The Passionate Mom

***Spoiler alert*** This book will change your life!!!

Reading is one of my all time favorite things to do. Gimme a book or magazine on the beach and I think I've died and gone to heaven. Alas...I rarely have time to read these days :(  I am "in the trenches" of motherhood & know someday there will be time for leisure reading when my kids leave, BUT as part of my "job" of being a mommy, I do make time each day to read something about being either a successful Christian, parent, or wife. So what a delight to have been given an advanced copy of The Passionate Mom a couple of months ago. I thought maybe I'd push into the "pleasure reading" category and just kind of skim it, but this book has been a game changer for me! I couldn't put it down and found that I didn't have to MAKE time to read it, I just couldn't NOT read it.

I'm a long-time subscriber to the http://www.imom.com/ blog where the author, Susan Merrill, dishes out daily parenting advice. In this book, she uses the 10 P's of parenting (perception, ponder, passion, prayer, patience, preparation, purpose, planning, problem solving and perseverance) to give us mothers some really incredible guidance. To say it is a "must read" is an understatement!

Get your copy today! Also be sure to tune into Susan's blog for some really great giveaways!

Fab Friday Finds

 I love the color combination of these Buddha Bowls from VivaTerra.

What a fabulous party you could throw with our oh so trendy ikat-patterned invitation.

 
 I think this lovely Somerset Etagere from Cottage Chic would be so beautiful in my den! I need this!

 

I have recently started following Coach Calorie and oh my, he's already changed my life! Loving this article 10 Ways to Effectively Reduce Your Calorie Intake.

HUGE sale!

Oh my! What a HUGE sale we're having through Monday! 30% off of SO MANY things, like...

Mini Valentine's cards

 that are so perfect for sending to your child's class. They include cute little envelopes and are printed with the design on the front and the back.

All of our gift stickers, enclosure cards, and luggage tags are 30% off

 Save the date cards are also on sale 30% off

 And check out the precious new photo cards we've just added for Valentine's Day.

Free Valentine's Facebook Timeline Cover

I can hardly believe Valentine's Day is in less than a month. I have been working on some new V-day designs and can't wait for them to be live on the website this week! Here's a sneak peak...and a FREE image for you to use on Facebook. I would be honored if you would help spread the message of God's love this Valentine's Day!
And whil you are at it, please like us on Facebook and share this with your friends.

Love ;)
Ellen

Free printables...DIY Thankful Jars

Thankful jars!

With Thanksgiving quickly approaching, I wanted to give yall a great activity for your family. My friend and I came up with this idea as a Fun Friday activity with our 3rd graders' class, and it was a lot of fun and hopefully somewhat meaningful. The best part? I am giving you these brand new, super cute designs for free!

We got super lucky that my mother-in-law had several old mason jars we could use. I also had been saving jars for some reason this past year, I guess thinking I'd need them for something like this, so this project turned out to be almost free.

Instructions:

1) Get a mason jar, top with the round sticker

2) Attach the rectangle "Thankful Jar" sticker on the outside

3) Print the "I'm thankful for" cards on either cardstock or plain paper. 

4) Have everyone in your family fill out as many as they like. Put them in the jar and then when you sit down to Thanksgiving dinner, you can pull all the cards out and read them. It gives you a head start on discussing all the many, many things we have to grateful for!

Click here to download the stickers

 Click here to download the thankful cards

Monster Truck party favors

How precious are these goodie bags? These were the party favors the lucky attendees received at my friend's little boy's Monster Truck themed 3rd birthday party. They say "I'm WHEELIE glad you came to my party" and are filled with 4 monster truck "tires" (chocolate mini doughnuts). I'm always amazed at our clients' creativity!

"Nothing of Significance Happens Suddenly"

My title to this week's post, "Nothing of Significance Happens Suddenly," is a quote from an ancient philosopher and used by the minister at Independent Presbyterian Church (IPC) in his sermon this past Sunday. This was a special Sunday as it was celebrating the completion of a beautiful pipe organ. As Ellen and I are laboring over the very challenging task of revising our Little Lamb Design designs for 2012, this really struck a chord, no pun intended! 

The beautiful sanctuary of Independent Presbyterian Church completed in 1926, as seen from the back balcony.

12 years of fund raising and planning, nearly 1 year of construction and installation, followed by 6 months just to tune the complex instrument, all came together in a joyous morning filled with thankfulness and music. How great that in this hurry up world where so many things are being dumb-ed down the cheapest and quickest denominator, that so many people came together and labored for years to have this organ completed. There were plenty of obstacles along the way, but there were those with vision who saw the project through. I believe that music is the universal language, and speaks to your soul, so it is really awesome to think of how many will be touched by the music this organ will produce for generations to come.

Just some of the nearly 130 pipes which compose this organ made by the Dobson Pipe Organ Builders

My father in law, Joseph Schreiber had been the organist at IPC for over thirty years and this instrument is named in his memory.  Not only did he set the bar for music during the worship services, but he also put into motion a music and arts program that enriches our whole community. He taught us all so much about hard work, attention to detail, and the value of doing things not the quickest way but the right way.

There is a whole orchestra contained in the organ, and I can't imagine the hours of practice required to master such a complex instrument, but we are all richer for the seed that my father in law planted, and that Jeff McLelland the current music director carries on.

If you live in Birmingham, or are ever passing through take the time to check out the beauty of this unique instrument, or better yet attend one of the many concerts or services where this powerful instrument plays a part!

Submitted by Stella 5/11/12