A is for Announcement

A is for Announcement

Light your first Advent Candle

Scripture Reference: Luke 1:26-38 ; Matthew 1:18-25

Key figures to discuss: Angel Gabriel, Mary, Joseph

Possible small gifts: Small advent calendar with numbered doors to open each day in December, a Christmas t-shirt, or card
making kit.

Activities for the week: Decorate the house, make and send Christmas cards, allow each child to have a small Christmas tree or decoration in their room.

Other: We have shared the Scripture passages in different ways over the years. Recently I discovered a great product called What God Wants For Christmas:

It is produced by FamilyLife, a ministry of Campus Crusade For Christ and includes a nativity set that is broken into 7 small presents, a stable and a read aloud story book. We use the first 3 small boxes for Advent Week 1, and then one box each for the next 4 weeks. One thing my children love is that we hide the boxes and they have to find them. We let one child hide it, one find it, and one open it. The Christmas story is written as a poem and holds the attention of even small children. The neatest box is opened on Christmas Eve....and is the answer to the question, "What does God want for Christmas?" I won't spoil it, but it is a beautiful way to share the true meaning of the coming of the Christ child.

Looking Forward,
Stacey

ABC Advent

Welcome A Soft Place To Land Blog Friends! I am so glad to share this DIY Advent Project with you! I hope you have a very Merry Christmas! I am posting each Wednesday for the next Advent. So be sure to check out the first two weeks that have already posted, and come back for the rest of the celebration!

Seven years ago last month we moved across the country with our then 3 year old daughter. I was expecting our second child 2 days after Christmas which was only 8 weeks away! I knew in my heart that we would not be going 'home for Christmas.' It was now up to us to create family Christmas memories. I began praying that God would give me a unique idea for our family to celebrate Christmas. My husband and I had talked many times about how we wanted Christmas to be more than just a one day present fest! We wanted to build the excitement and celebrate the entire month. We wanted to make memories that would last far beyond their growing up years.

I came across a great article in a Better Homes and Garden magazine about the celebration of Advent. I loved the idea of gathering our little ones each of the 4 Sunday's between Thanksgiving and Christmas to anticipate the 'coming' of the baby Jesus. But, our children were very young and I was not sure they would understand the more traditional version of Advent.

One sleepless night, God gave me the simplest idea that we have now celebrated for 7 years at our home. We call it ABC Advent. I would love to share it with you and hopefully inspire you to begin a tradition yourself. I have shared this with a few other mom's and they have also started to celebrate it as well. Please feel free to use this during your celebration this year!

1st Sunday after Thanksgiving: A - Announcement
2nd Sunday - B - Baby Born in Bethlehem
3rd Sunday - C - Choirs of Angels Sing
4th Sunday - D - Down on one knee
Christmas Eve - E - Emanuel - God is with us

I made a very simple Advent Wreath with 4 candles on the outside of the the circle and placed one white large candle in the center. The center candle is called the Christ Candle. Each week we light one outside candle along with the candles from the previous weeks. On Christmas Eve we light the Christ candle and all the candles. I have used the same Christ Candle for each of the past 7 years. In addition to sharing the scripture passage surrounding each "letter" we give our children a small present.

I will be posting each week in December about each 'letter' and few other ideas that I have incorporated along the way throughout our years of celebrating Advent. For now, I wanted to give you a head's up if you wanted to gather a few things and join us this year for ABC Advent.

All you need is:

1. A wreath
2. 4 - candles ( I use red taper candles)
3. 1 - large white pillar candle
4. A nativity set is helpful
5. A Bible

Looking Forward,
Stacey

P.S. I am connecting to A Soft Place To Land DIY Day!

Attitude of Gratitude

Have you ever began a journey just sure that God had called you to it, only to find yourself in the midst of great tribulation and testing? Did you wonder, "Did I miss something Lord? Why would you lead me this way only to watch me struggle so much within Your plan?"

I read somewhere that after the Pilgrim's landed in their new homeland that they first gave thanks. They recited together the words from Psalm 100:

Shout joyfully to the Lord, all the earth. Serve the Lord with gladness; come before Him with joyful singing. Know that the Lord Himself is God; It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; We are His people and the sheep of His pasture. Enter His gates with thanksgiving, And His courts with praise. Give thanks to Him; bless His name. For the Lord is good. His lovingkindness is everlasting, And His faithfulness to all generations.

So after persecutions, relocating more than once with their families, and a journey that nearly killed them all - they arrived to a land that was raw and beautiful and filled with challenges. Yet they stopped to praise and thank God for his goodness and His faithfulness. Their attitude was to be grateful no matter what. God had a plan for them that included blessings and trials alike.

Thanksgiving did not start out as a one time feast after the first harvest. It began in the hearts of a group of people who decided ahead of time to be thankful for all things - the journey, the trials, the blessings and the Hand of God leading them.

How many times I have found myself recently focusing on the hard parts of life. May my heart be reminded in this season to decide ahead of time to thank Him for all things. And may I find ways to impress a heart of gratitude on my children.

Looking Forward,
Stacey

Welcoming A Sweet Gift

Our new little daughter arrived on October 19, just over two weeks ago. We are all adjusting to having this sweetest gift in our home. Due to my recovery and total sleep deprivation, I have not had much time to blog. I did see this great quote on a friends' blog and I thought I would share it here. I was so encouraged by it. And that is really what I needed today! Thanks Jenny!

"Oh that God would give every mother a vision of the glory and splendor of the work that is given to her when a babe is placed in her bosom to be nursed and trained! Could she have but one glimpse into the future of that life as it reaches into eternity; could she look into it's soul to see it's possibilities; could she be made to understand her own personal responsibility for the training of this child, for the development of its life, and for it's destiny,- she would see that in all God's world there is no other work so noble and so worthy of her best powers, and she would commit to no other hands the sacred and holy trust given to her."
- JR Miller

So for now, I am looking at the possibilities and trying to understand my responsibilities to raise this little one the way I am called to do so!

Looking forward,
Stacey

Love This Art Project!

This is a quick link up to a super cute art project!

What do you need?

Markers
Masking tape
Big or small piece of paper
Your child

I just love it when I look at an art project list and I have all the items in my house without having to run out and buy them! And this is really cute!!!
Once again, it is from a Blog I love! Kathy has the best ideas!


Looking Forward,
Stacey

Welcoming Fall

Welcome friends from Emma Calls Me Mama Holdiay Blog Party! I am all about fall right now, so here is my link up to the holiday party! I hope you enjoy it!

Around our house, we don't have falling leaves or cool temperatures to usher in fall. But we do have a few recipes that we pull out in October that let us know that fall has arrived. I thought I would share a couple with you that you might enjoy.



Mike's Favorite Chili

2 lbs of ground beef
1 Onion chopped
1 can of diced tomatoes (Pureed in blender)
1 can of Bush's Chili Beans in Mild sauce (Also Pureed in blender - the kids have no idea!)
Chili powder to taste (your desired hotness!)
***2 small cans of tomato sauce (I never put this in, we like our chili really thick)
---1. Brown ground beef & onion, drain
2. Puree in blender diced tomatoes.
3. Puree in blender chili beans
4. Combine meat mixture, 2 purees, and heat through
5. Season with chili powder to your desired taste

***This easy recipe was from a friend of mine who lovingly brought me dinner right after the birth of my first child. I had been trying out chili recipes for my husband and after tasting this one he said, "I think we found it!" I have made it for the past 10 years!

Pumpkin Muffins

1 package of spice cake mix
1 can Libby 100% pumpkin (15 oz)
3 large eggs
1/3 cup of oil
1/3 cup of water

---1. Blend all ingredients. Beat on medium speed for 2 minutes
2. Pour batter into greased or paper lined muffin cups (about 24 muffins)
3. Bake at 350 for about 16-21 minutes
4. You can add a vanilla or cream cheese icing if you like.

***I always serve these muffins with the chili as part of the main course. I never add the icing because they are just as good without them. My kids devour them! As a side note, I heard a rumor that there was a shortage of pumpkin this year and that canned pumpkin may be hard to come by.

Looking Forward,
Stacey


P.S. For instructions on how to make these fabulous crafts and others, go to BHG.Com.
You can find these two crafts under Fall Welcome Message and Fall Pumpkin Centerpieces.

DIY Fall Decorations

Look what you can do with a trip to the dollar store, some chalk board paint and using what you already have!

My Front Porch
I have had the chair for years. It sat at the kitchen table when I lived at 29 Lincoln Avenue. My mom also has one on her front porch. So this chair always makes me feel like I am home. I decided this summer to paint it black and and remove the shredded weaved seat. I am thinking about making a new seat for it , but for now I have a board resting on the frame and a fall mum gracing it. I love it!

The simple black stool, I found on Craig's List. It was brown with red and blue beads glued to the side when I purchased it. I spray painted it black and now it is the perfect perch form my Monogram Pumpkin. I saw this on another blog and had to give it a try. I really wish I could remember the name so I could give due credit of my inspiration. I made my own stencil and used a black Sharpie pen to color in the "T". It took me about 5 minutes to do this!


Library Table
This new chalkboard started out as a picture frame. I painted the frame black, flipped over the back insert and coated it 3 times with chalk board paint. The pumpkins and leaves came from The Dollar Store. It was simple and inexpensive.




Looking Forward,
Stacey

P.S. I think this will be the extent of my fall decor this year. We have only one week before our new little girl arrives!