Orthodox Christian Crafts for Pascha and other times

 With Holy Week approaching here are ways to help our littles.  Looking for a fun craft to add to your church school lesson or perhaps a Lenten retreat or just someway to reinforce the lessons of the season at home? You are not going to believe this post! I gathered my favorite Orthodox crafts, all one place, to make it easier to pick.

  Whoo hoo, let the fun begin!!

If you like what you see and wish to pin it, please be courteous and take from the source post, give credit to these incredible people who inspire us. Photo heavy post after the jump.

If you're Greek...time to start thinking of festival season.

If you're Greek...or even if you're not...
it's time to start thinking of festival season.

Yes indeed it is.

If you are Greek or belong to a Greek Orthodox Church you know exactly what I mean. As soon as Easter/Pascha has been celebrated... the baking begins!

What are classic parts of the festival, other than the fantastic time with each other?

Well, there's the food.

And then there's the food.

Umm, did I mention the food?

There's the dancing and music.

Then, there's the Agora (the village store). 

Raise your Cross

Cross projects are always fun and can be easy or complex.  

This one is very satisfying and easy for little hands.  

I wish I could show you the ear to ear grins.  Once completed these look beautiful in the windows.  Make them with your children at home or at church school. Ours stayed up in the window for the longest time, I think until we moved?

Supplies needed are construction paper, scissors or exacto knife, tissue paper and clear contact paper.
Pair this with a lesson about the Cross and singing the hymn together.  

Adventures in Winter Window Cleaning

Alright, if you have been following my blog you know that I like my windows being clean, but I don't always have the best luck.

This adventure in window cleaning was no different.

I finally took off the Christmas clings.

You know how they leave a little film and stick on the windows.

I don't know about your home, ours get moved around a lot!

New words, little changes almost daily to see if someone else in the family will notice.

It's a fun game, but leaves a big mess on the window.

Time to clean it!

I cleaned the inside, but it didn't look clean.

Then I realized ...dun dun dunnnn.

Ahhh-it was on the outside!

Here and Now

Hello there...I'm back.

Well- truly I never left, I've been writing posts several times a day (in my head) and they are really good ones. You the kind that make you giggle as you read them. I'm giggling at least.  The challenge is finding time to put down. The break was necessary and good.

Thank you for checking in, here is a little preview of what has been happening and what is ahead.

What have I done with my window boxes for the season?

It looks gorge and cost less than $5.

We had our annual St Nick Party, loads of fun!

Red, White and Blue Danishes

Getting ready for July 4th.

Last year we were headed for a celebration breakfast, 

before the parade. Obviously I wanted to bring something yummy for the potluck.

So decided to make a version of the Strawberry Danish.

The fruits used were fresh raspberries, strawberries and blueberries.

Take a peek, they were super yumm.

What are you planning?

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The Most Amazing Night

We had an exceptionally warm evening last night.  We also got to see quite a light show!

Source

The fireflies were out en masse, it was phenomenal. We didn't take pictures just enjoyed the show.

It was so much fun, sitting by our dining room window together in the dark.
We watched them, counted them and even named some of them.

Blink, blink, blinky blink.

Definitely worth being late for bedtime.

Fireflies in the Garden

BY ROBERT FROST

Here come real stars to fill the upper skies,

And here on earth come emulating flies,

That though they never equal stars in size,

(And they were never really stars at heart)

Achieve at times a very star-like start.

Only, of course, they can't sustain the part.

Source

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Pentecost and Kites

Pentecost was this past Sunday. It started with a beautiful liturgy, followed by the Kneeling Vespers and an evening with 800 of our closest friends and our Hierarch for dinner.  In between we were able to squeeze in some kite flying.  Made at school and one of the most awesome kites I have ever seen. SO MUCH FUN! What's Pentecost without squeezing in some kite flying after all.

Did you do anything special to help the little people celebrate the day?


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Ole! 5 for 5th of May

Happy Cinco de Mayo!
Need some recipes for a fun dinner tonight?
Here are some that have been shared here at the Fields and will be easy to whip up!

Guatemalan Black Beans

Bean Corn Salad

Shrimp or without Shrimp Peach Mango Salsa Tacos

Super Healthy Mayan Salad

Plantains-Yummm

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21 Favorite Ideas to Decorate Easter Eggs

40 Days-40 Lenten Recipes (and more)

So with Easter/Pascha approaching, a girl's thoughts turn to... the eggs of course.
It can't be recipes and food all the time.

I started thinking about all the gorgeous egg tutorials I've seen on Pinterest.

So I thought I'd share some of my favorites and some history I learned, along the way.

Enjoy and then let's get cracking!

Sorry couldn't resist.

Lenten Spring Mantle Decor

40 Days-40 Days of Lenten Recipes (and Crafts)

Need to share and send a shout out to two of my favorite blogs!

First let me thank Christina for the sweet Lamb chatterboxes. I made a few of them and put them in a basket in our church narthex for the kids to take home as a family activity. They were snatched up pretty quickly and enjoyed!  If you haven't seen these, so adorable and a great way to open some sweet discussions with the little people.

Now I wish to thank Kristi from I Should Be Mopping the Floor for posting a free Printable.

 It is so pretty and exactly what I wanted for our Lenten Mantle. 

You can see it below. 

Instead of framing it, although it would look very nice this way, I decided to do something else.

I took the 8x10 and had it blown up to 12x16, it didn't cost much as I had a coupon etc... 

Anyway, once I brought it home, used the old modpodge then a little white paint to blend in the edges. The white paper it was on was significantly bluer than my canvas. Go figure?

When I initially put it up it looked lovely but I felt it was still missing something. I played around with the vases and other things on the mantle. Then, I figured out what was missing for me. So, I added the yellow flowers to match the wall color and bring in the daffodils. I tried to match Kristi's pretty flower design. What do you think?

Too much? or Good Match?

Kristi, I just LOVE it!

Thanks!

Here's the full mantle view.

I can't wait for the Forsythia to be in bloom, maybe should get daisies next?

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New spin-Old game

40 Days-40 Days of Lenten Recipes (and Games!)

There are times when you have some waiting to do with the little people in your life and sometimes that waiting is hard to do.  Whether you are trying to cut down on screen time or just have something more interactive to do together, sometimes it's the old games that are the best!

I remember playing hangman with family and friends for hours growing up. It is a great game, involves executive functioning and language and some fun visual spatial skills. As a little game, it has it all.

The problem is hanging the man.  The origins of the game seem to point to Victorian times? All the same, not a visual wishing to perpetuate.  A friend of mine came up with this alternative at church camp this summer and I LOVE IT!

The alternative is ...ta, ta, taaaan!

Build a church.  

Here are some of the fun we had, sorry for the poor pictures, you get the idea.

Do you have any old games you have modified? 

Would love to hear about them, as always looking for something fun!

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Icon Letter Craft

40 Days-40 Days of Lenten Recipes (and Crafts!)

Now for something a bit different, being that it is the Sunday of Orthodoxy. I had hoped in this 40 days series to not only have recipes, but also craft ideas. This is a special craft to us and one of our favorites.  

An Icon Letter!

This idea came to me while looking at all the wonderful family photo letters people have made on Pinterest. It popped into my head and I ran with it. We have made these for baptisms for some special little ones. But as I think about it, it would make a great craft for church school and retreats. It can be a wonderful way to learn about icons and each child's Saint. 

The process requires downloading pictures of your icons and printing them out. We used regular printer paper and it worked just fine. I made duplicates on my processing page and made them different sizes.  Then print them out, cut them out and go to town with the mod podge.  We do both sides and once it's all dry, glue a small hanger bracket to the back. It is a fun activity, where we spend some time together and have some nice talks about the Saints and Icons too! 

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Fun Church Kids Game

Recently, I was asked to help keep our church kids group engaged for a short period of time.  

I thought about how to engage them that would be fun but informative.  

Also, wanted to help them expend some energy, as if you have ever been to Orthodox liturgy, 

the children have had to be patient for a long time.  

This time period was right after church school and so I thought of this game.  

It is reminiscent of the beach ball or balloons that used to be passed at our high school football games.

Yes, I went to a very fun high school. 

Do they still do this?

Anyway, I got a punch ball balloon from the dollar store and decided to write different  questions 

from easy to more challenging due to the age range of the children.

Some of the questions were just for fun, like "What's Father's name?"
This was my favorite question. Hee hee hee.

I tossed it to the first child and when they caught it,

they read the question in front of them and answered it.

If they were too young to read, I read it for them.

After they answered, 

they would throw it back into the air, 

then tap it towards someone else.

The kids had a blast.

I definitely will use this one again.

It was fun.

What do you all think?

What kind of games do you play?

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What to give-what to give?

I love giving. This is something my hubby knew well, when he met me. He understood it even better, when we married too. It's always part of the budget, crafting and gifting. Trust me, the eyes start rolling in July, when I start talking about Christmas. 

Is it just me? I didn't think so?

Anyway, I thought I would share some of my faves today about great ideas to give those who are housebound or in a nursing home.  Things to think about when giving a gift; what would they like? what do they need? what is a luxury? In the end, what would brighten someone's day or bring them a lasting smile?  Being remembered by someone unexpected is always a good feeling.

I love fingerless gloves which can help keep the person toasty, or a fleece wrap.
Although I think anyone of any age would love these!

Pattern Found here on Etsy

Easy Crochet Fleece

Other ideas include,

treats and fresh fruit which are always nice, a small planter or indoor garden, photos and cards. 

Warm socks, warm packs, and warm hugs. 

Anything bird-watching-related is also popular. And why wouldn't it be, they are so fun to watch! 

A great gift can be  bird feeders or as simple as a bottle of birdseed with a bow on it.

I think making a simple birdseed ornaments, with no cleanup to be a great gift.

It's fun to do with the kids and so pretty.

Below are my two favorites!

Go check out 

Salt Water Kids for a great tutorial.

or

Henry Happened

For some more fun ideas, this is what I found and pinned on Pinterest. I made a board of them.
I absolutely love some of the things I found.

Fun things in the holidays would include, decorating for someone, whether the porch or a window, use clings, lights, a wreath, anything to make it beautiful.  Remember if you decorate for someone who is homebound or elderly, please, please, please remember to set a time to go back and take it down for them. They should not be getting up on anything to take something down, or worried about it. What would be the point of the gift if it caused more worry. Another thought, singing to them, the old wonderful treat of carolers, it's fun and inexpensive and a beautiful way to connect.

Having listed all these things, let me add the all time best thing!

All time best thing to offer is TIME. 

There is nothing like time together, whether it's sharing a pot of tea, watching a show together, making small talk, playing cards, or even better, helping them reminisce about the beautiful moments.  I have found that any amount of time offered including a hug, holding hands and a smile is appreciated more than anything else.

So, go get out there
and
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Happy Pi Day!

source

Happy Pi Day!

Have you never heard of this?

Pi is the sixteenth letter of the Greek alphabet and also a mathematical constant.

It is an irrational number which means it has no exact fraction and an endless number following the decimal point.

Pi is the ratio of a circle's circumference to its diameter.

Pi =3.14159265359..........and keep going...

Check today's date.

So today in honor of Pi, we will be eating "Pie" of course.

Spanakopita (spinach pie for dinner) 

and 

pie for dessert.

Source

Make things fun, find something that makes you smile.

"Letting out my inner geek, I love math."

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Sugar Time

Guess what?

The weather is perfect for Maple Sugaring!

40's during the days and below freezing at night.

What a fun family day.

We learned that trees have to be at least 1 1/2 feet around in diameter.

In the sugar shack, this is the place where the sap becomes syrup.

Most trees produce 1% sweetness and,

 if you have a large rounded tree in the middle of a field, 

the sap will be 2.5% sweet.

To make one gallon of syrup, you need,

40 gallons of sap mixed with 39 gallons water and then boiled.

See all the water evaporating?

It rises up and up ...

and out!

Once the water evaporates it drips and goes through the filter cloth

which removes any crystallized sugar.

If you boil the syrup some more, 

you get these!

Maple sugar candy!

Melt in your mouth goodness.

Yummy!

Warning: if you have never had one, nibble and eat slowly

We also saw something else special.

Who knew you could do this in the winter?

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