It’s time to start thinking about Christmas cards again! I can’t believe it. I love to do picture cards, when I actually get around to doing cards, because I just think they are so much more personable. So when I saw on facebook that Shutterfly was giving away 50 photo cards to bloggers who wrote a review about this years photo cards I was all in! So I clicked on the link to look at the 2010 Christmas Cards and I just can’t decide which is my favorite. There are so many to choose from I can tell that it will take me many hours to pick my favorite. So go check out all the great cards and if you have a blog do a review yourself and get your own 50 photo cards for free. Oh and this is the one I’m thinking of right now but I reserve the right to change my mind.

The Modest Mom is doing another giveaway. It’s for an acupressure mat. It sounds super cool. So go and enter!!!

So I kept seeing really strange updates this month on facebook like “I like it on the table” and “I like it on the kitchen counter”. My curiosity peeked I went searching for answers and found that like last year’s color of your underwear status updates this was for National Breast Cancer Awareness months and is in regards to where you like to put your purse. Now the point of this is to get attention because people will think it is sexual and ask you about it and then you can tell them what it’s about.

Now my question is should a Christian participate in this? Is it really appropriate for a Godly, Christan woman to post something that is meant to be deceivingly sexual in nature? Is that truly modest? I would have to contend that the answer is no. Come on Christan woman!! Rise up and act like modest Christian woman in a world that is increasingly immodest.

[3] Older women likewise are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers or slaves to much wine. They are to teach what is good, [4] and so train the young women to love their husbands and children, [5] to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled.
(Titus 2:3-5 ESV)

We are to be reverent in our behavior. Reverent means deeply respectful. And as young woman (and I would say even old since the old are teaching this to the young) we are to be pure. Is posting something like that pure? The reason we are to act in this way is so “that the Word of god may not be reviled.” We are to act in such a way that it doesn’t ruin our witness or what the Word of God says. We need to be thinking about our words and how they line up with the Word.

Yesterday I went to the pain doctor for my back. He only works out of the Coos Bay office once a week so they put him in the back downstairs. This means I spent about an hour in the oncology department waiting room and had to walk past where people sit for chemo. What a sobering time that was. It was like I had entered a whole other world of people not knowing if they were going to live or die. It really made me think about life and how I live each day. It also made me think about how I can help these people. I think I am going to seriously look into knitting chemo hats for our local chemo center. I thank God for giving me that experience yesterday.

Dear God, Please continue to put me in situations that show me your heart. Continue to mold in me a heart of wisdom, a heart after your heart. In Jesus name, Amen

Have you ever had one of those days? A day where every child seems to get hurt over and over again? A day when once you finish cleaning up one child’s poop the other one has even more poop? A day when your daughter takes her diaper off and smears poop all over everything and herself in the crib? If you are a mom I’m sure you have and today was one of those days for me.

But as I was sitting in my chair feeding Zeke for what felt like the millionth time and hoping he falls asleep so I can put him down and get some laundry done, I looked out the window and saw how pretty the moon looked. At that moment I quieted my heart and talked to the Lord. I thanked him for he beautiful night sky and for His creation. Than my eyes noticed the smudges all over the window. I thought about how badly my windows needed cleaned and how in the world I was going to fit that in. Then in the next instant I thought about how someday I will miss having those smudges to clean off the windows. There will come a day (and it will come faster than I can imagine) when I will clean the windows and they will stay that way for a good long time. When that day comes I will miss the smudges.

Thank you God for the smudges and messes my kids make. Help me to remember that they will not stay young forever and to enjoy every single moment while they are at home. Continue to teach me what is important. In Jesus name, Amen

Captivating is a book about unveiling the mystery of a woman’s soul.  It is for woman what Wild at Heart by John Eldrdge was for men.  They address the three main desires in a woman’s heart, how those are damaged by our upbringing and the enemy, and then how to find healing.

There were parts of this book I enjoyed but there were many problems I had with the book.  One of those issues was that, in my opinion, the authors downplay the sovereignty of God.  At one point when talking about how woman desire to be loved they then take this to mean that God desires the same thing and that he is sitting in heaven just waiting for us to love Him.  I do not agree with this picture of God at all.  Most of the references to the Bible were poor at best but, once again in my opinion, they were not theologically correct nor applied correctly.  The last thing that really got me was when they talked about how we need to renounce “vows” we have made so that God can heal us.  I don’t disagree regarding the desires of a woman’s heart but I do disagree with about everything else.  I would not recommend this book for others to read.

I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their 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 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

The Modest Mom (see link on sidebar) is hosting another wonderful giveaway. This time it is for a book that includes a coupon for a free night at a B&B when you buy a night. Go check it out!!

I have recently started reading a blog called “The Modest Mom“.  I found it through another giveaway on another blog for her skirts.  She makes super cute, modest, custom skirts.  Anyway, she is doing an amazing giveaway right now so go check it out.

Sarah, a friend of a friend, from House on Fire gave me the beautiful blogger award. I guess that means I should start blogging again. I’ve been meaning too for quite some time but just haven’t gotten around to it so I figured now is a great time to start.

As a recipient of the Beautiful Blogger award, one must:

1) Add a link and note of thanks to the person giving the award

2) Pass the award on to 15 bloggers whose blogs you have recently discovered that you love

3) Share 7 things about yourself

7 Things About Me

1)  I”m pregnant with our third child.

2)  I love spring.

3)  My favorite flowers are roses.

4)  I am extremely passionate about home education.

5)  I aspire to get my teaching credentials so that I can help friends who want to homeschool there kids but can’t.

6)  I enjoy cleaning my house.  (yeah I’m strange)

7)  I’m a total bookworm.

15 Blogs that I love

1) 1870 Pearl – I have read Abigail’s blog for quite awhile.  She is a very talented knitter and housewife.

2)  A Life of Colour – Roxanne is my favorite indie yarn dyer.  When she first started out I think I single handedly funded her.  :)  My now hubby also bought a bunch of yarn from her as a present for me and when we got engaged she sent me a beautiful yarn bouquet.

3)  chrissmarie5 – She has the cutest triplets.  She knits and scrapbooks.

4)  Ecnobusters – Molly Green gives great tips on frugal living and she is learning to knit.

5)  Erica’s Blog – I’ve been reading Erica’s blog for years.  I enjoy her pictures, knitting, and I really like it when she writes funny stuff she overhears in her house.

6)  Fireside – A great homeschooling blog.

7)  Gates of Grace – Darby is a local friend of mine who just recently started a blog and is going back to school.

 Here in Topeka – I love Katrina’s blog (when she updates).  :)  I have met her in person and she is super sweet and a wonderful knitter to say the least.

9)  Knitnana – She blogs about knitting and her life.  A wonderful lady.  She makes the best bags too.

10) Knitting Giraffe – I found her blog through a contest she did a couple of years ago.  She is a wonderful woman with a wonderful story and loves the Lord….plus she knits.  :)

11)  Random Thoughts and Wanderings – I had to add Bethany’s blog.  She doesn’t blog much since she has a newborn.  But Bethany has been a friend of mine since we were super little.  Her mom was my mom’s best friend and birthing coach when I was born.  Her dad lead my dad to the Lord so there family is very close to my heart.

12) Selects Wool and Flax – I love Robin’s blog.  The first thing that attracted me was her name which comes from Proverbs 31.  she is a wonderful crafter and Christian.

13) Seven’s Heaven – I found this blog through Donna Otto’s ministry.  I love that she has so many kids and homeschools.  It’s a great blog to read.  Susan is also a great person to go to for advice.

14)  Tammy’s Recipes – Tammy has a website full of wonderful recipes and pictures of her new beautiful baby boy.

15)  The Homespun Heart – I love this blog.  It’s beautiful and she writes about so many things that God deals with me on.  Great blog.

So now it’s time to let all these people know about there awards.  :)