Bloggy Giveaway - Cashua Coffee

This giveaway is now closed. Thank you to everyone who entered.

Welcome to my little corner of the internet! Thanks for stopping by to find out about my giveaway.

First, let me tell you a little bit about myself. I'm Heather. I'm a SAHM of a wonderful almost 20 month old daughter Ladybug. My Hubby and I are contemporary worship leaders at our church. The title of my blog comes from my belief that we are not meant to live life alone. This is not a Do-It-Yourself life. I blog about my family, my faith, and my journey as a mom.

Now, let's get down to business! I assuming that you're here because you like (dare I say LOVE?) coffee. I love coffee, especially GOOD coffee! And since I aim to please, I am giving away 3 - 1 lb bags of Cashua coffee beans. You've never heard of Cashua coffee? Let me tell you about them!

From the Cashua website:

Cashua Fresh Roasted Coffee is more than just another coffee company
trying to sell coffee. We are not another “concept” coffee website,
backed by well known coffee giants, and we are not on every street corner
or in big box stores. Cashua Fresh Roasted Coffee is an experience.

When two of our founders...could not find fresh roasted coffee
in their neighborhoods, they began roasting their own....
We felt this experience was a gift that we wanted to share.
It was from this interaction that The Cashua Experience was born.

Please visit the Cashua website for more information regarding their company and their variety of coffees.

Here are the rules for this giveaway.

1. This is open to bloggers and non-bloggers. To be entered in the giveaway, please visit the Cashua website. Then leave a comment on this post telling me one thing that you read on their site. I will delete any comments that do not mention something from the Cashua website.
2. Please make sure I have a way to contact you - either a blog or e-mail address.
3. Sorry, you must have a US shipping address. I cannot ship the coffee internationally.
4. The comments will be open until Friday, January 30th at 9pm EST. Three winners will be selected on Saturday, January 31st.
5. Only one entry per person.

Thanks for stopping by! I hope you'll come back again soon!! And don't forget to visit the Bloggy Giveaways Carnival to see who else is participating!

Random Stuff Meme

A while ago, my friend Kaylea tagged me for a Random Things About Me meme. And now on Facebook, eleventy-billion of my friends have tagged me for 25 Things About Me. Seriously? Twenty-Five? I have mentioned previously how difficult I find these! There is no way that I can come up with 25 random things about me.

If you really want to know that much about me, read my 100 things list, read my MVPs listed in the sidebar, search through the archives, and read my blog on a regular basis. I don't know if many of my IRL (in real life) friends actually read my blog. Maybe if you'd leave a comment once in a while, I would know that you're hanging around, okay?

Enough ranting. I'm going to stick with six random things about me. Here are the rules:

1 - Link back to the blog that tagged you. (Already done. See above.)
2 - Make a list of 6 (un)interesting things about yourself
3 - Tag five other blogs, and let them know by leaving them a comment



1. I don't deal with stress well. I get stomach aches, and sometimes even panic attacks. Although thankfully I have had a panic attack in a very long time.

2. Although I'm not a very good housekeeper, utter household chaos bothers me. Things have to have a place. Utter household chaos causes me stress. (see #1)

3. I think most of my readers already know this - I am an uber-morning person. My brain works best before 9 am. But the downside of that is that I cannot think coherent thoughts after 9 pm.

4. On that morning person note, I have a perfect example from seminary. We had a huge exam the next day, and I studied until about 9:30 and went to bed with the plan of getting up at 4 am to finish studying. The phone rang around 10:30, a classmate wanting to ask a question about the exam. His reaction: "What are you doing in bed?? Don't you know we have a test tomorrow??" Um, yeah. I do. And I'll be happy to call you at 4 am when I'm up and studying for it!

5. Speaking of seminary, one of my favorite times during seminary was our January term drama tour. Six of us traveled in a van, presenting two dramas to churches for 28 days. I think we did 27 shows in 8 states. I loved the experience and have so many great memories! (Remember Larry?)

6. It has taken me FOUR days to put this list together. And it's only 6 random things! Can you imagine how long 25 random things would take?!?!?!?



Whew! There you have it. After some sweat and tears, a few more random things about me. And I'm going to break the last rule and not tag anyone to do this. I'm feeling sassy like that today!

And don't forget to enter my giveaway for fresh roasted Cashua coffee! You have until 9 pm EST tonight to enter!

Thankful Thursday

Today, I am thankful that Jesus brings peace in the midst of the storm.

When I feel stressed and overwhelmed by the chaos around me, I am so thankful for the reminder that Jesus can calm even these little storms in my life. He is Lord of all, and He stands on the bow of my ship and commands the storms, "Peace! Be still!" (Mark 4:39)

I am also thankful that He knows me inside and out. He knows my quirks and idiosyncrasies, and yet He still loves me and still offers to bring peace into my life. And that peace is like a shield that protects me from the chaos. Thank you, Lord!

Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:7

For more thankful hearts, please visit Lori's Reflections.

I am Blissfully Domestic

I have two posts for the I am Blissfully Domestic carnival this week. An Inspired Bliss post on Choices and a Blissfully Delish post - my recipe for Spaghetti Carbonara.

Thanks for stopping by today! Don't forget to check out my giveaway for fresh roasted Cashua coffee!

Tiny Talk Tuesday

This is one of those stories that is embarrassing, yet too good not to share!

Ladybug (almost 20 months) and I were at the outlet stores this past week. I like to buy my pantyhose from a certain store that also carries other ladies undergarments.

Ladybug and I were waiting in the checkout line, and the women in front of us were buying some bras. Ladybug saw them, pointed and said, "Bra!" Oh yes, she did!

Everyone chuckled, and I said, "Yes, she knows that word already!"



Please visit Mary for more Tiny Talk Tuesday. And don't forget to check out my giveaway for fresh roasted Cashua coffee!

More of Him Monday

Welcome to More of Him Monday! This is a weekly carnival in which we can share encouragement with fellow Christian bloggers. Please read here for participation guidelines.

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I have been reading recently in Proverbs. There have been so many verses that have jumped out at me.

Wise choices will watch over you.
Understanding will keep you safe.
Proverbs 2:11

Trust in the Lord with all your heart;
do not depend on your own understanding.
6 Seek his will in all you do,
and he will show you which path to take.
Proverbs 3:5-6

Look straight ahead,
and fix your eyes on what lies before you.
26 Mark out a straight path for your feet;
stay on the safe path.
27 Don’t get sidetracked;
keep your feet from following evil.
Proverbs 4:25-27

God created us to have free will. We have the ability to make choices. Whether we realize it or not, those choices profoundly impact our lives and the lives of our families.

A saying that I am fond of is, "Garbage in, garbage out." Meaning whatever we put into our minds and hearts, that is what will come out of us. Because I do not like to use swear words, I try to avoid hearing them. I know myself well enough to know that if I hear words like that my mind will focus on them. And then in a moment of frustration, they are more likely to slip out of my mouth. I know that I do not have enough self-control to keep that garbage from coming out if it has gotten into my head.

I will be committing these verses to memory. Because it is words like this that I want to come out of me when my self-control is at its weakest. I would much rather have the Word of God spill from my lips, wouldn't you? I usually write the verses on a 3x5 card so that I can carry them with me and read them throughout the day. Also, I write them over and over on paper to help memorize them.

I want to make wise choices. I know that having Scripture in my mind and heart will help me do that.

And you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these commands that I am giving you today. 7 Repeat them again and again to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up. 8 Tie them to your hands and wear them on your forehead as reminders. 9 Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates. Deuteronomy 6:6-9

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If anyone has a post along the theme of More of Him Monday, please leave a link in the comments. And pretty please, link back here. I like the linky love too!

The Play Dough Experience

Every kid loves play dough, right? I was no exception. However, I don't think I was a "typical" kid when it came to playing with my play dough.

I remember when my mom threw a surprise party for my fifth birthday. I was playing at a neighbor's house when mom called to ask them to send me home. When I got there, about eight of my friends were there and some of them were playing with my play dough.

I had lots of different colors, plus a little machine that would make the play dough into all different shapes of spaghetti - round, square, triangle, star. Even at that tender age, I was very meticulous about not mixing my colors. I would play with one color, clean out the machine, put that color away, then get out a different color.

When I saw that my friends at my surprise party were playing with my play dough, that was no big deal. But, I saw that the colors were being mixed!! I threw a fit!! I went into a corner of the kitchen, and I had a good, old-fashioned fit!

Now that you know that I was an obsessive-compulsive child, let me ask you a parenting question? Will my child be like me in her play dough experience? Will she notice when the colors get mixed or even if there are flecks of one color that get into another? Will it drive her crazy if little bits of play dough are left behind on the table after putting the stuff away?

A friend recently gave Ladybug some homemade play dough. LB isn't really sure of it yet because of the new texture. But my nieces have been playing with it. Thankfully, there is only one color, as I know that my nieces are not meticulous about such things.

It's already driving me crazy. What's an obsessive-compulsive mother to do (besides chill out)?

Photo credit: stock.xchng

Thankful Thursday

Today, I am thankful for a little bit of alone time. (Even if that alone time came in the waiting room at my dr's office, waiting for *that* exam. Ahem.)

I used to take a book with me when I was expecting to wait. Then in my days of frazzled-mommy-with-a-new-baby phase, I would forget reading material and end up wasting time looking at the magazines in the waiting room.

I wanted my alone time today to be a bit more productive, yet still relaxing. So I took a notebook. A good, old-fashioned notebook and pencil. And I wrote. And it was nice.

It was good alone time, and I am thankful.


For more thankful hearts, please visit Iris at Grace Alone. Oops!! Lori is hosting this week! I forgot!

Wordful Wednesday - Dress Up

Ladybug (19.5 months) was playing in her room the other day. She came out with a hat, sunglasses, and purse from her dress up basket. This is the first time that she put on the hat by herself. She was having so much fun!

Wordless Wednesday hub
5 Minutes for Mom
Wordful Wednesday

Benefits of Signing with Your Baby

Because we are teaching Ladybug sign language, we often get questions regarding the benefits of signing with a baby or toddler. Although we don't have any previous experience with a non-signing toddler, I can share what I enjoy about having a toddler who can sign. I really enjoy knowing what Ladybug is thinking. I am thankful that most of the time we do not have to guess about what she is trying to say.

Another benefit is knowing that my child is learning manners. "Please" and "thank you" are very important words in our family. Ladybug knows both signs and uses them, even without prompting. As I posted earlier today, she signed a 3-word sentence for the first time today: "More milk please."

I took a poll on Twitter asking for parents to share their favorite benefit of baby signing. Tara shared: "understanding her needs, which leads to less stress for both of us and fewer tantrums. But really, she knew I understood her." Sandra shared: "It cuts down on the frustration for babies! Less whining! And it's so cute when they sign and get lots of praise!" Onemotherslove shared: Her oldest "(late talker) picked up on signs pretty well-it was a lifesaver to be able to communicate with him when he had no words. I didn't focus on teaching (her 2nd child) because she's so verbal, but she still caught on & will use some when her mouth is full!"

I also had some responses on Facebook. Mandie shared: "I love knowing exactly what String Bean wants. I know when she's full, when she's still hungry, and what she wants. It has meant a lot less frustration for both of us!" And Jennifer said: "I did baby signs with all 5 of my children to some extent. It really did help to eliminate the whining babies do when they're not able to communicate. Also, with my 3rd child, I was amazed at her ability to demonstrate manners (signing please and thank you) at the early age of about 18 months. My first child probably benefitted the most, though, as she was a late talker but could communicate quite well with signs."

I did receive one comment to the negative. One person shared about a friend who taught her son to use signs, but eventually he stopped talking and the parents were forced to ignore his signs to encourage him to use spoken words instead. While I am in no way an expert and I do not know this child or family, I have not read of any incidences (in the research) that has made a connection between a child signing and also refusing to speak (when it is known that the child can speak). Again, I am simply looking at the research provided by the real professionals.

Here are some links regarding teaching your baby/toddler American Sign Language....

Here's what wikipedia has to say about baby sign language.

There are several studies mentioned on Signing Time's website. And here is this list of FAQs about the benefits of signing with your baby.

I mentioned previously that we have the Baby Signing Time videos for Ladybug to watch. She absolutely loves them! We received them in November, and within the first week, she learned 15-20 new signs. Now, I think she knows all of the signs on all four videos (approx. 25 signs/video). I can't keep track, but I think she knows and uses at least 125 signs on a regular basis. When we are reading, she will sign the words that she knows as we read along.

Lest anyone think that teaching your baby sign language will cause a delay in speech (as the research shows the opposite), here is a list of words that Ladybug said this past weekend. Although she doesn't speak each word precisely, we know the meaning of what she is saying.

no, yes, day, new, bread, pretzel, milk, Mama, Dada, noodle, spin, night night, book, read, water, cereal, apple, banana, grapes, Grandpa, toes, door, stop, donkey, time, shoes, socks, jacket, bird, dog, on, off, up, down, ear, eye, nose, head, moo (for cow), meow (for cat), ball, belly, block, button, again, pillow, boat, arm


According to the National Institutes of Health, the milestone checklist for 18-23 month olds lists that the child should be saying 8-10 words. Ladybug is almost 20 months old and is well beyond this "minimum."

I feel that teaching Ladybug to sign is not only for the short-term benefit of easing communication frustrations, but also as the groundwork for a second language. I hope to take an American Sign Language class before Ladybug starts kindergarten, so that she can attend with me and we can learn together.

Thanks to everyone who shared their feelings about the benefits of signing with your baby. I'd love to hear more stories about baby signing!

More Milk Please!

Ladybug signed her first 3-word sentence this morning!!! "More milk please." She's 19.5 months old and can put three words together - I am amazed! She's been signing 2-word sentences for a few months.

I have a busy day ahead, but I just had to share this new success! Have a great day!

More of Him Monday - Vision

Welcome to More of Him Monday! This is a weekly carnival in which we can share encouragement with fellow Christian bloggers. Please read here for participation guidelines.

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Last week was a dry week for me spiritually. We had just come home from our trip, I was playing catch-up, and had not any decent amount of alone time for quite some time. I didn't know what to post for More of Him Monday last week. No words, no inspiration, nothing was coming as I sat down to write. You can't get water from a dry well. My well was dry.

That's a tough place to be. I didn't like it. I decided to pull myself out of whatever pit I was in and get moving. I shared last Thursday that I am meditating on Proverbs 4:10-12.

My child, listen to me and do as I say,
and you will have a good, long life.
I will teach you wisdom's ways
and lead you in straight paths.
When you walk, you won't be held back;
when you run, you won't stumble.

These verses, along with the breath prayer that I mentioned in that same post, have been KEY in getting me over my funk. I realized that I was lacking vision. I knew my focus was off-kilter and needed readjusting. Thankfully, God is faithful and brings that readjustment when we ask Him to.

Now when I am feeling scattered, or unfocused, I whisper these verses as a prayer. I find that when my field of sight is full of the Lord, I am more calm, more focused, more able to deal with life. You know, l.i.f.e. Life that keeps coming whether you're prepared or not. Life with a toddler who depends on you, a husband who relies on you. I need to be centered in Christ or I cannot meet anyone's expectations, not even my own.

My goal is to keep Christ as the only One in my field of sight. He alone needs to be my vision.

Be Thou my vision O Lord of my Heart
Naught Be all else to me save that thou art
Thou my best thought, by day or by night
waking or sleeping thy presence my light

Be thou my wisdom and thou my true Word
I ever with thee and thou with me Lord
Thou my great Father and I thy true son
Thou in me dwelling and i with thee one

Riches I heed not nor man's empty praise
Thou mine inheritance now and always
Thou and Thou only first in my heart
High king of heaven my treasure thou art

Be thou my vision O Lord of my heart
Naught be all else to me save that thou art
Thou my best thought, by day or by night
Waking or sleeping Thy presence my light

High king of heaven my victory won,
May I reach heaven's joy, Bright heaven's Sun!
Heart of my own heart, whatever befall
Still be my vision O ruler of all
(Text: Dallan Forgaill)

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If anyone has a post along the theme of More of Him Monday, please leave a link in the comments. And pretty please, link back here. I like the linky love too!

15 Percent Club Update

If you remember, one of my goals for the new year is to start eating a healthier diet, exercise, and hopefully lose weight. I joined Mama Bear's 15 Percent Club, and I just wanted to give y'all an update.

The reason I haven't posted anything here on the blog about the 15 Percent Club is that we have a private blog on which we can share our successes and struggles, and also weigh in on a weekly basis. I am really enjoying the accountability of this group of women!

And there is still room in the 15 Percent Club for you if you need some support in your weight loss goals. Just click on the 15 Percent Club button in my sidebar, and leave a comment for Mama Bear that you want to join.

It's been two weeks since the challenge began. Even though one week of that we were traveling, I have lost 5 lbs so far. I am getting some form of exercise every day. I bought a pedometer to help track the number of steps I take each day. I think the pedometer is helping me to get off the couch more! I have also been making changes in my diet. Can I say that I haven't had ANY CHOCOLATE for 5 days straight?!?!? That is some kind of record for me!

In addition to being a chocolate addict, I am also a big snacker. I have been finding healthier snacks and will have a few new recipes to share with you soon! (I'll post them on my recipe blog, and I'll try to let you know when they're up.)

How are you doing with your goals/resolutions for the new year?

Thankful Thursday

Today, I am thankful for God's Word!

I have been feeling tired, run-down, and overwhelmed lately. I've been trying to do too many things without finding time to rest and recharge my batteries. And my spiritual battery was getting to a critical low!

I have been meditating on Proverbs 4:10-12:

My child, listen to me and do as I say,

and you will have a long, good life.

I will teach you wisdom’s ways

and lead you in straight paths.

When you walk, you won’t be held back;

when you run, you won’t stumble.

I realized yesterday that I need to do more listening and less talking in my relationship with God. My mind is often racing, trying to multi-task, and I find it difficult to settle my mind long enough to be still and listen.

I found a new breath prayer that I can repeat. It settles my mind, helps me to calm down, and helps me to find focus. (A breath prayer is a simple sentence that can be said in one breath.) My new breath prayer (from Psalm 86:11) is:

Lord, give me an undivided heart.

I know that with meditating on God's Word, and using this breath prayer, I will be able to find focus again. I will be able to calm down the craziness in my head so that I can listen to God more.

I am so thankful that God's Word is alive and that He uses it to speak to me!!!



For more thankful hearts, please visit Iris at Grace Alone.

A Recipe for Exhaustion?

Sorry that my posting schedule is a little off this week. Since we arrived home on Saturday, I've been trying to play catch up. I still have laundry to fold and bags to put away. I'm short on sleep for some reason too. And, I'm trying to get back on track with eating better (difficult to do that when you're traveling!). Mix that all together and the result is a tired, overwhelmed Mama.

I think that Ladybug is teething (again! does it ever end?!?), so she's been a cranky butt lately. So what little time to myself that I have has been spent giving her my full attention.

I usually have an hour to myself after she goes to bed at night, but at that time of day, I'm so tired that I can't even think straight, let alone try to write a sentence that makes sense. And there are currently over 300 unread posts in my Google reader. All this to explain why the blog has been a bit quiet.

So as to not be a total downer of a blog post, here is some Ladybug cuteness.
She was playing the piano in her pajamas this morning. Not really playing music, although it might be considered modern nouveau music! She really doesn't have a chance to NOT be a musician, does she? With all the instruments in our house, plus singing, she is surrounded with music constantly.

I'm going to put my feet up for a little while. Hopefully Ladybug's nap will last a little while longer so I can shut my eyes too!

So, how have you been?

More of Him Monday - Saint Patrick's Breastplate

Welcome to More of Him Monday! This is a weekly carnival in which we can share encouragement with fellow Christian bloggers. Please read here for participation guidelines.

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The following prayer is part of what is called St. Patrick's Breastplate. It's a fabulous prayer that I have printed in my prayer journal. I return to this when I feel lost for words, as I do now. My mind is foggy, my thoughts are scattered. To pray with the words of someone else may not be your norm. For me, I find comfort in knowing that others have prayed these words before me.

I arise today
Through God's strength to pilot me:
God's might to uphold me,
God's wisdom to guide me,
God's eye to look before me,
God's ear to hear me,
God's word to speak for me,
God's hand to guard me,
God's way to lie before me,
God's shield to protect me,
God's host to save me
From snares of demons,
From temptations of vices,
From everyone who shall wish me ill,
Afar and anear,
Alone and in multitude.

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If anyone has a post along the theme of More of Him Monday, please leave a link in the comments. And pretty please, link back here. I like the linky love too!

Home Again, Home Again

Jiggety-jig!

Oh, it is so GOOD to be home! We only had two toddler meltdowns on the drive home yesterday. I think one of them was due to the changing altitude and LB's ears were hurting. So we had to pull over to the side of the road so she could nurse to help alleviate the pressure.

Hubby had a good class, met some new friends/colleagues. We had a great week and got to catch up with friends. However, be it ever so humble, there is no place like home!

Like Old Friends

What is it like to have a real-life meeting with someone you've met on the internet? When it comes to bloggers (dare I say "mommy bloggers?"), it's like old friends sitting down to lunch. That was the lunch that I had today, and it was great!

Since we are in the great commonwealth of Virginia this week for another of Hubby's grad classes, Ladybug and I drove over to have lunch with Heather of Desperately Seeking Sanity and Kathy of Solo Dot Mom. If you remember, I had met Heather the last time we were here. But Kathy was out of town that week, so this was the first time I'd met her.

We chatted like old friends over lunch, not needing to get acquainted, since we know each other from our blogs. We talked about life, our families, and "the boy" in Heather's life.

Even though we're all in different stages in our lives, the common thread of faith in Christ was present in the conversation and evident in our lives. That was really cool!

Ladybug was not on her best behavior (in my opinion!), so it wasn't a long lunch. But we did have our waiter snap a picture before we left.


It was great to meet Kathy and to see Heather again. It really was like old friends having lunch together! Thanks, gals!

Oh, by the way, Heather's birthday is Friday (tomorrow). Hop on over to her blog and wish her a happy birthday, will ya? Thanks!

Staying in a Hotel

Ladybug (19 months) wants to share some tips for toddlers on having a fun time in a hotel.

First, make sure you bring your friends. Ladybug loves her duckies, and as soon as we got to our room, she started lining them up so they could get settled in too.

Second, learn how to call room service and the front desk. (The room has two phones. We disconnected this one so she could play with it.)

Third, learn to kick back and relax. And if Mama and Daddy bring the portable DVD player, that helps too!

And fourth, call Grammy, and Grandma and Grandpa, to let them know that we arrived safely and are having a great time!

These are just a few things that are Working for Me while out of town this week! And don't forget to visit Angie at SevEn cLoWn CirCus for more Wordful Wednesday posts.

Tiny Talk Tuesday

Ladybug (19 months) loves playing with the phone. I usually only let her play with my cell phone, since I can lock it. But she managed to get her hands on the house cordless phone the other day. She put it up to her ear and said, "Hello." Then I asked her who she was talking to and she said, "Pa!" (Her nickname for Grandpa.)

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I made meatloaf for dinner the other night. Ladybug called it "bread" when she saw it. I say, "No, it's meat." She said and signed, "ME?" I responded, "No, meatloaf." LB said, "Oh."

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Ladybug's newest favorite word to say and sign is UP. She says it to get up in my lap, then will continue to say it even though she's already UP!

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To see what other Tiny Talkers are saying, visit Mary at Not Before 7.

The Way of Compromise

Please read what I shared about compromise on the Wedded Bliss channel of Blissfully Domestic. Feel free to leave comments too! Thanks!

More of Him Monday - Security

Welcome to More of Him Monday! This is a weekly carnival in which we can share encouragement with fellow Christian bloggers. Please read here for participation guidelines.

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I know that most everyone is "done" with Christmas. Some folks are done with it on December 26th and can't put the decorations away fast enough. Not me. I like to linger in the Christmas season. My usual habit is to leave the tree and decorations up (of which there were very few this year) until Epiphany which is January 6th.

Now that Hubby and I lead music at an Episcopal church, we also have a church that lingers at Christmas. Our deacon's sermon this week was still about things of the season. She shared a clip from her all-time favorite Christmas show, A Charlie Brown Christmas. Watch this clip and tell me what you notice about Linus while he is quoting the Christmas story from Luke's gospel.

Did you catch it? He dropped his security blanket while reciting Scripture! I think I had noticed that previously, but yesterday as we watched that clip, I got excited. I leaned over and whispered to Hubby so that he would notice it too.

Psalm 144:2 reads, "He is my loving ally and my fortress,my tower of safety, my rescuer.He is my shield, and I take refuge in him." We can find our security in Him.

When Linus dropped his blanket, I marveled that I need to be more like that. We need to be so caught up in the promises of God that we find in Scripture, that we no longer need the security blankets that this world offers. Our security is found in Him alone.

I love that! My security is in Him. No matter what the world may throw at us, we do not need to hold onto the false security that world wants us to have. Security in things, or people, or status. Those things are fleeting. God and God alone does not change. We can have compete trust in Him. He alone can give us the security that we need.

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If anyone has a post along the theme of More of Him Monday, please leave a link in the comments. And pretty please, link back here. I like the linky love too!

Looking Back

Looking back to know where we've been helps to see where we are going. Here is 2008 in review! I'm posting the first sentence from the first post of each month of 2008 with links so you can reminisce with me. Plus, a few pictures of Ladybug through the year. She's grown so much and y'all have been here to watch!

January

Happy New Year!! I am excited about the wonderful things that God has in store for 2008!

February

It's time for Aloha Friday once again!

March

1. To model Jesus

April

Today over at Fussy's, she has a great video about all things cake.

May

Before I became a mom, I knew that a piece of me was missing.

June

Welcome to More of Him Monday!

July

We celebrated Ladybug's 13 month "birthday" yesterday.

August

Hey y'all! Time for the Lipstick Challenge to officially get underway!

September

Welcome to More of Him Monday!

October

The whole concept of being frugal has been very interesting to me lately.

November

I have decided to take part in NaBloPoMo again this year.

December

Whew! I finished NaBloPoMo '08!

Happy New Year!!

This is the time of year to make resolutions; I prefer to call them GOALS instead. If something is a goal, then we feel that it's okay to revisit that goal later in the year. It's all about perception, I guess.

So, here are a few of my GOALS for 2009:

1. Spend more time in God's Word. I struggle with this because Ladybug is such an early riser, and I prefer to have my quiet time in the morning. Those two things don't mix well.

2. Eat a healthier diet and be more physically active. Notice I didn't say "lose weight." I hate diets. I want to be healthy and be able to run after Ladybug. I do want to lose weight, but I want that to be a side effect of a healthier life.

3. Be a better wife and mother. I think this was one of my goals for 2008, but it's definitely something I can always improve on!


On the weight loss front, can I brag on my Hubby for a minute? This is him at Christmas 2007.

This is him at Christmas 2008.
See anything different? He has a hard time seeing it in the mirror. His dedication to getting healthy this past year is a huge inspiration to me! And he has done it while I still had chocolate in the house!

What are your goals for the new year?

EDITED TO ADD: 5 Minutes for Mom is hosting a giveaway for a Wii Fit!! If your New Year's goals include getting in shape or losing weight, you can sign up to win!! (But please don't. I'd really like to win!)