"Spring Sing" at The Peace Center 2009  

Posted by: Julie


"Spring Sing, an annual performance of elementary and middle school students, is sponsored by the Pleasantburg Rotary Club and showcases the incredible depth of musical talent found among Greenville County Schools’ choirs.

The performance has helped students learn the importance of setting goals, dividing large challenges into small parts and conquering them one at a time, and the joy of working together and blending talents."

Andrew was one of 5 children from our elementary school selected to perform at "Spring Sing" this year.

Can you see him? He is the boy on the front row right behind the piano.

They performed 5 songs:

"A Jubilant Gloria" - Mary Lynn Lightfoot
"Bist du bei mir" - J.S. Bach
"Circle Round the Moon" - Mark Hierholzer
"When I am Silent" - Joan C. Varner
"Mary Had a Little Blue" - Charles A. Collins

It was really neat to see him up there with all the other children. I am a very proud mama!
After the show he was telling me that lots of the children were nervous. I asked him if he was nervous.

"No. It was no big deal," he said :-)

Gotta love that confidence!(This was taken as we were leaving to go to the performance at the Peace Center)

Bi Lo Bargain Meal of the Week 4/29/09  

Posted by: Julie in

Bargain Meal of the Week

This week Bi Lo has a ton of great bargains. Click HERE to see the ad along with coupon match-ups

This week I'm going to share with you our family macaroni and cheese recipe. We usually serve this as a side dish, but you could pair it with a nice big salad for a light supper.

1 cup dried macaroni noodles
8 oz shredded extra sharp cheddar cheese
2 cups milk
2 eggs
1 tsp salt

Cook macaroni noodles until tender. Drain well. In a baking dish, layer your macaroni noodles and cheese (noodles, cheese, noodles, cheese). Mix together your milk, eggs and salt. Pour over your cheese and noodles. Bake in pre-heated 325* oven for 35 - 40 minutes or until the top is golden brown. Let it rest about 5 minutes before serving.

Southern Home shredded cheese 8 oz = $1.67
Muller's Elbow Noodles 8z = $0.40
2 cups milk = $0.32
2 eggs = $0.20

Total Cost = $2.59

Yummy! Ice Cream...  

Posted by: Julie


31 Cent Scoop Night

Wednesday, April 29, 2009

5 P.M. to 10 P.M.

Join us for 31 Cent Scoop Night at Baskin-Robbins®
and help us honor America’s firefighters with a $100,000
donation to the National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC)
National Junior Firefighter Program.

Participating stores will reduce prices of small ice cream
scoops to 31 cents*. At some locations, you may also have
an opportunity to make a donation to local fire charities.

Everyone is invited

*2.5 oz. scoops (or 3 oz. Soft Serve cones) are 31 cents plus tax where applicable.
Limit 3 scoops person.

John14: 1-3 ; 6; 10-14; 28 -31  

Posted by: Julie in

John14: 1-3 ; 6; 10-14; 28 -31

(1)"Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me.

(2)In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you.

(3)And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.

(6)Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

(10)Don't you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you are not just my own. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work.

(11)Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the miracles themselves.

(12)I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.

(13)And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father.

(14)You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.

(28)"You heard me say, 'I am going away and I am coming back to you.' If you loved me, you would be glad that I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I.

(29)I have told you now before it happens, so that when it does happen you will believe.

(30)I will not speak with you much longer, for the prince of this world is coming. He has no hold on me,

(31)but the world must learn that I love the Father and that I do exactly what my Father has commanded me.

Bloggy Break  

Posted by: Julie

Okay...I need to put down the mouse, take my hands off the keyboard and walk away from the computer for a while.

I'll be off for a week for now. I will stop in to do the "Bi Lo Bargain Meal of the Week" post, but that's it.

Hope you all have a wonderful week! Go outside and enjoy the sunshine :-)

Ingles Bargain Meal ~ 4/26/09  

Posted by: Julie in

Bargain Meal of the Week



It's time for Ingles Bargain Meal of the Week.

We've been without air condition and it's been a wee-bit warm around here so I'm thinking of ways to keep my house cool. One way it is grill out!

Last week Ingles had ground beef on sale for $1.98 per lb. This is week it's $1.58 per lb!!!
It's burger time!!!!!!!!!

1 lb ground beef = $1.98 (4 burgers)
Laura Lynn Hamburger Buns = $0.88 (8 count = $0.11 each bun)
Laura Lynn American Deluxe Cheese = $2.50 16 oz ($o.10 per slice)

Total: $2.82 for four cheese burgers.

Add your favorite burger toppings and chips on the side (Lays are on sale BOGO at Ingles this week) or some corn on the cob (Laura Lynn 6 ct mini corn on the cob 2 / $3.00) and some fresh fruit and you've got one frugal and cool meal!

For more ideas on what to do with ground beef, click HERE.

Rebates  

Posted by: Julie

Don't you just LOVE getting "great" mail?
An unexpected card, a letter from a friend,
MONEY!!!!

I don't do a lot of rebate shopping at Walgreens or Rite Aid. I don't like tying up my money to wait to get it back later. However, sometimes rebates come along that (for me) are worth doing.

Today I mailed in a rebate to Reynolds Wrap. I printed the Earth Day rebate form and put it in my binder. I went bargain shopping at Harris Teeter on Wednesday and picked up a roll of wrap. It was regularly priced at $3.29. It was on sale for $2.99. I used the $0.55 coupon that was in Sundays paper and it was doubled. I paid $1.89 + tax for the wrap and the Reynolds Wrap Rebate will be $3.29. Pretty good deal, huh?

Another rebate I sent in was to Hillshire Farms. They had "Try Me Free" stickers on the package. After filling out the info and sending it in to the company I will receive $3.00 in the mail. Yippie!!

The thing is, I would have bought these items anyway. I didn't make a special trip just to get them. I didn't spend money I had not already budgeted to spend.

I did not buy the item just because it would be "free" after I got my money back. I really don't consider the items to be "free". I paid for them. That money is gone. I now have to wait WEEKS to get it back. That's okay. I was going to spend that money anyway.

The rebate is a BONUS for me.

My question to you is, what do you do with the rebate money you get back? $3.00 here, $1.50 there isn't very much if you just stick it in your wallet. It tends to disappear, doesn't it?

I've been sticking my rebate money in an envelope for Christmas. It's not much right now, but it will help. I also do that with any money I get from answering surveys. Every time I answer a survey for PineCone Research they mail me a $3.00 check. Combine that with my rebate money and any money I may get from Ebates and I've got about $30.00 in my little envelope. By Christmas I may have as much as $100.00 put back. Pretty sweet, huh?

So, what do YOU do with your rebate money?

How do you cut your coupons?  

Posted by: Julie in ,

One of the best ways to maximize your coupon savings is to have multiple "like" coupons. That way, when an item is a great deal, you can buy several to stockpile until the next coupon and sale comes around.

A good question is how do you cut all of those coupons? Doesn't it take a lot of time? Really, it doesn't if you have a good system.

I normally buy 4 Sunday papers at Walgreens for $0.88 each. I save WAY more than the $3.52 I spend each week. I find that 4 is plenty for my family of 6 but you may choose to get more. Sometimes, like this past week, I'll buy extra if there is a super coupon that I KNOW I can use. (This week there were $2.50 coupons for Finish dishwasher detergent and I purchased 6 papers)

The first thing I do is go through all my papers and take out the coupon inserts. I group all the same type of insert together and set them on the table or floor like this...

Then I'll start tearing off the top pages and stack the like pages together. I'll do this until all the pages have been torn apart and stacked together like this....

Now I'm ready to cut. I'll make sure those same 4 like pages are stacked together with the like coupons matching up and I'll cut through all 4 pages at the same time. That way I cut once but have actually cut out 4 coupons...


See how nicely they cut that way?
I will continue to stack and cut my coupon pages until I have all of them cut. As I clip them, I place them in a pile like this...



Now, I'm ready to sort them and get them ready to go into my binder. I sort them in stacks based on how I put them in my binder. All paper products, all personal products, all frozen items, etc....Then I get my coupon binder and starting at the front I add the coupons to the correct section.


Here is my Sparkle coupon, safely tucked away in its own space in my binder waiting for a great sale to come along!

It may look like a lot of steps and that it takes a lot of time, but it really doesn't. I usually clip my coupons in the evening while I'm watching something on T.V. In less than 30 minutes my coupons are all clipped, sorted and safely tucked away for when I need them.

Would you like to see how I organize my coupons into my binder? Click HERE

Also, there is one very important piece of information EVERY coupon binder needs...

YOUR CONTACT INFORMATION!

I've read on many coupon forums that some one lost / found a binder and since there was no name, number or even email address there was no way to return the binder. Something to think about :-)

Precious Little Boy  

Posted by: Julie




 

Posted by: Julie in



These are the days of Elijah
Declaring the word of the Lord
And these are the days of Your servant, Moses
Righteousness being restored

And these are the days of great trial
Of famine and darkness and sword
Still, we are the voice in the desert crying
'Prepare ye the way of the Lord!'

Behold He comes, riding on the clouds
Shining like the sun at the trumpet call
Lift your voice, it's the year of jubilee
And out of Zion's hill salvation comes

And these are the days of Ezekiel
The dry bones becoming as flesh
And these are the days of Your servant, David
Rebuilding a temple of praise

And these are the days of the harvest
The fields are as white in Your world
And we are the laborers in Your vineyard
Declaring the word of the Lord

There's no god like Jehovah!
There's no god like Jehovah!

Ingles Bargain Meal Week of 4/19/09  

Posted by: Julie in

Bargain Meal of the Week



This week I found several Bargain Meal options at Ingles and thought I'd post them all for you.

Let's start with some items
Ingles has on sale this week...

5 lbs or more ground beef - $1.98 per lb

10 lb bag of chicken leg quarters - $0.58 per lb

Laura Lynn Macaroni and Cheese Dinner $5 / 10

10 lb bag of Green Giant Idaho Potatoes* - $2.50
*(use to make Loaded Baked Potatoes, Roasted Potatoes and French Fries)

Organic Sweet Potatoes - $0.79 per lb

Organic Golden Delicious Apples - $0.99 per lb

Braeburn Apples - $0.99 per lb

Lots of other Harvest Brand Organic items on sale

Click HERE to see complete ad.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Meal 1: Chili & Beans - $4.29

Meal 2: Sloppy Joe's and French Fries - $4.06

Meal 3: Easy Cheesy Hamburger Mac - $2.88

Meal 4: Loaded Baked Potatoes

Meal 5: Mediterranean Lemon Chicken, Roasted Potatoes - $4.00

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Chili - $4.29
1 lb ground beef $1.98
1 can Harvest Organic Pinto Beans $0.98
1 can Hunts diced tomatoes $1.00
1 pkg Laura Lynn Chili Mix $0.33

(Follow directions on back of Chili Mix)

Salad and bread make great sides for chili

**Note-- double this recipe to serve with Loaded Baked Potatoes later in the week
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sloppy Joe's - $4.06
1 lb ground beef $1.98
1 can Laura Lynn Sloppy Joe Sauce $0.83
Hamburger Buns $1.25 (approx)

(Follow directions on Sloppy Joe Sauce can)

Homemade French Fries

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Easy Cheesy Hamburger Mac - $2.88

1 pkg. (7-1/4 oz.) KRAFT Macaroni & Cheese Dinner (use Laura Lynn $0.50)
1 lb. ground beef ($1.98)
3/4 cup milk ($0.15)
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) margarine($0.25 approx)
3/4 tsp. garlic salt (pennies)
3/4 tsp. onion powder (pennies)
1/8 tsp ground black pepper (pennies)

BRING 6 cups water to boil in large saucepan. Stir in Macaroni. Boil 7 to 10 minutes or until macaroni is tender, stirring occasionally.

MEANWHILE, brown meat in large skillet on medium heat; drain. Add the Cheese Sauce Mix and all remaining ingredients except macaroni; mix well. Reduce heat to low; simmer until heated through, stirring occasionally.

DRAIN macaroni. Add to ingredients in skillet; mix lightly.

(Add some English Peas or Broccoli as a side)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Loaded Baked Potatoes

(I don't have an exact cost on this. If you make extra chili to use for this dinner it will cost $4.29 plus the cost of the potatoes and the extra toppings. Still it's a very frugal and filling meal)

Bake or microwave potatoes until cooked well and tender inside.

Top with left-over chili, butter, sour cream, cheese, veggies, etc.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Mediterranean Lemon Chicken - $4.00

1 lemon ($1.00 approx)

2 teaspoons dried oregano (pennies)

3 cloves garlic, minced (pennies)

1 tablespoon olive oil (pennies)

1/4 teaspoon salt (pennies)

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper (pennies)

6 chicken legs ** (I would use 6 leg quarters and double my lemon mixture)**( $3.00 approx.)

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
  2. In a 9x13 inch baking dish, grate the peel from 1/2 the lemon, squeeze out the juice (about 1/4 cup) and add to peel with the oregano, garlic, oil, salt and pepper. Stir until mixed.
  3. Remove skin from chicken pieces and discard. Coat chicken pieces with the lemon mixture and arrange, bone side up, in the baking dish. Cover dish and bake for 20 minutes. Turn and baste chicken.
  4. Reduce heat to 400 degrees F (205 degrees C) and bake uncovered, basting every 10 minutes, for about 30 more minutes. Serve chicken with pan juices.
(Suggested side item is roasted potatoes. If you get a 10 lb bag of potatoes you can use them to make roasted potatoes for this dinner and use them to have Loaded Baked Potatoes another day. Green Beans would round out this dinner nicely.)



I believe  

Posted by: Julie in


I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen.
Not only because I see it, but because I see everything by it.
~ C.S. Lewis

The Thoughtfulness of Children  

Posted by: Julie in

While I was outside yesterday doing some yard work yesterday, my older children were in the house making birthday gifts for me.


Here we have the gift my 9 year old daughter gave me. See those big, white sunglasses? Well, they belong to her. My dad bought them for her when they went to the Jockey Lot a few months ago. Yesterday, I borrowed them while I was using the weed-eater because I couldn't find mine. I came in for a break and laid them down. When I went back to get them they were gone! I couldn't find them ANYWHERE! Turns out she grabbed them and wrapped them up for my b-day gift :0) The Chunky bar? Well, that sweet little girl knows those are my FAVE so she made sure to include on in the package.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~




And did you see my card? Isn't that sweet? Of course NO birthday card is complete without money in it. I do think she's rubbing my age in my face a bit, though LOL ;-)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



Don't you love this gift box? Pretty resourceful don't you think?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~




And this is from my 11year old son. Again, you've GOT to have money in a birthday card! I just love he's note he wrote. And that picture! I guess he knows I love that precious face of his. Did you see the note in the box? It says "The paper clips are in a bag in the desk." Guess that was for my peace of mind ;-)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I fail so often as a mother but it feels wonderful to know that they love me in spite of my faults.

Thank you God for these beautiful children and for their thoughtful and generous hearts.

Our Easter Bunny!  

Posted by: Julie in

It's that time again...  

Posted by: Julie in


Bloom is having triple coupons this weekend:
April 17, 18 & 19 starting at 7:00 am

  • Limit 20 manufacturer coupons per visit, per day
  • Coupons up to and including $0.99 will triple
  • Check out the weekly ad HERE

Want to see how I get ready for Triple Coupons?
Click HERE

God's Creation  

Posted by: Julie in

Isn't this a pretty little yellow bird?
My front yard is FULL of them this morning.
I so enjoy watching the pretty birds God has blessed us with.

We have red birds...
and blue birds, too.
Even on rainy, dreary days we just have to look around to see God's glory!

To Do List  

Posted by: Julie in


I spent 2 days last week de-cluttering and deep cleaning my kitchen and laundry room. I am amazed at how much I accomplished! I said a prayer every morning before I ever got out of bed asking God to help me stay motivated and on-task. He certainly answered that prayer!

However, even though I accomplished much, there is still much to be done. I don't want to move on from those rooms until I've finished all my tasks. I'm adding the "to do" list to my side bar so I will see what still need to be done.

Ingles Bargain Meal Week of 4-12-09  

Posted by: Julie in

Bargain Meal of the Week

(Disclaimer: This menu was based on the weekly sales paper from Ingles. There were very few fresh veggie choices available, so to keep the cost of the meal low and to be a complete meal based only on the ad, I have chosen canned veggies)

The Menu:

Roasted Chicken with Brown Gravy
Roasted Potato Balls
Green Beans

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Roasted Chicken with Brown Gravy



Roasted Chicken with Brown Gravy
1 teaspoon dried rosemary
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1 broiler-fryer chicken (3-1/2 to 4 lb)
3 bacon strips
1 cup beef broth
1/4 cup water
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

Combine rosemary,salt, pepper and paprika; rub on outside of chicken and in cavity. Place on a rack in a shallow roasting pan. Arrange bacon strips over breast portion of chicken. Bake, uncovered at 450* for 15 minutes. Add broth to pan; baste chicken with broth. Reduce heat to 350*. Bake, basting several times, for 1-1/4 hours or until juices run clear. Remove chicken and keep warm. Skim off excess fat from pan juices. Combine water and flour; stir into juices. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly; cook and stir for 1 minute or until thickened. If desired, crumble bacon into gravy. Serve with chicken. (Using beef broth adds a deep rich flavor to the gravy.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Roasted Potato Balls
Canned Potatoes (cut the large ones in half so you wind up
with reasonably consistant sized potatoes)
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons dried rosemary
2 garlic cloves
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Melt butter with oil in a large skillet. When butter foams, add
drained potatoes, rosemary, garlic and salt and pepper. Cook over
medium heat, turning frequently. When potatoes are golden, remove
garlic. Serve immediately.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ingredients and cost:

4 lb chicken $3.92
rosemary (pennies)
salt (pennies)
pepper (pennies)
paprika (pennies)
3 bacon strips ($0.54)
1 cup beef broth ($0.60 approx)
water (pennies)
all purpose flour (pennies)
2 cans Laura Lynn White Potatoes ($1.50)
2 tbs butter (pennies)
2 tbs olive oil (pennies)
2 tsp rosemary (pennies)
2 garlic cloves (pennies)
1 can Del Monte Green Beans ($0.67)

Total Cost: $7.23

Saving at Bi Lo  

Posted by: Julie in


I braved the cold (55*) and the rain (it had stopped by the time I went out) to snag some really great deals at Bi Lo.

Thank You to Southern Savers for the great deal match ups!

(4) Lawry's Seasoning Sale : Reg $2.45; Sale $1.23 - $0.50 Q x 2 = $0.23 each

(6) Muller's Egg Noodles: Reg $1.85; Sale $1.50 - $0.55 Q x 2 = $0.95 each

(4) Domino Sugar: Reg $ 3.14; Sale $1.99 - $0.35 Q x 2 = $1.29 each

(4) Pillsbury Brownies: Reg $1.92; Sale $0.96 - $0.35 x 2 = $0.26 each

(4) Southern Home Green Beans: Reg. $0.89; Sale $0.39 each

(2) Southern Home Corn: Reg $0.89; Sale $0.39 each

(1) Spenda: Reg. $7.48; Sale $5.99

(1) Southern Home Sucralose Reg $5.69; Free after Buy theirs Get ours Free
Bi Lo coupon

(1) CV Dog Food 17 lbs: Reg $5.98

(1) Southern Home Cereal: Reg $1.99; Sale $1.69

(2) Country Crock Butter 2 lb 13 oz; Reg. $3.19; Sale $2.00 - $0.50 Q x 2 = $1.00 each

(1) Dozen Eggs Reg $1.59; Sale $1.27

(1) Southern Home Gallon Milk: Reg $2.89; Free after coupon from buying cereal last week

(1) Eggo Waffle:Reg $2.89 - $0.75 Q = $2.14

(2) Palmero Pizza: Reg $6.29; Sale $3.14 - $1.00/2 Q = $2.64 each

(4) Breyer's Ice Cream: Reg$5.29; Sale $1.88 - $0.75 Q = $1.13 each

(1) CV Hot Dogs: Reg $1.50

Sub Total BEFORE savings: $117.31

Total Savings: $69.92

Total OOP: $47.65

He is not here; He has RISEN!!!  

Posted by: Julie in


Matthew 28

1In the end of the sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulchre.

2And, behold, there was a great earthquake: for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it.

3His countenance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow:

4And for fear of him the keepers did shake, and became as dead men.

5And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified.

6He is not here: for he is risen, as he said.

The Empty Egg  

Posted by: Julie in

(thank you to Mom of 9 for this lovely story)

Jeremy was born with a twisted body and a slow mind. At the age of 12 he was still in second grade, seemingly unable to learn. His teacher, Doris Miller, often became exasperated with him. He would squirm in his seat, drool, and make grunting noises. At other times, he spoke clearly and distinctly, as if a spot of light had penetrated the darkness of his brain. Most of the time, however, Jeremy just irritated his teacher.

One day she called his parents and asked them to come in for a consultation. As the Forresters entered the empty classroom, Doris said to them, "Jeremy really belongs in a special school. It isn't fair to him to be with younger children who don't have learning problems. Why, there is a five year gap between his age and that of the other students. Mrs. Forrester cried softly into a tissue, while her husband spoke.

"Miss Miller," he said, "there is no school of that kind nearby. It would be a terrible shock for Jeremy if we had to take him out of this school. We know he really likes it here."Doris sat for a long time after they had left, staring at the snow outside the window. Its coldness seemed to seep into her soul. She wanted to sympathize with the Forresters. After all, their only child had a terminal illness. But it wasn't fair to keep him in her class. She had 18 other youngsters to teach, and Jeremy was a distraction. Furthermore, he would never learn to read and write. Why waste anymore time trying? As she pondered the situation, guilt washed over her. Here I am complaining when my problems are nothing compared to that poor family, she thought. Lord, please help me to be more patient with Jeremy.

From that day on, she tried hard to ignore Jeremy's noises and his blank stares. Then one day, he limped to her desk, dragging his bad leg behind him. "I love you, Miss Miller," he exclaimed, loud enough for the whole class to hear. The other students snickered, and Doris' face turned red.

She stammered, "Wh--why that's very nice, Jeremy. N--now please take your seat." Spring came, and the children talked excitedly about the coming of Easter. Doris told them the story of Jesus, and then to emphasize the idea of new life springing forth, she gave each of the children a large plastic egg. "Now," she said to them, "I want you to take this home and bring it back tomorrow with something inside that shows new life. Do you understand?" "Yes, Miss Miller," the children responded enthusiastically--all except for Jeremy. He listened intently; his eyes never left her face. He did not even make his usual noises. Had he understood what she had said about Jesus' death and resurrection? Did he understand the assignment? Perhaps she should call his parents and explain the project to them. That evening, Doris' kitchen sink stopped up. She called the landlord and waited an hour for him to come by and unclog it. After that, she still had to shop for groceries, iron a blouse, and prepare a vocabulary test for the next day. She completely forgot about phoning Jeremy's parents.

The next morning, 19 children came to school, laughing and talking as they placed their eggs in the large wicker basket on Miss Miller's desk. After they completed their math lesson, it was time to open the eggs. In the first egg, Doris found a flower. "Oh yes, a flower is certainly a sign of new life," she said.

"When plants peek through the ground, we know that spring is here." A small girl in the first row waved her arm. "That's my egg, Miss Miller," she called out. The next egg contained a plastic butterfly, which looked very real. Doris held it up. "We all know that a caterpillar changes and grows into a beautiful butterfly. Yes, that's new life, too." Little Judy smiled proudly and said, "Miss Miller, that one is mine." Next, Doris found a rock with moss on it. She explained that moss, too, showed life. Billy spoke up from the back of the classroom, "My daddy helped me," he beamed.

Then Doris opened the fourth egg. She gasped. The egg was empty. Surely it must be Jeremy's she thought, and of course, he did not understand her instructions. If only she had not forgotten to phone his parents. Because she did not want to embarrass him, she quietly set the egg aside and reached for another. Suddenly, Jeremy spoke up. "Miss Miller, aren't you going to talk about my egg?"

Flustered, Doris replied, "But Jeremy, your egg is empty." He looked into her eyes and said softly, "Yes, but Jesus' tomb was empty, too." Time stopped. When she could speak again, Doris asked him, "Do you know why the tomb was empty?" "Oh, yes," Jeremy said, "Jesus was killed and put in there. Then His Father raised Him up."

The recess bell rang. While the children excitedly ran out to the schoolyard, Doris cried. The cold inside her melted completely away.

Three months later, Jeremy died. Those who paid their respects at the mortuary were surprised to see 19 eggs on top of his casket, all of them empty.

"Why"  

Posted by: Julie in

Matthew 27:32-54  

Posted by: Julie in


The Crucifixion
32As they were going out, they met a man from Cyrene, named Simon, and they forced him to carry the cross.

33
They came to a place called Golgotha (which means The Place of the Skull).

34There they offered Jesus wine to drink, mixed with gall; but after tasting it, he refused to drink it.

35
When they had crucified him, they divided up his clothes by casting lots.

36And sitting down, they kept watch over him there.

37Above his head they placed the written charge against him: THIS IS JESUS, THE KING OF THE JEWS.

38
Two robbers were crucified with him, one on his right and one on his left.

39
Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads

40and saying, "You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself! Come down from the cross, if you are the Son of God!"

41In the same way the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the elders mocked him.

42"He saved others," they said, "but he can't save himself! He's the King of Israel! Let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him.

43He trusts in God. Let God rescue him now if he wants him, for he said, 'I am the Son of God.' " 44In the same way the robbers who were crucified with him also heaped insults on him.

The Death of Jesus
45From the sixth hour until the ninth hour darkness came over all the land.

46
About the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?"—which means, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"

47When some of those standing there heard this, they said, "He's calling Elijah."

48Immediately one of them ran and got a sponge. He filled it with wine vinegar, put it on a stick, and offered it to Jesus to drink.

49The rest said, "Now leave him alone. Let's see if Elijah comes to save him."

50And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit.

51At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook and the rocks split.

52The tombs broke open and the bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life.

53They came out of the tombs, and after Jesus' resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many people.

54When the centurion and those with him who were guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and all that had happened, they were terrified, and exclaimed,

"Surely he was the Son of God!"



Bloggy Break  

Posted by: Julie in


After being sick last week and with Easter coming up this weekend I've decided to take a bloggy break until Monday. I'll get back to posting the Ingles and Bi-Lo Bargain Meal Deals then along with lots of other good things.

May you all have a Blessed Easter!

President Obama bows to muslim king  

Posted by: Julie

Washington Post - Barack takes a bow

How to De-Bone Chicken Breast  

Posted by: Julie in

Around our area we get some pretty good deals on "Bone-In, Split Chicken Breast". Quite often we find it on sale for $0.99 per lb. Much cheaper than boneless, skinless chicken breast. Why not buy the split chicken breast and de-bone it yourself?

Here' some great information I found on how to do just that:

"Figuring out how to bone a piece of poultry is easy because the bones are either visible or quite easy to locate by touch, unlike the bones in a large piece of meat. If the breast halves are still attached, cut them apart at the breastbone, ideally with a pair of poultry shears, which is an amazingly powerful tool that cuts through bones like they're potato chips. No shears? No problem -- just use a chef's knife. For taking out the small bones, use a sharp, thin-bladed knife (a boning knife, if you have one, or a paring knife).

Each breast half will be a little different, depending on how the bird was initially butchered, so just feel your way as you go."


(step 1)

1. Start by sliding the blade of your knife along the remnant of the flat, blade-like breastbone, angling the cutting edge ever so slightly into the bone to avoid deep cuts into the flesh. Use short, swiping strokes as you work.


(step 2)


2. Continue working on the ribs by sliding the blade under the set of finger-like rib bones and working toward the outer edge of the breast until the ribs and breastbone are free. With the tip of the knife, cut around the shoulder joint where the wing bone had been attached to the breast.


(step 3)


3. Feel with your fingers along the top edge of the breast meat for a short bone (half of the wishbone). With the tip of your knife, free the tip of that bone. Holding the bone tip in one hand, scrape the bone with the knife to free it from the meat, working back toward the joint where the wishbone connects with the rib structure.



(step 4)


4. Cut through the connective tissue that's holding the bone to the meat and pull off the ribs and wishbone together, cutting any remaining bits of meat that are hanging on. You may be left with a thin flap of rib meat, which you can trim off to make a neater breast that will cook evenly.



(step 5)


5. Flip the breast over, trim any straggly bits, and smooth out the skin. Save the bones for stock or just discard them. Now your chicken is ready for cooking.

You can also remove the skin if you prefer. This is a great time to put the breast in freezer bags and put them in the freezer for future use.

Good Deal Alert!!!  

Posted by: Julie in

I haven't seen this posted anywhere yet and I thought some of you might be interested.
Bi Lo has a 3 day sale going on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday.
One super duper deal the the 4 lb bag of Dixie Crystal Sugar.


The 4 lb bag in on sale for $0.99! That's a great price but if you have the $0.30 / 1 coupon that was in the inserts a few weeks back it's even better!
$0.69 for 4 lbs of sugar!
(the coupon starts with a "9" so it won't double)
It's a limit of 2 per person.
I plan on making 2 trips to stock up on sugar.
This is also a good time to grab an extra bag to donate to your local food pantry :-)

One Touch~ Nicole C Mullen  

Posted by: Julie in

Chris Tomlin ~ Amazing Grace  

Posted by: Julie in

UGH!!!  

Posted by: Julie in

Last night while I was at Why practice with Andrew and Jessica, SOMEONE left my deep freezer ajar! (I'm thinking that since a little kid golf club was stuck in the door that it was that little 2 yr old boy of mine)

Everything is still cold but it's ALL defrosted!!!!

3 ham steaks, 3 pks of ground beef, 3 pks boneless, skinless chicken breast, 1 pk bone-in chicken breast, 3 pks cubed steak, 1 chuck roast, 2 pks pork chops, 2 pks Italian sauages, 4 loafs of bread I couldn't save, a 5 lb bag of whole wheat flour that is water logged and several containers of homemade soup.

I'm still fighting off this nasty cold and cooking tons of meat WAS NOT in my plans for today!

So far, I've gotten the chuck roast in the crock pot, made taco meat for supper tonight, made spaghetti meat sauce that's now in the frezer and Sloppy Joe's meat mixture that is also in the freezer. Everything else is in the fridge for me to work on a little later today and some tomorrow.

Well, at least I'll be ahead on my cooking for next week, right?