Have you heard about The Mother Letter Project yet? It’s a project born out of one husband’s desire to give his wife something great this Christmas. Better people than me have explained it already – you can read about it at Rocks In My Dryer or at Inspired Bliss.. or you can go straight to the source at The Mother Letter Project. I wanted to write my own letter, for her, for me, for you…

I thought I’d share it here (though that’s not a requirement) because I’m hoping it will encourage you if you’re a young mother, because I might need to look back on this at some point in the future (like in a day or two!) and maybe.. just maybe… it might inspire you to write your own.

Dear young Mother,

There are few things in life as demanding and as rewarding as raising young children. There are days where your sweet child will love you to death. There are other days where your sweet child will bug you to death. After hearing “Momma, momma, momma” a hundred times, you’ll be ready to change your name to anything but Momma! Just remember that this precious child of yours is tugging on your shirt and pulling at your leg — because they love you, they want you, they need you.

Your children cling to you because you’re their stability in their unsteady world. They call you because they know you’ll have an answer. They pull you to themselves because they know that you can provide comfort.

These are the things a mommy does: We love, we cherish, we comfort, we guide, we teach, we nurture, we feed, we clothe, we bathe, we answer questions, we kiss boo boos, we hold, we hug, we forgive, we discipline, we train, we give. It’s often thankless, repetitive, and less than glamorous. It’s also rewarding, fulfilling and a blessing.

Sometimes we have to remind ourselves of these things. Sometimes more than once a day. When you’re up to your ears in mayhem or bodily fluids its hard to see how important your job is.

Remember that motherhood is more than dirty diapers and breaking up fights. As a mother, you’re growing up a tiny little person who is growing right before your eyes and will be ready to leave home before you know it. Every day, each moment is an opportunity to plant something in that tiny little person’s heart that will stay with them forever.

Remember that this season of motherhood shall pass, and open the doors to a new season with new challenges. We need not rush through this stage in our child’s life or merely try to survive it – we need to cherish the good moments, treasure them in our hearts, and enjoy this phase as much as possible.

Remember that God says our children are a blessing from the Lord, and that as a mother, you are blessed. When we serve and love our children, we also serve and love our God. The trials of motherhood are not only opportunities to train our children, but they are opportunities to grow in the Lord as well.

Remember that you are not alone. You have friends and family that see the work you are doing, that appreciate your efforts. There are mothers everywhere who are going through the same trials and successes that you experience each day. There are mothers who have already been where you are and are now facing new trials and missing these younger years. And Jesus is always with us, answering our calls in the middle of the temper tantrums, potty training and dirty laundry we can’t seem to catch up on.

Young mother – you will never be alone, your work is not in vain, and you are loved.

God bless you,

Amber

It’s Party Time! I love a good party! Robin is feeling a little lonely, I think, so she’s invited us all over to her place for a get together with snacks and treats and whatnot – not to mention an actual real live chat if you wanna. Now THAT’S A PARTY.

Many of you already know me, and if you do you probably already I know a talk just a little, or a lot. Okay, a lot. If you don’t know me, the best way to get to know me is to read my 100 Things post, which coincided with my 100th post AND the 1st Ultimate Blog Party, or my second Ultimate Blog Party post. This is just a glimpse, though and they were both written a while back so of course, there’s a whole lot more going on now!!

I’ve been trying to find a way to make an income from home for quite sometime now, something that’s a really good fit. My latest attempt at mom-entrepreneurial-ness is providing low cost homeschool resources at my newest blog Faith Family Home School. I also post a daily free link to a good educational website.

My other blog, Imperishable Beauty, is supposed to mainly be a reflection of my faith and living that out in daily life. When I started it, I also hoped (and still do) to grow into a resource for other Christian women. I still envision having guest bloggers and weekly features and the whole ball of yarn. I went through a little bit of a bloggy identity crisis there for a little bit and stopped posting very much, but lately the inspiration has returned.

Enough about me, how about you? Have you ever been to Texas? If not, you’re in for a real Texas treat. One of my favorite party snacks is fresh made Pico de Gallo (well, after you let it sit in the fridge a while and let all the flavors mingle.) My recipe is almost exactly like this one, (they might use a smidge more jalapeno, I make mine kid friendly) so if you follow this and serve it up with some salty tortilla chips and it should turn out tasting pretty darn good.

You may know that pico is good with anything remotely Mexican-food reminiscent (tacos, quesadillas, enchiladas, nachos, etc.) but did you also know that its good with rice, beans and cornbread or even on top of a chili cheese dog?? Oh yes, I WENT THERE.

OR, if you’re feeling a bit more snackish than that, you can throw in some black beans, corn and avocado and what you get is a hearty treat known as Cowboy Caviar.

And to drink: Cranberry Limeades!! Pour some sprite over crushed iced, add a little cranberry juice to taste, and squeeze half a lime in followed by the lime half for decoration and good measure. YUMMY! I’ll have two, please… (Or if you want an actual recipe..)

Now that you’re well fed and thirst-quenched, check out a few of my favorite bloggy friends before you go. Meet my bloggy friend Lisa and her little baby boy at Little Jack’s Corner, and three ladies who I can’t really call bloggy friends yet but whom I very much enjoy knowing from afar: Heather at Oh My Stinkin’ Heck, Michelle at Scribbit, and Kristin at We Are THAT Family. I also call Robin my bloggy friend, but, you know, she’s the hostess…

And if you want to get to know me a little more before you go or come back later for some more reading.. You can read up on these fine specimens of tired mom, half-awake blogging:

• My Imperfect Husband
• Some People Think I’m a Little Strange
• Is it a good thing or a bad thing that my 2 yr. old is this brave?
• View My Tutorial For Making Dishwasher Detergent
• Things I Know Now That I’m A Mom

Well, I guess it’s time to say “See ya later!” Thanks for dropping by and do have a good time visiting the other party peoples!

Howdy! It’s time for the Ultimate Blog Party – a party where our assignment is to “throw a party that showcases your blog and your style.” So that’s just what I’ll do. Oh! But there’s a twist.

About a year and four months ago, I created this blog and I have used an alias since day 1. But now… I’m going to “come out of the Closet of Anonymity.” Seriously? Oh, yes. I’d probably keep going if I wasn’t opening up my store. But since I am, I think it might be better for customers to see that they are buying things from a real person and not an alias. Besides which, Big Daddy just released his e-book with his name plastered ALL OVER IT.

SO….

I’m going to tell you my name. Yay!

But there’s a catch. (Of course there is right?)

Basically, by this end of this party post, you’ll know a little bit more about me, and you’ll get to leave a guess in the comments. Should I give multiple choices? Hmm. Perhaps. Obviously if you already know me, MUM IS THE WORD. I mean it. SHUSH.

So let’s party already! (It’s about time, right?) So grab some hors d’oeuvres and mingle.

All right, so if you wanna get to know me then there is one main thing that you must know about me – I LOVE JESUS! My favorite passage is Psalm 18 and my favorite verse is..I don’t have ONE favorite verse – there’s too many! Here’s a few posts that I have written that reflect my relationship with my Lord:

• The Spiritual Overhaul of Change
• My God is So Big
• Thirteen Things I Am Thankful For
• Vacuuming In Circles – Is It Biblical?

Secondly, I love my family! I am so thankful for the wonderful family that God has given me. Since I don’t post their faces on here, I can’t show you but I promise they are just adorable! And I’m not just saying that because I’m their mom. It can be really stressful at times, but I enjoy being home with my children all day while I homeschool them and taking care of the home and taking care of my hubby – It means a lot to me.

All right, so for something a little more fun…I like games. I like games that make you think. I like classics like Tetris, I like Sodoku, and I like word games such as Bookworm, Scrabble (or Literati), Crossword and Word Search Puzzles. Does that make me a little bit of a nerd? (Go ahead, play along. Each of those links takes you to a free online game. Woo-hoo!)

I love music. Love it, love it. I love to sing, write songs, and play guitar – and though I’m still a beginner, I just love to play around at it. My favorite band of all time is Third Day. Want some videos to watch? Here, have a ball!

• Consuming Fire
• Your Love Oh Lord
• Agnus Dei

Ah yes, I love music. I’m definitely an artsy type. And you know that whole stereotype about artsy, creative people being messy? Yup. I really want to be organized. I tingle at the sight of an organized row of matching baskets, colorful containers, or visually balanced bins – especially if that are labeled! Call me crazy. But since my artistic right brain is only slightly more dominant than my organized left brain…I think this is why my messy habits are always at war with my organizing habits. Or perhaps it’s because I don’t really like to clean. Either way. Here – find out whether you are left or right brained. It may or may not mean any thing. But hey, who doesn’t like a good quiz?

Speaking of creating.. do you know I make my own laundry soap, and dishwasher soap? I’m hoping to learn to make something else soon, too. Maybe hand soap. I’m a beginner sew-er (that’s not a word) but I figure I’ll get better with practice. I’m also starting my own business, Imperishable Beauty, in which – you guessed it – I make and sell things. I’m hoping my left brain is left-brained enough to help me with the finance end of things!

Okay, one more. I am neither a girly girl, nor a tomboy. Actually, I’m a little bit of both. My favorite color is pink and I like sparkly and shiny things. My favorite kind of shoes are high-heeled strappy sandals – of course with pink or red nailpolish!! I have my ears pierced three times and I have long, layered hair that I like to fix and wear down. However, my hair is almost always in a ponytail, I’m usually wearing jeans and tennis shoes, and I rarely ever wear any earrings at all. On the other hand, I am trying to remember to at least wear mascara and lip gloss on a daily basis because it just makes my day feel better.

Okay, so now that you know that I am a tomboyish, girly, artistic, messy, organized wannabe, soap-makin’, homeschooling, nerdy, loud-singin’, guitar-playin’ Jesus Freak from Texas (yeah, I didn’t specifically mention that one)… now it’s time to play “Name That Blogger.” I’ve decided to give you multiple choices. It only seems fair. But I’m going to give you seven. No particular reason, I just like the number seven. It seems… complete. Here goes.

Do you think my name is:

• Ashley
• Angela
• Ann
• Abigail
• Amber
• Alyson
• Amanda

I’m interested to see what y’all have to say. I guess what I’ll do is just come back tomorrow and let y’all know who the first person is to guess the right name. Now I’m going to head over and meet some new people for myself. Plus, if you leave a comment, I’ll come over and meet you, too! Or catch up if we’ve already met. So, go on! Have some more fun! And thanks so much for dropping by.. you were a great guest.

**Updated: To see the results, click HERE.**

~~~~~~~

This part is required for the giveaways.. don’t forget to check those out if you haven’t already. Here’s my list of top picks. If you’ve got time, you can stop by and visit them, too.

1. 45 — Custom Blog Design
   Provided by: Summer
2. 62 — Boca Beth Bilingual Beginner Set
   Provided by: The Boca Beth Program
3. 67 — Blog Makeover
   Provided by: Shauna
4. 44 — Jump Start World 1st Grade
   Provided by: Mom Reviews
5. 36 — Marketing for Entrepreneurs
   Provided by: Lis Garrett
6. 8 — 50 Nights of Family Fun
   Provided by: Essential Family Living
7. 59 — $25 Cash
   Provided by: Lori
8. 34 — Custom Tutu
   Provided by: Live~Love~Dance Boutique
9. 50 — 12 Basic Boutique Bows
   Provided by: MommyMandy.com
10. 58 — Customized 6 Week Fitness Plan
    Provided By: Cindy Posey, Go Workout Mom

Yes, the Ultimate Blog Party (Version 2.0) has finally arrived! I had fun last year, and am looking forward to the party this year as well. What, you haven’t heard about it? You, in the back, you don’t know about the Ultimate Blog Party, the one over at 5 Minutes for Mom? We-ell! You need to head on over and check it out. Trust me. Go on, they don’t bite.

This year it’s open to bloggers and non-bloggers alike, and there’s a ton of prizes up for grabs so there’s your incentive! It’s all just to have a little fun, find some new blogs to read, and meet the new readers who find yours. Unless you’re not a blogger,…then it’s all about finding some good blogs and signing up for some prizes.

It all starts tomorrow, or tonight after 12 midnight Eastern time, however you look at it. Before then you need to grab a button for your sidebar, check out the list of prizes, and then twiddle your thumbs or play a game of solitaire until it’s time to begin. It’s all explained here.

So – ready, get set, get going!

For whatever reason, I haven’t been reading Shannon’s posts while she has been in Uganda. Not because I didn’t want to, I just hadn’t taken the time yet what with all I’ve had going on.

But I have now, and let me say, if you haven’t, it’s worth it.

To get a glimpse, a teeny tiny glimpse of what God is showing her,.. it’s unimaginable and so touching. As I read her words, I smiled with her, and I cried with her. Mostly, I cried. I have never been on a mission trip. Never ever. I’ve never even been out of the country. But that’s a story for another day.

For now, you go read about Shannon’s trip, and I’m going to go give my children a very, very big hug.

Updated to add: This is a direct link to the “love offering status.” Last time I checked it was over five seven eight TEN ELEVEN FOURTEEN SIXTEEN SEVENTEEN thousand dollars!! Praise God! Heather’s response can be found here.

Today, Boo Mama is hosting a HUGE love offering for our bloggy neighbor, Heather.

Please pray for Heather, her family, her doctors, and those that feel led to donate towards her trip to Mayo Clinic in Minnesota later this month.

Pray for strength and peace for her and her family. Pray for wisdom and guidance for her doctors.

Pray for traveling mercies. Pray for unexpected blessings and mercy through this whole process.

Pray for healing for Heather.

Pray for hope and joy and trust for Heather and her friends.

PSALM 84
My soul longs for the Courts of the LORD

To the choirmaster: according to The Gittith. A Psalm of the Sons of Korah.

How lovely is your dwelling place, O LORD of hosts!
My soul longs, yes, faints for the courts of the LORD;
my heart and flesh sing for joy to the living God.

Even the sparrow finds a home, and the swallow a nest for herself,
where she may lay her young, at your altars, O LORD of hosts,
my King and my God.
Blessed are those who dwell in your house, ever singing your praise!

Selah

Blessed are those whose strength is in you, in whose heart are the highways to Zion.
As they go through the Valley of Baca they make it a place of springs;
the early rain also covers it with pools.
They go from strength to strength; each one appears before God in Zion.

O LORD God of hosts, hear my prayer; give ear, O God of Jacob!

Selah

Behold our shield, O God; look on the face of your anointed!

For a day in your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere.
I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness.
For the LORD God is a sun and shield; the LORD bestows favor and honor.
No good thing does he withhold from those who walk uprightly.
O LORD of hosts, blessed is the one who trusts in you!