Monday, December 31, 2012

Christmas card

Jonathan and I have had many incredibly blessed and wonderful experiences in 2012! I hope you all have as well. I want to share our Christmas card with you. Enjoy! (Click on the images to view larger.)

Pictures of our year
The descriptions for the pictures (These pages were designed to be printed double-sided,
so the descriptions are on the opposite side of the page from the pictures that they correspond with.)

Merry Christmas, readers, and a very happy New Year! I hope 2013 is an amazing year for you all!

Saturday, December 15, 2012

Home for the Holidays!

I'm starting the trip home in about four and a half hours! Yep, that's early (2 a.m. over here in the east), but it means I'll be in Seattle by 12:30 p.m. and home about 7 or 8 hours after that (traffic and weather permitting). I can't wait!! See you soon, everyone from the Okanagan Valley!

Saturday, December 01, 2012

Advent activities calendar

Every December of my life (except, I think, 2010 when I was living in Tanzania) I've had a chocolate Advent calendar. Even last year in Korea I convinced Jonathan that we needed to go to E-Mart, the large Korean chain store, and search the International aisle for Advent calendars. (Yes, we found some.) In all the hustle and bustle of decorating the house this week and getting our things ready to move, I nearly forgot about the Advent calendar tradition. I remembered last night and told Jonathan we'd have to go get a couple tomorrow. (Picture coming! :)

This year, in addition to the chocolate Advent calendar, I want to start a new tradition with Jonathan. A tradition where we take a little bit of time each day of December and spend it doing something together. So we made a list of fun activities to do together. Some of the things on the list are concerts or events that we've committed to taking part in. Others are just fun things I've always enjoyed doing with my family or ideas I read on other blogs and thought would be fun to try. Some will involve more people than just the two of us (our families or fellow church members). Some will be just for us, a time when we can put away other distractions and just spend time together. I love all the ideas and I just can't wait to get started! December is going to be SO much fun!!

December Advent Activities
Dec. 1, Saturday - Read the Christmas story from the Bible
Dec. 2, Sunday - Play with the Topsham Strings at L.L. Bean in Freeport
Dec. 3, Monday - Set up and decorate small Christmas tree
Dec. 4, Tuesday - Decorate our new apartment for Christmas
Dec. 5, Wednesday - Send out Christmas cards
Dec. 6, Thursday - Set up nativity scene (maybe this one this year since my creche is still packed)
Dec. 7, Friday - Play in Handel’s Messiah at the Brunswick church
Dec. 8, Saturday - Attend Talent Show at Penner’s ?
Dec. 9, Sunday - Make paper snowflakes
Dec. 10, Monday - String popcorn while listening to and singing favourite Christmas music
Dec. 11, Tuesday - Make marshmallow snowmen
Dec. 12, Wednesday - Make a real snowman (snow pending, might have to switch)
Dec. 13, Thursday - Make sugar popcorn and watch a Christmas movie
Dec. 14, Friday - Have a sock snowball fight :)
Dec. 15, Saturday - Go Christmas caroling with the Topsham church
Dec. 16, Sunday - Drink hot chocolate & read a Christmas story/book (when we get to Kelowna)
Dec. 17, Monday - Cut down a real Christmas tree in the woods, bring it home, and decorate it
Dec. 18, Tuesday - Make a gingerbread house
Dec. 19, Wednesday - Drive/walk around town and look at Christmas lights
Dec. 20, Thursday - Make and decorate sugar cookies (and/or make gingersnaps)
Dec. 21, Friday - Colour/draw Christmas pictures while listening to a Christmas story
Dec. 22, Saturday - Participate in the Orchard City church Christmas program & go Christmas caroling in the evening
Dec. 23, Sunday - Wrap Christmas presents and put them under the tree
Dec. 24, Monday - Play crokinole and board/card games with family; Later, open Christmas name gifts with extended family and then open Christmas Eve pajamas with immediate family

*Note: I would like to try to blog about these activities. I can't promise I'll blog about each one every day, but I'll try to blog about several together at the very least. Look out for a lot of blog posts coming throughout December! Also, all of these activities are subject to change, especially making a snowman and the ones later in the month when we'll be in BC. I haven't confirmed the activities or dates with my family, but I'm quite sure they will be quite happy to join in in the activities, even if we have to move them to different dates.