Keep You Safe

I just downloaded J.J. Heller's album, Painted Red. Already, I'm in love with these lyrics to the song, Keep You Safe. Guess it's a mommy thing.

Quiet your heart
It's just a dream
Go back to sleep

I'll be right here
I'll stay awake
As long as you need me

To slay all the dragons
And keep out the monsters
I'm watching over you

My love is a light
Driving away all of your fear
So don't be afraid
Remember I made a promise to keep you safe

You'll have your own battles to fight
When you are older
You'll find yourself frozen inside
But always remember...

If you feel alone facing the giants
And you don't know what to do...

My love is a light
Driving away all of your fear
So don't be afraid
Remember I made a promise to keep you...
Safe

My love is a light
Driving away all of your fear
So don't be afraid
Remember I made a promise to keep you safe

Shower time

At age 16 months, Abigail loves to take a shower. No kidding.

Happy Reformation Day (let's do a jig)

Thanks, Burt, for sharing the Reformation Polka with me. I am dancing a little jig.

JJ Heller free album download

Oh my gosh.....I have a found a new album I love, love, love! Many people come to mind that I know would love this: Holly, Adam, Laura, Crissy, Kim H., and many more.

It has a folksy acoustic vibe and, best of all, it's free to download until tomorrow.

Click here to download and listen to soundbites.

Thanks to my sweet friend, Sarah, for this link!

Happy Halloween

Happy Halloween, Y'all!

Click here to have some fun.

Thanks, Mad!

A hill of thrills

Our next door neighbor has a very steep driveway. She has given us an open invitation to play on it when she's not parked in it (remember, we park in driveways but drive on parkways). Andrew now has a new game addiction. Throwing, rolling, kicking, and catching the ball on the driveway is now his plea every afternoon.

Rename?

I think I'm gonna rename this blog "How to get fat". I mean, scroll down to see all those fattening freebies!

Free Smokey Bones for kids. 10/31-11/2 (11am-2pm)

From Friday, Oct. 31 to Sunday, Nov. 2, with each paying adult meal, a child can eat free between the hours of 11:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.! It doesn't state any other "catch" so I think this might be an easy freebie....SCORE!

Free Krispy Kreme on Nov. 4

I am just giddy over all the freebies that will be given away next Tuesday. See, it's very important to vote!

I voted early and they were out of stickers so I have nothing to prove I did indeed vote. Maybe I could use the Chick-Fil-A VOTE stickers (they have a free soda coupon on the back - ask the cashier for one!) to get in line at Krispy Kreme.

Click here to see the proof.

New York Photo coupon

Thanks to Chrissy for notifying me of the newly released coupon from York Photo. It saved me over $3.00. That may not sound like much but that was the cost of shipping! Not to mention the prints were only $.02 each (78 prints ordered). You do the math.

Upon checkout, use coupon code MY2CENTS. Good until Nov. 6.

The kids loved 'em

We have a new October treat tradition....mummy dogs! I got so excited when wrapping the hotdog that I didn't leave enough space for the entire face. They were delish!

Free ice cream, Nov. 4

On November 4, Ben and Jerry's is giving one free scoop of ice cream to those who turn out to vote. Click here for more information.

Make a note of it....Google Calendar, Post-It note, text message, pencil it on your wall...NOW!

Thanks to Free 2 Be Frugal for this yummy information!

Candy & Cotton

I went to a fall festival tonight with my friend, Jennifer, and her daughter, AC, who just happens to be Luke's best friend and future wife. Andrew and Luke enjoyed the moon walk bouncy things the most while Abigail just kicked it "cool" in her stroller, listening to the music and smelling the food. The boys made the circle by digging in the trunks of people's cars for candy (Trunk or Treat) and filling up their pumpkin buckets. This was only the first of probably three fall festivals we'll attend. I love autumn!

Recognize the shoes, Melissa
(and possibly the sweatshirt-can't remember who "donated" that to us)?

Stopping to smile in order to appease Mom.

Abigail loved her cotton candy on a stick.

Andrew, AC, and Luke got sticky fingers....or a sticky face in Luke's case.

Funnies from their mouth

Both of my precious boys said something that made me smile and laugh today.

While in the van coming home tonight from a fall festival, I asked them what kind of sandwich they wanted me to pack in their lunch box for tomorrow. Luke requested the usual Nutella sandwich but asked for carrots and ranch dressing on the side.

After a brief pause, Andrew said, "Hmmmm.....how would you put ranch dressing in a zippy bag?

Ok, I'm sure this doesn't crack you up but the mere fact that my four year old son was thinking about such logistics, and voicing it, made me laugh in amazement. It was a small moment that reminded me of our huge God.

THEN.....

Just before bedtime, Luke approached us (Mitch and me) with a large silver box that was covered with its own silver top.

Mitch: "What 'cha got inside that box, Luke?
Luke: "Mercury" (his stuffed animal dog)
Mitch: "Why is Mercury inside the closed box?"
Luke: "He's in time-out".

189 new

I have 189 unread blog feeds sitting in my reader, waiting to be scrolled through....even after unsubscribing to ten feeds tonight. No time.

8

I liked her list when I read it and was motivated to do the same.

8 Things I am passionate about:
1- The Gospel
2- my family
3- singing
4- scrapbooking
5- painting
6- playing
7- being a mom
8- saving money

8 words/phrases I often say:
1- I love you!
2- When you obey Mommy and Daddy, you are obeying God.
3- Stop asking me for gum
4- You just ate a snack
5- Stop throwing balls in the house!
6- Are you poopy?
7- Yes, you have to wash your hair
8- Where are your shoes?

8 Things I want to do before I die:
1- learn to play the guitar or the piano
2- learn to sew
3- travel up the eastern seaboard
4- adopt children
5- see my children marry and have babies
6- hike a portion of the Appalachian Trail
7- visit the Grand Canyon
8- visit Redwoods National State Park

8 Things I currently want or need:
1- some new clothes for winter
2- a maid or chef (I'd settle for one or the other)
3-a Ped Egg
4- a house of our own
5- smaller waist size
6- trendy, cute, whimsical fabric
7- new tennis shoes
8- a winter coat

8 favorite T.V. shows:
1-Lost
2-The Office
3-24
4-CSI: Las Vegas
5-Top Chef
6-Biggest Loser
7- Top Design
8- Project Runway

8 favorite restaurants:
1-Olive Garden
2-Panera Bread
3-MaCallister's
4-Jason's Deli
5-Firehouse Subs
6-Chick-Fil-A
7-Country's BBQ
8-Zaxby's

8 things that happened today:
1-attended MOPS
2-ate lunch with Chrissy and Kaitlin
3-went grocery shopping with three kids in tow
4-blogged
5-walked four miles on the treadmill at the gym
6-made Mummy Dogs
7-sang to my kids

8 - laughed with my husband

8 things to look forward to:
1-my birthday next week
2-purging toys and clothes
3-the election to be OVER
4-going to Mom's house for Thanksgiving
5-the really cold cold weather
6-printing my blog into a book
7-taking lots of photos of the family participating in many upcoming events.
8-celebrating the anniversary with our church family in Moody.

Cake Wrecks

Mitch and I sat on the floor laughing 'til it hurt while browsing this blog. Have fun and don't stay up too late.

HT: I think Coralie introduced me to CW a while back.

Meals for $2

Oh.my.goodness. Thank you, thank you, thank you, Becky. I have just gotten $100 in restaurant gift certificates for only $8 from Restaurant.com. Becky, we'll be thinking (and thanking) of you and your Honey as we enjoy our frugal meals out and about. My city doesn't have the many choices that Becky's city has but I found some good deals that aren't too far a drive (Atlanta, Macon, Montgomery, Tallahassee - when visiting Mom's house).

Wow! In Becky's words...."Date nights, here we come!".

In order to save all this money, use the coupon code TREATS upon checkout. An email confirmation will be emailed to you. You can print your gift certificates right away or print them later from the email they send to you.

Found: Pet pig

While picking up toys (imagine that), I found this little fella on the floor in the playroom.

Get it? Pig. In. A. Blanket......har, har, har.

Free taco TODAY at Taco Bell

Don't forget to go get your free crunchy beef taco at Taco Bell today between the hours of 2pm - 6pm. Click here for more details.

My kiddos

Two smiles out of three ain't bad.

Giveaway: Glade Flameless candle

Again, I'm giving away two items in this round of Bloggy Giveaways. To see the first item, click here.

The second item I'm giving away is a Glade Flameless Candle (retail $9.99), the Clean Linen fragrance.

The Glade® Wisp® Flameless Candle combines continuous puffs of fragrance with a warm, flickering glow, letting you enhance the mood in any setting. Place it in your living room, bathroom, bedroom or anywhere you'd like to create a more inviting space. The Glade® Wisp® Flameless Candle looks so real, you'd never know it wasn't a real candle.

If you would like to win this giveaway, please leave a comment telling me in what room you'd place this candle AND why. Please make sure you leave your email address in your comment or in your Blogger profile so I can contact you if you win. I'll have RANDOM pick a winner on Friday night, Oct. 31 (All Saints Eve!), and will announce that winner on my blog the next day (& via email).

There's alot more giveaways to enter!
More giveaways at the Bloggy Giveaways Quarterly Carnival!

Blog2Print

Becky just shared this site with me. I am going to research it and will let you know if I decide to use them to print my blog. Thanks, Becky!

Giveaway: B&BW Wallflower & file

I try to do this twice a year because I enjoy entering the giveaways and LOVE giving something away to a reader, old or new. I've actually won a few items in the past and it's a fun feeling! So, this go around, I'm giving away two separate items (see the second item in another post).

The first item being given away is a brand new Wallflower pluggable home fragrance set from Bath and Body Works, as well as a new emery board (fingernail file) from B&BW (retail $12.50). The fragrance, Cinnamon Stick, would be perfect in your home for the upcoming Christmas holidays. Once the fragrance runs out, you simply buy the refills from B&BW in any fragrance you'd like! I have one of these in my kitchen (Coconut Verbena is my favorite because it smells so clean) because it's not overpowering and does the job of creating a pleasant smell.



If you would like to win this Wallflower and file, please leave a comment telling me what your favorite fragrance is (it doesn't have to be a B&BW fragrance) AND in what room you would place your Wallflower. Please make sure you leave me your email address in your comment or in your Blogger profile so I can contact you if you win. I'll have RANDOM pick a winner on Friday night, Oct. 31 (All Saints Eve!), and will announce that winner the next day (& via email).

There are plenty more giveaways to enter!
More giveaways at the Bloggy Giveaways Quarterly Carnival!

Publish blog entries for kid's keepsakes?

I've seen many blogs referring to the publishing company of BLURB as a way of binding their child's artwork in one place as a keepsake. I think this is a great idea and I will possibly be placing an order with BLURB in the future for my own children's masterpieces.

But, it got me to thinkin'.

Can I do the same thing with my blog posts? I've been blogging since 2005 (when I only had one child! Imagine the time I had to write lengthy posts as opposed to my "picture only" posts now!) and would love to get my blog entries bound according to child and year. That way they each would have a permanent book of personal thoughts from their mom to read when they are older. Doesn't that sound awesome?

Guess what? Blurb can do this for me, too! However, I read that BLURB might not support Blogger (it likes TypePad and LiveJournal) so I'm not sure what my project would look like but it's fun to know that there's a company out there that does this sort of thing.

Ok, now I must open a new tab and go to Google to find other companies that like Blogger so I can merge all 1076 of my blog entries.

Decorated glass jars

I love making crafts from items we already have in the house. Makes me feel efficient and creative. Of course, I steal ideas from other blogs so I guess that makes me a creative-craft-thief. Once again, here's another craft idea - this one discovered on Makes and Takes.

I've had a bag of random items sitting in a box under my bed just waiting for their final resting place....clear rocks, shells, & glittery neon flat squares (? don't have a clue where they came from). The empty jars screamed for them so we got our hot glue gun ready and went to town decorating spaghetti and pizza sauce jars.

Andrew shows off his final result.

Andrew decided the jar was the perfect place for his new set of colored pencils.

This is what Abigail was doing while we were decorating our jars.
Aren't her feet cute with all those squares stuck to it? Oh yeah, it was LOADS of fun sweeping up all those squares....especially the ones stuck to the dried sticky juice drops.

Luke got in on the crafty action after waking from his nap. He decided he wanted a jar covered in shells we collected from our trip made two years ago to Panama City Beach, FL.

He also put his set of colored pencils in his jar.

When finished, all three kiddos sat at the table and drew
(scribbled) on large pieces of cardstock paper.

The Office: Crime Aid (episode 5)

My favorite quote from Thursday night:

"Mike gave me a list of his top ten Springsteen songs. Three of them were Huey Lewis and the News, one was Tracy Chapman Fast Car. And my personal favorite: Short People."

TipNut.com Softies projects

Another great list of softies projects by TipNut. Click here to view TipNut's current listing of fun sewing projects and tutorials. Gosh, I really hope I can get a sewing machine for Christmas. My fingers are itching for some stitching.

Mark & Kathryn Richt adopt

Well, I honestly must say that I'm not posting this information or video just because The University of Georgia is my favorite NCAA team. I grew up a Bulldog (thanks to my dad) and still love to cheer them on to victory (Hunker down, Silver Britches!). I grew up and graduated with Mike Bobo, Offensive Coordinator at UGA, so my ties to UGA are thick and proud. However, my ties to UGA aren't as strong as my desire to one day adopt a child(ren). That's why I was moved to tears when I saw this video of Mark and Kathryn Richt and their journey in adopting two children from the Ukraine back in 1999.


(Thanks to Justin Taylor for this video)

To vote or not to vote

Abraham Piper poses a great question over on his blog, 22 Words.

Are there reasons for not voting other than "I don't care" and "Both choices stink"?

Make sure you read the comments. Interesting.

Glade Flameless coupon

Click here to print a BOGO (buy one get one free) coupon for Glade Flameless candles. They are on sale this week at Walgreens for $5.99. I belive there was another coupon in a past Sunday insert for another few dollars off, which you could use on the same transaction since you're "purchasing" two. You could break even or make some money off this deal!

Free Bath & Body Works

Bath and Body Words has released another great coupon. Sounds too good to be true but, believe me, it is definitely true. Remember this past spring when I posted about all the goods I got for free at B&BW? Well, I'm not going to go overboard like that again....but I do intend on using this coupon at the two locations here in town. (That way I can get both of the free items.)

So, all you have to do is purchase ANY item in the store (I usually choose the $.99 nail file) and then present the coupon to receive a new Wallflower scentport OR a pluggable diffuser starter set. Click here to print your coupon.

THE RAVEN (& more)

Kim Hill, this post was typed especially for you. I found this free short story download on Amazon of The Raven, by Edgar Allen Poe. There are also other short stories found here if anyone is interested in downloading them. They're FREE!

Autumn paper wreath

Here's the craft that's taken us three days to complete: An Autumn Wreath!

First, trace and cut a circle from cardboard (you could use a cereal box). I used a side of a packing box and then traced two of my stainless steel mixing bowls to make the perfect circle.




Paint newspaper with fall colors and then cut into strips of any length.


Glue the strips to the cardboard circle in any order.


Show it off for the camera and then hang!

Free Old Navy

Click here to read how your child can get a free t-shirt and candy at Old Navy this Saturday!

Thanks, Maja

Maja, you are so sweet. Thank you for sending all your fabric scraps to me...and in super fast speed! I love all of it and can't wait to show you what I do with them.

uʍop ǝpısdn

˙ʇno ǝsןǝ ǝuoǝɯos ʞɐǝɹɟ ɐuuɐʍ noʎ ɟı ǝɹǝɥ ʞɔıןɔ ¿ʇno noʎ ʞɐǝɹɟ sıɥʇ ʇ,usǝop

Don't know how to title this one

I like my title.

Abigail reading a book with Meme. Abigail is getting to know her grandmother well. We're glad she lives only 15 minutes away!


The kids are working on a craft that can't be accomplished all in one day. Paint has to dry, paper has to be cut, crumpled and then glued. The weather has been beautiful in the afternoons. It's a mixture of hot sun with a cool breeze. Abigail and Luke worked side-by-side yesterday as they painted newspaper. When finished, Luke's left arm was painted solid orange and Abigail had red paint in her hair (and all over her face). Wish I had taken a picture of that!

Free b'fast wrap @ Starbucks TODAY, 7-9am

I JUST found out about this and am gonna TRY to get to Starbucks before 9 a.m.