I am so excited about this! I can't wait for you to take advantage of it!

After posting my comparison of the Much Ado About You Planner vs the Erin Condren Life Planner, I received a wonderful email from Emmy at Much Ado About You. She was very appreciative of my above mentioned post. She told me the story of how her shop came to be and even some about her family.

She was so sweet. Emmy is providing the second giveaway of a Much Ado About You planner plus the Whole Shebang Add On! If you want to get in on that drawing Click Here. The winner will be announced this Sunday.

And that's not the best news.....

Emmy has offered all of you a discount! That's right, as a reader of The Intentional Peace, you are getting 10% off all orders through October 7th by using the discount code INTPEACE at checkout. 

That's right! 10% off all orders for you! So stock up now! You only have until October 7th. These planners, desk and wall calendars, and idea books would make great Christmas gifts! I know I'm ordering a few for gifts. To start shopping now, go to http://www.etsy.com/shop/muchadoaboutyou. 

To see all the details and tons of pictures of all of Emmy's great products, go to http://maay-products.blogspot.com/ Happy Shopping! 

.....day 49 of a year of writing.....

A Cookie Dough on a Spoon Kind of Day

My days often too quickly turn into those crazy, go to practice, what's for dinner, cranky kids, lose my patience too easily kind of days. Everything can be going smoothly and then all of a sudden, I feel like my head might explode.

Am I the only one who has these kinds of days? I mean overall, my day was incredible! But the last 20 minutes have pushed me to near insanity. Sometimes it happens so fast. In the past, I would be confessing all this to you over a glass of wine that I poured at 4:55 p.m. because I would beg to argue that that is close enough to 5:00.

But since my days of relying on a bottle of wine are over, I'm eating cookie dough off a spoon. Oh, and I drank Juicy Juice straight from the bottle in the fridge. (This is very out of character for me, by the way. I always use a glass.)

But in all reality, I know that we all have these moments, and even days of weakness when we feel like we're at our max. Sometimes I raise my voice too loud at my kids. Sometimes I lose my patience. Sometimes I just want them to go away. I get tired of the whining, the fighting, and the constant questions at times
It's in these moments that I know I need more of God's word written on my heart. My journey through the Gospels and the New Testament over the past few months has definitely changed me, and it continues to do so. I pray His word continues to change me until the day I die, and I know that if I pursue Him, it will.

And even though I feel good about how much time I'm spending in God's word, I know without a doubt that I don't know enough of it. It's not written inside me like I want it to be.

It's moments like today when I want to pour that glass of wine, that I know I need His word to battle the elements with. I need it to come to my tongue without hesitation. I need it to seep into every bit of my soul to guide me through my moments of impatience.

Let's do this.....What if we (that means all of us together....if you want to of course) commit to learn a scripture a week?

I know I need it, and I know I need the accountability of my peers to make sure that it actually happens.

I think it's a good plan.

So here is my scripture for the week. I feel like it's a good one to start with.

"Thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and manifests through us the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place."

~2 Corinthians 2:14, NASB 

So are you in? Post the scripture that you want to memorize this week below as a comment if you want to join the challenge. Go on...It'll be good for you. I can't wait to see what you'll pick out to hide inside your heart.


And on another note, I have a great surprise tomorrow! It's a discount on something that I know many of you love already! I can't wait to share with you! 

.....day 48 of a year of writing.....

The Help

An excerpt from The Help 

"We need to decide on a title," I say and rub my temples. "I've been working on a few.  I think we should call it Colored Domestics and the Southern Families for Which They Work."

"Say what?" Minny says, looking at me for the first time.

"That's the best way to describe it, don't you think?" I say.

"If you got a corncob up your butt."

"This isn't fiction, Minny. It's sociology. It has to sound exact."

"But that doesn't mean it have to sound boring," Minny says.

"Aibileen," I sigh, hoping we can resolve this tonight. "What do you think?"

Aibileen shrugs and I can see already, she's putting on her peace-making smile. It seems she has to smooth things over every time Minny and I are in the same room. "That's a good title. A course you gone get tired a typing all that on top a ever page," she says.  I'd told her this is how it has to be done. 

"Well, we could shorten it a little....." I say and pull out my pencil. 

Aibileen scratches her nose, says, "What you think about just calling it...Help?"

"Help," Minny repeats, like she's never heard of the word. 

"Help," I say. 

Aibileen shrugs, looks down shyly, like she's a little embarrassed. "I ain't trying to take over your idea I just...I like to keep things simple, you know?"

"I guess Help sounds alright to me," Minny says and crosses her arms. 

"I like...Help," I say, because I really do. I add, "I think we'll still have to put the description underneath, so the category's clear, but I think that's a good title." 

"Good is right," Minny says. "Cause if this thing gets printed, Lord knows we gone need some." 

I usually try not to read what everyone else is reading...it's really just me being stubborn. Everyone has been reading it, and everyone has been raving about the movie, so I finally gave in and bought it!

The Help by Kathryn Stockett is a beautiful story of the lives of three women living in Jackson, Mississippi, in 1962. Two of them, Aibileen and Minny, are black maids, and Skeeter is a young aspiring writer who loved the maid who raised her like a mother.

Skeeter and Aibileen cross paths thanks to a writing column that Skeeter secures at the local newspaper that focuses on the secrets to keeping a house clean (which Skeeter knows nothing about). Skeeter begins interviewing Aibileen in search of the answers to her readers' questions, and a life changing bond forms.

What started as an idea to tell their story, became a book that moved the city of Jackson. You'll fall in love with Aibileen's adoration for Mae Mobley, the white baby she cares for, and you'll laugh at Minny's big mouth that often gets her into lots of trouble.

Skeeter's heart to change things will make you want to make a revolution of your own. She's not afraid to stand up for what she believes in her heart to be true about the black women of Mississippi.

You won't be able to stop reading it until the last page and then you'll wish there were more.

And Aibileen's beautiful words will be stuck in your heart when you're done,

"You is kind. You is smart. You is important." 

You'll love it. I know you will.

.....day 47 of a year of writing..... 

Much Ado About You VS The Erin Condren Life Planner

Please don't think I'm crazy. There is a good chance that you will after reading this. My slight OCD is definitely going to shine through on this post. Just hang with me for a second. It won't be as painful as you think.

So, if you've been following for a while, you may remember a post a few weeks back about a wonderful paper planner that I found. Many of you even bought it. It is really that cool. If you need a refresher as to what I'm talking about or if you weren't around then, click here.

I really do like that planner. I promise. But the same time that I was introduced to the Erin Condren planner, I was also introduced to the Much Ado About You planner. I ordered both.

I know...I told you I have a problem....at least I'm well aware of it.

I got both of them in the mail around the same time, and the Erin Condren planner was so pretty! So it won me over at first, but I knew there was something about the Much Ado About You Planner that I LOVED.

Eventually, I realized that the layout of the Erin Condren planner was just not working for me. (There is a chance that it was making me more crazy than I naturally am.) Even though I love it! I really do! (And if you ordered one, I know you'll love yours. I'm just crazy, remember?!)

I had to try the Much Ado planner. So I transfered over all my info, and I was in LOVE. So here's why:

First of all, the overall weight of the Much Ado planner is much lighter than the Erin Condren planner. It's easier to carry around (which makes me happy since I carry mine everywhere).

And of course you can personalize it! 

The monthly layout is a full 2 page layout as opposed to the Life Planner's 1 page layout. 

There is more space to write in the daily spaces plus there's a notes section at the bottom of each day. The days have space for hourly planning from 7:00 a.m.- 11:00 p.m. 

Sorry about my bad pics. But I wanted you to see mine. This format has helped me map out my crazy days so much more efficiently. It makes it easier for me to see how much time I have available and when at a single glance. 

There is also a built-in folder in the back for holding your essentials (like your Scentsy catalog). 

and you can add on a personalized notebook (lined or unlined) and a pen/pencil holder

Oh, and don't overlook the pen/pencil holder. It's one of my favorite parts! 

Other things I really love about the Much Ado planner: 

• The tabs are thicker and much sturdier than the tabs on the Life Planner. The tabs on my Life Planner were already starting to show signs of wear. The tabs on the Much Ado planner are protected by the length of the cover and are thicker to begin with. 
• There is ample space in the back for notes. 
• The layout of every week is exactly the same. (The Life Planner can vary week to week depending on how the month falls. So Monday may be the first day one week and Sunday may be the first day the next....it confused me.) 

And I must not forget to tell you that the Much Ado About You planner comes in three sizes. (I personally LOVE the medium size.) 

And just look at all these styles to choose from, and the prices are incredibly reasonable.

It really is love. I have finally found the one.

Much Ado About You also carries:

• Desk/Wall Calendars
• Journals and Idea Books
• Appointment Books
• Teacher Lesson Planners
• Student Academic Planners
• Address Books 

I love it all. You'll have to go check it out for yourself. Head over to http://maay-products.blogspot.com/ and have a look around. You won't be disappointed. 

Anything I LOVE has to come with a Giveaway, and since I love planning so much, this time I'm giving away two! Our first winner entered two Sundays ago here. 

Congratulations to GeruvyMe! You just won your own personalized Much Ado About You planner!

To be our second winner, simply post below how you would use your new Much Ado About You planner, and you just may win! (You also have to be a follower to win, so make sure to hit that blue "Join This Site" button on the left.) I'll announce a winner on Sunday, October 2nd during the Sunday 7. 

Good luck! 

.....day 46 of a year of writing.....

Feeding Others...Leaving Full

I didn't exactly know what I was getting myself into when I told my small group that we were going to start serving our community one Monday night a month.

We all agreed and said we would brainstorm what we could do. We decided to do something different every month, and we'd all come up with ideas.

Well, tonight was our first "serving" night, and as of this afternoon, we had no game plan. None. Not even a suggestion. I made a decision before I headed out to small group, that we were going to go serve somewhere no matter what. It would have been a lot easier to stay in our small group and go about our normal Bible study and prayer routine. But it's not what we said we would do.

It was Maggie who suggested we head downtown to feed the homeless. I was honestly not sure it was the best idea. Let's keep brainstorming.

In all honesty, I often tend to want to serve the sick or the needy, but rarely the homeless. I don't know why. It's just the honest truth.

When it came time for us to head out, feeding the homeless was the winning idea. So we headed to downtown Oklahoma City.

We stopped at McDonald's for 15 cheeseburgers, 15 chicken sandwiches, and 15 fries, and at Taco Bell for 30 tacos. We had two cars full of women and an hour to pass out sixty meals.

We prayed with the windows down in the McDonald's parking lot for God's love to be shown tonight. Then we drove.

Into dark alleys. Down streets with no street lamps.

And for every meal we handed out, we asked for names. Names to match the eyes that often looked at us like we were crazy for handing food out the window of our Tahoe. Six crazy women in my car just hoping to make someone else's night a little better.

"God bless you."

"Have a good night."

Words that have new meaning after tonight.

One man walked up to us and said "Jesus is King!" before we handed him anything. "Yes He is!" we all replied.

There were a few we passed by and others that we turned around to go back for.

I don't know why or how these people ended up living on the streets. I do know that they were once someone's son or daughter.

I know that sometimes we make mistakes, sometimes our  circumstances overtake us, sometimes we get overwhelmed.

I know we didn't change anyone's life tonight or even make their circumstances better. But maybe we brought a moment of hope, a moment of love.

We fed others tonight, but I'm the one who left feeling full: full of the blessings that surround me.

And my outlook changed. My circumstances suddenly became better than I thought they were at the beginning of the day. Just a little perspective.

"Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.'

"Then the righteous will answer Him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?'

"The King will reply, 'Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.'  Matthew 25:34-39

.....day 45 of a year of writing....

(Tomorrow I'll have a winner for our Much Ado giveaway. Want a chance to win? click here) 

The Sunday 7

Happy Sunday!

Have you done it yet? Your Sunday 7? If not, or if you're new, here is how the Sunday 7 works.

The Sunday 7 is basically 7 mini goals in the 7 most important areas of your life that you set every Sunday.

It may seem complicated at first, but I promise, if you try it, you'll see how much more intentional you are throughout the week. Once you lay out the most important things, it's easier to stay focused on the things you really need to do.

Most people can classify their 7 most important areas something like this:

1. Faith
2. Family
3. Relationships
4. Work
5. Health and Fitness
6. Finances
7. Down Time aka Me Time

There are times when Home Organization gets added to my list. The 7 are up to you. You decide what's most important. 

Here are my Sunday 7 for the week. Come on. Play along. I promise you'll feel better once you do! 

1. Faith: 30 minutes every morning in God's Word. Start a prayer journal and begin praying specific scripture over certain circumstances. 
2. Family: Fun activities with my kiddos this week! (see yesterday's post)
3. Home: Get out our fall decorations! Can't wait. I LOVE this time of year! 
4. Scentsy: Man am I behind! I have e-mails and voicemails that I need to get caught up on. I also need to send an update to my leaders and catch up with my new recruits to see how everyone is doing. 
5. Health and Fitness: Workout 3x this week. (For the record, this has been my goal in this area for quite a few weeks, and it hasn't happened yet. This is the week though!)
6. Finances: Write a real budget! I went through a Dave Ramsey Money Makeover Live event while in Boise last week, and I am pumped about getting control of a few things in our finances and coming up with a plan. 
7. Down Time: Start a new book and read five nights this week. 

That's it. So what's your Sunday 7? 

.....day 44 of a year of writing....

A Little Me Time

Having been out of town for five days, there is plenty that needs to be done around here, and a lot of Scentsy work I need to catch up on, but it's the weekend! I don't really want to answer e-mails, so instead, I'm indulging myself in Pinterest.

Now, let me defend myself. I know that Pinterest may seem like a time waster, but I have found myself being more organized and definitely more creative thanks to everyone else's great ideas.

Pinterest totally makes me want to be a 100% stay at home mom with no job...(only for a second....no worries). That's the coolest part about my job, I get to do fun stuff, like all this stuff below!

Now, I also need to tell you that I've already worked each of the ideas below into my schedule for next week. Here we go. My Pinterest finds for the night to be completed next week:

Monday morning: (While I work on attempting to catch up on my e-mails) Luke can hammer golf tees into styrofoam. He'll love this!

Source: onehookwonder.blogspot.com via Allison on Pinterest

Monday night: We're trying Skinny Baked Mac and Cheese for dinner

Source: skinnytaste.com via Allison on Pinterest

Tuesday after school: I thought it might be fun to go on a leaf hunt. Then we're going to use our leafy treasures to make fun fall themed art!

Source: kleas.typepad.com via Allison on Pinterest

Tuesday night: Brian has to work, so the kids and I are going to cook up these yummy 3-cheese stuffed shells.

Source: thepioneerwoman.com via Jessica on Pinterest

Then we're going to have some fun in the bath with shaving cream paints (since my bath crayons didn't go so well last week, I'll do my best to make up for it with this bath time fun.)

Source: meetthedubiens.blogspot.com via Allison on Pinterest

Wednesday, Thursday and Friday: We've got the annual Life Church Family Reunion for all the staff and their families, so we'll be pretty busy all day Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday.



Friday afternoon:  We're going to start something called "Fun Friday" at our house. I got the idea from the blog that this project came from. You should check it out. It's such a sweet post about her little one.

On Fun Friday, we're going to do some fall themed shaving cream art. (Why not? I already have the shaving cream.)

Source: littlewondersdays.blogspot.com via Allison on Pinterest

Saturday: We're going to spend working on our front garden and a few new potted plants for the front porch. Maybe something like this?

Source: canadiangardening.com via Allison on Pinterest

So there you have it. My week full of Pinterest inspirations. What will you create this week?

Not on Pinterest? Check it out!

.....day 43 of a year of writing.....

$20,000

I’m always amazed at what can happen when a few people put their minds to something.

Last week’s SuperStar Director Summit was cram packed full of training, inspiration, and more data than I can process. We only had one night free of planned dinners or activities.

It was that free night where a little planning and determination turned into $20,000 for a little girl battling cancer.

Maddie is a 14 year old who recently discovered she had a tumor the size of a tennis ball on her femur  Surgery was done to remove the tumor, and luckily the cancer had not spread.

Maddie is the niece of one of our friends at Scentsy Success. When Lyndsee and Cassie (two amazing SuperStar Directors and sisters) found out about Maddie’s ongoing battle with cancer (and all the medical bills that go with that) they knew that our SuperStar Director Summit was the perfect opportunity to do something to help Maddie and her family.

They got busy planning a silent auction in which all of the money raised would go directly towards Maddie’s cancer fund.

The night was truly incredible. Neither Cassie nor Lyndsee had ever put on a silent auction before, but you wouldn’t have known it. SuperStar Directors brought items to be auctioned off; we were all assigned a bidding number, and within 45 minutes, Maddie’s medical bills became $20,000 less.

Bidding wars ensued over one of the original five cubes of Scentsy wax poured (Orville, Heidi, Kara, and Collette have the other four). The final bid on that first cube of wax was $8,000!

Original glass Scentsy testers went for $50/each or more. Original Scentsy bars wrapped in cellophane and made from a bead box went for upwards of $200/each. There was a custom made Scentsy t-shirt quilt that went for over $800, and countless other items including the first Scentsy catalog ever that all went for more than their value, mostly because we all wanted to support Maddie the best we could.

We even had a gentleman who was just staying at the hotel stop in to bid on a few items that he ended up winning. Someone was able to share Maddie’s story with him, too.

It just goes to show that when two people choose to make a difference in someone else’s life or situation, all it takes is a little effort and a little heart and the help of some very close friends.

$20,000 later, Maddie knows that there are lots of people who love her and are praying for and her battle against cancer.

To read more about Maddie’s fight or to donate to the family's ongoing medical bills, please go to: http://thejourney-longlive.blogspot.com/.

…..day 42 of a year of writing…..

More Than I Expected

I came to Boise, Idaho, on a retreat for Scentsy's top leaders. I came with the intent to learn, and I definitely learned more than I ever expected to.

But what I didn't expect was that God would use me in the right moment for the right people to make a big difference. The closer I get to Christ, the more I know God's voice. And very slowly, I am learning to not only listen, but to obey.

Yesterday was quite the day. Heidi Thompson spoke to us about the legacy that each of us are leaving. At one point during her speech she asked us what some of the most defining moments in our lives have been.

Obvious responses came to my mind, the birth of my children; the day I married my best friend; my mom's battle with cancer; the day I signed up to sell Scentsy.

And then another one popped in my head.....

What about the day I changed my future?

What about the day I decided to stop lying to myself?

And before I knew it, Heidi was asking for volunteers to tell about those defining moments. Someone stood up and told about the Christmas they bought and gave away a car to a single mom; others talked about service opportunities where they were really changed by the opportunity to serve someone else in a less fortunate position than them.

And through it all, I hear God telling me that I have to stand up. And I am throwing back every good argument I can think of like:
"That story is not relevant to this conversation."
"The people who need to know about it, know about it. These women don't need to know about my personal issues."

But someone needed to know, and He keeps nudging. It's a nudging that I know won't go away unless I speak up. If I let this moment slip by, I will live regretting it and wondering why He wanted me to say something.

Heidi commented on someone's experience, and I thought for a moment that she was going to move on. I knew that if she asked again for other stories, that this was my only chance to rid the beating of my heart.

I raised my hand, and the microphone was handed to me.

If you've ever seen me on stage, you probably know that I very rarely get nervous speaking to a crowd anymore. I've become accustomed to speaking with a microphone in my hand, loud and proud for all to hear.

But this was different. I was not speaking because I wanted to this time, but because I thought I had to. I thought if I didn't speak up, I would feel that I wasn't obeying what God called me to do.

So I stood, and my heart beat a hundred miles an hour and tears welled up in my eyes as I became extremely transparent to one hundred of my peers.

I told about my slow slip into a life of daily drinking. I talked about how I didn't even realize it was happening. What was one glass of wine occasionally became a glass of wine every night and then two glasses and sometimes more. I told them how I started to search for peace and calmness through a glass of wine.

Tears rolled down my checks and my hands shook. In front of people that I usually feel completely comfortable around, I found myself feeling extremely exposed. And even as I spoke the words, I was wishing that I could stop.

But in all reality, it was huge moment in my life; That moment when I decided that all I needed for peace was Jesus Christ changed everything for me. The more I sought Him through God's Word and prayer, the more I found exactly what I had been desperately searching for - peace in Christ.

As I sat down amidst numerous tear-filled eyes, a weight was instantly lifted off my shoulders. I knew in that moment that He asked me to share because someone needed to hear it, and I let peace fall on me like a blanket of comfort.

Throughout the day, numerous people came up to me and looked me right in the eyes to tell me how proud of me they were. Not only for the decision I had made to be a better influence for those around me by deciding to stop my game with alcohol, but more so because I stood up to speak about it.

Then this morning I got exactly what I was looking for. As I was pouring my orange juice in the hotel lobby, she walked up to me and touched my shoulder. What I thought was going to be another, "I'm proud of you moment" started instead with the words, "Thank you."

She went on to tell me that she had a similar story. She had only been drinking about three months, but it was a glass every night that turned into two and then three and then a bottle a night.

"When you stood up and told your story, I decided that I'm done. That's it for me. I don't know how I got to this point, but I don't want to be here."

The heart beating and tears rolling suddenly made sense. All my nervousness about sharing my story was completely worth the life that was changed through one moment of obedience.

And I knew that this trip was intended to be far more than I ever expected it to be.  Who am I that God would use me to move someone else?

All I know is that from now on, when I'm called or moved to do something, I'm doing it.

I trust Him enough to know that He can and will use me to make exactly the right impression on exactly the right people at exactly the right time.

Legacy is a mighty big word. Have you thought of the legacy that you're living?

My daily prayer is that my Legacy is one that involves me living everyday with Christ as the first person on my list, and that every day I ask Him to use me as a living sacrifice for His kingdom.

My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.

~2 Corinthians 12:9 

.....day 41 of a year of writing.....