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Greenwood Village, CO 80111

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happy birthday, Jesus! {+ printable cake banners}

December 24, 2013 Teresa Swanstrom Anderson

This morning Imani and I got to work on Jesus' Birthday Cake.

Four layer red velvet cake with crushed candy canes {yum!}.

Every year I put something different on top. Sometimes sparklers, sometimes ribbon bunting, this year I thought I'd make my own printable banner.

{I printed mine onto cardstock}

If you'd like to print your own, click here!

Oh how I love decorating our Christmas table!

Who says paper plates can't be used for a fancy dinner? Silver chargers beneath add shine, depth and make them seem more substantial.

After our candlelight church service, we came home for dinner.

The past few years we've done fondue.

They get so serious about it!

Sweet Imani wanted to wear her Christmas apron over her dress so she didn't get it dirty.

How I love that little face!

After dinner, we popped open the musical crackers I had placed next to each plate.

Inside were crowns and pieces of a xylophone, each with a different tone.

We each got to play Conductor, playing {well..."playing"} our Christmas carols together.

After dinner, the kids opened the package holding their new jammies and the World Vision catalog.

{after much deliberation, they decided upon gifting a family with a sheep}

Abreham asked that we have Ethiopian food for Christmas Day's dinner so he'll be cooking most of the day tomorrow.

And after dinner is over, our Birthday Party with Jesus will begin!

The cake is all ready!

{and so are we!!}

We're still waiting on our Christmas cards to arrive {how does paying for 2 day shipping turn into several weeks??}

Sigh. Oh well. I sure do love our card though!

. . Merry Christmas!!! . .

Writer, speaker, and busy mama of six

2 biological & 4 from Ethiopia

I have a fervent eagerness to build a place where we can get filled up, when we feel like all we do is pour out.

I do my best to be real and honest about life, our struggles, and how God stretches me through (so many) mistakes along the way.

May this be a place of nourishment for an everyday, beautiful life.

Instagram

Have you ever made real-life friends on IG? I have...in fact, I kinda do it a lot...and some of my best friends were initially met through squares like this one.

Meet @christina_eclat, my newest IG friend turned real-life one. You need to know her (she’s amazing). Who are you inviting in and saying YES to?? Let’s stop waiting to be invited and start doing the inviting.

Let’s make more IG friends become real-life friends.
・・・
If you are following my stories than you know I’m all about showing all the messy and ugly that comes with change and growth - but in the sprit of also wanting to show all the pretty stuff that blooms 🌸from all the mess.... I wanted to share a few photos from my first “friend date” with the most amazing woman @teresa.swanstrom.anderson last week. I reached out to Teresa a few months ago when I stalked her on insta to basically beg her to be my friend.

A fellow creative, adoptive ET mama, and all around kind person, I am so thankful to be immediately hugged by the support and friendship were growing over at @theandsociety. We got to attend the most incredible Mother’s Day floral arrangement class with @somethingstyledco and I met an inclusive group of women - part of the reason I chose to move to Denver was how open and welcoming the people are here and they haven’t disappointed.

We have so many beautiful and colorful things coming your way and I’m just really blessed to have literally fallen into the right hands. #newfriends #bloom #survivingissexy

3-book GIVEAWAY! Happy 1st book birthday to my book baby #beautifullyinterrupted! I still cannot believe all God has done (and is doing) through simply saying the word YES!

This book is for you if...
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✔️You feel like you’ve planned + planned your life, accidentally planning God right out of it(or forgot to consult Him in those big dreams...and just stepped out anyway!)
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✔️ You’re in a waiting period + want to know how to wait WELL
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✔️ You struggle with fear + inadequacy🙋🏼‍♀️
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✔️ You want to live a big, bold life, but don’t know where to start
. . . . . .

GIVEAWAY DETAILS:
(3 winners will be selected!)
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1️⃣Simply follow @teresa.swanstrom.anderson (me!) 2️⃣ like this photo
3️⃣ tag as many friends as you’d like (one tag per comment)
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That’s IT! 🙌🏽💕
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Giveaway ends Sunday, May 19 at midnight Pacific Time.

Three (3) winners will be randomly selected (1 book each) and announced on Monday, May 20!

More reviews in my Stories!
And #beautifullyinterrupted is ON SALE on Amazon right now for $4.69 if you just want to purchase yours now!

On a mountain biking date with Elsie and she decided this was “the perfect place to take pictures and throw rocks” 😉 Just love this girl.
(Head to my Stories for more of our fun!)

I’m so excited to read this book. Have you heard of it?

Statistics tell us that African American males who grow up in a single-parent household are nine times more likely to drop out of high school and twenty times more likely to end up in prison than any other demographic.

But what would it take for one young man not only to rise above those statistics but also become a Navy SEAL, actor, entrepreneur, writer, and successful husband and father?

In this beautiful book, @remiadeleke takes us back to stories from his childhood (living as Nigerian royalty), losing his father early in life, and being stripped financially of everything by the Nigerian government.

He delves into being raised by a single mother in the Bronx and doesn’t shy away from his illegal activities as a young man that threatened to derail his future.

At every turn, including throughout his naval career, Adeleke found a way to overcome the odds, even when it didn’t make sense. His is an inspiring story of true personal transformation.

Sorry @ben_c_anderson...I opened the package when it came. That means I read it first 🤷🏼‍♀️😉 #transformed

She hates these photos, but they make me so happy because this is us...best friends of 20 years (whaaaaat 😳🤷🏼‍♀️👵🏽) If you caught our IG Stories last week, you’ll know @greenandwellbeauty and I laugh a lot, love talking about real (read: sometimes HARD!) stuff, as well as beauty and health.

We’re planning on doing this each and every week! So stay tuned for more IG Live today. This week, we’re talking adoption as well as our morning beauty regimen with @beautycounter 😘💕

Total #Goodwill SCORE yesterday! I’ve been looking for the perfect mirror for this spot on my side of the bed for seriously about two years.

My favorites were this exact shape but about $350 and I just couldn’t justify it because we have so many other projects + items that are higher up on the list.

Yesterday though, I found this baby for $5.99 and it’s EXACTLY what I’ve looked all these years for!

I’m a big fan of heading into thrift stores every few weeks with a list in hand. I remember exactly what I want to keep an eye out for...and am in and out in about 5 minutes, knowing it’s a total hit-or-miss shopping experience.

What’s the best thing you’ve found while thrifting?!
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(Now...to keep an eye out for a new bedside table... 🤷🏼‍♀️😉)