Birthday Bags

First, an update about the awesome aprons we made last week... Here are a few of the guys wearing them! They loved them and they loved picking out which ones to wear. Thanks again for all the hard work you guys do each week to help us enjoy a night off from cooking...we love you!!!

Now, onto the fun of the evening...we made Birthday bags for Lansing Christian Services to give out to people who are in need. Children of parents in need can receive a special present from a church and we made up bags to go along with those presents which will allow them to have a fun birthday. We brainstormed for a few weeks about what would be in the bags...we came up with :

Cake

Frosting

Candles

Streamers

Balloons

Wrapping paper

Ribbon

Tape

Party Favors

A Birthday Card

We prayed over the bags, knowing that God will bless everyone who receives a birthday bag.

Thank you ladies for your generosity and we'll see you next week to hear Deanna House!!!

A creative group

Wow...when you give this group creative freedom...they provide!!!

Tonight we were supposed to have a speaker talk to us about growing closer to God, but our speaker cancelled. Instead, we gave away 2 devotional books...not the same but still fun! We also had some special giveaways from The Preppy Princess-always a treat!

Then, we did a special project...APRONS for the men who serve in the kitchen each week. Since there can be a rotation of men, we didn't put specific names but gave them special names...check them out:

We brainstormed ideas of names and then the women picked which one they wanted to work on and these are the results...so creative! I can't wait to see the men's reaction next week when we present it to them. We really do appreciate all the hard work the do to provide us dinner each week! (And we appreciate all the hard work Sally and her helpers do as prep and shoppers! Thank you!)

Here's a few more...

We'll see you next week as we prepare Birthday bags!

Tending to your relationship with God

Pastor Rich talked to us tonight about how to begin and maintain a daily quiet time with God.

First, he encouraged us to pick a special time for our quiet time with God...to schedule it. He told us the best time to schedule this time is when you are your best. For some of us, it may be first thing in the morning. For some of us, it may be late in the evening. Whenever it is, be consistent.

Second, he encouraged us to choose a place to have our quiet time. It should be a place where we are comfortable, where we are free from distractions.

Third, he encouraged us to gather the resources we would need for our quiet time with God. We should find a readable bible...some of us may need a large print bible, but we should find a bible that is easy to understand, like the Message. We should take a notebook so we can write down what God is saying to us as well as keeping a prayer list in which you can keep track of answered prayers. We should have a picture of the cross or of Christ. Also, we should have a candle to represent Christ's presence with us, and a song book or CD of praise music.

Fourth, he encouraged us to begin with the right attitude, to approach God with reverence, expectancy and obedience.

He gave an easy plan of how to spend 15 minutes with God:
1 Minute to be still and be quiet
4 minutes reading God's word
4 minutes reflecting on what you've just read
2 minutes to write out a personal application
4 minutes in prayer

Lastly, he encouraged us to share the insights we gain in your quiet time with others.

Make a priority, ladies! Take time to spend time with your Lord and Savior.

Just a quick note about next week. Our speaker cancelled so we have a special project we'll be working on. Join us!

Creativity flows

Tonight was Jewelry making and boy, do we have creative women in this group. First, they had to look at all the beads. And look and look and look. Then, they got some ideas, put them together...Shared ideas with the other ladies...shared beads...took a break to smile!And here are some of the results of the night...look at how creative these ladies are...

Tessy was so quick she was able to make a necklace, earrings AND a bracelet! And they all turned out beautiful! Great job, Tessy!!!

Michelle made some beautiful earrings!!

Wow, you ladies are amazing! See you next week for another bible study!!

Tending to your Marriage

Just like a garden needs attention, love, watering and weeding, our marriages need attention, love, nourishment and weeding. Pastor Rich talked to us tonight about strengthening our marriages.

He told us we first needed to be aware of the enemy, the devil, who is always seeking to destroy what we hold dear. He also told us to know the devil's strategy which is using today's society to make us unsatisfied in our marriage. He encouraged us to fight back and enlist help when needed.

He then gave us 20 ways to strengthen our marriage:
1) Start each day with a hug and kiss-decide to start each day with love
2) Wear your wedding ring at all times as a visible reminder of your commitment
3) Go on a date with your spouse every week-dedicate time to be together
4) Accept each other's differences
5)Be Polite-practice good manners
6) Be gentle-harsh words and actions are no place in a home
7) Smile often
8) Touch each other-a hug, a pat on the back, a stroke on the arm
9) Talk about your dreams-talk about things beyond schedules and routines
10) Laugh together-find something to share that will make each other laugh every day
11) Do what your spouse wants before he asks
12) Listen to each other-you don't have to solve each other's problem's-just listen
13) Encourage each other-help them be the best they can be
14) Pray for your spouse daily
15) Hold Hands
16) Apologize-equal in power to "I love you" is "I'm sorry, please forgive me"
17) Ask-What can I do for you
18) Reminisce about your favorite times together
19) Play to Win-Invest everything you can to make it the best marriage it can be
20) End each day with a hug and a kiss

We read through Proverbs 31 which describes a servant hearted wife, as well as Ephesians 5 on how we should respect our husbands.

What a wonderful reminder for us to make our marriage a priority with some great ways on how to do that. Enjoy your spouse today! Give him an extra kiss!

Laugh your way...to a better marriage

For the past two weeks, we have watched Mark Gungor talk to us about "Laughing your way to a better marriage". We watched part one and part two of his talk on "The tale of two brains". It is so amazing to me that God made man and women so different. How we think, how we process things, how we feel.

Mark gave us some great suggestions on how to understand our husbands and, by asking them more than once, we can get them to help us.

We are excited to have Pastor Rich do our bible study topic next week on "Marriage"!

Thrift Store Bargains

Making money shopping?? Can such a thing be true?? Our own Michelle Chahine taught us all about shopping at Thrift Stores and how sometimes, shopping at Thrift Stores can actually make you money!

We learned that thrift store shopping can provide incredible savings on new and used designer, name brand and seasonal clothing for the entire family. It offers vast selections of fashion styles and sizes. The proceeds help support humanitarian community programs and efforts.

Consignment shops can provide an opportunity for an individual or family to earn money on items consigned.

We had the opportunity to share the stories of our own treasures we had found and then Michelle shared how her bargain hunting began and how she was able to turn her hobbie of treasure hunting into buying bargains and selling them on either e-bay or bringing them to a consignment shop.

Thank you Michelle for some incredible ideas and tips on how we can save money for our families while having fun "hunting" for treasures!!