I made this Advent calendar for us (Brett mostly) this afternoon. I used all items we already had! I put different things in each envelope, one for each day of December. It's a new tradition I want to start and thought why not now?
In other good news, the window man came today to fix our broken wndow from the ice storm! hooray!

I also baked a gingerbread house today and made the icing. Tomorrow I will build it and decorate it with Grandma and Olivia (my neighbor girl who is in my Breakout group) I can't wait! And yes, I've already prayed over this gingerbread house so that it will stay up! :) :)

Dessert, anyone?
I've been working on some felt dessert for sweet Kyla :).

We had a great Thanksgiving! Sure was good to see everyone and spend a whole day with family (a whole day with Brett was great too!)

So,
this is Christmas at the Torbett condo. It took some creative thinking to find places to decorate and to use what we already had :), but I'm pleased with how it turned out.

This table centerpiece I am most proud of.......the table runner I had from momma when I first moved in, the red piece is actually two pieces of felt with a design on top (for .30 cents each from Hobby Lobby), the branches, white plate, and candle we already had. I just arranged them in a new way!

Brett working hard at school, and still managing a smile. :) Earlier this week I baked Jiffy cornbread in this Christmas tree cake pan. I seem to always find excuses to use this pan. :) Why not? The cornbread crumbled majorally, but we never eat a whole box of Jiffy cornbread anyway so it was fun for the moment.

"Even an ordinary secretary or housewife or teenager can within their own small way turn on a small light within a dark room." (quoted by Miep Gies, the woman who hid Anne Frank)

Happy post #200! :)

Have "a ball" :) I sewed these balls and they are really very, very easy. Once you make one, directions aren't required for more! If you're interested, go here: http://grandrevivaldesign.typepad.com/ballpattern1000.pdf

I finished a sewing project-HOORAY! This is my first book ever, to sew. It is a "Color" book. There are, once again, MANY things I know are visible to the eye that maybe aren't quite right about the book (orange is in fact, spelled with an "e", even though you can't see it on the page :) ), but right now I'm pleased as can be I finished this book! I'll make the next one better :) My apologies to Caleb, who gets to be the recipient of Aunt Sara's practice sewing. Don't worry, Nathan and Kyla, you're next! :)
p.s.-the pictures are actually out of order....they start with the back of the book, working their way down to the front.

Object lesson for tonight's Breakout lesson,which is on "Experiences"...............I'm going to offer the kids the items below for a snack.Of course,they won't want it! Then I'm going to explain how "All things work together for the good of those who love Him" (Romans 8:28).......and explain how some of our life experiences are yucky........But, when we let God combine them with our life experiences and teach us something, they can then be made into something good :)( and this is where I pull out a cake snack and let the kids enjoy) :)I'm hopingthey'll see how cake ingredients on their own aren't fun (some experiences aren't fun) but combined, these ingredients taste great! :)

Sock monkey pj's anyone?

:) What fun and what a laugh! :) Found these lovely pj's at Target with Jana and Mikayla and I just couldn't resist the chance at a good laugh :). No worries, I didn't purchase them!

Flu shot today! My poor kiddos were very nervous, so I went first so they could all watch me and see that it was okay. :)

Go here: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Banana-Crumb-Muffins/Detail.aspx?prop31=1
for the best banana muffins you have probably ever had! Delicious!

If you follow my sister's blogs, you've already seen these.........but, I think you will enjoy them again! In other news-I have the flu and am supposed to stay at home until at least Thursday. I'm resting, but not getting over this quite as fast as I would like. prayers please! Brett, of course,has been such a caring husband and has stepped in, yet again, to take the best care of me. He's really had more than his fair share of "sick duty" so far in our marriage......yet handles it each time with love. In the midst of being sick-I'm blessed :).