I'm Back, Even If For A Short Time!

Well you can see that it has been a very long time since I posted last! Way too long. My life has taken a weird turn and I have had to go with the flow or be swept away by it. Going with the flow is a lot easier. Throughout all that has been happening in my life I have learned so much from God. He and I have grown closer than ever. It's also good that my relationship with my husband has been closer than ever too.

Where to start....I guess that would be with when I was exposed to black mold. I became very ill after breathing in the mold spores for several days, not knowing I was doing it. Since then it has been a long and difficult struggle with my health. Little things make me sick easily and quickly. My lungs have been permanently damaged and I have to be very careful what I do.

I have also been caught up in helping my 84 year old mother and the life changes she has had. In the last year and a half I have traveled out (from far west Indiana) to help her in New York and take care of her 5 times. It's a 500 mile drive one way. One time I was with her almost a month, another for 3 weeks and the other times just over 2 weeks. She has had 2 strokes in that time and is doing wonderfully now. I am amazed at how well she has recovered through all of this. It has been a thrill to see her lean on the Lord and to trust Him for everything even her memory and physical recovery. She still has moments where she struggles with a word or a name, but God has been good to restore her to almost perfect health.

Then there is this little financial crisis that has hit our country. because of my health I am not able to work a job out of the home. I never know from one day to the next if I can even function in the home, yet alone out in public. So I am doing all I can to help my husband make ends meet. My days are filled with finding savings and deal and rebates on-line. It has been like a treasure hunt to find the goodies out there. God has directed me to some wonderful people who have helped me make my way in this process. And the savings have been amazing!! Just this year alone I have saved around $3000 at the grocery store with coupons alone. Last week I got $140 worth of free products including some things to share with our local Woman's Care Center (a crisis pregnancy center that helps women choose life over an abortion!) Here is a picture of all the products. I was so excited I had to take a picture!!

Other ways I have been saving money is by finding incredible deals on things. I have joined several sites that help me earn free Amazon gift cards as well as a few sites that actually pay me cash. It's not huge amounts, but every penny helps. It's been fun to save the gift cards and watch for good deals on items and then look at my total; $0.00!!!

The latest in my life is the doctors now think I may have fibromyalgia. So I will be dealing with that through diet, exercise, proper rest and supplements. We also have sent our youngest off to college. One down and the other came home! LOL!! Our oldest lost his job and has been struggling to find another one. I'm still trying to see where the economy has gotten better. Maybe in some parts of the country, but here in northern Indiana it is still pretty rough.

Which brings me to how we have been helping a lot of families here from our church and the surrounding community. Rick and I have been doing all we can to help them stretch their dollars too. Just for Thanks giving I was able to contact several companies and get coupons for free food to share with these families. It was a blast preparing the gift baskets for them!! The Lord even helped us stretch the church's money too. It was a blessing to be able to provide meals that way. And I have to thank several companies for their help, Idahoan Potatoes, Libby, and Pepperidge Farms.

So there in a nut shell is a small bit of my life for the last long while. Not much creative-wise, but I am learning so much!! I'll do my best to get back on more often and hopefully those of you who used to read, well, I hope you will come back. A lot of what I post may have to do with all my savings and bargains because that is what is going on right now. I actually call it my job; spending and extending my husbands pay check as far as I can! It's a fun job.