Londonware Fleece Diaper Cover or Reusable Snack Bag Winner

Congratulations, SCMOMOF2BOYS, you've won the fleece diaper cover or reusable snack bag of your choice from Londonware. (Check your email for a note from us shortly.)

Thanks to everyone who entered our giveaway!

Be sure to check out all the wonderful items for babies and children at Londonware.

Little Alouette Natural Wooden Teether Winner

Congratulations to lil misses' mama, you've won a surprise teether from Little Alouette. (Please, check your email for a note from us.)

Thanks to everyone who entered this giveaway!

Be sure to check out all the wonderful natural wooden teethers and toys at Little Alouette.

Wonderful Posts

:: My friend, Kristin, from Bits & Pieces from My Life has a wonderful post today on being the aroma of Christ.

You can start reading here and see a beautiful photo of her little girl. Then finish reading at Internet Cafe Devotions where Kristin is the Guest Barista today.

“For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing.” (2 Corinthians 2:15)

:: Also, be sure to check out Lindsay's post, Letting Go of Unrealistic Expectations. This is definitely something I'm working on as a wife.

Review & Giveaway: The Pink Zebra {closed}

Our son, Jonathan has been walking for a few months now and loves to wear shoes. He even wants to wear them inside, so we thought a pair of comfy slippers would be the next best thing.

We were delighted when Linda, owner of The Pink Zebra, agreed to send us a pair of her adorable slippers to review.

Linda has been crafting for over 40 years and loves making quality items for little ones!

The slippers arrived sealed in a labeled bag and perfect for gift giving.

Jonathan loves his new slippers and likes wearing them around the house. I like that the slippers are so well made and keep him from slipping on our hardwood floors.

The Pink Zebra's slippers are available in a wide variety of fun fabrics and are lined with soft and comfy fleece. They also have an enclosed soft knit elastic to keep them on wiggly little feet. Slippers size 6 months and up have white gripper fabric soles to help keep little explorers from slipping.

Linda's slippers are all reasonably priced at $11 or $12 depending on the style. Toddler sized slippers are also available for only $1 more.

The Pink Zebra also carries a vast assortment of other quality handmade items for babies and children, such as aprons, bibs & burp cloths, crayon roll ups, girls' clothing, strap covers, and seat buddies.

Here are some more of our favorite things from The Pink Zebra. Simply click on each picture to view the listing or browse through the entire shop.

Buy It:
You can purchase your own slippers for your little one by visiting The Pink Zebra. If you make a purchase, please let Linda know that you found out about the shop at A Heart For Home.

Linda has graciously offered to make everyone a winner by offering FREE SHIPPING when you make a purchase. Simply let her know that you found out about her shop at A Heart for Home and she will refund your shipping! Thanks, Linda!

Win It:
The Pink Zebra is offering one of our readers a pair of slippers of their choice (subject to material availability).


To Enter This Giveaway:

Mandatory
1. Head over to The Pink Zebra and browse through the slipper selection. Then come back here and leave a comment telling us which pair of slippers you might choose if you win.

Make sure you leave an email address with each entry if it is not posted in your profile. (If we don't have your email address we will have to choose a new winner.)

For additional entries you may do any (or all) of the following. Please leave a separate comment for each entry. If you complete one of the following that is worth more than one entry, please leave the corresponding number of comments so your extra entries will be counted!

For ONE Additional Entry EACH

2. "Heart" The Pink Zebra on Etsy (1 entry) ~ mark as a favorite shop

3. Leave a comment telling us which (non-slipper) item in Linda's shop is your favorite (1 entry)

4. Follow our blog publicly through Google Friend or subscribe using a reader (1 entry)

5. Follow us through Twitter ~ leave your twitter ID in your comment (1 entry)

6. Tweet about this giveaway ~ leave the URL to your tweet & include @heart4home & #Giveaway. (1 entry) Feel free to use this tweet: Win an adorable Pair of Slippers for your Baby from The Pink Zebra @heart4home #Giveaway http://tinyurl.com/y8cgbsl (Ends 2/11) Please RT

7. Spread the news about this giveaway on Facebook (1 entry)

For TWO Additional Entries EACH

8. Place our blog button on your blog (copy the code from the box in our left sidebar) ~ leave the URL & let us know where we can find it (2 entries)

9. Place The Pink Zebra's button on your blog ~ leave the URL & let us know where we can find it (2 entries)


<center><a href=" http://www.etsy.com/shop/ThePinkZebra/" target="_blank"><img border="0" src=" http://i443.photobucket.com/albums/qq160/aHeart4home/Blog/ScreenHunter_30Jan081056.jpg" /></a></center>

For THREE Additional Entries

10. Post about and link to this giveaway on your blog ~ leave the Permalink to your post (3 entries)

Giveaway will end at 11:59 EST on February 11, 2010. Open to US residents only. Winners will be chosen using a random number generator. Winners will be contacted via email and will have 48 hours to respond before I choose a new winner.

Make sure you leave a way for us to contact you.

Photo Credit: The Pink Zebra & A Heart for Home

(While the Slippers were provided to A Heart for Home for review, no other compensation was given. All remarks are the personal and honest opinions of A Heart for Home)

Click here to see the entire Blog Hop List....

Haiti Silent Auction Starts Today!

Please, consider visiting This Mama Rocks! and participating in the Haiti Silent Auction. There are 48 separate prizes to be won and 100% of the proceeds go directly to the American Red Cross to help families in Haiti. Click here or the button below for more information and to view the different auctions. All auctions will close at 12 midnight on Saturday, January 30th.

Funky Friends Factory Winner

Congratulations to coccinelle! You've won the pattern of your choice from Funky Friends Factory. (You should receive an email from us shortly.)

Everyone else, please check out the adorable patterns Pauline has in her shop.

Review & Giveaway: Eco-Friendly & Frugal {closed}

As most of you know, we will soon have another little blessing added to our family. Soon meaning, it could happen any day now, although my "official" estimated due date isn't until February 20th.

Even though Jonathan is still in cloth diapers, since he goes on the potty fairly regularly a lot of our diapering supplies have long been put away. Now with a newborn on the way, we've been digging out baby items and evaluating our diapering supplies once again.

One thing we noticed that we are desperately lacking in is the number of reusable wipes we have. We have a small stack of baby wash cloths that we regularly use as wipes, but not nearly enough to keep up with the cleaning demands of a newborn. For this reason, we were very excited when Jaye, owner of Eco-Friendly & Frugal agreed to send us a set of her reusable Dirty Dipes Butt Wipes to review.

"Cloth wipes help reduce wipe and toilet paper waste and can be washed in your regular washing machine and reused! Using cloth wipes on your baby also means avoiding potentially harmful solutions that are used to soak regular baby wipes."

"Cloth wipes are great to use with cloth diapering, as mouth wipes for babies and kids (though preferable NOT the same ones you use to wipe their butts), and soft tissues." They also make fun and reusable kid sized cloth napkins.

Dirty Dipes Butts Wipes (isn't that fun to say?) are 8 by 8 inch squares that fold in half to fit perfectly into a baby wipes container. Jaye uses a turned and top-stitched design NOT a surged design for added strength and durability.

We chose to review this adorable set of Beautiful Trees Dirty Dipes Butt Wipes. They arrived quickly and tied with a colorful ribbon, making them perfectly ready for gift giving.

One side of the wipes is a bright and fun cotton fabric. The other side is a coordinating soft striped flannel. These wipes washed beautifully and are now even softer than when they first arrived. Emahry & Jonathan love these cloth wipes. Every time I need a wipe for Jonathan, Emahry digs through the pile to find one of these "tree wipes."

Jaye has also recently added minky backed Dirty Dipes Butt Wipes to her shop. I can't even begin to imagine how soft these wipes are!

Each set of Dirty Dipes Butts Wipes consists of 5 quality made reusable wipes. All of Eco-Friendly & Frugal's cloth wipes are reasonably priced at $6.50 for flannel sets and $12.00 for minky sets.

Eco-Friendly & Frugal also carries nursing covers, unPaper towels, and tote bags.

Here are some more of our favorite things from Eco-Friendly and Frugal. Simply click on each picture to view the listing or browse through the entire shop.

Buy It:
You can purchase your own set of Dirty Dipes Butt Wipes by visiting Eco-Friendly & Frugal.

Jaye has generously offered A Heart for Home readers a 10% Discount in the form of a PayPal refund if you make a purchase during this giveaway period. That's right, make a purchase from Eco-Friendly & Frugal before Monday, February 8th and let Jaye know that you found her shop through A Heart For Home and she will refund 10% of your purchase.

Win It:
Eco-Friendly & Frugal is offering one of our readers a set of their choice of flannel backed Dirty Dipes Butt Wipes (subject to material availability).

To Enter This Giveaway:

Mandatory
1. Head over to Eco-Friendly & Frugal's shop. Then come back here and leave a comment telling us which set of Dirty Dipes Butt Wipes you'd like to win.

Make sure you leave an email address with each entry if it is not posted in your profile. (If we don't have your email address we will have to choose a new winner.)

For additional entries you may do any (or all) of the following. Please leave a separate comment for each entry. If you complete one of the following that is worth more than one entry, please leave the corresponding number of comments so your extra entries will be counted!

For ONE Additional Entry EACH

2. Heart Eco-Friendly & Frugal on Etsy (mark them as a favorite shop) (1 entry)

3. Publicly Follow Eco-Friendly & Frugal's blog through Google Friend Connect. (1 entry)

4. Follow Eco-Friendly & Frugal on Twitter (EFandFrugal)~ leave your twitter ID in your comment (1 entry)

5. Follow our blog publicly through Google Friend or subscribe using a reader (1 entry)

6. Follow us on Twitter ~ leave your twitter ID in your comment (1 entry)

7. Tweet about this giveaway ~ leave the URL to your tweet & include @heart4home & #Giveaway. (1 entry) Feel free to use this tweet: Win a set of Dirty Dipes Butt Wipes from Eco-Friendly & Frugal @heart4home #Giveaway http://tinyurl.com/yeqqamu (Ends 2/8) Please RT

8. Spread the news about this giveaway on Facebook (1 entry)

For TWO Additional Entries EACH

8. Place our blog button on your blog (copy the code from the box in our left sidebar)~ leave the URL & let us know where we can find it (2 entries)

9. Place Eco-Friendly & Frugal's button on your blog ~ leave the URL & let us know where we can find it (2 entries)


<center><a target="_blank" href="http://ecofriendlyandfrugal.blogspot.com/"><img alt="Eco-Friendly and Frugal" src="http://i187.photobucket.com/albums/x123/jebuellwedding/EFF%20Blog/efandfrugalbutton.jpg" /></a></a></center>

For THREE Additional Entries

10. Post about and link to this giveaway on your blog ~ leave the Permalink to your post (3 entries)

The giveaway will end Monday, February 8th at 11:59 Midnight EST. We will pick the winner through random.org.

Make sure you leave a way for us to contact you.

Photo Credit: Eco-Friendly & Frugal & A Heart for Home

(While the cloth wipes were provided to A Heart for Home for review, no other compensation was given. All remarks are the personal and honest opinions of A Heart for Home)

Preparing for Spring: Recycled Newspaper Starter Pots

I can tell that the promise of spring is in the air, because Tim is once again talking about gardening.

Seed starter, plant variety, garden placement, and cold frames have all come up in recent conversations.

So, just in case anyone else is feeling the itch to get started, why not begin making your own recycled newspaper starter pots?

This is the perfect time to start, when you still have enough time to make them at your leisure before the rush of the planting season is in full swing.

Click here for our easy, step-by-step tutorial.

"There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under heaven:
... a time to plant and a time to uproot"

~Ecclesiates 3:1 & 2b NIV (emphasis added)

Roar of a Snore

Roar of a Snore
Written by Marsha Diane Arnold
Illustrated by Pierre Pratt

Here is a summary from the back of the book.

This engaging book is a fun read for the entire family. Even small children will be able to "read" along with the building repetition similar to the classic "There was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly."

The clever rhyming gets funnier as Jack wakes up more members of the family to find the producer of the snore. The illustrations are also fun and childlike.

We all have enjoyed this book. In fact, I'm not sure who likes it more, Tim or Emahry :)

Definitely look for it on your next library trip.

Roar of a Snore is also available new from Amazon for only $6.99. It is also eligible for Free Super Saver Shipping if you spend $25.

Disclaimer: The links provided are Amazon Associate links.

Bathed in Early Morning Light

"Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed,
for his compassions never fail.

They are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.

I say to myself, "The LORD is my portion;
therefore I will wait for him."

~Lamentations 3:22-24 NIV

See who else is participating in Wordless Wednesday by visiting 5 Minutes for Mom.

Questions With Answers: God & Creation CD Winner

Congratulations to the monkey's mama. You've won a copy of the Questions With Answers: God & Creation CD from Songs for Saplings. (You should receive an email shortly.)

If you didn't win, you can still order your own copy of this great CD or any of the other wonderful CDs from Songs for Saplings here.

Thanks to all who entered. Be sure to keep an eye out for 2 more CD giveaways from Songs for Saplings!

My Morning Prayer

Lord, today help me to be cheerful, not cranky or irritable. Help me to see lack of sleep as a blessing. Help it to be a reminder that there are little ones who depend on me and that my belly is full of active new life.

Help me to be hard on myself, not excusing my imperfections, but holding myself accountable to your standard. On the other hand, guide me in gently correcting, instructing, and extending grace to those around me, keeping in mind the magnitude of grace that has been given to me.

Only through your grace and strength can I do anything of value today. Thank you Lord!

Amen

"Womanly Dominion" Giveaway at Passionate Homemaking

Lindsay at Passionate Homemaking is sponsoring a giveaway of 7 copies of Mark Chanski's book, Womanly Dominion: More Than A Gentle and Quiet Spirit.

Click here for your chance to enter.

Soles4Souls Shoe Donation

This is copied from an e-mail I received from the children's shoe company See Kai Run.

Dear Friends of See Kai Run,

By now you have heard about the overwhelming devastation caused by a 7.0 earthquake, which struck Port-au-Prince, Haiti on Tuesday evening, and the desperate need for supplies and donations.

In response to the dire need, See Kai Run has put together an emergency shoe donation of nearly 3,000 pairs to help the children in this ravaged part of the world. The donated shoes will be distributed through Soles4Souls, the international charity dedicated to providing footwear to disadvantaged people around the world. According to Soles4Souls, a sturdy pair of shoes is absolutely necessary in times like these when the amount of broken glass, twisted metal and raw sewage is staggering.

What Can You Do to Help?
Soles4Souls accepts ongoing shoe donations from individuals and retailers. You can donate new or gently worn shoes that are just taking up space in your closet -- every little bit counts. Just bind each pair with rubber bands and drop them off at a participating location. Or, send them to a Soles4Souls warehouse facility.

Please visit Soles4Souls to find out other ways you can donate.

Sincerely,

The See Kai Run Team

The Blessing of Books

Since moving to a new area in August we've discovered a wonderful resource for children's books. The community in which we now live participates in Dolly Parton's Imagination Library. This means that every child in the area from birth to age five is eligible to receive a free hardback book every month. All we had to do was sign up online and Emahry and Jonathan began receiving their free books.

This program has been such a blessing to our family. Like many of you, we definitely do not have the funds to purchase two brand new, hardback books every month. Receiving these quality books has also added freshness to our home library without the time or stress of a weekly or bi-weekly library trip into the city.

Someday, I hope to frequent the public library once again. However, for this season, with soon to be three little ones under the age of three and trying to cut back on expenses such as gas, it's been wonderful to look forward to the middle of each month when two new books arrive in the mail.

Thanks to this program, we can now begin to share some children's reading posts with you. We are by no means experts in children's literature, but maybe we can introduce you to a new favorite, or (hopefully not) steer you away from a book that should be left on the shelf.

For some wonderful children's book ideas, please visit my friend Kristin. She is a homeschooling mom of four, an avid reader, and a wonderful writer who is striving to pass her love for the Lord on to her children. I always find her posts on children's books to be very helpful. Be sure to check out her other posts as well, I'm sure you'll come away with something of value.

Be sure to check on the Imagination Library site to see if this program is offered in your area.

Also, be sure to stop by or join in Children's Book Mondays at A Path Made Straight.

Please, let me know of any other Children's Literature Weekly Blog Events.

Review & Giveaway: Funky Friends Factory {closed}

Pauline is the mastermind behind the wonderful patterns at Funky Friends Factory. She began making ‘baby-safe bunnies’ for all her friends’ babies with sewn on faces and no chewable, choke-able bits. They were so popular that she moved on to mass-production.

Pauline has been sewing and knitting her own toys and dolls since she was young, but realize as an adult that you’re never too old to do what you love! She is thrilled to see other people get enjoyment from her creations and hopes you will enjoy her little critters as much as she does.

I was very excited when Pauline emailed me my very own Mitch the Monkey Plush Toy Pattern.

"Mitch the Monkey is the sweetest little monkey. He loves to snuggle up to sleepy children, especially if they feed him bananas for breakfast! He’s a simple pattern, so he’ll be nice and quick to make.

Mitch also makes a fantastic bedtime buddy for toddlers (boys and girls). They won't mind going to bed as much if they've got a mischievous little monkey playmate."

I've looked through Pauline's PDF pattern, and it is very easy to follow. It includes a color photo of the finished toy, a detailed list of materials, step-by-step instructions, layout diagrams, and clearly labeled pattern pieces. Mitch is designed to be made out of a stretchable fabric, such as fleece, but can really be made from any fabric. The finished Mitch is 17 inches tall.

I can't wait to make this adorable monkey for our little ones. They may even each get their very own Mitch the Monkey, that's the beautiful thing about owning the pattern.

Most of the Funky Friends Factory Stuffed Toys can be made in an uninterupted day and the patterns and instructions are simple enough even for CHILDREN (under supervision!) and BEGINNERS.

All of Funky Friends Factory's patterns can be made for personal use and gifts and to sell in limited numbers if the toy is labeled or tagged ‘Made from a Funky Friends Factory pattern’.

We usually pick 4 other items from the shop we are featuring to show you, but I couldn't limit my favorites to only 4, so there are a couple more this time :) Simply click on each picture for more details.

Buy It:
Go check out all of the wonderful patterns for yourself at Funky Friends Factory. If you make a purchase, please let Pauline know that you found out about the shop at A Heart For Home. All of Pauline's soft toy patterns are $9.99 and can be delivered directly to your email so you don't have to worry about shipping. You can also purchase 4 patterns of your choice in a bundle pack for only $29.99.

Win It:
Funky Friends Factory is offering one of our readers their choice of any pattern from their shop.

To Enter This Giveaway:

Mandatory
1. Head over to Funky Friends Factory and browse through the patterns. Then come back here and leave a comment telling us which pattern is your favorite.

Make sure you leave an email address with each entry if it is not posted in your profile. (If we don't have your email address we will have to choose a new winner.)

For additional entries you may do any (or all) of the following. Please leave a separate comment for each entry. If you complete one of the following that is worth more than one entry, please leave the correct number of comments so your extra entries will be counted!

2. Heart Funky Friends Factory on Etsy. (1 entry)

3. Become a Fan of Funky Friends Factory on Facebook. (1 entry)

4. Follow our blog publicly through Google Friend or subscribe using a reader (1 entry)

5. Follow us through Twitter ~ leave your twitter ID in your comment (1 entry)

6. Tweet about this giveaway ~ leave the URL to your tweet & include @heart4home & #Giveaway. (1 entry) Feel free to use this tweet: Win the Plush Toy Pattern of your choice from Funky Friends Factory @heart4home #Giveaway http://tinyurl.com/ybrnwh7 (Ends 1/25) Please RT

7. Spread the news about this giveaway on Facebook (1 entry)

8. Place our blog button on your blog (copy the code from the box in our left sidebar)~ leave the URL & let us know where we can find it (2 entries)

9. Place Funky Friends Factory button on your blog ~ leave the URL & let us know where we can find (2 entries)


<center><a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/FunkyFriendsFactory/"><img border="0" src="http://i443.photobucket.com/albums/qq160/aHeart4home/Blog/ScreenHunter_05Jan080755.jpg" /></a></center>

10. Post about and link to this giveaway on your blog ~ leave the Permalink to your post (3 entries)

The giveaway will end Monday, January 25th at 11:59 Midnight EST. We will pick the winner through random.org.

Make sure you leave a way for us to contact you.

Photo Credit: Funky Friends Factory

(While the PDF pattern for Mitch the Monkey was provided to A Heart for Home for review, no other compensation was given. All remarks are the personal and honest opinions of A Heart for Home)

Click here to see the entire Blog Hop List....

Emahry's Famous Words

Here are a few of Emahry's favorite words and phrases.

"Emahry do her all by self."

"Emahry all done sleepin'."

"What ya doin'?"

"Pardon me?"

"Emahry like that very much." Usually used when someone is eating or drinking something that she wants.

In response to, "What are you doing?". ~ "Nofin'." (nothing)

and her most used phrase..."Emahry hungry" which of course is said with a very pitiful voice and sad puppy dog eyes.

What are your children's favorite phrases? We'd love to hear.

Sledding

This past week we received our second snowfall of the season. It was only a few inches, but Tim and Emahry had a blast sledding. Jonathan and I only ventured out once. Let's just say, Jonathan does not like being bundled up.

How's the weather where you live? Are you enjoying heaps of snow or basking in sunshine?

Happy 2010!

We've "enjoyed" a whirlwind of activity visiting family and friends over the Christmas holiday.

Now, I am pleased to say we are back home and getting back into the swing of things around here. Suitcases have finally been unpacked and yesterday Tim and I organized all of the files for 2009 and set up the ones for 2010.

We have been passing around a cold since returning home, but thankfully Tim is feeling better and has been able to carry a lot of the weight around here. (Thanks, honey!)

We'd love to here about your holiday celebrations and your plans for the new year. Just leave us a comment.