M.O.B. Society Blog Hop!

In the fall of 2010, I was introduced to one of the coolest blogs around...the M.O.B. Society. In case you haven't heard of it, that would be Mothers of Boys. Since I are a mother of a boy, it was right up my alley.

Today we are hopping around the blog world of other M.O.B.'s, and if you're here from that par-tay, I'm excited to introduce myself to you!

I won't go into why I call myself "Heathahlee" because you can read that here, but I will tell you a bit more about myself and why I love the M.O.B. Society.This is my Kiddo. He is our only kiddo, much to his dismay most of the time. He feels like we have deprived him by not having any siblings for him, but I try to tell him that we really didn't have much to do about that and that evidently the Lord knew he was enough for us to handle. Heh. He rolls his eyes. He's eleven...'nuff said.

We homeschool him, and it's as rewarding as it is challenging. He is an extremely bright boy who sometimes has to be pushed to do his best. I can't wait to see how God uses him as he matures. My Momma always said he was going to be the next Billy Graham. Hmm...don't know about that, but maybe the next Chris Tomlin! :) (He has a gorgeous singing voice and has a natural talent for the acoustic and bass guitars.)

My blog is about my life...the good, the bad, and the crafty! And I throw a homeschool post in the mix every once in a while. Along with my Kiddo, I talk about my husband....(He ROCKS!)

my dog, (Isn't he cute?)

my ministry, (I'm the alto section leader of our choir and direct every other time we sing. I'm also on the Praise Team. I adore what I get to do each week!)

and my tassels. You can see more of them at my Etsy shop, Butterfly Genes. I lurve making, giving, and selling these pretty things for your home. Among other things like recipes, reading the Bible in 90 days (yes it can be done!), and other random stuff.

Brooke asked us to share what our sons' favorite books were, but that would take three forevers to put on here! I'm blessed to say that Kiddo is a reader. He will read almost anything you put in front of him, but his favorite authors are Chris Fabry (any of his young adult stuff!) and Frank Peretti (his youth fiction in particular, but he also loves This Present Darkness and Piercing the Darkness). He also loves The Chronicles of Narnia books. He also likes to read biographies, his favorites being C.S. Lewis's and Tony Dungy's. I know, two totally different people, but that's how my kid rolls.

I love being able to connect with other M.O.B.'s! To know that I'm not the only one who has a child who sometimes makes me crazy, but other times makes me want to hold on to him forever.

Thank you, Brooke and Erin, for creating this place for us boy moms to get encouragement, prayer, and laughter!

If you're a boy mom and need any or all of the above (and by the way...you don't have to have just boys! If you have just one boy, then you are a M.O.B!), come on over and see what I'm talking about!

Kids Flag Page Winner...Sort of!

I'm not stalling making the announcement of who won the Kids Flag Page from Family Matters...I just have to hear back from her! Please check your Facebook messages to see if I've contacted you. If I don't hear back by next Sunday, I'll have to choose another winner!

My New Craft Room! Part 2

Yesterday I shared with you the beginnings of my new craft room. You can let your breath out now, 'cause I know you've been holding it until you could see the finished product. Or not.

Let me finish the story. I left you with my guys holding my hands and making me close my eyes. They led me to the guest room and then told me to open my eyes. Trust me when I say I screamed like they do on Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. And of course I cried. I loved it.

I looooooooooove the color. It looks different in almost every one of these pictures. It is the prettiest blue and I am in love with it (Thank you, Tonya!). But not more than I'm in love with my hard working men who worked ALL weekend to pull it off. For the longest time afterward, Kiddo would ask me every once in a while, "Do you really like it Mom?" And would ask me about specific areas that he had worked on..."What do you think about the baseboards, Mom?" No, they're not perfect but I wouldn't change a thing because my precious son did them.

Now, don't be expecting a Martha Stewart room. This room suits me just fine without being magazine worthy. And the pictures don't do it justice. So, without further ado...

My craft room! And...a dog tail. What can I say...everywhere I go I have a "helper"...

If he really wanted to help he'd get the vacuum out. Slacker.

You'd think I'd have cleaned up the room a little before inviting the world to see it. Nope. 'Cause that's how I roll. And because I was too tired to clean anything when I was taking these pics. Anyway, the above picture shows my craft table area. On the wall to the left my husband hung a rack so I can hang the things that seem to walk away (or get lost on the table) like my scissors, glue sticks, wire and wire cutters, and my awesome $40 pinking shears I got for $8 with a JoAnn's coupon.

And see that sign in the back? The "Tassel It" sign? A couple years ago The Nester decided she was pretty much done with tasseling and sold me most of her stash of fringe, toppers, ribbon, etc, etc. I was THRILLED to get it all...and in one of the boxes that came was that cute little sign.

Um...I really should dust more in there. Actually, I think that may be stray hot glue strands.... Anyway, Kiddo decided that it needed to go above the craft table. It reminds me to stay at it even when I'm discouraged. I love that kid.

Just to the left of the table is my ribbon dresser. Four drawers filled with nothing but ribbon. It's one of my happy places in that room. It looks a mess, but it's really organized. Each drawer has it's own color or combination of colors. Top, blacks, whites, browns; second, reds, pinks; third, blues, greens; and bottom, yellows, golds, and twine/string.

Just left of the dresser is my stash of fringe. This is another of my happy places. Oh, what pretty fringe I have in here! Some I had bought on my own, some was from the Nester stash, and ALL of it makes me smile. These are also in drawers according to color.You can see that on top of the fringe drawers I have a mishmash of stuff I use for decorating. The painted twigs I've used for Christmas parties (I love how those came about!), my Life to the Full plates (on sale now for 50% off! Woot!), and a few other little things that I'm just holding there because I know I'll need them later.

To the left of the drawers is my tassel grid. It's not very full right now but you can see how great this will be when Christmastime is here and I'm working my fingers to the bone (or burn, as it were. Heh). This is so much better than the set up we had before (If you click here you can see it in the first picture of the post).

Moving further left past the door, you can see my HUGE stash of toppers. More about that tomorrow (or maybe Monday). Please excuse the blurry picture, giant bear in the middle (he's a leftover from Christmas) and the very dusty, very old Singer sewing machine (I have no idea why that's sitting there).

And moving left past the closet, the bay window with my Mimmie's chair in it. And a giant snow-leopard-that-I-drew-and-pretend-it's-a-tiger. And some birds. Oh, those birds.

That Kimba. She started it. And they multiplied. But now they are manageable and will find new homes come Christmas. Right now the ones who are left are keeping my sewing machine company. Its table is still in the mud room waiting to be dug out. Poor baby.

So, there you have it. My own creative space. Thanks for sharing my joy.

Next post, I'll share about that huge stash of toppers. And give you a sneak peek at something I've been hinting about for a while. Stay tuned!

My New Craft Room! Part One

I have been taking forever to tell you about my "new" craft room. It's new to y'all, but it's been finished since the first weekend in April. And it was a surprise.

Let me give you a little bit of background for this room. It was our guest room for as long as we've been in the house...15 years. Here's a memory that I will treasure from this room:

This is Kiddo reading to our brand new puppy Jonathan in 2008. He was in this room because he and Sound Man were still working on his loft bed. He was afraid Jonathan would get lonely without his brother and also wanted to make sure he got to know his voice. You can see in J's crate he's curled up asleep...I think Kiddo had a perfect idea.

Now who's curled up asleep? : )

We've had several guests in this room, but the one person who spent the most time here was Momma. This was her room no matter when she came up here. When I was on bed rest for three months (pregnant with Kiddo), she would come and stay for days at a time to wash clothes and clean the house. Then, after she got sick the first time, she stayed with me so I could take her for her radiation treatments. And as her days came to a close, she was here with me. As I remember the good memories, the bad ones come as well. This was the room Momma left earth to meet Jesus face to face.

It was time for a change.

So, Sound Man and I started talking about moving out all the junk that somehow had accumulated over the few months since Momma's death. But we never really acted on it. It was a little overwhelming for me to think about.

After I saw a post by Tonya at Love of Family & Home, I fell in love with a blue color she had used as an accent color in her kitchen. I commented about how much I loved it and she sent me a paint chip in the mail since it was from a smaller home-improvement store and wasn't sure I'd be able to find the right color. When I got it I couldn't wait to get working on some stuff (which still hasn't happened...at least not finished products), but retreat was looming and all my thoughts were focused on that.

My husband had casually asked me what color I wanted to paint the guest room, and I said I would love to see it painted that gorgeous blue. I wasn't sure what he was up to, but I made sure he knew where the paint chip was before I left for the weekend.

When I got home on Sunday, my men stopped me in the hallway and made me close my eyes, then took me by the hand...

And I'll show you what they showed me tomorrow! ; )

But first, here's some "before" and "during" pictures that Sound Man took with his phone since I had the camera at retreat! : )

When we moved in 15 years ago, I LOVED this wallpaper. Not so much now. See that rectangle on the wall? We live in a high tech house, let me tell you! intercom system/radio throughout the house! Oh yeah, baby! Trust me, this was the height of home technology in the 60's! And the system still works! We love blasting KLove throughout the house!Since the wallpaper was still in great condition and didn't have any noticeable seams in it, he just painted right on top of it. We had already talked about this and I for sure wasn't going to peel all that wallpaper off!Kiddo working on the room. He was so precious when I came home, but I'll tell you about that tomorrow.I love my bay window!
Sound man built a grid with the same stuff I had my tassels hanging from originally.
A view from the door. That window lets in so much light! That chair was my Mimmie's and is still in there because I don't know where to put it. It's holding more stuff that I don't know where to put. Heh.

Tomorrow I'll share my new room with you.

See the rest of the story...
My Craft Room, Part 2!
My Craft Room, Part 3!

Tassel Tuesday - Lighthouse

Lighthouse Tassel

It's Tuesday again! Which means it's Tassel Tuesday! Yippee!!! Okay, maybe it doesn't make you jump for joy when I show off one of my tassels, but it makes my heart happy. So, here you go.

This week's tassel just makes me long for the beach. With 100+ temps outside, I would LOVE to be at the beach right now. Even if it's hot, you can take a dip in the water, whether in the Gulf or just the hotel pool. Aahhhhh...

Oh, sorry...where was I? Oh, yeah...the beach. Well, I don't know of any lighthouses at the beach I normally frequent (which is not frequent enough, let me tell you), but this tassel still invokes thoughts of the coast.

I love the little details of this lighthouse.

I love that little staircase and little house where the lighthouse keeper lives. Or would live if this weren't a minuscule model of a real lighthouse. Work with me, people.

The greens and golds don't overpower the neutrality of this tassel, and would work in just about any decor style.

I have over a dozen lighthouses in different styles, so if this isn't the one for you, I'd love to do a custom tassel for you! Of course, I can do a custom tassel for you no matter what topper you'd like.

A couple of years ago,The Nester decided she was getting out of the tassel business, at least for a while, and she sold me her ginormous stash of toppers, fringe, and ribbon, so I have plenty of stuff to work with. I'd love to work with you on whatever idea you have. You can email me at butterflygenes(at)yahoo(dot)com.

Or visit my Etsy shop and if you like something there, you can grab it or let me know if you'd like something similar.

And, like I say every week, repeat customers get free shipping! So if you buy something now, you won't pay shipping when you're buying gifts this Christmas! A definite money saver!

Bible in 90 Days - Let it Begin!

It's here! I'm so excited to be a mentor during this session of Bible in 90 Days with Mom's Tool Box. I love encouraging people and I love getting to know people. It's a win-win situation!

I will be reading it again, this time chronologically. I'm so excited about this...reading it in historical order. I am a sucker for history! : )

If you have EVER thought of reading through the Bible, YOU CAN DO IT! Join the challenge today! I finished my first challenge in the spring of this year, and I have to say it completely changed the way I view God's Word. Oh, how He loves us!

I encourage you to join us...and even if you don't do it in 90 days, JUST READ IT!

Kids Flag Page - and a Giveaway!

Last year at Relevant '10 I met Karis and Stephanie with Family Matters, a parenting and marriage organization founded by Dr. Tim Kimmel . They were such sweet ladies, and not just because they offered each blogger a Kids Flag Page! Yes, each one of us who wanted a copy could take one with the promise of a review.

I'm so very thankful for this game! Kiddo and I did it together a few months ago and I've been reading the book that comes in the game to better understand his personality. It has helped both me and my husband be more patient with Kiddo, as well as helped us know how to encourage him.

Each Kids Flag Page comes with enough pieces for four kids, which I thought was a great idea, because who has just one kid these days? Oh, yeah. Us! :)

The basic premise of the game is to help your child find their home country and their adopted country, or their main personality type and their secondary one. It's the best way I've EVER heard of to do this...the other ones I've seen are for adults. I could explain how to play, but I think the expert does it so much better, so I'll let him do it.

Kiddo had fun discovering his countries, and I really shouldn't have been surprised by the results...his home country is Perfect and his adopted country is Fun. His favorite sticker was Music. Shocker, I'm telling you. NOT.

According to the Kids Flag Page, this means he is one of the world's entertainers...um...yeah. This would explain why he sings ALL THE TIME and why he tries to make us laugh ALL THE TIME, and also why he gets so down on himself if he doesn't do something perfect the first time he tries. I'm telling you, this was so eye opening for me!

Reading the enclosed Kids Flag Page book helped me that much more. I was able to really delve into each country, as well as his unique combination.

Even though I was compensated for this review with a free game, if I had known how much this would help me learn how to better understand my child, I would have gladly paid for it. I highly recommend it to families with any number of children whose ages are 3-12. If you have more than four children, you can purchase refills!

Now, on to the giveaway...one Butterfly Genes reader will win a copy of the Kids Flag Page! Woot! I was so excited when Karis told me! There are a number of ways you can enter.

Leave me a separate comment for each thing you do!

• Leave me a comment telling me how your family could benefit from the Kids Flag Page. (The only mandatory entry)
  

• "Like" Family Matters' Facebook Page.
• "Like" Butterfly Genes on Facebook. (This is NEW! It's not my Tassel page!)
  
• Subscribe to Butterfly Genes (if you already do, let me know).
• Subscribe to Family Matters Blog.
• Tweet this giveaway by copying and pasting this: @Butterfly_Genes and @Family_Matters are giving away a Kids Flag Page game to one lucky reader! http://ow.ly/5zYyj
  

Giveaway ends Thursday, July 21 at 11:59 p.m. CST. I will draw a winner Friday, July 22.

I was given a free copy of the Kids Flag Page game in exchange for an honest review. The opinion in this review is entirely my own and not influenced by Family Matters.

Inside Threat - a Tyndale Review

I recently became a reviewer for Tyndale House Blog Network, which I'm really excited about. I mean, I love to read, I love to write, and I love to share my opinion! Perfect! Heh.

The first book I chose to review was Inside Threat, the fourth novel in Jason Elam's and Steve Yohn's collaborative Riley Covington series. Now, normally, I'm a chick lit, historical fiction kind of girl. I love to relax and escape into a Christian romance where the guy always gets the girl in the end. This book goes into the heart of terrorism, counterterrorism, and the lives involved in both. Not something I'd normally chose as a lighthearted read. You can read the Amazon synopsis here.

Not having read any in the series before, I wasn’t sure if I would like jumping in to the story. I’m a reader who loves to start a series at the beginning, eating up each novel in the order they were written; but Inside Threat builds each character efficiently, giving just enough background on each one so that the reader wants to know more about them. It also leaves the reader wanting to know the stories of the other three novels…before I had read half the book I was already planning on reading the other three.

I’m not an action-shoot-em-up-thriller kind of reader. I read to relax and enjoy my time away from reality. Inside Threat is NOT that kind of book! In the first half, the plot formed at a good pace, developing characters and the scenario for the crisis in the story so that I wasn’t desperate to find out what happened next, but by the middle of the book and the crisis took hold, I couldn’t put it down. Nervously biting my lip, I read until I absolutely HAD to turn the light out and go to sleep. Even then the plot played in my mind. That’s how I know a book has me hook, line, and sinker. Which, by the way, would have just cost me a couple of dollars in the “Oh no you di’in’t” jar in the office of the Special Operations Group Bravo, the counterterrorism division where each of the main characters either work or have worked.

Even though the book ended in a way I didn’t expect, it was a great read and I would recommend it to those who enjoy fast paced, thrilling stories.

Tyndale House Publishers provided me a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This review was not influenced by them and is my own opinion.

Would you like to review books for Tyndale, a Christian publishing company? Click here to find out more information!

Getting Ready for B90Days!

"What in the world is B90Days," you ask?

In January of this year I embarked on a challenge I thought would be way too daunting for me. I decided to sign up to read the Bible through in 90 days. It was actually kind of spur of the moment. But I had heard from Tracey, my Relevant '10 roomie, that she had done it and had loved it. So, without much prayer and wondering if I should really do it, I just jumped in. And never looked back. I finished two days early and can honestly say it changed my entire perspective of Scripture. Oh, how I love His Word!

Should you join the next challenge, which just happens to begin July 11 (which is this Monday!)? I HIGHLY recommend it! Why? Because you will gain such perspective on the history of not only God's chosen people, but also of the church. You know what? I used to HATE to read out of the Book of Acts. I thought it was just a bunch of sermons from Peter and Paul and then there was Pentecost and yada yada yada. But after reading the Old Testament and right into the Gospels, then right into Acts, it was one continuous story, and I was actually SAD when I was finished with Acts! I wanted to read so much more! Seeing how knowing Jesus changed Peter's life so dramatically...not to mention Saul/Paul!

If you start this challenge...and make no mistake, it IS a challenge...you will never regret it. NEVER. Sermons will make more sense. Verses will pop into your head when you need them most. Stories will come alive. You might even dream about His Word. I did on two different occasions and didn't want to wake up!

You will be able to see that God is a God of order; He is a God to be obeyed, to be reverently fearful of. He is also a God of infinite love and mercy. Oh, how He loves His people!

Who, by the way, includes US!

Come on! Join us! You can even request to be in my mentoring group! I get to be a Bible in 90 Days mentor this session! Wooooo hooooo! I'm so excited! Can you tell? : ) If you'd like to be in my group, at the bottom of the form, where it says "Is there anything you would like to share that I have not asked you? If so, what?" just put that you'd like to be in Heathahlee's mentoring group.

I pray that you will consider the challenge! I promise you will not regret it!

Guest Post at Mom's Toolbox!

We interrupt this regularly scheduled Tassel Tuesday post to say I'm guest posting over at Mom's Toolbox! Woot! Come over for a visit!