A major big deal!!!!!

So, yesterday I had a meeting with a local children's boutique owner. I had been a little nervous about it all week as I'm not a cold-call, walk-in-oozing-confidence- and-sell-a-product kind of girl...all that to say, my new best friend, Karen, at Polka Dot Kids, has agreed to buy my monogrammed bows!! Also, she is thinking about buying my burp cloths (that I've begun to applique--SOOO cute). YAY!!! (ya ya ya ya ya as Anna-Kate would say). Here is a picture of one of Anna-Kate's bows...just for your viewing pleasure:



I am so very thankful for this step in expanding my business. I feel truly blessed. I'm really enjoying it and I finally feel like I've found my niche as a stay at home mom who contributes a bit to the family. :) In case your itching with curiousity, there is a link to my business blog at the top right of this blog. :)

The sun

Me: "Anna-Kate, it's time for your nap."
AK: "Why mommy? I not sleepy."
Me: "Because it's 1:30 and it's naptime."
AK: "But Mommy, God made the sun, and the sun is up still. [it's] not night time."

How does one anwer that? Should I have pulled out the old "because I said so?". :) Thankfully, she hopped in bed...and a mere 1 1/2 hours later, fell asleep. Geesh.

My haul for the week

....at Walgreens....where else?

2 Electrasol gelpac (32 pack) dishwashing detergents
4 cans swanson chicken broths
3 (3 packs) glade candles
2 glade glass candle holders
1 glade air freshener plugin with nightlight
2 almay lipglosses
2 loreal lipglosses
2 packs of dunkin donuts coffee.
1 children's benadryl

Total: $79.01

My total out of pocket: $ 15.60

A little high for an oop, but I got some really expensive stuff that I really needed.

Bedtime Prayers

So, every night we pray before bed. Recently, we've started getting Anna-Kate to say a few words in prayer. We ask who she wants to pray for and let her go, then Chris or I will close.

Her first "real" prayers were last week. She prayed 3 nights in a row for Papa.

"Thank you God (for) Papa. He doesn't feel good". (my grandfather who was in the hospital with what we thought was pneumonia, turned out to be acute bronchitis).

So, last night, she said she wanted to pray for Poppy (my dad).

"God is great.
God is great.
Let us thank Him for Poppy.
By this bread, we are fed. Amen."

I had to look away and breath funny not to laugh at how funny and sweet it was. At school, before lunch, they've taught them to pray,

" God is good,
God is great,
let us thank Him for this food.
By this bread, we are fed, Amen." Actually, there are a couple of more lines at the end that she sometimes adds on, but I can't quite make them out yet. She gets really shy when she prays and talks super low.

Isn't that precious? I had to share. :)

Tag!

I'm it. I was (sorta) tagged by my friend and given the letter "n".

So, here's my list of 10 things I love that start with N.

1. New shoes. And clothes.
2. Neat and tidy...everything to be organized.
3. Nail polished toes.
4. Nutmeg in egg nog. YUM.
5. Notebook. (as in the the movie, "The Notebook")
6. Nice words.
7. November (and Thanksgiving).
8. The Nash side of my family (and others as well, but I'm going with N.)
9. New friends.
10. Necklaces...you know, ones that tie the whole outfit together.

Hmm, now whose turn? Let me know if you want a letter. :)

Blessed be the Name of the Lord

Know the song? It’s in my playlist. Click on it.

This song has meant a lot to me for a long time. The end refrain, “you give and take away” (and my church changes it to say) “my heart by grace will say, Lord blessed be Your Name”. Life isn’t fair, things don’t always go my way. It’s life, and no one ever promised me my way. (Just ask my mom. She often reminded me of this fact as I was growing up. Often.) I’ve had sadness and losses in my life, but God gives grace sufficient to overcome heartache. He never stops being in control, His will is never altered; these things He promises.

Well, the election of ’08 is over—praise the Lord! I am so over all of the political signs, ads, slander etc that comes with a Presidential election. I’ve seen and heard a lot of Christians talking about doomsday and the end of America as we know it. My question is this. Did God stop being in control yesterday? (hoping to hear a resounding NO….)Obama was not my choice for President, but he was Gods choice. Who am I to question that? I have been called to respect the office and to pray for wisdom for him as he leads our country.

Blessed be the name of The LORD. He is in control, He chose our 44th president, and His will has been, and will continue to be, done. Blessed be the name of the Lord.

Not to get all political on a fun, family-updating blog…but had to share my thoughts.

For your reading pleasure, the lyrics.

Blessed Be Your Name
by Matt Redman
- - -
Blessed Be Your Name
In the land that is plentiful
Where Your streams of abundance flow
Blessed be Your name

Blessed Be Your name
When I'm found in the desert place
Though I walk through the wilderness
Blessed Be Your name

Every blessing You pour out
I'll turn back to praise
When the darkness closes in, Lord
Still I will say

Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your name
Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your glorious name

Blessed be Your name
When the sun's shining down on me
When the world's 'all as it should be'
Blessed be Your name

Blessed be Your name
On the road marked with suffering
Though there's pain in the offering
Blessed be Your name

Every blessing You pour out
I'll turn back to praise
When the darkness closes in, Lord
Still I will say

***
You give and take away
You give and take away
My heart will choose to say
Lord, blessed be Your name

Halloween

Yesterday was jam-packed for us, and we had SUCH a fun day! Anna-Kate (and I) had friends over for lunch. I made mummy dogs. They were a huge hit. :) Then, after naps, we went to a Halloween party with a lot of Anna-Kate's friends in the neighborhood for dinner and outside play. After that was trick-or-treating on a couple of streets, then, off to school (MMO) for a their fall festival. While there, Anna-Kate rode a pony, jumped on a bounce house, had some snacks and rode on the hayride. SO MUCH FUN! We came home at 8:40, Ryan was a trooper, who got sent straight to bed, but Anna-Kate and I went to our neighbors (across the street) party for a few minutes before she went to bed and fell asleep.

Immediately. The fastest she's ever fallen asleep. Ever.

Here are the kids all dressed up. "Dorfy" (as she calls herself) and the "Courgeous" lion:



On the hayride (Anna-Kate had a permanent grin on her face, she loved it):



Last week, before the sickness' of the kids, we went to a pumpkin patch. We had a great time and Anna-Kate loved getting to choose her own pumpkin!

Sadly, the best picture I got of both kids at the pumpkin patch:



Anna-Kate sitting in the middle of the pumpkins (punkins):



Ryan standing with a pumpkin:



Family picture: