Thrive Moms Sweet Swap

I have been a blog follower for a few years now, and I have enjoyed being introduced to new ideas, foods, fashion tips, and lifestyles.  Since becoming a blogger myself, I've continued to explore other blogs, websites, instagram accounts, etc.  One such website is called Thrive Moms. 

The general concept is celebrating moms who are thriving in this hectic life, and it is centred in Christianity.  The words under their "Who we are" tab say:

Thrive is a ministry for moms to encourage and inspire you to do more than just survive motherhood. We believe God wants us to THRIVE and walk confidently in who He calls us to be as mothers.

I receive a newsletter each Monday morning with a devotional related back to being a mom.  I always love a new perspective on life, and it is a thoughtful piece of writing to start my week (by the way, does any one else feel like going back to work on Monday is a welcome "break"?).

When I saw the invitation to participate in the 2nd annual Sweet Swap, I jumped at the chance to try something new.  The concept is simple enough - sign up, get assigned a Sweet Swap Partner, pack up a box of goodies with a price limit of $25, and then ship it off in time for Christmas.  #thrivesweetswap

My Partner lives in Ontario, which is kind of neat, I thought I might be shipping something across the border.  I packed up my box this weekend and it is ready to mail.

Some candy

Tree Garland from Target

Homemade Peppermint Cookies

 

Of course some Arbonne samples!

And a little note with the recipe

 

I am excited to receive my package soon!

Friday Favourites

Linking up with Andrea and Erika for Friday Favourites:

1. I love my new phone case.  I have been sans case for awhile and it has been my undoing (somewhat).  I broke the screen on my last phone when it fell from the arm of a chair to the floor.  I did have a case on it but it was a hard case and provided no actual support in the fall.  Then I got the 5S iPhone, and did not get a case for it either. I broke that screen when first, someone sat on it under a couch cushion, and I finished it off when I dropped it in my office. I just got this phone case on the weekend at Kate Spade.  I am loving it for now, and it is my new favourite accessory.

2. My favourite new way to do Christmas cards - a photo card.  I have always handwritten my cards, and usually typed a letter to include for everyone. I didn't mind doing it, but this year I ordered a photo card from Shutterfly and provided a link to this blog rather than writing a Christmas letter.  I completed the cards in one night! Definitely the way to go.

3. One of my favourite things about my job is closing a transaction.  We had a deal that closed on October 31. We worked hard on it, and this week the client dropped off a thank you gift and note.  It isn't always an easy job but when people show their gratitude for my work, it is a nice feeling.

4. I finally ordered Pottery Barn stockings.  They arrived this week, and I think they are my new favourite addition for Christmas.

5.  My new favourite shake - banana, peanut butter, chocolate protein powder, kale, and almond milk.  Packed with good things and very tasty.

Happy Friday!!



Advent Calendar

Dave's sister made an advent calendar for E last year.  We would usually have a standard chocolate per day advent calendar with the mediocre chocolate.  This year is our first year with the homemade version. 

Instead of just doing chocolate, I bought a variety of treats from the Bulk Barn - chocolates yes, but also some dried apples, ringolos, cheesies, and banana chips.  I put them in little baggies and stuffed them in the pockets.

 

 

I also found something on Pinterest that had a scripture reading per day, so I wrote those out on a card and we will read those as well. 

For the record, we do not do Elf on the Shelf, it just doesn't appeal to me.  As is typical when something becomes really popular, I instead deliberately avoid it.  I am a band wagon jumper for a lot of things, but I have never read Harry Potter, Twilight, Da Vinci Code, 50 Shades of Grey, Hunger Games, etc.  Although for Hunger Games, I do plan on reading the books when all the movies have come out, so I could change my mind about Elf on the Shelf.   For now, we're going to stick with the advent calendar.

Weekend Recap

We had a friend visiting us this weekend from the East Coast.  She came on Thursday to Sunday.  On Friday, I took the day off of work and we braved the outlets (near Toronto, not the US) for Black Friday sales.  We got there for 7:00 am, which turned out to be a pretty good plan.  We did have to wait in line at a few stores, but we had no issue with parking.  When we were leaving, around 11:00, the parking lot was a mad house and the lines to the stores had doubled.

We did pretty well and we got a lot of Christmas shopping done.

Side note, I have been looking for tall boots for years.  Many boots don't fit me so it has been a challenge.  I finally got a pair of boots at Cole Haan, and they were half price.  I know you're not supposed to buy gifts for yourself before Christmas, but this had to be an exception.

On Friday night we met some other friends at Sidecar on College Street.  The food was good, and the company even better.  The Toronto Temperance Society is upstairs, and it has pre-mixed cocktails that Sidecar serves. 

Who needs dessert when you can have a glass of Cava?

More shopping on Saturday at the Eaton Centre. 

Then we met Dave and E at the Distillery District Christmas Market.  It was crowded as usual, but very festive.

We went on the carousel a couple of times, and E loved it.

After I dropped off our friend at the airport on Sunday, Dave, E and I went for a walk.  It was kind of grey, but very warm.

It was a pretty tiring weekend, but fun and I got a lot of Christmas shopping done!

Come On In...Christmas Decorations

I am linking up with Andrea (again!) for her Come On In series.  This time it is Christmas Decorations. 

 

Let's consider this Christmas Decorations Part 1.  We have to replace some of the wiring in our house (good old knob and tube!) and the electricians are here this week.  I didn't want to put up our tree until they were gone, so the decorations we have up so far are only part of what we will be doing. 

 

 

Kitchen window.  There is a matching tree on the other side of the window.

 

Our new table with red place mats.

Wooden snowflakes hanging from light fixture

 

Tinsel tree. My new pride and joy!

 

 Felt woodland creature garland

 

Mantle with lanterns, birds, birdhouses, and jingle bell garland

 

Polar bear snow globe

Top of the piano

 

Some Hallmark snowmen, and our Christmas books.  E loves these guys!

Ornaments handmade by my Mom, very talented.

Love this felted snowman

I got these for E to decorate the windows. I'll give one at a time over the next couple of weeks.

 

Looking forward to seeing everyone's decorations on the link up.  I'm sure these decorations pale in comparison to some of you, I am inspired by what some people can put together!

 

 

 

 



What's On...Your Calendar

I am linking up with Andrea today for her "What's On" series.  

 

As you can probably guess from the abundance of my Christmas posts already, I love this time of year.  I don't mind being busy, I love the hustle and bustle of the holidays, I love baking, cooking, buying and wrapping gifts, sending cards, decorating, attending Christmas events, etc.  

Some of the events I'm looking forward to are:

Dave's work party.  We are meeting everyone at a restaurant near his office for some good food and camaraderie.  Dave just started this job this year so I have yet to meet his colleagues, so it will be nice to do so. 

My work party.  We alternate between a dinner/dance, and a holiday lunch.  This year we are doing the lunch, we are going to close the office in the afternoon, and enjoy some food and cocktails.  I know our social committee has a few special things planned so I am excited about that.

Santa at Sherway.  Last year we pre-booked our reservation to see Santa at Sherway Gardens.  This is an hour long event where kids get to sit with Santa while he reads a story, sings some songs, and then the parents can take their own photos of their kids on Santa's lap.  I love not having to wait in line, getting more photos than just the typical Santa's lap photo, and the proceeds to go charities, including Sleeping Children Around the World, a charity near and dear to my Papa's heart.

Here are some pictures from last year:

This is the first year we are not travelling for Christmas, and my parents are coming up from Nova Scotia. They arrive the week before Christmas so I am looking forward to that!  We will get to attend our own church on Christmas Eve, and they have a candlelight communion service at 11:00 pm. 

And last but not least, the biggest event on our calendar is the party we are hosting.  I have always wanted to have a Christmas open house/drop-in and this year we are finally doing it.  We have invited  a lot of people and although I don't expect everyone to come, I think we will have a full house.  This week I will start making some things that I can freeze ahead of time.  I know this will be a big task, but I think it will be great, and if it is successful, we can make it an annual tradition.

Happy Holidays!  Let's do this!!