Christmas on the Cheap

Last week, my latest article was posted on HEDUA. Want some help celebrating Christmas on the Cheap?

Friday Funny--ChemisTREE

Loved this photo my alma mater posted on FB this morning.

University of Saint Mary, Leavenworth, KS

Some Holiday Cheer with Feliz Navidad

I've confessed before about my need to hear Spanish words pronounced correctly.
Thankfully, that doesn't come into play with Feliz Navidad!

Christmas Goodies Made this Weekend

It was a Winter Storm Warning weekend here in the Kansas City area, so it was perfect for focusing on the warm kitchen making Christmas goodies.We are not done, but at least done with all the candy-type things like Peppermint Pretzel Melts, Peanut Butter Balls, and White Chocolate Christmas Crunch.

First, we made Peppermint Pretzel Melts. It's my favorite for it's ease in making and clean-up. We also had some chocolate kisses, so we made some of those to mix things up a bit!

We also made peanut butter balls per my husband's request. I haven't shared the recipe before, so here it is. 

1 lb. peanut butter (softened) 

1 stick butter

1-2 lbs. powder sugar

Chocolate almond bark

We brought in a neighbor to help!

Mix peanut butter and butter thoroughly. Slowly add powder sugar and mix well until the mixture is very stiff. Melt almond bark according to the directions. Make balls and cover in bark placing on wax paper to until dry.

The lasts thing we made was White Christmas Crunch Squares. It's so yummy but the most mom-intensive since it involves a boiling sugar and a 350 degree oven. Mija enjoys breaking up the candy canes!

We still need to make our "Happy Birthday, Jesus" cake. This year we're going to add a new treat which we also still need to make...

Friday Funny---I don't want anything for Christmas--Blimey Cow

The Women of Christmas by Liz Curtis Higgs--review

Don't most of us easily get hung up on all the holiday hoopla if we don't watch out? That's why I look out for things that can help me focus on "the Reason for the Season".

This year I read  The Women of Christmas: Experience the Season Afresh with Elizabeth, Mary, and Anna by Liz Curtis Higgs. I've always enjoy reading her works. Some of my favorites have been Bad Girls of the Bible: And What We Can Learn from Them and her Lowlands of Scotland Series, Vols 1-4.

Just like all of Liz Curtis Higgs' writing, The Women of Christmas: Experience the Season Afresh with Elizabeth, Mary, and Anna is easy to read and yet informative and thought provoking. Don't forget encouraging. Her focus on the women of the Nativity really helped encourage the reader to review in detail the miraculous steps God took to bring His Son into the world.

Higgs' also encourages women through this book. She shows how God used these women in mighty ways. He's not the misogynist that some try to make Him out to be. Just within the birth of his son he used a married woman, a single girl, and a widow. She does not leave out the men God used like Zachariah and Joseph, but her purpose is to teach ladies about how God used woman in the incarnation, and in my opinion, she succeeds.

I enjoyed how she used different translations throughout the book to clarify the Bible text and meaning. She also uses quotes from other women who apparently have done this study with her. In fact, there is a study guide in the back of the book which would be great to do with a group of ladies or even individually. I also looked at the bibliography and found the resources she used very reliable.

Feel free to read the first chapter for yourself!


I received this book for free from Blogging for Books for this review.
This post also contains affiliate links for the books I recommended. If you purchase through my links, I will make a little cash. 

Empty Arms at Christmas

I have written about this previously on my blog, but this version I updated for the Home Educating Family Blog.

Infertility during the Holiday

I have written previously about the burden the infertile bear during Mother’s Day. That holiday is a fairly obvious challenge for those who cannot be a mother. What is often unrealized by the masses is that there are other celebrations and days that may also strike hurt, fear, and shame into the heart of those dealing with infertility.

Most know that Christmas can be a bittersweet if not downright sad time for some people, especially those dealing with loss. Most losses are more obvious;:a job, a home, a spouse through divorce. Of course, there are also those dealing with a loss because of death. In fact, I know of a young husband and father who recently killed himself. That is definitely going to be a hard loss for his wife and children to deal with this whole holiday season.

Another loss is to miscarriage. To lose (although, thankfully, not forever) a child during a time that is celebrating a birth can be amazingly painful. I am sure most could empathize with individuals going through that.

The Pain of Infertility

Many, however, overlook the loss of another group of people because it is not as obvious: the infertile. Most don’t think about how Christmas could be painful to someone going through infertility. Miscarriage is the loss of a baby. Infertility is the loss of the hope of a baby. Loss is loss and grief is grief, but the loss of a hope is too intangible for some to consider or recall, especially when busy with celebrating the holiday.

- See more at: http://hedua.com/blog/christmas-infertility/#sthash.7cxARrG9.dpuf

God's Virture

I'm actually reading this book currently and will be doing a review on it soon!

Putting St. Nicholas Back into Christmas

 A friend shared this article which I felt was worth sharing also!
Great history and insight into the real man.

Santa Claus has become the patron saint of a secularized Christmas. Many Christians are trying to balance the mystique of Santa with the true meaning of Christmas centered in Christ. So me families are doing without Santa altogether, but even that can prove complicated. (As one of our own children told the grandparents, "My parents don't believe in Santa Claus, but I do!")
Read the rest of the articleHERE.

Friday Funny--My Own Nutcracker Tale

This might be a little bit more of just a smile than my usual Friday Funny since it's a personal story, but I hope you enjoy it just the same.

This was 2010.

If you've been around you know that mija performs in her ballet school's production of The Nutcracker each year. This was the 25th annual performance and the last one for the owner/director.

Our tradition has become to purchase a new nutcracker each year she's in it. We write on the bottom the roles she had and a couple of family events of that year.

Well, life this year has been more challenging including on the nutcracker front. 

First, we had to wait until we had a little cash and a little gas.

Second, we had to find one.
You see, it's not usually that big of deal to find a nutcracker. Many stores often had a aisle full from which to choose with sizes and styles as varied as there are versions of The Nutcracker!

But this year was different. I don't know if it was because we had to wait until 2 days before Christmas or because nutcrackers were just in low supply. Regardless, finding a nutcracker was challenging.

Store after store....no nutcracker.

Then I got a lead.  Guess where I found a nutcracker?

Ignore the dust on the cabinet.
Just keeping it real!

Yup. It's our Home Depot nutcracker. He doesn't match the others very well, but he definitely has a story behind him!

A Child's Discernment on Christmas Eve

On Christmas Eve, we threw all caution to the wind and attended an unknown church's late Christmas Eve service. 
It was totally unplanned, but I often reminisce about attending midnight service when I was child, and so this year the time seemed right. 
We came home from my MIL's, Googled local church services, and were in a pew within 30 minutes.


Visiting this church introduced mija to some new ways of worship. The main new thing was litany. In litany, the clergy gives a statement/prayer, and the congregation recites a response.

Because of my spiritual upbringing, there was a time when litany seemed shallow and useless to me. Now I realize it is the attitude and actions behind the litany which makes the difference.

Mija's introduction to litany, choir robes, and candles was going fine until the sermon. She giggled at some of the things the preacher said...not because they were funny but because they were wrong. And then the piece de resistance occurred when the he asked, "And what would God ask for if He sat on Santa's lap?"

I so wish I could have taken a picture of her face. Almost disdain...to even consider Santa worthy to be mentioned with God in the same sentence, but then to suggest that God would ask Santa for anything!

It gave some great discussion on the way including how to act in church when you disagree with what is being said.

And it gave this momma hope that her daughter is learning discernment!

Christmas Praises

I know you're busy relaxing during Christmas break as am I, so I won't keep either of us long.

I just want to give thanks to God for what a nice Christmas we had. At a time in our life when we are facing another possible repossession, finding another place to live within a month when we have no money, and all the rest this unemployment has brought with it, we were remarkably blessed this holiday and mija hardly realized the bump in the road.

Her two favorite stocking stuffers

Aside from a Nutcracker and some chocolates for her stocking, we purchased nothing for her this year. All the stocking stuffers we gave were purchased at 50% off last year as were the Zhu Zhu pet items. Yes, I've kept this year's Christmas since last year.

I had wished to add something more, and God arranged that part.

Our church came along side us and some other struggling families in our church family and gave us gifts. Mija didn't know the church provided things some things.  All she knew was that there were presents under the tree one day. I just told her that God provided them! That's been a challenge for her to get her mind wrapped around!

In the gifts God gave, there was also a Price Chopper gift card. We determined that we'd use it to enhance the Christmas experience instead of for more practical things like milk and bread. From that gift card we made our candy and Happy Birthday, Jesus cake.

I posted about our White Christmas Crunch Squares. They were a major hit and required a second batch made...which still didn't end up being enough!

It's amazing to me how capable mija is becoming. Aside from me showing her how to separate egg whites from the yolk and doing the oven work, she made the whole Happy Birthday, Jesus cake herself! I remember when her contribution to the Happy Birthday, Jesus cake was just licking the bowl and now she's doing it all!

I know the yellow in the corner is the star of Bethlehem.
I'm not sure about the rest!

Lastly, but never really last when it comes to things God does for us, were gas cards. We were given some gas cards from individuals which allowed us to do our traditional Christmas Eve celebrations with my hubby's family about 50 miles away and the celebrate with my family on Christmas Day. 

Tomorrow, I'll share about a child's discernment and a new nutcracker tale!

A Christmas Prayer & The Christmas Scale

Thanks to HomeschoolFreebieOfTheDay.com sharing this. Then don't miss the video at the end. Merry Christmas!


A CHRISTMAS PRAYER 
by Robert Louis Stevenson

"Loving Father, Help us remember the birth of Jesus, 
that we may share in the song of angels, 
the gladness of the shepherds, 
and the worship of the wise men. 
Close the door of hate and open the door of love 
all over the world.
Let kindness come with every gift and good desires with every greeting.

Deliver us from evil by the blessing which Christ brings, 
and teach us to be merry with clean hearts. 
May the Christmas morning make us happy to be Thy children, 
and the Christmas evening bring us to our beds with grateful 
thoughts, forgiving and forgiven, for Jesus' sake, Amen!"

Who Was St. Nicholas?

A great article by Kevin DeYoung if you'd like to find out more. 

Who Was St. Nicholas?

It includes information about:

• The man and the myth
• Christmas and St. Nicholas
• From St. Nicholas to Santa Claus
• Jolly Old St. Nick and Jesus

Check it out!

FYI Arianism taught that Jesus was not God but a created being of God. Arius denied the preexistence and full deity of Jesus.

Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus--Hypostatic Union and more

I wrote previously about reading  Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus: Experiencing the Peace and Promise of Christmas. 

I really do recommend this as a great read during Christmas or anytime.

I just wanted to share a few more quotes from the book about such things as the incarnation and the hypostatic union. Don't let the big words scare you. 

Saint Augustine:
"But how," one will say, " can it be, that the Word of God, by whom the world is governed, by whom all things both were and are created, should contract himself into the womb of a virgin; should leave the angels, and be shut up in one woman's womb?" Thou skillest not to conceive of things divine. The Word of God could surely do all seeing that the Word of God is omnipotent, at once remain with the Father, and come to us; at once in the flesh come forth to us, and lay concealed in him. For he would not the less have been, if he had not been born of flesh. He "was" before his own flesh; he created his own mother. He chose her in whom he should be conceived, he created her of whom he should be created. Why marvellest thou? It is God of whom I am speaking to thee: "the Word was God"

And J. I. Packer:
How are we to think of the incarnation: The New Testament does not encourage us to puzzle our heads over the physical and psychological problems that is raises, but to worship God for the Love that shown in it. For it was a great act of condescension and self-humbling.

- - - -

We talk glibly of the "Christmas spirit," rarely meaning more by this than sentimental jollity on a family basis. But what we have said makes it clear that the phrase should in fact carry a tremendous weight of meaning. It ought to mean the reproducing in human lives of the temper of him who for our sakes became poor at the first Christmas. And the Christmas spirit itself ought to be the mark of every Christian all the year round.

White Christmas Crunch Squares---YUMMY!!

I made these last year, and while they were still yummy, I didn't do the best job on them.

This year, however, I learned from my mistakes and viola! we have yummy treats to share.

This recipe is not original to me. I got it from Kraft Recipes.

Set the oven to 350 degrees and put foil on your 15x10x1 baking sheet. My sheets were a little bigger, so I just had some empty space around the edges. No biggy. 

First, you need to cracked up 1/4 cup candy canes. You could also make it without the candy canes if you wish. The candy canes just make it a little more festive.

Coarsely chop 1 package of Baker's white chocolate. I made sure to show you the box. Do NOT use just white baking chips or almond bark. That was one of my mistakes last year.

Oh, yes. That is actually two boxes worth of the white chocolate because we were making a double batch although the amounts I'm giving you is for a single batch. It's great math practice to double or triple recipes!
You put 32 crackers on the foiled pan. Again, great math practice realizing that would be 8 rows of 4 crackers.

Now, the "Mommy-has-to-do-this" part.
Cook 1/2 cup butter (1 stick) and 3/4 cup brown sugar on the stove for about 3-4 minutes. Stir occasionally while you melt and mix everything well. Then let it boil for 3 minutes. No more. No less. (That's another place where we went wrong last year.)
Pour it over the crackers and spread it around. Yes, make sure to cover all the crackers or you'll have dry spots. Be careful! Hot sugar burns big time. And you've just put boiling sugar over the crackers, so the pan will actually be warm/hot when you go to put the pans in the oven.

Bake for about 5 min until golden brown. Take out of the oven and spread the white chocolate all over the crackers. Then put back in for about 1-2 minutes until the chocolate is melted. Don't expect the chocolate to be melted all over the place. The chocolate will be melted, but you will have to spread it around with a spatula or spoon.

After spreading the chocolate, sprinkle the crushed candy cane over the top. Then you cool completely. We actually put ours in the fridge to help the process along.
Then you break them up. Ideally, you break them into the little square cracker shapes. Sometimes it cracks otherwise. I'm okay with that. Not everyone wants a big old square of candy. Especially considering how sweet these things are! 
Here's a plate of the finished product.

Well worth the sugar coma!

Free Shipping Day for over 1500 online retailers. Monday Dec. 17

Get FREE SHIPPING with delivery by Christmas Eve from 1500 online retailers today, December 17!
It actually starts midnight Eastern which would be 11:00 PM, Sunday in my neck of the woods.

Some of these retailers include Cabela's, Best Buy, Kohl's, Mikasa, Sears, and obviously so many more. It's not just unknown retailers, but big ones!

Go to FreeShippingDay.com!

Friday Funny--A Musical Christmas

A couple of weeks ago, I posted a funny video from Familyman Ministries entitled The Nutcracker.

Today, I'm going to post their new Christmas video. Enjoy!

Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus: Mary & the Annunciation

The book group in which I participate has been reading Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus: Experiencing the Peace and Promise of Christmas. 

Being in "the mood" for Christmas can be challenging. This seems especially true this year when the outward trappings of Christmas are hard to come by. As mija has been urging me to make cookies and candies, my goal has been just making sure we have something to eat for each meal. Even though her zeal for Zhu Zhu Pets has started to fade, her gifts this year will be Zhu Zhu accessories which I purchased on clearance over a year ago. No new purchases can be made.

This book has been a help and blessing this year and I highly recommend it. It has 22 chapters which are each Christmas excerpts from people like Luther, Piper, Spurgeon, Schaeffer, MacArthur, and Whitefield. It starts with the annunciation and goes through the early life of baby Jesus.

Each chapter seems to examine a single facet of the whole gem of Christmas.


Here's a few quotes about Mary and the Annunciation.

This is from Martin Luther:

Quite possibly Mary was doing the housework when the angel Gabriel came to her. Angels to prefer to come to people as they are fulfilling their calling and discharging their office. The angel appeared to the shepherds as they were watching their flocks, to Gideon as he was threshing the grain, to Samson's mother as she sat in the field. 
----
Saint Bernard declared there are three miracles: that God and man should be joined in this child; that a mother should remain a virgin; that Mary should have such faith as to believe that this mystery should be accomplished in her. The last is not the least of the three. The virgin birth mere trifle for God; that God should become man is a greater miracle; but most amazing at all is that she, rather than some other virgin, had been chosen to be the mother of God.

Or how about this from John Piper:

Mary responds by saying, "Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word" (v. 38.) Can you say: "Let the Holy Spirit do with me as he pleases"? Do you trust the Holy Spirit enough to say: "I am your slave; take me; use your omnipotent power to put you where you want me, when you want me there, doing what you want me to do"? Do you know why we can entrust ourselves to the Holy Spirit? Because he exists to exalt the glory of Jesus Christ. Therefore, if the heartbeat of your life is the glory of Jesus Christ, the Spirit will empower and help you with all his might. 

The Nutcracker---Sights and Sounds.

Mija finished her Nutcracker performances this weekend and now we attempt to recover. 
I thought I would share some sights and sounds of our Friday and Saturday.