Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!!!

My Review of KidKraft Isabella Gable Roof Dollhouse

Originally submitted at DollHousesGalore.com

For the best value in dollhouses, we recommend the Isabella. This is an incredible price, for a multi-level wood dollhouse that includes furniture! Designed by Kidkraft specifically for DollhousesGalore.com, the Isabella Gable Roof Dollhouse is over 4 feet tall and comes with 14 pieces of wooden...

KidKraft Isabella Gable Roof Dollhouse

Awesome Dollhouse!

By AprilB from Georgia on 12/31/2008

 

5out of 5

Pros: Great Decor, Easy To Assemble, Realistic Looking, Fun, Can Withstand Use, Good Dimensions, Cute Design

Best Uses: Indoor, Creative Development, Young Children, Imaginative Play, Group Activity

Describe Yourself: Education Oriented, Parent Of Two Or More Children, Stay At Home Parent

Replacement of parts is one of the easiest things about this dollhouse!

(legalese)

Our Advent Wreath

The Nativity is one that we received as a wedding present almost 10yrs ago! Next year I think I am going to make a REAL wreath. The girls love doing the advent readings. This was such a neat activity to do this year. :-)

The Simple Woman's Daybook

For Today...

Outside my window...is overcast and a bit windy

I am thinking...how wonderful it is to be home but I pray hubby feels better soon.

From the learning rooms...Christmas books are out and our last week of formal school ends this week.

I am thankful for...my husband, he has such a great heart.

From the kitchen...coffee brewing

I am wearing...knit pants and a t-shirt

I am reading...The Bible, I am in Psalms; my devotional; Peter Cottontail; Kidnapped & The Gift of Christmas

I am hoping...to have my house SMELL like Christmas by next week!

I am creating...a list of Christmas season essentials

I am hearing...the baby breathing and the other children cleaning their room

Around the house...LAUNDRY,cleaning, baking and decorating!

One of my favorite things...walking into a house that smells like coffee!

A few plans for the rest of the week...home arts co-op tomorrow, Awana Wednesday, getting a Christmas tree, Christmas season essentials, parade on Saturday, church and unit Christmas party Sunday

Here is a picture thought I am sharing with you...

Christmas 2004

Please visit Peggy @ The Simple Woman's Daybook to see how you can do your own!

~*The Advent Season*~

The season of Advent is upon us and this year I am really looking forward to it. There will be so much that we will miss next year and I want to not forget a moment. I am going to try to save enough for a camcorder that uses cds/dvds instead of cassettes like we have. When Mike is gone, I can send him a dvd and he can play it on the laptop. Tomorrow I am going to buy the supplies to make a Advent wreath. We area reading Christ in Christmas: A Family Advent Celebration. We are also using the suggested Bible reading from Simplify and Celebrate; Embracing the Soul of Christmas. I will try to post about our celebrations this month with pictures. :-)

The Blog Readability Test

Wow! This is hilarious!

TV Reviews

I couldn't have said it better myself

The day this country will change

Our Marriage, our children, OUR BUSINESS!

We have 4 children...4 beautiful girls. If we want to have more, it is no one's business. We probably aren't but that is beside the point. We aren't on any public assistance, we pay taxes and we take care of our children so no one is constantly "helping " us . Since when did children start being looked upon as a burden? God says that children are a blessing and a heritage...He says nothing about a burden. An elderly gentleman came up to me in Walmart and asked about Rebekah. He told me he had 15 grandchildren and how much of a blessing each one was. It was such a blessing for me to hear that!

It shouldn't bust anyone's ego that we have ANOTHER girl. It doesn't matter that it is OK that she is a girl because she could be the mother of the next Billy Graham. Just because I got pregnant when I shouldn't have been able to doesn't make Sarah and Rebekah "probably a gift (they are all gifts!). Talking about me using birth control, me getting my tubes tied, trying to convince me to get my tubes tied because your wife never had problems, and about my husband getting a vasectomy is OFF LIMITS! It is my uterus and my husband's penis, it is our marriage and our children...so...say it with me now... IT IS NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS! Comparing leaving your family size up to God with Him taking your desire to overeat away is disgusting and just shows how little this world thinks of children.

The Birth of Rebekah Ann

Rebekah~Captivating, beautiful.

Well, if you are looking for a lengthy birth story...look somewhere else. lol

On September 16th, the homeschool moms from our church gave me a baby shower. We had a fun time! I had a few braxton hicks but nothing painful. I had a lot of sweet tea, which was quite a treat because I haven't drank that in a long time. I left Tiffany's about 10:30 PM and went to Ingles. Mike had called earlier and asked me to pick up a few things. I got home about 11:15 PM or 11:30 PM, I can't remember which. I changed clothes and got into bed and watched a little TV. About 10 before midnight, Mike woke up and asked me why I was still up. He said that I needed to rest but I told him I had wanted to stay up a few more minutes...I think the sweet tea kept me up. So about midnight or a little after I went to sleep.

At about 2:20 AM or so I woke up. The tops of my legs were hurting really bad. When I went to pee, I saw a little bit of blood. I woke Mike up and told him that I thought I was in labor. After I told him, I had to go back to the bathroom. I peed again and had a really, really loose bowel movement. I KNEW I was in labor then. All of this happened so fast. I called my midwife and she suggested Mike run the tub and for me to get in and relax to see if that stops anything. She said that it sounded like the baby dropped. While Mike was running the tub, I called her back because the pain in my legs was not going away and I was feeling A LOT of pressure. During the few seconds we were talking she said my voice changed and for me to hurry and get in the tub and she was on her way. I immediately took off all of my clothes and got into the tub. I wanted to wear my black camisole in the tub but when Mike asked if I wanted it, I said that no, I just wanted in the tub. I got in and between the moaning and panting I asked him to turn on my CD player...it had a CD of a Celtic Christian band and it is very soothing. Mike then asked if I needed anything and I said something to drink. While he was gone downstairs, the pressure was intensifying. All of a sudden I felt a big pop and I knew my water had broken. I looked in the water and saw no color change and that made me feel better. I felt in between my legs and could feel the head. I continued to pant and pretending to blow out candles. I was also moaning. I was on my left side and I propped my right leg on the wall at the end of my tub. All of a sudden I felt and the head was out, then I remember thinking that ok...now the shoulders. Mike was still downstairs during this time...it was happening fast. Then all of a sudden I looked and the baby was out. I grabbed the baby fast and put her on my chest. I started crying and screaming for Mike. He was coming up the stairs at this time and ran in the bathroom. He looked at me and said, "Oh my God!" He was shocked! I was shocked! He called my midwife, who was about 20min away at this point and she asked him if that was the baby crying and he said no, it's April. lol She was crying too but I was louder. It wasn't from pain but from a joy I could not express any other way. I hadn't even looked yet if the baby was a boy or a girl! We have another girl! Rebekah Ann was born @ 2:36 AM on September 17th, 2008. I stayed in the tub until my midwife got there. Rebekah weighed 10 lbs 3 oz and was 22 1/4 in long. I couldn't believe how big she was! We both are doing really well and I am so happy that we didn't have to be transported to the hospital.

I truly believe God gave us this birth for me to have more of a bond with Rebekah. I wanted a boy so bad that I was afraid of how I would feel if this was a girl. She is a blessing and El-Shaddai gave her to us. I wouldn't have it any other way. I birthed her, I caught her. This is our story...just like Sarah's birth bonded her and Mike, this will forever bond Rebekah and I.