Mommy kisses.....

We are SO blessed with an amazing Creative Activities coordinator at our MOPS group. Seriously, I've never met someone who has such a natural ability to make anything look cute, trendy, or updated. So far this year we've made amazing nametags and T-shirt scarves....

Today we had fun making Coconut Oil and Beewax Lip Balm! Our coordinator did most all of the hard work and we simply put it in adorable tins when we were done!!

I'm definitely remembering this fun DIY project for gifts in the future. Here are the steps:

Ingredients:
*Beeswax (Craft stores)
*Coconut Oil (Grocery stores)
*Vitamin E Oil (Drugstores)

Directions:
Mix two parts coconut oil, one part beeswax, and a few drops of Vitamin E oil in a microwaveable dish.
Microwave in 30 second intervals, stirring between each one until completely melted.

Pour into your container (can be purchased online).

What fun DIY projects have you completely lately?

MomSense: Reflections on an amazing MOPS Convention.....

Last Wednesday afternoon, five moms piled into a mini-van and started the long trek from Northern Pennsylvania to Nashville, TN.

We stopped in West Virginia for a few hours of sleep before heading the rest of the way to the Gaylord Opryland Hotel on Thursday!
The resort was absolutely gorgeous (and HUGE!!)

After settling into our beautiful room, we headed right to our first of many informative and encouraging workshops. I had the opportunity to hear Dr. Juli Slattery (Focus on the Family), and brought home some great insights for my marriage.
The Storyboard session was next filled with laughs from Kathi Lipp, thoughts about our life's story from Max Lucado, and music from Sara Groves!

The next two days were filled with challenging and practical workshops and general sessions with MOPS International leaders and well-known speakers and authors such as Lisa Harper, Lauren Dungy, and Mary Beth Chapman.
We also worshipped with the music of Travis Cottrell, Mandisa, and Steven Curtis Chapman. What a refreshing time!!
Another awesome part of the convention was the Resource Fair. I was overwhelmed with the number of vendors and companies represented. My little guy was thrilled with all the goodies and samples I brought home for him!

The best part of the entire weekend, though, was the fellowship with the other four leaders from our group. I absolutely loved laughing, sharing, and praying with Kristie, Anne, Becky, and Diana!
We had an awesome time at Solario (one of the restaurants at the hotel). It was so nice to be able to carry on adult conversation for an entire meal!!

These are some amazing moms, and I felt so privileged to attend such a great convention with them!

Were you at the convention? I met one of my online friends, Natalie, the first afternoon! If you were there, I'd love to hear what you thought!

Wondering about more MOPS details? Check out the MOPS International website OR our brand new local group website, Covington MOPS (designed by our very own, Anne!).

I'm still decompressing from the weekend! I'm sure I'll posts more insights and nuggets of truth in the days to come!

"God doesn't want us to by shy with His gifts, but bold, and loving, and sensible."

II Timothy 1:7

 

Nashville, here I come!!

I'm so excited to be heading to Nashville this afternoon with 4 other wonderful moms for the MOPS International Convention!
We'll be staying at the Opryland Hotel, and soaking up some amazing speakers and musicians!
Since we're driving there, we won't be home until Sunday afternoon/evening! I'll be excited to share pictures and stories when we get back next week!
Until then, you can find me on Twitter and Facebook!!

Have a great rest of your week, friends!

HUGE yard sale, cont.......

Another year.....another MOPS yard sale!! We were overwhelmed with donations this year! It's the most we've ever received, but we got it all organized and priced in time for the early birds!! :) 

Need any shoes???? 

The weather was iffy all day, so we kept 1/2 of the items indoors and moved the plastic and glass items outdoors since they would be safe from any rain. 

Some of the awesome MOPS moms! Love these ladies! 

We definitely met our goal financially for this year, in fact we surpassed it.....a little over $1,000!!!!!!!! Praise the Lord!!

What about you? Find any good yard sale deals this weekend? 

NOTE:
This Wednesday will be our monthly book report link-up. If you've read any great books lately, feel free to link up a blog post about it!! As usual, I'd also love to hear from you in the comments!

HUGE yard sale....

Last summer, I wrote a post about the huge yard sale our MOPS group coordinates every year. I posted pictures from the day of the sale, but this year I want to document some of the set-up and organization as well.
We receive donations from our churches and MOPS moms for about a month before hand. The week of the sale, we get down to the hard work of sorting and pricing it all.

On Saturday morning, we'll carry all of the items (including the 4 TV's donated) out to the church's front lawn for maximun exposure!!
We're praying for great weather, awesome sales, and strong backs! :) I'll make sure to fill you in on the details after Saturday!!

Some Awesome Ladies!

As you know, A Steady Rain is a blog all about God's blessings! These ladies definitely fall into the category of "blessing"!

I am the Discussion Group Coordinator for our local MOPS ministry. These four ladies each lead a discussion group of moms at every meeting. They're such a vital part of the vision of MOPS, and I'm SO grateful to have had each one of them in my life this past year!

Thank you ladies for everything you do!!