30 November 2010

The Advent Book

As you might have guessed from this post, we celebrate Advent. I love looking for a new Advent calendar each year and may, in fact, have several waiting in the wings for future use or to give to friends. But our favorite way to observe Advent is with this wonderful book:


The authors, Jack and Kathy Stockman, have created a gorgeous way to celebrate the Christmas story. Truly appropriate for the coffee-table, 'the Advent Book' contains original illustrations by Jack and features 25 doors which open to reveal a picture and segment of the Christmas story. It's told chronologically, beginning with Gabriel's revelation to Mary and ending with Jesus' birth. 'The Advent Book' has become a tradition in our house with our boys taking turns reading even and odd pages. (Amazingly, they seem to remember from year-to-year who read which pages last year and switch accordingly.)


  
 
Some screencaps from the Advent Book site

If you are interested in ordering, 
click through here to shop the Stockmans 'Celebrations and Traditions' site.

Hope you have a happy, healthy holiday season - and enjoy this 'most wonderful time of the year!'

Thanks for perusing; blog you again soon!  tIO x

PS: If you do buy the book and have little ones, I suggest playing the 'hidden animal hunt'. On each page, Jack has 'hidden' an animal - some easy to spot, others not so.

28 November 2010

More Patience

I'm doing some remodelling of the blog right now. Seems like each week, a widget gets updated (or rewritten), pics and videos are lost, or I find a lovely new blog to add to the blogroll. However, I am nothing if not regularly striving to be organized. So this time, instead of plonking down with a book and silently fretting about it, I am doing something. It may take some time and might include using posterous. Or not. We'll see.

Regardless, like every thing else, this blog is a work in progress. I'm even thinking of posting some 'before-after' photos of our house, which has undergone (and continues to undergo) a transformation from its previous owners. During our house hunt, I described it to my husband as 'well-cared for' and having 'good bones', but in need of 'a decorating overhaul' as it's decor resembled a Marriott from the 1980s. The early 1980s. Alright for some (clearly); just not our style. And what a boring world this would be if we all liked the same things, eh?

Here's a tease:

the Master Bedroom 'before'

Meanwhile, please excuse the mess. And thanks for perusing; blog you again soon!  tIO x

24 November 2010

Happy Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving Turkey, Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade 2007 (Getty Images)

"O Lord, we thank Thee for this food,
For every blessing, every good.
For earthly sustenance and love
Bestowed on us from heaven above.
Be present at our table, Lord.
Be here and everywhere adored.
Thy children bless and grant that we
May feast in paradise with Thee."

Happy Thanksgiving

16 November 2010

Waiting Patiently

Patience is something I have been advised never to pray for. (And that suggestion comes from someone who also never uses the word 'never' or ends a sentence with a preposition.) Alas, some of us are not naturally inclined toward it and therefore have to either pray for patience or acquire it through osmosis.

I prefer to 'practice' patience. Currently, I am practicing with this:

It arrived in my mailbox today. However, I am waiting until the day after Thanksgiving, aka 11 more days, to plaster it to the glass side door. Of course, I then will practice additional patience, aka 5 days after that, to begin hanging the 'ornaments'. *sighs*

Wherever did I find such a clever thing? The lovely ladies of Willow Creek Signs created it! After 'Wonderful Graffiti' - my online, go-to wall decal shop - closed earlier this year, I'd been looking for its replacement. Unsurprisingly, I ventured onto Etsy. As ever, I am glad I did.

For this 'Advent Calendar' design, they offer four styles of trees:

And for all of their wall decals, they have literally dozens of colors from which to choose! I do like choices.

Oh, look!  *checks clock*  It's Tuesday already! 10 more days...

Thanks for perusing this blog; blog you again soon!   tIO x

More designs from Willow Creek Signs:
   


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