Lighting Update DIY

I have been working on a new, brighter look for our home, and this time I tackled the lighting. Being on a budget, I decided to give my current light fixture a lift rather than purchasing a whole new light fixture. So, I went to Lowe's and purchased a can of Rustoleum spray paint for about $6. I simply took off the shades, wiped the fixture down with a wet rag and started slowly and evenly spraying. After watching for drips and all surfaces were covered, I left it hanging outside in the sunshine for faster drying time. So, if you have one hour and $6 to spare, you too can update your room making the old new, bringing the fab out of the drab!    

        

Free Fruit at Publix

This weekend at Publix catch a great deal on oatmeal and fruit. Quaker products are 50% off. So, print two Target coupons for .75 off Quaker cereal. Next go to the Publix website and print a coupon from the weekly ad coupon section for $3 off fresh fresh fruit when you buy two Quaker products. So, get two boxes of Quaker oatmeal for $1.50 total and weight out $3 of fruit which you get FREE!

Art from the Heart

I have an inexpensive, art from the heart project that will make you and your kids smile today...fingerpainting! If your walls are too bare or you like to give personalized gifts, this may be the answer. I purchased a canvas at a thrift store for $1 and painted over it with white spray paint to cover the image. After drying, simply use painters tape to make an image or word that you want to standout on your canvas. Next, get the kids and finger paint and let them colorfully conquer the canvas. When they are finished, slowly peel up tape and let the masterpiece dry. If you can find an inexpensive ornate frame at a thrift store it would enhance the beauty even more. Use any color scheme or canvas size; the possibilities are endless! With Mother's Day around the corner, maybe give this a try for the grandmothers in your life? 

CHEAP Baby Formula

There are some awesome coupons available for print right now that will get you some super cheap baby formula at Publix if your store accepts Target competitor coupons. First, print two of the $4/1 Gerber formula coupons from the weekly ad coupon section on the Publix website. Next head to Target's website and print two of the 25% off Gerber formula coupons as well as the $5/$20 of Nestle products (of which Gerber formula is) You should be able to combine all of these to get a really awesome buy on a typically expensive necessity! If you do not use this, it is a great opportunity to buy for the purpose of donating to mommy's who need it. 

Publix Organics Deals

I was at Publix today for the start of their new weekly ad and noticed a few nice surprise deals on organics I thought I'd pass along...

Publix Greewise Organic Coffee Beans $4.19 per bag- I looove their French Roast! This is better than a sale plus coupon sometimes on coffee that is not even organic!

Publix Greenwise Milk Gallon $5.19- I happen to have a $1/1 coupon from their baby club making it an even better deal

Sambazon Juice $2.50- find the $1/1 coupon for more savings

Also, I know Boca Burgers are not an organic brand, but they are B1G1 and if you match the Publix digital coupon you can get a box of meatless burgers for .75! We looove the 'chicken' patties as they are kid friendly and I don't have to worry about antibiotics & hormones in the meat substitute.

Superhero Standoff

My husband was telling me about a conversation he had with our 3 year old daughter about our savior Jesus Christ. He said that Jesus died for us, rescuing us from eternal death so we could live with Him forever and how we now have the power of His Holy Spirit living in us. Out of this, she understood that Jesus Christ is our super hero and that we have His super powers too. She even said that she wants to die also. I do not know that her little mind articulated that spiritually, she will die and live with His Spirit forever, but I couldn't help think 'maybe so'. Wow. We adults make things waaay too complicated. I mean, God says to come to Him like little children, so what better example than the life of my own children?! I think of all the Marvel Comic superheros, Spiderman, Batman, Superman, ect. In all of these stories, there is a fight between good and evil with crazy, extraordinary powers flying all over the place. This is real; this is the world we live in. The cool thing about this colorful comic book revelation, is that we can choose to participate without fear, knowing the bad guy will never win. I envision a small paper comic page with Jesus trampling Satan's head and a word bubble encompassing the onomatopoeia, 'BAM! SPLONK! POW!!!' Can you see it? If you can, grab a sword and let His super powers charge through you...all the glory to God! Now, where did I put my cape??

God's Numbers

Yesterday was all about the number 3, as my sweet little girl celebrated this sizzling, fresh age. (Congratulations, by the way, to the Cochran Family for winning the Amazon gift card giveaway in honor of the celebration!) As the day went on, my mind turned more and more over the significance of the number 3 on both a spiritual and biblical level. John 4:23 tells us the Father is seeking those who will, 'worship Him in spirit and truth.' This combined with God being the author and creator of ALL, even numbers brings a fun element to the prayer in Matthew 6:10, 'Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven'. So where is the God link of something so ordinary in the world, yet so alive in the Spirit? If you do a little digging, it is easy to see that the number 3 appears many times in the Bible, all in significant matters. After researching, I found 3 to be representative of completeness. I do not know exactly what this means in my daughters life, except that I will now pray specifically in this year that His work in her will be done in His complete timing and complete ways without interference or distraction. How exciting is that?! I just found another clue on a super crazy and glorious scavenger hunt! Have you ever thought about how something as simple as a number could mean so much more than it appears? What significance do numbers have in your life? I'm beginning to think they are all just shiny little treasures waiting for the dusty haze to be blown off the top of their glossy surface...on earth as it is in heaven!!

Let's Celebrate...$20 Amazon Card

Bright bursts of confetti and balloons adorn the room like colorful rainbow sprinkles atop a decadent chocolate cupcake. My sweet little girl is turning 3 in a few days and in honor of this momentousness celebration, I am hosting a giveaway for YOU! I am giving away a $20 Amazon Gift Card to one reader and to enter you must simply be a follower of Merry, Mary, Marry! and make a comment to win. Not a reader yet? Well come on and start following! The winner will be announced the evening of Monday, April 8th. Now come on and let's CELEBRATE LIFE!

Thrift Store Furniture Makeover

This was my first thrift store furniture makeover and it left me thinking, 'Why have I not done this before now?!' I suppose the reason is I felt like I would mess it up, or not know how to achieve what I wanted but truth is, there are enough websites and tutorials available to make anyone a professional. So, I found this vintage side table (see the cute lil' wheels!) for $14.99 not knowing what I'd do with it, but knowing it was a total steal and scooped it up without question. Next, I purchased my supplies: 

Oil based enamel paint- as it's more durable for furniture that will get heavy traffic (about $10 at Lowes) paint brush ($1 dollar store) and a container of Wipe On Poly (about $10 at Lowes) I already had sandpaper and after the project was done have lots of paint & poly leftover for future projects. So, lightly sand the table and then wipe dust away with wet rag. After dry, get to painting (with gloves!). There is really no right or wrong way to do this. This process took me about an hour start to finish. After the table has fully dried & no longer was sticky, I came back with my sand paper and simple rubbed random places until I got the look I wanted to achieve. Finally, use a rag to apply Wipe On Poly for a seal. Simple as that! If you are like me, you may be your own worst critic. But, if I may say, you will never know the amazing possibilities unless you TRY and may actually surprise yourself. Fun project, supporting small local business, inexpensive new furniture and another wrinkle in my brain....good day.

Sesame Ginger Rice Noodle Salad

Wow, I am so excited to have stumbled into this meal and share it with you because it is absolutely delicious! This was not planned, but came out of random ingredients on hand so you can interchange them as to what you have already. I cooked 1 package of rice noodles and then refrigerated them. Next I shaved 1 carrot and steamed 1 package of sugar snap peas. Once the noodles are cold, mix vegetables with noodles and 1 small bottle of sesame ginger dressing. Finally, I tore up 1 package of roasted, seasoned seaweed into small pieces and mixed in along with sesame seeds. I like a little crunch in my salad and happened to have some fried onions to put on top as well. That's it! This fresh and fabulous meal will easily cost less than $5 total and feed 4 people. Some other ingredient ideas that may be nice to play around with are chicken, tofu, pork, peanuts, corn and broccoli. What's your spin on it?

Easy DIY Compost Bin

The best way to give your garden an organic boost is to add your own home grown compost to your soil. This is as simple as keeping a container on your kitchen counter to place all of your vegetable scraps, coffee grounds, paper & egg shells in and then carrying it out to your compost bin which would have your leaves and grass clippings in as well. Compost bins can be pretty pricey-until now. We spent $15 on a new trash can and lid then simply drilled holes down the sides and on the bottom for the organic matter to breathe. Every few days, put a bungee cord on the top to secure lid, tip the bin on it's side and roll around in the yard to mix your compost. Easy on the eyes, good for your crop, cheap & good exercise! If you are curious for more information, there is a great book, Composting For Dummies for a few dollars on Amazon that will educate you on the matter. 

Gutter Garden How To

Since the warm weather has arrived, my hands have been busy with Spring projects, rather than inside typing blogs. As a result, the gutter garden is finally up and this is what it looks like. Hooray! So, if you have limited ground space, a bad back, or pesky strawberry eating rabbits, you may want to consider gardening like this. So, the price break down is about $6.50 for the gutter, about $3 per end cap, 3 brackets at $1.50 (prevent sagging) each and some aluminum wire for about $2. (I brought my list to Lowes and they helped me find everything as I was clueless.) This brings the total to about $17.50, plus soil and seeds of course. Simply drill hols in the bottom of the gutter for drainage, as well as 2 holes in the back of the gutter to run your wire through to hang. Attach your 3 brackets to the top of the gutter before you hang, and run the wire through the bracket hols that a screw would normally go through. Simple as that! I have planted strawberries, arugula, butter crisp lettuce & collard greens. Once my crop has beautifully peaked for my salad plate, I will report back with photos. In the mean time, merry gardening! 

Organic Vegetable Seeds Deal

If you are thinking like me, Spring cannot get here any faster. There are 1001 magnificent things about the coming of Spring's dazzling dance, but the one I am on the edge of my seat about is gardening! If you have not already purchased seeds for your vegetable garden, I found an awesome deal you may want to scoop up. Get 13 organic vegetable seed varieties for only $1.22 each and FREE Super Saver shipping with the Ferry Morse Organic Vegetable Garden package. I have never been able to find organic seeds priced this low so this is a real steal! If your a newbie to gardening, I am excited for you! A garden does take work, but once you taste the rewards you will never turn back. If you are still not sure, think of what  can save on your grocery bill!

Renewed Mind

I am redeemed by the blood of Jesus Christ

Darkness lurking my way better recognize

I am the daughter of a King

It is over me you hear Him sing

Songs of victory and joy

His Holy Spirit I will employ

In the daily battles of my mind

Love is patient Love is kind

In my weakness He is strong

No greater Love than this will ever come along

FREE Les Misérables eBook

If you are an eBook reader and like a good story of redemption, you may enjoy the classic tale of Les Misérables  at no monetary expense now through Amazon. Yes, the film is out in theaters and is all the rave, but reading it may have an even more profound impact for you. Why not, it's FREE?!

FREE Fruit & Vitamins

Thanks to help from iheartpublix.com I have a couple FREE deals for you to scoop up at Publix right now. Not only can you save lots on these deals, but you can have money donated to the charity of your choice in the process. So, log into your account at commonkindness.com and print the $1/1 Sundown Vitamin and .50/1 Del Monte Fruit Naturals Mango Cup coupons through the Redplum link. Remember you can print each coupon twice. Then, cut the 2 of the $3/1 Sundown Vitamin coupons from the current Green Advantage Buy flyers available at Publix. By doing this, you can get 2 FREE bottles of vitamins that are priced at $3.99, as well as 2 FREE cups of mangoes when your coupon doubles at the current 10/$10 price. 

FREE Printable Love Notes

Happy Valentine's Day friends! The day is still young if you want to do something simple and sweet for a sweetie in your life. I found some fun, FREE downloads to print at home for cute lil' love notes. Follow this link from Paper Coterie: 

http://www.papercoterie.com/blog/love-note-printables/ 

Get 2 pages of colorful love notes to cut, paste, and craft with. Or, simply hide them around your home for your loved one, or lil' loved ones to find in a joyful moment of surprise.

CHEAP Dog Treats

I got my Sunday paper at Kroger this morning for only $1.50 as it was 25% off and then was happy to find Beggin' Strips coupons to match a current sale at Publix. So, if you need dog treats, clip the $2 off Beggin' Strips coupon from today's paper and combine with $1 off Target printable coupon to get the treats for .69 each after the current buy one get one free sale! 

A Merry Heart

(Pro 17:22)  A merry heart does good, like medicine, But a broken spirit dries the bones.

I have heard people say that happy people live longer and I know there are many studies that allude to this idea. But, what better proof than the living Word itself? Choosing to have joy in our hearts and the Holy Spirit working in us, produces a remedy unknown to the medical world. Not only do we live eternally with Jesus in Heaven, but we can let His Spirit renew our minds and bodies on a daily basis. He is real and He is powerful. Let's choose His power over circumstance today and be merry in Christ Jesus!

K-Cups Deal

If you drink  K-Cups for Keurig Brewers you may like the current deal on Amazon Warehouse. Get 48 cups of Timothy's Midnight Magic coffee for .68 each, a total of $33.03 with free shipping included!