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?

There is plenty of room for all of my friends. Click the RSS feed to subscribe. Thanks for stopping by!

Halloween is over.

Thanksgiving is upon us.

We are starting to think about putting those fall decorations away and getting the house ready for the holidays.

Of course, it also means that time of the year that some of us dread~

Christmas Cards

Time to gather the kids, put them in clothes that at least coordinate, try to get them to sit still, look at the camera AND smile all at the same time.

Some have it easy.

Some say impossible.

I know that it is difficult to get a good enough picture from my children.

But sometimes those make the best Christmas memories.

This year, I think I am going to try Shutterfly for my Christmas cards. I have used them in the past for printing pictures and other items, but I have never used their Christmas cards.

I have yet to attempt to try and take any pictures yet, but here are a few cards I really like.

I love the colors of this one. I also like that I could have one large picture of all 3 kids and then there is room for an individual picture of each child.

I love the simplicity of this one as well as the message. Plus, I only have to try to get one good picture.

This one is again very simple. It leaves room for the pictures to tell the story. And again, there is room for a photo of all 3 children and individuals of each one.

I guess I should get on the ball and think about getting some pictures taken so I can see how they fit into the cards I like.

Shutterfly is not just about photo cards either. They have wall calendars that you can create. They have a variety of calendars for all seasons and occasions.

You can also create your own Christmas Gift Tags!

I just love this one~~

Do not forget, that you can also just upload your photos and order your prints directly online from Shutterfly.

**Disclaimer** I am receiving 50 free flat of 5×7 folded photo cards of my choosing for doing this review. If you are a blogger and interested in participating and receiving your own free 50 photo cards, go HERE.