Less Than 24 Hours Left to Win Custom Postcards from UPrinting

Just a quick reminded that my UPrinting Custom Postcard Giveaway will be ending tomorrow, January 1st at 12 noon EST! You can sign up to enter by clicking here!

A Year in Review: Blog Style

Since it's the last day of 2009, I thought I would recap the year...blog style. I am posting the first sentence of the first post of each month. Some posts are just deal posts...some are a little more than that, but it will give you a good sampling of what life has been like here at Simplified Saving.

January

Every year as December comes to an end, I start taking inventory of my life and all the areas I want to improve in.

Not only is this my first post of the year, it's also the first post of my blog!

February

I love eBay.

I love selling on eBay and buying on eBay. Both are helpful when you're trying to get out of debt. This post was a link to a free copy of The Stay at Home Mom's Guide to Successful eBay Selling.

March

I totally enjoyed my weekend of mall freebies!

I scored a ton of free stuff that weekend...although this post is actually about a free tank top from Aeropostale that was available the following week. My daughter still regularly wears that free tank top!

April

Today is April 1st and if you're like me, you have tons of coupons that expired on March 31, 2009.

This post is about Coupons for Troops, a program that provides expired and non-expired coupons to military families stationed overseas.

May

This month's Free Download from Christian Audio is Foxe's Book of Martyrs.

Each month, ChristianAudio.com offers a free download of an audiobook. There have been some phenomenal ones this year!

June

Tonight is Free Root Beer Float night at Sonic from 8 pm to close.

July

So it is currently 2:23 and I am awake and anxiously awaiting the refreshing of the Old Navy Weekly Site.

I'm pretty sure that was the first and last time I stayed up for that. Although the Old Navy Weekly site has awesome coupons, it's not worth losing sleep over.

August

I can't believe my time in New Hampshire is coming to an end.

Although we spent our entire summer at our cottage in New Hampshire, this isn't a post waxing eloquent about our wonderful time with friends and family. It's actually a Menu Planning post about using what you have in your pantry.

September

I love Coach purses and shoes!

That pretty much sums things up. Surprisingly enough, this isn't a lengthy post on my love of fabulous shoes and handbags, it's actually a link to a printable coupon for the Coach Factory Store.

October

I was thrilled to have the opportunity to review Redefining Beautiful by Jenna Lucado.

November

Join Beth Moore every Monday for a free online Bible study!

December

I talk a lot about my husband and kids, but I've never really told you much about them.

This post is the beginning in a series of posts (which still need to be written and posted) about how my family came to be.


I hope you've enjoyed a quick look at my year. I'm excited about what 2010 holds. Thanks so much for being a part of this journey!

Hurry and Print These Coupons Before It's Too Late!

Coupons.com has added some great coupons including some high value L'Oreal coupons. These coupons will reset on January 1st, so hurry and print them now before it's too late!

Free Wonderful Tonight Hair Repair Serum Sample from TIGI

TIGI has another great freebie today...a 1 oz sample of Wonderful Tonight.

The store has been slow loading again, but really, who can complain. They're giving away awesome free stuff and you don't even have to pay for shipping.

Thanks goes to The Freebie Blogger!

Free Yo-Plus Yogurt Coupon

Right now if you sign up for the Betty Crocker newsletter, you can get a coupon for a FREE Yo-Plus yogurt pack.

Although this offer is void in CA, ID, LA, MN, NJ, ND, NV, and TN, they do have a printable coupon for you t (not as good as free, but $1 off isn't too shabby!).

Thanks Hey It's Free!

Sunday Coupon Preview

Want to know what coupons are in this Sunday's paper? Head on over to Sunday Coupon Preview.

A Little Poem to Brighten Your Wednesday

Twas The Month After Christmas

Twas the month after Christmas and all through the house
Nothing would fit me, not even a blouse.

The cookies I'd nibbled, the eggnog I'd taste.
All the holiday parties had gone to my waist.

When I got on the scales there arose such a number!
When I walked to the store (less a walk than a lumber).

I'd remember the marvelous meals I'd prepared;
The gravies and sauces and beef nicely rared,

The pies and the pastries, the bread and the cheese
And the way I'd never said, "No thank you, please."

As I dressed myself in my husband's old shirt
And prepared once again to do battle with dirt---

I said to myself, as I only can
"You can't spend a winter disguised as a man!"

So--away with the last of the sour cream dip,
Get rid of the fruit cake, every cracker and chip

Every last bit of food that I like must be banished
Till all the additional ounces have vanished.

I won't have a cookie--not even a lick.
I'll want only to chew on a long celery stick.

I won't have hot biscuits, or corn bread, or pie,
I'll munch on a carrot and quietly cry.

I'm hungry, I'm lonesome, and life is a bore---
But isn't that what January is for?

Unable to giggle, no longer a riot.
Happy New Year to all and to all a good diet!

Author Unknown

HOT DEAL: Free Lip Pallet from TIGI

Tigi is offering a FREE Lip Pallet. They'll even cover the cost of shipping. This would make a great gift for the teenage girl in your life (or just keep it for yourself...consider it a late Christmas gift from me).

Click here and add the Girls Just Want It Lip Pallet to your cart. You don't have to enter any credit card info. The site takes forever to load so you may want to try it in the wee hours of the morning if you're up!

Thanks for the heads up, Moms Need to Know!

LeapFrog Printable Coupons - Hurry and Print Them!

Coupons.com still has some LeapFrog printable coupons available. If you combine this with one of the after Christmas sales, you may end up with one heck of a deal!

Click here to get a coupon for $5 off a LeapFrog Leapster Learning Game or $4 off any LeapFrog Tag Book.

If you're having trouble finding these coupons on the Coupons.com website, try clicking on entertainment in the left sidebar.

Smokey Bones: Free Appetizer on New Years Day

Kick off your New Year with a free appetizer from Smokey Bones. This coupon doesn't specify that a purchase is necessary so this could make for a cheap date afternoon! Split an appetizer, order water, tip your server decently....and you still have a cheap outing. And Smokey Bones is really yummy! You may want to make sure your location is participating before braving the cold!

Click here to get your coupon!

Read It Forward: Free Books

You all know I absolutely love to read. The Read It Forward Program by Crown Publishing gives away FREE copies of new releases. You can read it and then share it with a friend.

The supplies are limited, but they will ship the new releases directly to you. The following new releases are currently available. Hurry and get yours before it's too late.

• Breaking Out of Bedlam by Leslie Larson
• Prima Donna by Megan Chance
• True Confections by Katharine Weber

To request yours, go here.

Thanks Money Saving Methods!

Thought for the Day

No one is so miserable as the poor person who maintains the appearance of wealth. 

~Charles Spurgeon

The Bible in 90 Days: I Can't Wait to Begin

The Bible in 90 Days Challenge (hosted by Mom's Toolbox) is beginning in only 4 days. When I read Amy's post, I knew I wanted to be involved. I'm thrilled to be joining a great group of bloggers in digging into God's Word!

As I've thought about the time commitment and the already hectic pace of my life, I have come up with a plan. I will get out of bed 30 minutes earlier each day in order to start my day off right. I know there will be days when I won't finish it all in one setting and where I will have to read in bits and pieces throughout the day, but I know that the time I invest will be worth it. I was really excited to discover that Amazon offers The Bible in 90 Days for Kindle. This will make it easier to accomplish my goal...especially while I'm traveling.

I hope you'll prayerfully consider joining us! To sign up, visit Mom's Toolbox (and please leave a comment here as well). Also, if you're on Twitter, look for the #B90Days hashtag.

Request A Free Fitness Plan from Curves (and get 30 free days when you join!)

Losing weight and exercising regularly (or 10,950 minutes) both made it on my list of New Year's Resolutions for 2010. If either of these made your list, you may want to check out this deal from Curves. You can go here to request a free fitness plan. They are also offering 30 days free when you join (this is for new members only and there is some fine print at the bottom that you may want to read).

Free Sample from NicoDerm CQ

If you're trying to quit smoking (or if you're planning on making it one of your New Year's Resolutions), check out this deal from NicoDerm CQ. They are offering a free sample of NicoDerm CQ and a $7 coupon for NicoDerm CQ with Smart Control.

Go here to get your sample!

Free Gillette Fusion Razor

I'm a big fan of Gillette Fusion Razors and right now you can get one free via phone call or text message.

Phone: Call 1-888-778-3221 and press 2 for instructions in English. Follow the instructions to leave your information and your Gillette Fusion Razor will be on its way.

Text: If you've signed up for ShopText or you have requested a freebie from them in the past, simply text PRUEBA to 467467. You'll receive a reply in Spanish asking for your age. Text them your age (i.e. 33) and then you'll receive another reply in Spanish asking for your state abbreviation. Text them your state abbreviation and you are good to go. You'll receive another reply in Spanish stating that your razor will arrive in 4-6 weeks.

Thanks Free Stuff 4 Free!

Free Bag of Galaxy Granola

Sign up here for a free bag of Galaxy Granola. Choose from Not Sweet Vanilla or Vanilla Almond.

Thanks Free Stuff 4 Free!

Making the Most of After Christmas Sales

If you've been out and about today, you've most likely seen the throngs of shoppers gathered round marked down Christmas items. For some of you this may seem like a ridiculous waste of time, however, I'd like to give you a few ideas that will help you make the most of these sales.

• Christmas Candy - Now is the time to snag candy for a fraction of the price. Inexpensive bags of chocolate, chocolate bars, and chocolate Santas can be used in place of chocolate chips for baking. Also, I try to stock up on Hershey's Kisses to be used for Valentines and St. Patricks day. I use red and gold kisses for Valentines day and I use green kisses for St. Patricks day. It sure beats paying full price in February!
• Wrapping Paper - Christmas wrapping paper isn't just for Christmas! You can find solid and foiled red, gold, silver, green, and white paper that can be used throughout the year. Also, look for pastel colored paper with snowflakes to be used on gifts given during the wintry months.
• Gift Sets - I love holiday gift sets. Many of these get marked down to a fraction of the price because the packaging is Chistmas-y. I've often purchased giftsets made up of lotions and body washes at 50-80% off just because of the wrapping. What's even better is that these gift sets can be dismantled and the individual bottles of lotions can be put in other gifts throughout the year. I often turn these gift sets into birthday gifts or thinking of you gifts!
• Baking supplies and cookware - After Christmas is a great time to purchase cookware and baking supplies. I found multiple sets of pots and pans marked at 50% off at Wal-Mart this morning and I also found nice cookie sheets. I'm not sure why they choose to mark so many of these items down in their "holiday" section, but I definitely won't complain. If you need pots and pans, waffle irons, tea kettles, etc., make sure to take a look at the holiday markdowns.
• Christmas decorations and lights - Most of my Christmas decorations and lights have been purchased after Christmas. Each year, I try to add a few piece ornaments to my collection. I love that I can buy 3 or 4 ornaments for the price I would usually pay for 1. This is also a great time to buy an artificial tree to use next year. Also, if you are planning a wedding or party in which you may want to use white lights, stock up now. You'll be able to find them and the price on them will be unbeatable!
• Candles - I love candles! I love the way they make my house smell and the ambiance they create. Candles are often included in the post Christmas sales...and not just the red and green ones. I was amazed to find so many white candles in a variety of scents marked down to a fraction of their costs!

I hope this will give you a few ideas to help make the most of after Christmas sales. Please remember that it's never a good deal if you don't have the money to pay for it. It's easy to get caught up in the thrill of a bargain, but it's not worth the stress that it brings when you realize you have no money and no place to store all your "bargains". With that disclaimer out of the way, I'm heading to the mall! Have a great day!

Merry Christmas!

Since Christmas is a time of sharing and family, I thought I'd share a picture of my family with you! Aren't they the cutest elves you've ever seen?

Merry Christmas from my family to yours!

Mega Swagbucks Day

Friday is not only Christmas...it's also Mega Swagbucks Day and that means you can earn Swagbucks in larger denominations (10,20, 50, 100). They guarantee over 10K Swagbucks will be awarded in Mega Bills! Make sure to head on over tomorrow and do a few searches (and do a few today while you're at it!). Remember 45 Swagbucks will get you a $5 Amazon gift card. You can easily earn 1 or 2 Amazon gift cards a month with just a few searches a day!

For those of you who haven't heard of Swagbucks, it is a free way to search online (it's powered by Google and Ask.com) and earn rewards for doing it. You can learn more about Swagbucks in this post. Have a great Christmas and an enjoyable weekend with your family!

Merry Christmas!

I wanted to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and let you know that my blogging will most likely be sporadic this week as I celebrate Christmas with my family.

If you want to make sure you don't miss anything, please subscribe to Simplified Saving for free updates via email or in a reader.

Don't Forget to Pick Up Your A-List Chocolate Bar

Happy Christmas Eve! If you're heading to the mall to do some last minute shopping, make sure you head to aerie to pick up your A-List gift!

If you don't know about the A-List, you can read more about it here. This month's A-List gift is an aerie comfort & joy chocolate bar. It looks so yummy! Click here for more details or go on over here to find your closest store. It only takes a few minutes to sign up and it's sooo worth it!

Free Christmas Music from The Fray

For a limited time, The Fray is offering a free one year membership to their fan club and 4 unreleased acoustic Christmas songs by clicking here! I'm a big fan of The Fray, so I'm quite excited!

Thanks For the Mommas and Coupon Geek!

Sunday Coupon Preview

Want to know what coupons are in this Sunday's paper? Head on over to Sunday Coupon Preview.

Why I'm Reading The Bible in 90 Days

I'm busy. I'm tired. I have a chronic illness. I work outside our home. I work inside our home. My kids need help with homework. We need to eat dinner together as a family. I want to spend time talking with my husband. I want to spend time laughing with my kids. I really should be exercising. I have commitments at the church. I need to post to my blog. Just typing these things makes me want to curl up in bed and take a nap. However, I know that the most important thing I can do is to spend time in the Word of God.

Unfortunately, in my busyness, God's Word doesn't always take priority. That is why I have committed along with many other lovely bloggers to read through the Bible in 90 days. Beginning on January 1st and continuing through March 31st, I will be reading through the entire Bible. I am excited to make this commitment and to see how God will work during this time! I hope you will consider joining me. If you're planning on participating, please leave me a comment or send me an email.

Top Ten Tuesday: New Year's Resolutions

It's Top Ten Tuesday over at OhAmanda (and if you don't read her blog already, you really need to. And just a little FYI, she's a Disney Mom, which I totally want to be when I grow up). Ok...now on to the important things (not that OhAmanda and being a Disney Mom aren't important, but really, this is my blog and today I've decided to post about what I want).

I know it's not even Christmas yet, but I've been thinking about my New Year's Resolutions quite a bit lately and this is the year that I am going to accomplish them. I've tried to make these goals all SMART...Specific, Measurable Attainable, Realistic, and Timely, so here they are (in no particular order)

1. Lose weight (average at least one pound/week for the year)
2. Exercise at least 10,950 minutes
3. Stick to our budget...every single month!
4. Track all of our income and spending.
5. Read through the entire Bible.
6. Take a trip with the kids to Disney World or Disney Land
7. Post at least 5 times/week on my blog
8. Try 2 new recipes per month
9. Read 1 book or listen to 1 audiobook each week.
10. Take a creative writing or public speaking class.

{BONUS} I'd like to get more organized too, but I don't have a good plan for that yet...

Great Last Minute Gift - More Hot Magazine Deals

It's not too late to get some great magazine deals. Magazines are gifts that keep giving all year long.

Amazon has some of my favorite magazines on sale. You can get a one year subscription for as low as $5! You can't beat that kind of gift. These make great gifts for teachers, neighbors, or loved ones who are far away. I'm always thrilled to get a good magazine subscription! So enough of my rambling...

This Old House (1-year) $5

Southern Living (1-year) $5

Health (1-year) $5

Coastal Living (1-year) $5

Sunset (1-year) $5

Essence (1-year) $5

Entertainment Weekly (1 year) $10

InStyle (1-year) $10

Here's a deal that's not on Amazon, but it's definitely worth looking at!

BestDealMagazines.com has Taste of Home on sale today only for $4.39. You can also try code PXSS13 for 15% off. Plus, you can get cashback if you go through Shop at Home (15%), Cashbaq (15%), Ebates (10%). If you're new to Shop At Home, Cashbaq, or Ebates, you'll also get $5 added to your account when you make a purchase through them which makes this a money-maker for you!

25 Days of FREE {Free Music from Amazon}

Amazon is offering a free Christmas download every day between now and Christmas. Check it out here.

Hurry and download these now as they will only be available for a limited amount of time!

Dec. 1 - Joy to the World by Casting Crowns
Dec. 2 - Snow Angel by Tori Amos
Dec. 3 - The Coventry Carol by Mediaeval Baebes
Dec. 4 - Slower Than Christmas by the Boxmasters
Dec. 5 - God Rest Ye, Merry Gentlemen by Jars of Clay

Dec. 6 - Christmas Tree by Lady GaGa

Dec. 7 - No Room by Todd Agnew
Dec. 8 - Hark, the Herald Angels Sing [feat. Aygun Beyler and Mahsa Vahdat] by Carola
Dec. 9 - This Christmas Girl by James Pants
Dec. 10- Silent Night by House of Heroes
Dec. 11- Oh Holy Night by Richie McDonald
Dec. 12- All Wrapped Up In Christmas by Tracy Lawrence
Dec. 13- Mr. Heatmiser by Big Bad Voodoo Daddy
Dec. 14- Joy to the World by Stroudavarious Orchestra
Dec. 15- Oh Come Emmanuel by Aliqua
Dec. 16- The Night Before Christmas by Brandon Heath
Dec. 17- O Holy Night by Mark Harris
Dec. 18- It Really Is (A Wonderful Life) by Mindy Smith
Dec. 19- Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas by Keyshia Cole
Dec. 20- Christmas With A Monkey by Curious George
Dec. 21- Joy to the World by Lee Greenwood

You can also find hundreds of other free songs to download by clicking here!

Crocs Deal of the Day: $9.99 Alice

Crocs continues to roll out the great deals. Today's Deal of the Day is Crocs Alice for only $9.99.
Free shipping continues through the end of December as well, so although these won't make it before Christmas, you can still get a pretty sweet deal!

Happy shopping!

25 Days of Free {Free Music from Amazon}

Amazon is offering a free Christmas download every day between now and Christmas. Check it out here.

Hurry and download these now as they will only be available for a limited amount of time!

Dec. 1 - Joy to the World by Casting Crowns
Dec. 2 - Snow Angel by Tori Amos
Dec. 3 - The Coventry Carol by Mediaeval Baebes
Dec. 4 - Slower Than Christmas by the Boxmasters
Dec. 5 - God Rest Ye, Merry Gentlemen by Jars of Clay

Dec. 6 - Christmas Tree by Lady GaGa

Dec. 7 - No Room by Todd Agnew
Dec. 8 - Hark, the Herald Angels Sing [feat. Aygun Beyler and Mahsa Vahdat] by Carola
Dec. 9 - This Christmas Girl by James Pants
Dec. 10- Silent Night by House of Heroes
Dec. 11- Oh Holy Night by Richie McDonald
Dec. 12- All Wrapped Up In Christmas by Tracy Lawrence
Dec. 13- Mr. Heatmiser by Big Bad Voodoo Daddy
Dec. 14- Joy to the World by Stroudavarious Orchestra
Dec. 15- Oh Come Emmanuel by Aliqua
Dec. 16- The Night Before Christmas by Brandon Heath
Dec. 17- O Holy Night by Mark Harris
Dec. 18- It Really Is (A Wonderful Life) by Mindy Smith
Dec. 19- Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas by Keyshia Cole
Dec. 20- Christmas With A Monkey by Curious George

You can also find hundreds of other free songs to download by clicking here!

UPrinting Postcards {Giveaway} CLOSED

I'm thrilled that my sponsor UPrinting is offering another great giveaway to readers of Simplified Saving! That's right...one of you are going to receive 100 custom 4x6 postcards. These postcards will be printed on 14 pt Cardstock Gloss and can be printed in full color on both sides.

These don't have to be your average post cards either. UPrinting postcards can be used as thank you cards or personal notecards. You can make a save the date card for a wedding or a birth announcement. You can even use them as Christmas cards (or for those of you who like me never got around to sending out Christmas cards, you can can use them as New Year's cards). You can even use them as invitations to a party, shower, or special event like a family reunion!

Want to Win It? Leave me a comment telling me what you would do with the postcards if you were to win. This is required!

Want Extra Entries?**

1. Follow Simplified Saving through Google Friend Connect.

2. Follow Simplified Saving throughNetworked Blogs. You can have one entry for each!

3. Subscribe to Simplified Saving via email and /or RSS feed.

4. Blog about this giveaway and link back to this page (Leave your post URL)

5. Take my pretty button and post it on your blog. (Leave your blog URL)

6. Follow me (@LisaAboutLife) and @UPrinting on Twitter.

7. Tweet about this giveaway (include @LisaAboutLife in tweet).

8. Become a fan of Simplified Saving on Facebook!

****Please leave a separate comment for every entry. If your email address is not visible in your Blogger profile, please leave your email address with every comment. This giveaway will be closing on January 1st around noon eastern time.

Also, UPrinting has recently changed their shipping policies. All giveaway winners will be required to pay for shipping costs. There is a shipping calculator on the right side of the UPrinting site. This is still a phenomenal deal as these custom postcards would normally run $50.

{Disclosure: UPrinting generously gave me 100 postcards as a thank you for offering this giveaway. I don't have to disclose what I'm going to do with them, but I'm nice like that, so I'll tell you they will most likely be New Year's cards or possibly next years' Christmas cards if I continue at my current rate of procrastination}.

25 Days of FREE {Free Music from Amazon}

Amazon is offering a free Christmas download every day between now and Christmas. Check it out here.

Hurry and download these now as they will only be available for a limited amount of time!

Dec. 1 - Joy to the World by Casting Crowns
Dec. 2 - Snow Angel by Tori Amos
Dec. 3 - The Coventry Carol by Mediaeval Baebes
Dec. 4 - Slower Than Christmas by the Boxmasters
Dec. 5 - God Rest Ye, Merry Gentlemen by Jars of Clay

Dec. 6 - Christmas Tree by Lady GaGa

Dec. 7 - No Room by Todd Agnew
Dec. 8 - Hark, the Herald Angels Sing [feat. Aygun Beyler and Mahsa Vahdat] by Carola
Dec. 9 - This Christmas Girl by James Pants
Dec. 10- Silent Night by House of Heroes
Dec. 11- Oh Holy Night by Richie McDonald
Dec. 12- All Wrapped Up In Christmas by Tracy Lawrence
Dec. 13- Mr. Heatmiser by Big Bad Voodoo Daddy
Dec. 14- Joy to the World by Stroudavarious Orchestra
Dec. 15- Oh Come Emmanuel by Aliqua
Dec. 16- The Night Before Christmas by Brandon Heath
Dec. 17- O Holy Night by Mark Harris
Dec. 18- It Really Is (A Wonderful Life) by Mindy Smith

You can also find hundreds of other free songs to download by clicking here!

Giving Up On My Idea of a Perfect Christmas

I had such high hopes for my Christmas this year...and it started with my tree.

Last year I purchased fun and funky ornaments on sale after Christmas. I immediately put them on the tree and they were perfect. It didn't even bother me that it was after Christmas. I still enjoyed those ornaments on that tree.

In March of this year our small town experienced a flood.

Yep, that's our house and the street we live on!

We lost most of the belongings we had in our basement, including our pre-lit Christmas tree. My parents graciously gave us a beautiful tree they had so we wouldn't be without a tree.

On November 1st, we put up our new tree. I wanted to be able to stretch out my perfect Christmas for two months. Unfortunately, our new tree wasn't pre-lit (and we had no lights), so we just left it sitting there undecorated. By November 10th, I had purchased lights and we had a wonderful time decorating our tree...and it looked great. I wish I had taken a picture... I even wrapped tons of presents and put them under the tree.

Although the tree looked great, the rest of my house wasn't looking so impressive. We live in a fixer-upper that still needs a lot of fixin-up. We'd love to get the inside painted, but unfortunately that meant we needed to get the drywall repaired. We scheduled the drywall repair people to come the Monday after Thanksgiving. He quoted that he would only need"8-10" hours of work to get the job done.

So, we undecorated the tree and put most of the presents in the upstairs closet. We moved the tree to a different spot so that it was out of the way of the drywall workers and I told the family we could decorate as soon as the drywall guys finished up.

Look at the beautifully wrapped gifts under the tarp!

Unfortunately, that 8-10 hours that he quoted us is still going on. There have been lots of days they've been unable to come for one reason or another. They've been sick or busy with other jobs. Plus, my hubby was out of town for a few days so they couldn't come then. And the days they are here, they leave more dust than you could possibly imagine. With one week til Christmas, my home looks like this!

This isn't the ideal situation at Christmas time. I want a warm, welcoming home. I want my family to be surrounded by beautiful things, not tarps and drywall dust.

I'm sure that's what Mary wanted on that very first Christmas too. I'm sure that bringing her baby into the world in a dirty cold stable wasn't the ideal situation for her. I'm sure she envisioned things differently. She probably imagined a perfect Christmas. Christ coming into the world in a comfortable room surrounded by beautiful things. Instead, the Messiah was born in a dirty smelly animal enclosure.

And although Christ was born in a dirty place, I don't want him to live in a dirty place.

I want my home to be a place where Jesus would feel welcomed. I want Him to see that my life is not overwhelmed by busyness and the unimportant. I want a heart that is overflowing with love. I want the dirt in me to be scrubbed away by my repentant attitude and the cleansing blood of Jesus. I want the words that flow from my lips to be words seasoned with grace and hope.

I want to remember that the only perfect Christmas was in a stable when Emmanuel came to dwell with us...in us. God with us...Emmanuel...the perfect Christmas!

Join Mary and those who are "Giving Up On a Perfect Christmas" over at Giving Up On Perfect.

This post is linked to Finer Things Friday because there is nothing finer than Emmanuel...God with Us and Photo Story Friday.

Free 20 Song Starbucks Sampler Download

I've been downloading tons of music lately with Amazon's 25 Days of Free, but I can always use more free music. If you'd like more free music, simply become a Facebook Fan of iTunes and you can get a 20 Song Starbucks Sampler download.

Thanks Moms Need to Know!

Free Lip Product from Bath & Body Works

I was so excited today when I opened my inbox to find a new coupon from Bath & Body Works.

FREE Lip Item (up to $8) with ANY purchase

This is one of my favorite coupons because I love their lip products and it works with any purchase...even on clearance and inexpensive items. If you don't have anything particular in mind, try the foaming hand soap for only $3, the shea infused socks for only $5, or look for a small hand sanitizer or nail file for only a buck or two!

I used my coupon today and purchased a pair of their super cozy socks with shea butter* for only $5. The socks and lip gloss will be a great addition to one of my daughters' Christmas stocking.

*These Bath & Body works shea infused socks are my all time favorite cozy socks! A lip gloss and a pair of these socks for only $5 is a steal and would make a great gift for any woman on your list!

25 Days of Free {Free Music from Amazon}

Amazon is offering a free Christmas download every day between now and Christmas. Check it out here.

Hurry and download these now as they will only be available for a limited amount of time!

Dec. 1 - Joy to the World by Casting Crowns
Dec. 2 - Snow Angel by Tori Amos
Dec. 3 - The Coventry Carol by Mediaeval Baebes
Dec. 4 - Slower Than Christmas by the Boxmasters
Dec. 5 - God Rest Ye, Merry Gentlemen by Jars of Clay

Dec. 6 - Christmas Tree by Lady GaGa

Dec. 7 - No Room by Todd Agnew
Dec. 8 - Hark, the Herald Angels Sing [feat. Aygun Beyler and Mahsa Vahdat] by Carola
Dec. 9 - This Christmas Girl by James Pants
Dec. 10- Silent Night by House of Heroes
Dec. 11- Oh Holy Night by Richie McDonald
Dec. 12- All Wrapped Up In Christmas by Tracy Lawrence
Dec. 13- Mr. Heatmiser by Big Bad Voodoo Daddy
Dec. 14- Joy to the World by Stroudavarious Orchestra
Dec. 15- Oh Come Emmanuel by Aliqua
Dec. 16- The Night Before Christmas by Brandon Heath
Dec. 17- O Holy Night by Mark Harris

You can also find hundreds of other free songs to download by clicking here!