Happy Halloween!

Here are some fun, spooky pictures from our trip down Tillson St. last week. It's a cool street with a bunch of old Victorian houses that decorate like crazy every year. The kids loved it and so did we. Actually, I really just loved looking at the houses, but the decorations were cool too. Anyway, stay safe and enjoy the day with your little critters!



















And here's some pictures of my cuties...

Sometimes you just "get it"

This morning during my devotions, I was praying about how I worry about my children and fear that they may someday turn away from me and away from the faith that we are working so hard to build in them and how heartbroken I would be. Then, suddenly, it hit me. I sat there with tears streaming down my cheeks because God was revealing to me the fact that He faces this every single day...with millions of His children. I realized that He feels the same heartache and heartbreak that we do when these things happen...only more. Why haven't I ever really thought of it like that? I just love how God reveals things and Himself to us to assure us that He understands and cares. We are so blessed to serve such a loving and caring Father. Take a moment and thank Him today that He understands us and cares about every fear, every worry, every hurt, just everything that we experience. We are truly blessed to be His children.

Who doesn't love a good game of tag?

I have been tagged by my amazing friend, Leanne, at Joyful in Hope

Today I am most thankful for:
1) My husband and my boys who fill even the dreariest day with sunshine for me!
2) The fact that besides some little coughs, my family is healthy.
3) My cozy home that I am so blessed to have.
4) Friends who understand me and embrace my quirks, as well as help me grow in my faith. (Leanne, your friendship means the world to me and I know that God crossed our paths and is developing our friendship for His glory.)

My four favorite hobbies:
1) Playing on the computer
2) Crocheting
3) Reading
4) Making jewelry

My four favorite books:
After the Bible (Leanne said this, but I would say "after the Bible" too),
1) Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
2) The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold
3) Heavenly Daze series by Angela Hunt and Lori Copeland
4) Left Behind series

My favorite simple things in life:
Hugs, drinking coffee, napping on the couch while my husband watches football on a Sunday afternoon, my boys' giggles, making other people smile, rainy days when I can curl up with a cup of coffee and a book, sleeping in, fires in the fireplace while watching the snow fall outside, packages in the mail, hearing my boys pray and talk about Jesus...there are just so many wonderful things in life.

And now I tag you...
Tell me if you wrote your own "I Have Been Tagged" post and I will add your name and blog link in this post.

Great Gift Idea #2 - Cool Christian Shirts

Shirt Front

Shirt Back


Shirt Front

Shirt Back

I love to share my faith with others and love the idea of wearing a shirt that lovingly shares that faith.(Wow, there was a lot of love in that sentence! LOL) Unfortunately, most of the Christian shirts I see are (ok, I know this is going to bother some people and I'm sorry, but it's truly how I feel) corny. Having only been a Christian for 3 years, I distinctly remember seeing people wear t-shirts that tried to be catchy and use things that were currently popular or products that were well-known, to let people know they were Christians. I also remember looking at those shirts and thinking how corny they were and being more turned off by them than being interested in the person's faith. Now that I am a Christian though, I understand the desire to share my faith in lots of different ways and a great shirt is one of the things I have really wanted.

Well, I found it! I found this great company called Twelve Wear. Their slogan is "Witness While You Walk" and I think that's awesome! The guy behind this great company and shirts is Steve Munz and he so generously sent a beautiful woman's shirt for me to review. Not only that, but he sent an awesome shirt for Brian to review as well! I love the distressed look of the shirts. The woman's shirt is a fitted style that is very flattering and not bulky like a regular tee is. They are so unique and completely different from the typical Christian shirts I see. They have eye-catching designs that are cool, not corny. Most importantly though, they are a way to share your faith in a loving way, while lookin' pretty darn good doing it! The only thing that I can see that anyone might possibly have a complaint about is that the shirts are a little pricey, but I can say that I would much rather spend the extra money to have a great quality and great looking shirt.

So, if you're looking for a unique Christian shirt for yourself or your teenager, I would highly recommend checking out Twelve Wear. Steve seems like such a great guy who loves the Lord and I am all about sharing a company like that!

Great Gift Idea #1-Coffee Cup Cozies *With A Giveaway!*

In looking for unique gift ideas, I was thinking of things I really like and things I would really like to receive as a gift. Well, if you know me, you know I LOVE coffee. I pretty much drink coffee all day long. In the morning when I take the boys to school, I like to take coffee with me and since Brian frequently takes the thermal mugs to work and doesn't bring them back, I've started using some "to go" cups we bought at GFS. Well, those little buggers will just about burn your palm off! It's not just those cups either...it's the ones from Tim Horton's when I run through the drive-thru there and I've heard it about other "to go" cups too. That got me thinking about coffee cup cozies! I've seen some really cute ones, but they usually have some bulky velcro or buttons or something and I don't want extra bulk to have to hold onto, that I'm also afraid could come undone and cause me to drop my whole cup of coffee. So, in my searches on Etsy (I love looking on there because they have the cutest darn stuff) I found the perfect cozy! No velcro, no buttons, cute fabrics, exactly what I'm looking for! Then, I noticed the seller was from Michigan and it turns out that she has in-laws in the same city I live in! How cool is that? Ok, so here comes the good stuff...

The shop is called Cafe Boulet and the creator of these cute little cozies (as well as some great totes and zippered pouches) is Michelle. We've been chatting back and forth and she is such a sweetheart, which makes me all the more excited to get the word out about her shop.

She gave a great gift idea that I am definitely going to use for the kids' teachers this year...give one of these cute coffee cup cozies along with a gift card to Tim Horton's, Starbucks, Dunkin' Donuts, etc. and you have a great gift that any teacher would appreciate (even if they aren't a coffee drinker, anyone can appreciate some nice tea or hot chocolate in the cold winter months). Isn't that such a simple and great gift idea? Not to mention, inexpensive. Oh, and she offers free shipping anywhere in the U.S., so that's even better!

Well, Michelle was kind enough to send me a few cozies to keep for myself. I tried one out this morning and it's just perfect. Fits snugly and securely on the cup and keeps the skin on my palm protected from extreme scorching heat LOL. Not to mention, it's just plain cute. I decided I'll keep one cozy up in the cupboard where I keep my "to go" cups and the other in my purse so I have it handy no matter where I am.

Here's the best part!!!! Michelle has given me some cozies to give away to my readers, so 3 of you will have a chance to win a cozy of your own! How cool is that?


Anyone in the U.S. can enter until 11:59 P.M. on Monday, November 9th
I will then choose 3 winners, using random.org and will email them and announce them on the blog.

Here's how to enter (leave a separate comment for each entry)...

Mandatory entry - must be done for any other entries to count: Visit Cafe Boulet and take a look around. Leave a comment telling me your favorite cozy she has featured in her shop.

2nd entry - Follow my Blog

3rd entry - Tell me how you would use these cozies as a gift/who you might give them to.

Be sure to leave an email in your comment in this format: jane (at) yahoo (dot) com

Good luck! I'm so excited about my first giveaway and I hope you are too!

Where did my baby go?

Today, my "baby" turns 4 years old. It's so strange to think that he is our last "baby" and that he isn't even a baby anymore at all. He's a sweet little boy now, who wants to do everything himself and actually says things like "I don't want to play with that, that's for babies!". (Sigh) Yup, he's definitely a little boy now. He has brought so much joy into our lives, as well as the most scary experiences I've ever had to face and ultimately, it was our scariest experience with him that brought us to Christ and changed our lives forever. God has done such amazing things through this little boy and I believe He has big plans for his life. So, here's to 4 extremely blessed years with Asher. I'm so thankful that God chose me to be his mommy.

Here are several pictures of Asher from the past 4 years...

Jewelry Creations by Me!

Here's a few pieces that I've been working on this week and that my friend, who also makes jewelry and has taught me a lot, is taking to the show she is selling her jewelry at on Saturday and selling for me. I had so much fun making these pieces and am so bummed that I couldn't get better pictures of them, but it at least gives you an idea of what I do. There's something so fun about starting to put random things together and seeing a cool piece of jewelry emerge. I just love creative outlets and this is one of my new favorites. I tend to be drawn to the more natural materials like stone and wood and I really love how they look with copper, so those are my current favorites to work with. Let me know what you think!


The way the blues and the copper accent each other in this piece makes it the most eye-catching to me. I love it! (There are actually earrings that match it too.)


This one is my absolute favorite. I love the big chunky beads and how random they are.


I had to throw a little red and black in there somewhere...


This piece kind of came together by accident and I was really happy with it.



I love the black and teal combination, so this is one of my favorites.


Just a funky little brown bracelet.



This did not photograph well at all, but it is rose quartz and purple swarovski crystals with silver accents and is actually very pretty.




I decided to try some bookmarks and they turned out so cute!


I just threw together some simple pairs of earrings.


These stones are gorgeous (they are an icy blue with brownish purple swirled through them) and with the silver accents, it just made them stand out.