Fall Decor

I figured I better post some pictures of our fall decor before I take it down tomorrow to decorate for Christmas!!

I found the above idea online somewhere and made it myself - all products from Dollarama! Vases, prayer candles and leaf & berry stems were all it took (that and a lot of elbow grease getting the huge stickers off the prayer candles!). I placed it on the sofa table in our living room.

I picked up a box of these fake pears and pumpkins at Superstore last year and put them in this cute fruit bowl (breathable) as a centerpiece for our dining table. My real bananas got bumped to a regular old glass bowl on the countertop.

This is the end of our hallway.

I also had a huge fake flower arrangement that I had made at our church ladies morning out program, but it fell apart in our storage room and I just never got around to fixing it in time to display it this year. Maybe next year!

Now, because I'm all about keeping it real - you see that picture at the very top? Yeah, that's not how that usually looks. See, Jacob loves to play with his cars and trucks while standing at a table. So, I've designated the sofa table as his spot to play (though I admit to occasionally letting him play on the dining table too - tsk, tsk). Our house is a home first. So......

This is how it usually looks! ;)

Thankful Thursday - New Office!!

Last week we did a major room reshuffle in our house and as a result, I have a large office WITH A WINDOW! I am so excited and extremely thankful for being able to sit and work in such a bright, airy room, and view the great outdoors at the same time! This window looks out the rear of our house which means I can see our children's school - I can sometimes see them at recess time and I can see them walk home from school - perfect!!

At some point, I would like to get a new desk, but for now - this will definitely work! Here is my new office!

Now, what did this room used to be? It used to be Olivia's room. No, we didn't kick her out in the cold :) For the longest time, despite the fact that they each have their very own bedroom, all 3 girls have been sleeping together in the same bed - just a tad squished, but they loved it! And I was stuck in a cramped, windowless office in the basement. Hmmm, somethings not right here. I just can't believe it took me this long to think of this!!

Until now, Jacob and Olivia both had their own rooms upstairs, and Sophia and Emma both had their own rooms downstairs which were joined together by a Jill and Jill bathroom. So, we moved Sophia so that she now shares a room with Emma, we moved Olivia into Sophia's old room, we turned my old office into a play space for the girls and we moved my office upstairs into Olivia's old room. Perfect solution!

Here's Emma & Sophia's room - it is slightly cramped, but it's not bad. We had originally had them sharing this room when we moved in but we had it set up differently (click here to see pics). The original way looked nicer, but it didn't leave much room for playing. This isn't fabulous either, but it's better! Emma sleeps in the bed with the striped bedding (used to be Olivia's but they wanted to switch).

Sophia sleeps in the yellow bed on the right. We left a bit of a gap there on the far right corner (see Tigger?) because there's a small door to a little reading nook back there that they can still squeeze past the bed to get to.




This is Olivia's new room. She loves it!





This used to be my office and is now a cute little playroom. I'm going to move more of the girls craft stuff into here so they can work in here and close the door to keep Jacob from wrecking their works of art in progress.


To see what their rooms used to look like, click here.

And, of course, a huge Happy Thanksgiving to all my American friends!!

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Christmas Photo Cards - freebie!

Christmas photo cards have definitely become the norm these last several years, at least in our area it has. I love it! I love getting pictures of people and would love to incorporate that into a Christmas tradition somehow - maybe picking one each day to pray for or something like that.

This fall we had family pictures taken by an actual photographer and they turned out fabulous - I'm really looking forward to ordering our pictures.

Shutterfly has a great holiday promotion going on where they're offering bloggers the opportunity to get 50 free holiday cards - click this link for details.

Of course, Shutterfly also has other cool photo ideas such as photo mugs, photo calendars and photo books (which I totally want to start creating for our kids!).

Shutterfly has numerous creative and innovative ideas for Christmas cards, whether you want to use one photo, two photos or three or more, and you can sort by those requirements which is really helpful in narrowing it down.

Check out this Christmas letter format...

A Top 10 list,

I'm having a little trouble finding the perfect card for our family. I want one that has one large box for our family photo, 4 smaller boxes of equal size for each child, and then (optional) one medium one for all the kids together - plus I really want the words to be Merry Christmas, not Happy Holidays or Seasons Greetings - cause I'm crazy cool like that.

The designs/colours/words I liked the best didn't fit all the qualifications, but I have found a few that will work - now it's just to decide which one to get. And quickly, so we get them in time to hand them out!

Operation Christmas Child - pack it!

Operation Christmas Child - one of my favourite Christmas traditions to get us started in the true spirit of Christmas: celebrating the greatest gift of all, Baby Jesus born as God's gift of love to us. Operation Christmas Child gives us a chance to spread His love to those who may never have heard of God, and who may never have a received a gift of any kind.

The girls absolutely love packing the shoeboxes. We picked up the school supplies when they were on sale during a trip to the States in summer, and then Olivia and Jacob went with me to shop for the toiletries and fun stuff just the other day. One slight problem with that plan - when we bought school supplies in summer, I bought enough for all 4 kids. When I bought the stuff now, I thought we had only bought for 3 kids. So, we had enough for 3 1/2 boxes - I just brought the 1/2 box to church and let them finish it off during their packing project. (The Gr 5/6 girls and the Gr 5/6 boys packed well over 100 boxes!!).

This is the list of what we packed in our boxes....
box of pencil crayons with sharpener
pencils
two pens
box of crayons
notepad
two animal shaped erasers
first aid kit
bar of soap
washcloth
toothbrush
headband
two hair ties
stuffed animal
bouncy ball
mini tamborine

We also got the girls to make a card for the girl who would receive the gift box.

It's not too late to pack your own shoebox!! Collection week is Nov 15 - 20th.

If you prefer the virtual world - you can pack your shoebox online too! Just click on this link and you will be taken to Samaritan's Purse's secure website where you can order a shoebox custom built as per your specifications all from the comfort of your own home! You can select the age and gender of the recipient of your box and it will let you know what's all automatically included for $37 (which includes the $7 shipping fee). Here is what's included in the Girls box for Age 5-9....
1 Notebook
5 Pencils
1 Pencil sharpener
1 Eraser
2 Pens
1 Pack of pencil crayons
1 Toothbrush
1 Pair of Socks
1 Activity Book
1 Comb
1 Bar of soap
1 Wash cloth
1 Cup
1 Painting kit
1 Pack of Stickers
1 Ball
Assorted hair accessories
Assorted hard candy

You will then have the option to pick two more items for an extra cost - you can pick between shirts ($5), sunglasses for $4 (great idea - have to remember that one for next year!), hairbrush ($2), calculator ($2) or stuffed animal ($3).

You can then write a note to the child and even upload a photo to include as well!

This is a bit more expensive then doing it yourself but it's a very cool option for those who prefer to shop online, or who are simply to busy to go out and buy the supplies. Simply put - you have no excuse not to do it! ;)

If you're looking for a new tradition to start with your kids this Christmas - this is it!

Thankful Thursday - Lest We Forget

Today, on Remembrance Day, I am thankful for the countless soldiers who sacrificed themselves for the sake of freedom.

All sacrificed years of their life; all sacrificed being able to continue their lives as usual, to be with their families, to be there for births, first steps and more; all sacrificed the naivete of not knowing what war is truly like.

And some sacrificed through wounds - physical, mental, emotional and spiritual.

And some sacrificed through death.

I am thankful that they fought (and still fight!) for our freedom.

I am thankful when they fight for the freedom of other countries too weak to fight for themselves.

I am thankful they willingly fight so that I am not forced to.

John 15:13 Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.

Which reminds me of another sacrifice I am thankful for.

Romans 5:7-8 Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Jesus sacrificed the glory of heaven .... for us.

Jesus took on the sins of the world and endured the wrath of God and separation from His father - so that we could be free from the punishment of sin.

Jesus sacrificed - physically, mentally, emotionally, physically - for us. For you. For me. While we were sinners, because we were sinners, because He loves us - He offers the gift of eternal life.

I am thankful He died for me.

I am thankful because we are all incapable of paying the penalty for our sins and needed Him to do it for us.

Today, I am thankful for freedom - in all it's forms!



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Girls weekend!

My MIL decided to celebrate her 60th birthday by taking her two daughters and her only favourite daughter-in-law on a girls shopping weekend to the City two hours South of us. She even flew out one of those daughters from out west - she paid for each of us to get to her house - I think she promised me a quarter, since we live in the same town. However, I have yet to see said quarter - LOL!

(apparently there was a bit of a belt theme going on)

In total, we left 8 children behind with their more than capable fathers (yes, we have half the grandchildren - for now!) and packed as light as we could, to leave room for all our purchases on the return trip.

(two more shirts and two pair of jeans)

We had an absolute blast!

It was also very successful from a shopping perspective. I think it's safe to say we've done our part to contribute to the US economy ;)

Last, but not least, a jacket and purse!
(Of course, I also bought stuff for my rockin' husband and precious children)

Halloween 2010

Emma was a pirate (apparently $14 Walmart costumes don't come with eyepatches or anything), Sophia was Miss Morticia, Olivia was a good witch and Jacob was a pirate as well (he looks very enthusiastic, doesn't he?!). And no, we do not suddenly have 5 children. The little cow is my niece Taylor. The guys took the kids trick or treating while us ladies were driving home from our girls weekend away - shopping pics to come tomorrow!

And, of course, our trick-or-treaters were the polite ones who yelled "Trick or treat!" at every house and said thank you for the candy. We followed all of my sister's excellent Trick or Treat etiquette advice before she even posted it. Cuz we're cool like that.

Did YOU know? Important ethical information

Updated from a previous post from 3 years ago.

This is a sensitive area of discussion, but I'm willing to take the plunge! I hope I do not offend anyone - that is not my intent. My intent is to inform, to encourage your own research (don't just take my word for it!) and to decide what to do with this information (remember - doing nothing is also a decision). I have issued the challenge - are you prepared to take it?

Virtually everyone I have spoken to IRL has not been aware of this - for some reason this news is just not getting out. So, I'm doing my part to spread the word!

So, I'm going to start by providing facts, then I will provide links to some research I have done, and then I will state my opinions - I bet you can't wait for that part! :)

The fact - one of the ways the birth control pill works is to prevent implantation of a fertilized egg. Assuming you believe that life begins at conception (as most Christians do) - this is a chemically induced abortion - a fertilized egg is a baby.

The pill works in 3 ways
1) The main way it works is by preventing ovulation. No ovulation = no possibility of pregnancy and therefore, no ethical dilemma. However, this is not 100% effective. Especially nowadays with the lower dosage pills being common, this is not anywhere close to 100% effective - which means the other 2 mechanisms often come in to play.
2) The second way it works is by changing the cervical mucous to prevent sperm from reaching an egg should ovulation occur. This too, is totally fine. Preventing fertilization is not wrong. However, this mechanism is also not always effective. This is when the other mechanism comes into play.
3) The 3rd way it works is by thinning the lining of the uterus so that should fertilization occur, it would make it much more difficult for the five to seven day old baby to attach to the lining in order to receive the nourishment needed to grow. If the baby cannot successful implant, the baby will die and be expelled from the body during menstruation - this is called a chemical abortion.

Assuming that life begins at conception, this is a serious ethical problem.

So, that's it in a nutshell. This is also true with IUDs, Depo-Provera and Norplant (in fact in some of those the abortifacient effect is it's main mechanism)

Here is some research...

The most comprehensive and detailed research I've found was done by Randy Alcorn who actually set out to prove that the pill did NOT work in this way. If you click on this link you can find Randy's article (I think it's broken down into 9 parts) as well as a host of other articles on the topic. Randy Alcorn interviewed everyone from the pill manufacturers, their pharmacists and physicians as well as numerous other medical texts and references.

Here's a few quotes from his article....

On March 24, 1997, I had a lengthy and enlightening talk with Richard Hill, a pharmacist who works for Ortho-McNeil's product information department. (Ortho-McNeil and Searle are the largest birth control pill manufacturers.)

I then asked Hill if he was certain the Pill made implantation less likely. "Oh, yes," he replied. I said, "So you don't think this is just a theoretical effect of the Pill?" He said the following, as I took detailed notes:

Oh, no, it's not theoretical. It's observable. We know what an endometrium looks like when it's richest and most receptive to the fertilized egg. When a woman is taking the Pill you can clearly see the difference, based both on gross appearance -- as seen with the naked eye -- and under a microscope. At the time when the endometrium would normally accept a fertilized egg, if a woman is taking the Pill it is much less likely to do so.

I asked Hill one more time, "So you're saying this is an actual effect that happens, not just a theoretical one?" He said, "Sure -- you can actually see what it does to the endometrium and it's obvious it makes implantation less likely. The only thing that's theoretical is the numbers, because we just don't know that." (emphasis mine)

And how often does this third mechanism come into play? IOW, how many chemical abortions are there every year from the pill? The answer will likely astound you. First to have something to compare to - there are approx 1.5 million abortions a year in the US. (not chemical abortions, "regular" surgical abortions where there is deliberate termination of a known pregnancy). It is impossible, of course, to give an exact number of how many chemical abortions happen due to taking the pill (it could be done, but the tests have not been performed) - however it is possible to scientifically predict the numbers. The numbers are shockingly high - between 834,000 and 4.17 million chemical abortions every year. See this article for details on how these numbers were calculated.

There are numerous other sites that state that this is how the pill works - everything from non-Christian organizations like Planned Parenthood (who recently revised their website to make it appear more theoretical), to Christian organizations like Crisis Pregnancy centre. All you have to do is google "abortifacient effect birth control pill" and tons of links will show up.

Here are a few more links for you....
Growing Debate About the Abortifacient Effect of the Birth Control Pill and the Principle of the Double Effect - written by Walter Larimore, MD (formerly on staff with Focus on the Family)
The Birth Control Pill Documentary: 28 Days on the Pill
Resources for 28 Days on the Pill - a huge list of resources used by the documentary
LifeSiteNews article - pro-abortion advocates confirm the pill prevents implantation of embryos
Review of Randy Alcorn's research book
"Birth Control" Pills Cause Early Abortions - article by Prolife America

In your own research, don't just ask you doctor and accept a quick "oh no, it's not an abortifacient" and think you've done your duty, even if your doctor is a Christian.

First of all, not all doctors are aware of this effect of the pill (Dr Walter Larimore was unaware of this effect, and it took a lot of his own time and research to convince him of it's reality). If they dismiss your concerns, tell them about this research and ask them to perform their own and that you'd like to discuss it again.

Secondly, not all doctors define life as beginning at fertilization (especially non-Christian doctors). Some define life as beginning at implantation in which case they obviously would not consider the pill abortifacient.

Frankly, I've been amazed and disappointed at the apathetic response I've gotten from many of the people I've talked to about this affect of the pill. The only reason I can think is that they feel like if they don't research it themselves they don't have to act on the information. After all, the pill is a super convenient method of birth control. Unfortunately it is birth control, and not conception control. Another reason for the "head in the sand" response is the desire for it not to be true. Believe me - I understand that desire. We used the pill for 5 yrs, completely unaware of this affect. And it grieves me to think that I may have unknowingly caused the death of a child. But, how much more wrong would it be to continue to use it blindly, after knowing about the possibility of chemical abortion?

One thing I want to mention. There are many women that need to take the pill for medical reasons - having nothing to do with conception. I don't see an ethical problem with this provided that an additional, alternative method of true conception control is used to negate the abortifacient effect of the pill.

So, what to use instead?

When done correctly, Natural Family Planning or NFP (NOT the rhythm method) is even more effective than the pill. It does take work, and you need to educate yourself in order to do it correctly, but it's effective - over 99% effective!

Other options include barrier methods, spermicide, etc. And of course, for the truly paranoid, more than one option can be used at the same time! :)

So, my encouragement to you (should you believe in life at conception), is to cease using the pill (or use it in combination with another method) and research it yourself. I'm sure you will find that the risk is simply too high - especially when alternative methods of conception control are available that work and that have NO risk of causing an abortion. I know some of the other methods are not as convenient, but is convenience a valid reason to risk a life?

I highly encourage you to read Randy Alcorn's book (available for free download in its entirety here).

If you have any questions, I'd be more than happy to answer any that I possibly can. Please feel free to forward this to everyone you know. The word needs to get out. As in any medical situation, people need to be informed - especially since lives are literally at stake.

My Husband Rocks!

Those of you who know me on Facebook are already familiar with me bragging on my husband and then ending with "My husband rocks!". Yesterday, I blogged about a great company, Union28, that celebrates marriage and communicates this message positively in fun and stylish ways (also where I got that catch-phrase).

And my husband does rock! To be perfectly honest, I think he is a better husband than I am a wife. Here are just a few of the rockin' things he does for me and our kids.

He works very hard to support me and the children so that I can be a stay at home mom.

He is also blessed to work as his own boss, so he is able to determine his own work hours and he has made it a priority to be home at a decent time so that we are able to eat dinner together as a family virtually every evening, despite our rather busy schedule.

He is always thinking of me and trying to do things to make life easier for me. He does 99% of our grocery shopping, as well as most of our trips to Costco and Walmart - and he always asks me which of the kids I want him to take with him, so I can have a break while he's gone. He virtually never goes anywhere without taking one or all 4 kids with him.

He makes breakfast for the kids every Sunday morning so I don't have to get up earlier in order to get ready for church on time. He also makes breakfast for the kids on the Saturdays that he's home so that I can sleep in.

He reads Bible stories to the kids and prays with them every evening. If he has hockey in the evening, he usually makes sure to still do this before he leaves.

Before bed, he often takes the time to just chat with the kids, or tease them, or tell them made up stories (they love this!).

He takes the kids out for one on one dates.

If he's not going to come home for lunch on a workday, he phones me to see how my day is going.

He compliments me on my looks.... a lot!

He makes it a priority for us to go on dates regularly.

He initiates us reading devotions and praying together before bed.

My husband rocks!

Friday Favourites - Union 28!

I think it was my friend Pam who first introduced me to the company Union28 and inspired me to purchase one of their products.

Union28 represents strong marriage and the pursuit thereof. They convey a positive image of marriage in a fun and stylish way.

I love their products and have purchased several of their t-shirts myself.

Directly from their website....

One of the great and wonderful mysteries of life is that loving each other in action--what we do and say--produces romance. Everything in our culture today teaches the opposite, that romance turns into love, but nothing could be further from the truth. Love is a choice and we decide how we're going to treat each other in the good and in the not-so-good times. What a hope-giving reality that a strong, loving, thriving relationship can be built, simply by changing how we interact with our spouse.

Marriage was created to be a blessing and a little kindness, selflessness, and respect goes a long way. Accept the fact that your spouse isn't perfect and then start taking notice of all the good things they bring to the table! Pretty soon you can train your mind to be grateful for who they are as opposed to feeling disappointed about who they are not. When you allow yourself to believe that your spouse rocks, you will free yourself from the downward spiral and temptation of self-pity, disappointment, and even despair. The fact is, your spouse is probably a greater blessing than you allow yourself to realize...so lay down your expectations and praise your spouse for his/her attributes. After all, the key is to change yourself! And you'll be surprised at the positive affect it has on the one you choose to love...and you!

Our Mission: It is our mission to encourage marriages and to honor the sacred covenant between a husband and his wife by communicating a positive image of marriage in a fun and stylish way. Formerly implementing the name From*me Tees, we wanted our company name to better reflect our passion - seeing marriages grow and thrive.

In order to grow and thrive, a marriage needs to be strong to compensate for the imperfect husband and wife involved. We wanted our new name to represent this idea of strong marriage and to be a visual reminder and encouragement of just that! So we took three aspects of a strong marriage and thus created Union28!
Union: Marriage is a sacred Union - two becoming one.
(Union - the act of uniting or an instance of being united in marriage; the state of matrimony; marriage: The act of uniting or joining two or more things into one; agreement and conjunction of mind, spirit, will, affections, or the like; harmony; concord.)
A man and a woman leave their single life, give up attachments to anyone else, and bind themselves to each other; the two now become one flesh as they join in physical union and commit to be on each other's team for life - loving, honoring, respecting, forgiving.
2: Marriage is an exclusive relationship between 2 - a husband and his wife.
The intimacy shared in marriage is holy and private. A husband and wife commit to offering the best of themselves (their time, emotional energy, affections, etc) to each other, not allowing any other earthly relationship, thought, or thing to come between them.

8: ("forever") Marriage is marked by covenant and steadfastness.
The marriage covenant is a binding promise, made between a husband and wife, to stick together and to remain through the good times and the not-so-good times.

(Life can be hard. Sometimes marriage feels even harder! Our mission at Union28 is not to judge or condemn; we know strong marriages don't just "happen" and sometimes people suffer from broken promises. Rather, we are about cheering on marriage, because we think marriage is worth it.)

I have the first four shirts pictured on this blog (click on the pictures to go directly to that item on their site) and I love wearing them! I have gotten way more compliments on any of these shirts than I ever have on any of my other clothes put together. Strangers come up and talk to me about these shirts!

And they have more than just shirts (both fitted and non-fitted) - they have shorts, pants, dresses, hats, a bag and even underwear! They have products for husbands, wives, fiances, and children.

So, I'd like to encourage you to check out their website and consider supporting this company and their mission by purchasing something to share your thoughts on marriage and, in particular, your spouse!

What's your favourite item?

I think I'm going to get one of these next!