I have to admit…I have never created, assembled or purchased a Jesse Tree set of ornaments, but I know that it’s an awesome tradition to refocus Advent away from the Santa epidemic. Santa is nice and all, but we prefer to keep the focus on the birth of Jesus… and keep Him the reason we exchange presents.
Project Portal: Advent & Christmas!
December 30, 2012 by 1 Comment
In my attempt to reorganize (and de-clutter!) the Equipping Catholic Families blog, I am creating side-bar Project Portal buttons that will lead to multiple photo galleries of Equipping Catholic Families projects, organized by particular Season or Catholic Family focus…like Saints and Converted 2 Catholic games and activities! Thanks for your patience and thanks for checking out our past projects!
Keeping Christ in Christmas
December 19, 2012 by 7 Comments
I’m co-hosting the Keeping Christ in Christmas Blog Carnival, hosted by Arma Dei: Equipping Catholic Families, Raising (& Teaching) Little Saints, Truly Rich Mom and the Catholic Bloggers Network. We’ll be sharing different ways, tips, stories and real-life experiences that will help us focus on Jesus as the Reason for the Christmas season. Please scroll down to the end of the post to see the list of carnival entries.
Does anyone else approach Christmas at the beginning of Advent with the thought that this year will be different, and then by the 3rd Sunday of Advent start to panic and anxiously trying to buy extra gifts to supplement, maybe even tackle an ambitious homemade family gift? I’m doing it again.
Thanks to Erika andTina and this opportunity for reflection, I’m refocusing! How can I remind myself and my family of the true focus of Christmas?
Is it quickly adding program to the family event Christmas dinner….reintroducing a dialogue of thankfulness?
Knitivity…sorry if you don’t have an Auntie Ingrid!
December 18, 2012 by 1 Comment
Check out my guest post TODAY at CatholicMom.Com:
Sorry if you don’t have an Auntie Ingrid
Maybe you want to take a look at last year’s link-up of Homemade Nativities
or this year’s
Wooden Painted Saint Nativity Ornament!
Happy Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe!
December 12, 2012 by Leave a Comment
Happy Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe!
Do you like my St Juan Wooden Painted Saint?
Printing and gluing the little Our Lady of Guadalupe image gave me a big boost,
as I painted St Juan, trying to make him easily identifiable.
I think I will be using other clipart to help articulate these little 2″ Wooden Painted Saints!
Check out these crafts for Our Lady of Guadalupe!
Paper dolls at Paper Dali
These are my favorite handmade Tilmas,
carefully crafted as St Juan costumes,
but I think they would be excellent decorations and fun crafts to do!
The images are all a little different from each other…
and they are all SO CUTE!
St Juan Costume at Sometimes Martha, Always Mary
St Juan costume over at Catholic Icing.
St Juan Costume at Catholic Inspired.
If you would like to read an awesome story about St Juan
and Our Lady of Guadalupe,
check out these links:
Our Lady of Guadalupe at Catholic Online
Saint Fun Facts about St Juan Diego at Catholic Online
School Christmas Ornament Exchange
December 10, 2012 by 2 Comments
Two of our kids are attending a new Catholic school in the area and I thought it was such a great idea that they are asking for a Christmas ornament from each family to decorate the tree year after year. I had a quick look at ornaments at Walmart and the dollar store, but couldn’t find even one remotely religious Christmas ornament, beyond maybe a star or an angel. I decided to take matters into my own hands…and pull out the supplies I use for my Wooden Painted Saints.
Equipping Catholic Families for DECEMBER and ADVENT!
November 30, 2012 by 1 Comment
See my index of I Spy…the Saints! for the months of July, August, September, October and November. They are even offered as a special Saints Page Printable for month by month binder dividers!
Inventive Advent Calendar
November 19, 2012 by 8 Comments
Only TWO weeks until Advent begins! Are you ready?
Last Advent, I wanted to make my own custom Advent Calendar.
The problem was that I decided to recycle yogurt containers to create the little pockets inside the box….but it took me well into Advent to collect the 20 that I wanted to use!
I never ended up posting my final Advent Calendar…and this will be the first Advent that we use it!
It ended up being kind of an ambitious project…and took me back to Architecture school, with my Xacto knife and cardboard model making. I decided to add some variety (and to save space and yogurt containers!), I would make some of the compartments drawers instead of doors, using dollar store matchboxes for my hardware.
A paper chain link from the Advent & Lent Quest Cathletics Craft Kit!
can fit in one of these little drawers, or you could add your own Advent messages or challenges. I added the shelves as added structure for the box. I cut the doors and drawer holes carefully with my craft knife. The matchboxes friction-fit into the holes, but are reinforced with glue around the seam, on the inside of the cardboard box. The yogurt containers were easily glue-gunned in place and make nice clean plastic pockets.I decorated the door panels with Catholic Artworks Advent Clipart (they’ve got a sale on right now!) tying the Jesse Tree into our Advent Calendar. See other Homemade Advent Calendars from the Equipping Catholic Families post from last year!
NEW! Advent and Lent Quest… for the Year of Faith and MORE!
November 12, 2012 by 5 Comments
Are you ready for Advent?
We have expanded our popular Advent & Lent Quest Cathletics Craft Kit
…actually we have expanded it 3x!
There are now THREE different themed paper chain links included in ONE kit!
Season with the Saints includes 48 + a do-it-yourself template for you to add any of your family patron saints if we didn’t already include them! Each link is packed with information about the saint…years of life, patronage, feast day, vocation highlights and a special quote or prayer.
Saints include St Therese, St Pio, St Anthony, St Jude, Bl John Paul, St Nicholas, St Benedict, St Peter + 40 more!
Imagine if your family learned specific details about a new saint every day this Advent!
Year of Faith includes 48 + a do-it-yourself template for extra Catechism. Catechism facts include 7 Virtues, 7 Gifts of the Holy Spirit, 7 Sacraments, 4 Marks of the Church….and less commonly remembered…4 Fruits of Holy Communion, 4 Characteristics of the Church, 3 Graces of Marriage, 9 Mysteries of Faith + 40 more! These links include the Catechism or Bible reference wherever possible for more information! Imagine if your family learned a new Catechism teaching…every day this Advent! The activity is easily geared to various age groups…choosing as much or as little to read or memorize each day. Advent & Lent Quest Challenges are reformatted from our classic Advent & Lent Quest Cathletics Craft Kit, covering a range of prayer, Saint-centric, Bible and Catechism challenges for the whole family. 40 challenges are included + a do-it-yourself template to add your own. Challenges include: “List at least 3 things that God has arranged in your life…what blessings are you most grateful for?” “Read the Gospel and/or the readings for the next Sunday’s Mass. How can this reading help to refocus our Advent or Lenten Journey?” “How many times throughout this day can we make the sign of the cross with EXTRA reverence…remembering that we offer to God our mind, our will, and our entire body?” To purchase the Advent and Lent Quest (3 crafts in1)! Paper Version for $16 + shipping (email to order)3 in 1 includes Season with the Saints, Year of Faith
and Advent & Lent Classic
PDF Downloadable: $13
Check out our other Cathletics Craft Kits…available by PDF Download at the Arma Dei Shoppe!
