New Neighbors?

Got new neighbors? We do! So I decided to bake up a delicious pumpkin roll and introduce myself and the kids. I've finished the baking and will go over hopefully today if the weather permits. I am totally a non-outgoing person, so it's a big step for me, but I know it'd bless me if someone did it for me. So as a tip be aware of those around you and little ways you can bless others. Holding the door for someone even if you're in a hurry, letting a mother with her screaming baby go ahead of you in a line, mailing or emailing someone a get-well note. I'm sure this is probably everyday stuff for a lot of you, but some people (like myself) need to be reminded from time to time to look outside my little box to see those around me who could use a hand or a smile.

Coupon Savings

Well, I decided to give a little tip for this year's Christmas gift giving. It does have to do with coupons, but it's not what you think. I'm taking this in a different direction.

Since being married to Seth and him being the one and only bread winner in this family I have always felt silly buying him gifts because it is all his money anyway! Christmas would roll around and I would not have gotten him anything. I would just tell him to please feel free to splurge and get yourself something you really want. Don't feel guilt spending the extra money, yada yada yada. Seth could care less about gifts, so I don't think it really offended him, but now that we've been married over 6 years I feel a lot more confident in gift buying - both with purchasing and with the purchase it's self. However, some years are tighter than others and this is something I did one year when I still didn't feel the liberty to just spend his money on gifts for him.

I created a hand made coupon book. No, not those kinds of coupons! I made about 15 different "freebies" for him to use up as he liked. It ranged anywhere from a free hot drink or a full body massage (given by myself, of course!) You can make it as practical and/or as sensual as you want (or rather, as he'd like:). I also added two blank coupons for something he might fancy that I hadn't thought of. Some more ideas are as follows:

running an errand for him when it isn't convenient for him
a personal dance performed for him
a free evening guaranteed without distractions (steal his cell phone and keep kids from calling on him)
a kiss
a dinner menu consisting of only his requests

You get the idea. This costs nothing and yet will be something special and will require love and sacrifice to pull some of them off. I told him these coupons meant he could use them whenever he wanted and I had to "redeem" the coupon immediately. I could not put it off and say I'd do it in 5 minutes or whenever convenient. They had to be performed when he desired it. I think he really enjoyed it. I might even do it again this year, despite the fact that we're not as financially tight as we have been in previous years...:)

Being Less Than Perfect

This post was contributed by Denise Wilson:

"I'm full of grand ideas, but no follow-through!"


This is what I feel about myself. That especially when it comes to seeing people in need, I get wonderful ideas. And then, they are so grandiose, I do not follow-through.


For example, I have a real-life friend in a time of need with a deployed spouse and an entirely sick house. I want to bring a meal. But my idea of a meal is something like a homemade chicken pot pie with a salad, a vegetable, and dessert. All this takes time to fix. Lots. I'm struggling with even getting good, normal meals on time for us!!! What to do??? My perfectionism won't allow me to whip up something quick but not tasty, or compromise with just a main dish, and I'm out of half the ingredients I'd need for anything.... So I do nothing.


Shame on me. That was pride stopping me.


So guess what? I swallowed my pride and ordered take-out for them from a nearby restaurant.


Next time, I may just order the next family pizza. What I learned was that sometimes we need to get over our ideas of perfectionism and just do what the Holy Spirit is setting on our hearts. (Another idea is to just double what you're serving your family that night, and take that over.)

Handicap Helper

I was in the store the other day and noticed an elderly lady in front of me in one of those motorized chairs. She looked like she wanted something from a shelf that was higher than she could reach. Uncharacteristically of me (Wow! I just realized how long of a word that is! Isn't it like 20 letters? Gracious!) *ahem* Anyways, as I was saying, I offered my assistance to her. She actually was just trying to decide on what she wanted and didn't need my help.

But this scenario got me thinking. I wonder why I am so shy to help those around me, especially the needy ones. We've grown up in a society where anything that is not "normal" should not be made an issue for fear of hurting someone's feelings. I guess that has paralyzed me in many respects in offering my help to those who are handicapped. I'm afraid they will be insulted that I offered or even insinuated that they were not capable of doing things themselves, when the truth is - they can't!

I've actually noticed that most handicapped people really appreciate a helping hand and don't seem to have any qualms about asking for assistance when they need it. So what is this ridiculous feeling of being embarrassed to help out? I don't know, but I've just realized I need to get over it if I am going to be a witness and show love to my "neighbor". Also, it made me think I am being an example to my children. If I am awkward and/or callous to those around me who need my help, I am sending a message about those types of people to my children. And since I was just talking to the girls about the Good Samaratine (sp?) I figured I better start now. After all, more is caught than taught!

Convenient Inconvenience

Seth injured his ankle the other day. He needed to be able to rest and not walk around on it a lot. For him, if he is at home he can't NOT help. No matter the circumstance, he will try to fix this, hold the baby, clean that, etc. So, in order to really help him rest, I actually had to leave. Yup. I took the children out for the day. This wasn't an easy task because I'm used to Seth coming with me and helping with the children. However, I knew this would be the best way I could serve my husband and let him rest. I knew that he would never ask us to leave, but it really was something he appreciated and needed.

I guess I'm saying all this to say that when things are going tough for your husband, try to be sensitive to his needs and be willing to make sacrifices that you know he would appreciate. You know what he would really like or what would bless him the most even if it might throw a monkey wrench into your plans.

Running His Errands

Whenever Seth is in town he always calls me several times to see if I need anything. I know that this really isn't about trying to save a trip to town (honestly, he doesn't mind running in to town frequently - he'll be in twice a day sometimes!) it is about him thinking about me and trying to make things easy on me. I caught on to this recently and began trying to reciprocate. It is a way to tell him I am thinking about him and trying to help and serve in a practical way. Most of you probably are much more organized and structured than I am. I'm very scatterbrained and despite my dedication to lists I will usually come back from a 6 hour shopping day in town and realize I forgot this or that. Thinking of my husband and asking if he needs anything before I leave and even again while I'm in town is a service indeed because with three children I can't easily run into the post office or bank - it is always a big deal to go anywhere! My dear husband is aware of this and tries to minimize this with his consideration of my needs. Its practical love that gives and receives.

Husband first

Having babies can put a temporary hold on who gets your primary attention - especially when they are newborns. However, as babies grow and become less needy I've found I continue to place their needs and wants ahead of my husband's, even when it is no longer necessary. I am trying to reprogram my mindset to realize the children can wait and I need to place my husband's needs and wants as foremost in my service to my family.