Scripture Advent Calendar

I'm doing a little re-post for this Christmas craft because I haven't actually been crafting for Christmas this year.  Yup.  I'll wait while you pick yourself up from your chairs and stop gasping in horror.  Did I completely go anti-holiday mental this year?  Not really.  It's just with the craft fair and a big trip overseas, I'm too busy trying to stuff my life into a suitcase to sit down and really make anything.  Not that the never-ending Michaels ads don't tempt me, because they do, but I've been really good about not going bonkers this year ... sort of.

Anyways, here's an advent calendar for you to get set up before December 1st, in case you're like me and you're not really into trying to find 25 little gifts for your bubbins to find and then lose and then re-find when you accidentally step on it.  Ahh, the true joy of Christmas - the veritable toy explosion to be found in our living room, where dog toys and kid toys are all played with equal gusto, dirty tennis balls and all.  So, to lessen that impending disaster, let's take a moment to reflect on the real reason for this season, and create an advent calendar that teaches a lesson every day until our Savior is born.

I used Tricia's advent calendar as the source for 25 days worth of Bible verses, and created flashcards with the verse and a little picture to help illustrate the idea.  I've made these flash cards available for free so you can make your own!  I only ask that you keep these for personal use and not sell the cards or the finished product.  You can download them HERE (Scribd) or HERE (Google Docs).

Print out the flashcards, and cut on the black line.  If you have a corner punch to make your life easier, then go for it!

I had found red library card pockets at my neighborhood parent/teacher store for $0.10 each, and I did a little dance at my good fortune.  If you can't find any near you, there are plenty to be had on Etsy, in a variety of colors.  My cards were sized to fit normal commercial card pockets, just FYI.

Stamp the number for each day on each of the library card pockets.  Alternatively, you can write it out or embellish the pockets any way you want; just remember to put the number somewhere on there!

Pop each card into its own pocket.  

Now you have to decide how you want to display it?  On a tree?  Around the house?  Hang them up and down the stairs?  

I went the easy route and strung them on my upstairs hallway with some contrasting ribbon and clothespins.  It adds a splash of color to my otherwise boring (and dirty) walls!

I wanted to really use it last year, but I think Josh was a bit young.  This year, though, I hope to stop by our little display every day and share a verse with him, as well to take a moment for myself to appreciate the holiday season!

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Bacon Plantain Goodness

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday, and got to spend some quality time with your family and friends.  We had family over for a week, and while we loved spending time with family, playing board games, chasing little boys and wrestling with an over-excited dog, it's also nice to get back to our quiet unassuming lives.  

I did a guest post at Sugar Be a while back, so in case you missed it, here's a recipe you can use for your next holiday gathering, because yes, it will be here sooner than you think!

I first had this at a friend's house, and found it delicious, so now we make our own.  It's a great one-pot-wonder to serve at family gatherings.  And if you know me, you know I love me some one-pot-wonders.

I'm really not very good with exact measurements, but this dish is very forgiving, so just have fun with it!  You'll need:

a bunch of green plantains - I used 10 plantains, since they were on sale for 5/$2.00

package of bacon - don't do the low fat, center cut stuff.  You want the fat.

1 red onion

handful of cilantro

chicken broth or boullion

salt, pepper

Step 1.  Cook the bacon.  Depending on how much you want to make, you may end up using/needing/wanting the entire pack of bacon.  But really, you can't go wrong with bacon, so just cook it up, nice and crispy and do not discard the grease.  Mmm bacon!

Step 2.  Peel and cut the plantains into 1 inch chunks.  I used to have an incredibly hard time with this, since I used to try to peel them like a banana.  Don't.  Cut the tips off, then cut a shallow slit down the length of the plantain and peel the whole thing off sideways, it's much easier.

Step 3.  Boil the plantains in chicken broth.  If you have homemade chicken broth, go you!  If not, chicken bouillion or store bought broth works fine too.  Put the plantains in a large pot and use enough liquid to just cover.  Then boil, probably a half hour or more, until the plantains are easily mashable.  Do not be afraid to use more bouillion in this step.  It adds both seasoning and flavor to otherwise bland plantains.

Step 4.  Dice the red onion.  Again, whether you use a whole red onion or half, or use a yellow onion, or shallots, is up to you.  It's all about just adding flavor.  Check out this post for my onion-dicing tutorial!

Step 5.  Back to the bacon for a moment.  Once all the bacon is cooked and patted dry on paper towels, break/cut them into a little pieces, sort of like chunky bacon bits.  Use the bacon fat in the pan to cook the onions you just diced up.  Sweat them out until they are translucent.  There's no need to add salt as the bacon fat should be plenty salty enough for most people.  You can turn the heat off once your onions are done cooking.

Step 6.  At this point, the plantains should be done boiling.  Check to make sure they can be mashed with a fork.  If so, drain and reserve the cooking liquid.  Put the plantains back into the pot, and mash.

Step 7.  Assembly.  Add the onions, bacon fat, and bacon bits in with the mashed plantains and mix together.  Chop up the cilantro and add that to the mixture as well.  

At this point, you're done!  You'll notice your mixture might be a bit dry or chunky.  Add in the reserved cooking broth a little at a time to maintain consistency.  If you like your mashed potatoes chunky, you'll need less liquid for your plantains.  If you normally like your mashed potatoes mushy, then you'll need to add more of the cooking liquid here to get a softer consistency in the mashed plantains.  You can also season with salt and pepper at this point, but it probably shouldn't require too much salt.  This dish is also best consumed right away, as the plantains will dry out over time as they keep absorbing liquid.

I think this is a delicious alternative to your normal mashed potatoes and gravy, and it adds a great splash of color to any holiday spread!  

Happy Holidays Everyone!

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Pain, Faith, and Hope: Some Heavy Stuff

I don't normally write about my faith, as in, I have not yet written about my faith, but I am going to try to share a bit of the deep stuff today.

I read Vanessa's guest post on Simply Klassic Home last week, and the one line that really got to me was this: 

Will you allow the pain to deepen your relationship with God and with others?

I had just gotten some bad news about my dad, and I didn't know how to deal with it. I felt overwhelmed and scared and faced with a future that I didn't ever want to face.  I felt alone, and didn't know to whom to turn.  Prayer seemed empty and just not enough.  I wished that I had a strong church family to support my family in prayer, for a brother or sister in Christ to talk to about my fears.

I've been a bit of a prodigal daughter, not having gone to church in several years, and this news strengthened my resolve to get going already (and to *finally* check off a resolution)!  God is talking to me; He is making His presence known.  He is testing me and my family, yet also allowing me a chance to come home, to rekindle my relationship with Him.  

source

I spent some time talking to a good friend of mine and found a kindred spirit.  I found in myself a desire to share my thoughts on faith and the wondrous things God has done in my life.  I discovered an aspect of my friend that I hadn't known before, and it has brought us closer.

Last Sunday, I went to the church for the first time in years.  I was scared of judgment, I was embarrassed, I was nervous at meeting new people.  But it turned out so well!  I met with the pastor and found someone with whom I can share my fears and my hopes.  Surprisingly, I have also gotten back in touch with people from whom I had distanced myself due to life's little dramas.  I felt awkward, but also joyful and full of hope at a chance to rekindle relationships with past friends as well as with God.

So yes, there is pain.  But there is also hope.  

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Did I mention He is making His presence known to me?  From blog posts to daily verses on my Kindle, to good friends and new friends and new old friends, God really does work in mysterious and miraculous ways!

There is so much to be thankful for!  For the wonderful treatment my father has received, for all of our friends' and families' and strangers' support through this time, for another chance to welcome God into my life.

My father is undergoing surgery and I pray for his health, for strength and for faith.  I pray that the doctors are guided by a higher hand, that they do their jobs to the best of their ability.  If you are of the spiritual sort, please keep my family in your thoughts and prayers!

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Warm and Toasty - Crocheted Mug Cozies

I've been crocheting almost every night, and I finally have some pictures to show what I've been up to - mug cozies!  

(Here's my "mug cozy turkey", cause you know, Thanksgiving is comin' up!)

I don't drink name brand coffees in the disposable cups (I don't drink coffee at all), so the little coffee cup cozies are not much use for me, but mug cozies are great!  I do drink tea, and hot chocolate and even soup in ceramic mugs, and I hate having to hold the mug only by the handle, don't you?  And that ceramic sure gets hot in a hurry!

These mug cozies are cute and colorful and pretty easy to work up.  I used a pattern from Ollies Boutique on Etsy; her directions are easy to understand and the cozies have a great nubby texture to them.  The cozies are worked up in Sugar n' Cream cotton yarn, and boy did I go a little hog wild when Michaels had a yarn sale.  I got the personalized buttons from WearhouseIndustries, and altered the mug cozy pattern slightly in order to crochet the buttons directly into the piece instead of adding it at the end.

I'm making a bunch of these for my 2nd craft fair coming up (see my first one here), so I hope they sell!  If not, they'll be going up in my Etsy shop.  I think they're great for stuffing some stockings or for teacher's gifts, or maybe I'll just keep some for myself!  

Do you use mug cozies?  What are your favorite colors, or, which colors should I make more of?

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