Do's and Don'ts: Black Friday Shopping

The Do's and Don'ts of Black Friday Shopping 

1. Don't wear your favorite pair of heals. Heals only increase your chance of tripping and being trampled by a herd of early morning shoppers.
2. Do choose to wear your sneakers. A sturdy pair of sneakers will provide comfort for the all day shopping spree. Plus less chances of a visit to the emergency room.
3. Do bring plenty of credit cards. Call your bank prior, to make sure they receive your final payment on your previous Black Friday bill. It will clear the way for this year's.
4. Don't rely on your checkbook. The easiest way to ignite a burning anger in a long line of customers, is to pull out the checkbook.
5. Do have some cash on hand. Having a back up plan when you have already maxed out all 10 of your credit cards.
6. Do use technology to your advantage. There's an app for that! There is tons of new apps in iTunes store towards Black Friday shopping.
7. Don't rely on social media to lead the direction of your shopping exploration. Remember to keep all those exclusive deals and locations to yourself. Disable Twitter.
8. Do drink plenty of coffee. 6 to 12 cups of coffee should be enough to get you through the morning.
9. Don't drink the wine left over from Thanksgiving dinner. Drunk shopping is only acceptable when shopping only online.
10. Do invite plenty of shopping buddies. Sometime having a couple of extra hands will help when carrying the shopping bags out to the mini van.
11. Don't bring small children. The last thing you want to worry about is a missing kid, where's the bathroom, or even an overly tired kid crying.
12. Do be patient and have a great Shopping Day.

Most know that I have worked retail for many years now, and seen my share of Black Fridays. But not only have I been on the retail end of this big event, but also have had the chance to shop this during this major event. In the midst of my shopping experience, I have learned a few things.

Little Bitty

Party Time: Glow-In-The-Dark Style

 Happy Birthday Tina!

Who would have thought Music, White Tees, Highlanders,
and Black Lights would make an awesome party.

You can't have a PARTY with out the balloons.
I thought the White balloons would glow with the black lights, but the did not glow.

Being the busy mom, I asked my husband to be in charge of the cake.
So, a trip to the local Wal Mart took care of the cake.

Happy Birthday, Dear Tina
Happy Birthday to You!

Make a wish Tina!

My So Called Life: Lord Use Me...Mary

Lord use me...
Have you meet Mary. She is this 13 year old that is turning onto this beautiful young lady. Now she does belong to that poor family on the edge of town. They don't have much and I don't see Mary becoming much either. But did hear she recently got engaged to Joseph. He is that young carpenter that lives in town. Maybe she will get that 'happily ever after.'
In the eyes of Mary's community, she was not going where. She had all the characteristics that would make her unusable by God. God on the other hand saw a young Jewish girl's servant heart. He find favor upon Mary.
Luke 1:26-37
"I am the Lord's servant...May it be to me as you have said." Vs. 36
Now God's favor on Mary did not bring her success nor fame. Becoming the mother of the Messiah would lead to much pain, ridicule from her peers, possibility of her fiance leaving her, and her son would be rejected by his people and eventually murdered. But her simple reply was 'Lord Use Me.' When God is calling you, your reply needs to be 'I am the Lord's servant, use me.'

Little Bitty

My So Called Life: Temptation

Eve was approached by Satan, disguised as a crafty serpent in the Garden of Eden, where she and Adam lived. Satan questioned Eve's contentment, by getting her to doubt God's goodness. How can she be really happy when God has forbidden her to eat from one of the fruit trees in the Garden? (Genesis 3:1) Satan helped Eve turn her focus from all what God has done and given to the one thing he has withheld from her. (Genesis 3:5) Eve was too willing to accept what Satan was saying before checking with God. (Genesis 3:6) Sounds all too familiar, right? Taking a closer look at verse 6, we can see that Eve had done the following: she looked, she took, she eat, then she gave. When in our own sins, we too follow the same pattern.

She Looked

"...the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye..." Genesis 3:6a

The battle over sin is too often lost after the first look. Temptation often begins by simple seeing something you want. We get that, "I've got to have that" feeling. Eve believed Satan's lie, just like I have time after time. Our sins do not always appear to be wrong to us. Satan makes them appear good, pleasant, or desirable. We can not always prevent temptation, but there is always a way out (1 Corinthians 10:13). Using God's Word and God's people, can help you stand against Satan and his lies.

She Took, She Eat

"...and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some, and eat it." Genesis 3:6b

People often choose to do wrong things because they were convinced that those things are good, or at least for themselves the are. Eve was convinced by Satan that eating the fruit will make her 'like God, knowing good and evil' (Genesis 3:5). A knowledge of both good and evil seemed harmless enough to her. It was not wrong for Eve to want to be like God. To become more like God is humanity's highest goal. But Satan, misled Eve on how to accomplish this goal. He told her that she could be like God by defining God's authority, eating of the fruit.

She Gave

"She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he eat it." Genesis 3:6c

After Eve had sinned, she involved Adam with her wrongdoing. How often do we try to relieve our guilt by involving someone else when we sin. It is so easy to drag someone down with you.

Looking at Jesus own Life

"Away from me Satan! For it is written..." Matthew 4:10a

Jesus was able to resist all of Satan's temptations because He not only knew the scripture, but He also obeyed it. Ephesians 6:17 says that God's Word is a sword to use in spiritual war. Knowing the Bible is an important key part in helping us resist Satan's attacks but we also need to obey it as well. Looking at Matthew 4:1-11, we can see that Satan too know the Scripture, but he lacked one thing, to obey it. Knowing and obey the Bible helps us follow God's desires rather than Satan's.

Little Bitty

My So Called Life: Fashioned in the Image of God

Do you want to hear something that is mind blowing: God's creative work was not complete until he made woman. Eve was the final piece of God's creation puzzle. Adam was no longer was 'alone' (Gen 2:18), he now had a 'help mate' (Gen 2:20), someone to have fellowship with, someone else made in the image of God (Gen 1:27).

Image of God

"Then God said, 'Let us make man in Our image, according to our likeness...'" Genesis 1:26a 

Did you know that the moon has no light of its own? It reflects the sun's light. Just like the moon's light is the reflection of the sun's light, we too are the reflection of the image of God. We have the ability to reflect his character in our love, in our patience, in our forgiveness, in our kindness, and in our faithfulness. 

"Then the Lord God fashioned into a woman from the rib which He had taken from man, and brought her to the man." Genesis 2:22

I love this verse. It reminds us of how much God loved Eve. God could have made Eve from dust from the ground, just like Adam. But God choose to 'fashion' Eve from Adam's flesh and bone. Not Adam's head, for him to rule over her. Not Adam's foot, for him to stump on her. But Adam's rib, for the two of them to work side by side, a special partnership. I feel that God used this to illustrate to us that marriage between one man, one woman become one flesh. This is a special union between a man and a woman that is taken seriously throughout the Bible. 

"God saw all that he had made, and it was very good..." Genesis 1:31 

God saw that ALL of his creation was very good. Eve was complete and beautifully made. Think about it Adam had just finished naming all the "livestock, the birds of the air and all the beasts of the fields" (Gen 2:20), but he was unable to find a suitable 'helpmate'. So God, fashioned woman from Adam's rib and flesh and He brought Eve to Adam. And what is Adams response? The first poem:

"This now bone of my bones,

and flesh of my flesh,

she shall be called woman,

for she was taken out of man."

Genesis 2:23 NIV

Eve was not like the other creatures God had created. She was beautifully fashioned in the image of God. The final piece of God's puzzle of creation. 

Little Bitty

My So Called Life: Summer Bucket List

How many times do we hear over Summer Break..."I am BORED" from your kids. This summer break I wanted to change things up. So the last week of May, I sat down with the kids and we put together a list of fun things that we can do through out the summer; aka Summer Bucket List. 

Here are just a few pictures from this Summer's Bucket List.

Geocaching, throughout the whole summer

Cinderella Movie Marathon with Little Girls - June 10th

4th of July - Fireworks

Visit to the Zoo - August 1st

Visit to the Zoo - August 1st

Tina - Oil Belt Church Camp - July 6th 

Billy Jr. - Oil Belt Church Camp - July 6th

Sammy - Oil Belt Church Camp August 3rd

Family Bowling Night - August 2nd

Ice Cream Sundaes - July 15th

Nature Hike - Red Hill State Park - June 17th

Nature Hike - Red Hill State Park - June 17th

 I wished we had more time during the Summer to do things together. I know there will be coming a time when each one of my loving kids are not going to do fun things with their old mother. 

Little Bitty



My So Called Life: Youth Group

I Love my Youth Group!
I have the privilege of working with a handful of 5th and 6th grade students. I love the fact that I am a  part of these wonderful kids life. I can have thee longest day at work. Be in a bad mood. But come Wednesday night, my mood completely changes. They are fun, silly, outgoing, energetic, and they love hanging out with their youth leader.

 Minute to Win It, one of the many ways we have a 

little fun in the classroom settings.

Jar of Candy, just a little treat for winning a game 

or answering a question about the study.

"O is for Oreo'

Scatter Ball, one of their all time favorite games 

that the kids love to play.

Little Bitty