Reminder: Easy Thanksgiving Handprint Cards

Last year I wrote a post about making Thanksgiving Cards for the relatives with my kids' hand and foot prints...

These little Turkeys turned out so cute, I thought I would remind you to check out the post!

Turkey Hand Print Thanksgiving Cards

Easter at Our House

Today we celebrated the Risen Christ with family, sunshine, and apricot-bourbon glazed ham.
Happy Easter.

Turkey Hand Print Thanksgiving Cards

It is time for Thanksgiving crafts! Thanksgiving has always been a personal favorite of mine... something about the crisp fall weather, the friends and family, and all that delicious food.  We can't always have the perfect Thanksgiving with all our family due to how spread out we all are, so this year we wanted to share a little Thanksgiving Love with our family we won't be able to see in person.

Helen and Clare both assisted in making these cute Turkey Hand Print cards.  Helen provided the hands (and a tiny bit of help with the gluing) and Clare provided one of her cute little feet to make the turkey's body.

All you need for this super-easy Thanksgiving craft is some construction paper (White, Yellow(or Gold), Orange, Red, Black, and Brown), Scissors, Glue, a Pencil, and a Black Marker. We used blank white note cards  though you could just fold some white paper for the card.

Trace the hands and foot, cut out all the pieces, glue together, and use the marker to draw in the Turkeys' eyes! It is really as easy as that! It was so funny, for some reason Helen was very concerned about the turkeys' eyes, she kept picking them up off the table and trying to put them on the unfinished turkey bodies while chattering about them.

Our mass-produced Thanksgiving cards! So cute!

Knit: Easter Lamb

I had a strong desire to knit Helen a lamb for Easter this year because the lamb is a symbol of Christ (Catholic Culture: Easter Symbols and Food). So I found this Lion Brand Free Pattern (Ravelry Link) and started working.

Each piece is knit flat on straight needles and then stuffed and sewn together. I recommend either knitting the pieces in the round instead or leaving very long tail ends (6-8 inches) to use for the sewing up.

The pattern has all four legs the same length, I chose to make the arms about 5 rows shorter than the legs.

When attaching the arms and legs, I cut a long piece (2 ft) of ivory yarn and pulled it halfway through the center bottom of the lamb. Then using one side of the yarn for each leg, sewed the legs to the bottom of the lamb.  I then wove the yarn ends up through the body to where I wanted the arms placed and used the remainder of each end to sew on the arms. In doing this, I limited the number of ends of would have to sew in and hide to two instead of eight if I had used a separate piece of yarn for each arm and leg.

The pattern did not specify whether to sew the shorter or wider edges of the ears to the head.  I chose to sew the shorter edge to allow for a larger ear.

I definitely recommend wool for this project for a nice sheepy feel.

And, no surprises here, Helen already loves her little lamb... baaaa.
Happy Easter.

The First Sunday of Advent: Preparing the Way

People, look east. The time is near 

Of the crowning of the year.

Make your house fair as you are able,

Trim the hearth and set the table.

People, look east and sing today:

Love, the guest, is on the way.

Advent is a time of preparation.  We prepare for the coming of the Lord on Christmas Day.  The use of an Advent wreath is a tradition that goes back centuries and no one really knows how it began.

It symbolizes many things:
- The Greenery: Everlasting Life
- The Circle: Immortality of the soul and/or to represent that God has no beginning and no end
- The Candles: Christ, the light of the world
- The Central White Candle: (optional) Lit on Christmas Day to represent the coming of Christ

You can find out more about the history of the Advent wreath at the:
Catholic Education Resource Center.

Traditionally, a candle is lit during dinner every night for the four weeks leading up to Christmas.  The first week one candle is lit, the second two are lit, and so on.  Growing up, my family lit our Advent wreath after dinner for a short family prayer which usually included a reading from the Bible and perhaps a short reading from a special Advent prayer book for families.  Some years this was done at the kitchen table after the dishes had been cleared, other years we kept the wreath on our coffee table and would circle around it in the living room.

Our wreath is simple, small, and was a minor financial investment.  Just a metal taper ring, set of candles, and a little plastic wreath... the "wreath" is actually a surround for a pillar candle that is easily found in any craft store floral department.  I like the fact that since it is small, I can keep it stored in my kitchen cabinet and not in the attic with our other Christmas decorations.  It is easy to take out as soon as we need it.  I do not remember where I got this set of advent candles, though I am glad to have them because our old set was stored in the attic and melted!  No more storing candles in a hot Texas attic for me.

Looking for an Advent wreath or candles?  Here are a few I found online:
On Catholic Icing: Advent Wreath Craft for Kids (with birthday candles!)
On Catholic Supply: Various Wreaths, Candles, and Books
                                (one metal ring for only $2.95 until Monday!)
On The Catholic Company: Various Wreaths and Candles
On Amazon: 6.5" Gold Christmas Advent Wreath & Candles

I have always felt that when it comes to Advent wreaths, it is more important to focus on what it symbolizes - the coming of Christ - and not the wreath itself.  It is a tool to help us count the weeks, prepare our hearts, and prepare the way because Love, the guest, is on the way.

Happy Preparations