Honeymoon Do's and Don'ts~!!

Planning the wedding is time consuming and hectic. Planning the Honeymoon doesn’t have to be. While the wedding is really the Bride’s forte, the Honeymoon should be left up to the Groom. Depending on the age of the couple and whether or not it’s a first or second, or daresay a third marriage really will dictate a lot of what you plan but for grins we are going to deal with a second marriage here. However, it should be noted the basic rules are the same. And the gift at the end of this column will also be the same.

A Honeymoon does not have to be expensive but it will cost more than you planned. The Honeymoon should be done in two parts; 1) the wedding night, 2) the trip. The first is extremely important and few people get it right but the most important thing to remember, believe it or not, is how far you travel for the wedding night.  

Resist the temptation to start the honeymoon by driving to the dock and getting on a ship for your cruise. Resist the temptation to jump on a plane that first night and fly to Hawaii. Resist the temptation to party late and drive two hours to the hotel. Above all stay locally for the first night. The reasons are many and so simple but the biggest one is you will have your entire lives together. You only get ONE Wedding Night. Even if you’ve been together for some time the wedding night itself remains special.

Driving two hours after a big party takes a lot out of you and puts a damper on the excitement. Jumping on a ship after waiting in line and getting luggage on board will kill any wedding night and a long plane ride is not ideal for that special evening you will spend with your new spouse.

Spend the first night in a local hotel and plan on staying just one, maybe two nights. The drive will be short and therefore not tiresome. Most local hotels above a Motel grade will have some sort of special suite for such occasions. Pick a really nice hotel no more than 30 minutes away you’ve never been to before except maybe for dinner. If it is close to the water, an ocean or a river or lake, even better. The sound of waves makes for a wonderful night.

A week beforehand visit Target or another nice chain store and head directly to the candle’s department. Pick out a nice selection of scented candles with smooth smells. It will cost you less than $20 and the romantic rewards will comeback to you ten fold.

Next visit the music department. Resist selecting something hot and hip but rather find some old romantic standards. A CD of Barry White is incredible. The movie “Ten” highlighted Ravel’s Bolero which is wonderfully erotic and anything today by Andréa Bocelli is as romantic as it gets. If your lady likes Sinatra, Jack Jones or others from before 1970, go for it. If more modern music is called for then reach into that group. The bottom line is the music should be smooth, warm, erotic to a degree and romantic. Nothing by Michael Bolton. I’ve yet to find a woman who says he’s romantic.

Champagne is okay but for a somewhat better mood setter try a smaller bottle of a sweet sparkling wine. Asti Spumante is a favorite. The Groom should get a small carrying case and pack the wine but ask for an ice bucket when you arrive. The key to a small bottle is it chills very quickly in an ice bucket, mere minutes. You should also pack the candles with holders (something nice not plain), two champagne flutes, matches, fresh fruit including berries (strawberries if possible), whipped cream (can is fine and can be fun later) and a selection of nuts, chocolates, two water bottles (if not provided in the room) and fruit juice. You won’t be drinking wine all night long and you will get dehydrated. And don’t forget the toothpaste and your toothbrush. Get a second one in case she forgot hers. She’ll love your for it.

While most of the rest should be left up to your imagination there are some things which you will want to think about ahead of time. The Groom should purchase some small piece of jewelry. Yes, you just gave her a diamond wedding ring. She expected that. Do you really want to make sure she remembers this night fondly? The best choice is a necklace. You can put it on her right away and you can be sure she’ll still be wearing it in the morning.

The important thing is to be creative, caring and aware of your partner’s desires and fears. Allow things to come naturally and keep it romantic. The fun has just begun.

Article written by Whiteflash.com – best provider of conflict diamonds. Search and find many conflict loose diamonds at Whiteflash store.

SHOUT OUT ~ To My GROOVY Google Guardian Angel...I LOVE YOU~!!

I have a Google Guardian Angel~!!  

No, it's true...there is some person on this planet who has taken the time to Google Plus almost every single one of my pages...only EVER missing ONE since they began~!!  And believe me when I say that I have been known to write a LOT of articles...so to be THAT vigilant truly astounds my noodle...lol

I know WHEN it began...during the week of May 18th and it started with a series of articles I wrote on some nasty beggars that destroy my ohh soo groovy trees...but I don't know WHO is doing this wondrous deed...lol

I have tried tracing it but everything is very tippy toppy secret that I cannot for the life of me find out who is being groovy to this chicka~!!  I am very upset with myself also, as I am a VERY good tracker and I cannot crack this puppy...but I like conundrums and this, like every truth, is always found...ALWAYS...hehe

I have had some people suggest it perhaps a bot...which it could be, but someone would've had to set it up...I mean, wouldn't they and why would they??  I am truly bewildered why anyone would wish to do this for me...I am not used to the attention, nor the kindness and well, yeah, it has left me a'scritchin' and a'scratchin' my head...and NO, I do NOT have head lice...lol

Sometimes I get weirded out, I've never had such happen before...have any of you??  I don't know if they are a good people or a bad people and a HUGE part of me wishes they would just step forward to stop my paranoia from mounting...hehe  I mean...wouldn't YOU??

However, I am deeply honoured and thoroughly appreciative and if I EVER find out who it is...and I WILL...they are getting some groovy lovin' from this hippy chicka...okay, on a TOTALLY platonic level...geesh, I just don't roll like THAT~!! 

YOU ROCK GUARDIAN ANGEL...TRULY TRULY YOU DO~!!

And like Casper our Friendliest of Ghosts once asked...

If I told you I loved you....could I keep you forever???

Mother Of Pearl Mother's Day Series ~ What I Didn't Know ~ Rhonda Shrock

Welcome to Pearl Girls™ Mother of Pearl Mother's Day blog series - a week long celebration of moms and mothering. Each day will feature a new post by some of today's best writer's (Tricia Goyer, Sheila Walsh, Suzanne Woods Fisher, Bonnie St. John, and more). I hope you'll join us each day for another unique perspective on Mother's Day.

AND ... do enter the contest for a chance to win a beautiful hand crafted pearl necklace. To enter, just {CLICK THIS LINK} and fill out the short form. Contest runs 5/6-5/13 and the winner will on 5/14. Contest is only open to US and Canadian residents.

If you are unfamiliar with Pearl Girls™, please visit www.pearlgirls.info and see what we're all about. In short, we exist to support the work of charities that help women and children in the US and around the globe. Consider purchasing a copy of Pearl Girls: Encountering Grit, Experiencing Grace or one of the Pearl Girls™ products (all GREAT Mother's Day gifts!) to help support Pearl Girls.

And to all you MOMS out there, Happy Mother's Day!


What I Didn't Know by Rhonda Shrock

I always knew I wanted to be a mother.  As a girl, I played house with my dollies, shushing them when they cried and kissing their plastic heads.

Looking back at that girl, I realize now that there was a lot she didn't know.  This morning over my fresh-ground coffee, this mother of 22-1/2 years scratched out a list of 10 things she didn't know then that she knows now.

1.  I didn't know - how could I? - just how completely a tiny, helpless scrap of humanity can capture the heart and hold it forever.  From that first whooshing heartbeat and the first butterfly brushes, a mother's heart is never again her own.  For all eternity, it enlarges, walking and pulsing and moving outside of her body; in my case, in the shape of a blue-eyed boy with rooster tails.  Times four.

2.  I didn't know that the size of a mother's heart is always changing, stretching to embrace each new baby that comes, then growing again to love their friends and then their own families.

3.  I never knew, as I changed my dolly's dress, how many reasons there are to worry when you're a mama.   Didn't know about the nighttime vigils.  Didn't know the anxiety of separation, the terror that floods when you turn around in the grocery store and they're gone.  Didn't know about the fear of the pond next door or the concern that pays for swimming lessons.  Didn't know the thousand-and-one reasons that keep a mother awake, whispering prayers on her pillow in the dark.

4.  No one told me that loving so much means that you will hurt hard and keen;  that what pains your child hurts you even worse.  I didn't know then that a playground taunt travels through that smaller heart and lands square in yours, stinging and burning like fire.  I didn't know that motherhood makes lionesses of us all and that there'd be days I'd have to bite my tongue and pray to not sin.

5.  I didn't know how exhausting it is, being a mother.  I didn't know that it takes everything you've got and then some.  Didn't know the bone-deep exhaustion; how it strips you bare and shows how selfish you can be, but, too, that you have more strength than you know.

6.  I didn't know, playing house, how much joy mothers feel; joy so big that it makes up for the pain.  Just looking at those eyes and the curve of the cheek can make you so happy it hurts.  Watching them grow and find their talent and win at something...all the money in the world can never buy that kind of happiness.

7.  I didn't know how making babies and raising them, how it binds you to their father.  I didn't know the intimacy you feel when your eyes meet above those tousled heads, and your smiles say, "Just look at what we've done."

8.  That girl in the homemade dress, she didn't know that letting go is one of the hardest things a grown-up mama will ever do.  Rocking those babies in that small rocking chair, she didn't really know that babies grow up and walk away and there goes your heart, out into the big, wide world.  No one told her that part.

9.  I had no idea how rewarding it is, being a mother.  How the happiness that comes from boy kisses and awkward hugs can't be bought or sold.  How proud you feel when you see what they're growing up to be and that all the planting and pruning and watering and feeding is finally making fruit!

10.  I didn't know how much my babies would enrich my spiritual life or how they would change the way I pray.  I didn't realize they would lead me to a deeper dependence on the Heavenly Father or how I much I would need His wisdom to raise them aright.

These are things I didn't know before I was a mother.  But I know them now.  Oh, how I know them now!  And I’d do it all again.

###

Rhonda Schrock lives in Northern Indiana with her husband and 4 sons, ages 22, 18, 13, and 5. By day, she is a telecommuting medical transcriptionist. In the early morning hours, she flees to a local coffee shop where she pens “Grounds for Insanity,” a weekly column that appears in The Goshen News. She is an occasional guest columnist in The Hutch News.  She’s also blogged professionally for her son’s school of choice, Bethel College, in addition to humor and parenting blogs, and maintains her personal blog, “The Natives are Getting Restless.” She is a writer and editor for the magazine, "Cooking & Such:  Adventures in Plain Living."  She survives and thrives on prayer, mochas, and books.  

Exciting News – the latest Pearl Girls book, Mother of Pearl: Luminous Legacies and Iridescent Faith will be released this month! Please visit the Pearl Girls Facebook Page (and LIKE us!) for more information! Thanks so much for your support!

Happy Mother's Day to Mother's EVERYWHERE~!!!

I LOVE YOU MOMMY~!!!!!!!!!!

Mother Of Pearl Mother's Day Series ~ He Will Walk With You ~ Carey Bailey

Welcome to Pearl Girls™ Mother of Pearl Mother's Day blog series - a week long celebration of moms and mothering. Each day will feature a new post by some of today's best writer's (Tricia Goyer, Sheila Walsh, Suzanne Woods Fisher, Bonnie St. John, and more). I hope you'll join us each day for another unique perspective on Mother's Day.

AND ... do enter the contest for a chance to win a beautiful hand crafted pearl necklace. To enter, just {CLICK THIS LINK} and fill out the short form. Contest runs 5/6-5/13 and the winner will on 5/14. Contest is only open to US and Canadian residents.

If you are unfamiliar with Pearl Girls™, please visit www.pearlgirls.info and see what we're all about. In short, we exist to support the work of charities that help women and children in the US and around the globe. Consider purchasing a copy of Pearl Girls: Encountering Grit, Experiencing Grace or one of the Pearl Girls™ products (all GREAT Mother's Day gifts!) to help support Pearl Girls.

And to all you MOMS out there, Happy Mother's Day!


He Will Walk With You by Carey Bailey

As a little girl, I loved baby dolls. Loved them! I played school, adoption agency, daycare operator and babysitter all day. I felt like I was born to be a mama. Therefore, I was a bit anxious when the ages, 22, 25, 28 and 32 came and went and there were no babies. Have you ever desired something so much and feared never getting it? That was me.

My day finally came at the age of 34. I soon realized that God knew what He was doing when He had me wait. To my shock, it wasn’t as easy as playing with dolls. I was surprised that it wasn’t the dream world I imagined it would be! I felt like life became a gigantic prayer.

“God, HELP me!”

“Please, God. Please, please, please make it all better. I can’t do this!”

“God, this feels impossible. Where are you?”

While I adore motherhood, it is harder and there are more adjustments than I expected. (I am hoping there are some nodding of heads and Amen’s being said out there in cyberworld.) Not only did I have a new life to care for, but my identity suddenly felt all scrambled up. It took me until my son was one to finally feel confident in my new role as a mother, confident that I could drop my child off at preschool without crying, confident that I could go out with the girls’ and the world wouldn’t fall apart, and confident that I could go on a date night and have conversations that didn’t revolve just around our son.

I was feeling settled in my new world and then WHAM! I discovered I was pregnant again. Can I be vulnerable with you? I actually cried when I found out. And they were not tears of joy. I feel awful saying that out loud, and I hope you will give me a moment to explain. It was not that I didn’t want another baby or feel like I couldn’t love a new life, it was just that I got scared. Discovering a little person was on the way sent a panic through me. Would my son still receive the love and attention that he deserved? How was my husband going to feel about my body changing again? Would I ever be able to pursue the vision I felt God had for me in writing and publishing? I was truly wondering if I was going to be able to handle another intense wave of identity crisis like the one I had just been through. I wasn’t sure.

God and I needed a serious talk. And in that conversation He carefully reminded me of this:

“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 hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11

He reminded me in our time together that I, too, am His child and He has every intention of loving me, caring for me, and giving me the future that He has planned for me.

As mothers, we can get so caught up in parenting that we forget that we, too, have a spiritual parent who loves us as His child. He loves you as much as He loves the children He has given you. He will never forsake you.  And on those days when motherhood seems too overwhelming and too impossible I step back and take a deep breath. Then I remember that this journey I am on, right now, is the one He has designed and create uniquely for me. I simply need to live in it, learn from it, and allow His love to sweep over and through me.

He will walk with me! He will walk with you! Grab His hand.

###

Carey Bailey is a recovering perfectionist, wife, proud mama, and the Family Life Director for her church in Arizona. She hosts an online community for moms called Cravings: desiring God in the midst of motherhood where she strives to make God time easier. Not less meaningful, just easier. She is the author of Cravings {The Devotional} which is a set of forty devotional flashcards for the mama on the go. Visit Carey online blog: www.cravingstheblog.blogspot. com Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/Crav ingsOnline and Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/careycbailey/

Exciting News – the latest Pearl Girls book, Mother of Pearl: Luminous Legacies and Iridescent Faith will be released this month! Please visit the Pearl Girls Facebook Page (and LIKE us!) for more information! Thanks so much for your support!

Mother Of Pearl Mother's Day Series ~ Stepping Out On Faith ~ Bonnie St. John

Welcome to Pearl Girls™ Mother of Pearl Mother's Day blog series - a week long celebration of moms and mothering. Each day will feature a new post by some of today's best writer's (Tricia Goyer, Sheila Walsh, Suzanne Woods Fisher, Bonnie St. John, and more). I hope you'll join us each day for another unique perspective on Mother's Day.

AND ... do enter the contest for a chance to win a beautiful hand crafted pearl necklace. To enter, just {CLICK THIS LINK} and fill out the short form. Contest runs 5/6-5/13 and the winner will on 5/14. Contest is only open to US and Canadian residents.

If you are unfamiliar with Pearl Girls™, please visit www.pearlgirls.info and see what we're all about. In short, we exist to support the work of charities that help women and children in the US and around the globe. Consider purchasing a copy of Pearl Girls: Encountering Grit, Experiencing Grace or one of the Pearl Girls™ products (all GREAT Mother's Day gifts!) to help support Pearl Girls.

And to all you MOMS out there, Happy Mother's Day!


Stepping Out on Faith by Bonnie St. John

"Darcy . . .”

“Yeah, Mom?”

I momentarily held the undivided attention of my teenage daughter. Her thumbs, free of their ubiquitous texting keypad, quietly dangled by her side. Her computer and its omnipresent Facebook page were completely out of sight. I had almost forgotten what she looked like without all these adolescent accoutrements. As we sat down together on the burgundy leather sofa in our living room, I realized this fleeting state of electronic dislocation was my chance to hatch a plan I had been formu- lating for the past several weeks. Carpe diem.

“How would you like to write a book together?”

“About what?” I asked my mom. Write a book? This was a real surprise. I felt a bit suspicious, but still curious.  I love to write, and Mom kept telling me I was really good at it. I like writing poetry, fantasy, and sci-fi, though.  The books Mom wrote were all nonfiction.  I wondered what we could possibly do together.

“Well . . .” I hesitated. If I wanted her to commit to any extra work out- side her busy schedule at school—not to mention work alongside her mother—I had to make this really great. “It would be about women as leaders,” I continued, “a motherdaughter investigation into leadership styles and structures.”

“Leadership?” I blurted. It came out as if I had a bad taste in my mouth—which I did.  I couldn’t imagine a more boring topic to write about. What is there to say about leadership anyway? When you’re in charge, you just get things done, right? Who wants to talk about that?

Her furrowed brow told me I was losing her fast. “Um . . . we could find women leaders all around the world!” I said impulsively, frantically casting the ultimate bait.

“Really? Would we get to travel a lot?”  I hadn’t thought about that. Heck, I’d write about the mating habits of tsetse flies  if I got to go to Africa to do it!

But this project wasn’t just about the influence it would have on Darcy. I wanted to do something that could have a potent impact on an alarming trend I had witnessed in workplaces across the country: far too many women appeared to be making a choice not to apply for top leadership positions when presented with the opportunities to do so.

This project, then, was a bit of a Trojan horse. On the one hand, the saga of a motherdaughter journey could seduce female readers, who might never bother to read the Harvard Business School dissertations on the subject, into a meaningful conversation about leadership. At the same time, if Darcy met a series of brilliant, accomplished women— people even a cynical teen would be in awe of—perhaps they could tell her all the things I’d like her to know—and more.

And she just might listen.

But where to start? How would we make it work? I suggested we do most of our research by phone, as I did for How Strong Women Pray. My telephone interviews with a governor, some CEOs, actors, sports figures, a college president, and others yielded great stories and information. I promised my intrepid co-author, though, that we could punctuate these conversations with a few visits in person to exciting and exotic places—all with reasonably priced airfares.

“Why don’t we follow each subject as she goes about her daily life? That way our readers get to come along with us and get a behind- the-scenes look at what happens to them. Instead of just a boring interview, we—and our readers—get to hang around with these women, see them in their natural habitat, and even see how other people treat them.”

Although I agreed it was a wonderful approach, this idea of “job- shadowing” each featured subject wasn’t going to be easy. Would these high-powered, important women deign to allow us that kind of access? Would they be able to impart the kind of wisdom that would resonate with our readers and truly make a difference in their lives?  We looked at each other, both of us hooked on a crazy idea that we weren’t sure we could pull off.

“It sounds impossible, Darcy,” I said. “We might as well get started.”

And so, we stepped out . . . on faith.

###

Bonnie is a 1984 Paralympics silver medal winner in ski racing. Her education includes a degree with honors from Harvard, a Rhodes scholarship, and an M.Litt in Economics from Oxford.  Her career includes positions as an award-winning sales rep for IBM and a Clinton White House member of staff. She now is a much-in-demand speaker, who makes nearly 100 speeches each year to corporations and civic groups. You can visit her on the Web at www.bonniestjohn.com.

Re-printed with permission from How Great Women Lead by Bonnie St. John and Darcy Deane

Exciting News – the latest Pearl Girls book, Mother of Pearl: Luminous Legacies and Iridescent Faith will be released this month! Please visit the Pearl Girls Facebook Page (and LIKE us!) for more information! Thanks so much for your support!

Mother Of Pearl Mother's Day Series ~ What I Am Not ~ Tricia Goyer

Welcome to Pearl Girls™ Mother of Pearl Mother's Day blog series - a week long celebration of moms and mothering. Each day will feature a new post by some of today's best writer's (Tricia Goyer, Sheila Walsh, Suzanne Woods Fisher, Bonnie St. John, and more). I hope you'll join us each day for another unique perspective on Mother's Day.

AND ... do enter the contest for a chance to win a beautiful hand crafted pearl necklace. To enter, just {CLICK THIS LINK} and fill out the short form. Contest runs 5/6-5/13 and the winner will on 5/14. Contest is only open to US and Canadian residents.

If you are unfamiliar with Pearl Girls™, please visit www.pearlgirls.info and see what we're all about. In short, we exist to support the work of charities that help women and children in the US and around the globe. Consider purchasing a copy of Pearl Girls: Encountering Grit, Experiencing Grace or one of the Pearl Girls™ products (all GREAT Mother's Day gifts!) to help support Pearl Girls.

And to all you MOMS out there, Happy Mother's Day!

What I Am Not by Tricia Goyer

Becoming a mother is a complicated thing. Not only am I trying to negotiate a relationship with my child, I am trying to negotiate a relationship with myself as I attempt to determine how I mother, how I feel about mothering, how I want to mother and how I wish I was mothered.

—Andrea J. Buchanan, in Mother Shock3

Sometimes the easiest way to discover who we are is to know who we are not.

• We are not our children. We all know mothers who go overboard trying to make themselves look good by making their children look great. I saw one woman on the Oprah television show who had bought her preschool daughter more than twelve pairs of black shoes just so the girl could have different styles to go with her numerous outfits! Just as we -don’t get report cards for mothering, we also -don’t get graded on our child’s looks or accomplishments. While you want your children to do their best and succeed in life, your self-esteem -shouldn’t be wrapped up in your child.

Life as I See It:

My individuality will never end. There will be no one exactly like me, not even my child. She will be like me in some ways, but not at all in others. I -wouldn’t have it any other way.

—Desiree, Texas

• We are not our mothers. I remember the first time I heard my mother’s voice coming out of my mouth. The words “because I told you so .  .  .” escaped before I had a chance to squelch them.

It’s not until we have kids that we truly understand our mothers — all their frets, their nagging, and their worries.

It’s also then that we truly understand their love.

Since you are now a mother, it’s good to think back on how you were raised. If there were traditions or habits that now seem wise and useful, incorporate them into your parenting. You also have permission to sift out things you now know -weren’t good. Just because you’re a product of your mother, that -doesn’t mean you have to turn out just like her. Repeat after me, “I am not my mother.”

• We are not like any other mother out there. Sometimes you may feel like the world’s worst mother. After all, your friend never yells at her son — and sometimes you do. Then again, your friend may feel bad because you have a wonderful bedtime routine that includes stories and songs. In many cases, the moms you feel inferior to only look like they have it together. All moms feel they -don’t “measure up.” Instead of feeling unworthy, we should realize that everyone has strengths and weaknesses. The key is where we place our focus.

The Bible says, “Let’s just go ahead and be what we were made to be, without .  .  . comparing ourselves with each other, or trying to be something we -aren’t” (Romans 12:5 – 6, MESSAGE).

The problem with comparison is, we always measure our weaknesses against the strengths of others.

Instead, we need to thank God for our strengths. We can also ask God to help us overcome our weaknesses — not because we want to compare ourselves, or look good in someone else’s eyes, but because we want to be the best mom out there.

###

Tricia Goyer is a CBA best-selling author and the winner of two American Christian Fiction Writers’ Book of the Year Awards (Night Song and Dawn of a Thousand Nights). She co-wrote 3:16 Teen Edition with Max Lucado and contributed to the Women of Faith Study Bible. Also a noted marriage and parenting writer, she lives with her husband and children in Arkansas. You can find her online at www.triciagoyer.com or at her weekly radio show, Living Inspired.

Exciting News – the latest Pearl Girls book, Mother of Pearl: Luminous Legacies and Iridescent Faith will be released this month! Please visit the Pearl Girls Facebook Page (and LIKE us!) for more information! Thanks so much for your support!

Mother Of Pearl Mother's Day Series ~ She's My Everything ~ Suzanne Woods Fisher

Welcome to Pearl Girls™ Mother of Pearl Mother's Day blog series - a week long celebration of moms and mothering. Each day will feature a new post by some of today's best writer's (Tricia Goyer, Sheila Walsh, Suzanne Woods Fisher, Bonnie St. John, and more). I hope you'll join us each day for another unique perspective on Mother's Day.

AND ... do enter the contest for a chance to win a beautiful hand crafted pearl necklace. To enter, just {CLICK THIS LINK} and fill out the short form. Contest runs 5/6-5/13 and the winner will on 5/14. Contest is only open to US and Canadian residents.

If you are unfamiliar with Pearl Girls™, please visit www.pearlgirls.info and see what we're all about. In short, we exist to support the work of charities that help women and children in the US and around the globe. Consider purchasing a copy of Pearl Girls: Encountering Grit, Experiencing Grace or one of the Pearl Girls™ products (all GREAT Mother's Day gifts!) to help support Pearl Girls.

And to all you MOMS out there, Happy Mother's Day!

She’s…My Everything by Suzanne Woods Fisher

“A mother is one who can take the place of all others, but whose place no one else can take.”

--Cardinal Mermillod 

Just a few more months. My mother was hoping Dad would hang on long enough so they could celebrate their sixtieth wedding anniversary in April. But on January 1st, as the sun rose on the new year, my dad’s worn out heart beat its last. Dad had battled Alzheimer’s Disease for ten years. As many of you know, AD is a long, hard journey. Hard on the one afflicted with the disease, hard on the caregivers.

But not without its blessings.

Four years ago, as I began researching stories for Amish Peace: Simple Wisdom for a Complicated World, my path crossed with a handful of Plain families who were coping with Alzheimer’s. It was just about the point when Dad’s illness was shifting from early to mid stages AD and the timing was a divine accident. I learned so much as I observed the calm acceptance of these families. Rather than waste time shaking a fist at God for allowing this disease to take their loved one, they put their energy into trusting God’s sovereignty. They didn’t deny the difficulties and complications and sadness of Alzheimer’s, but they didn’t dwell on them. “God has a plan,” one woman told me. “He always has a plan.”  

Something else I noticed was how privileged my Amish friends felt about caring for their loved one. Caring for the elderly, they believe, is the time to give back to them.

Those encounters shaped my perspective of Dad’s illness. I started to pay attention to how God provided answers to new wrinkles created by Alzheimer’s, just in time. God may be slow, but He is never late.
I started to cherish special moments or good days with Dad—just as he was at each point in his illness. Not mourning the past, not dreading the future.

I really miss my dad. I miss his scratchy whiskers and the way his eyebrows would wiggle at us, even as words failed him. Yet I have such peace in my heart that he was well loved and well cared for, right to the very end. And as hard as Dad’s end of life has been, it isn’t the end. We will meet again. As the saying goes, “Some may see a hopeless end, but as believers we rejoice in an endless hope.”

There’s a beautiful story that illustrates my parents’ 59-year marriage. This event happened about a year or two ago. My sister had accompanied our mother to the doctor appointment for Dad at the Stanford Memory Clinic.

Dad had declined quite a bit that month. He was weak and lethargic, even to the point of whispering, as if it took too much energy to project his voice. During the doctor's appointment, the doctor told my mother and sister that Dad was now in late stages of Alzheimer's. Dad didn’t have much vocabulary left, but when the doctor asked him who mom was, he whispered something back. The doctor looked at Mom and asked, "Did you hear what he just said?"

Mom shook her head.

"When I asked him who you were, he whispered, 'She's...my everything.'"

###

Suzanne Woods Fisher is a writer of bestselling fiction and non-fiction books about the Old Order Amish. Her interest in the Plain People began with her grandfather, W. D. Benedict, who was raised Plain. Suzanne is the host of Amish Wisdom, a weekly radio program on toginet.com, and writes a bi-monthly column for Christian Post. Suzanne can be found on-line at www.suzannewoodsfisher.com .

Re-printed with permission by Cooking & Such, www.sherrygorebooks.com.

Exciting News – the latest Pearl Girls book, Mother of Pearl: Luminous Legacies and Iridescent Faith will be released this month! Please visit the Pearl Girls Facebook Page (and LIKE us!) for more information! Thanks so much for your support!

PRODUCT REVIEW: Scandle Body Massage Candles

Are you fond of massage oil and scented candles??  What IF you could combine them into BOTH a massage oil candle?  

Scandle Body Candles do JUST that~!!  

A wonderful soy candle that melts into a delightful body lotion suitable for skin care or a soothing massage.  The delectable aroma that permeates your surroundings only enhances the environment.


Imagine a candle that not only smells great in the air but smells wondrous on your skin as well.  The Scandle Body Massage Candles are hand~poured fragrant oil that enhances the overall health of your skin.  It's perfect as a body moisturizer, warm body massage or as a Vitamin E enrichment for manicures and pedicures.

These plant~based candles emit less soot and toxins than your parrafin based candles, these candles are also great for the environment.

ARV:  $15.99

Scents include:
Lavendar, Fig & Brown Sugar, Love Spell, Green Tea Aloe, Margarita, Oatmeal Milk & Honey, Sex On The Beach, Unscented, Sage & Citrus, Hummingbird, Eucalyptus, Warm Vanilla Sugar, Honeysuckle and Gardenia
I'm not sure what Hummingbird would smell like, kind of intriguing...lol  However, I can vouch for the Oatmeal Milk & Honey scent which I was privileged enough to review.  It was a VERY nice scent to smell and I don't like a lot of scents, this one was extremely pleasing to the nose.  It was almost like warm walnut cinnamon oatmeal on a cold winters day.  Truly delectable to smell AND to have on your skin...I was addicted to smelling my arm...hehe  
My skin was left feeling silky soft and with the new love affair I was having with it...it made it all the more pleasurable to the senses.  Many people I asked to smell my arm agreed that it was a lovely scent and it didn't bother anybody's noses.
I love that the containers are refillable so that you can mix and match scents and there is less garbage for our land fills~!!  The product inside melts away leaving nothing behind but a sweet smell and touchable skin and you can reuse the ceramic canister over and over again.  Plus the handy pour spout makes it VERY easy to pour the warm oily liquid upon your skin, saving in messes...whew...because I can be a very messy chicka...lol
I totally dig the Scandle Body Massage Candles...they make a body good~!!

  

**  Reviewed by me...as I see it~!!  **

Mother Of Pearl Mother's Day Series ~ Joy Comes From Perseverance ~ Sheila Walsh

Welcome to Pearl Girls™ Mother of Pearl Mother's Day blog series - a week long celebration of moms and mothering. Each day will feature a new post by some of today's best writer's (Tricia Goyer, Sheila Walsh, Suzanne Woods Fisher, Bonnie St. John, and more). I hope you'll join us each day for another unique perspective on Mother's Day.

AND ... do enter the contest for a chance to win a beautiful hand crafted pearl necklace. To enter, just {CLICK THIS LINK} and fill out the short form. Contest runs 5/6-5/13 and the winner will on 5/14. Contest is only open to US and Canadian residents.

If you are unfamiliar with Pearl Girls™, please visit www.pearlgirls.info and see what we're all about. In short, we exist to support the work of charities that help women and children in the US and around the globe. Consider purchasing a copy of Pearl Girls: Encountering Grit, Experiencing Grace or one of the Pearl Girls™ products (all GREAT Mother's Day gifts!) to help support Pearl Girls.

And to all you MOMS out there, Happy Mother's Day!

Joy Comes from Perseverance by Sheila Walsh


One of the most important lessons I have learned in my own life is the joy that comes from perseverance. Eugene Peterson, borrowing a phrase from Friedrich Nietzsche, wrote his book  “A Long Obedience in the Same Direction …Discipleship in an Instant Society.” He points to the Psalms as the way believers have always learned to pray what they live and live what they pray but it is not a short journey. It is an intentional commitment to keep walking even when you are worn out.

*If we want to see lasting results in any area of life it’s important to keep walking in that direction.

*If we want to have a better understanding of the Gospel of John then it takes time and commitment to dig deeper day after day.

*If we want to be thinner this summer than last summer then the work begins now not then.
So too in our relationship with Christ…..

*If we want to know Him at a more profoundly intimate level, that also takes an intentional seeking after Him every day.

As a grown woman I have come to love the beauty of this gift. Passing this “mined treasure” onto my son on the other hand has been an interesting challenge.  We live in such a fast paced, attention-challenged culture where the latest thing can be delivered to your doorstep by tomorrow for a few dollars more. But, as you know, by the time it is delivered it has already been replaced or updated!

How do we speak then into the lives of our children to help them understand and value perseverance?

For me…part of the puzzle meant a large piece of poster board, scissors, some photos and a bottle of Elmer’s glue. My son, Christian and I spread everything out on a sheet in the game room as I explained our project. “We’re going to make a family faith-tree,” I said. “These are photos of family on your dad’s side and on mine. Many of them have gone on to be with Jesus but the seeds they planted into our family continue to grow.” Then we wrote down their names and when they came to faith in Christ (as many as I knew).  It was quite something to see when we were finished.

“Your life matters Christian. Running your race well matters.”

That night we read these words from the writer to the Hebrews,

“We are surrounded by a great cloud of people whose lives tell us what faith means. So let us run the race that is before us and never give up.”

Hebrews 12:1 (NCV)

###

Sheila Walsh is a Bible teacher, speaker, singer, and best-selling author with more than 4 million books sold. Sheila Walsh is the creator of the award-winning Gigi, God’s Little Princess® and her new series, Gabby, God's Little Angel. Meet Gabby in Gabby's Stick-to-It-Day. As a featured speaker with Women of Faith®, Sheila has reached more than 3.5 million women by artistically combining honesty, vulnerability and humor with God’s Word. She resides in Dallas with her husband Barry and son Christian. Visit www.sheilawalsh.com for more information about Sheila, her other books or Women of Faith.

Exciting News – the latest Pearl Girls book, Mother of Pearl: Luminous Legacies and Iridescent Faith will be released this month! Please visit the Pearl Girls Facebook Page (and LIKE us!) for more information! Thanks so much for your support!

BOOK REVIEW: Zombies Don't Cry by Rusty Fischer

Zombies Don't Cry:  A Living Dead Story ~ Book One

Author:  Rusty Fischer
Reading Level:  Ages 12 & Up
Paperback:  300 pages
Publisher:  Medallion Press (May 1, 2011)

In the sleepy town of Barracuda Bay, Maddy Swift leads the life of a fairly typical teenager, but while attending a party one night, Maddy is struck by lightning and awakens to realize she has been reanimated and turned into a zombie.  

While becoming acquainted with her new "lifestyle", Maddy stumbles upon two unexpected undead chaperones, fellow students, Dane and Chloe, who begin to teach her the ways of zombie life, including defending the populace from Zerkers~the bad zombies.  

Together, on Prom Night, the three teens must ultimately defend Barracuda Bay High from an all~out zombie Armageddon.

I love the writing style of author, Rusty Fischer, it is easy to read, often times comical and his main characters are heart~warming to follow.

I loved Maddy and her awakening into the zombie world, where she is unsure of her next move but glad to have her Zombie Guide in case she screws it all up.  I love her honesty and her approach to zombies, from renting B~grade zombie movies to just winging it as she goes along, it was enjoyable to this reader.

I loved that zombies have been given personalities and a can fall in love, get angry, worry...they just cannot cry.  I love the different classes between the zombies, with zombies now being those who have died by a certain circumstance and have found themselves reanimated versus those who have been bitten, such as, zerkers.  It often makes for a comical outlook with some gore thrown in for good measure.

I love zombies and would read anything on them and Zombies Don't Cry is worthy of four out of five stars for its genre.  I was quite impressed with the story, the characters and the new classifications of zombies that Fischer has incorporated.

I'm still out on the whole Guardian/Sentinel aspect of things.  I wish Fischer had given a bit more back story into these two entities as it was their involvement that left the most holes for me.  However, I'd love to read more by Rusty Fischer, he makes zombies good~!!

**  Reviewed by me...as I see it~!!  **

Speroway ~ Raise Money For Haiti Campaign PLUS iPad GIVEAWAY~!!

Speroway, a registered Canadian Non~Profit organization, works with many wonderful and caring Canadians who believe in supporting the needs of children and their families, not only in Canada, but with those around the world as well.  They provide such valued things as medicine, food, education and many other necessities that many of us take for granted, thru their love, compassion and integrity.

Photo Credit:  Speroway Blog

Speroway's pledge is to provide dedicated commitment to being responsible guardians in order to deliver the necessary provisions for families across Canada while upholding the standards of Government guidelines.

Since its inception in 2004, Speroway (Formerly know as FTC Canada), has made it their number one priority to ensure that all donations collected are used to aid those children and their families who are in hungry or in need.  

"From Northern Ontario to Central America, Africa and Asia...Speroway is attempting to make a difference in the world today~!"

Feed A Child ~ If you have ever looked into the eyes of a hungry child you will find yourself before their innocence, seeing their need for love, life and food.  From devastating natural disasters to countries that are facing severe food shortages, there are numerous children who go hungry every day and they need your help~!

Child Champions ~ A child's future is an important cause to stand behind and by becoming a sponsor, you can provide a child with such basic necessities as food, shelter, education and medical care.

Medical Team ~ Support is required for the medical teams which provide medicines, food, vitamins and other supplies via a mobile clinic.  Help is also required in shipping containers full of food and medicines to locations around the world.

First Nations ~ With high unemployment rates and high costs of living, many of Canada's First Nation children are in need of assistance in order to sustain their health and spirit while building towards a better tomorrow.

Abandoned Baby Center ~ Every day babies in Kenya are left abandoned due to many reasons.  The ones that are found in time suffer with dehydration, tuberculosis, or worse; some so starved that your heart breaks for these orphaned children.  Shelters are established to provide the needed care for many of these children who have been left behind.

Food Drops ~ By gathering food from over 100 placements and other charitable organizations, a box of 25 lbs. of food is put together ~ enough to feed one child for one week.  Food drops enable Speroway's mission to branch forth while providing a community with helping hands.

Special Projects ~ A fun and fulfilling way to help a child is to host a Special Projects Fundraiser and help make a difference in a hungry child's life~!!


As well as the many other projects currently being practiced such as their Construction Project in which they build schools, rooms, wells and houses to help better empower the people who are in need of such facilities.

Now to bring recognition to Speroway's new name, new outlook, new attitude AND new Facebook page, they are graciously giving away some REALLY groovy prizes and all they want you to do is SHARE their beautiful message with the rest of the world via your social media connections...the more you share, the more entries you get to win...easy enough I think...we use the social media sites daily ANYHOW...why NOT do it for something as worthy as hungry children????

PRIZES INCLUDE:

Grand Prize Gift Basket:

1 ~ iPad HD 2012 (16GB)

1 ~ $500 WaySpa Gift Card

1 ~ Cineplex Night Out Gift Pace for 4

2 ~ Big Kaboodle Packages from "Mabels Labels" (whom I have had the privilege to review for & their labels are totally GROOVY~!!)

PLUS...Spotlight Prizes will be given away EVERY two weeks during the contest~!!

Please NOTE...you do NOT have to donate in order to participate...but it would be kind of nice...don't you think??  ;)

http://www.winwithsperoway.com/?purl=89e08C

Contest Period: April 26, 2012 at 12:00 a.m. Eastern Time and ends on June 22, 2012 at 5:00 p.m. EST. 

RULES AND REGULATIONS:

This contest is open to CANADA, excluding Quebec. A full list of rules and regulations can be found:

http://www.winwithsperoway.com/Rules-and-Regulations

This contest is a "SHARE & WIN" - once you enter the contest you will receive one ballot. You can receive more ballots by sharing your contest PURL with your online connections. There are 3 easy share buttons at the end of the entry form; Facebook, Twitter and Email, but any and all social channels can be used. You will just have to cut and paste your PURL where you want to share it.

Enter TODAY and share the news with the world~!!  

Speroway is groovy~!!!

Join Speroway on Facebook~!!

DONATE TODAY~!!

** DISCLAIMER:  

 "This post has been compensated, all opinions are my own. I’m not responsible for the prize in any way shape or form – just letting you know about it!"  ;)  **