Karen Walrond of Chookooloonks just published her first book, The Beauty of Different
and it is fantastic! Every page is full of beautiful photos and heartful words and essays. Wouldn’t receiving this fabulous volume make a lovely holiday gift? 
If you live in a colder climate, you may love the idea of living in a house wrapped in a greenhouse. This home in Sweden built by Swedish architect Bengt Warne, it allows the owners to cultivate their own fresh food – while cutting their electricity needs in half. How fantastic is that?
The mister, Eben and I made the organic sugar cookies and organic frosting the night before – a favorite among the children were the gingerbread and snowmen shapes.
Want to throw a holiday cookie decorating party this week? Here is my sugar cookie recipe to get you started:
Ingredients:
Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 400°.
2. In a bowl mix together flour, baking soda and baking powder.
3. In a larger bowl, cream the butter and sugar together. Add in one egg at a time and the vanilla. Gradually add the dry ingredients.
4. Cover and chill dough in refrigerator for at least 1 hour or overnight.
5. Roll out dough on floured surface until 1/2 inch thick. Cut into shapes with cookie cutters. Place on ungreased cookie sheet.
6. Bake 6-8 minutes and cool completely.
How do get into the holiday spirit with your children?
A couple of weekends ago, my family visited our local farm to pick strawberries – wait for it – in December! Am I the only person who thinks that picking strawberries in December is fantastic? Just another perk of living in sunny Florida.
They were delicious and we had a fantastic time!
We spent Saturday night visiting the best neighborhood holiday lights in our area. The combination of lights, figures, time and creativity put into the displays was fantastic! It was a great way to spend the evening together as a family. 
Last weekend we used Grandpa Sweet Greens GPS and made a list of all the homes in our area that are known for their amazing holiday light display. It was fantastic.
If you live in South Florida, here is a list of some of our favorites:
+ 74 West Palmetto Road, Lake Worth, Florida.
+ 9510 Sun Pointe Drive, Boynton Beach, Florida.
+ 3852 Satin Leaf Court, Delray Beach, Florida.
+ 49 Springdale Road, Lake Worth, Florida.
+ 4988 Palm Way, Lake Worth, Florida.
You can see more of the pictures from our Holiday Light Adventure here.
Does your family spend an evening visiting holiday lights in your area?
photos via Jay Lyon