It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

While my mom and sister were here we started decorating for Christmas. The finishing touches went up yesterday. Here's a peak at some of our decorations this year.

We started a new tradition of doing an advent calendar. I made an advent calendar quilt (here's the pattern), and as always, it took much longer than I anticipated. Each pocket is fully lined. I appliqued all of the numbers onto each pocket as well. I would highly recommend using no-sew heat and bond instead, because the appliquéing took a looooong time. The director of Jude's preschool quilted it for me. You probably can't see from the picture, but the quilting is all free motion quilting.

I put two ornaments and two pieces of chocolate in each pocket. The kids hang the ornaments on this little advent tree.



Then we read an advent devotion. I'm kinda flying by the seat of my pants, as usual, so I haven't found a great devotional. The Jesse tree devotionals focus on the Old Testament stories leading up to the birth of Jesus. I may just read these stories out of the kids' Beginner Bible instead. If you know of a great Advent devotional please let me know in the comments. :)

The kids are loving this new tradition. They woke up this morning begging to do another pocket!

And since we're on the topic of Christmas, when my mom and sister were here we celebrated "Christmas morning"... albeit a month early. The kids got to open their gifts from my mom and from my grandparents. Oh it was such a delight!