Good Shepherd Sunday
The gifts the children received for Easter this year, in our family Easter basket, included a Little Lambs Cupcake Kit and a Good Shepherd Blessing Block. After Mass we decided to bake and decorate the Little Lambs today to continue celebrating Good Shepherd Sunday!
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| Rose’s completed cupcake. She says you can see the lamb’s smile right below it’s eyes. 🙂 |
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| “I didn’t mean to make him cross-eyed!” says the 14 year old… |
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| The kit only included enough mini marshmallows for 5 cupcakes (?) so we improvised by cutting up some large marshmallows that happened to be in the cupboard. |
Here is a short excerpt from Fr. Eric Andersen’s beautiful and inspiring Sermon for Sunday, April 26, 2015:
Happy Birthday, Kit! :: Chocolate Roll Cake
“You are so lucky, Kit,” sighed Ruthie. “This is a wonderful party.” The sun had set. The yard was lit with lanterns Aunt Millie had saved from a trash pile and repaired. The lanterns had candles inside them, and they swayed in the soft evening breeze so that their light danced across the grass. Kit, Ruthie, and Sterling were sitting together eating the chocolate roll cake Aunt Millie had made…” ~ Happy Birthday, Kit!
Ingredients:
- 1-1/2 boxes (12 cakes per box) Swiss Rolls, unwrapped
- 2-3/4 cups Milk, cold
- 2 packages (3.9 ounces each) Instant Chocolate Fudge Pudding Mix
- 2 cups Cool Whip (I used one 8 ounce container)
- Fresh Strawberries, optional
Directions:
Cut each cake roll into six slices; set aside any chocolate coating that separates from rolls for garnish.
Line a 9-in. springform pan with cake slices, completely covering the bottom and sides.
In a small bowl, whisk milk and pudding mixes for 2 minutes (mixture will be thick).
Pour over cake.
Spread with spatula.
Top pudding with Cool Whip, or other whipped topping.
Sprinkle with any reserved chocolate coating.
Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours before removing from the springform pan and serving.
Garnish or serve with strawberries, if desired.
I’ll be back with pictures from the rest of the party sometime soon. In the meantime you can find additional cake recipes at the bottom of this page. You can also check out some of our past American Girl Unit Studies and Birthday Parties here:
Saint George and the Dragon
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| Saint George and the Dragon by Jim Forest |
While devouring this year’s Saint George and the Dragon Veggie Platter, my husband read the following short and inspiring story from Saints for Young People for Every Day of the Year (1963 Edition):
April 23St. GeorgePictures of St. George usually show him killing a dragon to rescue a beautiful lady. The dragon stands for wickedness. The lady stands for God’s holy truth. St. George was a brave martyr who was victorious over the devil.
He was a soldier in the army of the Roman Emperor Diocletian, and he was one of the Emperor’s favorite solders. Now Diocletian was a pagan and a bitter enemy of the Christians. He put to death every Christian he could find. George was a brave Christian, a real soldier of Christ. Without fear, he went to the Emperor and sternly scolded him for being so cruel. Then he gave up his position in the Roman army. For this he was tortured in many terrible ways and finally beheaded.
So boldly daring and so cheerful was St. George in declaring his Faith and in dying for it that Christians felt courage when they heard about it. Many songs and poems were written about this martyr. Soldiers, especially, have always been devoted to him.
We all have some “dragon” we have to conquer. It might be pride or anger or laziness or greediness or something else. Let us make sure we fight against these “dragons,” with God’s help. Then we can call ourselves real soldiers of Christ.
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| Comparing the images of St. George found in some of our books. You can find a list with links here. |
Getting Ready for National Pro-Life T-Shirt Week
Chiquita (who just turned 10 on Monday and had her braces taken off yesterday!!) wasn’t about to let her older siblings spray her with the hose, but she sure looked cute wearing a pro-life t-shirt (that is way too big on her!) while riding a tire swing.
There are still opportunities to win t-shirts during the 5-Days of Give-A-Ways over on the National Pro-Life T-Shirt Week Facebook Page and you can register for the Photo Contest on their website.
If you don’t have any luck winning a t-shirt during the 5-Days of Give-A-Ways, you can also order official 2015 National Pro-Life T-Shirt Week T-shirts from American Life League.
Celebrating the Saints :: St. Magnus of Orkney
The Easter Story {LEGO Edition}
Ever since 2009 when our oldest two boys were just seven and eight years old (they are now thirteen and fourteen!) they have put together a Playmobil Way of the Cross during Holy Week. Last year, instead of pulling out the Playmobil, the boys created LEGO scenes for Good Friday, Holy Saturday, and Easter Sunday. This year they expanded their original creations and came up with additional scenes for Palm Sunday and the rest of Holy Week as well. I took lots of pictures to share! Everything is made with LEGO from their collection, including the “purple robe” (from this minifigure) and the “INRI” letters on the cross!
John 19:17
Jesus, I Trust in You
In 1931 St. Faustina, received an apparition of Our Lord with rays radiating from His heart. He instructed her to paint an image of His tender mercy toward all humanity with the signature “Jesus, I Trust in You.” The Lord explained the meaning of the rays in the image:
The two rays denote Blood and Water. The pale ray stands for the Water which makes souls righteous. The red ray stands for the Blood which is the life of souls. These two rays issued forth from the depths of My tender mercy when My agonized Heart was opened by a lance on the Cross. Happy is the one who will dwell in their shelter, for the just hand of God shall not lay hold of him (299). By means of this image I shall grant many graces to souls. It is to be a reminder of the demands of My mercy, because even the strongest faith is of no avail without works (742).
Farmer Boy :: Big Red Barn Birthday
Books, Bingo, Birthday Cake, and Birthday Gifts… That’s how we celebrated Bud’s 3rd birthday last December! The cake took the most time and effort to create, but it was so much fun to make and the birthday boy LOVED his cake! You can find the directions for creating my Barnyard Birthday Cake here and pictures of the birthday boy discovering his cake in the morning here. Here are the rest of the pictures from his special day.
After naming our miscarried baby Anthony last summer, and since Bud loves his older brother’s St. Michael doll, I really wanted to give him St. Anthony of Padua with Baby Jesus from Zélie Dolls. I waited too long to place my order, but Joanne was so sweet and worked hard to make sure it arrived just in time for his birthday!
I had such a difficult time deciding on a wooden barn to purchase for Bud and ultimately ended up choosing the Schleich Portable Barn with Accessories. It’s perfect!
Farmer Boy Barnyard Birthday Cake
Ingredients:
Cake and Cupcakes
2 – Round Cakes (I baked Carrot Cake in 8″ round pans, recipe below)
1 – Sarah Lee Frozen Pound Cake (or bake your own in a loaf pan and freeze for easy handling)
3 Cupcakes (for Silo)
8 Cupcakes (for Animals)
Frosting and Cake Decorations
Frosting, divided (use your favorite recipe, the Cream Cheese recipe below, or purchase a couple cans of Vanilla Frosting)
Leaf Green Icing Color (for the round cakes and coconut)
Pink Food Color (or a few drops of red, for the pigs and cow noses)
Yellow Food Color (for the coconut on the chicks)
Black Decorating Icing (for the spots on the cows)
Blue Sparkle Gel
Shredded Coconut (divided, mix some with yellow food color for the chicks and some with green food color for the grass)
20 Pretzel Sticks (I used Trader Joe’s Honey Wheat Pretzel Sticks)
Peanut Butter or Light Cocoa Candy Melts
Note: As an alternative to the coconut you can create grass with green frosting and Wilton’s Tip #233 for grass. For examples you can see my son’s Hobbit Hole Cake here.
Barn Decorations
Twizzlers Pull ‘n’ Peel Candy, Cherry
Life Cereal
4 Mini Chocolate Chips (for eyes)
2 yellow or orange gumdrops (I used Trader Joe’s Fruit Jellies, cut in half for wings)
1 yellow Starburst (cut in half from corner to corner for beak)
Cow Decorations (makes 2)
4 pink M&M’s (for ears)
4 brown mini M&M’s (for eyes)
1 Marshmallow (cut in half and frosted pink for nose)
4 black sprinkles (or use additional black decorating icing)
Pig Decorations (makes 2)
4 little pieces of Twizzlers Pull ‘n’ Peel Candy, Cherry (for nostrils)
4 M&M’s Minis (for eyes)
2 pink Starburst (cut in half from corner to corner for ears)
1 regular sized Marshmallow (cut in half and frosted pink for nose)
Sheep Decorations (makes 2)
2 pink M&M’s (for nose)
4 Chocolate Chips or brown M&M’s, regular size (for eyes)
2 regular sized Marshmallows (cut in half diagonally, for ears)
38-40 miniature marshmallows
Directions:
Bake cakes and cupcakes. Make frosting according to directions and gather all decorating supplies. You will also need a tray or piece of cardboard to place your cake on. I used a n 18″x12″ cutting board.
Barn and Silo:
Unwrap 3 cupcakes and trim off the tops. I stacked three cupcakes along with one of the trimmed tops to create the silo. Trim one end of the loaf shaped pound cake to resemble the top of a barn when standing on it’s end as pictured below.
I missed getting a picture of this step, but you will also need to cut a small curve out of one of the 8″ round cakes so the two cakes can be put together for the base.
In a small bowl, tint 1 cup of the frosting with pink or red liquid food color to make pink frosting. In a medium bowl, tint 1 1/2 cups of the frosting with green gel or paste food color to make desired color of green frosting for the grass; set aside. Reserve remaining white frosting.
Spread a thin layer of green frosting over the two round 8″ cakes. Place the barn and silo on top of one of the cakes and cover with a thin layer of white frosting, to seal in crumbs. Refrigerate or freeze cake 30 to 60 minutes. Cover with remaining green frosting and another layer of white frosting.
Decorate the barn with Twizzlers Pull ‘n’ Peel Candy, making sure to leave a space for the barn door and window. I pulled the candy into strands of three (instead of individual) to make it a little easier to place on the cake, cutting them into the correct lengths with my kitchen shears.
Cover the roof of the barn and silo with Life Cereal. (Shredded Wheat or a variety of other cereals would probably work as well.)
Pond:
Using Blue Sparkle Gel create a pond.
Grass:
Mix (or shake in a plastic bag) some shredded coconut with Leaf Green Icing Color (or green food color) until the desired shade of green. Place on top of cake surrounding the pond and over to the barn.
Pasture Fence:
Place two dabs of melted Peanut Butter or Light Cocoa Candy Melts near the top of two vertical pretzel sticks and then lay two more pretzel sticks over the melted candy horizontally to create sections of fence. Repeat until you have enough for your cake. Place around the bottom edges of cake and slightly into the frosting to hold them in place.
Decorate cupcakes and arrange on coconut grass.
Chicks: Frost 2 cupcakes with white frosting. Top with yellow coconut. For eyes, add 2 mini chocolate chips. Cut orange gumdrops to look like wings and Starburst for beak; place on cupcakes.
Sheep: Frost 2 cupcakes with white frosting. Add brown chocolate chips for the eyes and a pink M&M for the nose. For ears, add white marshmallow halves, cut sides down if necessary. Place mini marshmallows on face for wool.
Pigs: Frost 2 cupcakes with pink frosting. For snout, cut a large marshmallow in half and cover with pink frosting; place on cupcake. Add two small pieces of leftover Twizzlers Pull ‘n’ Peel Candy for nostrils. For eyes, add two M&M Minis. For ears, cut a pink starburst in half diagonally and place on cupcake.
Cows: Frost 2 cupcakes with white frosting. Add a couple black spots using Black Decorating Icing. For nose, cut a large marshmallow in half and cover with pink frosting; place on cupcake. Place two black sprinkles on nose for nostrils. Add two M&M Minis for eyes and two pink M&M’s for ears.
This is the recipe my mom always made when I was growing up. I think it was originally from her Betty Crocker Cookbook. Yummmm!
#1 Combine:
1 1/2 cups Whole Wheat Flour
2/3 cup All-Pourpose Flour
2 teaspoons Baking Soda
2 teaspoons Cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1/2 teaspoon Nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon Ginger
#2 Combine in Large Bowl:
1 cup Sugar
1 cup Buttermilk
3/4 cup Oil
4 Eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons Vanilla
Mix well.
Add to #2:
1 lb. grated Carrots
1 – 8oz. can Crushed Pineapple, undrained
1 cup Walnuts, chopped
Grease three 8″ round cake pans. Line bottoms with wax paper.
Bake at 350˚F for 30 minutes (mine was a little too moist and could have used a few more minutes…) or until done. Cool in pan for 10 minutes.
Note: I used two of the three 8″ rounds for the Barnyard Birthday Cake.
1/2 cup butter
1 – 8oz. package cream cheese
1 – 16oz. package powdered sugar
2 teaspoons grated orange rind – optional
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Combine butter and cream cheese in large bowl; beat until light and fluffy. Add sugar, rind, and vanilla, mixing well.
Good Friday Lenten Dinner {on Holy Saturday}
We usually have this annual Lenten Dinner on Good Friday. I had hoped to move it to Passion Sunday this year now that our children are getting older, but ended up sick on the couch with the flu… Oh well, maybe next year? Then, on Good Friday, we really wanted to attend Stations of the Cross and the Veneration of the Cross, but our local mission church only had one Easter Sunday Mass scheduled for the week and the only Good Friday service offered by our pastor and/or assistant priest at the main parish (in the next town over) was scheduled for 7pm… Instead our local priests were participating in (and we were all invited to join) the “Ecumenical Service” at the First Christian Church (?) at noon…. Anyway, I’m not sure what that was all about, but we ended up opting to make the drive, to the church where Sean and I were married, to pray the Stations of the Cross and the Divine Mercy Chaplet at 12pm and then attend the Good Friday Service and Veneration of the Cross at 3pm. It was beautiful, inspiring, and the perfect way to spend Good Friday. We had some errands to run afterwards, which made for a very long day in town, so I considered skipping the dinner all together this year but we ended up modifying it for Holy Saturday instead.
You can find the pictures from our 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, and 2014 Good Friday dinners in the archives for Good Friday. Here are the pictures from this year’s Lenten Dinner: on Holy Saturday:
Glasses of Water to drink and a bowl of water for washing hands…
A Small Bean, Cheese and Chip Crown…
Chunky Guacamole is Green for “envy”
Once again Grape Fruit Leather was served for the Purple Cloak.
This year, instead of making Golgotha Eggs (skulls), I just used a few leftover White Cadbury Eggs from the girls’ Chocolate Easter Nests, for our Golgotha Eggs.
The Crown of Thorns were made by my the children with Ritz Crackers, Peanut Butter, and Pretzels.
Using my kitchen scissors, I cut cheese quesadilla to look like a seamless garment.
Two fresh sprigs of Basil are used to represent the two robbers since “legend has it that the Basil plant grew around the site of Christ’s crucifixion. The Victorian Language of Flowers lists Basil as symbolic of both hatred and best wishes. The taunting thief and the good thief come to mind.”
“100” Cherry Tomatoes represent the 100 Roman Centurion.
(I was a little short this year… and in too much of a hurry to cut them all in half.)
Plus some Cheese Cubes to represent the dice used to cast lots…
And with Him they crucified two robbers, one on His right and one on His left.” Mark 15: 27
“And when the centurion, who stood facing Him, saw that He thus breathed His last, he said, ‘Truly this man was the Son of God.'” Mark 15: 39
“And one ran and, filling a sponge full of vinegar, put it on a reed and gave it to him to drink, saying ‘Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to take Him down.'” Mark 15: 36
This year, since we had our dinner on Holy Saturday, the children made Resurrection Rolls!
This year I forgot to pull out our usual small card stock signs (I think my mind was focusing on all the baskets that needed to be filled and everything else that still needed to be done that night!) but you can find them over at Scribd.
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