Back to the Ordinary - Not so Ordinary Time ~

We are back to living and growing in the Ordinary Time of the Church now.  After celebrating the Easter season for 50 days, the Church tells us it's time to settle back into living, learning, and growing with God. 

What a beautiful faith we have!  To live the liturgical year is to live a FULL LIFE.  God is so good to those who love him.

I am so thankful to be at home with my children living and learning.  I ask God to bless my dear husband who works so hard to provide for our family so that I can stay home and shelter my little chicks from the world until they are ready to fly the nest to do His holy will!

I pray for families whose crosses are heavy.  Especially for Noah and his family.  My heart truly goes out to them. After watching my daddy suffer and die from cancer, my heart aches for them.  Please pray for them and all of their family to be showered with His grace.

I continue to feel called to let my children learn naturally.  Therefore, we will not be finishing school for the summer or starting back to school in the fall.  After all to quote Charlotte Mason, "Homeschooling is a lifestyle, not school lessons at home."

Pentecost Sunday ~ Come Holy Spirit

from Pray More Novenas

Happy Pentecost!

Let us pray...

Dear Lord Jesus, I have specific requests that may only partially fill the infinite needs and desires that are in my heart. I ask that You answer me not only for those requests but also for a greater reliance on You to satisfy the needs and desires that You have given me.

Please grant the prayers of all those who prayed this novena with me. Bless them with Your love and make them holy!

May I seek You with a sincere heart knowing that it will profit me nothing if I gain the whole world yet lose my soul.

So, help me to see Your good and gracious purpose in all my trials. Help me to see Your blessings in every day and help me to love You more.

Thank You for everything, Lord Jesus!

Amen.

Novena to the Holy Spirit ~ Day 9

from Pray More Novenas

Goodness

Let us bow down in humility at the power and grandeur of the Holy Spirit. Let us worship the Holy Trinity and give glory today to the Paraclete, our Advocate.

Oh Holy Spirit, by Your power, Christ was raised from the dead to save us all. By Your grace, miracles are performed in Jesus' name. By Your love, we are protected from evil. And so, we ask with humility and a beggar's heart for Goodness within us.

We want to be like your Saints in heaven. Holy Spirit, renew us by your power with your Goodness that we may bring the Good News to the world.

Amen.

Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love. Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created. And You shall renew the face of the earth.

O, God, who by the light of the Holy Spirit, did instruct the hearts of the faithful, grant that by the same Holy Spirit we may be truly wise and ever enjoy His consolations, through Christ Our Lord,

Amen.

Novena to the Holy Spirit ~ Day 8

from Pray More Novenas

Self-Control

Let us bow down in humility at the power and grandeur of the Holy Spirit. Let us worship the Holy Trinity and give glory today to the Paraclete, our Advocate.

Oh Holy Spirit, by Your power, Christ was raised from the dead to save us all. By Your grace, miracles are performed in Jesus' name. By Your love, we are protected from evil. And so, we ask with humility and a beggar's heart for Your gift of Self-Control within us.

Your Martyrs had the overwhelming self-control to go joyfully to a painful death without shrinking from the opportunity to join You in heaven. Give us this self-control to have command over our emotions and desires that we may serve You more fully.

Amen.

Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love. Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created. And You shall renew the face of the earth.

O, God, who by the light of the Holy Spirit, did instruct the hearts of the faithful, grant that by the same Holy Spirit we may be truly wise and ever enjoy His consolations, through Christ Our Lord,

Amen.

Novena to the Holy Spirit ~ Day 7

from Pray More Novenas

Gentleness

Let us bow down in humility at the power and grandeur of the Holy Spirit. Let us worship the Holy Trinity and give glory today to the Paraclete, our Advocate.

Oh Holy Spirit, by Your power, Christ was raised from the dead to save us all. By Your grace, miracles are performed in Jesus' name. By Your love, we are protected from evil. And so, we ask with humility and a beggar's heart for Your gift of Gentleness within us.

Despite the gravity of our sins, oh Lord you treat us with Gentleness. Dear Holy Spirit, give us your power to treat all in our lives with the Gentleness of the Saints.

Amen.

Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love. Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created. And You shall renew the face of the earth.

O, God, who by the light of the Holy Spirit, did instruct the hearts of the faithful, grant that by the same Holy Spirit we may be truly wise and ever enjoy His consolations, through Christ Our Lord,

Amen.

Novena to the Holy Spirit ~ Day 6

(from Pray More Novenas)

Faithfulness

Let us bow down in humility at the power and grandeur of the Holy Spirit. Let us worship the Holy Trinity and give glory today to the Paraclete, our Advocate.

Oh Holy Spirit, by Your power, Christ was raised from the dead to save us all. By Your grace, miracles are performed in Jesus' name. By Your love, we are protected from evil. And so, we ask with humility and a beggar's heart for Your gift of Faithfulness within us.

You, oh Lord, are ever faithful. You are faithful until the end. Though we are weak and distracted, please give us the grace to be faithful to You as you are to us!

Amen.

Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love. Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created. And You shall renew the face of the earth.

O, God, who by the light of the Holy Spirit, did instruct the hearts of the faithful, grant that by the same Holy Spirit we may be truly wise and ever enjoy His consolations, through Christ Our Lord,

Amen.

Novena to the Holy Spirit ~ Day 5

Holy Spirit Novena Prayer - Day 5

(from Pray More Novenas)

Kindness

Let us bow down in humility at the power and grandeur of the Holy Spirit. Let us worship the Holy Trinity and give glory today to the Paraclete, our Advocate.

 Oh Holy Spirit, by Your power, Christ was raised from the dead to save us all. By Your grace, miracles are performed in Jesus' name. By Your love, we are protected from evil. And so, we ask with humility and a beggar's heart for Your gift of Kindness within us.

Jesus approached sinners with immense kindness. Holy Paraclete, please treat us humble sinners with the same kindness and give us the ability to treat all others with that kindness as well.

Amen.

Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love. Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created. And You shall renew the face of the earth.

O, God, who by the light of the Holy Spirit, did instruct the hearts of the faithful, grant that by the same Holy Spirit we may be truly wise and ever enjoy His consolations, through Christ Our Lord,

Amen.

Novena to the Holy Spirit ~ Day 4

Holy Spirit Novena Prayers - Day 4

 (from Pray More Novenas)

Patience

Let us bow down in humility at the power and grandeur of the Holy Spirit. Let us worship the Holy Trinity and give glory today to the Paraclete, our Advocate.

Oh Holy Spirit, by Your power, Christ was raised from the dead to save us all. By Your grace, miracles are performed in Jesus' name. By Your love, we are protected from evil. And so, we ask with humility and a beggar's heart for Your gift of Patience within us.

Oh Holy Spirit, you give lavishly to those who ask. Please give us the patience of the Saints who are now with you in heaven. Help us to endure everything with an eternal patience that is only possible with your help.

Amen.

Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love. Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created. And You shall renew the face of the earth.

O, God, who by the light of the Holy Spirit, did instruct the hearts of the faithful, grant that by the same Holy Spirit we may be truly wise and ever enjoy His consolations, through Christ Our Lord,

Amen.

Novena to the Holy Spirit ~ Day 3

Holy Spirit Novena Prayers - Day 3

from Pray More Novenas

Peace

Let us bow down in humility at the power and grandeur of the Holy Spirit. Let us worship the Holy Trinity and give glory today to the Paraclete, our Advocate.

Oh Holy Spirit, by Your power, Christ was raised from the dead to save us all. By Your grace, miracles are performed in Jesus' name. By Your love, we are protected from evil. And so, we ask with humility and a beggar's heart for Your gift of Peace within us.

The Saints were tempted, attacked and accused by the devil who is the destroyer of peace. When we are accused by the devil, come to our aid as our Advocate and give us Peace that lasts through all trials!

Amen.

Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love. Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created. And You shall renew the face of the earth.

O, God, who by the light of the Holy Spirit, did instruct the hearts of the faithful, grant that by the same Holy Spirit we may be truly wise and ever enjoy His consolations, through Christ Our Lord,

Amen.

Novena to The Holy Spirit - Day 2

Day 2 - Saturday after the Ascension

Pray

Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of Your faithful, and enkindle in them the fire of Your love.

V. Send forth Your Spirit, and they shall be created,

R. And You shall renew the face of the earth.

Let us pray

O God, Who by the light of the Holy Spirit, did instruct the hearts of Your faithful, grant that by that same Holy Spirit, we may be truly wise and ever rejoice in His consolation, through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Read:
Acts 18:23-28

John 16:23-28

Be silent

Pray: Father, make me docile to the Holy Spirit as Apollos, Cornelius (Acts 10), and Mary were (Luke 1:38). As in the home of Priscilla and Aquila, may several people be filled with the Holy Spirit in my home. I pray in Jesus' name. Amen.

Prayer: Father, as I begin the Holy Spirit novena, may I thirst (Jn 7:37) for all to be saved (1 Tm 2:4). Make me thirsty for the Spirit.

Promise: "Ask and you shall receive, that your joy may be full." —Jn 16:24

Praise: Thank you Lord for the Holy people in my life.

Novena to the Holy Spirit ~ Day 1

Here's another beautiful option you can use to pray the Pentecost Novena 

 from Pray More Novenas.  This site is so cool!  You can sign up to have an email reminder sent to you each day. 

Holy Spirit Novena Prayers - Day 1

 Charity

Let us bow down in humility at the power and grandeur of the Holy Spirit. Let us worship the Holy Trinity and give glory today to the Paraclete, our Advocate.

Oh Holy Spirit, by Your power, Christ was raised from the dead to save us all. By Your grace, miracles are performed in Jesus' name. By Your love, we are protected from evil. And so, we ask with humility and a beggar's heart for Your gift of Charity within us.

The great charity of all the the host of Saints is only made possible by your power, Oh Divine Spirit. Increase in me, the virtue of charity that I may love as God loves with the selflessness of the Saints.

Amen.

Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love. Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created. And You shall renew the face of the earth.

O, God, who by the light of the Holy Spirit, did instruct the hearts of the faithful, grant that by the same Holy Spirit we may be truly wise and ever enjoy His consolations, through Christ Our Lord,

Amen.



Novena to The Holy Spirit - Day One

Day 1 - Friday after the Ascension

Pray

Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of Your faithful, and enkindle in them the fire of Your love.

V. Send forth Your Spirit, and they shall be created,

R. And You shall renew the face of the earth.

Let us pray
O God, Who by the light of the Holy Spirit, did instruct the hearts of Your faithful, grant that by that same Holy Spirit, we may be truly wise and ever rejoice in His consolation, through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Read: The daily eucharistic readings:
Acts 18:9-18 John 16:20-23
(for a teaching on the daily eucharistic readings see: One Bread, One Body)

Be silent

Pray: Father, as a mother carries her child in her womb nine months, so I choose to suffer for love of You during these nine days of the novena. Through my redemptive sufferings, may the Church receive the fullness of life in the Spirit. I pray in Jesus' name. Amen.

Prayer: Father, on this first day of the Holy Spirit novena, I pray to thirst for the Spirit more than for anything else (Jn 7:37).

Promise: "You are sad for a time, but I shall see you again; then your hearts will rejoice with a joy no one can take from you." —Jn 16:22

Praise: St. Rita's constant prayer for her abusive husband bore fruit as he repented of his sins on his deathbed.

A Novena for Pentecost

Come Holy Spirit ~



The novena for pentecost begins tomorrow.

You can sign up to receive emails at Pray More Novenas

 -or-

You can come here each day.

This is a Powerful Novena so be thinking today of your intention!

Snuggle Bug's Confirmed and Buck and Honeybee receive Jesus in First Holy Communion ~

Our sweet Snuggle Bug was Confirmed as a Catholic Christian Adult last Friday night.

She and I made a wonderful lapbook from Faith Folders for Catholics as part of her preparation.

After watching Therese and reading A Story of a Soul, among other things, she chose St. Therese as her Patron Saint.

Her grandparents came in town and spent the weekend with us. It was so nice to have them here to share in our weekend.  

On Saturday Granny helped Buck and Honeybee make their First Communion banners for Sunday's Mass.

Granny was a huge help as we cooked and decorated for Sunday's party!
Our Pentecost decorations were just perfect for this!

Sunday was such a special day with Buck and Honeybee receiving Jesus for the 1st time! 

Here their banners hang on the ends of pews. 

The First Communion Cake ~

Baked by The House Cat and decorated by Granny.

We also had the privilege of celebrating our Goddaughter's Birthday this same day.

The House Cat baked and decorated this cake for her :)

Yes, we had three cakes in the house!!  Not an easy place to be for someone trying to avoid sugar ;)  The House Cat was a huge help baking all of them for me.  Thanks HC!

SB had the great idea of having a 7 Layer Salad for The Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit as part of our meal.

We also had Pork Tenderloin, Buffalo Chicken, Chips and Salsa, and Pimento and Cheese on Celery.  Got too busy and forgot to take the picture :/

It was such a blessed weekend overflowing with the Gifts of The Sacraments.

Thank you Lord for Your Holy Church!

Versatile Blogger Award ~

I've just received my 1st blogging award!

Thanks so much to The Academy of the Good Shepherd for passing this award onto me!

Now I'm supposed to list 7 things about myself ~

1. I LOVE the Good Shepherd!  I've been drawn to Him since I was a little girl. My grandmother would read the 23rd Psalm to me when I'd visit her.  Later in life I was blessed to receive instruction for The Catechesis of the Good Shepherd.

2.  I never dreamed of homeschooling my kids.  It was a calling from God when our oldest had just begun kindergarten.

3.  I am an only child waiting to meet 3 siblings in heaven.

4.  I LOVE MUSIC!  As long as the message is pleasing to God. 

5.  We enjoy watching Jane Austen movies and quote lines from them.

6.  My favorite band is Switchfoot and we just got to see them in concert.  My honey and I had more fun than the kids ;)

7.  My sweet husband and I will celebrate our 19th wedding anniversary this month two days before our 21st dating anniversary.

Next I'm to give this award to 15 bloggers (some new/some favs) ~

1.  Hold on to your Catholic Kids

2.  Take up and Read

3.  Leaping from the Box

4.  Living Without School

5.  Karen Edmisten

6.  Here in the Bonny Glen - Tidal Homeschooling

7.  Strewing

8.  Unschooling Catholics

9.  Wildfowers and Marbles 
10.  In the Heart of My Home
11.  Cherished Hearts at Home
12.  Shower of Roses
13.  Waltzing Matilda
14.  Paper Dali
15.  That Resource Site

Now it's time to contact these bloggers and let them know how much I enjoy their blogs!

Thanks again to The Academy of the Good Shepherd for the award :)

A Family Novena before First Communion Day ~

Many of us are preparing children to receive First Holy Communion.  I came across this wonderful novena for families to pray together leading up to that special day.  This is such an exciting time!  I pray you will be blessed by it.

Ninth Day Before

Parents: Jesus, you love (name) very much. You saved (him, her) from sin and death by dying on the cross and rising. Through baptism (he, she) became God's child. In nine days you will come to (name) in communion. Fill (him, her) with thanksgiving for this great gift. Let our prayers help prepare (him, her) to receive you.

Child: Jesus, help me prepare my heart for you.

Eighth Day Before

Parents: Jesus, you died for our sins. We remember this in the Eucharist. In eight days (name) will receive the sacred bread and wine of communion. This is your body and blood that you gave for us. Keep (name) free from sin and full of grace.

Child: Jesus, help me prepare my heart for you.

Seventh Day Before

Parents: Jesus, by your death and rising you won everlasting life for us. In seven days (name) will receive you, the risen Lord, in communion. Let (name) always live so that someday (he, she) may be happy with you forever in heaven.

Child: Jesus, help me prepare my heart for you.

Sixth Day Before

Parents: Jesus, in the Eucharist, you nourish the divine life we received in baptism. In six days, (name) will receive you for the first time in holy communion. Help (him, her) grow in love of you so that (he, she) lives as a true child of God.

Child: Jesus, help me prepare my heart for you.

Fifth Day Before

Parents: Jesus, in communion you come closer to us than anyone can ever be. As our food and drink you become one with us. In five days, (name) will welcome you in (his, her) heart. May (he, she) come to love you more and more each day.

Child: Jesus, help me prepare my heart for you.

Fourth Day Before

Parents: Jesus, you want all your followers to be united in love. Through the Eucharist you bind us all together in friendship and love. In four days, (name) will be more closely joined to the church through holy communion. Give (him, her) the grace to be an active member of the church.

Child: Jesus, help me prepare my heart for you.

Third Day Before

Parents: Jesus, (name) was intitiated into your church at baptism. (He, She) is looking forward to further initiation through the Eucharist. In three days (name) will receive the sacrament of initiation. Make (him, her) a good Catholic Christian, full of faith and love.

Child: Jesus, help me prepare my heart for you.

Second Day Before

Parents: Jesus, in the Eucharist you make us more like you. In two days you will come to (name) in communion. Enable (him, her) to be the person of kindness, compassion, wisdom and courage that you were. Increase (his, her) faith, hope and love.

Child: Jesus, help me prepare my heart for you.

The Day Before

Parents: Jesus, tomorrow will be a great day of joy. (Name) will receive you in holy communion for the first time. (He, She) will know how much you love us. Bless (name) and make (him, her) a strong, loving Christian. May (name) always long to receive you in the Blessed Sacrament. May (he, she) always appreciate all you have done for us.

Child: Jesus, help me prepare my heart for you.

~ Taken from Whispers of the Soul from "The Gift of Holy Communion" prayers. .

Passion Pita Pizzas ~

Our Good Friday Meal ~

First we took a pita and discussed how the stripes remind us of Our Lord's scourged body and that by His stripes we are healed.
We are also thankful that He gives His body to us in the Holy Eucharist to streghten us along our journey.

We brushed the pita bread with olive oil for He was arrested in the Garden of Olives.
(I bake these at 425 for about 5-8 min to get them crispy)

Next we spread the pizza sauce to represent the blood He shed for us and for all so that sins may be forgiven.

The white cheese and mushrooms were added to represent purity from sin.

We added green bellpepper in the shape of a cross to represent life. 

Black Olives were added for His 5 Wounds.

Onions were added last to represent tears shed.

I sprinkled a little more cheese on the top and baked them for about 10 min., keeping an eye on them so they didn't burn.

They are very symbolic and yummy!

Lord by Your Cross and Resurrection You have set us free, You are The Savior of the World!

A Day in the Life ~

Many people are curious as to what our days as homeschoolers/unschoolers look like.  No two are exactly alike and I like that! 

Here's some of what's keeping us busy today.

:Woke up early for Mass. Everyone was sleepy after a late night celebrating Snuggle Bug's Christian B'day with dear friends. 

:Mass and Miraculous Medal Novena.  Buck is so cute!  He loves holding the chapel door open for Father or just anyone and this morning he handed out the novena books as people arrived for Mass.  He's learning to be a good servant! 

:HC had a driving lesson on the way home.

:Breakfast for mom.  Snacks for the kids.  Ordered lots of books from  A Picture Perfect Childhood from the library for the rest of April.  Noticed today is the anniversary of Paul Revere's Ride.  HC read aloud Longfellow's poem from The Harp and Laurel Wreath and we discussed one if by land and two if by sea.

:HC went upstairs to work on Grammar (180 Daily Teaching Lessons) and Wordly Wise).  SB stayed in the kitchen working on another short story.

:Buck grabbed cardboard on his way upstairs and got started making iphones - I think.
(got frustrated due to the late night...  another talk on self control :)

:Googled "Unschooling Record Keeping" and found this site.
The big girls and I made daily log sheets from her example.  In a "perfect world"  we wouldn't have to keep records....

:Heard Buck and Honeybee playing Reader Rabbit computer game.  (Math, Science)

:SB came down and told me how proud she was of herself for figuring out a math problem on volume in her Life of Fred Pre Alg w/Biology book.

:The kids are in and out of the music room playing piano and guitar getting ready for a talent show at church on Sunday.

:Buck and HB watched Curious George and Martha Speaks.  (Science, Vocabulary)They are educational!!

:Big girls spent some quiet time in their room reading history books.  SB started Fingal's Quest today and says it's good. 

:Printed off more sheets to do with SB for Confirmation lapbook and for B&HB's First Holy Communion.  Both are only a couple of weeks away!  We are using Faith Folders for Catholics and loving them!

Buck and Honeybee are listening to this CD again!  They must really like it :)


:Laundry, dishes, cooking....

:Practice for Talent show tonight.

And whatever else God sees fit to throw our way!

~ May all we do today be pleasing to You and in accordance with Your will! Amen

Celebrating the Easter Triduum 2012 ~

The Holy Triduum is the longest liturgy in the year.  We begin with the sign of the cross on Holy Thursday and close with the sign of the cross at the end of the Easter Vigil.  It is truly a blessed liturgy leading up to the holiest day of the year!

We were blessed to stay healthy and make it to church each day!

Holy Thursday ~

Today we celebrated The Institution of the Holy Priesthood and the
Mass of the Lord's Supper.

Before we headed out to Mass we had our

Christian Seder.  This is something we all look forward to each year.  I've heard mixed reviews of having a seder.  For us it is a holy experience to see how Our Lord fulfilled the old prophesies.
Each child had a question to ask.  We look at our unleavened bread and remember that by His stripes we are healed.  We talk about Jesus being the Lamb of God and how the Israelites marked their doorpost with the blood of a lamb and were saved from death.  We taste bitter herbs and think of how bitter our sins are.  We dip them in salt water to remember tears wept.  Then we dip the herbs into applesauce and thank God for the sweetness of hope in Christ.

This year we had Angel Food Cake with Cool Whip and talked of the sweetness of Eternal Life and the purity required to get there.  We also discuss the shape of the cake and how it being round reminds us that there is no end to God!

After Mass and the little ones were tucked in, we watched The Passion of the Christ with House Cat and Snuggle Bug before bed. 

What a moving way to prepare for Good Friday!

Good Friday ~

On their own, Buck and Honeybee made these scenes with playdough and Playmobil.

The Scourging at the pillar ~

Our Lord's Crucifixion.

Jesus is placed in the tomb.

Once again they made this craft from the Seton Art1 book.  (I have the original pages filed in my Liturgical Notebook and make copies for them each year.)

Our Lord dies on the cross and is placed in the tomb.

At 3:00 we began praying our Divine Mercy Novena.

Afterwards we went and prayed Stations of the Cross at our parish.

Then we came home and made Passion Pita Pizzas.  (I hope to post those soon.)

Pita ~ Our Lord's Body

Olive Oil ~ Brushed on to remind us of his burial

Sauce ~ His Blood Shed for us

White Cheese ~ Purity

Onion ~ Tears Wept over His Death

Bellpepper ~ New Life

We were all so thankful for food in our tummies after a day of fasting. 

Back to church for Commeration of the Lord's Passion. 
~ The girls sang the most beautiful song with the choir called "My Savior, My Friend."  It was so moving! The refrain says, "On the wood of the cross hung my Savior, my Friend.  Now I come, here I adore and give praise to my Lord without end."

Family Read Aloud ~ Amon's Adventure

We started reading this last year and got busy and didn't finish it.  This year we picked up at Palm Sunday and finished on Easter.  It was wonderful!

Holy Saturday ~

Candy Crosses ~

Easter Eggs ~

Paschal Candle ~

Beautifully painted by The House Cat. 

The five cloves represent His wounds.

We pray ~ 

By His Holy and Glorious Wounds May Christ Our Lord Guard us and Keep us!

My mom came and went to the Easter Vigil Mass with us.  The girls sang with the choir again.  It was a beautiful evening! 

We were so glad to have NaeNae there with us!

Easter Sunday ~

He is Risen!

For breakfast we had Friendship Bread with a precious little butter lamb given by a dear, sweet friend.

Everyone was happy with their Easter Baskets!

Filled with journals, pens, bubbles, playdough...

(notice the bag over the cast :) 

Surprises for Mom and Dad ~

The girls were so sweet to surprise us with these!

Then we were off to have Easter Lunch and Easter Egg Hunt at NaeNae's - made these pics with mama's camera.  Hope to post those soon!

Later that afternoon we came home and finished watching Jesus of Nazareth. 

Thank you Jesus for ALL YOU did for us!

Reviewing with The Jesus Tree ~

Yesterday I hung up our Jesus Tree.  In years past we have started this with the beginning of Lent.  That didn't happen this year.  So I had the idea of using it for  a Holy Week  "review!"  Buck, Honeybee and I discussed all of the symbols using the

New Catholic Picture Bible.  I told them the page number, they looked it up, and read aloud the title and the caption under the picture.  They then took turns hanging up the symbols through Palm Sunday.  Aside from hearing them in the daily Mass readings, a lot of these stories are fresh in their minds from watching Jesus of Nazareth our favorite Lenten family movie.

I hope you have a very blessed week!

Preparing for Holy Week 2012 ~

As Holy Week approaches I find myself listening for His guidance.  I haven't felt the need to shop for Easter Basket items...not yet anyway :)  or to plan activities or crafts.  Maybe it's because Buck has a broken arm and Honeybee has a cold/fever virus.  I'm just letting each day unfold and praying for His grace to lead me - strengthen me.

I was blessed to have quiet time with Our Lord last night while HC & SB attended choir practice.  It was wonderful to kneel in the dark chapel with only the sanctuary lamp aglow.  It took a while to clear my mind of all of the noise and just be.  Be in His Presence.  I quietly prayed the rosary focusing on the sorrowful mysteries.  On what He suffered for me, and asked for strength in my minor sufferings and for those whose sufferings are great. 

The big girls are excited about singing with the choir for The Triduum.  HC will even cantor on Holy Thursday!  What a blessing! 

I've added links for Holy Week to my sidebar including music we love by Danielle Rose.  You can visit her site to read about her.  She is such a gifted artist who is a wonderful example of a faithful servant! 

You can also check out some of the activities we have done in years past if you like.

May He bless you with His peace as you prepare to travel through this Holy Week .

No Fun For Buck :(

Buck had a little accident at the park yesterday :(

We'd been there a total of FIVE minutes when he lost his grip on the monkey bars and caught his full weight on his wrist.  OUCH!

Needless to say, it's fractured. 

He's not to happy about it, but he's hanging in there and trying his best to offer it up for Noah.

Honeybee's St. Joseph Art ~

This morning as I was flipping through my Liturgical Year Binder looking for a coloring picture of St. Joseph for Buck to color, I came across this craft I had filed from my Seton Art 1 book.  Honeybee and I decided we would give it a try.  It's a  pretty stained glass picture of St. Joseph, Patron of the Universal Church. 

She colored, cut out and glued St. Joseph and Jesus to black construction paper.  I showed her how to cut out the inside circles and we taped small pieces of colored tissue paper behind the openings.  She then happily taped it to the window.

Beautiful!

Tonight we are going to celebrate St. Joseph with Mass and a St. Joseph's Altar.  I'm planning on making St. Joseph's Sawdust to take to share.  It should be lots of fun!

Saint Frances of Rome

Today we celebrate the feast of Saint Frances of Rome. 

 There is a wonderful story about her in Around the Year - Once Upon a Time Saints.

Moms ~ I highly recommend reading this story.

  It's full of inspiration!!

Saint Frances of Rome ~

Pray For Us

Honeybee's Reasoning ~

Mom asks kids, "Should we continue watching Jesus of Nazareth tonight or a couple of eposides of I Love Lucy?"

We all vote and it is a tie.

Honeybee speaks up in her dramatic tone...

"Mom, I Love Jesus, but I Love Lucy is funnier!"

I guess she is right....