Gianna Jessen- Abortion Survivor

My Uncle Ladd sent me these amazing videos.  Unbelievable!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kPF1FhCMPuQ
Part One

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k8B1nKGIAeg&feature=related
Part Two

Wednesday Wisdom: Week 9

"No, thank you"?

picture via

My mom was volunteering at a kid's function a while back when she heard a parent tell their child, "no, thank you" when they were asking them not do do something.

"No, thank you"?

I am no child psychologist nor even a seasoned parent, so I should not be broaching the topic , but something about it just doesn't sit right with me. 

It seems to me that thank you is a response to obedience, not a correction to disobedience.  Is the phrase sending a mixed message if your child has not yet responded in obedience and you are thanking them?
I guess the main question is what are we thanking them for if they have not yet obeyed?

I think the other issue for me is that "no, thank you" lacks spine/absoluteness that I believe our children really need from us.  I don't want to avoid confrontation with my children (although it would be much easier).  In truth, I seek out ways to test/confront our children's hearts to get at heart issues.  Oh yeah, we all have those to deal with!

Is it just me or what do you guys think?  I am no authority on this topic, so feel free to disagree!

A verse that came to mind when thinking about this topic...

Matthew 5:37

"Simply let your 'Yes' be 'Yes,' and your 'No,' 'No'; anything beyond this comes from the evil one."

Frosted Maple Cookies

We are kicking off fall here with yummy frosted maple cookies

(we made them to welcome Daddy home)

and some of our fall decor/dishes.

Olivia wanted to make a miniature eucalyptus wreath the other day, so we made a "baby one".

I absolutely love the pumpkin plates and platter I got a few years back

We used this recipe for the maple cookies if you want to try them.  We ate super yummy ones at a friend's house last week from Trader Joes, and I've been wanting to try to copy them ever since.

And now... Pillows

I don't know what it is about fall, but I seem to remember making pillows last fall too, so I guess I can't blame this entirely on nesting!

My sister said that the girls' pink blankies looked way cuter in person.  Great! 

If these projects look corny in the pictures just imagine how much cuter they are in real life... ha, ha!

A couple of them are sewed, but not stuffed in the picture.

I just hemmed all my curtains a little while back, and for some reason I decided to keep the strips of leftover fabric.  I was able to use them for the white and blue ruffle pillows and saved myself a lot of time and effort!

 This one for Olivia's bed, however, took way too long.  I will not attempt to make such a big one again anytime soon!  Talk about a lot of ruffles! 

And last...

Another LOVE pillow

(I cut out two sets of letters so it was time to spread the love and finally put the letters to use)

I think it would be so pretty to make a pillow wilth a bunch of the flowers too.  Hmmm...

 Thank you for so graciously humoring me with these sewing attempts of late! 

Nesting?

The most fragrant, pretty posies on my back patio! 
Gardenia and Jasmine are two of my favs!

Nesting?  Who me? 

OK, guilty as charged. 

I'm sorry to say this indiscriminate post will only further condemn me.

Cherry Tomatoes from our garden.

I love to freeze these babies!  They are such a nice size for popping into salads and freezer bags.
I add them to soups or in lieu of stewed tomatoes. 

Run hot water over them when you take them out of the freezer if you want to take the skins off.

Drying herbs

I almost forgot to do this, so I'm glad I snagged some from our little herb garden.

I have an extensive list of things to do before baby arrives, and one such item was cleaning out my kitchen cupboards. 

I cleaned and organized a few at a time, so it was less daunting. 
I also came up with more workable systems by taking my time.  Our new kitchen is made up of mostly drawers, so I've had to be creative.

My spice drawer outfitted with nonslip liner.

I am so excited about this drawer: the kid's drawer. 

It has been messy since we moved in last fall no matter how I had it organized.

The cups always went flying every time we opened the drawer.

It is a disorderly drawer no longer thanks to the dream drawer dividers I borrowed from David and my underwear drawers! 

The ninos and I get into this drawer umpteen times a day, so it is a relief to finally have a system that works.

I'm tempted to show you more organizational things, but I will restrain myself.

We enjoyed a sunny afternoon this week making eucalyptus wreaths and digging.  There is a large eucalyptus tree on the property and I love making wreaths for fall! 

Paytay and his tractors and trucks

O making carrot stew with fresh herbs and fish (yes, Tawny Scrawny Lion) :)

More outside fun with the cousins!

These pictures may be a repeat as my sister shared them, but they were too cute not to include in our "diary" as well.

I'll finish this post up with another quick post on pillows soon!  I need to go finish one more. 

Hey, I warned you!

Afternoon at the Beach

We have a tradition when Daddy goes bow hunting that we go to the beach.
He is gone for nine days without cell phone reception, so to say that we've missed him would be an understatement.  We can hardly wait to hug and kiss his neck!

It got really gusty when we made it to the beach, so we briefly enjoyed the view of the ocean.

"Let's get out of here, Mama!"

We found refuge in a Candy Shop

and on the Carousel

We also kept up our tradition from last year and ate at the Gearhart Junction Cafe.

This is a restaurant owned by my mom's cousin. 

They've been in the restaurant business for years and know what they are doing... delish!

Peyton feeling like big stuff on a bar stool (my mom's cousin/owner in the background).

"Hand-dipped milkshake please!"

This picture in the women's bathroom is hilarious (his wife's sister, I believe).

A copy of the original menu from their Hillsboro restaurant (owned by his father). 

My mom worked there as a waitress in her teens.

A picture of my grandmother, Nanny above one of the tables.

Check it out if you are in Seaside soon! 

Thanks for the fun-filled afternoon, Grampy and Nana!

Sewing Continued...

I finished up my Flower Project and finished it quickly thanks to the encouragement of this little helper. 

She kept asking me if I had the next color done, so we could coordinate with her outfits. :)

I don't know how cute the flowers are, but she sure is!

Do you think I went a little overboard making them?  Goodness! :)

The possibilities are really endless with them. 

I wanted to make a bunch so I could use them for gifts, and for my girls, of course.

I've put quite a few on headbands already.  Here is my niece, Evie with one.

And Miss Olivia

I also made these for gifts.

Car Seat Blankets

My sister got one as a shower present for Evie and has loved it.

They are a nice, small size for snuggling in the car seat.

Some other projects this week...

It was time for new monogrammed shirts for the little nuts.

Pennant Streamers for Julia. 

I was inspired after my sis made a cute yellow one for Liza's shower.

I'm apologize for the poor picture quality.

Her bed still needs a little primping, but we're getting there.

A little Ruffle Pillow I made for Julia's crib.

I know the projects are easy peasy, but the accomplishment for me is I'm finally learning to use a sewing machine.  What have I been scared of all these years? :) 

Look at her... she isn't too frightening. 

MUCH thanks to my MIL for all her research and work in finding her for my birthday. 

 

Happy First Day of Fall!