Apal for Babby

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My heart just about melted right out of my chest and seeped out my belly button when I saw this note Shiloh had written and set by her daddy's coffee pot.  So. Stinkin'. CUTE!

Shiloh loves to give her daddy gifts even if they are recycled right from her very own bedroom. :)  She has such a sweet, little spirit--makes my heart feel all squeezed up!!  Well, our apples trees are bursting with ripe, green treats, so I guess she picked one for her daddy to take to work the next day.  What a thoughtful daughter to give daddy such a healthy snack!

Shiloh is also in to writing all her own notes even though she can't quite spell yet.  Oh, and I guess we still need to work on those pesky b's and d's.  I love seeing all these beautiful notes--such treasures.  ;)

Diaper Wreath

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A very cute and easy gift and decoration for a baby shower!

 

For the base, I used a sturdy foam circle that I bought at Michael's.

You will also need a pack of diapers - I used white newborn ones.

To secure diapers around the foam wreath, I used rubber bands - I chose a pack with just the natural-colored bands.

 

Here's what it looks like when the first layer is done.

 

I overlapped the diapers so none of the green foam could be seen.

 

Finished product hanging up at the baby shower, which was decorated in a brown/blue theme.

Other helpful hints: I used 10 items to fill the wreath, and I tied all of them to the wreath with thin blue ribbon.  Items used: pacifiers, socks, lovey, rattle, Burt's bees diaper cream, teething ring, onesies, and one of those nose suckers. :)

Before I secured all of the baby items, I wrapped the wreath in brown ribbon with blue polka dots.

A little difficult to see in the pictures, but as a finishing touch, I tied small strips of blue and brown ribbon to the rubber bands at the ends of the diapers.

 

Diaper Wreath Supplies on Amazon

 



I was so excited with the way it turned out.  It totally worked for me!

Linked to WFMW.

 

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Staycation for 2 Please

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Saying goodbye to our boys for a week.  They left for Memphis on Thursday night and drove straight through.  I can't even imagine!!  So, Shiloh and I had 8 days to ourselves.  We had lots of fun. :)

Getting our hair done by our wonderful hairstylist!  (Aunt Lindsay)

Shiloh was so excited about getting a blow-up pool.  Oh my word, it took forever to blow that thing up!  Needless to say, I was dizzy!

Movie time--Barbie and the Fashion Fairytale.  Yummy snacks to go with it.  Unfortunately, the library copy wouldn't work past chapter 4, but Netflix came to the rescue the next day. :)

Bowling with cousins.  Shiloh even got a strike . . . with bumpers, of course.

Picking peaches at my mom's house.  Oh, so delicious!!

 Mall day with my mom.  Eating cookie dough cheesecake at The Cheesecake Factory.

Carousel riding.

Totally surprised Grandma and me when Shiloh decided to get her ears pierced.  Kept going back and forth about the whole ear-piercing thing.  Kinda scared about the pain involved.  But I guess she was feeling brave that day.

Get ready for the pinch!  She didn't cry, but I could tell it hurt a little.

All done and so pretty.  She chose December's beautiful birthstone.  Reminded me of getting my ears pierced at her age, but I chose pink. ;)

Super fun day with Grandma, and so glad she shared Shiloh's ear-piercing event!

Apple picking in our own backyard.

Showing off new shirt and headband that went so well with her new earrings.

Getting ready to meet the little cousins to play at McDonald's.

Spending time with Grandpa while swimming with little cousins.

All in all, a very fun and quiet week.  I'll forever remember our special girl-time sweet Shiloh!

Yes, There's a Dog in my House

Pin It Now! Yes, this is my house, but no, this is not my dog. 

We borrowed my brother's dog, Charlie, for a couple of days.  Mainly, it was to see if Lincoln's allergies would act up since he tested positive to dog.  He seemed to be fine.  The real test was me.  Would I totally go nuts over the grossness, the smell, the hair, etc.?

First of all, Charlie is such a sweet natured dog and cute, too. :)  Part Australian Shepherd and part Pointer is what they think--he was a pound puppy about 8 years ago.  If I was going to practice with a dog, this was the dog!  Except for the smell and stuff, it was almost like not having a dog at all.

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I'll start with the positives.  I loved taking him on walks twice a day.  Truly a great incentive for exercise!  And I loved that my kids were right along side me.  They totally got to put their "Cesar" knowledge to the test, and they did great jobs as pack leaders!

I never once had to poop scoop; the boys took care of it pronto.  So, no complaints there.  It was difficult trying to get Charlie to pee in the rocks and not on our lush grass, though. 

I liked that having him over made the kids happy.  They loved petting him, especially Shiloh.  Oh, how that girl loves animals. Charlie is such a laid back dog, though, that they only wished he would've wanted to play fetch or do something besides lay around. ;)

The negatives: I noticed the smell right away.  I like my home to smell like essential oils not dog. 

The shedding did bother me, but he wasn't here long enough for his hair to really pile up.  

I think the thing that frustrated me the most was the water dish mess.  Drink, drink.  Then drip, drip all over my kitchen tile.  Yuck.  Everyone always assumes that nothing shows up on my brown tile, but water spots gleam and shine for all to see.  And they're not just any old water spots--they're contaminated with dog slime.  Ew.

This last one is probably just my OCD, but I just had an overall feeling of dirtiness.  Dogs licking themselves and then my kids is just plain dirty and sick. 

What I learned:  I really am happy dogless, but I know my kids really want a dog.  It wasn't that bad, but here's the reality--it would just be one more responsibility to add to my plate, one more living thing to clean up after, one more thing to spend money on . . . one more thing to drive me nuts!

Also, I think if we did get a dog, it would have to be a puppy.  Bonding would be better for me, and I would rather train than rehabilitate.

What to do??????????  *Sigh*

They All Fall Down . . .

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It takes courage to dig up a less-than-perfect past and bare your soul before the world, but six women—4 sisters and 2 sisters-in-law—do just that in their debut book, They All Fall Down . . . to Worship, by Barb Pagel and Lori McConchie.

The sisters—Lori, Barb, Donna, Kerry, Ellen, and Shelly—take turns sharing their personal testimonies and revealing past shame, heartaches, fears, pain, and mistakes all for one purpose: to proclaim God’s amazing gift of salvation through a saving faith—a faith that can only come from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

The Bible promises that our trials are not in vain. These precious sisters having received God’s comfort in their own lives are now able to comfort those in any trouble with the comfort they have received from God. (2 Corinthians 1:3-4) To believers this book will be an encouragement to continue to stay the course and serve as a reminder of the immeasurable and sacrificial grace of God. To non-believers it will be a call to repentance and an invitation to trust in a loving God who will forgive all sin and heal any hurt. To make-believers it will be a gentle yet urgent plea to wake up and realize that right standing with God comes only through a genuine, saving faith, not good works.

Once I began reading, I couldn’t put the book down. I read it in one afternoon! I became thoroughly engrossed in their stories of how God drew each sister to Himself. It was incredibly remarkable to see the “domino effect” being played out in their lives—God’s plan of salvation unfolding in His time.

I highly recommend reading They All Fall Down . . . to Worship! Like me, you will definitely be inspired and blessed by these women’s stories. This book would be the perfect gift for someone who desperately needs to know about God’s unconditional love. Be sure to visit their website, http://www.theyallfalldown.org/, to get your copy today!


I was given a complimentary book in order to write this review, however, that in no way influenced how I felt about this book!