7QT: All the Fall & Teaching About Halloween

Congrats to Kelly & Jen on seven years of Seven Quick Takes!  This is only the 27th time that I have written and linked up, but it is always a great place to find new blogs for reading and making connections.  Hop on over to This Ain't the Lyceum and check out the celebration!

Because it is oh-so-wonderful right now in central Illinois, I am going to write about all the things that I am loving about fall.  But I'm not talking your typical sweater-wearing-pumpkin-spice-drinking-bonfire-sitting kind of list.  (trust me, I love all those things, too.) This is more of a list of an unexpected pieces from the season that I relish.

[1] I love that this is the only time of the year I actually want to see the colors red, orange, and yellow in my home and wardrobe.  Colors I hate strongly dislike December-September become mainstays October-November.

[2] I have just about as many decorations for fall as I have for Christmas.  Five fall wreathes too much for one apartment?  Say it isn't so.

[3] Fall is my absolute favorite time to be a farm kid.  The beauty of farm ground during harvest and the celebration of the yield of another year's work can't be matched.

[4] On that note, I love the way that my dad smells in the fall when I hug him.  It is a unique combination of corn dust, motor oil, dirt, and a slight hint of moth balls.  It's the best.

[5] I love the bounty of the harvest season.  Especially now with the trends of farmers' markets, food co-ops, and farm to table restaurants, even those whose feet have always dwelled on concrete can appreciate and understand what a good and abundant time of year this is and remember with gratitude God's provision.

[6] The dropping temperatures give me cause to layer on the hoodies and stack up the quilts on my bed.  I prefer to sleep with the windows open as long as possible, and will let my apartment stay cold just for the fresh air and the excuse to drink another cup of coffee while wrapped up in a blanket.

[7] And finally, my number 7 favorite thing about fall right now is looking forward to teaching my fifth graders about Halloween, All Saints, and All Souls Day.  Honestly, a few years ago I would not be including Halloween in that mix.  But ever since Bonnie started planning stellar Catholic All Saints/Halloween parties and asked/helped me create some resources for teaching about Halloween, I have so enjoyed sharing with my students the truth behind the traditions.

If you have kiddos of your own or teach or are a catechist, please click on the image below for several free printables including a mini coloring book and several coloring pages about the Catholic-ness of Halloween, All Saints, All Souls, praying for the dead, heaven, hell, and purgatory, relics and more:

So what are some unexpected things that you are all about in the fall?  And don't forget to go visit Kelly for more Seven Quick Takes!

7QT: Bible Story Post It Flip Books

Just in case you needed yet another reason to love post its, here is a quick and fun youth group (or middle school classroom) lesson idea.

Inspired by our favorite part of the Youcat, which of course is the fun little flip book which can be seen as you flip through the pages, (JK, the Youcat is great and well received by students), my youth group kids decided to try their hand at the art of simple animation by creating flip books.

We used stacks of post it notes & black ball point pens, they chose a favorite Bible Story, and about a half an hour later, this is what we had: (also, idk why almost all of the stories include water- easy to draw?  It is a common Biblical theme, I guess...)


1. Peter Walks on Water


2. Faith to Move Mountains


3. Noah & The Flood


4. Jesus Calms the Storm


5. The Flood


6. Jesus' Baptism


7. Wedding at Cana


So how did we do it?  It is rather simple:
1. Make sure the post it notes all stay in a stack.  You don't have to use the whole thing, but should probably have at least 20-30 pages for a good animation.  You can peel off the unused post its at the back when you are done.
2. If you are right handed, draw on the post its with the sticky part on the left and the open pages on the right.  Make sure your illustration is more to the right than in the center.  Leftys, do the opposite.
3. Keep it simple- not a lot of details, easy shapes, & stick figures.
4. Use a black ball point pen.  You could go back and add a little color when you are done if you like.
5. Picture what you want the first page to be and the last page to be.  Think of simple transitions to get from one to the other.
6. When you draw, press hard into the paper with the pen. Then, turn to the next page and you should see the impression from the drawing before.  Use that as a guideline to place your objects and people.  If something needs to be in the same spot, trace the impression.  If you need for it to move in the animation, take note of the impression and draw it in just a slightly different place. Then on the next page move it slightly more, etc.
7. When you are done, flip to see if the transitions work.  You can always go back and add a little more detail to make it seamless.

That's it!

OK- Challenge- Make your own Bible Story Post It Flip Books- and then post them on social media- GO!  Wouldn't that be cool to see popping up everywhere?

And because this is a quick project and there are seven videos and seven steps, I am linking up with Christy at Fountains of Home for Seven Quick Takes!

7QT: Advice for Catechists from Pope Francis

A new school year is upon us, and catechists, teachers, and homeschoolers are making plans and preparations.What would Pope Francis say to us as we are getting ready?  I recently read an address that Pope Francis gave to catechists on September 27, 2013.  His advice is very relevant to all of us, especially because he is reminding us that catechesis is primarily about evangelization.  Pope Francis’ teachings have challenged me to remember that we always need to be reaching out, inviting, and welcoming those around us. 

I’d like to share with you some of the advice he gave to all those who teach the faith.  I also pulled out some of my favorite quotes from the address and turned them into images.  You are welcome to right click and save/print those images to hang up as a reminder for you or to give to your fellow catechists and teachers as the school years starts. 

Here's three main points summarizing what Pope Francis had to say to the catechists of the world:

~1~

Be close to Jesus

We can’t share Jesus with others unless we ourselves know Him and are close to Him (Abide in Him- John 15).  Pope Francis encourages us to spend time in prayer, to be with the Lord, to “ignite the fire of friendship with the Lord.” He reminds us that this prayer looks different for people- we have different callings and vocations.

 ~2~

“Being a catechist is not a title; it is an attitude of abiding with him, and it lasts a lifetime!  It means abiding in the Lord’s presence and letting ourselves be led by him.”

~3~

Imitate Jesus by leaving ourselves behind and going out to encounter others

Pope Francis reminds us that real love is never selfish- God is always at the center and God gives himself away.  When we have life in Christ, we are always open to others.

~4~

“And this is the job of the catechist: constantly to go forth to others out of love to bear witness and to talk about Jesus, to proclaim Jesus.  This is important because the Lord does it; it is the Lord that impels us to go forth.”

~5~

Do not be afraid to go with Jesus to the outskirts

Think of the example of Jonah- he was content with his pious life, and Nineveh was outside of his comfort zone.  But, if we go to the outskirts, we will always find God there.  He is always faithful, and he is always there first in the heart of the person that you will encounter.

~6~

“But really is there such a thing as a catechist who is not creative?  Creativity is what sustains us as catechists.  God is creative; he is not closed, and so he is never inflexible, God is not rigid!  He welcomes us, he meets us, he understands us.”

~7~

And finally, I think my favorite quote from the whole speech was this:

“If a catechist has an easy time of it, he or she will end up in a museum.”

Isn’t that the truth! This isn’t an easy job, and you and I know that.  We are fighting an uphill battle against sin, culture, lifestyles, media, etc.  The mix of kids in our classrooms have needs that we can’t meet.  We may feel inadequate, ill-equipped, and stretched thin.  But that quote summarizes the work of being a catechist- it isn’t going to be easy.  Embracing the cross and fighting for truth never is.  We weren’t promised easy, but we are promised that Christ will be with us.  We can remember that we are doing His work.  We know that we can trust and abide in him and his perfect mercy. 

Thanks to all of you catechists and teachers of all kinds for being ready to do God’s work again this year.

Linking up with Kelly- go visit her for more Quick Takes!

Seven Quick Takes: Katie Makes

Hello All! It's been quite a while since I've done a 7 Quick Takes, and when sitting down to write this week, the thought that kept coming to mind was- crafting.  Making things is like therapy for me.  I've always enjoyed crafting stuff with friends, creating things to use as gifts, etc., but I am realizing more and more that making something is one of the absolute best ways for me to relax.  After a stressful day, even just a half an hour doing something creative helps my mind rest.  Needless to say, with my free time this summer, I have been making lots of things.  I thought I'd share seven of them with you, along with a few stories!

~1~

This cute cross body bag (and three like it) was the result of a group sewing day with friends.  It is made completely from vintage/repurposed fabric and coming up with a way to make that work was a fun challenge.  Fortunately, they quickly sold though our little craft sale hobby, so I wasn't tempted any longer to keep it!

~2~

These silhouettes made with pages from Jane Austen's Emma and quotes from Emma & Mr. Knightley are still around...and I just love them.  Any other Emma fans out there?

~3~

My sister commissioned this cool idea for her husband's first Father's Day.  The metal circles are about the size of a quarter, and there is also a third one with their names on it.  I attached all of them in layers on a brass key chain.  This metal stamping thing which alluded me for a few years seems to be getting easier. :)

~4~

This chalkboard rests on the desk in my craft room/office, and I try to change it to reflect the liturgical seasons.  This Scripture verse seemed to go with this part of Ordinary Time and the beginning of summer.  The chalkboard has some fun history.  It is actually just chalkboard paint on the back of a sign that used to hang in one of the barns on the local county fairgrounds.  It had outlived its purpose and ended up being given to me.  I imagine that the sign is happy in its new life- my apartment certainly smells better than its old home.

~5~

This cute fake chalkboard sign (paint on foamboard) was part of an ongoing gift for Bonnie.  I'm working on building up a set of signs that she can use year round in her living room.  This one I love.  She picked the lyrics and then the design just came easily one night.  Actually, while sketching it out, I was working in the wee hours of the morning.  I am a total night owl, and summer sometimes allows me to work on what feels like a more natural schedule to me.  The night I was working on Bonnie's sign, I was wide awake and accomplished a great number of tasks from 10 p.m. to 3 a.m.  I thought I was on fire- my thought process went a little like this: "This is awesome! If only I could harness this productivity every night!  But I am usually shackled with having to wake up at a normal hour in the morning.  What a shame because apparently this is when I do my best work..."

But then, in a large dose of humility, I looked down at the letters that I had been mindlessly tracing, and decided that maybe 3 a.m. is not my best time.

(I fixed it, though!  Can you find the mistake in the first picture? :) )

~6~

Prayer sometime also comes easier to me when creativity can be a part of it.  After being asked to meditate on Psalm 139 by my priest, I came back to it again the next day and was struck by this verse.  Using some fancy new colored pencils (from Germany!) I enjoyed meditating on verse five while doing some Scripture doodling.  Trust me, they don't always turn out this cute, but that action does help me reflect and memorize Scripture.

~7~

And yesterday, to celebrate both of our birthdays, a friend wanted to come over and have a craft day. She picked the project, and we both made wreaths out of old book pages.  She used more of a rolled paper cone technique, and her lovely wreaths ended up looking like big sunbursts.  I decided to try this paper leaf look, and I love how it turned out.  Now, if I could just get over my continued horror of actually ripping apart books, maybe I'll make some more!

So, that's what Katie has been making lately.  What have you been making?  Do you find crafting therapeutic like me, or is it a source of stress? Got any good craft-fail stories?  I'd love to hear all about it!

Go visit Kelly for lots more (probably not craft related) Seven Quick Takes!

7QT: Seven Ways to Celebrate A Patron Saint Day

Yesterday was the Solemnity of St. Joseph, a special day for the Universal Church, but a very special day for my students at our St. Joseph School.  We try to celebrate well, but it can be hard coming up with new and meaningful ideas each year.  I thought I'd pull together seven of the big concepts we usually work into our celebration that could be general enough for others to use too as you enjoy the feast day of the patron of your family, homeschool, classroom, or parish.

To keep this quick, each idea just has a picture and a short caption.  Click on the pictures to either send you to a more detailed post or to the source of that idea.  I'd love to hear from you about how you have used a concept like these  or other ideas you have for celebrating a patron Saint.

~1~ 

 Make a shrine or art project in honor of the Saint.

For more Saint  crafts I have done before with kiddos, visit the Sharing the Faith Tab and scroll down to the Saints section.

~2~

 Make a big visual display for all to enjoy, 

like this multi-media mural:

Or a stained glass icon poster:

Or a litany poster:

 Or be brave and paint a mural!

~3~

 Make your own Saint cards with a picture and a special prayer:

~4~

 Enjoy a special food:

~5~

Celebrate the people under the patronage of that Saint- the person celebrating a name day, or a whole family, or a parish, or a school.
 You may have seen this activity floating around on Pinterest.  I had each student sit with their back to our white board and the rest of the class wrote kind and encouraging words about that person.  We took a picture and erased the board before they could see it.  I printed the pictures and handed them out at the end of the day on St. Joseph's feast, celebrating that we as part of the St. Joseph School community can build each other up just as St. Joseph builds up the church.

~6~

Read a special book about your Saint:

This one is from Word Among Us Press, and has lovely pictures.

 ~7~

 Pray a novena because they work.

We often will gather all together to either pray a litany, or have a special prayer service, or will pray a novena in the days leading up to the feast.

I hope you had a blessed St. Joseph Day!  I'd love to hear how you celebrate Saint's Feast Days with your groups of kiddos!

Go visit Kelly for more Seven Quick Takes!

Seven Quick Takes: Days Late and Words Short

So, these Seven Quick Takes have been resting in my draft folder for a while.  When you can't even get Quick Takes written? ... Well, I'm just going to let the pictures do most of the talking about what has been going on around here this week!

~1~

We survived celebrated another Catholic Schools Week!  But really, it was great.  And my bulletin board made the Catholic Post!

~2~

I received this pretty recipe box from my niece Violet- doesn't she have great taste for a six-week-old?  It looks lovely with my vintage spice jars and avocado Kitchen Aid mixer. 

The company that makes this recipe box only makes it in three styles.  And those styles just happen to correlate very closely to the tastes of my two sisters and I.  Steph first picked out the pale turquoise box and received it as a gift- it seriously matches her whole house.  Emily got the black and gold box from Steven (Steph) for Christmas- she is classy and timeless just like that design.  Then I get the midnight floral box from Violet (ahem, Steph).  It's all perfection.

~3~

So the snow?  It happened here, too.  In the area that I drive every week, between church and work and home, snow totals ranged from ten to two inches.  How can there be that much of a discrepancy in a local area?  Regardless, I got a pretty shot of my church when it was still snowing on Sunday.  Oh, and I also have spent a chunk of time recently helping another volunteer get a website set up for our church.  (I know, welcome to the year 2000-we are a bit behind.)

~4~

Great news- my sister Emily was accepted into a Creighton Practitioner training program!  I am so proud of her for wanting to pursue this ministry, and grateful to see how she is finding a new way to serve using the gifts God has given her.  However, the other news is that she has quite a chunk of expenses to cover up front for this training.  She has started a website to share her story and help fund raise.  Could you go give it a glance?  And maybe share it with some people you know? And if you are looking for a place to tithe to this month, she sure would appreciate you helping make this dream happen!

~5~

I love the work done by Likable Art.  (This video was my introduction to their work, and it is my fave.) Graphic design, logos, videos...I keep stumbling across their work, and think, "Gosh, I love this!" and then I realize that it is Likable Art again.  Check out these graphics of a great St. Francis Quote:

(Click on any of these images to take you to their Facebook page)

~6~

My students slightly have Fulton Sheen on the brain.  Proof?  This cookie from a 3rd grader about made their year.  My room is decorated with owls...I thought that was why they were excited.  

No, they said, "If Fulton Sheen were an owl and he was on a cookie, it would look EXACTLY like that!!!"  Ok.

~7~

And finally, snowy days have given me some time for crafting.  Valentine's Cards, ready to go.

Go visit Kelly for more Quick Takes!

Seven Quick Takes: Me, In Bullet Points

Inspired by a Jones Design Company post this week, here are seven things that you may not know about me, in bullet points.  Not quite as in depth, and a lot more random, but here goes:

1.  Approximately 32% of the reason that I became a teacher is so that I can still buy school supplies each year.  That may not be true.  But it might.  I really love post-it notes, and new Sharpies, and don't even get me started on the perfectly sharpened Ticonderoga pencil.

2.  I am a complete and total introvert.  Some people have laughed and don't believe me when I tell them this, but it is very true.  Introverts are not necessarily shy all of the time, but are recharged by being alone, whereas extroverts are recharged by being with people.  I love you all, but people exhaust me- which makes my career choice of teaching and work at church interesting and challenging. At the time of writing this, I have been in my apartment for over 48 hours, by myself, (thanks to no-school-cold-weather-days), and it has been the best and most rejuvenating thing ever.

3.  I bite my nails.  Trust, me I know that it is gross and unprofessional and a good way to get sick.  I (and in my younger days, my mom) have tried many things to stop, but nothing has stuck.  I gave it up for Lent one year and did fairly well offering it up as a sacrifice.  My friend rewarded me with a manicure just before Easter, but about a week later they were chewed to the quick again. So now I just keep them painted all of the time in bright colors- it is much harder to chew on your nails when they are covered in dark blue nail polish.

4.  I entered the world of smart phones a couple of weeks ago.  I had resisted for quite a while, but it was time to upgrade from my little slide-out-keyboard-can't-receive-every-other-text-message clunker and come into the 2010's.  Honestly, one of the reasons why I had avoided getting a smart phone was an excuse to not be connected.  People expect you to be available all of the time...and, well, see #2.  However, I love technology and finding new ways to use it, so I have quite enjoyed having so many things at my fingertips.  And, I can always turn it off if necessary, right?

5.  If choosing, I would always pick a roadtrip over a plane ride.  I love vacations that have low planning, spontaneous stops, and unforeseen adventures.  Getting to your destination can be half the fun, and is a great opportunity to really get to know people.

6.  I am a genealogy nerd.  Well, I have been a genealogy nerd, and need to get back to putting some time in it.  It was kind of a weird hobby to have in high school and college...visiting tiny libraries to find family records, dragging my parents to distant family reunions just to meet other people who could share information, hand writing letters to people decades older than me who knew my family way-back-when.  I literally have had nightmares about loosing my family scrapbooks in a fire or seismic fissure or volcanic eruption.

7.  Speaking of nightmares, I have very vivid realistic dreams, and I usually remember them.  From being a Jew in Nazi controlled Germany, to witnessing a demonic possession, to random (untrue) happenings in the lives of people I know, I never know what I am going to dream next.  I don't usually hold on to the stories for too long each day unless they are really weird/scary/funny or I have someone to tell first thing in the morning.  My family got a few ear fulls during the two weeks we spent together over Christmas break.  Maybe I should write a book...

What are seven random things that describe you?

Thanks, Kelly for hosting!

Seven Quick Takes: December in Review

Hello, friends. 

This dear neglected blog has been all but forgotten for most of the month... and a while before.  I have lots of stories and projects and draft posts in the works, so let's hope that 2015 sees me back a little more often in this corner of the internet.  I'll start off right with some stories from last month!

~1~

Chronological order might make this more readable, but really, lets just go in order of importance.    Meet my niece, Violet Irene!

Proud mama and papa Stephanie and Steven welcomed this little beauty into the world on December 18th.  Watching them become parents has been so fun, inspiring, and awesome.

We are so in love with her!  Fortunately, Christmas break from school (and my generous sister and brother-in-law) have allowed me to spend most of the past two weeks with her, helping and soaking up her adorableness.  Seriously, she is the cutest.

~2~

In other news, my mom made me this manger earlier in December.  The nativity figures had been my Grandma's and I have used them for years.  I really like it because of its gold and ivory simplicity.  My mom took it upon herself to design and build this awesome manger to give the Holy Family a bit more of a home for the season. 

It has two separate rooms, a fence, a hay loft, a ladder... and the best part is that the whole thing easily comes apart and stores flat, without using any nails or screws.  St. Joseph would be proud of my brilliant mom.

~3~

My other Nativity (not nearly as beautiful) is in my classroom.  I have always regretted that because the kids are not in school during the last days leading to Christmas and the days between Christmas and Epiphany, we have never been able to move the Nativity figures around representing the events of the Christmas story.  This year I changed that a bit and had to get creative to remind the kids that Advent is about looking for Jesus.  Hence "The Wandering Wise Men" moved about our classroom every day, making mischief and teaching my students about the things around them that point to the coming of Christ.  More about these guys coming this weekend as we prepare to celebrate Epiphany.

~4~

Another memorable event at school this December was me making a complete fool of myself for a good cause.  My dear cousin/friend/former-co-worker/NCIS buddy issued me a challenge.  It started as a request to do the following hairstyle for my students.  I said no, she issued a bet involving a donation to charity, and Facebook escalated it from there.  Anyone who donated could add something to my lovely Christmas outfit.  I ended up raising $357 plus a box of canned good for the Food Pantry at the parish where I teach.

It was for a good cause, and I looked (and thanks to all of the bells, also sounded) ridiculous.  My students enjoyed the spectacle I made of myself and laughed all day.  However, one Kindergartener saw me and genuinely said, "Ooooh, you look beautiful!" :)

~5~

Back to family-

I was able to go and help S&S with Violet at their house for part of my break, and then Emily & Luke came home from Colorado and we all piled into my parents' house for one-big-family-of-eight week of joy.

It involved lots of pots of coffee, and lots and lots of cooking. 

And lots and lots and lots of adorable baby snuggling.

We have one picture of her from the week laying in her bassinet.   Steven saw it and said, "When was someone not holding her?"  It was a valid question.

~6~

Being away from my apartment for two weeks has its pro and cons, but one fun thing is stopping to get the mail and having a pile of Christmas cards waiting for me.  I have them all hung up now across the big window in my living room/kitchen.  This is the only possible perk of having vertical blinds.

~7~

And speaking of Christmas cards, I just finished and mailed mine today.  I am not sure when I am going to stop myself from making my cards each year, because I keep thinking that it is crazy, and then I do it again.  I only made 60 cards this year, because I had already given/sent/written about 60 store bought cards earlier in the season.  I do really like how this year's turned out, and if the mail works fast, many people might get them this weekend just in time for Epiphany!

I'm out of quick takes, but lets just have more more look at sweet Miss Vi.  Goodness gracious, isn't she the cutest!

Thanks, Kelly, for hosting!