Bow Give AWAY...and sweet orphans who need some lovin'

If you have seen pictures of Baby K you know she usually has a bow on her head. And almost every bow you see on her head is a bow from
www.sugarplumorphans.com
All proceeds go to help orphans.

Sugarplum is having a give away and you only have until 7pm tonight(central time) to enter!
All you have to do is leave a comment - how easy is that?!
There are other ways you can get your name entered to win more than just once...
check it out!
(honestly, if it wasn't for the orphans I wouldn't have posted this...I want to WIN and don't want to stack the odds against me - LOL)
Here is a link to some of the bows and barrettes she has made.
http://picasaweb.google.com/kendraneill/OnlineStoreKindOf#

Thanks Kendra for sharing your talent with us and for doing it for such a good cause!
Even if I don't win, I need to order a 4th of July bow - Baby K has the cutest outfit and needs a firecracker of a bow to go with it! :)

Look what I did!

My silly girl. She was playing on the couch next to me this morning while I checked my email. She started wiggling around and tugging on her shirt and then...pop she pulled her arm out. Eight months old and she can already undress herself - LOL.
She thought she was pretty funny.

Postponed

Well, it's raining and has been for days. The park is going to be a mess!
We will postpone the playgroup for a week.
So
Eastbrough Park
on May 6th
at 10am

Hoping for warm sunshine next week so we can play!

Baby K Easter Pictures

Honestly, these pictures were not taken on Easter day because it was such a rainy dark yucky day. She did wear this dress on Easter, although she also wore a white sweater and white socks with pretty ruffles on them instead of sandals.







It was sunny but very windy when I took these pictures. Here is a slide show of Baby K's Marilyn Monroe photo shoot. :)

Memories

I learned something wonderful this weekend. Well...it's wonderful to me.
I'm not a scrapbook person, they are great, but I don't want to spend my time cutting and glueing and journaling...I still have photos in a box from years ago because I'm too lazy or too busy to put them in a photo ablum.
Anyway, I learned that a gal at church publishes her blog each year into a hard back book! What a great idea, it has pictures - their whole year of activities, family outings, first things her kids have done, etc.
She uses a site called blurb.com
here is a link to the specific page that will give you details on publishing your blog
http://www.blurb.com/create/book/blogbook

When you make your blogbook you can add more pictures or delete posts you don't want in your book. Change slide shows to just pictures - or pictures in place of videos you published.

I am going to do this. This is great for people like me who love to blog but don't want to spend the time scrapbooking or digital scrapbooking - I love the result of those things but don't have the desire to put the time into them.
Anyway, I thought you might enjoy knowing about this resource as well.
Finally, I promise to post some new pictures of Baby K. I'm really behind in doing that.

Easter Baking

I have spent the past week preparing for Easter Morning Children's Church. We had an egg hunt today, read the Easter Story (about Jesus not the Easter Bunny, of course) from a sweet children's book, decorated bags for the eggs, watched the Veggie Tale Easter Carol, etc. Last week I baked cross sugar cookies and then put each cookie in a clear plastic bag and tied them with a white ribbon and gave them to the children this morning. It was fun.

The other baking I did for Easter was bake Easter Bread. I found this recipe via Foodgawker and I am so glad I tried it. It will now become a family tradition for us! I wondered why it is called "Easter" bread, other than the fact that there is a dyed egg in the middle of it. Easter Bread is an Italian and Greek tradition because Bread means Life. Which we know because of the Bible and it's many references to bread and life. I read that there is an old peasant proverb "He who has bread has life" interesting since Jesus said the same thing when he was referring to Himself as the Bread of Life (John 6:48). Imagine what that phrase means to a peasant, how deeply they who have little long for the necessities of life.
I decided that the egg can represent the New Life Jesus offers us - Eternal life with Him! And the Easter bread is sweet - because love is sweet. Maybe that is getting too cheesy for you, but I love the symbolism.
So I made the bread, with Baby K on my hip as I scooped out flour and other ingredients. She likes to "cook" with me. I enjoyed waiting for the dough to rise, growth takes patience. Then you have to punch the dough down, sometimes life bumps you around & can knock you down. Then you separate the dough into 12 small balls (Hey, Jesus had 12 disciples!). Next you roll the balls out into long ropes. Twist two ropes together and bring ends together to make round "nests." Place on a baking sheet and let rise. So you wait, and wait and after being patient again they double in size - again growth and more beautiful than before. Now, brush them with egg wash, sprinkle with brightly colored sprinkles, and nestle an Easter egg in the middle (no need to boil the egg before dying it, the egg will cook w/ the bread!). Bake in the oven for a bit and you will have beautiful Easter Bread. And the best part, aside from eating it....the aroma!!! Our house smelled of the wonderful sweet bread for hours! The bread was finished by 1pm and after returning home from a birthday party at 8pm our home still smelled amazing!
Huh...the aroma of Christ, I hope our family is the aroma of Christ to others. See, more symbolism!

Anyway, I hope to some how type this up more concise and purposeful, like in an activity format, with Bible verses for the different symbols, for our family to pull out and do together each year.

We wrapped each bread up in clear cellophane and tied with ribbon and gave them to neighbors and friends the day before Easter. Next year I would love to attach a card with the verse "I am the Bread of Life." John 6:48 and invite them to Easter Sunday Church with us. What a great way to be reminded of the real reason we celebrate Easter.

Girl Time...no...Escape Time

I need some girl time. Make that Woman time.
No, what I really want is Escape Time.
I'm not looking for deep conversation. In fact, I would like to turn my brain OFF for a little while. No thinking,"What's for dinner?" or "Let's see I have 'X' amount of time until...baby needs food or nap or diaper change, etc." or "What can I learn from my Bible study today" or "What do I have to offer to this conversation?"

I'm realizing this because my husband is enjoying a weekend with the guys and I'm home caring for our sweet baby (who really has been sweet) and wondering when the last time was I had a really good laugh (that was not related to something my child was doing). Adam called last night to say good night and he and his buddy were cracking up - I'm jealous.

Anyway, I saw a trailer for a Movie coming out May 1st called Ghosts of Girlfriends Past, staring Matthew McConaugh*ey and Jennifer Gar*ner. Looks like a total chick flick and a great way to just eat junk food and turn my mind off for 2 hours. I know it's a month away, but seriously, anyone else want to make a date of it? Any other mommies want to check out for 2 hours and eat buttery popcorn with me? I'm totally serious!

Who's in?

While I wait for May 1st, I am calling to make an appt to get a massage next week. I have a gift certificate from Valentine's Day and I'm cashing it in! :)