Pune, India.

So this past weekend has been the missions conference at my Church.  I went friday night to the banquet and thought it was great!  My heart is burdened and broken over the amount of people who die without ever having the opportunity to hear the Gospel and surrender their lives to Christ!  If I were able to go out tomorrow to work in the harvest (of India) I think I would!

You have seen me write before about my LOVE for India!  I have never been but my husband spent some time in Kolkutta and from his experiences and what I know about the people there the Lord has placed a deep love for the people of India in my heart.  I have a TON of allergies that seem to be a huge barrier to me ever being able to go there (at least for any length of time) but I am not going to count it out yet!

My pastor spoke at the end about our church being in the VERY beginning stages of organizing and cooridiating a team of people to go to Pune, India!  All  you have to do is say Pune and my heart melts.   Pune is the 8th largest city in India and is known as the "oxford of the east" having more colleges and universities than any other city in the WORLD!  I don't know the exact numbers but it has something like more people in that one city then the whole state of South Carolina.  Can you imagine!?!

Pray with me if you want to that this plan to send a team will be successful!  I am going to be praying that the that the Gospel would spread like wildfire through this city and in the universities.  These people are so precious.

And the Winner Is....!!!

COMMENT #10!!!!  Kellie!  You actually won something!  Yay!  I'll get with you to arrange delivery and such!  Thanks everyone for participating in my first giveaway!!  Karen who makes these cute things is oh so generous though and she said if you mention my blog in the comment section she will give anyone of you $1 off your very own Ouch Pouch...I highly recommend it is the cutest most adorable compact first aid kit around.  Here is the oh so cute fabric Miss Kellie has selected! 

Collections....

Real Quick! Today is your last chance to enter to win an oh so cute Ouch Pouch.  Click Here to enter! You are CRAZY not too!

Well...I USED collect carousels...  This is my only "real" collection.  My dad started me on the collection...I think it's sweet.  He started me and my sister a collection.  Mine was carousels and hers was clowns... I'm glad I got the carousels!  I still have a fondness in my heart over them but they are all in the attic because there really is no good way to decorate with them...they just aren't "in"...

Now  that I am a mom you can find me collecting....fabulous dresses for my girls, hair bows, artwork created by Darby, piles of laundry, dust and dirt in the house, pictures and the like...

To keep me "hip"... I ALSO have a very minor collection of jewelry, scarves, and shoes!

If money were no object...I WOULD collect fabulous paintings for my walls. 

You don't want to read what I have to blog about!

We have been sick AGAIN over here in our house!  It has been crazy.  The stomach bug!  I haven't written a blog in a while bc when I am stuck in the house I am so boring!  I have been up to my eyeballs in puke and diarrhea (sorry it is the truth, I told you didn't want to read what I have to write about!).  It is the first time little Darby has thrown up with sickness!  It has been an interesting, crazy, and exhausting experience.  She doesn't get it...She threw up all over her bed 2 of the times!  She calls it "spit-up" and she keeps telling me she has to "spit up" but she doesn't she is just saying it to say it or get attention, I don't know.  So anyway, this has been going on since Sat and I am so ready to be rid of it!  I notice ALOT of bloggers have been writing about their sick households!  I do have to say though it was really sweet to nurture and take care of Darby.  The first time she was throwing up over the toilet and I was holding her hair was such a great mommy moment for me (weird I know).  I wish I had a picture to share...but you understand I was busy ; ).

I am so ready for Spring!  I cleaned out Carson's closet yesterday and I went ahead and put her spring clothes in it!  I can not wait!  It has been a cold long winter it seems like...   Easter is right around the corner and the weather will be getting warmer really soon and I just love this part of the year!  There is so much fun to be had.  At the end of March there will be the Bridge Run (if these babes would get well I could get back in gear to train for it!  Its a 10K) and the Flowertown Festival which I absolutely love!  The in April we have Easter, my bday, the Strawberry Festival (haven't been before but I REALLY want to go this year).  In May we get to celebrate the lives of the 2 most precious girls in the entire WORLD!  It is crazy to me when I think about how God has given these precious things to me.  I mean I fail miserably regularly at being a great mom but they still love me.  It is so sweet how God designed the parent/child relationship.  I have been considering alot lately how I am responsible for them and yes God is in control over all things but I am responsible for loving, and nurturing, and providing for, and caring for and teaching them and raising them!  That is a HUGE and HIGH calling and I really am thankful for it but I don't want to take it lightly!  I don't want to be careless with their lives!  It challenges me to really run to Jesus and plead with him to make me more like Him and less like me! 

I hope this blog finds you all well or at least getting well!  Sorry there are no pictures!  I know they are fun.  If you have not entered to win a cute Ouch Pouch full of first aid supplies (perfect for the upcoming seasons for boo boo's outside or bug bites and such) click here to enter!

Bald and Toothless

Click here if you haven't already entered to win the giveaway of a fabulous Ouch Pouch!

Also reminder, my friend Carissa's blog design kit and design giveaway ends tomorrow night at 9 so hurry over here to enter!

On to my post! Carson turned 9 months old 2 days ago, so I thought I would fill you in on what is happening with her these days! She is so stinking cute (of course I am biased). If you can't figure it out from the title of this post she is STILL without hair or teeth! I have heard of babies not getting teeth until like 15 months and stuff but MAN I hope she gets them before then! The major difference between this month and last month is that she can pull up and boy has she mastered that task. She is crawling around everywhere like a maniac. You can't keep up with her! She loves her sister she lights up when she see Darby after an absence or a nap. It is so sweet, it makes my heart smile. So at 9 months she def. babbles da da da although she does not have any association to the word and the person. I try to teach her to say ma-ma but she usually just says da-da and then looks puzzled bc she doesn't understand why it doesn't sound like what I said but she wants it to ; ). The past few days though when I try and tell her to say ma-ma she does say ba ba ba, so we are getting closer, yay! I just love her to pieces...I don't want her to get any bigger! I just want her to stay the cute little chubby, bald and toothless baby forever! Does anyone know how to make this happen!?!

The Ouch Pouch!!

So excited to make the big giveaway announcement! Karen who is the runs the PillowSoCute shop on etsy has so graciously allowed me to give away one of these fabulous Ouch Pouches to one of my readers! I got one of these about a month or so ago for myself and got one for a friend too. They are a great size to throw it right into your purse or diaper bag and go. Anyone can use one...you don't just have to have kids! Lots of fun fabrics to choose from. I will also be filling it with the essentials so it will be ready to go when it arrives in the mail! So how do you win??? Here is how!

Well you need to be a follower so hop over to the right side of the blog and click the follow button. Once you do that, click here to visit the etsy shop and pick which fabric you might choose should you win and leave me a comment and let me know! You can also have another entry if you post a link back to this giveaway in one of your blog post and just leave me another comment letting me know! So there you go...2 chances to enter.

The winner will be chosen using an integer generator (not a favorites contest). The giveaway will close at 10pm on Friday, 2/26. I will announce the winner on Saturday morning!! I hope you win!

I'm so behind!

Posting Giveaway soon! Had my friend in town the past couple of days! Her 2 boys and my 2 girls have had a good time together. She sells Premier Jewelry and tonight I host a "show" it was really fun, I love Premier Jewelry it is ridiculously cute! I am so behind on blogging and reading blogs and etc.! Carson turned 9 months today and ideally I would be catching you up on what is going on in her world but it will have to get added to list of things I need to do! Until next time...

Follow Me...

I am going to be hosting a *Giveaway* soon to all my followers! Yes, yes isn't that exciting and doesn't it fill you will tons of suspense!?! I didn't have much to say today, so I thought I would go ahead and encourage you to sign up to follow my blog so you will be elligable for the fabulousness. I promise I won't leave you hanging for long!!!

Love Day Giveaway!

First of all, Happy Valentines Day!
Second, check out a couple ways I tried to make Valentines Day fun for Darby (and Carson). I got the Idea to put the hearts on the doors from a blog or website I don't even remember somewhere online. I would have filled the whole door with them but that is all the red and pink construction paper I could find (I thought I had more!). I put compliments on them. I had to learn a hard lesson about complimenting people so I am glad to do this for my girls. So where is the best place to get Valentines Day ballons? The dollar store! Paid only $1 for each balloon. I have a cute girly cookbook that I got a fun Idea for donuts out of and so I share them with you all.










So what is the Giveaway? Well....My friend Carissa is hosting a givaway! A good one too! She designed my blog for me and she is partnering with The Design Girl to....well just go to her blog and I'll let her explain and maybe you could be the winner of a fabulous blog design!

A Pleasant Surprise and A Not So Pleasant Surprise.

So after my ever so sarcastic blog post yesterday, guess what? It actually snowed! A good amount too! It was beautiful. It is so true that all of creation shouts HIS name! We didn't go out and play in it last night too much but this morning we did! Here are some pics.

Wow, that is alot of snow for Charleston. Ha, you wait!

snowman neighbors dropped off on the porch!

This morning = )





Darby's snow angel! The first time she just plopped down half on and half off the snow! So cute!



My snow angel ; )



I have been feeling terrible and Carson got a fever last night so we went to Doctor's Care this morning and $320 later and after a pretty tramatic experience there for me we found out we had strep throat! So that is the not so pleasant surprise. That is why you don't see Carson in any snow pics! Yuck, but hopefully these antibiotics will kick in soon and we will be good to go! Darby spent the day with my dad and step-mom and bro and sister and she had a blast! Tomorrow some special friends are going to pick her up and take her on a date! She is going to love it! Hope yall have a Happy Happy Valentine's Day!

PUT THE WORLD ON HOLD!

Alert! Alert! Alert! The are calling for snow here in the Charleston area! Shut everything down! Close the schools early! Get off the roads, the snow is coming, the snow is coming!


Okay, first of all, seriously? I will let you know but I highly doubt this snow is anything worth mentioning! Seriously? Do you know where we live? Does it ever snow here? No. Do they always FREAK out if there is a 10% chance of it? Yes. So why are we shutting down? I don't know. All I know is that I see there is a slight chance of snow tonight and tomorrow morning. They don't expect any accumulation tho. I think we will be okay. I do plan to stay home and monitor this situation VERY carefully though ; ). I don't necessarily want to get on the roads bc it is going to rain and then it will freeze so no doubt the roads will be slick and my car is all messed up right now so I don't want to take my chances.

I will let you know tomorrow if we get any snow! And if we do I will let you know if we die! I don't mean to be so cynical. I would love some snow...I would love to take pics of the girls and build a snow man with it...but I will believe it when I see it = ).

Testing My Wings and Valentines Goodies!

So excited bc I finished Darby's homemade valentines! I am so in love with Microsoft Publisher now thanks to the ever dearest Carissa. I bought an online scrap kit for a couple bucks to make the design and went to work. I am not the most creative and this was just my test run to see what I can do. I only have a 60 day trial for publisher and I am going to be so sad for it to go. I really want to do Darby's bday invites and the Carson and Claire's first bday(cousins, 3 weeks apart)invites before my trial runs out! Up close of the graphic here.


Darby's valentines day party is tomorrow at school. I signed up for ham sandwiches. I was just going to put some ham in some dinner rolls but then I was SO thankful that this idea came to my head: To make heart shaped sandwiches with a cookie cutter! It was so fun. I did some ham and some ham and cheese. I did a smaller size and cut 2 hearts per sandwich, perfect for 2 year olds! I hope they love their sandwiches shaped like hearts! Here is a picture. I took it out of the fridge to take a picture and I couldn't peel back the clingwrap bc I couldn't take the chance of compromising it... I am out and borrowed it from my neighbor! You get the idea tho...


Also, check out this fabulous new cake plate I just snatched up from TJMaxx. It was $10. I LOVE it because it came with this ribbon which goes great for Valentines but I can change the ribbon to match WHATEVER I need. I am so excited about it.

Started as One Thing Ended as Another

Here is an assortment of photos from off of my cellphone. Thought it would be fun bc they go way back (well since April of 2009, but that is a lot of time in the development of these youngens).
A Cherished Moment in Time! Mine and Darby's first Starbucks date!


Mom in training : )


You mean she used to wear diapers?


Baby Carson catching some rays (tiny bit of jaundice when she was born)


I mean honestly...so sweet!


The BEST big sister ever! The other day I had to go into her classroom at her CDO preschool program and she told her friends, "This is my mommy and this is my sister" and pointed to us as she said it. Melted my heart! Alot of times after school too (she goes twice a week) she will tell Carson in the sweetest voice, "Hey, Carson, I missed you".


Matching Sisters!



Carson in the hospital. Before you wonder. When she was almost 2 months old she spiked a high fever one night and she had just gotten over a Urinary Tract Infection. She was scheduled to do some testing bc it is VERY unusal for a child under 2 yrs old to get a UTI. So I called the dr. and we had to bring her to the Children's Hospital that night. She was admitted and we stayed for 7 days and went home with a central line to administer IV antibiotics for another 10 days. Did some testing and turns out she has kidney reflux (don't know if that is technical term). The way her ureters go into her bladder coming from kidneys is off some and so urine from her bladder will go back up into her kidney and it is old and stale and is waste really and turns to infection. She has stage 4 out of 5 and takes an antibiotic everyday to prevent infection. She gets checked occasionally and at a year they will do the whole big testing that she had initially over. She will either grow out of it or have surgery to correct it way later down the road. Man this should have been its own seperate blog. Sorry this is getting so lengthy! Maybe I will stop at the hospital pics and continue with the rest another time! Oh and don't let her belly button scare you, she had an umbilical hernia but it is gone now.





So the day we came home from the hospital after she was born I didn't even dress her up bc she was sleeping and I didn't want to wake her(second baby). So it was glorious when we got to leave the hospital this time too so I got her all dressed up for this trip home! (wish I would have discovered bowbands at this point but oh well)

I wasn't attempting to make a background with the white sheet I promise! I covered the couch with sheets for our stay bc hospitals gross me out you know EVERY surface is not cleaned from one patient to the next...