One Really Can be Frugile and Not Go Hungry

When my husband said that we were going to budget $250 for groceries a month, I thought he was nuts. He has a lot of great ideas, but this didn't seem to be one of them. I have come to see that he had another great idea!! Instead of shopping for the month at Walmart and buying "ahead", we now just shop for the week ahead, alternating from Walmart one week and then to a discount grocery store the next week! I am amazed at how much money we have saved and what we can actually do without!!! And, we are not wasting food as much as we were before! Being on this adoption journey and really trying to cut corners with our expenses has not only been educational but fun!! The wild thing about it too is that we are spending even less than $250! :)

Lucy's Household

Polly found this picture for me! Isn't it neat? Thanks so much Polly!! :)

Let the Dog Drive

Have you ever had the urge to let your dog drive? Well, one lady in China decided to let her dog try to drive because he had "been watching" her drive! She controlled the brake and accelerator
while the dog "drove". And guess what happened? They crashed into another car!! Imagine that?

Did anybody else hear this story on Rush Limbaugh's show today?

Maturity

Portals of Prayer - A Daily Devotion from Concordia Publishing House Start your day with faith-filled daily devotions. Each reading leads you to the foot of the cross with Scripture, prayer, and a life-applicable message.
Devotional Reading for: 8/29/2006	Associated Scripture Readings: Hebrews 5:12-14 Psalm 119:9-16
Maturity
Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. Hebrews 5:13
My toddler grandson much prefers to continue to receive his nourishment by way of milk from his bottle. He has very little interest in solid foods and is quite comfortable with the method by which he has always eaten. His parents, however, recognize that he must begin to change his eating habits. He has sufficient teeth now, but he must develop a taste for new foods. He also must gain the patience required for chewing and for sitting through a meal. The author of Hebrews reminds us that we are not to remain as infants in our faith. We need teeth to study God’s Word. With teething comes some discomfort, and we bear that discomfort as the Lord shows us our shortcomings by His Word. As we mature in faith, we move beyond our level of comfort to attain something better. Increased time spent in study of God’s Word develops a taste for the Word, which grows into a ravenous appetite. It does require time and some chewing, but the more time spent in meditation, the closer our walk with Jesus and the greater our joy in Him and His salvation.
Heavenly Father, thank You for giving us Your Word to guide and instruct us, to correct us, and to draw us closer to You; in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Did Anyone See This Animal on HGTV (on pets) Last Week?

I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw an animal like THIS one in THIS picture in someone's family room, laying on the carpet!!! I have heard of tigers living in an apartment but a bison? Actually I must confess, I am not totally sure what it was. It was black and very shaggy-looking like a bison! Can you imagine the stench in this family's house? It did look pretty "normal" and neat in the house from what I could see, but why would anyone want this creature in their house?

I also saw someone having an alligator in their house (with a chain or some type of controlling device around it's neck) as well as a childless couple with a couple of monkeys wearing diapers in their house. The monkeys had at least one "play room" with some jungle gyms to boot! And this was a gorgeous house too! I guess that is called "adventuresome living, huh? But then again, I live with an ape so I must be pretty adventuresome too!! :)

Here is Scottius Maximus sitting outside our house (needed some fresh air), contemplating his next meal!! Sometimes he is kind of difficult to please about his food! :) But I love him just the same! :)
He is rather distinguished looking for his age, don't you think?

Tomorrow we will finish our last visit of our home-study for our adoption. I am so thankful that we are making some progress in this process. It is fun wondering if we will adopt a boy or girl. We probably won't know for awhile! Either way, we will be happy to have a new little one who needs a Christian home! We will need God's help each step of the way! :)

This Is the Day and the Place

There are times when I do wish we lived back in the "simpler days" as in Andy Griffith, but then I realize that there would still be problems we would have to deal with that have already been resolved in this era. God has us in this particular time of events for a specific reason. May we be content with His will for us. This Portals of Prayer devotion for today says it so well.
Devotional Reading for: 8/25/2006	Associated Scripture Readings: Ephesians 2:12–22 Psalm 145
This Is the Day and the Place
And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:7
During my grandma’s lifetime, from 1894 to 1992, she witnessed the advent of electric lighting, central heating, telephones, automobiles, airplanes, indoor plumbing, radio, television, computers, and space exploration. Penicillin and the polio vaccine removed many horrors of disease. What an incredible time to be alive! We often hear the question “If you could choose any time in history to live, what era would you choose?” In answer, we often romanticize the past, longing for simpler times, yet forgetting the struggles with the elements, dire diseases, poor sanitation, and so forth. Or we romanticize the future, citing our advances as evidence that the human race can and will solve all our ills. Both answers falsely assume that true peace comes from within ourselves. Because we are corrupted by sin, true peace can only come from outside of us. And it does. It comes from Christ. It is Christ. Christ is our peace. He made peace by His cross. Jesus grants peace and joy for every age, every day, and every place.
Heavenly Father, we praise You for the hope, peace, and joy that are ours each day because of Your great love through Jesus. Help us be content wherever You have placed us. Amen.

Hello everyone! I hope you are all doing well! Our computer has been on the blink and not much blogging has been going on here! We have also been busy with office work as well as getting ready for school and our last home visit for the adoption in a couple of weeks. So ... I don't know how much blogging I will be doing in the next couple of weeks. I will do my best. God has been very good to us and helped us in so many ways. Through all this busyness may we be truly thankful and humble and keep Christ first always. Blessings to all!! :)

I had this posted and do not know how it got back to a draft! Oh Lucy!!

Book Meme

Barb the evil genius has tagged me for this little questionnaire.

1. One book that changed your life: The Bible has definitely transformed me in a most miraculous way and will continue to change me throughout my life. I would be totally lost without it. Wouldn't we all be lost? Besides the Bible, I would have to say that the one life-changing book would be For Better or Best, Understand Your Man by Gary Smalley. Although I do not agree with some of his theology, I did learn to apply a few life-changing ideas which helped me see my husband in a much different way. Now our pastor would probably say that this is a "how to book", but it still has some value in it. It helped me to appreciate my husband and understand why he may think and do things differently than me.

2. One book that you ha’ve read more than once: This book would have to be Gone With the Wind which I read two or three times back in high school.

3. One book you woul’d want on a desert island: Besides my Bible, I would want to have Love Lucy, an autobiography of Lucille Ball or a good biography of Lucy.

4. One book that made you laugh: It was a book about Lucy.


5. One book that made you cry: The book, The Other Side of the Mountain, written about Jill Kinmont who was an Olympic skier from the '50s, was definitely a good book but a tear jerker.

6. One book that you wish had been written: I wish there would be a fast reading book (and not too lengthy) about time management. I know that there are books on this subject. I just need a little one with a few good tips.

7. One book that you wish had never been written: This would have to be the first book of the Left Behind series, Left Behind. This is a book (and all its sequels) that has brought and will continue to bring mass confusion about the end times.

8. The book you are currently reading: I am currently reading two books at the time so I must mention them both. One is The Book of Concord, and the other is Answer to Anxiety by Herman Glockel. The latter is a book I wrote a post on a few months ago.

9. One book you ha’ve been meaning to read: Actually I have "been meaning to read" an A Beka history book for quite some time now to brush up on my history a little more.

10. Now tag five people:
Scottius Maximus, Favorite Apron

After Barb the evil genious' comment on my previous post about faith and education, I thought I should clarify myself. She brought up some great points. I apologize if I gave anyone the wrong impression. I believe that parents should instill in their children but not cram down their throats the importance of having a solid faith in Christ, relying upon His Word daily, and seeking His will daily through prayer so that they will discover their interests and God-given talents, pursue their goals, and be able to support themselves. This should be for both girls and boys. Our children need to be strong and able to survive in this world spiritually, physically, mentally, emotionally, and educationally. It doesn't mean that we should just focus on the spiritual side and let the educational side or other parts of their lives just blow off into the wind. There has to be balance.

My main intention for posting Martin Luther's comment was to offer encouragement to other parents, particularly home-schooling parents (All parents teach though.). As a home-schooling mom I go through my times when I doubt that I am doing a good job as our children's teacher. As with all issues, I just have to pray for God's grace, truth, wisdom, and discernment. I know that this is the path that our family has chosen, and we believe that it is the right choice. And though I must always strive to teach all the necessary subjects and skills, teaching our children about Christ is the top priority.
But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Matthew 6:33

I hope that I have expressed my points more clearly!! :)