Necessarily Rewinding: The Holidays (Part 4)

December 2012 started out pretty stinkin' snazzy. Check it out.

Christmas tree shopping.

It's a serious business.

This is what the boys do EVERY time!!

Necessarily Rewinding: Part 2

Most of these events occurred JUST during the month of October 2012. (We have crazy busy Octobers.)

There were a handful of sweet moments our kids experienced during their brief stint in public school. Cute crafts, for instance.

And being recognized for good character in the area of "responsibility":

Counting Out Loud (#79-87)

Three Gifts That Might Never Have Been

#79 Soft, sweet boy with no words, grown into one now talkative and confident

From Kampala to Gulu: An Opportunity for YOU to Serve

First...they moved from Little Rock...




to Kampala, Uganda.


And now...after almost a year, they are moving north to Gulu. You may have heard of it. If not, please click the link...and learn. Learn well.

The Rackleys are our very good friends who...


have a heart for the unreached, the orphaned, the fearful, the ashamed, and the lonely.

They have a heart for God's Kingdom.

They also have six children living with them in Africa. And a requirement to pay six months of rent in advance for their new home in Gulu. And moving, in general, is expensive. And they need your help.

They need YOU to be used by God to help them get to Gulu.



So.

Can you spare FIVE DOLLARS?

FIVE measly dollars??!?

Can you take two minutes of your time NOW to visit their blog, click the DONATE button, and give FIVE DOLLARS to this Suubi Family so they can go do God's work there?

Right now.

Because time is of the essence, as they are having a Blog-a-Thon that will only last two more days.

So--before things get too busy for you...

and before you go spend too much money on more stuff...

click and donate. (It is tax-deductible.)

Please.

And I'd love for you to comment here to let me know you did. I mean, it's FIVE DOLLARS. No big deal. Right? Tell your friends. Share or like this post on Facebook, Tweet it, share it however you can and in as many ways. (All of the required buttons are lined up and conveniently waiting for you just at the end of this post.)

Thanks, friendly blog readers across the world! And Merry CHRISTmas!!

Project 365: Week 24

Sunday, June 5, 2011

Saylor made her church-singing debut this morning!

What was once a spelling activity and then a mini-tower building adventure, has become a major architectural undertaking.

Monday, June 6, 2011

Gabriel got this mess-free coloring book and marker set for his birthday. He started...and finished it today. (He's a completer.)

And Saylor began work on a mosaic today. Really great activity!

Dress-up time. (For boys.)

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

Lizard lovers.

He turned green when we put him in a little cage with grass. He's pretty cute, isn't he?

Wednesday, June 8, 2011

We've been enjoying our ant hill. Truly amazing creatures!

Thursday, June 9, 2011

Blueberry picking: Good times

Shopping at Walmart: Not so good times

Friday, June 10, 2011

I'm packing suitcases for the Rackleys! They are our dear, dear friends and...missionaries in Uganda and are about to have some friends come over for a short-term mission trip. Sadly, it's not THESE friends. (Although, we would be happy to accept donations for the nearly $30,000 it would take to get our family over there and back for a proper visit. Ugh.) So our church is sending what I would call a "care package on crack,"full of things they need and want...and then some. It's my baby to organize, so if anyone would like to get in on this, please email me, and I'll let you know how you can help.

P.S. The stuff flies out on Friday, June 17th.

Saturday, June 11, 2011

Gabriel got to attend a birthday party today. He was on the move the entire time!

Look at me! I managed a one-week post AND did it on time! What in the world?! Sara, you must be so proud.  :)

Friday Findings...PLUS a Giveaway!!

What have you been looking for lately? Matching Easter outfits for your kiddos? A pair of jeans that actually fit?! Some peace and quiet? Perhaps you're in the market for a new swing set for your back yard. Or a computer that won't crash. (Ahem...) Well, look no further. Today is all about FINDING things!!

As a mommy of four, I FIND all sorts of things around my house. Sometimes good things, sometimes not so good. I might FIND a child reading (or..."reading") a book--captivated by its pages. I might FIND someone snuggling next to me when I wake up in the morning. Awww... I might FIND two little stinkers conspiring against me with a sink full of water and a completely-drenched hand towel. That would fall into the not-so-good category. Right along with FINDING a sippy cup that has been missing for over a week...and it's still half full of milk! *sigh* Some FINDINGS completely perplex me, while others are oh, so typical of my life. Here are a few recent FINDINGS, for example:

A reeeeeally close shot of a sweet boy. But, alas, one I did not take. Hmmm...

Exceedingly messy counters. (I'm so ashamed.)

A funny birthday card.

My old sticker album from elementary school. I. was. such. a. nerd.

Unlikely sleeping partners. But tucked away very nicely, wouldn't you say?

A vacuum attachment in...the dishwasher. Good thing I caught this before starting it! Pretty sure it wouldn't have meant extra clean dishes for me.

Two cuties in a boatie.

A Nerf dart in MY Bible study bag. Found while AT Bible study.

Watch out for monster trucks! They're lurking around every corner.

And in honor of FINDING things, I was thrilled to FIND that CSN Stores is once again giving me the opportunity to work with them on a blog giveaway. What does CSN have??? you ask. Ummmmm.... Just about anything you can think of. If you want it, you can probably FIND it. The aforementioned swing set, pillows, food dehydrators, lighting, grills. You can literally shop till you drop on this site. Nice thing is, you can just drop into your nearest comfy chair and peruse to your heart's content. See what you can FIND! And let's don't forget about their amazing customer service. They are truly on top of things over there! (Pretty much the antithesis of ME.)

So...the giveaway part!!! 

One very blessed winner will receive a $45 gift card (cha-ching!) to use on CSN's site, with categories galore! 

This giveaway will run until Sunday, February 27th at midnight. The winner will be chosen at random. Here's what you need to do to win...

For one entry (must do this first):

****Follow this blog via Google Friend Connect (OR Networked Blogs) and then leave a comment.  (See sidebar for both.)

For additional entries (please leave a separate comment for each and every additional entry you choose):

1. Visit CSNstores.com and give me a few examples of items you'd be interested in purchasing with your gift card. (1 additional entry)

2. Tell me the first names of my four children. (1 additional entry)

3. Tell me about something you've "FOUND" around your house--could be recent or very distant past. (1 additional entry)

4. Follow me on Twitter and tweet about this giveaway. (Widget in sidebar.) (2 additional entries)
5. Follow me on Networked Blogs. (In addition to following through an RSS reader. This way you can keep up with me on your Facebook!) (3 additional entries)

6. Visit my friend's blog at suubifamily.blogspot.com. You can click on the button at the top of my sidebar to go straight there. (She and her family are missionaries in Uganda, Africa.) Read something, comment if you like, and then come back here to let me know you did that. (2 additional entries)

7. Follow my friend's blog via Google Friend Connect. (6 additional entries!!!)

8. Blog about this giveaway and provide me with the link to the blog post. (5 additional entries)

9. Put my button on your sidebar. (You have to HAVE a blog for this one.) (4 additional entries)

Okay!! I can't wait to FIND out who the winner is! Y'all have fun with this...and good luck. (Though I don't believe in luck...)

UPDATE: COMMENTS ARE NOW CLOSED.

Project 365: Week 3

Sunday, January 9, 2011

It snowed!!

Monday, January 10, 2011

Gabe has come a long way since last year when he got stuck on the snowy slope in our front yard, panicked, and decided to stay inside throughout the snow-playing time. Now he's an old pro. And, like a good big brother, he's confident enough to help those younger than himself.

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

The Rackleys left for a new life in Uganda today.

One must needs go up and down the escalator a time or two with friends when one has a chance.

The hardest part, by far, was seeing the big brother and big sister goodbyes. The 20-year-old twins stayed behind.

Such precious friends. (I shed a lot of tears today.)

We covered them with lots of prayer.

And will continue to do so...

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

The Christmas Leftovers

Anybody else have this problem? Everything's all nicely packed up and put away in the attic, and now there's this little collection of thingies. A couple ornaments were stuck in the verrry dead tree and found once outside on the curb. (Whew!) There were also several tragedies this year. Heartbreaking ones, unfortunately. (See the tricycle ornament box? That's all that's left of that ornament. The bad thing is it was Gabe's for THIS year! It never even made it onto the tree.) So I guess I'll be scouring the auctions on eBay all year for replacements. But one bright spot: I scored a Prep and Landing ornament at Hallmark marked down to $4.00 from $15.00! Yessssssssss!

Thursday, January 13, 2011

Noah made a board game during school today. It was in his Anti-Coloring Book.

Friday, January 14. 2011

We had dinner with new friends tonight. Noah played soccer with their oldest. And Saylor takes ballet with their middle child. I couldn't get a good picture, because there were too many busy bodies in the shot. Oh, well.

Saturday, January 15, 2011

Saylor had a jewelry-making birthday party to attend this morning. She was excited ALL week about it.

Well, January's flying by like all the rest of the months in my life. I'm grateful to have a photo record of my days. This post is linked at Sara's Project 365.