Six Year Old Boy (Scrapbook Pages)

Finally scrapped Noah's 6 Year Photos!

He's all about Mario Bros right now

so it's perfect!

Used the Mario clip art again.

Also cut stars and mushrooms from the Cricuit.

And added detail.

I love how this one came out!

Word Spirit Power {Review}

About a month ago, I was given the chance to review Word Spirit Power by Kendal, Carrin, and Taylor.  Knowing this would be the perfect book for my husband, I asked him to review and share it with you.  These are his thoughts:

This book was written by three men from different theological backgrounds and trainings.  I thought that it was a very ecumenical book finding that their doctrinal out workings were incomplete without the other.  It seems that theological camps often become so rigid that there's no place for conversation or openness to the valid experience of others.  Kendal, Carrin and Taylor made a plain case for the necessity of both a high value for the Scriptures and the supernatural outworking of the Spirit today.  One without the other is incomplete.  Having sat on both sides of the aisle, this is a book I would highly recommend to anyone searching to find balance.

*Disclaimer: A copy of this book was provided free of charge by Bethenny House Publishers for review.  All opinions are our own.

Four Year Old Girl (Scrapbook Pages)

Just sharing some scrapbook pages again.

And again sideways.

Sorry!

Love how this one came out!

I used the Stickle dots on her name again.

And for highlighting Strawberry Shortcake.

Used strips of paper to resemble grass.

And love the girlie flowers.

Our Favorite Pizza Dough Recipe

An Olympic Day

Last week when the Olympics started, I knew I wanted to do something special with the kids.  We'd all be REALLY sick and had an extreme case of cabin fever.  Daddy was at a staff retreat for the church and Mama needed a break from the routine.  So the Olympics were entering our house with a lot of expectation.

Since we weren't in a hurry to get anywhere that morning, I told the kids I'd make waffles for breakfast.  My kids love big breakfast, but we're usually off and running in the mornings.  So when we have time, I like to make breakfast special.  I used the idea from Supermom's Olympic Waffles.  I don't have a circle cookie cutter so we used a canning ring to cut the waffles.  After making the rings, my kids thought it was great to pick out their colors.

For dessert that evening, we picked up some M&M's for making more rings.  Craft-O-Maniac had an awesome sugar cookie recipe that we used.  I looked in the cupboard to see that we were out of sugar, but brown sugar worked wonderful and gave the recipe even more depth.  Unfortunately our frosting was a little sloppy, but the important thing was that it held our M&M's.  The kids had fun sorting and adding them to the cookies.

As the evening got underway, we turned on the Opening Ceremony to see what these Olympics were all about.  While we watched, I pulled up a variety of world flags on the laptop and the kids colored.  I was absolutely floored how they got into their coloring.

They colored for over three hours.  With each new picture, they wanted to know what country it was for and what kind of athletes they were sending to the Olympics.  My favorite part is watching the teams march in and my kids loved it too.  Noah cracked me up:  "That's China.  I love China!" and "There's India!  Go India!"  They had a great time and at the end of the evening, I had them hold up their favorite flag of the night.

All in all, we had a fun Olympic Day.  The kids learned a ton and Mama had a great time too.

How are you enjoying the Olympics?

Strawberry Shortcake Birthday (Scrapbook Pages)

Just some scrapbook pages I've been working on.

For Lydia's fourth birthday, we had a Strawberry Shortcake party.

It was all pink, sweet, and fun... just like my little girl!

I used the Stickles again to highlight the clip art.

Who doesn't love Strawberry Shortcake?

Running for My Life {Review}

Recently I was given the chance to review Running for My Life by Lopez Lomong.  Upon receiving the book, I didn't know much about Lomong's story.  I knew he was an escape boy soldier, but other than that, this book was to be a surprise.

Lomong tells his story of being kidnapped while his family gathered for church on a Sunday morning.  At only 6 years old, he didn't understand what was going on, or the fate that awaited him.  Forced into seclusion, he meets three older boys whom he calls his angels.  Although these older boys were being trained to fight, their hearts remained soft and one fateful evening, they take Lomong and run.  For days they run for home, sustained only by a supernatural force.  But rather than making it home, the boys find themselves in a refugee camp in Kenya.  Safe, but far from the end of their journey.

Lomong goes on to tell how the Lord guided him even in the camp.  Till one day he see Michael Johnson running in the 2000 Olympics and hope is further flamed in his heart.  Through a series of incredible events, he is granted the chance to come to America where he finds family and a dream that can only be born from the Lord's heart.

During his time in the US, Lomong discovers his gift of running and uses it to bring to light the atrocities of war in Sudan.  There's so much more to Lomong's story that I can't go into here.  But one of the things that struck me about his story was his absolute confidence that the Lords was always with him.  The books is written with such a confident tone, such extreme belief that the Lord would work all together for good.  Despite the betrayals and hardships of this man's journey, he never wavered from the reality that the Lord was with him.  

Lomong's story has so completely captured my heart; I can't recommend this book enough.  It's deeply touching, inspiring, and will leave you wanting more.

*Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book for review from BookSneeze.  All opinions are my own.

Disneyland's Tomorrowland: Ride by Ride

Typically, everyone loves Tomorrowland which is home to the super fun, iconic Space Mountain.  But there's so much to explore in this area.  And as always, there's more than meets the eye.  Here's a breakdown of the rides in this area:


Tomorrowland:


Astro Orbiters--This ride is similar to Dumbo, only it's rockets.  The rockets spin around in a circle and the child controls the height.  My only complaint was that the rockets felt like they were tipped to the side and I felt nervous with very small children.  This is a great ride to take the little ones on while someone stakes out the parade route.

Autotopia--Fun easy ride for the whole family, but must be 52 in to ride alone.  Cars drive on a track.  Line splits and left seems longer, but often fills two lines so check before the split.  Drive through a fake town with signs and images resembling a zany existence.

Buzz Lightyear--Fast line, but loud and can be overwhelming for small children.  Not scary, just very LOUD.  Ride through Buzz's adventure and use laser guns to shot targets and defeat Zurg.  Watch for hidden "Z" targets to gain more points.  Look for your photo at the end and email to yourself for free.

Star Tours--Very popular ride, so I suggest getting the Fast Pass.  Avoid if you're prone to motion sickness.  I have not been on the newly restructured ride, but has new beginning, middle, and end sequences that can be re-shuffled into 54 different rides.

Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage--Board a submarine and ride through the Nemo story. Fun for all ages and the line moves quickly.  But you do ride in a SMALL space.  Also my daughter didn't like the volcano scene.

Space Mtn--Fast Pass available and take advantage of it.  This is a very popular ride and classic Disney.  Fun, fun, fun!  Ride through this classic rollercoaster in the dark with flashing lights.  Again, look for your free photo at the end and email to yourself.

Monorail--Great way to get to and from Downtown Disney/Disneyland Hotel.  For an extra treat, ask to ride in the front if it's not too hot.  Closes for the fireworks.

Disneyland Railroad--Can board here and takes you to Main Street as the next stop.  Dinosaur scene in between.  If you've never rode the Railroad, you must ride around the park at least once during you're trip.  Not a must do, but a special treat if you have the time.

Innoventions--I have never been inside here, but on our last trip we asked about it and were told there was a special robot show several times a day that sounded very interesting.  If you know anything more about it, please share.  I'd love to make the time for this feature next trip.

Extras:


Captain EO--I'm not a Captain EO fan so I haven't seen it.  It's a 3-D movie with lots of space and seems like a great option for the middle of the day when it's hot and you just need to sit.

Jedi Training Academy--Haven't seen this one either, although I want to make it a priority next trip.  Shows in the Tomorrowland Terrace.  Children are chosen from the sectioned off area to participate in training and fighting Darth Vader.  Seems like a fun time for more outgoing kids.

What's your favorite part of Tomorrowland?