I am sitting here by my fireplace getting myself geared up for finishing up plans to host Thanksgiving dinner at my house next week and reflecting on the fact that while I am not quite where I would like to be with Christmas goals, I am so much better off than I would be with out all of you!  I have stocked up on the things  I will need to prepare meals next week, have those menus planned, and best of all, I have accomplished the single most stressful task for our family each holiday season.  I just pressed the approval button for our Christmas card order.  (and a choir-like chorus of Hallelujahs immediately rang through the air!)  

But here is the BEST PART!!

As I sat down to complete my order I decided to check email first (procrastination) and low and behold in my inbox was a discount code for 20% off my Tiny Prints order.  We order a lot of cards, and I was ordering stationary for several gifts, so this was significant savings!  The code is 20gift and it can be used until the 19th.  If you have already done your cards, good for you! You might think about stationary or invitations from tinyprints, they are SUPER cute, if you have need of those things.

I am so proud of all the progress I hear some of you are making, especially our brand new December 1sters!   Let us know how you are doing, it is inspiring for those of us who are a little behind.  Let us know why you are doing all of this, how it is worth it.  We have lots and lots of visitors to this site, from all over the world.  I'll bet other people would like an idea of what this is about, as well.  Hope you have a wonderful week!  

Almost There!

First of all, I love the new look!

Second, I went to TJ Maxx yesterday and they have a huge selection of Christmas decorations and gifts. I bought gifts for all of our teachers, both at PCA and Wee School, and the Wee school aides...a total of 8! I also picked up some beautiful picture frames for 6-9 dollars apiece which is much cheaper than I have seen anywhere else.

I am almost finished with shopping...just the nieces and nephews left! It is going to be so nice to sit back in the evenings and relax with my family and a cup of Polar Express hot chocolate from Sams and not feel the time crunch during the month of December. Thanks, Laurie!

Linen-n-Things

Did you know that Linen-n-Things are going out of business nationwide? That means two things: Use up any gift cards you have and finish some shopping. They have Ginger Bread Houses and Cookies already made in a box for a fun family activity. You don't have to cook. Just bring them out and decorate. I have two boxes stashed away for a family night memory during the season. As of now they are 20% off. If you know of an item from there you have been waiting to get, this is the time to get it! Happy Shopping early!

Tiny Prints

I received a coupon code for cards from TinyPrints.com. If you place an order of $99 or more, you will get $10 off. The code is MSEMAIL2008. It expires 12/19/2008. Happy shopping!

More music to add?

  I have LOVED checking out the favorites shared so far, thanks to Tracy's post on the 2nd.  So keep those favorites coming!!  By the way, I would love to add more music to play on this blog, but I only have access to music that is stored at playlist.com, so our selection is very limited.  I'll keep looking for anything you suggest!  Nighty night! 

"Because your love is better than life,

my lips will glorify you.

I will praise you as long as I live,

and in your name I will lift up my hands.

My soul will be satisfied 

as with the richest foods:

with singing lips my mouth will praise you."

It's the little things...

This week I have added a very simple pleasure to my Christmas shopping, and grocery shopping as well.  I don't know about you guys, but the Newmans are not very good recyclers. We would like to be, we do some things sometimes,  but a lot of the time we are doing well just to get the trash out, much less getting it sorted and to the appropriate locations.  I am not proud of this fact, just honest.   

I do think about those things, though, I would like to do what we can toward caring for the earth.  I have seen reusable shopping bags around town - at Kroger - and lots of other places. But I have always resisted the idea, thinking that I would forget to take them to the store, and really just not finding the idea very appealing. :(

Until I spotted this shopping tote at Barnes and Noble when I was checking out. It was just so .... pretty. It is a great size, lovely, and cost $4.95 because I am a Barne and Noble member.  I bought three.  I took them to Kroger a bit later that afternoon and when I asked the checker to put my groceries in these bags, she gave me a small discount on my groceries. The bags are hanging in my hallway looking very pretty and festive, I loved using them at Kroger because 7 or more plastic bags of groceries fit in my three larger stronger bags, and I feel very recycle savy! I could carry my groceries in the house with one trip (the bags are heavier but no big deal:))  You guys may already be on top of this type of thing, but I just wanted you to know!  Have a wonderful Monday!

Satisfication in Christ

Yesterday when I went into a store and had them wrap the Christmas gifts I purchased, I was wishing I had my appropriate Christmas tags in my notebook so that I could go ahead and correctly tag the gifts...instead of taping names with scrap paper onto them...so put some gift tags in your notebook...I am almost threw with my shopping for everyone but the children! I cannot decide where to draw the line on how much we spend on them this year...I LOVE giving gifts so this is always difficult for me...but I want children who are satisfied in Him not things...
"Why spend money on what is not bread and your labor on what does not satisfy? Listen, Listen to Me and eat what is good and your soul will delight in the richest of fare" Isaiah 55:5 ....praying we all find satisfaction in Christ Alone during these holidays... Also, the book, Christmas Jars, by Jason Wright might be a possible book to read aloud to your family. I think the premise is that money is saved in a jar and is passed on to those in need...it might be a story that could go along with what our family is doing this Christmas as we try to help others...just wanted to let ya know! Happy Holidays!!!

Does everyone already know about the wonder of buying shoes at Zappos?  Free shipping both ways, tons of unique shoes, stock always changing,  I could go on and on....   I know a person would rarely GIVE shoes as a Christmas gift, but you do need to WEAR shoes during the holidays, and I just couldn't stand the thought of ANYONE not knowing about it.  That's it! 

Wish Lists

Hi everyone! I am trying this idea out this year...I'm pretty excited about it and hoping it works! Like most of you, my "normal-life" schedule is pretty much full as it is. So when it comes to adding another activity, it's really hard to fit it in. Even when it's something as fun as Christmas shopping for friends and family!! On amazon.com, you can create wish lists. Amazon has anything and everything you can imagine. I sent an email to all my family asking them to take a few minutes to create a wish list for themselves and their children. You can then go onto www.amazon.com and search for people's wish lists! I'm so excited about this...I always love to get out and do some shopping, but anything I can do online is so nice!! Happy Christmas planning everyone...looking forward to celebrating our Savior's birth all of December!!!

Fa La La La La, La La La La! Christmas Music!

Okay, the "Countdown until Christmas" clock at the bottom of this page cracks me up for some reason! Thankfully, it does not cause me stress! I am seriously getting in the mood for Christmas! It is about time to pull out the Christmas music!!! What is every one's favorite Christmas CD? Mine may be Harry Connick Jr.'s.

  I just wanted to share with you the darling stationary company of my friend Dabney Herring Stevens. Dabney creates the design and will customize as well.  The products are wonderful, just wanted you to know.  Just for fun thought you should know that Dabney is a wife and mother of two darling boys, and is also the aunt of the McMullan quadruplets and Mollie and Kate McMullan for whom many of you have been praying.  

Mollie Pop Press 

Mollie Pop Press

Just what you had in mind.

Mollie Pop Press is a small stationery company in Alpharetta, Georgia. It was started out of a desire to communicate stylishly, whether by note, invitation or identification. For many people I know, Santa Claus brings a variation of the same gift every year; for my four sisters and me, it was stationery. As we got married, Santa continued bringing stationery with our exciting new names in print. Our husbands were soon included in such gifts from Santa because we loved seeing their names in beautiful print as well, sometimes just to distract from the actual handwriting! My mother is an AP English teacher, and she has mastered the fine art of writing, whether on a post-it note or fine linen paper. Thus Santa's gift. Each of us grew to love seeing our names in print.

 

Mollie Pop Press strives to create, manufacture and deliver personalized paper products that you will love as much as we loved the stationery we received for Christmas each year. Whether you are browsing our website for yourself or for someone else, our products will arrive neatly and beautifully packaged with a personal note attached at your request. And, as always, we offer a 100% money-back guarantee if you are not completely satisfied. Thank you for your interest in Mollie Pop Press.

A Few Christmas Thoughts

Merry Christmas! AM I really blogging? Okay, I have tried to put these tips onto the blog two other times, if this time doesn't make it, then you weren't meant to have the tips. They are not that profound anyway! I am just trying to encourage my friend by responding to her AWESOME Holiday blog!!!!!!!!!!! If these tips show up three times, I apologize.
1) Using cute ribbon, tie Christmas Cards on a Christmas tree each day they arrive. You can then pray for the families on the tree...and after taking them down...continue to pray for a few of them each day all year long by scrolling through them each morning during your quiet time.
2)Put out a holiday puzzle...I bought one on sale for half price after Christmas last year and can't wait for our family to sit by the fire and the tree and work it together. Isn't that why we are doing all of this?
3)Instead of saving entire catalogs, I buzz thru them daily and only keep the page I like with the gift idea I like circled. I put the name of who it would be appropriate for on it and I check to make sure there is a phone # or website address at the bottom of the page. Then I store it in my Christmas notebook. I am going to take a few of these to The Peanut Gallery tomorrow and make sure that they cannot order them before I go on-line...I really do feel it is important to shop locally if possible.
4)In response to Jennifer's question about something meaningful to have your kids do...I heard from Pete Newman (Kanakuk Kamps...go to their website!) that one idea was to give your child some money and have them find one person/organization to help over the holidays...I am going to try that this year. The International Justice Mission (IJM.org) is an organization to look into if you are seeking world justice...you probably will want to do something a little more hands on and locally tho for Christmas.