The First Week of Advent

Last Sunday started the Advent season at our house.  We try to have a short Advent devotional each night and light the candle on our Advent wreath.  The first candle is the candle of Hope.  Molly has been working on memorizing Isaiah 9:6 and Jane Anne has been reading Psalm 31:21-24.  

We also have our advent calendar, and each day the girls pull a card with an activity on it.  We’re loosely following the Advent of Books we did last year.  Sunday, to start the calendar, the girls unwrapped a new (to us) copy of When Santa Fell to Earth by Cornelia Funke, and we’ve been reading from that each night.  Monday they read If You Take a Mouse to the Movies and had popcorn after school, Tuesday we went to the Christmas parade — see my cute little elf below.  Wednesday, we read Stranger in the Woods and made peanut butter pine cone treats for the birds.  Thursday, we read Redheaded Robbie’s Christmas Story and they chose a toy to give away.  Friday, we read Who’s Knocking on Christmas Eve (our new Christmas book last year) and made a Christmas card for a friend. Saturday we went to Starbucks after their dance rehearsal.

I love counting down at this time of year!  What fun things are part of your traditions?  What are your favorite Christmas books?

 

Gratitute

In a lot of ways today at work was pretty crummy, and now I’m wide awake and anxious as I revisit the events and words I said (or didn’t say, or wish I’d said).  I know the best antidote to this kind of anxiety is gratitude, but I’m far better at the practice of letting anxiety fester than I am at being grateful (and gracious). So, a midnight list:

1.  A soft, warm cat who follows me the the living room from the bed and is curled in my lap as I type. 

2. Colder weather that’s on it’s way and the hopeful anticipation of snow.

3. That the semester is wrapping up and a long break is starting soon.

4. My students who are coming to the house tomorrow for hot chocolate and good conversation.

5. Friends who patiently listen to me vent.

6. A way-too-long list of books I want to read and a library to check them out from.

7. The smell of Christmas trees.

8. That I’m beginning to yawn.

Are there things that keep you up at night? How do you handle them? And, more importantly, what are you grateful for in this moment?

Thanksgiving Break

 

Thanksgiving comes at a busy time of the semester, so by the time it rolls around, we’re all needing a break.  In fact, I let the girls convince me to let them skip school on Tuesday (despite that fact that I cruelly made my student comes to class Tuesday afternoon).

It was a very relaxing break.  We cooked and played and read and generally enjoyed each others’ company.

Thursday we went to my parents’ house for a yummy Thanksgiving meal and had our annual silly string fight.

 

Friday (my very favorite day of the year!) we went to get our tree and decorated our house.

 

We surprised the girls with a Lego Winter Market set, so we spent Saturday and Sunday building on it — still working on the spinning carousel!

 

And yesterday afternoon, we celebrated a great break with milk and cookies.

 

The break was exactly what our family needed.  I feel renewed as we move into the last few weeks of school before Christmas!