GOOD News 2/23/16

I don't watch all of the national news each day at 5:30pm 

but I do try to catch the last 5 minutes of it. 

Why? Because that's when they seem to have the GOOD NEWS! 

Not the scary, awful, horrifiying coverage of all 

of the awful things that have happened that day. 

The last few minutes is when they have the happy, inspiring, tear producing 

stories that remind you there is good in the world! I LOVE those so very much!  

I love them so much that I seek them out daily to remind me of the good in people!

I share lots of those types of stories on Facebook 

but decided I am going to start posting them here too! 

Here are a few of my favorites from the past week!

As a teacher this one had me BAWLING!
This is the kind of impact every teacher prays they will make
on their students



When this sweet cheerleader decided to ask her autistic friend to prom?
PRECIOUS!


This precious husband spent two years planting TONS of flowers for his blind wife to smell.
How sweet is that?



This basketball player with Down's Syndrome made the game-ending 3 point shot
and both teams cheered him on!



Kids were asked: "Who would you most like to have dinner with?"
You are going to love their answers!



Chick-Fil-A Manager offers food to and prayers with homeless traveler. 
LOVE this!

These sweet boys plan a surprise dinner for unsuspecting neighbors!


The good is there- you just have to look for it friends!

How about we all stop COMPLAINING & WHINING?

When I'm around those who complain, I tend to also 

become a complainer and I can't stand it! 

I seriously become so stinkin' cranky when I complain that I can barely stand myself. 

I've been surrounded by some complainers lately and so I decided to 

do a little reading about the subject. 

Loved this from the article in Relevant Magazine titled...Complaining is a Spiritual Problem.

Boy did it sure step on my toes! Eeek!

"Yes, there are many difficult days in this life we live, but everything we have—even the lemon of a car or the job that keeps us up late—all of these things are gifts from a generous God. “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change” (James 1:17) So when the traffic slows or the weather freezes or the dishes pile up, I have a choice. I can see myself at the center of the world and grouse about everything that doesn’t make my life easier. Or I can acknowledge the truth that I am not on any throne, but that the King who is has given me everything I have—even my heart beating in my chest—as a gift. And so here is what I can offer instead of complaint: thankfulness. Gratefulness. Praise."

I also loved learning from What does the Bible say about complaining? 

that The Greek word translated “complainer” means literally 

“one who is discontented with his lot in life.” It is akin to the word grumbler.

So how about today we all agree to NOT 

whine or complain and smile instead? Who's with me?

FREE Valentine Printables

If you need a quick printable for your sweetie for Valentine's Day, 

below are some links to some of the Valentine's Day 

ones I've posted over the past few years!

You can print them at home on cardstock or even regular copy paper to 

decorate with or frame and give as a gift!  

You could even print four to a page and use them as little Valentine's!

There are a bunch from last year that can all be found in the folder HERE. 

And these are from the year before and can be found HERE

and these can be found HERE

and this one HERE. 

This one is an oldie but one of my favorites!  

You just buy a frame,

 {Walmart or the Dollar Store or even spray paint a frame you already have}

print out the card below in whatever size your frame is,
{there are four different styles in the download- the polka dot one shown above is number 3}

place it in the frame. 

Add a thin dry erase with a cute ribbon and it's ready to go! 

You just write on the glass the reason you love someone
along with their name, and simply erase when you want to change it!
How fun is that?

You could make a big one and hang it on the wall 

or small ones and place them on the dining room table

or even make one for each member of your family 

and hang them on their bedroom doors. 

JOY is a Choice

Listened to an amazing sermon by Jeremy Lewis 

(our fabulous youth minister at Central Baptist Church) 

this morning over

  JOY. 

Loved being reminded that JOY is a choice AND also a command. 

James 1:2-3 says: 

Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 

because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. 

You can listen to the sermon here:http://www.centralbcs.org/media/watch-sermons/joy/ 

(I highly recommend it!)

and be sure to CHOOSE JOY today!

You can print out a copy of the image above HERE. 

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February Scripture Writing Plan 2016

When I started creating the scripture writing plans for each month
I had NO idea how much others would like them.
The response since the December one went semi-viral has been amazing!

So so so many sweet emails & FB messages sharing how much they are enjoying
the plans and how God is using it in their lives.
I LOVE hearing how God is using my tiny works for His good
and He has been so sweet to show me!

For those who did the January Scripture Writing Plan and enjoyed it,

here's the plan for the month of February!

All of the verses this month have to do with LOVE.
God has so much to say about LOVE that it was hard to just choose 29 days worth!

You can find a copy to print out for yourself in the folder HERE.

For those that have asked, there is also a blank form 

to write your verses on that can be found HERE. 

Thanks to a sweet reader you can also find the Spanish version HERE.

Another sweet reader is using the plans with her students and asked for a shortened version, with only one or two verses, for her younger students. That version can also be found at the link above! 

Praying for Your Husband & Praying for Your Wife CARDS

I truly believe that praying for your spouse 

is something all of us who are married SHOULD do all the time but.....

doing so in the midst of the insanity of life is HARD

and sometimes it's difficult to know specifically WHAT to pray. 

I think many people WANT to pray but 

just don't have the words. 

Because of my own desire to pray for my husband 

I created a set of scripture prayer cards to give me

both a visual reminder (I carry them in my purse)

and the specific words to pray as well as scriptures 

to pray over him each day. 

I love them so much I made some for some sweet friends 

and then added them to my ETSY store where they've been a big hit. 

One friend has her set for her husband in the shower (since her set is laminated) 

and prays for her husband every day while she showers. 

Such a smart use of time isn't it?

Another keeps her in her car so that she can pray anytime she stuck in line or traffic! 

Until now I only had a set for wives but FINALLY put together a set for husbands too

 and just posted the wife version (red, navy, green, or black) in my ETSY store. 

Just like the husband cards, each set is an instant download & 

contains 16 cards- one cover & 15 others that each contain a prayer and

 a scripture to pray for your spouse. 

They would make a fabulous Valentine's Day gift for your sweetie

or a gift for a sweet couple friend! 

As instant downloads you can purchase a set, print them out 

and keep them for yourself or give them as a gift! 

The great thing about a digital download

is that you can print as many copies as you'd like!

So you buy once, and can print multiple copies!

All the digital download sets have general names on them

 (wife or husband) but if you'd like one with a specific name,

 just message me through ETSY and I'll be happy to personalize 

a download for you and create a custom order. 

The cards are formatted for a full size sheet of paper 

but directions are included for printing 4 per page (which is how I print all of mine).  

All of the cards can be found HERE in my ETSY store.

COUPON CODE:

Until 2-14-16 ❤

use code HAPPY to get 15% off your order.

A Perfect Mess

On this last day of Christmas vacation as I clean out the pantry 

(seriously-who needs 4 boxes of pancake mix) 

and fridge (bye bye Christmas candy!) 

and Tupperware cabinet (it's not really Tupperware so why do I still call it that?) 

I can't help but think of this quote. 

I love the reminder that God doesn't want me to pretend 

to have it all together with Him when I don't 

(which is good because I so DO NOT). 

He is right there with me in the midst of my messy life!

And for that I am so very thankful! 

The quote is one of my favorites and is from a book titled A Perfect Mess 

by the fabulous Lisa Harper. 

You can find the book HERE. 

If you'd like to print out a copy of the quote you can find both a JPG in the folder HERE. 

This Year I Want to...

Happy 2016!

I'm not one to write resolutions but for the past 5 or 6 years I have written 

a list of things I'd like to do more of and focus on. 

The process of making the list makes me really think about those things 

I need and want to do more or less of. 

My favorites this year include:

• don't say maybe if I want to say no (so guilty of this!)
• choose a narrow path
• own my mistakes (gosh that is hard sometimes, huh?)
• be brave enough to start a conversation that matters (dude I struggle with this so)
• celebrate tiny victories
• look for and SEE those God places in my path
• choose people over phones

 I usually make a version to print out and this year I made two!

Having a printed version helps me to remember those things all year long. 

If you'd like a copy you can print out both versions HERE.  

What are some things you'd like to do this year?

January Scripture Writing Plan 2016

For those who did the December Scripture Writing Plan and enjoyed it,

here's the plan for the month of January!

As we start a new year this is a great way to spend

a few minutes each day focusing on what is truly important! 

There is something about writing out scripture that seems to 

make the word come alive for me- 

and I'm thankful it's been a blessing to so many of you as well!

You can find a copy to print out for yourself in the folder HERE.

For those that have asked, there is also a blank form 

to write your verses on that can be found HERE. 

I'll be updating the plans for the new year 

so if you check back at the end of each month, 

I'll have the plan posted for the following month! 

UPDATE:

Thanks to a sweet reader named Carolyn, you can find the Spanish version HERE. 

Thank you Carolyn! 

Ring and Run Christmas Fun

Several years ago we did something super fun at Christmas- Ring and Run!

Ring and Run is based very loosely on the song The 12 Days of Christmas

and is kind of a Christmas random acts of Kindness!

I'm not sure who had more fun- us or the family we did it for! 

Here's how it works:

You choose a family to surprise and every day for the 12 days leading up to Christmas 

you leave a little treat on their doorstep along with part of a poem, 

ring their doorbell, and run away!

The year we did it we chose a sweet family with 3 little girls 
and I cannot tell you how much fun we had buying and delivering little treats for them! 

Although this tradition is supposed to be totally anonymous, 

we altered that rule just a bit and let the parents know what we were up to. 

{Sneaking around in someone's front yard might tend to cause the police to get called and 
so we wanted them to know that we were not prowlers or burglars 
and filled them in on what we were doing.}

It was so much fun sneaking up to their front door, leaving a treat, and speeding away!

If you just want a copy of the poem, you can find it HERE.

{Only the first page is listed below but the link is all of the poem!}

I made some fun tags that you can use to print out

to leave with y our gifts- and even included the gift for the night

at the top of each tag.  

You can print out your own tags HERE. 

{Don't try to just save the little images above, they'll be too little and blurry!}

Who can you bless with Christmas Ring and Run?  

Scripture Prayer Cards

I'm a HUGE  believer in the power of prayer. 

I think many people WANT to pray but 

sometimes we all struggle though with not that we should pray,

but WHAT specifically we should pray. 

So a few years ago I made some prayer cards. 

I made one set of things that I wanted to daily pray 

my daughter and another set of things

 I wanted to pray specifically for my husband. 

Each card includes a prayer and a scripture. 

I printed them out 4 per page, cut them out, 

laminated them and put them on a ring. 

I keep them in my purse and they are a great reminder 

to me to pray specifically for those I love the most.  

If I'm stuck in traffic or line somewhere I'll pull them out and quickly pray. 

I love having something specific to pray- rather than just a general prayer. 

I have given these cards to lots of friends as gifts 

and have so loved hearing how much they have loved and used them. 

One friend has her set for her husband in the shower 

(since her set is laminated) and 

prays for her husband every day while she showers. 

Such a smart use of time isn't it?

Another friend who I gave a set to for her son says 

them out loud to him while he eats breakfast each morning.  

He got so used to hearing them that he has memorized 

the prayers and one day she sent me a video 

of him saying some of the prayers himself! 

So precious and such a great reminder that little ears are ALWAYS listening.

I had the cards listed in my ETSY store but recently had to remove them 

because I just didn't have time for the printing, laminating, mailing 

parts of creating them for orders. 

But this weekend I've added them back- this time as instant downloads!

 As instant downloads you can purchase a set, print them out 

and keep them for yourself or give them as a gift! 

The great thing about a digital download

 is that you can print as many copies as you'd like!

So you buy once, and can print multiple copies!

All of the cards can be found HERE in my ETSY store.

The praying for your husband set comes in 3 different colors (navy, red, or green) and come 16 to a set. Each of the 16 cards has a prayer and a scripture reference and are great to keep in your purse and card as a reminder to pray often for you husband. They would be great to give at Christmas but also make a super sweet wedding or anniversary gift!

The praying for your daughter, son, children, or grand children come 14 to a set and can be printed 4 per page. Each of the 14 cards has a prayer and a scripture reference.and are great to keep in your purse and card as a reminder to pray often for you sweet children. They would be great to give at Christmas but also make a super sweet baby shower gift!

All the digital download sets have general names on them (son, daughter, children, grand children, husband) but if you'd like one with a specific name, just message me through ETSY and I'll be happy to personalize a download for you and create a custom order. 

From now through Dec. 15th, use the code
 MERRY15 for 15% off your ETSY order! 

12 Days of Finals Care Package

My daughter is a college sophomore 

(how is that even possible when she was just a teeny tiny baby girl what seems like a few days ago?) 

& one of my absolute favorite things to do is send her finals care packages. 

I seriously wish I could start a care package business. 

How fun would that be? 

This year instead of sending one big box of stuff like I usually do, 

I decided to space it out and send The 12 Days of Finals gifts. 

 I sent the wrapped gifts back with her after Thanksgiving 

and she will start opening them 12 days before the end of her finals. 

It works just like the 12 Days of Christmas song so 

day 1 includes 1 thing, day 2 includes two things, etc. 

I thought it would be more fun to have something to 

open each day rather than one giant box. 

For the gifts I alternated between gift cards, 

food treats, and fun brain breaks and little gifts.

Many of the days include treats for her sweet roommates too!

Here are a list of some things you could include:

• Snacks (cookies, beef jerky, crackers, popcorn)
• Drinks
• Gift cards to Starbucks, Sonic, a fave restaurant, etc (most can be in any denomination so they are great for higher number days)
• Cash (always a big hit!) 
• Coloring books/crayons
• Water guns
• Nerf guns
• Gum
• Candy
• Fun/holiday socks
• Play dough 
• Magazines/books
• Makeup or nail polish
• Silly string
• Christmas ornaments
• Craft ideas/supplies
• School supplies
• Cookie making supplies

And here's what I included:

1. On the first day of finals my mommy gave to me 1 iHop gift card. 

2. On the second day of finals my mommy gave to me 2 magazines. 

3. On the third day of finals my mommy gave to me 3 bottles of nail polish. ($1 each at Walmart) 

4. On the fourth day of finals my mommy gave to me 4 coloring books. ($1 each at Walmart)

 5. On the fifth day of finals my mommy gave to me 5 five dollar bills. (of course you ould do $1 bills)

6. On the sixth day of finals my mommy gave to me 6 cans of play dough. (they came 8 to a pack so I pulled out 2) 

7. On the seventh day of finals my mommy gave to me 7 boxes of candy. (the movie kind- that's less than $1 a box) 

8. On the eighth day of finals my mommy gave to me 8 cozy socks. (1 pair per roommate bought at Michael's a few weeks ago in their dollar spot). 

 9. On the ninth day of finals my mommy gave to me 9 packs of popcorn. (10 in a box so I pulled out one) 

10. On the tenth day of finals my mommy gave to me $10 to Starbucks. 

11. On the eleventh day of finals my mommy gave to me 11 cute new pencils. 

12. On the twelfth day of finals my mommy gave to me $12 to Sonic.

I created some fun tags for each day's gifts. 

I put a card on the outside of each gift as a label and 

then another card inside explaining what the gift was. 

I made the tags gender neutral so they will work for boys or girls 

and printed them four to a page. 

My tags said.....

On the first day of finals my mommy gave to me... 

but I also created versions that say parents, daddy, and aunt 

as I shared the idea with some friends on FB and they asked for cards to print too. 

If you'd like to print them out you can find all of the label cards in the folder HERE.

It was fun to package them up and get them ready to give them to my sweet girl! 

I even found ribbon at Hobby Lobby that matched perfectly!
{And of course it was 1/2 off! I love Hobby Lobby!}

If you don't have a college aged student you could 

easily adapt this idea for a younger child or your sweetie pie- 

and do it for the 12 days leading up to Christmas! 

If you have any other ideas for items to include- 

feel free to leave them as a comment below and I'll add them!

The items I included for my sweet girl were...

• one IHOP gift card
• two magazines
• three bottles of nail polish
• four coloring books