Our New Advent Calendar

I was so happy to finally find an Advent Calendar that my kids could be hands on with and also be able to use year after year after year.

This led me to looking at Story Time Felts. I have known about them for a long time. (Really quite some time, I had gotten a set when we girls were little ~ they are 14 and 11 now)

I had seen the Advent Calendar on the site but wasn't too sure about it... then, a friend on twitter that sells the STF ran a sale on Black Friday. So I ordered the Advent Calendar. We got it at the end of the week last week.

It is GORGEOUS! I love it! Better than that the little ones love it and we are going to use it along with the Christmas Story (Luke 2)

The color is vivid. The felt is thick and soft. I cheated and got the precut (I never have time to do things crafty anymore) It was great!

I encourage you to check out Story Time Felts. (www.StoryTimeFelts.com)

I ordered from Tammy, her site is www.learningfelt.com

Enjoy! I can't wait to be able to order more...

The Spirit of Giving

The morning is typical Tennessee winter weather. Starts out quite cold but as the sun has come up it has warmed up nicely. If you call the 40s warm... Today is an odd day. I should be enjoying the finishing touches on Christmas decorating and addressing Christmas cards.

Instead I am up tight. This year we are having a difficult go. While we know that God is in control and that the Lord will provide all of our needs, it's not fun to look down the barrel of the gun so to speak.

It reminds me to keep others in similar or worse circumstances in prayer. It also, remarkably reminds me of St. Nicholas.

As the legend or history of St. Nicholas goes, he was a generous man that had been dealt a difficult hand. While he was young his parents passed away due to the epidemic that was going around at the time. They happened to have money and he inherited it. Moreso, he was blessed because his parents raised him as a devoted Christian.

The scripture he seemed to revere was Matthew 19:21 Jesus answered, "If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.

As the story goes he secretly left money for dowry's for 3 sisters whose father had no money and they would have gone into slavery. He did it privately so that the attention was on the gift instead of himself.

How many of us are getting caught up in what we receive instead of whose lives we can touch by meeting a need?

What are you doing this Christmas to show the spirit of giving?

Be sure to check out the Christmas Section on ParentsForChrist.com it's at http://ping.fm/M2LsU

St. Nicholas Day, http://ping.fm/H4nXo

Day 6 of the Jesse Tree Devotion http://ping.fm/K1kFY

I pray we sent out yesterday's but just in case, Day 5 of Jesse Tree http://ping.fm/jsAoU

Like our tweets? tell your friends and get them to follow @parentforchrist

Day 4 of the Jesse Tree Devotion http://ping.fm/5WKcy

Day 3 of the Jesse Tree Devotional http://ping.fm/qnVnX (sorry I'm late guys)

Day 2 of the Jesse Tree Devotions http://ping.fm/Wx22W

Jesse Tree Devotion for December 1
http://ping.fm/TG7Ye