Showing posts with label Advent. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Advent. Show all posts

Wednesday 3 December 2014

Advent Resource List

I love Advent and all things Christmas.  This Year I've been inspired by Collette over at The Art of Being Mama and I want to make a new Advent calendar.    Isn't this beautiful ?  You should see her other pictures on Celebrating Advent - This Years' Jesse Tree. There is a full tutorial over at Shower of Roses: A No-Sew Picture Tutorial with Readings. This is going to be so much fun. 
Source
Books for Advent

On the WWW
On Pinterest
Click on the graphic to see the collection of ideas on Pinterest





Upcycled Nativity
10
 A couple of years ago we made this Upcycled Nativity set which has become a part of our decoration set.

I'm so grateful to the older women who mentored me in New Zealand and taught me the value of creating and mainaining Christmast Traditions with my children.

What will you be using this year for Advent ?

Blessings

Chareen

Wednesday 25 December 2013

It was An Unexpected Christmas



May He bless you with a fresh insight to His greatest gift of all. I hope you enjoy An Unexpected Christmas as much as I did. Thank you St Paul's Church Auckland New Zealand for this beautiful clip.






Monday 23 December 2013

Guest posting at my Dad's ...

Christmas is one of those times in the year that hold many special memories for me.  During my growing up years I can always remember the excitement and anticipation that we all had.  I have very fond memories of counting the days to the first of December so we could find all the special decorations and tree.

This weekend along with my three siblings and parents we share some of our family traditions and memories of Christmas.  Be sure to click on the photographs and look at them in light box.






Thursday 5 December 2013

Upcycled Nativity {Virtual Fridge}

This Week


It's that time of the year again where little people get excited and we look for things to point them to Jesus. This Upcycled Nativity scene is super easy to make and all you need is some crayons, paper and toilet rolls.  It was so much fun to make. 

Featured This Week


This weeks feature is from over at Homeschool Coffee Break and features Retablo Art. Pop on over and see how to make this beautiful form of Peruvian art.


Your Turn

I invite you to take some photo's of your children's artistic pursuits put them in a post and link up with me I would love to come over and see the wonderful art your children have enjoyed doing.
Virtual Fridge Link Up

Blessings
Chareen


The Virtual Fridge a weekly art meme where we can hang our children's art on a virtual fridge. This meme was started by Jennifer over at A Glimpse of our Life who kindly invited three other bloggers to co-host this weekly meme.

Your hosts are



Friday 15 November 2013

Creating Christmas Traditions

Here is a sneak peak of my guest post over at the Crew Blog.  I'm sharing on Creating Christmas Traditions.A tradition is something that can change over time or be created with a sense of purpose. Special moments need to be created they do not occur by accident or without planning.  

Psalm 77: 11—12 I will remember the deeds of the Lord, I will remember your miracles of long ago.  I will meditate on all your works, and consider all your mighty deeds. I am sharing some ideas to remember the miracles and mighty deeds of the Lord at Christmas with our families.



Blessings



Friday 8 November 2013

5 Christmas books FREE for your Kindle


The meaning of Christmas symbols of Jesus birth 

Jonathan Smuda (Author)
File Size: 1196 KB
Print Length: 26 pages
Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
Language: English
ASIN: B00AFHTSY2
Text-to-Speech: Enabled



Let's Go Straight to Bethlehem -

Daily Advent Devotional
Ray Pritchard (Author)
File Size: 358 KB
Print Length: 51 pages
Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited
Publisher: Primedia eLaunch (November 30, 2012)
Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
Language: English
ASIN: B00AGH114G
Text-to-Speech: Enabled


A Little Book of Christmas

John Kendrick Bangs (Author),
Arthur E. Becher (Illustrator)
File Size: 207 KB
Print Length: 192 pages
Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited
Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
Language: English
ASIN: B004UJIR1Q
Text-to-Speech: Enabled


A Christmas Carol

Charles Dickens (Author)
File Size: 242 KB
Print Length: 112 pages
Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited
Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
Language: English
ASIN: B0084BMUFA
Text-to-Speech: Enabled

Christmas Eve and Christmas Day Ten Christmas stories

Edward Everett Hale (Author)
Felix Octavius Carr Darley (Illustrator)
File Size: 314 KB
Print Length: 318 pages
Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited
Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
Language: English
ASIN: B004TS1ZFI
Text-to-Speech: Enabled




These books are currently FREE for your Kindle.  Please double check the price before purchasing.

Blessings
Chareen

Sunday 23 December 2012

Upcycled Nativity


Thanks to Pinterest I discovered this wonderful up-cycled activity which was first showcased on Catholic Icing in December 2009.

It's a printable DIY Nativity for Kids. One word of caution this is not an hour long activity, it took us six hours to colour and glue onto the toilet rolls on Wednesday. In future I will definitely plan to do this over a few weeks rather than one day as Sir N found it a lot of colouring in. Needless to say Mom had the pleasure of colouring in most of the pieces and together we enjoyed constructing the set.

We printed the pages and coloured in.
It took us over 3 hours to colour in the pieces

Our pieces ready to be applied to toilet rolls.
Glitter Glue
I really wanted to use the glitter that's been sitting in the cupboard but did not want glitter everywhere. I decided to make our own version of glitter glue.


  • I used a water based PVA glue.
  • Add a generous amount of glitter in a container. This is the holder for roll on deodrant from the local store. When ever I do my shopping if I see empty ones on the shelf I bring them home for glue / painting projects.
  • Next I added around 3 ml of glue to each one and mixed. I then used a paintbrush and added two drops of water to each. Do NOT make it runny. If it's runny then it spreads too thin and you don't get a solid glitter look.
  • Use a paint brush and apply glitter mix where you want it to be.
Our Nativity Up Close


This in turn has inspired Sir N to design his own take of the nativity using toilet rolls.


Elsewhere on the www

What are some Nativity projects have you done this season ?

Blessings


This post is linking with: Look What We Did

Wednesday 19 December 2012

Christmas in Melbourne {1/2}

We spent the most delightful day in Melbourne yesterday. In light of the fact that my PC took a turn for the worst and died two weeks ago I have decided to be more dedicated in recording our trips on my blog, as those are the only photo's I have left.  The moral of this sad story is back up! back up! and back up your photographs! Enough said and onto the wonderful day we had.

Each year for the past 57 years our Meyer store has decorated their store windows for Christmas.  This tradition inspired us to join the T family for a trip into town today to see the new windows.

This year I also decided to make more use of the community and grow a 'science of relations' as Charlotte Mason puts it.  Our morning started early with a trip trip into Melbourne central with a short walk to Meyer. This years theme is on the book: Russell's Christmas Magic by Rob Scotton.

Click on any of the collages to view full screen in light box.

Meyer Christmas Window


After exploring and enjoying the widows we took the lift upstairs in hopes of going for a ride on the Meyer Christmas train.  Unfortunately two of the children had grown to tall for this experience and after a deep sense of disappointment we went looking for the miniature railway display.
Meyer miniature railway
After a look at all the miniature things the children asked to see 'Santa'.  What a lovely experience we had with Rudolf sleeping in front of the fire.
A chat with Santa at Meyer Store
By now we were all thirsty and took a walk up to Melbourne Square and listened to some carols being played by the Salvation Army on the way.
Just before the square we discovered the Gingerbread Village by Epicure, to raise funds for the Children's Hospital. (You can view the Gingerbread Village at the City Gallery 90 Swanston Street, Melbourne.)

Next stop was Melbourne City Square for a picnic morning tea, a talk to the elves, a nativity story and a maize to find the reindeer.
It was a marvelous morning and it was so delightful seeing Miss L, Master G and Sir delighting in the things of childhood and creating some memories along the way.

From here we made our way to Melbourne Museum for a picnic lunch and explore but more of that tomorrow.

What have you done to enjoy your precious family this festive season ?

Blessings

..




This post is linking with: Look What We Did

Photo collages made with: Photoscape a FREE photo editor

Thursday 1 December 2011

Christmas Traditions

Making Christmas real to our Children.

Psalm 77: 11—12
I will remember the deeds of the Lord, 
I will remember your miracles of long ago.  
I will meditate on all your works, 
and consider all your mighty deeds.


As I read my bible and journeyed through  the Old Testament I noticed that every time the Lord did something great for his people He created a memorial for them to remember.  Memorials are reminders of God’s faithfulness, His sacrifice, His leading, His provision etc which in turn became traditions practiced for generations.

Traditions:
  • The passing down of elements of a culture from generation to generation,
  • A mode of thought or behaviour followed by a people continuously from generation to generation, 
  • a custom or usage. 
  • A time honoured  practice

Dr. Dobson says:‘The great value of traditions comes as they give a family a sense of identity, ‘belongingness’. All of us desperately need to feel that we’re not just a cluster of people living together in a house, but we’re a family that’s conscious of its uniqueness, its personality, character and heritage, and that our special relationships of love and companionship make us a unit with identity and personality.’

Traditions can be created on purpose or evolve over time, they create our family identity and teach our children something of the reality of God in our lives.  Special moments don’t just happen they are planned on purpose.  Consider creating links between generations so that our children understand the heritage that is theirs.  The Lord says I will bless the righteous unto a thousand generations.


So what does Christmas really mean?
The Collins Concise Dictionary defines Christmas as:
1-a. The annual commemoration by Christians of the birth of Jesus Christ on Dec 25
  -b. also called Christmas Day, Dec 25, observed as a day of secular celebrations when gifts and greetings are exchanged
2- Another name for Christmastide (Old English Christes Maesse MASS OF CHRIST)

It is interesting to note here that even the dictionary makes a distinction between the Christian commemoration and the secular celebrations that take place on Dec 25.


Some Ideas for you to choose from:


Nativity Trek. A friend of mine shared this idea with me. They have a nativity calendar made of a square of material with 25 pockets on that have the numbers 1-25 on them. Each morning they take turns removing a cardboard candy cane from a pocket and reading the instructions written there.

Most of the instructions pertain to their homemade Nativity Set (a knitted one made over several years!). On Dec 1st they set up the manger where the tree will be, put the shepherd and sheep in a nearby ‘field’, and place Mary and Joseph somewhere ‘far away’, and the Wise Men somewhere equally ‘far away’ but in the opposite direction! Most days there are instructions to move a figure(s) somewhere, e.g. ‘Move Mary and Joseph from the piano to the TV.’ Other days there are things like ‘Make Christmas biscuits for the neighbours’.
Whatever journey the participants take, Jesus does not turn up in the manger in the stable until Christmas morning. This way the children’s attention is not so much on “What did I get?”  but on “Is Jesus there yet?”.

Setting up the tree :We also talk about what Christmas means to us with the children and specially how the symbols we have today can point us to Jesus.  I do this every year.  This tradition is especially dear to me as I know no matter where my children go in the world each time they see any of these colours they will think of these things. 
Eg: Christmas tree-
  • Evergreen to symbolize the eternal life we have in Christ and God’s eternal love for us demonstrated in sending His Son
  • Red—represent His blood shed for you and me. The price He paid.
  • Gold—This is His crow in glory as the Son of God
  • Purple- His royal robe.
  • White - His purity.  The Lamb without blemish.
  • Star- the star over the manger
  • Lights- stars in the heavens at the time of His birth or He is the light of the world.
  • Angels- for the heavenly host who sang
  • Silver—His promises fulfilled
  • Blue– Creation In the beginning He made the heavens and the earth
Advent  means ‘coming’ and the activities are a time of preparation for the coming of Christ. We use a series of Advent story books as the centre for our advent celebrations. They are complete with instructions and historical notes and calendars to know when to start Advent each year. The first book is called ‘Jotham’s Journey’ by Arnold Ytreeide and is available in most Christian book shops. Generally an advent wreath is used which basically has five candles and you light one a week and burn it each night as you read the story.

Other people burn a dated candle (one section a day), read a bible passage and sing/pray together each evening as a way of preparing the stage for Christmas Day

Hand Wreath You can also make a Christmas Hand Wreath. Keep red and green card handy by the front door and have every guest who visits your home over the month trace and cut out their hand and label with their name. You can then put them all together!
Or… keep a jar of jaffas and spearmint leaves by the door for friends to have when they leave

Christmas Cards Keep all the Christmas cards you receive and then start to pray for each family one card at a time from New Year on! Once you have prayed for a family put the cards in a box for the children to use for Christmas craft the next year

Jesse Tree The Jesse Tree is a centuries-old family Advent devotion that has enjoyed a resurgence of popularity in recent years.  It has particular value since it helps both the children and adults a like to locate Jesus, the Messiah, within the lineage of the shepherd boy who became King of Israel--David, son of Jesse.

 The whole idea of the Jesse Tree comes right out of a classic Advent passage from the prophet Isaiah: "A shoot will sprout from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit" (Is 11:1).  The Jesse Tree is hung with ornaments representing Old Testament people and events and lead up to Jesus.  The traditional symbols hung on the tree are based on the genealogy of Jesus as recounted by the first chapter of the Gospel of St. Matthew

Set up a tree or branches with or without leaves.  For the ornaments, you can either buy a Jesse Tree kit or just craft them yourself.  Traditionally, there is one ornament for each day of Advent.  You start at the base of the tree with Adam and Eve.  At the top of the tree at the very end of the season comes a crib representing the baby Jesus.  There's a brief scripture reading for every symbol (see below).  If you read these readings and contemplate them and the symbols to which they are linked, by December 25th you and your family will have a much deeper understanding of the history of salvation and the meaning of Christmas.

 The World is Created – Globe – Genesis 1:24-28
Adam and Eve – Snake and Apples – Genesis 3:1-24
Noah and the Flood – Rainbow – Genesis 6:11-22; 86-12; 9:11-17
Abraham – Camel – Genesis 12:1-7:13:2-18; 18:1
Sarah – Baby – Genesis 18:1-15; 21:1-7
Isaac – Ram – Genesis 22:1-14
Jacob – Ladder – Genesis 27:41-28:22
Joseph – Multi-coloured Coat – Genesis 37:1-36
Moses – Burning Bush – Exodus 3:1-10
Miriam – Tambourine – Exodus 15:19-21
Samuel – Lamp – 1 Samuel 3:1-21
Jesse – Branch – Isaiah 11:1
David – Harp – 1 Samuel 16:14-23
Solomon – Crown – 1 Kings 3:3-28
Isaiah – Throne – Isaiah 6:1-8
Jeremiah – Tablets of Law – Jeremiah 31:31-34
Angels – Angel – Hebrews 1:1-14
Malachi – Trumpet – Malachi 3:1-4
Zechariah and Elizabeth – Baby - Luke 1:39-45
Mary – Angel – Luke 1:29-35
John the Baptist – River – Matthew 3:1-6
Joseph of Nazareth – Hammer/Saw – Matthew 1:18-25
Bethlehem – Star – Matthew 2:1-12
Birth of Christ – Crib – Luke 2:1-7


** I am in the midst of making a couple of Jesse Tree's and will be posting another post with links for you to make your own.  I will update with a link here soon.


Box of Blessings The original idea for this came from a Focus on the Family magazine. Each day, Dec 1st through 25th, the children open a small gift.  There is a spiritual gift attached to each item that should be mentioned. Sometimes this leads to a good discussion, sometimes not, but it will give opportunity to think about what we are really celebrating.  There are many variations you can do with the “Box or Basket of Blessings”. The original one is to use common household objects to illustrate things we can be thankful for example:
  • penny—God’s provision, 
  • Photo of the family—Our family, 
  • plaster—our health, 
  • small doll—our friends etc.
A variation is to use the attributes of God:
  • heart—love, 
  • glasses—omniscience, 
  • watch—eternal, 
  • scales—justice etc.
Or you can use the story of Christmas:
  1. Angel—Luke1:26-29 Gabriel's appears to Mary,
  2. Crown—Luke1:30 prophecy of Jesus as king, 
  3. Earring—Luke 1:34-38 Mary the bond slave of the Lord, 
  4. Ring—Matt 1:18-21 Joseph trusts the Lord and marries Mary, 
  5. JESUS—Matt1:22-25 Meaning of Jesus name, 
  6. Tax Form—Luke 2:1-5 Trip to Bethlehem for census, 
  7. Clothes—Luke 2:6-7 Jesus born and wrapped, 
  8. Sheep—Luke 2:8-9 shepherds are frightened, 
  9. Hay—Luke 2:10-12, Fear not,
  10. Music tape/Gloria—Luke 2:13-14 Angels praise God, 
  11. Map—Shepherds find their way to Bethlehem, 
  12. Heart—Mary treasures these things in her heart, 
  13. 2 doves—Offering made for Jesus, 
  14. Glasses—Simeon has watched for the Messiah,  
  15. Sword—Simeon’s prophecy, 
  16. Perfume—Anna prayed and fasted, 
  17. Horse—Magi search for the king, 
  18. Crown—Herod threatened by Jesus the King, 
  19. Calendar—Herod determines when Jesus will be born, 
  20. Star—shows Magi where Jesus is, 
  21. Gold—Gifts given to Jesus, 
  22. Pyramid—Joseph takes his family to Egypt, 
  23. Home—Joseph takes his family home to Nazareth, 
  24. Tape Measure—The child grew strong, wise and in the grace of God, 
  25. Candle—Jesus is the light of the world.
Other Ideas
  • Photo’s of absent family members put them on your tree, pray for them
  • Watch family movies, look at family albums
  • Have communion on Christmas Eve / Morning
  • Read the bible account  in Luke 2
  • See the lights in your neighbour hood ( You could make it extra special by sending your children to bed at the normal time then surprise them when it is dark and get them up and follow it with a special Christmas supper and hot drink when you get home.)
  • Write a Christmas prayer as a family to read before opening presents on the day. Have it focus on thankfulness.
  • Donate Toys to a charity every year
  • Bake for your neighbours,
  • Have a special ornament for each child that they put on the tree each year.
  • Get dated ornaments
  • Go carol singing around the block or at a local Retirement Village

The lists are endless and you could feel very over whelmed by what others around you are doing. We do NOT do all the things on this list.  These are ideas I have gathered through the years.

The thing that is important is to find what works for your family and do that well.


It is far better to choose one or two things and do those things with excellence and passion than to do ten things with mediocrity and no passion.

May you be blessed this Advent season

Blessings









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