Holy Pals PJs!

Does your family wear matching pajamas at Christmas? This is a fun tradition shared by many families. 

I want to share with you a company where you can get matching Christmas pajamas this year. It’s called Holy Pals. 

Look at these choices! Which is your favorite? I picked the blue ones because blue is my son's favorite color.  

We were excited to try out our pajamas and my little boy has been wearing them.  The first time he had them on he showed me the label on the sleeve.  He told me they kept him warm too.  

The material is soft, stretchy, and comfortable.  In addition to Christmas prints, Holy Pals also offers other prints (Easter, Palm Sunday, Esther, Noah, Daniel, David & Goliath, Jonah, Adam & Eve, and more!)

Our Mission

• Give children the opportunity to draw near to Christ, and to help parents teach their children about their faith.
• To shine a light on child-focused charities in need of support, raising awareness of their worthy causes and supporting them alongside our customers.

Every pajama sale supports the Littlest Lamb Orphanage, a privately funded orphanage in Egypt. They have built a home for orphaned and at-risk children who have lost parents to death, imprisonment, or abandonment. The Littlest Lamb provides these children with everything they need to thrive – shelter, food, clothing, education and most importantly A FAMILY that loves them. 

Visit their Facebook site here Holy Pal PJs.

If you would like to order a pair of these pajamas, you can get 10% off using this discount code at the site:  BETHANY10  https://holypals.com/discount/BETHANY10

Hurry and order to get these shipped to you for the holidays!

I received a pair of these pajamas to share with you through an honest review. Thank you.

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Have a day of blessings!

 Bethany

Thankful Thursday

Happy Thursday before Christmas!  Can you believe Christmas is next week?  I cannot!  I wrapped a few gifts several weeks ago and did more tonight. Titus was sitting in my lap last night and told me “Maybe we could go to Gramma’s for Christmas, she has some presents at her house.”  We had one gift under our tree. I thought it was cute.

Today I am thankful for...
~ my husband having a safe trip for his meeting and that he was only gone one night.

~ my big boy being here and done with school for the semester. He didn’t have to take his finals (due to his grades and no absences he was exempt!) so just had to go check in at 9 on Tuesday and Wednesday. We’ve been busy and had fun. He’s kept me laughing too. He’s been doing power lifting practice too.

~ my little guy speaking up during the children’s time at the candlelight service. It was seeet. The minister was asking questions.  He’d asked what people were there and what animals did they think were there. Titus raised his hand and answered baby Jesus.

~ attending the candlelight service. It was beautiful. A family sat beside us with one of Titus’ friends and then antother came up and sat by them.  It was so sweet to see them looking at their candles.

~ Christmas cards and pictures in the mail!!  I love checking the mail and finding such fun mail!

~ hearing “Merry Christmas” so many times. It really makes me smile to hear so many people say it this year.

Thanks for visiting. Merry Christmas to you and your family!


Have a day of blessings!

  Bethany

A Very Blessed Christmas Coloring Book

The stores are already filling up with red and green merchandise.  If you are in the festive holiday mood, you might enjoy this coloring book by Robin Mead.  It is A Very Blessed Christmas Coloring Book.

This book is filled with Christmas scenes of all types.  Some pages are a single item like a wreath or snowflake; others are more of a scene like stockings hung on a mantel or the Nativity.  The pictures are large and detailed for your coloring enjoyment. The pages are printed on both sides so you will not be able to use markers or pens that bleed through. A Bible verse is also on some of the pages. At the back you will find a few pages of crafts (which aren't printed double-sided) that you can color and cut out to add to your tree as ornaments or as name tags to packages.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher for my review.

Have a day of blessings!
   Bethany

Book: The Sparkle Box

I am pleased to share with you a book called The Sparkle Box by Jill Hardie and illustrated by Christine Kornacki.

I cannot tell you how much I loved this children's book! I had never heard of this beautiful Christmas story before and was so glad to be able to review it.

It is the story of a boy named Sam who has a mysterious Sparkle Box at home. He doesn't know what is inside, but his parents tell him he will find out soon. They go about the Christmas season helping others like donating blankets, helping a homeless man and giving money for water wells.  Finally on Christmas morning he gets to see the special contents of the Sparkle Box.

Also, the illustrations are beautiful. They definitely added to the beauty of this book for me.

I read this book to my family the day I received it and told them we have a new tradition for the holiday season. It comes with your own sparkle box to fold together too.

Please consider adding it to your Christmas collection. You can visit the website about the book here.

I received this book through the First Look blog tour for my review.

Have a day of blessings!
 

The Reason

I’ve seen the phrase “Jesus is the reason for the season” for many years during December. I’ve always liked this reminder on signs and pins. But what about after December 25? A day anticipated by many is now over. So much time, money, and preparations are involved, and it’s already over for another year. What happens the next day?

Continue reading The Reason over at Laced With Grace. 

Have a day of blessings!

Merry Christmas Thankful Thursday!

This week as we celebrate Christmas today I am thankful for...

~ my husband having the time off at work to take me to my doctor appointments and to be off a little around the holidays.

~ my boy being out of school. I was so glad to have him with me on my errands this week.

~ a good check up for the baby this week and hearing the heartbeat. The doctor said it was a beautiful heartbeat, we agree and are so thankful.

~ time with my family and all the good food and treats my Mom made.

~ finding the stockings on Christmas Eve. They were in an unlabeled box!

~ being together.

Have a day of blessings!
 

Pack your shoe boxes!

Next week is the drop off week for Operation Christmas Child.

Our family has enjoyed participating in this project for several years.  I wanted to post a reminder that it is time to get your shoe boxes ready to drop off.

You can find more information here on how to pack your shoe box and to find a drop off location near you.

Have a day of blessings!
 

The Littlest Christmas Kitten

The Littlest Christmas Kitten by Leona Novy Jackson is a children's book I'd like to share with you today.

About the book:
The Littlest Christmas Kitten colorfully portrays the events of that first Christmas when Jesus was born. It’s a story of how the lost is found in the midst of a miracle on a special night. On this most Holy Night there is an air of excitement as the animals in the barn move about restlessly. A mother cat is searching frantically for her little lost kitten, just as two strangers enter the stable.The story helps children gain a close-up, richer understanding of that Holy Night as they make a connection between Christmas and the cat family. Original full-color wood cut prints enhance the tale of the cats’ legacy as the story relates why cats’ purr on Christmas eve.

My thoughts:
This is a nice children's Christmas story.  Young children will like the cat characters and will easily be able to follow along with the Momma Cat looking for her missing kitten. The illustrations are nicely done. There are not many words on each page, making it appropriate for young children. Early readers could probably even read it themselves.  Also, at the end of the book is a listing of various Christmas symbols and their meanings.  I liked the layout and story of this  book. 

This book was sent to me for my honest review through the BookCrash Reviewers program.

Have a day of blessings!
 

Handmade Gift Ideas

Each year I like to give little gifts to teachers, my husband's coworkers, our mail lady and a few others.  During the year I try to think of something that I can make easily and with minimal expense. 

 

I thought I'd share a couple of gifts that you could easily make. 

 

The first one is "Spreading Holiday Joy" made by my Mom.  She is giving these to coworkers.  It is a bottle of Joy dish soap with a crocheted dish cloth attached.  

 

The next is spiced tea in a mug.  We are giving these to some teachers and my husband's coworkers.  I found a cute variety of mugs at HEB.  I made up one recipe of spiced tea mix and put about half a cup into a baggie and then placed that in a candy cane bag in the cup with a note attached for directions. 

Spiced Tea
1 1/2 cups instant tea powder (unsweetened)
2 cups orange flavored instant breakfast powder (Tang)
1 (3-ounce) package lemonade mix (unsweetened)
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground cloves
3/4 teaspoon ground ginger

1. Combine all ingredients until well blended. Store mix in an airtight container.
2. To make 1 cup of spiced tea: Place 2 teaspoons tea mix in a cup, add boiling water, stir and enjoy!
Makes 64 servings or 3 1/2 cups mix.

A third gift is for Christmas muffins.  I don't have a picture of these and can't find the recipe so it's really no help!  But I thought I would mention them.  Muffins make a nice, easy gift I think.  They are easy to make and you can easily double the recipe.  I put three in a bag to give to some teachers. 

Do you have an easy handmade gift idea?

Have a day of blessings!

Thankful Thursday

Christmas is less than a week away!  I always enjoy this time of year and the traditions and memories associated with it. 

This week I am thankful for...
~ my husband's wonderful ways that make me smile, comfort me, and encourage me on any kind of day I am having.

~ going to my boy's 3rd grade Christmas party.  As I was driving over to the school, I wondered to myself how many more years do I have to go to school Christmas parties with him and wondered if they do them in junior high.  That seems so far away, but here we are already on the last day of the first semester of 3rd grade!

~ fun family memories with the three of us.  We had a fun time Monday night making some Christmas treats.  We turned on some Christmas music.  Caleb started dancing around the kitchen.  It was a funny time being together.  I told him at bedtime that it was a fun memory, and he told me it felt like a family reunion that three people attended. 

~  finishing Little House on the Prairie with my boy.  We read before he goes to sleep, taking turns reading a book aloud.  This one took us a while but we got it done last night!  I hope he has time to take his test on it at school today!

~ completing so many tasks this week.  I wasn't sure I was going to get some of the stuff done, but I have been able to mark off so many things from my list. 

Merry Christmas to you and your family!  Remember to pray for those who are hurting and sad this Christmas season. 


Have a day of blessings!

Wednesday Hodgepodge

Each time I type that title I am afraid I'm going to misspell it!  Welcome back for another week of Wednesday Hodgepodge, today on 12-12-12.  I have enjoyed participating these past few weeks and enjoy thinking about my answers to the questions.

1. So, when did you last take a walk in the woods? A stroll along the beach? A drive going nowhere in particular in the car?  I walked around at the deer lease in November, not really the woods though.  I don't remember the last time I've been to the beach....maybe when Caleb was 2.   

A recent walk I do remember was one weekend it had been raining all day.  It had been so long since it had rained like that.  When the rain stopped in the evening, we took a walk around our neighborhood together with Caleb riding his bike back and forth through the puddles. 
 

2. Are you sending Christmas cards this year? About how many do you send? Photo card or something more traditional? How do you display the cards you receive?  Yes I send Christmas cards.  I have not sent ours  yet this year but plan to do that this week actually.  Normally I send around 60 cards with a typed letter about our year and include a family photo.  I am not sure if I am doing a letter this year.  I usually have a "theme" from the year in mind and do not have one yet this year so I am thinking I may not do my normal letter. That feels kind of weird for me, and I wonder if anyone would even notice for me not to do it.

This is how I display the cards we receive.  My cousin made one of these boards last year and posted it on Facebook.  I copied her idea.  When it got full last year I started putting them on our hallway closet door.  My Mom and I made one this year for my Meemaw to hang on her door.  It had red material and a snowflake bow.  These are very easy to make. 
   

3. What's a word you've heard too much of in the past week?  killed....It makes me sad to hear of those killed because of the shooting in the mall this week and the death of the Cowboys football player in the car with his teammate who they say was intoxicated.
  4. December 13th is National Cocoa Day-are you a fan? Plain or flavored? Marshmallows or no marshmallows?  Yes I love drinking hot cocoa, plain with marshmallows. 

5. What is something you do to help alleviate the hectic pace of the Christmas season? I plan what needs to be done and do what I enjoy doing and don't add things to the calendar just to do them because "every one else does it." 

6. Besides jewelry, what's a favorite sparkly-glittery item in your home or closet?
I knew my answer immediately when I read this question.  I received this ornament last week as a gift from one of the ladies at our church.  It has little bells in it as well that have a soft jingle when you shake the ornament.  I just loved it and was excited to put it on our tree. 

7. Share a favorite line or two from any Christmas carol.
      Joy to the World , the Lord is come!
      Let earth receive her King;
      Let every heart prepare Him room......
      And Heaven and nature sing,
      And Heaven and nature sing,
      And Heaven, and Heaven, and nature sing.
8. Insert your own random thought here.
I am taking an online class for my continuing education credits to keep my teaching certificate. I have a free gift certificate I received from a class I attended while I was teaching.   I chose one on Singapore Math.  It is SO interesting and just  makes so much sense to do math this way.  So far I've had lessons on number sense, addition, and subtraction.  Next comes multiplication and division. 

Have a day of blessings!

Wednesday Hodgepodge

I'm joining in with Wednesday Hodgepodge today.  She started asking some Christmas questions this week! 

1. With that being said I think I need to dive right in to some Christmas related questions, don't you? Which do you prefer-pretty gift wrap with a bow or a pretty gift bag with/without a bow? What percentage of your holiday gifts are currently (as in right this very minute) wrapped in some form or fashion?  I prefer to use gift wrap but don't do much bows.  My wrapping is never fancy.  I have wrapped some gifts already; some things I've bought are "stocking stuffer" type gifts (like for my niece) that I've collected here and there and am going to put in a sack.  Those won't be wrapped till I finish getting them.  And the rest of the gifts still needs to be bought or finished (there are a few things I am making)!       

2. What is one item on your Christmas list this year?  I asked my husband to make a picture for me to hang in my bathroom. He has drawn me pictures through the years, and I would really like one to hang on the wall.

3. What makes a home?  In 2010 we sold the home we had lived in for 7 years.  We were in a time of transition for several months, and I learned that home really is being together with the ones I love.  I remember one night in particular that we were at our temporary duplex.  My husband was traveling most of the time with his new position. One night he was able to be with us, and we had supper together.  I remember all the packed boxes and mess everywhere.  By this time I think we'd already sold our table.  It made me want to cry as we were eating  on tray tables and boxes, just feeling thankful because we were together again.

4. Motown founder Berry Gordy celebrates his birthday on Hodgepodge Day-November 28th. Are you a fan of the Motown sound? If so, who's your favorite Motown artist and/or song? Here's a list in case you're stuck.  I had to look at the list.  Several of them were familiar to me including the top two on the list... I Heard It Through The Grapevine and My Girl.

5. Red or green-which one is more prevalent in your closet?  I do not have much of either.  I can think of only a couple of each color that I have.  I have a red sweater I like to wear in December.

6. True or false-bacon makes it better? If you answered true, what's your favorite dish made with bacon? I do like to eat bacon!  The first dish that comes to mind is the broccoli salad I made last week for Thanksgiving. 

7. Share a favorite holiday memory.  When I read this question two memories came to mind and both had to do with Peepaw.  I'll share one of those today.  One year for Christmas Peepaw was making things from wood for family members.  He made his daughters quilt racks.  He made some cradles for the younger granddaughters.  He made a hope chest for me.  He had worried about being able to finish it in time for Christmas because of some health issues he had had that year.  I was excited to get this gift from him;  it is a treasure to have today. 

8. Insert your own random thought here.   My boy is a Million Word Reader.  At his school they use the Accelerated Reader program.  He has been taking tests all year on the books he reads.  If he passes the tests he gets points, and the program also keeps track of the number of words in the books.  Yesterday after school he told me he got to a million. He is the first third grader to get to a million and third one on his campus of 3rd-5th graders.   We are proud of him and his love of reading. 

Have a day of blessings!

Christmas 2011

We have been enjoying Christmas, and it seems to continue!  Last week we went to visit my Mom.  We opened our gifts when we arrived Tuesday night.  Wednesday we spent the day enjoying our gifts mostly.  I looked through my new cookbooks and some new sets of cards.  This is one of the cookbooks I received.  I love Taste of Home cookbooks.  My Mom gets me a different one most years! 
 

On Thursday morning we went to the cemetery to put out the Christmas tree at Peepaw's grave site as we do each year.  In the afternoon we had a Christmas lunch with my Meemaw and later my cousin came over.  We came home on Friday morning.  The temperature dropped and we saw snow on Saturday.  However, it was not very much and did not stick.  It was still pretty to watch as it came down.  Caleb managed to find some snow though to make some snowballs and throw them at the window. 

Saturday night (Christmas Eve) we went out to have dessert.  We have a tradition to go out to eat dessert and then look at Christmas lights on Christmas Eve.  This year we went to Logan's and shared the HUGE brownie fudge sundae.  Caleb opened one gift when we came home.  It was a recorder for him to learn to play tunes. 

Sunday morning we went to get Caleb out of bed and opened our stockings and gifts.  Then we had biscuits and chocolate gravy for our breakfast before getting ready for church services.  We came home to a nice meal (my Meemaw had given us a ham so we ate that with some leftover vegetables from my Mom's plus desserts!) and spent the rest of the day at home. 

Daddy and Caleb worked a long time on this, K'Nex Rippin' Rocket 2 Coaster.  It is a neat but took a long time to put together!  Caleb has had fun with it. 

 

Monday we put up the tree and decorations and then went to some sales.  I got some decorations for next  year. 

Tuesday we had a visit from my Dad and his friend Jan.  We had lunch, and I fixed him a birthday cake (his birthday is on the 1st) using a recipe from my new book called German Chocolate Cheesecake.  They gave Caleb this fun game "UNO Roboto."  We played it several times tonight and had a lot of fun playing and laughing. 

We will continue the fun as we visit with more family over the weekend!  I hope you are having a good week. I've loved having both of my boys home for a few days.   

Have a day of blessings!

Merry Christmas!

"So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger.  When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child,  and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.  The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told."  Luke 2:16-20

Have a day of blessings!

Thankful Thursday

Today for Thankful Thursday, I am so thankful for so many things.

~ my husband having days off from work.  I'm glad we get to spend some times over the holidays with both my boys at home for a few days. 

~ my sweet boy's laughter as he watches "Tom and Jerry" episodes.  It is such a delightful sound!  It makes us all smile and laugh to hear him laughing!   

~ our Christmas vacation.  I so enjoyed having a stay home day on Monday in our pajamas and then Tuesday having my helper boy with me as I ran errands.

~ yummy Christmas treats.  There are so many good ones!  I couldn't pick a favorite I don't think.  I love that there are traditional things I know my Mom will make each year!  Plus she likes to make whatever we may ask for special too (like the cheese ball my husband asked for this year).

~ and today is a special day in my heart.  This day in 2005 was also a Thursday.  In the morning we'd driven to the hospital to put up a few Christmas decorations in Peepaw's hospital room, including a tabletop Christmas tree.  He passed away later that evening.  I miss him so much, his hugs and phone calls.  This year I'm so thankful for the memories I have of him and all the things we did together.  We plan to take a mini Christmas tree to sit at his graveside as has been our tradition each year now that he is no longer with us. 

Merry Christmas to you and your family!  I hope you are enjoying this festive season, making special memories with those you love, and realizing the love of the Savior who come as a little Baby for each of us.
Have a day of blessings!
 

Our Jesse "tree"

I've read about the Jesse tree on other blogs during past Christmas seasons.  It was something I wanted us to do as a family and remembered in time this year to prepare. 
The Jesse tree is a way to count down the days until Christmas by showing the lineage of Jesus.  It is based on the verse Isaiah 11:1: "And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots."  Each day in December through Christmas you put on a new ornament that symbolizes a part of Christ's genealogy. 

There are many different ways to make one.  You can do a search for Jesse tree and find plenty of ideas and options.  Another search I did was "free printable Jesse tree ornaments."  Find something that works for you and your family to make it the most meaningful. It can be an actual tree or others I've read about make it into a calendar where you flip over one card each day. 

Ann Voskamp has a free Jesse tree devotional book that is helpful.  It has the verses, pictures and a devotional thought for each day.   

This is what we did. First I found some free printable ornaments.  This is the link for the ones I printed.  Next I colored each one, wrote the number of the day on the corner of each, cut them out, and glued them to red and green scrapbooking paper before laminating them. 

Each day we cut out a new square. We review the previous symbols and talk about how they are all linked and add the new symbol for the day. 

We couldn't decide how to display our ornaments.  I noticed this long section of our wall that was just the right width for our ornaments so we hang them there on a ribbon each  night. 

We have all enjoyed doing this and have learned from it as well.  It has been a great way to count down the days until Christmas because we are reminded of Christ.  He had a plan for us and all the pieces fit together in that plan through the years from Creation until His birth. 

I would also say don't make this "one more thing" to add to your list of things to do during the Christmas season.  It is a great way to get your focus on Christ in my opinion.  Take some time and make it a memorable experience for your family if you choose to make your own Jesse tree. 

Have a day of blessings!

Thankful Thursday

Today is Thankful Thursday. I am glad I have computer access to participate this week! I would like to wish you all a Merry Christmas. I hope you are enjoying a special time with family and loved ones.

Today I am thankful for...

~ my husband having time off from work.

~ having my boy out of school on his Christmas vacation! I loved having him with me as I ran errands Monday.

~ our new home. I went last Friday and worked on cleaning windows and baseboards. Over the weekend we (meaning my husband and a little help from Caleb!) painted two bedrooms...one was a bright purple and the other was a bright blue. He is done with the purple one and will work to finish the blue one in the next few days. I love being there and it already feels like home! I'm so thankful for God giving us this dream come true!

~ getting one of these for Christmas from my Mom. She told me a while back I hope you all can use what I got you for Christmas. At the time we were between homes, but she knew we would eventually use it! I'm excited to try it out!

~ the fun traditions and memories of past Christmases as well as looking forward to new traditions in our new home.

Have a day of blessings!

Flashback Friday

I missed Flashback Friday last week as we are without a computer right now. I wanted to participate with last week's questions today since I have so many Christmas memories! Linda asked us about Christmas gifts.

My Flashback:
We would open our gifts at home on Christmas morning. I remember one year we went to Meemaw's house and we took the gifts with us. The gifts were always from my parents, they always told me the truth about santa. My gifts were always wrapped. Once we put up our tree there would always be some gifts under it, and a couple would be for me. Then on Christmas morning there would be more under the tree with my name on them along with a full stocking. The stocking had pens, candy, and stickers. I'd go shopping with my Dad to help pick out gifts for my Mom.

One Christmas that I remember was when Peepaw came over to watch me open my gifts. There was one box that was so big. I told him I thought it was an elephant. I don't know how old I was but my perception was that it was a very large box. It turned out to be a baby doll cradle.

I never peeked, I didn't want the surprise to be ruined! I did look to find which ones had my name on them though! One year I saw one long box and said I bet that's a gun. It was a BB gun when I opened it.

We'd go to have Christmas with extended family. One year Peepaw had me come behind the couch with my eyes closed. He had made me a hope chest. It was a very special gift because he had made it for me. He had had some health problems that year and was worried he'd be unable to finish the hope chest. The hope chest is a treasure to me. He had a little engraved label on the top that says To My Sweetheart. I love the picture of me seeing the hope chest for the first time and hugging Peepaw.

Have a day of blessings!

Flashback Friday

What was Christmas like at school when you were growing up? Were there parties, programs or other activities? Did students exchange gifts? Did you have a part in a Christmas play? Did teachers decorate their rooms? Was it permissible to refer to the holiday as Christmas? If you attended church, what special things did your church do? Were you or your family involved in any of those programs, cantatas, or activities? Have you ever gone caroling? Did your parents ever host Christmas parties?

Our Christmas topic for Flashback Friday continues this week. We are remembering Christmas at school and church.

My Flashback:
We always had a Christmas party at school. I do not remember any specific party. My Mom was always a room mother. She or one of the other mothers would give us all a plastic apple ornament with our name, the year, and our grade on it. I have a whole box of little apple ornaments!

In third grade we did a Christmas play of the Nativity (in public school). I have a picture of myself standing on a chair dressed as an angel. I don't remember anything about it!

In middle school and high school we would have Christmas choir concerts. These always seemed to last so long!

At church we usually put on a Christmas play. There was a different one each year. One time we were singing a song and shaking some bells that were sewn onto a small ribbon. Some of the bells flew off as we were singing and rolled down the steps. It was hard to sing and not laugh!

Have a day of blessings!

A song for you!

On Saturday I saw this great song at another blog, Mocha with Linda. I wanted to share it with you today. It has such a great message! I have had the tune in my head after listening to it a couple of times. It's called "The Day After Christmas" by Matthew West. Here are the lyrics.

I hope it encourages you as the Christmas season is over and we are at the end of another year.

You can listen to the youtube clip below or go to the link on Matthew West's Myspace page to hear it too.

Myspace


Have a day of blessings!