Are you there God? Its Me.

Yikes! I did not realize how long it had been since I had posted. Time sure has a way of getting by you really quickly when you are not looking. I apologize for being away so long.

There are a couple of reasons why I have been MIA.

The first one is because I have been working on the launch of my latest website, Our Deals to Your Meals. I wanted to get this blog back to being more of a personal blog and take away some of the couponing, deals, giveaways, etc. and put it on this new blog. It was a lot harder then I expected to get it going, but it is now up and running. I started the “soft launch” right before Thanksgiving and I will be doing a relaunch sometime after the holidays. Go HERE to check it out.

The other main reason is because I have been trying really hard to slow down during the holidays and treasure the little moments. I have tried to cut back on my busyness and tried to be more mindful about how I am spending my time each day. I want to make memories for my children. I want to spend time with them enjoying their presence and enjoying the spirit of the season. I do not want to spend my time searching for that “perfect” gift.

I had about 98% of my Christmas shopping done by the time Black Friday and Cyber Monday were over. I wanted to have that out of the way so we could really focus on the Christmas season.

This year we have started a new tradition called 25 Days of Christmas.

I got this really awesome kit from Stampin’ Up. It came with all the boxes, the outside decorations, the rope and clothespins to hang it up.

I sat out and planned one activity for every day. Each day, we open a box and it will have an activity for that day. Some of them are things we only do around Christmas time, but some are things that we would normally do. The whole point of the Advent calendar is to be mindful about what we should be focusing our attention on during the holidays.

The kids have really enjoyed this so far and they are begging me to open up the box every morning.

I missed taking pictures of Day #1 which was writing a letter to Santa and writing a letter to Jesus.

Day #2 was making paper snowflakes.

Day #3 was a visit to see Santa.

Day #4 was making Gingerbread Santa Sleighs

Day #5 was popcorn and family game night.

So there you have it….that is what I have been up to lately, along with quite a bit more. I will show you more pictures in the future.

I hope to post a little more often then I have been, but I do still plan on not being tied to the computer completely and enjoying the holiday season with my family.

What are some of your favorite holiday traditions?

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I recently had the opportunity to review the recently released book entitled It Was Out of Love by James S. Marr.

It Was Out of Love is a memoir that is “a true love story of deception, grace, and forgiveness.” It weaves you in, out, and around the life story of James Marr and his wife of 30 years, Melissa. Through James’ career in the air force, countless moves around the world, and his search for a home church, Melissa stood by her husband through it all. Melissa was supportive, loving and loyal to her husband. Despite all that, her past held many surprises that she hid for over 30 years.

As you read the book, you will fall in love with James and Melissa and their obvious love and devotion to each other. Only through his faith and through God’s assistance was James able to find forgiveness and peace from his wife’s deception. James is a true example of how to rely on God to find true forgiveness.

True forgiveness of someone I loved is something that I daily struggle with. It is not something that comes easy to us when we feel betrayed and hurt by someone we trust. James shows an amazing amount of grace and truly allows Jesus to shine through him in this story of forgiveness.

I definitely recommend this book if you are looking for an powerful message on forgiveness, grace and mercy. It is an inspiring book that will have you on your knees asking for God’s help.

You can check out more about the book and James S. Marr on his website, It Was Out of Love. You can purchase the book, It Was Out of Love on Amazon.

**Disclaimer** I did receive a copy of the book, It Was Out of Love from James S. Marr in order to do this review.