A giveaway and an awesome deal you won't want to miss!

If you haven't heard of the Chris and Wendy Jeub Family before they're a wonderful Christian family with many blessings! Another thing you may not know is that they write and sell books. I've come to think of it as the "Love Series". Love in the House, Love in the Kitchen, and Love in a Diet are a few. They also offer some other great stuff. But what I'm excited to tell you about today is a wonderful promotion they're offering now through Thanksgiving! Their cookbooks are on sale and if you help spread the news about their sale you might get in on their Diet book giveaway. Being a mom of many her "diet" book is not like others. She says she has a realistic approach to weight loss. I appreciate that!

Here is what their website says about the books: 

Wendy’s cookbooks are awesome. There are several unique characteristics that make these cookbooks stand out.

• Additional chapters on how to shop frugally, but not feel its impact.
• The “spice-that-no-one-ever-heard-of” problem: most ingredients are bound to be in your home.
• Index of key ingredients allow family cooks to find recipes to fit their needs.
• Coil binding with durable front and back cover, ready for plenty of food stains.
• Most portions cut to starndard-family sizes of 4-6. (There are a few “feeds 20″ favorites, though.)
• Real recipes that the authors have actually been eating over the years. (We wonder about some cookbooks out there.)

Most importantly, Wendy’s cookbooks get used.
So if you're interested in the diet book giveaway fallow this link Jeubs Giveaway. And if you're only interested in getting some great cookbooks at a great price, just in time for the holidays, then fallow this link Awesome Cookbook Deal. BTW - I checked it out and these are INDEED a great deal! Plus you get free shipping! How many places do you know that are offering free shipping right now?!

So thanks for reading! and Be blessed!

Trust in the Lord with all your heart

Isn't this how we all look when trusting in the Lord? Today I want to tug at your ear for just a bit. I would like to encourage some deep thought. I'm sure at some point or another you've heard a bible passage saying:

5Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. Proverbs 3:5

Now what I'm going to suggest is that this scripture goes far more into the depths of our soul than we have ever realized. Does the Lord really want us to trust in him for EVERYTHING? I've heard it a dozen times, "trusting doesn't mean being irresponsible", "we can trust the Lord without sitting around waiting for him to fix our troubles". The list goes on and I'm sure I've said things in my life that reflect the same human insecurity that prevents us from totally trusting in and totally leaning on our heavenly Father. Several years ago, the Lord convicted my husband and I to give Him control over our family. So essentially we became what is known as a quiverful family. I cannot begin to describe the blessings that came from trusting in Him for this very important part of life. I may expound on it in another post, on another day, but that's not really what this post is about. As time went on, we found ourselves learning to lean on Jesus like we had never before. Our doubts turned into trust and our fears became challenges. We really believe that we can trust God for everything. And I believed I really was trusting Him, completely. However, He showed me a couple years ago just how much I was NOT.

I was READY for another baby (how selfish do I sound!) and I was not pregnant! As I explained my upset to my husband, he gently reminded me that part of trusting the Lord was trusting the Lord. WHAT? What he meant was that trusting "the Lord with all your heart..." was not just about preventing the blessings until we were ready, but allowing Him to decide when and if we were ready for another blessing. This theory has applied to many areas of our life, not just children. When finding a spouse or finding a job, moving, personal growth, and every provision ever needed.  Every time we've had a need, no sooner did we turn it over to Him, He provided and provided according to His purpose.

28And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28

My point: I've been weeping to the Lord, begging Him to take away my symptoms, feeling that there is no reason for this. Pregnancy is a blessing I say, until I became sick, and since then, I have complained, excused bad behavior, and I've denied meeting the needs of my family. Today I am struck at my boldness. How could I, believing in trusting Him for all my needs, assume that I know better than He what is good for me. How can I say I don't need to feel like this. Can I really say there is no purpose? What about learning to give when I have nothing left, so that what I give is of the Lord. Am I really so good at working through adversity, that I need no more practice? and most importantly am I so much better than Jesus that I should avoid suffering for my own sake? Or should I be found faithful in my suffering for my husband and my children's sake, and to all who are watching me, being a light to them, as Jesus is to us.

So for today I want to submit this thought. Have I any need of which the Lord doesn't know? Can I suffer and the Lord turn a deaf ear to my cries? Has the Lord EVER failed me, left me, or proven Himself not trustworthy? For me the answer is no, you have your own answer. I'll leave that for you to ponder. But first I'll leave you with this scripture, the rest of the above passage.

6In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. 7Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil. 8It shall be health to thy navel, and marrow to thy bones. Proverbs 3:6-9

Be blessed abundantly!

Cloth diaper Giveaway!

The cloth diaper in the pic is one I made. Isn't it cute! It's a safari print with a giraff on the the left cheek. It's a pocket diaper and one of my favorites! Cloth diapers are not hard to make or hard to use! I made this one in an evening, and it was my first one of this style. I wanted to show just how cute diapers can really be! Forget vinyl pants and prefolds! Enter new cloth style!

Great news! I have a friend and fellow blogger who is running an awesome giveaway and also has some great info on cloth diapering. It's a nice short and sweet article on the high points of cloth. So if you've ever been interested in using cloth go and have a look! It definitely won't be a waste of your time, because if you're willing to try cloth she'll enter you for a drawing to win a free pocket diaper! Cool huh! The best time to start researching cloth is NOW! Don't waste another day or another dollar wondering if you should. It's not for EVERYBODY, but it is workable for MOST EVERYBODY in some form or another! And with cloth there are many forms and many styles to choose from, every skill level, expense and personal taste! So come on over and have a read!

Seasons Of Wisdom is her blog.

To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven  Ecclesiastes 3:1 KJV

Thanks again for reading and be blessed!

Update, a Quiverfull getting fuller, new business. What would you like to see most?

First off I want to say that I'm sorry I've been neglecting my blog. We've been in a bit of a whirl wind lately. My husband fell and broke his ankle in September and is not able to work, despite his efforts. So, I've been a busy mommy and wife. Things are starting to work out though. We're excited to announce that we're opening our arms a little more to welcome a new addition, some time next summer. We're a quiver-full family and are so thankful for the Lords blessings in our life! There is a song I love on youtube, and the link for it is here. It's a song called Little Arrow. In all truthfulness the Lord knows what our future holds and can only be trusted in times like these! We praise Him for His provision in our life and for His heavenly guidance.

In the spirit of making the best with what we have, we are working on some online business possibilities to raise some money. One of them is - (shameless plug) http://www.etsy.com/shop/WindyWillowPond As we're trying to get that going I've been spending more time on the computer and a friend suggested perhaps a little more time on the blog. I plan to and I also want to make it an exciting thing for my readers.

So the million dollar question is: If I were to direct some articles or tutorials right at my readers, what would you like to see? I have a few tutes planned and in the makings, LIKE HOW I MADE THESE ADORABLE DRESSERALLS FOR HANNAH! but I am also planning to do a couple of special requests. Let me know what you want and I'll do my best to accommodate you!

Until next time...

41 Yet setteth he the poor on high from affliction, and maketh him families like a flock. Psalm 107:41 KJV

Be Blessed and Be bold in your love for the Lord!

A NEW GIVEAWAY!

This is a wonderful new giveaway by Raising homemakers You can enter to win a homeschooling pack called the prairie primer. This is a great option for unit style studies that involve multiple grades of Little House lovers!




Aren't giveaways fun! It's so neat that all these bloggers love sharing! I think sharing with each other gives us a sense of community that we need.

If you'd like to just read more info about the book, or this giveaway is already closed and you want to know how to purchase one, just wander over to Cadron Creek and they have all the information you need.

Thanks for reading and be blessed!