GL's First Giveaway Winner!

Congratulations, Kimberly! You won our giveway! Your number was chosen using the random number generator!

We will be in touch so we can send you the new devotional Breathe: 31 Moments with God {For Moms} By Jaime Bowman. Thanks to all others who entered! Grace and I are already planning our next giveaway so stay tuned!

Breathe: 31 Moments with God {For Moms} + Giveaway

Have you, as a mom, ever felt like you were drowning? Trying to reach the surface of the water just to catch another breath? Moms are busy. We are tired. We are always wondering "Are we doing the right thing?" Some moms may not feel that way. Some may feel like things are going great, but there's still one thing missing. Do you know that one of the best things you can do for you AND your kids is carve out time for God every day? I know, I know. You don't have time.

Sorry, but I don't believe it. We make time for things that are important to us, right? Do you have 10 minutes? After the kids go to bed? While they are napping? Before they wake up in the morning? In the parking lot at the school? At their football practice? It doesn't even have to be the same time every day!

10 minutes. You and God. That's 20 minutes less than that workout you've been trying to squeeze in. It may not be easy, but it is possible. You may not get to it every day, but you can try.  You might get interrupted, but you can pick it up again.


Breathe: 31 Moments with God{For Moms} is a 31-Day devotional for moms just like you. Even if you feel like you have it all together, if you are a mother, you will be blessed by this devotional!

The author, Jaimie Bowman, is so in touch with a mother's heart that it feels like she's sitting right there with you. Being a new mom, I could feel a distance growing between me and God. It's so hard to balance it all, but this book brought us closer together again. I love the fact that each devotion is short, yet so thought-provoking! Sometimes I feel like my life is all over the place but this book enabled me to squeeze in a Scripture reading, prayer and personal thoughts all within minutes a day. And putting God back as a top priority has helped ground me again, which makes me a better mother and wife!

How can you carve out 10 minutes a day to spend with God? Answer in the comments and I will enter you in a giveaway to win a FREE paperback copy of Breathe: 31 Moments with God{For Moms}!! You have until noon Saturday February 8th, to enter. 
 

Disclaimer: I received a digital copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Violet's Winter ONEderland Party

My daughter, Grace's sister, turned one a few days ago! We decided to go with a Winter ONEderland themed party. Turns out, South Louisiana got an unheard of 3" of snow the night before her party. How's that for party planning? Ok, ok, I didn't do it, but I was told by several people that we must have amazing connections. ;)

Here was the main party table:

 

We had "yellow snow" lemonade(watch out where the huskies go, and do not eat the yellow snow) Special shout-out to my sister for thinking up that one:

We made cones out of doilies and dowels and filled them with cotton candy(snow puffs). We had powdered donut holes(snowballs) and white chocolate covered pretzel sticks(icicles):

 

The cake and cupcakes were iced in pastel colors and covered in edible glitter, Vs for Violet, and Sixlet pearls:

The cake topper was made out of white chocolate and I made it by watching this tutorial.

We also had a Hot Cocoa Bar. This picture was taken before the final product. Sorry, time got away from me! We had almond joy bites, caramels, reese's cups, andes mints, crushed peppermint, whipped cream and sprinkling cocoa powder and cinnamon as options to dress it up the way you want!

We also had some savory treats like popcorn in snowflake paper cones(shown in the second table picture above), pigs in a blanket(brrr) and quartered PB&Js.

The party couldn't have gone any better. Great friends, visits from family and lots of kids running around having a good time. Pure love. Isn't that what life is all about? Violet sure approved!

 

Knowing Where You Stand + An Amazing {Mint-Chocolate Chip Ice Cream Recipe}

"The heart is not so easily changed, but the head can be persuaded." Disney's Frozen

             True, right? I look back on my teenage years, and I think, "Yowza! I really should have thought some things through before I made some of those choices." (Oh! You too!?) And how many times have we told our own children to "think before they act" or tell them about the dangers of society and the decisions WE want them to make? In my heart, I truly believe that if I had seriously thought about a few major things before they came up, you know, REALLY thought about them, AND decided how I felt about them, I would have felt confident enough to follow through with what I believed was right. 

               Teens have it hard and even though I know it's hard on boys too, I especially feel for the girls because there is SO much pressure on them to be perfect. School, physical appearance, sex, alcohol and drugs are just a few of them.

                I suggest you ask your girls questions like "How do you feel about pre-marital sex?" not "Please repeat how I feel about premarital sex and what The Bible says about it and tell me you're going to remain abstinent until marriage." All I want to know is that she's thought about it and that she knows how she feels about it. Because if she has an opinion and she truly believes it, it will be that much harder for someone else to convince her otherwise. 2 Corinthians 11:14 says "And no wonder, for even Satan himself disguises himself as an angel of light." Anyone can convince you to do anything, if you don't know how you feel about it! Her opinion will remain in her heart, yours might not. Teens are notorious for doing the opposite of what their parents tell them to do. Not saying I did that or anything. Nope, not me! 

                  That was just one example, but when Grace goes to a friend's house, or to a party or a function where there's lots of kids, I ask her "If there was alcohol there, what do you think you would do?" And I reiterate the importance of knowing how she feels about these things so that WHEN(not if) she is pressured into doing otherwise, she knows how she feels about it which will help her make her  decision!

           "I stood for nothing, so I fell for everything..." Katy Perry's Roar  (<--- THIS)

     
                  Well, since I did finally see Frozen and I loved it, I thought it only fitting that I give you a recipe for homemade ice cream! It's mint chocolate chip and it's DEEEEE-licious!

I use this recipe from AllRecipes.com except I added whole milk instead of 2% because it's more fattening creamy. 

                                             MINT CHOCOLATE CHIP ICE CREAM

You need an ice cream maker for this recipe. I got mine at Amazon.com.

Ingredients:
2 cups whole milk
2 cups heavy cream
1 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon pure peppermint extract
green food coloring(I used 5 drops, but if you want it more radioactive looking, add more)
1 cup of your favorite chocolate(chips or chopped) I used chopped chocolate bark

1. In large bowl, combine milk, cream, sugar, salt and both extracts. Stir with whisk until sugar dissolves. Add the food coloring until it reaches your desired color. 

2. Turn on your ice cream maker and add the mixture according to the manufacturer's directions. Mine mixes for 20 minutes. While it's mixing, chop the chocolate. Once your ice cream is set, add your chocolate and mix until combined evenly. Transfer your ice cream into a container w/ lid and let it set in the freezer for 1-2 hours. Enjoy!

3-Step Teen Acne Solution

     

First Homecoming makeup trial

Dreaded pimples. They ruin everything! I can't even say that this post relates to teens only because I'm in my mid-thirties and still break out occasionally. In fact, I went through a tough situation in my mid-twenties that caused my hormones to run rampant. My face went crazy. Talk about embarrassing. I even had someone say to me, "What happened to your face?" True story! Do me a favor. Don't ever ask someone that. ;)

I've been helping Grace get prepared for her Homecoming dance which is coming up in two short weeks. She needed a new skin care regimen and this was the perfect opportunity for me to share what I learned about skin all those years ago. During that ordeal, I had done so much research on acne. I had gone to the doctor. I had even ordered and tried Proactive. Why didn't any of it work?

I wish I could remember the website that saved my skin. I tried to find it, but couldn't. I am not a dermatologist and I do not claim to have answers for everyone. All I know is that this worked for me and it's working for Grace. Maybe try this before you spend tons of money on prescriptions and expensive products. It's super affordable and works for guys or gals!

ONCE A DAY 3-STEP ACNE SOLUTION

1. Wash your face(preferably at night) with a VERY gentle hypoallergenic cleanser like Johnson & Johnson PURPOSE from Walgreens. ($5.79)

2. Follow with an acne spot treatment with 10% Benzoyl Peroxide like PersaGel 10 by Clean & Clear. Only apply it to existing breakout areas. ($5.99)



3. Finish with a fragrance-free hypoallergenic moisturizer like Cetaphil. Moisturizing is so important! I know it seems counter-intuitive but it is an essential clear skin product! ($13.49)



Follow these three steps once a day, that's it. I can't even tell you the science behind it. Maybe it has to do with the fact that these products have less chemicals. Maybe it's the washing once a day. I don't know, but give it a try! Grace's forehead cleared up almost completely in two weeks!

I'll leave you with this scripture from Proverbs 31:30 NIV: "Charm is deceptive and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised."

Remember one thing. Beauty comes from the inside out.

The Secret to Inner Peace

Galatians 5: 22-23 (ESV)
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.

If you think someone's too nice, maybe God's trying to show you how to be nicer.

If you think someone's too laid back, maybe God wants you to relax a little.

If you think someone's too opinionated, maybe He's showing you how to stand up for what you believe.

If you think someone is too offensive, maybe He's showing you how to be more tolerant.

If you think someone's too religious, maybe He's trying to show you that you need Him.

If you think someone is too goofy, maybe God's trying to show you how to laugh.

If you think someone is too ugly, maybe He's trying to show you where to find true beauty.

If you think someone's too sensitive, maybe He's trying to show you how to be more compassionate.

If you think someone's too slow, maybe He's showing you how to be more patient.

If you think someone's unlovable, maybe He's trying to show you how to love them anyway.

          I was watching a Joyce Meyer special the other day(months after I wrote the above). The lesson is about our consciences, but towards the end she spoke about how she used to be one of those Christians. You know the ones. They are always concerned with what everyone else is doing, or NOT doing. Always finding something to complain about. Sometimes they are like a tornado of destruction! She didn't realize until later that she had all of this uneasiness about what others were doing, but that "pit in the stomach" feeling came from her relationship with God. She had to ask Him, "God, what is not right between US?" Once she realized that the lack of peacefulness she was feeling was between her and God, she no longer had to worry about what everyone else was doing. All she had to focus on was her relationship with Him. Was she honoring Him? If she didn't and if she sinned against him, that uneasy feeling would return. When that feeling returned to her, she would say to God "I'm sorry. I was wrong. Please forgive me." We also need to realize that sometimes our sins against God can many times be our wrongdoings against others. See, our lack of inner peace comes from that too, because God intends us to live out the fruit of the Spirit. If we offend someone, or hurt them, all we have to do is say "I'm sorry. I was wrong. Please forgive me." No excuses!

Wow! What an "ah-ha!" moment! We ALL fall short. True peacefulness within comes when we are right with God! Look within!

If you would like to see Joyce's special, The Voice of Conscience, it can be found here. 

Teen Bedroom Makeover + Renewing Your Spirit For a New School Year

Psalms 51:10

Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit with me.

Tomorrow is Grace's first day of high school. What better way to start a new school year than to ask God to renew your spirit so you can start fresh? Let go of what happened last year, good or bad. Don't let past experiences cast a shadow on what you think the coming months will bring. Go in with a clean heart and mind. Take what comes your way. Start the new school year off right!

Speaking of renewals, we've been working on a little project. Little? Haha. Ok, we've been working on a BIG one. We've been remodeling Grace's bedroom!! I couldn't have imagined we'd have so much fun doing this bedroom makeover! Here's what we started with:

Grace knew she wanted turquoise, hence the paint sample. So that's where we started. Then, we bought her a new bedroom set. It 's been a long time coming. The girl's bed was falling apart and she had one skinny little dresser that would fall apart every time she pulled out a drawer.

We also found a few necessities at amazing prices. And here's her room now:

There's still work to be done. The walls are pretty bare, but we're not too concerned about that just yet. The important stuff is there. And it's all fabulous!

Here's what we found:

Comforter: Bed, Bath & Beyond Sidney 7 piece comforter set $99
Sheet set & Sequined Black Pillow: Steele's $14.99  & $9.99
Rug: Hobby Lobby 5' x 7' Chevron $50 (rugs were 50% off)
Cross: Hobby Lobby $20(also 50% off)
Paint: Lowe's Valspar Signature Paint + Primer in Aqua Ocean $25.99
Curtains: (not shown) 4 sheer white panels from Dollar General for $5 a piece, curtain rods, 2 for $3

We are so pleased with the results and cannot wait to keep adding to it! We'll post more pictures as we complete her room. Until then, we hope you love it as much as we do and wish the best of luck to all who are starting school in the coming weeks!!