a gypsy caravan

promises to keep

Yesterday, we hiked through the woods to our neighbor's Christmas tree farm. It was the first day that we've had any significant snowfall this season.  This time last year, we had a couple of feet of snow. After deciding on a tree, the kids carried it back home. I wore the baby in the cloth sling and had her bundled up toasty in lots of mismatching woolens since she had the flu.  We put on the lights and, last night, the ornaments. Now the living room has a nice soft glow to it that I just love. I could keep a Christmas tree up all year, just to see the pretty lights.  

Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening by Robert Frost

Whose woods these are I think I know.   

His house is in the village though;   

He will not see me stopping here   

To watch his woods fill up with snow.   

My little horse must think it queer   

To stop without a farmhouse near   

Between the woods and frozen lake   

The darkest evening of the year.   

He gives his harness bells a shake   

To ask if there is some mistake.   

The only other sound’s the sweep   

Of easy wind and downy flake.   

The woods are lovely, dark and deep.   

But I have promises to keep,   

And miles to go before I sleep,   

And miles to go before I sleep.

oh christmas tree

Our neighbors next door own a Christmas tree farm so, naturally, we paid them a visit when the time came to get our tree.  Only "next door" is several acres away, through the woods--over yonder if you will. The neighbors have free hot cocoa at their farm.  And cookies. :)

Some people's sole responsiblity was to add to the cuteness factor...

...while the boys had the more difficult job of carrying the tree home for us through the woods.

What would I do without my strongmen? :)

(That's my mom smiling in the background, by the way.  Isn't she a cutie?)

white fruitcake recipe

Someone recently wrote to ask me to post or relink the white fruit cake recipe.  Here it is on my old kitchen blog.   You can use any variety of dried fruits and nuts to your liking.  Enjoy!

Our Lady of Guadalupe

Yesterday, our family had a celebration for Our Lady of Guadalupe.  We have had a party for her almost every every year since Ben was a toddler.  Usually we have enchiladas, spanish rice and punch, sometimes carry out tacos if time is short or there is a new baby.  Often we play pin the tail on the donkey, do the mexican hat dance.  One year we had a pinata.  This year, we used the lovely ideas by Alice Gunther who so generously shares her creative Liturgical Teas at her blog Cottage Blessings.  Last winter some ladies from our homeschooling group got together and used Alice's plans in a group setting.  I vowed this year I would do them at home with my entire family.   My mother came over and helped prepare the food.  I wish I had photos of the food to share with you but I was so caught up in the festivities that I did not take any.  Every thing on the menu was delicious, lovely and meaningful.  

I placed a small potted rose plant next to Our Lady's picture on the table alongside our perpetual candle lit in her honor.  The children behaved well and were attentive, the food was done on time and everyone had a wonderful evening.  That doesn't all happen very often, where everything just seems to fall into place.  In fact, earlier in the day everyone was upset and grumpy.  It did not seem that our party was going to get off the ground.  Children were irritable and our family was sad.  Our dear friend has had some setbacks in his health, on the eve of the day we had hoped for a miracle.  He had to postpone his trip to Mexico City.  So we continue to pray on his behalf and are grateful to those of you who are praying along with us.

When the table was spread and the story of Our Lady was being read, everyone forgot their grumpiness and became quite grateful. Grateful for a home in which to live, for a plot of land on which to romp, for a family who loves them, for the friendship of those who truly care about our family.  All of these things we recognize as having come from God, through the intercession of Our Lady of Guadalupe, the patron saint of our family.  

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas!

 We've been decorating and having some fun around here.  I really don't seem to have much to blog about these days because other than tending to the house, preparing for Christmas and working on the most basic of lessons, we haven't been doing a whole lot.  Until last weekend we were on our fourth month with one vehicle.  That meant the kids and I stayed home while Mike was at work.  Thankfully, I am a homebody at heart. :)

 Here are some photos of some of the decorations we put up last weekend.

 This is our family room which now contains the tree that we cut last weekend.  That is a stack of undelivered boy scout popcorn in the corner. :) We are hauling it out today to be delivered.

Here is a closeup of our manger scene which is under the berry wreath on the far wall.  I love the simplicity of the Willow Tree figures, clean lines, muted colors.   When I first got the set, I was disappointed that I could not wait until Christmas Day to put the baby Jesus in the scene because He is attached to His mother.   However, now the Blessed Mother and Child figures are my favorite in the manger scene and the love between them is captured in a very sweet manner.    I also have the three wise men and their camels which do not come out for some time, working their way across the room by Epiphany.

The vintage ceramic tree was Mike's grandmother's.  My grandma had one as well, as did my aunt, though hers was white.  Susan posted a photo of hers a while back and I loved reading all of the comments and memories people had of their grandmother's trees.   I think it looks so pretty when the lights are low. 

 

I picked up a tall, thin artificial tree a couple of years ago at Target. We are using it this year as a second tree to hold the children's ornaments.  They have received quite a few since they were born and they enjoyed having a tree of their own to decorate. While I don't save each ornament they make over the years, I do save those that are sturdy or that are special to them.  Some are made of wood or clay or beeswax.  I hope someday they will hang them on their trees and enjoy them. 

The piano

We put the Advent Log on the mantel this year which looks pretty but has proven impractical.  Part way through devotions each night, the furnace clicks on and the vent near the fireplace blows fiercely.  The candles start to flicker wildly, lighting several nearby that aren't supposed to be lit yet and making us fear that the wall will catch on fire.  :) We usually have to snuff them early. So I need to think about just where we will put the log next year.  Either that or turn off the blower on the furnace. :)

 

The little manger is filling with hay.

Lastly, here are some photos of our gingerbread house that we made Tuesday with Mike's mom.  She came for the day and the kids had such fun. 

 

 

The kids have been itching to eat it but I think we will save it for our Our Lady of Guadalupe celebration tomorrow.  

Thanks for visiting. Have a lovely day and stay warm! :)

Happy Advent Season

Advent  is, by far, my favorite time of the year but it can be such a busy time of preparation that it is easy to become discouraged if our focus shifts from the coming of the Christ Child to the hustle and bustle of our culture.  Keeping Advent  peaceful and meaningful can be done in a variety of ways.  Our family spends time each evening sharing simple devotions.  That can be as easy as lighting a small candle next to a picture of the Infant Jesus or by praying the Rosary as a family.

Our family's traditions of the lighting the candles on the Advent log and filling the Christ child's manger are things we have done since my oldest was a toddler.  They are lovely traditions that work for our family.  They may not work for yours as every family is different and unique.  I think it is not important or prudent to adopt a bunch of different advent devotions, crafts or projects each year.  There are many out there to choose from and can be overwhelming.  Choosing or creating one or two traditions and doing them year after year is more important than getting swept up in the myriad of possible ideas.  We want our children to remember simple, lovely, meaningful times of preparing our hearts for His coming.

If you have stumbled upon my humble site looking for Advent ideas, I have linked our family's traditions below.  They look like many but really are only the two mentioned above. I am linking those posts below because I have noticed many visitors coming here in search of Advent devotions or information in constructing the Advent log.  If you and your family need more information about the log, you can email me at the address in the sidebar and I will do my best to help you.

The Christ Child and the Manger

The Advent Log

The Advent Log-Part II

Recent Advent Log Photo

Stir Up Sunday White Fruitcake Recipe

Advent Devotions Week One

Advent Devotions Week Two

Advent Devotions Week Three

The Remaining Days of Advent/Christmas Devotions

Advent Sugar Cookie Recipe and Patterns for Week Two

Do stop by and see some beautiful Advent Logs made by other families:

Alice's Advent Log
Dawn's Advent Log
Kristina's Advent Log
Margaret's Advent Log
Tracy's Advent Log
Suzanne's Advent Log

Our family's entire advent archives can be found here.

Blessings and peace to you and yours this Advent season!

Warmly,

Rebecca

"Baby Jesus"

Annie has a very strong devotion to the Infant Jesus.  She seeks out statues of Him at church, asking to stop there when we are out by pointing and saying "Jesus!".  She has an Infant of Prague statue on her bookshelf and a picture of Him in frame in her room.  She was thrilled that he had arrived on Christmas Day, filling the manger with His sweetness.

He has gotten many, many kisses...

and she has been patting His little head.

Annie has been saying single words for many months, "Mommy", "Daddy", "ball", "birdie" and most recently her name.  Yesterday, for the first time, she strung two words together and said, "Baby Jesus".

She just makes my heart melt.

A Blessed Christmas!

Wishing you a Merry Christmas from my family to yours!  I hope your days are filled with love, laughter and peace.

Love, Rebecca

The Final Days of Advent

After taking the Handmade Pledge, we have spent a considerable amount of time making and creating this Advent season.  Next year, I intend to purchase more handmade gifts as well as making my own. 

Today is my final day of putting last minute touches on gifts, finishing up anything that is not complete.  Tomorrow I will mail packages, gather ingredients and prepare for our baking day on Saturday.  My mother will be coming by in the morning on Saturday and spending the day doing light baking.  It will be a relaxing day.  We will put a fire on the hearth, have a glass of wine,  listen to some Christmas music and enjoy one another's company. 

We don't have much planned for Sunday or Christmas Eve and that is all and good.  There will be some wrapping and some singing and some snuggling together on the sofa.   We will read and sing and pray.  All of it is peaceful and will help us to prepare for the Holy Child's arrival. 

Enjoy these final days of Advent with your family.  Stay warm and full of Love. 

 

Felted Doll Clothes

Miss Felicity is modeling a festive felted wool sweater and hat made using a pattern from the very creative Alice.   The set is a present for Mary who received Felicity for Christmas last year.   Now, to search for the bag containing the brass buttons for  the front of the sweater!

Korknisse Ornaments

I've yet to add the ribbon for hanging.  Here is the pattern. 

I think they are so darn cute.

Little Mother of Guadalupe

Prayer to Our Lady of Guadalupe

Remember, O Most Gracious Virgin of Guadalupe, that in your apparitions on Mount Tepeyac you promised to show pity and compassion to all who, loving and trusting you, seek your help and protection.  Accordingly,  listen now to our supplications and grant us consolation and relief.   We are full of hope that,  relying on your help, nothing can trouble or affect us.   As you have remained with us through your admirable image, so now obtain for us the graces we need.  Amen.

Here is a chronology of the events of Our Lady of Guadalupe as well as the relation of events as they happened.

His Little Bed

..is growing softer day by day. 

Finger Knit Garlands

Last summer, during my investigation into Waldorf homeschooling, I was intrigued by the concept of finger knitting for young children.  While I don't ascribe to Rudolph Steiner's  philosophy or the esoteric reasons for introducing fingerknitting, the handcraft itself sounded like a whole lot of fun in its own right.

In hopes of teaching Mary to fingerknit while the rest of us used needles, I bought the book Finger Knitting by Katsuno Suzuki.  I expected to find directions for teaching children to make some simple projects.  There are a couple simple projects but most of those in Suzuki's book are downright complicated even for an adult! 

Needless to say, my Mary is still making single crocheted chains with her fingers.  We haven't progressed past that yet and I am not sure we will any time soon.   She has made several leashes for her stuffed dogs, some reins for her horses and lots of pretty belts and headbands for her mommy. :)

Today we began to make some garland for the tree.  I brought out the red and green yarn and the kids had much fun making chains.  I was inspired to do so from these posts over at Soule Mama. 

Even Annie got in on the act, trying to finger knit with her chubby little hands.   

When we finish the garlands, I will post some photos for you to see. 

Have a beautiful day and thanks for visiting. :)

Update:  How to Finger Knit video clip here.

 

Christmas Cookies

We spent yesterday baking Christmas cookies.  Above are Margaret's Soft Sugar Cookies,  Chewy Ginger Snaps and Mom B.'s  Peppermint Pinwheels.  I make a half dozen different kinds each year and usually package them in little gift bag or tins.  This year we tried our hand at Violet's origami paper boxes to use as cookie containers.  We lined ours with tissue to make a pretty, handmade way to package treats for the neighbors.

On the Eve of St. Nicholas

There are many beautiful traditions associated with St. Nicholas Day. Many of them center around the filling of stockings or shoes.   Our family sets out wooden shoes by the fireplace on the Eve of St. Nicholas in hopes that he will fill them with treats, perhaps some gold chocolate coins, a clementine and other goodies.

The wooden shoes were given to us by Mike's mom, who has purchased them for each of our family members from the  Wooden Shoe Factory in Holland, Michigan.  Mike brought his boyhood pair with him when we were married and his parents bought me a pair soon after.   With the birth of each grandchild, Mike's mom drives to Holland for a "field trip"  to pick out a pair of shoes.  This year, a new little baby girl was born in Mike's brother's family so she made the long drive again.  Ben was thrilled to be invited along and spent a wonderful time with his Grandma at the factory and outlying shops in the village.

 

Our wooden shoes are lying in wait for that bearded saint to fill them with scrumptious delights!

For more information on St. Nicholas books, cookie cutters and artwork, visit the St. Nicholas Center.

(Topmost Hungarian St. Nicholas image from St. Nicholas Center website.)

Handmade Gifts: Crayon Art Caddy

On the first Saturday of every month, the boys head over to Home Depot for the morning.  The store offers a three hour time slot for children and their parents to make wooden toys or other useful items from prepackaged kits.  There is usually quite a turnout.  It is fun to see kids of many ages hammering and painting to their hearts content.  The children are given a work apron to take home and receive a pin for each project they complete.   The  woodworking session is free of charge. 

This week Christopher made this art caddy for his sister Annie.

Annie likes to draw, color or paint while her brothers have their table time lessons.  Christopher filled the art caddy with interesting things for Annie to use.  He bought an eight pack of crayons, some tiny pads of paper and some stickers. Total cost: about $3!   I know she will love it! :)

First Sunday of Advent

O come, O come, Emmanuel,
And ransom captive Israel,
That mourns in lonely exile here
Until the Son of God appear.

Rejoice! Rejoice!
Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.

O come, Thou Wisdom from on high,
Who orderest all things mightily;
To us the path of knowledge show,
And teach us in her ways to go.

Rejoice! Rejoice!
Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.

O come, Thou Rod of Jesse, free
Thine own from Satan’s tyranny;
From depths of hell Thy people save,
And give them victory over the grave.

Rejoice! Rejoice!
Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.

O come, Thou Day-spring, come and cheer
Our spirits by Thine advent here;
Disperse the gloomy clouds of night,
And death’s dark shadows put to flight.

Rejoice! Rejoice!
Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.

O come, Thou Key of David, come,
And open wide our heavenly home;
Make safe the way that leads on high,
And close the path to misery.

Rejoice! Rejoice!
Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.

O come, O come, great Lord of might,
Who to Thy tribes on Sinai’s height
In ancient times once gave the law
In cloud and majesty and awe.

Rejoice! Rejoice!
Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.

O come, Thou Root of Jesse’s tree,
An ensign of Thy people be;
Before Thee rulers silent fall;
All peoples on Thy mercy call.

Rejoice! Rejoice!
Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.

O come, Desire of nations, bind
In one the hearts of all mankind;
Bid Thou our sad divisions cease,
And be Thyself our King of Peace.

Rejoice! Rejoice!
Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.

Just Monkeying Around

In keeping with our theme of handmade gifts, Mary and I made this little fellow today.  He is a present for Annie who is quite fond of monkeys. 

He was made using two cotton Rockford Red Heel Socks.  Rockford Socks originated in Rockford, Illinois and have been made in the USA since 1880.  They are now owned by Fox River Mills in Osage, Iowa. 

Each pack (2 pair) of Rockford Red Heel Socks comes with directions for making the sock monkey and an elephant as well. 

Last month,  I had the pleasure of meeting Molly and her sweet family at a Jan Brett book signing.  As well as getting to spend time chatting with her, she also brought me an generous bag of clean, carded wool!  I am still giddy over her gift and have been using it to stuff toys like this little guy, as well as the knitted farmyard that I have been making for Mary (more on that in another post). 

So, I did the sewing and Mary stuffed him with Molly's wool.   It was fun to work on him together and watch her excitement grow as he drew near completion.   We will try our hand at some more animals in the upcoming weeks.

Giving the Gift of Time

Sherri writes: "A handmade Christmas sounds good to me and to my little ones but what about the big kids who don't want a hand knitted sweater or a homemade wooden train?"

That is a great question and one that I have been chewing on  for the past few weeks.  My oldest is eleven, still very much a child but not as interested in toys or clothes these days.  I didn't know what I could make for him to open on Christmas Day. 

I decided that this year, I would give him a Gift of Time.

Here's how it works:  Rather than something store bought,  I will wrap up movie, concert, or musical tickets, a travel brochure or some other invitation to a place he'd enjoy and make a date of it.   I know my children PINE for time alone with Mom or Dad. 

Some Gift of Time ideas (all to be attended with the parent):

• Theatre tickets
• Orchestra tickets
• Sporting event tickets
• Menu to their favorite restaurant
• Day trip  (include a map or brochure in the gift box)
• Ice cream shop coupons
• Overnight at a hotel with a pool
• Special museum exhibit
• Outdoor activity (sledding, beach, hiking, sailing, etc.)

When Christopher was a preschooler, he was interested in trains.  My mother wrapped up two train tickets and a conductor's hat for Christmas.  Two weeks later, they spent the afternoon riding the rails together.  He had a grand time and still remembers it today.  Had she spent that money on a toy, DVD or video game, it would have been long forgotten.  The memories surrounding her Gift of Time are longer lasting and more meaningful.

We know of a couple who no longer buy their kids presents now that they are teenagers but take a weekend ski trip together as a family every winter instead.  They have been doing this for the past few years and their children look forward to spending time together in lieu of gifts.

A Gift of Time can be as expensive or inexpensive as you'd like. Think about what makes each of your children happy.  Each and every child is different.  Would yours enjoy an afternoon matinee and lunch with Mom?  How about a hockey game, dinner and sledding with Dad?  Take some time to make the idea come alive on paper by adding a letter in the box or gift bag along with your tickets, menu or other item.

For example:

"Dear Benjamin,

This year for Christmas you and I are going on a get away together for an entire afternoon, just the two of us!  First, I'd like to take you out to lunch at Bo Loong for Dim Sum.  I know how you LOVE their pineapple buns!  Then, let's take a trip over to the science museum and catch the newest Imax movie.   Afterwards,  if you're not too tired :),  let's head to the square for some ice skating .  I am looking so forward to spending the entire afternoon with you!

Merry Christmas!

Love,
Mom"

If you have babies or toddlers who need to be with mom, perhaps they can come along in a sling or you can get out for a bit while they are napping.  Or, stay home and make your own fun once they have gone to sleep for the night!

One of my children's favorite things to do is to be able to stay up "way late", after all their siblings are in bed.  We make popcorn, perhaps watch a movie or put on a fire and play board games, just the two of us.  Then we camp out on the floor in sleeping bags.  You don't have to spend a lot of money to share time together or make memories.

Big kids need our time more than they need more things.  Spending time together, just parent and child, will make lifelong memories and will strengthen our relationships with our children.