Pentecost is this Sunday! When you think about it, Pentecost is such a big deal! It is the day when the Holy Spirit descended, the gift that Jesus promised when he ascended into heaven. And with the gift of the Holy Spirit, Jesus' disciples were baptized with fire and with power. They boldly spread the good news of Jesus Christ and the Church was born! What better way to celebrate the Church's birthday than with a birthday cake! I love making a red velvet cake with white frosting for Pentecost because red is the liturgical color of Pentecost and the white frosting represents the tradition of baptizing new converts on Pentecost Day. If you'd like to try making red velvet cake for Pentecost, here's my all time favorite recipe! Red Velvet Cake With Cream Cheese Frosting 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder 1 teaspoon baking powder 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon salt 1 cup buttermilk 1 tablespoon liquid red food coloring 1 teaspoon white vinegar 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1/4 pound (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature 1 1/2 cups sugar 2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature Red Velvet Frosting, recipe follows Red Velvet Frosting 8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature 12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract 3 1/2 cups sifted confectioners' sugar Directions Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour 2 8-inch cake pans. In a small bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a large measuring cup, combine the buttermilk, food coloring, vinegar, and vanilla. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar on medium speed for 1 minute, until light. Add the eggs, one at a time, and beat until combined. With the mixer on low speed, add the dry ingredients and the wet ingredients alternately in 3 parts, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients, and mix until combined. Stir with a rubber spatula to be sure the batter is mixed. Pour the batter into 2 8-inch cake pans. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the centers comes out clean. Cool completely in the pans and frost the cupcakes with Red Velvet Frosting. Red Velvet Frosting Place the cream cheese, butter, and vanilla in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, and mix on medium speed just until combined. Don't whip! Add the sugar and mix until smooth.

Sunday is Pentecost! Pentecost is the day that the church celebrates the gift of the Holy Spirit and the birth of the church. It is a major feast day so get ready to celebrate! Before Jesus ascended into heaven, he instructed his disciples to wait and pray in Jerusalem until they received the gift that he had promised. Jesus promised to send a helper, a comforter to his people. This Comforter would come bringing a baptism of fire and power. Through this Comforter, God would dwell with his people and he would give us new hearts and he would place a new spirit within us. What an amazing thing! In 1 Corinthians 12, we are told that when we are filled with the Holy Spirit, he gives us all gifts. “Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. To one there is given through the Spirit the gift of wisdom, to another the gift of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues,and to still another the interpretation of tongues. All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines.” Ways to Celebrate Read Acts 1-2 and 1 Corinthians 12:7-11. Learn about the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Look up and go over what each gift means. Make a Gifts of the Holy Spirit Mobile and as you are making it, pray that the Holy Spirit would give those gifts to you! Instructions for the Gifts of the Holy Spirit Mobile Trace and cut out a clip art image of a dove on white paper. Trace and cut out seven large yellow flame shapes, seven smaller orange tear drop shapes and seven even smaller red tear drop shapes. Glue an orange and then a red tear drop onto each yellow flame. Punch a hole in your dove and flames, write a gift of the Holy Spirit on the back of each flame, tie loops of twine through each shape and hang on a branch or from a chandelier. Happy Pentecost!

Sunday is Pentecost! Pentecost is the day that the church celebrates the gift of the Holy Spirit and the birth of the church. It is a major feast day so get ready to celebrate! Before Jesus ascended into heaven, he instructed his disciples to wait and pray in Jerusalem until they received the gift that he had promised. Jesus promised to send a helper, a comforter to his people. This Comforter would come bringing a baptism of fire and power. Through this Comforter, God would dwell with his people and he would give us new hearts and he would place a new spirit within us. What an amazing thing! In 1 Corinthians 12, we are told that when we are filled with the Holy Spirit, he gives us all gifts. “Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. To one there is given through the Spirit the gift of wisdom, to another the gift of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues,and to still another the interpretation of tongues. All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines.” Ways to celebrate Celebrate the day of Pentecost by reading Acts 1-2 and 1 Corinthians 12:7-11. Look up and go over what each gift means. Make a Gifts of the Holy Spirit Mobile and as you are making it, pray that the Holy Spirit would give those gifts to you! Instructions for the Gifts of the Holy Spirit Mobile Trace and cut out a clip art image of a dove on white paper. Trace and cut out seven large yellow flame shapes, seven smaller orange tear drop shapes and seven even smaller red tear drop shapes. Glue an orange and then a red tear drop onto each yellow flame. Punch a hole in your dove and flames, write a gift of the Holy Spirit on the back of each flame, tie loops of twine through each shape and hang on a branch or from a chandelier. Happy Pentecost!

Ascension Day is the day that we remember Jesus’ ascent into heaven. After Jesus’ resurrection, He revealed himself to His disciples over a period of forty days. He ate with them and taught them all about the kingdom of God. One day, while He was eating with them, He told them that they were to stay in Jerusalem and wait for the gift His Father had promised. He told them that they would be baptized by fire and the Holy Spirit and that they would receive power and that they would be His witnesses throughout the world. On the fortieth day, Jesus brought them out into the countryside. He lifted up His hands and blessed them. As He was blessing them, He was lifted up into the clouds. While the disciples were looking up into the sky, two men dressed in white stood beside them and asked why they were looking into the sky. They explained that Jesus would return in the same way that He went into heaven. The disciples immediately began worshiping the Lord and returned to Jerusalem filled with great joy. There they stayed for nine days, praying and praising God. Together with Mary and the disciples, we marvel at what happened. Jesus defied all earthly laws and ascended up into the clouds to sit at the right hand of the Father. We also wait for a gift that has been promised to us. We don't fully understand what it is but we have been told to wait and pray. There are nine days between the day that Jesus ascended (The Ascension) and the day that the Holy Spirit fell on the disciples (Pentecost). These nine days are called a “novena” and were the first novena that the church celebrated. Ascension Day is a feast day and is celebrated all over the world. In many countries, there is a “beating of the bounds” where the boundaries of the church property are beaten with bundles of sticks and prayed over. In Portugal, they gather wheat stalks and place them in their homes. In many churches in Italy, a statue of the Risen Lord is lifted on wires up through a hole in the ceiling of the church. Then gifts of cookies, fruit, flowers, and green branches rained down from the hole and into the church. Something else wonderful happens in Italy on the Feast of the Ascension. In Venice, there is a clock tower in the Piazza San Marco. Underneath the clock is a niche with a figure of Mary holding Jesus. Twice a year, once on the Feast of the Epiphany and during the festivities surrounding the Ascension (known as "la Festa della Sensa" in Venice) doors on either side of Mary and Jesus open up, and the three Magi, led by an angel appear. The angel and the three Magi make their way around Mary and Jesus, the angel lifts his trumpet to his lips, and the Magi bow down and remove their crowns. Ways to Celebrate Read Luke 24:44-53 as a family. Discuss what the disciples must have felt when they saw Jesus rise up into heaven. How would you feel if you saw Jesus ascend into heaven? Why do you think Jesus needed to go up to heaven? Eat fowl. It is traditional on this day to eat fowl since fowl fly up into heaven. This usually includes birds like doves, ducks, or pheasants. Since that might be hard to come by, make something with chicken or turkey. In Western Germany, bakers sold pastries in the shapes of birds. Make cookies and use a bird cookie cutter. Make Divinity to symbolize the clouds in the sky. Hike a mountain or hill. Just as Jesus led his disciples up a mountain before he ascended, it is traditional for people to hike to the highest place in their area and have a picnic. We live by the beach so we always go to the beach, have a picnic and admire the sky. Catch crickets. In some parts of Italy, there is an interesting custom of catching crickets on this day. Families have a picnic while the children look for crickets, which are said to bring blessings. Celebrate Ascension by going over the gifts and fruits of the Holy Spirit. Divinity 2 ½ cups sugar ½ cup water ½ cup light corn syrup ¼ teaspoon salt 2 egg whites 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 cup chopped pecans, toasted Cook first 4 ingredients in a heavy 2-quart saucepan over low heat until sugar dissolves and a candy thermometer registers 248 degrees(about 15 minutes). Remove syrup mixture from heat. Beat egg whites at high speed with an electric mixer until stiff peaks form. Pour half of hot syrup in a thin stream over egg whites, beating constantly at high speed, about 5 minutes. Cook remaining half of syrup over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until a candy thermometer registers 272 degrees(about 4 to 5 minutes). Slowly pour hot syrup and vanilla extract over egg white mixture, beating constantly at high speed until mixture holds its shape (about 6 to 8 minutes). Stir in 1 cup chopped pecans. Drop mixture quickly by rounded teaspoonfuls onto lightly greased wax paper. Garnish, if desired. Cool.

I have always been so intimidated by anything made with whole chickens. They always seemed so difficult to make! Until I discovered that that could not be farther from the truth! Roasting a chicken is the easiest main course to make, and this Lemon and Rosemary Roast Chicken is an easy roast chicken recipe. This is one of my favorite roast chicken recipes that I have tried. It has lots of butter, lemons, and rosemary. The incredible smell of it roasting fills the whole house. It is so moist and flavorful, with a perfect crispy golden brown skin. It comes out perfectly every time! Lemon and Rosemary Roast Chicken 1 whole Chicken, Rinsed And Patted Dry 3/4 c. Butter, Softened 3 whole Lemons 4 sprigs Rosemary 1 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon pepper Preheat oven to 400 degrees convection bake. (If you're using a standard oven, you can do 425.) Zest two of the lemons. Strip the leaves off one of the rosemary sprigs and chop them up finely. In a bowl, combine softened butter, lemon zest, rosemary, and salt and pepper to taste. Line a baking sheet with heavy-duty aluminum foil and lay the patted-dry chicken on the foil, breast side up. Use your fingers to smear the butter mixture all over the chicken, under the skin, and inside the cavity. Cut the lemons in half and squeeze the juice of one lemon all over the chicken. Place the six lemon halves (if they'll fit!) and the three remaining rosemary leaves into the cavity of the bird. Place the chicken into the oven and roast it for 1 hour, 15 minutes, or until done. The skin should be deep golden brown and the juices should be sizzling.

Happy Feast of St. Michael and All Angels! In Ireland and Great Britain, the traditional dinner is roast goose and carrots. If it’s not easy to find a goose in your area, make a roast chicken instead. We are going to be making our family’s favorite, Lemon and Rosemary Roast Chicken from The Pioneer Woman. You use lemons, rosemary and a lot of butter. It’s tender and so flavorful! Lemon and Rosemary Roast Chicken 1 whole Chicken, Rinsed And Patted Dry 3/4 c. Butter, Softened 3 whole Lemons 4 sprigs Rosemary Salt And Pepper, to taste Preheat oven to 400 degrees (convection bake. If you're using a standard oven, you can do 425.) Zest two of the lemons. Strip the leaves off of one of the rosemary sprigs and chop it up finely. In a bowl, combine softened butter, lemon zest, rosemary, and salt and pepper to taste. Line a baking sheet with heavy duty aluminum foil and lay the patted-dry chicken on the foil, breast side up. Use your fingers to smear the butter mixture all over the chicken, under the skin, and inside the cavity. Cut the lemons in half and squeeze the juice of one lemon all over the chicken. Place the six lemon halves (if they'll fit!) and the three remaining rosemary leaves into the cavity of the bird. Place the chicken into the oven and roast it for 1 hour, 15 minutes or until done. Skin should be deep golden brown and juices should be sizzling.

Here’s a fun thing to do during the season of Easter, play an egg-cracking game! Egg-cracking games are played all over the world to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus. The rule of the game is simple, try to crack your opponent’s egg without cracking your own! One person holds a hard-boiled egg and taps the hard-boiled egg of another participant with one's own egg intending to break the other's, without breaking one's own. There are variations of the game around the world. In Switzerland, you need only one egg instead of two. Usually, the adults are those who try to break the decorated eggs of their children with a twenty-cent coin. If the coin cracks the eggshell and sticks in the egg, the adult claims the egg. On the other hand, the child claims the coin if the adult fails to crack the egg. In many other countries, a nail is used to crack the egg rather than a coin. The nail symbolizes the nails used to crucify Christ. Helpful Links: The Significance of Eggs in Easter

We are still celebrating Easter! 50 days of celebrating the resurrection of Jesus which means 50 days of feasting! We are practicing resurrection over here with one of our favorite recipes, Gateau de Sirop or Cane Syrup Cake. Cane Syrup is a pale amber syrup made from sugar cane. I am from the panhandle of Florida which was heavily influenced by the French and sugar cane was an important staple crop. Sugar cane grew well in our area and was affordable. As a child, I didn’t grow up using real maple syrup. It was way too expensive. If you used syrup, it was cane syrup or artificial syrups like Log Cabin or Karo. My mother-in-law, who grew up in rural western Alabama, remembers her daddy growing and harvesting sugar cane. Two mules went around in a circle turning a machine that ground up the sugar cane. He would take the sugar cane juice and boil it until it turned into a golden liquid (cane syrup) and put it in cans. Cane syrup is much thinner than maple syrup and it is not nearly as sweet. It has a very mild flavor with a unique flavor. You might not know this but if you boil the cane syrup a second time you get molasses and if you boil it a third time, you get blackstrap molasses. This cake is delicious and really easy to make. It’s really moist and spiced with ginger, cinnamon, a little nutmeg, and the unique and delicate flavor of cane syrup. If you don't have access to cane syrup, maple syrup will do just fine! Top it with homemade whipped cream and a drizzle of cane syrup and enjoy! It's an easy and delicious way to practice resurrection in your home! Gâteau de Sirop (Syrup Cake) 1 large egg 1 ½ cups pure cane syrup (I used Steen's Cane Syrup but you could use maple syrup as well) ½ cup vegetable oil ¾ cup hot water 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour sifted, plus more for pan 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1 teaspoon ground ginger ¼ teaspoon ground cloves Sweetened whipped cream, for serving Directions Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 10-inch round (or 9-inch square) baking pan with butter, and dust with flour. Whisk together egg, cane syrup, and oil in a medium bowl until well blended. Whisk together hot water and baking soda in a small bowl. Whisk together flour, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves in a second medium bowl. Stir flour mixture into syrup mixture, alternating with water mixture, stirring until just combined after each addition, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Pour into prepared pan. Bake in preheated oven until a wooden pick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 45 minutes. Let cool completely in the pan, about 1 hour. Remove from pan. If desired, top with sweetened whipped cream and drizzle with additional cane syrup.

The practice of making Pysanky eggs goes back to the 10th century. During the last weeks of Lent, eggs were gathered and lovingly decorated to be given as Easter gifts or used to decorate the home. The process of creating a Pysanky egg involves focused concentration and a deliberate, intentional approach to each step of the process. As Christians, this process was seen as a way to quiet their minds and focus on God's presence in their lives. It was a way to connect with God on a deeper level and to pray over those who would receive the eggs. As I shared in my last post, I had the privilege of learning the art of Pysanky from a sweet young man from Ukraine. He had been trained as a boy and shared his expertise with a group from our church. It was so exciting to finally learn how to make Pysanky eggs! Every step requires your full attention. It's one of those things that you get lost in and forget the world around you. I have really enjoyed sitting down in a quiet place when homeschooling is over for the day and working on an egg. It really is a beautiful way to meditate and be in the presence of God. The act of creating something beautiful with our hands is an incredible form of worship and an expression of our gratitude for the gifts that God has given us. Whether you are an experienced artist or a beginner, a child or an adult, you will absolutely love the process of making these eggs! Supplies: Pysanky Egg Kit (Good news, they are on sale right now!) -it comes with everything you need, a brass kistka, five batik dyes, a small candle, a cake of beeswax, cleaning wire, and instructions. Room-temperature white eggs

As we celebrate Easter, we are reminded of the hope and new life that the resurrection of Jesus Christ brings. One way to emphasize these themes is by planting seeds and watching them grow. You don't need a large space or fancy equipment to get started. All you need is an empty egg carton, some soil, seeds, and water. Fill the egg carton with soil and add a few seeds to each section. Water them and place them in a sunny spot. Within days, you will begin to see new life emerging from the soil. Watching seeds sprout and grow into healthy plants is a powerful reminder of the miracle of new life. It is a tangible way to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus and the hope that it brings to our lives. In addition to being a fun and rewarding activity, planting seeds can also be a great way to teach children about the significance of Easter. They will enjoy watching the seeds grow and learning about the symbolism of new life and resurrection. As you plant your seeds, take some time to reflect on the deeper meaning behind this simple activity. Consider the ways in which new life is emerging in your own life and in the world around you. And remember that just as the seeds require nurturing and care to grow, so too does our faith require ongoing attention and cultivation. This Easter, let us celebrate the resurrection of our Lord and Savior by planting seeds and practicing resurrection in our own lives. May we be filled with hope and new life, and may we continue to nurture the seeds of faith that have been planted within us.

Today is Ash Wednesday and the first day of the season of Lent. As Christians, we believe that the death and resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, is the most important thing to ever happen to us (or to the world for that matter)! God loved us so much that he sent his only son to die for us, to redeem us from our sins, and to restore us back to a life with God. Just as Advent is a time of preparation for the miraculous birth of Christ, so Lent is a time of preparation for Easter. In Lent, we are on a pilgrimage with Christ. We are walking through His forty days in the wilderness and we end with His crucifixion, burial and finally, we gloriously celebrate His resurrection. We start Lent with a very special service - Ash Wednesday. On Ash Wednesday, the Body of Christ gathers to enter this time of devotion corporately. During the service, we look at our own mortality and the consequences of our sins. Traditionally, in the Bible, times of penitence were marked by the wearing of sackcloth and ashes. At the Ash Wednesday service, the forehead of each believer is marked with ashes in the sign of the cross and we are reminded through these ashes that we are “but dust and to dust we shall return” (Genesis 3:19). These are the very words God spoke to Adam and Eve after they committed the first sin +Lent is marked by prayer, fasting, and the giving of alms to those in need. We use the time for introspection, self-examination, and repentance. It is a time to prepare our hearts for the amazing work of God’s redemption on Easter. +Throughout Lent, you see the color purple everywhere. Purple symbolizes Christ’s suffering and his royalty. You might notice that all crosses and icons are covered or veiled by purple cloth, that flowers are removed from the church, and that no more Alleluias are said until Easter day. This is all done to remind us of the suffering of Jesus and the consequences of our sins. +During Lent, Christians try to fast from anything “of the flesh” which means that meat, cheese, eggs, butter, and milk are eliminated from the diet. Christians also abstain from consuming alcohol. And then, in addition to this corporate fast, the individual chooses an additional thing to give up such as sugar, sweets, coffee, or tv. +All of these things we do because we believe, as Paul said in Philippians 3:10, that “we want to know Christ and the power of His resurrection and participation in His sufferings, becoming like Him in His death." .

Lent is here! During the season of Lent, we walk with Jesus in the wilderness. We pray, examine ourselves, fast and collect alms for those in need. This simple DIY Lenten Wreath is an inexpensive and easy craft to make with your kids. It’s a wonderful visual to remind ourselves as we walk into our home that we are walking through the season of Lent. Easy DIY Lenten Door Branches from your yard Command hooks Purple Napkin Gather branches from your yard. Tie a purple napkin or purple fabric in a simple knot around the base of the sticks. Hang a command hook on your front door. Hang gathered sticks on the command hook. It's that easy! I hope that this craft is a blessing to you and your family!