Fun & Purposeful Advent Activities (25 day plan)



Advent Activities with rest, family time and Jesus-focus built in

December is just around the corner, and while I have been listening to Christmas Music since November 1st (all bets are off after Halloween, if you as me) We haven't done much around the castle to really get in the spirit.
Since my sons were very young, I've really made a point to focus on the truth of Christmas. I'm not "anti-Santa" or anything. It's just not about that for us. Some of our traditions are more mainstream, like watching Rudolph. But as time draws nearer, I like to really fix our eyes on Jesus. I think there are plenty of ideas out there on the two extremes, but I wanted to make a well thought-out list for those of us who tend to embrace both spiritual and festive traditions throughout the season. Here goes!

1. Decorate. We won't get our tree until later on, but we will at least get started.
2. Read The Grinch Who Stole Christmas. If you don't have a copy, try your local library OR watch this reading on Youtube.
3. Christmas Parade. That's the date for our town, anyway. (Tip- Make something in the crockpot)
4. Put up tree. We are planning to make a day of it and go get one, but that might end up being a trip to Lowe's.
5. Send out Christmas Cards. Get on it, girls!
6. Make cookies together.
7. Cookie Exchange with neighbors.
8. Wrap a few presents. It's nice to have some under the tree.
9. Family Night! (game, dinner out, local activity)
10. Hang Candy Canes on tree and read the Candy Cane Gospel
11. Watch Elf.
12. Read The Night Before Christmas. I know.. it's not Christmas Eve.
13. Christmas Dinner with friends.
14. Make Tamales. This is a Christmas in New Mexico staple.
15. String popcorn.
16. Make Nativity Ornaments.These are Cute, but pinterest has infinite ideas if you're crafty.
17. Family Christmas Party.
18. Watch Rudolph.
19. Read The Christmas Story in Luke Chapter 2
20. Take a day to put finishing touches on your decorations, rest and prepare Him room.
21. Christmas Light Scavenger Hunt. My favorite tradition! I like This List, but there are lots out there. Don't forget hot chocolate with extra marshmallows.
22. Finish Wrapping gifts (if you have them all!)
23. Pray for those you've invited to your Christmas Eve service. Make Faralitos (Google it)
24. Attend Christmas Eve Service. Afterward we give the kids their Christmas Jammies as an early present.
25. Open presents!!!! Later on, we will watch A Christmas Story. That's our family's favorite.


I Made It: Crib Skirt

I previously talked about my lack of inspiration for my daughter's nursery, but things are starting to come together. She's only 7 weeks old, after all. One of the biggest roadblocks for me in that room is the overwhelming amount of white.

We fell in love with this white crib from Ikea, and when my parents said they were making a trip, we could not pass it up. Not for $100. Naturally, we bought this matching white dresser from Walmart.com. (note: the color of the crib is slightly creamier, but they still coordinate surprisingly well for being bought separately.) I digress.

The point of this post is to show off my homemade crib skirt. I still consider myself a beginner as far as sewing goes, so it's not perfect. Still, I made it!

Here's the finished product! I wish I had made it a little shorter, but I'm the type the errs on the side of caution. I've been known to jump in too quick and totally ruin things, and, thankfully, I've learned to not do that.

I'm not doing a full on tutorial here, because there are plenty of those around pinterest. At the end of the day, sewing involves some creativity, so let your freak flag fly (and say that 5x fast!)

All that said, here's what I did.

1. Find a fabric you love. It doesn't have to be heavy, just go with your gut (and your budget.) Remember to get something for the base. I used some felt a friend gave me. I really liked working with it and I like the fact that it's sturdy.

2. Measure. I should have done this first. I bought 3 yards and that was plenty, but you should really go in with a number in mind.

3. Cut. My fabric was printed in such a way that I had to join two pieces for the front. It worked out well though. I just cut 4 strips across that were 15" long.
I also cut the felt the same size as the crib. You really don't need/ want excess here.

4. Prep pieces. This entails hemming the bottom of each piece as well as the sides (all but the two you are joining.) And then joining those two front pieces. Leave the corners open, this will make putting it on much easier.

I really love this picture. 

5.Pin and Gather. Using safety pins (with little ones around I figured this was the best route) I began by pinning the ends of the fabric to the edges of the felt. Then I pinned the center of the fabric to the center of the center of the felt. Note: if you joined two pieces that don't flow together, tuck the seam into the center fold. This will hide the spot where the pattern clashes.
After pinning the center, I just worked my way through trying to leave enough room for ruffles throughout without making it look too uniform. I added a fold about every 2-3".

After I pinned it all, it took a little bit of tweaking to get it just right.

I also folded half one way and half the other, because I have a deep need for symmetry in my life.

By the way, you only need 3 sides. I should have said that earlier, but it seemed obvious.

I draped this over the back of my couch and sat comfortably pinning.

6. Sew it together. I don't think I need to elaborate here, but here's a picture!

Don't run over you pins. Take them out, while there's still time!

7. Put it on the crib! The moment of satisfaction- when you've made something that works like it should!

So pretty! I'm excited for the day we convert this to a toddler bed and ruffles can be free!

Thanks for stopping by-
Lindarella