practices were suppose to be at 5:00 PM on Fridays' with games on Saturday at 1:00 and 2:00.....both of these events were to happen at a place called The Gym - which is located close to where we live.......which would be the reason we signed up with them...........
They kept canceling practices - I couldn't figure out what they were doing - I mean - you would think that if you are going to have a game - you might need to practice - especially since you are 6 years old and want to grab your face and run every time the ball is coming towards you - you might want to practice!!! Then, the game times kept being moved around. The problem with all of these changes is that they would send you an email about 2 hours before the change in schedule......I can't work this way - all of you who know me well - you know that I am a very organized person and don't do well if it's not planned down to a tee!! LOL - I don't do well doing impromptu stuff.....I'm getting better - but I'd rather everything be planned out for me.
Then, they decided to change the practice from Friday to Tuesday - from 7:00 - 8:00 PM - uh hello - these are kindergarten kids who go to bed at 7:30.......and, they wanted to send us to a Kindergarten middle school about 30 minutes away and the practices were going to be held in the cafeteria.....Ok - this is not good.....I'm already thinking - I'm done....this is crazy!!!!!
The last straw - they games are now being held on Saturday and SUNDAY......that was it - I was finished. I'm old school and was raised to respect Sunday. We go to church as a family and we are not missing church so my 6 year old little kindergartner can play basketball.............
Mark and I both agreed that the league we signed up for was not what we were getting and my business man husband drafted a brief, but very STERN letter to them and we terminated our participation and requested a refund.
come to find out - since this part of the league was new - they didn't think that we would mind being shifted around with a moments notice.........they have quickly found out - after losing several kids.......that is not so much the case.
so, another saga down and out in our life.....LOL....jake was like - ok - whatever. Next.
No future of a NBA star coming from this house............Mozart?
Love to all
karen
Monday, January 11, 2010
Ok - parents at Kinder basketball - chill out!!!!
This past Saturday was Jake's first basketball game........mind you - it's for Kindergarten and 1st graders......they don't know much about the game - it's basically for fun........OR SO I THOUGHT!!!!
Good night nurse - I couldn't believe how many parents already push their kids for excellence. I mean - I know that it's important to push your kids for excellence - but at 6/7 years old - they barely know what it means to "guard the other player", steal the ball, don't let them in front of you, knock em down, they are going to beat you if you don't pay attention"....just a few of the nice words that I heard this past weekend. I was shaking my head cracking up!!!!! What happen to let's have fun - everybody is a winner at this age....I mean - I know that isn't good when they are bigger - they have to learn the difference in winners and losers - but they are freaking KINDERGARDNERS!!!!!!!!!
Picture this: Jake in his cute jersey and black shorts....looking all like a basket ball player and NOT HAVING A CLUE WHAT HE IS DOING.....but, having a great time running back and forth from one end of the court to the other........"guard your man Jake" the coach would say.....and off Jake would run to his "man"....once he got there - he would just kind of run around the other player.....we were cracking up!!! He had a blast - that is all I care about. I do know that next year - he will be with upward - a christian based sports group......much better place for him. This competitive stuff right now is not for Jake (or better yet - not for MOM!).
I do, however, like the coach that he has. This man is not about the score board (yes, they keep score - electric score board and believe me - the parents are watching it and keeping score themselves!). When the game was over - the kids were asking what the score was and he told them it didn't matter - that they all played very well. He also rotates his players - even the good kids - the ones that actually have big brothers and have been playing basketball for their 6 years of life - have to sit out and rotate (which I think they rotate every 4 minutes).
Pray for me - he has 4 more games and I need prayer so I don't knock the crap out of some of these parents!!! LOL.....actually - one parent almost got kicked out of the room - he was bickering at the referee and the referee told him not to talk to him and he wouldn't stop -so the referee told him if he said one more word - he would be asked to leave!!! HELLO DAD - this is for KINDERGARTNERS!!!!!!!
help me Jesus!! LOL
Hope everyone has a blessed day.
k
Good night nurse - I couldn't believe how many parents already push their kids for excellence. I mean - I know that it's important to push your kids for excellence - but at 6/7 years old - they barely know what it means to "guard the other player", steal the ball, don't let them in front of you, knock em down, they are going to beat you if you don't pay attention"....just a few of the nice words that I heard this past weekend. I was shaking my head cracking up!!!!! What happen to let's have fun - everybody is a winner at this age....I mean - I know that isn't good when they are bigger - they have to learn the difference in winners and losers - but they are freaking KINDERGARDNERS!!!!!!!!!
Picture this: Jake in his cute jersey and black shorts....looking all like a basket ball player and NOT HAVING A CLUE WHAT HE IS DOING.....but, having a great time running back and forth from one end of the court to the other........"guard your man Jake" the coach would say.....and off Jake would run to his "man"....once he got there - he would just kind of run around the other player.....we were cracking up!!! He had a blast - that is all I care about. I do know that next year - he will be with upward - a christian based sports group......much better place for him. This competitive stuff right now is not for Jake (or better yet - not for MOM!).
I do, however, like the coach that he has. This man is not about the score board (yes, they keep score - electric score board and believe me - the parents are watching it and keeping score themselves!). When the game was over - the kids were asking what the score was and he told them it didn't matter - that they all played very well. He also rotates his players - even the good kids - the ones that actually have big brothers and have been playing basketball for their 6 years of life - have to sit out and rotate (which I think they rotate every 4 minutes).
Pray for me - he has 4 more games and I need prayer so I don't knock the crap out of some of these parents!!! LOL.....actually - one parent almost got kicked out of the room - he was bickering at the referee and the referee told him not to talk to him and he wouldn't stop -so the referee told him if he said one more word - he would be asked to leave!!! HELLO DAD - this is for KINDERGARTNERS!!!!!!!
help me Jesus!! LOL
Hope everyone has a blessed day.
k
Thursday, January 7, 2010
My devotional time
I'm really trying to read my devotionals every day - not promising every morning - but at least at some point during the day. My great expectation is to get up every morning and pray and read the word - but I have to admit that my flesh kicks in most mornings because it feels so warm in my bed!!! LOL.......I do make the time during the day to spend time reading.......it really does make a difference and help me get through some things that I may be going through.
I have several different devotionals that I read, along with my bible. One of them today was a book by Kenneth and Gloria Copeland....love them. The one today is about the root of hopelessness.......several things struck me - so I thought I would share...
scripture for today is Mark 9:23 "all things are possible for the one who believes (NCV)."
from the book:"Have you ever felt hopeless - ready to give up? Maybe you've already given up....felt that there were no answers and that you were simply trapped right where you sit. Well according to the Word of God, you don't have to stay there.
According to the Word, hopelessness isn't caused by lack of money. It isn't caused by lack of education. It isn't caused by negative circumstance. Hopelessness comes from being without God in the world. It comes from being a stranger to His covenant. (Ephesians 2:12)
Anybody, anywhere can have hope if they know Jesus and the covenant promises of God. Your background, race or financial status doesn't matter. You can live in the worst slum in the world and still have hope in God because He isn't limited by man's resources. He isn't limited by man's prejudices. God is an equal opportunity employer! :)
The Apostle Paul said in Philippians 1:20, "according to my earnest expectation and my hope, that in nothing shall I be ashamed". If you'll look up the two Greek words translated "earnest expectation and hope" you'll find that both mean the same thing. So hope is earnest expectation.
"But how can you so intensely expect to prosper when the unemployment rate is up and the economy is down? you may ask.
Because, what I'm earnestly expecting isn't dependent on the world's economy. It's based on what God has promised in his covenant. Because He said it, I earnestly expect it! I have a covenant with Almighty God and I can be filled with hope. Take authority over the devil and cast hopelessness away from you! Stand on God's word....his personal promise to you , and let hope rise up within you! With God - ALL things are possible to him that believes!!
Wow - this really spoke to me this morning - I love it when that happens!!! I am going to earnestly expect all things! We have to learn to speak the word over ourselves and believe it as we speak it. It's one thing to speak it from head knowledge - but wow - the difference when we speak from the heart..........and believe it too!!
Speak it over yourself.........I am a believer. All things are possible to me!
Be blessed!
Karen
I have several different devotionals that I read, along with my bible. One of them today was a book by Kenneth and Gloria Copeland....love them. The one today is about the root of hopelessness.......several things struck me - so I thought I would share...
scripture for today is Mark 9:23 "all things are possible for the one who believes (NCV)."
from the book:"Have you ever felt hopeless - ready to give up? Maybe you've already given up....felt that there were no answers and that you were simply trapped right where you sit. Well according to the Word of God, you don't have to stay there.
According to the Word, hopelessness isn't caused by lack of money. It isn't caused by lack of education. It isn't caused by negative circumstance. Hopelessness comes from being without God in the world. It comes from being a stranger to His covenant. (Ephesians 2:12)
Anybody, anywhere can have hope if they know Jesus and the covenant promises of God. Your background, race or financial status doesn't matter. You can live in the worst slum in the world and still have hope in God because He isn't limited by man's resources. He isn't limited by man's prejudices. God is an equal opportunity employer! :)
The Apostle Paul said in Philippians 1:20, "according to my earnest expectation and my hope, that in nothing shall I be ashamed". If you'll look up the two Greek words translated "earnest expectation and hope" you'll find that both mean the same thing. So hope is earnest expectation.
"But how can you so intensely expect to prosper when the unemployment rate is up and the economy is down? you may ask.
Because, what I'm earnestly expecting isn't dependent on the world's economy. It's based on what God has promised in his covenant. Because He said it, I earnestly expect it! I have a covenant with Almighty God and I can be filled with hope. Take authority over the devil and cast hopelessness away from you! Stand on God's word....his personal promise to you , and let hope rise up within you! With God - ALL things are possible to him that believes!!
Wow - this really spoke to me this morning - I love it when that happens!!! I am going to earnestly expect all things! We have to learn to speak the word over ourselves and believe it as we speak it. It's one thing to speak it from head knowledge - but wow - the difference when we speak from the heart..........and believe it too!!
Speak it over yourself.........I am a believer. All things are possible to me!
Be blessed!
Karen
Monday, January 4, 2010
New Year's resolutions............
Not real big on New Year's resolutions because I never seem to keep them!!! LOL. For years - I made them and then, like so many of you, they would be over with before the end of the month............so, I try to do now what I call Life Changers......what can I do this year to change my life - to change my way of living, thinking, being..............
Sometimes it's some of the old resolutions - like, diet, read my bible more, pray more.........I really try to make these stick - although - I sometimes fall by the wayside and have to pick my self up again after a couple of weeks of being lazy. How is it that we can find the time to do the things we love - but not the things we should? That should tell us right there that our priorities are sometimes not exactly as they should be.
I'm looking forward to a great year - some big things are changing for us this year and we are anxiously excited (can that be?). One of the big things we are doing is changing churches. We've gone to one place for a very long time - but now that Jake is starting to get to the age of needing a good foundation and a good solid teaching experience - we need to look at somewhere that has more of a kids program for Jake. This was a very hard and difficult decision because I have been so very involved in the place we have been going for the past 10 years. This was definitely not an overnight decision - but something that we have been praying about for about a year now. God is requiring me to step out of my box and put the needs of my family first and foremost......so, with that said - we are checking out other churches over in our area and have pretty much narrowed it down to where we will be going.
Change is sometimes scary - but this move is the right thing to do. Season's come and go - and my season there is over. One of the Pastor's confirmed some stuff to me that she received while she was praying - so I know we are on the right track.......gotta love it when things are confirmed to you!!!!!
I hope that whatever you have planned for this year brings you much joy and happiness. God is good to each one of us that have breath in our bodies - we have so much to be thankful for.
Count it all joy!!!
Love to all
karen
Sometimes it's some of the old resolutions - like, diet, read my bible more, pray more.........I really try to make these stick - although - I sometimes fall by the wayside and have to pick my self up again after a couple of weeks of being lazy. How is it that we can find the time to do the things we love - but not the things we should? That should tell us right there that our priorities are sometimes not exactly as they should be.
I'm looking forward to a great year - some big things are changing for us this year and we are anxiously excited (can that be?). One of the big things we are doing is changing churches. We've gone to one place for a very long time - but now that Jake is starting to get to the age of needing a good foundation and a good solid teaching experience - we need to look at somewhere that has more of a kids program for Jake. This was a very hard and difficult decision because I have been so very involved in the place we have been going for the past 10 years. This was definitely not an overnight decision - but something that we have been praying about for about a year now. God is requiring me to step out of my box and put the needs of my family first and foremost......so, with that said - we are checking out other churches over in our area and have pretty much narrowed it down to where we will be going.
Change is sometimes scary - but this move is the right thing to do. Season's come and go - and my season there is over. One of the Pastor's confirmed some stuff to me that she received while she was praying - so I know we are on the right track.......gotta love it when things are confirmed to you!!!!!
I hope that whatever you have planned for this year brings you much joy and happiness. God is good to each one of us that have breath in our bodies - we have so much to be thankful for.
Count it all joy!!!
Love to all
karen
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