UPDATED with WINNERS: Congrats to Carrie (comment 103) & Rosetta (comment 126)

Psst: Hey you, yes, you:

{Whispering in your ear}  Valentine’s is only 21 days away.

How did that happen exactly? Wasn’t it just Thanksgiving?

I’m going to make it easy for you:

And I ♥ this brand new design:

See? That wasn’t so hard was it?

The Vintage Pearl is my exclusive silver jewelry recommendation. I love the lady behind the business and I love their stellar works of art.

Today, my favorite jewelry shop is giving away TWO $50 gift certificates!

Please tell me what you’d love to give or receive in the comments as your entry.

This giveaway will close on Thursday.

UPDATED with WINNERS: Congratulations to Jenn (comment 51) & Kelley (comment 94)

Some beautiful and hard things are happening at Mercy House.

One of our girls left with her baby. We are bringing in several new pregnant girls. Sadness and joy.

The hard times make the beautiful more beautiful, don’t you think?

My home church is working to partner with a Compassion church in Nairobi, Kenya. My pastor is there this week and visited our girls yesterday. My heart lives in that house!

Our girls are being transformed by Christ and it’s beautiful to watch!

We are so proud of the artisans they are becoming, too and we are thrilled to show you our first video:

The Mercy Shop is restocked with beautiful items. Please consider shopping mercy and give a gift that gives twice!

Stay tuned for details about our {Mercy} Home Party Division that is launching in the next few months!

We are thrilled to bring the party to you. We will have two divisions:

• Real Life Parties where you play the hostess and receive a Party Box with the above DVD, invitations, brochures and product to share with your guests
• Virtual Parties for your social media life (blog, Facebook, Twitter)

Today, we’re are giving away TWO SETS of our brand new barrel necklace with matching bracelet, earrings and handmade zipper pouch (our girls can sew now!) to TWO WINNERS. Some of these items aren’t even available in our store!

Value per set: $40

If you’d like to be entered, please watch our video above and leave a comment with your thoughts on it!

This giveaway ends Thursday.

UPDATED WITH WINNER – Congratulations to comment #93, Elizabeth L.

My home is filled with art.

But I’m hardly a collector of rare and expensive art. I only have one criteria:

Art hanging in my home must be meaningful.

Some of it is handmade, some of it is store-bought, but every piece means something to me.

When I walk by, I want to be Inspired. Reminded. Encouraged.

I want my home to be a sanctuary of peace and inspiration.

That’s why I love Show Off Arts! They show Him off:

Today, this beautiful company is giving this popular FAITH, HOPE, LOVE set to one very blessed reader!

Visit their online store and tell me what piece of art inspires you. Leave a comment on this post to be entered.

This giveaway ends on Thursday.

It’s appropriate since that’s our word, too. Randy is taking his years of experience as a graphic and web designer and launching his own business to help support ministries and non profits with design, as well as regular people who are trying to do good in the world.

“My goal is to come alongside my clients and truly understand their needs so that i can provide them with a clean, useful, and personal product.  design is my way of investing into ministry and hopefully making a difference,” -Randy Doleman, DC.

Today, Doleman Creative is offering

- 3, one-hour consultation settings in which we will discuss mission, goals, branding, needs, and promotion

- custom website design or redesign of existing website (hosting & domain fees not included in giveaway)-$1000.00 value

Pin It
Download Faith Printable

UPDATED:  Bethany, comment #366, has been chosen as the winner.  Congrats!

I sort of have this thing about clean floors.

And when the days of my life (and work) get chaotic and feel out of control, I take it out on my floors.

Yes, I’m a compulsive sweeper slash vacuum cleaner user.

I may have Mount St. Laundry in the background and 429 things on my to do list, but I always start with my floors. It makes me feel better.

You’d think with this compulsion gift, I’d have a really top dollar vacuum cleaner. No. We usually just replace our cheap, worn-out one with a mediocre one every year or two.

Y’all: my floor cleaning dreams have come true. When Oreck asked if they could send me their newly released Magnesium (top of the line vacuum) to try and keep, I might have cried a little. I might have also spread dirt on the floor in eager anticipation. Oh wait, I have a hubby, three kids, a dog, cat, two half-alive hamsters and a fruit fly infestation, I don’t have to add “make house dirty” to my list.

I was grocery shopping when the Oreck Magnesium arrived. My hubby took it out of the box, assembled it in a few seconds and put it next to the Christmas tree. I think that’s called Brownie Points.

!!!!!! I call it love.

I might never stop vacuuming.

Here are my favorite things about the Oreck Magnesium Vacuum:

• It’s incredibly light-weight (a very good thing for my neck).
• It’s feels like it’s self-propelled. Seriously.
• It sweeps up floors and carpet with two speeds.
• It’s small, sleek and sexy. (Yes, I used the “s” word).
• The swivel head reaches the small village of dust bunnies that live behind furniture.
• The cord is really long and I only have to unplug once on both floors of my house.
• And probably my favorite part?? It’s so easy to use, even a child can do it. And does [insert evil laugh here].

Example:

And the best part? Oreck is giving their amazing Magnesium Vacuum to one lucky reader today! Value: $499.99

Introducing the lightest, full-powered upright in America. With its extremely strong, durable magnesium frame, the Magnesium™ packs all the power you expect from an Oreck vacuum — so much power it feels like it’s self-propelled on most surfaces. The two speed Quickswitch™ on the back of the vacuum enables you to move smoothly across all floor types using appropriate power levels: high for carpets and low for hardwoods and tile. It’s even gentle enough for fine Oriental and Persian rugs. Additionally, the large high-performance rear wheels with cylindrical wheel bearings give the Magnesium maneuverability, making it easy to push through high-pile carpet. Best of all, it lays virtually flat for easy cleaning under furniture.

To enter: Please visit Oreck.com and come back here to tell me one thing you learned about the Magnesium vacuum.

For an additional entry, you can  tweet that you’d like to win the @oreck vacuum that @wearethatfamily is giving away.

The giveaway winner must be a resident of the U.S. 48 contiguous states.

Please note: Oreck Corporation provided the prize for the sweepstakes but is not the sponsor of the sweepstakes.

UPDATED WITH WINNERS:  Congrats to Ingrid (comment 16) and Deborah (comment 89)

He was on his way home from work.

I was stirring soup in the pot, holding the phone between neck and shoulder, stepping over my youngest and her “spy doll center” under my feet.

You know the normal mom stuff.

We were talking about nothing and everything. Not a day goes by that he doesn’t call me. Sometimes we just enjoy the silence on the other end. Sometimes the call is about connecting, not communicating. But not in a gross way. We just like each other. A lot.

He asked me to hold. And then I heard the muffled, “here you go, I have an extra bottle of water. Oh, wait. I also have a blanket in my car. Your welcome. Stay warm.”

And then he was back to me, as if nothing happened.

“What was that about?” I asked.

“Oh, nothing. I just saw a homeless person and remembered I had that blanket from the park in the trunk. I hope it okay. It’s about to get cold,” he said guiltily.

He sees a need, meets it, and then pushes it off like it was nothing.

He doesn’t give to be seen. He doesn’t tell of his generosity. He does it because that’s the kind of man I married.

We’ve been together a long time. We know each other very well.

And yet, he surprises me every day, inspires me to live for others and challenges me to do things that go unnoticed.

I’m a better woman, mother, wife because of him.

And that’s why I own enough of these for almost every day of the week. I want the world to know that I love my husband. I want people to know he rocks.

I want them to know the kind of man I married.

Today, Union28 wants you to proclaim your love for your spouse. They are giving away TWO of these cute long sleeve shirts!

Tell me why your hubby (or wife) rocks and what shirt you’d proudly wear!

This giveaway ends Thursday.

For years and years, I’ve kept a huge plastic container hidden in my garage. It contains gifts for friend’s birthday parties, family birthday gifts, little things I’ve found on sale or bought off-season and collected throughout the year. Most years by November, the container contains all the gifts we give for Christmas.

I sort of fell off the buying wagon with the busy year we’ve had.

This week when I got out some Christmas decorations, I opened the container. I was happy to see some holiday hand towels that would make nice teacher gifts. But other than that? It was empty.

Y’all: I have to Christmas shop now.

Good thing there’s a store in my garage. Ha!

This just reminded me that it’s good to put thought into saving, planning ahead and being intentional with buying. It not only saves money, it saves time.

I thought your comments on the post about the American Express Blue Cash Card were very interesting. It was good to know I was in the grocery shopping ballpark with other families like mine.

And now for the winner of the : I’m happy to announce that random tweeter:

UPDATED: Since the first winner never responded, here’s another random winner: Jessie C who, tweeted: http://twitter.com/#!/tcarolinep/status/138882571550466048

UPDATED WITH WINNERS:  Congratulations Deborah (comment #35), Zenobia (comment #47), Amy (comment #58), Sarah H. (comment #70), and Elizabeth (comment #80)

I’m anticipating Advent this year with my family! From yesterday’s post, you can see we do a variety of activities to celebrate the Season and I’m super excited to try out Truth in the Tinsel, an Advent experience for little hands. My kids LOVE crafts!

As I read thru the pages, I was so impressed with the tangible, practical ways to open up Christmas to even the smallest. Plus it’s neatly organized, easy to use and absolutely inspiring.

I really believe December is one of best times to impress God’s Word on your kids’ hearts. Our whole country turns its attention to Christmas–stores are playing songs of worship to the newborn king, movies are playing on cable that show the real meaning of Christmas and people even decorate their yard with Bible characters! -Amanda, author

This ebook is full of encouraging and tangible ways to  make Christmas about Him.

Along with this great little ebook, Amanda, is issuing a challenge on Impress Your Kids blog to “give” our kids the first 24 days of December by doing the book together & joining the Truth in the Tinsel Facebook page. It will be a place of encouragement every day during Advent (by posting pics of the craft you did, funny things your kids said while doing the activity, etc.)

The whole concept of the book is to read a portion of the Christmas Story directly from Scripture. Then make an ornament craft to go along with it. The talk about the event or the person in the story. It sounds simple but I know (and you do, too if you have kids) that when kids get to use their hands to create and they get to talk about something, it gets into them. I see these Advent activities in the book as kid-friendly ways to meditate on God’s Word. -Amanda

I hope you’ll give it a try with your little ones! The ebook is regularly $4.99, but you can save 20% with the code THATfamily. It’s only good for 24 hours, so hurry! [This post contains my referral link].

Today, I’m giving away FIVE copies. Leave a comment if you’d like to be entered.

Click here to get this great ebook!
This giveaway ends on Thursday.

Updated: the code is now working!

Congrats to Gena!

Random Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers:

115

Timestamp: 2011-11-30 14:43:47 UTC

“Mommy, why is there Christmas in the store?” she asked me the week before Halloween.

Good question.

How do you explain a Holy Day our world has commercialized beyond recognition to a 4 year old?

I’ve learned that I can’t leave it up to the world to tell my children the true meaning of Christmas.

Even more, I can’t leave it up to The Church.

It’s not their job to explain what’s in the Bible or the meaning of Christmas.

It’s mine.

And I’ve recently discovered an amazing tool that can come along side and help me teach them well. From the makers of Veggie Tales, it’s What’s in the Bible?

We have a couple of the movies and music CDs. They songs are catchy, but the message is eternal. My youngest loves them!

And they have a brand new DVD called Why Do We Call It Christmas?

[Click play to watch this 5 minute excerpt]

Cutting down trees? Hanging stockings? Santa Claus? What do any of these have to do with Jesus’ birthday?  More than you’d think!

Join VeggieTales creator Phil Vischer along with intrepid newsman Buck Denver and all his friends on an amazing journey into the world’s most popular holiday! Sure, you know the Christmas story. But do you know the story of Christmas?

Don’t miss the whimsical, educational, Christmical party to end all Christmas parties as Buck Denver Asks …

Why Do We Call It Christmas?

Run Time: approx. 60 minutes

The What’s in the Bible? DVDs are usually $12 each. This holiday season, click here and you can buy the first five DVDs PLUS the Why Do We Call It Christmas? special for $37.95 (for six inspirational DVDs). Nearly half off the original price!

And today, I’m giving away a SET of the six DVDS to one lucky reader.

Please visit here if you’d like to learn a little more and then leave a comment on this post if you’d like to be entered.

[This post contains an affiliate link, but the opinions are 100% mine and I've got the cute kid singing the catchy songs to prove it!]

Updated to add: There is a $9.95 shipping and handling fee with this set, so your total price shipped is $47.90 if you choose to buy the set of 6.

UPDATED WITH WINNER: Congrats – comment #140 Rachel G and comment #40 Amy

One of my favorite Christmas traditions is buying each of my kids a new ornament every year. It’s usually sentimental or funny or both.

They get so excited to dig thru our ornament box and reminisce about each one. When they leave home one day {sob: I don’t want to talk about it} we will pass down my hubby’s tradition and let them take their special ornaments with them for their first tree.

We let them decorate the tree and then after they are asleep, we “fix” it. [What can I say? The OCD side of me cannot handle 19 ornaments on one branch].

This year, I’m starting a new ornament tradition: I want to add a new FAMILY ornament to the tree. Something we make together or that has our names on it. {That way, when my nest is empty, I’ll keep the family ornaments and all the memories. Why does this post make me want to cry??}

Here is what our 2011 FAMILY ornament given to us by The Vintage Pearl will look like:

Isn’t it lovely? I’m so excited to  hang it together on our tree.

A few other choices:

and

Today, The Vintage Pearl is giving away TWO ornaments (TWO winner’s choice) and TWO gift certificates for $25 to one family!

Take a look around and please leave a comment {with one of your Christmas traditions if you want} to be entered.

This giveaway ends Thursday.

UPDATED WITH WINNER: Comment #135 Lynn

I am blessed with avid readers.

And by avid I mean I catch them at 11pm reading a book with a flashlight. P.S. It’s hard to ground a 9 year old for reading too late.

My 4 year old is right on the cusp or reading. She loves books and letters and AEIOU is often her secret password.

What can I say? My children are brilliant. I think I need a bumper sticker to prove it.

I’m saving up Amazon gift cards because I’m toying with the idea of Kindle readers for my older kids “big” gift this year. (Poll: Do you think a nearly 12 and 10 year old can handle the cheapest version of an e-reader?) When V-Tech asked me if I wanted to try out the V-Tech Reader, I thought it would be the perfect educational Christmas gift for my little girl. [We do 3 each]

I was totally right. I’m a much better reader now.

Here’s what I love: it’s a touch screen, it has characters she loves and recognizes, it’s kid-friendly (and durable) and my favorite part? It has free downloads. Downside: the additional cartridges are around $19.99 each

Check them out.

They are for ages 3-7 and I’m giving one away today with a cartridge… $70 value

Leave a comment as your entry.

UPDATED WITH WINNER: Comment #245 Ashley

I’ve been listening to Christmas music.

I know. It’s too early. We just hit 60 degrees down here in South Texas and I saw a leaf turn orange. One.

But I love the David Crowder Band’s Christmas Album, Oh for Joy, because it’s a happy mix of worship, caffeine and celebrating Jesus. It’s not too Christmasy, ya know?

This is their last tour and they will be missed. I love their gospel-centered songs and I love that they made the familiar Christmas songs their own. Plus, have y’all seen David’s hair (see above nutcracker)?

My favorite is O Come, O Come Emmanuel. My little girl digs Go Tell It On the Mountain (although she prefers her version which includes a stick horse and made up words).

Today, I’m happy to offer ONE WINNER, the entire David Crowder Band CD Collection! It includes:

• Oh for Joy
• Church Music
• Remedy (Club Tour Edition)
• A Collision
• B Collision
• Sunsets & Sushi
• Can You Hear Us?

UPDATED WITH WINNER: Congrats to comment #136 Karo

If you’ve been reading my blog for a long time, you know that Katie’s life impacted our family before we even knew what our story would be.

More than three years ago, I started reading Kisses From Katie. At first, it was hard to even imagine how this young girl left home and haven for the red dirt of Uganda, alone.

Not only did she go, she stayed.

And then she adopted 14 daughters and fed and healed hundreds more.

She wanted to make a difference. And it made me want to make a difference. Remember when we raised $3200 for her ministry, Amazima, to buy chickens and seeds and hope?

Katie is one of those girls that is called to greatness, but remains the girl-next-door.

Her first book, Kisses from Katie: A Story of Relentless Love and Redemption, is a lot more of the same. It’s profound.

It’s beautiful. 

It still makes me want to be different. These words from Katie sum up her life:  ”to be real is to love and be loved until there’s nothing left.”

Her book is remarkable, a true mirror of Katie.

I’m giving a copy away today. Please leave a comment if you’d like to win it.

This giveaway ends on Thursday.

[Disclaimer: I did receive a copy of this to review]

Updated with Winner: Congrats to comment #88 Kim!

Sometimes I forget to eat.

And I’m not talking about food.

While at the beach a few weeks ago with (in)courage, my friend Lisa Leonard let us choose from some of her new beauties. I was so drawn to this necklace.

Because if my tummy is full, but my soul is empty, I don’t have much to offer anyone.

Full.

I love being a living message. I love to accessorize as a living witness to what I need, how I feel, or what message I want to share.

Some other favorites:

and

and I love this [really] cute personalized Heart Banner:

Plus, there’s a fantastic sale page<———– think gifts.

Today, I’m giving away a $75 gift certificate! Look around, leave a comment on this post with what you love and you’ll be entered to win!

But what I love most about Lisa is that she’s a real person with a kind heart. She’s a beautiful artisan who loves Jesus and let’s her light shine for Him! And that just makes her creations more beautiful, huh?

This giveaway ends Thursday.

*Update on Winner* Congrats to random comment #144 Marcy!

I’m reading a new book. It’s by my bedside, near the tub, within finger’s grasp…

It’s a devotional I didn’t know I needed. I’m being reminded with every page of God’s great love for me. Oh, sure, I know He loves me. But sometimes I think subconsciously there are strings attached to that love–If I, when I…and there’s not. He loves me. All of me. Simple (and profound) as that.

In God’s heart, I am….

Enough.

That’s my word.

1)  Think of your answer to ”In God’s heart I am…”
2)  Write your word and take a photo. Have fun & be creative!
3)  Share your photo on facebook.com/​InGodsHeart.

Visit In God’s Heart to learn more…

Holley is more than just the author of some amazing books. She’s my friend. Someone who asks “How are you, really?” And I can tell her- even when the answer is yucky. She asked that during my health crisis this summer. I let my guard down and told her exactly how I was doing.

I love the heart God has given her for women. She gets us. This book will touch you deeply and lead you home. To Him.

I’m giving away a copy of the book, God’s Heart For You and two beautiful items (winner’s choice, $50+ value) from the Blessings Unlimited, God’s Heart For You Collection (see all choices here):

and some beautiful greeting cards, for you to encourage those around you:

In God’s heart, I am ___________________.

So, what’s your word?

Please leave a comment with your word (and then go participate over at Holley’s if you want!):

This giveaway ends on Thursday.

*Update on the Voting System* I set the perimeters where each IP address can vote multiple times. It may allow you to vote on more than one photo a day or the same one over and over….it is sensitive, so if you click in the area of a picture accidentally, it will record it as a vote. Please understand-all the votes are being recorded fairly and each one is being counted if it fits in the perimeters. It may look wonky on your end, but it’s the system trying to keep up with multiple votes coming in at the same time. On my end, the voting looks very accurate and this is a reliable system.”

Warning:  This is going to be fun!

How about I share some random mattress facts from my memory bank before I announce our finalists?  Because I’ve got them.

• Growing up, my sister had a cat. It hated me. We would have staring contests and the cat would win. On one particular hateful day, in the middle of the night, the cat crawled up into my twin bed (I shared a room with my sister and she slept in her own twin bed, next to me) and peed on my legs and mattress. I woke the whole house up with my, um, behavior. [Moral: Cats always win and cat pee means a new mattress]
• In college, I lived in an ancient dorm and we would start on the third floor and have mattress rides down to the basement (four flights of stairs!) It was a blast. We’d then drag those flimsy, dirty things back into our rooms and sleep on them. Back then, my back never hurt! [Moral: I am old. But not too old to try that again someday]
• At one of my first jobs, my boss constantly talked about flipping her mattress while nude. It scarred me. She also reminded me to “wear lipstick” every day while I worked in the back room, shipping dept. [Moral: You don't have to flip a good mattress: i.e. Tempur-Pedic Contour Signature, lipstick is optional]

Alrighty, then. I think I’ve scared y’all enough.

Now for the fun part: A team of objective people from the PR firm who are working with Tempur-Pedic on this giveaway narrowed down the fabulous entries to what you see below. [Please note: I did not have any say in the finalists and didn't even know who they were until a couple of hours ago. And just so you know the choices aren't biased, most of the finalists are anonymous since their pictures don't link anywhere. There were several entries over 75 characters, but since there was a glitch in the Linky program and it didn't notify entrants, those entries were not disqualified.]

Please cast your vote and if you see your own entry, you are free to use the power of social media (twitter, facebook, blog, the telephone, etc) to gather some support!

One vote per ip address. person per day (with a total of 10 votes per IP Address). Voting ends Sunday, Sept. 11. Please read an explanation of how voting works here.

Ready, Set, GO!

I give you the finalists–ONE lucky person will win TEMPUR®-Contour Signature and  the TEMPUR Advanced Ergo System®

Listed in random order:

Disclaimer: I’m beyond excited and thrilled to be a part of this Tempur-Pedic campaign and giveaway! Although I’m being compensated for this program, the opinions are mine. I’m also happy to say that Tempur-Pedic chose my blog for this campaign because of  my involvement with Mercy House. The monetary compensation from this program will be given to Mercy House. But I’m gonna keep the bed. And it just doesn’t get better than that!

*UPDATED with Winner* Congrats to reader Shelly Smith!

Here are your random numbers:

239	

Timestamp: 2011-09-01 18:09:36 UTC

AND Graham Gardens posted a special code (“Sale30″) in honor of We are THAT Family readers on our homepage for 30% off all our products!

I wish I had a scratch n sniff screen, so y’all could smell what I’m smelling right now.

It’s my husband’s neck.

Unexpected, no?

We’ve been using new soap. Now, it’s not just any soap, it’s homemade chunky wholesome bar soap with names like Avocado and Oatmeal, Lavender and Coconut Milk, and Peppermint Cream that are smooth on the skin and smell as good as they sound.

I love soap. I’m not a perfume girl and don’t like heavy colognes. There’s just something about smelling the hint of soap on my kids and hubby that feels like home.  And also, I like clean people.

I’m a big fan of Graham Gardens. They sent an awesome variety of soap samples for my family to try out. We loved the variety of scents and how long each bar lasted. They also just look so much better than store bought soap!

One of my favorite, favorite items at Graham Gardens is the (also one of their best sellers) Lotion Bar. I love this little tin because it’s in solid form. It’s not messy and it’s perfect for my purse.

There are so many uses: dry skin, chapped lips, hands, feet, cracked fingers, etc! My oldest daughter confiscated a jar and even my hubby uses it.

We’re hooked. We also smell really good.

I’m happy to say that Graham Gardens is giving away this lovely basket of goodies:

Contents of giveaway basket:

1 Lavender & Coconut Milk Soap, 5.00
1 Peppermint Cream Soap, 6.00
1 Avocado & Oatmeal Soap, 4.00
1 Adirondack Trail Soap, 5.00
1 Fresh Butter Bar, Small, 11.25
1 Sweet Butter Bar, Small, 11.25
1 Natural Butter Bar, Small, 11.25
Product inserts (not pictured)
Candy (not pictured)

Total value:  $55.00

So, if you want to smell yummy, please visit this great store and leave a comment with what you’d like to try.

P.S. the packaging on these products is adorable. And y’all know how I love adorable.

This giveaway ends Thursday.

FINALISTS WILL BE ANNOUNCED SOON!!!!!

I have a long sordid mattress history.

I’ll start off by saying that the ah-mazing TEMPUR®-ContourSignature and the TEMPUR Advanced Ergo System® that we are sleeping on is our first new mattress in our married life. We’ve been married for nearly 17 years.

It was high time. And yeah, I know, gross.

My very first mattress purchase was made right after college. I had just signed on as a first grade teacher, making a whopping $12, 500 a year. I was so poor, I used my Discover card to buy breakfast every day. I started long-distance dating my soon-to-be-hubby that year and he made me send half my Discover card to him in the mail before we could take our relationship to the next level.

But I bought a mattress on that beloved card. From Bud’s. Anyone ever heard of Bud’s? It used to be a store for WalMart misfits, discontinued items and returns. Let’s just let that fact seep in: My first mattress was a returned item to a WalMart reject store. I got married 6 months later, so we put the mattress on the new bedroom set from my in-laws and lived on love for many years.

It can only get better from there.

Our next mattress was a few years later when my in-laws got a new bed. So, yeah, we got their hand-me-down.

This post is just getting grosser by the paragraph. (If it makes you feel better, it was a very good quality mattress from their spare bedroom. But still). [sidenote: never, ever, pull off your old mattress and expose the filth under your bed in front of your in-laws.]

Our final mattress was from my parents who decided to go from a queen to a king-sized bed. We got their old mattress in like new condition, which is a pattern for us. But in the past few months, it’s had some, um, issues. I’m pretty sure this would fall into the category of things my hubby doesn’t want me to blog about. So, I’ll just give you a hint: it involves an aging dog, frequent bladder issues, our old mattress and pee.

So, YOU CAN IMAGINE, our complete shock and awe and delight in not only getting our first NEW mattress, but a top of the line, TEMPUR®-Contour Signature. [Tempur-Pedic is the most highly recommended bed in America™: 94 percent overall satisfaction for Tempur-Pedic mattress owners.*]

I know the importance of sleep. I’m not a nice mommy/wife when I don’t get enough. (If I could just get everyone out of the bed!)

Did you know that according to a *survey:

• Americans are also willing to make sacrifices in order to get a good night’s sleep:  Nearly 50 percent of Americans are willing to go a month without Facebook, their iPhones or their iPads (46 percent) in order to get a good night’s sleep!*

Besides getting the best sleep eh-ver, I think these are my favorite things about TEMPUR®-Contour Signature and the TEMPUR Advanced Ergo System® :

• Designed for those who prefer a firm to medium-firm sleep surface
• Delivers proper alignment and support to help you fall asleep and stay asleep
• Provides edge-to-edge, pressure-relieving comfort and support (really helpful when you have back issues!)

And I’d also like to point out that you can put this bed in just about any position imaginable, raise the feet, the head, while you use the rolling massage feature–all accessible with a remote control. (The massage feature lulls me to sleep every night) I’m completely serious!

When I was contacted by Temper-Pedic, I was beyond excited but not just because I was getting a bed, I’m thrilled to get to give a bed to one VERY lucky reader.

So, we’re gonna have ourselves a little contest.

If my [old] mattress could talk, this is what it would “tweet”

“A Princess Sleeps Here and so does Pee”

Get it? Ha! (Only don’t tell my hubby) {wink}

photo source

So, that’s it: Link up a photo of your current mattress (below) and include a mock “tweet” or what your mattress would say right now if it could type. (in 75 characters)

The Details:

You don’t have to blog to enter, if you have a picture on your computer, you can link to it below! You can also upload a picture to Flickr or Photobucket and link it. If you want to write a post, feel free. Finalists will be able to use social media to invite votes next week!

There will be three blanks below (after you click the blue-enter link)

URL-put the link to the picture-from your blog, flickr or put no blog

Name-this is where you put your “TWEET” or what your mattress would say

Email-this is so we can contact you-doesn’t show up

The next step will allow you to choose the correct picture-from your blog, from Flickr or even your computer

Only one entry please.

Please don’t leave this info in the comments, it is not a valid entry. Email me with questions: kristenwelch@mac.com

We (thankfully, I’ll have help from the people behind this giveaway) will narrow down the entries (based on creativity, originality and what really ‘grabs’ us) and let YOU vote the winner next week. One person is going to win their VERY OWN TEMPUR®-ContourSignature and the TEMPUR Advanced Ergo System®. MSRP: $4,699 (TEMPUR-Contour Signature and TEMPUR Advanced Ergo System™)

Disclaimer: I’m beyond excited and thrilled to be a part of this Tempur-Pedic campaign and giveaway ! Although I’m being compensated for this program, the opinions are mine. I’m also happy to say that Tempur-Pedic chose my blog for this campaign because of  my involvement with Mercy House. The monetary compensation from this program will be given to Mercy House. But I’m gonna keep the bed. And it just doesn’t get better than that!

*  Tempur-Pedic Sleep Survey, conducted by StrategyOne June 23-28, 2010, using the field services of ORC.

Deadline to Enter: midnight, Tuesday, Aug. 30th. Finalists will be announced and voting will begin Thursday, Sept. 1.

Congrats to random commenter, Jennifer!

Here are your random numbers:

15

Timestamp: 2011-08-26 16:04:13 UTC

Everyone else, don’t forget: if anyone places an order they should please add “MERCY HOUSE“ in the notes of their order and 20% of each doll purchased will be donated to Mercy House.  This offer will be good through Sept. 23, 2011.

There’s just something about a baby doll that is so perfect and pure.

You can’t help but hug them close.

I’ve always been a doll-lover. (Don’t make me break out the studio picture of me and my favorite doll when I was twelve years old. It’s almost as sentimental as my home perm in the picture.) My mom was a doll-maker and even today has the biggest doll collection I’ve ever seen, so my love runs in the family.

I’ve passed the affection down to my girls. They are eleven and four and regularly play with their dolls together. It’s one of my favorite scenes to encourage. It is the epitome of innocence. And let’s face it: a girl is never too old to play with dolls.

When Baby Be Blessed emailed me months ago about creating one-of-kind baby dolls for our precious pregnant girls at Mercy House, I jumped at the chance, knowing that this would probably be the first doll they’d ever owned. Being able to give these dolls to our first three girls while I was in Kenya was such an amazing experience for my family.

Seeing the dolls being hugged and held by our girls who’ve been through so much was touching…knowing the Word of God was written in their own language (a feature on the tummy over every doll made by Baby Be Blessed)  was priceless.

This is no ordinary doll company. Each doll is lovingly created to be a blessing for it’s recipient. I have been so impressed with the tender, generous heart behind this doll-making company and cannot recommend it enough!

Today, Baby Be Blessed is offering a $56.00 Gift Voucher for a (winner’s choice) Personalized Doll to one lucky winner! Please take a minute to shop around and tell me what your favorite doll is in the comment section of this post…what color eyes, hair, etc would you pick out?

I’m also happy to announce if anyone places an order they should please add “MERCY HOUSE“ in the notes of their order and 20% of each doll purchased will be donated to Mercy House.  This offer will be good through Sept. 23, 2011.

This giveaway ends on Thursday.

*Updated with Winner*

Here are your random numbers:

139	

Timestamp: 2011-08-15 14:16:20 UTC

Congrats to Julie Frank! Check your inbox!

I think my favorite aspect of blogging are the connections and friends I’ve made. I’m amazed at how well I know people I’ve never met. Ya know?

And it’s even more exceptional to become friends– partners, really, with businesses that support my blog which supports Mercy House and in return I get to talk about their amazing products.

It’s just a win-win-win.

FYI: that’s a lot of winning!

One of those companies is The Vintage Pearl. They’ve sponsored this blog for a very long time and I’ve done more giveaways than I can count. They are huge supporters of our maternity home, Mercy House and just good friends.

When I was returning to Kenya, I wanted to take something extra special to Maureen and her mom, to remember the tragic family deaths they suffered this Spring. I knew exactly who I should talk to.

The Vintage Pearl created and donated two of these unique (breath-taking) necklaces that are now worn around the necks of two women across the world whom I love very much:

The Vintage Pearl is so much more than a great jewelry shop, they are talented people who help us savor sacred moments in our lives….they give back to the community, to the world and I can’t recommend them enough.

Here are a few of my favorite things:

I just love this quote (it’s about tea, of course)-

And this sweet necklace stores a secret love message!

Today, they are generously offering a reader a $50 gift certificate! Please visit their new blog and Facebook page.

Leave a comment below with what  you’d like to win.

Giveaway ends Thursday.

UPDATED: Congrats to the winners (thanks to Random.org):

Here are your random numbers:

22	44	41	10

Timestamp: 2011-08-04 18:52:40 UTC

Brenda Torres, Melanie Jordan, jennik,  Nanette Lynch

————————————————————

There was a package in the mail addressed to me.

I hadn’t ordered anything.

It was a suprise:

The Adopt Shoppe, one of my sponsors, created this necklace from something I said in this post while I was in Kenya. Is it wrong to wear your own words around your neck? I hope not.

I also love these white leather bangles:

and this lovely cuff:

Yes, please:

There are hundreds of other choices. FOUR lucky readers will win their choice of one of the items above: a tile necklace, leather bangles, metal cuff and Ugandan beads to this fun shop (with a purpose).

Please visit and leave a comment with what you love.