When in Rome...

Searching for true light and finding only mirrors... I feel the overwhelming need to light a candle.

...This site isn't much, but anyone who can benefit from these things is a blessing to me.

People are always asking me how I come up with all of this stuff I make. 
I usually explain to them that it is a compulsion rather than a talent.  All day long I come up with impossible ideas for really cool stuff to make.  Sometimes I manage the impossible (usually at the expense of all the other things I'm supposed to get done...).  This site is intended to share some of that stuff, so that others can take full advantage of my unique illness.

The Scriptural Rosary DVD

The first impossible project is The Scriptural Rosary DVD.  What better way to help my family to say the Rosary without it being a drudgery?

Of course, being the perfectionist that I am, I improved the standard scriptural quotes and used the Douay-Rheims translation...except for passages that matched the text of Handel's Messiah (which my family loves).

Then I added the very best artwork I could find.  For each Hail Mary, the image matches the mystery upon which you are meditating.

This version uses only the 15 traditional mysteries.

This item is not downloadable, nor is it for sale. 
I can provide copies for the cost of postage.   I do ask that you consider an additional donation to help cover costs, as I would like to be able to provide these to more people, but my equipment is inadequate.   You may contact me at the following  e-mail address.  Remove all spaces from the following:
L  bergman  2  (at)  sbc  global  (dot)  net.

UPDATE:  I have found a DVD duplication service that can actually provide these for just $1 each (plus shipping), which is better than I can do...I'm currently working on getting my files uploaded there, at which time I will provide a link.

An Extraordinary Missal for the

Extraordinary Form

The next project is a book I made to help my children follow along with the Traditional Latin Mass.  It's hard enough for an adult to know what's going on, much less switch back and forth between the Latin side of your missal and the English side.

So this version uses an in-line translation: the English translation for each Latin word sits right underneath.  In addition, each page is fully illustrated to aid in comprehension. 

Of course, no matter how hard you try, there are times when you lose your place.  In the front of the book is a chart of "bookmarks".  If you can listen and watch for clues from the priest, you can check them against this table and find your place again.

This book is great and informative for any age, from young children to adults.  I myself enjoy using it, and though my younger children are not able to put it to full use, they enjoy the beautiful full color illustrations.

And though I had to choose specific propers for the text, you can find and print the propers for each Sunday at http://uvoc.org/Propers.html.

Best of all, you can download it for free!  Visit http://www.lulu.com/content/paperback-book/learning-to-follow-the-mass/7631964 where you can either download and print a copy yourself, or you can purchase a printed copy if you prefer. 

Here are some sample pages:



 
Panic in the Pews: Do you wreak

Holy Havoc???

Just before Christmas I finished this book, which I actually had a lot of fun making:



My good friend's daughter, Erin, is a talented illustrator, and she graciously agreed to illustrate this book for me.  Anyone familiar with the book Goops and How to Be Them will recognize the shtick here.  This book is a laundry list of don'ts for behavior in Church.  I guarantee you'll laugh until your sides are sore, and if you don't recognize at least a few of these antics in your own children, well, you are luckier than I.

This book is available in both softcover and hardcover from Lulu.com:
http://www.lulu.com/content/paperback-book/panic-in-the-pews-do-you-wreak-holy-havoc/8008962

You can also check out a preview of some of the book's pages there.

Here's the first page, for a little teaser:


Lenten Eggs

Now that Lent is approaching, I am sharing another great project, but I can't take credit for this one (I helped put together some of the files, but the idea and the bulk of the work is not mine).  This project is thanks to Julie Streeter, an incredibly Artistic mom of 7. 

In describing this project, she said, "You know those Resurrection Eggs they sell?  I saw those and thought, well, there's 12 days...now what about the other 28?"  By applying her talents, she came up with an answer:  Lenten Eggs.


This project has 40 Eggs, one for each of the days of Lent.  Her set is gorgeous, made using wooden nesting eggs from Russia, painted with numbers 1-40.  However, the idea works whether you use wooden eggs, plastic ones, or even a wallhanging with 40 pockets.

Each egg--or pocket--contains a small item which is a "clue" to part of the story of salvation.  Each day during Lent, one egg is opened, and using that clue, the family must guess what it corresponds to.  Julie keeps a beautiful binder filled with images for each day, and between the two of us, we also assembled a "book" of Scriptural passages and meditations to match.

So the good news is that if this sounds like something you would like to do with your family, everything you need to get started is right here, in downloadable form.

First, you can read the set of instructions here.

Next is a calendar that gives you an overview of all 40 eggs, and can help you keep track of what day you are on (if, like me, you end up missing a day here and there...).

When you're ready, you can print out the Meditation booklet, which conveniently has all the relevant scripture passages you will need.

Julie has put together a file with lots of full-color illustrations you can use to jazz up your Meditation book.  Just slide one page from the meditation booklet into a page protector on one side, and then slide one or more of the full-color images into the page opposite it.  You may want to use colored paper as a background for these images if you use more than one.  She even has a page of little eggs with numbers on them that you can cut out and paste on each page.   Here's a link to the album of images.

But the best part is, you can do this project right away, because Julie even pulled together little thumbnail pictures that you can put in your eggs until you are able to get your hands on an actual object.  Just print, cut out, and stuff them in some plastic eggs.

So off you go!  Start printing and enjoy this with your family!