Archive for the ‘Seasonal Activities’ Category

Snowflake Cookies

Thursday, December 13th, 2012

snowflake-cookiesSeveral years ago after exiting the Christmas candlelight service, there was a long table full of hundreds of Christmas cookies. I saw some snowflake cookies that I knew would delight my children, so I took four, one for each of my children. A woman who was standing to the side looked at me with hatred and venom. She must have thought I was taking them for myself.

This just goes to show that nearly 100% of our judgment of others is false. God says we do not know other people’s motives, and for that reason, we should not judge, lest we be judged. (Matthew 7:1) If God says we don’t know their motives, then God is right. God is not a liar. The only exception to the rule of not judging is if you see someone clearly stealing or something that you know for sure is wrong, as far as an action that is condemned by God, then you should tell a fellow believer to stop, because they might be blind to their sin. We are never to judge the unsaved.

After delivering the cookies to my children, I went back to the table, and by that time, my favorite snowflake cookies were gone. I thought, oh well, I’m gaining weight anyway and don’t want to get fat. But I was sad not to have a snowflake cookie. My stomach growled. I looked at the woman who had judged me, but she was too busy micro-managing something else.

So this year when I was at a craft supply store, I picked up a snowflake cookie cutter. I made a sugar cookie recipe, frosted it with white frosting, and had the children decorate with light blue frosting (use blue egg dye) and sparkly white sprinkles. Our finished snowflake cookies didn’t look nearly as good as those magical cookies that Christmas night years ago.

Jesse Tree

Monday, December 3rd, 2012

jesse-tree

This year we are doing a Jesse Tree for the first time. I’ve always wanted to do one, but I wanted to buy real ornaments instead of attaching paper trash to the tree. This year I found many of the ornaments for 50% off at Hobby Lobby, and the kids had fun trying to find these specific objects that point to Christ:

Day 1 – Alpha Omega-A-Z
Day 2 – Word-Bible
Day 3 – Creation-Earth
Day 4 – Sin-Jesus has to come-black heart
Day 5 – Jesus sent to save sinners-cross
Day 6 – Jesus was the lamb of God-lamb
Day 7 – God loved us-red heart
Day 8 – Jesus was the first gift-gift
Day 9 – Jesus brings light to a dark world-candle
Day 10 – Jesus is the light of the world-sun
Day 11 – Good news of Jesus shouted-trumpet
Day 12 – Jesus is the Prince of Peace-dove
Day 13 – Jesus is King-crown
Day 14 – Jesus is our shepherd-shepherd staff
Day 15 – Jesus is the branch that grew from the line of David-tree
Day 16 – Jesus was born in Bethlehem-Bethlehem building
Day 17 – The birth of Jesus was a miracle-manger
Day 18 – Mary was the mother of Jesus-Mary
Day 19 – Joseph listened to the angel-Joseph
Day 20 – Angels announced the birth-angel
Day 21 – Shepherds praised the birth-musical notes
Day 22 – Wise men followed a star-star
Day 23 – Wise men brought gifts for Jesus-wise men
Day 24 – Jesus

I’m using Ann Hibbard’s book Family Celebrations for Christmas for the daily devotionals that go with each ornament. They are well-done.

Here is the video that I saw a couple of years ago that made me want to do do a Jesse Tree with my children. She uses slightly different ornaments. (No two Jesse Trees have the same symbols for some reason. As long as they point to Christ, it doesn’t matter what the ornaments are.) These ornaments were made by hand and are nicer than just paper trash hung on the tree:

Jesse Tree Demonstration from The Homeschool Channel on Vimeo

Thankful Cards

Tuesday, November 20th, 2012

thankful-card

Why not write thankful cards to each member of your family this year, and hand them out at the Thanksgiving table? You can tell each person what you enjoy about them and why you are thankful for having them in your life.

My kids created some thankful cards by gluing pieces of textured paper, scrapbook paper or cloth onto a folded piece of card stock paper. Make sure you have envelopes that fit the card size. For me, it was easy to cut a card stock paper in half, creating two cards with each piece of paper. This fits the bulk envelopes I bought years ago for regular-sized cards. Then we arranged different shapes on the card. Make sure the colors go together—I used autumn-colored paper and cloth samples. We glued them to the card with white school glue.

thankfulness-card

For family members not coming for Thanksgiving, you can put the cards in the mailbox. Imagine the surprise people will get when they open the card to find how precious they are to you, and why they are important in your life. It reminds me of those old Hallmark greeting card ads on television, you know, the tear-jerker ones that made you feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Yes, those…

Turkey and Rice Casserole

Thursday, November 15th, 2012

what-to-do-with-leftover-turkey

Do any of us know what to do with leftover turkey the day after Thanksgiving? This yummy turkey and rice casserole is hands-down the best recipe that uses up some of the extra turkey. This recipe was given to me by my best friend’s mom. The crunch of the celery, Corn Flakes, and almond slivers juxtaposes against the soft boiled egg, chicken, and rice. Miracle Whip and lemon juice add additional depth of flavor. This will be the best turkey and rice casserole you will ever taste.

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups chopped cooked turkey
  • 1 can cream of mushroom soup
  • 3/4 cup Miracle Whip (mayonnaise would probably work)
  • 1 cup diced celery
  • 1 cup rice cooked in 2 cups of chicken (or turkey) broth
  • 1 tablespoon of lemon juice
  • 1 tablespoon grated onion
  • 2 hard-boiled eggs, chopped

Topping:

  • 3 tablespoons of real butter
  • 1 cup of crushed Corn Flakes
  • 1/2 cup of almond slivers

Make sure the turkey, rice, and hard-boiled eggs are cooked. Then throw all the ingredients together in a large bowl, and stir it. Pour it into a large casserole dish. Melt the butter in the microwave, and mix with crushed Corn Flakes. Sprinkle over the casserole. Then sprinkle with almond slivers.

Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 40 minutes. Enjoy!