Palm Sunday is this Sunday! It is the day where 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! These Palm Sunday figures were created to help your children imagine and meditate on the moment when Jesus rode into Jerusalem for the last time. The play set was designed to be easily downloaded and set up so that you and your family are able to engage with the story! Read Mark 11:1-11 with your children, allow them to cut out the figures, set up the scene and meditate on this powerful moment in the bible. To download, click the “shop” link. Note: This is for individual use only. If you would like to purchase for a group, click the “unlimited print” option.

It’s a work Monday after a week of rest. As soon as we finished homeschooling, I went outside to enjoy the weather and trim our overgrown bushes. When my kids were little they would have grabbed those clippings, stuffed them in every jar that I had and put them all over the house. In remembrance of those little hearts today.

So excited to share this new printable play set I created for kids to interact with the stories of our faith! The Feast of the Annunciation is this Friday! It is the day where we, as Christians, celebrate the amazing moment when the angel Gabriel announced to Mary that she would bear the savior of the world. It is also the moment where Mary responded to God's plan with her beautiful words, “I am the Lord’s servant... may it be unto me according to your word.” These three individual hand-painted illustrations were created to help your children imagine and meditate on the moment when Mary was chosen by God for a most amazing mission, to be the mother of Jesus. The play set was designed to be easily downloaded and set up so that you and your family are ready to celebrate the Feast of the Annunciation! Read Luke 1:26-38 with your children, allow them to cut out the figures, set up the scene and meditate on the wonder of Jesus’ birth. To download, click the link. Note: This is for individual use only. If you would like to purchase for a group, click the “shop” link on my blog and you’ll see the “unlimited print” option.

I have good news for you today! Yes, we are fasting during the season of Lent but did you know that in the midst of this fasting season, there are also many, many feast days? If you are struggling with this season of fasting like I am, have hope! The season of Lent is filled with feast days and the next two weeks are especially good! :) First of all, EVERY Sunday is a feast day. Early Christians recognized that Sunday, the day that Jesus was resurrected, was the most pivotal day of the Christian life. Sunday is in effect, a weekly mini Easter and so there is never any fasting on Sunday even during a season of fasting. Upcoming feasts this week: March 17th - St. Patrick’s Day March 19th - St. Joseph’s Day March 25th - The Feast of the Annunciation Mark those dates on your calendar and stay tuned for the history, traditional foods and fun activities to help celebrate these momentous days! Also, if you are troubled by what’s going on in the world around you and are having a hard time imagining how you could possibly feast at a time like this, here’s a helpful post on the Christian idea of defiant feasting. https://www.ashleytumlinwallace.com/post/why-i-don-t-want-to-feast-this-shrove-tuesday

In the past two years, I have thought about my own mortality a great deal (I am sure we all have), especially in regards to my children. I think about what would happen to them if I died and it scares me. Who could love them like I do? No one! No one could possibly love them as I do! This morning in our devotions, a verse hit me. We are learning about God’s love for us and the example given was from Deuteronomy where Moses speaks to the people and tells them: “And because He loved your fathers, therefore He chose their descendants after them; and He brought you out of Egypt with His Presence, with His mighty power.” (Deuteronomy 4:37) Because he loved your fathers, he brought you out. How touching to think that because of God’s love for me, he is going to watch out for my children. Even after I die, that love for me will move him to guide them with HIS presence and HIS mighty power. And so I ask myself again, “Who could love them like I do?” God can and he will.

Lent is all about slowing down. It’s a time to prepare our hearts for the most important time of our Christian faith, the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. During Lent, we make space for quiet, for prayer and for introspection. We think about who we are and all that has been won for us through the saving acts of Jesus. A great way to create this sacred space for a child is through crafts.This Lenten banner is made from inexpensive supplies that you can get at Walmart or any crafts store. It is a foolproof craft! Don’t worry about the shapes your children cut out or if the glue gets everywhere. Let the pieces overlap, let them go out of the lines, it’s ok! Put on some worship music, relax and let go! I love creating a sacred space where a child can just “be” with God. A space where they can still themselves, get lost in the creative process and have an encounter (whether they know it or not!) with God. Lent Craft for Kids Supplies Standard size felt in white, dark brown and light and dark purple Fabric Glue Light colored marker Scissors Instructions Draw a rough cross shape on your white piece of felt. Cut out small pieces of brown felt. Glue brown pieces of felt inside the cross shape until no white is showing. Cut out small pieces of light purple fabric. Glue light purple pieces down around the cross. Add in small pieces of the dark purple felt. Continue filling in until the scene looks full.

For anyone looking for a paperback copy of my book, it is on Amazon now! (Link in bio) A huge “thank you” to everyone who downloaded the free copy of my guidebook on Lent, “Then Sings My Soul”. The launch was such a success and I so appreciate everyone’s support! I can’t wait to continue sharing the beauty of the seasons of the church with y’all! https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09TN343ZG/ref=cm_sw_r_awdo_ZE72M0BTJPVNTVMCWDGC

It’s the first Friday of Lent! And I am making . . . boxed fish sticks! You heard that right. Fish sticks. From a big ole green box. And that is OK! We will mix up some tartar and cocktail sauce and call it good. Following the seasons of the church is beautiful. Sometimes we will make elaborate, homemade things and sometimes we will tear open that box, pour those frozen sticks onto a pan and press “bake”. “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30 For those of you who are curious, every Friday throughout Lent, Christians around the world abstain from meat. We do this as a special fast to remember Good Friday, the day that Jesus died on the cross for our sins. I love Fridays in Lent because they kick us out of our normal cooking routines and eating routines. We usually eat meat at dinnertime so it is a stretch for me to make a meatless meal. As I am stretched and in the midst of my mild discomfort, I am reminded of the incredible sacrifices that Jesus made for all of us his whole life.

Today is the first day 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, 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. +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 sin. +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”.

Today is a feast day but honestly, I really don't feel like feasting. Today is Shrove Tuesday or Mardi Gras. It’s a day of great feasting where we cook up all of the fatty foods in our house in order to empty our larders before the fasting season of Lent begins. We eat pancakes, sausages, and king cakes. We listen to jazz music and cover our house in brightly colored Mardi Gras beads. We sing, we laugh, we eat and we revel before a season of penitence begins. But man,I struggled this morning. How do you feast, should you even feast, when our world is being turned upside down with war and death. To celebrate today feels so very wrong. With a heavy heart, I went into the kitchen to finish the king cake that we will eat tonight. I was so discouraged when I pulled it out of the oven. All of the filling had oozed out and instead of this beautiful tight ring, it was just a big mess. A great metaphor for how I feel right now. I kept wondering where in scripture we find times of feasting done in the midst of great sorrow. My husband and I talked about it and then he remembered Isaiah 25:6-9. “On this mountain the Lord of hosts will make for all peoples a feast of fat things, a feast of wine on the lees, of fat things full of marrow, of wine on the lees well refined. And he will destroy on this mountain the covering that is cast over all peoples, the veil that is spread over all nations. He will swallow up death for ever, and the Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces, and the reproach of his people he will take away from all the earth; for the Lord has spoken. It will be said on that day, “Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, that he might save us. This is the Lord; we have waited for him; let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation.” We don’t feast because everything is perfect. We feast as an act of collective will. We feast to remind ourselves that through the mighty acts of Jesus, death has been swallowed up forever and that one day, one glorious day, “We will feast in the house of Zion We will sing with our hearts restored He has done great things, we will say together We will feast and weep no more.”

We inherited a beautiful blood orange tree when we moved into our house. This year I had so many oranges that I decided to try to make marmalade. This was my first time making marmalade so I needed to do some research. Things I learned: 1)Marmalade is a big deal! 2)There are international marmalade rewards and Australia usually wins. Who knew?? I found this fantastic video Making Oxford Marmalade | Australian Marmalade Awards featuring Allison Reynolds and her method for making Oxford marmalade. With The Oxford Method, you steam the fruit whole and then process it as opposed to processing the fruit raw. The verdict: Those who follow my Instagram stories, bless their hearts, saw how intense the process was! Making marmalade was definitely more laborious than preserves or jam but I also think the process was way more intense because instead I was watching a video over and over again rather than looking at a recipe and I was converting all measurements and temperatures. That being said, after all was said and done, the question is, “Was it worth it?” The answer is a definite “yes”! The marmalade is so, so good! Not only is it beautiful with a gorgeous deep amber color but the taste is so much richer than store bought marmalade. The bright kick and the texture of the peel are delicious. We are loving it on toast with a cup of hot tea. You should definitely try making it! To help you, though, I thought I would convert the video into a written recipe with all of the conversions done as well. Recipe for Oxford Marmalade Ingredients: 10 medium oranges 2 lemons 9 cups of water Equal parts processed juice and granulated sugar (we ended up with 7 cups of juice so we used 7 cups of sugar) 1 pat of very cold salted butter 1 Tablespoon molasses Canning jars and lids Wash your oranges and lemons Place your oranges and lemons in a dutch oven. Cover with the water. Bring to a boil. Cover and reduce to a low boil for 45 minutes. The peel is ready when a knife is inserted easily. Remove fruit and place in a container. Strain the liquid and put it into a separate container. Place containers of fruit and liquid into the fridge overnight. The next day, put out three bowls: one for peel, one for the pith and pip and one for the fruit. Remove the fruit from its container, pull the lemons out and set aside. Cut away the fruit stems and place them in the trash. Cut the oranges in fourths, use a spoon to scrape the flesh away, making sure to remove all strings of pith from the peel. Place the peel in a bowl.Using a spoon, scrape the pith to separate the soft fruit from the segments. Place fruit in one bowl and pith and pits in another. Take the pieces of peel and cut them in half lengthwise. Stack four on top of each other and slice with a sharp knife into thin strips.You can keep going at this point or place your bowls in the fridge and take a break! Take your cooked lemons that you set aside, cut them in half, scoop out the insides and add to your pith bowl. Discard the peel. The lemon pith provides more pectin so the marmalade will set but adding the peel would be too bitter. Cover the pith with some of your reserved orange juice, just enough to cover the pith mash. Microwave on high for five to six minutes or until it starts to boil. Strain the pith and juice in a fine mesh strainer, mashing out all of the juice back into the bowl. When all juice has been smashed out, discard the pith. Take the juice and put it in a dutch oven. Turn heat to medium. However many cups of orange juice you have, you will need equal parts of sugar. Warm the sugar. Put the sugar in a long, flat pan and heat in a preheated 200 degree oven for ten minutes. Add warmed sugar to orange juice, stirring until sugar crystals dissolve. Take a pastry brush, dipped in water and brush the sides of the dutch oven (right above the juice line) to keep sugar crystals from reforming. Once the sugar dissolves, turn the heat as high as it will go and add your chopped peel and fruit. At the same time, get your water bath ready. You are trying to get your liquid to 221 degrees fahrenheit. There are three methods to use to make sure you are at temperature . Place a candy thermometer on the side of dutch oven. As it starts to get to 221 degrees you Stir with a spoon. Turn the spoon on its side and look for not one drop dripping down the middle but two drops that form Place three saucers in the freezer. As you get to 221, pour a little of the liquid in a saucer pulled from the freezer, put the saucer in the fridge for five minutes. Push cooled liquid with your index finger across the saucer. If it wrinkles, its ready to put in jars. If it does not wrinkle, wait five more minutes and try again with the second saucer. Repeat until the liquid wrinkles. When all three of these methods have been used, it's time to can your marmalade. Remove the marmalade from the heat. Add the cold pat of butter to the marmalade and gently slide it across the top of the marmalade (the butter will keep a skin from forming). Add 1 tablespoon of molasses to the marmalade and stir. Pull a canning jar from the water bath, add marmalade to the hot jar, stopping when you reach the neck. Clean the neck with a wet kitchen towel and add a lid and screw top from the hot water bath. Screw on just a little but not all of the way. Let cool and when the lid pops, you’ll know the jar has sealed. Screw the cap all the way. Yield: Three Jars I hope that having a recipe makes you decide to go for it! You really should! Homemade Oxford Marmalade is amazing and worth the effort!

Happy Epiphany! We’ve got our door marked! As we celebrate the day the Wise Men found baby Jesus and all that that meant for the world, here’s a beautiful prayer to mark the day. O God, by the leading of a star you manifested your only Son to the peoples of the earth: Lead us, who know you now by faith, to your presence, where we may see your glory face to face; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.