Advent: Week 1

 This has been a busy week PREPARING for the coming of Jesus on Christmas Day.

Kim, Luke and Grace for our manger set up-(without Baby Jesus yet).

 Luke and Kim made the prepare letters....I love this idea. 

Above is Luke liberally sprinkling glitter on the letter R.

 Drying...We don't have a mantle so you can see in the first photo we just used command strips to put the letters on the wall. 

 Rolling our beeswax candles for the advent wreath.This kit was from Holy Heroes.  I got it long ago.We all just love it. 

 Great job!

 The first night of Advent.

 We also have a tiny Jesse Tree.  I got the printables from Holy Heroes for free. Sign up today and join in all the free fun and more especially the preparation done for the coming of Christmas. 

Holy Heroes-- you have to sign up for this...it is all free.

 Luke has been stringing light EVERYWHERE

 We began our St. Andrew Novena ...I made sacrifice beads with 15 pony beads to count the prayers.  I had all the things needed in the house to make these,,,I used crosses and medals we had in our rosary making tote.  Directions for the sacrifice beads are here:  Sacrifice Beads. 

 Our Shrine to Our Lady of Grace...My dad made this wooden shrine for me years ago....someday I will get a stature that fits in the wooden shrine. I will cherish this always. Below the stature in our Melissa and Doug Nativity set.  Also, on the right of the nativity is our sacrifice manger for Jesus.  When a sacrifice or good deed is done..you get to put a piece of yarn in the manger.  Hopefully but the time Christmas morning is here, Jesus' manger will be full of soft yarn for the new baby. 

 Kimberly made us some St. Nicholas cookies.  

 At 9, she is a totally independent baker...especially when the dough is storebought. 

Kim did get out some other cookie cutters also.

 Our Christmas Amaryllis has bloomed a little early.  It's an amazing plant. It was broken in have when it was about 12 inches tall.  Pat used Scotch tape to tape it back together.  It healed, and now has 4 gorgeous blossoms.  

We started out gingerbread house...wish us luck....It has been a sort of disaster the last few years.