{this moment} – A Friday ritual. A single photo – no words – capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. If you’re inspired to do the same, visit Soulemama to leave a link to your ‘moment’ in the comments for all to find and see.
{this moment} – A Friday ritual. A single photo – no words – capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. If you’re inspired to do the same, visit Soulemama to leave a link to your ‘moment’ in the comments for all to find and see.
{this moment} – A Friday ritual. A single photo – no words – capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. If you’re inspired to do the same, visit Soulemama to leave a link to your ‘moment’ in the comments for all to find and see.
Outside my window…the broken tree has been removed and our backyard is back to normal. Last week, the wind managed to destroy the tree that gives us so much summer shade.
I am remembering…this…I told the boys to strike a pose. They did.
I am listening…to the workshops over at the Read-Aloud Revival member area.
I am wondering…if all kids take the destruction of the pinata as seriously as these kids (my favorite is the one of Walker!)…just check out those expressions!
I am going…to engrave Ephesians 4:32 on the walls of my house. Not really, but I am certainly trying my best to engrave the words on the walls of my children’s hearts. Seriously, these boys have such a lack of empathy.
I am thankful…to have found Bart amidst the air show crowd. While we did not get to see a single plane fly, seeing Bart made the whole trek worth it!
In the refrigerator…lots and lots of berries…tis the season!
I am wearing…black shorts and a gray v-neck shirt.
I am creating…a parent/child book club mirrored after Heidi Scovel’s and based on the book Deconstructing Penguins. It’s going to be exciting. Joseph overheard me reading the email I sent out and exclaimed, “That sounds like fun! I wish we could join!” Now it’s just a matter of working out the last few details.
We just celebrated…William’s 6th birthday. We had a pinata with the usual crowd over here the day before his birthday.
On his birthday, we started the day with gifts from the brothers.
Then we headed to Austin to celebrate with family there.
There were cupcakes (baked by Auntie Leslie!) and gifts. A candle was lit and a wish was made.
The boys learned to play chess and had plenty of WiiU time.
Katie discovered the joy of helium balloons.
The next day Granny and Pappy took William to get him outfitted as a Texan (because of course you’re not a real Texan til you have the boots and hat to prove it!).
I am reading…Miracles and Massacres by Glenn Beck and The Story of the Von Trapp Family Singers on my Kindle (I am LOVING this story!). I have a book list in my notebook and I am just itching to get through all the books on it!
One of my favorite things…a walk amongst the wildflowers.
A peek into my day…
Please visit The Simple Woman’s Daybook for more daybook entries.
This is just a lovely photo post because I just can’t resist those bluebonnets (and other wildflowers)…
{this moment} – A Friday ritual. A single photo – no words – capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. If you’re inspired to do the same, visit Soulemama to leave a link to your ‘moment’ in the comments for all to find and see.
Dear William,
Today you are six. Six. It seems like only moments ago that I was wrapping you up in a blanket and snuggling you, admiring your sweet little nose and your precious little lips. I’d reach my finger out and you’d wrap your tiny little hand around it, clinging to me, as if your life depended on it.
You were our Good Friday baby. Delivered on the day Christ suffered and died and brought home on Easter, the day our Lord resurrected. A beautiful Easter celebration for us, indeed.
Six years you’ve been here. Blessing our lives with your abundant energy, your inquisitive nature and your sweet disposition. My dear, sweet William, my life is full because you are here. I am so very thankful for that day six years ago that brought you into this world.
Love, Mommy
{this moment} – A Friday ritual. A single photo – no words – capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. If you’re inspired to do the same, visit Soulemama to leave a link to your ‘moment’ in the comments for all to find and see.
You’ll see many pictures here, mostly because it’s easier to show you than to try to explain. Each of the major events (Palm Sunday, the washing of the feet, the Last Supper, the Way of the Cross, etc) are acted out in some way. There are a few options that we typically use: our Betty Lukens feltboard, our Worship Woodworks pieces, our Jesse Box, or our peg dolls (or some combination of those things!).
Aside from the activities mentioned here, we also use the following DVDs to enhance our Holy Week: The Miracle Maker: The Story of Jesus; The Easter Story; Greatest Heroes and Legends of the Bible: The Last Supper, Crucifixion, and Resurrection.
Our Easter Book Basket is full, too, of course!
Palm Sunday: Jesus arrives in Jerusalem
Holy Week begins with Palm Sunday. We usually re-enact the Palm Sunday procession, sometimes with ourselves as the characters; sometimes with peg dolls or other figures. This year we also built Jerusalem and began our Holy Week in Handprints book.
Holy Thursday: Jesus washes His disciples’ feet and celebrates the Last Supper; the Garden of Gethsemane and the Betrayal of Judas
On Holy Thursday, we take turns washing each others’ feet just as Jesus did for His disciples. In past years, we’ve prepared unleavened bread (this year, since we were gluten free, we substituted with corn tortillas!). We continued with our handprints for our Holy Week book. We finished Holy Thursday with our Lenten meal (which lends itself so nicely to chicken tacos). This year Joseph wrote out all the labels for the meal and the Bible verses which accompanied each food. It made it very easy to sit down for dinner and as we filled our plates, someone read each Bible verse and explained the significance of the food. I did not capture all of the details here, but for the most part, for this meal we stick to Alice’s suggestions for her 1st Lenten meal.
Good Friday: Jesus is condemned; The Way of the Cross; The Crucifixion
We typically pray the Stations of the Cross using either our Stations of the Cross eggs or our three part cards. This year we did a few notebooking pages (here you’ll see both Thursday and Friday’s completed pages) and worked on our Holy Week in Handprints book. Our Stations of the Cross meal (designed by Joseph, inspired by Alice at Cottage Blessings…we even use some of her suggestions from her 2nd Lenten meal here) completes our day and with it, we’re able to focus on all the events that happened along the way of the cross. (We’re missing a few dinner photos here…we serve grapes along with the king’s crown for the 1st station to represent the purple robe; we serve french fries as the 2nd station to represent the beams of wood for the cross; on the 5th station, we serve fish to represent Simon of Cyrene, who was on his way into town, most likely to see his goods (perhaps fish?) when he was called upon by the soldiers to help Jesus carry his cross).
Holy Saturday:
We usually begin our Holy Saturday with a recap of the week’s events, beginning with Palm Sunday. We use this day as a day of preparation for the excitement of tomorrow. We dye and decorate eggs, prepare the lamb cake (but don’t decorate it yet!), and this year, we continued our handprints book.
Easter Sunday: The Resurrection
Alleluia! Christ has risen! Today is a day for celebration! Church is followed by a big breakfast (this year breakfast was at Grandma Nury’s with an egg hunt there). At home, we read the Gospel together, decorate the lamb cake, hunt for eggs (confetti eggs, birdseed eggs, and our resurrection eggs), pack away Lent and decorate for Easter, and crack open our Resurrection eggs (these same eggs are used year after year). This year we also finished our handprint books and opened Easter baskets from Granny and Pappy.
Since Easter lasts for an entire season in the Church (Easter lasts 50 days until Pentecost Sunday!), if we don’t finish everything on this day, we happily spread it out over the next few days. In a few days, we’ll borrow Alice’s idea to have an Easter Tea to celebrate, through food, the events of the Easter season.
Outside my window…it is so windy. All those plants I planted a few weeks ago…well, let’s just hope they survive this wind.
I am remembering…Easter morning at Grandma Nury and Grandpa Larry’s…a delicious breakfast, followed by a money egg hunt and confetti eggs…lots of smiling faces. Happy Easter!
I am listening…to the sound of running water (perfect…considering the name of this blog!)…but for once it’s not me running water…Daxson’s washing an apple.
I am thinking…about my favorite bible verse. Phil 4:6-7, but this morning rather than reflecting on the first half, which is usually my focus, I’m finding such peace in the second half…”and the peace of God which surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.” Mmm, guard my heart and mind. I like that.
I am going…to try to make it through the rest of my to-do list for the week…it’s our week off and I may have been a bit overzealous in making plans.
I am thankful…for time spent with Stephanie and Juancho.
Around the house…loads of laundry, bills to pay, and planning to be done.
In the refrigerator…finishing off the lamb cake (it’s amazing how long it takes this family to finish off a cake…with six of us, you’d think it would be long gone by now, but there’s still half left!), munching on plantains, and devouring strawberries (that were on sale for $1) like it’s nobody’s business.
I am wearing…gray checkered shorts and a salmon tank top.
I am creating…lots of random lists and ideas for next year. Nothing inspiring yet. Nothing written in stone.
We are preparing to celebrate…William’s birthday.
Someday I am going to miss…confetti egg wars (and the mess that goes along with them).
I am reading…Miracles and Massacres by Glenn Beck for book club and The Story of the Trapp Family Singers on my Kindle.
One of my favorite things…Saturday mornings when Daxson fixes french toast. (It’s one of the kids’ favorites, too!)
A peek into my day…
Please visit The Simple Woman’s Daybook for more daybook entries.
With Every Intention 