Gratituesday: No more cigars!

My dad has smoked cigars off and on for years. He finally gave them up. As a tobacco control professional, you can imagine how happy this makes me. No more riding around with that nasty smoke in the car. He will save a lot of money and is doing a lot to protect his health. YAY!

Fall...mmmmm.....

Today has been full things that make fall awesome. Fall-scented candles, pumpkin shopping and hanging my fall wreath. Tonight, I'm making chili and watching my PIRATES take on Southern Miss.

UPDATE

I haven't posted in several months. My new goal is to post 1-2 times a week. This week, the big news here is RAIN! Anyone from NC knows that we desperately needed it. Our summer was hotter than normal and very dry. Due to the constant rainfall and flooding (varies by area), schools have been altering their schedules and even closing in some cases. My agency has closed at four for the past two days. I have an exciting weekend ahead: watching the PIRATES battle UNC (TV), helping with the BO run (local 5k in memory of Bo Thompson) and running the Run for the Booty Half Marathon. Whew! Makes me tired just thinking about it. I'm also looking forward to our second Bible study (20's community women).

Book list 2010

I've been slack about tackling this list. I am re-posting this to help keep myself accountable.

2010 Reading List

Spirituality
A Case for Faith by Lee Strobel
Practicing His Presence
Blue Like Jazz by Donald Miller
Inside Out by Larry Crabb
The Feminist Mistake: The Radical Impact of Feminisim
Questioning Evangelism (using questions as a form of sharing your faith)
From Clutter to Clarity: Simplying Life from the Inside Out
Womanly Dominion: More than a Gentle and Quiet Spirit
Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis
The Great Divorce by C.S. Lewis
Lies Women Believe by Nancy Leigh DeMoss
Secrets of Mary Magdalene

Missionary Stories
Evidence Not Seen: A Woman's Miraculous Faith in the Jungles of World War II
The Hiding Place by John and Elizabeth Sherrill and Corrie Ten Boom (DONE)
I Dared to Call Him Father by Bilquis Sheikh (DONE)
Father Ten Boom: God's Man by Corrie Teen Boom (DONE)

Household topics
Shopper's Guide to Natural Foods (STOPPED ON P. 26)
In Defense of Food by Michael Pollan (DONE)
The Maker's Diet by Jordan Rubin
Nourishing Traditions

Novels/Classics
Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery (CURRENTLY READING)
Anne of Avonlea by Lucy Maud Montgomery
The Choice by Nicholas Sparks (CURRENTLY READING)
The Last Song by Nicholas Sparks (DONE)
The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks
The Wedding by Nicholas Sparks
Joshua and the Children

Great giveaway!

Visit www.heavenlyhomemakers.com to learn about an awesome e-book giveaway! Several copies are being given away through www.kitchenstewardship.com. The HH site is holding the drawing and the KS site made the e-book.

Gratituesday: Pool time!

I had a blast at the pool on Saturday with my a friend and his friend (company in town). We tossed a ball around and had so much fun goofing off (and getting a little exercise). A simple pleasure, but one that I really appreciate. My current neighborhood doesn't have a pool, so I look forward to going to the one at Waterford again. Thanks, Darrin!

Gratituesday: Teal Toes and Bright Night

I am thankful for Teal Toes and Bright Night. These groups raise awareness about Ovarian Cancer. Teal toes encourages women to paint their toenails teal. People will ask about the polish, prompting women to help educate others. Teal toes provides free educational information. Visit their website to order free info cards. Bright Night is in memory of a native from my city. She died of ovarian cancer while in her early 30's. A 5k was recently held in her honor. Visit www.brightnight5k.com to learn more about the race and the Bright Night charity. 75% of ovarian cancer diagnoses don't take place until the disease is in late stages. Check out the Teal Toes site to learn about the signs of ovarian cancer. Happy Gratituesday!

Gratituesday: Fruits and Veggies

I am so thankful for fruits and veggies. More specifically, I am thankful for FREE fruits and veggies! Lately, I've had the chance to consume lots of both. Food has been left from various activities at work. God always provides and in some pretty awesome ways. I've been able to snack on some things that I don't always keep around the house. Happy Gratituesday!

Gratituesday: Tire repair

I am thankful for the circumstances surrounding the screws in my tire. I drove over two screws on Saturday morning. I was so thankful that I was not in a hurry and that I was in a safe area. I'm in a city with lots of places to get my car fixed. Thanks to the good people at Precision, I got my tire repaired for less than $10. I was also thankful that there was a Bruegger's across the street, but that's another story. Happy Gratituesday!

Gratituesday

I am thankful for the gorgeous spring/summer weather in North Carolina. It has been warm and mostly sunny. I'm even thankful for the recent rain; it washed away our pollen (the pollen count is higher than it's been in several years). It's been the perfect opportunity to get outdoors. I was able to take walk at ECU yesterday. It was very nostalgic. Happy Gratituesday!

Buy local!

Support your farmer and buy local. It helps sustain the economy around you and the food is much more nutritious. I just came across a local market that encompasses several farms. Locavore Market is a great place3 to look. They have pick-up sites at different locations in Greenville. I can avoid a delivery charge and driving out to a farm. They offer free-range eggs for $3.25/dozen. This is pretty comparable to what I find in the grocery store. Across the various farms, there are so many kinds of produce to choose from. Among other crops, Bowie Woods garden (an affiliate) is growing radishes. I love some radishes! Also, the farmer's market is about to open for the season. I can't wait to get out there very soon. Bring on the peaches, corn, apples, blueberries and strawberries. I will be freezing some serious produce to enjoy for next winter!

Gratituesday!

On this Gratituesday, I am thankful for my most amazing family. I was blessed to spend time with both immediate and extended family over Easter Weekend. I also returned to my cute kitty, who was so excited to see me. It was full of good meals, meaningful worship, girl time at the mall, and encounters with wonderful people. This is a short posting, but I just wanted to share how blessed I am. He is risen!

Gratituesday

It's Gratituesday! I am thankful for housework. It's not on my fun list, but I'm so thankful. Housework means I have place to live. It also means that I have the ability to be on my feet and bend down. It's safe, dry, and I have everything I need here. Happy Gratituesday!

Another giveaway!!

Check out http://heavenlyhomemakers.com/win-a-25-gift-certificate-from-fbs-books/ for an awesome gift certificate giveaway. There are several ways you can enter...enter more than once...Facebook, twitter, make a blog post,etc. Yay

E-BOOK GIVEAWAY

http://heavenlyhomemakers.com/have-your-cookie-and-eat-it-two-new-e-book-giveaway#comments

Here's an awesome dessert e-book called ''Have your cookie and it it two.'' The treats are made using natural sweeteners. Check it out and make a few entries of your own. That's right: you can enter more than once!

Blog design giveaway

http://heavenlyhomemakers.com/blog-design-giveaway-from-delight-design

Check out this awesome blog design giveaway from the Heavenly Homemakers website. Laura shares all sorts of ways that you can enter....enter more than once, please! :)

Tobacco-Road Half Marathon and Gratituesday

It's about time I posted about running on this blog. I competed in the Tobacco Road Half-Marathon in Cary, NC. That leads to my Gratituesday post: I am thankful for my sore muscles. It means I have legs that allow me to walk and run. There are many people who can't walk and would love to have sore muscles. God blessed me with supportive spectators and gorgeous weather. Happy Gratituesday!

Celestial Seasonings giveaway

Be sure to visit Passionate Homemaking for the Celestial Seasonings giveaway. This is a great brand and you can find their awesome tea flavors at the supermarket. By posting a comment to this story on the PH site, you can enter to win the basket. For another entry, make a posting like this on your website or Facebook page.

Gratituesday

I'm adding a new feature to my site. It's caled Gratituesday. Laura from Heavenly Homemakers hosts this every week. So...Gratituesday! I am so thankful for the staff at my bank's call center. They intercepted some fraudulent transactions and protected my account. Also, when I called,they were so helpful. I spent very little time on hold. What could have been a really nasty situation turned out pretty well. Happy Gratituesday!

Hockey and a bridal shower

Last weekend, I went to Raleigh to see a Canes game. They lost, but we still had a great trip. We met at Walter Powell's and then headed on. I did some catching up on my magazine reading. Thanks to David for sharing his van and for driving. We had a yummy dinner at Backyard Bistro. Only Steve could find an ECU fan right behind us. Our server was an ECU grad. Greenville seemed to follow us all the way. On Sunday, I went to a bridal shower for Lori, David's fiance. She is really sweet and it was a beautiful shower. She was so excited and kept exclaiming that it felt like Christms.

Spirituality Retreat

On March 5th, we headed to Asheboro for Oakmont's spirituality retreat. When we got to Asheboro, we stopped for supper at the Sagebrush...yummy! I loved the sweet potato casserole. Our time together started that evening, shortly after we got to Caraway.

Birthday Weekend

-Upward basketball- I was able to check out the end of season celebration. It was clear that Upward made a powerful impact on so many lives. Hundreds of kids and their families were able to hear the Gospel. The celebration included a hotdog supper and basketball handling demonstrations.
-Baptist Women's Day at Bethlehem- We had a packed house at the early service. This included a full choir loft. The pastor's wife, Anita, brought an amazing message. We love her and her sense of humor.
-Birthday Lunch at BW 3's- I got a big Pyrex set with lids. I love my new jewelry as well. But I'm really, really excited about all that Pyrex! I'm already looking forward to my next cooking marathon.
-Mission Serve planning meeting- We are traveling to Wetumpka this summer.
-BBC supper club- Bojangles.

Swagbucks

http://www.swagbucks.com/refer/HalfMarathonMegan

Try SWAGBUCKS! By searching, refering, etc, you can earn free swagbucks for free stuff. If you sign up using my link above, we can both earn points (you can earn 60 to begin with if you use this link). Swagbucks can be redeemed for all kinds of stuff, like Amazon gift cards. Swagbucks offers a search engine that will help you earn points. Try it!

2010 Reading List

I plan to challenge my mind with a lot of reading this year. In addition to perusing some new books, I have plenty on my shelf that need finishing...it's been so long, I may have to start some from the beginning :)Thanks to Lindsay from the Passionate Homemaking site. I needed some encouragement to spend more time reading. As I knock some of these out, I definitely plan to add more.

Spirituality
A Case for Faith by Lee Strobel
Practicing His Presence
Blue Like Jazz by Donald Miller
Inside Out by Larry Crabb
The Feminist Mistake: The Radical Impact of Feminisim
Questioning Evangelism(using questions as a form of sharing your faith)
From Clutter to Clarity: Simplying Life from the Inside Out
Womanly Dominion: More than a Gentle and Quiet Spirit
Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis
The Great Divorce by C.S. Lewis
Lies Women Believe by Nancy Leigh DeMoss

Missionary Stories
Evidence Not Seen: A Woman's Miraculous Faith in the Jungles of World War II

Household topics
Shopper's Guide to Natural Foods (page 26)
In Defense of Food by Michael Pollan- done!
The Maker's Diet by Jordan Rubin
Nourishing Traditions

GO SAINTS!

The singles ministry at Oakmont hosted a great Superbowl Party. Thanks to David Perkins for opening up his home. We stuffed ourselves with yummy treats like pizza, chili, fruits/veggies, and chips. Best of all, the Saints brought it home!

Whole foods

Whole foods...nope, no the store. I'm talking about eating foods the way that God created them. I've been trying to cut back on artificial ingredients, preservatives, etc. Cooking more things from scratch is quite the adventure. I've learned that it is totally worth it. It's kind of nice eating things where I can pronounce all of the ingredients. This weekend, in light of the winter weather, I'm making snickerdoodles, pizza pockets, popcorn chicken, and strawberry bread. It's nice to put things in the freezer and have super quick meals later. Even though eating and cooking this way are admirable, it's important not to let this lifestyle become an idol. It's easy to say, ''it took so much time to make this and I don't want to just give it all away; I want to keep it at home to enjoy it.'' However, God has blessed me with so much. It should be a blessing to share what I have with other.

Liberty Bowl

On New Year's Eve, I left for the Liberty Bowl. It was a long, but easy road trip. We rung in the New Year on Beale Street. The tradition in Memphis is a guitar drop outside of Hard Rock Cafe. The next day, we watched the Liberty Bowl parade (thank goodness for hot chocolate from Starbucks. We also stopped by the Memphis pyramid, St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital, the Mississippi River, Elvis' mansion, and Graceland. While the Pirates lost, it was still a great game to watch. However, I've never been so cold in my life. Even though I was surrounded by Arkansas fans, there was plenty of Pirate spirit. Stay tuned for pictures.