FREE stuff!

I am part of our local freecycle group, which it really pays to live in a bigger city in this area for sure, because we have gotten a lot of great stuff from it for us, as well as our friends and family! Check it out, if you haven't looked into it at www.freecycle.org, there is probably a group in your area as well! 

Anyways, take a look at all this...

I got ALL of that beautiful china from a fellow freeecycler! :) and it looks great in our china cabinet we got from our Tom's parents. (I had a picture of it by itself, but Blogger is being tempermental tonight) (also disregard all the dust...lol)

And the winner is...

Hello all, the giveaway is over and after using Random.org and it chose comment # 9 which is Alicia at NotJustMrs. Congrats!! I didn't see a way to contact you, so hopefully you will check back here and send me your address and I will get it sent out to you! 

Please stay tuned...I will be posting another blog giveaway in the next coming weeks, and its a large project....anyways...back to the crazy giggles of my nephews(we are babysitting) who are dying laughing at me saying "ok"....oh the simple, amazing mind of a child...love them to pieces!! 

Blog GIVEAWAY!!!

I know its been quite awhile since I have done a giveaway. I have a lot of projects around our house that I've been spending time getting done, and haven't taken the time to make more cards...but...I have some other fun things I've made that I am going to give away. In a week or so, I will be doing another giveaway that is very cool...and its a large item, compared to the things I've given away in the past...lol...which that is the one I was alluding to the other day when I said I found the idea online after I thought of it...anyways to TODAY'S giveaway!!!

This is something I made quite awhile back, its been a decoration in my house since, but I have the supplies to make another one, so I figured, why not give this one away...

It is the word "Faith" (obviously lol) in wood letters, the front of the letters, I traced them onto scrapbook paper and cut them out and glued them on, and all leftover wood surfaces are painted black. I think you can see from the picture, but the paper is a soft red/tan/cream kinda flowerly pattern. 

If you aren't the lucky winner of this one, its so easy to make, really, it is...I got the wood letter base from The Dollar Tree store for $1, some black(or whatever color you like) craft paint from walmart for like $.59 cents or somthing like that, and then I had the scrapbook paper, but even if you don't, a piece of scrapbook paper you like from your local michaels or something is probably less than a dollar as well...also at the dollar store they had other words like "Family" "Country" "Angel" "Welcome" "Princess" etc...but anyways, then you get the rest...trace, and cut. Then i spread the glue on the wood letters with a foam brush and put the letters on. see?...easy peasy!! and cheap, and its a great decorative addition to your home!!

So now on to the GIVEAWAY!!!....

Here is how you can enter, as it has been in the past:

1. Leave a comment on this post, letting me know you want to win!

2. Blog about this giveaway, link back to this post, and come back and leave another comment

3. Follow my blog(if you already follow, then just leave another comment letting me know you follow)

**Make sure to make seperate comments so I can count all your entries...so if you do all 3 you will have 3 entries to win!! 

***This giveaway will end this Friday, April 24

Good luck!!! :)

Beauty is in the eye of the Beholder

Ive been thinking lately...and this has the potential to get deep, and possibly uncomfortable...just a disclaimer :)

Just the other day I heard someone say when looking at a picture of someone else, "wow, she is so cute, she has lost some weight" and it got me thinking...

Soceity labels beauty as MANY things; perfect body, long legs, stunning hair, piercing eyes, lucious lips, you get the idea...but you won't hear soceity saying (not very often at least) that women are beatuiful if they are over a size 12 or 14, let alone a 22 or 24(or even larger), or if they have short stubby legs that break out, or hair that doesn't do what you want, let alone the women who have struggled with illness or something that leaves them bald, or even if you leave the house without makeup( gasp...JK OF COURSE!) lol....once again, you get the point....

We are called to love each other like Christ loves us, and He loves us ALL regardless of weather we are short or tall, skinny or fat, blonde, brunette, red head, whatever! Remember the song we all sang when we were young, " red, yellow, black or white, they are precious in his sight, Jesus loves the little children of the world" why is it when we grow up, we seem to forget that...We all have been guilty at one point or another, or maybe you struggle with this daily, but whatever it is, we can rise above it. Truth is, Jesus loved a lot of people, and befriended a lot of people that left other people questioning why He would go near them...but He didn't care, He knew them, and loved them for THEM!

Why as Christians do we struggle with this so much? How do non-Christians perceieve us, when we are right there saying the same things they are?...or even worse, judging them! I can guarntee they aren't getting the " God loves you regardless of your sin, regardless of what you look like, regardless of the things you struggle with, vibe." 

You know the saying, "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder" which is true. Speaking of husbands specifically, your husband, who likes "skinny chicks" would not be the least bit interested in me, and my husband who happens to like "fat chicks"  wouldn't be the least bit interested in you, but thats why God made your husband for you, and mine for me...but we all know that...here's whats a new thought...to me at least is this:

Beauty is in the eye of the Beholder, not beholder. Get it? In the end God is the "beholder" for all of us, regardless of weather you have a physical person in your life that finds you beautiful, God does! I know this might be hard to grasp, but when we stand before Jesus and He calls us "HIS Beautiful child" we will know True beauty, standing in His presence. 

It just all seems so childish and "third grade" to judge someone because of the way they look. Physical beauty is only skin deep,and fades with age, but a beautiful heart can last a lifetime...and I don't know about you, but when I die, I would much rather have someone say(among other things) that I had a beautiful heart and loved others unconditionally, than to have someone say I was pretty, and physically beautiful.

Just some thoughts to think about, including myself!!

oh and just so you all know...I use the word "fat" or "fat chicks" in a loving way. I know what I am and accept it.  :)

Catch Up

Well its been awhile once again, since I blogged. I spent close to a week in Iowa at my parents house visiting and doing "curb shopping"...I got a whole lot of really cool things....all of which you will see pictures of over time...when I have before and after pictures...I came home on Thursday(the 9th) which we celebrated our 4th wedding anniversary by going out to dinner and Tom got me some beautiful roses! 

I came home to a whole new house...well a new room at least...lol Tom has all the molding up, the bookcases close to being done, and the ceiling fan put up. It all looks so great!! Such a wonderful husband!!

I then ran around and got things ready for Easter with Tom's family, which we also celebrated our nephews birthdays then as well...it has been a great, crazy week, but its been fun, and I am ready to get back in the groove of things...

This week I am planning on painting all the woodwork that Tom installed this past week, and getting some laundry done, bed sheets changed, and hopefully working on a blog giveaway project...

yes, I said a blog giveaway project...lol...I will not reveal yet what it is...but I thought of it on my own, and was oh so proud...then found the same idea online today...how disapointing! lol but its still not near the same as mine, just the same general idea....hopefully I will be able to post about it early next week, or late this week...

Craziness!!

Wow! it has been CRAZY! around here lately!! lol crazy busy I mean....its been really good actually, but busy. First of all, thank you all for your thoughts and prayers, especially after my "stuck and overwhelmed" post. There were several days when I felt really, really low, I felt like I would never get out. But by the grace of God and a lot of prayer, and discussions with Tom, I'm back! feeling great. I really believe God had to allow me to get that low, to see that it was a turning point for us, to see where God is leading us, etc. I feel encouraged, hopeful, and excited to see what God does and where He leads us! 

In other news, Tom has been working on all the woodwork and moulding to finish up, and then basically all that is left is carpet. I am sick of our hardwood floors, and I know some of you right now are gasping, but I said it. lol Don't get me wrong, I love the dark wood laminate hardwood that is in our bathroom and will one day be in our dining room and kitchen, but the real hardwood floors, not so much! Nothing I do keeps them clean, the collect dust worse than anything i've ever seen, there are small nails here and there a couple places that i rip a sock on, or whatever....i'm just ready for carpet. I have an amazing vacuum cleaner, and I love to vacuum, I know, i'm crazy, but so yea, carpet will really warm our house up, and i'm very excited!

Anyways, I have a serious, deep post I want to post, but I don't have time to finish it now, so I will post it later, but I hope you all have a great weekend! :)