baking

Brenna and I spent the day with my sister-in-law and nieces, baking breads and cinnamon ornaments.

The girls were very "hands on"

Here are a couple of Brenna's ornaments after they were dried and decorated

Oogave Soda Tour

A friend set up a fun tour for our homeschool group to the factory that make Oogave Soda. Right now it's sold mainly at Whole Foods, Sprouts and Sunflower Market. They use natural agave nectar in place of sugar or sweeteners in their soda.


It's a small business, so the tour was short but we learned a lot and the kids each got their own bottle to try.

This picture reminded me of Laverne & Shirley

We enjoyed the different flavors; the kids voted Watermelon Cream and Root Beer as their favorites. Give it a try if you see it in your store!

December daily book

I really love the idea of this book so I'm working on my own. You create a scrapbook for the month of December, and work on it each day so you have a completed book at the end of the month. I was able to go scrapbooking with a friend last month and got started on it. Since then, I've found a few spare minutes here and there and got all the pages done. Now I'm taking a picture a day to put in it. The first few pages will be advent and decorating the house.

A couple of my brilliant friends planned a fun activity for the first night of advent. We got together and had a Jesus birthday party. We had cake and crafts and talked about the real meaning of Christmas.

Each of us ladies created an advent wreath to take home.

Later, the men enjoyed a few games of darts.

At home, we lit the first candle and read some verses of the Bible. I hadn't yet dug out Jotham's Journey which we usually read each night.

All this week we have been getting the house decorated and making crafts. We did a simple, homemade advent calendar which I'm filling with small treats.

I'll try to update as the season goes on.

Yes, that is my SON =)

Thanksgiving 09

My parents were in town for Thanksgiving again this year. We had our big meal around 1pm and then had all my in-laws over for dessert in the evening. It was a wonderful day; I love taking the time out from our busy lives to just slow down and enjoy family.

It was especially sweet since Scott had been out of town the 10 days leading up to Thanksgiving. I was extremely thankful to have him back home again!!

My mom and dad with their grandkids