December 2010

31 Days of Encouragement

December 31, 2010

Are you familiar with the “31 Days” blog series? It started with ProBlogger’s 31 Days to Build a Better Blog. In October, the Nester organized a group of women who put together another fabulous 31 Days series. In the month of January I am participating in 31 Days of Ministry Online hosted by A Woman [...]

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Ending the Year with a Flurry of Activity

December 30, 2010

Today is the first day in a week that I’ll spend a relatively quiet day at home, as quiet as a house that now contains nine people and a continual Just Dance 2 wii party can be. Here’s what’s we’ve been doing: Last Wednesday my oldest daughter and I went to Annie’s book signing party [...]

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Help-Portrait at My Location

December 22, 2010

The H-P crew from the Lawrenceville Housing Authority I told you about my case of Help-Portrait jitters this year. What I didn’t tell you is how fabulous it turned out to be; how we shot for eight-nine straight hours but loved every minute of it; how many people were blessed by the efforts of our [...]

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Straight No Chaser at Atlanta’s Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre

December 21, 2010

It wasn’t until Sunday evening that I realized I’ve been in the audience for every Straight No Chaser Atlanta concert. My husband, 15-year-old son, 14-year-old daughter, and I attended this one. My family hearts SNC. One of the greatest things about an SNC concert, besides the music, is their open policy regarding photography and video. [...]

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Sometimes Less is More

December 18, 2010

We’re not always consistent in our Christmas gift giving. Because we don’t pay for gifts on credit, each year is different. Last year we told our kids to be prepared for a slim Christmas, but they thought it was one of the best. How? When there’s less to spend, every dollar counts. Shopping becomes smarter. [...]

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iHeartFaces Week 49 (2nd year): Pets

December 13, 2010

This week’s theme at iHeartFaces is “Pets.” This was my entry to the Solo Cups Photo Contest this summer. I had taken pictures of cups and kids, but my daddy said I should add our dog to the picture. My 10-year-old daughter adores our tired, old pet, so she was the natural choice to pose [...]

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DaySpring for Your Home: Win a $50 Store Credit!

December 11, 2010

I adore DaySpring’s Ever Grateful collection. Our personal collection is growing piece by piece: the memo board with easel, small vase, serving bowl, trivets, wooden caddy. Last week I received an Ever Grateful – 4 Piece Wasabi Place Setting to review. It manages to be functional, yet elegant; traditional, yet contemporary. Timeless. If I had [...]

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My Favorite Version of Silent Night

December 8, 2010

Last year we discovered the Christmas album The Dawn of Grace by Sixpence None the Richer. It instantly became one of our all-time favorites. It just makes me happy. I found this quirky video for it on YouTube. Their are two verses with additional lyrics woven within the original, and someone nicely posted the additional [...]

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Straight No Chaser Giveaway: Two Tickets for the December 19th Concert in Atlanta!

December 6, 2010

{Contest is closed. Winner is Bill.} Since the day when I was introduced to them at a blogger meet-and-greet and a concert that night, I’ve been a fan of the a cappella group Straight No Chaser. I’ve seen them twice in concert, once with my husband and once with three of my kids. They are [...]