Well....Did you go???????

Did you go shopping on Black Friday?

I did... we did...


Brian and I were able to go.

Alone.

OK, so there were a million other shoppers, however, we did not have any little ones, saying "Mom, can I get this?" or "Dad, I need that". So for us, we were alone.

We did good. I think we are just about done with shopping. Wrapping will be the next "big" thing to do.

So how are you coming along with your Christmas preparations?

HAPPY THANKSGIVING...

Thanksgiving is here this year at our house. I am so excited to have both my husband & my families here this year. We are truly blessed to have them in our lives.

Happy Thanksgiving to all... so many reasons to be thankful!


Count your blessings, name them one by one.
Count your many blessings and it will surprise you what the Lord has done...

CHECK IT OUT.....

Mommy Optimistic is an exciting, upbeat and positive website for us mommies. From book reviews to recipes to chit chat about our families, this site has much to offer!

As if all of the above were not reason enough to check it out, I will give you one more...


I wrote an article for them...

I revamped my previous post about giving.

If you get a minute check it out and browse the rest of the site!

Giving On A Budget....

This holiday season we are on a budget that is tighter than it has been previous years. I don't want any giving that we would typically do to suffer because of this.

So the Hasbro game deal really was a blessing, not only was I able to pick up games for our family, but I was also able to pick up some for Toys for Tots! That good of a deal can be few and far between though.

Today as I was waiting for the kids at school, I picked up to read my All You magazine. There was an article about giving without spending any money.
Below are a few of the ideas that you can do this holiday season to help others out even if you yourself are short on cash.

Free Rice - At this website you will answer a series of vocabulary questions, for each correct answer, 10 grains of rice are donated. To date 71,067,033,230 grains of rice have been donated to help feed the hungry.

Good Search This is a search engine that donates to a cause of your choice with every search you do... yes, it is that easy!

Care2 This is a click to donate website. Simply go to the website, find a cause you want to donate to and click. You can click once per day per cause.

Of course, if you happen to have a little extra money this holiday season there are certainly some great places that could use some extra help this year.

I **heard** that Toys for Tots have already received double their applications so far this year. This is a reputable organization that has been around for many years.

Another great organization is Compassion. It is a Christian organization that helps children internationally in poverty stricken countries, not only supplying their physical needs, but meeting their spiritual needs as well. As a family last Christmas we decided to support a child in Nicaragua...it has truly been a blessing for our family in so many ways. I know it would be a blessing to your family too.

**FREE PHOTO ORNAMENT + FREE SHIPPING**

At SeeHere you can receive a free red or white bulb photo ornament, you do not even have to pay shipping.

Once you are at the website, click on photo gifts, scroll down till you see the round white ornament or the red round ornament. The cost will say $12.99. Click on either of these, upload your picture and proceed to check out. Use code mallornament to receive it for free.

**You will need to create and account in order to use any promo code, but that just simply requires you making up a username & password. You do not have to enter any credit/debit card info at all.


I love free!!!