At the Fence

 Hi Neighbors! I just have to share this with my neighbors At the Fence!  As a general rule, I am not big on graphic novels, but when they did one of Martin Luther, my husband just had to see it.  He has a collection of items on Martin Luther.  The children all quote, "Here I stand.  I can do no other.  God help me. Amen." My children's favorite quote!  My husband's too! Indulgences explained. This entire graphic novel, Echoes of the Hammer, is all about Martin Luther.  His life and his stand all the way to his death.  He turned the world on end with his stand, and brought about changes that are still in effect today.  The novel by Susan Leigh, illustrated by Dave Hill is 143 pages long.  It is filled with facts from both Luther's life and the time period he lived in.  Including his marriage to Katharina von Bora.  My 10 year old has a cd base don Katharina's life.  She loves it.  Many children today are so caught up in video games and today

This is a nice day to swing by for a visit At the Fence.  Love having you!  We will be heading out for a game of volley-ball in a few minutes, but I wanted to drop by At the Fence and spend some time with you, my neighbors!. We have been talking about re-painting our kitchen walls.  Especially since we are supposed to have new cupboards put in sometime in October.  Then I started thinking about how nice mosaic tiles would look in our kitchen.  I have been checking them out and I think it would seriously be an option to use mosaic tiles in our kitchen.  It would have to have at least a little red in it to match the rest of the kitchen.  The theme for our kitchen is birds.  And the main color used is red!  Our kitchen has red curtains, red appliances, mixing bowls, red everything! I am actually getting sick of red!  I think the mosaic glass tile would look especially nice.  There are so many different pattens, texture, shape, etc. to choose from. Or maybe we could pu

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Hello Neighbors! Do you have trouble keeping the toy room or area neat?  Are there times you despair of ever having the room organized and clean?  I used to feel the same way.  So I worked at finding ways to keep it organized.  Here are some tricks and tips I used, perhaps some of them will work for you. For really small items, like Hot Wheels, building blocks, arts and crafts, etc. we purchased shoe boxes and labeled them.  You could always put a picture on the end for those too young to read yet.  Remember, my children were all varying ages.  The other nice thing is that these were stackable, easily fit on shelves or under other furniture. Obviously we used a toy box for other items that would not fit in the bins and that were not breakable.  We actually had 2 toy boxes at one time.  A boys toy box and a girls.  That way you didn't have doll clothes mixed in with trucks, cars and motorcycles. Another thing that I personally did, was switched from crayons to colored penci

Hey neighbors! Some of us got together and decided to do a Dining Dash Blog Hop giveaway!  Each of us donated a Gift Card to a Restaurant of our choice to be the prizes.  There are 5 cards that can be won.  $15 GC to Longhorn (courtesy of At the Fence), $10 GC to Steak and Shake (Hope's Cafe), $10 GC to Dunkin Donuts (Giveaway Gal), $10 GC to Coldstone (PI of Products), and a $10 GC to Burger King (In My Opinion).  We each chose one of our favorites, and tried to make them restaurants that are all over, not just our little area of the neighborhood.  Getting hungry yet?  Mandatory entry is to follow each one of the blogs, and we have also included optional entries as well!  This giveaway will end Oct. 19th.  Winners will be chosen by a random generator and then notified by email.  You will have 48 hours to respond.  Have a great Hop around to some of my neighbors!  The more of us you follow the more entries you get.  Be sure to follow all 5 of us, and then you can do the extra ent

Hello Neighbors, A great day for a visit At the Fence.  This morning H. and I went for a 2 mile walk.  It was wonderful.  We didn't even get hot at all and we were wearing sweaters! Back to the Computer Battery.  My Laptop was passed down to me from my sister.  It worked great at first, but now you can have it plugged in to charge all night. Then after you un-plug the laptop it will say it is fully charged but it dies within just a couple of minutes!  That means anytime I have to un-plug my laptop it dies within minutes.  This is especially irritating when we are traveling and we stop somewhere to get internet and they don't have any outlets!  Then I have to sit there and do everything on my iPod.  It's great to have an iPod, but when I want to get alot done (most of it typing) and I only have a certain amount of time I really like my laptop. :D I am thinking about purchasing a replacement laptop battery and seeing if that would fix my problem where the laptop would

Hey neighbors! Be sure to stop by tomorrow for the Dining Dash Blog Hop!  I am sure you will enjoy entering this one! See you tomorrow!

Hey neighbors! I thought you might find this interesting.  Hellmanns is having a Chicken Challenge!  Each week Parmesan Crusted Chicken will be going up against other chicken recipes.  This is an event I am going to keep track of.  I love good chicken recipes!  Hellmanns is trying to help moms break out of routine and add some variety to dinner dishes.  And the Parmesan Crusted Chicken has only 4 ingredients!  I personally am going to try this one!  Be sure to visit Hellmanns and vote on your favorite.  Cast your vote for your favorite and enter the sweepstakes for a chance to win one of four $250 grocery gift cards each week.   Will Parm Crusted Chicken reign again in this week's #ChickenChallenge? Vote for your fave recipe today! http://bit.ly/ChixChlng

Hey neighbors! Can you believe it is that time of year again?  It is time to order your holiday cards.  Especially if you want something special, like engraving or a family picture.  I wanted to tell you about Tiny Prints and the wide selection of cards they have available.  From postcards to traditional cards, to photo cards, you name it, they seem to have it.  I have never used their Holiday Cards before, but I do have some of their business cards and my daughters have stationary and notepads from Tiny Prints.  I really like them! I went through the cards Tiny Prints has available and I think we would choose the Winter Pinwheels Photo Card .  Since we do ministry work around the country, this would be great to send to friends we have met and to churches we have visited.  Especially since you could include a picture of the family!  These cards are 8.85 x 3.90 and include one photo.  I also like the Counted Blessings , which includes 4 pictures.  I think I would have a hard

Hi Neighbors, A great day to visit At the Fence. I have a new subject for us to talk about. The Inmod Design Your Own Pillow Studio! I am sure we will have lots of neighbors visiting us At the Fence for this one! Here is a little bit about Inmod : "Inmod was founded in 2003 out of a passion for great design and a vision to offer it at prices truly within reach. But our vision doesn't stop there. Since our beginning, we've remained faithful to the doctrine that relationships are more important than sales. Inmod is a constantly evolving company. Originally founded by childhood friends Casey Choron and Alan Finkelstein, Inmod is now a team of seven, all of which naturally possess rare talents and traits needed for the friendly, knowledgeable and non-elitist brand of customer service we've become known for. It has allowed us to form long-lasting relationships with individuals, small businesses and Fortune 500 companies. Click here for a partial client lis

Hi neighbors! It was gorgeous out this morning when we went to the gym, but when we came out it was raining.   I was really hoping to spend some of the day outside working on the rose bushes.  Maybe tomorrow! He is adorable! So, instead I figured I would share this really neat company with my neighbors here At the Fence.  It is called Happy Toy Machine .  You actually get to design your own stuffed toy.  I made Webster, our new puppy.  But, I am getting ahead of myself.  Let me back up and tell you more about the company first.  When you visit their website, you sign in, and then start creating.  It is actually quite a bit of fun!  Be sure to let your child help, they will enjoy this.  You can choose a bear, puppy, cat, bunny, cow, robot, monster, alien, or a surprise.  I actually created a moose using the cow shape.  And a really cute cat!  You choose what you want to start with, and then go in and change different features and body parts.  I started with the head.  So far th

Hey Neighbors! Here is a great little book for the upcoming holiday season.  It is called Easy Entertaining for Beginners by Patricia Mendez.  The book contains 13 complete menus.  "You can throw a fabulous party, from a holiday fiesta to a romantic evening for two."  I do want to tell you up front, that it does contain some alcohol, which I am totally against, but it does have a lot of helpful information for planning a get together.  There are etiquette tips in every chapter, mistakes to avoid, shortcuts, and tips to ensure success. In the center of the book are color pictures.  Mistakes to Avoid includes things like "Don't make the sandwiches up more than one hour ahead of time, or bread will get soggy."  "Make sure your measurements are accurate." etc. So, if any of my neighbors have events, dinners, or parties coming up, this book just might be a benefit helping you to plan meals, and set up for entertaining.  It also includes two diff

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Straight Talk for SocialSpark . All opinions are 100% mine. Hey Neighbors,   I wanted to share a company with you that can help cut your phone bills and save you some money.  It is called Straight Talk.  Everyone is always trying to cut some corners and save a little bit of money where they can and here is one way you can do that.  With Straight Talk there are no contracts, no surprise bills and no credit check!  You get nationwide coverage with excellent reception and connectivity.  And they only use trusted phone manufacturers.    The Unlimited Service is only $45 a month and includes calls, text, picture messaging and web.  That's a whole year for $499!  Imagine what our bill is right now with 5 phones on the plan!  With Straight Talk unlimited minutes you can feel free anytime to  Call a friend   !  Here's a big one for us, 411 calls are included at no extra charge.  Wit

Hey neighbors! I love this weather!  It is brisk and beautiful outside today!  Perfect weather for yard sales, yard work, or just some family fun outside! So many choices. We are visiting in Chicago again for the weekend,  again we were able to go to Sweet Tomatoes.  If you will remember I have worked with them before.  They have the BEST salad bar, along with other really healthy items for you. Some of the pre-made salad choices. Salad Dressings. As a matter of fact Souplantaion/Sweet Tomatoes is now the largest restaurant chain in the nation to be certified by the Green Restaurant Association .  That is good news!  Below are some excerpts from the press release: This is the soup and chili bar. During the two-year-certification process, Garden Fresh implemented measures to reduce restaurant waste and disposables, along with energy and water consumption. While doing so, the restaurants have also successfully increased the amount of sustainable and organic food

Hi Neighbors, No this is not an announcement that I am expecting, but after having six children I feel qualified to share 10 tips on how to prepare your home to bring home the new baby. 1. I always prepare a sleeping area in my room for the first few weeks. Normally I have used a bassinet or cradle, although a portable play pen would work. This is for my convenience for nightly feeding and also to be able to keep an eye on the baby those first weeks at home. You know, nervous mom keeps checking! 2. Another important area that I try to set up in advance is the changing table. I make sure to have on hand every thing I will need for diaper changes, like baby powder, wipes, and I always purchase plenty of newborn diapers. Can't have enough diapers! I make sure to have a diaper pail and trash can near the changing table. 3. Nightgowns, t-shirts, and onesies are a top priority for me to purchase ahead of time for the new little one. Usually at home this is what the newborn

Hello Neighbors, As most of you know, back at the end of May I was diagnosed with diabetes.  Since then I have changed my diet, started walking at least 3 times a week on a treadmill, and I am no longer on my medications.  During this time I have lost between 35-40 lbs.  I still have plenty to go, but I am going to continue to work at it.  Now, our scale is starting to have fits, so I was really excited that I was able to review one of the new Weight Watchers by Conair Scales .  Our old one would add or take away pounds just by stepping off for a minute and stepping back on.  You could take a breath and gain ten lbs.  My daughter laughed because she tried it one day and two days later had lost 20 lbs.  So, needless to say it is time to tell the old scale goodbye! Now with my new scale, I will be able to keep an even more accurate account of my weight loss.  The new Weight Watchers by Conair Scale Model WW52 ($49.99)  is the one that I received.  It even looks great!  Let m

Hi Neighbors! We are having a great day here At the Fence and are looking forward to visiting with you for awhile.  Today we are trying GNC's PHENOM Coconut Water.  Now, I am sure some of my neighbors are asking, " What is Coconut Water? ". Good question, I was wondering about that myself, so I have done a little research.  First I will tell you what Coconut Water is not!  It is not water infused with coconuts or special water for watering coconut palms.  Coconut water is a the liquid found in the cavity of a coconut when you crack one open.  This liquid is absorbed as the coconut matures, so you need to get coconut water from young green coconuts. PHENOM is made from 100% natural coconut water.  It contains no artificial flavors, preservatives or added    sugars.  Not only that, but it is low in calories, has zero cholesterol and it has been infused with GNC  power for more benefits. I am sure my neighbors are wondering, "How does it taste?". Well, I

Hey Neighbors, I just have to take a minute and share a few of the things we as a family do together outdoors. September 24th families are encouraged to participate in Worldwide Day of Play and to turn off their TV and play outside!  Now, I have to tell you that this is something we do every evening, that it is not foul weather outside.  Right now we are on a volleyball kick.  With a family of eight it is easy to split up into teams and play 4-5 games a night.  We usually play to 11 and my family gets quite competitive!  So not only do they play 3 games and 2-3 wins, but then they have to challenge with an all or nothing.  It actually gets quite amusing, as they yell encouragement to each other, or even when a debate starts over if the ball was out of bounds or not. Volleyball Kickball Before that it was kickball.  We spent weeks running out each evening after dinner to the local park to play kickball.  We were constantly changing the teams around to try to get them even. 

Hi Neighbors, So good to get a chance to visit today.  Since I am beginning to get into the fall mood, I thought this would be the appropriate time to share my Mohawk Home Rug.  It looks so fallish! (Like my new word!)  Anyway the colors remind me of fall. Isn't this gorgeous! This is actually labeled a Hearth Rug, but I am going to either use it in the kitchen or one of our entry ways.  I almost hate to put it down in a high traffic area.  Although with 8 total in the family I am not sure that there is anywhere in the house that is not high traffic! Entryway Kitchen My Mohawk Home rug is a cream color with a vine of leaves around the edge.  The leaves are a dark green with purple and a hint of tan.  I really like it!  It has a non slip backing, which with 6 children, 2 dogs and my husband in and out of the house and constant horsing around, that is needed.  Plus, knowing it is from Mohawk, I know I have a quality rug! My son actually stood on my new r