Catholic Style: Planner and Bullet Journal

Have you jumped into the Bullet Journal craze yet? If not, I think you should consider giving it a try. I am a mommy that is responsible for a lot of planning in my household and I am sure many of you can relate whether you are a mom, dad, student or just a busy person.

This post may contain affiliate links that I receive a small commission. It does not change the price for you but it is a small blessing to my family. All opinions are my own.

I am responsible myself for keeping track of my work schedule, which varies since I work in a restaurant, my doctor appointments (I was born with Spina Bifida so they have been pretty frequent lately and can include physical therapy and pain management) and scheduling myself time for myself to enjoy my workouts, hobbies and volunteer commitments. My children are your normal crazy kids that want to be involved in everything: altar serving, football, soccer, Cub Scouts and extra curricular school activities. To make things even more exciting, my youngest son is developmentally delayed and has weekly speech, occupational, behavioral and group therapies. In addition to the craziness I just described, I am also responsible for planning our family meals and running errands because my husband works 60+ hours a week and commutes 90 minutes each way to work. We are also a Catholic family, so that means we set aside time for prayers, devotions, Mass and the Sacraments. Now I am sure that you are probably reading this and thinking that I must be completely crazy to juggle the schedule that I just described but nowadays it is the norm to be extremely busy and feel stretched thin at times

Now, I am not going to convince you that the Bullet Journal is the answer to every families needs but it has certainly made a HUGE difference in mine! Not only has it become essential to my planning routine but it is relaxing and can be a great tool to increase your faith! If you are a little weary, don't be! I will be sharing some of my page layouts and explaining why I have decided to include them in my Bullet Journal. If you are convinced to try this system out, do not feel obligated to include every page layout in your system. The beauty of the bullet journal is that it is something that can be personalized to your unique needs.

I have always been a lover of organization and I have always utilized a planner even before including a Bullet Journal as a supplemental planning tool. To make my system a little easier to understand you first need to know how my planner is put together so I am going to divide this into two sections to make it easier to refer to as a template for your own planning needs.

Schedule Planner:

Some things to consider in your planner and how you need it to be utilized to be the most beneficial to you and your purposes:

1: How do you keep track of your schedule and the schedules of those you are responsible?

2. How detailed do you need your planner?

3. Do you use multiple planners? Print and/or electronic? Both?

I use a planner that has times written down each day and color code the events that are written in the planner. I also make sure to write the corresponding times even though there is spaces between the times to make sure I do not make myself late to something on accident. I do not normally include end times though because as a hospitality worker I know that NOTHING ends on time. You can only estimate which would add additional  planning so start times work best for me.


I also stated that I have recently started utilizing a bullet journal but I also use an online planner called Cozi to have reminders sent to me daily as well. Cozi is a great family app that allows your entire family to access the family schedule through a shared family password. The amazing thing is anyone can add, delete or update an event and you can send a notification so everyone that is attending will be made aware. You also have the option to set reminders before events occur just in case you need to have a warning before you move on through your schedule. There is a place to record your grocery list, find recipes and so much more. I highly suggest checking it out, especially since the basic package is FREE and can be downloaded on to your smart phone! 

Here is my color code system:

Me- Pink

Husband- Light Blue

Kids- Dark Blue

School Event- Orange

Important/ Need to Remember- Red

Church- Liturgical Season Color (Advent/ Lent- Purple, Ordinary Time- Green, etc)

Bill Due Dates- Light Green

Black/Brown: Menu

As I mentioned earlier, I do keep track of Liturgical Calendar events in my planner. It helps me plan our menu and family activities. It is the first thing I write each month when I am getting organized for each new month.

As you can see from this exert from my planner that there is room for me to write "scheduled" events but not much room for writing to-do lists, errands or other important things such as book lists, blog ideas, exercise routines water intake and so much more. What about ways to hold yourself accountable to your prayers? attending Mass? Adoration? Devotions? Fellowship? That is where the Bullet Journal comes in to play.

Bullet Journal:

A Bullet Journal has no defined order. No necessary inclusions. It is completely your creation used in any way that you deem important. For me, creating healthy habits is vitally important.

Habit Tracker: A Habit Tracker is one of my favorite ways to increase my good habit making decisions and have a physical copy of things that I can visually look at, to see my strengths and weaknesses. You could also utilize this to help with Natural Family Planning as well. This habit tracker is a monthly one that I really did like but I decided that things I am unable to do everyday, such as, Confession, Adoration and attending Mass should be included on my weekly spreads since it is something I tend to do weekly versus daily. Praying the Rosary and other daily prayers could easily be included in a Monthly Habit Tracker like the one above.

Reading Challenge: Reading is one of my hobbies and an essential aspect of growing my faith. Included in my Reading Challenge for this year is A Walk in Her Sandals and Rediscover Jesus. Many of the books that I have been pulled to read are devotionals or are inspirational. This Reading Challenge layout is suppose to look like a library and I am coloring in each book as I finish reading them. You could modify this layout to contain the devotionals and bible studies you would like to complete throughout the year.

Rosary Tracker: I'll admit that this tracker I actually found online and just printed it small enough to fit on the inside cover of my bujo. If you follow the link it will take you to a PDF that you could also utilize in the same fashion or you could go ahead and draw a similar copy if you prefer. With this being the 100 year celebration of Fatima, there is no better time to get on your daily family rosaries.

Weekly Layout: My weekly layouts are used to create to-do lists and keep track of when I attend my Sacraments. I keep things simple and try to utilize the same color code I mentioned is in my regular planner so my organization flows more easily but sometimes I have to jot down an errand or idea with whatever writing utensil is readily available.

Adoration Intentions: It is so easy to create a list of intentions to bring with you to Adoration and to know you have a location to jot down a friend or family members special prayer requests. If you ever see my posts asking for your requests, you can guarantee I write them out so that they are with me. I also revisit these requests each time I attend the Sacrament of Adoration. This layout is similar to the ones I've already shared but because several of the intentions I have written on my list are personal for myself and several others I decided not to share.

Obviously, the layouts that can be included in a Bullet Journal are infinite. Anything you dream up can be included in your unique journal. I would also like to point out that my Bullet Journal pages are not works of art. I have seen some absolutely beautiful pages on Pinterest and in Bullet Journal Groups I participate. If you are not artsy, do not allow that to push you away from trying out this great organizational tool. The purpose of these tools is to make yourself more accountable and organized. I would love to see some of the beautiful Catholic style layouts you design in your bullet journals and feel free to share how you use your planners. Are there designs you would like to to create? Just ask and I'll do my best to help find or create something that can help you.

God Bless!

Our Lady of the Rosary

Friday was the feast of Our Lady of the Rosary also known as Our Lady of Victory. These titles in reference to Mary come from her intercession during the Battle of Lepanto. This battle is most famous because it was a great Christian victory. Pope Saint Pius V instituted the Feast of Our Lady of Victory to honor Mary and her role in this victory. Later popes renamed it the Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary because all of Europe prayed the rosary, led by the pope, all day leading up to a victory that seemed impossible. A small portrait of Our Lady of Guadalupe was also brought into the battle and is also given credit for this huge victory of the Holy League!

The whole month of October is dedicated to the Holy Rosary but it gets extra attention on October 7th. If you have access to Instagram I suggest you check out #Rosaryathon and possibly join us in celebrating this great month. #Rosaryathon is being hosted by @books_for_catholic_teens. I have been having a blast sharing my photos and checking out what others are adding to this photo challenge. 

In honor of of Lady of the Rosary I decided it was finally time to revamp our home altar. I bought new frames for our pictures of Jesus, Mary and Joseph and relocated them directly above the altar. I also added the beautiful print I received in my Little Catholic Box. I am hoping to collect more printables and finally finish my prayer wall I have been working on for months now. I have been collecting cute printables for a couple months but I don't quite have enough to display the way I have envisioned it.

For our special dinner and dessert we enjoyed stuffed pasta boats to symbolize the naval battle of Lepanto and a delicious Rosary cake! The pasta boats were made with angel hair pasta combined with ground turkey, peppers, mushrooms, marinara and cheese. The cake was made with Halloween Funfetti Cake with Caramel Apple icing and fall colored peanut butter M&Ms to create the Rosary. We were all stuffed and still have tons leftover!

Our Lady of the Rosary Novena Prayer:

*A novena can be said at anytime but is normally started 8 days prior to or after a feast day*

My dearest Mother Mary, behold me, your child, in prayer at your feet. Accept this Holy Rosary, which I offer you in accordance with your requests at Fatima, as a proof of my tender love for you, for the intentions of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, in atonement for the offenses committed against your Immaculate Heart, and for this special favor which I earnestly request in my Rosary Novena: (Mention your request).

I beg you to present my petition to your Divine Son. If you will pray for me, I cannot be refused. I know, dearest Mother, that you want me to seek God?s holy Will concerning my request. If what I ask for should not be granted, pray that I may receive that which will be of greater benefit to my soul.

I offer you this spiritual ?Bouquet of Roses? because I love you. I put all my confidence in you, since your prayers before God are most powerful. For the greater glory of God and for the sake of Jesus, your loving Son, hear and grant my prayer. Sweet Heart of Mary, be my salvation.

Amen

Our Lady of the Rosary, pray for us!

{JEI}: Respect Life Month

Welcome to my favorite linkup of the week called Just Enough Info with The Zelie Group. This week we are discussing the theme of October, which is Respect Life Month. In addition to this link up I would suggest you take a look at Instagram and follow the #Rosaryathon. I have so enjoyed participating in the Rosayathon this far and hope to see you join in the fun!

Time to get back to the JEI Linkup and I'd love to introduce you to the other hosts of the Just Enough Info Linkup:

Jessica (myself) – Pinot Noir and Prayers | Instagram | Facebook

Alicia – Sweeping Up Joy | Pinterest | Facebook

Kirby – Under Thy Roof | Instagram | Facebook

Kerry - Fishbowl Fortune | Instagram | Facebook

1. Does your family or parish mark the month in a special way?

October is Respect Life Month but it is also Breast Cancer Awareness Month, ADHD Awareness Month and Spina Bifida Awareness Month which are all important issues in our family. Cancer has taken the lives of several of my close relatives over the years and we have had some Breast Cancer scares. My youngest son is ADHD and I continue to fight for him to get the assistance he needs to cope with his overactive mind and body. I have Spina Bifida. Spina Bifida is a birth defect and cannot be "cured". I had surgery as a child to close the opening in my spine and I have been lucky to not have any complications until now. I think I will save my story dealing with this disability for another time though. 

Back to the question: We do incorporate intentions for the unborn into our family rosary but that is really the extent of anything we have done in the past. This year I plan on doing a Spiritual Adoption because I am on a new fertility journey that I hope leads us to adding a child (and more) into our family. 

As for my parish, I'm not sure yet. We haven't been registered with our parish for even a year yet so we are still learning about all the amazing things they have to offer to us and the community. We were given signs to display in our yards in protest of proposition 106. It would allow physician suicide assistance for the elderly, people with terminal illness and others who are not strong enough to fight for themselves. We should respect all life. God does not make mistakes and although our lives may require suffering, it is ours to endure and part of our story. 

2. Do you have any books or resources to recommend on the Respect Life theme?

I am sad to say that I don't have any books or resources that i could recommend. I am in the process of doing some research for another project that will hopefully help me come across some suggestions if I get asked in the future. I would also love to hear about your suggestions if you have any!

3. What do you wish others understood about the Respect Life message?

I wish that everyone understood that life is a gift. It is not meant to be bad or carry a negative connotation. Unplanned pregnancies, terminal illnesses and so many other unforeseen events that can occur in anyone's life are milestones and crossroads in your life. You can either embrace the things that scare you and face them head on or fight against God's plan for you. As Christians we are asked to embrace the uncertainty knowing that God knows what he is doing. It is when we decide to fight against his plan that things can get messy. I pray that we are all strong enough to put our faith in God and know that his plan is perfect for us and the whole world. Let his will be done.

Well that is my take on Just Enough Info this week. I would love to hear your thoughts! Feel free to use the beautiful picture below in your linkup post if you so desire!

Please Join us and Link Up with your answers to this week's questions about Respecting Life Month (October). Here are the questions:

1. Does your family or parish mark the month in a special way?
2. Do you have any books or resources to recommend on the Respect Life theme?
3. What do you wish others understood about the Respect Life message?

Next week we will be discussing Autumn/Fall Family Fun:

1. Best fall flavor: apple or pumpkin?
2. The leaves are changing colors, and the air is crisp. What are you looking forward to about fall?
3. Do you decorate for the season (and which is it: fall or autumn?)

Feel free to check out the last few weeks of JEI to learn about the link up rules and other fun topics we have already discussed:

{JEI}: The Angel Feasts

{JEI}: Mommy Self-Care

{JEI}: Do Small Things With Great Love

{JEI}: Prayer is the Spirit Speaking Truth to Truth

{JEI}: Back-to-School Edition

Introducing the Zelie Group and Just Enough Info

The Zelie Group has some fun questions coming up in the next few weeks so make sure to follow us on Facebook and we would love to hear what you are interested in! What are you looking to learn about? Do you have questions about the Faith? Questions about the Liturgical Year? We want to help and learn and grow with you and your families!

{JEI}: Prayer is the Spirit Speaking truth to Truth

Welcome to another week of Just Enough Info with The Zelie Group. This week we are discussing all about prayer. The good, the better and the best! I'd love to introduce you to the other hosts of the JEI: Just Enough Info Linkup:

Jessica (myself) – Pinot Noir and Prayers | Instagram | Facebook

Alicia – Sweeping Up Joy | Pinterest | Facebook

Kirby – Under Thy Roof | Instagram | Facebook

Kerry - Fishbowl Fortune | Instagram | Facebook

Here are my answers to this weeks Just Enough Info Questions:

1. What are your favorite devotions?

One of my favorite aspects of the Catholic faith is that there is an abundance of devotions to participate. My most favorite are the Rosary and the Divine Mercy Chaplet. Both of these devotions have helped me in hard times and easy times. They have increased my faith and helped me progress in my spiritual journey in more ways than I can explain.

If you have never had the pleasure of praying a Rosary I highly suggest it! The Blessed Virgin Mary promised to Saint Dominic and to all who follow that "Whatever you ask in the Rosary will be granted." She left for all Christians Fifteen Promises to those who recite the Holy Rosary:

Whoever shall faithfully serve me by the recitation of the Rosary, shall receive signal graces:

I promise my special protection and the greatest graces to all those who shall recite the Rosary.

The Rosary shall be a powerful armor against hell, it will destroy vice, decrease sin, and defeat heresies.

The Rosary will cause virtue and good works to flourish; it will obtain for souls the abundant mercy of God; it will withdraw the hearts of men from the love of the world and its vanities, and willlift them to the desire for eternal things. Oh, that souls would sanctify themselves by this means.

The soul which recommends itself to me by the recitation of the Rosary, shall not perish.

Whoever shall recite the Rosary devoutly, applying himself to the consideration of its sacred mysteries shall never be conquered by misfortune. God will not chastise him in His justice, he shall not perish by an unprovided death; if he be just he shall remain in the grace of God, and become worthy of eternal life.

Whoever shall have a true devotion for the Rosary shall not die without the sacraments of the Church.

Those who are faithful to recite the Rosary shall have during their life and at their death the light of God and the plenititude of His graces; at the moment of death they shall participate in the merits of the saints in paradise.

I shall deliver from Purgatory those who have been devoted to the Rosary.

The faithful children of the Rosary shall merit a high degree of glory in Heaven.

You shall obtain all you ask of me by the recitation of the Rosary.

All those who propagate the Holy Rosary shall be aided by me in their necessities.

I have obtained from my Divine Son that all the advocates of the Rosary shall have for intercessors the entire celestial court during their life and at the hour of death.

All who recite the Rosary are my sons and daughters, and brothers and sisters of my only Son Jesus Christ.

Devotion of my Rosary is a great sign of predestination.

The Divine Mercy Chaplet was introduced to me as a young child. I was probably in fourth or fifth grade at the time and my dad took me to participate in a special event that our parish put on every year on Divine Mercy Sunday. I remember the beautiful melody of the repetitive parts of the chaplet most: "For the sake of his sorrowful passion, have mercy on us, and on the whole world" I fell in love instantly and I have had a devotion to this chaplet ever since.

As a young adult I became aware that there are also twelve promises attached to the Chaplet of Divine Mercy as given to Saint Faustina Kowalska by Our Lord:

1. “The souls that say this chaplet will be embraced by My mercy during their lifetime and especially at the hour of their death.” (Diary, 754) 

2. “When hardened sinners say it, I will fill their souls with peace, and the hour of their death will be a happy one.” (Diary, 1541) 

3. “When they say this chaplet in the presence of the dying, I will stand between My Father and the dying person, not as a just Judge but as a merciful Savior.” (Diary, 1541) 

4. “Whoever will recite it will receive great mercy at the hour of death.” (Diary, 687) 

5. “Priests will recommend it to sinners as their last hope of salvation. Even if there were a sinner most hardened, if he were to recite this chaplet only once, he would receive grace from My infinite mercy….I desire to grant unimaginable graces to those souls who trust in My mercy.” (Diary, 687) 

6. “To priests who proclaim and extol My mercy, I will give wondrous power; I will anoint their words and touch the hearts of those to whom they will speak.” (Diary, 1521) 

7. “The prayer most pleasing to Me is prayer for the conversion for sinners. Know, my daughter, that this prayer is always heard and answered.” (Diary, 1397) 

8. “At three o’clock, implore My mercy, especially for sinners; and, if only for a brief moment, immerse yourself in My Passion, particularly in My abandonment at the moment of agony….I will refuse nothing to the soul that makes a request of Me in virtue of My Passion.” (Diary, 1320; also, cf. Diary, 1572) 

9. “Souls who spread the honor of My mercy…at the hour of death I will not be a Judge for them, but the Merciful Savior.” (Diary, 1075) 

10. “I promise that the soul that will venerate this image (of the Divine Mercy) will not perish.” (Diary, 48)….“The two rays denote Blood and Water….These two rays issued from the very depths of My tender mercy when My agonized Heart was opened by a lance on the Cross. These rays shield souls from the wrath of My Father.” (Diary, 299) 

11. “I desire that the Feast of Mercy…be solemnly celebrated on the first Sunday after Easter….The soul that will go to Confession and receive Holy Communion (in a state of grace on this day) shall obtain complete forgiveness of sins and punishment.” (Diary, 699) 

12. “Through this chaplet you will obtain everything, if what you ask for is compatible with My will.” (Diary, 1731) 

Excerpts taken from the Diary of St. Faustina Kowalska, titled Divine Mercy in My Soul, ©1987, Congregation of Marians of the Immaculate Conception, Stockbridge, MA 01263.

2. Have any of your prayers been answered? 

Do you have any prayers that you are glad weren't answered the way you hoped?

I have been so blessed in my life and I have had MANY MANY MANY prayers answered before. The funny thing is, most of the time my prayers were answered in ways I wasn't exactly praying for but they were very obvious and always ended better than anything I could have imagined.

In my life I have faced off with many things. Some that were hard to over come like domestic violence, my Spina Bifida, my dad's motorcycle accident and other life changing events. Others that were easier to overcome such as educational needs and everyday problems. It is easy to get lost in our problems and not see the solution right in front of our eyes. God sends signs. Not only do I believe it because of my faith but also because of my experiences. I promise you that if you look and look at things with an open mind and heart that you will "see" God's will.

I struggle often with anxiety and depression and as a coping mechanism I am in the process of creating a "Prayer Wall". I want to adorn my "Prayer Wall" with a list of Answered Prayers and my favorite scriptures, saint quotes and prayers that always brighten my spirit and lift my soul.

3. How do you pray with your kids?

This section may contain affiliate links to websites and products I love so that you can easily obtain them if you wish. I may receive a small commission if you purchase through my links. I appreciate your support!

Praying is something that I want my children to do naturally. I do not want them to feel as if you need to prayer only in bad times so we approach prayer as a daily necessity. The boys participate in the rosary with me, they pray before meals, they know "cute" prayers such as, "Tony, Tony, look around. Something's lost and must be found,"and many other fun ways to incorporate this important aspect into their daily lives. I can promise you I hear prayers to Saint Anthony quite often because the boys misplace things ALL THE TIME. We also utilize many gifts from Holy Heroes and other religious education stores. Checkout my post about the Divine Mercy Chaplet for Kids. You can also find more reviews under my Reviews tab.

I think that is the best way to pray, to make the prayer important to you personally and that way it stays with you always. As my children grow we incorporate my prayer and I hope they learn to love it as much as I do. 

Please Join us and Link Up with your answers to this week's questions about Prayer:

1. What are your favorite devotions?

2. Have any of your prayers been answered? 

Do you have any prayers that you are glad weren't answered the way you hoped?

3. How do you pray with your kids?

I'll be updating my post to include the questions for next week shortly so please come back to see what next week's fun JEI questions will be all about.

Linkup Party Rules:

1. Please follow each of the party hosts in at least one way.

2. The blog that you are linking must be Family Friendly.

3. Link the individual post, not the main page of the blog.

4. The post that you are submitting must be on topic.

5. You are welcome to link up to 3 posts, old or new. Do not link the same post more than once.

6. Please Visit at least two other bloggers and leave a comment on their posts for each link that you share with our link up.

7. Please put a link to the party and/or link up button that you are participating in somewhere in your post so that other people can find the party, too.

8. By submitting a link to the party you acknowledge that the images in your post are either your original work or licensed as free for whatever you want. You give me and the other party hosts permission to use an image from your post on Pinterest and/or to link to your blog.

Passion of Saint John the Baptist

Saint John the Baptist is an extremely important person in the history of Christianity. Saint John was the first person to recognize our Lord from within the womb:

Mary set out at that time and went as quickly as she could into the hill country to a town in Judah. She went into Zechariah's house and greeted Elizabeth. Now it happened that as soon as Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the child leapt in her womb and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. She gave a loud cry and said, 'Of all women you are the most blessed, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. Why should I be honored with a visit from the mother of my Lord? Look, the moment your greeting reached my ears, the child in my womb leapt for joy.

Luke 1:39-44

Saint John also Baptized Jesus in the Jordan. It is the First Luminous Mystery of the Rosary 

Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John. But John tried to deter him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?”Jesus replied, “Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.” Then John consented. As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”
Matthew 3:13-17

Besides Mary and Jesus, no one except Saint John the Baptist has the honor of having both his birth and death honored. He was the cousin of Jesus. Today is the fest of the Passion of Saint John the Baptist. He was martyred by beheading because he spoke the truth of Jesus and spread it.

Today we have a pretty busy schedule so we will be making a special dinner to celebrate today but that's about it. We have football practice, a soccer game and homework to complete. If you are able to spend some extra time enjoying the feast day, check out some of the following activities. 

Activities to celebrate today:

Check out Net Art for several different options for coloring pages.

Saint John the Baptist ate grasshoppers and honey so creating a honey dish or treat would be appropriate or a grasshopper parfait. We are making Honey Sesame Chicken for dinner tonight. 

Pray the Luminous Mysteries with special reflection on the Baptism of Jesus.

Crockpot Honey Sesame Chicken:

2-3 Large Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast

1/2 Cup Honey 

1/4 Cup Soy Sauce 

1/4 Cup Red Pepper (diced)

1/4 Cup Onion (diced)

1 Tbsp Olive Oil 

2 Tsp Cornstarch 

3 Tbsp Water 

2 Tbsp Minced Garlic

1 Tbsp Ground Ginger

1 Tsp Coriander

Pinch Red Pepper Flake

Sesame Seeds

Place chicken breasts into the crock pot. Mix together honey, soy sauce, minced garlic, onion, red pepper, red pepper flake, ginger, coriander and olive oil together in a bowl to create a sauce. Pour over the chicken. Cook on Low for 3-4 hours.

Remove chicken from the sauce and shred. While chicken is out of the sauce, mix water and cornstarch together. Pour the cornstarch into the slow cooker until smooth. Cook on High until the sauce starts to thicken. Add the shredded chicken back into the sauce. Sprinkle sesame seeds over the chicken and sauce mixture. Serve over rice with a green vegetable. 

Prayer for Saint John the Baptist:

O God, You raised up St. John the Baptist to prepare a perfect person for Christ.

We call upon St John’s intercession to properly prepare us with a true sense of repentance 

to receive Your grace and salvation.

Make us faithful to truth and justice, as You did Your servant,

John the Baptist, herald of Your Son’s birth and death.

Lord, may You increase Your life within us.

Amen.

I hope you and your families are enjoying celebrating the Passion of Saint John the Baptist today. It has just started to rain and hail pretty hard here. The cool air is blowing in from the mountains. I think I may sit out on the patio and just have a few moments of quiet to regroup. I would love to hear about your family traditions and activities for the day.

Saint John the Baptist, pray for us!

The Assumption: The Falling Asleep of the Virgin Mary

The Assumption is also known as the Dormition of Mary and the "Falling Asleep of Mary". The Assumption of Mary is the 4th Glorious Mystery of the Rosary. It is the feast of the day that our Blessed Virgin Mother was taken into heaven body and soul. This year the Feast of the Assumption falls on a Monday so it is not an obligation to attend mass this year but it is normally a Holy day of Obligation. It is traditional on this day to bless flowers and herbs. You can find the Blessing of the Fruits and Herbs at Catholic Culture. I really wanted to be able to plant a small herb garden or do another crowning of Mary today but we ran out of time. In addition to the celebration of the Assumption of Mary, it was the boys school orientation and we had football practice. It was a very busy yet productive day!

The boys orientation went very well and they are excited to start the new school year. Both boys have several friends in their classes and they both loved their new teachers.

We will be enjoying some Herb seasoned Steak with Assumpta Salad for dinner. You can check out Catholic Cuisine for another recipe as well. I modified the recipe and served the tomatoes and herbs on a bed of spring mix. The salad is tossed with oil and fresh herbs. It was amazing. I added some french fried onions and some avocado to add some texture. I am happy to say we all finished every bite on our plates.

Being such a beautiful and important day, I had to grab a special bottle of wine. The Monterey Vineyards Pinot Noir was on sale for $10 (normally a $17 bottle) and it was amazing!

Fruit Salad or Fruit topped Angel Food Cake, or cupcakes, would be some appropriate desserts to end your celebration! We had no time to prepare one of the previous named desserts so we opted for some ice cream cones. Before bedtime we will all enjoy a nice cup of Sleepytime Tea (also an herbal tea) to help us as we all fall asleep tonight and be ready for our first day back to school! Prayers are much appreciated as we make the full transition.

How did your celebration go today? I would love to hear all about it!

Prayer for the Feast of the Assumption:

Almighty and everlasting God,

You have taken up body and soul

into the heavenly glory the Immaculate Virgin Mary,

Mother of Your Son: Grant, we beseech You,

that, ever intent upon heavenly things,

we may be worthy to be partakers of her glory.

Through Jesus Christ Your Son, our Lord,

who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit,

One God, forever and ever. 

Amen.

Blessed Virgin Mary, pray for us!

Transfiguration: A Fruitful Feast

The Feast of the Transfiguration today! The Transfiguration is the 4th Luminous Mystery of the Rosary. It is best described by a passage from the book of Mathew:

Matthew 17:1-8
And after six days Jesus taketh unto him Peter and James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up into a high mountain apart: And he was transfigured before them. And his face did shine as the sun: and his garments became white as snow. And behold there appeared to them Moses and Elias talking with him. 

And Peter answering, said to Jesus: Lord, it is good for us to be here: if thou wilt, let us make here three tabernacles, one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias. 

And as he was yet speaking, behold a bright cloud overshadowed them. And lo, a voice out of the cloud, saying: This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased: hear ye him. 

And the disciples hearing, fell upon their face, and were very much afraid. And Jesus came and touched them: and said to them, Arise, and fear not. And they lifting up their eyes saw no one but only Jesus. And as they came down from the mountain, Jesus charged them, saying: Tell the vision to no man, till the Son of man be risen from the dead

It was a custom to bless grapes on this day but now the blessing has been extended to any fruit. The symbolism of blessing fruit is to illustrate the "fruitfulness" of all creation in heaven. In Rome the Pope will use new wine at Mass and they bless raisins. Obviously this makes drinking a glass or two of wine a great way to celebrate today as well! 

Blessing of Fresh Fruit:

P: Our help is in the name of the Lord.

All: Who made heaven and earth.

P: The Lord be with you.

All: May He also be with you.

Let us pray.

Lord, bless + this new fruit of the vineyard, which in your benevolence you have ripened by heavenly dew, an abundance of rainfall, gentle breezes, and fair weather; and have given us to use with gratitude in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, forever and ever. 

All: Amen.

(Sprinkle fruit with holy water.)

I thought it would be fun to bless some of our fresh fruit and then have the boys help make some delicious fruit salad for a mid morning snack but the boys thought having a "holy" smoothie would be better. I am preparing Chicken Walnut Craisin Stuffing Casserole for dinner (you can make it with raisins but we prefer craisins in this house).  We are also enjoying it with pecans instead of walnuts because I allowed my kids to "help" grocery shop and that's what we bought instead. Raisin Bread or Oatmeal Raisin cookies would make a great treat too.

Chicken Walnut Craisin Stuffing Casserole: 

Serves 4-6

2-3 Large Chicken Breasts (Sliced in half)

4-6 Slices of Provolone Cheese (One for each half of chicken)

1 Can of Cream of Chicken

1 Onion (diced)

1/2 Cup Green Pepper (diced)

1/4 Cup Celery (diced)

2 Cups Stuffing Mix

1/4 Chicken Broth

1/2 Cup Craisins
1/2 Cup Crushed Walnuts 

1/4 Cup Melted Butter

1 Tbsp Garlic

1 Tbsp Pepper

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a large Casserole dish. Season the chicken with garlic and pepper and place the halved chicken breasts into the dish. When you half the chicken it allows it to cook faster and helps you use less meat in the recipe. It's one of a few ways I stretch the meats in my house and save a little extra money. Place a piece of Provolone cheese on each half of the chicken breast. Sprinkle the diced onion, green pepper and celery over the chicken next. Combine the Cream of Chicken and chicken broth together to create a gravy and pour over the chicken and vegetables. Finally layer the chicken with stuffing mix, craisins, walnuts and melted butter. Bake in the oven for approximately 35 minutes.

You can always top this with french fried onions and extra (shredded) cheese the last 10 minutes of baking to add a little extra texture! Serve with a vegetable of your choice. I am serving my casserole with broccoli.

Other Activities that I think would be appropriate would be visiting a Butterfly Garden or creating your own Butterfly Garden. The Transfiguration is described as a metamorphosis and butterflies are a great symbol of that. There is a garden at the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo. That great membership is coming in handy! Do to the weather our visit to the Butterfly was postponed. When we move further up north there is a Butterfly Pavilion I can't wait to visit.

An hour or Adoration would be great too. Check out this great post by Look to Him and be Radiant about children at Adoration. It includes a printable! Creating a beautiful rosary hanger to hold your rosary would be a fun and memorable craft or even coloring pictures of the Luminous Mysteries to display. Holy Heroes is also offering some online trivia and audio of the 4th Luminous mysteries. There is a Coloring Page too. Since today is Saturday, it is traditional that the Joyful Mysteries of the Rosaries are recited. In honor of the Transfiguration of Jesus, the boys and I will be meditating on the Luminous mysteries tonight.