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This is fun. I get to give away Hallmark cards today! These are not just any Hallmark cards, but cards from their brand new line. One of my favorites says, "If Oprah ever starts an I-haven't-read-the-book-but-let's-eat-drink-and-talk club, we are so there!" Inside the Card: Attainable goals, the secret to happiness.
Continue reading "GIVEAWAY! Hallmark's Latest Line of Cards for 2 Winners" »
I don't normally let you in on the freebies that I highlight over at my other blog, FreelyEducate.com since you can just go there if you're interested, but I've highlighted two particularly good ones this week that have appeal to everybody, not just educators, and I don't want you to miss them:
Both freebies have expiration dates. Amazon's is August 31st. I'm guessing you may have until Museum Day, September 26, to download the free museum tickets.
If ever this little gal's personality was caught on film, it's in this photo...
She's happy, she's bubbly, and she's always on those tippy-toes. But she has just enough spunk that I frequently say, "Sugar and spice. She has a lot of sugar with a little bit of spice."
I like her that way.
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While organizing the blog tonight, I created a "My Camera" page to give to those who ask about, well, my camera. You can see the page in the left sidebar, under Pages, or click here. I hope it will answer your questions!
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My mom loves dolphins. When she visits the beach and sees one, she's certain it was sent directly from God for her personal benefit. Many times, when life is not okay and she wonders if it will ever be okay again, she'll see a dolphin, be reminded of her Creator, and ...well, she's okay then.
I'm getting that-a-way about hummingbirds. I know, the hummers would be around anyway, even if I didn't believe in God, but lately it seems that I see the little critters right when I need a little God-is-Still-Here reminder.
This past week I've had a knot in my chest that just will not go away. Something I really needed in my life - something my husband and I did together and that we both needed - something that our children needed to see us doing together - was taken from us without warning or discussion and I'm having a hard time being okay with that.
I've seen a lot of hummingbirds lately. I mean, just two. But I've seen the two frequently, fighting (or playing?) in mid-air, drinking at the feeder on the verandah...
...coming within five feet of me, needle-nosing the zinnias and hummingbird plant, and even sitting on a branch (who knew they ever stop?!)...
When I see one, I remember - "oh, yeah!" - that God says to look at the birds of the field, think of how He cares for them, then remember that He will do even more so for me.
I just wish they were a little easier to photograph! Quick little things, they are.
Do you have something that reminds you of God every time you see it?
"I like to be with you," our little gal said the other day.
"Well, I like to be with you, too," I said with all the sincerity in my heart.
You do know about that other site of mine, right? The education-can-indeed-be-free and I'm-proving-it site? It's called FreelyEducate.com.
Anyway, it's a relatively boring site, to me, because I can't be creative at all with it. Find a freebie, copy text, grab a screenshot, post it, yawn. But through that site, I do get to feel like I'm helping a corner of the world by sharing free educational finds with others.
Oh, and it helps me out because of the ads (sure, go ahead and click on one!) and affiliates (you can buy anything through Amazon by clicking on a book link in the sidebar, and I get a wee kickback). I'm almost at the point of making our family's spending money. It's a Very Tight, We Can't Go Anywhere amount, but, still, I'm almost there, and that's cool. I like helping out my man when I can. He works so hard for us....but, uh, I'm getting waaaaay off topic.
Back to education and its cost: I'm amazed at how 'doom's day' some people can be when they say that educating is so very expensive and how they "could never _____ (insert an educational word, such as 'homeschool,' 'teach,' 'go to school,' or, God forbid, 'learn')... because it's so expensive." I beg to differ. Education can be free. I prove it every week at Freely Educate.
I'm mentioning that other site of mine to let you know I'm running a series of "Best of FreelyEducate.com" posts this week, where I highlight my favorite free educational finds in certain categories. So far this week, I've covered Preschool to Kindergarten and Elementary Grades.
Go visit, drop me a comment, find a freebie for your kid, (click an ad), try not to yawn at its boringness, and then come on back here where we'll continue to have much more fun and enjoy the ad-free-ness.
p.s. Later in the afternoon....I just added a post to a really neat (and safe!) site for kids, called Pocketville. I'm giving away 250 free tokens to Pocketville....go check it out!
This gal is 12 today.
Instead of throwing one big party with too many presents (mama's opinion only) and lots of friends and too much work stress for mama, we let the children enjoy an entire week of birthday fun.
This week was our ballerina's birthday week:
I hope our ballerina realizes how special she is to us. She is truly as beautiful inside as out. Train up your boys right, mamas - we're going to need to find her a good one someday!
Happy Birthday, ballerina. It has been a week full of lovely memories with you.
And now... I will crash for the next full week.
