drink to this and movies...

first and foremost, Shannan, over at flower patch farm girl,

has just gone beyond reaching her goal for raising $10,000 to build a well for clean drinking water for a village!

how cool is God?

His dreams and hopes for us are always so much bigger than our own.

there is still time to donate,

why not let God use your small gift to bless others?

i also, being the movie addict i am, wanted to share my

top 6 Christmas movies,

for those that are running out to rent a movie for the coming weekend.

(and, yes, i know that none of these films puts Christ in His rightful place front and center)

 in no particular order...

How the Grinch Stole Christmas 

the ron howard version is soooo good.

yes, i grew up on the cartoon one,

and though i am not a jim carrey fan, he was such a good grinch, this movie is impossible not to quote.

Elf

another chuckler.

not entirely appropriate, but not 'bad' either.

another one that gets played in july here.

and quoted all the time.

the best way to spread Christmas cheer is by singing loud for all to hear.

the Santa Clause

with tim allen.  love tim, love the premise of this movie.



Miracle on 34th Street

 natalie wood and maureen o'hara.

The Shop Around the Corner

because my favorite actor is in it. it's sweet, it's cute.

and my absolute favorite is , of course,

It's a Wonderful Life.

i try every year to only watch this after thanksgiving.

i love it so much, it by far extends to my all time favorite list as well.

a few runners up:

Holiday Inn,

White Christmas,

(bing, bing ;))

the Holiday,

Christmas with the Kranks,

Samantha, an American girl holiday,

and of course charlie brown, frosty, etc. from my childhood:)

there are still quite a few i have never seen, and WILL...next year!

notice that Christmas Story isn't on my list?

i have HATED, loathed

that movie since childhood.

seriously, it would make my top 5 most hated films.

i find nothing cute about it.

okay, i'll stop now.

i just really don't like it .

okay.

what are your go-to movies for Christmas?

God Bless,

Mandy

breaks my heart...

so, here i am.

i should be in bed and yet my heart is hurting.

i have never intended to be one of those blogs that preaches what we all should be doing.

i can crawl up my soapbox like anyone else,

and i am not one to back down from my stance on things.

but i have never wanted to come across as a "i am more righteous than you so follow my lead" type of  girl.

but there are things that just grieve me.

things that to others may seem a pittance , and yet it bothers me.

not in an 'i'm annoyed way', but in a "why can't they see it?" way.

what's bothering me?

women in today's culture.

how many times have i clicked on another woman's facebook page only to see their over abundance of self worship amidst the pictures there?

how many times can you post 'sexy pouty' faces and bikini shots?

how many comments are you trying to get that fill you up with praise?

how do you feel when that doesn't happen?

what hurts my heart in all this is knowing , that deep down, these women are searching for self worth in fleeting beauty and empty words.

do they temporarily feel good about themselves by shouting "look at me, see how pretty i am!?" , only to fall down empty again when that selfish, worldly admiration fails?

oh, i too fall into the trap in many ways.

i've had to chastise myself when i've received a certain look or appreciative nod.

it does feel good.

for about 20 seconds.

then i kick myself and remind myself that the only man who should be giving me his eyes are that of my husband's.

i'll never forget renting a video one day, i was with my husband, whom at the time was boyfriend, when the man at the counter gave me heart felt compliment about having  the most beautiful smile he had ever seen.  he said it such a way that i will never forget it.
he didn't see my ample chest or my body.
he didn't even see that my smile is actually gummy and i look like a horse when i grin.
what he saw in me was a beauty that is the Lord's.
He saw my spirit and not my flesh.
i just felt it.
and i can tell you that in time i will forget the crude, said in jest, arm in the rib type of hubba-hubbas.
but i will never forget that man who saw more in me.
because that felt better.

i can laugh when i get a cat call, but then, if you think about it...

it's quite disgusting.

my body was created to glorify God and to honor and bring pleasure to my husband.

now i'm not saying we shouldn't try to look nice.

i like a pair of good butt jeans as much as the next girl.

i certainly don't cloak myself in a moomoo to hide my curves.

i believe it's okay, good even, to try to look our best.

fun clothes, make up, high heels:

bring it on.

it just makes me so incredibly sad to see these women seek fulfillment in a world that will leave them empty.

they will never be good enough.

there will always be someone prettier.

someone sexier.

someone more fun.

someone with less cellulite, or more money, or better dressed.

Jesus is the one who sees who they are.

the one who watches them with tears as they try to play a part on a stage that will forget them soon enough.

if they could only see that He won't.

He'll go on loving them years after the boobs have sagged and the legs flab.

He'll love them in sweats and on their bad hair days and when they are sick.

what they seek cannot be found in temporary thrill at the appreciation for their struts across the parking lot or in their facebook picture.

it can only be found in the One who formed their hearts,

loves them jealously,

and waits for them to see it...

i pray for these women, some moms, some fellow Christians, some too young to 'get' the fire they play with.

i pray that they would find all they need and seek in Jesus.

blessings,

mandy

p.s. So Long Insecurity  by Beth Moore is an amazing read that i highly recommend to women of 14 or 65 and anywhere in between...

overwhelmed...

there are moments it's so easy to have faith and trust.

others not so much.

mine tend to wobble back and forth faster than my 3 year old can run.

right now i feel like i am holding my breath.

waiting to exhale.

i've been almost fine up until now.

almost detached feeling.

 

don't worry,

i know the Lord has us in His hands,

i'm sure in 5 minutes i'll be fine.

right this moment i'm just overwhelmed.

we should know no later than friday what the diagnosis for brynna is.

please pray,

we appreciate it so much more than i can tell you.



God Bless,

Mandy

a little help from some friends...

my insides are all a mush of love and sadness and joy and pain.

we often forget how blessed we truly are,

how our children are blessed to be born in this country,

with the help readily available when needed.

i found this blog today

dreaming big

PLEASE go there,

please support this family with your money, prayers and love.

what an amazing way to be the hands and feet of Jesus.

they are trying to adopt a down syndrome baby through

reece's rainbow,

an amazing organization that finds homes for down syndrome babies,

that would otherwise be cast aside and left to die or suffer in adult institutions.

we can't all adopt,

but each of us can contribute $10.00 to this families financial journey to bring their son home.

children with down syndrome are amazing children.

my cousin is one of them.

this is sweet EVYN AMBER ROSE.

she's one of my daughter's best friends.

she's a constant presence in our lives.

she's a blessing.

 always walking around telling people she loves them, giving them hugs.

the girl loves her DS, icecream and Justin Bieber.

and I love that my kids don't even notice that she's slightly different from them,

the truth is, once you see her heart you forget she even has down syndrome.

she is NOT a burden or a mistake.

neither are these precious babies awaiting homes in a family that will love them and give them a chance at life.

*there are also some great prizes donated for anyone who donates to have a chance to win!*

"I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!"

God Bless,

Mandy

                                                  Matthew 25:40

                                                                 



Edie's Blog

I'm a big fan of Edie's Blog, Lifeingrace.

I've just learned that her home was devastated in a fire, but they are all safe.

Please keep her and the family in your prayers.

http://www.lifeingraceblog.com/

This is a good reminder that as we all celebrate, there are a lot of families going through some tough stuff right now.

Remember to lift others up in prayer.

God Bless,

Mandy