Thursday, November 13, 2008

Here's what's mocking me today

Sometimes I have moments of inspiration that put me on a tear.  It could be something useful like cleaning out a closet or organizing recipes.  Other times it's something of a more creative nature like making two ridiculously labor intensive blankets at one time. 


I quit making those blankets, by the way.  My children are just going to have to find out that their mother loves them some other way.

The latest bee in my bonnet is a to create a Jesse Tree.  A Jesse Tree is a way to celebrate the advent by studying God's redemptive plan beginning in the Old Testament and working up to the New Testament.  Every day the family does a reading from the Bible and then places a corresponding ornament on a small tree.  I think it will be great to set aside a few moments each day in December to reflect on the true meaning of Christmas.

I've bought a book of Jesse Tree devotions and a four foot Christmas tree.

Now I need to make the ornaments.

25 of them.

With the kids.

Oh sure, I could buy them, but I think it'd have more impact if the kids and I make them together.  And I'm too cheap.

I have the paint, 25 pre-cut round wood ornaments and patterns for the pictures on the ornaments.  All that's left is to just do it.  That's the hard part for me.  I can plan and I can shop, but the actual doing is where everything falls apart.

I've invested too much to not follow through.  And I know it will be worth it on December 1.

17 days.  25 ornaments.

We start today.

7 comments:

Tiffany said...

We did a Jesse tree thing two years ago. We didn't make ornaments for a real tree but we did draw pictures and glue them onto a poster board tree. It was a lot of fun. I may do it again this year now that everyone is older.

Cheryl said...

oh, I LOVE this idea. Can't wait to see all your great ornaments and hear about the devotions! This will be so worth it...

Melissa said...

We made the Jesse tree ornaments - printed them off the net on plain paper - kids colored some - glued them to green foam "paper" and cut out circles. I glued the verse on the back and a red, ribbon loop for hanging on the Christmas tree. The hardest part for me is remembering to read one each day. Have fun! I am very into starting projects and buying the items needed - and never finishing. Ahhhhhhhh!

Lori said...

What a great idea. I hadn't thought about putting the verse on the back. I'll be doing that too.

oneblessedmamma said...

There's a great picture book about the Jesse Tree called "The Jesse Tree" (original, I know, LOL). Here's the link to it on Amazon. http://www.amazon.com/Jesse-Tree-Geraldine-McCaughrean/dp/0802852882
I check it out from the library enough that I should just buy it. The old man is a bit crotchety with the boy, but I love the way it recounts the story of each picture on the tree.

oneblessedmamma said...

Akkkk! It cut the link off!
http://www.amazon.com/
Jesse-Tree-Geraldine-McCaughrean
/dp/0802852882.
I guess the important thing is the author's name :Geraldine McCaughrean

Lori said...

Nothing like a crotchety old man at Christmas:) Thanks for link. I'll look it up at our library and see if I can keep checking it out here:)

 
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