I'm Going to Jail!

Everything God gives us is a seed. Your words are seeds. Your thoughts are seeds. Your money is a seed. When you plant seeds, no matter what kind, you will reap a harvest depending on what you have sewn. Sew words of life, reap life giving abundant plants. Sew negative words, reap dead fruitless crops. Negative thinking will make you depressed. Positive thinking and meditating on God's Word will make you full of joy. Sew financial seeds into God's kingdom, reap your own financial harvest.

Dustin and I have seen so much financial blessing through following the simple principles in God's word. There is no way we should be able to live the life that we do. It's purely God's blessing. A while ago God spoke to me and told me, "Your job is to take care of my people, My job is to take care of you." That took the pressure off me. That meant I was free to give and sew financial seed into his kingdom, knowing that he will always provide for my needs AND wants. There is more scripture on finances than almost anything else in the New Testament because Jesus knew that often people's hearts are more attached to their money than anything else. Even their relationship with Him.

If you want to see financial blessing come and overtake you, start planting. (Luke 6:38, Deuteronomy 28:2, Proverbs 11:24-25, Malachi 3:10, 2 Corinthians 9:10)

Everything we have on this earth will fade away to nothing, but when you are sewing into people, and establishing God's kingdom it stays with you for eternity.

I ask you friends to consider partnering with me. My first batch of books is on it's way to Lowell Women's Prison to be used for curriculum in discipleship classes for inmate Moms. These women are hungry for truth and my book is set up to help establish a good foundation in the Word, teaching them their authority to RISE ABOVE their circumstances, no matter how bad.

Sponsorship are $10 per inmate (book) and a minimum of 30 inmates need sponsored every month. Please consider a one time sponsorship, or select the "recurring" button to be a monthly sponsor. "Donate" button is on the right of this page.

I am excited to share the testimonies of these women, and also to hear how he has blessed YOU for your obedience in furthering his kingdom!

XOXO

A New Kitchen for $300!

Before/After

We bought our house about 7 years ago, and one thing I have always wanted to change was the kitchen. When you have 3 growing, hungry kids you pretty much live in this part of the house, so you want it to be nice! We finally decided to bite the bullet and invest some time (and a little money) into this busy part of the house. I was surprised to find out that there are some HUGE changes you can make on a small budget. The first thing that needed to go was the cabinets.

BEFORE :(

We all know cabinets are not cheap so we opted to paint ours. We made our way over to Home Depot and bought a Rustoleum Cabinet Transformations kit. This kit comes with everything you need to refinish your cabinets and the best part is that you don't have to do any sanding or priming! The kit will run you about $85.

New cabinets for less than $100? Count me in!

Next step is putting hardware on those bad boys. You wouldn't believe what a difference hardware will make on your cabinets. I will warn you though, this was the most expensive part of the transformation. The hardware cost about $120 for all cabinets and drawers. This is not something I would skip, it is well worth the money and takes the whole kitchen up a notch! Do a little research and find hardware that fits your style. Chunkier hardware gives a more custom look and makes those new cabinets pop!


Last but not least, backsplash! Right now is a great time to remodel your kitchen because subway tiles are IN and the price is LOW. You can get a case for around $18 each, we used just over 3 cases in our kitchen.  Even after buying grout and other supplies we were still out of there for less than $100.

Hubby had never done tile before so this was a learning experience, but after a few YouTube videos we were knocking it out! The hardest part was cutting around the outlets, but I did the measuring and he cut. We finished the backsplash in two days, and neither one of us had ever done it before! You will need a water saw for this (we borrowed one from a friend.)

AFTER :)

If your kitchen just needs cosmetic help then there is no need to break the bank. Get yourself on Pinterest and look for inspiration using as much of your current stuff as you can. We actually intended to get new counter tops, had them on order, but as soon as the cabinets were done I didn't hate the counters anymore. We decided to keep the ones we have and save ourselves a pretty penny. Also look for small touches that can give your kitchen an updated look. We used a darker gray grout on the backsplash to give it a little edge. The end result is amazing! I feel like I am walking through a showroom kitchen every time I go to the fridge.

Not only did we complete this project for around $320, we added thousands of dollars to the value of our house. If you are willing to do the work yourself you will be amazed how economical a new kitchen can be!

We would love to see your kitchen projects! How did you upgrade on a dime?

Before/After

The Joy Killer

Do you want to know the number one thing that will suck the happiness right out of you?

Comparison.

We live in a society that is more covetous than ever, and social media plays a huge part in the dissatisfaction. People live way above their means to keep up with the Jones' and work jobs they hate to keep them afloat. What would happen if we started worrying more about what our unique God-given purpose was, instead of our neighbors new car or our high school friend's latest vacation? 

The reality is that comparing yourself to anyone else is wrong. Whether it be someone's house, job, body or vacation, the truth is that even if you had it, you would just want the next thing that came around. There is nothing in this world that can truly satisfy besides the plan that God has for you. He is not holding back any good thing from us, his plans are better than we can even imagine! 

Maybe you are not the envious type, but instead you look down on other people. This is just as bad as wishing you had the things that others did. You are still comparing yourself. 

When we compare, we are robbing ourselves. If you are envious of others it is pointless because God wants to give you the desires of your heart. There is no need to want what others have. On the flip side there is also danger in thinking that we are better than other people because then we are not holding ourselves to God's standard, we are holding ourselves to the standard of those around us. 

Just to give you an example, it might seem silly, but it will help you get the point. I am really picky about what I feed my kids. I check labels and buy almost everything organic. The last couple years when I was teaching and saw what most kids pack for their school lunches I was horrified. I couldn't believe how bad these kids were eating. It was all processed "food" and full of sugar. I started to get a little slack about the amount of sugar my kids were eating because "it wasn't as bad as most kids." This was having a negative effect on them because I was not holding them to a higher standard, I was just comparing their eating habits to every other kid. It was wrong. I am by no means perfect when it comes to their diet, but I no longer compare what they eat to other kids. I do what is best for them without worrying about what other people do.

For we dare not class ourselves or compare ourselves with those who commend themselves. But they, measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise. 2 Corinthians 10:12

When we think we are better than other people it takes away the drive and desire to grow. It lowers our standards.

There is nothing more freeing than letting go of the need to be like anyone else. The only person we should be comparing ourselves to is Jesus. He is our standard, nothing else. He wants to give you a life that is better than you ever dreamed of, but the first step is to stop comparing and start answering his call!

XXOO