Not sure where this came from originally, but someone sent it to me and it looks like a good, basic list of Spring Cleaning chores for anyone like me who’s feeling a bit of the Cleaning Bug sneaking up on them. 
I’m frequently told by friends and acquaintances that nothing says “love” like chocolate.
Well, if your personal love language speaks fluent chocolate, you’ll absolutely adore this latest issue of the Betty Crocker email recipe newsletter I just received in my inbox.
And even though this probably seems like an ad, it really isn’t. I don’t receive any sort of kick back from them … I just wanted to share these delicious-looking free recipes with other chocolate lovers out there.
Click here: http://snurl.com/yummydesserts [recp_mkt32_net]
And be careful not to drool on your computer keyboard. 
I’ve been told it takes four to six weeks for any action to become a habit. So, keeping that in mind, one way I’m going to insure my success at keeping my New Year’s resolutions this year is by woking on only one new habit at a time each month. Then, every time I turn to a new calendar page, I’ll work on developing a different good habit.
At the end of the year, I could easily have twelve new positive habits in my life. Once something’s become a habit, it’s simply a part of my life and not something I’ll even have to think about anymore.
What’s the area of life you’re most concerned about? Exercise? Weight loss? Healthy eating? Getting organized? Saving money? Spending more time with your kids?
Break your goal down into simple steps that you can easily manage, and then start working your way to your goal, one small step — or small habit — at a time. As the old cliche’ says: “How do you eat an elephant? … One bite at a time.”
By making small and consistent changes, it’s possible to change your health, your body, and your life.
If you’re considering how to have a more eco-friendly holiday celebration this year, here are a few simple tips to get you started around the house:
1) Decorate with nature.
If you need to trim back any bushes or trees in your yard, freshly cut evergreen boughs are always a beautiful and fragrant addition to your holiday decorating scheme. Also, berries (make sure they’re not poisonous in order to protect kids and pets!), pinecones, nuts and fresh fruit can be displayed throughout your house in festive ways.
2) Re-use last year’s ornaments.
Don’t go out and buy new decorations each year — see if you can use what you already have in creative ways. For example, rather than putting the same swag in the same spot on the mantle every year, try hanging it over your door or tucking it in with some sparkling decorations in the space above your kitchen cabinets. Be creative! Move the kitchen decorations into the livingroom and vice versa.
3) Use LED lights and timers.
Believe it or not, the new LED light strings use approximately 90% less energy than their incandescent counterparts. They’re more expensive to purchase initially, but they last much longer and the energy cost to run them is much less. If you use a timer with your holiday lights and other electrical decorations, you can easily cut the energy used for those decorations in half (if not more) by not running them 24 hours a day.
4) Trim your tree with edible decorations.
Fruit, nuts and strings of popcorn and cranberries are always festive on the tree or tabletop. Also, before baking cookies, you can use a drinking straw to punch a hole in the dough. After the cookies are baked and cooled, simply string them with colorful ribbon and hang them on the tree.
5) Recycle gift tags and wrapping materials.
We probably all know someone who almost religiously saves and irons each scrap of wrapping paper from under the tree. While you don’t need to be quite that obsessive, definitely grab leftover gift bags, ribbons, bows, and those larger pieces of undamaged wrapping paper to save for future gift exchanges. You can also wrap gifts in sponge-painted brown paper grocery bags.
6) Make your own recycled Christmas cards.
You can cut the backs off old Christmas cards to make your own recycled holiday postcards, or try making collages out of old magazine pictures glued to cards that you or your kids make from cut up empty cereal boxes.
I’ve noticed that the main search terms that are getting people to my personal blog this week have to do with Advent. In case that’s why you’re here, I found a couple of resources online just now that might be helpful to your family’s upcoming Advent reading and activities.
2008 Advent Reading
http://www.pcusa.org/advent/pdf/dailyreadingsadvent2008.pdf
Advent Crafts and Activities
http://www.pcusa.org/advent/pdf/advent-eng1.pdf
About the Advent Wreath
http://www.reformedworship.org/magazine/article.cfm?article_id=10
Advent 2008 Inductive Bible Study
After the curse was broken in Narnia, Christmas arrived. That’s one of the wonderful things about our Christian faith. Christmas comes every year. We remember a God who loves us. We remember a God who sent God’s son to live with us, and die for us.
~John “Mike” Loudon
http://www.pcusa.org/oga/perspectives/nov04/waiting.htm
I think I’ve shared this in years past with a variety of people online, but I know I’ve never shared it here on this blog/website before.
It’s an inductive Advent calendar and study guide written by my former Precept Bible Study leader when I lived in Olympia, WA several years ago. She wrote it to use with her grandkids several years ago, but now shares an updated version of it each year for free online. Eleanor’s the best.
Anyway, an online friend of Eleanor’s just reposted the complete study online at the following website:
2008 Inductive Bible Study Advent Guide
http://miikogibson.com/advent_study.htm
We visited a local church last Sunday that we don’t usually attend, but it was Youth Sunday and my kids have several friends/acquaintances who were involved with the program. The Youth Group there had raised money throughout the year to purchase Advent Wreaths — complete with greenery, candles and a daily devotional calendar — for the entire congregation (including visitors … so we came home with one too!).
I felt it was such a thoughtful thing for the kids to do, and it provides a fun and meaningful holiday activity that their entire congregation can participate in together throughout the month of December.
And here are some more Advent resources:
Daily Children’s Advent Activity Calendar: http://www.kidscorner.net/media/pdf/Advent2008.pdf
Manger Scene Advent Coloring Calendar: http://www.sermons4kids.com/advent_calendar_manger_scene.pdf
Advent Group Activities: http://www.sermons4kids.com/ready_for_his_return_group_activities.htm
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