To CVS I Go...

Here is what I am planning for my first trip to CVS this week:


1 Revlon Limited Edition Item 9.99

1 Band-Aid Ultra Strips 2.99

minus $2/ Q on Revlon
minus $1/Q on Band-Aid

-should be around $10.00, I will pay with a $10.00 ECB, might need a small filler in there, will decide that at the store.

-will get back 11.99 in ECBs. Should make some bucks on this. Remember, I am basically only adding to the stockpile if my items are free or a money maker.

I also plan to scope out this week's candy deal to see if the Mentos Gum is included, I've used all my Life Savers B1G1 Qs, so I need something to make the candy deal profitable before I try it.

I will post my success later.

*****Success!

The Revlon makeup was a bit hard to find, this CVS does not always have the ad signs out, so you have to hunt for the items on sale. It is a fancy blush that I probably would not have bought otherwise. But hey- free is free!

So, I bought the blush and a package of Band Aids and had coupons for both so that brought my prices down. I did need a filler to make the most of my $10.00 in Extra Care Bucks. I bought M&Ms and if I plan to do the candy deal I am 50 cents ahead.

Spent 10 ECBs, and 51 cents OOP. Earned 11.99 in ECBS. Not bad.


I do not think the Mentos gum is included on the candy deal.

Stockpile: Part 2

Here is the rest of my stockpile. I will not include many number counts, let's just say I have plenty.


Top drawer: Baby Powder (for me), Q Tips, and Johnson's Buddies ( I will give those away)
Drawer 2: Razors and blades for me. This drawer is completely full. I will not pay more than 50 cents at this point for razors.
Drawer 3: Feminine products. These were all free at Walmart with coupons.
Drawer 4: Razors for the guys and travel size (all free) of body wash. There are a few other trial size samples in this drawer.
Drawer 5: Toothpaste and Toothbrushes. I have enough toothpaste for about 6 months, and enough toothbrushes for the 4 of us for about 2 years. I will not pay anything for either of these items at this point., The only way I will add to this is if it is free.

Skip the top drawer, it is a repeat from the last picture...
Next drawer: Make up and girlie items. I will say that this drawer contains 13 tubes of mascara (again, I will not buy more unless it is free) --most of these were free. There are also many other make up items and beauty tools.
Next drawer: His shave gel and deodorant. Great Nivea deals in this drawer, actually made money purchasing these.
Next drawer: My shave gel, deodorant, make-up wipes , and facial cleansers. I LOVE my make up wipes and have gotten great deals on these.
Last drawer: Bar soap and liquid hand soap. Don't need any more of these either, so again, unless it is free, I'm not buying.

This drawer unit is also in my basement, and is next to the big shelf on a workbench. It did not get in the original picture.
Top drawer: Air freshener refills. ( Ha- I spelled freshener wrong on the label)
Next drawer: Glade scented oil candles, and other air fresheners.
Bottom drawer: Candles


So, there you have it. My stockpile. I love the power of the stockpile. It saves us money, it is very convenient, it has enabled us to bless friends and family, and it has now cut my weekly shopping amounts in half. My mother shopped this way many years ago. She only bought what was a good buy at the time, and little by little the stockpile would grow.

Another coupon method

I showed you how I do my coupons, but the thing is: there are many right ways to file your coupons. What works for one person is not necessarily the best for someone else. Here is another method that seems to bring success. Head over to Keeping the Kingdom First ( I love that blog title, because it is what we should all focus on) and check out how Alyssa files her coupons. Remember, the coupons are the gold here, how we file them can be a matter of taste.

The Stockpile: Part 1

This is why I love to CVS and coupon. By the way, I love it how "CVS" and "coupon" have now become VERBS to so many!

These shelves basically hold the overflow. My kitchen cabinets hold what I normally use and when we run out of something we "shop" in the basement first. The standing drawer units hold entirely health and beauty items. The large shelving unit is mostly food , household goods, and our larger health and beauty items. I will detail the large shelving unit in this post. My next post will go into more detail on the stacking drawer contents.


The very top holds tissues and wipes, next shelf holds paper plates, bowls, and food items.

Next we have condiments, more food items, and drinks. Under those are my dish detergents, cleaning products and household items. (and a stray bag of Malt-0-Meal)

The bottom shelf holds body washes, shampoo, and hair items. The retail value of this shelf alone would probably take care of my entire grocery budget for 3 months. When I think of what I actually paid for these items it boggles my mind. Many of these were totally free and others were just pennies at CVS.

Okay-

If you do not stockpile, then you will probably think I am one of those crazy horders that appear on talk shows and need intensive interventions. I assure you, that I can and do say no. I just haven't had to . If something is free or just pennies I will take it.

However, if you do understand the concept of stockpiling, then you will probably give me a thumb's up.
My stockpile is located in my basement, my house is over 80 years old, so the basement is not much to look at. The fact that I am even showing these pictures is a big step for me. However, God has blessed me with the ability to "purchase" many many of these items for free, and the others at a very low cost and I want to share what careful planning, and couponing can do for you.

The joy of the stockpile means I will not have to pay full price for any of these items for a very long time. I can concentrate my weekly purchases on only the things we need and look for the best deals on those. For instance, right now believe it or not, we are low on cereal. Husand loves his cereal. I have a few boxes, but need to watch for deals on that soon. When a deal hits, I can buy 6 or 8 boxes at once without feeling like I am taking away from money needed for other things because I do not need other things.

My name is...

Anita

There, I did it. I decided to use my real first name on this blog. I got tired of my pseudonym, it had a neat connection to my roots, and family will still "get" it, but it bored me.

My Coupon System

This is my coupon filing system. It has gone through a few changes over the last few months, but now I think I have found the method that works for me.


~ First I clip all the coupons that I can possibly imagine using. I used to clip EVERY single coupon, but I found that I threw many away. I am a bit more selective, but as you can see, I still clip tons.
~ Next, I lay out my envelopes. The category is written on the top and sides of each envelope. I place them sideways on the table so I can see the category, and so I have room to lay out the coupons.
~ Then I just pick up each little pile, take the coupons off the top of the envelope and stuff them inside.

This is an example of some of the sub-categories in my filing system.

My filing box was a gift from my sister. She purchased it at Staples. It normally sells for about $6.00. so the price is very reasonable. She had gotten one for herself for free using recycled ink cartridge coupons (frugality at its best). I like it because it will fit in a grocery cart, I can sub divide the sections with envelopes, it closes, so I can prevent spilling the contents in the grocery aisle, and it is large enough to hold my stash.
The blank envelopes in front are for when I plan a shopping trip. I will pull out one envelope, place the coupons I will need for a particular store, then write the store's name on that envelope and place it back in the front. Practically all of my purchases are well planned in advance. I do not buy much on the spur of the moment, but having a carefully planned list with coupons ready in an envelope, AND having my complete collection with me gives me the best of both worlds. I can purchase planned items, and take advantage of a great coupon deal that I did not know about in advance.

This last picture shows how I sub divided one of my categories: the food section. This file system only came with 12 dividers and that is not near enough for me, but by making smaller sections within the category I think I can find everything easily.


I know there are many methods of coupon organization out there, but this works for me.

Stay tuned, because soon I will post pictures of my newly organized stockpile!

Daughters

This was taken during one of the nightly sessions at CIY (Christ in Youth). These are some of "my" girls. A few of the girls from my girl group were not able to attend.


I shared a dorm apartment with this group during our trip to CIY. I did not know this group of girls very well, and now I am quite blessed to know them. These girls all belong to the small group of the other sponsor in the picture.



I did not give birth to daughters. I never really thought that mattered because I have been completely satisfied with my boys. Yet now that my "boys" are no longer "boys", (they are young men,) I am finding out that girls are okay too. As I have mentioned before, husband and I have been youth sponsors on and off for 25 years. In the last year and a half I have focused my ministry on high school girls. Let me say this, I LOVE them. It is kind of like being a grandma, I can enjoy them immensely, yet I did not have to raise them.

Our trip to Tennessee for the Christ in Youth conference was amazing. If your church has never taken the high school students to this conference then they are really missing out. It is a perfect blend of fun, worship, and bonding of your youth group. You need to check them out .

Reunion

I have returned from my week away. It was an incredible week for the youth at our church and I love being a sponsor. However, this post is about another facet of my trip. Since this youth conference was located in a southern town with family ties, I was able to reconnect with some of my dad's family. My father was the 3rd of 14 children. He passed away nearly 30 years ago and would be 101 if he were alive. Only two of the 14 children remain; the last two girls. One is doing very well, and one is in a nursing home. I had not seen my aunt since my father passed away. It was a very sweet reunion. She is a beautiful, sweet southern lady in every sense of the word and it did my heart good to see her. My husband and I were blessed to have a "long lost" cousin and his wife have us over for a delicious lunch and for him to take us around to visit some old familiar sites.

My heart is still happy from this reunion.

Scroll down for my CVS items this week

I just linked at Money Saving Mom for the first time.

We are leaving

I won't be around here for a bit, we are leaving tomorrow night for a trip to Tennessee. I might have time tomorrow afternoon to hit CVS and Walgreens one time, but that will be the extent of my shopping for the week. I better plan carefully.

Husband and I are going as youth sponsors with our church to a week long high school youth conference. We are taking about 80 youth and there are about 13 sponsors, including our youth minister and his wife. We have done this several times and we love it! I feared after the heart attack that I would not be able to do this, but the doctor has given me the clear. He said I could climb a mountain if I want to !

Today, however is packed with things to do. I have not started packing, (need to iron first) I have a baby shower to attend, and I am taking supper to husband's folks tonight so we can eat with them and visit before we go. They are leaving as well, and going on an Alaskan cruise!

After I return from this trip I hope to get some organizing done before school starts and then I plan to post pictures of my stockpiles. They have served me well, just need organized. It is so fun to go to our "store" here in the house when I need something and realize that my items were nearly free, rather than make a run to the real store and pay full price. I just cannot imagine paying $3.00 ever again for a toothbrush!

So, everyone have a good week. Pray for God to move in a mighty way next week with our youth!

First trip to CVS this week

My first trip this week was on Sunday afternoon. I did the Olay deal and the Frebreeze deal. I spent $2.09 after coupons and extra bucks and made back 15 more in extra bucks.
My new goal is to try to stay around $2.00 out of pocket. If I have to spend more than that, then I need to decide if I really need these items at all. At this point my stock pile is so large that I can sit back and wait for the best of the best deals. I can even afford to do the unimaginable...spend more extra bucks than I make in return.

Yesterday was a sweet day to me. I have become quite fond of the make up removal cloths. These would have been considered a luxury in my "pre CVS" days. I would have never bought these, and now I have a stockpile of Garnier, CVS, and Olay cloths that have all been free or nearly free.

Isn't it funny how the things we could never afford now are free, and the things we used to think were bargains we can no longer "afford"? I tell people I cannot afford Dollar General anymore because I have to use real money there!

This new way of using coupons and learning to stack deals has been such a blessing to my family and I .

Whew!

Today was one of those days. I could have had a few more hours and maybe I would have gotten everything done.

6:15 rise and shine (well, rise anyway, I do not “shine” before 8:00)

8:30- cardiac rehab , I am getting better at this, and they are adding a few more minutes to my routine.

9:30- had to stop by a local doctor’s office to pick up necessary paperwork for youngest son’s new college

9:45- quick trip into Walgreen’s, just bought the Bayer Heart Advantage with a coupon, received a $2.00 register reward for another purchase.

10:00- “had” to run into CVS. The coupon scanner was VERY good to me today. I just kept scanning my card until it told me to come back tomorrow. 12 coupons spitted out, and they were actually for good stuff. None of them were used today though. I will see what the next ad brings. I bought just 3 things, 2 Pert Plus shampoos that ended up costing 50 cents each after manufacturer’s coupons and the sale price, and a hand soap that I used the $2.00 skin care coupon on. It was 50 cents as well.

10:30- stopped by our insurance agent’s to add youngest son’s “new” car on our policy.

10:40- stopped at husband’s work for a moment

10:45- dropped off our property tax bill at the bank for payment from our escrow account

10:50- stopped at our other Walgreen’s and thought about spending the $2.00 register reward, decided to wait and use it on milk later in the week

11:00- got home just in time to prepare lunch for husband and myself

11:10- husband came home for his lunch break, I love it that he gets to come home everyday, and that he is great about eating up leftovers!

11:45- began a daunting task of necessary paperwork for son’s new college and numerous phone calls that had to be made. I sat for 4 hours in my dining room taking care of household business. Youngest son and I made numerous calls about his college plans and ran into difficulty with his schedule. Thankfully he was able to get an appointment for tomorrow with an advisor to help with his schedule.

4:00- ran back to husband’s work to take a check for him to sign, then to the bank, got gas (ouch) and stopped back by his work for a minute

4:45- quick trip to the closest CVS. This was fun. I talked myself out of doing the current mascara BOGO deal ( I currently have 10 tubes in my stockpile that cost me nearly nothing, I cannot see paying $8.99 just to get a BOGO deal when I do not need it. I will not get anymore mascara unless the deal is for free or perhaps for 50 cents) I made one small purchase and the fun part is, I gave the clerk some of the skin care coupons I had printed. She was thrilled.

5:15- home again, took a quick shower and got ready for a meeting at church, did some more necessary paperwork, for the meeting tonight

7:00- meeting at church and then a quick supper at Wendy’s afterwards.

9:00- MORE paperwork, this to take to a doctor’s appointment tomorrow and finally checking emails and catching up on the blog

I could have used a few more hours. A few for relaxing would be nice.

Good thing about this day---while I was busy with all of this, my sons did ALL of the laundry, took care of the dishwasher, dishes , cleaned the kitchen (twice), took care of the pets and basically maintained the household.

F*R*E*E

Every now and then I just have to gloat. These were all free this week at CVS. (No, I did not use my boys to distract the clerk while I walked out with them) Actually, they were advertised buy one get one free, plus I had 7 B1G1free coupons, so they were all free. I do not plan on eating them all. I plan on saving them for school. We like to reward our class with goodies every now and then.

Cardiac Rehab

Those are two words I was unfamiliar with until about a month ago.

I have begun my rehab program. Basically it is an exercise program with some teaching on diet and lifestyles mixed in. I am going three days a week, and each session should get a bit longer until I reach the level of exercise that my heart needs. I am on a heart monitor the entire time, so they know if my heart rate is too fast, too slow, etc. My main observation though is this: I am the minority. I am in a class with about eight 65-70 year old men. Instead of "Sweatin' to the oldies" , I am Sweatin' WITH the oldies! This really makes you think I WAS too young to have a heart attack.

Life is short

I have not updated for a week and I am sorry about that. I am in a strange mood right now, partly depressed, partly ashamed, but mostly humbled. Let me explain. During my “recovery” I have spent probably too much time on my computer. I surf blogs, looking for bargain hunters like myself and then out of some twisted sense of curiosity I then go to the sidebars and start looking at the blogs those people look at. What is up with that? Part of me tells me it is weird enough to go to the blogs of people I don’t know, and then even weirder to move on to the blogs of people THEY don’t know. But I guess that is the nature of blogs.

Today, while doing this, I came upon a blog that has profoundly affected me. Some of my readers will know who I am talking about when I mention the recording group Selah. They are a Christian group with some of the sweetest music this side of Heaven. I did not know until today the sorrow surrounding one of the members and his family. The name of the blog is “Bring the Rain”, and is written by the wife of one of the members of the group. She has a true gift of writing and truly writes from her heart. She chronicles the life and death of their 4th daughter and then the unexpected death of their nephew just 7 weeks later. It is a beautiful yet extremely difficult read. Go here if you wish to read her story. I would recommend that you go to the left side bar and start at the beginning of the blog and read forward that way. Give yourself some time.

What does all this say to me?

1. Life is short. I realized that when I stared the possibility of death in the face one month ago. However, I am 51 years old. I have lived a good life; I have shared this journey with precious people and have been blessed. I cannot take things for granted any more. None of us know what tomorrow means. It does not matter if you are 51 or just a few hours, months, or years old. An old Wayne Watson song holds the line, “death is no respecter of age”. That line is so true, but is so ignored.

2. God is still God. I do not understand much about Him. I do not, or never will in this life understand why babies die, nor will I ever try to explain it. I cannot. I just know that God is God. He is there in the midst of our pain. I believe with all my heart, that God aches when things like these happen. His plan did not include babies dying.

3. While it may be important to be wise stewards of the things God has given us, I think the real question God will ask is not, “What did you do with the things I have given you” but “What did you do with the people I gave you?” I like bargains, I like going to CVS and getting things for pennies. However, that is NOT the focus of my life. God does not care if I spent two dollars or twenty this month, but He does care how I treat people. God has put family, friends, even strangers in my path for a reason. Am I using my time on this earth wisely, to show them love in various ways?

Sometimes I just get full of myself. I know, having a heart attack has caused me to be a bit self-focused as of late, but maybe that is just the opposite of what it should have caused. Maybe, just maybe, this heart attack is to give me a wake up call. Life IS short. Perhaps the lesson to be learned here is to spend more of it with Him, more of it with others, less focused on ourselves.

God is Good~But we Already Know That!

Good news.

Double good news that is.

Yesterday I had my second heart catheterization. They were suspecting a stent failure and went in to check it out. Everything was fine! The stent was working like a charm, nothing else was a problem and I came home later in the day. You have to lay very still for a few hours following this procedure, so I snoozed a lot and waited till time to go home.

What happened between the time of the failed stress test and the good report today? God happened, that is what. You need to know if you do not already, that I take serious the power of prayer. There were many prayers going up for me this week.

I slept well last night for the most part but at 3:00 AM I woke up praying. I actually think I was praying in my sleep because as soon as I realized I was awake I was already praying. What for? For my sister. She had a major test this week and was one that could bring devastating news. I do not want any more devastating news. Today husband and I decided to make the one hour trip to go be with her when she got the news. The doctor said they would call her when they got the report, but that she would have to go into the office to hear the outcome. She has done so much for me these last few weeks and I just felt compelled to be with her. I was feeling fine and it is not a bad trip. After about 20 minutes on the road we got a call on the cell phone. She had heard from the doctor by phone and the news was good! So our trip turned into a time of celebration!

God is indeed good.

Now the tough question.

Would I still proclaim that God is good even if the news had been bad?

I would like to say that I would because I have walked those dark roads before. Actually many times before. I have lived through the deaths of both parents by the time I was 23, lost a brother, a niece, suffered a miscarriage, had a house fire, and walked through the dark days of my mother in law's stroke. The events of recent weeks have been compounded beyond belief. God has held me through all of these times and has taught me that I did not have to go through them alone.

Just like Shadrach, Meshack, and Abednego proclaimed: "If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and He will rescue us from your hand, O king. But even if He does not, we want you to know , O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up." ( Daniel 3: 17-18 NIV) This verse has become one of Husband's very favorite verses. The phrase "even if He does not" comes to mind often when I am praying for something that I am sure I know the answer for. When I let God be God, I always win.

I knew that God was able to answer my prayers how I wanted, but even if He did not, I would still love and serve Him, because He has shown me He would see me through anything.

Growing Weeds

Lately with my heart ailments it seems all I have been growing around here is weeds. My flower beds were overgrown, my garden practically needed mowed, and my bushes were hitting you in the face when you walked by. Today changed all of that. Two angels, (one is actually named Angel) showed up at my house and spent two hours, trimming, weeding, sprucing up , and returning my yard to a much better state. What a huge blessing. I am the one that usually does the yard work other than mowing and for right now I am prohibited. It was getting to me though. I did not plant flowers this year to save some money, so there were no flowers to tend to, but everything else is 100 times better. I have said it before, I am so very blessed.

Is summer supposed to be crummy?

Sometimes I get discouraged. I try to be upbeat on this blog and tell you happy things, share great bargains, and sometimes sweet and funny experiences in my life. Today I am sad, scared, and down. Can I be raw? I think I am asking myself that question as well as any readers that may stumble over to this site.

I did not get good news yesterday at my cardiologist follow-up appointment. I should back up and tell you that I spent Tuesday evening in the local hospital. I experienced upper back pain early in the evening and after a few phone calls to an advisory nurse, husband took me in to the ER. Of course, they checked for a new heart attack, but the EKG and heart enzymes checked out good, even so, the tests continued. First an X-Ray, then a CAT scan of my heart. After being seen by a couple of doctors and an assistant, I was told that first, I had a previously undetected heart murmur, a leaky valve, and possibly a stent failure. I was released the next day, and followed up with a stress test yesterday morning. Let me say this about that, Why would anyone purposely do that to a person? This was a “pharmacological stress test”, meaning no treadmill, just drugs that mock a stressed heart. I will just refer to that as “heart attack in a syringe”. It was an awful test. I developed nausea, my chest hurt, and I had a general feeling of death. Two weeks after a heart attack is much too soon to re-live those feelings. Needless to say, I flunked this test. Literally. When I arrived at the cardiologist’s office that afternoon he informed me that I had indeed failed the test. Which means, there is an 85% chance that there is still a significant blockage on that artery. Which could mean a possible stent failure. What do they do now? Go back in for a second look. I am scheduled for another heart catheterization this next week. If they find a problem they will fix it then, if they do not, I will go home and pursue the back pain further.

It was not the news we had hoped to hear. Might I also stress that this has been a really crummy 2-½ weeks. To think, I was anxious for summer break. Let me fill you in on the rest of the story and in so doing I will invite you to my pity party. The following are all in addition to my recent problems.

1. The day of my heart attack husband’s family was to attend the funeral of husband’s 53-year-old cousin. However due to various reasons below, none were able to attend.

2. A much loved niece of ours is pregnant. Yes, this is a good thing, but she has had a major case of “all day sickness” which is a serious damper to the life they are used to. This is a woman who loves taking care of her husband, making delicious homemade jams and bread, and helping others every chance she gets. These days she barely can get out of bed to even smell bread, much less eat any.

3. Father in law suffered a stroke the night before my heart attack. It seriously affected his walking ability and he spent 2 weeks in a rehab center learning to walk. Husband and I were not able to offer the assistance we would have liked due to my situation. He is home now and doing much better, but there are still issues.

Not enough you say?

Well,

4. Husband’s brother has just been newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. Diabetes does not run in this family. When you suddenly have a blood sugar level of 600 it is not a good thing. He has had two hospitalizations this week. His wife, our sister in law had been here caring for father in law.

5. My precious sister has a new medical concern and will undergo a serious test this week. She has been setting all of her concerns aside and has been making weekly visits (2 visits this week) to care for me in much appreciated ways.

Add to all of that the general stress of moving a son home for the summer, finding places for all of the new stuff in the house, re arranging bedrooms (I did nothing) and getting through each day while learning to live with heart disease.

I fear even numbering these items because I know the nature of numbers…there is always one more.

So, might I ask you all to lift this family in your prayers?

Now, to be really fair, I must turn and focus on the positive. I have to get that out as well. We have been blessed beyond measure with help from wonderful friends through our church. We have had delicious meals, help with the boy’s rooms, had our refrigerator cleaned out (yippee), and have had offers for practically every need we have. People are so good to us. We are truly seeing God with skin on right now and that is what has gotten us through these crummy weeks. I am being honest, these have been crummy weeks. However, God has blessed us and is bringing us through them.

$5.24

You can tell that the 'ole ticker is doing better.

I'm baaaack.

These were deals that were just too good to pass up. I went to both Walgreen's and CVS, and through numeral transactions I purchased all of the following for $5.24 out of pocket! $5.24 sure goes farther than it used to. I did use quite a few ECB's, a $5.00 register reward, plus a lot of manufacturer's coupons to arrive at my small amount of actual money spent.




In case you can't make it all out:

1 Gallon of milk
7 boxes of cereal
6 cans of Nivea shave gel
3 rolls of Reynold's Wrap
3 bottles of Maalox chewables
4 boxes Band-Aids
1 Nivea Body Wash
1 Electrosol Tablets
1 package cotton swabs
1 Huggies baby wash
1 4 pack razor blades

That will most all go into the stock pile, the Band Aids and some shave gel will go to college care packages. With my old way of shopping I would have spent more on the razor blades alone, because I would have not bought them until we were out and then I would not have caught a sale or a coupon. Today I took advantage of a sale, a coupon, and Extra Care Bucks. I still have over $24.00 in Extra Care Bucks because I earned them on most all of my CVS purchases.

Blessings

I have mentioned before that I am really blessed. Let me just say that the events of the last week have caused me to realize that in a very profound way.

I could not have imagined how many people would reach out to my family and I to show their love in so many ways.

On the day of my heart attack I had 35 visitors between the two hospitals. Now, to be fair I am counting my husband and sons and they probably do not really count as visitors. People showed up, some briefly to express their love and concern. Many drove quite a distance to be near me. What a huge blessing to be surrounded by so many that I count precious in my life.

Since I have been home from the hospital I have received many cards and phone calls, I have had delicious meals delivered to my door, and have had help to clean my house and work to help get my son’s room ready to accept all of the college and apartment items we had just brought home.

It is quite humbling to have so much attention and expressions of love and it is showing me perfectly how God’s people can reach out to show His love to others. If you have the opportunity to spread this type of love to anyone in need, let me just tell you how very much it is appreciated.