2010 Resolution: Be Frugal

Pin It There are not to many things I am good at or even love to do, but I am cheap and I do love a good deal. There is just something about finding and buying something for less then usual that sends my heart soaring. I have decided in 2010 I am going to take it to the next level. I want to be creative in how I can save my family money so we don't have to be slaves to the paycheck. I love that saving money can help bring me closer to Christ. I can be a better steward of the money he has given me. I can simplify by buying less. I can take my eyes off things of this world and look at eternity more closely.
So here are some frugal thoughts so far:
Thrift stores: Why have I neglected them for so long? I was reading the Duggar book and she buys all her kids clothes at second hand stores. If she can cloth her family of 20 I can cloth my family of four.
Craiglist: I am already looking for Christmas gifts for the boys. Like-new play kitchen and tool benches. My boys are one and two years old. They don't know the difference and if they did get new toys they are going to be beat up in a week or two anyway.
And lastly, my favorite...
Salvage grocery stores: 25 pound bags of flour, .75 dressings, cereal for $1.10, chocolate chips for $1.00, .25 taco shells, and cheap cheese.
If I just did these three things I know I could save a ton of money, but I am going to keep looking for more creative ideas. Let me know if you have any other ideas.

Turning Struggles into Gratefullness

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I had a turning point day today as I chose to take the seemingly big struggles of the day and turn them into a grateful heart. Both of the boys are sick and waking up in the middle of the night which equals very little sleep. As I was doing my devotion this morning I was thinking and praying about all the moms who have kids with severe disabilities or fatal diseases. I am so blessed to have two healthy boys with only occasional sicknesses. I couldn't help but thank God it was only the flu and it would pass. Then Justin got in a car accident and call to let me know. Even though I was thinking about how much it would cost to fix the car I had to end feeling thankful because my husband is alive and not hurt at all. God is so good. I have so much to be thankful for that is just the start. My prayer is that I can view sickness as an opportunity for answered prayers and disappointment and an opportunity to expect more of God.

Here are a few recent pics:

Spencer catching up on his magizine reading

Baking cookies for dad's trip

Jackson on the move

Spencer testing mom's cookies for her

My boys at Christmas

Pin It Here are a few pics of our Christmas at the Bartletts. The boys had matching sleepers and it made my day. Spence got a tractor from his Papa and Nana Bartlett and he wanted to open his presents on it. We had such a great time celebrating Christ's birth. I felt to fortunate to be surrounded by our little boys and my great hubby. God had been so good to us in 2009. We are so very blessed.

Ahh... A New Year!

Pin It I have found a moment of silence and a few seconds of time with which I have over a million things I could do during that window, but this seems the most enjoyable. The Bartlett Family has come out of the Christmas Tree season alive one more time and we are excited to get into a new schedule. We are all hoping it will be less busy and filled with more family time, more sleeping, and more relaxing.
Christmas was great celebrating our Savior's birth and enjoying some time with both Justin and my family. The boys are growing and becoming more of their own little people everyday. Jackson is crawling and pulling himself up on anything he can find. Spencer is enjoying his little brother and loves helping his mom with the laundry and taking dirty diapers to the trash.
We have so many plans for 2010. Hopefully we will be able to share them with you throughout the year through our pictures and stories.
I am so thankful the Lord has given us another year to grow closer to him and nurture our childrens hearts to become kingdom bound. What a challenge we have ahead of us!