Happy Homemaker Monday - December style!

Helloooo and happy Monday! The Lord has given us a day that I am sure we will not too soon forget. His provision is amazing and we've been experiencing it since we woke up. Christmas cards full of love, friends sending notes, yummy smells and chocolate, and just every little sweet thing to make me feel the arms of my God wrapped tight around me. We are blessed and we are thankful!
The Lord knew I needed this day to be like it is. After some heartache and melancholy last night... Joy really did come in the morning! And, even it if it wasn't so joyful - God is still good.
We have been opening our home on Sunday evenings after church for our youth leaders to come and share a meal with us. Never fancy. Always loud and lots of activity. My heart is never more full then in those moments looking around my home watching people just "be". I am so thankful for this house that we can jam pack full of folks. I'm so thankful for crock pots of soup and warm bread and children running around crazy. There is SO MUCH JOY in opening your life.

And now, onto the day...

The Weather:::
Yikes! 20's! I'm absolutely loving it. And, I think I get a lot of crazy looks when I say that. :) This momma has been itching for some cold weather. We had a beautiful "snow globe-esque" morning on the way to church, but everything melted by the afternoon.

Right now I am:::
Taking a little break. Girls are napping, dishwasher is emptied, laundry is going, a new scentsy is melting away and smelling amazing. I might have had a few oreos. :)

Thinking:::
God is so faithful. It never ceases to amaze me how our every need is thoroughly met - and then some. I'm also really seeing a great connection between our generosity and the Lord working in our lives. So challenging.

On my reading pile:::
"Living" and "Thriving family"  magazines. It's been a light reading time of year.

On my TV:::
We've had the Sounds of the Season channel going all day - it's a wonderful mix of Christmas music. Tho, if Dominic the Donkey comes on again... it's over. Bleh!

On the menu:::
Monday - Leftovers :) Lots of Meatball and potato soup leftover from our meal lastnight.
Tuesday - Chicken Marinara with friends!
Wednesday - Church night, not sure.
Thursday - Pasta bake
Friday - Pesto Chicken Penne. Already done and in the freezer. What a great Friday that will be!
Saturday - Need to do some shopping.
Sunday - "

On my to do list:::
Continue with laundry
Do the elliptical for at least 15 minutes. {setting small goals - I hate exercise}
Put all the clothes away
Vacuum girls bedrooms
address Christmas card envelopes

What I am creating:::
Zilch. No crafts happening right now.

Homemaking tips:::
Did you know that hair spray gets ink out of linoleum? My husband did! Second born drew us a lovely scribble right in the middle of the kitchen floor - in black pen. Hubs to the rescue with his bottle of White Rain! :) It's totally gone now.

Looking around the house:::
Tree is wonderful. Kept everything really simple this year and so glad we did. The home is full of life and memories and you can tell a family lives here. It's all clean, too. LOVE having company over - helps to keep the clutter at bay, for at least a day.

From the camera:::
Our 8 footer! Always wanted a HUGE tree.

Every ornament has a meaning - either hand made, gifted, etc. Favorite spot is on the couch to sit and watch the lights at night :)

On my prayer list:::
Friends with financial needs.
New pregnancies I keep hearing about.
Traveling family during the holiday

Bible verse, devotional:::
Yikes. Nothing to share here. Just loving all the ideas on Advent - we are trying to go through a booklet put out by Focus on the Family that uses the names of God. Powerful!