Monday...Monday

Well, this is the week!  The biggest week in our church year. :)  This Saturday is our 3rd annual teen rally.  This is the first year that we had pre-registration and we have over 100 teens and chaperones pre-registered.  PTL and yikes!  I am all tied up in knots since I got back from ladies conference on Saturday.  LOL!  So pray for me this week.  Pray for my husband, our speakers and our youth staff.  

So my morning started with finding out that I was getting off work at 9 am instead of my usual 8 am.  This put my day back an hour...I just wanted to get home and get in a hot shower.  On my way home, I dropped off my time sheet and got gas.

My plan was to shower and head out to do my errands.  Well, the time was already late so I changed my plan and decided to leave after noon.  I just could not leave my home in the crazy mess that the weekend creates.  And my wonderful husband had straightened up but no one had dusted, swept or vacuumed since Wednesday.  So the dust and dirt was overtaking my home.  I felt much better to clean before I left.  Make the bed, dust, sweep, vacuum, do the dishes, clean the bathroom...and all that stuff that just makes you feel better after it is done. :)

Our first stop was chicken sandwiches and yogurt parfaits at McDonald's.  My dad had sent the girls gift cards and it was fun to use them for lunch.  Then drop off library books, check the post office mail, mail off a church payment, pick up my husband's dry cleaning, stop at Best Buy to get my phone back from repairs, shopping for the rally at Wal-Mart, wash the van from my trip, and finally ending up at the church.  We were able to unload the trailer and organize all the supplies for the rally.  Including a trip to the church storage unit.

Then a stop at Burger King for...wait for it...$.25 small iced coffees!!!!!!!  Can you tell I am excited!?  I love coffee and I love iced coffee.  And you can not beat $.25 treat for the day!  This deal lasts until March 10. :)

Then home for dinner out of a box...beef stroganoff.  LOL!  

Tomorrow, more shopping for the rally.  Happy Monday!

SVBC 3rd Annual Teen Rally

Please be in prayer this week for our 3rd Annual Teen Rally this coming Saturday.  We have invested countless hours into planning and preparing for this one day event.  Pray that the teens that attend will respond to the gospel and many will make decisions for Christ.

If you are in the Reno-Sparks area, Northern Nevada or California and would like to attend, please come!  You can click here and you will be directed to our Teen Rally page on our church website.

Thank you for your prayers!  We covet them.

Recipe: Cake Mix Cookies

Here is a simple and inexpensive recipe to make on your next baking day!  I will be trying these on my next baking "therapy" day. :)  And what is fun is that you can make these in many different flavors!

Cake Mix Cookies

1 box cake mix - any flavor
2 eggs 
1/2 cup of oil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  
Mix together cake mix, eggs and oil until smooth.  
Drop by rounded teaspoon onto an ungreased baking sheet.  
Bake for 10-12 minutes.

Video: SVBC Children's Choir

A few weeks ago, our children's choir sang for the Sunday morning service.  Here is the video of them that I uploaded to You Tube.  Watch the little girl on the right hand side...yep, that is our youngest stinker.  She loves to sing and had been practicing with her big sisters at home.  She really got into it. :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YiI3CUFP4T8

Time Management-Part Four-Making a List

Time management...simply trying to get the most out of your time in a day.  

Lists.  

Simply make a to-do list the night before.  

Two reasons I make a list.

1.  The minute I wake up, I have a plan I am putting in action.  

2.  Every thing you can cross off is a sign of success.

This may seem simple.  A no-brainer.  For some who may already have this habit, it probably is.  But if you don't have this habit, try it for one week.  And see how much more you will accomplish in your day. :)

How To Get Past A Hurt...

I had a lady ask me a few days ago..."How do I get past a hurt of someone who has hurt me with mean and cruel words?"  Isn't this life a series of learning experiences?  Mine sure has been lately.

  

This lady said that she was praying for the person that had hurt her.  That certainly is something we should do.  But I have another thought to share...

My husband always says, "Don't pray for your husband to be a better husband.  Or your wife to be a better wife.  You pray for you to be a better husband or wife."

So, if you have been hurt by someone, and if you are praying for them...try something different.  

Just pray for yourself.  

I think you will be amazed at how different things look. :)

Recipe: Whole Wheat Muffins

Easy Whole Wheat Muffins

Here is a recipe I found that I would like to try...when the craziness of these next two weeks are over. :)

Makes 18 muffins

INGREDIENTS:

• ½ – 1 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 2 cups buttermilk*
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1 cup white flour (you can substitute additional whole wheat if you prefer)
• ½ teaspoon salt

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Beat the egg and sugar together. In a separate bowl, mix the dry ingredients together. Add to the egg mixture, alternating with the buttermilk, until combined. Put in greased muffin tins and bake 15-20 minutes.

These can be stored in a Ziploc bag at room temperature for 1-2 days (make sure they are completely cooled before putting them in the bags). If storing for longer than that, keep them in the refrigerator or freezer.

*Homemade buttermilk: 2 tablespoons of lemon juice or vinegar in a 2-cup measuring container, and fill the rest with milk.*

Couponing - Week of Feb. 10

At CVS this week, I did the deal for select P&G products.

Tide is $5.94 each.  I used 2 MFR coupons - $3 off 3 Tide products and $1.50 off 2 Tide products.  I received $10 ECB back.  I also used a coupon through my email from CVS - Spend $30, Receive $5 off your purchase.  Making each container of Tide - $2.04!!!!

I also picked up a bottle of Johnson's baby lotion on clearance for $1.12 - 75% off. :)

Here are few items that I couponed for at the Dollar Tree.

Colgate toothpaste (must be 4 oz. for some coupons - this coupon had no size restriction except no trial sizes) - $.50 each.

Oral B Flossers - $.25!

Lady Speed Stick deoderant (again-usually the sizes that Dollar Tree carries are restricted on the coupons - this coupons had no size restrictions) - $.50

Wishbone salad dressing - $.50 Yum!  Blue cheese. :)

Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Time Management-Part 3-Dishes

My tip for time management for dishes...

DO THEM.  LOL!  If you are blessed, you may have a dishwasher.  I live in a home that was built in 1950...and when we bought it, we did not have dishwasher hook-ups.  

So, needless to say, with 4 kids that home school, there is a constant stream of dirty dishes coming to the kitchen.  

My usual dishes schedule:

1.  I start washing any dishes from the previous night as I cook my husband's breakfast and make his lunch in the morning.  I also wash the breakfast dishes at this time. 

2.  When I begin dinner preparations, I wash dishes again.  This includes lunch and snack dishes and any dishes I dirty while preparing dinner.

3.  After dinner, I wash the dinner dishes.  This should be only the dishes that we ate off of for dinner as well as the serving dishes.

If I do not do the morning routine, I will come to the time to prepare dinner and I have double the dishes.  Yuck.  The trick is to stay on top of them...just like the laundry. 

I also have my daughters take turns drying the dishes each time.

Time to manage that dirty pile of dishes! :)

Recipe Idea for Leftover Buns

Leftover buns from your latest Super Bowl party or BBQ?  Make mini pizzas!

Simply top with pizza or spaghetti sauce, pepperoni and mozzarella cheese.  Bake for about 10 min. at 400 degrees.  Easy and kid friendly!  And you won't be wasting those buns.

Super Bowl Party 2013

Here are a few pictures from our church's Super Bowl party this year...

Excuse my husband and his weirdness! :)

There was lots of good food and fellowship!

The kids enjoyed playing outside in the beautiful weather!

Watching the game.

Sundays at Sierra View

Here are pictures from our first Sunday in our temporary facility on February 3, 2013.

This is our Sunday School room for the children.  We have three classes currently here.

Summer in our nursery area. :)

Adults meet in the main auditorium for Sunday School.

Teens in Sunday School.

The main service Sunday morning.

This is our family singing. :)  Not sure what Sierra is doing!  LOL!

Junior Church time!

Again, not sure what Sierra is doing again!

Couponing for Week of February 3

Yay for couponing!  Yesterday, we had a lull between appointments and I was able to do my CVS couponing trip for this week.

This above deal was at Wal-Mart!  My friend, Shannon, told me they had cleats on sale for $5!  As you know, my girls are doing softball this spring and they need cleats as part of their uniform.  I was very excited to buy them both a pair for only $5 each!  Praise the Lord!

This week, I did a deal where you buy $30 of certain products - you receive $10 CVS cash card.  Yep, you got it...more TP!  Hey, you will always need it. :)  I bought 4 packs for $7.49.  Used 2 MFR coupons - $1 off 2 packages.  Received my cash card.  Each pack was then only $4.49!   

I now have 96 rolls of TP in my closet.  LOL!

I found more CVS body wash on clearance for $.99!  So I cleared them out...6 more bottles. :)

I now have 22 bottles of body wash.  Woo hoo!

Palmolive dish soap for $.74.

One Febreeze Set and Refresh air freshener - $.99.  I put it on my secretary and it smells so nice.

Oral-B toothbrush - Free!

Mach 3 Turbo Razor with 2 cartridges...and 8 additional Mach 3 Turbo cartridges...total of $8.69!  That was a major steal!!!!!  And believe me, you rejoice when you score a deal on razors and cartridges.  They are super expensive!  I saved just on those two things - $29.50 off of the retail original price.

I praise the Lord for great deals this week! :)

Recap of my week...

Recap on my week...

This week started off busy with our first Sunday in our new building as well as our church Super Bowl party.  Pictures to come on Sunday!

Monday, I had our ladies Bible study.  We studied on a changed mind.  I always enjoy spending time with the ladies of our church during our monthly Bible studies!

Tuesday, I met with the city inspector who inspected our renovations so far on our church building.  Praise the Lord we passed seven inspections and are now able to finish the work on the new bathroom and the walls going up!  In the evening, I attended a CPR and First Aid course with my friend, Shannon.  It is a requirement for my work.  Three hours later, I received my certification! :)

Wednesday, work at home.  I was able to to get much accomplished and I love those days!

Thursday, I began a side cleaning job that I will be doing every three weeks.  After finishing that, I did couponing at CVS and then met my husband to sign the closing papers on our home at the title company.  No, we are not moving.  We refinanced our home and was able to lower our interest rate on our loan from 5.875% to 4.00%.  It lowered our monthly payment $161 a month.  Praise the Lord!  

It is a good feeling to have that entire process completed!  It did take several months and I am happy to have it done.

Today, is more work at home.  Tying up lots of loose ends - especially for the weekend.  Back to work tonight.

Hope you also had a great week!  God bless!

Time Management-Part Two-The Paperwork Trail

Let's tackle another tip for time management...

Another area that seems to overtake me is...office work.  Perhaps I should clarify...not all office work...just the paper part of it.

I recently started a new system for me.  You see, I HATE paper trails.  It is annoying, messy, takes up valuable space.  Some people keep every receipt, every bill, every pay stub...I can not.  However, there are necessary things that we must keep and have a record of.  

I am also the church secretary and I do our church's finances and have to keep record of all those blessed receipts.  This last year, it has nearly overwhelmed me.

And then there is that horrible word...FILING.  Ugh.  I hate, hate, hate filing.  It is just a horrible task.  It is something I let pile up...and overtake my office.  Geez.

I needed to make a change if I was to be successful in this area of my life.  So...

This year, I am going paperless.  I am scanning and saving in files on my laptop...all my receipts, pay stubs, important documents, etc.  

No more filing.  No more paper trail.  No more headaches. :)  I can not tell you what a change in my life this has made.  You see, clutter really does affect you physically and mentally.  I try to stay clutter free in my home...but I was having difficulty in my office...due to paperwork!  Now, I can work better with a clearer mind...because I have eliminated that clutter of paper.

Maybe this tip will help you too!

Time Management-Part One-Laundry

I was asked recently about time management as a mom of young children.  How do you manage to balance it all?  There is no magic formula...but I do have things I do that help me in my daily life.

Laundry...

It is something you can't avoid.  And if you do, you will soon regret it.  These are my laundry rules. :)

1.  I do laundry EVERY day.  Even if it is just one load, do it!  We have six people in our home so it is very needful.  I used to do laundry one day (or maybe two) a week.  I find that doing smaller amounts on a daily basis is really no more work than doing it all on one day.

2.  Put in your first load as soon as you get up.  It takes 3 minutes of your time and the washer does the rest of the work while you are doing other things.  The later you wait to start, the later in your day you will be doing laundry.

3.  As soon as the dryer stops, let me repeat, AS SOON AS THE DRYER STOPS, stop what you are doing...and fold and hang up that load of clothes.  If you wait, the clothes will become wrinkled causing more work.  You will want to put in a load of clothes into the dryer and realize you never put away that first load.  Really, if you do anything, DO THIS TIP!  Your laundry for the day will be done just like that (even if you have several loads) and you won't have the unsightly piles of clean laundry around the house.

4.  I fold and hang up the clothes directly from the dryer.  
I don't put them in a basket...and then fold them at the couch.  Why?  Because it is too easy to let them sit in the basket.  Because then I will have piles of clean, FOLDED laundry on my couch.  LOL!  

This is the procedure at our home:  I wash, dry and fold the clothes.  As soon as I have a load folded, I have the older girls stop their school video and put away their clothes.  I put away my own clothing and towels.  Immediately, the clothes are back where they should be and it really only takes around 3-5 minutes from their school time.

5.  I iron my husband and my clothes BEFORE I hang them in our closets.  So whatever clothing item is needed to be worn, it is ready to go.  

Just a few tips in the laundry department!  Have a great Wednesday! :)

Our Temporary Home...

Photos of our new temporary church building!  We are moving into a new suite; however, the renovations are taking longer than expected.  Another church wanted to move into our current suite.  So we are temporarily holding our services in this building.  Not fancy but it will do. :)

Good news!  Today, I met the inspector for the City of Reno and he passed seven inspections for us on our building project!  Our contractor is now able to finish the work and then we will have our final inspections.  Progress is good.  Hope you are having a great Tuesday as well!

Recipe: Ham and Cheese Quiche

Ham and Cheese Quiche

Here is a quick and easy dinner!  It can be frozen as well for a quick dinner later.

I forgot to take a picture of my finished ones...so here it is.  LOL!

Ingredients

• 2 pastry shells (9 inches)
• 2 cups diced fully cooked ham
• 2 cups (8 ounces) shredded sharp cheddar cheese
• 2 teaspoons dried minced onion
• 4 eggs
• 2 cups half-and-half cream
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper

Directions

• Line unpricked pastry shells with a double thickness of heavy-duty foil. Bake at 400° for 5 minutes. Remove foil; bake 5 minutes longer.
• Divide ham, cheese and onion between the shells. In a bowl, whisk eggs, cream, salt and pepper. Pour into shells. Cover and freeze for up to 3 months. Or cover edges with foil and bake at 400° for 35-40 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean. Let stand for 5-10 minutes before cutting.
• To use frozen quiche: Completely thaw in the refrigerator. Remove from the refrigerator 30 minutes before baking as directed. Yield: 2 quiches (6 servings each).

Couponing for Week of January 30

I missed posting my last couponing trip...so here is one for today!

I went to CVS to get the deal - Buy $20 of certain products and receive $5 EB.  I bought six - twelve packs of soda for our church functions.  After the EB's, the twelve packs were $2.50 each. :)

I then found several 75% clearance items!  

Mach 3 razor blades (pack of 8 cartridges-YAY!!) - Regularly - $25.99.  My price - $6.21!

CVS toothbrushes - 4 packs for $.89 each.

Irish Spring 2 pack bar soap - 7 packs for $.62 each.

Snoopy toothbrushes - 4 pack for $1.07

CVS Body Wash - Original scent and fresh scent - 4 bottles for $.87 each.

And because I spent $30 on my purchase, I received and extra $5 off my purchase!  With this savings, it made all the CVS Cherry Body Wash - 8 bottles - all FREE!!! :)

I love finding those 75% clearance stickers. :)  Happy couponing!