Social Studies Momma

Tomorrow He is Two

2012-01-26T22:44:00.000-05:00

I am feeling a bit blue
because tomorrow he is two

How time does fly
and sometimes my patience he does try

He is still my little gift
with that my spirit doth lift

Happy last day being one
my beautiful baby son

Wordless Wednesday: Robot

2012-01-25T14:08:00.001-05:00

Robot I Spy Bag: Here is the tutorial.

Linking up at:

The Info Mouse, Sakura Haruka, A Work In Progress, A Mothers Ramblings, Tina's Wordless Wednesday, Just Winging It, Green Momma, Be There 2 Day, My Organized Chaos,
Jolly Mom

Robot I Spy Bag Tutorial

2012-01-24T20:32:00.000-05:00

Little Bit will be turning two on Friday. For his birthday I have made him an I Spy Robot. I thought you would all enjoy knowing how to make one of your own!

First, I used a ruler to make a template. Robots are pretty easy because you really don't need any curves.

I gave myself a one inch allowance all the way around the robot. Then I pinned the template to the fabric. I cut out two pieces.

Next, I cut a hole in the middle of the belly of my robot on one piece of the fabric.

I hand sewed the piece of vinyl to the belly of the robot to keep the vinyl in place.

I pinned the two pieces of fabric together.

Then I ran the fabric through the sewing machine. I also sewed the vinyl on three sides leaving the top open.

Here is what the seams looked like before I trimmed it up.After this I trimmed off the excess and turned the robot inside out.

Then I put some little bells, car buttons, and dinosaurs in the robot belly along with some bean bag beads. Then I sewed up the belly. After that I filled up the rest of the robot with beans. I finished him off by sewing shut the head and I used embroidery floss to make some eyes and a mouth.

Tada! An I Spy Robot for my special Little Bit.

Happy crafting!

German Potato Salad Recipe

2012-01-24T20:04:00.000-05:00

I hate salads made with mayonnaise and miracle whip. A few summers ago I was introduced to the pure goodness of German potato salad. I made some today for lunch and I thought I would share the recipe with you.

Cut up four or five red potatoes and boil them until tender.

Cook four or so slices of bacon.

Combine 1/4 cup of apple cider vinegar, 1/2 cup of apple juice, and 1 tablespoon of flour. Cook over medium heat for five minutes whisking the whole time.

Combine all ingredients. Salt and pepper to taste.

Serve immediately and enjoy!

Fashion To Figure Review

2012-01-21T21:02:00.000-05:00

As a plus size woman I am often discouraged at the limited selection of clothing available in stores. This makes me turn to the internet to find clothes. Even though I am a Momma in my 30's I still like to feel trendy. When I was contacted by Fashion To Figure to do a review of their clothes I was delighted to oblige.

I searched through their site extensively to find something that caught my eye. I was really impressed that they use plus size models. As a bigger Momma I quite frankly find it insulting when tiny models are used to try to sell me plus size clothes. I need to have some idea of what a garment is going to look like on my full figure frame.

Here is a picture of the shirt that I picked out:

From the picture I thought that the shirt would be a good length. I looked up the sizing chart before I ordered and found that their clothes run VERY small. That is one tip I have learned about buying clothes online. Make sure you look at the sizing chart before you buy.

Within two days of placing my order I got my package. I adore fast shipping!

I will admit that I was a bit bummed when I tried my shirt on. It was super long. I ended up tucking the shirt into my pants. That made it about the right length. I am going to have to hem the shirt to have it hit my waist. In defense of Fashion to Figure I will admit that I am only 5 foot 3 inches tall and have a pear shape. It makes finding clothes that fit correctly of the rack nearly impossible.

Here is what the shirt looks like on me:

If your looking for very trendy plus sized clothes that are reasonably priced and well constructed I would recommend you check out the selection at Fashion to Figure.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.

Giveaway: Xperience Days

2012-01-18T12:31:00.003-05:00

Valentines Day is almost here. I love and hate Valentines Day. I adore the principle

of it. A celebration of love. What I hate is trying to come up with unique gifts for Hubs. What in the world to get him that is something that truly stands out?

Instead of getting him a thing, I thought about getting him an experience. Something that he could do and would be really fitting of his personality. I have a good idea of what that could be and I would love to share it with you but he reads my blog so, you will all have to wait right along with him.

Xperience Days is being gracious enough to offer on Social Studies Momma reader the chance to win a $50 voucher. Now you can give yourself or your hubby the gift of an experience!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Easy Crock Pot Chicken

2012-01-17T09:16:00.001-05:00

One of the things I am trying to do to be healthier this year is to eat out less. The time that I am most likely to break down and order out is dinner. By the end of a long day of running after an almost two year old boy I am pretty much pooped. When I feel like that I am most likely to throw in the towel and order in some dinner.

One way that I have found to help myself is to rely on my crock pot. Sometimes I make a whole meal in the crock pot but normally I only make part of the meal as I've found that many of the crock pot meals that I know how to make are not very good for you. Today I am putting some chicken tenderloins in the crock pot with a box of low sodium chicken stock. I will let that cook for 8 hours on low. Then this evening I have the most time consuming part of dinner finished.

I love making chicken this way because there is so much you can do with it. You can make soup, pot pie, chicken sandwiches, or just serve up that super tender chicken with some rice and veggies. I also love that I have leftovers to make lunch out of for tomorrow.

What are your favorite things to make in the crock pot? Do you find yourself ordering food because your tired at the end of the day? What tricks do you have for making a quick and yummy dinner for your family?

Stay! #ILoveMyk9 #CBias

2012-01-16T21:40:00.001-05:00

Training a dog is all about consistency and rewards. Last week I recanted my story about needing to teach Hubs co-workers some manners. They are a very excitable bunch. I started teaching them the command of stay.

The first thing I did was tell Hubs what the command would look like. I held my hand up and said "stay!" Not yelling the command but using a firm voice. Dogs need to know you are the alpha in your home. That has been our trick to living peaceably with four large dogs in a little house with a toddler. They know that the non-furry ones are in charge round these parts.

There is a baby gate that separates the morning room/office/dog area from the rest of the house. Our spotted dogs shed the least. They also have most favored dog status so they get to come into the rest of the house when invited in. However, they take the gate being opened as an invitation. The youngest dog, our pit mix Peanut, is especially bad for this little maneuver. I worked with him first.

Here is the result:

After he sat there for a tad I gave him a Milk-Bone® treat.

Good dog!

My dogs are all a little on the pudgy side so I opted to use treats that I knew would not be high in calories. Milk-Bone® Treats and Lean Pup-Peroni Treats were the perfect solution for our training needs. Now the co-workers are a little better behaved in the workplace which makes all of the employees very happy indeed.

If you would like to read about the co-workers here is my first post about their antics.

This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias. All opinions are my very own. #CBias#iLoveMyK9

Dreaming of Warmer Days

2012-01-14T21:02:00.000-05:00

Well, it has officially gotten cold here in Virginia. I have thoroughly enjoyed the high temperatures but I knew it had to end sometime. The cold weather makes me dream of spring. Tonight I wanted to share some lovely gardening ideas I found on Pinterest.

I love this beautiful way to grow herbs.

How to weave your own elevated flower bed.

Isn't this a fantastic idea for a garden swing?

This green house makes me swoon.

That's just a few of the lovelies I have been spying on Pinterest. Does cold weather make you dream of gardening? What is your favorite thing to look at on Pinterest?

The Co-Workers Need to Learn Some Manners: #ILoveMyk9, #CBias

2012-01-11T21:00:00.001-05:00

Yesterday you all met Hubs' new co-workers. Affectionately known as the mutts around here. Our four large fur babies are now sharing a space with Hubs as he works from home. Our pups range in age from 11 years old to 3 years old. They all know how to sit and give high fives. Our youngest, Peanut, also knows how to lie down. An important trick that they don't know yet is stay.

It is a pretty important skill for them to know now that they are in such close proximity to Hubs. The UPS man is an almost daily visitor and the co-workers tend to get a bit nuts when he comes a knocking. I had loaded up on some fantastic treats for the mutts to help them with their varying issues. Those treats are calorie dense and will not be good for training.

After church on Sunday I just added low-cal treats to my shopping list. I headed to Walmart with high hopes of getting some Milk-Bone® biscuits, Lean Pup-Peroni Treats and some Milo's Kitchen Treats.

I easily found the Milk-Bone® biscuits and Lean Pup-Peroni Treats but the Milo's Kitchen Treats were nowhere to be found, bummer. I did however find a rocking coupon for $2 when I bought a box of Milk-Bone® biscuits and a box of Lean Pup-Peroni Treats/ Milo's Kitchen Treats! You know how I love a coupon and it was a peelie so I didn't even have to use my own ink.

I have started the process of training the co-workers to stay. They seem to be pretty excited about this required training as it involves free food. I will report back next week with the results and some how-to's!

If you would like to see my entire shopping trip come check out my photo journey on Google +.

This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias. All opinions are my very own. #CBias#iLoveMyK9

The Co-Workers

2012-01-10T21:26:00.000-05:00

In the fall of 2011 Hubs started working from home. At first we tried to have him work on the dining room table. Poor guy, his eyeballs started to cross and another solution had to be found. On a particularly hard day I took it upon myself to ~~banish~~ relocate Hubs to the morning room.

He really seems to like it out there but there is one little thing he has to deal with out there. His new co-workers, also known as our four fur babies. The co-workers are pretty loud, don't care much for hygiene and they demand goodies all the time.

Now that Hubs has to keep all of his new co-workers happy with goodies all the time Momma has been forced to considerably increase the amount of treats purchased. Going to the store all the time is just not something I like to do so I turned to the internet to help me keep those goodies coming in.

I found a really great site, Mr. Chewy. Mr. Chewy has a terrific selection of dog treats, dog food, and toys. Mr. Chewy offers free shipping on orders over forty nine dollars. I ordered a giant load of treats from Mr. Chewy and got my order within two days!

Here is what the co-workers think of the treats from Mr. Chewy

I will be keeping the co-workers well supplied from now on thanks to quick shipping and a great selection of dog treats from Mr. Chewy!

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.

Wordless Wednesday: No Slide? No Problem!

2012-01-10T20:36:00.006-05:00

<br><br><br><br>Tje

The Info Mouse, Sakura Haruka, A Work In Progress, A Mothers Ramblings, Tina's Wordless Wednesday, Just Winging It, Green Momma, Be There 2 Day, My Organized Chaos,

Two Year Old Boy Birthday Gifts

2012-01-08T14:24:00.003-05:00

Little Bit will be turning two in about three weeks. His birthday is way to close to Christmas. Christmas was excessive to say the least. We are a family of givers so you can imagine the implications of that. What to get a two year old who has everything?

My plan is to buy him a few things but also to make a couple of unique presents.

I am totally inspired by these I Spy Robot Bags. I bought some of the things to make my own today. I need to hit the Hobby Lobby for the rest tomorrow. Stay tuned for a tutorial on these guys.

The other idea I came across was a clothing book. The idea is to use old clothing to create a book for toddlers to practice buttons, zippers, snaps, or anything else you can think of that is commonly found on clothing. Pretty cool idea huh?

If your interested in how I found these ideas, I perused Etsy for the robot and stumbled on the clothing book via Pinterest.

As for the purchased presents, I have gotten him a Shake-n-Go Mater for his racetrack. I also want to get him a slide. He is about at that age where a slide is just about the coolest thing ever. Plus, I can move it outside in the spring and renew his interest in it.

What have you gotten your two year old's for their birthdays? Do you often make gifts for your children or do you stick with the store bought items?

Resolutions for 2012: Be Healthier

2012-01-05T21:15:00.002-05:00

Oh the timeless New Years resolution to be healthier. This is one that haunts me. I have crappy genes. Let's just put that out there. That combined with my love of food and aversion to exercise leaves me in the position of being rather a chunky monkey.

I was blessed enough to loose ten pounds earlier this year. Before Christmas I had not found my lost ten pounds. Now the battery in my scale is dead and I am awaiting it's delivery via brown truck to see what kind of damage I did over Christmas.

Naturally, one of my goals HAS to be to healthier. I want to start walking again. I really do miss it despite my loud protests. It is a wonderful time to pray and offer myself over to the Lord. Making myself do the physical bit is never as hard as the food portion.

I love eating. I love eating lots. I hate portion control. I hate measuring and counting everything I eat. The only successful eating plan I have done was a whole foods mostly vegetarian approach. I still buckled under the restriction of no salty snacks though. I love salt.

I have found a neat answer to helping me with my goal though. A nifty little product that it would be such a shame not to share with you. It's called a Yum Yum Dish. Basically, it is the perfect portion for a snack. No more worrying about counting out 26 crackers. Just fill your little Yum Yum Dish up, eat, and when it is empty your done snacking. Such a simple but powerful concept.

If you would like to control the portions of more than just your snacks Yum Yum Dishes also offers plates. Yum Yum Dishes wants to offer my wonderful readers a discount code to save a little green while you get lean. Enter MOMMA in all caps and you will get 20% off your entire Yum Yum order from today until 1/20/12. Woot, woot!

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.

Glasses

2012-01-03T20:11:00.002-05:00

Earlier this year I bought a new pair of glasses. I went for a pair from a big box store. They were super cheap and cute. I've had them for less than six months and they cost over a hundred dollars including the lenses.

In that six month time frame I have had a screw drop out of my eyeglasses and now as you can see in the photo the lens is popping out of the frame! I am pretty unhappy with the fact that I have to drive a half an hour with a squirmy toddler tomorrow to have them pop them back in for me and tighten the screws yet again.

I live in a pretty rural area. Everything seems to be at least a half hour drive from me and because of that I often buy things online. All of the problems with my current glasses are really leading me towards buying a pair of online eyeglasses.

Where should I buy glasses from though? Clearly, the cheapest frames I could find will not withstand the beating my toddler reigns upon them. I need a store that offers high quality frames and lenses but I also want to be assured that I am getting the best deal out there.

GlassesUSA.com meets all of my stringent requirements. They believe in their glasses so much that they offer a 100% satisfaction guarantee for their products. If you are on the cheap side like me then the 110% low price guarantee is sure to make you smile. Another thing I found cool about their website is the refer a friend program. Why not bank a little cash by showing your pals how to get glasses on the cheap?

DEAL ALERT!

Take 55% off any pair of glasses! Code: Best2011 (Basic single vision lenses included and upgrades are available for an additional cost.)
Take 10% off any order of prescription glasses. Code: Blog10

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of GlassesUSA.com. All opinions are 100% mine.

Resolutions for 2012: Organization

2012-01-02T15:14:00.000-05:00

1. To be more organized. This one spills over into so many areas of my life. It has implications for the adoption process, eating better, spending more quality time with my family and friends, and the list just goes on. When you think about how disorganization takes over your life and discourages you it's well... discouraging!

Hubs had some great advice on my feelings of being overwhelmed by disorganization. He told me this morning to tackle each task one at a time and not to be dissuaded by the large task but spurred to urgency because of it. What a great perspective changer huh?

My blog is one of those areas where I am feeling disorganized and overwhelmed. I have so many back emails from you wonderful people who I so want to connect with. I said when I started blogging I would ALWAYS respond to every email by visiting that person back and making a thoughtful comment.

Having gotten sick followed by Little Bit being sick followed by Christmas all paired with a gimpy aching shoulder well let's just say I have like a TON of unvisited blogs to go to. One. At. A. Time. Even if those emails are a month old. It's okay. I will visit. I'm just fashionably late.

I had started this post with the intention of making a handy list. Oh well, I guess I was being wordy as usual. Tell me dear friends do you feel overwhelmed by disorganization? What is your number one resolution for 2012?

Cows Cant Jump Review and Rafflecopter Giveaway

2011-12-30T19:38:00.000-05:00

Little Bit and I were ever so blessed to receive a copy of "Cows Can't Jump" written by Dave Reisman and illustrated by Jason Maas. I was immediately impressed by the illustrations in "Cows Can't Jump." They are simple but also easy to explain to a toddler what they are.

Little Bit just loves looking at all of the pictures as you can see. The words are also pretty cool as well. The premise of the book was to not to focus on what the animal can't do but what it can. I like the theme of "Cows Can't Jump" on several levels. For Little Bit's age group, young toddler, it is helpful to explain exactly what an animal can and can't do. For a child who is a little older you could turn this story into a moral about finding things you can do.

All in all it was a brightly colored book with a clever story. Very suitable for toddlers through Pre-K. The companion book "Cows Can't Quack" was just as adorable and fun as "Cows Can't Jump!" I highly suggest you check out both titles today!

One very lucky Social Studies Momma reader is going to be blessed with their very own board book copy of "Cows Can't Jump." Yep, they come in soft back and board books!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.

Happy 10th Anniversary My Love

2011-12-29T21:21:00.000-05:00

Today I celebrate one of the greatest blessings God has ever given me. My husband. We have officially been wed for ten years. There have been good times, bad times, blessed times, and devastating times. I feel so very thankful that God paired me with this man.

He is my opposite in so many ways. He grounds me. Keeps me from floating away. Supports me wholeheartedly in everything I do. He is a wonderful father to our child and I am sure he will be just as great with the children God has planned for our future. He is the spiritual leader of our family. He always challenges me to learn and study more.

In short, I am one blessed Momma and boy do I know it. Thank you Hubs for ten years, the best is yet to be. I love you!

Wordless Wednesday: Christmas 2011

2011-12-27T21:39:00.000-05:00

2011-12-26T20:58:00.000-05:00

December 26th to the 30th!  Enter Today!
Winter is here and it is time to shed

those shut in blues!  
Enter to win this necklace from the

Blessed Elements Blog

and start jazzing up those winter outfits

Didn't get that perfect

jewelry accessory for a gift?

Then go enter the give away to get your very own

Oooo la la Necklace!

Hand made macrame necklace. The face pendant is sculpted from

clay & turquoise glazed (no lead) and kiln fired and accented with a turquoise feather.
The variegated cotton necklace is accented with dangle glass beads.

Retail value of $25.00 and appx. 20" in diameter/length

Merry Christ mas!

2011-12-22T21:40:00.000-05:00

As many of you know my beloved church was blessed with a new pastor about a month ago. He is trying to start a very cool fad. Instead of saying Merry Christmas you focus on the reason for the season and wish folks Merry Christ mas! Keeping in that spirit, I want to wish all of my bloggy buddies a very Merry and blessed Christ mas!

More of the sickness

2011-12-20T21:28:00.000-05:00

I am mostly on the mend but now Little Bit is ill and Hubs is starting to show signs of ickiness. What a horrible cycle this is! Little Bit has never had a fever before. He is almost two years old. I know, I've been one lucky Momma. When his fever hit 100 you better believe I was on the phone getting an appointment.

We are so blessed to have a rockin' pediatrician. I absolutely adore him. He is great with Little Bit, very realistic because he has loads of his own kids, and a brother in Christ. We got in right away and Dr. Robertson said Little Bit had double pink eye and an ear infection. It has not been a fun few days in this house.

Little Bit is slowly getting better. He was pretty happy most of today and he actually ate a little something. Now if Hubs can just stave off whatever he has perhaps we wont be a family of disease spreading Grinch's come Christmas morning.

Does this cyclic sickness stuff happen to all of you? Any advice for how to minimize it?

Crocheted Hat and Scarf

2011-12-16T13:25:00.000-05:00

Here is a sampling of what I have done so far with my new found skill. A hat and scarf for my Mom.

This is a close up of the flower I crocheted and attached to the hat. The picture doesn't do it much justice. It is super cute.

So far this is my favorite brand of yarn.

What is your favorite brand or type of yarn? Are you making Christmas presents this year?

I've Taught Myself To Crochet

2011-12-14T21:39:00.000-05:00

I love to craft. I'm kind of ADHD about it though. I hop around from craft to craft. My latest obsession is crochet. When I was a little girl I remember my Granny always had a hook and yarn in her hands. She made all kinds of beautiful things. She taught me to do a chain and a single crochet but after she passed I stopped practicing and quickly forgot the skills she had taught me.

One of my very dear friends is a crochet gal. We went to the Hobby Lobby one evening after our coffee shop girls night out. She was looking for yarn to make Christmas presents for her family. I was intrigued by all of the beautiful yarn. I really wanted to learn how to do it. She offered to show me but there were some pretty big obstacles like each of us having crazy busy toddlers and the fact that I am left handed and she is right handed. It makes a huge difference when you are teaching someone to crochet.

She suggested You Tube. What a novel idea. She helped me pick out some yarn and a hook and I went home on a mission. I am proud to say I have taught myself enough to crochet a scarf, a hat, and a flower. They aren't perfect but they are passable. I know my Mom and Mommy in Law will love them.

I want to pass onto you some crochet links I have found super helpful.

Crochet School : This is a fantastic site that literally shows you everything you need to know. If I had found this one in the first place I never would have looked anywhere else. I am about half way through the tutorials now. She even has tutorials for lefties and righties!

Crochet Geek : This lady is who I learned the basics from. I kind of had to piece together where I needed to start but these are great little videos. She also does left and right handed tutorials.

Pinterest : There is so much helpful information on Pinterest. This is a link to the crochet goodies I have amassed on Pinterest. I highly encourage you to dig around and see what you can find. Let me know if you start a crochet board I will certainly follow!

Have you ever taught yourself to do something via You Tube? It is so much fun to keep my hands busy and produce things that are useful to others. I adore it. What kind of crafty things have you been into lately?

Wordless Wednesday: Santa Shops At Walmart

2011-12-13T23:59:00.002-05:00

Linking up at: By Word Of Mouth, Mommy Moment, Naptime Momtog, Wordless Wednesday, MomVantage, Babas Farm Life, Laugh Quotes, Marvelous Mommy, and Cookin' For My Captain.

Save Zoar!

2011-12-13T20:21:00.000-05:00

The following is a guest post by Sam at Have Sippy Will Travel.

Why would anyone want to destroy a historic German settlement in Ohio? Our federal government, that's who. Zoar was founded in 1817 by German religious separatists to set up a communal society in a new way of life. Zoar is unique in the way it is preserved. A walk around Zoar is like stepping into a time machine. Everything is pristine, and you will be taking a stroll though our history.

Little Man, my grandmother, and I had a great time in historic Zoar- we checked out a metal-working shop, amazing gardens, a bakery, a tin shop where the town's cups, bowls, etc were made. We saw the actual artifacts that the residents used, and were led on a tour by a descendant of the people of Zoar- her father had lived and worked there all his life. A quiet, hardworking, unassuming people who came to America for a better life and an opportunity for their families, they were often separated from each other for months and years at a time trying to pay back the loan from the land.

Take a look at more of our photos from our trip to Zoar here- and let me tell you, fall is a great time to visit.

These people wasted nothing- and especially not time- and did not have easy lives. These German separatists, mostly farmers, were persecuted in their own land and came here to live and work freely. Zoar is a living, breathing testament to the American dream and the values that we claim to hold dear. As a young country, it would be a shame to allow a historical settlement to be flooded- we may not have the history that England or Spain does, but that doesn't mean it is not just as important. Here is where your hand is needed.

The current issue is, the levee which is at the base of the town. This levee is in dire need of repairs according to US Army Corps of Engineers reports, it has a Dam Safety Action Classification 1 rating, the worst rating possible. The USACE has three options: Repair the levee, tear down the village and let the area flood or relocate Zoar to higher ground. The only option that makes sense is repair the levee. Tearing down or trying to relocate the village would destroy this historic treasure. Repairs would help keep this village alive well into the next century for our grand children to enjoy as well.

Take a look at this petition - please sign it if you agree. Get the word out, Save Zoar!!
You can follow them on Facebook and Twitter as well.

Please email me at kangabunnie@gmail.com to share this on your site. Don't forget to sign it, too! We can all help save Zoar.

Disney Champions for Kids #CBias #DisneyCFK

2011-12-11T21:31:00.001-05:00

I am blessed to be the coordinator for the Angel Tree ministry this year. I was on the last leg of the journey about a week ago. I had made sure every one of our Angels had someone to deliver their gifts. Hubs, Little Bit, and I paired with another family to deliver to a girl I will call “Special Girl.”

I had finished up shopping for Special Girl on Friday at Walmart. Check out my shopping trip on Google + here. Another wonderful family from Church went in with us to buy gifts for Special Girl This morning we got the rest of the presents. I had made an appointment with Special Girls Momma to come and visit at 3pm this afternoon.

We pulled up to the old house and Special Girls Momma was standing outside talking with some people in a mini van. We waved hello and Special Girls Momma told us Special Girl was in the van and was heading out to do some homework with a friend. I think Special Girl was to bashful to meet us.

Special Girls Momma lovingly welcomed us into her home. She greeted us with gifts! A Barney for Little Bit and some other little gifts she had dug out of her home. I was beyond touched. We were there to bless her and her child and she blessed our child.

We had a wonderful visit. The family that came with us put the Christmas tree up for Special Girls Momma. We asked Special Girls Momma if she would like us to decorate it for her. She said that Special Girl loved decorating the tree so we left if there ready for her.

Hubs is a computer dude so he got the wireless internet up and running lickity split. He also helped Special Girls Momma with a little computer task while he was at it. How I love that Hubs of mine. It blessed me through and through to see him serve Special Girls Momma.

When we left there were lots of hugs and we all almost cried. What a fantastic way to celebrate Christmas! I asked Special Girls Momma if I could call and see how Special Girl liked her goodies. She said absolutely and I will call!

I am so very grateful to Disney for helping me to be a Champion for Kids. It was such a moving experience to mobilize and make a difference in the life of a child in my community. I highly encourage all of you to check out the mission of Champions for Kids and stay connected with them on Facebook and Twitter. You can also join Champions for Kids for a Twitter party on December 15^th at 9:00 EST. I hope to see you all there!

This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias. All the events in this story are a part of my real life and I love sharing my blessed life with all of you! #CBias, #DisneyCFK

Cyber Monday Goodies From CookiesKids.com #LuvCookies #CBias

2011-12-11T13:46:00.001-05:00

I love to shop. My very favorite person to shop for is Little Bit. Luckily for me he continues to grow and gives this shop happy Momma a pretty valid reason to peruse for awesome deals. When Cyber Monday came around I knew I had to get out there and find some great bargains.

I got a great email and Facebook heads up from CookiesKids.com of the rocking Cyber Monday sale they were having. There were several codes floating around but either way I was going to get free shipping. Free shipping is kind of a make or break situation for me. I HAAAAAAAAAATE paying for shipping. It bugs me to my core. A percentage off and free shipping was the perfect storm for me.

I headed over to CookiesKids.com and immediately found their refer a friend program. I would love for all of you to go and check it out. If you sign up using my link we will both get store credits to buy our Little Bit's awesome clothes at great prices!

I had such a great time shopping for new winter clothes for Little Bit. I just couldn't keep my excitment about all those rocking deals to myself so I shared on Twitter, Facebook, and even pinned all of my cute finds on Pinterest. If you would like to see my shopping experience check out my Google + album.

After all was said and done I had purchased some thermals, a long sleeved Levi's shirt, a fleece Cars outfit, some socks, and a play shirt for $33.25. Not to shabby if I do say so myself! I applied my coupon code but had some issues with it. I ended up calling the folks at CookiesKids.com support. They were terrific. The coupon never did work for me online but the very nice gentleman took care of it for me. He was super friendly and fast!

Of course, because I am cheap I opted for the free shipping. It took ten business days to get here. I was a little frustrated by that but I am guessing that between the huge amount of orders CookiesKids.com had and the massive amount of packages the USPS had to deliver was the combined culprit for my long wait.

It did arrive just in time for the living nativity that all three of use were participating in at Church on Saturday night. I opened the socks and found that my mushy Momma brain had struck once again. They were kids sized socks not toddler sized. It worked out pretty well though they were like boy leggings and kept Little Bit extra warm.

He wore the super cute Cars outfit to Church that evening. We had all gathered together to share a meal before our little act began. The Church is always cold when you first get there so the fleece did a great job of keeping him warm until the heat started working.

When it was time to get dressed for the nativity Hubs and I put the thermal long jon pants on Little Bit along with the Cars fleece hoodie. all of that went under his Carhart bibs. He was one warm fella and a pretty cute shepherd if I do say so myself. When we got home I threw the top to the thermals on and he was ready for bed. It's pretty tiring being a shepherd.

This morning Little Bit got to wear his new Levis shirt to Church. It was super cute. When we got home I put him in his new play shirt.

I really am very pleased with the amount of clothes I got for such great prices at CookiesKids.com. I don't think I could have found such a selection, brand names, and really great prices at any shop in town. I will definitely be shopping there again when I need some spring clothes or if there is a huge growth spurt this winter. Happy shopping everyone!

This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias. #CBias #LuvCookies All opinions are my very own!

Champions for Kids: Angel Tree Ministry

2011-12-07T13:48:00.001-05:00

Something I have always loved to participate in is the Angel Tree at Christmas. Have you ever seen a Christmas tree with little angel shaped tags hanging on it with the name of a boy or girl in need? That is Angel Tree.

Angel Tree is actually a prison ministry. The point is for an incarcerated parent to keep ties with their children through the kindness of a stranger. The stranger adopts an Angel and purchases gifts on the incarcerated parents behalf and then turns the gifts over to an Angel Tree coordinator who delivers the gifts to the children.

I've always been involved with Angel Tree on the buying end of the process. I purchased gifts and happily let someone else take care of getting the gifts to where they belong.

A few years ago our church had quite a bit of upheaval. Our pastor left and so did about half the congregation. It was a hard time. Many of our ministry projects which had been run by certain people for years were suddenly without leaders.

One that broke my heart was the Angel Tree program. We just couldn't stop doing this program. Those kids needed us! Their lives were greatly improved by this ministry. I put my big girl drawers on and volunteered to lead the charge.

Hubs and I have been steadily working at coordinating the program for several months now. We have called all of our families, gotten loads of presents from our wonderful church family, and now we are ready to deliver the presents.

Thankfully, I have loads of helpers to assist me in delivering all of those presents. Hubs, Little Bit and I are pairing up with another family to deliver gifts to a very Special Girl and her caregiver. I have talked with the caregiver several times on the phone. Each time was such a blessing to me. She is a sweet lady who has had surgery and lost her job because of it. She has so many things going on that would bring me to my knees but through all our conversations she has been nothing but positive.

The caregiver mentioned that her special girl isn't even expecting anything for Christmas this year. Special Girl knows that things are hard. I am so very blessed to be able to bring Christmas and the love of Jesus to Special Girl.

Programs like Angel Tree help to improve the life of children. I am honored to work with Disney's Champions for Kids program. That means that along with the gifts that my church family has blessed Special Girl with she is also going to get some super fun Disney themed goodies. I can't wait to hit Walmart and pick them out for her. We go to visit Special Girl on Sunday afternoon so be looking for my follow up post.

Want to know how you can help to change the lives of kids in your community? Check out the Champions For Kids website, Facebook page, and on Twitter.

This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias. All opinions and life experiences are my very own. #CBias, #DisneyCFK

Wordless Wednesday: Waiting For the Parade!

2011-12-06T19:47:00.000-05:00

Linking up at: By Word Of Mouth, Mommy Moment, Naptime Momtog, Wordless Wednesday, MomVantage, Babas Farm Life, Laugh Quotes, Marvelous Mommy, and Cookin' For My Captain.

Surviving Bronchitis With A Toddler #TysonGoodness #CBias

2011-12-05T13:34:00.000-05:00

I have been pretty much absent from the blogshpere for the last week. The reason, bronchitis. What added insult to injury is that Hubs had left for a week long business trip to the other coast. Oh my. It started out as these things do with that slight feeling of being under the weather.

As soon as I got that feeling that I was going to be sick I knew I had to prepare for a long hard week. Little Bit and I headed to Walmart for sick essentials. I got cough drops, pain reliever, and easy to cook food for Little Bit.

Lucky for me my local Walmart had the new Tyson mini chicken sandwiches. Last week we had tried to get these new little sandwiches but they had not arrived yet so I had made my own version. Little Bit had actually eaten them which is rare. He eats very little.

The mini chicken sandwiches were a perfect solution for me this week. I knew Little Bit would eat them so it was one less thing I had to worry about when being sick.

This wasn't my most proud week as a parent. There were marathon movie days every day until bed. Chicken sandwiches were served for lunch and dinner every day. I may have even bribed him with lollipops and my house looks like a small tornado blew up in here but we survived.

Now that I am on the mend I need to find that Walmart receipt to submit for a $5 Walmart Gift Card for buying 2 Tyson Mini Chicken Sandwiches. What are you tips for surviving illness while caring for young children?

This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias. #CBias All the opinions in this post are my very own.

Cooper & Me Winter Adventure Review

2011-12-04T21:19:00.002-05:00

Little Bit has really started to enjoy big boy books. One book he has loved for months is "Cooper and Me." We had the pleasure of reviewing it in October.

When I got the opportunity to review the newest book in this series I jumped at it! "Cooper & Me Winter Adventure" arrived in the mail. Hubs took it out of the packaging and Little Bit crawled into his lap immediately.

Hubs started reading and Little Bit wanted to read along!

"Cooper & Me Winter Adventure" is an adorable book. Bright kid friendly pictures paired with a cute rhyming story left my toddler more than pleased. "Cooper & Me Winter Adventure" is a great addition to your seasonal reading library!

Deal Alert!!

Make any purchase of $25 or more at CooperandMe.com and get FREE SHIPPING now through December 15. Use the code COOPERBLOG at checkout. As an added boon $1 of every Winter Adventure book sold will go to advance research & treatment of pancreatic cancer, via the Lustgarten Foundation.

"Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a copy of "Cooper & Me Winter Adventure" to facilitate my review but I only recommend products my family and I enjoy. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

Win a Kindle Touch or $50 Gift Card to Amazon from Winter Wonderland Giveaway Event

2011-12-02T22:31:00.002-05:00

Welcome to the Winter Wonderland Giveaway Event. We have partnered up with lots of different and wonderful bloggers to bring you some fabulous prizes, just in time for the Holiday Season!

Giveaway starts December 2nd at 12:01 AM EST to December 15th at 12:01 AM EST. Giveaway winners will be announced through the Rafflecopter widget and notified by email by the end of the day on December 17th, 2011. Winners must reply to email notification within 48 hours of delivery, or a new winner will be chosen.

Participating Blogs that made these giveaways possible:

Pink Dandy Chatter
Outnumbered Mama
PS Mom Reviews
Pawsitive Living
Spilled Milkshake
Thrifty Divas
Indiana Coupon Savings
Social Studies Momma
The Frugal Mom
Debs Dealz
Mamalou's Gems
Magical Mouse Schoolhouse
Disney Contests and Sweepstakes
$uper $avin' Momma
Personalized Sketches and Sentiments
Half-Pint House Handouts
Horseshoes
Chitown Cheapskate
Get Outta My Head Please
Capturing Magical Memories
Finger Click Saver
Tenuous Thoughts of Candy
Reading Teen
Sober Julie Doing Life
One Busy Moma
All In One Mom
Luv Saving Money
Jenny At Dapperhouse
My Secret Home
Black, Divorced and Virtuous
A Gal Needs...
Mommy2Nanny3Doggy1
Sweeping The USA
Between The Lines
Mommies and Beyond
Crunchy Beach Mama
Savin' It Up
Mayra Calvani
The Working Writer's Club
Counting My Kisses
Lily's Laundry
Thrifty Mommas Tips
Yummy Boy Mummy

GIVEAWAY PRIZES:

* Winner will receive one Wi-Fi, 6" E Ink Display Kindle Touch

*This giveaway is open to the US Only

*There will be 1 winner chosen to win this giveaway

***

* Winner will receive one $50 gift card to use at Amazon.com

*This giveaway is open to the US Only

*There will be 1 winner chosen to win this giveaway

GIVEAWAY ENDS THURSDAY, DECEMBER 15TH AT 12:01 AM EST

GOOD LUCK!!!

Wordless Wednesday: Christmas Parade

2011-11-29T23:59:00.000-05:00

Linking up at: By Word Of Mouth, Mommy Moment, Naptime Momtog, Wordless Wednesday, MomVantage, Babas Farm Life, Laugh Quotes, Marvelous Mommy, and Cookin' For My Captain.

Sick

2011-11-29T19:41:00.001-05:00

Okay on the verge of sick. You know when you start feeling achy all over, get a little cough, and a pain in your back where your lungs are? Yep that's what I have right about now. I'm loading up on zinc and taking Tylenol for the pain.

The thing that makes it super duper cruddy is that Hubs is on travel this week for work. Fantastic timing. I've been praying for enough strength to get me through the rest of the week. You see, I'm spoiled. I am blessed with an awesome husband who helps me with things like childcare and housework. I'm a lucky girl. I know it. The only bad thing is that I am don't know how to get by on my own sometimes. I guess the Lord is showing me *again* how blessed I am. Thanks God! I got it. Can I feel better now?

How To Make A Thanksgiving Headdress For A Toddler #GlueNGlitter #Cbais

2011-11-26T10:28:00.001-05:00

The day before Thanksgiving I decided that it would be super fun to make Little Bit and I to make a Thanksgiving project. My Mom's Great Grandmother was a full blooded American Indian. To celebrate that part of our family ancestry I thought it would be super neat to make him an American Indian headdress. It was a great project to do with an almost two year old.

We started out by going to Walmart to buy some supplies (check out our shopping trip here):

Elmer's Craft Bond Glue Dots X-Acto Scissors

Elmer's Tri-Fold Foam Board

Later that afternoon Hubs, Little Bit, and I went outside. Hubs was winterizing our small engines and Little Bit and I were gathering more materials for our Thanksgiving headdress. I let Little Bit explore the yard. He picked up some acorns, leaves, and a bit of broken pine tree.

Now we started the crafty part of our project. We got our comfy clothes on and got to business.

I free handed some feathers onto the Elmer's Tri-Fold Foam Board . I really liked using this bigger board so I will have some on hand for my next project.

I cut the feathers out. I tried using my new X-Acto Scissors but they were no match for that thick foam board. Luckily my trusty kitchen mamba jamba scissors worked in a pinch. After I had the feathers cut out I let Little Bit color them. I did let him color on the foam board so he wouldn't color on my comforter!

Next I took a piece of floor paper and measured Little Bit's head with it. I had to add a little to it. Thankfully I had bought those Elmer's Craft Bond Glue Dots. Fold the paper to the width that you want like this.

Add a little extra with some Elmer's Craft Bond Glue Dots if you need to.

Whala! We have a base for our Thanksgiving headdress.

I used my Elmer's Craft Bond Glue Dots again and placed the feathers on the base.

Next we took the outside elements and attached them to the base and the feathers with our Elmer's Craft Bond Glue Dots.

After all of our crafting fun it was time to try on the Thanksgiving headdress. Well that didn't quite work out. It didn't work out the day before Thanksgiving or on Thanksgiving day. Le sigh...

We did however have lots of fun putting it together, taking out nature walk to find elements, and gathering up more Elmer's products.

Have you ever made a Thanksgiving headdress with your Little Bits? Does this look like a simple project you could do? I think we may have to do this again but with a winter inspired theme! Happy crafting everyone.

This project has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Elmer's #gluenglitter #collectivebias #cbias but all of the opinions and the tutorial are my very own.

STP Multipurpose Motor Treatment #CBias #engineluv

2011-11-25T21:54:00.001-05:00

Hello all, Hubs here. It's that time of year again. Thanksgiving? Christmas? Well, yes, however I'm talking about the time to winterize and perform maintenance on lawn equipment. Lawn equipment, no matter what you have, costs enough money that it is in our best interests to take care of it. Much like your car, truck, or van, lawn equipment has an engine. Tractors, lawn mowers, tillers, weed eaters, chainsaws, etc. I needed to make sure our tractor, tillers, and chainsaw were ready to be put in long term storage as winter has arrived. I don't mind doing this maintenance myself, because its pretty easy and saves a lot of money over paying someone else to do it. Or worse, you don't do the maintenance and serious problems occur that require a trip to the repair shop.

When an engine sits for a long period of time, gasoline breaks down and can cause hard starts and rough running. That's why if you don't treat your fuel in your lawn mower or tractor in winter, they're so hard to start when spring arrives! I needed a product that can stabilize the fuel for storage. I also needed something that could clean up deposits left in the engine and in the oil crankcase after running my equipment all spring, summer, and fall. I needed something that could clean the carburetors, help clean deposits out of the cylinders, and something I could add to the oil crankcase to help it fight acid breakdown to keep the oil stabilized too.

We bought a single can of STP Multipurpose Motor Treatment to treat the engine on the tractor, the big tiller, the small tiller, and the chainsaw. I liked that the STP product treated both two-stroke and four-stroke engines. It can also be used in diesel engines as well. With several thousand dollars invested I want to make sure I help protect the engines for as long as possible. STP Multipurpose Motor Treatment is easy to use; just measure out how much you need to pour in the gas tank by how big the tank is. You only need 3/4 oz. of it for each gallon. I dragged all the equipment out while Amy watched Little Bit play in the yard. I quickly measured out how much treatment I would need for each piece of equipment and added it. I also took the opportunity to measure the oil in the big tiller and tractor, and added a bit to the tractor. I put a little bit of the STP motor treatment into the oil crankcase as well to help the oil during storage.

One I was finished checking over all the equipment for any obvious issues and checked fluid levels, I needed to start the equipment. It's best to start the equipment after you add fuel treatment to make sure that every part of the engine is treated. If you just add motor treatment to the fuel tank you'll treat the fuel, but not get any of the other benefits. So, I started the engines and let them warm up to make sure the treatment had reached the carburetors and cylinders to clean out deposits, oxidation, and sludge. With the fuel treated, our lawn equipment was now safe to hibernate for the winter. This simple bit of maintenance eliminates a lot of headaches and issues in the spring, and keeps these engines running well so I don't have to have them in the repair shop. With the gasoline stabilized and the engines cleaned out, they ought to start easily after four months of storage when spring rolls around!

Check out our shopping trip to Walmart here and watch my vlog about the features of STP Multipurpose Motor Treatment.

This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias. #CBias All opinions are my own.

Pre-Thanksgiving Quick Dinner #TysonGoodness #CBias

2011-11-23T21:32:00.000-05:00

Today is the day before Thanksgiving. Holiday madness officially ensues in the morning. This evening I needed to have a nice quick dinner before the festivities begin.

I had read about a new product that I thought would be yummy and quick, Tyson Mini Chicken Sandwiches. What really made me want to try these little yummies was the deal I ran across for them. When you buy 2 Tyson Mini Chicken Sandwiches at certain Walmart's you will receive a $5 Walmart Gift Card. Yes please and thank you!

I looked up which Walmart closest to me was carrying them. Here is the link if you want to find them for yourself. I recommend calling your store before you make the drive and get your hopes up like I did. When I got to Walmart they did not have the mini chicken sandwiches even though the Tyson store locator said they did. I had Hubs call the other Walmart that said they carried the mini chicken sandwiches only to find they also didn't have them.

While I was at Walmart trying to find my sweet deal via phone I had taken Little Bit over to the craft department to get some supplies to make a neat Thanksgiving headdress. Then it hit. The tantrum of the century. I collected my child bought the few craft materials I had in my hand and left. Without dinner. Le sigh.

Little Bit went down for a nap as soon as we got home. Hubs works from home so he was able to be there while Little Bit slept and I headed back out to get dinner and some pain meds for Little Bit. Little Bit has been sick and I am sure that is what brought on the epic fit.

I braved the day before Thanksgiving madness one more time. By the time I got to Walmart my nerves were shot. I stopped and got my hair cut to collect myself. It's amazing how a haircut can improve your mood. I sprang into action. I tried a different Walmart that wasn't on the Tyson list hoping they were tucked away in the freezer section somewhere. Alas, it was not meant to be.

I got some chicken paddies and biscuits.If you care to see my whole shopping trip you can check it out here. After all this I was going to eat some chicken biscuits! I brought them home and cooked them up. The Tyson Chicken Paddies were super simple to cook. I just threw them in the oven for 20 minutes. After I baked the biscuits and paddies I used a cookie cutter to make mini pieces of chicken. They fit perfectly on the biscuits!

We all liked them. Even Little Bit liked the little sandwiches and he doesn't like hardly anything. It was pretty fun to make them. The novelty of it was neat for Hubs and I. The small size made them more inviting for Little Bit. I also liked how I could easily pair healthy options with them. Hubs happily ate grapes and raw carrots as his side dishes and I enjoyed a massive amount of squishy broccoli. Little Bit even willingly tried a carrot. Amazing, I know.

Dinner was so effortless that I had enough energy left to put together the last touches of the applesauce cake I made for tomorrows meal. Alas, I may have sampled some of it so it isn't nearly as pretty as it was. Dern, I should've made something harder for dinner that way I wouldn't have taken the applesauce cake out of the bunt pan. Cursed easy dinner!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone. Have a blessed holiday.

This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias. #CBias All opinions are my very own!

Wordless Wednesday (Sort Of) - Oreo Truffles

2011-11-22T20:58:00.001-05:00

Step 1: Mash up a bag of Oreo's

Step 2: Mix a package of cream cheese with your mashed up Oreo's

Step 3: Melt two small bags of semi sweet chocolate chips

Step 4: Form the cookie mixture into balls and dip in the melted chocolate

Step 5: Cool in the fridge for one hour and enjoy! Make sure to keep your leftovers (if there are any ;D) in an airtight container in the fridge.

Linking up at: Moms Book Shelf, Barefoot Mahala, By Word Of Mouth, Mommy Moment, Naptime Momtog, Wordless Wednesday, MomVantage, Babas Farm Life, Laugh Quotes, Marvelous Mommy, and Cookin' For My Captain.

Family Movie Night's 'Game of Your Life'

2011-11-21T23:00:00.001-05:00

There is something about me that many of you probably don't know. I love video games. I love playing them on the Xbox 360 and I love PC games. Sometimes it's just so fun to loose yourself in a great game.

As you can imagine I don't have nearly the time I used to for games since my precious Little Bit came into my life. When I was offered the chance to review a family movie about a game designer I thought it would be pretty fun to watch.

"Game of Your Life" is a movie about a boy who is accepted into a very elite gaming program at a college far away from his family. The story follows the boy as he makes some hard moral decisions.

I really liked this movie. The premise intrigued me from the beginning. I also liked how family friendly the film is. You could easily watch this with your pre-teen or teen and have some great ethical and practical discussions about life afterwards.

"Game of Your Life" is the next chapter of Family Movie Night on NBC and will air on December 2nd at 8/7c. Check them out on Facebook, Twitter, their website, and the trailer:

Game of Your Life - Talks with Nathan from Moms4FamilyTV.com on Vimeo.

"Disclosure of Material Connection: I was able to watch this movie in advance to facilitate my review but I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe have positive messages. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

Holiday Outdoor Decor at #Sears! #CBais

2011-11-19T22:36:00.003-05:00

It's the most wonderful time of the year! I have been begging Hubs to put up our Christmas tree and lights for weeks now. I love getting so excited about Christmas. I remember literally squealing in delight when I would see houses with tons of Christmas lights on. It just gives me so much joy.

Yesterday dear Hubs braved the cold temperatures and went into the attic to get my tree and our outdoor lights. Well when I was pregnant I must have donated almost all of my outdoor decorations. GASP!

Last year we were just so tired from almost a year of no sleeping through the night that was were lucky we even put up the tree so I had no idea how very few lights were actually left after my purging.

When I opened the box I asked Hubs "is this all of them?" He confirmed that was indeed all of them. Now that I am back in my right mind I knew we had to make a trip to Sears for some outdoor lights.

This morning I loaded the fam up and we made a pilgrimage to Sears. Little Bit had so much fun looking at all of the outdoor Christmas decor. It was a joy to watch him be amazed.

Probably the funniest part of the trip was when he crawled into a recliner as we tried to leave.

Hubs worked really hard when we got home. He cleaned the gutters and put up all of the lights. Even Little Bit helped by pushing the old lights to the front yard so I could put them on the evergreens.

Here is the finished result.

Not to shabby if I do say so myself. We are the first on the block to have our outdoor Christmas lights up! Where is your favorite place to shop for outdoor Christmas decor? Have you ever seen the great bargains and selection they have at Sears? When do you put up your tree and lights?

This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias. #CBias I really did want new lights and I am happy to share my experiences with all of you, so all the opinions in this story are my very own.

Winterizing!

2011-11-17T15:38:00.000-05:00

Okay it is officially cold here in Virginia. The nice warm weather has moved out and a cold front is overtaking us as I write this. That got me to thinking about getting ready for winter. On my list of things to do:

*close the vents around the foundation
*put fuel stabilizer in the lawn tractor, chainsaw, big tiller, little tiller, and the cars.
*dig up any cold fearing bulbs and hope I'm not to late to save them.
*send our winter coats to the dry cleaner
*drag the sleds out of Dad's barn and into our little shed
*bring some kindling inside to dry out in case we loose power and need to use the fireplace
*check the level of fuel for the furnace and call about a fill up

Shew, so much work to do! Have I forgotten anything? What do you do to prepare for the long cold winter months?

Sausage Balls Recipe

2011-11-16T20:17:00.000-05:00

Thanksgiving is next week! Oh my goodness can you believe it? My Mom always throws a big bash. To help her out I always bring a dish. One of the dishes that is requested time and again is sausage balls. The recipe is super simple and so yummy.

Ingredients

1 pound ground pork sausage, I recommend using the best sausage you can find
2 cups of Bisquick
1 pound shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Mix all the ingredients together and form into small balls
Bake for 20 to 25 minutes

Tips For Baby Feeding Magic

2011-11-14T22:08:00.003-05:00

Thanks to Plum Organics for sponsoring my post about tips for baby feeding magic. What if you let baby choose what's for dinner? Check out their cute "Quest for Yum!" video and see what happens!

Little Bit is by far the world’s pickiest eater. Hubs and I are always on a quest to find things that he will eat. At first we were able to get him to eat a fruit, some dairy, and a carb. As of late we have backslid into mostly carbohydrates. Getting your toddler to eat a well-balanced diet is a constant struggle.

Is there a magic antidote to picky eating? Nope. It seems to me that it is all about trial and error paired with consistency and patience. When I have been more successful at the food war it was because I followed that mantra.

Consistently offer nutritious choices. Think of the food pyramid and keep at it! This video from Plum Organics is the goal. Babies and toddlers choosing the yummy nutritious foods over the icky stuff.

Have patience when they turn their cute little noses up in the air. It can be so frustrating when you go to lots of trouble to make something special for your little blessing only to have it pushed away in disgust. I find a little prayer works pretty well at this point.

Trial and error comes from trying loads of different things. Even the same thing with a different texture can be a whole new world to a baby or toddler. Think of your old pal Dori from Finding Nemo and “Just Keep Swimming!” I look for ideas for new foods for Little Bit in kid cookbooks, other Mommy blogs, and even Pinterest.

Lastly, keep in mind that if your Little Bit is active, happy, and growing that they are indeed getting enough calories. This is something I have had to re-focus on. Hubs and I are determined to get back to basics with Little Bit even if that means going back to baby food!

What are your baby feeding magic tips? Do your child’s eating habits stress you out? What do you do to keep sane when your toddler goes on a hunger strike?

I was selected for this sponsorship by the Clever Girls Collective. To learn more about Plum Organics, visit their Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/PlumOrganics.

Something Really Cool To Do With Your Used Books

2011-11-13T20:39:00.000-05:00

If your like me you have TONS of books lying around. I am kind of a book hoarder. Most anything else I am more than happy to pack off and ship to the Salvation Army or any other place that will take my clutter. Books though hold a sacred place in my heart.

There are some things that can make even this book hoarder relinquish her impressive supply. Hubs dear little brother is a sweet, sweet boy. He would give you the very shirt off this back. Unfortunately, he ran into some trouble and is serving a pretty long sentence in prison.

We miss little brother very much. When we talk with him one of his common complaints is the lack of reading material in the prison library. Little brother wants to change his life. He wants to learn things so that he can leave the system with direction and knowledge. Unfortunately, Hubs and I are not allowed to send him books.

By the grace of God I got an email from one of the ladies in my homeschooling group. The email put a call out for paperback books to stock prison libraries! The program is currently in need of paperbacks in the following categories:

How to books (woodworking, plumbing, gardening, car mechanics, small motor repair, etc.)
GED prep

Drawing or art
Science
Personal finance or starting a business

Dictionaries (English, Spanish-English)
Spanish textbooks
Atlases and almanacs
American Indians, Mayans, Aztecs
African-American, Latin American or classical (Roman, Greek) history
Fiction

If you could find it in your heart to help those who are at their very lowest by giving them the gift of knowledge you can send your paperback books here:

Ashunda Norris

3506 Heidi Lane

Springdale, MD 20774

Thank you all so much for such a fantastic act of kindness!

Blessings,

Amy

Wordless Wednesday - Sensory Box

2011-11-09T13:46:00.000-05:00

Linking up at: By Word Of Mouth, Mommy Moment, Naptime Momtog, Wordless Wednesday, MomVantage, Babas Farm Life, Laugh Quotes, Marvelous Mommy, and Cookin' For My Captain.

Complex Regional Pain Syndrome

2011-11-08T21:27:00.000-05:00

Have you ever heard of Complex Regional Pain Syndrome more commonly known as CRPS? I had never heard of it before I met one of my dear bloggy friends Ross.

Ross is an inspiration. When I first read his blog the writings of Paul jumped out at me. Ross lives with an incredible amount of pain but remains "Painfully Optimistic" because of his trust in the Lord Jesus Christ.

I encourage you all to visit Ross to find out more about CRPS and to fellowship with a fellow brother in Christ.

Time Travel Tuesday: Coupon Binder Cover

2011-11-08T20:28:00.000-05:00

Coupon Binder Cover

I dug through the Social Studies Momma archives and found this treasure from May 2010. I wanted a cover for my coupon binder. I had looked at buying one on Etsy but wow are they expensive so I decided to make one of my own!

A New Pastor For Social Studies Momma

2011-11-06T21:39:00.000-05:00

I'm tired. Really very tired. It's a good kind of tired though. Our church has been without a pastor for quite some time now. We have been so very blessed by guest pastors and then by our interim pastor. Our numbers dwindled but in that dwindling we started to find a little peace. We started to want to heal and not be divided but united in Christ.

My darling Hubs came to be nominated as the chairman of the pastor search committee. He told me things that happened knowing that I would not repeat what he was trusting me with. During the summer Hubs and the pastor search committee found Daryl. Hubs and the head of the deacons drove to Florida from Virginia to meet this man. The excitement they both had about Daryl was infectious. Hubs told me the story of Daryl and I had that Holy Spirit sort of feeling. The singing in my tummy sort of feeling.

For so long now I have been telling Hubs that I want to DO. I want to GO. I want to learn how to be more like my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. The pastor search committee unanimously agreed to ask Pastor Daryl and his wife to come and visit us. The committee felt this was the person for our church but ultimately the decision is made by the congregation.

Friday evening started an epic weekend event. Pastor Daryl and his wife spoke with us. Pastor Daryl taught us. We spent the last three days with them interviewing us and us interviewing him. The more I was around this wonderful couple the more excited I became. The more I knew that God was with these people and that they were to be our new leaders.

This morning after his official sermon for the church we had a business meeting to decide if we would call this man and his family to enter our church as our pastoral family. The pastor and his wife were ushered off and then the questions came.

I am so happy to say that the only dissent was in the loudness and excitement of his presentation of the gospel. All of those issues can be resolved by our very able head of the deacons who has quite an ear for the sound board. I knew this man was meant to be there. I could feel the walls vibrate with the Holy Spirit.

The votes were cast and the congregation voted 109 for calling him and 7 against. Wow. WOW. I was so excited. If you have ever meet me in real life you would know that I am like a little kid when I get excited. I jump. I clap. I hug. I did a whole lot of all of that this afternoon.

Have you ever just absolutely without a doubt known that God is in the house? I've never experienced this feeling on such a large scale. What a blessing. Tell me wonderful readers, what's going on in your churches? Are you on fire for the Lord? How are you sharing the good news of salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ?

'Revolution Worship LIVE' Review and Rafflecopter Giveaway

2011-11-04T00:01:00.001-04:00

Hubs is the new Christian music reviewer here at Social Studies Momma. Hubs is blessed enough to be able to worship God through contemporary music where I find my joy in hymnals.

His was asked to review "Revolution Worship LIVE" and was really looking forward to it. He happily downloaded the CD this morning. He settled in with a cup of coffee but what he heard was a little different than he was expecting. It was southern gospel.

Hubs loves contemporary Christian but gospel is a little outside of his personal preference. He gave the "Revolution Worship LIVE" a thumbs down. It was a mixture of Southern Gospel and Pop. Very upbeat but not the lyrical smoothness of Contemporary Christian.

If you love lively music and Southern Gospel then Revolution Worship LIVE! is right up your ally. If you want to see if this is something you would like I encourage you to check them out on Facebook, Twitter, Itunes, and their video.

"Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe have positive messages. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

Holiday Comforts

2011-11-03T12:31:00.001-04:00

This post is sponsored by Tempur-Pedic, the brand millions of owners trust to deliver their best night’s sleep every night. Enjoy our Buy 2, get 1 free pillow offer now and give the gift of custom comfort to someone you love.

Halloween has passed and the holiday season is upon us. I love this time of year. I love the busyness of it. Going to this family gathering, running to that store for a great deal on the perfect gift, and the countless hours spent making everything just right.

Through the hustle and bustle of the season I also like to take time for the holiday comforts. These comforts are things that keep me happy and energized during the most demanding and joyful time of the year.

First on that list is coffee. I drink coffee year round but come early November my little coffee shop starts selling flavored coffee. There are two especially for Christmas time, Frosty’s Favorite and Jingle Bell Java. My heart leaps at the very thought of these tasty delights.

Next is my fireplace. I love the warm crackling of a wood burning fireplace. I grew up in a historic home. Our only source of heat was a wood stove. The fireplace really brings back those precious childhood memories of snuggling up next to the stove.

Christmas music is another sweet holiday comfort. My Mom has indoctrinated me from a young age to love Christmas music. I probably know all the words to every holiday tune that Burl Ives and Bing Crosby ever uttered. What a simple and great joy it is to listen to their beautiful voices sing such positive message of hope and love.

Lastly is the tremendous gift of a good night of sleep. Hubs and I were blessed enough to purchase a new mattress earlier this year. We indulged in a wonderfully comfortable and large Tempur-Pedic king sized mattress. We have both enjoyed the many restful nights and ease of our back pain. A good night’s rest is such a blessing during the holiday season.

What are your holiday comforts? What keeps your energized during the hustle and the bustle?

Comfort is the perfect gift for everyone on your holiday gift list, so be sure to take advantage of Tempur-Pedic's Buy 2, get 1 free pillow offer! I was selected for this sponsorship by the Clever Girls Collective.

The Christmas Lodge Review and Rafflecopter Giveaway

2011-11-03T09:01:00.003-04:00

I adore Christmas. It is by far my favorite holiday. My Mom is a Christmas fanatic. She starts listening to Christmas music by August at the very latest and she starts watching Christmas movies in September. While some may grimace at this I love it. Christmas music and movies always have a positive message. They are full of joy and hope.

One of the things that really launches me into the holiday mood is Christmas movies. I was asked to review a copy of a new Christmas movie, "The Christmas Lodge." It was the story of a woman who loves the mountain. She spends time talking with God there. Through this time communing with the Lord she stumbles on a place from her childhood, the Christmas lodge. After finding the lodge her adventures point her to love.

Mom and I both watched this movie. While we both thought the overall story was good the acting and the pace of the movie were sub-par. If you purely enjoy a good story this will be the movie for you! Even though it was not our cup of tea I encourage you to check out "The Christmas Lodge" for a sweet story of love for the Lord and family.

Wordless Wednesday - Little Bit the Garden Gnome

2011-11-01T20:04:00.000-04:00

Linking up at: By Word Of Mouth, Mommy Moment, Naptime Momtog, Wordless Wednesday, MomVantage, Babas Farm Life, Laugh Quotes, Marvelous Mommy, and Cookin' For My Captain.

Puppies vs. Babies

2011-10-31T10:03:00.002-04:00

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Puppies vs. Babies for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.
Before I had Little Bit I was the very proud Momma of four fur babies. I believed that my dogs were just about the cutest thing that ever hit this planet. Then Little Bit came. My fur babies got demoted to dogs. They could never compete with that gorgeous baby boy.
Animal planet has a pretty fun contest going on until November 23rd. You can talk with your vote on who you think is cuter Puppies vs. Babies ? I personally think my Little Bit would blow any pup out of the water on the cute factor. I know a little fur ball is pretty cute but they quickly grown into that thing that destroys your slippers, walls, and furniture. I can send you photos of destroyed walls if you want proof! Little Bit has yet to do that kind of damage.
What do you think? Jump over to the Puppies vs. Babies online contest and scan through the contestants and let me know who you think will be the ultimate winner. I so want to see who you think has what is takes to take home $5000 big ones! I just know it's going to be a bitty baby with big eyes. Do you think I'm right or are you on the side of the fur babies?

Garden Gnome Hat From A Sweater

2011-10-30T13:09:00.001-04:00

I love dressing Little Bit up. Halloween is no exception. These are the few precious years where I have complete control over what he wears for Halloween. I had considered the option I chose this year last year. Honestly, I am glad I waited. It will be so much cuter now that he is up and walking around.

Little Bit is going to be a garden gnome! I found a cute little costume at Target for $20. It has a pair of bibs with a shirt attached, little red slippers for his feet, and a hat with a beard attached. I had a feeling when I bought it that he wouldn't wear the beard. I came home and sure enough the beard was a no-go. Then I tried it without the beard. Still a no-go. Well a garden gnome MUST have a pointy red hat, right?

Momma got crafty. I bought a red sweater from the Salvation Army that was on sale for $1.50. Then I drew a little cone hat on the inside of the sweater with a sharpie. I cut it out, pinned it up, and ran it through my sewing machine. It fits pretty perfectly. Our town is doing trick-or-treating tomorrow night so I will put the pics up of the whole outfit within the next couple of days.

Isn't is so much fun to dress your child up? I love it. What are your kids dressing up as this year? If your Little Bits are to big, what was your favorite Halloween costume that they wore? Happy Halloween everyone!

Crystal Roll-on Deodorant Review #CrystalRollOn #collectivebias

2011-10-28T20:23:00.000-04:00

Little Bit and I went to Walmart today to pick up some essentials before the freak October snow storm hits Virginia. On that list was deodorant.

Today I had a coupon for 1$ off Crystal Roll-on deodorant. I had to search a little for it. It was nestled on the bottom shelf. Once I found it I was pleasantly surprised. Crystal Roll-on deodorant is all natural! I love it when I can incorporate all natural products into my life that aren't outrageously priced.

Something else that jumped out was the breast cancer pink ribbon on the lid. Crystal deodorant contains no aluminum chlorohydrate which makes this deodorant a product that the Cancer Treatment Centers endorse.

When I got home I tried it out for myself. There was no sticky residue and it didn't stain my clothes. It has been on for about five hours and is still working great! Have you ever tried an all natural deodorant before? Happy Halloween Snowpocalypse everyone!

I was able to review Crystal Deodorant free of charge by participating in #CBias blogger program, but all opinions are my own. I have a chance to win a gift card for writing this post.

Wordless Wednesday

2011-10-25T23:59:00.006-04:00

Linking up at: By Word Of Mouth, Mommy Moment, Naptime Momtog, Wordless Wednesday, Mom Vantage, Babas Farm Life, Laugh Quotes, Marvelous Mommy, and Cookin' For My Captain.

Pumpkin Patch

2011-10-24T20:21:00.001-04:00

One of the things I love about fall is the Pumpkin Patch. This year the draw wasn't the pumpkins but the tractors. The Pumpkin Patch has tractors everywhere. Little Bit has become the world's biggest tractor fan. Every day there is a steady chant of "tractor, tractor!" As soon as his feet hit the ground he made a v-line for the three antique tractors. All of the chanting ceased. He gazed on them with a speechless wonder. Mom and I laughed and delighted in his awe. So much pleasure from something so simple. What an incredible blessing to behold.

We spent a large amount of time admiring these mighty machines and of course pretending to drive them.

When Mom and I finally drug him away from the fantabulous tractors guess what was on the porch of the gift shop? Yep, a small toy sized metal tractor.

He did eventually see most of the sights at the Pumpkin Patch but the tractors were revisited multiple times. What are your fall traditions? Does your Little Bit have a strange fixation like mine?

Homemade Applesauce Recipe

2011-10-22T21:58:00.001-04:00

A couple of you wonderful ladies have requested my recipe for homemade applesauce. Since Little Bit and I have been under the weather I am a little delayed in getting this to you. None the less here it is!

Ingredients:

4 cooking apples (I use anything pretty firm)
1/2 cup of water
1/4 cup of packed brown sugar. You can use white sugar but I have found that the brown tastes so much better. If you decide to go with the white us 4 tablespoons.
1/4 of a teaspoon to 1 tablespoon of cinnamon. This is purely your preference. We LOVE cinnamon here so we go for the larger amount.
1/8 teaspoon of nutmeg. I generally use a tad more than that but not by much as nutmeg can easily overpower the cinnamon.

Directions:

Heat apples and water to a boil. Stir it off and on. Reduce the heat and simmer uncovered for 10 minutes or longer if your apples are super firm. Stir in the rest of the ingredients and heat to a boil. I use my potato masher to smoosh the apples. Of course the consistency is not like what you get from a jar. If you use a food processor I bet it would be closer. Mine is unfortunately broken so I can't tell you for sure. Either way it's really tasty applesauce. If your recipe calls for unsweetened applesauce just leave out the sugar. Wallah! Fresh applesauce in a jiffy.

Hillshire Farm #GourmetCreations

2011-10-18T21:09:00.003-04:00

If you have been reading Social Studies Momma for a little while you know that Hubs and I are in the process of adopting a baby from Ethiopia. This is a stressful process. A process where it is easy to get wrapped up in the busyness of paperwork, research, and worry. When you get so involved in something like this it can overtake your life. Engulf your whole being and alienate you from the people right there next to you.

On Monday and Tuesday Hubs was able to take a few days of vacation time. We have both been kind of absent from each other lately. He has been busy with duties as the chairman of our pastor search committee at Church and I have been little miss paperwork. Although both are worthy tasks we have been neglecting our time of being "present" with one another. Time to enjoy each others company and reconnect.

On Monday we had a big talk about this lack of commitment to nurturing our time as a couple. Today we were able to have a wonderful day together. Hubs did something for me that made me feel so loved. He started to clean his things out of our office. The office is getting turned into Little Bitty Bits nursery. I have already cleaned out 95% of my things in this room. I have been waiting for some time for Hubs to clean up his half of the room. I felt so loved and blessed that he would take his vacation day to bless me in this way.

When lunch time came around we headed out. Little Bit had left that morning with Pap Pap and Nana so Hubs and I had a wonderful time talking and enjoying our lunch. We needed some things at Walmart but I decided it would be nice to honor my wonderful husband with a fancy meal.

We got some Hillshire Farm Gourmet Creations Sausage, salad fixings, fresh bread, pasta, and pesto. It's amazing how you can turn the everyday into a special occasion just by a few little touches.

Little Bit came home and was happily playing with the new tractor that Nana and Pap Pap had gotten him. Hubs and I hit the kitchen to make our gourmet meal. I cut up the Chicken Apple Sausages while Hubs cleaned the skillet.

Then I sauteed the sausages.

Hubs got out a pot, filled it with water, and turned the burner on. I added the pasta when the water got to a boil.

While I was at the stove Hubs was making the salads.

Little Bit started to get grumpy that no one was paying attention to him so Hubs left our little dance and entertained him. I put the Hillshire Farm sausage into my prettiest pyrex bowl along with the pasta and pesto.

I sat the table with matching plates and an assortment of vintage pyrex bowls. I put the flowers I arranged onto the table along with a little candle far from Little Bit's long fingers. My collection of milk glass sitting daintily on top of the piano was a wonderful backdrop. Our special meal was all about rejoicing in the every day, being present, and having fun in even the most routine things. Such and ordinary day. Such a special day.

This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias. This is a snippet of my real life. I only write about what really happens in my little corner of the world.

Applesauce Cake Recipe

2011-10-14T20:39:00.001-04:00

It is full on apple season here in Virginia. I live smack dab in the middle of apple country so I can get apples on the cheap. There just happens to be a whole crate of apples hanging out in my fridge at the moment. One recipe that I had to pull out was my Mom's Applesauce Cake. She may murder me if she finds out I shared it online but she doesn't own a computer so I feel fairly safe.

Ingredients:

1.5 cups of applesauce. I make my own applesauce out of my yummy fresh apples. I think this really makes the cake
.5 cup shortening
2 cups of sugar. I used .5 cup of brown sugar and 1.5 of white sugar.
1 egg
2.5 cups of white all purpose flour
.25 teaspoon of salt
1 tablespoon of cinnamon
.5 teaspoon of clove
.5 teaspoon of allspice
1 cup of black walnuts
1 cup of raisins
.5 cup of boiling water

Directions

Mix it all together and our into a greased flour mold. Bake for one hour at 350 degrees. Helpful hint, let the cake cool all the way before you take it out. I forgot that bit and that's why you don't have any pictures of my delicious but hideous applesauce cake.

Comment Love Friday

2011-10-14T07:46:00.001-04:00

I am co-hosting Comment Love Friday with Susie QT Pies at Scraps of Life! What a wonderful blessing. Have a great Friday everyone and link away :D

Ok friends time to show some comment love! Do you have a low entry giveaway, a great post with little to no comments or how about a review that you want noticed? What about a cool craft project or a tasty recipe you want to share but no one is stopping in to see it? If this is you then Comment LOVE Friday is for you! Are you needing more twitter, Facebook or GFC followers? Whatever the case this is your spot.

It is so easy to do.

*Just link up as many post from your blog that needs some comment love.
*Visit as many links as you added and show some comment love back to other bloggers. So if you add one link, visit and comment on one, two then do two.
*If you don't have a blog, join in the comment love and visit the listed pages.

*For this to work, you actually need to commit to linking, visiting and actually leaving a comment.

Wordless Wednesday - Waiting For You

2011-10-12T12:31:00.005-04:00

We are adopting from Ethiopia and this is our family photo for our dossier.

Linking up at: By Word Of Mouth, Mommy Moment, Naptime Momtog, Wordless Wednesday, Mom Vantage, Green Momma, A Mother's Ramblings, Tina's Pic Story, Babas Farm Life, Laugh Quotes, Marvelous Mommy, and Cookin' For My Captain.

"I Believe In You" Review

2011-10-11T19:34:00.000-04:00

Back in May Little Bit and I had the pleasure of reviewing a board book by Marianne Richmond. Little Bit and I thoroughly enjoy the bright pictures and lyrical wording in that book.

Not long ago I was approached about reviewing Marianne's new book "I Believe In You." I felt so blessed to receive another one of this talented lady's books for children. "I Believe In You" came in beautifully hardbound book with a pretty dust jacket. Of course Little Bit thought it best to remove the dust jacket as he does with all of his big boy books.

Little Bit is an on the go sort of fella. I sat on the floor and as he cruised past I pointed out the interesting artwork. Little Bit actually came to a stop and looked at the art in Marianne's book. For Little Bit to actually stop and consider something means a whole lot around here. The art work is very appealing to young children and the wonderful words brought a lump to Momma's throat while I was reading it.

We have started a new bedtime routine since ditching the ninny two days ago, can I get an AMEN?!? We have moved over to reading several books and then a Psalm from the Bible. Tonight Papa got to read "I Believe In You" book for the first time. It was so wonderful to hear my husband tell our precious gift from God that he believed in him.

If you have little ones in your home or who come to see you I highly recommend "I Believe In You" by Marianne Richmond. You will not be disappointed in the touching story or the colorful art. Happy reading!

Cooper and Me Review and Giveaway

2011-10-08T19:40:00.000-04:00

"Cooper and Me" is an adorable book. As soon as it came Little Bit and I sat down to read it. He was intrigued by the pictures. This cute book features a little girl who is worried about starting school. She wants to bring her dog Cooper with her to make her feel safe. Little Bit has four doggies but the one in the picture, Peanut is his favorite. I could so see Little Bit trying to take his Peanut with him to ease his fears.

I was intrigued by the illustrations in this book and was surprised to find that an 11 year old girl was the artist. This beautifully written book was co-written by Alexa Peters and her Mommy, Monique. What an incredible family project!

I am so excited that one of my wonderful readers is going to be blessed with their own copy of "Cooper and Me." This is my very first Rafflecopter giveaway so please let me know if something isn't working correctly.

Smash Book

2011-10-07T09:24:00.007-04:00

As all of you know I have been in a year long process of emptying out our office in preparation for our adopted baby. What a monumental task it has been and still is! Pre-Little Bit we both had our own offices. Then when he hit the scene we started sharing an office. Now we have no office. All of those treasured things that I have squirreled away now need to leave or find a new home somewhere in the house. I have done a fair job of letting go of tons of stuff but there are some things that I cling to. One of those things is cards. I have tons of them. I adore cards. It means so much to me when someone gets me one that I never want to let it go.

One of my new favorite haunts is Pinterest. There are so many amazing ideas on the internet and Pinterest let's me organize them into boards as a visual reminder of projects and products I want to try out. Something I had never seen before my Pinterest addiction was a smash book. Basically what you do is take a little journal or composition book and add mementos to it.

I loved this idea and thought it would be a terrific way to consolidate my cards into visually appealing way. I broke out my scissors, Elmer's School Glue, and stole a composition book from Hubs. Here is the end result.

It was so much fun to do! I loved looking at my old cards and then designing a layout for them on the page. I think the next page I try will have some journaling on it. Have you ever heard of a smash book? Do you have a Pinterest addiction? What is the coolest thing you have ever found on Pinterest?

Busy, Busy Day

2011-10-04T20:42:00.003-04:00

What a very busy day we had today. We actually had to set an alarm, gasp! Our feet hit the floor and we started running. The homestudy started promptly at nine. It was a wonderful visit. Lots of reminiscing about my childhood and wonderful memories of how Hubs and I met. Our social worker drank coffee with us and listened to our excitement about bringing a beautiful Ethiopian baby into our home.

After lunch Hubs and I headed to town for our adoption physicals. We had back to back appointments. The nurse asked me "Why aren't you adopting from the United States?" God gave me the words and without a beat I replied because we are all God's children and we are not constrained by borders. Yay God! That lead to a little witnessing on my part, more YAY God!

We zoomed back home. Little Bit had been out with Nana and Pap Pap since this morning and our day was no where near over. I got a call from my Grandma when we got home. She wanted Nick to put new windshield wiper blades on her car. You don't put this stuff off for my Grandma. She is 85 so I figure if she asks we can comply. Nick raced in to Grandma's. Little Bit came home while he was out. I threw together some breakfast for dinner and we shoveled it in.

We threw Little Bit into car and took him to music class. He really enjoyed it and so did I. Hubs not so much but he tried. Then we raced back home where Hubs booted us out of the car and he made his way to the Deacon meeting at Church. Little Bit finally crashed at 8pm. Whew, what a blessedly busy day!

Homestudy in the Morning

2011-10-03T20:30:00.002-04:00

I have been frantic today. Little Bit went out with Nana and Pap Pap at 10 and I cleaned until they brought him home at 3:30. I'm sore and tired but it is all worth it.

I remember the last time I felt compelled to clean with such vigor was when I was pregnant with Little Bit. I am labeling this frantic obsessive scouring of everything within the confines of my house as adoption nesting.

Of course this nesting was inspired by the fact that we have our first homestudy in the morning at 9 am. Is the house as clean as I would have liked? Nope. Is he even here to look over the house? Nope. Did I still take it upon myself to clean it from top to bottom? Yep. Adoption nesting, that's my story and I'm sticking to it.

Best Chocolate Chip Cookies EVER recipe

2011-10-01T11:55:00.002-04:00

I was a baking fool yesterday. One of my beloved Friday night small group bible study folks has cancer. He is an awesome guy with an awesome family. He is facing a stem cell transplant and will not be getting paid during his time off. To help him through this time fundraising is being implemented to fill the gap. This morning there was a bake sale. Hence my baking foolery.

I made two 100% homemade apple pies. I would have made more if I had more flour. I had just a hair under two cups left and I wanted to whip else to donate to the bake sale. I remembered the cookies I had discovered last winter and dug out the recipe. These are thick and chewy yum yum chocolate chip cookies. I must admit that they don't hold over very well though and are best if gobbled up right away. It wont be hard to do it though, trust me!

Ingredients:

2 cups of flour
1/2 teaspoon of baking soda
1/2 teaspoon of salt
12 tablespoons of butter: melted and cooled
1/2 cup of sugar
1 cup of brown sugar
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
2 teaspoons of vanilla
1 1/2 cup of semisweet chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 325 degrees.
2. Combine flour, baking soda, and salt. Then set them aside.
3. Cream the butter and sugar for 1 to 2 minutes. I use my kitchen aid mixer to do this you may have to do it a touch longer with a hand mixer.
4. Beat in the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla for 30 seconds.
5. While your mixer is on add the flour, baking soda, and salt mixture.
5. Bake for 15-20 minutes. Mine did fine at 15 minutes and I think I could have actually put them in for a little less. I wanted them a bit firmer than normal because of bagging them for the bake sale.

Try these. You will thank me or curse me for the wonderful evil thing I have taught you to make. Either way, enjoy!

Lazy Mom Challenge: October is No Fast Food Month

2011-09-29T20:47:00.004-04:00

Stress eating. I do it. Adopting is stressful. Can you guess what I've been doing? I don't just sit at home when I stress eat though. Nope. No sir. I go out and eat. I don't eat cheap fast stuff either. Well I eat that too but I eat at sit down nice places. I think it distracts me.

I believe in God moments. Little signs that God gives me that add up into a big message. Today while I was eating out I read an email about a challenge. A not eating fast food challenge in October. I was intrigued and decided to hop on board but augment it.

For the month of October I will not be eating out. No McDonald's, no Panera, no Thai, no eating out. My waist line will thank me. My wallet will thank me. In fact the money that I normally budget for eating out is going to be re-routed to a stress relieving massage because my arm stopped working a couple of weeks ago. Yep, I stressed so much that I pinched the nerve in my neck.

The good news is that you will all be seeing even more recipes and tutorials because of this. Hubs will be enjoying this because of all the copious amounts of pie in his near future. One must have pie if you cant eat out!

My prayer has been that I will take comfort in the Lord. How about it then folks. Will you join me in this challenge? What would you like me to pray for you about?

#SSCerra: Giving and Recieving

2011-09-28T12:06:00.004-04:00

I got an intriguing email from Cerra that covered the topic of giving. If you are a long time reader of Social Studies Momma you know that giving is near and dear to my heart. Giving is my spiritual gift from God. Nothing makes me light up quite as much as sharing with others.

For a long time I have had the privilege of being in the role of the giver. The one who can bless others through financial gifts and service. Now in the process of adoption I am finding that role reversed. I am on the receiving end and I am learning to get past my pride. With each gift I am learning to be more humble. Learning to joyfully accept that blessing that someone else has been led to give. If God is leading you to help us with our adoption costs you can click this button.

What a wonderful and unexpected lesson learning to be humble is. I am so thankful for my Lord who takes such an interest in me to continually bless me through His lessons. I am also thankful for the Cerra program which is inspiring and challenging me to consider my whole health. To quote from Cerra: "Cerra™ experiences help you be aware of your thoughts and feelings, act with thoughtful intention, and reflect on your experiences, leading to a happier, more balanced life."

What is your spiritual gift? How do you bless others through giving? Have you ever had to be on the receiving end of a gift and learn to humbly accept it?

Adoption Update

2011-09-27T20:44:00.004-04:00

An update on the adoption process. We have filled out the application for the homestudy and are awaiting a date to have the social worker come over. We have also started the dossier paperwork. I spent all day yesterday and today working on gathering information, emailing, and making doctors appointments.

I feel a frantic urgency to complete all of this because we wont even be on the waiting list for a child until this portion is done. This is the one tiny part of the journey that I have control over. With God's will I am all over it!

We are also in the depths of the money pit portion of the process. I would be ever so thankful and blessed if you find it within your means to help us with this process. I have added a "Help Us With Our Adoption" button to the right hand side of the blog.

Blessings,
Amy

Meal Plan Monday

2011-09-26T00:00:00.000-04:00

Monday: Cook a deer and beef roast in the crock pot and make

A. Stew: meat, potatoes, and carrots
B. Fajitas: ,eat, mixed veggies, and rice
C. Chili: meat, beans, veggies on the side

Other options this week:

A. Shrimp with noodles and veggies
B. Homemade Pizza: Dough recipe compliments of my good friend Susannah

"3 cups all-purpose flour
1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon white sugar
1 cup warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)

Directions

Combine flour, salt, sugar, and yeast in a large bowl. Mix in oil and warm water. Spread out on a large pizza pan. Top as desired.
Bake at 375 degrees C (190 degrees C) for 20 to 25 minutes.

I usually let it rest for 10 minutes. Also this makes a lot of dough. I don't know how you like your pizza crust, but this seems to be too much for 1 pizza. We usually spread this out into 2 rectangle pans and have thin crust. Just do it to your taste. If you do make thin crust, you will probably want to adjust your time to around 15 - 20 instead. Sometimes I like to brush with olive oil and garlic before topping with sauce and toppings."

#SSCerra: Cerra Be Aware, Act, and Reflect

2011-09-25T00:00:00.001-04:00

How often do we as Momma's push our own well being to the side? I know that time for myself is the first thing I cross off when money or time are short. When you reflect on the impact that robbing yourself of these moments and activities does to your well being you might just reconsider.

I am so guilty of doing just that. I cut out the things I deem frivolous to cut corners. In the end I am a much grumpier Momma because of it. I was truly blessed to be included in the Cerra Be Aware, Act, Reflect Program. Cerra.com is filled with wondrous products,forums, and moments that's purpose it to revitalize your soul.

As I read through the Cerra Keepsake notes that came with my sample pack I reflected on how these little bits of wisdom can be applied to the Christian life. The very first card is focused on gratitude. It asks you to be aware and think about something that you are grateful for. Then you act on that gratitude by writing out what that moment was and why it was special for you. After you act on your gratitude by acknowledging it then you reflect. The card asks you how writing this down has made you feel.

What a wonderful and thorough writing prompt. If you think on it beyond the scope of this small card you could turn this into a praise journal. What are you grateful to God for? What was it that God did for you? Why was that act special to you? How did it feel to acknowledge God's grace in your life by writing this gift out?

Even though this program is not Christian specific I could immediately see how it is practical and relevant in my life. We as caretakers must turn that care back on ourselves so that we can continue to serve our families. Such an important lesson from such a little box. How do you take care of yourself? Do you keep a gratitude journal? How is God blessing you right now?

*Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a sampler of Cerra products to facilitate my review for this post. I only recommend products that I enjoy. All of the opinions in this post are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255.

"What Is He Thinking??" By Rebecca St. James Giveaway Closed

2011-09-24T00:00:00.001-04:00

I love books and studies that layout a practical approach to implementing the scripture in my life. When we make trips to the Lifeway Store I actively search for books that help me grow as a Christian, mother, wife, and servant. I was blessed to receive a copy of Rebecca St. James' new book "What Is He Thinking??" The subtitle reads: "What guys want us to know about dating, love, and marriage." Intrigued? I certainly was.

Rebecca's new book dares us as women to learn what men are thinking and how to adjust our live in reaction to their thought processes. She uses social media to garner information from both men and women. Then she takes those opinions and applies scripture to them.

I really like the real world approach that Rebecca uses to write this book. It doesn't read like a pastor rebuking you but more like a close sister in Christ gently leading you along.

Another thing I liked about this book is the fact that it is for women in every stage of their journey. It starts with the dating process, takes you through the emergence of love, and ends in the pilgrimage of marriage.

If you would like to learn more about this book you can visit Rebecca on Facebook here and here. She can also be found on Twitter, You Tube, and her website.

Visit Open Book to read the first 10% of the book and Hachette Book Group for a full description of "What Is He Thinking??"

Giveaway: One lucky Social Studies Momma reader is going to win their own copy of "What Is He Thinking" by Rebecca St. James.

Mandatory Entry: Follow me via Google Friend Connect. Please leave your contact information so I can notify you if your the lucky winner. The giveaway will end on October 1st at midnight eastern time and is open to the US.

Bonus Entries: (are NEVER MANDATORY but do increase your chance of winning)

Like me on Facebook

Follow me on Twitter

Follow Rebecca St. James on Facebook

Follow Rebecca St. James on Twitter

Tweet daily and leave the URL. You can hit the little button at the bottom of this post for an easy peezy daily entry!

"Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

Theo Review and Giveaway Closed

2011-09-23T20:09:00.003-04:00

Congratulations to Judy and Sam the lucky winners of Theo DVD's!

As a Momma I want to teach my children about my Lord and Savoir Jesus Christ. It is my daily prayer that my children will have their names written in the book of life. The question for me is how do I share the good news with my Little Bits?

I pray for my children, Hubs and I do a devotional together at breakfast, and we pray before meals. Little Bit is 20 months old and I know that just living with us will expose him. I had been trying to think of ways to introduce doctrine to Little Bit so that he will understand the fundamentals of Christianity and that salvation lies in relying on Jesus who died on the cross for all our sins.

I was blessed enough to receive a copy of Theo to review. This wonderful little cartoon presents important doctrinal issues in cartoon form. Little Bit LOVED the DVD. He squealed and laughed at the characters. I thought the message was very clear and direct. In “Saving Faith” shares the example of faithfulness with the story of Abraham. Abraham was nearly 100 years old and his wife Sarah was in her 80's when God kept his promise and blessed them with a child. Abraham was faithful and rewarded. I found myself smiling and talking to Little Bit about the story after the DVD was over. Theo is a great launching point for theological discussion with young children.

You can buy your own copy of Theo here. You can get a free Theo app for your iPhone or iPad here.

Giveaway: TWO of my wonderful readers are going to be blessed with their very own copies of Theo.

Mandatory Entry: Follow me via Google Friend Connect. Please leave your contact information so I can notify you if your the lucky winner. The giveaway will end on September 30th at midnight eastern time and is open to the US.

Bonus Entries: (are NEVER MANDATORY but do increase your chance of winning)

Like me on Facebook

Follow me on Twitter

Follow Theo on Facebook

Follow Theo on Twitter

Tweet daily and leave the URL. You can hit the little button at the bottom of this post for an easy peezy daily entry!

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.

#NutritionPossible: Centrum Heart Specialist

2011-09-22T11:16:00.004-04:00

Part of my goal to be a healthier person involves a vitamin regimen. I take B12, iron, fish oil, and a multivitamin. Yesterday I ran out of my multivitamin. There is a visible difference in my energy levels when I maintain my vitamin regimen. In fact it's so obvious that Hubs will remind or ask me if I have taken my vitamins for the day. He knows that I am a much happier Momma with them.

When I ran out I knew a trip to Walmart would have to happen that day. I needed a few other random things. The only draw back to the vitamin regime is the cost. Vitamins are expensive. This is a cost that is easy for me to say is to much and cut out. Hubs disagrees. He encourages me to maintain and says the cost is well worth the results. Being a frugalista I checked out if there were any coupons for vitamins. Come to find out Centrum has a new line of vitamins and they are offering a fantastic 3$ coupon for them right now.T printed off the coupon and threw together a list. Then Little Bit and I were off.

There was a nice large display on one of the end-caps at Walmart featuring the new line of Specialist Centrum Vitamins. I liked all of them but settled on the one that targeted Heart health. With my coupon the vitamins were only 6.97 for a 30 day supply. Not to shabby! I normally get prenatal vitamins because I am in my childbearing years but these vitamins already have a large amount of folic acid in there so I felt comfortable trying a different variety. The other varieties of the Specialist line include vision, energy, and prenatal. Next time I want to try Centrum Specialist Energy Multivitamin.

I started the new vitamins this morning and my energy level has been really good so far. Being a Momma is hard work and I certainly need the help of vitamins to get me through. Do you take vitamins? What is your vitamin regimen?

This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias. All opinions are my very own. I really did need some more vitamins and I really do shop according to what coupons I have.

Wordless Wednesday - Painting

2011-09-20T20:53:00.007-04:00

Linking up at: By Word Of Mouth, Mommy Moment, Naptime Momtog, Wordless Wednesday, Mom Vantage

Rodelle Vanilla Beans

2011-09-19T19:40:00.006-04:00

I love coffee. Adore it. I especially love flavored coffee. I buy coffee that is flavored and cream that is flavored to spice up my morning. One thing I had never considered was to flavor my sugar.

Rodelle blessed me with two whole vanilla beans. When I got it I thought how in the world will I use this? The beautiful little package had a small note attached. It was a recipe for vanilla sugar. I was intrigued. Visions of a new way to enjoy coffee sprung to mind.

Two weeks later the process of making the vanilla sugar was complete. Don't let that statement scare you though. It was as simple as splitting the bean with a pairing knife, submerging the bean in the sugar, and placing it in a sealed container. Two weeks later it was ready to use.

It was fantastic. I normally don't take sugar in my coffee in an attempt to limit calories but that sugar was well worth the extra effort I had to put into my walk. Delicious. It just screamed all things fall. Hot coffee and the glorious smell of vanilla.

I am saving that other bean for a day when I am feeling inspired to heat up the oven. You know what is inspiring me beyond the beautiful Virginia weather? The Rodelle Challenge that is coming up very soon. Rodelle challenges you to share your baking moment on their Facebook page. The look at a variety of factors and choose three grand prize winners. One of those lucky ducks is going to get a Kitchen Aid mixer, squeel! What a perfect gift that would be for my Mom. What I would love to have for myself is the yearlong supply of premium Rodelle baking essentials: vanilla beans, baking cocoa, pure vanilla extract, almond/lemon/anise extracts and vanilla sugar. Oh my goodness think of the confections I could make with all that!

*Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a two Rodelle vanilla beans to facilitate my review for this post. I only recommend products that I enjoy. All of the opinions in this post are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255.

Adopting & Adapting

2011-09-18T20:52:00.003-04:00

Guest Post By Ross at Painfully Optomistic

First of all I want to thank Amy for allowing me this opportunity to share my story here with everyone. When I had read Amy’s blog for the first time I saw that they were adopting and I felt that there was almost this instant connection. The reason for this is that my wife and I have adopted two children. We adopted our first daughter Emily from China when she was 19 months old, and our second daughter Katelyn from Ethiopia when she was 6 months old. When you adopt there is a bond between other adoptive parents that is hard to explain. When we adopted for the first time it was very emotional, and you get to know and rely a lot on other adoptive families to help you through the process. Not only do you rely on others but strong friendships get built because you often travel in groups to go get your child. After you’ve come home with your child then you start joining the adoptive circles and more friendships are formed. In 2005 we started our journey to adopt! We traveled halfway around the world to get our daughter in China and knew the first day that we held her, that God had chosen us to be her parents.

Six months after we got home with our first daughter I was diagnosed with a disease called CRPS which caused me to lose function in my left hand and foot. So now not only did we have to deal with a new daughter who didn’t know us, but we had to deal with all of my health issues as well. It really did seem like life was spinning out of control and my wife was forced to go back to work while I stayed at home with our daughter. Up until that point my wife had been the stay at home mom. CRPS is a chronic pain condition so I am in pain all the time. If you want to learn more about my disease and the things that go on day to day then visit my site at http://painfullyoptomistic.com .

Adjustments were needed in order for us to function as a family. Things like picking up my daughter weren’t easy for me so I had to find ways in which to adapt so that I could. I was really sensitive to noise, suffering from chronic headaches. So we had to find ways to work around that with a 1yr old who cried a lot. There are a lot of other issues that came up but all you really need to know is that it took some adaptation in our daily routines with a child. It was a very stressful time in our lives and we relied on God to get us through a lot of hard times. Over time things became a little easier and things just kind of fell into place. I may have had physical challenges but I was going to get around things and be the best father I could be.

In 2007 we decided to go through the whole process again and adopt Katelyn from Ethiopia. We had wanted to go back to China but when starting the process were told that in order to adopt some of the qualifications had changed. In order to adopt you had to have 4 perfectly good working limbs. I was a little angry because who says that if you have a disability you can’t parent a child. Especially when I was already doing a perfectly good job of it! Anyway we then decided to go through Ethiopia and brought home our second child. Having a second child at home made things even tougher to manage with my disability but I knew I could do it. At that point in time I felt like I had to be crazy for doing this all again, but felt that God was calling us to do it.

Often people ask us how we manage to raise two kids and deal with an illness like this. I can honestly say that it’s a family effort and all of us have done our part. At the same time I’d tell people that I wouldn’t change anything. It has been one of if not the most rewarding things I’ve done in my life!

Matchbox Jar

2011-09-16T19:12:00.011-04:00

One of my favorite crafting blogs is Craftaholics Anonymous. She is a crafting genius! When I came across her idea for a matchbox made out of a mason jar I knew I had to try it out.

I gathered up my supplies.

I measured the sand paper, cut it out, and glued it to the jar lid.

I tried striking one of the matches.

It was a no go. My sand paper was to fine so I just glued the side of the matchbox on top of the sandpaper.

Presto!

I have a garden tub that is my daily Momma time out. I keep the matches next to the tub and sometimes they get damp which ruins them. This is the perfect solution and it's pretty to boot!

A Crafters Dream Come True

2011-09-15T13:45:00.003-04:00

Tom morrow is a big day. Why do you ask? My town is having the grand opening of our very first Hobby Lobby. I am beyond excited. I have been bouncing around for weeks in anticipation. My birthday is only a week away. I am convinced God has given me this Hobby Lobby in celebration. My mind races with all of the wonderful things I will be able to create from the treasures within the mythical Hobby Lobby. I know. I am a nerd. It's okay though. Jesus still loves me. Do you have a Hobby Lobby near you? Is it everything I dream it's going to be?

Wordless Wednesday - Pap Pap and His Little Construction Worker

2011-09-14T12:32:00.001-04:00

Linking up at: Wordless Wednesday, Olivia Blue Music,Live and Love Out Loud, Bethere2day, Michelle's Family Journal, Gay NYC Dad, Laugh Quotes, and By Word Of Mouth.

Robert Pierre "I"m All In" Review and Giveaway Closed

2011-09-13T07:10:00.006-04:00

Let me throw something out there before I start this review. I mostly dislike contemporary Christian music. I am a traditionalist and I adore hymns. New music has never moved me the way that those old favorites do.

I was sent a copy of Robert Pierre "I"m All In" to review. I hesitantly accepted because I know my predisposition of not liking this type of music. I listened to the CD and my reservations were confirmed. The music seemed geared toward a much younger audience.

After that assessment I looked over Robert's bio to learn a bit more about him. I found out that he is a high school senior. Ahhhh, that made perfect sense. This music does appeal to a pre-teen/teen crowd.

Not having a pre-teen or teen of my own I happily gave my CD to Miss Olivia. Miss Olivia has just turned 13 and I was quite certain she would have a polar opposite opinion of Robert Pierre's work. A month later I got her stunning review. "I loved it, especially song number 1." Ah teenagers they are so timely and expressive. If you have a young one at home or you are young at heart I think Robert Pierre "I"m All In" will be a fantastic praise CD for you!

Giveaway: One young at heart Social Studies Momma reader is going to win their very own copy of Robert Pierre "I"m All In" for their listening pleasure.

Mandatory Entry: Follow me via Google Friend Connect. Please leave your contact information so I can notify you if your the lucky winner. The giveaway will end on September 20th at midnight eastern time and is open to the US.

Bonus Entries: (are NEVER MANDATORY but do increase your chance of winning)

Like me on Facebook

Follow me on Twitter

Follow Robert Pierre on Facebook

Follow Robert Pierre on Twitter

*Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a copy of Robert Pierre's new album "I'm All In" to facilitate my review for this post. I only recommend products that I or Olivia enjoy. All of the opinions in this post are my own and Olivia's. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255.

Happy Grandparents Day!

2011-09-11T21:52:00.003-04:00

Little Bit is so very blessed to have a doting Nana, Pap Pap, and Grandma. I have been trying to encourage him to make them cards all week. He would much rather throw crayons then color with them. Alas, we were at the zero hour with no cards in hand. Finally this morning I put some finger paint on a plate, dipped his hands in it, and then pressed it unto some white construction paper. I folded the paper in half and wrote a little message inside. Nana and Pap Pap live next door so that one was delivered by Momma this evening. Little Bit could not make an appearance due to a short nap and a bad attitude. Grandma lives several hours away so her card will be mailed in the morning. How do you and your children honor Grandparents Day?

Dreaming of Vacation

2011-09-10T18:01:00.001-04:00

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Kalahari® Resorts for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

Fall is my favorite time of the year. While most people long for a summer getaway I pine for one in the fall. Now that Little Bit is getting bigger I think a family vacation is in order. Where do you take a 19 month old? Kalahari Resort in Sandusky Ohio would be a fantastic choice!

There are so many great amenities at Sandusky Kalahari Resort. The Safari Adventures Animal Park would be the first thing we would visit. After checking out all the critters we would have to recharge our energy by visiting the Candy Hut. Then we would skip over to Pottery Pizzazz where Little Bit and I could make our own pottery souvenir to take home. Treetop Play would be a must visit. An indoor playground with crawl throughs and a maze sounds to good to pass up. This is just a sampling of all the amenities!

The fun doesn't stop with all the fabulous amenities though. There is an indoor water park with over 500,000 gallons of water. Wowee. Little Bit is like a fish in water so I know he would love this. The lazy river would be so much fun with Little Bit in my lap and Hubs by my side. It makes me smile just thinking about it. That is just one of the many features of the water park. There are a ton. Something fun for everyone.

This resort is only a six hour drive from our house and I am itching to go. You know what makes it even more enticing? You can enter to win a free stay at a Kalahari Resort by commenting or tweeting. Check out the contest here. I encourage you all to keep up with exciting happenings of Sandusky Kalahari Resort on Facebook and Twitter.

Bible Poverty

2011-09-08T11:13:00.004-04:00

When I first read the phrase "Bible Poverty" I thought, huh? We have so many Bibles in our home. We have hard bound Bibles, soft covered Bibles, and electronic Bibles. We have Bibles in many different translations. I can easily choose any version of the Bible in english through the iPad, computer, or Kindle. Thinking about the term Bible poverty seemed a bit ridiculous to me.

I went to OneVerse.org to see what exactly they meant by Bible poverty. What it boils down to is power. People in power throughout the world want to limit the spread of the Truth. God's word tells us that there is a higher power than the ruling elite. That there are commandments not to kill, steal, and rape. That these actions are wrong and sinful. That there is hope in one almighty God.

As I looked at the website I came across a map. A map of the world that indicated how many people have no scriptures translated into their own language. My eyes went straight to Africa. Africa is where we are adopting from. I sit here and think of my Little Bitty Bit. I wonder if her birth Mommy has ever heard of God. If this woman has ever wrapped her fingers around a Bible. If her eyes have ever seen the truth. As I think about the horrifying possibility this is the reality of her life. A woman who lives in destitute poverty and knows no hope. My heart breaks and the tears are evidence of the pain I feel for her.

What can I do then? I can give. Give financially, through prayer, and education. I can love her child. I can teach her child about the wonders of our almighty God and His son who saved us all through His death on the cross. I am so thankful to have learned about Bible poverty. Thankful that now I can help. Thankful that I can pray. Thankful for the ability to give financially. Thankful that I can educate my children. Thankful.

Wordless Wednesday - Family Photo

2011-09-07T11:07:00.004-04:00

This is our family Christmas photo from 2010. We used it as our profile picture on the adoption application.

Linking up at: Wordless Wednesday, Olivia Blue Music,Live and Love Out Loud, Bethere2day, Michelle's Family Journal, Gay NYC Dad, Laugh Quotes, and By Word Of Mouth.

God's Timing And Going To One Car

2011-09-06T19:25:00.004-04:00

God's timing is something that I have always struggled with. I am a jump in with both feet sort of gal. This process of adopting our Little Bitty Bit is certainly a lesson in being mindful of God's timing.

Hubs job has been in a bit of limbo over the last few months. The government agency he contracts for is moving to a whole different part of the state. We were not moving. By God's grace at literally the last hour his contract was signed and he will now be teleworking full time.

Teleworking means many things. It means a more happy and rested Hubs which I am very thankful for. It also means freeing up a whole lot of income. We are now in a position to sell one of our cars. If we are both at home there is no need to have two vehicles. Selling the car will free us of a car payment, added insurance money, extra taxes, maintenance on the second vehicle, and extra gas money. Tons of cash.

Earlier this week we paid the application fee for the adoption which was $350. Now we are filling out another set of paperwork. We have to submit $2500 with this set of paperwork. Today we filled out lots of papers and listed our car for sale on Facebook, Craigslist, and a local paper.

By the grace of God we have this asset available to liquidate so that we can bring home Little Bitty Bit. I am in awe of how all of these things so beautifully align. Fall perfectly into place and all by the design of my maker. I am so richly blessed.

The ABC's of Me

2011-09-05T19:59:00.005-04:00

Amy, that's my name.

Bible, the best book out there!

Christian and proud of it!

Dogs, I have four of them.

Ethiopia, where my Little Bitty Bit is coming from.

Foodie. I will try anything once and I love to eat.

God, my number one man!

Home, I love my little house.

Introvert. I like to be social but I must have alone time.

Jittery. I don't fare well with more than a little bit of caffeine.

Kind. This one is from Hubs.

Little Bit. My baby boy.

Momma to one Little Bit and soon to be Momma to a Little Bitty Bit via adoption.

Naptime, designated me time.

Overweight. Probably because of being a foodie.

Pork sandwiches. The lunch we have most every weekend thanks to the bbq truck down the road.

Quarrelsome, at least that's what Hubs might say.

Rest. I really like to be rested.

Sushi, it's my favorite food.

Teacher. Formally public school soon to be homeschool!

Ungraceful. I have a talent for falling down.

Vertically challenged.

Walking. My time to praise God and work on offsetting that foodie problem.

Xtreme couponer. Well I used to be but it was to much work. I do know how to do it though.

Yellow is my favorite color.

Zoo's are some of my favorite places to visit.

image source: voiceboks

Adoption Application Submitted

2011-09-04T19:39:00.002-04:00

Hubs and I just finished filling out our adoption application. We have picked Christian World Adoption for our agency. Tears were shed and prayers whispered. This was such a powerful and emotional act for me. We are really moving forward. After so many years of knowing that God wants me to adopt and now it is coming to fruition.

I am asking for prayer. I am a huge believer in God's amazing grace through the outcry of His people. Prayer for our baby out there in the world. That she (or he) will be safe, cared for, and well fed while she waits to come home to us. Prayers for patience for Hubs and I. Prayers for reliance on God for the funds to finance this process. For open hearts from surrounding family and friends as we bring home a beautiful baby to our family. Thank you all so much for stepping up to be prayer warriors for my family. It means so much more than you will ever know.

Blessings,
Amy

Winner, Winner, Chicken Dinner!

2011-09-04T13:13:00.002-04:00

The winner for the My Memories Suite Digital Scrapbooking Software is lucky number 52, Kimberly! Congratulations Kimberly I know you are going to have hours of fun with this software :D

Apple Pie with Buttermilk Crust

2011-09-01T19:14:00.008-04:00

I live in apple country and I love to bake. Those two things mean that I can make a mean apple pie. It has taken me years to perfect my crust. As Hubs will tell you apple pie is all about the crust and the proper amount of cinnamon.

First you need some really fresh apples. I like to use crisp and sweet apples. Some of my favorites are fuji and pink ladies. To be honest I just cant remember what kind of apples these are but they were crisp, sweet, and green. Peel your apples and then you need to cut the core out. After than slice your apples into thin pieces so that they will bake well.

After I finish prepping the apples I start on the dough and turn on the oven to 425. For the crust mix together two cups of all purpose flour and a teaspoon of salt. After that cut in 2/3 cup of shortening and three tablespoons of butter. I do this with a fork. Be careful not to over work your dough. This is the real trick to making awesome dough. Next put in two teaspoons of vegetable oil and 1/3 cup of buttermilk (I make buttermilk with a teaspoon of white vinegar and whole milk). I mix in the last two ingredients with my hands. I find it the best way not to overwork my dough. This will make the dough for one normal sized pie pan or two crusts for tin foil pans. I normally wouldn't suggest using the tin foil pans but I was taking these pies to the meal ministry and I didn't want to bother with having to retrieve my pans. Roll out your dough on a floured surface. Fold the dough in half and then in half again to easily place it in your pan.

Next go back to your apples. Add 2/3 cup of sugar, 1/4 cup of flour, as much cinnamon as you enjoy (I normally use 3 tablespoons because Hubs LOVES cinnamon), 1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg, a dash of salt, and a couple of tablespoons of butter to your apples. Stir it all together and spoon it into your pie crust. Put the second half of the dough on top of your apples. Make some slits in the dough for venting.

Put some tin foil on just the edges of your pie crust but be sure to take it off 15 minutes before the pie is done. Bake your pie for 40-50 minutes and enjoy some super fresh homemade apple pie!

Upromise Can Help My Dreams Come True!

2011-09-01T10:01:00.001-04:00

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of UPromise. All opinions are 100% mine.

My dream for Little Bit is that he grow up to be a strong man of God. I pray that he will grow to love the Lord. I pray that his path will lead him to a good education. That he will humbly use his education to serve others and love his neighbor as himself. I also pray that along this journey he finds a Godly woman to marry and have me a hoard of beautiful grandchildren. That is my dream for Little Bit.

That dream is fueled by a college education. In order for Little Bit to be a good servant he must make his way in the world. Today you absolutely must have an education to do that. Let's face it though, college is expensive. Coming out of school with a $500 a month student loan payment seriously hinders a person's ability to be a fruitful giver.

To offset this burden Hubs and I do simple things to help Little Bit when the time comes to pay for college. One of those things is a Upromise account. When I buy things with the card that my Upromise account is linked to money is set aside for Little Bit. If that is not awesome enough they are celebrating their 10 year anniversary by giving away a total of 20,000 dollars to parents who share their dream for their child.

The first paragraph of this post is my dream that I shared on Upromise. I highly encourage you to join me and share your dream for your Little Bits. Get inspired by others stories and vote for the ones that you like the most. Let's all band together to encourage and get excited about sending our future servants to college!

Visit www.upromisetodream.com to submit your dream and don't forget to check the dream wall official rules page while your there.

Momma and Little Bit Date Day

2011-08-31T20:15:00.006-04:00

Today Little Bit and I had a nice little date. After his nap we headed out to our favorite restaurant. It is an itty bitty hole in the wall Thai joint. Little Bit enjoyed some panko chicken strips, broccoli, and rice while Momma got to nosh on oh so yummy sushi. The little Thai place is in a place called the walking mall. It is a historic area in our town and it is breathtaking any time of the year.

Little Bit got treated to two new pairs of shoes today. He wasn't nearly as excited about it as Momma was. After that we went to the Discovery Museum for some play time. We ended our special day by going to Starbucks. Iced coffee for Momma and cookies for Little Bit. Even though I am a stay at home Momma these date days are still very special. They are a wonderful break from the everyday routine. Do you have special date days with your Little Bits? What fun things do you do to let them know their special?

Wordless Wednesday - Apples

2011-08-30T20:44:00.004-04:00

Linking up at: Wordless Wednesday, Olivia Blue Music,Live and Love Out Loud, Bethere2day, Michelle's Family Journal, Gay NYC Dad, Laugh Quotes, and By Word Of Mouth.

Are You Ready For Some.....

2011-08-29T21:01:00.003-04:00

Fall is my favorite time of the year perhaps because I was born on the first official day of fall. All of my favorite things happen around this time of the year. Everything sort of settles in. The temperature drops and the humidity heads back south. The days grow shorter and the leaves turn gorgeous colors. The fair comes around. Actually it is this week and I always think of it as the start of fall. There are wonderful festivals most every weekend. Of course the most wonderful thing of all... FOOTBALL! The college teams charge the fields on Saturdays and on Sundays the pros duke it out. I love fall and I am so very glad it is that wonderful time of year once again! What is your favorite time of the year? Are you a crazed football fan as well? Who do you root for?

My Memories Review, Giveaway, and Coupon Code! Closed

2011-08-25T19:37:00.008-04:00

The winner for the My Memories Suite Digital Scrapbooking Software is lucky number 52, Kimberly!

One of my favorite hobbies is scrapbooking. I love this hobby because it lets me preserve family memories and express my creativity. I have seen software to aid me but I have never tried them before. I always wrote them off as to difficult for me to use. I also feared that they would hinder my ability to be creative.

When My Memories offered my the chance to review their software I was curious to see if my fears would be justified. I easily installed the digital scrapbooking software onto my laptop. I fired it up and dove right in. At first I was a little intimidated by all of the options. Once I really looked at it I found that everything was laid out very systematically on My Memories suite. I was able to quickly add photos to a page, move the elements around, choose embellishments, and tons of other scrappy goodies. Here is the page that I created on my second time using scrapbook software.

I trend toward simple designs where the pictures tell the story. I like a small amount of journaling but not so much that it distracts you from the images. I think it looks pretty terrific and it was really easy to do. Even though it was all made digitally I still feel as though I have "created" something.

Coupon Code: Go here and use this coupon code, STMMMS42641, to get 10$ off your order!

Giveaway: One lucky winner is going to win the same software I received, My Memories Suite Digital Scrapbooking Software. The giveaway will end on September 3rd at midnight eastern time and is open worldwide.

Mandatory Entry: Visit My Memories and tell me your favorite layout.

Bonus Entries: (are NEVER MANDATORY but do increase your chance of winning)

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*Disclosure of Material Connection: I received My Memories Suite Digital Scrapbooking Software to facilitate my review for this post. I only recommend products that I enjoy. All of the opinions in this post are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255.

Weight Loss and Choices

2011-08-25T10:35:00.008-04:00

I have been on a lifestyle revamp for about three months now. I am not calling it a diet because this is the new me. My new way of living. I have been walking 4-6 times per week for a little over three months now. I am happy to say that it is now a habit. I adore my walks which is a big change from the mindset I had three months ago.

Now I have several other things I need to makeover. One is consistently taking my vitamins. I feel much better when I take them. I just need to remember to take them. I have a horrible case of Momma brain and this has been much harder to implement than it should be.

The second thing I need to focus on is improving my eating. I am a foodie. I adore baking and eating out. Those two things make for a dangerous combination when attempting to become a healthier person.

One thing I have learned on this journey is that it is not all or nothing. I have lost nine pounds and many inches. I am so pleased with that. I am loosing even if it is ever so slow. I thank God every day for the ability to move and worship while I walk.

While I am in the process of readjusting my eating I am learning to make healthier choices. I was blessed enough to receive some coupons for the new McDonald's Premium Chicken Sandwiches. I know me. I know I will eat out. What I have to think about is a better choice. The Classic Grilled Chicken Sandwich has 350 calories, whole wheat buns, and reduced sodium. Definitely a better choice than a burger or chicken nuggets.

I went out grocery shopping and decided to try it out. Normally with these types of chicken sandwiches I am still pretty hungry so I opted for fries with it. I really wish I had gotten a side salad instead. The sandwich was so filling I ended up throwing away half of the medium fries!

Here I am steadily plugging along the path of a healthy body temple. "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." Philippians 4:13

Are you on a weight loss journey? How is it going for you? Have you tried the McDonald's Premium Chicken Sandwiches? What did you think of them?

*Disclosure of Material Connection: I received coupons for McDonald's Premium Chicken Sandwiches to facilitate my review for this post. I only recommend food that I enjoy. All of the opinions in this post are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255.

Wordless Wednesday - Farmer Boy

2011-08-24T11:49:00.019-04:00

Want to make your own virtual scrapbook page? Go here and use this coupon code, STMMMS42641, to get 10$ off your order!

Linking up at: Wordless Wednesday, Olivia Blue Music,Live and Love Out Loud, Bethere2day, Michelle's Family Journal, Red Lotus Mama, Gay NYC Dad, and Laugh Quotes.

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