Advent Garland Giveaway!

This is a repost with a twist!  Brandy, over at Love to Learn is hosting a giveaway!  The prize?  One of my Advent Garland sets!  Read on for directions but be sure to stop by Brandy's and enter!  Giveaway ends at noon on Nov. 16th.






I'm so excited to share this craft with ya'll! I made this a week or so ago when we were all a little under the weather. I had lots of little helpers in the dining room...they were stamping their own goodies while I was making this. It was (as a good friend says) "Big Fun"! If you aren't feeling super crafty I have a set for sale over at my etsy site.

I bought two packs of small brown kraft bags at Michael's coupon!).

I cut the top of 25 bags with scalloped decorative scissors.

(I know some families start Advent right after Thanksgiving but we start

Dec. 1st...that's just the way we've done it. If you want to start the last Sunday of November then adjust accordingly but if you purchase my set it will be with numbers 1 to 25.)
 

Then I punched 25 1 1/2 " red circles. And 25 1 3/8" kraft cardstock circles.

Using four different types of background Christmas paper I cut 25 2" squares.

I stamped the numbers 1 through 25 in red ink on the kraft circles. I mounted those in the center of the red circles. Then I mounted those in the center of the squares. Make sure you alternate the background colors.

Then I folded the top scallop down about 3/4".

Next I put seven of the same treats in each bag...but different treats for each day. (For us Dec. 1st might have seven Smarties, Dec. 2nd might have seven Hershey's Kisses, etc..)

(We have eight children...if you have two kiddos then use two treats.)

Place a Scripture reading slip in each bag (make sure you put the right number in the proper bag).

You can download mine and print below.

Advent Scripture Reading


Then hang a line of yarn or jute twine on windows. I used my living room and office room windows. (They are connected rooms so I felt it flowed fine that way.) That way they are out of reach of little hands but can still be seen! Use clothes pins to hang the bags. I used regular clothespins for this picture but I'll use mini clothespins when I can get to the store to get them. They're much cuter that way. If you buy my set you'll get mini clothespins.

There you go! A fun and inexpensive way to celebrate the Advent!

Make this yourself or purchase it HERE!

Preparing for the Holidays: "Company's Coming! Hospitality"

A long time ago (not that long ago, but it seems that way for me) I did a series featuring the book Queen of the Castle.  I thought since baby is here (I'm scheduling these posts out ahead of time) that I'd recap the holiday part of the book.  So every Wednesday you'll get some great tips on prepping your heart and home for the holidays.

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Week 46 is titled "Company's Coming! Hospitality".  Lynn, the author, shares an excerpt from a book Mudhouse Sabbath by Lauren F. Winner.  "Well, now.  I probably shouldn't have curdling milk in the fridge if I'm inviting someone over for tea, and it might be nice if I emptied the kitchen trash can and didn't leave dirty clothes all over the bathroom floor.  But to be a hostess, I'm going to have to surrender my notions of "Good Housekeeping" domestic perfection.  I will have to set down my pride and invite people over even if I have not dusted.  This is tough:  My mother set a high standard.  Her house is always immaculate, most especially if she's expecting company.  But if I wait for immaculate, I will never have a guest."

Is it worth fussing and fitting with your kiddos to get the house perfect?  Can we just tidy up a bit and call it a day?  "Hospitality is not about trying to impress or compete to see who's the best housekeeper or the best cook.  It's simply about opening the home God has given us, grand or humble, and welcoming others in."

Lynn reminds us of the story in I Kings 17, "...where a widow in the midst of a drought, down to her last bit of oil and flour, reluctantly opens her home to a hungry house guest.  "I can't feed you," she tells Elijah at first.  "In fact, my son and I are about to eat the last of our own food, and then we're ready to die."  "Don't be afraid," Elijah answers.  "God says your bowl of flour and jar of oil won't ever be empty until we have rain again."  The widow did as Elijah directed, making him a bread cake and then asking one for herself and her son.  And "the bowl of flour was not exhausted nor did the jar of oil become empty, according to the word of the Lord which He spoke through Elijah" (I Kings 17:16)."

Whether we enjoy hot dogs and macaroni and cheese or a roast and all the fixings the attitude makes all the difference.  We need to pray and ask God to show us how to have a servant's heart.

With Thanksgiving near I thought I'd share with you some easy ways to make your guests feel welcome.

*It's a great idea to have a basket of toys that little ones can play with.  Some books and board games for different ages are a great idea, too.

*Make sure you have a place to put coats and such...squeezing them in a coat closet can be cumbersome.  We have a mudroom but not a lot of extra hooks.  Hubby's to do list now has this suggestion.  We often us the master bed as a place to throw coats if there's a large crowd.

The following tips are geared toward those having overnight guests:

*If you have overnight company make sure the room they are staying in has proper window treatments.  Especially if you have a yard light outside the window.  They may prefer total darkness.

*Then again, they may like a little night light. Have one plugged in and on.  If they want it off they can turn it off.

*Make sure they have proper bedding and some extra blankets in case they get chilly.  An extra set of sheets on hand is nice, too, in case little ones have accidents at night.

*Have a snack basket in the room if the kitchen is far away.  Fill it with granola bars, pretzels, crackers, and a few chocolate treats.  If you like you can add a small cooler with bottled water and juice.  That way if they get up early they can snack and not starve until breakfast.

*Make sure their room has a place for clothes storage.  Even if they are living out of their bags they are probably going to need to hang up some shirts.  An over the door hook might be a nice addition.

*Have towels and washcloths handy so they don't need to search for them.

*Also make sure the bathroom is fully stocked with toilet paper, soap, shampoo, and other toiletries you think they might need.  They would feel embarrassed if they had to wake you in the middle of the night because they had no toilet paper. And I'm sure you wouldn't want to be wakened for a TP call at 3 a.m.. *wink*

For more on hospitality Rhonda has great advice over at Raising Homemakers  HERE and HERE.

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"Do not forget to entertain strangers, 
for by so doing some people have 

entertained angels without knowing it."  
Hebrews 13:2 

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Don't forget to enter the Gooseberry Patch 
Christmas Organizer and Merry Mixes Giveaway!

Kitchen Tip Tuesday: Little Helpers

 (This is a repost from earlier this year and I thought it was so appropriate with our new baby in the house and with the holidays coming up!)

Let the kiddos help out in the kitchen!* 

Little ones (ages 2-5) can scrub veggies, pass out napkins, help set the table.  

Older kiddos (ages 6-9) can help measure, shred (carefully!), stir, crack eggs, and oversee the littlest ones in their preparations.  

The oldest ones (ages 10 and up) can chop, read a recipe, prepare a dish by themselves, help with meal planning and even help with grocery shopping.  Help the older ones see the importance of unit pricing, buying in bulk, shopping sales and using coupons.  

It may be difficult and even stressful at first but after a while it will be such a blessing!  Meals and memories will be made.

The kitchen is the heart of the home!

*These are all guidelines and should be to the parent's discretion. 

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Don't forget to enter the Gooseberry Patch 
Christmas Organizer and Merry Mixes Giveaway!

Old House Kitchen Christmas Favorites: Baked Mushrooms

With a new baby in our midst we are trying to soak up as much cuddling time as we can so I thought it would be fun to share our family's favorite Christmas recipes!  I'll kick it off with one of our favorite side dishes!  Enjoy!

 Baked Mushrooms

1/2 stick butter
1 lb. container mushrooms (sliced)
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 block cream cheese (softened)
1 1/2 cups mozzarella cheese

Melt butter in a skillet. Saute mushrooms with salt and pepper until tender. Stir in cream cheese until melted and carefully blended well with the mushrooms. Pour into a small baking dish. Sprinkle mozzarella cheese over the top and bake at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes or until melted, bubbly and slightly browned. Enjoy!

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Don't forget to enter the Gooseberry Patch 
Christmas Organizer and Merry Mixes Giveaway!