I'm Wishing....

So, the miss was singing the song from Snow White just now, so I chimed in with her. I thought it was so cute, I had to record it.
Enjoy...you'll crack up duirng the ha ha ha ha ha part.

Seven Gifts That Give Back

So here are some gifts, that are not only fun, but help others as well.
(The top numbered pictures are all links)

1.

Okay, I think the Gap red products on little onesies and little kids, are so cute..Here's some other ones.

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2.Ipod Nano Peace Case

The Hunger site will provide 25 cups of food with this purchase.

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3. Kanji Peace Breadboard

The Hunger Site will provide 50 cups of food for this purchase.
The bread board says, Peace, in Chinese.

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4.

Choose from a variety of gift baskets at Henry's Hearts and choose to have the proceeds go to Henry's Hearts for Marfan Syndrome, American Red Cross, Lou Gerigh's Disease, Breast Cancer or the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.

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5.

Do you know someone who loves MAC cosmetics? 100% of the proceeds from their Viva Glam lipsticks and lipglass are donated toward the MAC Aids Fund.

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6.

Help out St. Jude and purchase their children's artwork ceramic ornaments.
Or how about these adorable holiday plates?

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7.

So this awesome book is as Amazon puts it, a collection of "early, beloved classics such as Goodnight Moon and Harold and the Purple Crayon to such recent treasures as If You Give a Mouse a Cookie and Pete's a Pizza, this collection assembles twelve of the greatest picture books ever published. Parents can share the joy of introducing young children to many timeless favorites that have already enchanted millions of readers."
AND
100% of the proceeds go to a nonprofit organization, First Book, whose mission is to provide the children of low-income families with their first books.

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Psalms Sunday- Psalm 56

Psalm 56 (New International Version)
New International Version (NIV)

For the director of music. To the tune of "A Dove on Distant Oaks." Of David. A miktam . When the Philistines had seized him in Gath. [a]

1 Be merciful to me, O God, for men hotly pursue me;
all day long they press their attack.

2 My slanderers pursue me all day long;
many are attacking me in their pride.

3 When I am afraid,
I will trust in you.

4 In God, whose word I praise,
in God I trust; I will not be afraid.
What can mortal man do to me?

5 All day long they twist my words;
they are always plotting to harm me.

6 They conspire, they lurk,
they watch my steps,
eager to take my life.

7 On no account let them escape;
in your anger, O God, bring down the nations.

8 Record my lament;
list my tears on your scroll [b]—
are they not in your record?

9 Then my enemies will turn back
when I call for help.
By this I will know that God is for me.

10 In God, whose word I praise,
in the LORD, whose word I praise-

11 in God I trust; I will not be afraid.
What can man do to me?

12 I am under vows to you, O God;
I will present my thank offerings to you.

13 For you have delivered me [c] from death
and my feet from stumbling,
that I may walk before God
in the light of life. [d]

As I studied this Psalm, I realized the importance of how much stress, pressure and adversity David was under. And through it all, he chose to remain faithful. But the type of faith expressed here, wasn't just simply stating to oneself, "it will all be okay, I know God will take care of me." It had to have been a struggle, definitely, to put aside his emotions and have that strong faith. Despite all he was going through, he pushed through it all, to remain faithful in God.
In verse 5, it says, "all day long." That meant he was dealing with everything literally all day long. That's a lot of pressure.

I know that I am trying to work on my patience in dealing with my daughter. At the end of a difficult day, once I have put up with her negative attitude, her fighting, her whining and her arguing all day long, I lose it. I am no longer composed, no longer gentle and no longer kind. And I am screaming at her. And I say it's because I can only handle so much. But looking at David's composure in this Psalm, makes me strive to be more like that.

And I love how he is always thankful. Even when everything around him seems to be crumbling down, he looks at his blessings.

A friend of mine wrote a blog post once, where she described that during really difficult times with her husband, she found herself focusing on 1 Thessalonians 5:18 "Give thanks in all circumstances for this is GOD's will for you in CHRST JESUS."

When she found herself angry and hurting, she would repeat that verse to herself, sometimes even as she gritted her teeth. She would repeat it 5-20 times, depending on the situation. And she would also find something within the situation to be thankful about and praise Him for it.

She stated that as she consistently did this, she realized that she was giving her anger over to God by giving Him the sacrifice of thanksgiving. She began to feel His presence and His peace and realized that God was taking away her anger.

And I believe that for David it was the same way. He opened up everything to God. He poured out his heart to Him and by doing that, he felt God's presence in such an amazing way. It was second nature for David to be thankful, even in the midst of such hurt and opposition.

May we all be able to experience that. May we all work on getting our relationships with God to be like that.

Have a blessed week.

Some Pictures

Here are some of the pics from the past 2 days.




Playing with Light Sabers

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Cute close-up

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Waiting for the light parade to start

I know blondes have more fun, but....

Well, I got tired of my roots coming in where I had lighter blonde highlights.
I was tired of it looking mousey. And I knew that getting my hair highlighted right now was not going to be in my budget. So, I picked up a $10 box of bronze shimmer Feria hair color and made my hair brown.
It was my first time dying my hair on my own, and it was pretty easy.
I took a picture of myself, but it is fuzzy. And the lighting isn't the greatest..I think it's prettier in person.
So, Before with blonde hair, however in this picture, I hadn't styled it or put on makeup:


and, after:

Picture Me

So, I found this fun meme at Diary of a Shoe Addict and thought I'd do it as well.

I added a couple to it though...

Basically the rules are...you type your answer into google images and use your favorite image.

1. My Age at my next birthday, which is soon:


2. Place of Birth:
Hartford, Connecticut


3. Places I want to visit:
Okay, first there's the Hagia Sophia in Turkey


Then, it's off to Ireland to see the castles


And then, once back in the states, it's off to have a frozen hot chocolate at Serendipity 3



4. My Nickname:
Well, I don't really have one. So I looked up, I don't have one, and here's the image that came up...


5. My Favorite Places:
New York City


In Worship


On stage performing


6. My Favorite Things:




7. My Favorite Food:



8. My Favorite Colors:



9. My Favorite Flowers:
Sterling Roses and Tulips



So I tag all of you, if you are up for it.

Quick Sewing Links

I have been loving This site, which started up a handmade holidays section filled with different categories for each day in November. They range from aprons to blankets to organizational items. I have found some great tutorials and ideas. They make me want to run to Joann's to spend a small fortune on fabric and then sit at my sewing machine all day long creating masterpiece after masterpiece. Because in my mind, you see, I am an amazing seamstress., even though, all I have done are 2 quilts and a curtain. I have yet to do anything on my own from a pattern. Yet, I think I can tackle all of these fun projects. I should give it a try though, right? I am now wishing I had bought some of the fabric when I was at Joann's for their day after Thanksgiving sale. They had their fabric selling for crazy cheap prices. I was probably the only person there who didn't fill their cart with 25 bolts of flannel, fleece and cotton.

I also found This Great Site, which has been following the handmade holiday projects and then adding even more to the list. So, seriously people check it out. I already want to make a Scarf, a crayon roll, a chenille baby bib, a bunny pillow, and a Baby wipe case

So much fun you guys. You must check those sites out, okay!

Ever wonder what your kids dream about?

This morning as we were eating breakfast, the miss told me a tiny bit about her dreams last night.
"I had a dream that I had a fish room. It was so neat. You should see it, mommy. When the sun is down, I'll show it to you.
And then, I had a dream that I was playing the violin and everyone threw eggs at me."

That last one had me cracking up, no pun intended.

Psalms Sunday - Psalm 55

Psalm 55
To the Chief Musician. With stringed instruments.[a] A Contemplation[b] of David.
1 Give ear to my prayer, O God,
And do not hide Yourself from my supplication.
2 Attend to me, and hear me;
I am restless in my complaint, and moan noisily,
3 Because of the voice of the enemy,
Because of the oppression of the wicked;
For they bring down trouble upon me,
And in wrath they hate me.

4 My heart is severely pained within me,
And the terrors of death have fallen upon me.
5 Fearfulness and trembling have come upon me,
And horror has overwhelmed me.
6 So I said, “Oh, that I had wings like a dove!
I would fly away and be at rest.
7 Indeed, I would wander far off,
And remain in the wilderness. Selah
8 I would hasten my escape
From the windy storm and tempest.”

9 Destroy, O Lord, and divide their tongues,
For I have seen violence and strife in the city.
10 Day and night they go around it on its walls;
Iniquity and trouble are also in the midst of it.
11 Destruction is in its midst;
Oppression and deceit do not depart from its streets.

12 For it is not an enemy who reproaches me;
Then I could bear it.
Nor is it one who hates me who has exalted himself against me;
Then I could hide from him.
13 But it was you, a man my equal,
My companion and my acquaintance.
14 We took sweet counsel together,
And walked to the house of God in the throng.

15 Let death seize them;
Let them go down alive into hell,
For wickedness is in their dwellings and among them.

16 As for me, I will call upon God,
And the LORD shall save me.
17 Evening and morning and at noon
I will pray, and cry aloud,
And He shall hear my voice.
18 He has redeemed my soul in peace from the battle that was against me,
For there were many against me.
19 God will hear, and afflict them,
Even He who abides from of old. Selah
Because they do not change,
Therefore they do not fear God.

20 He has put forth his hands against those who were at peace with him;
He has broken his covenant.
21 The words of his mouth were smoother than butter,
But war was in his heart;
His words were softer than oil,
Yet they were drawn swords.

22 Cast your burden on the LORD,
And He shall sustain you;
He shall never permit the righteous to be moved.

23 But You, O God, shall bring them down to the pit of destruction;
Bloodthirsty and deceitful men shall not live out half their days;
But I will trust in You.

In this Psalm, David is dealing with the anguish of betrayal. His trust in someone else was broken. He is hurting. We see his pain and then we watch how he handles it all. He ends the Psalm with, "I will trust in you."
He doesn't seek revenge, he doesn't bad talk the other. He gives it to God and trusts in Him. He trusts in Him to deal with the situation and to heal his pain.

There are many times when I feel let down by those closest to me. And it hurts, it does. And unfortunately, I don't handle it in the same way David did. First of all, I don't pour it out to God, I instead pour it out to friends. I also don't pray about it as much as I should. I need to give my pain to God. I need to trust in Him that He will help with the circumstances. I know it won't be in my timing. I also know that I can't change things on my own.
I need to let God fill me up with joy, and stop relying on other people to make me happy.

How did the Psalm speak to you this week?

Thankful Thursday on Thanksgiving

I am thankful for my husband and my kiddos. I am so blessed, really.

I am thankful for the little life moving around inside of me. You forget, when you aren't pregnant, what it feels like. And each time I am kicked, it puts the biggest smile on my face. I love it.

I am thankful for my closest friends who are always there for me when I need to chit chat or when I have pressing matters that I need prayer for.

I am thankful for the strong Christian women God has placed in my life. They are amazing!

I am thankful for my Beth Moore devotion I have been doing. I have been learning so much and it's wonderful.

I am thankful that I have all the basic necessities..a home, heater, clothes, food.

I am thankful for God's provision.

I am thankful for Christmas music and that it will start playing on the radio tomorrow, so that I can listen to it non-stop.

I am thankful that I was able to spend Thanksgiving with my hubby and kids and that everyone is healthy and well. There are so many with loved ones overseas or in hospitals. So, I am just blessed that I could spend Thanksgiving at home with my family.

In honor of my best friend

This has been our song since Freshman year of high school. It's a long story, really.
Happy Thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving Song

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Happy Homecoming

I am so happy for these families that they can be together again and at holiday time too.

Our Turkey Cupcakes

Wow, these were more time consuming than I thought they would be, maybe because the batter and frosting were made from scratch. But the miss and I had fun making them. I had to watch the short segment on how to make them again, on the saved Martha Stewart episode. The miss watched it with me and was so excited. As I was filling the liners with batter, I made a mess. She began laughing at me as I told her I wasn't very good at this. She then informed me that, no, I wasn't as good as the lady we watched on T.V. I told her that of course I am not as good as Martha Stewart. She reminded me one another time that I was no Martha.
Anyway, here are a few of the finished turkeys that we made.



Can you read what her shirt says? "Just be glad I'm not a twin"
When I saw it, I HAD to get it.

Have a Happy Thanksgiving everybody!

Our Homemade Ornaments

Well, things will be a little different this year with our tree as well. Over the past few years, most of our ornaments have been the bulb type ornaments, because they are fairly inexpensive, but they break easily. We do have some Hallmark ornaments, since traditionally I buy each family member one each year. And we have some other regular ornaments. But this year, the bulbs will not be put onto our tree. Last year, the miss broke many of them. She even put some into her mouth. And with the mister being a toddler who is into things, I think it would be best to keep them boxed up.
But I do not want to go out and spend money on new ornaments to decorate our entire tree with.
I may buy some after Christmas, when they go on sale, for next year. But I will not buy any before then.
So, this year, we will have mainly homemade ornaments on our tree. That is, if I am not getting myself in over my head here. I do want to decorate this Friday and throughout the weekend. The miss is so excited to put our tree up.
So, we need to get cracking on these ornaments here, soon.

I wanted to share with you the really neat ornament ideas I found online. Because although they will be homemade, I don't want my tree to just be filled with construction paper. I do want it to look pretty, you know?


Sheet music star ornament

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Martha Stewart Click and Print ornaments

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stained glass ornaments

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paper tree ornament

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victorian paper ornament printable

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Candy cane ornament minus the bear, I think.

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Drum Ornament

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puzzle piece ornament

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Victorian icing card decorations

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Christmas card star ornament

I think I may also get some plastic ball type ornaments and let the miss fill them up with tinsel, potpourri, glitter, and paper snowflakes. That would be easy and fun for her to do.

Do you know of any easy to make ornaments?

This Christmas

So, this Christmas we are doing some new things. The first is a Jesse tree. I read about it last year at Rocks in My Dryer.
Most of our ornaments for the tree will just be printable ones I found online, that I printed in black and white and will color in, but some others we will make out of clay or other materials. I found a cute glitter covered harp for mini trees last night at Wal-Mart, so we can use that for David.
When you use a Jesse tree, each day leading up to Christmas, there is a little Bible story lesson, beginning in the Old Testament and working up to Jesus' birth. I have found little crafts to do for each lesson, and then we hang our ornament on the tree.

Another thing I want to do with the Miss this year, if I can, I haven't looked into it completely yet, is to have us make little crafts for children at a nearby hospital. And maybe on the 20th or 21st, we can visit the children in the hospital, if we are allowed, and pass out the crafts. I am not sure what rules there are about this, especially bringing a young child into a hospital room during cold/flu season. When I read the idea, it suggested visiting a nursing home, but I think that would scare the miss a little. She seems to shy away from the older people that talk to her when she is shopping with me. I think she'd relate better to younger kids.

Oh, and I just came across this adorable movie. I will have to see if our local Christian store has it, because it looks GREAT!!!

Psalms Sunday - Psalm 54

Psalm 54
To the Chief Musician. With stringed instruments.[a] A Contemplation[b] of David when the Ziphites went and said to Saul, “Is David not hiding with us?”
1 Save me, O God, by Your name,
And vindicate me by Your strength.
2 Hear my prayer, O God;
Give ear to the words of my mouth.
3 For strangers have risen up against me,
And oppressors have sought after my life;
They have not set God before them. Selah

4 Behold, God is my helper;
The Lord is with those who uphold my life.
5 He will repay my enemies for their evil.
Cut them off in Your truth.

6 I will freely sacrifice to You;
I will praise Your name, O LORD, for it is good.
7 For He has delivered me out of all trouble;
And my eye has seen its desire upon my enemies.

This Psalm reminds me to look at my circumstances, not through the eyes of my flesh, but through the eyes of The Spirit. There have been times when others have let us down, used us, conspired against us, and there will continue to be times like that in our lives. But instead of dwelling on it, or holding anger toward those people, we need to give it to God. We need to rely on our faith and know that God will take care of the issue and take care of us.
God is our helper, but do we really let Him help us much as he wants to or could?
How many times, when we are struggling with something, even something small, do we just rely on ourselves or on the advice of others?
Why do we do that when the ever powerful God is our helper?
Let's give it all to Him!