Best $3.99 Ever

During this weeks trip to Trader Joe's Hannah asked for a Cookie Decorating Kit. I looked at the box that cost $3.99. It was not on the list which is usually get the "Not this time" answer, but it looked fun, so why not? Tis the season, right? This kit included the dough, decorative sugar, frosting and 3 cookie cutters - everything we need for a family fun night.

We got home and made the dough, cut out the cookies and cooked them. We then waited for Jeff to get home to decorate the cookies. It was such a fun time that I am tempted to get another box, but I also don't want a ton of cookies in the house just waiting to be eaten!!

 

Advent Candles Tradition

An Advent Wreath is a wreath with four candles on the outside and one candle on the inside. Every Sunday you light a candle, starting four Sundays before Christmas, remembering different aspects of the miracle leading to Christ's birth. The first candle lite (two weeks ago) reminds us that Jesus is the promised light of the world. So, we lite the candle and put Christmas lights on our tree and our house. Every night when we plug our Christmas lights in we say together, "Jesus is the light of the world!"
The second candle (which we lite two days ago) reminds us of the long journey to Bethlehem. The day after Thanksgiving I set out the Nativity scene and let the girls play with it. On the first Sunday of Advent I took away all the people from the scene. When we lite the second candle I added Joseph and Mary riding on the donkey as well as all the other barn animals.
The third week is the Angle candle and the fourth candle is the Shepherd candle. I will add those figures, leaving Jesus in a wrapped box under the tree to be the first present we open Christmas morning since Jesus is really the greatest gift of all, and the real reason to remember Christmas.
To remember the long journey that Joseph and Mary took we took our own journey around the neighborhood looking a lights. At 34 weeks pregnant I can't imagine riding a donkey for miles and miles.

Oh, and we also saw this black Santa which Kate almost brought home with us!

Hugs for Santa.

I love these family traditions that make this Christmas time special and meaningful. What a blessing it is to know that we are forgiven and loved!!

Showering Baby #3 with Love

This Saturday a few friends and family got together to celebrate and pray for baby girl #3. It was a lovely time filled with chatting, laughter and yummy food. Despite the fact that I asked for no presents, baby girl was given many wonderful things that will be very handy in the near future. What a blessing to have a community around us as we prepare for and raise baby girl!

Julie, Ginnette, Sarah, Jen: the Monday Playgroup

Yolanda with Lillian, Emily, Bridget, Melanie, Sarah, Karen, Melissa, Jennifer, Jamie: Harbor Presbyterian Women

Catherine, Sarah, Aunt Margie: Murry Family (Cindy was also there)

Rachel, Aunt Christine, Sarah, Aunt Connie, Jenna, Mom, Kara, Amy, Natalie: Nichols Family

Praying together

Back at my house for lunch

All the girl cousins, waiting to add one more little girl!!

O Lord, you know the plans you have for Baby Girl, plans to prosper her and not to harm her, plans to give her hope and a future. Let Baby Girl seek you with all her heart and find you when she seeks you. Jeremiah 29:11-13

Tree Traditions

We have many traditions surrounding Christmas that make this season special, and one is getting, decorating and making ornaments together for our Christmas tree.

Kate took the process very seriously...Hannah enjoyed finding sticks.

"Helping" dad put the tree stand together

In 2009 we used model magic to make some ornaments (which really just look like dry hunks of clay on our tree), and in 2008 we made hand prints with the McFadden family. This year I found a quick recipe for dough ornaments using things I already had on hand:

1. 1 tablespoon Salt
2. 2 tablespoon Flour
3. 1 tablespoon Water

Mix the ingredients, use cookie cutters or just sculpt ornaments (make sure to put a hole at the top so you can put some ribbon or string through the ornament to hang on the tree), and then cook the ornaments at 250 for 2 hours. Once they are cooked and cooled, paint the ornaments and put ribbon on them. We spent two afternoons making the ornaments: one sculpting and one painting. It was a lot of fun, and now we have keepsake ornaments on our tree.

A Thankful Thanksgiving from 2 Samuel

Who am I, O Lord God, and what is my house that you have brought me thus far? And yet, this was a small thing in your eyes, O Lord God. You have spoken also of your servant's house for a great while to come, and this is instruction for mankind, O Lord God! And what more can I say to you? For you know your servant, O Lord God! Because of your promise, and according to your heart, you have brought about all this greatness, to make your servant know it. Therefore you are great, O Lord God. For there is none like you, and there is no God besides you, according to all that we have heard with our ears.

Making turkey hand print name cards for the tables.

Lunch prep at Grandma Sue and Grandad Ray's house.

Back yard fun!!

Our own football game

Sorry about the few Murry photos...my camera ran out of batteries!

And who is like your people, the one nation on earth whom God went to redeem to be his people, making himself a name and doing for them great and awesome things by driving out before your people, who you redeemed for yourself from Egypt, a nation and its gods? And you established for yourself your people Israel to be your people forever. And you, O Lord, became their God...And now, O Lord God, you are God, and your words are true, and you have promised this good thing to your servant. Now therefore may it please you to bless the house of your servant, so that it may continue forever before you. For you, O Lord God, have spoken and with your blessing shall the house of your servant be blessed forever.

2 Samuel 8:18b-29

My Reader

Kate is such a reader. She loves books and will pull books off the shelf and just sit and read to herself for long periods of time. She is familiar enough with the books that she actually retells what is happening on the page too. I love hearing my little reader read!!

Early Morning Meditations of a Blessed Mama

Who am I, O Lord God, and what is my house that you have brought me thus far? And yet, this was a small thing in your eyes, O Lord God. You have spoken also of your servant's house for a great while to come, and this is instruction for mankind, O Lord God! And what more can I say to you? For you know your servant, O Lord God! Because of your promise, and according to your heart, you have brought about all this greatness, to make your servant know it. Therefore you are great, O Lord God. For there is none like you, and there is no God besides you, according to all that we have heard with our ears. And who is like your people Israel, the one nation on earth whom God went to redeem to be his people, making himself a name and doing for them great and awesome things by driving out before your people, who you redeemed for yourself from Egypt, a nation and its gods? And you established for yourself your people Israel to be your people forever. And you, O Lord, became their God...And now, O Lord God, you are God, and your words are true, and you have promised this good thing to your servant. Now therefore may it please you to bless the house of your servant, so that it may continue forever before you. For you, O Lord God, have spoken and with your blessing shall the house of your servant be blessed forever."