House Full of Love

My First Finished Scrapbook Project

2010-01-02T18:31:00.006-06:00

So I've been into scrapbooking for about 5 years now. The problem? I've never actually scrapbooked anything. I have at least a dozen books and twice as many magazines, endless papers, embellishments, and adhesives, but have I finished a single scrapbook album? Never. Well I am proud to say that I finished my first scrapbook project! I am getting really into scrapbook home decor now, because instead of a zillion pages to do, it's just one project and you're done! I made this as a gift, and it was SO much fun! Here's evidence that I have actually done something with all the "stuff" I've accumulated over the years:

This can sit on a tabletop or other hard surface and is meant to be shown off all the time, which is one thing I absolutely love about scrapbook decor! The entire thing can fold up accordion-style for easy storing. I got this particular project idea from Donna Downey's book "Photo Decor" from her "Yes, It's a Scrapbook" series. (You can buy it at amazon.com ). I don't want to give away her secrets, so for complete instructions, you will have to reference her book, but here are some of the embellishments I thought of on my own and used in mine:

--part of an old necklace that had been broken in half (I attached it with ribbon on the left side, and then strung it through the back and used the bulldog clip that is holding the picture to attach the necklace to the back side.)

--an old key I found in an old jewelry box of mine

--mini frame (the picture inside is a thumbnail print)

--you can't see it in the picture because it is too dark, but behind one of the circles on the far left is a clear vellum sticker that says "Have Faith". I wanted the sticker to stay see-through, so I put it on a transparency instead of cardstock or patterned paper.

--in 3 of the circles, I hung large earrings from ribbon. 1 of these earrings is from a set I no longer wear, and the other 2 were bought as sets that I got from the $1 shop, so I only spent $2 total on those three embellishments, and I still have 1 of each earring to use on another project!

All in all, it was a blast to make, and she absolutely loved it! Now I only wish that I had made 2, so that I could have one for me!!

My Hubby

2010-01-02T10:49:00.002-06:00

Ok, so I know that I'm terrible about posting on here, but I simply just have to brag on my husband today. He has been super sweet lately. Yesterday I had 2 of my best girl friends over and he cleaned the house, shoveled the drive, and took care of the kids. He set up the whole downstairs for us so we could play dance dance revolution and guitar hero if we wanted, and he even set up the surround sound for guitar hero. When we went downstairs, he had 4 different flavors of candy canes arranged cutely in a basket on the coffee table, with a bag of mini marshmallows for our hot chocolate. Whenever we go anywhere lately, he has been going out of his way to make sure that I am comfortable. Examples: "Oh, here, let me stand on this side so the wind doesn't get you," and "I'll pull up like this so you don't have to get out on the snow side." 2 nights ago he gave me a back massage. When my girls and I went out to eat yesterday, we came back and the living room had been completely cleaned and vacuumed. He's been unloading the dishwasher without being asked and taking the dog out almost every time she needs to go. He's always sweet, of course, but lately he's really just taken it to a new level. I'm not sure what brought this on, but it feels so romantic. I love it! What girl wouldn't eat this up?? He's great!! I'm smitten all over again!! :)

You Are Acceptable

2009-11-02T10:28:00.000-06:00

God gave me a word to share in church last Sunday, and I feel like I should share it on here:

I don't know who this is for, but God says,
"You are acceptable to me.
I love you. I accept you.
I am not keeping track of your shortcomings.
Maybe you didn't read your Bible yesterday.
Maybe you didn't pray for an hour. Or 15 minutes.
Maybe you got angry.
I KNOW you're not perfect!
I have made you perfect.

My mercies are new every morning.
When you woke up this morning, your slate was not full of your sins from yesterday.
It was clean.
My mercies are new every morning.
You are acceptable to me."

New Blog

2009-11-02T07:25:00.002-06:00

I have started a new blog for my surrogate pregnancy journey if anyone is interested!

http://mysurrogatepregnancy.blogspot.com/

Should I Be a Gestational Surrogate?

2009-10-08T16:16:00.005-05:00

So we've tossed around the idea of me having a gestational surrogate pregnancy. (A gestational surrogate means that the eggs would not be mine, so the baby would not be biologically related to me in any way.) Anyone know of anyone who has done this? Thoughts? Risks? Successes? Horror stories? Anyone know where I can find more information?

Who Knows?

2009-09-16T11:17:00.002-05:00

Who knows? keeps coming back to me.

9/11/09. "And who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?" Esther 4:14

9/12/09. "At strategic times of internal war I stop and ask myself, 'What if this is a critical moment? What if this very thing, this very decision is the most important piece of the puzzle comprising my purpose?' " --Beth Moore
(in other words, Who knows? For me, this was in reference to fasting, which also keeps coming back to me)

9/13/09. Listen to My prophets and prosper. Sift and sort but get to My prophetic message by air, sea or foot, but get there. Receive the words of My messengers in this season like never before. Record them, write them on tablets for as sure as the sun rises and sets they will come to pass. And if they seem to linger, write and broadcast them on public media so that all who see them may run and get inspired to move Heaven and earth in the cause of righteousness and the Kingdom of Heaven coming upon the earth. I say to the prophets, prefer and defer to one another. Do not judge the one who seems like an underling; for who knows but what the hidden and young may have My key words of the day. And you could miss them while looking only to the headliners. Listen to My prophets and prosper. Even survive!
2 Chronicles 20:20 “So they rose early in the morning and went out into the Wilderness of Tekoa; and as they went out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, ‘Hear me, O Judah and you inhabitants of Jerusalem: Believe in the LORD your God, and you shall be established; believe His prophets, and you shall prosper.’” Ras Robinson*, **

9/14/09. "Be aware of Me. I can accomplish great things through even one yielded, believing vessel. Remember David, and how I wrought a great victory for the armies of Israel through his courage, when all others were paralyzed by fear...Move on, nor ever entertain the thought of retreat...Keep your eyes on Me, as I have counselled you so many times before...I have special expeditionary forces, and what if (a.k.a. Who knows?) I have called you to join these ranks?" Come Away My Beloved by Frances J. Roberts

9/15/09. "Sherrie Pope Duran hopes for everyone to recognize their own unique individual inner beauty and use it for all it is worth. Stop comparing yourself to others. Who knows what could happen!" a friend's facebook status

Who knows but that I am a stay-at-home mom for such a time as this? God is certainly using it so far! Who knows what tomorrow He will bring? God knows, and He won't hide my destiny from me. I know that He will take me from a place of "He knows" to "I know."

"But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things..." --John 14:26

The Breaking Down of Strongholds

2009-05-05T01:05:00.002-05:00

Here is my next post from my "Breaking Free" blogger group and I feel I'm supposed to share:

So I was inspired by Juli's post to post one of my own, because the truth is, I've been set free too! On April 16, I started day 1 of week 6 (Beauty from Ashes). Day 1 was Ashes Instead of Honor. Background story: Earlier this year I went to an Extraordinary Women conference with a good friend of mine. One of the speakers (Angela Thomas, I think?) spoke about trading in our ashes for a crown of beauty (Isaiah 61:3). Afterwards, somehow I knew that I wasn't wearing my crown. A few days later, through this same good friend of mine, God asked me what did I trade in? I thought about it for a while and made a list of things, but I knew that I wasn't hitting the mark. Sin? Anxiety? What was I giving up? The things on my list were true, Jesus did take those things and replace them, but I just knew that somehow that wasn't quite what my ashes were.

Researching the biblical use of ashes really helped me. While going through the study for the day, I knew exactly what this was in reference to for me, and I knew that it should be significant for me, and for most of it, it was. By the time I got to the end of it, though, it felt distant, like it was far-removed from me, like it was 2 lifetimes away or for someone else. I was feeling like there should be something more going on, so I decided to skim ahead a little, and I 'happened' to read this, "In the margin write a prayer expressing to God what you're feeling right now about our lesson so far. If you're not feeling anything, tell Him! A lack of reaction to freeing truth can indicate a stronghold!" Hmmm...okay. So I decided to look at it square in the face and asked myself, "What am I feeling?" First I said, "Well, I'm definitely feeling some kind of resistance..." But no, it wasn't resistance, I decided. When I verbally pushed that label out of the way, I seemed a little bit closer, everything a little bit clearer. "Is it suppression? Am I suppressing this?" No, it's not suppression. Pushed that out of the way. When the other labels were out of the way, I could see everything clearly for what it was, and I was shocked. It wasn't suppression, it was OPPRESSION!! I had been feeling that there was something large holding me back that was right in the center of me, right below my heart in the pit of my stomach. In my mind's eye, I saw a large boulder there with a chain behind it, and I even saw the demon who had been assigned to it peering from behind it! I got the impression that he was the one who had put those other labels there, like his job had been to keep me from recognizing the stronghold for what it was, because he for sure did not want me to find it out! Not trying to scare anyone, so sorry if this is freaking you out, but he was not scary. To be quite honest he was much smaller than I would have thought--only a couple inches tall! Once I had 'pushed' everything out of the way and saw it clearly, it was obvious that there was nothing more he could do. He was completely powerless! AND he was out of a job!

I can trace my stronghold back to one single event, and I just simply was not expecting this to be a stronghold in my life. I had forgiven this person--I truly did not have any unforgiveness in my heart. I had allowed God to heal my heart--my heart wasn't broken any more. What I hadn't done was allowed God to fix my view of ME. My stronghold was shame. I had forgiven, and I wasn't broken, but I was carrying around the weight of shame with me that affected everything about me. I think it was in the center of me because it affected the very core of who I was. I somehow knew that if I worked through it with someone, I could break free. The next day, I sat down with one of my very best friends and told her everything. She worked through it with me, and by the time I was finishing my story, I couldn't help but smile. It was like with every word the weight got lighter, until, finally, the lifting took my mouth with it and it couldn't do anything else but curve! Freedom! Wow! It was absolutely amazing!

Remember how I have been in the same place for 12 years? After I shared that testimony at the women's conference, I asked myself why did I keep saying 12 years? As far as I knew, and as far as my journals showed, God had been telling me the same things since about my junior year in high school, which was only about 10 years ago. Yet it kept coming out of my mouth. 12 years, 12 years. Did I just think that was a good round number? What's with the 12 years thing? After I identified my stronghold, I thought about it. When this event happened, I was 15 years old. Now I'm 27. 12 years.

Later that day, I had to take the dog out. We don't have a fence in our backyard, so we have a large tree that we chain her to. No matter how fast she runs or what she does, she can't go anywhere else except around and around that tree. God showed me that it had been just like that for me. Spiritually, I was chained to that year of my life and just went around and around it, never going anywhere. But I'm not chained anymore! I broke free! Hallelujah!

The night I received the book "Never Give Up" by Joyce Meyer, I read this, "I wonder how many times people give up just before a breakthrough, on the very brink of success. You can feel the same way for ten years and then suddenly, one day you wake up and everything will change." I broke free from my stronghold 2 weeks later to the day.

Thank you all for sharing your own struggles/victories and sharing with me in mine, and thank you so much, Jess, for inviting me to Break Free with you!

Never Been Unloved

2009-04-28T14:14:00.002-05:00

I wanted to share a post that a friend of mine posted on our blog group Bible study. (Thanks Jill!) I just love this! This is from Michael W. Smith's song "Never Been Unloved." I have posted the video of the song at the bottom of the post:

ALL week last week I had the lyrics from this Michael W Smith song in my head. Abbie did a wordle on this several months back...maybe she'll share it with us! I'm going to paraphrase it, but read all the words carefully.

I have been...
unfaithful
unworthy
unrighteous
unmerciful
unreachable
unteachable
undesirable
unwise
undone by what I'm unsure of
But because of you and all that you went through, I know that I have never been unloved.

I have been...
unbroken
unmended
uneasy
unapproachable
unemotional
unexceptional
undecided
unqualified
unaware
unfair
unfit for blessings from above
But even I can see the sacrifice you made for me to show that I have never been unloved. It's because of you and all that you went through, I know I have never been unloved.

Savor those words, ladies. Savor the promise of God's unfailing love!

Living Water

2009-04-16T10:41:00.002-05:00

I have been doing a Bible study by Beth Moore with a blogger group. We are going through her workbook "Breaking Free" and I wanted to share what I posted earlier to the group:

I haven't posted in a while (my husband is still laid off and has been a total computer hog! :), and the last couple of weeks have been incredibly significant for me, so I have a lot to say. This covers a lot of topics so I may even break this up into a couple of posts if it gets too long!

Let me start from the beginning: A couple of week's ago I went to a women's conference at my church. While I was there they gave out door prizes, and I won one of them. No two prizes were alike, and my door prize was a Joyce Meyer book and dark chocolate with mint filling (yum!) During worship, God impressed upon me to share with everyone what had just happened. This is what I shared: "Yesterday I was talking with God about my spiritual walk. I feel like spiritually I've been going in circles. The stuff that God is telling me today is the same stuff that He's been telling me for years, since I was in high school. For 12 years He's been telling me this stuff! I was telling God, I don't know what else to do. I'm doing everything that I know to do, and I'm in the same place now that I was 12 years ago! I don't know what to do. I'm obviously not getting it. I just...I give up."

Then I showed everyone my door prize. The book that I had won by Joyce Meyer was called "Never Give Up."

Receiving that book meant so much to me because it meant two things: 1) God cared enough for me to make it so that whoever was in charge of buying the door prizes would buy that particular book AND He made it so that whenever that book came in line as a door prize MY name was pulled out of the hat. 2) It also meant, in a very real way, that although I had given up on myself, GOD hadn't given up on me! I had faith in God, but I had lost faith in myself. But it was ok, because He carried me. While I had faith in God, HE had faith in ME! How awesome is that?!! He's not disappointed in me--He still has HOPE that I can and will move forward, which means that I can have hope too.

OK, next thing. (FYI: I'm still about a week behind in the study, so this stuff may have been a while ago for you guys.) I really liked what Beth had to say in the audio for week 5. What she said about Living Water filling up every empty place made a lot of sense. Then when she talked about water finding it's way through the keyhole and underneath closed doors, I visualized God filling me with Living Water in every empty place, and filling in my closed rooms by going through the keyholes of my locked doors. Background story: Recently Jesus told me that He comes in from the inside and not the outside. He basically said that, frankly He didn't really care what my spiritual life looked like on the outside! He doesn't come from the outside, but what He saw on the inside was that I had "dark rooms" where I didn't allow Him access. These weren't rooms of sin, necessarily, just dark because they were hidden. To be completely honest, I didn't even know what they were! These were the rooms that I visualized being filled with Living Water. I guess it was my way of allowing Him access. Ironically, they were still closed to me, as I still had no clue what they were, but I did get to see (in my mind) the room flooded with a radiant light that shone through the cracks of the door and the keyhole, which is pretty amazing! My doors might still be closed, but they are no longer dark, because they have been flooded with Jesus' light!

(Living) Water has been a theme that has been coming back to me over and over. God showed me back in September of last year that instead of being empty/full, empty/full, empty/full (which is what I was doing), He wants us to be not only full, but overflowing all the time! This is why he referred to those who drink Living Water as having "a well of water" (John 4:14), and how we can be "like a spring of water whose waters do not fail" (Isaiah 5:11). He told me that He wants us to have "waters to swim in" (Ezekial 47:5). He desires to truly dwell within us, to set up His abode in us! At the same time, we are to abide in Him! (1 John 2:28). I think that this is what was meant by being in "constant communiion with Christ." I don't think it means being 'spiritual' all the time or constantly trying to commune with Him. It means walking in the Spirit, "for in Him we live and move and have our being" (Acts 17:28). We are to live a life so surrendered to Christ, where we have so allowed Him to fill every empty place with His Living Water, that His glory will overflow, wether we are consciously communicating with Christ or not! If we truly allow Christ to abide in us, then when we are going about our daily tasks, making dinner and doing the dishes, Christ will radiate from our very beings! How awesome is that?!!

I have more to share, but it will have to wait for another day; hopefully soon.

"But whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall become in him a well of water springing up into eternal life." --John 4:14

"And you will be like a watered garden/And like a spring of water whose waters do not fail." --Isaiah 5:11b

"Again he had measured a thousand; and it was a river that I could not ford, for the water had risen, enough water to swim in, a river that could not be forded." --Ezekial 47:5

"And now, little children, abide in Him, so that when He appears, we may have confidence and not shrink away from Him in shame at His coming." --1 John 2:28

"And the one who keeps His commandments abides in Him, and He in him. And we know by this that He abides in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us." --1 John 3:24

An old Myspace survey--Funny!

2009-04-03T10:57:00.002-05:00

Here is a survey I took that I put on my myspace blog back when the twins were almost 4 months old. Reading back over it, parts of it are quite funny, so I wanted to share it here so you could also appreciate my comic genius! ;) (Or probably more likely delirium, as those were pretty sleep-deprived days for me!)

Monday, November 13, 2006
Getting to know you...
Current mood: tired
Category: Quiz/Survey
* . . About You . . *

Eye Color: hazel

Hair Color: brown

Height: very short

Favorite Color: Probably blue

Screen Name: girl of God

Favorite Band: Probably Third Day

Favorite Movie: Annie. I love that little orphan!

Favorite Show: House. He's so rude but at the same time so smart

Your Car: 05 Escape

Your Hometown: Oak Grove

Your Present Town: Bates City

Your Crushes First Name: My crush? Did this survey come from a seventeen magazine?

Your Style: lol that's funny. I'm a mom of infant twins so anything that doesn't have spitup that still fits

* . . Have You Ever . . *

Sat on your rooftop? Yup. Okay, so it's an earth contact and the roof is right by the ground so it was easy but still. Doesn't that mean that I can leap on buildings in a single bound?

Kissed someone in the rain? I don't think so

Danced in a public place? Yup

Smiled for no reason? It keeps us sane

Laughed so hard you cried? Of course. What are friends for?

Peed your pants after age 8? When I was pregnant and sneezed. (I didn't even have to change this answer! The person before me--who's name is also Autum but without an n--had written this and it's true for me too! I'm so glad I'm not the only one--Kyle made so much fun of me for that!)

Written a song? I've written 1/3 of one. That was about 7 years ago. I'm so good at finishing projects. It's one of my strong points.

Sang to someone for no reason? There is always a reason to sing! Especially if it's to Kyle and he'll do anything to get you to stop

Performed on a stage? Yup. I was a background singer for Grease in high school

Talked to someone you don't know? Just did at Wal-Mart

Gone out of your way to befriend someone? Yup. I didn't get voted "Most likely to help a friend" in high school for nothing

Made out in a theatre? Who hasn't?

Gone roller skating since 8th grade? I think so

Been in love? Madly

* . . Who was the last person to . . *

Say HI to you? Koltin, but it sounded more like "guh"

Tell you, I love you? my husband, Kyle

Kiss you? hubby

Hug you? my other half

Tell you BYE? Good Lord! I never should have gone to Wal-Mart earlier. Now I have to think of 50 ways to say Kyle just to keep this interesting

Write you a note? My dad asking me to tape the Chiefs game for him

Take your photo? Kyle of me and Kaylee

Call your cell phone? Sorry, I'm a landline girl.

Buy you something? Kyle bought me flowers for our anniversary. In the middle of the other flowers there were 5 roses, one for each year. (All together now, "Awww." I know you're thinkin it! :)

Go with you to the movies? my...life partner, his brother, and our two nephews. It was the last movie we went to before we had kids. And what did we see? Over the Hedge. Go figure.

Sing to you? I heard my dad singing earlier, does that count? And not well, I might add.

Write a poem about you? Kyle the day before we got married

Text message you? no idea

Touch you? Koltin when I was feeding him

* . . What's the last . . *

Time you laughed? about 15 minutes ago at Koltin

Time you cried? It's 4 am and Koltin is still not asleep which makes me want to cry

Movie you watched? All the way through? That'd probably have to be Over the Hedge (Remember, the one from before we had kids?)

Joke you told? No idea

Song you've sang? Jesus loves my Koltin...it's a little bedtime number. As you can tell, it's working like a charm...

Time you've looked at the clock? 3:55

Drink you've had? grape juice straight out of the container

Number you've dialed? the bank after they screwed up my account. (Don't worry, they fixed it)

Book you've read? I'm reading Somebody Else's Kids by Torey Hayden right now

Food you've eaten? Casey's pizza--it was supreme and it was loaded! I'm ordering from Casey's south every time now! It was so good

Flavor of gum chewed? probably spearmint which I chewed almost every day that I was pregnant because it helps with morning sickness

Shoes you've worn? tennies

Store you've been in? I know, I know, I'm cool. I get to shop at Wal-Mart for diapers.

Thing you've said?--- "For God's sake why aren't you asleep yet?"

* . . Can You . . *

Write with both hands? Writing with my left hand makes me realize why handwriting looks like that in kindergarten

Whistle? yup

Blow a bubble? Of course. Kaylee and Koltin are even blowing spit bubbles

Roll your tounge in a circle? Nope. Sorry to say I can't do anything cool with my tongue

Cross your eyes? Yes but it hurts

Touch your tounge to your nose? Nope. Like, I said, can't do anything cool.

Dance? Of course. When I'm at home by myself I'm great.

Gleek? Nope. It seems weird to me that spitting on people is considered a skill

Stay up a whole night without sleep? Of course! I've had a sleepover before. Now the goal is to actually sleep through the night

Speak a different language? Some Spanish and of course igpay atinlay

Impersonate someone? only when I'm making fun of them. I mean teasing

Prank call people? Is this considered a skill?

Make a card pyramid? Man, I'm really going to have to update the skill section of my resume. "Really good at making card pyramids..." I'll get the job for sure!

Cook anything? I can cook some things but without a recipe I am pretty paralyzed. I'm what I call an "exact cooker", which my friend Aubree, who never measures anything, finds hilarious

* . . Finish The Line . . *

If i were a ... pillow I'd be in bed right now

I wish ...Koltin would go to sleep

So many people don't know that ... Jesus loves them

I am ...very tired

My heart is ... actually not shaped like a heart at all. Where did they come up with that shape anyway?

RED - Red Envelope Day March 31, 2009

2009-03-27T11:35:00.003-05:00

http://www.redenvelopeday.com/

Let's make a difference! If you are pro-life, then please, please, please help out by participating in Red Envelope Day!

Red Envelope Day was started because the founder had been praying and fasting before God and asking Him what he could do, and God gave him the idea for Red Envelope Day (the intials of which, he later discovered, also spell RED). This individual acted in obedience to what God told him, and here we are!

Red Envelope Day is March 31, 2009. What you do: Take a red envelope and seal it (empty). On the front, address it to:

President Barack Obama
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Ave NW
Washington D.C. 20500

On the back of the envelope, write:

This envelope represents one child who died because of an abortion. It is empty because the life that was taken is now unable to be a part of our world.

Responsibility begins with conception.

Put your return address on it, add a stamp, and mail it out March 31. And that's it!

Another option: Go to http://http//redenvelopeday.com/send.html and they will send one out on March 31 for you. It is $1.10 per envelope you send to cover the costs of postage, the envelopes, and credit card/paypal fees. If you really just can't afford the $1.10 or don't have a credit/debit card, etc., then leave me a comment or contact me and I will send one for you!

FAQ about the Red Envelope Project

Why red?

The envelopes represent the innocent blood shed through abortion, and the plea for the blood of Jesus over the sin of our nation. This campaign is a symbolic act to flood the mail with red. The more we send, the more powerful this symbol will be.

Why March 31?

Although that date was chosen arbitrarily by Brian Potter when he created Red Envelope Day, it also reinforces the symbolism of blood. The envelopes will be arriving near the beginning of Holy Week, just prior to the start of Passover. I don’t think it is a coincidence that these arrive so near the annual remembrance of the Passion and Death of Christ. I joined with the Red Envelope Day effort because it had the most momentum, and Brian Potter was in communication with me. The other dates that have appeared on the internet did not originate with me, and those anonymous individuals never contacted me–and have created a lot of confusion.

Where do I send them, and will empty envelopes be delivered?

The White House, 1600 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Washington D.C. 20500.
As long as you have proper postage, federal law requires the delivery of all mail. Messages on the outside of an envelope will not hinder their delivery. There are many strange urban myths about where the mail is going, and that no empty envelopes will be delivered by the USPS. Red envelopes are not a problem for the postal service (hand addressed envelopes are more of an issue and require hand processing) and can be scanned. Although empty envelopes may not be opened, they will be delivered.
Postal workers have contacted me to tell me the letters are coming through the mail, but that they need to be standard sizes. If you send square red letters, please put 62 cents on the envelope. They will be returned without proper postage.

Where can I get red envelopes?

A Christian printer has given the best deal I am aware of and you can get it here.
You can also send them online from here.
Both of these sources have negotiated agreements with me, and they are not profiting from their involvement or using this to raise money.

What organization is behind the Red Envelope Project?

This movement is a true grass roots phenomenon. There is no entity behind this project other than the thousands of men, women and children that have volunteered their time, money, and effort to be involved. The Red Envelope Project has spread largely through emails and word of mouth. I believe that many have been moved by the Holy Spirit to do this. It has crossed all denominational lines, and has brought together the efforts of Roman Catholics and Protestants in our common value for life and the blood of Christ. Churches, schools, CCD classes, youth groups, religious communities, and small groups have joined in this effort.
I have endorsed redenvelopeproject.org and redenvelopeday.com as officially representing this concept, although there are countless blogs, several other websites, and many youtube videos carrying the message. Brad Miller created Red Envelope Project, and his effort was the first to count the envelopes sent. He has joined forces with two other websites that were started in the beginning. Red Envelope Day was started by Brian Potter. I am receiving emails from both sites.

Who is funding this effort?

The individuals who are volunteering their time are also volunteering their resources. I have requested that the red envelope idea not be used for fundraising. I am a prayer missionary, and live by faith. I am not using the red envelope project to raise funds for my ministry.

What kind of feedback are you getting?

I would guess the feedback is roughly 99.9% positive. I have been contacted by more women who have had abortions than any other group. These women have thanked me for giving them a way to have a voice. After post-abortive women, young people, including many children, have contacted me and thanked me for sharing this idea.
The small amount of negative feedback can be broken down into three groups. First, pro-life activists (no, I don’t understand). Second, pro-choice people telling me I don’t care about raped women (nearly all say that–even though rape victims are a tiny percentage of abortions). Third, obscene or insulting comments. The last two groups have largely been anonymous. I guess it’s safe to say they aren’t willing to put their name on the freedom to take innocent life. About one email in a hundred is negative.

Do you really think that this will make a difference?

Yes. But not because it is an effective form of protest. I think it will make a difference because it was done out of obedience to what I thought God was guiding me to do. Any time you obey God you will make a difference. I am astounded at the response so far. The fact that it has brought so many people together, encouraged them, and also changed a few hearts along the way is exciting. The fact that it has motivated thousands to pray is also exciting.

Do I think it will change the President?
I don’t know. Seeing how the mainstream media is covering up the tea parties, I doubt they will cover this story (Although, from my math, the White House should be receiving at least 20,000 red letters daily). Last week I received an unsolicited call from a senator’s office. They thought that I was in Washington, and that I must have a huge PAC. This gave me indication that someone on Capitol Hill knows about these envelopes. So, I guess it is making a difference.
Ultimately though, this is about the war of ideas. These red envelopes in the mail are igniting a lot of folks to think about the value of life. If a new generation can begin to care about life, we are going to win the war of ideas. I think the red letters have done this.

Doesn’t Responsibility begin BEFORE conception?

Absolutely. Lots of folks seem to be bothered by that last line. I think a lot of people are overthinking it all. (I have even been accused of creating a ploy to get good Catholics to promote contraception!) This line is a reference to the President’s inaugural address, in which he called Americans to begin creating a culture of responsibility. Part of this culture was not taking innocent life, according to the new President. As you may know, the next day his actions spoke otherwise. Sadly, either a lot of people weren’t listening, or didn’t understand.
For those who are interested, I have been involved in working with young people to make good choices regarding relationships and sexuality. I myself have suffered the consequences of bad choices, and want to help others avoid making my mistakes. Sexuality has been devalued as another form of entertainment, and because of that, life has been devalued as well. The conception of a child is intended for the sanctuary of holy matrimony.

Why is your name misspelled on the website?

It’s not. My name rhymes with “mist” and I am named after my Great-grandfather, Christ Masse. It was at one time a common German name, and means “christian.” My name is also misspelled on my passport, my driver’s license, and my birth certificate.

What is the goal of this project?

This project is a living parable of my philosophy of life, “listen to the Lord and do what He tells you.” If you make listening to God a habit, and you do what God tells you, you are going to impact the world around you. My main goal is to show people that anything is possible if you listen to God.
My second goal is to communicate the message, “Fear not, God can be trusted.” By simply trusting God, this idea has reaped amazing results.
Finally, we are trying to change the president’s heart. This is a message to a man that God hears the cry of innocent blood. It is not a political stunt, although I hope it changes policy in Washington. If the capitol is flooded with so many letters that no one can deny it, I am hoping the image will be burned into Barack Obama’s mind that this is about human blood, and that he lies awake at night until he cannot resist doing something about it. Even if the mainstream media ignores this, I know I was obedient, and SOMEBODY in Washington will have to cope with 50 million red envelopes.

What can I do after I send my envelopes?

You can pray. I recommend this prayer:
Jesus I plead your blood over my sin, and the sin of my nation. God end abortion and send revival to America.
You can begin to listen to God and do what he tells you.
You can turn off the TV, and BE NOT AFRAID.
Bad ideas are always bad. Truth and time go hand in hand. Good ideas are always good, they often just need a new medium.

Who has endorsed the project?

The Diocese of Scranton
Life Issues Institute
The Eagle Forum
Concerned Women for America
Women’s Christian Temperance Union
Coral Ridge Ministries
And many, many local churches. Thank you!

1-5-10-Timeout!

2009-03-05T07:15:00.003-06:00

Koltin is Mr. Personality at our house, and his little mind just cracks me up. When the kids aren't minding us, we usually count to 3, and if they don't do what they are supposed to do by the time we count to 3, they go to timeout. Usually, it's Koltin that is misbehaving. One day, Koltin decided to exercise a little timeout counting of his own. He stood up on one of the chairs in the kitchen and, using a random toy as a microphone, starting pointing and sending various things into timeout, including me! "One, five, ten, TIMEOUT! One, five, ten, TIMEOUT, Mom!"

On another day around this same time, I went into the kitchen where the kids were having a snack and saw that they had put their toy giraffe into timeout. "Uh-oh," I said. "What did the giraffe do?" They just told me he was in timeout so I went about my business. After a few minutes, I came back into the kitchen, and saw that the giraffe was wet and some of their milk was now on the table. I got a little upset at this point and starting getting on to them about playing in their food. Then Koltin got all upset and protested, "But Mom, the giraffe was eating my cereal!" He made it sound like it wasn't his fault at all that the giraffe was eating his cereal, and see, they had put him into timeout for being so bad. It was so darn cute, I just had to laugh!

Chugga-Chugga CHOO CHOO!

2009-03-04T14:24:00.007-06:00

At our house, everything is a train. If there is more than one, Koltin will line them up and declare it's a choo choo train. One day I came home from shopping and put up all the cold items but left the pantry items in the bags for a while. Koltin unloaded all the groceries and did what? Made a choo choo train of course! This was by far the longest train he has ever made. He even made the train by categories: canned goods (which he also categorized by height!), boxes, and he even threw in a few toys and some socks and shoes! Who knew that being interested in choo choo trains could help you classify things by object? Check out his handiwork:

Wow What a Week!

2009-03-03T01:05:00.011-06:00

Wowzers! This last week was amazing! 3 significant things happened:

1. My little brother Levi and his new wife Johanna are now expecting for the first time. Levi is already Daddy to Johanna's daughter Rylee, but this will be their first child together. (And this will make niece/nephew #16 for us!)

2. One of my best friends got married. Aubree Sutherland is now Aubree Hahn! Yay!

Aubree on her big day!

Me and one of my other best friends Jessica Sutherland (Aubree's SIL)

I was the maid of honor, so it has been a very busy couple of weeks. I am completely exhausted, but it was totally worth it!

3. My sister Amber and her husband Rick came back from Ethiopia with my new niece Ayana! They live in a different state, so I don't get to meet her yet, but my mom flew down to help out. I am SOOOO jealous! She is gorgeous, and I can't wait to meet her in person!

Potty Training Success (for 1 at least!)

2009-02-26T19:41:00.005-06:00

Woohooo! Kaylee has been officially potty trained for about a week now. She still wears "Dora pants" (aka easy-ups or pull-ups) when we leave the house just in case, but at home it is all panties from now on! She even wears panties to nap time and wakes up dry! Sometimes she wakes up in the morning dry, but sometimes not, so she still wears Dora pants to bed, but still, she is doing SO awesome and we are so proud of her!

(I have REALLY cute pictures, but I am afraid to put them on here because she isn't fully clothed and I have heard too many bad stories about pictures like those falling into the wrong hands! So, sorry you have to miss out but it's just not worth the risk!)

Here is what worked (and didn't) for us (at least for our daughter--Koltin's still workin' on it!):

Marshmallows. Every time Kaylee went potty, she got a large marshmallow. This worked pretty well for us!

Chocolate. We used Hershey's hugs, and this is what she got every time she went #2 in the potty. She had this part down in no time at all. Apparently she loves chocolate--Is she a typical female or what? (We have moved on to Starbursts, and that is working too. Basically anything extra tasty that she never gets otherwise).

We started using Dora Pants (Pampers Easy-Ups) instead of diapers so she could pull them up and down by herself. (FYI, Pampers Easy-Ups are designed for smaller/thinner babies/toddlers than Huggies Pull-Ups are.)

When she was going to the potty more or less on a regular basis, I put her in panties instead of Dora pants. I did this sometime last fall, when Kaylee was somewhere between 27 and 29 months old. I was hoping that when she wet herself it would bother her so much that she wouldn't do it anymore, but instead she would just do a funny walk around the house with wet pants until I figured out what happened. This did not work at all, so I decided that she just wasn't ready.

Back to Dora Pants.

After another couple of months or so, I starting letting her play around the house with no pants on. No diaper, no panties, nothing. This really helped her recognize when she had the urge to go.

When it looked like she had the no pants thing down for a while, I started putting her in panties. No pants, though. If she had pants on, she would pee, but if she had on only panties she would use the potty.

Finally, when she was in Dora Pants at church in toddler nursery and still didn't wet herself but asked to use the potty, we started putting putting panties on AND pants at home.

Voila! Potty success! Yayyyy!

I know that Koltin will probably not be so easy! With Koltin, he was going potty pretty much every single time in the potty (#1, not #2). But when we introduced Diego pants, he stopped. Personally, I don't think he was ready to be quite that grown up. It was like he was saying, "Whoa! What do you think I am, a big boy? I don't think so! I need to be taken care of thank-you-very-much!" Is he a typical male or what? ;)

The Healing Power of a Kiss

2009-02-23T20:10:00.003-06:00

Don't you just love the way that kisses make things "all better"? My kids could have just fallen and gotten a bruise/bump on their head, but if I kiss it, they magically are ok. I hadn't realized though, that all this time the magical kiss was also instilling compassion. Our kids have a little "kid" table that they eat and do crafts at that sits in the kitchen. One day I was in there and somehow I jammed my toe on one of the table legs. I wasn't very happy about it (for some reason this one pinky toe likes to get jammed on a regular basis--it's quite maddening!). Anyway, my son Koltin saw that I was upset and asked, "What do, Mom?" (What did you do?) I told him, "I hurt myself." "Oh," he replied. "Table get you?" "Yea, the table got me." "Oh. You ok?" "Yea. Mommy got an owie, but I'm ok." "Want me kiss it?" My heart completely melted at this point and I allowed him to kiss my "owie". What a sweetie boy I have! And you know what? Kisses really do make it "all better"--My toe really did hurt less after that kiss!

Multiple Birth Freebies

2009-02-05T00:06:00.002-06:00

Multiple Birth Freebies

As a mom of twins (or triplets, or quadruplets...), we have twice (or three times or more!!) the expenses as moms of singletons, so it would be nice if we got some extra breaks right? Well guess what? We do! Here is a list of freebies you can get as a new mom of multiples, in addition to all the freebies on the other list. Enjoy!

BEECHNUT 1-800-beechnut

Call for Beechnut twin or multiple coupon packs. They don’t make you prove multiples unless it is quads or over.
www.Beechnut.com
CARNATION FORMULA (NESTLE GOOD START) 1-800-782-7766

To receive coupons towards 4 free cans of formula, you must send copies of birth certificates to the following address:

Nestle Infant Nutrition
P.O. Box AW
Wilkes-Barre, PA 18703

Call toll free number above first to get a case number—include number with birth certificate copies.

1-800-524-0077 (magazine, The Verybestbaby)
EVENFLO CO. 1-800-356-BABY (356-2229)

This one’s great. They send you brand new bottle and nipple sets and sippy cups. Send copies of birth certificates and short letters requesting to become members of their Multiple Birth Programs:

Evenflo Co.
Attn: Multiple Birth Program
1801 Commerce Dr.
Piqua, OH 45356
THE FIRST YEARS 1-800-533-6708

Send copies of birth certificates and short letters requesting to become members of their Multiple Birth Program:

RC2 The First Years
100 Technology Center Dr.
Suite 2A
Stoughton, MA 02072
GERBER Super Twins Program 1-800-4gerber

They don’t make you prove multiples unless it’s quads or over. They will send 2 coupons, and more.
HUGGIES 1-800-544-1847

For multiple births, Huggies will send a one-time gift of coupons.

Send copies of birth certificates to:

Kimberly Clark Corp.
Attn: Dept. QMB
P.O. Box 2020
Neenah, WI 54957-2020
LUVS

Participants receive a one-time gift of valuable coupons for Luvs baby care products. Just send your complete name and postal address, along with photocopies of the babies’ official government birth certificates, to:

Luvs Multiple Birth Offer
The Proctor & Gamble Company
P.O. Box 599
Cincinnati, OH 45201

If the birth certificates contain sensitive personal information, such as social security numbers, please black this information out before sending.
MEAD JOHNSON (ENFAMIL)

For multiple births, Mead Johnson Multiples program:

Not a toll-free number 1-812-429-6321
Toll-free 1-800-422-2902; 1-800-222-9123
Not a toll-free number 1-812-429-5000

Physician must contact local sales rep. One-time shipment of free formulas. One case per child. Call for coupons, too.
OSH KOSH B’GOSH 1-800-692-4674

Osh Kosh B’Gosh offers the Multiplicity Club. The Club Card, available at Osh Kosh B’Gosh retail stores, offers a 10% discount off your purchases for the multiples only.

consumer@bgosh.com
PAMPERS

1-800-PAMPERS (726-7377)

Call their customer service representative to receive a special, one-time set of coupons for parents of multiples.

For triplets or more only:
Ansa Bottle Co., 1-800-527-1096
Mother’s Little Miracle, 1-310-544-7125
One Step Ahead Catalog, 1-800-274-8440 or 1-800-950-9120
Proctor & Gamble

Free diapers triplets or more only. They give you a jumbo package of diapers for each child. Send copy of birth certificates to:

Michael Hass
P.O. Box 599
Cincinnati, OH 45201

Freebies for New Moms

2009-02-04T11:23:00.002-06:00

FREEBIES FOR NEW MOMS

Let's face it: being a parent can get expensive!! Here is a list of free stuff you can get every time your family has a new addition (inlcuding through adoption, as long as the baby is under 1 year old):

American Baby Magazine www.americanbaby.com
On lower right, sign up to receive a free subscription
Enfamil Lipil Breastfeeding Support Kit www.enfamil.com/breatfeedingkit/
Print certificate off which you can take to your baby’s doctor (or your doctor) to request a free Enfamil Lipil Breastfeeding Support Kit
Enfamil Lipil Formula www.enfamil.com
On the lower right, sign up for Enfamil Family Beginnings and receive full-size cans of formula and coupons
Gerber www.gerber.com
Sign up and they will send you coupons
Huggies www.huggies.com
Sign up to receive coupons and free samples
Johnson & Johnson 1-866-565-2229 or 1-800-526-3967
Call to receive a free new parent gift pack.
Nestle Good Start Formula www.verybestbaby.com
Sign up to receive money-saving checks towards Good Start formula
Pampers www.pampers.com
Sign up to receive coupons and free samples
Upromise www.upromise.com
Sign up and register your debit/grocery cards and receive cash back for college