2015 Bucket List & Remembering 2014 December 31, 2014

Hello dear ones! Do you have resolutions for the new year? I’d love to read them in the comments. We had quite the year in 2014. Last New Year’s I skipped the bucket list, but we still had some bucket list moments despite that. I was able to mark off a few things from my 2013 Bucket list, and there are things that I would’ve never put on my 2014 bucket list or expected. They happened anyways. God is so full of surprises. His plans are better than mine! The whole year is a testament to the goodness of God. The fact that he’d take someone like me who deals with chronic pain and was declared barren…then allow me to have this adventure…is just amazing. He took my anxious heart and gave me boldness when I needed it. I could not have done any of this without God’s hand. Nothing is impossible with God!

2013 Bucket List & the Best Moments of 2012

Remembering 2014

• Saw the White House (took a road trip to Washington D.C., saw monuments & museums). (On 2013 bucket list)

Colonial Road Trip Part 4b: Washington, D.C. Monuments

• Ice skated under the stars.

• Played in lots of snow.

• Learned to use the metro.
• Started the second book in my trilogy.
• Overcame the fear of driving/riding after my big wreck in January.

The Wreck: Selah

• Raised chickens & gathered our own eggs.

Best Hens Vs. the Hateful Hawk: A Valentine’s Story

• Made new friends.
• Had some great date nights.

The Hunger Games Date Night

Valentine’s 2014 Inspired by The Dating Divas

Christmas Date Ingredients

• Went on a Missions trip & flew overseas to Belize. First time flying overseas.

Mission Minded

• Walked the Mayan ruins.

• Kayaked in the ocean.
• Shared the gospel with hundreds of kids in Belize & through VBS.

• Led worship on a pier early in the morning.

• Saw wild iguanas & parrots.

• Ate chicken foot.

• Trekked in the jungle.

• Saw a pineapple farm & other tropical fruit growing in it’s natural setting.

• Put on an Easter play & a Nativity play for our homeschool group.

Easter Week & Jesus, Our Passover Lamb Easter Drama

Jesus, Our Precious Gift: An Interactive Christmas Drama 2014

• Taught a huge year long history study on Creation through the 1800’s. Had fun parties, ate good food, and did several neat crafts/experiments.

(We were actually half way through by Jan 2014. So I’ll give you the link for the middle ages & the last link of the year. You can hop to the other posts from these.)

Middle Ages Week 1: Celts, Anglo-Saxons, & King Arthur

The 1800’s Week 6: Heading West (The Final Week)

• Had several fun themed parties.

A Complete Chronicles of Narnia Marathon Party

Hobbit Marathon Party

Once Season Finale Party

Hilarious Birthday Celebrations with Mom

• Threw my first baby shower, for my bff Hannah & met her new baby, Miriam.

A Tea Party Baby Shower for Hannah

• My sister got pregnant and had her first child. Saw my nephew on Skype.
• I became pregnant after 8 years of infertility. Felt life inside of me and saw it on ultrasounds.

A Miraculous Surprise

• Found out I’m having a boy. His name is Leeland Patrick Dover :). Due April 12th, 2015

Gender Reveal: Pink or Blue? Baby # 2!

• Shot a bow (on 2013 bucket list)

Did you have any major unexpected events in 2014?

2015 Bucket List

(not in any order)

• Give birth naturally & have a healthy baby.
• Breast feed and cloth diaper.
• Be in the moment with my family.
• See my husband graduate from college. Support him as he starts a new job.
• Pass Michael from 4th to 5th grade in homeschool.
• Have more dates & couple time with my hubby.
• Have margin (breathing room) in my finances, relationships, and time.
• Have a deeper intimacy with God & understanding of the Bible.
• Simplify.
• Practice contentment with Godliness.
• Meal plan better, save on groceries, and prepare healthy meals with more variety.
• Commit more to my book and to bettering my blog.
• Volunteer again and give more.
• Be surprised by God and follow wherever he leads. Enjoy the journey.

Well, this bucket list is smaller and less detailed. Lord willing, God will fill in all the details. If we are given the future, our family has many changes coming. I have no clue what adventures are coming our way. I just know that God’s plans are far better than mine and they always blow my mind.

I pray you have a blessed new year! Please leave me some comment love if you will. God bless & remember the High King lives! ~Amber Dover

Advent 2014 & Christmas Decor December 26, 2014

Hello dear ones! Here’s our Advent list and Jesse tree devotions for this year. Enjoy and may you be inspired!

We kept our Advent activities in the Advent Christmas tree. I got it at Michael’s craft store and my son Michael painted it. Each day Michael opened a drawer to read the activity.

Jesse Tree, devotions by Ann Voskamp, and Advent wreathe. We read the devotions each night and Michael would put an ornament on the Jesse tree.

We also did this names of Jesus chain. We read a verse and one of Jesus’ names. Then Michael would write someone to pray for on the back. Each night our chain got longer. Links for printables at the end.

First off, this year wasn’t nearly as busy as last year. Some of the activities on our Advent list we never got to but that’s okay. If peace means skipping an activity then it’s worth it. Advent should not bring stress. It is a time to remember Christ’ birth and to look forward to Jesus’ second coming.

Last year was a bit hectic but we did have fun. Here’s the link for last year:

Advent Week 1

There are 4 posts but the rest of them are at the end of the first post. So you can hop to each one. We had some nifty parties for the Grinch and the Nutcracker. We also did some fun random acts of kindness.
This year we repeated a few activities and added some new ones. I’m just doing one post this year. Here we go!

Advent 2014

1. Leeland’s ultrasound, Christmas shopping, and watch a movie.
Our precious miracle

2. Read “The Gift of the Christmas Cookies” & make cookies.

You can find a detailed post on the Christmas books we read this year here:

Six Inspirational Christmas Books with Activities

3. Decorate Chris’ office, give out cookies, & fill a shoebox online.

4. Nativity play at group.

I did a whole post on this here: https://amberdover.wordpress.com/2014/12/17/jesus-our-precious-gift-an-interactive-christmas-drama-2014/

5. Broadway Holiday (take canned goods) & make cornstarch ornaments.

Fake snow

6. Decorate a gingerbread house & sew primitive ornaments.

We never made the primitive ornaments but Chris and Michael did put together this gingerbread house kit.

Also, Chris and I had a date night. Details here:

Christmas Date Ingredients

7. Army band concert and donate to World Vision, VOM, & Valley Rescue.

We didn’t make it to the concert because Michael felt under the weather.

8. Read “The Legend of the Christmas Tree”, make tree crafts, & watch A Charlie Brown Christmas.

9. Read “The Message of the Birds”, take a winter walk, & do bird crafts.

10. Watch Frosty, have a snowman ice cream sundae, & do snowman crafts.

mason jar snowglobe~ it was hard to get a good picture.

tea light snowman ornament

11. Group book club, drink mistletoe cider, and watch The Christmas Box.

We didn’t make it to our group because Michael still had the sniffles.

The Christmas Box is one of my favorite stories. My Dad read it to me one Christmas. It’s about a busy father who realizes he’s missing out on his daughter’s childhood. We got the movie this year on a dvd with other Christmas movies. I’ve read the book to my family once and will hopefully do that again some day.

12. Read “The Candy Maker’s Gift”, make candy cane crafts, & eat candy cane treats.

13. Christmas parade & movie marathon.
We didn’t make it to the parade. We intend to each year but usually don’t. Ah, it’s too cold anyways! Chris and I did make it to our Sunday School Christmas party. We played the white elephant game and that was fun. Here’s me and my buddy Carrie.

14. Christmas kid’s choir at church.
Well, after a busy weekend and a full morning at church we decided to stay home that night. I did go with the guys to the archery place after lunch. I had promised Chris that I’d go some day.

I shot once and…

found, archery is not my cup of tea. I broke the arrow. I came, I saw, and…next time I’ll stay home. At least there was a nice recliner.

15. Read “The Lil Match Girl”, make luminaries.

16. Fantasy in Lights.

Fantasy in Lights at Callaway Gardens is a spectacular drive thru light show with over 8 million lights! The last time I rode through was when I was pregnant with Michael and Chris was in Iraq. So it was neat this year to take the guys to this AND to be pregnant again!

We stopped in the Christmas village for some hot chocolate and treats.

17. Watch The Hobbit, have Christmas treats at bookstore, & visit the Pet store.

I didn’t get any pics for this. Michael got some Christmas money from grandparents and used it to buy himself a book. We took a quick trip to the pet store before going to the movies. Maybe I will write a review on the third Hobbit movie…

18. Scholars Christmas party and bookswap.

Hannah reading to the kids.

 

Chris holding Miriam, Hannah’s baby.

 

23 weeks

19. Watch Seasons of the Heart, Make paper Holly garland and mini paper angels.

Mom & Michael

20. Christmas recital & give gifts to Nana & Grandad.
Michael played “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel”

I played a few sing along tunes for fun.

Gifts with Nana and Grandad

21. Instrumental Christmas program.

Our church has a large orchestra.

22. Read “The Christmas Owl” and do owl crafts.

We read the book but didn’t do any crafts. So instead here are some pictures of my lil snowman! 🙂

23. Read “Mortimer the Christmas Mouse”.

I let Michael start nibbling on his gingerbread house since Mortimer the mouse lived in one.

24. Christmas Eve, Read/watch The Nativity Story, living room camp out, & family games.

We set up a big manger scene.

Chris preparing the chicken. We also had leftovers from Thanksgiving.

Family game time

We each opened one gift.

Okay this was staged lol. They were not actually asleep ;). We all ended up in bed because my lil dog has a gas problem….sigh.

25. Christmas Day! Holiday breakfast & funny movie marathon.
It’s almost time!

Michael has been playing his harmonica all day, that Aunt Jenn got him.

I think he likes our present :).

Stocking time! (Annabelle)

 

Tessa

 

Chester

Annabelle…not cooperating.

The guys putting together a transformer and then…

the big Lego set. It took awhile.

But it was worth it.

Christmas decor etc…

So I was going to make this part a whole ‘nuther post but decided to keep this simple and put it all into one. It’s kind of late to show all our Christmas prep but what the heck.

Lights on the house

Outside the door…

Painting the Advent tree

Stockings are hung…

Christmas village on the piano

Christmas tree and Nutcracker forest

Chester modeling in his box

New Christmas bedding. Yaaa!

Chester…doing finances?

Tree chain on the homeschool room door

Michael likes to decorate his bedroom too.

Well, God bless & remember the High King lives! Merry Christmas! ~Amber Dover

Links:

Six Inspirational Christmas Books with Activities December 24, 2014

Hello dear ones! I want to share with you the inspirational Christmas books we read during Advent and the activities we did with them. Also a link to the free Christmas Around the World lapbooks we’ve been doing in homeschool.  Well, all but one of these Christmas books talk about Jesus’ birth. Enjoy and I hope you’re having a merry Christmas season!

1.The Gift of the Christmas Cookie

This delightful story tells how the tradition of Christmas cookies came about. It is a story about sharing God’s love with others. We made Christmas cookies to go along with it.

2. The Message of the Birds

This cute story uses birds to share the news of Jesus’ birth. For the activity I taught Mom and Michael how to draw cardinals. Then they used waterpaint and finger paint to finish.

3. The Candymaker’s Gift

This is one of my favorite Christmas books. A grandfather uses the candy cane to teach children about Jesus. We made a couple candy cane ornaments. Then we made candy cane hearts to eat! Links will be at the end of this post!

Crushing the candy canes

Before adding the vanilla almond bark

Sprinkling the crushed candy canes into the melted candy

Voila!

4. The Legend of the Christmas Tree

Why do we decorate Christmas trees? A tree salesman shares the origin of Christmas trees and how the church has used different trees to share God’s story through history. I learned something new myself when we read this. Michael made a picture ornament and a cornstarch ornament tree.

5. The Little Matchgirl

This is the only story that doesn’t mention Jesus. It is a bittersweet tale by Hans Christian Anderson. The poor matchgirl lights a match to warm herself as she sells matches in the freezing cold. But everytime she lights a match she sees a warm vision. This is one of my favorite classics. It’s sad but also happy…depending on your point of view. I would use this story to talk about helping others and also being thankful for what we have. We made mistletoe luminaries for this story.

We used mason jars, red & green tissue paper, modge podge, and epsom salt. The epsom salt gives it the snowy effect.

6. Mortimer’s Christmas Manger

This adorable story is about a mouse who finds a home in the manger. By the end of the tale he’s given his new home back to the baby Jesus. Then God provides Mortimer with another home, a gingerbread house. So I allowed Michael to start nibbling on the gingerbread house him and his dad made earlier this month. He has until New Year’s to finish it.

I hope you enjoyed this post. You can find these books on Amazon and Christianbooks.com (except my version of the Matchgirl. It’s from when I was a kid.) I believe these stories are worth reading every year. They’re fun and they keep the focus on Christ.

Here are the links for the craft and food ideas:

God bless & remember the High King lives! ~Amber Dover

PS: Here’s the Christmas Around the World lapbooks we used.

Free passport:
http://www.guesthollow.com/homeschool/lapbooks/lapbook_country_and_culture.html
Lapbooks:
http://www.homeschoolshare.com/christmas_around_the_world.php

I used the above link for all but Asia. I wanted to explore countries besides the Phillipines. So I used three other links for Russia, China, and India.
http://www.123homeschool4me.com/2012/10/christmas-around-world.html
http://perciousperks.blogspot.com/2011/12/christmas-in-russia-free-mini-unit.html?m=1
http://www.whychristmas.com/cultures/

We did not make any of the crafts or food this year. But the nice thing about lapbooks is that you can save them and pull them out next time. Maybe next Advent season we will have time to do more.

Michael stamped his passport each time he learned about a country.

I apologize for the poor quality of these photos. My camera hasn’t been the same since I dropped it.

Also Michael learned how to play “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel” on the piano. We looked over the lyrics to the song and watched several versions online. I used several Susan Paradis worksheets to go over his notes. They all had a Christmas theme. You can find them at this link:

Big Fish Christmas Stories: Games Review December 18, 2014

Hello dear ones! Got some time on your hands this Christmas? Check out these fun Christmas games from Big Fish. Here’s a review for the Christmas Stories series: Nutcracker, Tin Soldier, & A Christmas Carol.

By the way, I’m not getting paid for this (I wish I was…hint hint Big Fish lol). Seriously, I love puzzle/adventure games. These are the best I’ve played in awhile. I just want to share with you.

First off, there is an order to these games that I didn’t realize but thankfully I just so happened to play them in that order. The Nutcracker comes before the Tin Soldier. A Christmas Carol can be played at anytime but there are references to it in the Tin Soldier. So it must’ve come out before.

The graphics are gorgeous and the story lines fun. I would let my 8 year old play these for sure…if I wasn’t so stingy with my computer lol.

A Christmas Carol~ I played this game first. It has an interesting twist. You play Scrooge’s nephew. You come to visit and help him because he’s plagued with nightmares. It turns out the evil side of Scrooge and his devil helpers have ruined Scrooge’s life. You team up with the three ghosts of Christmas and angel Scrooge to change Scrooge’s past, present, and future. I love how Scrooge’s life can be changed. It’s such a neat retelling of the story. There are plenty of puzzles and objects to interact with. You get to see several beautiful Christmasy scenes. The background music will keep you in the Christmas spirit too.

http://www.bigfishgames.com/download-games/25375/christmas-stories-a-christmas-carol-ce/index.html

Nutcracker~ You’re late for the Christmas ball but you make it in time to help the Nutcracker save his princess from the evil Rat King. The game delves into the Rat King’s backstory. I love how they tie other tales into this one. They make it so believable. The music is also a treat. Once again they deliver when it comes to graphics.

http://www.bigfishgames.com/download-games/20319/christmas-stories-nutcracker-ce/index.html

Tin Soldier~ Team up with the Tin Soldier and the Nutcracker to save the Tin Soldier’s beloved from an evil baron who has turned them all into toys. This story ties in to the Nutcracker. Meet Hans Christian Anderson and learn what it’s like to be toy sized! That was my favorite part….shrinking. Great music and graphics. Fun hidden object puzzle games and lots to interact with.

http://www.bigfishgames.com/download-games/27949/christmas-stories-3-andersens-tin-soldier-ce/index.html

I can’t tell you which was my favorite. I enjoyed all three tremendously. I usually play Nancy Drew games on PC which take several days. It took me a few hours each for these games. I like that they weren’t too time consuming. I could play one after another on a lazy day. They’re addictive like candy!

By the way, I had a membership with Big Fish so I was able to get all these games with credits that had built up. If you play a lot of games it’s better to get a membership because you save bunches. I just cancelled my membership because I may go months without playing a game. I binge play. I’m not very consistent.

Well, I hope you enjoyed the review. If you get a chance to play, please leave me a comment and tell me what you think of the games. And if you have any holiday game suggestions I’d love to hear that too!
God bless & remember the High King lives! ~Amber Dover

Hobbit Marathon Party

The latest Hobbit movie just came out in theaters! Here’s our Hobbit marathon party from last summer to give you some fun ideas! Love, Amber D.

amberdover

In this Post:A mishmash of Hobbit parties with my own flare. Also an original  homemade board game. Come with us from the Shire to Mirkwood all the way to the Misty Mountains!

Hello dear ones! I am so excited to share our Hobbit marathon party with you! As you may know, the second Hobbit movie, The Desolation of Smaug, just came out on dvd. We are big LOTR and Hobbit fans here. I took two parties and mashed them together. Then I threw in crafts and snacks that I found here and there. Add a homemade and original Hobbit board game and you’ve got Amber’s flare ;).

I do want to thank the two main bloggers that inspired me. The other ideas are on my Pinterest, which is listed after the picture.

Though I did not use them as intended, I did use several of the…

View original post 767 more words

Winter Wonderlands in Second Life 2014

Hello dear ones! I managed to do a lil bit of virtual exploring the other day. I have two lovely places to show you. Enjoy the pics!

Frisland~ I love the vintage charm here.

Winter Boomland ~Sleigh rides, several photo ops, and even a ride in a mug of hot cocoa!

Now back home…Merry Christmas everyone! God bless & remember the High King lives!~Amber Dover

Jesus, Our Precious Gift: An Interactive Christmas Drama 2014 December 17, 2014

Hello dear ones! By God’s grace, I wrote a nativity play for our homeschool group. I also had an Advent craft and goodies for the kiddos. If you read my Easter play post then you know I do my plays a bit differently. No one memorizes lines and the kids/audience interact as they watch the adults perform. My son Michael performs too and again was a big help. Here’s the link for the Easter drama:

Easter Week & Jesus, Our Passover Lamb Easter Drama

Alrighty, onto how this went down :). I played Mary who was the Narrator.

Here’s the cast list:
Mary/ Narrator- Me
Joseph- Michael, my son
Gabriel- Hannah
Herod- Stacie
Elizabeth- Erin
Zachariah- Michael, my son
Simeon- Stacie
Anna- Rachel

Wise Men, Shepherds, Angels, & Animals~ played by children/audience
Jesus & John~ baby dolls

So the other homeschool moms stepped up nicely to play the main parts. Michael and Stacie played double roles.  I was very excited to include lesser known characters in the play, like Anna and Simeon.

I didn’t have the time or motivation to make all the props/costumes this year. I bought most of it from Oriental trading.
Setting:
Bethlehem backdrop (used for Nazareth & Jerusalem too)
Cave with manger- made from a cardboard box
Cross backdrop
Altar with incense- We just pretended for this.
Chair for Mary to sit on

I had my audience pretend to go back in time with me. Then the children picked their costumes and watched and waited for their part in the story. We have a small group so this worked well.

We began our story by meeting Anna and Simeon in the temple. Simeon explains the dark times the Israelites were in but how God has made him a promise. I wanted to follow the Biblical time line. Most Nativity stories smoosh everything together and leave parts out. We of course did not see Simeon’s big moment until after Jesus was born. I wanted the kids to get an idea though of how everyone was waiting for the messiah. Simeon and Anna set that up.

Then we moved on to Zachariah’s encounter with the angel Gabriel and the prophecy of John. John would prepare the way for the Messiah. If you celebrate Advent then you know the Advent wreathe has four main candles (not including the Christ candle that lights them all). The candles represent Hope, Love, Joy, and Peace. The scenes in the drama each represented a candle. The prophetic scenes represent Hope.

Michael as Zachariah. You can read about this scene in Luke 1.

My best buddy Hannah as the angel Gabriel and also her daughter Miriam as an angel in training ;).

Zachariah loses his voice because he doesn’t believe the angel.

We head to Nazareth to meet Joseph, and Mary goes from Narrator mode to being in the story. All of the next part is also found in Luke 1.

Gabriel visits the virgin Mary and tells her that she will have the Son of God, Jesus.

Scene 2: Love (God prepares the world for His gift of Love)
Mary and the audience travel to Zachariah and Elizabeth’s where John the baptist is born. Zachariah’s voice comes back as he announces John’s name and proclaims the prophecy.

Erin as Elizabeth with the baby John.

Mary returns to Nazareth and Joseph finds out she’s pregnant. He doesn’t believe the miracle until he has a dream with Gabriel in it. Now he knows Jesus is the Son of God. Mary hasn’t cheated on him.

Joseph takes Mary as his wife. King Herod (Stacie) announces Caesar Augustus’ decree that everyone should return to their hometown to be registered. Joseph and Mary embark on the journey to Bethlehem. Silent Night played while we walked around the room.

Scene 3: Joy (Jesus is born) story found in Luke 2 and Matthew 1.

Mary tells Joseph the baby is coming. There is no room for them except with the animals. It was most likely a cave not a stable. We used a box with straw in it for the manger.

Baby Jesus is born.

Angels appear to shepherds in the field and announce the baby’s birth. Luke 2: 8-21

We pause at the manger scene to sing Joy to the World.

Scene 4: Peace
Mary, Joseph, and baby Jesus go to the temple for Jesus to be dedicated. We run into Simeon and Anna again. Simeon holds the baby and makes a big speech (sorry no pics. Rachel the photographer was playing Anna). Luke 2:22-38

Meanwhile, the wise men ask King Herod where the Messiah will be born. Matthew 2:1-12

He tells them Bethlehem and God sends a star that the wise men follow to Jesus. Mary and Joseph are in a house at this point and Jesus could be as old as 2 yrs. We don’t know. The audience/children used glow sticks to be the Christmas star.

The wise men (maybe 3 maybe not. We don’t know) give 3 gifts. Mary holds up the gifts and explains them.

Gold, a gift for the King of kings. Frankincense, like the incense the priests burned, to represent the Priests of all priests. Lastly, myrrh, a perfume used in burial, a reminder that Jesus would die to save us from sin.

Scene 5: Christ, Our Light

The Wise men return home and Herod realizes that they are not coming back to him. King Herod is furious and commands that all baby boys 2 and under should be killed.

Joseph is warned in a dream. Mary, Joseph, and baby Jesus flee to Egypt until King Herod dies.

Everyone exits except Mary. Mary goes to the cross backdrop and explains that Christ brings light to the darkness. Jesus grew up and died on a cross to save the world from sin. Then three days later he arose from the dead. One day Christ will return and destroy all evil. There will be no more sickness or sorrow. We ended the play by singing “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel”. Then we hopped in our time machine to have snacks and crafts.

Shout out to all the awesome moms who helped make the play possible. All of the pictures were taken by my friend Rachel. She has a cool blog. Right now Rachel and her daughter Maggie are making ornaments for the Jesse tree. Check her out: http://homeschoolingmom2mags.blogspot.com/

Michael and I made Red Velvet Cake Balls for the treat. Recipe here: http://www.bakerella.com/red-velvet-cake-balls/

I put together treat bags for the kids.

Nativity stickers

The craft was a simple Advent wheel that the kids colored. I found it on Oriental Trading too.

Here’s a link with Nativity facts:

My Family Rocks! Sunday: Nativity Facts & the End of Advent

I hope the play inspires you. God bless & remember the High King lives! ~Amber Dover

Christmas Date Ingredients December 15, 2014

Hello dear ones! I hope you’re having a lovely Christmas season. Chris and I had a big holiday date and I want to share the ingredients with you.

I made a list of fun couple activities. I’ll share the list and fonts I used. Also I’ll share links where I got certain ideas and printables. Heads up: most of this date is for married folk.

Christmas Date
Ingredients
*******************************
*Visit the mall
*Buy stocking stuffers for each other
*Couple pics in photo booth
*Buy ugly sweaters
*Eat at a restaurant
*Christmas light scavenger hunt
*Watch a Christmas movie and play scrabble
*Special treats under the tree
*Dance to Christmas music
*Mistletoe kissing

I used fonts #1 and #8 from this site to make my list look pretty: http://www.atypicalenglishhome.com/2012/12/best-free-christmas-fonts.html

I printed the list in green and red and then cut out the words and pasted them to a new paper. Unfortunately, I’m unable to attach the document so you’ll have to type it yourself.  You’ll probably want to customize the date anyways.

We used several ideas from The Dating Divas. I really love their site. A couple of these are for later in the season.

• Christmas Light Scavenger Hunt: http://www.thedatingdivas.com/you-me/show-him-the-love/christmas-lights-scavenger-hunt/
• Santa’s Cookies (a game for married folk): http://www.thedatingdivas.com/you-me/intimate-moments/santas-cookies-bedroom-game/
• Hot Cocoa Love Note (for married folk): http://www.thedatingdivas.com/romantic-rendezvous/hot-cocoa-love-note/
• 12 days of Christmas: http://www.thedatingdivas.com/just-the-two-of-us/12-days-of-christmas-countdown/
• 12 days of sexy Christmas (married folk): http://www.thedatingdivas.com/just-the-two-of-us/12-sexy-days-of-christmas/

You can see all the date ideas I find here: http://www.pinterest.com/doverette/date-ideas/

and all the dates we’ve tried (a few original to us) here: http://www.pinterest.com/doverette/ambers-date-nights/

 

We had to switch up a few things. None of the photo booths worked right so we decided to take our couple pic at home by the tree. I have an ornament that I’m going to put the picture in. We decided to get some cute Christmas t-shirts instead of ugly sweaters. I have Olaf and Chris has a minion. We found them in the mens’ section at Walmart (hey it’s comfortable and I am bigger from pregnancy! :P).

I left ornaments in the oven and we had to hurry home to make sure the house hadn’t caught fire (pregnancy brain!). Thankfully the house was fine. Praise God! We then got a box of Krispy Kremes because I had a craving and we drove around the city to look at lights. We found almost everything on the scavenger hunt list. I’m a little disappointed by the lack of spirit on my street. I think I should be the light police and leave notices (Hey, you have 24 hours to get lights up, even one cheap strand from the Dollar store!).

We don’t actually have Scrabble but we borrowed UpWords from my mom. It’s very similar to Scrabble except you can build words on top of one another. I think I like it better. I didn’t have mistletoe either but I hung fake holly in our bedroom (it’s close enough). Now our son uses it to give sloppy kisses to me, the cat, and the dog! Ha!

There are a few romantic and fun Christmas songs out there. Here are my favorites:

• Baby, It’s Cold Outside
• Christmas Cookies (from Duck the Halls cd)
• All I Want For Christmas is You (Mariah Carey)
• Santa Baby
• Winter Wonderland
• Let it Snow
• The Christmas Song
• Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree
• Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas

Hot chocolate and Christmas cookies are great for snuggling and Netflix has several cute romantic Christmas movies. There’s still plenty of time left for Christmas romance. The 12 days of Christmas start on Christmas Day and end on January 5th. There’s also time to make a special stocking for your spouse. Maybe next year I’ll make an Advent calendar just for my hubby. It’s a lil late for that now.

We had lots of fun and I hope you do too. It’s so easy to get caught up in the season and forget your spouse. There are so many family activities and if you have kids, it’s hard not to just focus on them. But spouses need attention too. Marriage is such a beautiful gift from God. So go ahead and show your soulmate some Christmas love ;)!

God bless & remember the High King lives! ~Amber Dover

Christmas Card Pictures 2014 & Watching God Work December 5, 2014

Hello dear ones! God has been so good to us. He’s always good but this year we’ve been overwhelmed by blessings. I want to testify of God’s goodness as I share our Christmas photos with you. Feel free to share your testimonies in the comments. I love hearing from you!

It started in January when God protected my son Michael and I, in a big wreck we were in. Something changed. My perspective was shaken. I realized that I didn’t have control over my family like I thought. Sure I knew this in theory but my theory was put to the test. It was terrifying to think that my child could’ve died. My iron grip on my life and especially my family was just an illusion. No matter how much I held onto my life I could not keep it.

Matthew 16:25 hit me like a brick. “For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.” I began to trust God on a different level. This was the start of letting go in many areas. I was scared to drive again and my faith was put to the test when my family and I took a road trip during a snowstorm a couple months later. Did I really trust that my days and the days of my family were in God’s capable hands? Did I trust God’s goodness?

I believe it was February when I felt the call to sign up for a missions trip to Belize. I was already looking at life differently because of the wreck. Usually I just gave money and sent someone else to missions, but when I saw the trip in the church bulletin I felt in my spirit “Go!”. It seemed crazy. As a kid I had always wanted to do missions work overseas. As a teen I had tried to go but it was never God’s timing. It was a dream that I had hung on the shelf. Mommyhood was my call. Homeschooling and being a Godly wife was my call. How could God use me in Belize? I was surprised as I watched God work everything out for the trip. I learned that I wasn’t crazy and that God had indeed called me. I saw him do miracles with finances so I could go. I also had to learn to let go of my family even more when I realized my son couldn’t go with me. I struggled to be away from my one and only child (at the time) for a week.

Then came March. Our family stepped out of our cultural comfort zone and took a road trip to Washington, D.C. and like I said…it was during a snow storm. I gripped the handle in the car as hard as I could, closed my eyes, and prayed as we drove past semi trucks that had spun off the road because of the ice. I clenched my teeth when we drove through crazy traffic in the city. I prayed as we tried to figure out the metro system in the freezing cold. God came through every time. My best laid plans fell through several times but I saw God work as I let go. We had beautiful family moments that were never planned, like finding an outdoor ice skating rink under the moonlight.

The rest of the spring was spent prepping for Belize. I came to grips with my lack of faith as I questioned how in the world I would get to Belize. God opened the door for me to teach about 30 kids in V.B.S. It was another test of faith and I felt completely inadequate. But God provided every step of the way and I saw several kids embrace the gospel. I also felt a love for other people’s children that I had not felt in awhile. I had been so consumed with my own family life, it was hard to care about others.

The Missions trip came. My husband shocked me by saying he wanted to try for a baby when I got back. I didn’t put much stock into it. I was content with my life although I had pined for another child years before when we were told we were infertile. God rocked my world in Belize. I was showered with love from so many children and I loved these kids that were not my own. I played with and put my heart and soul into the children. I saw such thankfulness and joy from those who had little. I saw great faith amidst tragedy.

God gave me boldness and replaced my fear with faith as I was put on the spot to share the gospel with hundreds of kids. God gave me the physical strength that I didn’t have. For once I was not plagued with chronic pain. I walked the Mayan ruins, I played dancing games with the kids, I kayaked in the ocean, and all of it was because God gave me the health. I felt the prayers of many. God had to deal with my attitude when I couldn’t talk to my son much during that week. The phone card didn’t work. I got very homesick. I didn’t always “feel” like a missionary. God used me despite my emotional issues.

When I got home it was strange. I did not feel the same boldness that I had before. Then my husband and I began to try for a baby. I prayed and asked others for prayer. Still I didn’t expect much. I was content with my life at the time. As I got used to my rich lifestyle again, God opened doors for me to draw closer to Him through service projects and a Bible study group. Then I got pregnant (August). Once again my world flipped upside down. At the same time I had found a lump in my breast and was scared to death of breast cancer. The timing all seemed wrong. Morning sickness came in like a bear and I couldn’t see what God was doing. God got me through my biopsy though and I am thankful that I don’t have cancer.

Now I am 21 weeks pregnant and I’m seeing the fruit of God’s plan. The sickness and depression has subsided. My body still has those frustrating pregnancy symptoms but I’m also finding the joy in the blessing of new life. I didn’t think I could handle another child. I didn’t see where a new baby would fit into our lives. But now I see God using the miracle of Leeland to bring my family closer. I’ve seen Him do amazing things in my marriage.

I’ve seen God answer the secret prayers of my heart…things that I never thought I’d see come to pass. And I realize that I had no hand in any of it. My tight grip on my family never accomplished anything. Only by letting go could I truly witness God working. I am overwhelmed. Through the good and the seemingly bad, God is faithful and He has a purpose. He is always good no matter what. I pray for the faith and thankfulness I need. I pray that I won’t get in the way of God’s plans. I am so glad that God worked despite me.

So dear ones I hope this is an encouragement to you. It’s hard to see the blessings when our focus is on saving our life. Worry will rob you of your joy. Trying to control everything will rob you of your joy. There is a beauty in surrender and truly letting go and letting God. I know that sounds cliche’ but it is the truth. It is when you empty yourself that God fills you to the brim. It is in brokeness that new life springs forth. I am still learning these lessons and will til I die. God is opening my eyes everyday to new things. Jesus is breath taking. God bless you and remember the High King lives! ~Amber Dover

Thanksgiving Photos and Crafts 2014 December 4, 2014

Hello dear ones! I hope you had a lovely Thanksgiving and that you are enjoying the Christmas season. This year we made Thankful jars to store our thankfulness during the month of November. On Thanksgiving we took turns reading our blessings. The person who had the most in their jar, won the first slice of pie. Mom won. I also made these pilgrim hat place settings. I saw the idea online to use these as crayon holders for kids but I wanted it to be more.

Fof the Thankful jars I had Michael paint his handprint and we made it into a turkey. Then we put a thankful verse on the other side of the jar.

Chris did a great job on the ham and turkey. The turkey was a lil late so I didn’t get a pic. Mom and I tag teamed the rest of the meal. I usually cook most of mine the night before. It’s easier that way. We spent the morning watching The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade.

Michael helped me make pies this year.

After we ate we took down all the fall decor and put up Christmas decorations. I needed all the help I could get this year.

Mom helping Michael decorate his room.

Chris went hunting the next day.

Well, that’s how we spent our Thanksgiving. How about you? What traditions do you have? God bless & remember the High King lives! ~Amber Dover