Valentines Day

Today was extra special. My Valentines actually started yesterday with a plate of chocolate covered strawberries from Larry. Lindsey and Abby treated us to a day off and made us dinner today, all kept top secret until it was time to eat. They sent us to our room for a long afternoon nap and told us under no circumstances were we to come out.... probably the best gift kids can give their parents. We were surprised with a tackily decorated table (their theme) and the best smelling kitchen I think we have ever had... Chicken Scampi. All through dinner very little was said as we practically moaned through our first helpings and got seconds. They brought out the most tacky puppy love dog cake for dessert to finish off their theme, but thankfully had made a yummy back up dessert.

Today at church, Brother Call spoke and told of a friend that said living the Gospel of Jesus Christ was too hard. He said he thought his friend was dead wrong. Life, especially now, is hard and by being obedient and staying close to the Lord, we can have a life filled with peace and joy. We need Him more than ever. It doesn't mean life will be easy or without problems, but God gives us strength to get through them.
-Brenda

Couponing and a Funeral

This morning we went to the funeral of Garth Smith's Mom, Gwen. I don't think I have ever left a funeral without learning a life lesson. Today's funeral was extra special, you could feel the spirit of the life of this full of life, good woman in the room and the love everyone had for her. I can see Garth got his goodness and personality from both his parents. I have been thinking about her all day with the thought that our lives matter... maybe not in the seemingly large, grandiose ways, but more importantly, in the small day to day acts of service we do for the people in our lives. That's the kind of life I want to live.

Today is Valentine's Eve. I got to spend it with the man I love and our new thrill in life... couponing! Larry & I went couponing with our binder in hand. We quickly went from store to store and loaded up on this weeks good deals. Some deals so good I gasp! Honestly, to be able to save 75%+ on your food bill is remarkable. But the real cool thing is being able to build up a substantial food storage quickly for less money then we would regularly spend for our day to day groceries. It takes a while to fully grasp the system, we are still newbies. Try Savvyshopperdeals.com. It's free! The secret to great savings is pairing up store coupons and great deals with manufacturer coupons that are found in the newspaper and on the internet. We are planning on trying to get the shopping done well before the weekend, it just doesn't seem right to spend a good Saturday in a store when we could be outside :)
-Brenda