Goals: Week of December 31st

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I didn't get around to posting my goals last week. I had decided that I wanted to spend time with family and not worry about trying to get things done. 

I hope that you all had a great Christmas and a Happy New Year!

This weeks goals:

1. Budget- this needs some adjustment 
2. Make something to go on all my alligator clips
3. Sub for 3 days this week
4. Do 20 crunches and sit ups this week
5. Repurpose Cardigan
6. One of my friends leaves soon to go back to college, so we need to hang out this week :)
7. Get Sunday School lesson ready

Do any of you have any new year's resolutions this year?

Giveaway Winner

Thanks to those of you who entered my giveaway. 

The winner of this giveaway was...drum roll please...David C. who wanted to win this for his wife. You have been sent an email, Let me know an address and I will mail it to you!

Book Review: Heitzmann The Breath of Dawn

I started reading this book just thinking that it was big and that I knew nothing about the author. Could be a good thing or a bad thing. I got a few chapters in, and I could already predict who was going to get married in the book. I was not having the best of first impressions of this book.

Let me tell you, this was one of the best books that I have read for a while. The suspense that filled this book was intense. I love not knowing what is going to happen in a book, and this book accomplishes that. 

The main characters life is far from perfect. Her husband's life is far from perfect. They have to choose to make things work. I like the realistic scenario presented in this book.

I am thinking that there may be a sequel for this book that I would love to read. Thank you Bethany House for allowing me to read and review this book!

Linked up to Reading List

Rite Aid: 25 free 4x6 photos

If you have been following my to do lists at all, you know that I have been putting off ordering some prints.

Well, Rite Aid is currently offering up 25 free 4 x 6 prints for free- if shipped to the store. Enter EPRNT when checking out to get the free prints.

Off to work, I must go. Good time to get this project done!

Thanks, MoneySavingMom!

Christmas Giveaway

I am having a hard time believing that Christmas is in just 3 days! 

I am going to give away a scarf for Christmas. You can see how I made a similar t-shirt scarf. Super comfy! 

Below is pictured the scarf that you can win. 

Hurry, you have until the 30th to enter this giveaway. You must have a valid US address to win.

Make sure you check out my Etsy shop to see what other things I have been making!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Goals:Week of December 17th

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Sometimes when I have more to do, it forces me to make better use of my time, therefore allowing me to get more done. I wish I could find the same motivation all the time! Now to use that to my advantage this week.

Last weeks goals:

1. Finish 2 Christmas presents
2. Post a giveaway
3. Order pics
4. Clean up my computer
5. Research and sign up for STRS
6. Have friends over to eat
7. Walk 5 miles- I walked 1.75 this week. A littlr better than last week!

This weeks goals:

1. Finish 2 Christmas presents- I feel like these are both in the home stretch
2. List etsy and post a giveaway
3. Order pics
4. Make breakfast burritos to freeze
5. Get a gift to send to my friend
6. Upcycle cardigan
7. Walk 5 miles

Goals: Week of December 10th

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My two lists this week look an awful lot alike. I don't like that...but pointing it out to you motivates me to try a little harder!

Last weeks goals:

1. Finish 3 Christmas presents- I got this down to 2...getting closer on the other 2.
2. Post a giveaway
3. Order pics
4. Clean up my computer
5. Research and sign up for STRS- I decided to wait on this since we are having a financial guy come over and talk to us this week. 
6. Organize owner's manuals
7. Walk 5 miles- I walked 1.5 miles. Better than none!

This weeks goals:

1. Finish 2 Christmas presents
2. Post a giveaway
3. Order pics
4. Clean up my computer
5. Research and sign up for STRS
6. Have friends over to eat
7. Walk 5 miles

Book Review: Taming the Wind by Peterson

Tracie Peterson has pulled it off again with writing a great book #3 in the Land of the Lone Star Series. 

Carissa Lowe is the main character in this book. In the last book, she becomes a widow whose husband was killed. She was pregnant with their daughter at the time he was killed. Her husband was abusive and she now has to learn to trust other men. 

Carissa goes to live with her sister on a ranch. Quite a change from the pampered lifestyle that she was use to. 

Tyler finds himself interested in Carissa, and Carissa in Tyler. There is a lot of challenges that stand in their way. One of the challenges is that all the men leave on a cattle drive that will take months. All the women have to live together to protect themselves from Indian attacks.

Laura, Carissa's sister, delivers a baby prematurely while the men are gone and they almost lose baby and child. Carissa is reminded that she has to make a choice of who she will love and that she can do nothing to hold on to those people.

My attention was held until I finished the whole book. Thank you to Bethany House for allowing me to review this book. 

Buying or Renting a Time Warner Modem?

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Time Warner has recently started charging for users to rent their modems. We were being charged $4 a month, which we were told was the cheapest rate across the country.

We started thinking about buying a modem instead of renting.

One of the reasons that we thought about not buying our own, was that we would have to pay to buy another one if something happened to ours. However, Time Warner has not been on top of keeping our equipment in top shape. We had tried to get a cord replaced on our old one a few times, but Time Warner had never done it. When we returned ours, the lady just threw away the cord. So, this reason was not justification for us!

We started looking at the modems that were available and the costs that we might be incurring. You can take a look at Time Warner's acceptable modem list.

The modem that we ended up choosing was refurbished. But we figured Time Warner would bring a used modem to our house, so there would not be much difference here. The cost of the modem we chose was $21. In just over 5 months we will break even on the cost of this modem.

I can't help but think of my Great Grandma who use to pay an exorbitant amount of money to rent her phone. The telephone company made good off of her!

Buy here

This picture is the modem that we bought. Not only do we own the modem, but it looks so much better in our house. The seller also did a great job of packaging this modem and shipping it to us.

And a plus, if you shop through ebates, you will get 1% back. Not much but better than nothing!

My husband called Time Warner to get everything hooked up. He was on the phone for a little while, but the process wasn't too difficult. You can find the steps to install your modem here.

What do you think? Are you considering buying your modem or are you going to continue renting?

Organizing Owners Manuals

Do you have a stack of owners manuals stashed away somewhere in your house? You go through them and realize you have gotten rid of a few things, but still have the manual. And of course the one you are looking for is not where you usually stash them. Sound familiar at all?!!

Here are my manuals after I was done tucked into a 3 ring binder.

I took a folder and some sheet protectors that I had from college and took on our owners manuals today. I divided the piles into like items. Then I took all the info from each item, for example I took the freezer manual, receipt, and any thing else that might come with that item and stuck all of the info in a sheet protector. I then stuck them in the binder in alphabetical order. 

Here is my stack of manuals before. 

Here are all the manuals contained nicely in one place.

Free project for me! Any other simple ideas that I can do to get things in order around my house? Ok getting up off the couch and just doing would be a great place to start :)

Goals: Week of December 3rd

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Can it be December? And it is 9:00 at night and the temperature is 55 degrees. This is not helping put me in the Christmas spirit very fast!

I am planning on getting the rest of my Christmas decorating done this week. Anyone else still working on this? Seems like people just keep getting it up earlier and earlier.

Last weeks goals:

1. Figure out book fair documents- have them ready to hand out on Thursday
2. Finish 3 Christmas presents
3. Finish reading Taming the Wind
4. Ship off eBay items
5. Post a giveaway
6. Order pics- I worked on this, but I did it wrong. Back to square one!
7. Clean up my computer- my husband and I are getting each other new ones for Christmas!

This weeks goals:

1. Finish 3 Christmas presents
2. Post a giveaway
3. Order pics
4. Clean up my computer- the new is ready to get picked up, so I better get this one ready to go.
5. Research and sign up for STRS
6. Organize owner's manuals
7. Walk 5 miles- I went out to coffee with a friend tonight and she asked if I had been running recently. I had to admit that I hadn't even been walking. Better get on that one...before it gets freezing and I have NO motivation

What projects do you need to get done before Christmas?