We Don't Celebrate Halloween...

Happy Monday & Happy Halloween lovely readers!

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I was in the elevator the other day when i heard this conversation between two moms.

Mom A: Oh your daughter is so cute, how old is she?

Mom B: thank you.  she is three.

Mom A: what is she dressing up for Halloween?

Mom B: oh we don't celebrate Halloween.

Mom A: oh really?

Mom B: Yes.

Of course at the point, the elevator stopped

and it was my floor and i HAD to get out. 

Needless to say, i wasn't privy to the remainder of the conversation. 

Therefore, i thought i would take it to my blog.

Mr. Pancakes and i aren't really into Halloween the way we were when we were younger.  

Our families were not ones to carve pumpkins and or decorate our homes. 

But we would get dressed up and participate in Trick 'O Treating. 

The festivities of the night was always fun. 

And the masses of candy we would bring home was always great.

We DON'T know how involved in Halloween we will be as parents, however the conversation between the two moms intrigued me. 

Why wouldn't Mom B allow her child to celebrate Halloween when it's all around them? 

 It could be religious or the commercialization of halloween or safety concerns.  

Whatever the reasons, this mom and her daughter don't celebrate Halloween. 

But my question is this,

is Mom B doing a disservice to her child by not dressing her up. 

The daughter is only three years old so she is too young  right now to know any different, 

but how about when she gets older and ALL her friends are dressing up and she can't.   

Is that a disservice to her daughter?

Children's costumes are always so cute anyway.

Plus isn't Halloween for the kiddies?

What harm is done if Mom B allows her daughter to dress up

and go trick 'o treating?

I really wish i would have been on that elevator long enough to hear how the conversation eneded.  But since i wasn't, please help me satiate my curiousity by speculating some of Mom B's reasons.

Is Mom B doing her daughter a disservice by not celebrating Halloween?

Are you celebrating  Halloween?

How are you celebrating Halloween?



p.s:  i don't about Mom B but this is something

Team Pancakes can do as part of our Halloween!





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Project Pink

{Project Pink} is a fun and touching day

 that Marilyn at The ArtsyGirl Connection invited me to be part of it. 

It's a day to dedicate our blogs to Breast Cancer For A DAY. 

And of course i was more than willing. 

As part of the project, we are supposed to complete a day of Pink projects

 {Crafts, Food, Touching Stories, Photography and Inspirations} 

ALL PINK ACROSS OUR BLOGS FOR ONE DAY To raise awareness and show WE CARE!

Of course i DO NOT craft and or do food posts

but i am willing to share something inspiring through words and photography.

I wrote a post recently about Good Bad Sexy Sucky Crazy Cancer and this part stuck with me:

Cancer is good. 

Cancer is sexy. 

Cancer is bad. 

Cancer sucks! 

However you choose to refer to cancer, in the end it's TERRIFYING!  

However one chooses to express their experience with cancer, 

it is their experience 

and it should be respected.

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Today i want to reach out to all the individuals that are battling breast cancer.

Keep Calm & Fight On...

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This was a difficult video to watch however it's an important message we all need to hear.

I was really emotional for her when i found out she has breast cancer. 

 But i wish her speedy recovery!

Just as i am wishing everyone a speedy recovery!

Let us take care of ourselves ladies.

We matter!

Project Pink should not ONLY occur in October...

we should be taking care of ourselves every month, every day...ALL the time!

I am Painting...are you?

Marilyn of the blog TheArtsyGirlConnection is linking up with other bloggers to paint their blogs pink to show their support for breast cancer.  It begins tomorrow, October 30th, 2011. 

We all may know someone that has been affected by breast cancer...if not directly, indirectly. 

Painting our blogs pink is a simple but powerful way for us to show your support a wonderful cause.  You can show your support in any form, crafts, photos, stories, inspirational words,

anything that is related to breast cancer and speaks to our need to encourage people to get checked out, NOT only in October but throughout the year.

Link up with myself and Marilyn and paint your blog pink for a day!

Team Pancakes is painting on 10/30/11, are you?

College Football

Guest post of the week by Nestor Nielsen

Thank the good Lord that college football season has officially come upon us. There’s something about the start of fall that just seems to make me happier than normal, perhaps it’s because of the cold air that just gets my blood pumping. My sister just called the other day to see if I could get her and her husband a couple of tickets to some great college games back in our hometown this season. My wife also loves this time of year because she finally has weather that allows her to break out her fall clothes and she loves the fact that there’s a constant breeze in the evenings. But with the start of fall comes a infinite list of things that are going to be coming on TV because the networks are re-introducing their new list of prime time programming. The main thing I like to watch is college football on the weekends but my wife prefers to watch the major network television shows and in order to do all this we have to recently was referred to Satellite TV Family and my wife and I both feel like it's the best advice we've gotten in some time! Now we just have to start worrying about getting a better recruiting class next year so we can win some games.

Inspire Me Series: Alida/Blackpurl's Knitpickings!

To continue the birthday celebrations...i will be introducing you to a lady that definitely has become a blessing in many ways and completely inspires my soul!

I came across Alida's blog, Blackpurl Knitpickings, while i was planning our wedding almost a year ago.  As i learned more about her, i was inspired by her role as a woman, wife and as her husband's help-meet.  She inspires me on a daily basis with the work her and husband are doing in Belize.  They minister to families and children in Belize and teach and preach on issues that can plague all of us, including: poverty, addictions, sexual/child abuse and many others.

I love how Alida weaves her roles as woman/wife/helpmeet to her husband to reach out to others in need.  She inspires me to be a better woman, wife and help-meet.  Additionally, she encourages me, through her inspiratiopnal blog and this interview to find out what moves my heart and find my purpose.  We never know what God has in store for us however we can always be ready to be inspired by something and someone.  I hope Alida inspires you as she continues to inspire me.

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Whats your name?
Alida

What's your husband's name?
Tom

Where can we read about your ministry?
I write about our life and our work on my blog
 http://blackpurlsknitpickings.blogspot.com/

What does your blog name: Blackpurl Knitpickings mean?
I started the blog just before our move to Russia as a way to journal what we were experiencing and keep our family, friends and supporters up to date with our lives and work. My husband had given me a black pearl ring for our 20th anniversary and I am a knitter. So I changed black pearl to black purl, (a purl is a stitch in knitting) and a nitpicker is someone who looks at the minute details of everything. I just changed nit to knit. It's stupid and our sons who were teenagers at the time thought is was worthy of an eye roll or two but I thought it was clever.

You and your husband have been married for almost 30years...

how do you maintain your marriage daily?
We share a common belief spiritually which we see as the glue in our bond with one another.  We have been a  couple for 32 years and we will celebrate our 30th anniversary on December 13th of this year.  There isn't really a specific formula that we follow for our relationship.  It was founded on friendship.  Then we became high school sweethearts.  We met when we were 15 and started dating at 16 and got married at 18. We work together, we talk and laugh a lot together, we encourage one another...we are still best friends. We don't have a specific formula for our relationship.  We just kind of stumbled on a rhythm that works for us. One day at a time is how we live and love. We don't have a lot of stress at this point in our lives and that helps!

You and your husband are missionaries...what does that mean exactly?
This is a tough question because we are not traditional missionaries. We felt called to take the work we were doing in the area of working with people in recovery from drugs and alcohol (Tom) and their families (Alida) from California to Russia. Basically, we had people who shared that vision with us to the extent that the work we do is funded by a variety of individuals and a few churches.

How did you become involved in ministry?
Tom was on staff at our church in California as the Pastor of Recovery. He was asked by another pastor to go with him to Russia to speak on the topic of Christianity and the Twelve Steps. As they were on this speaking tour in churches and at support groups Tom felt he was being called to Russia to do recovery work and teach pastors and churches how to effectively work with people in recovery through counseling and the12 steps of Alcoholics Anonymous.

How was it like residing in Russia?
It was an adventure. Think of all the things that you do in a day. Things you explain to people, places that you shop, simple errands that you run. Now imagine doing all of those things when you cannot speak the language or read the packaging on items in the store! I had to carry a dictionary with me to the market when we first arrived. I spent two and half years in language school and two and half years working with a private tutor. Life was exciting, hard, stressful and joyful. We either used public transportation or walked everywhere we went. So we had to interact with people and function in society as best we could. Most people were very friendly and glad that we were making the effort to speak their language. So we got help everywhere we went and met some fascinating people along the way. As far as relationships with people it can take years for someone to call you friend. And everything there done is based on relationships. We were there for five years and we were blessed to be called friends by some truly incredible people.

What brought you to Belize?
When we found out that the Russian government was not going to renew Tom's work visa we sent out a letter to our supporters asking for prayer about our situation. We were stuck in Istanbul, Turkey at the time waiting to hear the news. One of our supporters had just returned from a trip to Belize and he believed that we could be useful there. We didn't even know where this country was...we had to Google it! We talked about it and prayed about with some friends of ours and felt that Belize was where we were being led to go.

Did you and your husband always know you would be doing this line of work?
No. I thought Tom was going to be a Marriage and Family therapist and we would live happily ever after in our house in California. After five years of working in a psychiatric hospital Tom felt led to leave there and go to work on staff at a church. He was there for 10 years. And then we went to Russia. I never imagined being a pastor's wife or a missionary.

What have you learned about yourself since going into ministry?
I have learned that I have so much more to learn. I don't have all the answers and never will. My being an American or a Christian is not always looked on favorably because of the stereotypes that go along with being those things. I have learned that my rights as an American only truly exist on American soil. I have learned to slow down. I have learned to be kinder to myself and those around me. I have learned that I am mentally stronger than I thought I was. I have learned that I have something to share with others in my sphere of influence. I have learned that the hardships I have gone through in life are truly universal.

How long is your missions work in Belize?

Another tough question...but this one has a simple answer. I don't know. We are here for as long as we feel God wants us to be here. We would love to be here for the rest of our lives. We try to be in tune with where we can best be of service. And right now that is Belize. Our desire is to be wherever we are supposed to be and do the next thing that we are supposed to do. In Russia our work was in alcohol and drug recovery and support groups. Here in Belize it is about counseling and mentoring.

How can we support your ministry?
You can support us through praying for us and for the counseling center we started. We need financial support as well...we don't charge the people we see for counseling. We are working with abuse victims and victims of sex trafficking. If you would like to partner with us and provide financial support for our work here in Belize please send your tax deductible donations to:
DBR Ministries
for Tom and Alida Sharp
P.O. Box 279
Sanford, NC, 27331

919-478-6237 Phone
919-718-0350 FAX
dbrministries@yahoo.com
donations of any size are greatly appreciated.
Or if you would like to give a simple gift directly to us you may do so through PayPal.
just use the email address alidasmail@juno.com

Do you like pancakes?
I love pancakes and have my recipe memorized!!!

What would you do on a longlazysunday?
Spend the day in bed reading. Or at the beach reading. Or on my front porch reading...well you get the idea. Wherever I am reading would be involved!

Is what you are doing your life's purpose?
Helping people move from being stuck to unstuck emotionally, spiritually, relationally and so on is my life's purpose.

Where's your fav. place to visit in the UsofA?
Pismo Beach, Ca. The waves, the smell of the ocean and the scenery truly take my breath away.

What's your fav. Bible verse?
Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;  in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.

What inspires you on a daily basis?
My faith...I read and I meditate daily on scriptures or on sayings and various words. My word for this year is joy. I am inspired by finding the joy in each life lesson that comes my way, or just by appreciating where I am right now.

What advice do you have for someone that wants to live their life's purpose?
 Like the Nike slogan...Just do it. Just get started in some way.

Find out what sets you on fire and move in that direction.

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Thank you Alida for these amazing words:

find out what sets you on fire and move in that direction!

 Those are such inspiring words to live by!

Now move ladies in the direction where the fire is...

After the Birth-Day...and a song!

Thank you all for your lovely birthday wishes!

It was definitely a blessed and awesome day!

God continues to bless me abundantly and beyond measure!

Mr. Pancakes is a wonderful man and made my day more special than i can even imagine.

I will share deets later but in the mean time something else that has been putting a smile on my face aside from my hubby...

The H&M commercials...has anyone seen them?

The hat, the dress, the scarf and the song...LOVE them all!

Girls on Film...girls on film...

Enjoy your Thursday ladies...

3 Congratulations...are in order & a Happy Birthday 2 Me!

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Congratulations was the first big word i ever learned!

(A little trivia)

And i am proud to say it to our Thank You Giveaway winners! 

Thank you to all that entered...I truly wish everyone could have won something

but unfortunately my finances doesn't reach as far as Oprah's but who knows..maybe next year!

Anywho without further delay...

Source

to:

TiAnna @ The Fab Life for..free

Kim @ Singlemother's Journey

Heather at High Heels & Flip Flops

Thank you ladies for entering...please email me your addresses and i will SEND the goodies you're way!

(My assistant, Mr. Pancakes came home too late, hence the terrrible pictures!)

And NOW to celebrate:

To Me...

Wishing...praying...hoping

Wishing, praying, hoping are associated with birthdays to some degree.

We are always wishing for something when we blow out our candles!

We pray to our God for blessing us with another year!

We hope to have an awesome day and year.

Today i wanted to share some of the things i am

wishing, praying and hoping for my birthday!

My prayer is for continual health.

I am hoping for fitness in order to complete a 5k on Saturday.

(more deets will follow sometime next week.)

I am wishing...well i can't tell you what i'm wishing for...

but i am sure you can guess it has something to do with Mr. Pancakes!

                                I think sometimes we get caught up with the material items we want. 

And recently i realized i am not immune to this. 

I hinted to Mr. Pancakes that i wanted to get an iPad. 

Do i need an iPad?..NO!

But i was being greedy and asked for the gift i wanted

instead of allowing my husband to get me whatever he wanted to get me. 

After the conversation, I realized

i DO NOT NEED to wish, pray and hope for material things. 

 I may want them but do not need them.

Things fade, get old, break, get lost, electronics are upgraded...material things are dispensable.

Health, fitness, love, life are not.

Therefore, on this birthday week, i am wishing, praying, hoping for more than things!

_____________________________________

I am wishing, praying, hoping that YOU enter the giveaway which ends TODAY!

I think this has been one of the most fun thing i have done on my blog thus far!

And i am so excited about it...

The Thank You Giveaway! Please Enter here.

I will be drawing three separate WINNERS tomorrow from a hat.

That's right ladies, i will be doing it the old fashion way. 

I couldn't figure out, in time, how to do the computerized thingamig so i didn't bother!

But enter here for a chance to be one of three WINNERS!

p.s: forgive me for the new layout...i've been playing around with blogger..
so much fun learning all this stuff!



A Week of Birthday Celebrations!

I was planning some interesting and thoughtful provoking conversations

however i will wait until next week because
today begins my Birthday Celebration Week!

Actually, Wednesday is my actual birthday
however i thought i would celebrate the entire week on my blog.

There will be cake, candles, balloons, dancing, friends,
family, pancakes, love, laughter and of course giveaways!!! 

  And many pictures from pinterest!

Hope you join me in the fun.

Today i begin with birthday traditions.

______________________________   ___________________

In the Team Pancakes' household, there are a few requirements

traditions to celebrate a birthday!

First tradition, there has to be a birthday cake. 

(you thought i was going to say pancakes right..pancakes are usually for breakfast)!

 I love chocolate cakes so anything chocolate is ideal. 

Mr. Pancakes got me the bestest oreo cake one year. 

 It was delicious. 

It is not a birthday without cake.

Second tradition, candles!

It's important to have candles to blow because of course you have to make a wish. 

You can never have too many candles.

Not like a bazillion candles but enough to make the cake look awesome

and the person to enjoy making their wish.

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Third tradition, are balloons. 

Ballons always make for a festive mood!

You are never too young to have balloons!

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Final tradition, is of course sharing our birthday with loved ones (friends and family). 

I have never been one to celebrate my birthday in a big way but i always like to do something small with a few special people.  You have not celebrated a birthday

and another year God has blessed you without sharing it amongst friends.

There you have, the four requirements traditions for an awesome birthday at the Team Pancakes' household.

So friends, what do you require to celebrate your birthday?!

What are some of your birthday family traditions?

p.s: You have one more day before the end of the Thank You Giveaway!

Enter here.

LongLazySunday: 180 Days & Scrabble Game!

Teams Pancakes is officially celebrating 180 days of marriage!

And i am loving the newlywed life. 

Now i know when people say there are a lot to learn in the first 365 days of marriage. 

We are learning and growing a lot as individuals... and as man & wife.  

Each day is a brand new day...

And we get to share it with one another.

God continue to bless our marriage. 

Continue to be THE ONE we look to always!

And to the love of my life:

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To celebrate our 180days, we will be completing a scrabble game we started a few weeks ago. 

 Mr. Pancakes loves dislikes to play scrabble but he indulges me on most occassions!

Hence why we begin games and never quite finish in the same day. 

Therefore, we will celebrate our special day by  finishing our scrabble game!

We like to celebrate in style:-)

We use a timer because we take so long to come up with words sometimes. 

It's an efficient way to play scrabble.

Doesn't work all the time but it helps to keep us on track!

And it makes for an exciting game indeed.

p.s: hope everyone enjoys their longlazysunday!

Start a scrabble game this week!

I'm Not Ready to Die...she said..

These are the words i read this morning that changed the post i was preparing. 

This friday i was going to join in the fancy fridays where you talk about fashion items i am swooning over. 

I was going to gripe a little about subatoging my diet.

But the words above changed all that and left me wanting to reflect on these powerful words.

I'm not ready to die!

I was choked up when i read them because when push comes to shove, are we really ever ready to die?

I know as a Christian, I am taught to believe and know that death comes to all of us

and if i believe Jesus Christ as my personal savior, he died, 

but rose again and he will come again on judgement day,

then i will go to Heaven. 

Knowing all this does not mean i am ready to die.

Or makes it easier to face about death and dying.

Leaving this earth, i know earth is not my home and or final destination,

but that doesn't make leaving it any easier. 

I read, "I'm not ready to die" from Sunshine at Cancer in the City. 

Her dear friend, who is dealing with Multiple Scolerosis, uttered these words

and my heart broke for both of them. 

I don't even know the friend and i wanted to reach out and give her a hug. 

She has a beautiful son, a wonderful husband and her whole life to live,

of course she is not ready to die. 

I wouldn't either!

I am not even sure where i am going with this post...

but i was moved and touched by her words. 

There are so many people dealing, struggling, suffering

with some kind of illness that is beyond their control. 

I went to a revival at my church yesterday and the revivalist reminded us

to count our joys regardless of whatever trails and tests we are going through.

To look at the bright side of a situation... 

because the situation/crisis/illness is meant to pass and NOT to stay. 

Sometimes all this is possible...other days,

it's hard to count our joys

and look at the bright side

and wait for the situation/crisis/illness to pass!

Sometimes all you can do is be honest with yourself, your emotions/feelings

and utter the words: "I am not ready to die" and hope that someone hears you.

And gives you some words of encouragement and comfort. 

Sunshine reminded her friend to pray. 

And I heard Sunshine's reminder and felt her friends pain and sorrow...

And reminded of how big our God is...

and i am praying for her friend.

I don't regularly do this BUT i am asking you to say a prayer for Sunshine's friend

who is dealing with MS and is just not "ready to die!"

Prayer changes things. 

When multiple people gather to pray in unison,  things happen and lives are changed. 

Joys are counted,

brighter days are had

and situations/crisis/illness passes.

Thank you so much for helping me do this for Sunshine and her dear friend.

p.s: please tell someone you LOVE them today.

Say a prayer,

Give a hug,

a butterfly kiss,

a hand to hold

a should to cry on,

a reason to smile, hope, be faithful!

Pan Am Fashions...

I am probably late for the Pan Am party but i recently caught the show On-Demand and i am liking it!

The story line is pretty interesting and i am all about women having the freedom to choose their destinies.

But what i am loving even more are the fashions!

Aren't their stewardess outfits awesome?

And they had matching bags too!

Did all women seriously have such small waists?

Or did they just make the dresses that way and cinch the waist?

Whichever it is...i am loving most of the dresses presented on the show thus far!

Has anyone else been watching Pan Am?

How are you liking the fashions?

p.s: Is anyone going to the Blogalicious Conference in DC this weekend?



Random Ramblings...a little of this & that

There is nothing much going on here in Team Pancakes blogland so today i am random rambling.

I am sharing with my lovely readers a little bit of this and that.

Thank you all for commenting on the Gay & Christian conversation. 

I am so glad we can all have a respectful conversation with one another.  

Bravoe Runway Takeover

I am so excited that B from Bravoe Runaway is taking over on my other blog venture, at TC30s.

If you don't know, B is an amazing and beautiful fashion blogger. 

She helps other dress like a million bucks without breaking the bank. 

Please check her out today on TC30s as she takes over!

You are sure to find some great advice!

Team Pancakes Thank You Giveaway

Don't forget to sign up for our first giveaway.  It ends next Tuesday. 

Again we are giving away three items. 

 A $15 giftcard.

Coming to America DVD.

The Five Languages of Love book. 

There are four possible entries!

Enter, Enter, Enter here...

Email Reply Comments on blogger

I asked a question about sending emails after someone has commented.

And the lovely and soon-to-be mommy, Toi gave me the directions i needed. 

Since then i have been replying to most of my comments.

It's the best thing since slice bread....helps to definitely connect with readers!

Here is the info:

You have to set the notify me when receive comments and then every time someone comment you will receive an email which then you can reply to your reader if the reader has set her email address.

Pinterest...

because it always makes everything feel so much better!

Something lovely and wise:



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Actual questions Zina Harrington's daughter asks: 

We all have butt cracks right?

Where does hot lava live?

If we don't ask questions, we don't learn any other perspective

 and that can be stunting!

Be Curious!

Be Bold!

Ask a question today!

Have an awesome day friends!

Gay & Christian?

Initially, i debated whether this post is needed on my blog but then i decided, i talk about my life and things i find funny, silly, loving, interesting and thought provoking

whether it's political and or religious so why not. 

To the dismay of Mr. Pancakes, here goes.

I was watching Our America on OWN, hosted by Lisa Ling. 

It's a great show looking at the candid lives of regular Americas,

hence the name Our America. 

Anywho, we watched an episode entitled:

Pray the Gay Away? Can you be Christian and Gay?

The show, i believed, did an excellent job representing both sides of the question and allowing people to share their stories.  In the end, it was up to the viewers to make their own decisions.  And that's what i will like to do today.  Give you both sides of the argument and we can discuss and share in the conversation. Of course these arguments are my notes while i was watching the show.  Therefore, I would encourage you to go to the website for more information on the subject.

NO you cannot be Gay & Christian...

As a Christian, individuals are not defined by their sexuality. 

Homosexuality is wrong according to God & Bible. 

There are six passages in the Bible condeming homosexuality and any behaviors associated with it.

Individuals desires in conflict, desire for God or their personal desires--God should always win out.

There is a program called Exodus International,

established in 1976 that helps individuals pray gay out of them. 

President, Alan Chambers, is no longer gay & married with two adopted children 

They consider themselves ex-gay.

They believe God didn't make them gay

It may be part of them but being gay is NOT at the core

Some will accept a lifetime of celibacy than to be gay

If you believe and pray enough, you will not be gay.

The program, Exodus does not promise you will be straight,

it's a process an individual has to go through to put God first above and beyond everything.

According to God and the Word, one cannot be gay and Christian!

YES you can be Gay & Christian...

God loves you exactly as you are.

God did not create a defective individual because they identify as gay

Some people believe you cannot pray gay away although they've tried it for many years

There are the six passages in the Bible--but there are other passages that apply to God loving his people

The Naming Project is a ministry (providing summer camps)

 that allows young people to accept both sides of who they are-Gay and Christian

The Naming Project helps children to let go of all the hurtful feelings attached to their sexuality and accept themselves for who they are,  which is a Child of God! And God is LOVE.

A man who was part of the Exodus group says: homosexuality causes a split however once he accepted himself as a gay man and a devout Christian, he found a sense of peace.

Where does Team Pancakes stand on the issue:

We are Christians and believe what the Bible says. 

We try to live according to the gospel each and everyday.

Some days are harder than others. 

In the end of the day, whether you identify as gay or straight,

we are all fighting some kind of tempation. 

 It's how we make peace with God that is most important.

We are all trying to get the same place, peace of mind and heart.

Your Thoughts:

This post is not meant to deny anyone's decision to choose

 but rather to start a conversation and share our thoughts and opinions. 

We all have a right to our choice and decisions.

Please share in the conversation.

Which side are you on?

Is this topic too much for a newlywed blog?

But for more, visit OWN-Our America.

Secret Newlywed Behaviors: Butterfly Kisses

I had a very thought provoking post planned

but i couldn't muster up enough energy to complete it.

So i will finish tomorrow.

But in the meantime..

i wanted to leave another nauseating post about how awesome Mr. Pancakes is!

Hey give me a break...i don't have a Baby Pancakes yet.

Here goes...my husband gives me butterfly kisses. 

Not butterflies in my stomach, although i do get those too. 

No..i am talking about actualy butterfly kisses...without any butterflies involved.

(He would kill me if he knew i was sharing this but it's the cutest thing ever!)

The butterfly kisses goes like this,

he rubs his eyeslashes against mine.

Yes, eyelash to eyelash!

It is the cutest thing ever!

And no matter what mood i am in, i will smile, giggle and just feel warm all over!

You should try it one of these days.  (perferrably with someone you are close to)

The other person may think you are crazy but after they realize what you are doing,

they will smile, giggle and appreciate it.

There are fairytale kisses:

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Then there are butterfly kisses!

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You give it a try today!

Hope your day is happy tday!

LongLazySunday: I'm On Oprah's Magazine...

I am actually NOT on Oprah's magazine 

but i superimposed myself onto her images 

and created my own Pancakes Magazine! 

I  O Mag Myself!   

Until i get on the cover with Oprah, 

i will live with my three creations. 

(even though my pictures look a little creepy and deformed)! 

You should try it. 

It's totally fun and a great way to spend a longlazysunday!

Go here  to O Mag Yourself! 

and share in the awesome-ness that is Oprah!

BTW: Mr. Pancakes and i have been watching Oprah's LifeClass and we LOVE it. 

He wouldn't say so but i know we are both learning something from it!

What are you looking at? I know i look fab!
Go and O Mag Yourself?
Enjoy your longlazysunday!

Inspire Me Series: Jacin/Lovely Little Details

I came across Jacin (pronounced: jay-sin) and her awesome website, Lovely Little Details when i was planning our wedding.  After i got over all the lovely details on her website...i started to read about the woman behind the blog and was completely mesmerized!  
She has traveled all over the world for her career as an events planner.   Jacin merges her passion for finding life's little details and her love for planning events and helps others to celebrate special moments in their lives! 
Jacin is a woman that inspires me because everyday she wakes up and lives her dream and completely loves it to the fullest.  Someone like that can do nothing but inspire. 
Friends, I introduce you to Jacin (isn't her name the coolest ever) of Lovely Little Details! 



___________________ _____________ 

Whats your name? 

Jacin Fitzgerald

How old are you? 

30 (yikes)

Where can we find you online?

 blog | facebook | twitter | pinterest

Where did you attend school?

University of Rhode Island

Have you always known you wanted to be an events planner/business owner? 

Yes – always.

How did you come up with your business name? 

I kept talking about all the details details details that I loved, and found myself saying my company name over and over until I realized my company name was with me all along. 

Since you've traveled so much, where is the best place you've traveled? 

Australia is my favorite place on earth, hands down. Next up – Nantucket or anywhere on a beach in New England.

Where are you most inspired? 

Does Pinterest count? ;)  

Actually I love to go on walks through my neighborhood 

and through the farmers market, picking up ideas from things I see on the way.

What other events planners do you admire? 

I like wedding and event planners who are humble and inspirational at the same time. Colin Cowie, Mindy Weiss – the originators of the event planning trade. Those are the ones who paved the road so many others are traveling on now. 

What's the best advice you've received about living your dreams? 

Toss fear of failure out the window – it will only hold you back.

What gets you motivated in the morning? 

The drive inside me to get things done, and knock things off my to-do list :)

What about the mason jars? 

While many believe mason jars to be an aging trend, my love for masons stems beyond the wedding world and what's "in" at the moment. My late grandmother taught me to can jams and pickles at a young age and had a huge cupboard in her basement where she kept all of her canned goods. Everytime we went to her house, we'd leave with a new jar of something. The mason jar reminds me of her – she was the strongest and most amazing woman you'd ever meet.

What's your fav. part about weddings?

Details. Sorry, not the ceremony. I'm more of a design/décor enthusiast. Isn't that horrible?

What's you fav. thing to do when you are not working? 

Turning off the computer/phone and enjoying real life outside social media. Exploring California with my husband. Wine tasting. Sitting on the beach.

Where can we find when you are not at an event? 

Exploring California with my husband. Wine tasting. Sitting on the beach. :)

What's your next project? 

I just started a wedding planning/crafting series called Save the Date, and those will be going on through the winter months and in to next year here in San Francisco during the "off season" of weddings :)

Do you like pancakes? 

Yes! Love.

What would you do on a longlazysunday? 

My husband is the breakfast maker around here, he makes a mean bacon egg and cheese sandwich. But since you mentioned pancakes I know he loves when I make pancakes so maybe I'd whip out the griddle and get some chocolate chip or blueberry pancakes going, and mimosas, of course.

Why did you decide to start your other blog (for moms and babies)?

 I had a bit of baby fever (that came and went quickly haha) and figured my readers, if they were planning a wedding, wouldn’t really need to read my blog for long after their big day, so I wanted to try another vantage point of baby fever.

What's the biggest and best event you've planned?

The biggest event I've participated in planning was when I worked for the Newport Yachting Center and we pulled together the festivals such as Oktoberfest, etc. which yielded over 30,000 people per day! 

The best? I'd say the For Japan With Love event we pulled together this past April to raise over $5,000 for Japan relief efforts. That was awesome. 

What's the dream event you would want to plan?

Hmmm…. That's a hard one. I'd say one with a dream team of vendors – imagine working alongside Jose Villa or Elizabeth Messina with some gorgeous florals and an unlimited budget for a bride to do whatever she wanted? Now that would be a dream :).

What advice do you have for someone that wants to live their dreams? 

You only live once – life is way too short. Why wait until tomorrow? 
It sounds so cliché but it is so true. Just do it! Go for it!

_________________________________ 


Thank you, Jacin for adding some lovely little details to my blog and the world!
You truly are inspiring. 
Friends check her out when you get a chance to be inspired!