Lucky Charms and more from a controlling mama bear. . . .

yes, i admit it.

i can be just a wee bit controlling sometimes.
like every good mama bear,
sometimes a bit of meddling/controlling is what's needed:)

but in a good way, of course.

so what have i done now?

well, as i mentioned before, my daughter will most likely be

moving to Chicago in the next year.

and like any good mama,

i'm checking out neighborhoods, safety, weather. . . . .

and churches!

it helps that there is a good Bible college in the city,

with church recommendations.

it helps a LOT!!!!!

2 of the recommendations sound very promising. . . . .

everything i would love for her to have in a church.

but one in particular jumped out at me right away.

Willow Creek Community Church Chicago.

yesterday i received an email re: today's sermon topic, "Simplify"

here are the questions they will be asking. . . . .

Question. What's the most important thing in your life? 

Follow-up question. What would the people who know you say?

 and here is a bit of the rest of the message from Pastor John. . . . . 
"Sadly, I find in my own life that these answers can sometimes be different. I really wish they were the same. I wish that the thing I most longed to have preeminence in my life was obvious to everyone else, but that's not always true. I may be alone in that, but I doubt it. 
 So if the answer was the same, and the most important thing in your life was obvious to you and others, what would that look like? If your answer is your family, how would others know that to be true? If your answer is God, what attributes would be present to show it?
 This Sunday we will be teaching about how we simplify one key area of our lives, while also showing how important God is to us."

i love simple, biblical messages that give you something practical to take into your week.
i can't wait for us to try Willow Creek Church!
sometimes, being a meddling mama is a good thing:)

don't forget that another episode of The Bible is airing tonight!

today on CBS Sunday,
they interviewed Mark Burnett and Roma Downey, 
the creators/producers of the series.

GREAT interview if you can catch it again somewhere.
but when asked if the idea for the mini series was hers,

Roma Downey said "not mine.  God placed the idea in my heart".  

well said!
When asked why they made it,
Mark said he believed that even if someone doesn't go to church
or isn't particularly religious,
everyone should hear the stories of the Bible.
i like that too!

*********************************** and no, i haven't forgotten that today is St. Patrick's Day.
to those of you who are Irish. . . .Happy St. Patrick's Day!
we don't do anything to celebrate it, although when my girls were younger,
we might color our food green and stuff like that.
but some things even i can't resist.
like a good excuse to have a nice big bowl of
Lucky Charms.

aaaahhh. . . . . i love me some marshmallows in my cereal!!:)

the Grand Ol' Opry sent this photo out today with the message

"Hope you're wearing your John Deere green!"

(you might need to like country to get that:)

Happy Sunday!
xoxo
Suzanne

Cozy Winter White.......Decorating, Fashion and Yummy Treats

sometimes i think i need to get a job decorating a store for Christmas.

maybe then, i wouldn't drive my family crazy with

the need to have a 

cozy/traditional/non-traditional/white/winter-white/pink/dreamy Christmas.

seriously.

but since i don't have that job yet,

they have to put up with me.

and the white tree still reigns here.

and it is soooooo GORGEOUS, if i say so myself:)

we have an abundance of winter whites.....

but i threw a new wrinkle in it.

however, that's for another day,

because today it's all about, you guessed it......

WINTER WHITE!

starting with winter white fashion or style.

i have always LOVED winter white, which is actually not pure white,

but a creamy, off-white.

according to various fashionistas, there are three items that you should have in

WINTER WHITE, if possible.

they are;

 ~~~a winter white sweater to wear with jeans and a pair of boots.

~~~a winter white coat, which may be the ultimate winter white must have.  i would have the one in the photo in a heartbeat if i lived in a cold climate.

~~~a winter white handbag.

~~~and besides the obvious way to wear it, with jeans or black,

my personal favorite is to pair it with pure white all year long.

doesn't the Queen look pretty in her winter white?

 winter white decorating.......

what else can i say besides BEAUTIFUL!

 i especially love the felt tree skirt and sweater covered furniture.

 i love, love, love angel wings as decoration.

 moving on to a winter white party......

cupcakes, donuts, snowflake cookies and white hot chocolate. (recipe below)

WInter White Hot Cocoa by Paula Deen

1 cup white chocolate chips 

1 cup heavy cream 

4 cup half-and-half 

1 teaspoon vanilla extract 

Vanilla whipped topping, for garnish

Mint leaf, for garnish

Directions

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine white chocolate chips and heavy cream. Stir continuously until white chocolate chips have completely melted. Stir in the half-and-half, and vanilla extract. Stir occasionally until heated through. Pour into mugs and top with a dollop of whipped cream.

that's it for my winter whites!

you have to admit, it's cozy, right?

happy winter white wishes,

Suzanne