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Voice of The Martyrs: Prayer Bulletin

July 8, 2009 By Leave a Comment
Photo: Courtesy of Ralph Buckner Funeral Home

Photo: Courtesy of Ralph Buckner Funeral Home

This bulletin was brought to my notice through the VOM Be-A-Voice-Network:

Islamic extremists shot and killed an American teacher in Mauritania on June 23, because he was spreading Christianity, according to a report by Compass Direct News.

Christopher Leggett, 39, was killed in front of the language and computer school he ran in Nouakchott, the capital city. The North African unit of the al-Qaeda terrorist network claimed responsibility for the murder on a Web site, accusing Leggett of “missionary activities.” A North African al-Qaeda spokesman aired a statement on an Arab TV station saying the group killed Leggett because he was trying to convert Muslims to Christianity.

Read More…

Please join with me in prayer for Christopher Leggett’s family and friends as they mourn the loss of their precious family member.

Filed Under: Worldwide Impact Tagged With: ,

Wellesse Sponsors Mom of Faith/ High Impact Mom to BlogHer!

July 8, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Many of you who I chat with on a daily basis already know that the fabulous health and wellness company Wellesse is sponsoring my hotel stay at BlogHer!!     To say “Thank You” for their generosity, I would like to share with you a little about Wellesse and their mission.

Photo Courtesy of Wellesse

Photo Courtesy of Wellesse

Wellesse, formerly Symtec, is the brain child of Botanical Laboratories (BLI) born with the mission of “helping people live their lives to the fullest. “  Botanical Laboratories Strives to Provide:

  • Safe and clinically supported, effective products
  • Highest quality using state-of-the-industry technology
  • Superior customer service for our consumers and partners
  • Premium liquid supplements

Wellesse offers a variety of products including Liquid Vitamin D3 , Glucosamine Liquid, Liquid Calcium and Vitamin D, ALL DAY Energy.

Wellesse sent me a sample of their Liquid Vitamin D3 for myself and my family to test and review earlier this year.  After a month of using it my family was hooked, we love the taste (it’s a bit on the sour side) and the smooth texture.  I love that even KG can be protected since children as young as four can safely enjoy this supplement.

Recently, Wellesse has started their own blog that features awesome health and wellness articles and advice.  I encourage you to hop on over there and learn a little something about how to take care of your body in a more mindful manner.

If you are interested in purchasing and trying the liquid Vitamin D3, be sure to print out the $2 off coupon available on the site!

**Disclosure: Wellesse has sponsored my hotel charges for BlogHer 09 and in exchange I will help promote their company in a variety of ways.**

Filed Under: Conferences, Promos Tagged With: , , ,

Build a Compost Bin and Your Garden Will Thank You

July 7, 2009 By Leave a Comment
Photo Courtesy of Nature Moms

Photo Courtesy of Nature Moms

One of our big projects for this summer is to build a compost bin behind the building.  So in the spirit of getting motivated to take on such a task, I have been doing research and you know what that means….YOU get to learn all about it too!

You can go about this several ways; you could simple start a compost heap sans the bin, buy a compost bin from one the various storefronts/online stores out there, or you can build your own compost bin. We have chose to build our own in an effort not to create more waste than is necessary.

Reasons for Building a Compost Bin

We have chosen to build for many of the same reasons everyone else does: it’s cheaper than buying fertilizer and it’s better for your garden than store-bought fertilizer.  Store bought fertilizer can contain chemicals  and other man made materials where as in a compost heap it is strictly organic material.

I’m not the only one who thinks composting is great, here is what a you had to say on the subject from Twitter:

@LMAshton says, “I’m a firm believer in composting – environmentally responsible, less waste to landfill, nutrients back to soil, good for plants”

@Ms_Austen says, “compost bins are SO worth it & easy! Kids(&adults) amazed by rich, soft dirt (compost) that comes out. And SO many uses for it.”

* Something to keep in mind, do not throw meat or dairy into your compost heap. They do not break down correctly in the heap.

Placement of Compost Bin

The location of your compost bin is extremely important to the success of the composting.  Choose a shady, mostly level spot with good drainage to begin building your compost bin.  You should also try to position your bin close to a water source so that when the compost heap becomes too dry, you are able to water it down easily.

Here are the directions we are using, they come straight from the TrueValue website (which I love) and right now you can print a $5 off $25 purchase just for entering your zipcode and email address.

Building Your Compost Bin

Tools and Materials
  • Wood for the bin’s frame
  • Wire mesh or wood for the bin’s walls
  • Drill, screwdriver and screws to build frame
  • Metal clippers for the mesh (if used)
  • Metals hinges or latches for the removable wall
  • Manure
  • Fertilizer
  • Pitchfork or shovel

Compost Bin Construction
Step 1.
Compost bins have three permanent walls and one that’s removable, allowing you to “turn,” or mix, the materials within the bin. Whether you use wire mesh or wooden slats for the walls, you must have aeration to speed the decomposition process, so don’t build anything airtight. And wherever in the bin you use wood, buy cedar or cypress, which will better resist the decaying effect from the bin’s contents.
Step 2.
Commonly, gardeners will build two bins with a shared middle wall: one bin to store already composted materials; the other for material that’s still composting. Bins tend to be three feet wide by three feet long, and three- to four-feet high. There’s no need for a top; moisture’s a good thing because it speeds decomposition.
Step 3.
Once you’ve built the bin, start by laying in a foot or so of material. You want a mix of fresh green stuff (lawn clippings, weeds, sod) and inert stuff (bone meal, sawdust, shredded paper). Next, put in a layer of manure or fertilizer, followed by an inch of topsoil. Repeat these layers until the bin is filled.
Step 4.
After about three weeks have passed, take that removable wall down and use a shovel or pitchfork to mix the material. Throw on some fertilizer. About two weeks later repeat the process. Forget to turn it? No problem, it will just take longer to decompose. If it seems too dry, just hose it down. Once it’s turned a uniform brown, crumbles to the touch and is nearly odorless, it’s all set for spreading.

Photo Credit: Nature Moms, who coincidentally have a great article about what goes in a compost heap.

Filed Under: Green Living Tagged With: , ,

A Presidential Week: The Discovery of President Abraham Lincoln

July 5, 2009 By Leave a Comment

In continuing with our patriotic theme from last week, we are going to learning about Abraham Lincoln this week.  As our 16 president and fellow KY native, Abraham Lincoln provides an unusual close up of an American president and encourages KG to be further interested in our country’s history.

We will be reading several books pertaining to Abraham Lincoln, including Abe Lincoln Remembers and If You Grew Up With Abraham Lincoln {affiliate link}. We will, of course, be getting these from our local library on Monday.  We are also planning a trip to Hodgensville this weekend to visit President Lincoln’s birthplace.  In addition to her spelling lists and math worksheets, we’ll be looking at famous quotes by the famous President.

Here is a breakdown of the upcoming week:

Abraham Lincoln Themed Week

Monday: Storytime @ our local library–Check out Abraham Lincoln books

Spelling List 2 / Journal Entry / Reading Aloud

Tuesday: Spelling List / Math Worksheet / Reading Aloud-Abe Lincoln book

Wednesday: Spelling List /  Math Worksheet / Read Aloud-Abe Lincoln book

Thursday: Blueberry Picking / Swimming @ Grammy and Poppaw’s house

Friday: Silly Safari @ local library

Journal Writing / Read aloud

Saturday: Visit President Abraham Lincoln’s birthplace

Sunday: Day of Rest. Church and lunch with family and friends for Hubby’s birthday.

Filed Under: Mama Says Tagged With: , , , , ,

Let a Pidgin Take Charge of Your IMs

July 2, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Photo Courtesy of Pidgin

Photo Courtesy of Pidgin

**The following is a guest post by my hubby, ya’ll make him feel welcome!**

Did you know that chatting with friends can make your computer run slowly? I know it sounds crazy, but think about it, it’s true under the right circumstances.

If several instant messaging clients launch after booting your computer, this alone will lengthen startup time (after the windows desktop loads) and degrade overall system performance. If your PC has more than one IM client running at startup, some housekeeping is in order.

Since it would be considered (by some), rude web etiquette to ask all of your friends to switch their favorite IM programs, it’s your job to keep up with everyone without having to manage contact lists over multiple applications (whenever possible). This is where Pidgin comes in.

Wikipedia defines Pidgin as such:

Pidgin is a multi-platform instant messaging client, based on a library named libpurple. Libpurple has support for many commonly used instant messaging protocols, allowing the user to log into various different services from one application.

Pidgin supported Instant Messaging Clients

Pidgin supports the following clients:

  • AIM
  • Bonjour
  • Gadu-Gadu
  • Google Talk
  • GroupWise
  • ICQ
  • IRC
  • MSN
  • MySpaceIM
  • QQ
  • SILC
  • SIMPLE
  • Sametime
  • XMPP
  • Yahoo Messenger

If you have more than one of these Instant Messaging applications installed, use Pidgin to “IM all your friends in one place.” Looking for Pidgin for OS X? Try Adium!

Pidgin Plugins

There are both official and third party plugins available for use with Pidgin.

One example would be the ability to update your IM profile(s) with Twitter. The pidgin-twitter-profile plugin inserts your Twitter history (one or more statuses) into your profile, updating periodically to keep your Twitter history up to date.

Setup

After setting up Pidgin with each of your IM accounts, uninstall the corresponding IM program. Once all of the IM programs are removed (except Pidgin of course) restart your computer. Hopefully your chatty friends won’t slow you down any longer.

If you try this out, let me know what you think about it!  How many different IM clients do you use on a daily basis?

*Disclaimer-Neither myself or my husband are affiliated with or have ever spoken with anyone representing Pidgin or any of the IM clients.

Filed Under: Fix It Friday Tagged With: , , , , ,

The Special Place

July 2, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Every morning just as soon as they rise they girls make a dash for the family room.  Why? To begin construction on their “Special Place”, now the SP has been called many things in addition to “Special Place”. “Baby Jail”, “Queen Fluffleberry’s Castle”, and of course “Fort No Mommies”, just to name a few.

Today I wanted to share the wonder of this childhood rite of passage with you.

Yes, they play in the space behind the recliner...eh, it works

Yes, they play in the space behind the recliner...eh, it works

kylahidingkathyhiding

Did you make forts as a kid? I sure did.  Tell me about your favorite place to make a fort…or your kids favorite!

Filed Under: Impact Living Tagged With: , ,

Rainy Day Kids Craft: Fourth of July Wreaths

July 2, 2009 By Leave a Comment

While it’s not exactly raining outside right now, it is dreary and chilly.  Not the type of weather one expects in KY for 4th of July weekend, nor is it the type of weather I want but since this is the day the Lord has made I broke out the rainy day plans and we decided to make 4th of July Hand Wreaths!

They’re super simple and only required that we have a few simple supplies on hand.  Course it would have to be in order for me to be suggesting it, as most people who know me already know, I am not crafty.  But while I do not possess the craft gene, both of my darlings do…in spades.

Both girls love anything that involves crayons, scissors, glue…oh who am I kidding? They like anything that has the potential for a mess.

I digress..Here’s all you need to know:

4th of July Red, White, & Blue Hand Wreath

Suppliessupplies

  • Thick Paper Plates
  • Red, White, and Blue Construction Paper
  • Glue (I recommend craft glue)
  • Crayons (optional)

Directions

cut-plate

Begin by cutting a large circle from the middle of the paper plate. This will form the base for your wreath.

cutouthands

Next, trace your child’s hand on construction paper and cut it  out. Use this to trace the rest of the needed hands, about 14.  Tracing the  cutout hand is much easier than trying to get a 2 year old to hold still long enough to trace her hand 14 or more times. Cut out hands.

kg-working

Glue on to paper plate base in color pattern of your choice, though KG insists it must be Red, White, and Blue.

Finished Product

No, she isn't throwing up a gang sign..she's showing you she made this one

No, she isn't throwing up a gang sign..she's showing you she made this one

KJ's Finished Product...it took18!! little hands.

KJ's Finished Product...it took18!! little hands.

What are you doing this holiday weekend? Are you sharing the story of our country’s freedom?

This article is part of the Family Friday Bloggy Carnival.

Filed Under: Impact Living Tagged With: , , , ,
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