November 2025 – Prayers Over The Kitchen Sink

3 Easy Advent Paper Crafts for Kids!

Paper candles, a scripture Chain and a paper bag snowflake are easy ways to welcome in the season of Advent (Even at the last minute!)

In this post I’ll tell you the how-t0, the everyday materials we used and list all of the passages of Luke we used for the chain, for your convenience!

*I’m also sharing some videos and pics on my Instagram: @prayersoverthekitchensink and TikTok: @prayeroverthekitchensink

These crafts were so fun and easy to make with the kids. The first craft I’ll highlight is the paper Advent candles. Advent is a time of penance, reflection and preparing our souls to celebrate Jesus’ birth at Christmastide. While the rest of the world is well into cookie parties and full decor, Catholics should slow down to embrace this beautiful time of anticipation. It always makes me think of the last four weeks of pregnancy and what Mother Mary may have felt as she awaited the birth of the Newborn King!

This theme of joyful waiting is articulated by the penitential purple of 3 of the candles as well as the pink of Gaudete Sunday. The weeks, colors and themes are as follows:

Week 1: Purple representing, Hope

Week 2: Purple, Peace

Week 3: Pink, representing Joy (Gaudete Sunday)

Week 4: Purple, representing Love

Christmas: White, representing Christ

I’ve done this project with my kids in the past and it’s great because crayon scribbles, fingerpaint and haphazard glitter all look cool when they’re wrapped around the tube. In years past, I wrote the theme of the week on the side of each candle with black permanent marker and it’s a fun way for children to become familiar with the tradition.

My Baby’s Going Viral for Calling Out to Jesus 🤍

My baby’s going viral for recognizing Jesus in the Eucharist.

Watch the video on Tik Tok Here: Video on Tik Tok

View this post on Instagram

Backstory:

What a wild week! It all started in a comment section with trolls. I left an innocent comment on a post by @catholicsam on Instagram regarding the Blessed Virgin Mary saying “Don’t disrespect my Mama!” that triggered some relentless nasty comments about me and Catholicism in general that went on for days. But, faceless strangers’ opinions are easy to let roll off of my back. I practiced apologetics a lot in this way when running my storytelling apostolate.

The next day, however I was told by a gentler, more familiar voice out of the blue that Catholicism is a false religion and that I should leave so my family and I can follow Jesus and go to heaven. That one hurt more. I actually cried out of frustration and feeling so misunderstood.

How it Happened:

I will say firstly that this moment was purely organic. My baby does this all of the time. I went up to pray quickly in the back of the empty church sanctuary with a heavy heart from the conversation earlier that day. I sat her down and she began to laugh and smile, eyes sparkling and fixed on the tabernacle.

She began shouting Dada, which she often does at Mass and Adoration but I never record for obvious reasons. It felt like Jesus was speaking right to my heart, reminding me that He is here.

Christ at the Center: Our Domestic Church

Making a home for my family until we make it home to Heaven.

For several years the walls of my home had been the same tan color. Its neutrality and tone served us well, hiding the little fingerprints and scuff marks that come with family life. But, soon the little ones grew out of the toddler stage and it became painfully obvious that the house was long overdue for a refresh.

I knew where I wanted to start, the front living room, or parlor. It’s where we receive our guests and welcome each other home. Where the dog barks and kids run as soon as Daddy walks in. Where I draw back the curtains each morning to let the light in and set flickering candles to relax at night.

I flipped through paint samples for days, finally choosing the lightest blue for the walls and the brightest white for the trim. We splurged on the highest quality, cleanable, smudge resistant paint that promised to cover the old color in just one coat. I stirred up the beautiful hue and hoped for the best.

The One Who Can

As Catholics, we’re well advised not to put *too* much stock in dreams. They can be easily influenced by imagination yet; there are several accounts of God reaching out to his people through dreams in the Bible (like that of Saint Joseph). Not all dreams are prophetic but this one has stuck with me and really personifies my journey through Motherhood, and to Mary.

Let me take you into my dream cloud for a spell:

“Where am I?” I wonder, “It’s hot! Why is it so hot?” All I can hear is the muffled sound of waves crashing. I’m walking down the street of an unfamiliar seaside neighborhood road. I squint my eyes, doing my best to look at the houses surrounding me in hopes of recognizing one. A mysterious fog mixed in the sea-sprayed air, too thick to make out details.