Giveaway

Laced With Grace is having a New Years Giveaway. Click on this link to be directed to the giveaway... I would love to win!!!

Know & Tell Friday (6th Week)

I expect that this week's "Know & Tell" may not have as much participation as the other weeks due to Christmas break, but that's OK... Remember anyone is welcome to participate (and grab the button above if you would like), and make sure to visit other bloggers that answer their questions on their own blogs. I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas (I did...look at the two posts below this one for a peek into my Christmas)!!!

Question 1
What is the name of your very first friend? My memory is a little fuzzy when it comes to my childhood...my sister remembers everything, but me just some things. The first name that popped into my head was the name of my next door neighbor... Her name was Jennifer and she was probably my first best friend for many years.

Question 2
Do you believe in love at first sight? I would probably have to say no, but I have definitely been entranced (is that a word?) when meeting certain people in my lifetime. I believe REAL LOVE develops over a long period of time. I know I loved my husband when I first married him, but I think the REAL LOVE has really developed over the last 7 years or so with the help of Christ Jesus.

Question 3
Clean Freak or Total Slob? This is the honest truth I really am both... I can totally go into Clean Freak mode one day, and the next fall happily into the Total Slob category. I need to find the happy medium of both to be well adjusted in this area :)

Question 4
Last book you read? "Redeeming Love" by Francine Rivers (you probably already knew this if you have been reading my posts lately). It was probably one of the best fiction books I ever have read in my life. I am giving it away at the end of the month... leave a comment on this post if you want to be entered in the giveaway.

Bonus Question
Give me one word that would sum up your goals for 2008? I will follow my own rules this time and only give one word, although I could give several.... The word would be....SURRENDER!!!

Thankful Thursday

I am thankful that this Christmas season the Lord has opened my eyes to so many things. I think this is the first Christmas that I was able to focus in on Christ as the true reason for the season. I try every year to make Jesus the center of Christmas, but most of the time I fail miserably. I can't so I totally fail because every year I learn valuable lessons that I will take with me to the next Christmas season....But again, this year the Lord was really moving in my heart, and I believe I adored Him more this Christmas than any other Christmas in my life.

I did something this year that I believe I will make a tradition for me personally (when my kids get older I think I will have them do it too). I watched "The Nativity Story" on this past Friday or Saturday, and then on Christmas Eve I watched, "The Passion of the Christ". Jesus was born to die for us... So I decided I wanted the whole story to be played out in front of me on the days prior to Christmas. I don't have time to to go into all the wonderful details, but the Lord moved in my heart in such a mighty way on Christmas Eve as I watched the story of His suffering that I feel I have been marked by it, and will be different because of this past weekend.

I remember watching "The Passion.." when it came out, and remember feeling so many different things, but since that time I have been through so many experiences with God that I am different, and it was so amazing how the movie was used to speak such new things to my heart this time. I love Him so, and I know that He loves me. I could write so many things about what happened in my heart a few days ago, but I think most of what I learned is personal to me and God, and I need to process it and do the things that He has called me to do...

However, I leave you with this idea, if you have not watched the movie "The Passion..." (and the "Nativity Story") in awhile it may be the perfect time of the year to do so again. God is love, never forget that!!!

Wordless Wednesday

One of these people (with the non Christmas colors) just doesn't belong...which one do you think it is :) ?

Merry Christmas from Terminator, Moose, & Snake, and "Jesus is the Reason for the Season!"

Merry Christmas!!!

Jesus is the Reason for the Season!!!

I love this song so much, and this video has clips from two of my favorite Jesus films... Blessings and have a wonderful Christmas!!! (If the clip gets stuck, try it again, or go directly to You Tube to watch it. The clip got stuck for me, and I played it twice and it worked)

Can't Wait...

I went to the movies last night with my hubby to see "National Treasure 2"... It was really good. I don't think I even heard one swear word, and there was just one little suggestive type scene in the movie...So overall, I am highly impressed that a big budget film didn't have all that extra stuff/junk in the movie... It just goes to show you that you can make a great movie without adding all the extra obscenities. OK, I will jump off the soapbox :), and get to the reason I wrote this post.

I absolutely fell in love with C.S. Lewis and his Narnia series a few years ago. I have listened to all 7 Chronicles on CD (Focus on the Family's). I didn't pay any attention to the Chronicles when I was a child, but I adore them as an adult. The biggest reason I love the books, and now movies are because of all the spiritual connections that are hidden, or not so hidden in Lewis' books. I watched a couple of movies about C.S. Lewis and I just adore him too.

Last night, I saw the this trailer (one above), and just go so excited!!! I am such a visual person so I love when books get made into movies... Sadly, the movie does not come out until May of 2008, so I will have to wait a bit longer. I also found out the next movie after "Prince Caspian" is in production and will come out in 2010. I am so glad the Walt Disney is interested in the films, and it appears they may make all of the movies. I can't wait until my children get a little older, so I can introduce them to C.S. Lewis' books.

Take a peek, and if you have not read all the books I strongly recommend them!!!

Know & Tell Friday (5th Week)

Today is the 5th Week of my "Know & Tell" meme, and I am excited that it is going well so far. I welcome new bloggers to join every week. I try to visit all the blogs of the people that participate, and I am just loving reading all the great answers to my questions :) If you do participate, please make sure to visit other bloggers that answer the questions on their own blogs... Blessings and have a very Merry Christmas next week!!!

Question 1 In the spirit of Christmas... Artificial or Real Christmas Tree? Well, I grew up with an artificial tree every Christmas, and when I was older my mom and dad decided to get a real tree (that was a real treat). When I got married we bought real trees, but have had some tree fiascoes (falling down more times than we can count :), so we now have an artificial tree that looks real if you work it. I like the artificial trees, but don't like how long it takes to assemble them, and I also love the real trees with their wonderful smells, but don't like the sap and the way that many of them prick my fingers... So, I guess I would say both (I should have said that in the first place:)
Question 2 If your life was a TV show...what would the title be?
(OK, I really like to think about these types of questions, so I am going to think a little more, and will post my answer when I come up with it)
Question 3 When you go to the movies what do you get from the Concession Stand?
Popcorn with butter a must... A Diet coke, and if I go for the candy (on a second visit to the stand) I will either get Red Twizzlers, or some kind of Chocolate (Buncha Crunch).
Question 4 Cosmetic that you cannot live without? There are probably several, but my new favorite is Smashbox's Cream Eyeliner in all different colors... I love them!!

Bonus Question (gotta think about this one...)
If you could go back in time to a pivotal point in your young life and give yourself one word of advice, and it would be guaranteed that you would follow the advice... What would you tell yourself... ( It is OK if you tell more than one thing :)
I really gave some thought to this question.... Years after accepting Christ into my life, I fell/jumped into the trap of legalism, back then I didn't even know what that meant. My Christian life was all about the rules, and how I was keeping them, or not keeping them. I would tell myself the truth I learned in my 20's. It is about a personal love relationship with Christ...Love Him first, and everything else will fall into place. I would also add that I would truly seek to know who I am in Christ... If I truly grasped my identity in Christ back at the age of 10, I could have saved myself so much trouble by not trying to please everyone in the world. I sought to keep everyone else happy or thinking well of me, and Christ fell into last place many times. Truly knowing who I am in Christ at a young age would have revolutionized my life.

Blessings to all my blogging friends...Merry Christmas!!!!

Thankful Thursday

Today, I am thankful for Christian books and Bible Studies. I have just finished reading "Redeeming Love" (over 400 pages... I should receive some kind of reward for that :) by Francine Rivers. You have probably seen a few of my posts on this book. I am giving it away at the end of December in the "PIF" book exchange (again, if interested in winning it just leave a comment letting me know).

The book was one of the most beautiful explanations I have ever seen of what it means to show true love, especially on the part of the man. The book had me teared up at the end, and it takes a lot for a book to make me cry because I am more of a visual (I like movies) person. The ending of the book was so powerful. In another post I mentioned that I don't get to read a lot of fiction, but this book was worth reading, and I hope that I will take away something from the book that I can use in my everyday life... I think that will come in time.

I am so thankful to the many Christian authors out there that have written books about living out the Christian life. Some of the authors that have touched my life in a profound way have been Larry Crabb, Bob Sorge, Max Lucado, and many more... Many of the books I have read have been some kind of spiritual marker for me where I made a change in my thinking, or at least knew that I needed to make a change in my thinking :)

Most of all, I am thankful for Bible Studies...at the top of my list would be Beth Moore (as so many others would say too :). I cannot tell you how much God has used her studies and teachings to change my life. I really could write a book on how God has changed me over the seasons through working through Beth's studies. I don't want to make this a long post, so I will stop here. I have also done other studies from other authors that have also helped to change my life (Experiencing God!!!!), and I am so thankful to God for using these studies to change me.
However, my goal is that I will wean myself off of the studies, and really just dive into God's word for myself and see what I can learn directly from Him. I have been so nervous to do this because of many reasons that I will not go into today, but I have been saying this for a long time, and I really want 2008 to be the year I do what I have been talking about for years... Dive into God's Word myself... If you think of it, a prayer my way would be so appreciated.

Well, gotta go get ready for a Happy Birthday Jesus party in my Pre-K class. Blessings to all!!!

Wordless Wednesday

Brotherly Love in new pajamas...

Time Travel Tuesday

Today's Travel is about the last time you were scared... I get scared a lot... that is one of my issues, but I am working on that :)

The last time I remember getting really scared was about 3 weeks ago. "Snake" (my middle child) woke me up around 5 in the morning. He was calling for me or his dad in between a massive coughing attack. At first, I just do not handle panic situations very well, so I told my husband to run and see what was the matter with Snake. He doesn't wake up as well as I do, so it took him a little time... I kept telling him to go check on Snake, and I took a few seconds to calm myself down, and I went into Snake's room. My hubby was trying to get him to drink some water, but Snake could not stop coughing. I began to worry and told my hubby that we may need to call an ambulance... it seemed almost like he was having an asthma attack, and that he could not get his breath. I called the peds office, and by the time the nurse called me back, Snake's coughing had decreased. The nurse told me all the things I needed to do, and by that time I was in a calm state, but initially I was scared that Snake wouldn't be able to catch his breath.

I guess any time something happens to one of my boys I initially freak out and think the worst possible scenario will happen. I know through Christ I can remain in control and calm when my children need me, but it is a struggle that I am working through.

Blessings today, and hang in there Annie with all the power problems you have been going through. I hope things are better now :)

A Great Book!!!

This month I am giving away the book, "Redeeming Love" by Francine Rivers through the "Pay It Forward Book Exchange Giveaway" created by "Overwhelmed with Joy" (Are you overwhelmed with details now?).

I won the book in the "PIF" a couple of months ago. Two things almost kept me from reading the book... one, it is novel, and two, it is a very long novel. The book is fiction, and to tell you the truth I just don't get to do a lot of fiction reading. At this stage in my life, I love to read, but fiction seems to be last on the list. However, I started reading the book, and I was hooked. The book is based on the book of Hosea, and so far (I am halfway through the book) I see that Francine Rivers has captured what it means to truly love...it is so beautiful. I want to see this book turned into a movie :)

The book deals with some very hard, cruel and sad things that take place in our world today. It has been kind of hard to read some of the things written in the book, but I believe that Francine Rivers has done a great job of giving details, but not so much that you would need to put the book down.

If you have not read the book, and have not commented on my "PIF" post, you can do so on this post. If you would like to win the book, please just leave a comment on this post. You have until the last day of December to enter. I am quite sure I will be done with the book by then :)
If you are a book person, I suggest that you go out and buy the book to have it for your own collection. I think I may be a Francine Rivers fan after finishing this book.

Blessings to you as we near Christmas Day... Jesus is the reason for the season!!!

In "other" Words

"Don't blame suffering in the world on the anger of God. He's not mad; he didn't mess up. Follow our troubles to their headwaters, and you won't find any angry or befuddled God. But you will find a sovereign God.
Your pain has a purpose. Your problems, struggles, heartaches, and hassles cooperate toward one end -- the glory of God."
~Max Lucado, It's Not About Me~

Today's quote is from Max Lucado...I just love him, and have read several of his books.

I suppose that the "world" (Christians included) does blame suffering on God, and that when bad things happen our first questions are to God. We ask the question; "why does God let bad things happen?" My guess is that we ask God this question because deep down we know that God, in His power, can intervene in any situation and stop it from occurring if He chooses. I definitely cannot explain or debate the subject of how we as humans have freedom to make choices, and that those choices can have bad consequences for us. However, I love the idea that God can work any situation out for good, and His glory (Romans 8:28 And we know that God causes everything to work together, for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.) That is amazing to me!!!

My "pain has a purpose" according to Max... I can tell you that on the front end of the pain I rarely see a purpose. It is only when time has come and gone that I can look back at a situation and be thankful that God allowed me to go through it, because the painful situation caused me to grow spiritually. At times I really don't think I would have grown had it not been for the pain. I am comforted knowing that God can use our struggles, hassles, problems, and pain to help us to grow, and more than that God can use my pain to receive glory for Himself.

One of my goals is that I will be able to go through my painful situations, on the front end, with the knowledge that God will use whatever I am going through to help me grow, or receive glory for Himself. I want to be able to walk through my situation with that knowledge at the beginning, and not just after time has passed while I am looking back at my situation.

I am being awful wordy today... I hope you understood what I was trying to convey :) I am also typing while trying to get over a migraine too. Blessings to you today, and make sure to stop by "On the Horizon", she is today's host for "IOW".

Looking for a good Christmas movie to see???

The movie "Noelle" came out last week at the theaters. I went to see it with a couple of my friends. The movie was produced by a Christian/faith based company (pretty sure about that). The same company that released "One night with the king" (Esther movie) produced this movie too.

It was a really good movie...it takes a little time for the story to develop, so hang with it because the story line gets good. I cried at the end (so that means it is a good movie :) Go see it soon if it is playing in your city, movies like this don't stay too long at the theaters.

Also this week, the short film, "Midnight Clear" was released on DVD. I rented it at my local video store. Jerry B. Jenkins wrote the story (I think he is one of the "Left Behind" guys). The movie stars Stephen Baldwin (who is now a Christian and has such an awesome testimony) and is about how five people's lives are intertwined at Christmas. It was really good too!

The most exciting news I found out this week is that the makers of "Flywheel" and "Facing the Giants" are finishing up on their third movie, "Fireproof". This movie stars Kirk Cameron (one of my former teen heartthrobs) as the lead and is all about marriage, or saving a marriage. No
previews as of yet, but you can read about the movie here.

I just love it when good movies like the ones above are released. These types of movies encourage me, and I believe can be used as a witness to a world that doesn't know Jesus. Blessings to you!!! (If you click on all of the highlighted links, you should be able to view trailers for at least the first two movies. A trailer for "Fireproof" is not out yet, but you can read the blog about it).
PS. Leave a comment if you have watched any of these movies... I would love to hear if you liked them as well.

Know & Tell Friday (4th Week)

This is my fourth week of my "Know & Tell" meme. (This meme is open to anyone that visits my blog...even if it is your first time, feel free to participate) I am using the other button that "Overwhelmed with Joy" created for me. I thought of ladies talking and this is what she came up with... how cute... I wish I had legs like our little friends :) Remember to feel free to copy and paste either button when you participate, and don't forget to visit other blogs too to check out their answers.

Question 1
(More of a fill in the blank..) I wish my hair__________. I used to have thick hair when I was younger... So I wish my hair was still thick with curls. Not tight curls, but nice waves.

Question 2
Someone you miss? I miss my mom terribly. I moved 3 years ago from Florida and have seen her about 2-3 times a year. I am very close to my mom, so it is hard to be away from her.

Question 3
What's your favorite comfort food? I don't know that it counts as a food, but chocolate makes me so happy, and sometimes a fountain soda with ice does too.

Bonus Questions
Question 4
In your opinion what are some of the qualities that make a person a "best" friend?
I could probably fill up a whole page, but I will name a few. A best friend is someone that you can literally share everything with (not that you always will), but that you could, and she will still love you!!! A best friend is someone that you can show your goofy side to, and she thinks it is just adorable. Last, a best friend will always want what is best for you (spiritually speaking too), even if that could cause her sadness or pain.
Question 5
What is one area that you struggle with in the wife arena? Just one... I definitely have more than one, but one I need to improve on is making sure to lift him up in front of my children. It is not like I say negative things about him to my kids, but if he is correcting the kids and I don't agree with how he is doing it, I will correct him at times. I try to correct him nicely, but I shouldn't be correcting him at all in front of the kids. As a couple we need to come up with signals to help each other if we are struggling with a discipline issue.

I will be visiting blogs to read answers this week. Thanks so much for sharing your answers with me these past few weeks. Blessings!!! ( I am hosting a "PIF" book giveaway this month... go down several posts and enter if you would like to)

Thankful Thursday

Today I am thankful for spiritual growth... This past weekend I had many circumstances that occurred that I was able to look back on and see how differently I handled the circumstances (in a good way). God has really changed me into a new person...not that I handled all of my situations perfectly this weekend, but definitely with a lot less sinning going on :)

I am thankful that I work for a Christian Pre-K, and we really get to focus in on Jesus as the main reason for Christmas. In today's society Jesus is getting pushed out of every arena, and I am so thankful that I can talk about Jesus as much as I want in my class :)

I am thankful for feeling God's presence this week... I go through many dry spells where it is hard to sense God's presence, but lately I feel like I am drawing closer to Him. There is nothing in the world that can beat the feeling of feeling God is close to you!!!

Blessings to you!!! Come back tomorrow for my 4th post of "Know & Tell Friday"...

Wordless Wednesday

Freedom/No Fear
What I desire in my own life... (If you are stopping by today from a Wordless Wednesday link, go down a few posts and enter my book giveaway if you would like...)

Take Time to Pause and Reflect...

In "other" Words

"Be such a person and live such a life,
That if every person,
Was a person like you, and every life a life like yours,
This Earth would be God's Paradise."
~Phillips Brooks~


Today's quote is from Phillips Brooks... I don't believe I have ever read or heard anything from him. Today's host is All you have to give.

This quote definitely is challenging... It reminds me a little of the "Golden Rule" (do to others as you would have them do to you...that is the Golden Rule, right?)

I think the quote has some validity, but I don't want the pressure of everyone living a life like me, even if I did the best I could. I am so thankful as Christians that we do not have to try to live a life just like another, but that we have Jesus for our role model. I think that is more like God's paradise... the body of Christ striving everyday to be more like Jesus. If each of us lived to become more and more like Jesus (not in our own strength, but in His) this world would seem a little more like paradise.

Some of these quotes have kind of left me speechless the last couple of weeks (so unbelievable, I know)...I look forward to reading the thoughts of the "IOW" community on today's quote. Blessings today and everyday!!!

Ornament Meme

I kind of tagged myself for this meme. You are to take pictures of some of your favorite or meaningful ornaments and then post them. So here are a few of my favorites. Some of the pictures are a little blurry because I couldn't get my flash to work right...

-The first picture is an angel made by my Moose. Isn't he/she the cutest little angel you ever saw?
-The second ornament was given to me by my sister. It is a nail she bought from a hardware store to represent the nail/spike that was driven through Jesus' hands/wrists. It seems I always pause and place that nail on my hand every time I hang it up. The kids asked about it this year as they felt it on their little hands... I think this is the best ornament my sister ever gave our family.
-The third picture is of very delicate glass flamingos. My friend gave these to us last year and I think they are adorable...me being from Florida and all (I moved to Illinois 3 years ago). I actually broke the male flamingo as I was putting him on the tree... that is so typical of me. I didn't want to tell my friend, so I sneakily found out where she got them and sent my hubby on a mission to find a replacement. He found the last one hanging on the stores display tree. Once I had the male flamingo back in my possession, I confessed to my friend....she just laughed :)
-The fourth picture is of a church. We bought this ornament to remember how God placed a very special Church in our path once we moved. I can't even imagine how our lives would be without our wonderful Church family.
-The last picture is an angel, and we bought it as a remembrance of God calling us to move to Illinois without a job, house (we did have a rental to begin in), or anything really... We called ourselves a modern day Abraham and Sarah. The angel ornament has these words on it, "to everything there is a season and a purpose", and boy was there a purpose to our moving. God is faithful.

I hope you have enjoyed looking at these ornaments, and please tag yourself if you would like, and let me know so I can visit your blog. Blessings!!!!

Pay It Forward Book Exchange Giveaway (December)

This is my third "PIF" Book Exchange Giveaway. Please visit this site to see all the official rules of how this giveaway works, or go back into my November posts and read the rules on the "PIF" post. My December contest will be open through December, and I will pick a winner on January 1st. All you have to do to enter is to leave a comment, and make sure there is a way I can get in touch with you if you win.

This month's book is the novel "Redeeming Love" by Francine Rivers. I won the book, and hope to finish it before December is over :). I have heard wonderful things about Francine Rivers. If you would like to find out what the book is about, just "Google" the title and you should be able to read a synopsis of the book, or try this website www.redeeminglovenovel.com

Know & Tell Friday (3rd Week)

Welcome back for the third week of "Know & Tell Friday"... Thanks to the many who participated the past two weeks. The questions are getting juicier (ha ha :), and I look forward to reading this week's answers. I visit all the bloggers that particpate... make sure you click onto other's blogsites to read their answers if they don't leave the answers in my comment section.

Question 1
What makes you cry? OK, what a silly question for women...everything makes us cry :) A good movie can make me cry...I judge if the movie was good on whether or not I cried (not really, but that is kind of true). I think about every episode I have ever watched of "Touched by an Angel"
made me cry. I love that show!!! I cry often when I listen to others give their testimonies about how God changed their lives. OK, I will stop because I could fill up 50 posts on the answer to this question :)
Question 2 (Hopefully this question will bring a little comic relief your way)
I am assuming everyone goes to their gyno for their regular checkups.... What do you do when you are getting you pap smear done? I try not to really make eye contact that much. There is this poster that is taped to the ceiling of a bunch of smiley faces (with emotions), and I try to look at it to take my mind off the fact that I am totally without clothes :) However, most of the time I blab to my doctor and the nurse... Crazy...but blabbing is in my nature.
Question 3 (If you have recovered from question 2)
Dream Job (Being a wife and a mother is probably the number one answer, so for this question name an occupation or ministry that you would like to work in)
I would love to work in Women's ministry in some form... like conferences (Women of Faith), or working for LPM (Beth Moore's Ministry- I bet my friends could have guessed that). I love Women's Ministries, and any way I could be involved would be great.
Bonus Question (Going Deeper...)
What is one thing that you struggle with presently, or struggled with in the past that you hope does not get passed down to your children? Again, I could list many things, but I hope that my struggle with FEAR does not get passed down to my kids. Fear is debilitating and paralyzing. My struggle with fear makes me act out in really unhealthy and at times strange ways. I have to be careful how I talk in front of my kids when it comes to this issue. I am in the process of letting God help me with this struggle, and things are improving, but it is a tough fight.

Again, thanks for participating, and I look forward to reading all of your answers :)

Thankful Thursday

(Written and posted on Wednesday night)

Well ( I really like to start my sentences with the word, well huh?), today I am thankful for the awesome marriage study that I (hub's too) am doing with our Small Group. It is Emerson Eggerich's, Love and Respect Small Group study. I gasp thinking how I would have reacted if I did this study several years ago. I was so clueless back then about how I disrespected my husband, and through my disrespect I had a role in stopping him from becoming the one thing I always wanted him to be, which was the Spiritual Leader of our household. We are probably in the best, or one of the best places in our marriage at present. When I view the study, I am glad that I am on the other side of so many of our major marital issues, but realize the minute I think I can stop working on my marriage, I will sink. Again, I thank the Lord for saving our marriage, restoring love, helping me to submit to my husband as the leader of our house, and allowing us to share our story with others. I honestly believe that this study with God's power working in your marriage can revolutionize a marriage.

A bonus to the above thanks is that our children do not have to reap many of the negative consequences that would have come out of a marriage on the brink of divorce, or one devoid of "Love and Respect".

Blessings to you today, and make sure to come back here Friday for my third week of the "Know and Tell" meme. I love reading all of your answers to my questions :)

Wordless Wednesday (I promise I will get better with being wordless :)

This picture did not turn out at all like I was hoping it would, but I love the look of my hubby...



These pictures are from our family picture day. Many things went wrong that day...my oldest, Moose was having a major meltdown (see the tears in the pictures). As mentioned many times in my blog, our oldest son has Autism. He is high functioning, and most people would not really know that he has Autism. He has come such a long way, but every once in awhile he will revert to some really negative behaviors. Thank goodness we were at home :) The second thing was that I didn't think about the staging of my pictures... I was just trying to get through the session with my sanity in tact (my hubby's too), so you will see a messy dining room table, toys, and even towels in the pictures. To top it off, I didn't have time to do my hair that day, and I thought it looked OK, but I don't like it in the pictures (but I am not sure I would have liked it if I did something with it either :) Sorry you have to turn your head to see a few of the pictures...Blessings and smile!!!

A chance to be a blessing...

I have recently become friends with a wonderful woman of God through blogging. I have just a few people that I can say that about, as it takes awhile to develop a friendship through the old computer, but with Bev I feel that we have connected through our relationship with Jesus... She is like the mentor I always wanted to have.

Her son Britt wrote this post and he is challenging all of Bev's friends and the blogging community to reach out to orphans in Thailand (I think that is right). Please click on the highlighted link in the last sentence and see if you may be able to help out in anyway. Blessings to you all!!!

Time Travel Tuesday

Today's Travel is about your "Worst Hair Day, or Worst Hair Experience"... I have two, although one is a little more severe.

It was the day of my wedding (I know you already feel bad for me) and I went to the beauty shop (it was more of a beauty shop than a stylist place). I wanted an up-do... I wanted my hair to be pulled up, and then I wanted to have the stylist curl all the pieces that were up to create this beautiful cascade of gorgeous curls, instead I ended up with a teased rat's nest. My mother could tell that I was losing it, and she wasn't happy either. At that time in my life I didn't really speak up for myself, and I never told the lady who was doing my hair that I hated it. I think I may have said I liked it, and I paid for it and left. It didn't take too long for me to break down in horrible tears and I stressed my poor mom out. I think my mom cried with me.

My mom assured me that she would fix it when we got home. We went straight into the bathroom and washed my hair. Pieces of my hair came out in big knots from all the teasing. It was so horrible. My mom, and I think, an aunt and my sister fixed my hair, and it did end up looking nice. Lesson of this story...make sure you visit your stylist before the day of your wedding.

My second mishap was with my stylist that I have now...She is fabulous and really knows how to cut, style and color hair. I have had her for over 3 years and this time that I am going to tell you about is really the only time I have had a problem. We were coloring and highlighting my hair with color, and bleach, and my stylist wanted to use this name brand toner to take out some of the reddish tones (I think that was the color)...

I know my stylist was aware of the problem before I was as she watched the color develop... Basically my hair turned purple, a grayish purple. As I looked at my hair, I just told her, "Well, I know you can fix it"... which is so surprising. I think I was probably in denial. She had to basically use bleach again on my whole head. My hair color came out fine, but oh my hair was a little bit damaged from the double coloring session.

Later my stylist explained how she went home and broke down with her parents, and she told me that she didn't really know exactly what to do, but she just did the best she could. Later, she also told me that she called the company that put the toner out, and they told her that the purple hair was something that was suppose to happen, and it would fade in time. We both did not think that was true... Who would be OK with going home with purple hair for awhile? Needless to say, my stylist threw out that toner. I told her that if a mishap like this had to happen to her I was glad it was me, because I know how good she is and I didn't judge her on this one episode.

Can't wait to hear your bad hair day stories....

In "other" Words

Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts. But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins,worth only a fraction of a penny. Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, "I tell you the truth, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on."
~ Mark 12:41-44 ~


Wow, this portion of Scripture cuts me right to the quick!!!
This portion of Scripture is the ultimate example of what it means to truly sacrifice... If I were there with Jesus that day I think that I would have been one giving out of my wealth, and thinking I was giving the best I could.

In the past few years, I have been learning truth about what it means to truly sacrifice... You see I love to give, but I also like to make sure that enough is left over for me so that I can get too, or that my kids are also able to get their share. A good friend of mine, a few years ago talked about how true sacrifice is giving without the thought of getting back, or shall I say, giving until it hurts.

The other neat thing I was thinking about this Scripture is that it really places us all at the same level... Rich or poor, we can all give sacrificially. Jesus always sees straight through to our hearts, and He is the one that truly knows if we are giving with the right motives. I want Jesus to be able to look at me, and be able to say that I gave sacrificially and with pure motives...it has been a process to change this old selfish girl, but I do feel that change is occurring in my life, and that gives me hope for the future :)

Again, I offer no guarantee that I am getting it all right with my words, but I hope to keep learning and growing in Wisdom with God. Blessings to you!!! Make sure to visit Beloved Mama, she is hosting today's IOW...

Winner of "Pay It Forward Book Exchange"

The winner of November's "PIF" is "What a Gift". Congrats "What a Gift", and I will get Angela Hunt's book to you very soon. Stay Tuned, I plan to have another book giveaway very soon (hopefully this week).