Welcome to Debbie's Domain

I love all of the holidays, but Christmas is my favorite. It makes me sad that so many people forget that it's a celebration of the birth of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. Some will argue that it isn't even His real birthday. That's true. Nobody knows when Jesus was born. Some believe it was in the spring or summer. That could be true. Many argue that our beloved Christmas traditions are of pagan origin. That's also true. The newly converted Christians didn't want to give up their colorful and festive holiday traditions. The church was wise enough to to see the problem and offer a solution. They started a new holiday close to the old, to honor the birth of Jesus, as told in the books of Matthew and Luke in the New Testament of the Bible. They gave new meanings to old symbols and customs. They named it Christs Mass. The people embraced the new holiday and many of us celebrate it still today. Many people want to reduce it back to a pagan holiday. They have ...

When the kids are little, it doesn't take much to make them happy. This summer I packed up a little picnic for the little ones. I spread a towel under in tree out front. I sat one on each end (they hate the feel of grass). They ate their picnic lunch with gusto. They loved it!

Anytime you reuse something instead of just throwing it away, it's cool. E and M thought this was a really cool way to recycle. It was one of those really hot days and no AC. We didn't have a pool, so I just did something we used to do when we were kids. We didn't know we were recycling, but it worked. That's all we cared about and that's all these little ones cared about. I put holes in the lid of an empty milk jug. I filled it with water, then hung it upside down.The kiddies cooled off and had a lot of fun!

I looked at a lot of other recipes for DIY Moonsand, but none of them were edible. I knew that M would end up eating it. Everything goes straight to his mouth. I didn't want him to eat sand or baby oil, so I made my own. I mixed 6 cups of flour, 2 cups of cornmeal (for a little bit of texture), and 1 cup of canola oil. The little ones loved it! E made sandcastles. M ate it. It kept them busy for a long time. Next time I may add food coloring.

It is usually really easy to buy birthday presents for a five year old boy. Most five year old boys are usually obsessed with one thing. If you know the boy, it shouldn't be a problem, because that's all they talk about. With one boy it might be horses or tractors. With another boy, it might be cars or super heroes. If you don't know the boy well, talk to his parents and find out what he likes and what he already has. A boy that is into super heroes will like most anything to do with them. The possibilities are endless. You can buy action figures and the accessories that go with them. There are often "Hot Wheels" and "Matchbox" cars with their pictures on them. There are movies and posters you can buy. Don't forget video games. Just be sure to check with mom to see what system he has and what games he already has. If he doesn't have a game system, you may be able to find a hand held game he would like. He may like a coloring book about super...

Jeremiah 1:5 “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, And before you were born I consecrated you; I have appointed you a prophet to the nations.” Patty and John had been trying to have a baby for a long time. They had almost given up. So you can imagine how happy they were when Patty found out she was pregnant! They told everyone the good news. They started making preparations for their new baby. They were really excited. The doctor ordered an ultrasound. They got to see a glimpse of their sweet baby girl. Everything seemed perfect. Then the doctor came in. “I have some bad news,” he said. “Our tests indicate that your baby is not normal. My advice is to get an abortion.” They were devastated. They tried for years to have a baby, now the doctor wanted them to abort it. They couldn’t do it. They had waited too long. This could be the only chance they would ever have. The months seemed to drag as they waited and worried. Finally the day came. Their new daughter was perfect. Th...

This is such an easy craft, even a two year old will enjoy helping. E and I made these last year. There are so many ways to make them. Start by collecting toilet tissue rolls. We glued construction paper around the rolls; black and white for the pilgrim, and brown for the Indian. I drew the faces on with markers. This year we added two more. E loves to paint. She painted one roll black and one brown. E glued the construction paper faces, hats, collars, and hair on. I poked holes on each side. We pushed pipe cleaners through the holes for arms. And they're done. Older kids may use fabric for the clothing. If you have them, real feathers would be a nice touch. Of course, these work well for other holidays, as well. Bunnies, leprechauns, and Uncle Sam are all fun ideas. We are going to try making a Nativity scene next month.

Things you will need: Scrap paper, Brown paper bag or construction paper, Several different colored sheets of tissue paper, Elmer's glue, Water, Small bowl or cup, Small paint brush, Wax paper, Scraps of colored papers, markers, or paint for details, Tissue paper sun catchers are easy to make and cost very little. They are also a great hit with your little crafters. I help my granddaughter, E, make a craft almost everyday. It's also a good way to recycle scrap paper, paper bags, and torn or crumpled tissue paper from gift bags. (I also reuse my gift bags.) E and I are making a turkey. Start out by making a pattern on scrap paper. If you are not an artist, trace your turkey from a book or print a couple of copies off the computer. I did. You may need to improvise some to get the pattern just the way you want it. Don't worry if it's not perfect. I've seen a lot of turkeys, and believe me, they are anything but perfect. Now ladies, I'm not talki...

Trick-or treat night is here. The weather is horrible! It's cold. Rain, snow, and wind are whirling around the house. The kids want to go trick-or-tricking. You want to stay in where it is warm and dry. What should you do? If you have school-age children, wrap them up warm under their costumes. Maybe they, and you, can hold out for a little while without freezing to death. Most kids will be ready to go get warm in a little while. Younger children will be just as happy to stay home and have a small Halloween party in the house. Everyone should dress up, even the adults. You can set up little areas inside the house for them to trick-or-treat at. Family members can give out the candy. Have a costume parade and march around the living room. You can make cookies or popcorn balls. Play games, like bobbing for apples. Then end the day with some Halloween cartoons, or read some stories. All of these ideas will be fun for the older kids when they give up and go home to get warm...

There are all kinds of instructions on ways to preserve a jack-o-lantern and make it last longer. Some work, some don't, some work better than others, and some are just too much trouble. If you want the jack-o-lantern to last around 2 weeks, untreated, keep it out of direct sunlight. Bring it inside when not in use, as it should not be too hot or too cold. You can put a wet towel in it, wrap it in plastic, and store it in the fridge if you want. If it starts to dry out you can also soak it in the sink a few hours. There is a product named 'Pumpkin Fresh' that you can buy at the store that will also preserve your jack-o-lantern for about 2 weeks. Keep it out of the weather, and spray it inside and out everyday. To make it last even longer, put it in the freezer for about 2 hours after spraying. Store it in a cool, dry place. Another way is to carve your pumpkin, then let it soak for 8 hours in bleach water. Use one teaspoon of bleach for every gallon of water. Spray i...

Halloween is a good time to watch scary movies. There are so many movies for kids, it's hard to know where to start. I couldn't possibly name them all. There are several that made a hit with my family, so I will name a few of the favorites. "When Good Ghouls Go Bad" is just a little scary, but mostly funny. Danny Walker (Joe Pichler) and his dad (Tom Amandes) move back to their hometown of Walker Falls. His dad plans to reopen the family business, Walker Chocolates. They move in with Danny's grandfather, who acts more like a kid than an adult. Everyone calls him Uncle Fred (Christopher Lloyd). All of the town's people are unfriendly and seem a little weird. Nobody celebrates Halloween anymore due to a mysterious death of an 8th grader, Curtis Danko, and a curse on the town if they ever celebrated Halloween again. Uncle Fred gets killed when a tower of pumpkins fall on him. After his funeral, he comes back as a zombie to save Halloween. That's when the...

Some people don't believe in celebrating Halloween. It is often hard for children when all of their friends are getting so excited about it. There is no reason for them to miss out on all the fun. You can have a Happy Autumn or Happy Harvest celebration instead. Decorating is easy. Just stick to the basics. Uncut pumpkins, gourds, squash, hay bales, corn stalks, Indian corn, mums, colored leaves and scarecrows all make good decorations. Window clings with leaves, acorns, and scarecrows are sold in many places. Children can make a lot of their own decorations with construction paper or felt material. To make decorations water proof, cover with Contact adhesive plastic. Another perk to these decorations is that they will fit right in with Thanksgiving. There are a lt of fun places to go and things to do with the kids. Many places offer corn mazes, the apple or pumpkin farm, and hayrides. Some towns and schools have fall festivals. You can also make your own fun....