Wednesday, November 28, 2007

Preparing for Christmas


christmas ribbon
Originally uploaded by blossom lover
Preparations are well under way in the Quinn household!!! Everything starts off tomorrow so we can be ready to really start our Jesse tree on Friday so we can start our first ornament on Saturday - December 1st. Does that make any sense? Regardless, Christmas starts around here tomorrow!!! :-) I love the Christmas season. It is my very favorite time of the year. I inherited it bad on both sides - from my mama and my daddy. I remember my mama hiding presents in our dryer and my daddy snooping around the house looking for his goodies. My mama was a champion shopper. She loved it just as I do. She would have really loved the Black Friday shopping days we have now!!!

The girls and I will continue to homeschool through all the holidays, just as we did during thanksgiving - learning, cooking, cleaning, crafting, gifting.... When the boys come home from school, we will just add them in. So, here are our school plans - starting from the outside decorations and glitter to the real heart of the matter.

Thursday - Nov 29 - begin shopping for school/Christmas supplies (we need lots of ribbons and such for crafts and then baking goodies too), (presents are almost finished!!) :-)
Begin reading the Velveteen Rabbit,

Friday - Nov 30 - Begin our Jesse Tree - setting it up and teaching the girls what we are doing. This will be our first year doing the Jesse Tree. I am very excited about it all. The girls will make a notebook of our studies.
Finish the Velveteen Rabbit.
Create our Advent Cookie Countdown Ribbon (and just for those of you counting - that will be 150 cookies for all 6 kids!!!)

Update - the Advent Cookie Countdown got scratched. It was gonna cost way to much. We will just continue with our other plans. ;-)



Saturday - Dec 1 - First Ornament on the Jesse Tree (continuing adding an ornament a day though Christmas) Day 1 - Sun - God's creation of the universe,
Velveteen Rabbit at the Little theater.
Luminaries along the sidewalks in our neighborhood with carriage rides down our road (we need to get our outside decorations up before this!!!)
Get to eat the first cookie from the Advent ribbon!!

Sunday - Dec 2 - First day of Advent - getting Christmas tree

Dec 3 - studying trees,
Making a popcorn Christmas tree and a Breakfast Bread shaped like a tree,
Decorating our tree
We will add in carols, poetry and art work on each day that fits together

Dec 4 - Continuing with our tree study -
Making a Flaming Tree Cake,
Reading the Tree Night Book,
Making some outside decorations for the birds

Dec 5 - Wreaths and Candy Canes - the legend of the Candy Cane, decorating with wreaths and candy canes on the tree

Dec 6 - Poinsettias - legend, decorating, poinsettia cookies

Dec 7 - Holly and Berries / Gingerbread - making a Gingerbread house

Dec 8 - Christmas Parade

Dec 9 - 2nd Sunday in Advent

Dec 10 - St. Nicholas - a study on the man

Dec 11 - Studying Angels and Gabriel
Begin reading One Wintry Night, by Ruth Bell Graham, reading one chapter a day until the day after Christmas - the book ends in the crucifixion

Dec 12 - Studying Mary

Dec 13 - Studying Elizabeth

Dec 14 - Studying Joseph

Dec 15 - free Saturday

Dec 16 - 3rd Advent Sunday

Dec 17 - Studying Zacharias and John

Dec 18 - Studying Bethlehem

Dec 19 - Studying the Manger

Dec 20 - Studying the Names of Jesus - Immanuel, Son the the Most High...

Dec 21 - Studying the Prophecies and their fulfillment in Jesus' birth

Dec 22 - Quinn Family Christmas

Dec 23 - Last Sunday of Advent

Dec 24 - Christmas Eve - Quinn's Chili
Christmas eve presents

Dec 25 - Christmas - Jesus!!! - First day of Christmas
Clary Christmas

Dec 26 - 2nd day of Christmas - The Old and New Testaments

I know that there is a lot of disagreement on wheather the 12 days of Christmas really were used as a secret code for the Christian church. Regardless, I think they are a wonderful way to help refresh the children's knowledge of the things of God. It should be a fun study.

Dec 27 - 3rd day of Christmas - The Three Theological Virtues: 1) Faith, 2) Hope, and 3) Love (1 Corinthians 13:13) - This shoud be fun - Brenda just got finished studying this in her Mere Christianity devotion book


Dec 28 - 4th day of Christmas - The Four Gospels: 1) Matthew, 2) Mark, 3) Luke, and 4) John, which proclaim the Good News of God's reconciliation of the world to Himself in Jesus Christ.

Dec 29 - 5th day of Christmas - The first Five Books of the Old Testament, known as the Torah or the Pentateuch: 1) Genesis, 2) Exodus, 3) Leviticus, 4) Numbers, and 5) Deuteronomy, which gives the history of humanity's sinful failure and God's response of grace in the creation of a people to be a light to the world.


Dec 30 - 6th day of Christmas - The six days of creation that confesses God as Creator and Sustainer of the world (Genesis 1).

Dec 31 - 7th day of Christmas - The seven gifts of the Holy Spirit: 1) prophecy, 2) ministry, 3) teaching, 4) exhortation, 5) giving, 6) leading, and 7) compassion (Romans 12:6-8; cf. 1 Corinthians 12:8-11)

Jan 1 - 8th day of Christmas - The eight Beatitudes: 1) Blessed are the poor in spirit, 2) those who mourn, 3) the meek, 4) those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, 5) the merciful, 6) the pure in heart, 7) the peacemakers, 8) those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake. (Matthew 5:3-10)


Jan 2 - 9th day of Christamas - The nine Fruits of the Holy Spirit: 1) love, 2) joy, 3) peace, 4) patience, 5) kindness,
6) generosity, 7) faithfulness, 8) gentleness, and 9) self-control. (Galatians 5:22)


Jan 3 - 10th day of Christmas - The ten commandments: 1) You shall have no other gods before me; 2) Do not make an idol; 3) Do not take God's name in vain; 4) Remember the Sabbath Day; 5) Honor your father and mother; 6) Do not murder; 7) Do not commit adultery; 8) Do not steal; 9) Do not bear false witness; 10) Do not covet. (Exodus 20:1-17)


Jan 4 - 11th day of Christmas - The eleven Faithful Apostles: 1) Simon Peter, 2) Andrew, 3) James, 4) John, 5) Philip, 6) Bartholomew, 7) Matthew, 8) Thomas, 9) James bar Alphaeus, 10) Simon the Zealot, 11) Judas bar James. (Luke 6:14-16). The list does not include the twelfth disciple, Judas Iscariot who betrayed Jesus to the religious leaders and the Romans.


Jan 5 - 12 th day of Christmas - ,The twelve points of doctrine in the Apostles' Creed: 1) I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth. 2) I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord. 3) He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. 4) He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended into hell [the grave]. 5) On the third day he rose again. He ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of the Father. 6) He will come again to judge the living and the dead. 7) I believe in the Holy Spirit, 8) the holy catholic Church, 9) the communion of saints, 10) the forgiveness of sins, 11) the resurrection of the body, 12) and life everlasting. (All taken from the Internet web site of CRI/Voice)
Star and star pastries

Jan 6 - Wisemen and the Gift of the Magi

We will continue here with the flight into Egypt, the Slaughter of the Innocents, and the Childhood of Christ. After all this we will return to school as normal!!!

This is just a rough draft. I'm sure there will be days where certain things don't make it, but then there will be days when many things are added. Such is life around here!!

Enjoy the Season with your family!!

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