Chanel's Blog

Happy Valentine's Day

Paige Elizabeth is Here!

  We are so excited to announce that our little Sweet Pea is here! Paige Elizabeth arrived at 6:15 am on Sunday, January 8, 2012! We are blessed beyond words and we are so thankful to God for trusting us to raise this little girl!

 

 

 

This announcement is going out a little later then I had planned but as a new mom, I am realizing how quickly the time is going and how much time these little ones can take! I hope to get many more images on the blog and Facebook  soon! Our little girl is making us work hard to get pictures of her done! I have spent longer at her sessions then at any other session ever and have come out with less images!  We love her though and she is totally worth it! 

Paige's arrival was nothing like we had anticipated. To give you a brief idea of her entrance into the world. Damon and I had planned on a natural labor and delivery with the help of our doula and doctor in the hospital. We wanted to go as natural as possible without pitocin, epidural and the last resort being a cesearan. Well.....my water broke at 7:45 on Friday morning and after about 46.5 hours, pitocin and an epidural, I was only dilated to a 3! So at 6:15 am on Sunday, we welcomed Paige into the world via c-section! Damon though it was a girl my whole pregnancy and I was sure it was a boy and had even bought mostly boy clothing so I was shocked and over-joyed to have our little girl!

Shoe Shoe Baby | Diva Night on May 5th, 2011 | 4:30-7:30pm

Shoe Shoe Baby fashion boutique is a women's boutique that provides the lastest styles and fashions to Central Illinios women.  Shoe Shoe Baby opened in October 2009 and was named after a B17 bomber in WWII that was flown by the owner's father-in-law.  The boutique offers unique brands and styles of clothing that compliment the woman's body.  Shoe Shoe Baby carries everything a woman needs including clothing, shoes, handbags and accessories. 

Shoe Shoe Baby will have a small sampling of the items that are carried in the store, primarily clothing by Michael Stars, handbags by Big Buddha, as well as wallets and jewelry.  Shoe Shoe Baby will be including a beautiful summer scarf in the grab bags for the first 50 participants.

 

Natalie Galligan

Shoe Shoe Baby

909 S. Eldorado Rd.

Suite B

Bloomington, IL

309-663-6292

 

The Simplified Life | Diva Night on May 5th, 2011 | 4:30-7:30pm

The Simplified Life is a "lifestyle management" business engaged to put more hours in your day by running errands, buying groceries, organizing your closets, etc. On Diva night, at Marcia's table, she will have examples of ways you can use her business as well as ideas to offer her services as gifts.  For the month of May anyone who purchases 2 hours of service will receive one hour free. She will also be giving away 2 hours of service through a drawing from all who sign their register.  They will be putting note pads in the Goody bags along with an invitation to their Mega "resale" Sale!

Marcia Fetzer

p. 309.706.9863

e. marciafetzer@gmail.com

m. 3506 Monica Ln
     Bloomington, IL 61704

Little Wonders 4D | Diva Night on May 5th, 2011 | 4:30-7:30pm

Welcome Little Wonders 4D...what a magical place this is!  They truly believe it is a privilege and an honor to show families their babies up close and personal.  As mothers themselves, they are very passionate about giving families this amazing bonding experience through 3D/4D Ultrasound.  Imagine being able to see your baby sucking his or her thumb, smiling, or even waving his or her little hand.  It is all possible thanks to 3D/4D technology and affordable imaging packages.  Come relax in their comfortable viewing room and feel free to bring family and friends!  With their SonoStreaming technology no matter where your family or friends live, anyone around the globe can share this experience with you.  Join us at Diva Nite for special offers and discounts.  Get a sneak peek into the experience of a lifetime!

At their booth, they will be displaying brochures, business cards, and an iPad running a slide show.  They will also be holding a raffle for a free ultrasound package!  If people choose to book an appointment with them during the Diva Nite, they will receive a Diva Special!  They will be putting a special offer postcard in each goody bag!   

The Loux Family | Nominate for Extreme Home Make Over

Take a look at the http://louxfamilyblog.com/

Make a difference in the life of the Loux Family. This is a family near Kansas City, who have been nominated for Extreme Makeover Home Edition. I was able to be apart of EMHE a few years ago and it was an amazing experience! This family's story is absolutely amazing! They have 11 children, 8 of whom are adopted. Go to... their blog & email EMHE to nominate them for a new home!

~Chanel

(I copied their image and the following from their blog to help spread the word)

 

Here is a post from their blog.....

This is Renee’s sister in law, Tracie Loux. I found out today that Extreme Home Makeover is looking for a candidate for a makeover here in the state of MISSOURI!!!

As you know that my sister -in- law, Renee’ and her beautiful children lost their husband and daddy in 2009 just 2 days before Christmas. Renee and Derek worked together trumpeting the cause of the orphan. They not only spoke out in defense of the fatherless, they put actions to their words by bringing children into their own home.

Renee and Derek’s first son, Josiah was born with Spina Bifida and passed away at age 2  1/2. Josiah’s incredible life opened their eyes and ours to the precious gift of children with special needs. They went on to have 2 beautiful daughters Sophia and Michaela. Over the past 10 years, Derek and Renee adopted 8 children. Their 5 daughters, Teyolla, Keyolla, Telma, Leeann, and Sana are all adopted from the Marshall Islands . Through Derek and Renee’s loving parenting, much prayer, and devotion to their daughters, these precious beauties have walked through incredible healing and restoration. Their 3 precious boys (Sasha, Ethan, and Silas) were abandoned at birth in an orphanage in Ukraine. Sasha has Spina Bifida. Ethan and Silas both have Down syndrome. The boys were severely malnourished, emotionally neglected and were suffering on so many levels. Derek and Renee literally nursed Ethan, a 5 year old weighing 11 lbs, unable to walk or  even crawl,  back to life! As a family we witness this starving, sick little boy come back to life, a true miracle of God’s kindness and his parent’s loving commitment.

After, her husband’s death, my precious sister in law, not only walked through grief and suffering with her children in  such a remarkable way, she also stood tall, determined to carry on the mission that she and Derek worked passionately for- defending orphans and standing for justice.

Renee currently serves as the director of the Orphan Justice Center in Kansas City, MO with the mission to RESCUE, ADOPT, and RESTORE! The goal of OJC is to raise awareness, equip families to adopt, and establish safe, restorative communities for orphans.

In addition on a personal level, Renee continues to walk heroically, bringing orphans into her home and calling them her own. Since Derek’s death, Renee has brought a beautiful 1 year old boy, Judah, into her home, has taken in a little blind girl, Joanna to assist her parents in getting her the care and education she needs to thrive, and has opened her home and offered to legally adopt  a 30 year old, Dawn, an orphan herself, who is working on the streets of Ecuador caring for orphans.

Renee has been given 45 acres in Grandview, MO to help her walk out the vision she and Derek had to build a home with space enough to personally take in 30+ orphans. Their dream together was to take in children with special needs and provide them with a loving home where they could be restored and healed. Their dream was to have horticultural therapy, equine therapy, along with traditional therapies (physical, occupational and speech).

When I heard today that Extreme Home Makeover was looking for a deserving family in the state of Missouri, I couldn’t think of a more deserving family. This precious family: Renee, her mother Flo, and the 12 children currently in their home, share a 4 bedroom home that is bursting at the seams. They have exhausted every available space and have simply run out of room. Renee doesn’t know the word “No” when it comes to children in need. Their garage and family room have both been converted to extra sleeping space, and there is simply no room left. In addition, their current home has three floors and requires Renee to lift Sasha and his wheelchair from level to level so that he can be with the family.

When someone as rare and precious as my sister Renee desires to love and live her life in a away that to some may seem extreme, extravagant, or hard to even fathom, it seems just wrong to see something like MORE ROOM hold her back from LOVING LARGE!

If you would please help spread the word and nominate Renee Loux for this amazing opportunity to be considered for an Extreme Home Makeover. If you have been touched by this story, I would also encourage you to blog, post on FB or share in anyway possible.

DIRECTIONS:

Email nominations to CastingMissouri@gmail.com

Each nomination must include the names, ages of everyone in the house, a description of the major challenges within the home and a short description of the family story. (Feel free to copy and paste some of the information above if you need, but your own connection to Renee would be great to share as well!)

Here’s a list of their names and ages if you’d like to copy and paste, though I encourage you to write a personal description of this sweet family if you know them at all.

Renee-mother (49)

Flo- Renee’s mother (72)

Telma-Renee’s daughter, adopted from the Marshall Islands (19)

Teyolla- Renee’s daughter, adopted from the Marshall Islands (19)

Keyolla- Renee’s daughter, adopted from the Marshall Islands (19)

LeeAnn- Renee’s daughter, adopted from the Marshall Islands (16)

Sophia- Renee’s daughter (13)

Michaela- Renee’s daughter (10)

Sana- Renee’s daughter adopted from the Marshall Islands (9)

Sasha- Renee’s son with Spina Bifida adopted from Ukraine (8)

Ethan- Renee’s son with Down Syndrome adopted from Ukraine (7)

Silas- Renee’s son with Down Syndrome adopted from Ukraine (4)

Judah – Renee’ son adopted from the Marshall Islands (1)

Joanna- a blind girl under the legal guardianship of Renee (from the Marshall Islands) age 13

Deadline is March 31st. Additional Details HERE!

 

Thank you so much for taking the time to look at this and please do your part!

YRMS would like to present Mr. & Mrs. Damon Apsey

On September 18, 2010 Chanel married her best friend and love of her life! We wanted to share with you the sneak peek video done by Sweet Tea Media, there will be many more images to come but hopefully you can get a get a chance to see what a wonderful day it was for Damon and Chanel and celebrate their love! God truly brought them together in an amazing way and we look forward to seeing what God has in store!

We would love to hear what you think! Here is Damon and Chanel's Wedding video!

Chanel and Damon's Wedding Video

Chanel & Damon from sweetTea media on Vimeo.

Scentsy- Open House at my House TODAY

Have you ever heard of Scentsy? 

 

I love how the Scentsy warmers work and I love how good they can make your home or office smell! There are over 50 warmers to choose from to decorate your home. They are perfectly safe to have around children and you never have to wonder if you blew that candle out before you went to bed or left to run an errand! Scentsy Warmer Gift Sets start at $25.

Plus I thought it would be fun to have you all over to my new place! It will be an open house so just come by at anytime! I would love to see you!

April 22| 10:30am-7:00 pm Open House

Place | My house! ( call 585-2030 or email Chanel@yourreflectionmystyle.com for directions but it is very close to the studio!)

I hope you can come!

Chanel

https://chanel.scentsy.us/Home

Pray for Jude

UPDATE: Praising God for a Miracle.....Jude is coming home today!

His mom just posted this!- From his Mom- Amanda's post!!!!!
I Kings 17:22 "The LORD heard Elijah's cry, and the boy's life returned to him, and he lived." Psalm 116:1 "I love the LORD, for he heard [our] voice; he heard [our] cry for mercy." We are going home today with a happy little Ju-Ju! Thank you so much for your prayers. I believe we witnessed a miracle yesterday.

UPDATE: Keep the Prayers coming 4/8/10 at 5:00pm

Quick review of day: Temp of 102.5. Dr.s try to drain fluid w/help of ultrasound. Not successful again. Surgeon called. Chest surgery scheduled for tomorrow. CT scan in afternoon-fluids decreased around lungs. Surgery cancelled. If he goes 24 hrs w/out fever, we go home!! Thanks for prayers. We are headed in right direction!!!

PRAISE THE LORD!!!

UPDATE: KEEP PRAYERS COMING! 4/8/10 at 3:00pm

The procedure on Jude did not go as expected again today. They were not able to drain the fluid because they found that it all had hardened, so the docs are going to be talking to Dave & Amanda about the pros and cons of surgery. Please pray for them as they have some tough decisions to make soon.

Please join me in praying for Jude! This little man is 2 years old and I have had the honor of photographing him over the last couple years! His mommy is due in about 6 weeks with twins and he has just been transferred to Carle Hospital in Champaign. Jude has had pneumonia for 6 days and he is not getting better. There is more fluid in his chest now then there was last Thursday! Also, pray for Amanda (his mommy) and the twins she now has high blood pressure.

I have known Dave and Amanda for at least 10 years as we were part of the same church. I was also able to photograph their wedding and now I have photographed Jude several times in the last couple years.

 

Please Pray for Jude!

~Chanel

Christmas 1961

One of my clients sent me this email this morning and the story was too good not to share!

Share this with your family and friends and say a prayer thanking God for all His blessings big and small!!!

In September 1960, I woke up one morning with six hungry babies and just 75 cents in my pocket.
Their father was gone..
The boys ranged from three months to seven years; their sister was two.
Their Dad had never been much more than a presence they feared.
Whenever they heard his tires crunch on the gravel driveway they would scramble to hide under their beds.
He did manage to leave $15 a week to buy groceries.
Now that he had decided to leave, there would be no more beatings, but no food either.
If there was a welfare system in effect in southern Indiana at that time, I certainly knew nothing about it.
I scrubbed the kids until they looked brand new and then put on my best homemade dress, loaded them into the rusty old 51 Chevy and drove off to find a job..
The seven of us went to every factory, store and restaurant in our small town.
No luck.
The kids stayed crammed into the car and tried to be quiet while I tried to convince who ever would listen that I was willing to learn or do anything. I had to have a job.
Still no luck. The last place we went to, just a few miles out of town, was an old Root Beer Barrel drive-in that had been converted to a truck stop.
It was called the Big Wheel.
An old lady named Granny owned the place and she peeked out of the window from time to time at all those kids.
She needed someone on the graveyard shift, 11 at night until seven in the morning.
She paid 65 cents an hour, and I could start that night.
I raced home and called the teenager down the street that baby-sat for people.
I bargained with her to come and sleep on my sofa for a dollar a night.
She could arrive with her pajamas on and the kids would already be asleep
This seemed like a good arrangement to her, so we made a deal.
That night when the little ones and I knelt to say our prayers, we all thanked God for finding Mommy a job.. And so I started at the Big Wheel.
When I got home in the mornings I woke the baby-sitter up and sent her home with one dollar of my tip money-- fully half of what I averaged every night.
As the weeks went by, heating bills added a strain to my meager wage.
The tires on the old Chevy had the consistency of penny balloons and began to leak. I had to fill them with air on the way to work and again every morning before I could go home.
One bleak fall morning, I dragged myself to the car to go home and found four tires in the back seat. New tires!
There was no note, no nothing, just those beautiful brand new tires.
Had angels taken up residence in Indiana ? I wondered.
I made a deal with the local service station.
In exchange for his mounting the new tires, I would clean up his office.
I remember it took me a lot longer to scrub his floor than it did for him to do the tires.
I was now working six nights instead of five and it still wasn't enough.
Christmas was coming and I knew there would be no money for toys for the kids .
I found a can of red paint and started repairing and painting some old toys. Then I hid them in the basement so there would be something for Santa to deliver on Christmas morning.
Clothes were a worry too. I was sewing patches on top of patches on the boys pants and soon they would be too far gone to repair.
On Christmas Eve the usual customers were drinking coffee in the Big Wheel. There were the truckers, Les, Frank, and Jim, and a state trooper named Joe.
A few musicians were hanging around after a gig at the Legion and were dropping nickels in the pinball machine.
The regulars all just sat around and talked through the wee hours of the morning and then left to get home before the sun came up.
When it was time for me to go home at seven o'clock on Christmas morning, to my amazement, my old battered Chevy was filled full to the top with boxes of all shapes and sizes.
I quickly opened the driver's side door, crawled inside and kneeled in the front facing the back seat..
Reaching back, I pulled off the lid of the top box.
Inside was whole case of little blue jeans, sizes 2-10!
I looked inside another box: It was full of shirts to go with the jeans.
Then I peeked inside some of the other boxes. There was candy and nuts and bananas and bags of groceries. There was an enormous ham for baking, and canned vegetables and potatoes.
There was pudding and Jell-O and cookies, pie filling and flour. There was whole bag of laundry supplies and cleaning items.
And there were five toy trucks and one beautiful little doll.
As I drove back through empty streets as the sun slowly rose on the most amazing Christmas Day of my life, I was sobbing with gratitude.
And I will never forget the joy on the faces of my little ones that precious morning.
Yes, there were angels in Indiana that long-ago December. And they all hung out at the Big Wheel truck stop.

THE POWER OF PRAYER. I believe that God only gives three answers to prayer:
1. 'Yes!'
2. 'Not yet.'
3! ‘I have something better in mind.'
God still sits on the throne, and the devil is a liar.
You may be going through a tough time right now but God is getting ready to bless you in a way that you cannot imagine.

This prayer is powerful, and prayer is one of the best gifts we receive. There is no cost but a lot of rewards
Let's continue to pray for one another.