One Easy Advent Prep

When I was up in NJ, visiting my folks and my sister, we went through some boxes in the attic, and one of the delightful things we found was an old photocopy of something called A Christmas Kit.

It's a lovely, very simple way to prepare your heart for Christmas by "building a crib" for Baby Jesus there.  That might sound sentimental, but it's actually both lovely and practical.  It's only about three sentences each day, which for me makes it extra practical!  I was trying to figure out a way to put it on the blog, and I was delighted to find that it already exists in many places on the internet.

So here's a little Advent present for you, all wrapped up as a PDF!

A Christmas Kit, by Fr. Vidal Banazek, OFM Cap.

Wordless Wednesday: The Walters

Kids' Choice Adventure

We were scheduled to go to the American History Museum, but Oob really really wanted to go to Natural History.  No sooner had he suggested it, than Zorg mentioned he really wanted to go to National Gallery.

Why not both?  The two museums are a block apart!

It turned out what Oob really wanted was to see the butterfly exhibit.



That turned out to be fun for everyone!

Beautiful and sketch worthy...

We also spent time in the insect zoo with a very enthusiastic docent who wanted us  handle lots of bugs!

 Then, on the way out, a new narwhal exhibit caught my eye.

Narwhals are one of those strange animals that I didn't know too much about.

Now I know that they are even stranger than I thought!

Did you ever notice that their tusk isn't in the middle?

 Then it was on to National Gallery.

Coincidentally, I had been there the previous weekend with Mxyl (who now takes me to museums!😍).

For one thing, this fountain had no plants 3 days ago!





For another, there wasn't a long line to get into the (swoon worthy) Vermeer exhibit.  It was an exhibit of Vermeer and similar painters of his time, so the paintings were in groups by theme.

It was fascinating to see how several different artists from the same time and place painted say, a woman reading a letter.  I walked away with a better grasp of what make Vermeer so ... sublime?

To me there is a purity and peace in his paintings that makes them transcendent.  The more I look at his paintings, the more I feel drawn in to them in an almost religious way: it's an experience of the Good, the True, and the Beautiful.

The other paintings were lovely, too, but they weren't Vermeers.  In some ways not even all Vermeers are like that for me, but the best of them really are.

And we visited a few more favorites and all decided we would like to come again.

But this week, Choclo told me he wanted to go see the "ancient stuff", which means The Walters and their collection of Assyrian, Egyptian, Greek, and Roman antiquities.

I love living where I do and being able to take my kids to see so much amazing stuff!

Even better is the kids figuring out for themselves what they want to go see more of!

Poem of the Week: Christ the King

Advent Lyrics (Christ I)

(Translated from Anglo-Saxon)

Hail Almighty Christ,
peaceable and true King of All Kings!

Before every majesty
of the entire world
you were conceived
becoming a child
with your Glory-Father
by his craft and his might!

There is now no nobleman
under the windy sky,
no perspicacious man,

surpassingly wise
that he can speak of this
to sea-dwelling men,

or righteously relate
how the Holder of Heaven
in the beginning

hatched you
as his free-born son.

Of the many things
that the kindred of men
have frained among the folk,
what first happened
under the heavens
at the start of the world,

was that Wise God,
the Starting-Point of Life,
divided divinely
light and shadow,
and the power of judgment was his,

and the Lord of Hosts
ordained this subtle thing:
“Let there become
light from now, evermore
until the end of the world,

a sparkling joy
to all that live
which will be born
in their generation.”
And it happened at once,
when it should be so—

illuminated rays
the tribes of men,
brilliant among the stars,
after the arrival
of the proper time.
He established himself

that you were his Son
dwelling at the same instant
with your Solitary Lord
before any of this
even happened.

You are the wisdom
which created everything
of this spacious creation,
along with the Sovereign.

Therefore there is no one
so quick-witted,
nor so mind-crafty
that can clearly affirm
your inception
to the children of men.

Come now,
Warden of Victories,
Measurer of Mankind,
fixed in grace
reveal to us here
your mercy!

There is in all of us
a great desire to be allowed
to understand
your mother’s kindred,
the righteous mystery,
since we cannot at all
explain any farther
your father’s descent.

Make joyous this middle-earth
mildly through your
coming here, Savior Christ—
command those golden gates
to be opened wide,

which have in days of old,
for a very long time,
stood closed fast,
Highest Lord of Heaven—
and seek us out
through your own arrival
humbly to the earth.

There is need of your mercies!
The cursed wolf,
the beast of death’s shadow,
has brought your flock,
O Lord, to naught,
scattering them widely.

The sheep, my Sovereign,
you bought before
with your blood
which the baleful foe
woefully afflicts,
and takes them captive
for himself,
over the urging
of our desires.

Therefore we, Savior,
entreat you earnestly
with our breasts’ thoughts
that you quickly render us
assistance, weary wretches,

so that the tormenting slayer
may tumble into abjection
to the depths of hell,
and the work of your hands,
Shaper of Heroes,
may arise and arrive

at the right,
into that upward
and noble kingdom,
whence the dark ghast
drew us apart and seduced us
through our sinful lust,

so that we, lacking glory,
must suffer misery
forever without end,
unless you,

Eternal Lord, the Living God,
Helmet of All Creatures,
wish to defend us
more readily,
from the destroyer of peoples. (214-74)

HT: Dr. Aaron K. Hostetter

Happy Thanksgiving!

Yes, I know I have my eyes closed, but it was a good picture of our entire family with good lighting and a nice background.  It's only embarrassing because I was the one taking the photo.  Which makes me the world's worst selfie taker.

Wordless Wednesday: Roosevelt Island Fall

Poem of the Week: Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving

By Edgar Albert Guest

Gettin’ together to smile an’ rejoice,

Eucharist literally means Thanksgiving

An’ eatin’ an’ laughin’ with folks of your choice;

An’ kissin’ the girls an’ declarin’ that they

Are growin’ more beautiful day after day;

Chattin’ an’ braggin’ a bit with the men,

Buildin’ the old family circle again;

Livin’ the wholesome an’ old-fashioned cheer,

Just for awhile at the end of the year.

Greetings fly fast as we crowd through the door

And under the old roof we gather once more

Just as we did when the youngsters were small;

Mother’s a little bit grayer, that’s all.

Father’s a little bit older, but still

Ready to romp an’ to laugh with a will.

Here we are back at the table again

Tellin’ our stories as women an’ men.

Bowed are our heads for a moment in prayer;

Oh, but we’re grateful an’ glad to be there.

Home from the east land an’ home from the west,

Home with the folks that are dearest an’ best.

Out of the sham of the cities afar

We’ve come for a time to be just what we are.

Here we can talk of ourselves an’ be frank,

Forgettin’ position an’ station an’ rank.

Give me the end of the year an’ its fun

When most of the plannin’ an’ toilin’ is done;

Bring all the wanderers home to the nest,

Let me sit down with the ones I love best,

Hear the old voices still ringin’ with song,

See the old faces unblemished by wrong,

See the old table with all of its chairs

An’ I’ll put soul in my Thanksgivin’ prayers.

HT: Poetry Foundation

Awesome American History: 1912-1919

This covered Harry Houdini, The Great Molasses Flood, and World War I.  In a lovely coincidence, this meant that we were covering WWI during Veteran's Day!  It was pages 215-224 in The American Story by Jennifer Armstrong.

For WWI, we did a poppy picture as our art project.  We talked about why poppies came to represent the fallen soldiers of WWI, and I read In Flanders Fields to them.

When I was a child, living on an Army base, WWI veterans used to sell paper poppies around Veteran's Day.  I called up my Dad to ask if I was remembering correctly - he and my mom always bought at least one and put it on the car viser.

Yes, indeed! The WWI veterans are gone now, but up in NJ, WWII (and later) veterans still sell poppies around Veteran's Day!

 For our active activity, we favored Harry Houdini by tying all the kids up and throwing them in the closet to see if they could escape.

Then all the moms had a nice quiet chat over coffee while eating all the kids' snacks.

Well, that was my idea, anyway.  What we actually did was all try to escape bamboo finger traps, which was almost as fun.

 And Klenda made molasses ginger cookies for our snack, referencing the Great Molasses Flood.  Yum!

Wordless Wednesday: Harvest Bazaar

Poem of the Week: In Flanders Fields

In Flanders Fields

By John McCrae

In Flanders fields the poppies blow

Between the crosses, row on row,

    That mark our place; and in the sky

    The larks, still bravely singing, fly

Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago

We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,

    Loved and were loved, and now we lie,

        In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:

To you from failing hands we throw

    The torch; be yours to hold it high.

    If ye break faith with us who die

We shall not sleep, though poppies grow

        In Flanders fields.

HT: Poetry Foundation 
Image HT: Leena and Choclo

Seven Quick Takes: Smashing Pumpkins, Beautiful Cabbages, and the Judgy Camel

1. A final bit of silly fun with the pumpkins!

2. And some beautiful cabbages for late fall!

3. And a belated happy All Souls day!  We made it out to just one graveyard, but we visited 3 relatives and prayed for all the people buried there.

And we made it to Mass that day, so we prayed for everybody, really!

 4. We have started fruitcake!  This year we are trying Jamaican Black Cake which is reportedly fantastic. Unlike regular fruitcake, the fruit is pre-soaked for up to a year and then ground up before it goes in the cake.

It requires soaking an unbelievable amount of fruit in a much more unbelievable amount of alcohol.  Those bottles started out as full!

This is going to be a merry Christmas!

I'm Judging You Right Now

 5. And we touched up the Nativity pieces that had gotten chipped or flaky, including everyone's favorite Judgy Camel.

I had remembered that most of the pieces had gotten badly damaged, but it turned out to be only a few problem pieces.

6. This isn't actually my children trying to kill each other, Choclo and Oob just like to dress up and pretend to be trying to kill each other. And ask me to take pictures of them.

It's the reverse paparazzi problem.

7. The triumph of the week has to be finishing the 300 scout rolls!

Now I can't find anything in the freezer, but.. it's all going out on Saturday.

Until then, no frozen food!

Hope you're having a great weekend, more fun with Kelly!