If you ever want to have a sense of accomplishment about something (or you want your kids to), try making a quilt. It is definitely a lesson in hard work and determination. But, I highly recommend working with a group. I joined with a group of other homeschooling moms to do a quilt block exchange, mostly so I could make new friends. We had just moved to Florida, and I did not know very many people yet. There is something about working on a huge project like this that really brings a group of people together. I made some of the most wonderful friends through this process. The Christmas quilt you see here is actually the second exchange that we did. However, I am not yet done with the first quilt. Each block you see was made by a different person. Most of the group, including myself, had little to no experience quilting. We all learned together under a very patient and wonderful teacher who participated in the exchange with us. We also had a very gracious hostess to open her home to us, with a wonderful daughter to help care for our little ones. My next project (after I finish my half done quilt) will be a dolphin quilt for my bed. It will be king size, just in case we ever get the new bed that I want. The good thing is that I can buy it in little bits at a time, because I know it will not be cheap. I can't wait to get started.Sunday, December 16, 2007
Christmas Star Quilt
If you ever want to have a sense of accomplishment about something (or you want your kids to), try making a quilt. It is definitely a lesson in hard work and determination. But, I highly recommend working with a group. I joined with a group of other homeschooling moms to do a quilt block exchange, mostly so I could make new friends. We had just moved to Florida, and I did not know very many people yet. There is something about working on a huge project like this that really brings a group of people together. I made some of the most wonderful friends through this process. The Christmas quilt you see here is actually the second exchange that we did. However, I am not yet done with the first quilt. Each block you see was made by a different person. Most of the group, including myself, had little to no experience quilting. We all learned together under a very patient and wonderful teacher who participated in the exchange with us. We also had a very gracious hostess to open her home to us, with a wonderful daughter to help care for our little ones. My next project (after I finish my half done quilt) will be a dolphin quilt for my bed. It will be king size, just in case we ever get the new bed that I want. The good thing is that I can buy it in little bits at a time, because I know it will not be cheap. I can't wait to get started.
Monday, December 3, 2007
Advent Calendar
I have searched endlessly for an Advent Calendar that I could print out to prepare for the coming of Christmas, to no avail. I found ones that had the history of Christmas traditions, ones that talked about Santa and his reindeer, Christmas triva calendars, but none that actually talked about Christ. So, I have chosen 25 verses relating to the prophesy and birth of Jesus. We are going to print and paste them to some ornaments to hang on a paper Christmas tree we will hang on the wall. We will read the verse then stick the ornament to the tree to countdown the days until Christmas. Below, you will find the verses I chose. Feel free to leave suggestions of verses you like relating to Christmas, or suggestions to improve the project. I did it kind of last minute, so it's not nearly as good as it will be by next year with your help. I am also going to start working on one for Lent/Easter soon so it will be ready in time.
John 1:1-5
In the beginning was the Word, the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He existed in the beginning with God. God created everything through Him, and nothing was created except through Him. The Word gave life to everything that was created, and His life brought light to everyone. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it.
Isaiah 42:8-9
“I am the Lord; that is my name! I will not give my glory to anyone else, nor share my praise with carved idols. Everything I prophesied has come true, and now I will prophesy again. I will tell you the future before it happens.”
Genesis 22:16-18 (The Lord to Abraham)
This is what the Lord says: “Because you have obeyed me and have not withheld even your son, your only son, I swear by my own name that I will certainly bless you. I will multiply your descendants beyond number, like the stars in the sky and the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will conquer the cities of their enemies. And through your descendants all the nations of the earth will be blessed – all because you have obeyed me.”
Jeremiah 33:6-9
“Nevertheless, the time will come when I will heal Jerusalem’s wounds and give it prosperity and true peace. I will restore the fortunes of Judah and Israel and rebuild their towns. I will cleanse them of their sins against me and forgive all their sins of rebellion. Then this city will bring me joy, glory, and honor before all the nations of the earth! The people of the world will see all the good I do for my people, and they will tremble with awe at the peace and prosperity I provide for them.”
Isaiah 49:6
He says, “You will do more than restore the people of Israel to me. I will make you a light to the Gentiles, and you will bring my salvation to the ends of the earth.”
Jeremiah 33:15-16
In those days and at that time I will raise up a righteous descendant from King David’s line. He will do what is just and right throughout the land. In that day Judah will be saved, and Jerusalem will live in safety. And this will be its name: ‘The Lord is our Righteousness’.
Isaiah 11:1
Out of the stump of David’s family will grow a shoot – yes, a new Branch bearing fruit from an old root.
2 Samuel 7:27-28 (King David speaking to the Lord)
“O Lord of Heaven’s Armies, God of Israel, I have been bold enough to pray this prayer to you because you have revealed all this to your servant, saying, ‘I will build a house for you – a dynasty of kings!’ For you are God, O Sovereign Lord, Your words are truth, and you have promised these things to your servant.”
1 Samuel 17:12a
Now David was the son of a man named Jesse, an Ephrethite from Bethlehem in the land of Judah.
Micah 5:2
But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, are only a small village among all the people of Judah. Yet a ruler of Israel will come from you, one whose origins are from the distant past.
Matthew 1:1-17 (paraphrased)
This is a record of the ancestors of Jesus the Messiah, a descendant of David and Abraham. Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Judah, Perez (mother was Tamar), Hezron, Ram, Amminadab, Nahshon, Salmon, Boaz (mother was Rahab), Obed (mother was Ruth), Jesse, King David, Solomon (mother was Bathsheba), Rehoboam, Abijah, Asa, Jehoshaphat, Jehoram, Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, Hezekiah, Manasseh, Amon, Josiah, Johoiachin (born at the time of exile to Babylon), Shealtiel, Zerubbabel, Abiud, Eliakim, Azor, Zadok, Akim, Eliud, Eleazar, Matthan, Jacob, Joseph the husband of Mary. Mary gave birth to Jesus, who is called the Messiah. All those listed above include 14 generations from Abraham to David, 14 from David to Babylonian exile, and 14 generations from the exile to Messiah.
Isaiah 53:2
My servant grew up in the Lord’s presence like a tender green shoot, like a root in dry ground. There was nothing beautiful or majestic about his appearance, nothing to attract us to him.
Isaiah 53:3
He was despised and rejected – a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief. We turned our backs and looked the other way. He was despised, and we did not care.
Isaiah 53:4-5
Yet it was our weaknesses He carried; it was our sorrows that weighed him down. And we thought his troubles were a punishment from God, a punishment for his own sins! But he was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins. He was beaten so we could be whole. He was whipped so we could be healed.
Isaiah 9:6-7
For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. The government will rest on his shoulders. And he will be called: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. His government and its peace will never end. He will rule with fairness and justice from the throne of his ancestor David for all eternity. The passionate commitment of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies will make this happen!”
Zechariah 9:9
Rejoice, O people of Zion! Shout in triumph, O people of Jerusalem! Look, your king is coming to you. He is righteous and victorious, yet his is humble, riding on a donkey – riding on a donkey’s colt.
Isaiah 40:9
O Zion, messenger of good news, shout from the mountaintops! Shout it louder, O Jerusalem. Shout, and do not be afraid. Tell the towns of Judah, “Your God is coming!”
Isaiah 7:14
All right then, the Lord Himself will give you a sign. Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son and will call him Immanuel, which means ‘God is with us’.
Matthew 1:18
This is how Jesus the Messiah was born. His mother, Mary, was engaged to be married to Joseph. But before the marriage took place, while she was still a virgin, she became pregnant through the power of the Holy Spirit.
Mark 1:1-4
This is the Good News about Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God. It began just as the prophet Isaiah had written: “Look, I am sending my messenger ahead of you, and he will prepare your way. He is a voice shouting in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord is coming! Clear the road for him!’ This messenger was John the Baptist. He was in the wilderness and preached that people should be baptized to show that they had turned to God to receive forgiveness for their sins.
Luke 1:13-15
But the angel said, “Don’t be afraid, Zechariah! God has heard your prayer. Your wife Elizabeth, will give you a son, and you are to name him John. You will have great joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth, for he will be great in the eyes of the Lord. He must never touch wine or other alcoholic drinks. He will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even before his birth.”
Luke 1:26, 30-33
In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a village in Galilee, to a virgin named Mary. “Don’t be afraid, Mary,” the angel told her, “for you have found favor with God! You will conceive and give girth to a son, and you will name him Jesus.”
Luke 1:39-41
A few days later Mary hurried to the hill country of Judea, to the town where Zechariah lived. She entered the house and greeted Elizabeth. At the sound of Mary’s greeting, Elizabeth’s child leaped within her, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.
Luke 2:1-7
At that time the Roman emperor, Augustus, decreed that a census should be taken throughout the Roman Empire. This was the first census taken when Quirinius was governor of Syria. All returned to their own ancestral towns to register for this census. And because Joseph was a descendant of King David, he had to go to Bethlehem in Judea, David’s ancient home. He traveled there from the village of Nazareth in Galilee. He took with him Mary, his fiancée, who was now obviously pregnant. And while they were there the time came for her baby to be born. She gave birth to her first child, a son. She wrapped him snugly in strips of cloth and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.
John 1:14
So the Word became human and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen His glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son.
John 1:1-5
In the beginning was the Word, the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He existed in the beginning with God. God created everything through Him, and nothing was created except through Him. The Word gave life to everything that was created, and His life brought light to everyone. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it.
Isaiah 42:8-9
“I am the Lord; that is my name! I will not give my glory to anyone else, nor share my praise with carved idols. Everything I prophesied has come true, and now I will prophesy again. I will tell you the future before it happens.”
Genesis 22:16-18 (The Lord to Abraham)
This is what the Lord says: “Because you have obeyed me and have not withheld even your son, your only son, I swear by my own name that I will certainly bless you. I will multiply your descendants beyond number, like the stars in the sky and the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will conquer the cities of their enemies. And through your descendants all the nations of the earth will be blessed – all because you have obeyed me.”
Jeremiah 33:6-9
“Nevertheless, the time will come when I will heal Jerusalem’s wounds and give it prosperity and true peace. I will restore the fortunes of Judah and Israel and rebuild their towns. I will cleanse them of their sins against me and forgive all their sins of rebellion. Then this city will bring me joy, glory, and honor before all the nations of the earth! The people of the world will see all the good I do for my people, and they will tremble with awe at the peace and prosperity I provide for them.”
Isaiah 49:6
He says, “You will do more than restore the people of Israel to me. I will make you a light to the Gentiles, and you will bring my salvation to the ends of the earth.”
Jeremiah 33:15-16
In those days and at that time I will raise up a righteous descendant from King David’s line. He will do what is just and right throughout the land. In that day Judah will be saved, and Jerusalem will live in safety. And this will be its name: ‘The Lord is our Righteousness’.
Isaiah 11:1
Out of the stump of David’s family will grow a shoot – yes, a new Branch bearing fruit from an old root.
2 Samuel 7:27-28 (King David speaking to the Lord)
“O Lord of Heaven’s Armies, God of Israel, I have been bold enough to pray this prayer to you because you have revealed all this to your servant, saying, ‘I will build a house for you – a dynasty of kings!’ For you are God, O Sovereign Lord, Your words are truth, and you have promised these things to your servant.”
1 Samuel 17:12a
Now David was the son of a man named Jesse, an Ephrethite from Bethlehem in the land of Judah.
Micah 5:2
But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, are only a small village among all the people of Judah. Yet a ruler of Israel will come from you, one whose origins are from the distant past.
Matthew 1:1-17 (paraphrased)
This is a record of the ancestors of Jesus the Messiah, a descendant of David and Abraham. Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Judah, Perez (mother was Tamar), Hezron, Ram, Amminadab, Nahshon, Salmon, Boaz (mother was Rahab), Obed (mother was Ruth), Jesse, King David, Solomon (mother was Bathsheba), Rehoboam, Abijah, Asa, Jehoshaphat, Jehoram, Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, Hezekiah, Manasseh, Amon, Josiah, Johoiachin (born at the time of exile to Babylon), Shealtiel, Zerubbabel, Abiud, Eliakim, Azor, Zadok, Akim, Eliud, Eleazar, Matthan, Jacob, Joseph the husband of Mary. Mary gave birth to Jesus, who is called the Messiah. All those listed above include 14 generations from Abraham to David, 14 from David to Babylonian exile, and 14 generations from the exile to Messiah.
Isaiah 53:2
My servant grew up in the Lord’s presence like a tender green shoot, like a root in dry ground. There was nothing beautiful or majestic about his appearance, nothing to attract us to him.
Isaiah 53:3
He was despised and rejected – a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief. We turned our backs and looked the other way. He was despised, and we did not care.
Isaiah 53:4-5
Yet it was our weaknesses He carried; it was our sorrows that weighed him down. And we thought his troubles were a punishment from God, a punishment for his own sins! But he was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins. He was beaten so we could be whole. He was whipped so we could be healed.
Isaiah 9:6-7
For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. The government will rest on his shoulders. And he will be called: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. His government and its peace will never end. He will rule with fairness and justice from the throne of his ancestor David for all eternity. The passionate commitment of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies will make this happen!”
Zechariah 9:9
Rejoice, O people of Zion! Shout in triumph, O people of Jerusalem! Look, your king is coming to you. He is righteous and victorious, yet his is humble, riding on a donkey – riding on a donkey’s colt.
Isaiah 40:9
O Zion, messenger of good news, shout from the mountaintops! Shout it louder, O Jerusalem. Shout, and do not be afraid. Tell the towns of Judah, “Your God is coming!”
Isaiah 7:14
All right then, the Lord Himself will give you a sign. Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son and will call him Immanuel, which means ‘God is with us’.
Matthew 1:18
This is how Jesus the Messiah was born. His mother, Mary, was engaged to be married to Joseph. But before the marriage took place, while she was still a virgin, she became pregnant through the power of the Holy Spirit.
Mark 1:1-4
This is the Good News about Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God. It began just as the prophet Isaiah had written: “Look, I am sending my messenger ahead of you, and he will prepare your way. He is a voice shouting in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord is coming! Clear the road for him!’ This messenger was John the Baptist. He was in the wilderness and preached that people should be baptized to show that they had turned to God to receive forgiveness for their sins.
Luke 1:13-15
But the angel said, “Don’t be afraid, Zechariah! God has heard your prayer. Your wife Elizabeth, will give you a son, and you are to name him John. You will have great joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth, for he will be great in the eyes of the Lord. He must never touch wine or other alcoholic drinks. He will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even before his birth.”
Luke 1:26, 30-33
In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a village in Galilee, to a virgin named Mary. “Don’t be afraid, Mary,” the angel told her, “for you have found favor with God! You will conceive and give girth to a son, and you will name him Jesus.”
Luke 1:39-41
A few days later Mary hurried to the hill country of Judea, to the town where Zechariah lived. She entered the house and greeted Elizabeth. At the sound of Mary’s greeting, Elizabeth’s child leaped within her, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.
Luke 2:1-7
At that time the Roman emperor, Augustus, decreed that a census should be taken throughout the Roman Empire. This was the first census taken when Quirinius was governor of Syria. All returned to their own ancestral towns to register for this census. And because Joseph was a descendant of King David, he had to go to Bethlehem in Judea, David’s ancient home. He traveled there from the village of Nazareth in Galilee. He took with him Mary, his fiancée, who was now obviously pregnant. And while they were there the time came for her baby to be born. She gave birth to her first child, a son. She wrapped him snugly in strips of cloth and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.
John 1:14
So the Word became human and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen His glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son.
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