Wordless Wednesday: A little drink - lol!!

She is such a little sneaky girl!!
Don't worry - it is sparkling cider, apple-cranberry! She really liked it - lol!!

Hope you all had a great Christmas too!!

I'm back!

Ok, I am back. Sorry it has been so long since I last updated my blog, it has just been crazy around here! So, I have a few things to tell you, grab a cup of coffee or tea, and spend a few minutes with me!

*I hope that each of you had a wonderful Christmas with your family and friends. We had a great Christmas. On Christmas morning we spent time with my husband's parents and his brother (Blake) and sister-in-law (Angela). It was great. Last year we were not able to spend with Blake and Angela, so this year felt even more blessed, it was wonderful to have them back "home"! Later, Christmas afternoon, my mom came over and we visited for a bit and had dinner - it was YUMMY!


*Last Tuesday afternoon, Emily started to get a bit sick. She had gone out in the snow and played, had a good time - came inside and had a tea party with her sister and Uncle Blake, then started vomiting...yay! (Sarcasm anyone?) Tuesday evening Emily was having a terrible time breathing and was HOT. We gave her an albuterol treatment and decided not to take her to the ER, but to get her to the doctor first thing in the morning. To make a long story short, the doctor was worried about her oxygen saturation levels and her labored breathing. He gave her a bunch of medication - antibiotics, steroid syrup, albuterol, and some steroid that goes into the nebulizer. He scared the heck out of me by saying that if she wasn't breathing BETTER in just a few hours that she would have to be hospitalized for a night or two...Christmas Eve and Christmas? No bueno. Thank God, the medication is working wonders on her, but the steroids turn her into a raging lunatic! Any prayers for her would be appriciated!

*I am feeling much better, the nausea comes and goes, but thankfully it goes away for a while at a time! I have my doctor's appointment in a couple of hours to find out how far along I am and get an estimated due date...even though they have never been right yet!!!

*I miss my family who is not here. A lot. I wish that I, sometimes, had really long arms so that I could hug everyone! So for those of you who are not close enough to get a hug from me, please hug yourself or someone you love and imagine a hug from me!

*I wish you all a very safe New Year. We will probably be at church - we are having worship, word, fun, and games! But I am not yet set on going, I think it would be just as easy to stay home so that we didn't have to drive after 12 with all the people who have been out drinking...still praying about it.

Thanks for taking a minute to catch up with me. I will have more for you later.
I just posted a giveaway for Anti-Monkey Butt Powder and am soon to post a review & giveaway of Pre-Histin, a natural allergy product; a giveaway of eCover; and a review of a Tassimo Hot Beverage System!!!

Anti-Monkey Butt Powder **Giveaway**

There is almost nothing worse than chaffed skin. It hurts and seems like EVERYTHING irritates it. Painful, to say the least.
There have been times when my thighs get irritated from the friction of exercise, walking long distances and stuff like that in the summer heat - it hurts, for DAYS!! Anti Monkey Butt Powder is made to absorb sweat and give a cooling sensation - sounds good to me!!!
There is the original Anti-Monkey Butt Powder, Lady Anti-Monkey Butt Powder, and Baby Anti-Monkey Butt Powder
From the website:

Anti Monkey Butt Powder is specially formulated to absorb excess sweat and reduce frictional skin irritation. It is Ideal for butt busting activities such as truck driving, motorcycling, bicycling, horse back riding, and extreme sports. May also be applied inside footwear, under sports pads, and other areas prone to chafing. Indoors or outdoors, work or play, or on occasions when you sit on your butt all day, don’t let your buns get red, use Anti Monkey Butt Powder instead!

One reader is going to get the opportunity to feel the relief of Anti-Monkey Butt Powder FREE! For the rest of you, there are many retail locations that carry this product, in both the USA and Canada, see here for more information!
GIVEAWAY RULES Open until 2/06/10, 8PM PST
**Please always include a valid email address in your comments if one is not visible in your blogger profile, or I will select another winner!**
Leave a separate comment for each entry you are completing
MANDATORY ENTRY (must be completed for any extra entries to count): Tell me a time that this product would come in handy for you or someone in your family.
EXTRA ENTRIES (worth one extra entry unless noted otherwise):
• Follow my blog publicly through google friend connect (left sidebar)
• Follow through Face Book’s Networked blogs (left sidebar)
• Subscribe to email updates (only activated subscriptions count) 2 entries
• Grab my button or add me to your blog roll 3 entries
• Follow me on twitter & tweet this giveaway, including URL – 1 entry daily
• Blog about this giveaway and link it back here 5 entries
• Enter my other giveaways – 1 entry each
• Comment on any non-giveaway post – 1 each, 3 maximum


Open to legal residents of the USA, age 18+ only. Winner will be chosen based on the random integer generator at random.org. Winner will have 48 hours to respond to the email I will send them before a new winner is chosen.
Disclaimer - I was sent a sample product for review purposes.

Wordless Wednesday - Who needs teeth?

When we went to Montana this year, the girls thought it was awesome that there were vegetable gardens! Natalie still had no teeth at that time, but she didn't let a silly thing like that get in her way!!!

I have been feeling like the world is about to end

I am not talking about any of the "2012 is the end of the world" type nonsense, I have been feeling so sick. I have been incredibly nauseous, I get dizzy, I am tired.
When I sit perfectly still and don't talk, think, or move, I feel fine.
When I am sleeping, I feel fine.
So, I was sure that I had the dreaded swine flu or that I had some kind of stomach cancer - I know, it's a bit dramatic.
I know what it is, though, and I will not likely die from it or feel better any time soon. EPT gave me a +, yup, we are going to have another baby.
Let me give you a little bit of my pregnancy history - morning sickness, BAD, for about 4 1/2 months, with both of the girls. So, yes I am excited, but I will be much more excited when I am able to quit feeling like I am about to die or vomit!
I really am excited though!

I like it...I hate it...I like it

The snow and I have a love/hate relationship.
Today, we are going more for hate.
Yesterday, we were in love. Yesterday, it was awesome! My kids got all dressed up in warm clothes and layers, and went out and played. I pretended to shovel snow for about three minutes until my husband so kindly offered to take over! ;)
Emily and Natalie both had such wonderful times in the snow that it was hard to bring them in. Natalie had to come first because, well, she was taking her boots off...and you just can't do that in the snow! She cried and banged on the door, pleading for someone to open it so that she could excape back into her winter wonderland! Emily learned how to make a snow angel, but didn't really care for the snow falling on her face as she made it.
It was great, we had fun.

How was your weekend?

Thankful Thursday - Selah

Selah.
Stop, take a minute to reflect.

Selah is probably either a liturgico-musical mark or an instruction on the reading of the text, something like "stop and listen". "Let those with eyes see and with ears hear" is most concise. According to Wikipedia

I am so thankful for the times in my life where selah seems so appropriate. As in the Psalms, after a particular meaningful passage, selah is used to command, remind, allow...us to stop and let something sink in.
I have had a lot of "particularly important/meaningful" moments as of late, and I am thankful for Selah. It is in the quite moments after things are calm that I really let things sink in.
My daughter turned 3 on Sunday, I have had this child and loved her for THREE years. That deserves a moment of reflection.
Marriage is hard, relationships are not perfect, people change. Thankfully, the Lord does NOT change! He is the same yesterday, today, and forever and He will not give me more than I can bear. Selah.

For those of you who are reading this, please take a moment to say a prayer of encouragement for me, for God to make His presence felt and put His hands around my family? I thank you for any prayers you offer up on my behalf.
And as Christmas draws nearer, I pray for the families who are not going to be together for one reason or another and ask that everyone feel the true Spirit of Christmas in their lives, at this time of year and always!



Feel free to leave links in your comments so that I can visit your posts!
Have a blessed week!

E-Cover, Ecological Laundry Products *Review*

Have you ever heard of Ecover? It is a company that makes ecological cleaners for virtually every need: hand soap, dish soap, automatic dish soap, laundry detergent and softeners, all-purpose cleansers, bathroom cleansers, car wash and wax, boat wash and wax, and more! WOW!
Here is a little bit about Ecover from their website:

Ecover is an international company active in the production of ecological cleaners. Founded in 1980 in Belgium,we have been a trendsetter from the very start: as a pioneering company, marketing a phosphate-free washing powder even before phosphates were branded as a problem.
Since then, Ecover, under the ownership of Jørgen Philip Sørensen CBE, has developed into the world’s largest producer of ecological cleaning products. Besides its headquarters outside of Antwerp, Belgium, Ecover has sites in the U.S., the United Kingdom, Germany, France and Switzerland, and our products are marketed in more than 26 countries.

I was excited to have the opportunity to review some of Ecover's products, as I am all for companies that take extra steps to ensure that their production is not causing great harm to the environment and their products are more natural, and safer for our families!
I was sent for review one bottle each of Ecover's Delicate Wash HE, 32 oz and Fabric Softener HE, 32 oz. Let me start off by confessing that my washing machine is not a HE machine. None the less, the delicate wash and fabric softener both worked wonderfully. I washed some winter sweaters and wool socks first, and the delicate wash was gentle enough and the fabric softener was great enough that all of my "delicates" came out clean, soft, and smelling fresh. The delicate wash says that it is also great to use on hand-wash items, so I used it to spot clean Emily's princess dress (spot clean only) and it was easy to use and worked great!
Ecover products not only work and smell great, but they are affordable as well! That is always a concern, as it seems the "better" a product is for you or the Earth, the more it costs. Judging by the prices at the online retailer that sells Ecover products, they are fairly priced and worth the little bit extra! Shopping local is always a good option too, and there is a store locater to make that easier! And, something that I like, Ecover offers printable coupons to make their products an even better value!!

Community Coffee Company ***Review and Giveaway***

I love a good cup of coffee, that is no secret here! So when the opportunity presented itself to work with another amzing coffee company, Community Coffee Company (CCC) I was excited to say the least!

So let me start this review off by telling you a little bit about the Community Coffee Company. They are the largest family-owned retail coffee brand in the US! They have been opperating for more than 88 years, four generations, in Baton Rouge, LA. The mission of the CCC, from their website, is to share their passion for great coffee with you!

For review, I was sent a Community Coffee Company 16 oz Holiday Tumbler, a 12 oz Café Special® Ground Coffee, and a Private Reserve Holiday Duo.
I am in love with the tumbler because it holds a good amount of coffee, is festive, and is microwaveable! I am one of those people who might, occasionally, pour a cup of coffee and get distracted (can you tell I'm a mom? lol) only to come back later to a cold cup of coffee - so microwaveable is a HUGE bonus for me!
My husband and I are right now enjoying a pot of Holiday Jazz®! It is a great medium-dark roasted coffee, with a pleasant aroma and a full-bodied flavor that doesn't disappoint! The other 12 ounce ground coffee that came in the Private Reserve Holiday Duo is Bread Pudding. I am a bit more reserved about flavored coffees, but this has a pleasant aroma and is not too overpoweing in the flavoring that I can't enjoy the coffee flavor as well. If you are a person who likes flavored coffee, you will probably enjoy this more than we did.
The Café Special® Ground Coffee is a very pleasant coffee, with a very pleasant price tag! This coffee could easily replace the Breakfast Blend that we have been drinking. Café Special® Ground Coffee is a full bodied coffee with a medium-low acidity. It is smooth and delicious!
Community Coffee Company has many amazing products available on their website form coffee to coffee presses and tumblers to canisters and more. They also have an assortment of Gift Sets for every taste, budget, and preference! I am going to share a couple of my favorites with you:

Private Reserve® Gormet Holiday Gift Basket For the coffee lover on your list, our Private Reserve® gourmet coffees will make the perfect treat. This basket includes three 12-oz. whole bean specialty coffees (Breakfast Blend, Louisiana Blend® and House Blend), a 2-oz. bag of Pecan Praline flavored coffee and a 2-oz. bag of French Roast coffee. The set also includes a Coffee-Fresh Canister, ceramic Community Coffee Collectible 1960s mug, premium travel tumbler, logo coffee scoop and a black Bodum coffee grinder. All of this in a beautiful willow basket wrapped for the holidays

All of this for only $69.95!!

Private Reserve Holiday DuoFor all coffee connoisseurs who would love to enhance their coffee experience. We have paired our 12-oz Private Reserve® House Blend ground coffee, a Kenya 12-oz French Press, along with a premium scoop for that perfect measure. All of this is in a festive holiday box with a gift card. (Regularly priced at 28.95)

This gift set for only $23.95!
Another wonderful service that is offered on the CCC website is Military Match Gift Boxes, where if you buy 4, 16 ounce bags ($21.96-$23.96 TOTAL plus flat rate shipping) of coffee for a military person OVERSEAS and send it to an overseas military address (APO/FPO) Community Coffee Company will DOUBLE your order! How cool is that!

Military Match program is our way of demonstrating support for those serving overseas, and are away from home, family and friends during this time.

As you can see, there is no shortage of great products or prices from Community Coffee Company! And to sweeten your holiday shopping you can receive 20% off your entire order and FREE shipping with the promo code: SPECIAL

Today, Community Coffee Company is so much a part of people's lives and spans so many generations that it has been dubbed the State Coffee of Louisiana™. We invite you to enjoy this family tradition and experience a little bit of Louisiana in every cup.

And to prove this, Communit Coffee Company is offering one of you wonderful Proverbs 31 Mommy & Wife readers the chance to win a Private Reserve Holiday Duo Gift Pack of your own!
GIVEAWAY RULES
Giveaway open until 9PM, PST on 12/17/09!!
**Please always include a valid email address in your comments if one is not visible in your blogger profile, or I will be unable to contact you!**
Leave a separate comment for each entry you are completing
MANDATORY ENTRY (must be completed for any extra entries to count): Go to the Community Coffee Company website and tell me one gift box that someone on your list would love to receive for Christmas this year!
EXTRA ENTRIES (worth one extra entry unless noted otherwise):
• Follow my blog publicly through google friend connect (left sidebar)
• Follow through Face Book’s Networked blogs (left sidebar)
• Subscribe to email updates (right sidebar, only activated subscriptions count) 2 entries
• Grab my button or add me to your blog roll 3 entries
• Follow me on twitter & tweet this giveaway, including URL – 1 entry daily
• Blog about this giveaway and link it back here 5 entries
• Enter my other giveaways – 1 entry each
• Comment on any non-giveaway post – 1 each, 3 maximum


Open to legal residents of the USA, age 18+ only. Winner will be chosen 9PM PST on 12/17/09 based on the random integer generator at random.org. Winner will have 48 hours to respond to the email I will send them before a new winner is chosen.

Wordless Wednesday - Disney Princesses On Ice

Emily and Natalie had a BLAST when we went to see Disney Classics - Princesses on Ice last month! Here is a picture of the end and a picture of each girl enjoying herself!!

Cook's Ham for the Holidays! Win one!!

I love the holidays - turkey at Thanksgiving and ham at Christmas...it's a great tradition! This year, my family will be enjoying a Cook's ham for our Christmas meal. Of course, this is not the first Cook's ham that I've cooked. My daughters and I think that ham is one of the best foods ever created, and Cook's Ham is a great brand that is reasonably priced!
The wonderful people at Cook's Ham have given my family a coupon for a free ham and have given me one to give to one of my readers! You can check the store locater to find a retailer who carries Cook's Ham near you!

*****WIN A HAM*****
This is going to be a rather quick qiveaway - only open for a week to ensure that the winner will receive their coupon for a free Cook's Ham (up to $30 value) and has time to purchase it before Christmas. So this giveaway will end December 15 at 9PM PST - Good luck to all who enter!!
PLEASE LEAVE YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS IN EVERY ENTRY IF IT IS NOT VISIBLE IN YOUR BLOGGER PROFILE, OR I WILL PICK ANOTHER WINNER!
~~Mandatory Entry~~
All you have to do to enter is check out the recipe section of the Cook's website and if you find something that looks good to you, share it with the rest of us, or share a recipe of your own using your leftover Cook's Ham!
~Additional Entries~ One entry each unless stated otherwise!
*Follow My Blog
*Subscribe to e-mail updates by entering your email in the box in the top, right sidebar(only activated emails count)
*Sign up for the Cook's Newsletter - promotions, recipies, and more

Snow Day in the Desert

Yesterday was Emily's 3rd birthday and we had a birthday tea party for her, and before anybody got here, Zack had asked her what she wanted for her birthday. Her answer was simple, "A snowman." Zack looked outside and told her that she just might get it! Well, not yesterday on her birthday, but today definately has snowman potential.
When Emily saw the snow this morning she wanted to go out and play in it. Anyone else want to swing with her? Hehe. One thing that we have yet to invest in is a snow shovel. Yup, all that snow and no shovel. Zack actually had to "dig" the truck out this morning with my broom. Poor guy! Times like these, I get a new appreciation for the maintenence crew at the appartments we used to live in!
I hope that you all have a wonderfully blessed day and enjoy your weather, whatever it may be!

Thankful Thursday - Holidays

I love this time of the year. I love when families come together and spend time. I wish that more of my family lived close enough to come together for the holidays, but I am still thankful that we are all just a phone call away! I am thankful that my Aunt Jody moved back to Helena and is going back to church, I think that the move for her will turn into the best gift ever!
I am thankful for what the holidays mean. I am eternally thankful for Christmas - for the birth of Christ, a perfect being into a sinful world. I am thankful that He lived a perfect, sinless life so that he would have no blemish as he was crusified, for the sins of the world.
I am thankful that I learned and embraced the truth of Christ when I did, or chances are I would have never seen my 20th birthday, gotten married, had my amazing children... I am thankful that my children are developing a love for and a relationship with God at young ages and I pray that they are saved from sin rather than through sin.
The holiday season is an time for joy and thanksgiving and I love to see the smiles on people's faces as I am out and about. There is much that I am thankful for. It always seems that on Thursdays when I begin this post, I could go on forever...and I really believe that if I did, I would have many more smiles on my face!



Have a Blessed week, and remember to count your blessings, it puts the rest into perspective!!

The Adoption is FINAL!!!

I would like to introduce you to my grandparents and their daughter. That is right, their daughter, today they went to court to finalize the adotion! Praise the Lord!


Robert, Felicitas, and Sierra White!

I got the most amazing phone call this morning from Sierra. When I answered the phone she said to me "Hello this is Sierra Paige White!" The joy in her voice matched that in my heart and I can only imagine how it compares to the joy that my Oma and Papa are feeling right now. They have had this child sinse she was 18 months old. They have loved her and taken care of her for years, and now she is their child in every sinse of the word! I am so thankful, and would love and appreciate any encouraging thoughts and prayers sent their way!!!

Love you guys!!

Wordless Wednesday - Christmas Card Worthy?

So, what do you think - is this pic Christmas card worthy?

We had a family pic on the cards last year, but I am leaning more towards just the girls this year...what do you think??

If you have a Wordless Wednesday post, please leave me a link so I can check it out!!

While you are here, check out the giveaways in the right sidebar!

Natalie's Big Girl Bed - WOW, time flies!!

Natalie turned one year old in September, and now she is in a big girl bed. With Emily, there was no toddler bed until well after her 2nd birthday. But with all the drama involved with Natalie's crib, we decided to just make the switch.
So over the past like week and a half, you have heard me talk about the Stork craft crib recall and my irritation about their lack of responsibility. We heard that the fix for the crib made is a stationary side. I am short. There, I said it. But I have a really hard time getting Natalie into the crib when the side is up, it is just too high for someone who is almost 5'2". Glad we made the switch because Natalie loves having a bed like her sisters!