Today I Choose

Today, I came along a motto I once had memorized and would say to myself very often.  I first learned it while on a mission trip with Global Expeditions.  It goes something like this:

Today, I will live honorably through my thoughts, actions, and speech. I choose to be full of faith; I will not only be a hearer but a doer of the Word of God. I will serve before I demand, I will love and not hate, and I will give before I take. Today, I choose to make a difference in this world and to be a part of something bigger than myself. I choose to dedicate my life to prayer and ask God for His miraculous power and the courage to do the impossible. I will make Godly relationships a priority in my life as I esteem others higher than myself. Today, I will live my life in such a way that I Will Change the World.

My first GE mission trip in 2007- what a life changing experience
as I realized how God is able to work through somebody so insignificant
like myself.

These last few months, I have found myself more worried about the smaller stuff that I have forgotten my true reason for being here.  I have gotten in such a routine, and unfortunately I have not put time in that routine to let God take a hold of my life and lead me in his ways.  

I plan to change that. 

God has big plans for me each and every day he blesses me with while on this earth.  As he does for each and every one of his children on earth.  

Things are going to change these next few months, and I'm excited for these changes and to see how God will move in my life! 

Tea Parties and Fishing Trips

My mom took Peyton out to get some pictures done by a friend at church.  We started at the Tea Party but Peyton took a liking to the Fishing set up and ended up over looking at the fishing rods and fish.

Funny Story of the Day 

• While trying to get Peyton to smile, we handed her a flower and tried to get her to smell it and look at "how pretty the flower is".  Peyton then continued to put the flower in her mouth and eat it.  I have never seen her make such a disgusted face in my life.   

For more information on the photographer who took these cute pictures:

Click Here

Couponing Hints

Today I went to my first "coupon meeting", just to see what else I could do to save money and if it's actually doable.

Here is a list of places to get coupons (honestly the woman who ran this meeting is a pro at finding deals and gets most of her stuff crazy discounted if not free) that work in Canada and make couponing doable in Canada.

• TEAR PADS
• These are located at your local grocery and pharmacies
• COUPON INSERTS/APPS
• Local newpapers or ebay.ca/checkout 51/snap saves
• MAILED COUPONS
• You need to visit the sites, set up accounts and get your coupons 
• websaver.ca
• brandsaver.ca
• save.ca
• gocoupons.ca
• rightathome.ca
• PRINTABLE COUPONS
• livingwell.ca
• smartsource.ca
• pgeveryday.ca
• smartcanucks.ca
• COMPANIES THAT MAIL YOU COUPONS
• mrsjanuary.com
• couponchristine.com
• OTHER SITES
• simplyfrugal.ca
• groceryalerts.ca
• savealoonie.com

Living on A Budget

Here's a topic that nobody likes to talk about... money and budgeting.... 

This past year, we have really had to budget due to the fact that neither of us were working while we were in Kingston and now that we are back in our regular area, I am only working part time as I am a full time student, and Wes is working full-time. 

So here are some of my tips I have found useful to help us live on our budget while making all our bills:

• Make the bills equal payments -- this ensures there are no "surprises" when the bills come throughout the month
• Price match and coupon- Flipp is a great app for this- though you can always just use the paper flyers (as I sometimes do) if you get them in a mail-- Walmart and Freshco will price match almost anything and Food Basics will price match but has a limit on how many things can be matched each trip -- Other apps that are great for saving money while grocery shopping is Checkout 51, Snap Saves (along with others similar to these two)-- on average we save around 20-25% of our budget each week (we aim for $50 but usually end up around $60 once we buy things such as cat food)
• Be conscious of the gas used each week.... this is our downful.. insurance and gas kills us as we both commute to work-  We are lucky and live by a reserve so I can fill up on gas if I go through that area for a cheaper cost- If I am in town, I like going to Canadian Tire and using their copuons for 10x or 13x the Canadian Tire money (it adds up VERY quickly and takes 10 extra seconds to run into the store beforehand)-- If I am not near one of these two gas stations, I have all the points cards in my dash for any other emergency gas stops I may need to make 
• Buy things used- children's items especially tend to be grown out of very quickly and hence have alot of life left in them 
• Pack a lunch... again this is another downfall of ours, but we are working on it.  Taking the extra time to pack a quick lunch saves a ton of money 
• If you have the resources and patience to cloth diaper- do it!   Wes and I are able to count on our hands how many times we have had to buy diapers as we have clothed the majority of Peyton's life (except when we were in an apartment with no laundry)... It does take a bit more work than disposable diapers but I would definitely recommend it
• I cut Wes' hair, as he gets very simple cuts and it didn't make sense to go to a hair salon and do this (though I still get mine cut by somebody else)--- A set of clippers and scissors is under $20 and we haven't paid for a haircut for Wes in over 2 years now
• Budget- know how much you have set aside for everything each month and stick to it!

Though Wes and I are by no means "money-saving gurus", I have found these small tips have helped out alot.   

What are some small ways you save money?

Yummy Apple Salsa & Tuna Salad

So this weekend I found myself a Tupperware Quick Chef.  

Here's some background on me.... 

I don't cook. 

I can't cook. 

Don't get me wrong, I have tried... but I have failed (sorry for those at work who have had to try my hard as rock cookies... it's the thought right?)

But this weekend I tried some recipes with my Quick Chef.  

Surprisingly enough they turned out quite good.   

I started first with a Apple Salsa.  If I did it again I wouldn't put the jalapeno pepper in as it is quite spicy, but still was fairly good.  

I then went onto Tuna salad, a great quick lunch item to have to make sandwiches with.  

Check out the Recipes here