More Of Him

Book Review & Giveaway!

2012-01-27T11:39:00.000-08:00

Mornings with JESUS 2012
by Judy Baer, Gwen Ford Faulkenberry, Tricia Goyner, Sharon Hinck, Keri Wyatt Kent, Erin Keeley Marshall, Camy Tang

About the Book:

"Be still and know that I am God.” is one of the most beautiful verses from the Bible, but it’s not easy to practice in this busy world. Mornings with Jesus will help you do just that—“be still” in Jesus’ beautiful and powerful presence. For those who are seeking a deeper experience in their relationship with Christ, Mornings with Jesus offers a fresh perspective of who Jesus is (the Healer, the Son of God, the Comforter, the Good Shepherd) and what that means for day-to-day life. With a warm and friendly voice, 365 short devotional writings on the character and teachings of Jesus encourage readers to greet each day by drawing near to Him and inviting His presence into their day. Spend time with Jesus at the beginning of each day and experience His nearness and peace in a new way throughout the year. Each day’s selection includes: • a Bible verse • an entry based on Jesus: His words, miracles, and parables; His wisdom, compassion, and comfort; His mystery, power, divinity, and humanity • a “faith step” that will inspire and challenge readers to apply the day’s message to their lives

My Review:

I really like this devotional. On each day, you will find a Scripture reference and a personal reflection from one of seven Christian women authors. I really enjoyed these stories that they shared because I could relate to them in my own life. At the end of the devotional, there is a "Faith Step" that helps us to stop and answer how the Lord is working in our life or how we are walking with the Lord. I really liked doing this step as it helped me to clarify how I could do better in my walk and also showed me how the Lord has been blessing me in my life. I really liked that I could relate to the stories and see where some of my struggles are, so are they for other women. However, I also loved that each devotion showed the way to overcome these struggles is through the Lord. Now this devotional is not a deep devotional, however, I enjoyed this devotional, definitely got a lot out of it and would recommend it.

If you would like to purchase this book, you can do so HERE.

You can find other reviews on this tour HERE.

Many thanks to LitFuse for providing a copy of Mornings with Jesus 2012 to me for my honest review.

The Giveaway:

I am so thrilled to have an additional copy of this wonderful book to give away! Here's what you need to do to enter the giveaway.

1. You must be a follower of my blog & then leave me a comment on this entry telling me you'd like to win this book.

For additional entries:

2. Share about this giveaway on Facebook or Twitter and leave me a comment telling me you did so. Use @moreofhimblog on Twitter.

3. Share about this giveaway on your blog and leave me a comment, with the link, telling me you did so.

I will pick a winner by random number on Thursday, February 2, 2012. Please make sure I can get in touch with you by email in case you win! This giveaway is only open to US and Canada. Thank you!

God bless you - Julie

Book Review - The Sound of Red Returning

2012-01-25T00:01:00.000-08:00

The Sound of Red Returning by Sue Duffy

About the book:

After losing everyone she loves, concert pianist Liesl Bower has nowhere to go but to escape into her music. Searching for the peace she usually finds in her concertos and sonatas, Liesl can’t shake the feeling that she is being haunted by her past . . . and by someone following her. When she spots a familiar and eerie face in the audience of a concert she’s giving for the president in Washington, DC, the scariest day of her life comes back to her with a flash. It has been fifteen years since Liesl watched her beloved Harvard music mentor assaulted on a dark night in Moscow and just as long since the CIA disclosed to her that he’d been spying for Russia. She had seen that man--that eerie face--the night Professor Devoe was attacked. And now he’s back--and coming for her.

On the run and struggling to rely on the protection of CIA agent Ava Mullins and handsome newspaper reporter Cade O’Brien, Liesl learns she is the prey of an underground cell of Russian KGB agents determined to restore their country to its former Soviet might. But what she doesn’t know is that she is in possession of something--a piece of sheet music--that Russian intelligence is now frantic to find. Inside that music is a secret code, the hidden transcriptions of her deceased mentor, that clearly identify a Russian mole operating inside Israel’s Department of Defense, a mole with enough power and access to execute a daring assassination that no one would see coming.

Caught in a deadly conflict between American and Russian undercover agents, this innocent young pianist is just trying to survive her own personal trauma. Through it all, Liesl must learn that no matter how dark her world grows or how fiercely her enemies pursue her, God is still in control--if only she can yield herself to His grace. Read an excerpt HERE.

About the author:

Sue Duffy is an award-winning writer whose work has appeared in Moody Magazine, The Presbyterian Journal, Sunday Digest, and The Christian Reader. She is the author of Mortal Wounds (Barbour, 2001) and Fatal Loyalty (Kregel, 2010). Sue has also contributed to Stories for a Woman’s Heart (Multnomah). She and her husband, Mike, have three grown children.

My Review:

I absolutely loved this book! In fact, I finished reading it in two sittings! Word of caution: Do not start reading this book just before wanting to go to sleep because you won't be able to put it down. This story had me with the first page and I never lost interest. The characters are believable, the storyline was intriguing, and I loved that faith and God were interwoven throughout the book. I liked the intriguing storyline filled with Soviet and American spies and the fight between good and evil. I'm old enough to remember the Cold War and the entire story was totally believable and I could relate to it. Liesl, the heroine, is a pianist and, being a pianist myself, I enjoyed the musical storyline, too. I love mysteries and intrigue stories and this is one of the best I've read in a long time. This is book one in the series and I can't wait for the next book to come out! I loved this book and Sue Duffy has been added to my favorite author list. I highly, highly recommend this book and I know you won't be able to put it down either!

Many thanks to LitFuse for providing a copy of The Sound of Red Returning to me for my honest review.

You can see other tour stops and reviews of this book HERE

Win a Kindle Fire from @SueDuffy2 and @KregelBooks in the "Red Returning" Giveaway!

Sue Duffy and her publisher, Kregel Publications, are celebrating the release of The Sound of Red Returning by giving away a Kindle Fire prize package worth over $200 to one lucky winner!!!! (1/23-2/11)

Enter the Sue Duffy’s Giveaway today and you could win:

* A brand new Kindle Fire with Wi-Fi

* The Sound of Red Returning (Book One in the Red Returning series) by Sue Duffy

To enter click one of the icons below. But, hurry! The giveway ends on 2/11. Sue will be announcing the winner of the “Red Returning” Giveaway on February 13th on the Litfuse website!

Tell your friends via FACEBOOK or TWITTER and increase your chances of winning.

Blessings - Julie

This and That

2012-01-24T11:29:00.000-08:00

I have a whole list of things I need to do today, but wanted to write a little on my blog first.

It's been cold here again and we even got some snow during the night. Thankfully, most of it has melted off and it's supposed to warm up tomorrow. The older I get, the more I enjoy the warmer weather.

Church this past weekend was really a blessing. We had baptisms, the Lord's Supper, and a guest speaker from a Pastor who is starting a church plant in Los Angeles! His sermon was really inspiring and I know that the Lord will use him in a mighty way in LA.

Yesterday, I did some errands and then went to the thrift stores. I found some wonderful Christian books at one of the stores and some tea-cups at another store. All were quite inexpensive and it was a fun time out and about. I ended up coming home with sore knees and foot, though, and they are still aching. There's nothing worse than walking on cement!!

Tonight I'm going to make BLT's for dinner. That's always a favorite for my family.

This post was kind of all over the place, but oh well. That's kind of how my life is, too!

God bless you - Julie

Diamond Candles is looking for bloggers

2012-01-21T19:06:00.000-08:00

Diamond Candles is looking for bloggers for their campaign, you can apply HERE.

Blessings - Julie

Show and Tell Friday

2012-01-20T00:00:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I went to my prayer meeting (yay!) and it was such a precious time of praying before the Lord's throne! Wonderful fellowship with my praying sisters, too. So, so happy to be back at these wonderful ministries. I am blessed!

After I got done, I called hubby and we decided to go to our favorite thrift store again in search for the recliners that we need. I went home, we hopped in the truck (well...I didn't hop, but you know what I mean) and off we went. They did have two recliners at the store, but one was in really, really sad shape and the foot rest didn't even go all the way up. The other one wasn't too bad, but when I reclined in it, it was obvious that it was on it's last leg when we heard the grinding noise as the chair reclined. Oh, well. We will continue to search and we will find!

I did find these beauties! I am a collector of fine bone china (when I can find it) and I love anything with roses, so these were quite a find for me!

This pretty little bowl was made in England and I just love it! It's about 5" in width and, although the roses are a teeny bit faded, it still speaks to my heart. Then I found these sweet little dishes. I'm quite sure that these are for nuts or mints at the bridge table or on the side table in the living room. They are about 4" in width with a little rim that comes up enough to hold said mints or nuts. These little jewels were made in America! Don't see that much anymore so was very happy to find these little dishes!

Such pretty little roses on these little dishes!

They will look gorgeous on my side tables in my living room where I have lots of roses in paintings, on lamps, on little china lamps, etc. Such perfect little finds and were cheap as chips!

Next, I'm going to show you a project I'm working on. I'm not going to tell you what it is yet as I want to reveal the whole thing when it's finished, but let me say, it will look amazing when I'm done. Right now, it's hard to tell what it is and the colors are pretty crazy, but when it's all finished, I think you're gonna love it!

Here's some pictures

I'm going to give you a hint - the yarn is wool, except for the eyelash yarn you see in a couple stripes. I am still needing to add some more parts to this project, weave in the ends and wash it....That's all the hints I'm going to give. =D I should finish this project up by next Friday and then I'll give you the big reveal for next weeks Show and Tell.

Remember, you can link up your own blog at the end of this post and show off your own show and tell! Show your latest craft project, a decorating project, something you found or whatever! It's fun to see what everyone is doing!

God bless you - Julie

Back to Bible Study!

2012-01-18T21:58:00.000-08:00

Today I went to my first Bible study in over a year! It was such a blessing to be there and I, of course, got all choked up when it was my time to introduce myself and share how God has been working in my life. I wish I wouldn't do that, but it's how God made me, so that's how it is. Going back to Bible study has been one of my goals for this year and it was so great to actually meet that goal today and be doubly blessed by being there with my Sisters in Christ. I'm in an amazing group of sweet ladies and I know that the Lord put me in this precious group. I'm looking forward to learning what God has to show me as we study 1 and 2 Peter and John.

We also had a special speaker today and his story was jaw dropping, scary and inspiring all at once! To hear how Jesus stepped in on their situation as Kenya missionaries was just amazing. This couple has been serving the Lord in Africa and were brutally attacked by men with clubs and machetes and lived to tell about it! His whole message was about forgiveness and how it will set us free. It was such a blessing to have this man share his story and I'm so glad I was there to hear it.

It was so wonderful to see some of my friends that I haven't seen for a long time and I was especially blessed to run into one of my dear friends that I've painted with and just shared my heart with so many times. We have plans to get together soon and I'm so looking forward to it!

I had a back injection on Monday and, based on the amount of sedation I was given and the fact that I still felt the shot, I'm going to assume that this shot was pretty deep and intrusive. I was sick to my stomach after the injection, which has never happened before. I was also very sore that night and ended up sleeping on my new blue and white checked recliner/loveseat as I just couldn't get comfortable anywhere else. I am even more thankful for this new, wonderful piece of furniture!!

I also found this

Let me tell you, this thing is wonderful!! The great thing about this heating pad is that it's soft and doesn't have that plastic insert that ends up sticking to itself. I also love that I can set it to go off in 2 hours or if I'm having a lot of pain, it will stay on until I turn it off. This is a great feature for night when I'm trying to sleep and need the heat for the pain relief. I am so happy to have found this great heating pad! It has helped me so much already!

I'm really tired tonight as I only had 4 hours sleep last night. I think I was so anxious about going back to the Bible study, my mind was just racing. I was so tired as I was getting ready to go, but got so energized being there and my sleep deprivation didn't hit me until I got home. I did get 2 loads of laundry done, though, and am pleased to tell you that I do not bend, twist or lift. I use these

to sort, lift, and put the clothes into the washer from my baskets. I also folded these into my rolling bag that my hubby bought me almost 2 years ago and took them with me to the Bible study today. If I drop something, I don't have to ask someone to pick it up for me or hurt myself by bending over to retrieve it myself. I did drop my back pillow and was so happy to have my handy-dandy tool and pick it up all by myself. I'm learning to not worry about what others think but just do what I have to do! I use this wonderful tool around the house for many things. When the clothes are dry, my hubby carries the basket in by the couch where I fold and hang up the clothes. I love that I can help out with the laundry! Did I say that I used to despise doing the laundry? Now I love it because I can do it! Amazing when you can't do something how much you appreciate doing it when you can again.

I'm heading off to bed as I have my prayer meeting in the morning, which I'm looking forward to. I wasn't able to go last week as I had a touch of that flu that's been going around. It will be so great to be back again praying with my Sisters for the needs of the church family.

God bless you - Julie

Book Review - Moments of Truth

2012-01-16T12:36:00.000-08:00

I was very excited to review this book. John MacArthur is a favorite teacher of mine because he always teaches the Bible literally and is a pastor/teacher that can be trusted to give us the truth. This book did not disappoint.

This is a devotional that takes passages from different John MacArthur books and at the end of the daily devotional, it asks you a question to ponder in your own life. The thing about this book that I like is it's not some sweet, simple devotional (not that there's anything wrong with those type of devotionals). It's a meat and potatoes devotional that makes you think. Many of the devotionals required me to re-read them several times to really get the truths out of them. They are truths that are applicable to our lives and make you really think. I really liked that. It forced me to really get into the Scripture he was referring to and dig deep.

This devotional is going to be something I use every day. I think you can go through this year after year and still be pulling truths from it. I can't say enough good about this devotional and I highly recommend it.

*This book was provided to me through the BookSneeze program of Thomas Nelson publishers.

God bless you - Julie

Sunday Thoughts

2012-01-15T15:23:00.000-08:00

So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal. - 2 Corinthians 4:16-18

Focusing on the eternal. This is what those of us who are going through a difficult time have to do to keep going - sometimes to keep our sanity. If we allow ourselves to dwell on the the wasting away, we are really giving a lot of power to the evil one who wants to keep us down. Do you see where it says, "For this light momentary affliction..."? Think about that. When we are going through an affliction of any kind, we feel like it has been going on forever and will continue to go on forever but the Lord tells us it's a light, momentary affliction. I think what he's telling us is that if we will focus on the eternal, we will realize that it is a momentary affliction in the grand scheme of things.

The eternal things are forever. Jesus promised that he was going to prepare a place for us and that we would be with him. "Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. - John 14:1-3

It is a great comfort to me knowing that my pain on this earth will end. Even though my outer self is wasting away, I know that I have the promise of Jesus taking me to himself - that where He is, I will be also. Let me also share that during these times of affliction and pain, I am not alone. The Lord is with me, comforting me and giving me peace. I am able to get through the afflictions because the Lord is with me as I go through this. That's part of focusing on the eternal, too. Believing and having faith in the Lord, that He is with me now, and that I will be with him in heaven someday.
I pray that you will focus on the eternal, dear friend. I pray that you know the Lord, Jesus Christ. If you do, make sure that you are making him the center and focus of your life. If you don't know Jesus, please go HERE and learn how you, too, can have the peace of God in knowing He is with you now and that you will be with Him some day.

God bless you - Julie

Show and Tell Friday

2012-01-13T12:29:00.000-08:00

I'm absolutely thrilled with today's show and tell! Last week, my hubby went to his physical therapy for his heart and afterward, he stopped by a favorite thrift store in search of another recliner for me. They had several and so he came home and got me and we all went up to check things out. Unfortunately, none of the chairs were in good shape so we decided to just look around for a few minutes and see what was new.

In another area of the store, we found this

I love the Country/Americana style of furniture! I wasn't very hopeful about being able to sit in it because so far, this type of sofa/loveseat has brought me nothing but pain, but I was there and decided to give it a try. I sat down, pulled the handle to recline it, and immediately my pain levels dropped! I sat there for awhile expecting them to go back up, but they never did. Yay!

This loveseat is very unusual in that not only does each side recline, each side rocks on it's own, too! I've never seen a loveseat like this before. I have no idea what brand it is or when it was made, although I'm guessing by the fabric and colors, it's probably from the late 80's or early 90's.

It is in wonderful shape and even has the arm covers! Another amazing thing is the blue in the fabric is the exact color that my living room is painted!

Now for the totally wonderful part of the whole thing - guess what we paid for it? You're not going to believe it - I'm still shocked myself. Thirty dollars - yes - $30.00!! She started out at $40.00 (which I thought was a steal) but my hubby, the wheeler-dealer, offered $30.00 and she took it. LOL They even loaded it up into our truck for us.

I am thrilled. My youngest son, who also lives with daily pain, can also sit on it and it helps him, too. You have no idea how exciting it is to have another place to sit! I love everything about this loveseat and am so totally blessed. I do believe that God is in everything - even directing me to find this wonderful piece of furniture. By the way - my hubby has never, ever, ever stopped at the thrift store on his own before. I was shocked when he told me he went there. It was all meant to be - I truly believe that. I am so grateful and thankful for a new piece of furniture that only cost me $30.00!

Now it's your turn. Share something on your blog that you want to show and then link up with me here. I can't wait to see what you share!

Update

2012-01-10T11:51:00.000-08:00

I wanted to check in and let you all know that I am doing okay. I have had my good days and my bad but am very thankful for the good. I am still experiencing pain and am anxious for my back injection next week!

I did go to my prayer meeting last week for the first time in over a year! It was so wonderful to be in prayer for our church with the precious ladies in our group. It's a small group, but a powerful, prayer-filled, Scripture filled group. Such a blessing to be able to go! My goal is to go to the ministries I'm involved in whenever I can this year. I'm hoping that it's more often than not.

Did you watch the Broncos/Steelers game on Sunday? It was a great game with an amazing end! It's so nice to have an athlete that our children can look up to. Tim Tebow is such a wonderful man of God and I truly believe that his testimony is bringing so many to Jesus. God bless him!

I've been working on my Bible study, reading the Word of God, writing and crocheting. I haven't had a lot of energy the past week as I'm still battling a bladder infection (bleah) but it's been a great time of quiet reflection of quiet moments.

My boys went to visit a friend out of town over the weekend and our house was so quiet. This Mama didn't like it too much. lol I'm so blessed to have my boys still living here at home and they add so much to our lives and I missed them. They had a great time, though, and I'm so glad they were able to go and visit their friend and have a good time for a few days. They will be having to hit the books in about a week and a half and getting away was a nice time for them just before school starts again.

Speaking of school, my oldest son has been asked to be in the honors program at his college. He will be traveling, be involved in community affairs and so forth. What an honor for him and I'm very proud of him. I don't doubt that my youngest will also be asked into this program as his grade point is also high. They have to continue to keep the grade point up before they are asked into the program and as this was my youngest son's first full semester, it will probably be at least another semester before he's asked. To me it just proves again that homeschooling really does work and is the best foundation for our children.

God bless you - Julie

New Year

2012-01-03T18:04:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year! Yes, I'm a little late with this greeting but it's heartfelt, nonetheless. I hope you all have a blessed and joyous new year!

It's been an up and down week here. New years eve morning, I woke up in horrible pain. Not exactly how I wanted to start out the new year. I've been having more pain but this day was especially hard. My husband helped me to another recliner (sometimes changing chairs will help) and I took my pain meds, had my heating pad, and just relaxed the entire day. I did have some "feeling sorry for myself" moments, I must confess. I didn't want to think about starting out the new year with this kind of pain again.

New years day, I felt a bit better and have been feeling a bit better each day since. I did schedule a back injection for the middle of the month in hopes that it will help me. I really don't want this year to be all about my pain or health issues. Of course, I will accept God's will for my life but I am praying for a better year in both of these areas.

Now on to other things. I've been continuing to work on my goals for this year. I didn't get everything all written out yet. I'm not going to stress out about it and put pressure on myself. I've already started implementing some of my goals into my life and it feels really great! There's nothing like working on your new goals to make you feel good.

Our Christmas decorations are put away (pretty easy considering there wasn't much out - lol) and the Valentines decorations are out. I've been going through paperwork and the "nest" around my chair today in hopes of bringing some kind of order to my area. I tend to get tons of books, magazines, notebooks and such around my chair and then I have to dig out and keep the things I'm really using at the moment. I have a large Longaberger basket that I've had for 25 years that I keep on a stool next to my side table and in it are my Bible, prayer request book, devotionals, and so forth. Sometimes this basket gets quite full of things and I have to go through it. I do love having these special things at my fingertips, though.

I've signed up for the new Bible study that's starting at church in a couple weeks. I do pray that I will be able to go as I've missed being involved in the studies so much. I picked up the study at church before Christmas and it looks like it's going to be a great study.

Many blessings - Julie

Show and Tell Friday!

2011-12-30T16:59:00.000-08:00

It's Show & Tell Friday and today I am going to share a cross stitch piece I made in time for Christmas. The design is from Daffy Cat, who generously shared her own design with me! I only had a small piece of fabric, so I only used the bird and border part of the design. It turned out perfect and I absolutely love this design. Thank you, Daffy Cat, for your beautiful cross stitch design!

The pattern was actually for an ornament, but I decided to make a small, decorative pillow out of it. I added buttons and I'm thinking I might add a green ribbon around the red patterned fabric when I can get back out to my studio. In any case, I love it and I am planning on making one with the entire pattern. You can see Daffy Cat's pattern HERE. You'll need to email Daffy Cat and she will send you the pattern. Don't you just love it?

Be sure and share your own Show & Tell at the bottom of this post on the linky. I would love to see what you're up to in your crafting, decorating, cooking or whatever!

Blessings - Julie

Hair Coloring Nightmare

2011-12-29T13:13:00.000-08:00

I usually don't talk about products on here unless it's a book review, however, I had an experience today that I had to share.

I'm at that age where I color my hair to cover the gray. Now, I've enjoyed coloring my hair for years, trying one color or the next until about a year ago when I settled on Dark Ash Brown. Lovely color that really fits me perfectly.

I decided, after seeing a commercial featuring "Angela" from The Office, to try a different product. It looked intriguing - after all, who wouldn't want less mess by using a pump and the "tones and highlights" promised sounded wonderful. So I bought this Clairol Nice n Easy Colorblend Foam. I bought it in my standard color and had high hopes in how it would turn out.

My high hopes were dashed. First of all, the pump works by you squeezing the bottle. The "foam" that comes out is simply bubbles and do you know how long it takes to color your hair with bubbles? A long time, folks! I followed the directions and started at the gray areas, went on to the rest of the hair, then came back and re-applied to the gray areas again. Then I waited 25 minutes, during which time I cleaned my sink, vanity and toilet. It's a good time to clean up when you've got hair coloring in your hair. When said 25 minutes were up, I rinsed my hair and the very first thing I noticed was that my hair felt like straw. I knew this wasn't good. After putting the creme rinse on, it got better, but my hair still feels damaged. Now for the worst part - there are NO tones and highlights and the ash brown on the package is not what I got. My hair is almost black!! The absolute worst part is the staining I had on my skin! It's really bad - so bad, I'm not sure how long it will end up being there. So much for wearing my hair pulled back! You can even see the staining on my scalp! To make matters worse? It didn't cover all the gray!! Bleah!!

I am actually L'Oreal girl. I use a lot of their products including make-up, hair products and always their hair coloring. It is superb!! I have used both of these products and love them both!

They both give me the color I expect, I do get those tones and highlights, and my hair definitely doesn't feel like straw! My gray is always covered, too. I just love the L'Oreal products and I wish I had never strayed. Believe me when I tell you that the couple of bucks you'll save using other products just isn't worth it!

I am horrified by my hair. It looks like I dyed it! It has an over-all one color look and the very dark color is just not what I wanted or what the box promised. I don't know how soon I will be able to fix this, but I'm going to wait awhile. My hair feels damaged and I don't want to do more damage.

When I do color my hair again? Believe me - I'll be using my trusted and wonderful L'Oreal products!! They really are the best!

Blessings - Julie

Christmas Pictures & New Year Goals

2011-12-27T16:10:00.000-08:00

This is Holly all dressed up for Christmas! Doesn't she look adorable? She had a great day on Christmas - getting lots of attention - which she loves!

Here's a couple more pictures from the day. My youngest son, with our pink, little tree in the background. lol Here he is with one of his favorite gifts - a Denver Bronco cup.

Here's a picture of my guys after all the presents being opened. The pug belongs to my oldest son and the poodle to my youngest son. Everyone looks good here!

Here is my very special Christmas gift I got from my family. It's a large picture and it has my favorite hymn on it - "His Eye Is On The Sparrow" and birds on it. My other favorite. I cried when I saw this! So beautiful!

We went to Christmas Eve services on Saturday and when we got home, I popped in some appetizers for us to nibble on. We had homemade twice stuffed baked potatoes that I put together the day before, some quiche and shrimp nibbles from Costco. It was so nice just to relax. We opened one gift on Christmas Eve, which is our tradition. Then we watched Christmas movies and just enjoyed our evening. The service at our church was so wonderful and one of the best Christmas Eve services we've been to in a long time. The focus was on the One that Christmas is all about and the music was amazing! I saw so many of my friends and was just totally blessed!

Christmas morning, I put in a ham, made cheesy potatoes and green bean casserole. We opened our gifts then watched, "Christmas Vacation" together. Such a lovely, low-keyed day!

The only down-side to our Christmas was my stupidity in bending over and twisting, "because I'm feeling better and I can." Can I get a big "DUH" here? When will I learn to take care with myself? I've been having the back pain again and called today to schedule another back injection. I'm so mad at myself because I really had been having days of no pain at all and now I'm in serious pain again. I am not going to allow it to get me down, though, and am focusing on other things.

One thing I'm working on are my New Year goals. One of those goals is to write on my blog more consistently and bring you more information. I also will be finishing up my book and starting on a new project I've been thinking about for quite some time. I also am going to be working on eating healthier and taking better care of myself. I get excited about setting goals - how about you?

I hope your Christmas was just as blessed as mine was! How amazing that the Lord would send his Son to be born here on earth so that He could be our Savior and die for our sins. My heart can barely take this in because it's such an amazing thing! We have such an amazing God!

God bless you - Julie

Merry Christmas!!

2011-12-24T20:42:00.000-08:00

And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace and goodwill towards men. Luke 2:8-14

Merry Christmas, dear ones!

God bless you - Julie

Book Review - The Christian Writers Market Guide 2012

2011-12-22T23:12:00.000-08:00

The Christian Writer’s Market Guide 2012: Your Comprehensive Resource for Getting Published is a wonderful resource! It has everything you could ever need to know about publishers - book and periodicals. Being that it is written by Jerry Jenkins, of the Left Behind series, the information contained inside is concise, easy to read and just plain great!

The thing I really appreciated are the beginning paragraphs of each chapter.He explains things so well and makes it easy to understand, even for the beginner. There is also a "How to Use This Book" area that helps you understand how to use the Writers Guide.

This book will tell you which publishers handle which markets, how they want to be contacted, what they want you to send them and where to contact them, including mailing and email addresses. It has a topical listing so that you can find your genre which makes it easy for you to find who you're looking for. It also has information for Specialty Markets - like the gift industry.

The book also lists Christian Writers Conferences and Workshops, fellowship /critique groups by state so you can find what you are looking for. Everything is easy to read, is loaded with information and will help the writer find where they can send their work. I absolutely think this is a MUST HAVE for anyone that wants to be a Christian writer or already is. I can't say enough good about this wonderful book!!

*This book was provided to me by Tyndale Publishing for my honest review.

The Books I'm Reading

2011-12-12T22:28:00.000-08:00

I had never heard of this author until I read Cheri's blog and she shared some of the books she was reading. This particular author really appealed to me because not only is she a doctor but she is a Christian. Dr. Caroline Leaf has a degree and doctorate in Communication Pathology and has mainly focused her studies on the science of thought. Her books focus on how our thoughts affect our health and I'm here to tell you, she is spot on! The first book I read (and am re-reading right now again) is

Who Switched Off My Brain go into the affects of how our thinking affects our physical health. It has really opened my eyes to what I'm thinking, how I'm thinking and how unforgiveness actually poisons us. It is so imperative to change what we think about - those negative thoughts, focusing on our pain (physical or emotional), putting the past in the past and moving forward to the future. All these negative and, what I term, sad thoughts, actually poison our physical bodies. We have to be careful how we say things and write things. If I say, "I am not in pain.", my brain cannot process the word "not" in the middle of the sentence, so what I end up telling myself is "I am in pain." This forces me to say positive things and that's the whole point. Negative thoughts are, plain and simple, a toxin - a poison! Her books are so amazing because a lot of what she says is Bible based.

I checked this book our of the library and have renewed it countless times and then checked it out again last week to re-read. What I really want is my own copy! Plus, Dr. Leaf has a study book and DVD for this series. She has also recently come out with a new book called, "Who Switched off Your Brain"

This book gets more into the complicated area of the man/woman relationship and I'm sure it will be just as good as the other book.

Another book I'm reading is another Caroline Leaf book.

In this book, she discusses the unique gift that God gave you and this gift can change the world. I have loved this book so far. She has a test inside the book to help you discover what your unique gift is. This book is uplifting and exciting because you know that you have a God given gift and you can discover what it is! The book also encourages you to use your gift and, for people like me, I need that encouragement. Again, I checked this book out of the library, but it's another book I would like to own. There are certain books that need to be on our bookshelf and this is definitely one of them.

Another book I read was, "Healing Your Life A - Z" by Louise Hay.

This book was full of great information, too, and I learned so much. Another one that needs to be permanent on the book shelf. She also talks about the correlation between our mind and body.

I can only tell you how much this all makes sense and how I'm already seeing the difference in my life. I also know that I want my life to be defined by my unique gift from God. This past year and a half has been difficult but it doesn't have to stay that way - I can move forward and, with God's help, I can be whole in mind, which will definitely help my body.

Again, I'm so thankful to Cheri for being so honest on her blog and for taking the time to write me that email. God is so good to bring people into our lives to help us along the way. I am blessed!

God bless you - Julie

With God - ALL Things Are Possible!

2011-12-12T00:55:00.000-08:00

I am going for a new attitude! Yes, I am! I have decided that I am going to be defined by who the Lord says I am, by my creativity, by my writing, by my sweet family. I have decided to start thinking in a new way and the pain can have no power over me any longer. I found a beautiful email that my friend, Cheri, sent me and it just totally sparked something in me. She sent me this email several months ago and it meant so much to me, I printed it out. What she said didn't really spark with me at that time, but now I'm ready! If you get a chance, go to Cheri's blog and read her amazing story! I put this email in a sheet protector and I am making it a part of my daily reading. I also am in the process of reading some other books that I will share with you tomorrow. I'm so thankful to Cheri for taking the time to write me that email...it and she are such a blessing to me! Thank you, Cheri!!

On the Christmas front, we came to a great conclusion and I think we are all very happy with the decision. We decided not to put up the huge tree this year. My oldest son is still studying as he takes the state fire fighting test next week and is studying like crazy. He got a 94% in his class and the instructors shook his hand and said he did great and that it was a very hard class to get an "A" in. That meant so much to him. My youngest son finished up all his finals yesterday and is just exhausted. He got "A's" in all his classes, too! He's just so happy to have 3 weeks off before the next semester starts. These things all helped us to decide to put up our little, pink tree. :) It's only about 1 foot tall, but it's pre-lit, already in the house and will be perfect. I have little ornaments that I've bought each year with all our names on them and I will put them on the tree. I also have an adorable little tree that you put together. I'm thinking it's from the 1930's or 40's and is so unique! Between the two little trees and all the special things from my corner cabinet I keep in the house for Christmas, we are going to have a beautiful Christmas. I think we were all relieved that the big tree wouldn't go up this year. It would only be up a short time and would require my hubby and oldest son to get everything out. While they were happy to do so, it didn't make a lot of sense to do all that. I'm just so pleased because I can do this! I can work a little at a time and get all my sweet little things put out for Christmas. Yay!

I have goals that I am going to work toward. My first goal is to get back to church, my prayer meetings and I would love to be at the Ladies Bible study! Maybe I'll actually be back to being a leader again, too! I'm realizing that my thoughts really do affect how I feel and a part of that is being forgiving towards those who have wronged me. Not living in the past but living for today is also key. The more I have been telling myself I'm in pain, the more pain I've had. When the pain is there, I'm learning to think about something else - work on something I enjoy. Hey! I even went to my studio for the first time in 3 months and painted a tree for my porch!

I am noticing that I'm very weak from a year of sitting around! Oh, dear. I'm going to slowly start trying to do a little more each day so I can build my strength back up. After going to my studio for a few hours, I was so tired, I just couldn't believe it! I had intended on going to church but fell asleep in my chair instead. lol I will have to pace myself and plan things out better until my strength is back.

I'm sharing all this with you so that I hold myself accountable about how I talk. I want to change my life for the better and I would love to have you in my corner - praying for me and cheering me on! Many thanks to Cheri for the beautiful encouraging email and for helping me to see that with God, all things are possible and that I can make my life better!

God bless you - Julie

Reflections

2011-12-06T18:35:00.000-08:00

I think one of the hardest things for me in dealing with this pain I'm in is the fact that I'm not able to do my decorating that I like to do. It's December 6th and I still don't have a single Christmas thing out, and that includes my tree. In the past, it wasn't unusual for me to put up my tree for my birthday (early November) and enjoy the decorations for two months. It grieves my heart that I have to give up so much. My family would be more than happy to get things out for me, but both my sons are in the midst of finals and I wouldn't dream of bothering them. My husband would be happy to help me but he can only do so much. In reality, this shouldn't be a big deal for me, but it is and a reminder of how much my life has changed. It makes me sad.

I've been having really horrible pain again and having a hard time even getting comfortable. It really just stinks and, while I don't want to use my blog to complain, it is a fact of my life right now and something I need to express. On the up side, I have finally been getting my knee shots and have had two so far with another one to three to go, depending on what I need. I have a new doctor doing the shots and it's like night and day compared to my other doctor. My pain doctor is doing my shots now and his compassion and gentleness is just such a huge contrast to my former doctor. These shots are going much better.

It snowed like crazy here over the weekend and there were some times during the day that you couldn't see past two or three feet out the window. It was like a blizzard out there. It also stayed cold enough that the snow was on the ground for several days instead of just melting off in a day. I am happy to report that today it did melt a lot and got a lot warmer out. I'm glad I didn't have to get out in that horrible snow storm!

We looked out the window the other day to see a huge, huge red-tailed hawk. It was so large that I've been keeping a close eye on my little Yorkie when she goes out. She's about the size of a small rabbit so it would be nothing for that hawk to carry her off. It just gives me chills to even think about this and you can bet we are all keeping an eye on her!

Many blessings - Julie

Book Review - Stuck DVD Bible Study

2011-12-04T20:21:00.000-08:00

Stuck by Jennie Allen

This Bible study includes the DVD, leader book, workbook, and conversation cards. I really liked the short, but thought provoking, videos that Jennie had for each weeks study. Her thoughtful words really got to the heart and helped me to focus on the Lord and his love for me.

This study is for anyone who feels disconnected (and don't we all sometimes?) and like we're not "good enough". She helps us to find those areas of our lives where we feel disconnected or stuck and to help us feel better about ourselves through our relationship with Jesus Christ.

I love the conversation cards. As a Bible study leader, these are wonderful to help start the conversation and to help get every woman at the study involved. The cards have questions like, "How has truth set you free?" and "Where do you try to find comfort when you feel down?" I love these questions because they help us really think about things and how we relate to our lives.

The entire Bible study points to the fact that the Lord is our provider and helps us to really personalize our relationship with our Lord.

I love this Bible study and would highly recommend it. This is one of those studies that could be done over and over through the years to help us get un-stuck in our lives and grow closer to Jesus.

*********************

This Bible study was provided to me for my honest review by the Book Sneeze program of Thomas Nelson Publishers.

Blessings - Julie

Show and Tell Friday...on Saturday!

2011-12-03T01:17:00.000-08:00

My goodness...I completely missed the show and tell yesterday! I think between the holidays and my pain, I'm kind of unorganized and out of it. Please forgive me, dear readers. I hope you'll enjoy my show and tell a day late. :)

This week I'm going to show you how I coffee dye my cross stitch fabric.

First gather your supplies - a clean bowl, cold coffee and your fabic.

Pour the coffee in your bowl

Next I like to bunch my fabric up

Then I push it into the bowl

Here it is under the coffee

Your fabric will get darker as it sits. I let this batch sit in the bowl for about an hour which didn't make it extremely dark, but gave it a nice antique look. I also like to move the fabric around every now and then while it's in the coffee bath so that all the areas get dyed but I also get some darker areas here and there.

Then I rinse the fabric with cool, clear water

Then I spread the fabric out to prepare it for pressing while it's damp

Then I press it until it's completely dry and wrinkle free.

Then I re-roll it and put it in the plastic case it came it. I make sure I label the package that the fabric is coffee dyed.

You can also use tea in the same way to dye your fabric. I use this method to dye my quilting fabric, too. You can change your fabric to look antiqued and give your projects a whole new look. I hope you enjoyed seeing how I do this.

Link up with your own show and tell below!

Thanksgiving

2011-12-01T10:37:00.000-08:00

We had a lovely Thanksgiving! It took me three days to prepare as I went pretty slow, but it all was wonderful and one of our best Thanksgivings ever. I made all my family's favorite foods and they truly enjoyed every morsel. Here's a few pictures of our Thanksgiving.

This is my turkey and the pretty plates we used. I've had these dishes for years and have added to them as I find them. They are Blue Ridge Pottery dishes and this pattern is called Fox Grape. I love them! All my food is not on the table as there was so much, we just dished up at the counter and had the turkey, potatoes, gravy and cranberry sauce on the table. Notice my cranberry sauce keeps the shape of the can - as it should! LOL

Here's hubby enjoying his meal. I really do need to get rid of that huge plastic bag of plastic bags behind my husband's head! I know there's a local thrift store that would love to have them.

Here's my oldest son. Look at those huge, blue eyes!! Isn't he just so handsome?

Here's my other very handsome son! Isn't he adorable? Can you tell I love my two boys? =D

I'm also sharing some pictures of my decorations on my cabinet in my kitchen. Hope you enjoy seeing them.

I hope your Thanksgiving was wonderful, too!

God bless you - Julie

Happy Thanksgiving!!

2011-11-23T21:06:00.000-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving!! I pray that you have a very blessed day and enjoy your family and lots of turkey!

God bless you - Julie

Sunday Thoughts

2011-11-20T10:45:00.000-08:00

I was thinking this morning of the suffering that so many of us go through. Pain, disease, financial struggles, marriage issues, loss of loved ones and more. It's hard, isn't it? Sometimes we just want to give up because the struggle is too much. Sometimes it would just be nice to curl up into a small ball and hide in a dark room somewhere where the world and all of it's problems would go away. Of course, even in that dark room, trouble would somehow find us, right? :)

Here's what I know. The Lord is with us in our troubles and He is allowing these troubles to bring us closer to Him and, hopefully, to be more like him. For me, sometimes I know that the Lord is all I have. He is the One who loves me unconditionally - never betrays me - never leaves me - never loves me one minute but then the next doesn't. He is my ONLY anchor - my only true love. Knowing that I have Jesus provides me with the courage and peace to go on and move forward. I can do this whole thing because I know that the Lord is walking beside me.

If you're in despair today, if you're hurting emotionally or physically, if someone you love has betrayed you, if you are having financial worries and don't know what you're going to do, please talk to God. He has a plan for your life - "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart." (Jeremiah 29:11-13), He loves you with an everlasting love - "But the steadfast love of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear him, and his righteousness to children's children, to those who keep his covenant and remember to do his commandments." (Psalm 103:17-18) and He gives us victory - "But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain." (1 Corinthians 15:57-58).

If you don't know the Lord or you have not been walking with Jesus the way you know you should be, please go HERE and take the steps to give your life to the Lord. There is no greater gift to receive than salvation through Jesus Christ and the peace and love that only God can give us. Believe me, I know. He gives me the strength and courage and peace to go on every day and a joy that I could never have if I were relying on the world to give it to me. With Jesus, there really is true joy even when things around us are falling apart. He weaves it all back together for us in His perfect way and brings us closer to Him.

God bless you and have a very blessed Sunday - Julie

Show and Tell Friday!

2011-11-11T11:33:00.000-08:00

Welcome to our first Show and Tell Friday!! This is something I have wanted to do for a long time and I'm so excited to finally be doing it! Show and Tell is just that. Share something you've made, read, decorating in your home, some place you've been...whatever! That's the fun of show and tell!

This week I'm going to share a crochet project I just finished. They are towel toppers to hold hand towels at my kitchen sink.

Aren't they cute? I really like them and they were SO fast to make. I made one in an evening and now that I know the pattern, I could easily make two in an evening. So fun to have something done so quick!

I know the pink button doesn't exactly match the yarn, but the buttons were the only two matching ones I could find in my button box that would work for these toppers. I don't think it looks horrible, but another color would have been nice.

Here's what I love about these toppers! They have a hanger on the inside to hang your towel! No more chopping our towels in half and then crocheting on the towel. I also like the fact that you have a whole towel to dry your hands on. When the towel needs changing, it's a breeze to just put a new towel on the hanger!

If you would like to make a set for yourself, HERE'S the link to the pattern I used.

Okay - it's your turn to share your Show and Tell! Just click on the linky below and put your blog post in so we can all see your beautiful Show and Tell!

God bless you - Julie