A brief glimpse into the second week of Advent.

Winter in in the frosty chilled air.  The trees look barren and sketetal, all stick and bark and wind whipping through the branches.   Night increases.  Everything inhales, moves inward, and finds a quiet warm corner. A candle is lit, a nut is cracked, a jar of canned tomatoes is opened, an evergreen is brought inside: we are all waiting out the cold with our various promises and reminders of light and warmth, of sunshine and greenery, of life and abundance.

 We have entered the Second Week of Advent: The celebration of the Kingdom of Plants.  We added a little potted evergreen to our nature table, as well as a vase of winter greenery, and some pine cones to remember the plant kingdom created by God.  Another candle was lit on Sunday for the Second Week of Advent.

Actual candles are lit during prayer time but then blown out in favor of the battery operated ones...we have a cat and a toddler so candles are a rare and brief treat.

Angels now grace the nature table, as well as St. Nicholas who was added on the 6th.

These angels were thirty cents a piece at the thrift store.

I love the simplicity of this angel.

I am quite pleased with how well Advent/Winter nature table is going.  It is simple, peaceful, and speaks to the spirit of the season.  I love being able to add something each week...starting out with a simple bowl of stones for the Mineral Kingdom and now we have evergreen, holly berries, ivy, pine cones, angels, and St. Nicholas.


This has been a week for sickness in our little home.  Stuffy sniffly runny noses, coughs, and tired bodies. A time for hanging out in pajamas, watching "Little Bear," snuggling on the sofa while drinking plenty of fluids.  A time for tea and hot broth.