Sovereign

So, the small group my husband and I are in is reading through Crazy Love by Francis Chan.  The chapter we are in tells us to put the book down and read through the Gospels (chapter 5).  Seeing how I am dyslexic, I knew it would be hard for me to get all four read before small group (unless that was all I did).  So we decided to split the Gospels and compare notes.  I got Matthew and Mark (I have not even finished Matthew yet, and small group is Thursday... Good thing Mark is the shortest Gospel!).

One thing I have seen so far in Matthew, and much of my Bible reading this year, is: how big God is, how in control He is, and how holly He is.  Even when the person of the God-head, Jesus, took on flesh and become a lowly man, a baby, He was still in control.
How else could a baby fulfill all of those prophesies?

And yet, He loves us.

He is so holly, mankind is so not holly! But He loves us.

Romans 3:10-12 (NASB)
as it is written,
“ There is none righteous, not even one;
There is none who understands,
There is none who seeks for God;
All have turned aside, together they have become useless;
There is none who does good,
There is not even one.”

Romans 5:8 (NASB)

But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

Likes contest!

Aprill Designs will be three-years-old this coming July.
But, why wait until then to prepare for celebrating?

Starting now, and going until July 1st, there is a contest to see how many more likes my page can get!

If it gets to 100 likes by July 1st (currently at 84), everyone that likes my jewelry page gets free shipping for the month of July.
If my page gets 180 likes by July 1st, everyone that likes my jewelry page gets 15% off everything for the month of July.
If my jewelry page reaches 250 likes by July 1st, everyone that likes my jewelry page gets 20% off everything for the month of July.

Let your jewelry loving friends know!

[discounts do not apply to special orders]

Winners (Blog Namers)

The winners that got to name my blog are:

First place goes to Robyn with: Jacki and the Keest
Second place goes to Jennifer with: Penchant to Scribble

Congrats to the winners!

Cats can teach you about God... Or your ungratefulness

A couple nights ago, when Chloe was wandering around the house crying loudly, Steven ask me if I was bad to her while he was at work (jokingly).

I listed all the things I did for her that day: pet her, made her a burrow (a blanket draped over the couch that she likes to crawl in, and gets very upset if you sit on it), I played half fetch with her (she never brings it back, she runs off to kill it), and then I added, "I fed her!" sounding very dramatic.

While petting our cat aggressively (she likes it when he makes her fall down he pets her so crazy), he said, "Feeding her is a thankless job: life goes on if you do, it gets ugly if you don't."

So true!

How often are we just like that?

Things are great, we are happy, no need to talk to God and thank Him for it. Then something goes wrong, and it is time to pray. Suddenly, even those that say they stink at prayer, are pouring their hearts into it.

Psalm 118:1 (NASB)
Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good;

For His loving kindness is everlasting.

Give thanks to God because He is good.

Philippians 4:6-7 (NASB)
Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Thankfulness to God, leads to Peace from Him.

(less running up and down hallways crying like our cat)

My Left, Big Toe

Monday evening, my clumsiness decided how to spend part of the money from the sale of my car.

On my way back to the love seat from the bathroom, I both knocked over, 3and landed on, my Nalgene water bottle [don't worry Nalgene lovers, no harm was done to the Nalgene!]. It rolled me across the floor, very quickly, and shot all my weight into our rocking chair, via my left, big toe. The rest of me soon hit the floor, where I quickly curled up into a ball of pain.

Steven was soon at my side to help.

Once I was with it enough to get a good look at my toe (or speak coherently to my husband), I could see the nail had been part way bent back, and it was already swelling and discolouring.

My loving husband made me do something I hate: Ice my injured extremity.

When I woke up Tuesday, it looked even worse (and continues to bruise more). So, off to the doctor I went. Who then kindly told me I cracked my big toe, and that I have to walk around in a boot for the next 2-3 weeks. It will take 6 weeks for it to fully heal.

While at the doctor, I remembered this week at Awana is "affliction night". Thus, while all the kids were showing up with fake afflictions, I showed up in my boot.

I so should have gotten a prize for most authentic.

CONTEST!!

NAME MY BLOG CONTEST!!!
Friends, the person that comes up with the best name for my new blog will get a prize!!!
Runner up will get a lesser prize, but still a prize!!!
What are the prizes??
>1st place: one free item off of my Etsy (an item already listed and you still have to pay for shipping: $3.50 to ship anyway in the USA, and $5 to ship anywhere else).
>2nd place: a 20% off coupon code for the jewelry currently listed on my Etsy!
[no special orders will be given for prizes]
How to enter:
Email your name ideas, and reason it is a good name to:
APRILL.Designs@gmail.com
Put: NAME THAT BLOG
in the subject line.
Deadline is April 10, 2012.
(to get to my Etsy, click the Etsy mini box in the right hand sidebar)

My first car's last ride

Your first car holds a special place in your heart. It symbolizes freedom and adulthood. You save up for years and you want it to last forever (though, you secretly know it won't).

Mine was/is a 2001 Chevy Malibu. Oh the memories. The road trips.

She was my baby.

She, sadly, met her doom.

While driving to meet my husband for a picnic lunch (20 minute drive from our apartment), the check oil light came on when I was almost there. Knowing I had a quart in the trunk, I drove on planning to top her off as soon as I got there.

However, just outside the parking lot, something horrible happened: My dash lit up like a Christmas tree; I lost power steering; the engine made loud, horrible noises; and I have seen toddlers learning to walk go faster than the car was suddenly willing to go. I Inched my way to the edge of the road and quickly turned my car off.

What had just happened?!

I feared any moment smoke would be billowing out from the hood or something. However, no smoke came, so I started the car back up. It sounded like a truck (plus, some thudding and clanking), but grudgingly moved forward.

I slowly made it into the parking lot. Where I put in the quart of oil (which got it to the full line), even though it would most likely do nothing at that point. From there, we went with the car to car shop #1. By the time we got it there, they had to put 3 more quarts of oil in, it was still making noise (and shooting oil somewhere! My car only hold 4 quarts), so they sent us to an engine shop.

I waited for the call, only to be told how dead my car was. Oil and antifreeze leaked into each other, and then wherever they wanted throughout the car. The engine is shot. It could literally blow up and shoot parts flying at any moment. I am to drive it for no reason and let it sit, until a mechanic comes to buy it, and tow it away (I will not sell it to someone that cannot fix it themselves).

So, we drove home, me in my sad little car, that I dare not push faster than 35mph, and Keester following me in his. For the first part of the drive, I kept my music quiet, listening to the horrible clanking in the engine for when it might blow (praying that it would not and we would make it home without a tow). Then I just decided to enjoy my last ride in Xandra, crank up Switch Foot Vise Versus, and sing as long as I wanted. Give Xandra the last ride with me she deserved.

Besides, if the engine did explode, I am sure I would know, jamming out or not.

Goodbye my Xandra, you were good to me, while you lasted!