Catching Up and December Activities!

Whew!  It's been a crazy couple of weeks since I last wrote!

Thanksgiving here was very quiet and calm - just the way we like it!  We don't travel and don't invite any family to visit.  We eat early - around 1pm.  By 6pm, the dishes and leftovers are put away and I was in my jammies with a glass of Bailey's and cake-flavored vodka.  The perfect ending to a great day. 

We didn't do any shopping on Black Friday either.  We normally use that day to take the girls to drop off toys for Toys for Tots.  And while, yes, there are some great deals to be had....I'd rather teach my children that the best "deal" of all is helping others. 

We spent the rest of the weekend getting the Christmas stuff sorted and decorated.  My Marine spent most of his weekend on his back in the driveway trying to fix his Jeep.  The day before Thanksgiving the darn thing wouldn't start, so I had to drive him to work.  He ended up replacing the starter and the fuel pump -- and when all was send and done, it STILL wouldn't start.  On Monday we were ready to have it towed to the garage.  That is until our friend, Ben, came by to take a look.  Ben owns Jeeps.  Ben loves Jeeps.  Ben KNOWS Jeeps.  It seems that My Marine's Jeep knew this and sensed his presence because when Ben showed up - the damn thing started right up with no problems and has been running since.  Go figure.

Anyway - we're now back to two running vehicles and I've got a lot of catching up to do!

Over the next few days I've got some great posts planned!  We've started our holiday season off with some fun crafts and a new Advent activity calendar that I am just loving (and we've only done Day 1!).  I also have some fun giveaways planned -- including an awesome "artist-themed" giveaway in honor of Nani's upcoming 7th birthday.  (We're doing an artist-themed birthday party for her next Saturday!)

Hope you're all doing well and are enjoying the blessings of this holiday season!!