January adoption update

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I can't believe it's late January already.  Winter has finally hit (and boy did it!  Over three feet of snow.)

I won a bed last year, and even though the window in that room is busted out and boarded up, I decided it was time we move to that bed.  On windy nights, the boards rattle in the window, and there's a cool breeze into the room.  But the bed is comfortable.  The most comfortable bed I have ever owned.  (Of course I have slept on the floor a number of years, too, as to give my mother a good bed when hers was no longer useable.  I've gotten used to sleeping on such hard surfaces I didn't know if I would like this bed or not but I love it.)

Winer Storm Jonas hits West Virginia

Just a quick post with some photos taken from around my home.

Our backyard:

My Five Favorite Blog Posts of 2015

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It's time for another Five Favs hosted by Ashely over at The Big White Farmhouse.  I wanted to take a look back at the five favorite posts I wrote in 2015 and make sure everyone had a chance to read them.  Sometimes my favorite posts are not my most popular ones, and I just wanted to highlight these from the past year.

How to Create Your own Topical Study Bible

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When I was in college, I bought myself a very average, very plain, King James Version Bible.  My friends, after some time, thought it was a Rainbow Study Bible.  To be honest, I had considered that Bible before purchasing my plain one, but there were topics that didn't interest me, and others that did.  So I decided to DIY my own study Bible.

Passion Salvation's Tide is Rising Review and Giveaway

FTC disclaimer:  I received a digital copy of this album for review.  All opinions are my own.


I remember when the Passion movement started.  A friend was able to be at one of the first events, and I was so jealous.  I was still in college, and it seems like a lifetime ago.  Passion is still putting on Christian events for college students, and they have almost become synonymous with fantastic praise and worship music which is then often embraced by churches.

Vacation Spots: Wednesday's Five Favs!

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I love to travel.  I didn't realize until I was in 4th grade that international travel was possible for an average person.  My teacher that year had taught for a year in Australia, and he literally opened up the world to me.  I had loved reading books about foreign countries, listening to records to hear what foreign languages sounded like, and instead of posters on my wall growing up, I bought National Geographics at a used book store for the maps inside.

Chonda Pierce Still Laughing after All These Tears DVD Set Review

FTC disclaimer:   I received a DVD set from Family Christian for review purposes.  All opinions are my own.  This post does contain affiliate links.

When I had the opportunity to review an EIGHT DVD set of Chonda Pierce called Still Laughing After All these Tears, I just had to say yes.  After all, I've never met her but she and I went to the same college (although she went years before I did) and we have mutual friends on Facebook.  So that must mean she is amazing, right?   (Either that or my friends just put up with me and they like her! ha ha!)

Snowed in? Apps to beat boredom!

FTC disclaimer:  This is a sponsored post as I am part of the U.S. Cellular blogger brigade.  All opinions are my own.

U.S. Cellular offers a FREE PRINTABLE Parent Child agreement to help you discuss safety of the Internet, cell phone usage, limits, and courtesy with your teen or tween.  You don't even need to be a U.S. Cellular customer to access this, although I have been for 10 years and highly recommend them. 



Have you ever had your driveway cleaned out with a backhoe because there was too much snow for a plow?   Then did you wake the next morning and find an eight foot snow drift?   Well, if the answer is no, then you haven't lived in my town!  We joke that we have three seasons -- July, August, and winter.  So I know a thing or two about being stuck inside.  When I was in 6th grade we went to school only two days out of the month of January.  Back then there were no smart phones, if you asked someone what type of tablet they had, they would likely describe a composition book, and social media was the kid who went up and down the street arranging a big snowball fight -- but even those got old after so many days.

Five Favorite Books I read in 2015.

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It's that time again for Five Favorites.  And since it's the beginning of the year, I find it only fitting to talk about the five favorite books I read in 2015.

I usually read over 50 books, but last year was extremely busy and I had a wedding to plan, so I only read about half my normal number.  (A few years back I read about 100 books a year, but that was before I discovered Candy Crush.

Why Buying Gift Cards to Save For Christmas is a BAD Idea

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I have seen it mentioned on social media that you should buy a gift card each month to help with Christmas spending for next year.  This is NOT a good idea, no matter how many people think it is.  Here are a few reasons why:

1.  You will be limited at what stores where you can do your shopping.  What if you find a great deal at Walmart but stocked up on Amazon gift cards?  You'll be out of luck.