My Sunday Best: Parish Faith Night Edition

It is so amazing to be back! Our computer gave out a couple weeks ago and my cousin came to the rescue. Now to catch up with some great posts because it always happens that you are inspired while unable to share right?

Today is the Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time and also a Parish Faith Night for our Church. Parish Faith Night is a special event that we host to help share information, fun crafts and fellowship. This particular Parish Faith Night was all about Saints and Feast Days. I was really excited that we were able to attend Parish Faith Night because we missed Mass this morning. My youngest son has been having an extremely difficult time with his emotional outbursts this week and this morning was rough to say the least. We have routines for everything to help our transitions and nothing seemed to keep Goalie in a calm disposition. We had a small talk after he completed Tiny Turtle. We came to the agreement that the wiggles and nervous feelings he was having this morning were very hard to control so we would not attend Mass but we would attend Parish Faith Night. It is sometimes very difficult to make choices like this because it does change our routine but it is better than keeping Goalie in his downward spiral of emotions he finds himself at times. He is formally diagnosed with ADHD but he is currently undergoing testing for an ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder) because his school and behavioral therapist both have noted concerns that he may have Aspergers, which is a high functioning Autistic diagnosis.

In case you haven't heard of Tiny Turtle before, it is a new anger management skill we have been practicing for Goalie. If you are interested in trying out "Tiny Turtle"check out these simple steps:

First, form an imaginary turtle shell by curling into a little ball.
Second, take at least three deep breaths.
Third, say "I can do it, I can calm down" until you feel better and then you can emerge from your tiny turtle shell and move forward with your activity.

After a rough morning, I am happy to say that we really turned around the day and Parish Faith Night was a success! Our night was centered around the Saints and the Feast Days. To kick things off we started with an enormous pot luck dinner to start our fellowship. We had an abundance of many food, dessert and drinks. After everyone had eaten, we began a discussion with the children about Saints: What makes a Saint a Saint? Who can become a Saint? Who decides who is a Saint? Name some Saints and Feast Days. You know the saying "Kids say the darnedest things?" Well tonight was no different! So many laughs and great memories.

After the discussion we went into our Saint Parade! Here are my two little Saints below: Saint Dominic and Saint Joseph!

In addition to all of our fun events we also incorporated some printables for the families present to work on together. Check out Catholic Icing has an amazing Family Litany of Saints Worksheet that we discussed and there were also All Saints coloring pages. You can check out my Pinterest page if you are looking for some great Catholic coloring pages.

I think that my most favorite part of the evening was being able to sing The Litany of Saints with my two little saints and just be in the moment of peace and fellowship with my parish. I am so glad that the evening was a success and I am looking forward to the next Parish Faith Night in March!

Now that the night is over, I am enjoying a glass of wine with my husband! I am linking this post to My Sunday Best

God Bless!

My Sunday Best: All Saints' Edition

This Tuesday is All Saints' Day and there are only 4 more Sundays until Advent begins! I am also ashamed to say that we have missed Mass the past two weeks due to not feeling well, having one car working properly and just playing catch up. Goalie was actually upset when we were leaving after CCD today but we should be on track soon. Praying and fingers crossed!

I am also disappointed that I did not get a picture of myself and Goalie before I changed into my "I'm in a rut" clothes and got comfy on the couch with a blanket. These past few weeks have been super hard. Broken down car, being sick and fighting the depression and anxiety that become so much harder to deal with in difficult situations. I can share a cute picture of Little Man though. 

Here is Little Man's Sunday Best, he is dressed as Saint Dominic. The Black cape was suppose to be connected at the neck but I could not find a safety pin to keep it together this morning. He is wearing a large white shirt (suppose to look like a tunic) with black pants and a black "cape" which looks more like a veil from this picture. He has a rosary and was pretty pleased with his 1 minute costume. Little Man was dressed as Saint Dominic to do a presentation on him during CCD today.

I had asked the children in my CCD class to pick and research a saint they would like to learn about. Well, I only had three children dress up but I was very impressed with the amount of effort the kids put into their research and saints. I am hoping to share the other costumes on this post later after I have permission from the children's parents. 

After the saint presentations, I discussed some old Christian Halloween traditions and how they have evolved into the modern Halloween we know nowadays. The kids were really interested in the Soul Cakes and story of the Jack O' Lantern. You can find more information on those topics and more on my Seven Ways to Have a Very Catholic Halloween and {JEI}: All Saints' Day. Overall, I think having a small break from our books and getting some hands on learning was fun, exciting and the kids learned a lot about some of their favorite saints. I even shared information about my Confirmation Saint (Saint Bernadette) and encouraged them to keep learning about the saints because they also get to pick a saint in their Confirmation. 

Remember All Saints' Day is Tuesady! My boys will be dressed up as Saint Dominic and Saint Joseph so make sure to come checkout my pictures on Instagram later in the week!

This was my Sunday Best but I'll try to update with a picture from our All Saints' Day Mass!

God Bless!

Feast of Saint Dominic: Saint of the Stars

Saint Dominic de Guzmán was born in Spain with parents of Spanish nobility. There are many legends that surround this amazing Saint. The first involves his mother while he was still within her womb. She had a vision during a pilgrimage, she dreamed a dog came leaping from her womb carrying a torch in its mouth. With this torch, he "seemed to set the world on fire." Another legend says that the Virgin Mary gave Saint Dominic a Rosary while he was praying in the abbey at Prouille. This story really intrigued me and there is a great description of this event at How Mary Gave the Rosary to St. Dominic.

Tradition also says that Saint Dominic brought an orange tree with him from Spain and planted it himself in Rome at Santa Sabina. There are several oranges in that garden that have been planted from a shoot from the previous tree. Around the original spot the tree was planted there is a small wall that has the Latin words Lignum Habet Spem written around it. It is a quote from the bible: Job 14:7 "There is hope for a tree, if it be cut down, that it will sprout again, and that it's shoots will not cease." Check out Saint Dominic's Orange Tree. The website has beautiful pictures of the orange tree and a lot more information on it's history. Saint Dominic is the patron saint of astronomers, the Dominican Republic and the innocent falsely accused of crimes. He is also Little Man's Name Day Saint.

We did not have an incredibly busy day like I thought we would. I thought I would have to work a few hours this morning but I won't be starting until Wednesday. In honor of Saint Dominic's love of oranges and Little Man's love of Panda Express Orange Chicken, we will be enjoying a healthier version of orange chicken for dinner. Recipe is included below.

Healthier Crockpot Orange Chicken:

2-3 Large Chicken Breasts

1 Cup Orange Marmalade

1/2 Cup Chicken Broth

1/4 Cup Orange Juice

2 Tbsp Soy Sauce

1 Tbsp Ginger

1 Tbsp Minced Garlic

1 Medium Red Pepper (Diced)

1 Medium Onion (Diced)

1/4 Cup Sesame Seeds

Pinch or two of Red Pepper Flake

*Add enough red pepper to suit your taste of spicy flavor, my boys do not like very spicy foods*

Grease your crockpot or spray with pan spray. Place the chicken breast in the crockpot. Add the diced red pepper and onion as well. In a mixing bowl combine the marmalade, chicken broth, orange juice, soy sauce, ginger, garlic and sesame seeds and mix them together. Pour the sauce over the chicken and cover with the lid. Set the crockpot on low heat for 8-10 hours or high heat for 4-6 hours. If you have time and like a flavorful chicken, I suggest preparing the marinade a day or two early and allowing the chicken to marinate in the fridge before placing in the crockpot. You can also omit or decrease the amount of chicken broth if you prefer thicker sauce. I like mine to be thinner so the rice/quinoa can absorb it too. 

What makes this orange chicken healthier is that it is not fried and has extra vegetables. Instead of serving this over white rice I will be substituting quinoa. I suggest serving this with a green vegetable such as grilled zucchini, green beans, broccoli or snap peas. Enjoy!

Now I am quickly finishing this post and hoping to print some coloring pages. There is a gorgeous coloring page of Saint Dominic over at Snowflake Clockwork. In the near future I need to purchase some new prayer journals for me and the boys so we can start adding these coloring pages and prayers inside them. I am hoping if time permits, that I can get the boys to sit with me and color before we go stargazing. We have had some pretty crazy weather lately and we still have a chance for thunderstorms tonight even though it has been pouring all afternoon so we will probably stick close to the house or have to try another night.

Little Man still had football this afternoon and he did great. He was really excited about playing his favorite sport and is looking forward to a great season. Now that we are home we will be enjoying our Orange Chicken here shortly and settling down for the evening. 

Praying the Rosary with a special mention of Saint Dominic would be a great way to end the day! After the kids are in bed I am hoping to watch Dominic - Light of the Church. It was being played by EWTN earlier in the day. EWTN has a great line up this week with shows about Edith Stein: St Teresa Benedicta of the Cross and Saint Clare. Most of the shows are very early in the morning so I will have to record them to watch later. I hope you had a great time celebrating with your family today. I am sharing this on Titus 2 Tuesday at Cornerstone Confessions.

Prayer to Saint Dominic:

Wonderful Saintly Founder of the eloquent Order of Preachers

and friend of Saint Francis of Assisi,

you were a fiery defender of the Faith

and a fighter against the darkness of heresy.

You resembled a great star that shone close to the world

and pointed to the Light which was Christ.

Help astronomers to study the stars

and admire their wonderful Maker,

proclaiming: "Give glory to God in the highest."

Amen.

Saint Dominic, pray for us!

Menu Plan Monday: August 8- August 14

This week and moving forward, I won't be sharing my breakfast and lunch plans. Let's face it with the craziness that is about to go on in this house with school, sports, work, church and everything else we juggle those plans will more than likely not happen. 

Starting today, I am going back to work part-time. In addition to the 20-30 hours I will be working, Little Man has football practice (4 times this week) and we are finishing getting registered and prepared for school this week.We have appointments for back-to-school haircuts plus an eye appointment and extra behavioral therapy for Goalie. Goalie is starting soccer in a week or two and Little Man is also in rotation for Altar Serving at our parish and Religious Education should be starting in a month. My husband is a manager and works at least 50 hours a week (not including his hour or more drive to and from work). It's easier for me just to keep a few "quick" options for breakfast and if we have time to make a nice big breakfast take advantage. Quick breakfast ideas we rotate are frozen waffles (NutriGrain), cereal, instant oatmeal or breakfast sandwich. 

Lunch is a whole other story. My boys eat lunch at school. I like for them to have hot meals, especially with cooler weather on the way. My husband eats at his job. This leaves me drinking a protein shake or something just to hold me over for dinner. Dinner is different because it is the most important meal at my house. It is the time we all sit together and spend some time together and sometimes it's the only time we have in the day to enjoy each other's company. 

How's your fall schedule looking? I'm sure everyone starts getting busier around this time or year but I'll be honest, I love it! 

Important and Exciting News! I just recently created an account with Yummly and will be transferring my recipes to my account over the next few weeks. It should make saving and trying out recipes easier now that you can utilize Pinterest and/or Yummly. I would love to network with anyone utilizing the site and share recipes and ideas. Comment with your Yummly page so I can check out with you have to offer please! Here is my menu for the upcoming week. 

Monday: Saint Dominic

Healthier Crockpot Orange Chicken

Tuesday: Saint Teresa Benedicta (Edith Stein)
Polish Sausage with Onions and Peppers
(We will also be celebrating Saint Maximillian Kolbe this day because his feast day falls on a Sunday during this liturgical year)

Wednesday: Saint Lawrence
Crockpot BBQ Chicken with Corn on the Cob

Thursday: Saint Clare
Meatloaf with Mashed Potatoes and Green Beans 

(Special Request by my Husband)

Friday:
Spaghetti Squash Chow Mein

Saturday: 
Pizza Night

Sunday:
Leftover Dinner Buffet

Lot's of fun feasts this week to celebrate and as they happen I will link to the posts where I share what we did to celebrate and update the recipes I share with some pictures to show off how our dinner turns out. 

Healthier Crockpot Orange Chicken:

2-3 Large Chicken Breasts

1 Cup Orange Marmalade

1/2 Cup Chicken Broth

1/4 Cup Orange Juice

2 Tbsp Soy Sauce
1 Tbsp Ginger

1 Tbsp Minced Garlic

1 Medium Red Pepper (Diced)

1 Medium Onion (Diced)

1/4 Cup Sesame Seeds

Pinch or two of Red Pepper Flake

*Add enough red pepper to suit your taste of spicy flavor, my boys do not like very spicy foods*

Grease your crockpot or spray with pan spray. Place the chicken breast in the crockpot. Add the diced red pepper and onion as well. In a mixing bowl combine the marmalade, chicken broth, orange juice, soy sauce, ginger, garlic and sesame seeds and mix them together. Pour the sauce over the chicken and cover with the lid. Set the crockpot on low heat for 8-10 hours or high heat for 4-6 hours. If you have time and like a flavorful chicken, I suggest preparing the marinade a day or two early and allowing the chicken to marinate in the fridge before placing in the crockpot.

What makes this orange chicken healthier is that it is not fried and has extra vegetables. Instead of serving this over white rice I will be substituting quinoa. I suggest serving this with a green vegetable such as grilled zucchini, green beans, broccoli or snap peas. Enjoy!

Spaghetti Squash Vegetable Chow Mein:

1 Large Spaghetti Squash

2 Cup Shredded Cabbage

1 Cup Shredded Carrots

1 (8 oz) Can of Water chestnuts (Drained)

1 Cup Mushrooms
1/2 Cup Celery (Diced)
1 Medium Onion (Diced)

1 Cup Snap Peas
2 Cups Vegetable Broth
1/2 Cup Soy Sauce
3 Tbsp Minced Garlic
1 Tbsp Brown Sugar
1 Tbsp Ginger
2 Tbsp Coconut Oil
2 Tsp White Pepper

Cut the spaghetti squash in half length wise and scoop out seeds. Lay skin side up on a cookie sheet wrapped in foil. Bake at 400 degrees for 30-40 minutes. Scoop out the squash with a fork into a large mixing bowl so it breaks apart into strings. Set the bowl to the side. To make preparations quicker you can prepare the spaghetti squash in advance. Sauté the cabbage, carrots, water chestnuts, mushrooms, celery, onion and snap peas in coconut oil for 5-10 minutes. We like our vegetables still slightly crunchy so I will cook mine closer to 5 minutes. Add the vegetables to the spaghetti squash and mix together. Then combine the vegetable broth, soy sauce, garlic, brown sugar, ginger and pepper together in a separate bowl to make the chow mein sauce. Pour the sauce and toss the chow mein. Just so you know... you will have a lot of leftovers! (You can always save half of the spaghetti squash for another recipe if you don't want a ton of extra. Enjoy!

Follow my blog with Bloglovin to stay up to date with my new menus and family activities! Remember to look for me on Yummly too. This is shared at weekly linkup called Menu Plan Monday on I'm an Organizing Junkie.

#WorthRevisit: Football and Stargazing

Do any of you get excited during the change of seasons? I do! Especially during the fall. I love putting up decorations and changes the scents in the warmers throughout the house and grabbing the full experience of the season. I may even pull out the fall decorations today and prepare the house a little early this year! I also love the strict routine that comes with Back-to-School and the the structure that Football and Soccer season brings for the boys. This will be Little Man's 4th year of Football and Goalie's 2nd season of Fall Soccer. Goalie really wants to be a football player like his big brother but in Colorado, they do not allow you to play football until you are older. 

In honor of this, I decided to share some my thoughts from several Fall seasons ago and ideas to share the Liturgical Celebrations of Saint Dominic and Saint Lawrence.  Here is my #WorthRevisit post for the week, thanks to Theology is a Verb and Reconciled to You :

Sunday, August 4, 2013

Football and Stargazing

Wow! Where has this summer gone?! I have to admit that I love the summer heat and everything that goes along with it. It seems like the school year just ended and we started soccer and summer camp for Little Man.

Well...Soccer officially ended two weeks ago and this is the last week of summer camp. We did end soccer on a great note! Little Man received the award for being "The most Christ-like Player" during the last game because he helped a player from the opposing team up after they fell chasing down the soccer ball. His face lit up when he found out he was being bestowed with such a great honor. In recognition of his achievement, he received a red wrist band that says "Represent". Little Man wore that wristband everyday until it was lost in the abyss that has become his room. I am hoping we can find it because it meant so much to him. We will definitely be having a serious cleaning session very shortly to prepare for the upcoming school year. I am hoping to have clothes and toys to donate to our churches thrift shop.

Approaching the fall, we are entering into a whole new world of exciting life changing milestones. For Little Man, football tryouts just ended and we will be finding out more information about his team and the upcoming season tomorrow! Not only that, but he will be starting the 1st grade at a new school, and starting his Catechism for his first Reconciliation! I am so excited for him and to see how he is going to tackle these exciting new adventures in his life.

For Squishy, which may need a new nickname soon, will be moved up into the next class in daycare and we will aggressively start potty training. I can not believe my baby is becoming a big boy already. I received notice of his transition upward this past week and it nearly brought me to tears. I am so proud of both of my boys but I wish they could stay little forever. If you don't mind could you say a small prayer for squishy too.. he is having a hard time with his molars coming in and his congestion has been flaring up even with his nebulizer treatments.

 

Even with all these new and exciting developments for the boys, I am excited to say that I will be finishing my degree and starting classes this month as well! If you think we couldn't add anymore changes and attempting new things this month you were wrong... Eric has accepted a management position and will be starting management training right around the time the new school year starts.

 

God is showering us with so many blessings and our hearts are so full of happiness and appreciation! I have to admit I am a little nervous trying to figure out how we are going to manage all these new schedules changes and additions but God never gives you more than we can handle so I am stepping aside and allowing him to lead the way.

I touched on football a little but I am really excited about star gazing this week! The Feast of Saint Dominic, which is Little Man's Baptismal patron saint, and the Feast of Saint Lawrence are fast approaching! In honor of Saint Dominic I want to throw together a Star gazing party for the boys. Saint Dominic is the patron saint of astronomers. The story is that Saint Dominic's grandmother saw a radiant light that came from Saint Dominic's forehead during his baptism and he had a great love for learning. I think it would be fun to make star headbands for everyone to decorate and wear as we star gaze together in the backyard. Another fun fact about Saint Dominic is that he has an association with orange trees because it is said that he planted an orange tree at the Convent of Saint Sabina in Rome. I was thinking about having either star shaped sandwiches with chicken and stars soup or possible a star shaped pasta dish served with an orange sherbet punch in honor of this amazing saint. I would love some suggestions if anyone has some to give! At the Catholic Culture website they suggest making Cherries Jubilee in honor of the dream Saint Dominic's mother had of a dog holding a torch that lit the world on fire. I actually have my own dream that I had many years ago that has made me have such a strong devotion to this saint but you will have to wait until August 8th! Coincidentally, I was researching some ideas for the Feast of Saint Lawrence and I feel it really is only necessary to have a barbecue in his honor. We will either have cheeseburgers, hot dogs or some sort of kabob.... like I said I am still in the planning stages. In addition to a barbecue, I found that it is a tradition to wish pray upon a star and invoke Saint Lawrence to pray along with you. I think it is pretty awesome that the next two feasts we are celebrating both incorporate the stars. It will be a nice way to help bring our busy summer to s relaxing close.

So that sums it up! I would love some input on anything anyone has to offer as we start down the new path God has brought my family to travel. Thank you for your continued prayers and God Bless!

Feast of Saint Dominic

Plans for today were rearranged completely since I wrote out a short summary a post or two ago. So far this week both boys have been to the doctor and one has gone to the Emergency Room! Squishy has an ear infection and Little Man has an infection in his gland in his throat. As you can imagine this has obviously created an exciting week of driving to and from summer camp and daycare to doctor to hospital and then to the pharmacy. I have to say my little guys are so resilient, they are both still running around like there is nothing wrong with them :o)

Before I go into detail about our special celebration today I just had to share some adorable pictures of Little Man from today's football practice. It was the first practice the kids have had in full uniforms and they all look so adorable in their little uniforms and football gear! As you can see Little Man was exhausted from such a long practice but he said he really likes his cool practice uniform. While I was trying to entertain Squishy and take pictures during practice I apparently took a video as well?? I have no idea... I guess my phone has a mind of its own at times but I somehow captured Little Man's first tackle attempt. After practice I was told Little Man has a lot of potential and listens well so maybe this will be one of the sports he pursues as he matures in his athleticism.

I love seeing both of my kids blossoming as they grow. I feel so blessed to be their mom. I am hoping we can see a high school or college football game this coming season. Little Man always asks to go watch the "professionals" play. We are big Florida Gator fans! We watch the Patriots and Kansas City Chiefs as well :o)

Getting back on topic... I was able to throw together a nice but simple celebration in honor of Saint Dominic today! I ended up throwing together a couple turkey sandwiches and imprinted them with stars to serve along our chicken and stars soup. I served dinner with some Saint Dominic's Orange Punch, which was the highlight of the meal! I put 2 scoops of Orange flavored sherbet in some glasses and topped it with some ginger ale. I love that the boys were so excited about the bubbly drink. To end our small celebration we had smores! One day I am going to try a flaming dessert but I think the boys my be too little to fully appreciate it and actually may be more afraid than excited, if they saw their food on fire. Plus with all the doctors visits we have had this week I was not willing to try my luck that everyone would keep their little fingers away. 

During dinner I talked to the boys about some cool facts about Saint Dominic. We discussed how he is the patron saint of astronomy (thus all the star symbols in our dinner), his special connection to oranges and the dream that Saint Dominic's mother had about him while she was pregnant. He was a dog carrying a torch and he lit the world on fire. 

We also we unable to do any star gazing or glow in the dark bubbles. After the kids ate and took their baths they literally passed out on the couch together. They are snuggling each other as I sit here typing. I think we will try to move our outdoor activities to tomorrow night.

As promised, I wanted to share my special story about Saint Dominic (Little Man still doesn't know this). When I was pregnant with Little Man, I had planned on giving him a different name than the one he has. One night I had a dream that I was sitting in a church and I was alone in this gorgeous room full of beautiful stained glass. I can see in the middle of this room there is a book lying on the middle of the ground. I hear someone whisper, "Read it". I pick up the book and there was tons of writing but I can only remember seeing the word DOMINIC. All of a sudden the stained glass shatters and I am awaken from my dream. I remember calling my dad the next day and telling him this story and how it touched me. I remember him laughing on the phone and saying he remembers having a dream about having a little girl named Jessica and him telling my mom about it. It is so funny how God's plan is so intricately designed and how it is perfect no matter how much we try to deviate from it. I know that God was talking to me in my dream, just like I think my dad feels the same way about his. And here we are :o) I later learned about the dream that Saint Dominic's mom had about him.

Saint Dominic, pray for us!

Football and Stargazing

Wow! Where has this summer gone?! I have to admit that I love the summer heat and everything that goes along with it. It seems like the school year just ended and we started soccer and summer camp for Little Man.

Well...Soccer officially ended two weeks ago and this is the last week of summer camp. We did end soccer on a great note! Little Man received the award for being "The most Christ-like Player" during the last game because he helped a player from the opposing team up after they fell chasing down the soccer ball. His face lit up when he found out he was being bestowed with such a great honor. In recognition of his achievement, he received a red wrist band that says "Represent". Little Man wore that wristband everyday until it was lost in the abyss that has become his room. I am hoping we can find it because it meant so much to him. We will definitely be having a serious cleaning session very shortly to prepare for the upcoming school year. I am hoping to have clothes and toys to donate to our churches thrift shop.

Approaching the fall, we are entering into a whole new world of exciting life changing milestones. For Little Man, football tryouts just ended and we will be finding out more information about his team and the upcoming season tomorrow! Not only that, but he will be starting the 1st grade at a new school, and starting his Catechism for his first Reconciliation! I am so excited for him and to see how he is going to tackle these exciting new adventures in his life.

For Squishy, which may need a new nickname soon, will be moved up into the next class in daycare and we will aggressively start potty training. I can not believe my baby is becoming a big boy already. I received notice of his transition upward this past week and it nearly brought me to tears. I am so proud of both of my boys but I wish they could stay little forever. If you don't mind could you say a small prayer for squishy too.. he is having a hard time with his molars coming in and his congestion has been flaring up even with his nebulizer treatments.

 

Even with all these new and exciting developments for the boys, I am excited to say that I will be finishing my degree and starting classes this month as well! If you think we couldn't add anymore changes and attempting new things this month you were wrong... Eric has accepted a management position and will be starting management training right around the time the new school year starts.

 

God is showering us with so many blessings and our hearts are so full of happiness and appreciation! I have to admit I am a little nervous trying to figure out how we are going to manage all these new schedules changes and additions but God never gives you more than we can handle so I am stepping aside and allowing him to lead the way.

I touched on football a little but I am really excited about star gazing this week! The Feast of Saint Dominic, which is Little Man's Baptismal patron saint, and the Feast of Saint Lawrence are fast approaching! In honor of Saint Dominic I want to throw together a Star gazing party for the boys. Saint Dominic is the patron saint of astronomers. The story is that Saint Dominic's grandmother saw a radiant light that came from Saint Dominic's forehead during his baptism and he had a great love for learning. I think it would be fun to make star headbands for everyone to decorate and wear as we star gaze together in the backyard. Another fun fact about Saint Dominic is that he has an association with orange trees because it is said that he planted an orange tree at the Convent of Saint Sabina in Rome. I was thinking about having either star shaped sandwiches with chicken and stars soup or possible a star shaped pasta dish served with an orange sherbet punch in honor of this amazing saint. I would love some suggestions if anyone has some to give! At the Catholic Culture website they suggest making Cherries Jubilee in honor of the dream Saint Dominic's mother had of a dog holding a torch that lit the world on fire. I actually have my own dream that I had many years ago that has made me have such a strong devotion to this saint but you will have to wait until August 8th! Coincidentally, I was researching some ideas for the Feast of Saint Lawrence and I feel it really is only necessary to have a barbecue in his honor. We will either have cheeseburgers, hot dogs or some sort of kabob.... like I said I am still in the planning stages. In addition to a barbecue, I found that it is a tradition to wish pray upon a star and invoke Saint Lawrence to pray along with you. I think it is pretty awesome that the next two feasts we are celebrating both incorporate the stars. It will be a nice way to help bring our busy summer to s relaxing close.

So that sums it up! I would love some input on anything anyone has to offer as we start down the new path God has brought my family to travel. Thank you for your continued prayers and God Bless!