A Trick or Treating Question

In Nevada, the kids are trick-or-treating tonight because October 31 is Nevada Day and it has it's own set of festivities... Anyways I am thinking about going to the grocery store and getting a bunch of fruit. Here is the question I need you to answer: Do you think my house will get egged if I hand out fruit and Halloween tracts as oppossed to candy? Seriously, kids like fruit - it is sweet and healthy, and the tract is part of my Halloween giving every year. So what do you think - fruit or candy?

Thankful Thursday

I have so many things to be thankful for, but there are times that I lose sight of the reasons I should be thankful and focus instead on things that are bringing me down. Today I am going to take the time to stay focused on the tings for which I am thankful.

Enter into His gates with Thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise:

Be thankful unto Him and bless His name.

Psalm 100:4 KJV

~Top 5 Reasons I am Thankful Today~

1. I am thankful that I have come to know the Lord, and to know His love for me. It makes me thankful that I am worth so much to Him!

2. I am very thankful for my family. I couldn't ask for a better husband or father for my children! Emily and Natalie are precious blessings that can always make me smile - I love them all even when they make me want to cry! No matter what, I will always be thankful for my family!

3. I am thankful that I know that whatever comes my way, I can get through AND I wont have to get through it alone!

4. I am thankful that we are able to make due with one pay check so that I can stay at home with our children. Even though it is not always easy, it is worth it!

5. I am thankful for some of the smaller things in life too - COFFEE and sunshine!

Every Thursday I am going to make a Thankful Thursday Post, if you would like to join me, click on the button to go to Grace Alone and get the button. If you have a Thankful Thursday post, please leave me a link so that I can come check it out! Thanks

Wordless Wednesday -

This is a trip down memory lane!

***Emily***

~Weight when first born~

~At about a year old~

***Natalie***

~Weight when first born~

~At about a year old~

***When Emily first met Natalie***

Smilie Face Snack brings smiles to my house!!

This afternoon, I decided that rather than just making the girls snacks, I would have Emily help me make them. It was a blast! Emily loves to hang out in the kitchen and help with everything - cooking, cutting, cleaning, washing dishes, and more... I am not comfortable with having my 2 year old (almost 3!) use knives, I'm just not. But sinse becoming a Pampered Chef consultant, I learned about a pretty nifty little gadget - my safe cutter, it has a round point and jagged blade (sharp enough to cut apples, cheese, etc. but wont cut hands!!)
So today Emily cut the apple with her safe cutter - and beamed with pride!!
So the snack that we made was smiley face "sandwiches"
Take a piece of bread and spread some peanut butter on it. Use raisins to make eyes and a nose on the bread, then cut an apple into wedges and use the wedges to make smiles!
This was a cute little snack that is healthy, fast, easy, and cheap - but most importantly it was FUN!!!

>

I am disappointed in Wells Fargo

We opened child savings accounts for each of our girls at Wells Fargo. There was virtually no interest rate, but it was a great concept of teaching children how to save. Whenever a child would deposit $3 into one of these accounts, they got these little "Wells Fargo Bucks" they looked like a smaller version of play money with the horse drawn coach that is Wells Fargo's logo. Then the kids would save these bucks to buy the toy that they wanted from the bank. There was a little catalog and everything - great program!

They totally changed it. They don't give the kids the savings bucks anymore, they are supposed to save their receipts from the deposits and bring them in to see what they may have earned - no way to keep track, and in my opinion, less of a realistic savings experience.

Emily has been taught the concept of saving since long before she understood it, and she loved the idea of the moneys that she got for saving, and now that program is no more. I am very disappointed in Wells Fargo - seriously, printing those savings bucks couldn't have been that big of an expense for them in comparison to some they have. And to think, I even switched to paperless statements to save them some money (and the environment)...

Our Special Day

I have been missing my husband lately. My mom just bought a house and my husband has been WONDERFUL enough to help her get moved. Again today, he helped her. So I made a decision - today we would not miss him, the girls and I would have a special day. And a special day we had!
Emily, Natalie, and I went to Verizon to drop my phone off to be "flashed" (a.k.a. software update) but they said it was going to take about 15 minutes, and I KNOW that there is no keeping my kids in a cell phone store for 15 minutes and have them be good. It just so happens that across the parking lot from Verizon is Quiznos -one of my favorites!! So, for the first time in a while, the girls and I went and had lunch together. It was wonderful.
Then we decided to go to Borders. Emily l-o-v-e-s Borders, there is something about grabbing a teddy bear and picking a bunch of books to sit and read that really makes her happy! We spent a lovely hour in Borders and came home with some pretty good stuff:

* Dora book with binoculars that double as a picture finder
* Little Pony 3-pack of books
* Little Dino's Egg
* A Princess 4-pack (manners, neatness, and 2 other concepts)
It was really cool, all these books were on sale! We paid less that $25 for all of them, and the Dora book retailed for $27, plus Borders gave me a $5 off my next visit coupon for signing up for their rewards card.
**FYI - During October, Boarders is giving triple, yep TRIPLE, points. So rather than getting a $5 reward when you spend $150, you get it for spending $50 - but only in October. So you might want to think about getting a few Christmas gifts early this year!!**

So my girls and I had a special day, and it was nice. We hardly remembered that we missed Zack, but now we have him back for a few days!

I hope that you all are having a good weekend!

Randy Kazandy Where Are Your Glasses? **Childrens book review**

As soon as we opened the package with our book in it, my daughter wanted to read it. The first thing that caught our attention was the cover - great artwork, vibrant colors, and it says that it is "child safe, lead free" so that is a bonus!


Randy Kazandy, Where Are Your Glasses? is a great book! It is written in rhymes, that are fun and easy for kids to follow. This is the story of a little boy, Randy Kazandy, who can't see very well, always misses the ball, bumps into things, and so on, until he goes to see Doctor Bee, the eye doctor. As it turns out, Randy needs glasses, but he does not want to wear them, he tries everything to get rid of his glasses. In the end, Randy decides that he likes to wear his glasses.

This is a great story, especially for a child who has impared vision and needs to wear glasses. It shows kids that glasses can be fun! As if the story wasn't enough Randy Kazandy actually has his own website, where kids can email him and ask questions. On the website, you can learn more about the Rhonda Fischer, learn about the history of glasses, play fun games, and more! Speaking of fun games, there is at least one pair of glasses 'hidden' in each page of the book - we have had lotts of fun searching for them!

I definately reccomend this book for all kids, especially those who might have to get glasses. It is fun to read and doesn't get old, you can come up with a different lesson from the book each time you read it.

Randy's motto is inspirational to children and adults alike: I love being me!

You can buy this book on The Randy Kazandy website for $19.95 + shipping or on Amazon.

Rhonda Fischer, the author of Randy Kazandy Where Are Your Glasses?, sent us a copy of her book for my family to review.

Disney Store's Dressed Rehersal

Yesterday, the Disney Store had a "dressed rehearsal" (costume party) for all the little princesses, buzz lightyears, nemos, and more. It was fun! We are not going to go trick-or-treating on Halloween, so this was my girls' time to play in their costumes.

Emily is Princess Belle from Beauty and The Beast. Isn't she adorable? The whole time we were in the mall she picked her dress up in front of her and held it out "like the princesses do."

Natalie was dressed up as a mermaid, no it was not Ariel from The Little Mermaid, but she was adorable. Her mermaid costume actually came from Bambini Bliss.

We had a great time, and Emily loved going to "her princess party!"

What are your Halloween plans? Who's dressing up as who?

Swine Flu Vaccine

Sometime this week, my childrens' doctor's office is supposed to get the swine flu vaccine in, and their doctor strongly recommends that both of my children, hubby, and myself get the vaccine. I trust their doctor (or they would have a different one) but I was not quite sold on the swine flu vac.
With all of the controversy and government hype, I have heard many people saying that they are not going to get the N1H1 Vac nor will they have their children receive it. Personally, I prefer to do a little research and learn facts and then make an informed decision. I kind of feel like a hypocrite because we all got the flu shot this year, so why not the swine flu shot too? I was put at ease with any questions that I had answered wonderfully by the doctor.
So, my family will be getting vaccinated against N1H1 sometime this week or next. What are your feelings toward the swine flue vaccination, will you or your family be getting it?

Broken...or just feels broken?

Friday, I was playing with Emily and she was hiding in the kitchen. So I was sneaking up on her and jumped out - only to catch my foot completely wrong on her nebulizer (that should not have been on the floor anyway!) I cried, it hurt so bad. It hurt even worse when Emily insisted on kissing it better - which, really I love her for!

 

I know that I have kinda wide feet on any given day, but I feel like I have 3 toes and 2 sausages - and I don't like sausage. It really hurts, and I think that this is the worse possibly broken bones I have ever had, because I still have to be on my feet a lot with two little girls.

What is/was your worst injury?

I'd do it for you!!!

I am sure that some of you have heard about the "Good Mood Gig" talent search from Sam-E ... I applied today. I need votes - it is late in the entry period to be starting this, but after thinking long and hard I would be bummed if I didn't at least try! So now I am asking for votes! To vote for me all you have to do is click vote - no signing up is needed! Please and thank you!!!! Oh, and if you want to tell everyone you know to vote for me, I'd appreciate that too!
Good Mood Gig from SAM-e

Take a few minutes to (potentially) save your life!

Ok ladies, I am sure that you are all aware that October is breast cancer awareness month - everything at the grocery store is pink, yoplait has pink lids again (send them in - help support research!), and around here our the lightbulbs downtown have been changed to pink!!!

My Oma is a survivor of breast cancer - 6 years and counting - Praise the Lord! So it hits home with me. I want to encourage every person to perform self breast exams every month - they are easy, realatively quick, and can save your life! If you noticed, I said every person, that is because out of the breast cancer patients, 2% are men.
Early detection saves lives! Here are some steps for a self breast exam, they are paraphrased from this article on www.cancer.org

How to examine your breasts

*Lie down and place your right arm behind your head.
*Use the finger pads of the 3 middle fingers on your left hand to feel for lumps in the right breast. Use overlapping dime-sized circular motions of the finger pads to feel the breast tissue.
*Use 3 different levels of pressure to feel all the breast tissue. (Light pressure is needed to feel the tissue closest to the skin; medium pressure to feel a little deeper; and firm pressure to feel the tissue closest to the chest and ribs.)
*** It is normal to feel a firm ridge in the lower curve of each breast, but you should tell your doctor if you feel anything else out of the ordinary.
*Move around the breast in an up and down pattern starting at an imaginary line drawn straight down your side from the underarm and moving across the breast to the middle of the breast bone. Be sure to check the entire breast area going down until you feel only ribs and up to the neck.
*Repeat the exam on your left breast, putting your left arm behind your head and using the finger pads of your right hand to do the exam.

*While standing in front of a mirror with your hands pressing firmly down on your hips, look at your breasts for any changes of size, shape, contour, or dimpling, or redness or scaliness of the nipple or breast skin. (The pressing down on the hips position contracts the chest wall muscles and enhances any breast changes.)

*Examine each underarm while sitting up or standing and with your arm only slightly raised so you can easily feel in this area. Raising your arm straight up tightens the tissue in this area and makes it harder to examine.

Win a Frigidaire Professional double wall oven!

If you had a few extra seconds, minutes, even an hour or more...what would you do with it?
Would you hug your child(ren)?
Would you sneak in a sweet kiss on a little cheek?
Maybe read a favorite book to a toddler?
Would you grab a cup of coffee and enjoy a peaceful moment?
The possibilities are endless....

Why am I asking??
Frigidaire, with their awesome, efficient, time-saving appliances have teamed up with Jennifer Garner to bring us the "Make Time for CHANGE" campaign to support Save the Children's U.S. Programs, dedicated to making a difference for the smallest and most vulnerable Americans - children.

Moms, and everyone who believes in the power of Moms, is encourage to go to www.frigidair.com and take the pledge to make time for CHANGE. All you have to do is chick here and pledge to spend the extra hour that you are going to get on November 1, when you chance your clocks back, with your child(ren).
Make the pledge and you are entered for a chance to win a Frigidaire Professional double wall oven!!!
This new line from frigidair is actually made to save time, so you can do some of the tings that you thought of when you started reading this post!!

Why take the pledge, other that to win a way cool double wall oven?
For every pledge that is taken, Frigidare will donate $1 to the CHANGE program - "dedicated to providing nutritious snacks and promoting healthier lifestyles for children living in poverty in the United States." (from www.make-time-for-change.com)

Not only is Frigidair donating a dollar for every pledge, but for every Frigidair Professional double wall oven purchased from 10/4/09 to 12/31/09 they will donate $100 to Save the Children (up to a maximum of $100,000 to Save the Children.)

So what are you waiting for?
Head on over to Frigidair and Take the Pledge!!!

Michael Bublé's Crazy Love **Review**

I could never get tired of listening to Michael Bublé. This is definitely one of those CD's that will be played a lot in our house. With the snappy songs that make you want to grab your honey and start dancing, or grab a glass of wine and relax - this is definitely a CD that can be called mood music! The combination of the instruments and the voice of Bublé is mezmerizing, if not hypnotic. I enjoy this CD immensely and give it a 5 star rating!

There are 13 songs on this CD and I don't have the desire to skip any of them, which is quite unusual for me!! You may recognize "Heartache Tonight" if you are an Eagles fan (or your parents are!) but expect to hear a great jazzy/blues rendition of it!


Michael Bublé is a talented artist, who has won 15 awards! To see these and learn more about Michael, check out his website.



Album Tracklisting:
1. Cry Me A River
2. All Of Me
3. Georgia On My Mind
4. Crazy Love
5. Haven't Met You Yet
6. All I Do Is Dream Of You
7. Hold On
8. Heartache Tonight
9. You're Nobody Till Somebody Loves You
10. Baby (You've Got What It Takes)
11. At This Moment
12. Stardust
13. Whatever It Takes (bonus track)

You can check out the Michael Bublé Facebook Fan page and you can purchase the CD here!

Thanks to the One2One Network who provided me with a free copy of this CD to review. Other than the cd, I was not compensated in anyway for this review, and the opions are mine.

I received a "Lovely Blog" award

Thank you Amanda, at Amanda's Fun Stuff, for giving me a Lovely Blog Award! It was surprising and thoughtful!

Of course, with an award comes rules...

The rules of the "One Lovely Blog Award" are:

Accept the award, post it on your blog together with the name of the person who has granted the award, and his or her blog link. Pass the award to 15 other blogs that you’ve newly discovered. Remember to contact the bloggers to let them know they have been chosen for this award.

Since I have only been blogging for a few months, I think all of the blogosphere that I have thus far discovered is "newly discovered" to me.

One of the first blogs that I read more than once was Lattes and Life, I enjoy the wit and "realness" that are in Tiffany's posts, so she is getting this award from me.
Another place that I like to check out is Yummy! Yummy! Yummy! Gena usually has some great stuff going on over there, and she is super friendly!
A blog that is encouraging and uplifting - as well as NEWLY discovered, is Coffee With Marty definately worth checking out!!
Mama Michie's Musings is another blog I like. Besides having a cute kid, she also comments back!
Ok - so now I am just going to start naming blogs, and you will have to figure out why they are wonderful, because I am tired!!!
3 Kids and Us
I Choose Bliss
2 Of A Kind, Working On A Full House
What's That Smell
Connected 2 Christ
Grammy Janet's Place
The Mom Buzz
Mama of 3 Munchkins
Night Owl Mama
Southern Bella's Ways To Save
Babes and Kids Reviews

So, there are quite a few on this list that have great reviews and giveaways, and I am also looking for blogs of those who don't do so much review stuff- so feel free to make any suggestions (like yours of course - if you aren't on the list) and I will check them out.

Wordless Wednesday

 

At the park in Livingston, MT

A Light In Dark Times

I get so sad sometimes when I watch the news, read the newspapers, or anything like that.

What has happened to the world, where have all of the morals gone? People used to be compassionate and friendly...not so much anymore. Every time you turn around, it seems like there is something going on that makes your cringe.

Last night there was some kind of documentary that hubby was watching and I walked through and listened to it for a few minutes and heard terrible, terrible things - a 5 year old little girl was abducted while she was riding her bike, her mom turned away for a minute and she was gone. They found this little girl's body five days later and she had been sexually assaulted and strangled.
**I don't know the name of this little girl or her family name, but please if you feel compelled to, take a minute right now and pray for her family. God hears all prayers, and I believe that the family needs comfort.**

I am honestly terrified for my children and their entire generation. I pray that the morals and values that are being instilled in them now will hold strong through all the trials that they have ahead of them. I am having to stand on Psalm 22:6 right now as I am writing this.
I know that what I am about to say is not politically correct, and may even offend some people - so be it. Children are being taught to accept so many things that are UNACCEPTABLE - even as early as kindergarten.
Here are some things that I believe and will teach my children, even though it seems to not be the "norm" anymore

* God will never leave you, and He will not give you more than you can handle
* sex is sacred, save it for marriage
* abortion is not birth control, it is murder, it is a sin and it is wrong
* homosexuality is a sin, it is wrong

Just to clarify, I am not perfect! I am not judging anyone by writing this, just sharing my thoughts and beliefs.
There is more...but my baby just woke up and I feel like I need to go love on her right now.
Here is a verse for you all to ponder, if you so desire:
Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven. —Matthew 5:16
What are you going to do today to glorify God?

Ivy Pochoda's The Art Of Disappearing Giveway extended

Because I still have a few more copies of Ivy Pochoda's new book The Art of Disappearing to give away, I am extending the deadline for entries one more week! The new closing date will be October 16.
Click here to go to the original post and enter to win!

Feel free to spread the word - and get extra entries for it!

Slice by Five For Fighting ** New Album Review!

Five For Fighting has a great new album - Slice and it is WONDERFUL. Slice will be release Monday, October 2!
Chances are that you have probably heard the hit single
Chances off this album, and if you have I want to let you know that even though this song sets a pretty high standard, the rest of the album is just as good!



There is a mixture of emotions that seem to be played out on this album - from love in songs such as This Dance and Love Can't Change The Weather to gratitude in Note To The Unknown Soldier and more. I have really enjoyed listening to this CD, as has my family. My hubby has been a fan for a while and says that this is a bit different than the older stuff, but still good.
You can check out the Five For Fighting website, follow FFF on twitter, fan FFF on Facebook, and watch the videos on the Five For Fighting YouTube channel.
An if you already know how awesom Five For Fighting is and have no doubt that this is an album you want to add to your collection, you can even pre-order it! And just so you know - when you pre-order something from Amazon, they give you a price protection guaruntee!

You can also make sure that you catch these TV appearances:
CBS Saturday Morning 10/10
The View 10/14
The Today Show 10/16

John will be hitting the road in October with An Acoustic Evening with Five For Fighting - how awesome would that be to go to, imagine how awesome to hear these great songs LIVE!!! The tour dates can also be found on FFF's website, but you better hurry because there are already 6 dates that are SOLD OUT!!

The downloads for this review were provided to me by One2One Network, thanks!

I almost killed myself last night!

Seriously...I almost killed myself last night.

No, it wasn't on purpose, entirely.

You see - I like to see how far I can push things sometimes.
This time, I might have gone a bit too far...

Our laundry room lights are crazy, there are two switches for the light, one doesn't work and the other has to be in the center (between on and off) for the light to be off. So last time we went to Wal-Mart, we purchased a new light switch to replace our crazy one and see if that will solve our problem.
Last night, I was taking off the face plate to the switches and my hubby came in and said "Wait, don't touch anything until I get the power turned off."
Hmmm...I touched it a little withe the screwdriver to see if it was going to do anything, and I only felt a little tingle constantly coming to the handle of the screwdriver - no big deal, I could handle that.
So, I started to unscrew the switch itself when there was a POP - I am talking almost firecracker-loud P-O-P. And sparks, maybe even a little bit of fire. I scream, the kids scream, hubby comes running and says "I TOLD YOU! WHY DIDN'T YOU LISTEN TO ME?"
And my pride starts getting a little bruised and I answers with "Yes Zack, I am okay, thanks for asking."

***Moral(s) of the story***
Hubby knows better than me when it comes to some things - take his advice!!!
When there is a steady stream of electricity coming through a screwdriver - no matter how small - abandon the project at hand for a while and turn off the power.


Really, I am okay!

Brandi Carlile "Give Up The Ghost" Review

I was given the opportunity to listen to Brandi Carlile's new album Give Up the Ghost. I really liked it, there is a great mix of tempos that keeps my body moving and toes tapping. Brandi's vocals are amazing!

This is Brandi's third Album, and on it she works with artists such as Elton John, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Amy Ray of the Indigo Girls, and more.
Check out Brandi's website for track information, to purchase/download songs, and to check tour dates near you!

Thanks to the One2One Network for providing the album download for a review!

Kabul 24 - Book Review

Kabul 24
The Story of a Taliban Kidnapping and Unwavering Faith in the Face of True Terror
By: Ben Pearson and Henry Arnold

Buy		Read

This is a true story of the kidnapping of eight foreign aid workers and the terrifying events that they endured during the more than 100 days they were held hostage by the Taliban. The faith in God that these individuals had carried them through horrible circumstances, including seeing their sixteen Afghan employees and friends tortured at the hands of the Taliban and their uncertainty of their own futures.
Within the first chapter of Kabul 24, I felt involved in the story. The "SNI-eight" were people following the call of God on their lives, even into situations where their lives were in danger. As the events of thier kidnapping unfold, I found myself silently praying for their safety. The authors told this story in a captivating way while encorporating Bible passages that were used by the hostages to keep focused on The One who would get them through it!
I highly reccommend this book!

Thanks to Thomas Nelson's Book Review Blogger Program for the opportunity to read and review this book!