More the Murrayer

A Special Girls Night Dinner

2012-01-26T17:36:00.005-05:00

And what did she pick?

Sushi!

Guess Who Was "Reading" in School Today?

2012-01-17T15:00:00.004-05:00

Mari's teacher sent me a picture of her

reading

in the classroom library today.

So cute ~

and she isn't completely sitting on top of the book!

We're making progress!

Thanks, Ms. Lori, for the picture!

Haiku Wednesday~

2012-01-11T05:00:00.003-05:00

School's back in session
And we're getting back at it.
Each one a miner:

Digging and searching
for nuggets of brilliance
that seem to elude.

Hidden, not missing
there, just under the surface
it's waiting to flash!

Go see JENN

I've Always Thought Families Need Yearbooks...

2012-01-08T05:15:00.004-05:00

This blog is kind of like my (somewhat inconsistent) family "yearbook," I guess. So when the marketing department at My Memories contacted me to see if I would review their product of course I said yes -- after all, I like fun stuff and I like the idea of scrapbooking
(but I certainly don't need help increasing my household clutter)

and My Memories Suite is a software program that helps create digital scrapbooks (fun stuff) without all the pesky little paper clippings everywhere (no clutter)...

Win-Win!

I have to admit when I tried out my copy of the software I found it took quite some time to download.

(In the interest of fairness my dinosaur of a computer could have something to do with that...)

I played around for a while and decided to create the first couple of pages of a 2012 Murray Family Yearbook. So far this year we have been to visit Winter the Dolphin

And attended 4-H judging in preparation for the upcoming fair

Mari, somehow, ended up napping during both of these events, most often with her sneakers in her face so I gave her a page of her own to show that

So, although not perfect, all in all the software seemed easy enough to use (and, truth be told, I could spend a whole lot more time than is even reasonable playing around with it if not for school starting back up this week) and had several different options included and many more available for purchase.

~*~Want to try it for yourself?~*~

My Memories has provided a Special Coupon Code for my readers: STMMMS68965
Use this code when you order your copy of MyMemories Suite digital scrapbook software and receive a $10 discount off the purchase of the My Memories Suite Scrapbook software and a $10 coupon for the MyMemories.com store.

~*~ GIVEAWAY ~*~

Want to win your own My Memories software?

My Memories has offered one reader their very own MyMemories Suite software! Head over to their website and select your favorite layout. THEN come back here and leave me a comment telling me what non-traditional scrapbooking design you would love to use it for.

Please make sure you leave me your email address so that I can notify you if you win!

This giveaway will close on 1/15/2012 at 11:59p.m.

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DISCLOSURE: I received a copy of this software for my review from MyMemories.com. They are also providing a copy of the software to one of my readers for this giveaway.

In 2012, Wednesdays are for Haiku ~

2012-01-04T09:27:00.005-05:00

With a kiss it starts ~
a fresh chance, new year, same goals?
Not me; I rebel.

Why should we resolve -
and focus on what's lacking -
when blessings abound?

May your 2012 and ours be the best year yet!

xo.

Go see JENN

Merry Christmas to All.

2011-12-24T00:45:00.001-05:00

The Birth of Jesus.

1 In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that the whole world should be enrolled.

2 This was the first enrollment, when Quirinius was governor of Syria.

3 So all went to be enrolled, each to his own town.

4 And Joseph too went up from Galilee from the town of Nazareth to Judea, to the city of David that is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family of David,

5 to be enrolled with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child.

6 While they were there, the time came for her to have her child,

7 and she gave birth to her firstborn son. She wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

8 Now there were shepherds in that region living in the fields and keeping the night watch over their flock.
9 The angel of the Lord appeared to them and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were struck with great fear.

10The angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I proclaim to you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.

11 For today in the city of David a savior has been born for you who is Messiah and Lord.

12 And this will be a sign for you: you will find an infant wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger.”
13 And suddenly there was a multitude of the heavenly host with the angel, praising God and saying:

14 “Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

The Visit of the Shepherds.

15 When the angels went away from them to heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go, then, to Bethlehem to see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us.”

16 So they went in haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the infant lying in the manger.

17 When they saw this, they made known the message that had been told them about this child.

18 All who heard it were amazed by what had been told them by the shepherds.

19 And Mary kept all these things, reflecting on them in her heart.

20 Then the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, just as it had been told to them.

Luke 2:1-20 (NABRE)

We're Making CHRISTmas Cookies.

2011-12-17T12:39:00.005-05:00

We're baking and decorating cookies today.

So, naturally, I arranged the cutters & sprinkles to take a picture for the blog:

And it is a cute picture.

In fact, it would have been perfect until I walked away from the kitchen
to upload it to the computer and heard Katie saying,

"Here, Mommy, you should have done it like THIS":

I so love that girl.

Food for Thought

2011-12-08T10:11:00.004-05:00

When you know good things are coming,

you wait with excitement,

anticipation,

and a light heart.

When you expect good things to come your way

somehow every dark cloud is a little brighter,

every bump a little smoother,

every obstacle a little bit less significant.

When you embrace gratitude every day

for each step you have taken toward the good things that await you

the journey becomes

just as enjoyable

as the destination.

My, How Time Does Fly.

2011-12-02T16:33:00.000-05:00

Psst...

2011-11-24T21:21:00.001-05:00

Carry on...

So Have You Been Thinking About National Adoption Month?

2011-11-08T20:47:00.002-05:00

Remember when I said there are lots of things you can do for National Adoption Month?

For example, helping someone who is trying to adopt?

A friend of a friend pointed me to THIS BLOG, where Leah and her family are getting ready to travel to bring home their son. They are trying to raise the last of the money they need and are giving away a Nikon D3100 Digital SLR Camera Kit to one lucky person who donates to their travel expenses.

Why not go see Leah and wish her family the best in their adoption...and if you decide to donate when you're over there you may end up with an amazing camera!

National Adoption Month

2011-11-04T18:43:00.004-04:00

Did you know November is National Adoption Month?

Yep, sure is.

Build Capacity To Make Lasting Change

You may remember that the first couple of years of this blog were dedicated almost exclusively to Mari's adoption. Remember this post when we told you we had changed our adoption plans?

Best decision we could have ever made.

I know that God doesn't call everyone to adopt. But He does call everyone to care for orphans -- there are so many things you can do: pray, donate to Reece's Rainbow's Angel Tree, help someone trying to adopt, the sky's the limit. Why not at least give it some thought and some prayer time this month?

IMAGINE.

2011-11-04T11:23:00.005-04:00

Today is a normal Friday.
I'm sitting here at home, waiting for my niece, planning my day, drinking my coffee.
But today is anything but normal.

Today I am wishing I was in Rochester, NY, where they are getting started on Day 1 of
Women of Faith's IMAGINE
conference.

Last Friday I was in Fort Lauderdale listening to Dr. Henry Cloud talk about everything from how to be happier to monkeys -- hey, don't laugh! Everyone needs a monkey to help them through the scary and hard times. He talked of transformational moments, when we change from a negative to a positive emotional state through connections with others, and of necessary endings, those times when we can't move on to what God has for us without letting go of something, sometimes even good things if they don't align with our future. And, yes, he made it clear that to make it through this thing called life we all need our monkeys - the people we can count on to be in our corner and encourage us.

We got to hear Sheila Walsh explain that, "Fear is contagious, but faith is contagious too. Surround yourself with people who encourage you." She reminded us that, "Peace is not the absence of trouble, it is the presence of Christ." And she reduced me to tears when she sang You Raise Me Up.

The Friday night comedian, Kenn Kington, had us in tears again (of laughter this time). I am still not convinced he was talking about his family and not mine in a lot of his bit! He might have hit everything except the annual Christmas Lights fiasco around here. Hilarious.

(I only have two rotten cell phone pictures, sorry.)

We were just a few feet from the stage and right on the aisle so the presenters walked right by us on their way to The Porch, where all the speakers sat during the program, and on their way backstage during the breaks. It was so neat to be able to smile and say hello to Angie Smith, Lisa Harper, and Nicole Johnson as they walked by. These women have been through some really heart-wrenching experiences and are thankful because their faith is stronger for it. Throughout the weekend each bared her heart and soul on that stage and even though some of it was hard to listen to I give each of them a lot of credit for having the courage to stand in front of all those people and be so open.

At the end of our time together Luci Swindoll reminded all of us to appreciate every moment and not to spend all of our time wishing for something different. Luci brought along her brother, Orville, for a special treat.

And, even though picking a favorite part of the weekend is really hard, I may have to go with Mary Mary! Hearing them speak and, of course, seeing them perform was incredible. I love.Love.LOVE them! (but I really wish I had a better photo...)

I am already trying to figure out how to make it back next year when they are in Ft. Lauderdale on October 25 & 26, 2012. Who wants to come with me?

Buddy Walk Crunch Time!

2011-10-09T13:41:00.004-04:00

It's BUDDY WALK time!

Last year we were Mari's Mad Hatters
and I made hats for Mari's Team.

This year I got smarter and have enlisted a little bit of help:

As you can see, this year we are Mari's Masqueraders
and we each get our own fun little mask!

Because, really, life is about having fun.

It's not too late to JOIN US!

What's YOUR Personality Profile?

2011-10-03T09:21:00.007-04:00

The Character Therapist is doing some research on her blog about the connection between writers' personality profiles and their writing styles. She is asking for writers to (anonymously) provide their Myer's Briggs personality profile and then answer a couple of quick questions HERE.

Not a writer? Take the test anyway here for fun. I was only surprised about one of my category results...and only then because I didn't understand the criteria, when I read the descriptions it makes perfect sense.

7 Quick Takes Friday

2011-09-23T09:45:00.006-04:00

My friend Deanna has done the 7 Quick Takes Friday hosted by Conversion Diary for ages. This week I am going to do it too!

These girls? They're amazing. Some I have known for 30+ years, some I have known for about a week...but I love 'em all!

2 While I sit here blogging about random things, I have 8 short stories to read then write a one-page response to each; approximately 100 pages of literary theory to read, evaluate, absorb, and understand enough to discuss intelligently; 3 short essays to write discussing three separate approaches to literary criticism; and several videos to review along with two textbook chapters to prepare for a quiz on Language and Culture -- all with deadlines of Sunday night (11:59pm) through Wednesday night (7pm). It's a good thing I am enjoying all of these classes!

3 It is HOT. It took a little while to get used to the chill in Tennessee but now that I am back home I miss the nice, cool, Fall weather! I'm hoping it will cool off here before the holidays.

4 We are doing a family experiment. We are going VEGETARIAN for two weeks. The older kids have each selected 5 recipes they want to try and Bill selected 4 and we are going to go for it started next week (I hope). It was supposed to be this week but it didn't work out quite right.

5 It has been a roller coaster week. I don't like roller coasters.

We are just a few weeks from the Buddy Walk.

Wanna join us? CLICK HERE to join our team or make a tax-deductible donation to Gold Coast Down Syndrome Organization.

7 I need to get started on all that homework but I'm going to go play with the cutest niece on the planet instead!

Do You Guys Know G-Man?

2011-09-14T10:37:00.002-04:00

You know, G-Man at Mr. Knowitall.

Do you know him? If not, maybe you should. He's got some great stuff over there. For example, today he is inviting us to a Haiku Wednesday party. {I am sooo bad at haiku.} Go check him out and then go ahead and see another Jenn, who rocks the haiku at You know...that Blog.

I'll never get it -

three strange little lines and it's

poetic somehow?

{SEE?!?!? I told you I am bad at haiku. But I guess maybe that's because I really don't get it. Someday...}

REVIEW: My Kids Are a Work of Art!

2011-08-29T08:22:00.006-04:00

I have always known it and now I can prove it! Look:

I was really excited to get the opportunity to review a photo canvas from Easy Canvas Prints. I have seen them all over the web and have wanted one of the children for a long time. I played around on the site for a long time checking out the options. I knew I wanted a photo of the kids on the canvas but when I saw some of their art prints -- like Painted Background and Weeping Willow Sunset -- I almost changed my mind.

When I finally started to actually create my canvas it was pretty quick and easy. The hardest part was probably the decision of which wrap option to select, which is admittedly a little silly. I played around with the color options and decided to go with the color picture since it would be sitting on the piano.

I received the canvas quickly and it really is as cute as I expected. I want more. (I am still considering that Painted Background for above my couch!) My picture above has a bit of a glare on it that I didn't expect since I don't notice a glare when I look at it. In all it's a cute work of art with my kids shining faces on it. Perfection!

I put a button/link in my sidebar [over there --->] so you can go visit them for yourself. If abstract art isn't your thing, they have a lot of different art prints -- vintage, landscape, floral, you name it! But don't forget you can upload your own photo of your pets, your kids, your car, whatever. How can you go wrong with a photo of your own personal works of art?

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DISCLOSURE: I was provided with an 8x10 photo canvas from Easy Canvas Prints for this review.

Overheard During Housework

2011-08-26T14:53:00.004-04:00

[Singing]

There's a baby,
A beautiful sister
A beautiful baby sister and she's mine

I fell in love
When I first saw her
And now she's the greatest sister in the world!
~Katie~

First Day of School 2011

2011-08-22T08:40:00.003-04:00

Today is the first day of school.

Kyle is in 8th Grade,
Katie is in 3rd Grade
And Mari started Pre-Kindergarten.

They were all excited and happy to get to school...
I cried all the way home.

For He will give His angels charge concerning you, To guard you in all your ways ~

Psalm 91:11 [NASB]

Mari's Busy Week

2011-08-12T00:01:00.000-04:00

I think Mari feels like she's had enough attention to last her awhile this week. Yesterday she had her cervical spine xrays to rule out any instability in her neck. We are praying the word is good when we get the results in the next week or so.

But I want to talk about today.

TODAY IS AUGUST 12.

That means TODAY is the TWO YEAR anniversary of when we finally got to hug our littlest girl. Today is a day we'll always be thankful for.

Happy "Gotcha" Day, Mari Kay!

My, Don't The Summer Days Fly?

2011-08-09T13:04:00.003-04:00

Wondering where I've been?

With these guys:

At the library, at the park, on the swings, all over...

We only have a week and a half before school starts. For ALL THREE of my babies.

Not sure I'm ready for this.

An Old Moose Only Turns 60 Once!

2011-07-23T21:13:00.002-04:00

And today was that day.

So we all got together to celebrate my Dad's 60th birthday.

HAPPY 60th BIRTHDAY, PAPAW! WE LOVE YOU!

xoxo

I'm Marking My Calendar!

2011-07-19T09:08:00.003-04:00

I'm so excited to be invited to attend the 2011 Women of Faith Conference in Fort Lauderdale as a guest of Women of Faith and BookSneeze! It's going to be great!

I was just looking through some of the guests lined up for the event: musical guests Natalie Grant (whose voice is UNREAL) and Mary Mary (love.Love.LOVE them!); authors Luci Swindoll, Lisa Harper, and Angie Smith (whose blog is fabulous). I'm a'thinking this is going to be a terrific weekend.

Curious? Here's their promo video:

It's not to late to get registered if you want to go too! It promises to be an amazing experience. See you there?

Happy 4th of July!!!

2011-07-04T22:15:00.002-04:00

Hope you're enjoying your summer as much as we are around here!

Happy Independence Day!

BOOK REVIEW: Story Engineering by Larry Brooks

2011-06-18T15:18:00.004-04:00

I have done lots of book reviews here on the blog. They’re very informal but always selected because I thought at least most of you would be interested. Not this time. This time the book selected for review is all for me! {So there!} All kidding aside, usually when I share upcoming review titles with my family members they show SOME initial interest in the book, but this time I got a lot of raised eyebrows and blank stares with the odd sarcastic remark (“Sounds riveting.”) thrown in for good measure.

Me? I was totally excited to read and review Story Engineering by Larry Brooks. And you know what? I loved it!

Story Engineering
Mastering the 6 Core Competencies of Successful Writing
By Larry Brooks
Published by F&W Media

Even though I felt like the book got off to a bit of a slow start with all of the “why you need to know this” in the beginning, once it took off it was systematic and well organized. Brooks takes all the requirements of successful fiction writing and breaks them down into itty bitty pieces, reviews them in detail, and then explains how they all come together to make your writing better. He covers everything you need to know and specifically points out the traps that many writers unknowingly fall into so that they are accounted for - and avoided! Particulars I never really put much thought into now carry a much higher weight of significance in the planning and execution of my writing. Will you notice a change? Maybe not. But I will.

I won’t be diving headlong into a formal, technical review of the book. I'm not sure I would even be qualified to do that! And I will admit that not everyone is going to love this book. Some people have other interests like numbers and spreadsheets or what have you and that’s ok. They probably ought to take a pass on this one. Not everyone enjoys writing or has any interest at all in the inner-workings of the craft of writing. I do -- I guess that’s obvious because who would have a blog if they didn’t enjoy writing at some level? -- I have quite a bit of interest in it, in fact, and this book was just plain FUN for me to read. I have pages dog-eared and passages flagged for future reference. I have even started re-reading some of the chapters for review. I have visions of this book staying close at hand for quite some time. Suffice it to say that those of you who, like me, really enjoy stringing words together for any number or reasons - or no reason at all, sometimes - ought to put this on your must read list. And if you harbor somewhere in the deep dark recesses of your mind the dream of writing a novel? Buy it. Right Now.

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DISCLOSURE: I received a copy of this book for review from the publisher though the BookSneeze.com bloggers review program

Welcome Home, Sweet Kirill!

2011-06-10T09:12:00.001-04:00

God Bless the Davis Family.

And welcome home! xo

REVIEW: Amazing Grace ~ Celtic Hymns & Blessings

2011-06-09T11:36:00.004-04:00

Amazing Grace - Celtic Hymns & Blessings
Produced by David Huntsinger for Discovery House Music

We are big music fans around here - with hugely eclectic tastes - so it’s always a good sign when the opening notes of a CD make me smile. This one? Amazing Grace…on bagpipes. My dear Irish husband’s absolute favorite tune. Ever. We’re off to a good start. Personally, I think Amazing Grace on the ’pipes is nice enough but it doesn’t hold the same allure for me as it does for him. I was just glad that his favorite tune was starting us off.

The voices of Siobhan Kennedy, Katie Brace, Collin Brace and David Huntsinger are what initially drove me to the jacket -- I had to put names to the voices I was hearing. Once that was accomplished I spent a good deal of time reading through the scriptures, blessings, and origins that accompanied the music credits and acknowledgements, with beautiful music playing in the background all the while. I loved the peaceful feeling that the hymns provided and the Celtic sounds and instruments - who doesn't love Celtic music, anyway? - mixed with such beautiful voices made for terrific music!

I think the whole family really enjoyed the mix of instrumental and vocal arrangements. We’ve found this CD as the backdrop for our day several times over the last few weeks. The girls and I love to listen to “imagination music” - music without words that lets you imagine what the music is saying - and there were some great stories created with the tunes on this CD. I have several new favorites off this CD that I catch myself humming from time to time. Kyle really enjoyed the guitars and fiddles and we already know Bill’s favorite part! Definitely a positive addition to our music collection.

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DISCLOSURE: I received a copy of this CD for review from Discovery House Publishers and Music.

It's SUMMERTIME!!!

2011-06-02T09:55:00.002-04:00

Hooray for the last day of school!

Beginning tonight, all {programmable} alarm clocks are OFF ~ of course, the three year old who thinks sleep is for sissies will still be primed and ready to wake the neighborhood at a time precisely of her choosing each day! ~ and we will be officially pursuing our Summer Agenda.

So what IS on this Summer Agenda, exactly?

Lots and lots and LOTS of fun:

~ movies ~

~ swimming ~

~ math practice ~

{hehe...maybe fun is a bit overstated here but it is a necessary evil}

~ ancestry research and art project ~

~ travel to visit family and friends ~

~ reading, reading, reading ~

~ writing, writing, writing {and MORE writing} ~

~ crafts and sewing ~

~ and whatever else our little hearts desire! ~

So tell me...

What is on YOUR Summer Agenda?

HOORAY for SUMMER!!

Answered Prayers...

2011-05-24T11:04:00.003-04:00

KIRILL is coming home...

Go see the DAVIS Family for today's Supreme Court update.

BOOK REVIEW: Life Without Limits by Nick Vujicic

2011-05-18T14:31:00.004-04:00

"My life is an adventure still being written -- and so is yours."
~ Nick Vujicic ~

When I picked up Life Without Limits by Nick Vujicic I knew I would be reading the story of how he came to terms with his disability and learned to enjoy life to the fullest. I expected him to tell me how I can apply some of what he has learned to my life to improve it. I enjoyed reading about how he has discovered a purpose for his life and how he has grown into an internationally recognized motivational speaker, as well as the insights that he shared into the relationships with his siblings and his parents. He has certainly been successful in sharing his positive viewpoint around the world. Most touching, I think, was the moment he first came face to face with a child who shares his diagnosis. The discussion of the bond formed between their families was amazing and heart-warming.

What I didn’t expect was the candor in which he relays some of his toughest times along that road. I appreciated his honesty in admitting the darkness of his feelings and the vulnerability it took to show how he worked through them. I didn’t expect to see past today’s inspirational speaker to the child who thought it would be better if he didn’t exist. I think it was because he shared this knowledge that the inspiration and motivation flows so freely from his story, makes it one that I am glad to have read, and leaves me wanting to learn even more.

You can read an excerpt HERE.

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:: DISCLOSURE: I received a copy of this book from WaterBrook Multnomah for this review::

God Bless Katie!

2011-05-14T09:27:00.002-04:00

Katie received her First Holy Communion on May 7.

All the kids looked SO CUTE!

And Katie looked like an absolute princess!

It was a beautiful day and she is so proud.

{We won't talk about how they left her name out of the program! :/ }

Someone's THREE!

2011-05-01T01:48:00.001-04:00

Guess Who??

Happy 3rd Birthday, Mari! We love you! xoxo

Egg Dying Fun!

2011-04-23T13:38:00.002-04:00

Have you ever dyed easter eggs with Daddy's old ties? Fun, Fun, FUN!

BOOK REVIEW: Our Witchdoctors Are Too Weak by Davey & Marie Jank

2011-04-07T21:31:00.006-04:00

Our Witchdoctors Are Too Weak, by Davey & Marie Jank, is the story of a Davey Jank who, along with a group of international missionaries, settled into the Wilo village in the early 1990s and set about the arduous task of learning and analyzing the language of the Wilo people, the ultimate goal being to create the written component of the Wilo language in order to share the Bible with the tribal people. The Wilo's were yearning for "God's Talk" and Davey and the other missionaries were struggling to be able to give it to them. Over the course of many years, Davey’s knowledge and understanding of the Wilo language grows slowly but his relationships with the Wilo people blossom. That Davey began his time in the Amazon as a single man was an unexpected facet of the book that left me waiting and watching for the arrival of Marie throughout the book.

I was intrigued initially by the idea of the story to be told. Once I started reading I was promptly drawn in as much by the quick chapters as by the quirky experiences he recounts in them. I found I never wanted to put the book down but with three kids uninterrupted reading time is fleeting at best. The pace of the book and the short chapters allowed me to steal a chapter or two throughout the day, which was a great perk to go along with a fun, inspiring and engaging story.

I really enjoyed following along as Davey encountered cultural differences, Amazonian creatures, linguistic difficulties and human realities. And even though I knew it was coming, I still couldn't help but smile when it was clear that "God's Talk" was making sense to the Wilo people and making a difference in their lives. Even in the midst of a very dark time, a time when superstition and fear would have once prevailed, Davey was reminded by a Wilo friend of the simple truth, "That witchdoctor is a person, just like we are. [...] We will die, and the witchdoctor will die. Only God is eternal, and we want to learn more about him."

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DISCLOSURE: I was provided a copy of this book by the publisher for review.

Update on Kirill ~

2011-04-04T09:43:00.005-04:00

First, the good news. The Hook Family got great news last week: their adoption of little Evan was Approved!! Join us in congratulating them and thanking God for softening the Judge's heart.

PHOTO CREDIT: Tesney Davis

The Davis Family, though, is still fighting for Kirill. And the fact is that their appeal to the Supreme Court in his country is going to be EXPENSIVE. So, a group of bloggers has put together a way to help.

Go see Renee to read all about it.

And remember, even if you can't contribute, Kirill still needs your prayers! PLEASE keep praying for Kirill and the Davis family. Despite what the Judge stated in her initial ruling, he deserves and NEEDS to be at home with the family who loves him!

Prayers for Kirill

2011-03-28T09:51:00.004-04:00

This story is not new to many of you. Some of you may not have heard it and if I can add just one more prayer to the multitude by posting it that will be better than not.

This is Kirill.

Snuggling in with the Mama who has loved and prayed for him, whose arms ache for him.

Photo credit: Tesney Davis

Kirill, like Mari, has Down syndrome. Kirill was born in a country where most children with Down syndrome don't leave the hospital with their birth parents but instead are given for adoption and are placed in orphanages to await the day when their forever families find them. And so he waited. And guess what? His forever family DID find him! He has a Mom and a Dad and even a Big Brother and they all love him so much! They are the Davis Family and they have been praying and loving this child for so many months now and looking forward to when he could come home once and for all. {I remember what that feels like. Do you remember when we were there during Mari's adoption?} The adoption process in the country where Kirill was born is different than the process in Colombia so the Davises took a trip to meet their son. They got to play with him and hug him and tell him how much they love him. But then they had to come back home for a little while to wait for their court date. Can you imagine? That alone would break your heart! But they did what they had to do and they finally got their court date.

But that is where this adoption journey that started out like so many others goes careening off the tracks. The Davises went to court, just as expected. They had provided all the requested information. They had answered all of the questions posed to them ~ FIVE HOURS WORTH, mind you ~ to the very best of their ability. They waited patiently, or even not-so-patiently for the formality of the Judge signing off on their request to finalize Kirill's adoption and make him, legally, the son he has been in their hearts for such a long time. But the Judge said No.

No? But WHY? The answer, to the Judge, is simple. Kirill has Down syndrome. {Yes, we know that. But why did she say no?} THAT IS WHY. Because he has Down syndrome, the Judge believes Kirill to be "'not socially adaptable' due to his 'medical condition' and he [is] better off in an institution than in a home with a family." Just typing that quote from the Davises' blog brings me to tears. Maybe you haven't heard what life is like in mental institutions overseas? Take a minute to read the post Julia wrote last month about it HERE. Maybe you haven't heard the statistics that show how many children die within just a couple of years of being transferred to an institution? Maybe you haven't seen the pictures of children as old as 6, 7, or older who are more the size of infants tied to their cribs in silence? Maybe you haven't, and maybe that's a blessing because I can promise you that the images will haunt you. And you WILL cringe every time you hear the word from that moment on. At least I do.

Just to imagine that a person could believe that Kirill would be better off in an institution than with a family who loves him is incredible. But when you think of all the miracles we have seen with Mari since she has been home with us, when you look at all the progress she made in just the first year, it is heartwrenching and nauseating. And let's not forget Mari was in a Foster Care environment, not an institutional one!

The Davises are appealing this Judge's decision to the Supreme Court in Kirill's country. Please, please, please pray that God will soften their hearts to allow Kirill to go him with his family! Please visit the Davises and let them know you are praying. I will be. And I'll be thanking Him for the blessing of having Mari in our lives and will be hugging her just a little bit tighter.

*And, by the way, I have just learned that there is another family, the Hooks, going before the same judge in the next couple of days for the adoption of their daughter, a child with Down syndrome. They have been warned that they are facing a "High Risk of Denial". Please pray for them, too. God is good. All glory is His. I pray His will brings these families together forever!

What are YOU giving up?

2011-03-08T19:49:00.002-05:00

Inspiration abounds!

2011-03-01T18:58:00.005-05:00

Does this happen to you?

You're surfing along ~ or in my case, stopping what I was researching to read blogs in Google Reader because I was sure I was wasting my time ~ minding your own business, probably daydreaming about any number of things, and then WHAM! Something you see really hits you RIGHT THERE.

Like this quote from Epictetus from Candice, who's a guest blogger at Wild & Precious today, "First say to yourself what you would be; and then do what you have to do." Complete with a truly awesome post about believing in your dreams.

Hey, I like that!

And then...no sooner are you back to reading than you're knocked with ANOTHER "Whoa~ment."

Like Rachel's insight over at No. 17 Cherry Tree Lane today:

I think God gives us vision. He gives us passion. He gives us dreams.
For a REASON.
There's a purpose for what our mind and heart speak into us.

So.
Go grab the impossible. Just do it.
Reach out, grasp on and do what you are thinking about.

Hey, that's really cool too!

So you take these two posts {along with several other posts focusing on getting past hesitations, grabbing on to your dreams, and going for it} and combine them with the quote I *randomly* used for my Facebook status today, "Do not fear mistakes. You will know failure. Continue to reach out." [Benjamin Franklin] and I am starting to notice a theme here...You?

So DOES this happen to you?

Do you ever feel like everywhere you turn God's trying to tell you something? Because I gotta tell you, I sure feel like that tonight!

It's Garden Time Again!

2011-02-25T09:51:00.007-05:00

{Please politely disregard the weeds poking up from behind and around our raised bed. They are so not the point...and I didn't get to them before I took the picture of our newly planted goodies.}

It's garden time again!

We've been chatting about what to plant and in what quantities for several weeks now and last week while making our grocery list I decided to get started NOW.

So, we did.

We've scaled down a bit from our 15'x15' plot from a few years back ~ it was enjoyable, for sure, and we spent many, many a family fun hour in that garden but the soil is still not great so we decided to make some changes ~ and we now have two 3'x6' cedar raised beds to focus on.

The first, pictured above, currently holds 16 plants:
4 tomato

2 pepper

2 watermelon

4 cabbage

4 cucumber

And is happily awaiting the seedlings-to-be currently germinating for the rest:
32 carrots, and 16 peas

The second bed is being prepared and will be planted soon with leaf lettuce, more carrots and peas, and whatever else hops in the bed over the next couple of weeks.

Ok, Veggies dear ~ Home and in bed by early March or I'm locking the doors!

Sounds like fun, no?

Blueberry JAM

2011-02-15T09:10:00.008-05:00

Ky and I had some fun together this past weekend, just the two of us while his sisters were napping {Mari} and out with grandparents {Katie}.

We made home made

Blueberry Jam

Supplies assembled! Ready to go!

Ky contributes some elbow grease to mash 3 pints of blueberries

{and I try to keep myself from eating them before he could smash 'em!}

Berries smashed!

Stir, stir, stir!

And fill the jars.

Into the canner they go!

While the jars were processing, Ky practiced his mandolin. He's getting better and it's so much fun to watch him play. {Never mind if it's a *little* out of tune...}

So there you have it! Mando and home canned preserves, we had at our own

Blueberry JAM!

Can't wait to do it again.

BOOK REVIEW: DEFIANT JOY The Remarkable Life & Impact of G.K. Chesterton by Kevin Belmonte

2011-02-12T13:27:00.004-05:00

DEFIANT JOY ~ The Remarkable Life & Impact of G.K. Chesterton by Kevin Belmonte is the historical biography of Gilbert Keith Chesterton, one of the most noted Christian literary figures in history. As is my habit when reading non-fiction works I first flipped quickly through the pages, scanning all the ancillary content. I find that reviewing the Table of Contents, Author’s Note(s), Prologue, and Notes and Bibliography pages helps give me a bit of background, especially when I am not exactly familiar with the subject matter. In this case, G.K. Chesterton certainly holds name recognition but I knew very little about who he actually was. It seems this book was written just for me. In his Author’s Note, Belmonte states, “Such is the aspiration of this book: to introduce a life and legacy that should be better known.”

I enjoy biographies and often find the peeks they provide into the lives of others entertaining. Defiant Joy was no exception. Belmonte included a timeline in back which provided a very brief look into Chesterton’s life from birth on May 29, 1874, highlighting his education and major events in his professional and personal life, to his death on June 14, 1936; it served as a great overview and later, as I read through the book, I was able to refer back to it for reference. I particularly enjoyed the excerpts and quotes of Chesterton’s own works, as well as the notes and insights from his friends and contemporaries. Reading this biography has sparked in me an interest in digging deeper; reading more of Chesterton’s works is definitely on my to-do list.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a copy this book from the publisher through the BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

It's Time for Valentines!

2011-02-10T16:15:00.008-05:00

IMAGE CREDIT: L. Marie

Confession time. Bill and I don't celebrate Valentine's Day. {gasp!} We never have. The way we see it, taking one day per year to show off our relationship to whoever is paying attention makes the celebration seem a little...well, disingenuous at best. Our famous line is, "If you don't know how much I love you on February 15 {or September 6th or April 15th or any of the other 364 non-Valentine's days in a year} nothing I do on Feburary 14th is going to mean anything." Still, even though we don't do anything special for each other the kids still have class parties and the like.

Katie came home from school today saying, "Mom we need candy and cards for Valentine's Day! It's almost here!" Lucky for her I was one step ahead of her {thanks to an idea I saw bopping around the blogosphere...I think Megan at BRASSY APPLE is the one I need to thank.}

After seeing Megan's post, I tucked the idea away in the back of my mind and today, while Katie was at school, I bought a big ol' bag of Dum Dums at the store. When she came home we took a picture {or 7...I had to make sure we got one that we could use. A photographer I am definitely NOT.} and after a little Picnik fun ~ Viola! ~ the makings of her very own personalized Valentine's Cards!

~~I'll try to post a picture of the completed Valentines but in the meantime,~~ Cute, right?! And don't forget to go check out Megan's ~ they look great, too!

Fun at the Fair!

2011-01-24T11:30:00.005-05:00

This weekend we spent some time at the South Florida Fair. This year is the first we've spent at the fair as a family of five. Our last trip to the fair involved a rather traumatic toddler meltdown (Kyle's! So that will tell you how long it has been!) and a serious consideration of never, ever, ever returning to the fair again. Ever. But, alas, we did. And it was GREAT! All three kids loved it and we had a fun family day.

Katie and Kyle spent a couple of hours representing their club as
Ambassadors at the 4-H booth.

I don't know why nobody believes me when I say
my kids are ANIMALS!

Katie really enjoyed the horse arena and the activities there.

The chickens were awesome ~ so many different beautiful birds! The kids and I were talking again about how we need to research a backyard chicken coop. {And, I couldn't help but note a bit of macabre irony that the newly hatched chicks were eating from egg cartons...}

I discovered a new-to-me Quilt As You Go technique that I can't wait to try

And oohed and ahhed over the beautiful work exhibited.

We spent a couple of hours exploring the Agri-plex, where Kyle proclaimed he wants to raise a cow for 4-H {but since we live inside city limits that won't be happening}; viewed a 9-11 memorial with pieces of steel from Ground Zero on display in the Expo Center; entered raffles; and ate some yummy {and uber-expensive} fair food. Bill loved the model train that stays on display year round. Mari loved the Native American wind flutes and we sat and listened to the music for quite some time. Katie played in a sandbox full of corn {and found pieces in pockets and socks and all kinds of places all evening} and helped me collect information on making our garden a little more successful. And Kyle spent some time talking to professional beekeepers about how to start his own hive and gathered volunteer and camp information from the county's Department of Environmental Resources Management and Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. So I guess that means we're going to have to end the boycott. The Fair is a definite WIN for our family.

BOOK REVIEW: The Dragon and The Turtle by Donita K. Paul and Evangeline Denmark

2011-01-19T19:31:00.004-05:00

Poor Roger. He's just a little turtle and somehow he's gotten himself "turned around" and can't seem to find his way home. Luckily, though, there's a dragon munching on crunchy, squishy, nutty bugs nearby who just may be able to help. When Padraig pauses mid-snack and looks down to see Roger looking troubled he decides to lend a hand. The Dragon and the Turtle by Donita K. Paul and Evangeline Denmark is a cute little story about unlikely friends and it's just so cute, so kid-like.

When Padraig sets out to help Roger find his way home, Roger gives him tiny bits of information at a time so it takes several tries to find the right house. Padraig sticks with it, rumbling tummy from his interrupted snack and all, and in the end helps Roger find his way back home. He even gets to finish his snack, not on another crunchy, squishy, nutty bug but on one of Roger's Mom's Chocolate Chip Snappers.

Two pages of discussion prompts on friendship and the moral of the story follow the conclusion of the story, with reference to Proverbs 17:17 ~ A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity. It adds a little more depth to the book. I also thought it was a neat touch that a recipe for the Roger's Mom's Chocolate Chip Snappers is included at the end of this kids book on friendship and adventure. Story time followed by snack time ~ can't beat it.

We really liked this book. The story line was cute and easy to follow; Vincent Nguyen's illustrations were fun and bright; and Chocolate Chip Cookies = Three Thumbs Up!

**************************
::DISCLOSURE ~ I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Groupfor this review. ::

Practically Perfect In Every Way!*

2011-01-18T17:03:00.001-05:00

Quite possibly my favorite part of blogging is getting to know other bloggers. Like Rachel. And today, I'm going to introduce you to her! {And that means I get to play BERT! How fun is that?!?}

Image from Google Images

Ready? Off We Go!

All right. Come along with me. This here's Cherry Tree Lane. Nice little spot, you might say. Number 17's just down a bit.*

And No.17 Cherry Tree Lane is where we'll find Rachel blogging about her life as a self~proclaimed 1950s housewife stuck in 2011. As you might have guessed Rachel shares an affinity for one of my own favorite movies, Mary Poppins, {is that your name? It's lovely!*}and she has an etsy shop that is not to be missed!

Rachel has all kinds of quirky and fun things in store and I love.Love.LOVE browsing her vintage wares. {In fact, it kind of hurt my heart just a little bit when I popped into her shop today to gather pictures for this post and found the item I had my eye on had sold. Yesterday. Figures. :) }

But OH! The lovelies she has in there now will make your heart skip a beat!

When you're done shopping make sure you pop back over to the No. 17 Cherry Tree Lane blog and read all about Mary's adventures with Jane and Michael. I mean, Rachel's adventures with Kensington and Frankie

It's easy! Let's see... You think. You wink. You do a double blink. You close your eyes... and jump!*

Or maybe it's easier just to click on her button. ;)

*And by the way, if these quotes don't scream Mary Poppins at you, it is critical that you watch the movie again. Tonight. Spit Spot!

Dream a Little Dream...

2011-01-17T08:56:00.005-05:00

"I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character."

~*~

"Rarely do we find men who willingly engage in hard, solid thinking. There is an almost universal quest for easy answers and half-baked solutions. Nothing pains some people more than having to think."

~ Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. ~

BOOK REVIEW: Smart Martha's Catholic Guide for Busy Moms by Tami Kiser

2011-01-11T21:06:00.004-05:00

Are you a Mary Mom or a Martha Mom? Because I'll admit it: I don't think I'm either. I try ~I do ~but I am a horrible housekeeper. I always feel like there are 400 things to do and nothing ever gets done. Now I know we have three kids running around this household but it still seems as though there’s got to be a better way. This is why I had kind of high hopes for Tami Kiser’s Smart Martha’s Catholic Guide for Busy Moms. Maybe this would be just the system I need to finally get it together?

Not so much. But not because it’s not a good book, just because there is no such thing as a cure-all. Most of the tricks and tips in the book were common sense things that shouldn’t surprise anyone (fewer and more meaningful toys makes for easier cleanup and more fulfilling play) but there were some really great little tips I hadn’t heard before too (use a blanket for toys with lots of parts and when the kids are done playing scoop the toys up, blanket and all, and put it back in the storage bin until next time. ..Genius!). It reiterated the happy family standard of family dinners and limited TV/video game/computer time. We really do well with the dinners but have a real ebb and flow around here with the TV thing. And I loved the “M is for Mom not Maid” getting the housework done section and the Daily Clutter Busters are being added to my routine. The key is consistency with me so hopefully I will keep it up!

Even though there wasn’t a whole lot of ground breaking knowledge in there, all in all I really enjoyed Smart Martha’s Catholic Guide for Busy Moms. It really is nice to be reminded that other families have the same struggles as we do ~ and that there are relatively simple ways to overcome them! Now if I can just get my Smart Martha Clutter Buster ways to combat my A.D.D. little-piles-of-stuff-all-over-the-place problem we’ll be in good shape!

***********************************************************************
DISCLOSURE: This review was written as part of the Catholic book reviewer program from The Catholic Company. Visit The Catholic Company to find more information on Smart Martha's Catholic Guide for Busy Moms by Tami Kiser. The Catholic Company is also a great source for serenity prayer and baptism gifts.

Oh, Leah, You're My FAVORITE Friend Today!

2011-01-06T14:30:00.004-05:00

I *so* love receiving packages of yummy fabric in the mail and today I did just that!

Thanks to Leah at Sew Spoiled, I am now the proud owner of a this fabuloso fat quarter set of Amy Butler's new line, Soul Blossoms. And I love.Love.LOVE it!!!

I just can't wait to find something wonderful to make with it! Look how lovely:

IMAGE CREDIT

Ahhh...Now THIS is the stuff daydreams are made of...

Have You Met TED?

2010-12-30T19:51:00.006-05:00

Ok, so I'll admit my title is a tad misleading. The first thing that pops to my mind, too, is that first episode of How I Met Your Mother where Barney and Ted are in the bar playing the "Have you met Ted?" game. That's not what I'm talking about here...but it is funny.

What I'm talking about is TED ~ as in the small nonprofit devoted to Ideas Worth Spreading ~ the conferences featuring speakers addressing topics from Technology, Entertainment, Design. {See? TED.} I am just a little bit addicted to TED.com. From their site:

Our mission: Spreading ideas.

We believe passionately in the power of ideas to change attitudes, lives and ultimately, the world. So we're building here a clearinghouse that offers free knowledge and inspiration from the world's most inspired thinkers, and also a community of curious souls to engage with ideas and each other.

The TEDTalks are videos, freely shared under a Creative Commons license, on any number of topics. Ideas. And good ones. Want to hear Taylor Mali break it down for you on "What Teachers Make"? It's there. {and it's good!} JK Rowling's thoughts on what's good about failure? It's there too. Why is Annie Lennox such a passionate activist for HIV/AIDS? I'll let her tell you. You want inspiration? Why not spend an hour with Randy Pausch, his last lecture is PHENOMENAL, and it just might change your life.

To whet your appetite for Ideas Worth Spreading, here's Viktor Frankl on believing in others.
It's here on TED.com, but I embedded the video from YouTube for you to see it.

Well, Do You?

2010-12-24T07:50:00.001-05:00

It's Almost Time!

2010-12-23T09:36:00.000-05:00

BOOK REVIEW: Everything Christmas by David Bordon and Tom Winters

2010-12-15T11:55:00.004-05:00

I love books. And I love to give books for Christmas ~ ESPECIALLY Christmas books ~ but it can be difficult to find one that will appeal to many people. At first glance, Everything Christmas by David Bordon and Tom Winters appeared to be one that could do just that.

Formatted as a daily read, Everything Christmas has a selection of Christmas-themed short stories, songs, and poems, combined with recipes, gift ideas, and scriptures to enjoy each day of Advent. In addition, there is an quick reference index in the back to help you get straight to whatever it is you're looking for {need a quick Christmas quotation or bit of trivia to include with your Christmas cards? Check the index ~ you've got plenty to choose from!}.

I personally loved the recipes and Christmas Dinner features that highlight the tradition meals enjoyed by families in Europe, the Caribbean, South America and all around the world. We enjoy learning about other cultures and this made for fun discussions around our table ~ who would have thought the Curried Goat and Oxtail from Jamaica would fare better than the Borscht from Poland in terms of the kids' willingness to try a dish?

Despite my best intentions, time got away from me this year. I can not believe that Christmas is less than two weeks away! The holidays always bring a flurry of activities and obligations and things to do and make and prepare. Lucky for me, Everything Christmas had lots of craft and decoration ideas waiting for me!

I was glad to see that Everything Christmas held up to my initial impression and really does have a little something for everyone. Check out this SNEAK PEEK from the Publisher Everything Christmas « WaterBrook Multnomah and see what treats you can find too!

**************************
::DISCLOSURE ~ I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review. ::

The Invitation ~

2010-12-07T15:11:00.004-05:00

::Sometimes you read something that resounds in you forever. This is one of those things for me. Enjoy::

The Invitation by Oriah

It doesn’t interest me
what you do for a living.
I want to know
what you ache for
and if you dare to dream
of meeting your heart’s longing.

It doesn’t interest me
how old you are.
I want to know
if you will risk
looking like a fool
for love
for your dream
for the adventure of being alive.

It doesn’t interest me
what planets are
squaring your moon...
I want to know
if you have touched
the centre of your own sorrow
if you have been opened
by life’s betrayals
or have become shrivelled and closed
from fear of further pain.

I want to know
if you can sit with pain
mine or your own
without moving to hide it
or fade it
or fix it.

I want to know
if you can be with joy
mine or your own
if you can dance with wildness
and let the ecstasy fill you
to the tips of your fingers and toes
without cautioning us
to be careful
to be realistic
to remember the limitations
of being human.

It doesn’t interest me
if the story you are telling me
is true.
I want to know if you can
disappoint another
to be true to yourself.
If you can bear
the accusation of betrayal
and not betray your own soul.
If you can be faithless
and therefore trustworthy.

I want to know if you can see Beauty
even when it is not pretty
every day.
And if you can source your own life
from its presence.

I want to know
if you can live with failure
yours and mine
and still stand at the edge of the lake
and shout to the silver of the full moon,
“Yes.”

It doesn’t interest me
to know where you live
or how much money you have.
I want to know if you can get up
after the night of grief and despair
weary and bruised to the bone
and do what needs to be done
to feed the children.

It doesn’t interest me
who you know
or how you came to be here.
I want to know if you will stand
in the centre of the fire
with me
and not shrink back.

It doesn’t interest me
where or what or with whom
you have studied.
I want to know
what sustains you
from the inside
when all else falls away.

I want to know
if you can be alone
with yourself
and if you truly like
the company you keep
in the empty moments.

by Oriah from her book THE INVITATION (c)1999. Published by HarperONE, SanFranciso. All rights reserved. Presented with permission of the author. http://www.oriah.org/

Traditions

2010-11-27T21:53:00.005-05:00

When I was going through RCIA a few years ago we had a lesson on church traditions. The gist of it was this: there are "big T" Traditions ~ unwavering, unchanging, and absolute to the practice of our faith ~ and there are "little t" traditions ~ nice, but not necessarily earth shattering if they are not maintained.

Tradition is often a focal point of the holidays, too, and the more I think about it the more I think there are "big T" and "little t" traditions for Christmas as well. The little t's would be things like getting pictures taken with and leaving cookies for Santa, hanging wreaths on the door, Christmas caroling, going to see The Nutcracker, and peppermint EVERYTHING. The big T's, on the other hand center around the permanent: spending time with family and loved ones; celebrating faith; practicing hope; and spreading love, peace, and charity to our neighbors.

Every family develops their own little t's and this week I have been pondering one of ours. New pajamas for Christmas Eve. For as long as I can remember ~starting roughly around the time I debuted in our Christmas morning video in knee socks, underwear, and a t-shirt, I think ~ we have received new PJs for Christmas Eve. Christmas PJs probably started as a little t, but over the years and through the decades they are becoming a Big T. This year, I decided I was going to MAKE them for everyone {the bottoms, at least, let's not get crazy here}. I am three pairs into the 12 I'll need to clothe the whole family for Christmas morning and I am really pleased with how they are turning out so far. God willing, that will be true when I am finished with the rest of them. :)

What are some of your family's little t's?

What about your favorite Big T?

~ Santa's Helpers 2010 ~ Kids' DREAM Holiday Wishlist

2010-11-22T10:33:00.008-05:00

Ok, Elves, listen closely because this is a big one:

TodaysMama and GameStop are giving away a sleighful of gifts this holiday season and to enter I’m sharing this meme with you. {Fun things with a chance to win are my favorite...how 'bout you?}

1. What is your holiday wish for your family? That we enjoy a peaceful, relaxing, and happy season with all of our family together and that we remember all that Christmas is really about.

2. What is your Christmas morning tradition? Coffee at home while the kids open gifts and then we're off to Memaw and Papaw's for brunch.

3. If you could ask Santa for one, completely decadent wish for yourself, what would it be? Hmmm...I think it would probably be a renovation of our garage and Florida room into additional living/playing spaces {including a sewing/craft room for me} and having the seagrape hedge and other landscaping I want done and sprinklers fixed for the yard. {Decadent is in the eye of the beholder, but I'd say at a 5-figure price tag this wish qualifies!}

4. How do you make the holidays special without spending any money? We break out the holiday favorites ~ movies {it's just not Christmas without 3-4 weeks of "You'll shoot your eye out, kid!"}, music, and Pepe and Yiaya's Christmas village ~ and enjoy the same traditions every year, like Memaw and Papaw's Open House!

5. What games did you play with your family growing up? Scrabble. Still a favorite!

6. What holiday tradition have you carried on from your own childhood? We still do the same Christmas morning CDs and follow pretty much the same Christmas morning routine. And Santa still leaves the same stuff in the stockings...he's pretty consistent that way. ;)

7. Where would you go for a Christmas-away-from-home trip? Oooooh. I'd love to wisk everyone away to a big lodge somewhere in the mountains with snow the kids could play in and a fireplace where we could all enjoy hot cocoa and wassail and have fun...and play Scrabble!

8. Check out GameStop and tell us, what are the three top items on your GameStop Wish List this year? Wellllllllll, since my GameStop Wish List would be used to fulfill the Christmas wishes of the children this is an easy one! I would go for:

Glee Karaoke Revolution for the Wii

Sonic Colors for DS

and Action Replay Max for DS

Ok, Elves ~ your turn. Head over to TodaysMama to enter yourself!

~ Santa's Helpers 2010 ~

2010-11-22T09:03:00.003-05:00

Okay, Elves, it's been a couple of weeks since I've dropped a name or two for you. I hope you've been checking out the blogs I've told you about because they've had some seriously cool stuff going on! Winning any giveaways? And how's your 30-Day Challenge going? Have you been Thankful on Paper? We need to infuse the next few weeks with as much gratitude, love, and joy as we can. Sometimes the stress overtakes us during the holidays and we lose sight of what it's really about.

So... what little bits of Holiday Helpfulness can I share with you today? Let's see:

The Shabby Chic Cottage is [not only one of the most amazing blogs EVER but they're also]hosting a Christmas Carnival that is Not To Be Missed! Seriously, you've got to check it out.

Hoosier Homemade just announced their winners, AND Round 2 of their Grateful Giveaways starting December 1.

And Then There Were 4 is gearing up for their A Merry Fluffy Christmas event next week. It runs December 1~5 so make sure to check it out.

~*~ENJOY!!!~*~

LOVE This!

2010-11-15T08:24:00.002-05:00

Susie Davis has a great thing going on over at her blog. She started November 1st, so I'm a little late in sharing but it is worth your time to check it out anyway. And join in! You'll be glad you did!

THANK YOU.

2010-11-11T10:08:00.002-05:00

{Take 5 minutes and watch this. And while you're at it whisper a prayer for all our veterans today.}

Honk If You Love A Hoosier!

2010-11-10T17:58:00.004-05:00

{That would be your cue to honk.} You see I was born a Hoosier, grew up a Hoosier, and even though I am no longer geographically a Hoosier I will always be a Hoosier at heart! Who cares? Eh, probably nobody but since I just finished reading about the Grateful Giveaways event that will be taking place over at Hoosier Homemade next Monday it seemed like a fitting segue...in my mind anyway.

Maybe it's random but random usually works for me. And actually, I just started re~reading a book I've loved for a long time that is set, in part, about 3 blocks from where I grew up. It's a novel called The Massacre at Fall Creek by Jessamyn West and it is a fictionalized account of actual events from central Indiana history. When we were home for a quick trip this summer I took the kids back to the park where we used to play and showed them this little stone marker tucked back in the wooded area where we used to explore. They pretended to be interested long enough to be polite and then ran off to play, as is to be fully expected.

Maybe when I finish the book I can get Kyle to read it. I bet he'd like it if he would give it a chance. It's no Harry Potter and certainly no Wimpy Kid, but maybe he'll give it a shot just to humor me?

~ Santa's Helpers 2010 ~

2010-11-09T13:09:00.002-05:00

Okay, Elves. So far I have told you about the holiday happenings at Reece's Rainbow, Nation of Moms, Gussy, Florida Frugal Family, Me Making Do, Jolly Mom, The Artists' House, A Few of My Favorite Things, and Tip Junkie {WHEW! That's a lot of links, Elves! My head's spinning.}

I also mentioned the 30 Days of Giving Challenge and the Be Thankful on Paper project going on at No. 17 Cherry Tree Lane. What I haven't talked about is this:

November is National Adoption Month.

In a Presidential Proclamation dated November 1, 2010, President Obama says:

As we observe National Adoption Month, we honor the loving embrace of adoptive families and the affirming role of adoption in the lives of American families and our country. Let us all commit to supporting our children in any way that we are able -- whether opening our hearts and homes through adoption, becoming foster parents to provide quality temporary care to children in crisis, supporting foster and adoptive families in our communities and places of worship, mentoring young people in need of guidance, or donating time to helping children in need. Working together, we can shape a future of hope and promise for all of our Nation's children.

So here's another thing to think about, Elves:

Too many kids around the country and around the world don't have families to call their own. And the chaos of the holidays {and, yes, even the "is she crazy talking about the holidays already?" mindset that I'm sure some of you still have...but tick, tock, Elves, the time it is a-passing!} is totally foreign to them. Without a family to share them with the holidays mean little.

Sure, not everyone can Adopt. But everyone can help. You can Foster. You can Mentor. You can Donate. You can PRAY. So instead of a gift guide or other holiday themed link today I'm going to send you to meet a few families in the process of adopting. {And each has a fundraiser going on that you could use for holiday gifts, so it still qualifies as a Santa's Helper post!}

If you've been here for a while you've read our adoption story and you have seen how Mariana was specially made for our family like only God can do! We aren't the only ones with a story, folks. Take some time today to read these families' stories and if you feel led to help support their adoptions, please do. If not, just stop for a minute to think about what the holidays REALLY mean. It's really not about the things we buy or the packages we wrap and open. It's about the true gifts in our lives: time to spend with each other in joy and the knowledge that no matter what the day brings when we go to sleep at night we are truly blessed to have a family to love that loves us back. All children deserve that.

The Wood Family ~ a terrific family -- and Wendi's one of my dearest pals! -- in the process of bringing home child #4, a daughter from Colombia. Visit them, and check out their Calendar! {Yikes! Just remembered I still owe Wendi a picture of me in their fantastic t~shirts!}

The Anderson Family ~ fun, fun, fun blogging mama! They're bringing home child #5, a daughter from Ethiopia. Visit them, they've got lots of fundraisers happening. Personally, I love that hoodie!

The Bennett Family ~ awesome Mom and Daughter duo bringing home a little sister! Visit them {So I'm cheating! They aren't actually fundraising yet but if Nataly's excitement doesn't make you happy then you are some kinda Scrooge!}

The Blair Family ~ family bringing home child #3. Visit them and check out their Noel CD fundraiser. They've got a coffee fundraiser too! Yummm.

There are so many more ~ these are truly only a few of the multitude! And, because I must, here is another link to Reece's Rainbow. These babies need your support. Can't adopt? Ok, maybe you can donate? Or at least pray.

Whole Lotta Holidays Going On!

2010-11-08T10:07:00.003-05:00

I have been busy lately with the Santa's Helpers posts, haven't I? {Just trying to spread the love. I haven't really decided if I am going to continue it as a daily thing or hold on to them for one big weekly recap or what from here on out. Guess I'll decide later today.}

But clearly Christmas isn't the ONLY holiday out there, you know? We just passed Halloween ~ which is admittedly my least favorite...ridiculous sugar pushing "holiday" that it is~ but I scored Mari's costume for next year over the weekend at 90% off! That's $2.00, people. Love that kind of bargain! Then we got a jump start on Thanksgiving by having a mini turkey dinner with my sister, brother-in-law and niece. That was a lot of fun! And in a word: YUMMMMM....And I am starting a Holidays Around the World project with the kids to look at some of the other fun holidays that we don't usually think of in our little bubble. I think it will be fun.

And then there's the weather ~ the downward nod of the thermometer just gives a little bit more festive feel to the atmosphere, don't you think? It's been SO NICE this past few days. {Unfortunately it's going back up into the 80s in the next couple of days. Bah!}

Hope you're gearing up for the holidays {and hope the Santa's Helpers posts are giving you some good ideas!}. Enjoy your day!

~ Santa's Helpers 2010 ~

2010-11-07T06:36:00.001-05:00

Starting tomorrow, Elves! Tip Junkie has a community of Mom-preneur Shops that are full of all kinds of goodies made by moms. Why not check out Tip Junkie's Mom-preneur Shop-a-Thon and see if there's anything there you can't live without for the Holidays? Plus, there's going to be some daily giveaways too, just to sweeten the pot a bit...

~ Santa's Helpers 2010 ~

2010-11-06T06:39:00.000-04:00

Another fun All-in-One, Elves:

Throughout November, Danielle at A Few Of My Favorite Things will be posting recipes, crafts, gift ideas and more to get you ready for the holidays. And that's not all - she'll also be having at least one giveaway per day! Says Danielle, "After all, they say it's better to give than receive, right?"

~ Santa's Helpers 2010 ~

2010-11-05T06:59:00.004-04:00

We talked a little bit about Handmade Goodies on Monday, with Gussy's Holiday Gift Guide. (I hope I hope you checked her out this week, love Gussy.)

I came across a little more on the Where Women Create blog. Seems there is a blog hop out there, hosted by Angela at The Artists' House, featuring handmade gifts for Christmas instead of department store stuff.

LOTS of ideas here, Elves. Take a look:

A Crafty Holiday 2010

And don't forget to check out Where Women Create too, while you're at it!

There's So Much To Be THANKFUL For ~

2010-11-04T10:38:00.004-04:00

Rachel at No. 17 Cherry Tree Lane has another challenge for us to consider this month:

IMAGE CREDIT: Rachel

Rachel's challenge to Be Thankful on Paper started yesterday but it's not too late to show your thankfulness. Here's how:

*The 4 Wednesdays (beginning on Nov 3rd), leading up to Thanksgiving, Rachel's going to write one person and tell them she is thankful for them and why. She'll send it to them them that day (or drop it off at their house) and hopefully express to them how much she cares for them and how grateful she is that they are in her life. She would love us to do the same.

*The 4 Thursdays (beginning on Nov 4th), leading up to Thanksgiving, she will write a simple blog post about who she wrote to and why. On those Thursdays, she would love for us to join in and write a post. She will link to each of your blogs on that Thursday so that others can visit your site and be inspired. [...] If the person is someone you would like to keep private, that is also fine. You can opt out that week or write a general post keeping it private, but sharing some sentiment of Thankfulness.

*It's as easy as that!
[THE ABOVE TEXT ADAPTED FROM No. 17 CHERRY TREE LANE]

Be sure to hop on over to see Rachel and let her know if you're joining her!

~ Santa's Helpers 2010~

2010-11-04T06:52:00.003-04:00

Wowza! You want to see something for everyone, Elves? Check out the Holiday Gift Guide being put on by Jolly Mom!

IMAGE CREDIT: Jolly Mom

Jolly Mom's got lists of ideas for anyone on your list, PLUS she's going to have product reviews AND giveaways going on this month! Sounds like fun to me.

Just Check This Girl Out

2010-11-03T09:59:00.003-04:00

{Mari is on the go and taking Riley along for the ride!}

Grainy video from my cheap little phone but still a VERY BIG STEP for Little Miss Mari!

~Santa's Helpers 2010 ~

2010-11-03T06:00:00.001-04:00

Do I have some Elves out there feeling crafty?

Check out some crafty gift ideas this week at Me Making Do

~Santa's Helpers 2010~

2010-11-02T06:34:00.003-04:00

Hi there, Elves! Would you like to enter to win some great Holiday Giveaways today?

{Little Note: There are only about a bazillion giveaway sites out there. I am only going to be posting the ones with Holiday themes on my Santa's Helpers posts. I could spend half my life posting all the links to all the blogs with giveaways (and since I already spend half my life on blogs as it is you can understand why that wouldn't be such a good idea, can't you?)}

Why not head over to Florida Frugal Family and visit Mami? She's teamed up with some other blogs to host lots of giveaways this month. You just may find something you like! Then, from her site, make sure you hop over to her partners' sites and see what they've got going on.

A Happy [Zombie] Holiday Project

2010-11-01T18:48:00.006-04:00

Some time ago I won a fat quarter set of Holiday Happy by Monica Solorio-Snow for Lecien [hello? Happy Zombie...love her blog! And her FABRIC!] from Emma at It's All About The Fabric {THANK YOU AGAIN, Emma! xoxo}.

Today, after all of the Buddy Walk hats and Halloween costumes have finally been put to rest, I was finally able to start to make something fun out of it!

Happy [Zombie] Holiday Fun Project #1

{And, I might add, my niece Riley's very FIRST Christmas gift! But who's counting? ;)}

30~Day Giving Challenge

2010-11-01T11:04:00.003-04:00

Are you not quite there yet with the idea of holiday shopping? Worry not, I have something for you too! Look what I found today {thanks to Cassandra at Aubut Family!}:

The 30 Day Giving Challenge started in 2009 with participants being encouraged to spend 30days giving. This was no ordinary giving. Participants were asked to document their giving in a journal for 30 days. The giving could be big or small, time or money, whatever God prompted each one to do each day.

And now the challenge continues.

If you have a heart for giving, The 30 Day Giving Challenge invites you to join them from November 1 – 30, 2010 as they take giving to new heights,combining the efforts of thousands of people. We’ll be working together to bless our friends, family, neighbors, and complete strangers by making a conscious effort to give each day of November. And we’ll do it all for God’s glory!

Throughout the challenge, the team of ten bloggers will be providing giving ideas, inspiration, and other tools to help you give like you’ve never given before throughout the month of November.

[above text adapted from the 30 Day Giving Challenge website]

IMAGE CREDIT: 30 Day Giving Challenge

~Santa's Helpers 2010~

2010-11-01T09:44:00.004-04:00

Good Morning, Elves! I mentioned yesterday that there is a lot of holiday buzz around the web that I will be spotlighting over the next few weeks. I am excited. Are you? You should be.

There will likely be something for everyone on my Santa's Helpers list: some advocacy opportunities, loads of handmade and mom-preneur items, and some blogs focusing on nationwide product reviews and giveaways. Who doesn't love giveaways, right? {At least I do. I read a bazillion blogs and some of them host giveways that I usually enter. I have even won some things! I will do a post on that one day...} I will be posting links or buttons to the places I find interesting ~ and interjecting my opinion all willy-nilly at times, like I am prone to do ~ so you can check them out yourself. Bet you find at least one that you like!

Here are a couple of Santa's Helpers from around the web to get us started:

Looking for unique ~ and wonderful! ~ Christmas ornaments? Got it:

Running from November 1-December 31 each year, the Christmas Angel Tree is Reece's Rainbow's most important fundraiser of every year. Hundreds of families hope to adopt but, with an average adoption cost of over $20,000, many can't. When you donate $35 or more before December 15, 2010 for a child featured on Reece's Rainbow's Christmas Angel Tree, you will receive a beautiful photo ornament of your sponsored child to hang on your tree or give as a gift! (Reece's Rainbow will even send the ornament directly to your intended recipient with a gift card.)

If you've been around here at all you know we love Reece's Rainbow. And we're not alone! Andrea Roberts, executive director and founder of Reece's Rainbow, was just voted People Magazine's Reader's Choice for Hero of the Year! Congrats, Andrea! xo

Looking for the perfect gift for all the Ladies on your list? Ask Gussy!

She'll hosting a 3 Day Holiday Gift Guide this week and says: "If you’ve made the commitment {or would like to} to buy handmade this holiday season, this Gift Guide will serve as a great reference for you. There are 27 shops participating in the gift guide ~ you are going to LOVE them, I just know it!" She'll be featuring products for women, girls, and babies at a wide range of prices. Clothing, accessories, art...ALL HANDMADE! I love that, don't you? No mass marketed junk here! I love.Love.LOVE unique and handmade!

Sometimes Santa Needs a Helper ... or Many!

2010-10-30T10:05:00.008-04:00

True Story: On about September 24th I sent my sister a text message saying, "*cough, cough* CHRISTMAS LISTS! *cough, cough*..." To which she promptly responded, "*gag, gag* it's SEPTEMBER *gag, gag*..."

Well, okay then. But sometimes Santa could use a little bit of help! And it's not September anymore. Time to get cracking! And we're in luck! This year there are SO many holiday extravaganzas popping up on blogs ~ gift guides, giveaways, product reviews, holiday suggestions, you name it! To get in the holiday spirit I decided I would start a little Santa's Helper feature for the next several weeks and share with you some of the sites I am finding in my travels.

Here's One to Start Us Off:

Want to earn 10 EXTRA ENTRIES into this GIVEAWAY event?

Go to A Nation of Moms and pick up the code to post on your own blog for your 10 extra entries in this fabulous giveaway event.

If you use me as a referral, we both receive another 10 bonus entries!

Come back tomorrow and we'll see what Gussy has in store for us!

I Think I've Got a Problem!

2010-10-30T08:51:00.004-04:00

I can't stay away from VistaPrint! I know you've heard of them, they're all over the web. I took advantage of one of their free product offers ~ the banner for our Buddy Walk, to be specific ~ and so I get emails with other offers from them pretty regularly.

Cute, huh?

For someone who loves personalized stationery products like me this becomes dangerous fast! They have so many options it's crazy. And, since I'm working to launch a new "business" {more details on that to come} I am all over their business building products.

Look familiar? Yep, that's my new header.

If you like personalized stationery and gifts (calendars, mugs, totes, etc.) or if you need business products, check them out. You may like them too.

******************************

NOTE:: the links to VistaPrint above are referral links from their TellAPal program. You're my pals, right?

I Can't Believe I Did It!

2010-10-29T18:22:00.003-04:00

When Janette said she and a few other teachers were dressing up for school today in a Wizard of Oz theme, I said, "Cool." When she said she was going to be dressing as Dorothy, I said, "Cute!" When she asked me to make her costume for her, I said, "Of course!"

Now have I ever made a Dorothy costume? Nope. Do I have a Dorothy pattern? Huh-uh. Did it ever occur to me that I have never sewn one single apparel item for someone over the age of 7? Not even for a second! Later that day it did, though, and suddenly I was questioning my sanity.

I got over it quick, though, and by the time we went shopping for materials I was looking forward to the challenge. I had an idea in my head of how Dorothy's dress should look so, armed with a measuring tape and our imaginations, we went from store to store buying what we thought we'd need to get it accomplished.

Back at home I took a few more rudimentary measurements and sent her on her way. A day or so later I popped in the Wizard of Oz {for inspiration, you know} and set about my task. All said it went together pretty easily, with just a few moments of cursing and panic in the 11th hour. Thankfully, my mom and sister stopped by that afternoon and kept me calm...and on task. {No A.D.D. tangents for me = Rare!}

A final fitting and a few last minute touches later and there you have it. A cute {if I do say so myself}, adult sized Dorothy costume, complete with Ruby Slippers (courtesy of spray adhesive and red glitter).

So What did [I] learn, Dorothy? A few things:

Hey ~ I CAN make realistic looking clothing without a pattern! For kids AND adults!

That shiny {silky, slippery} costume material? Hate it. From here on out, if I can't do it with a cotton fabric, I'm afraid I just can't do it.

Measure everywhere ~ even if you think you don't need that measurement, chances are you will.

and, last but not least, "if I ever go looking for my heart's desire again, I won't look any further than my own back yard. Because if it isn't there, I never really lost it to begin with!"

Buddy Walk 2010

2010-10-21T19:38:00.006-04:00

Our first Buddy Walk was, in my opinion, a HUGE SUCCESS! It was way more elaborate than I ever could have imagined ~ there were bounce houses, rock climbing walls, DJ and dancing, and loads of families with their tents and picnics and SO MUCH FUN!

Papaw is now armed with many great ideas on how we will be able to WIN the next banner contest, and we are all very much looking forward to next year's walk. With the exception of the group shot, the Grandmas and Titi Nette effectively avoided the camera but I can assure you we all enjoyed ourselves very much.

Chickens? In Town?

2010-10-20T11:33:00.002-04:00

I mean, it's not UNHEARD OF ~ at least not in Sebastopol, CA...

And after our time spent at the petting zoo at the Buddy Walk on Sunday

BUT ~

And truthfully, with our pooch I don't know if it's a good idea. He would drive me CRAZY barking at them, I think. And I don't know if it's even legal inside our city limits. But it would be cool to gather our own eggs...and I bet we'd save a bundle!

~More Buddy Walk pictures to come!~

I'm Actually Having Quite a Bit of Fun!

2010-10-12T19:37:00.007-04:00

I've been sewing away making hats for all of Mari's Mad Hatters. Sadly, there are no top hats {or Wellingtons, if that's the term you prefer} in the bunch, but since the hats I have chosen to make go together really quickly I now have 6 of the 15 hats we need done. Take a look:

Fun Fact: Care to guess who HATES hats and refuses to keep one on her head?

"Who Me?" EXACTLY.

Oh well! Back to the sewing machine I go.

I Just Can't Stop Daydreaming!

2010-10-10T17:08:00.004-04:00

That's nothing new really. Old news. I'm a dreamer. Always have been. But since I started my newest little venture I REALLY can't stop daydreaming! I have lots of work to do but when I come across a photo like this one ~

PHOTO CREDIT: Lucy Morey

I just get excited and my eyes start to glaze over as I start to imagine lots of happy places with all the beautiful fabrics. This is Pacific Tradewinds, the brand new {and VERY FIRST} fabric collection designed by Lucy Morey. Don't you love it? I do. And to celebrate her very first collection, Lucy is hosting a giveaway on her blog. Go over, tell her congratulations, tell her you love her line, [but don't enter the giveaway, ok? ...I REALLY want to win that! ;)] and get lost in your own daydreams about what you can create with her dream come true.

What Good's a Mad Hatter Without a Hat?

2010-10-03T10:09:00.002-04:00

PHOTO CREDIT: Shimelle

I am scouring the web for hat patterns. Preferably several different hat patterns. And preferably ones that are quick sewing. I have two weeks from today to outfit our Hatters. Won't it be Mad if we show up to the walk with no hats?

Welcome to October!

2010-10-01T19:56:00.003-04:00

Did you know October is

Down syndrome awareness month?

And do you know what is coming up two weeks from Sunday? Yep, that's right ~

the BUDDY WALK!

All of Mari's Mad Hatters are getting excited. {And I have A LOT of hats to make in the next two weeks. Hopefully I'll get them done. If not, we'll make do with whatever hats we can come up with.}

Wanna come join the fun? The Gold Coast Buddy Walk is coming up on October 17 ~ join our team or sponsor our walkers ...we'd LOVE to have you!

{thanks again to the Bovas for a super-cute picture of Mari to use for our Buddy Walk info!}

Some Days You Just Need to Stop and Listen:

2010-10-01T10:11:00.006-04:00

PHOTO CREDIT: ulybug

1) “In his mind a man plans his course, but the LORD directs his steps” [Proverbs 16:9];

2) “for we walk by faith, not by sight.” [2 Corinthians 5:7]; and,

3) “For I know well the plans I have in mind for you, says the LORD, plans for your welfare, not for woe! plans to give you a future full of hope.” [Jeremiah 29:11]

Yep; that's good enough for me!

(verses taken from the The New American Bible)

Because I Don't Particularly Like Being Told What to Do...

2010-09-27T15:01:00.006-04:00

IMAGE CREDIT: Google Images

It's BANNED BOOKS WEEK, people! To celebrate I'm picking a title off the American Library Association's Banned and Challenged Classics list and *gasp!* reading it! So do tell ~ What banned book are you reading this week?

Is It Just Me?

2010-09-20T16:21:00.002-04:00

Or can the littlest things bring a smile to your face too? Mushrooms are cute. They just ARE. And if you let yourself daydream, just for a minute, you may just find yourself wondering whether this little mushroom village is home to a quirky band of gnomes who decorate their homes with pretty little star-shaped flowers.

Why not take a minute to enjoy something today that you'd usually ignore?

It's worth it.

Bits 'n Twits (I mean Tweets, I guess)

2010-09-14T08:37:00.005-04:00

bits of fun~

So I was all pumped and ready for National Sewing Month, once no big dill brought it to my attention, of course. I got right to work on a cute little mini-tote for Katie's teacher (I plan to fill it with fun little items for Christmas. I like to incorporate a gift in the wrapping for as many gift-giving occasions as I can) and had a good time working out the details and the lining and such ~ I know, I know, it's not rocket science but still I'm used to working from a pattern and having someone else figure out how the pieces should be cut and where to account for the lining and when to stop the blah,blah,blah,blah... Anyway, it was lots of fun until I turned my head just so and proceeded to run my needle through my finger. Oh yeah! We're having Big Fun now! Thankfully I didn't get any blood on the fabric. (Eww...I know. The thought makes me woozy too. Sorry.)

Anyway, all's well that ends well and I think my first venture into a lined bag ended pretty well, y'think?

It's not Gussy-licious or anything but it IS cute and I think it will make a fine gift bag for a second grade teacher...even if she chooses to "accidentally" leave it in her classroom when she retires at the end of the year.

And speaking of Gussy ~ love.Love.LOVE her shop, by the way, and I am not even the ruffle-y, frilly, girly-girl type, which makes my Gussy fascination a little odd but maybe my girls are rubbing off on me a little bit because Katie most definitely is the type and Mari is showing every indication of following in her sister's footsteps ~ she's giving away one of her tote bags today over on her blog. Says Gus, if you tweet/blog/facebook "I want to carry a #Gussy tote bag at the next blog conference! For every 100 comments there will be 1 winner! http://bit.ly/bLHsNA" you'll be entered to win. So go enter! As for me, my problem is two-fold: [1] I can't imagine I'll be able to attend any of the upcoming blog conferences until at least next year; and [2] I just don't get Twitter. Which brings me to

twits (of course I mean Tweets)~

Twitter is all the rage these days. Everyone from this celebrity to that elementary school gym teacher is tweeting about any ol' thing you can imagine. Some guy even made the news for tweeting his heart attack. Nice. I had a Twitter account a lo-o-ong time ago, before it became the coolest thing around. I didn't get it. I have this blog where I ramble on. I have Facebook to fill the cracks the blog leaves. Nobody I knew had a Twitter account and, really, does anybody care what I have to tweet about? I doubted it. So I deleted my account. Now, as I mentioned, Twits (I know that sounds like a mean word but I hear it and think of Violet Beauregarde yelling at Veruca Salt, "Can it you nit!" and I snicker) are popping up all over the place. I'm left to ponder: Do I slink back to Twitter with my tail between my legs? I still don't think anybody cares what I would have to tweet about...but maybe I could win a Gussy bag!

So There You Have It!

2010-09-09T10:13:00.003-04:00

What better way to kick start my next [kinda] big thing than by joining Katy over at no big dill's celebration of National Sewing Month?

Says dill, September was declared National Sewing Month by Ronald Reagan in 1982, "In recognition of the importance of home sewing to our Nation.” Cool. I'm in.

And to top things off, while perusing her recent posts I came across a quote from Vincent Van Gogh (by way of Kurt W Knudson) and I love.Love.LOVE it. These fine gents said, "I am always doing what I don't know how to do, in order to learn how to do it." Yup; that about covers it. Off we go!

[And don't worry, all this random foreshadowing is leading up to something new around here. It's just taking a little bit of time to get it all together, that's all.]

BOOK REVIEW: The Butterfly Effect by Andy Andrews

2010-09-07T22:55:00.000-04:00

Having read, reviewed, and loved The Boy Who Changed the World by Andy Andrews I was really looking forward to reviewing The Butterfly Effect. The #1 requested story of this New York Times best-selling author and public speaker, The Butterfly Effect conveys how the smallest, seemingly insignificant experiences in our lives can shape our futures and make a major impact and reminds us that EVERYTHING we do matters.

The premise of this book is terrific. Much like The Boy Who Changed the World does for children, The Butterfly Effect encourages adults and teens to appreciate that even the smallest choices and experiences in our life can lead to big things. The Butterfly Effect is a quick read with just a few words appearing on each page ensuring that each one packs a punch. Though I preferred the children’s version of the story overall, The Butterfly Effect’s ultimate message is one that will encourage and inspire most anybody to believe that they can make a difference, and that just can’t be bad.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a copy this book from the publisher through the BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

BOOK REVIEW: The Boy Who Changed the World by Andy Andrews, illustrated by Philip Hurst

2010-09-07T09:10:00.004-04:00

The Boy Who Changed the World by Andy Andrews is a children’s story that relays, in terms and situations that kids can understand, the defining principle that every choice we make and everything we do really does matter! Illustrated by Philip Hurst, and based on Andrews' The Butterfly Effect, The Boy Who Changed the World follows the story Nobel Prize winner, Norman Borlaug, back through history to show that the big things he achieved were started as a result of the tiniest actions in the past. Even some actions that took place long before he was even born!

Reading together with my little girl, she was captivated by the beautifully drawn illustrations of each scene and, as I hoped, easily understood the premise that these boys were able to take what they learned as children to make a big difference in the world as adults. We talked for a while about “how many boys have actually changed the world.” I have always wanted my children to believe that they can make a difference in the world we live in, but sometimes it’s hard to convince them that it’s not just their Mom who believes it. Andy Andrews has provided me with written proof! The Boy Who Changed the World by Andy Andrews just may be this year’s Christmas gift for all the kids in the family.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a copy this book from the publisher through the BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

I Guess I Really AM a Follower!

2010-09-03T16:09:00.004-04:00

I have resisted. I don't really know why, but I have. I was quite happy with my Google Reader subscriptions and when all this Following hype started creeping over the web I didn't really understand why I needed to change. But I have. As of today, I have transitioned ALL of my subscriptions into full-on "Following" status (I think) and I am officially a Follower of many ~ some would say TOO MANY {pshaw!} ~ blogs. Not to mention I have added a Followers widget [hello, Jelly Nose!] to the sidebar of my blog too. (Okay so maybe I mentioned it but please don't make me desperately beg for you to become a Follower...)

What's more ~ thanks to a couple of great blogs this week I found a new toy that I love.Love.LOVE!! (And since I am rarely found on the cutting edge of anything technological this is probably not new to you...especially if we run in similar blog circles! But I love.Love.LOVE it just the same.) What is it, you ask? It's the "Google Reader NEXT" bookmark/favorites button, of course! Instead of going all the way into Google Reader and reading the blogs from there (and whining when the posts are truncated so that I can't read them there in their entirety anyway) I now have a button on my favorites bar that I can click whenever the mood strikes me and it will take me to the next unread item in my Reader. Not only that but it takes me to the actual blog, so I can see all the prettiness that exists there and I can easily leave comments without extra clicking if I am so inclined. So do you see why I love it? It's so cool.

For all its wonderousness, I especially love the fun little message that pops up when I finally make my way through my entire list of unread items:

Can't read it? It says "Congratulations, you've reached the end of this internet. Look for another?" teeheehee

So I know you're jealous! I know you want one all of your own. So why don't you head over to THIS POST where the step by step instructions are waiting. You'll be glad you did.

What Are YOU Doing October 17th?

2010-09-02T10:02:00.001-04:00

I know what we're doing...and Mari's going to be the Team Leader! The Gold Coast Buddy Walk is coming up on October 17 ~ wanna join our team or sponsor our walkers?

{thanks again to the Bovas for a super-cute picture of Mari to use for our Buddy Walk info!}

Do You See That?!?!

2010-09-01T10:22:00.002-04:00

Up there! (In the address bar, silly!) That's right ~ starting today we have our own domain and the blog can now be found at http://www.morethemurrayer.com/! Hip hip hooray!! If you have the old blogspot address you should still get here too ~ the blogspot address is supposed to seamlessly transition to the new domain. If you experience a problem please let me know.

Oh! And stay tuned, too, because there's going to be some new stuff coming around the bend that you won't want to miss. I'm making some arrangements, doing some legwork, and trying to stay focused long enough to get some things accomplished so that I can post, but tonight I'm just sitting back with a sigh of contenment, since the transition to our new internet home was wa-a-a-ay easier than I expected it to be. [And: helloooo wannalottacommas!?!?]

What's All the Ruckus?!?!

2010-09-01T07:59:00.004-04:00

I've donned my hard hat and I'm doing a little tinkering on my short stretch of the information superhighway...probably going to hit some potholes along the way. But if you see a detour, DO NOT BE ALARMED. That's the goal. We're creating a bypass over the "blogspot" to get us straight to our own ".com" so rest assured, you're not lost. But if it's all a big fat mess for a little while, well, I'm sorry for the delay. Drive safely.

I know I'm Not The ONLY One, Right?!?!?

2010-08-30T11:21:00.005-04:00

IMAGE: via Google Images, T-Shirts available at this site.

Every now and then when I'm reading I'll come across a word I've never read before. Depending on the complexity of the word, it usually throws the brakes on my reading until I've figured out the word ~ pronunciation, contextual meaning, usage, the works ~and if I can't figure out a pronunciation or a working definition on my own...LOOK OUT! I'm on a mission! I absolutely NEED to know this word or else! I'll usually head to the web first these days, although an old school dictionary works great too. I find out the definition and the pronunciation (I like dictionary.com because they have a little button you can push to actually hear the word spoken. That's awesome for those particularly tough ones. ) and then more often than not I'll spend the remainder of the day saying the word out loud at random to make sure I still can say it without stumbling. So...is it just me? Am I the ONLY one who does this? Do you just skip over the words you're not familiar with or are you as obsessive as me that you HAVE TO KNOW?

Just where did this post come from, you ask? What is "today's word"?

pres·ti·dig·i·ta·tion [pres-ti-dij-i-tey-shuhn]

It's a noun meaning "sleight of hand." {Wanna hear it pronounced? Go Here and click the little speaker.}

I was reading along in my book Richistan: A Journey Through the American Wealth Boom and the Lives of the New Rich by Robert Frank when all of a sudden a quote from the Roaring Twenties by Harvard professor William Z. Ripley dropped the linguistic bomb of the day. Pres-tid-i -what?!?!?! So now we know.

What's YOUR Real Age?

2010-08-29T11:20:00.003-04:00

LOGO COURTESY OF www.realage.com

Am I late? Have you already heard about this website? If not, are you curious? Maybe even morbidly curious? I was. So I went over to the site and took the quiz. {Psst...It's got Dr. Oz on it!} The idea, as I understand it, is to take your lifestyle and health factors, combined with chronological age and brief family history information, to determine the age that your body "thinks" it is. You get the sledgehammer ~ Your REAL AGE is... ~ followed by an itemization of what is making you older than you could be. And THEN: they give you a plan to help your body "grow younger." Hmmm...Almost had me there until the fountain of youth thing...Instant skepticism! In all seriousness, though, I really do think that anything that helps motivate our family to live healthier lifestyles and make better choices is a good thing for us. Whether you agree or not, it is kind of fun to see what your result is. So why not go check it out?

And my results? My Real Age is 35.8. [My calendar age is 35.1 ... not too bad, I guess!]

Money Matters...

2010-08-27T10:59:00.005-04:00

PHOTO CREDIT: Horia Varlan

Rebound? Recession? Are we gaining? Losing? Are the Markets up? Down? Time to buy? Sell? I am no expert ~ trust me, this much I know! ~ on anything financial or money or even numbers related. I cannot hold an intelligent conversation on much of anything numbers related. Still I seek out information until the pesky little numbers make my eyes cross (which doesn't take long!) There are people who get it, though, and are glad to talk about it. I have more finance-y blogs on my Reader (or "Following" list...or both. I still haven't determined whether one automatically updates the other or not. Google experts care to clue me in?) than I care to admit. I'll give you a couple of those in a minute. First, my perspective...for what little it's worth.

They Say It's Really Important...

Everyone from the goofy guy on the TV commercials to the trying-valiantly-not-to-expose-her-sullenness lady manning the bank booth at the middle school orientation has been saying it. "Monitor Your Credit." Well, this week we actually did what we're told to do and requested the free annual copies of our credit reports. Turns out, even though the monthly budget often gives me heartburn and there are WAY too many places that we need to "trim the fat," our reports are currently showing no major catastrophes. (Thank you, Lord, for providing just what we need exactly when we need it.) It was easy...and a trifle humbling. I now know exactly what our balances are.

Here's the Reality

Even though I read all these blogs and online resources, maniacally clip coupons and jump from store ad to store ad to store ad to keep our grocery bill low, and swear off frivolous spending at least once a month, we still have more debt (credit card and otherwise) than I will ever admit on this blog. Heck ~ I even read The Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey, got inspired by the stories to attack my debt snowball, and fizzled out just as quickly as I started! It is a brutal cycle, and it showed on those little reports. So out came the scissors. No more games. Maybe I should adopt a {What Would Gussy Do?} philosophy? (Granted: She was proactive and took care of everything in the proper order and I am in a reactive situation trying to fix it now that it's already broken but who doesn't love.Love.LOVE looking at her GORGEOUS Gussy goods??)

On the Right Track

So our financial situation is not perfect. We are a one income family and haven't always been mindful of our spending like we are now. Regardless, my kids are quick to speak up whenever they see me pull out a little plastic card for payment somewhere. I have desperately tried to inform [brainwash? no, that sounds bad...educate? yeah, that's better.] them about credit cards and how they are EVIL. I am so glad they are listening. (Even if that means that I have, on occasion, had to insinuate to them that the CREDIT card in my hand is a DEBIT card to back them off a bit. They don't get close enough to see the truth.) As long as their first instinct is always NO when it comes to plastic, I've done my job. And maybe, just maybe, they'll be smarter than me when they are old enough for their own money management. As for us, we are thankful we've been able to keep our credit "in the green" (all the reports seemed to show the positive credit history as green, which was nice to see) and, God willing, we will be heading down the right track to getting rid of some of this lingering debt once and for all!

You Mean You Want REAL Information or Advice?

I got nothing. But here's a couple of bloggers that do:

Wish Lists and Daydreams...

2010-08-20T09:22:00.005-04:00

I've spent so much time bopping around the web lately ~ all in the name of research, mind you ~ that my eyes have nearly glazed over! The blogs, the stores, the instructions and tips, the giveaways. Wait! What?!? Yep, giveaways. One of the blogs I found, Craft Gossip, is hosting a giveaway where three people will win a $100 wishlist from Etsy. Here's the problem: with all the time I've spent on Etsy lately (*ahem* it's RESEARCH) my wish is wa-a-a-a-a-a-y too long to qualify for the giveaway.

So, what's a gal to do? How 'bout this: I created a special wishlist (kinda, sorta) themed toward my goal ~ inspiration items, mostly, with some necessities tossed in for good measure ~ just for this giveaway and it will serve two purposes. {#1} it may give you an idea of what I am working on (then again, it may not...it's kinda hard to follow my train of thought ~~sometimes~~); and {#2} it forced me to pick specific items off the million miles long wish list I've already started in Etsy.

:::PLEASE NOTE ~ all photos are courtesy of the respective Etsy shop owners listed below:::

GO PLACES. This print from Green Nest is perfect ~ with its inspirational [even kinda subliminal] message (Go Places!) paired with one of my most popular daydreams (I will own a VW bus!) and a calm and cool and fun print, who could ask for more? [$14]

Mushrooms = adorable; Scrabble tile incognito = awesome; Pieces of Me Pendants mushroom pendant = perfect little bit of fun! Now, if the Scrabble tile is a "J"... [$5.95]

This is another little bit of wearable inspiration! Tiny Token Designs' Ring of Love, with custom stamped message... My own reminder. [$27]

Now THIS. This Gnomeville fabric by Michael Miller in EuroGirlsBoutique's shop is both inspiration AND a necessity in reaching my goal. Kind of. If you squint just right. [$6.75]

This one, though, is a necessity. In order to make any progress at all, I'm gonna need to perk up my online look. Enter: Peachy Keen Blog Design. I have an idea, just don't know how to execute it. Maybe she can help? [$45]

So There You Have It...a 5-part snapshot of my Etsy wishlist. If we were looking at the whole thing we'd be here all.Day.LONG

A Whole Lotta Jibber-Jabber, A Whole Lotta Nothin'

2010-08-20T08:42:00.004-04:00

Wowza. Some days I feel like I can't get one foot in front of the other...I'm just percolating in one place ~ snapping and popping with all kinds of energy and ideas and ohmygoodness ~ but not making any forward motion. Lateral motion, yes. Elliptical motion, sure. Even tangential motion, sometimes. But actually taking a definitive step forward? Not so much. You know it's bad when Bill has actually said "Wow, babe, your A.D.D. is kicking lately!" Yeah, I know.

I really do have some things in the works that (I hope!) will re-energize my little corner of the "www. land" and be a whole lot of fun (at least for me). I just have to get past this "research and preparation" stage and get moving. Easier said than done (again, at least for me).

Part of the research has me ALL OVER the blogosphere. There are some seriously creative and inspiring bloggers out there, y'all. In fact, I really had no idea the creativity that consumes every corner of the web. I just learned how to transfer my Reader over to this "follower" function that everyone's talking about. One day I'll try to get a blog list or a widget {the mere mention of that word always makes me think of the middle school history teacher who called me "Jelly Nose"...don't ask} added so you guys can click right on through to all these amazing pages. But probably not today.

Today, you'll have to just go check out SouleMama's Friday ritual, the {This Moment} post, and take some time to bounce around the links in the comments. So neat. I keep saying I want to participate but I never do. This will have to be close enough for this week. I've got a whole lotta jibber-jabber and nary a photo in sight.

Today's The Day!

2010-08-17T08:39:00.003-04:00

Katie the 2nd grader and Kyle the 7th grader!

Mari, the Team Leader! The Buddy Walk is coming up on October 17 ~ wanna join our team or sponsor our walkers?

{thanks to the Bovas for a super-cute picture of Mari to use for our Buddy Walk info!}

BOOK REVIEW: Hitler, the War, and the Pope, Revised and Expanded by Ronald J. Rychlak

2010-08-15T23:21:00.005-04:00

Both the title and the subject matter of this book completely intrigued me. This was to be the definitive answer to the question, “Was Pope Pius XII a Nazi Sympathizer?” It promised to be historically accurate, “thoroughly researched and meticulously documented.” And it was, at least so far as I could understand it. (There was most certainly something like 300 pages of appendices to document the information provided by the author.)

I can’t shake the feeling that this book was too far over my head to give it a fair review. Perhaps jumping from complete ignorance of the subject (ok, now Pope Pius XII was who, again? That's BAD. I know.) to such a COMPLETE analysis wasn’t such a great idea? Or maybe I just need to absorb, digest, and process what I was able to grab onto a little bit more and then revisit the material again to really get it all? Could be that it was too much all at once for me to appreciate. I should have guessed that would be the case, what with my being little more than a baby Catholic {four years this year. Thank you, Lord!} and all, but I really did – and still do – find the topic fascinating. It was a lot to comprehend but still feels worth it. I think I’ll give it another go.

**************************************************************************************************
DISCLOSURE: This review was written as part of the Catholic book reviewer program from The Catholic Company. Visit The Catholic Company to find more information on Hitler, the War, and Pope, Revised and Expanded by Ronald J. Rychlak.

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