Secret Old Navy Coupon Site!

Did you know that Old Navy has a "secret" site with coupons available all the time? Discounts run from 10% to 75% off. I understand that recently there was a 75% off a $100 purchase coupon available. The coupons are available for limited times, so check back often! Thanks to Kingdom First Mom for the heads-up!

www.OldNavyWeekly.com

Giving Thru Christmas Challenge-Day 2

Our opportunity to give today was birthed from a family tradition. I took my four year old shopping for items to fill a shoe box for Operation Christmas Child. I have been filling shoe boxes for 13 years now. OCC is a ministry of Samaritan's Purse, which was founded by Franklin Graham as a Christian relief organization. They respond in the face of natural disaster and war with practical ministry while at the same time sharing the love of Christ.

These shoe boxes are distributed to hundreds of thousands of children around the world who face disease, war, poverty and loneliness every day. Each child who receives a shoe box also receives a book printed in their own language that tells about the Greatest Gift of All, Jesus. Countless people have come to faith through this simple act of love.

For instructions on how to pack a shoe box, click here.

At four, my son doesn't completely get the concept. But, I want his earliest memories to include his family being involved in ministry (benevolence) and mission (sharing the Gospel). Both of these acts are represented in this simple ministry to children.

If you haven't been following along on the Giving Challenge, read "A Season of Giving". How have you chosen to give today?

Super Fast Ham Steak With Apples

My family gets excited when they smell this cooking. The aroma is fantastic. It is one of the quickest meals in my repertoire, from gathering ingredients to table in about 20 minutes. I found this one on my favorite recipe site, Recipezaar. I like to add a green vegetable, and occasionally a starch to round out the meal.


Brown Sugar Ham Steak with Apples
Serves 4

2 T. Butter
1/4 C. Brown Sugar, packed
2 T. Grainy Mustard
3 Tart Apples, peeled, cored and coarsely chopped (I've used Cortland and Winesap)
1 lb. (or larger) Ham Steak

Melt butter on medium heat in large skillet. Add brown sugar and mustard, whisk to blend. Add apples and toss. Simmer for 5 minutes. Transfer apples to a bowl. Place ham steak in skillet and top with apples. Cook, covered, over medium heat for 10 minutes.

There are seldom any leftovers!

A Season of Giving

Have you ever seen "The Toy That Saved Christmas"? "Christmas is when you get stuff" is one toy's mantra until friends teach him differently.

I know better than that, don't I? A recent conversation with a neighbor made me start thinking about how I live what I believe. She is struggling with celebrating any part of Christmas because of all of the things that it has become. So much of the holiday is commercial and self-centered. Oh, but I do love Christmas! I love the tree,the music, the movies, the smells and picking the perfect gifts for loved ones. I just want to make sure that all of these things are God-honoring in our home.

But, we do make sure that our family keeps the right focus don't we? Sure, we read the Christmas Story (the real one) on Christmas Eve. On particularly efficient years I've even remembered to start recognizing Advent on time. The first thing you see when you walk in the door is our Nativity, not the tree. We always pack shoe boxes for Operation Christmas Child. But, is this enough? I'm not so sure. One definition of "focus" is "a center of activity, attraction or attention." It still seems to me that the center of our attention might still be in the wrong place.

I've just started following a great blog, Keeping the Kindgom First. The author is inviting individuals to join in a "30 Days of Giving Challenge". As I read her post this morning I thought about all the little ways that I could give but do not. So I am accepting the challenge. I hope you will too! Giving doesn't have to be expensive, time consuming, or difficult. I've decided to try to find one new way to give every day between now and Christmas. It is my "Giving Thru Christmas Challenge" to you and to my own family. I realize that this is longer than 30 days. I hope that it will become a habit! I will keep you posted on my progress, and I hope you will let me know how you have fleshed out the spirit of giving in your own life.

One caveat though, let's try to make the focus on Christ, shall we? Use the opportunity to point someone to Jesus. Maybe they are a believer and you just want to remind them of the real meaning of Christmas. Maybe they do not believe and you can be a witness in the name of Christ. Maybe you won't even know. But, if someone asks why you have given to them in some way, take the opportunity to tell them that it is the love of Jesus that compels you.

A fb friend posted a status this week that caught my attention. She said that she had been having a terrible day and while in line at a coffee shop another person had paid for her order as well as their own. She couldn't figure out why, but thought it was a nice gesture. I don't know if the mystery giver is following Jesus, but I do know that they got my friend's attention with their kindness.

My act for today? Well, I've been under the weather for a few days, and I had to find something to do from home. So, today I spent some time going to sites to Click for Charity. Here are a couple of links that I gleaned from Keeping the Kingdom First:



What's on tap for tomorrow? I'm not sure yet. I'll let you know how it goes though. How about you? How's your focus this year?

Swagbucks Rocks

It is official, I am hooked on Swagbucks. If you have not already become a "Swaggernaut", you should. SB is a souped-up search engine that randomly awards Swagbucks for Internet searches. Just by doing my daily searching over the past 8 to 10 weeks I have racked up 97 Swagbucks. These bucks can be redeemed for everything from mp3's to game systems. Now, it would take a LONG time to earn the game system. But, I just redeemed 90 of my bucks for $10 in Amazon gift cards. This essentially gave me a "discount" on a Lego set for my son's best buddy for his birthday. Legos seldom go on sale, so I am pretty happy about the way this worked out. I really did nothing to earn them other than making the Swagbucks search page my homepage. That way, I don't forget to use it. I usually net 1 or 2 bucks per day. There is also a toolbar that I have just downloaded. This makes it easier to do the searches. There are other ways to earn bucks, like special Swag Codes that are hidden here and there. I've located a couple, but haven't really spent much time looking. Click below for all the details. Happy Swaggin'!