It's Christmas Time

Can you believe it? Christmas starts tomorrow. Okay. So technically Christmas is on the 25th and that's three weeks away. What? THREE WEEKS?!! I'd better get busy!

But seriously, I really wanted to be on the ball this year and have a cute advent Calendar to use right from the beginning of the month. So I actually finished the one I made last year at a church activity. I'm so excited to start it tomorrow!

My Mom had this fantastic advent calendar which she made out of burlap and felt. It had pockets and every day it was so exciting to see what was in the pocket. For the first part of the month, there was a tiny ornament which would then be pinned to the felt tree, and for the last part of the month, there were felt figures for the nativity scene, which was beside the tree. And on the last day there was a tiny baby Jesus to put in the manger. Everyone always fought over who would be the one to do the baby Jesus. We'd usually go in order of oldest to youngest or the other way around, and since there are 5 of us, the oldest or the youngest would be the one to get the baby Jesus. But it wasn't always about the ornament or the Nativity scene figure. My Mom would also include a little paper on which she had written an activity that we were all to do that day. It could be as simple as "Read a Christmas story" to more complex, such as Decorate the tree (Or go cut down the tree!).

I wanted to follow in this tradition for my family. And since Otto is now at the age where we can "do" more, I really wanted it to begin this year. So, I downloaded these Advent Boxes of Ali Edwards for Designer Digitals to write our daily activity. On their own, they are about 2 1/2" square, so I copied them all into a PSE file to shrink them down so they fit perfectly in these little boxes.

I decorated the inside square of the advent calendar in such a way that every year, our current Christmas card will fit there.

I have been busy making things for Christmas which I'd like to share here, but not until after Christmas after everyone has opened their gifts! Wouldn't want to spoil the surprise!

How are you preparing?

Back in Shape

Okay, so I've dropped off the blog world as of late. I'm trying to get back into life, but I'm finding myself very lazy. Okay, maybe not lazy because I've actually been doing a lot. I think it's more a case of prioritizing and the fact that I am terrible at it. So this is one thing I've been getting good at:

Awhile ago, a friend suggested to me that I wasn't working hard enough to get into shape. Working hard enough? Try NOT working at all! So, I decided to commit. I can now proudly say that I have completed three weeks of working out 5 times a week. Not to say that it's been easy, or that I actually feel good about my body, but I've been doing it. In complete and honest disclosure, I must say that after having babies, it's disconcerting to have a different body to work with than the one I was used to for roughly 15 or so years. The real issue for me is the diastasis recti that I now have after two babies stretching my belly so far it ripped! [LOVE my babies, but hate the bodily result].

SO. NOT going to win any body contests. Now. or. Ever. But, I'm getting back in shape. What shape that will be we will see!