The Crucifixion

The outdoor Way of the Cross in this video reminds me of the one at La Chapelle de la Réparation where my dad used to work as a printer when I was a little girl.  We lived in a house on the monastery's property.  It is now The Sanctuaire du Sacre-Coeur et de Padre-Pio.

Thank you Elizabeth for sharing these videos of Danielle Rose. 

Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus

"Prepare yourselves in the school of the Heart of Christ to face with confidence the commitments that await you." ~Pope John Paul II

"If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing. Love is patient and kind; love is not jealous or boastful; it is not arrogant or rude. Love does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrong, but rejoices in the right. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

Love never ends; as for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away. For our knowledge is imperfect and our prophecy is imperfect; but when the perfect comes, the imperfect will pass away.

When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child; when I became a man, I gave up childish ways. For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall understand fully, even as I have been fully understood. So faith, hope, love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love." ~I Corinthians Chapter 13

"Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, be the Heartbeat of our family; bless us and be with us always."
~ A Year With God, CHC

Our Lady of Altagracia

Patroness of the Dominican Republic

Today, in honor of the feast of Our Lady of Altagracia, we had our first liturgical tea of the year.


During tea time I read Cay's Catholic Mosaic book suggestion, A Gift of Gracias. This warmly illustrated book tells the legend of Our Lady of Altagracia, or Our Lady of Thanks.


Our tea fare consisted of Bigelow White Tea With Tangerine, Dawn's orange snowball cookies, and blooming oranges (Lydia's idea)! The sweet aroma of the Orange Blossom candle from Le Couvent des Minimes and the delicate warm tea made us feel all cozy, despite being January. A sample copywork from Matthias

And a simpler one from Laurence

At the end of a fruitful school day I gathered the three youngest on the sofa in the school room, and as suggested in Catholic Mosaic, I asked them what they were thankful for. We casualy started our conversation, but within minutes I realized that I had to capture the moment with written words. I proceeded to write their thoughtful words just as they presented them to me. As I wrote my own heart was filled with thankfulness.

We are thankful for…

Laurence
Toys
Me
Saints
That we have a house
Baby goats

Dominique
We found Sara
That we are doing school
That I can pray to God
That I believe in God and not anything else
That one day I will be with God
That I can go to church every Sunday and some other days also
For living in this country

Matthias
The mother and father I have
That I like history and maps
For good food that keeps me healthy
For nature
That I have many brothers and I hope to have more sisters
I’m homeschooled
Snow
I could continue for a long, long time. ;o)

Children's mind truly absorbe what they hear and see. This morning we read the book Geeta's Day, From Dawn to Dusk in an Indian Village, one of the book suggested in the Mater Amabilis Prep Level. After reading this book Dominique had real, tangible reasons for saying that he's thankful for living in this country. We also read about St Agnes, who's feast day is today as well. Although, acording to St Ambroise, she went to her death more joyfully than some go to their wedding, hearing that she was beheaded for her belief insited Dominique to be truly thankful for his freedom to go to Church and pray to God. And studying Ancient Greece with is mydiad of dreadful gods and goddesses, surelly makes you glad you have one and only one true God! I am thankful for this little exercise that provided me the privilege of a glimpse into my children's precious minds and souls.

St Augustine of Hippo

Bishop and Doctor

Saint Augustin was born at Tagaste in Africa in 354. He was unsettled and restless searching for the truth until he was converted to the Faith in Milan and baptized by Ambrose. Returning to his homeland, he embraced an ascetic life and subsequently was elected bishop of Hippo. For thirty-four years he guided his flock, instructing it with sermons and many writings. He fought bravely against the errors of his time and explained the Faith carefully and cogently through his writings. He died in 430.

From Christian Prayer: The Liturgy of the Hours

"Humility is the foundation of all the other virtues hence, in the soul in which this virtue does not exist there cannot be any other virtue except in mere appearance." ~St Augustine

"Our hearts are restless till they rest in you, O Lord." ~St Augustine

~Happy Name Day dear Augustin!~

Handmade Toys

Alice at a number of things is hosting a Homemade Toy Fair tomorrow. Since today is Felix's birthday and we only start school tomorrow, I have a little bit of time to play on my blog. I could write about many neat things that happened in the last two months (and I will later), but since today is a milestone day for one of our boys (officially a teenager now!), instead I am going to look back at much older days. It seems a fitting day to spend in reminiscences.

Creativity is something at the very core of my being. Give me raw material and I delight in their possibilities. Many years ago, I received my very first Heart Song Catalog. I couldn't afford much, but it awakened in me a desire to surround my children with beautiful toys made with natural material. So I made my own. I only wish I had taken more pictures of all the toys, dolls, and puzzles the children and I made, but in those days, without the convenience of a digital camera, pictures were sparse.

The picture above is about twelve years old! Inspired by the halfpenny dolls sold then by Hearth Song, I made Peter of Blueberry Land and a Cranberry Girl. A few years later the wires from the pipe cleaners broke and the dolls fell apart, but they had been well loved! Here is a picture of the table setting that Easter, more than a decade ago. I had also knitted a little rabbit, some gnomes, and a few balls. My husband used to work for a company which made felt for the paper industry. The huge felts were made with carded wool, he would bring me bags of it. I dyed it (with natural dye stuff), made felt with it, and even fashioned puppets out of my homemade felt. Sadly I do not have any pictures of those.

And yes, I kept my first catalog for inspiration!

Another Easter table of long ago.


This picture is even older. I made this little doll for Sara's birthday almost twenty years ago!


Many of the projects were from the book The Childrens' Year. Much more than shown here. Sara and I made gnomes, slippers, dolls, knitted animals, window stars, and gnomes' hats to name a few.

Three year old Lydia with one of these dolls.



Sebastien wearing one of the gnomes' hat Sara knitted. Oh, how I wish I had pictures of those lovely knitted gnomes Sara made for each of her brothers one Christmas!



The boys also made toys. We made and sold puzzles, wooden animals, and cut wood silhouettes backed with colored transparent paper. We still have this pig Gabriel made with a scroll saw ten years ago. I drew the pattern, he did the cutting. The boys got to be very good at it!



Here are Lydia, and Raphael on a homemade swing. She was about four and Raphael two.

Hetty (Lydia) and Hank (Raphael) are looking at their bag of turnips in front of Augustin's log house. We were rowing Down Down the Mountain a Five in a Row title. Augustin built this log house when he was in his teens.

There was and still are plenty of costumes for playing dress-up .

The Holy Family.



St Joan of Arc praying before her martyrdom.



Burning "behind" the bonfire.



Lydia wrote a play on St Thomas Aquinas. It was a great success.

Sweet Dominique has been seen asleep at the tea table, all decked in his Dominican habit, with his head resting on his folded arms.

The always popular crowns!

Sara made these for two little girls she took care as an au pair in England.

Remember my hobbits?

Frodo four years ago!

I am sure you will not be surprised to hear that Felix asked for a new cloak for his birthday. With his homemade bow and arrow he is ready for battle.

Happy Birthday dear Felix!

National Apron Day

and

Feast Day of St Matthias

Today is National Apron Day! Friends are sharing pictures of their aprons. I am a big apron fan, so we have aprons for every seasons. Just recently, I made some for Spring. I just love the way they hang in the kitchen near the dishes.

Mine is reversible.

Here is a close view of the lace at the neck. I feel so feminine wearing it!

I used Simplicity 4282, Lydia and I both want to do some of the other styles. They are all so lovely!

Here are the little boys' aprons. I didn't use a pattern for those, they are very simple.

Lydia still has to put hers together.

Today is also the Feast Day of St Matthias.

A special day for our own Matthias.

May 1st, St Joseph the Worker

Saint Joseph, Foster Father of Jesus Christ, Head of the Holy Family, Patron of the Universal Church,

Patron Saint of a Happy Death,

Pray for Us!

From A Year With God

On the first day of May we love to make May baskets. It is one of many traditions we delight in to create A Time to Keep for our children. However, this years there is no roses in bloom to grace our baskets. But, to our enchantment, as if it new that this is the beginning of the lovely month of Our Lady, a single bud on one of our peonies slowly unfolded throughout the day into this magnificent flower. This single blossom on the first day of May is like a sweet promise of the many more to come during this glorious month of Mary.

Like so many friends inspired by Alice, the queen of crafts, we made a Marian May Cone for Dominique's godmother.

Again, just like last year, the children made greeting cards, this time using lovely scrapbook supply. Dominique also made one for his godmother to give with the May cone above.

St George, Shakespeare and Springtime!

Yesterday, just like last year on this beloved feast of St George, the little boys busied themselves drawing pictures on one of their favorite theme; knights and dragons!

Felix

Matthias

Dominique

Laurence

Lydia and Laurence made some shortbread dragon cookies with the cookie cutter Sara gave us for Christmas.

What fun it was to decorate them!

But also to eat them at teatime with some Harrods English tea.

Since it was also Shakespeare’s birthday we watched part two of In Search of Shakespeare a very well done PBS documentary. Was Shakespeare Catholic? Michael Wood gives good evidence that he was.

You might have notice Laurence’s dirty fingernails as he is sipping his tea. Well, the weather was so gorgeous, it just beckoned us to go outside and explore the wonders of springtime.
Look who was out in the pasture basking itself in the sun along with the cows and goats.

Just then Dominique spotted a hawk in the sky. As Laurence turned to see, I snapped this picture. It almost looks like he is trying to imitate the turtle.

We followed the box turtle into the woods where Dominique had a chance to see it face to face.

How amazing that sweet Mother Dove stood still to let me take this closeup picture. I was less than a foot away!

A look inside one of our bluebird birdhouse revealed these roundish little ones.

Matthias found these abandoned wren’s eggs near where the chicken lay their eggs. I guess the chicken scared Mother Wren away.

Poor wrens, they seem to have a habit of choosing precarious places to nest. Last year they build a nest in Sebastien’s shorts hanging on the clothesline. I tried not to disturb the little mother, but one weekend we kept our son’s dog and sadly he had other ideas. I’m sorry to say that he more than unsettled the little nest.

The first sunflowers in the sunflower maze are sprouting.

Of course spring and kids simply go together like bread and butter. Here are Matthias and Mattimeo.