Last Pictures of SVBC!

We had our information put on our door today! Looks great! :)

Pictures of the auditorium with chairs.

Sunday School and Nursery items.

Kitchenette area.

Nursery area.

Children's class area.

Friday Work Day...Nearly There!

Here are a few pics from today. The platform that the men built. It will be covered in carpet on Monday when our carpet is installed. This is our temporary pulpit built by one of our members-Papa Vern! :)

The front entrance...so far.

I like how the lights light up the wall. :)

Notice above! We had drywall installed in the above area. It was open. You can still hear the noise from the SS area - but it is much better. :)

The bathroom was painted by Mr. and Mrs. Traynor - my best friends. :)

Some of the decorations for the Sunday School/nursery area. :)

The old tenants left this dry erase board which we will hang tomorrow. :)

Thank you to Bro. Shaun and Miss Shannon for helping work today! Also thank you to Papa Vern who came over with our pulpit! Thank you to Sonny who did a few Home Depot trips for the drywalling project.

Second Day...

Yet another productive day of working on our new church building! :) I forgot my camera so no new pictures today. Thank you to Sandy, Chip and Papa Vern for helping me get the first coat of paint on the SS area! Thank you to my brother-in-law, Neil, who helped me with the second coat! I am nearly through with painting...and after I finish the bathroom tomorrow...I will not want to paint for another year! LOL!

Thank you also to Bro. Tom for installing our new thermostat!

Pastor, Bro. Jake, Bro. David and Bro. Vern all worked tonight and built a platform for the auditorium! They did a great job! I am always amazed and thankful for men who use their talents for the Lord's work!

Thank you also to my daughters, Addie and Autumn, who begged me incessantly to let them paint! They did a great job helping!

The progress is getting close to completion! PTL!

SVBC Work Days

Here are few pictures of our new church building! We signed the lease yesterday...got our keys this morning and already have the auditorium painted! Thank you to all the great, hard-working people of our church! Here are the people that helped today...David and Danyelle Zimlich, Cortney Brown, Sandy Powell, Lisa Maxwell, Jake Allen, Sonny Tastet and Shaun and Shannon Traynor. There is more work to be done but praise the Lord for a great start!

Recipe: Fresh Pineapple Salsa

• I made beef quesadillas with this pineapple salsa below last week and it was so yummy!!
• This is a great springtime recipe that is fresh and light!
• 
  
• SALSA:
• 4 medium tomatoes, chopped
• 1-1/2 cups cubed fresh pineapple
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro
• 2 tablespoons lime juice
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

All Tuckered Out...

I love this kid! I put her in her high chair to feed her...went to do something and forgot about her! She never cried or made a peep...I came back and found her asleep! LOL!

Even though my husband made fun of my couponing Sunday... ;) ...I still had to post about my deals. LOL! I got these 5 Dove Men's Care Deodorant for $.60 each! I also bought 2 boxes of Biore Pore Strips and 2 Biore Scrubbing Cleansers for $1.49 each! (These were $8.49 originally!)

I have never tried the Biore products so I am excited to try them.

Our Easter

Happy Easter everyone from the Tastet girls! :)

Yep...this is typical Sierra! LOL!

Just a few snapshots of Easter Sunday morning! :)

Our Easter Sunday was a wonderful day! The weather was decent...but windy, windy, windy!!! We held our services at the Hampton Inn and Suites - our old meeting place. I walked in to the conference room and said..."Did this place shrink??" It seemed so small! LOL! We had 58 for the morning service so it was a full house. :) Thank you to the ladies and men who sang in our group - "Because He Lives"! What a great song! We still held Sunday School...one class even met in the bathroom of the extra suite that we had rented! My daughter said she sat on the handicapped seat in the shower! LOL! My husband and I loved it! What fun and sweet memories we are making!

After the services, we had a delicious potluck meal. We also had one young lady get baptized in the hotel swimming pool! More neat memories! :) After the meal, we went to a nearby park and held an egg hunt for all the children. Most of the eggs didn't blow away. ;)

I praise the Lord for this special day to celebrate His resurrection!

Wal-Mart...I'm back!!!

I have returned as a shopper to Wal-Mart! For all those new couponers...Wal-Mart is a great place to start! You don't have to worry about Extra Bucks and Register Rewards, etc.

The best thing about Wal-Mart is their new addition to their coupon policy!

Any overage from an item may be used towards additional purchases!

Example: My first purchase... I purchased the Similac formula for $3.84 and used a $5.00 MFR coupon. This gave me $1.16 overage. In that same purchase, I purchased the Scott's Natural 4 double roll pack for $2.68 - with a $1.00 MFR coupon - it was $1.68. The overage made the toilet paper only $.52!!! I was able to do 3 of these transactions!

Another great thing about Wal-Mart is their trial size items.

If you have a coupon and it does not state that you can not use it for trial size items...then you can score some great deals and lots of freebies!!

I was able to get all these items FREE and add overage for my other items...

2 - Gain Dish Soap

1 - Trial Head and Shoulders Shampoo

1 - Trial Secret Clinical Deodorant

2 - Trial Secret Flawless Deodorants

3 - Tide - 1 load laundry detergent packets (Great for trips!)

3 - Similac Formula

2 - Reach Floss

I also got 2 containers Clorox wipes (Love these!), 3 boxes of fabric softener sheets - Gain and Snuggle (Island scent :), 2 bottles of NY nail polish (More polish for flip flop wearing weather!) and 4 packages of Scott toilet paper (Yeah...we were on our last roll ;).

My total for all these items was... $7.24!!!

Easter Egg Hunt Deals and More!

This is why I LOVE couponing!!! I love to be able to give to others. :)

This deal I was able to get for our church Easter egg hunt!

I got 2 Toy Story 3 Operation games (for ages 5-10) and 2 Mr./Mrs. Potato Head (ages 2-4) as prizes for the Easter egg hunt on Sunday. The third game I bought as a birthday gift for someone. :)

The games were $2 each after sales/coupons and the potato heads were $1 each! ALSO...I have rebates to send in for a FREE Tombstone pizza coupon for each Hasbro game purchased...so...

I paid $8.00 for 3 games, 2 potato heads and 5 pizzas!!!

And I was able to help out my church. :)

Couponing is not just great for you...use it to be a blessing to others!!!

Refreshing Your Soul...

This morning, I read a verse in I Thessalonians and I was reminded of my grandma...

"...comfort the feebleminded, support the weak, be patient toward all men."

My grandma has digressed in her health and mental state quite a bit in the past few years. Her common sense on how to do every day things has gone and she needs lots of daily assistance. At times, she is very difficult to deal with and will become irritated and angry at the person trying to help her. My mom and dad are very involved daily in taking care of her and her needs as well as my dad's sisters and others in the family.

It is a long and difficult road at times. I am sure it is very emotionally draining to have someone hurt you with their unkind words when you are only trying to help them. The realization is that the person is not going to get any better. There is no "light at the end of the tunnel" so to speak.

Yet, my parents and others continue. They continue to "comfort the feebleminded, support the weak, be patient toward all men."

It is truly a selfless and loving thing. To give to another that can not give back to you. I wanted to say thank you to all those, including my parents, who give to Grandma, when she can not give back. I thank you and I love you!

Don't forget to "refresh" yourselves! The following is written for my parents and others that give on a daily basis...

By some estimates, seven out of every ten doctor visits are fatigue-related. That's a lot of weariness! Sometimes fatigue has other sources, too. Long term stress. Grief. Ongoing frustration. Clinical depression. The list of causes goes on and on.

Always, though, fear and worry make weariness worse. Anyone who has lain awake at night stewing about an aging parent, a straying spouse, or a wayward child knows how quickly fear and worry can dig a pit - and how deep and dark that pit can be.

Into our darkness, the Lord shouts His promise to refresh us! Far more helpful than a splash of cold water on tired eyes, far more effective than two pots of coffee...God's promise touches our hearts, planting seeds of hope. "I will refresh the weary," He says.

A tall lemonade on a hot, summer day. That first dive into the pool. A care package from home. These things refresh us.

How much more refreshing, though, to see a friendly face, to hear a loved one's voice, to receive a hug from someone who cares deeply about us. The presence of those we love during life's lonely, troubled times-now that's refreshing!

And how much more so when the one who comes to refresh our souls is the Saviour, who loved us to death - His own death on the cross!

At times we find ourselves as innocent bystanders in the troubles that engulf us. At other times, we have caused the train wreck of our circumstances. (Or at least contributed to it.) But always, Jesus comes to forgive and heal, to refresh and satisfy our hearts with his love for us. In the light of His promise, worries melt and fears shrink.

Are you "fainting" today from weariness? Are you struggling with an unresolved illness? Are you carrying a burden of guilt...fear...or worry?

Whatever the cause of your fatigues, pause and invite your Saviour to refresh your soul!

"For I have satiated the weary soul, and I have replenished every sorrowful soul."

Jeremiah 31:25

Freebie Week!

This was my shopping trip yesterday. :) Lots of freebies!!!

Scott's Paper Towels - 6 rolls for $3.00. The Snickers PB candy bars and PB MM's were $.24 each! I don't get these candy deals for myself (usually...LOL!).

They are great to have on hand to give to my church family with a note of love or encouragement!

So many people may be having a rough week or day and just a note of encouragement and a "thinking of you" candy bar would really cheer up their day! :)

The rest were all FREE!

4 Snickers/MM's Easter Eggs

Goody hair clips

3 rolls of Scotch Magic Tape - great for school!

Paas Easter Egg decorating kit - Just in time for Easter egg fun! :)

2 Dark Chocolate covered Peeps

2 Green Bag Tags for CVS

If you are a new shopper to CVS - clip your Green Bag tag to a reusable bag when you shop there. The cashier will scan your tag and when you have used it four times...you will receive a $1 Extra Buck reward!!!

I think that is pretty neat. :)

...This week, you can get 2 Green Bag tags for FREE at CVS!

A Beautiful Day with the People of God!

Ahhh...what a beautiful Sunday we had! Sunday is my favorite day of the week! I love the excitement that a new, growing church has! I still consider our church new...at least until we are 1 year old. :) Which isn't far away!!!

We held our services in the Clubhouse again on Cabernet Parkway. The teens were outside for Sunday School and the children and nursery was held in the Traynor home. :) Thank you to the Traynors for opening up their home the last two weeks for our church family!

After church, the teens hosted a bake sale of baked goods that they had made themselves. So many of our church family were so generous for this cause and the teens were able to raise $166 for the Youth Conference trip in June! We have such a great group of young people and I personally am proud and love them all!

On Saturday, many of the teens participated in a work day at the Allen home as well. They have really stepped up to raise their money to attend Youth Conference!

Not only have they worked to raise money for themselves...they also work every month at the Food Bank of Northern Nevada. Last Tuesday, they worked 2.5 hours and bagged over 9,000 lbs of produce that will feed 2,800 families! To date, they have given 52.5 hours to the community! They will also be volunteering at the Reno/Sparks Gospel Mission to help feed the homeless. What a great thing to do as a Christian young person!

We still have not secured a place for our church to meet...many opportunities are in the works! Please keep praying that God will give us the right place at the right time!

It is such a wonderful thing to serve the Lord!!!

Tuesday Deals

OK...this is the deal at CVS that I really wanted to get! I wanted to get 3 of the large ones but after going to FIVE CVS's...I only found one. The rest of the stores were out so I got the compact/mini air fresheners.

The total price after Extra Bucks and coupons was $1.00 for all four air fresheners!!! And it smells so good and fills up my living room. :)

The hand sanitizer in the center was a FREE gift from CVS! It is yummy-Citrus and Coconut! I keep a bottle in my van and we pass it around after we shop in stores. :)

I found these Pampers pull-ups on clearance and after coupons...$3.00 a pack!! And I got a $2 off coupon Pampers at the checkout! Woo hoo!

Pictures from TOH Cooking Show...

Danyelle and me Megan and Lisa

Shannon and her mom, Pam

Here is a few pictures from our ladies activity to the Taste of Home cooking show. I did try to get a picture of Michelle...but after the third picture of her with her eyes closed...I couldn't stop laughing and couldn't hold the camera still! So anyways, we had a blast!!! I love these ladies! :)

Sometimes you just can't stop...

I got these 8x10 collages made at Walgreens with their earlier deal for $1.00 each! So adorable!!

OK...so I lied. I stopped at Walgreens just to pick up my photo order...and I bought the Playtex for $1.99 and the Carefree liners - FREE!

The I stopped at CVS for ONE deal...I promise...and I picked up five packages of Kotex for $ .40 each and the Stayfree for $ .83!

Some things you just can't pass up. :) I will post tomorrow on my other deal. LOL!