This week I FINALLY set up my coupon center down in the Homeschool Room of our home. I have been wanting to have a place set up just for my coupons for months other than at our dining table! Now I can coupon downstairs after schooling is over for the day and it doesn’t feel like it is taking over my house! For those of you wondering: NO, I am NOT an extreme couponer, but YES, I do coupon and I am building my pantry, or stockpile, in the process. With five boys and more children bound to be on the way in the future, this is just plain wisdom to me. Recently the Lord blessed us with a great deal on grape juice, so I stocked up and currently have 32 bottles of grape juice in my pantry. I also coupon for charity and whenever able, I purchase things for the local girls home and food bank. Before couponing, we were struggling to keep up with our growing food bill. As many of you know, we don’t just feed our own family, but many of our childrens’ friends join us for meals… but last year, we began to realize that if something didn’t give financially, we might not be able to continue providing meals like we wanted to. I read an online article about couponing and thought, “I’ll give it a go and see what happens.” This was before I saw the new Extreme Couponing Show on TLC and I had no idea how extreme one could get with coupons! The first time I went shopping with my coupons, I saved a little and was pleased with the results. So, I kept researching online and I have steadily gotten better and better at it- really, to me, it is all about being organized and recognizing low price opportunities to combine with your coupons. I have now gotten to where I have cut our grocery bill in half on average, and in certain shopping trips I save anywhere from 60-80 %! Who wouldn’t want to take advantage of those savings? I can also benefit others from my shopping with a little extra planning, like getting toothpaste and tooth brushes for the girls’ and boys’ homes, helping a single mom with groceries who is struggling with making ends meet, and making much needed donations to the local food bank. If you look around, you can find needs to be met, but more importantly, you can be a blessing to others and shine the Light of the gospel to them. As a stay-at-home mother, I don’t always get to volunteer and be a part of service opportunities like I would want to because I must keep my priorities in order for the strength of my own family, but as I am shopping for my own household, it is no extra task for me to pick up a few items that would be a blessing to others. If you are interested in learning more about couponing, here are two of my favorite sites:

www.krazycouponlady.com

www.passionforsavings.com

These sites were a tremendous help to me when I was first starting out. Remember to give yourself time to learn, and allow for about six months before you begin to see big results with your couponing.

In the Kitchen with Mama Nicci

This week was also spent making Biscotti! These delectable Italian twice-baked cookies are a family favorite that I begin making during the Fall season through the end of November. I love having them on hand for coffee, tea and cocoa, they are great when guests come over. I also love giving them as gifts. Here is one of my most requested flavors, Double Chocolate Chip Biscotti with Walnuts Be forewarned though: Biscotti can be very addictive!

Don’t forget that you can view recipes and past posts about what I am doing in my kitchen HERE .

 Relationship with Your Children – Mother Roar Series Part One- What Does “Mother” Mean?

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Have a blessed week!

Completely His,

Nicci Kilcoyne

Our Little Prince (as I have always called him), Aiden, turned 7 this week! I always get a little weepy when one of my children gains another year. I cannot believe that he is 7! Monday was filled with making preparations for the birthday breakfast- a long time tradition in our household. Whenever you have a birthday in our house, you can ask mom for WHATEVER you want- no limits- for your birthday breakfast. The kids LOVE this because I usually require really nutritious meals, so they torture me with all kinds of crazy requests. Aiden’s choice for this year? Hot cocoa, pumpkin pie, brownies and cookies… yes- I really did serve all of that for breakfast! I also made a egg casserole for the rest of us who didn’t want to try to stomach all of the other things!

Relationship with Lord

 Pass Cup Please

Can I be honest?

This week was ROUGH in the the Kilcoyne home. Every family has their ups and downs–we had more downs than ups this week and I had several moments when I just wanted to pack some bags and RUN. No matter how much faith you have, there will still be times when you ask the Lord to please pass this cup (insert your situation here) from you. Sometimes He delivers us right up out of a situation, problem immediately solved. Other times, He carries us through faithfully, and while I am so grateful for that, this week was one that I would have liked to simply been delivered from. Pass cup now please, I’d rather not have to go through this one. I have really been trying to be mindful lately about handling the curveballs of life in a more Christ like manner, asking often, what would Jesus do? When your facing crisis of any kind, it isn’t always easy to answer that question specifically, it takes some time with Him to process and sift through the situation and determine the best course of action. I am grateful for His guidance and this week has been no exception. Here is what I learned in a nutshell when a crisis rises up and you have no idea what to do:

1. Always Pray or cry out to your Lord first. – He is our Guide, Wisdom and Protector and even if it is a quick thought in your head, acknowledge Him as soon as you are in trouble. (Mine was simply, “Oh Lord help right now.”) (Phil 4: 6)
2. Second, recognize whether or not the situation is beyond you and get the necessary help. Call 911 if necessary, police, a trusted adviser or pastor. I am grateful for a community of believers that surround us with godly counsel. There truly is safety in the multitude of counselors and the Body of Christ covers you in times of distress. (Proverbs 24:6)
3. Do not suffer in silence, ask for prayer. This doesn’t mean that you have to tell everybody about your situation, but it does mean that when you need the power of agreement in prayer to support you, take the opportunity with bible believing Spirit-led people. (Matthew 18: 19-20)
4. When a situation stabilizes, turn to the Word of God as quickly as you can. There is no other real answer. His Word is our anchor in stormy weather, our foundation from which we cannot be moved. (1Cor 3:9-11)

Without the Lord, we are left to muddle through situations that arise on a daily basis alone. But with Him, He works all things for the good for those who love Him. (Romans 8:28) And I do love Him, so I trust that all is being worked out for good in my situation. What about you? Do you love Him? If you answered yes, then you can trust Him too.

Onto this weeks posts!

In the Kitchen with Mama Nicci

This week I had plenty of apples to use up from my last bountiful baskets order so I made Freeze-Ahead Apple Filling and Apple Butter (This is an external link)

If you are interested in learning more about freezer cooking, here’s a link to a free e-book I wrote when I had a lot of people asking how I did freeze ahead cooking in my house:  Freezer Frenzy (This is a pdf. file that you will need a program like Adobe to be able to read)

Homeschooling

And We Begin Again … Another year of homeschooling has begun in the Kilcoyne house! READ MORE…

Relationship with Children

I Am Mother, Hear Me Roar!  — New series starting on motherhood!

Have a great week, and be blessed!

Completely His, Nicci