Smart Purchases

Smart Purchases

Authored by Rickey Combs

My husband is the kind of guy who researches everything we buy. Sometimes I find it really annoying, but I know he does it with our family’s best interest in mind. He wants to make sure we get the best product for our money, since there isn’t a lot of it to go around. I just don’t always believe that customer reviews and consumer reports are that accurate. We have bought some things that come highly recommended that I don’t think are great products. The last thing he looked into was home alarm systems. He spent all this time looking for the right one at the right price, and then the one we got had so many problems. The alarm would go off all the time when no one was home, and no one was trying to rob our house. The noise was so loud, that all of our neighbors started to hate us. We signed a year long contract with the company, so it took us forever to get out of it. The one good thing that came of the whole ordeal is that my husband has started listening to me more when choosing what to purchase. 

February is Library Lovers Month

February is Library Lovers Month (Guest Post)

Picture courtesy of The Best of Times

At Home in the Library

By Gerry Wakeland

If you asked me to describe my dream home, without pause I'd respond, "My dream home would be an old vacant library where I would remove all the fixtures except the bathroom and the bookshelves and then I'd move my bed and desk into the center and start filling the shelves with my books." At which point you would stare at me quizzically.

My love affair with books and the library began as a child and continues to this very day. I remember as an elementary student begging my mother to take me to the library. She'd pull up to the curb in front and let me out, reminding me she would be back in an hour. Every time, I'd race up three sets of steps, fling open the double doors, run inside and stop. I would stand perfectly still and inhale the fragrance of the books. True love.

The library was my refuge. It provided a safe and silent haven from the noise and chaos of my home. But more than that, it opened doors for me, doors to the past, doors to the future, doors of adventure, and doors of romance, most importantly doors of wisdom.

I learned so much at the library. I learned that as a woman I could be brave and bold like Amelia Earhart or save lives like Florence Nightingale or Clara Barton. I could write poetry like Elizabeth Barrett Browning or books like Jane Austen. The library gave me hope!

Over the years I have continued to be a library patron. Sometimes I take my laptop and head to the library to work on a project. With the world at my fingertips, both digitally and in hard copy, I can research any topic to my heart’s content. Hardly a Saturday goes by that you cannot find me at some point in the day at the local library, perusing the new arrivals for the week.

Or sometimes I just sit quietly in one of the easy chairs wishing that the books could talk and wondering what they would say if they could tell the stories behind the stories.

I may never have the unusual, almost bizarre, home of my dreams. But the library is still my refuge, affording me a place that’s safe and silent, where dreams are born and hope exists.

Gerry Wakeland is the President and CEO of CLASSEMINARS, Inc. She loves helping Christian communicators identify their passion, clarify their vision and define their mission so that they can articulate God’s message effectively. Gerry is the mother of two grown daughters and grandmother to three precious grandsons. She makes her home in the land of enchantment, Albuquerque, New Mexico. Her favorite pastime is reading and one of her favorite places is the public library. In March, the CLASS website will release news of the 2012 Christian Writers Conference: www.classeminars.org. Come meet Gerry and the rest of the CLASS faculty there!

Test post from app

Hi friends. I downloaded an app that will let me post blog on my apple product. So, I thought I would test it out and see how it works.

This is always such a busy time of year! Is it just me or does December seem to throw life into overdrive? For those with young children who are involved in multiple activities, I hope you find some time to just sit and relax. Let us hold dear to The reason for this Season.

I'm glad I have both of my girls under one roof for a few weeks!! We have our 4 foot tree up and it even has a few ornaments on it:).

Have you been introduced to pinterest.com or craftgawker.com? It's a crafter/DIY'r DREAM!

Let me see if I can post some crafts I've done. Ok. Mixed media pictures, fabric flowers (courtesy of my friend Jeannine), scarf from a t-shirt! Like you don't have enough going on, why not try some new stuff :)!


App seems to work ok. I'll have to try a book review with links next. Until then...

Bee-Inspired: Making a photo mosaic.

Bee-Inspired: Making a photo mosaic.

I always wondered how people did this! I just did a quick mosaic from my facebook photos.

Ramblings of ...me...

I have so much rambling around in my mind but it's so hard to get it all out. Mostly, though, this year has just been tough. In preparing last year to go to India, I was told of various things that would probably happen. I was also told that many people have problems when they return (spiritual warfare). I thought I had escaped the "return home". I returned home; had a great Christmas; spent time with my husband and kids; took some various courses on prayer; life was going well. Then, in March, the bottom fell out and my husband left. Even though it has been 8, almost 9, months, I'm still in shock.

You know how you ask someone "What happened?" and expect she'll know the answer. Well, in this case, I honestly don't know. I can theorize all day long, and I have, but I am not sure he even knows. I changed everything in our marriage when I really started growing in relationship with God and maybe that's just it. I do know that regardless of why, it's happening and it's hard. But ... does anything ever happen without a reason?

In India, one of my friends told me to meditate on Psalm 27. It was "mine". Have you read 27:14? "Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!" I remember saying.."The only thing I see is 'wait'. I don't wanna wait". Well beloved, I'm learning how to wait on the Lord (and other people). I'm learning to trust in Him, to rely on His promises, to believe in Him.

After all these months, I can see other parts of this beautiful passage. Have you read verses 7 and 8: "Hear, O Lord, when I cry aloud; be gracious to me and answer me! [Oh and He has!]  8 You have said, “Seek my face.”My heart says to you, “Your face, Lord, do I seek.” [Oh yes I do!]

How about? v4 "One thing have I asked of the Lord, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in his temple."

I wish I could say that I have all the answers and that I have handled this situation beautifully, but I don't and I haven't. I have had much support from my family, coworkers and friends. I know so many people have kept me lifted up in prayer because there have been times when I could barely lift my head off the pillow. I have received a lot of encouragement - so much that I'll never be able to thank you. God has shown me those who are His hands and feet.

Thank you, Abba, for sending Your love and encouragement through people that could only be sent by You. You are truly my Jehovah-Jireh and You have been my Jehovah-Shalom. Thank You for giving me strength to face each day. Any good people have seen in this situation, let them know it was from You. The only thing I ask for is that I continue to seek Your face.

Psalm 27 (ESV)

Wow!

Where in the world has the time gone?  I haven't blogged in almost a month.  Have I been missed? :-)

To help you with the not computer people in your life

Do you always have someone who comes to you for computer help?  And no matter how many times you show them something, they just don't seem to get it?  Well, now you have something you can give them to help them when they have questions.  Happy Friday!

Presenting my first cake!

From Latte With Me

I started taking cake decorating and this is the first cake I decorated! I got a pretty decent shot (so you can't see the pitiful sides and such!).  It was a lot of fun!

Do you cake decorate?

The Prolific Blogger Award

I'm not so sure I deserve this award because I haven't done the best job at being prolific lately, but I'm very grateful for it.  I know I have two or three readers because y'all leave me precious comments that always make me smile, so THANK YOU!

I was given The Prolific Blogger Award by Cathy at Tales of the TCKK Family--Thank you!!!  (She's one of the precious readers I have!)

Cathy participates in so many great memes and I always love looking at her pictures.  Please check out Cathy's blog if you are not already following it. I know you will be blessed.  Here are the rules for sharing the award & what it is about…

"A prolific blogger is one who is intellectually productive… keeping up an active blog that is filled with enjoyable content."

1. Every winner of the prolific blogger award has to pass on this award to at least seven other deserving prolific bloggers to spread some love!

2. Every prolific blogger must link back to the blog from which he/she has received the award.

3. Each prolific blogger must link this back to this post which explains the origins and motivations for the award.

4. Every prolific blogger must visit this post and add their name in the Mister Linky so that we can all get to know the other winners.

I don't know if I have 7 people who actually read this blog...and one of the people I would pick is the one who gave this award to me! I'm going to pick 7 people who bless me with their comments and their blogs.  Maybe they'll stop by and see they have been awarded an award :-).

1. PJ's Prayer Line
2. Michelle
3. Sweet Abundance
4. Lora
5. DeeDee
6. Heart to Heart with Holley
7. Roy Lessin

Cries for Mercy (Repost from Living Proof Ministries)

This is a repost from the post on the Living Proof Ministries blog.  Words just sort of escape me, so I've used someone else's.

My Dear Siestas,


We're having the same conversations in our family that many of you are having in yours. Melissa called me a little while ago and said, "You don't sound good, Mom. What is it?"

I told her I was just standing in front of the television screen still trying to wrap my mind around the ever-worsening horror in Haiti. She then said, "That's just what I was calling to talk about." While we were on the phone, Amanda called and we also shared our heart sickness over the unimaginable tragedies there.

Melissa mentioned that the more she watched, the more hopeless she felt and that suddenly she grasped hold of the obvious: "I don't have to just sit here feeling like there's nothing I can do. I can find a way to give." Amanda and I agreed that doing something tangible to help - like getting down on our knees in believing prayer and back up on our feet to open our checkbooks - might be the only way we three Moore women can sleep tonight.

Many of you already have avenues for giving to disaster relief. Others may not know exactly what to do. Compassion is already in active operation toward aid for Haiti and so is World Vision. You can also get on the official Red Cross website and give online. (Cathy says she put the link in for donating to the left.) I know for a fact that many of you are financially strapped right now and you might be looking for a way to make a vital contribution but one that won't put you further in the hole. Perhaps this ready option might work:

Text "HAITI" to 90999 to donate $10 to Red Cross relief efforts. It will be charged on your cell phone bill.

On any given day, around 10,000 independent visitors come to this blog. Ten dollars may not sound like a lot until you multiply it that many times over. Sister, if you don't have an extra dime to help, God knows the desires of your heart and esteems your powerful intercessory prayer. Let's just not sit here and twiddle our helpless thumbs. Join us as we cry out for mercy.

And miracles.

I am honored to kneel alongside each of you and band together as a group and give.

Posted by Beth at 6:27 PM

There are many other avenues to donate (if you can donate).  These are the ones I'm sharing.  (CakeWrecks is supporting Doctors Without Borders.)
 
May the Lord bless you beyond measure for giving (your time and/or your resources) to these people.
Picture courtesy of New York Times.

Some Funnies

LOT 'S WIFE
The Sunday School teacher was describing how Lot 's wife looked back and turned into a pillar of salt, when little Jason interrupted, 'My Mommy looked back once while she was driving,' he announced triumphantly, 'and she turned into a telephone pole!'

GOOD SAMARITAN
A Sunday school teacher was telling her class the story of the Good Samaritan. She asked the class, 'If you saw a person lying on the roadside, all wounded and bleeding, what would you do?' A thoughtful little girl broke the hushed silence, 'I think I'd throw up.'

DID NOAH FISH?
A Sunday school teacher asked, 'Johnny, do you think Noah did a lot of fishing when he was on the Ark ? ''No,' replied Johnny. 'How could he, with just two worms.'

HIGHER POWER
A Sunday school teacher said to her children, 'We have been learning how powerful kings and queens were in Bible times. But, there is a Higher Power. Can anybody tell me what it is? One child blurted out, ' Aces!'

THE LORD IS MY SHEPHERD
A Sunday School teacher decided to have her young class memorize one of the most quoted passages in the Bible - Psalm 23. She gave the youngsters a month to learn the chapter. Little Rick was excited about the task - but he just couldn't remember the Psalm. After much practice, he could barely get past the first line. On the day that the kids were scheduled to recite Psalm 23 in front of the congregation, Ricky was so nervous. When it was his turn, he stepped up to the microphone and said proudly, 'The Lord is my Shepherd, and that's all I need to know.'

UNANSWERED PRAYER
The preacher's 5 year-old daughter noticed that her father always paused and bowed his head for a moment before starting his sermon. One day, she asked him why. 'Well, Honey,' he began, proud that his daughter was so observant of his messages. 'I'm asking the Lord to help me preach a good sermon.' 'How come He doesn't answer it?' she asked.

ALL MEN / ALL GIRLS
When my daughter, Kelli, said her bedtime prayers, she would bless every family member, every friend, and every animal (current and past). For several weeks, after we had finished the nightly prayer, Kelli would say, 'And all girls.' This soon became part of her nightly routine, to include this closing. My curiosity got the best of me and I asked her, 'Kelli, why do you always add the part about all girls?' Her response, 'Because everybody always finish their prayers by saying 'All Men'!'

SAY A PRAYER
Little Johnny and his family were having Sunday dinner at his Grandmother's house. Everyone was seated around the table as the food was being served. When Little Johnny received his plate, he started eating right away. 'Johnny! Please wait until we say our prayer.' said his mother. 'I don't need to,' the boy replied. 'Of course, you do.' his mother insisted. 'We always say a prayer before eating at our house.' 'That's at our house.' Johnny explained. 'But this is Grandma's house and she knows how to cook!'

Reflections of 2009 - 20 Questions for you

I'm not one to make resolutions because of the reasons below.  (Why set myself up for failure?)  I like this post from (In)Courage and I thought I would pass it along to you, in case you don't know about the site (but you should!)  I plan on reflecting on 2009 with the hubs, whether he wants to or not (ha!) and this list will definitely help.  Happy New Year!

20 Questions for  New Year's Eve Reflection

A new year is a great time to reset your internal clocks, re-calibrate your settings, and re-chart your course. There’s something encouraging and natural about using a fresh calendar page to make new goals in your life, which is why new year’s resolutions are so popular.

But made in haste, resolutions can be pointless at best, discouraging and depressing at worst. When they’re vague, broad, and unreachable, you’re almost setting yourself up for failure. But when they’re specific, productive, and attainable, resolutions can truly be an ebenezer in your life for some healthy changes.

I’m in favor on new year’s resolutions – but why not also use the turn of the clock to reflect on this past year? Before deciding on how you want 2010 to be different than 09, take a moment with your journal and answer some – or all – of these questions.

These questions can be a catalyst for digging deeper into personal reflection, or they can be icebreakers between you and your spouse for a New Year’s Eve conversation. However you want to use them – use them to your benefit.

Reflection Questions for 2009
1. What was the single best thing that happened this past year?
2. What was the single most challenging thing that happened?
3. What was an unexpected joy this past year?
4. What was an unexpected obstacle?
5. Pick three words to describe 2009.
6. Pick three words your spouse would use to describe your 2009 (don’t ask them; guess based on how you think your spouse sees you).
7. Pick three words your spouse would use to describe their 2009 (again, without asking).
8. What were the best books you read this year?
9. With whom were your most valuable relationships?
10. What was your biggest personal change from January to December of this past year?
11. In what way(s) did you grow emotionally?
12. In what way(s) did you grow spiritually?
13. In what way(s) did you grow physically?
14. In what way(s) did you grow in your relationships with others?
15. What was the most enjoyable area of managing your home?
16. What was your most challenging area of home management?
17. What was your single biggest time waster in your life this past year?
18. What was the best way you used your time this past year?
19. What was the biggest thing you learned this past year?
20. Create a phrase or statement that describes 2009 for you.
___
If you'd like to print this list, head to Simple Mom for a free PDF download.  And after evaluating these questions, head to the blog tomorrow to find questions to help you plan your goals for 2010.
What are your plans for New Year’s Eve?
by Tsh

Picture from John Haslam (Thank you!)

Random Thoughts of 2009

Linda at 2nd Cup of Coffee has this random thing going on and I thought - what the heck...I'm game!

1. Do you find it gross to share drinks with family? Friends?

Gross?  Not really - but I would prefer that each of us have our own, unless we're talking about James.  Seriously, would I find it gross sharing a drink with my husband??  Nope.

2. What have you learned this year? (You didn't see a question of that weight coming, did you? At least not for #2.)
I've learned that sometimes it doesn't matter how hard you want something or try for something, someone else is going to put in half the time or half the effort, and still get it.

3. When do you dismantle the Christmas decorations?
Around the 1st.  Makes it easy when you don't put up much.
4. Something you wish to accomplish before the end of 2009 is:
Well, since that's in a day, I'm going for nothing. Staying alive? :-)

5. How do you feel about winter (after Christmas)?
Winter is not my favorite month.  However, if I have to chose being cold or being hot (aka summer), then I'll chose Winter.
6. Have you participated in after-Christmas sales?
I have not.

7. Do you have plans for New Year's Eve?
My plans include staying awake!  I don't know what James & I will do. 

8. Is there anything special awaiting you in January?
Just a new year!

9. If your life this year was a movie, what category or genre would it be? (Romance, Comedy, Drama, Thriller, Suspense, Farcical, etc.)
It would be a little of all - Linda said a Dramacomedy or something similar to that. 
10. How much time per day do you spend blogging? Please do not lie. I will know.
Too much time on the computer, in general.  I don't spend too much time blogging or even reading blogs anymore.

11. Who runs your household?
This is a bad question, Linda.  (I'm agreeing with her - she said it was a bad question - why did she ask?) I don't know how to answer that.

12. Share one hope/dream for 2010.
I don't usually do hopes/dreams. I don't know why - it's sorta bothered me over the years, but not enough to become a dreamer/hoper (not to be confused with a hopper).  I am enjoying a season of hearing God speak to me and I long for that season to continue. 

A Christmas Meme!

I'm following Robyn - what can I say?  I have time before my nap...

Here goes.

1. Eggnog or Hot Chocolate? I like both but I'll pick hot chocolate, especially when it's extra creamy and maybe some marshmallows!

2. Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree? I don't remember.  I think Santa might switch things up depending on the time. 

3. Colored lights on tree/house or white? I like colored lights but white lights are much easier.

4. Do you hang mistletoe? Let me answer it this way - two teenage daughters with boyfriends.  Moving on.

5. When do you put your decorations up? I used to put things up on Thanksgiving. but sometimes I don't put anything up.  But, tomorrow after church, we're decorating.

6. What is your favorite holiday dish? Cheese straws, sausage balls and fruitcake cookies that my grandmother makes :-).

7. Favorite Holiday memory as a child? I always loved the magic of Christmas and waking up in the morning to Santa having arrived.  I loved the anticipation while we waited for everyone to wake up before we could even see what Santa had brought. 

8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa? I think I was in 3rd grade and we were riding the bus home.  One of my brother's friends told me and I was devastated.  My brother, who wasn't usually nice to me, said that he had known for a while but he didn't want me finding out. 

9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve? Yes!

10. How do you decorate your Christmas tree? Whatever lands on the tree is how it's decorated.

11. Snow! Love it or Dread it? Snow is much better appreciated from afar.  When we lived in Seattle, we'd go play in the snow and I found I enjoyed the hot chocolate in the warmth of the car more. 

12. Can you ice skate? NO!

13. Do you remember your favorite gift? My mom has always made Christmas so special.  It's hard to remember one certain Christmas and gift.

14. What’s the most important thing about the Holidays for you? JESUS! I want to make sure my girls are celebrating the birth of Jesus. 

15. What is your favorite Holiday Dessert? I don't have just one favorite :-).

16. What is your favorite holiday tradition? The girls are older now but when they were younger, I would love to gather them up, read Twas the Night Before Christmas and the story of Jesus' birth.  After the stories, we'd let them open up one present and then get everything ready for Santa! 

17. What tops your tree? An angel.

18. Which do you prefer giving or receiving? I give much better than I receive.  But, who doesn't love receiving gifts? 

19. Candy Canes: Yuck or Yum? I'm Switzerland when it comes to candy canes. Totally neutral. (I'm keeping Robyn's answer.)

20. Favorite Christmas Show? A Christmas Story :-)

21. Saddest Christmas Song? One that goes on and on??

22. What is your favorite Christmas Song? Casting Crowns, While You Were Sleeping.

If you decide to participate, let me know and I'll pop on over (just like Robyn said she'd do!).

MERRY CHRISTMAS my dear friends.

PostSecret

Do you know about PostSecret? It's PostSecret is an ongoing community art project where people mail in their secrets anonymously on one side of a postcard. If you go to the site, just be prepared to spend some time going through everyone's secrets.  It's quite amazing what people will say when they have anonymity.  Back when Yahoo had 360 blogs, we had a community of people who submit weekly "secrets" (except they weren't anonymous, obviously).  It was fun to be creative (in my case, attempt to be creative) and submit a "secret" according to the topic the host picked.

The reason I'm posting about all of this is because one of the secrets I read today (new ones are posted every Sunday) struck a chord with me.  I'll leave you with the PostSecret card.  I'll be interested to see if it speaks to anyone else.

(By the way, I'm leaving for India in EIGHT DAYS!)

Wednesday Weigh-In

 

Ok, I realize it's not Wednesday and it's been a wee bit since I've posted one of these. But here I am on Tuesday - just to keep you on your toes!  My schedule has been jam packed with things and I've been going to Weight Watchers on Monday (or not going at all).  So, drum roll please, I've lost another 1.4 lbs, making my total weight loss: 8 lbs!  (A lady last night had lost 8 lbs just that week...it's slow going when you have hypothyroidism, but because I've been losing for the past few weeks, I'm thinking my medicine and my bod are starting to communicate.)  I'm proud of myself for perservering.  I think when I go to India, I'll be on the quick drop weight loss plan ;).

I shall leave you with a recipe from Weight Watchers honoring my upcoming trip:

Chicken Tikka Masala
POINTS® Value: 7
Servings: 4
Preparation Time: 30 min
Cooking Time: 15 min
Level of Difficulty: Moderate

Ingredients

2/3 cup(s) low-fat plain yogurt

1 Tbsp fresh lime juice

1 tsp ginger root, fresh, grated

2 medium garlic clove(s), minced

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp ground coriander

1/4 tsp black pepper

1 pound(s) uncooked boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 2-inch chunks

2 tsp olive oil

1 medium garlic clove(s), minced

1 small jalapeno pepper(s), minced

1 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp paprika

8 oz canned tomato sauce

1 cup(s) fat-free evaporated milk

1/4 cup(s) cilantro, fresh, chopped

2 cup(s) cooked white rice, basmati, kept hot

Instructions

• To prepare chicken, in a large bowl, whisk together first seven ingredients; add chicken and toss to coat. Cover bowl and marinate in refrigerator for 1 hour and up to 24 hours.
  
  
• Preheat outdoor grill, stovetop grill pan or nonstick skillet.
  
  
• Skewer chicken pieces onto four metal or wooden skewers. Grill or cook skewers in a hot skillet until chicken is cooked through, turning frequently, about 5 to 7 minutes. (Make sure to soak wooden skewers in water for 30 minutes to prevent charring.)
  
  
• To make sauce, heat oil in a large, high-sided skillet (or wide saucepan) over medium heat. Add remaining minced garlic clove and jalapeno; cook, stirring occasionally, 1 minute. Add remaining teaspoon of cumin and paprika and stir to coat. Add tomato sauce and evaporated milk, reduce heat to low and simmer 5 minutes, stirring frequently.
  
  
• Remove grilled chicken from skewers. Add to tomato mixture and simmer 1 minute to heat through. Remove from heat and stir in cilantro. Serve with rice. Yields about 1 cup of chicken mixture and 1/2 cup of rice per serving. 

© 2009 Weight Watchers International, Inc. © 2009 WeightWatchers.com, Inc. All rights reserved.
WEIGHT WATCHERS and POINTS are the registered trademarks of Weight Watchers International, Inc. and are used
under license by WeightWatchers.com, Inc.

Pay It Forward

CONGRATULATIONS MOCHA WITH LINDA!

My friend, Cathy at TCKK, posted a Pay it Forward giveaway post last month and I won!  If you haven't visited her blog before, you should go!  She has the sweetest spirit and has been a pure delight to me.  We're all sorts of cyber connected and I love it!

Look at the sweet gifts she sent me.  (She sent me a book by one of her favorite authors, a snowman, an angel, a donation for my India trip and a sweet note!) My favorite gift was the handwritten note with a donation for my trip and the precious words of encouragement.  Sweet sweet lady. Thank you, Cathy!

Since I won, I get to Pay It Forward and send a prize to two winners. Now, you have to know that I'm a little slow in sending out things because we cannot mail anything from our office and I always forget to go to the Post Office.  So, I just wanna make sure you know that :-).  Anyway, here are the rules:

In order to win, you need to be willing to...

• Give me your mailing address so I can send a small gift your way.
• Write your own Pay It Forward post after you receive your gift telling about it, and in that post link back to my blog.
• Come up with gifts to send out to YOUR 2 winners.

*If that sounds like rules you can follow, then please leave me a comment letting me know you'd like to be entered! Anyone may leave a comment. You do not have to have a blog but I will need to know how to contact you.

*If you're listed above as a Follower, you may leave a 2nd comment thus doubling your odds.

*If you blog about the giveaway, you may leave a 3rd comment!

This contest will close on Friday night, October 30. Winners will be chosen randomly... I'll post the Winners by Sunday, November 1st.  Bon chance!

The Sound of Sleigh Bells - Giveaway

Congratulations Cathy & PJ!

 Summary:  
Beth Hertzler works alongside her beloved Aunt Lizzy in their dry goods store, and serving as contact of sorts between Amish craftsmen and Englischers who want to sell the Plain people’s wares. But remorse and loneliness still echo in her heart everyday as she still wears the dark garb, indicating mourning of her fiancé. When she discovers a large, intricately carved scene of Amish children playing in the snow, something deep inside Beth’s soul responds and she wants to help the unknown artist find homes for his work–including Lizzy’s dry goods store. But she doesn’t know if her bishop will approve of the gorgeous carving or deem it idolatry.

Lizzy sees the changes in her niece when Beth shows her the woodworking, and after Lizzy hunts down Jonah, the artist, she is all the more determined that Beth meets this man with the hands that create healing art. But it’s not that simple–will Lizzy’s elaborate plan to reintroduce her niece to love work? Will Jonah be able to offer Beth the sleigh ride she’s always dreamed of and a second chance at real love–or just more heartbreak?

Cindy Woodsmall is the author of When the Heart Cries, When the Morning Comes, and The New York Times Best-Seller When the Soul Mends. Her ability to authentically capture the heart of her characters comes from her real-life connections with Amish Mennonite and Old Order Amish families. A mother of three sons and two daughters-in-law, Cindy lives in Georgia with her husband of thirty-one years.



Buy it or WIN  IT!  I have two copies to giveaway and all you have to do is leave a comment.  If you have a friend who you know would like a copy, either send them this way, or if they don't blog, leave a comment for them!  See how easy this is??  I'll announce the winner next week!

*I received a free copy of this book from Multnomah Books, a division of Random House in exchange for posting this on my blog  Thank you Multnomah :-)!



Do you have any blogger friends who might like to participate in this or any other blog tours? Please direct them to the official WaterBrook Multnomah Blogging for Books site page at http://www.randomhouse.com/waterbrook/bloggingforbooks/.

Wednesday Weigh-In

Well, I realize it's Friday, but the weight loss is so darn slow, I haven't really had any progress to report.  I'm trying to focus on other things besides the scales, like I'm making better food choices and tracking my food.  I've lost a total of 5.6 lbs.

Moving on now --

Today is Boss' Day - and we begrudgingly decided to all bring food - because you know food is the universal way to celebrate anything (hello, that's why I'm at Weight Watchers!)...Anyway, my point is that I made some muffins last night and while I'm not certain, I'm fairly sure based on the taste, that all my mixes had passed their expiration dates.  It was the first time I had cooked something to bring -- I usually stop at the store and grab something.  Today was no exception!  Of course, if I wanted to make sure I never had to bring anything I made, I would've brought them in.  BLECK!

Anyway, in light of the Muffin Fiasco of 2009, I noticed that Weight Watchers had several different recipes on their site for muffins and I thought I'd share one of their recipes. 

Blueberry Muffins
POINTS® Value: 4

Servings: 12
Preparation Time: 14 min
Cooking Time: 35 min
Level of Difficulty: Moderate

These muffins were a hit at our last recipe tasting. We couldn't decide which was better: the moist, blueberry-bursting cake or delicious crumb topping.

Ingredients
2 1/4 cup(s) all-purpose flour, divided
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp table salt
1 large egg(s)
1 cup(s) sugar, divided
3/4 cup(s) reduced-fat sour cream
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup(s) fat-free skim milk, divided
2 cup(s) blueberries, washed and picked over
2 Tbsp butter, melted

Instructions
Preheat oven to 375ºF. Place muffin liners in a 12-hole muffin tin.
In a large bowl, combine 2 cups of flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt; set aside.
Using an electric mixer, beat egg with 3/4 cup of sugar in a large bowl until light and fluffy. Add sour cream and beat until thoroughly combined; blend in vanilla extract.
Add half of flour mixture and half of milk to sugar mixture; beat until just combined. Add remaining flour mixture and milk; beat until smooth.
Fold in blueberries and fill each muffin liner about 3/4 full; set aside.

To make streusel topping, in a small bowl, combine remaining 1/4 cup each of sugar and flour. Pour in melted butter and combine with fingertips. Divide crumb mixture over muffins; gently press into top of muffin batter with fingertips.

Bake until slightly golden and a toothpick inserted in center of a muffin comes out clean, about 30 to 35 minutes. Cool in pans for about 10 to 15 minutes and then transfer muffins onto racks to cool completely. Yields 1 muffin per serving.

Notes - You can use any combination of fresh berries in this recipe. Frozen berries are fine to use as long as you make sure they’re completely thawed first.

YUM!

Wednesday Weigh-In

Due to my weight gain this week, there will not be a Wednesday weigh-in post.  Bleh!  That little hungry monster GOT ME!

ANYWAY -- Here's some news from Hungry-Girl that I thought you might find interesting.

Hungry Girl,

What are some foods that people assume are pretty good choices but really aren't? By now, everyone knows that tuna salad is a bad choice because of all that mayo. But what else is lurking out there?
Warn Me

Dear Warn Me,
There are definitely a lot of fattening foods around that people THINK are good choices. The biggest offenders, in my opinion, are as follows:

1. Wraps. Try a little experiment: unfold a wrap and see how HUGE the tortilla is. A lot of times the tortilla itself contains 300 - 400 calories. And that doesn't include any of the filling!

2. Salad dressing. This isn't really a "hidden" source of calories, but most people don't realize just how bad it can be. Full-fat dressing can easily add 500 calories or more to your meal. (Don't believe me? Click here!) Wasting that many calories on some goo is just silly.

3. Grilled veggies. In THEORY these are good, but often they're loaded up with oil, so WATCH OUT. (Case in point? The Cheesecake Factory's 1,133-calorie Grilled Portabella on a Bun!) Order veggies steamed or grilled DRY. If they arrive looking shiny, blot them with a napkin to soak up some fat.

Other things to look out for -- low-fat muffins (they're usually too big and have too many calories), cottage cheese (ask if it's low-fat or fat-free -- if it isn't, it's more fattening than you'd think), and smoothies (often have 400 - 700 calories each... Eeeks!). Be careful out there!

Oh, on a different front, I'm listening to Christmas music.  Nothing to get you in the mood for Christmas than listening to Christmas songs in September!  (I have my work music on random play and I never know what's coming up next - keeps things interesting - that's for sure.  Oh, now it's Mandisa's Not Guilty!  AMEN girlfriend!)

Ok, so watch out for those hidden calories and that crazy HUNGRY MONSTER!  Have a good day!