“My husband is in Afghanistan and a few ‘favorite things’ would brighten my day!”
How about that, Sisters?!? OK, Edie, please contact Living Proof Ministries at toll free (888) 700-1999 and give us an address. Please ask for Kimberly or Susan. Knowing what we now know, all of us here would want so much to send you to the beach…but, instead, we’re sending the beach to you. ENJOY!!!
PROCEED WITH CAUTION: this post will embody most everything you anticipate and perhaps even despise about women’s ministry. There will even be pink nail polish. As the great Professor Thornbury said a few weeks ago on the Twitterverse “something is not a stumbling block if you can see it coming.” So, consider yourself warned.
Colin and I just returned from a week at the beach in Mexico. It was crazy fantastic. I slept. I read classic literature. I also swam with a dolphin named Duey. And on the day I returned home I was greeted abrasively by a stomach bug and a crick in my neck so bad I could barely move my head. Oh, and then my 100 lb puppy Winston ate my over-priced prescription eye-glasses. But how can I really be frustrated with this bad boy?
Anyway, since this weekend was the Memorial Day holiday I scrolled through numerous tweets from people who were somewhere fabulous while I was at home with a bag of frozen corn under my neck. And I began to weep for the serenity of the ocean and my dolphin Duey.
But enough about me.
I want to talk about you.
I got to thinking that there may be some of you who won’t get a break this summer. While nearly everyone you know is off to some fabulous island, you won’t get a moment’s rest. For whatever reason, you won’t be able to retreat to the beach or the mountains or to wherever else makes your heart happy. We want to send a little fun and lots of love your direction so we’re doing a random give-away. And it will not include commentaries, concordances, or anything super useful or meaningful.
This giveaway is simply full of some of my personal favorite summer things including: Bobbi Brown Beach parfum (seriously smells exactly like the beach!), classic Ray-Ban aviators, Votivo Candle in White Ocean Sands, a pair of bright yellow Moleskine notebooks, Tea Forte’ Pomegranate Blackberry Iced Tea, and America’s Test Kitchen Best Summer Dessert recipes. See the contents below:
There are really no conditions for this giveaway. My hope, of course, is that this gift makes it into the hands of someone who simply can’t get a break this year and not someone who is heading to the Maldives or Bora Bora next week to stay in one of those little huts with glass floors sprawled across sparkling turquoise waters. But truly, if this gift brings a big smile to a single one of your faces that is quite enough for me.
So, please enter your name in the comments section if you could use a little sunshine in your world. We’ll do a random drawing and announce the winner at noon on this Thursday the 31st.
You are loved.
Melissa
Wish I could spend some time relaxing at the beach! Such a fun giveaway!
Oh, how fun! Count me in for the giveaway!
Does this contest include Canada?! No problem if it doesn’t :).
Last month my husband and I secretly got married–just us, my two youngest, the pastor (and my dog). We’d been having a long distance relationship (between Montreal QC and Sudbury ON) for almost a year and planned on marrying in the fall anyway–so we just bumped it up sooner to save the hassle of separate accomodations on weekend visits. But I am in school here until mid-August, and he works full time over there. Though we will be spending some weekends together when he drives up here, there definitely won’t be a beach vacation–there might be a weekend couple’s retreat in September, though. We were hoping we could plan a little honeymoon for the last week of August, but we decided we really can’t squeeze all of our moving between two provinces into one.
Anyway, I’m blessed–if you are keeping the contest inside your borders and my name happens to get pulled out of the cyber punch bowl, I would be delighted to see it go to one of the other homebound-for-the-summer siestas. 🙂
Very thoughtful and great idea to perk up the summer. I love it.
Just read a devotion on Timothy regarding his love and concern for others and then read your blog…. pretty nice combination!! Thank you for being so thoughtful and I hope you are feeling much better!! xoxo
I just had a baby so the most vacation I’ll have is taking my 3 yr old to the pool 🙂
Great giveaway!!
Love this! What a wonderful collection of fun, girlie things. We all need a little frivolous girlie sometimes.
Leslie Wolbert
Sounds wonderful – especially to those of us staying home this summer!
What an awesome giveaway! 🙂
So thoughtful and cute! It’s all things a girl would love!!!
I’m not going anywhere because of the stress fracture in my foot…..that among other reasons. Did you know that a stress fracture hurts worse than the recovery of 2 c-sections and abdominal surgery combined? Well, now you do……but God is faithful and my abdominal surgery ended up being a blessing so I’m believing this will bring abundant blessings as well. Not so ironically my word for the year that I got New Year’s Eve at church was healing.
Sweet! Isn’t summertime great?
Isn’t it funny how a few treats can seem as exciting as a holiday? God bless you!
Got laid off in February. Working contract. can take off but won’t get paid, so won’t be taking time till I have my “own” job, probably December.
Thanks.
Nice stuff! I’ll share if I win.
So sweet!! 🙂
I love summer … AND give-a-ways! 🙂
How sweet of you! I don’t know yet if I’ll get a vacation or not. If I do, it will just be a few days here and there to relax. I won’t be going anywhere special. But just a break would be great! Thanks for thinking of all of us. Hope your neck is better!
What a wonderful selection of goodies! God Bless!
Melissa, you = doll! I enjoy all your writings (so thanks for taking the time to do so) and am always blessed by your love for our Jesus. This though…is adorable seriously. Thanks for the opportunity!
As for bad boy Winston. I have a bad boy Henry. He will be two August 5th, (he had a first birthday party ya’ll, complete with a first birthday handmade dog shirt, a first birthday hat (he wouldn’t wear) a home made dog cake with BLUE icing, friends over, PRESENTS!) and he’s the epitome of bad! But man I love him. He’s 33 inches tall at the shoulder and weighed 172 lbs yesterday. He has ate: an entire loaf of bread, plastic and all, the legs off the kitchen chairs, the corners off the coffee table, his food bowl, 729474929 of the kids toys, the demand button off the remote, the pedal off my bike, a hole in the kitchen wall my mothers over priced prescription glasses, an entire bottle of children’s Tylenol mostly full (should I go on, omg he’s a garbage disposal!!!). He also got rowdy and knocked our big flat screen tv off the wall (it was properly anchored, then tried to blame it on the cat!!! He’s rotten but I love him!
Yay!!!! I can pretend I am on vacation with all of these wonderful goodies!! 🙂 No vacation for me this year working full time! 🙁
OH! Staycation in a bag. Will be such a nice treat for the winner.
i am one of those who probably isn’t getting away this summer and I appreciate you hosting this generous giveaway. I had a total knee replacement 6 weeks ago, and although I am making great progress, I will not be leaving our home in the next few months for anything that involves a lot of walking. (Good thing that I love our home!)
What a perfect way to start the summer! You guys are such an encouragement to me – praise Jesus!
This is so sweet of you! No vacations this year. Recent move, new ministry, new job, 2 college students moving back home, and starting the Dave Ramsey plan. And that’s just the beginning, but God is good!
What a wonderful gift this would be! We haven’t been on a vacation in years! Between my husband going on mission trips with the youth, gas prices and no money, vacations get put on hold. But that’s ok, I am so blessed that I can’t complain. Even though I would love to win this package, it looks amazing and like so much fun! I have a couple of friends that I would probably share it with – they have a much harder day-to-day life. But no matter what, I’m praying that this goes to the person that truly needs it!
thank you Melissa for the thoughtful gift for someone. Life is a journey and sometimes there is rest and sometimes there isn’t. 🙂 Hope someone wins that will need the box of “rest”. Looks like some fun items, I am hoping the dog is included in the box. Then I hope to win.
Winston is the best! Sorry your vaca ended with a stiff neck, but how thoughtful of you to create such a wonderful giveaway! Count me in!
How very sweet of you! No beaches for me. My family lives far away and I try to use every vacation time to go home and see them. I may not get to the beach nor be out in the sun, but I get to have some wonderful girl talk time with my sisters!
So enjoy reading your posts, and your generosity is so appreciated! I too will not be taking a vacation this summer (second summer in a row). This is due to a second wedding within a year! Both sons are now married, and it was a good reason to not take a vacation, but every girl needs a little get away! Bless you!
YES,YES, I need SONshine in my summer!
What a treat!
You have a great sense of taste…love the collection of goodies! After the year I have had, this would be heavenly!!
As a Mama of 4, my time is spread thinly! We have just moved across country and will be settling in this summer! Sadly, no beach trip this year. What a wonderful “me” special treat. I’d feel like I was there:)
Thank you! What a lovely collection!
Thanks for offering this great gift! I am longing for the beach, but it won’t happen this year. The upside is that I am expecting my first grandchild in October! My husband and I are anxious for this bundle from heaven to get here!
Ah…as I sit here in my windowless office, dreaming of the beach, what comes across my email? A chance to win a beach basket of goodies. Of course, I would love to win, but just drooling over the pictures made my (and my co-worker’s) day! 🙂 Feel free to choose my name! Even if I don’t get chosen, I know the basket will go to a deserving sister!
Oh how fun!!!!! My summer vaca is a mission trip to Kentucky to work with SWAP(Serving With Appalachian People). Don’t think I’ll see the beach…but this is where my heart will be and very excited! Enter me – Tina Harrell
Ahhhhh, love it!
Tina Gamble
Thanks!
I love the Beach in a Bag !
I would love to win this! I am currently a full-time wife , mother and student, so no summer vacation for me. I would appreciate this little “getaway” very much!
What a great idea!!! This is a great gift option for friends and families summer birthdays! Thanks for the inspiration and your generous heart!
How thoughtful!
How generous and how thoughtful. I would more than appreciate to win something like this! Maybe after a long hard day of work, I could just slip into being on the beach right in my own livingroom. And pray that sometime in the future that funds will be available to vacation.
A beach break would be fun, but no in the cards this summer.
Such a nice gift! Lovely!
Love the beach! Love summer! Love this post! Thanks you 🙂
We all can use a little extra sunshine.