That Time When a Lady Showed Up in My Driveway with an Unexpected Gift

Last week I wrote a post titled "Dear Mama Relying on Credit Cards".   I was a little worried about how it would be received.  I had the convicting power of the Holy Spirit all over me that morning and I knew I had to write that post.  Still, I was concerned about opening up so much of my personal story to the world.  I prayed and hit publish.  And tried to forget about it.  Well, God had other plans.

Later that morning, I was cleaning up breakfast while the two little girls went into the garage to play.  It has been great weather lately so the door to the garage was open and I was actually having a conversation with Camryn while she chalked her spelling words.  Next thing I know she says, "Mom, there's a lady in the driveway that wants to talk to you".  I went into the garage to see who it may be: was it someone picking up their coupons, or someone from the neighborhood on their morning walk? 

Turns out it was a lady that I know from years back.  We are friends but don't have many occasions to interact.  We keep up with each other and share deals and frugal stories.  But there was no reason, really, for her to be in my driveway. 

She got out of her vehicle and we greeted.  She and I both felt a bit awkward; both unsure of what the other was thinking.  Her words were "I'm here to give you something.  God told me to bring this to you last week but I ignored Him.  I didn't want you to think I was weird or anything so I just didn't do it."

 Now at this point she had nothing in her hands so I was still clueless, although I was beginning to tear up because obviously this was a "God moment". 

She went on to say that she had read my blog post that morning and having been through lean times as a stay at home mom herself she was very moved by my honesty about credit cards and debt and allowing God to be in control.

She said that after she had read my post the Holy Spirit said, "So are you going to go do what I told you to do last week?'  She then said "yes to God" and was there in my driveway because of His prompting.

She walked to the passenger side of her car and reached in.  Before she revealed the contents of the very blessing that she had brought she added, "I'm not sure why He wanted me to bring you this exactly.  But I trust that He knew why."  And she presented me with a large bag full of frozen meat beautifully wrapped in white butcher paper.  Yes, meat! 

The floodgates to my soul overflowed like Niagara Falls.  I wept with joy.  I hugged her neck and said, "I know why."  I explained that I was preparing the only package of meat I had in the house for dinner.  It was a package of cubed steak that would feed about 5 of us so I had been happy that three of my kids would be eating on the road with the weightlifting team.  That was the last package of meat I had for the next few days.  Earlier in the week I realized that my meat supply was about three days short of making it until payday.  I prayed for the wisdom to use what I had in the best way possible and for the ability to make some very filling meatless meals.  I had a plan to make it through, oh but God?

He had a plan for me too.  He had a plan that would not only make it through a few days but many days.  His plan blessed the giver and the recipient at the same time.  His plan allowed my family to see His very words  as truths~

"But My God shall supply your every need", "I will never leave you nor forsake you", "The Lord is My Sheppard, I shall not want".   

But this story doesn't end there.  I am writing this to let her know that this blessing was even bigger!  You see I wrote that post about the credit cards because of the text message I had received from another friend that morning.  She had written to me to let me know that she had shared my blog with a family that she had went to visit after they had attended our Fall Festival.    That one text message was like a whisper from God saying, "You are doing exactly what you are supposed to be doing."  Then when the other lady showed up with a bag of meat it was like God had shouted, "Keep doing what you are doing. I've got this under control."  

All day long I could not wait to get to church. I prayed I would find my text message friend so I could share what had happened since 6 am that morning when she sent me those encouraging words.  We sat together during the service and afterwards I shared the story with not just her but two others from my Sunday School class.  My text message friend then shared that this was the first time she had been on a visitation in many years.  She had woken up the morning of visitation and God laid on her heart to go.  She was off from work the entire day and as she said, "had no excuse for not going".  She obeyed  and went.  The family was home.  The family was receptive and she was able to share my blog with them in their times of needing to get out of debt.  

Do you see all the miracles?  Can you connect the dots?  

1.  A family visits my church during the Fall Festival.

2.  A couple weeks later we hold visitation to go see the families who filled out information allowing us to visit.

3.  My friend had the day off from work, prodding by the Holy Spirit to go, and no excuses so she did.

4.  The family was home and shared some needs.

5.  My friend shared my blog as she thought it may help and encourage the mom.

6.  My friend texts me the encouraging words that what I'm doing is making a difference.

7.  I do my bible devotion and felt conviction over my lust for credit cards and a prompting to write about it.

8.  Dear friend reads my post and responds to God's request that she bless me with a bag full of meat.

9.  I share the experience with some friends after church to only realize that God had set this entire thing into motion weeks before I even had a need for meat for my family.  He crafted, through the Holy Spirit, a plan to reveal Himself in a loving, fatherly way to not only me but the family that was visited, my friend who was faithful to attend the visitation, and my friend who supplied the meat.   10.  And now I am being faithful to share His goodness and His graciousness on this post.

My God is real y'all.  He is still making miracles happen.  He is still providing ways for us to see Him even in 2014 in this messed up world.  He is still God.  It is my prayer that I will always be reminded that saying yes to God leads to many blessings and when I say yes to even the smallest prodding to  know that I am just a little part in His big plan to draw people to Him that they might be redeemed.  Then they can share their stories too. 

Menu Plan for the Week of November 17th

We are expecting our first freeze this week and a couple of days of cold weather.  That kind of weather screams "warm, comfort food" to me.  Here's my menu plan for my family of 9.

from Food.com

Country Farm Chicken Casserole
I found this recipe while searching for ideas for using up shredded chicken breasts.  I bought 3 trays of chicken breasts at Sam's club for $1.87 per pound.  This beats the Walmart price of $1.99 per pound and is much cheaper than WD or Publix even when they have theirs on BOGO.

I stewed one whole tray in a big stockpot with some celery, garlic, onion, and carrots to make a great broth.  I plan to use half of the tray for this one dish casserole.  I will probably serve it with some crescent rolls.

Paula Deen's Cheesy Baked Macaroni
This is always my go to recipe for baked macaroni.  This is a meatless meal but very filling.  I usually serve it with green beans and roasted carrots.

From Make it Do

Ham, Beans and Cornbread
This blogger does pretty much what I do to make this tasty, southern dish.  However, I add salt at the end of cooking since ham itself usually has a high amount of saltiness itself.  I don't have a ham bone to use but instead will use a package of diced ham.

On Wednesday I plan to clean out the refrigerator, since we will be gone for the weekend and either make a pot of soup or a casserole.  

Four Frugal Things We Did This Week to Save Money

I am trying to cut back on everything we use regularly.  Cutting back means I have to get creative on my already low budget.  Here's a few things we did this week:

1.  We are using less tea bags

Sweet tea is a staple at our house.  My kids' friends come over and have a tall glass and always rave about how good it is.  All of my girls know how to make tea so that is our go to choice, other than water.  Winn-Dixie puts the Luzianne 24 count family size tea bags on BOGO special regularly and I only buy it when it is on sale.

But, when we go through a gallon (sometimes two) per day those 24 count boxes only last us one week.  With 52 weeks in a year times around $2.00 per box on sale, that's a cost of around $10 per month in tea bags. 

In order to cut back on that price I am now reusing two teabags per gallon. Here's how that works.  Initially I added 4 tea bags as usual.  Instead of tossing those 4 bags I put two each into a ziptop baggie and placed them in a drawer of the refrigerator.  Then next go around, I pulled out two of them, added two fresh tea bags and made tea.  No noticeable difference at all.  I then threw out the original two bags.  By doing this method I have reduced my tea bag useage to basically half.  Instead of 4 tea bags per day, we are using two.  That a savings of $60 per year.  That may not seem like much money but for no noticeable difference in taste and no more effort at all it is worth it to me. 

2.  We still  haven't turned on the heat.

Here in Florida we are said to have "thin blood".  Highs in the upper 50's mean we are freezing, people!!  There have been a few of those days so far and we are expecting out first freeze later this week. 

How are we staying warm? 
We are using our fireplace with free to us firewood that we salvaged from cut down trees in our neighborhood this summer.  We are wearing thick socks, long sleeves, and drinking our tea warm instead of cold.  Blankets are at the ready in every room in the house, great for snuggling up to watch TV or read a book. 

When the temps drop to freezing later this week we will add more blankets to our beds, roll up some towels to go in the window sills, and close off our bedrooms while we stay warm in the living room by the fireplace.  This is my little plan for "cozy togetherness" with my five teenagers who would probably rather freeze than spend hours at a time with mom and dad. 

3.  We stocked up on canned veggies

Dollar General ran a 3 day special on Libby's canned vegetables for 3 for $1.00.  Our DG was out after only being open for about 30 minutes so I price matched at Walmart.   I bought a total of 180 cans. 

4.  We (I) Decorated for Christmas with items I already had and our artificial tree

I usually decorate the house the weekend before Thanksgiving but this year that is not possible due to family plans.  I took advantage of the Veterans Day holiday when my kids were home from school to decorate the tree and drag the boxes out of the attic.  Lots of helping hand that day made for a great time.  It wasn't our usual tradition but it worked fine. 

We have a 7.5 foot artificial tree that I bought two years ago on clearance.  Although I love the smell and look of a real tree, paying upwards of $50 each year is not possible at this time.  Every year I ask the garden manager at Walmart if I can have some of the cuttings from their trees.  They are happy to oblige every year and I walk out with a whole garbage bag full of those wonderful cuttings.  I will use those on the mantel, on the bookcases and anywhere else that I can add a bit of green. 

How did you save money this week?

Dear Mama Relying on Credit Cards

Dear Mama Relying on Credit Cards,

I know you and I love you and you are on my heart.  You're the one who hides the card in the back of your wallet so no one sees it but you know it's there.  Maybe you've cut them up but you still have the numbers memorized so you can shop online.  Perhaps you think there is no possible way to make it until payday without a few harmless swipes until the money hits the account.  And then like last month, you see all the little swipes adding up and you know you can't pay it off.

But even scarier than the balance, what if your kids knew the truth?  What if they knew that their new clothes came at a price far greater than the sale plus coupon total?  What it they knew that half of the stuff on their Christmas list would need to be scratched off if mama didn't use credit to put it under the tree?

Oh, but what if your husband knew that instead of that one joint emergency card, you actually have several and all of them have balances?  What if he got to the mailbox first or happened to glance your way when reading the online statements?  What if he knew your deepest secret about how you are buying all the "stuff" you have?

Even worse, what if you had to have a conversation with your friends about why you can't join them for a night out and the fear that they would know that you are living beyond your income?  What if one day the credit card is denied and you had no other way to pay for the food you just ate?  What if the total is just $5 more than the available credit you have?

I will tell you what~ you will survive!  I know because I have been right there in all of those situations.  It has been 9 years that I finally broke free of the debt curse but just like an alcoholic who can't have even one sip without failing, I'm that girl when it comes to credit cards.

And right now, I'm sweating bullets knowing that since I quit my job to follow "this crazy, I don't even know what you want me to do God" plan I am craving credit so I can have new things.  My kids "need" a big Christmas.  After all, they're not the ones who told me to become a stay at home mom.  My kids "need" new jeans, even though they each already have several pair that fit them just fine.  I "need" a few new Christmas decorations because there's a few bare spots around the house and my wreath just doesn't appeal to me this year.  Heck, we need more groceries!  My kids see a pile of food but it's not the just pop it into the microwave variety so they aren't really happy with what they do see to choose from right now.

Here's the worse part.  Last week, feeling overwhelmed with my inadequacies, I applied for and was approved for a new credit card.  Now, as I said before, I have not had, used, or wanted a credit card in nine years.  It came, I activated it and filled up my car in gas.  Bonus:  I get a free $20 gift card after my first purchase so I had to use it for something, right?

I came right home, no other purchases, feeling rather happy. Like I said, I'm a credit junkie and that swipe sent me on a high, until later when I knew I was in trouble.  Later didn't come until three days later when I sat down at the computer to order a few "free" items using my LL Bean $10 off coupons.  I found myself thinking, "well this wouldn't be free but it would be just $6 after coupon and I can use my credit card for the rest".  I was about to order when I could not find the new shiny wonderfully smooth credit card in my wallet.  Hmmm, I was at the gas station, maybe I just put it in my pocket.  I checked all the laundry; nope not there.  Panic set in. It had been 3 days since I first used the card, it could've fallen into the "wrong hands" (oh, the irony!!)  I needed the card to buy some groceries to get us through the next week, forget the cute $6 gloves at LL Bean.  I tore the house and car apart and that card was just GONE!  I picked up my phone, called the company, and told them the card was lost.  No charges had been made except my gas purchase so I figured it wasn't stolen.  God told me to cancel it right then for the Bible says, "The debtor is slave to the lender."  I didn't.  I could not obey the One who has given me Life more abundantly.  I ignored the One who has promised to provide for my needs.  I turned away from the One who paid the for all my sin debts and set me free to live eternally.  I said no to Him in exchange for my drug of choice.  And I know many of you have done or are planning on doing the same. 

But today, in His gentle, loving ways he sent a message through His people and through His word again.  This morning I awoke to the sweetest message from a dear friend from my Sunday School Class.  Here's what it said,

"I visited a family last night from the fall festival. They were very receptive to our visit. When asked for a prayer need she said being in debt. She realizes that the Lord has blessed them but they are living above their means. I shared with her your blog and she pulled it up right then. I'm so thankful for your ministry through this site. You never know who it will reach but God is definitely using you in a special way..."

I don't know which family my friend visited. And I don't need to.  God knows.  He knows and will meet that mom's need as He has met mine this morning.  Thank you to my dear sister in Christ who heeded the Holy Spirit to share those encouraging words thru a text with me this morning. 

But as if that wasn't enough of a "Hey, I'm still God and I'm still in control" moment there was another one.  I purposefully set my phone alarm to wake me up an hour before I usually do.  One extra hour so I could do my Bible devotion and spend some time blogging.  I know that is what God has called me to do for now.  I logged onto If:Equip and found this passage for today's discussion:

"Now there was a famine in the land, besides the former famine that was in the days of Abraham. And Isaac went to Gerar to Abimelech king of the Philistines. And the Lord appeared to him and said, “Do not go down to Egypt; dwell in the land of which I shall tell you. Sojourn in this land, and I will be with you and will bless you, for to you and to your offspring I will give all these lands, and I will establish the oath that I swore to Abraham your father. I will multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and will give to your offspring all these lands. And in your offspring all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because Abraham obeyed my voice and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws. So Isaac settled in Gerar."  Genesis 26:1-6

Posted as today's devotion question was:  Are you willing to step out of normal and listen to what God wants you to do?

God did not want Isaac to follow his father's blueprint for what to do during a famine.  Abraham had gone down into Egypt to escape famine but God was telling Isaac not to do that.  Going to the land of Egypt was the wise thing to do, it was a land of plenty and had fertile fields from the Nile River.  Going to Egypt just made sense.  But God said "No, stay here in this land that is experiencing famine and I will be with you." Not only did God promise to be with Isaac, He promised him blessings for generations if He would simply obey.

God has told me not to do the normal things in the last few months; give up conventional wisdom.  He has repeatedly shown me not to follow the world but to listen to His commandments. I did listened and I quit my job in August.  And with quitting I've lost my contract and my assurance of a paycheck not only for this year but future years.  And people think I'm crazy.  My family, my kids, my husband lately have questioned if I did the right thing.  It's been a few months, where's the blessings, what's going on, when can I buy new jeans for my girls, lol?  But He says stay and He will bless me.  He says keep on the narrow path not the wide open, easy road to what I think or the world thinks is goodness and blessings.

So I will not go down into Egypt, where goodness and plenty may be available, but I will stay right here Lord where you've asked me to be for this season and rely on you for the goodness and blessings even if they don't look like what the world says is good.  Credit cards are a mirage like in the desert.  Egypt is surrounded by deserts.  They look shiny and may promise goodness and blessings but they do not deliver.  Only God does.  Shiny, pretty things will fade and lose color, jeans will rip or grow too tight, Christmas gifts will end up in yard sales but the Word of God never fails.

I'm praying for you mama!  Pray for me in return.

In Christ Alone,

Angie Hopkins

Gifts under $10 that aren't junk for Boys

Earlier this week I gave you my top picks for board games and ideas for kids that love arts and crafts.  Today I'm all about the boys.  Out of 7 kids, only 1 of mine is a boy.  So yes, that makes 6 girls!  And I love it that way.

Recently, my one and only son turned 15 and grew 6 inches in about 3 months and had his voice change and got a girlfriend! It's all too much for this mama.  Give me girls, I understand them.

But boy toys.  Oh, how I have loved buying boy toys for that one and only boy of mine.  Boy toys are easy!  He seemed to have a theme each year on his Christmas list.  One year it was all "Thomas the Train" another it was "Rescue Heroes".  More expensively in the recent past it was "Lego Minecraft" or a slew of video games.  This year he hasn't said much so far.  He's consumed with his phone, and his trumpet, and his friends.

But enough about my kid.  What does your boy or boys want?  Here's some tried and true ideas that aren't pure junk.  These are all currently $10 or less at Amazon with free shipping with Prime or a $35 order (affiliate links).

12 piece Large Assorted Dinosaurs   Every boy loves to learn about dinosaurs at some point in their life.  Some grow up to be Paleontologists but most just love to spout their dino knowledge to any available ear during the "dinosaur" phase.  At least it is science and fun!  Learning about dinosaurs aids in memorizing skills, classifying skills, and future science lessons dealing with reptiles.  Pair it with a dinosaur fact book and you will have a happy boy.

LEGO City Great Vehicles Light Repair Truck  I love the Lego City sets that feature real life jobs and city adventures.  This set is of a lineman.  Awesome!  Boys love to role play and this series makes it fun and wholesome.  No guns, no enemies, just Lego men and women working together to make the city run smoothly.  Lots of different sets for under $10 in this series or the Lego Star Wars series.

Hot Wheels 9-Car Gift Pack I don't think this one needs explaining! But pair it up with this and you will be the winner-winner-chicken-dinner with the kid and his mom!  It folds up to store the cars and it's only $10 too!  (PS, I'm ordering this for my little girl!!)

And one more:

Pro-Ball Set - 5" Soccerball, 5" Basketball, 6.5" Football Just $10 for all 3 balls!

Gifts under $10 that aren't junk for Kids: Arts and Crafts

My kids really love arts and crafts, especially my 6 year old.  A huge box of 160 crayons and a new sketch pad makes her a happy girl.  Here's a few arts and crafts items that won't be in Santa's stocking and the reasons why.

1.  We don't buy Play-doh or the plastic play-doh kits that use little molds to make stuff.  Making play dough is so easy and we do it about once a month around here.  Add in some glitter or some spices like Apple Pie Spice and you have a great sensory activity for kids.  We get out cookie cutters, rolling pins, and an assortment of kitchen utensils to make designs.  It's great fun and it lasts all month long.

2.  We don't buy those Crayola art kits such as "make a paint" set or "melt and mold factory".  These succeed in just creating a big mess and they usually don't work out as much as the advertisements want kids to believe.  They are usually big and bulky and you can't do much else with them.

3.  We don't buy Movie or Character themed items such as "Elsa and Anna etch a sketch" or "Doc McStuffins Weaving Loom".  Favorite characters come and go so we prefer to stick to the classic designs.  They usually come with a lower price tag to boot!

Here's some items that if they found their way onto the Christmas list mom Santa wouldn't mind bringing down the chimney.  All of these items are currently priced below $10 at Amazon (affliate links).

Fisher-Price Travel Doodler Pro  This is the smaller version of the Doodle Pro which is great for small hands and also great to throw into a kid sized backpack to take along to the Dr's office or a road trip.

Dough Tools - 5 Piece Assortment  Buy this sturdy, thick set of dough tools and pair it with a large container of homemade playdough or the ingredients to make play dough with a recipe card.  Would look cute in a large mason jar!

ALEX Toys -, Simply Needlepoint Butterfly Kit
This kit says it is appropriate for kids age 6-12.  Reviews are very good and it looks like something I would enjoy working on together with Camryn during the Christmas break.  One reviewer said it took lots of sessions to complete so that sounds great to me.  I like toys that aren't over and done with before Christmas day is over!

  Melissa & Doug Lace and Trace Pets  Lacing Kits are great for improving hand-eye coordination and fine motor skills.  I love that they can take the laces out and start all over again making this kit not a one time affair.  We have this set and the ocean set.  Camryn, 6,  still plays with them in the car and we are working with Annika, age 2, to begin using these lacing kits.

Wikki Stix Rainbow Pak  Wikki Stix are so much fun.  They are sometimes known as Bendaroos.  At this price of $5.30 you can buy two packs!  Kids can reuse these over and over in so many ways.  Want them to practice spelling words or math facts?  Use these!  Teachers use them in all kinds of ways in the elementary school.  You can pair a pack with a $1 cookie sheet from Walmart and then they become transportable.

 

Crayola Ultimate Crayon Case, 152-Crayons This is the ultimate crayon kit.  Pair it with a sketch pad and you're done.  I always loved have "silver and gold" crayons along with cornflower blue and fuchsia.  Such fun colors!

Cents of Style Houndstooth Scarf $11.95 with free shipping

Today only Cents of Style is offering these Houndstooth Scarves in 13 different colors.  These houndstooth infinity scarves are oversized, soft, and luxurious!

Cents of Style

Gifts Under $10 that aren't Junk for Kids: Games

My number one rule when deciding whether to purchase a toy for my kids is to ask, "Do I really want this in my house?"  If I think the answer is yes I then break it down into more questions.

• Can this toy be used in more than one way for different types of play?
• Will it make my kids think?
• Do we have the storage room for this toy?
• Does it contain pieces or need batteries?
• Is it made to last and stand the test of time?
• Will it make me become crazy mom when the kids leave it out on the floor?

Here are some of my favorite under $10 board games from Amazon (affiliate links) that make the cut.  All ship for free with prime or $35 purchase. If you don't have prime, now is the time to try it out.  You can get a free 30 day trial that will take you right up to the week before Christmas which I hope you have all of your shopping done by then.  Just create a reminder on your phone to cancel if you don't want to pay the $99 annual fee.  We've had prime for 6 years and love it!

 Join Amazon Prime - Watch Over 40,000 Movies & TV Shows Anytime - Start Free Trial Now

 Connect 4 Game :  My older kids played this for hours when they were in 2-5th grades.  Ciarra was declared the Connect 4 Champion in her 4th grade class.  Last month at the Octoberfest the entire family chose sides and played each other on a huge life-size Connect 4 wooden game structure.

Guess Who Game:  I recently began playing this with Camryn, age 6 at our library.  The kids' section has a great selection of board games for free play.  She is just beginning to understand how to phrase her questions to narrow down the choices.  Fortunately for me she always picks a girl with blonde hair.  Ha!  My older kids played this when they were younger too.  They even used a timer to see who could guess the other player's person the fastest.  Caleb managed to get it down to about 3 specific questions before he could pinpoint who we had chosen!  There's even a cool Super Hero version!

Toysmith Pick-Up Sticks, 41 Piece:  Still the same, still as awesome as you remember it!

Mastermind:  The teacher in me wants to scream "Please buy this for your child.  It will make them think!"  Patterns, puzzles, and math all in one neat little game.  This was my choice for free play in the gifted room way back then!

 

Spot It  We recently bought this original version of Spot It during the summer.  Can I tell you that everyone in this house loves to play!  It was our game of choice for summer electricity outages and we always kept playing when the lights came back on.  For a game to hold the attention of 5 teenagers and a 6 year old at the same time is amazing to me!  There are several versions including an animal version that I think my kids would like.