Easter to Pentecost

 

During Lent, we did a good job of keeping up with the nightly readings for our Jesus Tree.  I thought that perhaps we could turn this into a liturgical year type of activity.  During the time from Easter to Pentecost, there are around 14 readings, which breaks down into two readings per week.  I took the readings, assigned a symbol for each reading, and thought that we could stack them, sort of like layers of a cake and put a candle on the top for Pentecost, since it is the birthday of the Church! 

You can find the instructions, readings and symbols at the following links:

Page 1: Instructions
Page 2: Week 1 - 3
Page 3:  Week 4 - 6
Page 4:  Week 7

I am working on something different for Ordinary Time, perhaps focusing on the parables.  I think I found 24 distinct parables in the Gospels!  I just want to check and double check and work on the end project before I share.  I hope to be done before Pentecost.  I will also be working on the Good Shepherd play set for our Sacred Play Space.

May God Bless you this Easter Season!
Jennifer

Felted Angel Doll

Felted Angel Doll

I had an idea last night about felting to a felt doll form.  I thought I would try it out and the results came out quite cute.  I am beginning to love working with wool roving!  This really wasn't too hard to accomplish.  I've made pattern available for the doll body: Page 1, wings: Page 2., and instructions for sewing:  Page 3.

After sewing the body, you can needle felt directly to the body.  I needle felted the face, hair, dress and embellishments directly to the doll.  For the heart, I used a cookie cutter, placed the wool inside the heart and needle felted.  I did not wet anything in creating the doll.  To make the stem, you can use either wool yarn or just twist a small bit of roving and needle felt to the dress part.  The other embellishments were done in a similar manner.  I will most likely make another one, so perhaps I will photograph the steps and make a tutorial for it.  If you have any questions, please ask. 

God Bless,
Jennifer

PS - - I mentioned that I used a cookie cutter to felt the heart shape.  I saw a picture of someone using a "mold" to felt that resembled a cookie cutter and thought why not!  This is sooooo easy to do and you can use any shape you want.  Just cut the roving to fit inside the cookie cutter and needle felt.  You can turn it over so that you can do both sides. Once you are done, you can felt it to the doll or whatever you are embellishing.

Crafting Day!!!

Yesterday, I invited a friend of mine over for a day of crafting.  The kids could play while we could work and chat - - kind of like quilting bees of the past, right? 

Mary brought with her, her wool roving and needle felting tools.  She showed me how she was making this Blessed Virgin Mary doll, which she generously left for Daniel.  (I think I am going to add it to the church bag - - it won't make as much noise hitting the pew as the wooden saint dolls do!) 

Felted Mary doll

As we were crafting, the girls would drift in and out looking at what we were doing.  I was working on the banner of Pope John Paul II.  My daughter, Jenna, saw the dolls and asked if she could try making one for a gift.   Below are two of her dolls - - one she made with Mary, while the other she crafted later.  She enjoyed making the dolls, and I enjoyed the fact that she was enthusiastic.  Many times, she will get frustrated with crafts that are too involved.  These were easy and she needed only a little help.  I think I see a future birthday or Christmas gift here!

Jenna's dolls - Mary helped her with the one on the right.
The one on the left is her creation.

I had so much fun working on crafts the entire day, I think this will have to be a monthly occurrence.  Any takers?

In Christ,
Jennifer

PS - I mentioned the Knitter's Cottage on Iron Bridges road as a local to me source for roving.  They also carry some felting supplies, like needles and starter kits.  I highly recommend a trip to this little store.  The Mennonite sisters who run it are very nice and helpul. 

I would also like to find an online supplier, if anyone has any experience here, that would be great!

Thanks!

Bl. Pope John Paul II

On Sunday, Pope John Paul II will be beatified.  It is also Divine Mercy Sunday.  What a fitting day for the beatification! 

We will be reading Lolek, The Boy Who Became Pope John Paul II.  We also have a movie here that we will watch as well. Over the past few months, I've been making some wall banners.  I've tried to tie it to a saint or other theme for the month.  Since Sunday is the day for the beatification of Pope John Paul II, I thought it would be a fitting tribute to make this wall banner for May.

Pope John Paull II
Wall Hanging

Lacy, from Catholic Icing, had a link to here, for a stained glass pattern that I used.  To make this banner, you will need the following materials:

2 patterns (one on cardstock and one on regular paper)
Pen
Sharpie
Heat 'n Bond
small pieces of fabric (about 4 inches x8 inches) in the following colors:

P1 - light peach (or skintone)
P2 - dark peach (or skintone)
2 different white patterns (W-1 and W-2)
B1 - background blue
B2 - blue for eyes (you only need a very small piece)
G - Gold
GR -Grey

2 - black fat quarters or pieces of fabric and batting (one will be the backing to the wall hanging and the other will be your background fabric. 

Black thread
Sewing Machine

Step 1: Label your pattern pieces for each color on both the card stock and the paper pattern. You can look on the original stained glass to see what color goes where.

Step 2:  Prepare the fabric by ironing heat 'n bond on back (cut to size - - heat 'n bond can ruin a perfectly good ironing board cover!). 

Step 3:  Trace pattern pieces onto backside of fabric (you will need to turn the pieces over so that it will be in the right direction when you put the pieces together).   I cut out some of the pieces, traced them and then cut out more - - usually one color at a time.  You can also work your way down from top to bottom and assemble as you go.  Please note that some pieces may require some trimming. 

Step 4:  Press from top to bottom during assembly.  Press by bringing the iron down on the fabric.  Try to avoid moving the iron back and forth as it may causes piece to shift.

Step 5:  Add decorative accents (like the corner pieces, "Totus Tuus", etc.

Step 6:  Layer your batting and top piece.  Trim if necessary.  Place it on to the backing and finish.  There are many ways to finish a small quiltig project. I turned the backing up an folded it over. 

A few notes - you want black lines to show, so that it has that stained glass effect.  You may need to trim some pieces as you work out the pattern on the fabric.  Be sure to clear any clippings before you iron (otherwise, you may inadvertently iron the clippings on).  Also I cut by color, but could just as easily cut a section, lay it out, iron and then continue that way.   I would try to iron as I worked so that I didn't lose small pieces and the pattern didn't shift.

Anyways, there it is and thanks to Chantel for a neat pattern that I was able to adapt for fabric use!  I hope to also get a wooden saint doll completed for our saints collection.

God Bless,
Jennifer

PS - - I was just thinking that the patterns for stained glass would make wonderful wooden puzzles - - the tray kind.  You could combine some of the features so the pieces wouldn't be quite so small and then hand paint them.  Chantel has a pattern for Pope Benedict - - quite larger than the one for Pope John Paul II.  I was also thinking that this could be done with scrapbooking papers and then mounted and framed.  Lots of neat things you can do in place of stained glass.

Happy Easter!!!

Andrea and Daniel coloring eggs

Happy Easter! What a blessed Easter we are having!    On Holy Saturday, the kids colored eggs with their aunt.  It is always fun to watch the little ones color eggs!  Daniel was no exception.  We also made some Pysanky eggs for the first time.  We had made some of these earlier in Holy Week, and we had brought the supplies with us and so that we could make some with our aunt.  It is kind of cool to build layer upon layer, dipping and then laying down more wax.  You truly never know what you are going to have until when you melt away the layers of wax to reveal something quite special.  The eggs we made were not all traditional Pysanky designs.  Andrea made one that was whimsical, with Peeps on both sides.  The one in the back there is inspired by Starry Night. 

Pysanky Eggs - some done traditionally
and some not.

After Easter Sunday Mass, we spent time with our family, which was fun for all of us.  The kids enjoy seeing their cousins. 

Today, we went up to a friend's house for an egg hunt and do some activities together.  We began with a decade of the Rosary (the Resurrection), then while the big kids hid the eggs, the younger ones made the Divine Mercy Jesus from Catholic Icing.  After the craft, we made the Resurrection Rolls (also from Catholic Icing) and then the younger kids went to hunt for eggs, while we got the snack baked and all the other food put out.  I must tell you that the craft was great - - easy to do and suitable from the oldest (11) to the youngest (1-1/2).  The Rolls were also a hit - - they taste like cinnamon rolls.  Definitely a recipe keeper!  Now it will be hard deciding whether or not to make these more than once through the year!

We are not getting any "school" done this week, which is okay - - while we will buckle down next week, it's fun to take time off to celebrate in a special way.  Catholic Icing has some great ideas for Divine Mercy Sunday and for Pope John Paul II's beatification.  Be sure to check them out.  I am looking at possibly doing something with the stained glass pattern for JPII.

God Bless,
Jennifer

Some more notes - - at Learn Pysanky, they suggest farm fresh white eggs over supermarket eggs.  I am not certain where to get farm fresh white eggs, but I do have some brown egg layers in my backyard.  I picked out the lightest of the brown eggs I could find and used those for our Pysanky eggs.  As you can see, the dyes worked great, so I don't think the dye is an issue with egg color.  I am thinking the part that you would want to show white would just be the brown of the egg instead of white - which could be a preference thing.  Perhaps when we replace our flock, I will get some white egg layers, but for now the brown eggs worked fine.  We also used the brown eggs for coloring regular Easter eggs and they worked fine with those dyes, too.  I was glad not to have to buy eggs!

The Last Supper - Holy Thursday Mass

Wow!  What an amazing Mass we had last night!  What is it about Holy Thursday Mass that is so special?  It is not just one thing, but many things - - from the humility of the priest washing the feet of his parishioners to the processional to the temporary tabernacle to the stripping of the altar.  Each one of these things whispers Christ to me. 

In past years, the parishioners chosen have included teens, women and men.  This year, our priest had only men chosen.  Twelve - - one for each Apostle.  To see our priest in humble service washing feet is the reminder for us to go and do likewise.  While I don't think Christ means for us to literally go around washing feet, there is that call to humble service.  The kind of service that doesn't seek thanks or accolades of others.  Humble service in the little things, like doing laundry without complaint (that's for me who has always had issues with laundry).  Humility can be a hard thing.  Who doesn't like a thank you for what they've done?  How many times have you heard, or even said, "A "thank you" would be nice."  Our Lord reminds us in the Bible that we should pray, fast and give alms in secret so that our reward will be in Heaven.  I often remind my children that when they are seeking gratitude for a little act of kindness that instead they should be looking to store treasures in Heaven and perform their deeds without seeking gratitude.  If you are looking for gratitude then you have been repaid, like those who pray, fast or give alms with loud claxons.  I, too, can use these reminders about gratitude.  As a mom of five, there are times when I seek "gratitude" for the things I do for my family.  Let's face it, it is a human thing to want gratitude.   Lord, let me serve others with humility, without seeking gratitude or accolades. 

The procession and resultant, empty tabernacle, is a poignant reminder of Christ's "descent into hell," or the three days in the tomb.  There is something about not having Christ in the tabernacle that is both sad and frightening, something that the Apostles surely felt after Christ's death.  Sad because, as Catholics, we are so used to having Christ in the tabernacles of our churches.  We can sometimes take it for granted.  I reflect on communities where churches have closed due to dwindling populations or lack of priests to serve them.  How sad it is - - especially in once thriving communities where people were use to walking to church and where life centered around the parish.  It is also frightening.  I think and reflect on all of the places in the world where celebrating Mass is akin to criminal activity.  Or where Christians suffer under unjust laws.  How many tabernacles lay empty due to any of these reasons?   Lord, I pray for all of those communities and for us., that we may always be able to turn to you in the Eucharist.   

St. Mary's in Hagerstown is a nice little church.  At one time, it was a little more ornate with beautiful moldings.  Some of that had been stripped away in some of the refurbishing, but the church still retains its beautiful stained glass windows, some of the beautiful molding, the altars and statuary, and its communion rail.  The altar is always beautifully dressed in linens.  There is a barrenness when the altar is stripped.  Again, that sense of loss, sadness, of being alone.  We cry out, "My Lord, my Lord, why have you forsaken us?"  However, we wait in joyful anticipation, because we know what will happen in three days - - Christ will rise from the dead.  For just a second, though, think about the disciples on that first Good Friday - - they didn't exactly know.  Take a minute or two to contemplate  their anxiety.  Did the faith of the Apostle slip a little though as they waited in the Upper Room?  I am sure Mary was there to offer some consolation, most assuredly a comforting presence to her son's disciples.  And, if they had really considered our Lord's teachings, they knew He would rise from the dead, as promised.  

Our faith is centered around Christ's death, resurrection, and ascension into Heaven.  After all, it was in His death that He sacrificed Himself for us all.  It was in His resurrection that He triumphed over death.  And it is in His ascension that He returns to His father, glorified, and waiting for those who would follow Him. 

Have a Blessed Triduum!  And a Happy Easter!

God Bless,
Jennifer

Trolling . . . .

Two posts for today - - yeah!  I am coining a new word to describe my use of the internet, the word trolling - - especially since browsing doesn't seem to cover what I do when it comes to the internet. 

Anyone who has seen fishing boats trolling off the coast will know what I mean.  Trolling boats put out big fishing nets that drag the bottom of the ground.  When they pull them up they are hopeful that they get the kind of fish that they want.  They then dump the fish into the boat and then have to sort through them, tossing fish that are too small or of a variety that they cannot or do not want to keep and keeping those that will be taken in and sold.  Sometimes they may pick up unintended fish or sea creatures, though many nets these day are equipped with safety devices that prevent much of that. 

I find myself using the internet a lot these days, as I am sure many of us do.  Sometimes I will use it to find an activity for a special feast day or to print out a handwriting worksheet.  Other times, I will use it to shop for birthday or Christmas presents or price out things I may want but cannot find locally.  Sometimes I will search for something by "Googling" the search terms.  Sometimes my searches yield great results - - those that are actually relevant to what I was searching for and actually usable.  Sometimes, I get the old "shoe" and worn "tire" in my searches - - much like the trolling boats when they pick up garbage.  So, as you see, the term trolling seems to fit better than "browsing."  Browsing indicates passivity.  Kind of like window shopping.  Trolling indicated more action, by keeping the good and tossing out the stuff you don't want.  

So there you go - - trolling!  With all of the great Catholic blogs out there, my trolling time has gotten longer, but has proven more fruitful!

God Bless,
Jennifer

Felted Eggs and Other Food

Felted Eggs

Here is a picture of some of the eggs that I talked about making yesterday that have been completed with their little "treats" or should I say "tweets" inside.  I found the little chicks at AC Moore and they fit perfectly inside the eggs.  I am sure my girls will appreciate the little tweets!  I want to make more for sorting and counting.  I think that I will stuff and sew them shut for that purpose though.   A friend of mine suggested that I could also make them different sizes using larger eggs -- what a perfect idea for teaching size the Montessori way.  I just have to find some of the larger plastic eggs now.

Felt food (L-R, Front to Back)
Bacon, Strawberries, Eggs
Potatoes, Carrots, Banana
Sandwich meats & cheeses, Bread, Ravioli

I am also adding some pictures of the felt food that I have been making.  It started as part of a Christmas present for my dear godchild and I have continued to make some for other presents and my own dear Daniel.   My oldest daughter, Andrea, was playing with Daniel and put the "food" into the stacking blocks to make it like a store and took Daniel "shopping."  He was counting the potatoes, she said.  The felt ravioli are by far the easiest and most fun to make.  Especially if you have a rotary cutter with the pinking shear blade and a straight edge.  Here is the link for them:  Ravioli.  For the other "food" items, some are from patterns found on You Can Make This and others I have found for free while trolling the web.  You can search Google for free felt food patterns and get a lot of responses.  While you are making the food, also sew your little one a Chef's Hat and apron.  The Chef's Hat is a free download at You Can Make This!  What a great "soft" alternative to the plastic food that is found in stores.  Plus, they don't hurt as much if a "food fight" ensues! 

God Bless!
Jennifer

Welcome, Holy Week!

Holy Week is here!!!!  Traditionally, around our house, we have an amended school week.  Sometimes I give the kids off, but this year, we are minimizing a little, yet still doing some school, mostly math and some narrations for Holy Week.

We started off this week (yesterday) with reading about the Passover in the Children's Bible and the kids gave me a written narration.  We also read  about the Passover meal in The Four Questions and discussed how Christ, on Holy Thursday, was celebrating the Passover with His apostles at the Last Supper.  In reading this book, I was struck by the fact that for those of the Jewish faith, the Passover meal is a way for them to remember and participate in the suffering and redemption from slavery of their ancestors.  It is more than a commemoration, it is the way they "live" their history.  It struck me, too, that Christ, when He became our Paschal Lamb, He left us a way to remember and live His suffering, passion and death.  He gave us Himself in the Holy Eucharist.  We celebrate this at every Mass.  How blessed are we!

For music, I chose to study Tomas Luis de Victoria.  At first, you may wonder who he is . . . I sure didn't hear of him either, until I was trolling the web for music that pertained to Holy Week.  There I came across something I had only heard of, but didn't really know what it was - - Tenebrae.  What was that????  Tenebrae is Latin for darkness or shadows and the name given to special prayers that are said on Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Holy Saturday (before the vigil, I guess).  Some churches have special services.  What I believe, if I understand it correctly, is that the prayers that are said during a Tenebrae service are part of the Divine Office -- traditionally said at a time when most of the congregation would be asleep or not participating.  The Tenebrae service moved the prayers to a more suitable time for devotion so that the congregation could participate.  Victoria was a composer and priest during the reformation era and actually was part of the counter-reformation movement.  He came from Avila, same as St. Teresa de la Cruz, more commonly known as St. Teresa of Avila.  He studied in Rome and was even in contact with St.Philip Neri.  All of his music was composed for spiritual purposes, some of which are the Tenebrae responsorials that a choir would sing during these special prayer times.  The interesting thing is that my mother-in-law's church is having a Tenebrae service.  So, hopefully, we will be able to attend and perhaps they will have some music.

For art, we read The Bird's Gift:  A Ukrainian Easter Story.  As part of the art, I gave the kids some coloring pages from Learn Pysanky.  They are also getting to design and make their own Pysanky Eggs.  The process is easier than I thought and so much fun to do.  The design process can be complicated and some are very intricate. I am letting the kids make their own designs with the instruction that somehow it had to be tied to Easter (so as to prevent Pokemon eggs and so forth!).  The great thing is that the supplies are not expensive and the dye can be saved for 6 months to a year.  I was thinking it would be cool to make some around Christmas time as ornaments.  I will post pictures once the kids are done with their eggs. 

Felted Eggs

For crafting, I am in the process of making felted eggs.  Crunchy Catholic Momma has a link to a tutorial on making felted eggs using plastic eggs as molds.  I had also seen these on another blog for use as part of Montessori (used for sorting and counting) and was wondering how easily they could be made.  Well, the long and short of it is that it isn't tooooo hard, but I did some searching and found a link to a U-Tube video where the woman was covering rocks with felt -- rocks - - plastic eggs (almost the same, right???).  So I watched the video and how she did it.  I must say that I was much more successful employing a combination of both techniques.  Between the two, I got the idea that thin layers were preferable, so I layered and worked and layered some more and worked - - about three layers in all.  But with the video, I used the idea of using netting or tulle to wrap around the wool-covered egg to keep the wool in place.  In doing so, I could submerse the egg, rather than dribble water and I didn't have to worry about the wool moving around so much - - so thanks, Crunchy Catholic Momma for a great craft idea.  And thanks to "sockmonkeyhead" for the U-Tube video that made this craft easier and perhaps a little more child friendly.  While they dry, I am already thinking about what I can hide in them!

Other than math, that is the beginning of our school week.  Hope you are all having a Blessed Holy Week. 

God Bless,
Jennifer

Notes: 

For those who are local to the Hagerstown area, Howard's Art Supplies on Dual Highway sells Psyanky Egg making materials.  At this time they are on display in the front of the store.  If you go any other time of year, you may want to ask where they keep them.

Also, wool roving is not something that can be picked up at AC Moore or Michaels.  But, there is a lovely little store in Waynesboro, just across the state line off of Lietersburg Pike called The Knitting Cottage.  They had quite a selection of colors available and if I had more money, I would have invested in the purple and red and blue and . . . . well, you get my drift.  Great place to go if you are looking for specialty yarns, as well and the staff is very helpful.

In addition, the "sockmonkeyhead" lady is Terri Pike from www.feltinglessons.com.  I haven't had time to peruse her entire website, yet, but it looks very interesting and the aforementioned U-Tube video was quite helpful.  I am sure I can interest my Andrea and Jenna in felting rocks!

Baseball has started . . .

I haven't posted nearly as much the past couple of weeks.  I can only say one word - - okay, maybe two - - baseball season!!!  Alex is playing his last year of Little League.  Which means running to and from practices a few nights a week and now that the season has started, it also means at least two games a week.  We love watching our Alex play.  He certainly isn't the best player, but he loves the game and wants so badly to do well.  It makes our heart ache for him sometimes.  We rejoice over every hit.   If you've ever watched Rudy, you will understand what I mean.  So far, he is doing well.  He tries to keep a good attitude, which is what Dave and I have been trying to teach him.   That, and to always do your best.  It may not win games and occasionally it may even mean you strike out. 

At Alex's last game, I arrived just as he came up to bat - - what timing!!!  You can imagine the thrill of a mother's heart when he hit the ball and ran to first - - and was safe!  He actually batted in a runner on second and one on third - - score two for Alex.  Then he actually got around the bases and made it home - - score three for Alex!!!!  I think Dave almost had tears in his eyes.  Which may sound funny, but last year, Alex probably played as many innings as there were games, so he didn't get up to bat much.  And, this year seems to be heading in the same direction.  So, it means something when he does bat and bats well.  It could also be that he is maturing, and so his abilities could be sharpening a little.

As parents, it is sometimes hard to see your child on the sidelines a lot, especially when he wants to play so much.  I guess we have to realize that while it's great to love the game, not every child has the talent to be the next Babe Ruth or Hank Aaron.  And in realizing that, we have to help our children understand that, too. 

I remember being told as a child that I could "be anything I wanted to be."  And largely that was true - - however,  it didn't mean that I would be the next Mary Lou Retton just because I could do cartwheels and handstands.   It also didn't mean that I could be many things, simply because I didn't have the talent for them.  As parents, we are called to recognize the talents that our children have and to help them develop them and to use them for God and the furthering of His kingdom.  Some people have a talent for football and are able to combine their love of the sport with love of God - - look at Tim Tebow, who used his popularity to speak out for Life. 

It's great to love a game and to want to play and watch the game.  And even though you may not play very well, it doesn't mean that your future isn't in the game.  There are many aspects to sports that have little to do with actually playing.  In the meantime, we root for Alex and his teammates at every game and say a little prayer when he comes up to bat that he does well, and we rejoice with every hit. 

God Bless!
Jennifer

PS - I am posting some new pics to our Sacred Play Spaces page with photos of the nearly complete "Way of the Cross" set.

Printer Ink

Printer ink can be very expensive these days - - especially if you troll the web looking for cool stuff to print and use with your kids.  I will admit also that I print probably too much, but there is so much wonderful and great things.  Which leads me to how to cope with the rising costs of printer ink.  I have been reluctant in the past to reuse cartridges, thinking that somehow it is going to do terrible things to my printer.  Not sure exactly what I expected, but I just "knew" something bad would happen.  I wonder if that is what the makers want us to think so that we keep buying the new cartridges at a pretty high price! 

I found a product by Inktec that allows me to refill my printer cartridges (HP 564) multiple times quickly and easily.  There are some caveats to all of this.  First of all, they suggest you do not let the cartridges run "dry" and refill them while there is still ink in them.  Secondly, they suggest that you only refill a particular cartridge so many times, which means that you still will need to purchase new cartridges periodically, though less frequently without the refills.  And lastly, it may be a little difficult to tell when you need to refill since most printers recognize that you didn't put in new ones and may still show low ink levels.

Refilling is a viable option though and one that reduces printing costs dramatically.  I refilled my cartridges and had them replaced and back in the printer all within 10 minutes or so.  The printing doesn't look any different that it did with the new HP cartridges and so far, I will have to say that I am satisfied with the product.    I will let you know how it goes.

Jennifer

Narnia, anyone?

We made a quick trip up to Pittsburgh on Monday and came home Tuesday morning.  We usually go through the Laurel Highlands on our way to and from Pittsburgh.  The weather turned colder overnight and by Tuesday morning, the city had a rain/snow mix.  I knew that meant that the Highlands would probably have snow.  Sure enough, as we started up the mountains the weather started turning from rain to snow, until it almost seemed as if we entered another world. 

My daughter in the back remarked that it seemed as if we were entering Narnia.  It made for a beautiful drive on an otherwise dreary day. 


National Road through the Laurel Highlands in
western Pennsylvania.

 Enjoy!  God Bless!
Jennifer

Happy April Fool's Day

Mark Twain has a quote, "This is the day upon which we are reminded what we are the other 364 days of the year."  I had to laugh at that one.  The kids and I love to play those little pranks on each other on this day.  Nothing big like salt in the sugar container or anything.  Just things like, "Hey your zipper is down."

Perhaps today is the day to remind us to pray for wisdom.  It's one thing to intentionally play foolish jokes on one another, but it is another to truly feel foolish because of something we may have said or done.  I warn my children of this often, to think before they do or say something.  Sometimes it has to do with schoolwork.  If they would slow down, they would see their mistakes and be able to correct them themselves.  Sometimes it has to do with interactions with their siblings or friends - - like if you would have thought about what you said or did beforehand, you would have realized that it would upset so and so.  But how many times have I caught myself in the same situaton - - saying or doing something for no real reason, causing perhaps unintended harm.  And so, today, I am praying for wisdom - and the chance to catch my more astute children in a little foolish prank!

God Bless,
Jennifer

PS - - I am almost done with the Jerusalem scene.  Pictures are posted under "Sacred Play Spaces."  My next project is to create some town folk and perhaps get started on a "Way of the Cross".