Pinewood Castle

Wordless Wednesday - Scenes from Advent

In-Home Theater

Someone who knew my daughter loved paper dolls gave Sunshine this Nutcracker Paper Doll book last year for her birthday. She loved it then, but I believe that the little paper dancers are getting a more rigorous workout this year.

Maybe it has something to do with our field trip to see The Nutcracker planned for Friday?!

This book comes with 35 characters, 3 fold-out stages, a read-a-long storybook and storage envelopes. Wow, I feel as though I don't need to see the ballet live after the girls treated us to a show!

Santa Lucia Day at Pinewood Castle

Prayer To Saint Lucy
(Feast – December 13)
SAINT LUCY,
Whose beautiful name
Signifies light, By the light of Faith
Which God bestowed upon you,
Increase and preserve
His light in my soul,
So that I may avoid evil,
Be zealous in the performance
Of good works,
And abhor nothing
So much as the blindness
And the darkness
Of evil and sin.

Obtain for me,
By your intercession
With God,
Perfect vision
For my bodily eyes
And the grace to use them
For God’s greater honor
And glory
And the salvation of souls.

St. Lucy,
Virgin and martyr,
Hear my prayers
And obtain my petitions.

Amen.

Tea Time

Today we are enjoying Alice's Tea in Honor of Our Lady of Guadalupe! I honestly don't know how she comes up with such clever ideas - she has a gift for thinking a of clever ways to incorporate so many foods (some of which I have never before purchased) into tools for faith formation and education.

And I just have to say that this is all a lot easier than it looks. Alice even made a shopping list for convenience and my 5-8 year old children helped prepare pretty much every single item!

Here is our plate of symbolic food. Clockwise from noon are:

• tortilla tilma filled with ham slice roses
• gummy worm "crushed serpent"
• an apple slice for a crescent
• cheese slice bishop's mitre
• toddler puffs for the 47 stars
• pringle sombrero in the middle
• praying hands sandwich on pumpernickel
• the Mexican hot chocolate is on the right, but got cut off
• and we just used some Vruit juice for "Roses from Heaven" punch

The Sun for "Woman Clothed with the Sun"

Tepayac Hill (guacamole)

Sadly, our store did not carry the Stella D'oro cookies for the angel wings! And I won't even photograph the cookie church. I tried to cheat by using RediWhip and it just didn't hold up.Next year I will know to use real whipping cream!

Dancer answering my quiz questions while she eats

Sunshine's Beeswax rendition

Our lunch of course followed the annual reading of DePaola's Lady of Guadalupe.

This afternoon we'll be onto the Guadalupe Grotto kit while the Lucia bread dough is rising!

The Bell

I received this first as an email - thanks Sheri!

THE  BELL 
I KNOW WHO I AM
I am God's child (John  1:12)
I am Christ's friend (John  15:15)
I am united with the Lord (1 Cor.  6:17)
I am bought with a price (1 Cor  6:19-20)
I am a saint (set apart for God). (Eph. 1:1)
I am a personal witness of Christ.  (Acts 1:8)
I am the salt & light of the earth (Matt  5:13-14)
I am a member of the body of Christ (1 Cor   12:27)
I am free forever from condemnation ( Rom.  8:1-2)
I am a citizen of Heaven. I am significant (Phil  3:20)
I am free from any charge against me (Rom.  8:31-34)
I am a minister of reconciliation for God (2 Cor  5:17-21)
I have access to God through the Holy Spirit (Eph.  2:18)
I am seated with Christ in the heavenly realms (Eph. 2:6)
I cannot be separated from the love of God (Rom  8:35-39)
I am established, anointed, sealed by God  (2 Cor  1:21-22)
I am assu red all things work together for good  (Rom.  8:28)
I have been chosen and appointed to bear fruit (John  15:16)
I may approach God with freedom and confidence (Eph.  3:12)
I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me (Phil.  4:13)
I am the branch of the true vine, a channel of His life (John 15: 1-5)
I am God's temple (1 Cor.  3: 16).     I am complete in Christ (Col. 2: 10)
I am hidden with Christ in God (Col. 3:3).. I have been justified (Romans 5:1)
I am God's co-worker (1 Cor. 3:9; 2 Cor 6:1). I am God's workmanship (Eph.  2:10)
I am confident that the good works God has begun in me will be perfected. (Phil. 1: 5)
I have been redeemed and forgiven ( Col 1:14). I have been adopted as God's child (Eph 1:5)
I belong to God
Do you know
Who you are?


Keep this bell ringing...pass it on  
'The LORD bless you and keep you;
The LORD make His face shine upon you
And be gracious to you;
The LORD turn His face toward you
And give you peace...
Numbers 6:24-26

On the Star Path

After seeing this idea last year in All Year Round and variations on several blogs I knew we had to try it ourselves. While the children loved the new tradition last year, they love it even more this year. I know it's a little late in Advent to be presenting this, but perhaps it's an idea to file away for next year if it's something you like.

A pathway of stars leads the holy couple to a stable with animals and an empty manger.

• First I arranged some play silks and purple cloth on the sideboard and placed the stable on one end.
• We used a star punch on gold cardstock for the stars representing each day of advent with three purple stars (and one pink) for Sundays. We counted out the days and placed them in a curvy path.
• Four votive candles were placed along the path, one for each week.
• Along the path for each week we placed natural objects representing the four kingdoms of nature. Some see this as a reminder that in the coming kingdom, even nature is to be redeemed. For others it draws awareness to the created world around us and to deepen our appreciation of what it means to be human and how each kingdom contributes to our existence.
• I copied the lovely song from All Year Round and placed it in a picture holder near the pentatonic glockenspiel.
• Mary and Joseph began their journey to Bethlehem.
• The stars on which they traveled are then placed up on the wall with sticky-tack to make a starry sky.

1st Week - mineral , stones, shells

2nd Week - plants

3rd Week - animals

4th Week - people

I also find it helpful to place our picture books (see sidebar) for the week on the sideboard as a reminder of what our literature, craft, baking and music/circle time focus is each week. The plan for this year is:

Week 1 - Pine Tree Fairy, gingerbread, candy canes, St. Nicholas

Week 2 - Holly Fairy, Sweden, Tomten, St. Lucy, Our Lady of Guadalupe and poinsettias

Week 3 - Christmas Tree Fairy, Christmas Trees, The Nutcracker

Week 4 - Reindeer, Winter Solstice and remaining books are read before and after Christmas day.

So many borrowed ideas all meshed together. While I was planning all this out I kept feeling that homeschool mom inner tug-of-war - we're doing to much, we're not doing enough, we're doing to much, we're not doing enough! Well, we are doing what we are doing and most of our normal seat work is on hold until January!

An Advent Visitor

St. Lucy is Coming Too

On Saturday December 13th. Be sure to check out:

Happy Santa Lucia Day

Hemslojd Swedish gifts

St. Lucy peg dolls

American Swedish Institute gift shop

And a post I did last year about Santa Lucia Day

We found old-fashioned gowns to wear this year (because I don't sew) at the Vision Forum. We will basically be celebrating the same way we did last year, only with real gowns instead of cut-up pillow cases!

St. Nick is Coming!

One last week for the kids to be extra good!

Time to print out these mitre treat cups that we always give to the boys next door (one of whom is named Nicholas). My children are never so eager to bundle up and go outside at 7:00 am to deliver these as they are on December 6th. Amazing.

Be sure to check out the rest of the St. Nicholas Center for virtually everything you need to celebrate this Saturday!

Back to Beading

Advent napkin rings ~

These are so easy! Here's what you need:

• needle nose pliers
• side cutters
• bracelet sized memory wire
• beads

Directions:

1. Cut the memory wire in an overlapping circle.
2. Use the needle nosed pliers to curl one end. 
3. Thread on beads. Make a pattern, or just place on randomly.
4. Save enough room at the end to curl the wire.
5. Insert cloth napkin!

That's it! We have saved soooo many paper napkins since I first made these. A set of six would make a great homeade Christmas gift!