LizChatter

You probably already know the history of the word "Noel"  but just in case,  here you go :) English speakers borrowed the word  noel  from the French. The word can be traced further back to the Latin word  natalis,  which is used like "birthday" as a noun or "of or relating to birth" as an adjective. (The English adjective  natal  has the same meaning and is also an offspring of  natalis. ). I recently learned that Noels are also musical announcements/greetings.  Noels were being sung in Latin or French for centuries before the word found its way into our language in the 1800s. The earliest known musical use of  noel  occurred in the text of a Christmas  motet  called "Nova vobis gaudia," which was written in the 1400s.  Wow!  For me, this connects nicely to the use of music & poetry that invites us all to celebrate the birth of our Messiah.  Happy Christmas and Merry Noels! ...

Happy Thanksgiving 2018

Did you know that there is great value in messy processes? If you like to bake as much as we do, you'll know that ingredients coming together for a useful end product is often a messy process. Have you ever baked with someone who is inexperienced in the kitchen? Most parents/teachers have and we do it, not because it's easy, but because we know that experience only comes one way... by getting your hands on it, by doing it. We believe that our children need and deserve the opportunity to gain the experience so we walk them through the process. We want our little ones (children/students) to learn so we watch, instruct, and utter some fairly odd grunts (signaling approval or caution) as they go through the steps that are needed. We know that messes will happen as they learn... and not just with baking. Some processes are messier than others depending on what is being accomplished, and how much experience or wisdom is available for the person(s) involved. T...