Blog Linkage, Family Devotions, Pre-Party, The Party, Post Party AND How Can So Many CUTE People Take Such Not-So-Cute Pictures?

Good Saturday morn!

Blog Linkage - Go to www.kellehampton.com and click on her post entitled "You've Got Mail Fall Movie Night," and read every single word.

Look at every single picture.

Such a fun idea!

RANDOMNESS #1 - Family Devotions - I found a Bible Study I enjoyed on Instagram this week, and it was all about the importance of teaching the children in our lives (beginning at a very young age) everything we possibly can about the Bible.

The importance of helping them memorize scripture.

The importance of being in God's Word daily.

The importance of worship music.

The importance of prayer.

The importance of obedience.

This "Important List" continues to grow as the child grows.

Deuteronomy 6:6-9 says, "These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates."

NOTE FROM ENCHANTING BELINDA - The above scripture is as clear and concise as it gets, isn't it?

Bejeweled Pumpkin

You will need the following:

Pumpkin
Tulle
Ribbon
Bag of Gemstones (Dollar Tree)
Hot Glue Gun

Things to do pre-Devotion:

1. Cut a hole in the top of the pumpkin, but DON'T take any pulp out of the pumpkin. Remove it to make sure it comes off easily, and then replace it.

2. Get a large square of tulle, and place the pumpkin in the center of the square.

3. Gather all the edges of the tulle up around the stem, and tie a pretty ribbon around the base of the stem to hold the tulle in place.

NOTE FROM ENCHANTING BELINDA - Do NOT glue the tulle around the top of the pumpkin. You need to be able to untie the ribbon, push the tulle away and lift the top to look inside during the devotion.

4. After securing the tulle with the ribbon, decorate on top of the tulle using the hot glue and gemstones.

ANOTHER NOTE FROM ENCHANTING BELINDA - I got this picture from the computer, but it is very similar to the one I made back in the day (minus the ribbon and gemstones).

Now you are ready to call the family together for the Devotion.

Devotion – There are two words I am going to use a lot in the next few minutes. The first one is "pretty," and the second one is "beautiful." You can be a very pretty person on the outside, but did you know God is much more interested about how you look on the inside?

Share 1 Peter 3:3-4.

“Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes. Instead it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight.”

This does not mean it is wrong to fix/curl/braid/straighten/etc. your hair or dress in stylish clothes. It doesn't mean you can't wear bracelets and rings and earrings with your outfits.

God created girls. He knows they love pretty things. They like to try new hairstyles and dress up in all kinds of fun clothes. God understands the way a girl's mind works, because he made you.

But more important than the way you look on the outside, God wants to see you spend time and energy striving to be beautiful on the inside. He wants you to have a beautiful heart.

Even when a woman grows very old and her physical beauty fades, she can still be very beautiful if she has spent time during her life acquiring the kind of beauty God truly appreciates.

Let’s look at this pumpkin more closely.

I am going to untie the ribbon and pull the tulle back...

And look! The top of this pumpkin has been cut. I am going to take the top off so we can see inside.

(Let the girls take turns seeing the yucky inside of the pumpkin. Make sure they smell it, too.)

This pumpkin looks so beautiful on the outside, but when we look closely, it is NOT beautiful on the inside, is it?

Do you think God knows when someone is pretty on the outside, but not pretty on the inside?

Do you think God knows when girls say mean things, or do not share or do not treat their brothers and sisters nicely?

Yes, He does.

No matter how much you might try to hide what is on your inside, you can hide nothing from God.

YET ANOTHER NOTE FROM ENCHANTING BELINDA - This will be a good time to tell/remind them that no one can be "good" all the time. We all make mistakes and sin, but God is merciful and forgiving of our sins when we talk to Him in prayer.

Being beautiful on the inside isn't something that just happens. It takes a lot of work every single day...

But as you grow up and get older and older and older, how wonderful would it be to have "the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit"?

And even better than that...

To know "it is of great worth in God's sight."

Let's pray.

RANDOMNESS #2 - Pre-Party - Little Miss showed up for the September/October birthday party in all of her "cupcake" finery...

And that is why she gets her very own RANDOMNESS Pre-Party Section.

RANDOMNESS #3 - THE Party - Courtney's birthday is September 14...

Roxie's birthday is September 25...

And Josh's birthday is October 4.

That is why a few years ago, we started celebrating these three together.

I went with a Luau party theme...

And it seemed to fit everyone's mood.

Remember I told you I would show you Bev's birthday gift to me in the next post?

Do ya?

Well, here it is!

The tallest bassett is Eunice, and I've had her since Judith was the only Grandtot.

The shorter bassett is Rufus, Walter or whatever. It is still undecided.

All I can say...

The only thing better than one giant plastic bassett hound...

Has to be TWO giant plastic bassett hounds!

Looks like she agrees.

RANDOMNESS #3 - Post Party - Mimi and Boss (Melia's parents) sent their inflatable bounce house over for the day's festivities, and it made everyone pretty happy.

RANDOMNESS #4 - How Can So Many CUTE People Take Such Not-So-Cute Pictures? - All Roxie wanted was one good pic of her with her nieces and nephew.

She might as well have asked for $1,000,000!

Honestly, we still had a great deal of hope at this point of the picture-taking process...

But by the time we took this one, I could tell Eden wasn't going to willingly hang around much longer...

And Little Miss ME had spotted some hair within pulling distance.

In other words, things were going south quickly.

Not getting any better!

And we are OUT!

I hope you and yours have a wonderful cool, autumnal weekend.

I'll be back soon with another October Family Devotion and more pics!

Sincerely,

The Enchanting Belinda

Some call it multi-tasking, but I call it doing something else while I try to remember what I was doing in the first place.

Weekend Happenings, Devotions from a Pumpkin Patch (Mum Pumpkin), Halloween Party Games, Wedding News

Good Friday afternoon!

Betcha thought I was a no-show, didn't ya?

I had a busy, fun Friday, so I'm a little late, but as long as I post before midnight, we should be okay.

NOTE TO ANDREA - Hey, Girl... I decided to answer your Comment Questions in the blog this week.

Katie and T. J. are moving to a place called Pittsburgh, Texas. (Mike and I spent some time in San Antonio about eight years ago AND loved it!)

I'll post a pic of the entire Mother of the Groom ensemble after the wedding, I guess.

Roxie is wearing a beautiful dark purple dress along with the other bridesmaids.

Austin and Melia are going on a mini-moon after the wedding to the mountains, and they are planning a big honeymoon during Spring Break.

That is all I know right now!

RANDOMNESS #1 - I haven't taken any new pics since Monday's Pumpkin Party, so, here are some favorite photos from October, 2011 to hold you until next Tuesday...















RANDOMNESS #2 - Wedding News - This time next week, we'll be having the Rehearsal Dinner for Austin and Melia's wedding.

That seems totally and completely unreal.

This weekend, Melia is having a party given to her by her Bridesmaids...

And Austin is having his Bachelor's Party (a/k/a PAINTBALL).

Things are quickly approaching warp speed, and there are only EIGHT MORE DAYS UNTIL THE ACTUAL WEDDING!

It is an exciting time for all of us (the Vines and the Faulkners), and I'm thankful our family will be growing in just a few more days.

And the pictures...

The very idea of having a professional photographer taking hundreds and hundreds of pictures of EVERYTHING that will be happening next Saturday makes me very, very happy.

I can hardly wait!

Devotions from a Pumpkin Patch

Mum Deliveries

I am going to challenge you to buy a nice pumpkin or a beautiful pot of mums to take to an elderly neighbor or relative this week. They are not very expensive. Take the gift (with your child or children) to the neighbor. (Always let your children see you doing a good deed. They learn so much better by "seeing" than by being told.)

If you want to make some muffins and take the neighbor one or two for their breakfast the next morning along with the pumpkin or mums, that would make it even better.

There's nothing better than receiving an unexpected gift on a pretty fall Wednesday or Thursday... except for giving one.


Way Back When...

These two items were first posted in October of 2009.

Halloween Party Ideas

As you all know, I'm a big Scavenger Hunt fan. Here are some ideas for a Halloween Scavenger Hunt.

Scavenger Hunt - Make a list of objects to gather. They can be themed or completely random. Make sure you have a copy of the item list, too. See below for suggestions to get you started:

AAA battery
Acorn
Apple
Black fingernail polish
Blood-red lipstick
Broom
Candy corn
Golf ball
Gourd
Head of garlic
Indian corn
Lock of black, red or gray hair
Map of USA
Miniature pumpkin
Orange sock
Pie tin
Sewing needle
Spider (real or fake)
Thread
Today's newspaper
Toothpick
Tootsie Roll
Whistle

Get the permission of your neighbors, particularly if the scavenger hunt will be on foot. Let them know the types of things everyone will be searching for and discuss what limits and rules you intend to share.

You'll need a clear set of rules for participants. What are the boundaries of the search? The timetable? Of course, make it clear that stealing or "borrowing" is not allowed under any circumstances; nor is driving unsafely or running through anyone's hedge or garden.

Halloween Games

Mummy Wrap - Divide guests up in pairs. Give each pair a roll of toilet paper. One team member will be the wrapper, the other will be the mummy. The first team to use up its roll wins. Or you can give each team two rolls of toilet paper and after the mummy is wrapped, he or she must wrap their partner.

Doughnut Race - Divide guests into teams. Hang as many doughnuts as guests from a tree limb or clothesline by string. Without using hands, each guest must catch and eat a doughnut. The first team to finish their doughnuts wins.

What Am I? - Pin or tape a Halloween-themed picture on each guest's back (without the guest seeing what it is). While others can only give yes or no answers, each guest must guess what he or she is.

Pass the Pumpkin - Have one fewer small pumpkins than players. Sit kids in a circle. Play Halloween music while they pass the pumpkins around the circle. When the music stops, the player without a pumpkin is out, but he gets to take a pumpkin with him. The rest of the players continue to play until there is a winner.

These ideas were taken from my Taste of Home Halloween Party Favorites Cookbook.

Slightly Amusing Halloween Story - Whenever we go camping at Guntersville, we always stop at a place called Mike's Warehouse. This building has a little of anything and everything, and we enjoy browsing through the store before we head home. On this particular October Sunday, I noticed a rack of gold lame' Elvis jumpsuits with gigantic black belts and even bigger bell bottoms. There must have been 20 or 30 of these identical Elvis costumes... and they were only $10 apiece.

"Buy one. Buy one NOW," something inside me said.

"No. This is a stupid, stupid purchase... even for only $10," I replied to myself. And then we left Mike's and the rack of gold lame' Elvis jumpsuits on sale for $10 apiece.

Three days later, I was asking the kids what they wanted to be for Halloween. Josh wanted to be a Power Ranger (shocker), and Roxie wanted to be a princess (another shocker), and Austin... Well, Austin wanted to be Elvis.

"What do you mean you want to be Elvis?"

"I think it would be fun, and we already know where we can get a costume."

"Yeah. I'll just make a 2 1/2 hour round trip to pick up a $10 costume and everything will be just fine!" I thought to myself.

"Why didn't you say something three days ago while we were standing in front of the costumes?" I whined.

"I didn't want to be Elvis until today."

Of course. That made perfect sense. How many of us wake up one morning and suddenly want to be Elvis. It happens all the time.

I decided my best course of action would be to get on the phone and see how much it would cost for Mike's to ship me a costume. I spoke to a very nice young lady, and when I told her what I wanted and asked if there were any left on the rack, she started laughing. "Oh, there are plenty on the rack. We have to sell them as a set."

"What does that mean? You have to sell 20 identical gold lame' Elvis jumpsuits at the same time to the same person? What does that mean?" I repeated.

"I know. It doesn't make any sense, but that's what my boss told me."

I sat there quietly trying to figure out how to get her to work with me... and not get fired. Before I could come up with a solution to this ridiculous problem, she cleared her throat and whispered, "I'm going to send you one."

"What?" I couldn't believe my ears. I wasn't going to have to guilt her, or coerce her or bribe her.

"It's stupid to think someone is going to buy all 20 at the same time. Can you pay over the phone with your credit card?" she hissed.

"Yes, I can," I whispered back.

"I'm going to walk down the street to the Post Office at lunch and drop it in the mail for you. You should get it in a couple of days."

"But what about postage?" I asked.

"It's on me," she said. "The day after Halloween the other 19 Elvis jumpsuits are going to be marked down to $1.50 anyway."

Two days later, I held in my hands a beautiful gold lame' Elvis jumpsuit. We had gotten such a deal on the costume, I was able to spring for black hair paint AND an inflatable guitar.

It was one of Austin's finer Halloween memories. And mine, too. I love it when you run into an incredibly kind person. It doesn't happen often enough, does it?

Weekend Happenings

1. Austin is working at Donoho tonight.

2. Josh is at a movie theater with a friend.

3. Roxie is at a football game.

4. Mike and I are about to watch something on Netflix...

And that takes care of Friday night.

5. On Saturday, Roxie and I are going to be taking care of a few miscellaneous "this and that" wedding things before attending a party held in Melia's honor by her Bridesmaids.

6. The guys are on their own Saturday.

7. After church on Sunday, Mike and Josh have planned a Bachelor Party for The Boy/The Man, and paintballs will be flying.

They will not let me come to the paintball field to take pictures, and while that bothers me greatly, I understand my place as Mother of the Groom...

And I know it is highly unusual for the Mother of the Groom to be invited to such an event.

Even to take pictures.

I will abide by the Rules of Etiquette and not attend.

Heavy, heavy sigh.

I'll be back Tuesday with pictures from at least one of the upcoming wedding events, and more Fall stuff for you and your family to enjoy together.

Take care, and I'll talk to you next week.

Sincerely,

The Enchanting Belinda

Weekend Wrap-Up, Blog Linkage, Devotions from a Pumpkin Patch - Rice Krisipies Treat Pumpkins, Wedding News, Way Back When... (All Day Toddler Birthday Party)

Good Tuesday morning!

RANDOMNESS #1 - My great-niece, Lauren, had her 3rd Birthday Celebration this past Saturday. As you can see, the kids did a lot of running around and having fun...

But not very much posing for pics.

Which is how it should be when you're three!


The Birthday Girl, Lauren.


Amber and Mackenzie (with her big Auburn bow)...


And Mackenzie moments later (without her big Auburn bow)!

RANDOMNESS #2 - Bev had a cook-out Saturday evening celebrating Katie's Dental Assistant"shipness." (There just aren't enough good words out there, you know.)

Katie and T. J. are getting married mid-January and moving to Texas, so getting everyone together for a simple Saturday evening cook-out isn't going to be as easy as in the past.


T. J., Katie and Josh.


T. J., Stephanie, Katie and Brad... with a little help from Uncle Mike.


Just Katie and T. J.


This was the only pic I took of Grandmother and Katie Saturday evening...

And Mikie and T. J. kinda RUINED it!

Thank goodness, I have 2,342,100 more from the week before.

RANDOMNESS #3 - Roxie had her annual Pumpkin Party Monday morning since school was not in session.


Halloween EASY Snack Tree.


Pumpkin Carving Station #1.


I have like eight pics of Ally looking exactly like this while carving her pumpkins over the years. It is her signature pumpkin-carving "look."

And it really works for her!


Ragan uses the "overhanded stabbing" technique.

Don't get too close to this Chick when she's working on a pumpkin.


Ragan and Alyssa.


All of the chicks in a totally not-posed picture.


Ally made a State of Alabama with a heart in the center.


Ragan made a Cross.


Alyssa made a Tiger Paw.


Roxie made a Lorax.

I have no idea why, but that is exactly what she made.

I never know what they'll come up with, but it is always pretty entertaining.

RANDOMNESS #4 - Wedding News - Not counting today, there are only 11 days until Austin and Melia's wedding.

Okay.

That's not a lot.

All of Melia's hard work is paying off, and she and Austin are finishing all of the "little" things that need to be done before the big, big, big day.

This weekend, Melia is having a fun get-together with her bridesmaids, and Austin is having his Bachelor Party.

Bachelor Party in this instance means PAINTBALL, BABY!

Well, paintball and food.

I'll have some pics from those two events next Tuesday, I am sure.

Blog Linkage - Click on eighteen25 under My Blog List and read today's post entitled, "Boo to You." Such a cute, cute idea.

Devotions from a Pumpkin Patch

Rice Krispie Treat Pumpkins

You will need the following:

Butter
Rice Krispies
Bag of Marshmallows
Orange Food Coloring
Green Candy for Stem

1. Prepare Rice Krispie Treats from recipe on back of box.

2. Add plenty of orange food coloring.

3. Spray hands with cooking spray and form the pumpkins.

4. Add green candy as the stem before serving.

The kids can help you make the pumpkins, and while everyone is having a snack, read The Pumpkin Patch Parable by Liz Curtis Higgs.


As you can see, an easy, breezy snack AND devotion all in one.

Way Back When...

The first two items were first posted in October of 2009.

All Day Toddler Party

I know you think I'm nuts just by the name of the party alone. But hear me out, please.

Roxie was born 11 days before Josh's third birthday. Three is a very significant birthday because it is really the first birthday a child understands what is going on. They understand the concept of holding up three fingers. They understand birthday cake and blowing out candles. They understand gifts. Oh, they definitely understand gifts. They understand it is the day they were born. It's a biggie!

So with Roxie only 11 days old, I had a little dilemma about what kind of celebration to plan for Josh's third birthday. It needed to incorporate nap times for Roxie, Josh and me. It needed to include big brother who was in kindergarten until noon each day. It needed to take into account the house wasn't perfect, and I wasn't up for cooking for a family party. It also needed to take into account I wasn't up for a house full of three year-old boys for two hours. What to do? What to do?

And then it hit me. An All Day Toddler Party.

First, the cake. Josh loved Winnie-the-Pooh. I had a local bakery fix a large sheet cake with Winnie-the-Pooh decorations in one corner and "Happy Birthday, Josh" written in the middle of the cake. Simple.

Second, I made the schedule. (Are you really surprised?)

10:00 a.m. - Grandmother. (She would have come with Granddaddy, but I was trying to spread it out a little.)
12:00 noon - Austin (Back from kindergarten, but bearing a gift.)
12:30 p.m. - Aunt Bev and Cousin Brad.
3:00 p.m. - Best 2 year-old friend and mom.
5:00 p.m. - Granddaddy. (Came over as soon as he finished work.)
6:00 p.m. - Daddy (Mikie).
6:30 p.m. - Grandma and Grandpa.

The times took into account naps and meals. Each person agreed to the time they would arrive, and no one stayed over an hour. Josh didn't know how many people were coming. He was just excited whenever he heard the doorbell.

Here's the fun part. Each person would ring the doorbell. Josh would open the door and be handed a birthday gift. We would sit in the living room while he opened his gift. We would then go to the kitchen where we lit the candles on his cake, sang "Happy Birthday," blew out the candles, and then served everyone a piece of cake and drink. He would then play with his cousin/friend/toy/etc., say good-bye when they left and we would go about the rest of our day.

The doorbell rang seven times. He received seven gifts (not counting the one or two I had bought for him). He blew his candles out seven times. He was sung to seven times. All of his favorite people came to see HIM and spend one-on-one time with HIM even though he had a new baby sister who had been getting a lot of attention the past 11 days. He LOVED it!

This party could work on many different levels. I think even a teenager would enjoy answering the door all day long and having family and friends shower him/her with gifts and well wishes.

At the end of Josh's special day, I felt he had experienced a wonderful birthday custom-made for a new big brother. And I had experienced a pretty "normal" day considering I had a five year-old, a three year-old and a newborn baby girl. (I even got to take my nap!)

Just a Little Story

Fun fact for you... I have had a little trouble learning life lessons in the past, and I'm pretty sure I'll have some trouble in the future. I'm more than a little stubborn, and I must have the lesson taught again and again and again before it really sinks in.

Imagine my sadness when I realized my precious daughter also had this problem.

Roxie was playing basketball for the Civic Center last year, and a fight broke out between the other team's coach, refs, parents, etc. The police were even called to settle everyone down (which is such a shame for a little girls' basketball game). While the girls stood in the middle of the court and the screaming match moved to the end of the gym, I glanced away from the adults (and I use that term loosely) and looked at Roxie. Oh, no.

Hands on hips, legs slightly apart, pony tail swishing, she and another girl from the other team were having a little disagreement of their own. The other girl had one hand on her hip and the other hand waving in the air. (Her pony tail, too, was swishing.)

I felt Mikie stiffen a little beside me as his attention was now drawn to his daughter in the middle of the basketball court. I glanced to the left on the front row at her two brothers, watched their backs straighten and as if they were one, they turned their heads in my direction. I shook my head "NO." That's all this volatile situation needed. Two young men (6'4" and 6'0" at that time, respectively) settling a 12 year-old girl dispute. No. That would be very bad. Very bad, indeed. In my mind's eye, I could see a taser being used.

The words were getting more heated. Although we couldn't hear what was transpiring, the pony tails looked as if they had a life of their own.

"Should one of us go out there and stop it before it gets out of hand," I asked Mikie, never taking my eyes off the girls.

"I think she can take her," was his reply. I will never understand men. NEVER.

"Of course she can take her," I said through clenched teeth. "That's not the issue. The issue is should we let our 12 year-old DAUGHTER have a FIGHT with another 12 year-old girl. It isn't very Christ-like!"

"I'm pretty sure the other girl started it," he added.

"Again, not the issue, Mikie."

I've said it before, but for Newbies I'll mention it once again. Roxie is considered little by basketball standards. She's a good point guard, but she is smaller than most of the other girls her age. The particular girl she was "having words" with was only a little taller.

I had decided I was going to intervene when a girl on Roxie's team handled the situation for me... beautifully. Kelci, who was taller than both girls, took one step between them and held her hand up to the other girl and shook her head no. She wasn't smiling. She didn't get into a word fight. She just took care of IT. The other little girl visibly backed down. I took a breath and relaxed in my stadium seat. But wait... It wasn't over yet!

Roxie's red head popped around Kelci and with pony tail swishing and hands on hips again, she finished what she had started. This, of course, got the other little girl excited. Unfazed, Kelci stayed in the middle of the dispute separating the girls until the adult fight ended and the game resumed.

Why didn't Roxie let the fight end? Why did she continue when "an angel" stepped in and took care of the situation? Because she's like her mother, that's why. She didn't learn the lesson the first time.

And what does this story have to do with yesterday's post about joy and contentment? I was just thinking about what Paul said, "I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances." We all have to learn lessons, and not just when we're children. I'm still learning lessons today at 48 years of age.

I'm just thankful for a very patient teacher (God) and a book that has all the answers (the Bible).

Have a terrific day. I'll be back Friday with Weekend Happenings, Wedding News, Way Back When... and much, much more.

Take care, and I'll talk to you the end of the week.

Sincerely,

The Enchanting Belinda

P.S. Did I mention I have a new top?