Mr. Amazing

I LOVE having Mr. Amazing home all the time! He has helped me rearrange and clean so many things, helped with the kids schooling, and we're spending so much time together as a family! He moved the computer so it's easier for the kids to use for their school programs. He organized the basement closet, set up my stereo speakers for surround sound, and so much more! It has been such a blessing!

On this Mr. Monday, I my question for you is what kind of things does your Mr. do to help you out?

Paws for the winner...

The randomly generated winner of the Paws and Tales DVD is Redeemed1! Congratulations!

God Gave Us So Much

God Gave Us So Much by Lisa Tawn Bergren; illustrated by Laura J. Bryant

This book was amazing. All four of my children were totally engrossed in it as I read. Throughout the entire book they laughed, listened, and learned so much, but I would have to say that their favorite story was God Gave Us Heaven. They were on the edge of their seats as I read about how God sent His son to be our bridge. I couldn’t even begin to tell you which story was my favorite, they were all so wonderful. In the first story, God Gave Us the World, the kids learned about different kinds of bears, where they live and what they eat. In the second story, God Gave Us Love, we learned about God’s love for us. And in the third and final story, God Gave Us Heaven, we read about what happens when bears (or people) die and they know Jesus. It was such a beautiful book. I loved the ribbon book mark so we could read one story each day and flip right back to where we were instead of thumbing through the pages.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group book review bloggers program, Blogging for Books. 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.”

Breakdown:

Worldview: Biblical

Target Audience: Small children (10 and under?)

Positive Elements: Explaining the things of God to small children in a way that they can understand.

Inappropriate Language: None

Unbiblical Content: None

Other Negative Elements: None

A Friday Funny

For more Friday Funnies, visit Homesteader's Heart. If you have your own Friday Funnies to share, please link up and share with us all! :)



Don't forget to check out my give away for the children's DVD that I posted earlier today!

Paws for my first giveaway!

We have been enjoying the latest Paws and Tales DVD a great deal. I love the songs that it includes; they are pretty catchy. My children love watching it repeatedly, so the auto play feature is AWESOME!!! I would say it is a pretty safe bet to say they found it entertaining. They never picked out any favorite characters though.

I would defiantly be interested in adding more of the Paws and Tales series to our collection. If you are interested in winning a copy of this DVD please leave a comment stating that you would like to win and some way for me to contact you if you win (i.e. blog link, e-mail...something).

If you would like to learn more about Paws and Tales you can do so by visiting Tyndale's Website, the Paws and Tales website, or you can check out their game website for fun educational games relating to the DVD.


Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the Tyndale Media Center 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.”

Breakdown:

Worldview: Biblical

Target Audience: Small children (up to 8ish)

Positive Elements: I love the inclusion of Psalm 23 in the song that accompanied the Good Shepherd story.

Inappropriate Language: None

Unbiblical Content: None

Other Negative Elements: None

Snickerdoodles!!!

Last night I made snickerdoodles for the first time EVER. My wonderful husband informed me that they were the best snickerdoodles he had ever eaten by far. So after being prompted by MamaKat, I thought I would share my recipe with you (prompt #5).

Ingredients:
1 cup of shortening
1 1/2 cups of sugar
2 eggs
3 cups of flour
1 teaspoon of baking soda
4 teaspoons of baking powder
1/4 teaspoon of salt
1 teaspoon of vanilla

1 Tablespoon of sugar
1 Tablespoon of cinnamon

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
2. In a large bowl, mix together the shortening and 1 1/2 cups of white sugar until well mixed.
3. Stir in the eggs one at a time, blending well after each.
4. Combine the flour, baking soda, baking soda, salt, and vanilla and stir them into the batter until blended well. (Okay, I don't really combine them first... but that's how everyone else in the world does it...)
5. Combine the remaining sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl.
6. Roll dough into small balls (seriously, if you make medium sized balls the cookies come out HUGE and are really hard to get to cook all the way through). You want the diameter of the ball smaller than a quarter.
7. Roll the balls in the cinnamon and sugar mixture.
8. Place 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet.
9. Bake in the preheated oven for 10 minutes.
10. Cool slightly on baking sheet, and then you can eat them or pile them on a plate while still warm. :)

(This recipe was modified from a recipe that I found at All recipes. You can view the original recipe by following this link.I should also note that the photo above is not the cookies that I made, but that is what they look like. The above photo was taken by BMore and was also found at Allrecipes.com)

To find more yummy recipes or read through some other great posts prompted by one of MamaKat's writing prompts this week, visit her blog by clicking below:


*On a side note, I'm hosting my first giveaway tomorrow! I will be giving away a children's DVD, check back for your chance to win!

Thankful Thursday!

On this wonderful, thankful Thursday I have so much to be thankful for!

I'm thankful for that I have such a wonderful family, and children to take care of.
I'm thankful for the extra time I'm able to spend with Mr. Amazing.
I'm thankful for all of the people who are praying for our family.
I'm thankful for people offering to help us in whatever ways they can. Some of the offers that have been made to us have brought me to tears.
I'm thankful that I know that I have a God that provides for all of our needs and can be trusted with our lives and lively hood.

What are you thankful for this week? You can link up or read more Thankful Thursday posts over at Women Taking A Stand.

*On a side note, I'm hosting my first giveaway tomorrow. I will be giving away a children's DVD. Be sure to check it out!

Mr. Amazing

I have absolutely been loving having Mr. Amazing home. I will probably cry when he finally finds a job (but at the same time, I'm hoping he finds a job for obvious reasons). In the past two weeks we have went hiking together, took the kids to the park together, took the kids sledding, went to the zoo as a family... twice, went for a nice family walk, and even went on a date! It has been such a blessing to have him home!

On that note, I'm blogging a lot less because my days are full of my Mr. :) I hope you all understand. I'm sure I will be back to my regular blogging schedule when he becomes employed.

My question for you this week is what is your favorite thing to do with your husband (or whole family)? What kinds of things do you enjoy to do when your Mr. is home?

Abortion website

I just found this awesome website and just had to share!

Their mission is simple. They have brought together quality information on the abortion debate from many different sources and made it available to the world in one abortion megasite. They believe that these facts point to an obvious conclusion. You are free to accept or reject this conclusion. They simply ask that whatever you do, do it on the basis of fact.

They believe that this information is valuable to all members of society no matter which side of the abortion issue they find themselves. They ask nothing more than the opportunity to present factual information on abortion in an honest manner to thinking people.

I really recommend checking out their site, whichever side of this issue you happen to be on. They also have some great resources listed for those who have had abortions and are going through the healing process.



If you would like to join in raising awareness about abortion through blogging, you can write a post and link up at the Abortion Blackout blog.

Foam bath and chopsticks

This week for MamaKat's writer's workshop I'm responding to prompt #4 A memorable date. I was so thankful this week, because our church was doing a fundraiser for one of the missionaries by providing child care Monday night so that couples could go out on dates. This is awesome in so many ways. Mr. Amazing and I hardly ever get to go on dates, and we have NEVER went on a date on Valentine's day before! I am so thankful that they put this together, and for the date itself!

Mr. Amazing and I had a wonderful time. We started out by going to get a foam bath... for the car :) I just thought it sounded more romantic to refer to the cycle rather than the actual place. I always love the colors in the wax that they put on. I thoughtfully took a picture. :)

After we finished our fun adventure through the car wash, Mr. Amazing took me to P.F. Changs. Just so you know, I am NOT big on Chinese food. I put most of this on the fact that I don't like veggies, needless to say I wasn't expecting a whole lot. We were greeted by a cranky hostess, who informed us we had to wait an hour for a table. This was fine by us, I mean it was Valentines day, the whole world was going out to dinner! When we were finally sat they put us at a drafty table near the door, it also happened to be the ONLY table that the candle had burnt out at. Sad. I was trying to stay positive, and so was Mr. Amazing. I had found their dinner for 2 special and we were totally excited about it, that made up for the draft, but not the candle...

We ate our soup with mild conversation. Then when our dinner came and I unrolled my silverware I discovered the chopsticks. Oh yeah. I had never eaten with chopsticks, but it sounded like fun. And hey, I'd seen enough movies that I knew what I was doing! Mr. Amazing gave it a go too, but gave up when I told him he didn't have to. I on the other hand, ate my entire dinner with chopsticks! It was a blast. I even ate my desert with my chopsticks. Even the waitress was impressed. It was probably the funnest dinner I have ever eaten, and I informed Mr. Amazing that I would require my own set of chopsticks to play, I mean eat with at home. He agreed, however by the end of the dinner he was threatening to take them away...

I am so thankful that we were able to go out together, it was so much fun! I'm thankful that I have such a wonderful, fun loving husband. I'm also thankful for chopsticks! Too fun! It was certainly a date that I will NEVER forget!


To read more thankful Thursday posts, you can visit Laurie over at her blog Women Taking A Stand.

Mr. Monday: Valentines day!

What better day to celebrate Valentines day then Mr. Monday??? I'm so excited. Our church is doing a fundraiser, and the teens (and a few moms) are getting together to provide babysitting so all of the parents can go out. To be honest, I don't think Mr. Amazing and I have ever gone out on valentines day before... He always has to work. In the past I have cooked him a romantic dinner for when he got off, faxed a valentines note to his work, made a collage and left it where he would find it, along with some other things, but those were the most memorable.

What kinds of things have you done for Valentines day with (or for) your Mr?

5 Distinctive Qualities of Genuine Faith

Further, my brothers and sisters, rejoice in the Lord! It is no trouble for me to write the same things to you again, and it is a safeguard for you. Watch out for those dogs, those evildoers, those mutilators of the flesh. For it is we who are the circumcision, we who serve God by his Spirit, who boast in Christ Jesus, and who put no confidence in the flesh— ~Philippians 3:1-3

Last Sunday at church our pastor preached on Philippians 3:1-3. He outlined 5 distinctive qualities of genuine faith. It was a great sermon, these are my notes, or you can listen to it here.

1. Joy - Our joy is in the Lord. The more we grow in the Lord, the more joy we should have. This doesn't mean you will always be happy, but you place your joy not in this earthly life, but in the knowledge of the life to come.
*See also: John 5:39; Matthew 7:23; 1 John 1:6; 2 Corinthians 13:5 and 6:10; Isaiah 12:3; Romans 14:17 and 5:3; 1 Peter 1:8

2. Discernment - Just like our joy, as we grow in the Lord our discernment should continue to grow and increase as we learn more about our Lord. While we know the truth, we know that we still need to grow in our knowledge of Him. We should know that sin is sin, and just because we call it something different, doesn't change the fact that it's sin, it only makes it more dangerous because it doesn't sound as bad.
*See also: Acts 20:28; 1 Corinthians 13:6; 1 John 2:20; Philippians 1:9; Psalm 119:66, 98; 1 Thessalonians 5:21

3. Righteousness - True righteousness comes from trusting and faith in Christ, and Christ alone. It doesn't come from trusting in ourselves. Righteousness doesn't come from any ritual, those only bring a false righteousness.
*See also: Genesis 17:10; Deuteronomy 30:6; Philippians 3:9; Colossians 2:17

4. Worship - True believers enjoy praising God. They desire to serve Him, and boast in Him.
*See also: Matthew 6:1-18 and 7:21-23; John 4:23; Psalm 43:4

5. Humility - Put NO confidence in the flesh. When we stand before God will our confidence be in ourselves or in Christ? Will we list off our good works, or will we confess our unworthiness and place our hope in Christ?
*See also: Romans 7:18; Jeremiah 9:23-24; Ephesians 2:8-9; James 4:10

Do you possess these qualities? Do you have joy in the Lord? Are you discerning? Does your righteousness come from Christ, or are you trying to be righteous on your own? Do you desire to worship and praise God? Where is your confidence? Is your trust in the flesh, or in Christ?

Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you—unless, of course, you fail the test? ~ 2 Corinthians 13:5

Forgiveness Formula by C.J. and Shelley Hitz

This was probably the most heartfelt book I have ever read. Through the unfolding of this book C.J. and Shelley Hitz take you on a journey with them to discover how Jesus is the greatest mathematician of all time, and only His math can add up to a full life. While reading this book they shared their humor with me to the point of laughter and through sharing their sorrow I cried with them.

I highly recommend this book. There are some editing errors and they quoted from some questionable sources, but they didn’t write this book for personal gain. They aren’t trying to commercialize their faith, this is a book from the heart and discrediting it or judging it for the little things will take away from what they are trying to get across. It isn’t perfection that this book strived for, but to share the heart of the two broken and frail humans that have came to find their hope and place their trust in Jesus Christ.

I had the privilege of meeting C.J. and Shelly last fall. I have been volunteering for Shelley’s website for teen girls (FindYourTrueBeauty.com) for several years now, so when they came through Colorado on a speaking trip we were able to get together briefly and meet for the first time. They are both wonderful people and very devoted to Christ. While I knew that then, it is even more evident through their writing. They don’t try to glorify themselves but to share their lives in the most open and honest way possible, by sharing their hardships, falls, pain, sorrow, and joy.

Breakdown:

Worldview: Biblical

Target Audience: Anyone willing to read it.

Positive Elements: This is just a really great book in every way, but to say something positive about it that I haven’t already mentioned, I would add that it offers amazing descriptions to relate God’s love and forgiveness to us in ways that are easy to understand.

Inappropriate Language: None

Unbiblical Content: None

Other Negative Elements: While they quoted from some questionable sources all of the quotes they use I found to be biblically sound.

C.J. and Shelley Hitz are Christian speakers. To learn more about them, or to have them speak at an event please visit their website.

The Goodness of God by Randy Alcorn

Randy Alcorn’s book “The Goodness of God” is an amazing description and defense of God’s goodness. It explains how we can see God’s goodness in the world around us, and even reasons why evil make since. It defines the difference between good and evil, the different kinds of suffering. I will highly recommend this book to anyone who ever questions the goodness of God, and probably several others that don’t. I love that this book encourages you to read the Bible, and if (when?) I give it as a gift to a non-believer it would most certainly be accompanied by one.

This short book was a quick, easy read that I thoroughly enjoyed. If I had to change something in this book, the only thing I could come up with would be to change the wording of one sentence in the afterword. The wording could be mistaken for a heretical belief that he obviously didn’t intend. Other than that I would probably declare this a flawless book, and even containing it I think it is a must read.

You can learn more about this book and purchase a copy for yourself at Randy Alcorn's website.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a free copy of this book from WaterBrook Multnomah's program for bloggers (Blogging for Books) in exchange for agreeing to write an honest review.


Breakdown:

Worldview: Biblical

Target Audience: Everyone. (I personally suggest that if you can’t read English that you have someone read it to you or get a translator.)

Positive Elements: Too many to try to list.

Inappropriate Language: None

Unbiblical Content: Someone could possibly misunderstand one sentence to be a heresy taught by some speakers today. If I didn’t know of their teaching, I would never have thought about it or connected his sentence with the implication that they teach. But if you do know of the heresy, the connection is easy to make, however it is also obvious that he does not believe, and did not intend to imply, that heresy.

Other Negative Elements: None

The Shelter of God's Promises by Sheila Walsh

Sheila Walsh’s book “The Shelter of God’s Promises” is a book about just that. This book contains 10 promises of God, and how they can be applied to life. It also contains a study outline at the end of the book that can be used in along with the book to do a Bible study. After reading through it I do not feel that calling it an ‘In-depth Bible study’ would be a correct description. I do like that it is at the end of the book and not stuck in between the chapters as so many books are now doing. It makes it more optional, and doesn’t interrupt the flow of the book for those who opt-out of doing it.

There were parts of this book that I found inspiring, helpful, and encouraging, yet other parts didn’t sit well with me, but I couldn’t tell you why. For this reason I recommend using discernment while reading this book. I don’t care for the quotes from the text being stuck in brackets in the middle of the page. They didn’t seem to have any purpose there and often weren’t even the quotes that impacted me the most. I do think that Sheila did a great job conveying Biblical truth. Overall it was a really good read, but I did have a little trouble staying interested.

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.”



Breakdown:

Worldview: Biblical

Target Audience: Christian women

Positive Elements: She did a great job of taking Biblical truths and relating them to real life.

Inappropriate Language: None

Unbiblical Content: Possibly an unbiblical conclusion, but I don’t really know, so I will just ask you to use discernment.

Other Negative Elements: None

Hand it over!

and do not give the devil a foothold.
~Ephesians 4:27

Have you ever realized that you have given the devil a foothold in your life? I came to that realization last night, and it was so eye opening! A few months ago something happened and instead of moving on and leaving it in the past where it belongs, I have been dragging it along with me. While I have been dragging it, Satan has been standing on it. Cheering me on so to speak. It's like he's saying, I know it's heavy, but don't let it go! Christ on the other hand has been pleading with me to lay it at His feet. He is willing to take the burden, I just have to hand it over. I have decided to do that, and it is just so freeing! The burden has been lifted, and it feels GREAT!

Do you have anything like that in your life? If you do, I encourage you today to make the hand off. Don't give the devil something to stand on!

Mr. Monday

The past week has been stressful, but Mr. Amazing has been amazing (as always... hints the name). He has been working hard looking for a new job, supporting our family, caring for us, having fun with the kids, and encouraging me. Last week he took us to Chick-Fil-A for veggie tales family night. The kids had a BLAST, I was extremely stressed out (I have self-diagnosed social anxiety that I am trying to over come... this was not a good place for me). The kids got to play in the play place, eat great food, and hug Larry the cucumber. (Bob was there too, but he went on break before we made our way through the hoards of people to see them. :(

Mr. Amazing also got me a gift certificate! I will write more about it later. It isn't the kind of thing I normally do, but he wanted to spoil me, and it's the worlds way to spoil women. He's so sweet! Maybe I should call him Mr. Sweetness ;)

Did you know?

Fifty-one percent of women having abortions in the United States are under the age of twenty-five. (Alan Guttmacher Institute, Characteristics of U.S. Abortion Patients, 2008)

Forty percent of minors that have abortions in the United States do not tell their parents. (source: Alan Guttmacher Institute, Facts on Induced Abortion)

Over fifty million abortions have taken place in the United States since 1973. (source: Alan Guttmacher Institute, based on yearly estimates)

In the United States, one percent of abortions occur because of rape or incest. (source: Alan Guttmacher Institute, Facts on Induced Abortion in the U.S., 2010)

In the United States, one-half of all abortions are performed on women who have already had at least one previous abortion. (source: Alan Guttmacher Institute, Characteristics of U.S. abortion patients, 2008)

According to the Alan Guttmacher Institute, one-third of women in the United States will have an abortion before the age of forty-five. (source: Alan Guttmacher Institute, Facts on Induced Abortion in the U.S., 2010)

In 2005 abortion accounted for thirty-nine percent of all death in the United States, which is equal to all deaths from heart disease and cancer combined. (source: Alan Guttmacher Institute, Center for Disease Control, Mortality Tables GMWKH10)



For more abortion facts please visit: AbortionBlackout.com

News Ahoy!

The funniest thing I've ever seen on Facebook:

ARRRRRRRRGH MATEY!!! Scroll to the bottom of your Facebook page where it says in little blue letters "English (US) or (UK)." Click on it. When the language box pops up, click on the arrow next to "English (US) or(UK)" and select "English (Pirate)". (Look around at your page) When you've stopped laughing, paste this as your status.

Please note that I have not stopped laughing about this yet, and it was 2 days ago! It's the simple things in life. For example:

Cap'n Jessica's car be buried under snow, do you want to blabber to yer mates? Or possibly weigh in? Or do you just want to click Arr!? Did you click Arr! by mistake? You can be no longer agreein' if you don't want to be among the 3 scallywags that be enjoin' it.

Too funny! There is so much more to laugh at, but that's a good teaser. If you have facebook and want a good laugh I HIGHLY recommend it. And when you are done, simply change it back it will be fetchin' the normal settings for you... or leave it. It's up to you. :)

For more Friday Funnies, visit Homesteader's Heart. If you have your own Friday Funnies to share, please link up and share with us all! :)

God's Peace

There have been a few times in my life where God has just given me an amazing amount of peace. Peace that doesn't make since. Peace in a time where it would be accepted and expected by the world's standards for me to be freaking out. The first time I experienced this peace was when my youngest son had cancer. Through all the doctors appointments, surgeries, chemotherapy and radiation treatments, God carried me. I had complete trust in Him and I was at peace. It was a peace that literally surpassed all understanding. It was a peace that could only be given by God.

That peace has come again, and I am almost thankful for the situation that we are in. While there are lot's of reasons to be concerned for our families future and where the money for bills will come from in the months to come, God has brought me peace. I have two choices. I can trust and accept the peace that He is instilling in me, or I can choose to reject it and set myself in panic mode. The latter option would be detrimental to my family in so many ways, so I am so thankful for God's peace. I am thankful that I know Him, and am thankful that I am able to trust His goodness and His plan, even when the road ahead looks rough.

God's peace is truly amazing, and so is His Word. Today (and every Wednesday) is Word-filled Wednesday over at the Internet Cafe. To read other Word-filled posts, or to link up one of your own, you can visit there by clicking the button below: