I love the idea of having an advent calendar to do as a family. With all the Christmas preparations and activities my boys are in anticpation of the big day. Having an advent calendar that teaches them the true meaning of Christmas and that points to Jesus Christ make the holiday season more special. I had been looking for weeks for the perfect Christian advent calendar that I can do with my toddlers. I found an awesome free printable advent calendar based on the book The Jesus Storybook Bible by Sally Lloyd. We have had this book in our home even before our boys were born; makes a great gift. It’s also my sons favorite Bible story book.
I printed the advent cards provided and made them double sided. One side the picture and the other with the date and pages to read. I hung up each day with the data facing out on our upstairs banister. Each night during for bed time my boys pick out the next day card. We all pile into bed while daddy reads the corresponding story. The card then goes back on the banister with the picture facing out. It is the best way to end our day.
Please share under comments what you think about this advent calendar and if you will be doing it with your family?
Merry Christmas! look for more holiday posts coming this month.
Fall in New York gives way to some fun family activities. An apple/pumpkin picking trip is alway a must. We live in the Westchester County area where many of the towns host fall festivals that families can enjoy. But by far my favorite fall activities take place at home; fall crafts and baking.
Wilkens Fruit & Fir Farm
New York has many farms that you can go apple picking in the fall. You can find farms that offer different activities. Some farms have a hayride, corn maze, bounces house, petting zoo, and picnicking. Each year we visit a different farm depending on what we want to do. This year we went to Wilkens Fruit & Fir Farm because it was not a long drive. We did not get to pick apples because of the lack of rain ripe apples where scarce. Our boys still had a great time in the pumpkin patch and playing on the hay bale. We did get to buy apply cider donuts and apple cider fresh from the farm.
Festival Time
The Junior League of Bronxville host Touch-A-Truck day every fall to raise money to stamp out hunger in Southern Westchester. With two boys and another one on the way Touch-A-Tuck event is a no-brainer. My boys, dad included, had so much fun getting look at and sit in vehicles they would normally not get a chance to rid in. They had a helicopter, fire truck, ambulance, constitution trucks, school bus, farm truck with animals, hunted truck, and a miniature train that travel around the festival lot. My favorite were all the food trucks. We bought a delicious pizza from a truck with a pizza oven.
Family Pumpkin Party
After busy school and work days spending time with family is always comforting. Since Maurice and I got married even before our boys we carved or decorated pumpkins every year. This year to make it extra special I wanted to do a dessert pumpkin party after dinner one night. I got all the supplies ready, pick up apple cider and apple cider donuts from Stew Leonard’s. I also made a pumpkin cake and cupcakes from a recipe I found. We had a nice time. It got a little messy but spending time as a family is alway worth the trouble.
Fall Play Date
I like hosting a few play dates during the fall before everyone begin to hibernate as the winter draws near. Since we have been having a seasonally warm fall a meeting up at the park was the best idea. The moms could talk while the kids run around. I set up a wagon full of goodies. Apple cider and apple cider donut from Stew Leonard’s are my fall obsession. I attempted to make chocolate covered apple slices that I saw on Pinterest. I also made mini pumpkin shape pizza pockets and mini apple pies. For a fall activity I bought small pumpkins for the kids to decorate and take home.
Check out a cute video about our fun pumpkin painting party. Stop by and subscribe to my YouTube channel. And to see more of our family adventures visit my husband’s vlog.
Fall is here once again and the small of apple ciders and pumpkin spice fill the air. Our family begins this harvest season with so many wonderful blessings. Maurice and I celebrated out 13th year of our first date with a vow renewal. We surprised our family with a vow renewal and also told them that we were expecting our 3rd baby.
The vow renewal took place at Maurice parents property in South Fallsburg, NY. I wanted the setting to be warm and inviting. Sunflowers, shades of yellows, and a beautiful dessert table made the perfect setting for our celebration. Costco is my go to place to get delicious desserts.
After the busy summer I was so ready to settle into a more calmer season. The warm colors that fill the landscape make fall the most beautiful time of the year in New York. I love bringing in the touches of fall into my home decor. A trip to Michaels and Home Depot help me get ready for my fall DIY projects.
I turned my secret garden from spring/summer to fall with the addition of mums that I picked up from Home Depot. Blake was my little helper in the garden.
I wanted a beautiful flower arrangement as the center piece for my fall decoration. Michaels has the best selections of silk flowers and I was able to get them at %50 off.
Fall also means back to school and this year both of my boys started school. Blake started nursery school a few times a week. I can’t believe that Logan is now in full day pre-k. Logan tells his brother that he is in a big boy school. Maurice and I are very blessed both boys so far really love and enjoy school.
Having a nice inviting work space is a must to help with productivity and motivation to get things done.
A year ago I turned our home office into a much needed playroom for my boys. This caused us to down size our office into a computer hutch in the living room. When I needed to work I would sit on the couch or dinning room table. Needless to say it was not comfortable and not much work got done. I missed having my own workspace.
For months I have been dreaming of having a chic beautiful workspace that I could work on blog ideas. I had two major challenges: a limited space and zero budget. I made a space in my living room so the workspace needed to blend with the decor and not look out of place. Pinterest was a big help to gathering ideas on what I wanted my workspace to look like.
Desk: My mom had a desk that she was going to get rid of so I took it and spray painted it gold and changed the knobs.
Chair: I searched for weeks for a nice office chair but my budget would not allow me to spend too much. Again my mom came to the rescue she had a desk chair. I did not like the look of the chair so I covered it with leftover fabric I got at Jo-Anns for some pillows I made.
Accessories: I wanted my desk accessories to be pretty. I took a cake stand that I already had to display my accessories. On a trip to T.J.Maxx I found a board with clips that I could hang on the wall to clip notes. I also got a cradle from T.J.Maxx with a “M” monogram. I took a lager mason jar and put some fake white flowers that I pick-up at Jo-Anns. I used a small mason jar as a pencil holder. At Target I fell in love with all the gold desk accessories, but again it did not fit into my budget. I decide to spray paint my existing stapler, tape dispenser, and scissors gold. I did get files and file holder at Target in the bargain spot. For the finishing touch I got a cute business card holder on sale at Michaels .
Bonus: The computer hutch now looked out of place so I decided to give it a new look. At Jo-Anns I got a stencil and gold paint to cover the hutch to match the rest of the workspace decor.
Everyday I look forward to sitting at my desk and getting work done. Having a beautiful place to work has also help me creativity.
Bunnies, baskets, and egg hunts are fun but Easter is about so much more. The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said… Matthew 28:5-6
I learned about “Hot Cross Buns” from a song on a children’s CD. I had never had them until I recently bought a few at my local bakery. Since that day I was in love. I then began a search for a good recipe. Allrecipe had a recipe that I could use my bread maker and video how-to. I did make two changes. I swapped the dried currants (could not find at my supermarket) with golden raisins. I also added the zest of one orange. They came out delicious.
Lamb is traditional in my home on Easter. I marinaded the lamb chops in red wine. Added rosemary, thyme, mustard, salt and pepper. Let them sit for 30 minutes. Grilled them on my stove top. My brother who does not eat lamb loved it.