LINKS I LIKE #11

Swagbucks - I've mentioned this program periodically over the years and figured it was time to give it another plug. In case you're unfamiliar with it, Swagbucks is a search engine that allows you to earn fake money (swagbucks) that can be cashed in for real prizes.  There are a gazillion ways to spend them, but I always and only get Amazon gift cards.  I've used those gift cards for so many things over the years - gifts for other people, things we've needed, and items that were just for fun.  I installed and use the Swagbucks toolbar, which makes the program very handy to use.  In addition to searching from the site or toolbar, you can also earn through their referral program (you get matching reward for a while for each person you refer), doing your online shopping through the Swagbucks site, taking surveys, watching videos, and more.  The only area where I think Swagbucks isn't nearly as good as Google is image searches, but I rarely need an image and will just head to Google if I can't find what I need through Swagbucks.  So, if you haven't tried it before, then give Swagbucks a try!

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Jess Connell: Grow On Purpose - I have two friends who write such great things that I want to link almost every single thing they write both here and on Facebook.  Wise women!  One of them is Jess, who some of you may remember from links I've shared to her old site, Making Home.  You really should just read her site on a regular basis, but here are some recent posts I really like.

* Content With Little, Content With Much
* Releasing Our Dreams, Finding God's Adventure
* The Sovereignty of God in the Waiting Room of Life
* Beyond Goals: What Will Change My Heart in 2014?

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To Sow A Seed - Heather is the other friend who consistently writes wonderful things.  Like Jess, her blog is one that you would benefit from reading regularly, but I'm going to link you to a few of my favorite posts.

* On Full Quivers
* Raising Kids With a Global Perspective (the first of a three part series and links to the other two parts, one of which is written by one of her kids) 
* Being There
* Why Nepal?

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Time Traveling Photographer - These are some really fun pictures from a woman who digitally inserted herself into old photos.  The end result is pictures taken around the world of her at two different ages, generally about 25-30 years apart.  

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God Hates Divorce - My friend Shari's post about loving people whose actions we don't like or approve of and about truth being well-received in the context of a relationship that is already filled with love, is excellent.  I love the following quote.

You know the old, "love the sinner, hate the sin" thing?

I feel like that comes out looking a lot like straight up hating both, just in a tidy package that somehow seems more acceptable.

It isn't though- it's worse.

It's like that relative that says mean things in a nice tone of voice. It insults and degrades you without giving you the opportunity to respond, because it's posed as niceness.

I'm not sure I have the desire to pick and choose the parts of God's word I want to skewer other people with. Mostly because I'm quite certain that there are equally parts of God's word that I (ignore, fail to follow, struggle with, ignore, well.... you get the point).

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Unclaimed Property in Oregon - I'm pretty sure I've mentioned this site before, but I regularly find the names of people I know on it. Some have had relatively small amounts of money waiting for them, but at least one person had thousands of dollars waiting. If you have ever lived in Oregon, then hit the "search" button and see if there's anything that belongs to you.  If you've never lived in Oregon, then try searching "unclaimed property" and the name of your state or see if this link can connect you with your state's site.

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Our Daughter's Senior Internships Start Today! - Mindy is a friend whose homeschooled daughter has spent this month interning away from home and has two more internship trips coming up.   This post explains why they are arranging the internships and how they are set up.  Their family's perspective has shifted from one of believing that girls/women should always and only live in their parents' home until marriage to believing that's only one of several good options, so these internships are all with women who are committed to their families and have careers of some sort.  I love that their desire is for their daughter to see that there is a spectrum of healthy ways for marriages, parenting, and careers to play out!  I think this internship idea is fantastic, love the way the went about it, and would like to do something similar when our kids are that age, regardless of whether or not we're homeschooling at that point.  

LINKS I LIKE #10

I know I just did one of these posts a couple weeks ago, but I had accumulated several links over the last several months and didn't share them all last time.  I also have a couple that I just discovered.  So, here we go.  Funny, serious, practical ... there's a little of everything.


Bad to Decor - Is that a witty blog name or what?  Love it!  My friend, Christi, and her son are whizzes at turning trash into treasures.  One of my favorite projects is this old door that they turned into an awesome picture frame.  Or maybe the chandelier for the laundry room.  I'm not a big fan of red, but I do love fun light fixtures!


Give Them Something Great to Imitate - Crystal, of Money Saving Mom, reminds us that our kids learn a lot more from how we act than from what we say.  Super convicting, as I have a tendency to verbalize every negative thought and emotion I have around the house.  The following quote was the one that hit me the most, as it's what I struggle with.

If I want my children to be respectful of other people — no matter who they are, I need to do more than just verbalize how imperative it is that we show respect. I need to set an example by constantly being respectful in my words and deeds for everyone I come in contact with.


Discontentment & Comparison - Jess is one of my wisest friends and I love it when she shares her insights into life or the things she's learning.  This was a great post on how we compare up when we want to wallow in self-pity and compare down when we're feeling prideful.  The best part, though, is how she encourages us to stop all comparisons and choose to consider a whole list of amazing things instead.

When we keep scripture as our standard, rather than people, our perspective changes. 

We begin to consider all the things God has done for us... all the things He has done, period.  We consider ourselves in light of eternity, and consider ourselves in light of the vast universe He holds and cares for each day.  We get a vision for life that is bigger than ourselves & our comparisons.

Look to what GOD tells you to focus on, rather than what Facebook, magazines, Pinterest, and even your own deceitful heart, tell you to focus on.

Comparison kills; considering Scripture gives life. 


Lucky 13: 13 things I've learned in 13 years of marriage - Anne, of Modern Mrs. Darcy, shares her perspective on things that matter in marriage.  A few good ones?  

#4. It's what you do every day that counts.
#5. Sometimes I want to wage war.  I need to get over it.   
#11. Marriage is a see-saw.  


What to Say When You Get Nailed For Saying the R-Word: A Handy Guide - Lisa, at Life as I Know It, talks about the importance of not using the words "retard" or "retarded" as insults or criticisms.  Her handy dandy list of how not to respond when someone calls you out for talking that way is fantastic.  I confess, her snark makes me chuckle.  Like here.

Say, “Oops!  Sorry!  I know you don’t like that word.”  What this says is that you think the use of the slur is perfectly acceptable, just not in front of certain overly sensitive crybabies.


Surviving Whole Foods - Oh. my. word!  I laughed through this whole thing.  Whole Foods, New Seasons, or whatever store fits the bill in your neighborhood, this article is a riot.  This line cracks me up.

Next I come to the vitamin aisle which is a danger zone for any broke hypochondriac. 

Ha!  Hypochondriacs are hilarious ... when they aren't totally annoying.  Heads up that that post has a little bit of language in it.  


Restored furniture, parenting reminders, attitude adjustments, marriage insights, having tact, and a little chuckle - that's it for now!

LINKS I LIKE #9

It's been over two years since I've done one of these posts!  I've made note of some sites over the last several months that I thought were worthy of sharing, so here they are.

A Year Without Buying Clothes - Rebecca is much more of a clothes-loving fashionista than I am (as most people are) made a major change to her spending habits.  She shares what prompted the change and how the change impacted life beyond her closet and wallet.

Courage Dear Hearts - Hannah lives with my sister's family, helping with homeschooling my nieces and nephew and doing whatever else needs to be done.  This is her personal blog where she shares whatever is on her mind.

Finding Courage to Release the "Stuff" - Elisha shares what has prompted her family to shake up their living situation and simplify their lives.

Helpmeet Your Goals - Amber and Sarah joined up to create a place for women who want to put their families first, while also running successful businesses.  I'm not an entrepreneur, but I've still found some great information, ideas, and encouragement on their site.  Incidentally and ironically, they just published the first of a two part interview they did with me because I'm not working.  I promise that their site was in my rough draft of links I like before they ever asked for an interview.  Pinky swear.

My Soapbox: Clean Homes, Happy Kids, and "Good Mothers" - An excellent article on how ludicrous it is to say or believe that women with messy homes put a higher priority on time with their kids than women with clean homes.

Sarah's Home - A friend and her husband, along with staff members and a board, run a home for minor girls who have been rescued from a life of being forced to sell their bodies for sex.  Their facility is in Colorado and is designed to help the girls heal physically and emotionally, while also preparing them for a safe and productive re-entry into the real world when they are ready to make that transition.  You can also keep up with Sarah's Home on Facebook.

Hope you enjoy some of these links!

LINKS I LIKE #8

In alphabetical order ...

Dance Mat Typing - Though they don't get on here as often as they should, our boys love to practice typing with this program. It's free and the accents are fun.

Moffit Missionaries - I have three main reasons for loving this site. 1 - Pictures of Daisy. 2 - Pictures of Ally. 3 - Picture of Neo. Of course, seeing pictures of Josh, Beep, the beautiful mountain they all live on, and glimpses into their daily grind is also fun ... but nieces and nephews are more fun. Too bad they're an ocean away.

Swagbucks - I know I've talked about Swagbucks before, but each time I "buy" Amazon gift cards I love it more. Actually, I love it more when gift card codes get applied to my account ... like today. It's fun to get rewarded for looking stuff up online and for using their toolbar. We've earned hundreds of dollars over the last couple years and I'm grateful for that!

Take Your Queue From Me - Kelly started a movie review site, but she isn't watching whatever the current blockbuster is. She's drawn to the movies that you may not have heard about, which I think is kinda fun. Plus, she's a fun writer. You can also find her site on Facebook.

Wit Behind the Ears - This site is, well ... witty. Anna and Gwen chat about all sorts of things and I think one of the coolest ideas I've seen on their site is the chalkboard countertops. Admittedly, I wouldn't use them enough to make it worth having, but it is cool!

LINKS I LIKE #7

All righty, I've been building up a little stash of sites you should know about. Ready?

Cleaning For A Reason - I've been hearing & reading a lot lately from people who are frustrated by cancer "support" that is more about being trendy or getting attention than it is about actually making a real difference in the lives of people who are battling or dying from cancer. In light of that, I thought I'd give this organization a plug. They provide housecleaning services to women who are currently being treated for any kind of cancer. How cool is that?! If you're a housecleaning service and would like to participate in this program, then fill out the application. If you're neither a house cleaner nor a cancer patient, but would like to help provide this service to those in need, then there are a variety of ways you can donate financially to the program.

Why Big Families Might Be Easier - We don't have a big family, but this short article totally cracked me up! Wish I could remember who pointed me toward it. Oh well.

Brave Girls Club - Sandy linked this post on her own blog. Seeing Past What It Seems is an excellent reminder that the unattractive, less-than-ideal, or slightly scandalous thing occurring in someone's life may be totally beyond their control and the least of their worries, that you never really know all that's going on in someone's life, and that it's far better to show genuine concern and a willingness to help than it is to complain and judge.

Justice For Barbara - It's been a little over a year since one woman was murdered and her mother was seriously injured. The attack happened in Glendale, OR and the suspect has never been caught. Please take a good look at this sketch from the sheriff's office and get more details about the crime, then notify the authorities if you know anything that may be helpful in solving this crime.


As a sidenote, if you happen to know people connected to the victims of this crime, then please do not indicate that here. Thanks!

Mompetition - If you are annoyed by women who find every aspect of parenting to be a competition, think it's ridiculous when moms are arrogant about totally superficial things, and love sarcasm, then you have to watch the movies in this series. Most of them are around two minutes long and they crack. me. up. every time I watch them. Disclaimer: I haven't seen all of them and sometimes have gestures or words (and these are very brief) that some may find offensive.

Making Home - Jess, as per usual, has a great post about doing annual checkups in your marriage. I know Tim and I would do well to evaluate things like this more than we do, so I'm guessing many of you would also benefit from some routine, objective examining of your marriages.

Tenant Rights, Laws, & Protections (Oregon) - I've linked several people to this site over the last year, so I figured it would be a handy one to share for any of my readers who rent. I'm assuming there are similar sites in other states.

LINKS I LIKE #6

I haven't done one of these posts in a super, duper long time!

Stuff Christians Like - Jon did a great post recently on pursuing the things that interest or matter to you, rather than talking or thinking about pursuing them. I know there are some areas I should do less thinking and more acting. I'm sure you have some too.

Coupon Cravings - This is a handy article on ways to get cash for your unused or outdated electronic gadgets.

From Mourning to Dancing - Monica is a friend who used her own illness as inspiration for this very practical post about how to help a friend battling cancer. It includes lots of helpful things and tells you the things to avoid. Read it even if you don't currently have a friend with cancer, as odds are that you will at some point.

Transformed From Glory to Glory - My friend Summer has done a couple posts this month that are fantastic for parents. Actually, they're good for anyone who may be a parent someday. The first one is an encouraging reminder that we need to be patient in waiting for the results of our parenting efforts, realizing that some things will take more time than others and that no two kids will need the exact same parenting from us.

This morning she had another great post about the phrase "kids will be kids". I was just talking to a friend over the weekend about the same idea. It frustrates and perplexes me when parents think inappropriate behavior, even if done out of childish curiosity or ignorance and not rebellion or spite, is funny or cute. Sometimes I just want to shake parents and say "This is not cute and it's certainly not going to be cute five years from now, so buck up and do the hard work of parenting your fit throwing, mischievious, disrespectful, or whining child!"

I hold no judgement toward a parent or child simply because those behaviors occur, as that's part of humanity. It happens in our family, just like everyone else's. What concerns me is parents who do nothing about it. Or snap pictures to laugh over. Or use that sticky sweet voice to state the behavior "wasn't very nice", yet give no consequences. Or reward the poor behavior through bribery or with giving in to the child's demands. Or let the child merrily go on their way while the parent deals with the aftermath of the child's behavior.

I agree that kids will be kids. Similiarly, I agree that boys will be boys and girls will be girls. However, I think it would be fantastic if parents would be parents. Age and gender can explain particular behaviors, but that doesn't mean they excuse them.

Wow, that was a tangent. Didn't mean to go off on that, but it seriously drives me batty in the present and truly concerns me for the future.

Making Home - Jess looks at the "other" Proverbs woman, challenging women to examine the way they speak, think, and interact with others.

Centsational Girl - Lisa directed me toward this blog and it's super cool. I'm not artistic at all and this woman's taste is a little more formal and fancy than what I'm drawn to, but her ability to transform trash into treasures and re-purpose items, while doing it for pennies on the dollar, is awesome. Lots of ideas for sprucing up your home can be here!!

All righty, we'll call that a wrap. Hope you find something in all those links that you like.

LINKS I LIKE #5

Just thought I'd share some cool sites with you today. Ready? Here goes!



Africam - This is a cool site I used to check frequently, but I'd forgotten about it until recently. It's live video of an African watering hole. You'll need to register on the site, then access the cameras from the list on the left of the page. The link for Nkorho Pan is the watering hole one. Sometimes nothing is happening, other times tons of animals are there, so just open the page and check it periodically. Be sure to turn your volume on to hear all the critters! Even if you can't see any animals it's still nice to listen to the birds chirping in the background as you do other stuff online.

Cake Wrecks - Oh. my. word! This site can have me gasping for air because I'm laughing so hard. Or doing that creepy, silent, shaking, hyperventilating laugh because I'm reading it late at night and don't want to wake up the whole house. Jen, the author of the blog, posts pictures of professionally decorated cakes that are horrible on at least on level, sometimes multiple levels. The cakes are horrid, she's sarcastic, and the comments are a riot. Check it out ever so often when you need a laugh!

The Chloe Chronicles - This is an online friend I've had the privilege of spending a weekend with in California and an evening with in Portland. She's older than I am and her kids have both left home in the last couple years - one through happy circumstances and the other through difficult circumstances. One of the things that I love about her is that she's so transparent. I think all moms, but particularly Christian moms who tend to justify their prideful attitudes about their "holy" choices, would benefit from reading the first two posts in a series she's doing on how she lost her groove ... and got it back. She talks pretty candidly about being prideful in parenting, marriage, her faith, etc and how she got knocked off the pedestal she'd put herself on. Here is the first post and here is the second post. Just a heads up that she throws out an occasional swear word. I know that may offend some, but I know she loves Jesus, loves her family and that my Bible doesn't have a list of four letter words that are taboo.

Stuff Christians Like - I've mentioned this site before in various posts, but Jon recently had an awesome post on Christians who complain "I'm not being fed" when discussing their church. Good stuff!

LINKS I LIKE #4

Just want to share some great sites with you.

Frugal Living - My friend Sarah pointed me in the direction of this site. It's similar to Money Saving Mom and My Penny Pile (both linked in my sidebar), but it's specific to the Portland area. The way this woman shops at Safeway blows my mind. I still love WinCo, but I think I'm going to have to try and do some of the things she does at Safeway. Amazing!

Susan G. Komen For The Cure Scholarship - I don't even know if this scholarship existed when I was in college, but I sure could have used it!! It's designed to help people who struggle to pay for college because of the death of a parent from breast cancer. They give seven scholarships each year, up to $10,000 each to students up to age 25. Check out the link for more details. The deadline for applying for the 2009-2010 school year is only a few days away, so if you know someone who could use this scholarship next school year then pass this link to them. Otherwise, tuck it away for future reference. It could be a silver lining in someone's huge rain cloud.

Love Lasts A Lifetime - Remember Kelly? She's the one who made dishcloths for me and has lots of great recipes. Well, she started a marriage blog at the beginning of the year and it's great. She and Doug have been married almost twenty years and though their marriage is strong now, they've gone through some major struggles. I love getting encouraged by people who have made it through hard times themselves! She writes most of the posts, but Doug pops in occasionally too. I think all his posts are labeled "the happy husband" on her sidebar. Check out her site for book discussions (she's currently going through Sheet Music by Kevin Leman, which is an excellent book by one of my favorite authors), weekly challenges, bedroom ideas, ideas for romancing your husband and more.

Swagbucks - Do all your internet searches through this site and earn prizes. Seriously, it's that simple. I just cashed in some points for an Amazon gift card.

LINKS I LIKE #3

Here's another post I haven't done in ages. So, here are a few sites I think are worthy of passing on to you.

Oregon's Unclaimed Property - Free money! Who would turn that down? You can search this site to see if Oregon has any money for you. I've never found anything that belonged to me personally, but I've found lots of friends and family here. Some of them have received some large checks too! Check it out if you live here currently or have in the past. If you aren't from Oregon, then google the name of your state along with "unclaimed property" to find the site for your state. Some states will tell you specifically what is waiting for you, while Oregon just tells you if it's over or under $50.

Around the Sun - This site gives you a heads up on all sorts of cheap or free things going on in the Portland area. There is a regular weekly post for the upcoming weekend, plus a variety of other posts spotlighting a particular event.

Hiking Up Hill - Sandy is a woman I know through the Sonlight forums who was diagnosed with breast cancer on 7/3/08. This site chronicles her battle against the disease, gives tips to mastectomy patients and their caregivers, shows the financial cost of treatment, and has some fun pics of head shavings and the hats made to keep bald heads warm in the winter. She's real - voicing the struggles one day and being upbeat the next.

LINKS I LIKE #2

Ok, I have a few sites to throw out to you. Ready?

I'll start with Jess. Her blog is called Making Home and it's filled with all sorts of fantastic stuff, both encouraging and challenging. I was originally intending on showing her recent post about Romans 14 and how it applies to the prideful and judgemental attitudes moms can have toward each other. Then she had an excellent post on a marital dilemma. I guess I'd suggest going to her site and reading in whatever categories appeal to you. It's all good!

If you want to listen to commercial free music while the computer is on, then check out Pandora. You can create multiple stations based on particular songs or artists. It's wonderful!!

Next on the lineup is The Pioneer Woman. Oh. My. Word. She's amazing! She is hysterically funny and a kick in the pants to read. She's constantly giving away prizes, has tons of pictures, a whole section of her site devoted to photography, another to cooking, one to home and garden, and the rest to whatever floats her boat.

Ashley sent me a link to the following site. It's called Stuff Christians Like and it's a riot. If you like sarcasm and are comfortable mocking some of the silly things that go on in churches, then you'll enjoy this site.

Metro Parent is a site that has a lengthy list of activities for families in the Portland area.

And I think we'll call that a wrap.

LINKS I LIKE #1

I've decided to copy Jess and occasionally give a list of links that I like for one reason or another.

Earth's Birthday - We bought caterpillars from this site and were able to watch the transformation into butterflies, eventually releasing them in our front yard. They have a bunch of other products and activities on their site.

Holidays for Everyday - Did you know that April is National Grilled Cheese Month? Or that today is Barbershop Quartet Day? This site has every holiday you could imagine. It's perfect for finding some random fun in an otherwise boring day. I think I'll have to make more ice cream sandwiches on the 30th to celebrate National Oatmeal Cookie Day.

Children of God for Life - When it comes to medical decisions, I think it's important for people to know what they are doing and why they are doing it. One specific area that I think too many people blindly follow whatever their doctor has told them to do is vaccinations. They don't understand the diseases they are vaccinating for or what the vaccines are made of. I've said it before and I'll say it again. I'm not anti-medical establishment. Not at all. I love our pediatrician and he's very pro-vaccination. I just want people to make educated medical decisions. This site lets you know which vaccinations are derived from the cell lines of aborted babies and if there are ethical alternatives. Do your research and make the decision that is best for your family, which may not be the best for the next family on the block.

Tim Hawkins - I keep seeing clips from this guy everywhere lately! Some of them are pretty stinkin' funny. He has stuff on corporations taking over churches, Christianese, homeschoolers, and a bunch of other stuff. As you watch the stuff on youtube you'll see more of his stuff on the right.

My Bargain Buddy - If you scroll to the bottom of this site you'll find freebies. I've scored samples of toiletries to let guests or our family use and snacks that I'd never buy because they're ridiculously overpriced.

Water 4 Gas - I was recently shown this site by someone who has converted their vehicles. Very interesting, financially and environmentally.


Ok, I think that's it for today. The boys just got up from naps and I need to go invest my treasure in them.