Well, it’s here. December 2008. Wow, can you believe it? Only another 31 days and then it will be 2009, a new year, a new chapter. Growing In Grace Magazine just published their 11th issue for the month of December, and you will want to check out some of the great articles…. interview, reviews, giveaways, tutorials, education, and spiritual encouragement in December 2008.

I had a lot of fun making the sewing tutorial for one of my columns in GGM, and it took very little money, time, or skill. There were a total of three supplies, three snips, and three seams. I think it turned out so cute and is a lovely winter accent to our home for the winter months. It’s not just for “looks” either… it has a purpose and can help with heating-expenses. Read about the Door-Warmer AND how to make your own in my article at GGM: Portfolio de Couturier: Door Warmer

I imagine perhaps next year I will do one for autumn as well. There are so many fabrics to choose from for seasonal purposes. Making one that matches your bedroom would be so cute.

Blessings!

A couple of years ago, my now 8 yo son asked how long in terms of "how many tomorrows".  Now, he asks how many days.  It was a cute, but fleeting phrase.  These are moments and concepts to hold.  Likewise, our concept of various things matures with age, practice, example, and circumstance.  A world prone to material lust is contending with curtailing, and reaction ranges from thrift to fear to madness. 

We're in the midst of enclosing our patio area.  It started 2 summers back as an attempt to cover the swamp cooler with some shade to lengthen its days of service in the heat of the hot Nevada summer.  It became a covered patio later in the summer, and a nice place to celebrate Thanksgiving dinner a year ago.  This year, it has advanced, and is mostly closed in.  Hubby worked hard this weekend to get a portion of flooring done, and the Christmas tree now adorns the rough area.  The vision of what is would doubtless cause some to roll their eyes.  To me, it is exciting and comfortable.  Simplicity is, perhaps, easier to embrace when you have experienced it and found it not so terrible as the world might portray.  There is an exciting pioneer type feel to such an environment.  And the imagining of what it may become is a huge portion of the fun!  I really don't yearn for a fancy decor or frivolous things, I'd rather just enjoy the solitude of a bright starry desert night from the open space outside, and the slight chill of the unfinished room as the children dance about the pretty tree with ornaments non-uniformly placed! 

These are moments and concepts for the youngsters to hold.  If I hadn't grown up in the beauty and quiet of the desert, perhaps I wouldn't appreciate it now.  I hope they get something special out of the experience.  I hope our nation gets something important out of the storm it now is weathering, an appreciation for living a little more simply, an awareness that luxury may fill a tree, but rarely fills a heart.  A realization that Christmas is about humility and humbling and doing without, as He who came set aside His Heavenly glory and comfort to associate with more humble creation.  He did without so that for eternity, He would not need to do without.  He gave up His very life, and we have gained for all eternity the glory and riches of Heaven, the amazing beautiful existence we cannot even begin to imagine in full!

Praying that this would be a blessed season for all, and that simplicity and cutting back would be, not a curse, but an abundant blessing!

What is in your Garden?

What are the weeds and flowers in our lives?  In our families?

What takes away and adds to our life?

Saw a thread on the Five in a Row site that had some great ideas.  One mom was doing a craft and an activity a day - For more ideas, go here:

Advent Activity ideas

Of course, as always, pick what works for your family.  We love crafts, so a craft a day might work here. 

The idea is to do something that makes this time special for you and your children.  If it is too much, set it aside for that day or even to do next year.  smile

My 17 yr old Princess made an Advent Calendar - scrapbook style - for a friend last year.  She tailored the activities to her friend.     It was very girly.

Here are her suggested activities for each day -

Listen to

Christmas Music!

Idea: Why not dance

while you listen to the music?

Read

THE Christmas Story!

Ideas: Instead of getting caught up

with the materialism (gifts) of Christmas,

why not get into the Bible and the very

story that talks about why we

celebrate Christmas (Jesus).  

drive to see

Christmas lights!

(Ideas: It doesn’t have to be you alone –

why not take a friend, or three?

You could take pictures of your

favorite decorated houses. Make sure

to appreciate what you see and not rush by!)

Eat a

Candy Cane

OR two!

Ideas: See if you can only suck

or lick your candy cane

the entire time!

Paint

your nails

RED!

(Ideas: Or you could do green!

AND who says you can’t do both?

If you don’t want to do your

finger nails,

why not do your toe nails instead?)

Wear

some

SPARKLE!

(Ideas: sparkle make-up,

shiny clothes, rhinestone purse,

sparkly hair accessories.

Bling Bling!)

Make a

Paper

Snowflake!

Talk about fun, fun, FUN!

There are books with patterns

and websites to make

snowflakes online, too!

Wear

Green!

Idea: It could be from head to

toe, or just some accents!

Eat a

“Christmas”

Orange!

(hmm... Yummy!)

Throw

a Snowball!

Ideas: You could practice your aim

by just throwing at a tree

OR cause some trouble and

throw  one at a friend!

Christmas

means

to YOU!

Ideas: You could make a poster

or write in a notebook

or whatever you come up with!

Record a

past favorite

holiday memory!

Idea: You could start a journal

that you write memories in

every Christmas! 

Read a

Christmas Book!

Ideas: Or a poem!

Find a favorite Christmas book

from when you were a child!

Watch a

Christmas Movie!

Christmas

Carols!

Idea: Wouldn’t it be a lot of fun

to go Christmas caroling (door to door)

 with family or friends?

Or maybe you just want to sing alone

on the couch this evening...

Today is

St. Nicholas Day!

Go check

your shoes

for candy!

Idea: Why not stick some candy

in your friend’s shoes and

see the surprise on their faces?

Maybe you went to read about

St. Nicholas (the first “Santa”) today...

Wear Red!

Idea: It could be head to toe

OR just some accents.

Why not throw in a Santa hat

while you’re at it?

Make a

Snow Angel!

Idea: Why not get a friend

to make snow angels with you?

It could be a heavenly host

of angels!  Don’t forget to

dress toasty warm!

random act

of kindness!

Make a

Christmas

Craft!

Ideas: Not sure what to make?

Go to the library (or a book store)

and check out the craft books for ideas.

The internet is also a great place

for finding craft ideas.

Or you could just go shopping and see

what strikes your fancy!

Have a

Merry

Christmas!

Open gifts. Eat yummy food.

Read the Christmas story.

Surround yourself with

Family or Friends.

Be Happy. Be Thankful.

Christmas

Baking!

Ideas: Get some yummy recipes from family

or friends. You could share your

newly baked creations,

OR sit in front of your favorite movie

eating them.   YUM!

Take

Christmas

Pictures!

Ideas: Why not document/ photograph

your Christmas decorations?

Or you could take a walk around

the neighborhood and find some winter scenes!

Drink

Hot

Chocolate!

Ideas: Invite some friends over

and serve some creamy

hot chocolate and snacks.

 As you sit around the table, remember

what Christmas is all about

(and maybe share that).

I have done this for years with our family.  My sister made a Christmas Tree one for us years ago.  It has 24 pockets (all hearts!) that I put slips of paper into, with the activities that we want to do leading up to Christmas.  It is one of our favorite traditions.

Here is a fun alternative - all you need is something that has 24 pockets.  smile

Stocking Advent Calendar

It could even be just a paper chain with ideas written on each slip of paper.  The important thing is to do some planning AND do something together each day. 

I even plan extras up into the New Year.  By doing that, all the fun doesn't stop at Christmas. 

I had bought two Advent Calendars (on a great sale last year) and am making them for two of Redhead's friends.  I wrote out the suggested activities last night and need to buy some small candy for the pockets.  They had great size pockets - usually it is hard to fit anything into the pockets.

While searching for a picture of a home made advent calendar, I came across these links for online Advent Calendars.  Some of them look really good!

Home Schooled Kids Advent Calendar

Jesse Tree Online Calendar

Christmas Customs Calendar

I hope you enjoy them - I will be checking back on them through the month of December!

Stunned is one word that is describing me right now! I looked at my clock on my start button only to see that it says December 1, 2008 as the date! :O When did that happen? I was just helping with the barn chores last night thinking wasn't it just the other day when I was down in the snow helping with the goats and horses (which I don't have anymore). But it was a year ago that we were doing barn chores in the snow. Amazing! So much has happened this year!

Once again it is a new month and once again, Growing In Grace Magazine has published another great issue! I am so privileged to be on this amazing team of writers who pull together every month to bring you the best of Godly encouragement, help and fun!
This month is chocked full of wonderful article and we have a absolutely stunning design!
There is also a adorable calendar icon you can grab too! You can see it in my right sidebar down aways.

See that gorgeous icon you can get to decorate your site with? I got it for mine and am loving it!
We have a very cute Girl of Grace this month too: Miss Monica June. She is a serving girl and I am very glad to know and call her friend! She is such a pretty girl inside and out!

Make sure you go over to GGM to get all the codes for these great icons!

There are so many great articles this month! I can't wait to dig into them all! Wanna start digging? You can see all the articles in December 2008.
I had a wonderful time writing my articles:

In Remembrance of Him

The Most Important Friendship

For Goodness' Sake

"A Date That Will Live In Infamy"

Have a great December 1st! You will probably find me snuggled up in my gazillion blankets for awhile! :P
Love, Prayers and Blessings,

Thanks for stopping by “Daily” at the “Planet”!!
©AmandaDixon2008

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Sadly over the past year I have heard of many deaths, from both friends and strangers. It truly saddens my heart. It always confuses me when others who are trying to comfort those grieving say that it was God’s will for their loved one to die, especially a child. You can read just about any book in the Bible and you will find either a verse or a reference to the fact that God wants His people to prosper and live long and happy lives. One of the well-known verses to back this up is in Jeremiah. I know it by heart as it’s one of Mother Dear’s favourite verses.

Jeremiah 29:11
“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.”

God knows exactly what kind of life he wants us to have. He wants us to have thoughts of peace and not of evil, and to have an expected end or in other words a long life full of hope. When people say that it was God’s will for a child or a father to die I fear they are completely wrong. Whenever I hear someone say this I think of Job. I have been reading through the entire Bible for over a year now, just letting God speak to me as I read, and the Book of Job really comforted me in more ways than one. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. So many terrible things happened to Job that definitely weren’t God’s perfect will for his life, but God was in control the entire time.

I believe it is a falsehood, however comforting it may be, that it is God’s will for any of His people to die without having lived a full life, but because sin has entered our world when Adam and Eve stepped out from God’s perfect world our lives will be not be perfect.

However we know that all things work together for good (Romans 8:28). We know that He is always in control. We know that He will never forsake us. We know we have His promise of His return and will be reunited with those who are His children.

The Bible says in this world we will have tribulation, but be of good cheer because He has overcome the world (John 16:33)!

Be still. Know He is God.

originally posted in the October issue of GGM: Thorns & Roses: God’s Will