I made this cute little banner to hang over our manger scene.  I saw it on Etsy and thought… I can make that!!!!!!!!  So I did   LOL  As it hangs in my living room it makes me smile.  I walk past it and it truly helps me to remember what it is that I believe.  (Want to WIN one of your own??  read to the end of the post to find out how!!)

I can honestly say that I have deep seeded beliefs.  My entire life has been molded and shaped mostly by my faith and by those who have taught me what SHOULD BE even if that isn’t necessarily what IS.  I know that people are affected by their life experiences but for me it seems that instead of being shaped by experiences in my life, I have been affirmed by them.  If that makes any sense…  I haven’t been changed by these experiences but I now cling to these things that I believe, even more tightly now because I KNOW that these things are true!  From the abundance blessings that have been given to me I know that I am a daughter of the MOST high King.

So today… I will let you in on a few things I believe:

I believe that God, is our Heavenly Father who seeks prosper us and not to harm us, to give us HOPE and a future.

I believe that Jesus, the Son of God, was sent to die on the cross for the atonement of our sins and to make a way through himself to the Father.

I believe that the Holy Spirit completes the Trinity.  I believe that the Holy Spirit is real and lives inside me every single day.  I know that this is true because I can feel that sweet tug and gentle guidance that the Spirit gives me in times of need or joy.

I believe that the Bible is not just reading material.  Its a real, living, inspired God breathed instruction manual for life.  I have read the Bible from cover to cover.  I believe that it important to KNOW the Bible in its entirety to be able to correctly interpret the sum of its parts.

I believe that we are to live according to the laws of Moses but in the FREEDOM of the Church of Acts and in the spirit of the Apostle Paul and the Corinthians.  When Jesus died the veil was TORN and therefore I am happy that we can live in a church that has the freedom to worship.

I believe that the world is a beautiful place, that humans are good whether they have gone awry or not.  I believe that everyone has the ABILITY to do good and choose the RIGHT over the WRONG.

I believe that there is a RIGHT and a WRONG and nothing in between.  There is no gray area.  There is no justification.  I choose not to be lukewarm because I would rather not be spewed from His mouth. (Revelation 3:16)

I believe in the Truth.  I believe that half truths are lies.  I believe that “thou shalt not lie” and I have a very guilty conscience which rarely allows for stretching the truth!  LOL

I believe that my life was divine instituted and the plan for it was conceived long before I was.

I believe that everyone has a purpose in life and once their divine purpose has been fulfilled their time on earth is finished.

I believe that there really is something to be being a “good” person.

I believe in random acts of kindness.

I believe that lots of things that happen to us in life are RARELY about “us” and more about who we are to BE to someone or what we are charged with doing to help someone else.

I believe that you are to choose the right no matter what the outcome.  It doesn’t matter what the bum on the street is going to do with that dollar bill, you are to provide it to him.  Whatever you do for the LEAST of these brothers… you have done for Christ.  (Matthew25:31-46)

I believe that there are miracles that happen around us each day.  We should take a little time everyday to be still and know that HE is God.  To SEE the wonder in the world that we live in.

I believe that you must STAND for SOMETHING or you will FALL for ANTYTHING.

I believe that Christmas is magical and that there is nothing more beautiful that the glow of a Christmas tree.

I believe that children can hear the heartbeat of God.

I believe that love never dies.  I believe that love bears ALL things, believes ALL things, HOPES all things, ENDURES all things.  I honestly believe that LOVE never fails.  It may get lost along the way but it will never fail.

I believe that the best smell on earth is warm baked cookies and the smell of my own pillow.

I believe that no matter how hard you try you will eventually fail at something in life but that should not stop you from trying.

I believe that no matter hard you fall you can ALWAYS get up and move on.  There is no “laying down to die”.

I believe that sometimes you have to help YOURSELF.  There is only so much that others can do for you.  Sometimes even Doctors need your help to be able to help you.

I believe that you should live like you were dying and enjoy every single moment and every single breath.

In the spirit of today’s post… I am offering a little giveaway… I handmade myself this bunting to go over our manger scene this year and I want to share this with YOU!  Leave a comment and tell me what it is that YOU believe and I will randomly choose a commenter to receive a copy of my “believe” banner to add to your holiday decor!  YAY!!!!!  Comments will close on Monday at noon.  I hope to ship this Monday afternoon so that you can get it ASAP!!!  So get those comments rolling and let me know what it is that YOU believe!

Recent Comments:

• Michele K. says Impressive you really are accomplished with regards to writing. I love Xmas that’s why I also have a comparable web [more]
• Jen says Hi Amber! It’s lunchablemommy – actually not on A full cup anymore, so I wanted to send you my [more]
• Tracy says Love it! That is something Maggie would do. She loves Disney Princess stuff too. LOL. [more]
• Laura says I Love it!!!! And we use the newspaper bags for diapers and enema extras too….its my way of recycling [more]
• Deana Begg says Very good article! This is a highly beneficial website in which you have. [more]

• November 24, 2009 -- Be Still my heart… (er.. nose)
• November 12, 2009 -- For God has NOT given us a spirit of fear…
• November 11, 2009 -- It can’t end this way….
• November 10, 2009 -- Heroes and Villains
• November 9, 2009 -- 7 weeks Till Christmas

Or shall I say, “We waited, we froze and we emerged victorious!!!!!!!”

If you look VERY closely to the very FIRST people in line in the pic… that’s US!!!!!!!!!  All the way to the left you will see the security guy with an orange vest on and we are actually talking to him!

2009 will go down in the books at one of the greatest BF in history! Troy waited for 8 hours in the freezing cold outside the Target door.  I can’t say that it was horrible though… I spent the time in between dropping him off and meeting him to wait on Walmart price matching, getting gas, and dropping off hot drinks to the early crowd at Target.  We honestly had fun!  We met some hilarious people that we hope to see again next year.  Seems that this “waiting at the crack of dawn” is tradition for MANY people.  Troy and I were the 2nd people in line (respectively) and were the FIRST to get our hands on the 32 inch Westinghouse LCD!!!!!! The people in front of us were after the 40 inch.  I tried to convince Troy to get the 40 inch but we ultimately decided the smaller was better especially since it is more portable than our 42 inch.  Now we can take this one to weddings as a monitor.  Plus… the ENTIRE rest of our christmas shopping for the kids added up to less than the $200 difference!  We are very proud of ourselves for making some really GOOD financial decisions lately.  We have ourselves on a strict budget and have been VERY disciplined about saving money.  It really is a GOOD feeling.  I thought that when we went shopping on BF I would remember how much I missed shopping and actually I didn’t feel that way at all!  It almost hurt to spend the money we had worked so hard ot save!

See the NUMBER at the bottom?  Smell the sweet scent of victory!  #1 baby!!!!!!!!!!!

A little help from our new friends… notice the hunting glove on the right?  That was the father/son team who were 1st in line and got the #1 ticket for the 40 inch TV’s… they were a riot.  They said they would see us next year!  Its a date guys!  We’re bringing the grill next year!  LOL

A self portrait that went awry… and oh my lord… I look like I had just hit a bong!  I guess that is what happens … it was 4 am by this time and I had officially been awake for 24 hours straight!  I earned those cracked out eyes!

Now… that’s better… the 1st team in line took a quick pic for us!

To be truthful, the shopping began on Thursday bright and early when I picked up my mother at 4:30 am to head to Meijer (which was insanity btw…)  We were not there for big ticket items so it didn’t make much difference to us!  My mom picked up some $0.69 wrapping paper but I didn’t care for it so I will keep looking. We got SOCKS for the entire family (which we were direly in need of!) for $3.99 / bag a cute sweater for myself $14.99 and a few sets of Christmas lights for $1.99 each (which I later found at DG for $1…….grr…. return line here I come!)

Then we scooted on over to Walmart and price matched their 2 liter Cokes to DG for $0.75 each.  I also had $1/3 Coupons (from Speedway!).

Here are my total price breakdowns for the past two days:

Kmart

Magellan 1220 (regular $149.99) – $79.99 (actually got mine on monday for cheaper than BF) = TS = $70 (plus I am going to sell our old one for $25-40 on CL!!!)- we later figured out this was the 1210….sucks… so we reordered the right one for $80 and returned this one!  Man… I hate that!

Trio Building Block Set – for Ross- $24.99 – $10 coupon = $14.99

Spongbob Bed Tent – $12.99 (regularly $19.99)

Barbie for Kyleigh – $9.99 (matches the movie my mom bought for Christmas!!!)

Target

32 inch Westinghouse TV – $236 ($10 Gift card + sale) – regularly $499 (Ithink)

$3 Appliances

$24.99 Star Wars Clone Helmet (Owen was dying for this… ugh… I just think $40 for a freakin helmet is insane!) – Regular $39.99 – price cut $29.99 – $5 Star Wars Product

Walmart- a few DVD’s and Wii Games for $3-9 each

Tag Reader system (Owen’s big gift)- Price Matched to Kohls- $29.99 – $10 Tag Coupon (from website) = $19.99

Office Depot -

$84.99 Desk (regular $219.99) – on sale for $99 – $15/$75 coupon from mailer (and let me tell you what… this desk is AMAZING!!!  It is huge and heavy… definitely not what your $99 would NORMALLY buy you   I desperately needed this for my computer area in the kitchen since I do 99% of my work there!

Then on Saturday I woke up bright and early because Kyleigh ONE request for Christmas was a Princess Vanity.  They had one at Target for $49.99 but it had some kind of keyboard… she didn’t care about that… she wanted the one that had all the makeup etc.  So TRU had it for $24.49 at midnight and that was insanity.  They were all gone by the time I got in the door (the line was literally 1000 people deep!).   Big Lots had a similar one on Saturday only special for $25.  I arrive at Big Lots at 7:50 am… only 7 people in line!  SCORE… except for the fact that they did NOT get any in their shipment……………………………………………..ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!  Lucky enough for me… my mom and dad wanted to ENSURE that Kyleigh got what she wanted and were waiting at the OTHER Big Lots (2nd people in line!) and got one of only 8 (EIGHT!) that were sent to the entire city.

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh………………………. Christmas shopping done.  Mostly… lol.  I even managed to make it to Hobby Lobby (be still my heart!) and pick up my containers etc for my baking …. it was a great weekend!  Already counting the day until Black Friday 2010!!!Recent Comments:

• Michele K. says Impressive you really are accomplished with regards to writing. I love Xmas that’s why I also have a comparable web [more]
• Jen says Hi Amber! It’s lunchablemommy – actually not on A full cup anymore, so I wanted to send you my [more]
• Tracy says Love it! That is something Maggie would do. She loves Disney Princess stuff too. LOL. [more]
• Laura says I Love it!!!! And we use the newspaper bags for diapers and enema extras too….its my way of recycling [more]
• Deana Begg says Very good article! This is a highly beneficial website in which you have. [more]

• November 9, 2009 -- HOT DEAL- FREE photo Christmas cards!!!
• November 9, 2009 -- 7 weeks Till Christmas
• November 8, 2009 -- Christmas Card Preview!
• November 7, 2009 -- 8 weeks til Christmas
• October 28, 2009 -- 9 weeks until Christmas…

I do.  I know many of you do to.  I would like for you to meet Becky.  She is 10 years old and has been battling bone cancer for two years.  Her doctors have told her parents to “take her home and enjoy Christmas” as this will likely be her last.  While Becky’s family continue to believe and pray for a miracle they also face the reality that their daughter is dying and without a divine intervention she does not have much time left.

The real reason I am writing about Becky is because she has made a Christmas wish.  She wants to go to the Macy’s Christmas Parade and through winning a contest on the Macy’s Believe 2009 Campaign her dream is POSSIBLE!!!  She just needs to get the most votes and it will become reality.  You may vote once per person (computer) once PER DAY!!!!  So here is one of MY Christmas wishes.  As bloggers we have POWER to share our thoughts and convictions but also to HELP those in need.  PLEASE pray and if your heart leads you, POST Becky’s story and link so that all your blog readers might also go and VOTE for Becky!  We have the power to help this angel get her wish.  Becky has touched my heart and I know she will yours too   So go out and VOTE today and EVERY day until December 3, 2009!!!!

Until this week Becky was in the solid lead… she has now dropped to second so we need YOUR help!!!!

GO HERE AND VOTE for BECKY : Macy’s Believe 2009Recent Comments:

• Michele K. says Impressive you really are accomplished with regards to writing. I love Xmas that’s why I also have a comparable web [more]
• Jen says Hi Amber! It’s lunchablemommy – actually not on A full cup anymore, so I wanted to send you my [more]
• Tracy says Love it! That is something Maggie would do. She loves Disney Princess stuff too. LOL. [more]
• Laura says I Love it!!!! And we use the newspaper bags for diapers and enema extras too….its my way of recycling [more]
• Deana Begg says Very good article! This is a highly beneficial website in which you have. [more]

• April 28, 2010 -- Have a little talk with Jesus…
• January 14, 2010 -- New Year, new prayers…
• November 7, 2009 -- Please pray for the Owens and Hilliard families.
• June 11, 2009 -- Say a quick prayer…

So here is my “Black Friday 2009 Survival Guide”:

1) Know your rules : What time does each store open?  What is their location?  How MANY of the items you want are “in stock” or “guaranteed”?

2) Make a List : Sit down with your ads and make a list of the items you want and organize them by store.  TAKE THE PAPERS with you!  Sometimes you will have to ask store associates where an item is and its much easier to SHOW them the ad than to have to “ask” about “something in the ad”.  A lot of the BF help is NEW.

3) Map out a plan : Check times and “deals” and make a plan of attack.  It is often good to find yourself in the center hub of shopping which has MOST of your bargains in one place.  Yes there may be more parking issues but there is less travel time!

4) Scope out your stores : we often go the day BEFORE thanksgiving to get a lay of the land, take inventory etc.  Although some of the door busters may not yet be “on the floor” you will often be able to see HOW things are organized.  If you see that there is only ONE Wii system then its a safe assumption that you may want to find an alternative location to try and get a deal!

5) Prioritize:  Will you be wanting a HOT item such as a cheap TV or game system?  Is that item higher on your list than say the $3 fleece blanket?  Make your list according to opening time of the store and priority of the item you want.  This year there is ONE big purchase on our list so no matter WHAT TIME that store opens… we will be at IT regardless of other store’s opening times.

6) Dress to shop: Wear comfortable easy clothing, IN LAYERS!  As the sun comes up the temperature will change and you don’t want to be caught in a store that is 100 degrees with polar fleece from head to toe!  For me my standard uniform is:  yoga pants, t-shirt with a sweatshirt or fleece jacket over top, fleece headband, gloves, coat (for standing in line), pony tail and most of all:  TENNIS SHOES!  Yes those cute little clogs are easy to slip on but they are not good for running 2 miles to your car or supporting your feet for the long shopping day ahead!

7) Be safe : I do NOT take my kids with me.  I am too focused (or distracted however you look at it!) to try and keep my eye on them!  There are too many people and too much commotion.  You should ALSO consider keep your wallet either in your back pocket (for the guys) or in a messenger bag instead of a PURSE (for the ladies).  It is REALLY easy to loose track of your purse in a buggy or crowd.

Consider shopping with a GIFT card or single use debit card:  I try to NOT carry cash (in case its stolen) and NOT my debit card either (for the same reason).  I shop with a debit card that only has XX amount of dollars on it so even if someone gets my card they will only be able to empty a certain amount of money!

9)   Take a BLANKET to put over your purchases in the back of your car.  It may work double duty when you are freezing your butt off in the line!!  LOL  OR if you have a trunk that is not visible, consider also locking the “trunk only” lock that most cars include for valet. (our Honda Accord had a separate lock for the trunk beside the driver seat).  Sad but true, there are MANY thefts that are “crimes of opportunity” from someone having seen an item in the back window of your car.

10) Be AWARE : BF is a thief’s playground.  Watch your carts, purses, cars, etc.  Also be careful walking to and from stores in the pitch black!

11) Take a friend : Seriously, having a shopping partner is critical!  You can split up to get double the deals.  They can watch your back and you theirs.  Troy and I will be shopping one set of stores and my parents another.  We each have OUR lists and THEIR lists.  We will make sure to call each other to check in and check off our lists what the other has been able to acquire!

12) If you are unable to get a shopping cart : GO FOR A LAUNDRY basket.  You don’t have to buy it but at least it is a means to put your stuff in it and drag it around!  Lots of times shopping carts get in the way!  For the stores in which I will only be going for small items like DVD’s, books, games, I will be taking a re-usable boat and tote bag so I don’t even have to STOP at the cart!

13) Check online : So say you want the BIG TV that Target only guarantees to have FIVE in stock… check online!  Many time there will be 50 times the stock online and shipping may cheap or even free!  You may be able to totally avoid the lines by shopping online during the Doorbuster hours!

14) Pack a thermos of coffee or hot chocolate and a snack.  Not only will you waste precious time standing in line at Starbucks but once your mid morning slump hits and you have been awake for 5 hours already – you will not think of the repercussions of your 4th cup of $7 coffee but your BANK account will!!  We usually pack a smaller cooler – 6 or so cans of soda, and a few little snacks.  During a shopping bag drop its easy to chug a coke and granola bar and be on your way to another store!  Time IS money on BF!!!

15) Can’t find something you direly WANT? : Look around the checkouts or down the aisles.  Lots of people do the “grab and run” philosophy and will make their final decisions while waiting in line.  LOTS of items get discarded at the checkouts!

16) Check out ANYWHERE you can : Walmart has checkouts in odd places that will often allow you to check out THERE without waiting in the main lines.  Electronics, seasonal, jewelry and even HUNTING!  (yes I have checked out with TOYS in hunting before!).  Don’t be afraid to ask… all they can say is NO…

17) Last but not least : ENJOY BF in the SPIRIT of Christmas. You will attract more flies with honey!  Make sure to tell your cashiers how much you appreciate their hard work and be KIND to those around you.  I anticipate that this year’s Black Friday will be the largest in a few years due to the economy.  Everyone is stressed to the max and desperate to save money and make the holiday special.  Be understanding with those around you and if for some reason someone gets snippy… just SMILE and say “Happy Holidays” and move on.  You never know what their life circumstances are that lead them to be snippy.Recent Comments:

• Michele K. says Impressive you really are accomplished with regards to writing. I love Xmas that’s why I also have a comparable web [more]
• Jen says Hi Amber! It’s lunchablemommy – actually not on A full cup anymore, so I wanted to send you my [more]
• Tracy says Love it! That is something Maggie would do. She loves Disney Princess stuff too. LOL. [more]
• Laura says I Love it!!!! And we use the newspaper bags for diapers and enema extras too….its my way of recycling [more]
• Deana Begg says Very good article! This is a highly beneficial website in which you have. [more]

• November 30, 2009 -- We came, we saw, we conquered!
• November 9, 2009 -- 7 weeks Till Christmas
• November 1, 2009 -- What does 20 cents look like to you??
• October 13, 2009 -- 11 weeks and counting (’till Christmas of course!)
• October 12, 2009 -- Preppy Pumpkins

When I got older it because a mad dash to Bath and Body works, Kohl’s and fighting off people at Old Navy.  When I married Troy he didn’t GET IT.  But then he started coming along  with us and he adds this to the list of ways that I love to get my adrenaline rushes!  Then the kids came along and now its Toys R Us, Target, Walmart (to price match of course).  There would even be year where my mom and I would shop at 3 am at Walmart with our price match ads and be READY to run to the checkout as soon as the “Black Friday” ad started so that we could make it to more stores!  I also remember being less than 1 month post partum from Owen and being out at 4 am to get us a new Christmas tree!  There was the pallet… everyone was poised and ready for them to unwrap it… There were limbs flying, punches thrown and me… I let them get to the bottom of the stack… found my white lighted tree and SAT on it until the crowd dispersed!  I kid you not!  I came home with my $35 pre lit tree!  LOL  Some man looked at me mean because he put his hand on it but it was UNDER my rear… and come on… have mercy on a post preggo!  I couldn’t lift that!!!

This week in Simplemom’s series is:

6 Weeks Till Christmas: Create a New Family Tradition

For us… this will be a Christmas full of old and new traditions!  The baby sitter is booked (yay Lexi!!!) and the lists are being made for Black Friday.  Last year Troy REALLY wanted an advent calendar.  We found a really cool one on clearance afterward and snatched it up.  We of course will have all of our standard traditions like New Year’s brunch (complete with Monkey bread) and Christmas Eve at my parents (my mother took over my Nana’s traditional Christmas Eve).  But this year we are adding to our list.

On December 19th from 1-3 pm a few couples, including ourselves have volunteered to help host the Lexington Ronald McDonald House’s First Annual Open House. This is near and dear to my heart.  (yes yes… so I have tears trying to write this… I am a sap)  Although we make pretty regular donations (thanks to my couponing skills) I really wanted to do something special.  WHY?  Because I remember the year that we were in the hospital most of December and January dealing with the colostomy take down, aftermath of that and an intestinal shut down which led to the g-tube placement.  Two days before Christmas the amazing child life girls came around and dropped off the little 3 ft Christmas trees.  These were sad little Charlie Brown trees.  It reminded me so much of my Nana’s tree though with the angel hair and the Dollar Store decorations.  They brought it to you in the box so that you could make a memory of “trimming the tree” and that tree sat in the corner of our room.  I refused to take the tree out of the box.  It was a painful reminder of the reality of our life over the past year.  I refused to think that we would NOT spend Christmas at home with our babies.  Thankfully we have a surgeon who cares about us as much as people as he does as patients.  He let us go home on Christmas Eve at 6 pm.  Regardless of the fact that he was emailing before we could even get in the driveway to make sure we were okay (and then several times on Christmas day too… he’s a great person!), we were HOME and that is what really mattered.  Never mind the fact that New Year’s brought a re-admission… it didn’t matter.  I remember how awful it was to sit and look out the hospital window knowing that families were out there, gathered around tables and fireplaces and here we sat.  My heart aches for the family who will reside in that corner room on 4 East this year.  I can’t even think about it without tears.  I so hope that our effort will bring a little Joy to the families who are currently housed and the Lexington RMH.  Families whose lives are turned upside down and whose children are fighting for their lives.  It’s a heavy thing.

But here is my SHOUT OUT to my best bloggy friends!!!  If you would like to HELP US create a Holiday open house spread for the RMH PLEASE contact me!  We would love to have 6-10 families to help us with the cooking, set-up, etc.  I have already recruited a few but I would love for our friends to share this wonderful experience with us!!! schmidt.amber@kentuckystudio.com Email or call me

Here are SimpleMom’s Suggestions for fun new traditions:

1. Jesse Tree

A Jesse tree is a simple tree that holds one ornament per day for a set amount of time, leading up to the final one on Christmas day. Each ornament is a symbol of a particular part of Scripture, starting with creation and leading to the birth of Christ.  You can tweak your jesse tree to reflect your family’s style and budget as well. It can be a separate Christmas tree, of course, but it can also be a craggy branch planted in a flower pot, with lots of branches for hanging ornaments. It can even be a simple construction paper tree cut-out, taped to the wall.

A favorite set of Jesse Tree Ornaments can be found here : http://jessetreeornaments.wordpress.com/

2. Pajamas on Christmas Eve

Our family participates in this tradition!  There is nothing better than adorable pajama clad kids rushing to the Christmas tree on Christmas morning (oh my word I am crying again!  I am a mess today!)

3. Baby Jesus under the Tree

This simple tradition is great for little ones. When you put up and decorate the tree, include a simple empty manger at the base. You can make one out of wood, or you can create a makeshift manger out of a crate, a basket, or even a doll’s cradle.

Each evening, after the kids are in bed, add a little bit of “straw” in the manger — raffia from a craft store works well. Then on Christmas morning, among the gifts, will be the most significant gift reflected in the season — baby Jesus was born. Use a simple, unadorned doll and place him swaddled on top of the straw.

4. Christmas Eve Surprise Cookies

The day before Christmas, deliver cookies to those who have to work — firefighters and policemen, nurses at the hospital, even airline employees at the airport. It’s a small, simple way to cheer up their day when they would probably rather be with family than at work.  We will likely be dropping some off to our amazing nursing staff at KCH!!!  (maybe not on Christmas eve but sometime during the holiday… they all got attached to my rolo cookies )

5. An Annual Ornament

Choose an ornament for each child, each year until they leave the home. See if you can have the ornament reflect something about the child’s personality, an accomplishment they achieved that year, or something else unique. If your daughter was a mouse in The Nutcracker this year, pick a ballerina or a mouse, for example.

I would like to add to this: when your children leave to start their own homes you could gift them this set for their first christmas in their new home

6. Christmas Play

Your kids don’t need to sign up for the community theater or your church’s Christmas pageant to have fun acting out the Christmas story. Some families have a tradition of all the kids in the extended family — all the cousins and grandkids — reenact the first Christmas, complete with shepherds, animals, and wise men.

For us this will be the Bedford Acres “Walk through Bethlehem”.  Our church goes ALL out with a 1/2 mile outdoor trail that is a Bethlehem recreation which of course ends with the Manger Scene.  I was amazed when we went for the first time last year!  There were Roman Soldiers on REAL horses that “rounded you up for the census” and a market place with real animals and livestock all aflutter!  We would love to share this open invitation with you all…  If you do not have a church home please feel free to join us at Bedford Acres.  I will post more info as it becomes available

There are also the myriad of more “traditional” traditions — caroling around the neighborhood, driving around to look at the lights, watching your favorite movies, and the like.

The most important part of family traditions are to keep them simple, keep them lighthearted, and keep them fun. Their purpose is family unity, not a perfect holiday season.Recent Comments:

• Michele K. says Impressive you really are accomplished with regards to writing. I love Xmas that’s why I also have a comparable web [more]
• Jen says Hi Amber! It’s lunchablemommy – actually not on A full cup anymore, so I wanted to send you my [more]
• Tracy says Love it! That is something Maggie would do. She loves Disney Princess stuff too. LOL. [more]
• Laura says I Love it!!!! And we use the newspaper bags for diapers and enema extras too….its my way of recycling [more]
• Deana Begg says Very good article! This is a highly beneficial website in which you have. [more]

• November 9, 2009 -- 7 weeks Till Christmas
• November 7, 2009 -- 8 weeks til Christmas
• October 28, 2009 -- 9 weeks until Christmas…
• October 13, 2009 -- 11 weeks and counting (’till Christmas of course!)
• March 5, 2010 -- Priorities.

I just found this on another money saving blog but I had to share.  I do all of my christmas cards through my pro printer but that is just because I like to design my own.  For anyone who is NOT an anal retentive nut like me and wants to save BIG BUCKS on their holiday cards you should go over and visit Freebies 4 Mom.  The offer is 50 FREE photo greeting cards, FREE envelopes and FREE shipping!!!  That is at LEAST a $30+ value!!!  What a DEAL!!!???  I’d say you can’t beat that with a stick (and then all of my friends NOT from KY will begin to harass me about how “southern” I sound… yeah yeah yeah….)  You can add additional card (over 50) at $0.59 each if you find yourself to have a popularity status of more than 50!  LOL

Hurry on over and get your freebie now!

Freebies4mom FREE Holiday Card giveaway!!

THEN you can hop over to VistaPrint and pick up 140 FREE Address Labels to match your FREE cards!  Its $2.95 to ship these   I have also used these as “TO” – “FROM” labels on pacakages!!!  They have some REALLY cute designs!!!Recent Comments:

• Michele K. says Impressive you really are accomplished with regards to writing. I love Xmas that’s why I also have a comparable web [more]
• Jen says Hi Amber! It’s lunchablemommy – actually not on A full cup anymore, so I wanted to send you my [more]
• Tracy says Love it! That is something Maggie would do. She loves Disney Princess stuff too. LOL. [more]
• Laura says I Love it!!!! And we use the newspaper bags for diapers and enema extras too….its my way of recycling [more]
• Deana Begg says Very good article! This is a highly beneficial website in which you have. [more]

• November 8, 2009 -- Christmas Card Preview!
• November 9, 2009 -- 7 weeks Till Christmas
• November 7, 2009 -- 8 weeks til Christmas
• October 28, 2009 -- 9 weeks until Christmas…
• November 30, 2009 -- We came, we saw, we conquered!

7 Weeks Till Christmas: Organize Your Family’s Holiday Calendar

Photo: Country Living

1. Write down some descriptive words. Take a few minutes before the craziness of the holidays sets in and physically write down what the holidays should MEAN to you.  What do you WANT the holidays to be above the presents and lights?  It doesn’t matter what Martha Stewart’s Christmas scene looks like if its not what is best for YOUR FAMILY.  For us I came up with the following:

I want Christmas to be: Warm, Comfortable, Happy, Magicaly, Sentimental, Special and a Spiritual Experience.

2. Update your Calendar. Go to your calendar NOW.  Write down all of the events that you have for your kid’s schools, activities, church, plays etc.  Get it all down on paper so you can reference it and not overbook yourself.  Now… research the things you WANT to do to make your holiday “word wishes” come true.  Is there are special play or ballet you make a day of?  For us, in our family, we MAKE time to go to the living nativity Walk Through Bethlehem, at our church.  We also love to go to the Southern Lights and this year I am DYING to do a Cookie Exchange (a la my friend Ali!!!  She did one last year and it was one of the best experiences of my entire holiday!).  So those are things I will carefully map out to make sure that we have time for them!

3. Evaluate your Commitments. Is there is enough WHITE SPACE on your calendar to leave time for you to ENJOY the holidays?

4. List the rest of your priorities. Nothing like “get in the car and flee the city to the beach!”.  For me these are my other priorities.  Schedule “family” Christmas time for each of our families and extended families.  Yes this may take some balancing but its worth it for my kids to know that they are loved and to feel the warmth of the season that I remember so well from being a kid!  Bake Cookies!  A LOT of cookies!  Namely like 100 dozen!   We bake from the minute Thanksgiving dinner is over until after New Year’s brunch.  Make and Take Christmas gifts to Ky’s doctors.  Sleep in on New Year’s Day.  Have brunch with family on New Year’s.  Drive around and look at Christmas lights while the kids eat cookies and drink hot chocolate.  Play in the snow.  Just PLAY.  Work a puzzle.  Make Monkey bread!

5. Smile, Laugh, Relax. Don’t force yourself to be so BUSY enjoying the holidays that you forget to ENJOY them.  It does happen so remember to slow down, sit back and feel the magic!

For the full article and to see more great tips on organizing your Holiday Schedule visit SimpleMom.netRecent Comments:

• Michele K. says Impressive you really are accomplished with regards to writing. I love Xmas that’s why I also have a comparable web [more]
• Jen says Hi Amber! It’s lunchablemommy – actually not on A full cup anymore, so I wanted to send you my [more]
• Tracy says Love it! That is something Maggie would do. She loves Disney Princess stuff too. LOL. [more]
• Laura says I Love it!!!! And we use the newspaper bags for diapers and enema extras too….its my way of recycling [more]
• Deana Begg says Very good article! This is a highly beneficial website in which you have. [more]

• November 7, 2009 -- 8 weeks til Christmas
• October 28, 2009 -- 9 weeks until Christmas…
• October 13, 2009 -- 11 weeks and counting (’till Christmas of course!)
• November 9, 2009 -- HOT DEAL- FREE photo Christmas cards!!!
• October 19, 2009 -- 10 weeks ’til Christmas (prozac anyone?)

Yes yes… I promise I will post the FULL christmas card after I get them mailed for all of you, my bloggy friends, who I would SO be friends with if I knew you IRL!!!  I managed to have a brilliant idea this year of a method to photograph my kids!  One day, about an hour before Owen got out of school, we dressed the two little kids and took them to Keeneland.  We photographed them individually and together.  THEN we picked up Owen and threw him into the mix getting the pics of the THREE together first before the little kids melted down.  Troy put the little kids in the van to watch a movie and I finished up with Owen’s individuals.  It was a SUCCESS!!!  I was able to get some of the best images I have been able to capture of my kids EVER!!  I keep holding on to hope that it will get easier to photograph my brood but with them all having a wicked case of PCS (photographer’s child syndrome) I don’t if it will ever be EASY!  LOL

This is what resulted!  These are not images that will be included in the card but a few that I thought were really cute also!  Can you guess my Christmas card theme?  Leave me comments and if you DO guess my theme I will send you a little something to get your holidays started off right!!!

Thank You, Thank You… yes we agree…. they are incredibly cute!  I have to say I am pretty proud of their outfits also!  I pride myself on being a thrifty nickel and these outfits cost me, in total, less than $30!!!  How?  Well Ross’s pink tie was OWEN’s pink tie from two years ago.  His tan vest and white shirt were two things he has had in his closet since.. forever maybe!  Both of the boy’s corduroy pants are from yard sales at $2 each (both Gap adjustable waist at that!).  Shoes are from consignment including Ky’s.  Ky’s dress is a yard sale find that I paid $8 for (but actually I probably didn’t pay that much because I bought a LARGE lot of gymboree stuff and if you divide this dress into that lot I ended up paying like $1 a piece for the clothing….).  Ky’s hairbows I hand made.  Owen’s sweater is a yard sale find for $4 and his pink polo underneath is from Ky’s part last year (the boys wore pink and green!).  How’s that for throwing it together?  I think I did pretty darn good!

Ky had a little cream sweater (that was sent to her from a coupon friend of mine… HI DREA!!!!) that she will wear at the holidays but it was warm enough outside this day that she really didn’t need it and I really wanted the pink on her dress to show.  Nothing like taking Christmas pictures when its 70 degrees outside!  LOLRecent Comments:

• Michele K. says Impressive you really are accomplished with regards to writing. I love Xmas that’s why I also have a comparable web [more]
• Jen says Hi Amber! It’s lunchablemommy – actually not on A full cup anymore, so I wanted to send you my [more]
• Tracy says Love it! That is something Maggie would do. She loves Disney Princess stuff too. LOL. [more]
• Laura says I Love it!!!! And we use the newspaper bags for diapers and enema extras too….its my way of recycling [more]
• Deana Begg says Very good article! This is a highly beneficial website in which you have. [more]

• August 14, 2009 -- “Never a ship… sails out of the bay
• November 9, 2009 -- HOT DEAL- FREE photo Christmas cards!!!
• August 28, 2009 -- Another few faves from Gulf Shores…
• August 24, 2009 -- What the world needs is people who have come alive…
• July 8, 2009 -- From sea to shining sea…

So I have been following SimpleMom’s “12 weeks to a peaceful Christmas” series and I am head over heels in love!  Not only has it organized but it has inspired me to be organized and prepared for the upcoming Holiday season!  Its already the second week of November!  How is that possible?  I don’t know where the time went but the Christmas music is already piping through the halls of my home.  The Black Friday shopping lists are being made, the gifts have been ordered, the baking supplies purchased and I am gearing up to spend some amazing time with the people who matter most to me!

Image from Martha Stewart.com

This week’s task from SimpleMom’s series is:

8 Weeks Till Christmas: Brainstorm Decor Ideas

YAY!!!!!!!!  Finally!  One of my favorite parts of Christmas!  There is just something about the trees and lights.  In the same way that they warm my home they seem to warm my heart and lift my spirits.  I can see how people have some sort of funk after the holidays because it is sort of depressing to see all of this beauty and magic disappear as quickly as it came.  I think that Christmas is the ONE time throughout the year when EVERY heart is childlike and every person can find some a little magical.  You don’t have to have much faith to see the beauty of this season.

In order to make your Christmas Decor organized and orderly here are SimpleMom’s tips:

1. Inventory what you have. For me, this is a MUST.  Its a daunting task but I cannot tell you how many times I have purchased duplicates of items just because I didn’t know what I had in “stock” already!  This is true for GIFTS also!  I have been purchasing and hiding gifts all over my house to keep my kids and family out of them but now its time to round em up and reign them in!  I would hate to be on the way out the door to a family function and forget where I have stashed their gifts!  That stresses me out!  So… I am dually excited about this task this week!

2. Make a List of what you’d like. By planning your decor ahead of time it gives you the opportunity to watch the sales.  Make a list of the items you would like to add to your collection.  Know which ones are a priority and watch for them to go on sale.  If you are not in dire need try and wait until those amazing AFTER Christmas sales!  For us, we have been saving all year for some major purchases on Black Friday.  Things we have needed for some time but have made do because we knew that they will be 50% or more off the day after Thanksgiving.  I guess I really have been planning Christmas all year long!!!

3. Shop secondhand! Don’t EVEN get me started!!!  Seriously.  I love me some yard sales and thrift stores and craigslist and and and….. secondhand rocks.  One man’s trash is another man’s treasure right?

4. Hunt for Sales NOW! This year it seems that retailers are getting into the “mood” earlier than normal!  Sears even had a “pre-black friday” sale over Halloween weekend!  There are TONS of bargains to be had RIGHT now at stores!!!  So get your Sherlock Holmes pants on, grab your pen and sunday paper and go to town!

5. Go Homemade. There are literally millions of ideas for crafting your holiday decor!  I am a crafty soul who wishes she had more time!  I always have great intentions yet bite off more than I can chew and end up not finishing these projects that would look so amazing if I did.  Nothing will make your holidays brighter than spending that hour to make a paper chain for your tree with your kids!  This year we will have our “kids” tree downstairs.  I have my tree upstairs that has the sentimental and pretty ornaments and then downstairs we will have the tree with everything that the KIDS make.  They love their tree!  It may only be 5 ft tall and it may have colored lights (gasp… I am NOT a colored light fan!) but it’s theirs and that is what matters!

6. Embrace a Simple look. Less is more.  Your home doesn’t have to look like a page out of Martha Stewart to feel like a holiday home.  I often find myself not finishing my decor just because I have bitten off too much.  I am trying, this year, to choose simpler projects with more meaning.  Tackling them one at a time until I have the holiday home that is perfect for US!  In the words of SimpleMom: “stop worrying about a photo-worthy, Norman Rockwell-esque home, and enjoy hot cocoa in front of the fireplace with the family.”

For more information on SimpleMom’s tips or to read this article in its entirety go to SimpleMom.net.
Recent Comments:

• Michele K. says Impressive you really are accomplished with regards to writing. I love Xmas that’s why I also have a comparable web [more]
• Jen says Hi Amber! It’s lunchablemommy – actually not on A full cup anymore, so I wanted to send you my [more]
• Tracy says Love it! That is something Maggie would do. She loves Disney Princess stuff too. LOL. [more]
• Laura says I Love it!!!! And we use the newspaper bags for diapers and enema extras too….its my way of recycling [more]
• Deana Begg says Very good article! This is a highly beneficial website in which you have. [more]

• November 9, 2009 -- 7 weeks Till Christmas
• October 28, 2009 -- 9 weeks until Christmas…
• October 13, 2009 -- 11 weeks and counting (’till Christmas of course!)
• November 9, 2009 -- HOT DEAL- FREE photo Christmas cards!!!
• November 8, 2009 -- Christmas Card Preview!

So its Halloween already!  Where on earth did the time go?  Oh that’s right… the past THREE weeks have been eaten by rancid illness that has overtaken our house!  First Owen, then Kyleigh, then Ross, then me… now Troy.  Geez……..

Maybe we will see the light of day soon!  LOL  I am still really weak and “swimmy” in the head.  I managed to loose a few pounds over the past week (maybe like 3-4!!) so I cannot complain but man the nausea from all this drainage sucks!  (TMI.. I know.)

So on to the better stuff! Last night was the annual pumpkin carving.  Troy made my perfected polka dotted pumpkin by drilling holes… easy schmeasy.  Owen carved his OWN creation… and did a DARN good job.  Ross pouted a lot and tried to get into everyone else’s business and Kyleigh was more interested in “cookin up some dem seeds”…  Yes she played in the pumpkin guts and was perfectly happy.  Glad it doesn’t take much to please my kids!

Yes…  every now and then we acquire additional children from over the fence!  LOL

So much whining… (please tell me that the whining stops at 5???)

And THEN… because I am STILL sick, STILL wiped out, on day 3 of my Zithromax and STILL not feeling much better… Troy decided to keep up with the coupon shopping for the week.  It was a big week because of the Mega Sale at Krogers.  Lots of FREES and super cheaps on stuff that we needed to stock up on.  I traded and ordered Q’s online so some of them did not arrive until yesterday.  Tonight we still have one more run to do but we are almost there!

This is Troy and Owen’s booty from Kroger last night:

Shown in the picture:

10 steamfresh veggies (either 25 or 50 cents),

10 Land O Lakes Butters (17 cents each), $0.99 (Mega Sale) -

15 Glade Scented oil candle refill packs (50 cents each… yes I could get them free elsewhere but I would rather pay 50 cents for the refills than to get the entire candle holder and such free because it just seems like such a waste to me…),

20 Bumblee Tuna envelopes (FREE + $0.06 overage), $0.49 each (Mega Sale) – $0.55/1 Coupon = $0.06 overage

20 Krusteaz Pancake mixes (yes we REALLY like this stuff!) $0.17 each,$1.17 (Mega Sale) – $0.50/1 (doubled) = $0.17 each

10 Quaker Chewy Bars $0.99 each,

12 boxes of Cheez-its $0.25 each,

8 boxes of Betty Crocker Potatoes ( a few cents each… I totally honestly couldn’t tell you how much now but they were CHEAP… rest assured!  LOL)

Troy SAVED $192 and spent $44 ($10 of which was mucinex and more sudafed… blas it all this stupid sickness!)  ……….. nice right?Recent Comments:

• Michele K. says Impressive you really are accomplished with regards to writing. I love Xmas that’s why I also have a comparable web [more]
• Jen says Hi Amber! It’s lunchablemommy – actually not on A full cup anymore, so I wanted to send you my [more]
• Tracy says Love it! That is something Maggie would do. She loves Disney Princess stuff too. LOL. [more]
• Laura says I Love it!!!! And we use the newspaper bags for diapers and enema extras too….its my way of recycling [more]
• Deana Begg says Very good article! This is a highly beneficial website in which you have. [more]

• January 12, 2010 -- Coming Home!
• August 28, 2009 -- Another few faves from Gulf Shores…
• April 18, 2010 -- Back atcha! Meijer shopping trip 4/18/10
• January 6, 2010 -- First SNOW!
• November 15, 2009 -- Ten Commandments of Couponing!