Tomorrow is December 1st!!

I can hardly believe that the Christmas season is upon us, already! I am pushing aside my feelings of being overwhelmed about all that needs to be done and am instead focusing on the Joy of the season, the reason for celebrating, Christ my Savior and preparing my heart to make this season memorable and FUN for my family.

To do that I am going to repeat what I started last year, celebrate 25 days of Christmas, with a simple activity each day. It can be overwhelming to think of doing something each day but keep it simple. Incorporate the things you are going to do anyway such as Christmas programs, getting a Christmas tree, a visit with Santa or attending Christmas Eve service and make that the activity for the day.

Also, look at your schedule, don't plan an activity that takes time on a day that is already busy. That will be stressful and you are likely to give up on the activity. If a day of the week is full with outside activities then keep the Christmas activity simple, like reading a Christmas story or listening to Christmas music in the car while driving to your activity.

This time of year is meant to be joyous and peaceful as we reflect on the gift of Christ and the gift of our family. Have fun and do want works well for your family.

Here is our list of activities. I print the list, cut them in strips and place them inside each little door of our advent calendar.



Leave a comment with your email address if you would like me to email you a Word document of this list.

December

1st Wednesday Weave Danish hearts for the Christmas tree

2nd Thursday Attend the town Christmas tree lighting celebration

3rd Friday Make a popcorn chain

4th Saturday Cut down Christmas tree and decorate while listening to
Christmas music.

5th Sunday St. Nicholas Day - learn the history of St. Nicholas, celebrate the
German tradition

6th Monday Watch a Charlie Brown Christmas

7th Tuesday Do a secret act of kindness

8th Wednesday Sing the 12 Days of Christmas and learn the history behind the song

9th Thursday Read the story of Jesus’ birth from Luke

10th Friday Watch Veggie Tale’s It’s a Meaningful Life, at our sister church

11th Saturday Make Christmas gifts with the girls

12th Sunday Take a drive at night and look at Christmas lights

13th Monday Bake Christmas cookies

14th Tuesday Build a ginger bread house

15th Wednesday Write a Christmas poem

16th Thursday Watch Grace in her school Christmas program, enjoy cookies and punch
with school families.

17th Friday Listen to Christmas music while traveling to see family

18th Saturday Celebrate Christmas with extended family

19th Sunday Read a Christmas story

20th Monday Watch the Polar Express and eat popcorn

21st Tuesday Donate gently used stuff animals to hospital emergency room

22nd Wednesday Bake Jesus a birthday cake

23rd Thursday Watch Grace in church Christmas program

24th Friday Make Albeskivers for dinner and open one gift

25th Saturday Christmas Day! Gives thanks for Christ our Savior!

A great blog for inspiration!

If you are looking for a great blog for some creative inspiration, check out Stuck on Stampin'. My dear friend Heidi is one of the most creative and talented people I know! She has great ideas and loves to create and just so happens to be a Stampin' Up demonstrator too. If you are ever in need of some great products, need any ideas OR would like a chance to win a give away, visit her blog HERE!

Those of you with girls, here's a give-away for you!

The blog 10 Million Miles is hosting a mother-daughter give away figuring books from Dannah Gresh of Secret Keeper Girl
I hadn't heard of the website before but after checking it out I am excited to have it as a resource. Sometimes I feel alone when trying to raise up my girls to be Godly women. Websites like this are great encouragement. You can enter the give away HERE.

Yummy Sweet Potatoes!

I first had these sweet potatoes last year at a Thanksgiving potluck, they were SO yummy I had to have the recipe. Fortunately my friend was willing to share! :-) They are SO good they are hard to stop eating. Enjoy!



Sweet Potato Recipe:

2 cups mashed sweet potatoes (1 LARGE yam)
3/4c. melted butter
3/4c. sugar
2 eggs
1/2c. milk
1/2tsp. cinnamon
1/2tsp. nutmeg

Combine these ingredients and bake for 20 minutes (or until firm) at 400 degrees

3/4c. crushed cornflakes
1/2c. brown sugar
6T. melted butter
3/4c. chopped pecans (I used walnuts this time and it was just as yummy)

Combine these and sprinkle on top of baked potato mixture then bake 10
more minutes

Creating Traditions Part One of Three

Just a few thoughts on creating traditions...

One of our roles as mom and wife is creating a loving, nurturing home for our families. Part of creating such a home is having traditions. Even if you do not call them traditions you have them. Game night, pizza on Fridays, story time, cuddle time in the morning, new jammies on Christmas Eve, and so on are all traditions.

One of the greatest times to create traditions for your family is around the holidays. If you reflect back on your own childhood I suspect that much of what you remember around the holidays is a special activity or tradition you did each year more so than the gifts. For me, as a little girl, each Christmas Eve we ate Albeskivers for dinner. A Danish round pancake of sorts. Traditionally a breakfast food but Christmas Eve can be a full evening so my mom opted to make breakfast for dinner. Now as an adult, I make them for my own family (and my siblings make them for theirs as well). There is nothing extravagant about having breakfast for dinner but it was something special that I can take from my childhood and pass on to my two girls.


Ableskivers
When thinking about developing traditions for our families it can be overwhelming. All too often we get caught up in comparing ourselves to other moms, how they parent or what their families look like or what their traditions are. Sometimes we even assume that she (the other mom) has it all together but in reality, she's just trying to figure it out like the rest of us. We are each created unique and God has designed us exactly how He wants us to be. Keep this in mind as the holidays approach. Just because one mom bakes cookies for her neighbors does not mean you have to. Customize your traditions for your family. You might enjoy literature so utilize that passion and create a tradition of finding different versions of the Christmas story to read throughout December. Or you might enjoy serving as a family so create a tradition of serving Thanksgiving dinner at a local soup kitchen.

You don't have to reinvent the wheel. Look back at your childhood. Are there traditions you would like to pass on to your family (or things you want to avoid)? What about your husband's childhood, what did he enjoy doing? Also, have a family conversation and talk about what is most important to them. If driving around to see Christmas lights is a highlight for your family, then don't stress and worry about making new traditions, just make sure that one activity happens.

If you decide you want to start a new tradition, don't overwhelm yourself with starting five new traditions! Just try one or two, depending on what they are. Write the other ones down and save the list with your holiday decorations. You can try the others next year.

Once you know what you want to do, start early! If you plan ahead and get started now you will relieve SO much stress. You will give yourself the opportunity to create traditions and truly enjoy the holiday season with your family. Set a goal and do one thing each day or week leading up the holiday or activity to reach that goal. If you are overwhelmed and stressed then you will miss the joy and fun to be had!

Choosing Contentment Challenge

A blog I follow The Stay-at-Home Missionary posted a great vlog today about choosing to be content. I know that at times I struggle with being positive, content and joyful, especially on the difficult days. Joy shares some great tools in her vlog and challenges each of us to stop complaining, not even about the weather and consciously choose to be content, turning over our discontent to God. I'm willing to give it a go, will you join me?

You can see the post here.

Happy Veteran's Day

Today I am honoring our veteran's by being thankful and remembering that without those that have served our country, I would not have my freedom. Thank you!

Also, you can join me and Aunt Nancy in honoring our service men and women by sending them a Christmas stocking. Aunt Nancy over at Aunt Nancy USA sends cards and treats to service men and women all through out the year. At Christmas time she sends stockings. The last two years our family has participated. It is such a blessing to bless others in this way. There are some service men and women that do not receive cards or gifts from home. That just breaks my heart especially when you think about all they do and all that they are sacrificing. What a simple gesture to show them that someone cares. This is not a political opinion, this is simply showing the love of Christ. If you are interested in "adopting" a solider. Visit Aunt Nancy's blog. There you will find her email address. You can email her and she will be in contact with you.

Happy Veteran's Day!

Sweet Pilgrim Candles

This summer I found these sweet little Pilgrim candles at a garage sale. I was excited when I saw them. They remind me of some of the candles my mom and grandma had when I was a little girl. As you know, I love vintage and I have been wanting a few more Thanksgiving decorations. I really don't have much to put around the house in honor of Thanksgiving. I've been trying to be more intentional about celebrating Thanksgiving and all that we are blessed with. Instead of it just being a day to eat (although that is lots of fun)! These little Pilgrims are sitting on my cook top in my kitchen. They just make me smile and help me feel festive too!







I'm participating in Vintage Thingies Thursday over at the Colorado Lady. Be sure to stop by to see lots of other vintage treasures.

The Farm Chicks have a NEW book!

Hello there! I wanted to share with you that The Farm Chicks have a NEW book all about Christmas! I have their first book The Farm Chicks in the Kitchen, it is one of my favorite cookbooks. It features yummy recipes and vintage inspired crafts for your home. The Farm Chicks, Serena and Teri have wonderful stories of being stay-at-home moms that love to nurture their families with yummy food while at the same time have followed their dreams (and love of vintage) starting with a small vintage fair. They have been featured in Country Living Magazine and have a yearly Farm Chicks Show in Washington (one day I will make it there!). I follow Serena's blog at The Farm Chicks. Today she is having a book signing, in Washington, in honor of The Farm Chicks Christmas: Merry Ideas for the Holidays. But she's also having a virtual book signing party, if you order from her website by 1pm today, she will sign your book before it ships out to you!

Fall FUN!

Feeling a little "wordless" today but I wanted to share with you our Halloween pictures. We have an annual Halloween party and it was a lot of fun to dress-up and share the evening with friends. :-)

Our front door

Tractor ride at the pumpkin patch

Pumpkin carving

Halloween Night

One crazy family!