True Christian Motherhood

One of my favorite bloggers has just written a new e-book that looks fantastic! It is called "True Christian Motherhood" and I can't wait to read it! It is only $7 and you can find it here: http://www.truechristianmotherhood.com/ You can also go here http://proverbs14verse1.blogspot.com/ to register to win the e-book & LOTS of other great prizes from Christian companies. Wise Woman is my dream blog :o) I hope someday soon I will be able to go through her consulting program and develop a truly wonderful blog! Thank you WW for all of your help & encouragement!

31 Days to Clean

This looks like a fantastic e-book! Mary & Martha are always struggling within me :o) http://http://www.likeawarmcupofcoffee.com/home/ (click on this link TODAY & find out how to get your copy for free). Check out this link to see how you can get a copy of 31 Days to Clean for only $4.99: http://31daystoclean.com/ I think it will be worth every penny! I can't wait to be Mary & sit down & read this book :o) Blessings, Ladybug

AWESOME Bible Coloring Sheets

With Holy Week coming up, you will want to check out the "Jesus, the Christ" section of this website for great coloring sheets! Then look through all of the other wonderful Bible coloring sheets they offer as well. They are great even for older children because there is a lot of detail. Beautiful pictures! Thank you Catholic Icing for sharing this link! http://http://www.tne.net.au/~abdaacts/cbible.html If you like what you see on my blog, please follow me :o) Blessings, Ladybug

Bargains!

Found some great bargains for online coupons...unfortunately they expired today or I'd post the links for you! Will try to be more on the ball next time & share :o) I had a $20 off $30 Microsoft accesories coupon for Staples so got a new wireless keyboard that actually types all of the letters I hit on the keyboard :o) Also printed coupons for JCPenny's for $10 off $25 purchase, which my husband, daughter, and I were all able to use, so our family saved $30 on leggings for DD to wear under dresses, red towels for the kitchen that you can't see through, and purple towels for the bathroom that don't have pink spots on them! LOL We also started car shopping...I am in love with a pilot...he he he...a Honda Pilot that is! We test drove one today and it was really nice! Also looked at a Honda Ridgeline Pickup, but didn't have time to test drive it. They both have some really nice features...I have especially miss having anti-lock brakes & traction control, so will be glad to have those features back...and if we get heated seats, a sunroof, and DVD player in the deal...hey...sounds good to me! Hopefully we can find a good deal before the '94 Saturn with 200,000 + miles bites the dust completely.

DD & I also went to an ENDOW retreat today.http://http://endowonline.org/. It is a really neat faith-study program. I am going to pray about becoming a facilitator so I can conduct the study programs in my area. ENDOW stands for "Educating on the Nature and Dignity of Women"...something greatly needed today! The programs study different Catholic Church documents, saints, and the Bible and help women to realize and embrace their dignity and vocation as women!

Blessings!

Feast of the Annunciation

March 25 (tomorrow) is the Solemnity of the Annunciation, when the Angel Gabriel appeared to Mary and asked her to be the Mother of Jesus. Mary's "yes" changed history and salvation! Since the Annunciation is a Solemnity, we do not have to abstain from meat tomorrow...of course an extra sacrifice never hurts :o) But we are supposed to celebrate Solemnities! Pray the 1st Joyful Mystery together. Bake a blue cake (wouldn't this be great for any feast of Mary???) http://http//www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/royal-blue-velvet-cake/bce7c4e4-8c6a-49cd-ac3f-9fe629722d9c. An angel food cake would also be appropriate, frost with light blue frosting. Make an angel craft. Draw the word "YES" with bubble letters and let your children decorate inside the letters. Pray the Angelus. Play a game of Mary Memory. Tell Mary "thank you" for saying yes...and practice saying "yes" to what God asks of you..."let it be done to me." God bless you!

One Thing I Am Doing for Lent!

I have decided that the girls & I are each going to 'get rid of' 40 things during Lent this year. I know some people do 40 bags, but that thought alone is overwhelming to me...especially since I am working full time outside the home right now. So I think we will concentrate on 40 things. I am starting tomorrow by donating some pictures and office supplies that I no longer use/need to Mary's Choice http://www.maryschoice.org/. So I will be ahead of the game by at least 4 things :o)

I think we will also start praying 5 decades of the Rosary each night. We have been pretty consistent about 2 or 3 decades per night, so it's time to step it up!

Blessed Lent to you!

Happy Birthday Mary!

September 8th is the Blessed Mother's Birthday. Celebrate by having a birthday party for her...play birthday party games, bake & decorate a cake (with blue frosting of course!) & sing Happy Birthday to Mary, attend Mass, sing Marian hymns, pray the Rosary as a family. Try this craft while praying a decade of the Rosary with young children (you can vary the difficultly depending on the ages of your children): trace & cut out 10 flower petals, a center circle, a stem, and 2 leaves. While praying the Our Father, have your child glue the stem on to a piece of construction paper. Have your child glue on one flower petal for each Hail Mary as it is prayed. While praying the Glory Be, glue on a leaf. While praying the Fatima Decade prayer, glue on the other leaf. If your child is older, let them trace & cut the pieces as well as glue them while the prayers are being prayed. Then you have a lovely flower for Mary :o)

Fabulous Book!

I am reading a wonderful book during Adoration right now...Consoling the Heart of Jesus, A Do-It-Yourself Retreat, Inspired by the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius; by Michael E. Gaitley, MIC.

Fr. Benedict Groeschel has this to say about it, "This retreat, which is so well fitted into the busy life of the layperson, nonetheless includes all the essential parts of a genuine retreat of the Spiritual Exercises. Although focused on the Divine Mercy, it also includes the insights of St. Ignatius of Loyola and St. Louis de Montfort. It is also influenced by the Venerable Fr. Lanteri, who brings his own intensity and devotion to the retreat. All of this should make a devout person at home and yet push the person on to higher levels of devotion and spirituality."

Danielle Bean relates this about the book, "In Consoling the Heart of Jesus, Michael Gaitley, MIC, makes Ignatian spirituality accessible to the rest of us. He has a true gift for moving even small souls closer to Christ. This book is a flexible retreat, a conversation with Christ, and a personal call to greater holiness. The voice of Christ in these pages is one that even this hopelessly distracted wife and mother of eight could hear and respond to. Reading it has been an enormous blessing to me, one that I treasure and will return to often. If you are a small soul, too, Jesus is speaking to you right now. Read this book - all at once or in small increments as your life allows - and find out what He has to say."

Br. James Curran, LBSF says this, "Remarkable. Beautiful. Simple. May the Lord fill the hearts of those who make this inspired retreat."

High praise indeed :o) It is available from Marian Press in Stockbridge, MA.

Feast of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel

The Feast of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel is on Friday. On July 16, 1251, Mary appeared to St. Simon Stock and gave him the Brown Scapular. Mary told him, "Whoever dies clothed in this scapular shall not suffer eternal fire." She also said, "Wear it devoutly and perseveringly, it is my garment. To be clothed in it means you are continually thinking of me, and I in turn, am always thinking of you and helpin you to secure eternal life." Mary told St. Dominic, "One day, through the Rosry and Scapular, I will save the world." What wonderful promises from our Blessed Mother!

This recipe is from "Building the Family Cookbook" by, Suzanne Fowler. It is named for OL of Mt. Carmel because oranges and cinnamon are found in the area of Mount Carmel itself.

OL of Mt. Carmel Orange Ring

1/2 c orange marmelade
2 T chopped walnuts
1 c brown sugar
3/4 tsp cinnamon
2 (12 oz) cans refrigerated buttermilk flaky biscuits
1/2 c butter, melted

Heat oven to 350. Grease 12 cup bundt pan. Spoon the marmelade into the bottom of the bundt pan & sprinkle with walnuts. In a small bowl, mix together the brown sugar and cinnamon. Set aside. Separate the biscuits & dip each one in the melted butter and then in the sugar mixture. Stand the biscuits on edge in the greased pan, spacing evenly. Sprinkle with remaining sugar mixture & drizzle with remaining butter. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown. Let stand for a few minutes before inverting onto a serving plate. Hot topping may spill out the sidese, so be careful.

Here are some other yummy treats:
http://catholicicing.blogspot.com/search?q=brown+scapular&updated-max=2010-07-09T01%3A00%3A00-04%3A00&max-results=20

You can find some great coloring sheets here:
http://catholicicing.blogspot.com/2010/07/our-lady-of-mt-carmel-coloring-sheets.html

And some crafts ideas here:
http://catholicicing.blogspot.com/2010/07/catholic-scapular-crafts-diys.html

Catholic Icing is a great blog! There are always tons of cool ideas there. It is one of my favorites. God bless!

Feast of Bl. Kateri Tekakwitha

Today is the feast of Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha. You can find out more about her here: http://saints.sqpn.com/blessed-kateri-tekakwitha/. She was a member of the Turtle Clan, so have your children make a turtle using a paper plate or a circle of green construction paper. Cut out shapes for the shell as well as the legs & head. Simple & easy :o) God bless!

July - Month of the Precious Blood of Jesus

July is the Month of the Precious Blood of Jesus. Each month has a dedication & I will try to post some activities for each month. My files are all at school, so in the summer those activities will usually be limited to what's in my head (not much! LOL) and what I have found online. I have always been a little jealous of the people who have a rich heritage & hold onto it & have traditions they still practice...and one day I realized I DO have that heritage...my Catholic faith! One way we can pass that faith on to our children and make them LOVE it is to celebrate the liturgical seasons of the Church year. You can find out more about the Liturgical Seasons here: http://www.wf-f.org/LiturgicalCalendar-info.html and here: http://thankevann.com/homeschoolgoodies/?page_id=48

And now on to the Month of the Precious Blood...

The picture is one I took of the heart my niece made using a heart mold to make a heart out of Jello and then added drops of blood, also with Jello. You could also make finger jello & cut out hearts with a cookie cutter or knife and use the leftover pieces in the pan to make drops of blood.

Learn to draw a chalice and grapes:

http://www.chcweb.com/catalog/files/htdpb.pdf

Sacred Heart Color Sheet:

http://www.sjtbre.org/docs/Sacred%20Heart.pdf

Here is a beautiful prayer, as you can see they put it on a drop-shaped piece of red cardstock:

http://starrymantle.blogspot.com/2008/07/july-month-of-precious-blood.html

Have fun!