Break Time

Please pardon this quilting blogger while I take a break to go crochet myself some fingerless gloves. The combination of carpal tunnel syndrome and the bitter cold are making my hands hurt and I really think this will help.

Thank you for your patience.
Hugs,
Melinda

P.S. Isn't this picture just the cutest?

Barnacles

So I have an illustration to share with you. I wrote this for a friend who is dealing with some major child abuse issues, but in reading over it today, I see that it applies for everyone. I hope you can gain some insight and benefit from this.

Okay, here is my illustration. (I woke up this morning with this illustration and you on my mind.)

Think of a sail boat. When it first comes out of production, it is sleek and beautiful and clean and has good lines and is just all over pretty. And then you put it in the water and you sail. And sail and sail. If you are lucky, you get to sail that boat for many years. That sailboat enjoys sailing. It was made to sail. Made for the water.

But what happens when you pull it out of the water at the end of the season? There are barnacles all over it. Those tough little parasites are stuck to the ship, literally cemented to it. That if you let them stay there, they will continue to grow and attract other barnacles and continue to build up on your sail boat and make it heavier and heavier and less buoyant and less maneuverable.

And in order to get them off of your sail boat, you have to get a chisel and scrape them off.

Did the sail boat ask to have barnacles all over it? No. It's a hazard of sailing in the "waters of sin." We all have to sail there. We all get barnacles. But some of our sail boats don't have owners who will take the boat out every season and scrape all those barnacles off, and so they continue to build.

And at the risk of pushing this illustration too far, you are a sailboat whose owner (parents) didn't scrape the barnacles of self-loathing, worthlessness, doubt, anger, and .... CRUD off of you. Instead, they left you in the waters of sin and allowed those barnacles to keep growing. And even sailed you through the waters that were more infested with these parasites.

But you are out of the water now. The end of that season is over. You have a new owner. Actually your original owner has come to claim you back. Jesus has pulled you out of the water. And he is scraping the barnacles off. I know it hurts, and I know they are clinging to you refusing to budge, but he wants you to be clean again. One of these days, you will be back in the water, and you will be able to guide the other sail boats through the water, and you will be able to direct them to their owner, Jesus, who will take care of them.

In the meantime, please try to hang in there. I know you are hurting, but underneath all of the barnacles of self-worthlessness, and self-destructiveness, there is a beautiful beautiful ship, and one day, you will enjoy sailing again.

Major hugs and prayers for you.
Melinda

Changes

I'm going to be playing around today. I've often thought that I didn't really like the templates provided by Blogger, but I didn't want to pay for a cute layout. I've just discovered a website that apparently offers free templates. :D So just ignore me while I'm playing.

Hugs,
Melinda

[eta] I think I'm through for the moment. Let me know what you think. Is anything to hard to read? Is it too pink? Opinions please.

Forget Google!

So have you heard of Swag Bucks yet? It's where you can do online searches and win points for doing those searches. Then you can turn in the points for cool stuff...... I just signed up yesterday, so I don't have a lot of points yet, but I'm really excited about it.

The really cool part about it is that they use the Google search engine for their searches, so I get to use the engine I love, but get rewarded for doing it. Isn't that cool?

I do have to say that I first learned about this because of Money Saving Mom. And then Leaving Excess reminded me of it. I figured, why not? And in two days, I've already gotten 6 Swagbucks. Not only that, they support cell phone recycling, and since I'm going to have a new phone on Tuesday, I'll be getting trading it in for even more swagbucks.

I wish I had more time to talk about it, but Little Bit is begging for lunch. Go sign up using this link or click on one of these banners (also found at the bottom of the page). That's so I can get the credit for referring you and you know... more swagbucks. :D

Have a good day!
Hugs,
Melinda

A nice giveaway

Okay, so bear with me. Over at MomAdvice, she is hosting a Nice Giveaway. Wal-Mart is giving her a chance to giveaway a $500 gift card. Tell me that's not a nice giveaway. I don't want you to enter, because I want to win the card. LOL

Entry is a bit complicated. One, you can leave a comment on her blog here with a holiday money saving tip. You can get a second entry by blogging about it, along with her blog site, a mention about Wal-Mart and one about Nickelodeon along with another holiday money saving tip.

Let me tell you one thing, and this may disqualify me. I don't generally shop at Wal-Mart, especially the Super Centers. It seems like every time I go in for one thing and come out with 20. That's one way I save money year round.... I stay out of Wal-Mart. But in this time of economic hardship, I'll take anything I can in order to make sure my children have a good Christmas.

But my kids love Nickelodeon. That was one of the downsides of going back to no cable. No more Blue's Clues and Dora the Explorer.

Now for my holiday money saving tip..... hmm... it needs to be good. Well, one thing is the "letter to Santa Claus." My children's letter gets mailed in care of Grandpa who lives in Nashville. Sometimes he can help with the bigger items, but the letter lets me know exactly what to get (happy children) and what not to get (wasted money). That way, everyone is happy.

But I don't think that's what I need to submit. How about this? I humbly submit that I do not send out Christmas cards. I do not spend money on cards for people I rarely ever speak to. I do not spend money on postage stamps for those same cards. Don't get me wrong. It's nice to receive those cards, but at the same time, I have a problem with sending cards to everyone and their dog. So.... if you don't enjoy that process.... don't do it. Save yourself a bit of money.

And now I feel like saying "Bah Humbug"

Hugs,
Melinda