DEC
23
2012

Merry Christmas 2012 & GIVEAWAY!!

By | Family, Give Aways, Holidays

401 Comments

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Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.” ~ Luke 2:13-14 Blessings from our family to yours, We wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a wonderful 2013! Erica, Jason, Strawberry Shortcake, Turbo, Tinker Bell and the Teeny Tot! While we’re off spending time with family and friends, I wanted to leave you with a little holiday cheer that can be found over here at the Confessions home…courtesy HP Pin the Halls!     As part of the HP Pin the Halls program, I was super excited to receive the EVNY 20 TouchSmart AiO to review, and it was just in time to help me make that super cute video for you! I was also dying to try out the new Windows 8 platform, and true to rumors, it’s super cool! Just like my tablet, it’s a touch screen, which makes it all the easier to use. It is also great for running apps, and you can … [Read more...]

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DEC
20
2012

2013 Mini-Van Express Night!

By | Advent, Christmas, Holidays, Homeschool

13 Comments

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Guess what tonight is!? Yep, it’s “Mini-Van Express” night at the Confessions home! Whoot whoot! So what are these golden tickets good for? Besides sheer excitement from most kiddos? Ready to start a Christmas tradition that the whole family will enjoy? I know you’ve all seen The Polar Express, well, this is our own version of that fun adventure! Each year we hide the “Golden Tickets” in our kids’ beds, then get ready for a night full of fun! Toot toot, All Aboard The Minivan Express! Click here to download your golden tickets! P.S. Don’t drive a mini-van? Don’t worry, page 2 has “Christmas Express” tickets, so you can make it work for your family no matter what you’re driving, it could even be a sleigh! ;o) wink…wink… So what the heck is the “Mini-van Express” you’re asking yourself?   We usually start off with a make your own pizza night: Right after dinner, usually an early dinner…*wink, wink*… I have … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Advent, Christmas, Holidays, Homeschool Tagged With: ,
DEC
12
2012

2013 Christmas Gift Ideas!

By | Christmas, Gift Ideas

1 Comment

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Hi everyone! Each year I receive emails asking about gift ideas for all of those awesome kiddos in your life! Well, this year I have a packed post of great ideas for the not only the little ones, but you mama’s too! Hope you enjoy! Sorry, apparently I’m really into exclamation points. WARNING: Beware, this post is full of eye-candy, so try to contain yourself, and just to help out, you should be able to click on any of the images below and get to them online… ;o) Stocking Stuffers: Pick and Draw Why Do They Call it Christmas? DVD Smencils The Night Before Christmas Recordable Book (My parents did this for our children, and they LOVE it! It will be a wonderful keepsake for years to come.)     Tot School: Alphabet Lacing Beads / How to build an A Color Sorting Bears / Magnetic Fishing Game Stacking Cups / VTech Touch & Teach Turtle VTech Write & Learn Letter Book Preschool: Magnetic Color Cubes / Chicka … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Christmas, Gift Ideas Tagged With: ,
DEC
05
2012

The Ultimate Guide to Christian Christmas Crafts!

By | Christmas Crafts, Holidays

6 Comments

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Good morning everyone! I *H*E*A*R*T* Christmas and am so excited to be part of the iHomeschool Network Christmas Blog Hop! We have some great Christmas posts for you each day in December, so make sure to check over at iHomeschool Network to see what’s coming!     Today I’m sharing some great Christian Craft ideas to help keep Jesus the focus of your holiday season! So grab a cup of some warm cocoa and join me for some yummy eye candy!   Printable Nativity Scene by Mama Jenn   Confessions of a homeschooler Advent Calendar   Truth in the Tinsel Ornaments by Mama Jenn: Our Truth in the Tinsel ornaments from Day 1-6 Our Truth in the Tinsel ornaments from Day 7-12 Our Truth in the Tinsel ornaments from Day 13-18 Our Truth in the Tinsel ornaments from Day 19-24   Baby Jesus Craft Kit from Craft Kit and Supplies     Birthday Cake for Jesus from … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Christmas Crafts, Holidays Tagged With: ,
NOV
28
2012

FREE Printable Advent Ornaments

By | Advent, Christmas, Christmas Crafts, Homeschool, Printables

17 Comments

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Well, I’m just going to keep adding to the fun today with a brand new Free Advent Ornament Printable for you all! I did one a couple years ago and everyone loved it, but I think it needed a facelift! So without any further ado…I created a fun Advent banner! --> Click here to download the 2012 Advent Ornaments! <--     (Art Work: Santa’s Sleigh digital scrapbook kit used with permission from Carina Gardner. Santa Basics kit may be purchased from www.jessicasprague.com. These printables may NOT be re-sold or re-distributed in any way, they are for your own personal use only.) Supplies: 2012 Advent Ornaments Cardstock & Scissors or paper trimmer Printer Laminator (optional) String, garland, or small Christmas tree Mini wooden clothespins (Found at most craft stores) Directions: Print the ornaments as directed on cardstock then cut out each triangle and laminate for durability. Use mini-clothes pins to attach ornaments to a small … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Advent, Christmas, Christmas Crafts, Homeschool, Printables Tagged With: , ,
OCT
17
2012

Operation Christmas Child 2012

By | Compassion, Mom Stuff

1 Comment

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For several years now we have packed shoebox gifts for Operation Christmas Child.  Their mission is to “demonstrate God’s love in a tangible way to needy children around the world” by packing a shoebox full of items for a child in need.  You’ll be surprised at the blessing this can will have on you, your child, and the child receiving the box! This year our Keepers at Home group will be participating in a group packing party! And I’m inviting you to join in on the giving and have your own packing party! 1. Order a a party packing kit from OCC. Samaritan’s Purse has put together some great resources and promotional materials to help you share Christ’s love with others through their Shoe Box Ministry! They shipped me a bunch of boy/girl labels, pre-printed sheets for each girl to fill out with information on where they live, what they like, etc. And also some fun bookmarks and stickers for each girl. 2. Get your OCC packing boxes. You can pick up free … [Read more...]

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DEC
13
2011

No Sew Fleece Tie Blanket Tutorial

By | Art, Mom Stuff

31 Comments

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  I don’t know what it is about the holidays, but they make me feel all “crafty”. I break out my knitting needles (more on that to come), I start making Christmas decorations, cookies, and this year I made these super soft no sew fleece blankets! You really can’t beat these in the cold snowy winter months! I’ve made them before and the kids absolutely love them. Since ours are well worn, I decided to replace a few of them with new ones. The good news about these is that they’re so easy and quick! Minus your trip to the store for fleece, you can literally have one of these blankets done within about 2 hours…give or take. Since this is the 12 Days of Christmas and all, I really wanted to make a more festive red and white blanket, but the crew out voted me and we went for the bright pink.   Supplies: 1 .  You will need 2 pieces of fleece Fabric at least 40 inches or wider (most are 54 inches) Toddler/Crib Size: 1 1/2 yards of each piece … [Read more...]

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DEC
12
2011

Mini-Van Express Tickets

By | Mom Stuff, Printables

66 Comments

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Toot toot, All Aboard The Minivan Express! Click here to download your golden tickets! Don’t drive a mini-van? Don’t worry, page 2 has “Christmas Express” tickets, so you can make it work for your family no matter what you’re driving, it could even be a sleigh! ;o) wink…wink… So what are these golden tickets for? Ready to start a Christmas tradition that the whole family will enjoy? I know you’ve all seen The Polar Express, well, this is our own version of that fun adventure! Each year we hide the “Golden Tickets” in our kids’ beds. My husband starts the bedtime routine as usual, while I prepare little bags of popcorn and hot chocolate drinks and place them in the car, oh and don’t forget to have Christmas music playing in the car too! When the kids go to climb into bed, they will find the ticket hidden under their covers, get ready for lots of giggles and screams as they all find their tickets! The kids are then instructed to grab their slippers and … [Read more...]

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DEC
08
2011

Reese’s Fudge Recipe

By | Recipes

5 Comments

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  I found a yummy recipe for Reese’s Fudge, and seriously, what could be better than a combination of Reese’s and Fudge? The original is here at Spell Out Loud, and thanks so much to Maureen’s sweet daughter for sharing this yummy goodness with us!   Ingredients: 1 can (14 ounce) sweetened condensed milk 1 bag of Reese peanut butter chips 1 bag of Nestle chocolate chips Vanilla Extract 8 inch pan 1 small microwave safe bowl Wax paper Instructions: 1. Line 8” pan with wax paper and set aside. 2. In a small bowl, mix peanut butter chips, 2/3 cup of condensed milk and a 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla. Microwave on high for 1 1/2 min. Stir mixture until smooth and spread evenly over wax paper in pan. Put in refrigerator to set.   3. While peanut butter layer is setting, pour 1 bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips into bowl. Mix in 1/2 t vanilla and remaining sweetened condensed milk. Microwave on high for 1 1/2 minutes. Stir … [Read more...]

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DEC
07
2011

Monogram Ornaments

By | Art, Mom Stuff

6 Comments

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  One year for Christmas I made monogram Christmas ornaments for everyone in our family. I tied them to the outside of their presents as the name tag. They were so adorable! Since I wanted to keep them safe before wrapping presents I had put them all on the tree, and it was so cool to see everyone in our family and some who were no longer with us all on the Christmas tree. Now I regret giving them all away! Supplies: Wooden letter (You can find these at Michael’s, JoAnn’s and Walmart, they’re fairly inexpensive) Patterned Paper (Also found at Michael’s & JoAnn’s ) Adhesive (I used a Xyron 900 9-Inch Creative Station ) Pencil for tracing Hole punch Foam nail file to sand edges Alphabet EZ Rub-On Transfers or stickers for names. Embellishments: patterned paper scraps and ribbon, whatever you like! Instructions: Turn wooden letter upside down onto back side of pattern paper and trace around edges with a pencil. Cut out the … [Read more...]

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