Advent and other Musings

live.

We've had a lot of happenings around here, including Britt's sweet sixteen birthday and today Kate's third birthday. It's surreal to me - to have a daughter with a driver's license and another still in a carseat. Surreal but crazy beautiful too. Earlier today a friend lamented giving away her nursing pillow and a bouncy seat. She cried because she says they don't plan on having anymore children. She has two very little ones, the oldest is only 3.  But I wonder, how many people make those kind of "final" family-size decisions when they are in the thick of the hard toddler/baby years, only to regret it later. Because those years do pass away and the next thing you know you have a lot more time to sew ...

Jesse Trees and Other Advent Delights!

Advent is my favorite time of year!  I love that we have a specific liturgical season focused on preparing to celebrate the birth of Christ - not just symbolically on December 25th - but the rebirth of Christ in our hearts!

and i'm bursting with thoughts and ideas and plans to make this season meaningful for my family and to truly live our days purposefully as a holy family ways to mother my children in order that their hearts may swell up with joy when we finally cry "A Saviour is born!"

Love the bright colors in this nativity set!

Advent calendar in back features small daily booklets of stories, prayers, songs and activities; with gold strings to hang on tree when read.  Both from Christianbook.com

Four Christmas books, previously wrapped up and ready for each child to open this morning; hoping to do this on most days of Advent (getting a weeks supply at a time from the library plus using books we already own and yes, wrapping them up! What fun!) ps don't worry we'll reuse the paper!

Another storybook advent calendar from Christianbook.com.  They are numbered 1-24, we read one each suppertime. They have become a living math item though, as Miss A insists I mix up the books and let her put them all back in their proper numerical order!  I can see great potential in this as a homeschooler; you could take the books out and use the banner to help sort and learn lots of different things!

St. Andrew Christmas Novena- a favorite tradition in our family

And of course, the Jesse Tree, a google hotspot during Advent.   My ornaments were mostly inspired by this post, and this one.  I'm not sure I'll complete crafting all ornaments this year, but the ones I do make I want to be for the long haul and I'm taking a lot of time and effort to make them. Here are the ornaments for the first week, I'm not going to put the Scripture references because you can find that everywhere, and ultimately you pick which ones you want to use. 

Creation

Adam and Eve (don't you love the little leaves!)

The Fall (Note: the Bible just calls it a fruit, we all assume it was an apple and I sure wish Eve would have never taken a bite ...)

Rainbow - sign of covenant with Noah

Abraham (His descendants will be as many as the stars in the sky; I used a star scrapbooking punch to make the first star then cut others from it)

Abraham is tested by God and asked to sacrifice his son Isaac; God provides a Ram in place of Isaac

Baby Moses in the basket

Burning Bush - How God spoke to Moses

Ruth Gathering the Corn, faithful daughter-in-law and apparently quite beautiful

Samuel - The Candle Lamp to represent Samuel as a young boy, literally called by God in the night, but running to Eli thinking it was him

David - the sling (its not an authentic sling but the kids relate to this better) for David and Goliath, the Star of David, and the crown for his Kingship.  A crown also represents Solomon but I associate the crown more with David

I love it when pursuit of sanctity AND sanity come together, in the preparation for Christmas and in the crafting.  More to come.  Many blessings for a lovely Advent season!!