Arts and Crafts
Goodbye February Daybook
Outside my window My bulbs are starting to bloom. Our miniature irises have come and gone. The crocuses (the penitent’s rose) and hyacinths (lily-among-thorns) are blossoming. The daffodils (Mary’s star) have buds, and our tulips (Mary’s prayer) and Easter lily are sprouting. Our Lenten Roses are also in full bloom. I need to set aside…
Read MoreRainy Day Recess Activity
We have been enjoying our St. Luke’s Summer. My children are still wearing sandals and short-sleeve shirts. However, earlier today we had a downpour which kept the children inside after lunch. Brendan decided to use his free time to carve our first pumpkin. In years past, he has carved a pro-life pumpkin and a Celtic knot.…
Read MoreFrom the Mouth of a Child and more
When my daughters returned from camp, they showed us the Immaculate Heart of Mary wall hangings that they made. Kieran was amazed by them and sat looking at the wall hangings and trying to touch them. All of a sudden, he surprised me by saying, “Mommy, the girls make Mary’s heart. Jesus is happy.” As…
Read MoreChristmastide Daybook
Outside my window the sky is blue and the sun is shining. It is a beautiful day! In the kitchen, some of the children made a gingerbread train yesterday. We still need to make our gingerbread houses. We were going to make them when our assistant pastor came for dinner, but we didn’t have enough time…
Read MorePre-Lent Daybook
Outside my window… It is still dark, but I can hear planes flying over our house. In the kitchen… I am thinking about what I should make for dinner tonight. I am listening to… the sound of Kieran breathing as he lies next to me. I am so thankful to God for our little boy.…
Read MoreGingerbread Houses
A couple of days before Christmas, we made our annual gingerbread houses. And so it begins This year, we decided to have a competition to see who could make the best gingerbread house, the boys or the girls. Having Fun The competition was fierce, until my husband made the boys’ window look like a face.…
Read MoreApplesauce and Cinnamon Christmas Ornaments
We’ve been making these ornaments since my oldest was three years old. We don’t make them every year, but we will need to make some this Advent, as Heidi chewed several of them last year. What You Need: 1 ½ cups ground cinnamon 1 cup applesauce ¼ cup white non-toxic school glue (optional; if you…
Read MoreEastertide Daybook
I am listening to… Bernadette is playing music from the Lord of the Rings on her violin. She spends about an hour each morning playing her violin. First, she practices and then she has fun, playing and picking out pieces that she has heard at Mass, on a CD, the radio or in a movie. Listening to…
Read MorePysanky Tip
“I’ve been making Pysanky since I was 12 — it can be a very spiritual tradition, gathering around the candle and thinking of the symbols and colors and their meanings. If you melt the wax with a candle flame, the flame has to be very tall: 1 1/2″ or more. The egg passes through the…
Read MoreEaster Eggs and Pysanky
During Holy Week, we made pysanky for the first time. We were happy with our first attempts at this intricate art, but know there is a lot of room for improvement. When we used the candle to remove the wax, some of the eggs looked a little dark in places, leading us to discover that the best…
Read MoreCat Sketch
My oldest son has been enjoying using the Ginger Himes art DVDs. Today, he drew this cat. I thought it was kind of cute.
Read MoreHomemade Christmas Tree Ornaments
Please don’t tell my children. On Friday, we are going to make some delicious smelling Christmas tree ornaments, using our Nativity Cookie Cutter Set that my parents gave us the year we moved into our house. We still have some of the figures that we made that year and a couple of years later, but I know…
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