Can I get a witness...

For those of you savvy shoppers out there you probably already know about the great deals at Harris Teeter using coupons but I am just finding out the benefits. My mom has been using coupons for about 3 months now and is always telling me about her savings. And so I decided to give it a try... I mean free food, what could it hurt. (And those of you who know me well know that I love, I mean LOVE, a good deal).

So this endeavor started off with buying a Sunday paper, printing off some coupons from the internet and "borrowing" a few coupons from my mom. Then I visited a site online called Southern Savers and the Harris Teeter site. This lady at Southern Savers will tell you what coupons to use with specific deals at Harris Teeter to get items free (that's right I said "F-R-E-E) or extremely cheap... I am talking cents. However, I did find that the prices at her store (wherever she may be) didn't always match our prices here. So what might have been a good deal for her wasn't a great deal for me. I did find though that there were deals at our store that she didn't mention on her site. So, I organized my coupons in my little 3 ring binder (don't laugh) and went into the store and walked the isles looking for deals. This week happened to be triple coupon week. Harris Teeter will triple any coupon up to 99 cents. That means if you have a 75 cent coupon then you can get $2.25 off of that item! I did find that because the prices at Harris Teeter are usually more than say Walmart that most of the items needed to be on sale already at Harris Teeter plus my coupons.

Example: I bought an item that is usually $4.68 but this week was on sale 4 for $10. So, individually each one cost $2.50 (you don't have to get 4 to get the sale price). With my 75 cent coupon (tripled to $2.25) I paid 25 cents! I mean really, WOW!!!

Another great thing about getting these savings is that my family has decided to start a "food box" where we will put some of our free or low cost deals to use for ministry opportunities. I am super excited about being able to do that! Adele and I have already set aside a few of our items for this purpose.

Here is the breakdown of my 2 visits to Harris Teeter:

FREE ITEMS

2 bags of mahatma rice - 10 oz. each

3 bags of Wacky Mac pasta (the tri colored spiral pasta) 10 oz. each

Starkist Tuna pouch

Example:

Starkist Tuna reg. $1.99

coupon for .75 cents off (tripled) - $2.25

FREE

Great Deal Items:

Ortega Taco Season Pack - 2 for .13 cents

French's Mustard - .05 cent

Franks Hot sauce - .09 cents

3 Betty Crocker Warm delights -2 pack (mini cakes you cook in the microwave) - .16 cents each

Zatarain's long grain and wild rice - 2 boxes for .75 cents

Breyer's yo-crunch - 4 pack for .75 cents

Marie Callender's Fettuccini Chicken Balsamico (reg. $4.39) - .25 cents

Here is a picture for those of you who are visual learners!

So overall my bill would have been $34.68 and I paid $2.76. (So even though the prices at Harris Teeter are higher than other places it can still be a HUGE benefit to shop there for deals)

I was and still am really excited about the deals I got. I am just getting started and I know that there are people out there whose grocery bill is cut by 80% just from using coupons. I hope to get there.... but until then I will just go into the kitchen and fix myself an .08 cent snack!

10 year anniversary

August 14th was mine and Jason's 10 year anniversary. We took a weekend trip to Charleston, SC (post about that soon to follow... or if you have been to my blog lately you know it may not be soon to follow). We left around lunch time on Friday and around 2:35 pm Jason quickly pulled into a rest area (if you have ever been to South Carolina you know that there is a rest area about every 15 minutes!). Once we stopped he turned to me and said, "Ten years ago today about this time we were married." So, we walk over to a shady spot under some large trees and sat down at a picnic table and at 2:41 pm (the exact moment Mr. Porter pronounced us husband and wife) we kissed. Isn't that romantic! Also we exchanged rings that Jason had purchased and had engraved on the inside. He had written me a poem as well and he read that to me. That evening we went on a dinner cruise in Charleston which was so much fun and then later in the hotel we looked through a box of wedding memorabilia that I had brought from home. It contained items like our wedding planner, napkins, wedding invitation, pictures and etc. It was sweet to look through it all and remember our wedding day.

The inscription on the inside of the rings is:

Sg. 8:6-7. That verse reads... "Set as a seal upon your heart, as a seal upon your arm, for love is strong as death, jealousy is fierce as the grave. Its flashes are flashes of fire, the very flame of the Lord. Many waters cannot quench love, neither can floods drown it."

This is the poem:

Flashes of Fire

The lines on these rings are jagged and strong

much like the lines of a fire.

We made our vows and sang our song

once awakened, our love so desired.

Taken us through seasons where easy to stand

other times so out of breath.

Now setting this seal on our hearts and hands

for love is strong as death.

Its flashes of fire, the very flame of the Lord

jealousy fierce as the grave.

I've been given this flower to protect with the sword

and that I will all my days.

Many waters cannot quench love

though at times I've made it easy to doubt.

No amount of rain, no amount of floods

will overcome or drown it out.

I am thankful for my marriage and my husband. I am glad love so desires...

Plug for a friend...

My friend Kay is embarking on 2 new adventures...getting ready for a new addition to her family (baby boy #2 on the way) and starting up a new online business called Sew So Sweet (click the link to see her cool creations for kids). I have seen first hand the so cute baby gifts she has made for her many nieces and nephews over the last few years so I can give her creations a FULL endorsement! Also if you would like to visit her personal blog you can find that here! If you know Kay and have seen or received any of her great homemade baby gifts then leave a comment as to how great they are! I hope that you will visit her store (you will not be sorry) and Kay... I wish you all the best!

Garden

Well... it has been awhile since I posted last and boy has our garden been growing. I am sure for all of you out there who are garden savvy that you aren't surprised or even really impressed by this news. However for those of us garden newbies this is sheer excitement!

We have watched the sunflowers grow larger and larger almost everyday. It seems like each time we look out the kitchen window they have grown even taller. All the other veggies have grown quite nicely as well. We have had a few casualties (it took Jason a few days to learn to use the hoe) but for the most part our garden has been a great success.

For mother's day I received a potted herb garden and it has been fabulous. The herbs included basil, thyme, oregano, chives, cilantro, parsley and sage. Since mother's day we have added rosemary and a citronella plant (it really is suppose to rid off mosquitos). I have already used several of the herbs for cooking (recipe to follow shortly... OK well maybe not shortly).

Jason also started a compost pile. I don't really have a lot to say about that except... I save all the leftover scraps for it. I know you might be thinking WOW those Sessoms sure have gone green or healthy or something. Let me be the first to inform you that ALL of this growing and decomposing is because we are cheap not because we are trying to save the planet (although that is a nice plus).

It has been really interesting and quite honestly fascinating to watch our garden grow. It is not a lie when I tell you that we go outside every day to look and see what is new in the garden and it is also not a lie when I tell you that certain grown people in this house (who shall remain unnamed) have actually jumped up and down in excitement when the "veggies" started appearing.

So, it goes without saying that I think if you don't have a garden you should start one. It has honestly been a learning and bonding experience for our family. Isn't that precious...

Enjoy the pics!

And God said, "Let the earth sprout vegetation, plants yielding seed, and fruit trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind, on the earth."

And it was so. Genesis 1:11

#2

For those of you who read my "25 random things about me" post, this was #2 (you thought this post was going to be about poop didn't you?).  Anyway, yes we finally got our garden started and it has been so much fun. We started this winter talking about and planning our garden and then as spring was approaching I honestly was having second thoughts.  I wasn't sure we could pull it all off... the tilling, planting, weeding, watering and so forth.  But we decided to give it a go. Along the way we have gotten some very helpful advice from many people and a really great book my g-ma let us borrow (although we have had it so long she probably thinks she is never getting it back... sorry g-ma).  

We planted corn, squash, cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers (several kinds), watermelon, sunflowers, zucchini and carrots (Jason did I leave anything out?).  And speaking of Jason, during this planting adventure I have seen a side of my husband that I didn't even know existed. I wasn't really planning on him helping me with the garden, I just didn't think it would be something he would be interested in.  BUT... it all started with him printing some graph-paper off of the computer (you read right) and making a map of the garden... to scale!  In the process we had to change some of the locations of the plants and silly me I said, "Lets just plant them wherever."  Apparently that phrase is some sort of garden blasphemy.  No he said, we have to redo the "map".  Did we switch places or what? (usually I am the one who is so anal)  Any who... 

Adele has really enjoyed the garden too and I hope that she learns a lot about life and the meaning of life and.... just kidding, I just hope that we get some good free veggies!  Seriously I would recommend starting a garden, it really has been a fun family project (check back with me after about a month of pulling weeds in the 90+ weather and then see if I still recommend it). 

Here are a few pics. 

"And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up." Galatians 6:9

Rain, rain don't go away, Adele and her friends want to play...

Today ended very rainy.... but not dreary for us. We met our neighbors outside for some guitar playing (the boys), chatting (the ladies) and playing in the rain (the girls of course). Us adults sat under Jason's shop out of the rain while Adele, Molly and Rachel ran around in the rain and played. They had such a good time playing in the mud puddles, jumping on a very slick trampoline (I know, not really that safe), running from tornadoes (even less safe) and spraying each other with the water hose (why I am not sure considering it was raining). Needless to say they had a great time! I have very fond memories of my sister and I playing in the mud puddles in our driveway after a big rain... I hope that the girls will remember this day too.

What do you and your family like to do when it rains? Crafts, games, movies or etc. We have had a lot of rain lately so we might all need some rainy day ideas... after all you can't play outside in the rain every time.

At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, "Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?" And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them and said, "Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven."

Matthew 18:1-4

In the kitchen...

Today at Servant's Heart Fellowship  we had a fellowship meal after church.  I made a recipe that I got from my friend Tara called Broccoli Salad Supreme.  Well.... it got so many compliments that I decided to share it with you all.  It really is delicious!  

Ingredients

10 cups broccoli florets (about 3 1/2 heads)

6 cups seedless red grapes (cut in half)

2 cups miracle whip

2/3 cups sugar

2 tablespoons cider vinegar

1 cup crumbled bacon

1 cup sliced almonds (toasted)

Combine broccoli and grapes in a large bowl.  In a small bowl combine miracle whip, sugar and vinegar and pour over the broccoli mixture.  Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight.  Add bacon and almonds just before serving.  

Serves 20

The Whole Armor of God

We started this week teaching Adele about the armor of God.  I have been trying to decide how to go about this for a couple of weeks now.  So, Jason printed off some clip art and I taped it to a piece of poster paper, taped on the labels and voila... the armor of God man was born!  We are very excited about teaching this to her and to our family as well (I feel certain we will ALL benefit). 

My plan is to go over each piece of armor week by week.  My mom  helped too by purchasing the Armor of God outfit from Lifeway.  I am sure Adele is going to love putting all that on as we talk about each piece (she already has great plans to fight the dog!).  Another cool thing is that I was looking online at different ways to go about this and I saw a "Armor of God" board game for kids.  I thought, "how cute is that"!  Then I thought, "Oh, I have that game"!  DUH!!!  

Please pray for us as we learn and teach this to Adele.  Pray that God will use this time to grow our family spiritually, prepare us for His plans for our lives and honor Him.  I hope that during these weeks God will help me to see opportunities and/or situations in our everyday lives that can be used to explain the purposes of the armor of God to her and why it is so important.  

I am including some pics of the armor of God man and our "armor of God girl" too!

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might.  Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.  For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.  Therefore, take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm.  Stand therefore, having fastened the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace.  In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one, and take up the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication.  To that end keep alert with all perseverance making supplication for all the saints.     

Ephesians 6:10-18

25 Random things...

I have read lots of other people's blogs lately where they have listed 25 random things about themselves and so I decided to try to think of 25 random things about myself that most people wouldn't know...

1.  Daisies are my favorite flower.

2.  I plan to start a garden this spring.

3.  My dad's middle name is Earl and my mom's middle name is Lula (boy did I luck out not to get a family name).

4.  Jason and I were pronounced husband and wife at exactly 2:41 pm.

5.  My daughter was born at exactly 2:41 pm (not on the same day!).

6.  When I find a movie I really like I will watch it over and over and over and over and... well you get the picture.

7.  I love photography and some day I hope to take a class on how to actually do it the right way!

8.  My parents have been divorced since I was 3 years old.

9.  Jason and I were high school sweethearts.

10. I worry a lot.  Don't worry (haha) my husband has informed me that this is a form of sin in my life (not totally trusting God's sovereignty) and I am praying about that.

11.  I have a step sister that is 4 months older than me and a half brother that is 10 years older than me.

12.  I love to play board games!

13.  At one of my birthday sleepovers my granddad made all my friends smell his pot of chitlins cooking on the stove.  Yeah... they still came back next year.

14.  Jason wrote a song for me and sang it at our wedding... mushy, I know.

15.  My favorite book of the Bible is James.

16.  I am scared of the dark... really.

17.  I LOVE to read the Farmer's Almanac... it has a lot of great information in there... really!

18.  In college I took a class on Evolution and even though I didn't believe a word the teacher said it was one of my favorite classes.  

19.  I really like to watch reality shows and my favorite right now is the "Biggest Loser".  

20.  I am totally scared of sharks but very much fascinated by them at the same time.  

21.  It makes me very nervous to be on a boat of any size... probably related to the shark fear.

22.  My granddad taught me how to swim at our hotel while we were on vacation in the Smokey Mountains.

23.  I drink a diet mountain dew every morning to start my day.

24.  I can't stand the way a newspaper feels in my hands... it makes me cringe.

25.  One of my favorite snacks to eat while watching TV is potato chips dipped in ketchup.

So, many of these things aren't very fascinating but I hadn't posted in a while and nothing super interesting has happened at my house lately... so there you go.  

Super Bowl?

This afternoon Adele was questioning Jason and I about our weekend plans.  "What are we going to do this weekend, where can we go?", she wanted to know.  She started naming people we could visit and places we could go... "Well" she said, "We can't go to grandma's because they are having a salad bowl party this weekend."   Kids, you gotta love them.

It's already snowing at our house!

Ok, so I tricked you to get you here it is not really snowing at our house... Adele and I have been working on making different kinds of snowflakes for the last few days and who knew we would be done just in time for the real snow's arrival!  We made snowflakes from popsicle sticks, paper and my favorite Q-tips (thanks Amber).   After they all dried we hung them up over the windows in our kitchen so we can look at them while we are viewing the real snow (when it gets here).  

Adele and I are also very excited about the chance of snow today.  I hope it snows so much that Adele gets to stay home from school tomorrow (sorry Mrs. Creech!).   I guess we will see how much we get.  We are going out later to buy all the ingredients to make snow cream (sugar, condensed milk, vanilla flavoring and SNOW... just in case you didn't know).  

I hope you all enjoy the pics and the SNOW!!!

"Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow."

 Psalm 51:7