Laughing at My Future

Hello! Time for a lighthearted post from this girl. (yay, finally! right?) :) As you know, I am expecting our third daughter. Like literally, expecting her any minute! She is due a week from today, although it doesn't seem possible...and neither does it feel like she is going to make her appearance any time soon. lol As a result, my amazing husband has been assisting me in working diligently at stocking our freezer for those first few weeks after she arrives. Lasagnas, pasta sauces, different types of soups and soup bases, veggies for serving as well as including in dishes, etc. You name it, if it can be or make easier the preparation of dinner, we've either gotten it done or are planning on finishing it up in the next few days. {Thank goodness we have an extra freezer, because we're both the 'better to be safe than sorry' type and it's possible we might have gone a little overboard in our quest. haha} Knowing we were doing this, my awesome mother-in-la

"Fear not, you will no longer live in shame. Don't be afraid; there is no more disgrace for you. You will no longer remember the shame of your youth and the sorrows of widowhood. For your Creator will be your husband; the Lord of Heaven's Armies is His name! He is your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel, the God of all the earth. For the Lord has called you back from your grief - as though you were a young wife abandoned by her husband," says your God. "For a brief moment I abandoned you, but with great compassion I will take you back. In a burst of anger I turned my face away for a little while. But with everlasting love I will have compassion on you," says the Lord, your Redeemer. "Just as I swore in the time of Noah that I would never again let a flood cover the earth, so now I swear that I will never again be angry and punish you. For the mountains may move and the hills disappear, but even then my faithful love for you will remain. My covenant of b

Did you know I have a little business? I believe I've talked about it before, but I thought I'd share with you afresh...especially since I am doing a big giveaway, and there are lots of ways you can enter and win! So my business...about 3 years ago I started selling crocheted goods to friends and family members who wanted fun, unique, personal gifts or accessories but couldn't make them themselves. And so, Oli J Accessories was born. Now I have an Etsy Shop (an online shop you can view and purchase from) where I sell my goodies, as well as several places in my area that sell them in their stores, and of course - because where would I be without this? - I still do A LOT simply via word of mouth referrals and Facebook orders. It is so much fun, keeps me busy, and provides us with a little supplemental income for the "extras" that pop up in life. (a friend of mine once called it 'diaper money' and that's probably what it will be here very soon!) I love

Over the last few weeks, and this week especially, we over here in my corner of the world have been getting ready for our church youth group's summer camp. This particular event is something that, even at nearly 30 and now as a leader rather than just a camper, I still  look forward to every year, because it is always so life-changing for all parties involved. I love every facet of it, from the planning to the execution, seeing the kids all arrive at the church, either full of plans or scared out of their mind at just what exactly is going to happen, and most importantly, I love seeing the way God grabs ahold of every open and willing heart up there, young and old, and moves in all of them in a very big and defining way. In fact, I love it so much, I actually wrote my first book to be in the setting of a camp very similar to one I went to when I was in youth group myself. This post is kind of going to be a double-plug. I want to tell you about the book I'm always referring to

I can't think of a single person I know that doesn't love winning awesome new things at giveaways, can you? So unless you fall into that category (in which case WHY THE HECK NOT?? lol) listen up, because I'm here to announce another great opportunity to win something! My good friend Casey, over at  K See Images  is a very talented, up-and-coming local photographer and she is so very generously celebrating reaching 500 fans on her Facebook fan page by giving away a free mini-session! Valued at $50, this one-person, half-hour photo shoot can be done anywhere locally, and you even get some prints from it. Definitely an opportunity to be taken advantage of! Even more fun, she asked me to team up with her on this giveaway and so along with the photo-shoot package the winner will also receive a custom-made  Oli J Accessories  hat of their choice, crocheted by yours truly. How fun is that? Like I said, an awesome chance to win awesome stuff!!! :) Entering couldn't be

"So, my dear brothers and sisters, be strong and immovable. Always work enthusiastically for the Lord, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless." 1 Corinthians 15:58 (NLT) I absolutely hate competition. I was not born with a competitive nature, and was completely run over by those who were for a good part of my life.  My world exists of multiple realms in which there are fleshly opportunities for pride and competition to come into play. And, in the past, it has, and has nearly destroyed me internally. Pride (both in the form of having too much as well as having too little) so easily gets in the way of us doing our best at that which we're called to; it makes it difficult to remember why we're there, and Who we're there for. Two things I know: regardless of what I choose to do in life, there will always be someone who does the same thing and thinks they're better than me, and there will always be someone who does the same th

"This is what the Lord says: "You will be in Babylon for seventy years. But then I will come and do for you all the good things I have promised, and I will bring you home again. For I know the plans I have for you," says the Lord. "They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. In those days when you pray, I will listen. If you look for Me wholeheartedly, you will find Me. I will be found by you," says the Lord. "I will end your captivity and restore your fortunes. I will gather you out of the nations where I sent you and will bring you home again to your own land." Jeremiah 29:10-14 (NLT) Wow. That is quite the message to God's people, and one we should never forget. I know that often (and maybe too often if it begins to lose its meaning) we hear verse 11, where God states clearly that He has plans for us and that they are good, but how often do we really study the whole context of the promise? My pastor would

Hello and welcome to my little world! I'm very nervous and excited to start this blog! It's something I've felt like I was supposed to do for a while now but kept putting it off with the good old "I just don't have the time" excuse. (Justifiable somewhat considering I just became a stay-at-home mom of a 2 1/2 year old and nearly 4 year old and I'm pregnant with #3, but an excuse just the same.) Funny, isn't it, that the things we know we should be doing seem to wind up the easiest to put off until another day. And me - being a writer practically since I learned how to put a pen to paper - this should be like breathing to me. And yet it is not. Yesterday I finally got myself in gear. Sort of. I got everything set up and then decided once again  to put off writing my first "official" blog entry. Later, however, while I was reading my Bible, I heard that wonderful still small Voice say to me, "Yes, but since when has time kept you from