Retreat Recap

This weekend was such a blessing! It was alot of work for those of us helping coordinate everything and I was a little nervous about how it would go since we were at a new facility, had more than twice as many women as usual and were trying some new things this year. But I think it all came together nicely!
The retreat center where we stayed was beautiful. There were trails for the outdoorsy girls and we were blessed with perfect spring weather! I took the time to walk through the labyrinth that was right behind the main lodge. It was so peaceful.
The topic or theme of the weekend was Idols of the Heart. Talk about being convicted. There were a couple of things in my life, but one in particular that I had been brushing off as just a bad habit that was no big deal. But through the teaching and sharing in the sessions during the retreat I realized how much I need to take a step back from this thing and bring my focus back to the Lord. I think this was a very heavy message but our teacher did a very good job of ending on a high note reminding us of our freedom in Christ.
And what is a girls weekend without a little silliness? My friend and I did a "helping hands" skit where I was her hands and put makeup on her... we were all cracking up!
We had all of our W.O.W. bible study girls there together this weekend! Sorry we forgot to take a group shot until after one of us had left!
Anyway.... it was a great weekend with a whole lot of wonderful women! I'm thankful that I was able to be a part of it but I'm also thankful to be back home with my boys!

Blog Party Giveaways!

Last year around this time I got myself hooked on the blog party thing! Its a great way to meet new blogging friends! Check out the blog party that 5MinutesForMom is hosting!

I'm giving away two prizes in the blog party! Check them out along with the tons of other prizes available! Here are the ones that I'm going to be giving away.
1st prize
US shipping only
Prize: girly scrapbooking embellishment kit
Details: It has beautiful chipboard pieces and flowers in lovely feminine shades of pink. It would make any scrapper happy! (Blue kit NOT included).

2nd prize
US shipping only
Prize: one paperback copy of the book: Journey to the Homeland by Hannah Stahlhut
Details: This book was written by a teen for tweens. It would be a great gift or a good book to read as a family. The story goes something like this:

Keegan is a young orphan in a medieval land. He has always been extremely gifted with animals. In fact, he can speak to them. Above all things, he wishes to keep this a secret. He fears what would happen if townspeople knew his best friend, Adrian, is a jaguar.

When Keegan and Adrian rescue Nora, a girl in their village, a huge confusion arises. The villagers wrongly assume that Nora has the magical ability to talk to animals. Soon after, she is kidnapped because of this accusation.

Journey to the Homeland follows Keegan, Nora, and Adrian as they try to evade the deadly kidnappers and survive alone in the wilderness.

There are a few prizes that I've got my eye on for myself too! I'm hoping to win any of the following: #19, 21, 22 - which are all $50 Target giftcards, #37 - digital pedometer, # 53 - Signing Time Video Kit, USC7 - a custom monogramed tote, USC33 - Turbo Mama Book, INTL31 - a Bible Memory Verse Songs download... they're all great prizes though!

Encouragement

Our church's women's retreat is this weekend and I have been helping to coordinate parts of it. One of the things that I am in charge of is the "Encouragement Bags". I've done this before at events that I planned in college and it worked well. I even have a few of those notes still stuck in my bible somewhere. Its nice to go back later and remember the kind words written by our friends and loved ones. So, encouragement works for me!
At the retreat, we will have a table holding "Encouragement Bags." Each lady will have a paper bag with her name on it which will be left on that table until leaving the retreat. Please take a few moments sometime during the weekend to jot a note or few words of encouragement to a few ladies (or all of them!). We will have note cards and pens available near the encouragement bags for you to use. This will be an opportunity to edify and uplift one another with words from the heart. Then when we go home we will be able to open our bags and read words of encouragement from our fellow women of Grace. What a blessing that will be!

The BIBLE gives IMPORTANCE to ENCOURAGEMENT

· Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing. 1 Thessalonians 5:11
· But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness. Hebrews 3:13
· Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification. Romans 14:19
· Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. Ephesians 4:29
· Therefore encourage each other with these words. 1 Thessalonians 4:18

Please take the time and effort to observe and interact with some women that maybe you do not spend a lot of time with normally. Do not be afraid to point out good qualities that you see in them. It is such a blessing to be told that you made a good comment about the message today, that someone appreciated your sharing about a prayer request, your new haircut looks cute… the ideas are endless! Who doesn’t like to hear an “atta girl” once in awhile?!?

St. Patty's Day Prayer

Today we are enjoying beautiful springlike weather here in the Hoosier state, which is rare for St. Patrick's Day. The sun is shining, its warm but we have a nice breeze blowing by to remind us that its not quite fully spring just yet.
The prayer request that I have is actually about our Little Joe, not St. Patty. Around the end of last week we got a notice from our insurance company (that we've been with since last fall). It stated that they found Joe's delays to be a preexisting condition and he was therefore uninsurable and they were removing him from our policy. We are unsure of how his problems can be labeled a preexisting condition when he has no diagnosis. We are in the process of talking to different people and seeing if there is anything we can do to get them to reverse their decision.
Also, there will be a hearing at the end of the month with Children's Special Health Care Services to appeal that our effective date be moved a mere two weeks back to include our first appointment at Riley where they did a series of blood and urine tests that cost a pretty penny. We have been anxious to hear what their decision will be.
On a lighter note: Joe has been working hard in his First Steps therapy. He's been vocalizing alot lately and has even been whistling sometimes. While I can't say that he has really learned many new skills lately, he has been getting more and more comfortable doing things that were difficult for him a short while ago. Things like sitting, reaching for toys, etc. We are trying to transition Joe to a different sippie cup. The one he has been using for quite some time was great but had a soft tip and he has gnawed holes in almost all of them! So, we are working on getting him crossed over to a hard tipped cup. He is interacting with us more and more. We have gotten to attend a couple children's programs at one of our local libraries and we all enjoyed being able to do that together. Here is a video of Nate and Joe playing ball just yesterday. Please ignore my scolding voice in the background. ;-)

So we would greatly appreciate it if you could please say a prayer for these matters mentioned above. Insurance is not a good thing to be without and Joe's mounting medical bills are not something we are completely prepared to pay for on our own right now. Thank you and we will keep you updated as we learn more about the situation.

Its that time of year!

Well folks.... in case you need reminding... its that time of year again. Tax time. Sigh... no matter how good you are at keeping track of your dollars and cents it is still a chore to gather it all up and tally it to complete your yearly tax return. I'm blessed to have a husband who is good at that kind of thing but so many of us are at a loss when it comes to doing our taxes.

Do not be afraid to ask for help if you are not sure what you to do at tax time. It would certainly be worth a small monetary investment to hire a Tax Relief Specialists to make sure your taxes are done right. Having one little error could lead to alot of problems in the future. What might have been only a small amount to begin with could end up being a huge bill when late fees and other hidden charges appear.

Thankfully there are many resources out there to help those of us who are tax challenged. There are tons of businesses out there, both with store fronts where we can meet face to face with a tax consultant and also ones online that we can quickly and easily get assistance getting our tax questions answered via the world wide web. Whether you have basic tax questions or if your questions are more specific like something about: IRS innocent spouse relief, or 941 payroll deposit, there are qualified tax relief representatives out there that can help. Hope you are able to get the assistance you need to get your taxes done by the deadline!

One Page!

This week I got one lonely little page done. Well, its better than nothin'! It is pictured here with the sketch that inspired the layout. The lovely little tags on the left were a b-day gift from Toni, who is actually in the picture - all the way on the left. Thanks, Toni! The photo is from one of our scrappin' nights together! Love it! The scrappin' store that we were at has since closed... sigh... we miss it!
I was also able to complete a display board for a women's group I have been involved with. We are trying to get the word out about the ministry and thought the display board would be a good way to get some attention! The flowery border on the top and bottom is actually a wallpaper border and the empty green box is actually able to be used as a chalk board - I got both of those at the dollar store! I left the "chalk board" open for the group leader to fill in with info later. What do ya think?
Well... that's all for now. Check out the rest of the Sunday Scrappin' crew HERE.

Women of Worth

I've recently started attending a young women's bible study (yes, I think I'm still considered young!) that is hosted by Miss Sniz. We have a wonderful group of nine young ladies ranging from just out of high school all the way to Sniz herself who's oldest just started high school. It is a farely diverse group. We have some singles, a newlywed, and a couple of us with kids. While we're all pretty familiar with eachother from church it is a brand new group and I'm looking forward to getting to know each woman better in the coming months.
We are planning on using our weekly meetings to pray for one another, study the Word, learn some life skills (cooking, money management, maybe some crafts, etc), and of course we'll have some good old fashioned girl time too!
We will be going through The Worth of a Woman Bible study from Focus on the Family. It is designed to help women discover their true identify in Christ and develop a closer relationship with their Savior. The series provides the opportunity for women to reconnect with their Savior and one another through Bible study, prayer, fellowship and activities.

Say It Forward

Say it Forward - Carnival of Loyal Commenters is a new weekly meme where bloggers recognize their loyal commenters by featuring them. It is hosted by 5 Minutes for Mom, and they have some great suggestions on how you can feature your loyal commenter. Then, you link up at 5 Minutes for Mom so other people can read about your featured commenter and you can visit other posts, hopefully making some new friends along the way. They explain it a whole lot better than I do!

My featured commenter is forgetfulone. She has been commenting on my blog for awhile now and has even given me a couple awards! She is a cheerful commenter and I've been blessed to have her as a regular visitor! Thanks forgetfulone, this Say It Forward award is for you!!

Dream Big

Did you ever have big dreams when you were a kid? You ever imagine yourself owning or running a restaurant or club? Just a few weeks ago my girlfriends and I were talking about this very idea. One is currently a missionary in Peru and she was discussing her options when she comes back to the states in another year. One thing she has considered is opening a bed and breakfast!
How cool would that be? I have also thought about doing something like that in the past. I would thoroughly enjoy house hunting, finding the perfect old house and fixing it up. It would be so much fun shopping for rustic but elegant decorations to make the place seem homely and comfortable. I would want a well put together kitchen and dining area that would include lovely dining table and chairs. I would love to have a dining area on the patio with some cool restaurant chairs to accommodate guests outside. And of course I would want a delicately arranged garden area with seating of its own.
In my daydreaming I came across a great website with lots of restaurant dining options for sale. They offer a variety of styles of tables, chairs, and bar stools. If any of my day dreaming became a reality I'd definitely do some shopping at FashionSeating.com!

GoodWill 50% Off Storewide Sale!!

50% Off Storewide Sale scheduled for Saturday, March 21, 2009.

All central Indiana Goodwill stores will have a 50% Off Storewide Sale on Saturday, March 21.

All 50% Off Storewide Sales, which offer half off all used goods at 40 central Indiana stores, run from
9 a.m.-9 p.m. New goods are not included in the sale, and the sale is not valid at the Goodwill Outlet Stores.

For a complete list of Goodwill stores in central Indiana, click here.

50% off sales work for me!!

Direct Buy Deals

I've seen an add on tv that has caught my eye a few times. I'm always looking for a good deal on everyday stuff but especially on larger purchases its great to cut costs.
So I thought I'd check out Direct Buy. They have locations all over the US and Canada including a Direct Buy in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Their website offers information about how Direct Buy is able to offer low prices on everything from furniture for your home or business to custom cabinetry and flooring. They give you manufacturer prices, cutting out the middle man price hikes! Right now they are offering a free visitor's pass to check it out with no obligation.
We're not in the market for any big purchases right now but when we are ready... we might be checking out Direct Buy for ourselves. ;-)

Finally!

Its been weeks, nay months (seems like it anyway) since I've scrapped! Where does the time go? Anyway, here is my one little page that I did during nap-time today.

I'm a little proud of it. The tags on the left of the page were a birthday gift from Toni! Love them! Anyway, this is all I have for Scrappin' Sunday on Monday - better late than never!

A Barber's Question

A man went to a barbershop to have his hair cut and his beard trimmed.
As the barber began to work, they began to have a good conversation.
They talked about so many things and various subjects.
When they eventually touched on the subject of God, the barber said: 'I don't believe that God exists.'

'Why do you say that?' asked the customer. 'Well, you just have to go out in the street to realize that God doesn't exist.
Tell me, if God exists, would there be so many sick people? Would there be abandoned children? If God existed, there would be neither suffering nor pain? I can't imagine a loving God who would allow all of these things.'

The customer thought for a moment, but didn't respond because he didn't want to start an argument.
The barber finished his job and the customer left the shop.

Just after he left the barbershop, he saw a man in the street with long, stringy, dirty hair and an untrimmed beard.
He looked dirty and unkempt. The customer turned back and entered the barber shop again and he said to the barber:

'You know what? Barbers do not exist.'
'How can you say that?' asked the surprised barber.
'I am here, and I am a barber. And I just worked on you!'
'No!' the customer exclaimed. 'Barbers don't exist because if they did, there would be no people with dirty long hair and untrimmed beards, like that man outside.'

Ah, but barbers DO exist! That's what happens when people do not come to me.'
'Exactly!' affirmed the customer. 'That's the point! God, too, DOES exist! That's what happens when people do not go to Him and don't look to Him for help.
That's why there's so much pain and suffering in the world.'

* I got this as a forward but thought it was worth posting.

Multi-tasking Vegis

A week or two ago I got a huge bag of spinach on sale at Meijer for $1! Throughout that week I multi-purposed that spinach in so many dishes. It ended up in Scrambled Omelets twice, on our lunch sandwiches a few times, in Alfredo one night, salad, etc... it just kept going and going! I couldn't believe how long it lasted! And it didn't feel like we were eating spinach all the time. Every meal was different enough that it wasn't too much.
I've also been able to do similar multi-tasking with squash and bell peppers. Most often I like to put both of those in my spaghetti sauce and in fajitas. But there are tons of options.
So... multi-tasking vegetables (especially when they're on sale!) is what WORKS FOR ME this week!! What works for you?

Hilarious Video!

We watched it a couple of times! Its awesome!