So Sew Organized

It is the second-to-last Hot Happenings post of the year! Yep, that means it is time to look back over November, recap the events on the 'ol blog, and share some family updates! Someone had a birthday this month... It is hard to believe this cute boy is now a big one year old! He enjoyed ice cream and his first chocolate cake on the big day. What better way to eat ice cream...just pick it up and shove 'er in! I'd say he was pretty happy about the whole thing! That night, a friend of ours gave him a cute snowman cake, which he had the next day. I guess he had learned the first time around...why waste time with spoons or fingers? TODAY is actually Rachel's birthday...anyone want to guess how old she is??? (Hint..its a monumental year!) I'll be sure to share pictures of the fun things we did with her once I get them uploaded. In other non-birthday news, we snapped these pictures of Justin and Dad out playing basketball. I promise they were completely unstaged...they di...

In the few weeks leading up to Christmas, let’s take a step back from the decorating, shopping, and commercialism, and focus on the true meaning of Christmas - the Bethlehem story. One person at a time, we’ll go through the story in a character-study format, and try to put ourselves in the shoes of those individuals that were there on that first Christmas. Want to do some study for yourself? Here is the schedule: November 29: Joseph December 4: Mary December 6: Gabriel December 11: Shepherds December 13: Wise men December 19: Herod December 24: Jesus Today’s character: Joseph, husband of Mary “And Jacob begat Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:)” Not much is said about Joseph outside of the Christmas story. But what we do know reveals much about his Godly character. I be...

Ready for some Christmas fun? Here is a word scramble to make you think first thing this morning! Aren't I nice?? Just figure out as many of these as you can, and feel free to leave your answers in the comments section! I'll post the answers later this week. This makes a great Christmas party activity! I used it last year in our Christmas ladies meeting , and we had a hysterical time! You can click here to download your own copy to use this Christmas! Have fun!

This is the time of year to dust off those Christmas movies and enjoy some great Christmas stories! There are tons and tons of Christmas movies out there (it is seriously getting crazy...especially since a whole lot of them have similar story lines) but there are a few that must be watched year after year.  Here is our list of ten Christmas movies to get you in the Christmas spirit: 1. Rudolph the red-nosed Reindeer 2. Frosty the Snowman 3. Miracle on 34th Street 4. White Christmas 5. Its a Wonderful Life 6. The Music Box 7. Muppet’s Christmas Carol 8. Little House on the Prairie: The Christmas they Never Forgot (I’ll admit, this one is a bit of a snooze...but my sisters think it is the greatest thing ever.) 9. Christmas Shoes (snif!) 10. Charlie Brown Christmas What classic Christmas movies do you watch each year? Last Top Ten: Funnies

Oh the weather outside is frightful.... Well, maybe not frightful...but freezing !! We had our first dusting of snow yesterday. When I say dusting, I mean dusting. Barely enough to see on the ground. It was enough to get some kids around here excited! And enough to bring some momentary concern to the adults: Is it going to get nasty out there? Will there be church? Will I be able to get to church? It wasn't nasty, so thankfully we didn't have to wonder for very long! It is funny how we do that on the first few snowfalls of the year. We let ourselves panic for a second and shut ourselves in the house, declaring it too snowy to go out. By the end of winter, we drive through 3 day blizzards for a cup of Tims without batting an eye.  We're funny, us humans. But anyway, Here are the blessings I added to my 1,000 gifts list this week: 482. A pretty day 483. Competitions on the Wii 484. God knowing the friends I need 485. A great new idea 486. A fun day crafting 487. Strength 488....

Just a quick, rare Sunday post to let you know... My Etsy shop is running a Cyber Monday sale! From midnight to 2pm, use the coupon code ALS15 to get 15% off your entire order. There have been several new additions to my shop recently, such as this... This would be a great time to get some Christmas shopping done! This includes my printable Planning Binder pages as well, so if you've yet to get on that bandwagon, now is the time to get 'er done! You'll be able to get some new 2013 printables I haven't even shared here yet. So remember: this coupon code is only good on Cyber Monday (November 26th) from midnight to 2pm. Use it while you can! Thanks for supporting my shop and blog! Note: My shop will be going through an overhaul at the beginning of 2013 - new items will be added, and prices will change. A clue: they aren't going down. Sorry! :( So now is really the time to take advantage of this sale! Hope to see you over there!

 During the month of October, when I posted a mini-series on time management , I talked muchly about the eBook, Tell Your Time by Amy Lynn Andrews. (You can read the whole series, called "It's About Time!" by clicking here .) This eBook made a huge impact in the way I look at time management and the steps I take to improve in this area! Well, Amy has so kindly informed me of a few exciting bits of news, so that I can pass them on to you. The ebook, Tell Your Time , will be available for F.R.E.E. on Amazon on Cyber Monday and Tuesday. (November 26th & 27th) So if you didn't already grab up this fantastic eBook (shame on you! and) now you can get it for free. The other news is that Amy has something fun and special planned for January to help us all get organized together. And it involves this book . So grab it while the getting is good! You'll want to keep your eyes peeled (not literally) for this organizational challenge, and I'll be sure to keep you po...

I'm always on the lookout for small updates that can make a space just a teensy bit better. I've shared some of the changes I've made to my bedroom and my sewing area , and this week I made another small tweak! I'm trying to make my tiny sewing corner a place that is not only fun to work in, but also be a spot full of color and inspiration as I create and craft. A stroke of genius hit me when I saw this small shelf at a local thrift store: It is pretty tiny, and I have no clue what it was originally intended for. (bookshelf in a dollhouse, perhaps?)  I had an idea of a way to use it in my sewing corner, and for a quarter I just couldn't pass it up! First, it desperately needed a makeover. I started by sanding it slightly. It was stained a dark reddish color with a very glossy finish. (You can't tell in the above picture, because it was so dusty, lol!) I sanded it just enough to rough it up and take away that glossy-ness. When that was done I wiped the whole thi...

I abandoned Top Ten Tuesday today {we'll be back next week!} and decided instead to share our Christmas decor with you! With Canadian thanksgiving long past, we don't have to wait to put up our decor...we can do it anytime! I shared yesterday on my Facebook page how I still "feel" like it is too early...but I suppose there is no such thing, right? Last Saturday was the big day, and my younger siblings especially had a blast putting up "Christmas." I didn't get pictures of everything, but I did take some highlights for ya. Oh, and before I show them to you, don't be expecting some beautiful, Biltmore-esque fancy pants decor. We're a normal family with small kids that has collected stuff over the years that doesn't all match. And we like it that way. Bam. Mom made a space to set up her Christmas village on these shelves in the living room: The stockings were hung by the piano with care.... {and the top of the piano is decorated as well.} And y...