Custodians of Beauty

During Lent, I wanted to incorporate the Stations of the Cross as a weekly devotion at our home. Getting my three and two year old daughters to sit and be still, whether at church in the pew or eating their lunch, is a constant struggle.  I wasn't sure whether they would be able to focus and remain engaged as we prayed. After gathering ideas on Pinterest, I found a hands-on Stations of the Cross kit. There are 14 items (small enough for little hands to hold) representing each station. What I like about this kit is that most of the items can be found in your home. On Fridays before their "quiet-time", I light a candle and have the girls sit with me at the table while we pray the Stations of the Cross. We begin by making the sign of the cross together and then I read the first station. I let the two year old hold the item first. I pray, "We adore Thee, O Christ, and we bless Thee. Because by Thy holy cross Thou hast redeemed the world." At the end of thi...

Venerable Fulton Sheen "Every person carries within his heart  the blueprint of the one he loves." 

Noticing that there was a lack of vegetable variety in our play food reserve, I thought it would be a good time to create a few more food items. Potatoes, chicken, and apple slices. Sounds like a good meal. The spuds were made from an old pair of stockings. There was also a lack of meat in our supply, ergo the felted chicken legs. They were super easy to make using the template on the blog, Art Threads.   From this day on, we can serve bacon AND chicken to Oma and Opa when they visit.  My little spud holding a big spud Those dimples - looks like a genuine russet potato!  Chicken legs are not a typical meal for us, so I had to explain to the girls what these were and how to pretend-eat them. Apple slices to accompany the other felted fruits And lastly, the felt apple slices. The girls routinely have apple slices for lunch (sometimes with peanut butter spread on top). It's a favorite in this household. I pred...

The morning of the feast of St. Valentine, the girls and I ate pink heart-shaped pancakes topped with raspberry jam for breakfast. They gobbled them up, I barely had a chance to eat a few myself! For lunch, continuing the heart theme, PB sandwiches and carrots (making good use out of that cookie cutter). Unfortunately, the munchkins didn't have an appetite and only ate half of what was on their plates. Stinkers. Serves me right for making lunch FUN for a change, golly.  I did, however, enjoy creating said themed foods. Bud was snoozin' in the front carrier as I made the lunches. He's so cute when he sleeps.  When he wakes from his nap, I just can't keep myself from kissing those warm and rosy baby cheeks. I hid a few love notes for my husband to discover throughout the day. The Downton Abby printable  valentines from Do Small Things With Love  blog were perfect! We loved that series. I hid one in his drawer, one in his work backpack and one the car. Ap...

To accompany my felted state ornaments , I also created these vintage fabric trivets for Christmas gifts. Making use of the doily template from Stash Happy Felt , I cut out the felt pieces and choose coordinating floral fabrics. I'm devoted to my floral prints, they're just lovely. A simple running stitch outlines the edges of the petals while securing the fabric to the intricate lace top design. I kept the blue one for myself, but the others were gifted to exceptional mothers in my life. They also work great as coasters, too! The trivets bear a resemblance to stained glass windows.

These dull, gray and cold days of winter seem long and unending. Fortunately, our family was able to escape the dreariness and celebrate a birthday this month. For our daughter's second birthday we hosted a moose party themed after the cherished book,  If You Give a Moose a Muffin , by Laura Numeroff. My siblings and I grew up reading this funny story and listening to the book on tape. The silly tale is about a hungry moose who follows the smell of fresh muffins. He enters the house and asks the boy for a muffin, but this is just the beginning of many comical requests. The amusing complications that ensue will entertain youngsters (and adults).  Since I had such a hoot planning last year's caterpillar party , I was eager to start collecting/creating the decor for the moose party. The book was acquired (for free!) when I posted an "ISO" in the local Facebook sale page.  I'm hoping to do another post featuring this book with photos of the illustrations....

Teatime is a must for our household-- play tea, that is. The girls have been using the retro plastic tea set I found for them at a garage sale. They are far from sheepish when it comes to making sound effects for pouring and slurping their tea. It brings this mama, much joy to see them play contently together. You know the morning is going well when you can sit down, sip your coffee (while it's still warm) and watch your little ones play together in peace. I loved the idea of felted tea bags, and had it pinned for quite some time. This morning, I whipped out my sewing machine and cranked a few out, while the girls played at my feet jumping on pillows and tumbling onto piles of blankets (yes, I sew amidst this craziness. Sometimes it is the ONLY time I have to make fun stuff.)    First, I sewed around the outside of the teabag and left the top open to fill with rice. My three year old was baffled as to why I would be putting rice in a tea bag. "Mama, why you put ...