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.

Can you believe it’s almost Christmas? I wanted to show y'all a beautiful example of a more modern tradition called the Chrismon Tree. The first Chrismon Tree was created by a woman named Frances Spencer for her Lutheran church in 1957. Chrismons mean "Christ monograms" and are ornaments of symbols that signify Christ. The ornaments are gold and white and are often hung on a Christmas tree in the church. The symbols for Christ include stars, crosses, fish, crowns, and the alpha and omega. The symbols remind us of Christ's identity and His story. They can be made from paper or metal but most of them are made from needlepoint. Chrismon Trees are lovely and are a wonderful reminder of the true meaning of Christmas which, of course, is the birth of Jesus Christ, Our Savior!

Only nine more days until Christmas! Tonight a custom is celebrated all over the world which is known by many different names; La Posada (The Inn), Golden Nights, and Seeking Shelter. The events in the journey of Mary and Joseph from Nazareth to Bethlehem are commemorated at this time. This is a beautiful tradition where villagers with candles sing and go door to door, seeking shelter for Mary and Joseph. They sing songs and pray as they are rejected night after night. Finally, on the last night of Las Posadas, Mary and Joseph are allowed into a chosen home. The figure of baby Jesus is laid in a manger and everyone gathers around and sings a lullaby. Then everyone pours back into the streets for firecrackers, feasting and merrymaking. If you want to celebrate this tradition in the home, before your evening devotion, assemble the family and sing advent songs as you process the creche figures of Mary, Joseph and the don- key into the living room. Put the figures in a special place of honor and light a candle next to them. Remind your children that we are trying to create an atmosphere of consideration and unselfishness for Mary and Joseph. Or you could allow each of your children to make up for the harsh treatment that the holy couple received by hosting the figures in their room for the day. Instead of processing the figures into the living room, process them to the door of the first child’s room while singing Advent songs. Explain to your children that when it is their turn, they should do everything possible to create a warm and loving atmosphere for Mary and Joseph. Suggest cleaning their room, clearing a spot on their dresser for the figures, placing fresh evergreens around the figures, or ribbons, etc.

Tonight (December 12) at sunset, the feast for St. Lucy's or St. Lucia's Day begins! The feast lasts from tonight at sunset until tomorrow night at sunset. Saint Lucy or Santa Lucia was a young girl who grew up in Italy in the 4th century. She is one of the earliest Christian martyrs. She was killed by the Romans in 304AD because of her religious beliefs. St.Lucy was born into a rich family but desired to dedicate her whole life to God and to give all of her worldly possessions to the poor. She brought food to persecuted Christians that were hiding in the Roman catacombs. The catacombs were dark and in order to find your way around, you needed to carry candles. St. Lucy wanted to bring as much food as possible to the people but needed to keep both of her hands free. She solved this problem by attaching candles to a wreath on her head. St. Lucy’s Day is celebrated in many countries. Every aspect of the day has special significance since it comes on one of the darkest days of winter. The name Lucy or Lucia means “light” and she is remembered wearing a crown of candles both of which bring light and hope to the darkest time of winter. St. Lucy is also depicted wearing a white dress which symbolizes her baptisimal robe and a red sash which symbolizes her martyrdom. A traditional way to celebrate is to make saffron buns. Saffron buns are a delicious sweet yeast bread curled into S shapes and baked.

Happy St. Nicolas Day! Saint Nicholas was a real person. He was the Bishop of Myra in the 4th century and took part in the great church council of Nicaea which gave us the Nicene Creed - the one we recite every Sunday in Church! It is said that he was extremely concerned with the welfare of children and there are many legends about his good deeds. Most of the Christian world still remembers Saint Nicholas and celebrates his life on December 6. He is depicted as a bishop of the church, with his cope, mitre, and crozier. When people dress up as Saint Nicholas, they dress like a bishop and when they make cookies on his feast day, the cookies are cut out in the shape of a bishop with a staff. But in the United States he has become known as Santa Claus or Jolly old St. Nick and instead of remembering him on his feast day, he is believed to give gifts, with the help of elves and flying reindeer, on Christmas morning. Saint Nicholas Day and the eve of his feast are an excellent way to re-educate our children on the true role of Saint Nicholas. He cared for children and for the poor. He gave to people who were in need. He would never have wanted to be the focus of Christmas! Saint Nicholas gave because Jesus had already given everything. Saint Nicholas would point us all back to Jesus.

Advent is all about slowing down, waiting and preparing our hearts for the coming Lord. Our world pushes us in a different direction. It tells us to rush, to worry, to frantically try to find that perfect gift. This Advent, why not try something different for all of the adults in your life*? Shop now and shop in a radically different way. This year, instead of buying gifts, John and I made donations to a ministry that we love and that is making a life and death difference in the lives of the precious people in Haiti. We feel like our gifts really mean something now. @konbithaiti *Note that I said "adults" because I don't think this should be done for the children in your life.

Tomorrow is the first day of Advent! Each Advent, we wait with the prophets and with all of creation for the birth of the promised Savior. The prophets’ call grows silent for 400 years and then suddenly, out of nowhere, the Almighty God stretches forth His hand to a small town and calls a seemingly insignificant young girl and she says “yes”. The God of the universe humbles himself and makes himself flesh, to fully humble himself, and to fully walk with us in our sorrow. He takes the form of a helpless babe. It is a great mystery. It is the Incarnation. It is God with us, Emmanuel. This event is so spectacular, so exceptional, and so important that time itself starts here. The first day of the Church year is the first Sunday of Advent. Advent comes from the Latin “Adventus” and simply means "coming." The Season of Advent begins four Sundays before Christmas and is a time for us to prepare not only for the celebration of the coming of Christ as a babe on Christmas Day, but also for the Second Coming of Christ when He will return in triumph to judge the world.

Advent is only 11 days away! Advent simply means “coming” and is the season where Christians all over the world prepare their hearts for the coming of the savior, Jesus Christ. I am excited that my book, A Thrill of Hope: Celebrating Advent at Home can be your guide. It is filled with Advent traditions and recipes from around the world as well as the history of the season and family devotions. Available now on Amazon! The link to purchase is in my profile!

Sometimes you just need to leave the well beaten path. We could have done morning devotions around the kitchen table as usual but my youngest asked to do devotions at this “really cool spot” she had found. A request and a hesitant “yes” combined to become sacred space. An ordinary country road transformed with whirlpools and roaring white waters. We watched together in awe.

This day has been full of emotions. All kinds of emotions. My husband and I watched with tears as our 16 year old drove herself to school for the first time. Those sweet early morning and afternoon pick ups with her have now been replaced (tears again!) with early morning and afternoon pick ups with our 15 year old who entered public school for the first time ever. I returned home with tears but also joy as I embark on another year homeschooling my oldest and my youngest. It’s so hard to feel it all at once. Anyone else feeling torn today?