Free Printable jesse Tree ornaments and devotions for advent 2011

Jesse Tree Packet 2011
“But a shoot shall sprout from the stump of Jesse, and
from his roots a bud shall blossom.” – Isaiah 11:1

Since we’ve started having a Jesse Tree during Advent, I can’t imagine not having one.  It has added such focus, and a sense of peace to what can be the most chaotic time of year. 

The Jesse Tree is a small tree (we use a tree cut out of felt, but many families use a miniature tree, or a branch tucked into a pot) that is decorated throughout Advent with ornaments that trace the lineage of Jesus all the way from creation to His birth.  It shows, in a simple way, God’s plan of salvation throughout history.

This tradition has blessed us in ways we never imagined.  And there’s the added bonus of M really getting it.  The cuddled up story time, the hands-on  ornaments, the little Advent box we open each evening (it contains the ornament for the day and the devotional card)… all of this appeals to a child’s heart.  I am amazed when M knows these stories at other times of the year, and realize what an impact the Jesse Tree has had on him.

Sometimes, after a particularly trying day, we light a little votive candle to help set a reflective mood as we prepare ourselves to focus on the “reason for the season”.  As this time for the Jesse Tree is set aside every single evening during Advent, we find that our focus throughout the day is changed too… all the superfluous stuff is more easily set aside because our hearts are in tune with what truly matters.  (Knowing how special this time can be really motivates me to have all my gift shopping done before Advent begins.  Some years I’m better at this than others, but having even some of it done makes for a more peaceful Advent.)

This year, Advent begins on Sunday, November 27th.  There are 4 full weeks – 28 days - of Advent this year.  That’s the maximum number of days Advent can have. 

Because the number of days during Advent changes from year to year, some years all of the ornaments and readings will be used, and other years some will be skipped.  In our family we use the ornaments and readings for the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th Sundays as our “optional” ornaments… these are extra ornaments that relate to the season of Advent (Light, Joy and Hope, Peace) but aren’t directly related to the ancestral line from which Jesus came.  There are some prophets included in the Jesse Tree also, and in years where we need to skip more than the three ornaments mentioned above, we start picking these guys off. :)  For those years, we are most likely to skip Ezekiel, Daniel, or Elijah… we like to include Isaiah each year.  I have nothing against the other guys… we love them too! :)  But someone’s gotta go when there’s more ornaments than days, right? ;)

To avoid all of this change from year to year, some families pick only 24 ornaments and use these same 24 ornaments every year, beginning their Jesse Tree on December 1st and ending it on Christmas Eve.  That is a perfectly fine way of doing it too!  There really is no right or wrong way to do this, and if you search online you will see there are many versions of the Jesse Tree.  The main thing is to show how God’s plan of salvation was unveiled throughout history and how each person in Jesus’ lineage played an important role in this plan.

Take a look at the packet I’ve put together for this year.  You can find it here, or by clicking on the controls in the image at the top of this post.  There is a schedule (specific to this year) for the ornaments and Scripture readings, as well as a word or phrase for each day to reflect on (these lead to some wonderful conversations!) and a short prayer for each day. 

I’ve changed some things this year to make them better suited for us, and I hope they will work well for your family too.  The ornaments can be printed and colored, or use them as templates for felt ornaments, or in any other way you can think of. 

Some of the Scripture references on the cards are different this year – I used some that just made more sense to me, and the Annunciation (when Gabriel appeared to Mary) is included this year.  I know it really happened about 9 months prior to the birth of Jesus, but it’s an important part of the whole story, I think. 

I’m hoping this helps simplify the process of making the Jesse Tree a tradition in your family, and that you will be as richly blessed by it as we have.

As always, feel free to share this link with others (please do!), but do not post it on your own site, sell it, etc.  Thank you!

Have a beautiful day! :)

Dump Cake

       

Yum!  We made dump cake this week – I’d forgotten about this until I ran across the recipe when I was looking for something else.  (The something else was a good recipe for zucchini bread – if you have one, please share it in the comments!)

This is such a simple dessert to bake, M was able to do almost all of it when he was only 2 years old!  My 9” x 13” pan is missing (I think it’s in the shed being used for an oil change pan – yuck!), so we used a slightly larger baking dish.  The fruit didn’t quite cover the bottom like it should, but if you use the correct size pan it should be just fine.

Ingredients:

• 20 oz. can of crushed pineapple
• 14 oz. can of cherry pie filling
• 1 yellow cake mix
• 3/4 Cup of butter or margarine

First, grease your pan.

Then dump the crushed pineapple in and spread it around the bottom.

Dump the cherry pie filling in and spread it over the pineapple (we ended up just mixing our fruit together to cover the bottom of our dish). 

Next, sprinkle the cake mix on top of the fruit.  Use the entire mix, and smooth it out with a spoon as much as possible.

Then slice your butter and lay it on top of the cake mix, evenly, trying to cover as much of it as possible.

Bake in a 350 degree oven for 45 minutes. 

Try not to eat the entire delicious thing in one sitting. ;)

***NOTE***Previously when we made this, instead of slicing the butter and placing it on top of the cake mix, I melted the butter in the microwave, then mixed it into the cake mix in a separate bowl until all the cake mix was moistened and crumbly.  Then we sprinkled it on top of the fruit.  It was less time consuming than slicing all that butter AND we ended up using less butter that way.  I only remembered this after I had half the butter already sliced! 

Have a beautiful day! :)

Do Simplicity, Focus, and Recollection Characterize your life?

No?  Huh.  Mine either.  But it kind of sounds nice, doesn’t it?

This is a question that I’ve been thinking about lately, and it came from a list that is used as an aid in an Examination of Conscience. 

An Examination of Conscience is pretty much what it sounds like – taking a few minutes at the end of the day to think about the choices and decisions you’ve made throughout the day, as well as your thoughts and actions, and seeing how they line up with what you believe is God’s will for your life.  Some things are pretty easy – the next time M sprinkles glitter all over the kitchen floor I’ll try to remember gentleness and patience are a better path to take than yelling and turning into Crazy Mommy.  And some things take a bit more soul-searching – did I spend my time wisely today?  Did laziness keep me from completing all the *reasonable* duties of the day, or was I honestly trying to do too much? 

It’s nice to do this on a daily basis – improvement in our (my!) spiritual life will only happen if we are conscious of our weaknesses.  

The main thing to remember in order to not get discouraged when I have several bad days in a row is that there is always grace.  Grace to start over again, and get back on track. 

 

Moderation in all Things

This aid in an Examination of Conscience was written by Joseph Michalak, and based on the virtues (patience, love, temperance, hope, faith, etc.).  It asks a series of questions for each particular virtue, and assists one in thinking about the day.  This particular question comes from the section on temperance, or balance – something we are always talking about and striving for, right?  That elusive balance that will make everything go smoothly and everyone happy forever and ever.  The end. :)

There are several other good questions in this section too; questions like…

• Do I live a blanced and integrated life?  Do I recognize the signs of imbalance?
• What is a healthy pace of life for me?
• Am I gentle, especially in teaching and in giving correction?
• Do I find myself preoccupied with what others think of me?
• Do I aim at excellence in those things God has given me to do?
• Am I at home with silence?

 

Tranquility of Mind

But the one in the title of this post is the one I can’t stop thinking about.  Do simplicity, focus, and recollection characterize my life? I wasn’t even sure what was meant by “recollection”.  Here’s the definition:

Main Entry: rec·ol·lec·tion

Pronunciation: \ˌre-kə-ˈlek-shən\

Function: noun

Date: 1624

1 a : tranquillity of mind b : religious contemplation

Life never seems simple, but why shouldn’t it be?  Why shouldn’t we be tranquil and given to contemplation?  Why should it be so hard to just say no to some things? 

 

Having a Plan

I love to plan.  I actually have been known to spend so much time and energy in making plans that I’m worn out before we even begin doing anything.  I think having a plan for our days is a good thing, to the extent that it brings a sense of order to our life and our home, and leads to simplicity and peace. 

However, this is seldom the case with my planning, and I know I’m not alone here.  Why does having a plan have to mean enrolling my child in every available activity this summer, and then spending time rushing around everywhere?  Sometimes we moms even get anxious if we are facing time alone with our children and have no set plan. 

Well.  I’ve started taking some decisive actions to begin living this kind of life.  It won’t happen all at once, and I’m sure things will have to be tweaked here and there, but I’m aiming for peace in my heart and in my home.  A lot of this will be changing habits, creating a more orderly home, freeing up time, being quieter and more thoughtful throughout the day, focusing on what’s important and trusting that God will help me do what’s necessary each day in order to meet this goal.  Or at least get close to it. ;)

I guess that’s my teaser for the series I’ll be writing detailing these changes.  Stay tuned!

Have a beautiful and peaceful day! :)

Easy Dinners for Hard Days ;)

I’m positive you know what I’m talking about here. Some days… well, dinner just isn’t going to happen. At least not dinner in any sort of healthy form.

Unexpected things happen, crisis occur, you’re sick, your child’s sick, etc., etc., etc.

I think we all have “go to” meals that are simple and quick and that we almost always have on hand. I’ve been thinking about ours lately and thought it might be fun to share them in a post.

Just so you know, these are quick meals that are not necessarily something you want to feed your family every day; the main thing about these meals is they are simple, simple, simple. And tasty too! I also try to keep a bag of prepared salad in our fridge so we can get in something green along with our quick meal. I’ve been using at least one of these every week lately.

1. We always have a couple of frozen pizzas in the freezer, this is staple in our house.

2. Chicken and rice wraps: Make a box of Uncle Ben’s Whole Grain and Wild Rice. When it’s done, mix it up in a bowl with canned chicken breast (yes, canned, it won’t kill you), ranch dressing and some chopped walnuts. Roll it up in flour tortillas, yum yum yum.

3. Maid Rights – My mother-in-law calls these sloppy joes, but to me a sloppy joe is tomato based. Brown a pound of hamburger meat with a splash of Worcestershire sauce. When it’s done, add in a can of Campbell’s Chicken Gumbo soup (no water added), a blob of ketchup and a blob of mustard (gross, right?). Mix it all up and serve it on buns or regular bread. Also very yummy.

4. Sloppy Joes, there are a lot of fast recipes out there for these. The one I have uses tomato soup as the base.

5. Pancakes, Bacon, and eggs. If you want really simple, use a package of pancake mix. We always have the ingredients for this on hand (maybe not the bacon), and scrambled eggs are super easy!

6. Chicken or Turkey A La King. Use leftover chicken or turkey (or canned, or poach a couple of breasts in water beforehand, then shred). Mix your shredded chicken or turkey with a can of mushroom soup, a little milk, some black pepper, and a dash of seasoned salt. Toast a bunch of bread. Serve the chicken / turkey mixture on top of the toast and eat with a fork.

7. This one we jokingly call a heart attack waiting to happen… velveeta cheese, canned chili, a can of Rotel (chopped tomatoes and chili peppers), a can of water, browned hamburger meat (if you have time), a little chopped onion, cayenne pepper… eat with corn chips and sour cream. This one is good for a really hard day. ;)

8. Premade pesto, egg noodles, and leftover chicken all mixed together.

9. Frozen fish sticks and french fries. :)

I would LOVE to add some more quick and easy meal ideas to our list. If you have any, please leave them in the comments below, or blog about them and leave the link!

Have a beautiful day! :)