Poinsettas and the beach!

It's been a great busy week! On Tuesday I got to have my friends Mike and Bonnie's son from early in the morning until after dinner! I just love him as he were my real nephew and he's a joy! I loved having 3, he is 10 months and has a little rocket in his diaper! He's all over the place, lol! My daughter is so in love with him and fed him his bottle, read to him, wanted to do everythiung for him. Eli kept laying his head on him and saying Badee ( Bradly). I even went out with 3! It was a blast! The more the merrier! We had a great day! She brought the kids sugar cookies and me a poinsetta plant! My first one! I never had one, so I was happy to be surprised! It took me forever to figure out where to put it!

Wednesday was fun, we got up and went to my friend Ness' for the day. The kids played while we chatted and had our own "playdate". We're both looking forward to our husband's Christmas party saturday night ( our husbands work at the same company. It's been 2 years since we met at the first Christmas party). After we left, I took a scenic drive home and since she lives near the beaches we took a detour. It was a grey day and kinda spitting rain on and off but not too bad. I pulled in to the beach and Mia was so surprised and excited! We ran our way down the deserted beach and chased seagulls and picked up stones. When it started to rain, we raced toward the car, Mia and my hair plastered to the side of our faces and sand sticking to us as a souvenir. It was an impulsive stop and was just a blast and such fun to hear our laughter in the wind on an empty beach. They had a nice warm bath when we got home! It's the every day little things that turn an ordinary into a pleasant memory......

Homemade by Me! Cards and more For Sale! Any occassion!

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Homemade card and closepin

I have some cards I have lying around here, I love to create and come up with cards, tags and scrapbook layouts. If you want to see more of my work, click on the May link and you can see some cards I made. I make baby cards with a twine close pin and hanging blankets or clothes and new home cards with a happy home on the front. I love to use ribbons buttons and different papers. I also make close pins which are cute for a card holder on a present, or for a recipe holder. I use acid free card stock or scrapbook paper. I like to make verse cards also, see my post March 24th. I decorate frames, gift bags and pencils and anything I get an idea for. If you are interested in any of these or my cards I will send them to you ASAP, and you can pay me by check or I can send an invoice via email from Pay pal,(you do not have to have an account there to use this). Here are a couple I have made and ready.

Family Traditions and the truth about holidays

Just wondered what people's traditions are. I love that for every season there are differant art projects and baking projects. I love summer best of all, but I look forward to Christmas the most. It's an amazing time of year, sweet and reminiscent, preparing yet again to celebrate anew EVERY year the wonder of our Magestic King born in a humble way, a little one coming for the whole world. Mia asked me yesterday who Santa Claus is. So I told her about the first St Nick, the true story and told her we would go to the library to read about him. I love that she is so innocent and pure and has no idea what Halloween is or that it even exsists. Someone asked her in Target a couple months ago wht she would dress up as for Halloween and she looked at them funny? Then said to me" I just love dressing up, especially like a princess. " She disreguarded Halloween and commented on what she knows and loves, dressing up as a sweet little girl in her pretty dresses. She just knows Christmas is Jesus' birthday and that's the pure truth of it! We have many traditions for our family, some every single season, but I love this one we made up; instead of the cookies and milk for Santa thing, she makes Jesus something special, a birthday present, homemade with love and care and we put it under the tree. When she falls asleep the angels will come and take it to Jesus so He has it for His birthday. I love to read the story of His birth to them on Christmas Eve and every year it will become more real and personal as it pierces their hearts. I am very proud of my kids but as much as we listen to 91.1 and praise cds and read the Bible with them and try to be a good example with everything that goes in and comes out of our home and how we conduct ourselves, it is up to them as individuals to make that big decision. I pray every day from an early age they may desire and seek their Ultimate Creator. Write in the comment box, or share by posting one of your traditions in your blog! Blessings this CHRISTmas season! 17 days and counting!!!!!!.........

December Fun Just Begun

December has been wonderful so far! The kids take turns opening their advent calendar which has pretty pictures and verses behind the doors instead of chocolate. The verses lead up in order telling the story of the angel appearing to Mary until His birth. We finally got our tree and decorated it last night. A few nights ago, we set up our outdoor stuff and last night Colin surprised the kids with a sparkling outdoor tree. They loved taking pictures with the reindeer and tree and down "candy cane lane" where our candy canes are lining our walk. They had a blast drinking cocoa and listening to Christmas music and decorating all the while memories flowed around us of Christmas' past with them, but especially Mia. We are blessed beyond measure. I need to get on the ball and start Christmas baking. Every year I do my usuals and then try some new recepies. Abbey gave me a new idea for choc cookies. The art you see we made some at my friend Alicia's house. Her husband and mine were working that night so we went over and hung out together. Mia and Trevor really loved making projects. Yesterday we made penguins and read a book that had penguins in it. Eli shreiked and pointed back and forth when he saw penguins like the one he created! We got a wonderful package in yesterday from Val in Kentucky we are able to bless each other back and forth, and she sent us a package with homeade hair bows for Mia, they are so beautiful! Abbey (from Tenn) and Val are friends I met online almost 4 years ago and we have remained close friends since and will always. I consider them to be among my most treasured friends. :)

Please pray for Mia, as she is battling something that has her quiet and feverish. I hate to see her sick, it seems she is always sick and it's frustrating. When she gets better the doctor wants to put her on a trial for allergy medication. We'll see if that helps her cough and nose that never seems fine.

Other than that we are well and enjoying the season. Thanks for reading, post a comment now and again so I know what you think or that you stopped by!

Paul, and his writings

I have been studying about Paul lately. Having a heart for missions, he is one of my favorite and most respected people in all the Bible. I find his journeys fascinating! I am amazed at the faith and courage it took to travel and spread the Word. I am also amazed by the fact that the Bible is so inexhaustable! Every time you read through it, you learn something new, and can truly get something more out of it and examine and rexamine the whole Bible without ever tiring on any account. That proves it is the infallable word of Christ. You can read of his journeys in Acts, but right now I am reading his greetings and letters in Galations. Paul energeticaly defended the truth of the gospel which is that we are saved by the grace of God through faith in Christ and nothing else! Any other teaching is a perversion of the truth of God. Gal 1:6-7. We are made right in the sight of God by faith 2:16 and become the people of God (real children of Abraham) in the same way-by faith. 3:7. Because we are free in Christ, we must never allow anyone to deceive us into thinking we must earn our salvation. But at the same time, we must live out the gospel. This includes submission to the Spirit of God 5:16, and loving our neighbors as ourselves. 5:14. Continue on to Ephesians where Paul writes during his imprisonment in Rome. The basic idea of Ephesians is that God is working out his eternal plan through Christ and his body, the church. Paul closes the book by describing the provision that God has made so that believers can withstand the worst of satan's attacks and be victoriuos when the battle is over. Philippians continues while Paul is imprisoned in Rome. It is a personal letter of Paul's and the rejoicing within is evident. Even as Jesus had to endure the cross, so we must be ready to follow that example of submission to God if God requires it of us. But we are citizens of heaven and should live with that thought constantly before us. Colossians continues while Paul is imprissoned. In this important letter Paul presents a carefully worked out defense of Christ's deity and glory. Paul warns believers not to be lead astray by "empty philosophies and high sounding nonsense that come from human thinking" Col 2:8. Paul's instructions for Christian living stress the power of God for people and the joy that believers can have when they make use of all the resources that are theirs in Christ. Follow these words all through to Hebrews, my Bible says the author is unclear is some have suggested Paul, Barnabas, Apolos, Pricilla, Luke and others may have written it. Either way, it's an awesome book and great read. So I'm going to dive back in while the kids are resting and get some reading done. Just thought I'd share! Blessings to you all and prayers for a healthy fulfilled beautiful Christian walk with our Saviour.

I looked up Info On Enfamil and found this article

This is one site I looked into, please do lots of research and know your facts. The health of our children is top priority.

Company News
The U.S. FDA Reaffirms the Safety of Enfamil® Infant Formula
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has confirmed that no melamine has been detected in Enfamil infant formula products and that recent media reports indicating that trace levels had been detected were inaccurate.
Mead Johnson remains confident in the safety of our products and so should parents and health care professionals. We maintain stringent standards at all our manufacturing sites around the world to ensure high quality, safe products that parents and healthcare professionals have come to expect from us for over 100 years.
The U.S. FDA issued a statement on November 28, 2008, that said, "FDA's ongoing investigation continues to show that the domestic supply of infant formula is safe and that consumers can continue using U.S. manufactured infant formulas." » See FDA Statement
The U.S. FDA reported that minute levels of cyanuric acid were detected in Enfamil products. At this time we are unable to duplicate those test results. We are continuing to investigate. That said, the FDA confirmed that their reported levels of cyanuric acid are so low that they do not pose a health risk to infants.
Frequently Asked Questions About Cyanuric AcidMedia Reports
Media reports in the U.S. state that melamine has been detected in Enfamil LIPIL® infant formula. Is this true?
The Associated Press incorrectly reported that Enfamil LIPIL contained minute traces melamine. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has since confirmed that no melamine has been detected in Enfamil LIPIL infant formula products and that recent media reports indicating that trace levels had been detected were inaccurate. The U.S. FDA issued a statement on its website confirming that infant formulas in the US are safe. » See FDA Statement
Why did the media report this misinformation?
The U.S. FDA received a request for the testing data from the Associated Press media outlet. A preliminary report was provided to a reporter under the Freedom of Information Act. It appears that the data reported from the preliminary report were not correct.Melamine and Cyanuric Acid
Has melamine ever been detected in Mead Johnson formulas?
Mead Johnson's own testing, conducted by a third party laboratory using a published US FDA testing methodology, as well as tests conducted by the FDA, have never detected the presence of melamine in any of Mead Johnson's products. We maintain stringent standards at all our manufacturing sites around the world to ensure the high quality and safety of our products that our customers have come to expect from Mead Johnson for over 100 years.
Melamine was not found in your product but cyanuric acid was. What is that?
Cyanuric acid is a substance that has several useful benefits. It is a component of some sanitizers used in food manufacturing sites and it may be found in chemically purified drinking water following the World Health Organization (WHO) guidance for safe drinking water.
Are the trace quantities of cyanuric acid in food a health risk?
No. Due to the extremely large margin of safety and the recognized positive public health benefit for use of cyanuric acid salts, there is no reason questioning the safety of a trace amount of cyanuric acid found in foods or formula products.
Is cyanuric acid present in other foods?
Yes. In the World Health Organization Guidelines for Drinking-Water, the typical concentration of cyanuric acid resulting from maintaining microbiological safety is approximately 40 mg/L of water. That, for comparison, is approximately 80 times greater than the minute levels of cyanuric acid reported to have been found by the FDA.
Are there safe limits for cyanuric acid and melamine?
A report issued by the World Health Organization (WHO) addresses the risk assessment of melamine and cyanuric acid. The WHO report summarizes tolerable daily intakes ("TDI") for total melamine and cyanuric acid for infants from several regulatory bodies around the world. Significantly, under WHO's risk assessment, the minute level of cyanuric acid reportedly found in Mead Johnson's products (0.247 ppm) was far below that thought to present any risk to infant health.
How could trace quantities of cyanuric acid be found in infant formula?
Minute quantities (parts per billion) of residual sanitizer used to clean formula-processing equipment and utensils could be detected with modern analytical technology that is capable of measuring ultra trace quantities of chemical substances. Concentrations at these extremely low levels, if they occur at all, are not a food safety concern and have no effect on the final product, similar to finding water spots on dishes.
Why did the US FDA find cyanuric acid and Mead Johnson's testing did not?
At this time we are unable to duplicate test results reported by the FDA that minute trace levels of cyanuric acid were detected in a sampling our infant formula. We are continuing to investigate. That said, the FDA confirmed that their reported levels of cyanuric acid are so low that they do not pose a health risk to infants.
Does the presence of cyanuric acid mean that melamine is present?
No. Melamine and cyanuric acid are compounds in the same chemical family. The FDA- approved uses of cyanuric acid can result in ultra-trace amounts of cyanuric acid in food products. It does not mean that melamine is present. This is especially true if the product is tested for the presence of melamine and none is found. Mead Johnson tests its products for the presence of melamine and none has been found.
Do you test for Cyanuric Acid? If so, have you found it in your product?
Yes. Mead Johnson tests for the presence of cyanuric acid. Mead Johnson's own testing, conducted by a third party laboratory using a published U.S. FDA testing methodology, has never detected the presence of cyanuric acid in our products.
What are the uses for cyanuric acid?
Among the many approved beneficial use for cyanuric acid, the FDA has approved it for use as a sanitizer that may be safely used on food-processing equipment and utensils used in the manufacture of infant formula. Routine sanitizing of processing equipment is an important step to our commitment to the quality and safety of our products and is part of Good Manufacturing Practice requirements.
Does the FDA have a position on melamine and cyanuric acid found infant formula?
Yes, on November 28, 2008, the FDA stated that the "FDA's ongoing investigation continues to show that the domestic supply of infant formula is safe and that consumers can continue using U.S. manufactured infant formulas. FDA has concluded that levels of melamine alone or cyanuric acid alone, at or below 1 part per million (ppm) in infant formula do not raise public health concerns."
Consumer Contact:www.enfamil.com1-800-BABY123Media Contact:Gail.Wood@bms.com(812)429-7800Health Care Professionals Contact:MJMedicalAffairs@bms.com(812)429-6399

Another Reason We Can’t Trust the FDA: Melamine is Now Safe for Infant Consumption

This was surprising to me, I thought I'd share just to make some moms aware of what we may not know. Thanks Ruth for the link to the website http://ecochildsplay.com/. I love it and will have fun exploring it more!

The FDA has come out with a “safe” level of melamine in Infant Formula. Just weeks ago, the FDA stated it couldn’t determine a safe level of melamine for human infants (Oct. 3, 2008- “the US FDA cannot establish a level of melamine and its analogues in [infant formula] that does not raise public health concerns.”).
Of course there isn’t a safe level, look what happened in China. (Melamine was added in China Formulas to fool protein content tests and was at a much higher level than what was found in U.S. Formula Brands. At least 3 infants died from contaminated formula in China.)While watching CBS news this evening, I was SHOCKED to hear Dr. Daniel Rauch, a pediatrician at New York University’s Langone Medical Center state “We think it’s safe.” Since when is THINKING something is safe okay? Is this an innocent until proven guilty situation? Do CHILDREN HAVE TO DIE before our government steps up to the plate?
» Read more on Health
» See peer reviews of Vitamins, Supplements and Herbal Remedies at Green Home
Dr. Rauch went on to say, “But the bottom line is that we don’t really know, and zero would be best.” Despite this, the FDA has set a safe level for melamine (and related chemicals like cyanuric acid) at 1 ppm (one part per million). All three major formula manufacturers have tested positive for levels of melamine at less than 1 ppm.
CBS gives this advice to parents looking for an alternative, “about 90 percent of all infant formulas produced in the U.S. are made by the three companies whose products tested positive for contaminants.” (Enfamil, Good Start and Similac all have tested positive for melamine or cyanuric acid. No samples have tested positive for both contaminants.) In other words, if you formula feed your child, there is NO SAFE ALTERNATIVE. You can’t backtrack and start breastfeeding months into your child’s life. Infants not breastfed MUST be fed infant formula or they risk malnutrition and its serious health risks.
This asinine move by the FDA reaffirms that they are not to be trusted. According to the FDA; BPA is safe, Melamine is safe, FD&C Food Colorants are safe, BHT & BHA are safe… AT THE LEVELS USED IN OUR FOOD, what happens when all these so called safe levels are combined in our bodies over a lifetime. Death? Cancer? ADHD? Fatigue? IBS? Birth Defects?
We cannot allow our children to be treated like test rats! The FDA is exhibiting more concern over corporate America than the health and well being of American children.
So, what do we do? We get the word out. We let the FDA and related government know that we will not stand for this continued ignorance! Demand they begin to set safety standards based on science not on big business. If you are an expectant parent, BREASTFEED (at least until a safe formula supply is available) because we don’t know what potential dangers the current contaminated formulas could represent. If you are feeding your child infant formula, check the FDA test list to see if there is an alternative that has tested negative for melamine and cyanuric acid. If there isn’t an alternative, check with your pediatrician. Chances are good that you should continue to feed your child the formula, this is a measured evils situation. We know malnutrition arising from improper feeding is deadly. Whatever you do… DO NOT STOP feeding your baby (less than 12 months old) infant formula or breastmilk. That is a decision that could prove tragic.