It is almost down to Christmas Eve, and many of you would love some ideas for a few last minute gifts that are quick and easy to make.

Here are a few of my favorites:

Peppermint Bark:  You will need a bag of milk chocolate chocolate chips, a bag of white chocolate chips, peppermint extract and about four or five regular sized organic candy canes if you can find organic.  Unwrap the candy canes and put them in a ziploc bag before you start – crush them with a rolling pin.   Preheat your oven to 250 degrees, and line a cookie sheet with a lid with parchment paper or wax paper.  Spread the milk chocolate chocolate chips in an even layer in the pan and put in oven until soft enough to spread with a spatula (about five to ten minutes, watch them carefully!).  Put in the refrigerator to cool for about twenty minutes.  Melt the white chocolate chips in a double boiler (you may need a teaspoon of canola oil to make the white chocolate chips spreadable), stir in about 1/2 teaspoon of peppermint extract and  some of the  candy cane pieces.  Spread over the milk chocolate layer, sprinkle the rest of the candy cane pieces on top and put in the refrigerator to cool.  Break into uneven pieces and package for friends you love.

If you have a dehydrator (and I bought a nice one used), you could make grain free granola or coconut macaroons. Both make fabulous gifts!  For my grain-free granola, I take an apple and mix it with about a cup and a half of dates in a food processor, then add salt, cinnamon, orange zest and the juice of a lemon.  Then I take pecans, almonds, sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds that have been pulsed in a food processor, mix them with the apple-date mixture and stir in a cup of dried cranberries.  This can be dehydrated for about 8 hours and then packaged.

Easy to package is to make savory salt.  This salt is divine on brown rice.  There are many recipes on the Internet.  The other easy last minute gift is bath salts.

Please share your favorite last-minute gifts below!

Many blessings, happy merriment,

Carrie

All you can do in the face of such tragedy, such tragedy and loss that it makes no sense at all…is to gather your family and love them.   Tell your children, show your children this love. Gather your community and sit in intimate love with all of those people.  Reach out to the people in your community who don’t reach out. Help those who need it.

All you can do in the face of tragedy is to be as strong as you can.  Go into each day with the assured knowledge that despite the actions of one person, the world is still a good place.  There are still kind and caring people everywhere.  The world is not a place to be feared and it is not a place from which  to isolate your children.  Isolation is not the solution to societal problems. 

All you can do in the face of tragedy is to find support in your community.  Your community can carry far more for you and for your children than you ever could on your own. 

All you can do in the face of tragedy is create your own home to be a place of goodness, a place of beauty and of stability.  Create a safe and steady rhythm for your days, your week and your year.  Go back to the wisdom of earlier times, to those who knew the cosmic rhythms, knew the liturgical rhythms, and knew the rhythm of man himself in life.

All you can do in the face of tragedy is to love your children with all your heart.  Heal your childhood wounds. Do not pass these onto your children.   Tame your words, and take a break if you need it in order to tame your words and actions.   Yet, at the same time, be easy on yourself and on those around you.  Life is not perfect, people are not perfect.  And yet we are all still here and we can all love one another.

All you can do in the face of tragedy is to lean on your God when you cannot walk yourself.   Tragedy faces men, yet we rise up in triumph.  Tragedy faces us, yet we persevere.  Tragedy faces us, yet we remain strong.  Tragedy faces us, yet we create anew. 

Rise up.  Love one another and start from the most precious place one can start – our own homes and families.  Let our light branch out to the rest of mankind.

Rise up.

Mourning tonight with the rest of the world,

Carrie

Here are a few upcoming events that could be helpful to some families.  Please take what resonates with you. 

One is this free teleconference dealing with Rites of Passages for boys and girls: http://www.ritesofpassageevent.com/.  The event runs from October 22 through November 2nd if you are interested in signing up.

Melisa Nielsen sent me a note that A Little Garden Flower is running a bootcamp for planning.  You can see the link for that program here:  http://waldorfessentials.com/blog/2012/10/planning-bootcamp-pass-it-on/ 

Here is the link to Suzanne Down’s upcoming book, “The Adventures of Old Gnome Through The Year” : http://junipertreepuppets.com/the-adventures-of-old-gnome-and-frog-from-the-log/   I just love Suzanne Down; if you get a chance to take a class with her, just run to see her!   You can access her list of what cities she is visiting and more about her puppetry training course on her home page here:  http://junipertreepuppets.com/events/

Many blessings,

Carrie

Here is a sneak preview for end of the year/January 2012 plans for The Parenting Passageway!

We will be finishing up our chapter by chapter look at “The Well-Balanced Child” and starting our NEW book, “The Seven Principles For Making Marriage Work:  A Practical Guide from the Country’s Foremost Relationship Expert” by John M Gottman, PhD and Nan Silver.  Dr. Gottman has, in 91 percent of the couples he has studied in three separate studies, predicted whether that couple’s marriage would succeed or fail.  This fascinating book was a NY Times best-seller and you can buy used copies so cheaply on Amazon or get it through your local library.  Here is the Amazon link:  http://www.amazon.com/Seven-Principles-Making-Marriage-Work/dp/0609805797/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1325018006&sr=8-1

In January, we will also be taking a look at what I see as the foundation of successful homeschooling and parenting:  inner work and personal development, religion and the creation of family culture.  I have eight facets of family culture in mind to look at with you all in a very special series that I hope will get everyone thinking about providing a mindful vision for their own family life.

I will also be continuing the virtual tea regarding the pillars of Waldorf Education with Lisa Boisvert-Mackenzie at Celebrating the Rhythm of Life/ Wonder of Childhood and with other bloggers who would like to join in.  Here is the link to Lisa’s latest tea post:  http://www.celebratetherhythmoflife.com/2011/12/lemniscate-and-senses.html

Many blessings,

Carrie

The winner of the Sparkle Stories giveaway, chosen by a random number generator,  is Star from Faerymother blogspot:  http://faerymother.blogspot.com/

Star, thank you for being my reader, and I  thank everyone for their interest!

Many blessings,

Carrie

As generated by a random number generator, the winner is Irene!

Irene wrote:  congrats! <3 I would love to get some kite paper and make window stars to brighten up our home as the days get shorter and shorter and to give away as gifts for the Holidays.

Thank you Irene, and thank you all for participating, and all your kind wishes for The Parenting Passageway.  The past three years have been fun ones!

Much love,

Carrie

THE GIVEAWAY is now closed…will be announcing a winner in a few hours!  Thank you all for your enthusiasm, kind comments and well wishes!  Love, and many blessings to you all!  _ Carrie 12:24 EST Friday October 21, 2011

Welcome to Monday with a lovely giveaway from Bella Luna Toys in honor of The Parenting Passageway’s third anniversary!  Please head on over to www.bellalunatoys.com and feast your eyes upon the magical toys, high quality art supplies and other goodies there.  Once you have in mind what you would like to spend a $25 gift certificate on,  please share that with me in this space in the comment section.   The drawing will be on Friday, so plenty of time to enter!

Thank you again to Bella Luna Toys and wonderful owner Sarah Baldwin. I look forward to hearing from you all.  A jump start on holiday shopping, anyone?

Many blessings,

Carrie

PS.  Just a fast note to my many international readers:  this giveaway is open to you as well as Bella Luna Toys is willing to ship internationally, but the shipping costs are to be paid by the winner….

Lovely things are happening on Monday: Continue reading →

Or will be as soon as this is published.    I hope you all have a blessed and wonderful week of summer, and I will see you back soon!

In the meantime, if you would like to drop me a comment as to things you would like to see addressed in future posts, please feel free to do so.

Many blessings,

Carrie

Please feel free to stop over and say hello:  http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Parenting-Passageway/197493306934950

Thank you for your support!

Many blessings,

Carrie