Saturday, March 31, 2012

Marina Terauds

Marina Terauds Art Work



My friend Marina, works in a variety of mediums.  This is one of her larger works.
Be sure to go to her link above to see the many things that she has for sale.
Want to know more about her?  She has a blog at: Studio Terauds

Thursday, March 29, 2012

Choking Dog Dials phone for help, saves himself


Four police officers stormed through a private residence in South Hiendley, West Yorkshire Saturday night in search of survivors, hostages, or anything else that might explain the unusual emergency call that brought them there.
Go here for the rest of the story: Life with Dogs

Wednesday, March 28, 2012

By Faith, Not by Sight- Insightful



By Faith, Not by Sight by Scott MacIntrye with Jennifer Schuchmann
The Inspirational Story of a Blind Prodigy, a Life-Threatening Illness & an Unexpected Gift.

This is a true story Of Scott MacIntyre, his family, his faith and how he has lived his life to the fullest despite physical challenges.   The author shows us much of the inner workings, and skills that are necessary to function daily as a blind man as he is pursuing his dreams.  It's a story of OVERCOMING obstacles; not denying them but enjoying your life and keeping your focus on God and the dreams He has placed in you.  This story also shows how Music is Scott’s way of connecting and closing the distance that he feels his blindness CAN cause.

I liked this book, especially the  stories that he told of his  relationship with family and friends .  He shared with the reader the complex things that had to be learned that we as sighted people don’t even think about.  The things that he had to memorize, would we even notice?   We got to travel with him to different places as he described the places and opportunities that most of us have never experienced.  I did find some areas of his story a bit dry; a little too detailed but for the most part pretty well written.  I believe his story would be good for a variety of readers; also could be helpful for families who have a blind child; it's a positive story in a negative world.  Uplifting, for anyone going through a difficult time physically also.  Oh, did I mention there are beautiful pictures too?


I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255

Tuesday, March 27, 2012

Cursing the Church or helping it ? Picture from Amazon.

Cursing the Church or Helping It?: Exposing the Spirit of BalaamAmazon

Cursing the Church or Helping it?: Exposing the Spirit of BalaamCursing the Church or Helping it?: Exposing the Spirit of Balaam by Anna M. Aquino
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Cursing the Church or Helping it?: Exposing the Spirit of Balaam
This is a well written book pointing out many of the things that drive Christians and non Christians away from the Church. Parallels of our current church atmosphere's being similar to Balaam as he tried to curse God's people was very clear and with a wide variety of scripture to back up the argument.

I really liked this book, the author was humble and open about her own church experiences and growth she had to go through as well. She pointed out that Balaam had 2 choices to pick from. One was to try to curse the people or instead coming down out of hiding and actually helping them. Selfishness vs. true compassion. Not too different from today's times. This book wasn't all about just picking apart the church. It was about identifying and facing and changing what is. She encouraged a proactive attitude of becoming family and a team for Jesus; of being part of the answer. She also explained how we need to guard against offense; where even the smallest imagined slight would drive us out of our churches. My favorite thing that she shared was what Pastor Rock had said "Worrying is just a form of atheism. You don't believe your God is big enough to do what He said He would do."

I received this book free from Destiny Image Publishers for a review.Anna M. AquinoAnna M. Aquino

View all my reviews

Easter cookie pizza

Easter Cookie Pizza

What  a fun thing to do!  Go here to get the recipe: Recipe.com
This one is from Better Homes & Gardens.
The whole site looks like its pretty good.

Adopting a Dog - Things to Think About Before the Adoption


Good article.  Some topics covered:

Is This the Right Time to Get a Dog?

Giving Dogs as Gifts

Puppies, Adult Dogs or Senior Dogs

Lifestyle Considerations - What Type of Dog to Get?

Financial Responsibilities

Where to Get a Do

Integrating Your New Dog into the Family

Go here to read the full article:  HubPages

Teaching Cats Tricks

Teaching Cats Tricks

I don't have a cat now but as a child grew up with them.
So many different personalities but I had heard so may times that you couldn't train cats.
But I was never sure that it was impossible to teach cats tricks!

WAR: Women At Risk International

A friend let me know about this on Facebook. This is what she had to say:

A prayer warrior I'm blessed to know at my work invited me to a WAR Int'l party this weekend. Unfortunately we already had plans so I can't attend. However, I checked out the website, and it's amazing what this Christian group does. They help victims of human trafficking, in a variety of ways from rescue to employment. They now have many locations, but their first one is in MI. I've got my eye on a couple items in the WAR Chest, that would make awesome gifts for a couple people I know - and 90% of the price would go directly to women in need. I do NOT normally post stuff like this, or attend any type of "sales" party, but after looking through the website think this is a very worthwhile and legit cause.
 Check it out at:  War International




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 Women At Risk, International unites and educates women to create circles of protection and hope around women at risk through culturally sensitive, value-added intervention projects.

Friday, March 23, 2012

Anxiety Makes Brain Poor At Maths For Some Children

Anxiety Makes Brain Poor At Maths For Some Children

I never really looked at it this way before; very interesting article.
Makes you wonder what other things other than math can be affected by anxiety!
And not just in children...

Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Red Heart yarn has some of the BEST free patterns!!

Go here for the free  Casual Beret Crochet Pattern Red Heart .
Make sure you don't stop at just the hat though,  look around, they have LOTS of great free patterns!!

Christian Marriage Site: I Want a Godly Marriage

I Want a Godly Marriage.  A place to engage people in conversations about God and marriage.

You can also be visit them on Facebook. 

Tuesday, March 20, 2012

Sun Stand Still: What Happens When You Dare to Ask God for the ImpossibleSun Stand Still: What Happens When You Dare to Ask God for the Impossible by Steven Furtick
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Loved the book; its going into my personal library. Written in a way to wake you back up to the radical truths of the Bible. Re-charging, re-firing, reminding the believer that God's power, and unusual ways have NOT passed away; dare to ask and believe. To pray daring, outrageous, world changing prayers.





View all my reviews

Wednesday, March 14, 2012

Cats may purr to your heart's content - Pets - MiamiHerald.com

Cats may purr to your heart's content - Pets - MiamiHerald.com

SONG: Nomatter how far - Nicole C. Mullen


This  video & song gave me the "Chills"
Simple Secrets to a Happy LifeSimple Secrets to a Happy Life by Luci Swindoll

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Written with personal insights, she shares with honesty, what doesn't work and what does. Along with the natural, day to day living is the spiritual aspect that flows into everything she does.

For some who are looking for something deep, they might miss the point that often wisdom can be simple. That's why so many times we miss it thinking, " It CAN'T be that simple!". I thoroughly enjoyed the book and it was easy to read with the short nugget type style she used. It's the first book I've read of hers & it just makes me want to read more of her books.



View all my reviews

Tuesday, March 13, 2012

Simple Secrets to a Happy Life by Luci Swindoll- Simply refreshing


Simple Secrets to a Happy Life by Luci Swindoll is a collection of 50 ways to make the most of every day.  Written with personal insights, she shares with honesty,  what doesn't work and what does. On the things that didn't work; she also shares the answer to the failure; pointing out of course that she doesn't have ALL the answers.   Along with the natural, day to day living is the spiritual aspect that flows into everything she does.  This is written by an intelligent, witty, very accomplished woman who encourages us to  live life to the fullest  with great joy.

For some who are looking for something deep, they might miss the point that often wisdom can be simple. That's why so many times we miss it thinking, " it CAN'T be that simple!".  Some of the things she wrote about; are things that some of us might think I already know that.  But its some things that are good to revisit and to also realize these things we take for granted have NOT always been taught to the younger generations. Being on time, keeping your word, integrity, treat others with kindness, just to name a few. Someone has to say it and she did.  I thoroughly enjoyed the book and it was easy to read with the short nugget type style she used.  Written with humor, she also gave the reader a pretty clear idea of who she was; her style and her complete embracing of  who she is. My new favorite  saying is what her grandmother used to say, "A day is wasted unless we fall over in a heap laughing".    This is the first time I've ever read anything of her's but now I want to see what else she  has out there!!

received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 25

Joseph Prince: Healthier, Stronger Each Day (Communion)

So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, Acts 2:46

Back then in the early church, Christians would meet each other every day, either corporately in the temple or from house to house in smaller groups. And when they met in their homes, the Bible tells us that they would break bread. That’s the Holy Communion, and they took it every day!

Now, I am not saying that you must take the Holy Communion every day. But if you feel led to and you want to, go ahead! The thing about taking the Holy Communion daily is this: If you are sick, you can be made well on a gradual basis. This means that you get healthier and stronger from day to day — first thirtyfold, then sixtyfold, then a hundredfold!

You see, while you can receive healing through the prayer of faith (Mark 11:24), it sometimes puts pressure on you because it requires you to believe that you receive it all — complete healing — the moment you pray. There is nothing wrong with the prayer of faith, but you may find yourself saying, “I must believe I receive it all, now! I must believe I have it all, now!”

But the Holy Communion allows you to receive a measure of healing every time you partake in faith, so that you get better and better. The more you take it, the better you become. There is no pressure to believe that you receive it all at once. Isn’t God good? He meets you at your level of faith!

Now, there are cases I know of in our church, in my family and in my own life, where the manifestation of healing is immediate and complete. If it happens that way, praise God! But if not, don’t worry. The more you partake, the better you will become.

I know of people who take the Holy Communion three times a day, just like they would medicine! Why not? My friend, if you are very sick and you are diligently taking your medication three times a day, why not give the Lord’s Supper the same amount of attention? Why not boost your recovery rate? And the next time you eat the bread and drink the cup, you may just find your disease totally gone!  Joseph Prince

Thought For The Day from Devotion of February 24, 2012
If you are diligently taking your medication three times a day, why not give the Lord’s Supper the same amount of attention?



Blessed by his post? Learn more from this recommended message:

Discerning The Lord’s Body Makes A Difference To Your Health

You can go to his site and order the MP3 or the CD for the above title.

Friday, March 2, 2012

Faith Test- Graham Cooke

"Your faith being tested produces endurance. 
Let endurance have its perfect results so that you may be complete. 
The whole point of a trial is to give you something, not take anything away from you.
 It is to advance you and add something to you. 
That's why you should be joyful, because God allows in His wisdom 
what he could easily prevent by His power."



Ever Present.

God is always present,
                        but we are not always paying attention.-
Joyce Meyer




God is always speaking....                                 
              but we're not always listening.  
Unknown but true.