Halloween 2011

So it looks like I'm running almost a month behind on a consistent basis here for posting happenings around our house. We had a blast on Halloween with our good friends the Allens. The kids were dressed up in such fun costumes - Kami was a cheetah, Rian was a black cat and Drew was a "wobot" (aka robot). The weather was pleasant so our trick or treating lasted longer than past (coooold) years. Here are some pics of the trick-or-treaters and our pumpkin carving!

Link to a Great Give-Away!

Looking for some great holiday ideas to give as gifts? Follow this link to a great blog offering a give away for some great Christmas gifts. One of the items will be from my shop! Good luck - please leave a comment letting Karen from mommysmoments.net know you found her blog through mine!

Erin

Rian's Birthday

Better late than never, right? Well since it has been almost a month since Rian's 5th birthday I thought I'd post some pics from her party. She has a great birthday and enjoyed many great gifts, a cool cake and some great time with family and friends. Thanks to all who came to the party or send her a card/gift! Here is our sweet 5 year old in action! Oh, and by the way if you look closely at the last two pictures you can see Drew blowing out Rian's candles! We had to relight them and cover his mouth so she could blow out her birthday candles!! Silly little brother.

Time with Madelyn

This weekend we are having the pleasure of spending some time with Gary's little cousin Madelyn. She has been so much fun! Here are some things we did on her first full day here:

Can't wait to see what tomorrow brings (ok after we get some ice cream tonight!!!!) Enjoy Sarah & Dan!

xoxo

Gift of Life

Unfortunately Gary and I have a friend who will be placed on the organ donor list soon because she has a disease that is destroying her liver. She is a wonderful person, mother of two, wife, friend and most importantly a follower of Jesus Christ. Her struggles with her health are a true testament to her faith. She has remained positive through all the difficult times and has turned over control of her life to the Lord. I'm amazed by her faith and at the same time encouraged.

Just recently we were chatting on the phone about her recent medical/testing results from U of M, which was good news since the test was to see if she had bile cancer! The doctors continue to monitor her to determine if she is eligible to be placed on the donor waiting list for a liver. Fortunately and Unfortunately she is just below the level (measured by certain chemicals in the liver) needed to be on the waiting list. In the meantime she is asking that friends and family share information about organ donation and encourage everyone to sign up to become an organ donor. If you are a Michigan resident and have a MI drivers license the process to be a member of the organ donor registry is EASY!! Just follow this  LINK. Along the left side of the page click on Organ Donation and follow the simple instructions. Please don't wait! Sign up NOW. Thanks! And please add the Brandt family to your prayers.

Oh, and here are some facts about organ donation that might interest you:

Organ Transplantation and Donation Facts at a Glance

People of all ages and medical histories should consider themselves potential donors. Your medical condition at the time of death will determine what organs and tissue can be donated.

Organs and tissues that can be donated include: heart, kidneys, lungs, pancreas, liver, intestines, corneas, skin, tendons, bone, and heart valves.

There is no national registry of organ donors. Even if you have indicated your wishes on your drivers' license or a donor card, be sure you have told your family as they will be consulted before donation can take place.

All major religions approve of organ and tissue donation and consider donation the greatest gift.

An open-casket funeral is possible for organ and tissue donors

Super SEVEN

Kami turned 7 (last week)! She had a great birthday party with her family and friends. It was carnival style so there were fun games to play and prizes (mostly candy) for anyone who tried to play one of the games. What a better way to spend a 100 degree day!! Gotta love those summer birthdays. Here are some pics of the party and the birthday girl. Thanks to all who attended!

Solar Oven

This summer has been nice and warm with lots of great sunshine - a great opportunity to do a little "summer school" and build a solar oven. The kids are always asking how hot it is outside and I always say "hot enough to fry an egg" which they then give me a silly (yeah sure mom) look. So after doing a little googling and finding some great instructions and recipes we went about building our own solar oven. Instead of a pizza box we used a USPS priority box and just used one of the front openings to insert our cookie sheet with peanut butter cookie dough. Don't you just love the pink duct tape! The girls and Drew checked the solar cooker every 10 - 15 minutes to make sure the sunlight was properly reflected into our oven for maximum heat. After awhile (I lost track of the time!!) we brought in the solar oven and using an oven mitt extracted a tray full of solar baked peanut butter cookies! Since we propped up the solar oven in the beginning the cookies kind of ran together but they still tasted great! Here are some pics of our summer science experiment!

SAHM of Etsy Blog

Check this out!! I was featured on the SAHM of Etsy Blog.

Have a good week!! More belated postings to come in the near future!!

Rian and the Worm

For those of you who were hoping to see the video of Rian and her worm Kayla I apologize that it is no longer posted here. Gary and I sent the video to America's Funniest Videos (AFV) and one of the requirements per the agreement we signed with them was to remove the video from our blog. I am happy to report however that Rian is no longer traumatized by returning rescued worms to their natural habitat. She is actually the best worm saver on our block and I bet if worms could talk they would be cheering her on for all of her heroic worm rescues this spring (post rain storms!). Her trained eye can spot a wiggling worm a block away!! We will keep you posted on her infamous video and if we hear that it will be aired on AFV.

Go Fish Felt Fishing Game

As a member of the Etsy community I've had a great time meeting other creators and getting their input on the items offered in my shop. Recently I was approached by a super sweet homeschooling momma who was interested in my Go Fish Felt Fishing Game. After sending her a sample and allowing her youngsters to play with this fun toy she wrote a review about it on her blog. You can check it out here. These felt fishing games can be found in my etsy shop Sapucha on Etsy.

Thanks!