It's beginning to look at lot like...

CHRISTMAS?!

Well, maybe not (unless you are in any home decor or department store).

Actually, Christmas is 85 days away and while that seems like a long time, if you are like me it will sneak up on you and you'll be running around all crazy-like 2 weeks before the 25th trying to get gifts for all of those precious people that you love (and those that you - oops - you forgot about).

I want to help you out. Instead of waiting until the last minute and stressing yourself out, why not shop Moonpie Designs for some customizable gifts NOW? I'll get it all done for you (with optional gift wrapping available) and send it right to your doorstep. You can stay inside all nice and cozy and avoid those maddening crowds. :)


*Mini-wallets (just $10!) are great for:
~teachers
~co-workers
~stocking stuffers
~moms, grandmoms, daughters, nieces, friends, etc. :)
They can be personalized with an initial, symbol, or ruffle.

I also do checkbook covers, pot-holders, hand towels, aprons, burp cloths, bibs, ruffle-butt onesies, fabric flower pins/headbands, taggie blankets, and wood block letters.

The Wood Block Letters (just $4 a block!) would be great for Christmas decorating! Think words like "Joy," "Noel," or "Believe." I can do any word and would love to hear your suggestions!

If years past are any indication, I'll get pretty swamped the closer it gets to Christmas. Get your orders in now to be sure you will have them in time for the big day!
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Side note:

I just found my child playing in a dirty diaper that he pulled out of the big trashcan. Yuckies. Life is NOT perfect, but it sure is GOOD!:)

Embrace the Camera (Sept 30)

A couple of weeks ago when it was just starting to cool off enough to actually walk outside without melting, Justin and Silas decided to wash the Element. I took a ridiculous amount of pictures that day because it was just so cute and of course by the end Silas was naked and Mogley walking all over the driveway and yard. :) Here's a very small sampling of the hundreds of pictures:

Learning how to fill up the bucket

Getting a drink (despite this face, he actually does love this)

Ahh - so refreshing. :)

Learning how to clean the tires
(I find it very weird that you can't see Justin's tattoo on his back in this picture.)

Kissing his reflection :)

Here's some randomness for ya:

When we were in LA we got to visit with my best friend from college and her little girl that is 2 weeks younger than Silas. We had not met each others babies yet so this was a great day!

Me, Silas, Katy, and Jubilee

We have totally slacked the past week or so with Embracing the Camera. :( I'm gonna do better next week!

It's A Girl Thing - WE DID IT!

My heart is full up. Not just full, FULL UP! :)

Fourteen people showed up to the It's A Girl Thing party yesterday.

We spent the day (9am-4:30pm) cutting and pinning and sewing and talking and laughing. I was so very encouraged by their sweet words and their hearts as they worked HARD to bless the socks off of some women and girls they have never met (and probably never will this side of heaven) on the other side of the world. Really - my heart just bubbled over all day as I looked around at what was taking place. If you want to love on me, help something that I am passionate about (and hopefully you will fall in love with it too). Jump on board with one of my "projects." That speaks love to me in a way I can't even explain. This was not at all about me, but I'm so thankful that in the process of doing all of this for the sweet girls in Africa that I was encouraged and uplifted too. You see, sometimes I feel alone. Sometimes I am afraid that if I try a new project that I will be the only one to show up to do anything. Sometimes I feel like I am the only one that cares. I know deep down that none of that is true (and who am I kidding, in the grand scheme of things I soooooo don't really "get it" - I just "get" a very small part of it but I do try), but even still I sometimes doubt that I'll have any support when I put myself out there with some new project. Just bein' honest here. Maybe you feel the same way. Let me just tell you that yesterday I spent the day with some ladies that "get" it. It wasn't about them or what they were doing to help, it was just about helping. I'm always trying to make people think about things they maybe don't normally think about - I think maybe that's because I like it when people make ME think so I try to do that for others too. I'm glad that this project has made people think - about the plight of women that did not have the privilege to be born in America, about how something as simple as a pad can change their life and create opportunities for the gospel to be shared, and about how WE are blessed TO BE a blessing - not just so we can enjoy all of the things we have and store up treasures that will rot away. I could go on and on, but I won't because I might already be rambling.

sigh.

FULL UP I tell ya. :)

Getting things ready to cut

Cameron and Savannah were champs! They cut and pinned all day long. :)

Mama Mandie sewing away

There were lots of blisters on hands and thumbs after all of the cutting yesterday! I'm telling ya, they worked HARD!

Here's Magda in a moment when she was getting along with her machine ;) Notice the one bare foot - girl after my own heart! I do the same thing.

Savannah learned a valuable life skill - IRONING! She had never ironed anything in her whole life. :) We laughed for a while over this.

More sewing

At the end of the day we had 65 pad holders and I don't even know how many inserts done. I didn't really know how many to expect to get completed because I didn't know how many people were coming, but I am sooooo happy about that number! I also have about 10 more ready to be sewn that I will finish before I drop them off. Aren't they pretty all stacked up?

Here's a small group picture. Of course I didn't think about taking one while everyone was still there but at least I got something! L to R: Alicia, Magda, Laurie, Dana, Mary and Baby Gabby, and me.

Thank you ladies for a wonderful day and for sharing your hearts with me. Love you ALL.

It's A Girl Thing!

Here's the deal:

Girls and women in Africa and countries all over the world do not have access to sanitary products.

Think about that for a moment...

So what do they do during that oh-so-fun time of the month?

They wait.

They stay home from school and work endangering their education and further hindering already impoverished familes.

They squat.

They use a single scrap of old fabric every day and wash it out at night and even though it is still wet they use it again because at least then it is a little bit clean.

They roll up newspaper and use it as make-shift tampons.

They often get infections from using the dirty rags and newspaper and these infections need to be treated with medicine that is not available.

The infections are often mistaken for sexually transmitted diseases and often leads to the women being abused or abandoned by their husbands or family.

Here's a fact: The dropout rate for school-aged girls is 40% when they do not have sanitary supplies. BUT - that rate rises to just 8% when they do have access to them.

All of this could be remedied if they just had access to clean products.

So...

I am teaming up with women all over the country to help provide washable menstrual pads for girls and women in Ethiopia and Zambia, Africa.

Disposable pads and tampons are expensive and pre-made washable overnight pads run about $10 each. We are trying to provide AT LEAST 300 girls/women with 10 washable pads each so if we bought them that would be about $30,000! WOWZA.

Here's where I need you:

No, I don't need you to help me come up with $30,000.

We will not be purchasing pre-made pads.

We'll be sewing them! :)

This Saturday I'm hosting an It's A Girl Thing! party at my church and we will be cutting, assembling, and sewing as many pads as we can. I have a very simple pattern that we'll be using and I am hoping to spend the whole morning cranking out these pads with some dear friends (and hopefully some new friends too!). We will also be praying for the women who will be receiving them.

I need YOU to:

1) PRAY for this gathering - that there will be many hearts and hands that come willing to work and help and that I will be able to have it organized in a way that is efficient (NOT by strong-suit). Also pray that we will have all of the supplies that we need.

2) COME if you are in the metro-Atlanta area and can sew, use a pair of scissors, basically if you can walk and chew gum at the same time there is something that you can do to help! :) We are meeting THIS SATURDAY, Sept. 25 at 9am at Christ Community Church in Conyers. Please bring with you any supplies you would like to donate or let us borrow (sewing machines, scissors, fabric, etc).

3) DONATE toward the purchase of supplies. We will also be providing each girl with 2 pairs of new panties so we will need to purchase those. We need supplies for the actual pads and while a lot of it is being donated by the women that are sewing them, we will still need to purchase additional supplies. In the event that we have money left over after all of the needs have been met the extra will go directly to the ministries that are distributing the pads to women. Those two ministries are Wiphan (located in Atlanta) and Project 61 (Tennessee). If you feel led we would greatly appreciate any donation you would like to make toward this project. You can do so by clicking on the DONATE button on my side bar ------>. Please note that it is for sanitary supplies in the Special Instruction box when you donate.

If you have a chance, please check out both of the ministries with whom we are partnering.

I am super excited about this opportunity to bless women on the other side of the world. It is such a simple thing - a pad - yet it will change their lives.

If you have any questions at all please please please email me or leave me a comment with a way to contact you. Also, if you are planning on coming to the party and/or bringing supplies to donate, please let me know asap so that I know how much more I need to purchase.

Thank you in advance for your prayers and donations. We are blessed TO BE a blessing. Will you be a blessing today?

The latest.

I've been a block making fool the last few days! This order is going to Sarah in Louisiana. She wanted some artwork for her home and new office. Sarah and I graduated from high school together.

This "faith" is my favorite. :)

And just for kicks...

MOONED YA!! :)

We are headed out to LA on Wednesday (flying again) for a week. Today and tomorrow will be busy busy busy! I'll be working on orders, tonight is our first YOUNGLIFE club of the year, and of course I'll be packing and trying my hardest to be organized for the flight. :)

Adoption Fundraiser with Moonpie Designs

Many of you know that adoption is something that has always been on my heart, but even more so in the last few months. I now spend a great deal of my time reading blogs about adoption (especially Africa adoptions) and gleaning wisdom from the sweet families that are willing to share their journeys.

A few months ago I stumbled upon Erica's blog and we quickly became bloggy/email friends. :) The Shubin's (David and Erica) are in the process of bringing home their daughter from Ethiopia (!!!!). This is their second Ethiopian adoption - their son, SILAS (5), came home in 2008 and they have Nichol (12), Skyler (11), Olivia (8).

Right now they are doing a fundraiser for their Referral Fee so that they can say "YES!!" as soon as they are given a referral and see their daughter's sweet face.

This fundraiser is A Family Affair and it literally has something in it for everyone...seriously, there is TONS of great stuff in this Family Pack! Lots of t-shirts (you know I love me some Africa shirts!), hats, jewelry, children's clothes, bags, and just all kinds of goodies. Go check it out to see what all is in there! There is a Moonpie Designs goody in there too (any goody you want!). :) You can find out all about how the fundraiser will work at their blog (and how to score extra chances to win!), but I'll give you a little briefing here too:

This is a "drawing" style fundraiser so the more tickets you purchase, the better your chances of winning. Tickets are in the form of puzzle pieces - they are putting together an African puzzle to frame in double sided glass and hang in their daughter's room. Every puzzle piece will have the name of the donor written on the back of it so that it will always be a precious reminder of all the people that helped to bring her home. Each puzzle piece is $10 and for the Family Pack only (the puzzle fundraiser is on-going until every piece is purchased) you can get 3 pieces for $25. PLEASE please please go meet this precious family and help them bring their daughter home!

Go! Tell them I sent you! Buy some puzzle pieces and be a part of making a Forever Family!

Embrace the Camera (Sept. 9)

This week's Embrace the Camera is brought to you by MY BIRTHDAY! ;)

Being stingy with his kisses
(I just had to google how to spell stingy because when I typed it the first time I was convinced that was wrong. The English language is screwed up.)

Monday evening we had a little party for me here with the Mays, Cardoza's (who were so sweet to show up despite some devastating circumstances), and my friend Kiley.

After everyone sang and it was time to blow out the candle (which was Silas's "1" from his cake), I was gonna let Silas help me blow it and Justin accidentally blew it out before we could. You would have had to been there, but it was hilarious. :)

And yes, that is bundt cake on an upside down pasta serving bowl. It's all I could find!!

Micah and Bella decided to semi-cooperate for a picture for once. :) Love these kiddos! Micah was the first little baby that I ever kept and then Bella was not far behind him.:)

Get your Embrace the Camera on!!

It's my BIRTHDAY!

Today is my 27th birthday and to celebrate I am giving everyone who follows my blog 20% off any Moonpie Designs order placed by midnight tonight.

Yep. It's true!

You can order through my etsy shop (in my side bar) or you can email me for something you have seen on my blog but isn't listed in the shop (checkbook covers, fabric flower pins, etc).

All you have to do is become a Follower of my blog (also on my sidebar - scroll down til you find it...and I WILL check to make sure you are a follower! :P) and then either put the code BIRTHDAY in a convo to me on Etsy or add it in your email. That's it! Easy as pie (or cake)!!

Now go getcha some goodies!

Feel free to facebook, blog, or tweet about this discount! ;)

pumpkins!

Pumpkins for sale!

They need a home!

Bedroom Makeover and The Latest Craftiness

I have had this project in my head for probably a year and a half and last night I finally sat down and starting working on it. I started at 8:30pm and finished at 11. I absolutely LOVE it and distressing stuff might be my new favorite thing. :) The blocks are 2x4s - Justin was going to throw some scraps away and I rescued them. I Mod-Podged the scrapbook paper and then cut out the letters and glued them on. You can't really tell in the pictures, but the letters have a little metallic gold on the edges and one of the papers does too. I don't know why that makes me so happy.;) I distressed the wood and the paper with scrapbooking ink stuff....I seriously might be addicted now.

They are now at home in our bedroom (which was in desperate need of some cuteness).


It's gonna be a long time before I can look at it and not smile.:)

What do you think? Like it? Want one? I'll do any word you want! I'm thinking this is gonna be great for Christmas decorating (and Fall - I've got a little pumpkin project in the works with some scrap landscaping timber). And how cute would it be to have your family name and the year you were married - like Moon est. 2004? Oh I have so many ideas! I can't wait to hear what y'all come up with!
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The lighting is kinda wonky in these pictures (I haven't mastered this whole natural light thing), but here's our newly decorated and CLEAN bedroom...

We got a king sized mattress last year and started to make a headboard several different times, but we ended up just putting up these shelves and I kinda love it. It's simple. Also, you can't see it, but our bed skirt is brown.

This little "nook" area has a built it with shelving on the bottom and it is fabulous, but I have never liked the the drawers are open on the top so you can see the clothes in them. Even when everything was folded nice and neat it bothered me so I decided this weekend to add a curtain. I used a linen tablecloth that I already had and basically folded it nearly in half and then sewed two pockets at the top - one to make the ruffle and one for the curtain rod. It took a little creative thinking to figure out how to make this whole thing work. I got steel conduit at Ace Hardware for $2.59 (and it was well over the 90 inches that I needed) for the rod and some tiny little eyelet screws and two keyrings. I attached the eyelets right under the top edge and the threaded the keyring onto it to hold the conduit. Does that make sense? Oh - and those windows on the wall - I totally got those out of someone's garbage one day like 2 years ago.:)
And yes, that light is not at all centered and it was there when we bought the house and it drives me crazy every.single.day.

I covered an old canvas painting in the same fabric that I did our bathroom curtain in - love it when I can upcycle something I already have!

So that's our bedroom! Thoughts?? Suggestions?? Please share! And don't forget to tell me what word you would put on your blocks if you could!

Happy Labor Day (night)!