Saturday Stumbles

Happy Thanksgiving!

I hope you had a wonderful time with your family.  My Thanksgiving was very unique.  I had been in Disney World with my family and we got home Wednesday night around midnight.  We had actually planned on traveling back Thanksgiving day, but decided to head on home.  My siblings did Thanksgiving with their in laws so we didn't really have anything planned.  I literally stayed in my pj's all day and did nothing.  Not.  A.  Thing.

Image via Wikipedia

Now, onto the stumbles...

Thanksgiving leftovers: English Cottage Pie
Need something to do with all the leftover turkey?  This dish looks amazing!

Christian Pick Up Lines
Hilarious.  Absolutely hilarious!  I can appreciate these as a single, christian girl and although I would roll my eyes if anyone used these on me, I would be smiling inside!

Truth in the Tinsel.
I know I already linked to this last week, but I don't want you to miss out on this!  It's a great (and easy) way to make the Christmas story come alive for your little ones.

Small Business Saturday
One of my dreams is to open up a cupcake shop.  It will always stay a dream because unless I win the lottery it's really out of the realm of possibility, but to be honest, it's just too much work for me!  But today is a day to support those that did scrape up the funds and have to work their tails off to support their dream.

Link up below!

Disclosure: Affiliate link used.

Saturday Stumbles

Hey all! I'm excited to see what you all stumbled this week. We are less than a week away from Thanksgiving and and start of the Christmas season! I love it all...the busyness, the hectic schedule, the shopping...bring it on!

Grilled Cheese Rolls
These would go perfect with tomato soup which is one of my favorite meals.

Thanksgiving Day crafts
What a fun way to spend the day with little ones.

Truth in the Tinsel: An Advent Experience for Little Hands
My Sisterchick and real life best friend Amanda is releasing her first ebook on Black Friday! If you've got little ones and want the Christmas story to come alive for them, THIS is the ebook for you.

photo source

I'd love to hear from you! Check out the guidelines then link up below.

Winner!

Congratulations to Kristen from Joyfully Thriving who won the Jessa Anderson CD!

You will really enjoy it!

Thanks to all who entered and go check out and see if Jessa is coming to your area!

Saturday Stumbles

It's mid November...and I'm putting up my Christmas decorations!!  Yep!  It's a lot sooner than I would normally put them up, but I've got Thanksgiving plans and want to go ahead and get them up.

Part of my Thanksgiving plans involve a long road trip and I'll be looking for some books to pass the time.  Here are few I've stumbled across this week!

Plan a Fabulous Party {without losing your mind}
My friend, Mary, just put out her first ebook!  Party planning is something I LOVE, but it can definitely be overwhelming if you let it.  Mary's got some great tips about to pull off those beautifully themed parties...without losing your mind!

Entangled
Although I've never met Amy in real life, I know we'd be friends.  She has just launched her ebook Entangled.  It's her story and triumph of an emotional affair she had with a co-worker.  How brave is she!

 The End of Molasses Classes
I'm always looking for ways to improve in the classroom and Ron Clark is definitely one to get some tips from.

Your turn!  Link up below your stumbles from the week!

CD Giveaway!

If you're driving near me on any given day, you will almost always find me belting out anything from Sandi Patty to Katy Perry.

You see, being a singer was always my dream.  Albeit a distant dream...a dream nonetheless.  But the fact that I'm a 6th grade science teacher tells you how well that dream turned out.

So I just live vicariously through all the singers that DID make it.  And one of those is Jessa Anderson.

When I got Jessa's CD "Not Myself Anymore", I put it in and listened to the whole thing at once.  She has an honestly raw sound not over powered by synthesized cords and notes.  Mom to adorable toddler, Lorelei, and a full time singer/songwriter, Jessa knows a little something about a hectic life.

I got the chance to ask Jessa a few questions and I just know that we would be friends.  Really, I just want to drink Starbucks and go shopping with her!

1. The one song I find myself humming around the house is "Everybody Has Those Days".  I'm a single girl who's a teacher, so when I come home from one of "those days" I usually take a long bath and read a book.  As a mom of a young one, I'm sure you have "those days" frequently.  What do you to get through "those days"? 

I definitely have enough of those days on my own, but having a curious toddler certainly increases my daily chances of having something go laughably off-course! I do my best to remember that the most important thing in life is the "life" part, not the things that get broken or messes that are made. Taking a moment to find perspective helps me pass by the frustrating moments and try to see the humor in them instead of letting them ruin my day (and me ruining everyone else's with my bad attitude).

2. How much was music/songwriting a part of your upbringing?  Did you always know this is what you wanted to do? 

My family is not very musical, however, it was obvious from a very young age that I was. I always gravitated toward music and drama and my parents supported that wholeheartedly and found opportunities for me to be involved. I always felt like music was something I wanted to do for the rest of my life, whether that was professionally or in service to my church or somewhere in between!

3. What is the one thing you want people to walk away from your music knowing? 

That Jesus Christ is at the core of love and that his love extends to all who believe in him. That the love of God covers our lowest moments and our finest ones, and although we won't have a pain-free life as a believer in Christ, our life is made complete in him. I aim to address and be honest about every facet of life and point people back to Christ as the ultimate answer in every scenario.

4. "Not Myself Anymore" seems to be a song out of the pages of my life!  I hit repeat on it often!  What encouragement/advice would you give to someone (ahem...me!) who's been through those relationships and waiting on the right one?  

"Not Myself Anymore" is almost a cautionary tale. I got married at 19, but I still had plenty of time to get my heart broken before I met my husband. I want people to value themselves (we find so many reasons we are valuable in scripture!) enough to be careful with their hearts. That looks different for different people, but at the end of the day, you give some of yourself away with relationships and those are times you can't recover. With women especially, I see so many who are strong and amazing but feel like not being in a relationship or waiting for the right one lessens their worth, which breaks my heart! Ladies (and gents!), you are a wonderful creation of God just how you are and HE has a plan for your life that is more amazing than you can imagine, even if it differs from the plan you might have.

5. I imagine your life is pretty hectic!  How do you balance your touring and performing with motherhood? 

I am so, so grateful that it all comes together in a unique way. My husband Jordan, who is beyond amazing, handles our booking and management and coordinates our travel, which is a job in itself. He also writes and performs with me, so we really work and raise Lorelei side by side. Having my family with me motivates me to continue on in a career that can be challenging, because there's nothing we love more, and we realize how truly blessed we are to enjoy this lifestyle as a family! I have grown quite used to having Jordan and Lorelei with me 98% of the time, although every so often I leave the house for a few hours to shop or meet up with a girlfriend and spend a little time alone! Aside from taking time individually and as a family to fill ourselves with God's word and keep our priorities in line spiritually, I love to relax and recharge by having something chocolate and browsing blogs or Pinterest (I'm addicted!) after Lorelei goes to bed. It's a busy time, but as a family we feel like we are exactly where God is using us best and we see his provision in every facet. I believe that working toward the dreams God has put in my heart, rather than for my own gain or against them out of fear, is a huge part in keeping things balanced and seeing God provide.

[Now for a few fun, mindless questions:]

6. Where do you like to shop for clothes? 

I am a serious bargain shopper, so I have the most fun checking out my favorite mall stores' sale racks and coming away with good deals. I love LOFT, Gap and J. Crew for pieces that are classic, but my favorite store is Anthropologie. The stores are so beautiful I always want to move in! I get super excited when I find a great deal at Anthropologie because it's a bit expensive.

7. If you had a whole day to yourself, what would you want to do? 

I literally can not picture that happening, haha! I would probably get a drink from Starbucks and do some shopping, spend some time at the piano (I find writing easiest when I'm completely alone), then do a bunch of sewing and craft projects at the house that I just don't have time for on a usual day. If I could, I would also arrange for my girlfriends back home in Michigan to also have a day to themselves so we could get together without feeling like we're leaving our kids and husbands to fend for themselves! I treasure the time I get with them because it's pretty infrequent, but they keep me sane.

8. You've been given the chance to perform with anyone you want to.  Who would it be? 

I love NeedtoBreathe and I think their lead singer is phenomenal, and they are so musically creative! That would be a dream collaboration, although I would be so nervous. I am not easily star struck or intimidated, but they are so cool! This isn't a performance, but I'd love to sit down and pick Jon Foreman's brain about songwriting and convince him to co-write with me, haha. He is a rare talent.


So now I want YOU to experience Jessa's music!  Her PR company provided me with a copy of her CD "Not Myself Anymore" to give away to you!  What a great stocking stuffer this would be for your best friend, young teen, or just anyone who enjoys good music!


It's simple to enter.  Just leave me a comment.  Yep, that's it!


It's not an extra entry, but I know she would appreciate you liking her Facebook page.


I'll draw a winner on Monday, November 14.

I was provided with a copy of Jessa's CD to give away, but the opinions are all mine.

Saturday Stumbles

Today will be slim in the stumbles department.  School was crazy this week as we celebrated Red Ribbon Week (which I did win the door decorating contest!) and wrapped up celebrating MOYA (Month of the Young Adolescent).  Last night and today, I'm working at the Creative Ministries Solutions Puppet Festival (that's a mouthful!)  And finally, tomorrow I'm attending an Operation Christmas Child Shoebox party.  I'm excited because I'll be filling 5 shoeboxes...one in honor of each of my nieces and nephews.

Whew...that made me tired just typing all that!!

But I am still gonna make time to see what YOU stumbled this week!  So link up below!!