The Good Shepherd’s Garden Party :: Week Seven
This week, for The Heavenly Zoo, instead of having a party with all the menu items, I’ve been making my kids a special lunch each day. At first I thought I’d make a batch of cupcakes, decorating six each day for each animal, but then I decided (since I’ve been trying so hard to stick to my diet) that I’d try and come up with some sandwiches instead. I served the special lunches with WATER, since it was the first symbol for the week. The week started out great with reinDEER, LION, and BEEHIVE sandwiches, but since Thursday and Friday were so busy I finished the week with PEACOCK pizza & salad, PELICAN trail mix, and fiery PHOENIX chips and salsa this afternoon.
I hope you all have a very blessed Pentecost Sunday!
{this moment}
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| Bud at 5 Months |
An Alphabet of Mary
Have you seen the latest book written and illustrated by George & Brenda Nippert at Catholic Artworks? Created in the same style as An Alphabet of Saints, which we used Along the Alphabet Path and inspired my Painted Alphabet Saints, An Alphabet of Mary is another beautiful and inspiring book for children.
I am looking forward to sharing it with my children! It has been a busy month, so I’ve been saving it for the upcoming (traditional) feast of the Queenship of Mary on May 31st. (Which is also the new feast of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary to St. Elizabeth.) My hope is that I can bake a crown cake, prepare a Marian Tea, and then share this book with my children to honor Our Blessed Mother one more time, during her month of May.
NOTE: Over the past year I have had many, many, emails asking for information on Catholic Artworks, and why they were taking so long to deliver orders. Last week I finally spoke with George Nippert, the owner at Catholic Artworks, and he shared a little bit about the many struggles their family has suffered and that the last of the overdue orders were finally shipping. Mr. Nippert said that all new orders will ship promptly and that he is offering the following sale through May 31st. I really hope that they will be able to start shipping promptly, since they really do have some nice products to offer.
All products ordered will be 30% off with the code “Let_it_be” – Plus, if you order a copy of An Alphabet of Mary they will also include a free poster if you mention Shower of Roses.
Highlights of the Ordination of Bishop Liam Cary
{pretty, happy, funny, real}
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| Bishop’s Cake |
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| Photo Credit: Marc Salvatore |
We all look so much younger!
(I also have a picture of the new Bishop singing the same song for our friend Marc, at the surprise birthday party we hosted for him last year.)
State-by-State Scrapbook :: New York
It has been quite some time since the boys completed these scrapbook pages for New York, but I’m just now getting around to posting them, along with the girls’ State-by-State Baking post for New York.
Actually, it is the perfect time for a little review, as we have been studying the Erie Canal (reading Amazing Impossible Erie Canal and re-watching an episode from How the States Got Their Shapes) this week, as we study the Early 19th Century.
This unique treat is created in Rome, New York, using an old time process and a secret formula. The end result is a decadent chocolate and brazil nut “bone marrow” center that is enrobed in a delicate, shiny and crunchy sugar “bone” outer shell.
State-by-State Baking :: New York Cheesecake
by Twinkle Toes (L) and Chiquita (R)
Grab your garden tools.
and we’ll head up to Gore Mountain,
for New York’s State’s official jewel.”
The girls had such a hard time deciding what to make for New York. First they thought they would make potato chips, which were invented in 1853 in New York. Then they decided to make Garnet Jello Jigglers since a carpenter from Le Roy, New York invented Jello. But, ultimately, the girls decided to make New York Cheesecake, using this recipe, for Mother’s Day! Next time (maybe for Father’s Day?) we want to try an Oreo crust and perhaps follow Barbara’s directions.
15 graham crackers, crushed
2 tablespoons butter, melted
4 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese
1 1/2 cups white sugar
3/4 cup milk
4 eggs
1 cup sour cream
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9 inch springform pan. In a medium bowl, mix graham cracker crumbs with melted butter. Press onto bottom of springform pan.
We also enjoyed some cherry topping with the cheesecake as well. Since it was Mother’s Day, I did have a piece, and it was delicious. Thankfully I think Bud is finally starting to outgrow his sensitivity to dairy!
United States Coloring Book (Dover)
State Birds and Flowers Coloring Book (Dover)
The United States Cookbook: Fabulous Foods and Fascinating Facts From All 50 States
Other Posts of Interest:
State-by-State Scrapbook
State-by-State Scrapbook :: New York (coming soon)
On Fatherhood
I wanted to take a minute to share the link to a beautiful and inspiring reflection on fatherhood. This article was written by my brother-in-law, Tom Steenson, who is married to my husband’s sister and teaches 5th Grade at The Heights School in Maryland.
Here is a short excerpt that I found particularly inspiring:
“We may fool ourselves into thinking there is nothing heroic in our daily lives. After all, our day-to-day is hardly newsworthy, nor does it approach the level of notice reserved for medals and public honor. But just as there is a white martyrdom, the silent and bloodless giving of one’s life for Christ, so also there is an everyday heroic, which often finds itself played out in the silent offering of one’s daily life and work to God.”
Good Shepherd’s Garden Party :: Week Six {and May Crowning!}
Yesterday afternoon (before watching the solar eclipse!) we had our sixth Good Shepherd’s Garden Party. Since we hadn’t had an opportunity to have a May Crowning yet this year, I thought we’d try to tie it in to our Garden Party this week, especially since all the symbols for Week Six can easily remind us of Mary. I suggested the idea to Charlotte and she took off with it coming up with the perfect titles and menu items. Here are a few pictures from this week’s Garden Party/May Crowning:
Queen of Peace Crown Shaped Tea Sandwiches
For this final week, I’ve decided to give my children a special treat each day (rather than having a Garden Party next weekend) to both build up their excitement and also simplify this coming weekend for me, since we will want to have our traditional Pentecost Celebration. Today I’m serving ReinDEER sandwiches and trail mix!
The Ordination Mass of Father Liam Cary as Bishop of Baker
Father Cary is the priest that provided most of our marriage preparation and married Hubby & I back in 1999! I had so wished that we would be on our way to the ordination right now… However, Hubby’s work schedule has been overwhelming lately and he ended up needing to work today after all, so we had to cancel our hotel reservations. The trip would have been just too hard for me to make on my own with all the kids, though the idea did cross my mind!
Instead I just put a “Bishop’s Cake” in the oven and we will be watching the livestream (also available here at CatholicTV.com at additional times) of the Ordination online, beginning at 1:30pm. Isn’t technology amazing!?! After the ordination we will offer a rosary for the new bishop and have our own little reception!
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