Corpus Christi

Today is celebration of Corpus Christi! In Europe and Catholic dominant nations,there is a beautiful Eucharistic Procession that the is done in honor of this holy feast day.To honor the Blessed Sacrament, the people carrying the Eucharist are adorned with flowers and greenery as well as the homes that the Procession passes. I hope to one day be able to participate or watch one of these professions with my family in person but until then EWTN will be showing them online and on television throughout the day.

I thought that today would be a great day to create a Spring time wreath to hang on our front door, as if we were one of the home that the Holy Eucharist would pass on its journey. Unfortunately, the whole family has caught a summer cold and we have had extremely heavy rain and wind for the past week. I have been too nervous to travel to the store to purchase the rest of the materials needed for our wreath. I really would like to complete this project before Friday. I am looking for ways to decorate my house in accordance to the liturgical year and I think this idea is a step toward reaching my goal. Advent, Christmas, Lent and Easter and easy to figure out but Ordinary time has been difficult for me. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

As you have probably assumed; Since I am too afraid to travel in this weather, I also have not completed any grocery shopping either. Therefore, there will not be a huge celebration feast tonight. I was able to find the ingredients to make a banana pudding pie (which looks like a large sized Eucharist). We will be enjoying left overs for dinner and for dessert banana pudding pie with a cup of strawberry Kool-Aid :o) Sorry no pictures today... Lightning and Tornado warnings going on :o(

Today would be a good day to be starting or ending the following Novena:

O Lord Jesus Christ, You who have given us Your precious Body and Blood to be our meat and drink, grant that through frequent reception of You in the Holy Eucharist, I may be strengthened in mind and body to do Your holy will. Amen.

Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, have mercy on us.

Brave Shepherd of the Emerald Isle {Movie Review}

Here is a movie review on a movie I have spoken about several times before. My family and I love it and I know yours will too!

Patrick: Brave Shepherd of the Emerald Isle is an awesome movie that portrays the amazing life of Saint Patrick. The fascinating story of Celtic pirates, flourishing friendships and unfaltering faith is something that will entertain the entire family. The depiction of Saint Patrick's life is easy for children to understand and they are taught about the Holy Trinity and the importance of prayer in everyday life. Another important lesson learned is about having a complete faith in God and his plan, especially while in circumstances that seem impossible to overcome or endure. Although Patrick is kidnapped away from his home and brought to the pagan filled land of Ireland, he feels God all around him and continues to tell everyone he meets about God. In his struggles he relies on his faith and prevails. This is a beautiful story of a child who becomes a man and from a man transforms into a saint.

I purchased this movie especially for our annual celebration on the Feast of Saint Patrick but this movie was so entertaining it could be watched and enjoyed at any time during the year. I was impressed with the balance of fact and fiction in this movie. There were historical milestones but they were intermingled with the famous legends that go along with Saint Patrick and his evangelization of Ireland. Saint Patrick's Breastplate prayer and the story of the snakes in Ireland are included among Saint Patrick's adventures. I have two younger children and they both wanted to watch this movie over and over again. I am thrilled that inspiring and uplifting movies like these exist and help my children want to learn more about their faith and share it with the world. This movie will be an important addition into your family movie library; I promise you will not be disappointed.

I wrote this review of Patrick for the free Catholic Book review program, created by Aquinas and More Catholic Goods, your source for Baptism Gifts and First Communion Gifts. Tiber River is the first Catholic book review site, started in 2000 to help you make informed decisions about Catholic book purchases. I receive free product samples as compensation for writing reviews for Tiber River.

I Copy Cat

I am completely a copy cat!

I saw the beautiful end of school year portfolios that Sarah made from her blog Amongst Lovely Things. I thought they were so cute and a great way to get organized after our first year at school. I had to jump on the bandwagon. I don't home school but I supplement a lot of learning with my boys after school during our Liturgical Celebrations and Family Trips. I thought these portfolios would be a great way to start a scrapbook for my boys and see their progress through the year. Thank you Sarah for the amazing idea!

Here is the cover I made for Little Man.

I had never known about the Picmonkey website but now that I do... I am in love! There are so many unique ways to add personality to your pictures and you can even create Facebook covers! :o) It truly is the little things in life that make it so amazing.  I had so much fun playing around with the website I made one for Squishy too!

I think that I will do something similar for our family's New Year Resolutions. We usually display our Resolutions in the Kitchen or Dining Room so we can see how well we are doing at accomplishing each one. I think having a picture of our family and the resolutions blended into the picture would look so much more appealing to the eye. I love how much the creative world blooms in the blogger universe! Excited to see what everyone else does with this very useful and creative idea!

Feast of Saint Boniface

We had an awesome time celebrating the patron saint of Germany, Saint Boniface today! When I was two my family moved to Germany for my dad's job in the Air Force. My younger sister was actually born while we were stationed there. I don't remember much of our time there since I was young, but my parents have told me many stories about German traditions and everyday life. I thought it would be neat to explore some German culture today in honor of St. Boniface. Here is a short description of the impact St. Boniface made on pagans in Germany.
 "An interesting tradition, part history, part legend and very popular in Germany, claims that the Christmas tree dates back to the eighth century. This legend is based on a historical figure, St Boniface, and even a historical event, the destruction of Odin's oak. St Boniface (675-754) was the English Bishop Winfrid who went to Germany in the eighth century, to Hesse to be precise, to preach the Christian faith as a missionary from the Church of Rome. After a period of apparently successful Gospel preaching, Boniface went to Rome to confer with Pope Gregory II (715-731). After a long absence, he returned to Geismar, Germany, for Christmas 723, and felt personally offended on discovering that the Germans had reverted to their former idolatry of pagan divinities and were preparing to celebrate the winter solstice by sacrificing a young man under Odin's sacred oak tree. Fired by holy anger, as was Moses by the golden calf, Bishop Boniface took up an axe and dared to cut down the oak. This courageous, historically documented act meant the triumph of Christianity in Germany over the pagan divinities.

All this is historically documented. The rest belongs to the legend which tells how, at the first blow of the axe, a strong gust of wind instantly brought down the tree. The astounded Germans fearfully recognized the hand of God in this event and humbly asked Boniface how they should celebrate Christmas. The Bishop, the legend continues, pointed to a small fir tree that had miraculously remained upright and intact beside the debris and broken branches of the fallen oak. Boniface was familiar with the popular custom of taking an evergreen plant into the house in winter and asked everyone to take home a fir tree. This tree signifies peace, and as an evergreen it also symbolizes immortality; with its top pointing upwards, it additionally indicates heaven, the dwelling place of God."

Excerpt above taken from EWTN

I would have loved to take the children on a Nature Walk to talk about evergreens and there importance but we had some thunderstorms blow in from the Gulf in the afternoon. I am sorry there aren't more pictures, I was having a lazy day. I was thinking about making some paper "Christmas trees" but my laziness was contagious apparently and the kids just wanted me to read the story of Saint Boniface from our Book of Saints: Part 4 and everyone took a long afternoon nap.

I made some Bratwurst for lunch and Potato soup for dinner. Dessert was a big slice of German Chocolate cake with pecan coconut icing! YUM!!!

I plan on drinking some Glühwein tonight as well. Glühwein is actually mulled wine (with added sugar and spices) its usually sold at small vendors in Germany during the winter and Christmas season. I thought it would be the PERFECT ending to a long day and still would incorporate the impact St. Boniface had on Christmas tradition and Germany! Thank goodness my dad bought me several bottles and I still have one leftover from Christmas :o) I really like to add a fresh orange slice to my glass but it still tastes great as is.

Before I reward myself with my delicious wine its time to workout with my boys! I think if it wears them out and helps them sleep tonight we may start a daily routine. Does anyone else have any other suggestions for this feast day? I would love to hear about them!

Prayer to Saint Boniface

Dear Winfred, a British Benedictine, you were called Boniface by the Holy Father who sent you to evangelize Germany. Aided by many monks and relying on God's grace obtained through assiduous prayer, you made countless converts. Imbue us with great missionary zeal and help us in our spiritual renewal, O Leader who died for the Lord. Amen.

Saint Boniface, pray for us!

Style, Sex and Substance { My First Review}

I mentioned in my earlier post that I would be writing reviews for Tiber River. Well, here is my FIRST review! The book is called Style, Sex, & Substance. What an amazing book! Here is the review below.

Style, Sex, & Substance is a book that will help any Catholic woman take a meaningful look into her life and discusses the current issues that a twenty-first century Catholic woman may face. The book is divided into ten chapters that each has a separate focal point from women's lives, including single life, marriage and raising children. The focal points in each section are written in an easy to understand language by ten different women that convey their spiritual growth through their everyday experiences in a contemplative and humorous way. Although you are reading from a book, you are drawn in quickly with the personal stories and the intimacy and honesty will make you feel like you are having a heart-to- heart with a close friend.

For me personally, the subjects discussed are definitely topics that I ponder in my own heart. I could personally relate to the stories of struggle and faith. The insight I received from this book made me ask myself questions about aspects in my own spiritual journey and what I will do to progress. This book challenges the reader to grow mentally and spiritually while still incorporating your everyday life. The routine aspects of your life will be shown to you in a new light and you will realize that there is nothing ordinary about any woman or the journey God has personally chosen for you. The areas of reflection were my favorite part and I was quite surprised about what I learned about myself from each reflection. I know I will be reading this book again and I hope that every woman takes the chance to read this amazing book. Once you start reading you will not be able to put the book down and the knowledge gained will be priceless!

I wrote this review of  Sex, Style, & Substance for the Tiber River Catholic Book review program created by Aquinas and More Catholic Goods. Tiber River is the first Catholic book review site, started in 2000 to help you make informed decisions about Catholic book purchases. I receive free product samples as compensation for writing reviews for Tiber River

Trinity Sunday

What a beautiful day to celebrate the Holy Trinity! If you didn't know already, today is Trinity Sunday. I have been trying my hardest to incorporate these Liturgical Feast Days into the "everyday lives" of my family. I want my children to be inspired by their Faith and to know that it should be the center of their lives. The exciting thing about feast days, like today, is that we will have delicious food and we will celebrate as a family. I think that family and fun should always go hand in hand!

Saint Patrick is a very popular saint is is well known for using the shamrock to describe the Holy Trinity. It so happens that I will be able to reuse some of the crafts and activities from this years Saint Patrick's Day celebration for today! During our Saint Patrick Celebration, I had the boys take foam shamrocks and paste the corresponding parts of the Trinity onto each leaf. I created a centerpiece with our shamrocks and three candles in the middle of the table.

Now to talk about my favorite part of celebrating: The Food! In honor of the Holy Trinity I tried to focus on the number THREE when creating the menu for today.

For breakfast we enjoyed Trinity Pancakes. All we did to make our pancakes into Trinity Pancakes was I made smaller pancakes and I overlapped three together on everyones' plate. Similar to the Trinity Triangle.

For lunch I made Three Bean Soup! I was quite impressed with how good this soup was. I threw all the ingredients in the crock pot after breakfast and it was slow cooked on high for 4 hours. Before I served the soup I gave it a small dollop of sour cream and a sprinkle of shredded cheddar.

I was most excited about our dinner plans for this evening. I decided to have a Three Course Meal for my family.

1st course: More Three Bean Soup! I made so much we had leftovers which was a quick and easy start to our yummy dinner.

2nd course: BBQ Chicken with corn on the cob and green beans We decided on BBQ Chicken because it was a suggestion on Catholic Culture for the Solemnity of the Holy Trinity. I am assuming it is to symbolize the Holy Spirit

3rd course: Trinity Sundaes! I love Lacy's ideas at Catholic Icing about Liturgical Sundaes. Who doesn't love ice cream and they are simple to make. My children were trying to jump out of the cart when we entered the ice cream isle to pick up our Neapolitan ice cream.

With all the running around we have been doing it was so nice to have a quite family day. I do wish I could have got the materials to make a wind chime out of triangle shaped metal. I think we will try it out next year.

I think everyone is starting to see that I really enjoy ending our feast days watching a movie with my family. Its a nice way to settle the children down after bath time and its a good way to tie up any lessons that were learned during the day. We are going to watch Patrick: Brave Shepherd from the Emerald Isle after everything is cleaned up and I prepare a french toast casserole for tomorrow's breakfast!

Today is also an excellent day to pray The Litany of the Most Holy Trinity.I hope your Trinity Sunday was as awesome and delicious as ours! :o)

Quick side note: You may have noticed that I am officially a Tiber River Reviewer (I have the badge on the upper right hand corner of my blog) I just received my first book that I will be reviewing. Please be on the lookout for my posts about books and other fun things, I am really excited about this opportunity.

I am linking up

Our Pirate Adventure {Billy Bowlegs 2012}

Yesterday was the first time ever we have attended the Billy Bowlegs Festival. The kids were really excited about attending the parade that is held annually in Ft. Walton Beach. I was lucky enough to have a friend that had an extra pirate costume for Little Man and I drew a skull and cross bones on a white shirt for Squishy. We were watching Little Man's friend too so his mom had him in a pirate outfit complete with a dread lock wig and painted facial hair! The kids looked so cute.

I wish I had not left my memory card to my camera at home so I could have been able to take some pictures. However, I was able to snap a few pictures with my phone camera. I just don't know how to download them to the computer yet since its not a smart phone (My husband will hopefully have it figured out for me soon and I will update this post soon). FINGERS CROSSED! :o)

To start our pirate adventure, we began with a Little Scallywag's Pirate Walk. Each child received a map with 18 different locations numbered along a designated route. All the small shops and vendors were outside handing out candy, pirate coins and beads. When you would reach a designated location on your map, the vendor was suppose to sign or stamp the map. Once you visited all 18 locations, you returned to the starting point to claim your "pirate booty".The kids were all so excited when we would make it to a shop that would sign off on their map. Several places would have them make pirate noises or something else cute in order to have their maps signed. It took us 2.5 hours in the Florida heat but we completed the Pirate Walk! I think I was just as excited as the kids to turn in our maps and get our prizes! Each bag contained pirate coins, temporary tattoos, colorful woven bracelets and several coupons to shops along our Pirate Walk route.

After the Pirate Walk we were suppose to find a good spot to wait for the Billy Bowlegs Parade, but the kids were so tired and ready to go home. I did not argue! I carried my 19 month old that weighs 38 lbs. most of the Pirate Walk and I was exhausted! We loaded everyone into the car and headed home for a pizza and movie night. To keep with the pirate theme of the day, we watched The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything- A Veggie Tales Movie. If you have never seen the movie you should definitely check it out! It's absolutely adorable. It has a great lesson about doing what's right, even when there are easier options. The music always makes the kids smile and they sing along with every music title. Well I hope the rest of our summer stays this exciting!

Have a Blessed Day!