Happy Sunday



 ³ Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes. ⁴ Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight
1 Peter 3:3

The Word on the Street is...

So the word on the street says that Chick-fil-A is having free sweet potato fries tomorrow from 3-6 p.m.!!! I love their sweet potato fries!  Yummy! So make sure you get there a little early because they have tendency to be very, VERY busy!

Gluten Free Picnic in Tilles Park

The Bi-State Celiac Support group is having a Gluten Free picnic this month at Tilles Park. Here is some information from their website.

"The Bi-State Celiac Support Group invites you to an Old Fashioned Gluten-Free Pot Luck Picnic on Saturday May 21, 2011 at the Gloria Rodgers Pavillion in Tilles Park (corner of Litzinger and McKnight, 9551 Litzinger)in St. Louis.  The time is 10:30 - 1:30 rain or shine.  There will be - fun - games, crafts, music, Fred Bird, food, samples, and a raffle.  Bring a gluten-free potluck item to share, along with copies of the recipe.  Outlets are available for crockpots and a grill is located next to the picnic shelter. 

This sounds like a lot of fun, we are going...Food, Music and Fred Bird!!!! Who is coming with us???

Two Moms in the Raw!

I drove through Starbucks last week for a yummy cup of coffee and decided to pick up a healthy snack as well (to cancel out the whip cream I knew would add calories to my drink of course). The guy at the window said they were all out of my apple bran muffin so he suggested I try this blueberry granola bar that they sell from a company called TWO MOMS IN THE RAW. I rolled my eyes and thought that it would probably taste like cardboard but bought it anyway. OMG was it delicious!! I researched the company a little and found out that they are amazing! The blueberry granola is Gluten Free, Dairy Free, No oils, no refined sugars (WHICH ARE TERRIBLE FOR YOU!!), Wheat Free and completely RAW and ORGANIC. Whew! What a mouthful. So check them out. TWO MOMS IN THE RAW

Happy Mother's Day!!

Tomorrow is a day where we think about our lives as mothers and celebrate the mothers in our lives. I know everyone has those women in their lives that are like mothers to them, then we have Step Mothers, Mother in laws, and Grandmothers. All types of women are celebrated today and all of these women have profound effects on our lives. Nonetheless, It's an important day to focus on your family.

I will spend the day with my family, and stopping in to see the other mothers in our family. I am going to try to RELAX so I can focus on how I can be a better mother for the years to come. I do not want Mother's Day to be about catering to me (although I do want some alone time:)

 I want it to be a day where I think about the children that made me a mother, and how I can give them all they need emotionally, spiritually and physically to be the best they can be. I was listening to the radio last week and I heard (through the sounds of children screaming and playing) someone talking about how we should focus our thoughts on Mother's Day. they were saying that Mother's day is not about ourselves and our selfish desires to want everyone to cater to us. We should take the day to ask ourselves some really important questions like "What kind of relationship do you want with your children?" and "Are you keeping a close relationship with Christ so that will overflow into the lives of your children?" It is encouraging to me to know that God has a great plan for me as a Mother. He made me a mother for a reason, and he wants us to have healthy relationships with our mothers. I hopeyou have a wonderful Mother's Day thinking about the children that call you Mother!

Fitness First Fridays!!

Join St Louis Children's Hospital at The Magic House, St. Louis Children's Museum, on the first Friday of every month! We are part of The Magic House's new program, Fitness First Fridays. Families can stretch their muscles and their minds as they take the 1,000-step circuit through the museum, touring hundreds of fun, educational exhibits and looking for "Fit Facts" filled with useful health and nutrition information. Each month will feature a different fitness theme, as well as special guests and activities to get families energized about getting fit. this event is included with museum admission.

What do you do with your expired coupons?

I think it is pretty fitting today to give thanks to our Military families. They are fighting for our freedom every day.  There are many ways we can give thanks, but us Couponers can give thanks another way....By donating our expired coupons to Military families. Military families get to use our expired coupons for up to 6 months after the expiration date. What a great way to give thanks!!

Go HERE to find out what bases WANT your coupons.

Thanks Clippin With Carrie for this info!!

Family talk with Dr James Dobson



Faith in Tough Times

siblinggrief.com


I love getting Dr. James Dobson's Family talk newsletter in the mail. It always has something uplifting and enouraging. This week in particular it was really applicable for me. Last year my family went through a time where we witnessed sickness and death first hand. Seems like it has continued into 2011 and it seems to be all around me. Nonetheless, my heart has been in a constant state of grieving. As a Christian, people ask me "Why does this happen? If God loved us why would He put us through this?" I cannot answer it, wish I could though. So here is a little bit of comfort from Family Talk newsletter. Go HERE to sign up for the monthly newsletter.

"Theologioans have struggled with the "why" questions for as long as mankind has been on earth. Most of the patriarchs of the Bible struggled in vain to understand their circumstances. Job suffered the loss of his health, his earthly possessions, his family and his reputation. Even his friends abandoned him. His response was to ask a series of amazingly articulate questions to Jehovah, who never answered any of them. We learn from this dialog that God will not be accountable to man.  Yet we continue to ask.

Even Jesus said while hanging on the cross, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" (Matthew 27:46). It comes down to this: suffering and death are part of the human condition. Hebrews 9:27 reads, "It is appointed unto men once to die and after that the judgment." It is part of the divine plan.

What, then, does the Lord want of us when suffering and perplexing circumstances come our way? It is His will that we continue to trust Him even when we can't track Him. He values faith more than any other response. Proverbs 3:5 tells us to, "Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding." This Scripture does not prohibit us from trying to understand-but warns us not to "lean" on it. Leaning in this context is demanding answers and becoming angry at the Lord when a quick explanation doesn't come. Instead, he wants us to hold tightly to the promises of god, who assured us He will never abandon us. He is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.

And this is one of my favorite passages: "The Lord is close to the broken hearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit" (Psalm 34:18). His provision of comfort is secure. It will see us through the storms of life-even when we cross the chilly waters of death.

In short, we live in a broken world that brings with it pain and suffering. Jesus told his disciples just before he was crucified, "In the world you will have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world" (John 16:33). His words seem like a contradiction. how can we have "tribulation" but also be of "good cheer?" It is because the Lord loves us and He has the answers to every "why" that confronts us. "For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then I shall know even as also I am know: (1 Corinthians 13:12).