Joyfully Weary

This is the outfit I wore for our Christmas Eve. You can see what the rest of my family wore here. 


This definitely my current favorite thrift find. Right now I'm enjoying black and white prints and this sweater is also super soft. 



Want more? Check out these link parties to see lots of other ladies having fun with their clothes: Watch What I'm Wearing,  Monday Mingle, Style Sessions,What I Wore Wednesday, and Friday's Five.

I've mentioned before that we always have three Christmas. Getting together for Christmas is pretty important to both our families and since Jeremy has Winter break we make the most of it. This year our first stop was to Iowa to see my family. We stayed with my little sister Sarah and her family. They were great hosts. One of the kids' favorite activities was a Rice Crispy train she made for them to decorate. 



My niece Isabell decided she liked me this time - she's a sweet girl. 

Ready to open gifts. 

One of the presents we got my brother Adrian was some streamers. It was fun watching him dance around with them. 

In addition to seeing my family we were also able to visit a few old friends. We also made it a point to stop at Taco John's - one of things I miss most about Iowa. 

Then it was time for our Christmas at home. This year we able to join our church in going to a assisted living home to sing and give gifts to the residents. I was really proud for my kids who wer…

Hoping you and your family has had a very Merry Christmas! 


"Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, 
and shall call his name Immanuel." 
Isaiah 7:14 


Immanuel: God is with us! 
Praise the Lord that he choose to be with us!

I normally don't post the same item in one week but Christmas is one of the only times I wear this skirt. I mentioned before that I got a whole bunch these skirts at a fill-a-bag-for-$2 sale a couple years back and this one is just perfect for the Christmas season. Which outfit did you like best? 

I also don't normally show by more casual outfits here but we will be traveling these next couple weeks and this is what I'll be wearing. It's become one my favorite stay-at-home day outfits too. It's it's cozy and warm but if need be removing the scarf makes it a little bit cooler. 
Want more? Check out these link parties to see lots of other ladies having fun with their clothes: Watch What I'm Wearing,  Monday Mingle, Style Sessions,What I Wore Wednesday, and Friday's Five.

On this morning she saw me using my flat iron and asked if I'd use it on her too. I tried to give her hair a bit of a curl. Unfortunately, it's a bit like mine and doesn't hold curls well. She was still super excited though because she thought she looked liker her Maca (her grandmother) who has very curly hair. 


When I asked Jeremy to take pictures of kids I hadn't yet been outside...it was freezing, they were troopers!


The day before these pictures were taken Mini Man's and Big Buddy's wrestling got a little out hand - hence the shiner. You can see a cute video of Mini Man explaining his black-eye here. 

Looking for more cute kids styles? Check out the link party: What Kids Wore Wednesday.

A couple weeks ago we hosted a Christmas party for our other friends with little kiddos. We want a party were they too could come and have a good time. We kept things pretty simple. I made some Italian beef and put out some chips, we also made a few goodies. All the party guest also brought either an appetizer or dessert. 

A little fun with this shot...I almost always do something silly for Jeremy when he takes my pictures.  This outfit it kind of like pajamas, wish worked out great because it was turn to sub in the nursery at church. 


I liked this outfit so much that I wore it twice...ssh! 


I'm totally have a bit of a "wine" moment. Shouldn't this of happened last year? Anyways, I'm currently loving these boots. 


This past Saturday we had a little party at our house. We hosted for other friends with kids so the kids could have some holiday fun together and we could get in a little time together too. Truth be told though I took this picture the next day. I had planed and planed but still ended with too much to do before people arrived. 


This was another church outfit. I didn't get to posting last week so you get two this week - :) I love this dress (skirt) but every time I wear I have careful the kids don't jump on it every time I bend down. 

We have always stuck to three gifts for your kids. Mostly, because they are very well loved and are already getting lots of other stuff from other people. In the past we've always done something to wear, something to read, and something they want. This year, we however, are doing this plan on the gifts the Three Wise Men brought the Lord.  The thing is though I love giving gifts! This is defiantly my love language and so one way that I have cheated is by filling there stockings full of good stuff too. The only problems is that I don't want lots of little extras/junk floating around. So here are a few stocking stuffers that are practical and fun but that hopefully won't leave your house full of unnecessary mess. 

Character Band-aids $3 - we usually only by regular band-aids so theses are always a hit. Binoculars $7 - we brought my sons a pair of binoculars a couple years backs and they love them. They are constantly looking at squirrels and birds outside the window or somet…

A couple years ago we made an Apple Orchard Farm and so this year we decided to make a little Christmas Tree Farm. 

Our Supplies: green paint, brown paint, brown paper packages, glue, sequins, and stars. 
Step 1: paint each child's hands green. 

Step 2: press hands on to the paper. Start with hands speared out and then turned together to make a triangle.

Step 3: wash child's hand and paint the next ones. 

Step 4: after all the children have finished painting add a trunk to the bottom of the trees. 

Step 5: once all the paint it dry use glue and sequins/stars to add decorations. 

And that's it now you have a tree farm ready to be displayed. 


If you are looking for Christmas tree books to go along with this activity I suggest these: Night Tree,  The Trees of The Dancing Goats, The Legend of the Christmas Tree, & The Apple Tree Christmas. 
Lots more great kid friendly ideas can also be found at these link parties: Link and Learn, Weekly Kid Co-op, Montessori Monday, Hip Homesch…