A Giveaway! : Minted

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Are you creative? {I know you are!}

Do you have an eye for good design? {I know you do!}

Have you heard about Minted? {I hope you have!}

A while back, my very creative daughter, Kate, who has an eye for design (she designed my blog!) and who probably should have added Art as a third major, told me about this amazing website for invitations and all things Party. She explained, excitedly, that Minted doesn't just sell creative works of design, they also invite creative people to submit their own designs and give their customers the opportunity to vote on some of them. 

It's become a community over there.

In fact, on their website they state this: "Our mission is to connect the world's best design geniuses with a community of design savvy customers who enjoy the creation and appreciation of good design."

Kate insisted that we use Minted for our Christmas cards this year, and so one afternoon Julia and I, having only an hour to spare, quickly and easily designed our own card that I think might be one of the cutest cards we've ever sent. 

So when Minted contacted me with the opportunity to give something away from their site, I quickly said YES!! PLEASE!!

Here's the thing that I know about you, dear readers. You're having babies. You're getting married. You're throwing showers like crazy right now. 

You need Minted.

Right now, Minted is having a sale on birth announcements. Hop over here to get 15% off before March 17. 

Isn't this one cute?



But you don't just have to be having a baby to enter this giveaway. Two of my lucky readers will receive a $25 gift certificate to Minted that can be used on anything on their website.

From party supplies . . .



. . . to table decorations . . .


. . . to straws . . .


. . . to these adorable cake stands.


And if you're having a wedding, Minted's blog will give you LOTS of great DIY ideas.


Seriously, why wouldn't you want to enter this giveaway? 

You only have to do two things to enter: 

1) Follow me. You can add my blog to your reader or receive it via email, but I'd love it if you'd follow me. 

2) Leave a comment below telling me that you're following me and what you'd like to get with your $25 from the Minted website.

Easy peasy, right?

I'll choose two random winners one week from today (that would be March 21). Good luck and happy designing!!

Disclosure: Minted offered me compensation for this post, which I will happily use on their website.

 Update: Congratulations to Glenda and Kate (not my daughter!) who won the Minted giveaway! Numbers were chosen at random by my family and winners have been notified. Congrats!!!

Shaklee Basic H {giveaway!}

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I’m known for my killer cinnamon rolls. I can decorate my house fairly well most of the time. I love doing those things. I could spend all my days just cooking and decorating and doddling about my house.

But there are certain household tasks that I just don’t like. Laundry, for one. After many, many years of doing laundry for five people (that number is getting lower these days, thank goodness!), I find that chore to be sheer drudgery.

And cleaning. I’ve never been very good at it. Probably because I try to rush through the job so I can get to the chores I prefer.


My friend, Harper, recently told me about a product that can save me time in the areas that I don’t particularly like to do around the house: Basic H by Shaklee. This stuff is amazing! You can clean everything in your home with it, including mirrors and windows. You can use it for bubble bath and to wash your car!

Basic H was formulated over 50 years ago, and the formula still works. People have found thousands of uses for Basic H over the years, and I’m sure the uses just keep coming. Best of all, it’s safe for your children, pets, and the environment. Just use a small amount of Basic H diluted in water (the amount depends on what you’ll be using it for), and you’re good to go!

This week Harper is giving away three bottles of Basic H to my readers—isn’t that cool?! (You can learn more about Basic H by clicking here.) Three separate individuals who don’t already use Shaklee products (sorry, current members are not eligible) will win a bottle of Basic H AND a lifetime membership to Harper’s Shaklee store. That way you can stock up on all of the other great products Shaklee offers.

All you have to do is head over to Harper’s website, check out the products she offers, and come back and tell me which products you find interesting and leave a comment below. Make sure I have your email address so I can contact you if you win!

Three random winners will be chosen on Sunday night and will be announced on Monday morning.

Let the (easy) cleaning begin!!


Shelly

And the Winners Are . . .

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Random Number Generator chose the following numbers as winners for the I Have a Bean giveaway:

4 - Becky

3 - Jodi

6 - dmswelch3

16 - Kent Weber

21 - Beverlydru

Please contact me within 24 hours at wildmom3@sbcglobal.net with your address so we can send your coffee to you. Congrats to all the winners!

And don't forget to head over the the MODsquad blog where I'm guest posting today!

Shelly

I Have a Bean *giveaway*

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What do you get when you combine one missions trip, one struggling relative, one Weber grill, and a man with a vision? You get a coffee company called “I Have a Bean.”



I Have a Bean was started in 2007 as a brain-child of Pete Leonard and a couple of business partners. I chatted with Pete last week and got the scoop (get it?!) on his passion for people, coffee, and God. It’s one of those stories that you just gotta hear.

In 2005, Pete took a missions trip to Brazil with his church. While there, Pete visited a coffee plantation where he says he tasted the best coffee he had ever had. Always the coffee-lover, Pete decided to learn to roast his own coffee when he got home using his Weber grill as the roaster.

Around the same time, Pete had a relative who had been released from prison. As Pete described him, his relative was brilliant, a mathematician, computer programmer, and captain in the Army. But he had lost his way, gone to prison, served his time.

And when he was released, Pete’s relative could not find a job. Anywhere.

Pete continued to learn the art of roasting coffee, still using his Weber grill, and got pretty good at it. So good, in fact, that his neighbors were asking him for his coffee. And paying him for it!

But Pete kept thinking about his relative, the former prisoner who could not get a job. Through a friend who is now his business partner, Pete was introduced to Koinonia House, a local ministry for ex-prisoners. These men, who have come to faith in Christ while in prison, are allowed to live at Koinonia House for 18 months, be discipled in their faith, and then need to find gainful employment. But Pete knew that gainful employment is hard to come by if you’ve got a prison record.

And this is where two worlds collide. Pete’s experience with and compassion for his relative and his love for coffee became a business that is also a ministry. I Have a Bean is a micro-roasting coffee company that employs former prisoners with the idea that they can gain some work experience and some solid references so that they can make their way back into the working world. It's a great concept, and it's working.

Pete has a dream to expand his micro-roasting operations all across the country, still employing former prisoners. He realizes that there are ex-inmates all over the country who are struggling to prove themselves, and Pete would love to give them the opportunity.

Let me tell you, this coffee is amazing. The concept is to keep the roasting plant small enough to ship coffee the same day it’s roasted. That’s some fresh coffee! Pete explained to me that once it’s roasted, coffee is considered fresh for only 21 days. Once it’s ground, it’s only fresh for about 4 hours. The great thing about I Have a Bean coffee is that it’s sold BEFORE it’s roasted, which means that once they have your order, they roast it and ship it on the same day.

Pretty cool, huh?



I could go on and on about I Have a Bean—the concept, the ministry, THE COFFEE!—but you can read more about it on their website. Which is also where you can order their coffee. Which you should do.

But first, you have GOT to enter today’s giveaway. Because I Have a Bean has offered not one, not two, but FIVE lucky winners a pound of coffee. FRESH coffee!

All you have to do is leave me a comment. Anything. Tell me what you're doing for Christmas. Tell me what you had for dinner. I don't care. Just leave a comment.

You can get additional entries by . . .

. . . announcing this giveaway on Facebook.

. . . Tweeting this giveaway to your pals.

. . . following me.

So there. Four chances to win one of five pounds of freshly roasted coffee from I Have a Bean (please make sure to leave me an email address or a way to contact you if you win). I'll leave the giveaway open until Sunday night. Winners will be announced on Monday.

Edited to add: I was writing this late last night and totally forgot to tell you something. Pete has graciously offered ALL of my readers a 10% discount on their purchase from I Have a Bean. Simply use this coupon code for your order: WS1-4724. I hope you'll give it a try.

Shelly

DeDe Jaderholm Jewelry *Giveaway*

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Christmastime is here, and you know what that means. It means a whole bunch of husbands who don’t know what to get their wives.

Just last week my husband, in a moment of complete and utter helplessness over what to get me, threw up his hands and said, “How about if we go over to DeDe’s, and you can pick out some jewelry for yourself?”

I grabbed my coat and ran for the car as quick as the Roadrunner could run from Wile E. Coyote.

(Insert picture of a cloud of dust here.)

I’ve told you about Diane Jaderholm Designs before. Dede is an amazing artist who handcrafts every piece of jewelry she sells.


My favorites are the pieces she makes with antique buttons from France. So cool. So beautiful. So classic.

Just check out these bracelets made with buttons. I have one, and every time I wear it I get a compliment on it.



But she also makes some pretty neat contemporary pieces too. You can check out many of Dede’s one-of-a-kind pieces on her website.

To really appreciate Dede’s talent, you have to attend one of her shows to see her work in person. She sells her original jewelry out of her home a few times a year, and if you live in the Wheaton area, you really should go.

If you don’t live in Wheaton, you’re really out of luck. For so many reasons. But you can still order from Dede online (although her website only shows a portion of what she actually sells). Or give her a call. She’ll make whatever you want.

Today, because Dede’s jewelry is probably one of my Top 10 Favorite gifts ever, and because B let me pick out some pretty incredible pieces that I can show you AFTER Christmas (yes, he’s still going through with the wrapping and making me wait until Christmas to open them, even though I already know what I’m getting) . . . because of all that (did you get lost in that sentence? I did!) I am giving away one pair of Dede Jaderholm earrings.

These earrings are made with sterling sliver interlocking loops with bright green and blue glass beads. So fun and spring-like. And aren’t we all needing a little hope of spring right about now?

You will love these little beauties, and you can win them if you leave me a comment. Head on over to Dede's website, take a look around at all of the beautiful pieces she makes, and come back and tell me which piece you'd like to have.

And just because I love you, I’ll give you three more chances to win (leave separate comments telling me you did this).

Tweet this giveaway to all your Twitter pals.

Mention this giveaway on Facebook.

Follow me in an RSS feed.

Good luck, and I hope you win!

Shelly

Christmas Movie Quotes--A Game and a Giveaway

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Our family is constantly quoting movies--I don't think a day goes by that someone in this house doesn't quote a movie. Just the other day, for example, Kate stopped by the house for something (who knows what it was--a piece of cake, a pair of shoes, a kiss from her mama) and as she was leaving she said all spiffy like, "Catch up wit'cha later!" which, if you lived in this house, you would recognize as a quote from "She's the Man."

Oh Amanda Bynes, you crack me up. Someday I'll have to do a list of Amanda Bynes movie quotes. She's one of my favorites.

Anyway . . . suffice it to say that we're just a movie-quoting family around here. Other people don't get it, but it's kind of like a secret language that we speak. Most often-quoted movie of all time (in our family anyway)? "It's a Wonderful Life," of course! I don't have time to go into all that "It's a Wonderful Life" means to our family, but I'll try to get around to that post another day.

A day on which college girls aren't imminently arriving to bake cookies at my house--yikes!

Hey, why don't we make this a game? I'll post the quotes and, just for fun, you post the name of the movie in the comments section. And to make this game even more fun, why don't I offer a prize to the person who gets them all right? How 'bout like a $20 Starbucks gift card? (If there is more than one person who gets them all right, I'll do a random drawing to determine the winner.)

Yeah! This is going to be fun!

So here we go . . . ten Christmas Movie Quotes.

1. "I . . . I . . . I want a BIG one."

2. “ All I want is what I... I have coming to me. All I want is my fair share.”

3. "The best way to spread Christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear."

4. "Faith is believing when common sense tells you not to."

5. “Is this toothbrush approved by the American Dental Association?”

6. “Yellow eyes. The kid had yellow eyes!”

7. "Hey, we’re all misfits too. Maybe we’ll stay here for a while."

8. "Happy Birthday!"

9. “Oh, Linda Mason.”

10. "I don't know what to say, except it's Christmas and we're all in misery."

Let's see . . . I'll give you until Friday at noon to make your comments. Make sure you give me your email address so I can contact you if you win.

[Edited to remove the sentence about not cheating. Cheat away!]

Have fun!

Shelly



P.S. Tell your friends to come play too! The more the merrier!

Coopersong Giveaway

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There's a lady who used to visit my daughters' elementary school every year to talk about ecology, conservation, being "green," whatever you call it these days. She would tell the kids crazy things like how her clothes were all made out of corn husks.



**Really, Mom? Even her underwear? 'Cause I think having underwear made out of corn husks would be pretty uncomfortable.**

*I agree, honey, and I'll never make you wear corn husk underwear. I promise.*

Anyway, this woman used to scare my kids. Every year when ecology day came around and Green Lady came to the classroom, I knew we'd have a lot to talk about after school.

Sorry, but she made being green seem kind of weird. Like something only hippies do.



Well, I'm here to tell you that I'm no Hippie, and I wouldn't call myself "green" by any stretch of the imagination, but I do believe in taking care of my little corner of the earth. I'm also no extremist, nor am I an evangelist when it comes to things of the earth, so you'll never hear me commanding you to recycle (or wear corn husk underwear), even though we do it here (the recycle part, not the corn husk part). I'm just not into scaring people about stuff like that.

But when a green product comes around that excites me, I mean one that is really practical and cute and stylish even, I want to shout it from the rooftops. Which is why I'm so thrilled about today's giveaway.

But first, a little background.

Remember a while back when I told you about our French Market? Well, a couple of Saturdays ago I was there with one of the girls, and we saw a display of bags that were . . . to put it bluntly . . . cute! I mean, really cute. Not just your run-of-the-mill homemade tote bag that even I, who does not have the crafty gene, could make. No, these were special.

Because the handles are made of rubber. LIke tires. In fact, they ARE tires. Inner tubes that have been recycled from old bicycle tires.

Cool, huh?

And the fabrics. Oh, the fabrics. Insanely adorable.

And I immediately recognized the name of the company because one of my blogging friends, Sandy, had told me about her sister-in-law, Deanna, who lives right here in my town who had this really cool company.

Small world?

I think so.

So I introduced myself to Deanna and told her that her sister-in-law was one of my bloggy friends and she looked at me like I was completely insane. Which I was. Over her bags.

Unfortunately our family needed to eat actual fruits and vegetables and bread that week, so I didn't have enough money to buy one of her to-die-for purses. Strike me down now, I was coveting.

The next week at the French Market, there was Deanna, with even more cute bags, and this time I was ready. I brought some money with me to purchase a tote bag which, unfortunately, was not for me. It was a gift.

We got to chatting again, and Deanna graciously told me that I could do a giveaway on my blog. Excited?! You bet I was!

So here's the deal. I am giving away a $25 gift certificate to anything on the Coopersong website. Anything your little heart desires.

Like this tote bag.



Or this lunch sack (the one Maggie wants because all the middle school girls have them).



Wristlet, anyone?



Or this purse (the one I was drooling over).



Here's what you do if you want to be entered in the giveaway. Head on over to the Coopersong website, take a look around, drool a little, then come back here and tell me what you'd get with your $25 gift certificate.

And even better, if you tell a friend about me, I'll enter you again.

And if you "Follow" me, I'll enter you AGAIN!

So there. Three chances to win a Coopersong bag. Get going!

I'll announce the winners on Monday, which is also Memorial Day. Have a great weekend!

Shelly


P.S. If you were really paying attention to this post you would realize that I STILL don't have a Coopersong bag of my own. But one of these days I will. And I'll shout it from the rooftops.

Happy Birthday to Me!!! *giveaway*

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It feels weird to even write this because it feels somehow self-serving and arrogant. But, hey, everyone has a birthday. They come around once a year. And this year I feel like sharing it with all of you.

First, a little story. This past weekend I went to a writer's conference at Calvin College in Grand Rapids, MI. I was sitting in one of the sessions by a memoirist named Rhoda Janzen (who wrote a hilarious memoir called Mennonite in a Little Black Dress), when she suddenly said, "I will be 47 next Tuesday." Well, I immediately sat up in my chair and looked with surprise at my friend, Sarah, sitting next to me because I have never in my life met someone who had the exact same birthday as me. I do have a friend who shares my birthday, but she's not the same age as me. Rhoda and I were born on the exact. same. day. Somehow I find that weird and interesting.

So anyway, I went up to her after the session and introduced myself and wished her a happy birthday. I'm sure she'll never remember me or our brief meeting, but I will. And I wonder how she will be celebrating today. I wonder if she will do something more than go to the gym, walk the dog, and do laundry.

I hope so.

Anyway, in honor of Rhoda's birthday (and mine), I've picked up a few goodies that I'd like to give away to one lucky reader/commenter. A bit of a "favorite things" giveaway, only not quite so grand as Oprah's.

First, because I love books, I'm giving a $10 gift card to Borders. Second, because I equally love coffee, a $10 gift card to Starbucks. And third, because I love clothes and because I was in the store yesterday buying some things for Maggie, a $10 gift card to Old Navy.

Just leave me a comment below. I'll give you a second chance to win if you'll follow me. (And please be sure I have your email address so that I can contact you if you win.)

I'll announce the winner on Friday, so tell all your friends to come on by!

Happy Day!


Shelly

And the winner is . . .

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With Maggie's help (she chose her favorite number), the winner of the "Lift" giveaway is . . .

Amy!!!

I'll get the book to you soon, Amy. Congratulations!!

On another note . . . sorry I haven't been around much this week. I have no excuses other than my kids being stressed, my husband being gone, and my work piling up. So it's really all our faults. (Just kidding--you should know by now that I don't operate that way.)

I'll try to get something of value posted tomorrow (any ideas?) and I already have an Intentional Parenting post ready for Monday.

So don't give up! I shall return. I guess I just needed a couple of days off this week.

Love you bunches!


Shelly

Oh yes, I'll wear the mantle proudly {giveaway}

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Last night I did one of those things I do that may seem, well, kind of geeky and weird to you. I don't do it often because it's a little geeky and weird to me too, but I enjoy geeky and weird sometimes.

Last night I went to a book reading. At Talbots. (Geeky) Alone. (Weird)

But the author who was reading her work was one of my favorites--Kelly Corrigan. For a long time I've listed her memoir, The Middle Place
over on my sidebar. This is a book that has impacted me so much, not because I could relate to her story, but because the way it's written makes me relate to her story.

She is an amazing writer. The kind of writer I'd like to be when I grow up. Real. Honest. Vulnerable.

And a couple of weeks ago, when I found out she had a second book coming out I preordered it that day, received it a week ago, and read it in one sitting. So when I found out that Kelly was going to be in my neck of the woods I announced to my family, "I am going to see Kelly Corrigan!" And for the next week or so I continued to announce, "I am going to see Kelly Corrigan!"

Thank goodness my family understands my propensity for geeky and weird.

Last night was the big night and I almost chickened out. I mean, it takes a certain amount of guts to walk into a store all by yourself to possibly meet a writer you admire more than just about anyone. (We'll get to the meeting part in a second.) But Maggie pushed me to it when I expressed some doubt.

"Mom, you've been looking forward to this for a long time now. And besides, you like these things. You should go."

So I went.

I'm so glad I did because the event was really nice . . . fun even. I mean, how often do you walk in Talbots and someone immediately puts a glass of wine in your hand? Like, never. So it started out great. And then got even greater when they announced that everything in the store--everything, girls--was 20% off just for that night. Hello? Twenty percent off is my new best friend.

But the best part was seeing Kelly and hearing her read. I did not meet her, although our eyes met at one point and we smiled at each other, but I just could not go up and meet her. Here's why.

Remember the scene in "Notting Hill" where Honey, the crazy red-headed sister of William (Hugh Grant's character) meets Anna (Julia Roberts) for the first time and she gawks and gapes and then says, "I absolutely and totally and utterly adore you and I think you're the most beautiful woman in the world and more importantly I genuinely believe and have believed for some time now that we can be best friends"?

Yeah, well, I was totally afraid that would have been me last night if I had actually met Kelly Corrigan.

So I kept to myself.

I may regret that someday, but for today I'm O.K. with it. I just don't trust my blabbering mouth sometimes.

Alright, you've patiently read through this post, and now I'm going to give you the opportunity to get your very own copy of Kelly Corrigan's book, Lift. Remember the 20% off discount that Talbots was offering last night? Yeah, well, I just couldn't resist. But what I haven't told you yet was that they were also giving away a copy of Kelly's book with any purchase over $100.

What I won't do for my readers.

Since I already had a copy of the book, I'm offering my free copy to one lucky reader. All you have to do is leave a comment telling me either a) what book you're reading right now or b) what author would you make a complete fool of yourself in front of. I'll announce the winner on Friday.

(Make sure I have an email address for you so I can contact you if you win.)

Now, go make it a good day!

Shelly

Can't Keep This One to Myself

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O.K. Sometimes I just have to share some of the cool things I find on other blogs.

Like today, for instance, I was catching up on some of the blogs I usually read, and the Nester has a great giveaway going. It's for a personalized sign that you can make yourself at Danielson Design Studios.

I fiddled around for a few minutes, and here's what I came up with.



Cool, huh?

They offer signs and frames for just about any occasion, and you can customize them yourself. And the best part is they're CUTE!

You can enter the Nester's giveaway yourself. And if you don't win, you can go to the Danielson Design Studios website and make one for yourself. If you use the code NEST2010, you'll even get 20% off.

Shelly

Folks, We Have a Winner!

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So I'm on Facebook last night and I see that one of my dear friends and faithful readers has found a can of pumpkin and is making pumpkin squares. And another sweetheart friend of mine sends me a message on Facebook telling me that another store in the area now has pumpkin.

Can I just tell you? . . . I am elated. Thanksgiving is saved!

Yet another national crisis has been averted thanks to the power of the blog.

Now, on to the winner. First let me say thanks to all of you who submitted recipes. Some of these are definitely going to be filed away for the great Thanksgiving feast, that's for sure.

But since we can only have one winner--yes, kids, that is how life works--and I am fickle and couldn't decide, I let my family weigh in on the decision. They are, after all, the ones who will get to eat the fruits of my pumpkin labor this weekend when I make the winning recipe.

Drumroll please. . . . The winner is . . .

Bridget of Every Day Faith! Bridget submitted a pumpkin chocolate chip muffin recipe that everyone around here agrees sounds absolutely divine. (We're suckers for the chocolate chips, so you might want to tuck that one away for future contests.)

So, Bridget, in honor of YOU, I'm going to make those yummy muffins this weekend and report back on Monday. Don't let me down, girl. And I'll be putting two cans of Organic Pumpkin in the mail to you. Enjoy!

And now, on to more important issues of the day, like whether Chicago gets the Olympic bid or not.

Carry on.

The Great Pumpkin Giveaway

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Last week's great pumpkin saga brought such an amazing response from all of you. I am still laughing about how many of you have commented about it or made comments to me in person.

Will you now agree that this is, indeed, a crisis and I wasn't just making it up?

Well, to show my appreciation for your comments/responses/sympathies, I have decided to share some of my pumpkin wealth with you. If you'll recall, I did get four whole cans of pumpkin from Whole Foods . . . at the very dear price of $2.99 per can, no less! They are sitting in my pantry even now.

But I just don't feel right hoarding the nation's pumpkin supply, so I've decided to do a little giveaway. I am willing to part with two cans of Whole Foods Organic Pumpkin--that's half my stash, people!--to the person who sends me the best pumpkin recipe.



What is a must-have in your house every fall? Is it Grandma's pumpkin bread? Pumpkin muffins? Do you have THE BEST pumpkin pie recipe? Or is it a coffee cake that you make every year?

Here's what you do . . . either write out the recipe in the comments section and post it here on my blog. Or, if you have your own blog, write a post about it and link up to it here in the comments section. Either way, I have to be able to read the full recipe. (I also have to have a way to get in touch with you, so be sure to leave your email address.)

I'd like to test them all before I make a decision, but since the pumpkin supply is so short, I'll just have to judge them based on reading the recipe. And, of course, the outcome will be completely subjective. I'll judge the recipes and let my family have the final say.

I will post the winner on Friday and then over the weekend I'll make the winning recipe and post a picture of it next Monday. Along with the Wildfam review of it.

So come on! Play along! This just might save your Thanksgiving.

And the winner is . . .

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Congratulations to Emily at The Pilot's Wife who won the $25 Starbucks gift card! And here's the cool thing . . . she gave something away on the Blog Hop too. Except that her giveaway was something a little bigger and better than a $25 Starbucks gift card. She was giving away a thrill ride in her husband's airplane.

Yeah! No kidding!

Now, I'm no believer in karma, but I do believe in paying it forward, so I guess this is Emily's reward for giving out such a great gift.

Congratulations, Emily!

Need Some "Rest"? Read This!

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Church. Football. Soccer. Throw in a birthday party. Or maybe a recital. How about a committee meeting? Or even a little work? And then off to church again. For many people, that’s a typical Sunday.

Are your Saturdays any better? Do you have any day in the week that you feel is different from the rest? A day to truly unwind from the busyness of your life?

If you answered “no” to any of those three questions, you need to read Keri Wyatt Kent’s latest book, “Rest: Living in Sabbath Simplicity.” Keri encourages anyone with a too-busy lifestyle to slow down, take a look at your life, and try doing it God’s way.

Keri doesn’t suggest a legalistic, do-nothing-on-Sunday approach. She encourages her readers to search their hearts, search Scripture, and then decide with God what needs to change.

In light of this post that I wrote last week, I found it interesting to read the following in Keri’s book: “Maybe you are lonely: you believe people who care are scarce. But a scarcity mindset never brings us closer to God’s abundance. Maybe that’s why you keep yourself so busy and why you never rest. Because rest would feel lonely. Which is exactly why rest is so important. In resting, you experience the abundant grace of God, a lavish gift never earned, only received. His presence relieves our soul loneliness in a way that no one and no thing ever could.”

In a recent interview, Keri said this:

What is Sabbath, and what is its purpose? What do you mean by Sabbath Simplicity?
Sabbath, first and foremost, is a gift from our loving God. He invites us to take a day to rest from our labor, so that we might engage in relationship with him and with others. Its purpose is to refresh us physically and spiritually, to celebrate our freedom, to draw us close to God, and yet to remind us that we are not God.

God commanded us to Sabbath, to stop. But Sabbath-keeping is also a spiritual practice or discipline. All disciplines, (like prayer, solitude, etc.) create some space for God in our lives. Just as we have a lot of latitude in other practices (we can pray any number of ways, for example), we have freedom in how we practice Sabbath. My book offers a lot of ideas, and real-life examples, of how to approach this life-giving practice.

Sabbath Simplicity is a sanely-paced, God-focused life. It’s a lifestyle that includes the practice of Sabbath-keeping, but goes beyond just taking a day off. IN a way, it’s living out what Jesus told us to do in Matthew 6:33: See first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Sabbath Simplicity seeks God first.

What are some simple steps anyone can take to seek Sabbath Simplicity in their own lives?
The first step is to assess the current pace of your life—what activities have you and the people you live with said yes too. How hurried are you? You can’t figure out your next step, really, until you know where you are starting from. You may have to get very concrete and write down your schedule and look at it. Because your activity level during the week is going to affect your Sabbath.

Second, choose a day that you will keep Sabbath. I recommend Saturday or Sunday, and go from sunset to sunset. The Old Testament Sabbath was from sunset on the 6th day of the week to sunset on the 7th day—although as I explain in detail in the book, their ancient calendars were different from ours.

Third, choose one thing to refrain from, one thing to engage in. For example, refrain from housework or running errands, and engage in reading a spiritually challenging book, or playing with your kids. Start with small steps, and think about building your Sabbath Simplicity life a little at a time, gradually. After a few weeks, add another thing you will refrain from, and another thing you’ll engage in. Pray and listen, let God shape your Sabbath practice. Make your relationship with him the focus. Allow yourself flexibility.

Didn’t Jesus set us free from the law? If so, do we even have to practice Sabbath at all? What did Jesus say about the Sabbath?
By that argument, it would be okay to kill or commit adultery, because we are free from the law. What Jesus set us free from is being saved or in right relationship with God through the law. We’re saved by grace, not by law keeping.

So we won’t be saved by Sabbath-keeping, but it is still how God invites us to live.

Jesus said that the Sabbath was made for people. If God makes something for you, it’s a gift. He said it was not about the rules, but relationship. It’s a spiritual practice that brings us close to God.

Think you need this book? Leave me a comment by Wednesday (along with an email address so I can get in touch with you) and you’ll be entered to win. I’ll let you know on Thursday who the lucky winner is.

Head's Up!

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Just wanted to give you a head's up that I will be hosting a giveaway on Monday. I'll be interviewing Keri Wyatt Kent about her newest book, "Rest: Living in Sabbath Simplicity," and I'll be giving away one copy of her book.

I went to college with Keri--we were both literature majors--so we've been friends a long time. (Senior Seminar with Dr. Hein was especially exciting, but that's another story.) She's written several books, but this one is especially compelling to me because it's about, well, rest, which is something I like. A lot.

Seriously, though, it's a relevant topic for our day today, our busy families, and our sometimes stressful lives. You'll want a copy, that's for sure.

Please stop by on Monday to learn more.