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Contest

Bless Your Heart by Cindy Colley

Contest Winner #3–Tracy Parsons

Posted on December 21, 2017

The very best encouragement on earth for a spouse comes from his/her Christian spouse. For many years, I’ve encouraged wives to make a list of the things they respect about their husbands and gift it to those men. This list, delivered in written form or verbally, has helped heal, bolstered self-esteem, added wealth and offered security in many marriages since time began. It’s important that we not just think  about, but communicate to our spouses the reasons for our happiness in the marriage.

So Tracy Parsons shared this kind of encouragement from her husband; just a simple hand-written note that Tracy loved reading just as she was preparing to deliver their fourth child…which is now safely home… and blessed, might I add, to be growing up in a home filled with love and His fulness. Welcome, Lillian Faith!

Happy Christmas, Tracy! She chose a Hannah’s Hundred cd for those four kids. She says she’d like to be putting the word in them during the drives to and from services. I say, “God bless that purpose!”

Here’s the letter. I wanted you to get the full effect of a husband’s own handwriting and the “realness” of this simple gesture. I think you can enlarge it and make it out.  I love the list of adjectives at the end! (And I love that it begins with “Babe.” Every marriage needs sweet pet names!)

Bless Your Heart by Cindy Colley

Contest Winner #2: Alisha Middleton

Posted on December 19, 2017

Sometimes the most encouraging commodity is a memory. Oh, we don’t enjoy the passing of those who are sources of strength to us, but memories and the tangible reminders left behind are still invaluable to us. We lean on examples of faith that have already led  to heaven. Heaven, in fact, becomes dearer as its throng swells to include many who’ve been dear in this life to us. The second contest winner, Alisha Middleton, has an encourager who lives in the place for which we’re all striving. Here’s her letter…

Three months ago our congregation lost someone very dear to us. One of our shepherds, Dale Ledbetter passed away after suffering with a very painful form of cancer. We miss him everyday, especially the love and compassion he showed for members of our congregation. The attached picture shows a onesie that he picked out for our son before he was even born. Also in the pictures are some of the notes he wrote to us during my pregnancy with Liam. Our son never got to meet Brother Dale, but someday I will show him these notes and tell him about the type of man he was. I hope my son will be like him someday.

-Alisha Middleton

Bless Your Heart by Cindy Colley

Contest Winners!… Elizabeth, Tracy and Alisha

Posted on December 13, 2017

Contest winners are Elizabeth Moon, Tracy Parsons and Alisha Middleton. Congratulations to these three sisters who shared encouraging comments, notes and/or gifts given by others in the body of Christ. Congratulations to all those who sent in examples of the various ways and words used to encourage…because those in the family who receive encouragement from their brothers and sisters have a lot to celebrate. 

Elizabeth, Tracy and Alisha, choose your free product from The Colley House and email your postal address along with your selection to byhcontest@gmail.com

Here’s Elizabeth Moon’s winning entry. (I’ll share the others soon.)                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      Go encourage someone this holiday season!

This year, my husband and I found out we were pregnant with our first child. We are living 15 hours away from home while he is in school, and having earthly family around to guide us during this happy time hasn’t really been possible. We have TRULY come to yearn for Titus 2 relationships and bonding with older wiser Christians to teach us and help us with advice in preparing to raise our children. One piece of advice we have received is to attain “quiet” toys during the worship time in those early years so as to not be a distraction to others around us as they are also trying to worship. The only problem has been that we have literally been looking for something that fits that bill for almost the entire pregnancy. Yet, almost every toy made today is made to stimulate and entertain our little ones or are either too hard or big to ever be capable of being “quiet” in the hands of a very little one. Then today a little piece of encouragement made our entire wait/pursual worth it. My husband has recently started filling in for a small congregation about an hour away from us a few times a month. It was there, without any previous knowledge of our “toy pursuit”, that a sweethearted older woman thought enough of us to remember our child on their Christmas list. What was the gift? Only the most beautiful handmade “pillow” doll I had ever laid my now teary flooded eyes on. With a simple note that spoke such generosity, care, and guidance all in only one short note. It said, “Merry Christmas. This is a “church” doll, if dropped during service there is no noise made.” To someone else this may seem so little. But to me, it was so much more. We have searched and searched and searched for something that would heed the advice of the wisdom of our older brothers and sisters. To virtually no avail. Then, only 4 short weeks, before our baby is to be born, God through Mrs. Ruth Ann sends us the “toy” we had been searching for. But with much more love than we would have found at a store. No, this one was made specifically for our child. For the very purpose we had been searching for. And by one of those wise, helpful, Titus 2 woman that we have so desperately wanted to learn from. How encouraging. How magnificent. Something so small, yet something we will be sure to pass down to each of our children. Along with all the lessons this doll represents to us. This doll, and that small sweet note, we’re definitely an encouragement to us. I will attach the picture of the doll and the note Mrs. Ruth Ann gave us.

Bless Your Heart by Cindy Colley

Holiday Contest at the Colley House!

Posted on November 28, 2017

                                                                                                 Christmas Contest!

                           Need a Hug?

Every year at Christmas time, The Colley House has a contest. Some talented, or thoughtful, or just some lucky lady gets a prize package. This year it’s the most creative kinds of online encouragement to each other. Here are the rules:

You can email me or screen-shoot me a copy of the best letter or  tiny note of encouragement, or even hand-drawn picture that you have received this year. You know, someone wrote on your facebook page or sent you a message that really made you want to be better, or made you feel appreciated. It can be from your husband, your friend, your sister, your child…anybody. Please send to byhcontest@gmail.com OR you can share on my personal public facebook page.  Entries sent to other addresses or via Messenger or text will be disqualified (Just because CC is going bonkers this holiday season and this way I’ll only have two places to look. =) It’s okay if we know you, if you are a digger, if you are a member at West Huntsville, etc…Anybody who does not have Colley or Giselbach in her name is eligible. 

We’ll get some unbiased help and choose three winning encouragers. Then we’ll send a free book, cd, or dvd of choice to BOTH the person who submitted the entry AND the person from whom the note or picture originated. It’s okay if the two people are thousands of miles apart or in the same household. Please don’t hesitate to share just because you feel like the note is “braggy” about you. We know none of us are “all that.” We just want to learn to BE better encouragers. Deadline for your entry is December 10th. That gives you a dozen days to think about encouragement. What could be better?

We’ll spread the love via the blog and it will help us all be better encouragers (as per our November Digging Deep study.)  One…Two…Three…GO! 

Bless Your Heart by Cindy Colley

Recipe Contest Winners!

Posted on December 19, 2016

unknownNever have I gotten so much encouragement from a bunch of recipes. It isn’t so much that I’ve become better at holiday kitchen proficiency as it is that I’m just very excited that so many people are reading a blog and checking out a website that’s mostly just all about the Word. And then there are the recipes, too!…which are just icing on the cake…and the cake, itself…and the pie and the dip and the soup, too. I am pumped about cooking for the holidays around here. (When I say that, I kind of feel like that writer-lady on the holiday movie “Christmas in Connecticut”, because I don’t know how much cooking I’ll actually get done in the next couple of weeks, at the rate life is happening….And, if you haven’t watched that movie, you should!) Thank-you for participating and being the blessing to me that you consistently are.

At any rate, I’m sharing the winning recipes today  and I plan to share a recipe at the close of each post until you have them all! They are all that good! Of course, the “winning” is all so very subjective. But the winning recipes are all timesavers (that criteria was a must) and all of them sound good enough that I want to try them after my very next trip to the grocery.  

So, if you see your name on one of the three recipes below, email  me (byhcontest@gmail)  your home  address and the names of the two products you choose from here: https://thecolleyhouse.org/store. Hurry to try and get in time for Christmas!

Winner #1…Wilburta Arrowood

Do-Ahead Six Week Raisin Bran Muffin Mix

Wilburta says, “My family loves these hot from the oven with butter. That and coffee

or hot chocolate is all we need.”  😉

I say “I love this because it feeds a crowd breakfast several times and because it has that long refrigerator life! Can’t wait to try it.”

 

4 eggs

3 cups sugar

1 quart buttermilk

6 cups raisin bran cereal

5 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup vegetable oil

5 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)

In a large bowl, beat eggs and sugar until well combined. Stir in

buttermilk, cereal, flour, oil, baking soda, nuts and salt; mix well.

Refrigerate at least 6 hours before using to plump raisins. Fill as

many as desired of your greased or paper-lined muffin cups two-thirds

full. Bake at 400° for 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted

near the center comes out clean. Batter may be stored, covered, in the

refrigerator for up to 6 weeks. Yield: 5-6 dozen.

 

Winner #2…Marsha York

Easy Chicken and Dumplings

This one got me at tortilla strips. And, it’s obviously from a woman who is not wasting any time on presentation! It made me laugh. I guess we should thank Danita Coker (whoever she is) here, too…and even Lecia Eubanks. (We did get an extra recipe -and-a-half here.) Winner Marsha York says “Not in a Crock-Pot..but super easy..and no one will know you didn’t roll out dough for the dumplings. I made this today and instead of canned chicken, I threw 3 frozen breast in the Crock-Pot this morning and they were ready by the afternoon. I used that broth instead of the canned.”

unnamed                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        I

Winner #3…Allison Nix

Caramel Cobbler 

Ally says “Outrageously tasty. Super easy. What’s not to love? Great for a large group, too, because it’s so rich that a small helping goes a long way.” I agree.

½ c butter

1½ c self-rising flour

1½ c sugar

¾ c milk

1 tsp vanilla 

1½ c packed brown sugar

1½ c hot water

Melt 1 stick butter in 9×13 inch pan. Whisk together flour, sugar, milk, and vanilla, then pour over melted butter. Sprinkle brown sugar over top of batter. Carefully pour hot water over butter and batter. Do not stir. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes until golden brown. Let sit for about 10 minutes before serving. Serve with vanilla ice cream.

Bless Your Heart by Cindy Colley

Crockpot Christmas CONTEST!

Posted on December 5, 2016

 

unknownEvery December The Colley House has a fun contest and give-away. This year’s contest is unabashedly self-serving for me.  Perhaps it will be helpful to someone else who’s got a lot going on this Christmas, as well. Since I’ve got at least four Christmas dinners for which I’m preparing all or a significant amount of the food, I’m asking for your best and most SIMPLE holiday recipes.  Who’s in? Just send me your favorite holiday crock-pot recipe OR a simple tried and true recipe that your family loves around the Christmas table. It can be anything from appetizers to desserts or any dish in between. It can be for your football game gatherings during the holidays or even the cookies you leave for Santa. The key is simplicity! I want recipes that I can make quickly AND that will be popular with the family. (Popular food makes the cook popular, too!)  You can enter as many times as you like and the top three winners will get to choose any two Colley House products at no cost! (There are four new Colley House books published in 2016, so you might want to check those out.) I’ll publish the best of the recipes and I’ll think of you all while I’m cooking those holiday meals. (I know I could go to Pinterest, but I love sister recipes because they’re sort of a like a long distance potluck!) Deadline is December 16th at noon. You can email the recipes to byhcontest@gmail.com. So hurry and send me a taste of your holiday! Blessings and much holiday happiness to you and yours!

P.S. I’ll share first. Here’s the recipe for Caramel Popcorn Balls, the traditional tree-trimming snack at the Colley house:

1 box brown sugar–1/2 cup butter–1/2 cup light corn syrup–1 T water–1 t. salt
Mix all that up (you don’t have to melt the butter. Just throw it in there) Microwave all that for 10 minutes. But after five of those ten minutes, take it out and stir it and add 2 tsp. of baking soda.) Then finish microwaving. Then pour over or mix in 3 quarts of popped corn and 1 cup of peanuts. (We leave out the nuts and just add a little more corn, because Hannah doesn’t like nuts) Spread on foil or waxed paper to cool or form balls. (We like the balls and to do this I spread butter on a piece of wax paper and hold this in my hand while I “squish” the ball together. You need something in your hand, because it is very hot when you mold them.) We love these! (The original recipe says microwave 12 minutes, but my microwave burns the caramel at 12 minutes, so I guess you kind of have to play with that!) They are so yum. Ezra left little sticky “Ock-corns” all over the house! He went crazy over them!15250781_961064418549_1488882612686999350_o