Fun College Care Packages

When my sweet girl went away to college, I was sad. 

I love her so and knew I would miss her like CRAZY. 

I tried to focus on the positives (and there are many), 

but at first the ONLY good thing about it was 

that I knew I'd be able to send her fun care packages from time to time. 

Because I LOVE putting together fun packages! 

I typically post a pic of these packages on Instagram but decided to go ahead and 

post all of them here for easy reference in case someone was looking for ideas. 

I've missed taking pics of a few but the majority of the ones I sent are pictured below.

I typically send her a package for Valentine's Day and then again at finals time. 

Occasionally I throw in another one so there are a few random ones here too! 

As for what I place inside, I typically include: 

• some sort of candy or snack
• a gift card to Starbucks or one of her favorite places to eat
• fun socks (because she loves socks)
• a cute t-shirt 
• some sort of stress relief (bubbles, a game, coloring book, etc)
• a seasonal dishtowel or decoration
• a coffee cup or water bottle
• other fun random things I find

You'll see three of lots of things in the pictures below because 

the finals packages are for her AND her awesome roommates. 

Valentine's Day packages: 

This package has 14 wrapped items- one to open each day from Feb. 1-Feb. 14th.

Finals Care Packages: 

This one was for AFTER Finals and only after she and her roommates turned 21!

 DONUT Stress, You'll do great on your finals! And DONUT forget you are loved!

 I love you a latte! For finals all you need is Jesus and Coffee and a whole bunch of studying too!

 I love you more than all the polka dots! 

Orange you glad the semester is almost over? 

I love you a bushel and a peck!

Just because care packages: 

 Bubble Wrap Stress Relief

 I am so blue without you!

A box of sunshine to brighten your day!

I'm super sad that my days of sending care packages are almost over- 

since my sweet girl graduates in May. 

I'm thinking about starting to sell and send them for parents 

who want to send one but don't have the time. 

Memory Verses: Week 5

I believe that Satan doesn’t want us in God’s word and will use any and every means possible to keep us from the truth and therefore we must be prepared and have a PLAN!

To work on hiding God's word in our hearts, 

this year I'm going to be posting a memory verse for each week
 along with a printable to print out and hang up. 

Here's the verse for week 5:

I don't know about you but I so struggle with fear. 

Sometimes it seems like fear is constantly stalking me, trying to take over my mind and my heart. 

If I am honest, fear boils down to my desire to control the outcome of a situation.

This type of fear that is mentioned in 2 Timothy 1:7 

is the kind of fear that hinders what God has given us: 

His power, love, and sound mind. 

This kind of fear is NOT of God, it is from Satan. 

I think fear is one of the biggest tools Satan uses against us. 

He tells us that we are no good, not worthy, unloved, useless, and terrible. 

These thoughts affect us in all areas of our life

and cause us to forget the truth. 

So how can we combat this type of fear? 

By believing the truth of this verse. 

Be memorizing it and meditating on it when we are fearful. 

By reminding ourselves over and over and over again that 

He has given us power, love, and self control 

and that we don't have to do anything in our own strength, but in HIS. 

You can print out the verses in English and Spanish

 and the complete list in a folder  HERE. 

     

February Scripture Writing Plan: Relationships

    Happy almost February friends!

The topic this month is on Relationships.

Relationships- ALL relationships- are hard.
Relationships take lots of attention and time and prayer and hard work.
Thankfully God has lots to say about relationships in His word
and shares with us how we should love those around us.

Let's spend this month reading and meditating on
what God has to say about relationships & how we are called to love others!

FYI: I made the plan 31 days and plan to do that with

 all topical plans in the future so that they can be done any month-
not just the month I write them for.

You can find a copy of the plan in English and Spanish in the folder HERE.

{Just a reminder, don't try to print the images below or they will be blurry. Be sure to click the link to download a PDF copy!}






You can also find the love plan for February from last year   HERE. 

Memory Verses: Week 4

I believe that Satan doesn’t want us in God’s word and will use any and every means possible to keep us from the truth and therefore we must be prepared and have a PLAN!

To work on hiding God's word in our hearts, 

this year I'm going to be posting a memory verse for each week
 along with a printable to print out and hang up. 

Here's the verse for week 4:

The primary reason we were put on this earth was to glorify God and to give Him thanks. 

The Bible tells us this over and over again including in Psalm 107:1. 

(Also in Colossians 3:17 and Hebrews 13:15 and many other verses!)

But to be totally honest, sometimes thanking and praising Him can be hard. 

Super crazy, painfully difficult.

When things are hard and painful and NOT GOOD and 

when we are in a time of despair, pain or struggle, 

the absolute last thing we want to do is give thanks and praise. 

But the Bible doesn't say....do it only when you feel like it. 

It says simply DO IT. 

We are to do it because God IS good and His love endures forever-

regardless of our circumstances. 

It doesn't mean we have to love the circumstance or the situation-

it means we are to love and thank God period

because His goodness and love will not run out, 

wear out, grow old, fade away- EVER. 

(Need more reminders? Just read Psalm 136 to see an entire book of verses that remind us His love endures forever!)

It's not about being optimistic, it's an act of faith. 

It's deliberately saying - I trust in God's goodness to me and to others, 

I trust that even in the worst situations of my life- 

He will bring some good from it because He is GOOD. 

You can print out the verses in English and Spanish

 and the complete list in a folder  HERE. 

     

GOOD NEWS: 1/18/18

I love happy stories.

You know- those happy, inspiring, tear producing stories that

remind you there IS good in the world!

{And there IS so much good in the world!}

I LOVE those so very much! 

I love them so much that I seek them out

daily to remind me of the good in people.

Here are a few of my favorites from the past week!

Memory Verses 2018: Week 3

I believe that Satan doesn’t want us in God’s word and will use any and every means possible to keep us from the truth and therefore we must be prepared and have a PLAN!

To work on hiding God's word in our hearts, 

this year I'm going to be posting a memory verse for each week
 along with a printable to print out and hang up. 

Here's the verse for week 3:

Fear NOT? I don't know about you but NOT being fearful is a huge struggle for me.
I worry about everything from big things to tiny things. 

Thankfully this verse gives us some GOOD news when it comes to fear. 
It tells us to not be afraid for two reasons: 

1. He is with us. 
2. He is our God. 

We don’t have to be afraid because we have a hope that others don’t. 
We know that God will strengthen us and help us in each situation that we face.
 He dwells in heaven, knows the future and the past, has unlimited wisdom and resources 
and in this verse says that He WILL help us. Not that he might, he WILL. 
His presence guarantees strength to endure every trial, to bear up courageously 
under all suffering, persecution, struggle, and affliction. 
God assures that we are NEVER EVER without help. 
When we realize the fact that God is on our side, 
that He will walk with us through any situation or circumstance or struggle
 that we might face, we can see why He tells us to not be afraid. 

God upholds us with His mighty power. 
I find such comfort that when we are exhausted and our own strength is small and spent, 
when we stumble and fall and have no strength to pick ourselves back up, 
our loving Lord reaches down His powerful right hand and lifts us. 
As long as we remember that God is with us, we can boldly proclaim, 
“I am not afraid because my God is ever with me! 
I am anxious for nothing; the Lord is my God!”

You can print out the verses in English and Spanish

 and the complete list in a folder  HERE. 

     

I also created some verse cards that you can print out and punch a hole in to carry round with you.

You can find verses for weeks 1-12  HERE. 

Chemo Treats

I'm pretty sure every single person I know has been affected by cancer in some way. 

Either they, a close family member, or friend has been diagnosed 

and battled cancer at some point in their life. 

I had a dear friend in middle school/high school, Heba,

who battled cancer and died our sophomore year. 

My sweet mama was diagnosed with lung cancer in 2001 

and died in 2002 after battling it for 9 months. 

I have had countless friends diagnosed and battle cancer, 

some winning and some losing and some still fighting today. 

I myself even had a diagnosis last year. 

I was lucky mine was caught early and only required surgery, 

not chemo or radiation but so many do. 

I started a group last year in my town called the Chemo Fairies. 

Each week we gather a little treat (usually something to eat) with a note 

that is tailored specifically for those going through chemo and 
drop them off for cancer patients at our local cancer clinic. 

They are just a fun little something to remind them someone cares and is thinking of them.

Honestly the treat isn't the main thing, it's the fact that 

someone is thinking of, praying for, and rooting them on in this battle!

I created the first set of tags and placed them in my ETSY store HERE. 

I just added a second set HERE. 

I can't tell you what a blessing it has been to hear from friends and family of chemo patients 

who have received the treat and what a blessing they have been to them. 

It's truly an easy way to support someone who is going through an awful time.

How about getting a group together of your own Chemo Fairies

to bless those in your community going through chemo? 

52 Books in 2018: 1-9

I LOVE to read. 

It's seriously my favorite thing to do.

And lucky for me, I'm a super fast reader so when 

I take the time to stop and read, I can read a LOT. 

The last week I've been under the weather and so I've spent lots of time

 sitting with Poppy in my lap reading. (IE= heaven!)

My goal is to read 52 books this year and I was able to get 9 read last week. 

Now a word of caution- I like to read lots of different types of books. 

I love Christian fiction, Christian non-fiction, true crime, mysteries, and romance. 

So my book choices are all over the place.

Here are books 1-9, a link to each one, and my rating from 1-5. 

I Am Watching You by Teresa Driscoll

Interesting and suspenseful

Rating: 4

Her Best Friend by Sara Wray

Good, solid mystery

Rating: 3

The Forgetting Time by Sharon Guskin

I listed to this one on Audible and it was so good.

A very different type of topic but I loved it!

Rating: 4.5

Beneath a Scarlet Sky by Mark Sullivan

Historical, based on a true story, and FABULOUS

Rating: 5

Seven Days of Us by Francesca Hornak

Great family story!

Rating: 3.5/4

Lies She Told by Cate Holahan

Super thriller, interesting plot

Rating: 4

Do Not Become Alarmed by Malie Maloy

Heart-racing thriller

Rating: 3.5

It's Always the Husband by Michele Campbell

Great story of friendship, love and betrayal

Rating: 4

Poison by Galt Niederhoffer

Marriage/abuse thriller

A little too dark for me...I had to skip over a few parts. 

Rating: 2.5

I also started an Amazon list of all the books I'm reading this year. 

You can find the list HERE. 

{Disclosure: Some of the links above are affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, 

I will earn a tiny commission if you click through and make a purchase.}

Memory Verses 2018: Week 2

I believe that Satan doesn’t want us in God’s word and will use any and every means possible to keep us from the truth and therefore we must be prepared and have a PLAN!

To work on hiding God's word in our hearts, 

this year I'm going to be posting a memory verse for each week
 along with a printable to print out and hang up. 

Here's the verse for week 2:

Daily Devotions on IG Stories

Over the past few months I've been occasionally doing my morning devotions on Instagram stories. After a bunch of direct messages about the devotions and sweet friends sharing

 how much they like them I've decided to start doing a devotion each day on IG stories. 

I can't promise it will be every day, but most days for sure. 

If you are on Instagram I'd love for you to join me!

{If you don't know, Instagram stories are just short little videos that you can do on Instagram. 

They only stay up for 24 hours and then they disappear. Details HERE.}

I always get lots of questions about the devotions I use so I thought 

I would go ahead and link them here for easy access. 

The two I'll be starting with this year are

5 Word Prayers by Lisa Whittle

and 

New Morning Mercies by Paul David Tripp. 

I love them both and am super excited to share them with you! 

The devotions will only be about 5 minutes long 

and I think it will be a great way to start the day with my IG friends!

I also usually get a bunch of questions about my Bible (which I LOVE) 

so you can find all the details about that HERE if you are interested. 

{Disclosure: Some of the links above are affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, 
I will earn a tiny commission if you click through and make a purchase.}

Memory Verses 2018: Week 1

I don't know about you but every day I see or read or hear something that makes 

my heart break and makes me honestly shake my head at the world we live in. 

There is just so much heartbreak and sadness and evil and pain that 

honestly it's heartbreaking and almost completely overwhelming. 

When I start to feel overwhelmed with the awfulness of this world, 

I turn to God's word because it's honestly the ONLY thing that gives me any true comfort.

God’s word anchors us to Him and is what directs us to fulfill our purpose in life.  

It is God Himself that gives His Word power, and it is in and through 

His Word that we encounter Him.  

When we read and meditate on God’s Word, 

we build our relationship with him stronger and deeper and we have HOPE. 

Hope that is ONLY found in Him.

This is mentioned over and over again in scripture. 

Here are just a few examples: 

Deuteronomy 6:4-9:  

Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.

Philippians 4:6-7

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Psalm 119:15-18 

I meditate on your precepts and consider your ways. I delight in your decrees; I will not neglect your word. Be good to your servant while I live, that I may obey your word. Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your law.

John 1: 1-5

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

He wants us to know Him, focus our hearts, souls and all our might on loving Him.

  

He wants to use His Word to:

•Encourage us

•Affirm us

•Love us

•Be our stronghold and anchor

In order for that to happen we must: Hear it, Read it, Learn it, and Obey it!

I read recently of a woman who said…...

"If I bring my phone to Bible study what I’m saying is I’m NOT okay missing a phone or text from a friend or work- but I AM okay missing the message the Lord might have for me.” 

OUCH. That stepped ALL over my toes!

I believe that Satan doesn’t want us in God’s word and will use any and every means possible to keep us from the truth and therefore we must be prepared and have a PLAN!

To work on hiding God's word in our hearts, 

this year I'm going to be posting a memory verse for each week. 

My sweet friend Mandy compiled this great list and each week I'll be sharing 

a new verse along with a printable for you to print out and hang up. 

Here's the verse for week 1: 

I'm doing it in both a white and a black background

and you can print out the verses (and even a Spanish version) 

and the complete list in a folder  HERE. 

So who's in for learning 52 verses this year?