A Few Pages from Recently

I haven't been able to scrap like I'd like to lately. But I have been able to get a few decent pages done. Check them out!
This is one for Joe's birthday. I'll be doing all my journaling for these pages later - that is why there are a few empty spaces.
This is a page of our young women's bible study group. Next to it is the inspiration layout.
Here is one showing a little about our library adventures. I was really pleased with how it came out. Next to it is the page I used as a jumping off point when i designed the layout.
This is one depicting the chaos when Nate set off the fire extinguisher. Sigh... don't even ask.
This is a page of our women's retreat last month. I really like this page but there was so much fun that weekend and alot of good pictures I might try to change it into a two page layout later. What do you think?
So, there you go. That is all I got for now. If you want to see more paper crafts check out Sunday Scrappin'!! Lots of great crafters post links to their stuff there weekly!

Hardly a Trifle!

So a couple weeks ago I made my first trifle! I was a little excited. It was alot easier than I thought and it was pretty healthy for a delicious dessert!

I use KraftFoods.com alot and they have tons of trifle recipes. I just used a loaf of angel food cake, a large box of vanilla pudding, cut strawberries, blueberries and a bit of whip cream on top. Easy peasy!

30x30 Amended!

So... I've amended my 30 by 30 list a little bit. I figure its my list and my life and if I want to change my list then that is my prerogative! Right? Anyway... here is the list with the changes and updates:
1. Take a "real" vacation with my husband. Alone! ;-)
2. Go to a professional sporting event (of one of "his" teams) with my husband.
3. Go on a trip with my girls!
4. Watch more classic movies. Isaac and I are going through the AFI Top 100 Movies and we've found some good ones! *changed from silent film
5. Scrapbooking retreat.
6. Take Nate to amusement or waterpark. I think we might do that for his birthday this summer.
7. Get good outdoor family pictures done.
8. Have the entire house clean at one time. sigh... I don't know if this one is going to happen!
9. Go skinny dipping! Too cold!
10. Community Service. This weekend I'm giving some families staying at a local shelter the gift of family pictures.
11. Own a minivan. *This one may not happen before I'm 30.
12. Feel comfortable in my own skin.
13. Get better at managing my time. *Its a work in progress.
14. Paint our master bedroom.
15. Get in touch with some old friends.
16. Read all Jane Austen's books... *This one I'm changing to read "a" Jane Austen book. I've seen a couple of the movies already and I find it really difficult to read a book when I already know what happens.
17. Find a Christmas tradition to replace gifts.
18. Begin homeschooling my boys. *This should happen in the fall.
19. Decide if/when we're having more kids. *Thinking about it.
20. Expand my photography business. I've got a few gigs lined up. And I want to start marketing.
21. Get all my scrapbook pages into albums! * Daunting!
22. Finish reading the entire bible with my husband.
23. Go to Hearts at Home conference. *Hopefully in October!
24. Show my husband that I respect and appreciate him. He said that I can mark this one off because I already do this through lots of little things that I do. ;-)
25. I'm combining this with the original #27. Its going to be help develop and grow my church's women's ministry.
26. Go see a live musical. *We're hoping for Wicked in June!
27. Become involved in a mom's group/play group of some kind.
28.Write out our will. *Not looking forward to this one!
29. Take a continuing education class for fun.
30. Read a book that my husband recommends.

On An Old Movie Kick!

My husband and I have been on an old movie kick lately. Instead of renting new releases, which are getting less and less appealing, with prices going up and quality of movies going down. So instead we have been finding old classics, especially ones from the AFI Top 100 List and recording them on TCM and other cable channels. Some of the ones that we have enjoyed the most are:

North By Northwest - 1959 - New York advertising executive Roger Thornhill (Cary Grant) is kidnapped by a gang of spies led by Philip Vandamm (James Mason), who believe Thornhill is CIA agent George Kaplan. Thornhill escapes, but must find Kaplan in order to clear himself of a murder it is believed he committed. Following Kaplan to Chicago as a fugitive from justice, Thornhill is helped by beautiful Eve Kendall (Eva Marie Saint). In Chicago, she delivers a message to Kaplan that almost costs Thornhill his life when he is chased across a cornfield by a crop-dusting plane. Written by filmfactsman

Sabrina - 1954 - Linus and Davis Larrabee are the two sons of a very wealthy family. Linus is all work -- busily running the family corporate empire, he has no time for a wife and family. David is all play -- technically he is employed by the family business, but never shows up for work, spends all his time entertaining, and has been married and divorced three times. Meanwhile, Sabrina Fairchild is the young, shy, and awkward daughter of the household chauffeur, who has been infatuated with David all her life, but David hardly notices her -- "doesn't even know I exist" -- until she goes away to Paris for two years, and returns an elegant, sophisticated, beautiful woman. Suddenly, she finds that she has captured David's attention, but just as she does so, she finds herself falling in love with Linus, and she finds that Linus is also falling in love with her. Written by Brian C. Madsen {bcmmovies@earthlink.net}

The Philadelphia Story - 1940 - Philadelphia heiress Tracy Lord throws out her playboy husband C.K. Dexter Haven shortly after their marriage. Two years later, Tracy is about to marry respectable George Kittredge whilst Dexter has been working for "Spy" magazine. Dexter arrives at the Lord's mansion the day before the wedding with writer Mike Connor and photographer Liz Imbrie, determined to spoil things. Written by Col Needham {col@imdb.com}

I won! I won!

During the blog party last month I won a pedometer! Its a nice one too! It is the Omron Pocket Pedometer HJ-112 and it features advanced technology, which provides added durability and flexibility to count steps at all positions perpendicular to the ground. This feature allows the user to place the pedometer in a pocket, bag or clip it to a belt.

• The unique dual accelerometer sensors let you carry your pedometer in your pocket or bag
• Measures steps, aerobic movement, calories and distance
• Separately displays aerobic steps and minutes walked more than 10 minutes continuously
• 7 day history lets you review a full week of exercise
• Resets at midnight automatically so it's ready to go every morning
• Large display
• Includes Clock
• Detachable belt holder and security strap

How cool is that? Lori over at FatLossChronicles was kind enough to host the giveaway! Stop by her blog and give her some love!
And wish me luck as I try to use the pedometer to move forward in my own battle of the bulge!

Milestone!

The past week or so Joe has made significant improvement in the area of self feeding. He has gone from feeding himself the occasional cracker to taking bites on his own at every meal. Not only that he is showing frustration if he does not have something that he can feed himself. He has become actively interested in self feeding, whereas before he was just content with whatever we fed him. This is very exciting for us! And also a little frustrating as he is being very vocal about his opinion about things now. We have to remind ourselves that this is all part of the process.
We're in the process of appealing our insurance company's decision to drop Joe from our insurance policy (per his "preexisting condition"). Since he doesn't have a diagnosis we do not think that they should be able to do that. But we are not sure what exactly the laws are for this kind of situation but we're working on it.
Isaac attended a hearing with the Dept. of Health and Children's Special Health Care Services a couple of weeks ago to see if they could move our effective date back a couple weeks to include our first appointment at Riley and all the expensive blood tests that were done that day. He felt that that meeting went very well but we may not hear their final decision for another few weeks. ** This just in... we got a certified letter from the Indiana State Department of Health stating that the did in fact push Josiah's eligibility date back two weeks which will cover the initial Riley visit and tests! Whew! What an answer to prayer! Thanks to all those who have been and continue to pray for us. God is good!

Being Erica

I found a new show that I'm DVRing. Its kind of different and the main character is real and quirky. Its both funny and poignant. Check it out. Here is the trailer, there are lots of funny clips on You Tube, including some video blog/webisodes. Let me know what you think.

"Therapist" Dr. Tom - who is constantly spouting famous and not so famous historical quotes - is Erica Strange's savior and worst enemy. Erica, a young adult woman, is having a bad life because of the bad decisions she's made. Erica provides Dr. Tom with a long list of those pivotal moments in her life that she feels have led to the bad state she is in today. Erica is initially unaware of what Dr. Tom is intending on doing with this list. What he does do is transport her back in time to each of those moments so that she, with all the knowledge of her present day life, can make better decisions to fix her life. Regardless of these new decisions, Dr. Tom hopes that Erica will come to the realization that although the opinions of others about her life do matter, it's what she thinks of her decisions and her life that are more important. Written by Huggo - found on IMDB.

Change

Here is a quote from President Truman I as he addressed the
American people from the lawn of the White house on the occasion of
lighting the National Community Christmas Tree, December 24, 1952.
It is not a clear statement of the gospel but it does reflect an
understanding of various truths. And since he probably had a speech
writer, it might not reflect him at all. What does strike me is what
a president said publicly just 57 years ago - JDM

"Through Jesus Christ the world will yet be a better place and a
fairer place. This faith sustains us today as it has sustained
mankind for centuries past. This is why the Christmas story, with
the bright stars shining and the angels singing, moves us to wonder
and stirs our hearts to praise. Now, my fellow countrymen, I wish
for all of you a Christmas filled with the joy of the Holy Spirit,
and many years of future happiness with the peace of God reigning
upon this earth."

Baby Boom!

During my prayer time the other day I realized that I have eight friends and family members who are pregnant right now! Wow! That is a lot of babies on the way.
I remember my pregnancies were both very different. I thought maybe I'd have the hang of things the second time around but it was a whole new ballgame! Every pregnancy is different, just like every child is unique. New symptoms and feelings. New questions about what is happening with our bodies. Is it normal to have cramping periodically? How much weight should I be gaining? What food should I be eating? The list goes on and on. Sometimes it is hard to know where to turn for answers.
Thankfully there are a lot of resources available now. Hopefully your doctor is a wealth of knowledge for you. If not you can always turn to older friends and family members who have had children. Or for many of us... there is the internet!
There are many websites out there to help answer our questions. When we have concerns about health and safety during the pregnancy or even labor and delivery we can get answers online. So when you start wondering what position is best to sleep in, or what kind of birth do I plan on having: hospital or homebirth, there are lots of answers to be found. Don't be afraid to go looking for them!
Pregnancy is a major life event that can be confusing and challenging. It is always good to address our concerns and get the answers we need so we can move forward informed and prepared.

A quote worth noting...

To be Queen Elizabeth within a certain area, deciding sales, banquets, labors, and holidays; to be Whitely within a certain area, providing toys, books, sheets, cakes, and books; to be Aristotle within a certain area, teaching morals, manners, theology, and hygiene. I can understand how this might exhaust the mind, but I cannot imagine how it could narrow it. How can it be a large career to tell other people's children about the Rule of Three and a small career to tell one's own children about the universe? How can it be broad to be the same thing to everyone, and narrow to be everything to someone? No: A woman's function is laborious because it is gigantic, not because it is minute.
~ G. K. Chesterton

Read it over and over. What you do is very important. Don't let the world tell you it's not.

I found the quote on this page. A friend and woman I look up to sent the link to me. There are so many more good quotes there. http://www.squidoo.com/homeschoolquotes

Library Fun!!

Whether you are homeschooling or just looking for fun (and cheap) activities to do with your kids you should totally check out your local library! Most libraries offer activities, events and classes for minimal fees and often times for FREE! Ah... one of my favorite words!

We have taken advantage of programs at many of our area libraries. We've done a Gymboree event, trick-or-treating, arts & crafts, story time, song & dance time, summer reading programs, the list goes on. There are many events that I'd like to have participated in but are really for older kids, so I know we'll be going for years to come! And of course I have great memories from my own childhood of going to the library as a family and seeing the world through books!Take the time to check and see what is offered at your library. On the Indy area libraries' website you can look online and narrow your search by age and side of town, etc to find only those events that interest you. Its a great resource for your family no matter what ages your kids are.
Our public library activities work for us. What WORKS FOR YOU??

Joe the Builder

Today is my Lil Joe's 2nd birthday. Milestones like this are bittersweet for me. Its wonderful to get together with our families and celebrate his life and all that... but we're always reminded of all that he is not doing that he "should" be.
The theme was Bob the Builder. I'd found some cute goodie bags for the boys at the Dollar Spot at Target a few months ago. I'm glad we do family only parties because I only have to do 4 bags for our two boys and our two nephews. It'd get pretty expensive if we had all our friends' kids to buy for too!
My friend came over and helped me to make cupcakes yesterday. I copy & pasted some Bob the Builder images from the internet and printed them out to decorate the cupcakes. I wanted to keep things pretty simple so I made a big pot of chili. Builders like chili, right?
Joe's shirt even went with the theme. I found it in Nashville last weekend after the ladies retreat. It has a little builder guy and says God Built Everything. It has Hebrew 3:4 on it: For every house is built by someone, but God is the builder of everything. That was the perfect reminder to me that even though the world might see our beautiful Joe as "flawed" God made him just the way he is and no matter what challenges he encounters (or brings our way) he is a blessing and God has a purpose for him all his own.

A little birdie...

Sunday Scrappin' is a craft meme and we're always looking for more scrappers or paper crafters to join in the fun! Check it out!

My Ta Da for this week is a bunch of "Little Birdie" cards I made to thank the many ladies who helped to make our church's women's retreat such a great success.The base of the cards I bought awhile back at Micheal's and decorated them one day this week. I love the bird stamp! It has a dozen or so phrases that all fit perfectly into the flourish! What do you think?

Grandma Says: Parent Power

Articles that appear from Grandma Says are focused on general parenting practices and philosophy and are not as age-specific as articles that appear in Growing Child.

"Grandma Says" is a feature of Growing Child and we encourage you to send your comments to: GrandmaSays@GrowingChild.com

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PARENT POWER

This is a true story. My granddaughter Rose has attended Villa Heights, a very good magnet school within her school district for the past two plus years.

Last fall, the school board announced that they planned to close this school, and merge it with a failing school across town.

It didn't seem to make good sense to many people to try to improve a failing school by closing one that succeeded so well. So, the families involved in the school, including my son and daughter-in-law, decided to try to save their school.

They worked closely as a team, contacting individual school board members and inviting them for visits, to see why this unique school worked so well, and how its uniqueness could be lost with the change.

They wrote letters and e-mails, made telephone calls and visits. They planned and worked together, and they persisted for a period of months.

Finally, the school board announced that they had reversed their original decision, and would allow Villa Heights to continue to exist. One school board member specifically mentioned the power of the parent action in making their decision.

Tell your friends to sign up for a free subscription of Grandma Says at www.GrowingChild.com/FreeGrandmaSays.

I tell this story because it is enormously important that parents understand that one of their important roles is to advocate for their children. The world has gotten increasingly large and complex, with bureaucratic administrative decisions often not being made in the interest of anything but some bottom line.

As things go wrong in many communities, quick fixes are often sought which are definitely not necessarily in the best interests of children and their families. At times it may seem as though individual parents can do little in the face of a steamrolling system.

But this is not so. Parents are the ones who know what is best for their children, and they are the only ones who can make those ideas known loud and clear. What a triumph for this group of parents, who refused to give up on the excellent school, and insisted that others pay attention to what they already knew about the importance of keeping their school.

What a lesson for their children as well, to discover that individual opinions do have an impact and can influence the course of events. The systems of government they learn about in school seem remote and all-powerful, but this experience helped them understand that in a democracy, individual efforts can be extremely effective.

This was a concrete lesson in learning that working for an idea may have powerful effect, and that we are not helpless to take action on our own behalf.

The children also understood that their education was important enough for busy parents to attend meeting after meeting, to spend hours working on the common cause. What better self-esteem booster could parents give their children than to show such support for their school!

As parents, you will encounter situations in your own communities that are not providing optimum conditions for your children, whether it is television advertising, unsafe neighborhoods, or mediocre schools.

Keep this story as a reminder that parents have the power to effect change on their children's behalf. And only parents who want the best for their children have the emotional strength to persist and the power to succeed.

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© Growing Child 2009 Please feel free to forward this article to a friend.

Receive your free subscription of Grandma Says at www.GrowingChild.com/FreeGrandmaSays or contact Growing Child customer service at service@growingchild.com or call (800) 927-7289

Getting to know Jill Savage

I don't think I've ever had an interview on my blog before. This is exciting! Last year was probably the first I'd even heard of Jill Savage. She spoke at a women's group that I attended and I was encouraged by her sincerity and openness. I was blessed to plan an event at my own church this past January that Jill was kind enough to speak at. Again she captivated me with her words of experience and encouragement. I'm happy to share with you today what works for me: an interview with Jill Savage!

Today I’d like to welcome author and speaker, Jill Savage. Jill’s recent book Real Moms…Real Jesus, just released, and I wanted to ask her about her real mom moments..

Jill, tell us a little bit about yourself and your family.

Mark and I have been married 25 years and we have five children. Anne is 24 and married to our wonderful son-in-love, Matt. Evan is 21 and married to our beautiful daughter-in-love, Julie. Erica is 18 and a college student at Heartland Community College. Kolya is 15 and in the 8th grade. We adopted Kolya at the age of 9 from Russia---the God story about his adoption is included in the Real Moms…Real Jesus book. And Austin is 12 and in the 7th grade.

Tell us about your newest book Real Moms...Real Jesus?

Real Moms…Real Jesus is a book designed to help moms understand that when Jesus lived on this earth he was fully God, yet fully man. We don’t often think about the fact that he was a human being and he lived the full human experience: pain, hunger, fatigue, frustration, betrayal, disappointment. He experienced it all!

There’s one verse in the Bible about Jesus that simply says “large crowds followed him everywhere he went.” Well, isn’t that the life of a mom? Large crowds follow her to the bathroom. They follow her to the kitchen. To the grocery store. She’s in high demand! And when Jesus lived on this earth, He was in high demand, too.

Why did you want to write this book?

Most of us long for a friend who understands. Yes, we need girlfriends who understand what our life is like. But we also need to understand that we have a friend who understands in Jesus. Too many of us think of God as being distant and unable to relate to our daily struggles. But nothing could be further from the truth! He understands and he wants us to build our friendship with Him. He wants to not only be our Savior, but also our Friend.

What do you hope your readers will gain from this book?

I hope that readers will gain a new perspective about their relationship with Jesus. I also hope to weave God’s truth into the daily life of a mom.

What unique elements will the reader find in Real Moms…Real Jesus?

Each chapter looks at some character trait in Jesus’ life that can help us in our life as a mom. In between the chapters are interactive vignettes that provide brief, refreshing glimpses into our real, messy, busy lives.

There are also questions at the end of the chapter for further consideration and suggested Bible reading in the book of Matthew. If the reader chooses to pursue the suggested reading, she will have read the book of Matthew completely by the end of the book!

There is also a leader’s guide in the back of the book so it can be used in a group setting.

This is a Hearts at Home book. What is Hearts at Home?

Hearts at Home is an organization that encourages, educates, and equips women in the profession of motherhood. Hearts at Home encourages moms through annual conferences, our extensive website (

www.hearts-at-home.org), a free bi-weekly electronic newsletter, a radio program, and an entire line of books designed to meet the needs of moms all over the world!

Any closing thoughts?

I am very excited about this book! I believe that if a mom can strengthen her relationship with Jesus Christ, she will feel more equipped to be the mom she wants to be. I’m also offering an online book discussion on my blog beginning Tuesday, April 7. If you’d like to join us, you can subscribe to my blog at

www.jillsavage.org.

I’d love to hear a reader’s thoughts after they read the book, too! You can connect to me through my blog at

www.jillsavage.org.

Thanks, Jill, for taking time out of your busy schedule to share your real mom, real Jesus moments with us.

You can purchase your own copy of Real Moms…Real Jesus by clicking here.

And be sure to check out Hearts at Home, their conferences for moms, and all their online resources

here.