BLESSINGS ABOUND!!!!

What can one say? BLESSINGS ABOUND!!! You may have to hunt, but they are there to be found! Yesterday was an amazing day. Actually, it has been an amazing week. I just have to share! Let's start by saying my home is getting organized, one room at a time! LOVE IT!!! So the goal was a room a day! By the time I got to Thursday all of the fires had been put out and even the last load of laundry was in the dryer. I offered to keep a friends little girl, knowing full well I would be making cookie dough and working and needed the twins occupied! They had been playing and I ran the dishwasher, fed them all lunch and put them to bed. I sat down at my laptop to just waste some time and enjoy the peace and quiet! Something I love and cherish! But the phone rang and I quickly jumped up to answer so as not to wake any of the 3 kiddos. IT WAS MY BEST FRIEND IN THE WHOLE WORLD!!! IT WAS MY SUNNEYE!!!! Next to God, my husband and the kiddos, she is my number one or maybe my number 7!!! LOL Therefore, any of you who know just how special you are to me, you can only guess how special she is to me. Every time we talk, we pick up where we left off and it is always such a blessing to witness her complete reliance on God. I always end up crying when I talk to her but it is always a great and much needed cry! I so wish she were closer so my kids could witness first hand the incredible person she is.

ANYWAY, while on the phone with her after we both had calmed down and dried our eyes, I noticed there was water all over the little kitchen!!!!!! It was spewing forth from the top of the HUGE hot water heater!!! I turned all of the water off to and from it and it continued. I dumped water, and dumped water from it while finishing up the conversation with her and I really do not know what was said in the last five minutes of that conversation except that we would each continue to pray for the other! :) :) :) I had 7 towels on the floor that did not even faze the "puddle." Mark was unreachable and while on the phone with his mom she informed me I could hook the hose up to it and send the water out the back door. Oh, did I mention this all started at about 12:15? And did I mention that Christmas Party at school was at 1:30? LOL Yep you got it! Did I mention also that all 3 kiddos got dressed in footy pj's before their naps? So once I got the spewing to slow, by hooking the water hose up, I ran to the other end of the house to get the 3 kiddos ready to head to the school for the Party! By that time I had finally gotten hold of mark and he was on his way home. By the time we got back from school all of the appliances and cabinets had been pulled away from the wall and all of the water was sucked into the wet dry vac! He is so smart!!!!!!!! :) :) :) That night we talked to the plumber who said he would be here first thing in the morning, and we dug out the water shut off valve outside which had broken in the midst of everything. Thankfully, in the off position!!! Give you a new appreciation for water though! :) Then next morning they showed up, fixed the outside valve, snapped the pipe further back and fixed that. All with such calmness and about 5 ciggy's! :) There was not an obscenity or exasperated breath puffed once! :) :) LOL While they were testing the heater to see if it was just the pipe or the heater, I mentioned to Mark that Big Bikes were on sale for our oldest who has requested such since she is now riding without training wheels! :) He kind of gave me that "It's not gonna happen look." And sure enough, out goes the old hot water heater and in comes the new one. And a whopping big check later, we had water and HOT water!!!!! :) :) :)

Here is where the blessings start coming into play. My dad works for a homeless mission in downtown Dallas. (And many of you know how hard this year has been for them with mom being so sick and all!) Anyway, in the midst of the plumber being here he called and said we are going to get to go "shopping" in the gift room because there have been so many gifts given this year that we have some left over. What would the kiddos like from us? I named off about 3 things for Brayden, 2 for Skylar and 1 very specific for Hailey. He said, well, I will go at 1 and see what I can find. :) :) :) My heart leapt with happy heart for him being able to give them something at all! :) So we write that whopping big check and SERIOUSLY, not 3 minutes later, my dad calls and says "We have these bikes here that we cannot give the kids here because there is no place for them to ride them. Does Hailey need a bike?" I admit it, I cried right there!!!!!!!! God took care of my little girl at the very moment I was going to throw in the towel and convince her that her bike was perfect for her until her birthday!!!! WOW!!!!! Ok, so it gets even better! Later that afternoon, I get another call from my dad, HE GOT EVERYTHING ON THE LIST!!!!!!!!!!!! Not just one thing for each child but everything I had mentioned!!!!!!! He got it ALL! Can you believe it?!??!?! I can!! So, we sail through the rest of the day and go to the forgotten about basketball practice, and while we are there Skylar says "I'm Hungry!" "What are we going to have for dinner?" Mark says "What does mommy have at home" I respond with, at 7 pm, Mommy has sandwiches!!!!" And we all chuckle! SERIOUSLY, 45 seconds later my phone rings. It is my neighbor, who was suppose to leave town yesterday, whose son got sick 20 minutes outside of town and they turned around, saying there must be some reason we are not to be on the road today, and when they got home found the cat locked in a closet!!!!!!!!!!!! She had made a ton of Totilla soup and was asking if we would like some. NO WAY!!!!!!!!!!!! A warm dinner too? On a cold night?!?!??! How can that be?!?!??! I stand in awe of my God, but as I have said on more than one occasion "I LOVE WATCHING GOD WORK!" But more than that, I hate that He has to prove Himself over and over and over to me! All of these were little things, nothing lifechanging in the midst at all! But at the end of a very long week at work for Mark and a stressful sequence of events, it is wonderful to feel His pressence and see Him work through others.

If I had not taken care of that little girl Thursday, I probably would not have run the diswasher. That being the case, the hot water would not have been run until showers at bedtime. The water would have flowed all night long rather than just a couple of hours!!!!! If I had not gotten the phone call during naps from my dear friend, I would not have gone to that end of the house until I had 3, 4 year olds in sock feet walking through the water trying to get out the door quickly to school. If, it had happened a week earlier when I had so many shipments going out I would have just been nuts and crazy!!! If it had happened a week later, when we had 15 people in this house or the day we left and it flowed for 4 days straight?!?!? All I can say is WOW!!!!! God's timing is perfect! Who can question it?!?!?!? If the bike conversation had never happened and she just got offered a bike. That sweet blessing would not have meant nearly as much. The fact that I have not been able to shop for the kids because now they see everything I put in the buggy and I was going today to get the stuff I had yet to get, while daddy took care of them! And my dad got EVERYTHING ON THE LIST yesterday afternoon!!! And even dinner?!?!?!? All I can say is, I love to watch God work!

Blessings abound! Now then, save this file to your desktop and take a moment to write someone a note who has been a blessing to you this past year! You need to share, and they need to hear!!!! :)

Stedman Graham (Oprah's Boyfriend) @ Hardin-Simmons University Homecoming!

Ok, so this weekend was the first real Face-to-face opportunity Traditions From The Heart has had. Most of our work is so custom that online works much better! When Hardin-Simmons University approached us last summer to participate in their Authors and Artists event at Homecoming, it never occurred to us that anyone of any name would be there. Did not really know what to expect, but did hope for something to come of it. We arrived about 45 minutes early, claimed our spot and dropped off our rather large box, to be dealt with later. Then took the kids off to ride the horses and take part in all the Posse Kids activities! One of our daughters was just having one of those days, so we decided she would go back in with me and join in the selling event, in the bookstore. We walked in and immediately noticed the buzz of activity. There sat 7 other authors with my empty spot smack dab in the middle! BUT WAIT! Who is that man, with the empty white table just to the left of mine?!?!? Could it be? Could it really be...Stedman Graham, (Oprah Winfrey's longtime boyfriend)? As these thoughts are racing through my mind I notice, yet again, my bare table that I have yet to set up. As I frantically get it all put together I am remembering way back in the deep archives of my mind that YES, Stedman Graham did play basketball for Hardin-Simmons University! BUT, in all of my homecoming information, there was nothing about him participating in this event, more than that, what is he doing here? Why is he sitting there at his empty table? This is not making any sense at all! As I take my seat behind my, now beautifully set up table, with my dear daughter (Little Helper for the day) by my side, I see people walk up to that blank table next to me, while turning their backs to me and hand the gentleman next to me the book that they just purchased. YES, he was having a book signing for some books that he has written, right there next to my first face-to-face experience! What an event it turned out to be! Let's just say, that not many people noticed the rest of us sitting or standing behind our tables. But it was fun to people watch! As I sat there, all of these sweet ladies came up to his table, with their new treasured books in hand, ready for his hand scrawled name to blanket the inside cover of the newly beloved book, which just proves they went to school with him. right? Each and every one of them asked him if they remembered them. And many commented on his lack of hair, YES HE DID THE FRO BACK IN THE DAY! It was so funny!

It got me thinking though, first off, who from my years at school would I want to walk up to at such an impersonal event and ask...Do you remember me? But more than that, what makes someone memorable? What is it about that person, that says "don't forget me" and why does it feel so good to be remembered? I then took it a step further...When I stand before Jesus, sitting on His grand throne of glory...The most important person of all time...will I have to ask, "Do you remember me?" Or will I have served faithfully, brought others to Him, shined His light in this dark world, made big enough and bold enough moves to be noticed and remembered? Oh wait!!!!! The only thing I must do to be remembered by Him is to accept Him as my personal Savior, ask Him to come into my heart and ask Him to forgive my sins! IT IS THAT MOMENT THAT I BECOME MEMORABLE!!! NEVER TO BE FORGOTTEN BY HIM! Isn't that a profound thought? Pretty amazing when you think about it. How many people in your life have you met one time and years later, they still remember you?!?!?!? The most incredible part about all of this is, each and every one of us also has the opportunity, to have a relationship with Jesus. Talk about amazing. How many people went to college with Stedman Graham are not only remembered, but remembered fondly and have even had the opportunity to have a relationship with him? Just something to think about at the end of the day.
What really does matter in life? Who do you REALLY want to be remembered by?
Happy Hump Day!

Hardin-Simmons Homecoming

Traditions From The Heart is being featured at Hardin-Simmons University Homecoming. We are thrilled and overwhelmed at the same time. We have been working for months to design quality cards and stationery that will merit such recognition. We believe we have finally accomplished this feat. What do you think?

We are so excited about FALL!

Traditions From The Heart is so excited!
Type in birth announcements on google and you will find http://www.beautifulbabybirthannouncements.com at number 15, photo birth announcements at number 17 both of those are in the middle of the 2nd page on google!!! AMAZING!!!! Type in photo Christmas cards on the same and number 21!!!!!!!!!! Top of the 3rd page! Incredible!!!

Christmas Card Orders are already coming in! Place your order today and you will receive return address printing for FREE!!!! Talk about saving TIME and MONEY!!!! It does not get any better than that!!!

Tell your friends about us!!!! Share the love!!! Remember, if they mention you in their order, YOU GET MOMMY CARDS FOR FREE!!!!!!!

NEW LOGO!

Traditions From The Heart's new Logo is...

Traditions From The Heart is designing a NEW Logo

Click the title above to weigh in options and cast your VOTE! We are so very excited and are anxiously awaiting input from our supporters! YOU, OUR CUSTOMERS!!! :)

Have a wonderful day!
Monica :)

My Wedding Day

This month is wedding month at Traditions From The Heart!!!!
For the sole reason, that my anniversary is this month!!!!

Here is a summary of my sweet wedding day nearly 11 years ago, we would love to hear about yours!!!! Leave your wedding day comments or share your sweet stories!!!! I just love a good wedding story!! :)

1} When was your wedding day? August 15, 1998

2) What day of the week was it? Saturday

3) Did you get married in a church? Yes, First Baptist Church Dallas, Texas - thanks to the sweet staff who gave it to us as a gift!!! And to Gayle Willis who worked so wonderfully with me to have access to either chapel!!! :)

4) How many in your wedding party? 3 bridesmaids, 3 groomsmen, 3 Ushers, 3 Hostesses, 1 flower girl

5) Where was your reception? The Beautiful Grace Parlor

6) How many guests were invited to your wedding? About 250. We had to change chapels the day before the wedding because I never expected so many to come. Too many people for the planned chapel!

7) How long did you wait to Tie The Knot after your proposal? 2 months!!! LOL Mark was living in NC and I was in Dallas! I WAS MISERABLE TO SAY THE LEAST!!! :) :) :)

8) Who did you hire as your photographer & videographer? Hmmmmm, I knew this for the longest time! TOTALLY REASONABLE, but difficult to work with!!! Took some AWESOME PICS though! BEAUTIFUL ALBUM and services for only $1,000!!! Henry Farrish did the video. What an awesome gift that turned out to be!!

9) Did you have a DJ or a band? No. We had a string quartet.

10) Did your father walk you down the aisle? Yes.

11) What color were the bridesmaid dresses & groomsmen vests? Very elegant black!

12) Who was your Maid Of Honor/Best Man? Matron of Honor, Sunneye Phillips; Best Man, Clint Lewis

13) Did you have a Bridal Shower? Yes, I had 1, and barely enough time for that one! LOL And a Bridal Luncheon the day of, Thanks to Cheryl Bernard! :)

14) What type of limo did you get? CLINT AND TRICIA gave us a wonderful black stretch limo! What an incredible surprise to walk out to that!!!! :)

15) Where did you go for your Bachelorette/Bachelor Party? :) We had a wonderfully mild get together at My Nicci's Home!!!!!! :) Mark, was sick but went up to the FBC Dallas gym and I think Dave and Buster's. Not really sure what he made it too. Bad case of food poisoning!! LOL

16) What type of wedding gown/tux did you two wear? I had the most beautiful but simple gown ever, that is an Alfred Angelo that I got at the outlet for $300. I still love it! His tux was a handsome black tux.

17) How was the weather? It had been over 100 for about 45 days straight! I had prayed for rain for weeks in order to bring it under 100! That morning it rained and the day turned out sunny and somewhat bearable at just under 100!!! :)

18) Where did you go on your Honeymoon? Kiawah Island, SC

19) What was your favorite part of your wedding day? There were 2 parts...
1) That morning, I seemed to have the same food poisoning issues Mark had the night before. I picked up a book that Nicci had and opened it up and looked at the middle of the page and read "God ordained marriages" I could not believe my eyes, what was this book? The name of the book was "1001 thing to thank GOD for" and it was just a list. And of that list that was the first thing I read?!?!?!? It was the sweetest moment of my life!!! All stomach issues were gone from that moment on!!!! :)
2) My first kiss from my husband and my veil falling off!!! So typical!!!! LOL :)

20) What surprised your guests the most? A BEAUTIFUL and TASTY Red Velvet Wedding Cake!

21) How long have you been married? In 15 days...11 YEARS!!!!! :)

This was snapped just before we left. What a perfect end to a perfect day!!!!

Placing God Is... T-shirt Orders today!

Today is a better day! I will be placing an order today for my new line of Tradmarked, God is... T-shirts! I would love to order one for you! Just let me know what design and what size. The t-shirts will be a white short-sleeved and will cost $12 plus shipping. Just let me know by 6 p.m. what size and what design you want! :)
(If you order 3 or more, shipping is FREE! )

monica@traditionsfromtheheart.com
The t-shirts will have the design on the front with a God is..."theme same as front" at the neck on the back. :) I am so excited to finally be doing something with these! :) I hope you are too!

WOW! you know how they say, bad things come in 3's?

Well, maybe my blog posts are like that! LOL

This is a heart-wrenching post on so many levels and goes to my innermost depths. As mentioned early on in this blogging quest, my mom got sick on April 3rd. She has not been the same since! She was admitted into the hospital on April 5th because she had an extremely high fever and was lethargic and rather non-responsive. She was taken by ambulance and admitted immediately. She tried to check herself out when she finally came to, the following day, but before she could, they came back with the diagnosis of Viral Spinal Meningitis. They let her go home 9 days later, with an unfinished MRI, poor blood work and no "REAL" diagnosis. Just that Dad had to sterilize the house before she reentered it. We got her in with an immunologist who has been the most helpful of all of the doctors. She also has her general practitioner that she sees to get her disability papers signed each month and who tries to piece together all the diagnosis of all the other Dr's. Additionally she has a Neurologist (the second one of those, since this process began), an orthopedist to address the acute rheumatoid arthritis that has developed around the C1 and C2 vertebrae as a result of the inflamed meninges still hovering on her spine, an orthopedic surgeon to address the bulging disc in her spine as a result of not being able to lift her head up because of the arthritis, and as of a month ago, she has an Infectious Disease Dr. Between the Immunologist and the Infectious Disease Dr. she has had EXTENSIVE blood work, MRI's and EKG's done and as of this last week, it was confirmed that she now has at least 11 viruses running rampant in her system, including but not limited to, Swine flu and influenza. Supposedly there is nothing they can do except to treat the symptoms and try to make her comfortable. Niether of which are they being very successful. A month ago, the immunologist had the grand idea to test her oxygen levels. SHE WAS "FUNCTIONING" at 72%!!!!!!!!!!!!!! GOOD GRIEF!!!! No wonder she could not hold a thought or walk straight!!! She still staggers when she walks, her left side is much weaker than her right. I call her the "human pinball" because she bounces around just to go in a straight line. I mean it with all the love and respect I have, but also speak the truth. If she were pulled over while driving, there is no way she could walk a straight line!! LOL Maybe we will be bailing her out of jail one of these days. She had a spinal tap done yesterday, of which took 3 tries and the gentleman doing it said it was the toughest one he has had in his 18 year career. The miningies were still so thick he could hardly get through it. Also, the spinal fluid would not flow out, THEY HAD TO SYPHON it out!!! I cannot imagine the pain she has gone through. They will be sending this off to California to find out anything else that might be going on in her system.

So, how did we get here? What is it that has led up to all of this misery? My mother has burned the candle at both ends for years. The week that my mom got sick, it was TAKS test week here in Texas. And she was a middle school math teacher. She not only had that stress but the added stress of her position. Not only was she a middle school teacher, not only was she a math teacher and not only was it TAKS week, she was a teacher in an alternative school. This is the school that any child who has been suspended, arrested, and just plain bad goes to school until their punishment "sentence" is up. They may be there for a week, 6 weeks, or a semester. Often times she will see the same students many times throughout the year, but not always. She never really knows from day to day who will be in her class when she arrives. To top it off, this year her TAKS tests would affect the district. These are students who have not been her students the entire year, they have been taught by other teachers, if they have attended said school, and she may have only had them for days or weeks, but when it came to testing time, their grades are a reflection of her and her school's teaching abilities. As a result of all of the stress, her immune system crashed and the initial virus that she got, settled in her spine. We have had many conflicting initiatives of the original virus, from getting a virus on her hands and rubbing her eyes, to having been exposed to shingles or chicken pox (neither of which had my mom ever had) therefore getting herpes (obviously not the STD) of which is one of those viruses in her system. But no matter how it all began, this is where we are today.

What I really do not understand with all of this, is the doctor's keep telling her that she is not contagious!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! BUT, if she begins to run a fever, she is to go immediatley to the hospital and contact her infectious disease doctor!!!!! What the heck does that mean?!?!?!? Does she basically turn into "Africa" once she runs a fever?!?!?!?! At that moment in time does she expose EVERYONE AROUND HER with Swine Flu, Herpes, Influenza and whatever else she is walking around with?!?!?!?!? Also, they are not addressing the fact that her immune system is so very low that she needs to stay in quaranteen in order to try to get better. She is literally catching everything that walks past her!!!!! But nobody is telling her that and she is not listening to me. They just keep telling her that "she is not contagious." Oh good grief! It is really sickening.

In the midst of all of this her, over-bearing, controling and mean mother who would never admit to being any of that and whom my mom will never ever please, is insisting that she either come out here or my mom go to Tennessee to prove just how sick she is. Try as my mom might, she will never please this woman. It will never happen. She thinks by going to her mom's that her mom will stop hounding her. This is both dissapointing and heart-breaking both for my mother and myself. Please join me in praying for my mom to begin running a fever before Sat. God can work all kinds of miracles. Including protecting my mom from her mom and the rest of the world from my mom's germs. If she begins running a fever in some airport or on the airplane, she then exposes EVERYONE in that confined space to all of the viruses she is carrying. Not to mention, all of the viruses she will pick up on that airplane and in that airport due to her lack of immune system. Feel free to pray for her miraculous healing as well. It has been nearly 4 months and the frustration level is beyond explanation.
Thanks so much for your prayers,

I promise to be a better blogger!

Ok, so I have made this promise before!! But seriously...I do! As you can probably guess, much has been going on here. It has been a wonderful summer with my kiddos. In fact, the healthiest one we have had EVER!!! Hailey and Brayden have learned to swim, and Skylar is the sweetest and best back floater you ever did see! :)

Business has been exciting! Traditions From The Heart has teamed up with http://www.reviveafrica.com We have designed some beautiful stationery using artwork that the children in the orphanage created. It is stunning really! You can purchase it on our website and $10 of every order goes straight to the orphans. They are raising funds to send 2-3 students to the states every year to live with a family and attend school. They will then head back to their homeland in order to share all that they have learned and others will then come to the states. They want to give these children a hope for a future! That is the absolute goal! It is an amazing ministry and Traditions From The Heart is thrilled with its role and honored to be a part!!!!
Revive Africa Stationery - Design 1

Revive Africa Stationery - Design 2

Revive Africa Stationery - Design 3


I was also asked to participate in my Alma Mater's Homecoming this year! Go Cowboys! What an amazing honor! It is a small university out in west Texas, but it seems to be much larger than it was when I attended there nearly 15 years ago!!! :) Thank you Hardin-Simmons for allowing me this honor. Along with this comes stress and pressure!!! I do not believe I have been back since I graduated!!! This should prove interesting!!! :) I am designing special stationery just for this event! I hope it goes well!! :) Would love any feedback on presentation and such. I am so bad at such things. :)

As I mentioned earlier! I will try to be a better blogger! :)
Have a wonderful Wednesday!

Happy 4th Of July! It's Independance Day!

Front Back

It is official! It is SUMMER TIME!!! Our favorite time of year!

We would like to announce that Lacy, a wonderful customer who referred friends has just received her FREE stationery just for referring! Is this cute or what?!?!?
Tell your friends about us and be sure they mention you in the referral line and you will receive FREE stationery too!
(You have to be a customer with a previous paid order in order to receive FREE stationery in the referral program.)

ALSO, don't forget to tell your friends! FREE BIRTH /ADOPTION ANNOUNCEMENTS just for sharing your story! If you do not share, we cannot give them away! We give 1 set of 25 away each month!! Send your story to specialdelivery@beautifulbabybirthannouncements.com

SUMMER IS ALMOST HERE!

We still have another week of school but swimming after school is a true reality! Staying up later because the sun has not even begun to set and not wanting to wake at the crack of dawn. But boy are the days full! And we have yet to begin summer break! I know the heat will be here before we know it, and the electric bill will rise (but not as much as last year! I have locked in my great rate! LOL) But who can beat the fun of summer?!?!? Getting wet, drying off and getting wet all over again! Too much fun! VBS, Back Yard Bible Clubs, popsicle's, visits to grand parents, I can hardly wait!

My favorite summer memory was, when I was about 8 and we lived up on a rather secluded ridge in East Tennessee. My mom would pack us a backpack full of lunch, walkie-talkie's and stuff needed for a day of adventures! There were wild blackberries accross the road and the neighbors grew snow peas in their garden just for our outside snacking! We would leave early morning and not come home until dinner time when mom rang the bell for us! I do not think I could ever let that happen today! But it sure was fun just exploring the little section called our world! Share your favorite summer memory, I cannot wait to hear!

NOT TOO SHABBY!

WOW! I just did a google search for our site using the 5 main keywords and guess what?!?!?!? http://www.BeautifulBabyBirthAnnouncements.com / Traditions From The Heart could be found anywhere from page 1 to page 3!!!! That means, out of over 1,000,000 people who do stuff similar to me, if you search for birth announcements, photo birth announcements and so forth, you will find us anwhere from #1 to #30! Like I said, NOT TOO SHABBY! Can you believe that?!? I can't either. We have been at this for 3 years now, and it is so fulfilling! I love what I do and hope I bring joy to all of those I work and design with and for! I just cannot tell you how thrilling this is! SEO, Search Engine Optimization is one strange thing! I have now spent 18 months trying to learn it. I do not think anyone really knows anything about it except for the google excecutives themselves. But this little peon who, started out only knowing how to purchase something online has developed quite a thing here! And has loved doing it! :) Thank you all for sharing that journey with me! Who knows what the next 3 years will hold. I cannot wait to see!

I am thinking about starting something new on the site! Tell me what you think! I am thinking about offering designs that you can buy and pop your own photo in the template and type your own message using your own photo editing software at a much lower price. It will just include the downloaded template, but you can then have your photos printed wherever you want, and buy or make your own envelopes. What do you think? Is this something you think you might be interested in? Give me feedback below. It might be something kind of neat! This will be PERFECT for those occasions that you just want 1 - 5 cards for a small party, or event. I will have the first one up next week for Mother's Day. These will be perfect for Grandma's or even for yourself. I am thinking they will sell for $5 but you can reuse them anytime and as often as you like! So, go ahead, tell me what you think! :)

Also, don't forget, free stationery to every 25th person to follow the blog!! AND the 15th order every week from the site is FREE! No matter what size your order or what product you order, FREE! So keep those orders coming! :)

CLICK HERE FOR THIS WEEK'S SPECIALS!

Hope your day is great!

ON A LIGHTER NOTE!

Ok, so yesterday was a culmination of a very bad month! Today has begun a NEW month! I forgot to mention yesterday that the twins turned 4 on Easter Sunday!!! HOW COULD I FORGET?!?!? Oh yeah, it's because we did much of nothing for them poor things because everybody was so very sick! We have yet to celebrate with family therefore, eve though we gave them their gifts, they did not get their requested cakes yet and do not feel we have celebrated properly! LOL Aren't 4 year olds funny? Thy now proceed to ask me every day when are we going to get our Pooh Bear with a Balloon and our Ariel cakes? LOL Your guess is as good a mine. :) We were suppose to have the entire family over for an Easter lunch and egg hunt! That did not happen! I will let you know when it does! :)

Today is now laundry day! Have you ever been in a house where 5 people live and the laundry has not been officially done in a week? WELL, try 3 weeks!!!!!!!!!!! LOL I think I am down to about 4 loads left, not counting the ones in the washer and dryer, they are considered done since they are no longer on the floor! LOL I am cracking myself up today! Miss Suzy is coming today, she will help immensely. She is the only reason I have not disappeared in the midst of the last month into a deep, dark, black hole! But she is sick with allergies now, so we will have to cut her some slack. :) Even with her at 50% she accomplishes more than I can in a full day! She is my home's, lifesaver! :)

Anyway, don't forget to follow and don't forget the specials this week. I think they end on Friday!

Have a great day!

Don't forget the discounts this week!

Well, it has been 3 weeks now since I started getting sick. During that time my mom was hospitalized with spinal meningitis, (viral thank goodness!), My son got pneumonia, youngest daughter got an ear and eye infection, I got an upper respiratory infection that added a sinus infection, my brother got back from Afghanistan and a good friend went home to be with Jesus!! I still do not have my voice completely and I am actually wondering if it will ever come back! ALL of this was ALLERGIES GONE COMPLETELY AWRY!!!!!!!! How can that be?!?!? As mentioned in a previous post, SPRING: It's a LOVE/Hate thing! I so look forward to it every year and so fall prey to it every tear as well!

The meningitis thing was a HUGE education lesson for us all! They said there were 2 causes for it. The first was a sinus infection that went undiagnosed and treated and high stress in my mom's life led to the infection settling in her spine. Then a couple of days later, the Dr. saw her take her glasses off and rub her eyes! This is not uncommon for her at all. He said to never do that again! If you must rub your eyes, use a tissue or sterilize your hands before touching your eyes! The fluid in your eyes is the easiest way for infection to go straight to the spine! WOW! How does one go their whole life without hearing this stuff?!?!?! it is not until near death that you finally learn things. CRAZY! She is still not back at work, it could be yet another week! I know she is going stir crazy! She LOVES to be on the go, go, go all the time! I just keep reminding her, that is how she ended up in the hospital in the first place! She is now immune to one strain of viral-spinal meningitis! Did you know there are 7 strains? We did not either! LOL She had strain 6 and will never get that one again! I am not so sure how reassuring that really is! Anyway, tidbits of info as usual!

How does a young widow tell 3 small boys "Daddy is not coming home" how does she explain that he is no longer in pain and he is in Heaven with our precious heavenly Father, rocking our 2 babies that are already up there? How does she recover? How do you start life again and where do you start it?!?!?!?! These are all questions I have pondered over the last56 hours or so since the passing of our friend and neighbor on Friday afternoon. Mark had suffered from a cancerous brain tumor since November, just before Thanksgiving and the week before Christmas there was no sign of it at all! We were all convinced he was cured! They enjoyed a great Christmas and then in January he began having siezures! Come to find out the tumor was back and growing faster than ever! They tried an alternative therepy but to no avail! They finally had to just make his passing as comfortable as possible. HOW and WHY? Are what constintently come to mind. This got me thinking even more, what would I miss the most about husband if God decided to take him home tomorrow? Besides the obvious, what? One of the many things that crossed my mind, was she can no loger go run errands after the kids go down at night. I rarely do this as I am not a night person, but on those rare occasions that it has been a dreadful day and I just need to get away, that is the time I do it! What would you miss that you never thought about? Besides the obvious, my best friend, security, proud to be his wife, comfort, stability, a babysitter...What is something that comes to your mind as a 30something who is suppose to live well beyond the end of time! We are not suppose to go so young! I may add more to this later, but for now, I am leaving it at this.

NEW DISCOUNTS from Traditions From The Heart

Stationery by BeautifulBabyBirthAnnouncements.com

Baby Shower Invitations by BeautifulBabyBirthAnnouncements.com

Square invitations by BeautifulBabyBirthAnnouncements.com

Birthday Invitations by BeautifulBabyBirthAnnouncements.com

It's Good Friday!

This is the day that the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it. Psalm 118:24
This truly is a day for rejoicing in my home! We have been to many Dr's this week and have many infections running around our home, but with lots of antibiotics everyone is on the mend! And I only lost an hour of sleep last night. And we did not have to go to school, so more sleep was recovered! :) I am truly rejoicing in this day!

Then my soul will rejoice in the LORD and delight in his salvation. Psalm 35:9
But even more so this day CELEBRATES the saddest yet most wonderful event of all time! It was this day about 2,000 years ago that my Lord and Savior took the burden of my sins to the cross. It is because of this that and His resurrection that I do not need to fear dying and what may come of that. It is because of that I have forgiveness. It is because of that I have been redeemed. Thank you Lord for paying that sacrifice for me. For thinking I was important enough to be saved by you. Help me to not be fearful in spreading that message to people beyond my reach. Help me to teach my children what is right and what is wrong. Help me to lead them right to you so that they to can have redemption and a strong love and desire for you! my soul truly does delight in YOUR salvation!

Traditions From The Heart Easter Egg Hunt

Check out some of the new stuff today! http://www.BeautifulBabyBirthAnnouncements.com
If you can spot the newest item, and post the link here, you will get an extra 10% off your order!
Technorati Profile

MY BROTHER MAY BE HOME TODAY!

My brother has been serving our country in Afghanistan for about 14 months. He has been on his way home for nearly a week, but has hit every obstacle along the way. He was hunkered down for days awaiting a lull in the bombing, he made it out and was awaiting a plane when he was informed that some of his paperwork had not arrived. He then had to go back to get the discharge paperwork that they forgot to give him. Supposedly he will enter the states today. We are keeping our fingers crossed and as my sister-in-law put it, we are down on bended knee praying today! Feel free to join in. :) To top it off, it is my Sister-in-law's birthday! Who could ask for a better birthday present?!?!? Happy Birthday Kim! Hopefully she will not have to settle for that! :)

How does a family recover from being apart for so long? How does a daddy go back to being in charge of a 10 year old who has not had a daddy for the last year of her life? How does he start right back into work so as not to miss a paycheck? All questions that I am sure will be answered over the coming months. It is beyond my comprehension. I cannot handle my husband being gone a 3 days, let alone, a week, month, year! Praise be to our service men and women and their families who strive to keep our country and our freedoms such. Thank you to all of you, from all of us who take you for granted!

On the home front, my mom was taken to the hospital Sunday, and after 24 hours of massive tests and questions, she was finally diagnosed with spinal meningitis!! If we had not had her taken to the hospital when we did, I truly believe we would be planning her funeral right now. She went to urgent care Saturday morning and they checked her white blood count, said it was fine and ruled out the flu, they sent her home and told her to come back the next morning! They went back, there was an hour wait so they ran home to tend to my little sister and get her situated with someone else. They were back in 45 minutes and they had already called my moms name. Therefore they were going to have to wait again. SERIOUSLY?!?!?!? This is in AMERICA! WITH INSURANCE!?!?!?!? My mom was so delirious at this point she just demanded to go home. I called about an hour later and she was completely incoherent and even more delirious! I told my dad to call 911 so that an ambulance would take her and she would get taken care of right away, vs waiting in the waiting room for hours. Sure enough, they checked her right in and began work on her immediately. To think what would have happened had we not been proactive!!! They are saying she had a sinus infection that she just did not have time to deal with, and was under much stress at work, (SHE IS A MIDDLE SCHOOL MATH TEACHER AND IT IS TAKS SEASON!!!!) Therefore, her immune system plummeted to the point that the infection settled in her spine. Guess what?!?!?!? It is TAKS week and the teacher is not there and does not even know when she will be alowed to return! Is it really worth it to crash the good teachers?!?!? I mean afterall, if the kids are not ready yesterday, will they really be today? And when it is a test of tricks and trades, is it really a test of the mind or who is craftier than the other? Very strange. I think I may have to homeschool on the years of the TAKS test here in Texas. It is not worth the stress! :)

I think that about sums things up here for today. Give me you input on how great and awesome our soldiers and their families are! (NO WAR OR PRESIDENT BASHING OF ANY SORT PLEASE THISE A FAMILY SITE!) Show them we care right here! Give me your input on teaching to the test rather than teaching the knowledge base needed for passing tests! Also, give me your input on teachers and educators on all levels and the pressure that these test put upon them. Hmmmm, a whole lot to think about today, isn't there?

~ SPRING! It's a LOVE/HATE Thing ~

Well, quite honestly this is my favorite time of year! I LOVE Spring, flowers are blooming, trees are budding, the dogwoods make it look like it has snowed the perfect dusting of snow all the while, it is so warm that you feel kissed by the sun with every step you take and the grass is finally turning green again! (Yes, in Texas, it just dies and turns brown.) All you want to do is be outside and enjoy this wonderful world that God created. Anyway, all of that said, the HATE side is, ALLERGIES!!!! They make it such that you cannot be outside! My poor son had an asthma attack yesterday, that was allergy induced. I have lost my voice (To my dear husband's dismay! LOL) and I sound like a seal barking out orders that nobody can really understand! The hacking cough that resounds throughout the house sounds like a chorus of snickering people talking about you behind your back. All the while all of the beauty that is taking place outside is watched from behind closed windows and doors so as not to allow any of that dreaded pollen, mold and whatever else is brewing out there, indoors! You have to run the AC just to clean the air indoors so that everyone can get back to normal some how, some day.

Another thing I ADORE about spring is, it is my twins birthday! I still do not know where the last 4 years have gone! That 8 month long pregnancy lasted much longer than these last 4 years! This year, their birthday falls on EASTER!!! How does that happen and how do you honestly celebrate with a Princess cake and a Mater cake on such a blessed and glorious day?!?!?!? :) The Mater is still up for debate though, it could very well be Spider Man, Super Man or even an Airplane for that matter. We will know for sure 2 days before the big day, when mommy sits down with him and says, seriously, what kind of birthday do you want, and whatever is named that day will be what it will be. :) Hmm, what am I going to do if he says something so impossible that there is no way to pull it off? Even for such an imaginative mommy such as I! It is though, so very special that their birthday is when it is, because you never know in the grand scheme of things when it will be in comparison to Easter. It is a surprise every year! :) We did the classic Easter egg hunt 2 years ago. 800 Easter Eggs, taking 2 weeks to fill! AND IT SNOWED!!!!!!!!!! Did I mention that we live in TEXAS?!?!?!? It never snows here! But it did that year. So we opted for the indoor Easter Egg Hunt. 45 seconds later the kids were wondering what to do next! It was so funny! And the mommy was so ill prepared for this day! Really, quite humorous!

Kinda makes you think though, is it better to be prepared for all circumstances, or to take life in stride and let it hit you as it comes. Ebb and Flow, so to speak. What is your take on this? Personally, I like to be fully prepared for whatever comes my way and if I am not, I run as fast as I possibly can. Ask any of my friends, my pantry is nearly always stocked for 3 months out! If you ever need ANYTHING, come shop my pantry, freezer or fridge for that matter! My mother on the other hand can actually go to the store 4 times while preparing one meal. DRIVES ME CRAZY! But my kids can have more fun with her than anyone else in the world! When she visits, you would literally think a hurricane blew through my home. (It normally looks as though a tornado did, but hurricane force winds are much broader than tornado. Are you getting the picture?) But every move she takes, is all about the kids and what ever is left in the wake of the winds is left behind as quickly as she blew through! They know that they have her wrapped around her little finger. They know that when she comes there is nothing more important in her world at that moment than them!!!! So, if it is confrontational on nearly any level I will run! Yes, there are some things I will take head on, but often those are the things that I know prior to, that I can and will conquer. Other times, I like to hide and act as though they do not exist. Whether it is an imagined situation, or actual confrontation it really does not matter.
So, think about it. Are you a planner or an ebb and flow kind of person? I think I am a little of both. Some things are so planned out that I am prepared for anything, but that does help one to be a little more ebb and flow because you can change gears at anytime.
Thanks for lending an ear! I am finally enjoying the blog thing. :)
Hope your day is great.
T-T-F-N, Ta-Ta-For-Now,
Monica :)

What the heck is Twitter really all about?

I am baffled! I am even more baffled because I actually got fussed at by a "long-time twitterer" for my "hot pursuit" of followers! :) Pretty funny really! I was researching this phenom called twitter, of which I had been a member of for nearly a year under a name that had nothing to do with the company. NOTHING HAPPENED DURING THAT ENTIRE YEAR!!!!!! LOL So, in an effort to JOIN the crowd, I started one with TFTH, short of course for Traditions From The Heart. I began researching even more and joined a group on Facebook, and on that group found a list that said share your twitter, and we can follow each other! Interestingly enough, I followed everyone on the list and I do not think it asks people to follow you, it just notifies that person that somebody new is following them. As a result of my "follow," I received this response from one of the people from that twitter list on facebook:

"sorry I stay away from those who are into gathering followers by the 1000s esp. as their first posts - I'm pickier -"

WHAT THE HECK!?!?!?!? I got fussed at from some chick who had her info on a resource site, who had 1,500+ followers of her own?!?!?!?! I was floored!!! Actually, I was laughing so hard I was nearly crying! Somebody, taking twitter so darn serious! LOL More than that, you are not notified when somebody "twits," so unless you stay on the page all the time and never go anywhere else, you are never going to know what 140 character tidbit of info, that your fellow twitterers are willing to share anyway! Once again, VERY CONFUSED! LOL

So I replied to this so-called fellow marketer, via her original posting of facebook, because I had far more than 140 characters to share with her, with this response:


"1000's!!!!!!!!! That is kind of funny since you have over 1,000 followers yourself. I actually have another twitter account not related to my business that I have had for over a year. I really do not get the twitter thing anyway, but all the buzz lately says twitter, twitter, twitter!!!!!!!! SO, I was on FB this morning on the shoestring marketing page and YOU were there!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WOW! Your pic and all! It said, list your twitter so I did, and I added you from there. It was not like I hunted you down or anything like that, you gave your info to share with others who are in the same boat as you, well maybe as you were at one time. Don't belittle me for using a resource that you put out there. I have 21 followers and have no desire to even reach 1000!!!!!!!!!!!! I was just "twittering" like the rest of the freakin' world today! Good grief some people and their hypocritical attitudes. If you do not want anyone to contact you, you should remove yourself from resource pages!
Hope your day is great and have fun being picky!!!!TFTH from Twitter"

Seriously, I can understand if I posted in great big letters on her BLOG, CHECK OUT TRADITIONS FROM THE HEART HERE > http://www.BEAUTIFULBABYBIRTHANNOUNCEMENTS.COM but all I did was follow her and I got reprimanded.

Oh well, life is what it is, Ain't it Great to be Human?
Hope your day is great!
In the words of T-I-Double G- ER,
TTFN - Ta-Ta-For-Now!

What is Traditions From The Heart and Why?

Traditions From the Heart is exactly as it sounds. Everything is heartfelt and has everything to do with the family. I am antique at heart. I love old wood stuff and the clean crisp lines of mission design. You know, the furniture that is so heavy you cannot move it once you have picked the spot in the room to put it, but it looks beautiful with florals, swirls or straight lines, and old quilt or a brand new custom made fluffy feather comforter. This makes me smile. I also LOVE ORDER and adore those who can pull it off. :) In other words I spend everyday, trying to reach the goal of having some sort of order and organization in my life. If I do not have a list I will never get anything accomplished, but with a list, I know I can conquer the world! :) It is those days that I forget the list that NOTHING GETS ACCOMPLISHED! Please, tell me you can relate! :)

3 years ago, I started a company called Traditions From The Heart. I love graphic design, and all things that come with it. I had twins the year before and had been a teacher before starting a family with our first daughter in 02. I have always loved pictures, and scrap booking. Graphic design just let's me take those two loves to a whole new level! You will find that the design process is the part I LOVE the most! I love to receive the pictures and see what the card turns into. The transformation is beguiling and exhilarating all at the same time. You can visit the site at http://www.BeautifulBabyBirthAnnouncements.com Feedback is always appreciated and more than that tell your friends about us. Everything is custom, so look at the site as suggestions. Often times, once I receive your photos, and the design takes on a whole new look. My second favorite part is my customers. :) I feel like I know each of them personally. It is a fun process, designing your personal cards and stationery, so join the fun and see where it leads you! :)

I turned 37 last year and my hormones have been crazy for about 2 years! I am finally in good hands and getting everything straightened out! It is a good feeling. Even more than that, it is great feeling good for the first time in a long time. :) If you can relate, once again, feel free to share!! LOL As a result of feeling better, I do plan on being more organized and even more creative than in the past! :) Can you imagine?!?!? Even more creative than I have been? How can that be?!?!? :) Well, when the brain clears a whole new world seems to open up! :) Be on the lookout for new additions in the invitation section and the wedding line. :) Totally exciting stuff to come. Follow my blog and get your friends to as well and I promise I will update often! :)

Also, follow us on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/people/Monica-Edwards/1337739493 for the latest in TFTH trends! :) Be the first to know about specials!

Also, a FREE set of CUSTOM STATIONERY to the 25th subscriber to the blog! :) Invite your friends and spread the word! :)
Looking forward to getting to know each of you personally!
Monica :)