Preparing for Easter and Lent

2019 is in danger of getting a ticket.  I mean it is definitely going way too fast.  I can't believe we are already talking about Easter and Lent.  Don't let them sneak up on you, girls.

Easter is Sunday, April 21st

so

Lent will begin on Wednesday, March 6th

I love Easter and always want to be focused leading up to it.  So I usually try to do something for the Lent period.  It is good to have something constantly taking my mind and thoughts back to the meaning of Easter.  I usually try to add something and I usually try to give up something

Ideas to add could be - an additional dedicated time of prayer each day, a set amount of time to do some Bible reading each day, praying for one particular person or situation each day or you could add something like drinking a certain amount of water each day, walking 20 minutes each day, completing some household chore every day

Ideas to give up could be - complaining, criticizing, hitting the snooze button, sodas, fried foods, social media, television, shopping, listening to music

I try to choose something that will be challenging to me, something that brings me to prayer each time I think of it.  Whatever that is in your life......prayerfully consider adding or giving it up, whichever applies in your case.

So we have a little time before March 6th but start thinking now so you will be ready.

Also in preparation for Easter Celebration check out the new Easter Advent Banner

One side has a countdown of 40 days leading up to Easter, the reverse side celebrates Easter Day and His Resurrection

Easter Banner

While you are counting down you can use this calendar that comes with it

This calendar gives you a very short story to read each week of Lent, then a verse with 1-3 questions to read each day. It is a 5 minute devotion to go with each day of the countdown.

I have an older version of this banner that I have had for several years.  It is a very good quality and I always enjoy pulling it out each year.  Now is the time to order one for your home so you will have it in plenty of time.

See you back on Friday!

Encouragement.....for you

This is the last week of February.  I hope you have had the opportunity to encourage someone, to pray for encouraging spirits and to be encouraged yourself.  If you need to refresh yourself on our prayer challenge for the year just click here.

Since it is the last week, I wanted to encourage you.  One of my favorite Pinterest Boards is "Words".  I pin all kinds of quotes and scripture there.  When I am looking for the right words to share with someone, I often pop over to my Pinterest Board for some inspiration.

Today I am sharing a few of my favorites that I have pinned

and most of all I hope you know

You can find more inspirational words on my Pinterest board, just click the Pinterest button which is on the top right of this blog page.

I hope you are encouraged and that you are able to encourage others as you go thru this week.

Make it a great Monday!

Oscar Gifts for the Actresses

I love watching the Oscars even though I have not seen any of the movies they will talk about.  I don't go to the movies much, but I do rather enjoy watching all the dresses and hair and such.  I also like to hear about all the movies that I may eventually watch.  In honor of the big show on Sunday I have a few things for you today.  I usually do a post about the movies that are nominated for best film.....but they were too hard this year.....I just couldn't find a complimentary retail item for some of them.  So we are going with the BEST ACTRESS category.   After all each one of us at one time or another could have won in this category. I've included the movie trailer for each just in case you are like me and clueless about some of the movies.

First up, Roma

This movie chronicles a tumultuous year in the life of a middle class family in Mexico City in the early 1970's.  Yalitza Aparicio is nominated for her role as a domestic worker named Cleo.
I thought if I could buy her a little something, just as a special treat for her what would it be.  Well I have only seen the trailer but, she is hustling through the whole thing.  So here is what I would buy for her

X-Large Heating Pad

Picture yourself under this warm little beauty every evening, Ms. Cleo......Every night I plug in my heating pad and put it between the sheets.  Then I take a shower and climb into a toasty bed.  I then move the heating pad up to my shoulders while I read or watch tv or scroll thru instagram.  After all Cleo has going on this movie, I think she would find this quite a nice treat.

Next up, is Melissa McCarthy as Lee Israel in Can you Ever Forgive Me.  

The trailer told me two things about Lee Israel: 1) she needs a hug and 2) she needs a better cardigan.  I've got the perfect thing for her

Barefoot Dreams Circle Wrap

It's the cardigan that feels like a hug....you are welcome, Ms. Israel.

Now onto Olivia Colman who plays Queen Anne in The Favourite....

ok I understand this one may really push the limits as far as explicit scenes....so I probably won't actually see this one.  However, I will give her a pretend gift too. Based on what I heard about the movie I started to just buy her a devotional.....but instead I decided she might need a hobby. Maybe something to keep her busy, past the time with some positivity -  so she gets my favorite pens

Stabilo Pens

and a nice coloring book

Coloring Book

Maybe these can become her favourites.....ha, see what I did there? ok moving on.......

Glenn Close is nominated for her role as Joan in The Wife.

Now I am a Glenn Close fan.  I think she has just aged beautifully.  But this pretend gift is not for her.  It is for her character Joan.  And here is what I would select for her

Moonstone Pendant

It is subtle, it is elegant and it is on sale.  I think Joan would love it......and maybe you too.

Lastly, Lady Gaga as Ally in a Star is Born

Wow this was a tough one......what to get Ally?  Ally is tough, has a rocking voice but seems to question herself.

And I feel like with a little lip gloss and this

Kaftan

her self-esteem is going to sky rocket.  Wear it with confidence, Ally. And it is a great swimsuit cover which she will need because she's 'far from the shallow now".

I hope you enjoy the Oscars.  Gift giving is one of my favorite things, but I gotta be honest I can't believe I just spent two hours watching these movie trailers and picking out pretend gifts.

Have a great weekend! Meet you back here on Monday!!!

The End of Sock Season

Y'all.....this weather!!! One day in boots the next day in sandals....wow it has been intense.  But here is the thing.  Last week I wore my normal booties for a couple of days and then it was like above 75 degrees and so I thought I would wear a little pair of leopard flats without hosiery......honestly I was shocked at the paleness of my feet.  They were borderline transparent.  So I am used to this, every summer I give myself a little winter recovery jump start with


Usually I don't kick in with this until late March.  But this year is going to require an early start.

I saw this on instagram

Photo courtesy of Letterfolk Instagram

and I just had to laugh.......because.....that's just truth.

Here's what I love about the Jergens Natural Glow.....it is a decent moisturizer, it goes on easily, you simply apply every day and the color builds.  It doesn't give you this immediate artificial looking color.  It gradually builds to a nice, healthy, sun-kissed color.

You can find it pretty much everywhere......Target, Publix, Amazon.

Let the natural glow begin........

See you back here on Friday!

President's Day Links

I hope you are enjoying a day off today.  If you are anywhere near me you are soggy and rain weary.  Well do yourself a little spring shopping and chase those clouds away.  Here are a few sales going on right now.....

William Sonoma is offering an additional 20% off clearance.  Sale ends Monday.

J. Crew has 40% off plus free shipping.

Boll and Branch has 20% off sitewide.....these are some seriously good sheets!

If you have not tried Collen Rothschild skincare.....now is your time. Or maybe you need a restock....go for it. Currently offering $50 off of $150 purchase. Use code CAS50

Bath and Body has 20% your entire purchase with very few exclusions.  Code FRESHSKIN

Michaels has 20% off your entire purchase if you are feeling crafty!

There's 40% off of everything at GAP.  Use code DENIM

LOFT is running a big sale.  40% off regular prices.  70% off sale prices.

Make it a great week. See you back on Wednesday!

Friday....yes please!

Who's happy to see Friday.....Yes!!!! Me too.  I've had a good week but a super busy one and I am ready for just a couple of days of chill.  Well a couple of days of chill and retail.  If you are feeling the same here's a few things I found on line......and may or may not have ordered

First up,

Floreat Jumpsuit

Ok, when I saw this I thought it was super cute.  Looks comfy.  Love the colors.  But then I read about it and they actually call it a "sleep jumpsuit".....Huh? A what? Ok, who says I think I will go to bed now and selects this....I am going with absolutely no one.  It has great reviews and everyone agreed this is not for sleeping, but looks super cute about town.  You know what I think it should be called? The "get in my suitcase we are going on vacation jumpsuit"  Don't you agree?  Maybe they wanted to call it that but just didn't have enough room.

If you need a little shoe to go with said jumper

Vince Camuto Kathalia Platform

This Vince Camuto Shoe is on sale half off and is now under $55.  It comes in this gold and a cognac.

I also thought this little clutch was adorable

Leith Clutch

And you get all three of these

Bauble Bar Earring Set

 for under $41,  Keep one pair and gift the others.....or keep them all for yourself.  No judgment here.

Lastly, I am totally obsessed with Fly London shoes.  They are all day comfortable and super cute.

Yeba Wedge

It also comes in black.

I don't know about you but I needed that little retail therapy.

I hope you have an absolutely wonderful weekend.  I hope you are encouraged and that you have the opportunity to encourage others.

See you back here on Monday!

True Love

So tomorrow is Valentine's Day.  The love holiday.  There are some who will enjoy the day being showered in flowers, chocolates, jewelry, fancy dinners and nice gifts.  There are some who will lament the holiday because they don't have a special love currently in their lives.  And there will be quite a range of emotions in between those two extremes.

So just popping in today to remind us all of the best, most pure, undaunting, unmatchable love we all have.....

See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know Him. 1 John 3:1

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Jeremiah 29:11

For God so loved the world that he gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16

But you, Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness. Psalm 86:15

“The Lord your God is with you, He is mighty to save.  He will take great delight in you, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing.”  Zephaniah 3:17

But you are a forgiving God, gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love…” Nehemiah 9:17 

Your love, O Lord, reaches to the heavens, Your faithfulness to the skies.  Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains, Your justice like the great deep.”  Psalm 36:5-6

“In all these things, we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.  For I am convinced that neither death or life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”  Romans 8:37-39 

You, dear friends, are greatly loved.  Reminding you of our collective prayer focus this month

Tomorrow would be a great day to not only pray for each other but also to live and demonstrate  these verses by sharing some encouraging love with someone!

See you back on Friday

January Book Review

Much like the real weather, I couldn't get away from Winter in my reading last month.  Three of my four reads were cold, but four out of four reads were good.  So that is the good news!  Here is what I read last month



Winter's Bone by Daniel Woodrell. Ree Dolly is left to take care of herself, her mom who has mentally checked out of life and her two little brothers.  The problem is she is just a kid herself.  When she has to find her dad or lose the only thing they have - their house, the treacherous adventure begins.  They are so poor and so uneducated and so tragic.   You may need a throw while reading this one.  It is cold.  So very cold.  And so well written I literally was chilly when reading it.  But you have to keep reading until the end to see if Ree can keep it all together and make it work. It has some tough spots in it but ......The end is worth it.

And keeping with the Winter theme..... next up I read



Winter Garden by Kristin Hannah. It is no secret that I am a Kristin Hannah fan. While this was not my all time favorite, it was very good.  However, just fair warning the first couple of chapters are a little slow.  The story involves the mom telling a story.....so that part is a little weird to be reading about someone telling a story but I settled into it.  The gist is the mom is very removed and unloving to her daughters.  They each have their own reaction to this upbringing.  Finally, they are forced to get to know each other and when the truth comes out it is certainly nothing you could imagine.  Another well written, highly engaging book by Kristin Hannah.

Then I jumped to a much warmer climate....



Queen Sugar by Natalie Baszile. Charley is a single mom who just inherited a sugar cane farm in Louisiana.  She has to make it work, make it prosperous, but first keep it from going under.  All the family dynamics you can imagine are at play.  She meets those cheering for her to win and those hoping she will fail.  She puts in the work, but will it be enough?  Well written and kept me engaged and interested until the very end.

This last one starts off cold but warms quickly



One Day in December by Josie Silver.  Do you believe in love at first sight?  Well this takes that theory to the very extreme. It is a very enjoyable story about two friends who feel like sisters.....their relationship ebbs and flows and different boyfriends come in and out of their lives.  There are only a couple of unnecessary graphic scenes...... Just turn the page.  The story is worth reading....it has a little Sleepless in Seattle flare.  If you like that kind of story, I think you will enjoy this one.  I certainly did.

I've got a good line up for next month.  Hope you are reading some great things too.  As always, share with me.  I don't want to miss out on anything.

See you back on Wednesday.

Valentine ideas.....

Whether you celebrate big or not at all,  today here are a few little lovely suggestions.....buy them for someone.....buy them for yourself or just forward this post to someone who may want to buy a few of these for you

How cute are these little capri blue candles

Capri Blue Mini Candles

Look at how cute the little tops are

The Pink Sugar candle lid reads - be mine.  The Mint Truffle candle has - XOXOs on the lid. For Keeps is on the Berry Sangria's candle lid. And the Whipped Vanilla candle lid reads - wink wink.  These are super cute and very affordable.

Speaking of affordable

Bath Bombs

How cute would these conversation heart bath bombs be to hand out to your Galentines?

And we should all just own this to wear on the big day

Kate Spade Heart Scarf

And you know I can't resist a good throw with cute hearts all over it

Mini heart throw

I bought these little plates just to add to the festive time of the year

Melamine Plates

If you are picking up any Bath and Body Works, here's a current coupon code

This last one requires you to move TODAY!!!! I am a big fan of the Colleen Rothschild skin care.  Check out this special product and deal for Valentine's Day

Cocoa Bean - Cleansing Balm

The description on the website says......Indulge the senses with the aroma and hydrating benefits of Cocoa Butter and Hazelnut Oil, while delivering a dose of antioxidant protection to help guard against free-radicals. Natural Vanilla Beans gently exfoliate dull, congested pores. Skin is left soft and nourished, ready for the next step of your skincare ritual.

Plus there are a couple of gifts that come with your purchase

The face oil initially sounded weird to me, but since I gave it a try I have become obsessed with it.

I hope you have a great weekend. I will see you back here on Monday!

February - Heart health month

Just a reminder today, ladies, to take care of yourself. We are periodically reminded of how precious life is and for awhile we all pay a little more attention.  Well let's see if we can be a little more vigilant about our health.  You know.....consistently paying attention.

While grocery shopping the other day I felt like my foot was numb.....I was like wait a minute....what's going on here and I literally stopped on the soup aisle, took off my shoe, wiggled my toes and got the feeling back.....so it turns out I had my converse tied too tight.  Good news, that was an easy fix!  But here is the thing.  We have to pay attention to our bodies.  We have to address any issues that come up immediately.  We have to insist on satisfactory answers to our medical questions.  No one, absolutely, no one knows your body like you do.  If you feel something is off, out of whack, get yourself somewhere and get it addressed.

So this month is heart health month and of course eating right and moving more is a great help to your heart.  Food Network has a whole section on heart healthy recipes.  Click here to see them.  This month maybe just try one or two a week.

One of the main ways to help your heart is to reduce your salt intake.  This would be a great month to experiment with other seasonings and leave that salt shaker behind.  Click here for a list of sodium free seasonings you might want to check out. I've not ordered from this company but they sure sound good.

This set is available on Amazon and has pretty good reviews

Set of Six Salt free Seasonings

But also check your local grocery store spice aisle......there are some good ones there too.

Also, remember The Heart Center will do a Vascular Screening for only $99.  This screening will check for aorta enlargement, blockages that could lead to a stroke, arterial blood flow to the legs and check your Blood Pressure. 

Now about this whole moving more.......what can I tell you.....give it a try.  I am new to the Apple Watch world and it periodically tells me to stand and to move which I appreciate.  I'll take the encouragement from wherever I can get it.  There are also all kinds of apps you can look into that will help  you get moving.

Small adjustments in our lifestyle can really make a difference.  Take care of yourself!

Meet me back here on Friday for some Valentine ideas.  See you then.

Surrendering - A year of Prayer February edition

I hope you enjoyed our collective January prayer for Salvation.  As a reminder here is our prayer guide for the year

Click here for a printable copy of the year long plan.

For February we wil be focusing on Uplifting Each Other.  Yes, who could use a little uplifting?  Did everyone raise their hand?  Me too!  So let's pray we speak, behave and show each other some positive reinforcement this month.

Here is our inspiration verse for this month

Click here if you would like to print the February verses.

I think these prayers are applicable for our homes, our communities, our states, our nation, this world. So as we go through the month let's really think about different areas we can specifically pray this uplifting

teachers to students

students to students 

parents to children

spouse to spouse

boss to employee

employee to employee

coach to athlete

neighbor to neighbor

customer to retail worker

you get the picture......there are so many relationships that provide the opportunity to have encouraging words spoken and prayed.

Thanks for joining in with us here on the blog.

I am so encouraged by your willingness to collectively pray this year.

Super Bowl!

Have you chosen your team for the super bowl yet? Will you actually be cheering for any particular team or just there for the snacks and commercials?

I usually pick my team by who has the best team colors.....but this year I feel both are kind of blah.

So if you need help choosing who to cheer for here are some data points to consider

Coaches: The Rams coach 33-year-old Sean McVay vs. the 66 year old Bill Belichick Patriots coach.


Quarterbacks:

 Patriots, Tom Brady is 41 years old

compared to


Rams, Jaren Goff is 24 years old

 Source: Nielsen Sports Sponsorlink (January - December 2018)

The Patriots boast over 11 million fans.
The Rams have a little over 4 million fans.

Everything about the Rams is younger including their fan base which comes in with 33% in the age range of 18-34.  The Patriots only have 29% of their fan base in that category.

Women make up 48% or the Patriots fans but only 36% of the Rams fans are women.

So did that help at all? Yeah, it didn't for me either.  I am just here for the commercials and the snacks.

I am thinking of doing a nacho bar for the big day.  Imagine a slowcooker of cheese dip, a slowcooker of taco beef and one more with taco seasoned shredded chicken......ok that's a good start

Then tortilla chips, black olives, jalapeno slices, sour cream, sliced tomato, black beans, tomatoes and green onions will be available for making the nachos your own.

I could eat nachos any day of the week so I am looking forward to it.

Then we will need a little something sweet to finish the day.

I think I am going to do a pound cake or an angel food cake with mixed berries.

What's on your menu?

I hope to get out and scout some fun prizes for our commercial bingo game.

Whoever you are cheering for.....I hope your team wins! Wish me luck in conquering the Nacho bar.

Have a great weekend!