Frugally Farming Family

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2013-05-23T20:44:00.001-04:00

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2013-05-17T08:11:00.003-04:00

                                                                     
                                                                     
                                                                     
                                             
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2013-04-19T07:43:00.001-04:00

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2013-04-12T06:24:00.001-04:00

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2013-04-05T09:54:00.001-04:00

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2013-03-29T10:38:00.001-04:00

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2013-03-22T16:47:00.001-04:00

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2013-03-15T06:55:00.001-04:00

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2013-03-08T08:39:00.001-05:00

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2013-03-01T10:43:00.001-05:00

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2013-02-14T19:35:00.001-05:00

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Freebie Friday!

2013-02-01T08:24:00.003-05:00

Glad it's Friday! Stay warm! Enjoy the freebies from Wendi at The Freebie Blogger!

                                                                     
                                                                     
                                                                     
                                             
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2013-01-11T12:01:00.001-05:00

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Freebie Friday from The Freebie Blogger

2013-01-04T05:57:00.001-05:00

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Freebie Friday! Happy New Year! :)

2012-12-28T07:05:00.001-05:00

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History of Gun Control

2012-12-26T19:39:00.001-05:00

Watch "Innocents Betrayed - The History of Gun Control - FULL LENGTH" on YouTube

Gun control is not the answer to violence. Watch the video documentary to learn what has happened to countries in the past when their rights to bear arms were taken away! Please share with others too!

Republic Versus Democracy

2012-12-26T19:36:00.001-05:00

Watch "Republic vs Democracy" on YouTube

A great history lesson for all Americans. Please watch and share with others!

Freebie Friday

2012-12-21T08:17:00.001-05:00

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Jesse Tree Days 20-25

2012-12-19T00:00:00.000-05:00

Below are the last of the days for the Jesse Tree. I hope you and your family have enjoyed preparing for celebrating Christ’s birth! Merry Christmas!
Day 20- The Exile

Symbol: A fiery furnace
Memory Verse: Jeremiah 1:8
Hymns to Sing: Three Good Men, He Leaded Me, Lord Jesus I Love Thee
Scriptures: Daniel 3: 19-29; Jeremiah 1:8
Devotion: Do you know what you must say if someone tells you to do something wrong? You must say “No!” One day long ago a wicked king made a great big idol or statue, and if his subjects did not bow to it, they would be thrown into a fiery furnace! When the trumpets blew, everyone bowed down, except there men. Their names were Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. They were brave, young men. They dared to say “no” to the king. They were willing to die for their beliefs. Do you know what happened to them? The king threw them into the furnace but something strange happened! Read Daniel 3:19-23. Did they burn up? Read Daniel 3:24-29. The king saw a fourth person in the fire walking, and it was like the Son of God. The fire did not harm them at all! Because they said no the king began to praise God! They knew their God would deliver them from the fiery furnace. We know God will take care of us too!
Questions; What were the three men’s names? What did the king want them to do? What happened when they said no? Did God take care of them?

Day 21- The Return to the Land

Symbol: A brick wall
Memory Verse: Revelation 22:20
Hymns to Sing: Lift Up Your Heads, Ye Mighty Gates
Scriptures: Nehemiah 1:3; 6:15,16; Malachi 3:1; Revelation 22:20
Devotions: Do you know what this brick wall is a symbol of? It represents the wall of Jerusalem which circled the entire city! Do you remember how the people of Israel would never do what God wanted them to do? Because they disobeyed, God punished them by letting bad armies tear down the Wall of Jerusalem, and all the people were taken as slaves into different lands. In order for Jesus to be born the Bible said the people would return to Jerusalem and sure enough more than 400 years before Jesus was born, they began rebuilding the Wall of Jerusalem. When the Wall was complete, the waiting for the Messiah began. It took many years for the people to be ready for Him. Are we ready for Jesus to come to us this Christmas?
Questions; What does the symbol represent? What happened to the Wall? Did the children of Israel rebuild the wall before Jesus came to earth?

Day 22- The Star

Symbol: a star
Memory Verse: Matthew 2:10
Hymns to Sing: Everybody Ought to Know, There’s a Song in the Air, As with Gladness Men of Old, The Star Carol
Scripture: Matthew 2:1-12; Revelation 22:16
Devotion: It is so much fun to look at the stars at night! Stars are like lights and sometimes people follow the stars to find their way home. Do you remember who followed the star at Christmas time? Read Matthew 2:1-12. Isn’t that a good story. Read verse 10 again. Why were the wise men so happy? For many years they had studied the stars waiting for the special star to appear. It would tell of the birth of a new King, a great King above all other kings. So when the star appeared the wise men were very excited. They knew they would have to travel many months, but that did not bother them. When they saw Him in a house in Bethlehem they fell down and worshipped Him and gave Him gifts! Just as the star ked the wise men to Jesus, we can find our home in Him! He is our Morning Star!
Questions: What did the wise men follow? Why did the wise men travel so far to see the Child? Who is our Morning Star? What van we give him?

Day 23- The Light of the World!

Symbol: a candle or light
Memory Verse: John 8:12
Hymns to Sing: This Little Light of Mine, Light of the World We Hail Thee, Silent Night
Scriptures: Luke 1:26-38; 2:32, John 8:12
Devotion: The time had come for the Light of the world to be born. Do you know who the Light of the world is? The Bible says that when the angel came to Mary to tell her she would give birth to Jesus she broke forth into a song praising God for Hid goodness! The TRUE LIGHT was finally coming into the world! After His birth Mary and Joseph took Jesus to church to present Him to the Lord! Simeon presented Him to the World as the LIGHT AND GLORY to all people! While Jesus was living in the world He was the Light of the world! Now He has gone back to heaven and we who trust in Him must become the lights of the world. We must always let out lights shine so that others can see Christ in us. The Lord wants us to shine for Him like a city on top of a hill where it can always be seen. Are we happy God chooses us to shine for Him?
Questions; Who was Jesus’ mother? Was she willing to do what God said? Who is the Light of the World? Will you be a light for Him?

Day 24: Angels Proclaiming the Coming of Christ

Symbol: an angel
Memory Verse Luke 2:14
Hymns to Sing: All Night, All Day; It Came Upon a Midnight Clear; The First Noel; Hark the Herald Angels Sing, Angels We Have Heard on High
Scriptures: Hebrews 1:14. Luke 2:8-14, Romans 6:23
Devotion: Do you know what an angel is? An angel is a special messenger or servant. God’s angels do whatever He tells them to do, and they go wherever He sends them! They bring special messages to people from God. Can you tell me what happened to the shepherds on Christmas night? The shepherds were in the field watching over their sheep, when an angel suddenly appeared before them. The angel suddenly appeared before them. The angel was bringing the greatest message of all time to them from God. Read Luke: 8-11 Remember we have been talking about God sending a Savior? The angel and a whole sky full of angels came that Christmas night to say the Savior had finally come to the world! The angels began praising God and saying “Glory to Go in the Highest and on earth peace good will toward men!”
Questions: What is an angel? What was the good news the angel brought? Were the angels happy that Christmas night? Why?

Day 25- The Birth of Jesus! Merry Christmas!

Symbol: a baby in a manger or a nativity scene
Memory Verse: John 3:16
Hymns to Sing: Away in a Manger, Joy to the World, Go Tell It on the Mountain, Happy Birthday!
Scriptures: Luke 2:1-10; John 3:16-17
Devotion: Do you know what happens today on Christmas day? Yes, it is the day we celebrate Jesus’ birthday when He became a little baby! Jesus is different from us, however, because He was God’s only Son. In fact, He was alive when the world was created! He has been from the beginning of time, just as our Advent Jesse Tree devotion said on the first day! Can you tell me how sin came to earth and spoiled it? God needed Someone to come to our earth and take away that sin. Jesus the Son of God was willing to come and be our Savior. That is why the angels sang so gloriously on that first Christmas Day because Jesus had come to take away the sins of the world! Jesus was willing to leave His throne in Heaven and all of His Glory to become a little baby for us. Do you remember where they laid Him? They laid Him in a manger, a feeding place for the animals because no one had made room for Him. The story of Jesus’ birth is the most wonderful story in the Bible. It can be the most wonderful story for you, if you make room for Him. All you have to do is to believe in Him, ask Him to come and take over your life and He will! Isn’t HE WONDERFUL!
Questions; Was Jesus alive before He became a baby? Who was Jesus? Why did Jesus come to earth. How can we make room for Him in our hearts?

Text taken from The Advent Jesse Tree book by Dean Meador Lambert

Freebie Friday from The Freebie Blogger

2012-12-14T07:20:00.001-05:00

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Jesse Tree Days 13-19

2012-12-10T00:00:00.000-05:00

Originally Posted December 12, 2010

Below are days 13-19 for the Jesse Tree. You can find days 1-5 here and 6-12 here.
Day 13- Prophecy of Shoot from the Stump of Jesse
Symbol: a stump with fresh shoot or leaf
Memory Verse: John 1:14
Hymns to Sing: Jesus, Name Above All Names; O Come, O Come Emmanuel; Redeeming Love
Scriptures: Isaiah 11:1-5; John 1:14
Devotion: It is from this symbol that we get the name of our tree- the Advent Jesse Tree. Do you know who Jesse was ? He was the father of David, the king who established the royal family. A thousand years later, Jesus would be born into this royal line in Bethlehem. The stump represents Jesse. The Green leaf is Jesus.
Questions: Who is the stump? Who is the green leaf?
Day 14- Prophecy of the Lion and the Lamb Resting Together
Symbol: lion and lamb
Memory Verse Isaiah 11:10
Hymns to Sing: Doxology; Surely Goodness and Mercy, O for a Thousand Tongues to Sing
Scripture: Isaiah 11:6-10
Devotion: What do you see in this symbol? (lion and lamb) Is the lion hurting the lamb? (no) Do you remember when God made the earth in the beginning? Everything was perfect! The animals lived with each other and there was peace. Everything praised Him before sin came to spoil His wonderful creation. One day our world will be like this again. The lions will lie down with the lambs, the cows will eat supper with the bears, and nothing will ever hurt His children again. God will make every creature kind and gentle. There won’t be any sickness, fighting or death! This will all happen when Jesus comes again!
Questions: Will the lion hurt children some day? When will all of this happen?
Day 15 Prophecy of the Prince of Peace
Symbol: a dove and crown
Memory Verse: John 14:27
Hymns to Sing: I’ve Got Peace Like a River; Hark, the Herald Angels Sing; Let There Be Peace on Earth
Scriptures: Isaiah 9:6-7; John 14:27
Devotion: There are many names we can use to describe Jesus, can you think of some? (Savior, Light of the World, Messiah, etc.) Do you know what the dove symbolizes? (Peace) What do you think of when you see a crown? (a king or a prince) Another name the bible gives Jesus is Prince of Peace. It is found in our verses today. Read Isaiah 9:6-7. We are so glad that Jesus came teaching us to love and not to fight with others. He truly is our Prince of Peace.
Questions: When Jesus came did He bring an army? Did Jesus live a life of love and peace?
Day 16- Prophecy of a Gentle Shepherd
Symbol: a lamb and a staff
Memory Verse: John 10:27
Hymns to Sing: Alleluia, The Ninety and Nine, Savior Like a Shepherd Lead Us
Scriptures: Isaiah 40:11; Psalm 23:1; John 10:27
Devotion: Talk about how David was a good shepherd who took care of his sheep and even killed a lion and a bear to protect them. David wrote a song about the Lord being a good shepherd to him. The Lord is OUR shepherd who is always watching over and protecting us! He never sleeps and He knows each one of us by name. He can even look inside our hearts and know if we really believe in Him or not.
Questions; Do you need a Shepherd? Why? Who is our Shepherd? Are we lost without Him?
Day 17: Prophecy of the Suffering Servant
Symbol: a cross
Memory Verse: John 10:15
Hymns to Sing: The Old Rugged Cross, When I Survey the Wondrous Cross, What Wondrous Love Is This
Scriptures: Isaiah 53: Luke 2:8-18; John 19:11-18
Devotion: God is pure and holy and cannot be a part of sin. We can see this by comparing ourselves to a new shirt. What does the new shirt look like? What happens when we get dirt on it? The dirt is like the sin in our lives making us unclean. Is this the way God is? No. He is perfect and spotless and He will allow no sin to touch Him! That is why He would not talk or be with us anymore until the dirt or sin in our lives was gone. God, however, did not want to be away from us. He planned for Someone pure to wash our sins away and bring us back to Him forever! Do you know who that someone was? Jesus took all our sins on Himself and died on the cross so our sins could be forgiven. He was willing for the people to put nails in His hands and feet because that was the way to nail our sins to the cross. He loved us so much that He was willing to die for us even when we were unclean and had sin in our hearts. He gave His life so that we could have life forevermore.
Children can you tell me why
Jesus came to bleed and die?
He was happy high above,
Dwelling in His Father's love,
Yet He left His joy and bliss,
For a wicked world like this!
We were all by sin undone,
Yet he loved us every one;
So to earth He kindly came,
On the cross to bear our shame,
And to wash away our guilt
In the precious blood He spilt!
---Author Unknown
Questions: Why did Jesus come to Earth? Were people mean to Jesus? Is Jesus your Savior?
Day 18- Prophecy of the New Covenant
Symbol: a heart with writing on it
Memory Verse: Jeremiah 31:33
Hymns to Sing: Into My Heart; Tell Me the Story of Jesus
Scriptures: Jeremiah 31:31-34; Acts 16:31
Devotion: Even id Jesus is in our hearts do we still do bad things? A long time ago, God had made made a promise or a covenant with the children of Israel. As long as they obeyed His Ten Commandments, He provided for them, but if they broke any laws He punished them. Can you imagine every time you gave a dirty look to your siblings or parents God would turn His back on You? That would be hard to live by, wouldn’t it? God saw people continue to break His laws. In spite of all their sins, He still loved them. He decided to give them a new promise, or a New Covenant. He would write His law on their hearts. Do you know what that means? God sent His Son Jesus Christ to earth to save us from our sins. If we ask Jesus into our hearts, He will forgive all the bad things we do. Read Acts 16:31
Questions: What is a covenant?, What was the Old Covenant? What is the New Covenant? Do you have Jesus Written on your heart?
Day 19- Prophecy of Bethlehem
Symbol: a Bethlehem town silhouette with star (a Christmas card with a picture works well)
Memory Verse: Philippians 4:13
Hymns to Sing: O Little Town of Bethlehem; O Come All Ye Faithful
Scripture: Luke 2:4-7
Devotion: Do you know what this symbol shows? It is the town of Bethlehem. It was a very small town and was not a very important city, but God chose it to be the place where the greatest man in the world would be born. Do you know what his name was? (Jesus) Read Luke 2:4-7 You might not think you can do much for God because you are small, but God can do anything in you, IF you let Him!
Questions: What town was Jesus born in? Was it large or small? Can God use you, even if you are small?
Text taken from The Advent Jesse Tree book by Dean Meador Lambert

Jesse Tree Days 6-12

2012-12-05T00:00:00.000-05:00

Here is part two of the Jesse Tree Advent for preparing for the celebration of Christ’s birth. You can see my other post here for Days 1-5.
Day 6- Jacob’s Ladder

Symbol: a ladder
Memory Verse: Genesis 28:15
Hymns to sing: We are Climbing Jacob’s Ladder, Spirit of God Descend upon My Heart, Have Thine Own Way Lord
Scripture: Genesis 28:10-17
Devotion: Tell the children about the dream Jacob had. Jacob was Isaac’s son. He was taking a long journey to another country to find a new wife. Jacob felt alone and tired. He lay down on the ground used a stone for a pillow and went to sleep. He dreamed a strange and wonderful dream. He saw a ladder that reached way up to the sky. Angels were going up and down the ladder and God was standing at the top. Jacob was told that many wonderful things would happen to him because God loved him. From Jacob’s family, Jesus would come. When Jacob awoke, he knew that God was with him and he would never be the same again.
Questions: Where was Jacob going? What did he see in his dream? What did God tell him?

Day 7 Joseph’s Coat of Many Colors

Symbol: a colorful coat
Memory Verse: Romans 8:28
Hymns to Sing: Kum Ba Yah, If Jesus Goes with Me, It Is Well with My Soul
Scriptures: Genesis 37:3-36; 50:18-21; Romans 8:28
Devotion: If God loves us and takes care of us, why do troubles come? This question is something we cannot understand but we have a promise from God that He will use everything )even our troubles) for our good if we love Him. The Bible gives us a wonderful troubles, but all his troubles turned our for his good and for the good of many more of God’s people. Tell about Joseph’s coat of many colors and the story of him going out to find his brothers and their jealousy and anger over the dream he had had about his brothers bowing down to him. Tell how they wanted to kill him, but sold him as a slave instead! Tell how God allowed this to happen to Joseph for a greater purpose. Joseph became a great ruler in Egypt and when his brothers needed help he was able to take care of them. God was with Joseph throughout all of these happenings! Even though his brothers had been bad to him, Joseph was wiling to forgive them. God wants you to forgive others too just as Joseph did.
Questions: Who was given a coat of many colors? Who gave him the coat? Did Joseph’s brothers like this? What did they do? Did Joseph hurt his brothers when they hurt him? Why is it important for us to forgive others? Can you think of someone you need to forgive right now?

Day 8- Moses and the Ten Commandments

Symbol: a tablet with numbers
Memory Verse: Psalm 119:11
Hymns to Sing: Lord I Want to Be a Christian, Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus, Trust and Obey
Scriptures: Exodus 32: 15-18, 20:1-20; Psalm 119:11
Devotion: Discuss how God tells us how we should live through the Bible. Discuss how God gave commandments to the Israelites after they left Egypt. God wrote them on stones and gave them to a man named Moses who had been the leader in freeing the people from Egypt. Have the children name as many commandments as they can and go over the rest of them. God tells us to love Him and to always obey Him. It pleases Him when we obey him!
Questions: What were the laws called that were given to Moses? Can you remember one of the rules on the stones? Why does He give us laws? Why does your family have rules for you?

Day Nine- Canaan the Promised Land of Blessings

Symbol: a cluster of grapes
Memory Verse: Psalm 103:2
Hymns to Sing: God Is So Good, On Jordan’s Stormy Banks, Showers of Blessings
Scriptures: Numbers 13:1-2, 17-23, 27: Psalm 103:2
Devotion: Show symbol of grapes and ask what it is. Have you ever seen a bunch of grapes so big and so juicy that two men had to carry it? Read story in Numbers. Moses told 12 spies to go into the Promised Land. They found the grapes and brought them home for all their friends to see. God wanted to give His children all of these blessings, but the people were afraid to go into the land. God told them He would take care of them, but they listened to their own hearts and disobeyed. It took many years, but God was faithful in His promises. After forty more years, the children obeyed and God led them into the land of blessings. This is the way it is in our lives. God wants to give us many good things- if we will just let Him do it!
Questions: Where does God want the children of Israel to go? Will the people obey God and do what God says? Does God want to give us blessings?

Day 10- Ruth and Boaz

Symbol: a sheaf of wheat
Memory Verse: Ruth 1:16
Hymns to Sing: Praise Him in the Morning, Some Bright Morning, Come Thou Almighty King
Scriptures: Ruth 1:16; 2:5-17; 4:14
Devotion: Tell the story about Ruth. Ruth did not know God at first and she was not from Israel. Her husband dies, but she loved her mother-in-law so much she was willing to follow her to Bethlehem. There she began to love God. She wanted to take care of her mother-in-law and she worked in the wheat fields to her food for both of them to eat. This is where a man named Boaz saw her, and they were married. They had a child named Obed. One day a greater Child would come because of this marriage. Do you know His Name? (Jesus)
Questions: Did Ruth love her mother-in-law? Did she learn to love our God? Where did she meet Boaz? Did she marry him?

Day 11 King David

Symbol: a sling shot
Memory Verse: Psalm 23:1
Hymns to Sing: Only a Boy Named David, I’ll Go Where You Want Me to Go, Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence, The New 23rd
Scriptures: I Samuel 16:1, 13; 17:1-9, 40, 45-50
Devotion: Ask the children if they know who used a slingshot to kill a great giant in the Bible. It was David who was one of the greatest kings in the world. He started out as a shepherd boy, taking care of sheep. He was strong and good and God decided to let him be king over His people. Let’s see what happens in the Bible. (Read I Samuel 16:1, 13) God told Samuel to pour oil over David’s head so that David would know that someday he was going to be king. Tell the about the battle David had with Goliath while hw as still a shepherd boy. (Read I Samuel 17:1-9, 40, 45-50) The giant came to fight God’s people and everyone was afraid of Him except David. David knew that God’s spirit was with him and would take care of him. He didn’t take a gun but a small slingshot and with one stone Goliath and was hit and fell over dead. Later David became a mighty king because he obeyed God and did the things that pleased Him and through David Jesus was in the family line to be our King.
Questions: Who did Samuel pour oil over to be king? What was David before he was king? Why was David not afraid of Goliath?

Day 12- Josiah Finds the Law

Symbol: a scroll or bible
Memory Verse: Psalm 119:105
Hymns to Sing: The B-I-B-L-E, Break Thou the Bread of Life
Scriptures: II Kings 23:1-3, Psalm 119:105
Devotion: Right now God is pleased we are having these devotions. He is very pleased when we read our Bibles because the Bible is like a lamp to us. It shows us how to live and stay close to God. Long ago there was a boy named Josiah who became the king when he was only 8 years old. His father had been a wicked king and had made the people stop loving God and start worshipping idols. The people had even forgotten they had a Bible! Josiah wanted to serve God. One day Josiah sent some men to church to clean it up because the people had not been to church in a long time. They found the church in a mess, but they also found an old scroll. When Josiah opened the scroll he realized that it was God’s Bible that had been lost for a long time! Wouldn’t that be terrible to lose our Bible and not have it to read? He read that God would punish the people if they worshipped idols and not God. After the people heard this, they were sorry for their sins! They told God they would serve Him and would follow HIs Laws found in the Book. This pleased God very much!
Questions: Who was Josiah? What did he find at church? Why does God want us to read the Bible?

Text taken from The Advent Jesse Tree book by Dean Meador Lambert

December Month of Garden, Farm, and Homesteading Chores

2012-12-01T09:56:00.000-05:00

Animals

Check animals daily- Make sure all of your animals have proper bedding and plenty of feed for the winter months. Be sure to check their food and water EVERY day! Break ice, if water is frozen!
Provide Salt and other minerals for animals during the winter months.

Garden

Harvest (if any thing, can keep under row covers for continued forced growing)
- Brussels Sprouts
- Broccoli
- Carrots
- Greens
- Kale
- Spinach
- Cilantro
- Parsley

Make Plans for Next Year to:

Feed The Soil (Spread hardwood ashes from fireplace or wood stove on garden beds during winter months)
Rotate Plant families to different areas each year
Time plantings based on when insect pests usually arrive in your garden
Use disease resistant varieties
Follow plants that use high levels of nutrients from the soil (takers) with plants that give nutrients back to the soil (givers) See list below for common plants in each category
- Heavy Takers- Asparagus, cabbages, celery, corn, okra, eggplant, kale lettuces, greens, collards, spinach, Brussels Sprouts, Broccoli, Cauliflower, Kohlrabi, Cucumbers, Squash, Pumpkins, Radishes, Tomatoes, Parsley
- Light Takers- Beets, Garlic, Mustard, Parsnips, Potatoes, Shallots, Carrots, Leeks, Onions, Peppers, Rutabaga, Swiss Chard, Turnips, Sweet Potatoes
- Givers- Beans, Peas, Clover, Compost, Cover Crops
Order your seed catalogs so you can start ordering seeds in January. Most companies come out with a new catalog at the end of the year which is for the coming year. My favorites are Heirloom Seeds, Seeds of Change, Berlin Seeds (Amish based company will have to call 330-893-2091), and local farmers! For a list of companies which are safe as well as Seed Companies to Avoid readGarden of Eatin’ Post on How to Avoid GMO/Monsanto. (Unfortunately, Monsanto bought out Semini’s seeds which included some of my former favorite seed companies, which now I feel cannot be trusted to give me non-GMO seeds! Garden of Eatin’ has a wonderful article on this information. I hope to have my own post some day regarding Organic Companies/Brands which really are trustworthy!)

Jesse Tree-Advent-Celebration of Christ’s Birth Days 1-5

2012-11-30T11:00:00.000-05:00

Again, I want to share with you how my family celebrates the Birth of Jesus. You can see my original post about the Jesse Tree here. Each year we Celebrate Christmas we take time each day to have a devotional time and learn about the stories in the Bible which lead to Jesus’ Birth. Each week, I will post the devotions for the week. Some people call it a Jesse Tree and others call it Advent.
What is the Advent Jesse Tree?
I had never heard of The Jesse Tree until I married my husband. When my mother-in-law asked me if I wanted to do a Jesse Tree with the children, I had no idea what she was talking about! Even though I was a Christian and came from a Christian home, we did not focus on Jesus when I was a child! It was ALL about Santa and presents. We did have a Christmas play at church and we did do things for others, but our focus was not on the birth as it is in my home today. When I told my mother-in-law I had never heard of a Jesse Tree, she made me a copy of the devotional book and gave me the box of ornaments my husband and his brothers and sister used when they were children celebrating Christmas each year. We have been doing the Jesse Tree or a modified version for about 10 years now! My children love it and beg to do it each year!
The word Advent means “coming” and refers to the coming of Jesus. The Advent Jesse Tree emphasizes HIS coming in the flesh at Bethlehem now more than 2000 years ago. It tells the story of God’s redemptive plan for the world through 25 symbols of the Old and New Testament. The symbols trace the heritage and linage of Jesus from the beginning of Creation. Each symbol is explained with scriptures, stories, songs, etc. We also choose ornaments which coincide with the symbols given for each story. Some of the ornaments are purchased and some are hand made. The book gives suggestions for each ornament.
Symbols or Ornaments for the Advent Jesse Tree

globe or picture of earth
an apple with snake wrapped around it
an ark with a rainbow
a camel and a tent
a lamb
a ladder
a colorful coat
a tablet with ten numbers
a cluster of grapes
a sheaf of wheat
a sling shot
a scroll or bible
a stump with fresh shoot or green leaf
a lion and a lamb
a dove and a crown
a lamb and a shepherd’s staff
a cross
a heart with writing on it
a Bethlehem town silhouette with star
a fiery furnace
a brick wall
a star
a candle or light
an angel
a baby in a manger or a nativity scene

Days 1-5 (Can also use your own ideas as these are just suggestions!)

Day One The Light in Creation

Symbol: a globe or picture of Earth
Memory Verse: Genesis 1:1
Hymns to sing: He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands, All Things Bright and Beautiful, How Great Thou Art, This Is My Father’s World
Scriptures: Genesis 1:1 and John 1:1-4
Devotion: As children if they saw anything wonderful today or anytime recently. Discuss the wonder of creation. Show symbol. Explain how before the beginning, there was no world and it was as dark as night. Emphasize that God was there and that Jesus was there too and is our light. God made everything including plants and animals. He also made a man, Adam, and a woman, Eve. HE looked at what he had created and thought it was all VERY GOOD!

Day Two The First Sin

Symbol: an apple and a snake wrapped around it
Memory Verse: Isaiah 53:6
Hymns to Sing: Jesus Loves Me, Love Divine, All Loves Excelling, Just As I Am
Scriptures: Genesis 3:1-10, 23; Isaiah 53:6
Devotion: God saw everything that was good when he first made the world, but now there are bad things. Ask children to name some bad things. Ask children if they know how bad things got into God’s beautiful world. Tell them it was because of sin and read story in Genesis 3 of the First Sin. You may have to explain to younger children that sin is not doing what God wants you to do. Ask if they know who Satan is. One of his names is the Devil. Explain how Satan hates God and wants everyone else to hate God too. Explain how Satan set out to make Adam and Eve disobey God. Show symbol and ask if they know how Satan deceived them. Explain the story of how Eve took of the fruit God had commanded her not to touch and how she shared with Adam. Discuss how Adam and Even disobeyed God which caused them to be sinners. Explain how they were send out of the garden and would eventually die.
The only way to get back to God was to take sin away. God found a way for us to come back to him through Jesus. Jesus would come to take our sin away and bring us back to God. Explain how much God loves us!

Day Three The Ark

Symbol: an ark with a rainbow
Memory Verse:Romans 6:23
Hymns to Sing: Arky, Arky, Standing on the Promises
Scriptures: Genesis 6:5-8, 7:17-23; 9:16; Romans 6:23
Devotion: Explain how sin got worse after Adam and Eve sinned. There were many people who did not love God. God was very unhappy. Read Story of Noah and explain how God decided to destroy the world with a great flood. He used Noah who was the only man who followed God’s ways to build an ark. Everyone had a chance to live on the ark, but only Noah and his family were saved. Ask if they think they should be punished if they sin and read Romans 6:23. Remind children of the promise God made to Noah and tell them God keeps his promise. Remind them of the promise to give us life forever in Jesus.

Day Four Abram

Symbol: a camel and a tent
Memory Verse: Genesis 12:3
Hymns to Sing: I Have Decided to Follow Jesus, Trust and Obey, Leaning on the Everlasting Arms
Scriptures: Genesis 12:1-7
Devotion: Talk about what a camel and a tent makes them think of (travelling a lot). Tell them about Abraham and how God loved him and told him to leave his country and go to another country he had never seen before. Talk about Abraham’s faith and trust in God. Read the story of Abraham and the memory verse. Discuss how wonderful it is Abraham obeyed God because it was through him that Jesus was born.

Day Five Isaac and the Lamb

Symbol: a lamb
Memory Verse: John 1:29
Hymns to Sing: Blessed Be the Name, My Faith Looks up to Thee, Tis So Sweet to Trust in Jesus
Scriptures: Genesis 22:1-13; John 1:29
Thought for the Day: Poem by Christina Rossetti
What can I give Him, poor as I am?
If I were a shepherd I would give him a lamb
If I were a Wise Man, I would do my part-
But, what can I give Him. Give Him my heart!
Question to Ponder: Is Jesus Your Lamb
Devotion: Tell about how God promised Abraham a big family and gave him a son Isaac. Talk about how God asked Abraham to take Isaac to a mountain and kill him. Emphasize Abraham’s trust in God and God providing a lamb in place of Isaac.
ASK children: Do you know who our lamb is? (Jesus) Read John 1:29 again. Talk about how Jesus had NO sin at all, but he placed our sins on Himself and died for us! Just as the lamb took Isaac’s place.
These are days 1-5. I will post more later this week to get you through next week! Be creative! Use your own ideas and resources! Sometimes we do color pages and other crafts. There are tons of free ideas online!

Preparing for and Celebrating the Birth of Jesus

2012-11-30T10:17:00.000-05:00

I can hardly believe tomorrow will be December 1st, and another year has come and gone so quickly! The last two years I shared with my readers how our family goes about Preparing for and Celebrating the Birth of Jesus. I am going to share those posts with you again this year. Enjoy!

December begins the month of celebrating the birth of my Savior Jesus Christ. There are many out there who choose not to celebrate some who are not Christians and even those who are Christians. Sure, Jesus may not have been born on December 25, but December 25, is the day which has been set aside to remember Jesus and his miraculous birth. Therefore, my family has decided to celebrate on this day because such a miraculous and glorious birth needs to be celebrated. For if my Savior had not been born on that day, I would still be bound in chains of my sins and not have the hope and promise of life eternal. Although the world's acknowledgment of the Messiah's birth is nearly choked out by the commercialism of the season, we as Christians desire to use whatever means we can to redeem the time.
Our thoughts are that the best way to accomplish this is to celebrate in a distinctive way, one that helps our children to focus on this wondrous act of God. Now you know we celebrate Christmas, but a greater fact for you to know is HOW we celebrate Christmas! The beauty of America is we are FREE to celebrate and worship the way we choose as long as we are not harming or infringing the freedoms of anyone else. These are just ideas of how we celebrate Christmas. I encourage you to seek out your own family ways to celebrate the wonderful birth of Jesus!

We DO NOT promote Santa Claus! Yes, you heard me correctly, our children are not told that Santa brings them presents! I made the decision when I was 7 or 8 years old and first found out my parents were giving the gifts and NOT Santa Claus! I was crushed when I first learned the truth! In fact, when I confronted my mom (who is a Christian!) about it and asked why she lied to my brothers and me, she was in tears! I had been told NOT to lie or be deceitful and was trying very hard with all my might not to lie or be deceitful! My parents did not like lies, and I was punished IF I lied. You can imagine how a little child feels once he/she has placed their trust in someone just to find out they lied! I was upset with my parents for a while! To this day, my dad still claims Santa comes! It can be a fun game, but I decided the day I learned the truth, I would NEVER lie to my children about Santa! My husband who was homeschooled and raised in a Christian family did not celebrate Santa Claus! I was so happy of that fact because I knew in my heart I did not want to deceive my children either! So, WHAT do we tell our children about Santa Claus? First, we let them know that EVERY GOOD AND PERFECT GIFT COMES FROM GOD! Secondly, we read a story book called Santa Are You for Real which explains who Saint Nicholas was and the history behind Santa Claus. We also let them know that the best gift of all was God sending his son to die for us!
Our Christmas decorations are centered around Christ. We have Nativity Scenes, holly, poinsettias, etc. Yes, we do put up a tree. The tree is simply decorated with a Star at the top signifying the star the wise men followed on their journey to find the Christ Child. The tree itself is a symbol of the cross on which Jesus was crucified, the lights are a symbol of Jesus who is the light of the world, and the evergreen tree is a symbol of eternal life through Jesus Christ.
Jesse Tree or Advent is also something we do in our home. We start from Creation and go through the bible each day of December leading to the day we celebrate Christmas. We have a daily devotional and have an ornament to represent each story. My goal is to post a weeks worth of devotions for you to use in your home. I will have a separate post each week with ideas for you to have devotions with your children. We use them as part of school each day!
We make Christmas cookies which is a family tradition from my husband. One set of cookies we make are called Swiss Christmas Cookies (my children call them paint cookies). They are cut out cookies which are in shapes which represent symbols of Christmas. The shapes include baby Jesus in the manger, Mary, Joseph, Wise Men (who did not find Jesus until he was a small child), Shepherds, angels, stars, etc. We will be making these cookies this week. I will share the recipe and pictures at that time. We send these cookies to family members and friends as well as hand deliver them to neighbors, widows, widowers, nursing homes, and others who may not have any one to celebrate Christmas. My children usually will sing at least one song. I think Timmy will play one or two on his violin this year as well!
We DO exchange gifts, but we do not spend a lot of money. Each child usually gets three things as well as a treat bag full of goodies to eat. I usually make at least one of their gifts. We put the emphasis on Jesus and giving, not on receiving. My children LOVE to bless others. Of course, they love to get gifts as well, but they are much happier on the giving end! I usually take the older ones to Dollar Tree (makes it easy since everything is one price!) and let them buy things for their brothers and sisters as well as Daddy or anyone else they want. They use their own money they have saved for Christmas, and we usually put in a few dollars as well. They have so much fun buying and wrapping and doing things for others!
We read the Christmas story on Christmas Eve as well as have a special Christmas Eve party. We also read the Christmas story on Christmas Day BEFORE any gifts are opened.
We sing carols and play Christmas music all of December in our home. We also sing on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Michaela sings Silent Night while doing motions which I learned as a child. Timmy plays several songs on his violin. Michaela will be playing some songs on the piano this year as well.

These are just a few of the things we do to keep our focus on Jesus throughout the Christmas Season! I know this subject can be contradictory, but I hope you will be blessed and have a wonderful Christmas with your friends and family! Stay tuned for posts on Jesse Tree devotions!
MERRY CHRISTMAS!