Flock Together Blog Hop 5/1

Welcome! To participate, simply...

1. Link up: Click on "Click here to enter" at the bottom of this post and follow the Linky Tools directions. In step 4, I recommend selecting "Auto Crop" and "From Web."

2. Find new friends: Click through the blogs and follow the ones you love (Linky Followers, Google+, RSS, GFC, Twitter, Facebook, e-mail, etc.). Kindly pass by the ones you don't.

I try my best to follow EVERYONE who joins the hop, but it helps if you leave a comment letting me know you're new here. Also, please sign up for Linky Followers! It's a great alternative to Google Friend Connect.

This week's Fine feathered Friend is Stacy at 

After 20+ years in the Corporate World, I welcomed a Miracle Baby (aka Princess Nagger) and became a SAHM – I love every minute of it.  I have a great husband (aka Hovering Hubby) who keeps me on my toes with his intellectual and literal personality, along with his dry sense of humor.  Still training him, of course – that always takes time. We have an eclectic mix of pets which include dogs, cats, birds, snakes, and fish.  I love to cook and try new techniques to turn ordinary into extraordinary.  Crafty by nature, I tend to take on a lot of unique projects and enjoy seeing the end result.  Of course my favorite craftiness is making wine.  Especially the drinking it part. My Blog is Random Thoughts on the joys of parenting, family, friends, life, love and anything else that strikes my fancy.

Stacy's blog offers posts about giveaways, reviews, recipes, crafts music and more.  Her posts often elicit numerous comments from the community of friends she's drawn. And who could blame them? She writes with humor, charm and humility, and creates a warm and inviting online environment. I hope you'll drop by and see if you agree. Maybe we'll cross paths as we engage in her post conversations!

Want to be featured as next week's Fine Feathered Friend? Click here to find out how. It's free and easy.

Need a little help?

• If this is all new to you, click here.
• If your goal is to find friends and gain followers, may I recommend that you set a goal to find and follow a minimum number of blogs that interest you. Check back throughout the day to visit late entries that might be just your cup of tea! Leave a comment if you follow, and consider following back those who follow you.
• If you see empty boxes with red x's instead of pictures in the linky, try clearing your cache (Go to Tools > Internet Options > Under the General tab and Browsing History section, click "Delete"> check Temporary Internet Files > Delete > then refresh or reload Mom's Best Nest).

Flock Together Tuesday Blog Hop 4/24

Welcome! To participate, simply...

1. Link up: Click on "Click here to enter" at the bottom of this post and follow the Linky Tools directions. In step 4, I recommend selecting "Auto Crop" and "From Web."

2. Find new friends: Click through the blogs and follow the ones you love (Linky Followers, Google+, RSS, GFC, Twitter, Facebook, e-mail, etc.). Kindly pass by the ones you don't.

I try my best to follow EVERYONE who joins the hop, but it helps if you leave a comment letting me know you're new here. Also, please sign up for Linky Followers! It's a great alternative to Google Friend Connect.

This week's Fine feathered Friend is Becca at

I write this blog based both on the life of my childhood, as well as things I didn’t experience in my childhood but hope to share with my own children one day. While much of the aim is at parents with younger children, most everything is meant to still be relevant to all parents (and even those who aren't parents). Many of the tips and perspectives compiled come from my years as a middle child of nine. I love Jesus and trust Him to help me to write things that will encourage families.

Becca's blog is unique in that it is a lovely, well-rounded family/mom blog written from the perspective of an aunt! Her love for Christ, her family, and children shines in every posts. Many (certainly not all) of the blogs written by women her age are primarily about lighter topics, such as nail polish and fashion, so reading this blog is like taking a breath of fresh air. The posts are positive and inspiring and cover a wide range of family-friendly topics including homeschooling, movies, recipes,  scripture/devotionals, crafts and even giveaways. I hope you'll check out and consider following this lovely blog.


Want to be featured as next week's Fine Feathered Friend? Click here to find out how. It's free and easy.

Need a little help?

• If this is all new to you, click here.
• If your goal is to find friends and gain followers, may I recommend that you set a goal to find and follow a minimum number of blogs that interest you. Check back throughout the day to visit late entries that might be just your cup of tea! Leave a comment if you follow, and consider following back those who follow you.
• If you see empty boxes with red x's instead of pictures in the linky, try clearing your cache (Go to Tools > Internet Options > Under the General tab and Browsing History section, click "Delete"> check Temporary Internet Files > Delete > then refresh or reload Mom's Best Nest).

Song for Sunday: Wings of a Dove

Flock Together Blog Hop 4/17

Welcome! To participate, simply...

1. Link up: Click on "Click here to enter" at the bottom of this post and follow the Linky Tools directions. In step 4, I recommend selecting "Auto Crop" and "From Web."

2. Find new friends: Click through the blogs and follow the ones you love (Linky Followers, Google+, RSS, GFC, Twitter, Facebook, e-mail, etc.). Kindly pass by the ones you don't.

I try my best to follow EVERYONE who joins the hop, but it helps if you leave a comment letting me know you're new here. Also, please sign up for Linky Followers! It's a great alternative to Google Friend Connect.

This week's Fine feathered Friend is Lee at

Hello everyone! I am a true New England Gal. I love the shoreline, sailing, fishing,and apple picking with my family. Some of my other interests include shopping, cooking, and traveling.  I started my blog "Love it or...Not" aka "Love It" a few months ago and it is going fantastic. The quote "Promote what you love instead of bashing what you hate" embodies my blog's focus. My blog covers a variety of topics and includes product reviews and giveaways as well. I hope that you stop by and visit. 

I hope you'll stop by and consider following "Love It."  I'm sure you'll be impressed as I was by the many different giveaways she shares on her blog. She also shares freebie offers that she finds. Following this blog could be quite rewarding!

Want to be featured as next week's Fine Feathered Friend? Click here to find out how. It's free and easy.

Need a little help?

• If this is all new to you, click here.
• If your goal is to find friends and gain followers, may I recommend that you set a goal to find and follow a minimum number of blogs that interest you. Check back throughout the day to visit late entries that might be just your cup of tea! Leave a comment if you follow, and consider following back those who follow you.
• If you see empty boxes with red x's instead of pictures in the linky, try clearing your cache (Go to Tools > Internet Options > Under the General tab and Browsing History section, click "Delete"> check Temporary Internet Files > Delete > then refresh or reload Mom's Best Nest).

Flock Together Blog Hop 4/10

Welcome! To participate, simply...

1. Link up: Click on "Click here to enter" at the bottom of this post and follow the Linky Tools directions. In step 4, I recommend selecting "Auto Crop" and "From Web."

2. Find new friends: Click through the blogs and follow the ones you love (Linky Followers, Google+, RSS, GFC, Twitter, Facebook, e-mail, etc.). Kindly pass by the ones you don't.

I try my best to follow EVERYONE who joins the hop, but it helps if you leave a comment letting me know you're new here. Also, please sign up for Linky Followers! It's a great alternative to Google Friend Connect.

This week's Fine feathered Friend is  Jessica at

My name is Jessica, and I am the owner of The Second Thought. I am a 22-year-old girl from a small hamlet in Central New York, who just recently graduated from SUNY Purchase with a B.A. in Biology. This blog was created with the intention of expressing my interests with fellow reading/writing, animal, fashion, beauty, and fitness fans. I am new to the couponing scene, but I enjoy finding deals and freebies to share with the world.

This great blog is written by a charming young lady who has used her gifts to put together an impressive collection of posts and giveaways. In fact there's a great one going on as we speak. The entries are easy to follow and the last time I checked, there were less than 100! Please go by and check out Jessica's blog!

Want to be featured as next week's Fine Feathered Friend? Click here to find out how. It's free and easy.

Need a little help?

• If this is all new to you, click here.
• If your goal is to find friends and gain followers, may I recommend that you set a goal to find and follow a minimum number of blogs that interest you. Check back throughout the day to visit late entries that might be just your cup of tea! Leave a comment if you follow, and consider following back those who follow you.
• If you see empty boxes with red x's instead of pictures in the linky, try clearing your cache (Go to Tools > Internet Options > Under the General tab and Browsing History section, click "Delete"> check Temporary Internet Files > Delete > then refresh or reload Mom's Best Nest).

Song for Easter: I've Just Seen Jesus

Prepare for cold chills!!!

If you have trouble viewing this, click the play button, then click the gear icon and drop it down to 240.

Why I Quit Couponing

DISCLAIMER

Before we begin, you really should understand that I'm not bashing couponers! You should also know where I'm coming from: I'm a pastor's wife and working mother of three with about an hour commute each day, and it's important for me to do my best in those capacities.

IS IT JUST ME, OR IS COUPONING LESS REWARDING THAN IT USED TO BE?

For the past three years, I've been an educated, committed, accordion file maintaining couponer.  For some reason, my average savings dropped from almost 50% three years ago to only 30% now. While that's great, it isn't enough to "Wow" me. The bottom line is that the savings I've been seeing wasn't  motivating me to invest the time required for me to purchase papers, organize inserts, develop coupon match-up lists, and cut out coupons. Therefore, my coupon trips slowed to only once a month, so the money I was investing in maintaining multiple inserts began to be wasted as more and more inserts were expiring before I used the coupons in them. 

IS COUPONING RIGHT FOR ME AND MY FAMILY?

I knew I needed to make a decision. I began to pray about quitting couponing, since I believe God is interested in every choice we make. My question wasn't whether or not couponing was bad, but rather was it right for my family in this season of our lives?

IS THERE AN ALTERNATIVE TO COUPONING?

Soon afterward, I made a trip to a wholesale club and realized...

• the unit prices were about what I would spend with coupons - not better, just about the same
• the cost for an annual membership was a lot less than the cost of all the papers I bought each year
• shopping there instead of couponing would save all the time I'd put toward maintaining the file, preparing the lists and cutting the coupons
• I could actually save on brands we're loyal to but that rarely have coupons.

THE HAPPY ENDING

I believed I had an answer to my prayer and committed then and there to stop couponing. I was surprised to experience guilt over possibly not being a good steward of my family's resources. But that was ridiculous, given how close the savings from shopping at the wholesale club was to shopping with coupons. I got over that soon enough, but then I felt this silly burden of finding a good home for my accordion file and all those inserts. God laid someone on my heart, and you wouldn't believe how attached I'd become to that thing! It truly felt like I was letting someone adopt my pet. I pulled it together though and went through with it, leaving it and couponing behind me! I'm much happier without them!

I still appreciate a good coupon and use them whenever it's convenient, but I no longer depend on them to save money on groceries. Maybe another time, another place, but this is what's right for us now!

How "Making Him Pay" Costs Me

My husband and I recently had an argument. We made up, but soon after, we had another one. Frustrated, I decided to "make him pay." Let me tell you where that took me...

Not only did I allow resentment and anger to dwell in my heart, I actually nursed it by justifying every thought I had about him. As the days went by, the call of the Holy Spirit to forgive Him and repent of my sins grew quieter. Eventually, my heart grew hard, and the anger turned to apathy. I knew I was being selfish and immature, but I didn't care. It was a scary place to be - away from, opposed to my God. 

Shamefully, it was at the nudging of friends, not the Holy Spirit, that caused me to seek resolution. Making up with Philip was relatively easy. Restoring intimacy with God was much more difficult. My original sin was compounded by my disobedience to repent, and I found myself terribly ashamed to go to Him. Once I did, He graciously began speaking to me. My daily devotional soon after was based on Psalm 103...

2-3  Praise the LORD, my soul, and forget not all his benefits—who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases,

8- 12 The LORD is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. He will not always accuse, nor will he harbor his anger forever; he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.

What a promise! THAT'S grace! I learned a valuable lesson that I hope I'll never forget: Don't run from God because of your sin. Run to Him! Running from Him compounds the guilt and creates anxiety. Running to Him removes the guilt and restores peace. I still had a little trouble with my "feeler." It took a while for me to feel intimate again, but that's when you have to walk out your faith. I had to stand on the verses above and believe in His forgiveness and love.

Another way God spoke to me was through a book by Cynthia Carrier called Home Sweet Home, which I've had sitting on a shelf for quite some time but had only begun to read. I remembered this book beginning with hard questions about repentance, and since the lack of repentance was the biggest concern I'd had during the situation, I felt compelled to read it.  By the end of the first chapter, I realized that I'd slipped into living a Christian life in which Christ is my Savior, but not really my Lord. THIS WAS AN IMPORTANT REVELATION. First of all, I can't have fruit of the spirit in my life if I'm not obeying Him. Second, I remembered how sweet it had been when I was following Him, and I want that life back!

"Making him pay" is deceptively clothed as justice. But we, as Christians and as wives are not called to bring our husbands to justice. In fact we are called to submit to them. That's really hard when you believe you're in the right, but it is possible through prayer. I love this definition of submission by Tony Evans...

“Submission — learning to duck, so God can hit your husband.” — Tony Evans

You can trust God to take care of straightening out our husbands, if He feels it's needed. Hopefully, your husband won't have to "pay," but if he does, let God be the collector!

is taking the week off.

Join us again next week!

Creationswap.com

Little Girls' Hairstyles for Clueless Mamas

My daughters have beautiful hair, but I am clueless as to what to do with it. With Easter coming up, I thought I'd try to fancy up Dabsy's "do!"

I found and followed this great tutorial from Cute Girls Hairstyles...

Though far from the standard set by the tutorial's model, I'm still really happy with our results...

 

The maker of this tutorial has many more styles that I'd also like to try. One thing I noticed was that she always started with damp hair, which makes sense because then you don't have to chase the hair all over the child's head. I'm telling you, I'm clueless when it comes to this, but now I have help :)

Song for Sunday: In the Middle