Freebie Friday

Here is a round up of all things FREE available this week online:

25 FREE 4x6 prints from Walgreens- use code PRINTNOW at check out and pick up at store to pay $0!
Scion Care Package for Military members
Victoria's Secret- FREE panties with any purchase TODAY only
Kids Emergen-C sample- Facebook click on "sample" at the top
Gas X strips sample

Ebooks:
Sophie and the Rising Sun
Sweet Tea and Jesus Shoes
Princess Callie and the Totally Amazing Talking Tiara

New Year New Me.....with a goal in mind

Earlier in 2011 I started on a journey to lose weight. Over the course of the last year I've lost 30 pounds and managed to keep off! I also participated in my first 5K race. I came in dead last. I mean L A S T! My husband finished the race and the came back and walked half of it with me to the finish line. It was my worst moment and my proudest all at the same time. I finished a 5k race!

So now on to this year's plan. I just signed up to participate in the Couch to 5K program with Run N Tri. For $65 I'll be participating in an 8 week program written by a USAT certified trainer and led by Lisa McComb a certified fitness guru (my hubby met Lisa while on his own road to losing weight. You can read about it here). Anyway, after 8 weeks of training, specifically tailored to my needs, I should be RUNNING not walking a 5K.  Now, I won't come in first. In fact I may come in dead last again, but I'll have run it this time which means things will only be getting better.

Now the real reason behind all of this? E and I will be celebrating our 10th wedding anniversary this summer. We are planning on doing a vow renewal ceremony and having a small reception afterwards. Kind of having a wedding that we never had (but way more low key and informal) since we ran off and got married ( I was pregnant and we thought it was the right thing to do...see we are all flawed!). Little did we know 10 years and two kids later things would be better now than they were then and God would be putting us on a road to ministry! I'm still unnerved by the thought that God would use me, a terribly flawed person, to spread the message of His love. Anyway.....my ADD is kicking in.....I want to look better now than I did 10 years ago!

As we prepare for celebrating 10 years, I'll also be participating in the 31 days tp Pray for your Spouse Challenge. What better way can I show him that I love him more than being committed to praying for him daily?

Are you setting some goals for the new year? Want to join me in learning how to run? Check out Run N Tri's facebook page for more information. You must register by Jan. 2nd. There are scheduled runs in Gulfport on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. I know I won't be able to make it to all three every week so I plan to run here in Ocean Springs with a few other people.

Thankful

Thankful. The dictionary defines "thankful" as expressing gratitude for a benefit that's been received. I'm thankful that I wake up each morning, but many times I forget to say thanks to God for allowing it. I simply get up and go about my daily business, breakfast, changing diapers, keeping the littlest one from overthrowing the ruling party (her parents), homeschooling, lunch, cleaning, changing more diapers, keeping the oldest one from being killed my the youngest one, more diapers, dinner and I'm done. By the end of the day I'm not very thankful for anything other than my husband walking in the door so I can tag out long enough to go to the bathroom without an audience.

Even though these days are crazy, I'm thankful for them. Without my wildly peculiar and zany children my days would be boring. I'm thankful, not as much as I should be, that God blessed Eric and I with these two girls when modern medicine said "no".  I see friends struggling with infertility, miscarriages and failed adoptions; strangers in the news who have lost children to tragic events  and it snaps me back to reality in how truly blessed I am. I love my kids and can't imagine life without them!

I know how much I love my children and would do anything in my power to keep them from harm. Can you imagine what God felt like when he sent his only son as a baby to eventually die on the cross so that WE could be forgiven for our sins? I'm more thankful for this one act than anything else in my life! Without this one act, I'm nothing! I'm a sinner separated from God. A merciful God who loves me and only wants good for me. There WILL be bumps along this road of life. Hardships and failures of unspeakable measure. I hope that I can face these events and my daily crazy days when I think that I'm going to snap if the 2 year old climbs on top of her sister one more time with the knowledge and thankfulness that even on my worst day I'm loved and I'm forgiven!

When was the last time you were thankful for something? I'd love for you to share.

Back to the Basics

As ya'll know (if you've been following HOC very long) I stepped away a few months ago for personal reasons. We are still waiting on the right doors to open. I'm ready to continue to blogging and have missed it something terribly!

There will be some changes here on HOC. There will still be couponing info and frugal finds but you'll be seeing a lot more homeschooling, life, homemaking, cooking etc. this time around...at least that is the plan!

I hope you'll stick around to see what the new year of HOC holds!

A weekend of crafting!

I've been crafting up a storm this weekend! Several different projects, some still in the works.

#1 No Sew T-shirt Ruffle Scarf with rosettes

I used an old t-shirt and the bottoms of some little stretchy pants that we had cut off. Cut up your material into circles about the size of a dinner plate. I used about 5 circles of each color. Make sure there are no seams in your circles. Then cut around those circles in a spiral pattern (see below).

Stretch it out and tug just a little to make the edges curl. Layer up your strands. I used another long skinny piece of the black material to tie the strands together and left some hanging loose. With the ends I rolled them up to make rosettes (adding a third rosette with the turquoise). Stitch down to the strands to keep the rosette shape. Ta da! One ruffled rosette tshirt scarf!

#2 Ribbon Christmas Tree Shirt

So easy! Green grosgrain ribbon 1 3/4 in. wide. I cut 10 strips (9 about 4 inches long and 1 about 2 1/2 inches long) and a red grosgrain ribbon 1/2 in. wide made into a bow (sorry didn't measure this one!).

Use a little Alene's tacky glue and glue the folded ends of your ribbon together.  Place on shirt in a tiered fashion (4, 3, 2, 1) with the shortest ribbon on top. I tacked it down with a little glue and then the next day stitched it down. Top with your red ribbon bow.  As my girls would say...easy peasy!


I have a few more projects in the works that are not complete yet. I'll post them as soon as I get done! Happy Crafty!