My birthday, surprises, & a Katygirl giveaway

 

Saturday was my birthday. I'm sorta big on birthdays, and that's totally to my parents' credit. I grew up in a family that loved celebrating one another. I have many, many fun memories from the parties we had together. I only remember one birthday party that I didn't love. I think it was my 10th or 11th. My parents packed my friends and I all up in a car and went for a drive; the destination was a surprise. Well, I don't do well with surprises, and now that I think about it, this incident may be why.

The anticipation killed me, not knowing where I was being taken. I grew from slightly anxious, to completely terrified that they were going to bring me somewhere where I would be embarrassed. I'm not sure why I thought this. It wasn't rational. That's just what I remember: I was so scared it would be something embarrassing. My parents were sorta over the top, so if they'd said, "Hey for your birthday, you're going to go up on stage in front of 5000 people and meet Madonna (it was the 80's, people)," I would have believed them. And I would've been terrified.

Well, guess what. We arrived at a big arena, and went to a Disney on Ice show. Zero percent embarrassing. 100% fun. Except all I remember was hating how I felt leading up to that party. The fear left a much more lasting impression on my memory than the actual party did. So yeah, don't throw me a surprise party, ever, kay?

This weekend, I turned 38. And in that span of time from age 11 till now, I've grown some, and I do a little better with surprises. Especially if they're God's. He is the one guy I really trust to surprise me with things that are exclusively for my good. Throughout my youth and my 20's, I claimed Jeremiah 29:11 as my life verse:

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you, and not to harm you; plans to give you a future and a hope."

I've learned He has good plans. And I've learned I don't have to know about them in advance.

This year, I'm sure, He will surprise me with His plans. And though it may be a new year, a new season, my God stays the same. Yesterday, today, and tomorrow. Knowing He may surprise me doesn't leave me feeling fearful or anxious. Well, sometimes it does, when I'm not in step with Him. When I've looked away from His face, and turned my attention to give ear to those fears. But when my eyes are fixed on Him, instead of anticipating the next step in fear or anxiety, I can look forward to my days with excitement and hope.

I bought this print from my beloved blog friend Katy for a friend for Christmas. When it arrived and I held it in my hands, I knew it was for me too. My heart resonated with this message deep down.



I love it so much.

And so to celebrate my birthday, Katy has offered to give away a copy to one of you. Isn't she the best?

{If you're the winner and you'd like one of her other prints instead, that's okay too.}

Here's another reason to jump for joy. Today, she's releasing a whole bunch of new designs in her shop. Some of them are killing me they're so great. They speak to my heart, and they speak truth so clearly, so beautifully. Please visit her shop and check them out. And here's fair warning that you may not be able to pass up the note cards.

If you want to be entered in the giveaway, just leave a comment. You can get an extra entry for doing any of these things; just leave an additional comment for each:

• Follow here
• Subscribe to Katy's blog
• Favorite or add to your Circle Katygirl Designs on Etsy

I will be choosing a WINNER on Thursday night and announcing it on Friday.

And wait. Before you click away, just tuck this truth in your heart today:

All of your life, in every season, He is still God. He has good plans for you this year. You can trust Him.

Quickie weekend giveaway!

In the early days of this here blog, I wrote a book review about a book I read and loved. It's called Preparing Him for the Other Woman by Sheri Rose Shepherd. The subtitle is A Mother's Guide to Raising Her Son to Love a Wife and Lead a Family. It's really so great. (You can read a lot more on a breakdown of the text itself on the other post). This past spring, I went to our church's women's retreat. I was a bit excited because Sheri Rose was the speaker, and I had loved this book of hers. 

Off I went to the conference. At the book table, I told her how much I'd been touched and challenged in my mothering by her book. I also told her that I liked it so much that I bought an extra copy and gave one away on my blog. She lit up and said, "Oh here! Take this to give away too!" And she handed me a CD, an audio message on the same topic. Wasn't that so amazing and kind of her? She definitely has a heart for sharing her wisdom with any and all who want to hear it.

So that is what I'm doing! Giving it away.

Want to get in on it? The CD has the exact same picture as above on it and says on the cover: "What kind of husband will your son grow up to be? The time is now to prepare our boys for victory."  It says that this is an audio message recoded at a Mothers of Boys Conference. On the back of the CD, it says this (let me know if you get butterflies in your stomach like I do when I read these words...):

Can you raise your son to one day love, lead, and protect a wife and family in a world like this? The answer is yes. The heartbeat of this message is to give mothers the tools to help their sons become tender warriors who will one day fight for their families; a Godly husband who faithfully loves his wife; and a leader who is a man of his word. The time is now to take your love, tears, prayers and influence and pour them into his future.

To that I say Yes, Please!  If you want to be entered to win this audio message, it's just too easy. Become a follower and comment that you did (or leave a comment saying you already are one). You can get an extra entry if you leave a second comment stating one thing you appreciate about boys. That will be fun, right??

I'll make it a short drawing and will pick a winner Sunday night, June 26th, at 10 pm Pacific.

K, friends? Good luck and have a great weekend!

An Ides of March Giveaway!

Today is a special day. (Do you know why?)

In honor of today, look what I made for one of you!

I wanted to give you a little gift because I love words and today is a celebration of words (I'll tell you why in a minute).

I love anything with the alphabet or typography, and so I really love this fabric with fancy lettering on it. And book pages? Well, pretty much any creation can use a book page or two. Strings of words, someone’s beautiful expression in the starck simplicity of black and white is art on so many levels.

So to be entered in my little hoop art giveaway, become a follower, and/or tell me you already are one!

And here’s the second surprise.

If you are the first one to comment with the correct answers to these questions about today, March 15th, I’ll make you a custom headband, similar to the ones I made for my blog friend Kyle when I participated in Danielle’s Headband Swap in January, AND you'll be entered in the giveaway for my hoop art. Possible double prizes!

So it's time for your literature pop-quiz. Don’t google it, friends, because Jesus will know you cheated. You gotta rely on that good education you got, right?!

March 15th is also known as the Ides of March. (Did you know this already??) One of the greatest writers of all time – an incredible word artist – referenced the Ides of March in a story he wrote.
So….

1. Who’s the famous author?

2. Which of his stories refers to the Ides of March?

3. And why was the main character told to "Beware the Ides of March"?

 I’ll bet if you paid attention in high school, you probably learned this. English class? Humanities? My teacher was so into this author that she wore a shirt with his face on it twice a year, on the Ides of March and the author’s birthday. Those days were a little sacred in our classroom.

And ya know, isn't it funny how certain things stick with you from school? I think I remember the literature the most. Well, the boys and the literature. In that order.

Happy day to you!

Love for a lunchbox: a give away!

What kind of lunchbox did you have? I think at one point I had an ET one; you know the scene where Elliot's bike takes off into the air with the moon in the background? The movie and the trusty metal lunchbox are rightfully classics.

I'm so glad metal lunchboxes are back in style. Both my kids carry them, and I hope they look back on their "lunchbox years" fondly, like most of us do. I think so many of us love to reminisce about lunchboxes because they are comforting. Lunchboxes are a familiarity from home, carrying evidence that one is loved by way of neatly cut sandwich triangles, a baggie of fruit, and perhaps even a sweet treat.

At lunchtime when I was in elementary school, I remember feeling like there was nothing better than to find something unexpected in my lunchbox. It usually happened after Halloween when my mom would sneak in a piece of candy from my post-October stash. And once in a while, she would write a note of encouragement. I loved even to see her handwriting. Her loopy cursive, which I could barely decipher, was a loving reminder that she was not far away.

I want to create these kinds of memories for my children. And now, as my youngest is off to Kindergarten as of five days ago, I am thinking of ways to do so. Today, when I picked up my son from school, he ran into my arms in tears. When I asked him why he was crying, he said, "Because I missed you so much!" It's only been five days, and I'm already focused on my own agenda while they are gone. The few hours is precious time for me to be productive, and I've already lost sight of how challenging those few hours can be for a child, and the younger they are, the moreso.

So I'm brainstorming ways can I "be there" for my kids without physically being there. Here are my first couple ideas. My son asked me tonight if he could take a picture of me to school. I thought that was a great idea! I am going to send him with a small photo of he and I, for him to tape inside his pencil box that he keeps on his desk.

Secondly, we don't forget the "kissing hand," where I place a kiss in the palm of a little hand and fold up the fingers. The love sticks there (even after hand-washing) and is available all day for pressing to one's cheek for the reminder, "Mommy loves me." This little tradition is from the book of the same name by Audrey Penn, and is excellent to read to a child who is going to preschool or kindergarten for the first time.




We've been reading it for a couple years together because my kids are always needing reminders of how my love stays with them, even when we are apart. I recommend it.

And finally, I'm using these amazing little guys.


Last year, my cousin (who has children a little older than mine) gave me these as a gift, and I was instantly in love with them. This company, Lunchbox Love, is so awesome in their singular aim: to encourage a child by way of a lunchbox. Each set (there are 16 sets in all!) contains four credit card-sized, durable, double-sided notes featuring one bit of love and encouragement and one bit of humor. They are reusable, easy to read, and in lots of fun colors.

I love them so much that I'm giving away TWO SETS to one of you! Please sign up to be a follower on the right - that will make you eligible. If you want an extra entry, please leave a comment below...maybe with your favorite lunchbox as a kid.

If you don't have kids, then it would make a great gift for a mom with young kids. Memories of small gestures of love found in a lunchbox may last for decades later.

* The winner will receive two different sets of notes. I'll choose a winner on Sunday night and post about it Monday!

Whatever happened to my lunchbox?
When came the day that it got thrown away
And don't you think I should've had some say
In that decision? -John Mayer

Boy, oh boy! My 1st Official Giveaway

[Part of me just had to write up this post today so I didn't have to look at Lotso anymore!]

If you are a mom with a son, or know a mom with a son, I highly recommend this book. I love it, and I want to give a copy to one of you! This is my first official giveaway, so be excited people!

But first I have to tell you about it. If you haven't guessed, the "other woman" to whom the title refers is a boy's future wife. The book's introduction begins with this question: "What kind of husband will your son grow up to be?" The question gives me pause, personally. But this book has helped me have a vision for what kind of husband I think God would have my son become, and how I can be used in that process.

After reading it, I realized I used to believe that nearly all of a boy's training to be a man and a husband was to be done by his father. While the role of a strong, Godly dad in his life is certainly irreplaceable, God has been showing me that I too am in a powerful position in my son's life as a woman. I can teach him about the needs of a woman in a unique way. I'm convinced that just as in many other areas of his life, my input in his training to be a man is not only valuable but critical.

Here are some specific things I love about it:

It has a strong premise - Shepherd asks, "What if a husband had a mother who invested her life not only in cooking, cleaning, and caring for her son, but also in carefully and deliberately bestowing upon him what every man desires to know - how to understand and care for the fragile heart of his bride?...Imagine how differently many tragic love stories would end if every new bride took the hand of a well-trained hero - a strong warrior, equipped for victory as a loving leader." Shepherd continues by making a strong case for moms. A mother is the first and most influential woman in a young boy's life. She therefore must be intentional in shaping her son's understanding of a woman's heart and his future role in a family.

It is so incredibly practical - This is not simply a fluffy Christian book full of abstract suggestions with scripture to match. The commentary in each chapter is actually very short; the author spends the bulk of the book listing practical ways for mothers to guide their sons. Each chapter has a section called "A Mother In Action," where she lists chapter-related ideas for boys ages 3-8, then 9-13, and finally 14-19. I've already used her suggestions many times and my son is only five. Shepherd is basically arming a mother with tools for building a strong foundation with her son in a variety of ways, encouraging a mom to use her position of influence to train him for leading his future family. I will be referencing this book for years, I'm certain.

It covers fourteen critical skills we'd all agree boys need to learn (and we'd all agree it's clear that most of the grown-up ones haven't) - Teaching him to express love, resolve conflict, be a Godly leader, choose purity, and be affirming to his wife are just some. I would love to list them all because they are all so good.

Every chapter contains a prayer - Not only do the prayers point moms to the Lord and His wisdom, but the whole directive of the book hinges on a mother's reliance on the Lord to empower her and guide her in the best ways to raise her son. Moms are encouraged to boldly teach their sons in a way only a woman can, allowing God to work through them with love and wisdom.

SO, if you'd like a chance to win a copy of Preparing Him for the Other Woman, all you have to do is become a follower. Click "Follow" on the right margin and in a couple simple steps, you'll be in! If you're already a follower, comment that you want to be entered. If you'd like to be entered more than once, you can post this giveaway on Facebook, Twitter, (click below on the icons) or blog about it. Just post the link back here in the comments. You have until the end of Saturday to enter. Thanks, and I hope I get to send it to someone!