Wordless Wednesday

Wordless Wednesday (New Bows)

Bows!

Recently, I have seen all of these cute little girl hairbows EVERYWHERE. It seems like all the little girls are wearing them and everyone is making them and I just kept wondering "I wonder if I could make them"? So - this weekend - I set out to figure out how to make hairbows. I figured, if we find out that we're having a little girl, then I can keep them and if we find out we're having a little boy - I'll sell them. I'll probably try to sell some anyway, and re-coup the money that I'm spending on the bows that I make and keep (if it comes to that). I went to Hobby Lobby and thankfully - all of the ribbon was 50% off. Which is really good because I still wound up spending $80 on bow stuff! Lord, help me! Here are the ones that I made on Saturday while D was sleeping:

Aqua & Brown pigtail bows

Easter Egg bow

Ladybug Bow

I know it's early, but I just couldn't help it! Halloween Bow

What do you think? Do I have a future in the bow business?

Wordless Wednesday

In Honor of Maddie (10/14/10 - 02/17/11)

It pains my heart to write this, but today, a friend of mine and her husband are going to bury their little girl. Their 4 month old little girl to be exact. Sweet little Miss Madison Paige Staats was born into this world on October 14, 2010 and left this world to be with her Savior last Thursday, February 17th, 2011. In her very short life, she brought a lot of love and happiness to those around her. She was a joy to her parents and grandparents and brought smiles to faces of people that didn't even know her. Here are some pictures of sweet Maddie.

In honor of this little one's life - forget about the toys all over the house, the mess in your kitchen, the water the kiddos get all over the bathroom during bathtime tonight and the meal they didn't finish. Just hug them and love them and be extra thankful for them today. There are mothers and fathers all over the world that would do anything for one more chaotic, crazy, exhausting day like that.

And say a few prayers for Maddie's family. Lord knows they are going to need all of them that they can get during this difficult time.

RIP Sweet Maddie!

The Cost of Children

I don't have children (yet), but I saw this today and it made me smile. I had to share it. The government recently calculated the cost of raising a child from birth to 18 to be $160,140 for a middle income family. Talk about sticker shock! That doesn't even touch college tuition. But $160,140 isn't so bad if you break it down. It translates into: $8,896.66 a year, or $741.38 a month, or $171.08 a week. That's a mere $24.24 a day! Just over a dollar an hour. Still, you might think the best financial advice is "if you want to be 'rich', don't have children. Actually, it is just the opposite. What do you get for your $160,140? Naming rights – First, middle, and last! Glimpses of God every day. Giggles under the covers every night. More love than your heart can hold. Butterfly kisses and Velcro hugs. Endless wonder over rocks, ants, clouds, and warm cookies. A hand to hold - usually covered with jelly or chocolate. A partner for blowing bubbles and flying kites Someone to laugh yourself silly with, no matter what the boss said, or how your stocks performed that day. For $160,140, you never have to grow up. You get to: finger-paint,carve pumpkins, play hide-and-seek, and catch lightning bugs. You have an excuse to: keep reading "The Adventures of Piglet and Pooh", watch Saturday morning cartoons, go to Disney movies, and wish upon a star. You also get to: frame rainbows, hearts, and flowers under refrigerator magnets, and collect: spray painted noodle wreaths for Christmas, hand prints set in clay or Mother's Day, and cards with backward letters for Father's Day. For $160,140, there is no bigger bang for your buck. You get to be a hero just for: retrieving a Frisbee off the garage roof, taking the training wheels off a bike, removing a splinter, filling a wading pool, coaxing a wad of gum out of bangs, and coaching a baseball team that never wins but always gets treated to ice cream regardless. You get a front row seat to witness history: her first step, his first word, and their first time behind the wheel. You get another branch added to your family tree, and if you're lucky, a long list of limbs called grandchildren and great grandchildren in your obituary. You get an education in psychology, nursing, criminal justice, and communications. In the eyes of a child, you rank right up there under God. You have the power to: heal a boo-boo, scare away the monsters under the bed, patch a broken heart, police a slumber party, ground them forever, and love them without limits... So that one day they, like you, they will love without counting the cost.