Autumn Blessings

I love the changing colors of the fall leaves - they make such pretty pictures. Each year during this time I'm reminded of my favorite thing about going to Sac State (CSU, Sacramento) - the many "blankets" of leaves on the ground... I just think they're so beautiful. We borrowed some leaves from our new neighbor across the street to enhance our leaf pile.. I'm sure she thought we were crazy, but we did help her out by getting rid of half of her pile. :)


Here is a picture montage of two of my biggest blessings: my girls! Enjoy!

Staci's Birthday Party

Staci's party turned out to be a cute success. It was a small affair, and thrown together at the last minute, so I'm very thankful to the parents and girls who were able to come and make Staci's day special. Thank You!!!

Miss Staci Elayne Parker is 5 Today!

Official Wedding Pics Posted

Marissa, the awesome (Staci's new favorite word) photographer who is Treasured Moments Photography, has posted some (10%) of the wedding photos from Cristi & Nelson's wedding. Check out her album of the wedding photos here to view the rest of the superb photos.

Thanksgiving Countdown!

I'm just a little late in posting this item, considering here in CA, it will officially be Thanksgiving Day in less than an hour, and it's already Thanksgiving Day in most of the other states ... but, last Thursday, Shauna (age 7) was so proud of herself for the little countdown she'd created. Here is a picture taken yesterday morning...

And, I want to show off what Staci (almost 5) said she was thankful for: her family! Aren't her drawings of Mommy, Daddy, herself, and Shauna so cute?

And, here are the placemats they created at school.

I'm so thankful for many things, but family is up there at the top of the list. For all of our extended family - we sure do wish we could be together this Thanksgiving.

Love you and miss you!

Indian Girl Staci

Each Friday at Faith Christian Academy, the children enjoy "chapel." Every week one of the grades performs a little poem, skit, or song. Mrs. Riddlesperger's Kindergarten class performed last Friday.

They recited the following poem:

Who’s that peeking from the teepee?
Who’s that in the canoe?
Who’s that with the bow and arrow?
Who has the deerskin shoes?
Who grinds the corn to make the cornbread?
Who rides horses wild?
Who can spear a fish in the water?
Why, it’s the Indian child!

I put Staci's hair in "Indian braids" and had her wear her "deerskin shoes" my mom had bought her to go with her Indian costume at our church Harvest Festival. Isn't she an adorable "blonde headed Indian?"

Big Sister Shauna enjoys Grandma Rozana being at chapel to see Staci perform

and gets her picture taken as well

The Wedding Cake

The wedding cake for Cristi & Nelson was a three-layer cake decorated with yummy Pastry Pride (purchased at Smart & Final) in a basketweave pattern.

The cake consisted of a 16" round, rainbow chip cake with strawberry cream filling, for the bottom layer; 14" round, chocolate cake with chocolate "bettercreme" filling and strawberry cream for the middle layer; and a 8" round rainbow chip cake for the top layer.

I messed up when creating this cake - the middle layer should have been a 12" cake instead of 14". The 12" cake is the size to put on the 14" round separator plate; so I had to improvise and the cake was sticking out a little, so there wasn't room for the frosting border at the bottom of the cake.

The cake topper was made of neon green and hot pink felt in the couple's initials. The frog cake topper was purchased months ago off of eBay.

My Baby Sister is now a Mrs.!

Saturday, November 15, 2008 marked a very special day in the lives of my family. My little sister, Cristi Rae, became Mrs. Nelson Lor. Many people put in a lot of time, effort, and money, to make this day a beautiful success. Below are just a few of the pictures taken with my mom's camera. I can't wait to see the ones her photographer, Marissa Massey, took!

Freebie Friday & Giveaways, too

Would you like a free holiday drink? Peet's Coffee is currently hosting a special where you get a free holiday drink if you buy your friend one. See this link to print out the e-coupon.

Frugal Mommy of 2 Girls is hosting a giveaway for two sets of absolutely adorable hair clippies from Sweet & Sassy Accessories Sweet & Sassy Accessories. Visit Frugal Mommy's websites for details on how to enter.

Rita at My Precious Pennies (my favorite frugal blog - check out her new Coupon Counselor series) is hosting a giveaway for a card wallet from Shan's Shinies - that giveaway ends today... so check it out soon!

Moms by Heart Moms by Heart is hosting a giveaway for Stitchgirl52.

Proposition 8 ~ What does the Bible say about Gay Marriage?

The following answer is found at Got Questions.Org

Answer: Before we look at gay marriage / same sex marriage, first we have to remember what the Bible says about homosexuality. While the Bible doesn’t address the concept of gay or same sex marriage, the Bible does clearly and consistently tell us that homosexual activity is a sin (Genesis 19:1-13; Leviticus 18:22; Romans 1:26-27; 1 Corinthians 6:9).

God does not create a person with homosexual desires. A person becomes a homosexual because of sin (Romans 1:24-27), and ultimately because of his or her own choice. A person may be born with a greater susceptibility to homosexuality, just as people are born with a tendency to violence and other sins. That does not excuse the person choosing to sin by giving in to their sinful desires. If a person is born with a greater susceptibility to anger / rage, does that make it right for them to give into those desires? Of course not. The same is true for homosexuality.

We also have to remember that homosexuality is just as forgivable a sin as all other sins. God’s forgiveness is just as available to a homosexual as it is to an adulterer, idol worshipper, murderer, liar, proud man, etc. God’s love and desire to save extends to homosexuals (John 3:16; Romans 5:8). God also promises the strength for victory over sin, including homosexuality, to all those who will believe in Jesus Christ for their salvation (1 Corinthians 6:11; 2 Corinthians 5:17).To give sanction to homosexual marriage would be to give approval to that lifestyle, which the Bible clearly and consistently condemns as sinful.

I believe that Christians should stand firmly against the idea of gay marriage / same sex marriage.

Marriage is ordained by God to be between a man and a woman (Genesis 2:21-24; Matthew 19:4-6). Homosexual marriage is a perversion of the institution of marriage and an offense to the God who created marriage. God forbids and condemns homosexuality, so He clearly is opposed to homosexual marriage. As Christians, we are to seek to share the love of God and salvation through Christ with homosexuals. We are to be loving and kind to homosexuals, while at the same time not condoning their sinful lifestyle.

"Do not lie with a man as one lies with a woman; that is detestable. (Lev 18:22)


Other resources to answer this question can be found here:

Max Lucado's statement

Tom Brown Ministries

Christian Answers