$20 (or so) in coupons for gluten-free products! November 10, 2009
Posted by Karen Joy in Budget, Celiac Disease, Gluten-Free and Food Allergy Resources.add a comment
Normally, I’m pretty tight with handing out my personal info. And, I already get about 15 different e-mail newsletters from various places which regularly clog my inbox. However, I thought that this one was worth it.
Sign up for the gluten-free newsletter from the Hain Celestial group (they ask for your name, e-mail addy, and ZIP code only). After sign-up is complete, you click a link to print out a coupon. (Unless you’ve signed up for other offers from coupons.com, you’ll likely have to download their software.) After it prints, simply click again to print another copy. A fellow celiac on the Phoenix Yahoo Celiac group managed to print out 20 of them before she hit the limit. I started, anticipating 20 as well, but I only got 14. Still. Fourteen bucks off of products that I already buy is a fantastic deal. (The only drawback to this, in my book, is that each coupon prints a full page of full color, both for the coupon, additional text and pics. That’s a waste of ink and paper, in my book. To conserve paper, I printed coupons on both sides, and now the backs of my coupons have text, but that should be fine.)
Included in the Hain Celestial group of products are Rice Dream products, Arrowhead Mills, De Boles pasta, Imagine soups and others. (Click here for the whole list.)
Guest post by my hubby! November 9, 2009
Posted by Karen Joy in Christian Living, Christianity, Family, Friendships, God/Christianity/Church, Medical Stuff, The Dear Hubby, Vineyard Phoenix, Worship.6 comments
My husband just called to say that the biopsy from the nodule removed from his abdominal wall on Wednesday was NEGATIVE for malignancy. Woo hoo! Hallelujah! Praise God! That is definitely, definitely an answer to prayer.
A bit of backstory: He went in for what was supposed to be hernia surgery, but the doc came out to say that it wasn’t a hernia at all; it was a nodular growth that was rooted in his abdominal muscle, and that he had to cut in/through the muscle in order to get it out, thereby CREATING a hernia, which he then repaired. Martin is doing mostly-OK now; I think he should have taken another day (today) off of work, but no matter…
Anyways.
He sent an e-mail to our pastor and cc’ed me on it. I asked him if I could post it on my blog as a guest post. I know that there is info in it that is going to be irrelevant to 99.5% of my readers… but it expresses my own sentiments so clearly. I have been overwhelmed with our particular church body stepping up and helping us in so many ways… It makes me love God and His church all the more.
Dennis & Nancy,
I just wanted to let you both know something. Something you probably already know, but is worth reminding ourselves of, especially as you, Dennis, have been exhorting us to “remember the things that we have heard and that were imparted to us by the laying on of hands…”
We have an incredible God, who has built up in us, His incredible church!! I was absolutely blessed by the events of the last several days and how God has used them to set in stone in my heart the awe and wonder of God, and how He uses the church to bring about His Kingdom in the lives of those who love Him.
1. The Nicholsons and Wells watching our kids at a moments notice for my surgery
2. David Wright (a.k.a. “the rock”) coming to the hospital, hanging out with me and my Dad through the pre-op and surgery, and keeping my wife encouraged while I was under the knife.
3. You guys coming over to my house [Thursday] night, chatting for a while – seeing our family in action – and then praying for me.
3. Jason stepping up and doing a phenomenal job leading worship…probably the best he has done yet. I encountered God profoundly during worship as he led, even as I sat behind the sound board! (I was even compelled to come up to the front during “How He Loves us,” I absolutely HAD to come up!)
4. Many people in our church body coming to me yesterday, telling me they have been praying, and some of them taking time to pray – on the spot – right there before we left. Two of which were very profound: Meghan (Tyler’s wife) and Mama Olga! They prayed with power and authority, which commanded the Spirit of God to come upon me and gave me profound peace and sense of God’s love, healing, and provision.
I am both humbled, and absolutely proud, to be a part of our church. This body, and the provision of the Lord working through this body, is something that cannot be taken away. Experiences like this, and like you Dennis, rewarding my boys are absolutely irreplaceable. I cannot communicate enough how pleased I am to be in our church. God has truly blessed me and us, and I would not trade ANYTHING in this world for these type of experiences. This is what church, community, and the cause of Christ are all about. These are life-changing experiences, birthed and sustained by a Sovereign God, and executed through the Church in His Holy Love!
I love Christ’s church – this is my church! I will spend my life for His church!
The boys memorize Psalm 103 and get paid (plus a few other bits) November 9, 2009
Posted by Karen Joy in Christianity, God/Christianity/Church, Homeschooling, The Dear Hubby, The Kids, Vineyard Phoenix.add a comment
Here’s a small indication of how the last six days or so have gone:
- We should receive the biopsy today of the nodule that was rooted into my husband’s abdominal wall.
- My mom is now home from the hospital, though she’s on oxygen 24/7, blood thinners, and clot-busting injections.
In more cheery news, when our pastor and his wife came over to pray for Martin on Thursday, I suggested to Grant and Ethan that they quote Psalm 103 for him. They had memorized the whole chapter — all 22 verses — and I know that Scripture memorization is a high value for our pastor. He was duly impressed. The next day, he called to ask if the boys could stand in front of the congregation on Sunday and say it. Ethan, my oldest, who typically avoids the limelight, was hesitant. Grant, who does everything he can to stay IN the limelight, was all for it. Ethan finally agreed, and they did it!
The only real hiccup was that their plan was to stand next to each other and nudge the other after 2-4 verses, to say, “Hey! It’s your turn now.” But, Pastor Dennis positioned himself between the two boys, disabling the nudging plan. Grant started, and said eight verses, then Ethan did the next eight. Both Ethan and I thought that Grant would then say three or four of the remaining six verses, but he ended up finishing it out.
At the end, Pastor Dennis surprised all of us by presenting each boy with $10.00!
I also thought it was really cool, because as I was praying for the boys just beforehand, outside, I spoke 1 Timothy 4:12 over them:
Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity.
That morning, as Pastor Dennis spoke, his main text was 1 Timothy 4:13-16!
So… anyways… one doesn’t typically memorize Scripture to get paid, nor even to “show off” — but I’m glad that the boys were honored, and their accomplishment celebrated, and held up as an example, AND that they got ten bucks out of the deal!
How does this happen??? November 3, 2009
Posted by Karen Joy in Blogging, Clothes, Funny Stuff.2 comments
I’m not nearly as obsessed interested in the search terms that people use to find my blog anymore, but occasionally, I will check out the stats page so handily provided by WordPress just to see what people are looking for.
The weirdest thing is this: People keep finding one particular two-year-old post simply by searching for “coats.” Now, it’s a great post, if I do say so myself! Hehehehe! It’s a funny story, all about me getting SERIOUSLY humbled by taking a gigantic puffer ski coat across the Atlantic and getting stared at by horrified women in their smart, double-breasted Burberrys, everywhere I went. But, I have tried on several search engines to just enter the word “coats” and have YET to find a link to that post, even when I’ve totally wasted my time looking into the 20-somethingth-page of results.
OH! Wait. I just had a brain blast. I typed “coats” into Google, and clicked on “Images” and a smart-looking Burberry coat (NOT the one I was wearing) that I used in the post, was the third pic. Ah ha!
OK. Nevermind.
Still. I have no idea why that pic is popping up third in the Google image search. Bizarro.
Cozy Girl November 3, 2009
Posted by Karen Joy in The Kids.2 comments
This is Audrey, who likes things to be Just So. She has gathered together all her favorite things: her “tag blanket;” her pink, flower-shaped pillow; her Baby Claire, and has snugged one and all together in a willow basket, and is contentedly sucking her thumb. (She only sucks her thumb when she is in the company of her “tag blanket” which has been instant peace for her since she was only a few months old.)
I am so cheap… November 2, 2009
Posted by Karen Joy in Budget, Furniture, Shopping, The Dear Hubby.5 comments
My son Wesley has been in desperate need of a dresser/chest of drawers. I looked into a few of them new… Lordy. $200, $300, more… We can’t do that. I wouldn’t WANT to do that. I was willing to spend $40-ish, but found one on Craigslist that was only $20.
On Saturday, my husband and I worked on it: I washed it down and used furniture polish on it, Martin used finish nails and a staple gun to fix the hardware where the drawers slide in, and to stabilize one of the drawers. It felt good, working together, in the garage. Industrious. Team work. 
Today, I further enforced one drawer with wood glue, and lined the four drawers with clear contact paper, and it’s now in place in Wesley’s room, with his old dresser listed on Freecycle (there probably won’t be any takers, because I was honest about what poor condition it was in).
It’s not a perfect dresser, but I think it’s definitely worth twenty bucks and some elbow grease.
Feels good!
Thrift store shopping online November 2, 2009
Posted by Karen Joy in Budget, Clothes, Shoes, Shopping, The Kids.2 comments
I’ll admit it: I get annoyed when shopping thrift stores. Occasionally, you can find great deals, but often, when I need jeans for the kids, of course, there are no jeans to be found, as every other parent is shopping for the same thing at the same time.
I guess I value my time more than the potential steal; I want to know that an item is going to be AVAILABLE if I go shopping for it. I will go to several different stores if need be, but only if I DON’T have the kids with me. Every time I unload five kids from the truck, it’s a MINIMUM of 30 minutes in and out, and usually a lot longer than that. That gets tedious.
Every time I go to Target, I check the clearance racks. Most often, of course, it’s off-season stuff, and sometimes I stock up for next year… And Ross. I like going to Ross for new clothing for the kids, and I usually buy their shoes there, too. I also like Ross in that the kids’ stuff is close by the toys, so usually the kids can look at the toys and still be within eyesight as I check on clothes or shoes.
We also live on hand-me-downs. I love hand-me-downs. And, the occasional Freecycle bag o’ clothing, which is usually about half-usable.
I'm not a huge fan of animal prints, but Audrey is!
Especially for my girls, though, I get most of their clothing from eBay. I set myself a limit of $2 per item, including shipping. This almost always means that I have to purchase things in lots. When I need to buy something, I just do a search in the size I need, usually including the word “lot” in the search, find what fits the bill, and place my max bid. I get out-bid a lot. I stick to my guns and almost never go back and up my bid. The only time I do is if I’ve already won something from that seller, and the seller will combine shipping, so I can afford to pay a bit more.
This past weekend, I bought some clothes for Audrey — 15 pieces for $27 and change, five from one seller, and 10 from another. Two sweaters, five long-sleeved shirts, one short-sleeved shirt, two skirts, a pair of tights, and four pairs of pants. Everything in “excellent used condition” except for one pair of jeans that are a bit worn (no holes) at the knees. Most of the stuff is from The Children’s Place. (I like TCP, because their clothing is usually trendy/up-to-date, but higher quality than Target clothing, and not nearly as pricey as Gymboree. I’m not necessarily into name-brand stuff, but there are a few brands I like because I know it’s going to mean that the item is well-made.)
So, mission accomplished: Less than $2/item spent, and now Audrey is just about set for this winter (with those items combined with the hand-me-downs, Freecycle clothes, and a few new things she already had). Woo hoo!
I know there are a lot of thrift store adherents out there, and eBay isn’t quite the deal that it used to be, but there are still bargains to be had for moms like me, whose taste (and the clothing needs of seven people!) exceeds her budget.
Sincere, but a wee bit crushing November 1, 2009
Posted by Karen Joy in Hair, Random Stuff.9 comments
I have a natural bent; I avoid chemicals, and I like thing to be the way God created them to be. Plus, I’m just… low-maintenance.
I didn’t used to be low-maintenance; I had to buy my first alarm clock when I was 14 because my mom wouldn’t wake me up at 5:30 to get ready for school, when we left the house at 7:45; she would wait until a more reasonable hour, as she thought 2+ hours for me to get ready was excessive primping time.
But, being a mom of five kids now, I have to be very careful how I distribute my time, and personal care, while not exactly falling to the bottom of the list, isn’t on the top any more.
Lovely hair....
I love the look of ladies in their 50s or 60s, with thick, healthy, silver hair. Seeing an older lady with unnaturally dark brown or auburn, chemically fried hair is an instant reminder to me, instant motivation: “That is SO not going to be me.”
All of that leads me to where I am now: 36 years old and graying, with nary a bottle of color in sight. I haven’t colored my hair since I was in college and I semi-regularly tinted my short locks black.
Still, it’s not like I’m HAPPY that I’m graying. I feel like I’m way too young for gray hair. Yeah, I’m not 22, but golly, I’m only 36! I have a baby! It seems like babies shouldn’t have mothers that have gray hair.
My husband has tried to silence my worries: “No one can even SEE your gray. I can’t see it.” I suspected his perspective were through his eyes of love. Now, I know that’s true, all because of a compliment I received from a friend’s husband.
He’s a great guy. I know him well; their family is a near-perfect match for ours — all the grown-ups get a long well, and all the kids do, too.
After church, he said to me, “I hope this doesn’t come out wrong, but I love all your gray hair. I think it looks great, and I hope you never dye it. I’m trying to convince [my wife] not to dye hers, either.”
Me: stunned silence for a moment. Then, ~oof!~ (That was the air being socked out of whatever remained of my pride over my “no-one-can-even-SEE-it” gray hair.) Then, I made a quick recovery, saying that I am so looking forward to being 60 or so and having longish, healthy, silver hair, and that I loved that look — but it was the getting-there part that was a little difficult, that I feel a little young to be graying so.
He smiled the whole time, showed me his graying beard that used to be red, and repeated that he thought my hair looked great. “Glowing.”
Mmm…
I heart blueberries! October 29, 2009
Posted by Karen Joy in Allergies, Babies, Total Elimination Diet.10 comments
If you’ve read anything on this blog for, oh, the last six months, you are already aware of the continuing saga/melodrama/almost-tragedy of my baby Fiala’s battle with things that her body rejects, most of which are foods.
After embarking on a total elimination diet with her, I’ve been trying for the last 6+ weeks to expand her (and my) diet to find out what troubles her. So far, the only things that I’m confident do NOT cause her either skin or gastrointestinal distress are only lamb, buckwheat, and garbanzo beans. I had added in a number of other items, but after we had a major setback a couple of weeks ago, I had to scale back down to the bare bones of those three things.
The good news, I guess, is that I have successfully figured out that grapes/raisins definitely give her problems, both severe eczema and diarrhea. I have also figured out that — I think — cranberries give her eczema, but not g.i. problems. I also think that … duh-duh-duh-duh! (trumpet sounds) blueberries do not cause any problems. They definitely do not cause any g.i. symptoms, and though I’m only about 50% certain that they’re not affecting her skin, that is good enough for me to continue to feed them to her, most days, once a day.
She LOVES blueberries. “Buh! Buh! Buh!” she exclaims, loudly and excitedly. (She frequently uses the first sounds for words that are familiar to her: “Eee” for Ethan, “Tah” for our dog Tally, “Nuh!” for nursing, and so on.)
They’re no longer in season, so at first, I bought a 12 oz frozen bag from Sprouts, at a cost of $2.99. Then, at Costco, I saw a FIVE POUND bag of blueberries for $8.49. I figured out that at the cost of $3 for 12 oz, that would be like spending $20 on five pounds. So, even though it seems pricey to spend eight-plus bucks on blueberries, that was a pretty smokin’ deal.
But, since they’re frozen, they tend to be juicier and softer upon thawing, which Fiala doesn’t see as a problem at all:
The only problem, really, is that blue/purple blueberry stain gets stuck in the (lone, thank God!) bad eczema patch on the left side of her chin, and on her hands, which are quite scaly with eczema, and from sucking/chewing on her fingers.
Sweet girl. I’m sharing in the blueberry joy; I’m excited about something sweet to eat, too! And, if we’re gonna eat a fruit, it might as well be a darn tasty one!
Mmmm… blueberries.
Control that tongue! October 25, 2009
Posted by Karen Joy in Character Development, Christian Living, Magazines.2 comments
Andree Seu
With the author’s gracious permission, here is the best article/story/encouragement/admonition I think I have ever read on the call to obedience in the face of charges of “legalism”. (Originally published in the Oct 10, 2009 issue of World Magazine, written by Andrée Seu.)
Brothers, can we talk about legalism? I wrote a blog sharing that God is teaching me to be careful with my mouth, and that there are no such things as inconsequential words. Then I was knocked off kilter with a thread of comments charging legalism. Unless we settle this question right away, I’m afraid we won’t get anywhere.
Yes, we rest in the grace of Christ. And it is a costly grace, and costly discipleship does it require. It is a grace secured at great price, and it asks, in return, for all we have. It is a grace to relax in as regards our secure eternal destination, but a grace to strive in as regards our efforts to live for Him: “Make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue” (2 Peter 1:5). It is a grace with plenteous forgiveness when we sin, but it does not logically follow from this that it is an iota less serious to sin.
I have said “a grace to strive in as regards our efforts to live for Him,” but it’s not even so much a striving as a yielding to the Spirit moment by moment rather than to the flesh.
Sure, we should always be careful of creeping legalism. The Apostle Paul was the first to say so—and also the first to command, “Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths” (Ephesians 4:29). In the same letter famous for his anti-legalist preaching, Paul gives counsel like “Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap” (Galatians 6:7). In Acts 15, the classic anti-legalism text, the apostles end by asking the church to comply with three bits of extraneous advice. They saw no inconsistency.
One reader wrote, “If I could control my tongue, then I wouldn’t need a Savior.” Well, we do have a Savior, and He commands us to control our tongues. The grace is available (2 Peter 1:3).
Or has the doctrine of the sovereignty of God swallowed up human responsibility? A history professor once told me about an era so afraid of Pelagianism that the church became paralyzed. In the end you couldn’t even say “I need to trust God” because there was an “I” in it. You were left with ludicrous statements like “I need to trust God to do the trusting for me.”
If exhortation to godly speech is rebuffed as incipient legalism, then all preaching is impossible. Then your pastors are all legalists when they instruct you to any change of attitude or behavior. If the charge of legalism is the knee-jerk response to all advice, it puts a chill on everyone who has a word from the Lord for the building up of the saints—though Paul spent all of 1 Corinthians 14 urging such mutual edifications.
I have learned in the last few years that reading the Bible a lot and praying constantly are secrets to a sweeter communion with God. I have learned that the Bible’s commands are not glum duties but surprising doorways into intimacy with God. I am eager to share this. Must I refrain from testifying lest it be construed as legalism? Doesn’t Paul himself say to immerse ourselves in Scripture (1 Timothy 4:13) and to “pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17)? Is he a legalist? Or does he get a special pass because he was inspired?
I have a good friend (may you all have such a friend as this) who exhorts me fervently to godly speech. He just as often exhorts me to a more confident embracing of the assurance of God’s unfailing love. And I will tell you that I love the one as much as the other. I love to be reminded of God’s covenant which binds me to Him like a strong cable. But I find it just as invigorating—and not at all burdensome—to be spurred on to greater faithfulness. Covenant is covenant, after all: a pledge of faithfulness between parties; initiated by God, to be sure, but with my own treaty stipulations.
We follow the Lamb wherever He goes (Revelation 14:4). We “overcome” (Revelation 2:3). This is seeking God with all our heart and all our soul and all our mind and all our strength. This is not legalism but the Christian life.
If you have a question or comment for Andrée Seu, send it to aseu@worldmag.com.
