Cute and free Father's Day gift!

Here is a link to free Father's Day coupons you can print.  They are adorable and you can adapt them to fit the age of your child.  Have fun with them!

Red, White, and Blue

My absolute favoritist holiday ever to celebrate is Independence Day.  Don't get me wrong, Christmas and Resurrection Sunday are at the top of the list for remembering my Savior and what He has done for me.  But 4th of July?  Bring on the sun, the lemonade, and the fireworks!

In honor of the upcoming holiday next month, I thought I'd share some craft ideas I have found.  I want to do all of these, but....well, we will see.  Let me know if you try any of them.  I love to see pictures!

From Small Fry & Co. is a too stinkin' cute red, white, blue, and denim pennant garland!

photo courtesy of Small Fry & Co.

A YEAR AGO I found this adorable craft at U Create for a flag made from an old window.  I'm ashamed to say I still haven't tried it.  But it is still in my faves so I will someday!

Of course, Martha Stewart has some fun stuff.  Like this welcome mat.  Too cinchy!

I've also had this one hanging out in my favorites folder for over a year.  Serendipity's cutey patooty idea is just that!

And how adorable are these trim bracelets from Happy Together?  This one is definitely a must for the Fourth of July!

If I actually make any of these I will definitely show pictures.

xxoo,

Sunshine....Yeah!

Yeah the sun is shining.!  After a week of wind and rain (yes, in JUNE), it is a beautifully glorious day.  The window is open letting fresh air in, the crows are outside arguing, and the annoying I scream-from-5 am-til-midnight kids that live behind us are currently silent. 

We have the possibility of a move to the next town 10 miles away and that would be a huge blessing.  A yard, a garage, a yard, peace and quiet, and a yard.  Did I mention we would have a yard?  Front and back?  Wow!  Green stuff that grows out of the ground and you can actually walk on bare-footed and you don't have to sweep.  Although you have to mow and water, such an improvement over cement for the last 3 years.

It's near the city bus system, not too far from town, and close enough to my bestie, Starla that I can walk over to her place.  Yipppeeee!  Another perk?  Being in the same town as my grand baby.  Who recently turned 1!  And who is walking and jabbering all over the place and destroying the house from one end to the other.

I don't want to get my hopes up.  I do want what GOD wants for me, even if that means NOT moving right now.  But....I can pray and hope, right?

In other news, I may have already said this ages ago, I can't remember and I'm too lazy to look, I am a "writer" for examiner.com.  Examiner.com is an online newspaper, so to speak.  They have regional links for the entire United States.  I'm currently writing for the San Francisco/northern California edition.  I write about Christian fiction.  Book reviews, author interviews, new releases, author appearances, that sort of thing.  I would love if you would hope on over and take a look at what I've written.  If you love Christian fiction, or fiction in general, this is the place to keep up on all the latest stuff.  I recently interviewed Francine Rivers, author of countless books including Redeeming Love and her newest, Her Mother's Hope.

I have also been so busy with lots of church activities.  AWANA is on a summer break, but I recently took over directing our Children's Church program.  I'm still involved with Ruth's Room and we recently sent a care package to Pago Pago.  I will be teaching 5th and 6th graders at this year's VBS program and the women of the church are undertaking a mentoring program for our older teen and young adult women.  Add to that the fact that the church started a garden, we have a weekly craft night available, and I'm also responsible for keeping the church kitchen supplied and in working order.  Whew!  No wonder I'm so busy.

Well, off for now.  Maybe I will have a craft or two to post in the near future.  Till then....lalalalalalalala...the sun is shining!!!

God's Timing

I feel guilty.  I have been away from here for so long and I feel like I have neglected cherished friends.  God has really been at work in my life.  I have been unemployed since the beginning of December.  I was denied unemployment, even on appeal.  Then my income tax refund was withheld because of my husband owing back child support.

I'm not complaining.  I have looked for work, etc. but there is nothing or God has not opened the doors yet.  God is breaking me down, remolding me.  Teaching me to trust in Him entirely.  And it's scary sometimes.  But I will not compronise.  I will not give in or give up.  I just may be absent from here.  Please keep me in your prayers.

Is Your Man "Wild at Heart?'

image found at amazon.com

I just finished reading Wild at Heart: Discovering the Secret of A Man's Soul by John Eldredge.  The back cover of the book reads,

Every man was once a boy. And every little boy has dreams, big dreams: dreams of being the hero, of beating the bad guys, of doing daring feats and rescuing the damsel in distress.  Every little girl has dreams, too: of being rescued by her prince and swept up into a great adventure, knowing that she is the beauty.
   But what happens to those dreams when we grow up?  Walk into most churches, have a look around, and ask yourself: What is a Christian man?  Without listening to what is said, look at what you find there.  Most Christian men are...bored.
   In Wild at Heart, John Eldredge invites men to recover their masculine heart, defined in the image of a passionate God.  And he invites women to discover the secret of a man's soul and to delight in the strength and wildness men are created to offer.

When I read that back cover I thought, "Oh boy, another man thinking every woman wants and needs to be rescued."  But the more I read, the more the points the author talked about made sense to me.

According to Eldredge, if man is created in God's image, and if God created this wild world, and if God gave man the authority and desire to have dominion over the natural world, then why do we, as a society, spend our time telling our little boys, "Don't climb on that?" "Stay out of the mud?" "Quit running!" 

Women are also created in God's image.  We know that God created men and women to be different.  Women and men display different attributes of God.  For the most part, women are created to display the nurturing, compassionate, tender attributes of God.  But society teaches girls that they must be pretty to attract attention, but "they don't need that attention."  "Women can do anything men can do."  "Females don't need rescuing." 

Women may not need to be rescued, but sometimes we like to feel like our husband would rescue us if it were required.  Sometimes our husbands want to feel like they are the conquering hero that we adore.  What does all of this have to do with God and being the person God wants you to be?

Ultimately it comes down to this, if we deny the very nature that God created us with (not the sinful nature) then how can we fully live out the life God has for us?  Eldredge says every man has three desires.  Those desires are:

1. a battle to fight
2. and adventure to live
3. a beauty to rescue

In the 250+ pages that follow the introduction, the author provides anecdotes and scripture to make his points.  The chapters were just the right length, and the concepts were easy to understand.  I especially liked how the author related the points he was trying to make to himself and the spiritual journey of his own life.  My favorite chapter was titled "A Beauty to Rescue."

Whether women will admit it or not, at some point in their childhood, they played princess.  We wanted to be the beauty in the story that a hero would come and rescue from the terrible situation we somehow found ourselves in.  As we grew up, some of us began to believe this was only a fairy tale.  Some waited patiently until all hope was lost.  There is only one man who is the Ultimate Rescuer...Jesus.  He rescues every single woman (and man) from the death brought by sin.  But here on earth, God designed marriage and when the man is the warrior, lover, rescuer and the woman is the maiden, lover, encourager, the fairy tale does come true.

Would I recommend this book? Absolutely!  I recommend that couples read it together or at least both read it.  It has allowed me to recognize and understand some of the behaviors of my own husband and allowed me to cherish him even more for them.  Also, I don't like to be vulnerable.  I don't want anyone to think I'm weak or "can't handle it."  I'm not fooling anyone and I honor my husband by letting him be my earthly protector. 

I received this book free of charge from Thomas Nelson Publishing.  I was not compensated for my opinion in any way except by receiving this book.  All opinions given here are 100% my own unless otherwise stated.