Advent Tags

Last year, my friend Lori made these amazing advent tags for her family.  What a great way to prepare their hearts for Christmas.  I totally want to make these for my family this Christmas (I need to get started asap!).   I love this idea and asked for her permission to share it with you.  So, here you go - thank you Lori!

Here's what Lori wrote in a facebook note last December about her Advent Tags:

"To save anyone else the hassle of writing the Christmas story in 24 bite size chunks, I've copied it below for you. I used the NIV version (because it's the closest to the way I memorized it growing up, although it is missing the word "swaddling," which I desperately wanted to add!). I only took liberties with the Wise Men part so I could squeeze it all in. To that end, King Herod got kicked out of the story. I tried to keep each day short enough so that I could hold Sebastien's attention (age 6). I'm expecting to lose Xavier (age 4) this year. Molly Irwin (inspiration website from earlier post) uses verses from all over the Bible to include prophesy. I just wanted to keep it to the narrative.

In an ideal world, there would be a small, thin Christmas tree in my front foyer on which every day we would add a tag. I'm sure it would be beautiful by Christmas day.  We'll be taking them from their wooden bowl and placing them either on the mantel greenery or on the big tree. Maybe next year I can get that small tree."

Here's the story:


1
In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary.


2
The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favoured! The Lord is with you.”


3
Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favour with God.


4
You will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus.


5
He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, his kingdom will never end.”`


6
This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit.


7
Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.


8
But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as you wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.


9
She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”


10
When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife.


11
In those days, Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman World. And everyone went to his own town to register.


12
So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of Daivd.


13
He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child.


14
While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son.


15
She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.


16
And there were shepherds living out in the field nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night.


17
 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.


18
But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.


19
Today in the town of David, a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.


20
Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.”


21
When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”


22
So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph and the baby, who was lying in a manger.


23
After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, Magi from the followed the star they had seen in the east until it stopped over the place where the child was.


24
On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of frankincense and myrrh.


Do you have any traditions in your home to prepare for Christmas?  I'd love to hear them : )

Budgeting - the dreaded B word

The word, budget has always been a tricky one around this household.  I tend to be more of an over-spender and my husband tends to be more of an under-spender.  This makes for a lot of interesting conversations:)

Over the years we have worked hard to come up with a budget that works for us and brings us to a place of balance, a place that we both feel great about!  If you know how strong minded my husband and I can be, you will know that this is no small task!

Part of the challenge for us is that we live on one income.  We have chosen for me to be a stay-at-home-mom for this season of life and I love it, but it for sure requires discipline and sometimes sacrifice where budgetinging is concerned.

These days, there are a few small things that have saved me/us a bunch of money.  In the hopes that it might benefit you, I'll share them:

1.  Making my own coffee at home.   It's so much fun to stop at Starbucks on my way out to run errands, but those latte's add up quickly.  Like, really quickly.  Instead, these days, I'm making my own coffee and treat myself to a caramel macchiato only when I'm meeting a friend for a coffee date.

2.  Sharing clothes.  I am blessed to have friends that pass clothes down to my girls and I love to do the same for others.  Even my sisters and I have been known to swap clothes from time to time!  For Hallowe'en this year, I managed to borrow 2 out of the 3 kids costumes that I needed, which saved me a bunch of money.  For the third, I made a purchase at Value Village :)

3.  Borrowing Books.  I love to read and I love to buy books.  The thing is, books add up.  These days I am trying to borrow books from friends or from the library as much as possible.  At my local library, if you are looking for a book and they don't carry it, you can fill out a request form and they will consider ordering if.  If they decide to order it, you get first dibs at reading it.  Pretty cool!


Lately, I have been using this budget and love it.  Totally worth checking out.

How about you?  Do you find it a challenge to live within your budget?  Any advice you can share with me?

I love a great homecoming!

Steve and I arrived home at 1 a.m. this past Friday morning from our week long vacation in Mexico!  After travelling for 15 hours, we were dying to see our girls.

What a welcome we received.  If this doesn't make you feel loved, I don't know what does.

My sister also happened to fill our urns for us while we were gone.  Yay!  As I've mentioned before, my family gives homemade gifts for Christmas (you can read about that here) and filling our urns was our early Christmas gift from her.

Here's what I came home to:

So fun.  The best part is that my sister, Lauren is coming back in a few weeks to take out the fall pieces and to insert some Christmas pieces.  Needless to say, I am esctatic.  My urns needed some attention and as far as I am concerned, she can make this an annual tradition:)

Nurturing my Creative Side

A while back, Beth knocked over and accidently broke the large mirror that we had leaning up against our bedroom wall.  Fortunately, she was not hurt.  But it seriously was a close call!

Once I recovered from the near accident (which took me a while - you know how hard Mom's can be on themselves), I decided to use what was left of the mirror somewhat creatively....

I broke up the mirror and with my creative friend, Sue's help made a mirror/mosaic backsplash in my kitchen.

Next, I had to decide what to do with this....

Voila!

I taped around the inside of the frame and painted with 2 coats of  chalkboard paint.

Here is the finished product hanging in my kitchen.  I can't even begin to tell you how much I love it!  It makes a great 'communication board' and the girls think it's awesome.

 Here's one more photo, just for fun :)

Back to school - second edition

This week Beth got to go on the school bus too :)

Do you think she is excited?

It feels like yesterday that I was standing right here at this bus stop with her as a newborn.  

My heart could honestly melt over this photo.

Off she went!  Another milestone for both of us.

And just like that, it's back to school time.

Summer around here was amazing.  Tons of highlights.  Great memories were made and stored up.  We loved and soaked up every minute.  Lazy mornings.  Bike rides.  Swimming and more swimming.  Family Camp.  Kids Camp.  Berry picking.  Time with friends.  A new baby cousin.  Camping at MacGregor.  Ice cream.  Sun tans.  Soccer games and practices.  Carousel rides at Port.  Sun kissed hair.  Late nights.  All in all a really great summer.


As much as I am grieving the loss of summer, it's time for fall.  Time for school.  And structure.  And routine.  Bring it on :)

for everything there is a season...

I love new beginnings.  New chapters.  The start of a new season.  And that's exactly what today feels like.

Beginning Grade 7

Beginning Grade 5

Soon to be JK (she starts on Thursday)

all 3

Happy Mom :)

Off they go!

Just like that, a brand new school year...

Camping 101

Last week Steve and I went camping with our three girls.  We were camping for 10 days and it was fantastic.  If you know anything about my husband, you'll know that he LOVES to camp.  He lives for it.  He was born for it and he is the best possible version of himself when he is camping.  On the drive home from our camping trip, I took the liberty of interviewing Steve.  He humoured me and what a great sport he was :)

How long have you been camping?  "35 plus years"

What are your favourite things about camping?  "the outdoors, pace of life, campfires"

Any advice for first time  campers?  "go for it.  It's a great and inexpensive way to spend time with family and friends"

Any favourite camping items?  Things you can’t live without?  "pie-irons, beach toys, griddle for making breakfast, axe"

Favourite camping meals/snacks?  "breakfast, apple and mars bar pie irons, pringles, purple fanta"

Best camping investment?  "my broil king portable barbeque"

Favourite campground?  "MacGregor Point Provincial Park"

How do you keep the bugs away when camping?  "don’t shower" jk

How do you cope with rain when camping?  "my tarp - rainy day camping is better than a day elsewhere"

Do you own patio lanterns?  "nope - just Christmas Lights"

On average, how much do you spend a week at the camp store on candy?  "75 dollars"

Camping nick names?  "Sugar", "Luke" (from Gilmore Girls)

Readers, what do you love about camping?  Any questions you would want me to ask my resident, expert camper?

Iced Coffee Anyone?

Speaking of great recipes...

My talented and creative friend (and future guest writer here), Vicky had the girls from our weekly Mom's group over for some wine, yummy-fruity drinks and appetizer's last night.  Delightful.  It was such a fun night on so many levels.  In addition, she made us some iced coffee that we will all be talking about for a long, long time.  Move over, Starbucks.

I hope she doesn't mind, but I couldn't resist posting this great summer recipe that she found at thepioneerwoman.com  Vicky also rimmed our glasses with a cinnamon and sugar combination that looked and tasted amazing.  If only I had thought to bring my camera : )

Perfect Iced Coffee


Gorgeous coffee “concentrate” to keep in your fridge: iced coffee whenever you’d like!
Preparation Instructions
(Adapted from Imbibe Magazine)
In a large container, mix ground coffee with water. Cover and allow to sit at room temperature eight hours or overnight.
Line a fine mesh strainer with cheesecloth and set over a pitcher or other container. Pour coffee/water mixture through the strainer, allowing all liquid to run through. Discard grounds.
Place coffee liquid in the fridge and allow to cool. Use as needed.
To make iced coffee, pack a glass full of ice cubes. Fill glass 2/3 full with coffee liquid. Add healthy splash of half-and-half. Add 2-3 tablespoons sweetened condensed milk (can use plain sugar instead) and stir to combine. Taste and adjust half-and-half and/or sweetened condensed milk as needed.
Ingredients
1 pound Ground Coffee (good, Rich Roast)
8 quarts Cold Water
Half-and-half (healthy Splash Per Serving)
Sweetened Condensed Milk (2-3 Tablespoons Per Serving)
Note: Can Use Skim Milk, 2% Milk, Whole Milk, Sugar, Artificial Sweeteners, Syrups...adapt To Your Liking!

Cooking With What's in Season

Hey Friends...

These days I am trying more and more to cook with what's in season and seeing that local asparagus is still available, here's what I'm making for dinner tonight.

This is honestly a no-fail recipe and my family loves it.  I've made it with both asparagus and broccoli, but our preference is asparagus.  Try it out if you are looking for a new recipe.  I always serve it with rice.

Classy Chicken

This is really easy – definitely a family favourite!

Ingredients:
3 chicken breasts, skinned & boned
1/4 tsp. pepper
3 Tbsp. oil
1 – 10 oz. (280 g) pkg. frozen asparagus or broccoli
Fresh is even better
1 – 10 oz. (284 ml) can cream of chicken soup
1/2 cup light mayonnaise
1 tsp. curry powder
1 tsp. lemon juice
1/2 – 1 cup grated cheddar cheese

Instructions:
Cut chicken into bite-sized pieces and sprinkle with pepper. Saute quickly in oil over medium heat just until opaque (don’t overcook – the chicken will get tough! Drain. Cook asparagus or broccoli until crunchy. Drain and arrange in bottom of buttered casserole. Place chicken on top. Mix together soup, mayonnaise, curry and lemon juice and pour over chicken. Sprinkle with cheddar cheese and bake, uncovered, at 350F (180C) for 30-35 minutes. Serves 6

Book Reference – The Best of the Best – Vol. 1 (Page: 215), Winners (Page: 85)

p.s.  thanks to my friend, Tracey who originally shared this recipe with me : )

getting caught up in the world of blogging..

Okay, so this is long overdue.  Here is a glimpse into our Disney/Florida family vacation from this past April (2011).

This trip was a huge deal for our family.  It was the first time that Grace and Eva had ever been on a airplane and it was the first time that the 5 of us had ever been to Disney.  Yep, that's right.  Even Steve and I.  This trip was our gift to the girls from this past Christmas and grandparents gave the girls money for Christmas toward their trip and so on. All this to say that this trip was a huge deal.  We loved it and soaked it up!  We're already dreaming of the day that we can go back : )

heading to Downtown Disney on the Wednesday night of our trip - Grace took this photo : )

arriving at Magic Kingdom

"Dumbo"

"a dream come true" for Beth

pure magic

it was the hottest day and I'll never forget how that ice cream hit the spot!

each of the girls picked a souvenir and to our dismay, Eva picked a Disney spray bottle/fan.   Although, Steve and I had to admit that it came in super handy and kept us cool!  She was delighted and that's what counts : )

such a fun day - we were sad to leave - great memories were made!  can't wait to go back!

Mom of Three Girls

Every once and a while, people will ask me how I feel about having three girls.  Was I hoping for a boy the third time around?  Was I disappointed with having all girls?  Now, please understand,  these people mean well.  And often, they are just making conversation.

But, here's the thing.  Time for confession:  deep down, I always wanted girls.  Raising girls feels natural to me and I honestly don't think I would know where to begin with raising a boy.  Without wanting to sound "cheesy", I feel like I was made for this.  Like I was made to raise a house full of girls.

If you're a mom with a house full of girls (or even just one), here are a few reasons why I love having daughters:

* they love celebrating my birthday, Mothers Day, Christmas, Valentines Day and pretty much every holiday in between

* my girls are often writing me notes and giving me crafts they made me to hang on the fridge.  Very expressive.

* it's really fun to shop for girls.  Well, at least most of the time it is :)

* Thinking about some of the unique challenges that girls face and reflecting on my own personal journey, I'm hoping to pass on some unique and hard learned wisdom to my girls. You know, things I wish I knew when I was younger.

I want to teach my girls what it means to be:
- tender and compassionate as well as courageous and strong.
- secure.
- virtuous.
- a world changer,  part of the solution.
- one who cultivates inner beauty.
- someone who stands up for truth and for those who have no voice.
- able to honour the unique voice and talent that God has given them.
- true to who they are.
- able to learn from mistakes and be gracious with themselves.

These are big challenges and not ones that I take lightly.  It's a journey that I continue to be on.

I know there are lots of other challenges that come with raising daughters.  Don't even get me started about whining, mood swings and hormones.  And I know that there are a million reasons why boys are a blessing to raise.  But, for today - I'm going to celebrate the girls that I have the privledge of raising...

My baby Girl is 4!

Yesterday we celebrated Beth's 4th Birthday.  Can you believe it?  These days we are celebrating a girl who has a larger than life personality, talks 24/7, lives to be around people, has her sisters wrapped around her finger and who has changed our family and our lives forever.  We can't imagine life without you Beth and our family is a million times better because of you!
We love you, girl!

A couple of things I am thankful for today...

This morning I dropped Grace off at southridge.cc to take the bus with her youth group to Canada's Wonderland.  She looked cute as a button and I couldn't help but think that she reminded me of myself at that age.   I felt like I was looking in the mirror.  In other news, I've officially hit that stage where my kids have a better social life than I do.

This afternoon, it feels good to be still for a moment and I am thankful for the gift of this weekend and the unhurried nature of this particular one.
On this Saturday afternoon, I am reminded of a few things I am thankful for.

1.  Tim Hortons Coffee.  Last night I stayed up way too late reading 'The Help' by Kathryn Stockett and today I am paying for it.  Guess that what happens when you get lost in a great book.  Not complaining.  Well, kind of, but not really.

2.  My sister, Leah passed on to me on a pair of yoga pants that didn't fit her and I am in love with them.  Seriously, they are the comfiest thing I have ever worn.  Why did I not get a pair of these years ago?

3.  The smell of lilacs.  I wish lilacs were in season all year long.  I just picked some from my front yard and they are now in a vase in my dining room.  Total high point of the day.  I'm in heaven.  The smell is intoxicating.

4.  Yesterday I noticed that fresh, local strawberries are now for sale in Niagara.  My mind is racing, thinking about all of the things I can make with strawberries.  Not to mention eating them for the pure joy of it.  I can't wait to take my kids strawberry picking this month.

5.  Taking this wee girl to her first soccer practice and game.  Total cuteness.  Too bad the weather cut the game short.

6.  In our house, a rainy Saturday afternoon means a nap : )

So, there you have it.  Sure, there's lots I could whine and complain about - but that's too easy.  Instead, I'm going to invest my energy in being thankful.

How about you?  What are you thankful for today?

Happy Friday

Happy Friday Friends!

Hope your weekend is off to a great start.

I couldn't resist taking a photo of the 2 magazines sitting on this table in my living room.  Maybe it's just me, but did this strike anyone else as funny?  Welcome to one of the many contrasts in my life.

"discipline"

It's the first week of June and I spent the better part of May 31st (which interestingly also happened to be our 14th wedding anniversary) setting goals for my summer.  The truth is I work better when I have goals set before me.  They keep me accountable and motivated.  Left to my own devices, I am super lazy.  As I was contemplating on and writing out my summer goals, one theme stood out clear.  It became pretty obvious to me that the theme word for my summer is discipline.

Wow.  That's a pretty daunting word.

Discipline to do what, you might ask?

Where do I begin?  There are so many...

Among them include the discipline to set aside regular time to pray, listen and meditate upon scripture, discipline to trust when I feel like freaking out and being afraid, discipline to exercise more often and to train for a 10 km running race, discipline to make healthy food choices, discipline to stick to our budget and not overspend, discipline to guard my tongue and last but not least discipline to revive this blog and give it one more "kick at the can" to see if it's something I want to pursue.

So, there you have it.  Maybe discipline isn't so scary after all.  Maybe this will be the summer I really embrace it.  Come to think of it, I'm pretty excited about these goals.  Now, if I can just get moving :)

Before I sign off, I couldn't resist attaching some anniversary photos : )

The night before our anniversary I went in the backyard and picked some lily of the valley, which by the way smelled amazing.  Years ago, my friend Carolyn brought us over a vase of lily of the valley on our anniversary and I have associated the flower with our special day ever since!

Here we are on the 31st out for dinner : )

delish

My handsome hubby- I love this man!