Oh My Love For You

We have had a rough few nights this week. Eliza has some sort of ick that is making it tough for her to sleep. I spend most of the night in her room with her, either laying on her floor or rocking her. This wouldn't be so bad if I hadn't just had a tetanus shot and feel my arm is going to fall off...oh lets not forget the fact I am 31 weeks pregnant and can barely sleep as it is!

Last night I brought her into our bed before Mark came to sleep. We were just talking and snuggling and I was hoping it would help her relax enough to be able to fall asleep.

After a few minutes, I shut my eyes in hopes that she would follow suit. She laid there quietly and then whispered

"Mommy?"

I didn't answer. That is when my heart melted.

Eliza rolled on her side, placed her hand on my cheek and whispered in my ear.
"I promise, I'll never leave you"
She kissed my forehead and rolled over.

I teared up. This sweet girl, even through all of her coughing and sneezing is still so happy and loving.

My love for you grows daily Eliza. You are so sweet, caring, funny and smart.

Being Prepared In An Emergency

Living with anxiety is never easy. The constant stress and worry about situations can be incredibly overwhelming. Through counseling I have learned to let things go and how to assess a situation when I have no control. One thing I was taught, when I have no control over a situation, at least be prepared for all of the what if's.

When we built our house our builder asked us if we wanted to put a room in the basement, under the porch, that is fully surrounded by cement. He said some people use it as a wine cellar, others as a cigar room, my first thought...a panic room! We laughed a bit, but I was serious.

Now it is nothing like the room Jodi Foster uses in the movie Panic Room, but it will keep us physically safe in the event of a disaster, mainly a tornado.

Here in Michigan we have them every Spring and Fall. I am thankful they are not nearly as bad as the ones in the mid-west, but we have seen our share of devastation. Even as I type this, my anxiety starts to rise. How will I keep the girls safe? What if we are stuck down there for a long time? Cell phones die, batteries run out, electricity is gone.

In the event of an emergency I want to be prepared. I don't want to have to run around looking for items as I am trying to get the girls downstairs. I am so thankful that I recently was able to teem up with Robert from SurvivalPlanKits.com.

Robert was kind enough to send me a customized survival kit just for our panic room. We now have a Tornado Emergency Kit all set up and ready to go in that room. I will never have to worry if I have everything, it will all be waiting for us in a re-sealable waterproof backpack.

Here is the full description from SurvivalPlanKits.com

This kit contains the following:

Food and Water: The food and water in this kit will adequately provide you with the nutrition you need in survival and emergency situations. These products have a 5 year shelf life.

     6 - 4oz. Water Pouches
     1 - 400 Calorie Food Bar Cherry Flavor
     10 Water Purification Tablets - each tablet purifies 1 liter of water
     24 oz. Water Purification Bottle

Light and Communications: In the event of a power outage you’ll have independent access to your own means of lighting and communication with the outside world.

     Dynamo LED Lantern with Radio
     Rechargeable Squeeze Flashlight - 3 LED flashlight
     30 Hour Emergency Candle
     12 Hour Green Emergency Glow Stick
     5-in-1 Survival Whistle
     Box of Waterproof Matches
     36" x 24" Bright Orange Help Flag

Shelter and Warmth: These supplies will provide protection from outside weather forces. They will protect you from wind, sun, rain, and many other conditions you may encounter.

     2 - Emergency Survival Sleeping Bag
     2 - Emergency Poncho with Hood
     2 - 16-20 Hour Body Warmer
     5' x 7' Tarp

Tools: These items are designed to be useful in emergency situations. They will be a valuable resource when you have problems with navigation, transportation, personal protection or shelter.

     Multi-Function Tool
     Compact Multi-function Shovel
     16 Function Knife
     Leather Palm Work Gloves
     2 N95 Respirator Dust Mask - NIOSH approved
     50 Feet of Paracord
     Safety Goggles
     Quakehold Putty
     10yds of Duct Tape
     3 Function Hatchet (hatchet, pry bar, hammer)
     Pack of nails

Hygiene and Sanitation: It is useful to have access to hygiene products when in a disaster situation.  Staying clean can protect against infection, disease, and depression.

     24 Piece Deluxe Hygiene Kit
     3 Pocket Tissue Packs

First Aid: These first aid items will assist with minor injuries and protect against serious health concerns in emergency situations.

     37 Piece Portable First Aid Kit

Other: These items are useful for stress relief during strenuous or challenging circumstances.

     Notepad with Golf Pencil
     Deck of Playing Cards for Entertainment
     Infectious Waste Bag

Could this be any better? There is no better way to put a mother's mind at ease than to know her kids will be safe and taken care of in an emergency.

SurvivalPlanKits.com has a wide range of kits available:

• Auto Survival Kits, great to keep in the trunk
• Blackout Survival Kits, we all remember when the upper east coast lost power for days
• Hurricane Emergency Kit
• First Aid Kits
• They even have Pet Survival Kits for our furry family members

Most of these kits have a 5 year shelf life. What a great product to have for peace of mind, especially for the next 5 years.

I pray that we never have to use our kit, but if we do, I know I am completely prepared for the situation.

Whether you are looking for a kit for your home, office, car or classroom, SurvivalPlanKits.com has everything you need. 

Right now if you order and use code TWSPK5 you will receive 5% off your order. Order $150 or more in survival kits you will get an automatic 10% off, if you use the code TWSPK5 you will get an additional 5% off for a total of 15% off.

Don't leave your families safety up to chance, be prepared for any emergency with SurvivalPlanKits.com


For this review I was provided a Tornado Emergency Kit from SurvivalPlanKits.com. All opinions are my own

Positively Pinterest

On days I need a little extra oomph in the positivity department...I go searching on Pinterest! Love these for this week.

Happy First Day Of Fall!

With having most of our stuff packed in storage, I am so bummed that we aren't able to decorate the house for Fall. I absolutely love decorating for each of the seasons and holidays. We will hopefully be in our house in October, but I doubt decorating will be my first priority.

Here is a flashback to our Fall decorations we used last year.


Well, not the trimmings you are thinking, but the trimmings around the house. I decided to take some photos of our Fall decorations. I went a bit crazy at Hobby Lobby the other day. They discounted all of their Fall items at 80% off, I just couldn't say no!

So here is a look around our house:

Our foyer table, you can see how to make the shadowbox here

I found this on clearance at the local grocery store. $10!!

Not sure what feather trees have to do with Fall, but I LOVE it!

My copper pumpkins are the cutest!

Centerpiece I made

Cornucopia I made from picks at Hobby Lobby

I just love the banner in the back, I made it from this printable

Sorry for the bad phone picture...This frame is in Eliza's room, I got it at Hobby Lobby. I figured each season/holiday I will put in a new printable. It is an off white, not sure why it looks so icky in this photo.

The funniest part of doing anything, is always Eliza. I came home from shopping and asked her to help me put everything up. I gave her this little metal owl and asked her where it should go. She yelled "oh, I know" and went running. I come around the corner of our formal living room and here it is on the floor in the corner. "Right There!!!" she yells, and that is where it has stayed :)

Do you go all out for Thanksgiving/Fall, or does it kind of get looked over between Halloween and Christmas? Mark is home for a long weekend after Thanksgiving, I think we  I will take it all down and start on Christmas!!

A Mini Horse Photo Shoot

I never pass up an opportunity to have Eliza's pictures taken. I never want to forget what she looked like or the true personality she had at a certain age. When the opportunity came for Eliza to have her picture done with a miniature white horse, how could I pass it up?

Meg from Shone Foto is the most creative photographer I have ever found! How she thinks of these ideas, I will never know, but man I wish I had that creativity bone. Meg is the mastermind behind our Gender Reveal photos, and a few more shoots we have up our sleeves.

The photos need no explanation, they are just adorable-amazing-precious-darling....

Humpday Humor-Interview with a 1-Year-Old

I think I have watched this video at least 100 times. When Eliza was a baby Mark and I used to watch these and just crack up!! I love these guys!! Enjoy

Love Love Loving our Joovy Ergo Caboose!

As we get closer to Emelia's due date, more and more things set in about having two children. Whether it is how I am going to be out numbered when I am home alone, back to changing diapers or all of the contraptions we need to pull out of storage.

Our family loves to be out and about. We go to the park weekly, go for walks around the neighborhood whenever the weather is nice and trips to the zoo a few times a year. Eliza still loves to ride in the stroller and it hit me...I am going to need a double stroller.

I looked at a lot of strollers-side by side, front and back, jogging strollers, sit and stands and many more. I came across the Joovy Ergo Caboose and fell in love.

I Will Never Forget

There aren't many words I could say that haven't already been said about 9-11. It is one of those times in your life you will always remember where you were, and I do. This isn't about me though. It isn't about what I felt at that moment. It is about the men and women who lost their lives, the ones who ran in while the others ran out and the ones who will live with the visible, and hidden, scars of that day. 

God Bless Us All

Letters To My Love Bug 28 Weeks Pregnant

Thanks to Shone Foto for these photos. 

She Refused to Give Up the Fight

"Jimmy Fallon and his wife recently welcomed a daughter and revealed that they spent years trying for a baby before it finally happened via surrogate and I love what he shared with Savannah Guthrie on The Today Show…

I know people have tried much longer [than we have], but if there’s anyone out there who is trying and they’re just losing hope, just hang in there. Try every avenue; try anything you can do, ’cause you’ll get there. You’ll end up with a family, and it’s so worth it. It is the most ‘worth it’ thing."

~Tonya

A few months back I introduced you to a very inspirational woman, Tonya. I was inspired by Tonya' strength and refusal to give up and back down from Secondary Infertility. Her words encouraged me, educated me and gave me new hope.

I recently saw a Facebook status that melted me

Thank You Isn't Enough

There aren't enough "Thank You's" to go around right now. It isn't a strong enough word to express my gratitude.

As many of you saw, last month we entered a contest to win a Hot Air Balloon ride for our family. It was a month long contest and many of you voted on more than one occasion.

The contest ended on Friday and I had a painfully long weekend of waiting and hoping.

I got the pivotal email this morning "CONGRATULATIONS, YOU WON!"!!

Mark, Eliza and I have a fully paid for Hot Air Balloon ride in our local area. We have a little twist we are going to throw in on it and I can't wait to share it with you guys.

So again, thank you from the bottom of my heart. It will be a memory we will never forget!!


A special thank you to Meg from Shone Foto for taking the photo that won us the contest, and to Brightwing for hosting the contest and providing us with such an amazing opportunity.

A Great Dinner!

I have been REALLY struggling to cook this pregnancy. I have major food aversion to most meat. It makes me so sick to my stomach to look at it. My family has been surviving on sandwiches and soups for too long. We are desperately trying to watch how much we spend going out to eat, so I sucked it up and made dinner.

I am SO happy I did.

Trash To Treasure

I belong to quite a few Facebook groups for people to buy and sell their items. It is a great way to pick up items for Eliza and the house.

I recently saw this gem pop up and knew I had to have it!

One Last Plea...

Tomorrow the Hot Air Balloon contest ends. If you could please vote one last time for Eliza's picture it would be GREATLY appreciated. We still have a lead but the other girl is trying really hard to catch up. We have such BIG plans for this balloon!! Just click on the picture below and it should take you right to it!

Throwback Thursday-Dance Class

Eliza started her 2nd year of dance. I can't believe how much she has changed. Watching her through the window just amazed me. No running around the room, just staying in her spot. Following along with the teacher and not searching for me out the window. She has even improved since Princess Camp just a few weeks ago.

My baby is growing up...

I Will Survive!!

 At first I was afraid, I was petrified. Kept thinking, I could never live without you by my side...


OK, maybe that is a bit dramatic, but Monday night, that is sure how I felt. I am not sure how it happened, or when it happened, but my little girl grew up. Tuesday was her first day of PreSchool!

Labor Day Love

What a great family weekend!! With all that we have had going on lately, it was nice to relax!

Eliza and I started it off with some AMAZING photos with Shone Foto. This is a behind the scenes shot, I can't wait to see the real photos!