Neat-o Links!

I found some neat-o sites tonight and I wanted to share them! I believe I found them through Bloggy Giveaways (look for a giveaway carnival next week ~ I'm going to go through my Avon and/or Creative Memories for a giveaway. Heaven knows I have alot of both!).

Seems the big craze is vinyl lettering. I gotta admit - I am loving all the things I'm seeing with the lettering. I am loving the sayings on the walls and the thought of having something like that on my wall without having to try and paint it myself is extremely cool!

So, anyway, I went to Tip Junkie first and she has a ton of links to "mom shops". From there, I found this site My Tree House Treasures. She has some really cute products and none of them will break the bank.

Another giveaway site! Great homemade jewelry from RHBDesigns.



Go check these sites out - I know it's helping me pass time on this Friday night.


For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jer. 29:11

What I did last night!

Go over to DeeDee's and see what we did last night! It was great fun meeting new people and hearing Trent Monk sing! I think the funniest part was when I realized I knew one of his songs and I said, "That's you?" I just know my face turned bright red!

Thank you Sophie (& Hubs and child) for opening your home for us to come over. It was great getting to see you (or meet you, as the case was for the hubs and child).

*Funny little story - I took my 13 yo daughter with me. When we got there, she looked in the floor board at the CD cover and said, “Is that who’s going to be there? Bart Millard?” “I wish!”, said I. However, I was more than tickled to meet Trent and hear him sing. He’s funny guy (and very talented…which is probably more of what he’d like to hear me say because he’s promoting a CD of songs and not a comedy act…I’m just saying).



For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jer. 29:11

Thank you Mama Siesta!

Over at AllAccess, they have a blog where you can leave a message for Beth, Travis, the praise team, Living Proof and the Lifeway team and thank them for the ten years of ministry amd how your life has been changed or just to say thankies!

Not wanting to lose what I wrote, I'm posting my message to them here. I encourage you to go over and leave them a message, if you feel so lead.

Like everyone else, I wonder where to begin. Without starting from the beginning, I can only imagine how Mama Siesta is going to feel when she reads all this about her. Truly a humble servant before our Lord, that one is. Sophie, I thank you for opening up the blog this way and allowing us a place to thank Mama Beth and let her know how much she’s meant to each of us.
Several years ago, when I was going through a horrible season in my life, my attendance at church was pretty spotty - at best. I had lost my brother, wasn’t sure if my mom was going to live and was going through an excruciating divorce too. I did get away on a Women’s Retreat and met a few ladies from our church. One of them was doing a Beth Moore study and everyone kept talking about how great Beth Moore was. So, to be quite honest, and I’ve never told anyone this, I thought the lady leading the class was Beth Moore. See, small groups and bible study outside of Sunday School were very novel to me. (This lady who I thought was Beth Moore has been my mentor the last couple of years and she has no idea I had the misperception!) Well, I went to the first class of her study, but no more. As a matter of fact, I didn’t really even go back to church for over 3 years!

In August 2006, I totally surrendered my life to Christ and just in time for the starting of new small groups! My friend (and mentor, whose name is Laura, not Beth) was leading a Beth Moore study, and well, Laura was about the only person I knew from church, so it was a given I would do her class. I really had no idea what I was in for, and it’s probably a good thing I didn’t, because I don’t think I’d ever have done the study! But, in August of 2006, I met one of the most of godly women I’ve ever met when I started Believing God. I finally met Beth Moore and thought she was the most precious woman ever (still do!). I got to hear stories about her love for God, her family, her heartaches, her Redeemer and how to believe God.

There are so many beautiful traits Beth has that I find so endearing. What stands out the most is how God turned her ashes into a picture of beauty and how He gave her such a gift to teach all of us women how to love Him wholeheartedly. She could very easily be put way up high on a pedastal, but she tells you NOT to do that. I admire her so much and I think the world of her, but I pray that I give her the credit she deserves and glorify the One who gave it to her!
In the last 2 1/2 years, I have gone from being so lost to being a small group leader! I’ve had an awesome and dear friend and mentor (Laura), and a wonderful godly teacher, Beth Moore, to help me grow in my relationship with Christ!

Mama Beth (and her precious family), I love you so much (and I told you that at the Siesta Fiesta, even if you just knew my name b/c I had on a name tag, I’m believing that you & Amanda really knew my name, whether I had on a name tag or not!), and I thank you for listening to our Father and for using the painful childhood you’ve had to turn it into a true living proof ministry. Words really are inadequate to express to you what your teaching has meant to me and how life changing the lessons have been. Thank you for sharing your journey with me and teaching me all along the way. I didn’t ever realize such a godly woman could still be so stinking silly and FUN!!! Thank you for showing me how to a godly woman and still love life in a fun and loving sort of way.

To the Moore family, the peeps at Living Proof Ministries and Lifeway, I can’t even begin to imagine how much work each of you invest into this ministry. I thank you for all your support and prayers and sacrifices that you’ve poured into the ministry to help touch so many lives. And to the Moore family, thank you so much for sharing your Mama with us and Amanda, thank you for the blog!!!!

Travis - I’m a new appreciator (is that a word? sure it is) of your music and I just love you and the praise team! Your music has really touched my soul!

I think I’ve written a novel, but I do want to make sure Mama Beth knows how much I just love her! She’s the one who helped teach me about Agape love so it’s only fittin’ I give her some!
I love me some Mama Beth!! Thank you so much for your ministry

(P.S. Did y'all know that Pink's real name is Alecia Beth Moore?)

For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jer. 29:11

Pictures from Siesta Fiesta

Here are some pictures from the Siesta Fiesta from August. I can't remember now what's prompted me to post them - probably a thought that I never showed anyone (and that could be b/c I am not happy with the 50+ lbs the camera always seems to add to me). Anyyyywayyyyy...

Outside the Alamodome

Our reserved seating signs!!

My view!

Our group's picture from the Siesta Fiesta Q&A. There were over 1,000 Siestas there!

Aren't they darling?

This is from the Siesta Fiesta/Q&A Time. You can see my little face in the corner. That's JennyHope from Pelham talking to Melissa about hair! (I didn't realize I was surrounded by people I lived really close to!)

So, there you have it. I wish I hadn't forgotten my camera, but, alas, I did. Thankfully, Rich from Lifeway took great pictures and we got to snag them!

For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jer. 29:11

Twitter Moms!

Sweet Tea anyone?

My friend, Wendy, blogs for al.com. She blogs about all things frugal and if you haven't checked out her blog in the past, I hope you'll take the time to do so! She's a beautiful person ~ inside and out and I feel blessed to call her friend. (And as much as I adore her, I guess you can tell by the title that this isn't an Ode to Frugal Mom blog...) I digress alot, don't I?

I have struggled on how to make tea. Sweet or unsweet - didn't really matter - it tasted gross either way. I like strong tea - not that weak tea like they serve at some restaurants (interestingly, those are the same restaurants that serve Pepsi products...correlation, asks the Coke product drinker?) Oh, I've digressed again, haven't I?

My friend posted a recipe on how to make sweet tea on her blog a couple of months ago and I finally tried it out of thirst desperation ;) and it's GOOD! I substituted the 2 cups of sugar for granulated Splenda and it's a little too sweet, so next time I'll try a little less, but other than that, It's GOOD! I made GOOD SWEET TEA! I know all my readers *cough* are wanting the recipe, so I want to share it with you:

Southern Style Sweet Iced Tea: Cheap and Delicious!
Posted by Wendy McCormick July 31, 2008 9:56 PM
Categories: Food
I love sweet iced tea. I especially love to drink it on a hot summer day with a slice of lemon and tons of ice.

My husband loves to drink Milo's Sweet Tea. I love the convenience of buying tea already made verses having to take the time and effort to brew it myself.

I used to buy Milo's Sweet Tea by the gallon until I realized how much money we were spending each year to buy our delicious drink.

Let's just say you buy two gallons of Milo's Tea each week. (That is a low estimate around our house... we can go through three gallons a week during the summer ---we don't drink many soft drinks.)

If you buy it at Sam's Club, you can get it for $1.99 per gallon. If you buy it at the grocery store, you are looking at around $2.49 per gallon.

Now for the math. Let's take an average of $2.25 per gallon of Milo's Tea multiply it times two for two gallons purchased per week. We are at $4.50 per week. Multiply that times 52 weeks in a year... You have spent around $250 per year (if you include tax) on iced tea!

To make your own sweet tea for a fraction of the price, here is my recipe:
Southern Style Sweet Iced Tea
3 family-size tea bags (I like Luzianne)2 cups granulated white sugar 8 cups cold water
Start with cold water. Bring it to a gentle boil. Add 3 family (large) size tea bags.Remove from heat and let it steep for at least 5 minutes (but no more than 10).Mix concentrated hot tea with 2 cups of sugar and stir well in tea pitcher. Add cold water until pitcher is full and stir to combine. Serve over lots of ice with a garnish of lemon. Enjoy!

_________________

MMMMM, I'm loving my OWN SWEET TEA! I'm excited about this - can you tell? Y'all just don't know how many things of tea I've thrown out and it's almost shameful to be from Alabama and NOT be able to make any kind of tea. I can hold my head up high now :-). Thank you, Wendy. I heart you!




For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jer. 29:11

Tagged!

I've been tagged by TCKK so I'm gonna give this a whirl. (But, I don't think I have 7 peeps I can tag to carry this forward.)

Seven weird or random things about me (wow, I'm glad it's only 7):

1. Last time I did one of these, I had a hard time coming up with 10 but as I read other people's lists, I kept saying "oh yeah, I do that too". I guess I'm a little more random or weird than I think (or like to admit).

2. My whole house can be turned topsy turvy but my silveware drawer will be in immaculate condition. Everything must be facing the same way and be in there neatly.

3. After a shower, I have to close the shower curtain. It'll bug me if I leave it open. (This goes for the shower curtain in my girls' bathroom...if I go in there, I have to close it. If I come to your house and it's open, I'll close it. Just doing my part to help out - you know?)

4. I change into my jammies as soon as I get home, and then I won't leave. If I have something to do after work, I try to just stay out till it's time to show up.

5. As confident as I might seem in a small group of folks, I'm just that "unconfident" in a big group of people. I'm not shy but I am not overly confident either! In a big group setting, I almost become like a wallflower.

6. I can't seem to finish this because I keep watching TV. So there are times it takes me forever to do something b/c the idiot box keeps distracting me.

7. I don't like to have "new" email messages in my inbox. I don't necessarily read the messages, but I have to mark them as read. It's really annoying that I do that because sometimes I overlook things because I think I've read them when in fact I haven't!

Cathy - I did it! Now, who can I tag?

DeeDee
Patty
Kim
Lisa
Mary
Sallie


Ok, that's 6 and I don't know if any of them will do it!

Thank you for thinking of me and including me, Cathy!


For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jer. 29:11

Surrendering the Secret

I hope I'm linking this correctly. If you have any trouble with a link, please let me know. ~Cathy


A Giveaway That Keeps on Giving
Do you know that one in every three women has had an abortion? In fact, 43% of women of child-bearing age have this secret. And I don't use the term "secret" lightly. While there is certainly a multitude of unbelieving women out there that tote this secret sadness in their hearts, there are as many BELIEVING women - FORGIVEN, SAVED WOMEN in YOUR CHURCH - who are walking around unhealed. Why? Because they are paralyzed by shame and fear at the thought of surrendering their secret.

You may remember my mentioning Pat Layton, my friend, and the founder of A Woman's Place Ministries in Tampa, Florida. With first-hand experience, she intimately understands the fear and heartache that surrounds women, post-abortion. After she was saved, she looked for material to help her and others heal, but there was none. So, she and God wrote a study that was used for 20 years at her crisis pregnancy center. This year, Surrendering the Secret was released in DVD form by Lifeway, in response to the thousands of hurting women that flooded the altar for prayer in this area, after each of their large events.

While I, personally, have never experienced this heartbreak, I know a LOT of women who have. I bet you do, too. The effects are so far-reaching. As you can imagine, with this situation often being shrouded in secret, even if a woman knows about this study and longs for healing, she's not likely to buy it herself. This is why our churches - EVERY ONE OF THEM - need to have a copy. This is where our giveaway comes in - a chance to win one for YOUR CHURCH!

God has recently impressed upon me that we, the blog community, can partner with Lifeway and Pat, to make a BIG DIFFERENCE in this area of secret pain. Just as He multiplied the five loaves to feed thousands (Mark 6:41-44), I'm believing that He will do the same with this giveaway of the Surrendering the Secret study. So, here it is:
Five (5) Winners
One (1) DVD Leader Kit (including DVD study, leader guide and one member book) PER WINNER
Twelve (12) Member Books PER WINNER
Click HERE to watch the promo video of the study.

Giveaway will run through Sunday, October 12th - WINNERS ANNOUNCED MONDAY, OCTOBER 13TH (per random.org)
Because it is my heart that the word get out to as many churches and people as possible, I'm going to give you two chances to win:
Leave a comment
Link the giveaway in a post on your own blog, then leave a SECOND comment, including the link to your post. This is NOT about blog promotion, but about spreading the word of healing!Other ways to get involved:
Tell your church about the study and work toward getting a copy purchased for their use, if you don't win.

Encourage your pastor to discuss abortion from the pulpit and include it in the sins mentioned from the pulpit that are forgiven through Christ. There are MANY women who walk away from a sermon feeling like their sin is unforgivable, simply because it's never mentioned.
Invite Pat to come and speak to your women's group and/or leadership about ministering to women in crisis, or to train your leaders to present this study.
Consider donating financially.
Join me in thanking God in advance for what He will do! Praise Him that He will multiply this small mustard seed of faith into a great movement of healing across our nation.
THERE IS HOPE AND FREEDOM IN SURRENDERING THE SECRET.
You can make a difference for someone else who is hurting - maybe even for yourself.
In His marvelous love,

(From Melinda's blog - Please visit her blog to enter!)




For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jer. 29:11

Internet Cafe Devotion: Romans 8:28

Cafe Chat


And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. Romans 8:28

"What is one thing that happened in your life that initially may have been a bad or painful situation that you saw God work together for good? Please give details…"

Sometimes, when you're going through a situation, you just can't see what could possibly be good about it - at all! Much less, you don't see what can be used for God's glory, especially if you aren't in relationship with Him.

I mean, who really looks at a divorce and thinks "This is for God's glory"? Or, can you really look at a time in your life when you were so far away from even wanting to acknowledge God really loves you that you wanted to even think about the remote possibility of what was going on was for God's glory? What about the death of a loved one? But! Wait! There's is GLORY in EVERYTHING HE DOES!!!!!!!!!! Oh my goodness is there glory! GLORY!

I have such a testimony for God's glory. Have you been through something really bad? So have I! You know what God does? He has me use that experience to relate to you and show you what He can do. If all that I've been through makes a difference for just one person (although, I really wish it would be more, but that's just me, we know how heaven rejoices when even 1 sheep is found) to turn from a life without Christ to a life WITH HIM, holy SMOKES! I'm there!!

I know I'm not really saying anything about a specific time that God has used for His glory. Maybe it's because I can now see what He uses in my life (past and current) to relate to other folks and how He's able to show His greatness and His glory through those situations. I fall short all the time but His mercies and His grace are new every morning!!! Yippee!!!

Thank you, Lord, for loving me even when I didn't love myself. Thank you for continually knocking on my heart and softening me up to the point where I finally let you in. I thank you too for taking away the shame I felt over my past and my being able to use it to glorify You! Thank you for the wonderful people you have placed in my life that help me follow You and see You. You are a wonderfully gracious Father and I love you so much!



For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jer. 29:11

Thank you, Lord!

Things that make me happy and/or make me giddy, in absolutely no particular order!

Clean Sheets

Getting in bed with clean sheets after a shower

Hearing my kids say I love you!

Hearing my husband say I love you!

Hugs

My puppy curling up next to me

Email from friends!

Comments on a blog ;)!

Clean house (I don't get this one very often.)

Wednesday night Bible study group

Starbucks

Enjoying going to work every day

Being appreciated

Giving encouragement to someone and knowing I've helped in some way (that's a God thing!).

Singing to a great worship song and thinking I sound GREAT!

Quirky sense of humor

New Cover Tune Grab Bag videos from MercyMe.

New features on blogspot.

Chocolate.

Winning a sweepstakes!

e-bay...sometimes...when I find what I want

God is so good - all the time! He's poured out His blessings on me. This week I got hired on as a permanent employee at the place I've been temping. I watched my daughter driving behind me (as I was driving). Both of the girls had a safe flight to see their dad for his 40th birthday surprise. Our church had a tailgating tent set up at one of the HS football teams and we were passing out free food, t-shirts and footballs! All for His Glory! My grandmother had outpatient surgery and is recovering well. God has given the South a bit of fall weather! It feels MARVELOUS!

I have some new bloggy friends! I'm glad to have friends - new and newer ;). I hope you've been having a good week. *hugs*

For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jer. 29:11