Sweet Memories told with Christmas Cards

I like to make my own photo cards for Christmas each year. There is something so much more personable about a Christmas card with a picture of you, your family or your children that you just can't get from a prepackaged card. This year I used Shutterfly and I chose this card, since it allowed me space on the front to put pictures of my three little blessings.
You can't tell from this picture, but you also get space inside to add more photos.

I love the variety they offer with their cards too. There are cards for everyone, there are fun ones like this:



If you want simple and elegant:


They even have cards for holidays other than Christmas:


I have order from Shutterfly several times over the past few years and never been disappointed in the quality of their products. We ordered our son's birth announcements from them and the quality is so good that I know some of our family members framed the card just like a photo. You can see the sample here.

For the past two years, we have used Shutterfly to create photo books of our family vacations. What great memories these will make once our children are grown and gone! And they make it so easy to do.

I could go on and on, but instead I recommend you pop on over to Shutterfly and see what you can make for yourself, or even as a Christmas gift for family or friends. Who knows what you may find there!

A Blog-a-versary Giveaway

My mother-in-law is have a giveaway to celebrate her 3rd year of blogging on her site, Domestically Inclined. She always has something encouraging and uplifting to say to the homemaker. I encourage you to pop on over and enter the giveaway and while you are there, browse her articles from the last three years. I'm sure you will be encouraged!

Update: 12 New Things

So, since we are in month three of 12 months of new things, I thought I should update how I'm doing. In case you missed the orginial post, you can click here to read it.

August- I was supposed to make shoo fly pie...yeah, didn't happen. But I did get my oven cleaned for the first time...in nearly two years. Ouch!

September-Keep my house up and running post baby. I think I did pretty well. We had meals to eat and clothes to wear. No one got hurt or suffered injury. I think that counts as a sucess. :D

October- It just started, I know, but I already have the material and I know what pattern I'm going to use. So now I just have to figure out what kind of accents I plan to use and get sewing. On the bright side, I only have two dresses to sew since my little man doesn't need one. On the no-so-bright side, that means I now have to add shopping for a dark green long sleeve polo shirt and khaki pants. Oh, boy! Any ideas???

Cute Clothes...for free!!!

Mrs. June Fuentes at A Wise Woman Builds Her Home is hosting a giveaway for some adorable skirts! Pop on over to her blog and read all about it here. This is the store I have been looking for for a long time!

Blessings!

Our Newest Addition

Our newest little blessing arrived August 29th. He weighed in at 9 lbs 11 oz, 11 oz bigger than his nearest sister. :D We are both doing well and enjoying having our first boy in our home.

As for a name, I was thinking maybe I'll take suggestions...So far we have Baby Beloved and Wee Beloved. What do you think?

Oh, and just in case you were wondering, he is a great favorite with both of his big sisters. They can't get enough time holding him and kissing him! :D

Simply Vintagegirl Giveaway!

This is for all of you who have little girls at home who love being little girls! Emily Rose over at Simply Vintagegirl Blog is giving away set of "Daughters of His Story Paper Dolls: Bundle One (3 Collections)" and a copy of their upcoming project. If you would like to see the Paper Dolls collection, you can do so here.

So pop on over and enter to win today! :D

12 New Things

Sarah Mae over at Like a Warm Cup of Coffee is hosting a learning project where you learn one new thing each month or 12 in a year! How could I resist joining in? So here's my list, subject to revision. I'll try to keep you all updated on my progress. And if you'd like to join in, make sure to link up your post of Sarah's blog so others can rejoice with you!

August~ learn to make shoo fly pie (I first tried in when I was in PA for a friend's wedding in 2001, I just hope I can find a good recipe for it!)

September~ Keep my house up and running once our new little blessing arrives (I didn't do so well with this the last time around. :D)

October~ Start Christmas dresses for my girls...before December!

November~ Make something homemade for all the ladies and girls in my family (that's my mother, mother-in-law, 2 sisters, my sister-in-law and 2 nieces...)

December~ Get my Christmas cards out early, as in before Christmas

I'm still working on the rest of the list, but I'll post more as I get the ideas. :D

January~

February~

March~

April~

May~

June~

July~

Love Their Children

"to love their children"

If you stop and think about it, you wouldn't imagine that you would have to teach a young mother to love her children. Don't we all know the expression, "mother's love"? Don't mothers automatically love their children? Doesn't it come as part of the "motherhood package"? The short answer is no. Most feel drawn to their children when they are born. Babies are so helpless; most of us understand the need to protect them from the world and anyone or anything that would try to hurt them. And most probably continue to show that kind of love through the early years but as our children grow, and start to think on their own, we lose that protective love and suddenly we don't know if we even like our children anymore, must less love them.

This is why mother's need to be taught to love their children. Loving our children is more than just a mushy, "oh, he or she is so cute and cuddly" feeling, although that is a part of the love we are talking about. But more importantly, we need to learn to love them, in what I would call, a constructive way. You have to know how to look beyond what seems good when you are exhausted and just want quiet. You have to be committed one hundred percent to what God would have you to do with your children, before you have them because once the come, boy is it easy to compromise and bend those rules and change them on a whim until the next thing you know, you have no rules or worse yet the children don't know what they are because they have changed so many times. Then you find yourself wanting to be away from your children as much as possible, searching for excuses not to spend time with them. No longer do you love them and want to do what is best for them, you just want them to leave you alone.

We should love to be with our children; they should be a joy for us to spend time with. We should be able to see them as people, who if given the choice, we would befriend just to have their company. If we do not seek to have our children with us, because we do not take pleasure in their company, we have no one to blame but ourselves. We mold the character of our children, whether by determination or by default. We either make them what we want them to become or we simply allow them to be influenced by who ever will take the time to do so for us.

I pray that we will take the time to train our children, as the Bible tells us to, so we would desire their presence and their companionship all their lives. I hope that we will learn to love our children more and more each day!

To read the previous post in the series to love their husbands, you can click on the link here.

Our view of Children

There is a quote, the context of which I haven't been able to establish, but that I think sums up nicely how the world and even some in the church view abortion. It is from Frederica Mathewes-Green and says, "No woman wants an abortion as she wants an ice cream cone or a Porsche. She wants an abortion as an animal caught in a trap wants to gnaw off its own leg." Children are a trap and women who want to have abortions are just trying to free themselves from it.

God says in Psalm 127, "Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his reward. As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth. Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them: they shall not be ashamed, but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate."

Should we argue with the One who made us all? Aborted and not aborted alike?

A Giveaway for All Expecting Mothers

I love reading Mrs. T's blog, Domestic Felicity. She is so encouraging and sweet and I was thrilled to read that she is hosting a giveaway for a beautiful maternity dress. You can find the link to see the dress and sign up for the giveaway here!

Blessings!