Planning for Christmas and Advent

I hope you all had a lovely Thanksgiving, Friends. We had three lovely Thanksgivings, and now I am thankful it is Monday! All joking aside, we did have a wonderful holiday weekend filled with family and food. But I am truly thankful to get back into the swing of things today.

I usually do the weekly shopping on Mondays, but this week is a bit different. So I spent the time I am usually in town on other domestic pursuits. I ran the dishwasher and got a jump start on laundry day, which is tomorrow. Then I got out the sewing machine and made 2 lovely double sided table runners. See:

A beautiful Nativity print. I'm going to use it for a family altar, as soon
as I figure out where I want it!

St. Nicholas on the other side. The runner will be on this side for only a few
days before St. Nicholas Day, Dec. 6.

Advent table runner. I knew I wanted a purple table runner for the dining room
table for Advent, since that is where we have our Advent wreath out. But do you think I
could find a purple Christmas print that did not have snowmen, etc. on it? Of course not!
But I found this lovely homespun fabric in purple, with bit of pink in it, and it has
pink and purple glittery threads running through it. It's absolutely perfect!

The flip side, for Valentine's Day, but I'm thinking I might flip it to this side on the 3rd week
of Advent, when we light the pink candle. We'll see!

I also started a notebook for Advent and Christmas ideas. I cut some pictures from a catalog of craft items because they gave me great ideas on somethings to make with the kids.

This way I don't have to keep the whole catalog, and I can write notes about any changes I'd make or materials I'd use. I plan on sketching some ideas for ornaments, too.

I have been working on my holiday planner, as well.

I had to add a new cover, and I'm working on the inside, too.When I have more done, I'll share.

Thanks to Joybilee Farm blog, I have gotten some new Kindle books on Advent and Christmas for FREE!! So far the ones that I have read have given me some ideas on how to celebrate and focus our family on the true reason for the season: Jesus. I'm still working on whether or not I want to try to do a Jesse Tree again this year, and looking to add other meaningful activities.

I'd love to hear from you and how you celebrate Advent and Christmas. You can leave a comment below, or "like" Homespun Inspirations on facebook.

Hope you have a lovely evening.

Many Blessings,
Kelly

Our Jesse Tree

Our Jesse Tree, before the velcro dots were added.

Velcro dots and out first ornament.

Happy Saturday, Friends! I sincerely apologize about bagging on you all for my Wednesday post. (Because I know you were all just on pins and needles waiting for it, right?! ;0) ) Wheels was home for his 3rd day in a row, and I had had to make a 2 am run to the pharmacy for some Benedryl for him. I was a very sleepy Mama with a lot to do around the house because I had a Four Winds class Thursday and worked on Friday. Blogging just didn't fit into the picture, unfortunately!

Anywhoo, I was able to make our Jesse Tree. In previous posts I had mentioned that I wanted to start this tradition, but wasn't sure exactly what I was going to do about making one. Due to time and budget restraints, I went with a poster board Jesse Tree. (Boy, I sound like I work for the government, don't I!) I had the red and green poster board already, and I printed out the ornaments from the computer for free. I have plenty of different colored card stock to back the ornaments. The only thing I had to purchase was some Velcro dots. So for a grand total of $2.47 we have a Jesse Tree!

I folded the green poster board in half length wise, and using a ruler, calculator, pencil and eraser, I measured out an even Christmas tree. (Yes, my Ms. Martha Perfect tendencies were in high gear!!!) Then Wheels used a glue stick to glue it to the red p.b. I measured where the Command strip hooks were on our bedroom door and used a hole punch to make holes to hang it from. Before I punched the holes, I reinforced the area with some clear packing tape on the back so it wouldn't rip easily. Then I counted out 25 Velcro dots, one for each ornament, but it wasn't symmetrical, so I added a 26th dot. I'm going to scale down one of our family photos to use as an ornament for the day after Christmas, because once you have accepted Jesus as your Saviour, you are then a part of His Family Tree! I thought that this would be a meaningful lesson for them.

This is where I got our free printable ornaments from. I really like these because they are all the same size, are paper economical, and easy images for the kids to color. So far, Princess and I have been the only ones interested in coloring the ornaments. Then I cut them out and glue them to a piece of card stock that is slightly larger, so you can see the color, and cover it with clear contact paper. I trim off any excess and add a Velcro dot. The download for the ornaments comes with a chart with Scripture verses for each ornament, but I wanted a little more for our time with the Jesse Tree. My pastor's wife and very dear friend shared this link for a free eBook on how to celebrate Advent with a Jesse Tree. This ebook has devotional readings for 28 days, but we didn't start our Jesse Tree until December 1st, so I'll just skip the "extra" pages. The reason I liked this one was because, first of all, it is free! But secondly, and more importantly, It includes a Scripture reading, a prayer, and a song. I only printed out the pages of the devotional section of the eBook, and managed to print out 2 pages of the eBook onto one piece of paper, then I cut the sheets in half, so I have a compact little devotional.

Well, that's all for now! I hope you all have a lovely evening.
Blessings,
Kelly

A Birthday, Thanksgiving Plans and More

HAPPY 11TH  BIRTHDAY TEDDY BEAR!!!

Yes, it is our Teddy Bear's birthday today. Unfortunately, he's home from school with a cold. I'm not so sure if he feels that it is unfortunate or not, though, because he gets to play the video games that he got! We had a family party for him yesterday, and tomorrow after school we are going to the movies with a friend to celebrate. Tonight we will have a small cake after a spaghetti dinner and keep things low-key.

Having TB home this morning skewed my grocery shopping plans a bit, but thankfully my Mom was able to watch him so I could zip down and back quickly before it got too crazy at the stores in town. And she even (Thank you so much, Mom!!!) blessedly, washed the dishes and folded laundry for me. I can't thank the Lord enough for blessing me with such a helping and caring mother! So, now I have more time to sit down and plan for the week. The kiddos will be home from school starting on Wednesday, so I want to have some crafts, goodies and activities to do with them during the week. Also, I am making bread and rolls to bring to my sister's on Thursday. Friday I will be having my DH's family over for appetizers and desserts in the early afternoon, so I need to finalize my menu for that.

Tomorrow I will be doing the majority of the baking that needs to be done for Thanksgiving get togethers. This is what my plan looks like so far:

• make 2 loaves of bread and a batch of rolls for my sister's on Thursday
• make a pan of choc. chip cookie bars for Friday
• finish the Thanksgiving lap book
• clean the bathroom
• get some laundry done (seems like this is always on the list!)

 

Wednesday I will have the children help me make the cranberry sauce, Watergate salad, and a batch of individual pizza crusts. We'll also work on getting the house set for Friday, and they love to make napkin rings and place cards for the table. I usually just set out crayons, stickers and index cards for them. I'll talk to them more about what they would like to make on Wednesday.

I tried to get my holiday planner sheets into PDF format so that I could post them here for you, but it didn't work. And I'm just not technically savvy, so I have no idea what to do! I haven't been able to keep up on the "Don't Wing It Wednesdays" for before Thanksgiving, but I will be keeping up for Advent and Christmas.

I have my Advent wreath pulled out for Sunday, I just need to pick up my candles for it. I'm thinking of having a cardinal theme for Christmas decorations this year (I have plenty of cardinal things already!) so I would like to find a ribbon to decorate the wreath with, too. I also need to make up my mind about how to approach the Jesse tree; do I want to make ornaments, try to find ornaments, do an actual tree or make a poster? I'll have time on the drive Saturday to think this over.

Have a lovely Monday, Friends!
Blessings,
Kelly

Monday Updates

Happy Monday, Friends! And it is a lovely morning here on our hill. The sky is clear, the birds are chirping and the blanket of frost is slowly giving way to the sun's warmth. I don't know about you, but I was very grateful for that extra hour this weekend. I needed the sleep Sunday morning after trekking through the woods with Teddy Bear Saturday morning. Neither of the boys bagged a deer, but they both had chances to take a shot, and actually T.B. did get off a shot. It all happened so quickly, and my DH and I are extremely proud of how calm and collected he was as we watched about 5-6 deer hurdle towards us! Wheels would have been able to shoot but for a communication breakdown between him and Daddy. We're proud of him as well, because he was a good sport about it. They are both looking forward to next weekend, as are DH and I!

As far as home keeping, this weekend it was practically non-existent! I did about the bare minimum, as I was in a lot of pain most of the weekend. I did get the cookies for lunches made, as well as breakfast cookies, and my DH helped out in picking up the kitchen. Mostly I worked on planning and getting my leg/back straightened out.

I'm still working on this week's and next's dinner menu plan because I haven't had a chance to do a freezer inventory. As soon as I have it done, I'll be posting it. I do have a confession to make though: tonight I'm cheating as my DH said to go get KFC for dinner tonight! Who am I to argue with my hubby? ;0)

As I mentioned earlier, I was able to get some planning done, mostly in my Holiday Planner. As soon as I get all of my new pages in, I'll be posting more on that. I've decided to do a Thankful Wreath instead of a tree this year. I'm hoping to get some of the work done so that we can get it started this evening. I'm also going to be making a Thanksgiving lap book for the kiddos. I know that lap books are usually made by the children, but with them in school, they don't have a lot of time. I'm going to be including some games in it, as well as some sheets that they can all do and keep in the lap book. I'll be posting some of the links that I use for that, as well as pics of the finished product soon.

In holiday news, I've also decided on adding a Jesse Tree to our Advent traditions. If your not sure about what a Jesse Tree is, go here for a great explanation.  I'm thinking of making a sort of lap book Jesse Tree to help further the kid's understanding (And mine!) I'll be posting more links on this as we get closer to December.

That's about all for now! I'm not scheduled to work so far this week, so I'm planning on getting some housework and yard work done. I need to finish buttoning up the garden for the winter, and I'd like to get some Christmas lights up before I have to do it in the snow and freezing temps. They won't be turned on until after Thanksgiving, but they'll be ready to go! The kiddos have Friday of, so I'm thinking of doing some Thanksgiving crafts with them.

Have a lovely day, all!
Blessings,
Kelly

Introducing!!!!!

A flock of geese headed south for the colder months.

Happy November !!!!!!! As you may have read before, autumn is my FAVORITE season, but November has to be my favorite month. That love has grown as I became an adult and homeowner. There is no more lawn mowing, weeding, bugs, or gardening to do. Some lawn work to get things hunkered down for winter, but in the crisp, clear air, you can't seem to mind being out and working. You're not sweating or swatting. And Thanksgiving has always been be favorite holiday. Family, food, history and faith all rolled into one beautiful, scrumptious package!

I mentioned in Saturday's post that I had to re-do my dinner menu plan for Thursday, so here is this week's revised menu plan:

MONDAY: Sloppy Joe's and green beans
TUESDAY: Leftovers (mac & cheese, sloppy joe meat filling, chicken)
WEDNESDAY: Breakfast for Dinner- scrambled eggs, sausage, waffles, applesauce
THURSDAY: Individual homemade pizzas, salad, fruit
FRIDAY: Spaghetti, salad, peas, apple sauce
SATURDAY: Pot roast with potatoes & carrots in the crock pot, applesauce, canned mandarin oranges
SUNDAY: Left overs

I'm trying to keep Saturdays as a crock pot day, as I'm on my feet so much with baking, and we have hunting season now, too. Sunday's will start being a designated left-overs day, as I try to keep Sundays easy because of the Sabbath, and I truly need a restful day. I don't like to be legalistic about Sundays, but I like to relish the blessing and gift that it is meant to be, so very little (if any) house work, though I have been known to mow the lawn (riding mower) or putter in the garden.

And now for something I have been working on. I've had the holiday countdowns on my blog page for quite a while now, and as I explained, it's because I like to plan when it comes to the holiday season. So, I am introducing:

DON'T WING IT WEDNESDAYS

Counting today, we have 4 Wednesdays until Thanksgiving, and 7 until Christmas. So, instead of getting frantic about the holidays, lets use this time to plan, plan, plan!!!!!!!! It's been a while since I've posted about planning or planners, but if you've been a long time reader, you know how much I like to plan for the holidays. Last year I put together a Holiday Planner (Read here for an intro. to last year's planner) and found it to be VERY helpful. It organized all of my calendars, planning pages, flyers from school and church, as well as research that I have done on different traditions all in one place. I'll be updating this year's planner, and posting on it as soon as I'm done. I got most of my inspiration from one of my favorite blogs, By Sun and Candlelight. You can also check out Organized Home for more information and inspiration, as well as free printable pages you can use to make your own planner.

So this week's challenge is this:

• Brainstorm!!!!! Think about your usual holiday traditions, what to keep, what to try.
• Start a planner- it doesn't have to be fancy, even if it is just some notebook paper stapled together, keep your brainstorming and info together.
• Are you putting on the Thanksgiving feast? Traveling? Get dates set.
• Looking for crafts to do with the kids or a new recipe to try? Or wonder about why we do some of the things we do? Hop online or get to the library to do some research.

Every Wednesday will be something new to do, and I'll be posting what I'm up to. I have NO IDEA how to link up with other bloggers (If you think you can walk me through it or point me in the right direction, I'd be so grateful!) but you can share by leaving a comment, emailing me at Homespuninpirations@gmail.com or posting on my facebook page.

Have a lovely evening, friends!

Blessings,

Kelly



Planning........Part 2

Commit your work to the LORD, and your plans will be established. Proverbs 16:3 NIV

My Lent, Easter, Holy Week Planner, my Lenten-Easter Journal and 2 books on the season.

Some purple papers, Scripture quotes and a purple candle for our family prayer altar.

Good Monday to you all! We're having nasty weather again, so it's another day off from work and school for Mama and the kiddos. I thought I'd take advantage of the time to share some more thoughts and ideas on planning for the Lenten season.

I was fortunate enough to have a couple of hours to myself yesterday, so I took the time to start planning for the Lenten season. This is only the second Lent that our family had observed, so some of the planning time was spent doing research on the web, looking mostly for family activities and ways to observe and explain the season with children. I decided that I needed a planner for our family plans for the season, so I changed the front cover from my Gardening/Outside planner (it was empty anyway and I have another binder to use!) and placed our An Easter Adventure  book in the binder and made up a cover page. I'll be putting activity pages, research, recipes, a calendar of the Holy days and brainstorming notes in this.

I also worked on my own personal Lenten journal/planner. I had started it last year, but hadn't gotten very far other than writing out some Scripture verses. For this year, I've started by writing out the dates of the Holy days, starting with Ash Wednesday. I wanted to commit to paper what I was "fasting" or giving up for the season. I decided to give up fictional reading material. (This may sound familiar to a friend of mine, who did the same thing last year!) My reasons for this is that I love to read, but tend to escape into my books, living vicariously through the characters. While I tend to read only Christian novels, (and have felt convicted on occasion or had a truth revealed to me) I feel the need to work on my own spirituality. So I will dedicate my reading time to studying in my Bible, reading the two books on Lent and Easter (see the box in the upper left-hand side labeled "Books on My Nightstand") devotional readings and a few other non-fiction books on prayer and other spiritual matters.

In the second pic up top are some papers I'm going to use to make some sort of Lent wall art. For Advent and Christmas I had Scripture quotes from both the Old and New Testaments concerning Jesus' birth that I had framed and flanked either side of another framed picture. I am going to do the same for Lent, only for the middle frame I am not going to use my usual tightwad clearance calendar artwork. I'm brainstorming for ideas. These frames hang above our secretary and I usually have candles there, so I will be putting some purple candles out.

So, there is the beginning of my plans for Lent. If you observe Lent, I encourage you to prayerfully consider making some plans of your own for the season. If you do not observe Lent, then I encourage you to learn more about this season and the Holy day of Easter.
Many blessings,
Kelly

 Well, I've finally had a chance to finish up this blog on my Holiday Planner! I realized that when I took pictures of some of the pages, I can't rotate them ( or don't know how to!) so I scanned the pages into the computer.

This is my divider page for Advent. I have an information packet we received from church last year in it, as well as some info. from the Internet. Last year was the first year we had ever celebrated Advent or had an Advent wreath, so it is still new to me. I plan to look up some prayers and activities for the children to do and for family devotional times.

The best thing about having a planner is not only having a central place for all the pieces of information you need, but you end up with a scrapbook of sorts for the next year. You can review what worked and didn't, and also plan for activities you weren't able to fit in this year.

Next I have my section for Baking and Gifts from the Kitchen. If you're like me, you not only have special seasonal treats to make for your family, but also goodies you send to

 others. This year we were also fortunate to be given 36 quart size canning jars, and I plan to use some of them for those cookie mix in a jar gifts. All the recipes that I get off line or from friends will go into this section. I'm also going to make a running inventory of ingredients, so I don't end up half way through a recipe, only to find I'm out of chocolate chips. I've made a sheet for what Christmas treats I'm planning on making this year, who I'm gifting these to, and who gets what. It's so much easier to plan out ahead before heading to the kitchen. Or realizing you didn't have enough Carmel corn to gift to Uncle Fred and Aunt Betty!

You may also want to take stock of the containers and packing supplies you'll need. If you find yourself in need, look to regular Ziploc-type plastic containers that you can dress up with stickers or colored tissue paper, or head to the nearest dollar store! And don't forget to think out side the box! (Or cookie tin, as the case may be!)

This is the page I plan on using for when I have a few hours to set aside just for baking and such. I put a place for what I want to make and where it is headed. Don't forget to make note if you have frozen an item. Unfrosted cookies, cookie dough, muffins, breads and unfrosted cakes freeze well, so plan ahead. If you have a Saturday free, you need cookies for church the following Thursday evening and a crazy schedule in between, just bake, store properly, label and freeze. Take out the day or night before and you're set to go. Check your cook books or the Internet for freezing and thawing guidelines.

Next is a section for greeting cards. You can make an address sheet if you want to have addresses write on hand (pun intended!), or just make a list. You could put a folder here or just use a clear sheet protector to hold your cards and labels if you don't have too many. Also, if you are writing a newsletter type of holiday greeting, you can have a copy on hand here. I'm not very good at sending out cards, but I'm working on it, and I'm hoping this will help!

 Then comes Activities. You can put event fliers, invitations, schedules, craft instructions, directions, any thing you need to help organize your holiday activities!

You can also include a checklist of things you would like to do as a family: take a drive to see Christmas lights, have a holiday themed movie night, make gingerbread houses, go caroling, visit an elder care home, bring food and supplies to a food shelf. Decide what you want to do and when you want to do it. And never be afraid to say "No!". We should never try to be Superwoman, especially during the Holidays. We need time to focus on the reason for the season: the joy of Jesus' birth! It just can't be done during multiple trips to the mall, wrapping, trimming, baking, caroling, visiting etc. So remember to take time, both alone and as a family, to rest and reflect on what this time of year is really about.

 Lastly, is gift giving. Here you can store people's wish lists, notes, receipts, catalogs, store fliers, and notes about where you hid the presents! I made a chart to help me keep track. You don't have to, but with my scatter brain, it's helpful. Just a word of caution, though; if you have children and you have written down their presents, make sure they know that your planner is for Mommy's hands and eyes only!

So that wraps it up! I am by no means an organizational expert, nor do I have all the answers. I'm just a busy wife and mom that wants to be able to enjoy the holidays with as little stress as possible. There are a few other blogs I have looked at that also have holiday planners, and also a website www.flylady.net, that has what she calls a "Holiday Control Journal". Her site is wonderful any time of the year, too!

Well, now that I've kept you for soooo long, I'll let you go and get started on your Holiday planning. Even if you just have a spiral bound notebook handy, you'll find it much easier if you can plan ahead!

Blessings!

Kelly