Busy Time of Year

Making Birthday Cards for Church...

Getting Ready for Advent...

and Keeping Up With My Secret Pal!

The cards, I made very simply because the post office makes us pay extra for hand sorting if they have 3-D decorations on them.  The ladies also wanted some "male" cards for the men in our church.

The advent bags were so much fun! I cut out an ornament shape from my Joys of the Season Cricut Cartridge, a white topper, and a number from my Making The Grade Cartridge.  I had them laminated and each bag also includes an advent verse or passage for prophesy and leading up to and including the actual birth of Christ.  There is a little "treat" that is either candy, a toy, or a craft in each bag for the kids to enjoy.  They have LOVED it!!!  I am keeping the ornaments and the verse slips so I can reuse them again next year! The bags are just red and white lunch sacks from the food section at Target.

Finally, my secret pal gift was super easy! I just painted snowman face on a glass jar and added a felt hat that is around the lid.  I stuffed it with marshmallows and hot chocolate packs for a warm and toasty winter treat to celebrate our first snow fall of the year!

Organizing things this time of year is so important because it keeps you from overspending and enjoying the things that matter during the holiday season.  Recently, I took myself out to lunch and sat at the table writing everything down I wanted to get done.  I looked at the calendar and sorted the items I was hoping to get done by week so I could break the tasks of shopping, baking, and other Christmas traditions down into smaller, less overwhelming "To Do" lists.  By the time Christmas Day and the celebrations that follow arrive, I will have completed and enjoyed the holidays to fullest, all done with much less stress!  A well planned holiday season makes for lasting memories you can enjoy even as you complete each task!

Back to my workshop... (Ho, Ho, Ho!)