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I’ve recently become very passionate about shopping locally. Mostly Lakeport and Kelseyville. I think it’s because Carlos and Vinny’s had to shut down and it just made me sad to see someone struggling. As a person who owns a business locally I know it can be tough to stay alive right now when you have to rely on locals only.
With that said, I’ve been thinking of ways we all can support our local shops. Here are some ideas for this holiday season….
1) Make your Christmas Wish List based on local shops. Go in, look around, make a list for your loved ones. There’s a lot here to choose from, AND it’s really not most expensive than shopping online (no shipping fees!) or in the city (no gas and food costs OR temptation to buy more than you would locally).
2) Shop the locals BEFORE going to the city or online. At least give them a chance first.
3) Quit watching ads on tv, quit reading ads in the newspaper, quit reading ads or e-mails online. These will make you want more than you need. Trust me! This is going to help me a lot. I just looked at an ad in the paper this morning and I kept saying “Eric, they have such-and-such for only $15….Eric, they have this for only $400 (regularly $700!).” They were all things that were great deals, but not local and not things I actually needed.
4) Change your budget this year. If you think that the nicer items that are local are a little too expensive (yes, a pair of really nice wool slippers will cost more than some cheapos from Wal-Mart that will fall apart before the new year) then spend a little less on each person.
5) Comment below about a local shop you’ve been in to that has great items. Tell us what some of the cool things were, the great customer service you received, the prices, etc. Spread the word!
With that said….below are some places locally that I’d recommend (this is NOT an all-inclusive list!).
***Buy gift certificates from Rico Aroma (in the Safeway Center), The Kitchen Shoppe (on Main St, Lkpt), Perlz (Main St, Kville), Angelina’s Bakery (Main St, Lkpt), Sheri’s Secret Garden (Main St, Lkpt), Flower’s By Jackie (Main St, Lkpt), etc.
***Costless over by Dollar Tree has stuff from Costco that’s slightly damaged or just not being sold by Costco anymore. They have lots of different things over there at better prices than Costco (plus you don’t have to go far or have a membership!) and they even have food items.
***English Inn in Lakeport on Main Street has a really beautiful Christmas Shopping area in their Bed & Breakfast. The prices are really great too! You can get tea stuff, or soaps and lotions, or CHristmas decor, baby items, etc. Check it out! Even I like it, and I’m not a girly-girl.
***Kerrie’s Quit Shop on High Street in Lakeport has really great fabric and it’s not any more costly than getting it online or in stores. She can also order just about anything…notions, ribbons, fabric, etc. Once she puts the order in it only takes 2 days to get it.
Where else would you recommend, and why?
We decided this week we’d get the full Grace Evangelical Free Church experience….the only problem was, Noah has had a runny nose so I couldn’t put him in the nursery. So, Eric and Bella went to Sunday School, then Noah and I joined them for second service. Rocky (Eric’s Dad) also came with us (Sharon was out of town).
Eric loved Sunday School. He went to Matt Carpenter’s class where they are studying 1 and 2 Samuel. There were about 8 in the class. He said those particular books are great for study, plus Matt is an excellent teacher and they had good discussion. Bella also loved her class.
I showed up during the 30 minute time between services. It’s nice they have that time because then you can see and hang out with the people for a bit who just finished first service. It was cool. Lots of people greeted us/talked to us/gave us hugs.
Chris Moe and a band (Jack on drums, Deanna on Piano, Scott on bass, and Judy B, Lisa B, and two of the guys from the youth group sang) lead worship. While the songs were a little on the maranatha side (which can be okay depending on your taste and attitude), Chris did a great job of leading. He was a natural up there and was a good leader. And I enjoyed watching Lisa Black up there…she was really happy and worshipful.
The sermon was given by Pastor Garry. He is excellent. He spoke on the Bible (our Sword) and what it means for our lives (especially if we’d “GRASP” it!). It was very motivating and informational. He’s very engaging and clearly has a passion for the Word and for the people there. We both enjoyed his sermon.
The downside to second service is that if your child is between 4 and 6 years of age they stay in the service (nursery goes up to 3 years old, and there’s children’s choir for 7-12 year olds). Bella can handle that, but since I didn’t know there wasn’t anything we weren’t prepared with activities. They are working on starting a junior church program during that service. I hear the children’s directors (Lori Baker and Margaret Moser) just came on the job, so they are working on many things.
Afterwards we were invited over to Boone and Janelle’s for lunch with them and Glenn and Anita. That was also really nice. We had good fellowship and good food. Can’t ask for more!
Stop #4: Clear Lake Baptist Church: 555 N Forbes Street, Lakeport. 9:15- Bible Study for all ages; 10:45- worship (with nursery and junior church). Join us! (this will probably be our final stop-in)
Last night we were inspired to attend Grace Evangelical Free Church AND Lake County Bible Fellowship this Sunday. Here’s what we thought….
Grace—
We went to their first service which started at 9. During the service there was a nursery for babies and toddlers, as well as Sunday school for kids and adults.
Stuff for the kids—The nursery was great. Very clean, lots of toys, nice workers, and a paging system if you so choose. Noah screamed (and kicked) for about 30 seconds when I left, but then he was fine. Bella went to Sunday school during the service. She really enjoyed it.
Worship—It was more subdued, quieter than we’re used to. It might be because it was the early service, but it was probably ¾ full so I don’t think that was it. The song selection was great though, and Eric liked the fact that while there were two acoustic guitars being played in the same band, they weren’t playing the same thing. Gary Madison led and was on one guitar. A big shout out to Bill VanDerWall who played a mean sax during it! That was a treat. There was Jack Elizares on the drums, Jessica Madison on vocals and keyboard, Chris Moe on guitar, Scott Bennett on bass, Joel Sombs on vocals, a gentleman on a recorder, and our friend Wes Nelms (in the front row worshipping his heart out! J).
Sermon—The sermon was great! Pastor Garry was preaching in Ephesians, particularly on the Helmet of Salvation. I’ve always gotten a bit confused as to how to “put on the helmet of salvation” and he made it very clear. He was engaging, humorous, inspiring, well spoken and very knowledgeable. No fluff.
The people at Grace were very friendly, welcoming, and lovely. We know many of them and felt very welcome there by the ones we knew as well as the ones who we hadn’t yet met.
We’re going back tonight because our friend Chris Sherwood is being officially installed as the youth pastor there. 5:30, if you want to join us!
Lake County Bible Fellowship—
(formerly known as First Baptist Church in Lakeport)
Stuff for kids—They had a nice nursery with great helpers in it (Tyler Silva and Alison Goldsberry). Noah once again flipped out when I left him there but immediately calmed down. (He doesn’t even like it when I leave him in his bedroom to sleep!) Bella went to Jr Church after the worship time. She enjoyed it.
Worship—The worship was great. Eric said the band seemed well rehearsed and comfortable with the music, which helps put the rest of us worshippers at ease. The main leader guy (Mike Mudd) was an older rocker kind of guy singing and playing acoustic guitar very well. There was a guy on the electric guitar and Jordan Mills played the drums and was great! Shelly Lawson’s son played bass, and two women sang vocals. Song selection was good, although there were a couple of songs we’d never sung before. They were good at creating a worshipful atmosphere, and it was nice and loud. J The worship was the closer to what we’re used to than the other two churches we’ve visited.
Sermon—Pastor Mark was great! He had lots of funny things to say, was engaging, and made you understand a text in Romans that was a heavy one. He also had power point to go along with the sermon, which I really liked too! He’s easy to listen to, but deep, and sticks to the Bible alone. It was meaty stuff!
There were quite a few people there (and that doesn’t include the new ones like us, the Stovalls and the Mortons!). We knew a lot of the regular attenders. And I got to see a lady I had met at the library recently, so that was cool.
Stop #4: Grace Evangelical Free Church (we’re going for the full experience this time, not just a last minute drop in), 6716 Live Oak Drive, Kelseyville. 9:00: First Service and Sunday School, 10:45: Second Service
This morning I started working out at Quail Run again. I haven’t been for years. It felt great to walk on the treadmill and work out on the machines. Hopefully I can keep it up for the next 4 months while it’s rainy and cold weather out. We got the family membership so the kids can go with us once or twice a week. If you’re ever up for working out from 6:15-7:15 am on a weekday, let me know! I’ll meet you there!
Note: the guy in the picture is not me.
Jeff, Thank you for serving our country. Your hard work and determination are imeasureable! We salute you for your bravery, your love for the people, and your devotion. Check out my Facebook page for a video for you.
_monica, eric, bella and noah
P.S. There’s a small package coming in the mail, but it’s going to be late.
Our take on Community Baptist Church in Nice….
Distance from our house—Yes, the church was in Nice, but since the church is just down the road from the cutoff it doesn’t take that long to get to…we actually were running so far ahead of schedule when we were on our way that we stopped in to Beth and Jesse’s house and visited with them for a few, met their dogs, etc.
Sunday School—
The kids went to Kids Club where they were on week #8 of an 8 week lesson series with a cowboy theme that taught about the Isrealites. My kids seemed to really enjoy it, but were pretty nervous about letting me leave them there alone…and usually the youngest that they take is about 4 years old, so Noah was a little young anyway. I stayed until the very last 10 minutes of it when I finally was able to slip away. The kids had fun songs to sing and dance to, a “point of the day” and a verse to memorize, a couple of short movie clips to go along with everything, coloring, playing, praying, and winning little gold nuggets for prizes later.
Eric went to adult Sunday school. He said the DVD called “That the World May Know” was really good. Lots of interesting things in it about Jericho. They had a discussion time afterwards. He enjoyed the people in it and got a really great analogy comparing life to watching a football game while he was there. J
The People—Everyone was really friendly and happy. It was kind of a family atmosphere…lots of older folks, families with teens, and families with little kids. The place was filled up (there’s room for more people to attend though). Oh, and some people were dressed like Baptists, others were wearing what you’d see at Edge.
The Worship—While the worship wasn’t what we’re used to, it was still good. Margie Robert (the pastor’s wife) led the worship time. She did a mix of newer songs and old hymns. She sang to music on CDs, which I thought I would find distracting, but actually I’m always distracted the first few times I go to a new church and the music on CD allowed me not to be distracted by musicians and playing styles, etc. There’s room for growth in their music area, but they are doing great with what they have.
Sermon—I liked it. Pastor Rich never read from notes, he walked around the stage talking, but was clear and kept with his notes that were in the bulletin. He had good points, some jokes, and the biggest 4 things for me were that he knew the Word, he could explain himself clearly, he loved the Lord, and he loved the people.
Overall we thought it was a great church. We recommend people checking it out for sure! If you want to go somewhere with friendly people, good sermons and a pastor who loves the people it seems like a great place to go!
Stop #2: Lake County Bible Fellowship (formerly known as First Baptist Church): 775 N Forbes Street, Lakeport. 9:30- Adult Sunday School, 10:45- Worship Service
Sorry the fonts change. Not sure what’s wrong with this thang.
I was looking for some info online about a crochet hook and found this blog that is all about “What Not to Crochet!” Hilarious. I haven’t looked the whole thing over, but it’s pretty funny. Watch out though, some inappropriate photos and language.
This Sunday marks the first week of our journey around the lake to visit churches. Our mission is twofold. #1: Check out the work that God is doing in other churches. #2: Find where God wants us to attend.
We may have some people from Edge joining us on our journey. We plan to blog our thoughts here each week after we’ve gone to a church and we will focus on the positives of the church. We plan to start at the north end of the lake and circle it counter-clockwise.
Stop #1: Community Baptist Church in Nice: 2877 E. Hwy 20, Nice, CA
9:30- Sunday School for all ages; 11:00- Worship Service
Also in Relevant Magazine are 50 ideas for Christmas Gifts that are “unique, eco-friendly, fair-trade, or sustainable gifts.” Two places it showed gifts from are www.fredflare.com and www.uncommongoods.com. Both places have lots of cool stuff. Check them out! I’m guessing they don’t endorse everything you see on the web sites, so use caution if you’re trying out the whole fair-trade/eco-friendly lifestyle! 
