Setting an Example

No matter how hard I try to stop it, my sons are growing up. Now I know they are only 7 and 4, but I worry about the pressures they will soon face to join the greater non-Christian culture. Society's call to fit in usually requires some unsavory behaviors, like promiscuity, drug use and profanity. I was a teenager once, and I made some bad choices...I did many things that I would never do now that Christ is guiding my life. I pray that my boys will not turn down the wide path of sin that fills our culture today, but that they will take the less travelled, narrow path with Christ.

1Timothy 4:12 Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith, and in purity.

Programming Brought to You by Etsy...

Anyone who has kids knows how your TV viewing habits evolve from being parent's choice to kids' rule! If a grown-up show is on before 10pm, I don't usually get to see it. My days are filled with song-and-dance and animation. Thankfully, there are some shows that my kids love that I like too. Check out these awesome etsy finds inspired by our family TV favorites...

What cartoon has been on since the 1960's and can still capture the imaginations of kids of all ages?! Like, it's Scooby Doo, man! Jinkies, check out these ribbon figures from lilladybows.etsy.com.

I have 2 boys and they are all about the rough play, so, naturally, they love Jack Black in "Nacho Libre". "Beneath the clothes, we find a man... and beneath the man, we find his... nucleus." And this cool pillow from sewsewsuckurtoe.etsy.com.


Sing with me..."Oh.... who lives in a pineapple under the sea?". A Spongebob jumper with ruffle pants from cocolokaboutique.etsy.com.

Did it Hit Too Close to Home?

I received an email yesterday from a friend that discussed an opening prayer at a session of the Kansas House of Representatives. Well, it was a cool message, but I had to find out if it was true...I'm sure all of you have received some far-fetched emails before! I checked it out with snopes.com and it was true, so here's the story:

"Thought you might enjoy this interesting prayer given in Kansas at the opening session of their Senate. It seems prayer still upsets some people. When the guest Minister was asked to open the new session of the Kansas Senate, everyone was expecting
the usual generalities, but this is what they heard:

Heavenly Father, we come before you today to ask your forgiveness and to seek your direction and guidance. We know Your Word says, 'Woe to those who call evil good,' but that is exactly what we have done.
We have lost our spiritual equilibrium and reversed our values.
We have exploited the poor and called it the lottery.
We have rewarded laziness and called it welfare.
We have killed our unborn and called it choice.
We have shot abortionists and called it justifiable.
We have neglected to discipline our children and called it building self esteem.
We have abused power and called it politics.
We have coveted our neighbor's possessions and called it ambition.
We have polluted the air with profanity and pornography and called it freedom of expression.
We have ridiculed the time-honored values of our forefathers and called it enlightenment.
Search us, Oh, God, and know our hearts today; cleanse us from every sin and set us free. Amen!

The response was immediate. A number of legislators walked out during the prayer in protest. In 6 short weeks, Central Christian Church, where Rev. Wright is pastor, logged more than 5,000 phone calls with only 47 of those calls responding negatively. The church is now receiving international requests for copies of this prayer from India , Africa and Korea . Commentator Paul Harvey aired this prayer on his radio program, 'The Rest of the Story,'and received a larger response to this program than any other he has ever aired."

What a cool story...critics of the prayer possibly felt it hit too close to home...maybe they didn't want to offend their constituents in this politically correct world. We should all be offended, however, at the state of this nation and the "anything goes" attitude of the greater culture! Snopes did mention that the author of this prayer was not Reverend Wright, but Bob Russell, who delivered his version at the Kentucky Governor's Prayer Breakfast in Frankfort in 1995. It's awesome that this powerful message originated right in my home state.

Who Doesn't Love the Dollar Store?!

If you are a crafter and you are anything like me, a trip to Hobby Lobby can result in spending WAY TOO MUCH! And if you are like me, one trip every few weeks is just not enough...I have to go weekly and I might as well stop by Joann's and Michael's while I'm at it! So anytime I can find cheap craft supplies I go crazy. Last night while I was "blog hopping" I found....drumroll please...
http://dollarstorecrafts.com/
...craft tutorials using products found at the dollar store!!! Some of my favorites include...

fancy hair combs




placemat handbag








picture frame jewelry display






and the cutest little Cape made from a cheap fleece blanket.



You have to check out this fun site!!

I Feel So Small

Last night at 11:06pm, I watched the International Space Station fly over my house. Now, had I not been looking for the ISS, I probably would've thought it was some kind of jet. It really just looked like a very bright speck flying across the night sky, but seeing it made me feel very small and humbled. After watching it I prayed, praising God for his awesome creation and the great intelligence he gave man to be able to explore his handiwork. Anyone who does not believe in God's power should just take a look around them...He created it all.

1Chronicles 29:11 Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendor, for everything in heaven and earth is yours. Yours, O Lord, is the kingdom; you are exalted as head over all.

For those who want to see when the ISS will pass through your neighborhood check out

http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/realdata/sightings/cities/skywatch.cgi?country=United+States

It is only visible for a few more weeks.

Uniformity

Lately, I've been gearing up for the fall craft show circuit. I have only attended one craft show as a seller and it was a very disappointing venture. A small number of sellers and even fewer buyers...my only sale came from my mom! Well, I have a new product, so I thought I would give it a go. I needed some marketing products and I discovered Vista Print. Vistaprint.com is just awesome. They have a ton of free templates. You can get anything personalized for your business...from business cards to pens to t-shirts to yard signs. Here's the best part...many of these items are FREE!! All you pay is shipping! Everything else is really cheap. Look at what I got...a banner, labels, and business cards...and they all match!!

Now I'll look like a pro at those craft shows!