Thrifty Love Will Return Next Week • Happy Labor Day

Friday, August 31, 2012

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Hey thrifty friends, just a quick note to say the Thrifty Love link party will return next week. Taking time to enjoy my family this holiday weekend. May you all enjoy your Labor Day too! See ya next week!

 
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Making SELF-CONTROL Come Alive in Your Home

Wednesday, August 29, 2012

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[39] Jesus went out as usual to the Mount of Olives, and his disciples followed him. [40] On reaching the place, he said to them, "Pray that you will not fall into temptation." [41] He withdrew about a stone's throw beyond them, knelt down and prayed, [42] "Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done." [43] An angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him. [44] And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground.
[45] When he rose from prayer and went back to the disciples, he found them asleep, exhausted from sorrow. [46] "Why are you sleeping?" he asked them. "Get up and pray so that you will not fall into temptation."



Jesus did not have to endure the cross. He had a choice, you know. He could have saved himself, proving his power to those soldiers who mocked him. And yet, he chose to be obedient to the Father, even unto death. He did it for you and me.


In the same way, you and I have a choice. A choice as to how we are going to live our lives and whether or not we are going to follow Christ and his example.

And did you notice how he was able to do it...how he was able to endure the temptation to give in, to throw in the towel, to quit...to take matters into his own hands, disobeying the Father? He spent endless amounts of time in prayer, hours upon hours away from the world, in constant communication with God himself.

"Be joyful always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." {1 Thessalonians 5:16-18}

Family Activity for the Week...

Have each family member write down one area of their life that needs more discipline. Something that God is calling them to change or give-up or improve. An area that they need to give over to God or better honor him through. Then simply pray for one another to implement self-control in that area, claiming God's promise that we are "more than conquerors." Be sure to leave a comment to let us know how it went.

Did you do the faithfulness challenge from last week?

Don't forget to hang your {Self-Control} fruit on your Fruit of the Spirit tree and display it in your home as a visual reminder for your family this week, as you focus on self-control in your home. Go here to download the printables that go with our Making the Fruit of the Spirit Come Alive in Your Home series if you missed our introductory post. And go here  for Cat's tutorial on how to make your fruit printables into glass pebble magnets, so that you can hang your tree on the refrigerator.

Happy Wednesday, friends! Invite your friends to join us next week as we wrap-up our discussion of the Fruit of the Spirit!  :)



About the Author: Erin Vick Franklin is the founder and director of Worthy of the Prize. Erin has a BBA in Marketing and Management from TCU and a Masters of Christian Education in Church Recreation from Southwestern Seminary. She is a published, award-winning author and poet. Purchase her book Worthy of the Prize Sports Camps: A Church's Guide to Implementing an Effective, Community-Reaching Christian Sports Camp to be used as an outreach tool for your church or mission organization. Erin is the wife of A, a Worship Pastor, and a work-at-home-momma to 2 crazy little boys, a and e.
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New in the Shop! Wooden Pendants

Monday, August 27, 2012

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Hey friends! I wanted to pop in and introduce the new wooden pendants. These are super fun and very delightful! They come is lots of designs and would even make for some pretty great party favors.

Wooden Pendant
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Thrifty Love {link party #42}

Friday, August 24, 2012

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Hi friends! It is time for some Thrifty Love. Lets check out each others cool finds and be inspired to find our own cool things! A quick THANK YOU to those thrifty friends that have shared your selling tips and that have encouraged me to be patient while building my vintage etsy shop. We are finally making some progress over there! Woo Hoo!  
I have a few small items to share today.
Did you see my kiddos first day of school post the other day? Well this was the chalkboard I used for those photos. They make great back to school photo props.

Next is this mini candelabra set of 2. I think these would be sooo fun done up for Halloween. They are so small that they would even be neat to hold candles on a cake or done up all glam for a girly girl room!

And last are these small but great Pyrex jars that are in pretty great condition.

All items are available in my etsy shop if anyone is interested. Now lets get to your features.

Joyful Treasure Hunting picked up lots of goodies including this fantastic globe.
I can never get enough globes. They are such a fun piece for decor and educational too!

Night Garden shares a great use for this classroom map. So fun!

Blissfully Imperfect picked up this beauty! Don't you just love it?

So what did you all pick up this time? Don't you just want to get out there? I DO!!!


Linking up at:
S- Fleamarket Finds  M- Apron Thrift Girl  TuCoastal Charm, Frugal Treasures Tuesday T- Vintage Thingie Thursday, Treasure Hunt Thursday, Blue Eyed OwlThe Haps F- The Thrifty Groove, Vintage Inspiration Friday S- Penny Worthy Project
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Making FAITHFULNESS Come Alive in Your Home

Wednesday, August 22, 2012

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Jesus tells the story of a master who entrusts his property to each of his servants, before embarking on a journey. To one servant he gives 5 talents of money, to another he gives 2 talents of money and to the third he gives 1 talent of money, according to their abilities. 

When he returns from his journey, he finds that the first two servants have worked hard to multiply their talents (both doubling their given amount), returning more to their owner than what they were given. Unfortunately, he finds that the third servant did nothing with the talent he was given. He simply buried it and then gave it back to his master without any return on his investment.


Obviously, the master's response to the first two servants was very different than his response to the third servant. To the first two he replied...

"Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!"

And to the third he replied...

"You wicked, lazy servant...Take the talent from him and give it to the one who has the ten talents. For everyone who has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him. And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth."


Wow. I don't know about you, but I know which response I am hoping to hear when I get to Heaven!

Which leads me to the question, "what are you doing with the resources that God has entrusted you with?"

And by resources I mean time, money, talents, people, etc.

Are you using them to further his kingdom? Or simply for selfish gain?

They are gifts from Him, after all, to be used for His glory.

Family Activity of the Week...

Gather together as a family and discuss how you can use the resources that God has given you to share His love with others. How can you use them to get the non-churchgoers in your life to come to church? How can you use them to share the gospel message of salvation through Christ alone with those who have not yet put their faith and trust in Him? Have each family member give an example of one resource they have been given and how it can be used for God's glory, to further His kingdom. Be sure to leave a comment to let us know who it went.

Did you do the gentleness challenge from last week?

Don't forget to hang your {Faithfulness} fruit on your Fruit of the Spirit tree and display it in your home as a visual reminder for your family this week, as you focus on faithfulness in your home. Go here to download the printables that go with our Making the Fruit of the Spirit Come Alive in Your Home series if you missed our introductory post. And go here  for Cat's tutorial on how to make your fruit printables into glass pebble magnets, so that you can hang your tree on the refrigerator.

Happy Wednesday, friends! Invite your friends to join us next week as we talk about SELF-CONTROL!  :)


 erins photo
About the Author: Erin Vick Franklin is the founder and director of Worthy of the Prize. Erin has a BBA in Marketing and Management from TCU and a Masters of Christian Education in Church Recreation from Southwestern Seminary. She is a published, award-winning author and poet. Purchase her book Worthy of the Prize Sports Camps: A Church's Guide to Implementing an Effective, Community-Reaching Christian Sports Camp to be used as an outreach tool for your church or mission organization. Erin is the wife of A, a Worship Pastor, and a work-at-home-momma to 2 crazy little boys, a and e.
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Back to School 2012

Tuesday, August 21, 2012

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First day of school, that was yesterday yes it was! I now have a 3rd grader and my little one is starting Kindergarten.

Overall the day turned out great however the morning was a bit difficult. Not for my little one as one would expect, but for my 3rd grader. What???  He had MAJOR anxiety and was a nervous wreck. I just don't get it. He knows the kids in his class, ALL of them! Every single one! He is however moving to the "BIG KID" playground and apparently that is difficult (for boys?). He is now one of the younger kids on the big kid field. To top it off he is little for his age. (Asthma parents, is your kid small from taking the asthma meds?) He ended up having a good day but dreaded going again this morning. Hang in there E mama is praying for you. You will do fine. Joshua 1:9 is the verse I shared with him this morning before school. Also shared  the song Underdog by Audio Adrenaline. You may be little but you've got skills babe use them. Mama is your biggest fan!

This little guy ↓ did great! His best friend from preschool is in his class so that makes it fun and his teacher is like family! When we pulled into the drive after school yesterday and he gets out and says " I don't know what I was so nervous about." Love that! He had a good day.

This my friends is what we bust our hiney for, it's why my husband works overtime and why I sell on my website and on etsy. It's not for shiny new cars or fancy cell phones, not for shoes or handbags. Believe me, we have NONE of that but we sacrifice for this...

...to send our children to a school where prayer is a normal part of the day and learning about God and the Bible is a regular part of the curriculum. The sacrifice and hard work is so worth it.

Hope everyone else starting up the new school year is doing fine.
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Thrifty Love {link party #41}

Saturday, August 18, 2012

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Oh I'm late! We are getting ready for school around here which starts Monday sooo... I have no photos of my own to share.  I do have a couple of features though and then you are all welcome to link up!

My Fancy got several old jars from her folks!
What do you all do with these old jars?

Sir Thrift A Lot shares lots of goodies including these interesting salt & pepper shakers.
What do you think they are? I'm with you Sir Thrift, Flying Saucers! ???


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Making GENTLENESS Come Alive in Your Home

Wednesday, August 15, 2012

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28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”


Is this not the picture of gentleness? 

And honestly, after the day I've had, I am captivated by Jesus' invitation to come and rest. Drawn to it really.

Doesn't that sound lovely, refreshing? To take shelter in the calm, gentle presence of my Savior.



So, how do we do this?

First, we simply need to "come" to Him. Set aside our busyness. Carve out intentional time in our day to spend with Him. In prayer. In His word.

Second, we have to lay down our burdens at His feet. Jesus freed us from the law of sin and death when He took our place on the cross. All we have to do is put our faith and trust in Him. Let go of the things that are weighing you down, turn them over to Him. Nail them to the cross and leave them there.

Family Activity for the Week...

I challenge you to look at your schedule for the upcoming week and choose one thing to cut out. Cross it off the list. Cancel it. And in its place, gather together for a family devotion time. A time when you can read the Bible and pray together. A time to focus on God. A time to lay your burdens down. A time free from distractions. A time for rest.

Allow His gentle spirit to fill your home.

Go here for some tips/ideas on how to have a family devotion and be sure to leave a comment to let us know how it went.

Did you do the goodness challenge from last week?

Don't forget to hang your {Gentleness} fruit on your Fruit of the Spirit tree and display it in your home as a visual reminder for your family this week, as you focus on gentleness in your home. Go here to download the printables that go with our Making the Fruit of the Spirit Come Alive in Your Home series if you missed our introductory post. And go here  for Cat's tutorial on how to make your fruit printables into glass pebble magnets, so that you can hang your tree on the refrigerator.

Happy Wednesday, friends! Invite your friends to join us next week as we talk about FAITHFULNESS!  :)


 erins photo
About the Author: Erin Vick Franklin is the founder and director of Worthy of the Prize. Erin has a BBA in Marketing and Management from TCU and a Masters of Christian Education in Church Recreation from Southwestern Seminary. She is a published, award-winning author and poet. Purchase her book Worthy of the Prize Sports Camps: A Church's Guide to Implementing an Effective, Community-Reaching Christian Sports Camp to be used as an outreach tool for your church or mission organization. Erin is the wife of A, a Worship Pastor, and a work-at-home-momma to 2 crazy little boys, a and e.
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Firmoo Review (first order free)

Monday, August 13, 2012

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Buy Cheap Prescription Eyeglasses Online, Reading Glasses, Fashion Eyewear on Firmoo.com
Recently the nice folks over at Firmoo contacted me to see if I'd be interested in receiving a free pair of glasses and doing a review for them. Heck yes I told them, mama could use a new pair of eye glasses! I picked up these lovelies for my mom.





I have to say I was quite pleased when they arrived. Complete with case, spare parts, tool and all! They are very nice quality and sturdy. Mom says they fit well and the prescription lenses are great! Even more is the Firmoo customer service and turnaround time. I had a little goof when filling out the prescription info and they were super quick to contact me to get the correct info and make my order perfect. Even better, they arrived super quick!

Firmoo is the world's most popular online eyeglasses store.  Vision and Fashion the Frugal Way is the ultimate goal of Firmoo, so it has always committed itself to providing customers with high-quality and fashionable eye wear at the most affordable prices.

I would definitely recommend Firmoo and now first time buyers can try them for FREE! Firmoo has launched a program that offers free eye wear to first-time buyers, just pay shipping! If you want to try Firmoo’s quality products & excellent service here's your chance. Just go to http://www.firmoo.com/free-glasses.html to get your FREE pair! There you can also apply to do a review if you blog, and get yours totally free (no shipping charge)!
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Thrifty Love {link party #40}

Friday, August 10, 2012

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Hey friends! As posted on my facebook page I am super stoked about this find from my local goodwill! This my friends is a super cool library card catalog cabinet. I was so excited to find this but almost passed it by cause I didn't know what I'd do with it. Can you believe that?! Then it came to me it is the perfect housing for all my printed materials for my jewelry business. It's just right to hold all my business cards, jewelry care cards and my shop gift certificates.

Then I came home and looked up the company, Gaylord Bros Inc. This size today sells for $725 brand new! I'd a shot myself if I'd a passed it up, how about you? I wonder what an older one like this sells for? Hum... It is in pretty good shape but it is missing the pull and rod on every drawer and one drawer looks different like it may have come from another cabinet. Oh well it's still fantastic and will go perfectly in my transformed (I wish) office one day. That is if I'm not tempted to sell it!

Here are some features from last week?

How about this one from Woman in Real Life? I say Jelly Beans!

2ndhand Moon shares these dishes marked Occupied Japan!
Rare treasure indeed!


Linking up at:
S- Fleamarket Finds  M- Apron Thrift Girl  TuCoastal Charm, Frugal Treasures Tuesday T- Vintage Thingie Thursday, Treasure Hunt Thursday, Blue Eyed OwlThe Haps F- The Thrifty Groove, Vintage Inspiration Friday S- Penny Worthy Project
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Making GOODNESS Come Alive in Your Home

Wednesday, August 8, 2012

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21 As Jesus looked up, he saw the rich putting their gifts into the temple treasury. 2 He also saw a poor widow put in two very small copper coins. 3 “Truly I tell you,” he said, “this poor widow has put in more than all the others. 4 All these people gave their gifts out of their wealth; but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on.”


It is no coincidence that this passage of scripture is listed in the Bible right after the following...

46 “Beware of the teachers of the law. They like to walk around in flowing robes and love to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces and have the most important seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at banquets. 47 They devour widows’ houses and for a show make lengthy prayers. These men will be punished most severely.”
Out of the goodness of her heart, the widow gave all that she had. And sure enough, Jesus uses the opportunity to point out the "fakeness" of the pharisees. They sure knew how to put on a good show didn't they?

The LORD does not look at the things people look at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart. {1 Samuel 16:7}

So tell me, how is your heart condition?

Family Activity of the Week...

Spend time together praying that God will change your hearts. That He will give you an overwhelming love for Him and a passion to serve His children. Remember that no one will ever be "good enough" and as a result, thank Jesus for taking your place on that cross.

Be sure to leave a comment to let us know how it went.

Did you do the kindness challenge from last week?

Don't forget to hang your {Goodness} fruit on your Fruit of the Spirit tree and display it in your home as a visual reminder for your family this week, as you focus on goodness in your home. Go here to download the printables that go with our Making the Fruit of the Spirit Come Alive in Your Home series if you missed our introductory post. And go here  for Cat's tutorial on how to make your fruit printables into glass pebble magnets, so that you can hang your tree on the refrigerator.

Happy Wednesday, friends! Invite your friends to join us next week as we talk about GENTLENESS!  :)


 erins photo
About the Author: Erin Vick Franklin is the founder and director of Worthy of the Prize. Erin has a BBA in Marketing and Management from TCU and a Masters of Christian Education in Church Recreation from Southwestern Seminary. She is a published, award-winning author and poet. Purchase her book Worthy of the Prize Sports Camps: A Church's Guide to Implementing an Effective, Community-Reaching Christian Sports Camp to be used as an outreach tool for your church or mission organization. Erin is the wife of A, a Worship Pastor, and a work-at-home-momma to 2 crazy little boys, a and e.
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Thrifty Love {link party #39}

Friday, August 3, 2012

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Get ready to link up your thrifty finds, right after our features, and here they are...

Land of Encraftment shows us this wonderful chair! 
I absolutely love it color and all!

Number Fifty-Three shares this neat cart. 
I can't wait to see what she does with it!

Check out these great cups from Blissfully Imperfect.
All those colors are great!

Last but not least Virgina Retro shows us some interesting information on these peanut butter glasses.  How cool that peanut butter used to come in these lovely cups! She even shares an old magazine ad showing them filled with PB!

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