Palm Sunday is almost here! It is the day when we, as Christians, remember Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem, riding on a donkey. When the people heard that Jesus was coming, they spread their cloaks on the road and palm branches that they had cut in the field. They waved their branches and shouted, “Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest heaven!" To celebrate this special day, decorate your home with this sweet Palm Sunday Mobile that you can easily make with your children. All you need are simple supplies that you already have in your home and yard. Set aside some time, read Matthew 21:1-11, put on some worship music, and make the Palm Sunday Mobile. Before you go to bed on Saturday night, let your children help you choose a place to hang the mobile. These tangible reminders of the special day we are celebrating add so much depth and beauty to our lives. I hope this Palm Sunday Mobile is a blessing to you and your family! Palm Sunday Mobile Green construction paper Glue Twine Hole punch Red ribbon Stick Scissors Starting on the narrow side of the paper, fold an entire sheet of green construction paper accordion style. When you are finished, fold it in half. About 3/4 of the way up the stack, cut in a curve to the tip of the other side. Unfold the stack and punch a hole where you see the crease in the paper. Take a 12-18 inch piece of twine and tie one end through the hole and knot. Glue the interior strips together. Make as many palms as you want. Place your stick down and tie the palms at varying lengths along the stick. Take a long piece of twine and tie each end to the ends of your stick. Hang on a nail in the wall. Tie the red ribbon in a simple knot and hang it on the nail.

For Christians, Easter is the most important celebration of our faith. It marks the resurrection of Jesus and his triumph over sin and death. Easter Eggs have become a popular symbol associated with the holiday. But what is the significance of Easter eggs for Christians? An Egg-cellent History Early on in the history of the church, the egg became a powerful symbol for the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Just as a chick hatches from its egg and emerges into new life, Christians believe that Jesus emerged from his tomb on Easter Sunday, having conquered death and bringing new life to all who believe in him. In many Christian traditions, eggs are also associated with Lent, the 40-day period of fasting and reflection leading up to Easter. During Lent, Christians give up certain foods, including meat and dairy products. Eggs were traditionally included in this group of foods to avoid since they were seen as a rich and luxurious food that should be set aside in favor of more modest fare. However, while eggs were not being consumed during Lent, chickens were still laying eggs. To keep from wasting the eggs, people would hard boil them and keep them until Easter Day. On Easter Day, they would bring their eggs, along with all of the other foods that would be used for their Easter feast to be blessed by the priest. They would bring all of their food in a basket, where we get the tradition of the Easter basket. Having your Easter foods blessed was a way of expressing gratitude for the abundance of God’s blessings and also served as a way to sanctify and consecrate the foods that were to be eaten on Easter Sunday. There was even a special prayer prayed over the eggs: Lord, let the grace of your blessing come upon these eggs, that they be healthful food for your faithful who eat them in thanksgiving for the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you forever and ever. Amen. Since eggs were a powerful symbol to Christians of the resurrection of Jesus and since they were finally able to eat their eggs on Easter Day, eggs were a central food in the Easter feast. Many traditions were created around eggs: food made with eggs, decorating eggs, egg hunts, and chocolate desserts shaped like eggs to name just a few. Easter Eggs to Dye For Decorating Easter eggs is a long-standing tradition in many Christian cultures around the world. Depending on the country, Christians decorate eggs in a variety of ways, including painting, dyeing, and embellishing them with various designs and materials. One popular way to decorate eggs is to dye them. Depending on the country, specific colors have different symbolic meanings. For example, in the Orthodox Christian tradition, eggs are dyed red to represent the blood of Christ shed for our sins. In other countries, spring colors are used such as green, yellow, and light blue to represent new life. Eggs can also be painted with intricate designs and patterns often with religious symbols such as crosses. In some cultures, such as in Ukraine, eggs are dipped in beeswax and then etched to create intricate designs before dyeing them. They can also be decorated by carving intricate designs or using a technique called etching. This involves creating a design by removing the shell’s outer layer using acid or a sharp tool. These eggs can be kept for family Easter baskets but are often given as gifts and are highly valued for their beauty and symbolism. Overall, the practice of decorating eggs for Easter is a way for Christians to celebrate the joy and renewal of the Easter season. The many different colors and techniques used to decorate eggs reflect the long-standing history and rich diversity of Christian cultures around the world. I still have such good memories of buying PAAS Easter egg-dying kits at the grocery store and then setting up an egg-dyeing station on the kitchen counter. We’d line all of the dyes up and dip our eggs repeatedly until we had the depth of color or the design we were hoping for. That night, my mom would take the dried Easter eggs and place them in our Easter baskets filled with Easter grass and assorted Easter candies. It was always such a joy to wake up and find my Easter basket waiting for me! If you’d like to incorporate the tradition of decorating eggs in your home, why not try decorating your eggs naturally? You can use vegetable discards or spices to achieve the most beautiful colors! Your children will love being able to make the dyes themselves and you can also try making red eggs which boxed dye kits usually don’t have the dye for. Recipe for Natural Easter Egg Dyes Note: The color of the dyes will depend on how concentrated the dye is, what color egg you use, and how many times the eggs are immersed in the dye. You can dye about 4 eggs per cup of dye. Ingredients: Boiled and cooled white eggs. (You can use any color of eggs but it will change the outcome). Olive oil Vinegar salt Per cup of water use the following: 1 cup chopped purple cabbage for blue eggs 1 cup red onion skins for red eggs 1 cup yellow onion skins for orange eggs 2 tablespoons ground turmeric for yellow eggs 1 bag Red Zinger tea for lavender eggs Combine the water and whatever ingredient you are using in a saucepan. Add 1 teaspoon of salt and raise heat to a boil. Turn down heat to medium-low and simmer for 10 minutes. Allow liquid to cool. Once the liquid has cooled, strain. Add one tablespoon of white vinegar to every cup of strained dye liquid. Dip your cooled, boiled eggs into the dye as many times as you want to get the desired color. Brush or rub the dyed eggs with olive oil to get a nice sheen.

Today is St. Joseph’s Day, the day that we remember the foster father of Jesus. St. Joseph is such an important role model for Christians all over the world. Just like Mary, he was specially chosen by God, and just like Mary, he listened to God and obeyed. St. Joseph is only mentioned in the first few chapters of the gospels of Matthew and Luke. It is really interesting to go back through those chapters with your focus on Joseph. What must it have been like for him? As I read through the chapters, I was struck by how much St. Joseph was guided by an angel of the Lord. I am very aware of the angel of the Lord appearing to Mary but I had never noticed how much the angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph. So, today, in honor of St. Joseph, read through the first chapters of Matthew and Luke, really thinking about it all through Joseph’s eyes. Notice all that the gospel writers say about him and notice all of the times the angel of the Lord appears to him and what the angel says. Other ways to celebrate: Read Matthew 1:18-24. Discuss what it must have been like to be Joseph. Do you think he was scared or confused? Did Joseph obey the angel? Discuss how Joseph's obedience to the Lord protected Mary and the unborn baby Jesus. St. Joseph was a carpenter. Let your kids hammer nails into scraps of wood. Talk about the craft of carpentry and how Joseph taught Jesus how to be a carpenter. Make something with figs. In Italy, figs, especially fig cookies are associated with St. Joseph. We made a wonderful fig cookie filled with figs, chocolate, and orange marmalade BUT if you don’t feel like baking, simply pick up a package of fig newtons or fig preserves from your grocery store. St. Joseph’s Day Fig Cookies INGREDIENTS 1 1/4 lb. whole dried figs Zest of 1 orange 1 c. blanched almonds 1/2 c. orange marmalade 1/2 c. mini semisweet chocolate chips 3/4 c. granulated sugar 1 tsp. Dutch-processed cocoa powder 1/4 tsp. ground cloves 1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon 3 c. all-purpose flour 3/4 tsp. baking powder 1 c. solid vegetable shortening 1 tbsp. red decorating sugar 1 tbsp. green decorating sugar DIRECTIONS Place figs and orange zest in a food processor and chop, about 1 minute. Transfer mixture to a large bowl. Add almonds, marmalade, chocolate chips, 1/4 cup granulated sugar, cocoa powder, cloves, and cinnamon to mixture; combine. Add warm water, 1 teaspoon at a time (up to 2 teaspoons), until mixture reaches consistency of a thick paste. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with paddle attachment, combine flour, remaining granulated sugar, and baking powder on low speed. With mixer still on low, add shortening, 1 tablespoon at a time (up to 1 cup), and mix until resembling coarse crumbs. Then add water, 1 teaspoon at a time (up to 1 cup), until dough begins to ball around paddle. Transfer dough to a lightly floured work surface and knead until smooth, 2 to 3 minutes. Place in a bowl, cover with a damp cloth, and refrigerate until chilled, about 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Divide dough into 4 equal pieces. Using damp hands, shape each piece into a 10-inch-long log, 1 inch thick. Cut each log into 10 coins. (Keep any dough you're not using covered with a damp cloth.) Using a rolling pin, roll out each coin to a 3-inch round, about 1/8-inch thickness. Place 1 heaping teaspoon fig filling in center of each round of dough. Using your fingers, bring 2 sides of the round up and pinch them over the filling, sealing edges of dough. Turn cookie over so seam is on bottom; then shape cookie into an almond shape. Repeat with remaining dough. Transfer cookies to parchment-lined baking sheets, spacing 1 inch apart. With a sharp paring knife, score several vents on top of each cookie (as shown in photo). Sprinkle cookies with decorating sugar. Bake cookies until lightly golden, 16 to 20 minutes, rotating baking sheets halfway through. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Tomorrow is St Patrick’s Day! One of our favorite foods that we eat on St. Patrick’s day is this amazing Irish Soda Bread. It’s fun, easy to make, and absolutely delicious with its crispy crust, currants, and orange zest. Enjoy! Easy and Delicious Irish Soda Bread 4 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for currants or raisins 4 tablespoons sugar 1 teaspoon baking soda 1½ teaspoons kosher salt 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch diced 1¾ cups cold buttermilk, shaken 1 extra-large egg, lightly beaten 3 teaspoons grated orange zest 1 cup dried currants or raisins Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper. Combine the flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Add the butter and mix on low speed until the butter is mixed with the flour. With a fork, lightly beat the buttermilk, egg, and orange zest together in a measuring cup. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the buttermilk mixture to the flour mixture. Combine the currants or raisins with 1 tablespoon of flour and mix into the dough. It will be very wet. Dump the dough onto a well-floured board and knead it a few times into a round loaf. Place the loaf on the prepared sheet pan and lightly cut an X into the top of the bread with a serrated knife. Bake for 45 to 55 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out clean. When you tap the loaf, it will have a hollow sound. Cool on a baking rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.

With the celebration of Epiphany, a whole new season begins, Epiphanytide. Epiphanytide is not so much the end of Christmas as a continuation of Christmas. We began the Christmas season with a revelation, the revelation of God to His people in the birth of Jesus Christ, and throughout Epiphanytide the revelations of who Jesus is will continue until we begin the season of Lent. So, what is Epiphanytide, and what is this mysterious word “epiphany”? Epiphany is from the Greek word “epiphaneia” which means manifestation. An epiphany, by definition, happens suddenly and it reveals the essential nature or meaning of something. Epiphany can also be described as an intuitive grasp of reality through something simple and striking. What are the epiphanies that the church celebrates from Christmas Day until the end of Epiphany? Well, first of all, the church believes that Jesus was THE revelation of God to us, and through that major revelation came more detailed revelations. Jesus’ birth was the revelation of God to Israel, the visit of the Three Wise Men was the revelation of God to the Gentiles, the baptism of Jesus revealed the Trinity, the miracle of the wedding at Cana revealed Jesus’ glory and the presentation of Jesus in the temple revealed Jesus as the Messiah. Ways to Celebrate Epiphanytide We receive revelations through the Father by studying his word and by spending time in prayer. Commit personally and as a family to spend time in God’s Word and to spend time in prayer. Here is a simple daily prayer guide I created to help get you started: The church gives us the opportunity to mark these revelations and celebrate them as feast days. Celebrate the special holy days of the season with your family. Read the collect and scriptures for the day, and talk about what this reveals about Jesus and what it means for our lives. Make the special foods or do the special activities. Epiphanytide is such a beautiful season. It is a time to rest and reflect after the busyness of Advent and Christmas and to really focus on the light of God’s revelation through his son, Jesus Christ. And just as we will see later in the season with the confession of St. Peter, we do not receive revelations through “flesh and blood but through our Father in heaven”. What a wonderful thing to know about God’s revelations, that they are freely given, we just have to receive them! So, here's to a season of slowing down, opening our hearts, and making space to receive all that God would like to reveal to us!

Today is the Feast of the Annunciation of the Lord. I did not make the traditional fare of waffles but I ate an amazing blackened grouper sandwich in the cute little coastal town of Apalachicola. Best feast day ever! Annunciation simply means announcement and on this day, we celebrate when the angel Gabriel appeared to Mary and announced that she would bear the Messiah. “Today is the beginning of our salvation, God is come among men; He who cannot be contained is contained in a womb; The timeless enters time. A great mystery! His conception is with- out seed, his emptying past telling! So great is this mystery! For God empties himself, takes flesh and is fashioned as a creature, when the angel tells the pure Virgin of her conception: ‘Rejoice, you who are full of grace; the Lord who has great mercy is with you!’” St. John the Monk On this day we also celebrate Mary’s beautiful response, “I am the Lord’s servant... May it be unto me according to your word.” How are you celebrating today?

Today is St. Patrick’s Day! In my hometown, the day was always celebrated with a huge beer festival and being pinched if you were not wearing green. But St. Patrick’s Day is so much more than beer and green clothing! St. Patrick was a real person and his history is actually quite beautiful. St. Patrick grew up in a Christian family in the 400’s in Britain. His father was a deacon and his grandfather was a priest. When he was 16, his village was raided by Irish marauders and St. Patrick was kidnapped. He was taken by ship to Ireland where he became a slave for six years. During this time, Patrick was forced to herd sheep for a local chieftain. He lived in isolation with very little food or clothing. Patrick turned to the Christian faith that he had been brought up in and it was the only thing that kept him going through those brutal years. As he was praying one day, an angel appeared to him and told him of a ship hundreds of miles away that was leaving for his homeland. Patrick escaped from his master and walked hundreds of miles to get to the ship. He was given passage and was eventually reunited with his family. However, after a time, Patrick began having visions about Ireland. Patrick said that he heard the voice of the Irish calling out to him, “We beg you, holy boy, to come and walk among us.” After going through a time of religious training, Patrick was made a priest and then a bishop. He returned to Ireland and shared the gospel of Jesus with the chiefs and then their clans. Patrick already knew the Irish language and their customs which helped him greatly in communicating with the people. For the rest of his life, Patrick traveled throughout Ireland, spreading the good news and converting thousands to the Christian faith. So as we celebrate St. Patrick today, let us give thanks to God that He is always with us, even in the midst of tremendous hardship and that He is able to take our sufferings and use them to help others and to bring them out of darkness into His glorious light!

The season of Lent is almost here! Lent is a beautiful time of preparation. It is a time where we ready our hearts for the amazing work of God’s redemption on Easter Sunday. Throughout Lent, we mark our time with prayer, fasting and almsgiving. While there is a great focus on prayer and fasting in Lent, we often don’t see much on the third pillar of Lent which is almsgiving. Almsgiving is simply collecting and distributing money for those in need. Traditionally, an alms box is placed when we walk into the church and in a prominent place in your home. We always place ours in the center of the table that we eat at. As we give up things for Lent, we take the money that we would have spent on those things and we place the money in our alms box. It is exciting to watch the box fill up as Lent progresses! And there is so much joy at the end to see how much money you have raised as a family and to decide on the way that you will give it away. The alms box for Lent is a wonderful way to walk with your children through the season. They are able to actively walk through the season with their whole lives and have a sense of expectation that while we are fasting, praying and gathering alms during Lent, Easter is on it’s way! This is a kid friendly project! Let your kids go for it. The craft was created to embrace imperfections and little hands! (Except for the Xacto knife part! :) ) Materials: Empty, cleaned out milk or half and half container Xacto knife or scissors Kraft paper Ruler 1 cup flour 1 cup water Washable purple paint Paintbrush Washable white paint Instructions: Wash out your milk carton and let dry. Have an adult cut away the spout part of the container. Tear strips of kraft paper with a ruler. The strips do not be even or the same shape or size. Thoroughly mix the flour and water in a bowl with a whisk. Dip a strip of paper into the homemade glue, slide most of the glue off with your fingers and lay the strips across the carton. Continue layering the glued strips all over the container until it is completely covered. Let it dry. Pour purple paint into a bowl, add enough water to make the paint the consistency of cream. Paint the container purple. Let it dry. Dip a small, stiff brush into the white paint. Paint on the words “Prayer, Fasting, Alms”. Let your child decorate the rest of the carton with simple white crosses. I hope this easy, alms box is a blessing to your family! Have a blessed Lent! Ashley +

Happy first day of March! This month is filled with so many special days in the liturgical year! We start with the Ember Days where we pray for those who are discerning a call to the ministry and we end the month with the celebration of the Feast of the Annunciation where Gabriel appears to Mary and announces that she will bear the Messiah. Follow along as I share the history, recipes, and traditions for these special days in the church's life.

Today is Friday and you know what that means…no meat all day! Throughout the season of Lent, Christians abstain from meat on Fridays. This is done out of reverence for Good Friday, the day that Jesus died on the cross. If having a meatless Friday strikes fear into your heart, take courage! Making your Friday meatless doesn't have to be difficult. Today, I thought I’d share one of our favorite (and super easy!) meatless meals - Instant Pot Lentil Soup. I love lentils, they are super cheap, easy to make and have a really deep, hearty taste. Easy Instant Pot Lentil Soup 1 Tbsp. olive oil 1 large onion, chopped 2 celery ribs, thinly sliced 5 carrots, thinly sliced 1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes 1 cup lentils, rinsed and sorted 3 14 oz. cans vegetable broth 3 cups water ½ tsp. Salt ½ tsp. pepper 2 garlic cloves, minced 1 bay leaf 1 tsp. Thyme 1 cup shredded parmesan Place all ingredients (minus the parmesan cheese) in your Instapot. Hit manual, 40 minutes and allow the pressure to release naturally. Serve sprinkled with parmesan cheese along with a light salad and cornbread pancakes.

The King Cake is a traditional Mardi Gras dessert. It was created to use up all of the rich things (butter, sugar, alcohol) in our pantries before a season of fasting begins. This is a delicious traditional King Cake with a flaky, buttery brioche, a sweet filling of toasted pecans, cane syrup, cinnamon, and coated with a bourbon glaze. Ingredients for the Brioche: 1 envelope of Active Dry Yeast 1/4 cup warm water (115 degrees) 1 teasoon sugar 1 teaspoon salt 2 Tablespoons sugar 1/4 cup milk 2 teaspoons orange zest 2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted 1 teaspoon cinnamon 2 eggs, beaten 1 1/4 sticks cold unsalted butter, cut into very small pieces 1 egg beaten and 2 Tablespoons water for the egg wash 1 plastic baby trinket or dried bean Dissolve the yeast in the work bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment, and let stand until frothy. Dissolve the salt, sugar, orange zest, and milk in a small bowl. When dissolved combine the milk mixture with the yeast mixture. Mix the cinnamon with the flour. Add the eggs with the mixer on low speed, then gradually add the flour until all is incorporated. Knead on low speed for 10 minutes until a smooth elastic dough is formed. A little more flour may be necessary. With the motor running, incorporate the butter into the dough, a little at a time but rather quickly so that it doesn’t heat up and melt. Turn the dough into an oiled bowl, loosely cover it with plastic wrap, and let rise for 1 hour in a warm spot. When the dough has doubled in bulk punch it down, cover, and place it in the refrigerator overnight. You can skip this step if you are pressed for time. The following day, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Roll the dough out to a 6 x 18-inch rectangle. Spread the pecan filling (recipe below) out in the middle of the rectangle along the whole length, leaving about 1 1/2 inches on each side. Place the baby trinket somewhere with the filling. Fold the length of the dough over the filling and roll up tightly, leaving the seam side down. Turn the roll into a circle, seam side down and put one end inside of the other to hide the seam, and seal the circle. Place the cake on a baking sheet and let rise, loosely covered with plastic wrap, for 45 minutes or until doubled in bulk. Brush all over with the egg wash, then place the king cake into the oven and bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown. When the cake cools, brush with some of the glaze (recipe below) thinned out with more cold water. This will help the sugars adhere. Decorate the cake with the colored sugars and drizzle some of the thicker glaze onto the cake. Place on a large round serving plate and decorate with Mardi Gras beads, doubloons, and whatever else that you like. Ingredients for the filling: 1 cup pecan halves, broken up slightly and roasted until fragrant 2/3 cup brown sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 teaspoon cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice 1 pinch of salt 4 Tablespoons Steen’s Cane Syrup Combine all of the ingredients together. For the glaze: 1/2 cup powdered sugar 1 Tablespoon bourbon water Combine the sugar and bourbon, and whisk in enough water to make a glaze that can be drizzled.

As Christians we believe that the death and resurrection of Jesus is the most important thing to ever happen to us! Just as Advent is a time of preparation for the miraculous birth of Christ, so Lent is a time of preparation for Easter. This Lenten paper chain is a wonderful way to walk with your children through the season of Lent. They can actively walk through all of the feast and fast days and have a sense of expectation that Easter is on it’s way! Materials: Purple, White, Black, Red and Blue construction paper Glue stick or glue Ruler Colored pencils Instructions: Rip strips of colored paper using the ruler along the width of the paper. Interlock strips and glue the ends together. You will need: 36 purple strips The purple represents the days of Lent. Put a black cross on 1 of the strips to represent Ash Wednesday. 7 white strips The white strips represent the Sundays of Lent which are always feast days since they celebrate the resurrection of Jesus. (Put a gold cross with flowers all around one to represent Easter) 1 blue strip for the Feast of the Annunciation. It’s a feast day where we celebrate Gabriel’s Announcement to Mary that she would have God’s Son. 1 red strip to represent Palm Sunday. Put a green palm on it. 2 black strips represent Good Friday and Holy Saturday The order of the strips: 4 purple (Put a black cross on the first purple strip for Ash Wednesday), 1 white, 6 purple, one white, 6 purple, 1 white, 6 purple, 1 white, 5 purple, 1 blue, 1 white, 6 purple, 1 red, 3 purple, 1 white, 2 black, 1 white (decorated with a gold cross and flowers for Easter) Have a blessed Lent +