Let's Do This.

Hello, December One.

*The Advent Calendar has begun and we're doing it differently this year. Instead of having all 24 boxes up on the wall for the little hands in my house to knock down fifty-seven times before Christmas, I'm putting them up one at a time.

*H came home with this from preschool today.

This is our family and our house.

And our two {invisible} pets.

This is one of those projects that he will find all tattered and torn in the bottom of a Rubbermaid bin 20-some years from now and I hope that he'll call me then and I will tell him exactly how it felt seeing him take it out of his backpack today and show me with pride; his family.

*There's a little girl turning two this week in our house. Her birthday shirt finally arrived today. Nothing like last minute. {I ordered it October 18!}

Here's a sneak peak of the backside:

It's pretty much my favorite birthday shirt yet.

*This is what underneath our Christmas tree looks like.

Those gifts are all from M. Who has a generous heart for her family.

At Target the other night she spent all $12 she had in her little coin purse picking things out for her family even after we told her over and over and over again she needn't get us anything.

"But I like to give!" She argues and she does.

Give, child, give. Keep giving your whole life through. We need more people like you, honey!

And that tree skirt, are you in love with those ruffles? HomeGoods, baby!

*She wears nightgowns now.

The other night I peaked in at her while she was sleeping and her legs were out from under her blanket and I noticed that she has little girl legs. Not baby legs, but little girl legs.

*There's a story in Minnesota Parent this month about H's Superhero party from last April. The story is here. And if you missed it back in April all the birthday party details are available here.

*I've got a job. And yes, while I've been doing random freelance here and there for quite a while, I now have a regular consistent, like write on a deadline sort of schedule job. I'm thrilled and excited. Yet, adjusting.

It came about very quickly and completely out of the blue. But I am thankful and feeling up for the challenge.

This afternoon I had one of those meltdown moments of wondering how it's going to work with everything else I've got going. I was on the phone with my editor while E was crawling across the kitchen table and H was screaming, literally SCREAMING at her to get down. I hang up the phone, look at the scrawled note I just wrote about what I need to get done by Saturday and I literally stood still for a moment.

I can do this. I can do this.

"She believed she could, so she did." -Suzanne Berry

*I am still asking you to consider donating to Rachel's trip to Haiti. We've got prayer support coming from the Domincan Republic. We've got a package coming from Green Bay, Wisconsin. Can you give up your latte tomorrow morning to donate $4? If we got a good chunk of readers to donate just that, she'd be good to go.

*Finally, I've got some giveaways awaiting.

Minnesota friends, Bravo Productions, LLC presents Christmas Again at the New Hope Cinema Grill. December 19 and 20.

A humorous, musical Christmas review including many of your favorite Christmas songs.

Leave a comment saying something other than pick me or I want to go to the show and you're entered to win a set of two tickets to the performance of your choice.

For more information or to buy tickets {only $15!} go here.

Winner to be chosen Sunday December 5 at 8pm.

{Disclosure 1: HomeGoods gave myself and several other bloggers a $25 gift card to use as we pleased this holiday season. }

{Disclosure 2: Bravo Productions, LLC has given me two complimentary tickets to the show and two to giveaway for hosting this giveaway and passing along the information!}