Wednesday, February 25, 2009

lent... waiting till the last minute again!

So, I should have written this a few weeks ago, but then I wouldn't have had any ideas, because I just started thinking about what we should do for Lent yesterday!! Yikes!

My friend Jennifer shared this sweet and simple (I'm all about simple these days!) prayer idea for children:

The Jelly Bean Prayer

Red is for the blood Christ gave
(each morning we choose something to sacrifice that day to earn the red jellybean. It has to be something we have had the opportunity to have or do on that day)

Green is for the palm's cool shade
(green jellybeans are earned for good deeds. It was a good deed to provide shade for Jesus with the palm)

Yellow is for God's light so bright
(yellow jellybeans are earned for sharing God's light through kindness to others)

Orange is for prayers at twilight
(orange jellybeans are earned for attentive behavior during bedtime prayer time)

Blue is for sweet rest at night
(these are earned for going to bed with a good attitude)

White is for the Grace of Christ
(these we cannot earn because grace is a free spiritual gift from God)

Purple is for His days of sorrow
(we earn these through apologizing to anyone we hurt with our words or deeds that day)

Pink is for each new tomorrow
(pink jellybeans are earned when we forgive those who apologized to us for hurtful behavior)
Then, you buy a the jelly beans and have the children add them in a clear jar or glass till Holy Saturday. On Holy Saturday Night, Mom and Dad fill the jar up the rest of the way with the white jelly beans which represent God's free gift of grace, which we cannot earn. So when they wake up Easter morning, their jar is full, both from their own good works and from the love of God (and Mom and Dad!) Thanks, Jen!

Lenten Family Calendar


I also found this great Lenten Family Calendar, which I've seen before somewhere. I found it at www.adifferentvoice.com. It's a nice simple calendar with something different to do each day of Lent. Great for kids!


As for me,

I really liked Fr. Brain McMaster's homily at St.Mary's this last Sunday. He spoke about making Lent less about what you give up and more about your relationship with Jesus. He said we should be as eager to heal or grow our friendship with Jesus as we are eager to rush ourselves to the doctor to heal our bodies when we're sick. Interesting thought!

AND, my friend Marcel wrote this great mega-post about Lent 2009 at the Aggie Catholic Blog. This is one of the few blogs that is ALWAYS worth reading - never a waste of time. If you don't read it already, add it to your list! And, Marcel, yes, your brochure is coming. I promise!

Sunday, February 22, 2009

the little ones I love...

Jonathan: has a crush on our babysitter. He was recently quoted in his classroom newsletter: "Tooth Fairies are real, but magic, like making someone float, is a trick. I've seen it." He can draw just about anything. He played his last soccer game in the rain and had a blast!

Emelie: gets angry when Katherine calls Emelie's old imaginary friends on the play telephone. Likes to read Star Wars, Little Women and Nancy Drew. She's a super piano player. She likes to clean the bathroom. The other day, she walked up and said, "Mom, I really think we should clean the bathroom more often. It gets gross in there really fast!"

Katherine: likes to make her big sister mad by calling Emelie's old imaginary friends on the telephone. Katherine's imaginary friends are Belisa and Shalla. Belisa's mommy's name is "Big Belisa" and Shalla's mommy's name is, you guessed it, "Big Shalla". She likes to creep around the house at 6 am, turn on all the lights and search for candy. She likes to wear dresses and very fancy shoes. Some days she wants to be called "Callie".

Colleen: likes to crawl behind the couch and pull my lamp over. Then she heads over the the TV console and pulls the wii remotes off the charger, sits back and grins. When she smiles, she still gets her crinkle across her nose and her eyes still get squinty... and she smiles a lot.

Tuesday, February 17, 2009

If you love me, you'll paste my Santa Clara Design button on your blog... :)

how to make a tablescape, for $0...

One of my ALL TIME FAVORITE blogs is The Nesting Place. If you are a bit girly and like having a pretty house and don't want to spend a million dollars to get there, then you MUST read the Nester's posts!

I love this recent one... "How to Make a Tablescape with What You Already Have..."

enjoy!!

Dinner at Aunt Lynn's


Christmas 2008
Originally uploaded by laurengulde
I think this was Christmas night? Maybe a day later? We had fun visiting with the family and watching the kids play together!

Christmas morning breakfast at Nana and Pop's


Christmas 2008
Originally uploaded by laurengulde

the wii


Christmas 2008
Originally uploaded by laurengulde
happiness abounds!

unwrapping chaos at Grandpa and Dottie's!


Christmas 2008
Originally uploaded by laurengulde
We stopped trying to take photos and write lists and sat back to watch!!

Katherine and the oh-so-sassy Julie!


Christmas 2008
Originally uploaded by laurengulde
You should see all of these photos (just click and the link will take you there...) Julie strikes a pose in each one!

The girls took turns rolling Aunt Caitlin's baby stroller up and down the sidewalk. Over and over again.

Here we go...


Christmas 2008
Originally uploaded by laurengulde
Haven't posted in a while! Here are Emelie and Colleen on Christmas morning... I love this photo of them!