Saint Nicholas Day....

is this Sunday. Do you celebrate Saint Nicholas Day? Our kiddos put out a shoe by the front door the night before, and in the morning they find a little gift in their shoe.

From Women for Faith & Family:

"Early in the Advent season celebrate a feast that has been popular for centuries in Christian countries, especially in Northern Europe. In our over-commercialized society, this holiday gives us a good "teaching moment" to remind children that Jolly Santa Claus, is, in fact, Saint Nicholas, a fourth century bishop of the city of Myra in what is now Turkey.

Saint Nicholas was renowned for his great kindness and his generous aid to those in distress. Among the kind and miraculous acts attributed to him are saving three young girls from prostitution by secretly providing them with dowries, raising three murdered boys from the dead, and saving sailors caught in stormy seas. For these reasons, he is considered the patron saint of children, unmarried girls, and sailors, among others.

Traditional celebrations of Saint Nicholas Day in Northern Europe included gifts left in children's shoes (the origin of our American Christmas stockings). Good children receive treats - candies, cookies, apples and nuts, while naughty children receive switches or lumps of coal. Sometimes coins were left in the shoes, reminiscent of the the life-saving doweries the saint provided. Today - especially in families of German extraction - children still put a shoe outside their bedroom doors on the eve of Saint Nicholas Day, and expect to find candy and coins or small gifts in their shoe on December 6th."

Also see:

Who is Saint Nicholas.

Saint Nicholas Day Cookies, Stories and Coloring Pages

Menu Planning or Not?

Myrnie asks:

"What does your family do? Do you plan your meals in advance, go grocery shopping on Saturday, and sleep soundly at night knowing what your family will eat for the next 7 days? Do you dive headfirst into the cupboards or freezer at 5:30 hoping you can find another "ten-minute-meal" for your hungry horde? Make a vat of something every Monday and blithely assume you'll serve it ad nauseum to a willing and adoring family?
And, more importantly...what DOES your family eat?
Inquiring minds want to know!"
 
I tend to make it up as I go. Sometimes I'll look up recipes at Allrecipes.com ingredients search when I need to use something up, but for the most part, I keep my cupboards/refrigerator stocked with the basics, and then I combine ingredients in creative ways, playing with spices and sauces. Generally the meals consist of a meat or bean, a starch(pastas or rice), and mixed vegetables(frozen). Meal bases are white or red sauces, or sometimes just seasoning, occasionally cooking wine.

Tonight we had ground turkey seasoned with chopped onions, a can of Margaret Holmes Seasoned Field Peas and Snaps(dollar store), and other spices. I served this over a pot of white rice cooked with frozen chopped green peppers(on sale a while back) and little chicken stock. It was delicious and very flavorful.

Tomorrow night we may have some baked lemon chicken breasts(boneless skinless Target brand) and mixed veggies(frozen Food Lion brand), or we may have some spaghetti with a side of Italian mixed veggies(frozen Food Lion Brand).

Another night this week we may have some homemade mac-n-cheese with a side of sweet potatoes, although I try not to make this too often because it's so fattening.

Every afternoon, I'll poke my head in the freezer and decide which meat to defrost. That sets the tone for the rest of the meal. By 4:00 p.m., I can visualize what I'll be making for dinner.

Now it's your turn...how to you handle dinner?

Homemade Advent Wreath

With little fingers that like to get into everything, I had to keep the Advent wreath simple. I used some scented tea light candles in some chunky green glass star holders found at The Dollar Tree, some greens from the garden, and a large silver plate that I've had for years. The children's paper from Sunday's mass worked nicely for the Advent readings and a simple prayer. Ideally, an electric wreath would be even safer, but these non-tippy candles are a good inexpensive alternative for us.

After the first candle was lit, I moved the wreath from the table to the back of stove where we could enjoy it for an hour.

From Wikipedia: " The Advent wreath is a Christian tradition that symbolizes the passage of the four weeks of Advent in the liturgical calendar of the Western church. It is usually a horizontal evergreen wreath with four or five candles. Beginning with the First Sunday of Advent, the lighting of a candle can be accompanied by a Bible reading and prayers. An additional candle is lit during each subsequent week until, by the last Sunday before Christmas, all four candles are lit. Some Advent wreaths include a fifth, "Christ" candle which can be lit at Christmas. The custom is observed both in family settings and at public church services."

The History of the Advent Wreath: "The symbolism of the Advent wreath is beautiful. The wreath is made of various evergreens, signifying continuous life. Even these evergreens have a traditional meaning which can be adapted to our faith: The laurel signifies victory over persecution and suffering; pine, holly, and yew, immortality; and cedar, strength and healing. Holly also has a special Christian symbolism: The prickly leaves remind us of the crown of thorns, and one English legend tells of how the cross was made of holly. The circle of the wreath, which has no beginning or end, symbolizes the eternity of God, the immortality of the soul, and the everlasting life found in Christ. Any pine cones, nuts, or seedpods used to decorate the wreath also symbolize life and resurrection. All together, the wreath of evergreens depicts the immortality of our soul and the new, everlasting life promised to us through Christ, the eternal Word of the Father, who entered our world becoming true man and who was victorious over sin and death through His own passion, death, and resurrection."

Organizing Your Time: Three Helpful Steps

Debbie has a plan. Click here.

A Vocation of Love

The loveliest masterpiece
of the heart of God
is the heart of a mother.

—Therese of Lisieux

HT to Micki.

First Sunday of Advent

Advent Prayer
Come, long-expected Jesus. Excite in me a wonder at the wisdom and power of Your Father and ours. Receive my prayer as part of my service of the Lord who enlists me in God's own work for justice.
Come, long-expected Jesus. Excite in me a hunger for peace: peace in the world, peace in my home, peace in myself.
Come, long-expected Jesus. Excite in me a joy responsive to the Father's joy. I seek His will so I can serve with gladness, singing and love.
Come, long-expected Jesus. Excite in me the joy and love and peace it is right to bring to the manger of my Lord. Raise in me, too, sober reverence for the God who acted there, hearty gratitude for the life begun there, and spirited resolution to serve the Father and Son.
I pray in the name of Jesus Christ, whose advent I hail. Amen.
Source.

Source of Advent image here.

The Story of Christ in Pictures(Giotto)

Click here. From a 1948 Life magazine.

A Bit Like Christmas

The children decorated the tree this year. We didn't have to do anything other than put the tree together and string the lights.

Homemade Chocolate Milk

My daughter is always asking for chocolate milk, and the organic brand is expensive, and the less expensive full of chemicals. I've been using this recipe for homemade chocolate milk:

Fill a lidded bottle like a one quart Rubbermaid drink bottle about 2/3 of the way with milk(20-24 ounces).

Heat milk for about two minutes in the microwave, then add a heaping teaspoon of sifted cocoa powder, and two of sugar(double if you like it strong and sweet). Add about a tablespoon of canola oil, shake well. The heated milk and oil help combine the ingredients, otherwise the chocolate clumps.

Refrigerate and serve cold.

It will still need to be shaken every time you serve it, but the cocoa mixes fairly well.

Thanksgiving Dinner

Thanksgiving blessings to all.

Black Friday Amazon Book Deal

Buy three books and get the fourth free. This looks like a great deal. I've got gift certificates for Amazon earned at Swagbucks and a gift certificate from the Coinstar promotion, so this might be a good time to use them.

Happy Thanksgiving

For the hay and the corn and the wheat that is reaped,
For the labor well done, and the barns that are heaped,
For the sun and the dew and the sweet honeycomb,
For the rose and the song and the harvest brought home
Thanksgiving! Thanksgiving!

For the trade and the skill and the wealth in our land,
For the cunning and strength of the workingman's hand,
For the good that our artists and poets have taught,
For the friendship that hope and affection have brought --
Thanksgiving! Thanksgiving!

For the homes that with purest affection are blest,
For the season of plenty and well-deserved rest,
For our country extending from sea unto sea;
The land that is known as the "Land of the Free" --
Thanksgiving! Thanksgiving!

Source

Easy No Roll Pie Crust

Click here.

HT to Mama Says 

Update: Delicious crunchy crust! This was a perfect complement to pumpkin pie.

Another Children's Vintage Cut and Paste Thanksgiving Project and Coloring Page

I keep finding these in vintage public domain pages. They are so charming, I just have to share. This one is from a 1919 School Arts Magazine. Click to enlarge and print. It's a Thanksgiving basket.



And a coloring page.

Prayer for Those Who Grieve at Thanksgiving

Click here.

The Manhattan Declaration - National Religious Leaders Release Historic Declaration on Christian Conscience

Friday a group of prominent Christian clergy, ministry leaders and scholars released the Manhattan Declaration, which addresses the sanctity of life, traditional marriage and religious liberty. The 4,700-word declaration issues a clarion call to Christians to adhere to their convictions and informs civil authorities that the signers will not - under any circumstance - abandon their Christian consciences. Drafted by Dr. Robert George, Dr. Timothy George and Chuck Colson and signed by more than 125 Orthodox, Catholic and evangelical Christian leaders, the Manhattan Declaration is available at DeMossNews.com/ManhattanDeclaration. Read the rest here

The following is from the website:

Christians, when they have lived up to the highest ideals of their faith, have defended the weak and vulnerable and worked tirelessly to protect and strengthen vital institutions of civil society, beginning with the family.

We are Orthodox, Catholic, and evangelical Christians who have united at this hour to reaffirm fundamental truths about justice and the common good, and to call upon our fellow citizens, believers and non-believers alike, to join us in defending them. These truths are:

1. the sanctity of human life
2. the dignity of marriage as the conjugal union of husband and wife
3. the rights of conscience and religious liberty.

Inasmuch as these truths are foundational to human dignity and the well-being of society, they are inviolable and non-negotiable. Because they are increasingly under assault from powerful forces in our culture, we are compelled today to speak out forcefully in their defense, and to commit ourselves to honoring them fully no matter what pressures are brought upon us and our institutions to abandon or compromise them. We make this commitment not as partisans of any political group but as followers of Jesus Christ, the crucified and risen Lord, who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.
Please be sure to sign the declaration HERE

Extracted from Esther's blog.

If you don't agree just ignore this post.

Children's Printable Vintage Thanksgiving Stories, Poems, Activity Sheets, and Coloring Pages

There are too many to list, but to make your search easier, I've linked my Google Books library to search term "Thanksgiving, Massasoit". There are 54 books with stories for all grade levels, just click through, select a book, right click on the pages(s) you want, save, and print. All are in public domain, free to download, and print.

My Google Books Library(1000+ free children's homeschool ebooks)

Also see these posts from past years for quicker access to stories, etc.. I inserted "Thanksgiving" into the search engine on this blog, so there are a few unrelated posts, but just scroll past those. Also see here for books about Pilgrims.

My eleven year old son is reading this version from The Beginner's American History by David Henry Montgomery, 1915, and this one from Short Stories from American History, 1905. Both are good for about fourth through sixth grade.

The Knots Prayer

The Knots Prayer

Dear God,
please untie the knots
that are in my mind,
my heart and my life.
Remove the have nots,
the can nots and the do nots
that I have in my mind.

Erase the will nots,
may nots, and
might nots that find
a home in my heart.

Release me from the could nots,
would nots and
should nots that obstruct my life.

And most of all, dear God,
I ask that you remove from my mind
my heart and my life all of the am nots
that I have allowed to hold me back,
especially the thought
that I am not good enough.

Amen.

HT Concord Pastor .

Vintage Days of the Week with Mr. Turkey

Taken from a vintage turn-of-the-century public domain book. Click to enlarge and print. This prints out nicely.

Homeschool Freebie Downloads Over at Lulu

Grammar Stage Memorization. "This file contains Bible verses, Poems, History lists and Science and Geography facts for memorization during the grammar stage."

SOTW I Workbook Pages -- Two-Day-A-Week Format. "This workbook is for homeschoolers using Story of the World, Volume I (revised edition) By Susan Wise Bauer--available from Peace Hill Press, following a history two-day-a-week schedule. These pages assume you already own the original book and Activity Guide—you must own these already to use these workbook pages. No copyrighted material from the original works is included. You may also want to have the Test Pages from Peace Hill Press."

Penguin Lapbook. "This penguin lapbook has mini-folds that can be used with just about any book or Internet source, it is very versatile in the manner presented and information that can be put into any of the mini-folds."

Pendragon Academy’s 100 Best Free Online Learning Links For Teachers, Parents and Students. "Summaries of 100 of the best online learning sites. There is something for everyone in this book. Teachers find lesson plans, Parents find websites to enforce school or homeschool concepts and students can get homework help or learn something new."

Free Sheet of "Reward Bucks". "Download for free! Good behavior is worth more than a dozen bucks, it's priceless. This page can be cut into individual bills to be distributed for good behavior. Dole out generously, and watch your investment grow!"

Vivaldi Notebooking Page Free

Seasonal Tree Study Notebook Page-Autumn Series. "This notebook page is to record your Autumn Seasonal Tree Study. More information regarding the Outdoor Hour Challenges can be found at http://handbookofnaturestudy.blogspot.com." More here.

Copywork - Aesop's fables. "The file contains a selection of copywork of the morals from Aesop's fables. The fables are those recommended in Year 1 of the Ambleside Online curriculum (www.amblesideonline.org). The fable is included before the copywork as a scanned page of Milo Winter's Aesop's fables (from www.childrenslibrary.org). There are writing lines after each piece of copywork."

Vintage American Indian Thanksgiving Hiawatha Cut Outs

Click on images to enlarge and print.

Found in public domain(1915) at Google books.

Vintage Story Starters: September, October, and November

Younger children can orally tell what's happening in the pictures; older children can write a story. The picture runs across two book pages, so each month will need to be puzzled together. Just click to enlarge and print. They are from Primary plans, Volume 6, 1908.

September :

October:

November:

Free paper:

Preschool/Kindergarten Fun: Vintage Cut and Fold Bear

From Primary plans, Volume 6, 1908 Click to enlarge and print.

Homemade Gifts from Vintage Clip Art

Made from free vintage clip art printed onto photo fabric(available at craft stores).
Craft Project - Thanksgiving Burlap Napkin Rings

Pretty Muslin Bag

Free Printable Thanksgiving Center Table Pieces

Just print, cut, and paste. See here.

Also see a children's table center piece here(The May Flower).

Free Printable Vintage Thanksgiving Place Cards

Click here.

Squirrels.

Handmade Gift Ideas

A blog full of ideas, 101 Handmade Gift Ideas; she made it to Eighty-Two.

Thanksgiving/Pilgrim Free Printable Activity Sheet

Click here for printable full size sheet.

Fun with Vintage Paper Dolls

Found free using Google images and Google Books. There are many choices, vintage and contemporary; just print and cut. The ones pictured above are printed on regular paper, but card stock would make a sturdier paper doll. I use a lot of recycled items, so gluing these to thin cardboard from dry food boxes works just fine. I may laminate these with clear shipping tape and add magnets to the back.

These have the tabs on them, but she decided to lay them on the paper, interchanging the outfits on top of the dolls. If you look closely, the pets have hats on!

Paper dolls can glued on lined paper to make story boards. This is a wonderful tool for helping beginning writers with the mental imagery necessary for creative writing.

A free vintage collection(PDF)

Frugal Bathroom Remodel

We are almost done with the children's bathroom remodel. All that is needed is touch up, proper light bulbs(too long), and a new tile floor. Most of this was done for free using reward points for Lowe's gift certificates or cash. The walls and cabinet were painted, and a medicine cabinet replaced with a circular mirror. We will replace the toilet when we add the new floor. Cabinet hardware and switch plate covers were also replaced. The counter and faucet were replaced last year with bonus points for Home Depot.

The light fixture wasn't exactly what I wanted, but it was within price range, and the best match.

Reward points used: Discover and Mypoints.com.



Before: Dingy 70's decor with 80's wallpaper.

Free Printable:Color, Cut, and Paste Turkey

Click here.

Weight Loss Progress

I am working out for an hour now, walking on the treadmill, using free weights, and I'm seeing better progress with my weight loss. I also feel better and the warm up stretches are helping with flexibility.

I got my treadmill for $45.00 on Craigslist.org, well worth the money. I've set it up in the spare room in front of the television, so times flies by much faster while I work out to something interesting to watch.

"Muscle mass burns "between 35 to 50 calories extra a day,
versus the same pound of fat, which would burn anywhere
from 5-10 calories a day."

Black Friday Ads

Click here. Check out the Target Ad. They are having a $3.00 sale on Chefmate kitchen appliances.

HT to A Simple Dollar

Make Your Own Oil Lamp

I could have used this olive oil lamp during our power outage. See here for a tutorial to make your own(image at left), or go to Lehman's for the parts. 

According to Lehman's, "Olive oil is 99 percent pure renewable fuel, so it produces NO smoke or odor and can't aggravate allergies. Safe since it can't catch on fire if tipped over. Use any green, renewable fuel like olive oil, vegetable oil, or liquid fat or grease. "

Ace hardware carries inexpensive oil lamps, wicks, and lamp oil. We have one of these, but all I had on hand during the storm last week was canola oil. It didn't take well. Perhaps I needed to soak the wick because it burned down very quickly, or maybe it only works with proper lamp oil. I found my oil lamp for .50 cents at a thrift store.

Bottle oil lamps are a great way to recycle. I found these bottle wicks online.  These go in the mouth of a bottle, and a wick is threaded through the top. If you can find a short fat bottle, this could make a stable oil lamp.

Tutorial here

"Then Yeshua again spoke to them, saying, I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life." John.8:12

Judean clay oil lamps $17.95(with shipping) from the Holy Land.

Getting Back to Normal...

and catching up on laundry, lawn/garden storm clean-up, cleaning, etc. We are also in the middle of a small bathroom renovation which was put on hold while the electricity was out.

Never a dull moment around here. I'll be back soon. Thanks for all the supportive comments. What sweet blog friends I have! God bless you all.

Powerless Day Four

Not a good sign...Virginia Power conferring in the backyard for 30 minutes now...working on some power box thingy. Have you ever seen that skit on Saturday Night Live where the guy yells, "Just fix it!" ?

Ohhhh, power has been restored! Yahhhhh! Thank you Virignia Power(finally)!

Day Three, Still...

....in the dark. Virginia Power where are you? I'm almost out of candles, and I'm getting fume headaches from filling our tiny generator with gasoline every two hours. It's especially fun filling it in the dark while attempting to hold a tiny flashlight in your teeth. We can at least run two appliances at a time, so the food in the refrigerator is safe. Did I mention that generators are very loud?! I won't miss that roaring noise.

Lord, I am thankful for all our blessings, and tribulations. Help me to bear these annoyances with grace. I offer them up, in your name, Lord Jesus Christ, Amen.

Day Two, No Power

I hear three days, but that really means six. Power outages in our city are scattered, and I'm sure they will restore power to the larger grid areas first. For some reason we seem to lose power at the end of our street during every storm. At least I can see the street light two houses down; ours is out. I told my husband we should move next door! It's for sale, and they never lose power.

By Candle Light

Living by candle light tonight. The Nor'easter knocked out our electricity. 25,000 people in my area are without electricity. I think it will be a while before we get ours back.

I haven't played cards in years, and we took this opportunity to teach my son Gin Rummy, or at least a version of it. I used to play this card game for hours with my grandmother and her friends in Florida - great memories.

The wind and rain continues to hammer us. My tea cup candle came in handy for walking around...nice little handle.