Seven Quick Takes vol. 68

Hello, fellow Quick Take addicts, my name is Christy....

Hope Jen's having a great holiday!

{one}

Hope all my American friends had a wonderful Thanksgiving! Mmm turkey....

I had a very ordinary....Thursday.

{two}

But Wednesday was Dom's 5th Birthday! Seriously. 5 is old people. I could swear that only yesterday I gave birth to him, and it was just last week where I didn't sleep for months with his colic. But 5?! That's a little boy. 

Anyway, I get all "mum-emotional" over the thought. Really, he's such bright, clever boy that he's been old for his age for awhile. He's incredibly observant and its resulted in a pretty hilarious sense of humour too. And he's always the first to tell me if someone needs me, like Nora crying in her room. He may be epically stubborn and prone to his mother's anger, but we'll ignore that because its his birthday. 

He had a great day full of Lego and banana bread. His two favourite things. We all love him!

{three}

Since we've now got over the birthday of this month and I sorta/kinda got the house organized yesterday, I'm going to try and get my simple Advent decorating etc. done this weekend. And when I say decoration I really mean pulling out the Advent wreath and my purple napkins!

 I'm also planting my paperwhite and amaryllis bulbs today too. I doubt they'll have bloomed by Christmas, but maybe during the 12 days of Christmas? I love having bulbs growing in the house during the winter, it feels like something green in our sea of snow outside!

Then I'm going to find my Advent/Christmas book stash and start pulling some out for the kids. I think I'm going to have to be forced to quit buying children's Christmas books soon because I've got quite a few and just find more and more each year because I love them so! I'm going to try and space them out over the course of Advent so they'll stay fresh to the kids, and maybe not overwhelm them? And then I'll maybe get my act together and post my favourites one of these days.

The nativity scenes will be coming out as well. Some of the great comments from my Advent post this week included people making great nativity scene activities like moving Mary and Joseph closer to the stable each day. That seems really cute and approachable for littles. I've got two nativities, one fancy one and one I let the kids go to town with from Melissa and Doug. I keep meaning to get the Little People one as well.

{four}

Ok, enough trying to be perfectly prepared spiritually for Advent/Christmas. More shopping!

Kate Spade was having a ridiculously amazing sale this week, and they may email me everyday with their beauty so I finally clicked to see just how awesome the sale was and discovered they now have a handbag named for me! 

And that just makes me happy.

{five}

Dominic got a few books for his birthday, Where the Wild Things Are and The Way Back Home by Oliver Jeffers. Where the Wild Things Are is of course, a classic and they all love it because all kids do, but if you haven't yet brought Oliver Jeffers into your children's library you really must. I feel as if his books are already classics. The pictures are adorable and the timeless stories are the perfect mix of whimsy and adventure. I'd recommend them for ages 3 and up, but Max is awestruck by the books as well. We've almost got everything he's written and its all gold!




{six}

I hope I didn't give the impression the other day that I'm a Scrooge of Advent. Because I most definitely am not! I love Advent, it feels like a mysterious time of year. The feeling that something miraculous may be just around the corner hangs in the air. Its a beautiful time of paradox where we try to prepare interiorly with some quiet self-examination and repentance, while excitement builds all around us. Its a dramatic time of year even though the approach to Christmas is a quiet one.
Children's joy in the season is really amazing. Its beautiful to watch every year and I hope that's one thing I never take for granted!




{seven}

And now for the winner of Haley and Daniel's book Feast! Real Food, Reflections, and Simple Living for the Christian Year:

Megan! 
Please send me an email and you'll get your wonderful free book!
Thanks to all who entered.
Everyone else can run over and download this great cookbook in time for tomorrow's feast of St. Andrew and Sunday's First Sunday of Advent! You'll love it!

With that I bid you all an acceptable weekend.

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