Seasons of Opportunities

Every month this year I have a new verse to go along with my word for the year, to keep me focused on living  Intentionally . January's was Ephesians 5:15-16. My February verse : I’m not saying that I have this all together, that I have it made. But I am well on my way, reaching out for Christ, who has so wondrously reached out for me. Friends, don’t get me wrong: By no means do I count myself an expert in all of this, but I’ve got my eye on the goal, where God is beckoning us onward—to Jesus. I’m off and running, and I’m not turning back.   So let’s keep focused on that goal, those of us who want everything God has for us. If any of you have something else in mind, something less than total commitment, God will clear your blurred vision—you’ll see it yet! Now that we’re on the right track, let’s stay on it. Philippians 4:12-16 The Message How was your week?? I loved the weather this week! It was like a breath of fresh air, warmth, and sunshine (most days anyhow).

For Christmas, my youngest daughter asked for "Zip-it" bedding. She had seen numerous commercials on TV about this cool bedding that you can make your bed in a "flash" with and no "fuss" involved. Easy, peasy!! Well, after checking  the reviews and the cost of the bedding, I decided it really wasn't worth the money. The reviews for this particular brand were not very good from what I could tell. So I decided to attempt to create my own. Here is what I came up with:

Sometimes Love is Found in the Most Unexpected Places! Love isn't always a fairy tale, and it doesn't always go as planned. Sometimes the best stories, though, are the ones that are the most unexpected.  Join Karen Witemeyer ,   Regina Jennings ,  Mary Connealy ,   and Melissa Jagears for novellas that celebrate the power of love to triumph . . . even when circumstances go awry!

Are you living with the stress of an overwhelmed schedule and aching with the sadness of an underwhelmed soul? Lysa TerKeurst is learning that there is a big difference between saying yes to everyone and saying yes to God. In  The Best Yes  she will help you: Cure the disease to please with a biblical understanding of the command to love. Escape the guilt of disappointing others by learning the secret of the small no.  Overcome the agony of hard choices by embracing a wisdom based decision-making process.  Rise above the rush of endless demands and discover your best yes today.

Get ready for the  LADYBUG BUDDIES  as they head out on their  Incredible Skydiving Adventure ! No ladybug has ever flown so high or gone so far from the pop shop before, but they are trying to find out what it really means to be a buddy. That's what they think, anyway. Except it's a lot harder than they thought it would be. And it isn't long before they get into trouble they can't get out of. Not all by themselves. Or, can they? Available on  Amazon About the Author: A fter a  career in the Coast Guard, and many years working with youth programs,  Jason Graham  knows a lot about being a buddy. The Ladybug Buddies Adventures had their beginnings as bedtime stories which he told to his own five children.  He is also a Wilderness Expert at the Widerness School Institute, and a contributor to their popular Backpack Survival Guides. Jason is in the hiring process to work with Youth Dynamics in Idaho .  He figures it is his best option to impact kids in a positive way

This week was a bit off kilter for me. Holidays and snow days threw my schedule off a little. But it was also a good week for making memories, playing in the snow, taking beautiful pictures, and enjoying my kids. As well as, getting a little extra housekeeping done such as organizing my sewing nook which tends to get out of hand quickly when I am working there. I even had time to work on some of the Bible covers I am making.

For Christmas, I made my youngest a Bible Cover to go along with her new Bible - the NKJV faithgirlz Bible  . I didn't purchase anything special for this Bible cover, I just used my scraps.  But if making your own, it takes roughly a yard of fabric. It is made in rag-quilt style by sewing pre-quilted blocks together, then fraying the edges by snipping, washing and drying.

He breathes football. She shudders at the very mention of the sport. After a tragedy involving a football player destroyed her family, athletic trainer and graduate student, Cassie moves across the country looking for a fresh start, but a change in financial aid lands her in the middle of her worst nightmare.  Meanwhile, rookie coach Reed worries his dream career will slip away as injuries plague his players and his star receiver teeters on the brink of ineligibility. As the two work together to salvage the season, sparks fly, and Reed must eventually choose between the game and the woman he loves. Available on  Amazon ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Candee Fick   is the wife of a high school football coach and the mother of three children, including a daughter with a rare genetic syndrome. When not busy with her day job or writing, she can be found cheering on the home team at football, basketball, baseball, and Special Olympics games. As a member of American Christian Fiction Writers (

Written for children 6-10, the  Think, Act, Be Like Jesus; A Believe Devotional for Kids  is part of the national church-wide program led by bestselling author Randy Frazee that shows children how they can think, act, and be more like Jesus, with 90 devotions from the Old and New Testament. They know the story of the Bible, but do they know what it means? This 90-Day devotional, written by Oak Hills Church pastor Randy Frazee, is part of the church-wide, ground-breaking Believe campaign and encourages children to follow the footsteps of Jesus. Think, Act, Be Like Jesus; A Believe Devotional for Kids shares the message that the more you believe, the more Jesus can change you from the inside out to become the best person you can be. As children ages 6-10 walk through 90 devotions from the Old and New Testament—they’ll complete a journey that will

I just love mornings!  I know not everyone does.  I love the stillness and quiet, the slow change as the world wakes up and the majestic show the Creator puts on as creation follows His orders.  I wish words could describe the amazing sunrise I witnessed this morning. Picture this: sky - dark with gray clouds scattered amidst a tiny bit of lighter gray as the horizon begins to turn apple red.  Slowly the red becomes orange, then yellow, as more light appears and finally the golden sun rises above the horizon and shines brightly for a few minutes. Soft light snowflakes drift slowly to the ground. And once again the clouds take over the sky and the day becomes overcast again. The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky proclaims the work of His hands.   Psalm 19:1

Have you ever had a pair of favorite jeans that are practically just wore to shreds but you just hate to get rid of them? One of my friends is stuck on her jeans. She loves them, but honestly, they are past the tossing out day. Yet, she begged me to salvage them, if possible. So, I got a little creative and styled them up a bit and fixed all the holes that were ripping out. A little bit of lace (I just purchased a roll at Walmart) an old pair of jeans that can be cut up (to use as patches) some scissors pins and a sewing machine is all you need to get started. I cut some pieces of both the old jeans and the lace large enough to cover up the holes. Then I

Intrigue and danger surround two young boys and their dogs as they seek to unravel a castle mystery. A near disastrous car wreck in Germany launches twelve-year-old   Gabriel Zanadu ,   Alexander , his fourteen year-old brother, and their two dogs, Thunder and Lightning, into a sinister adventure near the famous German castle, Neuschwanstein. Unexplained eavesdropping, death threats, and heart-pumping danger drag Gabe, Alex, and the dogs into the clutches of a little-known foreign terrorist network. After they are kidnapped by the terrorists, and even though they are scraped, bruised, and battered, Gabe and Alex use what they’ve learned from their military dad and home-schooling mom to clash with the criminals. Fear, pain, and failure drive the boys to tears as they struggle to free themselves from their kidnappers’ grasp. The usual brotherly fights must

‘You first’ is about respecting and understanding what you  really  want—and then going out to achieve it. In  Brunette Ambition , Lea Michele shared a lot of the secrets and stories behind her success, and how she manages to live a balanced and healthy lifestyle despite her hectic schedule. Now, in her second book, she will teach readers how they, too, can be their best selves. In Lea's opinion, keeping a journal and asking yourself the hard questions about what you want out of life is the best way to achieve your dreams, so she has outlined a series of exercises, prompts, and lists based on her own personal program. Lea's guided journal will address all the topics she wrote about in  Brunette Ambition , including fitness, diet, work, school, and relationships, but with

A "how-to" study for finding joy in authentic relationships and community Women long for healthy, deep relationships with those around them. Knowing what those look like can be tricky, however. Where do we go to seek them? How can we approach them? How can we maintain those relationships, despite our own weaknesses? Sue Edwards is happy to lead the way through Scripture to discover and maintain beloved, organic friendships. Paul's letter to early Christians is an ideal place to find these answers. This short letter highlights the skills that strengthen authentic connections--skills like trust, humility, healthy self-sacrifice, a generous spirit, and more. It also sheds light on how to overcome toxic connection-killers like envy, comparison, and critical attitudes.

I wish you could see the sun peeking in my kitchen window on winter mornings. With the seasonal shift it comes up perfectly, right over the horizon and then shines directly in. God knows I need that! I have a clear snowflake hanging in that window and when the light hits is just right, there are amazing prisms dancing all over my kitchen/ living room area. It's like the love of God is just overflowing and scattering all over. This week I took special time out of my schedule to focus on what my INTENTIONAL year is going to look like. (I hope) :-) At least I did write down my goals and what I would like to achieve. I also took time to

This is my first post of I am hoping a series of posts this year on sewing. I have been sewing since I was about 10 or 11. I have always enjoyed it. I love being crafty, creating something new, and especially seeing the finished product. I used to make clothes for my oldest daughter when she was little, I made her crib set, curtains for her room, and matching outfits for us as she was growing up. Later on, I began doing alterations. At first they were not my favorite thing to do, but now, it seems like they are the most of what I do. And I have come to enjoy the challenge of taking things in, letting them out, and making them look just like they did before I started. I do alot of prom dresses during prom season. It's fun and hard work!

“But everyone else has it.” “If you loved me, you’d get it for me!” When you hear these comments from your kids, it can be tough not to cave. You love your children―don’t you want them to be happy and to fit in? Kristen Welch knows firsthand it’s not that easy. In fact, she’s found out that when you say yes too often, it’s not only hard on your peace of mind and your wallet―it actually  puts your kids at long-term risk . In  Raising Grateful Kids in an Entitled World , Kristen shares the ups and downs in her own family’s journey of discovering why it’s healthiest  not  to give their kids everything. Teaching them the difference between “want” and “need” is the first step in the right direction. With many practical tips and anecdotes, she shares how to help kids become hardworking, fulfilled, and successful adults. It’s never too late to raise grateful kids. Get ready to cultivate a spirit

Midnight on the Mississippi   begins the new Secrets of the South Mysteries from bestselling author Mary Ellis. These complex crime dramas follow an investigator’s quest to make the world a better place…solving one case at a time. New Orleans —Hunter Galen, a stock and securities broker, suspects his business partner, James Nowak, may be involved in embezzling their clients’ money, but he’s reluctant to jeopardize their friendship based on suspicion alone. After James turns up dead, Hunter realizes his unwillingness to confront a problem may have cost James his life. Nicki Price, a newly minted PI, intends to solve the stockbroker’s murder, recover the missing millions from the client accounts, and establish herself in the career she adores. As she ferrets out fraud and deception at Galen Investments, Hunter’s fiancée, Ashley Menard, rubs Nicki the wrong way. Nicki doesn’t trust the ostentatious woman with an agenda longer than the Mississippi

She Sells Priceless Antiques. He Sells Livestock by the Pound. Is He Really the Man to Make a Bid for Her Heart? After helping her grandfather at their Boston auction house, Miranda Wimplegate discovers she's accidentally sold a powerful family's prized portrait to an anonymous bidder. Desperate to appease the people who could ruin them forever, they track it to the Missouri Ozarks and make an outlandish offer to buy the local auction house and all its holdings before the painting can move again.  Upon crossing the country, however, Miranda and her grandfather discover their new auction house doesn't deal in fine antiques, but in livestock. And its frustratingly handsome manager, Wyatt Ballentine, is annoyed to discover his fussy new bosses don't know a thing about the business he's single-handedly kept afloat. Faced with more heads of cattle than they can count--but no mysterious painting--Miranda and Wyatt form an unlikely but charged partnership to try and

This year as I think about my word    INTENTIONAL  I decided to blog my intentional Mondays. That way I am making a plan for my week, and hopefully working through it.  This week my goals are to blog several books I have been reading over the holidays as well as begin something new, I will tell you about in a minute. Here are the upcoming reviews: I am still finishing this one up. I have had it for a while, just haven't had a chance to delve in with all the December activities. I also have purchased an extra copy, so heads up to a GIVEAWAY. So far, I am quite caught up in the mystery, and have not figured out "who done it" yet. 

A Journal is defined as: A personal record of experiences and reflections.  A Journey is defined as: A passage from one place to another.  This book is both. This fun and enlightening book is an uplifting, light-bearing companion that will assist in expanding and adding color to the horizons in your mind. You will laugh out loud. You will open previously barricaded gardens in your soul. You will discover the Kingdom of God that lies within you. You will dispel the darkness that has bound you in slavery. You will be Happy, Joyous and Free! Although, the Recovery Journal was produced with those recovering from addictions in mind. It is a meaningful tool that anyone can use to have fun with, gain wisdom, reach deep into the truths of God's beautiful, loving Spirit and grow more into His image and likeness. Available on Amazon

My One WORD for 2016 is INTENTIONAL For a while now, God has been speaking to me about how I am living my life. Kind of like the waters of my creek. Just flowing along, bouncing off of this and that, sometimes slow, sometimes fast, but moving without much purpose, rhyme or reason, just at whatever speed the current conditions make it flow.