I just saw part of this poem as a friends status on Facebook. I am planning to read it to my children on Christmas Eve this year. It is so beautiful I wanted to share it will all of you!
Katie
The Night Before Christmas
A more spiritual version of the famous Christmas story
By: Sister St. Thomas, B.N.D. de N
Twas the night before Christmas, and all through the town,
St. Joseph was searching, walking up roads and down;
Our Lady was waiting, so meek and so mild,
While Joseph was seeking a place for the Child.
The children were nestled, each snug in their beds,
The grown-ups wouldn't bother, there's no room they said;
When even the innkeeper sent them away,
Joseph was wondering, where they would stay.
He thought of the caves in the side of the hills,
Lets go there said Mary, it's silent and still;
The moon on the breast of the new fallen snow,
Made pathways of light for their tired feet to go.
And there in a cave, in a cradle of hay,
Our Savior was born on that first Christmas Day!
The Father was watching in heaven above,
He sent for His angels, His couriers of love.
More rapid than eagles God's bright angels came;
Rejoicing and eager as each heard his name;
Come Power, Come Cherubs, Come Virtues, Come Raphael,
Come Thrones and Dominions, come Michael and Gabriel.
Now fly to the Earth, where My poor people live,
Announce the glad tiding My Son comes to give;
The Shepherds were watching their flocks on this night,
And saw in the heavens and unearthly light.
The Angels assured them, they'd nothing to fear,
It's Christmas they said, the Savior is here!
They hastened to find Him, and stood at the door,
Till Mary invited them in to adore.
He was swaddled in bands from His head to His feet,
Never did the Shepherds see a baby so sweet!
He spoke not a word, but the shepherds all knew,
He was telling them secrets and blessing them too.
Then softly they left Him, The Babe in the hay,
And rejoiced with great joy on that first Christmas Day;
Mary heard them exclaim as they walked up the hill,
Glory to God in the Highest, Peace to men of good will!
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
St. Lucy Day
Well St. Lucy day has come and gone! We began the morning by making our St. Lucy crowns. I cut out leaf shapes from green construction paper along with little red circles for berries and white candles with orange "flames". The girls got right to gluing. As you can see in the finished product on their heads Snow White was much more meticulous about covering up the brown head band than Flower Picker!
Last year I made a homemade St. Lucy bread (gluten free at that!) which I was much more pleased with than I was with this years bread. Here is last years picture!
I attempted to do the super easy from the can method from Catholic Icing but for some reason the "rolls" did not rise. I don't know if I played with them too much trying to braid them together or if I used the wrong pan...anyway they still tasted fine (especially with lots of yummy icing!). For dinner we had Chicken and pasta with white sauce (for St. Lucy the Virgin). We didn't have any canned Alfredo sauce so I made my own using this recipe. In my humble opinion it was better than restaurant sauce! A little garlicy but so so tasty!!
We also talked about the story of St. Lucy and enjoyed the St. Lucy felt board story from Holy Heros Advent Adventures. All in all it was a nice morning! Hope everyone enjoyed the festivities!
On another note I wanted to post our finished Our Lady of Guadalupe bean pictures. So here they are!
I didnt have the colors I wanted so we dyed Lentils with blue coloring turning them greenish and dyed white beans red for Our Lady's Dress. I found the idea on Our Little Catholic Corner which was linked on Catholic Icing. I had the girls "paint" the glue onto the drawing with a Q-tip so that it would be spread evenly. They loved this craft and I am looking forward to using beans in our crafts more often!
Katie
Last year I made a homemade St. Lucy bread (gluten free at that!) which I was much more pleased with than I was with this years bread. Here is last years picture!
I attempted to do the super easy from the can method from Catholic Icing but for some reason the "rolls" did not rise. I don't know if I played with them too much trying to braid them together or if I used the wrong pan...anyway they still tasted fine (especially with lots of yummy icing!). For dinner we had Chicken and pasta with white sauce (for St. Lucy the Virgin). We didn't have any canned Alfredo sauce so I made my own using this recipe. In my humble opinion it was better than restaurant sauce! A little garlicy but so so tasty!!
We also talked about the story of St. Lucy and enjoyed the St. Lucy felt board story from Holy Heros Advent Adventures. All in all it was a nice morning! Hope everyone enjoyed the festivities!
On another note I wanted to post our finished Our Lady of Guadalupe bean pictures. So here they are!
I didnt have the colors I wanted so we dyed Lentils with blue coloring turning them greenish and dyed white beans red for Our Lady's Dress. I found the idea on Our Little Catholic Corner which was linked on Catholic Icing. I had the girls "paint" the glue onto the drawing with a Q-tip so that it would be spread evenly. They loved this craft and I am looking forward to using beans in our crafts more often!
Katie
Saturday, December 11, 2010
I is for Ice Cream, Indians, Island and Isthmus!
Letter I week was a mishmash of different I things. We began by making our own ice cream after reading the book Ice Cream written and Photographed by: William Jaspersohn. We used this recipe and it was quite tasty!
How to Make Your Own Ice Cream
* 1 tablespoon sugar
* 1/2 cup milk
* 1/4 teaspoon vanilla
* 6 tablespoons rock salt (or regular salt if you can’t find rock salt)
* 1 gallon size Ziploc bag
* 1 pint size Ziploc bag
* Ice
1. Fill the gallon size bag (the larger bag) with ice about half way and add the salt and seal it.
2. Mix the sugar, milk and vanilla in the small pint sized bag and seal it.
3. Open up the large bag and put the small bag inside and seal the large bag again.
4. Shake the bag and you’ll see your mixture in the small bag turn into ice cream! (It will take about 5 minutes of shaking)
Open up the small bag and enjoy!!
We also read Ice Creams for Rosie.
For our study of Indians we began by reading the book The Legend of Ohio by Dandi Daley Mackall.
We talked about the type of home that the Indians in the story lived in and then look at this site to learn about other types of Native American Homes and then about headdresses. Then Snow White made her own Feather Headdress....flower picker was too busy playing barber shop to make one!
This week we read the My First Little House books based on the Little House books By: Laura Ingalls Wilder. The girls enjoyed them so much that we picked up one that was out last week to read this week too!
This past Wednesday, December 8th, was the feast of the Immaculate Conception and Snow White colored a cute coloring page designed by Lacy from Catholic Icing. She was very proud of the result!
Finally we studied some landforms this week, an island and its opposite form a lake and isthmus and its opposite a strait. I have some sandpaper montessori land and water form cards that I got from a Montessori Swap group for much cheaper than retail! They have sandpaper to represent the land and the smooth wood painted blue to represent the water. This picture shows the isthmus and strait and the bay and its corresponding peninsula.
We then made a land and water forms book which we will add on to as we learn the rest of the land and water forms. Her are Snow Whites island/lake and isthmus/strait. I was really happy with how they turned out.
I cut out the shapes and she colored the land or water as needed. She then wrote the name of the land/water form on the top of the page and dictated the definition (with a little help for the isthmus/strait!) and I wrote them in.
Overall I was really pleased with our school week this week. Everyone slept pretty well at night which helps me to be more productive! Next week we are planning some Jam activities for letter J, a study of Japan and some math with jewels!
Katie
How to Make Your Own Ice Cream
* 1 tablespoon sugar
* 1/2 cup milk
* 1/4 teaspoon vanilla
* 6 tablespoons rock salt (or regular salt if you can’t find rock salt)
* 1 gallon size Ziploc bag
* 1 pint size Ziploc bag
* Ice
1. Fill the gallon size bag (the larger bag) with ice about half way and add the salt and seal it.
2. Mix the sugar, milk and vanilla in the small pint sized bag and seal it.
3. Open up the large bag and put the small bag inside and seal the large bag again.
4. Shake the bag and you’ll see your mixture in the small bag turn into ice cream! (It will take about 5 minutes of shaking)
Open up the small bag and enjoy!!
We also read Ice Creams for Rosie.
For our study of Indians we began by reading the book The Legend of Ohio by Dandi Daley Mackall.
We talked about the type of home that the Indians in the story lived in and then look at this site to learn about other types of Native American Homes and then about headdresses. Then Snow White made her own Feather Headdress....flower picker was too busy playing barber shop to make one!
This week we read the My First Little House books based on the Little House books By: Laura Ingalls Wilder. The girls enjoyed them so much that we picked up one that was out last week to read this week too!
This past Wednesday, December 8th, was the feast of the Immaculate Conception and Snow White colored a cute coloring page designed by Lacy from Catholic Icing. She was very proud of the result!
Finally we studied some landforms this week, an island and its opposite form a lake and isthmus and its opposite a strait. I have some sandpaper montessori land and water form cards that I got from a Montessori Swap group for much cheaper than retail! They have sandpaper to represent the land and the smooth wood painted blue to represent the water. This picture shows the isthmus and strait and the bay and its corresponding peninsula.
We then made a land and water forms book which we will add on to as we learn the rest of the land and water forms. Her are Snow Whites island/lake and isthmus/strait. I was really happy with how they turned out.
I cut out the shapes and she colored the land or water as needed. She then wrote the name of the land/water form on the top of the page and dictated the definition (with a little help for the isthmus/strait!) and I wrote them in.
Overall I was really pleased with our school week this week. Everyone slept pretty well at night which helps me to be more productive! Next week we are planning some Jam activities for letter J, a study of Japan and some math with jewels!
Katie
Thursday, December 9, 2010
Advent Activities
Even though we are well into Advent at this point I thought I would post our advent activities. To begin advent the girls made their own mini advent wreaths like the ones seen on Catholic Icing We combined her idea for making the wreath with her genius idea to "paint" the candles with melted crayon wax! All the supplies came from the dollar store and the cost was only $4 to make 2 wreaths. Both Flower Picker and Snow White are proud to light their wreaths each evening!
We read a prayer for advent each night when lighting our candles and then sing the appropriate verses of "Light the Advent Candle" Here are the lyrics to the song
(The tune is the same as "Hark the Herald Angels Sing" Thanks to Lacy for making me think about it!)
Advent Song
1. Light the Advent candle one
Now the waiting has begun
We have started on our way
Time to think of Christmas day.
Chorus:
Candle, candle burning bright
Shining in the cold winter night
Candle, candle burning bright
Fill our hearts with Christmas light.
2. Light the Advent candle two
Think of humble shepherds who
Filled with wonder at the sight
Of the child on Christmas night.
3. Light the Advent candle three
Think of heavenly harmony
Angels singing "Peace on Earth"
At the Blessed Savior's birth.
4. Light the Advent candle four
Think of Joy forever more
Christ child in a stable born
Gift of love that Christmas morn.
5. Light the Christmas candles now
Sing of Donkey, Sheep and cow
Birthday candles for the king
Let the Alleluias ring.
We also have been following Holy Heroes Advent Adventure this Advent and it has been wonderful. They have a video for each day of advent explaining some aspect of Advent or the feast of the day. They also post a video for the Jesse Tree ornament of the day. You can see our Jesse Tree below. It has many more ornaments on it now!
We have celebrated the feast of St Nicholas this year with a party in our home school co-op group complete with a visit from St. Nick himself. We also watched the CCC movie of St. Nicholas the boy who became Santa.
Yesterday we celebrated the feast of the Immaculate Conception with a trip into Pittsburgh to see the Vatican Splendors exhibit that is being held at the history museum there.
It was really neat and the children did very well. Snow White learned a lot and we made it through with no alarms sounding! ( a man told us if you touch the glass on some of the displays an alarm will sound!). We then went out to dinner and to Mass (which it seemed as if we didnt attend since we spent it all in the back with a very disagreeable Do-Do boy!). Overall it was a great day had by all some wonderful memories made on a special day!
Today we are celebrating the feast of Juan Diego. We read The Story of Our Lady of Guadalupe Empress of the Americas by C. Lourdes Walsh this morning
and I have a dried bean Our Lady of Guadalupe craft planned for this afternoon! Be sure to check over at Catholic Icing and enter in the CCC giveaway to win a free copy of JUAN DIEGO - MESSENGER OF GUADALUPE! I am entered for sure! It is one of the CCC videos we do not own.
We have had a full Advent so far and look forward to continuing our preparations for Christs birth on Christmas!
Finally here is a picture of our prayer table this advent.
We read a prayer for advent each night when lighting our candles and then sing the appropriate verses of "Light the Advent Candle" Here are the lyrics to the song
(The tune is the same as "Hark the Herald Angels Sing" Thanks to Lacy for making me think about it!)
Advent Song
1. Light the Advent candle one
Now the waiting has begun
We have started on our way
Time to think of Christmas day.
Chorus:
Candle, candle burning bright
Shining in the cold winter night
Candle, candle burning bright
Fill our hearts with Christmas light.
2. Light the Advent candle two
Think of humble shepherds who
Filled with wonder at the sight
Of the child on Christmas night.
3. Light the Advent candle three
Think of heavenly harmony
Angels singing "Peace on Earth"
At the Blessed Savior's birth.
4. Light the Advent candle four
Think of Joy forever more
Christ child in a stable born
Gift of love that Christmas morn.
5. Light the Christmas candles now
Sing of Donkey, Sheep and cow
Birthday candles for the king
Let the Alleluias ring.
We also have been following Holy Heroes Advent Adventure this Advent and it has been wonderful. They have a video for each day of advent explaining some aspect of Advent or the feast of the day. They also post a video for the Jesse Tree ornament of the day. You can see our Jesse Tree below. It has many more ornaments on it now!
We have celebrated the feast of St Nicholas this year with a party in our home school co-op group complete with a visit from St. Nick himself. We also watched the CCC movie of St. Nicholas the boy who became Santa.
Yesterday we celebrated the feast of the Immaculate Conception with a trip into Pittsburgh to see the Vatican Splendors exhibit that is being held at the history museum there.
It was really neat and the children did very well. Snow White learned a lot and we made it through with no alarms sounding! ( a man told us if you touch the glass on some of the displays an alarm will sound!). We then went out to dinner and to Mass (which it seemed as if we didnt attend since we spent it all in the back with a very disagreeable Do-Do boy!). Overall it was a great day had by all some wonderful memories made on a special day!
Today we are celebrating the feast of Juan Diego. We read The Story of Our Lady of Guadalupe Empress of the Americas by C. Lourdes Walsh this morning
and I have a dried bean Our Lady of Guadalupe craft planned for this afternoon! Be sure to check over at Catholic Icing and enter in the CCC giveaway to win a free copy of JUAN DIEGO - MESSENGER OF GUADALUPE! I am entered for sure! It is one of the CCC videos we do not own.
We have had a full Advent so far and look forward to continuing our preparations for Christs birth on Christmas!
Finally here is a picture of our prayer table this advent.
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