Yes I was the Guinea Pig....

A food co-op what's that? My friend told me about it. It is a large group of people who have gotten together to order food from distributors in large quantities so you can get a discount on groceries. I love a good bargain so I went to their website http://www.crossroads-u-c.org/cfc/. I asked my mom and husband about it they had heard of it too. But no one had ever tried it. Hmmm, well there is always the first time and I was willing to be the guinea pig. A share of food was only 23.00 so we ordered two shares since we have a big family. So we got the food, and the big question is, was it a great bargain? No in my opinion I don't think it was.

When you order a share you know what meat you will be getting. And they tell you a quantity of fruits and vegetables but not what they will be. If you like an element of surprise when you shop then this is for you. I took a picture of what I got in one share. Maybe some of you use a lot of lemons when you cook. Or perhaps a nice lemon makes a good snack (just kidding) but we rarely use them. And now I have to plan some meals so I can use up my 12 lemons. And I am not a big fan of tomatoes but I now am the owner of 12 beautiful tomatoes.

And the meat... on the order form it sounded like a good quantity but when I got it, my first thought was, that's it? Maybe my husband only picked up half the order because the meat packages seemed little .The other problem to with the meat is we are cutting back on our red meats and trying to eat more poultry and fish. Both of which were not on the menu (except you did get a couple pounds of chicken legs and thighs). I mean what am I going to do with chicken legs and thighs? I have become pampered and prefer the boneless, skinless chicken breasts. With my price matching and frugal shopping I have come to the conclusion that I won't be using the food co-op again. But apparently this co-op works for a lot of people. When Steve picked up our order he said the line was really, really long. And people had lots of shares they purchased. So it must be working.

Sweet Ride...

So a year and a half ago we were blessed to get this van. Now I know what you are thinking and the answer is yes I am too young to be driving one of these babies. But they are a sweet ride. My daughter would say otherwise. In fact she would rather walk a block than to have us drop her off in front of her friend's house or at school.

About a year and a half ago our car died. It had given us everything it had and wouldn't go anymore. We didn't know what to do. I was pregnant and the plan was to not have me work but we needed a car. We didn't have room in our budget for a car payment. But we had to have transportation.

We started looking and nothing was looking too great. We wanted something that would last and yes we needed a big car because we had five kids and one more on the way. Steve's dad had us look at this van. My first reaction no way. That is a box on wheels. I am too young to be caught dead in one of those. Never, ever had I imagined driving a van like that. But then we got inside.

Heaven! So much space. If the kids got too out of hand I could send them to their corner of the van. And the trunk was so roomy I could fit an apartment in it (or have a great yard sale weekend).

So I think of our van like our house. Don't judge it by the outside because the inside is so nice. And my daughter will grow out of her teen years and realize our van is not the cause of all her social embarrassment. I feel very blessed to have our van.

Let the Bargains Begin

The weather is warming up and that means yard sale season has begun. Hooray! I love yard sales it's my favorite hobby. You can find the best stuff at the cheapest prices. It makes it hard to buy anything at the D.I. because you can get such a good deal at yard sales. So if you are new to yard sale shopping here are my tips.

1. Shop the east side. I always shop 700 East or higher and 9000 South or further south. KSL classifieds is the best place to find yard sales. The newspaper has a few. Map out your route. If you need something do a search for that item and try to hit those yard sales first. Example: baby clothes. Hot item and you want to try and get there first so you can have the best selection.
2. Shop on a budget. Don't just take a pile of cash. If you only have 10 dollars, take 10 dollars. Which brings me to my next tip.
3. Shop with small bills. I don't like to haggle a lot so if I have lots of one dollar bills I will pull out a couple and offer what's in my hand. Make sense?
4. Plan ahead. I always have a mental note of what I am wanting most. Such as, baby clothes, camping equipment, maybe a food processor. That way if I have something in mind I just won't blow my little bit of cash. And I won't be so shy to offer a lower price.
5. Get rid of stuff. If you buy something to add to your home try to get rid of something. Otherwise you will be over-run with clutter.

Where Much is Given....

Being a mom has been one of the greatest blessing in my life. There is nothing that has taught me more or brought me closer to my Heavenly Father. I didn't understand that until Steve lost his job several years ago. I had to work full time and Steve became Mr. Mom. I thought I would love the break. Steve would have to deal with the fighting and crying and other stresses I had to deal with. But I hated it. I found my job empty and unfulfilling. I dreaded every day I was not able to be home caring for my children. All I wanted was to quit and get to be a mom again.

Since then I try to be grateful for the trials and stress that come with raising my children. I have learned that my attitude plays the biggest part in my role of being a mom. Unfortunately I am not perfect yet. I still complain and wish trials didn't come my way. I still clash with my teenagers far more often than I like. I have days that I want to run away after hearing crying and fighting all day long. But I wouldn't trade it for anything in this world. My family is my greatest gift and blessing. I am here on this earth to learn and grow and it's just part of the package.

Because I am a mother, I hold God's greatest prize.
And he expects great things of me witha task such a size.