Our Valentine's Tree

My kids LOVE to do art in the afternoons when they get home from school. So, now til Valentine's day we are making valentines and thinking of all the people we love as we make them & hang them on our tree. You gotta love Target $$ spot! I stocked up on doilies, v-day paper, stickers & stuff. Stole this idea from Lori Eubanks & her "Thank you Jesus Tree" that they do at Christmas. Thanks Lori for sharing your idea!!! Chris was worried when he saw me in the backyard with the big tree chopper scissors, cutting limbs off of our Crate Mertels. Ha! Although, he admitted the other day....he loves our Valentine's Tree too. He's feeling the LOVE :)

Welcome Home A Hero

I saw some coverage on the news last night about the Welcome a Hero Home Program, and I know my husband, Chris will be anxious to participate soon. He grew up a Colonel's son, so he knows first hand how it feels to watch a loved one leave for war. My father and law was gone for a year during the Gulf War. Chris remembers every detail of the day he welcomed his dad home and talks about it often. Some days, I think we all get so busy from the time we wake up in the a.m. to the moment we lay our heads on our soft pillows at night, and we forget. We forget that there are so many men and women sacrificing so much to serve our country. Chris & I try to point out a "hero" to the kids when we see a solider in uniform, just like we would if we passed an officer or fireman. And now, learning from my husband's example, I try to reach out a hand to a solider and say "Thank You" if I pass one in the airport or in town. Greyson knows that they are special people that do important work for the United States of America. In teaching Greyson to pray, he started mimicking Chris in prayer at such a young age, "God, thank you for our soliders and please watch over them and bring them back home." This will feel great to welcome some soldiers home!  


Visit the website www.welcomehomeahero.com

If you click on "About Us", you'll see very detailed information about how to greet these men and women as they walk off their flight for some much needed and well deserved R&R!
This is one of the soldiers that we love and pray for each time he leaves for Afghanistan.

Our Bookshelf is Exploding!

We love books! Riley's favorite thing to do is sit and read books with...well, anyone. But, the new books that the kids got for Christmas can not possibly be squeezed into place on these exploding bookshelves in our playroom. Time to clean out those picture books / board books that they've outgrown. There are so many places to donate books, but I just took ours to Half Price Books up the street cause I'm ready to get them out of the house ASAP. Only got a sad amount of $10 for the books. But, that's $10 for their penny bank and Half Price Books donates the really used ones for you to local charities in need.

Now....That is much better!!!

Ideas as I make my NY Resolution List for 2011

I'm so inspired by the people around me lately! Surrounded by some great friends doing great things. So, as I get my head wrapped around my 2011 New Year's Resolutions....I'm going to keep these two things in mind as I make out my list....it's always really long. I'm definitely a list person. LOVE to write down a goal and then cross it off. Kinda the only way I really get things done. So...I'm thinking these two will make the list this year.

#1: The 3 day Susan G. Komen Walk! I tagged along with one of my absolute best girlfriends, Jamie, a while back, in October when our husbands were camping with our boys. She did this walk a couple years ago and this year she had some friends doing the 3 day walk and wanted to go cheer them on. So, I went with her and I was so super inspired by all those women walking in pink, men walking in bras strapped to their chests, all coming together to walk to celebration, in honor and in memory of friends, family and complete strangers who have battled breast cancer. I want to be part of it this year....very cool! So, who's doing it with me??? That's the next thing I have to figure out :) http://www.the3day.org/site/PageServer




#2: Help to Make A Wish come true for a little boy or girl! My friend Corrie and her 3 siblings have recently decided to get involved with Make A Wish Foundation. They are currently working on organizing wishes for 2 different children. Everyone knows about Make a Wish Foundation. But, I didn't realize how easy it is to help make those wishes come true for a little boy or girl who is sick in the hospital. She goes to meet them, gets to know them, and with the resources that Make a Wish has and the finances already set in place they help you organize this exciting day for a child. I can't wait to hear how these wishes turn out that she is working on! Those kids soooo deserve it! http://www.wish.org/

Christmas Card Prayer Basket

My sister and law, Sarah, mentioned this idea to me on New Year's Eve and I thought it was so clever. Christmas cards are always an exciting part of the holidays. I love getting them in the mail and getting to see how children and families have grown and changed since the previous year. We tape all our cards on some doors in our kitchen and it's always so hard for me to take them down. I know how much everyone spends on them and I just love seeing all the photos. It's such a reminder of the blessing of family and friends, new and old, that we have in our lives.
Sarah had either heard from a friend or read on a blog of a family that puts all of their cards in a bowl or basket in their kitchen. They let the kids pick one card each night at dinner and they mention that family in their prayers. I think this is a great way to teach our children how to pray for the people we love and care about! And simple.
So, our cards have now moved from our doors to a basket on our breakfast table. If you sent a Christmas card this year....know that the Jones Family is praying for you in 2011.

Thanks Sarah for the wonderful idea!