monkeys on the bed

long absence, huge request

2011-08-07T21:50:00.000-04:00

I realize it's been ages, literally months and months, since i've updated this blog. I regret that for lots of reasons and hope to be back in bloggy land one day soon...

but for now, i'm posting for a purpose.

For a blog-friend turned In-Real-Life friend.

More specifically, for their 5-day old son, Caden.

Long story short, Caden's much-anticipated and very-celebrated arrival was quickly dampened by news of a previously unknown and very serious heart condition. Due to the severity and urgency of his weak heart, this little tiny, not even one-week old will be undergoing open-heart surgery tomorrow morning (Monday, August 8th).

His family, our friends, are the most incredible people you'll ever meet--they are full time missionaries filled with an incredible passion for the very people Jesus himself was most passionate about--the poor, especially those living in the inner-city of Atlanta.

It is very apparent that Becca and Adam are being thrown all sorts of curves to test their faith in the Lord and His plan for their family. Caden's heart condition is no exception. But their faith is being strengthened even in this crazy whirlwind of adversity.

Please join me in praying for peace and hope for Becca and Adam, wisdom and steadiness for the surgeons, and safety and healing for Caden.

For more details, please see their blog: The Stanley Clan

Giveaway Winner...and thoughts

2010-08-05T21:08:00.000-04:00

Thanks to all who took my survey and were kind enough to leave comments. I keep thinking that it would be so fun to come back to this blog. I miss it and I miss the schedule it gave me.

Thankfully, God answered my prayer for wisdom on re-opening this blog--the lack of survey responses and comments clearly told me that this blog is over...for now.

In the meantime, we have a giveaway winner to announce!

Congratulations to the 12th survey respondent, Katie C.! I'll be contacting you shortly about a hat!

Monkeys on the Bed! Redux

2010-07-21T14:30:00.002-04:00

Hi friends!

Wow! it's been more than 6 months since my last Monkeys on the Bed! post. So many great things have happened--especially the birth of our second daughter. (If you'd like to catch up, there are 6-months of posts just waiting for you at our family blog: {life with} the Cuties)

I'm thinking about blogging on Monkeys on the Bed! again because...

My new camera is giving me lots of great images to enter into iheartfaces (Monday);
Sewing, photography, and baking, are putting lots of Tutorial Tuesday ideas in my head;
Being involved with another Beth Moore Bible Study gives me incredible inspiration for Word of God Wednesday;
Thankful...doesn't even begin to cut it--overflowing with thanks for Thankful Thursday;
Friday--well I just love giveaways and finding fabulous items online to share with you on Fabulous Friday

BUT

I'm not going to start blogging just to take up space in the blogosphere--i want to make sure that this is something that my readers (Y-O-U) want, too.

Please consider taking this (very short) survey to tell me your thoughts on Monkeys on the Bed! making a comeback. I promise it will be worth your time--your completed survey will give you one entry to my first 2010 giveaway--a fun reversible toddler sunhat made by moi just for your kiddo or a kiddo you know.

here are the cuties modeling the same style hat in the giveaway!

Click here to take the survey and enter the giveaway!

A Fond Friday Farewell

2010-01-01T21:48:00.003-05:00

Dear Friends,

After a lot of thought, I've decided to end my blogging career on Monkeys on the Bed.

I have so very much loved getting to know you all through your sweet and thoughtful comments on my posts.

I have also loved writing my various daily themed posts like Word of God Wednesday and Thankful Thursday. And Tutorial Tuesday has definitely pushed me beyond my usual crafty-self to be more creative!

Sadly, this blog has also consumed my life at times and taken time away from Cutie Face and J. I have even prioritized writing a blog post over doing daily Bible devotions and quiet times.

I wish I could carry on with this blog but I really want to refocus my priorities in 2010 and I think it needs to begin with being online less.

HOWEVER!

I am not leaving the bloggy world completely!

I most definitely still want to keep a daily record of my life with Cutie Face and our impending arrival (6 weeks left!) so you can still find me blogging on {life with} Cutie Face.

I've also started a 365-day picture journal blog called "Picture a Year". Nothing exciting at all--just a place to record a moment of our day for one year.

I welcome you to check both of those blogs out and continue to be a part of our small little world. I also promise not to neglect YOU, my faithful readers--I'll still be keeping tabs on you :)

Happy New Year! Many blessings in 2010!

Thankful Thursday: 2009!

2009-12-31T23:17:00.003-05:00

I have a lot to be thankful for this week but I also wanted to highlight a few BIG things that I was thankful for this year.

So this week I'm thankful for:

1. My bloggy friend Kelly who gave me a gift subscription to Picnik Premium. If you read my i❤faces posts, you'll know that most of my photos are edited in picnik. Well, they can be made even cooler by upgrading to Premium status and that is what Kelly gave me! THANK YOU SOOOO much, Kelly!

2. J let me sleep in while he fed Cutie Face breakfast this morning. Now that was nice!

3. Fun times with Aunts, Uncles, and Cousins (we have five cousins that are down here celebrating Christmas and New Year's Eve with us)

4. A great Christmas celebrating the birth of our savior and watching Cutie Face open presents

5. Wonderful weather in Florida!

6. Less than 43 days left with this pregnancy! I'm very excited by that and very thankful, too!

7. That the USPS delivered J's mom's Christmas package ON CHRISTMAS DAY. Yes, you read that right--they were delayed due to a lot of snow but spent their CHRISTMAS Friday morning delivering packages to people. WOW. that is impressive.

Now onto this year!

January

We celebrated Cutie Face's 5th month by starting to use cloth diapers--I'm very thankful that we use them and save money, waste, and (usually) no diaper rash!

February
Thankful to have many family members to see our pastor baptize Cutie Face

I'm thankful that I started this blog (!) in february--I've met so many incredible people thanks to it!

Thankful for an extra visit to see my grandparents in Florida--this was pre-brain cancer diagnosis

March
So thankful for my sweet niece--Lil Miss--who turned 1

Cutie Face let us know that she was a good teether--what a blessing!

April
We were able to visit my Grandpa again! I will be ever thankful that we had this time with him

We also visited J's mom in Hillsdale and are grateful for that extra time with her!

May
Wrapped up a wonderful year at CBS (Community Bible Study) I'm so thankfu for all that I learned from these ladies and the book of Genesis

June
Thankful and shocked that I found out I was pregnant!

July

We celebrated my Grandma's 80th birthday in Kansas! Our family is very thankful for her and Cutie Face is soooo thankful for her because GiGi made Cutie Face her security blanket (we'd be lost without it!)

August
Ever thankful for our marriage--we celebrated 6 years of marriage on the 2nd

Felt incredibly blessed by the first year of Cutie Face's life

Very thankful for the time spent with my grandpa before he passed in the middle of the month

September
We were so happy to be able to spend time with Uncle Noah and old college friends in Oregon

but equally thankful that we survived our first (two) ER visits for Cutie Face--and that she was completely healed by the time we got home!

October
Enjoyed a trip to Hillsdale for Homecoming and to visit J's mom

November
We celebrated Thanksgiving with many members of my family which was wonderful!

Sweet Pea arrived on the very last day of the month!

December
We had a fantastic family Christmas celebration

Soooo thankful we found a wonderful HOUSE to rent (can you tell how excited I am about the extra space?)

I would love to devote more time to this post because 2009 was just a wonderful year full of thanksgivings.

But,

it is now past midnight so I'm going to wish you all a HAPPY NEW YEAR! May 2010 be equally full of thanksgivings for you!

W.o.G Wednesday: 2 Corinthians 5:17

2009-12-30T05:29:00.001-05:00

In honor of the NEW year that is quickly approaching, I wanted to leave you with one of my favorite verses...

2 Corinthians 5:17

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!

Cutie Face is my photo representative for this week's verse.

She was less than an hour old here, definitely a new creation!

The amazing thing is, we, as Christians, can be viewed as "new creations" by our God and Creator TODAY, many many days after we were first born into this world.

As His Word teaches, a person becomes a new creation upon accepting that through the birth, death, and resurrection of His Son (Jesus!) we (as sinners) are reconciled to God.

In God's eyes, we are made acceptable, pure, and righteous!

Amazing!

Of course, no one is perfect--not even one (Romans 3:10-12) but, through our belief in Jesus, we, as Christians are assured that God's mercies will be new every morning (Lamentations 3:22-23)

Lamentations 3:22-23

Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed,
for his compassions never fail.
They are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.

So, if you're looking for a NEW way to start the NEW year or just a way to be a "whole NEW you", I'd urge you to consider these verses -- a life given to Jesus is the only way to truly be 100% new!

*Side note: I admit there is an annoying factor to this post with all the "new" references but I got on a roll once i posted the verse and couldn't stop. Thanks for indulging me :)*

Tutorial Tuesday: Making New Year's Resolutions

2009-12-29T05:53:00.000-05:00

Well let me just say that I am NO expert in writing, making, or keeping New Year's Resolutions. But I thought I'd let y'all know how I go about making my resolutions every year...

and I'd LOVE to hear your ideas or goals for 2010!

1) Get out (at least) several pages of paper and a pen/pencil--I do a lot of computer work but prefer to do my "thinking work" with a paper and pen.

2) Jot down all the things you are happy you accomplished in 2009. Maybe you lost weight, found a new job, started a blog, journaled every day, became more fit, etc.

3) Write down all the things you WISH you had accomplished in 2009 or maybe things you regretted doing (2009 NYE resolutions that didn't quite make it, fitness goals you didn't reach, bad habits you started, etc.)

4) Analyze and compare your two lists. Does anything overlap? Do you see that something in list #2 hindered you from accomplishing something in list #1? For example, maybe you wanted to get better sleep and exercise more frequently BUT you failed to get more rest so your ability/energy to workout was diminished. Feel free to circle and draw lines! I love making correlations

5) Look again at your two lists. Do you want to carry any resolutions over to 2010?

6) Add new goals to your 2010 Resolution list.

Keep in mind the following:
Be realistic!
Example: If you want to get more sleep but just had or are expecting a new baby, this goal will most likely not be met!

Think about what will aid in accomplishing your goal--maybe these aids should be the first resolutions you make!
Example: If you want to eat healthier this year, start by making a resolution to not buy junk food or to take a nutritional class, etc.

Think about what will hinder your resolution.
Example: If you want to boost your blog readership but don't have time to devote writing new posts, etc., perhaps time management or something else should be the primary resolution.

Do you have a certain time limit for these goals to be reached?
Example: You want to lose 2lbs a month or drop 1-minute off your 10k time in 6-months.

If you have a BIG resolution, it really helps to break the resolution into mini-goals (especially monthly goals)
Example: You just received a new sewing machine but haven't ever sewed before! Despite that fact, you aspire to sew a quilt in 2010. In January, you should practice sewing, in February, you should take a class on beginning sewing, in March you should pick out fabrics, in April you should take a class on quilting, in May you should start working on your quilt, in August you should be half-way done and in November you should be finished

Life happens!!! There could be sudden changes to your family dynamic--someone could be born, someone could move away, someone could lose a job or take one on with more hours. You name it, it could happen so be prepared to be flexible!!! These should be considered more as goals than as things you are "resolving to do from this day forward"

7) Make your 2010 resolutions and goals visible. Print them out and place them on your fridge, your cubicle at work. Download them to your phone. Post them to your blog. Ask a trusted friend/spouse/relative/etc. to hold you accountable.

Here is what I came up with:

I have two main goals for 2010:

1) To read through the Bible
2) To become a more accomplished photographer

(i'd also like to run a sub 3-hour marathon in 2010 but that depends on a lot of things and we'll get to that after Babette #2 is born!)

In order to achieve these goals I have several "sub-goals":

1) To read through the Bible I'd like to:

read it every day by using my 365-day Bible

Knowing that I am more likely to read my Bible in the morning...

I resolve to go to bed earlier! That way I can wake up refreshed and ready to read the Bible before Cutie Face wakes up.

Knowing that I'm easily distracted, I need to resolve to avoid reading a blog or checking my email before I read my Bible...so...

I resolve to keep my computer turned off until I have accomplished my daily reading goal!

2) To become a more accomplished photographer, I'd like to:

Take a photo every day for a year--a 365-Project to showcase how I grow in my photography skills (okay--hopefully i'll develop new skills and you'll see a difference in January 2011!)
To be held accountable, I resolve to make a 365-Picture blog!
I will also sign up and take an online photo class

So there you have it. A quick and easy way to make a few new resolutions for this coming year and a preview of my goals!

What about you? Do you make resolutions each year? Do you have a method for doing them and accomplishing them? Have you already made any?

I'd love to hear your tips and goals!

i ❤ faces: Outtakes

2009-12-27T21:37:00.005-05:00

Wow! This is the 51st week of i ❤ faces contests! That means next week marks their 1-year anniversary! Crazy coolness.

In honor of their birthday that is coming up, they wanted to make this week all about F-U-N photos...typically deemed "outtakes" these are photos that are just funny or humorous or just make you smile.

Here are mine in chronological order...I didn't have to go too far back to get some of my favorites...though, I'm sure if I did, I'd find some priceless ones of Cutie Face!

Ah, well, I hope you enjoy these top 5 from October through December:

In October, J decided to see what weighed more, Cutie Face or a bushel of apples:

In early December, Cutie Face hugged {very tightly} a sweet, innocent girl at J's company's Childrens' Christmas party (please excuse the iPhone quality but I just think this photo is hilarious and had to include it!):

Mimi (my mom) gets to know her newest granddaughter, Sweet Pea, born November 30:

Cutie Face makes a million hilariously expressive faces, especially during dinner, and especially after eating a lemon!:

and, finally, Cutie Face was "pottied" by her unsuspecting Uncle. He took his daughter (my niece, Lil Miss) to the potty and Cutie Face followed them in to the bathroom just to declare that she needed to "POTTY!" too. I love the exchange of looks here:

There are going to be A LOT of entries this week, I just know it--especially because everyone can enter FIVE (yay! 5!) photos! So be sure to check out i ❤ faces for more outtake fun!

Happy New Year!

Thankful Thursday: Christmas Edition

2009-12-24T23:24:00.002-05:00

This week it goes without saying that I am thankful for the Birth of my Savior, Jesus Christ.

But! We have so many blessings from Him to be thankful for, too, that I didn't want to leave these out:

2) We are going to rent a house! We finalized it on Sunday. I'm soooo thankful that we have a place to move to in 2.5 weeks!

3) A safe 10-hour drive from Atlanta to Florida with two cats and a toddler!

4) Kitty cats to occupy our children...

...and keep us company at night

5) A beautiful home lit up with love and light and life...from the inside out!

6) A sweet niece to remind me and J of what is to come and prepare Cutie Face for life with a newborn (She loves it)

7) a Wonderful pre-Christmas celebration with J's dad and step-mom. We loved seeing them and Cutie Face really bonded with them (and still keeps asking for Papa!)

W.o.G. Wednesday: Isaiah 9:1-7

2009-12-23T19:48:00.008-05:00

J and I had the privilege of attending a college that performed Handel's Messiah every 4 years. The college did this every four years so that everyone who attended our school could either sing it as a choir member or watch it as a viewer once in their collegiate career...Needless to say, I chose option 2 but J chose option 1. It was wonderful for both of us!

Here is one of my favorite parts (12):

Enough Said {Sung}:

Isaiah 9:1-7

To Us a Child Is Born

Nevertheless, there will be no more gloom for those who were in distress. In the past he humbled the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the future he will honor Galilee of the Gentiles, by the way of the sea, along the Jordan-

The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death; a light has dawned.

You have enlarged the nation and increased their joy; they rejoice before you as people rejoice at the harvest, as men rejoice when dividing the plunder.

For as in the day of Midian's defeat, you have shattered the yoke that burdens them, the bar across their shoulders, the rod of their oppressor.

Every warrior's boot used in battle and every garment rolled in blood will be destined for burning, will be fuel for the fire.

For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given,
and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Of the increase of his government and peace
there will be no end.
He will reign on David's throne
and over his kingdom,
establishing and upholding it
with justice and righteousness
from that time on and forever.
The zeal of the LORD Almighty
will accomplish this.

Tutorial Tuesday: Easy Stocking Stuffer (personalized beanbags!)

2009-12-22T00:31:00.004-05:00

I wanted something fun, homemade, personalized and educational to put in Cutie Face's stocking this year.

Tough order? Nahhh...

...not when you can make (homemade) beanbags that spell her name (personalized) on one side and have numbers on the other side (educational) that can also be used as a game (fun).

This is a super easy tutorial if you have a sewing machine. If you don't have a sewing machine it will take you longer but it is totally doable.

What you'll need:

Fabric--I used 4 different fabrics to give Cutie Face some variety...maybe she can even learn how to match them (more educational uses every time I think about it!)
Sewing Machine (or needle and thread)
Beans (BAKED--you don't want your beans to sprout or get moldy so make sure you BAKE them on low for about 20 minutes)
Something to personalize your beanbags with. I used an applique on the letter/name side but felt it was a bit too time consuming so I used a permanent marker for the number sides

1) Cut out fabric for the beanbags. I wanted to make 9 beanbags (Cutie Face's name has 9 letters) so I cut 18 squares of fabric, 6x6. You can make them any size but I wanted it to be manageable with Cutie Face's small hands. (Side note: this step would have been much easier had I used my rotary cutter and healing mat. Oh well)

2) Personalize each side (or one side or NO sides). Make sure you do this before you do any sewing!

3) Once your fabric squares are ready, match them to each other (for example, Cutie Face's name starts with a "C" so I matched the "C" and "1" fabric squares). Put the "good" side of the fabric squares together, on the inside

4) Sew nearly all the way around (i used a straight stitch) making sure you leave a large enough space to turn the fabric rightside out. I made the mistake of making my hole too small in the beginning and turning the fabric was very difficult. So go easy on yourself and leave a nice big space!

5) Turn the fabric right side out

6) Sew a border around the square, making sure you leave that original hole open! Don't sew anything closed yet!

See? there's my hole!

7) Make a funnel. I tried using a cooking funnel but the hole was too small to allow the beans to pass through so I just used a rolled up piece of heavy magazine paper.

8) Place your funnel in the hole, allowing it to unfurl a bit once it is inside the bag.

9) Pour the beans into the beanbag. Make sure that you don't fill it too high--you need to be able to sew it closed!

10) Fold the opening of the hole under and sew it closed.

11) Voila! You now have one beanbag!

12) Repeat steps 1-10 until you've made all your beanbags:

Enjoy!

CLOSED: Fab Friday Giveaway: Life Verse Design

2009-12-18T00:44:00.009-05:00

This week's giveaway truly is fabulous!

When Julie Chen, the creative mind behind Life Verse Design, contacted me about featuring her amazing Etsy store, I didn't think twice! I know you all will love the things that Julie offers!

Life Verse Design started when Julie was pregnant with her 3rd child (and had an almost 2 & almost 4 yr old running around!. Julie had the foresight to realize that she would not be having good quality devotional time with God when #3 came along so she started placing index cards of Scripture around her house.

At the time, Julie was going through Beth Moore's fruit of the Spirit study & thus memorizing the fruit of the Spirit (which her pregnant brain could not even handle) so, one day while brushing her teeth and looking at her index card, she asked herself, "why am i not designing these cards since i am a designer?!" Voila! a new idea was born!

Life Verse Design began as a simple act of worship between Julie and God. She not only found a new way to use her creative gift but Julie also found that creating these cards helped her hide His Word in her heart. What a great way to glorify God!

Julie decided to give the art to her bible study and they, in turn, encouraged her to participate in the craft show at her church. Julie's first show was in November 2007 and she almost completely sold out! It was there that Julie learned about Etsy from another craft show vendor. In late March 2008 Life Verse Design opened. Two short months later, DEMDACO (the creators of the willow tree figurines) found Life Verse Design and contacted Julie to be licensed! Her art is now being licensed nationwide and she can still sell her prints on paper through Etsy.

Julie loves getting to know her customers and hearing their feedback on her art art: whether it is a personal story of why the verse meant so much to them, or just their excitment when they open the package; it continually amazes Julie that her art is hanging on people's walls all over the world!

Outside of Etsy, Julie's first love is being a wife and mom, She says, "I have the best hubby in the world & love spending any moment with him. Ialso have the most adorable kiddos, with whom I love to be outside. We love the zoo, the arboretum, and going on the train into Chicago."

On top of all that, Julie has another "other" job as a book designer. She was trained as an illustrator, but her entire career has been spent designing books for Tyndale House Publishers, Zondervan, and Willow Creek Association.

Some of you, my readers, may have heard the BIG titles that she has worked on: the Left Behind series by Tim LaHaye & Jerry B. Jenkins (creating books 4-12), Bringing Up Boys by Dr. Dobson (and she just finished Bringing up Girls!).

However, Julie's all time project was designing The Jesus Storybook Bible <--that is the Bible that our church uses in Sunday School. It is GREAT!

Seen and heard enough that you want to go out and buy a print right now?!

BUY IT!

You can find on Life Verse Design Etsy. These are great gifts for new parents, long-time or new Christians, teachers, and friends looking to be inspired!

WIN IT!

Julie is generously giving away one free 8x10 print of the winner's choice.

Winner!

Mrs. McFadden said... 13: ordered 4

Congratulations!

Thankful Thursday!

2009-12-17T22:39:00.004-05:00

Well, my friends, it has been another week! Time flies!

I don't want to skip a week's worth of thankfulness but I also want to jump into bed so this will be a short and sweet list this week....but...

PLEASE feel free to add something (or many things!) that you are thankful for!

1) My cousin came home today! He is a Ranger in the Army who was serving in Afghanistan. While I'm sad to report this last deployment of his was the worst one yet (in terms of losses and injuries), I'm SO thankful God kept him safe and that he is happily (finally!) back with his beautiful wife Sara, just in time for Christmas. BONUS--we get to see them in January!

2) J came home tonight! I'm weekly thankful for Thursdays since these are the days that J returns home from his 4-day week away. It is SO nice to be in his company again.

3) Cutie Face got sick on Tuesday but, as of this evening, seems to be on the mend already! YAY! So thankful that this sickness seems to be short-lived!

4) Being able to attend two Christmas parties this past weekend. Here is a nice pic (ha!) of us at the end of a looong but very fun evening (approximately 1 AM)

5) One-on-One time with just me and J for 24 (yes! twenty-four!!!) hours. (we love self-portraits)

6) Being able to leave Cutie Face with my parents (and her cousins!) Thanks Mom and Dad!

She really loves her new cousin Sweet Pea!

7) A fun package arrived in the mail this week from Musselman's Applesauce company! It was SO incredible to receive their delicious applesauce (we even got to sample three of their super-healthy fruit-infused flavors-my favorite being peach-it is like having dessert without the guilt!) and a few other products from their parent company. What a great treat! SO thankful for that little pick me up!

8) I've actually been MIA on the blog and internet world lately. I'm thankful that I've taken nearly a week off from the web and not felt guilty about it (usually i feel this immense pressure to be in the know with what is going on with all my bloggy and twitter and facebook friends that i stay up crazy late browsing, perusing, reading, and clicking...it was a nice change of pace NOT to be doing that and to NOT feel badly about missing out....but I do promise to catch up with y'all soon!)

9) I won an awesome book (One Wintry Night) from Roof With a View. I cannot wait to read it to Cutie Face!

10) Christmas Cards! I LOVE getting picture Christmas cards in the mail! And regular cards! Really, getting mail is an awesome daily highlight for me and Cutie Face...it is just a HUGE bonus when we get real mail and even better when we get Christmas cards!

11) For a girl after her mama and daddy's hearts--she reads ALL the time and loves it--in the car, in bed, you name it, if there is a book she is all about it!

12) It seems i have a lot to be thankful for this week! Last one--Christmas Carols and Songs--EVERYWHERE. I love hearing news of Jesus' birth proclaimed in malls, stores, and even the airport (here is Cutie Face watching a trio sing in the airport atrium while we waited for J to arrive--she, too, seems very thankful for the songs--or at least the entertainment!)

Okay that about does it for me! What about you?

W.o.G. Wednesday: James 1:22-25

2009-12-16T08:41:00.000-05:00

James 1: 22-25

Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like but the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it—he will be blessed in what he does.

I've recently been reminder of how very FALLEN I am.

This week, our sermon was about building your house on the rocks vs. the send. And how easy it is to pay lip service to our God but not DO them. Faith without Works is D-E-A-D dead. And works done for others and not for God...well, that doesn't count either!

I've been convicted and humbled by reading many God-inspired stories on your blogs (like Becca's and Melissa's).

And then many of YOU awesome readers left some INCREDIBLE comments on yesterday's post--listing your meaningful Christmas traditions that revolve around service and focusing on Christ's coming.

Me? Well, I can easily hide behind another Word of God (W.o.G.) post, throw up a relevant Advent verse and move on, not letting myself dwell on how lacking (in growth and zeal, among other things) my spiritual life has been lately.

You see, I've been caught up in the season of busyness and am incredibly ashamed to admit that I've let the meaning of Christmas slip by while I was occupied buying gifts, worrying about moving, trying to stay healthy (but failing! we're still sick!) and planning my holiday schedule...all without taking time to schedule a REAL quiet time to reflect on what this Christmas season brings.

In fact, I'll even admit that I let my daily devotional lapse thinking that it could be on my 2010 New Year's Resolution list.

Yes. Seriously! how bad is that?!?!

I've pushed away Christ in the midst of HIS season--where He came to be a Light to the World, I've snuffed it out so that I could focus on getting tasks accomplished.

BUT, there is HOPE!

Christ DID Come for us!

He DID die for us!

And it is NEVER too late to celebrate His coming or accept His sacrificial gift!

And here is a celebratory Christmas Hymn to go along with that!

Good Christian Men Rejoice
(meant to be sung with enthusiasm! Christ has come to SAVE us! AMEN!)

Good Christian men rejoice
With heart and soul and voice!
Give ye heed to what we say
News! News!
Jesus Christ is born today!
Ox and ass before Him bow
And He is in the manger now
Christ is born today!
Christ is born today!

Good Christian men, rejoice
With heart and soul and voice
Now ye hear of endless bliss
Joy! Joy!
Jesus Christ was born for this
He hath ope'd the heav'nly door
And man is blessed evermore
Christ was born for this
Christ was born for this

Good Christian men, rejoice
With heart and soul and voice
Now ye need not fear the grave:
Peace! Peace!
Jesus Christ was born to save
Calls you one and calls you all
To gain His everlasting hall
Christ was born to save
Christ was born to save

oh my!

2009-12-15T19:53:00.004-05:00

I'm sorry for doing so many double posts these days...

BUT...

I was talking to the twin about the "Breakfast While You Sleep" tutorial tonight...

she needed the recipe but couldn't access her computer so I was reading it outloud to her...

when I realized...

Oh MY!

I left out the VANILLA in the recipe ingredients!

In my opinion, the VANILLA is what makes this recipe delicious! So, if you've made this recipe and didn't love it, you MUST try it again and add the vanilla this time. SOOOOO much better!

I'm sorry for leading you astray!

Tutorial Tuesday: You-Tell-Me: Holiday Traditions

2009-12-15T00:03:00.003-05:00

I know this is going to sound redundant but...my phone appears to be a little on the fritz today...which means that tutorial Tuesday pictures were not taken (as my camera died about a month ago my phone has been serving dual purposes).

So, I'm going to plan "B"...

In the past, I've loved doing these "You-Tell-Me" Tutorials because you all have such GREAT insights, tips, advice, and comments.

Cutie Face was 4-months old when Christmas came last year. We didn't really do anything special for her since she was so young. No traditions were started and, thus, nothing was continued this year.

I'd really like that to change.

For next year, I'm already planning on doing the Jesse Tree advent calendar (thanks Lauren!!!) with the two kiddos (yikes! we'll have an almost one-year-old by Christmas 2010!).

BUT

I long to create our own family traditions...with tips from y'all!

So, here are my questions:

What traditions have you started with your family for Christmas (or another holiday that you celebrate--Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, etc.)?

No family yet? What traditions did you cherish with your family when you were growing up?

What traditions have you heard about that you want to incorporate next year?

and one last one to grow on:

What do you do to make this season SPECIAL? this can be:

how you decorate,
where you go to see Santa
special places you visit to shop, see lights, etc.
what special movies and music you play (or radio station you listen to),
the holiday (from Thanksgiving-New Year's) foods you make/eat/consume,
the parties you throw,
SOMETHING YOU DO FOR YOUR COMMUNITY (I'm especially interested in this one!)

etc, etc.--i want to hear about them!

I can't wait to hear your ideas!

Project320

2009-12-14T21:17:00.003-05:00

Have you heard the buzz?

Amazing Crafters are going to build a well.

YOU are going to build a well.

(photo courtesy of Jody Landers)

Because the crafters can.

Because you can.

How?

Right now sweet, generous, creative and caring women from all over the country are sewing, knitting, painting, shopping, blogging, praying.

Donating.

Over 100 items.

Handmade and heartfelt happiness.

Starting

December 14th
(TODAY!!!)

and ending

December 18th

Project 320

will be holding a virtual raffle.

10 prize bundles.

Each $10 donation to the well

earns one virtual ticket.

You get to choose how many "tickets" to buy

and which prize package you want to win.

On December 21st we will "draw" ten winners.

But most of all,

we will celebrate the victory.

The promise of clean water for a village.

Life.

Are you excited?

You should be!!!!

Because it is going to be awesome.

Check out today's first set of amazing bundles

(20 gifts in each bundle!)

i ❤ faces: Pets!

2009-12-13T22:20:00.007-05:00

WHOA.

I just posted a really cute cat photo and then I saw some reallllllly reallllly cool farm animal photos.

So, I'm changing up my entry :)

Hey, why not?

Back in October, we took Cutie Face to a pumpkin patch (courtesy of J's work!) and there was a petting farm there, too...I specifically took pictures of the animals thinking that they would make interesting entries for i ❤ faces one day...and that day has come!

Here is a turkey, hiding his head, in hopes that Turkey Day would pass by him (and i wonder if it did...hmmm...)

And, as a small fun fact to know and tell, this very much might be my FIRST entry that I didn't edit!

For more adorable pet shots and interesting animal pics, visit i ❤ faces today!

CLOSED: Fab Friday Giveaway: Peanut Feet

2009-12-11T08:05:00.008-05:00

This week's giveaway is from the super fun Etsy shop Peanut Feet!

Jill is the super sweet mom and designer behind Peanut Feet. She is a proud Texas girl that at one time practiced interior design. While she loves working on her Etsy shop, she loves to hang out with her two curious and wonderful kids, her hard working husband and their crazy westie.

Jill started designing socks just after her daughter was born. Her daughter had tiny "peanut feet" that just screamed for cute socks. Problem was, Jill could not find any cute socks that would stay on her feet. So, Jill purchased tiny white newborn socks and started embellishing them.

pastel double flower socks

Aren't these cute socks? These are Jill's favorite things that she makes because these are what got Peanut Feet started! Every mom knows that newborn babies need socks no matter the season! Why not put them in something cute?!?! And bonus--Jill makes socks in bigger sizes, too!

flower beaded socks

The hair accessories were a natural progression from the cute flower socks! And they are equally adorable. Think how cute it would be to have your kiddo match from head to foot!

What is your Name? hair clippie

Jill's favorite thing to make for Peanut Feet are the wool-blend felted flowers. She then loves to attach them to everything! They are so bright and cheerful that you can't have a bad day while wearing them.

Forget Me Not flower clippies

The great thing about the felt material she uses is that it has enough stability to withstand lots of washing and comes in tons of beautiful colors.

cheerful double flower headband

Jill even makes bibs!

Happy Heart bib

BUY IT!

All of the items found in Peanut Feet are affordable and cute! They'd make the perfect stocking stuffer or gift accessory this year!

***Special: Now through the end of next week, Jill is offering free shipping on all items purchased from Peanut Feet!***

WIN IT!

Jill is giving away a $15 gift certificate to Peanut Feet!

Congratulations commenter #85, Andrea B!

Andrea, you have been contacted and have 48-hours to reply. Thanks!

Thankful Thursday: barely eeking by

2009-12-10T23:03:00.002-05:00

Today I've finally felt pregnant--in terms of emotions. I never really got the idea that pregnant women were hormonal. In fact, when I was pregnant with Cutie Face I couldn't figure out what the big deal was.

Well, let me tell you, my emotions have run the gamut today and I'm S-P-E-N-T. Unfortunately, they all decided to wax and wane as soon as we picked J up from the airport (poor guy!) and I finally understood the pregnant power--try as I could, I just couldn't help myself!

Then I thought...ehhh, i'll slack on my blog post today. I'm not in the mood. But then I remembered--"forcing" yourself to find 7 things to be thankful for will definitely lift my mood.

So here I go!

This week I was especially grateful for:

1) A brand spankin' CLEAN car. We took it to the car wash for the first time in MONTHS. Poor car needed a lot of work but it looked, smelled, and felt brand new when it was done! Woo hoo! now to keep it that way...

2) Getting my craft on with my twin and mom to help me! This week I made two Christmas shirts and refashioned a t-shirt into a skirt for Cutie Face. I'm surprised myself.

3) Friendly commenters. I've been feeling the blog love lately and I really appreciate it! Thanks to all of you who take the time to comment!

4) Fluffy Mail! We received the pink ruffle gDiaper in the mail yesterday and I so desperately wanted it to be hot outside so Cutie Face could just wander around with a top and diaper. Sadly, it was a bit too cold for that but that didn't stop me from letting her parade around in her new diaper at home!

5) We are still looking for a new place to move into...in 4 weeks. We've been praying about it a lot and have received some very firm "Nos" and doors closing (two places we really liked both went off the market and not because they were rented by someone else! strange circumstances that clearly indicated God did not want us in either apartment!). An answer to prayer is an answer even if it is a no and we're thankful for that!

6) J came home! And he brought me candy! and he let me cry about my frustrations/thanks mentioned in #5

7) a very happy and content and funny and (so far) obedient daughter who LOVES babies (and puppies). She is the best and I'm thankful for my fun companion every day! (us in the Publix bathroom. This pregnant mama had to make a pit stop during our errand "walk" today!)

8) Christmas decorations and music that bring me (and Cutie Face!) great joy and peace and happiness.

9) Cutie Face has not been sick for more than two weeks--no runny nose, no nothing! Hallelujah! That could all change since I took her to the {potentially germy} playground in 38 degree weather today...

10) BONUS! (note: i'm not being paid or compensated for writing this last one--its just very true and makes me very thankful!) the camera on my iPhone takes decent pictures and a free online photo editor (Picnik) makes them better. I'd seriously be soooo sad if I didn't have either of these tools to document Cutie Face's life...especially since our camera has been broken for a MONTH!

Here are three pictures from today (first two edited with Picnik and lasst one SOOC) that make me laugh and thankful:

Phew! I feel better now, how about you?

I hope you take a few minutes during this busy season to recall a few things you were thankful for this week!

W.o.G. Wednesday: Hark the Herald Angels Sing!

2009-12-09T10:16:00.003-05:00

When I was driving to my Cross-Country race on Saturday morning, I was listening to Christmas music. "Hark the Herald Angels Sing" came on and I couldn't get enough of it. I kept hitting repeat and belting out the words. It was a great praise time, just me and this hymn. I knew right then that I wanted to make it my Word of God post and incorporate verses with it.

The first verse alone has soooo many Biblical reference verses that we could be listing them for hours. Here is a sampling, though (click on the verses to read them on Bible Gateway)

Hark the herald angels sing
{Luke 2:10}
"Glory to the newborn King!
{Luke 2:14; 1:78}
Peace on earth and mercy mild
God and sinners reconciled"
{2 Corinthians 5:18-21; Colossians 1:20-22}
Joyful, all ye nations rise
{Revelation 21:24; Haggai 2:6-7}
Join the triumph of the skies
With the angelic host proclaim:
"Christ is born in Bethlehem"
{Luke 2:10-11; Matthew 1:4-6; Micah 5:2}
Hark! The herald angels sing
"Glory to the newborn King!"
{Matthew 2:2}

Christ by highest heav'n adored
Christ the everlasting Lord!
Late in time behold Him come
Offspring of a Virgin's womb
Veiled in flesh the Godhead see
Hail the incarnate Deity
Pleased as man with man to dwell
Jesus, our Emmanuel
Hark! The herald angels sing
"Glory to the newborn King!"

Hail the heav'n-born Prince of Peace!
Hail the Son of Righteousness!
Light and life to all He brings
Ris'n with healing in His wings
Mild He lays His glory by
Born that man no more may die
Born to raise the sons of earth
Born to give them second birth
Hark! The herald angels sing
"Glory to the newborn King!"

The last verse can pretty much be summed up by the ubiquitous Bible Verse seen everywhere. But oh! how true it is:

John 3:16
"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."

Below is a video of the "Hark the Herald Angels Sing" version I had on Repeat for about 20 minutes. LOVED it. Do yourself a favor and listen to it--guaranteed to boost your spirits and remind you why we are celebrating this season!

Tutorial Tuesday: {Foot and Hands} Reindeer Shirt

2009-12-08T09:28:00.005-05:00

Cutie Face has lots of beautiful Christmas dresses but doesn't own any Christmas or Holiday shirts. That all changed yesterday!

I made a super cute shirt off of another blog tutorial--scroll to the very end to see it! For my Tutorial, though, I wanted to make a Reindeer shirt using Cutie Face's hands and feet as the template.

Side Note: I think that you can make a lot of cute Reindeer shirts using templates, etc. but it is SO NEAT to use your kiddo's hands and feet because then you can always look back on this shirt and see how small they used to be! And, if you keep the shirt for a long time, you can eventually pass it along to their children--how cool would that be for them to wear their mom or dad's hands and feet!

What you'll need:

Your toddler's hands and feet
Felt in brown, red and white
Googly eyes (or buttons to make the eyes or just more felt!)
For a girl: a bow is a MUST so ribbon for a bow
Stitch Witchery
Iron
Sewing Machine (or your own hand sewing would work fine, too!)
Glue gun for adhering the eyes
T-shirt in any color

Step 1: Trace your child's hand and foot onto the felt that you want to use for the body of the reindeer. Cutie Face wouldn't stay still long enough for me to take a picture AND trace so no picture! sorry!

Step 2: Cut out two of the hands and one foot, two circles for the eyes and two hearts for the mouth. If you are making this for a boy, you might want to make circular mouths. This is what you should have:

Step 3: Figure out the placement of your hands, foot, etc. on the t-shirt:

Step 4: Use Stitch Witchery or any other fabric fuser, to fuse the elements together. Then stitch witch (is that a verb? hmmm. It is now!) the Reindeer onto the shirt. This is a MUST for me as I'm a rotten sewer!

Step 5: {OPTIONAL} Don't break your mother's sewing machine while you are visiting her. And certainly don't scare her by taking a screwdriver to it! Just document it with pictures and tell her later (or when you can't figure out how to fix it...then ask for help! THANKS MOM!):

Step 6: Applique the felt pieces together. First do the small inside pieces, then work your way out, eventually appliquing the whole Reindeer onto the shirt (as a rotten sewer, i used all my concentration to applique and forgot to take a picture after this one! but you get the point):

Step 7: Once everything is sewn in place, determine where you would like to place your googly eyes and bow (optional!)
Step 8: Glue the eyes and bow in place with a hotglue gun:

Step 9: Step back and admire your finished product!

Step 10: Put it on your kiddo and take lots of pictures of them looking goofy in their new shirt (Cutie Face actually really really loved this shirt and kept wanting to feel the eyes and bow and then look in the mirror. Success!)

Again, I just LOVE that these are her hands and footprint--I can't wait to see how much they'll grow by next year! Perhpas we'll be making this a yearly tradition!

***Updated*** My friend, Kim, came up with the genius idea to make these for several years and turn them into a quilt for the kids to snuggle up with during the Christmas season. And, my mom-in-law suggested that I turn it into a pillow and send it to her :) So the options are endless with this craft!

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

I was very inspired by this adorable Christmas Tree shirt that Paige and Brooke blogged about last week. SOOO cute.

So I decided to make one for Cutie Face (BAD photo quality! sorry!:

Many many special thanks to the Twin for actually doing the sewing for me on that one! I couldn't do the straight edge...yeah...reason #101 why she has an Etsy store and I don't!

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

I ❤ Faces: Sweet Dreams!

2009-12-06T16:09:00.007-05:00

awwwwww

{I can just imagine...}
all the precious tiny sleepy newborn photos that we'll get to see this week!

{I am excited because...}
I will have my own newborn to take sleepy photos of in less than 10 weeks!

for now, though...we get Cutie Face!

This morning (Sunday) I woke up S-I-C-K and couldn't fathom staying awake for more than 2 hours. But I had a Cutie Face to contend with so my logical mind decided to take her back to bed with me and see if she could take an early nap (9:15 AM!).

J, of course, was STILL sleeping

Sadly, I couldn't fall asleep for the life of me. The babe inside was kicking like crazy and my mind was just as active. Cutie Face fell right asleep, though (amazing!), and I just stared at the two loves of my lives.

Finally, I got up, grabbed my phone, and started snapping pictures of them asleep on our bed. I thought about getting a two-for shot with J's face too...nahh. But, this view, my friends is one reason why I couldn't fall asleep (I was gazing at the cuteness that I love!):

We all eventually fell asleep and didn't wake up until 10:45...
BUMMER
that meant we totally slept through the beginning of church.

{At least we can listen to the sermon online!}

For more adorable sleepy-time photos, head on over to i ❤ faces!

{OH! and if you want to see something incredibly uncanny, click here to see a picture of Cutie Face at 28-weeks gestation. She looks EXACTLY the same. It's crazy talk!}

{Closed} Fab Friday Giveaway: Big Top Vintage

2009-12-04T07:32:00.008-05:00

I am SO excited to introduce you to Big Top Vintage.
This fabulous Etsy store is brimming with gorgeous children's clothing & accessories made from vintage fabric and materials.

Adrienne is the amazingly talented woman behind Big Top Vintage. She began sewing a while ago but it was only recently that Adrienne's sister (behind the equally incredible Dream Child Studio) convinced her to begin selling on Etsy. She is glad that she finally opened shop and YOU, my readers, will be glad, too, once you see the wonderful clothes she sells!

Laura Gunn Lantern Bloom Knot Dress

Adrienne loves crafting everything in Big Top Vintage, but her very favorite thing she has ever sewn was a Thanksgiving frock: the Joel Dewberry Chestnut Hill Dress. Her best selling item is the Sky Blue and Red Joel Dewberry Antler Dress, similar to the one you see below. The great thing about each of the items in Big Top Vintage is that they always turn out one of a kind because each one is made with love and care.

Joel Dewberry Dear Valley Christmas Apron Knot Dress

Adrienne loves to work with cotton and experimenting with mixing textures. She is a total sensory person so everything she make needs to be soft and comfortable--perfect for kids' clothes! Making new items for Big Top Vintage always remains exciting--especially when she has a new pile of fabric to dig in to!

Joel Dewberry Vintage Acorn Dress

Adrienne has a beautiful four year old son who she love to spend time with. She and her husband love to take him rock climbing, snowboarding and skiing. They love living in Colorado and take advantage of all it has to offer. She also LOVES reading children's books and sometimes continues to read them even after her son falls asleep!

vintage numbers twirl skirt

Besides the gorgeous clothing pictured above, you can also find exquisite baby and nursery accessories:

Laffey Giraffey Vintage Diaper Stacker and the Two Little Lambs vintage lap quilt

BUY IT!

Don't you think your favorite kiddos need some Big Top Vintage in their lives?

***Special: Now through the end of next week, Adrienne is offering free shipping on all items purchased from Big Top Vintage!***

WIN IT!

Adrienne is very generously giving away a $35 gift certificate to Big Top Vintage!

Congratulations to Laura who won the Gift Certificate!

Laura said... 20: I'm a public follower!

lmerritt49903@gmail.com; December 4, 2009 11:08 PM

Thankful Thursday! Already!

2009-12-03T18:06:00.003-05:00

Ummm ...

Can anyone believe that

1) it has been a WEEK since Thanksgiving

and

2) it is December THIRD?

oh my

Well, back to reality! It IS Thursday and it IS time for Thankfulness! I hope you all will chime in with what you are thankful for this first week of December!

This week I am thankful for...

1. My new niece (known to the blog world as "Sweet Pea")

2. That I was in the hospital when Sweet Pea was born!!! (me and my mom about 30 minutes after she arrived...at 3 AM...!!!)

3. That Cutie Face had a blast with her cousin, Lil Miss, while the twin was in the hospital with Sweet Pea. I could never hope for better playtimes than they had these past three days. SO precious to watch! My mom said it was like watching me and the twin when we were toddlers. (Kind of like Déjà vu all over again :)

4. That I scored some AWESOME deals over Black Friday and Cyber Monday (like a new iron from Jo-Ann's and Baby Signing Time DVDs for 50% off!)

5. For all the fabulous giveaways on Sew Mama Sew! Have you all entered any yet?

6. That the torrential rain actually stopped at the exact moment when I needed to transfer a sleeping Cutie Face from the car to the apartment! She didn't get wet (which is amazing considering all the rain we had on the way home!) and she stayed asleep (another miracle!) Talk about THANKFUL!

7. That J is FINALLY coming home tonight! I haven't seen him since Sunday afternoon! sniff sniff! I've missed him--and to all you readers who have husbands that are away for extended periods of time (military, job obligations, etc.) I applaud your bravery, patience and perseverance!

It is your turn! What are you thankful for this week?

W.o.G. Wednesday: Advent Week 1 {Isaiah 11:1-10}

2009-12-02T20:33:00.003-05:00

Starting this past Sunday and lasting through Christmas many churches and denominations celebrate the Advent season.

Advent means "coming" as in, a King is coming. Advent represents our expectation, anticipation, and preparation for Him. As a Christian I believe this King has arrived in the form of Jesus Christ! So the Advent season for us Christians refers to the events foretelling and proceeding Jesus Christ and His birth. Isaiah and Jeremiah (Old Testament prophets) foretold Jesus' coming--the Word made flesh.

At our church, we light an Advent Candle every Sunday leading up to Christmas. The candles represent the light of God coming into the world through the birth of God's son, Jesus Christ. Each candle also has a special meaning. The first candle, which is traditionally purple, is the candle of hope and represents God's promise and Hope given by the gift of His son, Jesus.

Each week we also read traditional passages from the Bible that correspond with the lighting of the candles. Unfortunately, I was not in the service last week (nursery duty!) but i did find this website that talked about corresponding advent verses...and Isaiah 11:1-10 was my favorite from this week:

Isaiah 11:1-10

¹ A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse;
from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.

² The Spirit of the LORD will rest on him—
the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding,
the Spirit of counsel and of power,
the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD -

³ and he will delight in the fear of the LORD.
He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes,
or decide by what he hears with his ears;

⁴ but with righteousness he will judge the needy,
with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth.
He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth;
with the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked.

⁵ Righteousness will be his belt
and faithfulness the sash around his waist.

⁶ The wolf will live with the lamb,
the leopard will lie down with the goat,
the calf and the lion and the yearling ^a]">[a] together;
and a little child will lead them.

⁷ The cow will feed with the bear,
their young will lie down together,
and the lion will eat straw like the ox.

⁸ The infant will play near the hole of the cobra,
and the young child put his hand into the viper's nest.

⁹ They will neither harm nor destroy
on all my holy mountain,
for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the LORD
as the waters cover the sea.

¹⁰ In that day the Root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the peoples; the nations will rally to him, and his place of rest will be glorious.

Tutorial Tuesday: Staying Healthy, Drinking Green

2009-12-01T20:25:00.003-05:00

This week's Tutorial Tuesday is yet another recipe. It seems I'm on an every-other-week kick with recipes and crafts. Hope you don't mind! I just love to bake/cook/experiment with food and...it is {embarassingly} much easier on my un-crafty brain to think up than some crafty notion every week.

Despite the ease of it, I also really like this tutorial recipe because it is an easy way to pack in your greens and stay healthy during the holiday season of rich and extravagant foods.

Being pregnant during the holidays is not good for me--when hungry, i tend to gravitate toward the easiest foods out there--and that just happens to be leftover stuffing, pie, and cookies--NOT GOOD!

That is why I've started incorporating this GREEN protein smoothie into my every day diet. The greens ensure that I get enough daily fiber and, well, greens and the protein helps me stay full and stave off the sugar cravings (at least for a little while!). Besides, even if I do indulge in the holiday foods around me, at least I know that I've put something wholesome and nutritious inside my body!

What you need:

Cold, filtered water (but you can use juice if you'd like--I just don't like adding too much extra sugar without the benefit of fiber)
Protein Powder (I chose Hemp Protein because I don't like the idea of adding too much soy to my diet or giving that much to the developing babe)
Flax Seed Oil (great source of Omega fats which helps give your babe's skin and brain a boost!)
Green powder (preferably one that is made of whole foods like barley, wheatgrass, spirulina, etc.)
Spinach (if you can buy organic, that is best!)
Frozen fruit (I almost always use strawberries and a third of a banana)

1. Start with your cold water--I add ~10 oz. then add the recommended amount of green powder and protein powder. I actually add twice the recommendation of green stuff because I figure it can't hurt!

2. Add your spinach--I typically add 3 oz. or 1/3 of the 9 oz bag of spinach

3. Puree it all together until you no longer have any spinach leaves but just have pure lovely green yumminess:

4. Add your fruit--I like enough to make it thick--runny liquidy smoothies are not my friends

5. Puree again until everything is smooth and creamy.

6. Drink and enjoy!

In all honesty, I like this smoothie a lot better with soy protein powder (vanilla=awesome) but I'm trying to avoid all that soy while pregnant and the hemp protein powder isn't bad (more like an acquired taste). I am sure adding honey or kefir or yogurt would be even better!

How do you stay healthy and full of good fruit and veg during the holiday season of gluttony? :-p

PS this tutorial was supposed to be posted at 8:25 AM not PM but my brain has been otherwise occupied this weekend--my twin had her baby! YAY! you can view pics of Sweet Pea on her blog here.

***I also hope to be back to my Google Reader so if my comments on your blogs have been MIA, please forgive the delay--I haven't caught up since Friday the 27th!***

I ❤ Faces: {Tooshies}

2009-11-29T21:57:00.009-05:00

I had lofty goals for this week's entry.

I had envisioned a Kodak-moment on the playground with Cutie Face crawling through a play-tunnel with J on the other side, arms wide open and a huge smile on his face.

Can't you picture it?

Sadly, J had to work this weekend and the playground picture never materialized.

Then, my twin went into labor today and I started envisioning this adorable newborn photo session with a tiny tush in a teeny diaper, cradled by her mom's arms.

Can't you picture that?

Sadly, the baby still isn't here so that picture hasn't materialized, either.

So here is one from my iPhone archives {still haven't got the new camera!}--this is Cutie Face at her 15-month well-checkup. She LOVED being high up on the doctor's table and couldn't get enough of the "Baby's First Words" book.

Stop the presses! I just re-read the rules for this week and saw that the entry does NOT have to include a face! There is hope! Albeit another iPhone capture {with special help from my favorite online photo editor, Picnik}, I've always loved this photo (it was the inspiration behind my kodak-moment idea) and am happy to enter it...

Be sure to head on over to I❤Faces for some {decidedly more creative and better quality} Tooshie photos!

AND, be on the lookout--
if my twin delivers this baby anytime soon, I'll make sure she gets it on her blog!

{Closed} Fab Friday Giveaway: Carolina Craft Shoppe

2009-11-27T21:38:00.006-05:00

Looking for last week's winner? I've decided to post the winners on the SAME post as the giveaway post. Check it out here!

This week's Fab Friday Giveaway is sponsored by Carolina Craft Shoppe.

It is an extra-special giveaway because it is also on BLACK FRIDAY. Woohoo! Did y'all get out and shop this morning? It's been a crazy day for us, not to mention for my twin--she is currently in labor as I write this post!!!

Usually I end my Fab Friday posts with the special deals but since it is still BLACK FRIDAY, I wanted to start with the great specials that Carolina Craft Shoppe is offering now through Sunday, November 29.

* Get $3 off your purchase! (Excludes clearance items.) Start following their blog and, when checking out, Enter "BlogMe3" in the "Message to Seller" box.

* (again) Get $3 off your purchase! (Excludes clearance items.) Follow Carolina Craft Shoppe on twitter and, when checking out, Enter "TweetMe3" in the "Message to Seller" box.

* In addition, any Etsy seller who hearts Carolina Craft Shoppe will see THEIR items featured on their twitter page! Carolina Craft Shoppe does a daily link-to and features five etsy sellers. This is a great way to get some of your items seen by new customers and is very cool of them to do!

Now lets learn a little more about Carolina Craft Shoppe and see what you can buy with these fabulous discounts!

Carolina Craft Shoppe is run by Abby and Elaina, two sisters from North Carolina. They sell premade scrapbook layouts, which are shipped completely put together and ready for buyers to post photos on and slip into their albums.

"Beautiful" 12x12 single page layout

Okay--how genius is that? This is the kind of scrapbooking I was made for!

As you may know first hand, scrapbooking can be very expensive and time-consuming so Carolina Craft Shoppe is there to help busy people organize their memories and keepsakes without a lot of the hassle. We also have ready-made embellishments, which are great for scrapbook pages, gift bags or handmade cards.

Boys will be Boys 2-page 12x12 layout

While Abby was on maternity leave, she and Elaina decided to take one of their favorite hobbies - scrapbooking - and turn it into a small business (Carolina Craft Shoppe!). Their mom always wanted them to make scrapbook pages for her and the sisters quickly realized that there were other busy parents out there who wanted scrapbooks for their kids but didn't have the time and resources to do it on their own. (<---and...that would be ME!) Their new business venture also became a great way for the two sisters to spend some time together! They opened Carolina Craft Shoppe in September 2008 and were blessed with their first sale the first month. They have some very loyal customers, and they enjoy crafting so it's a win-win situation.

"Embrace" 12x12 single page layout

Abby and Elaina have been scrapbookers for many years--giving them a great supply of materials to work with and create the fun layouts you see in these pictures. They both enjoy crafting so they try to split a lot of the design work between each other. Often, one of them will create the bones of a page and the other will come behind – with a fresh perspective – and apply the finishing touches. Talk about great team work!

Graduation 2-page 12x12 layout

Currently, Abby and Elaina are loving creating their holiday layouts. They're getting ready to list lots of new Christmas layouts so make sure to be on the lookout for them--in the meantime, think snowflakes, Christmas trees, glitter, sparkles - that's the stuff scrapbooking is made for!

Red and Purple flower embellishments

The baby-announcement layouts are currently one of the most popular Carolina Craft Shoppe layouts. Scrapbooking is very personal and it's meant to be a place to keep memories. These layouts are great gifts for new moms, and they're easily matched to a nursery. Get this--they even recommend framing them for the nursery - they're fabulous keepsakes! <---Now that is a GREAT idea for a unique baby shower gift!

Swirl Tags and Christmas Holly gift tags

Both sisters are big readers--so much so that they recently started a book club with friends.

Elaina has a dog – Beau – who is really like her son (and a cute one at that!) She also loves decorating her home and gardening.

Abby has a little boy, who takes up a lot of her time these days! She also has a food blog called Shall We Cook which functions as her other baby . Her favorite pastimes are definitely time in the kitchen, especially baking, and photography (which she really only dabbles in!)

Three Gift Set Embellishment

BUY IT!

Now that you've seen some of the great layouts that you can purchase from Carolina Craft Shoppe don't you want to go out and start scrapbooking right now? No? Not as ambitious? Well those gift tags are certainly a steal for 4/$1.50!!!

And, don't forget--now through Sunday, November 29 you can get $3 off your purchase by using code "BlogMe3" or "TweetMe3" in the "Message to Seller" box.

WIN IT!

Abby and Elaina are giving one lucky Monkeys on the Bed! reader either a one-page baby-announcement layout OR a one-page custom layout worth $10! Don't forget that these baby-announcement layouts make great baby shower gifts!

Congratulations to Stephanie and Matt who won the premade layout!

Thankful Thursday: Thanksgiving Edition!

2009-11-26T22:22:00.002-05:00

Wow! I actually stayed awake last night trying hard to remember all the things I am thankful for. It could go on and on and on and...well, on.

Since practically everyone in the blog world is doing a Thankful Thursday post today, I don't want to bog down your blog reader with more but I also want to remember the simple things I was thankful for this week...

1. To see my grandma again, the first time since my grandpa's funeral

2. For being able to run well and long this far into my pregnancy

3. To see LOTS and lots of family (a few that I haven't seen in a long time!) {side note: i am sad that we did not get to share Thanksgiving with J's side of the family this year. That was a bummer. Thankfully, we have plans to see them soon, though!)

4. My husband's incredibly strong work ethic

5. That my twin is going to be a mom for a second time in a week or less! YAY! I can't wait to meet my new niece!

6. For a great meal today.

7. For FREE COFFEE from Waffle House today for all of us volunteer crew members at the start Atlanta Track Club Half Marathon. With 38 degree temperatures and a 3:50 AM wake-up alarm, that coffee was never more welcomed! Seriously the best coffee of my life.

8. For good Christian friends in bloggy land that encourage me with their posts every day!

9. For a sweet sweet sweet girl who loves on everyone and thinks life is hilarious (most of the time)

10. For all the half marathoners who donated their outerwear to the homeless (ie, they shed their coats and warmup pants before the start of the race and gave them to shelters!)

11. For neighbors and church friends who continue to generously let us drop Cutie Face off at their house for a snooze while J and I head off to date night. We (and our marriage) are FOREVER INDEBTED to them for that time we get.

12. That the pie tin "lid" that I thought was a "genius" solution for keeping the mashed potatoes warm finally came off of the pot after the men worked tirelessly to free it!

13. For all of the great giveaways that generous Etsyians are offering on my blog and on many other blogs. So generous!

And finally, and this is a big one that I don't write about enough!

14. For all of YOU, my blog readers, who are the motivating factor behind EACH post...if it weren't for you, I'd quit this blog today! So thanks for keeping me going!!!

W.o.G. Wednesday: Psalm 100

2009-11-25T07:29:00.000-05:00

Psalm 100
A psalm. For giving thanks.

¹ Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth.
² Worship the LORD with gladness;
come before him with joyful songs.
³ Know that the LORD is God.
It is he who made us, and we are his;
we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.
⁴ Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.
⁵ For the LORD is good and his love endures forever;
his faithfulness continues through all generations.

Happy Thanksgiving Eve!
May you be thankful for ALL of God's provisions and blessings!

Tutorial Tuesday: DIY Doormat

2009-11-24T07:30:00.001-05:00

I've always wanted a cool doormat for the holidays--one for Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter, etc. But I didn't want it to be cheesy (a la this doormat that freaked out our poor kiddos on Halloween!).

In my un-creative mind, I have these lofty (and super crafty) ideas but no follow-through. So I aimed a little low (nothing fancy, just nice and doable) and came up with an easy DIY (do-it-yourself) doormat.
Take note: There are SOOOO many ways you can run with this tutorial--you can make a monogram doormat, a holiday doormat (as aforementioned), an image doormat with a damask print or clipart, etc. etc. Seriously I kind of wish I had more time, money, and creative poweress (is that a word? do you know what am i trying to say?) to actually do all of those!

Anyway...i can keep brainstorming but it's time for the real tutorial!

What you need:

Coir rug. I found mine at Ikea for $7.99..cutely named "Trampa"
Stencil
Posterboard for your stencil
Marker (for marking out your stencil on the posterboard)
Scissors (for cutting out the stencil)
Tape (masking tape is better than packing tape, fyi)
Matte or Flat spraypaint that is for outdoor/indoor use and able to use on wicker
paint and brushes (optional!)

In case you are wondering, a coir rug looks like this up close:

this is the spraypaint my friendly Ace Hardware clerk told me to buy:

interesting note: they had video cameras in the spray paint aisle and you had to be over 18 to purchase the cans! Kind of a sad sign of the times :(

I decided to use posterboard as the base of my stencil because it was sturdier than any alternative (well, foam board or plastic would have been firmer but you get my gist). Of course, if you have a pre-made stencil, don't even worry about these steps. Side note: I chose the neon green posterboard because it was 50% off!

So...organize your stencil. I needed it to fit the width of the posterboard so I had to do some cutting and rearranging.

I finally had it all cut out like so
(making sure to keep the very crucial inners to the "p" and the "a")

Once your stencil is ready to go, firmly tape it to your rug. You want it as flat, tight, and secure as possible so that the spraypaint does not leach out of the stencil.

Tape it down!
Again, I would recommend masking tape as my packing tape wasn't too spiffy

Shake your spraypaint can and get to painting!

I did two coats--one vertical and one horizontal. I also recommend waiting until it is dried, much like a freezer paper stencil, so as to avoid any paint bleeds (as you'll see in the next picture, i got a little too eager and made my letters run a little)

Voila! A new rug!

I had high aspirations of incorporating a dove in one of the corners but couldn't quite figure out the proportions, angle, etc. so I left it out.

But, of course, I couldn't leave well enough alone so I painted some holly + berries in the corners. Kind of tacky but it needed something. Next time I'll probably use a pretty corner stencil from one of my favorite flourishy fonts.

Not bad for a $11 DIY mat, though! (the spraypaint was $3)

These are some phrases I thought would be fun to use:
Boo Y'all
Give Thanks (maybe with a turkey?)
Noel (in a pretty script)
a Snowman clipart
a Santa clipart
a Nativity clipart scene
"Wisemen still seek Him" with the Star of David in the center
our family monogram (JSA)
A Fleur de Lis icon repeated
lots of ornaments in different spray paint colors
etc. etc.

What are some ideas you can come up with? I'd love to be inspired by your creativity!

I ❤ Faces: Sunflare!

2009-11-22T19:35:00.003-05:00

DESPAIR!

Yesterday I let an overly curious Cutie Face explore my camera...and by "explore" I mean "drop".

On a BRICK floor.

Bummer.

Now the poor snap and shoot's lens will NOT close. (suggestions anyone?)

All this to say...

for the foreseeable future all my i ❤ faces entries will be taken on...

my phone.

So don't expect much.

Without further ado, then...here is my Sunflare Entry:

Now head on over to i ❤ faces for some "REAL" photographs of sunflares!

PS I'm SO sorry for not returning the "comment love" from last week's entry. I claimed lazy pregnant woman status but STILL feel guilty about not getting back to most of you! I promise to change the error of my ways this week!

CLOSED: Fab Friday Giveaway: Toot Sweet Handbags

2009-11-20T07:09:00.010-05:00

I was beyond thrilled when Elisa from Toot Sweet Handbags contacted me about a giveaway. Besides being one of the sweetest, most helpful, and most excited Etsy women I've ever worked with, her creations are adorable and must-haves (not to mention PERFECT gifts for birthdays and holidays!)

Elisa has been crafting and creating for as long as she can remember, but Toot Sweet Handbags started with a bet: Given her LOVE of handbags Elisa's husband bet her that she couldn’t resist buying a handbag for a year. She lasted for three months but by then she was ready to buy a new bag.

{design your own Diana clutch}

Elisa's smart husband said that she would not break the rules if she made a bag, as long as she didn’t buy the materials to make the bag. And, that, my lovely readers is how Elisa got started upcycling clothing into handbags!

{the little black purse Renee clutch}

Her friends all loved the bag and encouraged her to make more and sell them. She found Etsy and now you all get to see her gorgeous handbags and accessories in her Toot Sweet Handbags store. (In case you were wondering, Elisa won the bet, and her husband bought her a new Singer Confidence Quilter sewing machine as her winner’s reward!).

{design your own catch-all pouch}

As a self-described eco-freak, Elisa feels everyone can do their part to ease the impact we have on the earth. She personally finds it just as easy to recycle as to trash, to reuse as to buy new. And so she does the same in her designs. Elisa searches thrift stores for the best fabrics and patterns on skirts and blouses, and uses Etsy to buy awesome vintage fabrics.

{design your own catch-all pouch}

Elisa also finds remnants from the fabric store and from past projects to create the smaller items you see in Toot Sweet Handbags--their uniqueness never ceases to amaze her. Because of the garments and fabrics Elisa finds, you’ll never find another handbag like the ones sold at Toot Sweet Handbags.

{button bobbies}

Elisa lives in a sunny Florida beach town with her husband and 2 crazy cats, and they keep pretty busy. She works full time at an engineering firm, so creating happens in the evenings and weekends. In their spare time, they enjoy going to the beach, eating sushi, reading books, and pretending that they can understand what their cats are trying to say to them (ha!).

{design your own Kari handbag}

As Elisa told me, "my husband and I both hold each other and our faith highest in our lives, so being involved in church activities and spending time with one another is essential." <---LOVE that!

{design your own Kari handbag}

BUY IT

Now that you've learned a lot more about Elisa and Toot Sweet Handbags (and seen her GORGEOUS pieces), don't you think that you should invest in one of her products?

{design your own handy fob wristlet keychain}

Well, lucky for you, Elisa is giving all Monkeys on the Bed! readers 15% off any purchase from now through Saturday, November 28. AND FREE SHIPPING. WOW! That would make these keyfobs are only $5.52 and this Renee clutch only $28.90!

{retrofied pink Renee Clutch}

WIN IT

Even luckier for you, Elisa is giving away a Design-Your-Own Renee Clutch (a $35 value!), like the one seen below:

Winner!

Congratulations to Julie!

Thankful Thursday

2009-11-19T21:20:00.002-05:00

This week? Truthfully I am tired, sick, and overwhelmed. But this isn't "Truthful Thursdays"...oh no...this is Thankful Thursday!

so here are the top 7 things I'm thankful for this week:

1. A great Saturday! We did a lot of fun things but the highlight for me was hanging out in the fountains at Olympic Centennial Park

And, just for kicks, I'm posting this video from my other blog because it is too funny!

2. An amazing husband who shows me love all the time

3. A friend from our neighborhood who gave us tickets to the season opener for the Georgia Tech Basketball Game. And then our neighborhood/church family let us drop Cutie Face off at their house....a great excuse for a date night!

4. 3 days with my mom and sister (and niece!) while J was out of town (he travels 2-3 nights a week so this wasn't anything new but it sure was nice to have time with them and get a little break from Cutie Face's rambunctiousness). Cutie Face sure was thankful to have her cousin nearby!

5. Cutie Face is learning so much every day and it is so fun to see her intellect take off.

6. Speaking of growing intellect, Cutie Face had her 15-month well check up on Friday. She is doing great! Very thankful for her "well health".

7. But, speaking of health, Cutie Face's (green) runny nose + cough has returned. J came home and instantly thought she had H1N1 so we spent all night freaking out about it. We even had her sleep with us (which we never do) so that we could keep an eye on her. She had quite a few crying/moaning sessions in her sleep but ...

we are SO THANKFUL she woke up bright and happy (albeit with greener snot and the same cough). I guess we're just thankful it is a cold and not a flu virus! Phew!

(this is Cutie Face in the baby swing with three blankets on top of her...normally rambunctious, she wanted to swing allllll day and she wanted all the blankets she could see piled on top of her...poor sicko)

Okay...use this week as the week to practice your "Thanksgiving" thankful list...
what are you thankful for?

W.o.G. Wednesday: Ephesians 4:32, Proverbs 20:11

2009-11-18T21:48:00.006-05:00

I have a horrible confession to make. Today I was less than kind to the very man I was created to be a helpmate for. In an attempt to defend my opinion, I said things that were belittling, rude, cutting, and unkind.

Tonight, on my way to pick J up from the airport, Cutie Face and I listened to our ABC Verses CD. The second Bible verse/song cut right through me:

"Be kind to one another for this is right in the Lord". The sing-songy voices of the kids played over and over in my head: "Be, Be kind, be kind to one another" and I replayed my earlier conversation with J. UGH.

Then the "E" verse came along..."Even a child is known by his actions". This made me think...how much more are we, as adults, called into account and known for our actions since we know better!?!

Who knew a kids' Bible Verse CD could be so convicting and so humbling? I'm very grateful for it and its timely reminder!

Ephesians 4:32

Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.

Proverbs 20:11

Even a child is known by his actions, by whether his conduct is pure and right.

* Cute kid picture of Cutie Face's friend from church who is always kind to her, even though he is just a child

PS: Here is the CD--it is only $3.99 as an MP3!

Tutorial Tuesday: breakfast while you sleep!

2009-11-17T07:44:00.002-05:00

Crockpot (whole, multi grain) Cereal with Applesauce!

I'm so excited to be participating in Lindsay's blog carnival. I have really gotten into the idea of cooking with my crockpot so her "Nourshing Crockpot Carnival" will be the PERFECT place to find new recipes and ways to incorporate my favorite kitchen gadget!

This week my Tutorial Tuesday is also partly sponsored by Musselman's Applesauce. I wanted to make a nourishing meal with their Natural (unsweetened) applesauce. I've used it many times as a substitute for oil but this time I wanted to incorporate it as a main ingredient.

So, when i could combine Musselman's Applesauce with Tutorial Tuesday AND a blog carnival, then, phew! It couldn't get much better!

Ingredients

Nonstick cooking spray
5 cups water
2.5 cups Natural Musselman's Applesauce (OR your own homemade applesauce, as featured last week on Kelly's tutorial!)
1.5-2 cups dried unsweetened dried fruit (i used raisins)
1 heaping tsp ground ginger*
2 heaping tsp ground cinnamon*
6 Tbl steel-cut oats
6 Tbl wheat bran
1/2 cup long-grain brown rice
1/4 cup pearled barley
3 Tbl yellow cornmeal
2 Tbl flaxseed*
1/4 tsp coarse sea salt*
UPDATED-OH MY!-I CANNOT BELIEVE I FORGOT TO ADD THIS! 1.5 tsp Vanilla. CRUCIAL.

*Note: these are not pictured. Sorry! i always leave something out in my ingredient list pictures!

Usually i buy all of my grains in bulk but this week I'm at my parents' house and not close to my natural food store. Thankfully, I could find almost everything I needed at Publix!

1. Lightly coat the inside of your slow cooker with cooking spray. (I may have gone overboard. I'm not used to seeing my spray show up on a black crockpot as ours at home is white.)

2. Measure out 2.5 cups of applesauce OR conveniently dump the entire container of a 20 oz Musselman's Applesauce jar into a LARGE mixing bowl

3. Add 5 cups of water (yes! that seems like a lot!) and stir to combine

4. Add your dried fruit. I LOVE raisins so I used them and added ~2 cups but you can just use 1.5 cups. Also, feel free to substitute with dried apples, cherries, cranberries, etc--you just don't want to add any dried fruit that is already sweetened. Blech.

5. Add all your grains...this is a lovely picture of the cornmeal:

and here come the steel-cut oats:

6. Add the spices--ginger and cinnamon. NOTE: next time I make this recipe, I'll be adding the spices to the applesauce FIRST and then adding everything else. it was quite hard to stir everything together without it spilling over.

7. Add a dash of sea salt.

8. Pour your mixture into the prepped crockpot

9. Cover and cook on low for 6 hours.

note: i love my parents' crockpot! it automatically shuts off!

10. Wake up!

11. Stir before serving. We added a bit of cold almond milk for added nutrients and to cool and thin the cereal. Feel free to add any other kind of milk or yogurt/kefir, almonds or honey.

12. Feed to your family:

13. and make sure to finish every last spoonful (in other words, a HUGE hit with Cutie Face!):

Side Note: I think this breakfast would be a GREAT way to start your Thanksgiving morning. You'll fill up on some whole grain foods before the "big feast" and, because it is so nutritious, this breakfast meal will stave off hunger until you're ready to dine!

Make sure to head on over to Passionate Homemaking to see more great wholesome slow cooker recipes! I can't wait to add to my recipe arsenal!

I ❤ Faces: Autumnal Beauty!

2009-11-15T22:02:00.003-05:00

As many of my personal blog readers know, i have an insatiable desire to photograph every beautiful tree exhibiting Fall foliage (and yes, Natalie, i included that word just for you!).

I cannot get enough!

Unfortunately, i never included a face amongst the foliage.

An especially big bummer because this week's i ❤ faces theme is Autumn Beauty...but, of course, since it is i-heart-FACES you kind of need a face in the picture.

Thankfully, we visited the Atlanta Botanical Gardens last month and I had just the picture of "my beauty" nestled amongst an autumn backdrop:

Now i just know y'all have a photo capturing Autumn Beauty, too! So don't be afraid--put it on your blog and link up to i ❤ faces this week! At the very least, check out a few of this week's entries!

Winner! Clay by Clay

2009-11-15T21:48:00.003-05:00

Thanks to all of you who entered this past week's giveaway. The responses were phenomenal.

A HUGE thank you to Jessica from Clay by Clay. I hope you all will remember her fabulous Etsy store when doing your holiday shopping (or making your wish lists!)

Without further ado, the winner of her choice of earrings from Clay by Clay is...

MaddyRu, proving that it really does pay to get Monkeys on the Bed! delivered straight to your inbox :)

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

Don't forget to enter this week's giveaway--up for grabs are three handcrafted Etsy products for your holiday entertaining...and, with sooo many entry opportunities, you can really up your chances to win!

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

Mama’s Holiday Wish List

2009-11-14T09:13:00.000-05:00

TodaysMama and Provo Craft are giving away a sleighful of gifts this holiday season and to enter I’m sharing this meme with you.

You should definitely enter, as well! Check out this amazing gift package:

1. What 5 items are on your holiday wish list this year?

I'm going to start BIG: a "real" digital SLR camera so I can be like all the cool kids at i ❤ faces

Sunglasses--the cheap kind--i always lose mine but i still need a pair!
Clearly I lose a lot of things because i also lost my Garmin Forerunner (which i use for running, racing, and training). I'd actually love the Polar version of it, instead, so i could use it indoors as well.
An iron. I'm not one of those girls who would be offended by a gift like this because our iron is deplorable and our clothes are the proof!
Someone to move us into our new apartment. I don't want to pack and unpack and move! ugh...

2. What is your favorite handmade gift you have received?

Well, technically, my daughter received it but she was so young that it felt like a gift to me! It was this gorgeously intricate and well-thought-out "busy book" that my twin made. She is so crafty!

3. What handmade gift have you always wanted to tackle?

I'd love to learn how to make gorgeous baby booties and shoes to give as gifts to new moms.

4. What was the best Christmas gift you received as a child?

This is such a tough question! Every year I wanted a puppy and I never got one...but one year I did get a HUGE Mutsy stuffed animal that I loved and still love!

5. What items are on your kid’s wish list this year?

Cutie Face is so little that she doesn't have a wish list but she seems to be infatuated with Elmo (despite never watching him on TV she has an Elmo toothpaste tube that she loves!)

She also loves playing with babies and being their mama so we are putting a baby crib and a baby feeding set, etc., on her wish list.

6. What is your favorite holiday food?

Anything with cranberries and/or squash/sweet potatoes. I make a dish that incorporates all of that and it is my favorite thing to eat!

7. What will you be hand-crafting for the holidays?

That is a secret! My family reads this blog! Let's just say that I got a few ideas from this website...

8. What is your favorite holiday movie?

I actually get annoyed by quite a few of the traditional movies that most people like. There is this one 1970's movie that my mom loves and that I really like, too. It is so sad but so sweet--The Gathering with Ed Asner and Maureen Stapleton

9. Favorite holiday song?

I'll go traditional: O Come O Come Emmanuel (especially Bebo Norman's version!)

10. Favorite holiday pastime?

I love decorating our tree and throwing a Christmas party. We used to do it every year when we lived in Boston but our apartment just isn't big enough to do that now that we live in Atlanta. Hopefully we can do it next year!

CLOSED: Fab Friday Giveaway: Homegoods for the Holidays!

2009-11-13T09:45:00.008-05:00

This week I am so excited to announce that THREE wonderful Etsy women are participating in our Fab Friday Giveaway. That means that one lucky winner will win THREE Etsy prizes! Yay!

The prizes will be coming from:

H & J Star Creations

Custom Designs by Nancy

and

TableScapes Company

Let me introduce you to these generous ladies and then we'll move on to their awesome giveaways!

First up is Judy from H & J Star Creations. Judy is a mom to two teenagers and one golden retriever. In all her "spare time" between being a Work-at-home-mom, Judy works part time at a social service non-profit.

She started Etsy as a way to use my fabric stash, but then discovered how much she like fabric, and just couldn't stop buying or making! (I definitely know how addictive that can be which is why I don't shop :) But, thankfully, Judy didn't stop because now we can all buy her fabulous creations on her Etsy store H & J Star Creations.

Everything she sells is incredibly beautiful AND affordable, especially considering how much time and effort each piece takes. Check out a few of my favorite items in H & J Star Creations

This Messenger Bag rocks! It is only $28 and spacious enough to carry all your daily needs

These Pretty-in-Pink keyfobs are only $6 each and 15% of that goes toward Breast Cancer Research!

and i LOVE this cosmetic bag that can also double as a wallet or handy holder for miscellaneous goodies in your purse. For $7.50 that is a STEAL!

⍟⍟⍟⍟⍟⍟⍟⍟⍟⍟

Up next is Custom Designs by Nancy. Nancy started her Etsy store much like many other people--by making her items for friends and family. She was, unfortunately, laid off from her job in January 2009 but her cousin-in-law had the perfect suggestion--that she start selling her wares on etsy. Custom Designs by Nancy has 8 sales so far but with over 30 items for sale she is sure to quickly boost that number!

You can also find Nancy on her blog, My Heart and Mind.

Nancy likes to be creative and let the fabric speak to her about what it wants to be - a tablecloth, an apron, a comfroter, a pillow, etc.--the options are endless!

The following are Nancy's current top sellers!

Aprons (only $10!): well made and sooo afordable! Perfect gifts!

catnip pillows ($.025 or 5/$1!): awesome for the cat lover in your life--and you can't beat her incredibly low price!

and lavendar sachets ($2.50): perfect for stocking stuffers or just buying for yourself to keep your drawers smelling divine!

⍟⍟⍟⍟⍟⍟⍟⍟⍟⍟

Finally, we have Heather from the TableScapes Company. Heather is another Work-at-home-Mommy to a a young toddler that keeps her very busy when she is not making napkins. In fact, she had hoped to start making tablecloths and table runners by now, but knows she'll get there one day!

Heather first heard about Etsy after reading about it in a magazine--she was completely impressed with the idea of a site that only sold handmade items. Heather had already been making napkins for a year when she decided to join Etsy. She loves creating napkins; her favorite ones that she has made are the horses pattern napkin because of the colors and the contrasting sides.

Here are some of my favorites:

Gorgeous light blue + brown formal dinner napkins (large enough for making into cool napkin designs)

The most adorable camping napkins designed to fit in your child's lunchbox ($10 for 10)!

Reindeer Napkins--perfect for entertaining this winter!

⍟⍟⍟⍟⍟⍟⍟⍟⍟⍟

Phew! Did you get through all of that? Good! Because here comes the giveaway!
One lucky winner* will win:

a Wine Bag from H & J Star Creations
an apron of your choice from Custom Designs by Nancy
and napkins of your choice (worth up to $15) from TableScapes Company

YAY!

*the winner must have a USA or Canadian mailing address as we cannot ship internationally. Sorry!

WINNER:

Tj and Amy said... 14: from h and j I love the Pumpkin Dots Boxy Pouch Set.

Congratulations, Amy!

Thankful Thursday: sunny days!

2009-11-12T18:10:00.002-05:00

It is Thursday and y'all know what that means! i'd love it if you chimed in with what you are thankful for this week! These are just a few of the things I'm thankful for this week...

1. The SUN! It was only gone since Tuesday but Cutie Face and I really missed it!

2. My very thoughtful mother-in-law sent Cutie Face and I a little care package complete with a really neat coolmax Hillsdale College Sweatshirt. I've worn it every morning to take the chill off. Love it!

3. a PERFECT Saturday--J + Cutie Face + I ran a road race (and we each won an award!), went to a festival, and had gorgeous 70 degree weather

4. Celebrating the imminent arrival of my twin's new baby at last weekend's baby shower

5. I'm thankful that I signed up in time to participate in the 2009 Bloggers' Ornament Exchange! It sounds like so much fun--and if you want to sign up, the deadline is TOMORROW so click on the button below to find out more:

6. I cannot express enough how thankful I am for J's love and support. He is the best!

7. The sweet mothering tendencies that Cutie Face is beginning to exhibit.

W.o.G. Wednesday: Jeremiah 1:19

2009-11-11T09:20:00.003-05:00

Jeremiah 1:19

"They will fight against you but will not overcome you, for I am with you and will rescue you," declares the LORD.

Today (many) Americans will celebrate Veterans Day. My cousin is currently serving overseas as a Ranger in the Army.

He is not only serving our country, though--he is a strong warrior for God's kingdom and shares passionately about the Gospel and his faith.

I am so proud of him on many levels and even more proud to call him family!

Tutorial Tuesday: Fun with Leaves!

2009-11-10T19:25:00.001-05:00

Leaves! I LOVE them!

I cannot wait until we have a yard one day and can pile a big bunch of them for Cutie Face to jump into. I remember how much fun the twin and I had with leaf piles...but, since we don't currently have a yard, I still wanted Cutie Face to have fun with the gorgeous autumnal leaves that are blanketing our parks and sidewalks.

I wanted to get really creative with this project and make animal shapes out of leaves, like so:

Sadly, I can't think outside an original shape so I settled on making a leaf crown and a leaf mask for Cutie Face.

What I came up with is certainly not original nor creative! Oh well! I'll still share our little project.

Side note I think this would be an EXCELLENT project for young kids that are old enough to help--they could get really into it. Cutie Face is a bit too young to be a helper (she'd more likely be a destroyer) but I think that next year this project would be really fun for her to create.

Start by collecting pretty leaves--this is the part that Cutie Face helped me with. I loved the bright reds and yellows and oranges and mainly found them at the base of maple trees. Oak leaves aren't bad either, though!

Once you've collected enough leaves, you need to press them so that they'll be nice and flat and easier to work with. I chose to use a book that hasn't seen much light of day since J's law school days:

Basically you just want something heavy! I placed leaves throughout the book, making sure that the edges of each leaf lay flat. You can definitely place blotting paper in between the leaf and the page to get the moisture out more quickly but (this book at least) seemed to work well without any extra paper layers.

I let our leaves hang out in books (with really heavy books on top of them for added pressure!) for ~2-3 days.

Once you are ready to make your project, carefully retrieve your leafs--they should be flattened and "crisper" (not sure if that is the actual word i'm going for but hopefully you know what i mean!)

Leaf Mask:

To make the mask, I cut a strip of poster board out and then cut out two eye holes and a nose indent.

Side note: I actually did NOT line it up with Cutie Face's face before I did this--I guesstimated and it worked out just fine! After staring at your child's face for every minute of the day I guess you just get a good idea of where their eyes and nose are :)

Strategically place your leaves around the eye holes and nose area. You want it to be really leafy so fill in those white gaps as much as possible!

Once everything was placed, I used Rubber Cement to glue each leaf down. I also glued some leaves on top of each other to fill in the white areas.

Feel free to cut out the leaf parts that were invading your eye holes--you want your kiddo to be able to see!

I then tapered the edges of the mask, like so:

Since my posterboard wasn't long enough to wrap around Cutie Face's head, I cut a strip of elastic headband material to close the gap.

The important thing to remember about elastic is that it stretches so make sure you cut a smaller piece than you really need!

I didn't have a stapler so I used tape to keep the elastic pieces in place. Tape held it together surprisingly well, even when Cutie Face tugged on it quite a bit.

Leaf Crown:

I wanted to make a finial maple leaf crown--J kept talking about how cool they were but I couldn't find the patience (or the creativity!) to do that so I just stuck my leaves on another strip of posterboard like so:

Don't forget to place them and then glue them after you've found the perfect order. Your kiddos should have a lot of fun designing and figuring out where each leaf would look best.

Just like the leaf mask, I taped a piece of elastic headband material to the sides.

The finished leaf crown:

the finished leaf mask:

and the crown and masks from the back:

Sadly, Cutie Face wanted NOTHING to do with either finished project so we put them on poor, unsuspecting lambie:

obviously, the eye holes were not designed for him!

Lambie was a good sport, though, and wore his crown with pride:

Well, he does look a little "sheepish" but he is a lamb afterall!

There are SO many other great leaf projects out there...check them out!

Great leaf ideas (like the first leaf project pictured above) and great ways to turn this craft into a learning experience can be found at Blissfully Domestic.
You can find a MUCH cooler mask tutorial than mine--it actually puts mine to shame so i hesitate sharing it :) Check it out, though--so fun!
My bloggy friend, Christine, came up with a great idea for an harvest placemat activity with her boys
To be truly leaf-inspired, check out Lois Ehlert's gorgeous works of art using leaves!

I ❤ Faces: Thankfulness!

2009-11-09T00:18:00.001-05:00

Each month the women behind i ❤ faces take a week off from judging photos and give us participants a chance to share our story through photos.

This month they've themed their "off-week" as "Thankfulness".

i will start by saying that I am so thankful for Amazing Grace {that saved a wretch like me}! That one gift alone is enough to be thankful for but I am blessed by so many other things, too!

I am thankful that I have a whole list of blog posts on Thankfulness--if you are new here, i write a "Thankful Thursday" blog post every week. It keeps things in perspective and encourages me to be thankful for small and mighty things.

Despite keeping a weekly record of Thanks there are definitely a few that make the list every week.

You already heard my #1

And here are the next Top 10 things i'm continually thankful for:

J

(taken 8 years ago!)

Cutie Face

(8 days old and off to church!)

Family {extended and immediate but, especially, my twin!}

(when we were itty bitty babes!)

Running

(first marathon with the twin!)

God's beautiful creation

(rose gardens, Portland, OR)

Worshiping God with friends through Bible studies and church services

(Sweet friends at CBS Bible study)

Traveling

(In Spain, pre-baby)

Blog connections and friends!

Candy

in front of a Candy store

Animals, particularly, Churchill and Margaret Thatcher {aka, Maggie}

Now I KNOW you all are thankful, too, so create your own thankful post and hop on over to i❤faces to share it with others!

Fabulous Friday Giveaway: Clay by Clay

2009-11-06T09:53:00.004-05:00

Jessica Clay is the creative mastermind behind the gorgeous pieces of jewelery found in her new Etsy store Clay by Clay (started just two months ago!). Her store is creatively named Clay by Clay because she mainly works with metal and polymer clay. Jessica is a self taught artist but she loves learning from others online and taking classes when she can.

By day, Jessica is a lawyer but by night she is a crafter. After spending five years as an {overworked!} litigator, she decided she needed a change that would let her have a life outside work and to start a family. So Jessica changed jobs to work for a judge and started working on her jewelry in her new-found free time.

Jessica's inspiration comes mostly from the nature around her home in Minnesota. Despite living only a few miles from the interstate, Jessica and her husband regularly see deer, raccoons, rabbits, and fox. She says it is really strange seeing a group of deer crossing the street next to the gas station and a couple of blocks from the mall--I can't imagine!

Jessica loves working on simple earrings that can complement any outfit and can really be worn everyday. She also loves to make pieces texturized with real leaves from her neighborhood (although that will have to wait for awhile now that all the leaves have died!).

I am in awe of Jessica's talent and cannot believe what she can turn polymer and metal clay into--it is astounding! I hope you enjoyed learning a bit more about Jessica and seeing her incredibly neat creations.

Want it right now? Buy it!

Jessica is offering free shipping for Monkeys on the Bed! readers from now until November 14. Make sure you shop Clay by Clay before her offer expires. Please mention "Monkeys on the Bed" in the notes to seller page and she'll refund your your shipping charges.

Want to try your luck? Win it!

Jessica is generously offering one Monkeys on the Bed! reader her (or his!) choice of earrings. YAY!

How can you win?

Mandatory first entry: Please visit Jessica's Etsy store, Clay by Clay, and pick out which earring set you'd choose if you won. You MUST leave a comment with your answer or none of your other entries will be valid.

Want Extra Entries?
for each extra entry, please leave a separate comment. All extras are worth 1 entry each unless otherwise noted

Become a fan of Clay by Clay on Facebook
Heart or Favorite Clay by Clay on Etsy
Tweet about this giveaway (1x/day), referencing my account (@monkeysonthebed) and linking to the giveaway. You MUST leave me the URL for your tweet! For a fast tweet, feel free to use this message:

Win a gorgeous pair of earrings from the Etsy Store Clay by Clay on @monkeysonthebed http://bit.ly/2sS7Jj

Be a subscriber or PUBLIC follower (or both!) of Monkeys on the Bed!
Subscribe to my email feed (<---see left column). You must CONFIRM your subscription for this entry to be valid--2 entries!
Buy something from Clay by Clay (don't forget your free shipping!). 10 (yes TEN!) entries!
Blog about this giveaway, linking to this giveaway AND to Clay by Clay 5 entries! Please leave me your URL linking to your blog post

The fine print:

This giveaway is open to the residents of the USA and Canada, aged 18 and older. The giveaway will end on Saturday, November 14. You must leave the mandatory comment before receiving extra entries. You must leave a way for me to contact you with each entry! I will draw a winner via a Random Integer Generator and announce the winner on this blog and email the winner as well. If the winner does not reply to me within 48 hours, I will draw a second winner. I reserve the right to delete your entry if you do not follow the rules listed above.

Thankful Thursday: on time!

2009-11-05T21:42:00.003-05:00

Today has been an extremely looooong day and I NEED this post to remind me that, in reality, I have a LOT to be thankful for. I might be finding super small things to be thankful for this week but it is often the small things that count, right?

1) All the stores near us are completely sold out of candy corn...which means i have stayed true to my hopes of not buying any more :0 (see, i told you these thankful things would be small!)

2) We received 60 free photos and 3 free Christmas cards from Shutterfly and 30 free Christmas cards from Kodak Gallery! Woohoo! Getting some of our Christmas cards ready so far in advance is a huge bonus!
3) Being featured on the fun blog, Mama Notes. Thanks, Samantha!

4) A free ride on the Pink Pig today at Macy's! Thanks to Children's Healthcare of Atlanta for the ticket and preview and party...and make sure you check out {life with} Cutie Face for a fully-featured post!

5) Finally being able to attend our church's service this coming Sunday--we have either been out of town or working in the nursey so we can't wait to finally listen to our pastor speak "live" (as opposed to streaming from our podcast!)
6) A chance to hang out with the twin and cousin R while at the Pink Pig!

7) Cutie Face's Grandpa (and my father-in-law) came to visit for a few hours on Tuesday and gave us some really cute shots of Cutie Face to use for our Christmas cards! Yay! (and all i have to say is...what a difference a REAL camera makes! check out that quality!)
8) That, when Cutie Face finally (and I mean...FINALLY) fell asleep in the car on our way to the Pink Pig, she actually stayed asleep while i made a quick stop at Babies 'R' Us...despite being transported into the shopping cart and back into the car seat...which means she actually got a 40 minute nap today! (yes, that really is her in the stroller)

9) Our neighborhood Yahoo! Group is so incredibly helpful and generous! Today I bought two great kiddo toys for Cutie Face for uber cheap--a Little People dollhouse and an incredibly vintage Little Tikes' Washer and Dryer (+ironing board) set. So fun! I love recycling toys--so eco (both in the ECOnomical and ECOfriendly sense)

Note: this is not my photo...i left the toy at my parents' house so that the cousins could have another fun thing to play with while visiting Mimi and Poppy!

I'd LOVE to hear what you are thankful for this week!

W.o.G. Wednesday: Joel 2:22-24

2009-11-04T00:06:00.000-05:00

In lieu of posting my normal Word of God Wednesday, I am participating in Word-Filled Wednesdays for the first time. I hope I'm doing it right! Thanks so much to Kelly for letting me know about this neat linky!

I do want to share more of Joel chapter 2--so encouraging and a book of the Bible that often gets overlooked! How great is this passage?

Joel 2:18-27*

¹⁸ Then the LORD was jealous for his land
and took pity on his people.
¹⁹ The LORD replied ^[a] to them:
"I am sending you grain, new wine and olive oil,
enough to satisfy you fully;
never again will I make you
an object of scorn to the nations.
²⁰ "I will drive the northern horde far from you,
pushing it into a parched and barren land;
its eastern ranks will drown in the Dead Sea
and its western ranks in the Mediterranean Sea.
And its stench will go up;
its smell will rise."
Surely he has done great things!
²¹ Do not be afraid, land of Judah;
be glad and rejoice.
Surely the LORD has done great things!
²² Do not be afraid, you wild animals,
for the pastures in the wilderness are becoming green.
The trees are bearing their fruit;
the fig tree and the vine yield their riches.
²³ Be glad, people of Zion,
rejoice in the LORD your God,
for he has given you
the autumn rains in righteousness.
He sends you abundant showers,
both autumn and spring rains, as before.
²⁴ The threshing floors will be filled with grain;
the vats will overflow with new wine and oil.
²⁵ "I will repay you for the years the locusts have eaten—
the great locust and the young locust,
the other locusts and the locust swarm —
my great army that I sent among you.
²⁶ You will have plenty to eat, until you are full,
and you will praise the name of the LORD your God,
who has worked wonders for you;
never again will my people be shamed.
²⁷ Then you will know that I am in Israel,
that I am the LORD your God,
and that there is no other;
never again will my people be shamed.

*all emphasis mine!

To find more Word-filled Wednesdays, please visit Penny's blog

Tutorial Tuesday: preview of next week!

2009-11-03T15:39:00.002-05:00

Next week's

Tutorial Tuesday

Will be using...

beautiful fall foliage leaves

so make sure you collect some for our special project!

And this week's tutorial tuesday will be coming once we finally come in from the glorious 70 degree fall day weather we've been enjoying today! Until then...

Tutorial Tuesday: Disappearing Ginger Cookies

2009-11-03T09:08:00.000-05:00

Take note: If you only decide to make one of my tutorials THIS TUTORIAL IS THE ONE YOU MUST MAKE! Seriously, your friends, family, and complete strangers will thank you for making this recipe and then they'll ask you to make it again (and again and again).

okay. I'm off my little soapbox. But seriously...you need to make these "Disappearing" Ginger Cookies. And this is what you need:

4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
4 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cloves (feel free to make it rounded for extra spice! Delicious!)
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups shortening (ie Crisco)
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup molasses
3/4 cups coarse sugar or decorating sugar (granulated sugar can be used as a substitute and this is what i almost always use!)

1) I am not a huge fan of shortening but man oh man are these cookies worth it. So don't be afraid to dive on in and just start using it.

Measure the shortening (getting all the bubbles out of the measuring cup--you want all the shortening this recipe calls for!)

2) Put the shortening and sugar in a mixer and allow it to whip until fluffy

You want it to look like this when it is done:

3) While that is whipping into a fine fluff, measure out your dry ingredients, starting with the flour

and then adding the spices, salt, etc.

4) Thoroughly combine those dry ingredients

5) now that you've beaten your shortening and sugar and combined your dry ingredients, ADD the eggs and mix well.

6) then add the molasses. I use the same measuring cup as the cup I used for my shortening--that way the molasses slides out of the measuring cup a little more easily and then you get more molasses goodness in the cookies.

7) Blend well, until it looks like this:

8) Now it is time to combine the flour mixture to the molasses goo. Do this SLOWLY, ensuring that the flour is mixed in well before you decide to add more flour...

9) Your dough should now look like this:

10) Once your dough is ready, chill it. This step is not a necessity but I've found that the cookies taste better after they've chilled overnight. They still taste GREAT if you don't follow this step so don't worry. (PS Don't mind my glucose drink or the rest of the fridge!)

11) When you are ready to make the cookies, keep in mind taht these cookies are designed to be BIG...some might even say GIANT. So break out your 2 tbl scoop (I use a coffee ground scooper)

12) Roll the dough into a ball and then place it in the bowl of coarse/decorative/granulated sugar

and roll it around until completely covered:

13) Space evenly on a cookie sheet and bake at 350 for 12-14 minutes. If you like chewy cookies (like J does) then make sure that you do not bake for any longer than that--these cookies will firm up after they come out of the oven.

14) Don't forget to take a picture of your finished product...we almost forgot until we got to the last cookie!

Enjoy! These cookies will disappear before you know it!

I ❤ Faces: Balloons!

2009-11-01T19:58:00.007-05:00

I hope you all have recovered nicely from your Halloween festivities. Once I finish my current bag of candy corn, I'm swearing it off until next year. Besides, I have to pass a pregnancy glucose test in two weeks :-0

Speaking of Halloween festivities, I was blown away by last week's I ❤ Faces winning entries were incredible! I hope you all had a chance to look at them this weekend--so creative. (check them out here if you missed their post)

Moving on to this week...the theme is balloons! Not satisfied with my current selection of balloon photos (of which there are plenty, trust me, since Cutie Face is a humongo fan of balloons), I decided to turn a rainy Tuesday afternoon into the perfect day for a photoshoot.

Cutie Face and I headed to CVS on Tuesday (but you can read more about that on our family blog here), bought some balloons, and then spent the next hour blowing them up. Well, she didn't blow them up (though she tried which definitely scared me--choking hazards!).

Turns out the only balloons available were water balloons.

So they're small.

And not so durable.

But, we finally had enough to cover her crib mattress so in went Cutie Face and on went the camera...3,000 clicks later*, i finally had a decent one which you can now view here...

as J said, "Well, it isn't a winner but at least she's cute!":

Don't forget to head on over to I ❤ Faces to see more balloon entries! They're sure to BLOW you away (yay! i love puns!)

*PS I also love hyperboles.

Featured Follower: Denise from Whimsy Couture

2009-10-31T16:10:00.001-04:00

Way back in June, I met a great crafty and creative mom named Denise. I learned she was also incredibly generous when she offered to sponsor a giveaway through her Etsy Store, Whimsy Couture.

After earning a degree in business management, Denise realized her true passion was designing. She began creating Barbie dresses and then began making things for pets of all kinds! In September of 2004 her first child was born so she turned her love of designing doll and pet cloths to baby clothes.

Want to know how she came up with the fun name for her store? Denise's favorite things to make are anything whimsical! She loves appliques, ruffles, and mixing fabrics. But, you will also find very classic, timeless garments in solid colors in Whimsy Couture.

Denise mainly sells her clothing patterns but she also sells some of her custom creations. I was super happy to win one off of her blog earlier this month--an adorable Halloween Romper for Cutie Face to wear on all her Fall/Halloween outings.

We wore that romper out but Cutie Face still asks for it--seriously, she loves that dress so much that if she isn't begging to wear it she is dragging it around the house like a security blanket and loving on it.

You can see millions of pictures of Cutie Face in this outfit on our family blog (esp. this post!)

Make sure you check out Denise's fun blog (full of giveaways and crafty how-tos!).

And, as always, feel free to sign up to be a Featured Follower (just submit your information in the spreadsheet found at the bottom of this post)

I'm dreaming of a...

2009-10-30T20:12:00.000-04:00

Strong Cup of Coffee

Somewhere along J's grad school journey, i became a coffee lover. I think i grew to love it during my office days--it was like becoming part of the tribe and participating in a daily, worldwide ritual. I loved it so much that I continued my tradition much past my working days--a strong cup of coffee was great when Cutie Face was a newborn and I cannot wait to get my old "fix" from it again in 3 months when Cutie Face #2 is born!

The fabulous Nicole over at Ramblings by Nicole awarded me this cute award on Monday.

There are many blogs that I consider strong enough to wake me up in the morning and keep me going all day long...if only i had enough time in the morning to get to my Google Reader!

I tend to read my Google Reader 3x a week (hence my sporadic comments on y'all's blogs...but i do read...just not as quickly as I wish i could!) but if I did read my Google Reader blogs every morning, everything y'all write would keep me going and going and going....

instead of passing along this blog award to just a few people, i'm going to take a page from Melissa.

May I boldly suggest that you peek over at the right hand column --->

and check out the 5 most recent blogs updated in these categories:

People I ❤ in Real Life
Super Favorite Bloggy Pals
Incredibly Awesome Crafty Blogs
Baby and Cloth Diaper Blogs
And feel free to grab the cute coffee button!

Thankful Thursday: late again but we're still thankful!

2009-10-29T15:30:00.003-04:00

I really like waiting until the end of Thursday to write my Thankful Thursday post...just in case i'd miss anything that would make the list! The problem with that is that I procrastinate on it until the time i go to bed and then i do it on Friday...like today!

Anyway, here is what I'm most thankful for this week!

1) Cutie Face LOVES loves LOVES eating vegetables, especially green ones (peas, green beans, broccoli and avocado--though that is technically a fruit!). She especially loves my green smoothies. I am so happy we don't have to figure out how to get her to eat those kind of foods...we'll see what #2 thinks about them!

2) We received our Gro Baby Biosoaker package in the mail yesterday! YAY for free cloth diaper fluff! I'll be posting a review of the biosoakers soon...so stay tuned.

3) Gorgeous fall days on Wednesday and Thursday (we went to the park...check it out)
4) Time with cousins! (on Sunday and Wednesday)

5) Whole Foods let us return our rotten pumpkin for a new pumpkin! I am thinking about re-doing my tutorial so that at least it can be complete...stay tuned for that, too. (check out what else we did that day...)

6) J and I were finally able to attend our church's community group last night--we haven't been able to go because Cutie Face was one big ball of green snotty cough goodness...and we didn't want to get the other babes sick. Thankfully, she is {mostly} over the phlegm snottiness and we felt she was safe to take to group. it was wonderful to experience that kind of fellowship again.

7) The best surprise package in the mail from Melissa! (i know i already blogged about that but it happened this week and i'm still thankful!)

8) I won a package of Bumpy Name Labels from the blog Nanny Deprived (cute name!) and they came yesterday! Cutie Face liked them...as a bracelet. I think they are adorable and I can't wait to go somewhere so i can put a label on her sippy cup!

9) date night--tonight! J and I haven't had a date night in more than a month! So sad. We used to take a date night every Thursday but with Cutie Face being sick and J working ridiculously late, that was a no-go. We can't wait to hang out just the two of us for some dedicated couple time.

10) Free Bagel Fridays at Einstein Bros Bagels! AND they have pumpkin bagels. Divine. This offer is good until next week so make sure you print a coupon and get to Einsteins before 11 AM next Friday for your free bagel.
10) Strategically placed Port-a-Potties on the way home from Einstein Bros...a pregnant woman ALWAYS has to go and i, for one, have no shame in using a construction crew's!

11) Etsy GIVEAWAYS! on MY BLOG! Yes! I know you haven't seen an Etsy Giveaway on my blog in AGES but that is changing next week! Get excited! I'm very thankful for the Etsyians who are offering their products as gifts to one lucky reader. I think you'll like what they sell and are giving away.

If you are on Etsy and want me to host a giveaway, just contact me!

What are you thankful for this week?

W.o.G. Wednesday: Isaiah 29:13

2009-10-28T21:47:00.002-04:00

Can you tell that Isaiah is one of my favorite books in the Bible? I hope you're not getting tired of this prophet's messages--i can't get enough of them!

While working on my {failed} Tutorial Tuesday post this week, I had the extreme privilege of listening to one of my favorite pastors speak online. His name is Mark Ashton and he is the lead pastor at St. Andrew the Great in Cambridge, UK. J and I recently received their newsletter and were stunned to hear that Mark has terminal pancreatic cancer. We both grew so much under his teaching so it was wonderful to be able to hear his sermon from earlier this month, "Turning Things the Right Way Up" (<--that link takes you directly to his audio sermon), derived from Isaiah 28:1-29:24. While I was carving away (or not), i was stopped cold by what Mark said halfway through the sermon. He brought the listeners back to the one of the main verses in the passage:

Isaiah 29:13

The Lord says:
"These people come near to me with their mouth
and honor me with their lips,
but their hearts are far from me.
Their worship of me
is made up only of rules taught by men.

Then he repeated: "their hearts are far from me"

Because what he said next really resonated with me, I transcribed it below so that I would have it for easy reference. Many many times I feel like this is where I stand before God--going through the motions but not living for Him with my entire heart. I so absolutely needed this reminder and convicting sermon.

anyway, here is what Mark had to say:

See, God knows the human heart. He knows every heart present in this building. At this moment. And He knows where each of us stand in relation to Him. I don't know where you stand but God knows exactly, absolutely exactly, where you stand before Him at this moment in your life.

Mark then elaborated about the weeks before finding out he had cancer. His friend advised him that his poor feelings were from taking too much Ibuprofen. Mark finally went to hospital for gall bladder surgery. When he came to after the surgery, the surgeon told him that he had cancer.

Despite not knowing the surgeon and not particularly liking what the surgeon had to say, Mark believed that the surgeon was right, and not his friend. Why? Because the surgeon had been inside him. He had taken photos of his liver to prove it so there was no question who Mark would trust.

okay...back to the transcript:

Would you believe me that God has been inside you and He knows exactly where you stand? That is why you and I need to accept His warning to us. He knows the human heart; better than you know it yourself. God is like that. That is why we should believe him about the human condition; even our religion doesn't fool Him for a moment. It might fool our family and friends but it doesn't fool God. He knows exactly where we stand and he alone can deal with the heart of yours and mine.

So...that's my W.o.G. post for this week, courtesy of Mark Ashton. A challenge for me, to be certain! May I not be found performing "lip service" to my Savior but, instead, be found with a heart CLOSE to Him.

Tutorial Tuesday: How to carve a Pumpkin

2009-10-27T09:18:00.003-04:00

Last Tuesday, J, Cutie Face and I went pumpkin pickin' at Whole Foods. It was great and all their giant carving pumpkins were only $4. Cutie Face loved waking up every morning and greeting the pumpkin with a kiss. It was cute.

A few days ago, I noticed this weird odor. I really thought it was a stagnant smell since we had recently closed our windows due to the "cold" snap in Atlanta. I wrote it off as that and never thought about it again.

..until it came time for me to work on my Tutorial Tuesday last night...

I went over to the Pumpkin that Cutie Face had been kissing all week and touched the top. COMPLETELY SOFT. Disgustingly soft. Like ROTTEN soft.

Well, that at least explained the smell. At least it wasn't us!

I quickly took the rotten giant squash and deposited it in our apartment hallway (maybe not a great move since this morning our whole apartment now smells of rotted pumpkin flesh). Take a look at what one hour of sitting in the hallway did to the pumpkin--its top completely caved in--SICK

Sadly, though, this meant that there was no large pumpkin to carve for y'all...but there was the pie pumpkin that Cutie Face received from the blabla party. So, i thought, why not? it is essentially the same, just smaller proportions and thicker flesh.

ehh, true...but not at all the same level of ease!

I sheepishly admit that i gave up halfway through. BUT I'm here to still give you the essentials of carving a GREAT pumpkin. I really love carving pumpkins and making new designs so here are some tips!

1) Find a pattern that you like or create your own...i've made lots of different patterns in the past. These are some important tips to remember when creating your own:

Whatever you carve out of your pumpkin will be illuminated. (yes, this is obvious)
You can carve your pumpkin to have up to 4 tones of color: black (the pumpkin skin+flesh--nothing carved), white/yellow (the inner pumpkin, illuminated by the candle/light), light orange (where you scrape the pumpkin skin and the pumpkin flesh so that a thin layer remains), dark orange (where you leave more skin and flesh intact but still scrape away some so that light shines through)
Your patterns will always be the negative of the image you're trying to produce. This is why i take an image and immediately turn it into black and white and then make it a negative--you can do this with any photo editing tool. I used picnik.
ALL pattern shapes must be connected to the edge of the pumpkin, or, obviously, they will be disconnected and fall in the pumpkin!

2) THEN find a pumpkin that fits that pattern.

We bought our BIG rotten pumpkin for the purpose of a specific pattern but this pie pumpkin definitely wasn't cut out to do the same.

which is why i had to cut the pattern apart and space it to fit on the pie pumpkin, like so:

3) Once you have your pumpkin, give it a good scrub on the outside so that it is clean.

4) Now you need an opening in the pumpkin to scrape out the innards. I like to create the opening on the bottom of the pumpkin so it looks clean up top. In order to cut out a hole, i draw a pumpkin shape--the little lip/stem helps you realign the two pieces properly once you are finished

5) Cut out the hole with a knife--i think serrated edges work the best. Also, make sure that you pierce the knife all the way into the inside of the pumpkin so that it is easier to pull out the section when finished. (Note--all cutting and uses of knives are ADULT-ONLY parts of the tutorial!)

6) Use the knife as a lever to remove the cut-out section

revealing yummy pepitas!

7) Pull out all the seeds and then start scraping the flesh. I like to concentrate on the side where the pattern will be--no need to hollow out the pumpkin where you aren't carving!

KEEP SCRAPING. Pie pumpkins have lots of flesh (which is why they are good for making pies!) but you have to scrape the wall of the pumpkin to death before it is easy enough to carve!

8) Once you are finished scraping the flesh, clean up the pumpkin again (outside and inside) so that you can get ready to carve it!

9) Securely place your pattern on the pumpkin--make sure that you strategically place the pins on the pattern--you don't want superfluous pin marks! Clearly, this tutorial was doomed because I didn't have anything to hold the pattern in place except for safety pins! Ahhhhhh. I think that sewing pins or even tacks work well.

I removed the monkeys since they'd get in the way but you probably won't have to do this if you pick the proper pumpkin for the pattern!

10) Prick the edges of the pattern that you will be cutting out with a sharp pin.

Continue "pinning" until you have the pattern outlined

11) Now for another ADULT ONLY part of the tutorial--using a sharp utensil, cut out the pattern you just traced with your pin (if you have a delicate pattern or a small needle point, feel free to outline the pattern with a washable pen or pencil...like i had to do!)

12) i managed to accomplish the cutting of the "monkeys" but then J came home around 10:30, found that i had been working on this lovely project since 7:30 and ordered me to stop.

He was wise.

With a larger pumpkin (and, thus, a larger pattern), this carving session would not have been as difficult. I fully believe in your capabilities and hope you have fun carving your Halloween pumpkin this week!

So blessed by YOU!

2009-10-26T16:11:00.002-04:00

Many times throughout the week I think, "I should give up my blog."

I feel like i'm either a little obsessed with it or, if i've been slacking on it, i feel guilty and stressed. Not exactly what i thought i'd feel when starting a blog.

But then there are these AWESOME days when i get to connect with all of you and when we share pieces of our lives together. Whether you just read or you comment, your presence is very encouraging!

Today was one of those not-feeling-bloggy days. Cutie Face took more than an hour to fall asleep and then woke up 40 minutes later. i was tired and frustrated.

So we went to check the mail--usually a good pick-me-up!

Lo and behold, not only had the mail arrived but a care package of sorts had made it all the way to my door from the UK! Melissa from The Gill Family Adventures read that I LOVED Jelly Babies (a UK gummy treat) and sent them, along with some delish chocolate and toffee, straight to my door.

I cannot tell you how much this little package made my day and changed my attitude (kind of a wake up call to realize how poor my attitude was prior!)

Needless to say, Cutie Face wanted to know what could make me so happy so I decided to share some love with her, too. Her first taste of chocolate, directly from the UK and nothing but the best--Cadbury fruit and nut!

So thank you, Melissa, and thank you, all of you for your daily encouragement!

I hope I can encourage you, too, and am kind of thinking that a Christmas 2009 Care Package exchange system might be one way to do it...thoughts?

I ❤ Faces: Halloween Dress-Up!

2009-10-25T22:45:00.006-04:00

Angie and Amy sure know how to properly time their themes on i❤faces--this past Saturday Cutie Face had THREE Halloween-oriented events to attend.

I was very excited to get the perfect picture of her in her cute Kittie outfit. And I knew that if that failed, we'd at least be able to get cute pictures of kids from playgroup or from the other parties. Sure enough, I failed at getting a cute one of Cutie Face...although this one was decent (click here to see it).

Regardless, a total stranger won out, as I really loved the focus and concentration this cute little ~~ballerina fairy~~ err, Tinker Bell (thanks Mindy, for reminding me who this cutie was dressed as!) gave to making her pumpkin perfect. While Cutie Face played with playdough for the first time, I watched this little girl work and work on decorating her pumpkin. Too cute!

and...just when you thought you got rid of me until next week's i❤faces entry...

we get a BONUS entry for dressed-up pets!

I used to dress Churchill up in outfits all the time (hey, it was cold in Boston and he needed sweaters!). Here is what he wore for Mardi Gras one year...don't worry, he just had to sit there and look cute to get all these beads:

{sigh}...i ❤ my kitten!

Featured Follower: Michaela from Life with the Crazies

2009-10-23T21:40:00.002-04:00

(special note: the adverb of the day is "ridiculously")

So I know all of my followers have ridiculously cute families but I'm also learning that you are ridiculously hilarious, too.

Case in point--this week's featured follower: Michaela from Life with the Crazies

Michaela has two cutie pies: Goofball and SweetPea. She is a fifth-grade teacher part-time and at home with the Crazies part-time. Michaela has great priorities (in my opinion!): God FIRST then family. How easy it is as a mom (read how easy it is for ME) to jump up out of bed and go straight to mom-mode instead of daughter-of-God mode.

Anyway.

Back to the Crazies.

Goofball sounds like he lives up to his name--his exploits and quotes are hilarious but I was incredibly touched by this dialogue he had between he had with his mommy. You MUST read it. Right now. Go here.

Sweetpea sounds like she, too, lives up to her moniker. She is all girl and, according to her mama, will throw a temper tantrum if she does not have a bow in her hair! That made me smile.

You can read more about their background in Michaela's little 411 post here.

Besides being a wife, mom, and teacher, Michaela is also ridiculously crafty. She even has an Etsy store, L'alfabeto (you can also find her store on Facebook!).

She made ~~matching~~ coordinating robot shirts for Goofball and his friend:

She recently hosted a giveaway for these cool wire letters that she makes:

and she made a cool autumnal wreath for the Fall:

Yup. Crafty.

One thing that I found really cool about Michaela is that she donated her wedding dress to Goodwill. YES. DONATED. Her wedding dress. (Check out her story about that here).

Anyway, I could go on and on about how funny, crafty, and cute Michaela and the Crazies are but why don't you go on over and meet them yourself? Don't forget to tell her "Hello!"

PS As always, if you would like to be a featured follower, just fill out the form found in the bottom of this post.

Aww thanks!

2009-10-23T21:09:00.002-04:00

Many thanks to Denise from Our Full Nest for tagging me and awarding me "Best Blog Award".

The Best Blog Award rules are:

To accept the award, post it on your blog together with the name of the person who gave it to you and his/her link. Pass it on to 5 other blogs you have recently discovered and think are great! Remember to contact the blogs you choose!

The thing that is fun about this award is that it highlights new blogs that I've recently discovered. Well, i feel like 15 is overkill and that by just doing 5, you'll be more apt to check these out. So, here are the newest 5 I've found that I just love!

La*T*Da--so cute and lots of fun tutorials!
Yankee Mama--she is a former Northerner living in the South and has super cute kids
This is the Story of a Girl--a really sweet mama who is excited about life!
Pobke Photography blog--absolutely stunning photos--she is currently in Japan! Take a look!
Counting your blessings...and your pennies--an incredibly encouraging Christian woman, wife and mom

I hope you'll check them out!