A Proverbs Wife is giving away a Belly Burner belly toning kit

This giveaway includes The Belly Burner belt and DVD system. Here's what she has to say about trying it:

"As soon as I received the belt I wore it around the house until later that evening when I did the Belly Burner Blazing Abs Workout DVD. I do want to place some emphasis on the burning and the blazing, because my abs were on FI-YA! I love the system and the fact that it has everything you need to get started with trimming belly fat."

You can see how it works by watching this video.

Enter the giveaway at The Proverbs Wife blog.

Plum Organics Giveaway!

This giveaway is presented by The Little Hedgehog and ecomom!

Win $20 worth of free Plum Organics. Try the wonderful foods for babies and toddlers or order the new Boon - the dispenser spoon that attaches to the baby food pouches!

Product Review: Outlast Lipstain

I've mentioned before that I am a rather girly girl. I love pink and frills and makeup... although I prefer it all to come with a punkish twist. I, however, was not blessed with a nice complexion. As a result, I have horribly dry skin and lips and no skin care routine seems to help. The advent of powder foundation was my face's salvation, but I've struggled with what to do about my lips. It looks funny to do up one's entire face yet leave one's lips all naked and stuff. But it looks equally funny to go around with lipstick on super-dry lips. It gathers in the cracks and draws further attention to them. As the day goes on, bits flake off. Lip gloss was a good compromise, except that reapplying it every hour gets old (and expensive). Imagine how excited I am, thanks to my mad couponing skills, to have scored a super cheap Covergirl Outlast Lipstain. This is the product poor, crunchy lips have been waiting for.

It looks like a marker. You color it on like a marker. It feels like marker ink on your lips (until it dries... which only takes a moment). The end result is a very natural looking color. And it does “outlast” most other lip products, but you can still expect to reapply at least once. It doesn't rub off because of eating or drinking (or kissing), but it seems to fade away as the day goes on. There's no settling in the cracks. There's no flaking off. There is also no heavy make up feeling. All in all, I'd have to recommend this product.

Random verses

Sometimes things come to me in bits and pieces. I tend to lose whatever scrap of paper on which I jot them down. I finally decided to put my thoughts someplace more lasting: cyberspace. So here's a random bit of what might eventually be a poem.

resurrecting sensations
thought long since dead
waking dark places
till they glow faintly red
doubt is overshadowed
by inexplicable peace
and caged emotions
finally find their release

Ugly Dog

Tuesday, a friend and I were talking about her upcoming Pampered Chef show. In the middle of the conversation, she randomly asked “Do you want a Boston Terrier?” Huh? She has two, and I was confused as to why she was parting with one. Turns out a neighbor found one roaming the neighborhood and, assuming it was one of Tiffany's, placed it in her yard. After a week of searching, she gave up hope of finding “Charlotte”'s owner (so called because of her resemblance to a spider).

I never considered Boston's as a pet. In truth, I think they are just plain ugly. But after joking with Terry about it (and discovering that he sort of liked the idea) I began reading online. Apparently, they are really awesome pets. They are consistently listed in the top ten most trainable breeds, as they are highly intelligent. And, according to several sites, they are great with kids.

I had to make a stop at Tiffany's house yesterday to deliver some catalogs. Let me just tell you, other Boston's would look at this dog and think “dang! She's ugly.” Aside from being spindly, small-headed, and oddly colored, she has a snaggle tooth: one little bottom tooth that sticks up over her top lip. Definitely NOT breed standard.

Anyhow, I decided that, despite her hideous appearance, I would borrow her for a couple of hours to see how she did with three small boys.

When I first got home, Xander was the only one awake. Charlotte was very, well, leary of him. If he would walk close to her, she'd walk to the other side of the room. Didn't seem to be a really big deal, though. As soon as the older two woke up, though, it was a different story. I explained to them that she was scared, so they shouldn't really get to close.

They were really good about not encroaching. Quinten did pick her up once. She shook violently. The boys sat on the floor watching her. She shook violently. Xander cried. She shook violently. After about 15 minutes she hid under my desk. She only came out long enough to see if I'd hold her... then back under. She stayed there for 2 hours.

It became clear that she was not the dog for us. Or, rather, we were not the family for her. Sadly, I returned the ugly dog to Tiffany. She would have been a great pet for me, but not a great pet for our boys. And if we're going to pay $25 extra rent a month, we're getting a pet for the whole family.

Violin Lessons

In November, our denomination had our state-wide women's convention. It has become the highlight of my year. We stay at a lavish resort, fellowship until side splitting laughter radiates through the entire building, attend educational workshops, make connections with women from other churches, and praise until we have no breath (or tears) left to do so. Add to that the fact that the boys stay home with Daddy and you have my idea of a perfect vacation.

This year, God told me to do something strange. Ok, I take that back... He “asked” me to do something strange (in that sorta commanding way that only He can do, that says “this is what I want you to do... but it's your choice, of course”). I chose to obey.

So I bought a violin.

You see, the Lord, in all His omniscience, has decided that His master plan for the universe is not complete unless I learn to play the violin. Don't worry, you're not the only one scratching your head.

But let me back up....

Friday night during worship I heard that still small voice. That stirring in my heart that you can only understand if you've experienced it. “What Lord? You want me to do what?” Surely, I thought, I was just a little too sleep deprived.

Saturday morning worship rolled aroun,d and while I was significantly more sleep deprived that Friday (remember that “fellowship” I mentioned?), the voice was louder and more clear. Still thinking I just needed a nap, I ignored it.

Saturday evening God decided I needed a loudspeaker in my face... literally. So I'm listening to the words of knowledge and I'm wondering, “am I really crazy, or does God want me to play the violin?” And it hits me. That ton of bricks that lands on your head when the light bulb goes on and you suddenly understand a little more of the mysteries God has ordained for your life. And then the real questions begin.

“We're broke, Lord, and violins are expensive.” Without warning, the words of the vessel of prophecy standing in front of me come clear. “Your worry is not yours to own. God has ordained it, He will make a way.” “But Lord, lessons are expensive.” “That's not your problem,” she says, “it's the Father's.” The only question that remained was how to tell my friends and family without them thinking I was crazy.

Sunday night, I went on Ebay, and bought a violin. I even got a good deal. Seemed logical, right? Except that God told me it was his problem. About two days before it came in the mail, one of my husband's coworkers asked him if our boys might be interested in playing a violin. He had one for sale... for ½ the price of what I paid. I felt a little like Abraham must have when he chose to speed up God's process by taking Hagar. Granted, the fate of an entire future nation wasn't hanging in the balance, but I still felt crummy.

So now I have my violin, and the Lord has been providing a little extra money here and there for lessons. I've had two so far. Then we took three weeks off for the Holidays. I go back today.

But the real meat and potatoes of my story starts here. You see, last night, as I was practicing, I was getting quite frustrated. I'm a perfectionist by nature and the perfect wasn't coming. I've been laboring over my violin for more than two hours some days. When you realize that I'm not much past “Twinkle Twinkle”, this seems almost silly. But gosh darnit! If God told me He wants me to play it, I'm going to do it right!

This morning I was reading in the Psalms. Now there was a musician! Do you know the last Psalm? Psalm 150? It says:

“Praise the Lord. Praise God in His sanctuary; Praise Him in His mighty Heavens. Praise Him for His acts of power; Praise Him for His surpassing greatness. Praise Him with the sounding of the trumpet, praise Him with the harp and lyre, praise Him with Tambourine and dancing, praise Him with the strings and flute, praise Him with the clash of cymbals, praise Him with the resounding cymbals. Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord.”

That's the point, isn't it? The real point. My obedience in and of itself is an act of worship, but my follow through has not been. I've been more concerned with doing it “right” that I haven't been doing it right. My actions were in the right place, but my head and heart were not.

I can't be certain that the Father's plan doesn't involve my debut at Carnegie Hall, but I can say it's doubtful. With this in mind, it really matters precious little how well I actually play, only that I do it with a song in my heart. I will be faithful to the process. I will practice each day... a reasonable amount of time. I will attempt to do my best and have to accept that my best may not be perfect. Then again, He never asked it to be.

Their own devises

If your small child was about to unknowingly run out onto a busy freeway, would you stay silent? I mean, maybe they'll realize before it's too late and if they don't, it's their life. Why should you meddle in it?

Sounds ridiculous, right?

Sadly many fellow Christians are now taking this attitude. I'm encountering more and more Christian friends who will not take their children to church, allow them to go to Christian preschools, share the gospel message at home, or otherwise risk “indoctrinating” them.

These people say things like “I want them to come to their own conclusions” or “who am I to dictate what they believe?”.

Now, whether or not you're a Christian, I think the strangeness of this idea is clear. These very same people will, in a heart beat, state in no uncertain terms that Christ is really the only way to Heaven. So would someone please tell me why they would be so opposed to sharing that knowledge with their children? That's like saying, “I have the cure for my child's illness but unless they a) realize they are sick and b) look long and hard for a cure, I am not going to offer it, nor am I going to let anyone else meddle in their lesson in self-discovery”

I want my children to come to their own conclusions about God. After all, my faith alone will not do them any good in the afterlife. But I also will not hide my faith from them. I want them to know what I believe in hopes that they, too, will make the decisions I made.

But what if I never say much about my faith? What if they grow up searching, but never figure out where to look? What if they assume that my faith obviously is not the answer since I don't feel it's important enough to share with them?

So, instead, my poor subjugated children will have to grow up in Church, hearing the Gospel Message at every turn at home, and endure faith-based schooling. I want them to spend eternity with me and if I believe Christ is the only way to accomplish that, then I will do everything in my power to ensure they know all they can know of Christ. Maybe they'll resent me for it, but more likely they'll thank me for it. After all, even the scriptures say “train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old, he will not depart from it.”