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Shopping in the Time of Corona(virus)

May 22, 2020 by Lauren 14 Comments

Social distancing guidelines save me money.  No restaurants to go to, no stores to frequent = savings!  Which bodes well after 2 part time jobs placed me on hold.  The longer this drags on, though, the more I find myself online shopping.  Especially Amazon, ’cause Prime, baby!

 

I can’t think of a kinder thing to do than sharing my quarantine acquisitions with you in case you need a little (almost) instant gratification.

 

Bought For Someone Who Needed Encouraging

I Ain’t Doin’ It: Unfiltered Thoughts from a Sarcastic Southern Sweetheart by Heather Land.  If you need to laugh, order this now.  If you want to laugh so hard you need a Poise pad, listen to it on audio.  

The One Year Book of Hope by Nancy Guthrie

To Fight Off My Teen’s Boredom

 

Guitar capo and picks

Ingredients to make homemade lip balm

Paint by numbers

 

For Me

A high-protein, low-calorie snack with a cheesy, salty crunch.  Yes, please.

I got industrious and cleaned out my car.  These things helped spruce it up.

‘Cause hot flashes.

I am so over shaving cream and love how this feels and smells.

Since I’ll probably be working out at home for the foreseeable future.  The 8s I ordered don’t appear to be available right now, but they have other sizes.

My phone went to electronics heaven so I needed to “outfit” my new one.

 

And finally, for a little summer spring in my step.  My old lady feet protest any sandal but Yellow Box these days.

Each item may be viewed or purchased by clicking on it’s picture.  These are affiliate links and I earn from qualifying purchases. If you buy anything from one of these links, even a product different from what is shown, I will receive a few pennies to help offset the cost of this website at no additional charge to you. Thank you in advance for your help.  And happy socially distanced shopping!

 

And now for this week’s featured post!

 

How to Waste Your Time by Laurie Hess of Meditations in Motion hit the spot for me this week.  Not only because I speak yoga, but because I have concluded that I don’t ever truly rest.  I stink at sabbathing and I want to do better.  I NEED to do better for my mental and physical health.  Even when I’m watching TV, I’m doing something.  Multitasking.  Laurie reminded me that my worth does not come from productivity and that being still is a command of God!  And she gives some serene sounding ideas to help you chill out.  Thanks, Laurie!

 

Now for this week’s link-up! Let’s bless and encourage one another in our walk with the Lord.Grace & Truth : A Weekly Christian Link Up

Grace & Truth exists to point people to Jesus! We hope this link-up will be a source of encouragement every week. If you’re a blogger, we hope you’ll use this space as a way to meet new friends within the Christian blogging community. If you’re a reader, we hope that you’ll encounter new bloggers that love Jesus as much as you do! Most of all, we hope you’ll meet Jesus here.

Join us each Friday for the Grace and Truth Link-Up!

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What is Prime in Your Life?

July 11, 2019 by Lauren 28 Comments

prime – (adj) 1.  of first importance; main Dictionary

 

“For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance:� that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures,”  1 Corinthians 15:3

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Amazon Prime Day is almost here.  This annual event is bigger and longer than ever – lasting a full 48 hours.  July 15-16 the retail giant will have slashed prices on electronics, kitchen gadgets, clothing and toiletries.  They are broadcasting videos with shopping tips which, once watched, enter you to win giveaways. There is even a prime day concert this year.  Taylor Swift’s picture is on it.  I assume that means she’s singing.

 

I thought about doing a detailed post with pictures and links with all the crazy good deals you can find.  Lots of bloggers are, but I decided against it.  Full disclosure:  I am an Amazon affiliate.  This means that if you purchase anything from Amazon through the links I share, I receive a tiny commission at no additional cost to you.  I do this because running this website costs me some money, and as of now, no one is offering to pay me to write.  So every little bit helps.  And the link at the top of this post is my affiliate link.  If you click it you will see what Amazon is planning and if you purchase through it I will benefit.  But honestly, I’m not pushing you to purchase.

 

Why has Prime Day even become a thing?  My guess is because there is a lull in all major buying holidays in July and the retail geniuses at the Zon came up with a marketing strategy we couldn’t resist.  Sale prices from the comfort of our homes with free two day delivery on top.

 

I’ve been reading A Practical Guide to Culture:  Helping the Next Generation Navigate Today’s World by John Stonestreet and Brett Kunkle.  My daughter’s youth minister gave it to me and I’m getting so many great tips on how to have conversations with her about the world we have created for ourselves to live in.  And we ARE having good discussions.  I’m not done reading it yet, but it’s so good I might continue to reference it another 2 or 10 times.  What I did not expect from it, was to feel personal conviction for some things I have been a little (or a lot) too complicit in.  When I started thinking about a Prime Day post, chapter 12 on Affluence and Consumerism was all I could think about.  Not deep discounts on Fire TVs and designer clothes, but the $1.2 trillion dollars Americans spend annually on “nonessential goods like jewelry, alcohol, candy, recreational vehicles, gambling, and more.”

 

Now, while some struggle with debt, many can easily afford these luxuries, but at what cost?  Americans have “more money, disposable income material goods, technology, leisure time, vacations, square footage in our homes, quality health care, computers, cars, and conveniences than past Americans.  We have more wealth and more possessions than any civilization in the history of humanity.”  It sounds like we should be happier.  But that’s far from the case.  “Americans today report more symptoms of depression and anxiety than over the past 50 years”, and so much depression among young people that teens and pre-teens from affluent, well-educated families are the newest identified “at-risk” group!

 

Stonestreet and Kunkle believe that “beneath consumerism, idolatry lurks.  It sells an approach to life that says, ‘I’m the center of the universe.  Everything exists to meet my needs and satisfy my desires.'”  But when our stuff fails to make us happier, more important or personally better; we, like Solomon, discover that it is all meaningless.  Stuff may make us temporarily feel better, but the feeling never lasts, and often masks a need for true heart change.  We can’t live in order to consume when we are made to contribute.  I know I can do better with the resources God has so generously given me.

 

Now that I have been a huge internet downer, let me bring things around to say that I do believe – like the authors state – that God created us with the capacity for pleasure.  He is so kind in this.  And we can love the good things He gives us as long as our love for Him is not eclipsed.  Let’s keep first things first.  So if you have delayed gratification on that Instant Pot or want to get some discounted Christmas shopping done early, by all means thoughtfully hit up the Amazon sales.  And if you do, please use my link above.  I’ll be so grateful!  And thanks for reading.

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About Me

I love Jesus, my husband and caffeine. The order of these can change depending on how tired I am. When my two daughters, stepson, and 4 grandchildren get to be too much, I practice yoga. God graciously allows me to share our adventures, victories and flub-ups from my laptop. May He be glorified here.
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