Little Moore Action

God is so BIG!!!!

2010-11-10T13:23:00.001-05:00

Hello, I wanted to share a testimony of something God has got going on. I work at a Private Boarding School in Chattanooga (Baylor School). We have many international boarders who come to the states for the American education. Early in the school year I announced that I was starting a bible study that would meet in my apartment. Along with several american students, two Chinese students asked to attend. This seemed so crazy and a bit strange. We have many students from Korea who are Christian but did not know of any Chinese. On the second meeting I had a chance to talk with them one on one and found out that they were not Christians but were very interested in learning about the bible. One student (Angie) said that she had started learning about the bible from a friend in China who always talked about Jesus. The other (Angel) said that she became interested in the bible when she received a "track" or "pamplet" from someone while in China.

At our meeting last night they were the only two that showed up. We talked about the Bible a lot. I can tell that they both have started to read it more and have lots of questions. The first question, "what is the difference between God and Jesus." I am so glad that God gave me the words to help answer this question. Both talked more about their experiences in China. Angel said that she loves being in America because her mother does not allow her to read the bible and she is glad that she has a chance here to read it freely. The other, Angie, said that her father is not a Christian but encourages her to read to Bible because he believes that it is good for her to believe in something.

I am praying for these girls to come to know Christ in a personal way. I think it is so cool and such a "God" thing that seeds were sown into them while in China and now He is using me to continue sharing His message with them. If you think of them, please pray with me.

Thanks,

2010-10-03T22:59:00.004-04:00

This is a picture of me that Justin took last night. He took me on a date to dinner and a show. We went to Fiddler on the Roof. It was so great. We had a lot of fun. The play was awesome and doing something different for a change was cool too. Hopefully we can post pics weekly of the changing belly.

Can I Be Your Baby Daddy?

2010-10-03T21:18:00.003-04:00

This was a text I received from Justin the day we learned we were expecting.

We have waiting for many months to have the happy day. Although I have heard the heart beat many times and seen the sweet face on the Ultrasound there are moments that I can not believe it is true.

We took the test on July 19th (4 weeks 1 day) and it was POSITIVE!!!!!

Justin and I are so excited to share the news with you all.

We are 15 weeks today. Our little one is set to arrive sometime around March 27th. It is hard to believe that in less that six months we will have a baby to hold.

Something New

2010-10-03T20:55:00.003-04:00

Yes, we are having a baby. This is a picture of our little one. We are thrilled to share with everyone that we are 15 weeks pregnant today!!! This picture was taken at our 12 week 3 day ultrasound. The profile of its sweet face is such a beautiful site. We are looking forward to sharing more pictures as the weeks continue. We have another appointment on Thursday and hopefully will get the gender then. We are not holding our breath though since we know that it is a little early. Pray that our little one is in the ideal position to tell. We are really looking forward to seeing its little face again though. Today it is about four inches long. Hard to believe that it is living and breathing in my belly.

Christmas Gift Review

2009-12-27T11:57:00.003-05:00

As many of you I received many gifts this Christmas. All of which I am ecstatic about. One in particular I would like to tell you about.

The Teavana Perfect Tea Maker.

http://www.teavana.com/c=perfectteamaker/shop.axd/StaticPopup

I received this from our gift exchange from my cousins wife, Heather. I was so excited to get to use it today.

Let me tell you a little about it. If you like hot tea you absolutely have to have this product. You simply put the 16oz of hot water and the required amount of loose tea into the container and allow it to steep for the allotted time. After that you simply place it onto of the mug of your choice (mine is a Starbucks insulated mug - it keeps in warm for hours). The mechanism on the bottom activates when placed on the top of the mug. The warm tea beverage drains into the mug leaving the tea leaves behind.

The reason I love this so much is because I have not been able to strain the tea enough with other methods. I always end up with a little bit of tea leaves along with the tasty liquid. The strainer in The Perfect Tea Maker is very fine. It never lets any of those pesky leaves by. Oh my! It is wonderful.

I write this as I enjoy a warm mug of my favorite Earl Grey Tea - also from Teavana. This is a great tea store. I wish we had one in Chattanooga, TN.

Thanks Heather for my tea maker.

Accolades to God All Mighty

2009-12-17T14:47:00.000-05:00

I can say that the journey of Justin’s graduate school experience was based strictly on our trust in God. When Justin lost his job in January of 2008 we were set up perfectly to rely on one income. When we got married in August of 2007 we decided to live on one income (mine) and focus his salary on debt repayment and savings. In December of 2007 we had successfully paid off all debt acquired from the wedding. We had also managed to save a good amount of money. Sooooo, when we were forced to go down to one income, (although I felt like kicking and screaming) we were primed and ready to do so. I can say that I hated many parts of it all. We had to cut in anyway that we could. We did not take any big vacations and clothing allotments were out of the question. I have become a coupon queen. Eating out was a rarity. Gifts to family and friends were small if at all. (Sorry loved ones). Well to God be the glory. I can say that it is coming up on two years since Justin had a job that significantly contributed financially to the household, we still do not have any credit card debt. We have never gone hungry. We have always been able to pay our electric, water, and gas bill. We were always able to give our tithe to God and other ministries. We still have a little savings left in the bank. And we are closer to each other and closer to God because of it.

We are now trusting in God that he has a plan for Justin’s employment. He has trained him and we believe that God has a perfect place decided for Justin to continue his business career. Please pray with us as we wait on the job hunt to produce the right job.

Dead or Done (Congrats to my husband, Justin)

2009-12-17T14:46:00.002-05:00

I want to take a moment to publicly say how proud I am of my husband. Last week he officially graduated with his Masters in Business Administration. The journey has been a challenge to say the least. Justin has spent many hours studying in order to earn the highest possible in all of his classes. I am so proud. He finished school with a 3.92 GPA. Only one B and it was in the hardest class in the program.

We started talking about him entering the program in February of 2008. He lost his job with Sertapak in January of 2008 and the job hunt was definitely looking bleak. We thought it would be a perfect time to pursue higher education. With this decision we both knew it would mean we would have to live on a lot less income (mostly mine). I was not real keen on the idea at first and dragged my feet at putting my seal of approval on the idea. I guess I was hoping that the big paying job would come along before he actually entered the program. We decided that he would take the first step which was taking the GMAT test to qualify for the graduate program. Doubt flooded my mind again when he did not make the minimum required score to be accepted into the graduate program. I was hesitant on him spending the money on the test again if we weren’t sure that he was going to actually go to graduate school.

Well the summer semester came and we had still not made a decision and Justin still did not have a job. In the summer Justin took the GMAT again. He made a little higher but still did not reach the minimum required score. I guess you can say (despite his genius abilities in many areas) he is not a great standardized test taker. He contacted the dean of the graduate school and was told that he could be admitted on a conditional basis. He would be able to remain in the program as long as he did not make C’s in any of his classes. Well, I have to confess that I was doubtful. Justin’s GPA in undergraduate was not too stellar so I was not sure how he would do.

Classes began on August 18th, 2008. He enrolled in three classes meaning he was gone three nights a week for class. Also in the fall of 2008 Justin started a job at That Lighting Store of a sales rep. The hours were crazy. He worked on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. This was hard because not having two days off in a row made it difficult for us to spend any real time together. Because of the school load and work schedule he was usually studying on Sunday’s and all day Wednesday.

Second semester began in January. He was again enrolled in three classes. In the beginning of January I asked that we pray about him quitting the lighting store job and go to school full time plus to finished as soon as possible. The job was not adding to our income too much but it was taking away from us in some many ways. We had our answer by Spring Break and Justin quit That Lighting Store in March. Now he would be able to apply his full schedule to completing the semester classes. He was enrolled in his hardest class, Operations Management. From what he said, the class was really hard and pretty much kicking his tale. I was so proud of how diligent he was at giving his school work his all. He never settled for less than best. He approached every project and assignment with the highest of integrity and determination.

At the same time of ending his work at That Lighting Store, he started doing some Marketing work on the side for an Internet graphic design company called Interactive ID. He would be promoting the company at a weekly networking meeting as well as contacting any new leads to bring in business.

In the summer of 2009, Justin took on his heaviest load. The summer semesters at UTC are divided into two short terms. Basically if you register for a class you attend two nights a week for six to seven weeks. Each of the short sessions Justin was registered for two classes. By the end of the summer Justin completed four more classes with all A’s. It was so hard on him. He really knocked things out of the park with each assignment. He developed a new interest in accounting and finance and that side of business management. I can not tell you how many times he tried to tell me about finance and the ins and outs of business accounting. I tried to listen attentively but let’s just face it; it was all a foreign language to me.

Last semester, Fall 2009. Justin was again enrolled in taking four classes. So he was again gone four nights a week. Justin was taking some pretty hard courses but also tweaked his curiosity. E-business, New Ventures/Entrepreneurs, H.R., and Strategic Management. Justin is very interested in entrepreneurial opportunities so of course he always had something interesting to share of the things he was learning. As the semester picked up it started to seem like he was never not studying. He was often meeting with a group or discussing a project via phone/text/or IM. Finally bringing the semester to a close with what seemed like a presentation in every single class. Again, all A’s. You did it baby.

I think that after all that is listed above it is most important to add that he never ceased to be attentive to my needs. He constantly strived to give me time and attention and help around the house whenever possible. He also managed to complete a huge undertaking of installing hardwood floors in our downstairs in July (with my help I might add).

For all those employers out there…. Justin is, without a shadow of a doubt, one of the most talented people I know. His sheer determination sets him apart from other candidates. He has such passion when it comes to things that are important to him. He never does anything he cares about half way. He constantly strives for the best and to be the best. When it comes to projects he scrutinizes over every detail to ensure that only excellence is submitted. He takes his responsibilities very seriously. He always strives to ensure that all of his commitments are cared for. Justin is a visionary. He knows how to create something from nothing. He is a creative thinker. I am always impressed by the new ideas and ventures he comes up with.

Justin, I am so excited to spend the rest of my life see what kind of trouble we can get into. I know God has big plans for you. This new accomplishment is a tool that I know God will use to take you to the next place both professionally and personally. Any employer would be foolish not to hire you.

If you have made it this far…. Thanks for reading.

Big Details

2009-08-28T13:46:00.003-04:00

(www.kiroastro.com/writings/perspective)

Melora (my lovely wife) typically writes on our blog, but I had a thought today which I felt compelled to share because it brought a lot of things in my life into perspective. After having watched a documentary about the Sun, one single nugget stayed with me. It is the the simple fact that the Sun is 400 times bigger than the moon & the moon is 400 times closer to the earth than the Sun.
For those of you needing help with the concept I've included a picture. The fact that the Sun is 400x larger and the moon is 400x closer is proven by what is commonly known as a complete solar eclipse.
1 - if the moon where further away - No total eclipse is possible
2 -if the moon where closer - No total eclipse
3 -if the sun where larger,smaller,further,closer - No total eclipse

This is a HUGE detail that someone DIDN'T miss.

After doing several home improvement projects to finish all the last minute details of the hardwood floors, the baseboards and trim work - I now appreciate great attention to detail. I also appreciate statistics.
So I asked myself this question "What is the probability of this happening by accident (or naturally)?" How many random universes would it take for this to happen again?" This reminded me of some Truths about who God is.

If God puts this much attention to detail and consideration into this part of His creation, how much more does he care for me. A total eclipse happens about every 1.5 years. I don't understand its purpose, but to me it's evidence that some bigger architect designed it this way. It is a continual reminder that God has everything under control and has thought things through. Even the biggest details we may not even notice.

Update on Shady

2009-08-15T21:49:00.015-04:00

This pictures were taken with the camera generously loaned to us by our friends Stephanie and Matt Rector. Thanks guys. We would not be able to capture the sweet pics of our new baby.

We went to Nashville for a few days this week. We stayed at The Embassy Suites. If you did not know, they have a great pet policy. For a fee you can take as many pets as you want. They also offer a Manager's Reception with free cocktails in the evening and a made to order breakfast in the morning. We had a great time. Justin made lots and lots of trips out the door, down the elevator, through the lobby, and out the side door to the grassy area to walk our dogs. Shady still gets up at least twice a night so this was a little trying on him by Friday. Justin was such a trooper though. Only a few accidents in the room. Below are some pics that we have taken over the past few weeks.

Sleeping again. This kiddo sleeps all the time. When he is not sleeping he is trying to chew on something. We are learning a lot about behavior modification.

This is a pick of him sleeping on the air vent in the kitchen.

Shady sleeping next to his hot dog squeaky toy.

I hate to admit it but I took this picture while driving. He looked so cute it was hard to resist.

The car ride was exhausting.

Shady really enjoyed laying on the bathroom floor. I guess because the tile was cold. A few times we found that he had crawled behind the toilet to take a little nap.

Shady sitting high on the bed. He really thought he was royalty in the hotel. Got lots of attention from anyone in the lobby when he was going out to potty.

He looks sweet in this picture but it is likely that he is getting ready to pounce.

I think he was trying to go to sleep or something. It takes him a little while to find just the right spot before bedding down. Usually we put him in the crate before he finds his spot on the bed. At home he enjoys sleeping on the air conditioner vents.

Shady does a lot of biting. This is kind of getting frustrating. Yesterday Justin put Shady on the bed to "wake me up" and he quickly headed straight toward my head and bit my nose. He drew blood.

How do you do it?

2009-08-12T17:14:00.004-04:00

For all those who might be wondering how I do all the coupon stuff, I thought I would give a little summary on the helpful tools I use to save money and stay under budget with our grocery bill.

First of all, I love the money saving blog named Southern Savers. This site is a free blog written by a woman named Jenny. Everyday there are many postings that help people save money. She gives lists that match the store sales with coupons. Basically she takes your grocery store sales paper and lists below each item on sale all the coupons that are available for that item. Most grocery stores change sales every Wednesday. Publix, Bilo, Ingles, Foodlion. She posts Kroger list on Monday I think. You must check this site out. It is awesome. If you are new to couponing and have never used the site there is a great little introduction she offers. When you go on the page on the right side underneath where it says, "Welcome to Southern Savers", there is a click here for any newcomers. You should definitely read this first, it helps to explain coupons lingo and how you can save so much at your grocery store.

The trick is this...

Stockpiling.
I am sure that most of you go to the grocery store (or Walmart) two to three times a week to get what you need to make dinner for your family based on recipes or menu you have created. Well buying based on the rock bottom prices in the store is how to save the most. For example, when rice or cereal is the cheapest ever, it makes sense to go ahead buy two or three boxes (or more if you have the storage) so that you never have to buy it at the expensive regular price again. Usually grocery stores rotate sales weekly, and eventually every item that you use regularly will go on sale at a rock bottom price.

For example. Let's say Hamburger Helper is $2.49 a box at regular price. The grocery store often runs deals where the item is Buy 1 Get 1 Free. Well in Bilo or Publix lingo this actually means 1/2 price. So instead of paying $2.49 you actually pay $1.24. Well, then if it is combined with a coupon. Usually the Hamburger Helper coupon is $1 off when you buy 3. So for three boxes of Hamburger Helper you actually are paying $2.73. Wow! It is like you are getting three boxes for the price of one. In this case I think that it is a good idea to go ahead and get three or six boxes. I will have used all of them by the time they go on sale again. Walmart's "Everyday low price", will never beat that. This is just an example, I do not actually remember how much Hamburger Helper is.

Where do you get all those coupons?

First of all I usually buy about two to three newspapers every Sunday. The cool thing about Southern Savers is that they actually list the coupons that will be in Sunday's paper each week. This posting is usually on Thursday, so you can already know what coupons to look forward to on Sunday. TIP!!!! You will want to get a newspaper from the biggest metro area closest to you. Even though I live in Chattanooga, I try to get a Atlanta Constitution or Birmingham News because for some crazy reason the coupons in these papers are better.

On Southern Savers grocery lists, she provides links to the printables available for the items that are sale. It is as easy as that. When you look at the list all you have to do is click on the link for the coupons discounting the items that you want. You will understand when you look at the site.

There are other sites too.
coupons.com The update all the coupons at the beginning of every month. You can usually print two of each coupon.

www.redplum.com

www.smartsource.com

A Full Cup. They offer an amazing coupon database that lists all the coupons in the world. Yes, it seems to be an exhaustive list of coupons. So if you want to know if there is a coupon for Post Cereal, all you have to do is search on this site and find out if there is a coupon for the item. They also have printables for Target and other stores too.

Fiddledeedee.com For all of you guys who have a Winn Dixie this site gives coupon match-ups for that store. Southern Savers does not do Winn Dixie lists.

Attention Target Shoppers This is a site that does coupon match-ups for Target. I have used it a few times and saved great at Target. Target has store coupons which you can combine with Manufacturer coupons for free or almost free items. Can I get a Wow!!!

I also subscribe to a magazine call "All You". It is a magazine you can buy only at Walmart. However I have a subscription so I do not need a reason to go to Walmart. They have tons of great coupons each month. Some of the coupons are higher value than you usually see in the regular newspapers. They magazine also has great recipes and tips for women.

CVS

CVS, Walgreens, and RiteAid is a whole different story. You can get tons of stuff for free or for very little out of pocket. Southern Savers has a great explanation for how to do it. It is so worth it. I prefer CVS. They are very customer friendly and make using their system very easy. If you are someone who needs toiletry items, make-up, diapers, even food items, and paper products. Whatever it is you can usually get it at amazing sales or free by using the directions through Southern Savers. She usually puts the lists up on Thursday or Friday and the sales do not begin until Sunday. This helps give you time to get your lists ready with the coupons that go with them.

Other sites that help with drug store deals

www.survivingthestores.com

www.iheartcvs.com

www.iheartwalgreens.com

www.iheartriteaid.com

My brain is full of couponing information. I have been doing it for almost two years. I have only been doing it aggressively for about five or six months. I usually save about 70% at the stores. Justin has a great spreadsheet that I track all my deals.

You ask how much time does it take. At first it make take a little time. I will not lie to you. However, once you get your coupons organized then all you do is pull them out each week and put your list together and head to the stores.

If you have questions please comment. I love seeing other people adopt this and save big.

Good luck!!!

Patiently Waiting

2009-08-05T23:01:00.002-04:00

Ok. Is it just me or it is really hard to wait for things that we really want. I can surely testify on how hard it is to wait. Honestly, I can not stand it. I often tell God if He will just tell me what He is planning then I will gladly wait on it. I guess He knows better, because He is still not telling what He is planning.

Recently, Justin and I have made a really cool discovery. Over the past several nights we have gone out to our backyard to let our little puppy go potty. Justin pointed out that there is a very large spider web right outside the door strategically posted around the flood light that illuminates the yard. This spider is big and I mean BIG. On the first night of seeing the bug, I wanted to kill it instantly. Let's just be honest, spiders are creepy. Well, Justin was curious, so I left it alone and went inside.

Over the past few days we continue to observe the web. Our stays outside with Shady has lengthened since we have begun the watch. Something occurred to me tonight as I watched the web and nothing happened. This spider has to be very patient to get what it wants. It might be very very hungry but still it waits. The spider has no idea how long it will have to wait. As I watched, it seemed to say,"I will wait all night if I have to. Heck, I will wait all night every night. What ever it takes." Well, I have known God to speak to me through lesser subjects, so...

"Yes, Lord, I will wait all night, every night, if I have too. What ever it takes."

Also, I am reminded through watching this spider, God still provides. He is providing for this spider and many other spiders out there. I know God is going to provide for us. I know God has a plan for us. No, I don't necessarily like to have to wait on it. But, I feel better knowing that He is there, and He knows I am here waiting.

Center of our Marriage

2009-08-05T22:40:00.004-04:00

Colossians 1:16-18

For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy.

This was the scripture the Justin's dad used in the message shared at our wedding. This has become the foundational scripture for our marriage. Often when things feel a little rocky I am reminded of this scripture. I truly believe that our marriage was created by God. I know that I could have not caused something so wonderful to happen. Believe me, I tried. Thus, I want our marriage to constantly be to glorify Him. I know that when things seem to be falling apart, I can always trust that because we are centering our marriage on Him, He WILL hold us together.

The following are lyrics of a song by Charlie Hall that is based on the beautiful scripture above

You’re the center of the universe
Everything was made in You Jesus
Breath of every living thing
Everyone was made for You

:Pre-Chorus:
You hold everything together
You hold everything together

:chorus:
Christ be the center of our lives
Be the place we fix our eyes
Be the center of our lives

We lift our eyes to heaven
We wrap our lives around your life
We lift our eyes to heaven, to You

Oh Lord, I pray that this remains true in our lives each and every day we live.

To You, My Love

2009-08-03T23:04:00.001-04:00

I Justin, take you, Melora to be my wife. I commit myself in covenant before God and these witnesses to you and only you. From today until death, I do promise and affirm, I will stand with you as your godly husband. Through sickness and health, in plenty and in want, through the joy and the pain. I commit to strive in God’s grace and strength to fulfill your needs whether physical, emotional, or spiritual to my very best ability, because I believe you deserve the very best. I vow to be true and faithful, forsaking all others, clinging to you. Because I desire God’s best, I surrender my will and plans to Him and rely on His guidance and love, to love you. Melora, I promise to love you as Christ loves the church. Where you go, I will go. Where you lodge, I will lodge. Your people will be my people. Your God will be my God. This is my marriage covenant to God and to you.

I Melora, take you, Justin to be my husband. I commit myself in covenant before God and these witnesses to you and only you. From today until death, I do promise and affirm, I will stand with you as your godly wife. Through sickness and health, in plenty and in want, through the joy and the pain. I commit to strive in God’s grace and strength to fulfill your needs whether physical, emotional, or spiritual to my very best ability, because I believe you deserve the very best. I vow to be true and faithful, forsaking all others, clinging to you. Because I desire God’s best, I surrender my will and plans to Him and rely on His guidance and love, to love you. Justin, I promise to submit to you, my husband. Where you go, I will go. Where you lodge, I will lodge. Your people will be my people. Your God will be my God. This is my marriage covenant to God and to you.

What you get for $49.55

2009-07-28T21:21:00.001-04:00

Bi-Lo

(2) Golden Grahams Cereal

(2) Peter Pan Peanut Butter

6 pack of Diet Coke

Crayola Crayons 24 Pack

Banquet Chicken Breast Nuggets

Cole’s Breadsticks

Mayfield Half Gallon Ice Cream

(2) Southern Home Rising Crust Pepperoni Pizza (Not pictured)

Red Potatoes

Strawberries 2 lbs

Tomatoes

Sub Rolls

Subtotal before savings - $58.39

Total Savings - $29.37

Total Out of Pocket- $31.73

Publix

Bananas

Peaches

(2) Hebrew National All Beef Hot Dogs

(4) Alexia Waffle Fries Crunchy Snacks

Honey Wheat Hot Dog Buns

Snapple Peach Tea 6 pack

Snapple Raspberry Tea 6 Pack

Hostess Powdered Donuts

Total savings - $27.39

Total out of pocket - $16.24

CVS

Schick Quatro Men’s Razor Refill

Schick Quatro Women’s Razor Refill

CVS Tampons

Colgate Total Advantage Toothpaste

Neutrogena Compact Foundation

(4) Snack Size Cashews

Total Saved - $55.10

Total Out of Pocket – $1.58

Total spent - $49.55

Could have spent - $161.41

Sha'Dynasty

2009-07-27T19:31:00.005-04:00

We finished the floors

2009-07-27T19:26:00.004-04:00

We'll we worked on Friday to get the "platform" area finished. It was the final step of the process before we move on to the baseboards. It was a bit of a challenge because it is a semi circle so we had to use some of our math skills. I think it turned out pretty good. We are going to wait until Friday to work on the baseboards, so that we can take some time to acclimate our puppy to his new home.

Also we scrapped the window seals and made that another task on our list. We are planning on repainting it again soon too.

Hardwood Floor Update

2009-07-20T19:56:00.002-04:00

We are getting closer to completion with the flooring. We have completed all the floors in the dining room, living room, hallway, and office. We are doing the work on the "platform" area in our living room. We had to put a stair tread and a new riser on the step up so that took all of today. I just got finished staining the new stair tread to match the color of the hardwood floors. I hope that we will be able to put the flooring in up there tomorrow and then it is on to finishing the trim work in each of the rooms. This should be fairly easy, however we did a little damage to the walls and trim area when we took off the "old as dirt" baseboards that were on there. We will have to mend the walls a bit and then put the new baseboards and trim work on to create that beautiful seamless look.

Right now, I am going downstairs to watch the bachelorette. See ya!!!

My CVS Trips this week

2009-07-20T19:48:00.001-04:00

On Sunday

Using my rain checks from last week I bought the school supplies that I planned to get.

2 - 1 Subject 100 Sheet Notebook $.99 each

2 – Clear School Glue $.99 each

2 – Plastic Ruler $.99 each

2 – 5 inch scissors $2.99 each

5 – Pocket Folders $.05 each

2 – Heath Bar Candy Bars $1.59 each (not pictured because Justin has already eaten both of them)

Total $15.35 before tax

Used CVS $3 off of a $15 purchase

ECB’s Used - $3, $7.50

Total after discounts - $2.02 out of pocket Oh Yeah!!!

Got back $13 in ECB’s as well as another CVS coupon for $3 off of a $15 purchase. I was so excited because I planned to buy some hair crème for Justin that cost over $16. I used the ECB’s and the CVS coupon to buy the hair crème with almost no out of pocket.

On Monday

I went to a different CVS to try to get the school supplies that are on special this week since the CVS from Sunday was sold out of everything already.

I only had $5 ECB’s to start with so I tried to group all my transactions into $5 totals and just roll the ECB’s to reduce my out of pocket total.

Transaction 1

PaperMate Pens 10 pack $.99

Vinyl Notebook $3.00

Memo Pad $.99

Total before tax $4.98

ECB’s used - $5 (I had to talk him into changing the amount to $4.98. I lots .02 in the deal. Most CVS’s do not have a problem doing this.)

Total due - $.00

ECB’s Received $4.98

Transaction 2

Papermate Pens 10 pack - .99

2 - #2 Pencils 1.99 each

Total before tax - $4.97

ECB’s used - $4.98

Don’t ask me why but my total ended up being $.46. I do not understand why, but I did not argue because I was basically stealing the stuff.

ECB’s received $4.97

Transaction 3

2 – Pack of Filler Paper $2.00

1 – Memo Pad $.99

Total before tax $4.99

ECB’s used $4.97

Total due $.19 (again I do not know how I owed that amount, something about the way they tax the items.)

ECBS’s received $3.98 and $.99. Oh Yeah!!!!

So for all the stuff I got today I spent a total of $.65 and I still have $4.97 in ECB’s for next week.

"Shady" at 3 weeks, 4 days old

2009-07-17T22:33:00.014-04:00

Today we went to see Shady and took a few pictures. We hope you like them. He is 3 weeks and 4 days old. He has blue eyes and we are hoping they stay blue. We were told we could possibly take him home in about a week and half. Say hello to "Shady".

2009-07-14T19:58:00.011-04:00

This are some of the pics from Thursday morning to today. We ended up tearing out all the joists and starting from scratch. We replaced thirteen joists with new 16 ft long 10 inches thick joists to provide awesome new support. The vent system you see to the left had been eaten on by vermin so we had to repair it as well.

This was work that we did on Friday. Once we got going on the joists it went a lot faster.

This is the sub floor in the office. We ended up taking it up too and starting with the older sub floor hoping to make it things a little more level. It was a lot easier to take up than I thought.

This is the office after we finished it. We still have to do some repairing on the walls. When we took the baseboards off things got a little torn up. It is so pretty.

This is about as far as we have gotten in the living room. We had to stop at the area that transitions into the dining room because the floor is a little unlevel so we are working on it and should finish the living room tomorrow.

We are not young anymore. We feeling every bit of it. The past few days have been a welcomed rest. We are now ready to get going again and hopefully finish this by the end of the week. That is if we do not encounter any more obstacles. Please pray for us.

The Straw

2009-07-09T22:05:00.006-04:00

Okay - So Melora has been dominating our blog and I wanted to write something I thought was both funny and inspirational. Well, it was funny to me at the time.

I was running late yesterday and was very thirsty for a McDonald's Iced Coffee (Hazelnut flavoring). I had been doing demolition at our home and was extremely hot and for lack of a better term, parched. I could almost taste the chilly, creamy, nutty flavor in my mouth. It had been one of those days and this was about to be a reward.

In short, pulled to the drive thru, ordered, had to do the whole pull up and wait thing because the coffee needed to be brewed or something.
As I turned to pull into a parking space I didn't see the large concrete parking bumper to my right and went UP and OVER the whole thing. I felt stupid and held my frustration at myself and with the supposedly 'fast' food service. Oh yes, I parked and waited and waited. I finally got out of my car and went inside. I was even nice to the people inside because I didn't want them to spit in my reward.

And finally, I had my hands on my heart's desire. And a free hot apple pie from the manager. Thanks God! That's pretty nice since I wouldn't see dinner til after 8:00pm.

I got in my car and drove off feeling awesome. I reach for the drink and fumble with the straw a little. And Oops! I dropped the straw between my seat and the center console. I think "no problem, I'll get it, this drink is SOOO worth the wait!". To shorten my story, I came to many red lights and followed this routine:
1)Delicately cram hand between seat and console
2)Push straw further down
3)Move seat forward (repeat steps 1 and 2)
4)Move seat back (repeat steps 1 and 2)
5)Put car in park at red light
6)move seat forward
7)reach clear around to back seat and feel around under seat
8)Repeat steps 1,2,5,6,7
9)Laugh
10) take lid off drink and take a sip. Realize it's just not the same as using a straw!
11)Ughhhhh! Ahhhh! "Come on!"

In the midst of all this searching I felt like God spoke to me and said,"Justin, the straw is the one tool you need right now and it is such a simple thing. You are so tenacious in your searching because you are thirsty. What if you were this aggressive about seeking me and reading my Word? Would you feel spiritually thirsty?"

I laughed at myself and continue to ponder this idea.
Hope it inspires you.

Matthew 6:33
But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

John 4
¹⁰Jesus answered her, "If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water."

¹¹"Sir," the woman said, "you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water? ¹²Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did also his sons and his flocks and herds?"

¹³Jesus answered, "Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, ¹⁴but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life."

¹⁵The woman said to him, "Sir, give me this water so that I won't get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water."

My CVS Trip this week.

2009-07-08T21:07:00.003-04:00

For those of you who know that I am a huge couponer, I thought I would show my trip this week to CVS.

I "roll" Extra Care Bucks (ECB's) and this trip I got all of these things with a little less than $2 out of pocket. I planned to get more but they were out of several items. I got rainchecks so I will plan to get them next week and still get the same advertised deals. I am so excited to use all of the Febreeze since my house smells like dank air from the crawl space right now. I needed make-up badly. I really did not need to Dawn but it was such a great deal, I thought that I would stock up. If you are not a CVSer you need to start. You can so much stuff for free. Comment on the blog if you want me to show you how.

In the presence of chaos

2009-07-08T21:03:00.006-04:00

In the presence of ugly there is a beautiful display in our front yard. I hope that you enjoy.

Holy Holy Floor -y

2009-07-08T20:25:00.011-04:00

Here are some pics from the remodel adventure that we are on. We had a sinking area in the floor near the fireplace. We knew that something was not right underneath that was causing the sinking. So we went down to the crawl space to explore. Very quickly we realized we were in over our head. We called in someone who would likely show us what we needed to do. He said that almost all or all of the joists would need to be replaced. He recommended that we tear up the subfloor to get to the joists instead of going at them from below (about a three foot of space in the crawl space). So yesterday we set out to demo the floors. Below are some pictures of what our living room looks like right now.

The first picture is the floor when we started to demo today. The right half was done yesterday. You can see how it was pieced together. Several of the pieces began to crumble away as Justin continued to work his way across the floor.

You can see how the parts of each joists are broken off or cracked.

As Justin got closer and closer to the front door we could see that a recent patch job was very shotty to say the least.

This is a picture of six pieces of 2x4's nailed together hoping to provide enough support. However, without the sub floor onto of it, once it was removed it was worth nothing. Very shaky.

This is the span of the room. Twelve floor joist and all of them are very compromised and in terrible shape. We will replace all of them tomorrow.

This is a picture of the first floor joist that was causing the problems that caused us to start this adventure. Crazy thing is. Many of the other joists were in worse shape. I am not sure how the floor above it was staying up.

His hand is upon us

2009-07-05T21:51:00.004-04:00

Let me tell you a story. As you may or may not know, Justin and I are in the process of putting hardwood floors into our downstairs. On Friday we ripped out all of the carpet and the padding in the living room, dining room, and hallway. As you can imagine this accumulated a great deal of rubbish. We were not sure what to do with all this stuff. We really do not have a curb to put the junk out so that the trash people could pick it up. All day we talked about what we would do with it. Around 4pm we were done with the dirty work and feeling a little worn out. We decided to go to the grocery store for our weekly coupon-a-thon. We picked up a frozen pizza to enjoy for dinner and after dinner we commenced to hauling off the junk. We decided to dump all the stuff on a corner about a block from our house. We notice other people had been dumping trash very similar to ours for some time. We often comment on how much stuff gets dumped there and then, in a few days, it is miraculously gone (picked up by the trash people I guess).

So we decide to follow suit and do the same. We load the first trip of trash, mostly just a couple bundles of padding, into our trunk and head that way. No sooner than when we get it out of our trunk and onto the ground we notice a car approaching us head on. Of course, it is a police car. The car keeps going and we feel this is confirmation that we are not doing anything illegal.

Well, the next car is also a police car. This time the nice police officer stops next to our car and rolls down the window to question us. We kindly tell her what we are doing and she kindly tells us that it is illegal to dump there. We kindly reply that we have been looking for the right way to do this and the problem we have with not having a curb. We offer to pick the stuff back up and take it home and she says not worry about it. But tell us to not do it again. This brings we to my point.

So often I see others doing things that are clearly against the rules and wonder why they never get caught. Why do they get away with it? This has happened to me before.

I have a common theme in my prayers to God. As I pray for specific things like... giving me the husband of my dreams and helping to have the perfect job or pick out the most amazing dog, you know... stuff like that, I also pray that God would keep me safe from myself. Keep me from making the mistakes that my humanness would lead me into. I ask that God would help me Not do the things that I should not do.

Well, as I have pondered my "luck" I have come to this conclusion: God is committed to me. He is already in the act of answering my prayers. His hand IS upon us. As we both pray for guidance; God is gently guiding and not leading us into temptations.

For me, the story above is evidence and confirmation that God is actively keeping me from making the stupid mistakes that I know, in all my imperfections, I am capable of making.

God, as I keep praying, lead me not into temptation but deliver me from evil . . . Thank you.

All Tore Up

2009-07-03T22:52:00.005-04:00

Many of you might know that we are putting hardwood floors in the first floor of our home. This is a job that I have been wanting to do since buying the house three years ago. If you do not know already, our house was built in 1935 or sometime around then. So it is really really old. A lot of the parts of the home are the originals.

I am so excited that in a few weeks we will have a completed project and nice new hardwood floors. This will require a great deal of sweat equity. Thanks to lots of friends (especially Brian and Vanora) we hopefully will be able to do this without having to pay a contractor. However, today we encountered a huge problem with a sinking floor that will have to be fixed before we move forward on the floors. Above are some pics in case you want to follow our progress. The first is the picture of the joist taken when Justin crawled under the house into the tiny little crawl space to survey the damage. Hmmmm. This should be fun. As my mother-in-law often says, we are making memories.

Second visit to see the puppy.

2009-06-30T19:08:00.004-04:00

We made our second visit to see the new puppies today. Justin made his choice. We made sure to take lots of pictures of the new puppy until our next visit. He is so sweet and cute. I think Justin is smitten. He was a aglow on the way home. He kept smiling and talking about his new puppy all the way home.

Gratitude?

2009-06-28T21:49:00.002-04:00

While driving to Birmingham today I decided to listen to an artist that I have not listened to in quite a while. Nicole Nordeman. Listening to the lyrics of each song, I was taken back to many places that God has brought me through over the years. It was the strangest thing as the song "Gratitude" started to play; the sky instantly started to rain so hard that I could not see the road in front on me. I had a quick moment of panic and sent up the common prayer, "Oh God". For the few minutes I attempted to drive through the heavy rain as the song continued to play in my ear. It reminded me that although sometimes we pray and pray for certain specific things and we fail to realize when God has answered us, because it does not quite look like we expected.

In the coming months, Justin and I are lifting up heavy hearted prayers asking God to do a mighty work in our lives. We expect that our lives could completely change as Justin completes his master's degree. We want nothing more than to have His will. I found myself praying for provision, the establishment of a "door" which right now does not seem to even exist. Through it all, every step of the way, I want to be one of those people who never hesitates to thank God, no matter what the future looks like. No matter what! So, keep following if you want to see what amazing work God does as we put our plans at His feet. In "Gratitude".

Justin's thoughts: In the same vein... reading & hearing the lyrics reminded me that we have so much in addition to a "sturdy roof" over our heads. As a man and husband I have a deep drive to provide for my family. I also have a longing to rely/trust on my heavenly father. There is a tension that exists in the hearts of most men to know they "have what it takes" to provide and "bring home the bacon" as well as posses humility and gratitude. In my life, the balance is often struck when the gratitude comes before the provision. And the laying down of my pride so that God can be shown faithful, strong and capable. Surely He can see our needs, but can He see our heartfelt indebtedness...despite.

Provision is defined in this way : the activity of supplying or providing something

Gratitude is defined this way: An appreciative awareness and thankfulness, as for kindness shown or something received

Lyrics to the song are below if you are interested.

Nicole Nordeman - Gratitude Lyrics

2009-06-28T21:43:00.002-04:00

Send some rain, would You send some rain?
'Cause the earth is dry and needs to drink again
And the sun is high and we are sinking in the shade
Would You send a cloud, thunder long and loud?
Let the sky grow black and send some mercy down
Surely You can see that we are thirsty and afraid
But maybe not, not today
Maybe You'll provide in other ways
And if that's the case . . .

We'll give thanks to You
With gratitude
For lessons learned in how to thirst for You
How to bless the very sun that warms our face
If You never send us rain

Daily bread, give us daily bread
Bless our bodies, keep our children fed
Fill our cups, then fill them up again tonight
Wrap us up and warm us through
Tucked away beneath our sturdy roofs
Let us slumber safe from danger's view this time
Or maybe not, not today
Maybe You'll provide in other ways
And if that's the case . . .

We'll give thanks to You
With gratitude
A lesson learned to hunger after You
That a starry sky offers a better view if no roof is overhead And if we never taste that bread

Oh, the differences that often are between
What we want and what we really need

So grant us peace, Jesus, grant us peace
Move our hearts to hear a single beat
Between alibis and enemies tonight
Or maybe not, not today
Peace might be another world away
And if that's the case . . .

We'll give thanks to You
With gratitude
For lessons learned in how to trust in You
That we are blessed beyond what we could ever dream
In abundance or in need
And if You never grant us peace

But Jesus, would You please . . .

2009-06-25T20:22:00.002-04:00

"Man In The Mirror"

I'm Gonna Make A Change,
For Once In My Life
It's Gonna Feel Real Good,
Gonna Make A Difference
Gonna Make It Right . . .

As I, Turn Up The Collar On My
Favourite Winter Coat
This Wind Is Blowin' My Mind
I See The Kids In The Street,
With Not Enough To Eat
Who Am I, To Be Blind?
Pretending Not To See
Their Needs
A Summer's Disregard,
A Broken Bottle Top
And A One Man's Soul
They Follow Each Other On
The Wind Ya' Know
'Cause They Got Nowhere
To Go
That's Why I Want You To
Know

I'm Starting With The Man In
The Mirror
I'm Asking Him To Change
His Ways
And No Message Could Have
Been Any Clearer
If You Wanna Make The World
A Better Place
Take A Look At Yourself, And
Then Make A Change

I've Been A Victim Of A Selfish
Kind Of Love
It's Time That I Realize
That There Are Some With No
Home, Not A Nickel To Loan
Could It Be Really Me,
Pretending That They're Not
Alone?

A Willow Deeply Scarred,
Somebody's Broken Heart
And A Washed-Out Dream
They Follow The Pattern Of
The Wind, Ya' See
Cause They Got No Place
To Be
That's Why I'm Starting With
Me

I'm Starting With The Man In
The Mirror
I'm Asking Him To Change
His Ways
And No Message Could Have
Been Any Clearer
If You Wanna Make The World
A Better Place
Take A Look At Yourself And
Then Make A Change

I'm Starting With The Man In
The Mirror
I'm Asking Him To Change His
Ways
And No Message Could've
Been Any Clearer
If You Wanna Make The World
A Better Place
Take A Look At Yourself And
Then Make That . . .
Change!

Make That Change.

That Was Easy

2009-06-24T21:01:00.009-04:00

I love to go to yard sales. This past Saturday I felt like I got a find. Before heading out on the town we decided to go across the street and see what they had to offer. To those of you who do not venture out early on Saturday mornings to get a "Deal", let me just tell you, "You never know what you might find."

Usually, I am only looking for specific items but lately it has been yard stuff. You know...flower pots and tools. I really do not need anything else. I try not to buy anything I do not need. I will admit I sometimes walk away with things that I don't need but those items are usually free.

Back to my deal. None of the items were priced and there was a strong stench of cat pee in the air. Needless to say I tried not to touch anything because I was not sure where the smell was coming from. Well, I spotted a glider rocker with a questionable cover on it. I felt for sure that it was more than I wanted to spend, but I just had to ask. Honestly, I got really excited about this chair when she said $5. Oh Yeah!!! I was not sure where I was going to put it, but I have always wanted one. Good thing the sale was across the street from our house because it probably would not have fit in the car. Here is a picture of the item we walked away with.

After getting it home, I washed the cushions. I then set out the make some new covers. I remembered I had some remnants of blue upholstery fabric. It did not take long. In about 45 minutes I had transformed the ugly faded denim covers into something a little more attractive, and spending no more money. Yeah!!

Decisions, Decisions, Decisions

2009-06-23T14:01:00.003-04:00

Why do we try to make decisions so hard. Does is really have to be that hard? Well, as some of you might know Justin is getting a puppy as his graduation gift. (No, he does not actually graduate until December). The puppies were born yesterday. The mother (Black Eyed Susan, Aka Mookie) and her puppies (8 of them) are pictures above (well only six are pictured). They are all so different. We are one of the first people that can take our pick of the litter. Yesterday after looking at them (we were not allowed to touch them yet) we had to give our top 4 choices. It seems like a big decision right. This got me to thinking about the stress that we place on decision making.

How do you make decisions? Does it always matter what decision we make? Are we putting too much pressure on ourselves? Often we toil for days, weeks, months in prayer asking God to show us what we need to do. Often these prayers are about huge things like changing jobs, who to marry, buying a house, which college to attend, etc. Sometimes we lift our prayers asking for wisdom on things like what we do that day or what we say in our conversations with others. I do believe that God is very involved in the things we do or say. I know that I can say for sure with no hesitation that I want God's will in my life in every area. Every single one, big or small. However, is there any chance that God sometimes says... "You decide."? You know, maybe, just maybe, sometimes God's direction is that is does not really matter if we buy this house or that house. Many times, I have heard testimony of people who took a seat in the airplane and ending up sharing the message of Christ to the passenger next to them. Surely God had a plan in that, right?

However, I can tell you my tried and true method. I believe that as God's word promises us, as recepients of the promise, that we have the Holy Spirit living inside of us. Given as a gift, a helper, to guide us to live life a little more like Christ than our human nature would allow. I truely believe that if we ask God for direction the Holy Spirit steps into action, showing us the way in which we should go. I try not to over think it. I just try to trust.

So, does this help us to make our decision on which of the 8 puppies we will end up with. Maybe. Maybe not. The truth of it is. It is not only up to us. It is also up to the other people who have their pick of the litter. It also depends on whether all the puppies make it (there are sometimes unknowns we just can't count on). Nevertheless, which ever puppy we end up with, it will be the right one. Keep checking back. We will be sure to let you know which one will become apart of the Moore family.

Live from Chattanooga Tennessee

2009-06-23T11:17:00.004-04:00

This is our little house. I wanted to share it because today, I am feeling especially proud of it. It is definitely not much space. Less than 1,000 sq. ft. But every time I think about it, I am reminded about God's provision for us. God provided a way for me to have this house just when I needed it. He gave it to me right before I found out that I would have a job at a school right down the street. He provided it right before I met the man of my dreams, before I knew that he would one day soon move from Chicago to share it with me. I love this little house. I love the almost dance like routine that Justin and I do each night as we try to brush our teeth and wash our face in the little bathroom. I love the new porch I have upstairs and the beautiful fountain in the backyard. I love the tile work in the "powder room" downstairs and the archway doorframes throughout the house. I love that I get to live in what sometimes seems like little english cottage.

I wanna talk about ME.

2009-06-23T11:15:00.001-04:00

Justin and I were talking last week about all the blogs I love to read. We decided to go ahead and start one for our family. I always thought I would start one when we had our first baby. Well although it is not the human type, we are getting the first addition to our family this summer (will post later) so I thought that we should go ahead and share this journey with the “www”.

It was really weird to think that other people cared enough about our lives to actually read the blog. Honestly, I never really considered myself interesting enough or a clever and witty writer to say anything worthwhile. Well, I decided that I do not care if anyone ever reads it, or thinks it has a cool background, or likes the pictures, etc. It is a great way to reflect on your own life’s journey in this sort of on-line journal.

So…… I dedicate this blog to all the people who have allowed me to nourish my very nosy nature and look into your lives. Thanks to all of you who I have learned from your very personal stories and often very funny stories. Since reading these blogs I have learned how to be a parent of One, Two, or Three. I have learned about cloth diapering (and am even considering for our future bums). I have learned about couponing in an Extreme way. And, I have learned about broken hearts that come when you have trouble conceiving or lose a little one before it makes it to this world. I have learned ways to be a little more “green” and lots of ways to be more frugal. With the risk of sounding pretty dramatic, I think I have grown in many ways from reading blogs.

So here we go.

2009-06-11T23:10:00.002-04:00