How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.
When I was growing up, my mom and my grandma always made Valentine’s Day a family holiday. I remember receiving little trinkets and cards from the time I was small.
Valentine’s Day was always a time to say I love you, a time to think of the people who are special in our lives.
I’m continuing that tradition with Grace.
Valentine’s Day is a time to appreciate each other. Joe and I will celebrate our love for each other, certainly, but also our love …

We like decorating our Christmas trees. Can you tell?
We’ve done a lot of decorating this month. 2 dimensional trees, 3 dimensional trees, edible trees and inedible trees. It’s been fun.

If you have been reading a while, you probably already know where the idea for these two crafty projects came from.

If you haven’t figured it out, you’ll have to stop back tomorrow to read how we did them and where I got the idea.

Happily submitted to Wordless Wednesday, 5 minutes for Mom, The Not-So-Blog Blog, Wordful Wednesday, Go Graham Go, Mom …

As part of our simplified Christmas, Joe, Grace, and I have been decorating a Jesse tree.
Our Jesse Tree

How We Use the Jesse Tree Each Night
As I explained in my earlier post, the Jesse tree has become part of our nightly ritual. Each evening, before dinner, Grace helps me to light the candles in our Advent Wreath. We eat, and then Grace opens her Advent box.

Grace picked this box at the craft store a few weeks ago. There were several different styles, but she wanted the one that had a family …

Grace is only 2, but scissors have caught her attention.
She likes to cut. She especially likes to cut with her special scissors (that really aren’t special at all except that I overpaid for them at the office supply store).
Joe and Grace were home alone one day this week, and Joe gave Grace a few pieces of craft foam and her special scissors. He let her do what she wanted, and she wanted to make a person.
Who turned out to be me.
I know it’s me because Grace told me so when …

This project started with the photo below.  I saw it in the November issue of Family Fun magazine, and the wheels in my brain immediately began to turn.
At first, I thought it would be neat to use baby pictures of each guest at our Thanksgiving table. It seemed like a great idea – until I realized that I don’t have any photo of my husband that predates our first date in 2004.
Once I realized that a picture of Joe would have to be from the last five years, I modified …