Tag Archives: Friday Flair

No, your eyes are not deceiving you. It’s actually a new blog post at Anointed With Grace. Well, it’s a Friday Flair post . . . I am easing back into this, okay? Actually, I’m not sure I remember how to use WordPress.

I can’t really explain the season of no blogging. Lately, it has not been something that energizes me. Or rather, I haven’t had the energy or desire to sit down and make it happen. Maybe 2010 will be the year of renewed blogging.

The good news is that I didn’t totally abandon my writing. I sold another short article last week! Yippee 🙂

Okay, so here are some funny and serious things that I want you to check out:

Please read this post by Sarah Markley. It got me all choked up before my first cup of coffee this morning. And made me say in my head, “That’s what Christmas is all about, Charlie Brown!” (Also, if you haven’t read Sarah’s story—which I linked up a few months ago—please do that too).

I feel like people in Nashville have gone crazy. I really want to hear from you on this one. Does every 20th car in your town seem to have turned into a reindeer for the holidays?? Everywhere I drive around here, there are cars that have a red nose and antlers in the window like the picture below. This is the first year I noticed this particular trend. Is this just a Nashville thing or is this the new way to be festive? (I think I liked the old-school wreath on the front bumper a little better). Regardless, if you just have to apply this trendy new look to your poor car, apparently you can buy a reindeer car kit on Amazon.

Now, for a fun holiday recipe. Y’all, my mom made these when I was little and I had completely forgotten about them until Kelly posted the recipe on her blog! These are so easy to make and a great thing to take to parties (or to sit and eat by yourself without sharing).

Finally, I have to pat myself on the back and let you know that I ran my first race, the Boulevard Bolt, here in Nashville on Thanksgiving Day. I finished in 62 minutes (which arguably means I was jogging and not running). But it was a great moment crossing the finish line. And the song playing on my iPod when I crossed that finish line—Third Day‘s Sing A Song. I love, love, love this song and wanted to share this in closing:

And I sing about Your mercy
And I sing about Your love
Your goodness, Lord
Your righteousness
I want to sing…

A song of Your faithfulness
A song of Your grace
And of Your loving kindness
To the glory of Your name
With everything that’s in me, Lord
Listen to me say
I want to sing a song for You
I want to sing a song

Merry Christmas, y’all. Sing a song to our Savior on his birthday next Friday!

I’m getting ready to leave in just a few hours for Ft. Lauderdale for the long weekend (yay!), but I couldn’t miss out on Boomama’s 2009 DipTacular. Especially since this weekend marks the beginning of college football season (yay SEC, Go Vandy!)

So, I wanted to share a dip recipe that is so easy to make and gets rave reviews. It’s a cold dip–and one of those that you can easily make when it’s late the night before your event and you have totally forgotten that you were supposed to bring anything (not that anything like that ever happens to me). Let’s just say that I keep the ingredients on hand . . .

Spinach Onion Dip

1 pouch dry onion soup mix (I usually use Campbell’s but the generic works just fine)
1 container (16 ounces) sour cream
1 package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and well-drained
1/3 cup chopped toasted almonds (optional, as in I don’t use them because I don’t like my dip to crunch)

Combine soup mix, sour cream, spinach (and almonds). Stir until ingredients are distributed through the mix. Refrigerate at least 2 hours. I serve with wheat thins and tortilla chips, but you can also use veggies, pita chips, etc.

Easy and very good! And leftovers keep well in the refrigerator. I now sound like my mom (keep well?)

Since my dip doesn’t include cream cheese, click over to Sophie’s blog for ALL the wonderful DipTacular links (or you can click on the button at the top of this post). The last time I checked, there were links to 155 dips!

Happy Labor Day weekend,

P.S. Check back next week because I’m going to start a series called Extending Grace about what God is teaching me in different areas of my life. Happy Friday!

Welcome back Friday Flair! I have missed posting links, so I am catching up on some older stuff and some amazing new stuff:

I’m not sure how I missed it in July, but this post over at Stuff Christians Like is so powerful–and may be my favorite one that Jon has written.

Big Mama, our favorite fashion consultant, posted a link to this fabulous invention called Chickies. I totally wish I had thought of this idea and I definitely have to have one (or three)!

Annie’s tribute to her grandmother is beautiful.

I love it when God moves people to be courageous and tell their tough stories. Sarah’s current series over at her blog is so honest, so life-changing. Sometimes, God has to chase us down and bring us back to him. I know this from experience. Sarah is so brave and God has done amazing things in her life; please don’t miss her story. Link here to the Intro and Parts 1, 2, 3, and 4. Part 5 will be posted today.

Bible verse of the day: Lamentations 3:24. I will wait for him.

My favorite new song these days is Lay ‘Em Down by NeedToBreathe. Seriously, I cannot get enough of this song.

Happy Friday!

P.S. Are y’all as excited as me about all the TV premiers coming up in late September? I have so missed my Grey’s, Private Practice, and Castle. Between that and the beginning of football season, I am quite giddy. 🙂

So, I haven’t been posting very much lately. I’m in a bit of a dry spell with the writing and the motivation to write. Thankfully, I am attending the She Speaks Conference in North Carolina next weekend. I will be in the Writer’s Track. Hopefully, it will give me the kick in the pants that I need to start writing regularly again! Also, I am SO excited to meet Hillary, my roommate for the conference! She has already won my affection by posting some comments on my blog 🙂

Okay, I have to post THIS VIDEO first because I love it. It has been floating around facebook this week, so you may have already seen it. Girls, practice up for my wedding cause this is right up my alley! (I can also see Ally doing something like this!)

Grab a kleenex for this one. I love THIS POST by Amy Beth.

Many of you asked me about the song that I posted a few weeks ago, Does Anybody Hear Her? by Casting Crowns. You can listen to the song and watch the video HERE.

Lately, a theme that resounds in my life is music, especially song lyrics that are extremely poignant and moving. I heard THIS SONG by Jonny Diaz for the first time this week. It was obvious to me that God wanted me to hear the message in that exact moment . . .

There could never be a more beautiful you
Don’t buy the lies disguises and hoops they make you jump through
You were made to fill a purpose that only you could do
So there could never be a more beautiful you

You can listen to the song HERE. Amazing.

Bible verse of the week: Psalm 32:8

Happy Friday!