A Modern Day Fairy Tale

Review: The Road Trip by Jo Lynn Crozier

2012-01-24T13:12:00.000-08:00

From the Publisher:

Liz always felt God beside her, but she never thought she would be in His passenger seat! In this humorous, heartfelt adventure story, God invites an ordinary woman to travel with him on a life-changing road trip. Along the way, they encounter fantastic beings, heavenly houses and extraordinary communities that Liz could never have imagined. But this is no vacation. Liz soon realized there was a lot she didn’t understand about God, the world and her role as a Christian.

God has a lot to teach Liz, and underneath all the whimsy is a deeper spiritual message with real-life applications. Will she be able to comprehend all this new wisdom – and will she have the courage to accept the challenging mission God charges her with? Buckle up and join God and Liz on the journey of a lifetime.

My thoughts:

To say this was a very unique book, would be a complete understatement. Before starting this, I wasn't sure what to expect based on the description. I was certainly surprised to find that God was literally (physically) behind the wheel of this road trip. Our main character Liz is LITERALLY on a road trip with God, going to various locations that all serves as great analogies for various aspects of our Christian life. For instance, one of the very first points they come across on this road trip is a point where there are two parallel roads to take, one that looked easy and had no tolls, and another gravel and full of potholes with a tollbooth, with a one time toll- to accept Jesus as their savior- and storehouses along the route where all their needs will be provided. In this part of the story, it reads very much like the fictional tale it is, but at the end of each chapter, it basically sums everything up, offers various biblical references, etc and reads more like a nonfiction, or an insightful sermon. It's certainly a unique take on things and something I enjoyed reading for the most part. I will admit though, at some points it got to be a bit too much for me and I had to take breaks from reading. It was written beautifully and in such a way that made sense out of topics that can be very confusing, but I found for my personal taste it was better in small doses, not the whole book all at once. It is certainly worth reading though, regardless of where one is with their faith, it offers a new, very creative outlook on things!!

You can find out more information, or purchase this book here!

California Dreamin'

2012-01-23T10:33:00.000-08:00

Later this week (Thursday to be exact), we will find out where we will be stationed next. Believe it or not during our 5 years of marriage, this will be our first real move. In fact, in his 8 years in the Marine Corps, my husband has always been stationed here. Pretty crazy for the military right? We are excited and hopeful that we will be moving closer to home, but for me, living in California has truly been a dream come true.

When I was in high school, I had many dreams: I wanted to be a published writer. I wanted to fall in love, have a family, etc. I wanted to model (Dream big, right?) Among those dreams one of the greatest was that I wanted to move to California. I don't know if it was because of the Hollywood glamour, or the many wonderful stories my Great Great Uncle Theodore had told me of his time stationed out here or maybe even my extreme phobia of the storms we were constantly seeing back home, but somehow I'd gotten it into my head that California was the dream place to live. I would get letters from Pepperdine, USC, etc inviting me to apply to their writing programs, and I would just wish I could afford to actually go to such great schools. But being from a small town in Indiana, it was a dream that seemed out of reach....

That is until a great friend, who knew of my love of California, informed me that her older brother lived there, and had said that we could visit him... after he came home from Iraq that is. Can anyone guess where this story is going yet? If you guessed that her brother was the man I would soon marry, you are absolutely right! Soon after, he saw my picture on Myspace, we started talking and fell in love. He returned from Iraq in October. we got engaged soon after, and in November I flew with my prince to California for the Marine Corps Ball (complete with 'glass' slippers) with only a small suitcase for what was supposed to be a short visit. Over 5 years later, and I'm still here and it has truly been amazing. We have been blessed with such wonderful experiences here and as we prepare for what are likely our last few months here, it is truly bittersweet to be leaving, but we are so excited to see where this new adventure takes us and what new dreams will come true there.

Sometimes & Always

2012-01-17T11:40:00.000-08:00

I saw this great linkup on a friend's blog and thought it looked like fun, so I decided to link up myself!!

Sometimes: I want nothing more in the morning but to stay in bed under the nice warm covers and just sleep the day away... forget about school and therapies for the day!
Always: I get up anyway and get the little man off to school and clean, clean, clean!! (Because there always seems to be more cleaning that needs done! And that laundry won't do itself!!)

Sometimes: I wish couponing wasn't so time consuming!!
Always: I know it is completely worth it with the money saved, so I will keep on clipping!!

Sometimes: I wonder if the work I'm putting into my Thirty-One Open House at the end of the month will pay off, or if it will turn out like the previous one (where no one was able to come...it was pouring rain, harder than I've ever seen it rain here!)
Always: I will give it my all anyway, I know it won't be a success if I don't give it a chance!

Sometimes: I get really frustrated with the ignorance that still exists today about children with special needs, such as this guy right here.
Always: It reminds me that I have to work that much harder to spread awareness in hopes that one day such ignorance will be a thing of the past.

Sometimes: I really do need to get to that laundry...
Always (Or almost at least): I will put it off as long as possible;)

Sometimes: I am ready for this class and this move to be over and done with, or at the very least to know where it is exactly that we will be going.
Always: I dread having to say goodbye to our wonderful friends here, Shaun's amazing teacher and therapists that have brought him so far and the house that finally seemed like home (or home away from home).

Sometimes: I worry about where we will end up once Matt finishes recruiting school- will it be closer to home? Have good services for Shaun, etc?
Always: I know that wherever we end up will be part of God's plan for us, and exactly where we are meant to be...it's not always easy to remember that though!!

"Don't worry about tomorrow. It will take care of itself. You have enough to worry about today." Matthew 6:34

Resolutions 2012!

2012-01-15T07:30:00.000-08:00

If I'd resolved to blog more regularly, I think I'd have already broke that resolution. Fortunately, that was not one of my goals for the year (though once things have settled, I do plan to do better). Honestly, I always tend to make my resolutions fairly easy. For the past few years, my main goal has to become more comfortable in the kitchen, and I like to think that I've accomplished this! Though I have lost some of my inspiration in the past months- I think after cooking vegetarian for a year while my husband was deployed, I've not yet gotten back into the habit of having to create meat dishes for him, so I will continue this resolution this year as well...there is always room for improvement, right? So..

Resolution #1: Find that inspiration to be more creative in the kitchen again, and find the balance between mine and my husband's very different food choices.

Resolution #2: Continue to save money as much as possible. Last year, I really got better about using my coupons and getting my grocery bill as low as possible and really building up my stockpile. I hope to be able to continue this throughout this year. This will be harder now, as I'm used to shopping at our military commissary where prices are generally much cheaper, but when we move, we likely won't have immediate access to one anymore, so I might have to work just a little bit harder, but I can and will do it. Honestly, with our upcoming move, I've had to step back from the couponing a bit, and instead use up our current stock, and I really miss it, so I can't wait to get back to it full swing!!

Resolution #3: Get organized! I am getting better about being more organized, but when we do move, I hope to really take that farther and start and keep it organized! I've got lots of great ideas (which include an all new shelving system built by my daddy-he doesn't know it yet, and lots of Thirty-One! So let's just hope we move close enough to family that we can make that work!!)

Resolution #4: Grow my Thirty-One business! Having only started at the end of October, I still have a lot of growing to do with it, but I am really looking forward to making this a successful business venture. Being as I cannot really work outside of the home with my son's therapy schedule, I would really like to be able to use this to add to our family income, if only just a little extra 'fun money'. But truly, I really just love this company and the products, so more than anything, I am happy with the chance to introduce it to others!!

Resolution #5: Read the Old Testament. This will be a tough one, but I have a confession to make- while I have read the New Testament many, many times in various translations, I have never been able to make my way through the Old Testament. I end up getting to a point where it's all names and so on and it just starts to look a little too much like history...and I've never been a fan of history (that's my husband's department!) But I would really like to change that this year and finally get through it, or at least make a dent!!

Resolution #6 & 7: Keep a positive attitude and support my husband! I have only briefly talked about our upcoming adventure of recruiting duty, but for those who don't know, it's a tough job and can be really hard on families and marriages. While they will try to put as close to the area where you would like, it's not always possible. We could truly end up anywhere! Because of Shaun's Autism, they are required to send us to an area where services are available, which is a plus, but whether those services are good or not, or comparable to what we have now, could be debatable. I am continually praying that we end up where we hope (around family- we've put in St. Louis as our top choice), I am trying to maintain a positive attitude that regardless of where we end up, it will all work out as it should, and it will ultimately be God's plan for us. On top of this uncertainty, with recruiting comes long, unpredictable hours and a lot of stress. It is likely that my husband will be working 6 days a week, early mornings and late nights. Thankfully, I think his previous unit with their crap hours and that yearlong deployment we just made it through will help to prepare us for that, but I'm sure it will still not be easy. And so this is why it is very important for me to remain positive through this year (which will be the hardest year from what I've heard), and to support Matt in this new adventure.

I am sure there are many more goals I have set for myself that I have missed, but I think I have at least covered most of the big ones. Honestly, surviving the year (more specifically these next few weeks/months as we find out where we will be for the next three years, and the actual move itself) will be enough for me!! This is going to be a big year for us, but hopefully a great year!

Review: Restless in Carolina by Tamara Leigh

2012-01-14T13:38:00.000-08:00

From the Publisher:

She’s all about going green. Could he be her white knight—or will he make her see red?

Tree-huggin’, animal-lovin’ Bridget Pickwick-Buchanan is on a mission. Well, two. First she has to come to terms with being a widow at thirty-three. After all, it’s been four years and even her five-year-old niece and nephew think it’s time she shed her widow’s weeds. Second, she needs to find a buyer for her family’s estate—a Biltmore-inspired mansion surrounded by hundreds of acres of unspoiled forestland. With family obligations forcing the sale, Bridget is determined to find an eco-friendly developer to buy the land, someone who won’t turn it into single-family homes or a cheesy theme park.

Enter J. C. Dirk, a high-energy developer from Atlanta whose green property developments have earned him national acclaim. When he doesn’t return her calls, Bridget decides a personal visit is in order. Unfortunately, J. C. Dirk is neither amused nor interested when she interrupts his meeting—until she mentions her family name. In short order, he finds himself in North Carolina, and Bridget has her white knight—in more ways than one. But there are things Bridget doesn’t know about J. C., and it could mean the end of everything she’s worked for…and break her heart.

My Thoughts:
I started this book back in December, but between our holiday travels, an upcoming move, etc. it had been placed on the back burner since then. I think if I'd have had the chance to read the book without such interruptions, I would have been able to get into it and enjoy it much more. As it was, I found it to be very entertaining. It did start a bit slow I thought, though this could have been due to my limited reading time, but somewhere towards the middle of the book, I found it much more interesting and by the end I was wanting more and more. When we first meet Bridget, she is after 4 years, still in mourning over the loss of her husband, but when she loses it over reading the words 'happily ever after' to her 5 year old niece, she realizes it's time to make some changes, shedding her 'widow weeds' and learning to open her heart again, both to potential relationships and to God. During all of this we also meet Uncle Obe, who is selling his family home due to his ailing health and in an effort to make amends for past wrongs done by the family. All of these events are weaved together beautifully in what is truly a wonderful story about letting go of the past. There were a few parts in the story that I found to be rather predictable and would have preferred to be left wondering until the end, but it was a great story. This is also part of the 'Southern Discomfort' series, but while I had not read the other books, I found this stood alone just fine on its own. It was only after finishing that I found this out. Overall, I really enjoyed this and would recommend it. I hope to reread it in the future so that I can truly enjoy it as a whole as opposed to the snippets I was able to get.

You can purchase this book here.

*I received a copy of Restless in Carolina free from the publisher in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts are my own.

2011: To Sum It All Up

2012-01-04T18:21:00.001-08:00

Okay, I'm a little late with the year end wrap up, things have been super busy since we got back from our Christmas visit. But last year was a pretty big year for us, so I didn't want to skip it completely, so hmm, better late than never, right? Some day soon, I might even get those resolutions posted!!!

As I said, this year has been pretty huge for us, but rather than bore you with each individual event (many of which could be found in my blog archive anyway!), I am instead going to sum it up with a few scriptures that have become my mantras and really got me through the year!

"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." Philippians 4:13

Truly, this has been the most helpful. I have always loved this verse, but throughout the year I found myself repeating this over and over again. For those who do not know, I started this year out completely on my own for the first time in my life, and was on my own until August. I'd had family staying for the first few month's of my husband's deployment, but by January, they'd returned. I have severe anxiety issues, but knew it was best for my son if we stayed, so I did whatever I had to do! It was tough at times, Shaun had many behavior issues throughout the year, but through it all I became a stronger person and I know this is because I was not truly alone in this.
I also accomplished several other things this year that I had never believed I could do! I learned to drive off base, at least to my son's school, and even over this past holiday, for the first time in the 5 years we've been making the drive, did some of the driving during our cross country road trip! I even drove through both St. Louis and Albuquerque...and you better believe this scripture was running through my head the entire way through...whew! But we made it out alive!!
I have fought through many meltdowns, illnesses, cross country travels alone with a (then) three year old...truly I have found I really can do anything with Christ. I know as we start this new journey of recruiting duty in our life, I will continue to echo these words throughout this year as well!

"For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."- Jeremiah 29:11

I believe I have mentioned this verse on several occasions as well, particularly in reference to Shaun's autism. When therapies had been rough, as had been the case so often during the year, and when I'd start to feel those 'why' moments creeping up, I would quickly remind myself that this is all God's plan for my son and that those plans are amazing.
When my husband was flagged for recruiting duty, I again found myself turning to this verse (as I have been these last few days as well as the actual classes have begun) as a reminder that regardless of where we end up, which could very well be anywhere, that we will be exactly where we are intended to be and it will all work out according to God's plan!

"Pray without ceasing"- 1 Thessalonians 5:17

As you can imagine, based on the previous two verses, it's been a prayer filled year. I've prayed for strength, I've prayed for courage...I've played for sleep and just a short break in the screaming! I've prayed for friends who've had hard times, I've prayed for strangers who I know only through this blog whose stories have touched me. Likewise, I know many have prayed for us and for my husband throughout 2011, and I've very thankful for that. I have not yet mentioned it here, but in December, I found myself praying harder than ever when my mom was diagnosed with Breast Cancer. 'Pray without ceasing' was certainly appropriate and I know many, many others have been praying for her as well. I truly believe in the power of prayer, and I'm happy to say that her surgery last week went very smoothly and it seems to have been caught very early, though we're still waiting to find out more. She has remained positive and faithful throughout all of this and is truly an inspiration. (And I know she's likely reading this and needing a tissue now, sorry, but it's true! ;)) And so I will continue to pray, and pray, and pray.

Perhaps in reading this, 2011 sounds like it was a horrible year for us, but honestly, in many ways it has been wonderful. Despite what seems like more struggles than usual during the year, Shaun actually made amazing progress. We are now having conversations, limited conversations, but conversations nonetheless!! We were lucky to get him to answer a simple question with a one word response when the year began, I would never have dreamed this. Also, I found myself leaning on God more than ever this year, and have built a closer relationship with Him because of it all and truly that made it perhaps not a great year, but a very important and needed one at least!

Scavenger Hunt/Scripture & A Snapshot: CHRISTmas Edition!

2011-12-10T10:29:00.000-08:00

I am happy to be joining up once again for two of my favorite blog hops: Scripture and a Snapshot and Scavenger Hunt Sunday (what can I say? I like to be early!) Since this is likely my last chance to linkup before the holidays since we will be on the road next week, I wanted to

make this week's photos all about Christmas, and more specifically with the true meaning of why we celebrate the holiday. (I'm also using this as a chance to share a few of my favorite Christmas songs as well!!) This weeks themes made that very easy:

Nativity:

"The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel" (which means 'God with us'." -Matthew 1:23

Such a simple verse that sums up the reason we celebrate so very well. Can you imagine where we'd be if God hadn't sent Jesus to us? Truly there is no greater celebration. Below is one of my favorite songs, which says it better than I ever could in the lyrics,

"And the first time

That You opened Your eyes did You realize that You would be my Savior
And the first breath that left Your lips

Did You know that it would change this world forever

And I, I celebrate the day
That You were born to die
So I could one day pray for You to save my life"

Cup of Cheer:

"But the angel said to them, 'Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people." Luke 2:10

Ornaments:

"Glory to God in the highest, and on earth, good will toward men."-Luke 2:14

Christmas is certainly a time where we see a lot of 'good will toward men'. No other season do I see so many giving to those in need through Christmas angels, Toys for Tots and so on. We have been both on the giving and receiving end of such generosity and it is great to see so many people willing to help others when they are able. This song is one of my all-time favorites and a great example about the season of giving:

Holiday Lights:

"An angel of the Lord appeared to them and the glory of the Lord shone around them."
- Luke 2:9

Less is More:

"He must become greater and greater, and I must become less and less." -John 3:30

Okay, Okay...I'm sure I could have kept with the Christmas theme on this final photo...perhaps a gift and something about it better to give than receive or something of that nature, but truly, I

think this is such a great verse and goes so well with the theme. And so, I went with it. This is such a great verse to remember, during the holidays and throughout the year.

The final song I want to share with you is one that I just discovered this morning and am already in love with. It's absolutely beautiful and 100% true. If you watch no other video posted here, this is the one you must watch. I will simply let the words speak for themselves:

Come back on Sunday to link up with these wonderful bloggers:

Merry Christmas to all!!

A Deal for Those Who Like Christian Fiction!

2011-12-09T21:11:00.000-08:00

As a book reviewer for Blogging For Books, I am always excited to read new Christian fiction novels and share these with you my readers. I also love to save money and I know many of you do too, so I wanted to share with a you a trailer for a new book called 'Christmas Singing' by Cindy Woodsmall and share with you how to get a wonderful discount on the book. Simply go to www.waterbrookmultnomah.com and use the promo code CHRISTMAS11 at checkout to receive 30% off and free shipping. If you decide 'The Christmas Singing' isn't for you, you can purchase any other title as well! Great deal! Hope you all enjoy!

Read the first chapter here!

Operation Good-Bye Angry Birds!

2011-12-08T17:15:00.000-08:00

To say that things have been a bit crazy and hectic around our house would be a complete understatement...things have been insane!! While I try to keep things very positive on this blog, I have to admit, things have not been going so well the last several weeks. We've been sick, we've had vehicle troubles, we've had an overworked husband whose never home and we've had sleepless nights. And on top of all of this, we've had a lot of behaviors from the little man. While we're not sure what was causing a lot of these issues, we did find one thing that seemed to trigger a lot of negative behaviors...

A few weeks back I posted this photo:

It was cute, and fun and seemingly pretty creative too, but to say Shaun is one to easily get fixated on something is once again a huge understatement. (Which you can clearly see when you walk into our home and see all of his trains!) And Angry Birds very quickly became one of those fixations. When he had the iPad, we would lose him completely to it, he'd get frustrated if the game didn't work out as he'd like and he'd constantly be trying to buy more apps and once again getting upset when he was not allowed. When he didn't have the iPad (it was being used as a potty training reward), he would scream, hit and fight to get it. While it initially served as a great potty reward, it soon became more trouble and he didn't want to use the potty at all unless he would get it immediately, rather than waiting for three smiley faces to earn it! And he would make Angry Birds out of EVERYTHING. Now obviously in the photo above, this is pretty appropriate...but he'd take legos, carrots...anything and 'play Angry Birds' with them. We have seen this same thing with Thomas, creating couplings and cranes, etc but these things would have some slight resemblance (a belt, a piece of string, tape...) whereas with the birds, as long as he could make the motions of the game, he didn't care WHAT it looked like. The other difference with his Thomas obsession and this new obsession was that Thomas was a positive for him. He learned colors, numbers, his speech grew and so on. We truly saw no benefits but rather an increase of negatives so we decided they had to go before this went any further! This is a hard thing as a mom- to take away something that your child loves, but I know in the long run this will be better for him. Eventually, he will get the iPad back, with limited use (such as during our cross country drive next week), but no more Angry Birds. He's also still allowed to play with his plush, so long as it doesn't start to consume him again. We truly hope that this, along with some other things we're doing in therapy, we can get our sweet, happy boy back full time once again. It's certainly going to be a process, but for now I just have to keep reminding myself:

"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."- Philippians 4:13

NLT Facebook Giveaway!

2011-12-08T09:34:00.000-08:00

As I mentioned a few weeks back, I am a collector of bibles, and one of the translations I LOVE is the New Living Translation! I received an e-mail this morning about an amazing giveaway on the official NLT Facebook and wanted to paass along the chance to win to my readers..Here are the details:

By visiting the giveaway entry page (located on the NLT Facebook page, the link is under the profile picture) and entering your name and e-mail address you'll be entered to win the following prizes:

One random person each day will win a Life Application Study Bible Family Pack (Guys Life Application Study Bible hc, Girls Life Application Study Bible hc, Student's Life Application Study Bible hc, Life Application Study Bible hc, Life Application Study Bible Large Print hc).
One Random person each week will win an Apple iPad 2!

Everyone that signs up gets a free download copy of the Life Application Bible Study – Book of Luke!

Good luck to all and ENJOY!

All About Christmas!!

2011-12-06T13:09:00.000-08:00

So sorry to be such a blog slacker. Things have been crazy around my household. Between a sick little guy, a husband who works crazy long hours, and all of the holiday planning, things have gotten away from me! I currently have a stack of books, down to 3 now, thankfully, that I need to read and review for all of you. But I found this great little questionnaire at IRockSoWhat, and because I love all things Christmas, I thought it would be fun to post. If anyone decided to join in as well, let me know, I'd love to hear your answers too!!

1. Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate?

Hot chocolate..with lots of whipped cream! My favorite is the Mocha Cappucino with pumpkin spice!

2. Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree?

He wraps them, of course!

3. Colored lights on tree/house or white?

This year, we only have the one tree up, with white lights. Last year we had a tree with each. I think I prefer the white. We don't put lights on our house though, since we are gone over the holidays, but I don't have a preference on that!

4. Do you hang mistletoe?

No I don't. I used to though!

5. When do you put your decorations up?

Usually Thanksgiving. This year we put them up early. My son is obsessed with Christmas and had been requesting to put the tree up since Spring, so I felt like early November was a long enough wait!!

6. What is your favorite holiday dish?

Hmm, we do a breakfast casserole at my mom's that I just love. And pumpkin pie, of course! (But again, with LOTS of whipped cream!)

7. Favorite Holiday memory as a child?

Hmm, there is not really one particular that sticks out to me. I have always loved the holidays in general, and spending time with my family.

8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa?

What does this question mean? The truth that he's awesome? Seriously?

Okay, seriously, I'm not sure how old I was, older than most I think. My little sister figured it out and let me know! Ha!

9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve?
Yes, we have always actually had our family Christmas on Christmas Eve!

10. How do you decorate your Christmas tree?
Growing up, we always had themed trees. Santa, snowman, patriotic...I loved that. Unfortunately, we still don't have enough decorations to do that just yet, so for the last two years, our tree has been a classic red, green and silver with white lights and lots of glitter...I LOVE it!

11. Snow! Love it or Dread it?
Dread, for the most part. We live in Cali, so thankfully we only have to worry about it on our trip home for the holidays. Unfortunately, driving cross country at this time of year, we sometimes hit it then and I am not a fan. Really, I hate cold in general...I get cold so easily! However, last year we had a white Christmas and seeing my son's face made it much more tolerable (even though he kept running outside with no pants or shoes on!!)

12. Can you ice skate?

No, I've actually never been.

13. Do you remember your favorite gift?
Hmmm, I have gotten so many great gifts it's hard to say...I think my favorite gift ever was my Kitchenaid...but that was for my birthday, not Christmas.

14. What’s the most important thing about the Holidays for you?
Well, obviously, the religious part of the holiday is a very important part. But my favorite part is spending time with my family. Being a military family, this is one of the only times through the year (aside from deployments) that we actually get to go home and see our family, so I really treasure this time now!

15. What is your favorite Holiday Dessert?
Pumpkin Pie!

16. What is your favorite holiday tradition?
This kind of goes along with number 14. But to be more exact, our trip home. While the trip itself is never good- between being sick, breaking down vehicles, being stranded, hitting bad weather...things don't always work out as well on this trip as we hope, but the destination most certainly makes it worth it. This year might very well be the last year that we make this trip, and while this is good, it's also bittersweet as it's become such a normal Christmas tradition for us!!

17. What tops your tree?
A star. My son would have nothing else. Stars go on trees, period!

18. Which do you prefer giving or receiving?

Giving, I only wish we could do more!

19. Candy Canes: Yuck or Yum?
Yum.

20. Favorite Christmas show?
Hmm, I love the classic Grinch...and Polar Express (since my son has made me watch daily! ha!)...The Santa Clause movies...really, I think I just enjoy Christmas movies in general!!

21. Saddest Christmas Song?
Christmas Shoes, but I love it anyway!

22. What is your favorite Christmas song?
Oh my, I love Christmas music more than I love Christmas movies! I have so many I love. Oh Holy Night, Santa Baby, Silent Night, Do You Hear What I Hear, Breath of Heaven, Grown Up Christmas List, I Celebrate The Day, Merry Christmas Here's to Many More and We Wish You a Merry Christmas (all 3 Relient K)...like I said, there are a ton, and more I'm forgetting I'm sure!! The Relient K Album is definitely my favorite though, so many great original songs with amazing lyrics that truly show the real meaning of Christmas, as well as several classics!!

Review: The Voice New Testament

2011-12-02T09:36:00.000-08:00

From the Publisher:

The Voice™ Bible translation is a faithful dynamic translation of the Scriptures done as a collage of compelling narratives, poetry, song, truth, and wisdom. The Voice calls the reader to step into the whole story of Scripture and experience the joy and wonder of God’s revelation. Created for and by a church in great transition, The Voice uniquely represents collaboration among scholars, pastors, writers, musicians, poets, and other artists, giving great attention to the beauty of the narrative. The heart of The Voice is retelling the story of the Bible in a form as fluid as modern literary works yet remaining painstakingly true to the original manuscripts. This translation promotes the public reading of longer sections of Scripture—followed by thoughtful engagement with the biblical narrative in its richness and fullness and dramatic flow.

This is an updated and revised version of the New Testament edition, now at an even more affordable price.

Features include:

--Italicized information added to help contemporary readers understand what the original readers would have known intuitively

--In-text commentary notes include cultural, historical, theological, or devotional thoughts

--Screenplay format, ideal for public readings and group studies

--Book introductions

My Thoughts:
I have a confession to make- I collect Bibles. This might sound odd to some- how many bibles does a person need? But I love having various translations so I can compare any verses that may be confusing, etc. So I have a couple NIV, NLT, NKJV, The Message, and so on. I thought I was pretty well covered as far as translations go but when I saw this brand new translation, I was excited to check it out. Now naturally because of lack of time, I have not yet been able to read the entire New Testament over again. Instead I have read through some of my favorite chapters and verses to get an idea of the style of The Voice.
Starting out, I expected it to be very much like The Message. The Message, for those who do not know, is more an interpretation than direct translation. It paraphrases and puts things into modern speech to make things more understandable. This is not all what I found, it is as the description states, 'faithful dynamic translation of the Scriptures done as a collage of compelling narratives, poetry, song, truth, and wisdom'. Many of the verses I found to be very similar to the other versions I'd compared them too, but certainly much more poetic. There are also many sections that are written as a screenplay. To be honest, I'm undecided how I feel about those particular sections. There were also forwards for each book explaining what was going at the time/places that these messages were given and giving us a better understanding of the context, this is not something exclusive to The Voice, but something I always find beneficial in any bible. There are also several reading guides such as readings to celebrate Advent, Lent and Easter, daily readings for personal growth and reading the new testament in 24 weeks. There is also a topical guide and explanations on the various titles of Jesus, which I found very interesting myself. Overall, this is a great bible and I'm very happy to have been given the chance to review it. While I cannot see completely replacing my trusted NIV with this, I am happy to have it for a little variety and is great for someone who does not enjoy the traditional translations as much. I also look forward to seeing the Old Testament version also (available April 2012), as I have a difficult time getting through that myself!!
With any bible, I think the actual verses speak for themselves much better than what any review could, so I will leave you with a few verses from The Voice:

'And that's not all. We also celebrate in seasons of suffering because we know that when we suffer we develop endurance, which shapes our characters. When our characters are refined, we learn what it means to hope and anticipate God's goodness.' -Romans 5: 3-4

‎"Surely, no matter what you are doing (speaking, writing, or working), do it all in the name of Jesus our Master, sending thanks through Him to God our Father." Colossians 3:17

You can purchase here.

*I received a copy of The Voice for free from the publisher in exchange for this review. All thoughts are my own.

Review: 'A Good and Perfect Gift' by Amy Julia Becker

2011-11-29T19:58:00.000-08:00

From the Publisher:

Challenging surprises often lead to unexpected joy. Amy Julia opens eyes and softens hearts as she brings readers into her own story of disappointment turned to blessing. This is a journey of discovering strength through weakness, and the author learns to embrace the face that we are all dependent on God and one another. This books will inspire readers who appreciate beautiful writing coupled with deep insights about life and faith. "Amy Julia Becker has the courage and grace to tell the truth. Whether you are a parent or not, whether the children in your life are 'typical' or not, this story will shake you, change you, and encourage you."--Andy Crouch, author, Culture Making

My Thoughts:

Of all of the books I've reviewed in the past, as a mother to a child with special needs, it's certainly safe to say that this is the book I can most relate to. In this memoir, Amy Julia, a perfectionist who put intelligence and academic accomplishments at utmost importance, has her 'perfect' world come toppling down when her child is born and is diagnosed with Down Syndrome. Amy Julia is very open with her struggles to accept this diagnosis and her struggles in faith afterwards. At points, it was so honest that at a few points, I wanted to personally shake her out of it. However, after her initial adjustments, I found many of the sentiments expressed to echo those I have said about having a child with Autism, and even quoting and finding comfort in the same bible verses I have. Many of the themes I have talked about on my blog, were also expressed in the book. While there were areas where I did not agree with her sentiments, in general, I could relate very well. I am a huge advocate for ending the use of the 'r word' and the book talks a bit of the hurt that comes with the use of that word, though I do wish that she would have discussed more. However, this was not a book about Down Syndrome, or the use of the word, but rather a personal journey to come to terms with an uncertain future and trusting that it is all a part of God's plan and will work out according to his will. I would recommend this book to any parent, regardless of whether your child is typical or has special needs because all children truly are 'a good and perfect gift'.

You can purchase this book here.

*I received a copy of this book free from the publisher in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts are my own.

A 'Message' From Shaun

2011-11-28T14:06:00.001-08:00

Just in case you needed a smile today:

The birds may be angry, but this mommy isn't. Shaun and his silly antics always make me smile and I hope it brings a smile to your face too. What a creative little 4 year old I have!

Review: Shadow in Serenity by Terri Blackstock

2011-11-20T12:41:00.000-08:00

From the Publisher:

Carny Sullivan grew up in the zany world of a traveling carnival. Quaint and peaceful Serenity, Texas, has given her a home, a life, and a child. Logan Brisco is the smoothest, slickest, handsomest man Serenity, Texas has ever seen. But Carny Sullivan knows a con artist when she sees one—and she’s seen plenty, starting with her father. As far as Carny Sullivan can tell, she’s the only one in town who has his number. Because from his Italian shoes to his movie-actor smile, Logan has the rest of the town snowed. Carny is determined to reveal Brisco’s selfish intentions before his promise to the townspeople for a cut in a giant amusement park sucks Serenity dry. Yet, as much as she hates his winning ways, there is a man behind that suave smile, a man who may win her heart against her will. Shadow in Serenity is a modern-day Music Man, penned by a Christy Award-winning, New York Times bestselling author.

My Thoughts:
When I was contacted about doing a review of 'Shadow in Serenity' by Terri Blackstock, I wasn't 100% sure how I would really like this story. While I do enjoy the occasional crime type story, it is not my preferred genre and I tend to be a bit more picky about them. But I'm always interested to see how Christian fiction writers are able to write a crime/mystery story while keeping with the Christian themes, so I was excited to give it a shot, and thankfully so.
Just out of prison where he'd served time for previous cons, Logan Brisco heads to the small town of Serenity, TX, a town hit by hard times that he believed would be the perfect place to pull of his grandest con yet- filling the town with hopes of a new amusement park to be built which would bring profit for them all. But when he meets Carny Sullivan, a woman who herself grew up in a traveling carnival with her parents, conning carnival guests out of their money, she threatens to destroy Logan's plans. I can't say much more than this without giving the story away, but it was certainly a wonderful story. Had I had the time, I'm sure this would have been one of those books that I wouldn't have been able to put down. Beyond the cons, it is also a great story about forgiveness and the ability to change, with help from God. And also a great love story thrown in as well. I will say that towards the end, parts of it seemed a bit unrealistic and perhaps a bit rushed, but overall it was a great book and I look forward to seeing more from Terri Blackstock. Based on the writing in this story alone, it is no surprise that she is a New York Times Bestseller.

You can purchase this book here.

*I received a copy of this book free from the publisher in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts are my own.

Holiday Gift Guide: Supporting Home/Direct Sales Businesses!

2011-11-14T08:20:00.000-08:00

If you follow any small businesses or have friends that do direct sales, you've probably seen the following going around on Facebook:

"Keep in mind this holiday season... YOU, the customer, are our everything. Spending $100 at Walmart or another retail or department store during the holidays won't make a difference to anyone; but spending $100 through a home business owner for Christmas means our business can continue, it gives us our pay, provides for our families, helps us meet our personal goals, and helps us continue to do what we love without using harsh sales techniques. The big stores will not care about you the way we will because unfortunately, you don't mean that much to them. You mean the world to me - shop a home/direct sales business for Christmas this year!! "

This is such a true statement. Even before starting direct sales myself, I had planned on having the bulk of my own personal Christmas wishlist come from companies such as Scentsy, Mary Kay, Avon...and some Etsy shops too. I love the idea of being able to directly help make Christmas a little better for someone else. So today, I want to encourage all of you to consider doing the same! So, I bring you my holiday gift guide, home businesses edition!!

Thirty One Gifts

Of course, what kind of consultant would I be if I didn't mention Thirty-One? Truly though, our products make great gifts for all occasions. One of my personal facorites is the Organizing Utility Tote- give it by itself, or make it a great gift 'basket' with body washes, lotions etc or a movie night theme with popcorn, a move or two or fill it with baking supplies...the possibilities are endless. You could do the same with any of our other bags as well! The other great thing is that many of our items can be personalized for a unique gift. For a child, you could do a nice Short Utility Bin or Large Utility Tote with their name! This is especially great for those like myself who have an unusual name and can't usually find items with the correct spelling!!

You can view everything we have to offer on my website (and please feel free to e-mail me with any questions!)

ScentsyAnyone who knows me personally, or who has followed for long, probably knows that I'm a Scentsy addict. A cute warmer and a few bars is the perfect gift for anyone who loves candles and wants their house to smell great! One of my personal favorite warmers is the Piece by Piece warmer, benefitting Autism Speaks, still available in closeout while supplies last. I haven't met someone with a child/grandchild on the spectrum yet who doesn't love this warmer. But the great thing about Scentsy is that there is truly a warmer style and scent options available for everyone! And for those looking for a bargain, there are a TON of plugin warmers available in the closeout for a discount too!! For the Scentsy addicts, you could give a gift certificate so that they can take advantage of January's Bring Back My Bar promotion too! If you do not already have a Scentsy consultant, I have several friends who are-too many to post them all here, but I'm happy to pass along their names, just ask!

Pampered Chef

For the person who loves to cook in your life, Pampered Chef is a great choice! Lots of great, unique cooking tools. I don't have a ton of PC products myself, but the few I do have (including their bamboo spoons) have been wonderful and I love them. They have some great gift sets, ready to give, or you can mix and match a few items and fill your own gift basket! On my personal wishlist: the Pizza Party Set and the Sweeten It Up Set! You can check out all of the wonderful products for yourself here, from my friend Tammy!

Avon

I am sure everyone has heard of Avon, and it doesn't need much introduction. They have a little something for everyone- women, men and children and all at great prices. Avon products make perfect stocking stuffers too. As a child I remember getting them myself and I always loved it. Check out their website for some great gift ideas at great prices here!

And let's not forget Etsy/homemade items as well! There are so many amazing vendors out there, I wish I could list them all, but for now I will just share my friend Kelli's primitive decor online store:

Pleasant Valley Homespun Primitives

Personally, I know a lot of people on my shopping list enjoy primitive decor, myself included. If you have someone like that on your list, you should definitely check her out here. My personal favorite items are her Primitive Family Signs, a great one of a kind gift!! Absolutely gorgeous. But all of her items are wonderful, and would be perfect for the primitive collector in your life.

These are just a few of the many home businesses out there: Mary Kay, Arbonne, Tupperware, the list goes on... Not to mention all the many crafters on Etsy or local to you! Between all of these wonderful companies, you are bound to find something for nearly everyone on your list, while directly helping these people have a better Christmas. The same cannot be said when purchasing all of your gifts from Wal-Mart or Target! So, my challenge for everyone is to consider your shopping list and see if you can add in just one gift from a company such as these.

Do you have your own direct sales company you're a consultant for? An etsy shop? Please feel free to leave your links in the comment and tell everyone a little bit about your company!

Thirty Days of Thankfulness

2011-11-10T12:26:00.000-08:00

I'm sure everyone who has a Facebook has seen many of their friends posting daily what they are thankful for. I mentioned a few weeks back that I loved the feeling of thankfulness that everyone seems to be feeling this time of year, so you'd think I'd have been the first to jump on that bandwagon...but well, I just don't have the memory for that. I started the 30 day photo challenge earlier in the year and made it 5 days...maybe? So rather than try to keep up with that, I decided to share my thirty days of thanksgiving right here, all at once.

November 1: I am first and foremost, thankful for my God. Without him, I would have nothing to be thankful for. Anything good in my life is thanks to Him. It is nothing I have done, but everything He has done.
"I will praise God’s name in song and glorify him with thanksgiving."- Psalm 69:30

November 2: I am beyond thankful for my husband and son. They are my everything. Without them, I don't know where I'd be and I am thankful every day that I was chosen to be Matt's wife and Shaun's mom.

November 3: I am thankful for my parents, for being wonderful and supportive in every way. They truly made me who I am and I thank them for that.

November 4: I am thankful for my sisters, Hope and Heather. Though we didn't always get along as kids, I never had to worry that they would not have my back if I needed it. And I have never laughed as hard as I do when we're together.

November 5: I am thankful for my brother, Jeff. Though I never met him, I am thankful because he taught me to be understanding and accepting to those who are different. This has made me a better mother to Shaun because of that.

November 6: I am thankful to one of my very best friends, Erica for getting me through the bad times and understanding what I was going through, without judgement. I am forever thankful and grateful to call you my best friend.

November 7: I am thankful for my other best friend, Brittany for always standing by me, even when she didn't necessarily agree with my choices. She has always been one of the few who I knew I could always count on.

November 8: I am thankful for my wonderful friend Tiffany, for breaking me out of my shell...or at least enough to sing at church every week. It is one of my absolute favorite memories and something I miss greatly. She also took me to church camp one year, and it forever changed my life. I owe her so much.

November 9: I am thankful to my fellow Autism mommy friends who I've been so blessed to meet. The circumstances of our friendships might not be ideal, but I am very thankful for the support and advice I've been given by all of you!!

November 10: On this 236th Birthday of the United States Marine Corps, I am thankful to the military and all of the wonderful opportunities it has given our family. While military life is not always great, I know we have a steady paycheck and a place to live. We've also been places I would never imagined (even just living here in California), that is only because of the Marine Corps.

November 11: I am thankful for the veterans. Particularly, of course, my husband. And also my Great Great Uncle Theodore, WWII Navy Veteran. He was my hero and I miss him daily with his wonderful war stories and the Navy vs Marine Corps battles he would have with Matt when we'd visit. He has been an inspiration to me, and I hope that he is looking down and is proud of the person I have become.

November 12: I am thankful for all of the amazing teachers and therapists that have helped Shaun to get to where he is today. I am constantly in awe of how far we have come since his original diagnosis and I owe so much of that to all of them.

November 13: I am thankful for Camp Illiana, my beloved Church Camp I always speak so highly of. This place has really helped to make me a better person (and a better Christian) and brought some wonderful friends in my life. It is a place that immediately felt like home and even now, years later, is still one of my favorite places on earth- a safe haven.

November 14: I am thankful for all the negatives in my life, they have made me stronger and brought me to where I am today.
"But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong."- 2 Corinthians 12:9

November 15: And on that note, I am thankful for my previous relationship. It taught me what true love was NOT, and allowed me to recognize the real thing when I found it.

November 16: I am thankful that my mom always encouraged me to keep writing. Even when I could not think of one single thing, she'd encourage me to keep trying. Always.

November 17: I am thankful for couponing. That might sound silly compared to everything else on this list so far, and maybe it is, but it has certainly been helpful in keeping within a budget and helping my family to save money...which means less stress for this mommy! So once again, I say...I am thankful for couponing!!!

November 18: I am thankful to anyone who has ever helped us, in anyway!!

November 19: I am thankful for this blog and all of my readers. This blog served as a great distraction and outlet while going through my husband's yearlong deployment, and has been a great way for me to share my son's progress and raise awareness for Autism.

November 20: I am thankful for Facebook. Not because I'm addicted (though I am), but because being far away from all of my family and friends, it has been a great way to keep in touch with everyone and share photos of Shaun and our family.

November 21: I know I've said this already, but I'll say it once again...I'm soooo very thankful for my husband. With my anxieties, I'm sure I'm not the easiest person to live with, but he accepts me and loves me anyway, and pushes me to do things I never believed I could do before.

November 22: I am thankful for Thomas the Tank Engine for being a great learning toy for my little boy- helping to teach him his colors, numbers, reading and even improving his speech. I love that my baby has something that he loves so much.

November 23: I am thankful for 'conversations' with my son about Santa Claus. It might seem like nothing to ask a four year old what he wants from Santa and being told an appropriate response, but for Shaun, this is wonderful. This is the first year he's really seemed to get it (though he's loved Christmas and Santa for ages, he never really 'got' it) and I'm so excited. The same goes for watching him trick or treat, open birthday presents on his own, etc....

November 24: On a less serious note, I am thankful for the UPS and mailman...haha...they always bring me great goodies;)

November 25: I am thankful for our house. While I wish we could live closer to home, and hopefully we soon will, I do love the place where we are. Looking out at my wonderful ocean view every day is a great reminder of how truly lucky we are.

November 26: I am thankful for California weather...like I said, I wish we were closer to home, but well, I'm not ready for the snow just yet...or ever!!

November 27: I am thankful for my wonderful mother in law who on this day in 1983 brought my amazing husband into this world. I cannot thank her enough for that and I could not wish for a better mother in law (afterall, she take my side instead of my husband's...haha...what more could you want? ;))

November 28: I am thankful for the rest of my family, and my husband's family as well. I have been very blessed, beyond a doubt.

November 29: I am thankful for my new Thirty-One business, my sponsor and director. Already I am loving this amazing company and the support I've been given and I cannot wait to see where this road leads.

November 30: I am thankful for whatever our future holds, because I know wherever we end up, it will all be God's plan for us.
"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11

Scripture and a Snapshot: Jeremiah 29:11 (with song!)

2011-11-06T09:48:00.000-08:00

"For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."- Jeremiah 29:11

Okay, okay, I know I've done this verse for Scripture and a Snapshot before. In fact it was the verse I used the first time I participated, but it is a favorite and one that deserves repeating. I also discovered a song this morning that I felt fit perfectly with this verse that I wanted to share with everyone.

I have stated many times on here and to those who know me personally that I am a firm believer that all things happen for a reason. God does not make mistakes and every trial and hardship we face is part of God's plan for us. We might not understand why these things are happening, or how this fits into His plan, but it does regardless. When you have a child diagnosed with Autism, I imagine it's natural for a parent to wonder if there was something you did or didn't do that could have prevented this from happening. It's human nature, and I've dealt with it myself. From my personal experience, I wondered about the vaccines. If we'd not had him vaccinated would he have been diagnosed? (We had a long debate before making that choice with our doctor, who ironically assured me that my child was too social to ever be Autistic...but that's a completely separate topic!) After some time I realized that there were signs there before the vaccines anyway, and I do not believe in my son's case that this was the trigger, but initially I did have these thoughts. After letting the diagnosis sink in, I also realized it didn't really matter at this point what the cause was, because all of this was truly God's plan for my life and for Shaun's life. He has so much to offer this world and has such a brilliant mind. God did not make a mistake in creating this amazing child. He is perfect, just the way he is- they way God intended him to be.

As I mentioned, I discovered a song this morning that reflected my own thoughts perfectly, 'Mama Don't Cry For Me':

Cause she’s always known that God don’t make mistakes
And with a little faith she knew she’d be okay
She looks in his eyes and her heart hears him say,
“Can’t you see? I was meant to be.”
Mama don’t cry for me.”

It is a beautiful song, and one that I am sure many Autism moms (or other special needs mothers) can relate to as well. It deserves to be heard and shared. You do have to download to listen, but it's a free download and so worth the time.

Introducing My New Business Venture: Thirty-One Gifts ♥

2011-11-02T08:34:00.000-07:00

As I'm sure all reading this know by now, I am a military wife and a mommy to a child with autism. With my husband's somewhat unpredictable schedule and my son's hectic, therapy filled schedule- working a normal job is impossible while still allowing me to be active in my son's

therapies. For some time I'd contemplated various direct sales/work at home opportunities, but nothing seemed to be a good fit. I'd sold Avon briefly before Shaun's diagnosis and well, it just didn't go well, leaving me a bit apprehensive of trying something else anyway. But still, I looked
into the possibilities- many had wonderful products, but too expensive! I knew I wouldn't be able to sell something if I wasn't willing to pay the high costs myself. Those that I felt were
better costs, were well beyond covered in my area. It seemed like I'd hit a dead end.

Then I started seeing Thirty-One on various blogs. Now, I'd heard of the company before, but thought it was strictly purses and while I do love purses, I was very much a Vera Bradley addict so I didn't give it much thought. But, everyone seemed to be raving about these bags and as I looked into them, I saw that it wasn't JUST purses, but home organization and so much more as well. I also discovered that it was a Christian based company and that the name actually came from Proverbs 31-the story of a virtuous woman. Already I was falling in love. So, I spoke with a wonderful consultant, Amy, about testing out one of these bags myself to do a review and

introduce all of you to this company as well. In the back of my head I started going over th

e idea of signing up as a consultant myself. As soon as I saw the products Amy sent me up close and personal, the decision was made! So I am very excited to announce that I am now and Independent Thirty-One consultant!!

Now for those who have not yet heard of Thirty-One, as I stated before- they sell purses, home organization, aprons and so much more- and most products can be personalized as well (which is great for someone like me who has a name you can't typically find on personalized items!). The products are practical and more importantly- affordable and quality products. One of my favorites so far is the Organizing Utility Tote that Amy had sent me! It's great as a diaper bag, a coupon binder carrier, a teacher...or just a busy mom who tends to have a full bag!!

The Large Utility Tote (pictured below- 'Out and About') is also a favorite- I've used it for grocery shopping, taking things to my son's classroom, etc. I LOVE it, and have already gotten a ton of compliments! This is going to be great for our holiday travels!!

So, that's my big news, please feel free to check out my online shop and join my Facebook group where I will share the amazing monthly specials Thirty-One has to offer, as well as any personal specials I may run in the future! (As per regulations, I am not able to post these deals publicly, but November's special is wonderful...who doesn't love something for $1??) I am so excited to see where this new business venture will take me and I thank anyone who helps to support me in advance!!

Review: Softy and Tenderly by Sarah Evans with Rachel Hauck

2011-10-24T21:36:00.000-07:00

From The Publisher:
Maybe in the wide-open country she can learn to breathe again.

Happily married and owner of two successful boutiques, Jade longs to begin a family with her husband, Max. But when she discovers that Max has an illegitimate son-who he wants her to help raise-Jade's life is turned upside down.

She flees to her childhood home, a rambling Iowa farmhouse, with enough room to breathe. There- while her mother's health grows fragile, and the tug of her first love grows stronger-Jade begins to question everything she thought she knew about family, love, and motherhood. In the wide-open landscape, Jade begins to see a future that doesn't rest on the power of her past, but in the goodness of God's tender mercies.

My Thoughts:
As a fan of Sara Evan's music, I was excited to have the chance to read this novel, co-written with Rachel Hauck. After receiving the book, I realized this was actually the second in her Songbirds series. While I would certainly like to go back and read 'Sweet By and By' and learn more about these characters, I did not feel completely lost in the story having not read it.
There is certainly a lot going on in this book, I'm not even sure where to begin! From the first pages, we see this 'southern soap opera' start to unfold as Jade and her mother-in-law June walk in on June's husband Rebel having an affair. This is only the beginning of the craziness that will come. We learn of Jade's struggle to have a child, Rebel's previous affairs, Jade's husband Max's struggles with addiction and the failing health of Jade's mother- losing her battle with leukemia. As if this were not enough already, Jade's world comes crashing down when she discovers her husband has a son, conceived just days before their wedding. She returns to her childhood home with her mother and June where things get even more interesting (but I'll let you read all that for yourself!) It is a wonderful story of forgiveness, love overcoming obstacles and finding peace with God.
To be entirely honest, the first part of the book moved rather slow for me. I'm not sure if it was just trying to catch up with all of the characters, or my mood on that given day, but despite being beautifully written I had a hard time really getting into the story. BUT, towards the end, once they'd returned to Prairie City, that changed and I was able to breeze through the second part and was left wanting more. One particular scene (from which the book gets it title) was especially moving, though I don't want to give that away! This is definitely a tearjerker! I look forward to going back and reading the first book of the series and to find out what comes next for the family. I'd definitely recommend this book to all.

You can purchase this book here.

*I was provided a free copy from the publisher in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts are my own.

Scripture & A Snapshot: Proverbs 31:30 (and more!!)

2011-10-22T13:29:00.000-07:00

It's been much too long since I've had the time to join in for Scavenger Hunt Sunday, another of my favorite hops, so I decided today I would take a few quick shots to share for the week! Nothing too special this week, but hopefully a reminder to me to take the time to do it next week!!

Always Look On The Bright Side
(Scripture and A Snapshot!)

"Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised." Proverbs 31:30

This photo didn't turn out nearly as well as I'd pictured in my head, but it gets the point across I suppose! I chose this verse because I thought it was a great reminder that in a society where looks are looked at as so important, in the end it is not THE most important thing. (Not that there is anything wrong with trying to look your best, of course. So long as it's not your sole

focus!)

Fly

When I read this topic, aside from the pesky fly that has been flying around my house, all I could think was birds. Mention birds around my little man lately, and this is immediately what comes to his mind! I'm sure some of you reading will understand that as well! ;)

Orange

Any excuse to share my son's school art projects!!!!

Under

Yesterday, I found my son hiding under the train table, which was oh so cute, and of course I couldn't get a picture before he moved. I attempted to get him to recreate the moment today, and no such luck. So this was the best I could do...

Words

Not sure how I like this, but I thought I'd try something a little different...for Halloween!!!

I'm posting early while I have the chance, but be sure to check out these links tomorrow for more great scavenger hunt and scripture and a snapshot photos!!

Wednesday Love ♥

2011-10-19T08:08:00.000-07:00

I haven't linked up for What I'm Loving Wednesday in ages, so I thought it was about time to fix that!! I have so much that I am loving today!!

First and foremost, as we approach the 2 year anniversary of Shaun's Autism diagnosis (October 20, 2009) I LOVE the amazing progress he has made in the past two years. He is an amazing little boy and I am so blessed that I was chosen to be his mommy. It has not been easy to get
him to where he is now, and we still have a long way to go but I am confident that he will go far!!

"As he passed by, he saw a man blind from birth. And his disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” Jesus answered, “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him."- John 9:1-3

I am loving that all of the stores have their Christmas decor out. I know, I know- it's super early, but I just love Christmas! I get it from my mom. And Shaun gets it from me. I love the look of awe in his eyes when he sees the Christmas tree and lights. He loves Christmas more than I do (and in fact has a Christmas tree up in his playroom!!) It also means that the holidays are drawing nearer which means we will be seeing our families soon!!!

Source: eighteen25.blogspot.com via Celia on Pinterest

I am loving Parenthood. This is truly one of the best shows on TV right now. I look forward to watching it every week, with my box of tissues handy because I am always crying during this show!! Love it!!

I am loving that there is a Pretty Little Liars Marathon on today! Yay! It's my guilty

pleasure...except I have no guilt about it!!

I'm loving these fun Halloween ideas on Pinterest!!!

Source: None via Cortney on Pinterest

Source: countryliving.com via Sallie on Pinterest

Source: carinagardner.com via Mary on Pinterest

And most importantly, I am loving my family, always!

Scripture and A Snapshot: Psalm 107:1

2011-10-15T20:12:00.001-07:00

"Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever."- Psalm 107:1

There are so many wonderful things about the fall season. The beautiful colors, the wonderful fall baking (pumpkin muffins, pumpkin pie...anything pumpkin...mmmm!), the smells. It is a wonderful season with so much to love. But I think one of the greatest parts of fall is the feeling of thankfulness that seems to be in the air with the approach of Thanksgiving and the holiday season. We certainly have a lot to be thankful for, and I try to remember this daily and give thanks to God for all we've been given, because without Him, we'd have nothing.

Though being a military wife and an Autism mommy is not always easy, I feel so incredibly thankful to have been blessed with my husband and son.

It's Okay!!

2011-10-13T09:24:00.000-07:00

I found this great link-up this morning hosted by Brunch with Amber and A Complete Waste of Makeup and thought it was a great idea! Head on over to join in on the fun!!

It's OK:

that I want to stay in pjs all day, and my house is a little messy, and even that my blog has been a bit neglected because this cold doesn't seem to want to leave and my energy is just GONE!
that I walked my son to the bus yesterday with my pj pants wrong side out, because I was so tired and I don't think anyone noticed anyway!!
to buy new clothes for myself every once in awhile because it was long overdue and there was an amazing sale anyway! (5 tops for $40 at American Eagle! That's 5 for the price of 1!!)
that I've already started on Christmas shopping...better than waiting until the last minute, right?
to let some of the good coupon deals pass me by because we have plenty of health and beauty items to last us until we move...at least that's what I keep telling myself!!!
that my husband has to do everything on my iPhone for me (as far as syncing, etc goes) because I'm really not technology challenged- just iPhone!!!
if this doesn't make much sense, because well, I'm still super sleepy, and next time will be better!!!

Review: The Crossing by Serita Jakes

2011-10-07T16:57:00.000-07:00

From The Publisher:

Imprisoned by memories, Claudia Campbell lives each day in the shadow of a ten-year-old murder. Who can set her free?

On the way home from a football game, a decade earlier, a masked gunman opened fi re on a Texas school bus. Cheerleading coach B.J. Remington was killed, but her murderer was never found. Claudia, who had a close friendship with the young, spirited teacher, constantly relives the anguish of that day, caught in one moment in time. When her husband, the assistant district attorney, becomes determined to uncover the mystery of that tragedy, the secrets buried over the years threaten to tear their family apart.

Officer Casio Hightower will never forget the day his dreams were destroyed. A star quarterback with a promising future, Casio was on top of the world—until one bullet changed everything. He is eager to help Victor Campbell find B.J.’s killer, the man who shot him. Maybe solving the case will help silence the demons driving Casio to hurt the woman he loves.

As the Campbells and Casio teeter on the brink of losing everything, will they be able to discover that what begins at the crossing ends at the cross?

My Thoughts:
I'm not usually a huge fan of murder mysteries, but this seemed like a good story and I knew I wanted to read it. I was certainly not disappointed! I could not put this book down!! It was much more than just a murder mystery as we see how the tragic murder of high school teacher BJ Remington affected the lives of students on the bus, Claudia Campbell and Casio Hightower. Ten years after the fact, they are still haunted by the events of that night. When Claudia's husband Victor decides to reopen the case, both are confronted once again by the memories that threaten to destroy them. Throughout the story, we learn more and more secrets, and slowly all the pieces are revealed, just enough at a time to keep the reader wondering what might happen next and until the very end, keeping us in suspense of who exactly the killer was.
I believe my favorite part of this book were the pieces at the beginning of each chapter told from Miss Remington's point of view as she is dying. During this time she evaluates her life and the mistakes she's made (again revealing secrets little by little) and coming to terms that she is dying and seeking and receiving forgiveness from God. Truly, that is what this book is about. Repentance and forgiveness. Some characters will see it, others would not. This was by no means a light hearted Christian fiction novel, but a very powerful one that may be hard to read in places but is certainly worth pushing through anyway.
I'm still not 100% sure how I feel about the outcome of the story- I think I would have liked to see a change in some of the 'bad guys' in the story, but at the same time it was what made the book very real as life doesn't always have that happy ending. Regardless, I'd recommend this book.

You can purchase this book here!

*I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts are my own.

Review: There You'll Find Me by Jenny B Jones

2011-09-25T20:53:00.000-07:00

From the publisher:

Grief brought Finley to Ireland. LOVE WILL LEAD HER HOME.

Finley Sinclair is not your typical eighteen-year-old. She’s witty, tough, and driven. With an upcoming interview at the Manhattan music conservatory, Finley needs to compose her audition piece. But her creativity disappeared with the death of her older brother, Will.

She decides to study abroad in Ireland so she can follow Will’s travel journal. It’s the place he felt closest to God, and she’s hopeful being there will help her make peace over losing him. So she agrees to an exchange program and boards the plane.

Beckett Rush, teen heartthrob and Hollywood bad boy, is flying to Ireland to finish filming his latest vampire movie. On the flight, he meets Finley. She’s the one girl who seems immune to his charm. Undeterred, Beckett convinces her to be his assistant in exchange for his help as a tour guide.

Once in Ireland, Finley starts to break down. The loss of her brother and the pressure of school, her audition, and whatever it is that is happening between her and Beckett, leads her to a new and dangerous vice. When is God going to show up for her in this emerald paradise?

Then she experiences something that radically changes her perspective on life. Could it be God convincing her that everything she’s been looking for has been with her all along?

My Thoughts:
When I read the description for 'There You'll Find Me', I thought it sounded like a great story, so despite not being the target audience I gave it a shot. Finley is an 18 year old girl who had went through a very rough period after the loss of her brother Will. In an effort to find the God that her brother had written about in his travel journals, she decides to follow his footsteps to Ireland. On the way, she meets Hollywood heartthrob vampire, Beckett Rush (think Twilight). Despite her immediate dislike and efforts to stay away from him, she eventually finds herself falling. But while there is a great romance here, that's not all the story was- we also meet the mean girl, determined to make life miserable and a bitter elderly woman, Mrs. Sweeney whom Finley was assigned to help as a class project. These were all weaved beautifully into the story along with deeper issues of struggling to reach perfection and ultimately finding God in the beauty of Ireland.
Despite, once again, not being the target audience, I found myself in many ways relating to Finley in her issues with anxiety and trying to make everything perfect. The story was so well written that aside from the characters ages and a few typical teen themes, it could really be enjoyed by a much larger (and older) audience as well. I always love books that paint a great picture in my head of the places I'm reading about and I must say that this was definitely one of those. Several times throughout the book I found myself telling my husband that I'd love to go to Ireland one day!! Overall, I really enjoyed this book and I look forward to reading more by the writer!

You can purchase 'There You'll Be' here!

*I received a copy of this book free from Book Sneeze in exchange for this review. All opinions are my own.

Scripture and A Snapshot: 1 Corinthians 13: 4-8

2011-09-24T20:59:00.000-07:00

I am so happy to be able to join in for Scripture and a Snapshot once again this week! This is one of my absolute favorite link ups and I've missed being able to participate! And so this week I share with you one of my (and so many other's) favorite verses:

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.- 1 Corinthians 13: 4-8

This is perhaps one of the most popular verses there is (right up there with John 3:16) but I cannot hear it enough. 1 Corinthians is one of my favorite books in the bible, and this entire chapter is the reason why!! Love, be it love of a spouse, a child, family member, friend or God is the most important thing in this world. As the verses before this one states, without love, there is nothing and what a great example of the kind of love we should strive for in all our relationships.

Just a quick note...

2011-09-23T23:00:00.000-07:00

First of all, I wanted to say that I got a new computer, thanks to my husband's insistence that I just give up on the old one! So nice to not be restarting every few minutes. So be looking for more frequent posts in the near future!! What would you like to read more of?

I also wanted to pass along the word about a giveaway I found- low entries ending Saturday at 4 (eastern time). Go check it out here for a chance to win free Scentsy-and don't forget to check out the rest of her blog while you're there, lots of fun stuff!!

My Baby Can Read!

2011-09-22T18:23:00.001-07:00

As you may have figured out by now, I'm a bit of a book lover. From a very young age, I loved to read. I'd always have a book in my hands. I remember getting special permission from the school library and bookmobile to allow me to check out chapter books while the rest of my class was choosing picture books. In the second grade, as a birthday gift, my parents gave me a set of the classics and I thought it was the best gift ever. It was something I loved and it came fairly naturally to me. My mom is a speed reader as well, so I'm sure I got it from her. So you can imagine my disappointment when as soon as Shaun became mobile, he refused to be read to. I would try time and time again, but he was just too busy to let me read to him. I truly thought he'd never show an interest in books or reading.

During ABA when Shaun was about 2.5, he was working on a program where I believe he was matching non identical matching objects. With one particular card, a photo of a ball, he kept saying 'Toby! Toby' and turning the card over. For the longest time we could not figure out what he was saying this with a photo of a ball. One day I happened to notice that the back of the card read, 'Playtime Toy'. Hmmm, Toy/Toby? So I tested this theory and wrote 'Toby' on a piece of paper. He read it perfectly. I followed by various other train names and he read each and every one. At this point it was obviously sight reading, he has such an amazing memory so we left it at that. Very quickly we noticed he was 'reading' TV Shows on the guide on the TV. It started with just a few, and then soon he was 'reading' most everything that he'd commonly watch.

When he started school, he very quickly learned his own name as well as the names of his friends in the class (and from what I hear was happy to tell them which cubby, etc belonged to them too!) When his teacher mentioned this, I told her about the trains and TV shows, etc. She at that time suggested that he may be hyperlexic but at that point, it was hard to tell. (Basically, this means that he had abilities to read that were above what was typical for a child his age.) As I said, he has quite an amazing memory so he could have just been remembering that way.

Over the last year he started picking words up more and more quickly and I was constantly being surprised when he'd read a word somewhere and I'd have no idea where he could possibly have learned it. Over the holidays, he watched a 'Your Baby Can Read' DVD, and by the end of watching it only one time, he knew all the words. Incredible. Again, I couldn't believe what I was hearing but still, was it just his memory?

About a month or two ago, he started insisting that we watch everything with subtitles. In fact, if a movie did not have subtitles, we'd have a meltdown on our hands. So, subtitles it was. Suddenly it seemed as though he was reading everything. Though he still rarely let me read to him, when he'd give me the chance I'd make him read the words I knew he knew. Now he was reading the books and I would fill in the blanks. We like the Step into Reading books, and he was reading Step 1 all by himself, then Step 2, and unfortunately that's where the Thomas books stop but I'm sure he could manage a Step 3 with some assistance. At this point, not only was he saying the words he recognized, he was attempting to sound out the ones that he didn't...something we had never taught him to do. He was reading whole sentences when typically he prefers to use one word statements.

A few weeks ago, while talking about it with his teacher and therapists, they both came to the agreement that he was in fact hyperlexic. Now, the thing with a child who is hyperlexic is that while they have an amazing ability to read at ease, sometimes the understanding is just not there. They are merely words with no meaning. For Shaun, I believe this is partly true as well. He was reading over my shoulder one night and I'm certain he didn't actually understand what the book (Canary's List) was actually saying. But his teacher, in an effort to use this tool to help in the areas he's lacking (social and communication) set up a system where he was given a piece of paper with written directions and was asked to follow them (much like how a visual schedule would work, but with words instead of pictures). She wrote on the paper, 'Go say hi to 'friend's name''. And he did it!! So not only is he really reading, he is, to some degree, actually getting it!! As a mommy, this makes me so proud. Not only is this something just absolutely incredible to watch, in my opinion, but we're hoping it will also be a great therapy tool and something we can use to help him grow.

I am so thrilled with the progress Shaun has made in the almost 2 years since his initial diagnosis, and I am excited to see where this will help to lead him in the years to come.

"As he passed by, he saw a man blind from birth. And his disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” Jesus answered, “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him."- John 9:1-3

So sorry...

2011-09-21T16:06:00.000-07:00

that I haven't posted much lately! Unfortunately I've been having computer issues and it makes it hard to write a post when I have to restart at times every few minutes!! I am trying to hold onto my current computer for as long as possible but I think its in its final days...*sigh*
Hopefully when it's replaced I will be posting more frequently, in the meantime, you can keep up with me on FB- like my page to the right:)

Review: One Call Away by Brenda Warner

2011-09-12T13:16:00.000-07:00

From the Publisher:

Brenda’s life has taken twists and turns that are stranger than fiction. It always seemed as if she was just one phone call away from the next explosive change. Each time her plans fell apart, she had a choice: would she give up, or would she press forward and learn from the unexpected? One Call Away is the inspiring story of a woman who has prevailed through many of the circumstances that discourage women: tragedy, poverty, betrayal, and humiliation. But unlike most women, her life has been on display in the media.
Brenda’s faith and God’s strength enable her to face challenge after challenge: an accident that leaves her son blind and brain damaged, a crumbling marriage, a tornado that kills her parents, a new relationship with promising football player Kurt Warner, and the pressures his sudden success brings to their growing family.
Through food stamps and funerals, Super Bowls and serving others, Brenda’s strength is unwavering. Her determination to dream new dreams, willingness to learn from her mistakes, and commitment to giving back to her community make her a role model for women of all backgrounds.
Her dreams haven’t materialized as she had imagined, but Brenda has found that God has a much bigger plan for her. Conversational and candid, One Call Away invites readers facing their own difficulties to trust God and discover hope in the future.

My Thoughts:
I have to start this review by saying I'm not a football fan, or sports in general for that matter. I couldn't tell you a touchdown from a home run. Okay, I exaggerate slightly, but basically I don't follow sports. The only reason I knew who Kurt Warner was before reading this book, was from Dancing With The Stars. However, when I read the book's description, I thought it sounded like a great read and decided to review it anyway! So glad I did, it was a great story, but before I get to that I do have to say my one big annoyance with the book, perhaps a bit nit picky, but it bothered me!
After high school, Brenda tells about her time in the Marine Corps. As a Marine wife, I was interesting in reading this, but I was also disappointed in that every mention of being a Marine, the 'm' was not capitalized. Ask any Marine about this and I'm sure they'd all (or at least most) tell you it should be! Being that she spoke so highly about her time in, I'd have thought it would have been. Like I said, perhaps it's just because I had it drilled into my head to always use a capital M, but it did really bother me!
But aside from that little detail, it was a great story. Brenda shares very openly about her life, both the good and the bad. From living on food stamps to becoming a multimillionaire. She shares about the accident that left her son brain damaged and a bit about his recovery. Being a special needs mom myself, I would have enjoyed reading more on this, but I understand that there were many other stories to be told. Through all of these unexpected twists and turns, Brenda turns to God for strength and guidance. While she admits that she did many things wrong, I think it was a great and very honest story about relying on God through the hard times. Overall, I was happy with it and look forward to reading her first book, First Things First, which she cowrote with her husband. Football fan or not, this is a good book!

You can purchase this book here!

*I received a copy of One Call Away free from Book Sneeze in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts are my own.

Where Were You?

2011-09-11T08:16:00.000-07:00

This, of course, is the question of the day. Where were you September 11, 10 years ago today?

September 11, 2001- I was in the 8th Grade. It was the week we were scheduled to do our state testing. As we were sitting in the library waiting to begin, an announcement came on- a plane had crashed in New York- testing was cancelled for the day and we were to go to our scheduled class. At this point, I didn't understand what was going on- how had a plane crashing in New York affected us? Around me, I remember many were relieved to put these tests on hold. Again, we had no idea the scale of what was happening. As we watched the news throughout the rest of the day, we all became very aware. Through the halls there was talk of World War 3. The whole day seemed so surreal. How had something like this happened HERE? In America? I had never been one to watch the news much (and still don't today), and this all was so shocking to me. In the days, weeks, even months that followed, we followed the headlines daily. In History, we kept a journal on all of the events as they were happening and our thoughts on those. I would be interested to read what I had written at the time but I don't believe I still have it. But to be entirely honest, aside from making me more aware of the world around me, I can't say that my personal life was affected TOO much at that time. I didn't know anyone in New York. Or who was flying that day. I didn't personally know anyone in the military. I was not affected firsthand, nor was anyone I knew at that time. I think all of us were changed in some ways that day, how could we not be? But at that time it wasn't quite so personal. Several years later, when I married my husband, a US Marine, that changed. No longer was it something that did not affect me directly. Now, as I welcome my husband home from his fourth deployment, the results of that day are all too real for me.

Today, as we look back at the events at that day and how America and our world has changed, I say a prayer for all those who were lost that day. For those who went on about their work days, never realizing it would be their last. For those on the planes who never reached their destinations. For the heroes who risked their lives, going into the towers to save others. For those who made it, and for those who paid the ultimate sacrifice. I say a prayer for the families left behind, waiting for word that their loved ones had made it. I pray for the military lost in this fight, and for their families. And I pray for those currently serving. May we never forget the events of that day or the lives lost to terrorism.

Jesus proclaimed, "Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends." John 15:13

Autism + Blackout=Time To Get Creative!

2011-09-09T11:37:00.000-07:00

For a child (or adult) with Autism, routine is everything! Thankfully for us, Shaun is not quite as rigid as some. However, there are a few things that he has to have a certain way. He must always sit at the same seat to eat (if I mistakenly put his chair in the wrong place he'll move it back)...little things like that! He also believes that the TV must be on at all waking hours, regardless of if he is actually watching it, it has to be on. First thing in the morning or when we walk in the door-TV on. Simple enough, right? I like background noise myself so this doesn't usually bother me.

But then there are afternoons/nights like last night. I'm sure this has probably been on the news, but for those who were not aware, most of Southern California all the way to Yuma, AZ and part of Northern Mexico lost all power. As far as I know, there are still places without. Thankfully, ours came back on last night, but for 6 long hours nothing. At the beginning, Shaun was in ABA and didn't realize anything had happened. Once he realized the TV was 'broken' and the iPad was dead and couldn't be charged...well, needless to say, he was not a happy child!!

California traffic is bad enough when the power is on, I could only imagine how bad it would be with very few stoplights (only a few were on generators and still going), but being the Scentsy addict I am, we no longer had candles in the house, and only one small flashlight. With the news saying it could be out well into today, tomorrow even, we knew we had to venture out and try to find a place open to get what we needed. Off to Wal-Mart we went. Closed. Next stop, Target. They were open thankfully. As we headed to the camping department for flashlights and lanterns, I suddenly remembered something. While looking for birthday gifts a few weeks ago, we'd spotted some Target exclusive glow in the dark Thomas Trackmaster sets. So while the crowds filed to get lighting sources, we made our way in the dark to the toys, and sure enough, they still had them! Shaun chose 'Thomas Midnight Ride' and we were back on our way, getting what we came for...armed with a lantern and a few more flashlights, we headed home. I was actually pleasantly surprised with the traffic! At that point, people were not rushed, were being courteous on the roads, etc...were we still in California!? I did hear that later though it turned into craziness!!

We set up Shaun's new toy and set up our new lantern and Shaun played quietly all afternoon, until falling asleep watching his trains go round and round the tracks. He even asked me at one point to play WITH him, which NEVER happens. I'm not sure if it was just because it was a new toy in general, or if it was the fact that it did glow but either way, it made what could have been a long, meltdown filled night quite peaceful. Best idea ever!!

And that's our California Blackout 2011 survival story! We made it, in one piece and without driving each other crazy!! Any other SoCal people out there? Would love to hear your stories!

(Also, be sure to join me on the new FB page- link on the right!!)

Join Me On Facebook!!

2011-09-07T16:16:00.000-07:00

A Modern Day Fairy Tale is now on Facebook!! I've been debating starting a fan page for some time, as I know I find it easier to keep up with sites I like on there, and so I finally set it up! Click 'like' to your right to follow me there! I promise not to clog your newsfeed with constant posting, but I wanted a way to keep you updated quicker, as well as interact more with my readers! Hope to see you there!!!

Yes, I have a stockpile...No, I'm not a hoarder!!

2011-09-06T21:47:00.000-07:00

(Unless you count pumpkin and Scentsy, that is!)

As most of you have probably figured out if you've read my blog for long, I'm a coupon-er!! (Pre Extreme Couponing too!) While this is by no means a coupon blog, I've been asked often how I get such great deals etc so I decided I'd write just a few posts on the world of coupons. I am going to start by sharing a little bit about my own personal stockpile, with pictures!

Now, I don't have a huge crazy stockpile as seen on 'that show'. I don't buy 100s of one item, just because I can, nor do I have more than we can use before things expire. As you will see, most of what I have is health/beauty and cleaning supplies. This was built up slowly, never buying more than 4 at any given time (and even that was rare!). It actually took me awhile to be comfortable with the stockpile. One of the reasons I coupon is because I have a major anxiety about spending money...anything over $20 seems like a lot to me! So my shopping lists pre-stockpiling tended to be the essentials that we needed at that given time, coupon or not. I would feel that if I were buying something I did not yet need because it was on sale or I had a coupon, I was still spending more money at that time than I needed to (even though I knew in my head that it was smarter and cheaper in the long run). Thankfully, I have gotten over that, for the most part!! By using coupons with sales and buying when I could get them cheap rather than when I needed them, I have saved a TON of money...and I don't have to worry about running out of something...it's a win/win! If you haven't embraced the stockpile yet, I encourage you to!

My upstairs bathroom. The canvas bin is filled with razors (mostly free, some just super cheap!) The basket has toothbrushes-all free! These mouthwashes are a great example of how a stockpile can save you money also. These were on sale for $2.99, with a coupon for $2 off, making them 99 cents each! These are normally about $5 EACH, I got 5 bottles for the price of 1!! As you can see, I have lots of shampoo and conditioner and various hair products also. None of these were over $1, many of them free! All of my deodorants were free as well. (Many of these you saw in Mailbox Monday!) Overall, I am very proud of this portion of my stock!

This is also in my upstairs master bath. Nothing too interesting here, but a LOT of tissues, ready for the cold season. There are 11 boxes total here, plus 4-5 boxes open throughout my house. I also just gave a few boxes to my son's class too! Hopefully these will last us a bit...but the colds have already been starting here, so we'll see. The Puffs were a great buy, they were on sale for $3.50 or so for a 3-pack, with a 25 cent coupon, but inside were MORE coupons for various P&G products, like Charmin and Puffs and Crest toothpaste...they paid for themselves! I also have toilet paper in each bathroom as well...That's one thing you never want to run out of, right?

My cleaning closet (in my laundry room). As you can see, I have a LOT of the Tide Stain Release. I love this stuff, and I made sure to stock up when they had the $3 coupon (and there was a sale for $4.50-ish!) So glad I did since the recent coupons have only been $1.50 off!

My food pantry, as you can see, it's not nearly as impressive (in my opinion, but well stocked nonetheless! You can't see all of it here, but I have lots of pasta (we eat pasta at least once a week usually, so I try to keep plenty on hand!), canned veggies, diet cokes, etc. I actually need a bigger pantry, but we make it work!!

Part 2 of the pantry. Breakfast foods and snacks. My snack shelf is where you really see the stocking! There are about 5 boxes cheese nips (90 cents each, with a 75 cent off 2 coupon), 13 boxes of fruit snacks- most of them Thomas. I wish I could say I got a better deal on these, but really, most of them were 2.16 each with a coupon for 50 cents off 2. A few were $1 off each, making them 1.16 a piece though, and the non-Thomas ones were 50 cents each. I could have gotten much cheaper fruit snacks, BUT of course, my little guy is obsessed with Thomas so if it makes him happy, it's worth the little extra! I've had to grab these when I could though, apparently they're quite popular! There are SEVERAL bags of pretzels also, most of them 19 cents a piece, and somewhere behind there was some free popcorn also.

And finally...napkins, ziploc baggies, foil, etc... There are several packages of Bounty napkins behind there...47 cents each! The ziploc bags came out to about 50 cents each as well!!
See, nothing crazy, but it works for my family and has saved us a ton of money! I love seeing other people's photos so if you have a link, feel free to leave it in a comment! If you don't coupon and want to start, or are just starting, what questions do you have that would be helpful? As I said, I'm not a coupon blogger, but I do love helping others save money any way I can! I hope you enjoyed!!

Review: 'The Canary List' by Sigmund Brouwer

2011-09-03T12:38:00.000-07:00

From the Publisher:

Protected by the dark of night, Jaimie Piper runs. But is anywhere safe when Evil is hunting you?

She’s just a twelve year-old girl, bumped around between foster homes and relegated to school classes for challenged kids, those lagging in their test scores or with behavioral issues. But her real problem is that she can sense something the other kids can’t—something dark. Something compelling her to run for her life.

All Crockett Grey wants is to mark the anniversary of his daughter’s death alone.

But when his student Jaimie comes to him, terrified, her need for protection collides with his grief, and a tangled web of bizarre events sends them both spiraling toward destruction.

Crockett’s one hope of getting his life back is to uncover the mysterious secrets of Jaimie’s past and her strange gift. It isn’t long before his discoveries lead him to a darker conspiracy, secrets guarded by the highest seat of power in the world—the Vatican.

My Thoughts:

If you follow my blog, you might realize I received this book some time ago to review. Typically when I receive these books I try to get them read fairly quickly, but upon reading the first few pages I realized this was better read when I wasn't home alone at night. Immediately, we are drawn into the world of the supernatural- demons, satanism and witchcraft to be exact! Some scary stuff, and not at all what I was expecting!! My initial thought was honestly, this book is too weird. Don't get me wrong, I like supernatural fiction- vampires, witchcraft, all that are fine with me. Demons and exorcism, however, are not my first choice and again, not what I was expecting in a Christian fiction! Needless to say, it took me awhile to get into it, but somewhere towards the middle, everything started to make more sense and I started getting more into the story. This put me in mind of books such as 'Da Vinci Code', with their conspiracy theories and coverups within the Catholic church (the author even references to Dan Brown in the final pages). Through most of the book, it seemed to have a bit of an anti-Catholic message, dealing with Satanism and pedophilia within the church. As it went on, I started thinking that perhaps that wasn't the case, as it seemed they were trying to stop such things from happening, but again towards the end with the coverups and lies, I wasn't really sure where it stood. I am not Catholic myself (though my husband is), but I can certainly see where many could be offended, so that is something to keep in mind before reading. Overall, I'd have to say that it wouldn't be my first choice but it's not a horrible book, just very different!

As a side note, I do have to say that there were several typos and grammatical errors that drove me crazy while reading, however, this was an advanced reading copy and I'm sure these were fixed before the final publication!!

You can purchase this book here!

**I received a copy of this book from Blogging for Books free in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts are my own.

Miscellany Monday: Playing Catch Up!!

2011-08-29T09:37:00.000-07:00

As I mentioned in yesterday's post, there has been a ton going on here lately! So let's start with the most exciting news:

My husband is HOME!!! Finally! A year is much too long! I'm not sure if I mentioned it or not, but our homecoming had a theme: WWII!!! Of course with my love of vintage, this was right up my alley so I loved it. Unfortunately only a few of us wives actually joined in the fun, but that's ok! Anyway, my husband gave us a little surprise. As we were waiting patiently (yeah, right!) for the buses to arrive, Shaun looked behind us and said, "It's DADDY!" The buses had still not arrived, so certain he'd just seen another Marine in uniform, my mother in law corrected him. We then turned around to realize, it WAS daddy!! He'd gotten a ride and had snuck up on us!!! What a surprise!! It was a fabulous day (night, morning...it was midnight!) and I could not be happier to have him home with us once again!!!

As you all know, my son recently celebrated his 4th birthday. His actual birthday was August 4th, but we decided we'd rather wait to celebrate until daddy was home to enjoy it with us. Part of me still thinks I was crazy planning a party so soon after the homecoming (since we were not home much the whole week before), but I was happy with how it turned out. It was the windiest day of the year I think...hanging decorations proved to be a challenge, but we did the best we could and Shaun was THRILLED with all the Thomas decor. We didn't have much turnout, but one of Shaun's great buddies from school came and he didn't seem to mind that there weren't more people. We had 4 dozen Thomas cupcakes, a 'train pond', sucker pull, pin the 1 on Thomas and lots of goodies for the kids...not to mention a bubble machine that seemed to be a hit!! Shaun was thrilled with all his new Thomas goodies too!!

I also recently celebrated my 24th birthday, on August 23rd! We didn't do much special, having my family together was enough for me! My husband did buy me a new pearl and diamond necklace though...and a new coupon binder (that zips, with a strap)...not sure which I was more excited about!! (I have been asked a lot recently about couponing also, so stay tuned for a post on that:))

Speaking of deals, I haven't done Mailbox Monday in several weeks, but my mailbox has continued to be full of fun surprises..coupons, pink zebra striped tape, samples, etc...but the best has to be the Savoy Scentsy warmer I won from this wonderful blog! Thanks again so much!!

Some other little bits: my husband bought a motorcycle, he's very excited...I'm a worry-er, but I love him so I'm happy if he's happy! Shaun started school, it seems so quiet having him gone again!! I'm not sure if I mentioned it or not but Shaun had been having some stomach issues lately and had had to have some allergy testing done earlier this month- everything came back normal!!! (Though we still believe he may be lactose intolerant!) Mostly, things have just been busy busy busy! Hopefully things will be returning to 'normal' soon and I'll be able to update more!!

Review: Sweet Sanctuary by Sheila Walsh & Cindy Martinusen Coloma

2011-08-28T20:14:00.000-07:00

First off, I want to apologize for disappearing! Between my husband coming home, his mom visiting, my son's birthday party and so on...it's been a busy several weeks! I will write more on that later, but for now I need to get caught up on a few book reviews! So here we go...

From the Publisher:

Wren has tried to shelter her only son from the tumult of the world. Now she's about to find sanctuary . . . in the last place she ever expected.

In tiny Cottage Cover, on the coast of Maine, Wren Evans is raising her gifted son, Charlie. A single mom, she's fought hard to give Charlie a stable, secure home life. When a prestigious music academy in Boston expresses interest in Charlie's talent, Wren is willing to move them again to make his dreams come true.

But Wren doesn't know that Charlie has been praying for her. And the answer to her son's prayers will change both of their lives. As Wren plans their move to Boston, life in Maine begins to fall apart. Her job is threatened with budget cuts, and Wren's grandmother, Ruth, arrives unannounced, with an outlandish request.

Ruth wants the family gathered together one last time, at the summer home where, years before, an accident shattered Wren's peaceful childhood. In the tumult, Wren finds a friend in a handsome, kind-hearted local, Paul Callahan.

When the family gathers in Cottage Cover, old wounds will be healed, new love will blossom, and the innocent prayers of a child will be answered in a most unexpected way.

My Thoughts:

In this story, we meet Wren, a single mother trying to give her son the best life possible. In the beginning, Wren and Charlie seem to live a very predictable life. This all changes when her grandmother shows up at her doorstep unannounced with plans of throwing herself a 90th birthday party and requests the presence of all of her grandchildren. After a family tragedy many years before, the siblings had had a strained relationship, to say the least. Between this, a growing relationship with the successful Paul Callahan and the reappearance of her ex, it makes for a very interesting read! Beyond all of that, it is a great story about learning to put your trust in God and that He is with us at all times through everything. In the end, it also became a great story about forgiveness and moving on from the past.
Overall, I think this was a great story. I do believe I would have enjoyed it more had I not had to take a 2 week break in the middle of it, though that has nothing to do with the writing or the book itself! The characters were interesting and believable and the story of past events were revealed just enough throughout to keep me intrigued! I look forward to reading more by the authors.

*I received a copy of this book from Book Sneeze free in exchange for this review. All thoughts are my own.

You can purchase this book here!

The Change Up: Spread The Word

2011-08-10T10:00:00.000-07:00

Yes, it's another post about the R-Word. Are you tired of them yet? Honestly, I'm a bit tired of writing them myself, yet it seems every time I turn around there's yet another story of the word being misused. I wasn't going to say much on this one- what's there to say after the last few- but even a few days after reading this one still bugs me. For those who don't yet know what I'm talking about, I'm referring to the quote in the new movie 'The Change Up', where Ryan Reynold's character, referring to his friend's twins says, “Why aren’t they talking – what are they retarded? And this one, he looks Downsy.'”

First of all, I have to start off by saying I have not seen the movie and I had no intention of seeing it. I'm not a fan of other movies by the same people (The Hangover) and I don't enjoy this kind of humor. So I'm obviously not the target audience for this film. However, I don't necessarily think that makes any difference in my opinion of this line. Some have questioned if the line was intended to make the character out to be a bad guy of sorts, again I've not seen it so I can't say the context in which it was said, but based on comments from others who have seen it, it seemed to be for no other reason than a cheap laugh. And even if it was the intended purpose to make us dislike the character there are other ways to do this- DOWNSY? Really? This crosses a line. It is insulting, degrading and bullying. It is picking on a group of people who get picked on enough already and in some cases are not able to defend themselves. Picking on the defenseless- doesn't get much lower than that...and for what? A few laughs? If you have to sink to such a level, you must not really be so funny to begin with. As I stated, I'm not the target audience for this movie, but I am certain there are parents out there who have children with Down Syndrome or various other special needs who may have otherwise enjoyed it. Can you imagine going into a theater to see a movie, only to have your child insulted on the big screen? God forbid there is someone in the audience who finds this funny and you have to listen to their laughter at your child's expense.

Obviously the 'joke' if you want to call it that, directly insults individuals with Down Syndrome, but let's look at it from a bigger statement, one that for myself hits even closer to home. The statement starts with questioning why these children are not talking. If you've followed my blog long, you know that my Shaun started talking early and somewhere along the line he lost most of his language and much of what was left wasn't functional. He has come amazingly far, but his speech and communication is still very far behind his peers. Many children on the Autism spectrum may never speak, or speak very little or very late. And Autism is not the only cause for speech delays. To imply that there is something inferior about a child who speaks later or does not speak at all is, once again, just plain mean.

Interestingly enough, I read an interview this morning with the director where he stated that he too believed the quote was crossing a line, but because test audiences did not complain it was left in. Why, if you believed that it was going too far, would you not stand up for these individuals? When an insult is made against the homosexual community, the uproar is enormous- celebrities, public figures, etc will stand up in defense. If it's a comment that is deemed as racist, once again it's everywhere! These groups are more than capable of defending themselves. So why is it when the joke is aimed at someone who may not be capable of that, we don't hear the uproar nearly as much? Why aren't celebrities and those with public platforms standing up for children with Down Syndrome, Autism and ALL special needs?

I am just a mom with a blog. I don't have millions of followers, or some huge platform to get the word out. But what I do have is passion for spreading the word and raising awareness in hopes that one day people can look past the differences and 'disabilities' and accept people for the wonderful, amazing people they are on the inside. If this post reaches just one person and that one person takes a pledge to end the word, then I am happy!!

For more on this movie, and Spread The Word To End The Word click here!

Mailbox Monday-August 8!!

2011-08-08T06:52:00.000-07:00

This week was a fabulous mailbox (and UPS) week! So excited to share with all of you!

Mott's for Tot's Juicebox and coupons from Vocalpoint! My son absolutely loved this freebie!!
Shout Wipe and Go Sample
Scentsy Lucky in Love Travel Tin (another FB win)
Coupon for FREE Aussie Product
Woman's Day Magazine
Scentsy Cupcake Warmer- By far my favorite freebie of the week!!! Remember the $40 shopping spree giveaway I posted about awhile ago? Well, I didn't win the $40 BUT the second prize for most creative comment was for a $20 shopping spree, and that I did win! She was awesome enough to let me get the cupcake warmer even though it was a bit over $20!! So awesome!! (On another note, if you love this warmer, it's on sale this month for $22.50- most things are 10% off- but after this month it's going up to $30, and several other warmers are going up, and full and mid size systems are going away too, so it's a good time to buy- contact your consultant and get ordering!)

Coupons (FB Win)
Honey Nut Cheerios Sample
Downy Unstoppables Sample- I love these things...not sure I like the cost at all though!!

The linkup for Mailbox Monday is being hosted by Thankfully Thrifty this week:)

Scripture and a Snapshot- John 9:1-3

2011-08-07T09:48:00.000-07:00

"As he passed by, he saw a man blind from birth. And his disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” Jesus answered, “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him."- John 9:1-3

I found this verse a few weeks ago and I absolutely love it. I think when you have a special needs child, it's easy to ask yourself, "Why me? What did I do to deserve this? What did I do to cause this? What did my child do to deserve this?" I think it's a natural reaction. For me personally, I never asked why this happened to me, but I did go through moments where I wondered, "Would this have happened had I not allowed him to have his vaccines? Why didn't I see the signs earlier?" and so on. After the newness and shock of the diagnosis wore off I realized that for Shaun I don't believe it was the vaccines, as there were signs there before. But most importantly, I realized that if this was God's plan for my boy, then it would have happened regardless and everything happens in His time, not ours. I have had several people tell me I have such a positive outlook on Shaun's autism and I think it is because of this realization that I am able to handle it. That is not to say that I don't have moments where I get down about the struggles Shaun faces- I do, often. I would also never have wished for my child to have Autism but it is the hand we have been dealt and all I can do is love my child unconditionally and do everything I can for him. Autism is part of who he is and who he is is absolutely amazing. I have said many times, and I will say it once again, I know that God has amazing plans for my Shaun and I cannot wait to see what those plans are!!

Happy 4th Birthday, Shaun!!

2011-08-03T22:22:00.000-07:00

My baby will be 4 years old tomorrow (today, the 4th by the time most of you read this)...where did the time go!?

Just a few hours old!! How tiny and sweet!

First birthday pictures! Still no hair!!!

At his second birthday party!!

Third birthday pictures!! How very Shaun! This was right before daddy left too, while home on his pre-deployment leave...it truly does not seem like it has already been a year!!!

About a week ago!! My almost 4 year old!

These 4 years have been some of the most wonderful, and at times even the most difficult of my life. But I wouldn't trade this boy for anything in the world. I feel so incredibly blessed that God chose me to be the mommy to such an amazing child. He is my everything. Happy 4th Birthday, Little Man! Mommy loves you more than you'll ever know!!

Mailbox Monday- August 1!!!

2011-08-01T08:54:00.001-07:00

So glad it's finally August! This is a big month for us, but that's another topic for another post! For now, it's mailbox Monday- time to share what came in my mailbox free this week!!!

More Scentsy Goodies: A room spray, travel tin and Just Breathe bar. (I swear Shaun and I have been sleeping better the last couple nights when we had this going...might be a coincidence, but I like it!!) These are all FB games/giveaway prizes. I've been very lucky lately, so I suppose I need to stop saying I never win anything! (Just wait until you see what the UPS man should be delivering today!!)
Crest Prohealth Toothpaste, Mouthwash and Floss samples. Plus Coupons!!
Colgate Kids Toothpaste Sample
Secret Deodorant Sample (I don't remember signing up for this one either, hmmm...)
FREE Pantene Product Coupon
Commissary Shopper coupon booklet

I also forgot to put in my Martha Stewart Living magazine and a Chicken of the Sea coupon (25 cents off- from their birthday club), and after this was taken I also got 2 free herbal essence coupons (I was only supposed to get one, so I'm not sure how I got 2, but I won't complain!!) A fantastic week, but I have a feeling this week will be even better! :)

Review: Follow Me Thomas!!

2011-07-28T00:23:00.000-07:00

I am so excited to bring you my first product review. I have been saying for some time now that I would love to do a few, but not if it weren't something that were of interest to me, or you, my readers. But what could be more of interest to me than THOMAS? If you've been following long, you already probably know that my little man is a Thomas fan (obsessed is more accurate), so I am super happy that Fisher Price allowed me to do this review for them.

Follow me Thomas is an adorable preschool toy that's sort of a unique type of remote control toy. Rather than the typical r/c, it instead comes with a lantern. All your child has to do is shine the light and Thomas will follow along. There are also preset patterns such as a circle, figure 5 and zigzags. Plus he says several popular Thomas phrases, that every child (or at least my child!) absolutely love. The estimated retail is about $45 and it is recommended for ages 2 and up.

To be entirely honest, this has been on my son's wish list for some time now, but I was a little skeptical about it. Would it really follow the light? Would it be easy to use? Would it leave my easily frustrated child angry because he couldn't get it to work correctly? Like I said, very skeptical. But I have to tell you, I was pleasantly surprised! I don't know how exactly this works, but Thomas truly does follow the light! Shaun, being easily excited was running in circles swinging the light in all directions. Poor Thomas ran into many walls in his excitement, but it seemed like so long as he was close enough for Thomas to 'see' the light he did his best to keep up, and even when he wasn't Shaun was perfectly satisfied. I was expecting that the light would have to be in front of Thomas at all times in order for this to work correctly, but it could be ahead, behind or off to the side a bit and he still somehow managed to find it! Pretty impressive, I must say. Of course, Shaun thought so as well and with a huge collection of various Thomas toys, I have to say it seems like this might have taken over as one of his favorites. I'm not going to lie, I had to give it a try myself (for review purposes, of course), and it really was a lot of fun. This would make a great gift for any child who loves Thomas, or trains in general. Shaun had fun for hours. For a child who prefers to lay on the floor and stare at train wheels forever, this was a great option because he has to be up and active with it! The only negative I saw was the he didn't like our rug much and seemed to get stuck there at times, and he certainly worked better on our hard floors than the carpet, as I think is typical of these types of toys. This mommy is overall very happy with this Thomas! At approximately $45 (FP's suggest retail, I've found it between $40-50 online), it's a bit pricier than some Thomas toys, but certainly worth the price, in my opinion.

You can purchase Follow Me Thomas HERE! (Cheapest price I found!)

**We received Follow Me Thomas free from Fisher Price in exchange for this review. All opinions are my own (and my son's too!)

Review: 'The First Gardener' by Denise Hildreth Jones

2011-07-27T21:30:00.000-07:00

From The Publisher:

Jeremiah Williams has been tending the gardens of the Tennessee governor’s mansion for over twenty-five years. And like most first families who have come and gone, this one has stolen his heart.
Mackenzie and her husband, Governor Gray London, have struggled for ten years to have a child and are now enjoying a sweet season of life—anticipating the coming reelection and sending their precious daughter, Maddie, off to kindergarten—when a tragedy tears their world apart. As the entire state mourns, Mackenzie falls into a grief that threatens to swallow her whole.
Though his heart is also broken, Jeremiah realizes that his gift of gardening is about far more than pulling weeds and planting flowers. It’s about tending hearts as well. As he uses the tools that have been placed in his hands, he gently begins to cultivate the hard soil of Mackenzie’s heart, hoping to help her realize what it took him years to discover.
A Southern tale of loss, love, and living, The First Gardner reminds us that all of life is a gift, but our heart is the most valuable gift of all.

My Thoughts:

If I could only use one word to describe this book, that one word would simply be WOW! What an amazing, heartbreaking, touching story. Like so many these days it seems, Tennessee Governor Gray and his wife Mackenzie struggled for years to conceive their daughter Maddie. When she is killed in a tragic car accident, their whole world falls apart. As a mother, I can imagine nothing worse than losing a child, but for this mother who struggled to conceive and had had many miscarriages, I can only imagine it would be especially devastating. Mackenzie falls into a deep depression that it seems impossible for her to return from. During parts of this story, I had to put the book down and step away for a bit, I'm sure many mothers will feel the same way as well. However, we are introduced to some wonderful characters that keep it from going too dark, and as a reader I appreciate that! We meet Mackenzie's mother Eugenia and her crazy friends, who provide wonderful comic relief, and we meet the wise, spiritual gardener Jeremiah who through messages from God to deliver flowers with various means to Mackenzie offers a sense of hope. Based on the title and description from the publisher, I expected the story to be much more focused on him, but his role, though very important, was also much more subtle than anticipated. Regardless, he was a character I really loved, and there was a bit of a revelation at the end that made me admire him all that much more. Overall, I would say this a wonderfully touching store about love, loss and learning to live through all odds.

You can purchase this book here!

**I received a copy of this book from Tyndale Blog Network for free, in exchange for my honest opinion. All thoughts are my own.

Mailbox Monday-July 25th!

2011-07-25T09:54:00.000-07:00

Time once again to share what came free in my mailbox this week!!!

The First Gardener (for review, loving it so far!)
Scrubbing Bubbles One Step Toilet Cleaner
Sweet Sanctuary (also for review)
Organize in Style coupon book, not sure how I got a second one of these, but I'm not complaining!
Glad with Febreze trash bag sample...from vocalpoint. I haven't use this yet, but it smells better than any trash bag I've ever used;)
Jif To Go coupon for free 8 pack. This was supposed to be a sample only, I was pleasantly surprised!!!
Root Beer Float Scentsy Bar- Oh my goodness, this smells amazing! I LOVE it...it's only available until the end of the month though, so if it sounds like something you'd like, hurry and stock up!!!
Scentsy Scent Circle (these were both FB prizes)

I also received another product for review, a Thomas toy as I mentioned before! As well as a lipstick...I've been having a lot of good mail weeks lately it seems!!!

Birthday Countdown: Shaun's Wishlist!!

2011-07-23T15:48:00.000-07:00

My baby boy will be 4 years old in just a few short weeks, it does not seem possible!! Where does the time go!? We are in the process of planning a fantastic Thomas birthday bash for him later in August (so his daddy can be there) and of course shopping for gifts. In this first of several birthday themed posts coming in August (afterall, not only is it Shaun's birthday month, but mine also!!), I give you Shaun's wishlist:

Thomas and Friends Trackmaster: Zip, Zoom and Logging Adventure!

He's been wanting this one for a VERY long time. So needless to say, he will most definitely be getting it now! The only trouble is, this is a big set, and he's already out of track storage...hmmm...

Kevin Takealong! And Ferdinand Trackmaster...and well, pretty much every other takealong, trackmaster or wooden train that he does not already have!! He has all three types of tracks (plus the old Tomy tracks) and a good sized collection of all of the trains too!

Takealong Rock Quarry Run- This must be a new one, we've not seen it before!!

Lego Duplo Thomas and Friends At Morgan Mine. And every other Lego or Megablocks Thomas set he saw, HOWEVER, according to the reviews on the larger megablock sets, they do not stay together well, and with a child who gets easily frustrated when tracks fall apart, it does not seem like a good idea!!

This is a WISH list right? Shaun has been asking for Bachmann Thomas (And Lionel Thomas too!). For those that don't know, these are the fancy (and costly) model trains...not really meant for little guys like mine...I'm impressed he even knows about them, but he's constantly searching on Youtube (yes, he's internet savvy enough to open youtube and type in his trains names to search!! Brilliant I tell you!)

So, he's pretty predictable, don't you think? This is really just a fraction of his list, and every single thing on it is Thomas related! Oh my goodness, that's a lot of Thomas! Thankfully there are a lot of great toys out there (in all price ranges!) (Family or friends reading this that were planning on sending a gift, feel free to ask for more ideas!!) If your little one loves Thomas as much as my son, make sure to check back in a couple of days, I have a super special Thomas review coming up that I'm so excited about!! Stay tuned...

Deep South Dish ♥

2011-07-21T14:09:00.000-07:00

I have to share this wonderful cooking blog that I have recently rediscovered and fallen in love with. A friend sent me a link awhile back but I hadn't looked much and to be entirely honest, had completely forgotten about it, but when I was looking for new ideas recently, I started really looking through the site and realized what I'm been missing...cajun recipes, mac and cheese soup? Yes, please! I'm including photos and links to my 2 favorites (so far) but you can see everything she has to offer here!

Macaroni and Cheese Soup

Mmmm...do I really need to say more? Seriously! I love mac and cheese...I could probably eat it every day, and this soup was even better! I loved it (though I didn't do the topping)! I've already made it several times, and it tastes great reheated too. This has definitely become a new favorite!

Shrimp Casserole

I love shrimp, we have shrimp probably at least once a week most weeks. When I found this recipe, I knew I had to try it. I didn't add the sausage obviously since I don't eat meat, but it was delicious! My son ate it up too! I can definitely see this being a repeat!!

So many I still want to try and I'm sure they will all taste just as wonderful!!

"Mommy, it's SNOWING!!"

2011-07-19T11:30:00.000-07:00

This is what I've been hearing over and over again at our house lately. Hmm, snowing? In July? In California? Are you confused yet? I have shared many, many times that Shaun is obsessed with trains, it's most certainly his biggest obsession, but I may not have mentioned his lesser obsession with snow, Christmas and the Polar Express. Last year, we watched the Polar Express at least once a day until Christmas...the only reason he doesn't watch it so often now is because he's scratched up the DVDs and they mostly won't play so well...all 8 copies! Needless to say, it was a bit crazy! He also loves watching the Santa Clause movies and Charlie Brown Christmas (which he is watching as I type)...so I suppose it's no wonder he's been asking for snow. He's made snow from flour, packing peanuts, a new bottle of Olay lotion...if he thinks it could have some resemblance, he'll try it...which leads to lots of messes for this mommy! This has been going on for some time now, but lately, he's started getting upset when he looks out the window to see sunny, warm California weather. Over the weekend, he kept repeating, "make snowman"...I felt bad for the poor kid, but how do you make snowmen in the middle of summer!? Then I came up with a brilliant idea (or at least we thought so!)... marshmallow snowmen!! Shaun was so thrilled, like a little kid at Christmas!!

Our supplies: pretzel sticks for arms, marshmallows for the body, reeses for hats, easy writer (markers for food!) for the faces and buttons, and toothpicks to hold it all together. I put together this idea last minute and could not come up with an idea for the scarf, but was later told the shoestring licorice would be perfect!!

And our finished project!! Enjoy!!

And by the way, afterwards I think Shaun thought I was the greatest mommy ever! ;)

Mailbox Monday-July 18th!!

2011-07-18T09:23:00.000-07:00

This week was a great week, lots of nice free goodies in the mailbox (or dropped off by the UPS man, to be more accurate;))

Oceanspray Cranberry Juice (mm, I love cranberry juice:)) Also included coupon.
Scrubbing Bubbles package that had Fantastik All Purpose Spray, Auto Shower Cleaner and Toilet Drop In Cleaners...plus a cute little rubber scrubbing bubble that my son has claimed! This was a FB win, and I had been trying to get one for several weeks with no luck...finally, I made it through, these things go QUICK!!
Canary List (for review)
Scott coupons
Michellena coupons (for free product!!)
Head and Shoulders sample
Scentsy Peach A La Mode Bar
Magazine: Bazzar, Parents and Food and Wine

Tub o Towels sample
Era coupon
Florida's Natural coupons
Happy Birthday Scentsy Bar
Sunkissed Citrus Scentsy Scent Circle

Random Thoughts on God's Plan/Helping Others

2011-07-16T06:27:00.000-07:00

I have said many times that I am a firm believer that everything in life happens for a reason, good or bad, it happened for a purpose. How many times do we go through hard times only to become stronger in the end? As teenagers, how many of us prayed for that first 'love' to work out, only to be heartbroken when it didn't? Even as children, how many times did we run too fast and fall down? All of these things have served a purpose and taught us something. From finding strength, relying on and trusting in God, the true meaning of love and how to recognize it when we see it or merely to slow down, a lesson was learned. Of course, sometimes, the reasons are far less easy to figure out, but I figure in time, everything will make sense...when we're ready to understand. I know it's very cliche, but this is truly how I feel.

When I started writing about Shaun and our journey with Autism, I was mostly doing so for myself, as at the time my blog had no followers except a few family members and friends, as my blog grew and more people started reading, it made me very proud when I would receive e-mails thanking me for my posts. The same goes with a few posts about being a military wife. Again, I was mostly writing for myself, but I'm happy that something I have written has touched someone. Lately, I've been reading many stories myself of people sharing their various struggles in an effort to help others going through the same thing. That got me thinking: is part of the purpose of these hardships for some of us, to share our stories and help others through them? Is that why I have been given the passion for writing? (I am also a firm believer that our talents and passions are meant to serve their purpose as well, but that's a completely separate topic!) Am I supposed to share my struggles in an attempt to help others? Writing about Autism and military life is easy, I'm a very private person, but to me, these things just are and they really aren't anything that seem private to me. Personal, perhaps. Private, not so much. Other struggles from the past are much more difficult, and not something I am comfortable sharing here or even one on one for the most part. Without going into much detail, I have been dealing with this situation recently, where an acquaintance is going through something similar and I cannot help but be torn as to sharing my story with that person and in the end, it's just not something I can do...Maybe this makes no sense and I'm over-thinking everything, as I have a tendency to do (especially with as little sleep as I've had). Perhaps we're not always meant to share, but to just be understanding and nonjudgmental. In the end, I suppose all we can really do is pray about it and know that only God knows his own plan.

I am very interested in everyone's personal thoughts on the subject as well, so please feel free to leave comments.

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.” Proverbs 3:5-6

“A man’s heart plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps.” Proverbs 16:9

Mailbox Monday- July 11th!

2011-07-11T11:11:00.000-07:00

First of all, I just want to apologize if I've been blog slacking lately. I've been having some issues with my hands (heat and sleep related I believe) that make it hard to type (and leads to lots of typos) and more migraines as well, so it's just been crazy around here and i haven't gotten to write nearly as much as I'd like.

But anyway, onto Mailbox Monday! Not nearly as much to share this week, but some great freebies nonetheless!!

Woman's Day Magazine
Organize In Style Coupon Booklet
Coupon for a FREE Suave Body Wash (I don't even remember signing up for this one!)
Coupon for FREE NY Brand Garlic Bread product...yum!
Sample of Shout Color Catcher
Full size Dove Deodorant (again one I don't recall signing up for!)
Happy Birthday Scentsy Bar (Won from Facebook. This is my favorite freebie of the week!! It smells amazing- just like cake icing...I haven't warmed it yet though, I'm afraid it will make me want cake! ha!!)

I also realized after the photo was taken that I'd missed a few coupons- 2 for Hungry Jack and 1 for Mt Olive pickles!! A pretty good week really!!!

Should have read, 'Autistic Kids...Chew?'

2011-07-08T11:08:00.000-07:00

Remember this shirt? I'm sure I've shared it before. We made this for my little man for the Autism Speaks walk, and it has since been his favorite (because it says his name on the back, he loves that!) Anyway, this is what it looked like then...

And this is what it looks like now...

Now, you probably can't tell, but there are also a few holes in it as well.

This isn't the first shirt this has happened to and I'm certain it won't be the last...why? Because my Shaun has once again turned into a champion chewer...if he can get his mouth on it, he's chewing it. There are many days where his shirt is soaking wet from chewing it. We've always had issues with him mouthing and chewing on things (for sensory input). In our old apartment, he'd chewed the windowsill to the point that the layers of paint peeled away (I'm not sure how to explain that properly, and I did not take any pictures to better show what I mean, so I hope this makes sense.) He'd also been known to chew on his own fingers. He's been a chewer from a very young age...it started at 3 months, and at the time we thought he was teething incredibly early, even though he did not have the excessive drool, etc that goes with teething and did not get his first tooth until much later. Now, I wonder if perhaps it was a sensory thing at that point as well. But anyway, for awhile, it seemed like this had stopped, or at least gone down drastically. But in the last month or so he's started back up worse than ever. Shirts, furniture, windowsills...he's after them. He went at a doorknob but was unsuccessful. (As I'm writing this, he's got a stuffed Bolt dog that now looks like he's been drowned!) He has a chewy tube for this very purpose, but would prefer to use everything else.

I hope this is something he will outgrow in time, but in the meantime, I'll just be thankful he has a ridiculously large wardrobe to chew his way through;)

Independence Day (Flashback and Mailbox Monday!)

2011-07-04T09:55:00.000-07:00

First, I just have to say Happy 4th of July!!! It truly is a great day to be celebrating what an awesome country we live in and give thanks for those who have fought for that freedom we enjoy and continue to fight today. As a military wife, I am so proud of my husband for all that he does!!

"This nation will remain the land of the free only so long as it is the home of the brave." ~Elmer Davis

I wish I could say that we had some big, exciting plans for the day, but we don't! Being on a military base, of course there is a big celebration, but taking my son to such a thing would not be a wise idea. Thankfully, we are able to see the fireworks from our backyard, so we will enjoy our patriotic Bomb Pops and enjoy the view while avoiding the crowds and noise, just me and my little man!!

Speaking of my little man, I just had to share this photo from exactly 3 years ago today, Shaun's first 4th of July, at exactly 11 months old! We were home for the summer while my husband was deployed and went with my wonderful mother in law to the local celebration, which happened to be located at a park with a mini train depot... This was Shaun's very first train ride, and perhaps where the addiction began;)

And now, because I don't like making multiple posts on one day, haha, onto mailbox Monday. This is actually from the last 2 weeks, both big weeks, so lots of exciting things to share!

20 $1 Kandoo Coupons (Oh my goodness! That's a lot of coupons!)
6 (I believe) Turkey Hill Coupons
2 Dixie Coupons
Bayer 20ct
$2 off Tide Stain Release
$2 Pull Ups Wipes (which made them free! Although, we have to buy the princess boxes since my Shaun is terrified of Cars!)
$5 off Sunkist Citrus Coupon
Free John Frieda Full Repair Coupon
10 pack Tide Stain Release (FB giveaway)
Pull Ups Wipes Sample
Tide Sample (though it's not HE so I can't use it, but it came with the Stain Release)

Unilever Coupon Sheet
2 Pictsweet Veggies Coupons- 1 for a free bag frozen veggies, one for free steamables
2 Pepperidge Farms coupons (good on any of their products)
2 Dannon Coupons
Pampers Wipes Coupons
EmergenC Samples and Coupons
2 Hot Pockets Coupons
Free Bounce Product Coupon
Gillete Fusion Proglide Razor
Swiffer Duster

Downy Unstoppables and Socks (I was so excited to try this! I used it on my towels, made them smell so fresh! Love it!! This isn't available in stores yet, I received this through Vocalpoint!)
Crest Toothpaste Sample
$5 off Bounty coupon
Free Sunny D Coupon
Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus Best of Both Worlds DVD (We redeemed some Disney Movie Rewards points for this one, and it was what my son chose! Haha. He got this on Saturday, and already has it memorized!!)

I also forgot to add a Free So Delicious Coconut Milk coupon (super excited to try this as I won't let my son drink cow's milk and he is not a fan of almond milk!) I also received the Activate drink mentioned in my last post, as well as a box of goodies for a Lemi Shine house party next weekend. And while it didn't come in the mailbox, I got an email with a $15 gift certificate to Vera Bradley!! How great is that? Definitely a good few weeks, can't wait to see what this week brings...

A Few Random Bits!

2011-07-02T17:21:00.000-07:00

I hope everyone is having a great 4th of July weekend so far! I just have a few random little things I wanted to share!

As a Marine wife blogger. I've gotten many requests to share various organizations doing fundraising to support the troops. I do not always post these as I don't feel some of the companies are of any interest to most of you. I am going to work on a page eventually where I will share some of the various organizations and causes I support, as well as share these as they come to me, that way those that are interested can check occasionally for updates, and those that are not don't have it clogging your newsfeeds. Like I said, I hope to have this up sometime in the future. For now, here are a few that have been brought to my attention!

This one is great for you coffee (and tea) drinkers:

"Through September 12th The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf will donate $1 from each sale of its limited edition “Support from Home” blend ground coffee ($9.95), and “Support from Home” Hand-plucked 100% pure Ceylon tea ($8.95), to The Fisher House Foundation which provides resources to support injured veterans and their families. Customers are also encouraged to donate the bag or tea tin to troops overseas. Each package has a blank surface where the customer can write a heartfelt note to the soldier who will receive the coffee or tea."

You can order or find locations on their website here!

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This next one is only available in certain areas.

"ACTIVATE, the enhanced vitamin beverage for people with active lifestyles has joined the Pantry, Inc., the leading independently operated convenience store chain in the southeastern United States, for the “Salute Our Troops” campaign inviting customers in more than 1,600 Kangaroo Express convenience stores across 13 states to demonstrate united support for military personnel and their families. From Memorial Day to Labor Day, ACTIVATE and Kangaroo Express will invite store guests to make donations toward its $1 million fundraising goal. Funds will support the USO, celebrating 70 years of delivering programs, entertainment and other services to the military; Wounded Warrior Project, honoring and empowering injured servicemen and women; and National Guard family assistance programs in five states. During the campaign, ACTIVATE will be donating a portion of every bottle sold to the USO, Wounded Warrior Project and National Guard family assistance programs along with supporting Kangaroo Express stores with sampling and promoting the campaign on Facebook and Twitter."

Visit here for more information!

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And finally, this one isn't a charity, but a Facebook page! I've mentioned several times about my addiction to Scentsy. I LOVE it. I read awhile back that when you smell certain smells on a regular basis, you get used to them and no longer smell them...even if it's bad! I became paranoid. So I was always burning candles...but being forgetful as I am, that was a disaster waiting to happen. That's why I'm so glad I found Scentsy...no more fears of a smelly house. If you haven't tried it yet, you need to head over to OMG Scents on Facebook, like the fan page and ask to join the private group for a chance at some awesome giveaways! She has a lot of them, so there are many chances to win and try it out for yourself. Who doesn't like giveaways right?
Now is a great time to purchase Scentsy as well with some awesome retired scents being brought back for the month of July only- including one of my favorites Orange Dreamsicle...and Root Beer Float, which I am anxiously waiting to try...doesn't that just sound like a 50s diner? Mmm, you all know of my 50s obsession, this sounds right up my alley! And while we're on the topic of charities, there are only a few short months left to buy the Autism Speaks warmer, so don't miss your chance to support and awesome cause. As an autism mommy, it's by far my favorite! So check it out!!

**I was in no way obligated or compensated to post any of these, though Activate was kind enough to send me a drink to try for myself.

Wow...Just Wow! (The R Word)

2011-07-01T11:00:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure how I missed this story right after it happened, but as I was watching my DVRed episodes of 'The Talk', I was nearly in tears hearing about this. Here is a link with the full story, but basically they talked about comedian Tracy Morgan who in his act joked, not to "mess with women who have retarded kids. Them young retarded males is strong. They're strong like chimps." He also went on to comment on crippled children.

Wow...really what would possess someone to say such a demeaning and hateful thing? I have written many times about the topic of 'the r word' and how even saying it not towards those with developmental disabilities is very hurtful and offensive. I even recently posted on my personal Facebook about my annoyance saying, " has seen the 'r-word' thrown out in too many FB statuses this morning. You wouldn't throw around racial slurs I'm sure, this word is no different in the eyes of many, myself included. Remember words may mean nothing to you, but they can be very hurtful to others..." and followed up with, " I've seen it a LOT this morning which is why I felt the need to say something... I truly believe that most people mean nothing by it and don't even realize that it is an insult, which is why unless its someone I am super close to, I don't say much and try not to take offense ...though I have privately called people out on special ed/short bus jokes. That crosses a line from not knowing to deliberately being hurtful. It was just bothering me this morning because I had seen it so many times."

The comment made by Tracy Morgan most certainly crosses the line of not knowing and being a downright bully. It is attitudes of the people like him that make me so worried about bullying my child could face in the future...just because he's autistic. I've had many comment to me why I feel so passionately about this as autism does not mean a child is retarded (I don't even like typing that out, but I do so to share what I've been asked). Those people are right, it doesn't. My child is incredibly brilliant. But that doesn't mean that there is not ignorance out there, the previous statement proves that. People with this mindset aren't really going to care how amazing a person is, how brilliant and sweet...no, they are going to see the label or disability and judge merely on that. It is truly sad.

In high school, I was lucky enough to be able to help a preschool boy with Down Syndrome. He was the sweetest little boy. Every morning my day would start with a hug from him and it absolutely made my day. He was an amazing little boy. At church camp, I was lucky enough to room and make friends with an amazing girl who was born without both legs. She played sports (not handicapped), slept on the top bunk, etc. She did not let her 'disability' stop her from doing anything she wanted to do. Not once did I see her feel sorry for herself. She was an amazing person and such an inspiration to myself and so many others. And most importantly, I have been so truly blessed to have been chosen to be a mother to an amazing little boy with autism. He has his struggles, but he is the most brilliant boy I've ever seen and he is truly my everything. I could not imagine loving him more. We've also been able to meet many other wonderful children on the spectrum and every single one of them is amazing. To say that any person who has special needs of any kind is less than others blows my mind because I've seen firsthand that it's just the opposite.

Tracy Morgan was right about one thing though. You don't mess with mommies whose children have disabilities. There is nothing stronger than a mother standing up for her child and in making such a statement, he has angered many.

I have shared the link many times, but I will share once again. If you haven't already, please consider taking the time to take the pledge to stop using the 'r word' and teach your children to do so as well. It's such a simple thing to do and really can make such a huge difference to many.

Spread The Word To End The Word

Recipe: Fiesta Ravioli!!

2011-06-30T10:34:00.000-07:00

I love Mexican food...and I love pasta! So when I saw this recipe, I knew I had to try it! I am usually very good about writing down where I find each recipe, but I had forgotten on this one. I believe it is from an older Taste of Home magazine though. I will post the recipe as I'd written it, but because I don't like olives, I left those out. I also used cheese ravioli since I'm a vegetarian, but I'm sure you could do it with meat as well!! This was a super easy and tasty recipe, great for those nights when you don't have the energy to do much...which has been the norm around my house lately!!

Fiesta Ravioli

1 package frozen ravioli
1 can (10 oz) enchilada sauce
1 jar (8 oz) salsa
2 cups shredded monterey jack cheese
1 can (2 1/4 oz) sliced ripe olives drained

Cook ravioli. In a large skillet, combine enchilada sauce and salsa. Cook over medium heat until heated through. Drain the ravioli, add to sauce. Top with the cheese and olives, cover and cook over low heat 3-4 minutes or until cheese is melted.

See, how easy is that? Enjoy!!

Review: Too Rich For A Bride by Mona Hodgson

2011-06-27T10:35:00.000-07:00

From the Publisher:
With a head more suited to bookkeeping than a bridal veil, Ida’s dreams include big business- not beaus.

Ida Sinclair has joined her sisters, Kat and Nell, in the untamed mining town of Cripple Creek, Colorado for one reason: to work for the infamous but undeniably successful businesswoman, Mollie O’Bryan. Ida’s sisters may be interested in making a match for their determined older sister, but Ida only wants to build her career.

Under Mollie's tutelage, Ida learns how to play the stock market and revels in her promising accomplishments. Fighting for respect in a man's world, her ambition leaves little room for distractions. She ignores her family's reservations about Mollie O'Bryan's business practices, but no matter how she tries, she can't ignore the two men pursuing her affections—Colin Wagner, the dashing lawyer, and Tucker Raines, the traveling preacher.

Ida wants a career more than anything else, so she shrugs off the suitors and pointed “suggestions” that young ladies don’t belong in business. Will it take unexpected love—or unexpected danger—for Ida to realize where her priorities truly lie?

My Thoughts:

'Too Rich for a Bride' by Mona Hodgson is book number 2 in the Sinclair Sisters of Cripple Creek series. Before receiving the book, I was unaware that this was a sequel, but thankfully, even without reading the first book, I was able to follow the story and it stood on it's own very well. In this story, we meet Ida, a woman living in 1896 who had more desire to be involved in business and make her own money than to find love and be married, as was the norm for women in this time frame. She moves to the town of Cripple Creek to be near her sisters and in hopes of working with a successful business woman by the name of Mollie O Bryan. Along the way, she meets a traveling preacher Tucker Raines and a successful lawyer Colin Wagner and has to question what it is she believed she wanted more than anything.
I have to admit, I do not typically enjoy historical fiction, so please keep that in mind when reading my review. For that reason, I did have a bit of a hard time initially getting into the book and it seemed to move quite slow at first. But the more I read, the more I was drawn in and related to the characters and in the end fount it quite enjoyable. The characters were believable and despite the different time in which they were living, they went through many similar struggles as we might see today. In a society today where women are not uncommon in business and high powered jobs, there is still often an internal battle between having a family or pursuing these career goals, much like Ida's own struggles. The story was timeless and a few times I did find myself forgetting when this was supposed to have taken place. While I wouldn't place this on my must read list, I'm certainly happy with it, and am glad I decided to give it a chance. If you like historical romance, you will probably enjoy this book even more than I did.

You can read more and purchase this book here!

*I received a copy of this book free from Waterbrook Multnomah in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts are my own.

Blogging for Books recently changed their system and to have more review option, I need a ranking score of 50%. If you could take a moment to rank this review, I'd greatly appreciate it!

Friday ???s

2011-06-24T09:14:00.000-07:00

1. What is your current favorite tv show?
Parenthood and Pretty Little Liars- I know, they're so similar, right? Ha!

2. What's the worst haircut you ever got?
The last haircut I got was probably the worst. The lady cutting my hair said I would look cute with the straight across bangs. Now I've never had bangs...ever...so I didn't know but figured she was the professional, and so I told her to do what she thought would look best...I hated it. Thankfully, I was able to pin them down, but for months it was horrible!

3. What was something that you did as a child that you thought you were so cool for doing?
Hmmm...when I was in the third grade, I got this awesome gift for my birthday or Christmas...you write and illustrate your own story, send it in and they send you a copy of your 'book' back...I thought that was pretty awesome!!

4. Do you have any GREAT frugal family fun tips?
Honestly, just that you don't have to spend a ton of money to have a great time. My son is perfectly happy to go to Toys R Us and not buy anything. (He likes playing with their train tables, even though he has his own at home!) Beaches, parks, etc don't cost a ton of money either but are lots of fun!

5. Would you drive across country if you had the money to fly?
We've driven, flown and taken the train cross country. My favorite- the train! But between the other two, I'd probably choose to fly, driving it is exhausting! However, we always end up having a truck load going back with us, so it doesn't make much sense;)

1. Are you a different person than you were five years ago?
Definitely, 5 years ago I was just graduating high school, had not yet (really) met my husband and just had a lot of very personal stuff going on. I think I am much stronger now than I ever could have believed at that time.

2. If you could go on Amazing Race, who would you take with you as your partner and why?
I've never watched it, but I'd probably have to say my husband!

3. Does Facebook or Twitter actually bring more stress or good in to your life?
I love Facebook. It makes it so much easier to stay connected with friends and family, despite living so far away!

4. June is National Soul Food Month- what’s your soul food?
Hmmm...I'm not sure. But I absolutely love anything cajun style...mmmm!

5. If you could live in any other era than the current, which one would it be & why?
This is a given, if you know me! The 50s. I am very conservative and love the traditional family roles- being a wife and mom, cooking for my family, etc. while my husband is the head of the household, etc. (My husband says I'm more sexist that he is, but truly, I enjoy taking on this role and it works for us.) And I love the fashions-cute little dresses, cardigans, pearls, aprons...yes, please!

Craft Time: Autism Mini Wreath!!!

2011-06-23T17:33:00.000-07:00

I hope you aren't tired of these autism awareness crafts yet, because I have several more ideas running around in my head still! This one was a last minute idea I threw together over the weekend, but I love how it turned out. I'd gotten a bag of random craft stuff at a yard sale awhile back and in it were some of these circle embroidery frame things. I don't sew but I held onto them to do something different with later. Anyway, I decided this weekend that I wanted a new wreath for my door, and planned on redoing the one I had and wrapping it with the awesome puzzle piece ribbon I used on the basket I shared previously. Turns out, I didn't have enough, so instead, I used one of the embroidery frames and some of the puzzle pieces left over from frames, etc. So I made a mini wreath from that. I couldn't get the ribbon to look how I'd like, so instead, I attached a magnet, since our doors are magnetic. For a spur of the moment craft, I love it!

Mailbox Monday- June 20!

2011-06-20T07:59:00.000-07:00

Time to share once again what came in my mailbox FREE this past week!! This week, as you can see, was a big coupon week!!

5 Eucerin Coupons (3 for $3 off, 2 for $1)
6 55 cents off Blue Bunny
4 Apple and Eve juice coupons (3 50 cents off one, 1 $1 off 2)
2 FREE Lane Snack Cracker coupons
2 55 cents off Bush's Baked Beans coupon
Various coupons for Dial brand produts, including 2 $1 Purex Fabric Softener Crystals!
Coupon booklet from SC Johnson
Tide $2 off any size Stain Release product
Book- 'Too Rich For a Bride' by Mona Hodgson (for review)
Parents magazine

If you get a lot of great freebies in your mailbox too and want to share...or if you just want to see what others are getting, head on over to a Frugal Friend and check it out!!!

Recipe: Mexicali Mac and Cheese Bake!!

2011-06-16T16:41:00.000-07:00

It's been awhile since I've posted any recipes so I thought it was about time to share one! (And had been asked by Facebook friends for this one.) Honestly I've been in a bit of a cooking rut...I can't seem to find anything new and appealing or if I do, it takes too much time. With a child that needs constant supervision, I can't take the time I would like...unfortunately. But this recipe is quick and easy...which makes sense since it came from a cookbook called 'Incredibly Easy Weeknight Meals'. And to make it a little healthier and add in some more veggies, instead of macaroni, I used Ronzoni Garden Delight (okay, and I had a coupon too!!)

Mexicali Mac and Cheese Bake

1 Jar Ragu Cheesy Double Cheddar Sauce
1 1/2 cups water
1 can (4 oz)diced green chiles, undrained
1 cup chopped fresh tomatoes
1 cup shredded monterey jack cheese, shredded
8 ounces uncooked elbow macaroni (or other pasta)

Preheat over to 400 F.
In large bowl stir together cheese sauce, water, chiles, tomatoes and 1/2 cup cheese. Stir in the uncooked pasta.
Place in 2 qt casserole and cover with foil. Bake 45 minutes. Remove foil and top with remaining cheese. Bake uncover for another 5 minutes.

And there you have it! Super easy and delicious!! Enjoy!!

Wee Bit Wednesday!

2011-06-15T10:46:00.000-07:00

{one} what color best describes you + why?Hmm…I'm not sure. My favorite color is red, but I'm not sure that would describe me, as I don't like attention and let's face it, red does grab attention;) Maybe pink because I'm very girly and follow a lot of traditional female roles...

{two} how have you changed in the past year?This past year has changed me a lot, for the better. For those that don't know, when my son was diagnosed with Autism, almost 2 years ago, we knew he would have a deployment coming up. For his previous deployment, I had moved home and stayed with family. Because I don't drive and have a lot of anxieties besides that (and at the time had no support system here either), it made more sense. However, once we received that diagnosis, I told my husband we needed to move on base, and I would start driving on base and that we would stay here where he could receive better services. Both my husband and I are from small towns that don't have nearly the number of options and resources we've been given here. These past 10 months have been the first time that I have lived on my own, the first time I've been 100% in charge of all household responsibilities-chores, bills, repairs, etc. (Though I did handle the bulk on it anyway, I still had my husband to run everything by beforehand and truly that changes everything.) I have learned that I can do many things that I never believed possible and that I am stronger than I give myself credit for. While I might not like having to be away from my husband, I now know that I can handle these things when he is away. What a year it has been!!!

{three} have you ever had any surgeries? No!
{four} why did you start your blog?I started my blog for a few reasons. One, to start writing again after too many years, because I really missed it! And second, to share stories and recipes with my friends and family because there was only so much I could post in a Facebook update!

{five} what are you looking forward to this summer?I posted a whole list last week...but of course the big one- my husband coming home!!!!

{six} do you have any family traditions for the 4th of July?Not really, out here anyway. When I was growing up we went together to watch fireworks every year...but out here we don't have anything special.

{seven} what’s something new that you’ve tried in the past few months?Hmmm...I've tried a few new recipes I suppose..one of which I will be posting soon!

{eight} what is the perfect a/c temperature?We don't have an A/C:( It wouldn't be so bad if we could open all our windows...but we can only open one because my son will push out the screens and escape the house...

{nine} what was the last movie you saw in the theater?I saw part of Tangled in theater for a Sensory Family Films event...my son was still not a fan so we didn't make it through the whole thing!

{ten} what song do you think everyone should hear at least once?Beauty From Pain by Superchick

Mailbox Monday-June13!

2011-06-13T07:07:00.000-07:00

Linking up again fot Mailbox Monday, where you share everything that came in your mail free for the week! Such fun:)

Lemi Shine Machine Cleaner, Dishwasher Powder and Rinse Aid! This is my most exciting freebie (won through their Facebook page). If you have hard water, this is a must have for your dishwasher :)
Zyrtec Coupon- Free 5 tablet sample pack (or $7 off 24 tablet +)
Garnier Fructis Sample
Degree Deodorant Sample + Coupon (One of the great benefits of free samples, is that they often include great coupons too!)
Family Circle Magazine
Woman's Day Magazine
Food and Wine Magazine (I got a free subscription when I bought my Kitchenaid!)

For more great freebies, check out Mailbox Monday!!

Milspouse Friday Fill-In (& A Few Random Tidbits!)

2011-06-10T08:29:00.000-07:00

I haven't filled one of these out in awhile (really, I think I've only done it maybe once before), so I thought I'd do one today. But first a few bits of information:

I mentioned in my last couple posts that we may be moving in the near future, so I wanted to just briefly elaborate. A week ago, we found out that my husband has been flagged for recruiting. I know some of you reading this are feeling sorry for us right now, it's a very difficult and high stress job, BUT he's actually been wanting this for awhile now. He needs a break from deploying, and with a child with autism, who doesn't handle changes well, he needs a break too. Again, we know it's not an easy job and have no illusions it will be, but we're used to long hours and we've discussed at length how to make time for us and to support each other in this new adventure. Our hope is that we will be closer to home (not that we can get much further!), but that's not guaranteed. We may be further, we may even stay here...who knows! Right now there are no orders in hand so nothing is for sure right now. We only know that he's been flagged. (We're also hoping the class won't be for awhile, again, my son cannot handle him coming home only to leave again so soon.) Of course, it comes with some mixed emotions, we love our friends and house here and Shaun has an amazing class that we LOVE...so it's bittersweet. So anyway, that's our news. Prayers that everything works out are greatly appreciated.

Another little tidbit: As many of you remember awhile back, I was nominated to be considered as one of Circle of Moms Top 25 Military Family Blogs...and thanks to your support and votes, I made the list! The final list will be featured next month, but I need something from you guys first, in my little questionnaire I have to fill out, I'm asked for 3 adjectives to describe this blog, would love to hear your thoughts on this! Just leave them in a comment, or e-mail: randi.amoderndayfairytale@gmail.com! Thanks for your help in advance!!

Okay, now onto the fill-in:

1. When you vacation what type of vacation do you like to take (beach, historic, adventurous, food oriented, etc.)?

Honestly, we don't do typical vacations! When my husband has leave (which is really only pre or post deployment or the holidays), we always go home. This year, for my husband's post deployment leave, it will actually be the first time we won't be going back. (My son cannot handle being out of therapy/school and all the travel so soon again, so as much as we'd love to go home, we have to do what's best for him.) We have a lot of things we'd love to do during this time- such as Disney- but if you read my last post, that's still uncertain too!

2. What is your best memory associated with a song (you know we all have tons!)?

Hmmm, this is tough! I have many great ones, I can't narrow it down to just one!!
'Feels Like Home' Chantal Kreviazuk- This is the first song my husband and I danced to, so it naturally always makes me think of that moment, and him in general.

'If I Didn't Have Love' John Martin Keith- This reminds me of a moment with my best friend Erica that was actually a very sad and emotional moment, but a reminder that she's there for me even in my worst moments!

And I have several that remind me of various memories with my other best friend Brittany- including 'Lady Marmalade', 'I've Had The Time of My Life', 'Thriller'...just to name a few:)

3. If you had six months with no obligations or financial constraints, what would you do with your time?

Hmm...I cannot imagine not having any obligations! Seriously...my son needs 24/7 supervision, but I wouldn't trade him for anything:)

4. What is one thing about you that people do NOT typically notice at first that you wish they would?

Well I don't know if there's anything that they don't NOTICE, but I have two common misconceptions when people first meet me. The first, many still assume that I am a teen mom. Seriously...or the babysitter, or big sister...I've gotten them all. It's really quite frustrating! I'm 23 years old (almost 24) and people still think I'm 16! At least this will be nice when I'm older;) However, being a young mom and looking younger, it does sometime seem like people don't expect me to be a good mom, which I am. The constant public tantrums don't help, but such is the life with autism. The other is that many people also think I'm stuck up or don't like them. I am very quiet. I have social anxiety and starting conversations and making friends is very difficult for me so I don't usually talk much in social situations until I get to know people a little better. I am perfectly content to sit back and listen rather than jump into conversations, but I'm actually very friendly (I like to think) and like pretty much everyone! Really!

5. It’s a summer of sequels, and if you had to live in one of each of the following “worlds” (there are three total) which would you choose and why?

X-Men: Be a Mutant, what would your power be? Okay, I cannot remember what their powers are. Haha. That's sad...hmmmm...

–Harry Potter: Be a Witch or Muggle? I blame Brittany that I even know what these mean! ha! But I'd go with witch, I think!

–Twilight: Be a Vampire or Werewolf? Who would want to be a werewolf really? I'd definitely have to go vampire on this one...but not a sparkly one...that's just crazy...don't even get me started! (Really, I'd prefer to be Buffy;))

Ten on Tuesday: Summer♥

2011-06-06T22:51:00.000-07:00

It's officially summer break for my little man and we have a lot to look forward to this summer! So for this week's 10 on Tuesday, I'm sharing our list of 10 things we're looking forward to this summer!!!

1. The summer premier of Pretty Little Liars! Very, very excited for this next week. I LOVE this show!

2. Trips to the beach. We really don't go to the beach too often, surprisingly, since we have an ocean view (Shaun likes to run off and it makes this mommy very nervous!). However, with the possibility that that might very well be our last summer in California, I plan on taking full advantage of it.

3. Birthdays! Shaun 4th and my 24th birthdays are both in August! I'm hoping to throw him a nice Thomas party with all of his friends!!

4. Scentsy's BBMB in July. (That's Bring Back My Bar for those who aren't into Scentsy). They are bringing back one of my absolute favorites- Orange Dreamsicle for the month of July only so I plan on stocking up. I'm wanting to try Root Beer Float too...mmm...Not that I need any more...I just reorganized and counted the bars I have...a grand total of 51!!

5. A possible trip to Disneyland. This is still up in the air. Shaun is terrified of Cars. And Toy Story. And Phineas and Ferb. And a bit scared of Alladin, Lion King...and a few others. Cars is the worst and the one I'm most concerned about though, it started out as just the movie as the others are, but now he doesn't like seeing the characters on anything...so we'll see what happens!!

6. Progress. My son started ABA therapy up again last week so I look forward to the progress he will make, and hopefully an end to some of the negative behaviors.

7. Spending more time with my little man! With no school, we will have a lot more time to spend together!!

8. Homemade Ice Cream!! Need I say more?

9. Summer clothes! I love summer clothes...okay, not so much the shorts and tank tops for me, but the dresses and skirts! I could live in them. I'll wear them year round anyway, but it's nice to not freeze when I do!!!

10. And finally, the most exciting and important of all: being back together as a family again...just a few more months of this deployment left...and I can't wait!!!!!!!!!!

Mailbox Monday!

2011-06-06T07:38:00.000-07:00

I've never participated with Mailbox Monday, but I always love reading them so I thought I'd join in this week! For those that have never heard of it, Mailbox Monday is where you share what came in your mailbox FREE for the week. So here's my share (I'm not entirely sure all of it came this week, and I may have missed some things too, but you get the idea!)

Family Circle Magazine
Woman's Day Magazine
Parents Magazine
Gold Bond Lotion sample & $1 off coupon
Coupon for FREE 12 pack coke product
Coupon for FREE Deli Lunch Meat Combo
Coupon for FREE Sandwich Combo Lunchable (also $1 off coupons for both)
Secret Sample

I love when I check the mail to find great (free) goodies waiting for me...It's like Christmas;) Hope you enjoyed! Check out Mailbox Monday for more!!

Scripture and a Snapshot- Ruth 1:16

2011-06-05T17:52:00.000-07:00

"Where you go, I will go, and where you lodge, I will lodge. Your people shall be my people and your God, my God." - Ruth 1:16

I found this verse a few days ago and thought it was very appropriate for military marriages. We recently found out that a move may be in the near future for us which is exciting, and scary and sad and everything in between. Ultimately the important thing is that we are together and in the end we will be exactly where God intends.

My Money Saving Tips @ This Little Piggy Bank!

2011-06-01T21:55:00.000-07:00

While this is not a couponing or money saving blog, I have mentioned on several occasions how much I love getting a bargain and saving money. I hate paying full price for anything, and over time I've come up with a lot of great money saving ideas that work for my family and I'm always more than happy to share what I've learned. So I was excited to have the oppurtunity to do a guest post for This Little Piggy Bank for her feature called, 'What Works for Me'-tips from real people everywhere on how they save money!! You can read my post here! Enjoy!!

Ten on Tuesday: Book Edition!

2011-05-31T17:13:00.000-07:00

It's time once again for Ten on Tuesday with Kim at It's A Crafty Life. I love 10 on Tuesday because it gives me a chance to be completely random (not that that doesn't happen often anyway). This week, Kim posted about 10 things from the 80s, including one of my absolute favorite book series of all time- The Baby-Sitter's Club. I was a complete bookworm as a child, more than I am now, probably because I actually had the time then! I remember getting a collection of the classics in the 2nd grade for either my birthday or Christmas and I thought that was the greatest gift EVER. I also remember getting special permission to check out chapter books on the bookmobile and at the school library before most kids my age. Again, I thought this was amazing. So anyway, Kim's post inspired my Top 10 this week:

Top Ten Books (or series) I Loved as a Child/Teen!!

1. Baby-Sitter Club, California Diaries, BSC Friends Forever, etc. by Ann M Martin
This was definitely my number one. I loved Ann M Martin and anything by her. I had a collection of probably around 200 of her books alone, posters on my wall, etc. (And of course Dawn was always my favorite!!). It would be hard to choose one favorite!!

2. Inside Out by Ann M Martin
Yes, another one by Ann M Martin. This is one of the few books I actually still own (though I wish I'd kept the others!). When I was younger, I knew my older brother had been autistic (I didn't find out until later he'd not been officially diagnosed, only suspected and he passed before he could be diagnosed), but I had no idea what that really meant. This book helped me to understand that a bit better and inspired me to want to work with autistic children for a long while. (Ann M Martin actually started out working with kids on the spectrum before she began writing.) I actually started rereading this one awhile back, and though it's still a great story, it WAS written in the 80s so it's a bit outdated to say the least.

3. Mandy by Julie Andrews Edwards
I don't remember when I first discovered this book but I remember reading it several times! It's kind of similar to The Secret Garden, but I thought it was much better. It was one of those books that was so descriptive that I could picture the whole thing in my head, which I love in a book. I would actually really like to find and read this one again!!

4. A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett
I'm sure this one is on nearly every girl's top 10 book lists! What's not to love?

5. American Girl Books
I'm not a big history fan, and even now I don't typically like historical fiction. But these were definitely an exception. I believe my favorites were Molly and Samantha, but all of them were great! I know they have a lot more now too, so I must not have been the only one who loved them!!

6. Replica Series by Marilyn Kaye
I'm not sure how popular this series was, but I know I loved it. It was a preteen sci-fi series about clones. I can't honestly remember much else about it, other than I couldn't get enough of them!!

7. Demon in My View by Amelia Atwater Rhodes
Yes, I was into vampire novels before Twilight;) But seriously, I LOVED this book. A young writer who soon realizes the characters from her story are REAL, what's not to love? I think this particularly appealed to me because I loved to write myself, and often wrote about vampires, witchcraft, etc AND the writer was only 15 when this book was published! (She'd published her first book at 13-wow!) This is still on my favorites list now!

8. I Kissed Dating Goodbye by Joshua Harris
Obviously, this was when I was a bit older (17). I never actually (intentionally at least) kissed dating goodbye, but I loved the book anyway.

9. Princess Diaries by Meg Cabot
Another one that's probably a favorite among all teenage girls! I loved the movies for these too, but of course, as always, the books are always much better!

10. Lurlene McDaniel books
I know I'm not alone in this one...most of my friends in high school were pretty obsessed with these also.

As I said, I know there were a lot more, but these are just a few I could think of off the top of my head! For more of Ten on Tuesday, be sure to check out It's A Crafty Life!!

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(I apologize for no pictures on this post, my computer is acting strange today and not letting me add them...grrr)

Review: When Sparrows Fall by Meg Moseley

2011-05-28T18:40:00.000-07:00

From the Publisher:
A widow and mother of six, Miranda Hanford leads a quiet, private life. When the pastor of her close-knit church announces his plans to move the entire congregation to another state, Miranda jumps at the opportunity to dissolve ties with Mason Chandler and his controlling method of ruling his flock. But then Mason threatens to unearth secrets from her past, and Miranda feels trapped, terrified she’ll be unable to protect her children. College professor Jack Hanford is more than surprised when he gets a call from his estranged sister-in-law’s oldest son, Timothy, informing him that Miranda has taken a serious fall and he has been named legal guardian of her children while she recovers. Quickly charmed by Miranda’s children, Jack brings some much-needed life into the sheltered household. But his constant challenging of the family’s conservative lifestyle makes the recovering mother uneasy and defensive—despite Jack’s unnerving appeal. As Jack tries to make sense of the mysterious Miranda and the secrets she holds so tightly, Mason’s pressure on her increases. With her emotions stirring and freedom calling, can Miranda find a way to unshackle her family without losing everything?

My thoughts:
Married at 19 to her older, seemingly wiser husband Carl Hanford, Miranda finds herself stuck in a lifestyle where being a submissive wife was taken to the extreme- wives must not work outside the home, vote and so on. TV, computers and many modern conveniences were seen as sinful, etc. I'm sure everyone has heard of such extremist groups. After her husband's passing, Miranda starts looking towards freedom, but was still stuck in the church by secrets in the past. Honestly, I'm a bit afraid to say too much more about the story in case I give something away that adds to the mystery that made this such an intriguing read, so I will leave the summary at that. That being said, I could not put this book down, it was beautifully written, revealing just enough about the secrets that haunted both Miranda and her brother in law Jack, to keep you wanting to read more and more. The characters were very real, and despite their various flaws and mistakes, I felt myself sympathizing and hoping that everything would work out for them. This was truly a beautiful story, and I even being a Christian fiction, I can see it being enjoyable by a wider audience as well. I would highly recommend this book and look forward to seeing more from this author in the future.

*I received a copy of this book from Waterbrook Multnomah free in exchange for this honest review. All thoughts are my own.

You can purchase this book here!

Please take a moment to rank this review!

100 Posts♥

2011-05-26T12:18:00.000-07:00

I actually reached my 100th a few posts ago. I had planned on writing something special for the occasion, but never could think of exactly what I wanted to say. Fast forward to today, I found a note that made it clear.

As most of you reading this may know or may have guessed by now, I did not go to college. What many of you may not know, is that the decision was made at the very last minute, but let me back up a bit. I had applied to only 2 colleges- my dream school, Taylor University and my fallback, Indiana University Southeast. I was accepted to both. However, being a private Christian college, the scholarships I had would have only paid for about half, and so the cost was just too much when I had a basically full ride to IUS. So IUS it was, with a plan to go into journalism. But like I said, at the last minute those plans came to an end. I had been thinking for some time that I wasn't sure it was the right place for me. I wasn't convinced I really wanted to go into journalism, or even teaching English, my other plan, but it seemed to make most sense because I knew I wanted to write. The day of my freshman orientation, I made my final decision not to go. There is not a bit of regret about this decision, because I truly feel that I am where God wants me to be, and had I chosen that path, I might not have this amazing life I have now. (And besides, I'm still not 100% sure what I want to be when I grow up, but being a mommy is the greatest accomplishment I could ask for!)

So, back to the note...this note was written by a very wise person the summer before I was to start college, so at the point when the plan was still college. In this note, she wrote that I had a strength in me that I did not know yet (as I'm finding each and every day) and wished me the best of luck with my journalism journey, as it could be my ministry to the world. Wow, what an amazing note!

After I really started getting personal on this blog, I received a lot of amazing and positive feedback. I've been incredibly touched by some of the great comments and message from my readers. Many have said they learned something about autism, or that one of the more spiritual posts was inspiring or a good reminder for them. So perhaps, journalism wasn't meant for me, but to think that something I have written might have helped even one person is an amazing gift to me. And so in honor of my 100+ posts (and 161 readers! wow!), I just want to thank all who have been reading and especially those who've been so supportive. You're all wonderful!

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."- Jeremiah 29:11

Spread The Word (To End The Word)

2011-05-25T16:24:00.000-07:00

For those who know me personally, or who have read my blog long, you know that besides raising Autism Awareness, the other big cause that I feel very strongly about is stopping the use of the 'r-word'. You can read the full story on why I feel so strongly about this here.

Because this is something I feel so passionately about, I was THRILLED to see this PSA that was aired during Glee last night! (I have to admit though, I do not usually watch Glee, and I didn't watch it last night either, but I'm so excited by this, I may have to give it another shot!!) I will warn you that there is some language used in this ad that may not be appropriate for young kids, so be cautious if they are around. (I am not one to post anything with questionable language, as I don't use it myself, but there is a reason for the use of it in this and it really drives the point home I think, so it's worth sharing!)

I know many don't think anything of throwing this word around. I hear it all too often, or see it written on Facebook. Most don't even realize that it can be offensive, but for so many it is. It is not acceptable to insult one's race, something they cannot choose. It is not acceptable to insult one's sexuality or even religion. So why is it okay to use this word that insults so many people with developmental delays. Simply put, it's not. It's not okay to use the r-word as a negative term. It's not okay to make jokes about the short bus, or special ed. My child is in a special education classroom, but he is the most brilliant boy I know and his classmates are amazing as well. To think that one day they might be insulted by such ignorance breaks my heart. I hope this video will bring more awareness to the subject!!

Scripture and a Snapshot-Matthew 24: 42-44

2011-05-22T09:52:00.000-07:00

I'm linking up once again for one of my favorite linkups- Scripture and a Snapshot!

"Therefore be alert, since you don’t know what day your Lord is coming....If the homeowner had known what time the thief was coming, he would have stayed alert.... This is why you also must be ready, because the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect."-Matthew 24: 42-44

Hmmm, wonder why I chose this verse this week? Seems like someone could have saved himself some embarrassment by reading this...and a few similar scriptures, right? All kidding aside, I do feel for the people who actually believed the man who stated that yesterday, 6 pm, the world would end. I've heard there were people who gave up life savings, etc, thinking this would really happen. I'm not sure if this is true or not, but I hope for their sake that's just crazy talk and no one really did that! (I know most that I know, religious or not, believed the whole thing was just insane as well!!)

But seriously, I cannot understand how people can continue to try and predict when this is going to happen when it's clearly written that NO ONE will know! So really, what's the point in guessing? It could all be over tomorrow, next week, month, year...20 years from now, 100 years from now...we just cannot begin to know. So perhaps instead of worrying about it and dwelling on what could happen, we should just make the best of the time we do have and live life to the fullest.

For more Scripture and a Snapshot, click the link below!!

Review: Desert Gift by Sally John

2011-05-21T14:06:00.000-07:00

From the publisher:
What does a nationally known marriage expert do when her own marriage falls apart? Just as Jillian Galloway sets out for a publicity tour to promote her new book, her husband drops a bombshell: He wants a divorce. Jill flees to her parents’ home in the California desert, wondering whether everything she’s built her career on—indeed, everything she’s built her life around—is a sham. Navigating this “side road” of life is an uphill climb that leads to new understandings about herself, her marriage, and her relationship with the One who created marriage.

My thoughts:
As a marriage expert, sharing advice and recipes to make marriage work, Jill saw her relationship with her husband as the model of how married life should be. So, it came as a shock to Jill and everyone around her when out of the blue, her model husband declares he wants a divorce. Jill is left to wonder what went wrong and if everything she worked for and the advice she had been giving for years had meant anything at all. Through this journey, she rediscovers herself, God and what relationships were really all about.
Throughout reading, I was torn back and forth several times on rather or not I liked the book. I think the biggest issue for me was that I was anxious to find out if they got their happy ending (perhaps that's the fairy tale lover in me). So, when things seemed like they were going downhill for the relationship, I found myself wanting to skip ahead to the next uphill spot and it seemed to take forever to get there. There were certainly a lot of emotional ups and downs to be had too! The characters were real, and believable and naturally drew me in to their lives. After finishing I was happy with the story, because it wasn't your every day love story where everything is perfect. A real marriage is never 'model'. Every couple has their issues that they will need to work through-be it financial troubles, jealousy, whatever- sometime in the span of years together. This story served as a great reminder that marriage takes work, and in the end, the most important advice that can be given is to never lose your friendship.

You can purchase this book here!

*I received a copy of this book from Tyndale Publishing in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts are my own.

Wednesday♥

2011-05-18T15:01:00.000-07:00

I haven't linked up for WILW with Jamie for awhile, but on this gloomy, rainy, meltdown in the grocery store kinda Wednesday...it seems like a good time to stop and remember all the wonderful things I have to love!! So this week I'm loving:

$35 in Coupon Savings this week! That seems like a good place to start! If you know me well, you know I'm cheap. Haha. I'm not an extreme couponer by any means, but I am pretty thrifty. On average, I save about $20 a week, so this week was pretty impressive to me. (Though I was stocking up on a few items that I had GREAT coupons for that were going to expire soon!)

The wonderful package I received in the mail! Last week, I got an e-mail from Atomic Betties telling me that I'd won her vintage Pyrex giveaway!!! As you might remember if you've been reading long, I have a nice little collection displayed in my kitchen. I LOVE it!!! And she included a few more fun goodies in the box as well...like an apron! (I collect aprons as well!!) What a wonderful thing to come home to on this yucky day!!! Thanks so much to her for this awesome prize!!!

I am loving that Shaun has slowly been less upset about going to school. He still protests in the morning, but the last few days, he hasn't cried when I dropped him off! Whew! It is heartbreaking to see him so sad, so I'm happy to see him glad to be there again!!!!

I am loving my wonderful husband, and knowing that we are only a few short months away from this deployment being over for GOOD!

And finally I am loving all the support from everyone who has been voting for me for the Circle of Moms Top 25 Military Family Blogs! Voting ends on the 25th, so it's not over yet, but so far I've held onto a spot!!

Scripture and a Snapshot- James 1: 2-5

2011-05-14T20:10:00.000-07:00

"Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds,because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him." -James 1: 2-5

I chose this verse this week because I needed the reminder that through the hard times, we will come out stronger! These past few weeks have been tough. After his daddy left back to Afghanistan, my little man, for a week, reverted back to screaming and was just in a horrible place. Thankfully it passed fairly quickly and he is back to using his words. But he is still having a rough time. The poor guy has had to say goodbye to everyone he loves in the past few weeks. Such a change would be difficult for any child at this age, but for a child with autism, even more difficult. Slowly things are improving, but it's still been a really tough time for the both of us. I just have to keep reminding myself I am not alone in this, and will be stronger when all is said and done.

This photo was taken after days and days of horrible weather, when the sun finally decided to come out. I thought it was quite fitting and served as another reminder that this too shall pass.

I also wanted to share with you one of my favorite songs that is rather fitting with this verse/post. 'Beauty From Pain' by Superchick.

"After all this has passed, I still will remain. After I've cried my last, there will be beauty from pain."

For more 'Scripture and a Snapshot, click on the link below:

Autism Awareness Craft: Basket Edition!

2011-05-13T19:25:00.000-07:00

A little over a month ago, I found this wonderful autism awareness puzzle piece ribbon at Wal-Mart and HAD to have it! I have a lot of ideas running through my head on projects to make with it, so look for those in the future! But first, I want to share with you my first project!!

My wonderful mother in law weaves baskets and offered to teach me to make one while we were visiting! It was in some ways much easier than I had thought, after I got the hang of it! I hope to make more in the future. For this basket, I had originally thought of making something for my guest room and incorporating a bit of pink into it. Then I remembered about this ribbon and had to give it a shot, and I'm glad I did! I loved how it turned out. After getting it back home, I added some twine and a few puzzle pieces left over from my Autism frames to give it a little something extra. This might be my favorite craft project so far!

This project can be found here:

Review: Another Dawn by Kathryn Cushman

2011-05-11T09:23:00.000-07:00

From The Publisher:
When life gets complicated, Grace Graham runs--from romantic relationships, friendships, and even her family. But after years of running, her sister is giving her once last chance: Come home and help care for their father--whom Grace still blames for her mother’s death--or never show her face there again.
With her son Dylan in tow, Grace returns home to Tennessee from California. But is she going for the right reasons? And when costly decisions from the past suddenly put her son's life and the lives of other children in town at risk, will she have the strength to resist running and stand strong?

My Thoughts:
Oh where to begin on this one? I am still very much on the fence! In the book, we meet Grace, a mother who would probably be labeled as 'crunchy', 'granola', etc. After meeting her boss's son Collin, a young boy with autism, who had regressed immediately after vaccinations, Grace, like many, chose not to vaccinate her own son. After returning to her hometown in Tennessee, her son ends up with measles, putting himself as well as many children he came in contact with, not yet old enough for the MMR vaccine, at risk. This was not at all what I was expecting from the publisher's description!

As a mom to a child with autism, this is a subject that hits very close to home. Let me be clear, my son is up to date currently on his vaccines, including the MMR, though it was not without much debate with his doctor. Having a family history of autism, I did not want to take chances with my son, but in the end his doctor and I agreed that the vaccine itself was not the cause but did perhaps trigger something in some kids that was already there. I chose to go ahead with the vaccination. It was not an immediate regression for my son, and I do not believe that HIS autism was caused by this vaccine. Looking back, there were already red flags that we never realized. However, that being said, I also personally know mothers in the autism community who DID see an immediate regression after receiving vaccinations and they know without a doubt in their hearts that the vaccine triggered something in their child. I have no reason to doubt them. I say all of this so you know where I am coming from and how it affects my view on the subject matter on the book. If I could go back and do it again, I believe my son would still be vaccinated, but selectively and on a delayed schedule for sure, but I can completely understand where Grace was coming from in this decision to not vaccinate at all. While the book does give a bit of both sides of the argument, it was clear to me as the reader that the author definitely leaned toward the pro-vaccine side. It was for this reason that I am on the fence on if I liked the book or not. While it was beautifully written, I loved the characters and the messages of your decisions affecting not only yourself but others as well and about forgiveness and coming full circle, I could not shake the feeling that the book was basically saying that those parents who know that vaccines were the trigger of their child's autism, were in the wrong. Perhaps this was not the intention, but I couldn't help but feel that way.

To sum it up, I didn't hate the book, but I didn't love it either. I give the author kudos for tackling such a controversial subject and tackling it fairly well. I only wish that the other side of the argument had been given more attention as well. If you're pro vaccine, you'll probably love this book. If you're anti vaccine, you might just skip this one. And if you're in the middle like myself, you'll just have to decide for yourself!

You can purchase this book here!

*I received a copy of this book free from Bethany House Publishing in exchange for this honest review. All thoughts are my own.

On Being A Military Wife:

2011-05-05T07:51:00.000-07:00

As some of my readers may know, tomorrow is Military Spouse Appreciation Day! In honor of this I thought I would write a little bit about my experiences as a Marine wife. If you'd told me five years ago that today I would be married to a Marine, living across the country from my loved ones, I never would have believed it. In fact, I said at one point that I did not want to get involved with a military man because I didn't think I could handle this life. Obviously God knew better what I could handle and had other plans for my life. You truly cannot help who you fall in love with, and after 4.5 years of marriage, I could not be happier! But that is not to say that this life does not come without challenges, the following are some thoughts on some of the unique topics that the military lifestyle seems to be known for:

On being thanked/praised: If you're a military wife reading this, I am sure most of you have gotten comments like "I don't know how you do it!", "Thank you for all that you do!", and so on. While I always appreciate these sentiments and they do mean a lot (especially in the midst of a deployment), to be honest, sometimes I'm not entirely sure how I am supposed to respond. After all, I feel like I'm merely doing what all wives should do- being faithful, supportive and loving my husband unconditionally.

On deployments: What kind of 'military spouse' post would this be if I didn't mention deployments? Let's just put it out there honestly, they suck!! I try to keep things positive on this blog and not dwell on this deployment or missing my husband...and I do the same on Facebook as well. Sometimes I wonder if this makes it seem like I don't miss him as much as I do, every single day. But in the end, my husband knows how much I love and miss him, I tell him daily and that's all that matters. To me, it goes without saying. Moving on...this is my husband's fourth deployment, the third together, and saying goodbye never seems to get easier! I truly believe that any wife who tells you they don't have their bad/sad moments at one point or another during a deployment is probably not being entirely honest. It's hard being separated from anyone you love! When you have children and are left to be their one and only caregiver, it's even harder. For mothers in general, there are no breaks, no sick days but when you are a military wife going through a deployment, this is even more true! Sometimes it can be a bit overwhelming. I have found myself many times during this deployment repeating in my head "I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength". This verse has truly gotten me through this so far. (You can read my thoughts on this here!) But with all things, I think it's important to look at the positive side of things, and I can say that this deployment in particular has been a growing experience for me. I have been forced out of my comfort zone and made it through more than I would have ever imagined I was capable of. I still by no means consider myself to be a strong person, but I have learned that for my son, I am stronger than I knew.

On changes: Semper Gumby=Always Flexible. If you are one who needs to have a plan and stick to it...you will find that the military will try and beat that out of you quick! Ha! Actually, we've been pretty lucky as far as moving goes- my husband has been at the same base his entire 8 years! (Though we have moved due to deployments!) But that is not to say that it has been without change, and because we have a child with autism, this can be the most difficult aspect of the military life. (And not just for us, 1 in 88 military children are affected.) Negative behaviors, loss of speech, losing progress on the potty, sleep troubles, etc...I've seen all as a result of changes- though not all military related. Like I said, it can be tough, but we have come to expect that if there is going to be a change, we are going to have some challenges and we deal with them as they come. As for anxious little me, I have had to (try) to learn to plan for the best, but expect for those plans to change so that if things work out as I hope, that's awesome but if they fall through, we were planning for that too! This is still a challenge, but one that I'm working on!

On being proud: I know there are some wives out there who are annoyed by wives who display 'Proud Military Wife' sentiments on their blogs, social networking sites, screen names, etc. If you're one of these people, this paragraph is not for you! Because I am so very proud of my husband, not just because he is a Marine, but because he is an amazing person and is great at what he does. What wife would not be proud? I had the great honor of taking part in promoting my husband to SSgt last year, after only 7 years in the Marine Corps. (I was told this was pretty impressive!) It is those moments, seeing all that he has accomplished and the respect that his fellow Marines have for him that make me proud, not just to a be a Marine wife, but to be HIS wife!

I had originally planned on writing about a few more topics (stereotypes, base living, etc), but I feel like this is a good stopping point. If this is something you would like to see more of or had other topic ideas you would like me to cover, please feel free to comment or email and I might make this a regular!

On a related topic, I was pleasantly surprised yesterday afternoon to receive an email that I have been nominated to be part of Circle of Moms Top 25 Military Family Blogs! I'm not sure how the nomination came about, so if it was one of you reading, I thank you very much! What an awesome compliment. If you would like to see my blog make this list, please click on the link below to vote for me! (You can vote once a day until May 25th!) Thanks in advance to all who take the time to vote!!

Miscellany Monday: Month in Review!

2011-05-02T10:28:00.000-07:00

Oh what a month this has been! A few highlights (in no particular order):

♥As most of you reading probably already know, my husband had 2 weeks R&R in April. Unfortunately, it ended much too quickly and he has returned to Afghanistan, but it was nice while it lasted and we have only a few more months before this deployment is over! I cannot wait!!
The weather...oh this weather! Have I mentioned how much I hate rain/storms? Because I'll tell you, it's a lot. We have been very lucky, that despite watches and warnings in the area, we have not been affected too much. However, these storms have hit too close to home for comfort. My husband actually flew out of St Louis last Friday morning. I thank God that he had a morning flight and was long gone before the tornado! How scary!

Change of Plans. We were actually scheduled to be on the train heading back from our trip right now, but unfortunately our trip was canceled due to severe weather. I had been worried about being stuck on the train and hitting bad storms, so I am thankful that it was canceled before we had the chance for that to happen. So our visit has been extended a bit longer and we will instead fly back! Shaun has been having a rough time this past week, so it is probably for the best, I'm not sure how he would have handled such a long trip right now!

Trains. Trains. Trains. Between a daddy who likes to spoil his Shaun and grandparents who don't see him often, needless to say, our boy has gotten a bit spoiled this month! We came with about 12 trains, and will be leaving with a suitcase full...I lost count on the exact total, but it's most definitely surpassed 20 new trains!! He's a happy child! (Meanwhile mommy is planning a playroom reorganization since he was already short on train storage before we left!) Unfortunately, he has nearly cleared out all the local Wal-Marts of the trains he didn't have...so his upcoming birthday in August could get tricky;)

*cough cough* Has anyone else been dealing with lots of sickness? We certainly have...coughs that won't go away, sinus problems and so on. I'm sure this crazy weather is the root of it all! We actually ended up having to take Shaun to the ER because of it. Turns out, he had a bad ear infection! Poor thing had to have a shot for it (he will NOT take medicine). Thankfully he seems to be feeling much better!

Such an eventful month, this doesn't even begin to cover it, but with a 3.5 year old pulling at mommy's arm wanting to type, it's going to have to be, click the link below to join up for Miscellany Monday!!