Ethnic Scrapbooking

Kwanzaa Day 7 - Imani (Faith)

What was an unusual way you demonstrated your faith in 2010?  My son Jonathan accepted Jesus Christ as his Savior, see this post for the details CLICK HERE!

 

 

Kwanzaa Day 6 - Kuumba (Creativity)

Something we do here at the Sanford house year round...we celebrate creativity in all its forms.

Jonathan's depiction of who he is, an outdoorsman who loves zip lines and camping in the woods. 

Kwanzaa Day 5 - Nia (Purpose)

Knowing our ancestors and the challenges and struggles they have overcome gives us a great sense of comfort.

 

Kwanzaa Day 4 - Ujamma (Cooperative Economics)

I'm posting a day late because I was super busy assisting my favorite woman-owned businesses.

Here's a brief list of my favorites:

Key & Associates, P.C.

Mc Millon Communications

Absoulute Organizing Solutions

Which small businesses do you frequent?  Spend your money with them on a more regular basis in 2011.

Kwanzaa Day 3 - Ujima (Collective Works & Responsibility)

On Day 3 the family worked hard preparing our basement bedroom for a (rent free) tenant to move in this weekend...a fulltime Art student (Talisa) who needs a place to stay for the next 12 months.  What a collective work it turned out to be!

 
Tonight, I gave the kids some zwadi (gifts) as a mid-week treat.

Kwanzaa Day 2 - Kujichagulia (self determination)

Look through your photographs or 2010 memory bank and list five accomplishments you achieved this past year.

Tarpley Family - new headstone dedicated to our ancestor

Lisa - WPEO President's award for being an advocate for woman-owned businesses

Jerry - Promotion at work

Talisa - full-time student at the Art Institute

Jerin - All Honors and AP classes

Leah - Honor Roll (huge increase in her capacity to complete homework and assignments 100% on her own after a year of vision therapy)

Jonathan - Awesome two seasons of soccer playing goalie and learning the cello

Joseph - Reading above grade level

Tavien - learned to write his name!

Handmade Christmas

A few, very few of you received holiday cards from me, but that doesn't mean I love you any less...I try to be very personalized in my correspondence by either making the cards by hand or including photographs.  But there are only 24 hours in a day and I rarely can carve out a few hours in the month of December to get to my holiday card list.

Here's a sneak peak at one card I made (no two are alike).

 

A little Christmas music

Out of three kids concerts, I only made it to one...Jonathan's debut with his cello.  Unfortunately, he forgot his music and we had to turn around and go home to get it, so I didn't get a front seat to get any great photos of him in the orchestra.  So have no fear...mom recreated the scene (mainly because he's so handsome in his shirt and tie) and made him play his parts when we got home.

 

Nutcracker

I'm a huge fan of live performances.  Sometimes the cost is prohibitive with four children, but I was blessed to take six other people with me to see the National Ballet Company performed the Nutcracker right in my hometown.  It was fabulous, the youngest member of our group was 4 and an aspiring dancer.  What a thrill it was to taker her to the ballet.

Photo Credit:  www.nationalballet.com

Check off one of our advent activities. 

HOMEMADE Advent Calendar

Life 's just not busy enough, that I add doing an advent calendar to the December madness, LOL.

This is my first attempt and we'll see how it goes.  My goal is to just partake in some low-cost activity, craft or just plain old bible reading in the days leading up to Christmas.  I looked up lots of calendar ideas, but thought I'd put that big barrel of socks to some good use.