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And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”
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 2:8-14 KJV
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When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Messiah was to be born. “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written:
“‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for out of you will come a ruler
who will shepherd my people Israel.’“
Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.”
After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route
Matthew 2:4-12 NIV
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Putting together Cinderella’s Castle for our daughter to give to her daughter was so much fun last night. These larger dollhouses easily allow for use of the smaller and regular sized 12″ dolls, giving the children hours of playtime with whatever doll they prefer. If you have a child in your life that likes to play with dolls or action figures, check out Kidcraft and their long list of available dollhouses. They are easy to assemble, sturdy and so much fun to watch the kids play.
We found ourselves putting together another wonderful dollhouse for one of our grandchildren last night. While this one was made by Kidcraft similar to the one we assembled earlier, it was most definitely different. The Cinderella Castle dollhouse was more detailed and included bolts and connections for the sides to all three levels, making this project a little more time consuming, but very sturdy once completed.
We completed putting another Kidcraft dollhouse together for our granddaughter to play with at our house, you can read about that project here.
The smaller parts were packaged inside two boxes to make it easier to locate and assemble.
Make certain you have plenty of room to shake out all the larger pieces. I recommend placing the parts in numerical order against a wall or object, as the instructions will take you through the process in that manner.
Both of the dollhouse projects we assembled this year came in boxes approximately 40″ long, 24″ wide, and 6″ high. They were both about 30 pounds, making them easy for anyone to maneuver and handle. Consider putting them together before Christmas though, they take anywhere from 30-90 minutes to assemble, and if you are doing this in the morning after it has been opened by the child, they may not be that patient.
Instructions are clear and easy to follow. You can use a screwdriver for the various size screws, but a chordless drill makes the job much quicker and easier. There are points where an extra pair of hands is needed, but generally it can be assembled by one person.
You start out working from the bottom level up, so give yourself plenty of room to get around the rising dollhouse.
A completed Cinderella’s dollhouse. I will say the hinges on the top level and small screws provided are not as sturdy as they need to be, and will be the first things that require repair once the child plays with the Castle.
So there you have it, another easy and fun dollhouse that your child can play with for a long time. This is a definite winner for children who like dolls, and with the big box stores are very affordable.
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One of the more fun projects with the grandkids that I can recall was completed last night. Together we created our own little gingerbread village. It was a kit purchased from one of the big box stores, but oh my how much fun our family had watching the it come to life!!
There were five building in all, each was baked and pressed from a large piece. Separating the sides of the buildings and the roof was easy with a little care. Using the icing as glue, we remembered it was a lot easier if you lay down a line of icing on the bottom for the first couple of pieces to secure themselves while joining their sides.
Now trying to make each one look like the box proved for this neanderthal a little difficult. The tip of the icing was just too large and my hands could not get inside to all the faces of building panels once they were set in place.
So we improvised, and did our best to make each building unique and neat looking for the kids to decorate. Once the icing was outlining all the windows and doors, I drizzled it across the entire village board to catch loose sprinkles.
The kids loved taking turns with the four different types of sprinkles and topping colors. Well, that was not all they loved once we were done with the icing!!
So there you have it, a 30-minute project that they talked about and kept looking at for hours. Now they are excited to tear it apart and eat!
Whether you make your own, buy a kit, make a large house, or do a village like we did, we encourage you and yours to take a little time to create a little magic in your home this Christmas season.
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This past week we purchased and assembles a Kidcraft Sweet Savannah Dollhouse from online. There are a number of retail stores where you can purchase this kit, we strongly recommend you considering, especially if you have children around that enjoy playing with dolls.
The finished product measures over 49″ high, 32″ wide and 12″ deep. The three living levels of the house are perfect for dolls that are up to 12″ tall. They may need to bend down to play in the attic level (lol). This kit came with instructions in english and spanish which were very easy to follow. With only four sizes of screws utilized and parts that were pre-punched, a dollhouse is easy to assemble.
“A classic dollhouse with southern flair, our Savannah Dollhouse is four levels of imaginative fun, suitable for dolls up to 12”. The included accessory pack features a working porch swing and a four-poster canopy bed to complete the sweet southern feel. With six individual rooms, two balconies and standing over four feet tall, this dollhouse will be a hit with your little one.” – Taken directly from the Kidcraft Website
Assembly for the dollhouse kit took less than an hour with the only tool required being a Phillips screwdriver. Honestly it was not a tough project, but oh how reqwarding when my Jennifer saw the finished product.
Now is time for the wrapping and presenting on Christmas day to Kessey and her Barbies!
What are your favorite kits to assemble? Do you like projects that require more assembly with glues and painting?
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Check us out at JenGaryNewAdventures.com and follow us on Pinterest.
There is truly magic to be found this holiday season if you are near a Lego store. There are many locations to be found, our favorite has been the one in what was previously called Downtown Disney, or now called Disney Springs. Whether girl or boy, young or old, Lego’s bring out thew creativity in us all.
Take the time to locate a Lego store near you this holiday season, or visit your local big box retail store and see what you your child’s imagine can create!
A knight fighting a fire breathing dragon!
Can you guess which one is the Lego?
Mega sized robot monsters
To infinity and beyond…
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The beautiful poinsettia plant is a holiday time tradition throughout the world. A species of plant indigenous to Mexico, with proper care can thrive in a variety of locations. The red petals and dark green leaves bring the Christmas season alive for many. There are many varieties however, with varying colors of the leaves.
It is botanically known as the Euphorbia pulcherrima, a part of the Euphorbicaceae or Spurge family of plants. These plants may secrete a milky sap which can cause allergies for those allergic to latex or have skin reactions. They are best not kept around pets, especially young cats and dogs. In their native location, these plants can grow into shrubs measuring 10-15 feet tall.
December 12, 2016 is marked as Poinsettia Day, the day that Joel Roberts Poinsett, a botanist and physician who first introduced the plant to the United States, passed away.
To prolong the life of your poinsettia plant follow these simple steps:
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Wishing you and yours a very Merry Christmas!
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