Update

Right now we are in Michigan on vacation. I am on my husband's laptop, so I don't really have much that I can share at the moment.
We got some great pictures, but those will have to wait until we get home. We plan on leaving Sunday, and being home Monday night sometime.

Until then Have a Happy New Year!

Christmas Decorations At Our House

Welcome to a tour of our home at Christmas time. Above is the picture that I used on our Christmas cards. Believe it or not, I only had to take one picture. The kids behaved beautifully! :) Our front door... A wreath I made in our MOPS group last year....
Poinsettias in a snowman flower pot...
A snowman wind sock....
And the front of our home. Simple candles in each window. Not too much fancy stuff going on. Still, I feel like it is warm, inviting and Chrismissy. :)
Walk in the front door and you will see...

Our Piano with a ginger bread ice skating pair. Also....
a Crystal hurricane lamp with a white candle and some cranberries between the candle and glass. In the background, the clock and the tree.

An advent calendar...
Our tree strung with cranberries and popcorn, white lights, and meaningful ornaments.

An Ornament that belongs to Sweetie.
Next to the tree is my shelf that I have up year round. Add a poinsettia and some pine needles and it makes it look like Christmas.
On the coffee table an advent wreath that I made one year. We always forget to do it though. ;-)
And a nativity scene. It always gets rearranged by some aspiring interior decorators that live here. :)
On the end table next to our couch. A real pine bough with pine cones, and Apple Pie candle in the center. Walk into our kitchen and see our table.
A plastic plaid tablecloth, that goes really well with my furniture. And a center piece with two candles.The Center Piece is made from a milk glass bowl on top of a doily. Inside the bowl are sliver Christmas tree ornaments balls. Real Pine bough sprigs are stuck around the bowel. Some Cranberries to fill in the cracks.
There are red candles in crystal Christmas Candle Holders next to the center piece

In the kitchen, colored lights adorn the tops of my cabinets. Thank you for visiting! :)
To see more Homes decorated for Christmas please visit Boo Mamas.

*PS. When I post this as a direct link to my post about this on Boo Mama's , it is hard to see my "post a comment" link. Just move your mouse over where it is supposed to be, and you will see it. People have told me that they have a hard time seeing it, but I have been so busy, I haven't had time to figure out how to fix it. So please forgive me. :)

All Dolled Up

Last Night was My husband's work Christmas Party. This is the first time that my husband and I have purposely tried to match each other. :) It was alot of fun shopping with DH trying to help him find the right shirt and tie.
The party was held at some fancy hotel; but the food wasn't five star that's for sure. But it was still tasty enough! This party was very fun, because we played games to win raffle tickets to win some great prizes.

My husband did well, because we won three prizes. One of which was this bike! However there is a story behind how he got this bike, because it wasn't the original prize that he won.
There were five groupings of prizes. My husband put all, so he thought but one of the raffle tickets into a group of prizes that had a video camera. That was what he was going to try to win. The other ticket he put in for this bike which was the last grouping of gifts.

Well, we won something from the group of prizes that the video camera was in. Guess what it was!???? A $100 gift certificate to a spa. Guess what I get! A whole *hour* of deep tissue massage. My husband was happy with that prize, because I kill his hands when he gives me a massage. Of course I will be getting a lady to do the massage. ;-)

The next grouping of prizes, DH told me he didn't put any tickets in the box. So we were waiting until the group of prizes with the bike. We were enjoying seeing what everyone was winning. Then the XBOX 350 was next in line. This was a *highly* coveted prize. *EVERY* man, it seemed wanted this. The number was called, and I was looking around seeing who would win. All of the sudden my husband got up, and walked up there! I was like, "Where is he going?" He won the XBOX! He tells me he does *not* remember putting his ticket in that grouping. I guess he did though somehow. And that is what he won!

So as we sat there discussing his prize didn't know what he was going to do with it, because our TV is so small. And he likes computer games mostly. He said he didn't need another time waster either.

When the bike came up, we looked at our tickets, but another man got it. But when he went and got it, he yelled out, This bike has J's name on it! So J went over to him and traded the XBOX for the bike, *and* guess what else?.........

1/2 karat diamond earrings!!!!

We really came up on top with our winnings. I wish I could post a picture of the earrings, but I can't get a good close up of them. Wow, real diamond earrings! I am soo excited. I am not a big jewelry person. But I like simple elegance; and that is exactly what these earrings portray!

It was a very fun evening!

Wordless Wedesday~Sometimes As Mom, you need to be inovative...

For More Wordless Wednesday Pictures, visit here! :)

Posting Comments

Several people commented and told me that they were having a hard time finding the comment link on my page when I post a "permalink".

I am very new with playing with HTML codes, and I don't really know how to fix the color on that. Can someone guide me as to how to do that?

Also, I haven't been able to visit around my favorite blogs like I would like to because I am really busy with preparations of Christmas. I was up til 2:00am last night making pajamas for the kids. I still have to finish them today.

I also have to make a tepee and and two quilts with matching pillow cases. These are Christmas gifts for my kids. I am trying to be less commercial in my gift giving with the kids this year. If I get those things done, there are a couple of other sewing projects that I would like to do before Christmas. If they don't get done, it is no big deal, but I would really like to.

So I am afraid that visiting all my blogging friends will be sparse. I will try to stop and visit, but the time that I usually spend reading blogs, will be spent in sewing. It might be quiet around here for awhile. :)

Christmas Tree

Since being married this is our first *real* tree. I think one year I bought one in a pot but it was much more little than this one.

I asked my husband to get down our Christmas things, and he couldn't find our tree. I had promised the girls that we would decorate for Christmas that day, so I wasn't sure what to do. While running errands I saw some small trees on the road side Christmas tree stands.

We pulled over, I got all the kiddos out and told the girls I would buy one if I could find one for $15 or $20. I looked around and the cheapest I could find was $30. I just couldn't bring myself to spend that much.

When the man came over I asked him if he had any trees for $20. He very nice and he went to look for one in his surplus. When he came back, he said, "I'll find you one." He then grabbed one of the $30 trees and I paid $20 for it.

This tree is about the same size as our fake one; it sits on top of our end table. But it is so nice to have a real tree this year. It smells soooo good!

Funny thing is, when I went to search for my Christmas wreath for the front door, I found our fake tree. Oh well. ;-) I am enjoying our real one this year!

We went to Wal-Mart, and I looked at their real trees, and their small ones were around $25 to $30, so I did beat Wal-Mart's price!

For more money saving Ideas click on the button on the top of my post.

June Hannah

I am kind of late getting up my show and tell today. Things are kind of busy around here. I also had company from a good family friend come last night and we have been talking and visiting. :)

Today I would like to show you my *original* Cabbage Patch Doll. This was my ninth birthday present. Ever since the first time I had visited The Baby Land General Hospital in Cleveland Georgia, I had so wanted to adopt my very own *original* Cabbage Patch Doll.

This little girl is named June Hannah. She was born on June 9th, 1990. So she is now 17 years old. ;-) The funny thing is that my first born was born on June 9th, so they share the same birthday. :)

Adopting a baby from the Baby Land General Hospital is quite an experience, and I vividly remember adopting June Hannah. First you go into the waiting room of the hospital and tell the nurse that you would like to Adopt a baby. She will take you through all the rooms showing all the babies available for adoption. She then informed us that there were many Cabbages in labor at the moment, and we could wait for one and watch one be be born.

That is what I decided to do, because I thought it would be exciting to watch a baby being *born*.

Pretty soon it was announced that a mother cabbage was in labor and that she was six leaves dilated. ;-) The nurse was working on the cabbage and pretty soon she a a full ten leaves, and out came June Hannah.

After she was born she was taken to the nursery to be cleaned up. I got to watch this process as well. The nurse "cleaned" her up, put a diaper on her, a T-shirt, a baby hat, and then wrapped her in this cabbage leaf blanket that you see her in now.

I was then given my June Hannah, and we headed into an office and signed the adoption papers. I took a pledge that I would always take care of her. Then we went into the gift shop where there was all sorts of things for sale to help take care of her. I bought her some more diapers and an outfit.

I named her June, because she was born in June, and Hannah which was name that mom liked and she convinced me that I should name her Hannah. :) I like the name Hannah to this Day. I have met many Hannah's since then and they have all been wonderful people. :)

There are rumors that Cabbage Patch Dolls are not *safe* toys for children. If you know what kind of rumors I am talking about, I am just not sure if it is true or not. Sometimes I wonder if people make a bigger deal about things than they should or not. If you don't know what I am talking about, comment about it, and leave me away to contact you and I will explain. Otherwise it is best to not invoke arguments over. ;-)

If you would like to know more about Baby Land General Hospital, click here. It is kind of fun to read about.

To see what others are showing and telling about, click on the button above my post. Have a wonderful day!

Treating Fevers

I am going to probably delve into a controversial topic here. But this is what *I* do and what works for *me*. That is why I am writing about it in Works For Me Wednesday. :)

I am an unconventional mommy when it comes to treating my children's sickness. I believe that the mom and dad have the ultimate responsibility for taking care of their children and their health. Which I believe means, they should inform themselves as much as they are able on how to care for their children during sickness.

I have chosen the topic of fevers because this is where I seem to get a lot of raised eyebrows over, so I thought that maybe if I gave some information about it, some would understand where my husband and I are coming from.

When my child shows sign of sickness, and a fever begins, I do not rush to the medicine cabinet and bring out the Tylenol. I went to an MD who told me that the fever is the bodies natural way of fighting the sickness that the child is dealing with. Bringing the fever down for the sake of bring the fever down can actually prolong the sickness.

Instead, I should try to find out what the sickness *is* and treat the sickness not the fever. Sometimes it is a cold, so I will give vitamin C, an herbal formula made especially for children etc. If the fever is climbing, a tepid bath brings the fever down for awhile and tends to make the child feel a bit more comfortable.

Also, I make sure that my children get *plenty* of fluids during the fever. Mine like Pedalite or Gatorade. ;-)

There have been times where I have used Tylenol. When the fever reaches about 103 I will give some Tylenol; and this is usually at night so they can sleep better. The high temps seem to climb during the night or during resting periods for some reason.

Many people get scared, thinking that a high fever will cause the child's brain to fry. There is a certain point where that *can* happen, but it is usually a serious disease that would cause a fever to go high enough to do that.

Children who have problems with seizures anyway, are more likely to have problems with a high fever. But if the child is acting "normal" such as talking coherently, crying and whining, and showing signs of *life* the fever is probably best left alone.

When Sweetie had the flu one year at 19 months, her fever got high enough for me to use Tylenol, and I could tell she *needed* it. Tepid Baths were not working, and she would just lay there staring off into space. Once she had the Tylenol she started acting like herself.

I would like to quote Shonda Parker on Fevers. Shonda Parker wrote a book called Mommy Diagnostics, which is a great reference tool in treating your children during a sickness naturally. Her are her thoughts about it:

"Fever and Fever Reducers

Since I am NOT a physician and not the child’s mother, I could never make the decision as to what you should do for your child. Choosing family herbal care is choosing to self-diagnose and self-medicate unless medical attention is needed. Now, it’s also hard without information to be able to make those kinds of decisions. What has the Parker family done in regard to this issue? Two of my children, my boys, have had febrile seizures. I believe this is due to some protective mechanism for their body that God has given them, and yes, when you abruptly change a child’s temperature status, a febrile seizure can result. With both boys, I’ve allowed the fever to rise until 103 degrees (when they are under 2 years of age), then I choose to treat with Tylenol if all of my natural fever measures are not helping. For my older children, I let the fever go as long as they are not miserable. I am always treating with herbs, vitamins, physical medicine, etc. If they are in extreme pain, I choose a pharmaceutical that I’m comfortable with.
Tylenol can be toxic to the liver. I choose to use milk thistle any time Tylenol is used in this house. I NEVER use Tylenol (acetaminophen) if I have previously given any alcohol tinctures or extracts to myself or my family. Tylenol mixed with alcohol, in any amount, is a risky measure – people have died from the combination.
The herbs I use are a combined product of peppermint, yarrow and elderberry as well as feverfew (Yummy Yarrow and Elderberry). In known bacterial infections, I also use white willow. I’m a little uncomfortable using white willow bark during viral infections in children.
I do not use homeopathic remedies. The system of homeopathic medicine would require me not to use my herbs if I were going to use it the way it was intended. I like my herbs and am unwilling to give them up."

Anyway, this is what Works For *Me*. Like Shonda said, I am not a doctor, and it is up to the parent to decide what is best for their child. I am not against using Tylenol to treat fevers, but I don't jump to use it whenever my child has a fever either. So that is what Works For Me. :)

My suggestion with this writing this post, is to inform yourself. A lot of people seem to blindly follow the doctor. And while I believe doctors are wonderful. ( I have used them when my child has been sick) I also think parents should inform themselves and be knowledgeable as possible when it comes to their children's health.

My recommendation is to buy Shonda Parker's Mommy Diagnostics. This is a great place to start to learn how to begin treating your children with home remedies. The book also gives you much encouragement and confidence in your abilities as your child's mother to learn how to effectively treat your children when they are sick.

For More Works For Me Wednesday Tips, please click on the button at the beginning of my post. Have a wonderful day! :)

*disclaimer: I am not a doctor, and I am not telling you that this is what you need to do to treat your child. As a parent please be responsible in *your* own parenting decisions. Thank you! :)

Wordless Wednesday~ Friends

For More Wordless Wednesday Pictures, please visit here.

One other Thing

I am not living Afghanistan! LOL! I just randomly choose that country for who knows what. And my profession is different than what it says too. :)

I was just being silly. I want to keep some privacy and anonymity in this interent world. :)


Sorry if I misled anyone. ;-)

Uh..We Have a *Slight* Problem. (Sigh)

Yesterday, Bean comes running through the house with her tutu and said, "Mommy, look what we found in your closet! TUTU TUTUS!!!!

Both were wearing part of their Christmas presents I was planning on for them.

Later on I told Sweetie that they were going to be a surprise and that I was going to wrap it up in Christmas paper and give it her. She said, "Oh, don't worry, it will still be a surprise. " In a matter of fact way. (yeah right!)

Oh well, at least I know that they really liked them. Right away, after their discovery, they began to play act Angelina the Ballerina.

*On a side note. Thank you *everyone* for the compliments on my new blog's looks. :)

Christmas Blog Look

Here is the template that I played around with and came up with this Christmas Blog look. How do you like it? I am still working on it a bit. I lost a lot of stuff, when I made the switch. Nothing important. Just stuff that blogger calls widgets. Now I need to remember which websites I had listed. I posted the ones that I most frequent, but there are others that I need to remember.

I need to go to bed. It is past 2:00am! Yikes! Goodnight. :)