Luckybeans

Hidden Word Number Fifiteen

This week's Hidden Word:

O SON OF UTTERANCE!

Turn thy face unto Mine and renounce all save Me; for My sovereignty endureth and My dominion perisheth not. If thou seekest another than Me, yea, if thou searchest the universe for evermore, thy quest will be in vain.

~Baha'u'llah

 

So. I had already thought about how we were going approach this Hidden Word. I was thinking along the lines of "every created thing is a sign of God" and doing a nature scavenger hunt. But. Bella and Asher were very busy hanging up glow in the dark stars on their bedroom ceilings, and talking about outer space. Hence, we changed direction a bit and re-oriented towards the wonder that is the night sky.

We had a blank board book and some paint chips, and so I used these to create a "pocket book". Inspired by these, we decided to make our own constellation card guides to fit in the pockets.

First we painted some paper for background (yes, Ai Ana has taken to wearing her 3D glasses), then we had to stop to wait for it dry. Which entailed discussion of the Hidden Word and tea and blueberry pie (my am I glad we picked so many in the summer) and ice cream. Our discussion ranged from the all-encompassing nature of spiritual reality to the latest articles on the likelihood of planets at other stars.

The paper now dry, we cut out circles and carefully marked out a constellation on each one. We then used a hole punch to folllow the pattern, and...

A constellation card that cast its shadow and shows you what to look for in the night sky! We realised we could shine our torches through them at night, and they would be quite useful when out star-gazing.

We labelled each one and tucked it into a pocket. Some pockets held several cards, and we have the potential to keep adding more. As the children selected their constellations, it led to lots of discussion regarding Greek mythology, so we headed in that direction for a while, too.

Finally, Bella wrote the Hidden Word in the front, and we had our completed book. I am very excited about this idea of pocket books-- they could be so very useful for everything from nature guides (a book of trees with leaves and bark rubbings or birds with feathers and sketches) to virtues guides (choose a page and read a story and find a relevant quotation) to color or prayers or daily rhythms or children's recipes... The possibilities are endless! I am going to have to keep an eye out for more blank books.

Hidden Word Number Fourteen

Ooops. With a lack of rhythm due to holidays followed by unpredictable weather followed by Simon's daperture for Malawi, I forgot to post this last week's Hidden Word. Here it is:

O SON OF MAN!

Thou art My dominion and My dominion perisheth not, wherefore fearest thou thy perishing? Thou art My light and My light shall never be extinguished, why dost thou dread extinction? Thou art My glory and My glory fadeth not; Thou art My robe and My robe shall never be outworn. Abide then in thy love for Me, that thou mayest find Me in the realm of glory.

~Baha'u'llah

Discussion:

The most interesting aspect of our discussion was getting the children to view this Hidden Word in terms of reality in this physical world. They were very quick to apply the meanings to Life After Death and the spiritual reality, but it was harder for them to think of practical interpretations that might apply to daily life.

Once we were able to think about "abiding in our love for God" and His light that is always burning within us, we were able to think about our current reality a bit differently.

Activity:

Since the discussion was a bit more difficult than usual, I did a simpler activity so that we could continue talking as we worked. Simon's mom taught the children how to make these "twisted snowflakes" over the break, so we went ahead and made some. They don't relate very directly to the Hidden Word, but they kept our hands busy as we hurt our brains, and were quite appropriate for this last week's snow!

To make them you need squares of paper (bear in mind that both sides will show; we liked the effect of double-sided scrapbook paper). We used 6"/15cm squares (scrapbook paper cut into four squares per sheet). You will also need tape and scissors.

Here is a visual of what we did:

Fold each sheet in half to form a triangle.

Fold each triangle in half again to form a smaller triangle.

Cut three lines in the triangle on the side with two folded edges (you cna see the pencil lines in the photo as a guide).

Open up the paper.

Tape two edges together, alternating the paper back and forth.

Eventually it will look like this! Don't worry about being too precise with any of this. Asher did it unaided and slightly wonky, and it was just fine.

To make a snowflake, attach six of these together in the centre (we found using a brad through hole-punched holes easiest) and find someplace to hang them up! 

We had a few singles left over, and they looked quite nice on their own, too:

 

 

 

Hidden Word Number Thirteen

This week's HIdden Word is:

O SON OF SPIRIT!

I have created thee rich, why dost thou bring thyself down to poverty? Noble I made thee, wherewith dost thou abase thyself? Out of the essence of knowledge I gave thee being, why seekest thou enlightenment from anyone beside Me? Out of the clay of love I molded thee, how dost thou busy thyself with another? Turn thy sight unto thyself, that thou mayest find Me standing within thee, mighty, powerful and self-subsisting.

~Baha'u'llah

Discussion:

Remember our gold coins. How has God made us rich? How do we make ourselves poor?

What sort of nobility is inside of us? In what ways do we deny this nobility?

What are good sources of knowledge? Think about the difference between seeking truth and doubt.

God created us to become spiritual beings. The world is a gift so that we may learn from it and experience it fully. What do we lose by becoming distracted by it and lost in it, knowing it only for its own sake instead of looking at it as a way to learn?

Activity:

Use modeling clay (or beeswax) to create something representing what we love very much. Can you see the mark of your fingers in it? Does it reflect your care and love?

We used a polymer clay based on this recipe. It is a less toxic version of fimo that air dries hard and paintable. I adjusted the recipe as follows:

Polymer Clay

1 large bottle of white glue (7oz or roughly 3/4C)

1 C cornstarch

2 TBS mineral oil

juice of 1 lemon

Combine all ingredients in a small pot. This takes some stirring!

Over medium heat, stir continually until the mixture thickens.

Turn it our and knead it while still hot. If it is too sticky, add more cornstarch. I found it helped if I coated my hands with oil.

Keep the clay sealed until ready for use. It took about 2 days to fully air dry. I should also note that this has a rubbery texture, which means it is not as much like plastecine as I had imagined. It does better with larger, more organic shapes than highly detailed sculptures. The children all enjoyed working with it, though.

 

Hidden Word Number Twelve

This week's Hidden Word:

O SON OF BEING!

With the hands of power I made thee and with the fingers of strength I created thee; and within thee have I placed essence of My light. Be thou content with it and seek naught else, for My work is perfect and My command is binding. Question it not, nor have a doubt thereof.

~Baha'u'llah

 

Discussion:

Remember that we are created because of love. Imagine being created with so much power and strength, because of love. How precious does that make each one of us? 

What is the essence of God's light? How do we let it shine out?

Being content with this light can mean many things. Some of the things we discussed were accepting our true selves and also trying to avoid materialism. Our joy should be founded in spiritual, not material, reality. 

If God's work is perfect, are we? Having given us free will, it would seem that God expects us to make mistakes. Can mistakes be part of perfection? In human terms, maybe perfection is in the process.

Does not questioning God's work mean we shouldn't ask questions? What is the difference between doubting and being curious and seeking understanding?

 

Activity:

 I'll be honest. We were busy being outside a lot, and didn't want to spend as much time on acitivities this week. But the discussion was pretty intense! So I let the activity level go. We cleaned up our watercolour lanterns (an excellent tutorial for making them can be found here) and our prayer box that we use each morning. The box holds matches for the candles in the lanterns, a copy of "The Hidden Words" with a pir of twelve sided dice (I role these to determine a number for an already memorised Hidden Word to practice so we don't forget them) and a selection of prayers that I printed out and pasted onto pretty paper for us to choose from. Having everything in place like this makes for much easier prayer times in the morning as we head out the door. It also helps us to not choose the same prayer every. single. time. And to gradually memorise the ones that are printed. It is a very simple thing, making a prayer box, but it has had a big impact on our ability to have morning devotions together.

Fog, Frost and Clafoutis

There is a hush in fog that will not lift, an unspoken suppression of movement by nature herself, a stillness in what cannot be seen, a muffling of senses in soft billows of white and vapor. I have not seen the sun in three days, but I do not mind. These are long moments of pause, when time itself seems a frivolity. If ever magic occurred, it must have been on days like these, when the brightness of sun never quite pierced the veil of cloud, when the frost still clung to each blade of grass and leaf and pine needle and strand of web in a fierce chill of tenacity.

And what do we mere mortals do with ourselves? We bundle into coats and woollens, cradle hot mugs so the warmth can seep through to our marrow, burrow deep into the snug cosiness of home. And we keep the ovens on.

There is a special place in my heart (and stomach) for the eggy baked good. I do not like eggs in their savory aspects. Not scrambled, fried, poached, coddled, omeletted, souffled, boiled...no. Not even with toast soldiers for dipping, and that is terribly difficult to resist. The only way I find their countenance remotely approachable is beneath a heavy cloak of HP sauce. Even the smell of them cooking has led to a fleeing of the premises.

But bake them in a batter, and, well-- that is another sort of magic that only fog can rival. Their congealed wetness and rubbery edges give way to silken smooth custards and glorious puffs of golden puddings. Here is the realm of the custard, the flan, the creme caramel, the puff pancake, the Dutch baby, the popover, the humble Yorkshire pudding. Forgiving by nature, almost laughable in their simplicity and ease of preparation. They only ask that you not open the oven door on them, and eat them up without too much delay. Not so very much to ask, really. And recently, a new member was added to the ranks of eggy glory-- the clafoutis. I came across this lovely recipe on Lecia's blog a few weeks ago. Cranberries thrown into what is apparently the glorified French version of a thick and sweet Yorkshire pudding? Oh yes, please. Let's try that.

Today, while the fog wended its solemn way among the forsted strands of spiderwebs draped like tinsel on the fir trees, I turned that oven on, reached for some egg and cream, sugar and cranberries, and set to. Never one to follow directions or recipes with great amounts of precision, I fiddled and tweaked a bit. The biggest change was the addition of the pomegranate, because if it is sitting there in all of its jewel-chest plumpness, I certainly can not turn it away. So here it is: Cranberry and Pomegrante Clafoutis, with a nod to Lecia, who respectively nods to Martha Stewart.

Cranberry and Pomegranate Clafoutis

1 knob of butter, for the dish
½ cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
pinch of salt
2 large eggs
1 cup chilled heavy cream
¾ cup whole milk
fine zest of two mandarin oranges
1 1/2  cups fresh cranberries, coarsely chopped, and the seeds of 1 pomegranate

Preheat oven to 400F. Butter a 9 inch dish (I used a tart dish), then sprinkle the 2 tablespoons granulated sugar onto the dish. Sift the remaining ½ cup granulated sugar, the flour, and salt into a large bowl. Gradually whisk in the eggs, ¾ cup cream, the milk, and zest.

Scatter the cranberries into the dish, with half of the pomegranate seeds, then pour the batter over the top. Bake until puffed, slightly set, and brown around the edges, 30-35 minutes. Cool on a rack for 15 minutes (it will sink). Before serving, sprinkle with the remaining half of the pomegranate seeds. 

Enjoy!

Hidden Word Number Eleven

This week's Hidden Word:

O SON OF BEING!

Thou art My lamp and My light is in thee. Get thou from it thy radiance and seek none other than Me. For I have created thee rich and have bountifully shed My favor upon Thee.

~Baha'u'llah

 

Discussion:

Remember how God's love is within us? It's like the light inside of a lamp. This week, refelct on how God has made us rich. Rich in what? How has He shed His bounty on us?  

Activity:

This week I directed the children to reflect inward, as we have been doing a lot of thinking about the gifts God gives us in a more outward sense (for example, we have been looking at nature and family, etc, so we focused on personal things such as individual talents or virtues). We thought of the spiritual qualities that are so unique in each one of us. For every quality, attribute, or special bounty we have been given, we wrote it down on a blank office sticker and attached it to a chocolate coin. A bright and golden pile of yummy wealth, reminding us of all that we have to be grateful for! 

Hidden Word Number Ten

This week's Hidden Word:

O SON OF UTTERANCE!

Thou art My stronghold; enter therein that thou mayest abide in safety. My love is in thee, know it, that thou mayest find Me near unto thee.

~Baha'u'llah

Discussion:

The last Hidden Word told us that God's love was our stronghold-- now He is telling us that we are! What does this mean? 

How do we enter into our own selves? What kind of "self" is that?

Is it comforting to know how close God is to us? Is it a little bit scary, too? 

If God is in me, is He in everyone? How should we treat them? What part of them should we address?

 

 
 

Activities:

Right now there are lots of acorns around. An acorn is a symbol that is used a lot because inside this small nut, the mighty oak tree is hidden. That is like God's love hiding inside of us. As a reminder of hidden potentialities, we made felted acorns. We wet felted balls, let them dry overnight and then glued them into collected caps. I love seeing them sitting in the living room as a reminder of who we truly are. I also thought the idea of making these necklaces with felted acorns would be lovely (this link has clear instructions for wet felting, too).

We have been doing these Hidden Words as a famliy for a while now, and this time spent together is something I have really come to enjoy. So often, we get caught up in the whirlwind of chores and activities, that taking these few minutes to stop and discuss meaningful things, and create something together, is a precious time. It doesn't matter what exactly we do, but it does matter that we do it, and regularly. 

 

When life gives you hazelnuts...

Walking home the other day, I noticed that one of the leaf piles along the curb next door was a special pile. It wasn't only leaves in that pile, but hazelnuts, too. I went in and called Asher, and we collected the pile into two big buckets. Bella and I sorted through the first of them the other day.

Then she and Asher and I sat on the front steps and cracked the nuts with stones (much easier than nut crackers). A lot of them were rotten. A lot of them had worms inside. The nuts themselves were all different sizes. But we had found them ourselves, so we pressed on.

Today, as it began to get darker and darker so very early, I remembered coming across this recipe for homemade chocolate hazelnut spread. Ana and I got busy! I followed the general idea of the above recipe, but if you have ever been in the kitchen with me, you know I can not ever manage follow a recipe despite my best intentions. So here is what we did:

Preheat the oven to 350 F and place 1 3/4 C hazelnuts in to roast. This takes about fifteen minutes. Make sure to give them a stir or a shake periodically.

On the stove top, mix together 1 scant C milk powder (I used nonfat as that is what I have for bread making), 1 C half and half, 3/4 C milk (we had 1%), 2 generous TBS of brown rice syrup (you could use mild honey; again, this is what I had), and a pinch of salt. Bring them just to a boil and put aside.

Combine around 1/3 milk to 2/3 dark chocolate for a total of 1 1/2 C bits of chocolate in a double boiler or microwave-proof bowl. I used 6 oz (two bars) of Ghirardelli's mixed milk and dark chocolate, and topped that up with dark chocolate chips because, well, it was (say it together now) what I had. Melt your chocolate (in the microwave, start with 30 seconds, give it a stir, put in for 15 then stir, then continue stirring every 15 seconds until it is smooth). 

The original recipe calls for removing the skins of the nuts. I did not bother. It did not matter! So once your nuts are toasted, place them in your food processor and let them whiz around for a good while. Not long enough so that they begin to make nut butter, but long enough to doubt they will get into smaller pieces. Then add your chocolate and whiz it around some more. Then gradually add in your milk mixture and whiz whiz whiz. 

It is very runny. Don't worry. Placed in the fridge for a few hours, it becomes lovely and spreadable. 

So. There you are. FOUR CUPS of chocolate hazelnut spread to enjoy with home made bread. Well, perhaps not all four cups at once. It does keep for a while. If I hide it in the very back of the fridge and everyone forgets about it.

Was this a lot of work? Yes, it was. We still have another bucket of leaves to sift through. Do I foresee them becoming another batch of chocolate hazelnut spread anyway? Why yes, yes I do. 

 

Hidden Word Number Eight

This week's Hidden Word:

O SON OF SPIRIT!

There is no peace for thee save by renouncing thyself and turning unto Me; for it behooveth thee to glory in My name, not in thine own; to put thy trust in Me and not in thyself, since I desire to be loved alone and above all that is.

~Baha'u'llah

 

Questions/ Discussion:

How does seeking glory for ourselves turn us away from peace?

What would happen if we only relied on ourselves? What is something we can’t trust ourselves to do?

If we only love God, does that mean we don’t love anything else? Why is this not exactly true?

 

Activities:

1. We tried something new, using illustrations and symbols above the words as a memorization tool.

2. One way to seek peace and to think about God’s love is by practicing meditation (as Baha'is we are asked to meditate every day). We explored using prayer beads to say our 95 Allah'u'Abhas (Allah'u'Abha is an Arabic word, called the Greatest Name, which means "God is the Most Glorious". Baha'is should say this 95 times every day, which is a meditative process), the Lotus position and using a meditation bowl.

3. We also made glitter jars. Basically, an empty jar is filled with glycerin, water and glitter. It can then be shaken and the time it takes fort he glitter to settle can be used as a calming, centering time by the child. You can read more about them here. We made one for upstairs and one for downstairs.

4. We asked, "When is a good time to meditate and seek peace?"

 

 

Making Rose Petal Jelly

Ai Ana wanted to do another round of jelly making. It was a beautiful day, so the whole family went out a gravel road and stood on the edge of a sheep field plucking wild roses. Of course I forgot my camera for this part. But I did have my camera at home, so I recorded how we made the jelly.

Rose Petal Jelly

3 C packed rose petals (ensure they are free from pesticides)

6 C water

1 large lemon

1 packet pectin

3 C sugar

 

Begin by carefully sorting through your petals. Return all caterpillars, ladybirds, spiders, etc. to the garden, discard any brown petals or leaves. Some recipes call for removing the white tip of the petal as it may be bitter. I tasted our petals, decided it wasn't bitter, and left it at that. 

Measure your petals (ours equaled three fairly packed cups) into a saucepan with double the amount of water (in our case-- six cups). Set the saucepan on the stove and bring it to a boil. Turn it down and let it simmer for fifteen minutes.

After boiling, the water becomes a dingy brown, and the petals sadly lose their colour. Do not despair! Strain the petals out and place the liquid into a bowl to cool slightly.

This is when the magic happens! Juice one large lemon into the rose water, and watch as the acid causes it to turn a beautiful red.

Return the liquid to the saucepan, and add the pectin, stirring thoroughly. Place the saucepan back on the heat and bring it to a boil, stirring constantly.

Once the liquid is boiling, add 3 cups of sugar and continue to let it boil for an additional two minutes. Pour the liquid into prepared jelly jars (we passed it through an additional strainer to get rid of any remaining particles and reduce the bubbles). Let it sit to cool and set on the counter overnight. There you are-- rose petal jelly.

We have eaten it on baked french toast with blackberries, and as a glaze on Bella's lemon tea cakes. It is quite fragrant, and I don't think I would want to eat it everyday on my toast. But as a treat once in a while, it is divine!