Holiday Cards

*****UPDATE: Contest has ended!  Commenter #8 was the winner picked by my son :)  She has been notified by email.  Thanks for entering!!*****


It's cold and rainy here in the Midwest.  Tomorrow is Halloween and I am afraid our trick-or-treating is going to get rained out.  It's supposed to be the coldest Halloween in 10 years.  I have a Captain America and Thor who will be really sad if it is raining tomorrow evening.  With all this cold weather it makes me think of winter and Christmas and what I am going to do about our Photo Christmas Cards this year.  Because my oldest daughter got married in June, do I leave her and her husband out of the card all together, or do I include them in the picture and sign their names also?  What to do?  This is our family picture from her wedding and I LOVE it (except for the alien face on my one son, but if you know him, you totally understand!).  So I might just use this picture.  Or we could take a new one over Thanksgiving break because she and and her husband will be here.

Either way, I am going to check out Shutterfly!  They have an awesome new collection of merry and bright colors with a modern feel!  They also feature religious and scripture based cards which I love.

~Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace, good will toward men.  Luke 2:14~

You can also check out Shutterfly's Special Offers page and save some money on cards, photo prints, or even shipping.  As a bonus, Shutterfly is letting me giveaway a $50 off an order of $50 or more (excluding tax and shipping & cannot be combined with any other promos (expire 12/14/2012 – no extensions) to one lucky reader!  All you have to do is leave a comment with your favorite Shutterfly card design.  Entries will be accepted until November 15th at midnight.

~This post and giveaway is being sponsored by Shutterfly~

A Sudden Glory

I am a girl who has lots of issues.  I am totally willing to admit this.  I have areas I really struggle in, and I have issues that I think I have all figured out.  Then something out of the blue creeps up, and I realize I really didn't have it all figured out!  I can be a very jealous person.  I compare myself to others way too much.  I see things that I want very badly.  I think I deserve more.  I wish life was easy for me.  I don't like struggling or working too hard.

All that being said, it is a little difficult for me to read a book like A Sudden Glory.  I am a fixer and after reading a chapter, I immediately go into fix-it mode.  When sometimes I need to just step back and let God work in my life.  I know.  Easier said than done!

Have you ever looked at someone's life and thought, I want to do what she's doing.  I want to have the impact on others that she is having.  I want the ministry she has. Unfortunately, I have fallen into that    trap many times.  But then God reminds me of His words: "I know the plans I have for you" (Jeremiah 29:11).  His plan for me is uniquely choreographed.  His plan for you is uniquely choreographed.... planned to a T.  Sometimes the choreography will make perfect sense in your limited understanding, and other times it may make no sense at all.  But be sure of this: God always has a plan.  (pages 126 & 127)

The study guide offered at the end of the book is an excellent resource if you are looking for a women's book study.  The study offers a lot of scripture references for a deeper understanding of each chapter in the book.

*I was given a free book in exchange for my review.  The opinions are mine.*

GREAT BOOK FOR TWEEN GIRLS

I wish I were twelve years old again (okay, not really).  But I do wish I could have read this book when I was twelve.  It would have helped me realize that a lot of my feelings and emotions were normal.  I think every twelve year old girl on the planet wants to know she is normal.

Have you ever thought....

There are a lot of scary things going on in the world.  Am I safe?

Why do babies die?  It's so unfair!  They didn't even get a chance to live.

How am I supposed to pray?  Some people want me to pray out loud, but I'm kind of embarrassed to do that.

How am I supposed to know what is true and what is a lie?

In this incredible devotion book by Sandra Byrd, she answers questions like these and more!  Each daily devotion starts with a great question, a short paragraph with an answer, then scripture to back up what was just taught, and a challenge for the day.  This would be a great gift for any tween girl in your life.

What exactly is a tween girl?  Well according to Wikipedia, a tween is a preadolescent, that is, the stage between middle childhood and adolescence in human development, in the range of 10 to 12 years old.

*I was provided a copy of this book in exchange for my review.  The opinions are mine.*