Colton Burpo came back from his trip to heaven with a very important message: Jesus really, really loves children. In an effort to reach even more families with this eternally significant story, Heaven Is For Real is now simplified and told in a board book format for little ones. Young children will receive the same comfort and assurance that so many older kids have received from the picture book.

Beautifully illustrated under Colton’s direction, Heaven Is for Real for Little Ones can help parents introduce the concept of heaven to toddlers and preschoolers. It’s never too early to let children know that Jesus really loves them and has a special place for them in heaven!

There is a flip book version of this book and it’s so cute. Make sure your kids are around to enjoy it!
Click HERE.

One lucky person will receive a FREE copy of this book from Tommy Nelson. Don’t you just love the books they publish? My boys always look forward to them arriving at our doorstep. Just use the RaffleCopter widget below to enter. This giveaway ends Friday, June 21st at 12am CST.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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It’s time for a new giveaway to help support our adoption. Our last gift basket was a huge success! I love all things handmade, so this giveaway is special to me. All these things are items I specifically picked for one lucky winner! Yes, ONE person will win over $400 worth of handmade goodies.

How does it work?

Just make a donation of $5 towards our adoption. For every $5 we will put your name on the list…. so, $10 will put your name on twice… $25 five times… and so forth. There’s NO LIMIT to how many entries you can get so if you really want to donate $1,000 then we will enter you 200 times! {Yes, we’re that serious about it} Read all the way to the bottom to see how you can get an extra entry too!

What’s our goal?

We’d love to fully fund our home study with this giveaway, which will cost $1500-$1800. So, we are setting a goal of $1800. PLEASE help us spread the word – share this post on your blog… on facebook… on twitter… through email… any way you can!

Now, on to the good stuff. One lucky winner will receive all of these goodies!

Gussy Medium Zipped Pouch 

I love everything Gussy has in her shop. Her heart, inspiration, and story is amazing. If you haven’t checked her out yet, check out her blog and shop.

$50 Gift Certificate to Lisa Leonard

I love every piece I have from Lisa Leonard. She’s another fabulous designer who is a mom and makes gorgeous, hand stamped jewelry. Lisa made the Blissdom Conference necklace a couple years ago and I still wear it. It says “Bliss” on it and I still to this day, get lots of compliments on it. Check her out over on her blog and shop.

Barn-wood Jewelry Organizer from The Hope Stack 

The Hope Stack has awesome products. I love anything made out of barn-wood. Especially if it involves jewelry. I love that Chasity’s creations have a vintage style but is also mixed with today’s trends. She loves blending old and new styles together and finding that perfect balance. Check out her shop.

Large Nautical Chevron Beach Bag by PinkBakenBoutique 

This bag is the perfect bag for summer! It’s FULLY LINED and Interfaced ( layer of fabric between lining and outer fabric to make tote stable and more durable) *All seams and straps have been reinforced. Its sturdy design makes it perfect for: school, work, diaper bag, beach or Gym and shopping. Isn’t it just adorable? Check out the shop it came from.

$50 Etsy Gift Certificate

If you’re like me, you could spend all day and all your money on Etsy. Go crazy with this $50 gift certificate and buy something for yourself for a change. I can’t wait to see what you use it on!

Dear Lillie Pillow Cover

Jennifer is the creator of Dear Lillie and she is incredible! She has two beautiful daughters and her designs are amazing! She has a heart for adoption and is just so talented. Check out her shop & blog.

Two Red Letter Words Small Prints

Red Letter Words is one of my favorite handmade companies. Dee is so talented and I love her prints. Looking to have something done that is custom just for you and your family? She can create it! I’m so excited to be giving away these two prints. What wonderful phrases on each of them. Check out Dee on her blog and at her shop.

$25 Gift Certificate to The Pleated Poppy

I’m so excited about this part of the giveaway. The Pleated Poppy is a personal favorite handmade store. Lindsey is so amazing and talented. She hosts What I Wore Wednesday {an adorable link-up for bloggers} and has the cutest things. I love my wristlet that I have from her shop and her scarves are adorable too. Really, everything she has in her shop, you’ll want. Use this $25 gift certificate and buy something cute for yourself. Visit Lindsey’s blog & shop.

Small Bird Studios Small Canvas

This piece can be hung by itself, or in a collage arrangement with more than one canvas, as seen in the additional photos. Size of piece: 6″ x 6″ on a 1 1/2 gallery wrapped canvas. Isn’t it amazing? I have so many places in my home this would fit just perfectly. Franchesca is a dreamer, artist, writer and flyer of kites. She wears many hats, but her most prized hat is that of being a mother. The idea for the tiny art canvases was created from her need to include each of children in heaven and earth on her living room walls, her obsessions with instagram and capturing the mundane, yet rivoting moments in life. You’ll love all her products in her shop.

Tara Dara Business Card Holder

Tara Dara is a good friend of mine and I just love her style. She makes funky, handmade iPad, iPhone, & Kindle cases and holders. Her products are in the hands of celebrities. She’s that good, folks! Visit her shop and blog.

$25 Gift Certificate to Life Lived Beautifully

Life Lived Beautifully is a new shop my friend just opened. Gretchen is one talented girl. She creates handmade, vintage & unique accessories.  I could spend lots of money in her Etsy shop. Check out her blog and shop.  

$50 Gift Card to Anthropologie

I know this isn’t a handmade item, but I love some Anthropologie. Wow, everything in that store is amazing. Enjoy this $50 gift card. You can shop online or in stores.

This giveaway will run for two weeks. So, on June 28th, the giveaway will end at 7am. I’ll choose a winner using Random.org Hurry and enter now! And remember that this is a win-win situation… even if you don’t win the giveaway you’ve still helped us bring our daughter home and that’s the biggest win of all!

After you donate…… post something about this on twitter, facebook ,or your blog (better yet – all 3!) and we’ll add your name again to the list. Just be sure to leave a comment with the link to your post about it!

Recap of what’s in the giveaway:

Gussy Medium Zipped Pouch

$50 Lisa Leonard Gift Certificate

$25 The Pleated Poppy Gift Certificate

$50 Etsy Gift Certificate

$50 Anthropologie Gift Card

$25 Life Lived Beautifully Gift Card

Barn-wood Jewelry Organizer

Blue Chevron Bag/Tote

Dear Lillie Pillow Cover

Red Letter Words Two Small Prints

Small Bird Studio Small Canvas

Tara Dara Business Card Holder

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I cannot believe it’s been over a year since he was born. It’s gone by way too fast and I wish I could stop time for a bit to make it all slow down.

Slow down little guy. Slow down. We love you so much and are so grateful that God chose you to live with us.

One Beautiful Thing has taken a break for several months and I’m so glad it’s back. Join us each Monday as we share our #OneBeautifulThing from that week.

The post Turning One {#OneBeautifulThing} appeared first on www.meghantucker.com.

When I saw the little “Jam” option on my bread machine I was amazed. This thing can do that? Yes, it sure can and it’s super easy to make homemade strawberry {or any berry} jam.

*Ingredients*

• 2 cups of fresh strawberries {or any fruit}. Can be fresh or frozen, but make sure it’s thaw.
• 3 1/4 cup sugar {or less if you don’t want it as sweet}
• Dash of lemon juice {optional}

*Directions*

• Wash the fruit and remove the stems.
• Mash up the fruit {use a potato peeler to make it go faster. Do not puree it.}
• Measure out 2 cups of berries and place in bread machine pan. {make sure you measure after mashing them}
• Place sugar in the bread machine {I used right at 3 cups of sugar. The less sugar you use, the thinner the jam will be}
• Once everything is in the pan, press the “Jam” cycle on your bread machine and you’re done!
• {Can freeze or use after it’s cooled}

The post Homemade Strawberry Jam {Using the Bread Machine} appeared first on www.meghantucker.com.

photo: kruder396

This week? I’m trying {or have tried} two. And they are…

Lasagna Casserole – from MoneySavingMom: We already tried this and LOVED it! It had all the boys asking for more.

World’s Easiest Italian Chicken: We are trying this tonight. Smells & looks delicious. My favorite part? SUPER easy!

It’s time to link-up all your “mom approved” posts. Whether you have a new or old post, make sure you link it up with us. You can link as many as you’d like, just make sure another mom could benefit from reading. That is the only guideline. {next week, we’ll have a great giveaway for you!}

The post Ultimate List of Mom Resources – 2 Recipes to Try This Week appeared first on www.meghantucker.com.

We live in a digital age. It’s still strange for me to not bring my camera with me everywhere. My big DSLR camera that is. I do occasionally, but most of the time, I grab my iPhone for my quick photography needs. I must say the quality is really good and I’m pleased with how my images turn out.

I use a handful of apps to help edit my images as well as post them to social media. Which ones are my favorite?

Instagram - Over 100 million users love Instagram! It’s a free, fun, and simple way to make and share gorgeous photos on your iPhone. Follow me on Instagram.

Over - Add beautiful text to your photos and share them on Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr & Instagram. Create inspirational, informational or even funny images to share quickly and easily. In only a few seconds you can add captions, quotes, jokes, memes, poems or anything else you can think of to a photo.

Beautiful Mess - Add new life to your favorite photos with custom filters, fun fonts, and hand-drawn doodles by Elsie and Emma, creators of the award-winning lifestyle blog, “A Beautiful Mess”. Then share your creations with friends through email, or by publishing them directly to popular social networks — Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter (hashtag: #ABeautifulMess).

Slow Shutter - Capture Long-Exposure photographs with Slow Shutter! Create beautiful photos of moving objects with features usually reserved for expensive DSLRs.

Pro HDR - Automatically create stunning full-resolution HDR images with just a single tap! Pro HDR supports iPhone, iPad, and iPod natively. New version 4.5 now works great on iPhone 5, iPad 4, and iPad Mini!

Want to make a collage with your photos? Try using Diptic. Also, if you’re into videography or want to try it, check out Vine, Social Cam, and Vimeo.

I have lots of other apps I love. Check them out HERE.

The post Top 5 Photography Apps For The iPhone appeared first on www.meghantucker.com.

Dollywood is one of our favorite places to visit in the Smoky Mountains. I’m not a huge theme park kind of gal, but Dollywood is much different than other parks.

Dollywood has two parks. The actual theme park and then Dollywood’s Splash Country. We’ve never visited Splash Country but it looks like a lot of fun! The new River Rush Water Coaster looks so refreshing and fun! It’s Tennessee first and only water coaster, and it’s coming to Dollywood’s Splash Country in May 2013! Get ready for the next generation of water coasters as RiverRush races through the trees four stories in the air as you experience four drops along a track that thrills with multiple hairpin turns and dark tunnels—all combined with rushing water! It’s everything you love about a traditional land coaster—powerful climbs, twists, turns—with more than a splash of water!

There are TONS of other rides and ways to get soaked at Splash Country. To get tickets, click here.

The actual Dollywood park itself is so family friendly. There are lots of parks out there that you try to take your family to and when it’s all said and done, you wish you hadn’t spent a fortune on tickets, food, and parking because your family didn’t really have a great day. Dollywood is different. Here are our top 5 Reasons to Visit Dollywood.

There are lots of LIVE events and shows you can choose from. The entertainment side of Dolllywood is outstanding. It should be, right? Since Dolly Parton owns the park.

Tickets are pretty reasonable when it comes to entrance fees to theme parks. Dollywood is more than just a theme park. It’s an experience. There are a few ways to visit Dollywood on a budget . Also, take advantage of the special offers from Dollywood.

We are at Dollywood today and we’re so excited to be back! There is something for all ages at the park. Plan your vacation today to visit Dollywood in the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains.

Today, I’m giving away 4 park entrance tickets, and 1 meal voucher to Dollywood. I’m so excited and I know your family will love it just as much as we do! Who is ready to win? {value: $244}

a Rafflecopter giveaway
And now on to our weekly link-up. Do you have a post you think another mom could benefit from? Link-up as many posts as you like. As long as they are “mom approved”, then you’re good to go. Rebecca & I love this community and the resources you add each week. Don’t forget to “like” us on Facebook too.

{just a few days left to enter the Ultimate Fathers Day Gift Bundle. Over $500 of man-approved gear including an iPad Mini, Duck Dynasty on DVD, $50 Outback gift card, $50 Lowes gift card, tools, & more! Your purchase of a ticket helps us bring home our little girl from Uganda. $5 a ticket. Click here to enter.}

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This past weekend, we attended the Teach Them Diligently Convention here in Nashville. There were TONS of speakers to choose from, and I do mean tons. There were several times where I had to pick which session I wanted to go to the most because there were several speaking at the same time. That was the hardest decision ever.

One of my favorite sessions that we attended {and my husband even loved this session as well} was the “25 Ways to Save Money on Groceries Without Using Coupons” from Crystal Paine at MoneySavingMom.com. Woah, did I learn alot. She shared some pretty basic things that I never have even thought about. Crystal also shared some pretty amazing websites to help save you money on groceries.

Who is Crystal Paine?

Hi there! I’m Crystal Paine, the blessed wife of Jesse and mommy to three precious little children (Kathrynne, Kaitlynn, and Silas). I’m first and foremost a child of God. I’m passionate about glorifying Him and making the most of my days on this earth. All I have and all I am is thanks to my Creator and Redeemer. I’m also a homeschool graduate, sister to six, and daughter of the best parents ever. I owe so much to them — including being financially-savvy. Read more about her Frugal Journey HERE.

Here are a few tips she shared in the session about saving money on groceries without using coupons.

photo: timsamoff

1. Don’t be brand dependent

2. Buy staple things in bulk

3. Use a crockpot often.

4. Look and ask for marked down groceries.

5. Stick with simple meals.

6. Use your freezer.

7. Ditch cereal for breakfast.

8. Buy produce in season and on sale

9. Plant a garden.

10. Don’t throw out your leftovers

There are so many more ideas that she shared with us, but these were ideas that were so basic to me, yet I haven’t even thought to do them. If you’re like me, you want quick and effective ways to save money. This session was just that and I loved it.

If you haven’t followed Crystal yet, make sure you do. You can find her on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest. Her blog, MoneySavingMom is an awesome resource.

The post Ways to Save Money on Groceries Without Using Coupons appeared first on www.meghantucker.com.

It’s that time of year when we try to rejuvenate and prepare for the year ahead of us in our homeschool. We’re on our summer break and we’re planning for the fall. What curriculum will we use? Will we stick with our method that we’re using or try something new? What’s working, what’s not? That’s why we’re attending Teach Them Diligently Convention

We’re leaving the kids at home and heading to Gaylord Opryland Hotel for the weekend. What a retreat! I’m so excited about what we’ll get out of attending and cannot wait to share it with you all. Can’t wait for the Convention round-up post next week? Follow me on Twitter or Facebook or Instagram. I’ll be updating in real time from the sessions & events.

This past week, I had the privilege of hopping around to all those who linked up and checking out their blogs. I loved the Fun Summer Activities post from Gigi’sPlace. We are ALWAYS looking for new, fun things to do during the summer and she gave me some good ideas! {link-up as many posts as you’d like with us. Who knows, you could be the one featured next week!}

The post Ultimate List of Mom Resources – Headed to a Homeschool Convention appeared first on www.meghantucker.com.

My heart is heavy and hurting. Hurting for the sweet children who are without parents. Whether it’s domestic or international, lots of children do not have children. And I’m broken. My holy discontent is the fatherless.

I married a man who has the same passion – orphan care. It’s our passion to speak out for these sweet children and help them find their forever homes. We’re blessed to be a part of a church that will not rest until all hear the good news and feel the love of Jesus Christ.

We’re adopting because we can’t stop thinking about these sweet children who need parents to love them. So, adoption articles, blogs, and those who have a passion for it are on my mind lately. I loved Amber’s post about Adoption Etiquette that she linked up last week. Know someone who is adopting and you want to do something for them? This post gives LOTS of great information and ideas.

It’s another week with a great opportunity for you to link up your posts. Feel free to link up all your “mom posts”. Anything you think other Mom’s would benefit from . Share as many as you’d like with us. Help us spread the word about this Community by tweeting “I just linked up my #Mom post with @MeghanTucker & RebeccahBrandt at #UltimateMoms “ or sharing this post with your friends on Facebook. Also, take a moment and join our Ultimate Moms Community.

Take a moment and check out the Ultimate Fathers Day Gift Bundle {fundraiser} we have going on for our adoption. Win all this for Dad: Kindle or iPad Mini, $50 Outback gift card, $50 Lowes gift card, Duck Dynasty Seasons 1-2 on DVD, Bear Grylls Ultimate Multi-Tool, Fenix Flashlight, & Lone Survivor.

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