Friday, Friday, Friday

Hello Folks!
Happy, happy Friday.  Today is special because it's the day my big sister was born.  A happy birthday shout out to my sister Lonnita (redovencreations.com)!  I have a few things to discuss today and then it's off to work for the day!  Tomorrow my neighborhood is having a community garage sale.  I've never had a garage sale, but let me tell you, I have plenty of items in this house that need to go!  Why not make a penny or two off of them? I just found out about the sale on Wednesday and I'm afraid I am unprepared.  How long does it usually take to be setup for a garage sale?  All I know to do is pick the items, price them and set them out.  Is one day enough time?  That's what's on the agenda for today.  Wish me luck!

Okay, second agenda item for discussion today is couponing!  Besides this becoming my husbands new obsession, it is a lot of work!  We, like many of you, have been watching that Extreme Couponing show on the TLC network and have cut down our grocery bill by more than 50%!  We were using coupons before we watched the show but now, it's on another level.  A few weeks ago the local Marsh stores trippled coupons for 4 days!  Ya'll know I have a coupon binder CHOCKED FULL of coupons, so we went to town!  Our bill was $216 and we paid 39 cents after all our coupons were deducted!  Check out photos of some of the deals below! I am saying this to tell you; if you aren't using coupons you are throwing away money and I'll gladly recoup that money for you (feel free to send me your unused coupons). 

Now, I don't spend hours upon hours clipping coupons and prepping like the folks on the show.  I do purchase 4 Sunday newspapers for the coupons, search the ads and login to my favorite couponing sites on Sunday afternoon.  It takes about 2 hours total to get everything done. I don't shop at one store, I shop wherever the sale is that matches the coupons I have.  I don't stick to certain brands.  Whatever is on sale and I have a coupon for is what I buy.  No store is off limits.  I shop at Kroger, Marsh, Meijer, CVS, Walgreens, Family Dollar, Double 8 (Yes! don't sleep on the stinky stores!), Deals and occasionally Walmart.  Walmart takes a lot out of me so I try to stay away unless there's an irresistible deal.  Try starting small and cutting out the coupons that come in the mail.  Match them up with the ads that came with them.  Purchase items not when you need them, but when they are on sale.  That way you build up a stockpile and you'll always have what you need before you need it!  I have a closet full of toothpaste, toothbrushes, tissue, laundry detergent, etc. that will last me for the rest of the year!  Work smart, not hard.  Make this a challenge for yourself and reward yourself for it; using some of your $$ you saved, purchase something nice for yourself!  Hope this helps ya'll save $$ before the weekend hits.  For many, it's payday, save your cash.  Happy Friday!

The cost of relaxation is FREE!

So....I get up every morning at 5am to get my hubby off to work for the day.  I fix his lunch and breakfast followed by one of the following: cleaning, gym time, sleeping, writing, studying, praying and meditating.  I did something a bit different last week that was so wonderful, I had to share it with you all.

After breakfast, hubby and I decided to sit on our deck at dawn and let nature feed our souls.  The birds were busy starting their day and the sun was shaking its sleep off and starting to rise. It was fabulous!  I thought hmm...what a simple way to start the day.  I had never thought about just sitting.  I'm not one to sit in the mornings because I believe it makes me sleepy and gets me in a mindframe of laziness for the day.  I have to talk myself out of climbing back in the bed every morning after hubby goes to work.  Most days, I win.  There are others that aren't so successful.  Anyway, after I sat outside for another hour after hubby left, I decided to take nature with me all day.  I got myself dressed, grabbed my dog and headed to Ft. Harrison State Park for a nature walk.  It was around 7am and the park doesn't officially open until 8:30 (open with an attendant on duty).  I was the only car in the park!  Okay, for those of you that don't know, I have a fear of being in nature ALONE!  If something happens, whose around to hear me scream?  What if a deer decides to stomp me to death?  Nobody would know! LOL.

I worked up the nerve, got out of the car and started my walk.  It turned into a jog because the sounds of nature and knowing that I was alone was so frightening to me that I panicked...slightly!  Then I thought, what's the point of being in nature if I don't want to BE in nature?  Didn't I come here to relax?  So, I decided to walk the paths in the park that I had just jogged.  It was the best thing I did for myself that day.  I was more relaxed once I let all my inhibitions go, and the fact that I didn't get stomped by a deer helped!  I was able to get my meditation time in, get my run in for the day, exercise my dog, get over  my fear of nature (slightly) and relax.  Everyone should take time out, even if it's 15 minutes, in the mornings to reconnect your soul with the nature that God intended for you to enjoy.  Your Creator gave you the gift of trees, birds, grass, fresh air, etc, etc..receive it gladly!  The best part is, in this economy, this is a free commodity for you to enjoy!

Here's a few photos I took from my deck the morning of.

Tammi, where have you been?

Hello Folks!  It's been a LONG time since my last post.  I looked at the date of my last post and realized I haven't had one post in 2011!  I looked at my sister's blog and a friend of mine's blog and realized....dang, they post almost everyday!  I better get back on the ball! I have had my hand in several projects and kept myself busy with different tasks this year.  I've got a moment free so I can update you guys on what's been going on in my life.  I'll try to be better about posting from now on....YIKES!

Well, let's see.....so, I finished my first book and have a contract to get it published (Woo-hoo!) and I am finishing up my second book, which will become a series.  My first book is titled: A Diamond in the Rough: The chronicles of a teenage wife and mother.  This is a non-fiction book about my experiences, failures and successes as a young wife and mother.  It contains personal stories and advice around issues of low self esteem, rape, rebellion, discrimination, love, faith and hope.  The second book titled: The Barnsby's: To Whom Much is Given, is a fiction novel about a family that appears to have it all; looks, love, family, money, careers, education etc., but what happens when you have everything you could ever want?  Does that mean you don't ever have any problems?  Does having it all make your life perfect?  Stay tuned for more information on these great stories. 

This Fall, I plan to venture out with my consulting business to impact the lives of young girls suffering from low self esteem and a poor body image.  I'm nervous and excited at the same time!  I'm also set to begin teaching a class at my church and I am volunteering at a local domestic violence shelter for women and a community center for low income children in addition to my daily duties of cooking, cleaning and supporting my hubby and kids.  Whew....that's a lot!  There are several other things in the mix that I've done or am involved in but I will stop here with all that jazz.

So, what plans do you guys have for the summer?  I would love to hear from you!  Oh yeah, check out my moms webpage.  She's got some fabulous articles about faith, love and life.  There are some wonderful tools on there to help anyone going through a tough time.  She is a Certified Christian Life Coach and a great woman of God.  Check it out: www.virtuous-woman.web.officelive.com

Happy Wednesday everybody!
-T