my blessed life™

Friday Fails – An Embarrassing Fail {Guest Post}

Myra — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 00:48:11 +0000

I’m thrilled to have my friend Mandi from It’s Come to This sharing her hilarious, embarrassing fail! Be sure you go check out her fabulous blog!

A few weeks ago I left our Family Doctor thinking to myself “There is no way I can tell anyone this. It is just too embarrassing.” And now, here I am telling blog-world!

I woke up one morning and started to get in the shower when I noticed a patch of what appeared to be bug bites all over one side of my stomach. I believe my immediate thought was “gross”! I was certain a spider had crawled into bed with me. I washed the sheets that night and honestly thought no more of it. No, it’s not common for a spider to crawl into my bed, but I didn’t know what else it could be. It wasn’t on me the day before so it seemed like a reasonable assumption.

A few days later the “bites” started going down and I assumed that was the end of that.

Then, a few mornings later, I started to get into the shower again and noticed more “bites”. What in this world?! I knew the chances of being bitten again just were not that great! I decided to go to the doctor because we were heading out of town in just a few days. I was certain I had a rash and had to be allergic to something, have shingles, or even something worse.

After waiting for over 45-minutes (why does that happen at every doctor appointment??), I showed my doctor the rash. His first thought, “Impressive” (I kid you not)! To which I replied, “Are you talking about my abs or this rash” (still not kidding)!

He immediately told me I had been in a hot tub. “Nope, guess again”. He asked me a series of questions and apparently based on his questions and my answers, I had him totally confused because he said “I’m stumped. Let me go to my office & research this for a bit”. Ok, not very comforting!

Five minutes later he steps back in and asks me, “Do you use a loofah”?

To which I very sheepishly replied, “Yes”. “But it’s not that old, I promise”!

Well he kindly reminded me that old is not that old when you’re speaking about the life of a loofah. In fact, two months is old. Like a little kid in trouble and someone completely grossed out all at the same time, I asked “Are you sure”?

Needless to say every loofah in the house got thrown out and replaced that night. And about three days later that little “rash” went away.

So, take it from someone who failed miserably – Change. Your. Loofahs!!

Mandi is the author of “it’s come 2 this …” – A life blog detailing her personal story from double dates to play dates, business meetings to potty training. Along the way she realized she used to be a really good Mother before she had kids! Now, she’s trying to eat healthier, exercise more, save more & drop her desire for perfection! Because 2 kids later … it’s come 2 this!

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Do you have a “fail” to share? Link ‘em up here! If you don’t have a blog, just leave a comment. Please follow the rules! I can’t wait to read your fails! Try to spread the love and comment on the other “fails” posts!

Marie-Madeline Studio {Giveaway}

Myra — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 23:39:21 +0000

I {heart} Marie-Madeline Studio. Ever since I discovered their fabulous blog, products and shop I’ve been in love. The wonderful ladies (mother and daughters) behind Marie-Madeline Studio inspire and encourage me.

They are one of the sponsors here at My Blessed Life. I greatly appreciate their creativity and generosity! Marie-Madeline’s Chic Sister’s Apron, Route 66 skirt and Nana’s Dishcloths can be found at my house. I love, love, love them!!

This is me wearing my Route 66 skirt! :)

Isn’t this Frilly Fandango apron the cutest thing ever?!?

LOVE!

Nana’s dishcloths are one of my favorite things. I use my dishcloths every day.

I’m so spoiled that I won’t ever go back to store-bought cloths!

Street Fair Skirts – pure, delightful bliss!

The Grace Ruffle Skirt is beyond adorable!

I simply can NOT wait to have a little girl to dress Marie-Madeline Studio style.

Are you drooling yet? The fabrics are drool-worthy themselves. Combine that with Marie-Madeline Studio’s creativity…pure awesomeness!

So, guess what? Marie-Madeline Studio has graciously offered a $35.00 gift certificate to one of you! *happy dance*

To enter:

Head over to Marie-Madeline Studio and look around. Then come back here and tell me what you would get with a $35.00 gift certificate.

Extra entries (leave a separate comment for each):

Like Marie-Madeline Studio on Facebook
Like My Blessed Life on Facebook
Subscribe to the Marie-Madeline Studio newsletter
Subscribe to My Blessed Life via RSS or Email
Share this giveaway on Twitter, Facebook or on your blog. (up to three entries)

I will draw the winner on Wednesday, August 4th via Random.org!

Linked to:

Things I Love Thursday

*image sources: all except the first photo were taken by marie-madeline studio!

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How To Beat The Heat & Save Green {Guest Post}

Myra — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 00:35:38 +0000

Today, my sweet friend, Cheryl is sharing four fabulous “green” tips for staying cool during this ridiculously hot weather. Be sure to visit Cheryl’s inspiring blog – Adventures of a Somewhat Crunchy Mama!

Summer is in full swing! We’ve had weeks with temperatures steadily over 100° and we’re in Pennsylvania people! Pennsylvania! If you’re like me you’re looking for easy ways to stay cool that don’t involve cranking the AC up to high. Keeping your air conditioner from working overtime will save not only our planet’s resources, but it could add up to money savings too. Here are four quick tips that will help you stay cool and save green (both kinds!). They work for me!

Wear Natural Fibers : Natural fibers are cotton, linen and silk. These fabrics breathe better than synthetics, which basically means air can more easily get through the fabric to your skin and help cool you. Synthetics work like a tent and trap hot air next to your skin, often making you feel hotter than need be.

Turn Off The Oven : Other than being a pretty inefficient way to cook, ovens/stoves generate huge amounts of heat and will have your kitchen feeling like a sauna. Instead, opt to use your slow cooker or grill.

Cool Those Pulse Points : This tip is especially good if you will be spending long periods of time outside. Pulse points are anywhere your veins are close to the surface of the skin, wrists, temples, backs of the knees and ankles. Apply a wet towel or napkin or splash water on your pulse points. As the blood flows by the water works as a “cooling station” and helps keep your body temperature low.

Stay Low : Since warm air rises try to spend most of your time on the lower floors of the house. If you have little ones, play on the floor rather than at a table or on the couch. This is even better if you have hardwoods or tile. You can even “take it to the next level” and play in the basement. What child wouldn’t love a game of hide and go seek in the dark basement?

Cheryl is a green minded, stay-at-home, homeschooling mom. She loves to share green tips, recipes and her experience with homeschooling. Cheryl can be found blogging at Adventures of a Somewhat Crunchy Mama and chatting with friends on Twitter at @SomewhatCrunchy.

How do YOU stay cool during these stifling hot days?

Linked to:

Works For Me Wednesday

No-Fail Spinach Artichoke Chicken {Guest Post}

Myra — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 22:18:43 +0000

Today, my sweet friend, Jessica from Muthering Heights and Other Senseless Sensibility is sharing a wonderful, yummy recipe with you! I can’t wait to try it at my house. Be sure to go check out her inspiring blog!

Hello My Blessed Life readers! I’m so pleased to be here today!

I don’t know about you, but one of my favorite things about Myra’s blog is the scrumptious recipe collection that she generously shares with us. Wouldn’t you just love to cook alongside her one day?

In honor of Myra and her fabulous blog, I’m, pleased to share one of my favorite “go to” recipes with you. Spinach Artichoke Chicken is great for company, or nights in which you need something quick, easy and delicious!

Spinach Artichoke Chicken

4 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts
2 Bags of Frozen Chopped Spinach, thawed
2 Cans of Water Packed Artichoke Hearts, rinsed, drained and chopped
14 Tbsp Grated Parmesan Cheese
14 Tbsp Mayonnaise {I use low-fat}
2 Large Garlic Cloves, minced

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Spray a 13×9 baking dish with cooking spray. Position chicken breasts so that they are not overlapping; set aside.

Squeeze spinach to remove water and place in a mixing bowl. Add remaining ingredients, stir well to combine. Spread mixture over chicken breasts.

Bake for 45 minutes, or until chicken is no longer pink in the center {every oven I’ve made this in is different…just watch the chicken so that it does not dry out!}

Enjoy!

*Disclaimer: I did not write this recipe. It was taken from a church newsletter ages ago, and I believe can be attributed to Dorothy Reinhold…

Jessica is a passionately Christian, blissfully wed, full-time homemaker and mother of three {soon to be four}. She is the author and founder of Muthering Heights and Other Senseless Sensibility, which chronicles the beauty, humor, mayhem that accompany her most sacred and noble calling of all. She is also a co-host of Relevant.

How do you use artichokes in cooking?

Linked to:

A Few Favorite Communities!

Myra — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 04:33:39 +0000

I’m so excited to share with you a few of my favorite communities in blogland. There is truly a place for everyone. I’m inspired by the women behind each of these sites. They are passionate about mothering, nurturing, teaching, loving and instilling love for God in every day life. These women have “future” mindsets. They see today as a window to the future as they prepare their children to fight for truth.

So, today, I present to you The MOB Society, The MODsquad, Raising Homemakers and The Homeschool Village. I asked a member from each of these wonderful communities to write a short description of what they are all about. I know your hearts will be blessed in reading!

The MOB Society

Mothers of Boys. A community FOR moms of boys BY moms of boys.

(Except for that one dad…)

Not a community discussing behavior modification or fad parenting of the day. But one reaching the hearts of boys for the Gospel and preparing a generation of men to love the Lord.

With four boys between them, Erin and Brooke have asked themselves question after question about raising godly men. Do they have all of the answers?

NO.

But they believe in a God who will supply all of their needs according to His riches in Christ Jesus.

And they want to help you have that same faith. No matter what. They want to help you learn to apply scripture practically in your boys’ day-to-day lives. They want to help you answer the hard questions…to understand your own reactions to your boys…to learn how to BEST protect him, and his heart.

The M.O.B. Society has an incredible line up of writers just itching to share their hearts with you. Come meet women who understand what it means to watch your boys, your very heart, walk around outside your body. They understand your desire to protect him no matter what, while also allowing God to have His perfect way in his life. Women with young boys, older boys, special needs boys and itty bitty boys. Single moms, unequally yoked moms and pastor’s wives. We have it all. God is giving us it all.

For you.

Join the MOB Society on Twitter, Facebook and The MOB Society blog!

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The MODsquad

The MODsquad {mothers of daughters} Blog began with the purpose to encourage and inspire moms to raise daughters with purity, character, and hearts for God.

Our plan is to do this through engaging posts that speak to your heart, by sharing resources we find to help you as a mom raising daughters, praying together for our girls, and connecting as a community.

What began with four moms & a Twitter conversation has grown to hundreds more joining together who are passionately raising their girls for God’s glory. We are excited about what He has in store for us in the days ahead!

Join the MODsquad on Twitter, Facebook and the MODsquad blog!

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The Homeschool Village – Bridging Homeschool Families

The Homeschool Village was created by homeschool moms in effort to interact with existing homeschool families. Our desire is to offer a place where everyone has a voice and can support each other through this exciting adventure! We offer weekly themed link ups, guest posts, and a panel of mentoring veteran homeschoolers. Our desire is to connect with you personally not to offer more tasks for your daily planner.

Join The Homeschool Village on Twitter, Facebook and The Homeschool Village blog!

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Raising Homemakers

RaisingHomemakers.com was born out of a desire to grow, learn, and be encouraged by women who were living out Titus 2 and who were managing their homes well for the glory of God.

I (Sarah Mae) am a “young” mom of three small babes, and always wanted to stay home and raise them up…but I had no idea how hard it would be! I was never taught any homemaking arts, and to this day my husband is just fine with having cereal for dinner {ahem}. However, I want to be a woman who perseveres through the “tough” so that I can not only look back knowing I was intentional with my family, but I am able to teach and train my daughters in the skills necessary for running a household!

This space is for us to journey together in learning how to teach and train our daughters in the homemaking arts to the glory of God…and to re-train ourselves! We are extremely blessed to have wise, older women willing to give their time to teach us what they’ve learned and to encourage us in the way. I am grateful some of them are writers here.

I hope Raising Homemakers will be of help to you…it is my prayer that we would all continue on in knowledge, skill, and love.

Join Raising Homemakers on Facebook and the Raising Homemakers blog!

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Join them. Support them. Be encouraged and inspired!

Do you have a favorite online community? I would love to hear about it! I’m considering occasionally featuring various communities.

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Sunday Meditations – Fear of Uninformed Judgment

Myra — Sun, 25 Jul 2010 00:31:29 +0000

Do you ever fear seeing people that you haven’t seen in a very long time? Do you worry what they might think of you?

Do you naturally judge people for the way that they look? You know you do. It’s human nature.

Here’s the deal.

I’m thirty pounds heavier than I was two years ago. Even four years ago.

That’s the catch.

I’m insecure, fearful and afraid of being judged for what I look like.

People who’ve known me for years, will see those thirty pounds.

I’m afraid that they won’t…

…see that I’ve lost forty pounds in a year and a half.

…instantly think about me birthing a child.

…think about how much better I look today.

…realize how hard I work out and run.

…see that my hormones and thyroid are bonkers.

They won’t immediately notice that my spirit has matured.

They might not see my momma’s heart full of love.

They might not think that these flabby arms have rocked, held, loved and nurtured.

They might think that I have no self control or motivation.

They might think that I don’t care.

They will remember the skinny me.

The me that may never exist again.

The me I long to see again.

The me that I know. The me that I’m comfortable with.

In dealing with this very real fear, I’m forced to realize that what God sees in me is most important. I’m His daughter…a princess. He sees my kinder, softer, less critical heart. He sees my desire to be fit for Him, myself and my husband. He knows. He knows the deepest, darkest caverns of my heart.

A place where no one else can go. A place where it’s just me and the One who never disappoints.

It is there I find comfort while dealing with the reality of fear.

“For the LORD does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.” I Samuel 16:7

Do you ever fear others’ judgment of your outward appearance?

Friday Fails – The Case of the Disorganized Clothes

Myra — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 04:00:22 +0000

This week, I’m vlogging my fail. This takes guts people. Serious guts!

Here is a peek behind closed doors in my house…top secret information to be sure!

But I need your help, so watch and give me your advice.

{If you are reading this in a reader or e-mail, you may need to click through to view the vlog.}

How do you keep your children’s clothes organized as they grow? Teach me!

We LOVE Cheese! {WW Snack Kit Giveaway}

Myra — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 13:55:31 +0000

I’m always on the lookout for healthy snacks to help me make good eating choices throughout the day. I’m still fighting these pesky baby pounds. Ugh. I’ve told you about our favorite snacks, but today I’m going to share with you a new discovery!

Our family loves cheese. We have cheese on our eggs, cheese on our sandwiches, cheese on our tacos, cheese on dips and cheese for snacks. We aren’t huge milk drinkers, but we get a lot of our calcium and protein from cheese and yogurt products.

Recently, I learned of a new Weight Watchers product — spreadable (creamy) cheese wedges! They come in four different varieties: Original Swiss, Garlic & Herb, Parmesan Peppercorn and Jalapeño Pepper. Six wedges come in a “wheel” and one wedge is only thirty calories, packs great fiber and has a POINTS® value of 1. My favorite flavor is Garlic and Herb. I enjoyed it on crackers and baby carrots. I {heart} carrots!

Besides the cheese wedges, WW has reduced fat cream cheese which can be eaten as a snack, but it can also be used in cooking. Ridley loved this cheese on toast. Even though it is a “reduced fat” product (40% less than regular cream cheese), the flavor was nearly identical to regular cream cheese. Like a serving of cheese wedges, the reduced fat cream cheese has a POINTS® value of 1 per serving.

Weight Watchers sent me this fabulous snack kit to try out their new products. I love the insulated picnic basket, Kashi crackers, and the Back to Nature and Emerald trail mixes!

Guess what?

I have one to give away too! How fun!!

GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED!

Congratulations to Michele of Creative Writings 101 (comment #92)! Your WW Snack Kit will be on its way soon!

To enter:

Just leave a comment saying what is your favorite snack.

Extra entries (leave a separate comment for each):

Subscribe to My Blessed Life via RSS or Email
Follow @blessedlife2 on Twitter
Like My Blessed Life on Facebook
Tweet about this giveaway and be sure to include @blessedlife2 and #WeightWatchersCheese in your tweet!

Open to U.S. Residents only. I will draw the winner on Wednesday, July 28th via Random.org!

Linked to:

Things I Love Thursday

ProFlowers Bonsai {Giveaway!}

Myra — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 03:02:43 +0000

Okay, you might think it’s a tad crazy that I’m reviewing a bonsai tree. Maybe it is a little strange for me – the possessor of the brownest blackest of all thumbs.

I love plants. Really I do. But, their lifespan tends to be very short at my house. Ahem.

Since receiving my fabulous Golden Gate Ficus Bonsai from ProFlowers, I’ve remembered to water it faithfully and it’s looking quite healthy! I’m really quite impressed with my bonsai-growing capabilities.

Golden Gate Ficus Bonsai

Did you know that the word ‘bonsai’ means “little trees in pots?” I mean, seriously. So clever!

The indoor bonsai originated in Asia, but has been adopted into Western culture as a popular art form. I love the beauty, life and interest that the bonsai brings into my home.

As I mentioned, taking care of a bonsai is relatively easy. Before I agreed to do this review and giveaway, I carefully researched how much “work” (i.e. brain power to remember to water the tree) was involved. I water my bonsai every two or three days and I have it sitting on a plate with water in it so that the soil doesn’t dry out.

This mini tree is workin’ for me! I can’t believe that it’s looking so good!

If you are looking for a gift for someone special, check out ProFlowers Bonsai Trees and their adorable, yummy Birthday Baskets!

ProFlowers has generously agreed to give away a Golden Gate Ficus Bonsai tree to one of you!

GIVEAWAY IS CLOSED!

Congratulations to Ashley from A Young Wife’s Tale! Your Bonsai will be on it’s way soon!

To enter:

Just leave a comment saying what your favorite indoor plant is.

Extra entries (leave a separate comment for each):

Subscribe to My Blessed Life via RSS or Email
Follow @blessedlife2 on Twitter
Like My Blessed Life on Facebook
Tweet this: “ProFlowers giveaway @ http://bit.ly/d19M3i 10% off ProFlowers birthday gift baskets http://bit.ly/dmAKmY”

I will draw the winner on Saturday, July 24th via Random.org!

Linked to:

Works For Me Wednesday

A Crescent Roll Extravaganza (& A Giveaway!)

Quiznos $2.99 Meal Coupon

Myra — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 22:20:14 +0000

There are few things more fun than going out to eat for FREE (+ tax)! For a limited time, you can print this coupon for a $2.99 Quiznos Meal! The coupon includes a small sub, chips and a regular drink.

This coupon never lasts long, so GO print yours right now!

Enjoy your FREE meal!

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