OCC boxes

Every Christmas our family joins our church in putting together Operation Christmas child boxes. We fill shoe boxes with toys, school supplies, and hygiene items and send them to children in extremely poor areas of the world. It has become a habit at school supply time to stock up on crayons and other school supplies while they are super cheap.

Last night I was browsing the clearance at Target, (so dangerous for me) and came across lots of clearance supplies. I try to fill the boxes with as much as possible so the less I spend per item the more I can buy. I was able to find calculators for .25, kits with zipper pockets, scissors, pencil sharpeners, and a ruler all for only .37, a large pack of pens for .30, and some fun pencil cases to .60.

Also, some of the dollar spot items were 50% off making them only .50. So I stocked some stickers, and small toys. This past Sunday's paper had coupons for $1/1 Johnson's product. One of the things I like to add to our boxes are the buddies soaps. They have a washcloth already wrapped around them and they usually retail for around $1. So with this coupon these will be free. I can find toothpaste for free most of the time at CVS too. I find that with a little planning ahead we can usually fill these boxes pretty well.

Does anyone else participate in the OCC program? Do you have any inexpensive ideas of things to add?

We went to Possum Creek the other day. They are a park with a working farm. My kids love the animals and all the fun of the farm. I love that it is free. :) Isaac and Brady were trying to feed the donkey and horse. Asher and Austin liked driving the car.

First day of school (on the second day of school)

Isaac had his first day of Tuesday school last week. I'm just a little slow getting the pictures up. He had to be potty trained to go, and about a week and a half before his first day he started going on the potty full time. For those of you who I talk to on a regular basis you know this is a huge praise. I never thought I would pray for my kids to go to the bathroom on the potty, but I did. And Praise the Lord, God is good. Isaac is officially potty trained and in preschool.

One of my friends told me about a ministry one of the local churches does called Tuesday school. It is a totally free preschool that meets once a week. What a huge blessing. I don't think Isaac would be going to preschool if it weren't for this program. He loves it. They have art, music, gym, and class time. It is once a week for 2 1/2 hrs a week. Anyway, these are the best pictures I could get. He at least looked at the camera, but he is not a huge fan of getting his picture taken. We pick up Isaac's friend Brody every week. They are in our house church and the boys are in the same class. I just can't believe how time flies. I still feel like he is a baby.

Meals for the week

Here is my menu plan for this week. I'm excited to try a few new recipes.

Mon- Eggs
PBJ, yogurt, fruit
Broccoli cheddar soup, chicken salad sandwiches

Tues- cereal, yogurt
soup and sandwiches
Chicken broccoli Casserole, rolls

Wed-pancakes
Ravioli, garlic toast
House church finger foods (French Fries)

Thurs- cereal
chicken nuggets, tater tots, and green beans
Taco pie, tortilla chips, spanish rice

Fri- Cinnamon rolls
cheese, crackers, applesauce, peas
Leftovers
Asher's Birthday party.

It will be a busy week for us, but I'm looking forward to some new recipes.

Coupons!

If you don't get the paper today would be a good day to go buy it. There are five inserts today. That should be the same for most areas. I do get the Sun paper delivered, and I'm still going to buy one today because there are some awesome coupons. I love lots of coupons.

Getting organized!

I've decided I need a little organization in my life. In the midst of all the craziness that is my day a few things have gone by the wayside. So, I'm looking forward to taking the next few weeks to do a little organizing. This week I'm going to hopefully get all of my food storage organized.

I'm a stockpiler. Which means when an item we use goes on sale I stock up. That ensures that I only have to buy it when it is at a low price. I have found it to be one of the most useful tools in saving money. Next to planning so that we don't waste. Because I stockpile we have a lot of food that needs a place. It is important that I know what I have and use it in a timely manner to insure not to waste it. So, this week I will be working on organizing my freezers, fridge, pantry, and garage shelving. Last week we worked on the garage a bit so most of that project is done. I am going to be working pretty slow right now due to the limited time I have with the boys. But my goal is to know what I have, what I need, and what I can give away.

I'm hoping to do six weeks of organizing including working on our schedule, toys, paperwork, all closets, and meals and recipes.

I'd love some accountability. Plus, this is way more fun to do with a group. So let me know if you have anything you are planning to organize and we can all watch our progress together. It may take awhile with littles running around, but I'm excited to have a cleaner, more efficient, more organized home.

falling for fall

Ok, I know it is cheesy, but I love fall! I can't believe we are in September already! I love when the weather can't make up it's mind as to what the temp should be. I love waking up to a cool breeze in my room and snuggling under the warm covers. I love a hot shower on those cool mornings. I love wearing a T shirt and sweatshirt because you aren't sure if you are going to be hot or cold, but either way it is rarely too hot or too cold.

I love all the things that fall brings. I love the color. Deep reds and oranges. I love when the leaves change. The drive down a long windy road that the tree hang over when you look all around and see all the gorgeous colors of fall. That is just truly God's art showing off. I love raking leaves and jumping in them (bagging them up not as much). I love hot apple cider, bonfires, pumpkin patches, hayrides, corn mazes, smores, caramel apples... fall just smells good.

I love taking pictures of my kids in fall. The scenery is adorable. Nothing is more perfect than a toddler in a cute sweater and cords trying to pick up a pumpkin twice his size. My fave pictures of my kids are usually in a pumpkin patch. They just scream awesome memories. I love to decorate for with leaves and wreaths. I love the cinnamon smells that come with candle for fall. I love making soups and chilis to eat on the chilly evenings.

This has always been my favorite season. There is something beautiful about the change of season. The expectation of something new and fresh. I can't imagine living in an area where year round everything stayed the same. I love the anticipation of what happens next. When fall ends the excitement of the first snow kicks in. Then we long for the new life spring brings. The break of summer is anticipated by every school aged child. Then back to fall with all the joy it brings (at least to me). I know I'm a dork, but I just thought how good our God is. He knows we need that constant movement to keep us going. Some days we complain, but all in all it is good. God is good.