helping hands available items

Luke 3:11

He answereth and saith unto them, He that hath two coats, let him impart to him that hath none; and he that hath meat, let him do likewise.

Helping Hands has been formed to help families in need. New and gently used items that I receive through donations will be posted here and available for anyone who requests them.

To request an item(s) simply send an email to

{ admin [at] praiselikedavid [dot] com }

stating which item number(s) you want, along with the name and address where to send your package (no other information is necessary). Items will be mailed out at my expense. As items become unavailable they will be removed from this listing.

I will thankfully accept small monetary donations to be used towards my shipping expense. This can be done through Paypal by clicking on the Donations button in my sidebar or by mail to:

Jennifer Von

PO Box 224

Pana, IL  62557-0224

Click on items for larger images. 

items that expire

expires September 2011

accessories

size youth

clothing

size 3-6 months

size 6 months

size 9 months

size 12 months

size 3T

size 4T

size S 6/6X

size M 14

4 of 52 weeks

We spent our afternoon organizing our stickers.

Well, at least our plan was to organize. Miss Thang had another plan!

Miss Thang is very generous and shares everything, including her fun...

I'm not so sure My Sunshine enjoyed it all quite as much...

my view 10.27.09

I bought my house just over one year ago. It is 130 years old. It has had 3 previous owners. It hasn't been maintained or taken care of in the last 20 years. It is going to be a loooong process.

I am trying to get all of the work done on the inside first. In the meanwhile I don't do much decorating outside...no reason to draw attention to my

unfinished 

barely started

hardly thought about anymore

dream house

burden.

Every once in a while I need to drive around the front of my house to remind myself how urgent it is that I get out there. This week I decided to post it here

to make sure someone holds me accountable

to share it with all of you.

I thought it best to edit the photo a little to hide the peeling paint

and the plain old boringness of a house not-yet-painted in many colors.

|| My View ||

I would love to see Your View !

Link it up here.

(open until Sunday, November 1, 2009 11:59PM) 

introducing "helping hands"

I am a Jesus loving, Apostolic - Pentecostal.

I am also (in no particular order) a ...

single mom

role model to four children under the age of 16

homeschooling parent

cook

house cleaner

landscaper

bookkeeper

daughter

granddaughter

niece

best friend

independent sales rep for Avon

neighbor

school volunteer

babysitter

marketing professional

bargain hunter

plumber

painter

electrician

co-sleeper

baby-wearer

boutique owner

plus a few things probably not worth mentioning.

I do try to read a book (other than the Bible) every so often, enjoy some (usually) much needed coffee, talk with my girlfriends as much as possible, and I absolutely insist that if/when I have been fortunate enough to get into the bathroom and close the door  behind me, that no one, NO ONE, is to come knocking short of blood...real blood, copious amounts of blood, emergency room going blood.

Point is, I don't have much any time for myself.

Yet, I feel a deep burden to add something more.

I have a little more praying to do before I put it into full motion but in a nutshell...

What is Helping Hands?

Helping Hands will, at no charge, place new and gently used items into the hands of those in need. Items available through this ministry may include clothes, baby items, small housewares, books, educational materials, gift cards, etc... 

Where will these items come from?

Some may be items I can no longer use or just don't have a need for. Some items may be donated by those who wish to be a part of Helping Hands. There will also be new items bought if/when I feel that burden. 

Who will receive these blessings?

Simply anyone who contacts me for them. I am not looking for information as to any circumstances, and will send the items with nothing more than a name and address.

How will those in need, that are not local, receive these items?

I will cover the cost of shipping to the 50 states of the USA.

How can I afford to do this?

Simply put, I can't. As with everything else in my life, I trust God will provide. I will be accepting monetary donations but they will not be required to receive these blessings. During times that I am not able to cover the cost of shipping something, I may post a request for donations. (This area I still need to pray on.)

How long will items be available?

Once listed on my blog, I will leave the items posted until I receive a request for them.

Why do I feel the need to do this?

I tried to write an answer to this question and thought it best to go to His Word. 

HEBREWS 4:16

Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.

vision forum giveaway

Feel like your house would benefit from this CD?

Praying your husband can cultivate a loving, meaningful relationship with your daughter(s)? Maybe this CD is for you.

And if you are a wife that can use a little direction in your home/marriage, this CD will bring encouragement to you!

So, wanna hear how you can be the lucky winner of one of these CDs?

{ Simple }

stay In Pursuit of Titus 2

and gather At the Well!

Be sure to quench your thirst before Friday (October 30, 2009) at midnight for your chance to be listed Saturday as one the W I N N E R S

we're not wise

We started officially homeschooling in 2002. We had done it prior to that but 2002 is the year we sat down as a family and decided what the name of our school would be and what curriculum we would go forward with.

For our name we (probably more like I decided and they agreed) chose

{ WISE Learning Program }

Wisdom In Seeking Experiences Learning Program

The name itself encapsulated our direction. I liked the idea of unschooling over homeschooling. I believed what I could teach them of life would far surpass any book knowledge they might retain. It has been very successful...

for the most part.

My children are courteous (usually), selfless (as much as children could be), generous - extremely generous, helpful and funny. They are well rounded children and get along well with their peers, my peers, and their siblings' peers. What I imagined for my family those years ago is darn close to where we ended up. I could have been more organized but that seemed to be the complaint I heard from most busy moms so we continued on.

I had always considered myself lucky for having my children and being able to successfully work from home while schooling them but I never gave God the glory for such blessings.

2009 - The kids and I get together with our neighbors for weekly Bible studies. It turns out I hadn't paid much attention in the past to how His Word applies to me and my family. I grew up Catholic and then spent most of my 20's acting as if there was no God and then most of my 30's were spent struggling.

His Word spoke loud and clear to me...as it does to anyone seeking the Truth. One of my first convictions was to realize I am not in control of our lives because they are not our own to control. After foolishly believing for so long that I am in control, there are many changes that need to be made. I  remind myself of this everyday.

One of the changes I felt necessary to make is of course our direction as a homeschooling family. We no longer are seeking experiences but a greater relationship with The Almighty God. Our direction is not our own but where and how the Bible directs us. I no longer plan our day but allow His Word to lead us. We no longer struggle with organization because I'm not trying to put things together in a neat little 6 hour block of time.

David eventually realized that God was in control and would make difficult or remove anything standing in the way of David knowing this. It was only then that David received God's full blessings and it was then that David turned his life over to praising and glorifying God. Psalms is one of my favorite books in the Bible. David's words of praise inspire me to be more for Our Father.

We will no longer use the name WISE Learning Program. Our purpose in school, in family and in life is to Praise God for all He has done for us.

We (and I mean we) have recently changed our name to match our direction

(it is not a coincidence that it also matches our blog name)

School Name: Praise Like David

Principal/Administrator/Teacher: God

handcrafted soap giveaway

{ Virginia Soaps and Scents }

is giving away

a sampler pack with 3 bars of soap

[ coconut lemongrass]

[fresh orange and oatmeal]

[milk and honey]

a shampoo bar

and

a laundry soap kit

to one Raising Olives reader

Visit Kimberly's post -->Virginia Soaps and Scents: Giveaway and Review<--

before Wednesday, October 28th, at midnight EST for your chance to win

girly giveaway

Want to win these great girly gifts?!

Kathy at MiMi's Mini Tales is going to send this

Velvet Art Poster

{ and }

Disney Princess Playing Cards (Old Maid and Crazy Eights)

to one lucky winner!

Visit her blog to enter.

Your chances are open until Sunday night, October 25, 2009 at midnight (EST).

3 of 52 weeks

wednesdays for wyatt

Danielle and Joseph Finchum

(Letting Go and Letting God)

suffered the worst pain parents can endure when their child, Wyatt, joined God in Heaven two brief minutes after taking his first breath.

As a parent I know that the love we feel for our unborn children consumes us completely at the first moment they are here with us.

The state of Tennessee has since turned their son into a statistic, claiming he wasn't "alive enough" to be considered alive! Wyatt has been deemed a stillborn. Danielle and Joseph are now trying to get this unbelievable bit of legislation changed. They are now asking us for help.

For those of you who are not familiar with my family and what we are trying to achieve, here’s a brief run down...

Our son Wyatt was diagnosed with a fatal condition at our 18 week ultrasound, but chose to carry him to term. We waited to meet our son with love, all the time praying we would get to see him alive.

On June 1, 2009, Wyatt made his way into the world by c-section. To our amazement he had a faint heartbeat and was breathing! He died two minutes later, but I’ve clung to the two minutes my son and I breathed the same air since his passing.

Upon calling to get a copy of Wyatt’s birth certificate, I found out he was listed as a stillborn. You would assume it was a mistake (like I did), but there was no mistake. According to the definition of live birth in Tennessee my son was not “alive enough” to be deemed a live born baby. His two minutes of life has gone unrecognized by my state, and I intend to change this piece of legislation so I can solidify the validity of my son’s short life.

Wednesdays for Wyatt was created to help spread awareness for a law that needs to be changed, as well as to generate more traffic to my petition. So if you’re reading this, thanks for taking the time to help our family!

We are currently up to 1,253 signatures. Hurray! We’ve made it over my initial goal of 1,000 signatures, and now I’m dreaming big! You think you can help me get 5,000 signatures by Thanksgiving? I bet you could, and I hope this Wednesdays for Wyatt helps out tremendously. Post this to your blogs, facebook, myspace... wherever you can think of. I can’t wait to see how many more signatures we receive from this. I have a great feeling!

win 2 reusable sandwich bags

Mellisa over at Getting all my Ducks in a Row is hosting a great Etsy giveaway!

She has teamed with Cotton Top Quilts to giveaway

{ 2 REUSABLE SANDWICH BAGS }

in the HIPPO fabric shown here

Giveaway open until sometime on October 28th...
You'll have to check her page for specifics!

my view 10.20.09

The 2nd landing on the staircase up to our bedrooms is one of Miss Thang's favorite places to play.

Why?

Well, I suppose it might be because it allows her to have privacy while still being close enough to hear everything going on downstairs.

{ or }

It might be that she, much like her mommy, enjoys sitting in the sun under the very, very large window.

This window looks out over the south side of our property. It is where we can view our 2nd largest tree. I call it my Wizard of Oz tree.

The leaves on this tree fall pretty early and if you blink, you miss the leaves turn from green to golden yellow and fiery orange.

I have realized lately that most things in our life change before our eyes without much appreciation or thought. I think it is really important to slow life down and pay attention to the

{ BEAUTY }

that God surrounds us with. It is easy to pay attention to breath taking, but how about quiet, subtle beauty...

Today's post is one of breath taking beauty.
It is My View from Miss Thang's window.

Each week I will post photos, some subtle, some not so much...

All will be

|| My View ||

Do you have a view worth sharing? I would love for all of you to link Your View here!
(open until Sunday, October 25, 2009 11:59PM) 

thanks mom, but no thanks

My mom lives 200 miles away from us.

While it's not very close I didn't think it was so far away that she no longer knows us.

A friend of hers has a boy who is a little older than My Sunshine & My Angel. For the last 5 years my mom has received hand-me-downs from her. We've been grateful that most of the clothes have fit during the "right" seasons.

Every once in a while though

there

are

sweat

pants.

Yeah, my kids haven't liked or even agreed to wear sweat pants in a couple years. Pretty much not since they realized that girls don't necessarily like boys who dress like, well slobs.

I don't spend much money on my clothes. I shop thrift stores for my stuff
[ most of the time ].
But, I do take the time and effort to look my best with such. I also appreciate when someone else does the same. This has obviously been impressed on my boys as well, so when Grandma sends these clothes and my boys tell me there is NO WAY they are going to wear them

what can I do?...

yup,

Take a picture!

Besides, ummmm, hello Mom, I think maybe these are a bit small.

pasta e fagioli a.k.a. macaroni & bean soup

INGREDIENTS 

4 small garlic cloves, chopped fine
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
2-3 celery stalks, sliced thin
8 Tbsp. butter or margarine

2 can navy beans
4 cups water
2-3 cup cooked ditalini (dee-tah-LEE-nee) pasta (any small macaroni can be substituted)
6 oz tomato paste
1 small tomato, chopped (optional)
3-4 Tbsp grated Parmesian cheese
basil, parsley, oregano, salt & pepper to taste

PREPARATION
In crockpot combine cooked pasta, can of beans (do not drain first), water, tomato paste (& tomato). Brown garlic in hot oil. Pour oil & garlic into crockpot. Saute celery in butter until slightly softened (approx 10 minutes). Pour butter & celery into crockpot. Add cheese. Season to taste with Italian spices, salt & pepper. Stir.

COOKING
Cover and cook on med/high for 30-45 minutes, stirring after every 15 minutes.

:: ADDITIONAL NOTES ::
Add more water for a soupier broth. We like garlic… you may find that two cloves is enough. Adding more cheese will make your soup a little thicker. We use 1 tsp. of Italian herbs instead of 1/8 tsp of each separate spice.

I love it

when the SUN come through the trees, spreading warmth

and everyone wants to work / { play } outside!

My Sunshine helped with the leaves

While Santa, I mean Miss Thang, enjoyed not helping!