A Few Updates and Birthday Craziness!

Hi all!  Just had a few things to share.  First, Barbara has claimed her prize and it is on its way in the mail.  Congrats!! :)

In other news, you've probably noticed that I've added a music playlist to my blog.  It was fun finding some of my favorite songs to share with you.  I'd love some feedback.  Do you enjoy it, or do you find it too distracting?  One nifty thing about Mixpod.com is that you create your playlist using Youtube videos.  Most of the songs I chose I tried to find high quality recordings, so I didn't go for the better videos.  However, I did add my favorite song from "Veer-Zaara":  "Lodi".  This one has a nice video.  So if you go to the bottom of my blog and listen to "Lodi" on my playlist, be sure to click the word "video" under the picture and you can watch it, too. :)  Sorry, I couldn't find one with English subtitles.  If you want to understand what they're saying, you can follow this Youtube link HERE.  Enjoy! :)

Things have been pretty crazy around here.  Tomorrow is my middle daughter's birthday party, so I've been frantically running around the house trying to get it ready.  Have I mentioned that I'm not the best at keeping my home pristine? :}  Between now and tomorrow at 2 pm, I need to clean the bathroom, clean off the flat surfaces in the kitchen, clear off the computer desk in the dining room, clean the girls' bedroom, sweep, mop, and dust.  Plus, I need to pick up a balloon at Dollar Tree (tomorrow), wrap a present, decorate for a party...okay, so maybe I'm just a teensy bit stressed, but I know it will all come together.  It always does. :}

To add to all of the craziness, my daughter got an ear infection at the beginning of the week.  She's on antibiotics, so her ears are feeling much better, but she still has a really bad cough and a stuffy nose.  In fact, all three of my daughters are coughing and sniffly ('tis the season), so I'm not sure how many moms are going to want to have their kids around my kids tomorrow.  Just pray that at least one or two are brave enough so that my daughter has at least a few friends there. 

I thought I'd give you just a little preview of tomorrow and showcase one of my favorite Bonanza.com sellers at the same time.  I have made purchases from Jessica at Factory Twenty 9 on Bonanza several times and couldn't be happier with her work.  She does phenomenal bottle cap necklaces and has the best prices on either Bonanza or Etsy for this type of item, hands down.  Not only that, her customer service is out of this world! :)

Jessica has done several of the necklaces I've used for my dolls, including Charlie's Buzz Lightyear necklace:

Hailey's "Tangled" necklace:

Claire's "Princess and the Frog" necklace:

and Emily's Sully necklace (shown here on Charlie...this was before Charlie informed me that her Pixar fave was Buzz):

When I was trying to find party favors for a Plum Pudding party (not a very easy job, let me tell you!), I contacted Jessica, wondering if she could find some images from the newer version of Strawberry Shortcake.  I'd looked through all of her items she had listed, and she only had the older version. 

That same day, she added several current Strawberry Shortcake and friends images that I could choose from.  She gave me several options on what type of necklace I could order, sold them for an excellent price, and even threw in some extra goodies for the birthday girl!  Thanks so much, Jess!  These party favors will make my daughter's party EXTRA special. :)

For the party favors, I ordered flattened bottle caps with ball and chain necklaces.  The flattened bottle caps are a little wider and not as poky as the regular ones.

Each necklace came wrapped in its own little gauzy bag.  The girls are going to love these! :)

This was the extra she included for my daughter.

It's a Plum Pudding magnetic necklace.

The "chain" is a stretchy material band attached to a washer. 

Each bottle cap has a strong magnet on the back.  Now, my daughter can have a necklace showcasing whichever of Strawberry Shortcake's friends she wishes. :)

Jessica offers several different options when you order from her.  You can do necklaces in these different designs (magnetic or ball and chain), or you can just order the bottle caps alone.  There are probably more options too...but these are the ones I'm familiar with.  What I did for my dolls was ordered the bottle caps by themselves, but asked Jessica to drill a small hole in them so that I could make my own doll-sized necklaces. 

Hope you guys enjoyed the birthday preview!  After this weekend, I'll post some pics of the party. :)



We Have a Winner!!! :)

Hi everyone!  I'm here to announce the winner of my Valentine's Day giveaway.  Before I do, I'd just like to thank everyone for entering.  You have all been so encouraging with your extra messages of warmth and congratulations.  I really appreciate your thoughtfulness.

So, out of 14 entries, the name drawn out of the hat was (drum roll please):

                                                              BARBARA!! :)

I will be sending Barbara an email shortly, and she will have one week to claim her prize.   If for some reason she does not contact me within one week, I will pick another winner.

Thanks again for all of the entries, and Happy (upcoming) Valentine's Day to everyone! :)

Last Day to Enter My Valentine's Day Giveaway!

Just wanted to remind everyone that today is the last day to enter my giveaway.  I'll be posting the results tomorrow.  Thanks so much for all of the responses and kind words.  I've got 12 entries so far, so there are really good odds right now! :) 

If you're just reading this for the first time, check out my previous post to see what you can win!

Can't wait to see who are our winner is! :) 

My 100th Post...and a Valentine's Day Giveaway!! Woo-hoo!! :D

Hooray!! I can't believe I've done 100 posts on this blog!  I couldn't have done it without all of you, my faithful readers and followers.  So, thanks! :)

I was trying to think of something special to do for this post.  One thing I've decided is to list 10 random facts about me.  I was going to do 100, since it's my 100th post, but I was too lazy to think of that many things.  And besides, who on earth would want to read through me babbling on and on about 100 random things about myself?  Boring!!

So, here goes:

10 Random Facts About Beast'sbelle:

1.  If I didn't have to think about health or calories, I would eat cold cereal every morning and pizza every night (and Reese's Peanut Butter Cups every weekend). :)

2.  I'm a total pack rat with at least 6 or 7 collections (not all of them are still active).

3.  My very first official job was at a local toy store.

4.  I am terrified of frogs and snakes.

5.  I still don't like broccoli.

6.  Patience, self control, and my tongue are my 3 biggest areas of weakness.

7.  I love drawing and sketching.  In high school, I developed my own cartoon characters that I used in cards I made for my friends and family.

8.  When I was younger, I wanted to be a missionary to Africa.

9.  I took 4 years of drama in high school.  The first year, someone dropped out at the last minute, and the drama teacher asked me if I would be willing to fill in.  I was terrified but was really bad at saying no.  As soon as the applause started at the end of the first night's production, though, I was hooked! :)

10.  When I was 14 and my husband (then "friend") was 17, he asked me to a school banquet while we were performing a skit in front of our whole youth group.  Talk about romantic! :)  That was the starting point of our relationship.

And now, here's the part you've all been waiting for:  my special 100th post giveaway!! :)  With Valentine's Day coming soon, I thought a Valentiney (is that a word?) theme would be fun.  So, the winner of this giveaway will receive:

     Their own sealed, doll-sized, heart-shaped box of Russell Stover chocolates.  Sorry, the chocolates are not doll-sized, but I'm supposing you can force yourself to eat them. :)

    Two doll-sized Disney's "Tangled" posters from my eBay lot! :)  The posters pictured here are the ones you will receive.

   A Disney's "Princess and the Frog" blank journal, the perfect size for AG dolls.

  

A doll-sized "Crazy 8s" card game.

  This adorable pink dress, (thanks for showing it to us, Emma). :)  I purchased this dress from eBay seller mjs.dolls.  She has good prices and lots of cute outfits to choose from.  This dress will be perfect for Valentine's Day! :) 

Because of the Valentine's Day theme, this will be a short giveaway.  The contest begins as soon as this post is published.  The last day to enter will be Tuesday, February 8th.  Entries will be placed in a hat and the winner will be randomly selected.  The winner will be announced Wednesday, February 9th. 

Note:  Emma is NOT included in the giveaway! ;)

If you are selected, I will send you an email, and you will have 1 week to respond.  If I don't hear from you  by the time the week is up, another winner will be selected.  But hurry!  The sooner you respond, the better your chance to get your doll's goodies in time for Valentine's Day! :)  And if I have to pick a second winner, sorry, but you'll have to celebrate a late Valentine's Day.  The holiday will already be over by the time you're picked. :}

To enter, simply leave a comment on this post with your name and email address.  I've already activated "comment moderation", so your information will remain private.  And remember, if you're under 18 you need to make sure you have your parent's permission before entering.  I'll have to get your mailing address to get your items to you.

If you have any questions, feel free to email me at nevergrowup.beastsbelle@gmail.com.

Thanks again everyone.  Can't wait to see who the winner is! :) 

P.S.  I can't absolutely guarantee that I can get your giveaway items to you by Valentine's Day, but I will do everything I possibly can to try. :)



Photo Shoot!

Yes, I'll admit it.  I'm trying to get to my 100th post! :} But I have a good reason (you'll see when the time comes).  I thought I'd share some of the photos I took the other day that I didn't end up using for my blogs.  Enjoy! :)

                                                    Here's Hailey sporting her new hairdo.

Hailey with her new Tangled necklace and her Rapunzel doll. 

Sweet Sisters 

I love how this pic of Emma turned out.  Hmmm, Picnik is calling! ;) 

Here's Tess, showing off her Valentine's Day hairstyle.

Best Buds:  Charlie and Hailey 

Emma as Belle :) 

Below is a pic of my Thomas Kinkade "Beauty and the Beast" postcard I found on eBay.  Thomas Kinkade has done a whole series of paintings based on Disney movies, and sometimes you can find them on eBay.  The "Beauty and the Beast" one is harder to find, though.  I'm so glad I got it!  The detail in this painting is just amazing!

I love how this one turned out, too. :)  Emma's just so photogenic! 

That's all for now.  More pics to come in later posts! :)

  

News About Claire

For those of you who are interested, my Claire doll's new owner has started a blog, where she will be documenting all of Claire's new adventures.  Claire even has a twin sister named Kerri eagerly awaiting her arrival! :)

Be sure to go visit the blog, and keep checking back.  Claire should be arriving sometime in the next week or so.  I heard that there will be a big birthday party for Claire and Kerri later this month!  Click HERE to visit their blog.

Ups and Downs

Hi all!  While going through my past posts, just to make sure I was accurate in my official 100th post, I found this draft that I wrote two Sundays ago.  At the time I wrote it, I decided not to post it.  I wanted to make sure I had a chance to read it when I wasn't in the middle of the emotions I was feeling and make sure it was really something I wanted to publish.  Now that I've read it over, I think it's worth posting.  It's a little off-topic for this blog, but hopefully it will provide encouragement anyway. :)

I suffer from acute female-itis (and yes, I just made that word up for my own convenience).  This means that whenever I get overtired or overstressed, I dissolve into a puddle of irritable, pitiful weepiness.  Of course, certain times are worse than others. :}  Those annoying hormones!!!

This morning was just one of those mornings.  You know, the type where you feel like everything you do is either completely hopeless or useless?  I'm in one of those...arrrgghh!  I need to lose weight...clean the house...be more patient with the kids...be better at my devotions...spend less time on the computer....stop snitching sugar cereal or chocolate from the cupboard when no one's looking...modes.  I know this sounds pathetic, but there it is.  There are days where I feel completely and utterly worthless.

I grew up in a Christian home, for which I am very grateful.  I was sheltered and protected from many things in my life.  Sometimes though, it's easy for me to rely on my own goodness because of my upbringing.  I never did drugs, drank alcohol, shoplifted, or killed anyone.  I was always considered the "sweet" one...the "good kid" in high school.  And foolishly, I let myself believe this was the real me.  Of course, in high school, I was getting 8-10 hours of sleep a night and had one bedroom to worry about, plus the occasional night of dishes or laundry.

Now, I average 5-6 hours of sleep a night (on a good night).   I have an entire house to clean, and most days I seem to be the only one interested in keeping it looking nice.  I have to oversee homework, potty training, constant squabbles over dollies and toys, mountains of laundry, piles of dishes...well, you get the picture.  I find it much harder to be that sweet, kind person I was once known as.  It's not always pretty.

I think in my heart of hearts, though I would be appalled at myself if I had really searched my thinking, I thought I was good enough on my own for God.  I went to church and Sunday School every Sunday and Wednesday, I sang in the choir, I taught little kids, I was kind and compassionate, I smiled at everyone.  And all the time, I suppose I was thinking, "See God?  See all of these great things I'm doing for You?  Don't I get some brownie points or something?"

Now, looking back, I can see how many of the things I was doing for the wrong reasons.  Or perhaps I was doing it for the right reason but my heart attitude was incorrect.  And I was always horribly mean to my little brother because he was so annoying...but anyone so annoying deserves what they get, right?

The truth is that the Bible tells us there is "no one who does good, not even one" (Psalm 14:3; Romans 3:10), and "all our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment" (Isaiah 64:6).  Even if we do manage to do some good in our lives, it will never be enough to earn favor with God.  It is only through belief in His Son that we can find eternal life and God's acceptance.   And after we believe in Jesus, the things we do are a gift to Him in gratitude for what He did for us, not a way to earn extra merit.

I am extremely motivated by guilt...I always have been.  I bounce back and forth between trying to do things on my own and getting frustrated at my failures, and then being overcome with guilt that I was trying to do things on my own in the first place.  One such time, the Lord brought a sermon over the radio that I needed.  I don't remember who was preaching or even what the rest of the sermon was about.  All I remember is a part where the preacher said:  "There is nothing you can do to make God love you any more or any less."  Tears instantly sprang to my eyes when I heard this.  Because our worth is in Christ, when we believe in Him, God sees the righteousness of Christ when He looks at us.  Once we are saved, nothing can change that.

I think it's easy for us as Christians to try too hard to be perfect.  When really, we never will be no matter how hard we try.  We are sinners like everyone else.  Of course, our desire should be to please Him, and we should be in the Word and praying every day (which I desperately need to work on in my life!).   But we still need to rely on Jesus every day to give us the strength we need to live in a way that is pleasing to Him.

In some ways, it's kind of a relief.  God isn't expecting me to be perfect.  Why else would He have given us I John 1:9?  "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."  What a thrilling verse!  That means that every time I do something wrong, all I have to do is confess it to God, and He lets me start all over with a clean, guilt-free heart.  I have seen earthly examples of this through my husband and my children.  I can be a total bear, and they respond with their unconditional love every time.  What a wonderful picture of our Heavenly Father's love for us!

Okay, sorry for the random post...I know this isn't doll related.  It's something that was weighing on my heart.  Maybe something similar has been weighing on yours, too.  There have been so many times I've been encouraged by reading a post that tells of the struggles someone else is going through, especially when they're the same struggles I face.  It's nice to know we're not alone in this race of life. :)

So many times, the Lord has sent blessings my way just when I needed them.  Today was just such a day.  I was feeling discouraged and tired, and even stayed home from church.  I got the gift of laughter today, though.  It was in a letter from my Prayer Pal (something our church does that is similar to a Secret Pal), and was just what the doctor ordered, so to speak. :)  I thought I'd share it with all of you.  Hopefully it makes your day like it did mine. :)

"Church Ladies With Typewriters..."
[This is an email sent to my Prayer Pal full of bloopers that were either printed in church bulletins or announced from church pulpits.  May I just say, these are a good reminder of the value of proof-reading! :}]


-The Fasting and Prayer Conference-includes meals.      


-The sermon this morning:  "Jesus Walks on the Water".  The sermon tonight:  "Searching for Jesus". 


-Ladies, don't forget the rummage sale.  It's a chance to get rid of those things not worth keeping around the house.  Bring your husbands.


-Don't let worry kill you off-let the church help!


-Miss Charlene Mason sang "I Will Not Pass This Way Again", giving obvious pleasure to the congregation.


-For those of you who have children and don't know it, we have a nursery downstairs.


-Next Thursday there will be tryouts for the choir.  They need all the help they can get.


-Irving Benson and Jessie Carter were married on October 24 in the church.  So ends a friendship that began in their school days.


-Eight new choir robes are currently needed due to the addition of several new members and to the deterioration of some older ones.


-Please place your donation in the envelope along with the deceased person you want remembered...


-The church will host an evening of fine dining, super entertainment and gracious hostility.


-Potluck supper Sunday at 5:00 PM-prayer and medication to follow.


-The pastor would appreciate it if the ladies of the Congregation would lend him their electric girdles for the pancake breakfast next Sunday.


-Low Self Esteem Support Group will meet Thursday at 7 PM.  Please use the back door.


-The eighth graders will be presenting Shakespeare's Hamlet in the Church basement Friday at 7 PM.  The congregation is invited to attend this tragedy.


-Weight Watchers will meet at 7 PM at the First Presbyterian Church.  Please use the large double door at the side entrance.


Aren't those hilarious?  My hubby and I got a kick out of them.  It was a great mood-mender for me.  Hope you enjoy them too.

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