As hobbits are known for their love for food, it is likely the most important element of any good hobbit celebration! Hobbits are known to feast from breakfast and well into the evening, preferring hearty, home-cooked comfort foods.
Mount Doom Bean Bags & Ring Toss: Hobbit Party Games
Two party games that our little hobbits loved last year were the Mount Doom Bean Bags & The "One Ring" Ring Toss. They were both very simple to make and were fun for little ones of all ages (especially toddlers and preschoolers)!
Almond, Citrus, and Lavender Lembas Bread
“Eat little at a time, and only at need. For these things are given to serve you when all else fails. The cakes will keep sweet for many many days, if they are unbroken and left in their leaf-wrappings, as we have brought them. One will keep a traveler on his feet for a day of long labour, even if he be one of the tall men of Minas Tirith.” -The Fellowship of the Ring
Shelob's Web: A Hobbit Party Game
Of all the Hobbit Party games we've played, I was most excited about this one! We have a little clearing of trees in our backyard and I had the idea to set up a giant spider web for the kids to cut through with their own (foam) swords!
Tolkien's Requiem (A Review & Giveaway)
If you've been searching for a simple way to understand Tolkien's Silmarillion, hoping to dig deeper into its themes and mythology, or wanting to learn more about Beren and Luthien before the June release of the restored edition of their tale... John Carswell's short but insightful book, Tolkien's Requiem, is the place to start.
John Ronald's Dragons (A Book Review & Giveaway)
Last week, a friend shared a photo of a library book she'd come across about a boy named John Ronald who loved dragons. And as my little ones have been getting older and asking me to read more often to them, I've been trying to be more intentional about the books I fill our shelves with... so I knew I needed this one. I posted a little about it on my Instagram feed but I thought I'd share a few more of my thoughts on this sweet biography of JRR Tolkien for children for those who were interested. The story itself was absolutely darling, and the illustration just brought it to life in the sweetest way!
On this Holy Saturday: Here At the End of All Things (Triduum Series)
Holy Saturday, the still in-between of such great sorrow and the greatest joy, has always been a quiet mystery to me. Jesus is dead, buried in His tomb. His mother is broken hearted, as are his Apostles and friends. A hush has fallen upon the earliest of Christians, one that they may perceive as the end of all things. And even still today, we might fall into despair.
On This Good Friday: "I Thirst" (Triduum Series)
Tolkien's profound love for Our Lord is nestled in nearly everything he wrote. And today as we remember Christ's Crucifixion, this simple reflection of Christ in Frodo's "I'm thirsty, Sam" guided me down such a beautiful path to Christ that I couldn't help but share it with you.
At Home in Middle-Earth: The Heroism of Life-Saving Hospitality
To the man who wrote of quaint hobbit-holes and grand kingdom halls, friendship and hospitality were valued in a heroic sense. He is often quoted, “If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world.” And oh, how true it is.
The Ring & The Cross: Why March 25th is The Most Important Date of all History
Tolkien created Middle-earth with painstaking detail and wove importance and meaning into nearly every page of The Lord of the Rings — and the dates of important events are no exception. Chiefly, March 25th marks the date when the One Ring was destroyed in the fires of Mount Doom. Being the most important event of The Lord of the Rings, this date is sure to hold some significance, don’t you suppose?
Tea with... Saint Lucy and My Chemical Romance: Awake & Unafraid
You're probably wondering what an emo album from 2006 and a virgin martyr from the early Christian Church have to do with one another. Though their stories are set nearly two-thousands years and philosophical worlds apart, Saint Lucy and the My Chemical Romance album, The Black Parade, both speak to the power of commitment, perseverance, and a heart on fire for their beliefs.
