Contest Winners Announced!

Drum roll please.........The winner of my Easter Themed contest is......................

Martha from Pine Bluff, AR

Congratulations Martha!!!  I'll be shipping your Easter goodies to you asap!  I hope you enjoy them! 

I have been reading the Joyce Meyer book (Hearing From God Each Morning) that I included in the prize package that Martha won.  It has already dramatically changed the way I pray!  One example of that is Joyce points out that while the Father wants us to bring our problems to Him, we should always begin our prayers by praising Him for whose He is and what He has already done for us before we talk about ourselves.  Here's an example from scripture:

O Lord, God of our fathers, are You not God in heaven?  And do You not rule over all the kingdoms of the nations?  In Your hand are power and might, so that none is able to withstand You.

(2 Chronicles 20:6)

Love it!  I'm not a perfect person and therefore anything I can do to be more pleasing to God is what I am striving for. 

And the winner of the $25.00 Amazon gift card is..........

Martha from Pine Bluff, AR

God Bless You Martha.  Please tell your friends about my blog!!!  I'm still working on getting my computer reformatted, so hopefully I'll be back to regular blogging soon.  Congratulations again Martha!!!

Bad PC Blues (And A Giveaway!!!)

@@@@ Don't forget to enter my Easter Contest, click here!!! @@@@

I haven't been able to post much this week because I am having major PC Blues.  I am in the process of moving all of my files off of my desktop and onto a portable hard drive because I did something really bad to my PC.  When that is completed, I will have to re-install Windows, or write zeros to my hard drive, or reformat my drive or whatever the correct terminology is. 

I have not been a faithful backer-upper and now I am suffering the consequence.  Is there anyone else, or have I been the only one with terribly frustrating computing experiences lately?  It's never good to get any kind of error message every time you open a web browser, or program, or email, or document or .....you get the picture. 

Please wish me luck as I tackle this dismal and sometimes frightening endeavor of erasing all the programs and files from my hard drive and re-installing the operating system.  It's times like these that I seriously consider switching to Apple.  I was *this* close to upgrading to Windows 7, until I found out that in their wisdom, Microsoft eliminated Outlook Express from their new product.  Why is it that companies always think that an improvement is getting rid of popular features?

As a matter of fact, if you leave me a comment on this post, you'll be entered to win a $25.00 Amazon gift card!  Just answer this question: 

Are you a PC or a Mac?

Just a little token of my appreciation for your being patient while I undergo the equivalent of a heart transplant on my PC!!  Contest ends this Sunday, March 21, 2010!!!

New Photos Added To My Photography Page

Have you seen my extraordinarily scenic Alaskan photography?  Just click on the link in the upper right hand corner of my blog (at the top just above the moose pic) and it will take you to my photography page.  I just uploaded some gorgeous pictures of a little island across the inlet from our house.  Check it out! 


Also, don't forget to enter my Easter contest!  Click here to read the post to see how to enter!  You have a chance to enter now thru Sunday the 21st.  I've been having technical difficulties with blogger related to comments, so if you have been attempting to comment and have had problems, I apologize.  I'm working on it now and will hopefully have it fixed before tomorrow morning.  Please check back in a little while as I will update you when it is fixed.  Thanks!



 ****I think the problem with comments is now fixed****

A Contest in Honor of Easter!

I love Easter.  It really has become more and more meaningful to me over the last few years as I have become closer to God.  When I stop to really consider that Jesus Christ would willingly hang on the cross and die for you and me is something that blows my mind.  What could I ever do to be deserving of such a gift?  Nothing.  Absolutely nothing.  I am not worthy and I never was!  But He is so good that He loves and forgives me and gave his earthly life for me anyway.  (And you too!)  HE IS RISEN!  Hallelujah!

Easter is only a few weeks away.  I was at the store the other day and saw these really cute little Easter themed cookie cutters:

Aren't they adorable?  I couldn't resist when I saw the butterfly cookie cutter.  I picked up a set for me and one for whoever wins this contest!  But that's not all!  You'll get these other cute Easter themed decorations:

Included is a little "Happy Easter" sign, 4 polka-dot egg holders (too cute), 2 Easter egg dish towels and 2 darling Easter egg topiaries!  But wait!!! There's more.  If you act now, I'll also include this:

A daily devotional by Joyce Meyer.  I got one of these for me too!  We can read them daily together!!!!

So here's how to win this great Easter themed prize package.  Just leave me a comment on this post and tell me what your Easter plans are this year.  (Please include your name and where you live.)  One comment per person please. 

You can get an additional entry by becoming a follower of my blog and leaving me a comment telling me.  (If you are already a follower, just leave a comment and tell me and you'll be entered.)  It's that easy! 

The contest will run from today thru next Sunday, March 21, 2010.  I'll announce a winner on Monday the 22nd. 

Good luck!

***CONTEST OPEN TO U.S. RESIDENTS ONLY (CONTIGUOUS 48 STATES & HI & AK ONLY)***

The New & Improved Contest Announcement Delayed......

due to the Daylight Saving time change.   I don't know how the whole Daylight Saving Time thing works for ya'll, but for me, it totally messes up my internal clock.  I have the hardest time with the "Spring Forward" one, as I'm sure a lot of people do. 


It's starting to get light out now at about 6:45 am here in Alaska.  Tomorrow after Daylight Saving Time it will be light at 5:45 am and earlier and earlier the more we get into spring and summer. We'll gain about 10+ minutes of daylight per day until the middle of June.  Not that I'm complaining!  I love the summers here.  I couldn't imagine living in a place where the sun sets at 6 pm every day!


Even though my clock tells me that it is 10:44 pm, my brain knows that it's really 11:44pm.  And that means I'm now late for bed.  I really should have gone to bed an hour ago!


Please check back tomorrow for the contest announcement.  If you leave me a comment (include your name & city) on this post, you will automatically be entered for the yet-to-be-announced contest!  Just answer this question:   Did you remember to set your clock ahead before you went to bed? 

I did :-(

A New And Improved Contest On The Way!!!!

Since my last contest resulted in one entry and thus, one winner, I would say that you have a good chance of winning in my next contest!  Just ask Martha in Arkansas.  Hi Martha!!!  Thanks for participating!   


That also means that I still have one more butterfly book by Thomas Marent to give away, plus a real Alaskan Ulu (knife) and some new additional Alaska-themed prizes!  


I need to finish taking the pictures of the all of the prizes, which I will do in the morning.   I am going to try out a new recipe and will be sure to post about that later, too.  Here's a preview:

Yes, I decided to apply Pioneer Woman's Buttered Rosemary Rolls recipe to Rhodes Cinnamon Rolls.  I haven't ever made them in cast iron before, so with any luck, they will turn out as good as the regular rolls.  If you've had them, you know what I mean!!!!

Remember to check back later today (Saturday) to enter my upcoming contest!  I'll have new prizes and new ways to qualify!!!

Kelly's Korner "Show Us Your Life" - Favorite Charities

I don't know about you, but I have found that it truly is better to give than receive.   That is not just a cliche.  This past Christmas, my husband and I decided to donate the money we would have spent on gifts for each other to Sweet Sleep so some sweet children in Uganda could have beds and Bibles.  It was the best Christmas either of us has ever had.  

I am going to highlight 3 organizations that I believe strongly in because their work is so important and effective.  I donate to these organizations regularly myself and would highly encourage you to pray about what you could do to help them out.

1.  Sweet Sleep....Oh what can I say about Sweet Sleep?  Just that I love the lady that founded Sweet Sleep.  Her name is Jen Gash and she is amazing!  You don't want to know what I am about to share with you because it is something that is unimaginable. 

I never once in my life have had to sleep on a filthy, broken, bug ridden mattress. But orphan children in poor nations do it every night.  I never would have even conceived that orphan children of the world have to live in such dreadful conditions, but they do.  Once you know how bad it truly is for these poor children, you won't feel better until you do something to help.  That's where Sweet Sleep comes in.  They are on the ground doing the work.  I couldn't do it myself.  But Sweet Sleep does.  This is directly from Sweet Sleep's website:

Sweet Sleep is a faith-based nonprofit organization which exists to share God’s love by providing beds to the world’s orphaned and abandoned children.

According to UNICEF, there are more than 210 million orphans worldwide. Today, 5,760 more children will become orphans.

Orphaned and abandoned children around the world suffer from lack of sufficient or healthy places to sleep. These children often sleep on old, broken and soiled beds or have no beds at all – forcing them to sleep on paper-thin mats or cold, hard floors, making them susceptible to crawling, biting insects and disease. In these conditions, it is nearly impossible to get a good night’s sleep and the effects are staggering:

• 1 in 5 of all childhood deaths is caused from malaria. 90% of these children are in Africa alone.
• A sagging or misshapen mattress may add tension to a child’s joints because their bodies rest on the mattress for hours at a time. Even if a child sleeps well on a bad mattress, these injuries to their bodies only make them weaker.
• Old mattresses or scraps of foam are breeding grounds for bed bugs and allergens that contribute to startling increases in respiratory diseases, including asthma as well as rhinitis, eczema and bed bug bites.
• When children continuously do not get enough sleep it affects their health, makes them tired during the day, hinders their ability to do well at school and leaves them more prone to disease.

Sweet Sleep’s provision of mosquito nets to orphanages is literally life-changing to children who live in fear of death by malaria. With your help, we are able to get sweet orphaned and abandoned children around the world into healthy, comfortable new Sweet Sleep beds.

Please, go to Sweet Sleep's website:  http://www.sweetsleep.org/ to see what good work is being done and what you can do to help. 

2.  Compassion International.  Compassion is another great organization.  Compassion goes into the poorest areas of the poorest countries and provides a life line to children and their families.  They feed, educate and even give basic medical care to the children they serve.  Often, the meals Compassion provides are the only thing they eat all week.  Compassion is making a difference in some of the darkest, disease infested, poorest slums in the world.  Have you seen MckMama's blog lately?  She went to Kenya on a Compassion blogging trip.  Her pictures made me cry.  But Compassion gives me hope.  You can sponsor a child anytime by clicking on one of the banners on the side or at the bottom of my blog.   Or you can go to their website here:  

 http://www.compassion.com/  

3.  Last, but not least:  K-LOVE.   I heart K-LOVE.  I decided several years ago that secular radio and music just has no place in my life now.  If music is not glorifying God, it really serves no purpose, at least in my opinion.  The only radio station I listen to is K-LOVE.  And because they are listener supported, they don't play traditional commercials.  Sure, they promote their own stuff and a minimal amount of time is given to other ministries...but did you hear what I said?  NO COMMERCIALS!  I love not hearing commercials all the time. I admit, I did switch to AM radio for a short time, but I am glad to be back in the land of COMMERCIAL FREE! 

Besides just playing music, K-LOVE also ministers to people with a prayer program that receives thousands of emails per month.  They have pastors on staff who take phone calls that include counseling, referrals and resources.  They had over 8,000 Salvations in 2009.  They intervened in over 300 suicide cases in 2009.  And they had more than 395,000 prayer requests in 2009.

K-LOVE is positive and encouraging!  Here in Anchorage, they are at 88.5 FM and even if you don't donate financially, I recommend listening to them!  You can check them out at:

http://www.klove.com/

A few years ago, I heard someone on the radio once say, "If you were born in America, you have already won the lottery."  It is true.  We are truly blessed, even those of us who might be having a difficult time financially (or otherwise) right now.  If you live in America, you have opportunity.  Giving to organizations like Sweet Sleep, Compassion and K-LOVE gives us a chance to change the lives of people who have no opportunity. 

I look forward to seeing what organizations all of you support on Kelly's "Show Us Your Life" tour!  God bless her for all she has done in His name!

P.S. - Don't forget to check back here later for a new and improved contest announcement!

What If You Had A Contest And Nobody Entered?

It is now 7:40 pm, 20 minutes until the close of my very first contest.  I'm trying not to cry.  I have concluded that my experiment to see if I could increase traffic to my blog was a HUGE flop!  By the tiny amount of blog hits I've had since I annouced this contest, you'd think I was giving away salmonella cakes as the grand prize.  (I really wanted to put an exclamation point at the end of that last sentence, but I am trying to break myself of the bad habit!)

Ok, I exaggerated.  One person entered.  One?  Yes, one.  But they didn't leave their name!  I guess I should have specified that at least first names were required!  Well, lucky Anonymous in Pine Bluff Arkansas, looks like you have a butterfly book and a Bible coming your way!  Please email me at biblesforanchorage (at) yahoo(dot)com to claim your prize!  Be prepared to answer a question only you would know the answer to (in order to confirm you are the person who left the comment).

In light of the fact that I have yet to receive my 1,000th blog visitor and during the contest I had numerous computer problems, including problems with comments, and I hurt my back while shoveling snow yesterday......I have decided to revive the contest!  I think I will do something to sweeten the pot.  I will announce details of the new contest here Friday night. 

Now, in other news, it looks like I owe Mr. Gore an apology.   Ever since I made fun of him on this post, it has snowed like crazy in Anchorage!  Like three feet a day.  I'm kidding!  Just checking to make sure you are awake.  Really though, it did start snowing.  Here's a picture of the roads on Saturday night when we were on our way to the Mercy Me concert:

I knew it was snowing when I went to bed Monday night.  And I wasn't kidding in my Al Gore post when I said that I get up in the morning and look out the window at my car to see how much snow has accumulated.  I do this so I know how much time I need to allot to the task of removing the snow from my vehicle prior to driving it (for those of you in warm, non-snowy climates who are not familiar with this concept!).  So, true to my nature, I got up Tuesday morning and looked out the window to see this:

Not bad, right?  That's what I thought too.  So I went about my morning doing those things that I do to get ready for work.  Then I opened my front door and discovered that we had a little blizzard of sorts overnight.  I just didn't know it because the wind had blown and most of the snow had drifted, hence very little snow on my car.  The walkway out of my front door all the way to the car was packed in with snow.  And I do mean packed! 

Now, remember, all the winter's snow had already melted completely off my walkway during our unusual tropical February this year.
There's normally a nice, shovled walkway out to the driveway here, but yesterday, this is what I saw when I was leaving for work:

It was up to my knees ya'll!  I'm not kidding, it was pretty bad.  Not the worst I've ever seen, but still.   So, I was by this time, running late for work, but I had to shovel a path.  I made it as far as just past the end of the house (in the foreground on the left) right before I hurt my back.

Thankfully, later that evening, my nice neighbor came over and plowed me out with his snow blower.  I would have taken a picture, but running around getting my camera gear out and then getting bundled up to go outside while he was plowing was not necessarily my biggest priority at that point.  

Fortunately, I'm feeling better today and I was able to take a picture of the difference after the nice job my neighbor did (but I didn't think about taking the pic until after dark!):

My neighbor and his wife are going to get some of Pioneer Woman's Buttered Rosemary (without the Rosemary cuz my husband doesn't like it) Rolls this weekend.  Thanks Paul & Svea!!!  I wouldn't have made it to my car without you!!  You guys are gonna love the rolls.

By the way, last time I checked the temp outside, it was 2 degrees.  It is not supposed to be this cold in March!  I think God has a great sense of humor and must be laughing at me pretty good right now!

And that's all I have to say about that.

My Very First Contest!!!!!!!!

Can you help me conduct an experiment?  I am new to blogging and I am sure I have much to learn and I know I am no where near perfect and I probably use italics, bold, underlining, run-on sentences and exclamation points way too much.........so I want to do an experiment to see if having a contest with prizes will work to increase traffic to my blog!!!!!

You have two chances to win.  The first prize will go to the person who is the 1,000th visitor to my blog.  If you are lucky number 1,000, take a screen shot of my sitemeter (scroll all the way to the bottom of my blog, see icon) displaying the number "1,000" and email it to me at biblesforanchorage(at)yahoo.com.

You can also enter to win just by leaving me a comment on this post and answering this question:  Where do you live and what is the temperature there today?

The winner from the comments will be randomly selected by the random integer generator at random.org. 

The contest will run from March 8th thru March 10th, 2010 and will close at 8pm Alaskan Standard Time.  Only one entry per person, please.   (I reserve the right to extend the entry dates just in case it takes longer to receive my 1,000th visitor.)


What are the prizes, you ask?  Well.....

Both the 1,000th visitor and a commenter will each win a copy of this:

Butterfly by Thomas Marent, a book about butterflies full of gorgeous pictures, just like this one my incredibly awesome husband gave me!

Winners will also receive their choice of one of four types of Bibles:

 NIV Version Bible or King James Version Bible

Spanish Bible or Pocket Bible w/Psalms & Proverbs!!!!

Plus, the 1,000th visitor will also win the following:

King Salmon Jerky and an Alaska Ulu Knife w/instructional DVD!!!!

I hope that you will participate in the fun!  Winners will be announced on Thursday!  Now I have to go do dishes.

Under the Weather Sunday

I can't believe how much opposition I have had lately. I have been having technical difficulties with every single computer I own, including my iphone, since mid-week.  It seems like every time I sat down and tried to write a post for this blog, my computer would crash (including just a minute ago). 

Saturday we went to the Mercy Me concert, it was an awesome show:

They did not disappoint.

The only disappointing thing?

Just the fact that I forgot to check to see if cameras were allowed before we went in (they were).  I had my digital SLR camera in the car the whole night, but couldn't go get it because for some reason, the venue wouldn't allow you to leave and re-enter.  So all the pictures I took were with my iphone. 

We had a wonderful time at the concert, but we did leave early because my husband has been suffering from severe sleep depravation and/or insomnia lately (to the point where he has just been falling down exhausted but yet can't get enough sleep).  He was very tired and we left at 10:30.  Then, during the night, we both were sick.  I think it was probably something we ate when we went out to dinner before the concert.  Since we both were not feeling very well, we missed church Sunday morning.  Bummer.  My week always is better when I start it out in church!

Now, onto a more fun subject:

Because of how much God has blessed my life, I have been working on something very exciting for my blog readers!  I have been amazed at how many people have read this blog since I started it 2 weeks ago.  This blog has already had over 700 visitors!  And the really amazing part?  They come from places like Australia, Europe, Guam and all over the U.S. and Canada!  WOW!  It's not anything I could have accomplished on my own, though.  So, I want to say thank you to those whom are most responsible for this creation:

#1 - God

#2 - Angie Smith

# 3 - Kelly Stamps

 What do Angie and Kelly have to do with my blog? Well, nothing that they probably even know of, since I doubt they even know who I am. 

The first blog I ever read was Angie's.  I started reading her blog shortly after Audrey's diagnosis because I was reading a Selah album cover and decided to check out the band's website.  It was there that I saw the announcement to pray for Todd's wife and unborn child.  Before that, I had heard of blogging, but thought it sounded silly.  But, Angie captivated me as she walked through that difficult season of her life with her eloquent words and gripping honesty. 

I was lead to Kelly's blog through reading Angie's.  I was there in the beginning of sweet Harper's life too.  I followed along daily and must have hit refresh incessantly for a couple of weeks.  If ya'll read her blog back then, you know what I'm talking about. 

So, what was the exciting thing I mentioned?  Well, you'll just have to check back later today, March 8th, to find out, but I'll give you a hint:  there will be prizes, involved!  Yay!

YES, I SAID "PRIZES"!!!! 

 PLURAL!!!

MORE THAN ONE!!!!

YIPPEE!

You can't win if you don't enter!

Kelly's "Show Us Your Life" - What is Your Typical Day Like?

Here is a typical winter day for me in Alaska: 

Get up, go look out my window to see how much it snowed, take my shower, get ready, go outside, shovel a path to my truck, brush as much snow off of my truck as I can, drive in crazy Anchorage traffic, go to work, work all day, get back in crazy Anchorage traffic, go home, shovel snow, go inside, defrost, eat dinner, catch up on my blogs, go to bed! 

Ha!  I joke.  Seriously, it used to snow like there was no tomorrow in Anchorage every winter.  Seems like the last 4 or 5 years, there's been very little snow.  I think we just had the warmest February on record, at least the warmest I've experienced since I moved here in 1985!  If this is global warming, I am not complaining.  Uh, excuse me Mr. Gore, please return your Nobel Peace Prize! 

Do I Know Sarah Palin? Well.......Sort of I Guess

The number one question I am asked, as soon as someone from the Lower 48 (the Continental U.S.) finds out that I am in Alaska is, "Do you know Sarah Palin?"  The answer is yes.  But I'm not sure she'd say she knows me! 

Back in 2004, I had an opportunity to participate in a unique fundraiser for the Susan G. Komen Foundation for Breast Cancer Research.  It was a unique fundraiser because it was a group of women, one of them a famous dog-musher and breast cancer survivor, DeeDee Jonrowe, who rode snowmobiles from Mt. McKinley (the tallest mountain in North America) all the way into Anchorage.  It was the "2004 Polaris Way Out Women Relay", which officially started in Alaska and ended in New York! 

Here's a picture of our group:

It was about a 250 mile trip, but very special, as snowmobiles are never allowed to be operated within the city.  We had to obtain all kinds of special state and city permits and even had to have police escorts for the last leg of the trip (from Knik River to the termination point at the Alaska Railroad Depot in downtown Anchorage). You can read an article about it at Offroad.com or by clicking here. 

Some riders from our group with Mt. McKinley in the background:

(we were 11 air miles from the base of the mountain at this point of the trip)

And me with my snowmachine a little ways into the beginning of the trip, McKinley in the background:

I normally have dark hair, but I went blonde for a time.  I don't know how you girls do it year in and year out. It seemed like I was always at the beauty shop getting my roots done and it was so expensive!

So, our group started at Mt. McKinley, and then traveled to Wasilla, Alaska.  You know, Sarah Palin's hometown?  Well, her and her husband Todd joined the ride at this point.  This was back before she was Governor, but after she was Mayor of Wasilla, so she was sort of a mini-celebrity by Alaskan standards.

I know that even the mention of her name can spark great debate, but I will tell you about my personal experience with her.  I did spend a little time with her on this trip, at dinner and what-not. 

She is a very sincere, kind and generous person.  She is authentic and she is the very definition of a true Alaskan!  I like her very much.  I realize not everybody does, and to that, I say:  You are entitled to your opinion, just as I am entitled to mine. I respect your opinion, and would ask that you respect mine if you happen to differ from how I feel about her. 

And with that, I'll also say: "Go Sarah Go"!

Mercy Me in Anchorage This Saturday, March 6, 2010

Mercy Me is coming to Anchorage this weekend and we just got tickets! I think their new song "All of Creation" puts  man's relationship with God and Jesus Christ in quite clear perspective. Below is just a link hear the song, not to their video.

Mercy Me - All of Creation - The best song ever!


Separated until the veil was torn
The moment that hope was born
and guilt was pardoned once and for all
Captivated but no longer bound by chainsleft at an empty grave
the sinner and the sacred resolved
{chorus}
and all of creation sing with me now
lift up your voice and lay your burden down
and all of creation sing with me now
fill up the heavens let his glory resound
Time has faded and we see him face to face
every doubt erased forever we will worship the king
{repeat chorus}
ooohh ah ooohh...ohh ah ohh 
the reason we breathe is to sing of his glory
and for all he has done praise the father praise the son and the spirit in one
{repeat chorus 2x}
and every knee will bow oh and ebery tongue will praise the father praise the sone and the spirit in one
"ALL OF CREATION LYRICS" are the property of the respective authors, artists and labels, the lyrics are provided for educational purposes only. If you like the song, please buy relative CD to support MercyMe and authors, etc.. 

I am excited to go to their concert.  I have heard that they are a good band to see live.  I can't wait!

P.S. - I am working on the final installment of our first date/wedding day now!  We serve an awesome God and I pray that He will help you know Him more through hearing my testimony.  If any of you girls out there are waiting for husbands, hang in there!  God will give you the person He made for you if you just wait, I promise!  I was married at 32 and I couldn't imagine my life without my very best friend in the world, my husband John.  He was definitely worth the wait!