Weaning and Bleeding Hearts...

 After two tough days (we're in the midst of weaning Button), it was nice to go outside tonight and capture a little bit of the beauty in our backyard.  I bought the bleeding heart plant a few weeks ago and didn't expect to see blooms on it so soon!  What a happy surprise!

Reading...

I ran to the house.  Mama was sitting by the window embroidering.  Mama was quick with her housework and could usually finish her tasks in time to embroider in the morning.  This annoyed the neighbors."

The Lemon Jelly Cake

Madeline Babcock Smith

In the Playroom...

Favorite Things: Sparkle Stories...

For the past few months, our family has been enjoying Sparkle Stories.  We chose to get the Martin and Sylvia stories and have also been fortunate to gather a few from from Rhythm of the Home each season.  When we began our subscription I thought that the little ones might like the stories for a little while, but that they would loose interest and we would cancel after a few weeks.  Not so!  Each new episode is greeted with enthusiasm and all of the children (including the baby!!) are absolutely silent for the entirety of the story!  Our favorite time to listen is on the way to church on Saturday evening when we drop Papa off a bit early to get ready for the service.  It is truly a wonderful time and I find myself looking forward to the stories each week, too! 

If you'd like to try Sparkle Stories out, you can use the following to get your first month of Sparkle Stories for $1!

The magic code: SPARKLEFRIENDS
The magic page:  www.sparklestories.com/trysparkle.

Art...

We've been enjoying a resurgence in artistic endeavors in our home lately!  Several evenings this week, I have put out different art supplies on the dining room table for Sugar Plum and Little Man to find in the morning.  They enjoy the surprise and I really like to see what they have created while I enjoy a few extra moments of sleep!

First Roses...

We are enjoying our first spring in our new home!  There are eight knockout rose bushes in our front yard that are bursting with rosebuds!  It will be glorious to have roses for months and months!

Festal Learning Basket: Saint George...

Books

Saint George and the Dragon

Christina's Favorite Saints

Activities

Add a vase of flowers to the icon corner and/or feast day table
Set out an icon of Saint George

Listen to the Audio of Dr Chrissi Hart reading Saint George and the Dragon

Color an Icon of Saint George

Retell the story of Saint George and the Dragon (use dress-up clothes and playsilks for costumes!)

Bake dragon bread or dragon cake to "slay" at dinner

Overheard...

After Button screamed, "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" at the top of his lungs, Father John commented,

"You have a strong personality.  You've got to tone it down a little."

Welcome to the World, Baby Girl!

My beautiful sister gave birth to a darling baby girl in the wee hours this morning! Just after she was born, her mama, papa, and two aunties sang "Christ is Risen" to her! We are so excited about our little Bright Week Baby!

Media and Children...

Our Paschal Candle...

For the past few months, I have been trying to make an effort to have a lit candle on our table at dinnertime. It makes the time feel a bit more special to all of us and I find that we make a bit more effort to be better behaved at a table that looks a bit more special! Originally, we decorated a long taper for our angel candle holder just before The Meeting of the Lord and had it blessed after the Liturgy that day. We burned it faithfully from February 2nd until Forgiveness Sunday. During Great Lent we fell off of the bandwagon though and only had a candle at the table occasionally.

At some point during Great Lent, I found a beeswax carved egg candle on the Bella Luna Toys website that I thought would be perfect to add to our Paschal basket and then place on our table from Pascha through Ascension (or maybe even Pentecost). Unfortunately when I was ready to purchase the candle, it was sold out. I found a nearly perfect match on Catfish Creek Candles though! It is a gorgeous candle and Father John even declared it too pretty to burn! Everyone has really enjoyed this candle the past few days! We even lit it at breakfast time this morning... it looked so nice glowing in the morning light. It will be nice to choose a new candle once the egg one has burned down. It will have to be a really special one to make it up to Father John that I burned his pretty egg candle!

Paschal Feast Day Table...

Easy Cheese Pascha...

Ingredients:

12 ozs. Cream Cheese
1/4 lb. Sweet Whipped Butter
1/2 c. Sour Cream
4 T. Sugar
1/2 c. Chopped Nuts (we use pecans)
1/2 c. Crushed Pineapple (well drained)
1/4 c. raisins (plus more for decorating)
1/4 c. Chopped and Drained Maraschino Cherries

Method:

Combine cream cheese, butter, and sour cream. Add sugar, nuts, pineapple, and raisins, Gentle fold in cherries. Spoon into a pretty bowl and smooth the top. Arrange raisins into a cross. Chill and serve with a sweet bread such as kulich, date nut bread, cinnamon raisin bread, or banana bread.

Hunting for Eggs...

Christ is Risen!

Christ is Risen from the Dead,
Trampling Down Death by Death,
And Upon Those in the Tombs,
Bestowing Life!

Great and Holy Saturday...

Great and Holy Friday...

Great and Holy Thursday...

Great and Holy Wednesday...