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Thankful Thursday ~ Erin & Photography

And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful.
(Colossians 3:15 ESV)

I had mentioned last week that I am getting back into portrait photography. I have been very busy over the past 4 weeks. Now I have to find a way how to make this a full-time occupation. I have some ideas, but it takes time to really get going when you work full-time in accounting.

This week, I want to share about Erin and how thankful I am to have her in my life. Even though we don’t see each other (actually we met only once in person), Erin has become my mentor. For me personally, Erin is the best portrait photographer in town. Especially when it comes to children and wedding photography. When you have time, please check out her website: Erin McFarland Photography.

You might say: “but Erin is competition”. Not really; you see the Valley of the Sun is very big and there is room for many photographers. Not only is Erin a fantastic photographer, but also a beautiful woman of God.

This upcoming weekend Erin has given me a huge gift; she is allowing me to shadow her at a wedding photo shoot. Not only can I see her in action, but I will be able to photograph too. How cool is that?!? I am very excited and especially thankful about this opportunity.

So, Erin McFarland, this week I am particular thankful for you and your generosity. You have cheered me on since I started with photography and you are a huge encourager. So, thank you!!!

What are you thankful for this week? Please do share with us by leaving a link to your Thankful Thursday post below.

Thank you for stopping by today. Remember: be thankful for the people God has placed in your life; not all of them are competition.

Love & peace,
Iris

Thankful Thursday Participants

1. Kathleen – The Joyful Servant 🙂
2. It Feels Like Chaos
3. Admired
4. LaughingLady		 5. Pamela @ the Songs on the Way
6. Vintage Homemaker
7. How to Have Perfect Peace in Every Trial
8. Bethany		 9. What Gifts Will You Bring Him?
10. This I say to my fears…
11. Who cooked the meal at the Last Supper?

Learn more about Thankful Thursday here.

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American Kitchen ~ Made In America Giveaway

***Comments are now closed – winner will be announced on Monday, March 5th***

Made in America

If you have been following my blog, you know why I like to giveaway merchandise “Made in America”. If you don’t know the back-store of my giveaways, please read my first post “Why it is Important…“.

This week you will have a chance to win a fry pan by American Kitchen. I really like the stainless steel fry pan I purchased several weeks ago. I like to create a sauce from the foods I prepare, that is why I purchased the stainless steel version (deglazes wonderfully).

You have a choice though. You can either win the 10″ nonstick or the 10″ stainless steel frying pan from American Kitchen. You just have to let me know which one you would like (US and Canada only please). Both frying pans are safe for oven use up to 500F.

The giveaway will be open until next Sunday, 9pm Arizona time. The winner will be announced on Monday, March 5th.

Thank you for stopping by today and for your interest in American made merchandise.

Love & peace,
Iris

PS: All giveaways are paid out of my own pocket; none of the American companies that I feature here on my blog have paid for the products for me to give away.

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Thankful Thursday ~ A New Friend

“First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is proclaimed in all the world.” ~ Romans 1:8 (ESV)

God is good – all the time. As you all know (or most of you), I work full-time at a very large corporate office. It is very hard to keep positive throughout the week.

Today I want to share about a friendship I have formed with one of my co-workers. I have prayed for a while for someone to talk to about Jesus at work. In today’s society you really have to be careful; you might get called into the HR office if you mention the name of Jesus to someone who does not believe.

Lori is an amazing woman of faith. I love talking to her. The great thing is that I can share with her what I am struggling with when reading the Bible. I am currently reading through Ezra (I am not so good with the Old Testament *sigh*). Lori just smiled when I mentioned that I have a hard time with the Old Testament; she makes me feel comfortable sharing and makes me feel I am not alone 🙂 …

Today, I am very thankful that God placed Lori in my life. Goodness, I spend 70% of my time at work, so the support of another Christian is marvelous. Lori (in case you read this), you are awesome!!!! It is so nice to talk to you about our shared faith in Christ.

What are you thankful for today? Please do share with us by leaving your link below. I apologize for not stopping by last week, but we received our new cable modem today and it works like a charm :).

Thank you for stopping by today. Remember: God answers our prayers in His time – don’t give up.

Thankful Thursday Participants

1. Amanda@ Confessions of a Wannabe Supermom
2. Heather@Becoming A Titus 2 Woman
3. Trish @ SAHM’s Notebook
4. Lynn ~The Christmas Letter
5. From Coughing to Praising
6. Bus Drivers
7. Jessica @ By Grace Alone
8. More Than Words
9. Joshlin@Saving Moms Sanity
10. LaughingLady
11. Grace
12. Amazing Grace – Campus Ministry		 13. It Feels Like Chaos
14. Amy @ Nine-Ninety-One
15. L
16. Life is a Battle
17. Bernice @ My Journey
18. Chris
19. Andrea@PurposeGuide
20. Laurie @ Women Taking a Stand
21. Gemini
22. Erin
23. Melanie @ M&M
24. Sherry		 25. Marsha
26. Jessica @ Waiting for Baby
27. Michele
28. Cora – Refuge and Strength
29. Tiff @ The Faery Inn
30. Long Wait For Isabella
31. Harter
32. Donetta at a Life Uncommon
33. Andi
34. The heart of a child
35. Wendy Gunn @ Faith’s Firm Foundation
36. Rita

Learn more about Thankful Thursday here.

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Thankful from the bottom of my Heart

“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.” ~ Colossians 3:16 (ESV)

I am inching myself back into the blogging world. Yes, I have been absent for a while — I needed to regroup and figure out what is truly important in life and to me…

So, why I am I writing a thankful post today? I have two wonderful things to share with the blogging community (although one thing is bitter-sweet)…

  • Some of you know that I had a ‘Silent Auction‘ last week on this blog. Although I didn’t get many bids for the print, the ‘winning’ bid is extra special (and bitter-sweet). I want to thank Marsha and CWO for bidding on the print. The ‘winning’ bid was submitted by CWO.
    Here is the very cool part: Darlene placed the bid in the name of all Christian Women around the globe — so in essence – you placed the bid too 🙂 . Since the bid was from the community of Christian women, Darlene requested that the print is not shipped to Canada, but to sweet little Gentry Rose.
    This is the bitter part: July is the last month that CWO is being published. I have known CWO (and Darlene) from the beginning. I truly believe that I would have not made that many connections around the world if it had not been for Darlene following His lead…Darlene, you always will have a special place in my heart…I thank God for you and your commitment over the past 4 years ~ I love you, girl…

  • The other thing that I am truly thankful for is: God gave me a dream and is making it in little pieces reality. I only have shared this with a few of my closest friends, but now I am ready to share with you all. I am trying to build a portrait business. The only part that is hard to have the energy after an 8 hour work day to take portraits and promote my business. But I know that I can dream big with God…If you have time, check out my ‘business’ website: Iris Nelson Portraits…Let me know what you think 😛 …

Thank you for taking time to stop by today. Remember: No dream is to outrages if God is leading the way 🙂 …

Visit my dear friend Lynn at Spiritually Unequal Marriage, to visit other Thankful Thursday participants.
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