We Are THAT Family

Advent

2009-11-29T07:00:00.000-06:00

Advent is defined as the period of expectant waiting and preparation for the celebration of the Nativity of Jesus that has begun.

Want to know what we've tucked away in our calendar? Download & print the list here.

{We just returned from our trip, I can't wait to share some highlights with you, but while I wash everything we own, I wanted to share The Coming, my favorite time of the year.}

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DIYP-CheeseCloth Rosette Pins

2009-11-27T00:01:00.000-06:00

I have a new love.

Her name is cheesecloth (no cheese involved, sorry).

We're exclusive.

Well. Except that you can buy it at WalMart and all craft stores, especially this time of year with all the fruitcakes. You know what I mean.

I made a cheesecloth rosette on this burlap pillow, remember?

Well. I think they look pretty cute grouped on a plain pillow:

Or as a pin for a shirt.

Wouldn't these make great teacher gifts? So easy and inexpensive!

Here's a slideshow showing how to make them:

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Some other gift ideas I love:

Gift jars-cute idea!

Paper flowers-Last-minute, inexpensive

Handmade bundle of cards=love it!

Cupcake Bath Bombs- this is on my Christmas wish list!

Thanksgiving

2009-11-25T21:00:00.000-06:00

On this special day, where we pause to offer thanksgiving, there is one who sums up the words in my heart. If you aren't already reading Ann VosKamp, A Holy Experience, you must. She is God's mouthpiece to me on so many mornings. With her permission, I share her thoughts on being thankful. Truly life-changing.

The Real Joy Secret

I wake wanting to die.

Scarlet light bleeds over the horizon, another day aching in. I lie in bed. Pull covers up over my head. I'm withered dry and even the tears won’t fall: a heart drought. I lay listening to taunt of the names: Loser. Mess. Failure. Can I shrivel up invisible?

Mothers of six aren’t supposed to think this way. Not the happily-married, not the financially solvent.

Not the Christ-followers.

A year of mornings, I wake to the name calling, force feet to the floor anyways. I do pray.But self-hatred is a soul-eating disease and I’ve cut off parts off myself to survive.

I look in the mirror, into those eyes, and I know. It’s time for medication, some happiness from The Healer. Is that even a real possibility? My bones are brittle, dryness of the broken spirit; where on earth – in heaven -- do I get some of that joy medicine?

I’m standing in the kitchen, a morning in early November, sky weeping too, colors of the world draining away with the rain, when Jesus hands me the word that He stabbed into the slimy underbelly of the enemy.

There’s a good medicine word.

To continue this beautiful poetic road, click here.

To my dearest readers and friends, may God abundantly bless your thankful heart.

When Dreams Come True {Giveaway}

2009-11-24T00:01:00.003-06:00

*UPDATED* Congratulations to Cheryl! (Her dream is to "Relax" -she must be a Mom!) I corrected the bad link to Mela's site, please make sure you visit, enjoy her music and follow your dream!

What is your dream?

I think everyone has one. Some are pursued with vigor and confidence, some hidden deep within, while others are buried under the ashes of regret and disappointment.

But everyone has one. A dream.

Lean in close and I'll whisper mine in your ear: I want to author a book. I've faced a lot, A LOT of rejections, but it's still there. My dream.

Well. I want to introduce you to someone who made their dream come true: Mela Kamin.

I'll let her tell you in her own words:

"This is my debut CD. I co-wrote all the songs, recorded in Nashville with some

amazing musicians, after just a year of making the decision to step out in faith

and use my gifts in this way. I didn't grow up going to church or singing in choirs.

I never sang a song in front of an audience (besides at my grandparents' funerals)

until last year. All this happened because I overcame fear, watched God open

BIG doors and I walked boldly through, trusting Him to lead the way.

I now travel and share my stories and songs about how big God's plans are for us.

My husband, Greg & I started 4:10 Ministries based on 1 Peter 4:10: "Each one

should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering

God's grace in its various forms." We work to encourage people to discover, accept,

use and celebrate their unique gifts."

Wow, huh?

Mela sent me a copy of her CD to listen to and a couple of her cute t-shirts.

And do you know how I felt after I listened to it? Inspired.

I'm not about to give up on my dream. Neither should you.

Would you like to win a copy of Mela's new CD and a cute shirt for you and your child ($55 value)? Visit her site, come back here and whisper your dream if you dare (or just leave a comment) and that will be your entry!

This giveaway ends on Saturday.

WFMW-On Holiday

2009-11-24T00:00:00.000-06:00

Just a friendly reminder that we will NOT be having WFMW this week.

Take the time off to enjoy your family and friends!

Mark your calendars for Dec. 2nd THEMED EDITION: Share your best tip for gifts. This is a great chance to show off a handmade gift, your Etsy store, your favorite toy for kids, etc.

There will be a fun giveaway for linkers and please remember that the theme is just a suggestion. You're always welcomed to link up a tip that works for you.

My Day Job

2009-11-23T00:01:00.000-06:00

I'm taking a break from my day job right now.

But I thought I'd share one of my toddler's favorite activities (and this is also why Ibuprofin is my friend).

I also think if you close your eyes, this sounds exactly like Chewbacca.

See? I needed this vacation.

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And We're Off!

2009-11-21T12:01:00.000-06:00

P.S. I have some fun posts scheduled next week.

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Embracing the Strong-Will of My Child

2009-11-20T07:00:00.002-06:00

She is the loud one at the table. Easy to find. Her face is smudged with chocolate because she snuck a cookie before lunch was eaten. Her hair is wild, matching bow long gone. Her feet are bare, socks under the table, feet tucked beneath. She screams, "Noooo!" in a naughty voice.

Eyes stare and heads turn to look at the noisy, unruly toddler. Her mother hushes and wipes, bends to pick up a stray sock, for the third time. She forces a smile. On the outside.

On the inside she struggles with wanting her child to conform. To sit nicely, behave well, eat sandwich before cookie. To be like the other quiet children in the restaurant.

She is me: Embarrassed by my child; Ashamed that I am embarrassed.

Why do I want my child to be like everyone else? Why am I so uncomfortable with imperfection? And comfortable with conformity?

At the same time, I want her to be herself. As she grows, to stand firm in truth, to withstand the strong current of worldliness that will fight to whisk her away.

One day, I will marvel at her strength and will when she makes a good decision and leads rather than follows.

How can I want both?

God, forgive me for wanting to squeeze her into a box. She doesn't fit. Help me to embrace her strong will as a strength, not a weakness.

You created her in your image.

And she is mine.

Are you blessed with a strong-willed child(ren) too? Tell me what you love about them...

Want to know what I've learned about raising strong-willed children courtesy of some great resouces? Make sure you check out my January 1st newsletter.

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Pamela Posch Designs {Giveaway}

2009-11-19T07:01:00.002-06:00

*UPDATED Congratulations to the two winners: Molly of The Daily Diaper and QA Mom!!Everybody else: Go to Pamela Posch Designs and get Free Shipping on order over $50 AND Wristlet buy one get one 1/2 off ****You need to add "We are that family" in the notes to seller at check out.

What is it about custom embroidery that makes us girls squeal?

Is it just me? Or do you guys talk in an annoying baby voice when you see a kute widdle tiny winy tee shirt with a darling embroidered design? Okay, that may just be me.

But, seriously, Pamela Posch Designs is amazing:

Tell me these aren't ADORABLE...I dare you.

And there's more, much more, like these key fobs:

Bags:

She sent me a grab bag of adorable items to review. My review: other than serious baby-talking? Yum. Loved it all.

Well. I'm probably going to be talking in a baby voice THE REST OF THE DAY. I just can't help myself.

Go to Pamela Posch Designs, tell me what you like and leave your comment here as your entry. TWO $25 gift certificates are up for grabs! Plus if you place an order,

Free Shipping on order over $50 AND

Wristlet buy one get one 1/2 off ****You need to add "We are that family" in the notes to seller at check out.

This giveaway ends this weekend.

DIYP-Handmade Gift Idea: Art

2009-11-19T07:00:00.002-06:00

This is such an easy idea and I think it makes a unique (expensive-looking) gift!

You can create this gift on any scale, a small piece of art for a desk or a large piece of art for your friend's empty mantel. It's up to you!

Here's what you need: a blank canvas and a vinyl decal (large canvas for large decal, small canvas for small decal)

In the pictures below, I used an 18x24. Every week our local paper has 40-50% off coupons for Hobby Lobby and Michaels Arts & Crafts and I clip them just in case. I also found the vinyl decal at Marshalls. Etsy has a huge selection and many craft store are now carrying them.

This is the one I found:

But I love this small chandelier decal for a small canvas (only $3.50!) or this one in white ($6) with a black painted canvas. Be creative!

I removed the decal and decided not to use the chain. I placed it face down on the canvas and followed the instructions which are to lightly rub the decal with a credit card.

So simple!!

And it makes a stunning piece of art to give.

Or keep.

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Some other handmade gift ideas I love:

Cake-in-a-Cup Yum!

Mason jar Pin Cushion -adorable!

Matchbook Notepads-cute stocking stuffer idea

DIY holiday gift ideas-Living Locurto has a whole slew of great projects!

WFMW: Deeply Discounted Magazine Subscriptions

2009-11-18T07:00:00.000-06:00

I love magazines that show me how to do make stuff (Country Living and Southern Living) or give me info on things I care about (Parents).

I typically toss one in my grocery cart, but I rarely subscribe. It's not something I budget and let's face it, I don't feel the $3 for one like the $25 for twelve. (Math is not my thing, obviously).

But in the past month, I've bought FIVE magazine subscriptions. Count them: Real Simple, Southern Living, Parents, Country Living and Family Fun! ALL for $5 each-for an entire year!

Amazon has daily deals (it the little yellow treasure box in the toolbar). I am emailed a link each morning and I skim through this almost every day and that's where I've stumbled upon the $5 subscriptions-all at an 80% discount! There is usually one magazine deal every week or so.

And that, my friends, works for me.

Please Note: There will NOT be WFMW the day before Thanksgiving. I might schedule some posts ahead of time, but I've decided to step away from the computer for a couple of days during this time.

Thank you for joining me for WFMW! {You can read the guidelines here.}

Have a Works-For-Me Wednesday tip you'd like to share? I'd love for you to join us! Please note that the links will close at 9 pm CST tonight, in order to keep away the spammers!

Was your link deleted? Click here.

Back 40 Life {Giveaway}

2009-11-17T07:00:00.001-06:00

*UPDATED with WINNER* Congratulations to Pamela (no blog, I emailed you)! Thanks every one for entering. Don't forget to place your orders at Back 40 Life for fun Christmas gifts!

Who knew I would love vinyl so much?

And I'm not talking about my record collection (because I don't have one).

I love the vinyl words that adorn my walls. LOVE them.

I can't tell you how words lift me when I am down. Sometimes it's all I need.

Back 40 Life (great name, huh?) let me pick a couple of vinyls for my wall. And I chose this one:

The before:

The after:

And the toddler who is a kinesthetic learner:

Since it's better to give than receive, I picked the second vinyl, this lovely one:

For my sweet Russian friend from the Persecuted Church. One day she asked me about "these words on your walls...what are they? I like them. They are interesting."

She's praying for a home of her own and so I thought this would make a great hopeful-housewarming gift for her.

What do you like? Look around and let me know because someone's going to win a $50 gift certificate to this awesome shop!

This giveaway closes on Thursday.

Cruisin'

2009-11-15T21:00:00.002-06:00

So.

We've been doing the Dave Ramsey plan for a couple of years now. (If you're not familiar with his financial genius, this is a fantastic get-out-of-debt-save-your-pennies plan).

For a while, we've been tucking away dollars and cents. My dream has been to take my kids back to Disneyworld. I was hunting around the Internet a month or two ago and just for fun, searched "last minute Disney cruises" because first of all, I'm fun and second of all, I like to live on the wild side. Just call me Goofy. Hehe.

Well, lo and behold, I found something. There were only a couple of spots left and it was deeply discounted (like 70%). Plus, my toddler doesn't turn 3 for a few more weeks, so she's practically free. It's sailing the week of Thanksgiving.

And in SEVEN days (after an extremely long road trip) we'll be on it (squeeeeelllll) because we're opening our Christmas ~~cruise~~ present early!

Unless we get The Swine Flu. Or scabies. I think we can still go with lice. But I might need to check.

Basically, barring a major health crisis and a severe THAT family disaster (which sadly isn't even that far-fetched these days), we'll be dining with Mickey and eating butter shaped like his head.

I'll be scheduling some posts while we're gone and will update with pictures of me weeping at the site of Cinderella (because she's totally real) when we return.

But mainly, I just wanted y'all to know that dreams do come true.

And piggy banks totally rock.

This will be our first family cruise, any tips?

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Back to reality~

Waking up to clearance Halloween masks is very scary.

But the mask really does bring out the blue in Cinderella's eyes. Dontchathink?

P.S. Did you know bad guys like waffles? They are people too.

P.S.S. I'm closing this giveaway Monday afternoon, don't forget to enter. TWO winners will get this great kid-loving gift!

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THAT Family Tree Society Issue 61

2009-11-15T07:00:00.000-06:00

Picture of the Week:

The Week in Review: The princess and her light saber. I think that says it all.

Introduction into The Society: One of the few bloggers I've met in real-life! Help me welcome Just Frugalicious (www.justfrugalicious.com) She's a sweetheart!

1. Tell us a little about your blog (name/reason why you blog):

The name of my blog is Just Frugalicious! My name is Kimberly, and I began documenting my savings in everyday spending to help others save, too! With a background in retail (a bachelors degree and nearly 12 years in the field) I knew how to sell someone on anything! I also knew how to spend! So, I have now become a ‘spender just trying to adjust’! I coupon at an extreme level, to save as much as possible. I love to document it, because, truly it is hard work to accomplish the savings! I try to make it a little easier for others, as they see how I do it!

2. How long have you blogging?

Since February 2009

3. How would you define THAT family?

THAT family – I think it might be easier to say what THAT family IS NOT! It isn’t: perfect. clean. calm. easy. quiet. sane.

4. When did you discover you were a part of THAT family?

We are THAT family. I think we actually verbalized it when we go into our ‘sports attire’ and headed to Chick fil A for a free sandwich one Saturday afternoon. While preparing, we had to force our oldest (6) to put her sports T-shirt on. My husband and I looked at each other and said, “Yep, we are THAT family – the ones that don’t turn away free food – especially Chick fil A!!”

5. Where can we find your blog?

My blog is at http://www.justfrugalicious.com Come by to see how you can add savings into your life!

Poloppo Kids Art T-Shirts {Giveaway}

2009-11-13T12:00:00.001-06:00

*UPDATED with Winners* Congrats to CatherineB and Cop Mama !!!

My kids love to draw.

So much so, that I recently turned my china hutch into an art center. It sounds fancy (or insane), but I just moved the dishes I rarely use and filled the space with stacks of papers of all colors, pencils, markers and crayons.

I showed you what I do with their special art pieces, but I also love this idea:

Poloppo is a company that makes kid's art, wearable.

And I just love that!

They sent me a kit (packaged like the cute one above)to try out. I can't wait to give it to my daughter for her birthday!

My favorite part? The kit comes with everything your child needs to create a wearable work of art: paper, markers, instructions and a prepaid envelope to mail design. The website is very user-friendly and the gallery gives kids a lot of great drawing ideas.

For this do-it-yourself Mom, this is right up my alley.

Go check out the site, leave a comment and tell me what you think your kids would draw. Poloppo is giving away TWO long-sleeve shirt kits ($35 each).

This giveaway ends Monday.

DIYP-Beaded Utensils

2009-11-13T07:00:00.000-06:00

Supplies:

Stainless steel serving utensil w/hole in the top
20-gauge silver craft wire
various beads of choice. I like glass beads.
Wire cutters or heavy duty kitchen scissors to cut wire
Jewelry pliers

Detailed instructions here.

(I use my beaded spoon to stir my sweet tea. For Christmas, I'm giving my Mom and Mother-in-law the Life pitcher and this platter.

I LOVE this line from Dayspring so much! It makes me happy to use it and to give it. And, it's on sale right now. The Life Collection is 15% off, just in time for holiday shopping!)

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Here are some gift ideas I love (for kids):

Homemade Bubble Bath for kids

Kid's Meals -such a creative idea

Handmade Ornaments-I love these!

P.S. Come back later today for the PERFECT gift idea from your kids-for that hard to buy for person (Yes, Mom, I'm talking about you-but don't come back and see what you might be getting for Christmas!) Oh, and I'm giving TWO of them away!

The Lost & The Found

2009-11-12T07:00:00.004-06:00

I stood on the crowded concrete walk looking for my oldest two in the throngs of children bursting through the school doors. Spotted, their eyes find mine and ask the same question that comes each day, "Can we stay and play?"

I nod my head, they drop backpacks at my feet, grab their baby sister's hand and run to the swings. I find a spot to sit and visit with other mothers.

It doesn't take long for my toddler to find a mud puddle from the rains that soaked the ground the day before. I collect her shoes and tug her resistant hand. It's time for homework and time to stir dinner in the crock pot.

My oldest helps with the youngest and I search the playing field for my son. I don't see him. I ask his sisters. They look too, calling and looking.

Searching. Looking. Pacing.

He is not there.

I try to slow the heart that beats faster with that very thought.

I ask around and pick up my pace, trying to remember if his shirt is yellow or orange. The crowd has thinned, but my voice is thick.

I call his name. I search and grab my phone. Others are hunting him too.

And then I look into the future of a life without my son. I pray that thought away....

Suddenly, he stumbles towards me from a forbidden wooded area that surrounds the elementary school. I can tell by his trembling lip and his older sister's stern face, he knew my heart was in my throat.

"I'm sorry, Mom," he cried. This is my sensitive one. With just a look, he crumbles. I hugged him close, taking in the scent of this one-day man. Tears formed and I blinked them away.

He continued to apologize until we got home. I accept it over and over. "Let's talk about this. What happened? You know that you aren't supposed to go into the woods. I thought you were lost."

Wiping his nose on his sleeve, "I didn't know I was lost. Some friends asked me to come with them to help collect pine needles. I knew I shouldn't. I gave into temptation," he said as he hugged me tight, willing my forgiveness. I hid my smile and my tears in his hair.

"You are forgiven. But you disobeyed." I doled out a consequence (a small one since he had already punished himself so severely).

Later as I recounted the event, I saw it differently. I was the lost. Searching for something unimportant in a place I shouldn't be. Trying to do things on my own, pleasing the people around me, giving into temptation.

But He was searching for me. He was calling my name. Even now, when I stumble off the path, neglect the Word, seek fortune, and altogether, fail. He rallies a search party, shines His light into the darkness of my selfishness and draws me near.

He leaves the 99 for the one.

To find me.

Luke 15:4
"Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Does he not leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it?"

WFMW: Create a Gift Wrapping Center

2009-11-11T07:00:00.001-06:00

I'm going to show y'all some pictures.

If you want to think that this is my house and my idea, I might let you.

Because if I had the space and the imagination, it would be!

My sweet real life friend (Hi Sandi!) let me take pictures of her Gift Wrapping Center located in her laundry room.

With the holidays approaching, I thought this was such a smart idea!

You could create this anywhere, but I love that it's above a counter in her laundry room:

She uses paper towel hangers to hold spools of curling ribbon
A long towel rack holds tissue paper
A wooden hat rack is the perfect place to hang ribbon
An unused vase holds bows
The double plate stand is a catchall for tape and cards

Isn't this clever?

It works for her (and me)!

Thank you for joining me for WFMW! {You can read the guidelines here.}

Have a Works-For-Me Wednesday tip you'd like to share? I'd love for you to join us! Please note that the links will close at 9 pm CST tonight, in order to keep away the spammers!

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Make a Difference in a Child's Life Today

2009-11-10T15:40:00.001-06:00

She needs your help.

Click here to sponsor a precious child today.

A group of bloggers are in El Salvador right now, click to follow their journey.

P.S. Have you ordered your Christmas cards yet? If not, DaySpring is offering my readers a coupon for 15% off your purchase with this coupon code: CHILDREN15. The BEST part is that 6% of the sale goes to COMPASSION automatically! Offer expires Dec. 7,2009.

Handmade Quilted 'His & Hers' Stockings {Giveaway}

2009-11-10T07:00:00.005-06:00

*UPDATED with WINNER* Congrats to Brandi of AutumnFawn!

Don't forget you can order up until December 15th, here.

One of my sweet readers, Jennifer, has a unique talent: quilting!

She makes gorgeous quilted blankets and many other family heirlooms.

(And she doesn't even use a glue gun. Go figure).

Today, she is offering one lucky reader a SET of QUILTED STOCKINGS just in time for Christmas!

Aren't they beautiful? ($46 value for the set)

You can check out her quilt gallery here. Leave a comment HERE telling me what you love and that will be your entry for the stockings.

I think these would make an awesome Christmas gift for that special couple in your life (or for your family)!

If you'd like to order a set of these one-of-a-kind stockings today or until Dec. 15th, you can do that here. And there's a discount if you order more than one set.

Disclosure: Please read my giveaway policy.

My New Normal

2009-11-09T10:00:00.001-06:00

Just an average day...

Unfortunately, my Cortisone shot stopped working.

The next option in avoiding surgery: a home traction device to relieve pressure from the ruined disc . I do this 4 times a day, 10 minutes at a time.

(And while I'm strapped down, I pray my toddler doesn't jump in the middle of me and my dog doesn't make me smell her breath.)

Because. Well, you know.

Oh, and of course, it's completely natural for my daughter to soak her sore toe in epson salt beside my head.

I thinking our normal might be a little weird.

What do you think?

How to Host a Family Night

2009-11-09T07:00:00.002-06:00

If you don't have regularly scheduled family nights on your calendar, you should (because I'm bossy and I said so).

It doesn't take a ton of planning and it doesn't have to cost a lot of money!

Research has proven that having regular family meals together makes a huge difference in your children's lives. So, a whole night once or twice a month or every Friday, dedicated to the family can only help.

An excerpt from Time Magazine about family meals:

"Studies show that the more often families eat together, the less likely kids are to smoke, drink, do drugs, get depressed, develop eating disorders and consider suicide, and the more likely they are to do well in school, delay having sex, eat their vegetables, learn big words and know which fork to use. "If it were just about food, we would squirt it into their mouths with a tube," says Robin Fox, an anthropologist who teaches at Rutgers University in New Jersey, about the mysterious way that family dinner engraves our souls. "A meal is about civilizing children. It's about teaching them to be a member of their culture."

Here's how we spent Friday night in 4 Easy Steps:

1. We picked a theme: Dogs

2. We fixed Hot Dogs with Homemade Chili Dog Sauce and ate them outside.

Don't forget the paper towels!

3. We took our dog to a local dog park (and played on the playground next door a little).

4. We came home to watch Disney's Shaggy Dog.

Planning Time: about 10 minutes

Costs: Zero Dollars (I keep stuff for hot dogs in the freezer for last minute meals).

Homemade Hot Dog Chili Sauce

2 pounds lean ground beef

2 cups water

1/2 cup tomato sauce

1/3 cup ketchup

1/2 tablespoon salt

1/2 tablespoon pepper

1 tablespoon white sugar

1 tablespoon chili powder

dash of paprika

crushed red pepper flakes to taste

Directions: Crumble ground beef into large pan on medium heat. Stir in water, and mash ground beef thoroughly with a potato masher. Stir in tomato sauce, ketchup, salt, pepper, sugar, and chili powder; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low; simmer, 30 minutes, until the sauce reaches a medium consistency. Get ready for a delicious mess!

Get your calendars out, okay? Don't make me get bossy.

This post was sponsored by Viva Towels. For fun, fork-free recipes – including videos – and snappy entertaining ideas, get over to the VIVA® Diva Café

Excuse to Show You More Pictures {Winner Announced}

2009-11-08T15:00:00.001-06:00

Congrats

to
the photo shoot
winner....
Sandra!

And, I'm going to have a hard time trying to decide which picture I'm going to put in this great Christmas frame from the DaySpring-Danielson Design Studio. I get to try one out and they are offering all of you buy one item, get the other half off, just in time for Christmas. Just enter the code HALF OFF.

If you didn't win, don't forget to take advantage of Lucky HorseShoe Photography 15% off offer!

THAT Family Tree Society Issue 60

2009-11-07T21:41:00.001-06:00

Pictures of the Week:

The Week in Review: We learned that rotten pumpkins stink.

Introduction into The Society: Steps for Brady

Ours is a story of triplets, surprise baby 18 months later, practically cracking every day under the pressure of 4 kids 2 and under, my son's devastating diagnosis with cancer in January, trusting God as we battled to save our son's life, proclaiming victory over cancer, and now learning that that even though mishaps happen daily around here...we are being refined as we travel through this crazy life!

Here are my answers to your questions...

1. Tell us a little about your blog (name/reason why you blog):

My blog is called Steps for Brady and my blog began as a place to tell the story of my son Brady and his battle with Neuroblastoma, a form of childhood cancer. It has evolved into a family journal that documents our family as we travel through life, the 6 of us. We have 2 1/2 year old triplets and a 1 year old, the craziness never ends around here.

2. How long have you blogging?

I started blogging in January of 2009. The first few weeks of my blog include the day we found out that the reason my 20 month old son wasn't walking was because he had a huge tumor encasing his spinal cord and in his chest. In the months that followed, I documented our battle to save his life which included two life threatening operations and chemotherapy.

3. How would you define THAT family?

THAT family is the one that people like to look at from the outside, kind of in the "can't help but watch a train wreck" sort of way. No really, I think THAT family has their fare share of chaos, calamity, drama, and misfortune. But THAT family pulls itself up, dusts itself off, and keeps going. THAT family realizes that the "junk of life" is just a means for them to become refined and to grow closer to the One that gives them the grace to endure it all:)

4. When did you discover you were a part of THAT family?

I always had an inkling that I was raised in THAT family, but I realized that I was giving birth to the 3rd generation, when I was pregnant with triplets and on bed rest with triplets. Meanwhile, 5 floors above me in the hospital was my mother, who was fighting for her life battling Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma for the 2nd time. She had a life saving stem cell transplant and struggled to survive so that she could meet my babies, and I held off contractions and pre-eclampsia in order to stay pregnant so that she could be there for my delivery. This was the stuff of Lifetime movies people. Once a day someone would wheel me up to her floor so that I could encourage her and she could encourage me! Little did I know that less than 2 years later, one of my triplets would be diagnosed with a deadly form of cancer...and THAT family had to pull together once again.

5. Where can we find your blog?

Stop by and meet my family, read Brady's story, and be inspired. stepsforbrady.blogspot.com

Our Christmas Photo Shoot {Giveaway}

2009-11-06T07:00:00.014-06:00

Okay. I've always wanted to use the phrase photo shoot.

My life is complete.

The other day after school, I hung around and chatted with one of the other mom's while my kids played on the school playground. I smiled as my toddler hung on to her big sister's shirt and tagged along.

My friend looked at me and said, "One of the things I love most about your kids is that they look after each other. They really love one another."

It was just about the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me.

And then I got home and this picture was in my inbox from some pictures taken earlier in the week:

And y'all, I cried.

The ugly cry. Because my kiddos may argue and drive each other crazy, but they know they are family. And they stick together.

Then there was this one:

In which I was regretting that vasectomy.

My awesome next door neighbor, Bridget at Bake at 350 (don't go there now or you'll never come back. The cookies will wait) has a sister, Molly. And she's just as talented, only she's a photographer, Lucky HorseShoe Photography.

She asked if she could take Christmas pictures of my kids. I remembered the three matching outfits hanging in the back of the closet that I bought at the OshKosh Outlet last January and I said yes (only I'm sure it sounded like YES, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ASKING!!)

I am so glad I did. It was simply the easiest thing ever. I just turned my kids loose at the park and Molly who is darling and very laid back, did her thing. I love the way she captured my kids. There was hardly any posing, she just talked to them and snapped away. She has a gift for angles. There are dozens of pictures (you can watch the slideshow on her site if you want to see more) and I love the way she took an unexpected approach.

I love this shot. LOVE IT.

Thank you, Molly. You've given me a gift.

And now, she'd like to give you one too! If you live in the Houston, Texas area, please let me know in the comments and you'll be entered to win your very own photo shoot.

Value: for me priceless and also ($150)

Go check her site out. If you aren't the lucky winner, you can tell her We are THAT family sent you and get 15% off!