The Noticer: A Giveaway

I've decided to give away my copy of The Noticer. See review below.


Leave a comment about a time in your life when a little change of perspective made a BIG difference in your life!

All comments must be left before midnight on Thursday, May 7th. I'll announce the winner on Friday, May 8th!

The Noticer: A Book Review

I recently read The Noticer by Andy Andrews and was immediately drawn in by the title. I consider myself a perceptive person and often find myself "noticing" others and caring about their general sense of well-being. I thought this book was going to be about taking the time to notice others, but it turned out to be more about perspective than perception.

The Noticer is a story about a man named "Jones" who appears in the lives of various people when they are in need of a "little perspective". Jones shares his wisdom in an effort to set each person on the right track.

From a Christian perspective, I can't say that I agreed with Jones on all points. However, I gleaned several bits of wisdom reading about his encounters and was able to appreciate the general concept - the impact perspective can make on a person's life. I found the concepts and general feel of the book seemed to be oversimplified, but it was a quick, easy read and enjoyable overall.

50 Years!

Today marks a very special day. Rich's parents celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary! We are so thankful for their beautiful example of a committed Christian marriage.

Happy Anniversary
Dick and Joanne!

Psst....Susan? You do know a marathon is 26 miles, right?

My friend Susan is trying to win a trip to Hawaii to run in a marathon! I know! It makes me tired just thinking about it. And as a person who has spent the last several months trying to build up the endurance to run a simple 5K...I've got to give her SERIOUS props.

Do you think anyone might give away a trip for running a 5K? Of course, the destination would probably be like Cleveland or somewhere like that, but hey....a girl can dream.

Anywho, could you take a minute to vote for this sweet friend? She's in 2nd place right now and all of us here in Btown are rooting for her!

BELIEVE IN THE RUN Sponsored by Visit NIKE USA

Easter 2009!

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Crafty, I am not.

To say I am not crafty is truly an understatement. Just ask my friends. Or you could ask the many MOPS Creative Activities Directors who had to "help" me with my crafts. They would always pat themselves on the back when they came up with one they didn't have to "help me with" (read "do for me").

SO. I'm hardly your one-stop-shop for all things crafty.

I AM NOT the Mom who lives to do crafts with her kids.

I AM the Mom who hides the Play-doh.

I AM the Mom who throws the Moon Sand in the trash all the while cursing the person (clearly NOT a Mom) who came up with such an inane product to begin with.

I will do a lot of things with and for my kids, but glitter, glue, and construction paper are like Kryptonite to me. They zap all my Mommy strength.

All that said, ironically, I am about to share a crafty type project with you. Technically this is not an actual craft, it's more like a recipe. However, it is (in my humble opinion) in the craft "family". I've decided to share it with you, because it teaches a lesson...a beautiful, miraculous, victorious lesson!

A friend of mine did this with Will's preschool class and I loved it! It is an ideal little project even if you are "craft challenged" like me. So, I hope you'll add a few ingredients to your grocery list this weekend and try out this wonderful Easter treat!

Resurrection Rolls

You’ll need:

• 1 tube refrigerated crescent rolls (8)
• 3 T. melted butter
• 8 large marshmallows
• 1/8 c. cinnamon/sugar mixture
• 1 baking pan covered in foil

Read Matthew 27:57-61 about how Jesus’ body was prepared for burial.

Dip a marshmallow (Jesus’ body) in the melted butter (oils)and roll it in cinnamon/sugar (spices). Lay it on the crescent roll (linen) and pull up the sides until the marshmallow is hidden inside. Cover the top with the remainder of the melted butter and cinnamon/sugar (seal the tomb). Cook for 8-10 mins. on 350 and let cool. The children will immediately notice “Jesus” is missing (marshmallow has melted). Finish up by reading Matthew 28:5-8.

Check out my source for this recipe here, complete with mouth watering pictures!

"He is not here; he has risen, just as he said."

Matthew 28:6

Please Pray

Please pray for my sweet blog friend Bev, read more about her story here.

And Bev...

"Be brave. Be strong. Don't give up. Expect God to get here soon."

Psalm 31:24

The Message

Let Us Eat Cake!

Remember this post where I pleaded with you all to SAVE THE BROWNIES? It was when I tried to make low calorie brownies by using diet soda? Let's just say I was traumatized. I still shudder from time to time at the thought. But this week, I gave the diet soda/baking goods idea another go and tried it with a cake mix and it worked! I can officially recommend this to you. Just add one can of diet soda (I used Diet Dr. Pepper) to any cake mix (I used yellow), mix it up, and bake as directed. It actually tastes really GOOD! Top it with a little Cool Whip (regular or lite) and you have a yummy low cal answer to your cake craving. Enjoy!

Here's an official recipe I found online if you'd like precise instructions.

Thirtysomethingitis

After thoughtful consideration and a consultation with a friend or two, I have come up with a name for my current state of mind. I am officially diagnosing myself with Thirtysomethingitis. Not to be confused with Senioritis, although it bears some similarity.

For instance, a symptom of Senioritis is a lack of motivation to do homework. And a symptom of Thirtysomethingitis is a lack of motivation to do housework (and if I'm being truly honest...a host of other things). See where I am going with this?

Unfortunately, it is the point where the similarities between Thirtysomethingitis and Senioritis END that poses the true problem.

Let me illustrate. Below is a definition for Senioritis that I found online at Urban Dictionary.

Senioritis
noun. A crippling disease that strikes high school seniors. Symptoms include: laziness, an over-excessive wearing of track pants, old athletic shirts, sweatpants, athletic shorts, and sweatshirts. Also features a lack of studying, repeated absences, and a generally dismissive attitude. The only known cure is a phenomenon known as Graduation.

The problem lies in that last statement. You know the one highlighted in bold and italics? Right. Pretty sure my next "Graduation" isn't for QUITE SOME TIME.

And on that happy and encouraging note I will close.