Reminders to trust the Lord in all things

 

I was working through my emails when I stopped to read a post from The Unlearning Gazette called Maybe This Delay Is Divine

Proverbs 3:5-6 "Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths". was one of my mother's favorite sets of verses, and something I have heard her repeat over and over again. Even after 21 years since her passing, I still hear this verse. It gives me peace. 

I personally have been going through a lot the last few years, and even though I mean to leave it all in God's hands my human side tries to compete with God in getting it done first and believe me it usually ends up being a big mess before I stop and listen to the words my mother loved and tried to apply to her own life. 

And this is where the next verse comes in. Not one I heard my mom pray and study, but one that applies to many people today. Psalm 37:7"Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass." I have to keep reminding myself to stop, wait, and pray. Life is not a competition.

One of my favorite verses and songs comes from Isaiah 40:31: "But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint." This verse came in handy while I was going through my operations and treatment for 3rd stage Colon Cancer. 

Finally, some of my favorite things to do when things are hard in the moment are to say "Just Breathe," "One step at a time," and to remind myself how blessed I am to have food, clothes, shelter, and companionship. I hope whoever needs these words today or in the future finds peace and love and remembers, we can't do it all on our own.

Grow

 This post may contain affiliate links. MarksvilleandMe may collect a share of sales if you decide to shop from them. Please see my full disclosure policy for details.

Many thanks to US Pumpkin Distribution, LLC, for providing a sample of the product for this review. Opinions are 100% my own.

Welcome to Grow

$10 Amazon Gift Card Giveaway

hosted by

MarksvlleandMe

sponsored by

Momentum and US Pumpkin Distribution, LLC

Fall is quickly approaching, and the family-friendly movie Grow is the perfect way to start the season. I'm eager to see how the tale of pumpkins and sabotage plays out.

About GROW

Welcome to the pumpkin capital of the world, where the pumpkins are epic, the rivalries are fierce, and the competition is anything but garden variety. Dinah Little, a no-nonsense farmer with a tough-as-a-pumpkin exterior, reluctantly takes in her abandoned niece, Charlie. Dinah is not quick to affection, and Charlie is not one for sitting still. So she throws herself into farm life, sleeves rolled up and hands in the dirt.

Then comes the town’s biggest spectacle, the annual pumpkin-growing contest, a Halloween season tradition that brings out wild stunts, eccentric characters, and record-setting drama. But Charlie has something no one else does, a special knack for connecting with plants that quietly reflects her own longing to feel just as seen and loved.

But as both pumpkin and plot thicken, and rival growers pull every trick in the book, will Charlie and Dinah’s unlikely entry stand tall against the fiercest competition the town has ever seen?

As her pumpkin grows bigger, so does her bond with her aunt Dinah. Together they discover that the real prize is not measured in pounds, but in joy, laughter, and family. What begins as a seed blossoms into an exuberant and hilarious story of crazed competition, found family, and love that grows as boundless as the pumpkins themselves.

GROW opens in theaters on October 17

Grab your tickets now

Check out the trailer below.

Please check back after October 15, 2025, for my review.

Wow! I just watched "Grow," and it was fantastic. I love family movies that have you cheering for the good guys. This film really makes you want to get up and dance. Charlie is on a mission to find her mom, and growing the biggest pumpkin might be the key to making it happen. The movie is filled with mystery, life lessons, the importance of taking chances, and the value of hard work.

Now for the giveaway

MarksvilleandMe would like to wish all those who enter

Good Luck!

While you are waiting to see if you won, why not download the Grow Activity Book. 

Entry-Form

One winner will have the chance to win a $10 Amazon Gift Card! Open to residents of the United States and those who haven't won via another blogger's campaign. You must be 18 years old to enter to win. This giveaway ends at 1.00 AM EST on 10.24.25. If you have any problems entering the giveaway, please email marksvilleandme@gmail.com. See below for terms and conditions.

All entries will be verified—only one entrant per mailing address per giveaway. Any person who has won a prize (or whose household has won a prize) in any promotion for this campaign is not eligible to win a prize. If you have won the same prize on another blog, you will not be eligible to win it again. Entrants who have created social accounts to enter Competitions or Sweepstakes will not be eligible to win. All social accounts used must be public.

The winner will be chosen randomly and contacted via email. Void where prohibited by law. One person entering per household, please. MarksvilleandMe and other participating bloggers are not responsible for the shipment of the prize.

On Paying Bills

 

Although all of our bills are now digital and we haven't missed a payment for many years, I still find myself freezing at bill payment time, wondering, "Will we have enough?"

Having experienced times when we struggled to cover our basic bills, transitioning to a situation where we had extra money to spend without worrying about prices, and then returning to a strict budget always puts me on edge. Do we have enough to pay our major bills each month? Yes, we prioritize those first, and whatever is left over is divided among our credit payments, leaving only a few dollars remaining.

In the past, we played a game of writing checks, hoping we had enough funds to cover everything while overdraft fees piled up faster than we could manage. I am thankful that we can live on a small budget, but there’s little to no money left over for emergencies. When we went to college, credit companies literally bombarded us with credit card offers, and we received no guidance on how to repay them or keep our balances low enough to maintain a good credit score. We quickly found ourselves in over our heads. Over the years, we paid off our credit debt and began using cash for everything; if we didn’t have the cash, we simply didn’t buy it, including cars. When my husband fell at work, he underwent many years of physical therapy before finally being declared disabled. Unfortunately, during that time, we depleted all our savings and ended up homeless. We tried to secure rentals, but every landlord wanted a credit score, and ours hadn’t improved in years, which made us seem too risky. Eventually, we found a landlord willing to take a chance on us, and it turned out well. I had already begun working on improving my credit score to prevent another similar situation when we needed to find a new place to live. However, when our landlord put our current rental property up for sale, I checked my husband’s credit score and found it had still not changed. He then started to work on improving his credit as well. Our scores are now improving, but there is no room for error.

Every time it's time to pay our bills, I feel a wave of anxiety and nausea. Our monthly income is consistent, but it only covers our essential needs. When emergencies arise, we often have to rely on credit to get through. Like many others, we are struggling to make ends meet with rising prices. We are resourceful with what we receive and manage to pay our bills, but I still worry that something might arise and turn everything upside down again.

Our new landlord (yes, the rental sold) has been very patient with us and our upstairs neighbors, who were also previously homeless. There are no rental options available within our income range in the area, so she has been working on improving the exterior of the house and has signed a new lease for both of us. She hopes that by the end of the school year next year, we will have all found a new place to live.

Are our bills paid for this month? Yes. Every time I get done paying the bills, I take a relaxing breath and tell my husband, 'The bills are paid!' I thank god every morning and every night for what we have. I know we aren't in the worst circumstances, and we aren't in the best, but we are thankful to be alive, have food, shelter, clothes, and can enjoy a few things each day that bring joy to our lives.

Grow The Film coming soon!

 

This post may contain affiliate links. MarksvilleandMe may collect a share of sales if you decide to shop from them. Please see my full disclosure policy for details.

Fall is quickly approaching, and the family-friendly movie Grow is the perfect way to start the season. I'm eager to see how the tale of pumpkins and sabotage plays out.

About GROW

Welcome to the pumpkin capital of the world, where the pumpkins are epic, the rivalries are fierce, and the competition is anything but garden variety. Dinah Little, a no-nonsense farmer with a tough-as-a-pumpkin exterior, reluctantly takes in her abandoned niece, Charlie. Dinah is not quick to affection, and Charlie is not one for sitting still. So she throws her into farm life, sleeves rolled up and hands in the dirt.

Then comes the town’s biggest spectacle, the annual pumpkin-growing contest, a Halloween season tradition that brings out wild stunts, eccentric characters, and record-setting drama. But Charlie has something no one else does, a special knack for connecting with plants that quietly reflects her own longing to feel just as seen and loved.

But as both pumpkin and plot thicken, and rival growers pull every trick in the book, will Charlie and Dinah’s unlikely entry stand tall against the fiercest competition the town has ever seen?

As her pumpkin grows bigger, so does her bond with her aunt Dinah. Together they discover that the real prize is not measured in pounds, but in joy, laughter, and family. What begins as a seed blossoms into an exuberant and hilarious story of crazed competition, found family, and love that grows as boundless as the pumpkins themselves.

GROW opens in theaters on October 17

Grab your tickets now

Check out the trailer below.

Dot Conner: Webtective

 This post may contain affiliate links. MarksvilleandMe may collect a share of sales if you decide to shop from them. Please see my full disclosure policy for details.

Many thanks to Huff Media Productions and Pangea Pictures for providing a sample of the product for this review. Opinions are 100% my own.

Welcome to Dot Conner Webtective

$10 Amazon Gift Card Giveaway

hosted by

MarksvlleandMe

sponsored by

Momentum and Huff Media Productions

I am thrilled to see this and share it with you. One of my favorite film genres is Mystery. With this being rated PG, that means the whole family can enjoy it together. 

Learn more about Dot Conner: Webtective https://www.dotconner.com/

Synopsis: 

Internet sleuth (or "webtective") Dot Conner receives a cryptic phone call from her father on the eve of her first day of high school, plunging her into an adventure she never expected to face. As Dot navigates the rocky start of her high school life, she uncovers the first of many clues her father has left behind, setting her on an urban treasure hunt with friends Makayla and Alex. Their quest leads them through the city, crossing paths with dangerous Russian

thugs as they go. What begins as a search for her father quickly unravels into a much larger mystery, revealing his deep involvement in the world of espionage. Amid the chaos, Dot discovers the truth of Philippians 4:13, proving that even in the darkest times, faith can light the way. Written and directed by Andrew Huff, featuring Drew Waters and Jason Marsden. A Huff Media Productions presentation, in association with Pangea Pictures.

Dot Conner Web Detective

opens in theaters September 19th, 2025

Get your tickets here

Dot Conner Web Detective trailer below

My review 

Mystery movies, shows, and books are right at the top of my list of favorites. Dot Conner: Webtective, although meant for teens, is a pretty good family movie with a little bit of humor thrown in. You can tell right from the beginning that religion is a big part of Dot's family, and she is proud to tell others of her faith.  In one part, they do a video sweep of her bedroom, and on her nightstand stand you see a lamp with Nancy Drew Books nearby, which is a classic nod to one of the greatest sets of mystery books available.  Nancy Drew and Scooby Doo are why I enjoy mysteries so much. 

This movie moved along well with the characters and plot. I can see this being made into a series quite easily. Dot has a web page where she works through her mysteries with the help of verses from the Bible, a loving family, and some good friends.

Now for the giveaway

MarksvilleandMe would like to wish all those who enter

Good Luck!

Entry-Form

One winner will have the chance to win a $10 Amazon Gift Card! Open to residents of the United States and those who haven't won via another blogger's campaign. You must be 18 years old to enter to win. This giveaway ends at 1.00 AM EST on 9.26.25. If you have any problems entering the giveaway, please email marksvilleandme@gmail.com. See below for terms and conditions.

All entries will be verified—only one entrant per mailing address per giveaway. Any person who has won a prize (or whose household has won a prize) in any promotion for this campaign is not eligible to win a prize. If you have won the same prize on another blog, you will not be eligible to win it again. Entrants who have created social accounts to enter Competitions or Sweepstakes will not be eligible to win. All social accounts used must be public.

The winner will be chosen randomly and contacted via email. Void where prohibited by law. One person entering per household, please. MarksvilleandMe and other participating bloggers are not responsible for the shipment of the prize.