Dayspring (in)spired Deals Review!

I love getting mail and I love sending mail. I especially love sending cards and finding a way to bless someone else.

I used to buy boxes of cards and store them at my desk at work so if I happened to think about someone that day, I saw it as a "sign" perhaps that I should send them a little encouragement.

Well a few weeks ago I was on the (in)courage website and saw that they were looking for some bloggers to do a review of some great new products they have available. I, always loving the "free" stuff, was in!

So one day last week these arrived on my doorstep!!

These beautiful cards are part of the "God's Heart For You" collection.

Perfect cards for a special woman in your life. A bestie that you want to encourage or a mentor that needs a lifting up or a neighbor down the street that doesn't get out much anymore. Who do you have in your circle of friends that could use a little boost?!

I can't wait to send these out and share them...even though I would love to keep them for myself. :)

Here is one of my favorites....

You are Loved....Just as you are (Ephesians 3:17-19)....

Do you feel loved "just as you are"?

I am afraid that in this world...by its standards I would have to answer "no" some days.  I feel less than perfect, I see all of my failures and I am so critical of myself.

But I love the reminder that in God's Heart -

I am perfect.

I am loved.

I am redeemed.

Thank God for those truths today!! 

 So how do you answer the question "In God's Heart I am...."?

If you are interested in checking out the other products that Blessings Unlimited has to offer click here.

Disclosure: Dayspring sent me this pack of cards for free in exchange for a review of the product. All opinions expressed here are my own.

A host of things to be grateful for....

So often I get so caught up in "me" that I forget to see...

In the darkness of my self-focus, I shut out the light.

But then I am reminded of the counting of gifts....

And soon the host of good gifts is so very evident. This friends is where my focus will be today.

How about you? Can you count the many, many reasons we have to be thankful?

#127 - Red barn paint and helping when we are needed

#128 - The giggle of a boy who never sleeps past 6:30am

#129 - The sound of the dryer spinning clean clothes

#130 - Beautiful birch trees outside the front window

#131 - Rides to school from a helpful neighbor

#132 - Fresh baked banana bread

#133 - Grace...always grace

Have you counted today? Counted the gifts in your life...your day? Join me won't you?

Let there be white....

Trim!!

I don't know about you...but this I think is a thing of beauty...as far as barns go I mean!

The white really made the whole thing pop.

We talked about it early this morning and decided that we would just go for it and get the job finished...

And we are so glad that we did....looks even better than it did yesterday!

Although I don't know that the former owner of this web feels the same! :)

What a difference a day makes....

We spent the day out in Parker so that we could help Dominic's parents paint their garage, summer kitchen and barn.

These are some of the "befores"

And here are some of the "afters"

It was a HUGE job and we worked all day long - but it looks great. Eventually white trim will be added to the barn but it wasn't going to happen today.

How did you spend your Saturday??

What Women Fear - Winners!!

Congratulations to the winners of the book "What Women Fear" by Angie Smith!! 



I know that you will be blessed by this book and I wish I had a copy to send to everyone. And thank you for sharing some of your fears here. I will be praying for all of you and asking that God reveal Himself in all things to each of you!!

I used a number generator from Random.org and tried to embed the widgets into this post but I am having techinical difficulties this morning..so I apologize for that.

But it picked for me and the winners are:

Congrats to Sarah S. From "All Other Ground is Sinking Sand - Our Life After Loss"

And congrats to Jaimie from Displacedcitygirl!!

Please e-mail me your addresses at kasmith03@gmail.com and I will get your copies out to you!! Yay for Fridays and fun giveaways!!

God Knows What We Need

Sometimes God knows just what we need....even when we don't know if or when we will need it ourselves.

Let me give you an example.

This, as most of you know, is Elijah....

He likes cake...or "BIG cutcake" as he says it!

He loves to pose for pictures and look cute and he has a million different expressions that just melt your heart.

He also loves being 2 and with that comes tantrums and pushing boundaries and blowing bubbles in your milk - even when mom tells him to stop!

Some days having a 2 yr old is a lot to handle. :)

When we first looked into moving here my first thought was to find someone to watch our kids because I had to continue to work. I made some calls and it was looking pretty grim and then I asked someone from the local branch bank here if they had any ideas and I was given a name.

With my past experience it didn't seem like an opening was possible - especially when it was an in-home daycare, but I called anyways and you know what? There was an opening....she was losing a family that had a 2 yr old and a baby.

hmmmm....coincidence? I don't think so!!

So one weekend when we were up in Marshall looking for houses we stopped and met Markel and her family. And from the moment we met them we just knew it was "right". Her son Isac sat with us and talked about his faith in God and all of the great opportunities there were for kids in town. Her daughter Dara was home from college and treated us like we were old friends. And I think Markel had Karlena asleep within minutes of us showing up as she held her.

And I know...who couldn't love this girl right? But even for babies, transition can be hard. But Karlena hasn't even batted an eye. She is all smiles when I drop her off and when I pick her up. She has transitioned so well.

Elijah though has his 2-yr old moments. He told me yesterday that "I have fun at Markel's and I go in time out!"  He was so proud of himself! He can be such a handful.

I had e-mailed Markel about something earlier today and in it told her that I hoped Elijah had been behaving because I know how he can get.....

And her response??

"I love him...He is so sweet, and a true boy...reminds me of my Isac at that age... :)  always good with E :)"

You see? God knows.

He knew EXACTLY who we needed to love and care for our children during the day when we couldn't do it ourselves. He provided an opening just when the time was right and He gave our whole family a blessing in Markel.

Thank you God for seeing our needs so far in advance of us knowing it ourselves. You have provided so much for us here and we are eternally grateful. Thank you for Markel - may You bless her today and always!

Back to School Shopping - Shoes

Thank you to Crocs for sponsoring this blog post. Please click here to learn more about Crocs’ new Back to School line. I was selected for this sponsorship by the Clever Girls Collective. All opinions expressed here are my own.

Now that the kiddos are back in school and I have a little time to breathe :) I wanted to share one of my Back to School shopping experiences.

You would think that shopping for boys would be pretty easy -and for the most part it is. Except that is when it comes to shoes.

After searching several stores and an online purchase returned, I took Isaac out and said I didn't care the cost - just find something, anything that fits you and is comfortable. I didn't think finding school shoes would be this difficult!! He did finally find something when out with his grandpa (thanks dad!!), but if you asked him he would rather be wearing his Crocs.

He has the slip on kind...you know like this....

And although the straps have broken and they are pretty worn out - they have always been his "go to" shoe. But they aren't really appropriate "school" shoes.

Now Gabriel only has 1 criteria for shoes...NO TIES. He can tie his shoes, but they always come untied and "retying is such a chore mom"! :)  I have decided that, at least for now, fighting over a tie shoe isn't worth it and shoes without ties are fine with me.

Wouldn't these new Crocs be perfect for him??

An added bonus is that they are waterproof, like all of the other Crocs, so when he is splashing around in puddles (as he is apt to do) I won't have to find a vent to dry them on overnight!! BONUS!

The Crocs Back to School kids' line are school-approved on the outside (because they're close-toed and close-heeled), but have the same comfort in the inside 13 new styles for boys and girls from K-8.  Just by checking out their site - you can enter a giveaway for a family vacation to San Diego with no purchase necessary!! I am all in for that and already entered - Mark and Mindi here I come!! 

And if you want to learn more about the new Crocs line check out the video below.
(It's a little cheezy if you ask me...but the kids liked it) :)

The music video is interactive- you can click on the shoes in the video to go directly to the shoes' corresponding pages on the Crocs official site.

Added Bonus!!!: Try to find the hidden Easter Egg within the video, click on it and see what happens! And here's a hint for you...look for the object below and click on it for a special "secret discount"!!

Think yellow bird!! :)

It works, I tried it and I think I am going to have to use that discount towards a pair of these shoes!! So tell me what was your best and worst back to school shopping experience this year??