Xbox Kinect 4GB $299 + $100 Free Amazon Credit

HURRY! You don't want to miss this deal!! We just bought ours from Best Buy when they were offering a $50 store card a few months back. So I won't be partaking in this deal. The XBOX Kinect 4gb is currently being offered at Amazon for $299.00 with free shipping. It also is offering a $100 Amazon credit when you purchase it from Amazon. Here are the details:

Order the Xbox 360 4GB Console with Kinect and receive a $100 promotional credit toward the purchase of items shipped and sold by Amazon.com (certain exclusions apply, including Kindle books, MP3s, and video rentals and downloads). The promotional credit will be added directly to your Amazon.com account within two days after your order ships. Offer valid when shipped and sold by Amazon.com. Limit one per household. Amazon reserves the right to change or terminate this promotion at any time. Here's how (restrictions apply)

T.G.I.F.

Thank God it's Friday! Speaking of Friday, don't forget to search swagbucks to earn big point. You can redeem them for gift cards to places such as Amazon. I have earned at least $30.00 by just doing everyday searches using their search engine. If you don't have an account, you can sign up here. I encourage you to sign up. It's so simple to earn rewards.

Free Sample of Mott's Tot

Free for the first 40,000 vocalpoint members in certain zipcodes.

If you don’t have a Vocalpoint account, I suggest signing up. They have some good freebies.

Don't eat the wedding cake!

It's funny how with every bride style and colors can differ greatly, but there's one thing MOST brides have in common; a wedding cake.

It's a running joke our Pastor tells every bride. He says that the only thing in common with the brides is a cake and that if you eat the cake you and your espoused will no longer hug, kiss, and the fights begin. So he tells them it must be the cake, and don't eat it.

I have shared before that I love baking, but boy do I hate cleanup. It's funny that when I make a dessert (or meal) that I look forward to the "oohs" and "aahs" that people give. Confession time: It's the one area that I have to have praise in in order to feel self worth.

So this weekend my Mom is getting married, and she asked if I would make her wedding cake. Of course I told her YES!.....but I get sooooo nervous when it comes time to put it together. I am such a perfectionist (can you say OCD?), that it bugs me so bad when it doesn't come out how I had envisioned it. So I am hoping that this one comes out nice because this is for my Mom, and my family will be seeing my work.

Here is a sneak peek at what I had envisioned it to look like.

But enough talk about cake, I'm beat and headed for bed. I'll post a picture of the final product. Don't forget to comment on it. I love to hear peoples comments. It helps me to become a better cake decorator. :D

Until next post,

It's mega swagbucks day!

If you don't know about swagbucks, let me let you in on a little secret. It's free money.You can sign up here. Here are a few ways to earn Swagbucks:

* Searching the web
If yours is a winning search, you will see a “Congratulations” screen featuring your Swag Bucks award immediately above your search results; you will never be directed away from your search. You can win multiple Swag Bucks every day; Swag Bucks can be won in denominations ranging from 1 – 1,000.

* Taking Surveys
Each survey that you chose to engage with may have a different Swag Bucks payout. Completing “deeper profiles” helps Swag Bucks alert you only to surveys for which you qualify and typically enables you to complete more targeted surveys which have significantly higher Swag Bucks payouts. Snag 1 Swag Buck per day just for heading over to the Survey page!

* Voting in Daily Polls
Snag 1 Swag Buck per day for voting in the daily poll.

* Watching videos
Swag Bucks are awarded randomly via Swag Bucks TV. Not every video you watch will earn you Swag Bucks, but just like Swag Bucks search, every video you watch is a chance to earn.

* Completing Special Offers
To ensure that an offer has been completed, follow the instructions provided for each individual offer. The offer needs be completed in the same session and all information required to complete the offer MUST be accurate. The majority of offers will credit your Swag Bucks account within 20 minutes. However, the estimated wait time varies from offer to offer. Some may take a few hours or a couple of days before final confirmation is received.

*Playing Games
Swagbucks recently released FREE Swagbucks Games… find a game you like, play for free AND you’ll be eligible to earn bonus Swag Bucks just for playing!! There are two ways to be rewarded for playing games (1) Play games for free and you will randomly earn from 1-5 Swag Bucks (2) Buy into tournaments where you risk a small amount of Swag Bucks for the chance to earn a large amount. Just login or register and click on the “Earn” tab, then in the drop down menu choose “Games”.

* Finding Swag Codes
Swag Codes are strings of alphanumeric text that you can apply for instant Swag Bucks. Swag Codes can appear anywhere, and at any time, throughout the Swag Bucks network including the Swagbucks newsletter, any Swag Bucks powered Search&Win Site; the Official Swag Bucks blog, Facebook Fan Page, Twitter page, Flickr page; and affiliated partner sites. Swag Codes can be redeemed by entering the codes into the Swag Codes box on your My Account page.

* Sharing Your Birthday
Be sure that you enter your birthday in the account details and you’ll snag 50 Swag Bucks on the big day!
You may be wondering, how can I use my Swagbucks or what can I purchase?

Swag Bucks can be used to purchase apparel, kitchen items, electronics, gift cards and lots more in the Swag Store! My personal favorite item is a $5 Amazon e-Card for only 450 Swag Bucks! Plus, Swagbucks recently added NEW rewards, including O’Charley’s eGift Cards, Brinker International eGift Cards (valid at Chili’s, Macaroni Grill, and more), Home Depot gift cards, as well as eGift cards to Fandango, Home Depot, Rixty, CVS, Overstock, Lands End, Cabelas, and more! (Thanks Hip2Save!)

9 months ago...

My little boy is 9 months old already. We just had his wellness visit on Monday. Here are the baby stats:

Weight: 15lbs 11.75 oz.

Height: 28.5 in.

Head: 43cm

Its just amazing how he is growing. This past week has been a trying one for us. Josiah got sick and has been running a fever of 100-103 for the last few days. He also has a really bad cough. Thankfully he is starting to feel better. Here is picture of my little guy at 9 months old.

Until next post,

The wife of a Youth Minister

To some, it's a thankless job that requires lots of time and devotion. To others, it's a burden that consists of time and devotion. To say it's an easy job is far from the truth. It's emotional, trying, (thankless), burdensome, and it takes a lot of encouragement, but when the day ends it's more gratifying than you can imagine.

My name is Angela, and I'm the wife of a Youth Minister. What does the wife of a Youth Minister do you ask? Well that's easy! Nothing right? Nope! Sorry! That's wrong.

For one, I help plan activities to keep young people busy, but it's more than that...I'm a help-meet. I'm a support group. I'm a sounding board. I'm whatever my husband needs & I share his burden. That burden is to see young people saved. To encourage and uplift, and yes, to help guide and direct young people to make righteous decisions.

It's not always easy to deal with teenagers (can you say attitude?) or their parents, but I love every minute of it. I love the fact that I can make a difference; make an impact; and maybe, just maybe be a mentor to them. It takes a lot of prayer (that most times no one sees), and sometimes it seems like your prayers are in vain, and that you're never going to reach them.

And though I strive for perfection, I'm far from it. So when I see a young person make decisions that will lead them in the wrong way, I try to encourage them to get back on the right path, but it doesn't always work. So when they fall, I take it personally. I hurt...I hurt a lot, and oftentimes, I question myself.

Was I too harsh? Did I do enough? Could I have done more?

You see because when young people start making bad decisions, the don't just hurt themselves...they hurt me too. Because I have a burden for them....and when they leave for good; I grieve. I grieve as if they died. Then usually the cycle will repeat itself; I question myself, and then I grieve again. Wondering all the time if I was there enough for them.

Because of my burden, I grieve.

So just remember young person, that when the time comes for you to make some tough life decisions, just know that I will grieve, and will always be praying for you because of my burden.