A Springtime Quiz
You Are Baseball Games |
 You like old fashioned things. You’re one of those people who values tradition. You enjoy a slow pace of life. You believe that life is all about enjoying every moment. You love the changing of the seasons, and you look forward to what each season brings. You are smart and a bit obsessive. You become very immersed in your interests. |
This description does seem to fit, for the most part… I would have to agree that I *do* value traditions!! As for a slow pace of life, my life is anything but slow paced, though I often wish it would slow down a little bit… I do look forward to each new season. And, I can be a bit obsessive when it comes to the things in which I am interested. 😉 As for baseball, my boys have practices twice a week right now. Then, starting in April, in addition to practice, they will have two games each week. Yes, it looks like my life this Spring IS going to be “Baseball Games”!
Let me know if you play along, I’d love to hear your results too!
Northwest Catholic Family Education Conference
The Northwest Catholic Family Education Conference, Nurturing Catholic Family Life, will be May 1-2, 2009 in Tukwila, WA (just south of Seattle).
Fr. Gerard Saguto, F.S.S.P. (who was ordained with one of my brother-in-laws and happened to be a fellow student at Christendom when I was there!) will be one of the speakers, giving a presentation on “Salt and Talent.”
I can’t wait to finally be able to meet Meredith, one of the very first Catholic bloggers/friends I met online!! =) She will be speaking as well, giving a presentation on “Nurturing Catholic Family Life by Living the Liturgical Year.” Doesn’t it sound wonderful?!
I am also looking forward to hearing Dr. Joan Cotter, author of Right Start Mathematics, speak about “How Children Learn Best — Keeping Brain Research in Mind” and “Why Mathematics Is Important for Our Children’s Futures”. Math has been a challenge this year, so hopefully I will come how with some new tips that will help.
Other speakers include Fr. Jim Kelleher, S.O.L.T., Camille Pauley, Carrie Thienes, and more.
I’ll be traveling to the conference with a friend of mine, and staying with another friend I haven’t seen in forever! I can’t wait!!! =) This year, I’ll make sure not to leave any valuables in my car, since I learned my lesson last year!
If you’d like to attend, you can register online or by mail. They are offering a special discounted rate for the remainder of March in honor of St. Joseph, so be sure to register soon!
Lætare Sunday
Today is Lætare Sunday, the fourth Sunday during Lent, also known as Rose Sunday, and Mothering Sunday. As with other Sundays the name, Lætare, comes from the first words of the Introit, “Lætare Jeruselem” or “Rejoice O Jerusalem!” It is a day that we take a break from the otherwise penitential season of Lent, just like on Gaudete Sunday during Advent. We are reminded that our salvation is at hand, Christ will soon rise from the dead to free us from the slavery of sin, and this austere season of penance will soon be over!! It is also a good day to renew our dedication to this holy season, especially if our Lent hasn’t been going quite as we had hoped.
At Mass, the priest may wear rose colored vestments. This custom originated since, as a symbol of joy and hope in the middle of this somber Season, popes used to carry a golden rose in their right hand when returning from the celebration of Mass on this day. In fact, back in 1051, Pope Leo IX called this custom an “ancient institution.” Afterward, the pope would often give the rose to a church, shrine, city, or distinguished person as a token of esteem and paternal affection. It was from this tradition that today is sometimes called “Rose Sunday”.
Our Very First St. Joseph Altar
The History of the Saint Joseph AltarThe people of Sicily prayed. For too long there had been no rain to nourish the crops that sustained life for most of the island. The dried out wheat stalks cracked beneath the feet of the poor farmers as they walked through their barren fields. Only a sea of dust and withered vines remained from what had once been row upon row of brightly colored fruits and vegetables. And so the people prayed. They pleaded to St. Joseph, their patron, for relief from the famine that gripped the island. At last the skies opened, sending down the life-giving water. The people rejoiced. Some time later, to show their gratitude, they prepared a table with a special assortment of foods they had harvested. After paying honor to St. Joseph, they distributed the food to the less fortunate. The first St. Joseph Altar set up on the Island of Sicily was a small one, of course. But as time went on and the tradition took hold, the flamboyant nature and creative spirit of the Italians caused the altars to grow larger and more ornate. Today, the artistic quality of the breads, cookies and pastries, which are baked in such shapes as chalices, staffs and pyramids, often rivals the exquisite flavor of the food offerings. Though Sicilian immigrants introduced the custom to America, the celebration is not confined to any nationality. Rather, it has become a public event which its devoted participants embrace for a host of private and personal reasons. The feast is alternately a source of petition and thanksgiving. Many families believe that having a St. Joseph Altar can bring good fortune. And it is common to hear stories about favors received (a loved one’s recovery from an illness, for example), which are in turn attributed to the family’s dedication to St. Joseph. But whatever the reasons people become involved. St. Joseph’s Feast Day is a tradition that centers on the entire family. One of the special customs calls for the selection of children to portray members of the Holy Family—Jesus, Mary and Joseph. Angels and favorite saints may also be included in the ritual, which begins with the “saints” going door to door to seek aid until finally reaching the place where the altar is on display. After the Holy Family has eaten, guests may partake of the meal. Most of the foods presented on the altar are acquired through begging, a symbol gesture that represents what the poor of Sicily were forced to do. When the feast is over, the remaining food and whatever money has been contributed are given to the poor. Whether a St. Joseph Altar is an elaborate display at an elegant church or a humble table in a modest home, it is a reflection of deep devotion to St. Joseph, the patron of those in need—workers, travelers, the persecuted, the poor, the aged, the dying. And it is a custom that has enjoyed resurgence in recent years, as young and old have begun to rediscover their heritage. After many centuries, the St. Joseph Altar still serves as a reminder that those who have enjoyed some measure of good fortune must share it with those who have less.
Jenn has a great post over at Catholic Cuisine right now with Foods for the St. Joseph Altar, and be sure to check out The Virtual St. Joseph Altar as well! I hope you all have a blessed feast of St. Joseph!
Viva San Giuseppe!
40 Bags of Stuff ~ Update
Speaking of weight, I wonder just how many pounds my home has shed this past week?! Here’s the breakdown so far:
12 Bags of Stuff to St. Vincents
1 Bag of Stuff to a friend
5 Bags of Stuff thrown away
Large Items (which count as 1 bag each):
1 Doll Cradle
1 Television Set
1 Microwave (Do you think I can live without one?!)
Only 19 “Bags of Stuff” left to go to accomplish the 40 Bags of Stuff Challenge!!
This has really been a nice addition to my Lenten Cleaning schedule. I have found it quite helpful to have a preset goal for the quantity of stuff I need to get out of our home, especially since I have a tendency to hang on to things that we really don’t need, and definitely *don’t* have the room for! As I tackle each daily project, I am trying to set a goal of how many bags to fill, and it has been working. I’m going to have a little catch up to do next week, but that’s ok… We’re making progress!
So, how is your Lenten (or Spring) Cleaning going?
WoW ~ Week 10
My Summary:
- Week Ten Weight Loss/Gain: -1.5 pounds
- Inches Loss/Gain: -1.25 inches
- Overall Results: -10.5 pounds and -10 inches
Head on over to Regina’s to see everyone’s stats.
Celebrating St. Patrick’s Day
With getting ready to leave for my Grandfather’s funeral, and the downpour we had the past few days, I ended up canceling our plans for “St. Patrick’s Day at the Park.” Wouldn’t you know that the sun would finally come out, just as we all were to have met?? Anyhow, I just couldn’t pull it off this year. My children still had a nice St. Patrick’s Day at home, and we will head to the park another time, hopefully soon!
Here are a few pictures from our day…
We read lots of picture books and had Shamrock Mint Cupcakes. The cupcakes were very easy to make and looked so cute!
We colored a couple pictures of St. Patrick.
My friend Marci put together a cute little Shamrock craft, which she shared with us.
The boys St. Patrick and St. Joseph Lap books are coming along nicely. I’m sure I will post pictures when they are done!
My girls had a blast making their dipped Oreos, despite how serious they looked in the pictures! lol!! They were determined to get the sprinkle on “just perfectly!”
I finished painting St. Patrick to add to our Alphabet of Saints…
Rascal decided to make an appearance as “St. Patrick!”
Snack time was so much fun with our Oreos, Cupcakes, Green M&M’s and Irish Floats (limeade over a scoop of lime sherbet).
For Dinner we had our Irish Beef and Guinness Stew with delicious Irish Soda Bread, followed by green Pistachio Mallow Salad.
It was a nice day, despite our sadness over losing Grandpa (aka Great-Grandpa)… The day ended with a phone call from my brother asking Rascal and Chiquita to be Ring bearer and Flower Girl for his upcoming wedding in June. He also asked Captain to be one of the Altar boys, serving with my youngest brother. Exciting!
St. Patrick’s Day Treats
Since we had so much fun last month decorating Oreos, we decided (back then) to decorate more for St. Patrick’s day. This time my girls used green sprinkles and (I used) green glitter gel to make Shamrock Oreos.
I hope you all had a blessed St. Patrick’s Day!! I have a few more pictures I’d love to share, but it is going to have to wait… I just realized it is 2am, and I need to get some sleep!
Lá breithe mhaith agat!
It was taken back in 2000 at the 4Ps in Va.)
Slainte!
An Irish Blessing…
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