One month....

...from today, it will be Christmas Day. When I pointed that out to the kids at school today, I didn't quite get the reaction I was expecting. They just kind of stared blankly at me as I got all excited. Oh well, I guess a month is still a long time for a little kid!

Tonight we started our annual Advent project. The girls are designing cards once again to raise money for Hope International Development Agency. Last year we made enough to buy two cows. We all cozied up on the rug tonight in front of the fire and did Christmas art for the cards. Mike and I gave suggestions and feedback while the girls drew and coloured. I'm quite impressed by the results! I scanned them tonight so I'll get them printed up at Costco tomorrow and make up the cards before the weekend. We had a lot of fun working together. Even Bella joined us, trying to steal erasers and felt pens. What a brat...she's just like another kid, always wanting our attention.

We've been getting out the Christmas decorations this week. We've pretty much got them all up except for the tree and the lights outside. It's been fun to prepare. I've got our advent wreath ready for the weekend. We light our first candle on Sunday....hard to believe. I feel pretty calm, considering I've done hardly any Christmas shopping. Actually, I bought the girls gifts online. I bought them each a Maplelea doll this year. They've been salivating over the catalogue for a couple years now, so I'm pretty excited to finally get them.

I watched this video recently and decided to take it to heart this year. It's a good reminder about keeping things in perspective. When I've been tempted to add yet another decoration to my Christmas stash, I've thought twice about whether I really need it.