And the Winner is....

Carolyn G's  cute profile pic

Carolyn G is the winner of our first giveaway!  Congratulations, Carolyn!  You know, I really and truly wish there was some way I could send each and every one of you something.  I look forward to visiting each of your blogs as soon as I am able.

 

We spent a wonderful weekend in Oregon and now my home for the past 9 months is disappearing into boxes!  Packing really brings out the worst in me, or I should say, it shows me a lot of areas where I still need God to work in my heart.  Please do pray for me that I will speak with kindness, respond with patience and have a thankful heart in the midst of this move and transition.  Thank you so much!  Hugs to everyone!  

Giveaway!

I love giving gifts, so this is the ultimate in fun for me!  

Here's what's included:

Decorative Plate Holder 

Oval Chalk Board (Ribbon can be changed out easily to match your decor)

Pack of Greeting Cards

Pair of Black Dangly Earrings

Vintage French Postcard Collage framed 

$5 Starbucks card (If you don't have Starbucks nearby, I'll throw in a bag of coffee beans).  

For 1 entry, leave me some comment love!  

For 2 entries, subscribe to my feed or become a follower and let me know in the comment section or by e-mail at myplaceofpeace at gmail dot com.  If you already subscribe or are a follower, be sure to let me know that too and I will give you a second entry!

For 3 entries, blog about the giveaway and let me know in the same fashion.

Giveaway closes Monday the 23rd at noon, PST.  All my international friends, please feel free to play along!  I know how much fun it is to get a package when you are living abroad!  :)  

Mon Amour - La Fin

Here are a few more pictures for you all from our Valentines Banquet!  If you like what you see, be sure to come back tomorrow for my FIRST GIVEAWAY!  

This is what greeted people as they entered the church.  Of course, everything looked better with the lamps and candles lit, instead of overhead lighting, but you get the idea!  :)  

We created a small seating area with the pastors' chairs.  I stole almost everything here from my living room.  Someone brought fresh flowers too.  

I made three of these with Scripture passages on love in French.  I got them the font and size I wanted, saved them as JPEG files, then used this website to give them an aged feel.  At the end I tore the edges.  Super simple project!  You KNOW I had to get some toile in there somewhere!  :)  

The Dollar Tree had these wooden ovals.  I painted each one with a few coats of chalkboard paint and placed them around the room with French words and phrases.  

Our candy dishes were small terra cotta pots painted with chalkboard paint.  I spent about $30 for everything - I was very happy with how things turned out on a shoestring budget!  :)  

And I know I should have a picture with hubby for Valentines, but it is on someone else's camera!  So for now, I get to show off my cute middle sis.  We had fun sitting together at the banquet!  

See you tomorrow for the GIVEAWAY!  

Mon Amour - Part Duex

It was so much fun having an excuse to create some collages for our Valentine's Banquet last night!  I used vintage photos from The Graphics Fairy, a little fabric, some ribbon, a few buttons and lots of hot glue.   I framed each one with a black frame I already had.  

Bienvenue welcomed couples as they entered the church.  I had a hard time saying that word with a french accent.  Every time I opened my mouth, I wanted to speak Spanish!  :)  

Vintage Pearls was inspired by a string of pearls that I received from a sweet lady when I graduated from high school!  I thought the pose with the hand touching the chin in both pictures was very interesting.

Le Minuet speaks to the sweetness of new love.

Tour d'Eiffel had to make an appearance somewhere since our theme was French Bistro.

Carte Postal was my absolute favorite!  Almost makes me want to go into business selling vintage inspired postcards.  :)    Let me know if you want to see more pictures!

The Gift of Courage

Photo: allposters.com

I KNOW that it is possible to give courage. I know because I've been blessed by the gift of courage over and over as we prepare to leave family and friends and move to Paraguay.

It was a tear streaked face and a hug so hard that it took my breath away.

It was a group of teenagers and children that surrounded us, laid on hands and prayed after they presented us with nearly $1500 (I know...AMAZING).

It was a group of women offering to bring meals, babysit while we pack, and scrub our floors so we can spend more time with our family the week before we leave.

It is their belief that we can do this. It is their empathy and encouragement.

And it is what has caused my dread to turn to courage and expectation. It is their gift to me. It is God's gift to me. Courage.

*I should clarify that my dread has nothing to do with our future in Paraguay, because I am very excited about that, but rather the whole process of moving and saying goodbyes.*

Purse Love

Julie is a missionary who works in Paraguay.  Since we'll be moving there soon, I love reading her cultural insights and experiences.  She tagged me to tell you all about my purse!  

1) "Post a picture of whatever bag you are carrying as of late. No, you cannot go up to your closet and pull out that cute little purse you used back before you had kids. I want to know what you carried today or the last time you left the house." 

My purse has two compartments.  My side and El Principito's side.  I do not care for cutesy diaper bags so I just purchased a very large purse and use half for me and half for him.  I almost always end up with a red purse.  

My side: Wallet, lip gloss, chapstick, pen, Ziploc full of snacks and gum, keys, fingernail file, travel size Jergens Ultra Healing lotion, coupon organizer, sunglasses, face powder, band-aids, travel size perfume, cell phone, crayons for Darling Little Redhead

El Principito's side: Clean outfit, socks, 3 diapers, travel size baby lotion, baby Tylenol, burp cloth, nursing cover, baby wipes, roll of small garbage bags, pacifier

2) I want to know how much it cost:) And this is not to judge. This is for entertainment purposes only. So spill it. And if there is a story to go along with how you obtained it, I’d love to hear it."

I think it was around $30.  Not bad considering I would have had to buy a new diaper bag anyway!  

3. "Tag some chicks. And link back to this post so people know why the heck you’re showing everyone your purse."

So tag, if you're reading this, you're it!  :)  

Mon Amour

Vintage Postcards and Photos from The Graphics Fairy

Just a little peak at what I'm working on for our Valentine's Banquet!  Wish you could join us, but since you can't, I'll be sure to show you how it all turns out!    

Let the Packing Begin

We're moving to Paraguay!  If you know me in real life, you know this already, but since I've made so many wonderful new friends since I started blogging, I wanted to tell YOU GUYS the big news too!  

Currently, the move is scheduled for the middle of June.  Between now and then, we are visiting churches and sharing our new ministry with friends and partnering churches across the country.  I can only imagine what an adventure the journey will be with two little guys along.     

We are very excited, but at the same time, it's so hard to leave family and our wonderful church (again).  More on that in another post!  :)  For now, it's enough to say, God is faithful and we trust Him to care for us even when our hearts are torn.