tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-48483393274021427202024-03-13T10:10:48.860-07:00a button and a figThe Merry Greenwood Theater Companyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13548832740710626728noreply@blogger.comBlogger13125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4848339327402142720.post-12080550074868256532014-07-05T06:21:00.000-07:002014-07-05T06:24:07.520-07:00how to handle a rainy Independence DayI guess the simple answer is to postpone celebrations until the sun comes out! But, to make the best of a rather cozy day at home, pickles and jam were my remedy for any cloudiness of mood.<br />
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This recipe belongs to <a href="http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2010/06/bread-and-butter-pickles/" target="_blank">our friend Deb</a>, though I use English cukes because something about the dark, slick skin appeals to me in a bread and butter pickle. They are absolutely delicious. I will be making these weekly while cukes are in season.</div>
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And jam. Oh jam. I didn't get to strawberry pick myself this year, but my dear friend Jennifer generously sent a few pounds my way. It was just enough to make one delicate batch of jam using a mix of recipes from <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Canning-New-Generation-Flavors-Modern/dp/1584798645" target="_blank">Canning For a New Generation</a>, which you should just get right away if you don't already have it. It's a combo recipe using mostly the "high yield strawberry jam" combined with the lavender recipe later in the chapter. It's also a bit lemony, which I love. It's floral in just the right way, enough to taste but not overpower.</div>
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Today we will celebrate the 4th right, with a family cookout and then the symphony and fireworks at East Park in Worcester in the evening. I don't love celebrating holidays in this postponed form, but this year it will just have to do…and the tasty canned goods are certainly a consolation.</div>
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<br />The Merry Greenwood Theater Companyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13548832740710626728noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4848339327402142720.post-13455940804658823732014-07-03T14:44:00.001-07:002014-07-05T05:42:40.371-07:00what's cooking in the summer kitchen…or pickling.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This fantastic mechanism is a No. 4 bread bucket. Have you ever seen one? It was a convenience item invented around the turn of the century to save busy women time as they literally "cranked out" all of the bread they needed for their growing families. It actually won a prize in the St. Louis World's Fair in 1904, which is noted on the bucket. Let me tell you, this think is <i>solidly</i> built, and yet not over-heavy to use. I can imagine it was a God-send to mother's across the growing U.S. of A. <br />
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I read about this handy-dandy machine in my January edition of "Backwoods Home" magazine. You can read the article <a href="http://www.backwoodshome.com/articles2/marshall145.html" target="_blank">here.</a> As a collector of old kitchen items (because I USE them!), I knew I wanted to find one. I put my <i>very</i> talented yard-saling mother-in-law on the task, and sure enough, last weekend we got the call that she'd found one! It's in great shape, as you can see, and today was it's maiden run in our homestead kitchen. This little lady cranked out SO MUCh bread at once! I'm really impressed.<br />
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I don't know about you, but while I love all of the various no-knead, wet dough methods of making artisan bread at home, it's just not what my boys want to make sandwiches with. They want sandwich bread to be like grocery-store bread. Fine. Because this can sometimes be a bit of a hassle, I just don't often put the effort in to make this kind of bread at home. Enter the bread bucket.<br />
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This process was as simple as dumping in the wet then dry ingredients, cranking a couple times to combine, and then cranking for three minutes. I left my dough to rise, cranked it once to punch down, divided and transferred to greased pans. One more rise in the pan, bake, done. The recipe I used was an 18 cup recipe, and it made many (6 big loaves!) This is the kind of sandwich bread the boys will like for PB&Js. I'll just freeze them, and bring them out as needed. It's awesome to accomplish so many loaves in one shot, without burning out the motor in my KitchenAid. Awesome.<br />
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Also brewing in the summer kitchen…half sours! These aren't our cukes yet, but it is my dill. Ours will be along in a couple weeks I think. We. love. pickles. (those plates inside are to hold them down)<br />
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Next up are pickled peas! There is a great recipe <a href="http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2009/06/pickled-sugar-snap-peas/" target="_blank">here (of course).</a> Yum.<span id="goog_2112076507"></span><span id="goog_2112076508"></span><a href="https://www.blogger.com/"></a></div>
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<br />The Merry Greenwood Theater Companyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13548832740710626728noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4848339327402142720.post-38428317075869885662014-07-01T06:44:00.001-07:002014-07-05T05:41:50.646-07:00giving the mobile app a try...I have no idea how this will appear on the blog, but it's been so long since I've posted...<br />
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Maybe a quick post from out in the world will get me moving again. </div>
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Must. Start. Somewhere!</div>
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Today we're at the doctor on the north shore, an that's Peter looking very proud that he's a healthy almost-two year old. </div>
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Now the fun begins...just a bit further north for a day on Plum Island!</div>
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The Merry Greenwood Theater Companyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13548832740710626728noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4848339327402142720.post-43659455551522666572014-03-13T16:59:00.002-07:002014-03-14T04:47:09.954-07:00Lent 2014: a study in virtue<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Sometimes your Lenten focus comes to find you. Typically, we try to focus on some element of the faith together as a family, and this year I was coming up short trying to think of something. But that was probably the problem, right? I was trying to drum something up from my own resources, rather than trying to “see” what was already right there. As it happens, our gentle Lord was already pulling things together. <br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vEh7-0OYZJA/UyJE5X9rV-I/AAAAAAAAANI/2CW2lOvv64w/s1600/peter+in+snow.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vEh7-0OYZJA/UyJE5X9rV-I/AAAAAAAAANI/2CW2lOvv64w/s1600/peter+in+snow.png" height="424" width="640" /></span></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-xGqzbLMMqqE/UyI-hgHpKRI/AAAAAAAAAME/xxu_Xc69yVU/s1600/father-family-clayton-barbeau-paperback-cover-art.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black;"></span></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-9C26glk39tY/UyI_RPVoXpI/AAAAAAAAAMI/144K9LVc9KQ/s1600/Unknown.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="color: black;"></span></a><br />
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Benny is working on an amazing project right now for his Literature class at <a href="http://www.newhopetutorials.com/">this fine learning institution</a> for homeschoolers. There is a project fair coming up where students have to create a project that answers the question Why do we tell stories? The project must also approach the answer through the myths, legends, and fairytales that were studied in the first half of the year. Benny’s project is an involved, quest-style board game based in the legend of King Arthur and his knights. His answer to the question is To teach virtue. </div>
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As you can imagine, the invention of a board game is a family affair. Consequently, there has been much discussion around virtue and vice as research for the game. It has opened up a world of language for us that we really didn’t have at the ready. As Catholic converts, neither Scott nor I had formation in the Virtues proper. It’s just not something that gets talked about in a systematic way very often in the church traditions we encountered. Have you ever noticed how language is crucial to complex thinking? If you don’t have vivid, specific language for something, it’s actually harder to think about it. This is why beautiful language matters...this is close to my heart!</div>
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Another discussion we’ve been having for a few months now has to do with Buckets. Buckets? Yes. As you may know, Scott is an elementary school art teacher. In his school, the language used to help the children with issues around “kindness” takes the form of “filling buckets.” You can imagine the scenario...<i>Johnny hurt me on the playground, and that made my bucket feel empty</i>. Or, <i>When you said that you liked my shirt, that helped to fill my bucket. </i><br />
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*sigh*<br />
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I hesitate to use the phrase ‘dumbing down,’ but…<br />
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And I guarantee that this methodology is being used across Massachusetts, if not across the country. Is “filling buckets” really the best we can do?<br />
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Can you imagine the greater possibilities for actually teaching virtue if we were willing to use words like fortitude, courage, hope, charity, temperance, kindness, humility, patience, chastity, diligence, and prudence?<br />
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So, we’ve been talking about this around the house for a while, and since Benny’s project is really drawing us into the subject, we’re studying the Virtues for Lent ( I guess, by the capital V, I mean the classical, time-honored virtues, including the Cardinal and Theological, as well as the medieval expression of the seven deadly sins and their counterpart virtues). Some of our "study" is coming directly from Aquinas, as we tackle each virtue and vice by definition. Some study and inspiration will come from other books.<br />
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Scott is reading <a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Father-Family-Clayton-Barbeau/dp/1622821920/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1394752334&sr=8-1&keywords=clayton+barbeau">The Father of the Family,</a> which was recommended by <a href="http://www.likemotherlikedaughter.org/">you know who</a>. </div>
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I just finished Josef Pieper's <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Brief-Reader-Virtues-Human-Heart/dp/0898703034/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1394752519&sr=8-1&keywords=a+brief+reader+on+the+virtues+of+the+human+heart">A Brief Reader on the Virtues of the Human Heart,</a> which dear Erin pulled right off of her shelf when I told her I was looking for books about virtue. It was <i>wonderful. </i>In fact, I will probably do some writing about it in another post, since this one is getting too wordy! </div>
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I’m also using a lovely, lovely book called <a href="http://www.amazon.com/My-Path-Heaven-Young-Persons/dp/0918477484/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1394752601&sr=8-1&keywords=my+path+to+heaven">My Path to Heaven </a>with Asher right now (he's 7), and may even try it with Jude (9). It’s full of complex illustrations by Caryll Houselander, which the children have to look carefully at as the text is read. (Thank you for this recommendation Jennifer!) It's not about virtue alone, but it certainly fits in with what we’re doing. </div>
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And finally, we have our Stations of the Cross candle stand, which Scott made a while back. Do you remember?<br />
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(they look so little up there! I think that was two years ago...)<br />
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This past week was First Friday, and we went to Mass, so we didn’t do Stations as well, but tomorrow, and hopefully the rest of the Fridays in Lent, we will use this candle stand by lighting them all, and snuffing them as we move through the stations. We’ve used the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Cross-Saint-Alphonsus-Liguori/dp/178379030X/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1394752767&sr=8-2&keywords=liguori+stations+of+the+cross">Liguori meditations</a> in the past, which are wonderful. Though, Auntie Leila assures me that no complicated meditation is needed, just the prayers. However, I am excited to try <a href="http://pray-as-you-go.org/index.php?id=129">these</a>. (Do you know about these beautiful UK Jesuits? Thank you Sarah, for this tip!!) I need to do a whole post about how this website is teaching us to pray anew… Finally, we hope to get ahold of the DVD done by Father Barron called <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Seven-Deadly-Sins-Lively-Virtues/dp/B0010J34ZI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1394754217&sr=8-1&keywords=seven+deadly+sins+seven+lively+virtues">Seven Deadly Sins, Seven Lively Virtues</a>, though I don't know how yet. Anyone out there have a copy to lend?<br />
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What do you do to study the virtues in your family? Do you have any great resources to pass along the titles of?<br />
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Praying for a Holy Lent for all of Christendom!</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">by Mary Reed Newland</td></tr>
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This book arrived two days ago. I can't believe how…well…just wonderful it is. It is all at once affirming and exhorting. Anglican and Episcopalian friends, do not be deterred! Indeed, anyone in a liturgical tradition, or even any Christian willing to deal with the term 'Catholic,' will enjoy this. <br />
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I admit that there is a bit of the feeling of 'If only I had had this when baby number one was still nursing.' But there is no turning back, right? When my dear friend had a look at it while our kids were at choir yesterday, her response was 'It makes you want to start over.' <br />
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This is why I need to tell you about it now! So all of our very next babies will benefit. And it is NOT too late for the others, or for us, I'm sure. It's never too late to grow and change. These pages contain some beautiful thoughts that I can tell will have a profound influence on the day to day around here. <br />
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Have you read any Newland before? My friend Jess (probably without knowing the treasure she had!) sent me this vintage copy of <i>The Year and Our Children</i>, published in 1956. It's cover is not so awesome now, and you may remember it from a recommendation on <a href="http://www.likemotherlikedaughter.org/2013/05/bits-pieces/" target="_blank">Like Mother Like Daughter</a> back in May of 2013 in a "Bits and Pieces" post. This book is sort of a rambling commentary on the faith, while it focuses on instructing families about how to let the Liturgical Year really seep into everyday life. There are many many tremendously helpful little ideas about how to do this, even if the style and organization requires a lot of sifting. It's definitely a book to just have around on your coffee table, because you can always open up to whatever season we're in, or about to be in, to see what little things you might do to celebrate. Isn't this old copy adorable? Can you believe it originally cost 95 cents?!<br />
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This book, on the other hand, feels much more organized and instructive in a "read from cover to cover" sort of way. Just head on over to amazon and peek at the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/How-Raise-Good-Catholic-Children/dp/1928832865/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1392565707&sr=8-1&keywords=newland%2C+mary+reed" target="_blank">Table of Contents.</a> Having only read the beginning, the main thing I want to tell you about today has to do with her approach to prayer. The piece of this that feels particularly Catholic has to do with offering up our sorrows and sufferings, and uniting those with our Lord's in the hope that it will ease His suffering, or be merited to our suffering world in some way. I NEVER heard of this concept outside of the Catholic Church, and I did my fair share of running around. It's so very powerful for me as an adult (and one who is still just learning to practice this!), but I am amazed at how Newland makes this powerfully accessible for the youngest children. Or rather, shows us how to make it accessible to our children in the most intimate and lovely ways.<br />
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As a little example, she discusses how important it can be to help children see their work as prayer. She says, <i>"In the beginning, learning to make our bed, dry the dishes, and polish shoes is fun and a kind of play at being grown up, but soon the novelty wears off, and the chores that started out being fun can lose their glamour and become unpleasant drudgery. If they are prayer, however, it can be different. Not that tasks we hate doing are suddenly transformed into occasions of great spiritual joy; but there's a great difference between doing them because you're told you must, and doing them because they can be applied to the sufferings of some other child somewhere, who has no bed to make, who must spend his nights curled up in a hole, shivering, starved, unhappy, and with no one to care for him"</i> (Newland 31). <br />
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Newland is confident that a child can see work as something Christ can use <i>"as balm for one of His suffering members,"</i> and goes on to say that <i>"one of the loveliest things about teaching children that work is prayer is that mothers can't help having it rub off on them. These diapers that are changed daily, these meals that are cooked again and again, these floors that are scrubbed today only to get dirty tomorrow––these are truly prayer in a mother's vocation as the watches and prayers of the religious are in theirs"</i> (31). I love thinking that my time at the kitchen sink, if offered up, could be valuable prayer in the life of the Church, in the way that a dear Brother or Sister might drag him or herself out of bed for Matins or Lauds to pray for the rest of us. And I believe that Newland is right about children. We don't need to dumb down the faith for them. We do need to share it, though. <br />
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In the first section, "Introduce Your Child to God" she articulates this vocation so beautifully. She ends the section with this: <i>"Simplicity of soul is one of the prerequisites of sanctity, and it's one of the things our children already possess. We must be very careful not to contribute to the great cluttering up. We must make a heroic effort to rid our lives of all but one motive, that "impractical" spirituality of the saints, a life in union with God. If this is the undercurrent of our existence, we can expect the spiritual training of our children to bear fruit. Without it, what they learn of God as children will be easily shoved aside when the world begins to make its noise in their ears. We inherited Heaven at the Cross, and a way of life that should lead us all to sublime heights. Our obligation as parents is heavy: we must raise children who are in love with God"</i> (20). Luckily she goes on to flesh out exactly what we can do! <br />
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I need books like this to remind me of just that: my primary focus is to aim to raise saints. Primary focus! It is so easy to lose sight of that in the mess or the chaos or the homeschool to-do list. This book is grounding, encouraging, and its tone is loving. I hope you'll take a look and let me know what you think.<br />
<br />The Merry Greenwood Theater Companyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13548832740710626728noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4848339327402142720.post-31665804697645158142014-02-13T13:28:00.003-08:002014-02-17T06:03:19.463-08:00sunny day not-quite-done kitchen reveal<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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It seemed, on a recent sunny day, that showing you the kitchen, even though it's not entirely done, wouldn't be the worst idea. Who knows, after all, when it may be finished? This may also be a good way to collect a few opinions before we proceed. <br />
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As you can see, we need to close in the area above the oven, so that it will have cabinets above. The same goes for the fridge, which isn't pictured. I think this will really finish off the space, and the area of countertop there will feel more "cut out" of the big space, like a cozy nook, when those cabinets above oven and fridge go right up to the ceiling. Since we can't exactly match the maple cabinets, I think we'll just go for a white farmhouse look. Maybe with doors that are sort of "barn door" looking (think that Z shape on a barn door), but with hardware to match the maple cabinets. Thoughts on that?<br />
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And can we talk about the ceiling? We went with that whitewash look, which as it turns out we <i>really really really</i> love. So much so that we're going to repeat it in the living room. I love how the wood showing through gives it a warm look, and yet still puts it in the white family. And somehow it really ties in the cabinets, as the hue of both is remarkably similar. I wasn't sure if the cabinets would work once we did all of the painting, but I think they do. <br />
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There is also the issue of trim. Nothing here is trimmed out. As of now, the plan is to go with simple, Shaker-looking trim (on the chunky side), in the bright white that you see around the windows, and on all of the posts and beams. Bringing that green from the built in couch over to the kitchen door was a last minute decision that we're really excited about. It ties both ends of the room together. I'm half tempted to do more with that green, but I think we need to resist this temptation to avoid overkill. This spring I may swap out the red fabric on the couch for green and white, with a little bit of red. We'll see.<br />
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That brings us to the hoosier, in desperate need of restyling. It looks so much prettier in it's new bright white suit, but I do wonder if this is my chance to do more green. I'm thinking green glass knobs, and maybe vintage paper for the back walls of the shelves, which you'd see through the glass. I've been pinning various things I find, which you can peek at if you care to share an opinion. <a href="http://www.pinterest.com/christinalbw/to-restyle-the-hoosier/" target="_blank">hoosier pins</a><br />
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So what do you think? The light in here now is amazing. The overall feeling of clean warms my pine-smothered heart. The only problem is now the rest of the house feels so unfinished! Sometime I'll share our thoughts on what to do next. The living room is on the docket for next room to work on.<br />
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Today is snowy and gorgeous. I hope you East-coasters are enjoying this brilliant winter white. <br />
<br />The Merry Greenwood Theater Companyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13548832740710626728noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4848339327402142720.post-87975457511188296522014-01-29T09:06:00.000-08:002014-01-29T09:17:33.098-08:00Holy Family, pray for us.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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On January 27, 2014 Joseph Maria Wassell, our unborn child, was lost. We entrust this little soul to the care and mercy of our Heavenly Father.</div>
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<i>Holy Family, pray for us!</i><br />
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<i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">(Holy Family with Garland of Fruits and Flowers, Jan Bruegel the Elder)</span></i></div>
The Merry Greenwood Theater Companyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13548832740710626728noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4848339327402142720.post-31038601480113710702013-11-07T06:36:00.001-08:002013-11-07T06:37:26.673-08:00can I recommend...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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...setting the table <i>before </i>you begin to cook? Ladies, this has changed my life. I don't know why, exactly. Something about the last minute pressure to actually get the food on the table being gone makes for a great cooking experience overall. <br />
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My table is in my kitchen, so somehow being able to glance over at a neatly set table while I do the prep just keeps the end goal in mind. We're not just throwing the slop to the pigs, you know? We're creating an experience. We're crafting a space to pause and be a family, and to pray for a moment. Yes the food, yes we need to eat to survive. But that's not the primary point when we sit down to family dinner. Right?<br />
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Please don't misunderstand me...dinner is not perfect peace in our home. There is a lot of practice going on every night regarding manners, keeping to one conversation and being considerate. We have not 'arrived' by any stretch of any remotely sane imagination. But it's all in the trying, right? Here again we see the domestic church mirroring the Church herself...not perfect yet! But so much grace is poured out as we sit together, laugh together, mess up the evening together, and forgive one another for it. over. and. over. <br />
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I know that in many homes setting the table is a kid job, which is great. For me though, if I make myself set the table with real intentionality, even prayerfully, I approach meal prep and the rest of the evening differently. I'm sure in my own weakness at that time of day (read: ready for a break, still a LOT of work to do) I just need a little discipline to get me through the transition into the evening. Table setting is helping me do just that these days. <br />
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In the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd there is a lot of focus on the contrast between the great and the small. Our Lord tells us that the Kingdom of God is like a mustard seed. The more I reflect on this, the more I see its truth illumine everyday life. Sometimes the tiniest actions are the ones that help to sanctify our time. <br />
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I will leave you with a poem that we're studying in homeschool. It's very old, and anonymous. I cannot find much in the way of it's history, but I gather that it's just been kicking around forever. It's included in the wonderful collection "Stories and Poems for Extremely Intelligent Children of All Ages" that Harold Bloom assembled. (He argues that it contains what we could call the "pre-canon," or the literature that used to be a part of childhood that prepared people to more fully appreciate the Western canon...but that's another post!)<br />
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The movement of this poem is from great to small, and then out to great again. It moves from an entire culture (a Kingdom) into the most intimate of details (a basket of flowers on a bed...death? birth? marriage?). It then zooms back out to the Kingdom, and posits that this is the Key of the Kingdom. The reader asks, "What? What is the key?" <br />
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I think it must have something to do with this movement...the culture informs the tiniest details of our life, and the tiniest details of our life, in turn, form the culture. If this kingdom is the Kingdom of God, then this has serious ramifications. Which culture will we allow to form us? How will the details of our life form the culture?<br />
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Suddenly setting the table before I cook the meal becomes a piece of the key. <br />
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<i>This is the Key of the Kingdom</i><br />
<i>In that Kingdom is a city;</i><br />
<i>In that city is a town;</i><br />
<i>In that town there is a street;</i><br />
<i>In that street there winds a lane;</i><br />
<i>In that lane there is a yard;</i><br />
<i>In that yard there is a house;</i><br />
<i>In that house there waits a room;</i><br />
<i>In that room an empty bed;</i><br />
<i>And on that bed a basket ––</i><br />
<i>A Basket of Sweet Flowers:</i><br />
<i> Of Flowers, of Flowers;</i><br />
<i> A Basket of Sweet Flowers.</i><br />
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<i>Flowers in a Basket;</i><br />
<i>Basket on the bed;</i><br />
<i>Bed in the chamber;</i><br />
<i>Chamber in the house;</i><br />
<i>House in the weedy yard;</i><br />
<i>Yard in the winding lane;</i><br />
<i>Lane in the broad street;</i><br />
<i>Street in the high town;</i><br />
<i>Town in the city;</i><br />
<i>City in the Kingdom ––</i><br />
<i>This is the Key of the Kingdom.</i><br />
<i> Of the Kingdom this is the Key.</i><br />
<i> </i><br />
<i> ~Anonymous</i><br />
<i><br /></i>The Merry Greenwood Theater Companyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13548832740710626728noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4848339327402142720.post-66992926653826075932013-10-30T19:33:00.001-07:002013-10-31T06:35:53.834-07:00summer birthdays<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Eli and Jude have August birthdays, and consequently they always get the "best" party. Somehow the November boys never have quite such a shebang, but we try to make up for it in other ways. This party <i>was</i> really fun. We raked out a 'campsite' in the woods just outside our front door. Indian costumes abounded, in an effort to enjoy the teepee more fully. We roasted a couple of our freshly harvested chickens on the spit, and the boys constructed an "outpost" from which to distribute birthday candy. Oh my. And the cake was mountainous, and covered in summer fruit and whipped cream. Dreamy.<br />
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On this brisk almost-November night, that party feels so far off. The house smells like the wood stove and fresh applesauce. The Red Sox are on the radio, getting ready to win the world series (?!). The baby is fast asleep. Happy birthday all over again my big boys. I can't believe you are 11 and 9. <br />
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<br />The Merry Greenwood Theater Companyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13548832740710626728noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4848339327402142720.post-56693182614435331582013-10-22T11:05:00.001-07:002013-10-22T11:07:21.459-07:00pet garden spider<br />
We did have a nice summer, after all. It's not that there's been nothing blogworthy in this life of ours. Here begins a series of catch up posts, mostly for my own benefit (recording a few things we don't want to forget). I realized today (I am in bed with a horrible cold), that part of the reason I have not been keeping up with this is that I'm still largely unaccustomed (and thereby overwhelmed) by this new platform. I must conquer this! A whole bunch of these catch up posts will surely buy me some confidence. I hope they aren't too tedious.<br />
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This is a video of our pet garden spider. She was enormous, and lived next to our bean bed the better part of July and August. We loved her so. Sorry for the use of the term 'butt' in this video. ahem. Next time we'll say 'abdomen,' I promise. Actually, I wasn't around when they took this video. We so want to remember this friend!</div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="344" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/XsubbjPD97M" width="459"></iframe>The Merry Greenwood Theater Companyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13548832740710626728noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4848339327402142720.post-73985711968240881522013-10-22T09:02:00.000-07:002013-10-22T09:04:20.274-07:00choir camp results...I'm sure you knew that when I said I would post more about choir camp 'soon' it would be in October. And I'm sure you've been checking everyday in the meantime to see what else I would blog about in the meantime. Good for you.<br />
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The long and short of it is that choir camp was incredible. Ms. Ray did wonders with such a large group of children in the sheer amount of songs they learned. The children sang beautifully both at a local nursing home for a room full of enthusiastic residents, and also at Mass on Sunday. <br />
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The success of the choir camp really laid a foundation for a new style of catechesis (CCD) at St. Paul's this year. A vast number of the the children participate in both CCD and choir, which made it possible to organize the two around each other. This powerful combination of the great treasure we have in the music of the Church and solid teaching of the faith has become a lovely little program for the children of St. Paul's. <br />
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As far as sharing about the week, I will let the pictures speak for themselves. Here is a host of photos of our classroom, the prayerbooks the students made during work time, and their time with the choir.<br />
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<br />The Merry Greenwood Theater Companyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13548832740710626728noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4848339327402142720.post-12053977915000840272013-07-09T18:47:00.002-07:002013-07-09T18:51:55.990-07:00a blessed week, in progress<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This week, the children are enrolled in a choir camp that's held a the Cathedral of Saint Paul. Benny, Eli, and Jude have been in the choir for a while now, and this year Asher has joined the camp and will start singing with the group in the fall. Joining in the music ministry at our church as been a fruitful one for all of us, really. It has sharpened a certain focus in the life of faith within our family. To hear the boys singing snatches of liturgical music here and there is a blessing. And the scripture that is memorized as they prepare to sing the songs at Mass is just...well it's just wonderful. If I attempted to get them to memorize that much scripture as a homeschool exercise, it would not yield so much. But when Ms. Ray asks them to memorize a Psalm that will be sung, they're all over it.<br />
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But really, that is just a tidbit of what being a Saint Paul's Children's Choir family means. This experience is really part of the formation of the children! The following letter (to appear in our bulletin this week), which I am honored to have helped write, says what I mean to share in a more cohesive way:<br />
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><i>Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,</i></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><i>Peace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you always.</i></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><i><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>It is our great joy to be singing with you this morning, after a fruitful week of choir camp. The camp was teeming with the life of young people between the ages of 6 and 13, who met each day to worship our Lord together at 9 o’clock Mass. The 28 of us then enjoyed a full day of singing and catechesis, as well as fellowship during lunch and afternoon play. We also visited St. Mary’s Health Care to sing for the elderly residence. </i></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><i><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>This commitment to worship together through song and learning and prayer all week is really a glimpse at what the children’s choir aims to manifest. The goal is not simply to train children to sing as performers for the pleasure of listeners or for the satisfaction of our egos. We are learning how to let our singing voices rise as prayer to our Heavenly Father, as taught by St. Augustine. We are learning how to hear the Holy Spirit moving about in the life of the Church. Sacred music is the vehicle for all of these, to be sure. But it is not music for music’s sake. The music is a powerful source of catechesis for us, and hopefully can be for you as well. Music is the handmaiden of the Liturgy. Good music can teach us the faith.</i></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><i><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>In the children’s choir at Saint Paul’s the young people are taught about the beauty of the Mass in its individual parts, and as a whole. We are exposed to the great western treasury of sacred music. We are invited to enter into the discipline and sacrifice involved in being a part of music ministry. We discuss the Scriptures, and pray together. In short, we are being powerfully integrated into the Liturgical and Sacramental Life of the Church through sacred music. This opportunity to grow in faith and devotion is a special one indeed. It is just the sort of experience that will raise up strong Catholic leaders in the church of tomorrow. </i></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><i><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>When we were baptized, you promised to help raise us in the Faith; we want to thank you for your prayers. We invite you to join us in singing His praises and sharing your faith with us through music. </i></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><i>Blessings,</i></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><i> the Saint Paul's Children's choir</i></span></div>
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Can you see what a blessing this has been? I hope so. I don't have any pictures just now of the goings on of camp, but I will post some soon. While half of the children are having their first lesson, the other half comes for over an hour of Catechesis of the Good Shepherd-style work. We're studying this Sunday's readings all week, which happens to include the Good Samaritan. It is truly a gift to work with these young people! To work alongside of them as they ponder these great mysteries is such balm for the adult soul. I will have to share some more about CGS sometime as well.<br />
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More to come!<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-EMkliSmJWrA/Udy7TSR3HWI/AAAAAAAAADo/fTcxUpNHTMk/s1600/butterfly+close+up.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-EMkliSmJWrA/Udy7TSR3HWI/AAAAAAAAADo/fTcxUpNHTMk/s640/butterfly+close+up.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />The Merry Greenwood Theater Companyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13548832740710626728noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4848339327402142720.post-52720732378184556672013-06-19T09:04:00.002-07:002013-07-09T18:52:41.096-07:00a return to blogging?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 18px; line-height: 25px; text-align: justify;">Since Peter's birth, I have not been blogging! That is stating the obvious. To be honest, much of that decision was intentional (as opposed to the perhaps suspected non-decision that often accompanies life with a newborn). There has been a certain feeling in the air around here since his birth that is very much a call to </span><em style="background-color: white; font-size: 18px; line-height: 25px; text-align: justify;">be present</em><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 18px; line-height: 25px; text-align: justify;">. It has felt so good. I have been lower tech than I have been in a long time these last ten months. (ten months! How is dear Peter almost one already?!) It has accompanied a 'new slow' that is our life as we know it. The pace does pick up in patches, which can get stressful, but luckily this serves only to punctuate the nicer times of slowness. Of being at home. I can honestly say that what I do most is feed the people. This might mean spending time in the kitchen cooking and cooking and cooking. Or, it might mean growing our food outside in raised beds and chicken coops. But I don't mind. </span><em style="background-color: white; font-size: 18px; line-height: 25px; text-align: justify;">Feed my sheep. Feed my lambs. </em><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 18px; line-height: 25px; text-align: justify;">Right?</span></span></div>
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<span style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--pCA1Dmysb8/UcHVsHIT6mI/AAAAAAAAACU/gn9PZrsDrdU/s640/gaggle+of+geese.png" width="640" /></span></span><span style="background-color: white; clear: left; float: left; font-size: 18px; line-height: 25px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="background-color: white; clear: left; float: left; font-size: 18px; line-height: 25px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The rest is creating the life of the domestic church here, homeschooling, and...well, laundry and cleaning. This is surely the list that set women's teeth on edge not long ago and became what we now call the feminist movement. But I'll take this list. These things, in fact, are my favorite things to do. I feel more whole and content doing these things than anything else. </span></span><span style="background-color: white; clear: left; float: left; font-size: 18px; line-height: 25px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 25px; text-align: justify;">Please don't misunderstand, there are days I wish I had more help! And days when I just wish we had the money for take-out. *alas* And days when I yell at the boys because I wish I had more time to just sit. and. read. something. BUT, at the end of the day, I am happy to sacrifice. And when I'm not, I know it is growing my soul to just do it anyway.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">This return to blogging is fueled by a desire to record. I'm doing a lousey job of that. Poor Peter does not have many photographs of himself, and he's such a beautiful boy! Ultimately I think I want the journal of our days that a blog provides, and I don't mind sharing it with family and friends at the same time, since we do not excel at Christmas cards and New Year's letters. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> So...here it goes! Let's see if adding this back in to life feels comfortable or not. </span></div>
The Merry Greenwood Theater Companyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13548832740710626728noreply@blogger.com0