ALY ALLEN | THE BLOG

have you guys ever heard of the "dollar mob" ? okay, well it's this new organization that i've seen mentioned a couple times around blogland.  Ashley Ann [you all know who i'm talking about, right? awesome photographer and DIY-er extraordinaire?]  and my friend Kim [both Ashley and Kim are going through the  adoption process right now] have mentioned it. basically, you sign up through paypal to give $1 every week . $4 a month. what you could scrape together in your car and couch cushions, probably right now, and at least once every month. you know what i mean? but the idea is that if enough people are giving the $4 per month, they can fund some really awesome projects. mostly adoptions. each month they'll introduce a new family or project that they're going to fund, and your $4 will go toward that. $4 is basically nothing. if you don't have an etsy shop, which means your paypal account probably always has a at least $4 in it, you could e...

this week i haven't spent much time writing, as you can tell. only one post and it was quite un-insightful at that. i've spent lots of time reading, though. following along with the Compassion bloggers as they took their trip to the Philippines and wrote about it every day. and also lots of other stuff. two fridays ago, left you with a few posts that i had loved during the week, and today i'll do the same [maybe this will be a new Friday thing? we'll see...] 1) i highlighted her last week, and she's back again. Serena Woods  "The Mirror Is a Liar" . its about grace, and pride, and our desperate attempt to make ourselves worthy even though we never will be. not without Christ. 2) Katy writes about "Tornadoes and Such" . about God's sovereignty in it all. so good. 3) Emily's  "How Stickers Can Change The World" . you could read all the posts from all the Compassion bloggers in the Philippines right now, sure. and i...

hey friends. i wanted to let you know how you could win a master set of all my flower patterns. all 9 of them, which is like a $60 value. not bad, huh? there will be FIVE winners selected to receive the master set of patterns, and i think you really want to be one of them, don't you? i actually forgot one of the patterns in this collage. so, you get to be surprised! oh, and also, i'm giving away two sets of finished headbands. one set is for babies. the other set will fit toddlers up through mommies. they're pretty cute, i think. take a look: this is the set for babies... collage was done at picnik.com  which is amazing, you should try it. toddler through adult set, also collaged at picnik.com okay, but that's not all. if you don't like my designs, or if they're totally not your style [don't worry, i'm not offended at all] there are thirteen other prizes  up for grabs for you to win?!? so, head over to my friend Kim's blog to learn more...

i wanted to pop in and let you know that the fundraiser/giveaway that i shared with you last week raised $ 200 [and i wo n TWO of the giveaway items??!? yay! this has been my week for giveaways: leslie's hoop art , these cute cards from danielle's giveaway , and now, all from  Kim's giveaway :  a gift card to dunkin donuts and to itunes, and jewelry from here . yay!]  okay, back to the real reason for this post: i hope you'll take a few minutes to head over to Kim's blog again . she's hosting another giveaway, with tons of great items, including some items that are being carried over from last week. here's what Kim has to say: Please,   don't   assume that   someone else will do it . We need   ALL   of the help we can get. I can't stress that enough. The need at this particular orphanage is  great .   They need our help.   If you think that your $10 or $25 won't make that much of a difference,  you're right ....

i don't know about you all, but my heart has been burdened lately. burdened by the injustice all over the world, the fact that we have it so easy while the rest of the world suffers from lack of basic things that we take for granted i asked you last time to consider donating to the water well project in northern uganda and God delivered ! i love blog world. because i love the inspiration, the real-life examples of women who are doing God's work, the fresh Word that God speaks to me every single day through all of you in the comments and through the wonderful blogs that i read regularly.  Kim happened to comment on my blog one day [i think it was on the "water" post, actually] , so i headed over to hers. and this is what i read . [pretty please take the time to read it] . this woman is doing what God has asked her to do. and we all know that takes courage and strength and constant reliance on God's provision. the process of saying "yes, Lord" is a daily...

well, if any of you were curious about the outcome of the Lovelyn's plea for our help , that i wrote about in my last post ... $1700 needed to be raised to fund the one well at the one facility.  but, of course , in the way that only He can, and in the way that is so true to His character, God has blown us away. the total raised was   $5661. 27 that's over three times what was needed. to Him be all the glory.   [photo credit] after all that they've suffered  [and will likely continue to suffer]  i can't help but think that these children, who will finally be gaining access to clean drinking water, would  so  appreciate the promise of  Revelation 7:17   [so much more than any of us could ever really appreciate] "For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd; He will lead them to springs of  living   water .  And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes. ” i hope that some of you were able to contribute! y...

i just put my little girl down for her nap. while we prayed, I thanked Jesus for clean water... at the mention of water, of course, she asked me for water. i looked around and there was a sippy cup on her dresser, one outside her door, two across the hall in my room, and undoubtedly three more scattered around the house. we are blessed.  we are fortunate.  we are  wealthy. and when i say  "we" , i don't just mean  me. i mean all of us. just having access to clean water is a luxury that many children do not know. what are we doing with all this wealth, as thousands of children are dying every day and we're concerned with the latest fashion trend that we must own or who was the best dressed at the grammy's or what new reality show everyone is talking about? sometimes our lives are so unrealistic and absurd that i can't even believe it. i hope sometimes you get stirred by the gross injustice and gaping discrepancy, too. when you're stirred, i hope that you a...