Jesse Tree

Have you ever seen a Jesse Tree? Have you ever participated in a Jesse Tree? What is a Jesse Tree? Glad you asked! The traditional was originally started by Catholics (to my knowledge) and while I am not catholic, I do believe it is a great tradition for all families. Here is the general idea behind the tree...You have 25 ornaments and "open" one a day beginning December 1st. These ornaments depict Bible events from creation (day 1) to the birth of Jesus (day 25). There is also a little devotion that goes along with each ornament to help explain it in children's terms. I enjoy this because it helps my children understand what Christmas is really about and takes the focus off of what the world tries to make it. Last year was our first year doing this and we look forward to it again this year. I wanted to give two as gifts this year, so I got a group of ladies together to make the ornaments with me. (Generally, you have 25 women and each woman picks an ornament and makes 25 of that same ornament and then you all get together and swap ornaments so that you end of with one of each...make sense?)

This year the two ornaments I chose to make were the earth (day 1) and baby Jesus in a manger (day 25). Fifty ornaments later, this is what they looked like:And yes, I had the tedious job of painting/drawing the continents. I know they may not be drawn to scale, but I figured the children wouldn't care.


Now of course, not everyone is crafty so you'll end up with some that are less desirable than others. Here are two of my favorite upgrades from last years ornaments. These girls did a tremendous job. Now to appreciate these two ornaments, you really need to see the originals. They really were a little sad (to say the least). I wanted to take a picture of them so that you could see what an improvement they were, but you never know who's lurking on your blog. I'd hate for them to see the ornament they had made being viewed in a negative way.



I want you to take a look at this ornament. It definitely deserves an honorable mention.
Quite impressive. Wouldn't you agree?


If I could show you pictures of all 25 ornaments, I would. However, to maintain my sanity and to keep my blogging time down to a minimum, I had to choose my favorites. If you don't already do this with your family, consider it for next year. If you need any information, I would be glad to help. I guess I should mention that our ornaments are based from the book: "An Advent Jesse Tree" by Dean Lambert. This tradition has become one of our favorite family traditions.

Oo! Oo! Me Next!

My husband came home from work tonight and said, "Do you have any idea what this package is?" And I said, "Yes! I do!" I was so excited and wait until you see why.

Let me just start by saying that you girls are just too creative for me. Exhibit A:


I just can't think of stuff like that. I sure hope Nancy isn't expecting anything like that because the creativity train stops here.

The letter "C" is for Christmas Music. A girl after my own heart. Love some Christmas CDs. Can't wait to pop this baby in the CD player and get lost in my "hope no one is watching" dramatic car singing.

The letter "H" is for Holiday cookies, which I just baked yesterday. Not to worry. I'm sure there will be a couple more batches before the season is over.

"R" is for relationships old and new. What a nice thing to say. This is their Christmas card (I assume). I could tell by her website that there could be a special bond between us. Nothing says potential friend like a baby in a smocked dress.

"I" is for this neat little book. It is filled with Ingenius craft projects. Do they have one of these for just adults. I seem to be having some challenges in the craft department these days.

The letter "S" (my personal favorite) is for sparkling. What girl doesn't love a little bling, bling? :) This is so perfect. Love it! And the best part...it will go with anything!

And last but not least the letter "T" for tradition. We have read this book and the interesting part about the book is that it coincides with a family tradition we have at our house of a Jesse Tree. I actually have a post started about this, but haven't gotten all my pictures ready yet, so I'll post about that later.

I just had to conclude with this little picture:

In case you can't read that it says "Sorry for the ugly box...tried to recycle".

Merritt, you are too funny! I didn't even notice the box because I was too excited about what was inside. You did a fabulous job and I am so thankful for all the wonderful items you put together. Hope you enjoy this Christmas season with your family.

Also, a big thanks to Donna for putting all of this together. I've had a blast. Merry Christmas to all!

Speaking of Parties

I am in the process of planning a recipe shower for my nephew's new bride. Which also means I am in my own little heaven. I just have all these thoughts running through my head of things I want to do and food I'd like to fix. I'm just so excited. I am also making a special gift for the bride and groom and I can't wait to tell you more about it. However, to keep it a surprise, I must wait until after the shower. You see, my sister-in-law (his mother), reads my blog and I'd hate to ruin the surprise for her. I think she will love it as well. Who knows...she may even want one for herself. Well, I'm off to my party planning world. I'll be a little busy these next couple of weeks, so I'll only be posting when I get a chance. Let's hope my creativity goes into overdrive!