I got our Advent calendar ready just in time for the first Sunday of Advent. Here are some pics. Sorry for the poor photo quality. The only camera I have is on my cellphone.








I used the top to a wooden cheese box. I painted the spiral with some metallic blue acrylic paint I got for the papier mache prayer bowls we made last year. Along the spiral are upturned acorn caps, one for each day leading up to Christmas. Inspired by the poem shared here, this week we added gems, stones and shells. Each week we will add a new element to the spiral. Each day we add a new wool "flame" to the next acorn cap. Not pictured are Mary and Joseph, borrowed from the girls' wooden toys. They will proceed around the spiral, making their way towards the candle in the middle.

There ya go!

Advent

Advent is almost here! I love advent. We didn't celebrate growing up, and from the moment I heard that there was such a celebration I wanted to know more. When it was just Dan and I, we didn't do much. Some candles and the little devotional booklet we got at the Christian bookstore. When the kids came along, I wanted something visual to go along with the scripture. Two years ago, All Year Round in hand, I set up a beautiful scene. Each day the girls would move Mary and Joseph closer to the stable along a path of stars. Each day a star would be added to the sky. It was special,beautiful and reverent. Last year, I was pregnant and overwhelmed with my new roles as director of the church's Christmas play AND coordinator of the children's Christmas party. We got a cardboard Advent calender from the local drug store. It was cute and fun, but just not the same.

This year, I've been inspired. Seasons of Joy has released a new e-book, Advent: Lighting a Path to Christmas. It's described as "a four week Advent journey through the mineral, plant, and animal kingdoms, ending with a celebration of humanity and family." I love the idea of incorporating all of creation. Doesn't the Word tell us that "all creation waits" (Romans 8:19)?

I'm not sure what our Advent calendar will look like this year. I've got some ideas running around in my head, some of them strange (a compostable Advent calendar?!) Whatever I choose, I'm hoping it will be beautiful and reverent and memorable. If you'd like to be inspired check out the Seasons of Joy blog and enter for a chance to win your Advent e-book.

It's almost here...

https://www.adbusters.org/

Crooked house, Part II

That's my dad and my husband trying to figure out what to do next. And for today the answer is nothing. It's pouring rain, and we don't want to get the plywood wet. Tomorrow, if it's dry, they'll fix/finish the electrical work and put down the plywood. We'll move the cabinets back in and start putting down the laminate flooring. We'll start in the back corner so we can get the water heater in right away. Hopefully. Tomorrow this project will be seven days old, if you don't count the weeks before hand we were packing and moving stuff out. I *want* to be excited about getting it finished, but all this work is just a patch. The joists are still rotten, the foundation is still sinking into the ground, the walls are still crumbling.



There are spiritual lessons here. I can't decide whether this house would be a better object lesson for the story of the foolish man's house or the necessity of spiritual maintenance. I suppose I'm experiencing a spiritual renovation of sorts. The rotten stuff is being ripped away, and underneath there's...more rotten stuff. I could apply a patch and change to make myself look good. But it would be a waste of time, and I'd have to do it all over again at some point. Growing spiritually is hard to do. I'm thankful I have a gentle, loving Abba to guide me through the process.

Crooked house

I've done practically nothing to get ready for Christmas, besides shopping online for handmade goodies. I'm excited about what I've found, but it's hard to get in the mood, for Christmas or anything else with this kitchen renovation project going on. It is *so* stressful. I feel like the work we're doing is pointless, because it's just a patch. The joists are rotting, the house is shifting and sinking, the walls are buckling and now half the house is without power. Tomorrow, pictures...

I love Christmas time. It's my favorite time of year. The best job I ever had was working at a garden center with a Christmas shop. Around May, we would start getting in the ornaments and setting up the trees. Eight months of Christmas! I never even got sick of the carols.

In the past, we've always celebrated the traditional way. This year, we've decided to celebrate Christmas differently. Santa will be visiting our home on St. Nick's day. On Christmas day, we will celebrate the birth of Jesus with a birthday party. After all, Who's Birthday is it Anyway? And this year we will not neglect the 12 days of Christmas. Add Advent and the Handmade Christmas Challenge, and it should be an interesting holiday season.

Here are a few of the businesses that are helping me with the handmade challenge:

http://www.etsy.com/shop/GrandmaLindasHouse

http://www.etsy.com/shop/womanwoodworker