My 2nd Surprise: Mom's Medal of Honor

 I  knew that I had "3 Surprises for Christmas". The first was the Sailor Boy showing up to pick up his brothers...unannounced to me. 

This was my second, from him and his siblings:

All I could say was- "Oh my goodness!" and "Wow!"...and fight back the moisture that came to my eyes...

Mommas..........your work matters.

 3 John 1:4  I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth.

Pics from Our Christmas (Sailor included!)

On the porch, the 1st day the Sailor came just to surprise me

Sailor admiring his present

Over the weekend, we headed to the creek

Since when does "look at the camera" mean "about face"?

Together again.....

Sailor in the snow at the creek

Kellan and Kyler in the snow at the creek

A little horse-play for old-time's sake...as they dig into the cookies, cakes, and pies

Why so serious?

Arms and Elbows

Let's Put a Smile On That Face!

Hurry Mom, it's freezing out here!

Sailor packing up

Saying our goodbyes....as we wonder if it's our last Christmas together for a while.

I'm so thankful for the memories we made this Christmas.......and all of my beautiful children!

Two Weeks til Christmas: Presents

Do you know where all the presents are from 5 years ago? 2 years ago? How about last year?

Do your kids still play with the toys they received 3 years ago?

What do they talk about when they speak of Christmas-in-years-past? 

What about you?

What do you remember about Christmas when you were little?

Which presents do you remember?

Do you still have any of them?

Do you wish you still had any of them?

It's all something to think about, isn't it? :)

In the above picture, I had to look very closely at the box in front of me in the picture to figure out what it was that I had just opened. It was a Gerber set, it looks like, probably play baby bottles and things like that. I don't remember that- at all.

But do you see that box to the right in the picture?

I had almost forgot about the box- but- I DO remember what was in that box!

Would you like to know?????

In that box were homemade items that my mother had labored over for weeks prior to Christmas.

Cloth diapers, little shirts, bibs, and I don't know what all.

But- I'll never forget her work....nor hearing her cry out one day while she was working on them only to run to her room to be ushered out VERY quickly. Bless her heart, she had run her finger up under the needle!

(That whole mother-multi-tasking thing didn't go so well while sewing.)

But my memories are of her homemade gifts that year. Those are gifts that I wish I still had for my daughter.

 Trying to plan Christmas On A Zero Budget?

Yes, it can be done, with some well thought-out planning!

There's still time to make wonderful gifts for your family, even if your budget is nil.

I've been posting lots of links on Facebook, including things I'm working on for my kids (click over on the right sidebar), and Brandy has lots of ideas on her Frugal Gifts page as well.

Christmas can still be memorable and frugal!

Rom 5:18  Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life.
2 Cor 9:15  Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift.
 

We Went to The Farm for Christmas...

and guess who had to sit on Santa's lap first?

These 2 were clowns!-not Mr and Mrs. Claus...my boys!

We love this place! The owners do this every year; inviting all who will come! Playing or singing carols, petting live animals, food and drinks, lights, and more!

They also give every car a tract with the Gospel printed out on it :)

"Okay, if my big brothers can sit on Santa's lap, I guess I can too."

and lastly, because the baby of the bunch would not talk to Santa:

"Okay Mom, get this over with!"

 

The tree in the barn is so big, that it's actually decorated with children's cowboy hats!

Lights line the entire driveway up through the farm and then there are some like this in various places.

Dd will pet anything! I think I heard the man say that this lamb sheds like dogs rather than needing to be sheared.

This guy had a thing for one little boy's hot chocolate. He kept trying to get his nose in the cup.

Live Nativity

Shh- Comet and his pals are napping...

Love the covered wagon!...and those cute kids!

A Month of Christmas: Keeping Christ In Christmas

Now that Thanksgiving is over, it's time to start planning for the MOST important part of Christmas!

I have 2 different kinds of these that I found at the Dollar Tree about 15 years ago.

Most years, I've tried to keep the Holiday a Holy Day, but sometimes the pressures of this world make it really hard.

So- as you as my witness- :)I'm starting my efforts a little earlier to make sure that CHRIST is going to be in our Christmas!

I made this cloth book about 15 years ago and the children love to sit around the tree and read it every year.

 Here are some of the things on my list:

On the 1st of December, we will get out (our very worn) traditional "Jesus Box".

We will also read the Christmas Story from the Bible.

I plan to start making a new cloth Nativity today, but we have our 2 ceramic sets that the kids always set up and play with under the tree. They've been part of Christmas for years and the children have NEVER broken them (although one did get cracked in storage once- 'magine that!).

On Christmas, we always make a "Birthday Cake for Jesus". Always. :)

We have several ornaments, many homemade, that have a 'story' to tell, every year. Not only do we try to recall where they came from or who made them, but their meaning. For instance, we have several large rusty nails that hang from red ribbons. This reminds us not only of the Lord's Birth, but also His death, the blood He shed to cover our sins, and (praise His Name!) His Resurrection. 

We also have a little tin canister ornament. It's empty. (Well, it's supposed to be empty. I just found a Nerf bullet in it.) There's a couple of things this can be used for, to pull our focus towards Christ; 1) -the empty tomb; and/or 2) -What does Jesus want for Christmas?

"What Does Jesus Want for Christmas?" is a fantastic idea that you could build on for days or weeks prior to Christmas. You could ask your children daily, when they remind you of presents; "What would Jesus want for Christmas?"           ..The answer to that, of course will be, "your heart", but building up a little suspense to this and allowing them to think on this for a while can be very fun and memorable.

This was a gift from a Sunday School teacher for one of my children years ago. It's ceramic and has been broken but we still find beauty in it after all these years.

Try to start early, organizing your crafts and coloring ideas for Christmas, so they don't get neglected and will be at arm's length when you need to work on other projects. Here's a site with a big collection of links to help you keep Christ in Christmas. (Lots of clicking there, but worth it!- You'll find links to: Bookmarks, paper Nativity scene, Cross Christmas Card, Handel's Messiah midi files, coloring Isaiah 9:6, Advent Nativity Coloring page, and so much more!)

The Cross reminds us of Christ's life, death, and resurrection and the circle reminds us of His Eternal Love.

How will your family keep Christ in Christmas?

The Greenleaf Orchid Dollhouse

Usually after Christmas we spend about a week playing games, working puzzles, watching videos and the like but this year we had a new project!
By the Lord's grace, I was able to purchase one of these right at Christmas for about $18. We had so much fun with this!

*****

(Note- Hobby Lobby is running weekly 40% off coupons STILL but you must print from the internet before you go!)
***** 

 I hope you enjoy the video and if you have some young-ens around, I think they'll enjoy this cute little song!

*A special thanks to Brandy, ThePrudentHomemaker.com for the beautiful dollhouse printables!

Homemade Elf Boots

These were a gift for the kids to go with their Santa hats from last year. What's more fun than a little "dress up" for Christmas?

I made them from a large piece of felted wool that had been given to me and the tassels I made with leftover yarn from the quilt that I made for oldest son.
 Speaking of boots and Christmas- Have you all ever seen:

Menu- Merry Christmas!

Christmas Menu:
Brandy's Fudge
Peach Pie
2x Cherry Pie
Chocolate Silk Pie
Pecan Pie
2x French Coconut Pie
Baklava Bites
White Peppermint Bark
Coconut Cake
Birthday Cake for Jesus
Cranberry Cheesecake

Cranberry Sauce
Hot Mock Cider
5 gallons sweet tea

24# Turkey
9# shank ham
10+lbs potato salad
double batch Sweet Potato Casserole
double batch Green Bean Casserole
Green Peas
Homemade Dressing
2dozen Whole Wheat Clover rolls

(Felted) Wool Mittens

                                

These were made from a large piece of purple wool that was given to me. They could made from sweaters, jackets, etc bought at thrift stores or yard sales. There's all sorts of fun things you can do with wool. I have a book here from the library where they have fuzzed it/frayed it (not sure the exact word they use, some on the net call it 'felting') but once it's all frizzy, they wet it with a slightly soapy water, then mold it. One image in this book they do a booty on someone's foot. Once they've made the entire thing, they pull it off and allow it to to dry and it holds it's shape. Quite unique!

My kids mostly have knitted gloves right now, which is made like a sweater. They get wet instantly in the snow. I'm hoping these will help prolong their play over those knitted gloves, by keeping them dry a little longer since they're not supposed to be very absorbent! ;-)

Homemade Puppet Theater-

Attention: Mom's Frugal now on Youtube
 www.youtube.com/momsfrugal

My kiddies are going to LOVE this!

I was able to have Lowe's hold me a box, for free. It's a HUGE refrigerator box and I cut a cute little door in the back.
The fabric had been given to me years ago by my neighbor. I purchased some border paste to glue down the striped fabric for about $4.  Other than that- FREE!
I used yarn to string up all the curtains by poking holes in the side and tying.

I bought this set of puppets with my Swagbucks, although they were at a cheaper price. (I'm guessing the price is up right now so they can give quick shipping.)

                                                                  
This post is linked to SomewhatSimple, The Diaper Diaries, The Shabby Creek Cottage, Thrifty101, Delightful Order, Frugal Fridays.

Denim Quilt

Here's a little something that I've been up to lately.....

This is my oldest son's Christmas present this year. I don't think he sneaks peeks here so I can show you :-)

His little sister cut the "K" out for the center and also designed the pattern of the squares. The denim is various shades, the back is white, and it's tied with red yarn.  On the back of a corner is a patch with his initials, the year, and "Mom". I bordered the top with the white back to finish it. 

I have a few more little things for him but I can't show you because of the little snoops that are getting something just like those. They are homemade items as well and I hope to get up some sneak peeks at those next week when they are playing....instead of snooping ;-)

Rice Babies- bed warmers

I made these for Christmas, like I did our Bean Babies four years ago.
I used a pattern like a gingerbread man, cut them out on plain fabric, double stitched the edges so no rice grains can escape, turned them, filled with rice, stitched the turning and filling hole, and wrapped.
The kids are able to color them however they wish and at bedtime, they can be heated for 1 1/2 minutes in the microwave for a cozy bed warmer! 

Dh liked this idea so much that he requested one long rice bag for his neck and two small ones for his pockets so when he goes outside to check on the dogs through the winter, he can keep warm too! ;-)

This post is linked to:
Skip To My Lou

Brandy is on MSM-

Just in case you don't go to MoneySavingMom often, Brandy has a new guest post there that fits in with her guest post here several years ago; Christmas On A Zero Budget. The new post on MSM is called; Celebrating a Memorable Christmas On A Zero-Dollar Budget.  

Be sure to look closely at her pictures to see more of her talent and creativity!