Candlemas/Imbolc

I'm going to have to settle on one or the other...I hadn't realized how many Catholic homeschoolers celebrate Candlemas, and I'm not actually sure that makes it easier to pick. It's nice to have a broad shorthand term, but on the other hand, I think our celebrations are somewhat different.



It was a really nice day. We made jar candles for our family altar. I forgot to teach the kids to backfill, but the candles still look good, and it won't hurt to save some skills for next year. I had some empty jars from Burt's Bees products that worked well as votive holders, and we simply used paraffin wax and crayons, melted in the toaster oven. We used prepackaged votive wicks. I'd have liked to do beeswax, but it's twice the price, so it will require some advance planning for next year. I'm hoping to find a local hobbyist beekeeper who will part with wax in barter. The rainbow candle was the kids' idea, a way of using the excess wax we'd have used for backfilling, if I'd remembered.



After the candle making was done, we read some stories and talked about the holiday. Then we made braided bread loaves. I love the recipe: it has tomato paste and Italian herbs in it, and an egg yolk wash makes it even more colorful. I have video Will took, but I think I need PB to edit it, b/c Graeme had again divested himself of clothing, and Will doesn't yet have the discernment as a cameraman to avoid that sort of thing.



The kids got art supplies as gifts...nice Faber Castell colored pencils. They crafted and watched Meet The Robinsons in the late afternoon...I'd expected that to be hokey, and had been avoiding it on Netflix, but it turned out to be wonderful and timely, for reasons I'll bring up again later. I worked on an embroidered hanging that was supposed to be done and hanging in honor of the holiday, but wasn't. The linen I'm using is thin, and I think I need some sort of stabilizing fabric on the back, but I settled for giving up the bullion knots and using satin stitch instead. When PB came home, we had a big baked pasta dish for dinner, with bread and salad, and we made Bananas Foster for dessert. The kids oohed and awed when we lit it.



Most of the activities we did this year are in Circle Round, which I'm assuming most interested parties already have, but if not, it's a wonderful book.

We held a short family ritual before bed, and talked about our well, and how we really can directly see and affect our water source, and why it's important. The kids were empowered and engaged. I think our at-home worship is falling into place. All in all, a great day.