A New Springtime

Rustic Christmas Decor

 The past couple of years I really hadn't decorated like I used to for Christmas, as a matter of fact, I actually got rid of a lot of my decorations. I think it was due to the lack of energy during my past pregnancies.

 This year, I put a bit more effort into it. Each week of advent, two so far, I have put up a few festive things. I am not really into glitz and sparkle, the rustic look is more my style.

                                         

DH actually got this last year, I was so surprised when he brought it home. It touches my heart when he does thoughtful lil' things like this. They usually end up being my favorite sentiments.

Our handmade manger that the kiddos made a couple of years ago always gives me so much joy. I love that they can play with it and think of the meaning of the birth of Jesus. The wood is so soft and chunky, the perfect toy for lil' hands!

A rustic grapevine wreath and an old tin star got a bit of a makeover with this snowflake ribbon and matching ornament in  that I glued in the middle. Nothing fancy but it works.

This is a GW find, can't pass up an already made arrangement for $2.99, mama didn't raise no fool. The candles on sale cost more than the flowers but for a total a of about $7, me likey!

Eventually, the pegs on this shelf will hold our stockings but for now I went kinda snowflake crazy. I think it's a bit too much but I wasn't freaking out over it and that actually made me feel good. The importance and emphasis wasn't on perfection but my mind was focusing on puttin' up something fun!

A basket full of our Christmas story books sits on the floor in the living room. This basket was $5 at GW, it got dressed up with a $1 scarf from GW and some more of that pretty red ribbon, a roll for $2.50 can go a long way. For a finishing touch I added asmall amount ofsparkle with these pinecone stickers. They are so wintery and give it that perfect seasonal touch.

Dh put up these snow flake lights on the inside of the dining room and living room windows. They give such a warm glow to the house and make me want to snuggle up with...

you know who! I hope you are coming along in all your Christmas preparations both in the physical and spiritual and enjoying the season of Advent!

PREPARE, Advent 2011

There is a spiritual battle going on and its time to PREPARE! Once again we are called to remain awake and alert, to be ready for the coming of the Lord! ADVENT, a coming, what a powerful thought that should always be at the forefront of our minds.

As we prepare, we wait... we usually plant an amaryllis this time of year.

The bulb will grow taller and taller each day as we nuture it by watering and turning it towards the sun. It will finally open around Christmas blooming into a beautiful flower, trumpet- shaped, announcing the arrival of Jesus!

During the four weeks of Advent our wreath help tio remind us of the time we have, four weeks,to be concentrating and readying ourselves for charity and love to take over our hearts.

There are so many evil things to protect ourselves and our loved ones from these days especially when the bad things are now presented as good, and good is considered bad. PREPARE,PREPARE, make ready a people well disposed for the coming of the Lord, Jesus Christ!

Delight

 Friday morings are always less hectic for us. We take it a bit slower and we do not do our Mon. through Thurs. typical subjects. I usually give them their spelling tests and then we do our Friday poetry.

 
 I have been trying to remember to enjoy the kiddos more after reading this  article
at  the "Large Family Mothering" blog. Sometimes I can get lost in the whole forming the kids as their educator and their spiritual director, I forget to just be mother and delight in them.

 

 God always always allows me to see the fruit of my labor when I take a step or two back and get myself out of the picture. If I am to busy micro-managing everything I can get weighed down in the labor of it all.

 

 I bought this beautiful wax surround for $1 yesterday at GW. It was kind of  a frivilous  purchase but the scenes on it are by one of my favorite artists Marjolein Bastin. She really captures beautiful, simple scenes of nature that have an innocence and delightful quality to them, just like children.

 

  A candle set in the middle gave each scene a warm glow and brought it to life, I allowed myself to get lost in the moment seeing the soft  flickering light and picturing myself in each one of them. 

 

 The kids and I  ageed that  this was our favorite scene because we have a fondness for chickadees from watching them on our winter bird feeders.

 
   Taking time out and delighting in the things that surround me can be difficult in a fast-paced world full of expectations. I need to focus on simplicity and letting God fill me with His wonderful mysteries of His creations in my children and in nature. I hope you have a quiet moment to be still and get some time to delight in Him!

Indoor Advent Garden

 The last three years we have planted an indoor garden during Advent. It is simply made up of  paperwhite bulbs. They are extremely easy to care for and grow quite rapidly. It is a great activity for this liturgical season, it allows us to watch and to wait.

 
The girls filled the bowls with fish tank gravel. They always enjoy doing some kind of hands on activity.

Even the littlest of hands can get in on this. Just take the bulb and pushit gently down into the rocks.

 

 
Older sister also helps in the process, watering the thirst plants. Hopefully, this will be a lesson of TLC. It will take patience and care for the bulbs to finish growing.

 
Watching, waiting, wondering and being alert to the changes and the needs of these bulbs will help us to remember what advent is all about.

 
 Grandma also blessed us with an Amaryllis bulb this year. I haven't grown one of these in a while and I don't think the kids have ever seen the beautiful flower it produces. I am so excited to have our indoor Advent garden.

 

Advent/ A Coming

 I love the Advent season, a time to prepare for the coming of the Lord. A time to remember the first time Christ came to us as a babe in a manger, a time  for us to repair and receive His coming into our hearts, and a time to when He will come again in His glory!                  

 

 
  I enjoy the season of advent even more so when expecting the coming of a new baby.  There are so many things that can be done that remind me to get ready, to clean out and to fix up my home and my soul. Here are a few of the preparations that have been taking place.

 
 I have been working on this quilt for baby Malcolm's crib, it is made from old sheets and curtains purchased from the Good Will. Jesus always inspires His people to take old habits that may not be good for them and to replace them with something new.

 
 This roadside find will be renewed and made into a changing station for lil' one. It is going to take some scrubbing, and cleansing but I am confident it will be a new creation with a bit of hard work. Jesus wants to make His people into new creations. Sometimes it takes hard work and a bit of repairing but in the end it will be worth it!

 
 Washing and folding fresh smelling tiny clothes and getting toiletries for baby is my favorite part of the waiting process. Jesus wants to cleanse His people as they wait in joyful hope. He wants to make His people all shiny and new in Him.

 

 Filling up the baskets and bins with pj's, socks, receiving blankets, etc. gives me a sense of peace and security that all is coming together for the precious gift of life.  Jesus wants to fill and clothe His people with love and goodness to give them His serenity. He is the most precious gift of all!

 
 Advent is such an exciting time! Our whole lives are meant to be spent in preparation, to become a people well disposed for the coming of Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ!

 
 I hope everyone has a beautiful time of making ready, a time of becoming open to receive new gifts and a new life in Jesus, the one who has prepared a special place for all of us!

 

Keeping Christ In Christmas

 Keeping Christmas focused on Christ is so important, especially these days when everything is so commercialized. I was so excited when I saw these wonderful items that I could buy as gifts that reflected what is in my heart as a Christian. I mentioned before that our advent theme was, " Let Heaven and nature sing, well look at these...

 I found these precious little heart shaped dishes at Cracker Barrel. I was so excited to see the verse, "Let Heaven and nature sing printed on them. God is so good! i got one for two of the God parents. I also found these wonderful crosses. I loved the scripture sayings on them, I just had to get one for myself. The prices were a mere $3.99 each.

    

I was thrilled with how the boxes came out. I put four of the pine cone bird feeders in each one to finish them off.

  

Do you see that little hand trying to get into things? That would be my lil' chickadee!

I was so pleased to see so many beautiful Christian gifts at Cracker Barrel.

  
 
 

 

Advent Happenings

 I am trying to stay focused on trusting in God's will and keeping the advent spirit of waiting patiently. I am receiving many graces from all of the prayers people have been offering up. During this time we always have our advent wreath set out on our dining room table. 

 

I finally found a wonderful advent calender at the St. Joseph's Abbey in Spencer, MA. I love the nativity scene and each day it has a scripture reading. I hung it from a ribbon above our school cabinet.

I have also put out our basket of winter and Christmas read alouds. This year we have two new ones I picked up a while ago while thrifting. One is "The legend of The Poinsettia" and the other one is "Cranberry Christmas".

 

I have also completed one of the boxes for our Godchild. I wanted the theme to be, Let Heaven and nature Sing". I was pleased with the way it came out.

 

Included is a "Kids' Nature" book, a bird feeder (a find for $3.99 at The Christmas Tree Shops), a hat and scarf ( a retro floral print), Christmas socks ( w/ JOY printed on them), 4 pine cone bird treats, and a ST. Francis wall plaque.

To wrap it I used the clear cellophane and made a tag to finish it off.

I like to use everyday ordinary miracles, such as nature, as gifts for my Godchildren. I guess I love to see God in His wonderful creation and I hope to pass that on to them. As we all prepare this advent may we all, Heaven and nature, sing!
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 

Heaven and Nature Sing

Heaven and nature sing, this is the theme for our advent season. We are working on preparing gifts for our family and friends. I am going to make up nature baskets which will include nature and religious books, a bird feeder, bird seed, handmade pincone feeders, two bulbs in a pot, two plaques one of St. Francis and the other of the person's patron saint.

Today we started out by making the pinecone bird feeders.

     

 We collected pinecones on the side of the road. We tied each one with jute.

 

We used skippy peanut butter, creamy, you are not supposed to use the kind with nuts. The birdseed is a blend of different nuts, seeds and fruit.

  

Here are the kiddos getting all sticky.

We are putting them in the cellophane candy bags to make them look pretty and also it will keep them in tact. Each basket is going to have about five or six in them.

   

We did about twelve in a short period of time. I will do a post on the finished baskets when we get one completed.
 
 
 

 
  

Enter In

Enter into the mystery and the wonder of what is to come! There are many wonders upon us in these last days of advent. Miracles all around us, God is at work showing us His glory in the beautiful treasures of Christmas that is to come.

Enter in: to our home and share some of our special blessings.

 

The wonder of the tree and beautiful lights twinkling, lighting the way for the upcoming event!

 

  Enter into the nativity scene to remind us of humility and simplicity.

 

 Enter into the beauty of  Christmas ornaments that are windows into what God is about to reveal...

 

seeking a great treasure that is in our midst.

 

 Enter into adoration of God himself who becomes a gift to us,what an awesome and loving God we have!

 

Enter into the love put into this gift, a  special new addition to our tree, given to us by a wonderful women in our church. This angel is made out  of all natural materials. It is a pine cone angel with milkweed wings, birch bark arms, a wooden ball head and jute hair. It is the most beautiful gift I have received and it represents advent so well. It is an image of humility and simplicity and is a great messenger of both of these virtues.

 Enter into the graciousness of a snowflake that  fills my heart with peace. I was filled with awe as my daughter discovered the miracle of snowflakes.We watched them as they fell, so intricately designed and we became aware we were part of something very special. I was able to experience the immense love God has for each one of us. Like those delicate unique snowflakes each one of us has also been created one of a kind.  May you experience and enter into these mysteries and many more as God is born and enters into the world!! Have a wonderful ADVENTure these last few days before Christmas. 

Advent School Day 5 & 6

 We have been hard at work the past two days. We are working on a new nativity set for ourselves and a couple for gifts for Godparents and God children. Our tool of choice is a scroll saw which I compare to a sewing machine. If you sew you can work this simple saw the blades are five inches long and about an eighth of an inch wide. The older boys and I love using it. You can make many things from toys to wall hangings, etc. It feels so good to be able to create and see the fruits of your labor. I have also been thinking of St. Joseph the Carpenter. We will read"Jonathan Toomey this week which will tie in perfectly our craft.  We will continue to study the Works of Mercy and scroll, scroll, scroll.

 

My dining room has become a wood shop!

 

Sawdust cleans up pretty easy and it smells wonderful.

 

 Here's our little  wood worker tracing the patterns onto the wood. We picked up these boards for 25 cents a piece in the clearance bin at the Bargain Lumber Center.

 

The finished wise men.

 

Some finished and some not finished pieces.

 

At the end of the day we had this much done. We will show the finished one tomorrow.