Merry Christmas 2013

Merry Christmas from the Knowlton Kids

 

 Be sure to point your children to Jesus this Christmas!

 

A Game for All by Linda Gilden (Guest Post)

A Game for All

Adapted from the recently released book, Mama Was the Queen of Christmas

by Linda Gilden

How will all the little holiday extras ever get done? I ask myself that question every year. And as much as I enjoy the holidays, there seems to be so little time.

One year I decided to let go of expectations and concentrate on celebrating Jesus.    I came up with a plan to accomplish a lot of the extras in a very short time. I created a game!

“Come on, everyone,” I said. “We are going to play a game.”

There was minor grumbling but in the end everyone agreed a family game would be fun. And I was so excited about the end result!

“Just give me an hour of your time,” I said. “Then you can get back to your homework.”

I found a cute Christmas container and deposited little slips of paper, each describing a job.

“I am going to set a timer for twenty minutes,” I said. “When you draw a slip of paper, you have twenty minutes to work at your job. When the bell rings, you will choose another job and change what you are doing. In an hour, you will have helped me with three pre-Christmas chores.”

The papers in the container had jobs like:

1. Position the electric candles in the windows.
2. Put the greenery on the mantle downstairs.
3. Wrap presents. (Not your own, although most were willing!)
4. A smile face. This job was really important. The person who got the smile was to circulate, serve refreshments, and make sure everyone was having fun.
5. Address Christmas cards.
6. Plan a family activity that will help us concentrate on the real meaning of the season such as memorize the Christmas story from Luke, find someone to share the season with who hasn’t yet met the Savior, concentrate on a different aspect of Jesus’ birth in daily devotions, etc. 
7. Make a Christmas goodie or edible treat. My family favorite is “Rocks!”

Christmas music playing in the background created a festive and jovial mood.

As it turned out, everybody was a winner in this game. The family gathered in the kitchen for a sample of “rocks,” pointing out that we had become happy little elves, proudly creating an atmosphere of merriment for the holidays.

Are there things you can do to make this holiday season less stressed for you and your family?

RECIPE: Rocks – Favorite Holiday Treat!

2 cups chocolate chips                                              

1 ½ cups dry roasted peanuts

½ cup peanut butter                                               

(1) 12.3 oz. box Crispix cereal

Confectioners Sugar

1. Melt chocolate in a large bowl in microwave oven. Heat on high for 1 minute. Stir well. Heat 30 seconds more or as needed to melt chocolate. Stir until smooth. (Chocolate could also be melted in a double boiler over low heat on the stove.)
2. Add peanut butter and stir until well blended.
3. Add peanuts and cereal and mix until thoroughly coated. A wooden spoon works best for this.
4. Put confectioner’s sugar in a plastic bag. Add cereal mixture, close bag tightly, and shake gently until mixture is coated with sugar. If you do a third of the mixture at a time, it is easier to handle.
5. Makes a lot! Store in an airtight container. Enjoy!

---

Linda J. Gilden Author & Speaker

About the Author:

Linda Gilden’s favorite season is Christmas. But, truthfully, she and her family like to celebrate all year long, so can it really be called a season? Growing up in a home where the spirit of Christmas prevailed throughout the year, she knows she is blessed to have married a man who shares the same philosophy—Jesus is not just for a season but for a lifetime! Linda is the author of over a thousand magazine articles and several other books, such as Love Notes in Lunchboxes, Love Notes on His Pillow, and Mommy Pick-Me-Ups (all by New Hope Publishers), but Mama Was the Queen of Christmas is one she has wanted to write for a long time. Her heart’s desire is to see families enjoy each other and make memories no matter what the season. Linda lives in South Carolina with her husband, three grown children and children-in-law, four grandchildren, and a granddog, all of whom love Christmas as much as she does!

**Be looking for my book review later this month for "Mama Was the Queen of Christmas.  -Shonda**

Celebrating and Savoring a Simple Christmas by Crystal Paine Book Overview and Giveaway

Celebrating and Savoring a Simple Christmas  by Crystal Paine   

Do you want to have a meaningful, memorable, relaxed Christmas this year? Do you really want to be able to savor and enjoy this season-not just rush through it feeling overwhelmed and behind? Are you tired of overspending every Christmas in attempt to feel close to your loved ones?
In this book you'll learn how to:

• Organize your Christmas list
• Make and stick with a Christmas budget
• Freezer cook for the holidays
• Make memorable family activities
• Make simple and inexpensive homemade gifts
• Get your home in order
• Savor the meaning of the season
• Balance your desire to create and bake with the need for rest and reflection
• Connect with your loved ones without spending a fortune
…and much more.
Purchasing this ebook also gives you access to beautiful ,printable worksheets to make your holiday planning even easier!
Who is this book for?
This book is for you if:
• You end every Christmas season frazzled, with a cold, and in need of a nap.
• You dread the day after Thanksgiving and every day following up and until New Year’s Day.
• You want your house to look beautiful for Christmas, but instead it’s a mess!
• You end up overwhelming yourself by spending too much time on Christmas crafting and baking

Celebrating and Savoring a Simple Christmas
ONLY  99 cents for a limited time! 

But I am having a SHORT giveaway...

Make a comment on my blog if you want to win this book and I will pick a winner

on WEDNESDAY at 2pm PST.

QUICK!

 

Good Morning Girls- Advent Study: Keeping Our Heart Focused on Jesus

Do you need some refreshment during a busy Christmas season? Check out Good Morning Girls and join the Bible study for Keeping Our Hearts Focused on Jesus during Advent.  Free materials will be available on the blog on November 12 (today!).  Materials include a Bible reading plan, SOAP printables, Christmas devotionals, traditions, recipes and more!  Please consider spending time in God's Word this Christmas season!

To join the study be sure to subscribe to Good Morning Girls to get all of your printables by email.  Set up your journal, do your daily study and read the blog posts.  You can comment what you are learning on the blog or Facebook.  Or you can even create your own little group if you wish!

ListPlanIt Holiday Eplanner Giveaway

Do you remember the book review I posted for 100 Days to Christmas from Jennifer Tankersley? Well, she has a supplementary Holiday Eplanner with which has lists and planning pages starting with Thanksgiving and ending with Christmas. It is 53 pages of tools such as card lists, gift lists, meal and party planning lists, and anything else you might need to get your holiday planning on track.

Holiday ePlanner is geared toward Thanksgiving and Christmas preparation and planning. (53 pages)

• FAQS
• How to Create your Own Holiday Binder
• Holiday Planner
• Thanksgiving Planner
• Thanksgiving Menu Planner
• Thanksgiving Meal Planner
• Thanksgiving Shopping List
• Thanksgiving Preparation
• December Calendar
• Christmas Planning at-a-Glance
• Christmas Preparation
• Advent Activity Planner
• Holiday Card Planner
• Holiday Budget Planner
• Cards to Send
• Card List with Addresses
• Cards Received
• Wish List
• Gift Closet Inventory
• Gift List A
• Gift List B
• Gift List B Blank
• Gift List C
• Handmade Gifts Planner
• Holiday Shopping Online Planner & Tracker
• Holiday Gifts Received
• Holiday Cookie/Candy Planner
• Holiday Craft Planner
• Craft Supply Checklist
• Holiday Meal Planner
• Christmas Menu Planner
• Holiday Memories
• Holiday Party Planner
• Holiday Party Prep
• Party Budget Planner
• Party Details
• Party Guest List
• Day of Party Timeline
• Week of Christmas
• Recipes (cards)
• Thanksgiving Labels
• Hanukkah Labels
• Christmas Card Mailing Labels
• Christmas Labels
• Happy Holidays Labels

Holiday ePlanner is an instant PDF download-able planner that includes pages to record the moments both before and after the holiday season arrives along with worksheets and lists to help you prepare for one of the biggest celebrations of the year!
All of this for just the one-time price of $5.00!

100 Days to Christmas 2012 ebook

by Jennifer Tankersley of ListPlanIt
Still on sale for $5

*This book was provided to me free of charge for purpose of this review. This is my honest opinion of this book and no monetary compensation was received for my opinion.*

 

 Win it:  I will be giving THREE of these Holiday ePlanners away.  Giveaway ends Friday, November 9!

To enter: Be sure to click on all the links before filling out the entry form.

1.Make a comment about why you need this ePlanner in the comment section below (you must then fill out the entry form for your entry to be counted!)(required)

2. "Like" 100 Days to Christmas on Facebook. 

3. Be a follower on my blog

4. Subscribe to my blog by email (link on blog)

5."Like" The Knowlton Nest on Facebook (link on my blog). 

6. Post about this giveaway on another site (your blog, facebook, twitter, etc) (1 entry for every site- see share buttons below) 

7. BONUS- If you buy The 100 Days to Christmas Ebook or you already own it, you get 5 extra entries!

DON'T FORGET- fill out the entry form after making a comment!  Comments only count if you have filled out the entry form.

Entry for Holiday ePlanner

 

Merry Christmas from the Knowlton's!

Favorite "Christmas" Movies!

Here are some movies that I like to watch at Christmas.  Most of them are either Christmas movies are movies that have Christmas in them.  I like the oldies but goodies!




Which of these movies have you seen and liked? Which ones do you want to see?  If I could recommend any that you may have not seen I would choose In the Good Old Summertime!  I know it doesn't sound like a Christmas movie, but it is.  You will love Van Johnson and Judy Garland.

So what movies do you watch at Christmas?

Have a great Christmas week!

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas from the Knowlton's!

Always remember the reason for the season: JESUS!

Shutterfly Christmas Cards

Every year at Christmas, it is always a great time to share memories and photos with family and friends.  We take so many pictures of our family that it would be fun to be able to put several on a Christmas card to send out.  I have actually never made a Christmas card before with personal pictures, but I recently discovered Shutterfly and I was so amazed at their collection of photo Christmas cards.  I was overwhelmed at the variety of layouts.  I am so excited to be able to choose a Christmas card from Shutterfly.  Our son just turned 2 and I am due to have another baby in May.  This would be a wonderful time to share this good news and with a beautiful Christmas card from Shutterfly.  This year Shutterfly is offering bloggers 50 free 4x6 prints for Christmas cards.  What I really like about the cards at Shutterfly is that they offer so many options for colors, number of pictures, words and designs.  If you are a blogger and are interested in receiving 50 free Christmas cards, please click HERE.

Here are some of my favorites that I will choose from:

Most Wonderful Time

Joy Ornament

Christmas Letter

Don't forget to sign up for your own free 50 prints today!