skip to main |
skip to sidebar
Hey Friends!My kids have officially titled me "Mom of the Year" thanks to my exciting news for today! We first learned about it while we were on Spring Break. My gang was jumping up and down, hooting and hollering and hugging me big time! PLUS, I'm pretty thrilled to share the joy with a Giveaway today too! Woo Hoo!OK, first, some background....
You should know, my girls loves TobyMac.
You know him, right? Former DC Talk member, now out on his own - TobyMac - Christian recording artist extraordinaire, music producer, hip-hop/pop artist, singer-songwriter, and author, who sells a bzillion CD's, has a huge heart for God and family, and even has his own "the Bomb Mom" clothing line? That Toby Mac.My husband John is a fan too. John's been following TobyMac ever since his DC talk days. If you were to look in John's vehicle, you would see this CD in the CD player...
But the biggest TobyMac fan is my Benj. Even though he's only 10, Benj knows all the words to Toby's songs, and he is is such a joy to listen to when he starts doing his "TobyMac rap"! Benj even listens to TobyMac Radio on Pandora.Imagine my absolute delight when TobyMac's team and I had a conversation....and then I received an email saying..... They would like to provide my family with tickets to his West Michigan concert next week on April 19th, plus "Meet & Greet passes" (to meet TobyMac) for my family too!!Picture us all squealing and pretty much looking like this as we jumped for joy! Yippee!
But wait - it gets even better! I know - I know - can you believe it?!TobyMac's team, knowing how much I love to share with YOU, my dear *She Sparkles* friends, would also like to give me a Family Pack - 4 tickets and 4 Meet & Greet passes - for a blessed blog reader to join in on the fun! Can I get a Woo Hoo??!
Here's the concert information ~
TobyMac Unplugged
April 19 7:30 P.M.
Central Wesleyan Church in Holland
Additional tickets available here or 1-800-585-3737
And to Win 4 TobyMac tickets & "Meet & Greet" Giveaway: Share with me why you would like to win this TobyMac giveaway! :)
Extra Entries:
•Follow *She Sparkles*
•Subscribe to *She Sparkles*
•Add my *She Sparkles* button to your blog
•Tweet about this giveaway including a link to this post
Please be sure to leave me a comment to let me know your extra entries.
RULES: Starts today, Tuesday, April 10th and ends Thursday, April 12th at 9 PM. Winners will be posted by email and posted on my blog on Friday April 13th.
If your email address is not connected to your ID, please leave your email address with your comment or email it to me at cindy.bultema@gmail.com with the subject "Giveaway".
P.S. Here's one of Benj's favorite TobyMac songs...P.P.S. In case you live out of town - not to worry. TobyMac's team has fun giveaways all month long! Announcing - the April remix contest! Each week in April, they are giving away a prize pack that includes 3 TobyMac CDs (Dubbed & Freq'd, Tonight, Portable Sounds), a beanie and a poster. Plus, the winning remix will get a shoutout from TobyMac on Facebook and Twitter. To enter: go to the Dub Your Own Remix app tab (here) and create your remix. When you've finished, it'll give you a link. Go back to the FB status update and post your link in the comments section. Winner will be notified via Facebook message. One entry per person per week. Have fun!
Hey Friends!
Welcome to the A to Z Memory Verse Challenge 2012! Can you believe we are 1/3 of the way there?! Woo Hoo!Now true confession time - not all of my family members are up to date. Please don't put us on a pedastal! Just know, if you are still back on "D' or are joining us for the first time - it's ok - you are not alone! I'm just so glad you are here. :) (If you are new to the A to Z Challenge, you can read all about it here ! Join in at anytime!) Today is the perfect day to memorize a new verse!
Here are the verses we've learned so far in 2012....
A - As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. Joshua 24:15b
B - Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved. Acts 16:31
C - Create in me a pure heart, O God and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Psalm 51:10
D - Devote yourself to prayer, being watchful and thankful. Colossians 4:2 E - Every good and perfect gift is from above. James 1:17 F - For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, love, and of self-discipline. 2 Timothy 1:7
G - God is our refuge and strength, an ever-prsent help in trouble. Psalm 46:1
And now for our "H" Verse -
How awesome is the LORD Most High, the great King over all the earth!
Remember, whatever verse you are on, go at your own pace - just don't give up!! :)You may recall when we were recently on Spring Break, my friend JJ Landis' family was current with their A to Z verses (way to go, JJ!). Here are some things I noticed that were working for her family....Memorizing Ideas observed at the Landis Home (shared with permission)~
* The verse was written in its entirity on a chalkboard in their dining room. As I sat at her table, I was always reminded of the verse. (It reminded me of my friend Chellie's homemade chalkboard hanging in her kitchen. See pic below)
* JJ had one of Darlene's A to Z Versepacks hanging on a ring in their downstairs bathroom. (More details on the versepack at the end of this post)
* JJ had a set of A to Z Memory verses hanging by their backdoor where they put their shoes on.* JJ gives her kids a sticker every time they say their verses all the way through (one sticker per day). She doesn't insist they say the verses for a sticker, only if they choose to. Stickers added up equal fun prizes.* Mostly I just noticed how JJ and her husband Lee are making memorizing scripture a priority and are being intentional about doing it together. :)Now if JJ's precious Emma (in Kindergarten!) can tell me all of her verses from A to G - we can do it too!!!Another Memorizing Idea - for this week's H verse, click here for a free "wallpaper" to add to your computer, phone, or more!
**Feel free to share your favorite tips, ideas, even pictures. I'd love to share your suggestions and/or link to you in the weeks to come!
Giveaways ~
I am thrilled to share another GREAT GIVEAWAY with you! One of my favorite locally owned bookstores is Baker Book House. 
Baker has a great selection of Christian books, cards, and music, plus I love their used book selection (it's where I find tons of great bargains - including my complete set of Corrie Ten Boom books)! Baker also hosts many fun kids' events, author readings/signings, plus they have an amazing staff (yes, a number of my friends work there!). Baker is a favorite place for me and the family to hang out!To encourage us on our Memory Verse Challenge, Baker has graciously donated a "fun pack" of books especially designed for a Mom of preschoolers/young kids.
Here's what you'll find in the Baker Book House A to Z "fun pack"...
* You are Special by Max Lucado
* The Rhyme Bible Storybook from Zonderkidz
* God is Great by Carolyn Larsen* The Story of the Easter Robin by Dandi Mackall
* Real Moms by Elisa Moragn and Carol KuykendallAll together this Baker Book House "Fun Pack" of books is worth more than $75.00! This would be a GREAT resource gift for a mom/teacher/grandma or Sunday School teacher!
To Win this week's Baker "Fun Pack" Giveaway: Share with us who you are, where you are from, and what verse you will memorize this week (whether it's from the A to Z or not doesn't matter, just pick one verse to memorize!).
Extra Entries:
•Follow *She Sparkles*
•Subscribe to *She Sparkles*
•Add my *She Sparkles* button to your blog
•Tweet about this giveaway including a link to this post
Please be sure to leave me a comment to let me know your extra entries.
RULES: Starts today, Monday, April 9th and ends Wednesday, April 11th at 9 PM. Winners will be posted on my blog during the week of April 16th.
If your email address is not connected to your ID, please leave your email address with your comment or email it to me at cindy.bultema@gmail.com with the subject "Giveaway".
If you are a blogger, please leave your blog address in the comment section. What fun to blog hop and see how you are implementing the verses. Friends, if you are able, please stop by and say hello to these fun A to Z Participants too!!!!
Thanks for stopping by *She Sparkles*. Happy Memorizing!
P.S. A huge note of thanks to the Baker Book House gang for their willingness to share this great resource with a *She Sparkles* friend! :)
P.P.S. Verseability has also made a custom A-Z Versepack that contains all 26 of the verses for the year (this is what my friend JJ put on a key ring). The Versepacks are business card sized and are available for a special price of $ 5.00, plus shipping. You can order them by e-mailing: darlenedykstra@yahoo.com. Be sure to mention *She Sparkles* to get the special rate.
Disclosure: I was not provided with any financial compensation for this giveaway, and as always, all opinions are mine.
Hey Friends! 
Happy April to you!! :)
As I mentioned last week, we just wrapped up our Spring Break week here in Michigan.
John and I decided to skip our "stay-cation" ideas this year, and head out for a family fun road trip! Even though I was jet lagged big time from my very recent trip to Turkey, a great time was had by all! Woo Hoo! :)
Our journey included driving 650+ miles to Washington D.C, plus visits to two dear sets of family friends in Pennsylvania, and a couple days in Baltimore, Maryland too. What fun! :)
Our first main stop was in Lancaster, PA. I loved hanging out with my childhood best friend (from Kokomo) - JJ Landis (pic below). 
JJ's family is creative, warm, and a ton of fun - and our kids quickly connected and held a day long jam session in the basement. JJ's husband also took my gang "caving" (pic below) which is their favorite vacation highlight. JJ & I went shopping. I'm not a caver - thank you very much!I loved hearing JJ's kids say all their A to Z Memory Verses (to which my son said, "oh, are we still memorizing those?!" Nice Jake. Nice.)
And would you believe one of our other close friends, the Torresson's, live less than an hour away from JJ? (Remember when Tom had his near death heart attack? Recap here and when Jen moved away and I cried for days? Recap here).
We had so much fun hanging out and exploring the Philadelphia Zoo together. Love them!
We also had 5 days together as just a family. Our trip included lots of fun and laughter.....
Special family moments...
Good eats. I was so happy to not have to cook for almost 10 days. Yippee!
Exploring....
My least favorite moment of the trip....Taking the subway in DC. As we were getting on the Metro, John and the little kids went first, then the doors closed right behind me, leaving my son Jake still on the curb. Ahhh! Thankfully my mom instinct kicked in, I quickly stuck my hands in the door and pried them open and threw Jake on the subway. Oh my! For the rest of the trip we rode on a double decker bus....
During our time away (and many miles on the road!) ~ I had lots of time to read, pray, and study. I thanked God for *you*, my She Sparkles readers, and asked God to bless you in a very special way!!!
As much fun as it is to be away with my family, it's always good to be "home sweet home". :) I've missed you!
What have you been up to the past few weeks? What is God teaching you? How can I pray for YOU, my friend???Thanks for stopping by *She Sparkles*! May God fill your day with much joy, love and laughter!!!
Sweet blessings ~
P.S. While we were away, I received an email with some exciting news! My kids are now saying I am the best mom. ever. I can't wait to share my thrilling update with YOU - and I even get to share the blessing. Yay! More details coming next week.....
Hey Friends!
But the biggest TobyMac fan is my Benj. Even though he's only 10, Benj knows all the words to Toby's songs, and he is is such a joy to listen to when he starts doing his "TobyMac rap"! Benj even listens to TobyMac Radio on Pandora.
But wait - it gets even better! I know - I know - can you believe it?!
