JanineThrossel.com

And the winner is Philip! Congrats on your new Everfound CD!

I have an exciting giveaway for you this month. . . with choices! :) If you are the winner, you can choose one of three CDs!  All are musical groups that pleasantly surprised me and my family members.  They are from very distinct genres, so hopefully you will find one that is just right for you. Ready to see who they are?  I'll give you a hint. . . they are all trios! First up is the Hanneke Cassel Trio.  We were given tickets to see her trio live and we were so blown away.  Amazing musical talent. She plays fiddle, what the Scots would call "pure dead brilliant" fiddle.  And beyond her skill, artistry, original compositions, and on-stage charisma, I felt within moments that she was worshiping God with each note. Does that sound funny?  Because I had no knowledge of who she was.  But when I read the liner notes from her CD "Dot the Dragon's Eyes," it made sense.  She really goes beyond just playing to pouring her heart out when sh...

By the way, we do have a winner of the beautiful Royal Apothic perfume, "Noble Carnation!"  In the midst of the holidays, I didn't post the winner's first name, but one was pulled as promised and the perfume was given away.  You made it way too easy for me this time. Winner is Audrey. . . who was the only one who commented on the blog.  What?!  So, congratulations, Audrey! :) As we head into a new year, what kind of giveaways would you all like to see this year? Leave a comment! :)

The sun is coming up on this beautiful day after Christmas, golden rays through cloudy, cold windows.  I have a heater going in the bedroom where I'm typing and a fire in the fireplace downstairs.  Our little Daschund, Jack, refuses to give up his bed yet, even after I put a sweater on him. Christmas didn't go quite as I expected this year.  A bad cold kept me from the Christmas Eve party and Christmas Day dinner that I had planned to attend with loved ones.  It's threatened to keep me from my family's traditional tea party this evening as well.  My sewing projects and reading plans were hindered by runny eyes.  A broken oven sidelined the holiday delights I tried to cook for my husband and children. Not quite as planned. Yet, it has been a beautiful time with my guys, who chose to stay with me instead of going out.  My oldest child filled our stockings and read us the Christmas story from Luke 2.  We opened lovingly-chosen and lovingly-wrap...

About six months ago, I made a new friend.   In some ways, we are very different from each other.  In others (like our affections for funny stories, people who are authentic and decent, cute dogs, shopping, and chocolate) we are very much alike.  She is the kind of friend that sharpens me.  She helps encourage me to be a better person and make my corner of the world brighter.  I find myself laughing more, giving more, reaching out to be more friendly to strangers, and being intentional about compassion.  Oh, and I'm even taking care of myself a little better--from skin care to exercise.   This Thanksgiving, one of the many, many blessings that I am thankful for, is my new friend. So, in honor of her, I want to giveaway something this month that she likes a lot. . . Royal Apothic perfume.   I'm giving a rather generous travel-size version (.33 fluid ounces), in the top-selling scent "Noble Carnation."  The Roy...

Jews praying at the Wailing Wall, circa 1870s, photo by Félix Bonfils in public domain. The news these days is pretty much frustrating for all of us--Democrat or Republican, young or old, rich or poor.  What is, perhaps, the most frustrating for me is the reports coming from Israel. Perhaps, in a different post, I will share some thoughts concerning why I stand with Israel.  For now, I want to address the horrific event that happened there this Tuesday. Two Palestinians entered a Jewish temple in Jerusalem and slaughtered four Orthodox Jews who were silently praying.  Their weapons of choice were axes, knives and a gun.  They then entered a gun battle with police and killed one officer (who was the dad of a four-month old) while he was dragging a female coworker to safety.  They themselves were then killed by police. Several news outlets wrote about the deaths as if the fight had been fair.  President Obama talked of "the majority of Palest...

<![endif]-->Remember those 276 Nigerian girls captured in April by militant Islamists?   Remember how horrified and concerned we were ? Fifty soon escaped, and the BBC is now telling the tale of three. As I read, it brought back some memories of my time in Bolivia. I believe God for my own life.  No matter what I've been through--hard days or sleepless nights--God's hand, guidance and presence has been with me.   I can see that good has grown and blossomed from the dark, stinky--yet rich--soil of my most painful days. It has all made me stronger and I don't resent or resist that.    Yet, there have been times when I doubted God's plan.   Can I just be honest about that?  It was hard to believe Him sometimes, when I saw broken and abused children.   When those Nigerian girls were taken, I felt that too-familiar pang of " Why , God ?"   I prayed for their safe return and protection.  I wondered where God's place was...