Dear Duke,

Thanks for deciding to play like middle-schoolers last night.  I stayed up until midnight to pull for you.  Now you have really messed my bracket up.  You'd better pull it together for next year or you might just find yourself without a seat of honor in next year's bracket.

                                                                                                     Sincerely,
                                                                                                          Sad Sarah Ellen
                                                                                                          (a.k.a. future Butler fan)

Coupons...what??

That's right.  I have taken a va-coupon-ation.  Also known as a vacation from coupons.

Couponing is like having a part-time job.  Seeing as I have one of those now (although only for a few more weeks!), I don't need another one.

I have been taking a break from coupons for the last four weeks.  It has been very liberating.  And it has saved me money. 

Yes, you read that correctly.  My coupon vacation has saved me money.  I found that I was buying things simply because I had a coupon.  How can you pass up spending $0.15 on an item that would normally cost $4.00 by using a manufacturer coupon, a store coupon, and a BOGO sale??  And since I can do this deal 7 more times, why not?? 

What it got me was several bags of things I don't want, don't need, and won't use. 

So I'm trying something new. 
A big trip to Aldi at the beginning of the month to stock up on regular items that we use (that ends up being less than $150). 
Then as-needed trips to Aldi, Bi-Lo, or Publix to get a few items here or there, like produce (that I swear we never ate because there was never a coupon for it!). 
And of course stocking up on meat whenever it goes on sale at Publix or Bi-Lo. 

Now Sunday is actually the "day of rest" it should be, rather than "spend 3+ hours clipping and organizing coupons while planning my week around which stores I can hit on which days".  Maybe I will relish couponing like I did in the old days, but right now, I am loving that Sunday nap.

Product review

I have recently been introduced to a product that is changing the way I do many things.  It is called Norwex.  It is on its way to eliminating almost all of the cleaning solutions in my house.  Norwex is an environment-friendly product, but I love it for 2 reason:

(1) It is saving me a ton of money, which I love.

(2) It is making cleaning so easy and quick, which I love. 

 The basic product is called an Enviro cloth that comes in many colors and weaves (I'll address that later).  The Enviro cloth is a microfiber cloth that has a silver agent embedded into it.  Bacteria and germs cannot live in the prescence of silver.  When I first heard about this, I checked with my in-the-medical-field husband, and he said it is totally legit.  Silver is used in wound dressings to keep bacteria out of healing wounds and it is used to sanitize surgical equipment. 

Another fun silver fact: a dad I know who is in the textile business said that the military is going to begin embedding silver into soldiers' uniforms so that if they are wounded in the field, their uniforms will help keep bacteria out of the wounds until the soldiers can get medical attention. 

The microfiber is better than any microfiber you can get at a store.  I can literally dust an entire room of my house (and sometimes two rooms) without any dust coming back off the cloth.  To get the dust off, all I do is go outside and shake the cloth.

 To clean anything else in my house, I simply wet the Enviro cloth with water (yup, just water), wring it out, and commence to wipe.  That is it. 
I can wipe down my entire kitchen.  Then, I rinse the cloth and go wipe down my entire shower and bathroom countertops.  Then, I rinse the cloth and wipe down any shiny surfaces (mirrors, windows, fixtures).  You simply rinse and wipe.  When you have finished cleaning, you rinse the cloth and hang it up to dry.  The Enviro cloth is cleaning and killing germs. 

I could go on and on, but I'm sure you are already doubting what I am saying.  I doubted it the first time I heard it, but I bought one Enviro cloth and put it to the test.  It really does work!  A big thing that sold me on them is that they do not stink.  If you left a wet rag in a pile on your counter over night, it would stink something awful in the morning.  You can leave a damp Enviro cloth on the counter and it has no odor because the silver has killed all the "stinking" germs. 

I now own a couple of cloths because they come in different weaves, which basically means that some cloths are softer than others and some are made to be more abrasive.  I no longer use cleanser on my face, I just use a cloth.  I also have the mop system, which means I have one mop to clean all of the floors in my house with just water.  I love it.

I even went ahead and bought Little One some.  They are super soft. 

He's how old?

 That's right, folks.

 After four tries,

 double-fisted every time,

we finally got this clear picture. 

  My sweet little nephew is three years old.  

While I'm Waiting

People always ask Jeff and I how things are going with our adoption.  We've answered:
-"We are sitting on G and waiting on O."
-"Everything is done, we are just waiting to be chosen."
-"Just waiting for an email or a phone call (while holding up cell phone)."

Then people feel bad, like they have reminded us about something that makes us very sad.  I will ease everyone's mind and tell you we are not sad.  In fact, many nights I wander into Little One's room, and think, "Oh my...one day there will be a child sleeping in here...and that child might be crying...and it will be my responsibility to comfort them in hopes of getting them to stop crying..."  So waiting is not so bad.  I like to think that if waiting was a trade, we could be professional waiters.

When I do start feeling a little blue, this is the song that gets me through (and I can rhyme while I wait).

I'm waiting

I'm waiting on You, Lord

And I am hopeful

I'm waiting on You, Lord

Though it is painful

But patiently, I will wait



I will move ahead, bold and confident

Taking every step in obedience


While I'm waiting

I will serve You

While I'm waiting

I will worship

While I'm waiting

I will not faint

I'll be running the race

Even while I wait



I'm waiting

I'm waiting on You, Lord

And I am peaceful

I'm waiting on You, Lord

Though it's not easy

But faithfully, I will wait

Yes, I will wait


I will serve You while I'm waiting

I will worship while I'm waiting

I will serve You while I'm waiting

I will worship while I'm waiting

I will serve you while I'm waiting

I will worship while I'm waiting on You, Lord

Thank you

Dear KLee,

Thank you for blogging.  I have thoroughly enjoyed your first blog and reading about your family of three.  You have even inspired my husband and I to look into letterboxing...when things slow down a little for us. 

It is your new blog, "Come and Listen," that I have run home each day to check.  You have laid it all out there for your readers, and for me, it is like someone finally gets what I have been going through for the past 3 and 3/4 years.  I have felt alone when everyone around me is getting pregnant and I am trying month after month. I have felt like I am not being good enough and that is why God is not allowing me to get pregnant.  I have cried so many tears, buckets-full I'm sure. 

Reading your story is like God putting His arms right around me.  It is like He sent you at just the right time to comfort me.  If it had been just a year ago, I would have been completely jealous of you and been wallowing in self pity.

Now I am in a different place.  I'm not pregnant and may never be. 
But I am waiting. 
I am joyfully waiting. 
I am joyfully and prayerfully waiting. 
Because I know that God will come through with His promises for what is best for my life, my family, and so that He gets the Glory. 

If that means I wait one week, Glory to God. 
If that means I wait 5 years, Glory to God.
If that means I am still waiting when I see Him face-to-face, Glory to God.

Thank you for listening to God and being faithful to Him.  God is giving me peace through your story.

    For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.  ~Jeremiah 29:11

Sincerely,
SE

I could go on and on

Jeff and I have really been working on ourselves lately, both individually and as a family.  We have had some serious discussions about how we want our family to be as we bring in a child (and hopefully more after this one).  I know that people make (or say they will make) changes when a new baby is coming into the family.  Things like eating at the table instead of in front of the TV and never watching adult shows in front of the kiddos.  We have talked about those things, but other things too. 

One of the things we have talked about are some family guidelines (rules sound so schoolish).  The guideline that I have not followed a lot this week is "Always use kind words, even when you are tired."  I have added to my workload so I feel like I am always tired.  Two different times this week, I have looked at Jeff, sweet Jeff, and said,"please don't talk to me because I am tired," in a nasty tone.  I have also let my stressed-out feelings at school seep over to my interactions wtih my students (ugh!).

With all of that being said, how unworthy do I feel when I know that God still loves me anyways.  And he wants to forgive me.  And give me a fresh start.  Amazing.  He still loves me even though I have tried to power through all of this stuff on my own, taken it all on myself. 

Instead, he says, "Hey, SE, let me have some...no, wait...ALL of that.  Don't worry.  I've got it." 

Are you sure?

"Oh, I'm sure.  I've completely got this covered.  And by the way, I'm going to be ready to carry whatever you've got tomorrow too." 

Ok God.  Don't you think I should do some of this on my own? 

"Actually I want you to do it all with me, with my advice, with my guidance, with my hand over you.  Make sense?" 

It totally does.  Thanks God.  You are amazing, strong, loving, merciful...I could go on and on.