Introducing Caroline Esther

Vintage Volute Pink Birth Announcement

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Children's Book Review

The Dragon and the Turtle  by Donita K. Paul and Evangeline Denmark is a children's book about an unlikely friendship between a lost turtle and a kind dragon.  Their friendship begins when the dragon goes out of his way to help the poor turtle find his way back home after a pretend shipwreck got him off course.  My children, ages five, four, and two were all very interested in this book with its beautiful illustrations and storyline that touches the five senses of taste, hear, see, smell, and feel.  It was a fun book to read and kept our attention to the end.  In the end, we saw how the dragon was rewarded for his sacrifice and how a little kindness goes a long way.

This book was free with this review through Waterbrook Multnomah Press

Shutterfly | Folded Greeting Card

Shutterfly Folded Greeting Card

 Merry Christmas from our family to yours!

Shutterfly Christmas Cards

In celebration of Christmas, I always enjoy sending out cards to all my family and friends.  The majority of our relatives live out of state, so we like to send a nice picture of the children with the card to keep family up- to-date.  I know grandparents especially like it.  This year I thought it would be nice to do cards with the children's picture already on it.  Then I came across a promotion for 50 free cards that I couldn't refuse, given by Shutterfly for bloggers. I went to their site and started looking for God-honoring designs, and came across this one.  It says, "Joy to the World, the Lord has come".  Simple and yet full of truth.  I have never bought cards from Shutterfly before, but I have bought prints and a photo book, and I was very impressed by the quality and price.  The photo book was so fun and easy to make.  They make wonderful gifts for grandparents, and the designs are endless.  In the future I would like to also try doing a photo mug and wall calendar.  I love to give personalized gifts like this, and Christmas is a great time to do it.  So join me in sending out love and cheer, as well as proclaiming, "Joy to the world, the Lord has come"!!

"And the Angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone about them, and they were sore afraid.  Then the Angel said unto them, 'Be not afraid: for behold, I bring you glad tidings of great joy, that shall be to all people, that is, that unto you is born this day in the city of David, a Savior, which is Christ the Lord."  Luke 2:9-11

Let earth receive her King!!

What pregnancy does to me...

Every pregnancy is a little different, but with this one I have had an overwhelming desire to sew,crochet, and cook!  It has been a blessing to have these desires because I am learning new things and growing in my abilities as a homemaker.  I first started to learn how to sew several years back when my husband bought me my first sewing machine (after a few hints).  I started out doing really simple things like curtain panels and then wanted so bad to make dresses for my one-year-old daughter at the time.  I didn't know where to start so I asked a  lady at my church for some pointers and she invited me over one day to show me how to do a pattern.  I am ever grateful to her!  It has been a long process, but now I am able to follow numerous patterns to make dresses now for both my daughters!  I think this pregnancy has been my record so far.  I have made 5 dresses in just the past couple of months (as well as, a few bonnets)!  And since we are having another girl, you can see what she has to look forward to!

Then I had this desire to learn to crochet.  I tried knitting before but to no avail.  When I saw some friends of mine on facebook crocheting all sorts of neat things I thought maybe I could give it a try. I asked questions and was soon on my way to learning!  It's amazing what you can learn online these days!  Just type in crochet on youtube and you will see all the videos that will teach you the ins and outs of crocheting. Its great!  You can also use websites like needlepointers.com for help in understanding the patterns.  So far I have made several hats, a baby blanket, and some baby booties!

Oh, and cooking!  All the different cravings a pregnancy brings about makes me want to bake and cook all sorts of things!  Allrecipes.com has been a favorite of mine.  Not only do they have tons of recipes, they also have tutorials.  I can't begin to tell you all the things I have whipped up in the kitchen lately, but it has been quite a variety.  My husband payed me a sweet compliment the other day about my cooking and it was very encouraging.  He said I have significantly improved in my cooking abilities since we were married six years ago.  I know I have not "arrived" but at least I'm on my way!  :)

I love being content in the place that God has placed me. "Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee."  Hebrews 13:5  He has given me my beloved family so I know He will continue to give me the talents and abilities I need to care for them and love them.  I get discouraged when I can't perform perfectly the tasks set before me, but I am continually grateful for His mercy and grace through it all!  "I will sing of the mercies of the LORD forever: with my mouth will I make known thy faithfulness to all generations."  Psalm 89:1

Now that the Lord has blessed me with more abilities, it is now my responsibility to teach them to my children and other younger women, so that I am fulfilling part of the commandment given to women in Titus chapter 2:3 "That the aged women be...teachers of good things..."

So if you have any questions about anything I have just mentioned, just ask!   I also have that awful absentmindedness symptom of pregnancy too! :)