Southern Living Showcase Home

Decorating your home can be big fun but also kinda overwhelming all at the same time.

Sure, I flip through all kinds of magazines, have been known to go on HAR.com just for ideas and definitely pinned my fair share of decorating ideas on Pintrest. But sometime you need inspiration, up close and personal.

Ladies...brace yourself.

The Southern Living Showcase Home is right in our backyard for the next 3 weeks.

15026 Hidden Valley Waters Dr.
Cypress, TX 77429
Hidden Falls Subdivision

2011 Tour Dates
October 6th-9th
October 13th-16th
October 20th-23td

Thursday: Noon- 8 pm
Friday-Sunday: Noon-6 pm

A $10 cash donation will benefit Home Aid Houston

Fall Ladies Bibles Studies

August 1. What is it about the first day of the month that makes you feel like you need to start something?

Maybe it's just me....it also tells me my peeps will be in school in 3 short weeks....and I'll able to go to the store ALL BY YOURSELF and run a few errands that just aren't as magical with extras, if you follow me.

What about Bible Study? Do you attend one? Do you lead one?

Below is a starter list of links for fall Bible Studies in our area. Please leave a comment so we can spread the news of others.

Houston's First Baptist Church
Champion Forest Baptist Church
Lakewood Methodist Church
Northwest Baptist Church
Jersey Village Baptist Church
Foundry Methodist Church
Faithbridge Church
Cypress Bible Church
Cypress United Methodist Church
Second Baptist, Cypress Campus
Second Baptist, Woodway Campus
Second Baptist, West Campus
Metropolitan Baptist Church
Community Bible Study
Bible Study Fellowship (BSF)

A Remedy for the Stacks

I like information.

I read it in books, magazines, online.
I watch it on TV.
I listen to it on the radio.

And often that information is good stuff that I like to keep. So I dog-ear it, write it down, or tear it out to file for later.

But then do I really go back? Or am I just a chronic information gatherer? I'd say I do a little bit of both.

Then it accumulates and I have to clean it out.

What if there was a way to virtually collect information and easily reference it?

There is, Girls. There is!

Have you heard of Pintrest? I hadn't until a friend of mine shared her newest indulgence.

Pintrest is virtual pin board or bulletin board — a place where you can create collections of things you love and “follow” collections created by people with great taste. People use Pinterest to collect and share all sorts of things — recipes, decorating ideas, quotes that inspire, outfits/clothing they like...

With print publications becoming fewer and fewer, it seems gone are the days of ripping pages out of magazines and keeping them in files. And perhaps I'm alone, but it sometimes seems cookbooks are better kitchen decor than practical tutorials as so many recipes can simply be found online.

As a person who has collections of folders, real and on my computer, of articles and recipes, this is a wonderful thing.

The downside? It’s pretty addicting.

Interested? Visit their site, ask for an invitation and then start pinning. Easiest way to get started is to just repin other's ideas...and change the captions. You can also install the bookmark to your tool bar and pin items from blogs or websites.

Happy pinning! Don't say I didn't warn you....

Preparing For The Race

Tray and I both graduated from Texas A&M and we believe all things good happen in Aggieland. After all, we did meet, fall in love and marry there.

And like most Aggies, we began the brainwashing early and often. This was going along nicely until a certain football player came on the scene and captured my oldest's attention... that player was Colt McCoy. Of all the dern teams he had to play for... Seriously? And so began JT's 4 year period of wearing that dreaded color, burnt orange.

We might have outwardly been incredulous that he like the Longhorns... but inside, we knew Colt McCoy and Jordan Shipley loved the Lord and would use their sports platforms as much as they could. And they did, on national TV. Oh yes, they did.

Brad McCoy, Colt's father, gave the public a glimpse into one of the greatest secrets of parenting their children... He and his wife prepared their children for the path they would walk, they did not prepare the path for their children.

That one sentence has resonated with us ever since we heard it. We are firm believers in teaching and training our kiddos about all the aspects of life that will be thrown their way. That choices you make carry responsibility and consequences. The good and the not so fabulous. That's reality, like it or not. And we have a greater desire to instill in our boys that integrity plays a tremendous role when working toward a goal and just plain doing life on a daily basis.

So when JT came to us and told us he'd decided to take a break from baseball this Spring, we were given a great opportunity to live out the very things we had spoken before. Would we trust him to make a decision and then deal with the consequences that might come? Or do what we thought was best for him?

You see, this is our kid that LOVES baseball. We jokingly call him a retriever because he will catch anything you throw at him and begs his dad to throw him endless pop flies in our cul-de-sac or on the field. He is never without a ball and glove in his hand. Are you following me? But after several conversations, we all came to the decision that if he felt that strongly about it, a break he would take.

Can I just tell you it has been the biggest blessing? By taking a break, it has allowed margin to do things he would have missed. He is playing 7 on 7 football with a bunch of his buddies and having an absolute blast. He and Weston attended 2 FCA Motocross Camps and he ran his first 5K. And one of the most obvious changes? They both have been able to just be kids in the cul-de-sac in the afternoons with the neighbor kids. Awesome, awesome stuff.

Has he left baseball forever? Nope. He intends to jump right back in and play next Spring and knows he'll spend this fall preparing in the off-season. But these last few months have taught a 10 year old boy to trust his gut on something and trust an even bigger God that He does have great plans for Him..because His thumbprints are all over his life.

Each decision we make is a part of the race God has planned for us. I pray we make the choice to run the race He has planned for us, not anyone else. Because even though the race might look different than we planned, it's the one He has created just for you and me.

A Tale of Two Personalities

As you know, our children couldn't be more different....they basically share a last name and that is about where the similarities end. But no matter how much they fuss during the day, they are still best friends by 9 pm when they finally fall into their beds, side by side, each night.

Tray was talking to Weston this morning about finishing his baseball season strong as their last regular season game is tonight. Weston paused for a moment and then asked Tray, "Isn't it OK for us to go 8 and 2?" (they are currently 9 and 1).

Tray paused, smiled, and then asked, "Is there a competitive bone in your body?" to which Weston replied, "A funny bone."

There you have it.

And for the record, my oldest son then said, "Weston...we are Mounces...we compete".

And that, ladies and gentleman, is my house in a nutshell.

Fun News: The Help

Y'all, I have news that is gonna bring a big fat smile to your face if you are a reader.

The Help has been made into a movie and it being released in August.

I KNOW!! Shut the front door.

I just watched the trailer and all I want to do is run to the library, check out the book and read it again, cover to cover. It's rather long, to the tune of 544 pages but SO worth the investment.

Check out the trailer and mark your calendars for August 12th. I am almost giddy...I can't think of a time of recent that I've been so excited for a movie to come to theaters.

The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face

Y'all, I have a big fat crush.

A crush on my brand new, shiny iPhone, that is.

My man has been trying to get me to leave the Blackberry camp for years and because I'm not much of a game player, I didn't think I really needed an iPhone.

Then we decide to fire our phone company and the new one we joined just happen to have iPhones.

To my great delight, I have owned my precious for almost a month and I could not be happier with my choice. The keyboard is taking some adjusting, but I'm making it just fine, thank you very much.

Of course, I sought out great protection for said device by purchasing a pink Otterbox in advance which just happen to arrive the afternoon I came home with my new treasure.

Fate, I tell you.

True to my word, I haven't been playing many games beyond Fruit Ninja and Words With Friends (which my man hijacks quite frequently, I might add.. as he still has a Blackberry because he needs a phone, not a toy, hmph) but I am loving all the apps.

Some of my faves?

411
Cozi Calendar (thanks, Nicole!) ..although I wish the reminders popped up on the screen instead of coming through my email. But the color-coding makes up for that.
My Fitness Pal
Groupon
ShakeIt Photo
Kindle

New to iPhone like me? Check out these apps:

The Weather ChannelNike Training

Lose It!

My Fitness Pal (currently using this one instead of Lose it and I like it...the database of food is pretty darn amazing but can I tell you that 1200 calories IS NOT ENOUGH. I am SO hungry, dang bathing suit season)

100 push ups

Google

Amazon.com

LPM-SMT (this is scripture memory through Beth Moore's blog)

USA Today

Fox News

AllRecipes

Epicurious

Urbanspoon

Flashlight

Bible

White Pages

TripAdvisor

OpenTable

Red Laser

CardStar

Around Me

Spring Pad

White Noise

GooCal (to link Google Calendar to iphone)

Dream Bot

Find Iphone

Currency

Emoji Free

Angry Birds Free

Angry Birds Rio Free

Fruit Ninja Lite

Cut The Rope Lite

Other fun things? I was able to go into my iTunes library and create my own ringtones. My man's ring tone is Danger Zone. Ya know, the one from Top Gun...circa 1986? How dang fun is that? Although I did date myself a bit when it went off the other day at the chiropractor where all the girls are maybe early 20's. And then they started asking me about my favorite decade of music.

OH MYLANTA. I'm only 37, girls.

The only 2 things that I'm working through are emails pushing through in a timely manner and not cheek dialing.

The email dilemma was solved today through the miracle of the internet. Have gmail or yahoo mail and it's not coming through your phone in a timely manner? Go here for gmail and if you have yahoo:

Delete your Y! Mail Account.
Turn off and then turn on iPhone.
Add your Account.
Turn iPhone off.
Go to your Computer and log out of your Y! Mail. Log back in.
Turn iPhone on.

Magic, I tell you.

Oh, and if you are a gmail user and you are receiving a duplicate sent message in your inbox whether you send it from your home computer or from your iPhone...click here for a remedy to that problema. That used to drive me bananas on my Blackberry and apparently there is a fix for Blackberry gmail email issues on that page as well.

And as for the cheek dialing... as soon as you dial, hit your home button and your apps will replace the keypad. Now, it might open up apps but it's better than conferencing in your mother-in-law like I did last week.

Laugh away....I am an IPhone novice.

I can hardly stand how fun it is and it makes standing in line, or just waiting in general, a much more pleasant experience.

What about you? Have any favorite apps?

Cell Phones For Soldiers

Lots of blog posts floating through my head but not quite clear enough to make it to the screen. I'm hoping the words will come in a few days. It's truly crazy how sometimes the words flow so easily and then other times it's truly like putting together a huge puzzle with missing pieces and no picture to guide you.

But in the mean time...do you have an old cell phone that needs a home? Cell Phones for Soldiers will provide a pre-paid postage label for you to ship your old cell phone and they recycle it and use the proceeds to buy calling cards for troops in need. Click here to print a label and be sure to erase all the data off your phone before you mail it.

Pages of Happiness Follow Up

Before we left for Scottsdale, I blogged about the joy of having 5 books to read on our trip. Little did I know that because I married Mr. Adventure, we wouldn't be doing much sitting....and my reading would be on the plane and maybe a little here and there.

Y'all, I rode in a hot air balloon, saw the Rangers play at Spring Training and climbed a dang mountain. See specs below and please, be very proud of me.

Trail Length: 1.2 miles
Elevation Gain: 1,264 feet
Summit: 2,704 feet
Difficulty: Strenuous

We had to rock climb the last part. Yes, you heard that right. Was it a beautiful view? Yep. Do I wanna do it again. NOPE, with a capital NO.

But, anyhoo....here's the follow up scoop on the books I read:

Second Time Around by Beth Kendrick

I liked the characters in this book a lot. Fun story line, not predictable. Left me wondering 'what now?" for all of them.

Whistlin' Dixie in a Nor'Easter by Lisa Patton

Meh...decent read. Had elements that were fun to discover as we visited Vermont last December and that is where the book is centered.

Skipping a Beat by Sara Pekkanen

Didn't like it a first but then it grew on me. I got a little stressed and flipped to the end on this one to see what was going to happen. I know, cheater cheater red bug eater. Sue me, I can't handle plot stress.

Saving CeeCee Honeycutt by Beth Hoffman

Y'all....you have to read this book. LOVED it....would read it again in a heartbeat. If you liked The Help, you'll love this one as well.

Alamo House by Sara Bird
Never read because when I flipped through the pages, the content and language made me a bit uncomfortable. I know, call me a prude, but I didn't want to want 4 hours of my life back after I finished the past page. Should have known, it was about a bunch of t-sips. wink, wink

All were found at the local library...give them a try!

A Daily Record

I'm not much of a journal girl.

Well, let's be more specific.

I LOVE the idea of journaling and as one would expect, I have about 5 or 6 cute little spiral journals in my possession on a shelf or in a drawer. BUT...Sister don't journal...I can't write fast enough to write down what I'm thinking. I even tried to type out my journal and that didn't work either.

I like to take notes in my journals. Notes from sermons, podcasts, and even notes from books I read. One would think highlighting would be the answer but I like to write down what sticks out so I can go back and read it later. I often check out books from the library and you can't highlight in those without getting in big fat trouble.

I have a friend who I've known for almost half my life. She's was my college roommate and truly is one of the most stinkin' hilarious people I know. I could never be as funny as her..even if I tried. And she's got these 4 hilarious kids too....4 GIRLS, y'all. Her man is funny too...If you don't need humor in that house, I don't know when you need it.

She actually likes to journal but as you can imagine, doesn't have an abundance of time. Her oldest is 11 and her youngest is almost 3....and that young one? Her middle name is Estel but I like to call her Stella. She single-handedly keeps B on her toes and her knees, for sure. But dang, they are all SO darlin'.

B introduced me to a very fun journal that is totally doable and quite fun.

Q & A a Day is a 5-year journal that asks you a different question every day. For example....Are you an original or a remix? Who would you trade places with for a day? What's your favorite piece of clothing?

Nothing too complicated. But the cool part is that it chronicles those same answers for 5 years...so you can see exactly how you answered the question each year. This journal is great for someone who is embarking on a new phase or maybe just a way to stop and think creatively each day.

365 questions, 5 years, 1, 825 answers.

How fun is that?

What's been fun is to answer some of the questions with Tray before we go to bed. Today's question/challenge is 'Write down a few lines from a song or poem that you identify with today'.

I guarantee his will be completely different from mine. Y'all know how much God speaks to me through music. How will I be able to pick a line or two? The space isn't very big, girls!

If you are in the market for a fun gift, this would be a great idea. They also have Mom's One Line a Day, a great way to capture what your kiddos are doing each day and My Quotable Kid.

I'll leave you with tomorrow's question: What invention could you not live without?

Ready..set...go!

And as a hint for a future post....I've acquired a new-to-me invention that I have the biggest crush on....love at first sight, I tell ya!

Ideas for Summer Fun 2011

Well, I'm a little over a week into this 40-day Facebook fast and I have to say I'm no worse for the wear. Sure, I wonder what I am missing a little bit but I am sure getting a lot of things done around here...namely updating my other blog In The Know Northwest.

Wait...hold the phone one minute.

Before I continue...did I mention that we got rodeo tickets offered to us tonight thinking they were Lady Antebellum only to JUST figure out they were for Alan Jackson? Yep..if I'd actually been on Facebook, I'd bet I'd figured that out a lot faster. For the love...

Back to the topic at hand...each summer I scour the internet for fun summer ideas and the start of that list can be found here. It takes a village, people. If you have 411, please share!

All joking aside....the removal of that one little distraction has been pretty amazing (that and a change of scenery to Scottsdale, AZ) and I hope to be able to put my thoughts to paper soon. He's still working on me, that is fo' 'sho.

Happy Friday!

Pages and Pages of Happiness

The Mr. and I are taking a trip soon and our two mullions, I mean precious angels from the Lord, are going to San Diego with the Mimi.

Yes, you read that right. Not their Mimi....THE Mimi.

She is the the bringer of all things fun and the inventor of their 3 favorite initials...WWW.

Whatever We Want.

Whatever we want to do and eat, whenever we want.

You can imagine the stories recounted when they come back from their adventures.

But I digress.

It's no secret I am a reader. I love me some books but I've noticed that I read more online these days than physical books and I miss holding a real book very much.

As our trip has gotten closer, I have been scouring Amazon for reviews of new books that I might like to take with me. (Yes, I read reviews. Who wants to waste their time reading a crummy book?) I almost did the happy dance right there in the middle of the Harris County Library when ALL of the books I requested were there for me to check out.

Does that make me a weirdo? Probably, but I don't care! I have 5 books to choose from and the ALL have the potential to be quite entertaining as I sit poolside getting some color on my pasty white legs. I'll have sunscreen everywhere else, but dang it...tan fat looks better than white fat and I need some color!

Speaking of sitting by the pool...when did I graduate into the swimsuit category of 'comfortable coverage'? I didn't know whether to laugh, be offended or sit in the dressing room floor and cry when I read the tag. Y'all, let's just say my very cute new suit is a Suck and Cover bathing suit. It sucks what needs to be sucked in and covers what needs to be covered. And it's a big fat bonus it happens to be stylish and not MeMaw, all tied up in a nice red blow.

Don't be that gal that needed to be covered more, supported more or just flat needed a bigger size. Employ the 3-way mirror, girls. It will save you serious regret when you happen to be in the background of a shot you never intended.

But back to my books. I can't say that any are authors I'm familiar with so here's crossing my fingers that my choices are PG-21....at least I got smart enough not to take a non-fiction book in hopes that I'd learn something on vacay. It was most definitely a mistake to take Wild At Heart to Cancun to learn more my man.

BIG mistake. Huge. No non-fiction should be aloud on the beach. 'Nuff Said.

Need some Spring Break reading? Check these out:

Second Time Around by Beth Kendrick
Whistlin' Dixie in a Nor'Easter by Lisa Patton
Skipping a Beat by Sara Pekkanen
Saving CeeCee Honeycutt by Beth Hoffman
Alamo House by Sara Bird


Have any good books you've read lately?

It Ain't No Desert....yet, that is

After becoming quite a sporadic blogger, I'm hoping a few of you still stop by. Here goes..

Fat Tuesday brought brightly colored beads and mediocre cake with the hope of finding, but not choking on, the plastic baby buried deep within the white flour, butter and sugar...oh and crazy colored icing.

Then came Ash Wednesday, where Catholic churches..and a few others, were crammed full to signify the start of Lent, a time of sacrifice for Jesus.

The traditional purpose of Lent is the preparation of the believer — through prayer, repentance, self-denial — as they prepare for Holy Week of the Death and Resurrection of Jesus.

Although we might not be practicing 'Catholetics' as Weston refers, we do embrace the idea of shifting our focus from distractions to the Resurrection. And we do that by choosing something to remove for 40 days and often something to add in, to draw closer to the Lord during those 40 days.

According to the gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke, Jesus spent forty days fasting in the desert before the beginning of his public ministry, where he endured temptation by Satan.

If Jesus spent 40 days fasting in the desert, surely this Sister can give up something, right?

I would love to say my ultimate choice was the first...but sadly, no. I originally kicked around the idea of giving up sugar/desserts to loose a few lbs before my 20 year reunion in June. Don't judge. But ultimately, I knew the greater sacrifice was to give up a time-waster, distractor and procrastinator by the name of Facebook. Some questioned, a lot understood and I signed off right before midnight on Tuesday night. I even cleared my history on my computer and moved my app on my phone to the very end of the page as to not be tempted.

By Wednesday morning, I felt a little like Jerry Maquire after he wrote his infamous memo in the middle of the night, having to then live with his choice. Everyone clapped and cheered the next morning after reading a truly great perspective on a jaded industry. In reality, they really thought he had lost his mind. That one memo ultimately changed the entire scope of a career he had worked so hard to build.

I understand those of you who haven't drank the FB kool aid can't wrap your brain around why it would even be a big sacrifice to give up Facebook for a little over 5 weeks...and as I type this, I feel a bit foolish myself. There is something a little fun, and often brainless, about looking at pictures and hearing about friends' funny daily antics. I hid the annoying parts a long time ago....I don't care about the mafia, farm or anything else be collected. No offense.

So I logged off of the social network that has connected thousands, but in a way has made friendships one-dimensional. Face to face contact, with a lot of honesty and laughter (not LOL and ROFL), the opportunity to really see the facial expressions of my friend and the ability to give them a huge squeeze when I greet them is still the absolute best to me. That offers something logging on and reading cannot, plain and simple.

But if we are honest, there are bunches of little distractions around us that steal bits and pieces of our day and if piled all together, amount to quite a lot.

I bet I'm the only one.

At the end of the day, I want to be all there...wherever 'there' might be. Lots of things vie for my attention and divide my heart. That's not abundant living...not His plan for me.

Will I return to FaceBook in 40 days? Most likely. But I am sure looking forward to what He will teach me as I make a diligent effort to move my focus to things that last instead of things that distract.

And who knows? I might just find a few things to share on this little blog which has been neglected over the past month.

What's diving your heart or distracting you from His best for today?

You and Your Girl Simulast

Do you have a daughter in your home? Then you need to know about Vicki Courtney and her heart for raising girls in this crazy world today.

If you have a daughter age 10 or older, you won’t want to miss out on your chance to attend her mother/daughter You & Your Girl event along with other mothers and daughters in your community. LifeWay is hosting the first-ever You & Your Girl Simulcast event on Saturday, April 9th, and we already have nearly 60 churches on board to host the event!

They still have several states that aren’t represented, but the good news is, it’s not too late to join them! Here is a list of states that do not yet have a YYG simulcast host church:

Alaska, Delaware, D.C., Hawaii, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, New York, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Vermont, West Virginia, Wyoming

If your state is listed, they could use your help in finding a church willing to host the event! Click here to get more information on what is required. Feel free to email here with questions as well.

If your state is not listed, you can check here to find the location at which the event will be taking place in your state. If it’s not in a city close by, feel free to arrange a host church in your area!

This event will strengthen the mother/daughter bond and spark important conversations, but most importantly it will strengthen relationships with the Lord and equip your daughters to stand up to the pressures they will face in today’s challenging culture. Hope to see you there on April 9th!

Winkflash Flat Rate Book Sale

****Offer extended until February 10th!

Remember those photo books that you wanted to make last year and never had the time?

Now is the time, my friends.

Winkflash is FINALLY having their Flat Rate Book Sale again. You can make a 100 page book for $13-$27...depending on the size you choose.

Use coupon code ILOVEFLATRATE.

No excuses! And you only have until February 3rd....so get on it!

The Tooth Fairy Mystery

It's no secret that we aren't the best at the tooth fairy round these parts. We have been known to tell our boys that it was too windy and she was unable to fly.

Don't judge.

Weston lost another tooth yesterday and faithfully put it on the same pillow that I had when I was little. Yes, we have washed it since the late 70s.

No worries.

I guess the night got away from us and I never went back upstairs to dispose of the tooth and leave the standard $2. I am sure Tray and I were trying to solve the problems of the world or just watching some brainless TV.

Fast-forward to this morning.

JT slept in and I had to wake him up at 8 to get ready for school. Imagine my horror when I turn to the dresser and see the tooth pillow.

Oh dang.

I turn to JT and ask if the tooth fairy came last night, because the tooth was gone and no money was there. I'm not sure why I asked him....the dude had been asleep. How would he know?

He assured me she did come and she left $3. This would be an important observation for later.

Hmm...that's interesting. Tray is known for his generosity... he must have come behind me and taken care of business this morning before he left. I texted him my thanks for being such a wonderful backup tooth fairy and went about my day.

He called me around noon to report that he did not partake in said tooth fairy duties.

WHAT??

Then who?

It suddenly became clear that a certain Mom owed a particular firstborn a big fat thank you for covering her forgetfulness.

When he got home from school, I snuck JT into our closet the first chance I could and asked him point blank if he helped the tooth fairy last night. He denied, denied and denied but I've watched enough crime scene TV to spot a fibber. It's all in the eyes.

Low and behold, my precious firstborn son woke up in the middle of the night, saw that Mom and Dad had blown it, took $3 out of his bank, tossed the tooth on the floor (hey, it was little and white...plus it was the middle of the night) and that was that.

I finally got him to admit it as I put him to bed tonight.

I'll hold this day closely to my heart as a reminder that we must be doing something right....amongst all the days we get it so wrong.

How did I ever get so lucky to have a kid like him?

I am a blessed mom indeed.

Made to Crave

In the South, we like our food.

We celebrate with our favorite meal...we bring food to a family that is celebrating a new life or grieving one lost...we fellowship over it...food is kinda a big deal.

As with most Januarys, any number of people are making the decision to change the way they relate to food...believe it or not, that is why our country is tipping the scales. It's not just because we are moving less, food has become way more than it ever intended to be.

Lysa TerKeurst newest offering, Made to Crave, addresses the missing link between a woman's desire to be healthy and the spiritual empowerment necessary to make that happen.

The reality is we were made to crave.

Craving isn't a bad thing. But we must realize God created us to crave more of Him. Many of us have misplaced that craving by overindulging in momentary cravings or desires instead of lasting spiritual satisfaction.

Breaking the 'I'll start again Monday' cycle is possible!

Check out the replay of her live webcast today at 11 am, 2 pm, 7 pm or 9 pm and then sign up for email reminders about future webcasts in the coming weeks.

You might also be interested in the 30 day devotional that can be found at KSBJ.org

1 Corinthians 10:23
Everything is permissible but not always beneficial

Deuteronomy 2:3
You have circled this mountain long enough. Now turn North

First Monday....

January 3rd....3 days into a new year.

But you know, today is the first Monday of the new year so TODAY is the day that gyms will be packed, new highlighters and journals will accompany morning quiet times and salads will be ordered at an alarming rate at lunchtime while bread and all things carbohydrate once again get the scarlet letter C.

What about you? Have any plans for new things this year? Goals, dreams, changes to be made? Be a better wife, mom or person in general? I've been that girl...2 years ago, to be exact.

And once again I'm reminded...if I make the Main Thing the main thing, 9 times out of 10, the other things fall into place.

How wonderful that I can resign from my self-appointed job as General Manager of the Universe. As if my believing that I had control over anything did anything...Ha!

Each year our pastor chooses a devotional for our church body to study together and the one chosen for 2011 is wonderful...3 days in, I might add.

Worship the King by Chris Tiegreen is meaty but concise. You'll either find yourself saying 'Amen' or 'Ouch', depending on the day.

He has 2 others that are worth a look as well: Walk With God and One Year at His Feet.

Looking for a few others that say what needs to be said but doesn't take forever to get to the point? Check out

Finding God's Will by Gregg Matte
Made to Crave by Lisa TerKeurst
From Head to Foot: All of You Living For Him by Annie Downs
Deeper: Living in the Reality of God's Love by Debbie Alsdorf

Happy 2011. Here's to a clean slate and endless possibilities. He has great plans for each one of you! Watch and see, Sisters, watch and see.