Happy Birthday Ellie!

Today marks Ellie's first birthday. We celebrated with a party with the family Monday. She was such a sweet little thing. She has been taking five and six steps here and there, but decided to really show off for the party. She walked all over the place! We had lots of fun, and she loved having so many of her favorite people in one spot! Gabby enjoyed helping with the decorations and picking out a gift for Ellie. She got her a gloworm. :) It's one of Ellie's favorite things now!

I just read this post by Shaun Groves on his blog, and it was one that made me stop and say, "Wow. . .right on. . . now what?". God has been challenging me lately about doing more. Being more. For Him. I'm not talking about just being busy. We're all busy enough. But are we busy with the meaningful things?

Okay, so I'm a mom. I'm a wife. I'm a daughter, sister, friend. Yes, my schedule is busy. Yes, I'm doing things that matter, although sometimes I wonder how much that pile of laundry really matters! But are we doing everything God wants us to do? Are we not just surrendered to Him, but listening to what He wants us to do? Trapped in His presence, unable to release until we hear a Word, that Word, and we know "That's It." "That's Him."

Do we let Him regularly evaluate our position with Him so we can be of upmost use for Him? What you are doing may be great. What you are doing may be exactly what God wants you to do. But please, oh please, don't stop listening. He's ever changing us for His glory. That others might see His glory. That others will feel His glory.

Don't you want to be part of it? Part of a radical uplifting of God's people to share Him with those who are in desperate need of Him? Ask Him to show you your part. He will. And watch out. Because it's going to be outstanding. Incredible. Miraculous.

Happy Mother's Day!

In honor of this special day. . .

If You Give A Mom A Muffin
Author Kathy Fictorie

If you give a mom a muffin,
She'll want a cup of coffee to go with it.
She'll pour herself some.
Her three-year-old will spill the coffee.
She'll wipe it up.
Wiping the floor, she'll find dirty socks.
She'll remember she has to do laundry.
When she puts the laundry in the washer,
She'll trip over boots and bump into the freezer.
Bumping into the freezer will remind her she has to plan for supper.
She will get out a pound of hamburger.
She'll look for her cookbook ("101 Things To Do With a Pound of Hamburger").
The cookbook is sitting under a pile of mail.
She will see the phone bill, which is due tomorrow.
She will look for her checkbook.
The check book is in her purse that is being dumped out by her two-year-old.
She'll smell something funny.
She'll change the two year old's diaper.
While she is changing the diaper, the phone will ring.
Her five-year-old will answer and hang up.
She'll remember she wants to phone a friend for coffee.
Thinking of coffee will remind her that she was going to have a cup.
And chances are...
If she has a cup of coffee,
Her kids will have eaten the muffin that went with it.

Making the Most of Online Rewards - Works for Me Wednesday

This my first time posting with Works for Me Wednesday. I've been reading great tips given by other bloggers for months, but am finally jumping in with them.

This week's theme Frugality. What works for me is using online reward programs for GIFTS. I earn points, cash, gifts cards, etc. with these programs. What works for me is that I typically wait to redeem when I need some gifts. I use them the most at Christmas. Here are the main ones I use and why:

The first is Mysurvey.com. They send you emails with survey links(or download their messenger to get immediate notice of new surveys). I've completed quick surveys for five points, and I've received 300 points for some more involved, but they still don't take much time. For each 1000 points you earn, you can redeem them for prizes or CASH. I've earned about $150 so far with this.

The next, and the one I've earned the most with, is MyPoints. You can earn points for clicking on ads in emails, shopping through MyPoints, completing surveys, and signing up for trials. They did have a credit card program too, but it has been discontinued. I usually redeem points for gift cards at Christmas for gifts and to use myself to purchase gifts.

A new one to me is Swagbucks. Many people have had great success with this one, and I seem to be earning points fairly quickly. You can earn points for using their search engine, which has earned me at least one swagbuck a day, usually more. You can recycle old cell phones and such with them to earn points. All you have to do is enter what kind of phone you have and they provide you with a postage-paid label you print to mail the phone to them. You can also earn points shopping through the website, as well as by referrals. What I'm excited about with this one is that you can redeem for Amazon gift cards.

With all of these programs, you can earn points with referrals, so I'd really appreciate you asking for a link to join. Just leave a comment with your email address or email me and I'll get one to you.

This may not sound like a lot of extra money, but it really is in relation to the time put into it. And it sure helps out at Christmas, when money seems to be flying out the door much quicker! And that works for me. For more Works for Me Wednesday, check out the other posts at We Are That Family!

The Miracle of Making a Difference

This past week I've been reading some blogs. No different from other weeks, except that I've focused on following Compassion's bloggers' trip to India. I can't begin to imagine how traveling to a third-world country could affect you, but I get a little taste through their posts.

These bloggers are traveling with one purpose - to make a difference in lives. They are writing about their experiences in order to further the work of Compassion, which is making a huge difference in families' lives all over the world.

Take a few minutes to read for yourself:

Compassion Bloggers

Oh, and if you stop by Shaun Groves' blog, one of the leaders on the trip, you can download his song, "Kingdom Coming" for free! (It's on a banner on the right side) Such a good song.