I recently submitted my photo entry to The Common Scents Mom January Giveaway. I let the girls pick out their favorite Young Living Essential Oil and then grabbed my camera. Initially both girls were smiling and saying cheese - but the photo captured was of Sofia looking at Charlotte puzzled as to why she wouldn't pick the oil that Sofia picked. Classic big sister caricature! HA!
I would really love to win the giveaway. Young Living Essential Oils is a superior product and I use my oils ever day. Would you please head over and vote on my photo entry - Photo #8? All you need to do is head over to The Common Scents Mom and leave a comment telling her why you think #8 should win.
I'm so excited to see who wins - and of course I hope it is me!
I have enjoyed ironing since I was a teenager. I know so many people who loathe this homemaking chore, but I absolutely love it! There is something quite rewarding about ironing out wrinkles from a garment. I find ironing to be calming and I generally do it when there are no distractions because, well, let's face it, hot iron + little ones running around = disaster! So, I iron when they are sleeping, and find it quite therapeutic.
I started ironing my stepfather's handkerchief's when I was a teenager, and then when I enlisted in the Air Force (after basic training) it was my responsibility to make sure my uniform was crisply pressed each day for work. I remember lots of new Airman jesting about how stiff they were able to iron their sleeves; so stiff that if you got too close their sleeves might cut you.
Now that I am a homemaker and have the responsibility of ironing clothes for my husband and children (and myself), I have been disappointed at the store bought starches for years. I can never truly get the clothes as crisply ironed as I would like. I found a solution, and I'd love to share it with you at Southern SCENTSabilities! You can learn to easily make your own ironing starch using essential oils!
I hope that you will head over and see how easy it is to make your own ironing starch without being exposed to toxic chemicals! Yuck!
I have been growing my hair out since I became pregnant with Eleanor. I find it difficult to find ways to “do” my hair because it is so stringy and straight. Well, I found a solution thanks to a wonderful product from Lilla Rose via Shannon Ferraby. I ordered a clip for me and one each for the girls, and we L-O-V-E them! It works perfectly with my hair and I can’t wait to purchase a few more.
The girls' hair is more like Malachi’s – thick and wavy/curly and the ex-small clips work very well for their hair. I have not been satisfied with the hair accessory products that I’ve been getting because either there are pointy sharp ends or edges, or the pony tail holders wear out and break or slip out throughout the day. The Lilla Rose clips are easy and functional. I love that they can be used to create different hair styles without the need for several different things. I just love them! What more can I say? They are elegant and super feminine.
Here are a couple of pictures. The first one is the clip I ordered for my hair and the other is the one I ordered for Sofia and Charlotte.
What is even better is that Malachi loves them too! He was so impressed with the quality and durability of the product, not to mention how nice it looks in our hair. He said buying these clips was money well spent.
If you are looking for something new to help manage your mane, then I highly recommend Lilla Rose Clips! Please head over and visit Shannon Ferraby’s website for a complete list of products and demo videos.
I took these a week ago and I just thought I'd share them with you all. Eleanor is 7 1/2 months old now and is just a sweetie pie; as you can see. Sofia and Charlotte; well, they are just so silly sometimes; as you can see as well.
Today we are taking Charlotte to see her gastro doc, and praying all goes well. In the spirit of keeping everything lighthearted I thought I'd post these silly pictures :0)
I have been looking for a new pendant for my necklace for the longest time, and I finally found the PERFECT one! Misty over at Misty's Mystical Jewelry custom made this for me! Each "pea" represents my three little "peas". Green for Sofia's birth month (Emerald - May), red for Charlotte's birth month (Ruby - July), and purple for Eleanor's birth month (Amethyst - February); each on in the proper order of birth too! I LOVE THIS pendant!
If by chance you too are looking for something like this, or need a unique gift idea please check out Misty's Mystical Jewelry! In fact, she is having a really awesome sale tonight until 10pm EST:
"Custom made Peapod Pendants only $7 shipped or 2 for $12 shipped!! Add any length chain for only $5 more or a green or white ribbon necklace for only $2 more, or make it a key chain for only $1 more!!!"
I promise, you will not be disappointed in the quality and beauty of this product!
Yes, I was born on the 4th of July! Today is my 30th birthday and tomorrow is my sweet Charlotte's 3rd birthday! We are enjoying some special time at home relaxing while my husband grills chicken and hamburgers...and later there will be cake!
I haven't had the time to blog like I usually do, but I have a few minutes to post some pictures of sweet Eleanor. She is now 13 weeks old and is such a happy baby! She can roll over from her back to her tummy and from her tummy to her back. She can hold herself up using her arms when on her tummy, and is trying VERY hard to sit up by herself. She is nursing so well, and still sleeps right next to me at night...which I LOVE! She is such a smiley little baby and laughs at her sisters when they are being silly. She absolutely adores her daddy, and most nights he is the only one who can get her to fall asleep.
Life is definitely much busier these days with a new little alert baby in the house. We are so blessed with Malachi's new job that we can now comfortably afford to move into a three bedroom apartment. The greatest part about moving is that we are moving right down the sidewalk from the apartment we are in now, which will make for an EASY move! The girls are really excited about having a playroom now that will house all their toys and games. I will also use it as a homeschool/guest bedroom.
Speaking of guests; I am so excited to have a bigger place that will accommodate for guests! I am super excited about having a sweet friend come and visit us in July with 5 of her 6 children! Then in August a woman I consider to be like a second mom, will visit with her new husband and two daughters! I am going to highly enjoy entertaining my friends and family in our new space.
I pray that all my readers are doing well, and just a little treat, here are some recent pictures of my sweet girls. We just celebrated Sofia's 5th birthday on May 31st, and we're gearing up to celebrate Charlotte's 3rd birthday (and my 30th) in July!
Serving God and My Family,
Daddy to the rescue! He can always get her to sleep
My mom visiting to celebrate Sofia's 5th birthday and to see Eleanor for the first tine!
While waiting there are a few things I have been doing to keep myself occupied.Obviously one of those things is taking care of my husband and my daughters, but I have also quite literally cleaned the entire apartment (including having the carpets cleaned and cleaning all the baseboards).I have washed every stitch of clothing in the house, disinfected the bathtubs and toilets and scrubbed the kitchen and dining room floors several times.I think the only thing that hasn’t been “scrubbed” is the cat…but I am certain to get to her soon!
Whilst cleaning or “nesting” is certainly common for the pregnant woman, there are other things that I have been doing to keep myself occupied.I downloaded ChristianAudio’s free download for the month, “Adopted for Life” by Dr. Russell Moore (I even went out and purchased the book to highlight things in the book I found very helpful).Per the recommendation of a sweet friend in England I purchased Seasons 1 and 2 through iTunes of the BBC show “Cranford” and LOVE it!I have been watching it on my iPhone at night after the girls are in bed while Malachi works on the computer he is building.
Patience is obviously key when waiting on labor to begin.My due date is February 28th, and while we had expected Ellie to arrive early, it appears as though this sweet girl might be our first “on time baby” or “late baby”.My midwife had warned me that women who choose the homebirth route typically go longer than they expect.This could be because hospitals tend to intervene when labor isn’t going as fast as they would prefer. So, we wait…
In the meantime, I am trying to keep myself calm, relaxed and occupied.I know that once little Miss Eleanor arrives our whole lives will change and there will be a period of adjustment for us all.I am doing my best to enjoy Sofia and Charlotte as this will be the last time it is just the two of them.They are so excited about their new baby sister, and I think the anticipation might be driving them just as crazy as it is Malachi and I!HA HA
I continue to be grateful for all the prayers and words of encouragement that come from my readers.Hopefully my next post will be Ellie’s birth announcement!
I started out making headbands for Eleanor, and then made a couple for Sofia and Charlotte. They are the cutest things!!! I am debating on whether or not to sell them on my Etsy. We'll see :)
In honor of making it to 14 weeks of pregnancy, I have decided it is time for another giveaway! This giveaway will be a bit different, as I will be giving three separate itemsaway. This means you have to indicate which items you are entering the giveaway for!
The first item I will be giving away is another copy of Vision Forum’s Baby Conference on an MP3 CD. This conference has continued to bless me and my husband, and I have gotten word that it is blessing all of those who have won the conference through my giveaways! So, if you’d like a chance to win a free copy of Vision Forum’s Baby Conference MP3 CD, let me know by submitting your first name with the initial of your last name and the words “BABY CONFERNCE”.
The second item I will be giving away is Mrs. Susan Bradrick’s teaching on “Home is Where the Heart Is: Teaching Your Daughters to Cherish Being Keepers At Home” on CD. I have listened to this session over and over, and it continues to bless and encourage me. I blogged about this particular series awhile back, and think this is a great time to give one part of the series away! If you would like to enter to win this item, submit a separate entry with your first name with the initial of your last name with the words “Keepers At Home”.
The third, and last item, I will be giving away is a copy of Doug Phillips “The History of the Sunday School Movement”. This is my personal copy, and I found the information Mr. Phillips reveals as paramount for turning the tide of modern day church structure back into the Biblical model.
“In the history of Christianity, Sunday schools, youth groups and children’s church are a relatively recent phenomena. All of these programs find their origin in well-intentioned, sometimes helpful, but often pragmatic approaches to discipleship.
In this message, the evolution of the Sunday School Movement (SSM) is traced from its early days as a well-intentioned “Social Gospel” outreach to children without Christian parents, through its nineteenth century response to the feminization of Christianity, and ultimately to its various twentieth century manifestations – often as a spiritual band-aid for male abdication of responsibility within the home. Careful distinctions are drawn between age-segregated, peer-based, discipleship models, with their origins in evolutionary social theory on the one hand, and discipleship models which find their origins in biblical principles of local church-trained, family-based, parent-directed discipleship on the other hand.”
If you would like to enter to win my copy of Doug Phillips “The History of the Sunday School Movement”, submit a separate entry with your first name, last initial and the words “Sunday School”.
I will choose the winners Monday, September 6, 2010 (Labor Day). Get your entry/entries submitted by Monday at 12pm CST and I will announce the winner at 1pm CST!
I greatly enjoy these giveaways because it allows me to share the resources that daily encourage and bless me in this journey and work as a Christian wife and stay-at-home mother. I think we all know that the job is not always glamorous and we fail at it every day, but the Lord is faithful to finish the work HE began in us. Remember that all that you do is for the glory of the Lord alone! Soli Deo Gloria!
Need some tips for living naturally but not breaking the bank in order to accomplish it? Saving Naturally has some great tips for saving money while living naturally. The most recent post includes recipes for making your own household cleaners that are not full of the toxins that most store bought cleaners contain. My grandmother makes many of her household cleaners with vinegar, as has my mother from time to time, so this is not a new concept for me. In fact, I clean my floors with a vinegar and water mixture.
Made my own All-Purpose Cleaner (I reused a Seventh Generation All Purpose Cleaner Bottle)
Another great site that I read from regularly is Keeper of the Home. There are many great articles with great resources and information that any Christian homemaker can benefit from. An article I recently came across was one about the dangers of soy. Most of the information I was already aware of, but thought it would be worth sharing here today for those who are not familiar with the dangers of soy.
Keeper of the Home also has some yummy looking recipes as well. I made their yummy Peanut Butter Smoothies this morning for breakfast; they were oh so yummy, and full of protein!
Have you begun teaching your preschoolers to help around the house by doing chores? We started yesterday and Homeschool Creations really helped me out by creating cute “Chore Charts”. I printed out one for Sofia and one for Charlotte, and then laminated the charts and used Velcro to stick the “chore duties” on the boxes. Sofia did really well with her chores yesterday. Last night was the first time she set the table, and was I was so proud of how eager she was to help me get everything ready to serve supper. (I posted a short blog over at my homeschool blog about the chore charts.)
Sofia's Chore Chart
Do you like E-books? Do you ever take time to sit down and actually read a book from cover to cover? Mr. Tim Challies wrote an excellent article cautioning Christians to think before making the switch from book to e-book. He says;
“What concerns me in all of this is that Christians are being very quick to make the switch from books to e-books and that we are doing so absolutely thoughtlessly. As I looked back to my 5 reasons that e-books are better than books, I was struck by how many of those reasons are reasons of convenience. At least in its current form, the e-book and the accompanying e-reader offer little advantage over the book except in the area of convenience. And when should we ever allow convenience to dictate something as important as the medium that carries our most important ideas? When it comes to the tools of understanding and the tools that allow us to truly absorb information, to turn that information into knowledge and wisdom, the book reigns supreme.”
Mr. Challies makes some great points and I highly encourage you to head over and read the rest of the article, BOOKS & E-BOOKS, MEDIA AND MESSAGES.
I finished listening to Mrs. Susan Bradrick and her daughters speak on “Home is Where the Heart Is: Teaching Your daughters to Cherish Being Keepers At Home”, and was so encouraged by this group of ladies’ dedication to the noble and biblical calling of being a keeper at home. Mrs. Bradrick’s daughters give their testimony as to how the Lord has worked in their lives in the area of being a keeper at home. They were fully able to use their individual God-given talents and abilities for the glory of the Lord in their homes, without feeling as though they were missing out from all of the secular pulls on women today. This was truly an encouraging session, and I highly recommend it. You can learn more about the Bradrick Family ministry over at their website Family Discipleship Ministries.
I pray that you all have a lovely day. Soli Deo Gloria!
Serving God and My Family,
Crystal <>< (SAHM)
"We are all by nature so weak, so worldly, so earthly-minded, so inclined to sin, that without a thorough change we cannot serve God in life, and could not enjoy Him after death."
Today has been such a great day! We purchased a new dining room table and sofa sleeper last week and they were delivered today! We were able to give our old sofa and dining room table away for free yesterday. We were able to purchase the new furniture for a great price during the tax free weekend this past weekend.
I am also getting very excited about our vacation this weekend to visit my best friend and her family. It will be a rather long drive, but well worth it. It will be so nice to watch my children play with my best friend’s children.
I was able to listen to the baby’s heartbeat today and actually picked up the sounds of the baby flipping and kicking. I am so glad we bought the hand held Doppler device last year. It has been so amazing to hear this little one’s heartbeat whenever I want.
I pray that all of you are enjoying your Tuesday and remembering to use every day for the glory of the Lord. Soli Deo Gloria!
Well, it appears that we only have 4 entries, so Loly B., Sonya B., Marie A., and Tanya B.YOU WON! Please contact me at servinggodandfamily@gmail.com with your mailing addresses and I will get your very own copy of Vision Forum’s Baby Conference out to you ASAP!
Yesterday we finally got some rain, but it was a storm and it brought along lots of nasty lightening that knocked the internet out for a while. Fortunately the storm didn’t knock the power out; we would have been miserably hot inside then!
Another milestone in this pregnancy was achieved yesterday. I am now 10 weeks and one day pregnant with this precious baby. We actually got to hear the little one’s heartbeat yesterday. Last year when we got pregnant we purchased a handheld Doppler from Amazon.com, but unfortunately we hadn’t been able to make any use out of it until yesterday! Once I found the little baby its heart rate was 167bpm the first time and then later in the evening was 180bpm! The girls absolutely loved hearing the baby’s heartbeat and it was such a blessing for me and Malachi to know that all is still well.
The nausea isn’t all that bad these days, and compared to my pregnancies with Sofia and Charlotte, the nausea hasn’t been nearly as bad. I am thankful for the Lord’s grace during these past few weeks, and although I struggle with fatigue, the Lord has continued to give me the strength I need to persevere through each day. Pregnancy is a great object lesson on only on the Lord’s Sovereignty but in how we have no choice but to rely and put our faith only in Him. He does what He pleases and we keep faithfully trusting in His Sovereignty. There is no greater peace than knowing the Lord knows all things (1 John 3:20) and controls all things (Ephesians 1:11).
Mr. Tim Challies over at Challies.com wrote a thought provoking article today on “How Will We Be Judged?” Mr. Challies brought up some great points on how each generation that come judges the past generation on social and cultural norms and issues of their day. How will Christians in the coming generations judge us? It is obvious that each generation has its own set of failures, and the Church is not exempt from producing many of those failures. Mr. Challies makes note of the issue of slavery here in America not too many years ago and how there were Christians who owned slaves. He says:
“You and I look to the southern Christians of the mid-1800’s and marvel that they could somehow believe that slavery was anything less than abhorrent. We look even to those who disliked slavery and wonder how they could have been so complacent, so passive in the face of such evil. “I am against slavery but feel we should let it die a natural death” does not impress us. But only outright arrogance could lead us to believe that we have no blind spots, no areas in which future generations of Christians will shake their heads and marvel that we could have been so blind.”
I highly recommend reading through Mr. Tim Challies’ article.
I also must recommend Mrs. Crystal Paine’s newest post over at Money Saving Mom. It is Part 3 of her posts on “15 Favorite Preschool and Kindergarten Resources”. She offers some great encouragement at the end of the article for mothers of little ones. She has hyperlinked Parts 1 and 2 too for easy access to read the previous posts.
A few months back when we were getting stuff together for Sofia’s homeschool curriculum a certain book was recommended to add to our “Read Aloud” section, “My Little Golden Book About GOD”. Have you heard of this book? Do you own this book? If you own it, have you read it and did you find anything wrong with it? Well, in first few pages of this book my husband found the most absurd error for a book that is supposed to be for children to tell them about God. It was the first time either one of us opened it to read to the girls, but it was clear right away this book would not remain in our home. Why you ask? What could make this book so bad that we would actually have the urge to burn it?
“Think of the snow-capped mountain peaks. Those peaks were crumbling away with age before the first people ever lived on earth”
OH REALLY? Where does it say that in Genesis? Do you notice the obvious error? Since when did anything “age” long before mankind was created? Wouldn’t that imply there was death before the fall of man, when the Bible says death entered the world? This book in a very subtle (yet highly obvious to us) way sneaks evolutionary theory into a child’s book that is supposed to be a CHRISTIAN book about God. Anyone else have a problem with this? There is NO place or allowance for an “old earth” in scripture, and nothing died or aged for many years before the creation of mankind. The Genesis account of creation does not allow for such rubbish. This is yet again another reason that EVERYTHING that we buy, even from a Christian bookstore needs to be read through before purchasing.
We felt this error enough for me to need to expose it in a blog post. I am not sure if anyone has ever done this, but it was recommended to me that I write to the publishing company and complain about the error. I am getting my thoughts and scripture together to formally complain about this book. I do not in any way recommend this book to ANYONE!
We should be very careful as parents to be aware of all the things our children read that may steer them or their beliefs about God in the wrong direction. This book, while it may seem harmless sets the stage for a child to question the authority and authenticity of the scriptures. Parents beware! (I will expound on the error in this book in a separate blog post)
I pray that all of you are enjoying your Tuesday, and that you use this day, as with all days to glorify the Lord alone!
I am a Christian wife and mother who seeks to honor the Lord by being the keeper of my home. I enjoy sharing my journey in the hopes that it will encourage others and bring glory to the Lord. Soli Deo Gloria!
