Glass icon project

Glass icon project

Project and pattern by Randi Maria Sider-Rose, Iconographer Peasants in 19th century Transylvania discovered that, although hand-painted icons from Greece were out of their price range, they were able to produce their own icons on glass. Following in this tradition,...
Itzhak: A boy who loved the violin

Itzhak: A boy who loved the violin

When my children were small, I told them that there are true stories about real people, and made up stories about made up people, and made up stories about real people. Written by Tracy Newman and illustrated by Abigail Halpin, Itzhak: A boy who loved the violin is a...
Top 10 most-read posts from 2020

Top 10 most-read posts from 2020

My top 10 most-read posts of 2020 contained some surprises. Some new posts made the top 10, along with some of the first blog posts I wrote. Number 10: Pascha baskets and Pascha basket covers This post was #6 in 2019. It includes history and traditions related to...
St. Nicholas takes the executioner’s sword

St. Nicholas takes the executioner’s sword

Nicholas had learned, in the emperor’s prison, to sleep through the sounds of screams and shouts and blows. But that was years ago, and now the sound seeped through, disturbing his sleep. He rolled over without opening his eyes. And then he heard his name. He was...
With Two She Flew: Philoxenia with angels and autism

With Two She Flew: Philoxenia with angels and autism

Because I ordinarily review picture books, the first thing I should tell you is that With Two She Flew is not a picture book. It is, however, an extraordinary book, quite unlike any other children’s book I have ever read. And it sits squarely at the intersection of...
Keeping Advent and Christmas during the pandemic

Keeping Advent and Christmas during the pandemic

Remember what it was like, keeping Lent and Pascha at home this year? There was so much that we couldn’t do, because of the pandemic. That meant we had to figure out a different way of celebrating. We had to build on the foundations of our traditions, to create a...

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