[ReDeemed]

Milliners are underpaid (or "How to make a pill-box hat")

2012-01-31T16:35:00.000-06:00

My in-laws celebrated 40 years of wedded bliss last weekend. My mother-in-law, Donna, wanted a simple pill-box hat to match her dress. Armed with the knowledge that everything that IS was made by someone, we set out to create our own.

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Book Review: Fashioned by Faith

2012-01-31T14:29:00.003-06:00

Book Description:
Everyone knows that we live in a “skin-is-in” society, heavily driven by media and immodesty. So how does a young Christian woman reconcile a fashionable wardrobe with maintaining her integrity?

Written by international professional model Rachel Lee Carter, Fashioned by Faith offers a cutting-edge approach to the concept of beauty with a Biblical foundation that will attract moms and daughters alike. Readers will love hearing about Carter’s exciting story as she leads them on an engaging study that touches on a huge felt need for young women: real beauty has nothing to do with looks.

Offering three valuable perspectives—teen boys, a professional model, and God’s Word—Carter explains her standards of modesty in a way that will make readers acquire a specific understanding of the author’s wardrobe choices and the impact those choices can make on others. Readers will also learn to season their self-image with daily quiet time with God. A tour of Scripture will reveal the value of heart issues like modesty and why they’re important to God.

Never compromising her sense of style or her faith, every young lady can discover what it means to be Fashioned by Faith. Moms and girls will love this book!


Buy		Read

My Review:
I began reviewing this book with my 2 oldest children (10 & 12 at the time). I really appreciated the insights given from the 3 perspectives (teen boys, professional model, and most importantly the Bible!) It was interesting to hear what my 12 year old son had to say on the topic of modesty too!

My daughter really enjoyed the Biblical foundation and the opportunity to discover for herself what God says about modesty. This book gave her a great place to bring together her passion for fashion and for God, under the mentor-ship of a "Fashion Model". This was great for me, as I am not a clothes horse!

My daughter and I were inspired to seek God first in our clothing choices. In our culture you cannot be modest by accident - it is a choice that must be made every time you shop, dress and wear clothing. Our body language must also match our modest clothing choices. My son was challenged to think about modesty and appreciate it as a virtue in young ladies.

I enjoyed the easy-to-read style of writing and would recommend this to fellow moms. In fact, I already have - I loaned it out last month!

Purchase a copy of "Fashioned by Faith" on Amazon.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

Ultimate Valentine's Resource

2012-01-28T10:44:00.000-06:00

My Pinterest Valentine's Day Board, of course! You're welcome :)

You'll find neat ideas like these - to see more information on each, click on the actual pin and then on the link above and to the right of the picture. It will take you to tutorials, pictures, blogs and all kinds of great stuff!

Source: paperandtype.tumblr.com via Noel on Pinterest

Source: designsponge.com via Noel on Pinterest

Source: thefarmchicks.typepad.com via Noel on Pinterest

Source: bhg.com via Noel on Pinterest

Perspective

2012-01-26T19:00:00.000-06:00

Perspective is a funny thing. You can look at something and be quite convinced that your understanding is accurate. You can outline all the reasons that you are right, how others are wrong. You are right. It's simple, black and white. And then something shifts, you see the exact same thing in a new light; you have a new perspective.

shadow art

Grief is, perhaps, the greatest illuminator of all. When something, or worse - someone, is lost you are forced to shift your focus from the tyranny of the urgent. The mundane things of everyday life become even more mundane. I've often said that there is a clarity that is the gift of grief - we are able to distill our lives quite effectively into important and unimportant. Those of us who have received that gift, lived with it and love it have few occasions to share it. Unfortunately - it seems the most effective teacher is, once again, experience.

Not a day goes by that I am not reminded of my sweet child in heaven. Yes, there are the obvious reminders - for instance when someone asks how many children I have (I always include Ian!) But more personal and painful are the subtle reminders. My perspective has changed on everything. For instance, when others see the following picture, they may think "what a great way to announce that you're expecting"

Source: imageshack.us via Jessica on Pinterest

The bereaved mother in me only sees empty shoes. Shoes that my son never got to wear.

Or this one:

Source: sallypreston.blogspot.com via Kate - The Shopping Mama on Pinterest

With comments like: "What a great idea! I want to do this with my baby's coming home outfit!" And all I can think of is "That's all I have to remember him by."

And sentiments like this:

Source: etsy.com via Noel on Pinterest

which might call to mind your sweetheart, reminds me of the love I carry with me always for my son.

My friend Laura used to be a little miffed by the joyful worshipers blindly singing "Blessed Be Your Name"

The lyrical inspiration is from Job. After he lost everything he said "the Lord gives and the Lord takes away. Blessed be the name of the Lord." You can't rightly sing this song until you've experienced both sides of it. It is easy to sing and praise when all is well; it is quite another "when there's pain in the offering." The pain is what gives us the perspective. We sang this at Laura's funeral, and again at Ian's a few short months later.

There are so many positive things that come from this perspective - the view from 5 years down this long grief journey. Life does go on. Your heart will be forever scarred but it will not always bleed. You will be stronger and infinitely more capable of grace and mercy. You will recognize pain in others and may choose to share your own. I know I pray much more fervently now than I did before, and with more honesty, trust and humility.

I pray that you will allow the loss and pain in your life to give you a new perspective today. And you will be able to identify with the Apostle Paul, and nod your head in agreement when you read:

Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. James 1:2-4

Review: Radical

2012-01-26T13:26:00.000-06:00

I've had this book for over a year now. I cried the first time I read it - and I've referenced back to it so many times!

Author David Platt is a pastor of a mega church. In Radical, he gives us a glimpse into his transition from the status quo to authentic first-century Christianity. And then he challenges me to do the same.

I am forever grateful for the broadening that occurred as I read this book. To say that it was life-changing is not a stretch! Growing up middle class, middle America, Christian and home-schooled, I was sheltered from the realities of life in many ways. Christianity was "normal" and other religions and lifestyles were the odd-man out. To hear Mr. Platt share of going to a secret church overseas, then doing the same here in the US was invigorating!

In Radical, I was challenged to consider with an open heart how we have manipulated the gospel to fit our cultural preferences. He shows what Jesus actually said about being his disciple--then invites you to believe and obey what you have heard. And he tells the dramatic story of what is happening as a "successful" suburban church decides to get serious about the gospel according to Jesus.

Here's an excerpt:

“If you were to ask the average Christian sitting in a worship service on Sunday morning to summarize the message of Christianity, you would most likely hear something along the lines of “The message of Christianity is that God loves me.” Or someone might say, “The Message of Christianity is that God loves me enough to send his Son, Jesus, to die for me.”
As wonderful as this sentiment sounds, is it biblical? Isn't it incomplete, based on what we have seen in the Bible? “God loves me” is not the essence of biblical Christianity. Because if “God loves me” is the message of Christianity, then who is the object of Christianity?
God loves me.
Me.
Christianity’s object is me.
Therefore, when I look for a church, I look for the music that best fits me and the programs that best cater to me and my family. When I make plans for my life and career, it is about what works best for me and my family. When I consider the house I will live in, the car I will drive, the clothes I will wear, the way I will live, I will choose according to what is best for me. This is the version of Christianity that largely prevails in our culture.
But it is not biblical Christianity.
The message of biblical Christianity is not “God loves me, period,” as if we were the object of our own faith. The message of biblical Christianity is “God loves me so that i might make him–his ways, his salvation, his glory, and his greatness– known among ALL nations.” Now God is the object of our faith, and Christianity centers around Him. We are not the end of the gospel; God is.”

If you are happy with the status quo - read this book. If you are dissatisfied with religion - read this book. If you aren't a Christian - read this book. I guarantee that it will be worth your time!

Review: "Don't Do What I Did"

2012-01-24T12:51:00.000-06:00

They say that experience is the best teacher. If so, why wouldn't you want to hear the experience of a twice-divorced parent with a heart to prevent the same outcome for her teens?

Author Diane O'Neil is all too familiar with the heartache of divorce. She lived it not once, but twice. Knowing that statistically her kids were pre-disposed to repeating the pattern, she decided to educate them about avoiding some of the pitfalls she fell into.

The result is a book by which teenagers will learn what it’s like to build and maintain strong, healthy relationships with open communication and appreciation of others. It will help them build the foundation for healthy relationships, that later on are the building blocks for healthy marriages.

The workshop format for Don’t Do What I Did, includes a workbook and a teacher’s guide in hard copy. The accompanying CD includes the book in MP3 and PDF formats. If you have the Amazon Kindle (including free Kindle for smart phones or PC), you can also purchase Don't Do What I Did!! - Teaching Teens with Divorced Parents How to Have a Successful Marriage from Amazon for only 99 cents!

I can see how many different types of groups could benefit from this product. This would be an excellent resource for youth groups, small groups, after-school programs and so many other groups! Your group can complete the workbook in four weeks with one hour discussion sessions each week. Some areas of discussion in the workbook include: Identifying a teen’s current living situation, how do their parents manage a household, becoming familiar with relationships values important to your teen, and recognizing red flags in relationships (my personal favorite). There are interactive discussion guides and even some activities like crossword puzzles.

I think that you'll enjoy this book and want to put on a workshop for the teens that you love. When you do - I'd love to hear about it!

I was provided a copy of the workshop books to review.

I was not compensated in any way for this review.

The opinions expressed are my own.

The times they are a changin'...

2012-01-23T23:45:00.003-06:00

For the past several months my life has been crazy. (OK, so maybe years, but the last few months especially!)
I've been running 100 miles per hour non-stop.

January through May we were homeschooling. Not to mention that Aaron has 4 therapy appointments each month. We also co-lead a growth group at church and volunteer in other areas. Plus, William is on the board for Camp Sol.
In June we completed Financial Peace University (from Dave Ramsey) and I decided to really pursue my Gold Canyon business. I traveled to San Antonio for a meeting, ordered my supplies and scheduled parties.
In July Aaron was in the hospital. In Tulsa. Unexpected to say the least! I had several Gold Canyon parties and my first $1000 month! I also started doing a lot of networking.
In August we put the big kids back in school and they adjusted pretty well (all things considered). I also started my Facebook fan page and had a Hostess Appreciation Tea for Gold Canyon. And - this is when I started battling recurrent stys and eye infections.
In September, I had parties and 3 booths at vendor fairs. I continued networking and started my own networking group. And planned a charity event with 30 vendors. My husband started experiencing strange "nodding off" or "passing out" events, so I started driving him to the train station. At 6:30 every morning! And picking him up at 6:00 every evening. My 12 year old was suspended for fighting at school. And I found out that all of my children needed enough dental work to pay for the doc's Mercedes for at least a year.
In October, I had several booths, including the PINK Party charity event. We also collected donations for William's aunt who had a house fire. I also went on a much-needed Girlfriend's Getaway with ladies from my church. I managed one fundraiser start to finish and set up a second one.
In November, I continued a heavy networking schedule, parties and several booths. We also made 2 trips, one to Illinois and one in-state for Thanksgiving. I spoke at a women's ministry meeting, kicked off a fundraiser and my 12 year old was suspended again. My 10 year old had non-stop detentions for missing homework (she told us it was done.) We also helped her get a business off the ground: Ainsley's Accessories (and were her slave labor making scarves!)

In December I made it to one vendor event and crashed the next day. I called my mommy! LOL My parents came to help and it was just in time. I woke up on the first Saturday of December with plans for a great vendor event/home show. Instead, I went to the ER and was admitted with double pneumonia.

It took me nearly 2 weeks to recover, most of that time in the hospital. While I was there, they did a bronchoscopy and lung biopsy, and the night before that I found out that I had large gall stones and would have to have surgery to remove them. I was a wreck. I called a good friend and she came to sit with me and give me counsel. She also gave me an incredible book called The Secret Place of Strength (Heart for God Devotional Series, No. 5) The next morning another friend came and prayed with me and sat with me, then waited for me to have the procedure done.

I was supposed to take it easy for a while after leaving the hospital, and in comparison to my regular routine, I did! I "only" entertained out-of town company, closed a fundraiser, attended 2 parties and sat with my baby in the hospital for 3 days. Then did Christmas and New Year's activities.

Then the last few weeks have held drama as I waited for test results from the hematologist / oncologist that now show that I have a genetic condition called Hypogammaglobulinemia. This is an immune disorder (which explains the severe pneumonia). The treatment is regular IV infusions of IGg. I'm thankful that I do not have any of the things that would have caused this, had it not been genetic (lupus, lymphoma, leukemia, etc.)

As I've had time to reflect on my life, my purpose, my strength... I've come to several realizations. The first one is that Gold Canyon is awesome and amazing, but it is consuming me. I dream about it. I think about it during praise and worship. During my devotional time I have to refocus because I've just thought of another brilliant idea to share Gold Canyon. So, I've decided that it has to go. Once I realized that it was standing between me and God, I realized that it was also standing between me and my family. Friends - take note: Something doesn't have to be BAD in order to be bad for you. It can be a wonderful thing, but if it's not GOD's wonderful thing for you, then it's gotta go!

So, I am happy and sad to say that I am going to resign from Gold Canyon. I will leave my website up for a while, I'll be able to purchase with my discount for several more months. and I'll still be eligible to do fundraisers. I will be transitioning my facebook page and eventually my website to Bre Land, a fellow Gold Canyon rep who will take good care of my friends/customers!

The second thing that I've realized is that I have to take more time to focus on my family. We've increased Aaron's therapy visits to 8-10 times per month, since he's getting stronger and doing so well. I'm working on pre-school lessons with Gavin. I'm scheduling date nights with my husband. I'm playing more games with the big kids. And, I'm doing (a little) more cleaning.

I'm stretching outside of my comfort zone. I know that I can be popular and amazing networking and selling great candles. I know that I can bring people together. I know that I am a great marketer. Those things come easily to me. My comfort zone does not include wiping down counters or cleaning up toys for the 40th time in one day. It does not include "down time". It does not recognize words like "discipline" and "structure".

I know that this is God-directed though, so I am completely on-board. Even as I began to empty my schedule and unsubscribe from mailing lists and facebook pages, and leave networking groups and decline invitations - I felt God's peace. And in the "empty" places, He is beginning to fill new appointments, new opportunities, new people.

I'm going on a mission trip!

2012-01-23T19:13:00.000-06:00

Raise'>http://www.gofundme.com/">Raise Money Online

I'm excited to go on my first Mission Trip! You can read all about it on the link above!

Invitations - on the cheap!

2012-01-21T16:48:00.000-06:00

I've been using this money-saving idea for a while now, and I thought I'd share!

I create digital invitations for my kids' birthday parties, Gold Canyon parties, charity events, etc., then print them out as a photo! I get full color glossy invitations for about 10-20 cents each! You could even take it up a notch by affixing them to cardstock, but we just hand them out as-is.

Here's the latest one I did. I started out with an image I found online (be fair to copyrights! Don't use an artists' work, photographers image, etc. - look for things in the general domain!):

found at San Diego Bargain Momma's blog, via Google image search

Then, I used the photo editing site Picnik.com to crop the image to 4"x6" diminsions. You could do this with your favorite software or even PowerPoint.

Next, I added the text:

Then I saved it and uploaded to Walgreens.com for printing (always search for an online coupon!) I picked them up an hour later!

Here are some other invitations that I've made this way:

created with a hybrid of PowerPoint and Picnik

created using Picnik's Premier Collages

created in PowerPoint

The Picnik's over!

2012-01-20T17:05:00.002-06:00

UGH! I just saw that Picnik is closing! I've enjoyed my premium membership for the last 2 years, and have used it to make so many things!

A while back, Google bought them, and I suspected that they would be gobbled up and spit back into the google machine. If Google didn't make everything so d*mn convienent, I'd hate them!

The good news is, I'll get a refund of my membership fee, and they've offered a convienent way to download my photos. That soothed my ruffled feathers a little bit.

The other good news is that the premium features are free to everyone now, so you can get hooked and let down just like me! The features will be added to Google+ in the future. I hope I'll still be able to do things like this:

zazzle.com/noelgiger

Feel like a failure?

2012-01-20T15:23:00.001-06:00

Source: Uploaded by user via Noel on Pinterest

Win $125.00 in CASH! #SpotlightFacebook

2012-01-16T00:01:00.000-06:00

Win $125.00 in CASH!

Hostessed by Mama to 4 Blessings and Home Grown Families with the help of several other fantastic group of bloggers we bring you Social Media Sportlight "Facebook"! This giveaway runs from 12:01 AM on Monday 1/16 and will run until Monday, 1/22 at 11:59 PM (all Eastern times). One winner will receive $125.00 Cash into their paypal!

And, if you enjoy crafting (or just looking at other's crafts, or just winning prizes) stop back by for the [ReDeemed] ScentMate Crafting Challenge! Good luck!

Kindle Fire and $50 Amazon Gift Card Giveaway!

2012-01-16T00:00:00.000-06:00

Welcome to Kindle Fire and $50 Amazon Gift Card Giveaway Hosted by Coupon Scribbles

You've heard about now WIN one!! The Kindle Fire would be wonderful to win just by itself but we are throwing in a $50 Amazon Gift Card for Movies or Books to load up your Kindle Fire.

The Giveaway begins at Monday 1/16/12 and ends at 11:59pm EST Monday 1/30/12 The winner will be chosen and notified. The prize will be sent out via 2nd day shipping!

Co-Hosting the Kindle Fire and $50 Amazon Gift Card Giveaway with Coupon Scribbles are:

The Krazy Coupon Queen

Health Beauty Children and Family

Saving in Sumnerco

Shopper Strategy

Grandma Bonnie's Closet

Three Boys and an Old Lady

Extreme Personal Measures

Bad Ass Chicks that Bite

Please take a moment to stop by each one of them.
We, as a group, are bringing you this awesome giveaway!

Just follow the easy instructions below. If you enjoy crafting (or just looking at other's crafts, or just winning prizes) stop back by for the [ReDeemed] ScentMate Crafting Challenge! Good luck!

ScentMate Crafter's Challenge!

2012-01-11T14:57:00.000-06:00

*****Due to unforeseen circumstances, the challenge has been cancelled. I sincerely apologize!*****

I've been busy behind the scenes planning a crafter's challenge! Many of my customers tell me their kids love to play with the ScentMates - they imagine bugs, mice, airplanes, cars... It got me thinking, what would everyone else see?

So, start your glue guns - there's a contest afoot!

I have some great prizes lined up, including gift certificates and products from sponsors with:
Do You Bake, Discovery Toys, Gold Canyon, Close to My Heart, Tupperware, Herbalife, Thirty-One, Organo Gold, DeBonair Custom Cleaning and Hobby Lobby!

Additional sponsors include:
Personalized Baby Quilts from Tracybug Creative
Aimes Collision
Scribble Cakes

If you'd like to sponsor this contest - there's still time to provide a prize and get exposure across multiple blogs, Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest!

The rules are simple:

You must use a Gold Canyon ScentMate (your choice of black or aqua)
The ScentMate must remain fully functional (batteries able to be replaced, scent pads able to be interchanged, still turns on and sends fragrance into the air!)
You must submit your entry no later than February 10, 2012 at midnight CST (via your blog, YouTube, Pinterest or e-mail)

That's it! Voting will open at 12:01 AM CST on February 11th, and will remain open until midnight CST on February 18th. You may solicit votes from family, friends, followers, etc.

The winner of the popular vote will receive a prize (stay tuned for the big announcements!) There will be a "best of show" prize for my favorite entry, and there will also be a giveaway for voters!

If you already have a ScentMate - start creating! If not, contact your Gold Canyon Independent Fragrance Consultant today! If you don't have a consultant, I'd like to apply for the job! Purchase your own ScentMate - if you win the challenge, I'll refund your purchase!

Wordless Wednesday - when the toddler decorates...

2012-01-11T12:50:00.000-06:00

Better ideas for lantern fillers...

Valentine's Day is coming soon!

2012-01-10T23:38:00.002-06:00

What are your favorite Valentine's Day Memories?

Our tradition is to spend the evening as a family - celebrating the love we have for each other. We make it a double date night, although that has expanded as our family has! I now have the pleasure of having 3 escorts for the evening (plus our ever-in-our-hearts Ian!) and William still only has one princess :)

We dress up and go out to dinner, sometimes even just to a fast food place!

Are you planning for Valentine's Day yet? I've been collecting ideas on my Pinterest Valentine's Day board:

Source: shabbynest.blogspot.com via Noel on Pinterest

Source: baking.about.com via Noel on Pinterest

Source: duitang.com via Noel on Pinterest

There are so many more! Go check it out!
And remember - if you need a gift for Valentine's Day, candles last longer than flowers :)

dfwgoldcanyon.com (prices are with a coupon, limited quantities available, request by e-mail noel@noelgiger.com)

Rafflecopter is hosting a Launch Giveaway

2012-01-09T22:11:00.001-06:00

If you enter contests on blogs, you've surely seen Rafflecopter forms everywhere! These have made entering so much easier! They even remember your information now :)

To start 2012, you’ll have a chance at winning an iPad2 or one of two Kindle Fires in what we’re calling the ‘Rafflecopter Launch Party Giveaway’!

You can even enter right here on my blog!
Read more »

Down's Syndrome: the education of me (part 4, the end of the beginning)

2012-01-07T23:53:00.001-06:00

Start with part one :)

As we left our first Down's Syndrome Guild Meeting, I recalled another time I had joined a club I wanted no membership in. We lost Ian in 2006, then had a miscarriage a few months later. We joined M.E.N.D. and attended Camp Sol, affirming our membership in the Bereaved Parents Club.

When we are little, we imagine our lives. We plan the weddings (with Prince Charming), we play Mommy, we think about what we will be when we grow up. Then along the way, life happens. Never do we plan to lose a child. Never do we plan to have any kinds of troubles. We never imagine special needs. Never create a scenario where divorce is acceptable. Never account time off for dreaded diseases. Why should we? We were children. There is a scripture that reads:

When I was a child, I used to speak like a child, think like a child, reason like a child; when I became a man, I did away with childish things. 1 Corinthians 13:11

As children, we dream big dreams of perfect lives. We reason that it should be that way, and so it shall be. When we encounter the challenges of life, we begin to see that childish dream slip away. Mine was not just slipping, it was shattered. Losing a child is one of those things you fear, but don't really think will ever happen. Once it does, it seems the floodgate has opened and all the other potential tragedies of life, that once seemed impossible, might just reach you too.

Fear that my daughter would be kidnapped, my husband would die and leave me a widow to raise the children on my own, fear that I would have a stillborn child, fear that we would face financial ruin and end up having tenets in our own home (We would all live in the master bedroom, the baby would have the walk-in closet as a nursery, twin beds would line the other walls. My fears have fully-grown legs!)

Still, in all those dark moments of fear and doubt, "special needs" never crossed my mind. Yet here I was. Strolling out of the Down's Syndrome Guild, pushing a baby carriage with the sweetest little bundle I've ever met. Still struggling to come to terms with what it means to be a mother to a special needs child.

And then I realized - I'm just a mom. Every one of my children has special needs. Calvin is intelligent and clever and loves for me to spend time with him. I have to keep him busy or he causes mischief. Jordan is an artist, singer and loves anything creative. She is absent-minded and would lose her head if it were not firmly attached to her body. I have to remind her every few minutes of what she is supposed to be doing. Ian lives at his Father's house. I have to love him from a distance and rekindle his memory. Gavin is a bundle of energy and love. His hugs come kamikaze-style and often leave visible proof of his affection. I have to teach him to channel that passion in constructive ways.

So Aaron will be a little behind "typical" kids. I can deal with that. I'm his MOM, that's why I'm here.

I have learned so much from this precious child. I've learned to just RELAX and enjoy him. I have had very little expectation of what he will do and when. And you know what? I've been so pleasantly surprised! I wonder how much joy I've missed out on in celebrating my other children's accomplishments - just because I was so focused on the next big goal? And I'm not even one of those competitive moms! I consider myself to be pretty relaxed already, but I've learned to just lean back and trust that all will be well.

what was I worried about?
less than a year and already in the driver's seat!

So - my education will continue. Thank you GOD! I have learned that I have much to learn. I've been reminded that I'm not in control of my own destiny, but I know Who is. I've learned that Down's Syndrome "People" are really just like you and me - sons and daughters of someone who wants desperately for the world to see them for who they are, not for a label on their sleeve. And if someone slips and says that "something's 'retarded'" then blanches and says "OMG - I'm so sorry, I didn't mean that!" I'll smile and say "that's OK - I had to learn not to say that too."

Down's Syndrome: the education of me (part 3)

2012-01-06T11:05:00.000-06:00

Start with part one :)

As we bundled our sweet baby and prepared to take him home, I had no idea what the future held for us.

We still hadn't told the kids, and they were going to Nana's house for a week or two anyway. My mom stayed to help me with the baby since I had my first-ever C-Section and William was recuperating from back surgery.

Shortly after we settled in at home, I began doing lots of internet research. My husband had already beaten me to most of it. He had registered us with the Down Syndrome Guild of Dallas, who sent an information packet about 4 inches thick. I still haven't read any of it. There was a calendar with pictures of Down's Syndrome babies and kids. I couldn't even hang it up. The truth is, I didn't want my son to be like those kids. I wanted him to be normal.

It was about this time that I started writing this blog post, but didn't publish it until Aaron was almost a month old. It was also about this time that I realized that it was politically incorrect and insensitive to say that my other kids were "normal". I've learned that the correct term is "typical". (Don't worry - I still struggle with it too).

The things that really flashed in my mind through all this time are all the times that I've laughed when someone was called a " 'tard" (short for retard). All the times that a friend loosely hit their chest with a limp hand and said "dir-de-der". The "tooty ta" dance that makes everyone look like they have "special needs"

and laughing as I said with my tongue planted to one side of my mouth "efferyone's specthial in thair own way." I'm ashamed. I'm not nice. I'm a judgmental person, and now I am a mother to one who will be so judged.

This is what hurt the most; I knew that he would face people like me. Nice on the outside. Sweet to your face; laughing behind closed doors. Not at you in particular, but at people like you. Ouch. Self-evaluations are painful under "normal" circumstances. When it's so close to home the examination occurs with razor-sharp precision and the pain that accompanies that knife.

I determined to be a better person (for the bajillionth time in my life) and to eliminate the aforementioned activities. What is harder than that though, is changing the way you view the people.

Our first Down Syndrome Guild meeting (quarterly meeting for new parents) was accompanied by a presentation of the "Team Do Something Great" that was a part of the SLANT 45 Film Project. I was OK meeting the parents of the babies. I was OK meeting the parents of the teens. I was slightly creeped out by the teens fawning over Aaron (especially when one severely affected boy's dad kept saying "you were just like that when you were a baby. You looked just like that."), but I completely lost it when the teens performed. Here they sang, performed gymnastics, told jokes and other "talents".

I was sitting there, judging through outsider's "typical" eyes. I saw mediocre at best. I saw the "crowd" applauding non-accomplishment. I was overwhelmed with a feeling that I couldn't do "this". I couldn't applaud mediocrity. I couldn't bear to think of this being all my son might ever accomplish. I heard echoes of my mother's voice "he will probably never leave your home." My elderly neighbor's words on hearing the diagnosis: "that's too bad - at least you'll always have him with you."

I retreated. To the bathroom. I sat in the pale green stall, hyperventilating and sobbing and thinking "if there were a window in here..." After 15 minutes, I gathered myself together and dabbed in vain at my eyes - they refused to stop leaking. I went back to the group where my husband was enthusiastically networking, meeting other parents, cooing over their Down's Syndrome Babies (that's what I saw, Down's Babies). I sat down at the table, with my back to the room, hoping that no one would speak to me. I didn't want to be there. I didn't want to learn anything new. I didn't want to join a new club. William called to me to meet some people. I tried to ignore him, but he persisted. I played nice until we could leave, planning to never return.

To be continued...

Part 4

Down's Syndrome: the education of me (part 2)

2012-01-04T11:32:00.000-06:00

Start with part one :)

It was New Year's Eve, 2010. I sat in the dimming hospital room and had just urged the visitor who knocked on the door to "come in".

"Hold on a second honey, the doctor is here." I said to my 9 year old daughter, who had called to check in from Grandma's house. I was expecting the usual "he looks great" but what I heard rocked my world.

I was alone, William had back surgery just a week prior - so he wasn't staying with me as he usually would (he also could not drive yet) My mom's health is not good and I didn't want her to stay at the hospital, and my dad was really the only one who could help William if he needed anything. The other kids were at my in-law's house. I had confidently sent everyone away, secretly thinking that I would enjoy the peace and quiet!

The doc started by introducing himself and handing me a business card. I listened as he said that he had been talking with the nurses and other doctors (thinking "uh huh - can we move on, I'm on the phone...") and that he thought that Aaron should be tested for Down's Syndrome. My heart started beating faster, I felt the room close in. I told my daughter "I'll call you back honey."

He started recounting signs of Down's Syndrome and whether or not my perfect baby boy had them. Something about curved pinky fingers (he didn't) and a single crease on the palm of the hand (he did on one hand). Extra space between the toes (he didn't) and low and rear-set ears (he did mildly). Slanted eyes (a little) but no extra fold of skin. Thick, protruding tongue, he had that. There were more, thirteen I think...

The physical signs were enough to warrant the chromosome tests - did we want to do that now or wait until later? Oh, and sometimes babies with Down's Syndrome have heart defects and lung problems, did we want to test for that now or wait until later?

My head was reeling, my mind racing to catch up to what I was hearing! How could this be happening? He looked so normal - there must be some mistake. I felt sick to my stomach, like I was going to vomit. My throat was tense and I knew that I would cry, but not now. Now, I had to focus. I had to pay attention and be rational and make a good decision for my baby. I asked questions about the tests and how invasive they were, how necessary they would be, what they would tell us and how long they would take. I told him to go ahead and do both of them. I was relieved that the heart test would be back soon, disappointed that the karyotyping would take several weeks.

I called my husband. Now I cried.

I called for my sweet Aaron to come nurse. And cried some more.

My parents came to visit. I told them. We all cried.

I texted a few close friends. They all cried with us. My best friend even sent me a picture of the product of her days of crying; puffy eyes have never conveyed such love before!

Aaron's heart scan came back perfect. I harbored hope that would mean he was normal. I Googled "Down's Syndrome Babies" and compared the photos and descriptions, thinking "it's not true" - while secretly beginning to recognize slight traces. We decided not to tell the kids or "everyone" (aka Facebook posts) until we knew for sure.

The next few weeks were a crash course in my own ignorance and judgmental nature. All I thought I believed about special needs children and families would be tested and hung out to dry. What was left was the realization that I was not as nice as I thought I was.

To be continued...

Part 3
Part 4

Pinterest Piques my Interest

2012-01-03T20:43:00.000-06:00

Do you Pinterest?

I've started pinning and I can't stop! As I've been browsing through pins of those I follow and those in chosen categories, I've come up with some guidelines I thought I'd share.

Remember that your pin may make it around the world and back. Don't pin sensitive family photos!

Source: awkwardfamilyphotos.com via Mylee on Pinterest

Take a moment to include relevant information. Where did you find it? Why do you like it? I can't tell you how many fabulous pictures I've come across that simply say "like"!

If you found the image on a blog, link to the actual blog post (not the main blog site, and not the image url) so that others can visit the creator if they like.
If you find something on a shopping site, include relevant information (store, designers name, product name, style, color, etc.)
If you include a $ (dollar sign) and amount (i.e. "got this at the $1.00 store), your pin will have a banner with a "price tag" on it:

Categorize your boards! One or more of these is clearly not "Architecture"!

Be careful - it is addictive!

Source: sstorywindow.blogspot.com via Debbie on Pinterest

A Minute to Pin It - Pinterest Party!

2011-12-29T18:28:00.000-06:00

Are you hooked on Pinterest yet? No? Get over there! It is amazing - I wish that I had something like it when I was planning weddings and events! You can create your own "boards" for any topic you like (see a few of mine below). You can also follow friend's boards, so you can see what they like. It's a great way to organize a menu, a party, a room, an evening out (or in!), an outfit... Just about anything you want to be able to see!

I'm so happy I found this great party! Visit with me over at 7 On A Shoestring!

Follow me on Pinterest too!

Happy Pinning :)

Gold Canyon ScentMate Review

2011-12-29T09:15:00.000-06:00

Gold Canyon's ScentMate

When I received my Consultant's kit in the Fall of 2010, this little contraption was included. I didn't think that I would get much use out of it (I was more interested in the candles!)

Here's the "official" description:

"At the touch of a button, instantly transform your personal space with 'The World's Finest fragrance. No plug or flame required. A quiet, yet powerful fan streams long-lasting fragrance into the air. Includes personal fan diffuser and 3 ScentMate Pads."

Scent Mate Dimensions: 4 L x 3 1/4 W x 2 3/4
ScentMate Pads Material: Each pad is made from cotton and designed exclusively for the ScentMate™ Personal Fan Diffuser

I opened it up, scrounged around for some batteries and put some Pomegranate Home Fragrance Oil on the ScentMate Pad. (actually, I WAY overdid the fragrance oil! The instructions say to use 100 drops. I recommend that you start with 15-20 and add more if you want a stronger fragrance throw! Fortunately it comes with 3 pads, so I was able to trade it out! LOL)

I was surprised at how powerful it was! I put it on the piano in the living room and could smell it in all the surrounding rooms (With 20 drops of oil. With 100 drops I could smell it at the curb outside!) The other thing that was immediately noticed by the testosterone bearers of the house is that it was "cool". It's a gadget. It's black. It's small. It's got a button. The button lights up!

I had promised my 2 older kids that I would order something especially for them (since they were very upset that I packed it all up every-time I had a party somewhere else!) My oldest son chose the ScentMate with Clean Sheets oil (I would later find out that is one of the most popular fragrances for men!)

My husband wanted something for his desk at the office, so he took my ScentMate to try it out. He likes the Fresh Orange scent (retired in Home Fragrance Oil, discounted and still available as of this writing), so that's what he took. He was amazed at how many people commented that they smelled oranges, even when he had turned it off!

Needless to say, I had to order another ScentMate for myself. I've taken to carrying it in my car, it makes a great instant freshener wherever I am. I confess, I often use it in my car too!

If you use it non-stop (and who wouldn't want to?) I do recommend that you purchase a 3V power adapter or USB adapter so that you're not replacing the batteries all the time! You can pick them up at Radio Shack or online at Amazon or E-Bay.

Another accessory that makes your ScentMate more valuable is the picture post:

I'm excited about the new addition coming in the Spring (January 15th) - ScentMate in BLUE!

UPDATED: Gold Canyon just released an "Inside Scoop" video:

Disclosure: I am a Fragrance Consultant for Gold Canyon. I do sell this Scent Mate product!

Random WW Wordless Wednesday (yeah right!)

2011-12-27T20:55:00.000-06:00

Valentine's Wreath

a book I want to read

love this!

a contest, coming soon...

"May the LORD repay you for what you have done. May you be richly rewarded by the LORD, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge." Ruth 2:12

Market Me: People Style Watch 2012 Page 86

2011-12-07T20:48:00.000-06:00

To read the rest of the series, click here.

It's interesting, I took this pic and uploaded it to my Facebook page so that I could download it to my computer (being too lazy to connect my USB cable! LOL). I added the caption "Ignore this photo" - truly intending to just delete it after I downloaded it for the blog series. I left it because I was so amused by how many could not ignore it. You know, not one person said anything about the Everything under $100? I was given several drink recipes, fond recollections of commercials and other fun comments - all about the Kahlua advertisement!
I sat my laptop on top of the magazine while opened to this page spread and when I picked it up, the right page tor out. As I placed it back in the magazine, I decided to flip it over to see what the other side looked like:

This is what I expected to see when I turned to the article! So I'm going to pretend that's what I found :)
I really like the picks from Forever 21 - earrings for $6.80? Yes please! The only other item on the page that comes close to impressing me is the Minuet "Gold Sequin Vintage-Inspired Dress" for $92 It's classically styled and could get several season's uses. I'm thinking that it will probably be too short, so I want to check it out. It's hard to find though - I've spent a while searching online, can't come up with a website for it. Hmmm? (duh - I re-read it, it's at lulus.com. I went to check it out, they don't have it anymore. And the rest of their stock, let's just say ~~hoochie-momma~~ inappropriate.

The rest of the page communicates to me "a subtle shimmer in mono-chromatic tones is popular right now." This I like. What I don't like is that the pricepoint on everything else, purported to be "bargains" is so high! The 2 pair of shoes are $98 & $99. Yes, they are beautiful. Yes, I would wear them if someone gave them to me. I've only spent that kind of money on shoes that are comfortable. Durable. Versatile.

Which brings me to my next thought "how versatile are the items on this page?" I don't want things that have only one use. I don't want to maintain storage space for that type of wardrobe (or household for that matter!) If it's a one-time shot, it's gotta be very inexpensive (like the Forever 21 earrings). If it's gonna be expensive, I'd better be able to use it a lot. Maybe everyday.

The White Belted Trousers from XOXO on the next page would fall into a category I'd call "investment pieces". This is where I would put a little more money for wardrobe items that fit perfectly (or are high enough quality to have altered) and will last through many years. I have several pair of pants and jeans that I spent $40-60 on that have lasted me 4 years with no sign of letting me down!

There's another Forever 21 jewelry item on page 91 for only $5.80. A good deal, but it reminds me that I've committed to purchase from local, small business and handmade artisans. Which makes me do a quick search on etsy (purely for your benefit, mind you!) I came up with a few options, but I thought this one was really cute!
Caged Birds Necklace by Twisted Vintage

And, then I realized that I would probably rather have something of quality, rather than the $5.80 chandelier earrings, so I looked again (OK, I admit, I'm a big fan of etsy!) I found these cute freshwater pearl earrings but they don't have the sparkle (and they ship from Greece, which is cool, but not really local)

Freshwater Pearl Earrings

So I shopped again and found:

Wire wrapped chandelier
earrings handmade yellow
citrine and swarovski crystals

Rhinestone and Crystal Drop Earrings

Chain Chandelier Earrings with Rhinestones

I have chosen a simpler lifestyle (although it's still not simple enough!) Living with less doesn't mean that you have to be deprived, it just means that you are more selective. The jewelry items that I have have been carefully selected, or are gifts. I don't wear something just because it's trendy. I don't own enough jewelry to fill my jewelry armoir, nor do I want to!

So anyway, that's my take on this article - I'll be back with more observations as I continue to blog my way through the People Magazine StyleWatch 2011-2012 edition! Follow along!

Market Me: People Style Watch 2010 TOC

2011-12-07T08:46:00.000-06:00

To read the whole series, click here.
TOC - that's Table of Contents. You know - they used to be right in the front of the magazine, so you could go right to the article for which you made your purchase in the first place? Now it's on page 15, you have to wade through many pages of advertisements to find it. This is great for the magazine, as I'm sure they charge top-dollar to the advertisers to guarantee that you'll put your finger on their page at least once!

Here's my run down of what I saw:
Ralph Lauren Romance: A beautiful ad, heart warming and clean. I like it! I wish it had a sample though :)
Banana Republic: Fresh and clean, a beautiful ad. The underlying message here: be classy!
Tresor Midnight Rose by Lancome: seems to be trying to capitalize on Twilight fame - was Emma Watson in that movie? No wait, she was in the Harry Potter movies, that might explain the dark violets. I am actually more intrigued by the necklace that she is wearing LOL
Guess: You can always count on Guess to not make you guess about anything. Their ads are always driven by sex, this one is no different. Although the ad is for a nice bag, we have a model sprawled across abed or couch with hot pants and a too-small white blouse almost tied over a black bra. This ad says "you need to be sexy. it's ok to wear your underwear where it can be seen. If you carry our bag, you'll be sexy too." No thank you!
Ann Taylor: I like this ad. Even though I'm not a big fan of Demi Moore and her movies, I like the way the ad is subtle and classy. This ad says "you are elegant, and we honor your time by putting the details right on the page."
H&M: This is a clean and classy ad, although I do think the skirt is too short - it barely covers her hind-quarters! It says "girlfriends are important - have fun with your mom and sisters. and be frugal!" The price for one item is right there on the page. I love that!
Coco Mademoiselle by Chanel: This ad is sultry, but not over the top.

Normally, I would have flipped right past all of those ads, and would have gotten an overall impression of "more makeup, perfume and stuff I don't need - where are the articles?"

Finally the Table of Contents! Well, sort of, because there are 2 full 2-page spread ads between the 2 pages of TOC. I skim past all the offerings and decide to turn to page 86 - everything under $100.

Watch for more...

Market Me: People Style Watch 2012 Cover

2011-12-06T14:30:00.001-06:00

To see the whole series, click here!
The front cover is great! The colors are good for when the magazine hits the newstand (Christmas season = red) and eye catching! The headline is "476 HOT HOLIDAY LOOKS!" My initial response is "why HOT?" I think that word is overused and gets on my nerves (thanks Paris Hilton). I don't like to be told that I look hot by anyone other than my husband. Or sexy, but I digress. Oh wait - there it is, on the left panel "sexy shoes" LOL.

I am impressed by the straightforward and beautiful picture of actress Ashley Greene (although I must confess I've not seen any of movies!). The hairstyle is elegant and makes me think that I could achieve it at home.

I'm a little suspicious of the "Amazing finds under $100", since I'm thrifty and rarely spend more than $100 on anything! But, it's balanced on the other side with "100 + great gifts (25 Under $25) as well as 50 easy (which to me reads inexpensive too) hair and makeup ideas.

As I open the magazine there is a beautiful 2 page spread for L'Oreal Voluminous False Fibre Lashes. It's visually appealing with soft colors and a pop of black. There's a quote from the model, Gwen Stefani:

The more outrageous the better!

My first thought is "well that depends on what we're talking about!" It is clear that here we are talking about eyes, and I wonder what we are telling ourselves about our eyes when we seek out products like this to get an "outrageous false lash look". I don't have a problem with wearing makeup to enhance what God gave me. I think that it is honoring to my husband to look put together (not that I always achieve that!)

When I think of false eyelashes, here's what comes to mind:

Halloween
Broadway
Drag Queens
Dress Up
Porn "Stars"

Fake, False, Made-Up, Artificial - certainly not terms that I would want to apply to myself, but when I see these ads all the time, I question my own beauty.

This ad (and others like it) says "You are not enough. You need to get their attention. You need to go outrageous. You need to be fake."

It takes an act of my will to say "No thank you! I am perfect just the way God created me. I don't need to be outrageous with my eyes."

Market Me: People Style Watch 2012

2011-12-06T14:15:00.001-06:00

I'm not a professional marketer. I don't have any marketing classes under my belt, I've worked in the marketing departments of several consulting firms, but that doesn't really qualify me to critique advertising campaigns. I have participated in market research, as a consumer panelist, answering questions and testing out products.

Having said that, I have noticed that when I see a product's advertising, I tend to see through it. I don't think everyone's brain works like mine (which is probably a good thing, because a good deal of the rest of the world sleeps just fine at night while I am uncovering the mysteries of the universe!) So I've decided to share my gift with the world (or at least the few of you who stumble upon my humble blog!)

Right now, I'm in the hospital. A friend brought by a goody bag with some yummy treats and a magazine! I don't normally treat myself to magazines, I'm frugal and busy and don't have time to justify the expense (isn't that sad? I can't spend $4 on myself? LOL) So, I'm going to blog through the January 2012 issue of People Magazine, The Style Watch Edition!

If you're new to my blog, here's a snapshot of me: Married for 16 years, 5 children: 1 teen, 1 pre-teen, 1 in heaven, 1 toddler, 1 special needs (down's syndrome) baby. I was raised in a middle class family in Texas, Christian, private school, then public school, then home-schooled. I graduated from a private university, volunteer in my local church and community and am a stay at home mom. All of this to say that the opinions expressed here are mine, from the lens that only I have access to. I encourage each reader to clean off their own lens and use it!

If you'd like to follow my journey through this magazine, click here!

When Traditions Change...

2011-12-04T13:11:00.001-06:00

This is a re-post of my guest post yesterday over at Chelsey's Journey. Chelsey is a dear friend of mine, even in real life!

As a child, I enjoyed many Christmas traditions – but the main one was Christmas at Gramma’s House. The traditions actually began at Thanksgiving, when Gramma passed out the Sears catalog, markers and pens and each of the kids “shopped” by circling the things that we wanted and putting our initials by them. You always wanted to be one of the first ones to the book, otherwise the pages were wrinkled, torn and circled with such vengeance that the coveted items literally fell right off of the page!

On Christmas Eve, after dinner the adults had a grand conspiracy to drive us mad with anticipation – insisting on eating dessert and talking around the table. Finally, granddaddy would say “you wanna open presents?” and we would all rush to the living room. Before we could open presents – there were the endless pictures. Always a picture of each family unit, all the grandkids together, all the grown children (my dad, his brothers and sister) and others sprinkled in just for fun. When we did get to presents, one of the kids was bestowed the honor of being “Santa Clause” and passing out presents, one to each person. Once everyone had a gift, then we would all open in turns – each taking time to admire and comment on the gifts (and take more endless pictures!) We would continue until all the presents were opened (with at least one of the adults cleaning up the papers as we went – or letting us put them on the fire – and neatly stacking all the gifts so that nothing got confused or lost) This tradition was so consistent that 2 years ago I put together a photo album to commemorate all those Christmases!

Having such wonderful Christmas memories from childhood – I anticipated continuing the trend when I was married and had children. What I did not take into account is that my future husband would be different. Very different. William grew up in a military family, traveling frequently and almost always away from family at the holidays. In different towns, even different countries, his family’s Christmas experience was much different! (Did I mention that his family is different? Good, ‘cause I didn’t want to lose you!) The youngest of 3 boys, Christmas was always “done” Christmas morning – really early! There was a mad dash, paper flying, get it all unwrapped quick and play, play, play!

Needless to say, we had a LOT of work ahead of us to forge our own Christmas traditions. After several kids, several years of making the Christmas rounds, several fights, several tearful conversations, and several icy stares… we decided that we would rotate Thanksgivings between the extended families and not travel on Christmas, that our kids would have Christmas memories of waking up in their own beds and having Christmas on Christmas morning. (Someone give me the Nobel Peace Prize for this brokered deal!)

In 2004 we moved into our dream home, large enough to accommodate both sides of our family for Christmas. My parents joined us the first year – I was so happy to have a fireplace, now Christmas would be PERFECT!

In 2005, William was recuperating from a car accident and I didn’t have help to get the tree out of the attic, so we improvised a tree with Manzanita branches left-over from a wedding I had just done. The kids were not impressed! I think this was the beginning of our slide into non-traditional Christmas.

Then in 2006, our slide into non-traditional became a full-stop. We were blessed with and kissed goodbye our third child, Ian Wesley. In October, I was busy preparing outfits for a family picture for the Christmas card. We were to wear black and red and white, with matching newsboy-style caps. I finally found the perfect outfit for Ian and planned pictures for the first Saturday in November. On November 5th, we returned our precious gift to Heaven. Our family pictures were in the hospital – not suitable for a Christmas card at all!

A funeral, a few weeks until Thanksgiving and then the “season” was upon us. It felt like an all-out attack. The stores were filled with babies, pregnant women and endless supplies of merchandise touting “baby’s first Christmas”. I started having panic attacks whenever I was in public, so I resorted to online shopping. My husband kept asking me what I wanted for Christmas – my singular wish. “I want my baby back!” I finally told him to stop asking me, because I couldn’t get past that thought to form a reasonable answer.

I didn't even want to put up a tree! My favorite season, the month of Jesus’ birth, my birthday and my first-born child’s birthday – I just wanted to hit fast-forward and skip it. I couldn’t bear to put up the stockings and see a gaping hole where Ian’s should hang, nor could I bear to see a drooping, flat, empty stocking on Christmas morning. Every tradition seemed pointless, meaningless, empty, and useless. I had already begun to question tradition, now I was questioning everything. The “whys” and “what if’s” will drive you stark-raving-mad! We did put up a tree. We did buy baby’s first Christmas ornaments. We did buy everything that had his name on it. We decided to get new stockings for the whole family and a matching ornament and stand to put on the mantle to honor Ian. Now we have a new tradition – We always put up the stockings and his ornament (even when we have no tree, like last year!)

Another tradition that came out of this questioning was born from a desire to re-direct us all to the true meaning of the season. When we decorate (at whatever point that may be) we save the nativity for last. We let each of the kids choose a figure (one at a time until they are all gone – yes, Jesus goes first!) and as we read the Christmas story from Luke 2, then the wise men part from Matthew, each person places their figure into the crèche. The first time we did this, we got to the part about the star and our oldest exclaimed “we don’t have a star!” So he stopped and made one! This is a new tradition that we love.
Last year, we were blessed to have both sets of parents with us for Christmas. Christmas, for us, was on December 22nd last year. {William was having back surgery on the 23rd, so we celebrated early.} Since he had surgery and I was having a baby, and we were planning a move, we didn’t put up a tree, we made one out of boxes instead!

The evening of the 22nd, we gathered in the living room. The big kids had been learning to play some Christmas songs on the piano, so we had a little concert and then watched a short clip of the Christmas story told in today’s modern language.

My dad read the Christmas story, the kids placed the nativity together, William’s mom read a poem and my mom shared a story she had heard. I loved this intimate time of worship and remembrance as a family! This, to, is bound to become a tradition.

So often follow traditions “just because”. We send the Christmas Letter, dress the kids in matching outfits, buy the latest toys and gems, wrap everything in pristine paper, stuff the stockings, run up the credit cards, attend company parties, eat fruitcake, cook way too much food, make so many sugary delights that we have to share, light up our house to rival the neighbors’…

What if we didn’t? What’s the worst that would happen if you didn’t send Christmas cards or put up the lights outside? What if you didn’t put up a tree? What if you didn’t have matching outfits, what if you gave less gifts? What if you ditched a few parties and spent time with your kids instead?
Only you and your family can design your family traditions. If old ones are holding you back from creating lasting and memorable traditions – LOSE THEM! Even if it’s for a season – there is no rule that you can’t pick them back up again later! Be flexible; be sensitive to your family’s needs and the Savior’s leading.

PLEASE, don’t just survive another Christmas season. Take a moment to question, to savor, to experience the wonder! Maybe, just maybe, it will feel like it did when you were a kid – free of obligations, full of anticipation!

DFW Gold Canyon Black Friday 2011 Online Coupon Codes!

2011-11-23T08:05:00.000-06:00

DFW Gold Canyon Black Friday 2011 Coupon Codes Promos Deals FREE SHIPPING!

Shop http://www.dfwgoldcanyon.com/ and use codes:

HOLIDEALW11

to get free shipping off orders $50 or more

HOLIDEALW115

to get free shipping + $5.00 off your order of $75 or more

HOLIDEALW1110

to get free shipping + $7.50 off your order of $100 or more

HOLIDEALW1115

to get free shipping + $15.00 off your order of $150 or more

Gold Canyon only gives these codes a few times a year! Get your bargains while you can!

This is the only deal you'll get that doesn't come out of your consultant's commission!

Shop small, make a BIG difference!

I'm proud to partner with Small Business Saturday

A Virtual Mystery Hostess Party-Palooza!

2011-11-22T08:53:00.000-06:00

I'm so excited that Gold Canyon has given us the ability to host ONLINE PARTIES! To celebrate, I'm holding a virtual mystery hostess party-palooza!

All orders between now and December 12th will be entered into the drawing for the Hostess benefits!

What are those you ask?

The "average" party is around $400 - so you would get $60.00 in credit, 3 half-price items, and your choice of one of three amazing hostess-only bundles for half-price!

Did you see that the awesome Wooden Candlestick Trio is in the first bundle? I can't wait to get mine!

So - How do you enter? It's easy! Go to my website: http://www.DFWGoldCanyon.com and place your order You can shop as a guest, however I recommend that you create an account. This way it's still there if something happens to distract you from your shopping (like nursing the baby, taking leftover Halloween candy away from the toddler, picking up your oldest from school because they were suspended or taking your daughter to (another) play practice - ask me how I know!)

When you get to the checkout screen, you'll see a little checkbox like this:

Check the box, and then it will look like this:

Enter the Party Online Code: 5189274, then click on "Validate" and you will see:

I'll get an e-mail confirmation of your order (almost typed "odor" there - I don't need to know that! Maybe your favorite scent, but not your odor! LOL)

Leave comments to get extra entries:

You get one entry for placing your order (that's the "mandatory entry")
You get an extra entry if your order is over $30 (retail, before tax & s/h)
You get TWO extra entries if your order is over $50 (retail, before tax & s/h)
You get THREE extra entries if your order is over $60 (retail, before tax & s/h)
You get FIVE extra entries if your order is over $70 (retail, before tax & s/h)
You get one entry for sharing this party on Facebook, Twitter or other social media sites (just make a note in the comments!)
You get one entry for following the blog with Google Friend Connect, Liking me on Facebook or Following me on Twitter

All Aboard! Toot Toot!

2011-11-21T10:56:00.001-06:00

Welcome to new friends from 7OnAShoestring and the Christmas Treasure Train blog hop!

If you haven't already entered to win - what are you waiting for?

I'm sponsoring the giveaway at 7OnAShoestring - I'm giving away an oils warmer adapter and 3 home fragrance oils (like I spotlighted here)

Also - today is the LAST DAY to enter over at Home Grown Families for my awesome Homeology cleaners!

A New Twist For Your Wick-less Warmer

2011-11-20T10:46:00.000-06:00

Home fragrance oils are a great way to expand the use ofyour favorite warmer. Gold Canyon’swarmers feature an automatic shut-off timer and no need for replacement parts,but the adapter and oils will work on almost any commercially available warmer.

To use, simply place the ceramic adapter on the top of yourwarmer. This works best if the warmer isround (all Gold Canyon warmers are round to accommodate our mess-freeScentPods). Add 10-20 drops of yourfavorite Home Fragrance Oil – or be a fragrance mix-master and create your owncustom scent blend!

Check out the available scents here

Another benefit to using the Home Fragrance Oils and Adapteris that you can control the intensity of the fragrance. Small space? Use less oil!

Home Fragrance Oils are one of many options in Gold Canyon’s“Suddenly Scented” line of flame-free fragrances. Unlit expressions of fragrance; Bursts ofaroma; Convenient and compact; Take pleasure in Gold Canyon’s candle scentswithout using a flame! These products are designed to be highly fragrant andthe best in their class. Created for use in any space. We all love our candles, and the glow theycreate, but sometimes you need a wickless option! Whether you choose the Scent Pods, HomeFragrance Oils, ScentMate, Linen Sprays, Room Sprays, Auto Fresheners or theDiffusers with patent-pending microfiber reeds, you’ll get the same amazingGold Canyon scents you trust!

Shopping Guide: Fashion, Family & Food!

2011-11-18T13:20:00.001-06:00

Shop Small. Shop Local. Shop Handmade. Shop Direct Sales. Shop Work at Home Moms.

Cafe de Sol-Organo Gold
Barbara Dryden, Barista: Frisco, TX
thetime4u.com
mycafedesol@gmail.com
407.488.2957

This is the only Healthier Coffee product of its kind in the World. 100% Certified Organic OG Coffee proudly features Premium Coffee infused with 100-percent Certified “Ganoderma Lucidum Red Mushroom" Powder from China. I offer Black, Latte, Mocha Coffee as well as Organic Green Tea and Hot Chocolate.

CHRISTMAS SPECIALS:

Buy 2 Boxes of Hot Chocolate get 1 box of Candy Cane Stir Sticks FREE
Join the “Coffee Bean” Club- Buy 5 Boxes of Black or Latte Coffee get the 6 box ½ price!
Travel Mug stuffed with 2 sachets of Black Coffee, 2 Sachets of Latte Coffee and 2 sachets of Mocha Coffee, a few Chocolates and the all important coffee accessory –Milk Frother.
Coffee Party-you buy the coffee & Homemade Holiday Cookies from me, I come serve it for you, for your employee, staff , office, Mommy time out, girlfriend social, shopping party. Prices vary for size of party. All items receive the FREE gift wrap service & FREE Local Delivery!!

Gift Certificates available, fundraisers-no group is to small!
You can shop in person, by phone or place and order on email. Cash, Check, Visa, MasterCard, American Express or Chase pay accepted.
Read more »

Shopping Guide: Health, Beauty & Nutrition!

2011-11-17T21:30:00.001-06:00

Shop Small. Shop Local. Shop Handmade. Shop Direct Sales. Shop Work at Home Moms (& Dads!)

Fit Body Technology
Ryan Patel, Independent Team Beachbody Coach, Frisco, TX
fitbodytechnology.com
fitbodytechnology@gmail.com
214-810-5867

In Home Fitness Programs such as P90x, Insanity, and TurboFire.

Special Offer:
Purchase ANY fitness products such as P90X, and I will include a FREE Shakeology sample. Visit myshakeology.com/ryanpatel for info on Shakeology. Want to Get Fit & Get Paid? Contact me for more info. Cash, Check, or PayPal accepted.

Herbalife Independent Distributor, Frisco, TX
Carla Weber, Personal Wellness Coach
goherbalife.com/webermission
Jazzy_Cajun@att.net
(214) 537-0378
Weight Management, Sports Nutrition, Heart Health, Outer Nutrition
Special Offer:
Order $100 or more and get a free Hand Sanitizer with your paid order. Shop in person, by phone, e-mail or on-line. Payment Types Accepted: Cash, Check, Visa, MasterCard, American Express

Katie Chretien, Independent Sales Director, Frisco, TX
marykay.com/kchretien
Katiechretien@bellsouth.net
318-465-0274
Skincare, color cosmetics, body care and fragrances

Special Offer: Free Shipping
Read more »

Shopping Guide: Candles, Wickless Warmers, Home Decor and more!

2011-11-15T12:00:00.000-06:00

Shop Small. Shop Local. Shop Handmade. Shop Direct Sales. Shop Work at Home Moms.
Candles, Wickless Warmers, Home Decor and more:

Noel Giger, Independent Fragrance Consultant
DFW Gold Canyon

Website: DFWGoldCanyon.com

Phone: 469-583-4604

E-mail: noel@noelgiger.com

Location: Little Elm, TX

Gold Canyon provides The World’s Finest® candles (guaranteed highest scent-throw!), over 125 long-lasting, strong scents, mess-free warmers with automatic shut-off timers and no replacement light bulbs, diffusers, home fragrance oils, auto fresheners, EMERGE home spa products, home décor, candle stands and HOMEOLOGY environmentally friendly home cleaning products.

Special Offers:

Order $50 or more and get a FREE 5 ounce Heritage Candle in your choice of scent and free gift-wrap service!
Order $75 or more and get a FREE 8 ounce Heritage Candle in your choice of scent and free gift-wrap service!
Order $150 or more and get an additional item at half-price (of any amount!), a FREE 26 ounce Heritage candle in your choice of scent, and free gift wrap service!

(Free gift wrap is available only in the DFW metroplex - all other offers available in US & Canada!)

Gift Certificates available (ask me about my post-holiday payment option for gift certificates!) I offer home parties, office parties, fundraisers and happy hours. You can shop in person, by phone or e-mail, or online! Payment Types Accepted: Cash, Check, PayPal, MasterCard, Visa, American Express, Discover

Death, Birth Control, Duggars and Mega Families (I have one)

2011-11-09T15:17:00.000-06:00

Duggars announce #20 on the Today show

"Ah, the Duggars! Just the name stirs so many emotions! You won't encounter many people who don't have a strong opinion on this topic!"

So started my response to a post in an online grief forum this morning. One of the recently bereaved moms had vented her anger that the Duggars will soon have 20 children and she can't even have one. Her "Friends" on Facebook had chimed in their two cents (and many cheap shots).

When I was in fresh grief, the only people that I felt deserved babies were people who had lost babies. No one else had a right to procreate!

Unwed teens? NOPE!
College party girls? NOPE!
Childless couples? NOPE!
Someone with a living kid or two? NOPE!
Happily married high-school sweethearts? NOPE!
Remarried blended families? NOPE!
The Duggars? NOPE!

Why should anyone else be blessed with a child when mine was taken away? Read more »

Win Gold Canyon All-Natural Homeology Cleaners!

2011-11-07T21:25:00.000-06:00

As you may know, Homeology cleaners were inspirational in my decision to become a Gold Canyon Independent Fragrance Consultant! I excited to share this opportunity for you to win it for free!

Home Grown Families is hosting their annual Green Gifting Guide. You can enter here to win a free full-size cleaner and wasteless refill of your choice.

These all-natural cleaners make an excellent green holiday gift. Not only is the product environmentally friendly, but giving a gift that is consumable is green! For less than the cost of a sweater that they may just re-gift, you can give the gift of aromatherapy and clean fresh spaces!

Who would most appreciate this gift? I'm tempted to say anyone with a nose, but I guess that wouldn't be super-helpful! Here are a few suggestions:

A newly-wed couple. Remember when you got married? You got all those expensive pieces of china, flatware, crystal stemware... You had matching towels, throw-pillows, placemats... You had an iron, blender (or 3 blenders in our case!), coffee maker... And do you remember the first trip to the store? The "stock up".

Yeah - that's the one! When we got married (nearly 16 years ago) ours was $86 - YIKES (that was a lot of money when you consider our rent on the apartment was around $450)

College Students. I remember the shock when I discovered that I had to clean my own dorm room. I don't know why, but I kinda envisioned it as a hotel. I was sadly mistaken, there was no maid service! I usually bummed cleaners off of the other students (who probably got it as a dorm-warming present from someone else!) I had to save my money for more important things, like ~~late night runs to Taco Bell and new shoes~~ books! I didn't even buy toilet paper some weeks. I "borrowed" it from the lobby bathroom (sorry mom).

That person who has everything. You know who they are. There's not something they haven't tried. They've been there, done that, got the T-shirt. You started giving them only things that they could hang on the walls, but that's even not an option anymore!

Anyway - if you win it, you could keep it for yourself or give it as a gift. Why not throw in some super-cute gloves like these:

Nice Hands Household Utility Gloves - $10.50 on Etsy

An inexpensive organizer tote and some eco-friendly cleaning cloths:

Crocheted Cleaning Cloth Eco-Friendly Rainbow Stripe Shagg Ragg - $7.50 on Etsy

Either way, your purchase supports Small Businesses in a BIG Way. Watch for my Small Business Guide - coming soon!

Small is the new BIG!

Small Business Saturday

My brain is in my fingers

2011-11-03T00:36:00.001-05:00

I have to type to think. I am trying to process so much right now.

At the forefront tonight is my sweet Ian. 5 years ago right now I was climbing into an ambulance, transferring from Trinity Medical Center to Children's Medical Center in Dallas.

I want my baby back. I want my life back. It seems like everything is divided into two time-frames. BID and AID Before Ian Died and After Ian Died. It is the first thing that crosses my mind when I see a picture of my children, or me. BID: smiles, innocence, laughter, bliss. AID: forced grins, hollow eyes, pain, struggle.

BID I thought I was a great wife. I was in my 10th year of marriage, mentoring other women, teaching classes and starting a family ministry. BID I was an attentive mom, listening to tales from first grade, taking my daughter on mommy dates, coordinating her clothes, fixing her hair. BID I was a successful business woman, planning weddings and events, a chamber member, networking and marketing. BID I was a terrible housekeeper (some things even death can't change!)

AID my 15-year marriage is average, and sometimes not even that. I boxed up most of my marriage books and have even considered throwing them at my husband occasionally. The only mentoring I've done is telling other women that they will survive the death of their child. Important, but not what I signed up for in life. AID I am struggling as a mom. I often don't care to hear the stories of fifth-grade girl drama or seventh-grade school-yard fights. I "failed" as a homeschool mom (venting here, I know that's not entirely true, but it's my pity-party and I'll cry if I want to). I take my three year old to McDonald's so he won't drive me crazy at home. My daughter is lucky if she has clothes that are clean to wear to school, much less coordinated and cute. AID I closed my business. I didn't do anything for a while, then I did art, now I do candles. The last thing that I want to be known as is flaky, but I feel that way a lot. AID I'm still a terrible housekeeper, but now I've got extra guilt that when Ian died CPS thought I was neglecting my other kids before and took them away - I promised that the house would never be like this again, and it is.

I don't want to live in the AID world, yet I can never regain the BID world. I feel trapped. Much of the time I can go along with the flow, even feel normal. I meet people, connect, sell candles, nurse the baby, pick up kids from school, go to church... Then there are just those days that hit me out of the clear blue. I look in the mirror and see through the facade. I see the pain, the struggle. I see the AID and want desperately to see the BID. I died that day too. I don't even know who this person is some days.

The smell of fresh cut grass...

2011-10-29T11:09:00.000-05:00

My son is mowing the yard today and we are enjoying the scent of fresh-cut grass. It won't be long before we won't need to mow, winter will come and perhaps we'll even have snow! (I didn't mean for that to rhyme!)

Anyway, I was recently informed that Gold Canyon's grass candle and scent pod are the only ones on the market. That's pretty cool! I sell a lot of these to guys (i think it maybe reminds them of the golf-course! LOL), second only to the Leather scent pod.

If you will miss the smell of fresh cut grass, maybe you should get a candle or scent pod!

Gold Canyon Grass Candle

Gold Canyon Grass Scent Pod

Gold Canyon's Rustic Scent Pod Warmer (with auto-timer!)

Wick to wickless, for yankee or southpaw, our scents runaround circle e to pier one like nobody's business! Good for your home interiors, bath and bodyworks virginia, they don't have a woodwick (but you won't miss it). Have no allusion's, get to theroot of it - even colonial folks in chesapeake bay celebrating home will agree that swan creeknear the glade is flooded with scentsy from my Gold Canyon Candles! For yourpartylite mia bella, leave the white barn to the dreamers and yumliciousspotted hog - even if there's a blue moon in tyler over the archipelago, GoldCanyon won't let you down!

Protected Heart

2011-10-28T15:13:00.002-05:00

I'm part of a great support group called MEND (Mommies Enduring Neonatal Death). I do not invite you to join it, as the membership fee is too steep. We joined in November 2006, when our son Ian went to heaven (SIDS). In March 2007, a tiny sibling joined him (ectopic/tubal pregnancy).

On the MEND Facebook group page today, a grieving gramma posted a link to her Etsy shop. Like I did, she turned to creativity to mend her broken heart.

Steampunk Protected Heart Comes with ball chain by WendyLayne:

I want to place a custom order!

Small is the new BIG

2011-10-28T10:30:00.000-05:00

I have many friends who own their own businesses. Direct Sales has been a lifesaver for many of them. Many times, you don't even have to have a home party to order, you can order right on their website and it can be shipped to you directly. If you do not have a favorite consultant for a company that you have in mind, please ask, and I am sure I can put you in touch with a consultant!

Something to keep in mind this holiday season: You, the customer, are our everything. Spending $100 at a BIG BOX store during the holidays won't make a difference to anyone; but spending $100 through a home business owner for Christmas means our business can continue; it gives us our pay, provides for our families, helps us meet our personal goals, and helps us continue to do what we love without using harsh sales techniques. The big stores will not care about you the way we will! You mean the world to us - shop a home/direct sales business for Christmas this year!

If you are a business owner or direct sales representative and you would like to be listed in my holiday gift guide this year, please fill out the information below:

<p>&amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Loading...&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;gt;</p>

OCCUPY

2011-10-27T21:52:00.000-05:00

OCCUPY prayer closet by noelgiger
Create custom tshirts using zazzle

OCCUPY prayer closet: button by noelgiger
Join Zazzle's graphic design affiliate program

OCCUPY prayer closet: mug by noelgiger
Learn how to make money as an artist online at Zazzle.

I'm Rich! I'm Rich! I'm Rich!

2011-10-27T18:26:00.004-05:00

I'm the 40,391,619 richest person on earth!

Discover how rich you are!

Experience demands that man is the only animal which devours his own kind, for I can apply no milder term to the general prey of the rich on the poor.
Thomas Jefferson
If we command our wealth, we shall be rich and free; if our wealth commands us, we are poor indeed.

Edmund Burke

When life is too easy for us, we must beware or we may not be ready to meet the blows which sooner or later come to everyone, rich or poor.
Eleanor Roosevelt

Even the rich are hungry for love, for being cared for, for being wanted, for having someone to call their own.
Mother Teresa

Be careful to leave your sons well instructed rather than rich, for the hopes of the instructed are better than the wealth of the ignorant.
Epictetus
Certainly, the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. Some people who have set their hearts on getting rich have wandered away from the Christian faith and have caused themselves a lot of grief.

1 Timothy 6:10 God's Word Translation

Whoever is greedy for unjust gain brings trouble to his family, but whoever hates bribes will live.

Proverbs 15:27 God's Word Translation

Pure, unstained religion, according to God our Father, is to take care of orphans and widows when they suffer and to remain uncorrupted by this world.

James 1:27 God's Word Translation

Help!

Nine down; Two hundred ninety-one to go

2011-10-19T10:54:00.000-05:00

On Pinterest? Re-pin it
On Facebook? Share it

Don't forget about the Pink Sugar Cookie Challenge!

As you may have already read, I have set a personal goal to sell 300 Pink Sugar Cookie candles with a portion of the proceeds benefiting the Breast Cancer Research Foundation. So far, I've sold 9!

Will you help me?

Of course there is something in it for you too! FREE Gold Canyon! Candles, Wickless Warmers, Diffusers, Essential Oil Cleaners, EMERGE Spa line - you get to pick!

Click here to download the form from MediaFire. Print it out and get busy collecting orders. Once you've reached YOUR goal, we'll get together to pick out your free Gold Canyon. It will all ship right to you.

Think of it as the World's Easiest Catalog Party.

EVER!

What would this be if I didn't do a contest? Not a Noel Giger event! So - I've got a basket FULL of goodies. You'll get one entry for each candle you sell - and those who buy will get an entry as well! There will also be a prize for the person who sells the most!

You can also just order the candle, the shipping is a little more, so why not go ahead and gather some orders?

Noel Giger - DFW Gold Canyon - Fragrance Consultant - Dallas Fort Worth on Facebook

That's all I need...

2011-10-12T01:42:00.000-05:00

In the last 2 weeks I've:
(checking my calendar and text messages to remember who I am...)

driven to 2 orthodontist appointments
presented at 1 vendor fair
hosted 1 party in my home
attended 1 church leadership meeting (actually only half, I had to leave for another meeting)
launched a fundraiser for Camp Sol
Attended MOPS
taken care of a 9 month well-care visit (and found out that he wasn't well - had an ear infection and is anemic)
given antibiotic, tylenol and iron supplements to said 9 month old 2 times a day
Met with the designer for the PINK Party, changed the name to "An Evening at the PINK Lounge"
Attended a planning meeting for This Side Up's New Year's Eve Fundraiser
launched 3 Gold Canyon virtual parties
Picked up raffle items for the PINK Party Breast Cancer fundraiser (including massage, RoughRiders goodies, and 3 hours of home cleaning)
Given a private scent sampling
Organized a donation drive for my husband's Employee Appreciation event
Been stood up by my own mother for daycare (she was sick - she didn't just dump me!)
Toted my 10 year old and 9 month old with me to an Open House vendor event
Been a single mom to 4 kids while William volunteered at Camp Sol this weekend
Signed 3 detention slips
Bartered for childcare by doing some graphic design
Attended an awesome networking event with WEB and the Frisco Chamber
Sorted 1 Gold Canyon order
Placed 2 Gold Canyon orders
Marketed the PINK thing on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn until I'm almost sick of it.

All of that on top of my regular stuff of chasing a toddler, nursing a baby, changing diapers, washing (the bare minimum amount of) clothes and dishes. Oh, and 3 hours of homework each night with one of my big kids.

I messed up one meeting this week. I traded cars with William (and he took the kids) so I could have a night "off". With this night off, I was supposed to meet someone for a business activity. I left my phone in the van and the family drove off with it. I had no way to contact them until I returned home, 2 hours later. They were worried, and then upset.

Why is it that I immediately forget all the good I've done, all I've accomplished and just feel like throwing up because I wasn't perfect? I've got that hot, sticky-icky feeling down my arms and in the back of my throat. I've actually taken my temperature 3 times - sure that I'm coming down with something.

Why am I up at 1 AM with a knot in my stomach because I'm afraid that I've lost their respect?

I know part of it is that I was out of my Zoloft for nearly a week. I've just been back on the happy-meds for a few days, so I'm sure they aren't in full force yet.

Part of it is feeling overwhelmed at all I've got on my plate and having no end in sight (there is one, it's just still a little too far off to see)

Part of it is that my wonderful husband, partner - friend, is sick with an unknown ailment that causes him to black-out randomly, have short-term memory loss and be exhausted most of the time. The man who once cooked 4-5 times a week with joy, now rattles up a pasta dish every now and then.

Part of it is my disgust with our financial situation - the every growing stack of unopened medical bills, late notices and "friendly reminder" letters, calls, e-mails - ad nauseam.

Part of it is my disgust with my response to all of this: ignore it and hope it will go away. The only proactive thing that I've done is try to build my business - it's my "plan B" in case William can't work for some reason in the near future.

But I know that ALL OF IT is my burden. I'm not supposed to be carrying it. I'm supposed to exchange my burden with Christ. His burden is light. Why? He just Loves. Serves. Enjoys. He does the will of His Father and lets the Holy Spirit do His part too.

Left my fear by side of the road
Hear You speak, won't let go
Fall to my knees as I lift my hands to pray
Got every reason to be here again
Father's love, that draws me in
And all my eyes wanna see is a glimpse of You

All I need is You
All I need is You Lord, is You Lord
All I need is You
[ Lyrics from: http://www.lyricsmode.com/lyrics/h/hillsong/all_i_need_is_you.html ]
One more day and it's not the same
Your spirit calls my heart to sing
Drawn to the voice of my Savior once again
Where would the world be without Your Son
Gave His life to save the earth
Rest in the thought that You're watching over me

All I need is You
All I need is You Lord, is You Lord
All I need is You

You hold the universe
You hold everyone on earth
You hold the universe
You hold, You hold

DFW Pet Costume Contest

2011-10-08T21:42:00.001-05:00

Submit a photo of your pet in costume to win! E-mail your photo(s) to contests@noelgiger.com

Please include your name, your pet(s) name(s) and contact phone number. Photos must be received by midnight CDT October 39, 2011. Winners will be announced October 31, 2011.

First Place Prize ($125.00 Value!):
$75.00 Gift Certificate to Country Meadows Pet Inn & Doggy Day Spa, *Free 8x10 Pet Portrait from The Pet Fur’tographer,and a 26 oz Clean Sheets Heritage Candle from DFW Gold Canyon!

Second Place Prize ($65.00 Value!):
$50.00 Gift Certificate to CountryMeadows Pet Inn & Doggy Day Spa and a full-size Homeology All-NaturalLavender Eucalyptus Sweet Orange Floor Cleaner: safe for all surfaces, includingceramic and wood floors from DFW Gold Canyon

Third Place Prize ($34.00 Value!):
$25.00 Gift Certificate to CountryMeadows Pet Inn & Doggy Day Spa and a Clean Sheets Auto Freshener (pack of3) from DFW Gold Canyon

Sponsored by: Country Meadows Pet Inn & Doggy Day Spa, DFW Gold Canyon and The Pet Fur’tographer http://www.thepetfurtographer.com

*Free 8x10 for the first prize winner to be claimed atCountry Meadows Pet Inn on Dec. 4th while she is on site doing pet and familyportraits.

Get Goldie, Go PINK!

2011-10-05T09:21:00.000-05:00

Goldie thinks you should GO PINK and SAVE THE HOOTERS!

I'll donate $1.50 to Coach Jenny Mill's treatment fund for each Owl Lantern sold in October!

On Pinterest? Re-pin it

On Facebook? Share it

Don't forget about the Pink Sugar Cookie Challenge!

I have set a personal goal to sell 300 Pink Sugar Cookie candles with a portion of the proceeds benefiting the Breast Cancer Research Foundation.

You can get in on the fun too!

Oh - do you like FREE? I thought so!

Think of it as the World's Easiest Catalog Party.

EVER!

You can also just order the candle, the shipping is a little more, so why not go ahead and gather some orders?

Noel Giger - DFW Gold Canyon - Fragrance Consultant - Dallas Fort Worth on Facebook

PINK OUT

2011-09-21T15:11:00.002-05:00

I'm very excited about October for Breast Cancer Awareness and Fundraising!

I have set a personal goal to sell 300 Pink Sugar Cookie candles with a portion of the proceeds benefiting the Breast Cancer Research Foundation.

"How?" you say... I'm glad you asked!

Last year I sold 2. To be fair, I didn't sign up with Gold Canyon until the end of October though! This year, I've been planning PINK Parties since - oh, about July!

In fact, when I approached members of 2 of my networking groups about doing joint parties, the response was so overwhelming that I have planned a HUGE PINK Party for October 14th!

http://www.tinyurl.com/pinkparty2011

I'm also encouraging each of my October hosts to plan PINK Parties and pre-sell the candle for their party sales.

But what about you? Out there in blog land, maybe far away from good old Dallas Fort Worth! Well - you can get in on the fun too!

Oh - do you like FREE? I thought so!

Think of it as the World's Easiest Catalog Party.

EVER!

What would this be if I didn't do a contest? Not a Noel Giger event! So - I've got a basket FULL of goodies. You'll get one entry for each candle you sell. There will also be a prize for the person who sells the most!

You can also just order the candle, the shipping is a little more, so why not go ahead and gather some orders?

Noel Giger - DFW Gold Canyon - Fragrance Consultant - Dallas Fort Worth on Facebook

Home Alone #Owling

2011-08-23T23:02:00.001-05:00

I can't believe that Momma forgot about me on Sunday! I know she was way busy, working in the Nursery at The Crossing Church, attending a meeting for parents of Down's Syndrome babies with the Dallas Down's Syndrome Guild and attending Brandy's Premier Designs Mystery Hostess party - but hey! I was a little lonely!

I finished my masterpiece - what do you think?

I had a Coke (and a smile)

I shivered me timbers

I took a nap

I caught up on some genealogy

I hunted some big game

And I played dress up too!

How was your weekend?

check out Goldie's first day...
And some more here...
and on FB here...

Goldie's Weekend

2011-08-21T22:07:00.001-05:00

I had a busy weekend with Momma and the kids. It all started Friday night. We went to a party over at Erica's place. She's home for the summer from the Czech Republic. Her friends are great! Except for this guy:

He kept using these lines like "there's room at the hen house for a big girl like you" and "you light up my life baby". Ugh, what a pig - I mean, well - you know.

There was also this bunny named Fluffy Cottontail

she kept going on and on about how this pool was nothing compared to the last party at "The Mansion". She was kinda snobby!

I had lots of deviled eggs - that's not weird. Is it?

We decided to stop by McDonald's on the way home fro ice cream - Martin wanted a picture with me - how can I refuse a fan?

I finally got a little shut eye before Momma woke me up early to go networking.

I thought this might be an athletic event, or involve arachnids (not my favorite!) but it was just a bunch of nice ladies talking about helping each other with their businesses.

When we came here, I thought we were going to get to go somewhere really exotic, like Fiji, or The Big Apple! It was only a Camp Sol meeting, but I met lots of nice people!
Then we went to game night with some friends - Momma thought this was funny:

Not cool.

I'm gonna save what I did today for tomorrow's post. Momma LEFT ME HOME ALONE! I don't want her to see the pics yet - I was kinda crazy!

Meet Goldie...

2011-08-18T12:52:00.000-05:00

We have welcomed a new addition! That's right, our family has grown again:

Goldie is a white porcelain and metal owl. She's brand-new! Since we can't leave her all alone, she's traveling with us everywhere we go. I'll be updating my new Gold Canyon Fan Page with her visits! Note, she's a little miffed at the owling craze!

Goldie has several brothers and sisters waiting to be adopted.

If you have room in your heart, please help today!

Goldie holds a 5 oz. Heritage Candle (available separately)

Worst Fundraiser Ever...

2011-08-08T00:04:00.000-05:00

What is the worst fundraiser that you've ever done, or been asked to support?

I can remember so many that we've done!

I remember my pitch for the "Slave Auction" for my youth group fundraiser "I can clean windows streak-free!" I got "bought" and actually had to work. Many of my friends got "bought" and taken out for ice cream! LOL

And then there was the time we did a "free car wash" (donations accepted) where several people took us at our word, let us wash their car - and drove away!

Oh - I remember when I was a kid we did a chocolate fundraiser. My little brother ate several of the bars and we had to pay for them! (At least we got to keep the Pizza coupons that were inside the wrapper!)

We had pretty good success with selling frozen pies, they are yummy! The only problem is delivery! You have to get it to them still frozen, or have a place to store it! And then hope that no one steals your pies out of the freezer at work. Or church. True story :(

The worst we've been asked to purchase was a school selling these GIGANTIC 64 oz thermal mugs with sports team logos on them. Um. No. Thanks! Good Luck with your next 10 houses!

Same goes for those magazine subscriptions - Uh let me see. $40 from you for 2 and a half years of one magazine, or $6 a year online? Wow, that's a tough decision!

There was a year that I bought some cute wrapping paper from some kids at church, then had to threaten my family within an inch of their lives if they came close to it or used it! That stuff was expensive, I reserved it for the finest gifts only!

Anyway - I'm excited about becoming a Certified Fundraiser Specialist with Gold Canyon - and I'm working on my "pitch" to organizations that want to raise money.

Our fundraisers generate a profit of 38-40%, up to $8.80 per candle sold. That's like selling 14 candy bars!
I'd love to hear your fundraiser memories (OK, I really want your horror stories!)

Foster a Candle...

2011-08-03T22:06:00.000-05:00

A fellow Gold Canyon Fragrance Consultant has created a clever way to introduce people to Gold Canyon's wonderful products! It's called the Traveling Candle.

I recently added this to my business and the response so far has been very positive!

Here is a picture of my Traveling Candle:

I have a fabric-lined willow basket that fits perfectly inside a reusable grocery tote (mine is from Gold Canyon's Homeology line). I decorated it with a pearl MagnaCharm, and inside is:

16 oz Clean Sheets Heritage Candle (was a Ginger Lime Bella in the picture)
19 oz Cherry Pie Baking Line Candle
3 oz sample Homeology Rosemary Mint All-Purpose Cleaner
3 oz Fresh Orange Room Spray
Wick Trimmer
Wick Dipper
Catalog
Traveling Journal

The Traveling Journal has a quick primer on how to use each product, how to order, host a party or join. The last pages are the Journal, where each person fills in their information and comments, and their interest level (1-10) in hosting a party. All I ask is that each person who takes it home fills out the journal :)

Coming next week: The Wandering Warmer (my own variation!) with a ScentPod Warmer and several ScentPods!

If you would like to foster my Traveling Candle or Wandering Warmer in your office, please contact me to make a reservation!

Five

2011-08-03T01:05:00.000-05:00

What is five years?

When I was five, it was irrelevant. Time has no significance for the young.
When I was ten, it was forever. I couldn't wait to be a teenager and all grown up.

When I was twenty, it was a novelty. I planned for great things.
When I was twenty-five, it was a sentence. I was too close to thirty.

In five years you can earn a Bachelors degree. In five years you can master a new language. You can pay off debt or save up a small fortune.

When my oldest child turned five, we rejoiced, at Disney World!
When our second child turned five, we celebrated, a new bicycle was in order!

Where will you be in five years? What is your five-year plan? Do you have a five-year term on your auto loan? Five is a good, solid number. Not so close as to be scary, not so far as to be imaginary.

Today my third child turns five. Only he isn't here to celebrate. I am hard-pressed to rejoice. This did not fit into my five-year plan. My debt of grief will never be satisfied.

In three weeks other parents will be packing up their kinder-gardeners and crying over their first day of school. I'd love to have that cry. I don't get to pick between Cars and Toy Story backpacks. I don't get to pack an encouraging note with his first school lunch.

What I have for my five years is a badge of honor. I am a bereaved mother, who lived to tell her story. I am a mom to Five children, one of whom lives with my Father. I have an advanced degree in grief survival, a master's in living for the moment. I have learned a new language of compassion, the art of listening to what is felt, not what is said. Of looking past the facade and seeing the heart. I have something stored up in Heaven, a little deposit on eternity.

I have learned to love with abandon. I have learned to live without regret.

Happy Birthday Ian - you are forever loved.

Withdrawal

2011-07-24T23:51:00.000-05:00

Withdrawal is awful. I am addicted to the most common drug in the world: Caffeine. (Hi. My name is Noel.)

I am pursuing a healthier lifestyle and have known for a while that the diet cokes have got to go. I have just been ignoring it! I am embarrassed to admit that they are a big part of my life. Sonic Happy Hour beckons, but more and more, I've found that I can't wait for 2:00 - I "need" it earlier. I've been going to McDonald's for $1.00 cokes in the morning, or keeping cans or 2 liters at home.

The Route 44 doesn't last me the rest of the evening anymore either. Some days I hit Happy Hour at 2 and go back before 4, because my coke is almost gone. It almost doesn't dawn on me to drink anything else! In fact, I planned to quit on Friday night - I had enough money for a medium coke zero from Sonic on my way home from an event. It was 9:45. I told myself that was the last one, so I sipped slowly!

Saturday morning William and I took Gavin to the Chiropractor, then stopped at Sonic for breakfast. We both got Rt. 44's - didn't even dawn on me until we got home! But, I hated to waste it... On my way to an appointment, I took it with me, remembering that this was my last one (so I sipped it slowly again!)

Then I took the kids out for lunch - in the flurry of activity (who wants what, no we're not getting kids meals, because I said so - what do you want...) I ordered myself a coke zero. ARG

So today I did it! I did not pour a coke zero for breakfast. I did not buy one on my way to church. I did not stop for one on my way home from church. I turned down my son's offer to pour me one when I said I had a headache (he knows that when I don't have my caffeine, I get a headache). At 1:20, I took the baby to bed with me - to nurse him and try to keep my headache mild. No luck!

By 4:20 I was in full withdrawal. I felt like an episode of CSI. I was tempted to shrink back into a corner and be dramatic, but I refrained! By 6 I asked William to look up the symptoms of Caffeine Withdrawal.

Signs and symptoms. The most commonly reported withdrawal symptoms are listed below:
Headache – (often described as being gradual in development and diffuse, and sometimes throbbing and severe)
Fatigue -- (e.g., fatigue, tiredness, lethargy, sluggishness)
Sleepiness/drowsiness -- (e.g., sleepy, drowsy, yawning)
Difficulty concentrating -- (e.g., muzzy)
Work difficulty -- (e.g., decreased motivation for tasks/work)
Irritability -- (e.g., irritable, cross, miserable, decreased well-being/contentedness)
Depression -- (e.g., depressed mood)
Anxiety -- (e.g., anxious, nervous)
Flu-like symptoms -- (e.g., nausea/vomiting, muscle aches/stiffness, hot and cold spells, heavy feelings in arms or legs)
Impairment in psychomotor, vigilance and cognitive performances

I had no idea! I spent the whole day between the bed and the bathroom. I haven't been able to keep anything down! I almost gave up several times, just wanting the pain and sickness to stop. It's now 11:45. I have been 24 hours without caffeine. My head is throbbing, despite Advil and even a Hydrocodone!

At this point, there is no turning back. The thought of going through another day like this is enough to make me never want to have caffeine again! I know that it's in lots of things, and I'll probably still eat chocolate :)

So, this is a cautionary tale. If you don't drink caffeine: don't start. If you do drink caffeine: stop now! (but do it on a weekend or time where you can be indisposed!)

Pray for James Camden Sikes

2011-07-15T01:49:00.000-05:00

James Camden Sikes » Fotolanthropy

With so many loving memories of my dear Ian.

News from the homefront

2011-07-07T00:18:00.000-05:00

Perhaps I should say "News from the Frontlines" - some days it seems more like a battlefield than a homefront!

This last month has brought a wave of changes. I started up my Gold Canyon business again (the beauty of being in business for yourself) and have started meeting lots of other women who are building their businesses. I really try to find out how I can help them, what they need and how I can connect them to resources.

A few things have really stuck in my mind the last few weeks:

Seek first the kingdom of God, and then all these things (provision and possessions) will be added unto you. (Matthew 6:33)
and
You do what you can do, and let God do what only God can do. (Pastor Zack Miller of The Crossing Church)

This is hard for me. I like to think. I like to plan. I like to succeed! It's a challenge for me to sit back and rest, once I've done all I can do. It's a challenge for me to prioritize time with God, learning, praying, worshiping over all the other stuff that needs to be done (let's not even talk about all the stuff I want to do!) Yet, that's what is required. I greatly admire people who maintain schedules and routines. Sort of. I mean, I love that my life is fluid and flexible. I love that William and I make quick decisions and can turn on a dime to do something. Homeschooling (unschooling, specifically) has been a great fit for this.

Yet, I know that I am actually very undisciplined and very selfish. I know that my day would be better if I were to get up BEFORE the kids and visit with my Father. I know that my relationship with William would be enhanced by breakfast together before he leaves for work. I know that the entire family would benefit from a more dependable schedule. The problem is... me. The only thing standing in between me and what God called me to be, is me.

This prompts me continuously to pray "less of me, more of you" and "oh that you would increase and I would decrease." For which I promptly pat myself on the back and am proud of my Christ-likeness, then facepalm for the utter lack of humility that I've just shown. So. Far. To. Go. !!!

This inner struggle is probably invisible to all but my closest companions. The outer struggle that is most apparent is parenting. I know that to wonder about whether I am a good parent is in itself an answer to the question; bad parents don't care if they are bad parents. I know that we have done a good job, our children are well-behaved (although still children!) and things could be much worse. But I also know they could be much better! Our children struggle with each other, argue, bicker, show selfishness (oops, sounds familiar - wonder where that came from?) We strive to show leadership, grace, mercy and faithfulness in our parenting. Many times we fail miserably. We aren't afraid to ask for forgiveness and confess our shortcomings to them.

A friend and mentor said recently that she felt I had lost confidence in my parenting. I have thought about this a lot! It's true. After we lost Ian and dealt with CPS, I was crushed. I felt guilty, even though I did nothing wrong. I felt that others blamed me, I blamed me. It makes sense then, that I would lose confidence. I didn't know that it was still this way though. I have relied heavily on my husband, chosen to ignore the disrespectful attitudes that cropped up in my older kids (and are being repeated by the toddler). As I have begun to realize this and try to regain confidence and re-assert my authority, there has been much resistance! Daytime with an infant and toddler are trying enough, but add in a 10 and 12 year old that are adjusting to new expectations and that live in constant conflict with each other - well, it's almost unbearable some days!

I know that the kids need more structure, and I know that area is one of my weaker points. I have some really good days, but then there are some really bad ones too! I'm not expecting perfection from myself or my kids (I don't think!), but I would like a little consistency in all of us. William has frequently asked if the kids "act like this" all day/week long with me. This usually happens when he is home from work. I used to excuse them, saying that it was just because they were out of "normal" with him home, that there were other factors. As I've realized that I was circumventing the real issues, I started saying "yes, this is pretty much what it is all the time."

Last Friday was one such day. William was working from home in advance of the holiday. I left for 2 hours to meet with a friend to help her plan a women's conference. When I returned, the decision to a long-pending question had been resolved: the kids are going back to school.

I have mixed feelings. I am elated that I will not have to constantly settle petty disputes (at least for 8 hours of the day). I'm glad that Jordan is super-excited and has already started planning her wardrobe and sharpening pencils (seriously - when she was supposed to be cleaning her room, she was collecting and sharpening pencils!) I feel good that I will be able to focus more attention on my 2 little ones, and "home school" Gavin for pre-school. I know that it's good for us all to get more structure, that the kids will meet new people, reconnect with old friends and be exposed to lots of new ideas.

On the flip side, I'm feeling a bit selfish for being happy to be without them for a while. I'm sad for Calvin, who will have to cut his hair and who is not interested, in the least, in returning to school. I'm not looking forward to back-to-school shopping, uniform procurement and the arguments that will ensue over "Why do I have to wear this? Why can't they just let us wear jeans?" I am bummed at the prospect of packing healthy lunches, getting breakfast in them before they leave and whether or not they will ride the bus.

All of this swirling has caused me to remember another verse:

"Be still and know that I Am God." Psalm 46:10

Since I have a migraine headache right know, being still sounds good! As a stay-at-home mom to 4, it's just not realistic! Even when daddy gets home, there is work to do, errands to run, pee-pee to clean off of the bathroom floor (don't let a 3 YO brush his teeth BEFORE he goes potty!) So, instead I have to still my heart, still my mind, and know:

verb (used with object)
to perceive or understand as fact or truth; to apprehend clearly and with certainty: I know the situation fully.
to have established or fixed in the mind or memory: to know a poem by heart; Do you know the way to the park from here?
to be cognizant or aware of: I know it.

That HE is God. I am not. I cannot control, I cannot reason it out, I cannot come to the right conclusion on my own. I don't hold all of the puzzle pieces. I don't have the lid to the box! I don't even know what I'm supposed to be piecing together - but He does.

Which makes me think of another one:

"And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them." Romans 8:28

Know - there's that word again! ...that God CAUSES everything to work together for my good.

Even my mess. Even my imperfections. Even my hurts, my failures, my pride - he MAKES them work together for my good.

Amen.

Be Still and Know from Zazzle.com

If I said I'd pay you $650.50 this month...

2011-07-05T23:28:00.000-05:00

I am constantly amazed by the opportunities with Gold Canyon. They just keep getting better! I'm looking forward to going to a meeting in San Antonio this weekend to be filled in on all the latest details. It will also be nice to meet some other GC "fragrance consultants" (they've changed our title - I love it!)

It seems like no one in Texas has heard of Gold Canyon! I hadn't either before October 2010 (can you say "ground floor opportunity boys and girls? I knew you could!") LOL

I earned my GC kit for free in November, and then earned additional product and commissions in December. Now, the offer is just ridiculous! Are you ready for this? Join with your full kit for just $19.99 down (plus S&H) and then you can make 2 monthly payments to cover the balance. BUT, if you sell at least $700 in your first month, they send you a refund and your kit is FREE. AND there is an override commission bonus.

Here's the breakdown

July 2011:

When you do JUST $700 in sales in your first 30 days you'd get:

Your kit for free: $355 value

25% commission on $700= $175

5% bonus commission: $35

1.5% override commission= $10.50

Your quick start bonus products: $75 value

TOTAL VALUE: $650.50 FOR FREE!!!

Gold Canyon is also an excellent companion business. If you already have a direct sales business and established client base for F.A.I.T.H. Jewelry, Stella and Dot, Premier Jewelry, Cookie Lee, Lia Sophia, Longaberger, Homemade Gourmet, Tastefully Simple, Pampered Chef, Mary Kay, Thirty-One Gifts, Tupperware, CAbi, Willow House, Creative Memories, Stampin' Up, Watkins, Close to my Heart, Discovery Toys, Advocare, Juice Plus+, Isagenix - just about anything - you can introduce them to Gold Canyon's great products.

If you're not already doing something - why choose Gold Canyon? It's AFFORDABLE for your friends and family! The commission structure is evenly balanced so that you make money, but not at your client's expense (literally!) I even have friends who've told me they are SAVING money by using Gold Canyon candles! Here's a breakdown of our price points:

Selling:Did you know?...Gold Canyon has over 200 items UNDER $10
AND
Over 200 ADDITIONAL items under $20!
That's over 400 items for less than $20!!!
No wonder Gold Canyon is called The World's Finest!

And - the most expensive thing in the catalog ( a set of three crystal candle holders) is just $46.98:

If you have any questions or are ready to get started, please let me know! I can help you anywhere, there are no territories or anything to worry about. I have a great network of consultants who will help you be successful.

Or, if you *just* want to get your hands on some of the world's finest, check out my website. E-mail me for a coupon code off your first order!

Down's Syndrome: the education of me

2011-06-12T00:42:00.000-05:00

Six months ago, Down's Syndrome was something that happened to other families. It was sad, but "how brave of them to carry on." Down's Syndrome was the dreaded thing that happened to women who dared to procreate after 35, which is why I had told my husband I didn't want to have any more babies after that milestone.

Down's Syndrome was the subject of a great sitcom from my childhood, which I watched and sang "la la la la life goes on!" with much enthusiasm. It was at a safe distance, where I no longer had to be concerned after the "quad-screen" came back negative (which is positive). It visited briefly when sonograms showed "shortened femur length which can be a soft indicator for Down's Syndrome" but flitted away with the assurance that it "could be constitutional, no other indicators are present".

Down's "people" were strange, not in the way that people who dress up at Star Trek conventions are strange, but in the way foreigners are strange. Their customs, mannerisms, different language and interests... all so alien to me. And then there were their parents. The moms with the pinched faces, short hair and practical shoes; always weary and defensive. And dads - if you ever saw them - aloof and disconnected.

I'm sure that there is a really long and comprehensive list of all the fears that new parents have. Mine distilled to:

Losing a child
Having a "special needs" child
Having a child kidnapped

In 2006, my worst nightmare came true. My precious 3rd child died in my arms. Less than 24 hours prior, my husband and I had been forced to sign over custody of our older children to a family friend - we were under investigation by Child Protective Services. This lasted nearly 2 weeks, then we weren't "cleared" until the official death certificate came back - 4 months later.

It has taken me nearly 4 years to "recover" from the pain of being under CPS suspicion, being separated from my children during such a difficult time and the whole process that assumes you are guilty until proven otherwise. I will NEVER recover from losing Ian.

Having a "special needs" child was not even on my radar when I was pregnant with Gavin. I was more worried about miscarriage and genetic disorders that would cause a painful, short life - and stillbirth scared me. I had attended several support group meetings for families that had lost a child before or shortly after birth. It was great support, but now I not only knew 143 ways that a baby could die, I knew families who were living through it. These were no longer statistics, they were real.

Once he arrived safe and sound, all worries were gone. I wasn't "planning" to have another child. When we found Aaron was on the way, we were shocked! Happy, but nervous. The first appointment was disappointing, the sono showed a gestational sac but no baby. We were thinking blighted ovum. I went to the cemetery and sat at Ian's grave and cried and cried (I figured no one would bother me there!) After an hour or so, I pulled out my smartphone and googled "blighted ovum" I came to this page. I felt like it was God telling me that it was going to be OK, to just believe. I dried my tears. I took a picture of my sonogram (the one with "no baby") and posted it to Facebook.

Three weeks later I went back for another sonogram - there was little Aaron! Measuring perfectly at 9 weeks, just as he should. Then at 12 weeks- perfect and 19 weeks - the shortened femur thing, but perfect (and a boy!) Then sonos every 4 weeks to chart the progress. He was much less active than my other babies in uetro. This was attributed to the fact that my placenta was anterior (in front) and I probably couldn't feel the kicks. Now, I wonder if it was the lessened muscle tone?

Anyway - he arrived December 30th by emergent cesarean section, since he was breech and the cord was wrapped around his neck twice. He was beautiful and perfect! My husband says that he "knew" about the Down's on the first day, that one of the staff had mentioned it. I honestly don't know if someone told me, but I don't remember if they did!

My entire education about Down's Syndrome was only moments away. On the second day in the hospital, the pediatrician came in. Having danced this dance 4 times before, I knew he would say "He's healthy, got 10 fingers, 10 toes. Do you have any questions? No? OK, here's my card." In fact, I was on the phone with my daughter when he arrived, and I just said "hold on a second honey" and set the phone down on my tray.

What he said came as a total shock. It rocked my world.

(I will post part 2 later)
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4

What Did I Do Today?

2011-05-28T23:56:00.000-05:00

Today I left some dishes dirty,

The bed got made around 3:30.

The diapers soaked a little longer,

The odor grew a little stronger.

The crumbs I spilled the day before

Are staring at me from the floor.

The fingerprints there on the wall

Will likely be there still next fall.

The dirty streaks on those windowpanes

Will still be there next time it rains.

Shame on you, you sit and say,

Just what did you do today?

I held a baby till he slept,

I held a toddler while he wept.

I played a game of hide and seek,

I squeezed a toy so it would squeak.

I pulled a wagon, sang a song,

Taught a child right from wrong.

What did I do this whole day through?

Not much that shows, I guess that's true.

Unless you think that what I've done,

Might be important to someone

With deep blue eyes and soft blonde hair,

If that is true...I've done my share.

Gavin and I at the Ranger's game tonight

This poem was found on Gramma Hugs

LRH: Good Sportsmanship Lesson Plan - Lesson 9

2011-05-28T12:30:00.000-05:00

Lesson 9: Self-Control
Devotional Text:

James 3:2-8
2 All of us do many wrong things. But if you can control your tongue, you are mature and able to control your whole body. 3 By putting a bit into the mouth of a horse, we can turn the horse in different directions. 4 It takes strong winds to move a large sailing ship, but the captain uses only a small rudder to make it go in any direction. 5 Our tongues are small too, and yet they brag about big things. It takes only a spark to start a forest fire! 6 The tongue is like a spark. It is an evil power that dirties the rest of the body and sets a person's entire life on fire with flames that come from hell itself. 7 All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles, and sea creatures can be tamed and have been tamed. 8 But our tongues get out of control. They are restless and evil, and always spreading deadly poison. (CEV)

Memory Verse::

2 Timothy 1:7b The Spirit gives us power, love, and self-control. (CEV)

What does it mean to be in control?

When you are using a controller for a video game, you make the player move by the actions that you take.
When you control a car, you use a small steering wheel to control a large car, or like in our devotional text, a ship’s captain uses a small rudder to control a large ship.

How can we be “self-controlled”?

As we learn the other aspects of good sportsmanship, like patience, fairness, honesty, and being humble, it is easier to be self-controlled, but we can’t do it all by ourselves!
That’s why God gave us the Holy Spirit. He’s kind of like the cricket in Pinocchio, our conscience! He’s always there, right by our side, even inside! He reminds us to do the right thing, follow the rules, hold our temper and to be compassionate. God’s word tells us that God has given us a spirit (a way to live our lives) of Power, Love and Self-Control. We have help!

Next Lesson: Compassion & Mercy (final lesson)
Just joining us? Start with Lesson 1

Memorial Day Discounts & Freebies

2011-05-27T15:22:00.001-05:00

Legos, Candles, Homeschool, Sonic - hmm, sounds suspiciously like the rest of my life...

I wanted to share some good deals with you! First, my favorite scented candles, body care and natural home cleaning products: Gold Canyon!
Shop my website and save up to 20%!

I just LOVE the All Purpose Rosemary Mint Cleaner! Also wouldn't be without my Fresh Orange Room Spray :)

20% off your purchase of $100 or more! Use code: MEMDAY20

The Emerge body line is so nice! I also really like the 3 layer candle in the middle with the starfish charm - only available for the summer!

15% off your purchase of $75 - $99.99! Use code: MEMDAY15

The popular Warm Welcome fragrance has been colored yellow and fittingly used in the Support Our Troops candle. 10% of the retail value from each candle sold will be donated to Operation Homefront in the U.S. and CFPFSS in Canada.

10% off your purchase of $50 - $74.99! Use Code: MEMDAY10

In addition, I will donate 5% of the purchase price (after discounts) to your choice of either Camp Sol or Wounded Warrior Project. Orders over $80 (after discount) will generate a 10% donation!

About Gold Canyon: We offer a complete line of candles, body and home products including home fragrance in the form of scented candles, Room Sprays and Sachets, eco-friendly, natural, green cleaning products, home décor with various candle holders; personal care with hand scrub, hand silk, body lather, body lotion, body polish, body crème, bath soak, body mist and candle care products such as wick dippers and trimmers. I am an Independent Demonstrator for Gold Canyon.

NEXT:
CurrClick is giving away 4 FREE Patriotic resources to ALL! This is, of course, good for homeschooling families, but also for anyone who wants to learn more about this holiday!

Now -Tuesday, May 31st on their Facebook page, where you'll get 4 awesome Memorial Day Freebies!

Use this code: memorialdayFREE upon checkout when downloading the following FREE Memorial Day resources!

http://www.currclick.com/product_info.php?cPath=840_914&products_id=21618&it=1

http://www.currclick.com/product_info.php?products_id=44237&it=1

http://www.currclick.com/product_info.php?products_id=39871&it=1 &filters=0_0_0_0_0

http://www.currclick.com/product_info.php?products_id=2331&it=1

NEXT:
Thanks to The Frugal Girls for the head's up on this one:
Sonic Free Kid's Meal on their birthday!

And Finally:
Get a free subscription to Lego magazine. My boys are excited about this one!

Review: Applied Labels

2011-05-23T22:42:00.000-05:00

I recently had the opportunity to review Dishwasher and Laundry Safe Labels for Kids and Baby from Applied Labels. This is their "Classic" style label.

The ordering process was a breeze - all online and lots of fun options. I went for maximum versatility and chose the 2 line with our family name on top and phone number on bottom. I couldn't wait to get them in, and it didn't take long at all. When they arrived, the first thing I did was start looking for things to label!

They work great on baby bottles

The most impressive thing that I have found is that they do actually stay on through washing! I used them on Aaron's baby bottles. It doesn't matter whether they are washed in the dishwasher, hand-washed or sterilized in micro-steam bags - they don't let go. They don't even peel at the edges.

and on the diaper changing wallet too :)

I tried to hide them from my toddler - he loves anything sticky:

"Are those panty-liners?" you ask... no! They are disposable shoes!

The only thing that I have found that they do not survive is a 2 year-old intent on removing it from his sippy cup. It took him a while, but he prevailed. And, apparently I am no good at hiding:

He "decorated" the back of the box they arrived in.
(no, he didn't draw the face and sign it LOL)

Overall, I am impressed! You can visit Applied Labels on their website, Twitter page or Facebook - tell them Noel at [ReDeemed] sent you!

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If you have an item you'd like me to review, please e-mail me.

LRH: Good Sportsmanship Lesson Plan - Lesson 6

2011-05-23T12:16:00.000-05:00

Lesson 6: Integrity

Memory Verse:

Psalm 101:2-3 I will be careful to live a blameless life … I will lead a life of integrity in my own home. (NLT)

New Word:

in·teg·ri·ty
[in-teg-ri-tee] –noun
1. adherence to moral and ethical principles; soundness of moral character; honesty.
2. the state of being whole, entire, or undiminished: to preserve the integrity of the empire.

What does it mean to blame someone? (You say that someone did something or caused something to happen, usually something wrong.)
How do you feel when you've done something wrong, and then you get “blamed” for it?
How about when you've done nothing wrong and are accused of something?
What do you think it means to be blameLESS? (It means that there is no cause for blame, the charges won’t stick.)

If you are blameless, you’ve done nothing wrong, you’ve followed the rules, then you have integrity. That’s what integrity means, to follow the rules. In our memory verse, the Psalmist says that he will have integrity in his own home. What do you think that could mean? I think that it means that we should have integrity, with our families, but also when no-one is looking, when no-one would know whether we broke the rules or not.

Next Lesson: Pride & Humility

Just joining us? Start with Lesson 1

LRH: Good Sportsmanship Lesson Plan - Lesson 5

2011-05-22T13:01:00.001-05:00

Lesson 5: Honesty & Cheating
Memory Verse:

Proverbs 11:1 The LORD hates cheating, but he delights in honesty. (NLT)

Watch "The Cheating Scales of Bullemanka" from 3-2-1- Penguins

Scripture:

2 Timothy 2:1-7 (Doing Your Best for God) 1. So, my son, throw yourself into this work for Christ. 2. Pass on what you heard from me--the whole congregation saying Amen!-to reliable leaders who are competent to teach others. 3. When the going gets rough, take it on the chin with the rest of us, the way Jesus did. 4. A soldier on duty doesn't get caught up in making deals at the marketplace. He concentrates on carrying out orders. 5. An athlete who refuses to play by the rules will never get anywhere. 6. It's the diligent farmer who gets the produce. 7. Think it over. God will make it all plain. (The Message)

The best professional athletes rarely have a "win at any cost" attitude. You're more likely to hear them talk about how much they love their sport and how much personal satisfaction and enjoyment they get from it.
Honesty and integrity should be the two hallmarks of any athlete. Good sportsmanship means playing honestly and fairly at all times, and never indulging in any type of cheating. Taking performance-enhancing drugs, using illegal equipment, and committing “dirty fouls” are all ways in which one can abuse the enjoyment and spirit of a particular sport. Only losers resort to these methods. (taken from an article in The Catholic Exchange by Kevin J. Wright)

Next Lesson: Integrity
Just joining us? Start with Lesson 1

LRH: Good Sportsmanship Lesson Plan - Lesson 4

2011-05-21T13:52:00.004-05:00

Lesson 4: Fairness

Memory verse:

Leviticus 19:15a Be fair, no matter who is on trial. (CEV)

Definition:

1a. Having or exhibiting a disposition that is free of favoritism or bias; impartial: a fair mediator.
1b. Just to all parties; equitable: a compromise that is fair to both factions.
2. Consistent with rules, logic, or ethics: a fair tactic.

What does it mean to be fair?

It means to have the same rules for everyone. If Billy can’t take an extra turn because he landed on green, then neither can the rest of the players. If landing on 100 gives Adam 100 points, then every player that lands on 100 gets 100 points. If Steve cannot jump his own playing piece, then no one else can either.
Sometimes we want to favor, or be extra nice to, our friends. That’s ok, but not when it means that we leave other players out. Being fair means that everyone plays by the same rules. When the game is fair, and everyone is playing fair, then you can know for sure that whoever wins, really won the game.

Just joining us? Start with Lesson 1

Free Homeschool tickets for the 2011 State Fair of Texas

2011-05-20T16:21:00.000-05:00

Free Homeschool tickets for the 2011 State Fair of Texas are good any Thursday during the run of the Fair.

The program is for Kindergarten thru 12th grade beginning with 5 year olds - no Pre-K. We do not have a ticket program for children younger than 5.

The program is for families living within a 100 mile radius of the Fairground. Each family must submit individually to avoid duplicate requests. We do not accept requests from homeschool groups or associations.

Please submit your request on school letter-head, if you have it. If not, any paper/stationery if fine, just make sure to include your name and address.

Include the ages and grade levels of each student. Requests without this information will be re-turned unfilled.
We can send one teacher ticket and one principal ticket per family. If you would like a teacher and principal ticket, please include your request in the body of your letter.

Include a daytime phone number where we can reach you in case you have left out any information.

Include a business size stamped envelope. Please DO NOT ADDRESS the envelope in any way as we will print address labels. The envelope must be business size because of the length of the tickets.

All requests must be POSTMARKED AND COMPLETE by the deadline date of Friday, May 27, 2011. Incomplete requests and requests arriving after this date will be returned.

Mail your request to:

State Fair of Texas
ATTN: Lisa Boubel
PO BOX 150009
Dallas, TX 75315

31 Days to Clean Challenge: Day 5

2011-05-20T15:14:00.001-05:00

I'm excited to be participating in the 31 Days to Clean Challenge over at Joyful Mothering. You can get a copy of the e-book on Amazon
(just click on the picture on the left!) I'm WAY behind, but I'm not stressing about it!

Today talked about priorities. I thought I'd take a look back at the priorities I identified nearly a year ago and see how they've changed. She also suggests rating them on a scale of 1 (needs work) - 5 (doing good) to track your progress.

1. Spiritual Life

   a. Daily walk (no change) -3
   b. Church attendance (no change) -4

2. Family Life

a. Husband - date nights, evening time -3

b. Family Meal time (was "a") -3

c. Home-keeping -3

3. Homeschool/Education

   a. Maintain an educational atmosphere (no change) -4
   ~~b. Be consistent with chosen curriculum~~ (moved to an unschooling/minimalist approach)
   c. Karate classes (no change) -4
   d. Piano lessons for Jordan (at home) (no change) -2

4. Church
   a. Volunteering (Worship team, etc) (no change) -3
   b. Activities (no change) -5

5. Community
   ~~a. Business events~~
   ~~b. Karate Demos/events~~
   ~~c. Cultural Arts Council~~
   d. CampSol volunteer-ism -3

I really like the way that she wrote a mission statement and action plan for each one. I would love to do that!

LRH: Good Sportsmanship Lesson Plan - Lesson 3

2011-05-20T13:40:00.002-05:00

Lesson 3: Sportsmanship & Winning

We've all seen this around:

"Second place is the first loser" - that's just not very nice! Yet is is EVERYWHERE! How do we need to behave as Christians when we win?

Devotional Text:

Proverbs 17:17 (NIV)
A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity (tough times)

Remember:

sports•man•ship (spôrts m n-sh p , sp rts -) - n.
1. The fact or practice of participating in sports or a sport.
2. Conduct and attitude considered as befitting participants in sports,
especially fair play, courtesy, striving spirit, and grace in losing.

Winning is everything – or is it?

Remember that in every game, there are winners & losers
How many winners are there? Usually one person, or one team.
That means that when you win, there are quite a few people who didn't win. They will probably feel bad that they lost, they might even try to accuse you of cheating, or being unfair.

You should encourage lesser players

“A friend loves at all times” - even when he wins the game!
How do you like to be treated when you have lost? Then treat other players that way when you win.

Next Lesson: Fairness
Just joining us? Start with Lesson 1

LRH: Good Sportsmanship Lesson Plan - Lesson 2

2011-05-18T13:21:00.004-05:00

Click here to see Lesson 1: It’s just a game … does Christian Character matter?

Lesson 2: Sportsmanship and Losing
Devotional Text:

Proverbs 18:17-19
Any story sounds true until someone sets the record straight. Casting lots can end arguments and settle disputes between powerful opponents. It's harder to make amends with an offended friend than to capture a fortified city. Arguments separate friends like a gate locked with iron bars. (NLT)

New Word:

sports•man•ship (spôrts m n-sh p , sp rts -) - n.
1. The fact or practice of participating in sports or a sport.
2. Conduct and attitude considered as befitting participants in sports,
especially fair play, courtesy, striving spirit, and grace in losing.

It’s not whether you win or lose, but how you play the game…

Have you ever heard anyone say that? It seems a little funny, doesn't it? I mean, why play, if not to win? Nobody wants to lose, do they? Yet in every game there are winners and losers, that’s why HOW you play the game is more important than who wins and loses.
Remember that we learned last week that we are to honor Christ in everything that we do? We can honor Christ, even when we lose, by losing graciously. That means that you don’t call the other person names, or accuse them of cheating, just to make your loss seem better.

Respect for your Opponent – without them, there would be no game!

If you accuse people of cheating (when they are playing fairly), then you will hurt their feelings.
If you get angry when someone else wins, you steal his or her joy in the victory.
Remember last week’s devotion “You are better off to obey God and suffer for doing right than to suffer for doing wrong”? It would be better to accept the loss and “suffer” knowing that you could have played better, than to wrongly accuse your friends! After all, listen again to today’s verse – it is very hard to make up with a friend that you have offended, even harder than capturing a heavily guarded city! It’s much better to lose graciously than to say or do something that would offend your friends. Just think, no one likes to play with a “sore loser” - one day you might have no one left to play with! Sure, you could win every game, but that wouldn't really be fun, would it?

Next Lesson: Sportsmanship & Winning

LRH: Good Sportsmanship Lesson Plan - Lesson 1

2011-05-17T23:18:00.001-05:00

Several years ago I taught a class on good sportsmanship at the For His Glory homeschool co-op. This lesson plan could be used for a Sunday School class, small group, homeschool or just about any group of kids!

Lesson 1: It’s just a game … does Christian Character matter?

Devotional Text:

1 Peter 3:15 Honor Christ and let him be the Lord of your life. … Give a kind and respectful answer and keep your conscience clear. This way you will make people ashamed for saying bad things about your good conduct as a follower of Christ. You are better off to obey God and suffer for doing right than to suffer for doing wrong. (CEV)

Memory Verse::

1 Peter 3:15 Honor Christ and let him be the Lord of your life.

Abiding by the Rules – Why is it important?

We are to honor Christ in everything that we do. Following the rules is one way to honor God
The 10 Commandments tell us that God thinks that rules are important – and rules are good! How else would we know how to play the games?

Teamwork & Following Directions

Many games require teamwork – working together. It is important to be able to talk to your teammates, and more important, to be able to listen to them!
Just like rules are important, following the directions is important too! Many times there is someone who is older, or who has played a game more often, who can help you to understand the rules. It is important to listen to them and follow their directions. I am going to be this person for our class time. It is important that you listen to me and follow my directions, so that everyone can have fun and learn how to play lots of new games!

I printed several copies of the "Dot Game", like this one from Mom's Minivan (a great resource for road-trips!) Review the rules, ask if the kids have any questions and have fun!

Next lesson: Sportsmanship and Losing

If you have a Kindle you can get the game for free here:

Ups and Down's (Syndrome that is!)

2011-05-16T09:38:00.001-05:00

I can't believe that Aaron is nearly 5 months old already! My how time flies when you ~~can't tell night from day and are running on too little sleep~~ are having fun!

I just thought I'd update you on Aaron's progress. It's fantastic! Our pediatrician even said if she had not seen the test results herself, she would not believe he has Down's Syndrome. He is hitting every major "typical infant" milestone. He's sleeping through the night, rolling over, reaching for toys, vocalizing... So much more than I ever expected! Thank you for your prayers, and thanks be to God!

Here are some of my favorite pics:

"My 2 year old brother wakes me up. A Lot!"

"Is it time to eat yet? Pretty Please!?!"

"Mommy's so silly!"

peace...

"Yo! What up? I got bathed!"

"My favorite spot, right next to mommy's heart!"

If you have an infant 0-12 months, link up over at the Baby Blessings Blog Hop!

I've been schooled

2011-05-13T15:02:00.001-05:00

I love that the Holy Spirit teaches us.

I've been working hard to get a concept through to my children: It's about the heart and the motive. For instance, if you want to kiss your little brother (or your big brother!) and they don't want to be kissed - what is a kiss? It's an expression of love. Is it loving to hold them down and yell "I'm just trying to kiss you!" Nope!

If you want to hold the door for a lady and she wants to do it herself - what is holding the door? Being a gentleman, showing kindness. Is it kind to stand there with your back against the door and refuse to let her open it herself? Uh, no!

The most recent conversation came after one didn't say "thank you" to the other for getting them something. I asked the offended child "Did you do it for the 'thank you'?" The reply was "no". I went on to explain that when you serve someone you should do it because you love them and want to show God's love to them. If you're doing it for the 'thank you', you're doing it for the wrong reason.

Fast forward to Wednesday night. I was sick, my ears hurt, I got about 4 hours of sleep before the pitter patter of little feet and hungry call of a newborn greeted me. I fixed breakfast, woke the older kids, nursed the baby and directed chores. I resisted the urge to crawl back in bed. I fixed lunch, washed dishes, washed laundry, vacuumed the living room, broke up a fight, took a medical collections call and took the toddler to Sonic. I worked up the courage to check on my sleeping baby, since it had been over 2 hours. Dad came home early (and unexpectedly) because the weather was bad (and he had a migraine). He entered to delighted squeals of "Daddy's home!", went to the bedroom, changed clothes and came to the dining room to find me working on a custom jewelry order.

He looked into the kitchen and said "Is the kitchen table here to block someone or did someone sweep?" Huh? That's what you noticed? The table out of place, not the clean floor? Not the piles of folded laundry? Not the clean counters? Not the clean floor in the living room? Not your wife subsidizing the family income, while she's sick?

I forgot my own lesson. I picked a fight on the way to church, lamenting my day and how he didn't notice anything that we had done! His response? "I didn't feel good either, but I still had to go to work too." My thought? "But you get PAID!" I didn't say anymore, we had arrived for our small group, where we discussed the importance of the Holy Spirit, being filled to overflowing so that we could share the gospel and serve others.

I felt a little teaching, but still was discontent. I was moved even more the next day when I read the following:

‎'If you're not happy with who you are then chances are you want to be like someone else. The problem is God created you to be you.' - Mark Brown

and then:

I don't know the key to success --- but the key to failure is trying to please everyone. Bill Cosby

and then:

Want to blow the cloud cover off your gray day? Accept God’s direction. -Max Lucado

and finally:

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go. - Joshua 1:9 NIV

I need to accept that it is God's will and plan for me to be right where I am, right now. Snotty noses, puke fountains, sibling rivalry, pre-teen angst, rolling eyeballs, dirty diapers, mountains of laundry, dirty dishes... this IS my natural habitat for this season. I can't believe that after all this time I still need to be taught (again and again and again) that IT'S THE HEART! It's the how and why of what I do, whether anyone ever notices or not. Even when I feel invisible.

LRH: Encouragement for the minimalist approach

2011-05-10T08:58:00.000-05:00

I'm so glad that I was shown this post by "That Mom"!

If you've been following our homeschool journey, then you know that I've wavered between curriculum and unschooling. You probably don't know (because I haven't blogged it!) that we've also strongly considered sending the big kids back to traditional school. A charter school, but still formal education.

I don't want to send them back to school, it contradicts all that I've come to believe about how children learn! I do have a (long) way to go towards gaining some semblance of control over my home. I've been working on this through the 31 Days to Clean Challenge.

Here is my favorite part of That Mom's post (emphasis mine):

4. What is the goal of a real education? One of the common concerns often expressed to us over the years about homeschooling is whether or not we could possibly teach our children everything. My answer is always “no” followed by the correct observation that there is no teacher or institution or family who could possibly teach everything. And it shouldn’t even be a goal! The vast amount of information, especially technological information, that is generated increases exponentially each year. Rather than worrying about knowing it all, our goal as homeschoolers ought to be to raise and become, ourselves, lifelong learners. This is accomplished first by providing an environment rich in life experiences and then giving our children an introduction to ideas and concepts outside of those experiences. By teaching and training in research skills and not uploading them with information and allowing them plenty of space to study things they are curious about (delight centered learning), we have given them the tools to be successful no matter where the Lord leads them.

Amen!

I'm thankful for this encouragement and affirmation that we are still on the right path!

[ReDeemed]

Milliners are underpaid (or "How to make a pill-box hat")

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Perspective

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The Picnik's over!

Feel like a failure?

Win $125.00 in CASH! #SpotlightFacebook

Kindle Fire and $50 Amazon Gift Card Giveaway!

ScentMate Crafter's Challenge!

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Valentine's Day is coming soon!

Rafflecopter is hosting a Launch Giveaway

Down's Syndrome: the education of me (part 4, the end of the beginning)

Down's Syndrome: the education of me (part 3)

Down's Syndrome: the education of me (part 2)

Pinterest Piques my Interest

A Minute to Pin It - Pinterest Party!

Gold Canyon ScentMate Review

Random WW Wordless Wednesday (yeah right!)

Market Me: People Style Watch 2012 Page 86

Freshwater Pearl Earrings

Wire wrapped chandelier earrings handmade yellow citrine and swarovski crystals

Rhinestone and Crystal Drop Earrings

Chain Chandelier Earrings with Rhinestones

Market Me: People Style Watch 2010 TOC

Market Me: People Style Watch 2012 Cover

Market Me: People Style Watch 2012

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DFW Gold Canyon Black Friday 2011 Online Coupon Codes!

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Shopping Guide: Fashion, Family & Food!

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Win Gold Canyon All-Natural Homeology Cleaners!

Crocheted Cleaning Cloth Eco-Friendly Rainbow Stripe Shagg Ragg - $7.50 on Etsy

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Protected Heart

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OCCUPY

I'm Rich! I'm Rich! I'm Rich!

Nine down; Two hundred ninety-one to go

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Get Goldie, Go PINK!

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Five

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Down's Syndrome: the education of me

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LRH: Good Sportsmanship Lesson Plan - Lesson 9

Memorial Day Discounts & Freebies

Review: Applied Labels

LRH: Good Sportsmanship Lesson Plan - Lesson 6

LRH: Good Sportsmanship Lesson Plan - Lesson 5

LRH: Good Sportsmanship Lesson Plan - Lesson 4

Free Homeschool tickets for the 2011 State Fair of Texas

31 Days to Clean Challenge: Day 5

LRH: Good Sportsmanship Lesson Plan - Lesson 3

LRH: Good Sportsmanship Lesson Plan - Lesson 2

LRH: Good Sportsmanship Lesson Plan - Lesson 1

Ups and Down's (Syndrome that is!)

I've been schooled

Wire wrapped chandelier
earrings handmade yellow
citrine and swarovski crystals