Vintage Chic Giveaway

I gave you all a little teaser on Saturday about this giveaway. If you missed that post you can go back and read a little more about Vintage Chic Boutique.

The short version of the story (if you don't have time to go back and read the original post) is that I discovered a really cute little store near me. I went to visit it for the first time on Saturday and I couldn't resist picking up some things. And, I'd like to share something with you!

I'm giving you a choice of two items. So, if you win, you'll have to let me know which one you'd like to make yours.

Here they are....

10x5 inch 'Blessing' plaque

11x6 1/2 inch "Spring Fever" canvas print on wood frame

If you would like to try for a chance to win here's how...

1 entry - check out Vintage Chic Boutique's site and let me know what you like there.

1 entry - tell me which of the giveaway options is your favorite

3 entries - provide a link to this giveaway on your blog

Please leave a separate comment for each entry. All entries must be submitted by 11:59 p.m Sunday, 1/23/11. I will announce the winner next Monday, 1/24. Good luck!

While I have your attention, I have to share pics of my boys!

Joseph's favorite play area

Charlie 'reading' books in a rare quiet moment

Edison and Wyatt looked so cute warming themselves while sitting on the radiator. Of course, as soon as the camera came out they decided they needed to push each other.

Oh, and by the way, having a menu plan last week (albeit just jotted on a piece of paper) worked so well for me that I decided to try it again this week. You can find it listed on my sidebar. Also, you'll see some weight loss goals I've listed there as well. Putting these out there will hopefully help me stay focused.

Have a great day!

A Snapshot In Time

My husband's cousin posted this picture on facebook today and I just had to share it.

From what I can understand it was taken on the day my husband's grandparent's farm was sold. The picture is of a few of the cousins lined up on the fence (It really is just a few...there are 40 some cousins all together).

Can you guess which one is my husband?

He's the one on the far left with no shirt. Some things never change.

Stay Tuned....

I just discovered the cutest little shop on-line and was thrilled to find out that it is local to me. It's called Vintage Chic Boutique. This is how they describe their store on their web page...

"Welcome! If you appreciate “Shabby Chic”, Cottage, French Country, Romantic, or Victorian décor, you will surely adore the unique vintage-inspired pieces we feature. Many of our items are one-of-a-kind handmade designs. Our boutique aims to add charm, elegance, and a bit of whimsy to your home and life."

I had a rare hour to myself this morning so I decided to drive on over and check them out. I had so much fun browsing and shopping (having the opportunity to browse...to really LOOK at what they had without having 4 boys in tow was a real treat, something I hardly ever get to do.).

The best part? Their prices are super reasonable. Sometimes when you hear the word 'boutique' you can almost guarantee prices will be inflated. Not so at this store. They are definitely affordable.

I was sad that the plaque I had seen on their on-line site and that I was specifically looking for had just sold out. But, the owner (at least I assumed she was the owner, and now I feel terrible for not asking her name) was very helpful, took my information, and said that she would look to see if they were still available from her supplier. Now that's customer service!

I still found a couple little items I couldn't resist picking up. AND, I decided to do a GIVEAWAY for my readers with one of the treasures I bought.

So, be sure to check back on Monday when I will officially announce my giveaway and unveil the which of the treasures you could win!

In the meantime, have a great weekend!

A Simple Request

I'm taking a break from what I had planned to write today. I will pick up with the list of topics I posted yesterday sometime next week.

For today, I am passing on the word about a follow blogger who needs our prayers. I found out about this through Thy Hand's blog. And, I'm asking if you would pray and perhaps help spread the word too.

Joanne Heim of The Simple Wife suffered a major stroke on Tuesday morning. She is only 38 years old. I've only been to her blog a few times. But, I've always been struck by her heart for the Lord. Please pray for her and her family.

There is power in prayer!

What to Write?

It's not so much that I have writer's block. I've actually got a bunch of topics jotted down that I want to write about in the coming days & weeks.

Would you like a peek? Here are my titles for upcoming post ideas....

Living On Less

Homebody

Avoiding Public Temper Tantrums & Meltdowns

An Angry Mom

On Becoming Landlords - The Honeymoon's Over

Learning Contentment/ Being OK With My Small House

So I've got topics. I've even been mentally writing out some things I want to say in each of these posts.

I guess my problem right now is more that a) I just don't FEEL like writing. and
b) I don't really have the time. My little two just fell asleep for their afternoon naps right before 3 p.m. (The three year old fell asleep so late because he fought it and fought it. And, the baby is on nap 2 for the day. We're still trying to get him and his brother on the same schedule.) And, the big two will be home from school in about 45 minutes.

I really need to fold laundry, start dinner, sweep the floor, etc. etc. It's now or never. So, the writing will have to wait. I might tackle it tonight after the boys are in bed...if I can keep my eyes open. Otherwise, you all will just have to wait with bated breath.

In the meantime, won't you go check out yet another new blog a friend of mine has started? I know Kendra from my MOPS group and she is a coupon/savings genius. After being asked by others numerous times HOW she does it, she decided to start a blog to explain her techniques. If you have a chance, jump on over to her blog. And, I'm sure she'd be thrilled if you left her a comment so she's knows you stopped in for a visit.

Have a great day.

My Thumbsucker

Take a look if you will at the picture in header.  You see that little guy second from the left with his thumb in his mouth?  That would be my 5 1/2 year old, Edison.


Edison has been a thumbsucker since he was a baby.


He sucks his thumb a lot.  It's usually when he's in rest mode (in other words, not bouncing off the walls).   But, as soon as he slows down and he's no longer in motion, that thumb goes in.


I was looking through my collection of downloaded pictures to find some examples of Edison with his thumb in his mouth.  Surprisingly, there weren't as many as I thought there would be.  But, I guess in most pictures I have of him, he's actively engaged.  


But, here's what I found.

 Sucking his thumb with dirty hands. 

 There's the thumb again.

 And again

 And yet again.

And, there he is in the background, not wanting to participate in a family picture.

Sucking on his thumb

We had a dentist appointment yesterday.  She has mentioned his thumbsucking before.  But, yesterday she made no bones about it.  He is doing permanent damage to his teeth (pushing the top front ones out and the bottom front ones back), his palate, even the growth of his jaw.  

So, now this has moved beyond a childhood habit that I figured would eventually diminish on it's own to something that is potentially serious with life long effects.

Here's my question to you dear readers.  Have any of you had thumbsuckers?  What methods have you found effective in helping your thumbsucker break his or her habit?  I'd appreciate any words of wisdom you may have!

Menu Monday...sort of

First, I don't think Menu Monday is going to be a regular feature...although maybe it should be.


You see, I am so NOT a type A personality.  Things you would NOT see at my house if you came to visit - an updated, color-coded calendar, chore charts, behavior charts, a daily schedule, or a detailed menu plan.  As a matter of fact, you won't see much in the area of detail and organization.


That's not to say that I don't WISH I were more organized or detail oriented.  My sister who is 3 years younger than me IS and sometimes I think she inherited whatever part of those genetics there was to inherit.  


I'm not completely willy-nilly.  I am the one who maintains financial records for our family.  I am a stickler for balancing the checkbook every month.  And, each week on payday I sit down to figure out bills, tithing, & other expenditures.  My filing system for paid bills, and other important papers is a mess.  But, I still know where it is sitting and waiting to be filed.


Over at Like a Warm Cup of Coffee today there was a post from a guest writer who is a self-proclaimed type B personality...and she homeschools!  Even though I don't homeschool, I could relate to so much that she wrote.  One line particularly resonated with me.  She said (and I'm paraphrasing) that she works better with routines than with schedules.  Yup.  That's me!


Anyhow, all that to say that I'm not ANTI schedules or organization.  It's just that I usually don't follow through for the long term.  A while back in our MOPS (mothers of preschoolers) group we made a monthly menu plan for our house.  That month was great!  I wasn't scrambling for a dinner idea at 4:00 only to realize that I didn't have any meat thawed from the freezer.  Or worse yet I just couldn't come up with an idea so settled for the same old same old yet again.  In our house, chili,  spaghetti, or chicken corn soup are the meals that get whipped up in  a hurry if I can't think of anything else.


As I was thinking this morning about what to have for dinner tonight the thought occurred to me that I should make up a menu for the week!  The fact that I was thinking about dinner at 9:00 a.m. instead of 4:00 p.m was amazing enough, so I decided to run with it.  


So, here you have it, this week's menu plan.  As I said, it may or may not be a regular feature.  But, I had to share my one shining moment in organization and planning when it occurred.


Menu


Monday - Tilapia filets, baked potato, carrots
Tuesday - Deer pot roast, mashed potatoes, mixed veggies
Wednesday - Baked mac n cheese with sausage, peas
Thursday - Chicken enchiladas, bean salad
Friday - Burgers, oven baked sweet potato fries, salad


I also have to acknowledge Thy Hand Hath Provided in helping to inspire this menu planning.  In her blog she's been talking about eating simply in order to give.  You can check out her post here.  But, basically it comes down to the fact that as Americans we have so many food choices and we eat far more than we need for our nutritional needs (not to mention that we often make poor nutritional choices). 


 When I went grocery shopping this weekend I couldn't get that post out of my head.  I can't say I made all wise food choices that day.  But, it definitely effected what and how much I put in my cart.  Truth be told, we have so much food in our freezer and food that we've canned, that I didn't really need to grocery shop.  We could have easily made meals for weeks to come with what we have.


What do I usually buy at the grocery store?  Well, there's paper products and cleaning supplies.  We also use a lot of milk in our house as well as butter, fruit, yogurt, etc.  But, after that it's a lot of junk - snacks, juice boxes, cereal (how much money I could save if I just cut this from my spending and prepared home-made breakfasts like pancakes, waffles, baked oatmeal, and eggs).  When we say that we don't have anything to eat around the house, it usually means we are out of these types of foods.... which are not essential.  


So, in planning this weekly menu, I decided to look carefully at what I have available and to use those foods.  And, then I want to challenge myself and continue to use what I have in my house without grocery shopping for as long as I can.  


And, on that note, I must go.  The baby is awake from his nap.  I hope you all have a great week!