Monday, August 29, 2011

Mini Cornucopias


Here's what you'll need...
• Fruit shaped candy (like Runts)
• Sugar cones
• Plastic baggie
• Small piece of ribbon or yarn
• Knife
• Scissors 

Here's how you make them...1. With a knife cut the ends off of your sugar cones. 

2. Fill the corner of the baggie with fruit candy. 

3. Put your sugar cone into the corner of the baggie, scooping up some candy as you go. If your cornucopia doesn't look like how you want it, arrange the candy from outside the bag.4. Tie a ribbon around the baggie at thebottom of the cone. If you want to make these into name cards for a dinner table just cut out a small piece of fall colored paper, write the name, and thread onto the ribbon before you tie it.
If you like these cornucopias, but don't want to eat them or wrap them in a baggie, you can always just glue the fruit into the cone



Saturday, August 13, 2011

Mom Fears



We prepare for natural disasters and economical collapses, but what prepares us for our worst mom fears? How can we prepare ourselves mentally and emotionally for kidnappings? We can spray the house for spiders and cockroaches, but we can't spray for child molesters or cancer. Mom fears are the worst fears.



We hear about them on the news, children who are abducted or molested. We hear about sick children who need surgery, or who won't make it to their next birthday. Every single one of these things can be found on most moms' list of worst fears. Personally, I fear that I will fail my children as a mother. That I will not teach them properly, that I will not love them enough or pay enough attention. I fear that I won't emotionally support them when they really need me to be there for them. How am I supposed to prepare for that? Where is my mommy manual when I need it?!
I love my children, I would do anything for them and I want to protect them from all evil and wrong. Sometimes, though, it's not something we can control. Hearts can be broken, and sure, mom can be there to offer a shoulder to cry on, but what if we're "too busy"? There's another fear - that I'll be too busy with something to notice my child.
Motherhood is just one big paranoia, isn't it? Do we really have to carry a child, birth said child, and then watch them grow up to be adults? No one told me that once I became a mother, so many things would make me fearful.
What are your worst fears as a mom?

Wednesday, May 4, 2011

Right Now...

I realize that I haven't been posting like I have said I was going to many days ago. But the night I was going to post I was awaken by my phone going off telling me that we were under a tornado warning and three of them heading toward my home. I gathered the kids and the document box and binder and left for Erica's. She's just out of the hospital and had heard we were having storms. The power went out while we were there and there were sicking pops that could be heard all around. After it was clear we went out and there were trees down everywhere. We have to push Courtney's (my little cousin) car out of the mud. And cut through trees to move them so I could go check on my home. I still had power when I got here. I just had a few limbs down but the little town of Coaling that I had to drive through was devastation. It was so sad because complete houses were gone.
I went back to Erica's about one o'clock. I had a good stock of diapers and Gerber food. Erica's house was already running by generators. We decorated and put out snacks for the kids knowing the weather was not over. And it wasn't. After taking a small nap myself with my little baby I woke up to the kids playing and James Spann's voice.


And the town I moved to when I first came here was destroyed after protecting my children. I couldn't stop staring at the screen.Hearing that its destroyed a street I was very familiar with just made me feel numb. I messaged everyone that wasn't with me and made sure they were okay and safe.


After seeing this I am very surprise to see that people are alive. People walked out of building that had become nothing. But destruction had taken over the town. Thursday I stayed with Erica cleaning up her yard and home. Friday I was helping through different locations.
Here are the videos that really got to me and I have been helping every since.











My prayers go out to the victims, the families of the victims, the injured, the missing, the people that lost their homes and jobs. I have donated many materials, bought four tshirts for myself and many for my family, wristsbands, and magnets. Much of my time has been spent going to different shelters, boxing things up and doing whatever I am asked to do.

Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Kids television

I let my 3 year old cousin watch an episode of Spongebob Squarepants today. I found it incredibly inappropriate at times. It was funny to me, but I'm an adult. I don't think I'd want him to watch it even if he was 9. The show is actually one of the least offensive cartoons on Nickelodeon, Disney and Cartoon Network.
I was raised very conservatively so maybe it's just the strict standards I was raised with that has affected my judgement on this. Is it just me or is there a lot of too adult, inappropriate content in the average kid's cartoon now?
I allow my toddlers to watch Nick Jr. or PBS kids (only one hour a day) that is geared towards toddlers and has very little offensive content. But what about when they're older? I'm rethinking letting them watch kid's programming at all when they outgrow the younger shows.
If these networks won't put anything disgusting or offensive in their toddler programming, why do they have to saturate children's programs with it? When I was a kid, which was in the 80's, we had a lot of cartoons that were not grotesque at all.
Some of it was mildly violent (Tom & Jerry, Roadrunner & Wile Coyote) but very little of it was just tasteless stupidity or crude. Most of it was solving mysteries or fighting against the forces of evil. Even the funny ones back then didn't have that much low brow humor. Some of them were funny without having to go there.
Are my standards ridiculous or are there other moms out there who don't appreciate the entertainment that is being offered to our children?

Monday, April 18, 2011

Easter Basket for the kids


So I have already finished Diana and Peter's Easter baskets. Diana is receiving a Melissa and Doug outdoor sets. Peter's basket has a Mr. Potato head. Esme's basket is going to have a guinea pig.

Diana loves the flowers and being outdoors. She loves having the new house and we have been planning on what we are going to plant and grow. Its very interesting to getting to know her.

Peter is just three years old and he loves playing with the shape boxes. Its so amazing watching him learn. I hope things are okay with his mother. I enjoy having him in my life.

Esme is my little ladybug and I have had this idea planned for a while. I didn't want to get her a cat or dog so I'm introducing having a pet with a guinea pig.

Those are the main things going into their baskets. I made them homemade coloring books also. I added bubbles and different wands for bubbles. And chalk since we have a very long driveway. And each basket has a chocolate bunny, some jelly beans in different kinds of eggs.

I'll post pictures Saturday night of the baskets once the children have gone to bed.

Thursday, April 14, 2011

Epic Book Drive



Over 80% of schools in New Orleans were damaged by Hurricane Katrina. In the most underserved areas, there’s 1 book for every 300 children. This is amazing idea. I wish most school would participate in this. Literacy is very important and its really astounding how many people are illiterate around the world. Each community gets us one step closer to fixing this problem.

Huge Heart

After my last post I realized that I do donate to a lot of organizations and support groups that mean something to me. All of the following pictures are links as well.

This is to help orphans from all over the world, especially in undeveloped countries.

A loving home, a good education, vocational skills, medical care, nutritious food and most importantly the love of Jesus Christ and His Gospel are provided to the destitute children of Haiti through Child Hope.
This website allows you to donate your vehicle to the charity of your choice. I have linked it to the search of Alabama. I have a friend that did this and I love this idea. 
This is one extremely important to me. I always donate to this one when I can. Persecution happens daily to Christians all over the world. People in the United States are ashamed to stand up for their Christianity when there are people in the world that are dying for their courage to stand up. 
This is the place I get my journals from and they help out kids in other countries every time you buy a journal. It helps the kids in the other country with their school supplies. 
This is a membership/organizations that gives back to the orphans. Every purchase from 800+ stores donates 26% of the purchase cost to the Friends of Orphans. 


The mission of Girls Helping Girls is to build a global culture of girls consciously collaborating to make a difference. We strive not only to bridge international cultures but, more profoundly, to channel the power harvested from the girls' collaborative service projects to Eradicate Poverty, Increase Access to Education, Improve Health, and – most importantly – Promote Peace.


Girl Up, a campaign of the United Nations Foundation, gives American girls the opportunity to channel their energy and compassion to raise awareness and funds for programs of the United Nations that help some of the world’s hardest-to-reach adolescent girls. Through Girl Up’s support, girls have the opportunity to become educated, healthy, safe, counted, and positioned to be the next generation of leaders.

A hot meal delivered to victims after a disaster, blood when it is needed most, shelter when there is nowhere else to turn, an emergency message delivered to a member of the Armed Forces from their family -- these are just some of the ways that gifts are put to work through the American Red Cross.
Red Cross also helps with blood donation and they love volunteering. 

NBCF is committed to spreading knowledge and fostering hope in the fight against breast cancer. By funding free mammograms for women who could otherwise not afford them and supporting research programs in leading facilities across the country, NBCF helps inspire the courage needed to win this monumental battle.

The American Foundation for the Blind, founded in 1921, and the organization to which Helen Keller devoted her working life, is a national nonprofit whose mission is to ensure that the millions of Americans living with vision loss enjoy the same rights and opportunities as other citizens.


The Candie’s Foundation is a non-profit organization that works to shape the way youth in America think about teen pregnancy and parenthood.


The March of Dimes works different channels of influence to reduce premature birth rates. One way is to raise public awareness of the serious issue and to invest in education of moms-to-be and health care providers.


The Humane Society of the United States is the nation's largest animal protection organization, backed by 11 million Americans. We work to reduce suffering and improve the lives of all animals by advocating for better laws; investigating animal cruelty; encouraging corporations to adopt animal-friendly policies; conducting animal rescue and emergency response; and providing direct care for thousands of animals at our sanctuaries, emergency shelters, wildlife rehabilitation centers, and mobile veterinary clinics.



There are many more that I have not listed these are the ones that really stick out to me and I donate a lot of money to or participate in funding for them. I give with my whole heart. I have a huge heart. 

Thursday, April 7, 2011

Help Cancel Cancer

More Birthdays


This website is amazing. Its the American Cancer Society way of sponsoring more birthdays. Basically its a website that allows you to explain why birthdays are important to you (survivors of cancer and friends of cancer victims or survivors). Another wonderful thing about this website is that you can have birthday cards sent to your friends on Facebook. The thing about these birthday cards are the fact that top artists are singing through the virtual card. The donations that are optional go to American Cancer Society to moving things closer to making a step to more birthdays for cancer patients. 


Some of my friends are disgruntled about donating money. A very close friend of mine became angry when I brought this up as a discussion. "Why give money when they don't find a cure they find something that doesn't work and the patient still dies?" And simply put; that is a step that they won't make again or they will perfect it so that it will work.


Here is some information I found this morning while researching some things that I was interested in knowing. 
"St. Jude was recently designated a National Cancer Institute (NCI)Comprehensive Cancer Center. This prestigious recognition makes St. Jude the first and only NCI designated Comprehensive Cancer Center solely focused on pediatric cancer to receive the distinction. The University of Tennessee Cancer Institute (UTCI), located in Memphis,Tennessee, is the adult cancer partner of St. Jude Children's Research Hospital." St.Jude's Research Hospital


Another way to help is to click the link below. I'm a partner in hope and I have a niece/cousin that I am proud to say gets another birthday because of St. Jude's.

Wednesday, March 30, 2011

One of my Favorite Recipes!

I love Rachel Ray and I love this recipe from her daily show. I love making this recipe. Its so good.


This is what I made earlier today. They were a little burned in the middle. 

Jalapeño Popper Cornbread Waffles

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 box Jiffy cornbread mix
  • 1 jalapeño, stemmed, seeded and chopped
  • Fresh ground black pepper, to taste
  • 6 ounces cream cheese, cut into chunks
  • 1/2 cup, sharp yellow cheddar cheese, about a handful
  • 4 tablespoons butter, melted
  • 1/3 cup milk
  • 1 large egg
  • Honey, for drizzling
  • 4 eggs, fried (optional)

Yields: Makes 4 Waffles 

PREPARATION
Preheat waffle maker to medium heat.
Prepare cornbread to package instructions, adding in chopped jalapeños and black pepper. Fold cream cheese and cheddar into the batter.
Once warm, brush inside of waffle maker with melted butter. Pour in batter and cook for 5 minutes or until the cornbread waffles are golden brown.
Drizzle with warm honey. (Tip: Warm the honey in a glass container on top of the waffle maker while the waffles are cooking!) I had mine with warm jalapeno jelly. They were amazing.
For a brunch item, top each waffle with an egg.
They would also be good with a big bowl of chili.
Most of this I copied straight from her website because I use the exact directions she has. 

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

I didn't realize I had kept it a secret until today

     I love to read; blogs, magazines, books, cookbooks, and newspapers. One particular one is called Susie Magazine. I know its for teen girls but I love the simplicity of it and I save what I can for when my daughter is of her teen years.
    So I was reading on the website at the beginning of the month how Lent was coming up. I'll be the first one to admit that even though I am a born again Christian I still deal with temptations and still make mistakes. Though taking part in Lent was something I haven't taken part in since I was in my early teens. I decided that I would take the Lent Challenge on the Susie Magazine. When March 9th came around I didn't think anything of it and just starting drinking tap water.
    Today when I was getting my glass of water and my child's juice my cousin looked at me strange and handed me a bottle of water. I told her no thanks.She asked if I was on some kind of weird water diet. I asked her had I not told her about my challenge. She was amazed that I hadn't told anyone. I'll admit I have a really bad headache today but that's from others things as well as the caffeine. But I'm proud of myself.
    Here was the challenge in print and the link for it. Susie Water Challenge

1. Make water your only beverage for 40 days.

2. Take time each day to pray for those in other countries who go without clean water, and ask God for the strength to continue your fast for Lent.

3. Keep track and save the money you would have spent. You could also ask your parents to stop buying the drinks they normally buy for you, and ask them to donate that money as well!

4. At the end of 40 days, donate what you saved to support water projects. I choose Blood Water Mission, but there are many other clean water organizations. Choose one close to your heart.
5. Share your experiences on the forty days of water Susie page. Post pictures, stories and suggestions. Let’s journey through this together and aid in the clean water initiative.