Coffee with Mara

Coupons: AC Moore

2008-12-28T08:02:00.003-05:00

Please click picture to enlarge

Etsy Find: Vintage Inspired Jewelry

2008-12-14T07:54:00.007-05:00

While browsing through the C.A.S.T. (Christian Artist Street Team) Etsy member sites, I came across Vintage Inspired Jewelry! She has amazing pieces!! Her work is gorgeous! Here are some pictures:

Thanksgiving Pictures!

2008-12-12T14:32:00.003-05:00

I know, I know.. I'm a bit late.. But better late then never.. :o)
Here are some pictures from Thanksgiving @ my parent's house in Queens, NY,

Here is one of the few nativity sets my mom owns. This one is wood carved! I was lucky enough to convince my mom to loan it to me! :o)

My mom's 2008 Christmas Ornament!

2007 Christmas Ornament

Grandpa, Aaron, Lyla & I were pre-gaming.. waiting for the Turkey

Lyla is the best to cuddle with! well.. the 2nd best. AG being the best!

Yummy TURKEY!

Sweet Potatoes with extra marshmallows!

Green Bean Casserole

The family!

What did we have?
Turkey (duh)
Sweet Potatoes
Green Been Casserole
Stuffing
Rice & Beans (duh)
Mofongitos (It's a Spanish plantain dish)
Coquito (Puerto Rican Egg Nog)
Bread Pudding
and some other assortments!

It was a great night! Our first Thanksgiving has husband & wife! and Lyla's First Thanksgiving!

The Bible Gone Green

2008-12-12T13:54:00.006-05:00

It was only a matter of time that The Bible would go green! And it did! Introducing The Green Bible!

Green Bible info: from Beatitudes Society Blog

The Green Bible is published by HarperOne, ($29.95). Their eco-friendly production process is a good step for the industry. They use soy-based inks, recycled paper, and a 100% cloth/linen cover.

There are resources in here collected from some of the most prophetic and influential voices from all assorted religious flavors, both ancient and contemporary. It is filled with essays from Archbishop Desmond Tutu, author and activist Brian McLaren, well-known preacher Barbara Brown Taylor, Pope John Paul II, Jewish environmentalist Ellen Bernstein, and Anglican Bishop of Durham and renowned New Testament scholar N.T. Wright, to name a few. It includes a poem from celebrated poet and conservationist Wendell Berry and a canticle from St. Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of ecology. (No joke. There really is an official patron saint of ecology.)

The Green Bible also includes:

information on how to read the Bible through a green lens,
a historical overview of Christian teachings on creation, from St. Augustine to C.S. Lewis,
a Green Bible Trail study guide, pointing out six green themes throughout the scriptures,
green text highlighting passages that speak to green issues,
a green subject index,
and even a resource guide with suggestions to help your congregation get more involved in the green movement and practical ways to make a difference in your daily life.

OK... I was not sure how I would feel about the Green Bible. Last week Aaron & I went into Barnes & Noble. I had actually wanted to check out The Bible Illuminated (which I was able to.. ummm no... not for me.. I'm actually not sure who it's for.. but more on that on a later post), but took the oppurtunity to see if they had the Green Bible. They did. To make a long story short, I liked it (I'm surprised I did) & Aaron did not. Perhaps part of me likes it because I actually do need a new Bible and if I were to get a new one, why not get one that is Earth friendly??

Megan's Gingerbread Tree Disaster

2008-12-09T11:35:00.006-05:00

Here's my little cousin Megan decorating a gingerbread Christmas tree @ my mom's house!

Megan & my mom's rug background story:

My mom, a few years ago (about 2yrs), decided to put down rug in her whole apartment, so that her niece & nephew (Megan & Gabby), could feel free to be kids without disturbing the downstairs neighbors. Well, the first day Megan & Gabby came over, after the rug had been installed, my mom sat them both down and explained that they had to be careful when eating & drinking, because she had paid quite a bit of money to have the majority of the house rugged.. That's when my stepdad came in with McDonalds breakfast.. they sat down and chomped away.... all was well, until little Megan decided to walk away from the table and take her chocolate milk with her.. What followed next was a high pitched yelp. Megan spilled her milk on my mom's brand new rug... not good... looking back, it was quite funny! Megan blamed my stepdad for the whole thing. After all, he was the one who gave her the milk to begin with.. lol.. Kids these days! anyhoo.. Fast forward two years later and here is Megan @ my mom’s house. They were having a girls day.. Mom got her a gingerbread tree to assemble and decorate.. Priceless!

Here is the short, edited version..

Bible Illuminated: The New Testament

2008-12-04T18:22:00.008-05:00

So, I was surfing the web and came across an article about the Bible Illuminated.

What is Bible Illuminated?
It's a glossy magazine/ coffee table version of the new testament with lots of high end photography (including pictures of celebrities). I kid not

I'm actually at a lost for words.. I'm not sure if thats a good thing or bad.. ;o/

Here is more info from Amazon.com

Who created The Book?

The company that created The Book is called Illuminated World. The co-founder and creative visionary for the Bible Illuminated is Dag Söderberg, former CEO of one of the largest advertising firms in Scandinavia. Dag's passion for photography and innovative design helped with the creative direction of such a huge undertaking. He loves art and finding unique ways to present traditional things in a non-traditional way, a part of his advertising background that definitely shaped The Book and ultimately its look and feel. His vision from the beginning was to re-brand the Bible for a consumer audience but remain true to the text (which is why The Book uses the standard Good News Translation).

What is the goal of publishing The Book?

There is no religious mission behind The Book. We believe that its success will be driven by the fact that this is not coming from any specific faith, religion or church. We are from many faiths, backgrounds, and beliefs; ultimately we are trying to create something for the many and not just for the few. The goal is to drive an emotional reaction and get people to think, discuss and share. It's meant to trigger bigger moral questions that will in turn help people to understand the common heritage between all religions through the Bible's text. We hope people will find the images, design and layout intriguing—intriguing enough to talk about the actual stories in the Bible and what the morals and lessons mean to them. The more you know, the more you can participate in discussions about the world and understand the bigger picture.

What does The Book look like?

Bible Illuminated:The Book looks like a high-end magazine. It presents the New Testament as it's never been seen before in full-color, glossy format, illustrated throughout with striking, sometimes provocative, contemporary photographs. It is meant to be comfortable and easy to flip through and used as you would use any Bible. There are no verses and the text runs with columns and paragraphs just like in a magazine.

Who is Illuminated World trying to reach with The Book?

The Book is meant for anyone and everyone. It is for people who currently own a Bible but never read it, people who don't own a Bible or would never even consider picking it up, as well as people who currently read or use the Bible, but want to experience this new, innovative design.

What do the highlighted passages and sentences mean?

The meaning of these passages is open to readers. We highlighted and underlined passages throughout The Book as a way to draw the reader's attention and provide an opportunity for reflection.

What should people do with The Book?

We want people to be able to flip through the pages and find something that they relate to, whether it's an image of a war-torn soldier or homeless person, a celebrity or an endangered animal—or a certain passage paired with a powerful image that resonates with them.

ummmm... can we please talk about the cover!? what in the world!

Video: Steve Harvey introduces Jesus Christ

2008-12-04T18:18:00.000-05:00

Video: The Stool

2008-11-30T22:11:00.001-05:00

Found this awesome video on GodTube. Great illustration!

Happy (belated) Thanksgiving!

2008-11-29T12:45:00.005-05:00

Hope everyone had an awesome Thanksgiving! We sure did!

There is so much to be Thankful for: family, friends, good health, chocolate.. my husband and puppy! ohh and coffee! :o)

Sale: Love My Shoes (ends: 12/4)

2008-11-29T11:16:00.003-05:00

Check out the Love my Shoes sale!

Sale: Michaels Craft Store

2008-11-29T10:39:00.002-05:00

Saturday, November 29th sales

Monday, December 1st sales

Article: Music with a heart for the poor - CompassionArt hits shelves this week

2008-11-23T20:15:00.002-05:00

Via: Christianity Today

Twelve CompassionArt songwriters, joined by seven genre-defining guest vocalists, have come together for an unprecedented offering to help the poorest of the poor through the 14-song charity album, CompassionArt: Creating Freedom From Poverty.

This groundbreaking recording, which includes a compelling 50-minute DVD CompassionArt documentary, will be available at both physical and digital retail outlets in Europe through Fierce!/Kingsway and sold at WH Smith stores across the UK.

Nineteen of the most well-known artists in the whole genre of Christian/Gospel music are featured on the CompassionArt recording. The songwriters on the album are Paul Baloche, Steven Curtis Chapman, Stu G, Israel Houghton, Tim Hughes, Graham Kendrick, Andy Park, Matt Redman, Martin Smith, Michael W Smith, Chris Tomlin, and Darlene Zschech. Kirk Franklin, Amy Grant, Joel Houston, Leeland Mooring, Christy Nockels, tobyMac and CeCe Winans all feature as guest vocals.

The goal of CompassionArt and this recording is to engage people everywhere to help end world poverty. None of these artists will ever receive a dime for their efforts.

CompassionArt is not a one-time Live Aid concert, nor just one We Are The World-type song, but a whole album of original songs forever donated to the poor. Songs can be heard, recorded, re-recorded and sung for generations, earning royalties for publishers when the songs are played and through a variety of other outlets over many years.

In addition to the songwriters and guest vocalists, the publishers, managers, record labels, copyright institutes and agents involved are donating their efforts on this project to CompassionArt.

“We are a global community, an underground adventure, a map being drawn as we speak that connects wealth with poverty, art with hope, compassion with despair,” says CompassionArt founder and Delirious? frontman Martin Smith. “We have united ourselves as a community of artists and songwriters to give it all away. Please join us by purchasing the album, playing these songs and singing them in your church services.

“Every CompassionArt songwriter has nominated a charitable project that will share in half the proceeds that these songs raise,” continues Smith. “The projects supported include those that offer people primary healthcare, clean water, education and more. But we also wanted to do something together; we wanted to invest the other half of the proceeds in projects that would join the dots between art and compassion.”

Four collective projects were chosen to receive 50 per cent of the proceeds from these songs: Hand of Hope, offering relief and restoration for families caught up in Mumbai’s sex trade and food and education for children scraping for survival on a rubbish dump in Phnom Penh, Cambodia; Stop The Traffik, a global movement against the trafficking of people that has more than 1,000 member organisations in 50 countries and a grassroots following of ordinary activists around the world; Ray of Hope, a team of people in remote parts of Brazil that meets the needs of children - food, education, support, advice, clothing and medical aid; and Watoto, a charity helping orphaned children to abused mothers, and helping to restore hope to people whose lives have been devastated by suffering, providing creative life centers, encouraging artistic education and plans for a better future for all.

The Littlehampton-based CompassionArt held a songwriters’ retreat in January. The 12 songwriters worked together toward a common goal to write 10-12 songs for charity, but by the end of the retreat, had completed 22 new songs. The CompassionArt songwriters began recording the songs for the CompassionArt: Creating Freedom From Poverty album in February at the famous Abbey Road Studios in London, with later recording sessions in Nashville, New York and Los Angeles. Joining the songwriters and guest vocalists to work on the album were such acclaimed musicians, producers and engineers as Josiah Bell, Matt Bronleewe, Danny Duncan, Sam Gibson, Andy Hunt, Ted Jensen, Lakewood Choir, Dan Needham, Paul Moak, Jack Joseph Puig, The Prague Philharmonic Orchestra, Tommy Sims, Akil Thompson and the Watoto African Children’s Choir.

Catching the vision of CompassionArt early, several music festivals this past summer, including a couple of the largest festivals, Creation and Cornerstone, ran a three-minute CompassionArt promotional video on their JumboTrons in support of this movement.

Notably, WH Smith, has chosen CompassionArt to be a featured Christmas release to promote in its 486 stores.

Recognised already for its charity work, CompassionArt became the recipient of the inaugural “Gospel Angel Award” presented by the Gospel Music Channel during the network's telecast of this year’s Dove Awards.

My Redeemer Lives - Team Hoyt

2008-11-23T10:43:00.002-05:00

I love this video! It's paired with My Redeemer Lives (an awesome song) by Nicole C. Mullen.

Dick and Rick Hoyt are a father-and-son team from Massachusetts who together compete just about continuously in marathon races. And if theyre not in a marathon they are in a triathlon — that daunting, almost superhuman, combination of 26.2 miles of running, 112 miles of bicycling, and 2.4 miles of swimming. Together they have climbed mountains, and once trekked 3,735 miles across America. Its a remarkable record of exertion — all the more so when you consider that Rick can't walk or talk.

This video is an awesome representation of how awesome our God is. No matter the struggles or heartaches He carries us through to VICTORY!

Team Hoyt

Why oh Why??!?!?

2008-11-21T14:15:00.006-05:00

Why do celebrities insist on giving their babies ridiculous names? Is there some contest that's going on that I don't know about??

Ashlee Simpson and her “Fall Out Boy” husband Pete Wentz have finally welcomed their son. The new baby's name is Bronx Mowgli Wentz.

No clue yet on the basis of the Bronx moniker.

But Mowgli is the name of the character in Rudyard Kipling’s short story “In the Rukh,” and is best known for being the lead in the popular animated film, “The Jungle Book,” inspired by Kipling’s work.

Here are some other interesting celebrity baby names from TimesOnline.com

50 craziest celebrity baby names (in alphabetical order)

Aanisah: Macy Gray (also mother to Tahmel)
Apple: Chris Martin and Gwyneth Paltrow
Astrella Celeste: Donovan and Linda Lawrence (also parents to Oriole Nebula)
Atherton Grace: Don Johnson and Kelley Phleger
Audio Science: Shannyn Sossamon
Aurelius Cy: Elle Macpherson and Arpad Busson
Blue Angel: U2's The Edge and Aislinn O'Sullivan
Bluebell Madonna: Geri Halliwell
Brooklyn: David and Victoria Beckham (also parents to Romeo and Cruz)
Calico: Alice and Sheryl Cooper (also parents to Sonora Rose)
Camera: Arthur Ashe and Jeanne Moutoussamy
Destry: Steven Spielberg and Kate Capshaw
Diezel Ky: Toni Braxton and Keri Lewis (also parents to Denim Cole)
Fifi Trixibell: Bob Geldof and Paula Yates (also parents to Peaches and Pixie)
Fuchsia: Sting and Frances Tomelty
Gaia: Emma Thompson and Greg Wise
Gulliver: Gary Oldman and Donya Fiorentino
Heaven: Lil' Mo (also mother to God'Iss Love Stone)
Heavenly Hiraani Tiger Lily: Paula Yates and Michael Hutchence
Hopper: Sean Penn and Robin Wright
Ireland: Alec Baldwin and Kim Basinger
Jaz: Steffi Graf and Andre Agassi
Jazz Domino: Joe Strummer
Jermajesty: Jermaine Jackson and Alejandra Genevieve Oaziaza (previously married to Jermaine's brother Randy)
Kal-El Coppola: Nicholas Cage (Kal-El is Superman’s original birth name)
Kyd: David Duchovny and Tea Leoni
Lark Song: Mia Farrow and André Previn
Lennon: Liam Gallagher and Patsy Kensit
Liberty: Ryan Giggs
London Emilio: Slash
Luna Coco Patricia: Frank Lampard and Elen Rive
Marquise: 50 Cent
Memphis Eve: Bono
Moon Unit: Frank Zappa, also father to Dweezil and Diva Muffin
Moxie CrimeFighter: Penn Jillette (also father to Zolten)
Ocean: Forest Whitaker (also father to Sonnet and True)
Pilot Inspektor: Jason Lee and Beth Riesgraf
Poppy Honey: Jamie and Jules Oliver (also parents to Daisy Boo)
Rocket: Robert Rodriguez (also father to Racer, Rebel and Rogue)
Rufus Tiger: Roger Taylor also father to Tiger Lily and Lola Daisy
Saffron Sahara: Simon and Yasmin Le Bon (also parents to Amber Rose and Tallulah Pine)
Sage Moonblood: Sylvester Stallone and Sasha Czack (also parents to Seargeoh)
Satchel: Spike Lee and Tonya Lewis Lee
Seven Sirius: Andre Benjamin and Erykah Badu
Shiloh Nouvel: Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie
Sosie: Kevin Bacon and Kyra Sedgwick
Suri: Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes
Tallulah: Bruce Willis and Demi Moore (also parents to Scout and Rumer)
Willow Camille Reign: Will Smith and Jada Pinkett-Smith
Zola Ivy: Eddie Murphy and Nicole Mitchell

ok, ok.. I must confess.. Aaron & I have been talking about baby names (for the future).. and I did mention Brooklyn! Well.. hey.. Thats were I'm from... I even suggested Brooke Lynn (break it up into a first name and middle name). Aaron is not keen on it.. and this coming from the guy that named our puppy.. Lyla Butts!

Need a celebrity baby name? Well go check out YeahBaby.com for your strange baby name needs. It will generate a celebrity baby name for you. Here is what I got.

Boy: Sidewinder Dusk Gibson
Girl: Meadowlark Vixen Gibson

Guitar Hero Praise

2008-11-20T15:29:00.000-05:00

I was joking with Aaron a while ago about a Christian version of Guitar Hero.. Well someone stole my idea! lol..

Introducing Guitar Praise!

Live the Dream! Play with Rock Stars!
Strap on the guitar and strum along with your favorite bands including Relient K, Skillet, Stellar Kart, tobyMac, Casting Crowns, Jeremy Camp, and more! With over 50 songs - each with 4 levels of difficulty - and custom lead and bass guitar notes per song.

Works with Windows and Mac computers.

Baby got Book

2008-11-19T20:15:00.003-05:00

I thought I've heard it all.. until I came across this video.. there are no words..

Etsy Find: Colorfly Studio

2008-11-19T18:25:00.000-05:00

While browsing through the C.A.S.T. (Christian Artist Street Team) Etsy member sites, I came across Colorfly Studio ! She does amazing paper cut out prints!! Here are some pictures:

Coffee Recipe: Mocha Cinnamon Cream

2008-11-13T16:39:00.000-05:00

Mocha Cinnamon Cream: coffee with chocolate and spiced whipped cream

1 1/2 cups coffee, hot
1/2 cup cream
3/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1 tbs sugar
4 tsp chocolate syrup

Add a teaspoon of chocolate syrup to the bottom of 4 small cups. Stir together cream, 1/4 tsp cinnamon, all the nutmeg and sugar. Whip until you have soft peaks.

Stir remaining cinnamon into the hot coffee. Pour coffee into cups and stir to blend with the chocolate. Top with spiced whipped cream

Praise Break | Rance Allen

2008-11-13T16:11:00.000-05:00

I think we all need a little Praise Break. A time to act a fool for JESUS! :o)

GodTube: Jon & Kate Plus 8 Stars: An Answer to Prayer

2008-11-12T14:04:00.000-05:00

I love Jon & Kate!

Etsy Find: Larie's Creations

2008-11-12T13:25:00.000-05:00

I love Etsy! It's the best! There are so many quality handmade vendors, it's amazing!

While browsing through the C.A.S.T. (Christian Artist Street Team) members sites I came across Larie's Creations! She has beautiful jewelry! Here are some pictures:

Grandparents 50'th Wedding Anniversary!

2008-11-12T11:25:00.000-05:00

My grandparent's celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary! Leave it to my mom to come up with a theme. Everyone was encourage to dress in 1950's attire. Mom went went as far as printing 1950's slang words from the internet! Learning 50's lingo was not easy, but nonetheless hilarious! Here are some pictures (Aaron could not make it to the party :o/)

My Attempt @ a 50's hairdo (it took me a bit)

A family friend ready to Party

My uncle & cousin making good use of the cardboard photo prop

The men

My auntie & I

Sisters! My auntie & grandma

Playing "instruments"

singing

She made her own skirt!

The table

Lollipop cake

Our attempt in making our grandparents home a bit 50's!

My grandparents baccccckk in the day

Grandma

Grandpa

And to think, Aaron & I have 49 years 10 months to our 50th wedding anniversary! Yippee!

SALE: Vosges Chocolates

2008-11-11T23:33:00.000-05:00

10% off web purchases at Vosges Chocolates for the month of November! Use the code 2810WB1.

What's a Million Dollars to God?

2008-11-08T20:26:00.000-05:00

Worth it all by Rita Springer

2008-11-07T17:04:00.000-05:00

And there sat Paul.

2008-10-26T17:01:00.000-04:00

An oldie but goodie! This was an old post on my myspace. It's part of one of my favorite books, The Unquenchable Worshipper.

Chapter 10 - The Unending Worshipper

The possibility of death seems to sharpen a person's priorities, values, and perceptions.
When time is short, "the unimportant" begins to fade.
What really matters?
What does it all mean?

And there sat Paul.

In prison. Alone. Rumors of his own execution swirling, if not amongst the guards that watched him twenty-four hours a day, then, at the very least, in his own mind.

With death a very real possibility, he ponders a question that lingers in the back of our minds-

What does it mean to live?
What does it mean to die?

These are the "big questions" that we bury underneath grocery lists, car repairs and office deadlines. These are the questions that we never stop - or avoid stopping - to ask.

Paul's answer?

To live? Christ.
To die? Gain.

Paul, in two short phrases, sums up what it means to live this kind of "in-between existence" we call Christianity. We are to live in eager expectation of our heavenly inheritance (Philippians 3 v 20-21) while, at the same time, being firmly fixed on ensuring that "Your Kingdom comes, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven." (Matthew 6 v10)

If Paul is released He will continue to live "in Christ," not stopping for a moment his life of worship through obedience, intimacy, adoration, and proclamation. To live is Christ.

If Paul is executed He will ´see face to face´ and ´know fully´ (I Corinthians 13 v 12) the presence of Christ. Faced with the unspeakable Glory of God, Paul will forever sing and exist to praise Him. To die is gain.

And there is the Unending Worshipper. Like Paul, they understand that worship does not end.

It does not end when the guitar is silent.
It does not end when you are away from Church.
It does not end when life deals you a crushing blow.
It does not end when this life itself ends.
It never ends.

Worship is the constant for Christians because, whether in this life or the next, we are never outside of the Presence of God. And it is that very Presence - the love it brings and the awe it inspires - that demands to be praised.

Scripture Review

Being an Unending Worshipper is, in large part, about realizing that worship is our natural, God-given response to the fact that God is evident in Creation and in our daily lives as a foreshadowing of the amazing power of His Presence we will know when we pass from this life to the next. The passages below will hopefully help you to focus on some of these aspects of being an Unending Worshipper.

Philippians 3 v 20-21; Hebrews 11 v 13; 1 Peter 2v 11 These passages and others highlight remind us of the fact that we are not here long term and that our actual citizenship and authority rests in Heaven.

Matthew 6 v 9-13; Matthew 5 v 1-12
The Beatitudes and the Lord´s Prayer are two central passages that highlight the reign of Christ and the Presence of God here in this life.Christ calls us to live and pray with a distinctly horizontal as well as vertical orientation.