Bargain Shopping...Gone Wrong

I'm a bargain shopper. I clip coupons. I buy store brands. I shop at Walmart (but not for everything). But there are a few things we have purchased recently that definitely were not worth the saved pennies!

1) The Works Toilet Bowl Cleaner - I had been using Lysol, but remembered that my mom used to use the powdered stuff. So I sent hubby to the store (yes, he shops. I'm spoiled.) to find the cheapest toilet bowl cleaner he could find. He brought home The Works. I have no idea how much he saved. I do know that after three uses I have blue stains in my white toilet. Errrggg. So contrary to my instinct (or principles my dad drilled into my head), I refuse to use the rest of this bottle. I sent hubby back to the store to go back to faithful Lysol with bleach. Victory: after only one use the blue stains are faded AND I had a coupon!

2) Walmart American Cheese - We discovered a while ago that Walmart brand shredded cheese is no good. We buy Kroger brand cheese for the most part. Pregnancy has brought on a love for gooey, melty grilled cheese sandwiches with good old American cheese. Hubby bought Kraft one time. So. Good. Cheap wife was the one who picked up the store brand cheese. It's like rubber. And it does not melt. It does not "compare with Kraft." Next time I'm trying Kroger.


3) Heavy duty shower curtain from Walmart - Last time I bought a shower curtain, I got the $10 heavy duty version at Target. It lasted about 2 1/2 years with suction cups that kept hot water in and cold winter air out. About a month ago I headed out to find a replacement. We happened to be a Walmart, so I thought I'd see what they have. Heavy duty shower curtains, with suction cups, for $5. What a deal! If only those suction cups would work! They're useless. And I long for summer when cool air coming in my shower is welcome.

I'm still looking for bargain products...that work. So, if you have any favorites, leave me a comment!

Ancient Word Wednesday...on Thursday

Some of you have asked if I'm using a book study for the godly mommies. I haven't used a book, but I have spent quite a bit of time in commentaries. Blueletterbible.org has some great resources.

Okay, here we go on Hannah #3 - Her prayerful vow - 1 Samuel 1:10-11 (NKJV)

Last week we talked about the way Hannah responded with grace. This week I want to look a little closer at her prayer.

Hannah's attitude at the beginning of her prayer: bitterness of soul and anguish
Her approach before the Lord:

• Called herself "maidservant," a humble and submissive approach
• Called the Lord "Lord of hosts," which recognized God's sovereignty over her life

Her request: She was specific, asking the Lord for a son who she vowed to give back in service to the Lord.

Reading this passage brought up several questions for me. What was her motive in asking for a son? Parents who love Christ desire that their children live their lives in service to Him. But Hannah's vow to bring her son to the Tabernacle for life seems a little extreme. What brought her to that point? Was she bargaining with God? Was her request for a son an attempt to silence her rival?

One of the commentaries on Blue Letter Bible had this to say about Hannah's vow - "Now with Hannah there was a reason why God delayed the answer, and with us. If God delays the answer of our prayers there's a reason for His delay. Often times, with Hannah, the reason being that God is seeking to bring us around to His purposes. God was waiting, bringing Hannah around to where he heart was completely towards God, and the things of God, and that which God wanted."

While the grammar is less than perfect, I think the writer had a point. James 4:3 says, "You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures." Perhaps Hannah was asking "amiss."

She undoubtedly wanted a son to raise in her home, a son to love and to nurture. But God delayed to answer her prayer to accomplish His purpose to refine her, to bring her to the place where she asked according to His will (1 John 5).

Now a type A person like me immediately asks, "But I don't know all of God's purposes? How can be sure I'm asking 'aright'?" It seems a little unfair. But God is never unfair, and He doesn't do things to trick us.

To know His purposes and will we have to stay in His word, studying it and memorizing it. That is where His truth is revealed. Then we pray and examine our hearts to make sure our motives are right before Him. And then we pray and we wait. God is sovereign over hearts, and He could have turned Hannah's heart much sooner. But He had a plan and a purpose and a time for her and her son.

Lord, teach us to ask according to YOUR plan!

Ancient Word Wednesday...delayed

I promise I didn't forget. AWW - Hannah #3 will get here tomorrow...I hope.

28 weeks!

Welcome to the third trimester...only 12 weeks left till we get to meet this little guy! The 2nd trimester was so comfortable, but it's like a switch flipped this week. Sitting just isn't as comfortable anymore. I have to sit up very straight because he's getting so high. I always knew I had a short torso, but now our little Party Animal knows that too. He's definitely growing straight forward and starting to spread out to the sides. As long as the "sides" he spreads on are the sides of my waist and not my hips he can spread away!

Ancient Word Wednesday

Last week I promised that Hannah was going to take several installments...and I do mean several. Here's Hannah, Godly Mommy, Part 2.

Hannah means "grace, a fitting name for her. 1 Samuel 1:6 says that "her rival provoked her severely to make her miserable." (Oh, I could rabbit trail here! Her rival was her husband's other wife. Women can be so awful, and I can not imagine the pain, aggravation, and frustration of living in the same household with your rival. Besides that, her rival's children were running around, reminding Hannah of her barrenness. Talk about making a marriage difficult!)

While I am sure Hannah was not perfect, the only response that the Bible tells us is that year by year when her family went up to worship at the Tabernacle, she wept and fasted. (Again, an opportunity to rabbit trail into the subject of worship. Her pain must have been such an obstacle for true worship but also such an opportunity for God to comfort her heart. Back to the subject of her response...) The Bible does not tell us that Hannah responded in anger to her rival or her husband. It does not tell us that she grew bitter. In fact, the results of the trial years down the road show quite a different response.

To give her husband credit, he did his best to show his love for Hannah. We know that she is the beloved wife. The commentaries say she was probably the first wife, but her barrenness was the reason for a second wife. Each year at the Tabernacle Elkanah gave her double portions of food to show his love and care, but the worship times were so painful for Hannah that she did not eat. Finally one year he said to her, "Hannah, why do you weep? Why do you not eat? And why is your heart grieved? Am I not better to you than 10 sons?" (1 Sam. 1:8). Easy for him to say, he had sons!

Look at Hannah's response here. She didn't lash out at him or defend her grief. She didn't insult him or belittle his importance to her. The Bible says in verse 9 that she simply arose and went to the tabernacle to pour her heart out to the Lord. After her prayer, verse 18 says she "went on her way and ate, and her face was no longer sad." She left her grief and heartache at the throne of grace.

Hannah is such an example of true grace. She submitted to her husband, and she left her heartache with the Lord.

I'm ashamed at how often I respond otherwise. When I'm stressed or upset, far too often my husband is the first to hear of it and then the Lord. And even then, it's an effort to leave the hurt before Him. It's a discipline to first pour out my heart to the Lord and go on my way with a peaceful countenance. And then, when I'm calm and if it's necessary, I can share with my husband.

What about you? Any tips on mastering this discipline?

Ahhh... Saturday

I love Saturdays. Especially Saturdays when I get to stay home and tackle a list of long-awaited want and need to-dos. Even better a Saturday that's warm - 69 degrees to be exact - on the last day in January.

IB's room looks much better than it did this morning. His crib and dresser got a good wipedown. His closet has wire cube shelves. Our office looks much worse than it did a few hours ago, but it's all worth it. Randy just brought in the new 6 ft. tall bookshelf. I can't put anything on it for a week to let the paint cure, but the shelf looks awesome, and I can see a very clean and organized office in my near future.

There are still a bunch of to dos on the list, but the day's not done and I'm already feeling better about things! Happy Saturday!

Ancient Word Wednesday

Godly mommy #2: Hannah

This one is going to come in several installments. Hannah was a pretty amazing lady and full of lessons.

For this installment I want to take a step back from her story in 1 Samuel 1 and 2 to one of the things I learned at the end of my study of Hannah. It's easy to get caught up in the details of her life - she was the more beloved of two wives but she was barren. The other wife provoked her mercilessly for her childlessness. And then one day God answered her prayer for a son, who she raised for two or three years before she fulfilled her vow by devoting him to serve the Lord in the tabernacle. Believe me, I learned plenty from the details, but one thing stands out - Hannah's life was not about her.

Wide-angle lens - Hannah lived during the time of the judges in Israel. Judges 21:25 ends that book with the simple statement, "Everyone did what was right in his own eyes." In other words, the Israelites were disobedient and did not love God with all that they were as they were commanded in Deuteronomy 6. This included the priests at the tabernacle. Eli, the high priest, was a decent guy, but his two sons were evil. 1 Samuel 2:12 says they were corrupt and "they did not know the Lord." They cheated the people and did horrible things. So even those who were supposed to lead the people in worship of the Almighty God did what was right in their own eyes.

But God had perfect timing in all of this. He knew just the right time to bring baby Samuel on the scene, even if it meant that Hannah struggled with barrenness for years (He had a reason for that too!). He had a perfect plan to use Samuel mightily to bring the people back to true worship of Him.

Lesson #1 from Hannah - It is not all about me.

I've not struggled with barrenness, but I have known the pain of losing a baby early in pregnancy and the fear of losing IB with complications early on. One thing the Lord taught me through both of those experiences is that it is not all about me. I am simply apart of His greater, bigger, more glorious plan. One thing that underscored this was learning that my mother-in-law lost a baby between Randy and his older brother. If she had not lost that baby, Randy would not be here to be my wonderful dear husband. (I feel a little like Back to the Future here.) It made me wonder about the plans that God has for IB's life, about the wife he will marry, and the things God has for him to do. No, it's not all about me. It's not even about Randy or IB. It's about God. It's about His glorious, sovereign plan. He does according to His good pleasure, and His plan is perfect...even when it doesn't feel that way.