My Heart This Advent

(a close-up of my son's girlfriend's stocking decoration 

~ she is so talented!)

It happens every year.
Advent begins;
I am already behind, but still excited.
Advent is my favourite season;
I am always so full of expectations and hopes and dreams!
The first couple of weeks pass.
A melancholy mood creeps in.
I am not living up to my own expectations;
My hopes of actually getting things accomplished are dwindling;
No one around me seems to share in my dreams.

"Is there room for Me?"

My expectations and hopes and dreams can become idols.
I have to be reminded every. single. year.

Hope~Peace~Joy~Love

are gifts that come only in His presence.

As Advent ushers in Christmas later this week
may I prepare my heart to
Come, and adore Him, 
Christ the Lord!

linking up with:

Advent in Our Home ~ week 1

The season of Advent began on Sunday; 

I did not begin until Thursday.

I put the Advent candles (last year's somewhat faded and tilted candles, minus any wreath) in the center of our table.

 I put the Advent spiral on the paint-splattered dresser in our entry way and started Joseph and Mary on their journey.

 I went to Dollar Tree and purchased supplies for door swags.

My youngest daughter and I will assemble six of these tomorrow,

one for us, one for each of my four grown daughters, and one for her best friend.

Sunday is Saint Nicholas Day, so we will be decorating and hanging our stockings.


linking up for {pretty, happy, funny, real}
at Like Mother, Like Daughter

For Your Advent Listening Pleasure

I have quite a large Advent playlist on Spotify, but I would like to share a much smaller one that I put together on YouTube.

It begins with O Come, O Come, Emmanuel, followed be songs for Hope, Peace, Joy, and Love, and ends with one of my Christmas Eve favourites, Still, Still, Still.

I hope you enjoy it:



Linking up with:

Playlist for Lent

linking up with:

New

The words are not new, but
in this new year may i
be guided by them each day.

faith, hope, love abide, these three;
~ the greatest of these is love.

linking up with Adrienne for:

Click on the button to read more.

Rest

We both took the week off.

Some down time with each other;

Some down time with the kids.

We're celebrating 24 years of marriage;

Celebrating the birth of our Saviour.

Dicecapades, holiday movies, reading Dickens aloud;

Staying up late, sleeping in, napping.

Rest for our bodies and rest

for our spirits and rest from

the stress of a working-week life.

"Come to Me, all who labour...

and I will give you rest."

This is my first time linking up with Adrienne for:

Please click on the button to read more.

Keeping Advent: Daily

To see all of my Advent posts click on the banner:

This post is simply an explanation of how I am attempting to keep a peaceful focus on Christ and prepare more room for Him in my heart and home on a daily basis.

In the morning:
I awaken very early, plug in the tree lights, put the kettle on, and settle down to my morning prayers using Praying Advent.

After these readings and reflections, I turn on my Advent playlist, fix my tea, and sit back down by the tree to spend some time peacefully pondering what I have read.

After the sun is up and my husband and children are awake, we gather around the tree, pray the Advent Prayer to Jesus, open our Advent box, take out that day's ornament, read the scripture, and hang the ornament.

At some point of the day:
I have made a list of one thing for each day.  It may be a family outing, a special craft or activity, an act of charity/service, or even a seasonal movie or tv special. 

I try to keep Advent music playing whenever possible.

I am really trying to be watchful and open to ways of loving and serving Him through loving and serving others.

In the evening:
We gather around the Advent wreath, light the candle(s), and read the prayers and scripture passages.  We spread the scripture readings over a few evenings each week.

Before I go to bed:
I sit down with the tree lights again, and pray St. Andrew's Novena.  
This is something completely new to me.  I have never prayed a novena before, but I am really hoping that it will help keep my focus where it needs to be during this season.  I have found the following video helpful:

I am linking up with these lovely ladies throughout Advent:

Please visit them to read about how others are keeping this beautiful season.

Keeping Advent: Week 1

Advent Prayer to Jesus

You are our eternal salvation,
The unfailing light of the world.
Light everlasting,
You are truly our redemption.
Grieving that the human race was perishing
through the tempter's power,
without leaving the heights
You came to the depths in your loving kindness.
Readily taking our humanity by Your gracious will,
You saved all earthly creatures, long since lost,
Restoring joy to the world.
Redeem our souls and bodies, O Christ,
and so possess us as Your shining dwellings.
By Your first coming, make us righteous;
At your second coming, set us free:
So that, when the world is filled with light
and you judge all things,
We may be clad in spotless robes
and follow in Your steps, O King,
Into the heavenly hall.

~Unknown Author, 10th century

Tonight we lit the first candle on our Advent wreath: the candle of Hope.

Stir up thy power, O Lord, and come,
that by thy protection we may be rescued
from the dangers that beset us through our sins;
and be a Redeemer to deliver us;
Who livest and reignest with God the Father
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
ever one God, world without end.

~Amen

O Emmanuel, Jesus Christ,
desire of every nation, 

Savior of all peoples,
come and dwell among us.

 And I made a "wreath" cake for us to enjoy.

Linking up:

 

On the Second Day of Christmas

The past few days have been so enjoyable for me, and i am still enjoying!

• Thursday: my husband and i kissed the kids good-bye, got in the car and headed down the road on a two-hour drive out to the town where my daughter & son-in-law manage a coffee shop and bed & breakfast; they had given us a night's stay as an anniversary gift!
• Friday: our 23rd Anniversary!  We had a great breakfast prepared by our daughter, and spent the day with her perusing the shops.  Then we had lunch with our son-in-law, said our good-byes, and headed home.  I gave my husband 23 kisses & hugs (the chocolate variety; i gave him the others as well, but i didn't keep count!); i printed out "I love you" in 23 different languages, and i made a playlist with 23 songs from the year we married.  Then we watched "Big" with the kids, because it came out that year.
• Christmas Eve: we set up the tree.  Our oldest daughter and our second daughter & husband came.  We went to church, where my husband and youngest son played guitar while my youngest daughter sang a song which my husband wrote.  We had a late supper of tortellini, spaghetti, and meatballs as well as assorted cookies for dessert.  We put up lights and decorated the tree.  I prepped the breakfast casserole and went to bed.
• Christmas Morning:  it was so wonderful to come downstairs and see the lights!  I got up around 4 and had a wonderful prayer time by twinkle-light, then began peeling, chopping, mixing, and cooking our traditional Christmas brunch; this is my gift to my family.  The kids started getting up and saying, "Merry Christmas."  Everyone was awake by about 8, so stockings were opened (again); a few gifts and hugs were exchanged; i read the Christmas story from the Bible; my husband prayed, and we all dug into the food.  We had orange danish rolls, egg-cheese-chorizo casserole, cranberry-apple-pear crisp, potatoes with li'l smokies, assorted fresh fruits, crackers & hummus. Then my daughter and her husband left to have Christmas with his folks.
• Christmas Afternoon:  my husband and two boys went to see a movie, while the four girls and i napped and had an impromptu jam session with guitar and voices.
• Christmas Evening: we munched on leftovers and watched "Polar Express."  Then my oldest daughter went back to her apartment, taking my 17 year-old to spend the night with her.
• Today: the shepherds have left, but the animals are still worshiping the baby Jesus in the manger, and the wise men have begun their journey, following the star.  We have enough leftovers to get us through the day.  My husband has the day off and is honouring some of the Christmas coupons he gave to the kids, spending some 1-on-1 time out with the 14 year-old this morning, the 12 year-old this afternoon, and the 15 year-old tonight.  I am sipping a gingerbread latte, listening to my Christmas CDs,  typing by twinkle-light, thoroughly enjoying this Christmas Season, which has only just begun!

Linking up here

And here

And here

Humility at Advent

Today i sat in church, my non-denominational church, that doesn't do Advent, or sing Advent (or Christmas) songs, except at the Christmas Eve service, whose worship team i don't particularly enjoy, with a new-ish pastor whose preaching isn't particularly my style; i sat there grudgingly, thinking all of these things, and more.

we sang

I'm giving You my heart, all that is within
I lay it all down, for the sake of You my King

I'm giving You my dreams, laying down my rights
I'm giving up my pride, for the promise of new life

And I surrender all to You, all to You
And I surrender all to You, all to You 

(Surrender by Justin McRoberts)

she asked

Do we really mean it?

And He whispered

I want your heart.

Jesus humbled Himself to come to earth and live, work, walk, and die among us

...who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God,  but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men.  And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. 

~Philippians 2:6-8

Mary was humble

Then Mary said, “Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her...

And Mary said:
      “ My soul magnifies the Lord,
       And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior.
       For He has regarded the lowly state of His maidservant;
      For behold, henceforth all generations will call me blessed.

~Luke 1:38, 46-48

Joseph, too

Then Joseph, being aroused from sleep, did as the angel of the Lord commanded him and took to him his wife, and did not know her till she had brought forth her firstborn Son. And he called His name JESUS.

~Matthew 1:24-25

The King of kings was wrapped in humble cloth and laid in a humble manger

So it was, that while they were there, the days were completed for her to be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

~Luke 2:6-7

My heart was the Bethlehem Inn, and there was no room for Him, because it was overcrowded with my convention on what His Advent should look like, sound like, feel like, be.  

Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom i am the foremost.

~1 Timothy 1:15

Oh, come to my heart, Lord Jesus;

There is room in my heart for Thee!

linking up to

Keeping Advent ~ Week Two

Want to read about how other families are keeping Advent?
Visit the Nativity Carnival over at A Ten O'Clock Scholar. 

Sunday, 4 December:

2nd Sunday in Advent; light the candle of Peace

decorate our Saint Nicholas stockings
http://olivegrove2.blogspot.com/2009/12/our-family-stocking-tradition.html
visit Main Street Bethlehem
special dessert: gingerbread

Monday, 5 December: 
hang our stockings 

Tuesday, 6 December:
celebrate Saint Nicholas Day

Gracious and good Lord, we bless you on this feast of St. Nicholas, your servant, who is an example to us of a life of charity and love. May we see in his life an invitation to imitate his good deeds. Make us always mindful of the needs of others and help us rejoice in the abundance of your goodness around us. Through Jesus our Lord.  ~Amen

have a special breakfast and open our stockings

Wednesday, 7 December:
choose gifts for Emmanuel & Benjamin (the boys we sponsor through a friend's ministry)
http://www.tgdonline.com/newsletters/christmaslist.pdf

Thursday, 8 December:
read one of our Christmas books

Friday, 9 December:
bake cookies for the neighbours

Saturday, 10 December:

take a donation box to the food bank

to see all of my Advent posts click on the banner:

click for my Advent playlist:

December First

The end of November birthdays have been celebrated, and it is time to put away the autumn decor and fully embrace this season of Advent.

This arrived last night:

 

~an early anniversary gift from my wonderful husband.

So, here are my plans for today and through the weekend:

Thursday, 1 December:

set up the Advent calendar and box containing ornaments:
maryellenb.typepad.com/o_night_divine/2010/11/the-jesse-tree.html 

begin daily readings

Friday, 2 December:

make Christmas cards to send to troops:

Saturday, 3 December:

put up the lights 
watch It's A Wonderful Life (NBC)

Sunday, 4 December:

2nd Sunday in Advent; light the candle of Peace

decorate Saint Nicholas stockings
http://olivegrove2.blogspot.com/2009/12/our-family-stocking-tradition.html
special dessert: gingerbread 

to see all of my Advent posts click on the banner:

click for my Advent playlist:

linking up to:
A Ten O'Clock Scholar's 
Nativity Carnival

and here:

Keeping Advent ~ week 1

Please visit the Nativity Carnival over at A Ten O'Clock Scholar.

Our wreath is all ready to go this evening.  

We have green and purple candles, because I am using leftovers from my daughter's June wedding.  The wreath was given to me by my oldest daughter; it will go on the door Christmas morning when the tree has replaced it on the table.  I stole borrowed Kerry's idea and placed some gold, purple, and clear "gems" I had on the cake plate around the candles.  I also have four little brass angels that I bought at the thrift store several years ago that stand between the candles.  The only thing I had to purchase was the Christ candle for the center; my 15yo daughter and I decided to use a gold one this year.

The rest of our Advent-keeping will not begin until December 1st, because my son's birthday is November 30th.  

Last year I found these beautiful Jesse Tree ornaments, but not in time to use:

http://maryellenb.typepad.com/o_night_divine/2010/11/the-jesse-tree.html

We will be using them this year.  

Each day we will open our little Advent box, take out the ornament and read the scripture passage.  Inside the box there will also be a little treat and, on certain days, a card with a special activity for that day written on it.

Advent Prayer

I am joining with Kerry over at A Ten O'Clock Scholar for her Nativity Carnival.

It is hard for me to fathom that the first Sunday of Advent is a mere 7 days away!

I plan to pick up candles for our Advent Wreath tomorrow or Tuesday, and I will get that set up to go next Sunday.  

We will be praying this prayer as we light the candle(s) each night:

Advent Prayer

BY HENRI J.M. NOUWEN

Lord Jesus, master of both the light and the darkness,

send your Holy Spirit upon our preparations for Christmas.

We who have so much to do seek quiet spaces to hear your voice each day.

We who are anxious over many things look forward to your coming among us.

We who are blessed in so many ways long for the complete joy of your kingdom.

We whose hearts are heavy seek the joy of your presence.

We are your people, walking in darkness, yet seeking the light.

To you we say, "Come Lord Jesus!"  Amen.

Because my son's birthday is on the 30th, the wreath is the only special thing we will be doing for Advent until the first day of December.  I will be writing a separate post about the rest of our plans.

Thirty Days of Thanksgiving

Day 20

"Thou hast given so much to me,
Give one thing more, - a grateful heart;
Not thankful when it pleaseth me,
As if Thy blessings had spare days,
But such a heart whose pulse may be Thy praise."

~George Herbert

There is something your must always remember...

"You are braver than you believe, 

stronger than you seem, 

and smarter than you think."

~ Christopher Robin to Winnie the Pooh

new...

GO:

Sunday night my husband gave me a new (to me) NOOK.

Last Thursday my friend had a new baby girl.

In 10 days we will begin a new year of History Quest.

Why is new so exciting?  It seems I am always starting a-new; mostly because I so rarely finish from the last fresh start.  God's mercies are new every morning.  In fact, His mercies are new every moment.  His loving kindness is always fresh; it never gets old or mundane, and I am so very grateful.

STOP.

7 quick takes

~1~

I am really glad I didn't try to do NaBloPoMo during August!  The last two weeks have been so busy; I worked twice as many hours as I normally do, and we had 7 out-of-town-guests here last weekend to celebrate two birthdays.  I spent every evening last week taking the younger 2 to and from VBS at a friend's church and every morning this week on the road taking my son to work at a LEGO camp 15 miles away.  I am a homebody, for goodness' sake!  My house is a wreck, and I am behind on the bills; but, today is the beginning of the first of two four-day-weekends!

~2~

I did have a lovely time last Saturday taking my oldest daughter to brunch for her 21st birthday.  We had creme brulee French toast and champagne pionsettias ~champagne and cranberry juice~ yum!  I told her that we should go to a wine-tasting together now that she is 21.  I have wanted to do that for a long time, but it is not my husband's kind of thing.

~3~

Our air conditioner was fixed the day after it broke, and it only cost $158; praise the Lord!

~4~

We finished Carry On, Mr. Bowditch yesterday, and we all give it an enthusiastic thumbs up.  I am going to let my 11yo son and 9yo daughter each choose a book for our next read alouds.

~5~

I am trying to work up a sort of master-menu plan to use over the next three months or so.  If I actually finish it, I will post it here.

~6~

I bought another miniature rose yesterday, because the grocery store has them on sale for $1.99.  I am quite enjoying my little windowsill garden; it makes the relentless sun worthwhile.

~7~

I am trying to decide if I want to get a smartphone.  {sigh}  Decision-making and I do not have a healthy relationship.

wishful wednesday

I saw this over at My Memory Art today.  What fun!

I have three wishes on this Wednesday:

1. Our a.c. conked out last night; today's predicted high is 107!  I am wishing (praying, actually) that is is a quick & cheap repair and that we can stay relatively cool until then.
2. My beautiful firstborn will be 21 on Saturday, and I am wishing for her to have a wonderful birthday and a year filled with blessings.
3. It is my nephew's birthday today, and their family is coming into town this weekend to celebrate with us.  I am wishing for safe travels for them and a good time for all of us.

You can visit the home of Wishful Wednesday and play along here:

curriculum for autumn 2011

I found out about this at Laura O's blog, Day by Day in Our World.

My three oldest daughters (21, 19 and married, 17) have all graduated!
I have four children that I am still homeschooling.

We are a part of a one-day-a-week homeschool extension program called History Quest.  This year we will all be studying American history 1840 - present day (including geography & economics), technology & robotics for science, and cultural arts (literature, drama, art, music) related to the time period.  The older three will be using Institute for Excellence in Writing material through this program as well.

We do Morning Time together the other four mornings a week, covering scripture memory, catechism, poetry, English grammar through diagramming, First Form Latin & Lingua Angelica, and anything else that strikes my fancy.

I read aloud during lunch, and they each read for at least an hour every afternoon.

Nature study, physical fitness & health, home economics, arts participation, etc. are done in an unschooly-real-life way.

Here is a list of what they are using individually:
F.L.~15yo daughter~senior:

• Henle Latin on her own + First Form with the rest of us
• Finishing Jacobs' Algebra, then on to Geometry
• Material Logic from Memoria Press
• The Roots of American Order by Russell Kirk

J.B.~13yo son~freshman:

• Saxon Algebra 1
• Italic Handwriting & copywork
• Traditional Logic from Memoria Press

L.H.~11yo son~jr. high:

• Finishing Saxon 6/5, then on to 7/6
• Italic Handwriting & copywork
• W.I.S.E. Guide for Spelling by Wanda Sanseri
• Collier's Junior Classics

V.N.~9yo daughter~upper elementary:

• Saxon 5/4
• Italic Handwriting & copywork
• W.I.S.E. Guide for Spelling by Wanda Sanseri
• Rod & Staff Bible Nurture Reader
• Christian Liberty Press Nature Reader
• Collier's Junior Classics

I think that about covers it.