Etsy Baby Shower

I was blessed to have an online baby shower. 

My sister hooked me up. 

Of course it didn’t hurt that I have an Etsy shop.  You . . . um . . . have to have an Etsy shop to have an Etsy baby shower. 

To show my gratitude, I wanted to send a little love their way.  Please visit my benefactors Etsy shops.  (And while you are at it . . . visit my Etsy Shop . . . who knows . . . . I might give you some money back if you purchase something!)

~ From Decorative Labels ~ 

~ And from Hound Dog Designs ~

and

Thanks, Jennifer and Deniz!  I heart the gifts!!!!

Wordless Wednesday: Proper Insulation

When viewing the lights at the zoo this week . . . we got a lot of looks.  People weren’t bobbing their heads to count us (for once).  Instead, they were giggling over our well insulated children. 

A certain engineer that I happen to be well acquainted with informed me that our children were retaining their body heat efficiently enough so as to not melt the snow that was tumbling down upon them.

God Loves Me More Than That: A Review

The Bible tells us that God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son . . .  (John 3:16) and 1 John 3:16 reinforces God’s love for us by stating, “This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us.”

As an adult, I find it hard (sometimes) to grasp the love that God has for me.  So if I, who have been loving Jesus for 16+ years now, struggle to wrap my mind around God’s abounding love, I would wager that to some degree it is a little hard for a kid to picture the unseen magnificent Almighty loving them.

Or maybe not.

They still have one of God’s greatest gifts – an imagination for the unseen.

So whether you or your child struggle with grasping the concept that God loves you, I invite you to read  God Loves Me More Than That by Dandi Daley Mackall and illustrated by David Hohn, to usher your imagination into the reality that God loves you very much.  The book is especially appealing to boys as it features a young lad who hops through the pages discovering that through God’s creation he can know

that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. (Ephesians 3: 17,18)

A special thanks to Waterbrook Press for allowing me to review this book.  I was not paid for this post, nor do I have to return the item. 

Give the Word Bible Contest and Giveaway

You can help.

From your own home. 

You can spread the good news of Jesus Christ with a simple click of your finger.

An exciting contest is currently being run and sponsored by the New Living Translation.  Three ministries are the focus of this contest:

• Wycliffe Bible Translators
• Oasis International
• The Dream Center,

By simply voting for one of these ministries, you’ll be entered to win one of many prizes.

To enter, visit the NLT Facebook page by clicking here.

And the prizes . . . .

• Ministries win: Each time the NLT Facebook Page reaches a fan count milestone, votes will be tallied and the three ministries will receive cash donations from the New Living Translation and Tyndale House Publishers.
• Everyone wins: Everyone who enters on the Bible Contest website wins a free download of Matthew West reading the Christmas story.
• Daily NLT Study Bible winners: Vote on the NLT Facebook page and you will be entered to win two NLT Study Bibles—one to keep and one to give away. A new winner will be chosen every day.
• Weekly Give the Word Locally winners: Tell us about a deserving local ministry on the NLT Bible Contest website and they could win five NLT Study Bibles and $250 worth of NLT products.
• One Grand Prize winner will enjoy a unique trip customized just for them and their family (or three guests of their choice), to Wycliffe Bible Translators world headquarters and the WordSpring Discovery Center where they will experience firsthand the exciting world of Bible translation. The Grand Prize winner could also choose to donate the value of the trip--$2000--to Wycliffe instead.

What are you waiting for?  This is a great opportunity to bless other ministries – especially if you don’t have extra money to give to a ministry.

Goodbye Starbucks

I bought an espresso machine for $5.00 from CSN Stores a few weeks ago.

5 bucks.

  

For those of you who follow me on Twitter . . . you often heard my groaning for a Starbucks vanilla latte.  I suppose if I lived farther away from Starbucks . . . I wouldn’t even think about having a vanilla latte all that much. 

The store is just so close that I thought someone less housebound might stop by with such a beverage as I was daydreaming about.  Said St. Nicholas would knock on my door with the cheery beverage in their hand and say, “Grab your Bible, run upstairs, enjoy your coffee, and I’ll watch the kids while you rest.”

It’s a nice thought . . . dream . . . pipe dream, isn’t it?

I could walk to Starbucks if I wanted to.  BUT then WE would resemble a flock of geese headed to the local thawed watering hole.

After many attempts through Starbuck’s comment website, My Starbucks Idea, to encourage them to give moms with newborns six weeks of free lattes, I decided that I needed to take matters into my own cup.

With my just-in-the-neck-of-time gift certificate from CSN Stores, I bought this retro Delonghi espresso machine . . . that featured a rebate.

The Hottie was glad that my “habit” got moved to home.

I’ve probably made over 12 lattes and countless steamers for the boys.

I would say that already it has paid for itself.

And I haven’t purchased a Starbucks since. 

Thanks, CSN!!!

I was not paid for this post, nor do I have to return my espresso machine.  I am allowed and have given my honest opinion of said product and the excellent shipping service I received from CSN.