Tags and Such

I'm a little backlogged in things I'd like to post - so for those of you who have given me award (Barb) and tagged me for a meme (Esther and Ellen -same meme fortunately) I'll be getting to it soon. I promise. As for the award - I must reflect on that one a bit - and for the book meme. Yikes - that's going to require some thought. Brain power seems to be all invested in getting the shopping done (and I haven't done anything about Christmas cards yet) - so you'll have to be patient. I'll get to it. Sometime. I promise.

Jesse Tree - Day 8 - Passover (More Sacrificial Lamb)

Today's readings brought us a bit of the Passover story. Not all of it, not all of the plagues, or why the Israelites needed to escape from Egypt in the first place - but that's okay. We can cover those topics at another time. Today brought the story of the lamb - the one that needed to be killed and eaten and it's blood rubbed on the door in order that death will pass over that house.

I must say that some of the symbols in this series are a little hard to make for tree-hanging purposes - but this is Harry's attempt at a doorway with blood - another day you'll get to see my attempt at Bethlehem (!?).

The readings are: Exodos 12:3, 5a, 6b-8, 11-13; John 1:29; 6:4, 52-54; 1 Corinthians 5:7b.

In the new Testament readings we find that Jesus is equated with this sacrificial lamb. The one whose blood was used to cause death to pass them over. And that is what Jesus was for us wasn't he? His blood was spilt so we might have eternal life.

Gingerbread House

Yesterday we made our Gingerbread house. Usually we buy one of those ubiquitous kits that pop up this time each year. Then you simply assemble and eat any left over candy. This year - thanks to my cousin Eileen (Thanks Eileen), we got to be a little more authentic. It was still a kit (you can see the box in the background of the first picture). This required adding ingredients to the mix and cutting and baking. Luckily the sugar people came as part of the kit!

The minor difficulties we acquired throughout were easily taken care of. The internet helped me find the cup/ounces equivalent to 200g of honey - and also what temperature 200 degrees Celsius is in Fahrenheit (392). You see - the kit (like my cousin) was from Germany. So this was a real authentic Gingerbread house.

I've never been real great at precise measuring and cutting (even with a pattern) - so our roof tiles and front and back pieces did not end up exactly the same sizes. We solved the roof tile problem by propping it up with some handy (and just the right size gum drops).

So we have our Gingerbread House. The Christmas season can commence!

Jesse Tree - Day 7 - Joseph in Egypt

Joseph and the colorful coat. A story the children know well. We've even watched the DVD production of Joseph and the Technicolor Dreamcoat. So, today's readings didn't need a lot of explanation: Genesis 37:3-5, 8a, 18-10, 23, 28; 41:41; 42-6; 45:4-5.

What was interesting was the New Testament reading: Matthew 2:13-15 - Joseph being called to take his young family out of Bethlehem and to Egypt in order to save Jesus.

So, the first Joseph was sent to Egypt and ultimately saved many because of it. The second Joseph was sent to Egypt and ultimately saved many because of it. So, if your name is Joseph and God tells you to go to Egypt - you better listen!

Jesse Tree - Day 6 - The Sacrificial Lamb

Today the first Jesse Tree reading was Genesis 22:1-2, 9-13 - the story of Abraham being told to sacrifice his only son, Isaac. It's a reading that has always bothered me - why would God ask such a thing? Why would God test someone in that way?

The second reading (John 3:16-17) shows us that God allowed his own son to be sacrificed, in a way he didn't ultimately demand from Abraham.

I see the connection. It doesn't make the "why" of either situation any easier to understand. But, I do see the connection.

Feast of St. Nicholas

Happy St. Nicholas Day. A couple of years ago we started the tradition of leaving shoes out for St. Nicholas to fill. We added a bit of a twist - the children write letters to Jesus (sort of like a birthday card). St. Nicholas collects the letters - to deliver to heaven - and leaves some candy in the shoe.

Since, I don't have an actual way of getting the letters to heaven, I'm saving them to give back to the children when they are older.

But in the meantime, it takes some of the emphasis off of "what do you want for Christmas" and back on Jesus - where the emphasis is meant to be.

Jesse Tree - Day 5 - Abraham

Today's theme for the Jesse Tree was the Blessing to Abraham. All of the readings were very short - perhaps too short, they didn't really tell much of the story. We've told the story of Abraham in the past though, so Pippi and Harry knew who he was - and that he apparently rode a camel (today's symbol).

The readings today were: Genesis 12: 1-3; 17:5; Hebrews 11:8, 12; Matthew 1:1.

In other years we've read more of the story of Abraham and Sarah and the angels that came and dined with them and promised them a son.

Did you ever wonder - in some of these Bible stories - a person drops by out of the blue and in order to feed them they slaughter an animal. Now, I'm no expert on any of that; but it would seem to me that slaughtering and butchering take a certain amount of time - and then there is the seasoning and cooking bit. Hours would have to go by before these meals would be ready to eat. People must have lived at a more leisurely pace. I mean, can you imagine going to someone's house, they say "would you like something to eat?" then they take a live animal around to the back of the barn to begin meal preparations? Yikes! I'd be calling a pizza place. Anyway - I digress.

So - Abraham. It didn't seem likely to him, I'm sure, that God would keep his promise of being the father of multitudes (since he was old and childless) but God kept his promise. God does things in His own time and His own way.

On Writing

I have a little progress meter in my sidebar to show how much I've written on my work in progress. The problem is, that the story I was tracking there is not the one I'm currently working on - so no progress is being reported. But I'm re-writing now - so how do I count how many words I've done? I'll have to give this some thought. Perhaps I'll simply remove the meter.

The Holiday Season

It's the Holiday Season.

Bet you didn't need me to point that out. Every time you turn around - from about September - we are reminded that it is the holiday season. The "holiday season" has gotten so long I'm pretty sure it's going to soon incorporate every holiday in the calendar year.

So - what holidays is this season for? The big ones always mentioned are of course: Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Diwali, and Ramadan (though Ramadan moves throughout the year) and Hanukkah is not one of the major Jewish holy days (those fall in September or October).

Oh - did I forget one?

Actually, I forgot two: Christmas and Christmas.

Now - you're thinking, that's it, she's finally lost her mind - that's only one holiday.

No. It's two. We just don't like to acknowledge it. There is Christmas - the Feast of the Nativity of Our Lord. That is a holy day of obligation in the Catholic Church - and a special feast day in other Christian churches as well. On that day Christians throughout the world celebrate and commemorate the wonderful gift that God gave us when Jesus was born of a Virgin in a lowly stable. God came into the world. We were no longer separated by him as we had been since the Fall (of Adam and Eve). It was a momentous occasion and one that is memorialized by Nativity scenes and songs such as "Silent Night" and "Away in the Manger". Other traditions of the day include getting together with family or friends and exchanging gifts - a token of love - in honor of the wonderful gift we were given by God.

Then there is the other holiday also known as Christmas. That holiday is a celebration of love and friendship and good cheer among people often by making sure that their heart's desires are met and lots of money is spent to make them happy. Am I being too skeptical? I don't think so - have you seen the ads on TV lately? The theme of this holiday is being nice to one another and spending money on each other. The symbols of this holiday are a fat man in a red suit and snow men and candy canes. It is a fun holiday which also packs a lot of stress as people try to figure out how to buy the heart's desire of their family and friends - without also going broke.

This second Christmas has an ideal that includes perfectly decorated homes, wonderful home baked treats, tasteful (or not so tasteful) light decorations outside the house. This celebration has lots and lots of songs and lots of movies - all of which have a way of showing just how happy we should all be.

Some people only celebrate the first Christmas; more people only celebrate the second. But many people celebrate both Christmases. They are not completely incompatible. In fact many of the aspects of the second Christmas come from within the first: lights (inside and out) symbolize Christ as the light of the world); Santa Claus (St. Nicholas); Wreathes (evergreen and circular - because God's love never dies - and has no beginning and no end).

Somewhere along the line the two holidays diverged though. I'm in favor of changing the name of either one or the other - so we can remember the first Christmas - while still enjoying the secular trappings of the second. Perhaps: Nativity and Christmas; or Christmas and Yule. Christmas and Christmas just gets too confusing - because it leads people to believe there is only one holiday - when as I just showed, there are really two.

Merry Christmas(es)

Jesse Tree - Day 4 - Noah's Ark

Today the Jesse Tree story was about Noah and the Ark. Now, there's a story my kids have known since they were toddlers. Doesn't every child have at least one Noah Ark set and multiple picture books of the story.

The readings are Genesis: 6:5-8; 7:15-18; 9:8, 15-16; Matthew 24:36-39, 42 and 1 Peter 3:20b-21a.

The symbol we created was a rainbow. Pippi tried to make an ark, but was stymied. I told her the directions were in the bible - but the cubits had her stumped and she couldn't find any gopherwood in our craft box.

Pippi thought it would be a good idea to read the whole story of Noah's ark, instead of just the verses listed - and we started that way, but Harry was impatient, and I found that it gets very repetitive (many times we are told about the animals, male and female) - so after awhile we just read the verses mentioned.

The new testament verses were of course places where the destruction by the flood and the covenant God made with his people were mentioned.

The Edge of the Forest

The new edition of The Edge of the Forest is up and looks great. Kelly does wonderful work on this magazine. This is my first issue as features editor, and I'm delighted to be a part of this project. So - head on over and see what it's all about. There are author interviews, book reviews and even gift suggestions by the editorial board. Enjoy

A Family Rosary

I'm trying something new this Advent. I'm trying to have a 'family Rosary' each night. We've managed it for three nights now - but I'm doubtful that we'll really be able to do it every night. Sometimes, with various commitments, we're all just not in the house together long enough in the evening to make it work.

I've found that one of the best resources for saying the Rosary with children is this site. They have wonderful meditations for each of the mysteries - written specifically for children - and broken down so that there is a sentence read before each Hail Mary. Go here for an example of the Joyful Mysteries.

I love it because it is so much easier to meditate on the mystery one sentence at a time. This allows us to stay more focused and not have our minds wander to unrelated subjects when we get to the middle of the Hail Marys.

We take turns reading the sentences before each Hail Mary - it helps everyone to stay involved in the process as well. Harry's been a little reluctant to do this - and although he didn't actually use his rosary today - he did stay in the room and he did say the prayers - so that counts as involved if you ask me.

A Little More on Jesse Tree Day 3

When we discussed the readings about Eve and Mary today we thought about what was the same and different between them.

They were both considered the "Mother of all".

But, Eve said No to God and Mary said Yes.

And which is the better answer to give God?

"Yes"

As Pippi said "Mary Rules!"

Tuesday's Proverb

Drink water from your own cistern, running water from your own well. How may your water sources be dispersed abroad, streams of water in the streets? Let your fountain be yours alone, not one shared with strangers; (Proverbs 5:15-17)

Jesse Tree - Day 3 - Mother of All Living

This year we are using a different set of guidelines for the Jesse Tree than we used in the past. So today's readings and symbols are new to us. Not new in that we don't know about Mary - but new in that we haven't used her on the tree before.

The readings are Genesis 3:14a, 15, 20 (God telling the snake that there would be enmity and the woman forevermore; Luke 1:26, 28, 31 and 38 (the annunciation); John 19:26-27 (Jesus on the cross telling John that Mary was his mother now) and Revelations 12:1-2, 17a ( a vision of a woman with a crown of stars).

The children are familiar with the story of the annunciation; but not familiar with Revelations - and I'm not sure if they are aware of John and Mary at the foot of the cross. Since I am posting this earlier in the day, we haven't actually done our tree yet today - so I don't know what interesting topics might come up in discussion.

Do you like our Mary? She's made from yarn and pipecleaners and cotton balls. The directions were in FamilyFun Magazine several years ago. (Good thing I saved it)

Jesse Tree - Day 2 "The Fall"

Yesterday we learned that God made the world and it was good. Today we learned that Adam and Eve didn't know how to leave well enough alone. They were tempted. They succumbed. They blamed others. Ah - the human condition as we know it got started.

The readings today were: Genesis 3:3-6, 9-11; 1 Corinthians 15:21-22 and Romans 5:12, 14-15.
The new testament readings reminded us that death was brought into the world by Adam and Eve, but that Jesus came and gave us eternal life. A cycle was complete.

An interesting thought to go along with this. Adam and Eve apparently walked with God in the garden. (They really didn't know how good they had it). They were banished from the Garden - and separated from God.

When Jesus came people were able to walk with God again. (And again, people didn't know how good they had it.)

Our symbols for today are an apple and a snake (that snake is pretty cute, I can see being convinced of something by that snake.) I'll try to post these earlier in the day in case any one wants to use our readings or ideas to do their own tree.

Malaguena

A few months ago, before Harry started taking guitar lessons, my husband showed him a Youtube video of Roy Clark playing Malaguena. He was impressed, but it seemed too beyond him to contemplate, so he was only mildly interested.

Recently he showed him some more video. This time it sparked his imagination. When he went to his guitar lesson on Saturday he asked his teacher if he could learn Malaguena. The teacher was impressed that first of all a seven-year-old knew what that was - and that he wanted to play it. His teacher, not one to let an opportunity pass, copied the music his uncle had written out for him when he was learning and started teaching Harry Malaguena.

The opening bars of Malaguena are the only music I hear when Harry picks up his guitar now. He's pretty good. I'll be happy when he learns even more of it.

Advent and the Jesse Tree - Day 1

It's the first day of Advent and so the Advent calendars all get started (actually most of the calendars started yesterday - on the first) and it is time to start the Jesse Tree again.

Haven't heard of a Jesse Tree? I hadn't either until a few years ago. Here's a link that explains it a little bit.

The point is supposed to be that every day during Advent you read some scriptures - starting with the creation of the world - and that bring you all the way up to the birth of Christ.


For each day, you choose a symbol to put on a tree. Some people use a dry branch, some people use a felt hanging tree. We use a small pre-lit Christmas tree.

The symbols can be made out of anything. We've used pipe cleaners and construction paper and yarn and cotton balls. Our most successful ornaments so far have been the ones make with oven-bake clay.

It's not hard to find lists of suggested readings and symbols for each day. This year I'm taking mine from the National Catholic Register, because I was reading it at lunch the other day, while thinking I had to find a list to use for the Jesse Tree, I turned to the back page - and there was a calendar with all the information I could need. I decided it was a sign and I need look no further.

The readings for today were Genesis 1:1-3; 27 and 31 (we read all of Genesis 1 because I thought they could easily sit through that) and John 1:1-5, 14. I like this list of readings because it includes both the old and new testament. We discussed as we read, and when we read the line in John where it says "And the Word was made flesh" Pippi had an 'ah-ha' moment. "I've heard that line before," she said "but I never understood it till now."

The symbol for today is the world. Here are two models of the earth that the children made last year and which have been re-hung on the Jesse Tree this year.

We've been doing the Jesse Tree for several years now - or more accurately, I should say, trying to do. We never seem to get beyond the first week before we get so bogged down that we end up doing several days at once and then fall behind completely by the end.

This year, I plan to blog about the Jesse Tree each day - hopefully that will help keep us up to speed on it.

I also decided that instead of having them make the ornament the day of the reading, we would get a bit ahead - so today the ornaments for the rest of the week were made. Next weekend they'll make for the following week. Hopefully this will help.

So - tune in tomorrow for Day 2 - "The Fall".

Advent Wreath in the Sidebar

Thanks to Esther - A Catholic Mom in Hawaii for the great Advent wreath graphic for the sidebar.

A Blast From the Past

Pippi has to do a research project on an inventor/invention from the 20th (or 21st) century. She wanted to do the inventor of the ballpoint pen, but discovered it was actually patented in the 1800s. They were given a list of suggestions, and looking over the list, she decided to do Cabbage Patch Kids.

I have a research aid that might help her - and no, I do not have one of those original 1983 Cabbage Patch Kids (I was in high school then, and a little beyond wanting the hot doll). What I do have is the People Magazine "25 Most Intriguing People of the Year" issue for 1983. One of the most intriguing people (?!) was Cabbage Patch Kids.

Naturally I had to look through the issue. Other most intriguing people that year included: Ronald Reagan, Vanessa Williams, Bill Gates, Mr. T., Richard Chamberlain, Matthew Broderick (looking very young), Joan Rivers and Jesse Jackson.

It was interesting that in the part about Bill Gates (who was 28 at the time!!) that he was planning on taking his company public in the next few years (now that was stock I should have invested in!) and that when that happened he'd be a zillionaire (they got that right!)

The part on Vanessa Williams focuses on how difficult it is being the first black Miss America - with no hint of the scandal that was going to deny her the crown and be associated with her forevermore.

Pippi took a look at the picture of Mr. T. and said "That's what Mr. T looks like?" She'd heard him referenced before, but never saw a picture. I'm thinking - of course that's what Mr. T looks like - but the whole thing was new to her.

Other intriguing people in the magazine include Jennifer Beals, Alice Walker, Alfred Hitchcock and Michael Jackson (who in some ways became much more intriguing as time went on).

I don't know what in particular prompted me to save this issue of the magazine. I didn't normally read People in high school. I picked up an issue now and then. I suppose since this was an issue I had bothered to pick up, I bothered to keep it. And then there comes a point where you have to keep it just because you've had it so long. And whereas something like this in 1985 would just have seem dated, now it is historical!

I have a few other issues of magazines I saved from about the same time period. One was the TV Guide Fall Preview for the 1982 season and the TV Guide that featured the last episode of M*A*S*H. I was a big M*A*S*H fan.

Maybe someday I'll dig that Fall Preview one out and post about it. I found it fascinating (years later) that so many of the shows that previewed went on for years and years of success (Cheers for example) and others faded into obscurity pretty quickly.