"We have been created with a soul which means we have been given an eternal nature. Therefore, you and I are a reflection of God our Creator."
Psalm 19:1 says, “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.” God who created Heaven and Earth in the seven days of creation saved the best creation for last - Mankind! His very own reflection. Genesis 1:27 says, "And God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.”
God created us in His image and made us each uniquely. Psalm 139:14 says, “I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made!" As a Christian and as one who professes to follow Christ I am called to represent or reflect Him in my actions, my thoughts and my words. Why? So that others may see the love, grace, and kindness He has brought into my life. By reflecting God’s attributes in all I say and do my hope is that others will want to know Him too.
In the Bible, there are several times where we are encouraged to reflect God. John 8:12 says, “When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.’” We are to reflect God and shine His light to others, as His light is shines onto us. When I said “Yes” to Jesus I was filled with a “spiritual light” that shines so that others can see God’s goodness and grace and love.
Every day we are faced with stressful situations whether they be with friends and family, or with strangers that we meet as we go about day to day. It’s in those times that we can either be quick to react negatively, or look at the each incident through God’s eyes with love, understanding, and patience. I read once that it is easy to show God’s goodness when we are in a positive place both mentally and emotionally, but our true image and character are conveyed most in the situations that we cannot control. That’s such a true statement. When we walk close to God we can find peace and understanding in each situation. Each situation helps us to grow in God and all He has to offer us.
My hope and prayer is that every time I reach out in love, act in kindness, soften my heart in forgiveness, show a little extra patience, and follow through in faithfulness, that others would experience the character of God through me.
May you all have a very blessed day and remember Jesus love you very much!
As many of you know I travel often and the one thing I always take with me is a portable charger. I use to take a tiny one with me but it would barely last one charge of my phone. I needed something larger with more power that could last many phone or tablet chargings. The other problem I would run into is that there wasn’t always an electrical outlet to use my normal charger to charge my devices so I was so happy when I found a portable charger that is super powerful and will give me hours upon hours of charging pleasure.
Another place I like to use it is on my back patio where I like to watch a movie on my IPAD or while listening to an audio book. It’s so convenient and even though it’s a little bulkier than a tiny portable charger this big daddy of a charger does a fantastic job and it’s fast charging.
If you are looking for a portable charger that is turbo powered check out this one today.
For a direct link click on the thumbnail under this photo. UPDATE: I just found out that they are offering a $20 off coupon on this item. I'm not sure how long it will be there but grab one now if you have been wanting one.
I try to eat healthy and exercise daily but there are some days I just run out of energy. There are so many energy drinks on the market but they are filled with sugar and artificial sweeteners so I try to avoid those at all cost. Well, I was super excited to find Hackamore Energy which is sugar free, artificial sweetener free, gluten free and is natural raw caffeine filled with amino acids and B-Vitamins.
You can have this zero calorie drink as a shot or add it to your favorite juice or even sparkling water which is how I like it. It has natural lime flavor and it’s so smooth so you can even take it as a shot for that quick natural pick me up. Also, just one shot of Hackamore consists of the equivalent amount of caffeine that you will find in a canned energy drink.
These days everything and everyone one is in a hurry and wants things done fast. For example, we send emails and texts instead of sending a card or letter through the mail. I recently found an old box of my grandmother’s cards she sent me throughout the years. As I reread each one the tears began to flow for she’s no longer with us but I have her words and thoughts in these cards. Take time today to purchase a card and send it to someone you love or care about. I chose this American Greeting card to send to someone I love today. ❤️📬 If you are interested in purchasing this exact Greeting Card Kit that comes with this adorable organizer/holder, 16 different greeting cards and stickers for your dividers click on widget under this photo.
Do you shop online? If so, did you know there is a way to make money back when you shop online? There is and it's called EBATES. Since January 2000 I have been a member of EBATES and I have made over $1930 back in rebates from EBATES. There are absolutely NO FEES to sign up. You just use EBATES to get to your store where you want to purchase or shop from. That's it . . so simple.
Founded back in 1998, they have steadily grown into one of the largest, free member-based savings programs in the U.S. In fact, our more than 10 million members have already earned over $800 million in Cash Back.
EBATESsaves you money by using a simple business model: stores pay Ebates a commission for sending our members to shop at their websites. Ebates then splits that commission with you, in the form of Cash Back.
To earn Cash Back:
Join EBATES: it’s free and only requires an email address and a password
Start a shopping trip withEBATES by clicking on one of our links (on their site, in an email or in their mobile app, for example)
When you’re notified that Cash Back has been activated, just shop like you normally would
And that’s it. Once the store notifies us of your order, Cash Back will be added to your account. Then, every quarter, we pay out your Cash Back via a Big Fat Check or PayPal.
You’ll never pay a membership fee
There’s no limit to how much Cash Back you can earn
There are no rebate forms to mail in or points to count—we just send you your Cash Back, no strings attached
For centuries, women have relied upon certain powerful herbs to keep them balanced. I love tea and drink it multiple times a day starting first thing each morning. It's not only calming but it's so good for you. The Republic of Tea has blended herbs with delicious fruits and spices that you will love! Organic Raspberry Leaf helps to support women at every stage of life. It has a berry and vanilla flavor and is caffeine free. I also drank raspberry tea with all five of my pregnancies. 💜 Organic Fenugreek is for nursing moms. It helps to support healthy breast milk production. This tea has a hint of cinnamon and is also caffeine free. Check out all 300 premium teas from Republic of Tea.💚
Thank you Republic of Tea for sponsoring this post.
Hello everyone!! First of all we survived Irma! We haven't had power since Sunday night and they are saying it could be 7-10 days before we see it due to our substation being damaged. Thankfully we do have a generator which allows us to keep our refrigerator, a light, fan and charge our devices. Our entire little town is without power which means nothing is open. Our local Target did open yesterday for a little while. They are on a generator and we ventured there to look for a land line phone. We have super limited cell coverage and no wifi. This morning I woke up to two bars so I'm going to try to post this. We did have exterior and interior damage to our home but the damage done wasn't bad enough that we had to leave the house. Yesterday evening our neighbors came over and said they hooked up their super strong generator to their well and water heater and invited us to use their shower. With not having a shower since Sunday I grabbed at the chance.🚿💙.
Today our temps are heading back into the 90's the last few days we had a burst of cool weather so it's going to be hot and steamy the next few days which will make things tougher. But all in all we survived and no one was hurt. We did spend most of Sunday night in our safe closet. It was the scariest thing we have ever been through next to our car accident. We just kept praying to not let the roof blow off or windows break and thankfully they stayed in tact. Thank you to everyone who has and have been praying. You all are so amazing!. ❤️❤️❤️
On a side note, this backpack I had been on the hunt for a black leather backpack. I love carrying a backpack so I can be hands free. They especially come in handy when you are shopping, on vacation, at an amusement park and many other times. This particular one comes in three colors black, cognac and dark brown. Right now you can save 20% off with the code TRAVEL Plus if you sign up for their email list you get 25% off. I also linked an alternative backpack too! ❤️ Get direct links under this picture!
UPDATE: Thank you SECO and all the electric companies who are here from all over the US and CANADA who are helping get power restored and for working hard long hours. We just got power back after not having it for 65 hours. Also, praying for all families who lost loved ones in Hurricane Irma including the 6 nursing home residents who lost their lives. Also, even though we didn't have power for about 65 hours and have light damage to our interior and exterior of the house I know it's nothing compared to what others have experienced and are experiencing now. People lost their lives,their homes and their businesses. Prayers still being lifted up for those here in Florida and Texas.
I was born and grew up in Indiana but moved to Florida in 1986. I have been through my fair share of hurricanes but the one we are experiencing today and tomorrow is like nothing we have ever seen. We knew this monster storm Irma was going to be huge and destructive and we had just watched and prayed as Texas got hit with Harvey so we all prepared early. Over on Facebook the last week or so I posted tips that I do for prepping for. storm. Many of these tips can be used in any kind of bad storm.
When preparing for a bad storm catch up on your laundry and run your dishwasher to keep clothes and dishes clean prior to the storm hitting Saturday/Sunday. That way if we lose power everything should be clean when the storm hits. Also, having a supply of paper goods such as paper plates, cups, utensils, toilet paper, napkins, paper towels are handy too as well as wipes.
I always make sure ALL our family members have showered and washed their hair the day OR hours before the arrival of the hurricane. Then if by chance you lose power AT LEAST you all will be clean and hopefully your power won't be off too long. I like clean, good smelling human beings in our home :-)
Also, before your last garbage pick up before the storm, clean ALL trash out of your house and garage and recycle bins. You never know how long after the storm will garbage pick up take to start again if the storm hits hard. I went through our entire home getting ALL trash out- including trash cans, counters, refrigerator, garage and back patio garbage can. Get it out and in the garbage cans and to the curb before the storm!
For those who can't find bottled water . . start boiling your tap water. Your boiled tap water is as healthy if not healthier than bottled water . . plus it's much cheaper. Also, don't forget carbonated water is a great alternative too. I noticed many people are passing them by in the stores. Perrier, LaCroix, etc . . it's water but with bubbles :-).
If you can't find sandbags. You can take a pillow case or pillow protector and fill that with sand. A zippered one works the best but you can use a non zippered too.
Fill ALL bathtubs with water so you can use that water bucket out to flush toilet, brush teeth, wash dishes etc. Have buckets in every bathroom to make it convenient for everyone
It's pretty inevitable that our power will go out in a major storm so we purchased a few items that will help us when it does. One items was this Crank, Battery, Solar Powered Radio Here are the details: .
5-way powered emergency radio, AC, battery, hand crank, solar, computer
AM/FM/Shortwave radio and 7 pre-set NOAA weather channels with alert
180-degree adjustable solar panel
No ice? Fill ziploc bags with water and freeze. If you lose power you can use these bags of ice to keep your food cold. We also had purchased this past summer this portable ice maker . I have been making ice since yesterday and have been continuing today. If or when you lose power you can use these ice packs to keep food or medications cold in coolers. You can also use the ice to make your warm water cold.
This this particular ice maker makes small, medium and large cubes. The ones pictures are the medium cubes.
One of the most important items you should have is a portable generator This will allow you to keep on average up to four things plugged in. When we lose power we immediately plug in our refrigerator, a light, a fan and then use the last one to either charge devices or plug in a small appliance to cook. There are many different ones on the market that very in strength. Make sure when you start the generator it is OUTSIDE under a porch . . it can NOT be started in your home or garage. It must be OUTSIDE when turned on. We keep ours on our back patio and then run a heavy duty extension cord into the house.
A powerful portable charger is a MUST! This portable charger is a work horse and comes packed with power. I love this one because there are 3 USB ports and can recharge items for hours.
Choose the RAVPower Treatment: Entrusted by 100,000+ customers for keeping their devices charged when off the grid
Colossal Battery Capacity: 26800mAh charges most smartphones over 6 times or a tablet 2+ times for an average of 9 days of unrestrained usage per charge
Charges 3 Devices Simultaneously: 3 iSmart 2.0 USB ports provide e powerful total current output of 5.5A. Note: Does not support Qualcomm Quick Charge
High-Speed Recharging: Charges in just 14-15 hours with a 2.4A charger or 23-24 hours with a 1A charger
What You Get: 1 x RAVPower Xtreme Series 26800mAh Portable Charger, 2 x Micro USB Charging Cables, 1 x Carry Pouch, 1 x User Guide & Free 18 Month Warranty
Does your family know where is your SAFE ROOM or SAFE CLOSET iin case of a tornado? Wherever your SAFE PLACE is make sure that place in your house is all cleaned out by Saturday. Ours is the closet under the stairs and it's normally four things but I've started to clean it out so that there's room for all of us to get in that closet in case of a tornado I like to put a few pillows and blankets as well as all wallets, important papers, phones, charges and bottled water and snacks in there. In regards to your safe room or safe closet . ..make sure EVERYONE has a pair of shoes already in the closet. If by chance a tornado does damage your home at least everyone will have shoes to put on so they don't step on glass or other sharp items. I will probably put a pair of flip flops in the safe room for everyone because I really do not want smelly tennis shoes in the closet with us:-) BUT I will have everyone put in another closet downstairs a pair of tennis shoes just in case.
Here is another hurricane tip. Make sure during the time when you have hurricane strength winds that you keep your house sealed. Do not open or crack a window and try to keep the doors closed. ALSO, keep all your INTERIOR doors closed because if a window in a room is broken that will help to isolate damage. IF a window does break in your home you need to OPEN ANOTHER WINDOW to alleviate pressure in your home. If you do not open another window that will put pressure on your roof. Make sure you have ALL your preparing done by Saturday evening. Everyone who is staying needs to be off the roads and hunkered down. From what weather forecasts are saying here in Central Florida we will feel hurricane strength winds starting around 6pm SUNDAY to 6am Monday morning. Just to put this in perspective . .. in 2004 with Hurricane Andrew - he only hung around for 90 minutes and then was gone. They are saying that it could take Irma 12 hours to pass totally through. Most of Central Florida will have sustained winds over 100mph for up to 12 hours. This is nothing like we have ever been through.
Another hurricane tip for those with pools: 7 Tips to Prepare Your Pool For a Hurricane
1. Do Not Empty - Drainage is almost always in the design of the pool. Water in the pool provides weight to keep the pool in the ground. An empty pool can float or pop out of the ground due to pressure from excessive ground water caused by heavy rains.
2. Turn Off Power - Circuit breakers at the main electrical panel should be turned off. Pump motors, lighting, chlorinators, and heaters should not operate in the storm.
3. Protect Electric Pool Equipment - Wrap the pump motor, time clock, light transformers and electric heaters with waterproof plastic. Tie securely in place to prevent sand and water from entering. If flooding is expected, disconnect these devices and store them in a dry place.
4. Remove Loose Items - Chairs, tables, toys, pool tools or other loose items can become dangerous projectiles in high winds. It’s best to store them inside away from storm. Avoid throwing furniture into pool, unless it is a last resort. If so, gently place objects in pool to avoid damage and staining.
5. Add Extra Chlorine to the Pool - To prevent contamination from debris and excessive storm water, add a Leslie’s granular shock, preferably Power Powder Plus or Chlor Brite.
6. Do Not Cover Pool - Storms can cause falling branches and other debris that can damage pool covers. It’s easier to remove debris from the pool than it is to replace a cover.
7. Protect Screen Enclosure if you have one Providing a vent for wind to flow through can help prevent damage. Possibly remove screen panels on opposite sides of the enclosure.
One more hurricane tip - if you live in a two story house prepare ahead of time to keep all family members on your lower level. Have them gather prior to the storm hitting what belongings they want to have from upstairs and bring them downstairs. We own a two story home and we will have our grandsons and both daughters with Carlos and I. Our son in law is out of state in Kentucky. We will be sleeping on the lower level Sunday night and probably have the twins sleep in the safe closet all night so we don't have to take them back and forth from a bed to the room. I have a feelings the adults in the house will be staying awake all Sunday night but we will be able to jump in the closet if we need to.
As Florida has Hurricane Irma heading over our state my prayers are with every single person and family who are here experiencing this storm. As I am finishing this blog post we are experiencing high winds and rain. Praying that NO HUMAN LIFE be lost in this storm.
I love drinking water and sparkling water throughout the day so I always have a bottle or container in my hand or nearby. I love my Yeti but I'm thinking of getting a Tervis too. My sister Stephanie has about five of them and she always has one with her. What's your favorite YETIor TERVIS ? 🐠💦
Leave a comment and let me know which is your favorite and why!
I like to call us the "Original Six" This is how, as my dad likes to call all 28 of us, the "The Whole Catastrophe" This is where it all began! I am the oldest of the four siblings. My parents had two boys prior to me that they lost to miscarriage. My mom had incompetent cervix and wasn't diagnosed until after she lost the second baby. I always say thank the Lord they finally caught it because if not I might not be here typing today. We were all born and raised in Fort Wayne, Indiana where were lived for most of our childhood but when I was a freshman in high school we moved year round up to our lake house at Lake Tippecanoe.
Let me introduce you to my siblings. Stephanie, who is standing next to my dad is next in line as far as age. She is married to my brother in law Todd and has 3 children and one sweet daughter in love. They all live in Indiana where I was born and raised. Then is my sister Michelle! She is married to my brother in law Joe and they have 3 children. They currently reside in Apopka, Florida. Also, my two sisters are both Lip Sense Distributors so if you are interested in learning more about lipgloss that never rubs off let me know and I can put you in contact with them.
Then finally is my baby brother Andrew. I remember before he was born praying for a brother. I told my mom that I was praying for a brother and she said to me, "Emily, we are not having anymore babies." Well, I told her I was still going to pray and I did. I'll never forget the day about a year later when she came to me and said, "Emily, either I am dying or I am pregnant!" Well, you can see she wasn't dying but was pregnant with my brother Andrew. It's been rumored that when my dad found out that he had a son after my mom delivered Andrew he was running through the halls of Parkview
Memorial Hospital in Fort Wayne, Indiana yelling, "It's a boy! It's a boy!" :-)
I am very close to all my siblings but my brother and I have always had a special connection. The Lord used me during his time growing up to save him from injury. I remember one time he was just about 9 months old. He and my mom were in the kitchen and I was in the family room. All of a sudden I felt the urge to go to the kitchen. When I walked in I saw my mom had the fridge door open and she was taking out things for breakfast. Andrew was trying to climb up into the fridge. I picked him up and as I did my mom was pulling out a Cranberry Juice Cocktail glass container. (Back in those days they were glass and not plastic) As she pulled it out and as I walked away with Andrew in my arms the bottle of cranberry juice broke at the neck and fell right where Andrew had been. There were other times too that the Lord protected Andrew from death or injury. The Lord has had His hand on his life! My brother is married to my sister in law Heidi and they have 3 children. They reside in Clermont, Florida where my brother is a financial planner and advisor with Edward Jones.
I was blessed to be raised by two amazing parents. They taught us so many things such as the importance of family, being organized, determined, saving money and having the perseverance and determination to live out our dreams. They also instilled in us a love for the Lord and the importance of having a relationship with Him. My dad is full blooded Greek so when we were little we attended the Greek Orthodox Church. We eventually switched to Blackhawk Baptist Church were Pastor David Jeremiah use to pastor. My parents were born and again and that is where I asked Jesus into my heart too as well as the rest of my siblings. We eventually ended up at Calvary Temple in Fort Wayne, Indiana.
Fast forward to today and all of my siblings are or have been in ministry. The Lord has used us in many ways. Now, some are back in the marketplace and others like myself still in full time ministry. But either way, we all still love the Lord with all heart, mind, soul and strength and try to be a witness to others of the amazing love the Lord has for each and every one of us.
Independence Day is one of my favorite holidays. I love celebrating America's birthday and our freedom. We are so blessed to live in this nation. One of our sons, Landon, flew in from California to spend the week with us. Also, our daughter Sierra was here and our daughter Alexia and our grandson came over too. We just hung out at the pool and eating some fun patriotic desserts. I have included below 3 different style inspirations and pictures of the desserts we had during our day.
