Monday, February 16, 2015
Lenten Cross For Me
I am going to take a Lenten fast from my 'blogspot', but shall resurrect it once Easter is here, and so here is to a good, steadfast lent, and May God bless you! (I think I can do this fast after experiencing such a powerful internet free Advent! Please pray for me. This is a heavy cross and a sacrifice which is really hard as I am an enthused blogger)
Valentine's Past, Mardi Gras, Now Lent?
I cannot believe that Ash Wednesday's in two more days! Lent is upon us, easter bunnies are pervading the aisle's already, we are all in shock. I had my 2nd gum operation on the 11th so Valentine's Day was a meager affair in my case. So I am saving my stash of Valentine goodies for a rich and toothsome Mardi Gras.
But as Catholics we do not celebrate Mardi Gras with the masks, and necklaces. We celebrate with leftover Valentine Candies, preparations for Ash Wednesday, taking down of the enjoyable christmas decor, and replacing it with purple tablecloths and lenten reminders. We are also getting ready for a 40 day fast from daily pleasures that haunt us the rest of the year.
It is a time of discipline really. We are emptying ourselves of luxuries, those little things help Jesus hold up the cross and it lifts our sacks of burdens back on our shoulders and determines us to go the extra mile.
OK, back to the subject of Mardi Gras. There are other names that describes this day better then elaborate Mardi Gras. (That word makes me think of old time minstrel shows) We have Shrove Tuesday, which is a bit on the mild side, the more fitting name is Fat Tuesday for we are feasting on pastimes which are out of the question for Lent.
Our tradition for this last day of fun is sometimes Pancakes for breakfast, and at night sundaes with mounds of candy on top, last time we made mountainous candy cupcakes. So in this way we are fattening up for a very thinning Lent.
The Newsy side: This year we made homemade Valentines for our friends and family, and so it was a very rich St. Valentines. We spent the afternoon in the pasture rolling about in the sweet grass, enjoying the sun and having a good old time. Mom and Dad went out and we watched Tigger's Big Movie.
And so I do think that we are ready for a good Lent as a Family.
But as Catholics we do not celebrate Mardi Gras with the masks, and necklaces. We celebrate with leftover Valentine Candies, preparations for Ash Wednesday, taking down of the enjoyable christmas decor, and replacing it with purple tablecloths and lenten reminders. We are also getting ready for a 40 day fast from daily pleasures that haunt us the rest of the year.
It is a time of discipline really. We are emptying ourselves of luxuries, those little things help Jesus hold up the cross and it lifts our sacks of burdens back on our shoulders and determines us to go the extra mile.
OK, back to the subject of Mardi Gras. There are other names that describes this day better then elaborate Mardi Gras. (That word makes me think of old time minstrel shows) We have Shrove Tuesday, which is a bit on the mild side, the more fitting name is Fat Tuesday for we are feasting on pastimes which are out of the question for Lent.
Our tradition for this last day of fun is sometimes Pancakes for breakfast, and at night sundaes with mounds of candy on top, last time we made mountainous candy cupcakes. So in this way we are fattening up for a very thinning Lent.
The Newsy side: This year we made homemade Valentines for our friends and family, and so it was a very rich St. Valentines. We spent the afternoon in the pasture rolling about in the sweet grass, enjoying the sun and having a good old time. Mom and Dad went out and we watched Tigger's Big Movie.
And so I do think that we are ready for a good Lent as a Family.
Monday, February 9, 2015
Fun, Happy, Real
I haven't been doing much crocheting in a while, so I finally got hooked once again last night. I really love the loopy effect, and I had blue on hand, so I made a blue dahlia which looks quite extreme and beautiful. It does remind me of Clade Monets Water-lily series, which are amazing!
Oh, also I mentioned finger-knitting quite a few times in other posts.
Anyway, I also made that cup warmer in previous post on the christmas eve post! Which was really exiting since that was one of the first projects that I made using my fingers. Esther can finger knit, all except Abel can, so it is yarn mania on cozy afternoons!
Besides my yarny epistle I have to mention to you about milk. We found in the fridge some spoiled milk, and we couldn't waste it and so we had an experiment using food coloring and pie pans, making a beautiful 'milk painting'!
It got a little murky after a while and so we had to throw it away, but just using dawn dish soap, Q-tip, spoiled fat milk, and food coloring, you have a wonderful painting which sparks inspiration!
Oh, also I mentioned finger-knitting quite a few times in other posts.
Anyway, I also made that cup warmer in previous post on the christmas eve post! Which was really exiting since that was one of the first projects that I made using my fingers. Esther can finger knit, all except Abel can, so it is yarn mania on cozy afternoons!
Besides my yarny epistle I have to mention to you about milk. We found in the fridge some spoiled milk, and we couldn't waste it and so we had an experiment using food coloring and pie pans, making a beautiful 'milk painting'!
Friday, February 6, 2015
Marco Polo, Merchant From Venice
Marco Polo was born in Venice to a family of merchants. His father, Nicolo, and Uncle, Maffeeo were the main providers of the family and often went on long trading trips to Eastern lands.
One trip to China brought a useful friendship with the King there. The Polo men spoke of Christ and the Catholic faith, drawing the King nearer to Christianity. "I invite you back to my beloved country. I wish you to ask the pope to allow priests to come and teach my people about your Christ," the King said, when the Polo's spoke of leaving for Venice.
Nicolo promised readily and the Polo's left for their homeland. They spent two years with their family, which gladdened their hearts to the fullest extent. It made them so happy that they decided to bring Marco, who was seventeen at the time, with them on the next trip to China.
They also brought two priests, who had to flee for their lives when turks came upon them as they neared the mountains of China. After escaping the Turks, the three Polo's arrived at the palace.
The king was very happy to see them, Marco became a favorite and the King made him Messenger which gave him a chance to explore further the wonderful new world.
The Polo's saw the process of Silkworms, they experienced heat from black rocks(coal), they saw the silver and gold mines, and the islands which were like floating worlds.
More than twenty years away from home, the Polo's yearned for colorful Venice. They went back, bringing with them spices, silk, coal, and many other treasures which had been given to them by the King.
In Venice, many family and friends had died, leaving ignorant folk who couldn't believe that these were the Polo's, who had sailed for China more than twenty years ago. Marco told of all he had seen, coal, and the silver and gold mines. It left a deep impression on the people. Before he died, Marco's story was recorded down, and has since been handed down thru our history books. The End
P.S. This was part of our homeschooling exercise, two page essay a week. It is fun, we get to pick our own subject, but there is a lot more to know about Marco Polo
One trip to China brought a useful friendship with the King there. The Polo men spoke of Christ and the Catholic faith, drawing the King nearer to Christianity. "I invite you back to my beloved country. I wish you to ask the pope to allow priests to come and teach my people about your Christ," the King said, when the Polo's spoke of leaving for Venice.
Nicolo promised readily and the Polo's left for their homeland. They spent two years with their family, which gladdened their hearts to the fullest extent. It made them so happy that they decided to bring Marco, who was seventeen at the time, with them on the next trip to China.
They also brought two priests, who had to flee for their lives when turks came upon them as they neared the mountains of China. After escaping the Turks, the three Polo's arrived at the palace.
The king was very happy to see them, Marco became a favorite and the King made him Messenger which gave him a chance to explore further the wonderful new world.
The Polo's saw the process of Silkworms, they experienced heat from black rocks(coal), they saw the silver and gold mines, and the islands which were like floating worlds.
More than twenty years away from home, the Polo's yearned for colorful Venice. They went back, bringing with them spices, silk, coal, and many other treasures which had been given to them by the King.
In Venice, many family and friends had died, leaving ignorant folk who couldn't believe that these were the Polo's, who had sailed for China more than twenty years ago. Marco told of all he had seen, coal, and the silver and gold mines. It left a deep impression on the people. Before he died, Marco's story was recorded down, and has since been handed down thru our history books. The End
P.S. This was part of our homeschooling exercise, two page essay a week. It is fun, we get to pick our own subject, but there is a lot more to know about Marco Polo
Monday, February 2, 2015
A Bluebird Of Buttons
Grandma W. gave this to me for Christmas, using buttons from the old days! This is such a perfect blog picture. I love it!
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