Front Doors Before and After

 

 BEFORE

AFTER: Painted Stone Gray by Porter Paints.
 It's kind of a beige-ish gray color.
I used to really disdain these doors, but painted a different color makes all the difference to me!!

A Must Read for Christmas!

I received this book in exchange for my review, but having read it to my 3 youngest boys, I would have paid for it.

It's a work of art, Alison Jay's paintings are beautifully timeless, reminiscent of Fra Angelico's masterpieces. See many of her other illustrations/paintings HERE

The words that tell the story of the birth of Jesus are as beautiful as the illustrations that accompany it. The author, Sally Lloyd-Jones, truly has a gift for captivating her audience through poetic script. To her credit she has written a Children's Bible and several other children's books. You can check out her accomplishments on her website: HERE

What is really unique is that the story is told from ALL the creatures' of earth's perspective as they excitedly proclaim, "It's time! It's time!

Charlie(2yrs) loved pointing out all the different animals on each page.

I am so thankful to add this to our Christmas book collection!

"Song of the Stars" will be available October 2011.

Change in Seasons/ Change in Underwear

My Mom has shared many words of wisdom with me over the years. She told me that the change in seasons sometimes causes even completely potty trained children to have an increase in accidents. That was so comforting to hear!
This morning there have been 3 accidents!!
I started to wonder what I was doing wrong...but then I remembered Mom's advice. Whew!....at least I hope that is the reason;)
Have you noticed this phenomenon as well??

I HATE Breast Cancer!

I am sharing this from Abby Johnson's blog. I agree with her view completely.
Here is a link to the original article: LINK

Pink ribbons are cute. They have become very trendy. Everyone has caught on to them, too. A couple of airlines wear pink during October…some yogurt companies have pink ribbons on their merchandise…everyone is doing it. Well, not me.



I hate breast cancer. I REALLY hate it. Breast cancer stole one of the most important people in my life from me…my father’s twin sister…my aunt. Both of my grandmothers had breast cancer. My cousin died of breast cancer. Breast cancer is like a terrible virus that keeps sweeping through my family. And like all virus’, you can’t get rid of them; they keep coming back.



My aunt was an amazing person. She never met a stranger. She loved everyone. And, she was pro-life. She LOVED babies. She was one of the most precious people I have ever known. I watched her battle this terrible disease for 9 years. There were ups and downs…but she never gave up. She fought, sometimes with hair, sometimes without. She lost her breasts. She had multiple surgeries. She was always hopeful. Every day was a gift. Her life was a gift.



Now, I know there is lots of debate about the link between abortion and breast cancer. And to be honest, I am not convinced either way. I am not a scientist, but I love research. I know that for every study that shows a link, I can find one or two that shows there is no link. I just can’t simply prove that to be fact.



But here is a fact…Susan G. Komen gave $700,000 in grant money to Planned Parenthood last year. Susan G. Komen is the largest breast cancer research group. Planned Parenthood is the largest abortion provider in our country. Hmmm…why would those two groups be partnering together?



Komen says they give this money to Planned Parenthood so women living in rural areas will have access to mammogram services. Really?? Well, here’s the truth about that.



NO PLANNED PARENTHOOD ON THE PLANET PROVIDES MAMMOGRAM SERVICES.




Why? Because they can’t. Planned Parenthood is a level one breast service provider. What does that mean? It simply means that Planned Parenthood clinics are ONLY allowed to provide manual breast exams. You know, the kind you do in the shower. The kind you can get from any nurse or physician in any clinic. They cannot provide any sort of diagnostic services…no biopsies, no breast ultrasounds, AND no mammograms. That is the truth. That is a FACT.



Komen contributes in a very large way to the murder of over 320,000 babies each year. Those pink ribbons don’t seem so cute anymore. Komen pays big bucks to make the “pink ribbon” theirs. You may think the pink ribbon stands for breast cancer awareness. That’s not what Komen thinks…they believe they own it…and they pay for it.

I hear people say, “Well, until breast cancer has affected your family, don’t tell me not to support Komen.” Well, it has affected my family. It has affected us greatly. And I stand against Komen.


And let me say something else very clearly. My aunt valued life very much. But she did not value her life more than the life of any child. She would have given up her life to know that a baby would be saved. For those that continue to support Komen because this disease has affected you or someone you love…this is what you are saying…you are willing to sacrifice the lives of the unborn for your own. If you are comfortable with that, then keep donating to Komen. I hope you are not. I hope you will do the right thing. I will you will stand against this phony organization. Any good they do is blackened by the killing they support. And if you do stand against them, tell them. Don’t just take away your support, let them know. Send an email to your friend’s list. Post it on your facebook page. Post the letter that you will send so your friends can copy yours and send one as well. Send a letter to your newspaper. Tell everyone you know. Be an activist. Make your voice heard. Don’t think that Komen doesn’t care…they do. They care very much. Komen needs to keep up their good reputation. Don’t let that happen. Expose them for what they are.



Over 320,000 babies EVERY year. Our voice is worth it. No more pink ribbons in my home. My aunt’s memory is worth more than that…I can’t wrap her life up in a ribbon…especially when that ribbon pays for the murder of children.

Hand Sewn Window Seat Cushions

As I type this with prickified fingers and a sigh of relief, I have finished the window seat cushions!!! Wahoo!!! I love how they turned out...weird corner angles and all! The cushions aren't super fluffy and cushy, I wanted the kids to be able to be comfy but still have a somewhat even surface to be able to play board games and the like.

I priced out having custom cushions made, it would have cost me close to $400. I made these for about $60. 

I waited until the fabric went on sale for 50% off at Hancock's and purchased the foam at The Yard downtown...cheapest place to buy foam and a whole lot more!

Ya know, I hand sewed these because my sewing machine is broken, I didn't expect to enjoy it, but I love hand sewing!! It was so relaxing and I found out how to multi-task: I can sew while doing spelling with Hannah, reading with Eli, checking Noah's essays, yelling at Benny, nursing Charlie, eating lunch, talking on the phone, and even breathing!

It turns out that every stitch can be offered for a soul.

I wish I was this excited about doing the laundry and dishes;)

I'm Guest Posting!!!!

Natalie over at A Turtles Life For Me is posting my kitchen renovation.

This is my first time guest posting...so thank you, Natalie!!

 Check it out and take a look at how she decorated her fridge!! She's brilliant!

WINNER WINNER!!

Congratualtions to Corrine, you are the winner of a Making Memories Software package!! Corinne, could you email me at drohr1@ cox(dot)net. and I can send you the code you will need so you can download your software. Thanks also to Elizabeth and Erika for entering!! I put your names into a bowl and had Charlie pull one out.