Giveaway on my other blog....

Hello all.... sorry I haven't updated in such a long time.  Life has been a little hectic but the things I'm dealing with and experiencing just don't feel appropriate for putting on here.  I'm afraid the wrong person would read something and take it the wrong way.  So instead I've been 'blogging' to the Lord much more.  Although I've always done that, it's become more frequent which isn't such a bad thing! ;) 

Anyway if you click the button to the right called "Percolating Projects" you'll be taken to my other blog where Tanya and I are hosting our VERY FIRST giveaway.  Let me just tell you I'm SO JEALOUS we can't win this thing cause it is so cute.  Head over and enter as many times as you can!!!!

Alphabet Pillow Giveawy- REALLY CUTE!

Wanna win a pillow????? ME TOO!!!!! Click here....

Grosgrain: Pillow Factory Alphabet Down Filled Pillow GUEST GIVEAWAY!!!!

Shoe Giveaway....

The UH-MAE-ZING Recessionista is giving away a FREE PAIR OF SHOES!!!!  What?!?!?!  Heck yes I'm all for that!

Head over to enter- and feast your eyes on what I want in the meantime!

Isn't it beautiful?  I'll take 2 please- a right and a left. Hehehe!

Consolation prize if you don't win... they are having a full 3 days of 30% off!!!!  These ladies are the epitomy of amazingness.  Sale starts Tuesday Jan 26th so get to shopping!

Haiti Relief

So I know TONS of people are blogging about ways to support Haiti, but I wanted to share with you a family that we know PERSONALLY!  The Bundy's are living in Haiti and have for a long time.  They are committed to the Lord and have followed His leading to be a part of the Haitian culture.  If you are looking for a SAFE charity to donate to, the Bundy's mission would be a great one.  Comment or e-mail if you have any questions we can help with.  Pray and do as the Lord leads you.

Cake Wrecks

Do you need a good GREAT laugh?  How about a great laugh for several HOURS?????  Yep.  Thought so...  I did last night and found a website that hit the spot!  My husband left for work at around 10:00 and I jumped on Cake Wrecks for a 'FEW' minutes.  At 1:15 I was still laughing my head off when my eyes caught a glimpse of the time.  Woops!  Knowing I had to be up early for work since we had snow I scurried off to bed and LITERALLY laughed myself to sleep thinking of all these terrible cakes.

Here are a few favorites so you can understand my temporary insanity last night....

How would you feel if THIS showed up to your baby shower?????

Apparently "Christmas" is overdone- welcome the new holiday "ChristAmUs"

Poor Nemo must have had a REALLY big dinner

Last but DEFINITELY not least.... the beloved Santa Claus

Who apparently had too much cheese and now needs some ExLax baked into his cookies

So enjoy Cake Wrecks it is FANTASMIC!!!!!

Troughs and Peaks

Dave and I teach the High School Sunday School class and right now we are reading "The Screwtape Letters" by C.S. Lewis and doing a discussion on it.  If you aren't familiar with the book or the writer, C.S. Lewis is most famous for his series "The Lion The Witch and The Wordrobe" and this particular book we are studying is a series of ficticous letters written from a 'Master Demon' (Screwtape) to his protege and nephew (Wormwood) a 'demon in training' type of scenario.  Wormwood has been assigned a patient that is a new Christian/Believer so Screwtape is imparting his wisdom on tripping up followers of Christ.

I've been pretty impressed with how the students are responding to book.  We don't require that they read it, but most of them have anyway.  Every week we answer some questions on a couple of chapters.  So far we have discussed topics like time management, prayer life, and family issues- figuring out that pushing your family's 'buttons' is a way the enemy gets a hold in our life.

This week's topic dealt with the 'troughs and peaks' in our walk with Christ.  (Most people call them the valley/desert and mountaintop times)  We discussed how ALL followers have both experiences and that it's okay to be in a trough sometimes.  They concluded from their own lives that being in a trough sometimes brings the greatest strength in our relationship with Christ because you have to work harder at it.  One student gave the example that you don't get very strong lifting a 2lb weight, but if you trade that in for a 20lb weight your muscles will ache at first but grow quickly!  That is exactly what CAN happen in those trough moments if we allow them to happen.

Unfortunatley many of us enter a trough time in our life and think God has abandoned us.  We get the idea that just because we are having a bad day or because life isn't going well that God has left us to fend for ourself.  People begin going back to what they knew before they were introduced to Jesus- maybe not extreme cases like alcohol or drugs, but maybe selfishness or business?  I know in my trough moments I try to busy myself with projects and busywork so I don't have to think of how junky my life is right then.  My thoughts turn inward to how I can fix what's going on instead of looking to God for support and wisdom.

This week I challenged the class to think about the troughs and peaks they have experienced and to thank God that He has given them both experiences.  Then I asked them to pray and ask that during this Christmas and New Years season when so many around us are depressed or lonely or feeling a trough moment, that God would reveal to them a hurting person.  Maybe a family member, neighbor, friend, or even cashier at the store is going through a trough moment and God wants to use one of those students to get them through it.

Life can't be lived on the peaks- it's nice for a season and the snow is pretty, but life is lived in the troughs.  If we never delve into the trough, who will we ever reach?  Very few "unbelievers" are on the peaks, THEY LIVE IN THE TROUGH!!!  So I will challenge you and me to do the same thing I've challenged my students with.  Pray that God shows you someone in the trough this next week or two (or fifty two) and help them understand that it's okay to be there- God is NOT far away if you will just look for Him!

MERRY CHIRSTMAS!!!!

Packaging a GIFT CARD

Anyone else hate giving gift cards for the simple fact that the "gift-ee" doesn't get to actually OPEN anything.  Well a friend of mine called my Mom (who is also creative) and asked for some clever ways to give a gift card to her niece.  I may be biased but she came up with some REALLY great ideas!  Here you go:

Gift card ideas from Debby:

*Buy a package of gum you think they would like, put the gift card inside and then use hot glue to close the container back OR tape the gift card onto the back.  You could also tape the gift card to     a candy bar or move size box of candy

*Buy a cheap stuffed animal at the Dollar Tree and attach the gift card with a ribbon-you could use a hole punch to make a hole in the gift card envelope and then tie the ribbon to the stuffed animal.

*They have really cute plastic glasses for $1 at Wal-Mart.  They’re clear plastic and have red and green polka dots on them-you could fill the glass with candy and stick the gift card in with the candy

*They have tons of cheap, cute little tins and boxes at the Dollar Tree that you could use

*You could buy an inexpensive ornament and attach the gift card to it with ribbon-write the name and the year on the ornament so they can keep it as a momento.  I do this with my kids and grandkids every year

*They have lip gloss for $1 at Wal-Mart-you could attach that to the gift card

*They have those $1 magic gloves just about everywhere-you could put the gift card inside one of the gloves

*Put the gift card in a plastic Ziploc bag-make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and put the giftcard inside.  Put the sandwich and a small bag of chips with a Little Debbie snack and a juice box (so it looks like a lunch).  This is my favorite idea but you would have to make the sandwich that day so it wouldn’t mold or something gross but I think she’d get a kick out of it!!!

OK-I’m out of ideas-you’re on your own. 

Debby

Thanks Mom!!!  Isn't she great?!?!?!  Hope you can use one of these- Happy Gifting!