Haiti

My brother and his wife are there and have been sending reports back. The reports are desperate, haunting and so near hopeless. He said there are bodies in the street and when you see them that's when it really hits you; the devastation and what it means.

I've decided that for the next several months, I'd like to support them in their work in Haiti. My sister in law works for World Hope International. They actually have a base in Port Au Prince.
We will be supporting them in their endeavors there with our prayers, but I will also be using the proceeds from the blocks to support them as well.

I will be posting the info. on here in the next couple days if you would like to send money to them directly. If you give money, it will go towards the needs in Haiti. You just can't meet another human being who has a bigger heart for Haiti than they do.

Here are some photos my brother has taken while in Haiti.

Yum!

I invented a new salad recipe to go along with our dinner tonight (pork chops wrapped in bacon and steamed cauliflower.) It was so delicious, I thought I'd share it!

1. Slice up avacados and place them on a plate. Add a little salt to them.
(1 avocado is enough for two people)

2. squeeze juice from a lime on top, enough to lightly coat the avacados. (If you don't have a lime, you can just use lime juice)

3. Add grated mozzarella cheese (light cheese would make this even healthier)
4. Add green onions
5. Top with Rotel Tomatoes. (This gave it a bit of a kick because of the jalapenos in the rotel) If you don't want it to be spicy you could substitute regular tomatoes.

ENJOY!

As I promised!

I thought before I post "after photos" there should be a "before photo". I thought it also fitting to include photos of my girls coloring on the walls. Pardon the miscellaneous clothes and unruly hair. This was day three of being snowed in.
This was a mistake for sure. I knew it when I handed that grinnin girl a big blue crayon. I especially knew it, when I found blue crayon scribbled all over my entrance way wall. Hmm...., it's hard to call this but I'm thinking it was still worth it.

Watching them defy all the rules of my youth and color for an hour on those walls...was AWESOME! That, along with so many other things does make me crazy. (If you were just thinking that, you were right!! ding ding ding)

I couldn't resist though. I've always wanted to color on the walls. I grew up in a house where creativity was encouraged for sure, but not like that!!! If I did that, I may not be here today. My 5 foot mother would have hung me.

I'm not through with the play room yet, but here it is after a day's work! Just in case you hate it, just know you would definitely prefer it to the mess of toys all strung through the house like Christmas lights. Well, lights are pretty, it would be more like colorful and noisy debris. :)

A Record!

The last three days we have had snow!
Nashville had a blizzard. Lisa (my northern friend, and about the only person who comments on my blogs) laughed when I told her we had six inches of snow. She is from Indiana and thinks it's funny I refer to it as a blizzard. Schools have closed down. Even though it hasn't snowed in three days, there will be no school tomorrow. My challenge is renewed for yet another day. What do I do to keep the kids from boredom? We have gone crazy with crafts and baked too many goodies. We are now out of eggs, so we made those yummy no bake cookies. Haha...eggs will not stop this sweet tooth. I shall overcome. That said, there is no more food to eat tomorrow. I guess I will have to sit by the window and watch my husband chip away at our sleeted driveway, so we can get out. Here are a couple pics of my littles playing in the snow.

Speaking of my husband, I presented the idea of making our "middle room/guest room" into a play room. Like a lot of other home related subjects that I do the work for, he said "sure". Here was the clincher. Since I was going to empty out the room.....may be he might want to paint it. If we were not snowed in and experiencing serious cabin fever, this request would have been rejected instantly. Lucky me, the snow stayed another day. He smiled. He knew he was cornered, no where to run...literally.

The room is finished and fabulous. I'm not sure where we are going to put the guests...but the girls will have a room for all their "STUFF." It's this awesome green paint called "Sag Harbour" from Lowes. I shall post some pics...but to be honest my camera is downstairs. I'm up. Do you see my dilemma. Don't forget, I worked my "what I like to believe is a" little patootie off today.

So we have a record of snow and another record. I think this is my second blog in a week. Awwww....in spite of the weather, my productivity has increased! My goal is to post pictures tomorrow? I dunno, this might be too lofty a goal for me. We'll see.

Gosh It's been forever!!!

I'm not very good at keeping up with this. I have an excellence issue and if I don't do something well, I just want to be rid of it! lol
It's a new year...goodness. Last year was fun but this year shall be more fun. I'm sure of it! I intend on taking the lengths necessary to make it so.

My husband and I are full time working from home. That is grand!!!!! I feel blessed and excited!
We are also working on our CD right now. Creativity is in full bloom at the Perry house!

I'm wanting to put some Alphabet Block Sets on Ebay and would love to know whether you think that is a good or bad idea. I've heard both and that leaves me confused. I guess it can't hurt to try it...

Here is some cute blocks I worked on this week for a woman that is doing up her nursery. She was fun to work with. I actually snagged this photo off of her blog. Thanks Renee!

This week, I'm working on a set of 12 blocks that have letters on all sides. It will be more of learning tool. It has some really cute giraffes. I'm better about posting pics to facebook. I'll do that in the next day or two.
Got some LOVE blocks for Valentines day....super cute!
I'm also working on tons of Birth Announcement Blocks and that makes my day. I get to see the cutest pictures ever of treasures fresh from heaven. So cool....

That'll be all I suppose. Blessings to ya sweet folks!

Time simply just does fly!

So much new news! I'm loving the opening up that has happened in my creativity, and in my life. I'm loving not being a restaurant manager and having to leave my kids. I'm so grateful for all the support and love sent to me by YOU!
This is what I really want to do next. I want to make puzzles using nine blocks. I thought it would be simply awesome to put a puzzle in a case. Dream with me now....imagine one side of the blocks with a name (if the name doesn't take up nine blocks, some could just have characters or designs.) the other sides with different picture puzzles.

What if it was a puzzle of the child's family. What if I made a puzzle family. Each block had a name and a photo of the relative, so you could either line up all the names or faces. For example "Aunt Memee" on one side, and my beautiful face on the other side???
Wouldn't that be cool? Obviously I'd have to pull out my math skills so I don't mess it up. The difficulty level may be above me. lol

NEWS
I joined Etsy a couple weeks ago and LOVE it! I just had no idea people knew what they were talking about. Kristen, I shall make it public that you told me so before anyone else! About the 50th time I heard it though, I signed up. I've gotten so many orders from there...plus I've started shopping on there! Have you seen some of the things there? Wow...if I ever run low on inspiration I shall just go to Etsy.
CHRISTMAS DEADLINES
If you live in Canada and want to order, please get your order to me on or before December 1st.
If you live in the States, please get your order to me by December 10th.

Umm.....I believe I've emptied my head sufficiently now. Here are a couple photos I like of some recent work.

Update!

I'm so excited about Christmas this year. I wanted to send a quick message out to all of you and let you know that my turn-around times may be a little longer. If you are considering ordering blocks for Christmas for friends and family (or yourself :) you may want to start considering what you'd like. It would be most helpful if you ordered sooner than later. I know the post office tends to get bogged down close to Christmas as well.

NEWS!
I've started doing wall hangings. If you haven't come by for awhile, please come and take a look. I'd love your feedback. I can match blocks to any wall hanging to create a really nice little set too!

I also wanted to include some gift ideas for the holidays. I've listed them below.

Teacher Blocks
Photo Blocks for Grandparents of their grandchildren.
Using the Decor blocks, spell out a last name. It looks great on a mantle!
ORNAMENTS!!!! Personalized ornaments, photo ornaments, character ornaments...etc...
Pet Photo Blocks
Vacation Memory Block that includes the date, destination and photos!
Customized Traditional Blocks in antiqued wooden case!
....and so much more!

What can you dream up? I'll do that for you!

Thanks so much to all of you for your encouragement and support! Continuing through Dec 31st, we will be giving 15% profit from every sale to Divine Inheritance. www.divineinheritance.com. They are a phenomenal group. Please visit their website for more information!
If you know of a children's charity group that you would like to recommend for the new year, I'd love to hear about it!
Blessings to you all! Thanks again for your support!