2011 .... Here I Come!

The word "resolution" means a firm determination; resolving to do something and so I like the idea of New Years resolutions. Not that I always keep them mind you but I try! In a nutshell, my resolutions are the goals/plans I want for myself and my family in 2011. I share them with you (so you can help hold me accountable) and so you can see the things I am going to be trying to achieve with full determination in the new year.  So here goes......

FUN RESOLUTION:  My blog friend Rebecca, got me so excited about the 365 Project.  She did this so faithfully each week in 2010 and her posts were always so much fun.  I quickly became addicted to her weekly 365 Project posts and they were always so unique. So each Friday in 2011, I will be sharing my own 365 Project post. If you aren't familiar with what it is, click on the link to learn more and maybe you will join us in 2011 with this fun way of capturing everyday moments in life.  Plus, I think it will be so much fun to make a 365 Project photo book at the end of the year for our family to look at and enjoy for years to come.

SPIRITUAL RESOLUTION: I posted this on my Facebook account yesterday and here is what David and I have resolved spiritually in our home in 2011.  Our goal is to be more "Radical" and have more "Sun Stand Still" prayers in 2011.  We just want to grow more spiritually and keep being open to where God leads us in life and the opportunities He puts in front of us.  

FAMILY RESOLUTION:  To continue simplifying our lives and keeping our family focused on what really matters rather than getting caught up in "the world" says matters.  We look forward to another year of homeschooling, another year of making memories with the kids and doing things together as a family from big things like trips to the small things like family game night.  David and I have adopted this thought as our own "We are not raising our kids to survive the world.  We are raising them to change it".  

CRAFT RESOLUTION:  Surely you knew I had one of these as much as I love to make things!  I am going to learn to sew (no seriously...I am!). My friend Gina said she could teach me some sewing basics and  then yesterday at Hobby Lobby I met a sweet lady named Donna in the sewing section who told me about a lady in my area who will teach me to sew at her shop so I can't start learning how to sew.  So I don't overwhelm myself, sewing is my only craft resolution for the new year but I know I will play around with some more handmade crafts in 2011 too.  As you know...I love Mod-Podge!  :)  

BLOG RESOLUTION: To continue blogging & growing my blog!  The new Friday addition will be the 365 Project posts, I have lots of new recipes & kitchen stuff for my Thursday posts and of course, I will be adding fun new homeschooling posts as well.  There will be giveaways and product reviews and just life in general posts as well.  If you aren't already, you can also follow me on Facebook & Twitter!  

Wishing you a very happy & blessed New Year!

The "Eh" Team

This post is for our wonderful Canadian friends that we love so much and we want you guys to know you feel like family to us even though the miles separate us.  Jim, Heather, Jamie, Kevin, Arry, Jason, Shellie and Dwayne thanks for your friendship, fun times, laughter, sharing our lives with us and still being friends with us crazy rednecks through it all. We wanted to make sure we started out 2011 the right way so David got a new hat for Christmas (which he let me share for this post) and Santa brought us a new shirt that we thought you all would like:

And our kids wanted to be on the "eh" team as well so they put on their "mad bomber" hats Santa brought them and wanted to take a picture.  Although they thought saying the word "eh" was hysterically funny when we told them to say it while we took their picture!  :)  

Happy New Year to all our Canadian friends

we love you all and look forward to 

many more years of friendship!  

Growing With Grammar & Soaring with Spelling

JacKris Publishing  specializes in providing Spelling & Grammar books to homeschoolers, charter schools and students who want to sharpen their knowledge of English grammar, spelling and vocabulary.  We were recently given the opportunity to review both the Growing with Grammar series and the Soaring with Spelling series of educational materials.

Growing with Grammar features 8 levels of books and each level is divided into approximately 108 lessons.  This division method allows you to teach grammar three times per week during a 36 week school year.  One lesson is taught per day and it includes both a learning and exercise portion.  We received Growing with Grammar Level 3 which features 3 components:  A teachers answer key, a separate student manual and a separate student workbook.

I immediately loved the layout of these books and the way the lessons are presented in very age-appropriate ways.  The verbiage is not too difficult for a child to understand and grasp yet the concepts are taught in both basic and advanced formats to cover levels of learning.  The lessons do not take a long time to complete and yet your child walks away with new information in that period of time.  Our daughter has really enjoyed the Growing with Grammar books so far and is looking forward to continuing in them in 2011.

We also received Soaring with Spelling Level One for review.  These books are offered in 8 different levels and again each level is based on a 36 week school year. Each lesson has a space provided in the workbook for the student to take a pretest on day 1 and a final test on day 5.  No additional materials are needed because everything is self-contained in this workbook.  

Each lesson is divided into 5 days and each day's assignment is clearly visible. On Day 1, student takes a pretest to gauge his level of proficiency with the list words for that week.  On Days 2-4, the student completes various exercises in the workbook using that week's given word list. On Day 5, the student takes the final test.  Every 5 weeks, there is even a review lesson to cover the previous 5 weeks word lists.  Level One starts with only 6 words per week and each level thereafter is increased by 2 words. By Level 8, there are 20 words per word list each week.

Our daughter has really enjoyed using this method for her weekly spelling/vocabulary review.  The lessons are  take just the right amount of time to complete each day and the workbook does an excellent job of helping her not only learn to spell the words but to learn their meaning and how to use them in sentences/speech as well.  

The wonderful folks at JacKris Publishing have offered to give two of my readers the chance to win their own set of Growing with Grammar or Soaring with Spelling.  Two people will each win their choice of either a Growing with Grammar level book set or a Soaring with Spelling level book set.  

I am linking with The Homeschool Curriculum Review Roundup!  I had previously hosted a review/giveaway of this product using this post back in December 2010 therefore the large number of comments.  Please feel free to leave your own comments about this product but there is no giveaway associated with it anymore.  Thanks!!

Under the Overpass Book Review

Homeless people....we all see them at stoplights, intersections, under the overpasses, in the alleyways of major cities, etc. and to be really honest, we all probably judge them or question their circumstances.  Every time I see a homeless person, I am reminded of that phrase "you never know when you are entertaining angels unaware" and we have taught our children to try not to judge them but have compassion toward them instead.

Mike Yankoski has written an incredible book called "Under the Overpass" that will almost immediately change your perspective and view of the homeless in America.  This book is about two guys who chose to live on the streets with the homeless for five months in six major cities:  Denver, Washington DC, Portland, San Francisco, Phoenix and San Diego.

Their purpose and intent was three fold:  1) to understand the homeless and see how the church is responding to their needs; 2) Encourage others to do whatever God is asking them to do; 3) Learn personally what it means to depend on Christ for their daily needs and experience contentment and confidence in Christ.  While most of us, myself included, like to imagine what we would "like" to do for God, Mike & Sam actually stepped out and did it. They begged for food, played guitar for "tips", ate out of dumpsters, hung out with drug dealers, slept under overpasses and on park benches, socialized with some of the most hardened criminals and truly experienced true homelessness first hand.  

Along the way, God allowed presented doors of opportunity for them to share Christ, to share the gospel and to be an encouragement and light to those in need not only physically but spiritually as well.  Some of their most profound spiritual moments came at some of the oddest times and in the weirdest places.  It was truly inspiring to read how God works even among the homeless and destitute. There are some huge, thought provoking lessons in this book that will probably lead to some very uncomfortable, deep convictions in your own hearts as it did mine and it will give you a new perspective on the homeless people you encounter from now on.  I highly encourage you to read this book and see for yourself just how convicting "Under the Overpass" can be!  

Disclaimer:  I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review

Christmas 2010

We went to my parents on the 23rd to celebrate with them since my Dad had to work Christmas Eve & Christmas Day.  We had a great time with them and were all extremely spoiled by my parents and sister/brother in law.  We took our yearly pictures by Mom's tree and I joked with her that her new red curtains made the perfect Christmas picture setting:

Me & David

My Dad & I

My brother in law, sister, me & David

Mom & I

This year for Christmas, my Mom crocheted each girl in her extended family and in our immediate family a new scarf!  She also made a bunch of them to send to Russia on a mission trip with their church as well.  She made me the black/white one I am wearing in the pictures above and she even crocheted small ones for our girls.  We all love them!! Here is Sidney in her new scarf:

Wyatt's uncle Mark (pictured above) gave him 

the perfect pair of underwear for Christmas!

Christmas morning at our house .... Santa had came while they slept!

By the way, we went to bed at 2:35am on Christmas Eve and Abbey

woke us up at 5:30am to see if Santa came...we made her get in bed

with us & we got up at 8:45am when the other 2 little ones woke

up to go see if Santa came instead!  :) 

Abbey with the goodies Santa left her

on Christmas morning!

Wyatt has a huge obsession with penguins and Santa

brought Wyatt a baby penguin which he has carried around

constantly since Christmas morning!

Best of all, on Christmas morning we all woke up to a white Christmas.  For the first time in 21 years, it snowed on Christmas Day!  Let me put that into perspective for you...I am 33 and I was 12 years old the last time we got snow on Christmas.  I think I was just as thrilled as the kids were.  This is the view from Wyatt's bedroom window on Christmas morning:

We only got about 2-3 inches but it was enough to thrill us all. My parents got a little over 6 inches up at their house a little further north of us.  What made us even more happy...is started snowing again this morning!  Yesterday, it warmed up enough to melt most of it away but this morning, it is snowing big huge flakes again and the kids are standing at the window praying it starts sticking again.  Hope you all had a very merry Christmas, too!  

From our family to yours.....

WISHING YOU AND YOUR FAMILY A VERY

MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM

OUR FAMILY TO YOURS!

SoftLips Winter Flavors Review & GIVEAWAY

CONGRATULATIONS TO
NAUDII BEAUTII

THE WINNER OF THE SOFTLIPS GIVEAWAY!

I am one of those people who enjoy using a good lip balm everyday to help my lips stay moisturized and soft.  I have also taught our children, including our son, that using lip balms makes for very soft lips and pretty smiles!  And hey, everybody loves kissable lips, right?!  I was so excited to be given the opportunity to try SoftLips limited edition winter flavors.

I have used SoftLips lip balms in the past because I love their small, petite easy to carry size.  They are sized to fit perfectly in your pocket, purse, make-up bag, diaper bag, etc. and yet despite their small size they last a long time!  At Christmas time, they are the perfect size to fit down into Christmas stockings, or attach to the bow of a gift for an added treat!  SoftLips also have an SPF 20 in them so you know your lips are being protected against harsh winter weather.  SoftLips lip balms glide on smoothly and absorb down into your lips and create a wonderful layer of moisture without leaving your lips feeling greasy or sticky.  

Packaged in a festive, blue sachet, the new SoftLips limited edition winter flavor gift pack is affordable and makes a great gift for you or a loved one.  The 5-pack of lip conditioners contain some delicious flavors as well:  Sugar & Spice, Winter Mint, Sugar Cookie, Sugar Plum Berry and Mint with a hint of Vanilla and they are available exclusively in the new SoftLips online store for just $9.99!  They also carry a wide variety of classic lip balms in flavored and unflavored combinations.  SoftLips has graciously offered to give one of my readers their very own 5 pack of the limited edition Winter Flavors!  

MANDATORY ENTRY:  

Visit SoftLips website & tell me one type of lip balm you would like to try

EXTRA ENTRIES:  (1 comment per entry):

* Follow my blog or comment if you already follow

* Follow me on Twitter

*Like my Facebook page

*Follow SoftLips on Twitter

*Like SoftLips on Facebook
*Enter my Educational Book Sets Giveaway

*Tweet about this giveaway using the tweet below (may be done up to 3 times a day!)

#Win a SoftLips Limited Edition Winter Flavors 5 pack @TheJohnsFamily http://tinyurl.com/2amp4bt @Ilovesoftlips

EXTRA ENTRIES 

(leave 3 separate comments per entry method):

* Blog about this giveaway & leave me a link to your post

*Add this giveaway to any giveaway linky & leave me a link to your post

CONTEST ENDS JAN. 4 AT 11:59PM CST.  Please leave a valid email address with each comment so I can contact you if you win.  No email=no win!  Contest is open to residents of the US.  Winner will be chosen using a random number generator and winner will have 48 hours to respond to winning notification or a new winner will be chosen.  

Disclaimer:  The product reviewed  in this article was a sample provided to me by the company or PR representative. These views and opinions are my own and I was not compensated by this review. Prize is being provided by SoftLips and will ship directly from PR company.  

A brand new blog!

No, I don't have a brand new blog (although it would be a great "Santa" gift to get a blog makeover) but the wonderful folks at Petit Jean Meats just began the fun of blogging and I wanted to share their new blog with you!   They tell the amazing history of their company and show you pictures from "way back when" on their first post.  That story in itself is incredible but their products are equally incredible.  I blogged about some of their wonderful products here if you want to learn more about them but let me show you this:

That delicious bone-in ham is sitting in my fridge just waiting on Christmas to arrive so we can enjoy it!  Even the kids keep asking when am I going to let them eat that because they know how delicious it is going to be.  Monday night, I used their Petit Jean peppered bacon to make us some BLT sandwiches (bacon, lettuce, tomato) and even our 7 year old ate a whole sandwich on a sub roll and our 5 year old just ate a plateful of the peppered bacon.  So, head on over and check out Petit Jean Meats new blog and become a follower of their blog to stay up to date with the latest products, sales, giveaways, events and promotions!  

New Living Translation Contest

I wanted to fill you in on an exciting contest that is currently being run and sponsored by the New Living Translation. They are highlighting three ministries, Wycliffe Bible Translators, Oasis International, and The Dream Center, (click on the link to learn more details about these ministries) and by voting for one of these ministries you’ll be entered to win one of many prizes.

To enter, visit the NLT Facebook page by clicking here.

There are several levels of prizes you can win and here are the details

With the Give the Word Bible Contest and Giveaway:
• Ministries win: Each time the NLT Facebook Page reaches a fan count milestone, votes will be tallied and the three ministries will receive cash donations from the New Living Translation and Tyndale House Publishers.
• Everyone wins: Everyone who enters on the Bible Contest website wins a free download of Matthew West reading the Christmas story.
• Daily NLT Study Bible winners: Vote on the NLT Facebook page and you will be entered to win two NLT Study Bibles—one to keep and one to give away. A new winner will be chosen every day.
• Weekly Give the Word Locally winners: Tell us about a deserving local ministry on the NLT Bible Contest website and they could win five NLT Study Bibles and $250 worth of NLT products.
• One Grand Prize winner will enjoy a unique trip customized just for them and their family (or three guests of their choice), to Wycliffe Bible Translators world headquarters and the WordSpring Discovery Center where they will experience firsthand the exciting world of Bible translation. The Grand Prize winner could also choose to donate the value of the trip--$2000--to Wycliffe instead.

This contest is close to my heart as well because my blog friends, The Tolivers, are missionaries with Wycliffe!  They recently moved to their center and have begun working with them full-time.  I have to admit, I would love to win that grand prize because I would love the chance to experience Wycliffe first hand and to meet the Toliver family!  So, help out these wonderful organizations and have fun by entering this contest!

Voices of the Faithful: Book 2 Review

Having done mission work myself in Russia and Siberia, I am always inspired by the stories of people who serve in mission fields where Christianity is not allowed.  In fact, I own this t-shirt:

  

When I had the opportunity to review Voices of the Faithful:  Book 2, I was thrilled because this is devotional book for every day of the year.  It is filled with inspiring stories of courage from Christians serving around the world.  These stories come from over 300 missionaries who are serving in ministry and humanitarian aid throughout the world as part of the International Mission Board.  As you read these stories, you will be drawn into the everyday lives of these ordinary people who have chosen to step outside the box (and often outside of their comfort zones) to share the Good News even when it is illegal.  You will come away challenged, renewed and encouraged by reading their plights and becoming captivated by their stories.  

This book will also encourage you to pray for these people who are daring to share the word of God with others on foreign soil. Who knows, maybe you might even look at your own lives a little differently after reading these amazing and powerful stories every day for a year.  These stories also show the awesomeness of God, the amazing ways He shows Himself to people in the stories and reminds us of his love and redemption.  With the start of 2011, just a few weeks away, Voices of the Faithful:  Book 2 would be a wonderful book to read every day.  The stories are short and don't take long to read, each story is so powerful and is a great daily reminder to pray for those who "dare to open their hearts not only to the message but also to the One who calls and sustains them."

Disclaimer: I have reviewed this book as a member of the Thomas Nelson’s Book Review Blogger program and as such have received a free copy of this book for my personal library. I received no other compensation for this review. The opinions expressed in this review reflects my personal experience with using this resource.

Cupcake Sleeves & Christmas Goodies

As promised, here is the details on the super cute nutcracker cupcakes I made last weekend.  I absolutely love making cupcakes because it is one treat kids & adults both love.  However, I am not the greatest at decorating cupcakes but that has quickly changed thanks to RoundAbout Cupcake Sleeves!

Using their sleeves was super easy and lots of fun. Just bake cupcakes like you normally would in a cupcake liner. Once they are cooled, decorate them however you would like.  Then simply take the cupcake sleeve, peel off the sticker and wrap it around the cupcake liner.  It has a little sticky edge so you can make it as lose or as tight as you need to.  They were very easy to wrap, stuck extremely well and did not fall off when they were picked up.  Everyone loved them and asked about how I made them.  Just check out some of their unique sleeves and yes, these are all cupcakes:

   

  

 

They have a sleeve for just about every occasion you can imagine with their 70+ designs!  Cupcake sleeves are sold for $8.99 per dozen.  The possibilities are endless with how to decorate your cupcakes using these RoundAbout Cupcake Sleeves and your guests and party-goers will be amazed at your incredible cupcake talent!  Best of all, they are continually adding new cupcake sleeve designs to their inventory.  RoundAbouts can also be personalized and customized for special events, weddings and parties.

I also wanted to show you some super cute Christmas goodies you might like to make this holiday season also.  

Broken Glass Jello @ Mandy's Recipe Box

Santa Claus Cookies ~ Taste of Home

Cranberry-Caramel Chex Mix @ My Blessed Life

**~~ HAPPY TASTY THURSDAY EVERYONE~~**

Let's go bake something for the holidays now!

BioKleen Natural Products Review and GIVEAWAY

CONGRATULATIONS TO SCMOMOF2BOYS
THE WINNER OF THE BIOKLEEN GIVEAWAY!

You know I am a huge proponent of natural cleaning products in the home due to having 4 kids.  It is very important to me that the products my family come in contact with and the products that are in their clothing and touching their skin are safe and not harmful to them.  BioKleen was formed over 20 years ago by a man who used to sell cleaning chemicals but became aware of the dangers of the products he was selling and the ingredients they contained.  He chose to make a difference and began formulating non-toxic, natural ingredients for cleaning products.  Today, BioKleen continues to develop and create innovative products that are effective, non-toxic and safe for the environment.  In addition, they are never tested on animals and contain no animal ingredients.

I was given the opportunity to try 3 of their all natural cleaning products in our home.  First, the Cold Water Formula Laundry Liquid.  You can imagine how many loads of laundry we do each week in our home and since we live in the country and the kids play down on the farm, there are often lots of stains and dirt to have to come out of our clothing.  BioKleen's cold water formula laundry liquid works just as effectively using cold water in place of warm water.  This formula will reduce the amount of energy used and save you money yet it still removes those tough, set-in stains and odors from clothing just the same.  Best of all, it doesn't irritate or itch your skin and doesn't break down the fibers in your clothing.  

BioKleen's Multi-Surface Floor Cleaner was probably my favorite product!  There are no artificial colors, fragrance or preservatives but with their unique blend of all natural lime and citrus oil extracts our house smelled wonderful after cleaning the floors with this spray.  People would come into our house and say "your house smells so good" and I would have to tell them it was my hardwood floor cleaner!  It also contains a formula of live enzyme-producing cultures that go directly after the source that has caused the build-up on the floor:  dirt, oils, grease, food particles, crayon, etc.  to break it down and make it easy to clean off the floor surface.  All you have to do to get your floors clean is just spray the cleaner on and mop!  It is seriously that simple and you won't have to spend time scraping off problem areas because the cleaner breaks it down for you and makes it easy to remove.  It is safe to use on all types of flooring surfaces including hardwood, laminate, tile, marble, stone, linoleum and vinyl.  

BioKleen's Bac-Out Drain Cleaner is one of those products that gives you peace of mind.  With 3 girls and myself in the house you can imagine our drains can get clogged with hair.  The first time I used this I noticed that it was not your typical drain cleaner.  It is a gel that actually coats your drain and eliminates clogs and odors.  You simply take 4 ounces of it and swirl it down your drain. Then you let it sit for a few hours before you use that drain again.  It contains live enzyme cultures that break down grease, fats and other organic materials into a food source that the cultures literally eat and then digest safely into minerals, water and oxygen.  It eliminates the source completely for treatment and maintenance of slow drains.  It clears slow drains and keeps them moving freely.  We have really noticed a difference in how our bathroom and kitchen drains flow using this product.  It certainly makes a difference in having freely flowing drains and it gives you a peace of mind that you won't have to worry about a clogged drain.  

While you can purchase all of these products online with BioKleen, they want to offer one of my readers the chance to win a BioKleen product package that includes a 5 lb. box of All-Temperature Laundry Powder (Lavender scent) and a 32 oz. BacOut Stain and Odor Remover!

MANDATORY ENTRY:

Visit BioKleen and tell me one product you would love to try in your home.

EXTRA ENTRIES (1 entry each):

* Like BioKleen on Facebook

* Follow BioKleen on Twitter

* Follow my blog or comment if you already follow

* Follow me on Twitter

*Like my Facebook page

TWITTER EXTRA ENTRIES:

You can tweet this giveaway up to 3 times a day for 1 extra entry for each tweet:

#Win an all-natural laundry prize package from @BioKleenInc and @TheJohnsFamily http://tinyurl.com/27yvqj5

For 5 EXTRA ENTRIES:

* Blog about this giveaway & leave me a link to your post

*  Add this giveaway to any linky & leave me a link to where you posted

CONTEST ENDS DECEMBER 22 AT 11:59PM CST.  Please leave a valid email address with each entry so I can contact you if you win.  Winner will be chosen using a random number generator and will have 48 hours to respond to winning notification or a new winner will be chosen.  Contest is open to residents of the US.  

Disclaimer:  I was given the above mentioned products for review purposes only.  No monetary compensation was received.  BioKleen is also providing the prize for this giveaway.  

Fun Christmas Videos

We have some wonderful friends who live in Canada.  They are like family to us and we also used to go online and play Xbox with them every night.  A couple of years ago, I started a tradition of making an Elf Yourself video and a JibJab holiday video featuring all of us just for fun.  Of course, we are missing 4 of our friends in these videos but I don't have pictures I can use of them. Of course, they love these videos and it is one of our annual Christmas traditions.  I like to call them our "Christmas: Redneck Canadian Style" videos.  Here are the two I created for this year.

Personalize funny videos and birthday eCards at JibJab!

Sights of the Season in our home

We had a wonderful weekend of Christmas fun at my parents house as we celebrated Christmas with my Mom's entire family Saturday!  We got to be with aunts/uncles and cousins that we don't get to see often and had a wonderful time together eating, exchanging ornaments and making memories together.  I could never begin to blog about all the fun we had so instead I thought I would share some sights of the season in our home with you instead.  Now before you read any further, understand I am not an interior decorator, I have 4 kids so we don't have expensive, breakable stuff everywhere and I like simplicity!  Jessie & I put this vinyl wall lettering on our kitchen wall over the weekend. It was surprisingly easy to do and adds the perfect touch to a small corner wall that needed a little something on it.  Best of all, I love what it says:

For our Christmas gathering Saturday, I made these cute little nutcracker cupcakes.  I probably should have piped up the icing a little higher to give him better "hair" but I thought they turned out pretty cute anyway. I will tell you more about these on Thursday and I promise you will love what all this company has to offer.

David had given me two huge Ball (canning company) jars last year for Christmas and I have struggled with what to do with them. I mean seriously, they are huge! Last week, it dawned on me to fill them up with different textures of Christmas ornaments and put them on top of my china cabinet.  I had several different types of gold balls so I placed them into the jars and they make the perfect complement to that area in my kitchen.

Last week I also made homemade ornaments for all the girls in my Mom's family.  They were super easy to make and I thought they turned out pretty cute.  Rather than use traditional red/green colors, I opted for lime green & hot pink instead.  I simply mixed glitter with Mod Podge and coated the inside of the glass ornaments and let them dry.  Then I put a glittery scrapbook initial sticker on the outside.  Once the glue dried, David grated up styrofoam balls and we poured them into the ornaments to look like snow.  Then I added a lime green polka dot ribbon for the finishing touch.  Everyone loved them Saturday when we gave them out!

And here are a few ornaments from our tree this year.  Last year, I participated in a 25 days of Christmas ornaments event that was really fun because you showed one ornament a day from your tree and the story behind it.  So I decided I would randomly show you a few ornaments on my blog throughout the next 12 days leading up to Christmas.  

The girls fairy ornament & one of my favorite nativity ornaments

The Barbie Shoe Tree & Our First Christmas 2000 Ornament

Every tree needs Snoopy & the wedding cake ornament given to us by our wedding cake designer

Sidney goes for her surgery consultation at Children's Hospital of Alabama this morning at 9:00am.  I guess my prayer request this morning is for a fast surgery date.  I am tired of seeing my child in pain, hurting and uncomfortable and as much as I would like to delay the surgery until after Christmas, I would be thrilled if they gave us a surgery date in the next 2 weeks.  I will update you all when we return home with more details but please keep us in your prayers today.  Also, there is a hard freeze warning for our area today so pray for safe travels for us as well as we will be on the road traveling to another city for this appointment.  Happy Monday!