A Really Cute Giveaway!!

My friend Danielle at Finally Finding Me...I Think is having a totally cute giveaway!! She is giving away this sweet cookie cutter set, it is a tea party set. I can just see Monica at The Homespun Heart loving these!! So check her blog out and sign up for this awesome giveaway and check out the other giveaways she has going on!! Have a Blessed and Happy Day!!
:) Shelley

My Daybook for April 09, 2010
Outside my window...getting dark, cold about 32 degrees, it was lightly snowing today
I am thinking...about a friend and his family and what a cancer diagnosis has done to their life
I am thankful for...our health and the joy my family brings me
From the kitchen...clean
I am wearing...gray track pants, gray sweatshirt and gray t-shirt
I am creating...my nighttime routine
I am going...to find a few new recipes for next week
I am reading...about an online homeschooling program
I am hoping...to go to a Mom to Mom sale tomorrow
I am hearing...Abbi singing Francesca
Around the house...this and that
One of my favorite things... taking my kids swimming at the YMCA
A few plans for the rest of the week: hanging out with my family, maybe free movie, church and hopefully a Mom to Mom sale
Here is picture for thought I am sharing...Abbi and Shane and I went for a hike on Monday (gorgeous day) at the Nature Center and found the awesome treehouse they built last spring.

My Heart is Heavy

I received this heartbreaking post today. This is about a friend of mine and my husband's. He is an awesome man and about 38 ish. Please read on and learn about him and his family. I just ask for prayer for this man and his family. If you feel you can give, then by all means go for it.

Dear Friends and Family of Erik, Kerrie & Isabelle Bartel; As most of you have already heard by now, Erik Bartel has been diagnosed with a rare form of stomach cancer that unfortunately has progressed to stage 4 already. On February 5th, Erik had his entire stomach removed, most of his small intestine and a section of his large intestine that was touching his stomach. The doctor’s are treating his cancer very aggressively and Erik is planned to begin chemotherapy in a few weeks. The doctors have been completely upfront and honest with Erik & Kerrie with regards to the outcome. Erik is such a strong and positive person and is boycotting cancer as well as death! We are all praying for a miracle and hope that Erik can prove the doctor’s wrong…. However, the doctor’s have told Erik & Kerrie that even with the surgery and the planned 6 months of chemotherapy, Erik’s treatment is palliative and the most they can offer him is 18 months to live. It is a tragedy for us all, and hard to express the pain and sense of helplessness that we all feel for them. I am writing this letter because something you may not know is that about 10 months ago, Erik & Kerrie decided to bring their daughter, Isabelle, to Disney World for her 5th Birthday. Unfortunately, with everything that is happening right now, the dream of taking Belle to Disney World so she can have dinner with the other Princesses’ at the Castle has become unaffordable. We are searching desperately for a way to make this dream of theirs a reality! Many people are looking for a way to help Erik, Kerrie & Isabelle. I know times are tough right now, but if we all contribute even a small amount of money, we may actually be able to send them to Disney World after all. If this is something that your family can do, I promise that every penny, no matter how much is collected will go toward paying for this trip and/or helping the Bartel Family through this extremely rough patch in life! Donations can be sent to:Kelly Beach21 W. Wayne St.Sault Ste. Marie, MI 49783 Thank you very much for your time as well as all the positive prayer! Sincerely,Kim, Kathy & Kelly

Wordless Wednesday 04.07.2010

Wordless Wednesday

Meal Plan Monday 04.05.2010

Meal Plan Monday for 04.05.2010:
This week my husband is off of work and he made the meal plan for the week (since he is cooking)!!
Monday: Chicken Alfredo with crescent rolls
Tuesday: Turkey meat balls with gravy and potatoes and veggies
Wednesday: Crock Pot Chicken Corn Chowder
Thursday: Pizza
Friday: Enchilada Casserole ( I swear I will make it this week)
Saturday: Mac and Chesse (freezer)

Have a great week! God Bless.
:) Shelley

Easter, Egg Hunt and Rollerblading

Sunday April 4, 2010

It was a splendid Resurrection Sunday. We opened our last Resurrection Egg at breakfast and read the story of Jesus dying on the cross (children's book). The service at our church was very thought provoking and rejoiceful!! Then off to enjoy the day with family and a Easter Egg Hunt. The day was finished off with me and the girls going rollerblading at the nearby nature trail and a movie with kids at home. Whew! What an awesome and beautiful weekend. Did I mention it was 65 degrees today, perfect weather! God is great!! I hope everyone had a blessed and happy Easter day.


:) Shelley















Abbi at the nature trail.





Geese swimming in the pond at Nature Trail.

Abbi and Brady at the trail head.

My cute hubby and my baby Cullen.

Abbi helping Brady at the Easter Egg Hunt at Mimi and Pappy's.

My brood at Easter.

My two little men.

RESURRECTION

R - Risen From the Dead

E- Eternal Life

S- Salvation

U- Ultimate Sacrifice

R-Righteousness

R-Ruler

E-Everlasting Love

C-Christ the Savior

T-Tortured

I-I AM SAVED!!

O-Obedient

N-Never forget what He has done for us!!

Just a few thoughts for this Easter time.

A song to remind us what He did for us!!

Day at the ZOO (and no, I don't mean my house!!)

Well, today I took a 1/2 day off of work and headed to the zoo with 3 of my kids in tow. My friend joined us with 4 kids. The temp reached 81 degrees at the Zoo and I tell ya, everyone in the Greater Detroit area was at the Zoo! There were lines for everything and it was hot. But, overall it was a pretty good day at the Zoo. Here are a few pics from our day. Thanks for visiting and enjoy this Blessed season. :) Shelley

Meal Plan Monday 03.29.2010

Meal Plan Monday for 03.29.2010

Monday: Homemade Mac and Cheese with broccoli

Tuesday: Spaghetti Pie (in freezer) and salad

Wednesday: Corn Dog Muffins (courtesy of Heavenly Homemakers) I am not making my corn muffins from scratch, I am cheating a little. and mixed veggies.

Thursday: Enchilada Casserole (didn't get to make it last week) and spanish rice.

Friday: Turkey meatballs, gravy and mashed potatoes

Saturday: Crock pot chicken corn chowder and bread

We'll see how this week's plan goes. I would like to start freezer cooking, but I must wait for another week for payday. Can't wait to hear what everybody else is doing. Have a great week and God Bless. :) Shelley

Daybook Entry 03.25.2010

My Daybook for March 25, 2010
Outside my window...cold and windy, like 35 degrees
I am thinking...about finishing my Resurrection Eggs.
I am thankful for...my husband, who is truly my best friend and love of my life!!
From the kitchen...leftovers for dinner-Zucchini Parmesean
I am wearing...plaid pj pants, gray sweatshirt
I am creating...the contents of my eggs
I am going...to the basement to finish the laundry
I am reading...an awesome devotional everyday just for women and its online.
I am hoping...to get some sleep tonite
I am hearing...a rocking swing with Cullen in it sleeping
Around the house...quiet
One of my favorite things... the Target $1 bins for Easter goodies
A few plans for the rest of the week: mom to mom sale, helping with the Easter musical at church and time with my family
Here is picture for thought I am sharing...trying to make food fun the kids, I tried making little faces on my english muffin pizza last night with peppers. Turned out too cute!!

Meal Plan Monday 03.22.2010

Ok, last week went pretty well in regards to my meal plan. We tried one new recipe that we are very happy with. We tried Zucchini Parmasean Bake on Sunday. I strayed a little from the plan, but still ate at home with no extra spending. Whhoo Hooo!



Monday: Sloppy Joes and french fries

Dessert: Almond Joy Cookies

Tuesday: Sandwich night with chips

Wednesday: English Muffin pizzas and salad (church night)

Thursday: Bruschetta chicken

Friday: Enchilada casserole and rice

Saturday: Chicken Alfredo and veggies



I am finding alot of awesome recipes at Finding Joy in My Kitchen. Check her blog out, it is awesome. I used to hate, I mean hate to cook and now I am love, love, loving it!!
Have a Happy Week of Cooking and God Bless.:) Shelley

Another Successful Mom 2 Mom Sale

Guess where I was this morning?? That's right, my favorite place to be on an early Saturday morning, Mom to MOming!! I brought $20 today (I was on a budget) and found some good deals!! This is the low down on my shopping day:

4 pairs of shorts for Cullen

10 shirts for Brady

skirt for Brady

4 pairs of shorts for Brady

2 3T sleepers for Brady

all for $18 (I had to pay $2 to get in)

Oh, and Abbi bought 3 Junie B. Jones books for $3.

All in all, a good day!!

And this little face greeted me when I got home. Awwwww!

Signs of Spring

Abbi and Shane on their bikes. First ride of the spring.

Tulips are starting to poke through.

Friends talking through the mail slot.

Brady trying to talk to Abby (neighbor) through the mail slot.

Neighbors opening the window for a conversation.

Brady discovering pine cones in her car.

Shane on his bike.

Abbi enjoying the nice weather.

Cullen taking his first ride in the stroller on such a beautiful day!!

Hope everyone was enjoying their day today. God Bless everyone and praise God for the awesome day with family today.

:) Shelley

Daybook Entry 03.19.2010

My Daybook for March 19, 2010
Outside my window...warm, sunny afternoon about 61 degrees
I am thinking...about making my own Resurrection Eggs courtesy of Kathi at A Mother's Prayers
I am thankful for...getting out of work early today
From the kitchen...leftovers for lunch
I am wearing...black fleece pullover and jeans
I am creating...grocery list
I am going...to a mom to mom sale tomorrow (maybe)
I am reading...directions on how to make my Resurrection Eggs
I am hoping...to get rid of this headache
I am hearing...Thomas the train DVD on for the millionith time. Ugghhh!
Around the house...kids
One of my favorite things...leaving work early on a Friday afternoon.
A few plans for the rest of the week: laundry, a hike, church
Here is picture for thought I am sharing...this is a picture of the first nice day after the winter thaw. No Cullen yet in this pic, just the three at this time.









Shane, Brady, and Abbi

Wordless Wednesday!!

Meal Plan Monday 03.15.2010

Okay, so this is my first time actually writing out a menu for the week. I am gearing up for the April OAMC (Once A Month Cooking) with the girls from Frugalicious Living and Money Saving Mom. So here is the menu:



Monday: Homemade Mac and Cheese with steamed brocoli and homemade brownies

Tuesday: Spaghetti pie (I made mine with turkey, I made two and stuck one in the freezer) and green salad

Wednesday: Frozen pizza (church night)

Thursday: Enchilada Casserole and rice

Friday: Chicken Alfredo with veggies

Saturday: Zucchini Parmesan with green salad

So, let's see if I stick to it. I'm off to enjoy my brownies. Good night all.

I "heart" MOM to MOM sales

So, saturday morning bright and early I was up heading to my MOM to MOM sale. Ahhh, the thrill of the good deal got me up early that morning!! I pick up my friend, with eldest daughter in tow and head about 35 minutes south of my home. We got there early so we got to wait inside and out of the rain. Let me preface this story with the fact that this was a 100+ table sale and it was SOLD OUT!! Whooo Hooo let me in, let me in. The clock couldn't move fast enough to strike 9:00 am. It finally did, and people were running (ok I am not that bad)!! So, anyway the first table I hit was a awesome deal. I bought 5 summer dresses for $10 for Abbi (9 yrs old), three of which were hand made and in mint condition. Deal #2 new sandals and sneakers for Brady(2 yr girl) at the next table for a $1 each. Whooo Hoo, I am getting really excited. Next table is a... wait for it... $0.50 table and I hit it HARD!!! I think I got all of Cullen's (5 month dude) summer attire. I just sure hope it fits by then. I spent $10 and got like 15 shirts and about 10 shorts, whoo hoo! All in all, I spent about $50, and also got a bumbo for Cullen, a 12 volume hard cover book set of the Disney Princesses ($6) for a birthday gift and a pair of cute sandals for Cullen $1.

Abbi in her "new" dress

Cullen enjoying his new seat.

Something to Chew On

Last night I attended a benefit dinner for our local Pregnancy Care Center. I came away with some things I didn't really consider before. Before I was a Christian, I was pro-choice. Since becoming a Christian my views have changed on a lot of things and on this topic. My eyes were opened even further last night!! I am PRO-LIFE and I will stand firm in this choice. They had a wonderful and thought-provoking speaker last night that made the audience look at some things pretty hard. Here are some facts that I didn't know or consider before last night:
- Abortion is the #1 elective surgery in the US
- Breast cancer is 4-7 times more possible if you had an abortion
- 1 of every 3 African American babies are aborted.
- Abortion is legal for all 9 months in every state in the US!!!

There is also hope!
-83% of mothers who have a ultrasound while considering abortion, continue the pregnancy
-there are centers like this one throughout the US that are God loving people that provide help and hope to confused men and women.

The speaker really made me think about something I really never thought about. That every child that was aborted in this nation, that God had a plan for them and who are we to play God and extinguish that life. WOW!! What if that child had the cure for cancer, AIDS, Alzheimers?? What did we just do to eliminate that dream and that hope??

Every child is a blessing not only to its parents, but to God. I will continue to pray for these women that decide that abortion is their only choice. I will pray that these needless killings will end.

I just wanted to share something that is on my heart. The verse that encompassed this years benefit was this: "Nothing in All Creation is Hidden From God's Sight" Hebrews 4:13a

Life is Beautiful! Praise God!










Ultrasound of 12 week old twins

Daybook

My Daybook for March 09,2010
Outside my window...melting snow with muddy front lawn
I am thinking...about when life isn't so pleasant
I am thankful for...My husband, who makes me put it all in to perspective
From the kitchen...homemade chocolate chip cookies from yesterday, I can't stop eating!!
I am wearing...black cotton pants, black zip up hoodie, and a gray t-shirt
I am creating...a list for my MOM 2 MOm sale this weekend
I am going...to take it easy this evening (yah right!)
I am reading...my glossary of terms for my Bible study on the End of Times for Dummies, class is Wednesday.
I am hoping...to get some sleep tonite
I am hearing...Cullen's play gym sing to him about bees buzzing and three little birdies
Around the house...piles here, piles there!
One of my favorite things...date night out with my hubby ( a benefit dinner on Thursday)
A few plans for the rest of the week: work, church, and benefit dinner.
Here is picture for thought I am sharing...my little man Cullen. He didn't like getting his picture taken. He is getting so big!

Science Projects and Pigtails

My two oldest children just finished their Science Projects for the year. Abbi (9) made homemade laundry soap and compared it to store bought laundry soap and how well it cleans stains. The homemade worked better!! Shane (5) made homemade glue with milk, vinegar, and baking soda. Didn't stick so well. So I just wanted to share a few picks of them and their projects. Such a proud momma!! Oh, and here is a picture of Brady (2) with pigtails. She actually let us put in piggy tails and she kept them in for a little bit. Hope everyone is having a wonderful MOnday!!??








Brady in pigtails.














Shane's latest drawing-Frankenstein and a robot??