It's Yay Free Friday!!

My giveaway this week is a new BbB pattern. As I'm sure you notice, some of the inspiration of this doll came from the bit of whimsy primitives mae pattern. The sewn on hair and body/dress has been adapted and inspired by that pattern. Due to the higher volume of custom dolls that I have been doing (which is a huge praise) I can no longer use bit of whimsey's pattern due to copyright restrictions limiting me to five dolls. I've been making dolls and drawing my own patterns since 2003, so I blew the dust off the old pattern book and this sweetie came to be. Just wanted to make this quick disclosure because I don't desire to take any credit for Sarah's ideas . In my heart of hearts, my desire is just to be a clean, open, obedient vessel for the Lord to work through. This is what I pray for and I need all of your prayers as well. I want this little doll ministry to be about HIM...that is my desire. So that being said, this doll measures 16" tall has a muslin face/arms/legs with Amy Buttler cotton prints. Skirt has a ribbon closure. She has yellow chenille hair with yarn pigtails trimmed with blue ribbon. Face is hand stitched with safety eyes. Her scripture patch reads, "I delight greatly in the LORD; my soul rejoices in my God." Isaiah 61:10

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To enter for this free doll, simply leave your contact information in a comment under this post from Friday-Sunday. Winner will be announced on Monday!! Good Luck!!

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Have a wonderful weekend!

Tina

Lovely Lola!

My little Miss Lola! Yesterday was her dress rehearsal for Dance. The big day is Saturday. Actually on our calender in letters filling the entire box reads "Lola's big day!" on the 31st. This is Lola's first year on the big stage and she did a fantastic job!!! We have been counting down for a long time for the big recital and it is finally here! I was a proud momma snapping pictures every two seconds to capture every moment! She did so well counting out her steps and reciting her every move....like I said...proud momma! Lola enjoys dance and looks forward to it every week! I'm sure I will have tons of pictures to show you after Saturday!

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It is a beautiful day finally! I might go out on the patio, stuff some dolls and watch the kids play in the sun before I have to get supper ready. I'll be back tomorrow! It's Yeah Free Friday ALREADY!

~Tina

Marvelous Tuesday!!

I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday weekend!

Are you ready for the Yay Free Friday winner????

I went to RANDOM.ORG for the official winning number,

and the winner is.......

Random Integer Generator
Here are your random numbers: 20
Timestamp: 2008-05-27 12:38:33 UTC

Okay... it's number twenty....let's see who won!!!

1

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7...counting to the twentieth comment

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15

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CONGRATULATIONS LISA!!!!!

I'll get your little sweetie ready to ship today!

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Well, I'm off to play catch-up from over the weekend, so I'll be back tomorrow for the latest and greatest! ;) Have a wonderful day everyone and thanks so much for entering in the BbB giveaway!!

Yay...It's Free Friday!

I so hope that you are excited about this weeks giveaway, because I am!!

She turned out so darn cute! Measuring around 15 1/2" tall, her face/arms/legs are made from vintage pink minky. Hair is cream chenille with cream cotton pony tails trimmed with ribbon. Safety eyes and handstitched mouth/lashes. Her body and skirt are made from Amy Buttler prints and her chest is embellished with a pink hand crochet flower. I noticed in the picture that some of the minky on her face is a little fluffed up...but don't worry...she is perfect! The scripture on her belly reads, "Every good thing is given and every perfect gift is from above" James 1:17

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Okay...the rules

You may enter once by leaving your contact info in the comments under this blog post from Friday-Monday. On Tuesday (since it is a holiday weekend) I will announce the winner! Pretty simple right?

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I hope every has a wonderful holiday weekend! We don't really have plans, but I'm looking forward to warmer weather (finally) and just taking some time to relax and play with the kids! I'll be back on Tuesday!!

~Tina

*This doll is based off of a pattern purchased from bit of whimsy primitives.

Things to come at BbB!

I hope everyone is having a wonderful week! Mine has been MUCH better than last week...Praise God for that!!

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AAAAAHHHHHHH :)

Today is the last day of school and the bus arrived home about ten minutes ago. I just sat down to update the blog and.....TINA!!!!.....so and so just broke your clothes line!! Yikes! It is a general rule NOT to hang on the clothes line. I have been wondering why my shirts have been touching the ground! Keith just tightened things up for me and SNAP! The weight of a child broke a line. At least he fessed up and there are no worries. His punishment is to explain to Keith what happened. It is said by all that it won't happen again....I'll keep you posted on that! ;)

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Back to business news, I'm switching over to a new web host for my website so things will continue to be a little slow on the new dolls posted. I have a bunch cut out and in the works between my orders but I'm not going to be able to post on the current site and the new. The bunny pictured above will be first in my bunnies section for sale when I make the switch. A little tease for you! She turned out so cute! The overall look of my site will be about the same, just some new features for you to enjoy and much easier for me to manage. Also will be a section on my site called "Give a Blessing" which I'm still figuring out all the ins and outs of that right now.

With summer vacation in full swing my schedule will be a little busier, with extra daycare children, but I hope to balance everything throughout the first couple weeks. Yay Free Friday will still be on each week and I will update my blog with lots of summer pictures, sneak peeks, and the latest BbB news!! I always love to hear from all of you, so PLEASE always leave me a comment! Gotta go...someones in a bicker!

I'll be back tomorrow everyone!!

~Tina

Marvelous Monday!!

Has everyone been waiting on little old me to post the winner??!! I try to post right away in the morning because I'm sure you are wondering if you have won or not. Well, thanks for being patient...and the winner of yay free friday is....

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JULIE PERRIGIN!

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Congratulations Julie! You get your pick of little peanut or lamb! Again, thanks to all who entered this week! Julie, you didn't leave your email so please contact me with your doll choice and shipping info!

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So to catch you up a little bit on what has been going on over the weekend....

First, I feel much-much better! I struggled all week but I'm finally on the mend now...PRAISE GOD! You all know how it is! Doesn't matter if Mom is sick or not, you have to stay on top of things (or at least try). Anyway, thanks to those of you who asked if I was feeling better-I am!

Second, my sewing machine crashed on me! YIKES! I have been thinking about getting a new machine for a while. I was actually using two machines. The green beast for all my straight line stitching and then a different machine for my zig zag stitching. The green one wouldn't zig zag and the other wouldn't straight stitch. So, I had two machines sitting with me in my small laundry/sewing room. I was thankful for them! At least one covered for the other and we really didn't have the extra money to get new so I made due with what I had. It actually is hard for me to buy new if I have something that still works. So on Saturday morning the green beast finally gave out on me. This machine is an old Sears model from like 1974 or so. I tell you what, they don't make machines like they used to! Anyway, of course I HAD to buy a new one...I have orders to fill! So we were off and after lots of looking I brought one home. Well of course I wanted to get it out and try it right away!! But, guess what! The electrical cord was not in the box! I was so frustrated! To load four kids back up and go back was just NOT an option at that point. So I waited until Keith got home from work and went and got an exchange making sure to open it in the store to make sure all the parts were included. So really no worries in the end. I smile at the frustration now which was really no big deal, but with fussy kids sometimes you feel like pulling your hair out. We should just know to expect that even the simplest things don't always go the way we planned. I should know this...I have four children! Well, I'm off to sew on my newest machine and enjoy the quiet nappy-time afternoon! Talk to you all soon!

~Tina

(Pictured is my crew at Grandpa's this weekend. Can you tell how windy it was?)

Yay...It's Free Friday!

Here we are once again...

It's Yay....Free Friday!!

So this week I thought I would give you a choice of one of these little cuties!

The first is a baby blue minky dot lamb with espresso brown face and inner ear. The scripture reads "I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep." John 10:11 * Second is my first little "paint" peanut. This turned out so cute and is SO soft! It measures 11" tall and is made from paint print minky along with espresso brown minky. He just looks like a little baby bundle tucked up so snugly tight....perfect for a new baby!! Anyway, I handstitched the sleepy little eyes and sweet dreams smile on the face and added the scripture "We love because He first Loved us." 1 John 4:19 to the belly.

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So the rules:

You must leave your contact info in the comment section. You may enter only once Fri-Sun and on Monday I will draw out the winner! Each week I have a new drawing and to enter, you must re-enter each week under that Free Friday post.

Good Luck Everyone!!

*Little peanut is a bit of whimsy primitives pattern

Our Family...

I ran across this family photo today which I'm finally going to put on my "About Baby be Blessed" page on my site. It was taken in November 2007 and the kids seem so much bigger now. Oh they grow so darn fast!! Working on custom orders today between loads of laundry and dishes. The kids are a bit fussy, which makes me kind of fussy, I think in part of all the rainy days we've had and the forecast doesn't look any better over the next week. They need their sunshine and time outside to play...and so do I!! =) I'm still nursing this cold keeping hot water in my coffee pot for hot tea throughout the day. It's better but still hanging on with lots of nose blowing and sneezes today. Don't worry, I'm keepin your orders clean!! I hope everyone is having a wonderful week and don't forget to sign up tomorrow for Yay Free Friday! So what are your thoughts?? Should I have another free pick from my site or surprise you with something?? Leave me a comment...let me know!

~Tina

Preschool Graduation 2008!

Last night was Preschool Graduation. It's hard to believe that my third baby is done with preschool. Lola is pictured here with my nephew Skylar. They are three weeks apart in age and will get on that big yellow bus together in the fall. I'm tearing up just thinking about it!!

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Well this is a short post everyone! I have orders to work on this morning and then I'm finally going to get my garage cleaned up this afternoon. It is a yucky rainy day which is how I am feeling today with this dreaded cold I have been battling since Sunday. Have a wonderful day!!

~Tina

Marvelous Monday!!

Congratulations to graciegirl99!!

You get a free pick from my website!!

Hope this makes your Monday Marvelous!!

The winner this week was chosen by my nephew Skylar. The last couple weeks there has been big fits over who gets to choose a name. It is Skylar's turn this week as Lola crossed her arms and walked away pouting that she didn't get to do it. This actually is a pretty good smile from Skylar. He's not all into showing his teeth like I ask them to. And there is Carson in the background. I asked him to smile as well...=) Carson and Skylar are my boys during the day besides my little Kolton. They have fun together!

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In other weekend news, the garage sale was....okay... I still have a ton of stuff left which is STILL on the tables in the garage. I just closed the door on Saturday and was done. I made $100 which is more than what I had at the beginning of the day, so I'm thankful! Garage sales are HARD work! I still need to decide what to do with the remaining items...donate, sell on ebay, save for a friends garage sale...hmmm...still don't know yet. But nothing is coming back in the house! Right?? =) We will see I guess. Keith won't let me store my "stuff" in the garage for long. He is very good about keeping it clean.

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So yesterday was Mother's Day. I spend a lot of the day just telling the Lord how thankful I am for what he has given me. Sometimes I get overwhelmed and stressed out, but I smiled as I look around the house and see the cluttered mess of things since I have been busy with the garage sale for three days. Wow...how do things get so darn messy! And don't even get me started on my laundry pile!!! YIKES! Clutter drives me crazy, so even though it was Sunday and Mother's Day I had to get some things done. I just feel better and more relaxed when things are done. It's hard to sit and relax if there is clutter around me. My kids are starting to help some...by my request of course, but it is a help. I was much more organized when I only had one child and the little things really bothered me. But ya know, you have to pick and choose what is important in life. Yes a clean house is important but having absolute perfection is not. At least to me. I will never be perfect even though that was something I struggled with throughout my life-how others perceived me. But Praise God....it is only how He sees me that is important. He is not going to count my dust bunnies when I stand before him someday (thank goodness). So a straight stack of perfectly folded towels in the closet is not a top priority to me. A sloppy shoved in pile makes me smile, because my babies are helping me and learning household responsibilities. They are so proud of that sloppy pile and so am I. So anyway....(I was chasing a rabbit there for a second) I was thanking the Lord for each tattle, each sibling scuffle, for each cluttered pile, for each toy underfoot, my piles dirty laundry, for my full garage of stuff, for our unmade beds, gray shadowed dressers, and dust bunny floors. I smiled as I thanked Him for these things. What would I do without them?? What am I going to do when I don't have this clutter to keep clean anymore....I could cry just thinking about it! So I'm trying to change my perspective on how I look at things. Yes clutter and fussing makes me crazy sometimes, but I LOVE every bit of it and wouldn't have it any other way!!!

I hope all of you had a wonderful Mother's Day and I hope you smile at all your dust bunnies!

Yay Free Friday!

It's time to sign up for Yay Free Friday!!

Simply leave a comment here with your contact info Fri-Sun, and on Monday I will draw out the winner! Again this week, you may choose any item you wish from my website!!

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We are having a garage sale tomorrow. What started out to be just a few things thrown out on tables, has turned into a HUGE 4 family sale. Which is good mind you because I didn't start getting things ready until last night and was not sure I had enough stuff. Well it turns out, I have way more than what I thought! I told Keith that what goes out does not come back in!! That is a good feeling! Our attic and closets looks a lot better. Hopefully we will all make lots of sales! Have a good weekend!

~Tina

Thursday Ponderings...

This is Carly!

I just love this picture!! As a Mommy, I love to watch and listen to my children play, pretend, and use their imagination. It's the greatest!! Carly's Mommy sent me some awesome pictures to share with all of you. It was so hard to choose, so I added a few on my photo page at Baby be Blessed http://www.babybeblesseddolls.com This photo is my favorite however! She is so darn cute I just want to give her a big squeeze!!

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In other Thompson news, we've had an addition of three to our family! Our kitty Annie had kittens about a week ago. Annie was a stray that found us last summer. She was so skinny that you could see her ribs and spine. She was in pretty bad shape but we fattened her up. We named her Annie because she was an orphan... get it?! =) Anyway, Annie is a super good Mommy!

She had two black kitties and one tiger like herself. We will find good homes for the two black ones, but have decided to keep our favorite which is pictured. They just started opening their eyes this week. This is the first litter of kittens that our kids have been old enough to enjoy! They live in our little shed right now to protect them from the weather, other Tom cats, and our lovely dog Gunner who would not purposely hurt them but shows a little too much love at times!

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I am getting spring fever! My perennials are in full bloom and I'm itching to get out in the flower beds. I love any sort of gardening! Pulling weeds is very relaxing to me and I love to spend hours at the flower and plant barn! Keith also enjoys being outside and working in the garden so between showers yesterday we have been busy working with this or that. Last year my flower beds were a little neglected because Kolton was so little and I didn't take the time to work with them the way that I should have. And boy you can tell this spring!! Weeds everywhere!!

Here is a picture of my bleeding heart.

The branches bending down with the weight of all the hearts.

And last but not least, I just finished up this little sweetie! I love her yarn braids and will be making more of these! I have some Amy Butler fabric in the mail and I can't wait until it gets here!

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Thanks for checking in everyone and have a wonderful day!

~Tina

Getting caught up!

"I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth." Psalm 34:1

I am so thankful for God's hand on this venture...this little doll ministry! I feel so blessed to meet so many wonderful people and get a peek into so many lives. I am able to pray for each child that the Lord brings my way! Even though at times it is hard to balance everything, I pray for the Lord to mold and teach me through every situation. He is faithful in doing that!

I'm still plugging along on my custom orders and getting new orders everyday which is another true blessing! Spreading God's word one doll at a time is pretty awesome! I'm learning to manage my time better with the ciaos of a family of six plus daycare children by setting business or "sewing" hours early morning and evening plus learning to roll and accept what God gives me each day. Thank you so much for all your orders! May all your babies be blessed!! Have a wonderful day everyone!!

~Tina

Monday News!!

What an overwhelming and encouraging response to yay free friday giveaway!! Hmmmm maybe this changed my giveaway a bit....

AND THE WINNER IS................

Congratulations SARAH from KY!!!!!!

Thanks to EVERYONE for your entry and sweet encouraging comments!!

Don't forget to check back in this Friday for another giveaway!

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I had a wonderful weekend.

Friday and Saturday was pretty busy with lots of errands and holding a baby shower for a dear friend of mine. It was so great!! We had a wonderful time and she received so many wonderful things for this new addition to their family.

Sunday was a day of well needed rest! Believe me, I could have come home from Church and worked until midnight or later trying to catch up on everything! When I'm behind on things...I get nutty! It bugs me and drives me crazy! It affects my attitute! So I made myself just stop and be still. The Holy Spirit was pounding on my heart wanting me to listen. I heard, "It will all wait! Put ME first!" I sat outside in the sun with my kids, ate ice cream cones and played! A day taken to praise God, love on my family, refocus and re-prioritize my time and thoughts. Yesterday was a good day!

Today...I'm re-energized! My piles of laundry are getting smaller and I even dusted my bedroom after I made our bed for the first time in almost a week. I've got many dolls finished up and it's only 10:38 a.m.!! Only by God's grace have I gotten more done this morning than I struggled to do all last week. I just smile because I know! I know that by giving Him my day, my thoughts, my time, my hands, my body...He uses it! I look back and say wow how did that happen! They're are weeks like last week, when I unknowingly try to do things and struggle through things myself, that I really don't get anything done. I have really good intentions, but feel defeated. Where is my focus?? What am I putting first in my life?? Only through Christ can I do everything he has given me to do and with the attitude and heart He desires me to have doing it. God is so good! Have a wonderful week everyone!

~Tina

Yay Free Friday!

It's yay free Friday...and guess what!

It has just been one of those weeks...ya know?! I have been so very busy....overwhelmed....BLESSED... and humbled in many ways this week! So in honor of free Friday and maybe even a special treat for you (I hope) is that my giveaway is any finished item on my site! Simply leave a comment here with your contact info Fri-Sun, and on Monday I will draw out the winner! You may choose any item you wish!!

I hope you all have a wonderful and relaxing weekend!!

~Tina