JOY on my heart....a Winner, another GIVEAWAY and Baby Deux!!

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so much JOY to go around today!!!

first up, I have to share the winner of Wednesday's giveaway:
(chosen by random.org)

KELLY from over at Fly With Me...
email me!! yay!!
and thanks again April for doing the giveaway!


but guess what?
ANOTHER GIVEAWAY TODAY!!!!
I know you will l. o. v. e. this!



do you know this girl?
you should if you dont! and you should check out her precious shop too!
I want you to meet my new sweet bloggy friend, Chelsea!
I'll let her talk a little bit...


hi friends, i'm chelsea!

i'm so excited to be creating fun, handmade gifts for the favorite people in your lives...and of course, you too!

i specialize in creating personalized pieces of art, and i love taking the ordinary and making it unique.


each frame is handpicked by me and then refinished.

the background for each piece is a fabric that

i found to be inspiring.

and then, a mirror that i personally hand-engrave is attached in the center.



i also LOVE to create custom pieces.

i can engrave practically anything on the mirrors and

i love to hear what inspires others.


in the past few months, i have developed a love for blogging.

i launched my new blog just about a month ago,

and i would love it if you came to visit.

i not only include little insights into my business, but also feature my inspirations and joys.

come get to know me, i’d love to get to know you!


.xoxo. chelsea {joy}



nameyourjoybutton


She is giving away a
$15 SHOP CREDIT
which can be used for custom pieces too!


To ENTER this giveaway,
you MUST: (mandatory to enter)

* be a follower of my blog
(and leave a comment telling me that!)

* be a follower of Name Your Joy's blog
(and leave another comment!)

For additional entries:

* follow Race Towards Joy on Twitter {click here}
(and leave a comment that you did)
{I'm new to the little birdy and would love to connect with you there!}

*follow Name Your Joy on Twitter {click here}
(and leave a comment)

* "like" Name Your Joy's facebook page {click here}
(and leave a comment that you did)

*leave a comment saying what you would have Chelsea engrave on a custom piece,
she loves to hear YOUR inspirations!


LEAVE A COMMENT FOR EACH ENTRY!!
(so total, you could have up to 6 entries!)

Giveaway will end on Sunday night and
winner, chosen randomly, will be announced Monday!!

ENTER!!!!!

oh, and I have to share my own little JOY on my heart today...
yesterday we had our first appointment with our midwife and
got to hear Baby Deux's heartbeat,
and it was LOUD AND STRONG!

we were disappointed we didn't get to do an ultrasound just yet
(stupid insurance rules),
but I will try and be patient for 4 more weeks!!

SO MUCH JOY OVER HERE!!!


sharing our hearts today over here:
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{my very first} GIVEAWAY!!!!!

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GET EXCITED!!
in celebration of this news I shared with you the other day,
I am hosting several giveaways this week and next!! yippee!

Today, I am hosting my very first GIVEAWAY!!!
you may know her as"gingerbread girl"
from her blog gingerbread.


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I would love to introduce you to April,
unique, ever-so-vintagey-and-cute, sweet mama to two,
who loves to craft, cook, share great music and shop vintage!

She has graciously agreed to do a giveaway today and I am SO excited!

so, without further ado.....



hello! my name is april
and i share my daily crafts/recipes/life over at
i have two very rambunctious boys who keep me on my toes.
I enjoy all things vintage and crafty.
i am so excited to be invited to have a seriously
FUN giveaway
here at racing towards joy.
sarah is such a sweet friend and i feel so blessed that i found her is this big bloggy world!

Now, for the giveaway!
in April's words...

i found this vintage flower pin (see pic below!) from a local vintage store and i knew it would be perfect for one of your readers.
it is colorful, bright and a
perfect accessory to any summer outfit!
I chose to pin it on a fidora, but you could wear it on a jean jacket or tank top.
ENJOY!



such a fun vintagey summer accessory!!!
THANKS APRIL!!

To ENTER this giveaway,
you MUST:

* be a follower of my blog
(and leave a comment telling me that!)

* be a follower of gingerbread's blog
(and leave another comment!)

For additional entries:

* "like" gingerbread's facebook page {click here}
(and leave a comment that you did)

* follow Race Towards Joy on Twitter {click here}
(and leave a comment that you did)
(I'm new to the little birdy and would love to connect with you there!)


LEAVE A COMMENT FOR EACH ENTRY!!
(so total, you could have up to 4 entries!)

Giveaway will end on Thursday at midnight and
winner (chosen randomly) will be announced Friday!!

BLESSINGS!!!!!

molars... and fireworks from God

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I have loved seeing everyone's pictures from their amazing 4th of July!
BBQ's, fireworks, parades, picnics, pool parties...SO much fun!
I LOVE the 4th.

The pictures from our 4th are a little different this year.

(my sad little punkin cuddling close)

Abigail's little body decided to finally bring TWO molars to cut through at the same time this week. I've read that its like a constant migraine headache in an adult because
it is so painful.
So along with that came fever, tummy issues, runny nose, major clinginess, no sleep,
and lots of tears.
(if you're a mommy you KNOW molars are no fun for anyone.)

SO, needless to say, we couldn't attend the fun things we had planned.
(esp with a fever in 106 degree heat outside. yes, 106.)

As with many days (ahem, EVERY day) of being a mommy,
sacrifices had to be made for the benefit of our little one.

But I at least managed to get a pic of her in her super cute 4th outfit...
trying on mama's flip-flops, one of the few happy moments of the day!


I was so disappointed we couldn't go see fireworks as a family...
I just knew A would LOVE them!
But we made the decision to put her down when she needed to sleep and
just wait til next year.
But God wanted to give us a little gift.
(just because!)

Abigail happened to rouse a little bit in bed right as we heard some fireworks from our house.
Parker went to get her and brought her in to the guest bedroom window...
where we got to watch a 20 minute magnificent fireworks show.


up close. out of the heat. in our PJ's. as a family.


Oh, and God didn't stop there...because we are in a two story house near the top of a hill,
we got to see not one, not two, but SIX fireworks shows going on all around us,
in our town and the nearby towns!
Parker and I were like little kids running from window to window trying to see the best ones.

SO. It turned out to be a great 4th! a little different than most.
A day of molars and tears, instead of picnics and parades.
But a night of cuddling and fireworks....just what we needed!


so for now,
we will push through the next few days of painful teething and
hopefully do lots of cuddling and resting with our bums in the air. :)


PS....
I am hosting an awesome little GIVEAWAY tomorrow (Wednesday)!!!
It's my first one ever and Im SO excited!!
Be sure to check back in and enter!!!



sharing a cup of coffee with other ladies over here today...
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BIG NEWS......in clues!!!!!

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are you wondering about the excitement I told you about yesterday??

Can you figure it out by the pictures?!
Ill even throw in a few words to help you out...


yummo. lots of yummo.

tired. (lots of tired)

sweet sentiments from the hubby...

Any ideas yet? :)
ok I'll give you some more...

remembering how much I loved those tiny toes.

sicky. lots of sicky.

You're getting warm, I just know it.

oooooookkay....one more big clue for you.


YOU GUESSED IT!!!!!

Abigail is gonna be a..........


YAY!!!!!!!!


That's right!
We are SO THRILLED to share with you that
our little family is growing!

Early estimates put Baby #2 to be due around the beginning of January,
(I'm somewhere around 13-14 weeks now!)
We will know more next week after our first appointment here.
(basically this means BUSY holidays for us,
with Abigail's birthday being Christmas Eve!)

We are
FILLED WITH JOY
and cannot wait for God to multiply our love for another little life!!





this is what's definitely on my heart today!
sharing with others here....
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