Free Song Download: Should’ve Been Me
K-Love has another free song download right now — Should’ve Been Me by Citizen Way.
I am slowly building my iTunes music collection with these free song offers.
To get the free download, simply go to K-Love. It’s super simple. This code expires July 22, 2012. Enjoy!
June 29, 2012
How to Save Water While Watering Your Lawn and Garden
It’s almost July and it’s really hot outside! Some areas are lacking rain which can kill your lawn and garden. So how is a person supposed to keep their lawn and garden alive during times of summer heat and water restrictions? There are ways to use less water, save money, and not break those restrictions.
1. Use grey water to water your plants.
Grey water is simply the water that comes from washing your clothes, dishes, and taking a bath.
It is hot here in the south. There have been several summers that we have had water restrictions. During one of those times we had just planted some bushes in our flower beds. I didn’t want my bushes to die so whenever I gave my kids a bath, I wouldn’t drain the tub. I would scoop the water with buckets and carry it outside. Each bush got a full bucket of water each night which soaked the plant. It wasn’t as convenient as turning on the hose, but it kept my plants from dying. You might want to avoid using water with harsh detergents on fruit and vegetable plants.
2. Get a rain barrel.
You might be skeptical and think that you won’t get enough rain to fill up a rain barrel, but rain barrels can collect hundreds of gallons from one rain shower.
One year I had planted a new tree and along came another drought with water restrictions. I didn’t want my new expensive tree to die. Sometimes hot summers bring storms. I didn’t have a rain barrel, but I did have a big 55 gallon trash can. When I knew the storm was coming, I took the end spout off of my gutter and put my big trash can under the spout. I filled up the trash can, some buckets, and other trash cans I had around the house. I kept those barrels and cans under my carport to use for watering. (As always, use caution. You should not go outside and do this when it is lightning.)
A rain barrel continuously collects rain. You can attach a water hose to your rain barrel so that you can easily water your plants. If you are handy, you might consider watching Youtube videos or reading tutorials online for information on making your own rain barrel.
3. Place mulch, compost, or grass clippings around plants to keep the soil moist.
Don’t throw away your grass clippings. Use a bagger on your lawn mower and put those clippings in your garden. Mulch, compost, pine needles, and grass clippings keep the soil from drying out. It’s probably too late to make compost for this year’s garden, but you can begin this now for future use.
4. Water your plants and lawn in the evenings.
If you water your lawn and garden during the hottest times of the day the water will evaporate from the ground too quickly. To be more efficient with your watering, water during cooler times of the day. Watering at night will allow the water to soak into the ground and be useful to the plants before it evaporates.
5. Think of other nonconventional ways to collect water.
Several drought situations have caused me to really think about the liquid I was tossing down the sink.
Each day when I came home from work I would save the water I didn’t drink from my water jug. Save those few ounces of coffee from the coffee pot rather than pouring them out. Plants actually like coffee. Save the water from where you have boiled potatoes or pasta. Put a bucket in your shower while you are waiting for your shower water to warm up. Keep the water from your dehumidifier tank. If you stop and think about for a few minutes, we waste a lot of water each day.
This is a good start but certainly doesn’t cover all of the ways to save water on your lawn and garden. Please add your tips in the comments section below. Thanks!
June 27, 2012
Free Song Download: What a Savior
K-Love has another free song download. I have really enjoyed getting these free songs. I have seven songs now. 
Just last night I set the music to play and listened to them while I was falling asleep.
The new free song is What a Savior by Laura Story. She is probably best known for her song Blessings. What a Savior is sure to speak to listeners as well.
Jesus You are stronger
More than any other
Hallelujah what a savior
Jesus You are higher
My soul´s deepest desire
Hallelujah You are savior
To get the free download simply click here and you can get the free download code. This offer expires July 8, 2012.
June 22, 2012
Reuse & Recycle: Reuse Your Bedding Bags
We all get those thick plastic bags. Our sheets, comforters, pillow shams, and other bedding items come in them. Some people might throw them in the trash, but I prefer to reuse them. I especially like to save the ones that have zippers and handles on them.
I have reused bedding bags for all sorts of things including:
- storing extra hangers
- packing baby needs for a road trip – baby bottles, spoons, etc
- organizing toys
- keeping extra carseat parts together
- organizing loose items in my car
- keeping sets of sheets together
- storing seasonal clothing
- keeping emergency clothes in the car
- storing bubbles and bubble toys
- keeping craft projects separated
- organizing cards and stickers
- storing gift bows
These bags are nice because they are see through. You don’t have to guess what’s inside the bag. For years I have been using the same large comforter bag for storing gift bows. Recently, I used two bags to help my daughter organize and store her yarn and looms. Everything stays together, she can see what she has, the items are kept dust free, and the cats aren’t in danger from eating the yarn. The organizing and storage possibilities are endless.
What uses do you have for bedding bags?
image (c) Karen Weideman
June 22, 2012
Free Song Download: When Mercy Found Me
This song is no longer available. Check the link below for K-Love’s newest song download.
K-Love is offering another free song. I have enjoyed getting these free songs each month and have downloaded about five of them so far. The free download they are offering now is When Mercy Found Me by the Rhett Walker Band.
Rhett admits that he got into drugs, fighting, and the wrong crowd. After getting his girlfriend pregnant, things came to a hault. He realized he needed to get his life back on track and rededicate his life to Christ.
In one moment everything changed. Who I was got washed away when mercy found me. My Savior’s arms are open wide and I felt love for the very first time when mercy found me. My mind found peace. My soul found hope. My heart found a home.
If you’d like, you can listen to it on youtube.
Get the free download at K-Love.
April 14, 2012
Super Easy Luau Cupcakes
Back in 2010, I showed you the teddy bear luau cupcakes that I made for my children’s pool party. They were cute, easy to make, and way cheaper than a store bought cake. The do-it-yourself luau cupcakes have been a top read each month since then so I thought I would show you the ones I made in 2011.
I was a little hesitant to show these because they’re not as cute or creative as the teddy bear luau cupcakes. I finally gave in to the idea that we’re all in need of different ideas, no matter how easy they are. Alligator Girl had her first sleepover and since there were just a few girls and no adults I didn’t have the pressure to produce something anything time consuming. These cupcakes were super fast and went along with the pool party/luau theme. They also tasted great.
As you can see from looking at the pictures, there are a few different styles of cupcakes. I mostly used pink and orange to decorate with but I also had a can of rainbow chip icing in the cabinet. Most kids like rainbow chip, so I used that too.
I put piping on some of the cupcakes. I found the paper toppers at the dollar store. You could probably find some cupcake toppers at an arts and crafts store or party supply store.
As you can see, these are nothing extravacant. They are simple, easy, and cute. They are perfect for a girls’ luau party sleep over.
Enjoy!
April 9, 2012
A Thrifty Use for Old Jeans
Each year when it turns warm we have a few problems. My kids have outgrown a lot of their pants and it’s hard to find shorts that are long enough for girls. What is up with the shorty shorts anyway?
My daughter usually has such cute jeans with embroidery, flowers, and jewels on them. It’s a shame to let go of good pants just because they are too short.
A few years ago I decided that I would take a pair of worn out jeans and make them into shorts. As you can see in the picture, these jeans were worn out in the knees.
I cut the jeans right above the spot where she had worn out the knees. I was just going to roll them up but then I decided they might fray and unravel so I had my mom put a stitch at the bottom.
Now we have cute shorts that are long enough and they didn’t cost us any money. Reusing old pants is a great way to save money on your summer wardrobe.
April 8, 2012
Happy Easter!
Happy Easter! The day is ending but thankfully the story never ends and it is always relevant. This is a picture I took this morning. I hope you enjoy it. Happy Resurrection Day!
“I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying. Everyone who lives in me and believes in me will never ever die.” John 4:10
April 3, 2012
Free Download: Road to the Resurrection
Christian Audio is please to offer Road to the Resurrection as a free download for the month of April. This free download is available in MP3, M4B, and one click zip formats.
Author Greg Laurie is the senior pastor of Harvest Christian Fellowship in Riverside, California, one of the largest churches in America, and leader of the Harvest Crusades attended by more than 4 million people since 1990.
Laurie’s Road to the Resurrection provides a guidebook to the facts and circumstances surrounding the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ. Through listening, you will learn about the people, places, and timeline of the first Easter. But more than that, you will hear about the ancient prophecies of the Easter events, and the events that occurred after Christ’s resurrection. Through it, you will see God’s great love – a love that endured pain, ridicule, anguish and death for the sake of all of us – and be prompted to worship in response.
Simply add the title to your cart and log in to your christianaudio account to complete the checkout process. Opening an account is free.
I have downloaded a few different books from Christian Audio and have always had a pleasant experience.
January 16, 2012
Free Printable Calendar: How to Pray for Your Children
Many years before I had my children there was one thing I prayed — that they would know Jesus and have a personal relationship with Him. Now that they have been with me for a few years there are other things I pray for them. I pray that they will find a Godly spouse, that they will be a good wife/husband, a good father/mother, that they will always follow God, etc.
Source: inspiredtoaction.com via Diana on Pinterest
Today while I was searching around on Pinterest I found this free calendar. Each day has a topic, prayer, and verse so that you can pray something specific for your children. Of course we will always mutter prayers like, “Please let them sleep in on Saturday.” lol This calendar provides and easy way to pray intentionally for our children.
Enjoy and let me know what you think!
