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

Saint Medard ~ Pray For Us!

As we brace ourselves for more storms today, we are praying to Saint Medard, who is the Patron Saint Against Bad Weather. 

Born into French nobility, Saint Médard was a pius and excellent student. Ordained at 33, Saint Médard became a missionary bishop, and using his personal wealth, Saint Médard established a scholarship fund in the sixth century, Rosiere, which is still celebrated today.

While still a youth, Saint Médard gave one of his father's finest horses to a peasant who had lost his. Immediately afterward, rain started to downpour, and while everyone else was drenched, an eagle spread its wings over Saint Médard, and Saint Médard remained dry.

Saint Médard's feast day is June 8  (taken from Cultural Catholic)

Dear Lord, please have mercy on us all and spare us from harm.

Jesus, we TRUST in YOU!

Novena to St. John Bosco begins Today

Visit Pray More Novenas to be notified  reminded by email each day.

All Saints Day 2011 ~ pt. 2

Today we celebrate all those who have made it to heaven, which of course is our ultimate goal.  Inspired by this theme, I came up with this game.

Score the Ultimate Goal ~

We made halos out of sparkly pipe cleaners and did our best to score the goal of heaven.

Buck helped to make our ~ Knock Out Sin Game

He made these little signs for the punching bag showing things we should try to stop doing.

We also blew up lots of balloons and played

St. Sebastian's Volleyball.

We hit them back and forth to one another and talked about how we are here to help pick each other up when we are down.  And of course how the Saints in Heaven are always ready to pray for us.

I loved our Saints Bingo game ~

Jessica created these using pics from one of our favorite Saint books. 

Thanks so much for sharing these Jessica!

The House Cat was the winner.

We also carved our Saint O' Lanterns today.

Buck and Snuggle Bug chose

St. James's cross

and

Honeybee and The Housecat carved

St. Clare's Monstrance

Snuggle Bug and I made Caramel Apples for dessert

Yum!  I can't wait for supper!

I loved hearing Honeybee singing ~

I'm growing with the Saints

To be the best that I can be.

I'm growing with the Saints,

Won't you grow along with me?

Hope you had a wonderful day too!

All Ye Saints of God ~ Pray For Us!



Finding Joy in Suffering For Christ

Today we celebrate the feast of Saints Perpetua and Felicity, who were martyred for their Christianity in the year 202.  As I was reading to the kids this morning from Saints and their Feast Days, I came across this list of scriptures that remind us to offer our sufferings for Christ in JOY.

We all have times in our lives where our crosses seem too heavy to bear.  As we approach Lent, let us all remember that Christ has done the heavy lifting for us.  Let us pray to have the faith of a mustard seed.

Blessings to you

2 Corinthians 12:9-10

My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness. I will rather boast most gladly of my weaknesses, in order that the power of Christ may dwell with me. Therefore, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and constraints, for the sake of Christ; for when I am weak, then I am strong.

Galatians 6:14

But may I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.

Philippians 1:30

Yours is the same struggle as you saw in me and now hear about me.

Philippians 3:8-10

More than that, I even consider everything as a loss because of the supreme good of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have accepted the loss of all things and I consider them so much rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having any righteousness of my own based on the law but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God, depending on faith to know him and the power of his resurrection and (the) sharing of his sufferings by being conformed to his death.

Philippians 4:13 

I have the strength for everything through him who empowers me.

Colossians 3:4

When Christ your life appears, then you too will appear with him in glory.

1 Peter 1:6-7

In this you rejoice, although now for a little while you may have to suffer through various trials, so that the genuineness of your faith, more precious than gold that is perishable even though tested by fire, may prove to be for praise, glory, and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

1 Peter 4:13

But rejoice to the extent that you share in the sufferings of Christ, so that when his glory is revealed you may also rejoice exultantly.

More Saint David's Day fun ~

Yesterday was one of those beautiful "real learning" type of days!

I take no credit for it!!!

It all began with morning prayers and reading about the Saint of the day.

I visited some of the links Waltzing Matilda had posted on Saint David and

God took it from there....

The little ones had a great time making Saint David and knight figures.

They accompanied me to the store and found leeks to cook for supper.

Snuggle Bug was a huge help chopping potatoes and bacon for the soup, which hubby said was delicious!

The House Cat found this poem and Snuggle Bug dictated it to her as she wrote it on this pretty paper. 

They also learned a lot from these Enchanted Learning sheets.

Buck colored this Welsh flag

The House Cat and Snuggle Bug worked on these

sheets and then we put the work into this lapbook.

I just LOVE these kinds of days!

On Saint David's Day

Check out DLTK's website for lots of Saint David's Day fun!

Enchanted Learning also has great info on Wales.

Visit Catholic Cuisine for fun in the kitchen!

It's also the perfect day to pick daffodils and tell Jesus we trust in Him!

Have a blessed day!

Saint Scholastica ~ Pray For Us!

People often ask me if Buck and Honeybee are twins.  They are close in age, 18 months, close in size, but most of all are pretty much inseparable during the day.  Another beauty of homeschooling!

Snuggle Bug read them The Holy Twins this afternoon as I rested.  We seem to be passing a cold around :(  It's such a wonderful book!

After supper we watched Mass and made these doves shared by Stacy over at Catholic Moms Helper. 

Under Brigid's cloak

Saint Brigid is one of the most beloved saints of Ireland.  She was born around the year 450 AD not too long before Saint Patrick died.  Her feast day is celebrated today on February first.  The Catholic Mosaic booklist suggests

reading this wonderful book today.  I printed this coloring sheet created by  Charlotte over at Waltzing Matilda. 
After reading the story,  Honeybee colored St. Brigid's cloak royal blue and added gold stars. 

I also added a little narration from her.

Snuggle Bug printed a pretty notebook page for a little dictation practice.

I noticed I never did post this from last year ~ Buck and Honeybee made these little cloaks for Honeybee's babies using a couple blue napkins I had and gold star stickers.

"Brigid's cloak played a part of several miracles later in her life, and became a sign of protection to the people of Ireland as well.  A common blessing among friends was the hope that they would be fa bhrat Bhrighde "under Brigid's cloak."   To this very day, the cathedral in Bruges, Belgium, keeps in reverence a large blue cloak which is said to be Saint Brigid's very own. " taken from Brigid's Cloak.

Sweet & Simple on St. Lucy's Day

Honeybee asked me the other day, "Mommy, why don't you ever play with me?"  Lets see...laundry, cooking, cleaning, schooling..... Oh yeah, in a five year old's mind those are things that mom enjoys doing. Right?  So, yesterday afternoon I had a little spare time to stop and "play" with Honeybee.  Around 4:00pm I asked her if she'd like to make a crown for St. Lucia's Day.  I know this is traditionally worn in the morning to wake the family.  For those of you who know me, you know that I am NOT a morning person....  I was so excited to see this easy paper crown and we even had a paper plate with a pretty floral edge on it!  Yay, I thought this might actually come together!

Once the crown was made, she and Snuggle Bug, who was now in on the action, ran back to her closet and found her white "dress up" gown.  She added one of her brother's white undershirts and my red robe sash and looked just precious!  Now for the buns...  Thank goodness Jessica mentioned cinnamon rolls in one of her posts.  Thankfully, my honey calls on his way home from the dentist..., "Do you need me to pick up anything?", he asks. 

Cinnamon Rolls of course!

Honeybee was just thrilled to bring dessert to the table as I played Santa Lucia in the background. 

Later I asked her if this counted as me playing with her.  She looked at me with eyes that said, "What are you talking about?"  Oh well.....at least I tried :)

Saint Lucia ~ Pray for us

Honey Trail Mix on the feast of St. Ambrose

The girls and I snacked on Honey Trail Mix this afternoon while we read aloud the story of Saint Ambrose from Once Upon A Time Saints.

Saint Ambrose's words were said to be sweeter than honey from the comb. 

To make this yummy snack you need ~

2 cups corn chex

2 cups rice chex

1 cup mini pretzels

Mix these together in a large microwaveable bowl.

In a measuring cup, mix together 1/4 cup honey and 3 Tlbs. oil. 

Pour over cereal/pretzel mixture.

Stir and microwave for 5 to 6 minutes, stirring every 90 seconds.

Serve and enjoy!

Saint Nicholas Slippers ~ 2010

Saint Nicholas please pray for us that each step made in these slippers may be a joyful one in love and service of one another for the love of Jesus!
May your day be filled with lots and lots of giving!