Shopping......

When i go shopping with friends, they always want to buy something. It's like they think you can not go to the mall with out spending money! (which in fact you can) After the shopping expedition has ended they have bought a pair of $60 jeans, a $30 dollar shirt and some jewelry.... resulting in over $100! How they get money to spend $60 on a pair of jeans beats me, but i sure would like to know the secret! When I go into a store, I go straight to the back where the sale rack is! Stores like Aeropostale, Kohl's, Dillard's, J.C. Penny and Forever21, always have 60%-70% off clothing racks! Meaning you can get 2-3 different shirts/skirts/shorts on sale for the price of one that's not on sale! If you look hard enough you can always find something cute on sale! Most people they go straight for the new display... (which is fine!) But i like to go to the sale rack! I usually always find something i like! You know how there is that show on TLC called Extreme Couponing? I kinda feel like those lady's! I'm not saying that I have a stock pile of clothes in my basement (although that would be pretty cool!)I'm not saying I buy clothes just because they are on sale....  I'm not saying i spend 20+ hours a week getting coupons in order to buy new clothes...  (most stores except for places like J.C.Penny and Kohl's don't even have coupons! :'( sad face) What i mean when i say i feel kinda like them is that i feel that rush they talk about on T.V. when they get 2,000 dollars worth or food for only $50 except for me its getting a $90 dollar dress on sale for only $10 dollars or a $22 dollar dress on sale for $1 dollar +tax (which actually happened!)!!!!! I get that happy feeling knowing i beat the store at its own game and saved money in the process! For some reason i felt like sharing this with you guys! With the world! I have no clue why...... I guess what you should
get out of this post is that next time you
go shopping try visiting the forgotten sale
rack!

YOU NEVER KNOW WHAT YOU MAY FIND! : D

Blessings!

*The Photo's used in this post are from WeHeartIt.com*

draft...........

When i am  shopping and I see something I like that is not on sale I will try it on in the dressing room and if I still like it take I will take a picture of it with my phone and change the name of the photo, to the name of the store where the iteam is for sale and the price and size.... Then i will comeback maybe a week later (or longer..... maybe a month) and see if its on sale! It dosen't always happen but it doesn't never happen! Also not getting it right away gives me time to think "do i really want this?", "do i really NEED this?" or " will this skirt match anything i own or will i have to buy a shirt to match?"  The picture will remind me to go back to the store and check if its on sale later in the week/month.

When you go into a store see if they have an email list! Stores like Aeropostale Old Navy and Kohl's are always sending out emails. (You can go onto the website and sign up for them if you like!) The Kohl's near my house always sends me 20% off coupons and info on when the sales will be! Also Kohl's does something called Kohl's cash. If you spend $40 or $50 somethings they will hand you this little rectangle piece of paper that looks like fake $10 bills and it will say Kohl's Cash! Its basically a $10 gift card that you can use on anything even sale/clearance items! I once bought a dress that was $22 on sale for $11 and using my kohl's cash I payed only $1 + tax for the dress! AND Kohl's has an amazing return policy! (just in case you decied you don't like it or it does not match what you bought it for!)

Something i do when i go to the mall with my friends is make sure i only have $20-$30 dollars in my wallet! Its good to have a budget! If you go to the mall with $100 in wallet, its everything you saved up for the past year, you don't intend to spend it but, you most likly will spend it, becasue you can! But if you limit your self to only $20 dollars you can still buy something but you won't over spend!  When i go shopping for a new wardrobe or school clothes i make sure my mother is with me! She will keep me in line and serious about what i need and what i don't need!


IF you wanna try something new you might try shopping at thrift shop! Sometimes you can find some pretty amazing stuff there! You just have to look!  Also i would try giving consignment shops a chance! they are like thrift shops but they only take stuff that is in good condition or designer! There is a place called Plato's Closet here in Virginia, it consignment for teens! They sell lightly used clothes..... Check out their web site Plato's has a store in every state, i think, and one might be near you! (http://www.platoscloset.com/)! also Plato's closet not only sells clothes but they buy them too! So you can finally get rid of that sweater you wore once before your dad shrunk it in the wash and you can get cash for it! (haha that happens to me A LOT!)
Also you can ask your mom if she has any clothes from when she was younger that you can have or borrow! Better yet! call your grandmother! chances are she kept some of your mom's stuff from when she was younger! My mom kept a sweater of hers from when we i was younger and we lived over seas and now i get to wear it! Its a very beautiful sweater!

So review..... When shopping always look at the sale racks first then the newer stuff! If you like something take a picture of it and come back later in the day if you still want it or later in the week/month to see if its on sale. If a store has an email list MAKE SURE YOU"RE ON IT! chances are it will help you save money! You can always earn extra cash cleaning your bro's room, washing your mom's car.  and when shopping always try stuff on that you generally would not try on! and If you don't want to spend any money ask mom or grandma for some of your moms old stuff! the 80's and 90's are coming back you know! ;)

I hope this helps you with your upcoming shopping expeditions!

Blessing!

 P.S. Did you know that Forever21 is a christian company? On the bottom of all their bags is John 3:16!

Whats your favorite store to shop at! Mine is obviously Kohl's! ;) and forever21!

The photos used in this post were taken from weheartit.com

Things you can do around the house to get some cash! (or you can just do them because you love you family! you know what they say....... its good for the soul! : D )

• Clean, Vacuum and Wash a family member's car!
• Wax a family members car (beware its hard and your hands will hurt! )':  )
• Clean a family members room for them!
• Re-organize your pantry
• Re-organize and CLEAN your fridge/freezer for your parents!
• Babysit the neighbor's kids!
• some parents will pay you if you keep your room clean for a month!
• make a deal with your parents for when school starts..... $5 for every A on a test, $10 for every A on a report card!
• Vacuum,sweep, mop the entire house!
• Clean out the attic!

Ammunition on the Beach

Hey Everyone!
Sorry I have not posted in awhile! My summer has finally slowed down! No family in town, no summer camp, nothing to do but biology homework and go to the beach.... : D Anyway.... My family went to the beach on the naval base near our house a few days ago. The beach had been closed off for a day or two because the Navy Seals were supposedly doing a drill there and when it was opened again they went down there and you will never guess what they found! OK, so you might guess because what they found is in the title of this post! But if you didn't read the title I'll just tell you! AMMUNITION! of course its used ammunition! If it wasn't i don't think they would have let my dad take it home for souvenir! (he's funny like that!)  I thought i might show y'all what they found!

(note: these pictures were not taken at the beach.... they were taken in my driveway because i did not go with them when they went!)

Some how while writing this post i lost or deleted my signature.... :'(

o well!

Have you ever found anything odd at the beach?

God Bless!

Hannah

PBA Work Camp

This year i went to a summer camp called PBA Work Camp (PBA stands for peninsula baptist association).

This is my second year going and each year it just gets better and better! The camp is at a small church in Poquoson Virginia (near williamsburg). You go to the camp with your church youth group. There were 113 kids in the camp this year and about 13 churches! The cool thing about this camp is its a work camp, as in they make you do work! Every one is separated from their youth group (with the exception of having one person from your youth group be your camp buddy) into teams and each team has a work site, where we go out and work on peoples houses!

A couple months before the camp starts Social Services gives the camp a list of houses that are not really safe for the owners to live in or could be in better condition and somebody from the camp staff will visit all the houses to see which are safe for us to work in. Then when its time for camp to start each team will get a house and a list of things that need to be done or fixed inside or outside their house! Sometimes your just painting rooms or power washing the side of the house! Other times your putting in a new roof, installing new floors or building a shed outside for the family! Its hard to believe that we are blessed with so much and these people so little! Some of the people who's houses we work on are not Christians. It makes you feel sad that they don't know your god and share you're beliefs but you get a chance to minister to them and tell them about your god! Its a lot of fun to work on these houses especially with teens who share my beliefs!

 The meals are amazing and all homemade (they have the best apple sauce). We eat breakfast and dinner at the church and then there is a packed lunch for us at our work site! The worship service each night is very uplifting and fun! Its so amazing to see all these teens worshiping the same god and raising there hands in glory to him! The best part? the sermon is geared toward us! THE TEENS! Sometimes while I'm in church I'm always wondering how can i apply the sermon to my life. It seems its just for the adults. This camp always gives me a new outlook on things!

The camp is not just work though we still have fun activities! On Wednesday we only work on our site for a couple hours then we go back to the church for lunch and we all go to water country USA together! one night the entire camp goes bowling! There is a game night and a night were we get to play paint-less paint ball!

Most people who go to the camp stay at the church (a.k.a. they bring sleeping bags and air mattress). The boys sleep in the gym and the girls sleep in the Sunday school rooms upstairs! We stay at our youth leaders friends house a few miles from the church! Its not that we have anything against the church its just that there are only 2 showers there. One in the girls bathroom and one in the boys. with only 2 hours in between getting back from your work site and dinner not every one got a shower especially the girls! ;)!!!!!

While at camp i was so busy i forgot to take a lot of pictures! (*sad face) but here are some i took from my trip! 

I'm the one with the light brown hair!

each year we get a t-shirt with the camp theme and verse. this year we got to tie-dye our shirts then they sent them to the t-shirt printing place....

these next photo's are reflections.....

this is denis or his reflection in my window.... (we called him santa : D)

me in the reflection of my friend's sunglasses!

a friend from my youth group wanted to try it!

ok that was the end of the reflections! this is a picture of a flower pot we signed for the house owner!

blessing and have a happy summer!

P.S. I would love to hear about your summer camp!

Summer Camp!

Hey Everyone! (note: this post is kinda short and straight to the point! : D)
Sorry i have not posted in a while! I was at a summer camp with my youth group! I meant to make a post to say i would be gone for a week, and i really wanted to tell you about my summer camp but well.... I FORGOT! gahhh. there i said it i forgot! I'm so sorry! it completely left my mind when i was packing! Now summer camp is over and I'm home again! back to biology and other summer-e things! Right now all I want to do is sleep! I'm so tired! So I'm going to go take a nap, but don't worry! You will hear from me again! if not today then tomorrow! I really want to tell you about my summer camp! Its truly amazing and very different! Right now I just have to recharge myself!

 With much love and blessings,

No fireworks..... Just a storm.....

Happy Independence Day Everyone! 
My day was fine! Ya wanna know something? Even though it is a holiday, I still had schoolwork! ahhhh the joys of doing school over the summer because you can {or because you're mom says you can}!
Today was a beautiful over here in Virginia! My family went to the beach before dinner while i stayed home to do Biology! They came home a few hours later, said they had a great time and layed their wet towels against the back end of my dad's truck to dry. The rest of the day went on quietly, mom in the kitchen fixing dinner, dad outside grilling us some all American hamburgers and hot dogs and my 2 older siblings doing whatever they do when they are bored, and then dinner was ready!

Around 7:00/7:30p.m., we were supposed to be looking on the computer for a good place to watch the fireworks, but instead we were all huddled around the front glass door looking out into the downpour that we see around us. The American and navy flag on the flag pole in our front lawn flowing violently in the wind, lightning flashing around us.... does this mean no more fireworks? i don't know........

By 8 we all got over the excitement of the rain and soon went to doing our own thing...... I was in my room which faces the street when I saw this big flash of light outside my window and this loud roar of thunder so loud it shook the house, especially my room. {i am not kidding! It freaked me out!}I ran down to my dad in the living room to ask him if he felt that! {he did} we quickly went back to the glass door to see if any of the electrical cables had been snapped. Have you ever heard of that lightning trick? Where right after you see the lightning you count 1 one-thousand, 2 one-thousand, 3 one-thousand and so on... till you hear the thunder? {because light travels faster than sound} Well if you get to 1 one-thousand, the lightning is supposed to be in a one mile radius from where you are because the light and sound did not have to travel very far for you to hear it. If you heard the sound after 2 one-thousand, its in a two mile radius and so on and so on. {or so I'm told.} We did not even finish our one one-thousand before we heard the thunder so it should be close! {also considering how bright the lightning was and how loud the thunder was} I'm surprised the power has not gone out yet! My neighbor hood is very famous for losing power and not getting it back for a day or two! { our neighbor's said they had gone 2 weeks w/o power a couple years ago} It stopped raining for a bit so i went out and took some pictures and my dad lowered the flag pole........ Here are some of the pictures! please note some of them are not that nice because i took them through the glass door... :D (the sky looked awesome though!}

yeah i don't think thats supposed to happen!

 

please note: thats not fog.... its sleet!



our last daisy....  :'(

our own private moat around the house!

the err "dry towel" {the lighter purple spots are not dry spots its where the towel got bleached! :D }

ahhh the beautiful sky

picking up one of the little flags that used to line our drive way!

15 Facts.... Because I'm 15 Years Old Today!

So I thought it would be fun to post 15 random facts on my birthday today! ( yeah, I know.... ITS REALLY RANDOM!) :D

1. Mom made pancakes this morning for my birthday, then ruined the smell my cooking onions (ewww) for an omelet!

2. I deeply dislike onions!

3. My totally awesome Grandparents gave me a camera! DSC-W350! (sony point and shoot)

4. When i got the package in the mail from my grandparents 2 days ago, i did take a picture of the bar code on the box.

5. I did uploaded that picture of the bar code to an online bar code generator to see if it could tell me what was inside the box...

6. it didn't help..... all i got was a bunch of numbers!

7. Today, I went outside for 5 minutes to test the camera out and i got a GINORMOUS bug bite!

8.  My mom said i can not get anymore electronics for another 5 years since i got a camera, laptop and iPod for my birthday......

9. My family has a rule about iPods... You can't get one until your 15!

10. Technically i did not get an iPod! (it still has not arrived in the mail!) :'(

11. I spent 3 hours on my laptop today uploading music to iTunes!

12. My room smells like Febreeze!  : D

13. I own 44 CD's

14. My cousin in NE had a baby boy this morning! God must have know i was very alone being the only July baby in the family! : D

15. I get to go to P.F. Chang's tonight!

Here are some of the test pictures i took with my camera!

 And my weird bug bite! can you see how the outline of my arm is a little odd beside my elbow? thats that dang bug bite sticking out!