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Showing posts from 2012

On Being An Amateur Lumberjack

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When the kids are babes, it's time to establish holiday traditions, whether it's the ones that you did when you were young or starting brand new ones for your family.  It's an exciting thing to do, and John and I have really enjoyed dreaming about and starting holiday traditions that we want Isaiah and Annika to reminisce about with their own children.  We have a few that are really fun, and I'll share them (hopefully) in a few blogs over the Christmas season.  First, my favorite - the Christmas tree!   Our FAVORITE Christmas traditions is going to pick out a tree at a local Christmas tree farm and cutting it down ourselves.  We have gone to a few local farms, but the one we have enjoyed the most is Candle Tree Farm just outside of Washington, PA ( and also on Facebook! ).  It's a short drive from Pittsburgh, but totally worth the trip!  They have a really neat setup that makes finding a tree more of an experience for the whole family.   When y

The Truth: Pregnancy Resource Center Banquet

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Swanky, classy, and... shocking. Three descriptive words that summed up my night at the South Hills Pregnancy Resource Center Dinner on Thursday, November 8, 2012.  My friend, Amanda, and I and over 800 other people attended the banquet at the East Club at Heinz Field.  With a spectacular view of the city and a spectacular view of an empty Heinz football field, it was a gorgeous setting and a night to remember.   Completely empty Heinz Field The Sparks While The Sparks , a local Christian band, played, people milled about before the night's program started.  As far as I was concerned, this night would be pretty memorable, as the guest speaker was none other than Abby Johnson, the Texas Planned Parenthood clinic manager turned pro-life advocate.  She also happened to be sitting at our table(!!), which was right next to the stage, two huge bonuses!  Dinner was great and dessert was even better, but that may be because dessert is always better in my book..

My Foray into *Somewhat* Extreme Couponing…

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So I have this friend who gets a ton of ridiculous stuff for free with coupons all the time at places such as CVS and Rite Aid.  I was inspired and totally impressed with her couponing, and I LOVE a good deal, so I decided that I wanted to try it.  I rounded up my coupons and some tips and pointers from my friend Heather, and gave it a go.  After trying a few stores, I thought I'd share my thoughts and experiences for the average person considering couponing.  Before we start, let me help you with a few terms that you need to know, starting with the most important term first.  Coupon matchups or coupon match up is the term for when a couponer goes through a store’s circular and “matches up” coupons to deals.  These “matchups” are available everywhere on the internet.  Try searching Google for “CVS matchups”, “Rite Aid matchups” or even “Giant Eagle matchups” and you will have more hits than you know what to do with!!  One site that has a lot of matchups and is still user-frien

Christians and the BIG Vote

Christians and voting.  Voting Christians.  Christians who vote.  Jesus followers who vote.  Jesus lovers who love their country and vote for their elected officials.  Is it crazy?  It shouldn't be.  We have a citizenship that is not of this world (Phil 3:20), but does that mean we abdicate our current responsibilities as citizens of a country of this world?  The answer is no.  God tells us to honor our leaders as He has placed them in power over us.  In fact, God is very very specific on how we should act toward the authorities over us in Romans 13:1-7. Romans 13:1-7  Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established.  The authorities that exist have been established by God.  Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves.  For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wro

Two Moms, Four Kids and Munchkin Monday

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This past Monday, my friend Jamie and I ventured out to the Science Center for Munchkin Monday with our four munchkins, Josiah (4 years old), Isaiah (3 years old), Sophia (2 years old), and Annika (almost 1 year old).  If you haven't heard of Munchkin Mondays, it's a day at the Carnegie Science Center with activities geared for children ages two through six years old.  We were late (oh my, newsflash!), and missed most of the activities for the little kids.  So the long and short of our day was that it was a fun day at the CSC, because we love the activities there, but we didn't have any special added bonuses for Munchkin Monday.  I think for a more accurate assessment, we are going to have to go again, and next time, we will be early (okay, earlier than 1 pm...).    I texted Jamie late Sunday night asking if she wanted to go, and she said, if she felt up to it in the morning, we would go.  We started planning our day to the CSC at quarter to ten in the morning, so it&#

My Writing Adventures and Being A CSC Insider for the Summer

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So, I'm pretty new to blogging really.  My blog just turned a year old, a few months ahead of my little girl, Annika Ruth.  I had never had a blog, but had always loved writing.  Maybe I was too busy to blog or too lazy to set one up, but I finally joined the blogosphere last year.  I felt a little nudge from God to do it, so maybe that was the final straw.  I have always had a feeling that I would one day write a book , but maybe it's not a book that I'm destined to write.  Maybe it's just my blog.  Or an e-book, which I suppose is still technically a book, but the prospect of writing an e-book or blogging seems much less intimidating than a ginormous chapter book with an editor, a publisher and deadlines.  Besides, where would I even start?!  I don't know what the future holds, so only time will tell about authoring a book.  Until then, I have my blog and you, my reader! Along my writing journey, I have had some timely and wonderful opportunities.  A few years ag

Why you need a Carnegie Science Center Membership...

It's that time of year, summer is over...  Well almost.  I say almost because I'm watching the waves on the Atlantic Ocean over my laptop as I write, so I'm extending summer by just a bit with a vacation to the shore.  For most, the kids have just completed their first day or week of school, so it's official, summer is over for you.  If summer is over, that means that colder temperatures are on the way, which translates into less trips to the park, pool, and backyard to play.  But play doesn't have to end with the end of summer.  In fact, you can play all fall, winter, and spring long indoors at the Carnegie Science Center.  Yes, this is a shameless plug, but when you are bored this winter, don't complain to me! A membership package at the Carnegie Science Center costs $75 ($50 if you are 65+) for an individual membership, $100 for a dual membership (two adults or one adult plus one child), $150 for a family membership (two adults, four kids and one caregiver

My Baby Boy's THIRD Birthday...

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Today is my baby's THIRD birthday, and I can't hardly believe it.  Time passes so very quickly, yet so slowly too.  I have heard it said that the days are long, but the years short, and that is truly the case.  Lots of long, hard days raising my little Isaiah and yet here we are three years later.  And in those three years, he's grown so very much.  He is funny, silly, intelligent, talkative, inquisitive, and so much more.  He sleeps in a big boy bed, is potty trained, and has a best buddy.  My little man.  I love him so very much.    Happy 3rd Birthday Isaiah!   In April 2010, I wrote the following bit about Isaiah's arrival, and I'm reblogging it here for you today.  It's very funny that things don't change, we had a hard time getting Isaiah to bed tonight too... And without any further ado:  I was having a hard time getting my darling baby boy to bed tonight and I was getting to the end of my patience... Moments like these make you