Dove Promises: Holiday Edition 1

So, it's that time of year... the holidays!

And what we crave most during the busyness of shopping, wrapping, writing cards, decorating, and baking, is a little more chocolate, right? So I decided to revive my #31Days of Dove Promises series for a few days... Maybe one, maybe five, maybe ten, we will see how it goes. Because although we all know that Chocolate is good any time, there is just something about Christmas that shouts, "We need more chocolate!"

So I just wanted to remind y'all...

 'Tis the season for chocolate 

 And if it's good Dark Chocolate, that's even better

I have to be honest with you all for a few moments here. I can't remember the last time I ate a Dove Chocolate... can you believe it?!??!! I finished my bag sometime in November, I think... EARLY November... and while I found a good sale or two, they always seemed to be out by the time I got to the store. :(  But the good news is, I haven't missed it... ONLY because I've been indulging in Christmas cookies, Christmas cookies, and more Christmas cookies... and maybe a few Christmas candies here and there.

I wouldn't complain though if Santa put a bag of Dove Dark Chocolate Promises in my stocking, though...


And lest you are concerned that I have forgotten the true meaning of Christmas, I haven't. This is just a light-hearted post on my love of all things chocolate. (thank you for grace)

Community Conversation:  Do you eat more chocolate in December than the rest of the year? and do you prefer Christmas candies or Christmas cookies?

So, I'm reviving my #31Days series for a little bit this month. To see all my #31Days of Dove Promises head to this page and bookmark it, pin it, or just subscribe to my blog and we can enjoy a little bit of chocolate together during the holidays!

#31Days of Dove Promises-TwentyFive

Day 25: Twenty Five seems like a good number to end on... not quite 31, but better than nothing!!

Guess What...  I have an addiction to Dove Dark Chocolate. Thanks for letting me share it with you this month. And if you want to be my BFF, it's highly recommended that you come bearing dark chocolate...

Because "The fastest way to my heart is chocolate."

My mom has a tendency to bring me a bag of Dove Chocolate on the rare occasion that she is able to come visit us. And I have a good friend who used to bring me some semi-regularly... She moved away so that doesn't happen anymore! (I miss her... and for more than just the gifts of chocolate) And my sister-in-law has been pretty awesome with sharing the gift of Dove chocolates with me at all the major holidays!!

So I have quite a large stash of (empty) Dove Promises wrappers floating around just waiting to be turned into short and sweet blog posts. But we have reached the end of October and I'm thinking my writing may need to take another direction for now. Not that we won't see a Dove Promise sneak in here every so often. If you don't want to miss them, be sure to subscribe!

And if you missed any, which is likely, be sure to stop by the main page for links to all the fun sayings we talked about this month!! :)

Community Conversation:  What is your favorite chocolate? Do you have a Dove promise that would make a great blogpost... tell us all about it!

Yes, I am working to share one promise every day. To see all my #31Days of Dove Promises head to this page and bookmark it, pin it, or just subscribe to my blog and we can enjoy a little bit of chocolate together every day this month.

and if you have lots of time to spare, check out all the #31Days topics at The Nester!

#31Days of Dove Promises-TwentyFour

It is October 30 and our #31Days series is coming to an end. I'm giving myself grace for the days missed. Come back tomorrow for my closing post.

I have a few cheerleaders in my life... friends that just encourage me, point me in the right direction, wave their pompoms when I discuss my dreams and give me a swift kick in the pants when I need it. A few of them live near me and I see them regularly and I am soo thankful for them... but today I want to talk about the ones I've seen just once or twice in my life.

Because their smiles... Lit up my life this past weekend!!

There is no way I could list them all, and if I start I am sure to miss someone! The friends I connected with at Allume filled my heart and soul and shared their contagious smiles with me!! Here are just a few of them!

I'm a bit of an introvert and sometimes I liked just being alone in my room or heading to the quiet of the prayer room, or entering a session all by myself... But when I ran into these dear ladies (and a few more that I did not upload pictures with yet), each time their faces lit up with a smile to see me, which caused my face to light up and my heart to light up.

So remember how important your smile is... to those around you and to your own heart!

Did you know that a smile is contagious? You really should smile more (and so should I)!

Yes, I am working to share one promise every day. To see all my #31Days of Dove Promises head to this page and bookmark it, pin it, or just subscribe to my blog and we can enjoy a little bit of chocolate together every day this month.

and if you have lots of time to spare, check out all the #31Days topics at The Nester!

#31Days of Dove Promises-TwentyThree

Day 23 of #31Days of Dove Promises: I'm also joining Behind the Scenes, a link up hosted by Crystal Stine... "Behind the Scenes" is a fun link up where we show the photos - but tell the real story behind them. The sneak peek behind the scenes, a look past the edges of the photo to the real life behind it. You're invited to join in - we'll write up our posts & link up on Tuesdays!


So, if you visit here often, you know a couple things about me... I like to eat chocolate and I like to create handmade, handstamped notecards...  I have said before that occasionally, God uses the little messages on Dove promises to make me stop and think...  It's been a few months since I opened this piece of chocolate, but I figured it would fit in well to my #31Days and the Behind the Scenes linkup...

As I often do, I grabbed a piece of chocolate on my way down the stairs to my craft/cardmaking room.  I settled into my chair and gathered some of my supplies. I took a deep breath and exhaled (one must do that to fully enjoy the chocolate). And I opened my Dove Promise... and this is what I read.

"Live your dreams." and I smiled, because in that moment right there, I was living my dreams. Making cards, filling a special order, being creative, using the gifts God has given me.

But it's not always that way. More times than not I get discouraged because I'm not exactly sure what my dream is... or more importantly what God's Dreams for me are. There is a struggle between all of the desires He has placed inside of me. Sometimes they don't all work neatly together and complete themselves in harmony.

When I pursue my dream of creating cards, my dream of being a better wife and mom sometimes fails miserably. When I work hard at being a better wife and mom, my dream of being a writer and blogger gets pushed way down on the priority list. And when I succeed in building community and strengthening friendships in real life, my etsy shop and card website sit untouched, un-updated, stagnant... The list goes on and on. Most days, I really, really, REALLY struggle to live my dreams.

And then just this month while I'm in the middle of attempting to write and attempting to dream and improving my card shop and eating lots of chocolate and heading to Allume... I received the same message repeatedly, like 3 times in a row. I can't say whether I ate these three DAYS in a row, or MAYBE all in the same day, but I kept getting the message... "Live your dreams."

So while I haven't quite figured it out, which dream to pursue first or how they all fit together, I know that I will keep working on it. I will spend moments on writing, and moments on housework and kids homework and other family activities, and moments on card making, and moments with friends and community and most important, moments with God as we work together to figure it out... step by step!

Community Conversation:  What are your dreams? How are you living them?

Yes, I am working to share one promise every day. To see all my #31Days of Dove Promises head to this page and bookmark it, pin it, or just subscribe to my blog and we can enjoy a little bit of chocolate together every day this month.

and if you have lots of time to spare, check out all the #31Days topics at The Nester!

#31Days of Dove Promises-TwentyTwo

Today is October 28... I am on Day 22 in the #31Days Series... and I knew this would happen, but I'm so glad I pushed myself to do this series anyway. Because it made me write a little more this month. Not much, but every bit counts. Even now I'm a little afraid to sit down and write because I am full to overflowing with goodness, thoughts, conviction, blessings, etc from a weekend at Allume... maybe you've heard of it?  and maybe you have heard about how much I love Dark Chocolate??!?!

So today, I give you this...

"A good love is delicious, because you can never get enough."

You can't get enough of good love, you can't get enough of good dark chocolate and you (or at least, I) can't get enough of Allume!!! There is no way I can fit it all into one wrap up post, but here is a little glimpse of Allume through my eyes this year!

Ann Voskamp likes Nutella... I knew we were destined to be friends! :)
"Until you are intimately know, you are ultimately nomadic" ... We want to be known. Better to be known by the God of the Universe, than the world.

Melanie Shankle (Big Mama) ... "Your calling is different from others. Legalism used to be a list of things NOT to do. Legalism today can be a list of all the things you should be doing--sponsoring third world children, missions trips, adoptions, etc."

September McCarthy ... "Instill values that you know will replicate into a child that is sold out for Christ and his kingdom work."

Jennie Allen ... "It didn't mater that my prison cell was cute, I was still stuck in it."

Bianca Olthoff ... "Faith is not needed to do what is possible, Faith is needed for the impossible."  and "Clarity is knowing what God wants you to do. Courage is believe God Will do it!"

And then there was the Friday evening worship with Anthony Evans, Jr. which was beyond words... AWESOME!!  My most favorite part of the weekend was singing "It Is Well With My Soul"
a cappella with 450 Allume sisters and Anthony Evans, Jr.!!

Add to that the great meals, conversations with new and old friends, encouragement to my heart... And the Prayer Room and I left with my heart and soul and mind and stomach FULL!!

And with a grateful heart I returned home to the arms of my husband and my kids who shower me with unconditional love... something else that I can't get enough of!!

Community Conversation:  What can't you get enough of?!

Yes, I am working to share one promise every day. To see all my #31Days of Dove Promises head to this page and bookmark it, pin it, or just subscribe to my blog and we can enjoy a little bit of chocolate together every day this month.

and if you have lots of time to spare, check out all the #31Days topics at The Nester!

#31Days of Dove Promises-TwentyOne

Wednesday night... It's finally here ... Allume Blogging Conference!!!

It's Wednesday night and I have been feeding the anticipation for days, weeks, even months!!  and tomorrow morning bright and early I will be hopping on a plane headed to Allume and I am just giddy with anticipation of reconnecting with old friends, meeting new friends and learning SOO, SO much!!

I am anticipating some great fellowship, some great food, some laughter, coffee, cupcakes, singing, praying, learning, listening ... and so much more!

I am anticipating hearing from God... would you pray for me that I would be listening for His voice this weekend?! I am so blessed to be able to attend again this year and I want to receive what God wants for me in this weekend, not just what I might be expecting!!

Community Conversation:  What are YOU anticipating? ... another piece of chocolate perhaps? :)

Yes, I am working to share one promise every day. To see all my #31Days of Dove Promises head to this page and bookmark it, pin it, or just subscribe to my blog and we can enjoy a little bit of chocolate together every day this month.

and if you have lots of time to spare, check out all the #31Days topics at The Nester!

#31Days of Dove Promises-Twenty

So, as you can tell, I'm having a hard time keeping up with this fabulous series on chocolate, not that I'm having a hard time eating chocolate, but the actually writing and editing and formatting the post... not so easy! So today, I'm going to open my doors and invite my good bloggy friend Mel to join us and share a little story...

Because chocolate is best shared, I am also looking forward to sharing some chocolate with Mel, one of my GodSizedDream sisters, at Allume this weekend!!


My husband and I spent 2005-2010 living and working in the country of Indonesia.

We loved it. :)

Beautiful, green mountains and scenery, wonderful people, adventure waiting around every corner...it was truly a place I tried to embrace every day. 

But there was one thing I didn't embrace there.

Oh, I tried...but I couldn't. I just couldn't love the chocolate.

Unless I was willing to pay exorbitant amounts for imported chocolate, I was stuck with the more local stuff. Not my favorite, but admittedly, I'm totally a chocolate snob, too.

Therefore, when we would return to the States during the summers, you can only imagine what my suitcases looked like when we’d get ready to head back overseas. Yep, stuffed to the brim with the precious things I couldn't find easily in Indonesia...my beloved clunky flip flops, jeans from my favorite store, a few fun shirts.

And chocolate.

There was always lots of chocolate.

I would pack it up and stuff it into every nook and cranny, making sure we fully used the allotted 50 pounds per suitcase.

I remember one particular summer when I stocked up a little more than usual...I think I brought back two or three plastic shoeboxes FULL of chocolate. And when we returned to our house in Indonesia, I hoarded it all in the fridge or the freezer and dared anyone to try and swipe a piece. ;)

Ok, ok, I'm not that selfish. Usually. ;)

And I remember, in particular, a Saturday the following January. It was kind of the dreaded time of the school year...beginning of third quarter, coming off of a long Christmas break, spring break still a bit too far out of sight. That morning, a friend and I decided to sneak away for reflexology, which basically translates to a mostly-foot massage with a little back, neck, and head thrown in there.

It's glorious.

And made even better by the sweet women working there who would bring us little cups of ginger tea that tasted like heaven.

It was all kinds of wonderful…and more than kind of cheap there, but I won't tell you how much.You'd be jealous and then pack your bags as fast as you can.

We hit Starbucks for a frappuccino after the massage and then headed home to reality.

And I remember, as I walked in the door, thinking that there was one thing that would make that morning even better.

Chocolate. :)

And so I dove into my ever-dwindling stash and took out a Dove Promise.

Unwrapped it.

And the promise?

Get your feet massaged.

What?!?! Really???

After I practically-choked on my sweet treat, I promptly took that little piece of foil, folded it up, and placed it in my wallet. Almost five years later, it is still there, though it's moved between wallets a few times.

What it signifies, I'm not sure. Maybe just the complete and utter irony that such a random promise would be opened on the day I got a foot massage.

In a country where you can't even buy a Dove Promise.

But I mostly like to think that He wanted to give me a smile and a memory of this place across the ocean that now occupies a precious corner of my heart...one that I can carry with me every day.

It's not earth-shattering, but it still makes me wonder a little.

Because I've eaten a lot of Dove Promises since that day...and I have never, ever, seen that promise again. ;)

Community Conversation:  I've said it before, I'll say it again, God can even use little notes on chocolate candy to speak to us... :) Give Mel a great welcome in the comments and let us know of any "Promise" that came at just the right time!! 

Yes, I am working to share one promise every day. To see all my #31Days of Dove Promises head to this page and bookmark it, pin it, or just subscribe to my blog and we can enjoy a little bit of chocolate together every day this month.

and if you have lots of time to spare, check out all the #31Days topics at The Nester!

#31Days of Dove Promises-Nineteen

So, I've done it... I hit the #31days slump! I'm surprised I made it as long as I did. When I skipped Friday, I was a little surprised and how easy it was to skip Sunday and how badly I want to skip today... but it's still Monday and I can still spit one out even if I'm not quite on track any more.

It's been a busy month. I over committed myself and now I just want to curl up in a ball and ignore it all! Thankfully, I was able to finish one commitment and now I'm focussing a bit on Allume coming up this weekend! I must take some time to preplan and pre-write some #31days posts or they will not be happening this weekend! I am so looking forward to a time away with old friends and new friends and soon-to-be friends!

I'm also looking forward to a little relaxation... Relaxation by chocolate, and coffee, and friendship and worship, and smilebooth hilarity, and great food and great sessions and just an all around great time!

Pray for me, that in between all the chocolate and fellowship and excitement, I will be able to hear God's voice, too! I know He's gonna be there and I know He has a word for me... more than He can tell me in a Dove Dark Promise!

Community Conversation:  How do you relax? Will I see you at Allume?

Yes, I hope to share one promise every day and will give you a quick link to each day at the bottom of this post. So bookmark it, , or just subscribe to my blog and we can enjoy a little bit of chocolate together every day this month.

and if you have lots of time to spare, check out all the #31Days topics at The Nester!

#31Days of Dove Promises-Eighteen

It's Day Eighteen and it's supposed to be Friday and I keep falling behind and I can't catch up (kinda like my laundry... see what I did there?)

So the Five Minute Friday prompt this weekend is Laundry!!

I'm going to start by airing a little dirty laundry... This whole motherhood gig??? I haven't loved every moment. It didn't really happen the way I pictured. Yes, I wanted kids. Yes, I wanted to be a mom... But I never thought it would be four kids in 4 1/2 years ... and three of them, girls, to boot!

Now I am trying to love every moment, even when it's a daily battle and even when I'm overwhelmed and even when they are all talking at once.

One moment I'm learning to love is them folding their own laundry. It's not pretty, it's not neat and sometimes it's REALLY wrinkly when it comes out of their drawers, and sometimes they fight and throw it around and make the task last three times longer than it should... But I LOVE that moment when the laundry basket is empty again and I didn't do any folding.

And while we are talking about laundry... my clean laundry is all over my bed and I've got to do something with it before I can tuck myself in... because the basket is filled again with kids' laundry this time.

So love every moment... even the laundry ones!!

and most definitely the chocolate moments!!

Community Conversation: What moments do you love about motherhood? (or not love so much)? Do you have a hard time getting the laundry folded and put away?

Yes, I hope to share one promise every day and will give you a quick link to each day at the bottom of this post. So bookmark it, , or just subscribe to my blog and we can enjoy a little bit of chocolate together every day this month.

and if you have lots of time to spare, check out all the #31Days topics at The Nester!

and join Lisa-Jo and all the word wringers as we discuss laundry... AND Did you see what Lisa-Jo did this week with all her fabulous readers? ... Laundry for Africa!

#31Days of Dove Promises-Seventeen

Day 17: Take Good Care of Yourself

Yep, I've been thinking a lot about health and eating right the last few days... not that I've changed my eating habits or anything, yet... but at least I'm thinking about it. You see, my dad eats very healthy and while his cholesterol wasn't perfect, he walks faithfully and he eats very little red meat, and eats his veggies, and all that other good stuff... but another thing I inherited from my dad... our ability to worry and stress and all that good stuff!  I think he's getting better at it. He has even been encouraging me to worry less and trust God more.

Taking care of yourself isn't always just about healthy eating and exercise... It's about living well in all areas of your life... Reduce Stress, Worry Less, Trust Jesus, Smile More, Choose Joy (all of which would make great Dove Promises, don't you think?)

Community Conversation:  What can you do to take better care of yourself today?  For me, I'm gonna take a walk outside tomorrow... and I'm gonna write, even when I don't feel like it!

Yes, I hope to share one promise every day and will give you a quick link to each day at the bottom of this post. So bookmark it, , or just subscribe to my blog and we can enjoy a little bit of chocolate together every day this month.

and if you have lots of time to spare, check out all the #31Days topics at The Nester!

#31Days of Dove Promises-Sixteen

  
Will I find a Dove Promise to go with what is on my heart tonight? Time will tell. 
Tonight, I'm going to talk about my Dad. I will look through my stash of promises in the morning.

EDIT:  Two days later, and I'm back to update this post. I found a few good ones, and they may come up in the next few days... but here is the one I'm adding to this post... because my Dad, he has a great laugh!!!

There are a few things I inherited from my dad.

Blonde hair and blue eyes
my left-handedness
an Eeyore-like personality
a love for reading (especially Westerns---it's been some time, but I read most of Louis L'Amour's books in my teen years)
an abhorrence of all things related to change
an interest in writing (although that was later in life... is my 30s later in life?)
and my love for Dark Chocolate

and then there are the sayings...

"Never doubt in the dark what God told you in the light"
"Think very carefully before sacrificing the permanent on the altar of the immediate"
"Do what you know is right"

We had a little scare over the last few days... the details are fuzzy to me because most of them were second/third hand. But the short story is... My dad had chest pain. A good friend said, "Get thee to the doctor." My dad listened. Went in for an angiogram that he waited ALL DAY for! They found some serious blockage. He had two stents (or is it stints?) put in. They sent him home. And now there is recovery time and hopefully a return to normal life.

But it makes you think and ponder and reflect, which makes me want to write even when I'm not sure what to say. My Dad has been my biggest encourager when it comes to my writing... not that he ever comments on my blog  because he doesn't ever use a computer, but he's hoping that some day I will write the book that he hasn't... although he still has time it seems!! (I might have to work on my long, run-on sentences if I ever want to be published)

So tonight, I think about my dad and I think about writing... and I thank God that we still have time with him and I hope someday I can write a book... for my dad.

It will mention chocolate once or twice, I'm sure!

Community Conversation: What have you inherited from your dad (or mom) that shows up when you least expect it?  What makes you want to sit and write?  and for my mom and sisters, what other sayings does Dad say, that would make perfect "dove promises" that I just can't think of this late at night?

Yes, I hope to share one promise every day and will give you a quick link to each day at the bottom of this post. So bookmark it, , or just subscribe to my blog and we can enjoy a little bit of chocolate together every day this month.

and if you have lots of time to spare, check out all the #31Days topics at The Nester!

#31Days of Dove Promises-Fifteen

So, I never actually unwrapped this promise, but it's such a good one... and it inspired me, so I just wanted to talk about it for a little bit...

because Behind the Scenes of my new #31Days blog button is a friend that totally rocks!!


My friend, Debi, totally rocks! Have I mentioned that before? I don't know if you saw the pathetic little blog button I created for this series, but it wasn't much.  Well, Debi is a little blog cheerleader... seriously, you should go check out her blog if you want to get started, or improve, or just be encouraged in your blogging! ... go, I'll be here when you get back, just promise to come back!

and somehow she came up with a little bit of free time and used some of her awesome creativity to create me a little button that is SOO much more Pinterest-worthy than mine was!

Now, I will be honest... races (ie. running) and I do not get along. Not interested one little bit!! But, this whole blogging for #31days straight, it's kinda like a race and right about day 14 I started crawling. But then I looked at this awesome little blog button and it inspired me to keep going, because while the comments are few and far between, I have quite a few friends that are stopping by occasionally to read my mostly short, sometimes funny, occasionally serious, but always full of my heart blogposts! And they will cheer me on when I finish because that's the kind of bloggy friends I have! So, here I am pounding out two blog posts in one night... and eating more chocolate, too!

Community Conversation: just for fun, are you a runner or no? and what "race" are you running that you need some cheering for?

Yes, I hope to share one promise every day. To see all my #31Days of Dove Promises head to this page and bookmark it. So bookmark it, , or just subscribe to my blog and we can enjoy a little bit of chocolate together every day this month.

and if you have lots of time to spare, check out all the #31Days topics at The Nester!