Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Wordless Wednesday: 4 Wheeling

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I know, my boys don’t have their hats on. Ugh, they were such stinkers & wanted to prove to one of the teen boys they dig how cool they were!

Make sure you check out these other Wordless Wednesday participants: 5 Minutes for Mom, Beautiful Mess, and Two of a Kind.

Monday, November 29, 2010

Loss, There’s Never A Good Time

My 2nd daughter and 2nd son have friends who are siblings in the same grades as them. We have known them since Doodle was a baby.

“MW” has always been this amazingly responsible girl. She’s 17 now, but watching her grow up was a treat. Smooch and MW played basketball for about 4 yrs together. MW never ceased to amaze me in her outlook on life and her sensibilities.

When Smooch went through an extremely emotional time last winter/spring, MW was the one to inform us of the depths Smooch was at.

“LW” has been in the same classes as Doodle for the last 3 yrs. It came in handy once or twice when LW’s mom needed someone to pick her up.

See, L & M’s mom had various forms of cancer over the last 4+ yrs. JW, even being in Stage 4 cancer, completely believed God could heal her and refused to acknowledge anyone who said anything towards the negative.

I hadn’t seen JW for a long time. Summer came and went and then school was back in session. Last Tues I passed her in the elementary school hall during conferences. She had a cough, but said she’s always coughing. I didn’t remember that, but who was I to say anything? She looked good, just didn’t sound so great.

Sunday I got a call telling me she’d been rushed to the hospital. The call had come while I was at church and I didn’t listen to it until around 2pm. An hour later I received the call saying JW had passed away. They couldn’t start her heart again.

I am completely heart broken for JW and her family. JW won’t get to see her daughter graduate this year. She won’t get to watch her youngest daughter grow up into womanhood. She won’t get to watch her grandchildren grow up.

She has 2 grown children as well. Her oldest has 2 little ones. Her son lives with them and is the one who called the ambulance. LW wasn’t home at the time, and I can’t tell if that was a blessing or something she’ll regret. She is only 7 so it’s not as though she had a choice.

As soon as we found out, the boys and I prayed for the family. I have been crying off and on thinking about how it could easily been any of us who is gone in the blink of an eye. None of us knows the day or the hour in which our Savior will call us home.

My hope is that today, you know where your salvation lies. If you died tomorrow and left your loved ones behind, would they have a hope in seeing you again in eternity. If you have an illness that could take you from this world do you know that one day your body will be healed and there will be no more pain?

If not, my prayer is that you will seek Jesus. That you will realize He died for you, on a cross, for such a time as this. He loved you enough to give his life for you. God did not spare even His own Child because of His great love for you.

Dear one, I hope this day you will accept the free gift of salvation that is offered to each one of us before it’s too late. And guaranteed, one day it will be too late. Do not leave this life without knowing where you will spend eternity.

As the saying goes, “Even if you don’t believe in God, He believes in you.”

Thanksgiving With My Kids & Aunt

I wasn’t sure if my girls were going to make it to Thanksgiving dinner this year. With both girls working we had no idea if they’d be making it.

I was ecstatic to find out both girls were heading down to spend the day and night with my Aunt. I’m so thankful we have a family member who makes it back to her MN home for the holidays so we can spend the day with her.

Smooch headed down separately because she was going to spend the night with Baby at her dorm room. Unfortunately, Baby hasn’t been feeling well lately and got there just in time for dinner.

IMG_4522 After the feast Aunt B’s prepared for us (thank you very much), we settled in for a movie, Prince of Persia, and searching through the Day After Thanksgiving (DAT) ads.

Baby didn’t care for the movie (too much gore) and decided to head back to her dorm room. She had to work the next morning. I was sad she was leaving and not going shopping with us in the morning.

Smooch and I finished watch the movie with the boys and then we got some shut eye. Our plan was to wake up at 5:30am to get some shopping done. The two places I wanted to head were Staples and Kohl’s. I needed a new printer (which I still haven’t gotten installed completely) and a new pillow.Smooch at KohlsWe were up and on our way before 6am and visited Caribou, my daughter’s favorite place for coffee. We strolled into a packed Staples, found my printer immediately and got in line. While in line I remembered I need a new computer chair because mine is about 12 yrs old and my hip hurts when I sit in it now.

Because of how far we were in line I decided to forgo the chair because there was NO way I was going to the back of the line! LOL

From there we headed to Brueggers for some breakfast of yummy bagels. I haven’t had a Brueggers bagel in ages. Oh, it was so good!

Then we went to Kohl’s where I have been longing to get a memory foam pillow. I almost got one last year, but they still seemed so hard. Not this year. Smooch was very helpful in testing them out.

Unfortunately, while at Kohl’s I ran into a VERY RUDE employee and she ticked me off so much I nearly left my full cart right at her feet. I did go talk to one of the ladies managing the lines to tell her the situation I had run into.

They had boys clothing on 3 different rows on one rack. The sign on the far right bar didn’t match up with the brand OR price in front of it. I asked the gal if I was reading it wrong. She said, “No, that’s for the middle brand. The other two brands are different.” I told her that it might confuse people because the sign is above a different brand and that maybe the sign should be over the right pants.

She “informed” me that, “The signs can ONLY go on the outside NOT in the middle.” She was such a snot when she told me I stared at her totally shocked and told her she didn’t need to be rude, and that I was just asking her a question because I was confused. She said she wasn’t being rude and, “Have a nice day, goodbye.”

To say I was stunned is BEYOND how I was feeling. I was all about attitude and said, “Are you kidding me? I have a question and this is how you’re going to treat people?” I then walked away before I said anything else.

For the record, even though the sign was with the wrong brand, the price didn’t match the “correct” brand either. It was for $32 Urban Pipeline Jeans and the ones on the MIDDLE row were $36!

Well, with that out of my system, we headed over to Target. The only thing that kept me from walking away from my Kohl’s purchase and spending my money somewhere else was the nice line lady.

My Smooch totally scored with movies at Target. I was happy to have picked out my Christmas present from her: P.S. I Love You for $4! Now I can stop begging Baby to bring her copy home from college.Drive HomeWhere I work everyone has to work the DAT so after I dropped the boys off at home, I headed to work to do the clean up from the morning shopping. When I got there it was slowing down and we were able to get the department pretty well cleaned up.

It was a pretty good day altogether. I had much to be thankful for! How about you? How was your Thanksgiving? Did you go shopping in the wee hours of the morning? Any amazing deals you’re proud of? Run into any crabby people like I did?

National Geographic Kids Atlas of My World

NatGeo Are you looking for a gift for a child that’s personalized and not like the gifts all the other kids are receiving? Check out the National Geographic Kids Atlas of My World!
These are so cool! It was fun to go play with the sample book that allows you to get an idea of what the book will be like. You can go check it out and see for yourself. Here’s what you can get in this book:

  • 48 pages, hardcover
  • Over 200 full-color photographs and maps
  • Custom printed with your child's photo and details NatGeo2 There you can upload your child's/children's photos, see & choose from several different personalization options (ranging from where the child/children go to school, information about their pet, things they love/enjoy & more), write your dedication and then see what the final product would look like!
    I’ve been given discount codes to pass on to you from NatGeo:
  • 50% Discount plus free shipping on Nov 29 & 30 & Dec 1 with "personalized" Woven By Words blog discount code:  wbw50gift
  • 25% Discount plus free shipping on Dec 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 & 8 with "personalized" Woven By Words discount code: gift25wbw
    You can also find NatGeo on
    Twitter
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    *By sharing this information with you I am eligible to win a Savings Bonds and my own personalized atlas. I have not received any compensation or product for sharing this information.
  • Wednesday, November 24, 2010

    Hallmark Recordable Storybooks 2 Giveaways



    Hallmark Logo Last year when I was visiting our local Hallmark for Christmas gifts, I saw the Recordable Storybooks for the first time. I thought they were such a spectacular idea. Having all of my family out-of-state having my parents record a Storybook for my kids is simply priceless.


    Recordable Storybooks feature voice-capture technology that records the reader’s voice, which is then captured within the Recordable Storybook. When a page is turned, the book automatically plays the text on that page in the reader’s voice. It’s a great way to capture a special moment that can be shared with a child over and over again. And since the recording lasts for the life of the book, it can also serve as a teaching tool to help a child overcome obstacles many kids face when learning to read.


    I received All The Ways I Love You for review. I haven’t actually recorded on it because I’m saving it to give to my step-daughter who is due with my 2nd “step”-grandchild. (I only call them “step” in this situation because I’m just not old enough to be a grandma! LOL My step-daughter knows I consider her more than a step-child) If she wants me to record on it, I will be honored, but I let her choose.


    There’s so much I love about the book:




    • The ability for our voice to be captured for a lifetime


    • That my kids, had they been younger, could learn to read by listening to my voice and eventually their own


    • They make wonderful, personal gifts


    • Children can stay connected to family that lives far away

    · On Thanksgiving weekend, Hallmark’s “The Night Before Christmas” Recordable Storybook will be $10 off with ANY purchase. No coupon required. Simply visit any Hallmark Gold Crown store between Nov. 26 and Nov. 28 and receive an instant $10 savings on this title with the purchase of any in-store item!Hallmark2


    · Between now and Dec. 31, enter the code Blogger25 at checkout to receive 25% off of your order of personalized holiday greetings on hallmark.com! Hallmark.com’s personalized holiday greetings collection includes customizable holiday cards, party invitations, plates and thank you cards – all photo-ready and featuring contemporary new designs. And perhaps the best part? No need to visit the post office to send out anything. Just visit Hallmark.com, pick your favorite design, customize it with a favorite photo and a personal message. Hallmark will do the rest! From printing the addresses and adding postage to mailing the cards on any date you choose, Hallmark’s got it all under control.


    What a great gift Hallmark Recordable Storybooks would make for the holidays or any occasion. 2 lucky people will be able to win their choice of Storybook.


    Required: Visit Hallmark and tell me which Recordable Storybook would mean the most to someone in your family and why?


    Giveaway open WORLDWIDE to everyone 18 yrs or older. Please leave your email in the required entry or have it available in your profile. No email/contact = No entry. Giveaway ends 12/4 11:59 PST. Winner has 48 hours to respond.


    Extra Entries:


    Follow Woven by Words (1 entry)


    Follow me on Twitter (1 entry)


    Follow Hallmark on Twitter (1 entry)


    Tweet this giveaway (1 entry daily) “RT #Win 1 of 2 Hallmark Recordable Storybooks and share the holidays with loved ones @hallmarkpr #giveaway @bigguysmama “


    Like Hallmark on Facebook (1 entry)


    Enter any of my other current giveaways (1 entry each)


    I’d like to thank Fleishman-Hillard for connecting me with Hallmark and providing both the review and giveaway Storybooks. The opinions expressed are my own.

     
    Creative Commons License
    Woven by Words by Mimi B is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.