Merry Christmas Week

I bought the kids coordinating Christmas pajamas!

Merry, merry Christmas week!  I hope you had a fabulous Christmas.  I had such a good time with David and the kids.  It was so fun to celebrate and spend the day together.

Our socks Christmas Eve

We hung up our socks on Christmas Eve.  We went to visit David's grandma.  I loved watching the kids wish everyone a Merry Christmas.  Then we attended a candle light Christmas Eve service at our church.  David, A and I all got to be readers and that was really fun.  Then we drove around and looked at Christmas lights in our pajamas - a fun family tradition!

 

David, Grandma and the kids

 Great Grandma's Tree

The kids were so excited to see their socks Christmas morning!  And I am pretty sure we cannot fit anymore on this mantel.

 Filled Socks - what a difference!

A and B made our birthday cake for Jesus this year!

These are just a few highlights into our Christmas this year.  Hope you had a great one!

My new obsession - Canvases of my family

 

Remember my post on the deal from canvasonsale?  Today I received my order from canvasonsale.com.  I ordered an 8x8 photo canvas of C and F in the pumpkin patch down the street and I ordered an 8x8 of the kids in their Star Wars costumes sans Baby G (he was napping in the stroller).  I am so excited!  The canvases look great, the shipping was lightning fast and I have two more personalized items of the kids in our home - love, love!

 Here is the one of the kids with the force!

I love how sweet this one is of C and his little bro F.

My experience with canvasonsale.com was nothing but great.  Their site is super user friendly and the canvases are great.  I highly recommend.

Disclosure:  Thanks so much to USFamilyGuide and canvasonsale.com for allowing me to participate in this campaign.  I received $100 voucher to canvasonsale.com as part of this campaign.  All opinions expressed are 100% my own.

Baby G Dreams

Olympic Dreams start young

Check out this super fun bib that Baby G's aunt sent him.  He was so smiley when I put it on him.  I showed him the packaging of the baby sticking out their tongue and Baby G immediately started doing impressions - love it!

Enjoy

Christmas Memories & DVD Giveaway

Well, it's the most wonderful time of the year!  I love the Christmas season.  I know it can be difficult with long lines at stores and more traffic on the road but this time of year truly seems magical.  Our family has been partaking in two different advents this year.  We have been following the Jesus Storybook Bible advent printables for our reading time and then the kids take turns opening their Tsum Tsum advent calendar which contains fun Tsum Tsum surprises every day.  I love taking time to reflect on the true meaning of Christmas and the birth of our Savior.

 Jesus Storybook Bible reading for today

 Our Tsum Tsum Advent Calendar

I am excited to tell you about two inspirational films that were released on DVD today, December 20th!  The first one is Hillsong - Let Hope Rise which was a huge hit when it came out in theaters this past September.  This DVD would make a great gift to continue the worship experience with everyone this holiday season.  And the second is GREATER which is an inspirational movie based on the life of Brandon Burlsworth.  It follows his dream of playing football for the Arkansas Razorbacks.  Nothing about football came easy to Brandon, except his desire to play the game.  He was uncoordinated, ridiculed and written off by many coaches and teammates; yet, he continued to work harder than anyone.  Eventually his determination paid off and he was given the opportunity to walk-on and play football for the Razorbacks - becoming a great.  You can read more about GREATER here.  Both of these films highlight how God can enable ordinary people to do extraordinary things.

Watch more about Hillsong - Let Hope Rise and Greater below.





Ready for a giveaway?  One of you will win both DVDs!!  How awesome is that?  Just enter the form below and good luck.

One of you will win these!

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Disclosure:  I received my own copies of GREATER and Hillsong - Let Hope Rise in exchange for this post.  All opinions expressed are my own.

Getaway with God Blog Tour & Giveaway

I have a fun book to tell you about, Getaway with God by Letitia Suk.  I have never really thought about having a practical how-to guide for taking a personal retreat with the Lord but that is what this book is and it's great!  Both women that are new in their faith and seasoned believers will all benefit from Suk's experiences and practical advice for having a personal retreat.  It really resonated with me how personal retreats can be for different reasons at different seasons in life.  I personally feel that a resting and relaxing retreat with the Lord is something that I need physically, spiritually, and emotionally at this point in my life.  After reading this book, I am empowered and encouraged to start planning my own getaway with God - it has been far too long!

More About the book: 
What if a simple day away could transform your life?
Does spending time with God sound like just one more thing to check off an ever-increasing to-do list?  How are you supposed to fit in anything that threatens to be more time-consuming?  Too often there’s simply no room to experience the intimacy, grace, and peace that God offers us.  Getaway with God does more than invite you to step away from life’s pressures to take a personal retreat.  It shows you exactly why you must–for your sake and for your family’s.
With grace and warmth, Letitia Suk provides step-by-step guidance and the necessary tools to enable any woman on any budget to plan time away, whether it’s a quick, half-day break or a weeklong time of restoration.  You’ll find detailed steps for preparation, including descriptions of different kinds of retreats and how to choose the best one for you, and you’ll learn ways to bring the renewal you experience home with you.  Practical appendixes identify retreat centers nationwide and provide exercises and prayers to kick-start your getaway with God.  No matter what your season in life, the time for retreat is now!

About the author: 

Letitia Suk is an author and life coach who is passionate about helping women create a purposeful life and experience the fullness God offers.  She writes about intentionality in the day-to-day — family life, spirituality, holidays and friendships.  Suk received her Personal Life Coach certification from the Coach Training Alliance in 2003.  She has served as a hospital chaplain for nearly a decade and is a sought-after speaker for women’s events and retreats.  Suk has had more than 100 articles appear in various print publications and is the author of Rhythms of Renewal and Getaway with God: The Everywoman’s Guide to Personal Retreat.  Suk lives in the Chicago area with her husband, Tom. They have four grown children and three grandchildren.

To keep up with Letitia Suk, visit www.letitiasuk.com. You can also follow her on Facebook (Letitia.Suk.Author) and Twitter (@LetitiaSuk).

Get ready for your own getaway with God by entering to win a travel bag set from Letitia.

 

One grand prize winner will receive:

• A copy of Getaway with God
• A Vera Bradley XL Duffel Travel Bag
• A Vera Bradley Cosmetic Trio

Enter right now by clicking the icon below, and hurry!  This giveaway ends on December 16.  The winner will be announced December 19 on the Litfuse blog.

B and D's Emoji Birthday Party

 

 B now 11 and D now 7!

Happy 7th Birthday D and Happy 11th Birthday B!  I love that they turned 7-11 this year.  And as promised, they had an Emoji themed birthday party over the weekend.  It was so much fun.  David made each of them their favorite emoji face for their cake.

 

 B's Cake - Chocolate Flavored

 And D's Cake - Strawberry Flavored

 Emoji Cupcakes - Vanilla flavored

Activities including making homemade emoji balloons with yellow balloons and Sharpies and we had a display for everyone to draw or write emoji messages.

 

Here is D with her silly face balloon.

 A friend created this awesome face balloon!  You can see the message area in the background.

 I love this photo of Baby G with Grandpa at the party.

And in other big birthday news, B (and A) got their ears pierced.  They did this on B's actual birthday and they are so excited to have pierced ears.

 A with pierced ears

And B with her new pierced ears

Hope you are having a great week.  My family is getting super excited about Christmas.  I just love this time of year!

Austin Trail of Lights & Giveaway

If you live in Austin you are most likely familiar with The Austin Trail of Lights at Zilker Park.  Whether you are strolling down memory lane, spinning under the Zilker Tree, or enjoying the 2 million lights illuminating 50+ displays The Austin Trail of Lights offers unique holiday experiences for all!  This year The Austin Trails of Lights is scheduled December 10-23, 2016.

 
Here are some logistics that are good to know.  The Trail of Lights is a 1.25 mile walking trail only.  Vehicles are not allowed to drive through.  And while it is a walking trail, pets are not permitted onto the trail except for service animals with the proper credentials.  You can park nearby in Zilker Park.  Parking permits are only valid for the day of purchase; no overnight parking.  Trail of Lights parking opens at 5:30 pm daily.  Parking passes are only available for purchase on-line and will not be sold on-site.  Parking Passes are $15.

And I have a surprise for you!  I am giving away 2 Zip fast passes.  Zip Fast Passes allow access to The Trial of Lights starting at 6 pm, one hour before the Trail opens to the general public.  Zip guests also receive access to the Lounge in Zilker Village where you'll find restrooms, cookies, cocos and seating.  Zip purchase is required for children ages 6 and older; whereas, children under 6 are free with a ticketed Zip adult.  Zip Fast Passes are valued at $15-20/ea.

Just enter the giveaway below and good luck!!  This is a super fast giveaway as I need to get the passes to you asap.  Winner will have 24 hours to respond before another winner is chosen.

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HICKIES - No Tie Elastic Shoelaces Review

Have you heard of HICKIES?  HICKIES are no tie elastic shoelaces.  With HICKIES you can turn any pair of shoes into custom-fit slip-ons.

 

 I was sent two packages of HICKIES for review.

 HICKIES - no tie elastic shoelaces

This product has been so awesome for me!  I have been slipping my tennis shoes on for over a year now, since the beginning of my pregnancy with Baby G.  I never untied my shoes and would just slip them on and off but what that did over time is it made my shoes have a poor fit and they didn't feel good on my feet.

 

 Here you can see what my shoes look like after slipping them on and off with traditional shoelaces.

HICKIES eliminates this problem.  They allow me the same slip-on convenience but with a great custom-fit.

 

 Much better, my shoes feel snug again.

In fact, I have been enjoying them so much A started to use them on her tennis shoes.  After breaking her left wrist in October (radius and ulna), she is out of a cast but still in a splint.  Her HICKIES have definitely helped her get her shoes on and off easily and she doesn't have to worry about the laces being tied.

 

 A with her HICKIES.

HICKIES are great for adults and kids (one size fits all) and they come in a wide range of colors.  Not only are they fun but extremely functional - my kind of product.  If you are looking for a great, unique stocking stuffer these are it.

  Oh, and they are super easy to install.

Just thread HICKIES through your shoe, hook them over the oval button and tuck in the extra length and you're done.

I wish I had done this a long time ago!

Disclosure:  Thanks so much to USFamilyGuide and HICKIES for allowing me to participate in this campaign.  I received 2 packs of HICKIES for review as part of this campaign.  All opinions expressed are 100% my own.