Have you decided to take The Joy Dare?
I am working my way to 1000 gifts this year and am up to #25. Last week, I posted my first three gifts. My goal is to post my list each Thursday. You can all keep my accountable! :o)
4. Cassie's heart surgery went well! Praise the Lord!
5. pink clouds in the twilight sky
6. good friends for my kids
7. friends who love their Compassion kids
8. time with Kelsey
9. time with godly women
10. cream colored envelope in the mail from Victor
11. family game night (played 'Around the World')
12. Ghiradelli White Hot Mocha
13. freedom to worship
14. John and Whitney's news! Baby #2 on the way!
15. Cassie joining all of us in the cafeteria at the hospital!
16. mailed packets to our Compassion kids
17. nice afternoon outside for reading
18. rescued the flavorless Chicken Chili leftovers
19. homechooling my children
20. Winter White Chocolate ice cream
21. getting my Compassion stuff organized
22. hearing Matthew practice worship songs on his guitar
23. homemade Snickerdoodles
24. watching 'Enchanted' with Kelsey
25. scheduling my first Compassion Sunday outside of my own church
Thursday, January 12, 2012
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
Time for "One" Giveaway
A couple of months ago, a Compassion blogging friend of mine was doing a giveaway on her blog for this book:
I was really excited when I learned that I was the winner of the giveaway! This book was published in 2002 for the 50th anniversary of Compassion International. It has a history of how this ministry started with one man, Everett Swanson, in 1952 in Korea. The book is filled with stories and pictures:
I just love this picture! The expression on her face is priceless as she is reading a letter from her sponsor.
Since I was able to find another copy of this book used from Amazon, I want to give away a copy to one lucky reader! To enter this giveaway, leave a comment on this blog letting me know what is one goal you hope to accomplish this year. Deadline to enter is Friday, January 13th at midnight pacific time.
I was really excited when I learned that I was the winner of the giveaway! This book was published in 2002 for the 50th anniversary of Compassion International. It has a history of how this ministry started with one man, Everett Swanson, in 1952 in Korea. The book is filled with stories and pictures:
I just love this picture! The expression on her face is priceless as she is reading a letter from her sponsor.
Since I was able to find another copy of this book used from Amazon, I want to give away a copy to one lucky reader! To enter this giveaway, leave a comment on this blog letting me know what is one goal you hope to accomplish this year. Deadline to enter is Friday, January 13th at midnight pacific time.
Monday, January 9, 2012
Meet Our Compassion Kids Monday: Susanta
Susanta is the young man that Matthew started sponsoring back in October.
Susanta lives in India with his parents and 2 older sisters. He lives in a village and likes to play cricket. His favorite color is yellow and he likes apples. In his first letter to Matthew, Susanta asked for prayers for him and his family.
When I asked Matthew why he decided to sponsor Susanta, here was his answer, "I'm not totally sure why I decided to sponsor Susanta, but I do know that the Bible says quite a bit about helping the poor and needy. Here is one of those verses: Whoever oppresses a poor man insults his Maker, but he who is generous to the needy honors him. (Proverbs 14:31 ESV)"
We look forward to getting to know this young better in this new year!
Susanta lives in India with his parents and 2 older sisters. He lives in a village and likes to play cricket. His favorite color is yellow and he likes apples. In his first letter to Matthew, Susanta asked for prayers for him and his family.
When I asked Matthew why he decided to sponsor Susanta, here was his answer, "I'm not totally sure why I decided to sponsor Susanta, but I do know that the Bible says quite a bit about helping the poor and needy. Here is one of those verses: Whoever oppresses a poor man insults his Maker, but he who is generous to the needy honors him. (Proverbs 14:31 ESV)"
We look forward to getting to know this young better in this new year!
Thursday, January 5, 2012
The Joy Dare
Have you read anything by Ann Voskamp? I started reading her blog when she went on a Compassion trip to Guatemala almost 2 years ago. She has also written a book called 'One Thousand Gifts' (which I have read and need to read again). One of the things she really encourages everyone to do is to start a gratitude journal. Simply write down things from your day that you consider a blessing.
This year, she issued a challenge to join her on The Joy Dare. Write down 3 things each day for the whole year that you are grateful for. By the end of the year, you will have written down over one thousand things that you are grateful for. Wouldn't it be great to read this list at the end of the year? At the end of her post, she is even offering a free printable January Joy Dare list to help you get started.
I would like to join this challenge and will be finding just the right journal to start me on this journey. In the meantime, here is the start of my list:
1. Jesus loves me
2. My husband loves me
3. My children love me
What are you grateful for today?
This year, she issued a challenge to join her on The Joy Dare. Write down 3 things each day for the whole year that you are grateful for. By the end of the year, you will have written down over one thousand things that you are grateful for. Wouldn't it be great to read this list at the end of the year? At the end of her post, she is even offering a free printable January Joy Dare list to help you get started.
I would like to join this challenge and will be finding just the right journal to start me on this journey. In the meantime, here is the start of my list:
1. Jesus loves me
2. My husband loves me
3. My children love me
What are you grateful for today?
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
Chipolte...one can goes a long way
Browsing through Pinterest has been a fun way to find new recipes. Found one last week and it was interesting reading the comments. The recipe calls for 1-2 chipolte peppers, but some people didn't read it correctly and put in 1 to 2 cans of chipolte peppers. Yikes!
The first recipe we tried was Mexican Lime Chicken Soup:
This was the one where you want to make sure you only use 1 to 2 chipolte peppers, not 1 to 2 cans! I didn't care for working with the boneless, skinless chicken thighs, so I will probably use chicken breasts in the future. Also, we added frozen corn to the soup and I am thinking some beans would be a nice addition too.
Since I now had more chipolte peppers and sauce to use, I was on the hunt for another recipe using chipoltes. I was so glad when I saw a friend pin this one:
Spicy Chipolte Chicken Pasta! This is suppose to be like what they serve at The Cheesecake Factory. I have never been to The Cheesecake Factory so I had nothing to compare it to.
The recipe involved many steps and lots of dishes:
I changed up the recipe a little bit. Asparagus was $4.99 a pound at the store this morning, so I used broccoli instead. I had red and yellow bell peppers, so I used them both. We didn't add the frozen peas, but I an thinking that frozen corn might be good with this one. Also, because Kevin really likes chicken, I used twice as much chicken as the recipe calls for.
Paired with salad and a roll or some bread, this made a very filling dinner. Plus we have enough left over for another night's dinner and Kevin to have leftovers for lunch.
Now to find more recipes to use up the rest of the can of chipoltes!
The first recipe we tried was Mexican Lime Chicken Soup:
This was the one where you want to make sure you only use 1 to 2 chipolte peppers, not 1 to 2 cans! I didn't care for working with the boneless, skinless chicken thighs, so I will probably use chicken breasts in the future. Also, we added frozen corn to the soup and I am thinking some beans would be a nice addition too.
Since I now had more chipolte peppers and sauce to use, I was on the hunt for another recipe using chipoltes. I was so glad when I saw a friend pin this one:
Spicy Chipolte Chicken Pasta! This is suppose to be like what they serve at The Cheesecake Factory. I have never been to The Cheesecake Factory so I had nothing to compare it to.
The recipe involved many steps and lots of dishes:
I changed up the recipe a little bit. Asparagus was $4.99 a pound at the store this morning, so I used broccoli instead. I had red and yellow bell peppers, so I used them both. We didn't add the frozen peas, but I an thinking that frozen corn might be good with this one. Also, because Kevin really likes chicken, I used twice as much chicken as the recipe calls for.
Paired with salad and a roll or some bread, this made a very filling dinner. Plus we have enough left over for another night's dinner and Kevin to have leftovers for lunch.
Now to find more recipes to use up the rest of the can of chipoltes!
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
Hello Mornings Challenge
I don't know about you, but I have a really hard time with winter. So I have decided to join this challenge to maximize my mornings! This challenge has been set up to help us in three ways:
1. Get. Out. Of. Bed! - I don't like to be cold. In the winter, it is hard for me to get out of bed in the morning. It is so warm and toasty under the covers and it is so dark in the mornings. My prayer is that this challenge will help me get out of bed by 7am every morning so that I am ready to tackle my day.
2. Create a Quiet Time Schedule - Since my kids usually sleep later than I do, I am able to spend time reading God's Word in the morning before they wake up. My prayer is that I can also use this time in worship and prayer/listening. If you sign up for this challenge, there are also some printable prayer calendars available.
3. Develop an Exercise Plan - Last year, I was very faithful using the Wii Active 'game' and was exercising 3 times a week. We entered a very busy time for a few weeks in May and the exercising stopped.. Then in the fall, Kevin and I started walking after dinner. Then it started getting darker after dinner, so the walking stopped. My prayer is to start back into a routine of using the Wii Active and walking at least 3 times a week.
4. Create Planning Routine - While we are in the school year, things run pretty smoothly around here. However, by planning my time better, I know there are a lot of projects I can tackle and finish. My prayer is to use the planning time to schedule in projects I have been wanting to start and finish.
The challenge is free and has a free printable book to help you plan your mornings. Will you join me?
1. Get. Out. Of. Bed! - I don't like to be cold. In the winter, it is hard for me to get out of bed in the morning. It is so warm and toasty under the covers and it is so dark in the mornings. My prayer is that this challenge will help me get out of bed by 7am every morning so that I am ready to tackle my day.
2. Create a Quiet Time Schedule - Since my kids usually sleep later than I do, I am able to spend time reading God's Word in the morning before they wake up. My prayer is that I can also use this time in worship and prayer/listening. If you sign up for this challenge, there are also some printable prayer calendars available.
3. Develop an Exercise Plan - Last year, I was very faithful using the Wii Active 'game' and was exercising 3 times a week. We entered a very busy time for a few weeks in May and the exercising stopped.. Then in the fall, Kevin and I started walking after dinner. Then it started getting darker after dinner, so the walking stopped. My prayer is to start back into a routine of using the Wii Active and walking at least 3 times a week.
4. Create Planning Routine - While we are in the school year, things run pretty smoothly around here. However, by planning my time better, I know there are a lot of projects I can tackle and finish. My prayer is to use the planning time to schedule in projects I have been wanting to start and finish.
The challenge is free and has a free printable book to help you plan your mornings. Will you join me?
Monday, January 2, 2012
Meet Our Compassion Kids Monday: Lina
Since we are in a new year, I thought over the next couple of months, I would introduce our Compassion kids each Monday.
We have been sponsoring Lina since August of 2010. The first little girl that we sponsored moved away from the Compassion center, so Kelsey decided we needed to choose another little girl from the same country.
Lina lives in Colombia and her birthday is April 7, 1999. She lives with her dad, mom, brother, aunt and grandpa. She likes to swim and her favorite color is yellow. In her letters, she always asks for prayers for her family and that she does well in school. We have been blessed with four letters from Lina.
Next Monday, I will introduce the young man that Matthew is sponsoring!
We have been sponsoring Lina since August of 2010. The first little girl that we sponsored moved away from the Compassion center, so Kelsey decided we needed to choose another little girl from the same country.
Lina lives in Colombia and her birthday is April 7, 1999. She lives with her dad, mom, brother, aunt and grandpa. She likes to swim and her favorite color is yellow. In her letters, she always asks for prayers for her family and that she does well in school. We have been blessed with four letters from Lina.
Next Monday, I will introduce the young man that Matthew is sponsoring!
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