We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand. ~Isaiah 64:8



Sunday, November 27, 2011

Nativity Carnival: Keeping Advent -- Nov 27th


Welcome to the Nativity Carnival: Keeping Advent

Each Sunday, Advent through Epiphany, a new "Mr Linky" will be posted for you to share your Nativity Season-related ideas and thoughts from your blog.  (Just copy the link to your post and paste it into the Mr Linky box below.)

Also, please add a link on your post back to this page, thanks!


The first Sunday of Advent, and a new liturgical year, is here!  It came in gray and slightly cool at our home...with a batch of cinnamon rolls to coax the kids from their beds and get them out the door in a pleasant mood.  It is always so hard to get up this first Sunday of Advent after the busy-ness of Thanksgiving.  And we only did a little Black Friday shopping!  (Hubby and I went to a few stores looking at rugs and curtains for our kitchen which desperately needs some noise absorbing textiles.  Didn't buy anything, but probably will this week.)

We said good-bye to our Thanksgiving company: my mom, step-dad, and grandmother on Saturday morning.  There were movies and playdates in the afternoon - and very tired kids last night.

This is the first Advent in a long time when we are not about to or have just recently gone through a major life change: in 2008 it was pending adoption travel, in 2009 it was a newly adopted baby, in 2010 a new home (and the flu)...and now...nothing.  Baby has been home for nearly 3 years...and we've been in our new home for a little over a year.  Wow - normalcy....will we know what to do with it?

If it is any indication, I actually have my Advent box emptied, the wreath assembled and some of my Advent books ready to be used as needed.   So, that bodes well!  You'd think someone who has lots of great ideas to share would be totally ready for Advent, right?   ** sigh **

I have managed to put together a menu plan.  Do you menu plan in advance?   I find it REALLY helpful!  Otherwise I wind up wandering around in my pantry, or worse the grocery store, trying to think of SOMETHING to have for dinner.  The trick, I think, is not being married to the menu plan, just dating it.  LOL!  Seriously, though, I just use it as a helpful tool...not at all written in stone.  You'll notice that I plan breakfast and lunches, too.  Since we are home all week together, I plan these meals for the kids.  Hubby and I tend to eat leftovers for our lunches rather than the "kid" food.

So, today, my contribution to the Nativity Carnival is my Menu plan for the Nativity Season.  If there are any recipes that you'd like me to share, just leave a comment!


If you are reading in a feed reader, please click through to the blog for the Mr. Linky posts!

For those submitting links: So that others might enjoy the carnival, don't forget to add a link on your post back to this page, thanks!

7 comments:

mamatigerj said...

Kerry,

Your menu plan looks great!
I am also planning "special desserts" for the Sunday nights of Advent.

Blessings,
juanita

lailani said...

I like your menus! Thank you for the carnival, I am enjoying traveling the blogosphere . . .:)

Kerry said...

juanita - maybe we should share ideas for those desserts? :)

lailani - thanks! I'm glad you've joined the carnival and are enjoying it.

Michelle @ Liturgical Time said...

Wow! What changes you have had the last few years! Your life sounds blessed and full. My St. Nick post may not be at all what you are looking for...if not, I heartily apologize, and please do delete it!

Cheryl Schroeder Basile said...

Kerry,

Thought I would share a link to a free printable that I created and just uploaded to Google Docs. It is a planner for Advent through Nativity--a way to keep track of books, movies, activities that one might like to do with their family this holiday season. There are so many good ideas out there, I tend to forget them so I decided to record them in a planner! Hope it is useful to you and your blog visitors!

Jill said...

My link might be a bit late as it is about the advent wreath, but I've been known to do the devotions on days other than advent. It's all about the remembering not the slavish following of customs.

Sheila said...

What a great idea to do an Advent Link Party! Thanks so much for hosting!