Tripod, anyone?

***UPDATE*** This deal is no longer available. I hope you were able to get one if you wanted it. =)

This morning, while I was searching through all the "money-saving blogs" that I like to frequent, I came across an awesome deal. "Buy.com" has a KraftTech 60" Adjustable Camera Tripod with Nylon Carry Bag for $10 and FREE shipping! If you've never used Google Checkout, you will instantly receive $10 towards your order, which will make your total cost $0!! I emailed Jason with the info and asked him to check it out. He wrote back later to say that he had ordered it. Just make sure that you choose the Google Checkout and that the shipping is set to the "7-9 days" delivery time (that's the FREE option). Jason said he had to put in a credit card number, but at the end of checkout he was informed that his credit card was charged $0. Yeah!! Now I just have to find the FREE digital camcorder to sit on top of it. =) For now, I'll just enjoy taking pictures of all five us by using the timer on my digital camera.

Homeschooling Aids

Here are some free homeschooling aids I came across today.

1. This is for pre-school and kindergarten-aged kids. It's Firefighter ABC Match-Up Cards.

2. This one could be for any age child. It's for Learning the Books of the Bible. This breaks down the Bible into categories (i.e. The Law, Historical Books, Poetry...etc) and gives a brief description of each book.

3. The next three are for older children. This one will teach your child How to Write a Check. It includes blank checks for them to practice.

4. If you are learning about Shakespeare, these notebook pages with pictures will be a great way to make a miniature book report.

5. These work pages are a great way to incorporate several subjects into one project. It is entitled "Headline of the Day" and asks the student specific questions about the article being read. The student is also asked to identify "new words" (for which they will have to provide a definition from the dictionary) and to list common and proper nouns.

Praise God for Dr. "C"!!!

Okay, I promise, I'm not going to keep boring you with my health updates, but I am just so excited, I'm about to jump out of my skin! With my diagnosis, the specialist gave me a look into what my future holds. All she has to offer me is a steady dose of "drugs"...."drugs" with some very bad side effects. I much prefer a more natural way to deal with health problems, and I truly believe that God created our bodies to be able to heal themselves with the proper nutrition. (I'll try to stay off of my "soapbox.") =)

A couple of weeks ago, we contacted our favorite doctor...Dr. "C". He has a really long last name, so he is affectionately called this by most of his patients. He was able to see me last Tuesday. When I explained to him what had been going on and what my diagnosis was, he looked at me and with a slight grin said, "That's all? That's an easy fix!" He proceeded to tell me about many, many patients he had seen over the last 30 years who have the same or similar diagnoses. One lady had it for 27 years and had been taking the same "drugs" that were offered to me with no relief. Since she has been following his advice, she has not had any trouble. In fact, he said that this is the only condition that he will say without a doubt can be healed! He said he does not use the word "heal" flippantly or even very often, but in this case, he pretty much guarantees it!

Praise the Lord! I am so thrilled that God has provided another route for my treatment and a renewed hope that I will not have to live with this the rest of my life. He has never forsaken me and has lovingly and miraculously guided every step in this process. I love looking back and seeing His fingerprints on so many areas of my life, and I look forward to seeing how He will work through Dr. "C" to help me. He loves us so much and is so concerned about every detail. What an awesome God we serve!

I'm addicted...

...To coupons, that is! I try to buy "organic" as much as possible, and that can get pretty expensive but is well worth it, in my opinion. Recently, I've been able to find some coupons (for organic products) that are saving us quite a bit of money. Yeah!!

We use a lot of Muir Glen fire-roasted tomatoes, and I found a coupon for $1.00 off any of their products! There are other great coupons on that same page, like $1.00 off any Cascadian Farm product.

Here's a picture of the girls clipping some coupons for me. They love cutting, and I figure it's never too early to teach them money management. =)

Here are some blogs that I visit to get more coupons:

http://www.mambosprouts.com/blog/category/printable-grocery-food-coupons/

http://www.afullcup.com/upload/cmps_index.php

http://freebies4mom.com/

http://www.moneysavingmom.com/

http://thriftysoaper.blogspot.com/

http://multitaskingmama.wordpress.com/

http://becentsable.blogspot.com/

Here are some coupon sites. I use these mainly for non-grocery items, but if you're not concerned about purchasing only organics, you can find some other really good grocery coupons.

http://www.organicvalley.coop/coupons/ This one is organic, obviously. =)

http://print.coupons.com/couponweb/Offers.aspx?pid=13306&zid=iq37&nid=10

http://www.redplum.com

http://coupons.smartsource.com

Like to grill? We do! If you register with this site, you can get a coupon for $2.00 off Kingsford Charcoal. (I was able to print that one twice.)

You know all the "What To Expect" books? Well they have one entitled, "What To Expect Guide To a Healthy Home," and they are offering a free copy of it here.

Barnes and Noble is having a summer reading program for kids. If they fulfill the following requirements, they will receive a coupon for a free book.

1. Kids read any 8 books.

2. Kids use the Summer Reading Journal to tell their favorite part of each book. A parent/guardian signs it when it's complete.

3. Students bring their completed journal to a Barnes & Noble store between May 29th & September 2nd, 2008.

4. They will get a coupon for a FREE book! They choose from a list of exceptional paperback titles.

Visit the blogs I mentioned above to find even more coupons and free stuff. We can all be addicted together. =)

The Simple Things in Life

Did you play with paper dolls when you were little? My sister and I did. My mom greatly influenced that choice in toys for us, because she used to love playing with them as well when she was a little girl. I am a big fan of raising kids without the use of constant "media" entertainment. My girls have the biggest imaginations, and I just love hearing them make up all kinds of pretend stories with their toys.

For the last few months, the girls have been begging me to print out coloring pages of Beautiful Girls, so that they can color and cut them out to play with them. I haven't had any luck in finding a suitable "Handsome Man" picture for them to color and cut out, so if you know of a site that I can get that from, let me know. =) These "Beautiful Girl" cut-outs have provided them with hours and hours of fun, but they haven't held up too well being printed on regular paper. Last night, I decided to check the internet for printable paper dolls to print on card stock. Wow, there's a lot to choose from! I found 2 dolls for each girl, and each doll came with several outfits. Alyx and Larissa can cut them out pretty well, but I figured I would have to help Sydney with hers. After cutting one of her dolls out with a pair of scissors, I quickly figured out that it would be much faster and easier to use my X-acto knife (with swiveling head).

For the last 2 hours, the girls have been cutting and playing with their new dolls. You would have thought it was Christmas morning when I pulled it all out for them. They were "ooohing" and "aaahing" over all the outfits and accessories, and they could not stop thanking me. Aren't they sweet?! I love my girls! They are learning to appreciate the simple things in life, and they are building their imaginations and strengthening their friendship with each other as they play.

Here are a few shots of them working on their dolls.

Free Samples

Okay, I just went crazy, requesting a bunch of free samples. My mailbox will be overflowing in approximately 8-10 weeks. =) If you like free samples, visit frugalhacks.com for a list of companies/products currently offering samples. Also, check out freebies4mom.com for more free stuff.

Results: Good News, Bad News

Which do you want first? I always choose the bad news, so that I'll be left with something to look forward to. Since this is my blog, that's what I'm going to do. =)

Bad News: My diagnosis is one of the chronic conditions. If I had to chose one of the two chronic possibilities that the doctor gave me last week, this is the one I would have chosen.

Good News: My doctor has given me hope that since we are catching it early and since I'm still young, I have a good shot at clearing it up, and this may be the only time I have a problem with it.

I'm not going to lie...I was very disappointed when I got the diagnosis last night, but after I had time to compose myself and let the shock wear off a little, I realized that God is still in control. He was not surprised by the news. He still loves and cares for me, and just like He's been taking care of me these last couple of months, He's going to continue giving me the strength and grace that I need for each and every day. God is good ALL the time, and He has a purpose in every thing He allows into our lives. I look forward to seeing how He will use this in my life. Please continue to pray for me, as I'm sure there are still rough days ahead.

Dad's 20th Anniversary Weekend

This past weekend we were able to celebrate with my parents and their church in honoring Dad for 20 years of faithful service as pastor. For anyone who has been a pastor or pastor's wife/child, you know that this is not an easy accomplishment. My parents have been through some rough, discouraging times, but through it all they remained faithful to the Lord. I know that we should not look to man for a role model, but I truly do respect my parents and look to them as an example of how I should strive to live my Christian life.

Thank you, Mom and Dad, for loving the Lord and for making Him your number one priority. Thank you for loving all of us kids enough to bring us up in the right kind of home and to take us to church every time the doors were open. Thank you for the sacrifices you had to make over the years to ensure that we had a good, Christian foundation in our education...both school and college. Thank you for the example that you are now giving to my kids when they see you faithfully serving the Lord in your church. You both have touched so many lives over the years, and I'm sure if they could, they would all stand up and testify to that. We love you both very much!

Here are some pictures from Sunday's "Dinner on the Grounds" we had in honor of Dad's anniversary. (Note: the pictures and titles go by a little too fast for my taste, but I couldn't figure out a way to slow it down. If you want to see them slower, just click on one of the pictures and you will be taken to the album on Photobucket's website. You will then be able to peruse at your own leisure.)

These are some pictures of the grandkids having fun at Granny and Papa's house.

Update: My follow-up appointment is this afternoon at 4:40. Please continue to pray that all will be well. The Lord has given me an amazing peace about the whole situation for which I am very thankful. "Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof." --Matthew 6:34

"Anxiety does not empty tomorrow of its sorrows, but only empties today of its strength." --C.H. Spurgeon

Quick Update

After Monday's procedure, the doctor gave three possible diagnoses. She will have to run further tests on samples she took during the procedure to be able to say for sure. Praise the Lord it is not cancer! Out of the three possibilities, I would prefer one, because it is treatable. The other two are considered chronic, so that means more medications and lifestyle changes.

Please continue to pray. The results should be ready within the next week, and I should be getting a phone call any day now from the doctor's office to schedule an appointment so I can see the doctor again and get the results.

My flesh wants the easy fix, but I know that may not be God's will. God has a plan and purpose for everything that comes into our lives, and sometimes that means we may have to endure pain or suffering in order to bring God the ultimate glory. In the scheme of things, how can we complain, when you consider what He went through for us and our sin?

One of my dear friends sent an encouraging note this week. She reminded me that God is the Great Physician, and He can heal all my diseases (Ps. 103:1-5). When I am feeling overwhelmed, I have my loving, Heavenly Father to cry to (Ps. 61:2). Thank you for thinking of me and most of all for your faithful prayers. I am looking forward to getting things back to normal and actually returning to "The Land of the Living." =)

After Jason gets off of work today, we will be leaving to go up to my parents' house. I haven't seen my girls in 4 days, and I thorougly miss them! There are days when they are here that I wish for some peace and quiet, but when I actually get it, all I can do is think about how much I want them with me. I guess the old saying is true..."Absence makes the heart grow fonder."

Life...

I hope that this does not embarrass my husband, but I just wanted to commend and thank him. Last night, he was online checking his schedule for next week and noticed that they had scheduled him to measure fence for a very questionable establishment. At that point, he found himself between the proverbial "rock" and "hard place." With rampant cut-backs and other recent developments at work, I could see that it would be very tempting not to "rock the boat," but he immediately shot out an email to the scheduling department and said he would not do the appointment.

After a few emails back and forth, they finally told him that he would have to do it, there was no one else available on that day and he did not have an option. His manager could not understand what the problem was. He told Jason that it wasn't like he was going to have to go in the establishment. Jason told him he understood that, but he did not even want to be on the premises. I mean, think about it, Jason has a pretty blaringly-obvious vehicle, and if someone we know drove by and saw him standing out there, do you really think their first thought would be, "Oh, he must be working."? No! There going to think, "Oh, I guess we see what he does on his lunch break!" Okay, so maybe not everyone would immediately condemn him, but he still has the responsibility of protecting his character.

He never heard back from any one last night, and his drive to work this morning was a long one, I'm sure. Once his manager got in to work, he called Jason into his office and proceeded to chew him up one side and down the other. Jason had determined ahead of time to keep his mouth shut and just listen, and for those of you who really know him, that was a VERY HARD thing to do! His manager told him that he wasn't going to make Jason run the appointment but that he better never pull something like this again. (Yeah, that's fine, as long as they don't give him another appointment like that again.) He told Jason that he had planned out all this stuff to say to him but only gave him 10 percent of it. How nice! When his manager informed him that he was done talking, Jason said, "Okay," and turned around and walked out! Wow! God's grace is sufficient! I know how difficult that was for him! He said his mind was just reeling with things to say, but he bit his tongue.

I'm very proud of you, honey! Thank you for having the courage to stand up for what you know is right. Thank you for loving and respecting me enough not to want to be associated with any kind of questionable venues. I love you!

A few posts back, I mentioned that I was going in for a procedure in the middle of May. The Lord worked a complete miracle for me! I called the doctor's office last week to see if there was any way to move the date up, and the nurse told me that they had just had a cancellation on April 7th. I gladly took it! Please pray that the doctors will be able to find and fix the problem. The girls will be staying with my parents from this weekend to next. I plan on joining them either Tuesday or Wednesday, depending on how I feel.

These last few months have brought on a myriad of trials. Through it all we have seen God's hand working in very evident ways in our life, and that is always an exciting thing to watch. We can sense that there will be some big changes coming soon, and we can't wait to see how God will work it all out! We would both appreciate your prayers as we have some really big decisions to make in the near future.

A rose by any other name...

Here's something just for fun. Try it out and leave a comment with your "names." Before I get started, I have to fill you in on something you may not already know. My first name is actually Elizabeth, and my middle name is Rebekah. I've always gone by Rebekah, so for this I've used Rebekah as my first name and Elizabeth as my middle name. Well, here goes...

1. YOUR REAL NAME:

Rebekah

2. YOUR GANGSTA NAME: (first three letters of your name, plus izzle)

Rebizzle

3. YOUR "FLY Guy/Girl" NAME: (first initial of first name, first three of your last)

R Dow

4. YOUR DETECTIVE NAME: (favorite color and favorite animal)

I have no favorite animal, so this is thanks to my hubby. =)

Green Chicken and Pig (aka: Green Eggs and Ham)

5. YOUR SOAP OPERA NAME: (middle name, Street you live on)

Elizabeth Tar-Hollow

6. YOUR STAR WARS NAME: (the first 3 letters of your last name, first 2 letters of your first name, first 3 letters of your mom's maiden name)

Dow Re Wel ("Luke, I am your Great Aunt's, Half-Sister's, Best Friend's, Cousin.")

7. SUPERHERO NAME: (favorite color, favorite drink)

Green Dr. Pepper (Mmmm...Tasty!)

8. YOUR WITNESS PROTECTION NAME: (mother and father's middle name)

Louise Freeman

Mini Recital

As you all know, we homeschool, so I thought that we could share some of the things that the girls have been learning recently. Even though they are in three different grade levels, I love it when I'm able to combine certain subjects. Bible is one of those subjects that we all do together. They also learn the same Bible verses. Recently, they memorized Psalm 1, and while Alyx and Larissa can both recite it perfectly, I thought it was more impressive that Sydney could quote it. =)

Larissa chose two other verses that they have learned...Psalm 8:9 and Psalm 19:1. She'll get the longer passage next time. =)

Alyx chose a poem entitled, "The Lamplighter." As you can see in the video clip, her sisters were trying to make her laugh, and I think that's why she got a little tongue-tied near the end. =)

Last month when the Steve Pettit Team was here for revival services, they had special services/programs for the kids ministry. The girls learned a song that they can sing in English and Spanish, and they sing it all the time! In fact, it's Syndey's new "hand-washing song." (I make them sing a song while they lather the soap to be sure they are washing long enough.) In English, it says, "I have a friend in heaven and He loves me.....His name is Jesus Christ." In Spanish, it says, "Yo tengo un amigo que me ama....Su nombre es Jesus." Enjoy!

Okay, now it's time for another flashback. These video clips reminded me of some clips I have of the girls when they were younger. Sydney is 2 1/2 years old in her clip, and she's saying Proverbs 15:3, "The eyes of the Lord are in every place, beholding the evil and the good."

Larissa is 4 years old in her clip, and she's saying John 3:16. She gets a little mixed up on the motions, but I find that it helps them learn verses when they are younger. Isn't her little lisp cute? =)

Alyx is 3 1/2 years old in her clip, and she's saying her version of I John 1:9. Yes, she is saying that God has given us our sins and all unrighteousness. =) (I do have a clip of her saying it correctly, but I thought this one was much cuter.)