Week of May 29th - June 4th

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT!
One of the prizes for the Mother's
Day Blog Bash was not claimed
and a new winner has been selected.

The new winner of the $30 gift
certificate from Uniquely U Boutique
is stevenbrycesmom!

My thoughts...
I have struggled with what to write this week since I haven't been feeling particularly "spiritual" and I've allowed the enemy to steal my joy more days than I'd like to admit. Still reading Beth Moore's Breaking Free and it is not exactly a walk in the park. As I have shared before, I am fighting to break free from the stronghold of fear in my own life and to leave a legacy of faith (and faithfulness) for my daughter.

I have discovered that my prayer life has grown very weak. These days when I am struggling, prayer is more often my last resort than my first line of defense. I know this is not as it should be. Philippians 4:6-7 says, Do not fret or have any anxiety about anything, but in every circumstance and in everything, by prayer and petition [definite requests], with thanksgiving, continue to make your wants known to God. And God's peace [shall be yours, that tranquil state of a soul assured of its salvation through Christ and so fearing nothing from God and being content with its earthly lot of whatever sort that is, that peace], which transcends all understanding shall garrison and mount guard over your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

Beth Moore really drove the point home with her negative paraphrase of the same passage. She writes, "Do not be calm about anything, but in everything, by dwelling on it constantly and feeling picked on by God, with thoughts like, 'and this is the thanks I get,' present your aggravations to everyone you know about Him. And the acid in your stomach, which transcends all milk products, will cause you an ulcer, and the doctor bills will cause you a heart attack, and you will lose your mind."

Hmmm...kind of sounds like a no-brainer when you put it that way, doesn't it?
[Beth Moore, Breaking Free (Nashville, TN: B & H Publishing Group, 2000), 71.]

Not sure what to give at your next baby shower? Make a diaper cake with these instructions from my little family in the BIG woods.

Make coffee filter butterflies with your little ones using this tutorial from Sycamore Stirrings.

Your kids can hunt for frozen treasures on a hot day with this fun idea from Let's Explore.

Turn your baby wipes container into another nursery decoration with this tip from Mama Sheg.

Coffee With... is a new feature of Notes From My Nest. The purpose is to introduce you to other mom bloggers. If you're interested in having your blog featured in Coffee With..., click here for more information. This week's guest is:

Laura Williams

Laura shares:

I am the mother of 7 children (4 boys and 3 girls). They are 20, 9, 7, 5, 4, 2.5, and 19 months. I live in the beautiful state of Tennessee.

I started blogging in April 2007 as part of a challenge on a scrapbook forum, but I quickly lost interest and sometime in late June or July of 2007, I saw the Dog Days of Summer Bloggy Giveawaysthat Shannon at Rocks in My Dryer was hosting. I started entering those as well as held one of my own. Blogging just sort of took off from there.

My blog is about reviews (books, products, websites, services), giveaways, daily contest roundups, recipes, homeschooling, and so much more. I share a little bit of everything about our daily routines with gardening, scrapbooking, and other stuff thrown in. You just never know what you may encounter. Pop in each day and you may find us working in the garden, shoveling out a chicken coop, mowing the yard, homeschooling, and other stuff. Plus you'll find book reviews, giveaways from time to time, and of course the daily edition of Contests Galore.

To learn more about Laura, visit her at Laura Williams Musings!

Comfy Crawlers are Marina Westerdahl's claim to fame. When her children were born, she left her career as a wildlife biologist to become a full time mom. When her son started crawling, she designed her first pair of Comfy Crawlers, complete with foam knee and shin pads, to protect his tender little legs. Her idea quickly gained popularity with family, friends and the moms she met at the local playground. When she hired a seamstress to sew the first twenty pair, they all sold in two days! Her business grew and she welcomed several other seamstresses (moms and grandmas) into her venture. Together they began Gissy Bella Baby Boutique, a business she runs today from her home office. Visit Gissy Bella online at www.gissybella.com!

My favorites from Gissy Bella:

Loopty Loops Sling Style Travel Seat

Pink Swirls Comfy Crawlers

City Street (Scenes 1 & 2) © Roberto Giovannini Dreamstime.com
Bag of groceries © Mike Cassell Dreamstime.com
Two Women Drinking Coffee © Bsilvia Dreamstime.com