Candy craze!

Along with our invitation to share the holiday with friends/family, we were asked to bring items to decorate a gingerbread house. I was so excited that this would be R first time of doing this and I knew that J would be thrilled too! When we arrived for Thanksgiving, we found this table set up in a side room....

After all the food had been enjoyed, leftovers stored and the mass amount of dishes washed and put away...the table became a place for a candy craze!

J did hers completely by herself!!! (above) I was so busy helping (and later finishing on my own) R with hers! (Below)

We had such a great time! I think we might have a new Thanksgiving day tradition! Thanks Pam!

Thanksgiving to remember

The holidays always tend to make me think of days gone by and miss the things that used to be. Usually the hurt is so strong and it clouds the day with longing.... this year was first for me....the missing didn't sink in until after it was all said and done! I'm making progress right? lol



This picture is one of my very favorites. It was taken on our last Thanksgiving in Alaska, on our way to share Thanksgiving with friends. J was tucked in to the sled with the pumpkin pies and we set off into the snow! I tend to remember things in colors. I know, strange. This day, altho cold and white, I remember in warm yellows...all my good memories are warm!



But this year, Thanksgiving was packed with so much excitement that the day was simpy full of good food, good friends and family and only thankful thoughts! I hope that all my readers (as few as there may be) had a wonderful day full of only new, wonderful yellow/warm memories!

And the winner is...

My little helper picked it out for me! Robin, can you send me your address so I can drop them in the mail to you? :)

Random Act of Kindness- Giveaway!

I can't believe how far we've come since I first started this little blog. I don't know how many people actually read it but for me it has been such a joy to share my crafts and my thoughts with you all. As I've said before, I feel so blessed to be part of this online community of "friends" and I learn so much from the blogs of other mama's like me!

Things in our house have been quite busy lately, both good and bad and in between. The girls have been fighting a flu bug off and on now for a month or so which has forced me to really buckled down on our activities lately. This has been so hard during this time of year and we've had to miss so many fun activities but I am hoping that we are finally in the clear. Due to hubby's work schedule (oh don't get me started!) and with the threat of the unknown with the girls possibly getting sick again, I had to back out of a craft show I had planned on setting up at. I think this was the hardest of all to have to cancel because it felt like defeat when really it was just a slap of reality that I can't do it all! lol DD had been working so hard on these little recycled crafts to sell there and now we are left with around 50 little pies with no home for the holidays! I have other outlets for my items like my blog and little shops here in town but for her the outlets were a bit more limited and really it was just something fun for her to do.

So....as we were leaving the store yesterday I got an idea! I was digging in my purse for my keys when I saw one of these little pies that we had attached to a pin back floating around in my purse! I asked J if she thought that the lady who had greeted us at the door would like it and of course she was excited and ran off to give it to her. The look of confusion, replaced with joy when J handed it to her and told her she made it was something that brought a lump in my throat. J was as high as a kite when we walked away and couldn't stop rambling on about how much that woman had liked it and how excited she was to make her happy...my heart was over flowing with joy! So, we talked about it and we are going to use these little pies as random acts of kindness (a term that J is now trying to remember as she thinks it is SOOO cool!) When we go to the stores now, we are going to try and look for someone that might be having a bad day or maybe someone that looks really friendly to make their day even better and give them a little pie! J is so excited about the idea and made sure that I put more in my purse just as soon as we got home!




GIVEAWAY!!!



In honor of our new plan this holiday season, and as a way to celebrate my blogs 100th posting, I am giving away two of our little pies. One for you to keep and one for you to give away for your own little Random Act of Kindness! Please let me know if you would like it to be on a magnet, a pin or neither ( they are great for fairies!)



How to enter-



1.Leave a comment telling me how someone else has given you a Random Act of Kindness. It could be something as simple as a person holding a door for you or a fellow mom telling you you're doing a good job (while your toddler is throwing a fit at your feet! lol)



2.Post a link to my posting on your blog (leave a seperate comment with a link so I can go check it out!)

3. Become a fan and follow my blog! *If you post a comment and you are already a fan I will give you two chances!



That's it! Isn't that easy? J will draw the name on Thanksgiving and I will send them out to you ASAP!

Have you done a Random Act of Kindness Today?

Swap crazy!

I made these little salt dough pumpkins for the fall nature table swap...and this is what we got in return!

This necklace was one of my very favorites! I wear it all the time and had to make more for the girls and a few friends! Something so simple but beautiful!

And these were the goodies I got from the Just For Moms Swap! ( I forgot to take pictures of the pretty washrags I crocheted!)

I am currently hosting a swap for toy animals and the packages are starting to arrive! I'm just putting the finishing "hairs" on the knit horses I am making and will post pics soon!

Next comes the ladybug swap, winter nature table and advent! The fun never ends!

I feel like our house has been like a revolving door of crafts lately! We are so lucky to be part of this amazing community online of ladies who take their kids playtime very much to heart! The items we have been getting in swaps lately have many times brought me to tears with their beauty and detail. My girls are so lucky to receive such amazing treassures and I hope when they grow up they realize how many blessings God has brought to us...even through their toys!

The day U-2 came to town...

I have been meaning to write about this for weeks now and never seem to find the time. My days are filled with crafts and school and crafts again and then sick kiddos in between... and yes, more crafting! But that is a whole other blog entry to write! Now back to the day in question...





My dear hubby had a once in a lifetime chance to go see U-2 with his cousin. So with a few days notice, our schedules flipped around and he set off to meet his uncle and cousin in Dallas for a incredible guys night out! Well somewhere in the mix they started talking about a kitten his uncle's family had rescued and how they really needed to find him a good home. Even as I write this, I can imagine DH's reaction and certain mood in response to that. "Noooooo" was surely his reply! lol As his uncle started telling him about this cat, who he fondly called Eddy, DH started to actually show interest! Meanwhile, I was at home chatting with his aunt and she was sending me pictures! I find it so funny how things seem to work out when they are meant to...This all took place on a Monday and by Sunday we were driving to Oklahoma city to meet them for the handoff!!!

















Since bringing him home, Eddy became Kobuk (named after the national park in Alaska and also a coffee shop ) and he has filled a terrible void in our house. I can somehow feel the energy has changed and it warms my heart every night when I look over and see Kobuk stretched out on DHs chest! I don't usually feel that one animal should take the place of another and I would still want Kaladi back if I could but I can't. Kobuk has healed a spot in my little ones heart that cried daily for her loss...and now she just can't stop talking about "Bobuk". She is totally in love and I am so content to watch them play!











For now and always I will be indebted to U-2 and I will remember the day they came to town...

I won! And still hopeful....

First of all, I want to send out a huge thankyou to MamaRoots for the adorable wooden monster I won on her blog! The girls are so exciting and already talking about the green things we will have to hide so dear Elder doesn't eat them! (He likes to eat green food but they just want to be sure!) I enter all sorts of contests but never think I'll actually win!

Awhile back I even won a darling necklace from Herbal Roots too! How cool is that? They are now offering a drawing for what looks like an AMAZING game! I am crossing my fingers ! While you are there, check out their monthly herbal 'zine. I just got my first one about Rosemary and it's wonderful! I am definately hooked and can't wait to try out everything with our fresh rosemary!

I am so inspired by the wonderful things people offer up for contests! I think I'll post one soon too so check back in the next few days! (I have one feeling under the weather so I'm not making promises on what day!)