Women Inspiring Me Today . . .

When I first started this blog, I did it for a variety of reasons, most of which were cloudy even for me. I love to write, I love my kids. It kind of seemed like a no-brainer and I really thought I might only have 2 readers, my mom and my sister. I'm so glad that's not the case because this blog has become an outlet for me to process many things that are happening in my life and I hope that in seeing how badly I sometimes handle stuff I might encourage another mom out there or make her laugh with the antics of my 3 unruly children. After all, I love to read other womens' blogs even more than I like to write my own. Maybe you do too.

The last couple of months have been eye-opening for me in many ways. I began couponing as kind of a test-case for myself to see if I could save us a few bucks. The blessings have been amazing. I have saved our family literally hundreds of dollars so far in ways I couldn't have imagined and I am still getting the hang of this thing. I had wanted to save some money from our grocery budget to give us more breathing room, but already I have found that it enables us as a family to give more to others in small ways. 'Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.' 2 Corinthians 9:7. When you are a good steward of the gifts God gives you, it becomes a very easy to give cheerfully. I always wanted to give more, but knew that providing for my family was just as important. I am starting to stockpile some key things that are costly on a monthly basis and this is freeing me up for bigger things. 'In the house of the wise are stores of choice food and oil, but a foolish man devours all he has.' Proverbs 21:20. For some reason, having extra deodorant and body wash on hand so that I can give it away when I want is really awesome. It may sound corny, but it's very true. And I am starting to see that all these little things are a ministry all their own.

Through my search for the best couponing sites and blogs, I have found some really amazing women. Women I have never, and probably will never, meet. Women who are inspiring me. Every day when I go through my coupon sites to look for good deals, I also look for new posts from these other blogs I have found. These are women who are using their blogs and their lives to help other women in small but significant ways. They are ministries in and of themselves. They are serving in ways that I couldn't have imagined. It's amazing to me how God uses everything to His purpose. Even the internet! Anyway, I thought you might like to check some of these out.

First, Women Living Well (www.womenlivingwell.org), by Courtney. This is the woman I mentioned recently in the Rachel Ray video clip. Courtney blogs on everything from homeschooling her children to honoring God in your marriage. The blog has no main focus other than loving God, so I never know what I am going to find when I open up her page, but I find that I am often inspired by just one comment she makes rather than the whole of her message. This has also been the source of many other blogs that I have found and enjoy. It might not be your cup of tea every day, but I guarantee that if you are looking for a little encouragement, you will find it here at some point.

Second, The Casabella Project (www.casabellaproject.com), by Myra. This blog makes me smile. I am not a crafty person by nature, but Myra makes me believe that I can be. She posts about cool, thrifty, do-it-yourself decorating. Even though I haven't found the nerve to try one of these projects yet, you can bet I will eventually. And even though one of her posts wasn't titled 'Spray paint your fireplace', some of her other posts DID inspire me to go through with that particular project I had been considering for a long time and had been nervous about. She also posts about improvements she is making in her own 1950's home and believe me, I can relate to the challenges she faces. If you are looking for inexpensive, but BEAUTIFUL, ways to brighten your home, I encourage you to check this site out.

Third, Smockity Frocks (www.smockityfrocks.com), by Connie. This site is not for the faint of heart. This woman is raising and homeschooling eight, yes I said 8, children. This is what she says 'I write here about everything from serving a risen Savior to serving mashed potatoes and gravy'. And she does. Not every post is for me. Today it was about substituting flax seed for eggs while baking which I am pretty sure I won't ever do. However, when she posts about potty training, I pay attention because the woman has 8 kids. Connie is part of a '4 moms' link up with 4 other homeschooling moms with large families. I have peeked in on the other blogs (I swear one of them has 10 kids and they sleep communally in 2 rooms, but I wasn't entirely sure I was reading that right). There are great tips in here about teaching your children everything from how to switch out a roll of toilet paper to how to bake bread from scratch, and some good tips for teaching reading to kids as well. It's a little out there, but when I get discouraged trying to figure out what to do with my 3 kids and 3 pets, I like to read how she handles 8 kids and a gaggle of pets, including a new batch of chicks that they are raising and I think maybe hoping to sell and use their own eggs. More than I would do, I know.

Fourth, Keeping the Kingdom First (www.kingdomfirstmom.com), by Alyssa. Now, as far as coupon info sites go, this is not the best. There are many, many sites that will post every single deal out there for you and this one is not it. What it is, however, is a great guide to living frugally so there are some posts about great deals, they are just usually duplicates of what are already out there. What you will find though is information about 'how' to coupon, tips for helping you get out of debt, and posts about honoring God in your marriage and in motherhood. She recently posted on modeling good Stewardship of your finances to your children, I loved it. Alyssa was once a single mom, like me, so I have a soft spot for her. She does a lot of posts (or has others guest-post) about do-it-yourself stuff you would never think of, such as face wash and laundry detergent. These can both save you money and de-chemical your home, which is what she is working towards. Anyway, I like it and you might too.

Fifth, Comfy in the Kitchen (comfynkitchen.blogspot.com), by Janelle. I just found this one through Courtney at Women Living Well, but I am super excited about it. This woman serves the Lord through food. First, she cooks a LOT of meals, from scratch. She delivers meals to multiple families on a regular basis, elderly in her church, etc. and always to new moms. Then she blogs about what she's making. Step by step instructions to make good, homecooked meals for the not-so-savvy-in-the-kitchen women. She's out to help the crazy mom with an infant on her hip and a toddler around her ankles and newly-wed women with no clue how to put green beans on the table that look like they didn't get poured out of a can and boiled down to soup. She never serves her family the leftovers either, they get the best of her as well. Now THAT's a ministry! I always say, I can't do much, but I can cook - this woman takes it to a whole new level. Loving this new find so much and totally gonna try the cream puff dessert and cheesy bread I found there this week. They look sooooo yummy.

And finally, The Meanest Mom (themeanestmom.blogspot.com), by Jana. Jana and her family recently relocated to Orlando, FL from I-don't-know-where, which is about when I caught up with her. I can't even remember how I found this site, but I am SOOOO glad I did. She and her husband have 4 children. The oldest 3 were born in the same calendar year - 2 of them twins, and then she had a 4th who is currently 2. This blog is hysterical. Jana has a way of telling a story in a very concise way (something I am very jealous of since I obviously stray to the wordy), and she has a very strong sense of sarcasm and irony. She obviously loves her kids a whole lot and through her witty, quick stories you get the sense that she is hiding her love of all things behind a dry irony, but it's effective. These posts are very quick reads, but so much fun. I urge you to check it out and laugh with me.

I also look forward to posts by some of my dear friends who blog, they always encourage me and inspire me. I wanted to show you though, some of the things that are currently inspiring me to be MORE. These women are blogging and ministering and serving the Lord in ways that I wouldn't have thought of and in a medium that most of us take for granted every day. They show me every day that God can use each of us, even in the tiniest of ways. I'm still in search of what God has given me for spiritual gifts. I'm still in search of what He wants from me every day in His purpose and plan for me. I hope He is going to use me, is using me, in ways that I can't even see right now.

I stumble through my posts, and I don't even know how to use all the tools here at my disposal. For example, I have no idea if the 'Link's that I put out here will work or show up on this post, but I hope you check out some of these sites anyway. Maybe they will inspire you too.

God Bless!