Hello Reader,

Don't you love a great deal? I do! That's why one of my favorite April traditions is shopping our local CCC (Children's Clothing Consignment) Sale every year. And by volunteering to help at the sale, I get early shopping privileges!

There's lots more at the CCC Sale than children's clothes. My favorite things to shop for there are craft supplies and books. I got some great finds yesterday -- including a huge bookshelf for $12 that will hopefully hold those last couple boxes of books that have been waiting in my garage for a new home since we moved last May!

If you live in East Texas, I hope you'll check out CCC when it opens to the public tomorrow. Or maybe you'd rather wait until Saturday, when everything goes half price!

If you don't live close enough to shop this sale, no worries. There are plenty of other great things to celebrate in April. You'll find a few of them listed below (with Easter conspicuously missing, because that one will be getting its own link list next week 😊):

Free resources for you this week:

• April 1 - Poetry & the Creative Mind Day - celebrate by reading a few of our favorite poems​
• April 10 - National Siblings Day - a perfect time for cultivating friendship among siblings​
• April 15 - Micro-volunteering Day – for 50 great volunteering ideas, check out this post​
• April 16 - National Stress Awareness Day – time to go from stressed to blessed​
• April 22 - National Jelly Bean Day – print up a few copies of our jelly bean gospel to share
• April 23 - World Book Day – try these tips to foster a love for books in your children's hearts
• April 26 - Audubon Day – a great day to download our Audubon State Bird coloring pages​

What I'm reading this week:

I finished the audio version of Take Back Your Time while working on my wall mural out back. While I didn't care for her positive affirmations -- "You are doing a good job!" (How could she possibly know that?) "You are enough!" (Actually, I'm NOT enough, but Christ is, and that's all that matters.) -- I did thoroughly enjoy the rest of the book, which offered some great tips for shifting your mindset and finding a sense of balance in how you spend your time.

What we're watching this week:

No time for full-length feature films, but I really laughed hard at @ReallyVeryCrunchy's reel yesterday. She nearly gives her husband a heart attack when she spots something worth saving in her neighbor's trash bin. I can totally relate (as can my oft-startled husband!).

I'm still using shelves I made from a set of bunkbeds my neighbor threw out over thirty years ago. Just like I always say, "One man's trash is another person's crafting supplies!" 😂

What we're eating this week:

I've opted for fast and simple this week, to allow more time for working on other projects. These Easy Cheesy Enchiladas fit the bill beautifully -- plus they're tasty, too!

Progress on last week's goals:

I ✅ sewed six pillows (what a sense of accomplishment to mark that off my list!), ✅ memorized Psalms 67 and 127 (but am still working on 33), ✅ worked on my THRIVE talk (and also outlined a talk I'll be giving at a local homeschool conference in May), ✅ put away (most) of our costumes, and ✅ painted half a panel on my wall mural (which is taking much longer than anticipated due to unforeseen opportunities to do fun stuff with my family, like our impromptu trip to 80 Acres Market).

Personal goals for this week:

• prepare 12 freezer meals
• polish THRIVE talk
• keep working on my mural

Another poll for you:

Oh, my goodness! I heard from so many readers last week who watch movies the same way I do. I guess I should count my blessings, as my outbursts have never caused my family members to swear off ever going to the theater with me again. Ha!

This week's question: Where do you stand on the idea of dumpster diving? If you saw something amazing in your neighbor's trash bin, would you A) ask permission to take it home? B) take it without asking -- before somebody else snaps it up? or C) never even consider bringing another person's garbage home, as the very thought of it is gross and disgusting? Hit reply and let me know!

Also, whether you have neighbors who routinely discard great stuff or not, if you're interested in saving money, you really should sign up for Rakuten. It's a totally free almost mindless way to earn cashback whenever you shop. Plus, during Rakuten's current promotion, you'll earn $30 just by signing up and using the Rakuten portal when you make your next online purchase.