God's Promises

It was a normal workday morning: prep to go to work and the morning commute. It had rained overnight and was partly cloudy and misty.

I was driving my normal way to work on autopilot not really paying attention to my already familiar surroundings. All of a sudden, I glanced in another direction (as one does while driving) and saw a rainbow.

Rainbows always catch my attention. I'm not sure if it's because I had the Muppet Movie soundtrack on 8 track as a kid, or if God's periodic creation calls to me.

Someday we'll find it, the rainbow connection, the lovers, the dreamers, and me. 

For reference:

I will place my rainbow in the clouds, and it will become a guarantee of the covenant between me and the earth. Genesis 9:13 NET

Space Saving: Clothes Closet

I have an average size closet in my bedroom that seemed to fit most of my clothes. I put dresses and gowns in another closet to ensure I had enough room in my primary clothing closet. 

And then...my husband moved in when we got married. So much for enough room for my own clothing. This is where my inner 3 year old comes out and does not want to share. 

Instead of complaining, I decided to find a solution that would satisfy this issue. I took to the interwebs to find feasible solutions.

Some solutions I found were for closets with wood or particle board made closets. Some solutions were for walk in closets that would rival the size of my kitchen. Other solutions were very costly while other solutions were very involved and could potentially require a carpenter.

Finally, I found a simple solution that was easy and budget-friendly. WIN-WIN!

I went to Home Depot to explore the options. I purchased 4 carabiners: 2 blue for my husband and 2 red for myself. I also purchased 6 feet of chain (in 2 strands).

• 4 carabiners @98¢ each 
• 6 feet of white coated chain @ 98¢ per foot (a little more refined for a closet I thought)

To assemble, open the carabiner latch and slide the first chain link. Stagger clothes hangers according to preference or ease of use. 

Next, latch the caribener to the hanging rod in the closet.

$10 later I had a simple, reusable, and easy solution to save space in my closet. While the clothes are beneath the rod line, the carabiner stands out on the rod.

I'm all for home projects that do not require special tools and equipment!

Money Saving Apps: Target Cartwheel

If you like to shop at Target and save $$$, the Target Cartwheel app is a must! I've mentioned this app a couple times without spending a lot of time on it (read more here.)

It's a free download for Apple and Android users.

There are discounts to items all over the store that can be viewed by department, in order of discount amount, and other ways. 

Scanning the barcode on products in another way to look for applicable discounts. For example, scanning the barcode of FAGE CROSSOVERS yogurt shows a discount of 50%. Simply, touch the FAGE selection under "Found Matching Offer" and it will be added to your app's My List feature. 

I added Nestle's condensed milk and Nestle's media crema table cream to my app's list to complete the shopping trip. Either product was 35% off, so I grabbed a combination of these cans. 

The total for 10 yogurts and 6 cans of milk was $15.71. I saved $9.32 for this shopping trip with the Target Cartwheel app along. 

My total savings since 2013 is $70.09. Nice!

Bonus to this shopping trip was getting Shopkick points! I featured this app here showing how Shopkick is a money earning app. With the combination of the Target Cartwheel app and the Shopkick app, I saved $$$ on this trip without traditional coupons. 

A Walk in the Park

There is a beautiful park north of Orlando that is a hidden gem. Away from main thoroughfares, nestled between residential streets lies Kraft Azalea Garden. It was a lovely discovery considering the ubiquitous theme parks spread out throughout Orlando.

A popular venue for weddings and photo ops of all kind.

Old trees abound in this small and scenic park. 

Located on Lake Maitland.

If you're looking for a break from the lights and sounds of the Orlando theme parks, this may do the trick!

Tortilla Boat Salads

In October, I mentioned what a great buy Old El Paso Tortilla Boat dinner kits were with coupons (read more here). The kit comes with 8 boats, a packet of taco sauce, and seasoning mix.

These are a nice way to serve many dishes. I prefer using them for various types of salads. For example, here is more about this week's salad in tortilla boats. 

Mix:

• Romaine lettuce
• Tomatoes
• Carrots
• Cucumber
• Alfalfa sprouts
• Avocado
• Green onion
• Cilantro

 Heat up pinto beans:

• Bake tortilla boats for 10 mins or to taste
• Fill boats with salad and beans
• Top with sour cream, cheese, taco sauce
• Serve

¡ Buen Provecho !

Office Supplies: Arc Binder

Confession: I love office supplies! 

When I was in college I had to learn how to balance my papers, projects, student teaching schedule, and ministry. An upper class man that I knew had a planner and went everywhere with this planner. I was inspired.

Seeing how well she juggled her demanding schedule, I purchased  a small leather bound ring planner. I was dazzled at all the accessories! This may be the start of my love for office supplies! There were several components to my planner including a daily calendar, to do list, address book, and business card holder. Fun stuff. 

I learned time management in college thanks to this planner and was kept on task. 

A few years ago, a friend of mine (who was also the leader of our church's singles group), found this new binder system at Staples. While I didn't have a need to balance several projects and schedules, I was drawn in nonetheless. 

I have been keeping myself on track and paperless by my iPhone and iPad with the use of various apps. Although this may be a noble effort, it is inevitable to receive papers, brochures, etc. from meetings, conferences, and Bible studies. 

My new job is not complicated but there are a lot of projects and tasks. I need to keep myself organized. One of my colleagues has the same binder system as my friend which I had forgotten. Now it is very relevant to my job. 

Meet the Arc System:

The innovative discs hold paper and the compatible accessories that have mushroom shaped indents rather than the traditional holes. Staples also sells a a compatible punch to add any document to the disc binder.

There is a built in corner folder flap with business card holder slots. There is a larger page for business cards at Staples also. 

I've had it a few days and love it already!

Post-Christmas Cheer: Air Mail

This week upon returning home from work, I saw a large box on our ottoman. After a double take, I remarked the "La Poste" and the symbol of the French postal service. 

I knew right away who sent this mystery box!

I opened the box with great anticipation and found inside...another box.

Inside the smaller box, there was a lovely Christmas card from my host family in France, Marie-Édith and Marie-Laure.

Also, inside the box I found 2 smaller packages wrapped in lovely paper. Just by touching, one of the packages, I recognized it as a gift for my husband. 

He opened the package and found a napkin ring with his name on it. I opened the other package and found a lovely necklace. 

Coming back to the napkin ring, I recognized it because I received the same gift with my name on it. Now we have a matching set!

Vive la France!!!