A Virtuous Woman

Dollar Store Decorating--Thrifty Spring Wreath

Charlene@avirtuouswoman.info (Charlene) — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 02:00:00 +0000

Who can find a virtuous woman? her price is far above rubies
She worketh willingly with her hands
She maketh herself (and her home) coverings of tapestry

I don't know about you, but I'm ready for Spring. Here in the Gulf South, we're starting to see wild violets and flowering fruit trees; greening grass with thick clumps of new clover; and birds that are beginning their spring migration back toward the north.

Wanting to "dress up" my front door in some spring finery, but on a dollar store budget, as always, I looked to see what I might already have that I could work with.

I didn't want to tear apart my thrifty fall wreath unless I had to, so I scrounged around in my spare room/junk room closet and found this once treasured wreath--circa 1988 or thereabouts, when everything in my house (and everyone elses too!) was country blue and dusty rose. As you can see, I leaned more toward the blue family, myself. Now dusty and past it's prime, I decided it was fair game for a make-over.

The next stop was Dollar Tree, where I was found inspiration in this dragonfly windchime, then added a stem of goldenrod (the only one like it I could find, or I would have gotten a couple of these) and a roll of ribbon in a bright blue and green retro-70's floral.

Total out-of-pocket cost: $3.00.

The first step was to denude the wreath--an easy task, since most of previous decorations were attached with hot-glue, they popped right off. One or two snips of the wire holding on the bow, and I had a perfect blank canvas to work with.

Step two was to snip apart the stem of golden rod and start playing...

...till I came up with a grouping I liked.

I started off making a bow with the ribbon --a fun attempt, since I haven't made a bow in years--sorry, no picture of that (it's like riding a bicycle, it all comes back to you when you start twisting and fluffing!) I decided it didn't look right with the other things, so I straightened it out and wrapped it instead, then wired on the dragon fly with some twist-tie plastic wrapped wire pieces.

And Voila'!

"Tapestry" for my door!

It even chimes just a little when you swing open the door. I find myself smiling when I catch a glimpse of it, even from inside.

This post is linked to:

Make Your Home Sing at Mom's the Word

Metamorphosis Monday at Between Naps on the Porch

Just Something I Whipped Up at the Girl Creative

Making the World Cuter Monday

Made By You Mondays at Skip to My Lou

Until next time...

Small Town Mission Possible--Brookshire Brothers

Charlene@avirtuouswoman.info (Charlene) — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 18:06:00 +0000

She is like the merchant's ships, she bringeth her food from afar'
She looketh well to the ways of her household

Ya'll know I'm still at home in my small rural hometown. Although it's harder to save money at the grocery store here, it's still do-able if you watch the sales and use coupons when you can.

This wasn't a great sale week at Brookshire Brothers, but there were a few things that I thought were worth posting about.

New York brand Texas Toast garlic bread is on sale for $2.99, B1G1 free; I found two boxes (and there were more) that had "peelies" for $.55 off. I used both coupons, making these $1.89 for two, or $.95 each

Ragu spaghetti sauce, 2/$3, or $1.50

Skinner spaghetti, $1 each

Hy-top shredded cheese, 3/$5,or $1.67 each

No-Yolks noodles--one variety was clearanced to $.89 and I had a $.75 MQ coupon, which would have made them $.14; however, the bag I got must have been slotted wrong, it rang up $1.35, making it $.60 after the coupon

Mineola Oranges/Tangelos, on sale $.99/lb. I got some of these last week, too, they are delicious, very few seeds, and what a fresh treat.

And that's the best that I see of what's on sale at Brookshire Brothers this week--this sale is good through tomorrow, so you should still have time to grab a few things if you haven't already.

Until next time...

Mission Possible--Walgreens $5 Challenge

Charlene@avirtuouswoman.info (Charlene) — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 14:19:00 +0000

Who can find a virtuous woman? her price is far above rubies
She is like the merchant's ships, she bringeth her food (and other things!) from afar
She looketh well to the ways of her household

At the beginning of this week, it looked like it might be a slow week for Mission Possible shopping, but after I spent the best part of two days putting my coupon binder back in order, I finally took a deep breath and really looked at the weekly ad circular for Walgreens, matched it up with some good coupons (that I was able to find because my coupon binder was finally up-to-date), and found some really good deals. As a matter of fact, I saw so many that I had to limit myself to stay inside my budget, but that's okay too.

And since it's been awhile since I participated in the Walgreens $5 Challenge, I decided to break up some of what I bought into easy, $5 or less transactions just to see what I could get for $5--armed, of course, with my coupon binder and the weekly and monthly ads.

$3.97 plus tax OOP

I first started looking a Gillette because of the Walgreens deal, buy a package of Gillette razor refill cartridges, get a a free shave gel. I knew I had a coupon for a free razor wyb a refill cartridge, so that was my plan--which got nixed when I saw how much the refill cartridges were. Instead I got this:

1 Gillette shave gel, $1.99,
2 Gillette anti-perspirants, $4.49 each, on sale B1G1 half off,
3 Gillette body wash, $4.49 each on sale B1G1 half off

Total: $24.44 in merhcandise; the BiG1 half off took off $2.25 twice; I had MQ for $1 off the shave gel; $4 MQ off any two anti-perspirants or body washes; 2 MQs for a free body wash wyb (when you buy) an anti-perspirant, which took off $4.49 twice; and 1 MQ for a free body wash wyb a shave gel. The cashier was getting confused at this point, and took off $1.99 for the shave gel instead of $4.49 for the body wash, but since I got one of the body washes for half off anyway because of the sale, I left it alone. My final total--$3.97 plus tax or 84% savings.

$4.92 plus tax OOP

Always products are on sale this week, B1G1 half off, as well. I bought:

1 Always Infinity pads, $4.99, less $2 MQ, or $2.99
1 Always Ultra pads, $3.79, less $1.90 sale reduction, or $1.89, less $1 MQ, or $.89
1 Oral-B Pulsar toothbrush, usually $5.79, clearanced to $1.79, less $.75 MQ, or $1.04

Total: $14.57 in merchandise; after clearance, sale reduction, and coupons the total was $4.92 plus tax, or 66% savings

$4.74 plus tax OOP

And last but certainly not least:

1 Dawn dishwashing liquid, $1.59, on sale $.99, less $.25 MQ, or $.74
4 Hershey's Cookies 'n' Creme giant candy bars, $1.99 each, on sale 2/$3, less $1/2 coupon from the monthly coupon booklet, or $4 each

Total: $9.55 in merchandise; after sale discounts and coupons, $4.74 plus tax, or 50% savings

This last one may not look like much, but we're talking chocolate here, people--white chocolate, at that. If I can scratch up and extra $5 in change from under the sofa cushions, I'm going back for more.

This post is linked to:

Walgreens $5 Challenge at Keeping the Kingdom First

Until next time...

Thrifty Thursday--Bake Sale and Freebie Find

Charlene@avirtuouswoman.info (Charlene) — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 22:24:00 +0000

She is like the merchant's ships, she bringeth her food (and other things!) from afar
She looketh well to the ways of her household

I have a confession to make. This is the real reason I started thrifting last year. Backhome Collections, a thrift store in small town DeRidder, Louisiana, has a bake sale once a month. (This is the same store where I buy stone-ground cornmeal.) It lasts for three days, and runs the first full Thursday, Friday, and Saturday of each month. The ladies from the local Mennonite church do the cooking and baking. They offer everything from cream pies with real meringue, to cakes, cookies, breads, and even casseroles.

This past weekend, my thrifty finds were a wonderful chocolate cream pie; a small "sampler" size Italian cream cake; Amish cinnamon friendship bread; and half a dozen butterhorn rolls. It may have not been the thriftiest shopping I've ever done there, but it was surely among the most delicious!

But to balance out my "un-thrifty" choices, let me show you the latest "freebie" my husband found next to the dumpster at our apartment complex in Georgia...

This after my son unloaded it at home in Louisiana. It's not vintage...

...and it definitely needs some work...

...but doesn't it have potential?

For now it has a home out in the shed while I decide what to do with it and where to put it.

But now I have a question for you Do you trash pick? Dumpster dive? I don't think we've ever actually gotten into a dumpster, but one of the advantages of living in an apartment complex is that folks put things they don't need or want that may still have some "life" left in them, beside the dumpster instead of in it.

My husband travels a lot with his job. Not in the traditional "business trip" type of travel, because he often stays in one location for months at a time, and he usually lives in a furnished corporate apartment. Sometimes I get to go with him, sometimes not. Every apartment we've ever lived in has a different definition of what constitutes "furnished", so we frequently supplement with our own things, or things we buy.

Or trash pick.

When we were in Alaska, we trash-picked a small chest-of-drawers. There were two, one of which was completely in pieces. The other one needed a couple of nails and some wood glue and it was as good as new. We put it back out when we left, and someone else snatched it up.

My husband's co-worker trash-picked several bicycles, then combined them to make good little bikes that he gave to the neighborhood kids.

We've trash picked a queen sized bedframe where we are now. It was better than the "furnished" one we were sleeping on, so we took it down and use the trash-picked one for now. (When we leave, we're changing them back and taking the "found" one with us.)

And now we have a headboard and foot board to go with it. And I proudly stand and say--"My name is Charlene, and I'm a trash picker."

This post is linked to:

Thrifty Thursday at Tales from Bloggeritaville

Today's Thrifty Treasures at Southern Hospitality

Until next time...

Small Town Savings--Mission Possible

Charlene@avirtuouswoman.info (Charlene) — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 13:22:00 +0000

She is like the merchant's ships, she bringeth her food (and other things!) from afar
She looketh well to the ways of her household

I've noticed myself slipping back into old habits of buying what I want instead of what I need or what's on sale, so I've decided it's time to tighten the belt and get back into the savings groove.

In addition the higher prices, fewer deals, and smaller coupons we've all noticed, I have the additional challenge of being in my small southwest Louisiana hometown for a while again, where the shopping venues are not as plentiful, nor as generous as some in larger cities. We have no stores that double coupons, only one of the major drugstore chains, and no national grocery chain stores except for Walmart. We do have a regional grocery chain which runs decent sales, but again, no double coupons (although I've read blogs that mention double coupons for this chain in other areas, our particular stores here do not offer that benefit) We do have several discount stores--Family Dollar, Dollar General, and Dollar Tree. But regardless of rain, sleet, snow, or small town challenges, our mission is the same

Our mission, should we choose to accept it, (and you know we will) is to take the resources we have available to us--coupons, rebates, Extra Care Bucks (ECB), Register Rewards (RR) and weekly ad circulars--to get the things our families need and can use, all while keeping our total out-of-pocket (OOP) as low as possible. We fulfill our tasks at drugstores, grocery stores, dollar stores, and wherever we can find those bargains and frugal finds that benefit our families.

Just for inspiration, here are a few things I found this past week:

Brookshire Brothers

I still haven't gotten my coupon binder completely in order, but as I shuffled through my pile of clipped-but-not-filed coupons, I had several that were about to expire, so I tucked them into the fold of my list so I could check out prices and see if it was worth using them. I did find these:

Velveeta, $4.49, less $1 IPQ (internet printed coupon), making these $3.39 each
Kraft Parmesan shakers, $3.49, less $1 IPQ, or $2.49 each
Betty Crocker instant potato pouches, on sale for $.85, less $.40 MQs, or $.45 each

These aren't the greatest bargains I've ever gotten, but the coupons made these cheaper than I ever would have found them, even on sale, in this area.

Walgreens

Walgreens is still a favorite shopping destination. This past week was a simple transaction:

Colgate toothpaste, $2.99, less $.75 MQ, or $2.24, this generated a $2 RR (Register Reward) good toward my next purchase, making this net of $.24 each
12 Altoids, on sale for $.59 (this is a 70% savings off the regular price) (the sign stated limit 6, but the cashier told me I could get as many as I wanted, so I grabbed 6 more)

This isn't everything I bought this past week, but these are the savings highlights. How are doing on your Mission Possible deal shopping?

Getting back into my savings mode is one of the ways I'm looking well to the ways of my household, and incidentally, making it sing!

This post is linked to:

Making Your Home Sing Monday at Moms the Word

Until next time...

Making My Home Sing

Charlene@avirtuouswoman.info (Charlene) — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 18:31:00 +0000

Who can find a virtuous woman? her price is far above rubies
She looketh well to the ways of her household...

A while back I stumbled onto a bloggy meme (that's "theme" in the non-blog world. Don't ask me.) called "Making Your Home Sing Monday." I've only linked to it once, I think, but I bookmarked the site and I've been mulling that thought over in my head ever since.

This week I want to work on making my home sing. Isn't that a concept that's just bursting with promise and imagery? It can be applied on so many levels, from practical to poetic, physical to spiritual.

How will I attempt such a marvelous feat? For me, it starts with getting my house in order physically. When my house is in order, I feel calmer, more at peace as I go about my business. So I'm going to be doing some spring cleaning. Hey, it's the south, spring comes early here, and I want to be ready.

This morning I was up in the darktime to see my son off for another week away at college. Isn't there a verse for that? Oh, yes, "She rises while it is yet night." Ugh. I've already shared my struggle with this one. I'm a night owl at heart, I think, but I know from experience that I accomplish so much more when I get up even just a little earlier. And stay off the computer. And the phone. And leave the television off. So that's on my list for personal "singing". La-la-la-la-la-la-la.

As far as the house is concerned, my goals this week are to work on my kitchen/dining area, and my bedroom. And the bathroom. And the living room. Well, maybe just a general good cleaning and straightening is in order. Last week I cleaned off the dinner table and had it set with a tablecloth and centerpiece when my son got home from school for the week, and you should have seen his face. Our families notice these things, even when we think they don't care about them.

And so for this morning, I've started washing sheets and blankets and one load of what I call "wearing clothes". I've put the tablecloth away, but I dug out some cloth napkins. I've taken my stove top apart and cleaned underneath and have the drip pans soaking. I'm planning to purge old magazines and catalogs this afternoon, and spend some time getting my coupon binder updated. Later this week I'm going to tackle dusting and vacuuming in those places that never see the light of day. Double ugh. In the meantime, I think I can hear these old boards creaking just a little. La-la-la-la-la-la-la.

Spiritually, I'm doing some fasting these week, seeking the Lord's will in some areas of my life. Spending some extra time in the Word. Praying for some folks that I haven't prayed for in a while. And in my spirit, I can already hear it starting...la-la-la-la-la-la-la.

It's the sound of my home. Singing.

What are you doing the make your home sing this week?

This post is linked to:

Making Your Home Sing Monday at Moms The Word

Until next time...

Small Town Savings

Charlene@avirtuouswoman.info (Charlene) — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 17:56:00 +0000

Who can find a virtous woman? her price is far above rubies
She is like the merchant's ships, she bringeth her food (and other things!) from afar
She looketh well to the ways of her household

Although I haven't been blogging about it lately, I'm still doing small "mission possible" trips from time to time. We have a pretty decent stockpile of most items, and deals are a bit fewer and father between these days, so I haven't done as much, but it's still possible to buy things for our families at decent prices and even (on occasion) get things for free.

Our mission, should we choose to accept it, (and you know we will) is to take the resources we have available to us--coupons, rebates, Extra Care Bucks (ECB), Register Rewards (RR) and weekly ad circulars--to get the things our families need and can use, all while keeping our total out-of-pocket (OOP) as low as possible. We fulfill our tasks at drugstores, grocery stores, dollar stores, and wherever we can find those bargains and frugal finds that benefit our families.

Last week I made a quick trip to Walgreens early in the week to get some Dove Men+Care body wash, on $5.99, and it generated a $6 RR (register reward). I had a coupon for $1.50 off, so that I paid $4.49, making this a small money-maker after I got the $6 RR.

Once I got home to Louisiana, I needed a few things for the house, and so took my $6 RR from earlier in the week and headed out. This is what I got:

Transaction 1:

Gilette Fusion razor, $8.99, less $4 MQ (manufacturer's coupon), or $4.99, this generated a $4 RR, making this net of $.99

1 Joy dish detergent, $1.99; $.99 with in-ad coupon, less $.30 MQ, or $.69

1 carton eggs, on sale $.99

Total: I used the $6 RR from earlier in the week, paid $.69 plus tax, or $1.59 OOP, and received a $4 RR to use on my next transaction

Transaction 2:

Dove Men+care body wash, $5.99, less $1.50 MQor $4.49, this generates a $6 RR, making it a small money-maker

6 pk Dove Cool Moisture beauty bars, $7.99, less $1.25 MQ, or $6.74

1 Norther toilet tissue, on sale $3.99

2 Carmex lip balm, 2/$3, less 1 $1 MQ and 1 $.75 MQ, or $.62 each

Total: I used the $4 RR from the first transaction, paid $11.97 plus tax, or $13.76, and received a $6 RR to use toward my next transaction, making this net of $7.76 OOP

Not bad for a quick trip. I haven't really looked at the papers yet to see what's on sale this week. What good deals are you looking for this week?

Until next time...

Who Can Find A Virtuous Woman

Charlene@avirtuouswoman.info (Charlene) — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 17:05:00 +0000

Who can find a virtuous woman? (is she just nowhere to be found?)

Did you think I'd fallen off the face of the earth? My blogging has fallen sadly by the wayside the last couple of weeks, I agree. I guess you could say that "real life" has triumphed over cyber-living, can you believe it? ;0)

And it's all because:

The weather has been uncooperative
My husband has worked some extra hours
I've spent a lot of time cooped up alone inside
I've felt peculiarly unmotivated
I was trying to decide what clothes to pack for a trip home I had planned
I spent one whole day driving 625 miles all alone
I've been spending time with my college son who's out of school for a few days for winter break
I'm just a bit nervous about an upcoming speaking engagement, so I've been doing the un-virtuous thing and just avoided thinking about it or anything else.
I need new glasses
It snowed. In the south. And stayed on the ground for almost 4 hours.
I had to go the dentist
I don't have access to high speed internet when I'm at home unless I make a special trip to town or to my folks' house--and I hate to stay on the computer all of the time I'm there.

So I haven't been blogging, either here or on my food blog.

But I haven't fallen off the face of the earth.

Just in case you wondered.

Valley Rescue Mission Thrift Store Finds

Charlene@avirtuouswoman.info (Charlene) — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 05:34:00 +0000

She is like the merchant's ships, she bringeth her food (and other things!) from afar
She stretcheth out her hand to the poor; yea, she reacheth forth her hands to the needy

(to see this or any of the pictures up close, you can click on the picture, then use the "back" arrow on your browser to come back here)

One of my favorite thrift stores in the Columbus Area is the Valley Rescue Mission Thrift Store. Besides having a wide variety of goodies to see and buy (and their merchandise has a pretty good turnover), I know the money I spend goes to support a good cause.

Living in a furnished corporate apartment while we're in Georgia, I certainly don't need any furniture, but that doesn't stop me from looking when I spot a pretty piece.

I thought I was in love with this dresser when I spotted it. It was in good shape for it's age--some of these old pieces look good until you open the drawers, then you can see the real wear and tear on them. I think it was around $100, and I was really hankering for it, until I saw these two pieces...
I have a dresser very similar to this at home, except that on mine the center area is more "dropped" than this. What I don't have at home though..

...is the matching chiffrobe, and in almost perfect condition.

The tall door swings open for hanging clothes, and it has a smaller "cubby" sized space on the right and three drawers underneath.

The inside was pretty clean, the dovetailing at the edges where the drawer fronts attach seemed to be all intact, and the handles and hardware appear to be original.

Somebody put the drawers back in wrong, one of these is for the left side, one is a right side, but that's easily fixed.

I love, love, love the curved edges on these art deco pieces...

As well as the detailing in the wood veneers. If I had to hazard a guess, I'd say these are from the 1920's, pre-depression era.

There's some damage on the bottom inside of the dressing table...

But the price is right at $225 for both pieces.

If I had room for these, I would be taking them with me on my next trip home. A little Murphy's Oil Soap and some Old Enlish scratch cover, these two would be as good as new.

This post is linked to:

Vintage Thingie Thursday at Coloradolady

Thrifty Thursday at Tales of Bloggeritaville

What vintage and thrifty finds have you spotted lately?

Until next time...

Thrifty Wintertime Wreath

Charlene@avirtuouswoman.info (Charlene) — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 23:39:00 +0000

Who can find a virtuous woman? her price is far above rubies
She worketh willingly with her hands

Every since I reluctantly packed away my Christmas wreath, I've wanted something new to hang on the front door of our apartment. I've been seeing some cute winter decorations on some of the blogs I follow, but most of them have snow or a snowman theme--and winter time in the south is just not snowy--not in my neck of the woods, anyway, unless it's a freak thing that comes along once in a blue moon.

So I wanted something that looked a little bare--for winter in the south--but not barren, if you know what I mean. And of course it had to be something pretty thrifty, as well.

I found this grapevine wreath at JoAnn's for $3.99, along with three little berry sprays for $1.39 each. I had originally planned to take the sprays apart and work each little stem into the wreath separately.

Just for kicks before I started taking the sprays apart, I "fluffed" them a little and worked them into the wreath along one side. I really liked the look of this, but wanted just a touch more.

I remembered the larger berry sprays I had left from Christmas, and decided to add them, as well.

It's not quite as asymmetrical as I meant for it to be, but I can tweak that. It's definitely the "natural" look I was going for, but it still needs a little something. What do you think? A trip back to JoAnn's for more berries?

I'll let you know if I decided to add to this--it may turn into the incredible changing wreath!

This week I'm linking to a new-for-me meme called "Making Your Home Sing" Monday. Doesn't that help lift all those little tasks we do to make our homes clean, cozy, and attractive to a whole different plane?

This post is also linked to:

Metamorphosis Monday at Between Naps on the Porch
Make Your Monday at Twice Remembered
Making the World Cuter
Just Something I Whipped Up at The Girl Creative

Until next time...

Thrifty Thursday--Decorative Bottom Springform Pan

Charlene@avirtuouswoman.info (Charlene) — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 14:04:00 +0000

Who can find a virtuous woman? her price is far above rubies
She is like the merchant's ships, she bringeth her food (and other things!) from afar
She looketh well to the ways of her household

A couple of weeks ago my husband and I went for a drive in the country and somehow ended up at Opelika, Alabama. And since we were in town already, we decided to make a quick stop at Angel's Antiques Mall. (note to self: there is no "quick stop" at Angel's. It's too big and there's too much to see.)

I found this rusted up, tin, what I thought was a jello mold from the 50's or 60's, until I realized...

...that it's a springform pan. So now I don't know if it's an old pan, or just one that somebody didn't care for properly and allowed to rust. I bought it anyway--at $2.00, it still qualifies as "thrifty", although I'm not sure if it qualifies as "vintage".

I did some research on line but I'm still not sure. I found some "non spring form" pans with molded bottoms that were listed as jello mold and cake pans. Then I found one new springform pan with that came with one flat bottom and one decorative bottom, but it had a much more modern flair, more like a bundt cake. Nothing similar to this.

So what do you think? Vintage too, or just thrifty?

I'm linking this post to:

Vintage Thingie Thursday at Coloradolady

Thrifty Thursday at Tales from Bloggeritaville

Until next time...

Making Prayer a Priority

Charlene@avirtuouswoman.info (Charlene) — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 14:12:00 +0000

Who can find a virtuous woman? her price is far above rubies
She openeth her mouth with wisdom...
Her children arise up and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praiseth her.

Last week I discussed a little bit about different tools and techniques we can use to be sure that we keep our prayer lives balanced so that it doesn't become so me-centered (my needs, my loved ones, my life). We can be schooled in everything from using a prayer journal to making a praise sandwich , but if we don't make prayer a priority, days and even weeks can go by without us sending a single "knee-mail" to the Lord.

So how do we learn to make the time to pray?

Well, for one thing, I think we need to be a little more realistic about it. We can't "make" time. God is the only one who can "make" time, and last I heard, He wasn't giving out any extra, not even for good behaviour! There's not one thing any of us can do to add even a single minute to our day, isn't that awful? No amount of good planning or multi-tasking or delegating can add one single second to our day.

So what's a virtuous woman to do?

She rises while it is yet night...

,,,her candle goeth not out by night

She looketh well to the ways of her household.

And lest you think I'm advocating burning the candle at both ends (I'm not), how about this one for a change "It is vain for you rise up early to sit up late...for so he gives his beloved sleep" (Psalms 127:2)

So, let's see--rise up early, stay up late; don't rise early or stay up late; sleep, don't sleep; make time or take time? It can be confusing can't it?

The truth is, we all have different lives. What works for me may not work for you.

When I was a young girl, learning to pray for the first time in my life, I prayed at bedtime. I turned off my light and knelt beside my bed and prayed for a little while. When I got a little older, I switched to mornings before school. That may not have worked if I'd shared a room, but by that time I did have a room of my own, so for me, it worked.

When I worked outside the home and had a little one, I prayed at night after my husband and son were already in bed.

I went through seasons when most of my private praying was done in my car--during my drive time to work in the mornings, and even sitting in my car during my lunch break.

We all go through busy, if not frenzied, periods in our lives, when we think to ourselves "Oh, if only I had more time..." and yes, we all know that we're all allotted the same number of minutes in day's time. What we really mean is "If only I had less to do to fill my time". Then we'd pray more. Or pray at all.

Right now, I'm a quiet season of my life. I'm not working outside the home. I don't have a little one anymore. We don't have family or friends nearby. I have a lot of time to myself, more time than I've had in years. And even so, I have to make a conscious effort to use that time wisely.

There are so many things, good things many of them, that can fill our days, but as virtuous women we must make prayer a priority.

Years ago, long before I was married myself, I heard a young bi-vocational preacher talking about drifting off to sleep at night after a shift at the plastics plant where he worked, with his kids sleeping in the next room, and hearing his wife praying in the living room.

That's the kind of wife and mother I want to be. I want my family to know the sound of my voice lifted in prayer.

I think about Susanna Wesley, mother of Charles and John Wesley, who gave birth to nineteen children, only 10 of which lived past infancy; who raised and educated her children almost singlehandedly in very trying and poverty-ridden circumstances; who nevertheless spent time each day in prayer, and whose now-famous "apron over the head" signal was sign to her children that mother needed time alone to pray and regroup.

Do you need apron time?

Until next time...

Giveaway Winner--Prayer Journal

Charlene@avirtuouswoman.info (Charlene) — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 03:00:00 +0000

Thanks to everyone who entered the giveaway for the prayer journal! And the winner is:

Random Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers:

15

Timestamp: 2010-01-25 05:24:52 UTC

#15 is Katelyn of Alia's Fitness Journey

Congratulations Katelyn! She chose journal #2. I'll be sending her an email tonight to get her mailing address.

I appreciate everyone who entered--stay tuned, I may be having some other giveaways of interest soon!

Until next time...

Mission Possible CVS--$5 CVS Challenge

Charlene@avirtuouswoman.info (Charlene) — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 04:34:00 +0000

She is like the merchant's ship, she bringeth her food (and other things!) from afar
She looketh well to the ways of her household

$3.85 OOP

When I was out and about today I decided to stop by CVS to pick up a copy of their weekly ad circular--for some reason it as missing from my newspaper on Sunday. I had one more $.50 Coke coupon from the CVS website, so I knew I could pick up a cheap Diet Coke (one of my personal indulgences.) I checked my binder and found a $1 off any CVS pain reliever, and a $1/2 Gold Emblem crackers, nuts, or pretzels that were going to expire tomorrow, so I decided to take them in with me and see if there was anything I wanted to buy with them. Once inside I scanned my card at the "magic coupon machine" and ended with two more coupons just like the ones I had, only with later expiration dates. This is what I decided to buy:

2 CVS low-dose aspirin, $1.99 each, less 2 $1 coupons, or $.99 each

4 Gold Emblem pretzels, $.79 each, less 2 $1/2 coupons, or $.29 each

1 Diet Coke, $.99, less $.50 coupon, or $.49 (how did that partially empty bottle get in the picture?)

1 Dawn dish detergent, regularly $1.99, on sale this week for $.96

After coupons I used one $1 ECB I had from last week, and paid $3.85 OOP for about $10 worth of merchandise for a savings of around 65%.

How are you doing with your Mission Possible shopping this week?

This post is linked to:

CVS $5 Challenge at Keeping the Kingdom First

Until next time...

Lord, Teach Us to Pray

Charlene@avirtuouswoman.info (Charlene) — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 01:18:00 +0000

Who can find a virtuous woman? her price is far above rubies
She openeth her mouth with wisdom...

And it came to pass, that, as he was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray...(Luke 11:1a, KJV)

The first time I ever received any teaching about prayer was when I was eleven years old. I had gotten saved during a revival at the church where I attended Sunday School, and the pastor held a little class for all of us that had gotten saved during the revival. I think I was the only young person among several adults, including my mother. I don't remember a whole lot about what he told us, except that we should pray every day, starting with 15 minutes a day and gradually increasing the time.

The Prayer (or Praise) Sandwich

The next teaching that I remember was in Sunday School, where we learned to build a praise sandwich. We were studying the version of what's commonly known as the Lord's prayer from Matthew 6:9-13. The teacher brought a sandwich to class with meat, cheese, lettuce and tomato on toasted bread, cut in half and held together with toothpicks so that we could see the layers, and we were taught that to build a well-rounded prayer-life we should try to include the different types of things that Jesus illustrated when he told the disciples "pray like this" (my paraphrase!)

Bread--Praise--"hallowed be thy name"
Meat--Intercession for the needs of others and the world--"thy kingdom come, thy will be done"
Cheese--Petition--our needs--"give us this day our daily bread"
Lettuce--Repentance--"forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors"
Tomato--Guidance--"and lead us not into temptation"
Bread--Praise--"for thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory"

I used the praise sandwich off and on for years, not necessarily every single time I prayed, but often enough that I used it to check myself to be sure that I wasn't falling into a pattern of just using prayer as a gripe session or "shopping list" of needs.

ACTS

Later I came across a slightly simpler technique, using the ACTS acronym as a reminder:

A-Adoration (praises to the Lord)
C-Confession (confessing and repenting of our sins)
T-Thanksgiving (giving thanks for the Lord's blessings)
S-Supplication (praying for the needs of ourselves and others)

This is another one that I've used off and on--again, just a tool to help maintain balance.

PART

Another acronym you can use is PART--as in, God is sovereign and will do His part, but I need to do my PART:

P-Praise
A-Admit (repentance)
R-Request
T-Thanks

Five Finger Prayer

This is one I've read about but never used myself, there are a couple of different versions of it, but the basics are to use your hand as a reminder:

Your thumb is closest to you, so start by praying for those close to you--family and friends.
Next is the index or pointer finger. Pray for those who teach—whether at home, school, church or other places
Next up is your tallest finger. Pray for those in authority over you--government officials, supervisor at work, etc.
The fourth finger is usually the weakest. Pray for the weak among us--the poor, the suffering, the troubled
And last is the pinkie, the smallest of the fingers. Use it as a reminder of our smallness relations to God's greatness and glory and spend time praying for our own needs and giving the Lord praise.

This is not deep theological stuff, and isn't meant to be an all-inclusive list of prayer methods and techniques--but they are simple tools that you can use as you pray to kelp keep your prayer time balanced and God- and other-centered, rather that self-centered.

What tools and techniques do you use when you pray?

Until next time...

Tips for Using a Prayer Journal--and a Giveaway

Charlene@avirtuouswoman.info (Charlene) — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 06:00:00 +0000

Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies
She openeth her mouth with wisdom...

(giveaway is now closed)

Last week I wrote about how I was working to establish new habits. Some of them, like leaving the television off during the daytime, and limiting my computer time, are new habits for me. Others, like spending more time in prayer and Bible study are more an effort to re-establish good habits. As a Christian, and definitely as a "strong and mighty woman of virtue and valour", prayer should always be a priority to me. Even though I now have more discretionary time on my hands than I've had in years, I'm ashamed to say that it hasn't been.

On one level, I can blame it on distractions. Those things I'm working to limit--tv and time on the computer--plus a small city full of restaurants and stores and attractions of all kinds that can definitely keep me busy with all kinds of interesting things.

Even the things that I do for my family--my virtuous things--my frugal shopping, my cooking, my decorating and crafting, my thrifting--and might I dare say my blogging--can take up my entire day and before I know it, half the night as well, and while I've been busy (somedays) or lazy (did I say that?) I haven't done the most important things, vital to the lifeblood of a godly woman. I may even spend a little token time supposedly praying, but often I find my mind wandering, and before I know it I'm off to something else and days have gone by without me really engaging the Lord in prayer.

This week I'm working on a teaching series on prayer, and I hope to share a good bit of that here, but I want to start off with a tip, a tool, and a technique that I utilize that really helps me maintain concentration, and that's using a prayer journal.

The most basic way to use a prayer journal is to do just what the name implies--write down your prayers to the Lord. At times I write them as though as I was writing a letter--"Dear Lord, today I really need your help, I'm struggling with x, y, z, please help me to do the right thing..."
Other times I list needs that I pray about--problems at work, a friend who's discouraged, or someone who's sick, etc. I use lists as a reminder to pray for the needs of myself and others, and also as a reminder of what I've prayed about. I often flip back through later and notice that many of the needs have been taken care of, and that in itself can be a good reminder to be thankful for answers that have come without me even realizing it.
I use my journal to take notes at church of sermons or Bible lessons that I hear, and also of thoughts that I have when I'm reading and studying on my own.
I down write my "to-do" or grocery lists. Pause. Yes, I do--in my prayer journal. By that I mean that when I'm praying or reading and a thought pops into my head "We need paper towels. I wonder if they're on sale anywhere this week? Do I have any coupons for paper towels? Where's m coupon binder? I think I'll make taco soup for dinner. Do we have any corn? Taco seasoning--I need to check to be sure we have enough taco seasoning before I drag out everything to start taco soup. I'm hungry, I think I'll make tuna salad for lunch. Do we have any tuna? What about pickle relish? I need to put the clothes in the dryer. And work on my coupon binder. Where is my coupon binder? I'm hungry, what time is it? " When those kinds of thoughts come in and threaten to distract and derail me, I flip my prayer journal open, (if it isn't open already) and I write it down--paper towels, corn, taco seasoning; dry clothes, organize coupons, etc. Then I can redirect my thoughts to where they need to be, knowing that when I'm done and ready to move on the next thing, I won't forget whatever it is that I need to do.

After using several different kinds and styles, I've figured out that my favorite prayer journals are:

about 8 x 5--small enough to be easily portable, but big enough to be useful
spiral bound--so I can utilize the whole page all the way to the margin, easily write on both sides of the pages, it will open flat, and I can fold it back without ruining the binding
pretty--just because I like them
ones with lined pages--to keep my scrawl halfway straight

I have a pretty pink journal that I'm using right now, but I'm always on the lookout for my next one. I currently have two waiting in the wings, and I'm giving one of them away to help you with your own fresh start toward establishing or re-establishing good habits.

Journal #1

Inside Journal #1

Journal # 1 has pink and green flowers against a pale yellow background with a green leather strip, and has a scripture quote, "These things I have spoken to you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full" John 15:33 NKJV. The inside is edged with a pink & green plaid design, and has a scripture on one page and an excerpt from a devotional book on the other.

Journal #2

Inside Journal #2

Journal # 2 didn't photograph well for some reason--my lighting wasn't the best--but it's actually a pale green with cute picture on the front of woman enjoying a cup of coffee (or tea, or hot chocolate, your choice!) in a pretty courtyard in front of store, surrounded by flowers. It also has a scripture quote,"Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart" Psalm 37:4 NIV The inside has a scripture quote on each page.

To enter, just leave your name and email address in the giveaway form, along with a comment telling me which one you'd like to have if you win. This giveaway will be open until Sunday, January 24th at 6:00 p.m., and the winner will be chosen at random.

(Giveaway is now closed)

Until next time...

Mission Possible--4 Stores

Charlene@avirtuouswoman.info (Charlene) — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 15:57:00 +0000

She is like the merchants' ships; she bringeth her food from afar
She looketh well to the ways of her household

One of the things I've been working on this week is getting my coupons back in order. They were a mess, do you hear me? I had tons of expired ones still in my binder, I had some internet printed and newspaper inserts that needed to be clipped, I had a raggedy envelope full of miscellaneous coupons that I'd clipped and hadn't filed, or pulled to use and then didn't get to use floating around in the depths of my purse; like I stated above--a mess! As part of my own "fresh start" this week, and in an attempt to "look well the ways" of my household, over the course of two days I bit the bullet and clipped and sorted and pulled and filed and got everything back in order.

By yesterday I was ready, at last, for another "Mission Possible" shopping trip:

Our mission, should we choose to accept it, (and you know we will!) is to take the resources we have available to us--coupons, rebates, Extra Care Bucks (ECB), Register Rewards (RR) and weekly ad circulars--to get the things our families need and can use, all while keeping our total out-of-pocket (OOP) as low as possible. We fulfill our tasks at drugstores, grocery stores, dollar stores, and wherever we can find those bargains and frugal finds that benefit our families.

I knew it was late in the week to find the best bargains, but I ventured out to see what I could find.

CVS--$2.61 net OOP

My first stop was CVS. I went to the "magic coupon machine" where it spit out my quarterly ECB (Extra Care Buck) bonus based on the previous quarter's spending. I racked up--$.50! (I told you, I don't spend money at CVS, I save money at CVS!) There were several things that I had on my list, but most were either not there or not really that great of a bargain when I really looked and thought about it. This is what I did get:

2 CVS reusable shopping bags, $.99 each, get $1 ECB (Extra Care Buck), net of $.25 each (I already have a bag tag to put on one of these, if you bring you own bag and have them scan the bag tag, every 4 trips you get a $1 ECB)

2 Dove Chocolate bars, usually at least $2.99 each, clearanced to $.70 each

1 16 oz Diet Coke, (not pictures) $.99, less $.50 IPQ (internet printed coupon) from the CVS site, or $.49 each

Total: I used my $.50 quarterly spending ECB, paid $3.61 cash, and got a $1 ECB for next time, making this $2.61 net OOP (out-of-pocket) for about $9 worth of products.

Walgreens--$8.03 net OOP

Next stop Walgreens, where I bought:

2 Quaker Oats, usually 2/$6, less in-ad coupon making them 2/$3, less two $1 IPQ's, making them $.50 each

Colgate Max Fresh toothpaste, $2.99, less $.75 MQ (manufacturer's coupon), $2.24, this generates a $2 RR (Register Reward) good on your next purchase, or net of $.24 each

3 packs of Orbit gum, $1.29 each, less in-ad coupon making them 3/$2, or $.66 each

Vaseline Instensive Care Men's lotion, clearanced to $2.49

L'oreal powdered eyeliner, regularly $9.99, clearanced to $2.59, less $1 MQ, or $1.59

Total: I paid $10.03 in cash, and received a $2 RR to use next time, making this $8.03 net OOP, for products that would have been about $27 full price.

Rite Aid--$5.55 net OOP

At Rite Aid, I bought:

1 Listerine 1 liter, regularly $6.49, on sale $5.99, less in-ad coupon of $1, making this $4.99

2 pk of GE soft white bulbs, regular $4.99, on sale for $2; this is eligible for a $2 rebate for this month's SCR (single check rebate), making this free after rebate.

Total: I paid $7.55 cash, will receive $2 on this month's SCR, making this $5.55 net OOO for products that would have been about $11 full price.

JoAnn--$6.53 OOP

And my biggest bargains of the day--Christmas stuff at JoAnn, 90% off! I wanted to buy everything they had left, but I restrained myself.

2 large cookie tins (and they are about 4 inches deep, these are really big), regularly $5.99 each, for $.59 each

4 tall round tins, regularly $4.99, for $.49 each

2 75 ft rolls of burgundy flocked outdoor ribbon, regularly $9.99, for $.99 each

And I love JoAnn's re-usable bags, they're so big-for $1

Total: $6.53 for over $50 worth of merchandise. Whoo hoo!

Grand total: $22.72, for almost $100 of merchandise. (Not that I would have paid that for it.) Any way you slice it, the total adds up to an over 75% savings, over-all.

How have you done your Mission Possible shopping this week? I'd love you have leave a comment telling us all about it.

This post is linked to:

Coupon Super Savers at the Coupon Saving Game

Until next time...

More "Found" Treasures--White Serving Bowls

Charlene@avirtuouswoman.info (Charlene) — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 16:15:00 +0000

She is like the merchant's ships, she bringeth her food (and other things) from afar
She looketh well to the ways of her household

( forgive the diet coke can in the corner. oops.)

Remember last week when I shared the pretty little Homer Laughlin plate I found among my dishes that I'd forgotten I had? Well, these are some serving dishes that I knew I had, but I think I'd forgotten how many of them I already have (and I still look at white serving bowls every time I see one.) Some of these I've had for a while, and my memory of where they came from is a bit fuzzy, so I hope I am telling the truth about where I got them.

This bowl belonged to my grandmother, my daddy's mother. When I showed everyone the Homer Laughlin serving bowl I bought recently, I mentioned that while we usually serve our plates straight from the stove, my grandmother always put everything in bowls and platters and put them on the table, even for an everyday meal. She had a variety of different sizes and shapes of bowls, all of them white or off-white. Some of them patterned, most of them plain, but always with a white or cream background. I'm not sure if it's one of her older ones or a newer purchase, there's no marking on the bottom, but it definitely has a history.

I think this one came from the Salvation Army thrift store in Colorado Springs. It's from J&G Meakin, there are several different patterns that go by the name "Lifestyle", all of which seem to have the speckled look with the brown rim. Some are plain, like this one, some sets had flowers on them as well. I can find lots of these on e-Bay, etc, but can't find anything that tells me when these patterns were made. I would guess 70's, if you know, be sure and leave a comment!

This one was bought at the same time as the one above, again we think at the Salvation Army thrift store in Colorado Springs when we lived there a few years ago. It has no marking, so I have no idea of the pattern, maker, or age, but...

...I noticed when I was taking pictures that it's the same pattern, although a different size as the one that came from my grandmother. Apparently not used as much, though!

And last but not least, another with no marking, but one of my favorites, this one came to me through a little church in southwest Louisiana. We were cleaning out a storage area and found a bunch of stuff left over from a rummage sale, so we pulled everything and out and let everyone just take what they wanted before the rest was hauled off to the dump, and I got this.

I think I see a definite pattern here, don't you?

This post is linked to:

Thrifty Thursday at Tales from Bloggeritaville

Vintage Thingie Thursday at Colradolady

Three-or-More Tuesday at The Gypsy's Corner

Until next time...

Book Review--Chicken Soup for the Soul, Devotional Stories for Women

Charlene@avirtuouswoman.info (Charlene) — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 15:50:00 +0000

Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies
She openeth her mouth with wisdom; and in her tongue is the law of kindness

I was recently given the opportunity to review a new devotional book for women, Chicken Soup for the Soul: Devotional Stories for Women: 101 Daily Devotions to Comfort, Encourage and Inspire Women, brought together by Susan Heim and Karen Talcott.

The forward to the book is a very touching testimony by Jennifer Sands, a 9/11 widow and cancer survivor.

Then the introduction quotes two of my favorite scriptures--John 16:33, where Jesus tell us "In this world you will have tribulation, but be of good cheer, for I have overcome the world". I can't tell you how many times in years past I held on to that promise. And of course Proverbs 31--"Who can find a virtuous woman?" (They quote a version that says 'woman of noble character'.)

The main part of this book is 101 devotionals, each with a scripture, short story, and brief prayer. Each of these is written by real women of various ages, from all different walks of life, including two additional devotions from Jennifer Sands. None of them take more than a couple of minutes to read.

One of the things that I like about this devotional is the way it's arranged. There are sections grouped by theme--Faith, Motherhood, Life Lessons, Illness, God's Helpers, Parenting, Relationships, Loss, Service to Others, Marriage, and Self-Esteem. You can use this as a daily devotional, starting at the first one and reading straight through, or you can use it topically by going to the sections. I haven't used it every day, I tend to pick it up and read 5 or 6 at a time once or twice a week or so.

Another feature that I really like is section at the back where there is a brief "meet and greet" introduction of each of the contributors--it really drives home the fact that these are a diverse group of ladies, offering testimonials of encouragement from their real lives and from their hearts.

And last but not least, there's a page at the end that tells you where you can send your own story, which could possibly be included in a future "Chicken Soup for the Soul" series. Isn't that cool?

This is not heavy-duty Bible Study, or deep spiritual stuff, it's exactly what this kind of devotional should be--brief snippets of brightness to encourage us along the way in our walk with the Lord.

(Disclosure--I received a free copy of this book to read and review, but did not receive any payment or other compensation for doing so. The opinion stated is that of my own. If you decide you'd like to buy this book , if you click on the underlined link above or the Amazon widget on the right hand sidebar, you can order it from Amazon, and I'll eventually get a few pennies from the purchase. Someday, when I reach my associate pay-out threshold, in a galaxy far, far, away)

Until next time...

Fresh Start--Establishing New Habits

Charlene@avirtuouswoman.info (Charlene) — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 01:00:00 +0000

Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies
She looketh well to the ways of her household
She openeth her mouth with wisdom...

I've already shared a little about the "light bulb" moments that came while I was at home for the holidays, and that the first thing I did toward my fresh start was to spend a little chunk of time one day at the church praying. I know that I don't have to be inside a church to pray, but there is something special about spending time in the sanctuary for the sole purpose of prayer. The Lord graciously allowed me the chance for space and privacy to spend some quality time repenting, praising, and seeking direction.

One of the things that the Lord dealt with me about while I was at home was going on an extended fast. I'll share more about fasting later, both Biblically and from a personal perspective, but I knew that part of the fasting, in this instance, was not just food, but other things that I allow to distract me from the purpose that God has intended for me. I knew from the start how long I was supposed to fast, but I but I wasn't sure when I would start or what all it would involve, I just knew I needed to spend some time "set apart" for the Lord.

When we got back to Georgia after the holidays and back to ~~normal~~ everyday life, before I knew it I was slipping back into my old habits of distraction and time slipping away from me while I accomplished nothing.

I realized after a couple of days that I was hiding again--from the very changes that I knew I needed to make. While I knew they would be good for me, and in the long term I would be glad I had made them--in the short term, they were going to hurt. A Lot!

So after some thought and discussion with my husband about my plans, I gave myself a start date of Monday, the 11th to begin my fast and to start to really set things in order that were out of balance and out of focus.

This weekend, which was our first Sunday back at the church we attend when we're in Georgia, I discovered that they had a church-wide fast scheduled, starting--you guessed it--Monday, the 11th. Even in the little things, like scheduling "the hard stuff", He works things out so that I don't feel like I'm out there all on my own!

So what are the changes I'm making and new habits I'm working on?

The television is staying off. All day. I have a bad habit of leaving the tv on all day "in the background", but I watch more of it than I admit, and it keeps me from getting done what needs to be done. When my husband get home from work, he turns it on, but until then, it stays off.
I'm leaving the computer off until at least noon or later, and turning it off periodically the rest of the day. I'm limiting my time on social media--twitter and facebook, as well as blog reading.
I'm spending more time in prayer. Not just the quick "bless me" or laundry list of needs type of prayer, but having the time--or taking the time, which is more truthful, to spend quality and quantity time with the Lord
I'm beginning to get back to really studying the Bible. I wanted to do the "Bible in 90 days" challenge, but I felt like the timing was off for that, so I'm holding off on that till later, and using this time for detailed study.

I can't begin to tell you what a difference these few things are already making.

No more looking around and suddenly wondering where my day went, I look around and realize that I've done what I need to do for the day and I still have time left to work on my coupon binder, or read a book just for pleasure.

There's a pervading sense of peace around the apartment. At one point today I thought about turning on some music, but I realized that I actually liked the quiet--and it's much easier then to listen for that "still, small voice" that speaks us much more often than we realize.

This post is linked to:

Works for Me Wednesday, at We Are THAT Family

Until next time...

New Focus

Charlene@avirtuouswoman.info (Charlene) — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 04:00:00 +0000

Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies
She openeth her mouth with wisdom...

When I first started A Virtuous Woman blog, my thought was to spend some time examining each of the verses in the Proverbs 31 Virtuous Woman passage, and see how it applies to our lives as women--or to mine personally as a woman, anyway.

Somewhere along the way I lost focus.

Couponing and deal shopping, thrifty finds, and dollar store decorating posts get a much larger response than posts about scripture or "spiritual" matters. But as I shared earlier in my post about my moments of epiphany and comparing myself negatively with others, God has been dealing with me about a lot of things, and regaining my focus is part of the assignment that I've received.

I'll still be including posts about my "Mission Possible" couponing and deal shopping, thrifting, and dollar store decorating. They're a part of who I am--for now anyway--and part of "looking well to the ways of her household".

But there'll be some new and different topics mixed in with the old and familiar, as well as an immediate shift emphasizing the spiritual side of what we do and who we are as chayil women--virtuous women--women of valour and strength.

Until next time...

Fresh Start

Charlene@avirtuouswoman.info (Charlene) — Sat, 09 Jan 2010 03:02:00 +0000

Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies
She openeth her mouth with wisdom; and in her tongue is the law of kindness

Several bloggers have been working on a theme this week and continuing for the next two weeks about making a Fresh Start in our walk with Lord. Even more are participating in a "Read the Bible through in 90 days" challenge that started on the 1st. I've been a bit behind still on catching up with what's going on around the blogosphere, so I didn't get in on either of these on the ground floor, but I want to jump in now and share a bit more about the fresh start that I've made.

I mentioned in a previous post that I'd had a personal epiphany of sorts while I was at home.

I have a long and storied history of comparing myself to others and often coming out on the short end. I was trying to think of something "spiritual" to share about that, and what comes to mind is Numbers, chapter 13, where the children of Israel sent spies into the promised land. Caleb came back encouraged about the richness of the land, and was confident that with the Lord's help they were "well able" to take the land. The other men, though, saw only the strength of the Canaanites, who they called "giants"--and this part is very telling--"but we were as grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight."

In my comparison, other people are the giants, and I'm one of the grasshoppers. And what's worse, when I continue to think of myself as a grasshopper, guess what? Other people will soon begin to see me in that way, as well.

I've had relationships in the past where it was always about the other person, and never about me. I was as a grasshopper in their sight.

My moment of clarity came when I realized--with "sudden, intuitive perception"--that I've allowed this to affect not only the way I live, but who I am--who I allow myself to be--because I worry too much about how I appear "in their sight".

The first thing that had to happen for me, at least, was a chance to repent--for worrying more about the "praises of men" than "the praise of God". Because that's what it is, you know. The Lord graciously provided me the opportunity for an extended time of prayer in relative privacy when a friend and I went to the church one day to pray, just the two of us. I spent some time literally on the altar, and felt more spiritually refreshed afterward than I have in a long time.

The Lord bought this lesson home to me several times in the following week. I had a couple of good friends who shared with me their own experiences of "lopsided" relationships. I saw an example of it in someone else who is struggling with it. And I went to a Bible study at a friends house where we discussed some related issues from a different point of scripture.

I'm thankful that the Lord does teach us as children--He doesn't just tell us something once, but He repeats it over and over, patiently, so that we can "get it".

I'll be writing more on these things in the coming days and weeks, but if you'd like to see other's insight into making a fresh start with the Lord, see Kristi's Mck Linky at Run the Earth, Watch the Sky.

Until next time...

New Vintage "Find"

Charlene@avirtuouswoman.info (Charlene) — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 15:46:00 +0000

She is like the merchant's ships, she bringeth her food (and other things) from afar
She looketh well to the ways of her household

When I was home in Louisiana for the holidays, I was a little disappointed the the busy-ness and weather conspired to keep me from doing any thrifting. So imagine my delight when I made a vintage "find"--right in my own cabinet among my everyday dishes.

I had totally forgotten that I had this, it was tucked in among some small plates.

You can see it isn't in the greatest shape--lots of nicks underneath the rim...

...but it is a Homer Laughlin, and was manufactured in August of 1948, so I think the "wrinkles" are well deserved and easily forgiven. (I know how to "read" this particular mark, thanks to Suzanne from Coloradolady who told me what the numbers meant when I shared another Homer Laughlin find awhile back.)

I was trying to remember where this came from--I think my son brought it home from the little flea market where he used to work part time, hubby thinks it came from the Salvation Army in Colorado Springs, who knows?

Of course I immediately had to get my camera and I've couldn't wait to share!

This post is linked to:

Vintage Thingie Thursday at Coloradolady

Thrifty Thursday at Tales from Bloggeritaville

Until next time...

My Epiphany

Charlene@avirtuouswoman.info (Charlene) — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 06:00:00 +0000

Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies

Today, January 6th, is the Feast of Epiphany--the day we celebrate the revelation of the Christ child to the world; the day we commemorate the arrival of the Magi--the wise men--at the manger.

There is another, more general, definition of "epiphany", and it reads "a sudden, intuitive perception of or insight into the reality or essential meaning of something, usually initiated by some simple, homely, or commonplace occurrence or experience". Basically--what we call "a light bulb moment"

I experienced an epiphany of sorts while I was at home--several of them, in fact--moments of "sudden, intuitive perception" and "insight into...reality or essential meaning".

I've been struggling with several issues for months now--some physical, some spiritual, some emotional. Why does it take so long sometimes to realize/admit that it can sometimes all be related?

As much as I had been looking forward do going home for the holidays, for some reason everything seemed to come to a head the first week we were there. I don't want to go into the gory details, but suffice it to say that it was horrid. Nothing seemed to be going right. No matter how hard I tried and what I did or didn't do, it never seemed to be right. I found myself crying a couple of times--and wishing I had the time and the privacy to cry a couple of more times.

Part of the problem was, I wasn't right. I've been hiding from some things, instead of doing the hard work and addressing them--burying my head in the sand, thinking everything would just go away. Guess what? That doesn't really work!

And I'd like to say that I had one big moment of epiphany and then everything turned around. But it was more like several small moments of clarity, that combined, added up to the equivalent of one big light bulb moment.

At each instance, I found a moment of calm; of insight and clear thought; a still, small voice that spoke nuggets of truth into my spirit that were so profound--and absolutely nothing that I didn't already know before.

The Lord is gracious that way. He gently reminds of Truths, usually when we've tried so hard to make it on our own, and finally reach the rock bottom of our strength.

As a matter of fact, that's how He works. As long as we depend on ourselves, we're like the 90 pound weakling in those funny old advertisements. And the Lord is the big strong guy--only instead of kicking sand on us, He stops and picks us up and takes us where we need to go.

Remember?

"My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness."

That's part of 2 Corinthians 12:9, by the way.

Nothing I didn't already know. But knowing is not always the same as knowing that I know that I know.

You know?

I'll be sharing a little more about my light bulb moment--my epiphany--my "sudden, intuitive perception of" or "insight into the reality or essential meaning of something", "usually initiated by some simple, homely, or commonplace occurrence or experience". If it results in light bulb moment, I'd say not-so-commonplace.

Until next time...

Whatever Happened to the Twelve Days of Christmas?

Charlene@avirtuouswoman.info (Charlene) — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 21:05:00 +0000

She openeth her mouth with wisdom; and in her tongue is the law of kindness.
She looketh well to the ways of her household

It's almost time to pack up the Christmas decorations, but I for one am not ready for it yet.

Back in the "olden days", the "Twelve Days of Christmas" was more than just a song--Advent may have started the four Sundays that preceded Christmas, but the actual season of Christmas ran from Christmas Day through Twelfth Night--January 5th, the day before the Feast of the Epiphany on January 6th. The tree and decorations went up on Christmas Eve and was taken down around the 6th.

These days trees and decorations go up the weekend after Thanksgiving, if not before, and by Christmas everyone is tired of looking at them. Maybe because I didn't get home until a week before Christmas, but I feel a little bit like I missed part of the season this year. My sweet son hung one of my wreaths and put some lights up on the porch railing, and got out all of our nativity sets before I got home, so things would look a little festive when we got there. He put the tree up and helped me decorate it around the 22nd or 23rd, so I got to enjoy it for a few days, but the time to pack it all up again and get the house back to "normal" before we leave is rapidly approaching, and I'm sure I'm ready yet.

In the meantime, let me share with you some of my favorite decorations from home...

This is my newest nativity set--I should have put something next to it so you could see how tiny it really is--the stable is probably 3 inches high, the tallest of the figures maybe 1 1/2 inches. I think I bought this at Walgreens a couple of years ago.

This is an ornament of the three wise men--can't remember where it came from, we've had it for a couple of years.

This little cutie a Merry Miniatures set that came from Hallmark about 20 years ago

This is another favorite, we bought this at the Christmas Store at North Pole, Alaska three years ago.

I bought this glass set through the mail about 18 years ago, it's another inexpensive set.

Can't remember about this one

This one has a place in the back for a tea light candle

And last but not least, another of my favorites, these range in size from about two to eight inches tall. One of these days I'm going to make a stable setting to place these pieces in.

Hoping you enjoyed this little glimpse of a few of my favorite home decorations of the season. I should be back to more regular posting in another day or two.

Until next time...