The Advent Project–Introduction

The Advent Project was written for a friend after a conversation we had about Christmas and how easy it is to get caught up in all the hustle and bustle and “I want” attitude of Christmas. It started as just some ideas to celebrate Jesus’ birth, giving to others and building memories and traditions as a family. As I was sharing some of my ideas, I realized how eager others were for the very same thing! I decided to put it all together in one place and share it with everyone–my Christmas gift to you!

The idea of the Advent Project is simple, everyday there is a Bible verse (part of the Christmas story in Luke) and then there are family activities, books and movies. You can do an activity every day, once a week, whatever works for your family. Some activities will require some pre-planning and are designed for a wide variety of ages, so you choose what is most appropriate.
Download your free copy here:

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I will be sharing our Advent Project, day by day with you. Hopefully you will be inspired and can find some time for your very own Advent Project.

The Big Catch-Up Post

Hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and New Years. Ours was certainly relaxing!

We have been having all kinds of internet and phone issues since the big ice storm and finally got them taken care of this past weekend, so I really haven’t been neglecting my blog on purpose.

We had a really nice and quiet Christmas. The kids seemed to have enjoyed their “big” gifts and have been putting them to good use.

Jacob and his Keyboard

Hannah and her Fluidity Bar

Joel and his electric guitar

I haven’t done much exciting, but I have been plotting and planning and making resolutions.
One of my big resolutions for 2009 is to finish all those unfinished projects I have lurking in corners and under the bed. My goal is to finish at least 2 UFO’s or PIG’s (Un-Finished Object or Project In Grocery Sack -for you less crafty types) before starting a new project. I have been organizing my projects and have figured out which ones need to finished and which one’s have completely lost my interest and need to be salvaged into something else. Hopefully I will have some finished projects to show soon.

Other resolutions include:
-Eating Healthier-I have a major sweet tooth and need to learn to find some better alternatives.

-Reaching out to others more – this is a tough one for me because I struggle with thinking that others are too busy or won’t like me.

-Keeping our school day a priority without being obsessive!-

-Posting to my blog at least 2 times a week.

Other than that, things have been pretty low key around here. Joel and I finished our second cake decorating class and look at the cake he made!

Joel's Cake (course 2)

Hope that the New Year finds you all happy and healthy. I look forward to sharing my adventures, projects, successes and failures for 2009!

All Decked Out

The decorations are all out, the presents are wrapped and the stockings are hung—FINALLY! My parents will be arriving in just a few hours, so just some last minute cleaning and I can relax, for a minute or two.
I know I always like to see how other people have decorated, so here are a few pics of my house including what we are now affectionately calling the “Big Red Couch”. Yes it is the same “pink” couch from before, with a new cover for the holidays.