{pretty, happy, funny, real} :: A Look Whooo’s Two Birthday Party!
This past Saturday afternoon, after our St. Patrick’s Day breakfast and morning at the Rink, and before Mass and the St. Patrick’s Day Dinner at Church, we attended a fun birthday party for a sweet little two year old.
The End of Season Players vs. Parents Hockey Game
St. Patrick’s Day Coffee Hour
This is the second time I’ve signed up for the coffee hour… It’s been so fun to tie in the saints and seasons. I wonder which feast day we should do next?! 🙂
Our 2012 St. Joseph’s Altar
The St. Joseph Altar is an old tradition from Sicily. You can click here to read an explanation of how the tradition started. There are three tiers to the altar, representing the Trinity and the three members of the Holy Family; Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. Usually a statue or picture of St. Joseph is placed on the top tier.
I had been so pre-occupied planning for all the various events we had scheduled over the weekend that I really hadn’t put any thought into celebrating St. Joseph’s Day this year, other than picking up a package of fig newtons and some cream puffs during my last grocery shopping trip. Thankfully everything just fell into place and the kids set up and decorated the altar, while I started preparing the food. It was such a nice evening, though we all missed Daddy, and wished he could be home to enjoy our special meal in honor of St. Joseph, patron of Fathers.
We didn’t include all of the Foods for St. Joseph’s Altar on our own family altar this year, but here are some pictures and descriptions of the foods that we did enjoy for our dinner and St. Joseph’s Day celebration today.
For these I just defrosted a bag of frozen dinner rolls and the kids had so much fun shaping symbols with the dough.
We purchased a package of Fig Newtons and made some quick and easy “bibles” to add to our St. Joseph Altar. Behind the cookies is a beautiful holy card that one of the “Uncle Fathers” gave the boys, while visiting us following a retreat he gave for the Carmelites in Elysburg, Pennsylvania. The Carmelites made this holy card, as well as some lovely St. Therese holy cards he brought for the girls, by using dried rose petals from their convent to frame the images of the saints. The back of this particular card reads:
We didn’t exactly have wine, but my kids were more than happy that I finally let them have the bottles of Sparkling Cider and Peach Grape Spritzer that have been chilling in the fridge. Captain also filled up a basket with some fruit and a vase with some chocolate lilies, which also symbolize St. Joseph.
St. Joseph’s Day Baking
P.S. And don’t forget to enter the giveaway over at Catholic Cuisine. You have until midnight.
Please Pray for our Priests
Yesterday I received an email from my dear mother-in-law asking us to keep my husband’s oldest brother in our prayers and wanted to ask you all to do the same. As she said in her email, “”The truth will set you free” and it will also get you in trouble. Courage in the face of a Godless nation. May God protect him from the onslaught that is sure to follow.” Instead of linking to the article I read yesterday, I’m going to send you over to WDTPRS to read the details:
Isn’t Father awesome?! I have really been blessed with the most amazing and inspiring in-laws. Please keep Father, and all priests, in your prayers!
Prayer for Priests to St. Joseph
An Irish Blessing
may you all be richly blessed!
{pretty, happy, funny, real} Preparing for St. Patrick’s Day!
It has been… ummmm…. 3 YEARS since Captain began making his St. Patrick Lap Book. My grandfather passed away that same week (3 years ago yesterday), and it just never has been completely finished. Maybe this year? Is it just me, or do unfinished projects drive you crazy too?!
{bonus}
My sweet little Bud has been hanging out in the baby basket at my feet, happily watching me type up this post! I just can’t believe that he is going to be 3 months old on Monday… He had his weight checked yesterday and is already up to 11 pounds 12 ounces. He is such a cutie!
State-by-State Baking :: New Hampshire Apple Tea Cake
Are you all completely sick of our “State-by-State Baking” posts this week? I promise I will blog about something other than geography and food soon!
The girls have been making great progress this week, catching up on some recipes to go along with the states they have been studying over the winter. They’ve already completed a recipe for Virginia (I just need to upload the pictures) and will be making Crab Cakes for Maryland on Friday. We just need to decide on (and make) recipes for New York, North Carolina, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Kentucky to be all caught up… We have a couple ideas, but would love some suggestions from anyone that lives there, or is familiar with any great recipes specific to those states!
Anyhow, back to New Hampshire… New Hampshire, originally one of the thirteen colonies, “created” the new nation by becoming the 9th state on June 21, 1788, meeting the requirement for nine states to ratify the Constitution! The girls studied this state with the help of G is for Granite: A New Hampshire Alphabet and then completed their Notebook Pages.
To go along with our South Carolina Butterflies and Tea, the girls decided to make an Apple Tea Cake, recalling the apple orchards that were planted by the early settlers in New Hampshire. As we enjoyed our tea and cake, we read the poem “After Apple Picking” which was written by American poet, Robert Frost in 1914.
Frost is a poet of countryside things:
stone walls and hay rakes,
stoneboats and snowflakes,
orchards and woods where the ovenbird sings. “
Ingredients:
- 1/4 cup butter
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 cup flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1 apple, cored and thinly sliced
- extra sugar
- nutmeg
Directions:
- Cream butter and sugar and then add egg, beating well.
- Add flour, baking powder and salt, alternating with milk and mix until light and fluffy.
- Pour mixture into a greased and lined cake tin.
- Place apple slices decoratively on top of cake and sprinkle with the extra sugar and some nutmeg.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 30-45 minutes. (Ours took longer since we used a smaller pan, making the cake deeper.)
- Remove from pan and cool on tray.
Resources we used for this State Study:
G is for Granite: A New Hampshire Alphabet
G is for Granite Teacher’s Guide (pdf)
New Hampshire’s Notebooking Page from United States Maps
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 Hampshire
State-by-State Baking :: South Carolina’s Butterfly Fruit Snack
by Twinkle Toes (L) and Chiquita (R)
a colorful butterfly to see.
Flying from flower to flower,
flitting and soaring, wild and carefree.”
Inspired by these Orange Slice Butterflies, the girls created some fruit Eastern Tiger Swallowtails, the official butterfly of the state of South Carolina. These were so fun and easy to make. Since the Butterfly is one of the Easter Symbols, I think we will be making these again, sometime during the 50 days of Easter. They are pretty self explanatory, but here are the directions:
Blueberries or Purple Grapes
Toothpicks
Directions:
Slice the oranges, trimming off the ends, into 4 slices each. Cut each orange slice into quarters.
String the blueberries onto toothpicks, covering the toothpick, creating the body of the butterfly. Insert and center a toothpick horizontally through the middle blueberry. Add one orange slice to each end of the toothpick, creating the butterfly’s wings.
Arrange the finished butterfly fruit snacks on a platter. Enjoy!
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 :: South Carolina
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