My New Blog ~

In an effort to organize my many posts, I've decided to start a new blog.

It's called Living A Learning Lifestyle, which is what we are trying to do!

My hope is to organize posts by month or liturgical season.

If you are searching for posts on a specific topic, click on the appropriate tab beneath the blog banner and scroll through all the related projects, resources, and reflections you’ll find there.

Hope you enjoy and find something useful.

Please leave a quick comment if you do.

I’d love to hear from you!

Sweet 16 ~

My Dear House Cat,

 

You are such a blessing to us and all who know you.  We are so proud of you and you are the perfect big sister.  You love God most of all and are such a good example to your siblings and friends.  Thank you for all of your help around the house and with anything I ask of you.  God has given you special talents and I pray you will always use them to bring Him glory! 

 

Dad took the day off and we all went to Mass together. He had bought you a Purity Ring and gave it to you right after Mass in front of The Blessed Sacrament. He asked you to wear it and give it back to him on your wedding day. 

 It has the inscription  Love Waits ~

 

 

I gave you a couple of movies to add to the Jane Austen and Bronte collection. 

Note:  There are some scenes we fast forward through on Jane Eyre.

 

Snuggle Bug gave you Switchfoot live in San Diego and Buck and Honeybee followed that with the first two Brotherband books.

 

 

SB made the Blueberry Cobbler you requested,

 

 

which was served warm with vanilla ice cream.  Yum! 

 

I opted for Bananas and Cool Whip (gluten and dairy free since I've been having so much tummy trouble).

 

 

We all enjoyed our day together although we missed Nae Nae and hope she feels better really soon!

 

How It's Made ~

Buck has been watching lots of episodes of How It's Made this week.

I picked up all of the DVDs our little library had.

He continues to amaze me with his inventions. 
 

His latest is an assembly line in a car factory.

 

First up ~

 The workers are putting on the oil filter.

 Next ~ 

 

They weld the oil pan

 

 Last but not least ~

They weld the axle.

 

You can see more of his inventions by clicking the tab at the top labeled Buck's blog.

 

I'm so proud of our little engineer :)

A Blueberry Day ~

Our blueberry day begin with beautiful blue flowers from our friends.

Then we headed out back for lots of blueberry pickin'.

This little guy was so precious filling his box. 

There were more than enough to go around!

Sisters, Sisters there were never such devoted sisters :)

Once inside we made yummy blueberry muffins.

We must have got busy playing and eating cause I don't see where I made a picture of the finished muffins :)

They were so yummy!

We had a banner crop this year and have lots frozen for further use.  Actually, Snuggle Bug will be making her bluberry cobbler for The House Cat's birthday next week!

2012 Summer Olympic Inspiration ~

We've all been enjoying watching the Summer Olympics from London, England.  These athletes are all so amazing.  The hard work and discipline they've put into training is admirable and inspiring.  There has been no short of inspiration around here! 

Honeybee has been dancing around twirling this homemade rhythmic gymnastics apparatus :)

We also had a floor routine exhibition. 

 Buck's been busy building lots of Olympic events with Legos  ~

Canoeing

Swimming

Pole Vault

Pommel Horse

Vault

It's been a fun couple of weeks of learning!

A Trip to the Art Museum ~

Buck has been asking begging me for weeks to take him back to the art museum.  He just had to go and see the display of Japanese weaponry.  So, Friday afternoon we loaded up, popped in a Switchfoot CD and took a drive downtown. 

First stop: Japanese Art Gallery ~

Buck and Honeybee took along notebooks and drew a few of their favorite things.

This is one of my favorite pieces.  It's too bad it came out blurry :(

SB learned the sensors are extra sensitive and you can't point too closely to your favorite parts :)

2nd Stop: Scavenger Hunt in the Indian Gallery

Learned a bit about the importance of animals in the Hindu religion.

3rd Stop:  New Family Hands On Art Center

I love the new picture collage I now have hanging in our library!

It was a fun trip enjoyed by all!

A Peek into July 2012 ~

We've been so busy living and learning that I haven't made much time for blogging lately.  The kids and I are enjoying this more relaxed style of learning.  God has given them all such beautiful gifts, some similar, some not.  I am learning so much more about them as I step back and observe.  More times than not, I am pleasantly surprised with how they are occupying themselves.  Sure we still have discipline issues and behavior checks.  Just because we are now official "unschoolers" doesn't mean we've stopped parenting.  If anything, we seem to be more involved! 

With all that being said, we are starting a new chapter in our lives, one that actually began back in December when we gave this unschooling thing a try.  I can't tell you how often HC & SB have thanked me for this.  You may think, "Of course they are since you've taken the book work away from them!"  But, I must argue that after a time of depressurizing they have found plenty to keep themselves busy.  Busy with God- given gifts, with plenty of time to hear God's still small voice leading them towards Him.

So here's a peek into what July 2012 looked like around here.

The House Cat ~

• Has been devouring Outlining Your Novel by K.M. Weiland and has been following her steps in working on her novel.
• She was asked to sing for another wedding at our parish.  They kindly paid her a stipend with which she bought a Graphic Design Software package.  She is working on publishing an online magazine for high-schooled homeschoolers.  This will be by invitation only so let me know if you'd like to be invited.
• She continues to cantor, play guitar and piano, and write music with her sister.
• We visited her grandparents and learned to play Canasta with her grandmother.  We've played several times, with her and SB taking turns with the scoring.
• Had several game days with SB & friends.  Games played include Scrabble, Pictionary, Rummikub, Cranium, 10 Days in the USA, and Story Cubes.
• Books read ~ Tangled Skein (Bethelhem e-book), Beorn the Proud, Jedi Apprentice
• Sister Servants meeting.  St. Maria Goretti.
• Helping to deliver Meals on Wheels
• Helping to make fruit preserves with the ladies Altar Sodality.  These will be sold at our church's Oktoberfest fund raiser.
• Plenty of home economics including but not limited to cooking, cleaning, and caring for her younger siblings.  (no this doesn't include you SB:)

Snuggle Bug ~

• Helped to pick apples, pears and blueberries.  Made lots of Blueberry Cobbler for her daddy.
• Also learning to make fruit perserves for the church's fund raiser.
• Finished reading Life of Fred Apples book to Buck and Honeybee.
• Planned and led her Sister Servants of the Domestic Church meeting.  This month's saint was St. Maria Goretti.  She has about 12 girls in her group now and they have such fun when they meet.  We've found a great spot for her group and my Mom's Little Way group to meet now.  God is so good!
• She has really taken off with her guitar playing and is starting to teach Buck.  She also teaches me when I slow down for a moment and pick up my guitar.
• She is our go to girl always happy to play with Buck and Honeybee and fetch this or that for her mom and dad :)
• She is also working hard on her writing and plans to have an ongoing chapter book in HC's magazine.
• Of course, she and HC are best friends.  I am so thankful they are so close!  They enjoy sharing a room, listening to movie soundtrack music and both journal about their days before bed.

Buck ~

• Continues to constantly build with Legos.  He picked out The Lego Idea Book from the library.  I encourage him to make a pic of all of his creations and try to post the pictures on his blog.
• Watched a PBS special on repairing The Hubble Telescope and built a cardboard model of the Hubble.
• Reading books on Army Rangers, Green Berets, military
• Learning to play Rummy and keep score
• Computer games Solitaire, Spider Solitaire, Jump Start 1st, 2nd, 4th grades, Artist.  Reader Rabbit 2nd grade.
• Games - Checkers, Connect Four, Ciphers and Codes, Scrabble
• Life of Fred Apples
• Blue Knights meeting with his dad on the power of the Rosary.
• The Magic School Bus - The Solar System
•  Leap Pad games, The Human Body, 2nd grade, 4th grade
• Altar Serving at Mass, reading along with the Mass prayers

Honeybee ~

• IXL math
• Reader Rabbit 2nd Grade
• Playing House with her Bitty Baby, Amy
• Learning to play Rummy
• Solitaire, Spider Solitarie, Checkers, Connect Four, Scrabble
• Reading along with Mass prayers, Altar Serving
•  Helping with the fruit preserves for church.
• Leap Pad, The Human Body, Hit it Maestro, 2nd Grade
• Playing librarian, school teacher
• Irregular Plural Nouns Matching Card game with Buck
• Singing, singing, and more singing
• Finished Life of Fred Apples with SB and Buck
• Helping deliver Meals on Wheels

And these are the things that made it onto paper...  I am truly staying Busy With my Blessings!

 

 



The Sun is Rising ~

A couple of months ago the girls gave Honeybee Britt Nicole's new CD Gold for her birthday.  It's such a "feel good" album.  I don't know about you, but good music almost always lifts my spirit. 

This song is one of my absolute favorites!  I pray you are blessed by it.  You may even feel the Spirit nudging you to share it with someone who needs encouragement in a difficult time.

 

Fortnight For Freedom Prayer ~

Prayer for the Protection of Religious Liberty

O God our Creator,

Through the power and working of your Holy Spirit,
you call us to live out our faith in the midst of the world,
bringing the light and the saving truth of the Gospel
to every corner of society.

We ask you to bless us
in our vigilance for the gift of religious liberty.
Give us the strength of mind and heart
to readily defend our freedoms when they are threatened;
give us courage in making our voices heard
on behalf of the rights of your Church
and the freedom of conscience of all people of faith.

Grant, we pray, O heavenly Father,
a clear and united voice to all your sons and daughters
gathered in your Church
in this decisive hour in the history of our nation,
so that, with every trial withstood
and every danger overcome—
for the sake of our children, our grandchildren,
and all who come after us—
this great land will always be "one nation, under God,
indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."

We ask this through Christ our Lord.

Amen.

Learning All the Time ~

I've just finished reading the first chapter of  Learning All the Time by John Holt.  I sure wish I would have read this book a lot sooner!  It would have been a great baby shower gift.  This book is so insightful.  Mr. Holt explains so much of what I have been unable to explain to others about what I have seen happening with my children.  So many times I've been asked what I used to teach my children to read.  Sure, I have tons of phonics programs, but have yet to complete any of them.  However, my children can read.  I really started thinking about this when Buck was younger.  My older two girls were reading well and had been for some time.  Friends wanted to know how I taught them and well, I had a hard time answering the question.  I would say, "I really don't know..  I didn't really teach them."  I just read to them.  You know, that was some wonderful advice I got when I first had "the call" to homeschool.  "Just read to them," was the advice I was given.  So read we did.  We enjoyed life and lived and learned.
Over time I felt the need to add more and more "curriculum" to my older girls days.  After reading A Little Way of Homeschooling, I realized that I had fallen into the trap of  'filling their buckets and not necessarily lighting a fire' in their education.  This post tells more about that...

It's good to take time to re-evaluate the reason why you are doing what you are doing.  Write a Family Mission Statement - updating it from time to time as you grow along your journey. Our latest version ~

To live our faith through the gift of God's Holy Church and the Sacraments, staying focused on the reason we are here.  To live a life of charity and service, seeing the image of God in all His creatures and letting His light shine through us in all we do.

It's so easy to get caught up in what the world is telling you is important. But, how is God calling you???  We are focused on Heaven, not Harvard!  God has great plans for each of us, as he tells us through the prophet Jeremiah.

For I know well the plans I have in mind for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare, not for woe!  plans to give you a future full of hope.  Jeremiah 29:11

Spend time in front of The Blessed Sacrament and He WILL tell you where He needs your family and what it will take to get you there!

F is for First State ~

The other day Buck asked what the first state was.  Of course I knew the answer...  as I quickly Googled it - Delaware!  This reminded me of the geography study I've been wanting to do with the kids for a while using the Sleeping Bear Press series of Discover America State by State books!  I had wanted to buy these notebooking pages to go along with it, but never got around to it.  Then I came across these **FREE** Notebooking pages on Pinterest. 

So, I checked out F is for First State from the library and this morning after we were home from Mass we all gathered around the kitchen table and enjoyed it together.  As I read aloud they filled in info they heard like it's nickname is The Diamond State.  I printed off a state map and flag from Enchanted Learning and we glued them as seen below.

Then they colored in the flag to match.

Once they were finished we added the date to their time lines ~

and filed them in the back of their Book of Centuries.

Back to the Ordinary - Not so Ordinary Time ~

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

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

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

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

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

Pentecost Sunday ~ Come Holy Spirit

from Pray More Novenas

Happy Pentecost!

Let us pray...

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

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

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

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

Thank You for everything, Lord Jesus!

Amen.

Novena to the Holy Spirit ~ Day 9

from Pray More Novenas

Goodness

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

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

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

Amen.

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

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

Amen.

Novena to the Holy Spirit ~ Day 8

from Pray More Novenas

Self-Control

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

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

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

Amen.

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

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

Amen.

Novena to the Holy Spirit ~ Day 7

from Pray More Novenas

Gentleness

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

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

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

Amen.

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

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

Amen.

Novena to the Holy Spirit ~ Day 6

(from Pray More Novenas)

Faithfulness

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

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

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

Amen.

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

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

Amen.

Novena to the Holy Spirit ~ Day 5

Holy Spirit Novena Prayer - Day 5

(from Pray More Novenas)

Kindness

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

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

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

Amen.

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

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

Amen.

Novena to the Holy Spirit ~ Day 4

Holy Spirit Novena Prayers - Day 4

 (from Pray More Novenas)

Patience

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

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

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

Amen.

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

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

Amen.

Novena to the Holy Spirit ~ Day 3

Holy Spirit Novena Prayers - Day 3

from Pray More Novenas

Peace

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

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

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

Amen.

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

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

Amen.

Novena to The Holy Spirit - Day 2

Day 2 - Saturday after the Ascension

Pray

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

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

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

Let us pray

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

Read:
Acts 18:23-28

John 16:23-28

Be silent

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

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

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

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

Novena to the Holy Spirit ~ Day 1

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

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

Holy Spirit Novena Prayers - Day 1

 Charity

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

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

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

Amen.

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

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

Amen.



Novena to The Holy Spirit - Day One

Day 1 - Friday after the Ascension

Pray

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

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

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

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

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

Be silent

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

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

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

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

A Novena for Pentecost

Come Holy Spirit ~



The novena for pentecost begins tomorrow.

You can sign up to receive emails at Pray More Novenas

 -or-

You can come here each day.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Here their banners hang on the ends of pews. 

The First Communion Cake ~

Baked by The House Cat and decorated by Granny.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Thank you Lord for Your Holy Church!