~Enter at the end of this post~

Something Delicious: Italian Knot Cookie Recipe

These are a family favorite! Stop over and try this wonderful recipe and add something new to your Christmas goodie repertoire.

Something Advent:  Jesse Tree Ornaments & Resources (week 1)

The Advent season is upon us! Celebrating Advent with the Jesse Tree has always been a big favorite for our family and I have always enjoyed teaching both my own children and religious education students about salvation history this way.

You will find that the series I put together last year on the Jesse Tree is a great resource. You can start today with an ornament, daily reflection, and several ideas to choose from for each day of Advent.

Advent Week 2
Advent Week 3
Advent Week 4

 And now the Stocking Stuffer from iHomeschool Network- Christmas Giveaway $400 Cash Prize (pay pal)

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My Advent week 3 prayer is one of true joy.

God always gives me the message of joy when I am encountering difficulty. Is it just me or does He do this with you as well? The weekend was a hard one for me. This is precisely why I love the liturgy. It’s what the church prays and it doesn’t matter how I feel, the message is still the message. And this week it is joy. I used to think I wasn’t very joyful when I was younger and it was because I misunderstood joy. I thought it simply meant being happy. Now I realize that joy isn’t a feeling like happiness, but a gift from God.

Light two purple candles and one pink if you have an Advent wreath. My Advent week 3 prayer is: “Lord, you are the Light that came into the world to help us see.”
Read Isaiah 9:1-7

The people who walk in darkness have seen a great light.

If you’re falling a bit behind on Jesse Tree Ornaments and Activities for Advent Week 3…

don’t worry about that, just do what you can. Maybe all you can do some days are the scripture and ornament. Christmas is a busy time so it’s not how much we can scurry to get accomplished but the joy that we have in out hearts as we do so.

I’ll leave you with that thought. Featuring this week:

Chocolate Coconut Muffins

These are healthy and still delicious. They are not sugar free but are a lower / natural sugar alternative to store bought chocolate muffins!

Have a joyful week!

The post Advent Week 3 Prayer : The Gift of Joy appeared first on Dymphna's Song.

Advent Week 2 Theme is Peace. Justice. Hope.

This week in our house the  Advent week 2 theme is peace, justice, and hope. Yesterday’s readings were amazing. There is so much hope in them! That’s precisely why I love the season of Advent. It isn’t just the anticipation of Christmas- yes it is that, of course- but it is the feeling that hope brings. Isaiah dared to hope. He didn’t let the times or the darkness of the world hinder him for seeing that …

A shoot shall sprout from the stump of Jesse, and from his roots a bud shall blossom. ~Isaiah 11:1

Light two purple candles if you have an Advent wreath for week 2 and pray:

Lord we hope in you.

Discuss– What brings you hope this week? Why is hope so important? When has hope seen you through a difficult time? When it is easy to be discouraged hope keeps us from despair.

This is the verse that the Jesse Tree is based on. You can find  Jesse Tree Ornaments and Activities for Advent Week 2 HERE on Harrington Harmonies.

Featuring this week:

Grandma Moses Art Lesson.

You can make a fun winter scene with this art lesson on Grandma Moses. The lesson focuses on perspective, overlapping, and drawing a 3D house. There is also a copywork or  notebooking page on Grandma Moses which you can download for free!

Have a great week!

The post Advent Week 2 Theme: Peace. Justice. Hope. appeared first on Dymphna's Song.