God has been prompting me to write this for awhile, but I keep finding "excuses" not to. Yes, I'm lame :)
Our church, CCV, is going through 2 really cool sermon series right now (we have 2 different venues). Ian and I have been attending the Alternative Service for the series Supernatural. One weekend, Dennis spoke about demons and the real forces of evil in our world. One point that really stood out to me was that as Christ followers we can not be demon possessed, but we can be demon oppressed.
Fast forward to that Sunday night at High School service where Ian and I volunteer as "Youth Coaches." One of the girls I've been "coaching" for 3 years was there. She has been to church off and on since I've met her. She has some really crappy stuff in her past- and I mean real stuff, not the stuff fake drama is made of. Stuff that she had no control over and no way to stop. It makes me sick to my stomach to think about what this beautiful, 16 year old girl has experienced in her short life. She has been coming to service less and less and when asked about it she says, she doesn't belong there. When she comes she feels "weird" and "out-of-place." Again, not high school drama, but truly feels something in her soul that she has trouble dealing with. I used to think it was guilt- false guilt over what's happened. But 2 weeks ago, I changed my mind.
As we were singing songs and praising God she kept coming in and out of service, standing in the back, and talking to a friend all in an effort to distract herself from what I described above. Suddenly, I felt an overwhelming need to pray for her in that moment and remembered Dennis's words about demon oppression. Thankfully, she has accepted Jesus into her heart. She's very confused about what that means for her sometimes, but she has been baptized and claims Him as her savior. As I prayed I claimed her in the name of Jesus Christ (please know this is not something I do often, or do lightly) I'm hoping I don't sound like a "crazy Jesus freak" right now, but I promise you what the Holy Spirit put on my heart in that moment was very real.
So, I prayed in His name, and in His power that she would not be oppressed in that moment. That He would get to her heart and help her feel His love and hope. As the singing ended and we sat down she was still there (big surprise because she usually leaves campus altogether by this point). She grabbed my hand and I noticed she had tears in her eyes. I have never, ever in the 3 years I've known her and worked on a lot of these awful issues with her seen emotion actually showing on her face. She asked me if I was busy after service and if I could go and talk about some stuff with her.
We talked for 2 hours about a lot things going on in her life. She was honest and open about all of the junk she was doing to fill the hole inside of her. We had an amazing conversation! I'd love to say she's walking down happy street each and every day completely whole and "fixed." Of course, she is not. She has to make a lot of tough choices to stop a lot of very destructive behaviors that she brings on herself. We talked about her inability to experience and feel emotion and how to work on that. I told her what happened in service and how I had prayed for her because the Holy Spirit asked me to. She was quick to dismiss this, as she can not comprehend how someone could actually love her unconditionally. But I can not dismiss it.
I saw, felt and experienced God's amazing power that night. He opened a door for both her and myself to walk through. And we did- both of us together. She has a long road ahead of her, and I pray that God will show her how many people she has that are willing to walk along side of her and help her in anyway we can. Most importantly I pray she realizes that the God of the universe loves her- no matter what.
If you'd like to listen to the current sermon series you can check them out at CCV's website.
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Share your grocery budget??
OK- I'm so frustrated by my grocery budget. I try super hard to stay within my budget and keep failing. So, one thought is my expectations are too high, aka my budget is too low. I thought maybe you could share your budget with me, how many people you feed on that budget, and how well it's working. PLUS any tips you have for saving money on food. I'll start:
The Budget:
$400/month
This money buys anything you would buy at a grocery store, not just food. For example, I just bought deodorant. Trust me, you don't want me going without it!
It includes an expenditure of $140/month for formula, diapers, and wipes. I can't change this because picky pants won't take anything but Enfamil Lipil- it could be worse.
It feeds 3 of us, but seriously Amelia eats like a bird so she only counts like 1/3 of a person!
It used to be $600/month before unemployment. We were fat and happy :)
Cost Saving Tips of my own:
I have completely cut salmon out of the budget due to expense which disappoints me. Anyone have a Salmon farm with free giveaways?
Also- I have 1/8 of a cow in my freezer so I do not have to buy beef (major cost savings)
Do 80% of my shopping at Super Wal-mart and price match as much as I can, plus use Sunday paper coupons.
Have used the Food Value Club at West Side Food Bank, lots of food, but not always what we would eat following a good fats/good carbs plan.
Menu plan a week at a time and try to use up "extra" ingredients. For example- if I use 4 oz of cream cheese for a recipe I try to use the other 4 oz for another recipe or with bagels for breakfast, etc.
In Closing:
Yes, things like Bean Week have helped. I thought I actually made it this week and was so excited, then went home and opened up Emery's can of formula. Almost gone- YIKES. So, now I'm short $30. Any wisdom you can offer is great. Thanks to my brother-in-law for his tips on my Bean Week post. It's what made me think of this post! Happy Eating.
The Budget:
$400/month
This money buys anything you would buy at a grocery store, not just food. For example, I just bought deodorant. Trust me, you don't want me going without it!
It includes an expenditure of $140/month for formula, diapers, and wipes. I can't change this because picky pants won't take anything but Enfamil Lipil- it could be worse.
It feeds 3 of us, but seriously Amelia eats like a bird so she only counts like 1/3 of a person!
It used to be $600/month before unemployment. We were fat and happy :)
Cost Saving Tips of my own:
I have completely cut salmon out of the budget due to expense which disappoints me. Anyone have a Salmon farm with free giveaways?
Also- I have 1/8 of a cow in my freezer so I do not have to buy beef (major cost savings)
Do 80% of my shopping at Super Wal-mart and price match as much as I can, plus use Sunday paper coupons.
Have used the Food Value Club at West Side Food Bank, lots of food, but not always what we would eat following a good fats/good carbs plan.
Menu plan a week at a time and try to use up "extra" ingredients. For example- if I use 4 oz of cream cheese for a recipe I try to use the other 4 oz for another recipe or with bagels for breakfast, etc.
In Closing:
Yes, things like Bean Week have helped. I thought I actually made it this week and was so excited, then went home and opened up Emery's can of formula. Almost gone- YIKES. So, now I'm short $30. Any wisdom you can offer is great. Thanks to my brother-in-law for his tips on my Bean Week post. It's what made me think of this post! Happy Eating.
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
It's Bean Week!!
In an effort to make our grocery money go farther, we are having "Bean Week." First, some background. Leanne and I went to the West Side Food Bank and did their Food Value Club (you should check it out everyone can do it). The first time we did it, we each received 1 lb of dry pinto beans. I have never cooked a pound of dry pinto beans. So, I put them in the cupboard and tried to forget about them- you know fear of the unknown. Well, given my cookie dough adventure, I figured it was time to break out the beans; good, cheap protein; and put them to good use. I wanted to cook them all at once and use them before they went bad. So here's our menu for the week (which I plan on the weekends and shop for once, by the way).
Monday- Bean Burritos (think Chipotle if you can!)
Tuesday- Veggie Bean Burgers (this is my stretch one)
Wednesday- Chili (this is my easy one)
Thursday- Chicken Surprise (the beans will be pureed and added to this easy recipe)
Friday- Beans, rice and mild sausage (also acquired from the Food Value Club)
So, the moral of the story is: Don't come to the Long's house this week :)
Seriously though, if you want more details on the Food Value Club let me know. I'd like to say my food budget stretched super far this week, but Fry's is having a sale on some baby food items Emery loves so I spent the leftover money on that and stocked up. But, I did refuse to buy the cereal I planned on getting because it was $4.95 a box. That's CRAZY. Maybe you too will do your own "Fill in the blank" week. Let me know how it goes.
PS- God is good!! Our doorbell is broken so I won't know when more fundraising kids are coming to sell me something, unless they knock. And, we ARE NOT going to fix it right now! Just one of the many ways I see God's sense of humor in my life.
Monday- Bean Burritos (think Chipotle if you can!)
Tuesday- Veggie Bean Burgers (this is my stretch one)
Wednesday- Chili (this is my easy one)
Thursday- Chicken Surprise (the beans will be pureed and added to this easy recipe)
Friday- Beans, rice and mild sausage (also acquired from the Food Value Club)
So, the moral of the story is: Don't come to the Long's house this week :)
Seriously though, if you want more details on the Food Value Club let me know. I'd like to say my food budget stretched super far this week, but Fry's is having a sale on some baby food items Emery loves so I spent the leftover money on that and stocked up. But, I did refuse to buy the cereal I planned on getting because it was $4.95 a box. That's CRAZY. Maybe you too will do your own "Fill in the blank" week. Let me know how it goes.
PS- God is good!! Our doorbell is broken so I won't know when more fundraising kids are coming to sell me something, unless they knock. And, we ARE NOT going to fix it right now! Just one of the many ways I see God's sense of humor in my life.
Thursday, September 18, 2008
Some videos of the girls
Amelia reading some from Dick and Jane and Emery eating, it explains why we call her Foodzilla!
6 lbs of cookie dough
I am not a fan of fundraisers, because I can not say NO. A few nights ago a neighbor boy knocked on the door and told me he was selling cookie dough. Normally, I would buy some out of pity. But, being unemployed I really, really wanted to say no. However, this is the boy that literally ran Amelia over with his bike about 5 months ago. It was a complete accident and he apologized right away and truly felt badly for what had happened so I had no hard feelings toward him. Well, when I opened the door you could see the fear in his face, he actually took a step back like I might have smacked him or something. Anyway, how could I not buy cookie dough from this poor kid, so I bought 3 lbs of Chocolate Chip dough.
Next night, doorbell rings again but Ian can't get to it before the little girl walks away thinking we are not home- we are not going to change her mind! 30 minutes later it rings again, this time another neighbor boy. I told him I already bought some and he looks totally rejected. He's been hearing that all night. I asked him how much he had to sell? 16 tubs. How many has he sold? 4. Oh dear, let me pick out another type. So I bought 3 lbs of oatmeal raisin. SUCKER.
So, I have $50 a week for groceries right now and I just blew $26 of it on cookie dough. I know Amelia would be content to eat cookies for every meal, but it make me throw up :) That's why next week will be "Bean Week." Another post on that later. Also- if you need cookies for an event let me know, I'm going to have lots of dough in my freezer soon :)
Next night, doorbell rings again but Ian can't get to it before the little girl walks away thinking we are not home- we are not going to change her mind! 30 minutes later it rings again, this time another neighbor boy. I told him I already bought some and he looks totally rejected. He's been hearing that all night. I asked him how much he had to sell? 16 tubs. How many has he sold? 4. Oh dear, let me pick out another type. So I bought 3 lbs of oatmeal raisin. SUCKER.
So, I have $50 a week for groceries right now and I just blew $26 of it on cookie dough. I know Amelia would be content to eat cookies for every meal, but it make me throw up :) That's why next week will be "Bean Week." Another post on that later. Also- if you need cookies for an event let me know, I'm going to have lots of dough in my freezer soon :)
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Sunday, September 7, 2008
Great-Grandpa, Beach, and THE Mouse
Today was not filled with Disney, but still filled with fun. We had a low key morning in the room and then headed out to visit Amelia and Emery's Great-Grandpa Sandy and his wife Hazel. They live in an assisted living area just 20 minutes from Disneyland. We enjoyed lunch with them, Hazel filled us in on life there and my grandpa just smiled and smiled and smiled at the girls. At one point he said to me, "You look just your mother." Then he said, "But I don't remember her hair being black!" Ha- still observant at 90 :) He even did a little bit of the chicken dance with Amelia (Hazel has one of those chickens that plays the song over and over and over again) Both girls loved it and I guess Grandpa did to.
After that we headed to Huntington Beach, but Emery was sleeping. So, Ian and Amelia decided to run down to the water quickly, dip their toes in, find some shells, and head back to the car that I was driving up and down the Pacific Coast Highway in an effort to keep Emery asleep. About 10 minutes into my drive Ian calls to tell me that as they "dipped" their toes in the ocean a wave decided to take Amelia out and she was soaked and covered in sand- I think she was secretly loving it! They found some shells and returned to the circling vulture (that's me) and... Emery was still asleep- YEAH!
Then we went on a hunt for Dick's Sporting Goods because tomorrow the Broncos play the Raiders and Amelia doesn't have her Bronco shirt for the year yet. I tired to find one before we left, but ran out of time. Ian mapped Dick's SG and we set out to find it. Couldn't find it anywhere so we headed back to the hotel. Turns out Dick's SG does not exist in the state of CA. So Amelia will be wearing my shirt tomorrow night or going without her Bronco gear. We headed to the park and scored big time. Mickey was just coming out for pictures- Amelia greeted him on the street and got to walk with him to his "spot" He was very sweet to her and let us get lots of pictures. She was super excited- she's been asking to see him ever since we got here. So, she got no line, no waiting, and a stroll with Mickey- it is all about the mouse you know. As you can tell from the picture, Emery doesn't know it's all about the mouse- she was just wondering why he didn't give her any food- and Foodzilla marches on....
After that we headed to Huntington Beach, but Emery was sleeping. So, Ian and Amelia decided to run down to the water quickly, dip their toes in, find some shells, and head back to the car that I was driving up and down the Pacific Coast Highway in an effort to keep Emery asleep. About 10 minutes into my drive Ian calls to tell me that as they "dipped" their toes in the ocean a wave decided to take Amelia out and she was soaked and covered in sand- I think she was secretly loving it! They found some shells and returned to the circling vulture (that's me) and... Emery was still asleep- YEAH!
Then we went on a hunt for Dick's Sporting Goods because tomorrow the Broncos play the Raiders and Amelia doesn't have her Bronco shirt for the year yet. I tired to find one before we left, but ran out of time. Ian mapped Dick's SG and we set out to find it. Couldn't find it anywhere so we headed back to the hotel. Turns out Dick's SG does not exist in the state of CA. So Amelia will be wearing my shirt tomorrow night or going without her Bronco gear. We headed to the park and scored big time. Mickey was just coming out for pictures- Amelia greeted him on the street and got to walk with him to his "spot" He was very sweet to her and let us get lots of pictures. She was super excited- she's been asking to see him ever since we got here. So, she got no line, no waiting, and a stroll with Mickey- it is all about the mouse you know. As you can tell from the picture, Emery doesn't know it's all about the mouse- she was just wondering why he didn't give her any food- and Foodzilla marches on....
Saturday, September 6, 2008
Wal-mart at Disneyland?
Yes- even at Disney we could not escape Wal-mart. As we pulled into the happiest place on earth Wed we heard the tell tale tire clicking noise. Ian found the object lodged in the tire and decided he'd better get it looked at before we headed home. So- he took the car to Wally World today during nap time (which Amelia loves and Emery hates). We ended up with a new tire. Just another reason I love and hate Wal-mart all at the same time. Tire replacement anywhere there's a Wal-mart, but a 2 hour wait and Ian said no one understood him because he spoke English- yikes. Here are some pics from today. Emery had a really rough day- lots of crying- she's either totally exhausted or teething or has an ear infection. Maybe Wal-mart can fix her :)
Amelia and I enjoyed the Princess Faire this morning and had butterflies painted on our faces. I paid extra for "pixie dust" and will be enjoying that for at least three months- it's everywhere! The paint lasted until nap time and then promptly rubbed off on the pillow case- I bet housekeeping loves face painters!
Butterfly Kisses!
Daddy catches Emery in a rare happy moment today. She's too cute :)
Daddy and the girls waiting for the totally cool Pixar Parade at CA Adventure- it was amazing!
Dinner at Ariel's Grotto with Ariel (of course), Snow White, Cinderella, The Fairy God Mother (who mentioned, after seeing Emery, she can't wait for Cinderella and Prince Charming to have start having kids) and Belle (which Amelia was super excited about). So we paid $16 for Amelia to order a hot dog and mac-n-cheese and not even touch it. But, she did eat her carrots, green beans, and apples and had a great time "eating" with her fav princesses. Thanks for the great tip Joanna- she loved her "surprise." I think it's cute that Emery looks like she's waving here.
Princess Amelia- she decorated her own crown!
Princess Emery- no decorations on her crown.
Forget the princess thing- I'm Foodzilla remember!
Amelia and I enjoyed the Princess Faire this morning and had butterflies painted on our faces. I paid extra for "pixie dust" and will be enjoying that for at least three months- it's everywhere! The paint lasted until nap time and then promptly rubbed off on the pillow case- I bet housekeeping loves face painters!
Butterfly Kisses!
Daddy catches Emery in a rare happy moment today. She's too cute :)
Daddy and the girls waiting for the totally cool Pixar Parade at CA Adventure- it was amazing!
Dinner at Ariel's Grotto with Ariel (of course), Snow White, Cinderella, The Fairy God Mother (who mentioned, after seeing Emery, she can't wait for Cinderella and Prince Charming to have start having kids) and Belle (which Amelia was super excited about). So we paid $16 for Amelia to order a hot dog and mac-n-cheese and not even touch it. But, she did eat her carrots, green beans, and apples and had a great time "eating" with her fav princesses. Thanks for the great tip Joanna- she loved her "surprise." I think it's cute that Emery looks like she's waving here.
Princess Amelia- she decorated her own crown!
Princess Emery- no decorations on her crown.
Forget the princess thing- I'm Foodzilla remember!
Friday, September 5, 2008
More Disney
More Disney fun. A few pics from yesterday with goofy and Amelia and I in the Sun Wheel (Ferris Wheel). Then Amelia went to Libby Lu's today for a rock star makeover. She had a great time and loves her new hair piece!
Disneyland is AWESOME!
Just a few pictures from our experience so far. We are having so much fun. Emery has her first cold so she's not the happiest camper, but she's hanging in there. Tinker Bell sprinkles pixie dust around our room every night to help us fall asleep (cool glow-in-the-dark wallpaper) and we've ridden a lot of really fun rides.
Emery's new nickname is "foodzilla!!"
That's a lot of stuff for 4 people- babies sure add a lot of "stuff"
We were "lucky" winners of these "Year of a Million Dreams" ears. We were given them for free because we walked through the princess area by the castle- good job spotting the free stuff Ian!
Sweet girls
Thanks to Amelia for this great picture!
Emery loves Mickey too!
Emery's new nickname is "foodzilla!!"
That's a lot of stuff for 4 people- babies sure add a lot of "stuff"
We were "lucky" winners of these "Year of a Million Dreams" ears. We were given them for free because we walked through the princess area by the castle- good job spotting the free stuff Ian!
Sweet girls
Thanks to Amelia for this great picture!
Emery loves Mickey too!
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
Emery crawling!!
Sorry for the Blair Witch effect- not the best camera and for sure not the best camera woman!
Monday, September 1, 2008
Some of my favorite cleaning products
What? Yeah- I'm weird, but today I was cleaning and I realized I have some favorite cleaning products that I really do like a lot. So here they are:
PS- I hate bleach with a passion so you can leave that one out!
- Scrubbing Bubbles action scrubber and the aerosol foam. Both cut through soap scum like no other and make my life battling City of Peoria water a little easier!
- Scotch Brite flat top stove cleaner- it's a little pad that fits on a re-usable handle. My stove top is always sparkling clean (after I use it!) and looks like I spent a lot of time on it, but all it takes is a little elbow grease.
- Windex- I use it for everything (think My Big Fat Greek Wedding- but a little toned down).
- My cleaning caddy- it cleans just about every room in the house and I fit everything I need in it. I read this tip in Real Simple once and decided to try it. I don't have a ton of cleaning stuff anymore (well I still have some, but I don't use it because I just use the stuff in the cleaning caddy) Why have 30 different products?
- Mr. Clean Magic Eraser- it really is magic- seriously I have no idea how it works. But I do know one thing- you have to get it wet (poor Ian used it for about a year not knowing he was supposed to get it wet first!)
PS- I hate bleach with a passion so you can leave that one out!
My background....
is driving me crazy. My blog background that is! I should have left it plain white like my husband. It would be low maintenance, simple, and easy to read. Instead I decided it was necessary to make it look "cute." At least I learned some new things along the way- like how to change font colors, sizes, etc. Yeah- you can teach an old dog new tricks- HA.
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