How Low Can You Go?

I just LOVE super Saturday savings. I started extreme couponing about six months ago, and it has saved us hundreds of dollars. At this point, probably thousands. Couponing takes a certain level of patience and dedication, but it is something I am definitely willing to commit myself to. Now, there have certainly been times when I was too tired to research my local sales and I ended up going to the store without coupons. However, I always leave the store feeling cheated. I know all too well you should never pay full price for anything!

I have been teaching my oldest daughter, Makenzie, the importance of couponing and living a frugal lifestyle. We did a pretty good job this weekend during our shopping trip to Publix. We left with $120 worth of groceries and only spent $45 out of pocket.

I wrote the following just one week after I began couponing. It was appropriate months ago, and it is still appropriate today. I will close with these final thoughts and share it here on my blog:

"When I was driving home from the store tonight, I realized my desire to sit down and articulate just how much I am thankful for what God is doing in my life. Around two weeks ago, I decided it was time to make some changes in my weekly shopping routines. I started clipping coupons and visiting different websites that teach mothers how to pinch pennies and be frugal shoppers. All to my delight, in just one week of disciplined shopping with coupons & researching sales, I think I've saved over $300. We have never had so much food in our kitchen and spent so little. It has taken a certain level of commitment to make a meal plan, research my sale papers and organize coupons, but it has most definitely been worth every second. Not only do I owe it to my Lord and Savior to be a good steward of the money he has so graciously given our family, but I owe it to the parents who so unselfishly gave to me for so many years of my life. This alone is reason enough, but I am doing my children an injustice if I fail to teach them about wise spending habits. I am beyond excited about what the future holds as I stick to a plan, remain focused, and watch our savings increase. The Lord says 'to whom much is given, much is expected'.....and I'm not necessarily referring to material possessions or money. When God gives us the knowledge, He wants us to use it."

A Woman's Heart

The picture that accompanies this blog was taken by me on my honeymoon in Maui, Hawaii. My husband and I were driving back to our hotel after a long day of touring the island's waterfalls and beaches. I caught a quick glimpse of a lone cross atop a hill and urged my husband to pull over so I could snap a picture. Looking back, I know why it was so necessary for me to take this picture. The Lord intended it; you see, it is nestled right in the middle of my honeymoon album. It serves a grand purpose.

I did not write the following post. It was written by a lovely young woman by the name of Kaysie. However, I wanted to share this on my blog. It sums up everything I wanted to write about this morning. Kaysie, I am thankful for your insight.


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“A woman’s heart should be so hidden in Christ, that a man should have to seek Him first to find her.” Maya Angelou

This quote has a beautiful meaning and vision to me personally – and I think to every woman who reads it, for two reasons:

1) Our hearts long to be hidden (safe, adored, secure) in something or someone.

2) And the thought of a man seeking God to know our heart is so tender and precious, and would leave any woman feeling extremely loved and cherished.

I would like to discuss each reason in a little more depth.

Yes, our hearts long to be hidden in someone who will protect, love and cherish us immensely for who we are and who we are becoming. But to many women, this quest to be hidden in someone ends in broken hearts, consuming emptiness, and wasted lives.

Take a look at the culture around you. What are most young women “hiding” themselves in? Boyfriends? Appearance? Clothes? Diets? Drugs? Sadly, the answer is yes. Sinful human nature will lead you right to these for satisfaction and happiness. A woman’s identity in this world is based on her man, body, and status. If you don’t have these, you will stand out – in a negative way.

As a result of this unbiblical mindset, young girls are cast into the world scrambling to be hidden in something just to fit in, and to find their own happiness. How cruelly they are deceived when a boyfriend doesn’t make you feel safe, your image changes, and at the end of the day you are still fighting that awful, gnawing hunger for something more in the core of your soul.

Is there a better way? Can women be hidden is something that really satisfies? YES! A sinful woman needs a Savior – and that is Jesus Christ.

“Set your mind on things above, not on the things that are on earth. For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God.” Col. 3:2-3

Dying to the world and it’s ways, we can set our hearts on Someone else. Self has died – and life is hidden in Christ! This word “hidden” can also be translated “planted”, like a seed that is buried in the earth. How astounding that we who have died to sin are like a seed, dead in itself; yet in Christ hidden and buried we become alive and fruitful! We are safe and secure in the refuge of Christ, and our hearts are finally at peace and satisfied in His transforming and fulfilling presence. Our hearts are hidden in Christ alone and this is where we belong.

But we must be prepared to realize that we will not “fit in” by the world’s standards. This quest for a hidden heart in Christ results in a set apart lifestyle that is lived differently than those who are in the world. We don’t (shouldn’t) act, dress, talk, or behave like the world, because we don’t seek the things the world seeks. We seek that which is above – that is Jesus our Lord and the virtues He bestows.

And what blessings this hidden life brings! We have Christ and His Word to comfort and encourage, urging us to press on, stay hidden in Him, and live for Him; conforming to His image and persevering in our sufferings. It is in this set apart life lived for Jesus alone that we embrace the hidden heart and it’s pleasures forevermore.

Our hearts seek no one else for the happiness we find in Jesus. And if it be His will, He blesses us with an earthly man who can represent to us Christ Himself in many ways. For the woman whose heart is truly hidden in Christ is favored to receive a man seeking after God’s heart in all his ways – including finding her.

May your heart stay hidden in Jesus.

Are You Whole?

What does it mean to be whole? To be completely fulfilled? Some people might define fulfillment by financial gain, climbing the career ladder, being in a relationship or perhaps by their ability to gain another person's acceptance. As I sit here today, my definition of wholeness and fulfillment comes from being used by God to complete His purpose in my life, whatever that may be. As I have grown in my Christian walk, I have discovered that in my times of brokenness and sorrow - in my times of complete vulnerability - that is when I have experienced my most intimate moments with God. Those are the moments in which He has moved mountains and spoken to me with such clarity that His voice could not be mistaken. Have I ever doubted God? Of course I have....but I believe that's where faith comes in. In Hebrews it states that "faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen." No matter how painful my circumstances may be, I know I was made for a greater purpose - I was made for God's purpose and not my own. I believe when you have that selfless realization, you begin to live life differently and things suddenly start to change. You begin to truly experience life out of the box. Your obedience becomes a natural byproduct of a genuine heart's desire to serve. Your faith increases. God rewards the faithful and obedient..... and you experience TRUE wholeness and fulfillment.

It's Only The Beginning

Well, I decided it was time to start my own blog! On occasion, I will sit down to write a quick paragraph or two.... but in all honesty, I am bursting at the seams with new ideas and sentiments of gratitude for this wonderful life that my Creator planned out just for me. As I recently stated to a friend, I seem to articulate my thoughts much better on paper. There is something friendly and peaceful about allowing my thoughts to flow through my fingertips.....and what about the hilarious antics of my dear children? Indeed, it's high time I start documenting our lives - and so I give you.... Days of Sol!