The Nativity Stones – The (Not-So) Newlywed Lefebvres

Oh my goodness – the word Friday may never have sounded as beautiful as it does today! This week has been a BLESSING, but also exhausting since last night was the first night this week I have slept well – If you guessed that Craig finally got home late last night, you’re right! 🙂

We have a busy weekend planned!

Tonight, we are running in the 8th Annual March Against Meth 5k.

And then we are going to reward ourselves with SUSHI NIGHT!!!! MMM! I am hungry just thinking about it! 😉

Tomorrow, we will be putting together the Princess Packages for the women who have been rescued from prostitution and sex trafficking by “Out Of Darkness“.

We cannot wait to share the pictures of everything we are donating to this wonderful organization! I asked my co-workers to contribute to this cause, and their response was overwhelming!!! Between my raiding Dollar General and all of my clothes closets, and their bags upon bags of toiletries and make-up and gently worn clothing….We have SO much to share with these women!!!!! I am SO THRILLED!!!

Today, you can round out our Love On Purpose week too! In the top left part of the sidebar (you will have to view this post in a browser to see it – and the video above), there is a link to donate to help fund a missionary’s trip to Bolivia! This is such a great great cause and every little bit will help!

And now for a little bit of our regularly scheduled programming – Food For Thought Friday!

In honor of Mother’s Day this weekend, check out these sweet baby ducklings who think this man is their father!!! Awww!

And this one is just plain frightening…

The Average American Can’t Answer These Three Simple Finance Questions

Why schools don’t teach finance and money-management classes at the high school level, I don’t know… I don’t believe there is ONE of us out there, though, that wouldn’t have benefited from some lessons early on! 🙂

And finally, The Nativity Stones – Do you remember this awesome company for whom we reviewed one of their necklaces back around Easter? If you haven’t already found something special for your mother, one of these beautiful crosses would be a wonderful idea! They have just asked us to do more photography for their advertising and marketing, and Craig and I are so thrilled to have maintained our involvement and support of such a truly beautiful company!

If you haven’t read the story of these stones’ origin, you should and you can right here.

Whew! Time to grab some lunch and get ready to run!!! I’m ready!!! (The faster I run, the sooner we can eat sushi! 🙂 )

Have a wonderful weekend and a beautiful Mother’s Day! Happy Mother’s Day to all of you out there – especially our own, and the two mothers-to-be – you know who you are!! 😉

We have such a wonderful treat for you this bright and shiny Monday! A few weeks ago, we were contacted by a company called Nativity Stones, about doing a product review and a feature article on their behalf. After reading their story, we couldn’t say no!

Here it is, straight from The Nativity Stones’ website itself:

On a winter’s night over 2000 years ago, Mary and Joseph traveled the road to Bethlehem. Caesar Augustus ordered a world census to be taken and all subjects were required to return to the place of their birth. Despite Mary’s advanced pregnancy they journeyed from Nazareth to Bethlehem, Joseph’s birthplace. Joseph searched urgently for lodging as it was Mary’s time to give birth, but all of the inns were filled. In his desperation Joseph finally found a cave at the edge of town to shelter his wife. It was here, in the Cave of the Nativity, where the Christ Child was born.

Early Christians flocked to worship at The Cave of the Nativity soon after His death. In 325 A.D. Byzantine Emperor Constantine, along with his mother Empress Helena, officially recognized the site of Christ’s birth, constructing churches to commemorate the three principle events of Jesus’ life. One of the churches was the Church of the Nativity, which was erected over the cave where Jesus was born. The cave was then enclosed in an eight-sided structure and the church was built above.

Despite the following years of neglect, wars and destruction, the Church of the Nativity has always drawn faithful pilgrims from around the world. It is the oldest Christian Church in the world and continues to be a sacred symbol to the devout. It was designated an endangered World Heritage site by UNESCO.

In 1963, there was a one-time excavation to allow another exit for the thousands of visitors who come to the Cave of the Nativity each year. During that excavation a portion of a wall just a few feet from the fourteen pointed star commemorating the actual place of Christ’s birth was removed.

The stones from that wall – the Nativity Stones – witnessed the birth of Jesus. These are the very stones cradled in the Nativity Stone heirlooms.

Wow. What a story!

This company has taken these stones, from the birthplace of Jesus, and incorporated them into beautiful Christian jewelry & timeless pieces. We received a wonderful piece from The Nativity Stones, and I am so excited to have this cross and authentic piece of our Lord’s history – just in time for Easter! The cross I am wearing here is the Classic Nativity Cross – perfect to use in prayer, or just to wear as a reminder of the amazing God we serve and worship!

And we have a treat for you! You, too, can have a beautiful Christian heirloom – and with a special discounted rate! Just enter the code “newlywed15” at checkout to receive a 15% discount!!

What a wonderful gift for Easter, Confirmation, no occasion at all! I urge you to purchase one of these special pieces! You won’t be sorry!

We also want to give a shout-out to a dear blogging friend we have featured before here: The Veil of Chastity showcased us on Friday:

We are SO BEYOND BLESSED with great friends and family and their prayers and encouragement. Thank you for your commitment to us!! It means more than you could ever imagine!

I was thinking just Sunday morning…SO MANY OF OUR PRAYERS HAVE BEEN ANSWERED! Yet, so often, we overlook those answered blessings and focus on the {seemingly} negative things in our lives. God is so good. He is so faithful.