Faith, Hope, Charity

"The things we hope for lead us to faith, while the things we hope in lead us to charity."

Pres. Dieter F. Uchtdorf, "The Infinite Power of Hope, Ensign," Nov. 2008, 24

Becoming Provident Providers

"We should regularly review our family income, savings, and spending plan in family council meetings. This will teach our children to recognize the difference between wants and needs and to plan ahead for meaningful use of family resources. . . . Whenever we want to experience or possess something that will impact us and our resources, we may want to ask ourselves, ‘Is the benefit temporary, or will it have eternal value and significance?’ Truthfully answering these questions may help us avoid excessive debt and other addictive behavior.”

Elder Robert D Hales, “Becoming Provident Providers Temporally and Spiritually,” Ensign, May 2009, 9–10

Two Big Events Today

So there are two big events happening today for anyone who's interested.

Today is the 100 day mark. Yes, you read that right, the 100 day mark. But to what you may ask? Well, as of today there are only 100 days left until Christmas!... but who's counting?

The second big event today is that it is my son's 1st birthday.. one year ago today, Ethan came into our family. We have loved having this little guy in our family and boy has he changed our lives. It's been a roller coaster with him and everything that has happened since he came into this earth with my new job, moving, buying a new house, unpacking, and getting settled into our new lives here in Arizona. He's done so well and is such a wonderful kid. I'm so glad he's part of our family. He has taught me a lot and and I am so grateful for his sweet spirit. Here's to your first year Ethan and a wish for many more to come. Love you tons little guy. Dad.

Quick Update

Just wanted to post a quick update to say that we are all alive and doing well. It has been a busy summer (I'll write about it in another post eventually) and it seems like it is going to be a busy rest of the year. We miss our family in Utah, have survived record heat in Arizona, and have managed to have a little bit of fun in the process. I'm hoping that I can get some book reviews posted as well (but I have to read something good first!).

By the way, in case anyone is interested, there are only 122 days (or 4 months) remaining until Christmas. It's time to start planning and getting those Christmas cards and letters going!

David Eddings Passes Away

David Eddings passed away yesterday. I am saddened by the passing of this giant of an author. His books were one of the first fantasy novel I read and really got me intersted in reading. I remember discovering his books in the 8th grade and loving them. The Belgariad and the Malloreon were two of my all-time favorite fantasy series. May he rest in peace.

Celtic Woman - O America

Absolutely Beautiful!




http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yEpX2BcB9As or http://celticwoman-oamerica.blogspot.com/

Review - Shop Smart, Save More by Teri Gualt

Shop Smart, Save More by Teri Gault was a very good read about saving money on groceries. Teri Gault is the founder to "The Grocery Game" website which is a subscription based service to help you save money. I do not subscribe to the website, but the basic idea in the book and behind the website is not to buy things on sale, but to buy them when they are a bargain. Stock up on your bargain items and use your stock to make meals for your family. Add coupons to the bargain items, and you've got yourself a real deal! For example, if name brand peanut butter is at the bargain price of $1, buy 5-6 peanut butters and then use those until it is a bargain again rather than going to the store when you are out of or running low on peanut butter and it is only "on sale" for $2.50. She offers good advice on how often things are on sale, how to rotate the stock you will build, how to stack coupons, choose your grocery store, and play the grocery game. She also offers some easy recipies for cheap meals that you can make ahead and use throughout the week.

I enjoyed this easy read and if you are looking for practical advice on how to save money on groceries, this is a good place to start. Overall, the book didn't give me all that much information and had a lot of unnecessary chapters (like on on planning for parties). While it was not a marketing tactic for her website (those she does promote it), I have subscribed to her website (for the $1 trial for 4 weeks). I'll let you know how that goes in another post.

Overall grade: A-