the days of december (okay, and a teensy bit of november...)

just a few moments to give you an idea of what's been going on around here recently...

 we had a lovely Thanksgiving in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan with my mom and dad. Kati and her boyfriend Kurt made the long trek from Delaware to be with us...dinner was especially yummy, and we had a great time!

 more Thanksgiving photos....a family weekend would not be complete without a wrestling match between siblings, with dogs barking all around...

we left the U.P. early Friday morning in a snow storm to hurry home for our annual gingerbread house event! we have been doing this since the girls were very young, and we have wonderful traditions surrounding this now...lunch before as we gather our strength...much smack talk during the decorating...and a rousing game of charades at the end...

 i've also been attempting to appease my inner creative kimberly, so i've been sewing, knitting, making Christmas cards, and also this Christmas banner....

the metal nativity fireplace screen is my favorite thing that we've brought back from Haiti...and the new stockings were a great find at meijer. this year when i unpacked the stockings we've used the last 14 years, they were, well...somewhat moldy. ewwww....not sure how that happened.

i wasn't prepared to make new stockings just yet, nor did i want to shell out $200 for stockings on a whim...so these cute things were on sale for $2.99 each! i dressed them up a bit with glitter initials from walmart, which were $1 each. when you have 9 stockings and a blended family, stocking identification is crucial!

i am *loving* my advent devotions this year, although they began before advent and will carry on after we celebrate His birth, as well. if you are looking for a way to get to know Him better, you may want to pick this up:
Jesus: 90 Days With the One and Only
amazing.

blessings, my friends.