Thankful Thursday!

How is it already the end of June?  Summer vacation is going way too fast!  Join us at Grace Alone this week for Thankful Thursday.

Today I'm thankful for...
~ my husband getting approved for his time off at work.  Now we get to plan our vacation!

~ having a fun week with my boy.  It has been fun to be in our normal routine this week and having him along as my helper at the grocery store.  We have had a stay home day in our pajamas too which was great! 

~ working air conditioner in our home and vehicles.

~ an unexpected visit from my aunt and cousin over the weekend.

~ the things I'm learning from the Bible study I'm doing.  I picked up this book at the library book sale recently.  It's Spiritual Warfare from Dr. David Jeremiah.  My husband used to listen to him every morning on the radio on his drive to work before we moved. 

I hope you enjoy this upcoming holiday weekend and remember to be thankful for living in the USA.

Have a day of blessings!
 

Giveaway winner!

I used Random.org to choose the winner of the book giveaway this week.  Thanks to all who entered.  The winner is #3, who wrote this comment: 

Anonymous said...

I read Karen Witemeyer's 'Tailor Made Bride' and it is one of all time favorite books. She is a very talented writer who knows how to include interesting historical details, wit and humor.
Thank you for this giveaway.

Have a day of blessings!
 

Thankful Thursday!

It's time for Thankful Thursday again!  Join with us by linking at Grace Alone.

This week I am thankful for...
~ my friendship with my husband.  I was thinking this week how nice it is to be able to talk and laugh together with him about anything from my day.  He is such a great friend and I'm so blessed by his friendship.

~ my boy having fun in art camp this week.  I am excited to see what projects he has made at his art show on Friday.  He hasn't told me much about them yet because he wants to surprise us Friday!

~ receiving rain this week.  Everything is so dry here. 

~ finding good deals on clothes.  I found two pairs of pants recently for my husband for him to wear to work.  One was last week on our trip at my favorite consignment store (I miss that place!).  I saw a pair of khaki Dockers that were his size.  They were in really good shape and didn't looked used.  The tag said $8.  When I got to the front I saw that it had the orange tag therefore it was "half off of half" so I got those for $2!  And today I found a pair of navy pants for him marked down to $2 too! 

~ reading great, encouraging articles online.  I saw this article called "Motherhood as a Mission Field" linked on a blog I read.  I hope you are encouraged by it.

Also, I have a book giveaway.  Click here to enter this giveaway for a chance to win an autographed copy of book called To Win Her Heart by Karen Witemeyer.

Have a day of blessings!

Remember

One night I felt so sad inside….just one of those sad times and feeling down. It wasn’t any particular thing making me sad, but rather just thinking about all that has happened for our family in the past year and feeling sentimental about it…selling our house, our unexpected multiple moves, buying a new house.
As I was getting ready for bed, I read a Psalm as I’ve been in the habit of doing before I go to sleep. That particular night was a familiar passage–Psalm 42, NCV.

Visit me over at Laced with Grace for the rest of this devotional today. Thanks!

Have a day of blessings!
 

Book review + GIVEAWAY! To Win Her Heart

Do you enjoy reading Christian historical romance?  I would like to share with you a wonderful book by relatively new author Karen Witemeyer. I reviewed another of her books, A Tailor-Made Bride, here.    

This book is called To Win Her Heart. Eden Spencer spends her days as the librarian in the town of Spencer, TX.  When a new blacksmith, Levi Grant, comes to town, Eden judges him as not worth her time.  However, he comes to her library to borrow a book and a friendship begins to develop between the two as they discuss various books through exchanged letters.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and did not want it to end!  There were several reasons why I thought it was a great book and would recommend it to you.  First, I enjoyed the characters--the two main characters and their character flaws, as well as some minor characters and the role they play in this story.  Second, I appreciate that this book was not totally predictable.  Too many times I read a book and pretty much have it figured out half-way through.  While there were parts I expected, there was plenty that I didn't suspect as well.  Mainly this came in an ending I did not see coming.  I loved how the author tied up the story.  Finally, the reader can learn several lessons from the characters of this book.  I much prefer reading a book that makes me think about my own weaknesses and where I can see myself in the shoes of a character and apply what they have learned through the book to my personal life.  These characters did that for me.   

If you'd like you can read the first chapter here.

And now for the giveaway!  Leave a comment on this post.  Make sure I have a way to contact you.  One winner will receive a personalized autographed copy of To Win Her Heart.  The giveaway will end on Friday, June 24 and a winner will be announced on Saturday, June 25.   

Have a day of blessings!
 

(I received this book from Bethany House Publishers for my honest review.)

Happy Father's Day!

Today is Father's Day.   I'm thankful for my own Dad and for my husband.

So many men are not present in the lives of their family and children.  I'm so thankful for my husband who is a good example to our son of a man of integrity.  He is a blessing!   

Have a day of blessings!

Thankful Thursday

My heart has been feeling full of blessings this week as we got to come visit our previous city.  Caleb and I have had a fun time visiting with friends from when we lived here while Daddy had a meeting. 

This week I'm thankful for...
~ my husband having his boss tell him he's doing a good job at his meeting.

~ seeing my son's confidence.  He asked at lunch if he could shake the hand of the police man at the next table and stood and talked to him for several minutes.  He doesn't hesitate to go ask the front desk lady at the hotel for a swim towel.

~ all the hugs we received when we visited at our old church Wednesday night.  It was so nice to see all those familiar faces and be missed by them!

~ that this trip was in summer so Caleb and I could come along.

~ swimming together at the pool.

**Also I have a giveaway I'm doing.  Check out the previous link to sign up for 5 boxes of cereal. 

Have a day of blessings!
 

SSMT #12

"Those who cling to worthless idols forfeit the grace that could be theirs."  Jonah 2:8

How many times have I read the book of Jonah and never paid attention to this verse?  I recently read the book The Fitting Room and the author pointed out this verse to me.  I have been thinking about it and rereading it since then.

In the passage Jonah is praying to God from inside the fish.  Jonah makes such a good point and I think it's worth thinking about today. 

When we cling to idols in our lives, we are not open to accept the grace or love of Christ. Are you clinging to any idols that are keeping you from experiencing the grace of God? 

Have a day of blessings!

Are you getting enough fiber? + GIVEAWAY!

The 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans say people should consume 25-38 grams of fiber daily, and that the average American consumes only 15 grams. What´s amazing is that incorporating fiber into your diet can be effortless and definitely delicious, with Fiber One cereals offering at least 30 percent of the Daily Value per serving. (Some Fiber One cereals offer more than 50 percent!) Fiber One Original® and flavored varieties like Honey Clusters®, Raisin Bran Clusters®, Caramel Delight®, and Shredded Wheat®, make fiber taste good and help to give people a jumpstart on their fiber intake each day.

I received a pack of cereals to try.  This picture shows the kinds of cereal included.  So far I've tried the Caramel Delight.  I'd never had it before this, and it is tasty!  My husband has been having it for breakfast too.

Would you like to try all five of these Fiber One cereals?  I am giving away a prize pack through MyBlogSpark.  All you have to do to enter is leave a comment on this post answering the question:  Do you think you are you getting enough fiber in your diet?    A winner will be drawn on Friday, June 17.  I'll post the winner on Saturday, June 18. 

You can click here for a coupon for $.75 off one box of Fiber One cereal.

(The survey information and the Fiber One cereals were given to me from General Mills through MyBlogSpark.)

UPDATED:  My husband was looking at the boxes and nutrition labels. He was surprised to find that one of them has high fructose corn syrup (the Fiber One Raisin Bran Clusters) and another has aspertame (the Fiber One Original). It is very disappointing to both of us to find these ingredients in a cereal.  Here is an article about the dangers of aspertame.  Just had to add this to my review of these cereals. 

Have a day of blessings!
 

'Tis So Sweet...

{Warning:  This may be longer than most posts as I share some of the story of our move and the circumstances related to that.}

Last night I was thinking that today marks the one year anniversary that we signed the papers on our old house.  Just 10 days after we put our house on the market we received an offer which surprised us to say the least.  After the offer and counteroffer, we signed the papers for the sell. 

I remember feeling totally at peace as we walked out of the Realtor's office that day.  It was an odd feeling in those circumstances of not knowing what was coming, yet being filled with the peace I knew could only be from God.  Looking back I cannot believe all that has happened since that day.  We didn't know, but we prayed, had faith, and trusted somehow God would work it all out. 

Things did not go at all as we planned when we put our house on the market.  We knew of some assistant positions that would be opening in the agency for which my husband works.  We did not know when they were opening, but we knew he wanted to apply for one of these.  We put the house on the market thinking we'd see if it would sell and really thought it'd take months to actually sell it.  We knew the house would have to sell if we were to move and we didn't want to live in separate cities.  But none of that happened as we thought.  Our house sold in 10 days and the assistant positions did not open.

Sometimes I'd have those thoughts of what if they don't open the new positions or what if he does not get one of them. I had plenty of times of doubts and frustrations when I couldn't see how everything would turn out.  We knew we couldn't see the full picture and had the "back up plan" in mind that he would just keep working where he was and if we were staying in that area find a new house eventually.

Since we didn't know what was going to happen, we moved to a temporary duplex which was amazing in itself.  We had looked and looked for a place to live and came to closed door after closed door.  The duplex ended up being near our old house and with a landlady who listened to our situation and expectations that we wouldn't be there for very long.  We still thought that the agency would announce the assistant positions, my husband could apply, and we would still get to move. 

However, all of that changed on July 29 when we found out of the tragic death of my husband's coworker M.    The coworker was the director whom my husband hoped to work with in one of his offices as an assistant. I remember the heartbreak I felt when my husband called with the news. It was so hard to understand, and we still have so many questions and grieve over this painful loss. 

So it ended up that my husband instead of being in an assistand position as we originally thought is now the director.

None of it happened as we thought it would.   Now today a year later we are here in a different city in our new house and my husband has a new job.  My mind has trouble processing all this sometimes.  Even though I never knew M, only the stories my husband shared from their work-related experiences, I now think of him and his wife every day.      

Last year we trusted that God had a reason for our house to sell so quickly, but never could have imagined it would be under these circumstances.  As for the assistant positions, it is weird to see that now at the beginning of this summer those positions were announced and opened. 

Today in church we sang the song 'Tis So Sweet To Trust in Jesus.   It made me smile as we sang the lyrics.  The past year we learned more about trusting Him.  I'm thankful that He has taught us we can count on Him and trust Him, even during the times when we can't see or have a clue.   

Have a day of blessings!
 

Audio book: Resolving Everyday Conflict

Humans have always had to deal with conflict.  This conflict may be on the job, at home, with friends or family members.  Conflict is a part of life, and we need to have a clue how to  handle conflict when it arises. 
In the book Resolving Everyday Conflict by Ken Sande and Kevin Johnson, the reader can learn about conflict and how to handle it in a practical, easy to understand way.   There are four questions that are answered by the "Four G's" to ask yourself during times of conflict.  I liked the examples of conflict given throughout the book to make application of the ways to handle conflict.

This book would be a nice addition for your personal library or church library because anyone can benefit from it.  I can see it would be particularly helpful to those in leadership positions. 

The narrator, Maurice England, did a nice job reading the text, and I found his voice easy to hear and follow.

Thank you to the christianaudio Reviewers Program for providing this audio book to me for my honest review.

Have a day of blessings!
 

Book Review: The Fitting Room

"Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.” –Colossians 3:12

Today I would like to share with you a wonderful book called The Fitting Room by Kelly Minter.  

In this book Kelly Minter breaks down the verse Colossians 3:12.  Chapter by chapter she explains how we can put on the virtues of peace, kindness, humility, compassion, patience, and joy. We have to realize that these aren't just things that we can suddenly be.  They are all things to work on; they don't come naturally to us in our own self.  They come from Christ living in us.   

I appreciate her writing style and how the book has the feel of a conversation with a friend. Her honesty in sharing real life stories as well as her humor really add to this book.  There were so many little "nuggets" in this book that made me stop and think as I was reading. 

One part that really stood out to me was in one of the chapters on peace. She talked about Jonah and his running from God and how sometimes it's our own choices that hinder us from having peace.

I'm glad I had the opportunity to read this book and recommend it to you.  It has study questions in the back and I could see it being very appropriate for a group study with friends or a church group.     

Thank you to Audra at The B & B Media Group for providing this book for my honest review. 

Have a day of blessings!
 

Thankful Thursday

We have enjoyed our first week of summer vacation.  We've been busy at home and doing things having fun.

This week I am thankful for...
~ the wonderful time I had with my husband last weekend and our 10 years of marriage. 

~ having my sweet boy home with me.  He has helped me with chores and we've had some fun too.  Tuesday we went to story time at the library (and dentist wasn't so fun! but she got Caleb's tooth out so that was good).  Wednesday we went to the $1 summer movie for kids.  Friday we are going to a book sale and bowling. 

~ our air conditioner working.  It was just blowing and not cooling before we left for our trip last week.  We had it fixed Monday and it wasn't a big issue thankfully.

~ finding a gift card balance on Amazon.  This had me really confused because I knew I hadn't spent the $25 I had won on a blog giveaway back in October.  I emailed Amazon and then ended up calling them.  Who knew I had two accounts with the same email address and two passwords!  The $25 is found! 

~ a new yogurt place I found.  Yummy!

What are you thankful for today? 

Have a day of blessings!
 

Our weekend

Thank you for the anniversary wishes last week!  We had a wonderful day together.  I can't believe 10 years have already passed since we married. 

On our anniversary (last Thursday) first we took Caleb to his last day of first grade.  Then we came home and my husband gave me a present.  I had asked him a while back to write a poem for me.  He had been working on it, but he said he didn't like what he had so he kept starting over.  When I read it, I thought it was perfect.  I may share it here sometime, I don't know yet.  Then he surprised me and gave me another gift...beautiful diamond earrings.  They are just so pretty and look like a little flower, one diamond in the center and surrounded by other little diamonds.  I tried to take a picture but couldn't get a good one.  They are just so pretty and exactly my style. 

Then I gave him the gift I had made him...a DVD of our time together, starting in the dating days all the way through this year.  I just loved how it turned out and he enjoyed it too.  It brought back so many great memories for us. I had also got my aunt to make a German chocolate cake for him and deliver it to his office.  She had had our wedding cakes for us and since he was going to be at his office in her town last week it worked out perfect.  He had extra to share with me too and it was so delicious.  It has toasted coconut on the top.  This is a picture he took with his phone when he got it.  

Then we went to a funeral for a man from our church.  He had also been a professor of my husband in college.  During the service I realized that we were at the same place we had been 10 years ago for the reception after our wedding.  After the service we went over to visit the spot where we married.  I loved that we got to go in the chapel and remember our wedding day. 

We came back home to pick up Caleb from school, they had an early release day at 12:30.  I'd made a "Welcome to Summer" banner (here it is as I was letting it dry), and we hung it across the garage for Caleb to see when we pulled into the driveway. 

Then we loaded up and met my Mom.  Caleb stayed with her while my husband and I went on a trip.  We had such a nice time together.  We did some shopping and went out to eat at a yummy restaurant Don Pablo's.  These sopapillas were our dessert.

Friday we went back to my Mom's house.  Caleb had had a fun time with her.  They went fishing and swimming at the lake.  He had called and told us about it and emailed us pictures of their "awesome adventure" as he called it.

Also they surprised us with 1 0 cupcakes.  They were so tasty!

Have a day of blessings!

Review: "Rejoice" CD

One day on Facebook I saw a post from BookSneeze about a CD available for review called Rejoice by Women of Faith. 

Some of these songs were familiar while others were new to me.  One I particularly liked was called "Greatness of our God."  I love that it ends with "Great Is Thy Faithfulness."  I look forward to listening to this again and again; it's already on my iPod.

There are 10 wonderful songs on this CD.  If you enjoy listening to music in your home or while you drive, this is a great choice.  It would also make a nice gift.

From Thomas Nelson:
  REJOICE captures the unbridled joy, awestruck adoration, and reverent worship audiences experience over the course of a two-day Women of Faith event.

Includes:
1.Beautiful Redeemer
2.So Good
3.Forever Reign
4.Come As You Are
5.Hosanna
6.Our God
7.Glory To God
8.You Brought the Sunshine
9.Greatness of Our God
10.Great Is Thy Faithfulness

Let us rejoice and be glad today! Psalm 118:24

Have a day of blessings!


Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Thankful Thursday: Anniversary Edition

Today is an extra special day.  My heart is so full of all the blessings for which we have to be thankful.

First it is our boy's last day of first grade.  I wrote him a letter in the previous post with my feelings about this year.

And today, June 2, 2011 is the our 10 year wedding anniversary.  My husband is such a huge blessing to me.  The past ten years have gone by so quickly.  When we got married, ten years seemed so far away.  Now it is here and it has just flown!

I've been reminiscing our dating days, our engagement, and our wedding day.  I'm so thankful for those memories and the photos and videos we have from that time.  I like to think back to how we were then, the things we went through together, and how those things have shaped us and made us stronger. 

I am so thankful to have my husband by my side as we've gone through these past ten years.  He is truly my best friend.  We have grown so close through the years and our relationship seems to just keep getting better.  There are so many things I love about my husband.  He is such a great Daddy.  He accepts me.  He makes me laugh.  He knows when I need to talk and he knows how to make me talk and share my true feelings.  He works so hard to provide for our family and so that I can be a stay at home Mom.  He loves the Lord.  He does thing for me without me asking.  He prays for me.  He holds me when I need to be held.  He cleans my car for me.  So many things....big things and small things.  I just love him! 

The past ten years have been just so amazing!  I look forward to what is in store for the future. 
 
Thank you for stopping by for Thankful Thursday!  Have a day of blessings!

At the end of first grade

Caleb,

It is hard to believe we have come to the end of 1st grade already.  So much has changed for our family since August 2010 when you began your second year of school.

We knew early in 2010 of a possible job change for Daddy.  In my head I knew how I hoped things would happen....that we would find out if he got the new job at the beginning of summer and we could move and start you in 1st grade in a new school.  I couldn't imagine the thought of moving and you switching schools during the school year!  But things didn't happen at how I wanted! We were surprised to receive an offer on our house after only 10 days on the market.  We ended up living in a duplex beginning in the middle of July and you started school at the end of August.  Because of a hold up we ended up moving to another temporary home at the end of November in a new city and then to the house we bought in December. 

You had a lot of big changes.  It is funny to think we had four different addresses in such a short time and how I was worried how this would effect you.  You started at your new school after the Thanksgiving break (which was not at all how I had planned it in my head).  But you have done wonderfully well!  You are still the confident boy you've always been! We've seen you grow and progress in new ways in your new school. 

You were blessed with an amazing teacher who has been so loving and encouraging.  She has been such a good match for you.   

I just love to hear you read.  You are such a good reader and I always hope you love to read! That has been so exciting for me this year!  You have continued to have excellent behavior and haven't had to "cut any strips" this year either.  Also, I almost forgot this....you've had perfect attendance since we've moved.  You missed three days at your previous school but have made the perfect attendance for this semester.  (Even with strep throat two times!)

I am so looking forward to summer, especially having you with me when I go do errands and also reading Charlotte's Web together.   

Even though pretty much nothing this year went as I thought it would go, I know that it has worked out beautifully and God's plan is always best.  We are so proud of you and thankful for the wonderful boy you are!  Your Mommy and Daddy love you!

Have a day of blessings!
 

SSMT #11

Here is the new verse I've chosesn to focus on during the next two weeks: 

"Watch out!  Be on your guard agasint all kinds of greed;  a man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions."  Luke 12:15

Seeing all the pictures lately of all the devastation around the United States has been a reminder that possessions don't matter.  This is a value we try to instill in our son too.  I can see in him that sometimes it's hard for him to be generous when it's time to go through and get rid of stuff.  Some things it's easier to cling to than get rid of.

During our move we got rid of a lot of stuff.  It felt great to take all those boxes out of the house and not stuff the items somewhere in our new house.  But I look around and there is always something more.  I ask myself do I really need this?  Could someone else use this more than I do? 

I think this verse is a great reminder that we do need to be on guard against letting greed take root in our hearts. 

Have a day of blessings!