Odds and Ends

Weekends seem to often be filled with odds and ends...finishing up things that were started throughout the week, or should have been started sometime in the week!:) So, I thought this post would fit perfectly with that theme...because it really is just a bunch of random thoughts or points of interest.

1) I was tickled to find that CWA put one of my posts on their blog...praying that it will encourage some of the guys and gals who are in the midst of their adoption and wondering if they will make it to the end! You can see it here:

http://www.cwa.org/blog/

2) A dear friend at church posted a CBD coupon on her blog for free shipping and I just had to share the code with you. They have not been giving out many coupon deals lately...and with Christmas shopping right around the corner, I thought it might help some of you out, too!

promotion code 289147MS

And, not that you have asked for my two cents...but a few good books I would encourage you to add to your list for Christmas are:

"Womanly Dominion" by Mark Chanski
"A Gospel Primer for Christians" by Milton Vincent
"Practicing Hospitality:The Joy of Serving Others" by Pat Ennis and Lisa Tatlock

We have been spending time at lunch each day reading through books (for kids) about missionaries. What a wonderful time it has been to talk about the precious role of missionaries as well as hear beautiful stories of how God has used the lives of other believers in amazing ways. Two that I would highly recommend are:

"These Are My People" by Milly Howard
"With Daring Faith" (biography of Amy Carmichael) by Rebecca Henry Davis

And, I can't help but highlight the DVD "Torchlighters Series" put out by Vision Video which highlights men and women like John Bunyan, Gladys Alyward, William Tyndale, Eric Lidell, Jim Elliot, etc...a great resource!!!

Don't forget the Christmas music...it's playing in our car already! :)

"Shout Praises: Kid's Christmas"

And you can get it all at CBD! Boy, maybe they will pay me to do "commercials" for them!:)

3)I made pumpkin pancakes for the kids yesterday morning (actually, I made a ton! Nothing like lots of pancakes in your freezer for a quick extra special breakfast!). Anyway, I like the recipe so much I thought I would share it with you! Click HERE for the recipe. I tweaked it a little bit: just added 2 1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice instead of the individual spices and I doubled the eggs based on other reviews). Bake them at about 325 on your griddle and they do take longer to bake but are WELL worth it...especially in combination with a pack of instant coffee from Starbucks. Those little packets are pricey but well worth a special treat!!! :)

3)Cutting the heads of 6 children took WAY longer than I thought it would last night! Good thing we got an extra hour! :)
I took 15 pictures of the kids...and I still couldn't get a good one! Oh well! :)

4)Next weekend is National Orphan Sunday (November 8th) and I was sent an email by CWA sharing a neat event that will take place that day...thought I would pass it on to you!

CRY OF THE ORPHAN

Greetings! It's my privilege to alert you to an upcoming live simulcast event that promises to be a moving and inspiring time for all who participate. We ask that you join our team here at Focus on the Family® as we help mobilize believers to provide tangible assistance to orphans.

In conjunction with National Orphan Sunday on November 8, 2009, Focus on the Family, Show Hope, and Hope for Orphans (a ministry of FamilyLife) will come together at 4:00 p.m. (EST) to serve as a voice for more than 140 million orphans around the world. Listen live to Grammy award-winning artist Steven Curtis Chapman in a special acoustic performance, and to Dennis Rainey, President of FamilyLife, and myself as we share our deep burden and compassion for orphans.

We're exhorted in Proverbs 31:8 to "speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves." While not everyone is in a position to visit an orphanage or adopt a child, this verse reminds us that there is something each of us can do. One person advocating for one child can make all the difference.

Please consider how you and your church might participate in this special live broadcast, which will be made available through a Web-based video stream, a satellite feed, and on many radio stations across the nation. To learn more about this historic event, visit:

http://www.CryoftheOrphan.org

Thank you for joining us as we come alongside children in need of a forever home. May God guide each of us toward that end. Blessings to you and yours!

5)Last, but most important...I just got a call from my hubby earlier this afternoon and he is not feeling well...really bad stomach pain. Please pray that it goes away or that his symptoms do not get worse as he is supposed to be flying home from Mexico tomorrow morning with two teens from our church and the rest of the group! Last year he got really sick when he got home from Mexico (he got a parasite) and I know that he is nervous that this could be the beginning of something again. Please pray for peace for my dear hubby!

Happy Lord's Day!