I plan to get a list of Advent links together sometime over the next day or so. If you have any to suggest, please email me. In the meantime, since his feast is fast approaching (December 6, next Thursday!) I’ll share the only link you’ll likely need for St. Nicholas Day: St. Nicholas Center. Browse and enjoy!

Next recipe for my Christmas test kitchen: Toffee Meringue Gingerbread. I’ve always thought plain ole’ gingerbread was a little bit dull. I just need to get out and buy some toffee chips first. Let me know if you try it first!

I was going to update my shopping thread below with some codes and links people have sent me, but I just checked in and saw that Conor has added a list in the comments that includes all of mine and then some. If you are still looking for deals, check it out. And thanks very much, Conor! Now I can go to bed.

I am proud to announce the induction of a totally new cookie into my Christmas repertoire.

One word? Yum.

Many words? These little darlings bake up beautifully. They are not too fat and not too flat with just the right amount of crinkle. The mint with chocolate makes them confidently Christmassy, but the rest of the cookie is delightfully chewy-sweet in its own brown sugar way. They are simple to make (they say you need to chill the dough, but unless you live in the tropics or keep your kitchen thermostat set to 85, you can skip that step). And with 1/2 cup of butter in the dough, they will freeze with ease. Like I said, they’re darlings!

Number of single snow boots one must pull from the closet before finding a matched pair.

(as Paul Simon’s Graceland comes on the radio)

Boy Child: Oh great, classical music.

I took all eight kids to the pediatrician this evening for their annual flu shots … all by myself.

Go ahead — ooh and ahh. Make a big deal of it. Tell me how hard that must have been for me and that you don’t know how I do it. I’ll let you. But just between you and me?

It wasn’t that hard.

There were a few tears, but those were quickly wiped away (not by me, by the way — by the older brother who is the sole source of comfort for the 2 year old these days). There were a few jitters and Gabby almost missed her shot altogether (I found her cowering in the corner as I gathered coats to go) but it all worked out in the end. In all of 30 minutes we got in, got shot, and were on our way with bags of treats and stickers in hand.

Though my 22 year old self who cried for weeks at the thought of giving her baby a single vaccination and who cried harder still at the thought of bringing two children to the grocery store would be in awe of 35 year old me, I must say that I am not all that impressed.

Here’s my one and only secret: I have accepted my life. Embraced it, even. With all the little bumps and bruises that come along the way. I go with the flow now and the only thing I am in awe of is how I ever managed when I fought against it.

I am broken in. Grown up. And astonished that it feels this good.

Pauline Books & Media is encouraging homeschoolers’ participation (kids ages 10-13) in their Prayer Writing Contest. Winners will be published in a forthcoming collection. Here are the details they shared with me:

Explanatory Letter
Prayer Form
Release Form

Participating homeschools will receive a free copy of the book (whether your entries are selected or not) when it releases in August 2008. Hurry, though! The deadline for submissions is December 8, 2007.

Number 1 requested item on Kateri’s Christmas wish list: “Anything alive.”

Have you started? Are you done? Are you in a panic?

My amazingly perfect older sister’s Christmas card arrived in the mail today and so I suppose it is now official — it is time to look toward Christmas. Unbelievably, this year I have actually gotten a lot of my shopping done already. I even have great hopes of completing all of it by the end of this week so that I might begin Advent with a clear head. I’ll be broke, but not frantic. There’s always a catch.

I asked you for links and many of you responded. I’ll list some online shopping hints and sites below for your bargain-hunting pleasure. Some of these were sent to me by readers and some have been compiled through my own shopping this year so far. Any codes or discounts are subject to change, of course, so I make no guarantees. Feel free to leave your own thoughts, ideas, tips, or links in the comments and I’ll update this list with live links as needed. Happy shopping!
Many of you wrote and confessed to your ongoing love affair with Amazon.com. It really is a user-friendly site and a convenient way to shop for just about anything you could dream of buying. Free shipping on orders over $25 makes it an especially attractive option. Use my link and you’ll support this site.

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Ebates.com is an online shopper’s best friend. Earn cash back from online purchases at major stores. Find out about special discounts and online deals all in one place. Signing up is free and your first purchase through Ebates earns you an automatic $5 cash back. Use my links when you sign up and you’ll support this site as well.

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If you want to avoid toys made in China or are concerned about buying toys that might have been made under unfair labor conditions, check out some of these sites:
Still Made in USA
Toys Made in America
Not Made in China
Planet Happy Toys

Reader and chef Joahne makes cookie bouquets for lovely edible gifts. Email her for details.
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Books are always a great gift and educational fun books are a better option still. At Usborne Books you can enter to win $50 in books (scroll down to bottom right side of screen for link to enter) and you can receive $15 in free books with your order of $85 or more.
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LeapFrog.com is offering 25% off your entire online order through the end of the day November 27. Use coupon code FL7BC5
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DealNews.com is a great site that keeps an updated list of bargains and special offers around the net. Find deals, find coupons, find gift ideas and more!

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Aquinas and More Catholic Goods has a great selection of Christmas cards, monastery gifts (This is Catholic coffee, people. Could you ask for more?), and some uniquely beautiful jewelry items.

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Snapfish.com is a wonderful spot to make personalized photo gifts. Get free shipping on all orders over $15 with coupon code SHIPALL or get 50% off holiday ornaments with code TREE07

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The Catholic Company sells religious books and gifts for all ages. Free shipping on all orders of $50 or more through midnight tonight.

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Who doesn’t love the gift options at Hearthsong? Pay just $4.99 shipping on orders of $50 or more with coupon code HS49

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JC Penney offers free shipping on online orders of $25 or more.

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Totally Catholic is a great site for cool Catholic T-shirts for the cool Catholic kids in your life. Get 25% off your entire order between now and December 8 with the coupon code CHRST2007

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Order Tupperware products online from reader Jennifer’s site. She offers free shipping to DanielleBean.com readers! Order by December 12 for Christmas delivery.

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Vision Forum, a great source for traditional American toys, offers free shipping on orders of $25 or more through Tuesday night at midnight.

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MoBoleez.com is a company run by a Catholic mom. A unique product of theirs is the breastfeeding hat, a fun privacy product for nursing moms. Get 15% off your order with the code holiday2007
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Support worthy causes while you shop! Try some of these links to support religious communities with your Christmas shopping this year:

Franciscan Missions offers a variety of unique gifts and food items. Perfect for someone who is hard to buy for. The San Damiano cross is just beautiful!

Trappistine.com sells a delicious variety of candy at a reasonable price.

Buy Christmas music on CD from the Visitation Sisters of Tyringham at NunSong.com.

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A couple of helpful sites for getting your money back if you find an item on sale for less after purchasing:
RefundPlease.com
PriceProtectr.com
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Some other sources for online coupon codes:
CouponChief.com
RetailMeNot.com
CouponShack.com
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Keep ‘em coming!