Don't Judge The Content By Its Envelope

It wasn't the "to" that caught my attention. After all, it was in my mailbox. The "from", however, took me by surprise: Bimbo Bakeries USA

I'll spare you the images that ran through my head but let's just say I debated whether or not to even open it. The debate lasted oh, about three seconds, when it was suddenly hijacked by my curiosity. 

After carefully ripping peeling off the top of the envelope, I felt like Charlie in Willy Wonka. I'd found the golden tickets (okay, so they're blue) -- four $4.00 coupons for my favorite bread (Sunbeam 40 calorie, wheat - 1 Weight Watchers point!)

When I called the 1-800 number last week, Sunbeam told me to expect coupons, but they did not, however, prepare me to receive an envelope from Bimbo's.

Can we judge the contents by its envelope? Apparently, yes -- but in doing so, Brian almost lost out on enough free bread to make many, many sandwiches for dinner. :)

This Past Weekend and Right Now

 

Taking a cue from today's post over at The Budget Maven, I thought I'd give this a try. 

This past weekend: 

• Skipped over to Barnes & Noble on Friday date night to pick up the latest issue of this favorite magazine and a new picture book for Piper.
• Caught two American Masters episodes, featuring Louisa May Alcott and Harper Lee. Informative and inspiring! It's been years since I've read To Kill A Mockingbird but thanks to the documentary, I plan to read it again very soon.
• "Worked" on plans for our study introduction next Tuesday night. The Lord sparked an idea that I cannot wait to experience with the other ladies.
• Began filling my bowl after a stirring presentation on Sunday from the ministry Rice Bowls, which helps to feed orphaned children around the globe. You simply fill up the plastic "bank" and return it to the church in exchange for another empty one. Our monetary change brings transforming changes to these little boys and girls. Read more about this amazing ministry here.

Right now:

• Like Allison, we're also gathering goods for a possible yard sale this weekend. 
• Working on new writing goals. I have a head start on September!
• Fixing a smoothie, ignoring the frappe. 
• Starting to journal my prayers again. I'd taken a break...but it's good to be back on track. 
• Praying for the Christian Communicators Conference taking place this week at The Cove—especially for Vonda, Carolyn, Latan, and all those attending.
• Thanking the Lord for YOU. I appreciate your taking time from a busy start-of-the- week to read this post. God bless you!

Friday Faves - Links to Love

Photo courtesy of Chasing Blue Skies

Chasing Blue Skies - This particular post on ministering to military families is superb! (Thanks, Ann Voskamp)

Photo courtesy of Inspired Room

Inspired Room

Photo Courtesy of Mommy Coddle

My favorite MommyCoddle posting: Moleskine + Washi Tape

Photo Courtesy of Skinny Taste

Skinny Taste - Coconut Raspberry Chai Pudding Pops 

(August 23 post)

Fresh Blessings and Guest Blogging

 (Owners of B Encouraged Ministry Home)

It's a blessing to have sufficient room for a Bible study. And it's one, quite frankly, I took for granted until a few weeks ago.

With a record number of women signed up for our Abide in Christ study, we had doubts that we'd fit in our current location, the beautiful B Encouraged Ministry House in downtown Simpsonville. After all, there were 28 women in the last study and the space was tight.

We considered meeting elsewhere, resigning ourselves to the fact we had no other choice. That is, until I stopped by for a trial run yesterday. Becka, one of their amazing staffers, suggested a different place for Becky and I to stand while leading the study. Yes, it will still be a little "cozy", as realtors say, but we think will work just fine. 

New ideas and fresh blessings emerge when we include others in our decisions. Thank you, Becka!

------

Also, I'm delighted to be guest blogging at Allison Martin's The Budget Maven today. I'd love for you to hop over for a quick visit. There, you'll also find my poem Soft Clover, which won third place at the Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writer's Conference in 2011.

And the Award Goes To...

Today I was nominated for the Liebster Blog Award by Allison over at The Budget Maven!

The Liebster Blog Award is given to bloggers by bloggers. It’s a way to acknowledge each other and say “you’re doing a great job”. It is for blogs with 200 or less followers, so it’s also a nice way to spread the word about smaller blogs and get them more readers and followers! 

When you receive the award, you post 11 random facts about yourself and answer 11 questions from the person(s) who nominated you. You pass the Award onto 11 other blogs (make sure you tell them you nominated them!) and ask them 11 questions. You’re not allowed to nominate the blog(s) who nominated you! (To get the button, right click the picture on my page and save the picture to your computer. You can then upload to your blog.) 


11 Random Facts:

• I'm married to a bluegrass musician (and a darn good one at that!)

• I'm a germ freak. My hands may be chapped but I can't remember the last time I caught a cold!

• I'm a closet NASCAR fan. Yes, NASCAR. The love-fest began in 2001 at Daytona. It just happened to be the first race I'd watched in years (my mom dated a NASCAR driver for many of my teen years). When I watched Dale Earnhardt Sr. hit the wall and not emerge from his car, I was emotionally hooked. 

• Autumn is my favorite season. I'm convinced heaven will be fall-like for an eternity!

• I feed my spoiled Lhasa Apso by hand. Did I just admit that? 

• I would like to write a children's book.

• I collect vintage chenille bedspreads.

• I'm not partial. I have one of the cutest granddaughters God ever created. 

• I have a weakness for McDonald's Chocolate Chip Frappe's. Can anyone say 18 Weight Watchers points? Ouch!

• I watched the 1995 version of Pride and Prejudice (with Colin Firth as Mr. Darcy) so many times that my DVD began to flicker—so I invested in a new one. :)

• The study of The Tabernacle was a turning point in my Christian walk. Forget the idiom "the devil is in the details" -- it's our awesome God who is interested in every minute detail of our lives. Thank You, Lord!

Allison's Questions for me:

1.What is your least favorite color?

Blue

2. What smell makes you the happiest?

Crisp leaves in Autumn

3. What’s one thing from your bucket list that you’ve yet to do?

Make a bucket list.

4. Who would win in a fight between a hard shell taco and a grilled cheese sandwich?

Hard shell taco, hands down. Unless we're at Mike's on Main Street in Hendersonville NC. Their grilled cheese with a cold root beer is yummy. I'd best stop now or I may have to change my answer to #2. 

5. What’s your favorite dessert?

Birthday cake. White cake and buttercream white icing. Sweet mercy!

6. If you could trade wardrobes with a celebrity, whose closet would you raid?

Sienna Miller's - love her style!

7. What overused expression really gets on your nerves?

"politically correct"

8. Vintage or Modern?

Vintage

9. Coke or Pepsi?

Coke...it's classic.

10. If you had to change your name, what would you change it to?

Aubree Sophia Baker (where did that come from?)

11. If someone gave you a check for a million dollars, how would spend it?

Truly, I would give a generous check to Summit (my awesome church!) and other Kingdom causes. Then I'd build a cabin in the mountains where my family could vacation together (and we could live full-time!)

Here are my nominations for the Liebster Award:

1. Brandon and Megan at This Beautiful Truth

2. Sarah at Morning Glory and Hallelujah

3. Jamie at Encouraging Women

4. Julie at Anti-Writing

5. Susan at I Hope 4 Him

6. Dee Dee at Come Go Home With Me

7. Kim at Hope Lives Now

8. Lori at Deeper With Jesus in Rhode Island

9. Debra at DL Koontz

10. Ellen at Ellen Andersen

11. Marcia at On a Write Journey Following God

My Eleven Questions for Nominees:

1. Would you rather see a movie at the theater or at home on DVD? Why?

2. If someone wrote a book about your life, what would they title it?

3. Who's your favorite singer or band?

4. If you had to choose a favorite book of the Bible, what would it be and why?

5. Fiction or non-fiction? Why?

6. How would you spend a million dollars? 

7. Walmart or Target?

8. Do you parallel park or drive around the block?

9. What's your favorite cookie?

10. If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go?

11. What recent blessing from the Lord would you like to share? 

A BIG thanks to Allison at Budget Maven for this opportunity to share and to help other blogs get noticed.

Join the Party!

I'm delighted to be guest posting over at Jamie Britt's blog Encouraging Women today! Click here if you'd like to join the party. :)

You are sure to find Jamie as inspiring as everyone else who crosses her path. She may be physically blind but God has blessed her with the beautiful ability to see spiritual truths sparkling clear. It is an honor to know her and to call her my friend.

Thanks for stopping by Jamie's blog today!




**Summit Church is taking a three week break from our normal teaching schedule. Sunday Snippets will return in September. 

 

Friday Fave: Creative Bookazines

By now, you know Stampington's Artful Blogging and Where Women Create are two of my favorite bookazines at Barnes. 

Artful Blogging offers Visually Inspiring Online Journals. Engaging stories and unique perspectives on why people blog are beautifully displayed on every page.

Where Women Create show Inspiring Work Spaces of Extraordinary Women. The latest issue features Rachel Ashwell (Shabby Chic!), American Greetings, Liz Johnson, and many more. Tap into these creative spaces and make them your own.

I'm delighted yesterday's blog post is mentioned as one of Susan Stilwell's "Friday Favorites" today. Be sure to stop by! Susan's blog I Hope 4 Him is one you'll want to visit on a regular basis for oh so many reasons.

10 Quotes on Creativity

• 'A bell is a cup until it is struck.' -Wired

• 'Every exit is an entry somewhere else.' -Tom Stoppard 

• 'There are always two people in every picture: the photographer and the viewer.' -Ansel Adams

• 'There have been great societies that did not use the wheel, but there have been no societies that did not tell stories.' -Ursula Le Guin

• 'The bandwidth of the world is greater than that of your TV set, or the Internet, or even a totally immersive, interactive, dynamically rendered, object-oriented, real-time graphic-simulated computer experience.' -Bruce Mau, Designer

• 'I can't understand why people are frightened of new ideas. I'm frightened of the old ones.' -John Cage, Composer

• 'When I am, as it were, completely myself, entirely alone, and of good cheer -- say traveling in a carriage or walking after a good meal -- it is on such occasions that my ideas flow best and most abundantly.'  -Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

• 'A good plan implemented today is better than a perfect plan implemented tomorrow.' -George S. Patton

• 'So you see, imagination needs noodling -- long, inefficient, happy idling, dawdling and puttering.' -Brenda Ueland, Writer

• 'I think people who are not artists often think artists are inspired. But if you work at your art you don't have time to be inspired. Out of the work comes the work.' -John Cage, Composer

- All quotes taken from Be Creative, by Infinite Ideas. Download now on Kindle. It's the best $2.99 you'll spend today!

Oh, The Things We Do For Love

 

Once upon a time a Pappa-to-be purchased a Princess Tent for his granddaughter who was expected to arrive nine months ago today. He knew the time would come when her eyes would light up at the sight of a pink plastic blob with flags on top. 

And the Pappa-to-be was right.

As you can see, Brian went out of his way to make Princess Piper feel right at home. Oh, the things we do for love!  

We pop a tent, sit inside to assure her all is well, and make googly faces just to hear her giggle. It delights us when she's tickled pink (pun intended).

So why are we surprised when our heavenly Father showers us with divine delights throughout the day? The sun rises, soft winds blow, vivid colors abound, and birds serenade us in perfect harmony. God could've created a black and white world for us and we would've never known the difference—but He didn't.

Oh, the things He does for love. 

Romans 1:19-20 - since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse. 

 

A Simple Celebration of the Sabbath

(Mt. Sinai in the rain)

"We've left the Sabbath in the dust of our schedules."

Dr. Bob Laurent

My Friday Five - Changing Direction

When's the last time you changed things up a bit? 

You may remember from this post that my writing desk faced our busy city street. I enjoyed seeing vehicles whiz by and children playing on the swings in the park. 

In fact, I enjoyed the outdoor activities so much that I often found myself gazing out the window instead of tapping on the keys. It was time for a change!

My awesome hubby gave up his bookshelf, bought me a comfy chair, and helped me turn the desk towards the wall. Immediately, my concentration level spiked. Now,when a visual break is needed, I simply swivel around, prop my feet up on the window ledge, and take it all in. 

Even the smallest of changes can spark creativity. Driving a different route, moving furniture, cooking something out of the norm, etc.  

Go ahead, give it a try and watch the sparks fly! (No, I do not consider this a poem. ha!)

‘You don’t get creative by staying in the same place.’ - Andy Law

 

Wordless Wednesday - My Kind of Savings

Reflections From My Computer-Sabbatical Day

You may remember this post from last week about my plans to begin a computer-sabbatical on Sundays, pushing the Sunday Snippets posts to Mondays.

Due to unforeseen circumstances, I was unable to take sermon notes but I did, however, make a few mental notes yesterday afternoon during the sabbatical:

• Pressure off, peace on. Knowing no emails, Facebook posts, Yahoo updates, or anything else internet related would be checked, lifted a pressure I didn't even know existed.

• Because many of my to-do's are tied to the internet, that list melted into thin air but my need for rest was solidified. Yep, I napped!

• Time, conversations—practically everything—seemed to shift into a lower gear, allowing my activities (and rest) to soak in a little deeper.

And this morning? I awakened refreshed, ready to take on the day. A "cleansing" has taken place and the re-set button has kicked into gear! 

Might the Lord be prompting you to try a computer-Sabbatical? If so, I encourage you to lean into the experience and receive the blessings that await. 

The same information and contacts will be waiting online tomorrow...but today can never be retrieved.

Supporting One of Our Own, Marcia Moston

Our Word Weavers group couldn't be prouder of Marcia Moston!

If you missed her book signing today at Fiction Addiction, you missed a delightful time. Balloons, books, friends, fellow writers, and the most remarkable cake you've ever laid eyes on. Her book cover, made of edible paper, was propped atop chocolate and vanilla cupcakes. Enough said. 

It was a blessing to see Marcia surrounded by family and friends. If you would like to purchase a copy of her debut memoir, Call of A Coward, click here and then please consider leaving a review. After all, there are many ways we can show our support for one another.

Congratulations, Marcia! 

My Friday Fave - Inn the Oven

When the new bakery Inn the Oven opened just across the street from my Weight Watchers meeting place, I knew I'd be calling on some mad self-discipline skills.

I called -- but no one answered -- so Brian and I headed over after dinner last week. He had "the best ice cream ever" and I enjoyed a generous slice of homemade chocolate cake with thick-cooked chocolate icing like my grandmother used to make. Remember the tiny bit of sugar-crunch you taste when biting into homemade icing? Oh yes, it's all there. 

While I can't enjoy a generous slice of chocolate cake (or any of their other delectable desserts) on a regular basis, I can head over any time for lunch, where they serve home-made chicken salad and Build-Your-Own-Sandwiches.

I love supporting locally-owned businesses—especially those that remind me of my grandmother's cooking. 

Visit Inn the Oven on Facebook to "like" and find out more information.