puffy doves and free stuff

Thankful:

This morning, sitting on my sofa drinking coffee, watching two gray mourning doves, feathers puffed fat, sitting on gray straight stick against rain gray and sky gray and I wondered why? Why don't they take shelter under the "wings" of the tree? Why do they sit in the silver gray wet rain, puffing to make big and keep warm? And I was reminded of me. Why do I not take shelter from One who longs to gather His children under his wings? Instead I sit, puffed, trying to stand against the cold rain. I am thankful. For mercy and grace and hope and promise of peace. He has never failed. Not once. I fail daily. Thankful. That's what He wants. And when we are thankful, joy comes. No other way. It must be in that order to be most beneficial. Not joy and then thanks, but thanks and then joy. The harder the day, the harder thankful is, but the bigger the joy when we choose to say YES and be thankful for the hard.

Thrifty:

Free sample of Find Your Bliss body wash: http://www.find-your-bliss.com/

Free sample pack of Cream of Wheat here: http://www.creamofwheat.com/sample/

Join the AuBonPain email club and get a free travel mug! Look for the link: http://www.aubonpain.com/

I don't post a lot of sweepstakes, but this one is for free groceries for a year...you never know:
http://www.itpaystoeatpasta.com/sweeps/index.cfm?u=02BF8790-397C-435F-871E-B2A1553CD5DF

Paul at http://www.iheartthemart.com/ (a great site dedicated to finding deals at Walmart), has been working diligently with the Mart to try to get a day a week of double coupons. When I was in college in Marion, IN in the 90s, the Walmart there doubled one day a week and it was wonderful!  Would love to see them bring it back. You can sign a petition here. It will link you to a site where you can give a donation to "ipetitions", but that is not necessary...just skip that screen. http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/we_want_doubles/?utm_medium=email&utm_source=system&utm_campaign=Send%2Bto%2BFriend

And thanks for your daily votes in the contest...half way there!!
www.cheapsally.com/contest/tricia-cliff/