Saturday and a call for WINNERS! ;)

Hey, I've got some winners. Are you ONE?

Watch and find out!

Hooray for the WINNERS!! :)
Since there were so few numbers I'm going to ask @lonestarlifer for a discount on the cards for the rest of you people who entered. Because honestly, who doesn't want some cute snailmail postcards and cards in the mail?
They are WAY cute!
And you ALL are WINNERS in my book! :)
Have a fabulous Labor Day weekend!

Something about Surrogacy

Jill as a Surrogate Mom.

My totally awesome friend Jill has been a surrogate mother. Not once, but twice before. And one of the pregnancies was TWINS. ;)
    I think carrying a baby for another woman is a perfect gift. Some women can't have any babies of their own without the help of a surrogate. Beautiful women like my friend step in. Surrogates carry the baby for 9 months, in some cases,( almost 9 months when it is twins) and then when the sweet baby is delivered, she hands the baby over to the woman who is going to raise the baby.

I think it takes a special type of woman to do that.

If I could not have a baby on my own, a surrogate would be a perfect option I think. (I wonder if you can show up to the doctor's appointments and listen to the baby's heartbeat and such...) That's just cool.

There is always adoption, but I think there is just something special about a surrogate. That's your embryo. That's your egg and sperm implanted in another woman who wants to through a pregnancy for YOU. A woman wants to carry YOUR baby for you. What a blessing AND a relief!

 My friend has been a blessing in 2 different families lives.

Why do I mention my beautiful friend now?

Well, my wonderful friend, Jill AKA Mormon Surrogate, has written a book. She grabbed some special illustrators (her children) to illustrate the book for her. And she is looking for some lucky reviewers. The book is going to come out September 10th on her BIRTHDAY! (Hopefully!)

If you are interested in reviewing this children's book about surrogacy please contact Jill at Mormon Surrogate (Her blog :))

She is giving some people a chance to review her book. The "details" on how you can review it are on her blog!

I am SO EXCITED to be telling you guys about this! Surrogate mothers are truly a blessing from God. ;)

I found this beautiful poem ;) 

I Will Be A Wonderful Mother - Author Unknown

I Will Be A Wonderful Mother - Author Unknown

There are women who become mothers without effort,
without thought,
without patience or loss,
and though they are good mothers and love their children,
I know that I will be better.

I will be better not because of genetics or money or because I have read more books,
but because I have struggled and toiled for this child.

I have longed and waited.

I have cried and prayed.

I have endured and planned over and over again.

Like most things in life, the people who truly have appreciation are those who have struggled to attain their dreams.

I will notice everything about my child.

I will take time to watch my child sleep, explore, and discover.

I will marvel at this miracle every day for the rest of my life.

I will be happy when I wake in the middle of the night to the sound of my child, knowing that I can comfort, hold, and feed him and that I am not waking to take another temperature, pop another pill, take another shot or cry tears of a broken dream.

My dream will be crying for me.

I count myself lucky in this sense; that God has given me this insight, this special vision with which I will look upon my child.

Whether I parent a child I actually give birth to or a child that God leads me to, I will not be careless with my love.

I will be a better mother for all that I have endured.

I am a better wife, a better aunt, a better daughter, neighbor, friend, and sister because I have known pain.

I know disillusionment, as I have been betrayed by my own body. I have been tried by fire and hell that many never face, yet given time, I stood tall.

I have prevailed.

I have succeeded.

I have won.

So now, when others hurt around me, I do not run from their pain in order to save myself discomfort.

I see it, mourn it, and join them in theirs.

I listen.

And even though I cannot make it better, I can make it less lonely.

I have learned the immense power of another hand holding tight to mine, of other eyes that moisten as they learn to accept the harsh truth when life is beyond hard.

I have learned a compassion that only comes by walking in those shoes.

I have learned to appreciate life.

Yes, I will be a wonderful mother.
-Author Unknown

Thanks Jill. It is truly a blessing to know you! ;)

CLEANING DAY! :)

Hey y'all! It's cleaning and "Get Your Life Organized" day at my house today. Yeah, I really think I only need a day. I can do it. Have a little faith.

I've got vacuuming and mopping and laundry AND straightening up of the rooms to do.

I'll be back when I have sufficiently cleaned.

I may or may NOT be getting a little visit from the landlord.

I want to make his house look presentable.

It is a GORGEOUS house after all!

I'll check in later. Leave a comment if you want me to stop by your place later. Okay?

School is going good. The kids are GONE. All except for one. PEACE and QUIET. Ahh.

After I'm done it will be peaceful AND clean!

I've got WINNERS!

Yup. Nature Valley giveaway has closed and so has the $25 dollar gift card for Wal-mart.

Who won?

Watch the videos to FIND out.

Winners have 48 hours to respond to me or I will be forced to choose another winner.

Winner of the Nature Valley gift pack is:

Winner of the $25 gift card IS:

I am sending my emails out RIGHT now to the winners! YAY!
There is ONE more giveaway. Some WAY cute postcards and magnets for snailmail.
Come on, you know you want to win them. Just ENTER today! :) Thanks!

WHAT? It's Wednesday??!!

IT's Wednesday folks! Time to get that somethin' somethin' OFF of your chest!
It's like therapy, I love it!
Here is goes:


When I got a knock on the door yesterday, I figured it was going to be my daughter's friend so they could walk to school together. It was her mother! She asked if Anna was here! (Anna had left 15 minutes ago.) It was a quarter to 8 and school starts at 7:55!
What I meant to say (after she gave me a somewhat exasperated look) : "Hey, lady! You want MY kid to be late to school because you and YOUR kid are running behind? NO freaking WAY! Next time show up here by 7:30 and you can walk with my daughter. Otherwise, don't even bother stopping by, OK?"


When my daughter started middle school this week I got all nostalgic at my middle school years. YES, I still remember 6th grade. I remember the lockers, the dressing out for gym, the boys...being the youngest in the school and getting teased for it. When my daughter asked me, how 6th grade was I told her, "Somehow I got through it."


What I meant to say: "Girl, I remember it as if it were yesterday. I don't EVER want to be a 6th grader again! I HATED gym class, dressing out for gym. I HATED being the youngest in the middle school. I HATED nearly failing my math class because the school placed me in accelerated math...UGH. You finally made it dear. Welcome to 6th grade HELL!"
(Well, it wasn't that bad but I wouldn't want to go back. UNLESS I knew what I knew now. Maybe I'd go back for a day or two. Show those popular girls a thing or two about life.) HMPH!


WHEN I was informed that one of my blogger buddies was being tormented on another's blog I became infuriated that a thing like that would still happen. We are adults after all aren't we?
What I meant to say: GROW UP! Would your mama be proud to see those comments? I think NOT!"
(And THAT is ALL you are going to hear about that.) EVER again. I swear.


When I found out another best blogger had gotten sick over the weekend I felt bad. Because nobody should EVER have to hurt that bad when you are a mother.


What I meant to say (to THE COLD that would NOT go away!) "BOO! GO away! Listen UP, we are mothers 24/7 we don't have time for a sniffle AND a cough. We have work to do. We have meals to fix. LEAVE me ALONE you dang COLD! I don't WANT my friend to have to go to a doctor because of YOU. Don't MAKE me come down there...Grrrr...." (If a sickness were an animate being and actually listened. Heck, maybe the germs were listening.)


When I found out ANOTHER friend's Skype handle last week, I got EXCITED! YAY!
What I meant to say: "SQQQQUEEEEEEEEEAL!! Another friend to video chat with!!! YAY! I LOVE to video chat with friends, don't you? IT's like we are in the same room or something. YAY! YAY! YAY!


I can't indent like I used to sometimes in Blogger. That's why it is smushed all in one paragraph. Sorry about that. It's blogger's fault. Grrr....HEY! I did it! I did it! I did it! YAY! I'm just like Dora! YAY! YAY! YAY! Blogger must like me today or something.