Christmas Web Readings

Holiday Open House and Christmas Links

My December Basket

16 Christmas Photography Tips
Some REALLY good tips on what to do to avoid the "why didn't any of my pictures turn out?" syndrome. :D

Current Web Readings

This is a GREAT new blog I discovered through another blog. LOL!! :D Every week they have a different themed contest (this coming week is balloons). Every Friday they have a photo fix up challenge (if you do not have Photoshop you can use GIMP - it is a free program that does a LOT of the stuff Photoshop does). Every week they have an inspiration post which either gives you great tips on taking better pictures OR gives you photo editing tips. DEFINITELY worth checking out.

Jar Of Fun
I LOVE this idea!! This idea could be done per season too (change the ideas for the season like a winter one could be make pinecone turkeys, create paper snowflakes, bake cookies for the neighbors). This blog has other great ideas so be sure to check it out.

To The Outskirts
I discovered this blog through her beautiful pictures shared on the Fun For Nothin Flickr group.

Imagine Childhood
Beautiful beautiful blog. I discovered this blog through the blog above.

Homeamde Cloth Napkins
Not just your ordinary ones, but 20 made from a $4 Goodwill twin flat sheet!! YIPPEE!!!

Free Curriculum List
For every subject. This is very well thought out and organized list of links to free curriculum (like Ambleside Online). Well worth your time to check out. You can homeschool for free!

Ebook PDF listing
GREAT collection for free pdf ebooks to help with homeschooling! :D

Bus Songs
There is ajust about every fun kids song you can imagine here! Music and lyrics. AWESOME!!

Current Web Readings

Tutorial on Doily Bun Cover
Ok, if these do not bring up images of Laura Ingalls on the Prairie, I do not know WHAT will. I ADORE these! I need to find some old doilies at the thrift store so I can make each of the girls one for Christmas!!!

Handcrafted Christmas: Homemade Soap"
I just LOVE Monica's Handcrafted Christmas posts!! YEA!!! :D

Online Pilgrim Coloring Book
Print out pages to color this month as you discuss the Pilgrims

White Lie Designs
BEAUTIFUL romantic knit designs

Girl's Simple Openwork Shrug
I am going to have to make these for the girls for Easter. Now to just figure out how to sew Easter dresses and I will be al set!! :D Oh wait. I need headbands too. OH HOW CUTE!!

Notebook - easy to make, easy to use
This is SO CUTE!! I want to make one for myself!

Little Portrait Book
SOOOOO loving this BLOG!!! These would make awesome Christmas gifts for grandparents or Aunt's. :) I would love to make several of these. Now I just need to find TIME!

More on Reformation Day Celebreations

From a blog I enjoy reading...
Reformation Day Celebration

A Doorposts has a whole Reformation Night binder with studies and ideas for having a celebration with your homeschool or church group!! :D

Church House
LOTS of stuff here! WOW!!

And last but not least, while not Reformation Day specific, there is a post with a Perspective on Halloween by randy Alcorn (if you have not read any of his books, you are missing out). Done very much in a Screwtape letters type of way, this is an interesting read.

Passover Lapbook and Resources

Yes, last minute AGAIN. I have been collecting these for the past two days. I hope you enjoy them!

Passover Lapbook
Links to various activities you can use in your lapbook as well as pictures.

Passover Lapbook Resources
AWESOME!

A Passover Lapbook
An example. WAY cute!

Lent Season
GREAT collection of links!

Passover Printables for Homeschooling
GREAT printables!

Passover Fun and Games

Hands of a Child Passover Lapbook
This is not a free resource, but for those short on time (or just like everything all put together or a very extensive study).

Exodus: Plagues
REALLY great stuff for younger children AND older ones! GReat even for adults who want to learn more! :D

Plagues
Good stuff for the plagues.

Passover
More great stuff for the Passover

Passover Coloring Pages

Kaboose Does Passover
GREAT site.

Pesach Paper Dolls

Passover Resources

Passover 10 Plagues Activity
Cute!

(And an interesting article: Passover, Yeast and Fungus?)

Current Web Readings

Making Shades of of Mini Blinds
Can I just say how much I HATE MINIBLINDS! Maybe I need to create a FLAIR button for Facebook. LOL!! Anyways, This... THIS I LOVE! Has anyone tried this? I am curious on how to clean them (not that I ever cleaned the mini-blinds, but, hey, it is good to know how to, should I have the desire, not to mention TIME to). HT: Like Merchant Ships

Chums
Rebecca is always a fun read and today's was exceptionally encouraging! I must admit that I knew most of what she was saying, but there is just something ABOUT the WAY she says it that makes it so easy to understand and desire for your own children. Thank you Rebecca!

Fast Fresh Jam
YUM!!

Names Of Jesus Garland for EASTER!
Oh I just LOVE Monica - her sweet spirit (yes, I had the pleasure of meeting her IRL) and her love of Jesus overflows on every post! I loved her names of Jesus garland for Christmas, and now she has one for Easter. She explains the reason behind it. VERY powerful to use with the kids!

Why Do I Have Empty Ziploc Bags In My Freezer?
I never thought of keeping them in the freezer! :)

Reheating Foods Without a Microwave
We have not been using a microwave for about a month now and it is GREAT to have that kitchen counterspace back AND know that I am much healthier for it! :D

Last Minute Purim Ideas

Let's Learn About Purim

Bible Themes - Esther

Purim
Some fun worksheets to add to your book.

Purim Puppets to print out and cut out

Arts and Crafts Ideas Kids Projects
This may only have Purim stuff at the time of Purim.

Montessori Links for Purim 2008

Downloadable Worksheets
JACKPOT!!!! free registration. Once there do a search for PURIM ... LOTS of good printables!!! These are great for lapbooks!! You can also make a mobile! And how to make your own graggers!! OH WHAT FUN!!!

I also created a print out of a cookie with the directions on how to make them. If you want one email me (or comment leaving your email address, I will not publish comments with email addresses in them) before Friday March 13, 2008 and I will email you a copy.

Photo Gifts

OK, so these would be SO GREAT for Mother's Day or Father's Day or Grandparent's Day or Christmas ... Well you get the idea. Trust me, follow the links for some GREAT ideas on how to use pictures you take for AWESOME gifts!

Photo Tile Coasters
I.D. Badge Holder Mini Album I LOVE this idea!! GREAT little brag books for grandparents!
Mini I.D. Badge Calendar
Christmas Ornament Tins
Magnet Tins
Photo Puzzle Cube I recently posted about finding great tutorials (at the bottom of this link), you can also google and find out ways to make this even better quality! :)
Photo Mobile
Photo Magnets these are NICE and SOOOO cute!
Photo Necklace oh my goodness this is SUCH a great idea and SO inexpensive! And it looks SO GOOD!
Altoids Tin Accordion Gift Album LOVE this! You can also do scrapbook pages instead of just pictures!

Free Nativity Lapbook

Free Nativity Lapbook

OH and SO MUCH MORE!!!

from The Old School House

Family Fun: Names of Jesus Garland

When I saw this in Monica's store, I really REALLY wanted one. But finances are EXTREMELY tight, so I had hopes that there would be a tutorial on her blog. I never got around to searching her blog for it until today.

Names of Jesus Garland Tutorial

OH THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU MONICA!!!

This is going to make a WONDERFUL family fun time!!

I think it would also be fun to make these into ornaments to hang on the tree. We can always use more ways of pointing the children (and others) to Christ this time of year. Or even wrap the garland around the tree! :)

Seeing Past Santa

This story and picture say it all...
Santa Claus

Why We Don't Do The Santa Thing

With all the talk about Santa on the boards I belong to, I thought I would share about why we don't do Santa. PLEASE UNDERSTAND that I am not writing this to condemn anyone for doing the Santa thing. What you do in your own house is between you and God. And our reasons for doing what we are does not mean that your children don't do the same things or have a love for God that is unshakeable. This is just our reasoning behind why we told our children there is no such thing as Santa.

My beloved and I decided long before we had kids that we would not do the Santa thing. We did not want our children to believe in a being and then when told he wasn't real would have difficulty believing in the supreme being, Jesus Christ. Not that ALL children who believed in Santa struggle with this. But we did not want to give one ounce of doubt to our children. We want them to know that what we tell them is true. Jesus is true.

We also do not want tour children to learn that it is OK to lie. The Bible tells us not to lie, yet we excuse this lie because it is fun. There are millions of wonderful ways to have fun with the children without having to lie to them. I guess I just cannot bring myself to lie to my children. I don’t want to teach my children what is not true. I want them to believe in what is real.

Santa is a liar and does not keep His word. I was a bad little girl most of the time growing up. Yet Santa always brought me what I wanted. Doing that teaches children that if you are not good and don't live right you will STILL get gifts. So when they grow up and are told to live right and be good, but then they continue to live in sin, they are expecting God to bless them anyway. And it doesn't happen like that! So they can easily fall into believing that Christ is not real or if He is, they want nothing to do with Him because they have a false belief about who He is and how He is. God does NOT lie. And God DOES keep His word.

Ask any child (well, not mine, they would get it wrong) a question about Santa and they can answer it. Start singing a Christmas song about him and children chime right in, knowing all the words! We want our children's head filled with scripture and facts about Jesus and the Bible. I LOVE when I start singing a hymn of praise and our children chime right in! Even little JJ at only 2 1/2 LOVES to sing praises with us!

I have heard the argument that Santa just stems from St. Nicholas who was a good and righteous man who gave and we can learn about giving from him. While Santa does stem from St. Nicholas, you CAN learn about St. Nicolas and what he did WIITHOUT doing the Santa thing. My children know about St. Nicolas and what he has done. And we talk about that is where Santa came from. But they know that St. Nicolas is dead and Santa is not a real person.

We talk about other martyrs (like Jim Elliot) and defenders of the faith (like Corrie Ten Boom) and what they have done, and we can do things because we have been inspired by them. But only St. Nicolas has a fake being personified after him that has so much in common with Jesus that it is no reason people feel they don’t need Jesus.

It is amazing how much Santa and Jesus have in common.

They both are eternal (when was Santa born? Will he ever die?).
They are both all knowing (he sees you when you’re sleeping, when you’re awake, he knows if you’ve been bad or good).
They both you want to do right (so be good for goodness sake – be good because Santa is watching you).
They both grant petitions and desires. (I got everything I asked Santa for! Matthew 7:7 Ask and it will be given to you.)
They both have power over the natural elements in the universe. (how can Santa walk through walls or slip down chimneys?)
They are not bound by time. (he can go to every house in the globe in one night.)
They both have supernatural bodies (how can Santa eat so many cookies in one night and not explode?!?!)
They are both worshiped (there are songs written about him, poems written about him, books written about him...)
They are both believed in and defended, worshiped and adored (how dare you say he is not real!)
They are both praised for their coming (they lined the road singing his praises and welcoming him)
They are both sinless (would he kill anyone? Does he curse and swear? Does he do anything wrong? He would never do anything he is not supposed to do).
They are both omnipresent (no matter where you are, there he is)
They both have a list of who is naughty and who is nice (is your name written in the Book of Life?)

And people wonder why no one believes in Jesus. Maybe that is because they already have a false God in Santa.

Give

I posted about how Focus on the Family is encouraging people not to buy gifts from stores that are not acknowledging Christmas you can read the post here as well as follow a link to find out which stores are "naughty" and which stores are "nice." (Sorry, could not resist!)

Meredithfound a gem of a video (below) which has an equally valid mindset:

Current Web Readings

Those of you lucky (yes, I said LUCKY) enough to live near a kudzu plant, here are a few links that might be of interest to you:
Kudzu - the new biodiseal fuel
Article including how to make kudzu root starch
The Book of Kudzu
You Tube Video How to Make Kudzu Blossom Jelly
Kudzu World

I need to remember to check this out:
Mallowmallow Smores (that was an old lin, this is the new link - to ANYONE reading. I am unable to find a copy of his book for sale ANYWHERE! Can you help me find a copy?

Hadriness Zone Changes
A video showing how the hardiness zones have CHANGED (yes, your zone might not be what it was ten years ago).

Create A Thankfulness Calendar for November
I LOVE THIS IDEA!!! I just wish I had read about it sooner. But there is no time like the present to start! Maybe even continue it all the way to Christmas! I know that sometimes in the hustle of the holiday it is hard to take time to rest in Him and give thanks! :)

Another Month Long of Sewing

My favorite site Sew Mama Sew is hosting their annual HANDMADE HOLIDAYS: 30 DAYS OF GIFTS TO SEW.
Be sure to head over EVERY DAY (starting today) to see AWESOME gifts ideas EVERY DAY! And be sure to comment on their daily posts for your chance to WIN WIN WIN! :)
LOVE me some Sew Mama Sew!!!

CIJ: The Presents

I have always been good and gotten my presents WAY ahead of time. There have a few RARE times where this was not the case, but being a frugal mom, you learn that if you do not doing your shopping throughout the year, you end up overspending. Sometimes I overspend because you are trying to compensate for the fact that it is so late in the holiday season before I am thinking of the person I am shopping for, and part of the reason I overspend is because I have no idea what to get the person (which is why it is taking so long to get their gift).

But as I said, I almost ALWAYS have presents before Christmas, and most always before the end of October. My biggest problem is in getting them wrapped and sent out on time.

So for the rest of the month, I will be getting presents wrapped and sorted out. Especially the gifts for the kids. All the girls have the same interests and don't mind their gifts being from garage sales (I HAVE THE BEST KIDS!). So I buy and buy and wait until the night before Christmas to sort out. Not this year. This year I am wrapping ALL gifts before hand. Stocking stuffers will be sorted out so I will know if I need more DAYS before and night the night before Christmas. And all the gifts will be ready to be packed in the car and brought over for Christmas (instead of shipped out, we are driving down early this year and will be brining the gifts with us)! WOOHOO!

All in all, I have really enjoyed CIJ and think I will do this yearly. I know it has helped me be more prepared for Christmas this year than in years past.

CIJ: the FOOD

My MIL makes the BEST treats and brings them out from the day after Thanksgiving all the way through New Year's. I don't know HOW she does it, but BOY I LOVE spending the holiday's at her house.

I always have the best of intentions to do the same, as it is important and meaningful to my beloved. But time always gets away from me. Partly because the kids cannot eat most of the treats (because of dietary restriction). Yes, I am lazy enough to use that as an excuse. :( BUT NOT LAZY ENOUGH TO DO CIJ! :D

I am going to gather up a few recipes. Some for the kids and some for the adults. That way I have them ALL READY when the time comes to make them. I am also going to write out an ingredients list to take with me. HOPEFULLY, with my stockpiling, I will have most if not ALL of the ingredients! :)

Beloved really enjoys giving goodie baskets to the neighbors, so I will be sure to make that happen this year (especially since I am planning SO EARLY!). :) This will allow me to find baskets at garage sales (MUCH cheaper than thrift stores) as well as pretty linens to line them! :) It feels good to know that my beloved will be pleased we were able to give baskets instead of being silently disappointed that another year went by that we didn't do goodie gift baskets.

I am also going to make a menu up so that way I am not rushed the week before Christmas. :)

CIJ: Books!

I LOVE to read.

And I love to read books on simplifying life (and Christmas). It is kind of an oxymoron that I want to simplify Christmas and yet have over 45 books in my library just on how to celebrate Christmas (crafts, focusing on Christ, finances and Christmas, simplifying Christmas, and on and on). And yet because I do have SO MANY books, I get completely overwhelmed and don't read any of them! :) LOL!

So this year, I have pulled out a small handful of books to read through in the coming months. And I do mean a handful. I have a habit of biting off more than I can chew. And I see my children doing the same. AA, who became a bookworm out of nowhere, has now fallen into the bad habit of beginning to read one book, only to pick up another book and not really finish either. Unless it is either a SMALL book or very interesting. I am the same way. But hopefully by starting EARLY, she will see that I can finish a book before starting another. :)

CIJ: Thanksgiving

SO yeah, I am throwing in Thanksgiving here. Why? Because for of all, Christmas in July sounds so much better than Thanksgiving in July. And secondly, because it seems that Thanksgiving gets rushed through just as much if not MORESO than Christmas. Of course come Thanksgiving time, I will share links with games and tradition and such.

But for NOW.....

this link from Family Life Today has some GREAT resources, including articles to read, recipes, and audios. But the cool thing is I got the Time To Remember Audio Book at a garage sale a few weeks back! This is TWO CD's: one is a dramatized version of why we celebrate Thanksgiving, and the other is hymns for Thanksgiving. Today, I am putting it onto the computer so we can listen to it around and on Thanksgiving!

We also found The Legend of Squanto by Focus on the Family. I LOVE FOTF's Radio Broadcast dramatizations! And this one does NOT disappoint. It has been GREAT to use with our history (we are reading The Light and the Glory right now). But I want to make sure we have this one on our computer as well to listen to as we get closer to Thanksgiving.

Check and check! :) Ready for the children to have some good LISTENING time (away from the TV and computer and all that) as well as learn why we truly should and do celebrate Thanksgiving. Plus it will be nice to have some THANKSGIVING music/stories, not just CHRISTMAS music, to help us focus on being thankful while we do all that cooking! :)

CIJ: Christmas in July - Newsletter

Seems that Christmas is always here before I am ready. And I wonder how things got SO RUSHED again. I bring out all the books about simplifying Christmas RIGHT after Thanksgiving. But the stores are already filled with Christmas and once again, I get sucked in. The hustle and the bustle keep me from getting presents out on time (even though I had them all bought months before). And most importantly keep me from getting a newsletter done! ARGH!

NO MORE!

This week I am making it Christmas in July. I am going to get things done that need to get done in order to make the season a simpler one. One where I am able to focus my AND my family's attention on the reason for the season.

And it starts with the newsletter. Not only am I MAKING the newsletter, but I will be SENDING IT OUT too. Yes, a bit early, BUT it will be a nice catch up for everyone. AND, considering that no one is rushing about this time of year, they will have time to sit and ENJOY the newsletter! :)

Click image for credits and to make larger.

Names have been changed to protect privacy.

Template can be found here. It is 8.5x11 PERFECT for printing!

Yes, I have gotten comments on where is MY picture. I am the one usually TAKING the photos, the one behind the camera. :) And the template only had five bottom pictures (and yes, that IS an excuse). ;)

I like this so much that we might make this an annual tradition of sending newsletters in July rather than December! :D Any thoughts??