friday

The table is
sticky with glue,
there are
crooked sequined grins
on two
hastily cut
painstakingly crafted
brown paper
gingerbread boys

The toys
are strewn,
couch cushions askew,
I have two hastily fed
sleeping boys
the house is
happy to be silent
breathing in and out

warmth
and love
and twinkle lights
piles of mail
receipts and crayon doodles
half-unpacked bins
of Christmas sparkles
this is
my happy life.

Cranny

I won these in a giveaway.

But here's the truth - not one week before I won, I was over at Cranny, very seriously contemplating buying them for this very spot in my house.

God is so good to give us these bonus blessings! Thank you, Sarah, for being a direct hug from God to me.

Sarah Kate has some gorgeous other items for sale in her shop, but hurry - Cranny closes for the season on December tenth! (Don't worry, it will re-open on January first with (no doubt) some lovely additions to the shop.







I won this little fella, too...isn't he cute?

Preview of Christmas Cards 2010

Rejoice Lord King Religious Christmas 5x7 folded card

Shop Shutterfly for elegant custom Christmas photo cards.

View the entire collection of cards.

Home Reserve-ations

So, we are thinking about a new couch. We are looking at the possibility of a small sectional to maximize the space we have. As we researched, going to furniture stores and shopping online, we came across Home Reserve. Everything looks good - maybe too good. The boxes come UPS and we're always up for a DIY (obviously), we can take the fabric off and throw it in the washing machine if (and when, I'm certain) we need to. There is storage under every seat. Also on the plus side, we can get the size sofa/sectional we need without spending a HUGE amount of money. On the down side, it's kind of hard ordering furniture sight unseen. So that is the BIG downside. Does anyone know anything about this company?

We put our old couch up for sale on Craigslist, deciding that we would replace it if it sold...and we got a call today that looks like a done deal. So, I ordered a few swatches today, and if we like the fabric, maybe we will order a chair or a chair and a half just to give it a shot. It's a hard call, though.

So has anyone ever heard of this company? Purchased anything? Sat on a couch from here? Help!

Advent Begins

So, I didn't get my super-cool Advent calendar done for this year - but I was visiting with a friend yesterday and I remembered what we'd done last year with Aaron - a cheap little cardboard Advent Calendar with which we taught him the Story.

(Here is a clip of his version)

He's changed so much in a year - this was totally worth a revisit for me. What is your plan for the Advent season? Do you have any special traditions as you count down the days to Christmas?