Hello December...

I went to my first Christmas party of the season last night! It was so much fun. I love my LG gals. We meet twice a month and these girls are some of my best friends. We laugh so hard when we're together...like until we cry...it's the best. It's always appetizer potluck and we had some yummy food! I took sausage balls, Trio's spinach dip w/homemade tortilla chips, cheese ball w/crackers, and chocolate covered peanut butter balls.



Me and Jen



Vicki, Alicia, Amy, Heather, Heather, Belinda



I'll post our group shot as soon as I receive it. Or maybe I'll just post the outtakes. Those are the best.

I can't believe it's December 1st. We started a new tradition with Amelia this evening. It's a magnetic Advent calendar where she can move the star leading up to Christmas day.



We also have a book that Alex reads from each night and then we pray together at the very end. It's geared towards children so we don't lose Amelia's attention.



I went to the store looking for Elf on a Shelf. I didn't really know what it was all about and it seems to be all the rage, so I asked the sales clerk to tell me about it. After he told me what it was, we decided that we wouldn't be adding this to our Christmas traditions. It's a cute idea but not exactly what I thought it was going to be. Our main issue was telling our child she should obey because an elf with secret powers is watching her. (LOL) We do tell Amelia she should obey because someone is watching her - and that's someone with the Utmost power. Even when no one else can see what she's doing - we want her to always know God can see. We just always want to tell her the truth, even at a young age. Christmas can still be fun without believing in Santa and elves. I do know that. The movies are fun to watch and she has even started asking who Santa is when she sees him on the television or in stores. I need to brush up on the true story of Saint Nicholas. He was a real man, a good man, and I intend on telling her all about him. :)

I just love this time of year! I'm looking forward to lots of baking, candy making, spending as much time as possible with family, and teaching Amelia what the Christmas season is truly all about. I'm trying to keep things as simple as possible. A friend of mine posted this and it really hit home. I tend to stress at some point during the holidays and I'm going to do my best to remember this. If you follow this link there's an entire article written by Ann Voskamp on this subject:

"Whenever Christmas begins to burden, it’s a sign that I’ve taken on something of the world and not of Christ." -Ann Voskamp

Love to all,