iChoose2 Love My Life

I am so excited to share this journey with you.

I am an iBloom ambassador and received a copy of the book iChoose2 Love My Life as a benefit of this program.  Over the next 52 weeks I am going to share with you this journey and hope you will come along and join the journey.

This amazing book will guide you on this journey but believe me you won't be alone. Between the book's amazing words and the knowledge that there are amazing women praying along with you on the journey I am comforted knowing this book is more than another self help book.
Not only is the book amazing , but the community that goes along with the book is amazing.
You can join in with the group for an upcoming New Year's Party 
I want to tell you so much more about this book , but I also want you to join me on this journey. In the next few days I will be posting again my responses to the first week's assignment on this journey.

If you do nothing more than join us for the New Year's Party  Tuesday January 8th at 8 pm EST I will be happy. There are 2 options for the party. The free option if you already have the book or you can RSVP and purchase the book for only $10.00

At first my husband and I were convinced this was just another self help book setting me up to fail (I've done a lot of these books over the years), but as I read the first few weeks (I wanted to get a feel for the book) I really felt the power of the prayers that went into this book. I'm sure that sounds cliche' but really the comfort I felt as I started reading the book and giving more thought to the journey is a powerful thing.
I hope you will consider joining the party and joining us on this journey.


Here is a review I posted last month on Amazon.
I received this book shortly after Thanksgiving and am loving the journey it is taking me on as I learn about myself and the life I want to love and live. I can not recommend this book more than saying if you only buy 1 more book this year, it should be this one. What a wonderful way to start off the upcoming New Year on a journey to loving your life and yourself.

Shopping and Cooking Frugally: Book Review

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Kimberly Eddy has written a wonderful book,  "Joyful Momma's Guide to Shopping & Cooking Frugally".
This book ROCKS!  Yes I know that sounds cliche' but this is seriously an amazing book. One of my favorite parts of the book is actually the various bold print antidotes on nearly every page.
"Joyful Momma's Guide..." is chalked full of real useful ideas and tips.  One quote that really stuck out to me.  "Bulk shopping does not necessarily mean buying huge amounts of stuff but rather it means buying things in the largest usable quantity if it offers you a savings." pg 15
Seriously that stuck with me... Just because is costs less to buy 100 lbs of sugar doesn't mean it is a usable quantity for me... Reality is if I can buy sugar on sale in 10 lb bags at a reasonable cost based on the amount we use that is a better deal then buying 100 lbs and having to store it and risk it going bad, getting bugs, etc....

I could just nod my head in agreement with so many things she writes. Seriously , just because it is on sale and I have a coupon for it doesn't mean I need it or that I will actually use it.  I had to come to that realization as I was getting more serious about my couponing and can totally agree with that idea.  If I buy something just because I have a coupon am I actually saving money, No!  

She has an entire chapter on strategy and couponing.  In another chapter she has a great idea (one I think I might actually try to do). Use Cash when shopping and put the left over into an account or set it aside as a reward. I can totally see that as a better rewards program than any store.   Couponing and deal matching can be a lot of work and what a great reward system, also would be a great way to add to an emergency fund or special event fund.

The second half of the book is stocked full of recipes and frugal cooking idea as well as very useful forms.
Another thing she mentioned that really made me think, especially as we head into the holiday food drive season.  Think about the things that will bless a family in need when you are putting donations together. Ask yourself, "would my family be blessed if we were in that situation".  As one who has been on the receiving end, I can get pretty creative but I know some people can't and when I donate foods I try to keep it real, as in red beans, pasta, canned meats,  basic soups (tomato and cream of mushroom are ones that are easy to use).  Even on a budget we can help each other out.

I can't say enough about this book to really do it justice. The book is honest and real and to me that is HUGE!
Following Kimberly on her blog for more wonderfully frugal ideas, she also have a newsletter available on her blog.  As we head into the holiday season this book would be a wonderful gift for a young couple or a family that is new to couponing and frugal living.

***I received this book in exchange for my honest opinion here on my blog. No other compensation was received.***

Review: Primal, What if #Christianity was just that simple

What if our faith could be simplified?

What if our faith was as true as the early Christians?

Pastor Mark Batterson looks at just that.  

What caught my attention when I started reading this book was how opening and almost bruttally honest the author is. If we really think about it as a society we have adapted Christianity to fit whatever need we have. We have made our faith fit into our lives rather than our lives fitting the true picture of Christianity.  Don't get me wrong I'm not a perfect Christian, nor do I pretend to be.

Pastor Mark Batterson is real in his writing and the fact that he is in the thick of it with non-traditional churches in Washington D.C. proves to me that he has a real passion for the gospel.

It takes more than just reading the Bible to feel this passionate about something. I love how he writes so candidly about his experience in a 14th century church and then climbing the stairs to the catacombs and experiences the true simplicity that was the 2nd century church.  Through out the book he talks about getting real and peeling back on the pretenses that plague Christianity in the 21st century.  It really makes a person take a deep look at their own practices of faith.


***I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion of the book. No other monetary compensation was received.****