9th Day of Christmas Giveaway….. with Wendy Blight
On the 9th Day of Christmas….. here comes another Proverbs 31 speaker giving away a great gift! If you are just joining us in our 12 Days of interviews and giveaway goodies, click here to get caught up. You can enter to win the prizes on any of the 12 posts until midnight EST on this coming Sunday, December 13th.
Today, you will meet my friend (and Kenzie’s other mother for the last four months) Wendy Blight. Wendy has a love for studying and teaching God’s word and helping women find their worth in Christ. She has authored a book, Hidden Joy in a Dark Corner. In it, she chronicles the story of being sexually assaulted in her apartment one week after college graduation and the resulting scars it left on her life. However, God did not allow her to stay stuck. He rescued and redeemed her life. Wendy’s story is one of transformation from trauma to rebirth through the power of the Word of God.
If you are around this gracious gal for even a few minutes, her beautiful disposition, others-centered personality and endearing smile shine brightly and you feel as if you’ve known her for years! You are in for a treat today. As we are winding down our nearly two weeks of giveaways, meet the lovely and much-loved Wendy Blight:
Hi everyone! I am Wendy Blight. My husband, Monty and I have been married twenty years. We live in Charlotte, North Carolina with our two children Lauren (16) and Bo (12). Before moving to Charlotte, we lived in Dallas, Texas where I practiced law for several years. Since moving to Charlotte, I have been actively involved in both teaching and writing curriculum for Bible studies, as well as speaking to churches and various other organizations. I currently serve with an incredible group of women on the Proverbs 31 Speaker team.
Now for our interview:
Many of the gals have shared on this blog about favorite Christmas traditions. Does your family have one to share?
Yes, we do. We have had a little Christmas book, ever since our kids were little, that we love to read each night in the days leading up to Christmas. It is an older, and now probably out of print, book entitled The 25 Days of Christmas. It has a Christian message for each day December 1-25 and really helps to keep us focused on the true meaning of the holiday.
What has been your most memorable Christmas as an adult?
When Lauren was a baby, a dear woman, who had made a stocking for me years earlier, made one for her. She even made one for my husband too so we could have matching stockings as a family. Later, she also crafted one for our son Bo when he was born. She was a friend of my great-grandmother (the famous fudge maker I mention below) and her gesture touched my heart so much. She has passed away now, but I always have fond memories of her and our special stockings made with love.
Is there a Christmas movie that holds a special memory for you?
My daughter Lauren and I love to watch White Christmas, and the whole family adores watching Elf and giggling together!
What are some of your favorite Christmastime foods? Any recipe you might share with us?
We simply love my great grandmother Reppe’s famous Christmas fudge. She was my mother’s grandmother and she often made this most delicious treat she called Fantasy Fudge. Here is the simple recipe:
Fantasy Fudge
3 C. sugar
¾ C. margarine
2/3 C. evaporated milk
1- 12 ounce bag semi-sweet chocolate chips (I use only Ghirardelli brand)
17 ounces marshmallow crème
1 t. vanilla extract
In a medium saucepan, combine sugar, margarine and milk and gently boil. Remove from heat and stir in chocolate chips. Add marshmallow creme and vanilla. Beat well and pour into a buttered 9 x 13 inch pan. Let cool and cut into squares. Makes 3 lbs.
Wendy, you are so thoughtful to be offering a giveaway today for one of the gals who leaves a comment. Tell us what it is.
I will be giving away a copy of my book Hidden Joy in a Dark Corner and a $10 Starbucks gift card so the winner can sip something she enjoys while she reads!
Thank you so much, Wendy, for visiting with us today!
Well, if you’d like to win Wendy’s giveaway, leave a comment letting us know the answer to this Christmas question: How are you coming on your shopping? 1/2 done? All done? Not even close? Let us know! You’ll be entered in the giveaway.
I’ll go first….by my best scientific calculation, I would say I am 92.8% done. :-) (or somewhere near that figure)
How about you?
Christmas-is-Getting-Close Blessings,
Not even close! I have a list done! Now I have to do the budget. And for the gifts I’m making, I’m overwhelmed!
I am about 95% done… this is the first time that I have ever been this far at this date. It has been so nice!
How fun it is to hear where everyone is in the “shopping’ mode. I am about 75% finished!! I love the great attitudes…plenty of time left…I won’t get stressed…I’m praying for God’s peace. With my daughter having surgery on the 21st, have to buy the rest by December 20th!!! But I join Karla who says “I am not stressing over it.”
Thank you, Karen for sharing my story and an opportunity to win a copy of my book, Hidden Joy. Thank you to my sweet bloggy friends who left kind and encouraging comments. And most especially, sweet Blessings to each of you, and I pray you have a joyous and blessed Christmas!!
Wendy
Nowhere near done. I’d say I’m about 15% finished, and that is being generous. But, there’s plenty of time left.
Not even close…and may not get there, which I’m trusting will be okay as we’re celebrating a 50th b-day and 25 years of marriage this month, too. I’m praying for God’s peace through this sacred season.
Not even close and probably won’t be doing any shopping at all. I will be happy if I can get my grandson something. The rest will just have to receive my love and prayers.
I’m about 12% done with shopping! Going diy this year :)
I am about 50% done. I havent even started shopping for hubby yet, he is the hardest one to buy for.
Haven’t even started and not because of lack of time but lack of ideas of what to give for gifts. I’m drawing blanks this year on everyone.
I think I am half way done but honestly am not sure. I need to spend a morning assessing where I am at but seriously who has time??
Hello Ladies-
I have finally made the plunge to write on your blog even though I have been reading them for a little over a month. I enjoy reading about each of the women of P31 Ministries. It’s like having a bunch of mentors sharing tidbits of wisdom to a young woman. I won’t get too much into my story but I was raped at 17 and sexually abused for two years before that. I have been through a couple sexually abusive relationships and a year and a half ago took the plunge to finally seek professional counseling. Many people have touched my life and God is truly the Redeemer. I am so thankful for the courage of the women in this ministry like Melissa Taylor and specifically Wendy and the many other women who blog and share their story and shine light on this particular dark circumstance. Wendy’s book sounds fabulous. Anyways… I just wanted to say thank you.
As for Christmas shopping, I haven’t even started! As a senior in college it is hard to make time for it until after finals! Ekkk!!! :)
Erin
I need to finish my mom’s and the church janitors and Sam’s school bus drivers, and then I’m done. Love it. I’m a little late, I always try to be done shopping and wrapping by the first week in December!
I would say that I am about 60% done. Seems like it is getting here so fast!
Happily about 80%!
Hello Karen and Wendy:)
Wendy is a lovely lady i have rarely encountered someone so down to earth and with such a heart for other women who are hurting, I just love her:) About my shopping i have gotten about 30% of it done, i will get the rest at pay day on the 18th:) Mostly my nephews i got to buy for now i have three of them and they are pretty fussy, if you have any ideas let me know i have a very limited amount of money to spend on their gifts:) God bless you
I’m usually almost done with shopping and working on baking by now. Not so this year! Just can’t get my act together to get out and get moving. I do have a plan to start this weekend if I don’t have an opportunity before.
Can’t thank you enough for the time to reflect on different celebrations of the season!! I’m enjoying the pace – aside from not having the shopping done – and I’m not stressing over it!
Glad to say I am nearly done with my shopping. We don’t give tons of gifts. We do service projects and take on other families for giving.
What I am not done with is baking. I am hoping to do some chocolate covered cookies with the kids real soon.
Thanks for the great fudge recipe.
By now I’m usually completely fininshed with shopping. Unfortunately this year I’m way behind, maybe 50% finished. Thanks for the giveaway, hope to win :)
This year is a little different since I am pregnant and due January 4th…I wanted to be finished in case my little blessing came early. I am about 85% complete and just need to find time to pick up the other stuff. But also due to the pregnancy (and all the new baby stuff that goes with that) we have scaled back this year, so it has been easier.
Done.
I would say that I am 80% done, and trying to NOT STRESS about the remaining 20%!
I think I’m about 55% done. I have my kids and my daughter’s secret angel bought for. I still have to buy my husband something, and fill the stockings. Next year we are taking karen’s advice and doing the three gifts. It’s another way we can help our young kids identify Christmas as a celebration of Jesus’ birth.
I’m about 50% done! Not where I wanted to be by now, but I’ll take it! :) :)
Wendy, the book you mentioned sounds awesome. I want to see if I can find a copy!
Prayers and blessings!
Barely started. I have 2 boys (5 and 6) and have bought one thing for them…together! A Wii system with all the extras that my sweet loving sister offered to sell to me for 1/2 the price she paid. Plus it has the Wii Fit in there for mommy…I gotta get fit!
Havent even started. will get started this weekend though.