COUPONING AT IT'S BEST!

After finishing the book Fit for my King, and after having a year prior to that of couponing, I have decided to make a decision for the Winkler family.  Sheri Rose had some very good points for keeping your temple healthy.  And couponing helps with being a good steward.  So...we decided to stick with several suggestions from Sheri and for sure stick with couponing.  After grocery shopping yesterday, I couldn't help but be over excited at all the deals/free items I took home.  Here is a glimps at what I took home:

• 4 FREE Deodorants! (Right Guard, originally $3.99 each) 
• 2 Old Spice body washes ($1.25 each, origianlly $3.99 each)
• 3 Family-size boxes of Kellog's Frosted Mini Wheats. ($1.35 each, originally $4.19 each)
• Eight O'Clock Coffee ($1.50, originally $4.99)

Without savings:$41.50              

Total WITH savings:$8.05

Total Savings:$33.45!

Coupon Mom.  http://www.couponmom.com/

Southern Savers http://www.southernsavers.com/

Although this week's savings is running a close race with last week.

I paid $4.00 and came home with:

• 1 bag of Doritos
• 2 family size boxes of Cheerios
• 2 Betty Crocker Supreme Brownie Mix

THAT IS LIKE PAYING $0.80 PER ITEM!

THE FOURTH CONTINUED

CAPTAIN E

THE WINKLERS

MY PRECIOUS MOM, DADDY, AND SISTER

SITTIN ON THE DOCK OF THE BAY

EXPECTING THE BIG CATCH

My Country Tis of Thee

After a hard day of play...

Lake Martin

My Country Tis of Thee

Sweet Land of Liberty!!! What a blessing to be able to spend the 4th of July with both of our families! So much to tell that I don't know where to start...

We went to the lake Friday night after Stu got off work. We wanted to get a good night sleep before we would wake up early to catch what we knew would be huge, hungry fish. Lately, Stuart has picked up on this wonderful hobby. We already had a boat, tackle box, and a lake to fish on. All we needed was a pole, bait, and a license. Stu had bought a pole and bait a few weeks ago, so on the way up to the lake he got his license. Early Saturday morning we dragged out of bed and went to put the john boat in the water. We went to grab our coffee and returned to find that we had forgot to put the plug in the boat. So we spent 30inutes of our fishing time trying to save the classic, timeless family john boat from spending the rest of it's life at the bottom of Lake Martin. After the rescue we decided that we should probably just fish from the shore. Needless to say that with Jenkins barking at every cast and me wanting to sip coffee and talk about the history of our country, we didn't catch the huge bass we were expecting. Here at the lake the only thing that tells us what to do and when to do it (other than the first lady of the house) is the heat of the sun. With the sun beginning to blare we marched back up to the house...fishless. Never the less, our heads were held high for this was only the start of a wonderful weekend. After brunch on the screened in porch we all put on our suits expecting to get a tan. Five years ago I would never have put on sun screen for I knew that girls looked their best with a tan. But thanks to wisdom and knowledge, I have now learned that Red=Dead. Ladies, put sunscreen on! MELA NO THANK YOU.
My friend Allie was on her way down to the beach and popped by to spend the afternoon with me! I hadn't seen her since our wedding 2 years ago! So this was such a blessing to be able to spend time with my long lost friend, who is doing wonderful. She also updated me on all our other friends who had gone off and made a name for themselves. Congrats to all my friends who are doing well in the design world these days! One of our friends is the designer for Martina McBride and Faith Hill. What a dream. Congrats Rachel!!! I really need to keep up with my friends more.
As far as the boat ride goes... I didn't think anyone could love a boat ride as much as my mother in law, my sister in law, and myself...But sorry to say ladies that there are three out there that love it more. Co-captain Jenkins (our sweet Great Dane), Sir Barkley, and Princess Dixie were the true lovers of the water. Our sweet dogs couldn't get enough of the fresh wind blowing in their faces. Jenkins takes his seat, right behind Captin E (my sweet father in law Mr. Eric). Jenkins is a loyal companion for our Captain, always on the lookout and ready to alert Captain E of anything unusaul out at sea. Sir Barkley is master of the front of the boat. Unable to sit on the seats in the back of the boat, he is forced to be the front lookout. (He is not allowed to sit on the seats in the back because every now and again he gets an itch'n to jump off the boat. If ever not paying attention, he is gone. And swimming isn't his forte.) So Barkley stands at the front watching for any oncoming boats. Being an English Mastiff...he doesn't look alert, but I assure you, he is trying his best. And no worries, the waves that consume the front of the boat are of no concern to him. Most of the time he doesn't even know it happened. Princess Dixie, a legend, sits quietly in the shade of the boat. Just enjoying the wind. Quiet Dixie. Our Princess Dixie.

That night we had our annual display of fireworks to watch. Stuart and Ryan (Ashley's boyfriend) went to go get fireworks. Stuart decided that since I am always talking about coupons and BOGOs, he would participate. He came back with so many fireworks that were BOGOs. After seeing the fireworks that Stu shot off, I couldn't help but think...does eating BOGO food compare to watching a BOGO firework show? If that is the case, I might want to re-visit the food I am buying for my husband. Well, I thought that they were great at first, until I realized that the big ones at the beginning were Ryan's. He bought the ones that were border-line illegal. The crowd went crazy every time one of his expensive fireworks was shot off. What a wonderful bright light filling the sky. But I couldn't help but notice that every time we used a BOGO firework the neighbors next door would take out their World Cup Horn and honk it. So we would have to cheer extra hard on Stu's display to mask the sound of the dissapointed neighbors blowing their horn. Never the less, what a wonderful show our men put on for us. Only in the South can you pull your truck down to the edge of the lake, sit on the tailgate, listen to country, and watch your husband light fireworks just to make you happy. And I was...very happy. (That is until Jenkins ate my sparkler because he liked the sparks....I spent the rest of the night giving him water to get the taste out of his mouth.)

Sunday the Fourth....a day filled with American History Facts. It all started with me realizing that I didn't retain much knowledge from any of my history classes I ever took! So last week I bought an American History book and began my journey. I was determined that the 4th would be a day filled with telling each other fun facts about the beginning of our country. We linked the future to the past. Durning Sunday brunch we pulled out our phones (not mine, my phone doesn't even get service, let alone internet) to google any fun fact about our country that we didn't know. We reviewed so much about our country! My Father in law will be calling to make sure I retained the 'obvious' information concerning who wrote the Star-Spangled Banner and who wrote the Pledge of Allegiance. So Captain E...Francis Bellamy was the author of the Pledge (1892). And Francis Scott Key was the author of the Star-Spangled Banner (1814). My mother, daddy and sister came up to enjoy another day out in the sun. (We missed you Chris.) We had a wonderful cookout and fun family times. My parents were able to enjoy a refreshing boat ride. And I got to catch up with my fun-loving, spark plug of a sister. She will be a sophomore in College this year and I live vicariously through her awesome college life. My mom and dad were as happy as could be. I am so glad they came to hang out. I love my family...all of it.

Chicken, Spinach, and Onion Crepes

Fit for my King day 10! It's going great! And I have learned so many new things to cook. I made the Savory Tuna Crepe from http://www.hisprincess.com/.
And then decided to try grilled chicken the next night. Both were AWESOME! Who knew health could taste so good!!! And, Stu and I cut our huge watermelon we got at the Farmer's Market! YUM!!!

Designing My Dream Room

Love the mirrors!

Precious for a cottage home or a farm house.

Minus the black pillows.

I could live here.

If anyone knows me, they know this is my favorite scene in the whole world. A fireplace, a fire, and a Christmas tree ALL IN A WHITE ROOM!

All my life I have dreamed of having a white/cream/neutral room. I just love the crisp, clean look. But now having precious Jenkins I am not so sure it will work out like planned. BUT...thanks to my perfect, adorable job...I am designing one right now!!! I can't wait unitl it all plays out. Here are some pics of white rooms I like, but mine will hopefully blow these away...if all goes according to plan.

Fit for my King

So I had done some thinking, and I realized that I really wanted to be healthy...not just skinny, but I wanted to be healthy...no matter what I weighed. So I did some research and found a book that has so far, been exactly what I needed. Fit for my King. I really wish I could explain it all, but you should just go get the book!!! You can find it on Sherri Rose Shephard's website.

http://www.hisprincess.com/

I am on day 7, feel great, loving life, never in a grouchy mood anymore, and my pants fit better each day!!! AND...look what we even got to eat for dinner. I just had to change a few things. I made my own dough from that website (under Royal Recipes). Dry Active Yeast and wheat flour/pancake mix. And I made my own pizza sauce. It was delicious! And I added turkey pepperoni for the hubby.

Sweet, Sweet Summer

I love summertime. Every Tuesday Opelika has their Farmer's Market. And it is right outside our precious design store. So on Tuesdays at 2:00 you can bet you will see a closed sign on the door for ten minutes while I pick up my fresh watermelon, tomatoes, squash, peppers, blueberries, blackberries, peaches, and much much more. My mom usually comes to meet me and walk with me to get her fresh fruits and veggies. So much fun! What a perfect day!

Memorial Weekend

This Memorial weekend was so much fun! We were able to go to the beach with our good friends who we never ever get to see! Forest and Cathorine are such an amazing, godly couple. We had a great time hanging out in the sun and just being lazy. Lately I have realized just how important it is to have Christian fellowship and to surround yourself with other Christians. We had so much fun going out to eat, dancing, laying out in the sun, watching movies, and shopping! Life is so good! Then at the end of Stu's vacation we went to the lake for a super lazy weekend. Just me, Stu, and Jenks. This was such a relaxing time that was much needed. We read so much between the two weekends that I was able to finish my book that I had really wanted to get through. The Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren. It was so good! One of my top favorites. I learned so much reading this book. Many things were so good that if I wrote them all, it would literally be the entire book. But here is one thing I loved that is so true. It is in chapter 14 that is titled 'When God seems Distant.' Here is what it says:

' Floyd McClung describes it: "You wake up one morning and all your spiritual feelings are gone. You pray, but nothing happens. You rebuke the devil, but it doesn't change anything. You go through spiritual exercises...you have your friends pray for you...you confess every sin you can imagine, then go around asking forgiveness of everyone you know. You fast...still nothing. You begin to wonder how long this spiritual gloom might last. Days? Weeks? Months? Will it ever end?...it feels as if your prayers simply bounce off the ceiling. In utter desperation you cry out, "What's the matter with me?" ' Then Rick Warren answers, 'The truth is, there's nothing wrong with you! This is a normal part of the testing and maturing of your friendship with God. Every Christian goes through it at least once, and usually serveral times. It is painful and disconcerting, but it is absolutely vital for the development of your faith. Knowing this gave Job hope when he could not feel God's presence in his life...'

This is so true. So many times we hear/see someone going through this. Or it is sometimes us who is wondering, "Where are you God?" So I thought this was just too good to not share. We are developing our faith. Each day, we are developing our faith.

God really cares. He answers my prayers.

I never used to journal. Sure, I would take notes in sunday school and church and I would underline Bible verses that really spoke to me. But I never really journaled. I started my journaling when I got married. I knew there were just too many things that I would want to remember down the road. So from day 1 of Mrs. Thomas Stuart Winkler, I started my first page in my soft, brown leather journal. I wrote all my prayer requests down. I wrote down praises and I would write just how thankful I was for my Christian husband. As time passed, I would find a piece of paper here and there and in random places of prayer requests I had written down from college. As I would read each one, I praised the Lord because I realized that He answered them IN HIS TIME. Not all of them had been answered 'yes.' And I praise Him for that too! But He did answer all my prayers. I am so glad that I have journals so I can go back and say, "Praise You Lord! For You are God!" No, not all things have been answered since I started my journaling, but I know that He is working. Praise You Lord for being Lord of my life!!!

On that note, I do want to praise Him for caring about the little things. I am such a fairy tale girl. I really do think that life can be perfect and that it can be the way we always dreamed it would be when we were little. Here are some of the little things in life that I have always wanted that I now have. (These are not the eternal desires of my heart.)

1. A Christian Husband who loves me so much. AND who comes home from a hard day at work wanting nothing but to be in his living room with me! A husband who makes me laugh harder than anyone has ever made me laugh.
2. A door that is all windows. I know that sounds crazy, but that is something I really cared about.
3. Boat rides. There is probably nothing that I love more than boat rides at the lake. I love going up to the lake house (which is pretty much a cabin) and ending the day with a relaxing boat ride. Ahhhh....never in my life did I dream that I would be able to do that more often than not.
4. My cozy corner of my couch with my lamp. My most favortie time of day is before the sun comes up and I get to cuddle up with a cup of coffee and do my Bible study. I am so thankful to have a home.
5. My cute, adorable job. I love designing. LOVE interior design. There is nothing more satisfying than coming home from a hard day at work knowing that I did my best and had tons of fun doing it. BUT, there is one blessing that God surprised me with that I never expected. My favorite scene from a movie is when Meg Ryan is working at her adorable SHOP AROUND THE CORNER. I have always loved the small old building on the cute little strip. And that is exactly where I start my work day and end my work day....our cute little design building downtown in Historic Opelika.
6. My lunch break. I wounldn't appreciate this if I didn't communte for 2 years prior to my job now.

I could go on, and I am sure I will in further blogs. But these are the things that make me stop and say, "Thank you God for caring about the little things."

A Hot Start to a Hot Summer

Summer...it is finally feeling like an Alabama summer. The Winklers LOVE summertime! For many reasons. We love those lazy lake weekends where we can just float in good ole' Lake Martin. The water already feels like bath water! We are definitely in for a very hot summer. We had tons of fun yesterday floating in the water and our sunset boat ride with the family. Then we enjoyed a wonderful plate of cholesterol at our favorite restaurant Oskars. Fried pickles and corn nuggets...who needs an entree? We woke up early this morning so we could enjoy the cool breeze right before we packed up to go home. We stopped at Walnut Hill to grab our traditional lake breakfast of homemade biscuits and now our tummys really hurt from all the traditional Alabama food. We made it just in time for church. Then this afternoon, I decided to plant my herb garden. Stuart was so nice to bring me my favorite herbs! I already used some rosemary to bake chicken! I knew I had to go ahead and cook with something because I am excellent at killing any plant. There is no green thumb in me at all! And I decided to start blogging again. All thanks to Sarah Beth (who is my only follower and probably the only one who will read this...unless I ask my mom to.) What a perfect Sunday!