Deal of the week! 02.01

Okay. So everyone likes to find a good bargain - especially the women in my family. I just had to share my savings because I knew this would make them proud. ;o) 

Daniel's cousin Shelley and her 1 year old son met me in Fairhope to a children's consignment sale on Saturday morning (after my turn off road was shut down and the GPS decided that I already arrived to my destination when that was clearly not the case, but I did finally get there). We chose to go on Saturday because it was the last day of the consignment sale which means everything was discounted half off (unless marked otherwise). I already made a list of certain things I was on the lookout for. This makes things ALOT easier. I am always paranoid that I am purchasing something twice that I already have for Ellie. So here's what I walked away with [note the prices are compared to the closest item I could find from the same company].

Cosco Stroller - $9 vs. $37.06

BabyLegs leggings - $1 vs. $10

Gap yellow skinny jeans - $5 vs. $29.95

Little Me swimsuit - $2.50 vs. $29.50

iplay swim diaper - $1 vs. $12

Carter's Sunday dress - $1.50 vs. $23

Carter's romper - $1 vs. $11

Okie Dokie long shirt &

Okie Dokie jean skirt - $2.50 together vs. $12 each

REEF flip flops - $2 vs. $22

Old Navy shoes - $1.50 vs. $13
Activity Train block set - $2 vs. $60

So you might wonder what all this comes down to. I'm so glad you asked. ;o)

I spent: $29       Items bought full price: $271.51       Saved: $242.51

So for the price of Gap's skinny jeans, I got 11 other things. One of those things being a stroller!! 

I left a happy girl. Plus I got to eat a burger out for lunch with Shelley which was great.

What bargains did you walk away with this past weekend?

William Wilberforce

I've recently begun picking up reading again and have really enjoyed it. Since being married I didn't feel the "freedom" to take time to read knowing there are about a bajillion things to do. However, now that I have to sit down and feed a growing baby almost every 2 hours, I figure this would be a great opportunity to make a dent on my never-stop-adding-another-book list. =)                                                                                          So here I will try and write a brief overview from time to time on the books I've read. 

   Amazing Grace in the life of Wiliam Wilberforce/John Piper

Crossway Books, 2006, 76 pages long, Genre: Inspiration/Biography

John Piper does an excellent job of unfolding William Wilberforce's story. Throughout this short book, Piper reveals how joyful Wilberforce was throughout his life in Christ. Even in his battle to abolish the slavery (which lasted for 46 years of his life!! I cannot imagine the joy of seeing that prayer answered! *goosebumps*). He also suffered from other varies things: colon problem, lung problem, and his eyesight took a blow due to morphine poisoning (from opium he took for at least 31 years).* On top of all that, his wife Barbara was often depressed (she even worried herself into bad heath that lasted the remainder of her life), some of his children did not come to what Wilberforce calls, "the great change", and the death of his precious daughter. Wilberforce was a man of endurance. A man who ran well until he was called home. He is a vivid picture of what it looks like to set out and make a difference in the world for God. This book even reaffirmed my reasons of why I want to name a son after this man who was so passionately on fire for Christ (have to convince hubby hehe). 

Facts I did not know about Wilberforce before I read this book:

He refused to call himself a "Calvinist"

He found dueling offensive

He also developed curvature of the spine (which resulted in him wearing a brace underneath his clothing for the rest of his life which very few knew about!)

Wrote his own book A Practical View of Christianity (which I am dying to get my hands on)

I have also finished Sophie's Heart/Lori Wick I {LOVE} reading this book every 2ish years. Such a sweet story.

  

Believe it or not, I actually have a terrible reading habit of having multiple books going on at the same time (don't do this to yourself). 

Current readings:

The Life of Susannah Spurgeon (wife of Charles Spurgeon)/Charles Ray

Damsels in Distress/Martha Peace

The Forgotten God/Francis Chan

Craft-A-Day/Sarah Goldschadt

Kid's Crafternoon Felting/from crafters around the world selected by Kathreen Ricketson

Martha Stewart's Favorite Crafts for Kids

Martha Stewart's Encyclopedia of Sewing and Fabric Crafts

Weekend Handmade/Kelly Wilkinson

Whew! What book are you taking the time to read through right now?

*Noted, "he was often shabbily dressed, according to one friend, and his clothes sometimes were put on crookedly because he never looked into a mirror. Since his eyes were too bad to let him see his image clearly, he didn't bother to look at all!"