girltalk Blog
2012 at 10:03 pm | by Nicole Whitacre
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Fun Stuff Girltalkers
We are very excited here at girltalk because this Sunday, September 30, is our first public meeting as Sovereign Grace Church of Louisville. God has blessed us with an amazing group of people for this church plant—many of whom are life-long friends. We can’t wait for Sunday morning when we will gather together to worship the Savior and hear Dad preach God’s Word.
You can check out our lovely new church website and read an interview with Dad about the church plant.
We’d love your prayers that Sovereign Grace Church of Louisville would faithfully proclaim the gospel in our community.
2011 at 7:45 pm | by Carolyn Mahaney
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Fun Stuff Girltalkers
Last week the Mahaney clan was blessed with the exciting arrival of Elena Hope Pyle, granddaughter to CJ’s sister Sharon, and son of our nephew JD and his wife Cheryl. This makes—if I’m counting correctly—20 great-grandchildren for CJ’s mom, with several more on the way! We are so grateful that God kept mommy and baby safe and we thought you’d enjoy hearing about Elena’s exciting birth, as told by her grandma, Sharon.
Congratulations JD and Cheryl! With love, Aunt Carolyn
Elena Hope was born on earthquake day. She came in dramatic fashion about 3 weeks early. Cheryl was putting on her makeup at her mom’s house. She had spent the night there because her sister was going to babysit Isabelle while Cheryl went for her doctor’s appointment. She had been having what she thought were Braxton-Hicks contractions, but suddenly she felt what she called “the worst menstrual cramp ever” which made her drop to her knees. She called for her sister and her mom, who threw a blanket down on the bathroom floor and called 911 at 9:13 a.m. At 9:15 a.m. the baby basically fell out! Would that we all could have had 2 minute labors! Her sister Claudine somehow knew what to do. She had her last child 7 months ago, and she said she “ironically” had taken a class on medical assistance. Anyway, she had an unused syringe she used to suction the mucous and used a shoelace to tie off the placenta. In God’s mercy, kindness, and faithfulness, mom and baby are both great. Poor J.D. was an hour away and thought his mother-in-law was joking when she called to say the baby had arrived. He knew it wasn’t a joke when he heard the baby crying! No less than 8 paramedics arrived 6 minutes later in 3 ambulances and a fire truck, not a woman among them! There was Cheryl in her pretty, long dress and beautifully done hair and makeup holding her baby! She weighed about 5 lbs. and is about 18 inches long, although now she is in the 4’s, a little peanut. Later that day J.D. sent a picture and texted, “Elena was born and the earth shook.” They came home yesterday and all are doing well, praise the Lord! I told Stacey (due Sept. 16) and Stephanie (due Dec. 12) they had better not try that trick at my house. Midwifery is not on my resume!
2011 at 6:33 pm | by Nicole Whitacre
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Fun Stuff Girltalkers
This morning Dad announced that he will be taking a leave of absence and explained the reasons for his decision. We so respect our dad’s humility—in fact we’ve never respected him more! Our family is experiencing God’s abundant grace and we are eager to see how God will bring His good purposes to pass for Sovereign Grace Ministries in the days ahead. We are grateful for your prayers!
Nicole, Kristin, and Janelle
2010 at 3:27 pm | by Kristin Chesemore
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Fun Stuff Girltalkers
Pink is slowly piling up in our home. We now have pink blankets, pink clothes, and even a pink (and red) room. I love this little girl thing!
And this little girl is almost here. I am now at 39 weeks, and if she doesn’t come in the next few days I will be induced this Thursday, October 28.
The boys and Brian can’t wait for baby Claire to come, but I’m hoping she’ll hold off a few more days. I still have to finish my “nesting list.”
It has been seven years since we brought a baby home from the hospital, and, to be honest, I’m a bit rusty! I’ve been walking the baby aisles at Target and Walmart trying to recall what supplies I will need to care for a newborn. I found new “advanced” bottles that didn’t exist seven years ago (how many advances in bottle technology can there be?), and began worrying about all the other things I might be “missing”. I had to stop and remind myself that I already have “the essentials”: a few sleepers, diapers and wipes, a bassinet, and a car seat. We’ll be just fine. And I’m sure the new mommy skills will all come back to me very quickly!
I would very much appreciate your prayers this Thursday. We’ll let you know when little Claire Chesemore arrives!
2010 at 10:10 am | by Nicole Whitacre
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Fun Stuff Girltalkers
On July 27, 2010, our beloved father and grandfather, Ezra Layman, went home to be with the Lord. He was 87 years old, and had suffered for eight years in the aftermath of a severe stroke. We miss him terribly, but rejoice that he is now free from pain and worshipping in the presence of our Savior, where he longed to be.
The funeral will be held tomorrow morning in Newport News, VA.
We will not be posting for the remainder of the week so that we may spend time with our family.
Thank you for your love and prayers!
“Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting? The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” 1 Corinthians 15:54-56
2010 at 4:21 pm | by Nicole Whitacre
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Fun Stuff Girltalkers
When Alice emailed us recently and asked if Feminine Appeal had been translated into Korean, we realized we never told you which of our books are available in various languages. Unfortunately Feminine Appeal is not in Korean yet, but Girl Talk and Shopping for Time have been translated—and they have beautiful cover art!
Here’s a complete list of translations for Feminine Appeal, Girl Talk and Shopping for Time, along with links to websites where you can purchase them. We are so humbled and grateful to these publishers for translating our books. We pray they will serve many women who read them in their native language.
Feminine Appeal
· Chinese (Simplified) – published by ZDL Books
· German – published by 3L Verlag
· Portuguese – published by Editora Vida
· Russian – published by Grace Publishing International, available here
Girl Talk
· Korean – published by Sallim Publishing Co., available here
· Russian – published by Grace Publishing International, available here
Shopping for Time
· Korean – published by Sallim Publishing Co., available here
2010 at 9:37 am | by Janelle Bradshaw
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Fun Stuff Girltalkers
Hey, guess what? Me too!
Baby is due to arrive in late November.
2010 at 2:03 pm | by Kristin Chesemore
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Fun Stuff Girltalkers
So….our little family is going to get a little bigger come early November. We are eagerly looking forward to the birth of our fourth child. My kiddos are split on preference of boy or girl. For me, well, I’m just
praying for a healthy baby.
The other day I asked Liam what he was hoping the baby would be.
“BOY” he said confidently (which is how he says everything!).
“Would you love the baby if she was a girl?” I asked him.
“If she’s cute,” he replied.
“Do I love you based on how cute you are or because you are my son?” I asked him reprovingly.
He got the point.
Cute or not so cute—and really, only mothers think they are cute when they are first born—we are looking forward to loving our little one and making him or her a part of our family. Most of all, we can’t wait to tell our new addition about the gospel of Jesus Christ.
2010 at 10:29 am | by Janelle Bradshaw
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Fun Stuff Girltalkers
2010 at 4:01 pm | by Janelle Bradshaw
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Fun Stuff Girltalkers
You have questions about photography? I probably don’t have the answers!
But given the volume of questions we’ve received, I thought I’d do a couple of posts about it. I’m happy to share what I know—it won’t take long!
My picture-taking career began in my senior year of high school. I took a photography class and hated it! Said I would never do that again. It was in the ancient days of film and I didn’t enjoy long hours in the darkroom. But over the summer—for some strange reason, which I still can’t explain—I began to miss photography, and yes, even the darkroom. Come fall I enrolled in another photography class at our local community college. For the next few years I took as many photography classes as I could. I even convinced my mom to let me turn my bathroom at home into a darkroom. (Thanks, Mom!)
Fast-forward a few years to the birth of my first daughter, Caly. By then I had purchased a digital camera and I began to read everything I could get my hands on related to photography. Google was my access pass and Caly was my guinea pig. Through research and practice, I learned more in the year after Caly was born than in all my time sitting in class.
And that brings us to the present. As time allows I still love to spend time researching and practicing. I took an online class last year. I also have a few friends who graciously answer my ignorant questions and share their knowledge with me.
Over the next few weeks I will attempt to share some of the things that I am still learning. But please be aware—I’m not a professional. If you hear or read something that contradicts what I say, assume I’m in the wrong! Many of you who read this blog know a lot more than me, so I would be grateful for any and all suggestions.
Look out for a photography post sometime next week.
2010 at 10:16 pm | by Nicole Whitacre
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Fun Stuff Girltalkers
This morning, our husbands boarded various planes headed for Louisville, KY and the Together for the Gospel conference. We miss them already!
Please pray for the conference—for safe travel for all 7000 registered, wisdom, grace, and clarity for the speakers, and that everyone who attends would be encouraged and strengthened in the gospel.
Tonight we’re hanging out and feeding the kids pizza and root beer floats. We’ll see you back here tomorrow!
2010 at 5:48 pm | by Nicole Whitacre
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Fun Stuff Girltalkers
It’s birthday weekend here—Caly turns 4 on Saturday and Jack turns 7 on Sunday. (Funny fact: all three of our “oldests” were born in February—Andrew turned 10 just two weeks ago.)
Speaking of birthdays, I recently discovered that I’m one of the only moms in America who does not know how to make elaborate, theme cakes for her children’s birthdays.
I really thought it was just my super-artsy friends (and Chef Duff on the Food Network) who made Cinderella’s castle with turrets and a drawbridge or a life-sized Washington Redskins football helmet. But apparently, most moms can design, bake, and decorate their child’s cake of choice, no problem.
This was news to me! You see, I never had a fancy cake growing up. Mom—God bless her—tried her best. She even took a cake decorating class. But as she laughingly says—“it just didn’t take.”
So, like her mother before her, she decorated our cakes with edible candy letters that said “Happy Birthday!” with extra letters for the name, and little stars you could put candles in. We thought it was great. We didn’t know we were missing anything.
Being less artistic than my mother, I never even thought about making a fancy cake for my children—until last year when my son overheard that another kid was getting a “Thomas the Train” cake for his birthday (the things they pick up at church!).
So, I went to the grocery store bakery and blew half the birthday budget on a cake with an icing track and real trains. It was beautiful. And easy. And expensive.
This year I’m actually going to try this Lego cake. That’s because all I have to do is cut some big marshmallows in half, ice them, and stick them on top. I can handle that. I think. (I hope Jack still likes legos when he’s eighteen!)
But if the lego thing doesn’t work out, I can always rely on the edible candy letters, like my mother and grandmother before me. Because really, do I harbor deep-seated regret that my mom never made me a Strawberry Shortcake cake for my birthday? Not a bit.
2010 at 8:02 pm | by Janelle Bradshaw
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Fun Stuff Girltalkers
We had a record snowfall here in the Washington, DC area this weekend. Two feet of snow fell from Friday to Saturday. Just look at my vending machine! They are saying that we haven’t had this much since 1922.
The plow didn’t make it to our neighborhood until last night so we have been hibernating since Friday. Other than the 12 hours when our power went out, we had tons of fun. Eating was our chief activity. I’m so glad we live in an age where we know the snow is coming beforehand: plenty of time to stockpile good food!
Even when the power was out, we made the best of it—trying to imagine that we were camping (without heat, electricity or running water, that’s practically what it was!). We used snow to boil water on the gas grill for coffee and huddled around in blankets laughing and talking. It was a fun memory (especially now that the heat is back on!).
Crazy thing is, they are calling for more snow tomorrow. I’m just grateful that our street is plowed so that I can get to the grocery store and restock before it hits.
We’ll be back tomorrow with more talk on the new clubs.
2009 at 4:16 pm | by Nicole Whitacre
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Fun Stuff Girltalkers Homemaking Holidays and Seasons
Recently, a myth has arisen about Grandma Mahaney’s Christmas cookies. Dad thinks—believes with all his heart, actually—that the cookies with green icing taste better than the cookies with red icing.
That’s absurd, since the only difference is the food coloring. But try telling Dad that. You won’t get anywhere. Common sense reason doesn’t penetrate this illusion.
After many exasperated explanations as to how it is not by any means possible for the red and green cookies to taste different; even after Grandma (his own mother!) told him the truth to no effect, we changed tactics.
He doesn’t believe us? Fine. We’ll prove it to him.
Time for a taste test.
Last Christmas, we all crowded around the kitchen table, set a plate of Grandma Mahaney’s Christmas cookies in front of Dad, and blindfolded him.
We fed him the first cookie.
“Red,” he said.
He was right. Lucky guess.
Next cookie.
“Green,” he said.
Right again. Oh, this isn’t good.
Third cookie.
“Red,” he said.
“Gotcha!” we cried. The cookie was green.
Finally, we thought, proof they taste the same.
Not so fast. We forgot this is Dad we were dealing with. This is the boy who, as permanent quarterback for all the pick-up football games on Hodges Lane, long ago honed the skill of spinning every defeat into a victory.
Two out of three, he insisted, is a win.
So, here we are, another Christmas, and Dad still insists the green ones are the best.
And some kids still believe in Santa Claus.
2009 at 12:41 am | by Nicole Whitacre
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Fun Stuff Girltalkers
Well, the shopping trip is over. It was a blast! In between stores we managed to stuff in plenty of laughter and conversation, which is really what the shopping trip is all about anyways. But we’re so happy to be back with our husbands and children and grateful to our men for holding down the fort while we were gone.
See you back here, tomorrow!
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