Southern Living Showcase Home

Decorating your home can be big fun but also kinda overwhelming all at the same time.

Sure, I flip through all kinds of magazines, have been known to go on HAR.com just for ideas and definitely pinned my fair share of decorating ideas on Pintrest. But sometime you need inspiration, up close and personal.

Ladies...brace yourself.

The Southern Living Showcase Home is right in our backyard for the next 3 weeks.

15026 Hidden Valley Waters Dr.
Cypress, TX 77429
Hidden Falls Subdivision

2011 Tour Dates
October 6th-9th
October 13th-16th
October 20th-23td

Thursday: Noon- 8 pm
Friday-Sunday: Noon-6 pm

A $10 cash donation will benefit Home Aid Houston

Just Shop For A Cause

FREE ADMISSION

Enjoy a day of shopping and invite your family and friends ... and learn about the issue of Human Trafficking in our community.

THE JUST CAUSE

The slave trade is alive and well right here in Houston, Texas. Just Cause Houston is the first annual gathering of anti-human trafficking events from September 10-17, 2011 throughout the Houston area...a cooperative initiative of churches, faith-based ministries, and local businesses and organizations that are committed to addressing God's passion for justice for the oppressed in our own community and beyond. For more information about this initiative visit:

LOCATION

The MET – Jones Road Campus
TRUTH Student Building
12903 Jones Road
Houston, TX 77070 Google Map It!

What does shopping have to do with human trafficking? Visit our shopping bazaar with booths for: fair trade vendors*, survivor made products, apparel, jewelry, cosmetics, coffee/tea, chocolate, books, crafts, baby items, and more. Hear various speakers, including a local trafficking survivor, and learn how to get involved!

Proceeds will support various human trafficking and other ministries. Chik-fil-A (!!) and other concessions available.

A ‘fair trade’ product is made under good working conditions, without slave labor, with a fair price paid to the producer. Poverty alleviation and community development are key goals.

GUEST SPEAKERS / SCHEDULE

While taking a break from shopping, listen to one of these great speakers to discover what is going on right here in Houston! Find out what you can do now to combat this evil right here in our own community.

11:30 Harris County Juvenile Probation Department
Perspectives on local at-risk teens

12:00 Chong Kim, www.chongkim.net, www.faceoftears.com
U.S. sex trafficking survivor, interviewed by Kara Diehl, local trafficking mentor

12:45 Natalie Shirley, Founder, Night Light International,
Thailand ministry / testimony

1:15 Kim Harper, Chrysalis Mentoring
Seeing God's glory through mentoring at-risk teens

1:45 Chong Kim, encore

2:30 Chris Parrish,Redeemed Ministries
Intervention and aftercare

Did you know that …

*There are more than 30 million humans in slavery today, more than at any other time in history!
*Advocacy groups believe about 300,000 children are bought and sold in the United States annually - selling human beings as a commodity, mostly in sex trafficking.
*Sex trafficking is the recruitment, harboring, transportation, provision, or obtaining of a person for the purpose of a Commercial Sex Act.
*These are not prostitutes. These are adults and children that are being prostituted. Victims can be male or female. 50% are children. The average age is twelve.
*Texas is the destination for 25% of all victims brought into the United States. The majority of those find themselves in Houston.

There is help! The National Human Trafficking Hotline 1.888.3737.888

Here are just a few of our product vendors:

Night Light International - survivor made jewelry
Chrysalis Creations - survivor made jewelry
Redeemed Ministries - survivor made coasters
Colores del Pueblo - national fair trade vendor
VOX Culture - Art and advocacy
Ten Thousand Villages - national fair trade vendor
Trade As One - national fair trade vendor
Radiant Cosmetics - fair trade cosmetics
Narimon - fair trade jewelry, bags, scarves
Project Biashara - Kenya - bags, necklaces, kitchen items
His Cherished Ones - Kenya - knitted baby items
Vision Africa - African-made women's wear
Té House of Tea - fair trade tea and tea accessories
Taft Street Coffee - fair trade coffee
Divine Chocolate - fair trade chocolate
Aggie's Arts - African beads
and many more!

For more information email missions@TheMETonline.org.

Save the Date: Fall Gift Markets

Save the date for these upcoming Gift Markets. Know more? Please leave a comment and I'll add it to the list.

**updated 9/17/11

*September 23-24
St. Mary's Fall Gift Market
www.stmaryscypress.org

*October 1-2
St. Igantius Loyola Catholic Church
Saturday 12-9
Sunday 12-6
7810 Cypresswood Crive
www.ignatiusloyola.org

*October 8
Lakewood Holiday Market
Lakewood Methodist Church
11330 Louetta Rd.
9-4 pm

*October 8
Cy-Fest
Lone Star College -Cy Fair
9191 Barker Cypress
10-2 pm

*October 15
Judy Dierker Holiday Market
The Foundry Church
8350 Jones Road
9-4

*October 29
Wee Wuns Fall Festival
10-2pm
13403 Cypress North Houston
www.cypressunited.org

Fall Ladies Bible Studies

I know, I know...it's only the end of July BUT August is next week, girls.

Most of our kiddos will return to school in about 3 weeks which means you will be able to go to the store ALL BY YOURSELF and run a few errands that just aren't as magical with extras, if you follow me.

What about Bible Study? Do you attend one? Do you lead one?

Below is a starter list of links for fall Bible Studies in our area. Please leave a comment so we can spread the news of others.

Houston's First Baptist Church
Champion Forest Baptist Church
Lakewood Methodist Church
Northwest Baptist Church
Jersey Village Baptist Church
Foundry Methodist Church
Faithbridge Church
Cypress Bible Church
Cypress United Methodist Church
Second Baptist, Cypress Campus
Second Baptist, Woodway Campus
Second Baptist, West Campus
Metropolitan Baptist Church
Community Bible Study
Bible Study Fellowship (BSF)

Dinner Rescued via the Sandbox

When it's over 100 degrees outside, it's not very motivating to turn on an oven to heat up your house. But with small kiddos, one parent is on kid watch while the other offers dinner and a show.

Lots of local restaurants have sandboxes to entertain those little darlins'....you just have to decide if the sand you'll bring home is worth it...

Clays
17717 Clay Road, Houston

Lupe Tortilla (249 and Spring Cypress)
22465 Tomball Parkway

Joe's Crab Shack
17111 Tomball Parkway, Houston 7064

The Backyard Grill
9453 Jones Rd. Houston, 77065

Santa Fe Flats
21542 Hwy 249 (Near Jones Rd.) Houston, 77070

Willie's Ice House
locations at 290 and Barker Cypress, 249 and Cypresswood, 290 and Jones, 290 and West Little York and Hwy 6 and 529

Cheer and Dance Camps

Here's a few additions:

*CyWoods Crimson Cadettes 4th Annual Dance Clinic
August 10th-12th
8:30-11:30 am

*CyCreek Silverados Silvie Dance Clinic
August 8th- 10th
8:30-11:30
CyCreek High School


And BTW: I've updated all the other Summer 2011 posts with additional camps. Take a gander if you are still looking for Summer Fun!

Summer Reading Programs

We are a week into summer....scrounging for things to do?

Check out this link for a bunch of summer reading programs.

Happy Reading!