Sometimes You Feel Like Breakfast, Sometimes You Don't

Congratulations to the $10 PayPal winner, thight!

Or is that just my problem?

I've never been a big breakfast eater. Except for those times my dad made us breakfast so we could be smart for tests or big days at school, I rarely ate much, if anything, before I headed out the door to classes.

Then I graduated college, got married, and got a job I had to be at by 7:30 a.m. I soon realized that if I didn't eat breakfast, I would be gnawing my arm off by 9 o'clock. And if I didn't eat the right things, arm-gnawing would commence as well.

A white bagel with jelly might get me two hours before I was starving again. A homemade breakfast burrito on a whole-wheat tortilla? I wasn't even hungry at 11 o'clock, my usual lunchtime. Behold the power of protein and fiber!

Last week I was asked to help co-host a chat at The Motherhood about having a healthy breakfast. That link will take you to a recap of the chat, and here are some of the highlights I've gleaned for you:

• Think outside the breakfast box. There's no reason you can't serve your kids half a turkey sandwich for breakfast if that is what they will eat. Christine shared that her son has an egg allergy and looking to other sources for breakfast protein will work for their family. Libbie often asks for peanut butter and jelly for breakfast, and as long as it's on whole wheat I don't see a reason not to oblige. (We also use natural peanut butter and simply fruit-type jams.)
• Concentrate on dietary fiber, calcium, vitamin D, and potassium. These are the four nutrients Americans are likely not getting enough of, according to the new Dietary Guidelines. Great sources of fiber can be fruit with skin, flaxseed, beans and legumes, and vegetables. Sneaking veggies and flaxseed into your food can be fun! My Chock Full of Healthy Muffins have apple, carrot, flaxseed meal, AND oat bran. What a way to stuff some fiber in your face early in the morning!
• You NEED breakfast. It helps refuel your body after a night's sleep, kick-starts your metabolism for the day, and should supply about 20% of your dietary needs each day. 
• Make breakfast convenient. You know I am all about freezer cooking, and there is always something for breakfast in our freezer.  Muffins, pancakes, waffles, breakfast burritos, egg cups ... they all freeze well. Lately we've enjoyed having baked oatmeal for breakfast, too; one batch can last Libbie and me a workweek.

Are you a breakfast person? Leave me a comment telling me what you had for breakfast this morning and I will pick one commenter to win $10 (given through PayPal) that you can use to buy ingredients to make your favorite breakfast!

I thought outside the breakfast box this morning and had leftover ham and scalloped corn from Easter, as well as an apple.

Rules: You must either have your e-mail linked to your Blogger account or provide your email in your comment. I will pick a winner on Friday, April 29. You will need to be able to receive funds via PayPal to win.


The Motherhood chat is sponsored by Kellogg's, and I will be compensated for my time and efforts.

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Ultimate Blog Party Prize Winner!

  <---- "What! You too?" Is the part of the quote from this one.




Not all of you got it in that order ... but we're not so mean that we didn't count your entries.

The winner of the $100 Target gift card is Jacqui at Echoing Him. Congratulations! Mary will contact you about your prize.

Thanks to everyone who took the time to visit all the #sisterchicks and to any new subscribers and Twitter followers who have come as a result of the party!

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Medela Nursing Bras - Review and GIVEAWAY!

The winner is #35, Emily E. Congratulations, Emily! I'll be emailing you to get your information.


Disclaimer: First, I have to say I am very well-endowed.  So obviously what works for me in terms of nursing bras may not work for everyone. And for the business part: Medela provided me with a bra to test out for review. I did not receive any other compensation for this review/giveaway.

Maybe it's just that when you're pregnant you attract other pregnant people like a magnet. You huddle together to confer about your misery, expectations, and excitement. But it seemed that half the Internet had a baby in December right along with me. (Kacie, Tara, Suzanne, Karen, and Jenny all did! And those are just the ones I can come up with in my baby-no-sleep-dazed mind.)

So I hope this giveaway will benefit one of them--or one of you who has recently welcomed a baby or will in the near future!

I don't think I have ever done this before, but I contacted Medela about doing a review for them because they have the only nursing bra that has ever worked for me. It's their Seamless Underwire Nursing Bra, which goes up to an H cup, has thick straps for the larger cups, and actually gives me enough support. I have tried many nursing bras; and, as a larger-chested girl, barely felt comfortable enough to leave the house with any of them on.

I was a little worried about wearing underwire right away while nursing, though, as there is some evidence they can cause clogged ducts or restrict the milk coming in. (The lactation consultant at the hospital told me I should not wear one ever--but honestly, they don't even make many bras that are not underwire big enough for me.)

So Medela sent me the Comfort Nursing Bra. It's got a sports bra feel, with a racerback cut and thicker straps. Because it is microfiber, it stretches with you. Medela totes it as "the perfect 'take-to-hospital' bra."


I agree with them! It's a great bra for while you wait for your milk to come in. I wore mine at the hospital and found the hooks easy to unclasp and get back together and the size just right. It is a great nighttime bra, because there are no uncomfortable hooks or tags to bother you.

Unfortunately, this type of bra does not have enough support for me; it's definitely a "lounge around the house" nursing bra for me. I wouldn't want to scare anyone in public. Once my milk came in, even the extra-large was not really large enough.

So now that I have thoroughly frightened you with tales of my chest (which Libbie calls David's Mommy Bottles--how cute is that?), I am delighted to tell you I have one Comfort Nursing Bra to give away to a lucky reader.



To enter, just tell me why you need it. And if you've nursed before, what is your favorite nursing bra?

Details:

• I will pick a winner Sunday, January 16.
• If your Blogger account is not connected to your email address, PLEASE leave your email in the comment, or you will not be eligible to win.
• The winner will have 48 hours to email me back, or I will pick someone else.
• For an extra entry, subscribe to Vanderbilt Wife or "like" my Facebook Fan Page, and leave me a comment that you did so (or already do).

Best of luck!

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Mint Julep Monograms WINNER

The VERY blessed winner of my Mint Julep Mongrams $30 credit giveaway is ...

#16, my darling in-real-life friend Jeanette! Congratulations, girl!

You have until December 3 to snatch up some Mint Julep Monograms goodies for Christmas. Hillary's always running specials on her Facebook Fan Page, so make sure to "like" it if you haven't already.

My friend Mary at Giving Up on Perfect hasn't ended her giveaway yet for $30 credit, so if you get there fast maybe you'll have a chance to win from her! {She is also having a giveaway week, so lots of fun ones to enter!}

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Giftable Blog Giveaways: Week Three

If you missed what's going on with these, this post should explain it.

I've filtered out any giveaways that have expired and left the ones you can still enter. Please add your new giveaways here, and I'll add some I find as well. Anyone win anything yet they can give away? 

Strangely, I recently won $250 worth of baby clothes from Macy's and BlogHer. Sadly, they are 6-9 month winter stuff. Don't think they will fit my little guy unless he is tiny next winter!





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Mint Julep Monograms GIVEAWAY!

At Blissdom '09, I had the pleasure of meeting the cutest little Southern girl you've ever seen--Hillary from The Other Mama. We've bonded through blogging, and at Blissdom '10 we roomed together with Mary from Giving Up on Perfect. We talked way too much and stayed up too late and laughed at how many bags Hillary felt it was necessary to bring.

Well, you know there's nothing a Southern girl likes like a monogram, right? So earlier this year--in the midst of her third pregnancy--Hillary up and decided to start a monogramming business called Mint Julep Mongrams.

Not too long after she started her business, I commissioned this t-shirt to make a little announcement to my friends, family, and blog readers!

And sweet Hillary wouldn't even let me pay her for it, despite my rush and pickyness and altogether nagging her half to death.

I knew right where to start my Christmas shopping this year.

I can't tell you what I bought, because, well, EVERYONE I AM RELATED TO reads this blog, it seems like! Which is a good thing. Most of the time.

But I got a great deal with one of Hillary's many discount codes from her Facebook Fan Page. 

And then she offered me a $30 credit for hosting this giveaway, so I was *forced* to go pick out another great gift. Woe is me. ;)

Yes, giveaway! Are you in love with these products yet? I totally am. And you're in luck, because you have a chance to win a $30 credit to Mint Julep Monograms all for yourself!

For your required entry, you need to go to the Mint Julep Monograms site and tell me in the comments here what your favorite item is.

For additional entries, you can:

• "Like" Mint Julep Monograms on Facebook
• Follow Hillary on Twitter (@theothermama)
• Follow me on Twitter (@vanderbiltwife)
• Tweet about this contest, making sure to use @vanderbiltwife somewhere in there so I can see it!
• "Like" Vanderbilt Wife on Facebook

Lots of chances to win! Just make sure you leave a comment for each entry. And FOR THE LOVE OF PETE, leave your email if it's not connected to your Blogger account. If I don't have your email somewhere, you can't win. And that's that.

I will pick a winner next Friday, 11/19. Good luck!

{Buying or WINNING Christmas gifts from a good friend and small business is definitely a FINER THING!}
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Giftable Blog Giveways: Week Two!

If you missed what's going on with these, my post from last week should explain it.

I've filtered out any giveaways that have expired and left the ones you can still enter. Please add your new giveaways here, and I'll add some I find as well. Anyone win anything yet they can give away?



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Giftable Blog Giveaways, Just in Time For Christmas!

I've done something lately I don't do a whole lot of--enter blog giveaways.

I mean, I do occasionally. I've won a maternity shirt, a V-Tech Reader, a Vintage Pearl necklace ... some great things! But the blogosphere is so supersaturated with giveaways sometimes it's hard to wade through them and find something you would even like to have.

Lately, I've entered with a purpose: find items I could gift for Christmas! Because when you are frugal and/or not rolling in money, FREE is the best price for a Christmas present.

I thought we could help one another out by having a link-up for giveaways here that would make great gifts (for anyone, kids included). No cleaning supplies. Nothing too practical. And let's be honest, if you win that $100 Visa gift card, you're going to keep it for yourself. Just fun items that would be great to gift.

PLEASE link to the specific post, not the general blog, or it will be deleted. Please add the "end by" date somewhere in your title so we all know! I will repeat this every week until the beginning of December.




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Things I Love Thursday: Imprint Mats

Giveaway is now closed. The winner is #43, Nesting Project (Rosy)! Congratulations!

A few months ago, I was contacted by a company to try out their Imprint Comfort Mats. The company makes the following promises about their mats:

✓ Reduces overall fatigue and pain associated with standing on hard surfaces
✓ Beneficial to individuals with back, thigh and lower leg or foot discomfort
✓ Conforms to the shape of your feet and supports your arches resulting in soothing relief

I was VERY skeptical, but my cousin Tricia had already raved about the mats, which gave me some hope.  I am pregnant, have scoliosis, and often do long cooking sessions in the kitchen which usually kill my back. I have the hardest time with OAMC because of the constant leaning over, standing, and chopping. My back just does not like long times standing on hard surfaces. (I even quit a retail job after 6 weeks mainly because of this issue.)

I won't say that the Imprint Mat is a miracle-worker, but I have definitely had less back pain in the kitchen. When I did my mini-OAMC session in July, my only complaint was that I needed to move my mat back and forth from in front of the sink, the stove, and the counter where I chop!

It's like they read my mind, because soon after I received the longer (20"x72") runner mat in the mail. Hallelujah!! Now the mats line all my counters and I am happy as a clam. Seriously, these things are amazing.

They come in two sizes: the runner, as listed above; and standard, which is 20"x36".

I sure wish this were my kitchen. Don't you?

I only wish the price point were not quite so high. Being a cheapskate, I would have a difficult time paying $70 for a kitchen mat. It's almost silly, though, because $70 would have saved me SO much back pain and agony it would totally be worth it.

If you're also cheap, you're in luck, because you have the chance to WIN a standard Imprint Mat! To enter, go to their site and tell me what your favorite feature about the mat is.

For an additional entry, Tweet about this contest and leave me the link for your specific Tweet. Here's a Tweet you can use, if you like:

Win a super-comfy Anti-Fatigue Comfort Mat from @vanderbiltwife! http://bit.ly/8Y7WIi

Contest is open until 9/8. YOU MUST LEAVE YOUR E-MAIL OR HAVE IT CONNECTED TO YOUR BLOGGER ACCOUNT. I will not be hunting you down. Go to Blogger.com, click on "edit profile," and check the box that says "show my e-mail address." This will get you five stars and a sticker in my book.

Good luck!

Linked to Things I Love Thursday at The Diaper Diaries.

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Weight Watchers Cheese Review and Giveaway: I Like to Snack.

Congratulations to the winner, #31, Nanette! 

I'm nearly 19 weeks pregnant, which means I am well into the second trimester. And what comes with the second trimester? HUNGER.

I still maintain I was hungrier when I was nursing than I ever was pregnant; but still, the second trimester is when I find myself gnawing away at my arm if I don't make good use of protein and fats during the day.

When Weight Watchers^® contacted me to see if I wanted to review their new cheese items, at first I was a little skeptical; obviously, Weight Watchers and pregnancy don't mesh!

Their campaign, however, is about snacking. And I DO like to snack! So I said yes and got to try WW's  new gourmet cheese wedges and reduced-fat cream cheese.

Here's some info on the two products.

• The new Weight Watchers Gourmet Cheese Wedges come in four mouth-watering varieties – Original Swiss, Garlic & Herb, Parmesan Peppercorn and Jalapeño Pepper – and are perfect for spreading onto crackers, apple slices, celery sticks and more for a deliciously fun and easy snack.  Each rich and creamy wedge has only 30 calories, packs more fiber than the leading competitor and comes with a POINTS® value of 1. The wedges have a suggested retail price of $2.99-$3.99.

• The new eight-ounce variety of Weight Watchers Reduced Fat Cream Cheese Spread is ideal for baking and snacking alike with pre-measured servings and the same easy-to-spread goodness that has made Weight Watchers cream cheese products a hit. And in addition to its flavor props, the spread boasts 40 percent less fat than regular cream cheese and a POINTS® value of 1 per serving. The cream cheese spread has a suggested retail price of $1.69-$1.99.

• Look for both products at national retailers such as Wal-Mart and Kroger.

Weight Watchers sent me a great snack basket! I got this Picnic Time collapsible picnic basket, Kashi TLC crackers, Back to Nature nut mix, Emerald dried fruit mix, a Frisbee, a cheese spreader, all 4 kinds of cheese wedges, and one block of the reduced-fat cream cheese.

The original Swiss cheese wedge was definitely my favorite. It makes a great snack on the Kashi crackers. (And occasionally breakfast ... I do have a toddler!) My Bible study group and I tried the other kinds and all were given a thumbs up, although I thought the Parmesan Peppercorn was a little strong for my tastes. I don't love peppercorn flavor anything, but if you do, you might like them.

With the cream cheese, I made Kate's Cream Cheese Noodles. I sauteed some garlic in about 2 tablespoons of butter and mixed in 4 oz. of cream cheese and a little salt and pepper. I then mixed in 1/2 a pound of cooked thin spaghetti. YUM! I couldn't tell at all that the cream cheese was reduced fat; usually I am not a big fan of reduced-fat dairy so that is a good thing.

Would you like to win the exact package I got from Weight Watchers? Leave me a comment with which flavor of the cheese wedges you think would be your favorite. A winner will be drawn Sunday, August 1st at 3pm EST.

If you do not leave your email address in your comment or have it linked to your Blogger account (check "show my email address" under "Edit Profile" at blogger.com) I WILL DELETE YOUR COMMENT. I have had too many issues with this in the past. Please just change your Blogger profile. Then I can respond to all your comments by email.

For an additional entry, Tweet the following and leave me another comment letting me know you did:
Win some delicious #WeightWatchersCheese and other snacks over at @vanderbiltwife until 8/1! http://bit.ly/azzWCe

And since I REALLY like snacking and talking about snacking, here are my top ten favorite snacks ever.

Top Ten Favorite Snacks
{I talk extensively about my relationship with some of these foods in this post.}


1. Bagels with cream cheese, or egg, or cheese. I just love bagels. A lot.

2. FiberOne bars. These actually fill up my hungry baby belly!

3. Tortilla chips or crackers with cheese melted on top. Melted until it's crispy. Yummm!

4. Granny Smith apples with havarti. I think Michelle introduced me to this fine delicacy. The creamy Havarti and bite of the green apple really balance each other out. It's DELISH!

5. Hard sausages and cheese with crackers. I like salt. So kill me! Not something I have a lot, but I will devour it if it's out at parties.

6. Raw veggies, pretzels, and dip. If we were in a musical, I might start singing, "Any dip will do!" I like dips. Speaking of ...

7. Spinach and artichoke dip with chips. We're talking fantasy snacks, right? Cause I've made this homemade maybe once, but I LOVE it. The frozen kind will work if needed.

8. Cherries. While I don't splurge for Raniers, I love my Bing cherries and will happily eat a bowlful for a delicious and fresh snack.

9. Candy. Straight up sugar is my pregnancy weapon of choice. I am not proud of it, but it's true.

10. Ice cream. Lemony, chocolatey, peanut buttery--I'm sort of indifferent. Just bring me a bowl: not melted, and no marshmallows please.

Added to Top Ten Tuesday at OhAmanda and Tasty Tuesday at Balancing Beauty and Bedlam. 

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Things I Love Thursday: Natural Skincare

Giveaway is over! The winner is  #14, sarahespn! Sarah, I will e-mail you and get your info to Antebellum Naturals!

I am a wee bit lazy. Perhaps you hadn't figured that one out yet. (Heh.) I confess I take very bad care of my skin (although I do wear sunscreen if I'll be outside for more than half an hour). I wash my face sporadically. I never take my mascara off.

I'm not sure Janice from Antebellum Naturals knew what she was getting into when she offered to send me some of her products to try out. I like trying new things, though, and all her products are safe for pregnancy because they are completely natural--and also not tested on animals.

I got a very cute little bag with a dozen samples of natural products. Body scrubs, facial cleansers, lotions, and even a microdermabrasion cream found their way into my bathroom!

The clean, fresh scents of the products won me over. The only truly scented products were "flavored" with citrus or sugar. If you like scented products, the sugarbutter body scrub was divine! I love body scrubs and I always have.

Unfortunately, many of the products I tested are not available yet from the newly formed company. I was bummed that my favorite, the Botanical Bio-Peptide Cream (a heavy moisturizer), is not on the site. Janice explained to me that the item's price had gone up and she didn't want to overprice her products. So that, I can understand. Another favorite, a loofah scrub with ground-up corn as the scrubber, Janice assures me is on backorder but will be available in a few weeks.

I do love the feeling that my bath and body products are not harming the environment, being tested on animals, or are full of chemicals. I would definitely purchase some of these products on my own, as I think they are very reasonably priced compared to other natural lines.

BUY IT! If you'd like to purchase any of the Antebellum Naturals products, you can have a 25% discount and free shipping if you order before July 23. E-mail your order to Janet with the code VANDERBILTWIFE.

WIN IT! Antebellum Naturals is giving away a sample bag identical to the one I received for one of my readers. To win, simply go to the Antebellum Naturals site and tell me one product you'd like to try and why. (Use the buttons on the sidebar to see the various products.)

For an extra entry, Tweet this giveaway, making sure to put @vanderbiltwife somewhere in your Tweet.  Please leave a separate comment telling me you did this.

For ANOTHER extra entry, join Jill's Things I Love Thursday carnival this week (6/24) and leave me a comment letting me know you did. 

You have until Wednesday, June 30 at noon to enter. PLEASE make sure either your e-mail is linked to your Blogger account or you leave it in the comment.


Linked to Things I Love Thursday at The Diaper Diaries. 

I was supplied with products to sample for this post but was not compensated in any other way.

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Ultimate Blog Party 2010

A year can make quite the difference.

In last year's UBP post, I was stressing over swaddling and daycare costs. I worked full-time and rocked my baby to bed each night.

This year, I'm happy to say I am a new stay-at-home mom in a new city (Chattanooga, TN). I spend most of my days going insane by running after my toddler daughter, Libbie. But I won't bore you with the details. You can read all of them on my About Me page.

Pretty much, I'm always this crazy. But Libbie doesn't always look so scared.

I thought since this was a party, and I like to claim to be a "quarter" food blog, I'd serve up some yummy party food.

First off, you must try the Mexican Corn Dip--also known as Magically Delicious Dip. I am not sure how I don't have a picture of it since I've made it approximately 8,000 times. I will assume it's because I ate it all before I could think to get my camera.

You also need to have a Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcake with Cream Cheese Icing. I served these at my own going-away party at work, and several men proposed. Married ones. But since I am very devoted to my Mr. V and so not into adultery, I politely declined and moved to another city.

I think for our main course we'll have my mom's Turkey Pecan Salad. After we fill up on all that dip and cupcakes, we'll need something light. We have to watch our figures, after all. (Although I no longer do Family Recipe Fridays, I shared a whole bunch of family recipes over the last year in that carnival. They're all here, or you can check out my Recipe Index by clicking that link at the top of the page.)

So, there you have it. I hope you're well-fed and feeling right at home in my little domestic paradise here. (Pssstt ... I am only good at cooking. Please don't look at the floors or the ants marching across the counter or my daughter taking all my cutting boards out of the cabinet.) Everyone else is hanging over at 5 Minutes for Mom, in case you have NO IDEA what I'm talking about here.

Oh! I have one more thing!

To add to the party fun, I want to introduce you to some of my blogging friends! There are nine of us who each have a word hidden in their post. These nine words make up a sentence. We will each link you up to the lady who has the next word in the sentence—but keep in mind that I might not have the first word in the sentence!

Once you have the sentence, e-mail it to sisterchickies@gmail.com with "UBP10" in the subject line. Each person with the correct sentence will be in a drawing to win a $40 Target gift card! Winner will be announced on all of our blogs April 19, and the winner will be e-mailed. The winner has 48 hours to respond or we'll pick someone else.

Disclaimer: Some of us are slower than others, but we will all have our posts up by noon EDT on Friday, April 9.

So for your next clue, visit Simply Staci!


And thanks for visiting me here at Vanderbilt Wife.

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As far as prizes go, my top 3 would be the $50 gift certificate for Froggy Girl Designs (US50), the Bailey's curriculum from The Itty-Bitty Bookworm (US69), or a gift card such as the Amazon one offered by AFullCup (US74).

I have a 17-month-old daughter, so I'd love anything that would be appropriate for her, or a gift card of any kind. Favorites include: US 16, 31, 32, 37, 39, 52, 53, 55, 72, 73, 74, 87, 88, 91, 96, 104, 107, 112, USC 3, 8, 15, 27, 35, 37, 38, 40, 41, 60.

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Charlie and Lola Winner

Sorry I did not get a winner on this yesterday--obviously I was too busy wallowing in my own self-pity. ;) But I had 29 valid comments, and the winner according to Random.org was #22, Sleeping Kelly! Congratulations, Kelly, I will e-mail you this morning to get your address!

Also, the first person to leave me their Amazon link, I will order the book through yours! (It's not expensive but hey, it's something, right?)

Blog-a-Versary Update

Just wanted to let y'all know I'm putting the winners at the top of the giveaway posts as they happen. So far I've announced winners for The Wedding Singer and for the three Christian fiction books.

Jessie

Things I Love Thursday: The Bible

Giveaway is over. The winner of this lovely Bible is #15, Hillary, The Other Mama! I have met her in real life at Blissdom and she is a total sweetheart and a HOOT. You need to be reading her blog. :) Congrats, Hillary!

I know that y'all know that I am a Christian. You might even have gathered that I am a Southern Baptist, which may or may not scare the living daylights out of you.

But although I am a Baptist by affiliation, you can rest assured knowing that being a follower of Christ is way more important to me than being a Baptist. I am sad to say that's not always the case with denominational leanings.

I believe in the basics. Love God. Love people. I try to do those things to the best of my ability. Sometimes I fail. A lot of times, really. But I "press on to reach the end of the race" (Phil. 3:14).

I believe the Bible is the Word of God. And especially over the last five years or so, I have come to love it, passionately.

I love the nuances that are found in the original languages. I love the prophecies that are all fulfilled through Christ. I love the hope, I love the future, and I love what my Jesus did to save me.

This year I picked up a One Year Bible for Women in the New Living Translation. I LOVE this translation. No, it is not as accurate to the original as some, but I feel like it makes the meaning of the Scripture very clear. It is, simply, very easy to read.

I'm so pleased to have a beautiful NLT Bible to give away as part of my Blog-A-Versary Party. It is a lovely personal-size Bible, bonded leather in "British tan" color.


This Bible features:
Dictionary/concordance
Full-color maps
Presentation pages
Ribbon marker
Gilded page edge
Durable binding
Words of Christ in red
Favorite passages index

To enter, leave me a comment telling me what you would use this Bible for. Personal study? To give to a friend?

For a second entry, leave me another comment telling me what your favorite Scripture verse is (write it out, so we can see it!).

US and Canada only, please. If you don't have an e-mail linked to your Blogger comment mechanism, please leave your e-mail addy for me in the comment so I can find you if you win! I will choose a winner on Sunday evening, July 19.

This post linked to Things I Love Thursday at The Diaper Diaries.

Bury Me in Books and I'll Be Happy {Another Giveaway!}

Giveaway is over! The lucky winner is #9, my (in-real-life) friend Megan! YAY! I can go deliver them in person. :)

Maybe one or two times in my blog's existence, I've mentioned that I like to read. Or, um, 22. Which is how many posts I have labeled "books."

My mom claims I taught myself to read around age 4. I don't think I've removed my nose from a book since then. I am ALWAYS reading something. In first grade, it was Little House in the Big Woods and Ramona books. In college, I was buried under classics and modern masterpieces for my English major. Since graduating, I've enjoyed being able to pick out my own books again. I read just about everything, with my favorites being Christian fiction, memoirs, and contemporary fiction (I don't know what else to classify it as--authors like Maeve Binchy, Anne Tyler, and Jodi Picoult).

I review books for BookLoons, and it's been so fun to receive books in advance of their publication and have somebody care about my opinion. Recently, I've been on a major Christian fiction kick and I'm excited to have three great books to give away in that genre! I received all of these to review from the fine folks at WaterBrook Press.

Never the Bride is quirky in that it's based on the screenplay for a movie, not the other way around! Cheryl McKay wrote the screenplay, and Rene Gutteridge did the novelization. It's about a young woman who's obsessed with the idea of marriage. When God comes to her in physical form, her deep-rooted beliefs come to the forefront and she's faced with the choice to let go or not know what God might have for her.

Robin Jones Gunn is my favorite author ever. Her Glenbrooke series is wonderful comfort reading for me, and I loved the Christy Miller series way past when it was really age-appropriate (it's a teen series). The Sisterchicks series is a little more hit-or-miss for me, but I thought this one--Sisterchicks in Wooden Shoes--was great! OhAmanda did a wonderful review of it on her blog I'll let you read. (My favorite is still Sisterchicks Do the Hula, though.)


I might be on a little bit of a Rene Gutteridge kick lately. This year, I've read several of her books. This is the second one I've read for review in this series, although it's the first in the Occupational Hazards series (does that make sense?). Scoop tells the tale of Channel 7 news, a station in decline trying to save itself through Botox, new anchors, and interesting stories. But as stories start to criss-cross and a lead anchor goes missing, the station goes crazy, leaving only serene Hayden Hazard to keep everyone under control--and prayed for.

I'm so excited to have these three books to give away to one lucky reader as part of my Blog-a-Versary party! (US & Canada only please, and if you don't have your e-mail linked to your Blogger comment thing, PLEASE leave it in your comment.) To enter, just leave me a comment with the title of the last book you read and if you liked it or not.

I'll pick a winner on Saturday, July 18, around 3 p.m. CST.

Blog-a-Versary {and a Giveaway!}

GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED. The lucky winner is Emma (augustlily06@), the #2 commenter. I'll be e-mailing her about her prize!

Yesterday was my theee-year "blog-a-versary." Also known as, three years ago I wrote my first post here. [In total disclosure, I am pretty sure I wrote one or two posts before that one and deleted them because they had to do entirely with my weight.]

My word, how things have changed in three years. I like to think that in that time, I've become a better writer. I've moved from being a "blogspot" blog to being a dot com. I've matured, settled deeper into married life, gone through trials, become a mother.

I'm excited to have three years of collected writings to look back through, a sort-of memoir of my life thus far. Silly stories and deeper musings I can share with the world.

It still amazes me that anyone bothers to read my writing here, and it is such an honor to me. I so enjoy the community of blogging, being able to put questions out there and get answers or at least support. Quickly realizing I am not the only person who struggles with ________.

As a thank you to you, dear readers, I'm planning lots of giveaway fun for this week!

Today I'm going to give away a DVD of one of my favorite movies, The Wedding Singer.

To enter, just tell me one thing you like about Vanderbilt Wife. That's it! I'll choose a winner on Friday, July 17, at 3 p.m. CST.

Giveaway Winner

For those of you who have been waiting with bated breath, just wanted to let you know that MJ was the winner of Nine Ways God Always Speaks! Congratulations, and hope the rest of you will go out and buy a copy, because it's a GREAT book.

Top Ten Tuesday: Linky Love

Since it seems people like a list of good reads, once again, here are my Top Ten Posts I've Liked Recently, for your reading pleasure!

10. "Best Audio Books for Kids" by OhAmanda. It was her top ten post today. Is that cheating? I left a small essay in the comments!!

9. "Will You Hit Your Saturation Point Before Your Tipping Point?" by Velveteen Mind

8. "When I Am Old" by The MawMaw

7. "Adjusting to Life with Three Littles" by Mom of Littles (aka MoneySaving Mom)

6. "ESPN, Where Do You Get These People?" by Deep South Moms

5. "Not Budgeting Enough Can Be Costly" by A Simple Walk

4. "Sweetness" by Love Well

3. "Brave" by Ministry So Fabulous

2. "I Cried" from The Life, Faith, and Creativity of Jessica Turner

1. "Throwing Down on the Recession" by Deep South Moms

And while we're talking links, here are the recipes I've starred on my Google Reader lately. Anyone want to make one of these for me? Sticking with the theme, these are the last 10 I've added.

Chocolate Chip Coffee Cake from Chocolatechic
Lemon Cake from Chocolatechic (really, she needs to stop taking such yummy-looking pictures)
Sesame-Garlic Chicken Noodle Stir-Fry from Cooking During Stolen Moments
Lemon-Garlic Chicken Noodle Soup from Naturally Knocked Up
Blackberry Jam Oatmeal Cookie Sandwiches from Cooking During Stolen Moments
Banana Cream Pie from Chocolatechic
Ridiculously Good Chocolate Cake from Cooking During Stolen Moments
Italian Meatball Hoagies from $5 Dinners
Meatball Soup from A Year of Crockpotting
Crockpot Chicken Fajitas from $5 Dinners

And while we're talking ... if you're visiting from OhAmanda, I have a giveaway going on right now for a wonderful book on hearing God speak in our time. Check it out and enter!

Nine Ways God Always Speaks

Do you think God still speaks?

Really?

And how?

Even though over the last three years I have worked on at least three Bible studies about God speaking, none of them hit me like this book did. Sure, I thought God spoke to people. In some way.

Even though I know someone who has heard an audible voice telling her that her husband would be OK when he was going through a tough sickness, I still wasn't sure that pertained to me. I believe her--definitely. But I wouldn't expect it to happen to me.

And why not?

In Nine Ways God Always Speaks, Mark Herringshaw and Jennifer Schuchmann relay stories. Stories of God speaking to normal, present-day Christians like you and me. These are interspersed with historical and biblical examples in a very readable manner. The authors throw in their own opinions, doubts, and feelings--as well as incidences that occurred when they were writing the book. It's a conversation with a friend as they tell you about the amazing thing that happened to someone they know.

I knew I would like the book as soon as I started it. What I didn't know is how it would challenge me. I think that we've really tried to take the supernatural out of God in our culture. It's not easy to rationalize, so we just dismiss it. I think the biggest struggle I've had with my faith is trying to put God in a box that my pea-sized brain can comprehend.

And He is much bigger than that box, y'all.

I came away with the overwhelming desire to expect God to work in my life--to hear Him. Maybe through the Bible. Maybe through coincidences or nature. But also maybe through dreams, visions, voices, or an urge to do something I can't do on my own. I don't want to take the mystery out of God. I want to expect Him to work in big ways that I can't understand.

If you've traveled all the way through my diatribe here, your reward is this: I am giving away one copy of this wonderful book. Just leave me a comment telling me what book has changed your faith (or has made you question or think about faith, if there isn't one). Twitter this (use @vanderbiltwife) and leave me an additional comment telling me you did for an extra entry. I'll pick a winner on Friday, June 5. US and Canada only, please. Thanks!

Some of the other books that have worked in my life are:
Sophie's Heart by Lori Wick
Believing God by Beth Moore
Girl Meets God by Lauren Winner