Category: Testimony

The Best Christmas Nativities of 2018

11/5/2018

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I think I may have mentioned a time or two that I love Christmas. I love the magic and the decorations, the giving, the food and the fun. Most of all, I love the reason for the season, and that is to celebrate the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ. Consequently, I love Nativity Scenes. I have a few of them that I put up each year, and some of them have special meaning for me. One ceramic set I have was painted for me by my sister. Another Nativity was painted for me by Maddy when she was very young. She had solicited help from her dad to make it a hinged piece that I absolutely love.

I love how the donkey looks kind of like a reindeer.

Because I want my children and grandchildren to remember and know the true reason that we celebrate Christmas, I gave each of my children’s families a Fisher Price Nativity last year. It was great to give them a set that they can touch and learn the true story from the New Testament and retell themselves. I know that some people make it a tradition to get a new Nativity each year, whether big or small, a stand-alone set or an ornament. I am toying with the idea of doing that for my grandchildren, just as a reminder that we can feel the Joy of Christmas, and joy and hope in every part of our lives because Jesus Christ was born.
Do any of you collect nativities? Which ones are your favorites?

I have come up with a list with links for you of some of the nicest Nativity Sets for 2018. Some are very reasonably priced and some are a little pricier. I hope that you find it useful as you prepare for Christmas with your family and if you are looking to add a beautiful reminder of whose birth we are celebrating.

Kid Friendly Nativities:

Melissa and Doug Wooden Set This is a colorful, durable wooden set with 11 figures and a 4 piece stable. On the package is a retelling of the Christmas story. (Or, you can turn to Luke 2 for any of the sets!)

Delton Felt Nativity in a bag I love the cute lamb in this set!

Fisher Price Nativity The LIttle People are always so cute and easy for kids to hold. This is a smaller set than the one I got for my grandchildren.

Another Fisher Price, This is the set I got for my grandchildren. It has a few more pieces. I love that the star lights up and it plays "Away in a Manger."

Wall hanging with moveable figure If you don't have a lot of table space, this could be a great solution. It has 18 figures and a pocket in the back to store them.

Peg Doll Nativity is from LittleBlackMarketCo on Etsy. It has 9 peg dolls in a stained box that has a stable scene on the inside.

Nativity Advent Calendar This instant download from TimeSavers on Etsy is a digital download advent and Christmas Story.

Snow Globe Nativities

Dollar Tree Snow Globe If you have a lot of people to give them to, you can't beat $1.00! If you order them online, there are 24 in a case.

This one Plays Little Drummer Boy I found it amusing that someone only gave it one star because they had never heard of the song!? Otherwise, it had high ratings.

San Francisco Music Box Company Beautiful work on this globe. It plays "Oh LIttle Town of Bethlehem."

Peanuts figures I have a soft spot for the Peanuts Christmas Special. I have always loved how Linus recites Luke 2 on the TV special. This snowglobe is a sweet reminder of that.

Precious Moments I am also a sucker for Precious Moments figurines. This one plays "Oh Holy NIght." (One of my favorite Christmas songs!)

Large Statement Nativities

This 17.5” 3 piece Nativity makes a beautiful display. It has excellent reviews and would definitly become a family keepsake.

The largest piece in this set is 5.5”. It comes with 11 figures.

I absolutely love this Thomas Kinkade Nativity Tree. It is a beautifully handcrafted 16" tree with over 40 figures on it. It plays Silent Night. This picture is too small to appreciate it. Click on it to see how beautiful it is.

Here is another Thomas Kincade Nativity. It moves and plays 4 songs!

Driftwood Creche 14”x8.5” This is another beautiful table top set.

DIY Nativities

Felt Kit from OwlsCityCreations on Etsy

Here is a cute pattern for a Crocheted Nativity pattern. It is from AmigurumiBarmy on Etsy. If you are a crocheter, it looks like something that wouldn't be too hard. What do you think? Do you think you can get it done by Christmas?

If you feel like you need something a little smaller, here is a smaller felt option I found on Craftgawker, who got it off of Wild Olive. .

If you really like the Peg Doll idea, here is one you can make yourself! It is called Made-by-Me Peg Doll Nativity.

This link will take you to the popsicle stick nativity figures I made for a 3 year old class at church! It was easy and fun to make and the kids loved the sets I made for them.

There's my list of favorites! Whether you buy or make a Nativity for your family, or have one that you already have passed down through the years, I hope the Christmas Story is a part of your Christmas every year!

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Good Friday, Friday Faves & a Printable Easter Gift

3/30/2018

4 Comments

Last Friday for Friday Faves #56, we talked about the top 10 things that we love about Easter. Today is Good Friday, the day that is almost the culmination to Holy Week. Good Friday is the day Christ died on the cross. He atoned for our sins because He loves us. He made repentance possible.
But, we know that as difficult and sad as that part of the story is to read, that dark day is not where the story ends. Because, on the third day, Jesus Christ, the Savior of the World, overcame death and rose again. And, on Easter Sunday, that is what we celebrate! So, for today's Friday Faves # 57, we asked ourselves, and we ask you:

What helps you to remember the resurrection of Jesus Christ at Easter?

This is a special post to us and we felt that the best Easter message that we can share is the true one, so this is our Easter wish and Easter gift to you.
Between the 4 of us, we came up with a few excellent ways to remember the Savior and his glorious Resurrection.

Read the scriptures! In them is the true account of Jesus' life, crucifixion and resurrection. I love the account of Mary going to the tomb and finding it empty, the apostles running to see the empty tomb and being told by an angel, "He is not here: For He is risen!" (Matt. 28:6) Search the index or topical guide and search for scriptures that talk about the resurrection. Read the words of Paul to the Corinthians in 1 Corinthians 15. And here is a beautiful story that shows the peace and hope that comes from a knowledge of the Resurrection:

24 Martha saith unto him, I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day.
25 Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:
-John 11:24-25

Going along with the scriptures, there are inspirational articles written and talks that have been given, memorializing and describing the Savior's final days eloquently. One of my favorites is this on given by Jeffrey R. Holland.

In the post last Friday, I shared some beautiful hymns that we love to sing on Easter recalling the Resurrection. Because those words speak to me so deeply, I created a hand-lettered version of one of the lines that you can download and print yourself. It is from the hymn, Christ the Lord is Risen Today. If you click on the photo, you can download the pdf.

I hope that you enjoy it! It isn't blurry in real life, that is just the glare on the glass of the frame.

Artwork and videos are wonderful ways to ponder what our Savior has done for us. When teaching young children about the meaning of Easter, pictures and videos are such a wonderful resource. Click here for a wonderful Easter Video collection on LDS.org. Click the art piece below to go to more art pieces.

I wish I had seen this link on mormon.org sooner. If you click on this link, you can take part in #BECAUSEofHIM. Each day of his life during Holy Week is explained and there is a beautiful, thought provoking video to watch. I hope that it will add to the Spirit of your Easter this year!
Here at 3 Winks, we are all looking forward to some wonderful Easter traditions. We hope that you all have a wonderful time with your family and friends this holiday and are able to ponder the impact the Savior has made in your lives! We know that because of Him we have hope and peace.

“O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?” (1 Cor. 15:55).

Happy Easter!

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Friday Faves #56: 10+ Things to Love About Easter

3/16/2018

7 Comments

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Easter is such a beautiful holiday. Spring is beginning, the flowers are beginning to bloom. The holiday is steeped in rich traditions and most of the things that we associate with Easter have symbolic religious meanings. At our house, we love Easter for so many reasons and we have many traditions that mark this holiday as special to us. So, for today's Friday Faves, we decided to share 10 Things That We Love About Easter! I'll start with #10 and work my way forward!

10. Jelly Beans! About the only time of year that we eat these sweet, fruity beauties is during the Easter Season! Of course they are widely available everywhere and now they come in so many flavors and varieties. I have found that I like them all!! :)
9. Easter Eggs! This is actually going to be a few ideas in one spot. Alicia mentioned that she loved coloring the hard boiled eggs. (I have always loved that, too). It is so much fun to get creative with the egg coloring. We always set aside time on the Saturday before Easter Sunday to color the eggs.
Early Sunday morning, before church, the kids would all come out and hunt for the eggs that the Easter Bunny had hidden around the house. Yes, they had to hunt for the real ones as well as plastic ones. Surprisingly, we never had any mishaps!
Since I have 6 children, that meant a lot of hard boiled eggs! Of course we ate some at breakfast on Easter morning. One of my favorite things to do with the eggs was to make them into Deviled Eggs and into Egg Salad Sandwiches. Hmm, we may need to share those recipes with you before Easter arrives!
7. Easter Morning Pastry! To go along with the hard boiled eggs at breakfast, I always had either homemade or nice purchased pastries for Easter Morning. Add a glass of juice, and it was a nice, quick breakfast to eat before it was time to head off to church. Lindsey wants to keep this tradition in her family now. One of the things that I would sometimes make was this Cherry-Cheese Pastry that I have shared with you before. (It is a favorite of my DIL).

You can make the pastry the night before and then add the cherries in the morning.

7. Easter Baskets! Maddy made sure that we mention Easter Baskets here. They are always so much fun to get on Easter Morning. Our kids had baskets that were their's that they used year after year. Some of our kids had nice willow baskets and a couple had the colorful Easter type, but they were their own, so they didn't mix up whose was whose. We always put in a nice mix of treats and little gifts. Nothing too elaborate. If you want some inexpensive basket ideas, be sure to check out our Easter Basket Stem Activities post, with a video!

6. Chocolate Easter Bunnies! We used to get our kids those hollow chocolate Easter bunnies. The chocolate wasn't that great, but they loved to break off the ears and then pour milk inside the bunny! My oldest son started doing this and showed his younger siblings how to do it. Surprisingly, there weren't many messes from it. It is just one of those funny things that evolved at our house from the early stages with our kids.
If you have more discerning taste in chocolate, you can get Russel Stover bunnies at Dollar Tree!

5. Easter Dresses and Outfits! When my girls were young, I used to love making them Easter Dresses, just like my mother used to do for me. I like getting a nice, new Spring Dress as well, but I hate to sew for myself, so if I get one, I always purchase it. It is also always nice to get a new tie or something for the boys as well. Starting on the 18th of March, Target is going to be having BOGO on their girls and toddler dresses. That is buy one get one for 50% off! So, if you aren't sewing the dresses, there is a great deal! Here are a few that I think are adorable:

4. Going to Church on Easter Morning! Lindsey mentioned that she loves going to church on Easter Morning because the hymns seem to be sung more fervently and the messages are always beautiful. The same feeling comes to me when Christmas falls on a Sunday. Easter Services are always beautiful and filled with hope. In our church this year, there is a world wide conference that will be televised on Easter morning. It will be wonderful to hear the messages right in our own homes. We can stay in our pjs and wear the Easter dresses the following week!
3. The Easter Hymns! I already mentioned them, but the beautiful music of Easter deserves a place of its own. Go here to listen to "Christ the Lord is Risen Today". Go here to listen to "I Know That My Redeemer Lives". Just a couple of my favorites.
2. The Messiah! Madalynn reminded me of Handel's Messiah. What a truly inspired and beautiful work of musical art! My girl's have all had the opportunity to perform in presentations of the Messiah, or at least portions of it. Have you ever gone to hear it live and to feel that music just wash over you and fill your heart? Have you ever been able to go to a sing-a-long of the Messiah and be a part of the music? It is amazing! Guess what! There is a great opportunity this year to sing-a-long with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir as they perform the Messiah! Go to this link and find out all about it! Event is on March 23rd. You can even download download a PDF of the musical score! It is so amazing to sing the Hallelujah Chorus with that wonderful choir. I can hardly wait!

And, at last, the #1 favorite thing that we love about Easter! Let me tell you a true story. When my daughters and I were discussing what we should make Friday Faves about this week, and I told them I thought we should talk about something to do with Easter, I jokingly asked, "What was your favorite Easter?" Silly, right? Who can pick a favorite Easter from their lives? But, Madalynn answered, "The one when Jesus Christ was resurrected." Yes, she was kind of teasing me about even asking that question, yet, I was humbled and very glad that this was the first thing that came into her mind. He is the reason we celebrate this wonderful holiday. Because of Him, we have hope for eternity. We hope that each of you can feel His love and hope in your lives. While all of the other trappings are a lot of fun and serve as reminders of what Jesus Christ has done for us, I want to make sure that His name comes to my mind every time I hear the word Easter, and that I remember Him everyday! Thanks Maddy, for that simple reminder.

You will be hearing more from us on the subject of Easter over the next couple of weeks! We have recipes and ideas to share. We hope that you will let us know some of the things that you love about Easter and how you celebrate at your house. I am going to put links to some of our past Easter posts below. Just click the pictures and they will take you to those posts!