Shower of Roses Blog

The Easter Story {LEGO Edition}

by Jessica | Apr 15, 2015 | Easter, Lego, Lent | 18 Comments

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!

.: Palm Sunday :.

The next day a great crowd who had come to the feast heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem. So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet Him, crying, "Hosanna! Blessed is He Who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!"

John 12:12-13

.: Spy Wednesday :.

.: Holy Thursday :.

.: Good Friday :.

Then Pilate took Jesus and scourged Him. And the soldiers plaited a crown of thorns, and put it on His head, and arrayed him in a purple robe; they came up to Him, saying, "Hail, King of the Jews!" and struck Him with their hands.

John 19:1-3

When Judas, His betrayer, saw that He was condemned, he repented and brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and the elders, saying, “I have sinned in betraying innocent blood.” They said, “What is that to us? See to it yourself.” And throwing down the pieces of silver in the temple, he departed; and he went and hanged himself.

Matthew 27:3-5

So they took Jesus, and He went out, bearing His own cross, to the place called the place of a skull, which is called in Hebrew Golgatha.
John 19:17

There they crucified Him, and with Him two others, one on either side, and Jesus between them. Pilate also wrote a title and put it on the cross; it read, "Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews."

John 19:18-19

When Jesus saw His mother, and the disciple whom He loved standing near, He said to His mother, "Woman, behold your son!" Then He said to the disciple, "Behold, your mother!" And from that hour the disciple took her to his own home.

John 19:26-27

When Jesus had received the vinegar, He said, "It is finished"; and He bowed His head and gave up His spirit.

John 19:30

Now in the place where He was crucified there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb where no one had ever been laid. So because of the Jewish day of Preparation, as the tomb was close at hand, they laid Jesus there.

John 19:41-42

.: Holy Saturday :.

.: Easter Sunday:.

Christus resurrexit! Resurrexit vere!

You can find additional LEGO creations in the archives including:

A Lego Perplexus

Cathedral of the Immaculate Heart of Mary

We Have a Pope! :: Lego Edition

Under Construction :: A LEGO Cathedral Phase 1 and Phase 2

Jesus, I Trust in You

by Jessica | Apr 12, 2015 | American Girl, Costumes, Divine Mercy, Father Andersen, Saints, St. Faustina | 4 Comments

“Act in such a way that all those who come in contact with you will go away joyful. Sow happiness about you because you have received much from God.” ~ St. Faustina

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).

This morning Chiquita dressed up one of her dolls (Ruthie) as Saint Faustina! I haven’t given the girls any little black habits yet, but she was able to use one of her little sister’s black shirts along with parts of the Dominican Habit and Carmelite Habit, a Little Silver Crucifix, Ruthie’s Black Shoes, and a Holy Card she received at church on Good Friday!

In addition to praying the Divine Mercy Chaplet, we are also going to listen to Jesus, I Trust in You! The Story of Saint Faustina during our drive to Mass, and reading Helen’s Special Gift: A Children’s Story about Saint Maria Faustina.

We also read a beautiful sermon from Fr. Eric Andersen which can be found here.

“O Blood and water, which gushed forth from the heart of Jesus as a fount of mercy for us, I trust in Thee”

You can find additional American Girl Doll Saints in the archives:

The Dolls’ Saints Costumes {with links to our children’s past Saint Costumes!}

Celebrating the Saints :: St. Brigid of Ireland

In Nomine Patris, et Filii, et Spiritus Sancti. . . {Doll Baptisms!}

The Big Girls’ Bedroom {and How We Organize Their American Girl Dolls and Clothes}

Farmer Boy :: Big Red Barn Birthday

by Jessica | Apr 11, 2015 | Birthday Parties, Happy Birthday, Precious Moments: 07 | 2 Comments

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.

.: Farm Bingo :.

After a “Farmer Boy” style breakfast of hot oatmeal…

…we played Farm Bingo!

“BINGO!”

.: Birthday Gifts :.

Our youngest two children celebrate their birthdays just before Christmas, which should make it rather challenging to come up with enough birthday gifts, but with all the great pre-Christmas sales I didn’t have any trouble coming up with plenty of gifts for Bud including a few new picture books. His new books included: A Farmer Boy Birthday, Go to Sleep, Little Farm, and Little Blue Truck.

(Note: It looks like Little Blue Truck is currently 57% off!)

Before opening any of his gifts he wanted his older brother to read his new books to him. ❤

Potty Time and Treeschoolers DVD… He loves all of his Treeschoolers DVDs, but the Potty Time? Not so much. He just doesn’t like anything to do with potty training yet, but I keep telling myself that all the boys were closer to 4 when they finally potty trained. This just might end up being the first year in 15 years that we won’t have a baby (or three!) in diapers…

I happened to discover this darling little Tug Bowl Dinner Set during one of our trips to the coast last summer… I didn’t purchase it at the time and was so excited to later find it on Amazon. It has been such a hit and he still uses it every day!

Eric Carle Around the Farm: Play-a-Sound was a super fun gift from his Godparents. I think I’ve mentioned before how much he enjoys this book!

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!

He was so cute playing with the little animals that came with the barn and I had such a hard time choosing (and limiting!) photos for this post.

Of course the cow had to give St. Anthony and Baby Jesus a kiss too!

His last birthday gift was a new large sized Cow Wheely Bug! He had outgrown the small wheely bug and was so excited when he opened this gift. He hasn’t forgotten any of his moves!

After opening all those gifts it was time for cake!

.: Barnyard Birthday Cake :.

I posted the directions for making the cake here.

Bud loved ALL the animals on his cake, but when it came down to choosing which one he wanted he picked the sheep. How could he resist with all those “marmowwoahs!” Of course, he had to use his new Tug Boat plate too. 🙂

I also served Root Beer Floats, in addition to the carrot cake, to go along with the O Antiphon for the day: O Root of Jesse, which standest for an ensign of the people, at Whom the kings shall shut their mouths, Whom the Gentiles shall seek, come to deliver us, do not tarry.

You can find additional Farmer Boy birthday posts here:

Farmer Boy Barnyard Birthday Cake

Happy 3rd Birthday Bud!

Farmer Boy Barnyard Birthday Cake

by Jessica | Apr 11, 2015 | Birthday Parties, Cake Decorating | 3 Comments

Last December we celebrated our 3 year old’s birthday with a Farmer Boy/Barn themed party! At the time I shared a few pictures of him with his cake, but the rest of his birthday pictures have been sitting in my drafts folder ever since. Last night I had a request for directions on how to make the cake so I decided to finally finish up those posts. This cake, inspired by a picture in an old Family Fun magazine, did take some time to assemble and decorate, but it was so much fun and is definitely one of my favorites!

Barnyard Cake with Farm Animal Cupcakes

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

Chick Decorations (makes 2)
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.

The Ultimate Carrot Cake

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

1 cup flaked Coconut

1/2 cup Raisins

Now combine #2 and #3 mixtures to #1.

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.

Cream Cheese Frosting

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.

You can find additional Farmer Boy birthday posts here:

Happy 3rd Birthday Bud!

Farmer Boy :: Big Red Barn Birthday
(with farm themed birthday gift ideas!)

Good Friday Lenten Dinner {on Holy Saturday}

by Jessica | Apr 10, 2015 | Good Friday, Holy Saturday, Lent, Lenten Tea: Passion Sunday/Good Friday | 7 Comments

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:

.: Water :.

Glasses of Water to drink and a bowl of water for washing hands…

“Pilate took water and washed his hands before the crowd saying, “I am innocent of this righteous man’s blood.” Matthew 27: 24

.: The King’s Crown :.

A Small Bean, Cheese and Chip Crown…

“And Pilate asked Him, ‘Are you the King of the Jews?’ And He answered him, ‘You have said so.'” Mark 15: 2

.: Out of Envy, The Purple Cloak, and Golgotha Eggs:.

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.

“[H]e perceived that it was out of envy that the chief priests had delivered Him up.” Mark 15: 10

“And they clothed Him in a purple cloak . . . .” Mark 15: 17

“And they brought Him to the place called Golgotha (which means the place of the skull)” Mark 15: 22

.: The Crown of Thorns :.

The Crown of Thorns were made by my the children with Ritz Crackers, Peanut Butter, and Pretzels.

“. . . and, plaiting a crown of thorns they put it on him.” Mark 15: 17

.: The Seamless Garment :.

Using my kitchen scissors, I cut cheese quesadilla to look like a seamless garment.

“But the tunic was without seam, woven from top to bottom; so they said to one another, ‘Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it to see whose it shall be.'” John 19: 23-24

.: The Two Robbers, Roman Centurion & Vinegar to Drink :.

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

.: The Temple Curtain :.

“And the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom.” Mark 15: 38

.: Laid in the Tomb :.

This year, since we had our dinner on Holy Saturday, the children made Resurrection Rolls!

“And he brought a linen shroud, and taking Him down, wrapped him in the linen shroud, and laid Him in a tomb which had been hewn out of the rock; and he rolled a stone against the door of the tomb.”

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.

For more past Lent and Easter posts:

The Lenten Season In Our Catholic Home

Easter – Pentecost :: From the Archives

{pretty, happy, funny, real} :: Instagram Recap

by Jessica | Apr 8, 2015 | {phfr}, Calendars, Easter, Good Friday, Instagram Recap, Lent | 9 Comments

~ Capturing the context of contentment in everyday life with Like Mother, Like Daughter. ~

{pretty}

{Easter Wednesday} Today is the last day to pre-order and save on The Catholic Daily Planner for August 2015 – July 2016 from Michele Quigley, but I can’t decide which cover to choose this year! Do I pick a new one, or reorder one of my favorites? Decisions, decisions…

{happy}

{Holy Saturday} Filling plastic eggs and Easter baskets while the Paska bakes and the girls finish making Chocolate Nests… That’s what I’m doing now before moving on to the next thing on the list for today!

{photo taken on Easter Sunday} I tried taking another family picture this Easter using the swing set ladder and my camera’s self-timer… It turned out kind of blurry but at least we got one! Actually most of my Easter pictures turned out blurry for some reason, but I just posted this one {actually the one I posted was a little different} and a few favorites of just our children ~~over on the blog~~ here. Now to sort through the rest of the photos! Happy Easter!

{funny}

{very early Easter Sunday morning} I’m up late hiding Easter baskets (for the first time, inspired by a friend of ours) this year… Hehehe! Now if I can just find seven spots large enough.

{real}

We adore Thee, O Christ, and we bless Thee, because by Thy holy cross, Thou hast redeemed the world.

{Good Friday} Our little three year old asked me to carry him around the church so he could look closely at each station, after we finished praying the Stations of the Cross and the Divine Mercy Chaplet. His sweet comments about each one were so precious. It was definitely worth the drive to attend the Good Friday services at the beautiful church where Sean and I were married. We will go back at 3pm for the Veneration of the Cross.

“If you seek patience, you will find no better example than the cross. Great patience occurs in two ways: either when one patiently suffers much, or when one suffers things which one is able to avoid and yet does not avoid. Christ endured much on the cross, and did so patiently, because when he suffered he did not threaten; he was led like a sheep to the slaughter and he did not open his mouth.” ~ St. Thomas Aquinas

“How precious the gift of the cross, how splendid to contemplate! In the cross there is no mingling of good and evil, as in the tree of paradise: it is wholly beautiful to behold and good to taste. The fruit of this tree is not death but life, not darkness but light. This tree does not cast us out of paradise, but opens the way for our return.” ~ St. Theodore the Studite

You can find me on Instagram here.

A Lenten Dinner on Palm Sunday

by Jessica | Apr 8, 2015 | Holy Thursday, Lent, Lenten Tea: Palm Sunday/Holy Thursday, Palm Sunday | 9 Comments

It’s hard to believe that it’s been seven years now since our first Lenten Dinner which was originally inspired by Alice’s Lenten Teas. These have definitely become a favorite Lenten tradition in our home. As our children get older I’ve had to be a little more creative to fit them in our full schedule. This year our Thursdays are especially full with tutors, piano lessons and more, so we moved our usual Holy Thursday Dinner to after Mass on Palm Sunday which worked out nicely. I pulled out a couple books about Palm Sunday (The Donkey and the Golden Light and Little Colt’s Palm Sunday) and set them on the counter. It didn’t take long for someone to pick one up to start reading! I also surprised the little ones with some new Easter Blessing Blocks from Almond Rod Toys. I know I’ve posted about these every year, but we love to look back and see the changes we have made from year to year.

~ Palm on the Road ~

I picked up a jar of Hearts of Palm from Trader Joe’s to include in a salad.

“And many spread their garments on the road, and others spread leafy branches which they had cut from the fields.” Mk. 11:8

~ Costly Oil ~

For dressing we used balsamic vinegar and some “costly oil”.

“And truly, I say to you, wherever the gospel is preached in the whole world, what she has done will be told in memory of her.” Mk. 14:9

~ Thirty Pieces of Silver ~

Our children gave up candy for Lent this year, but since we ended up having this Lenten Dinner on Sunday they were all excited to enjoy the 30 Chocolate Coins (3-4 each) for dessert.

“Then one of the twelve, who was called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests and said, ‘What will you give me if I deliver him to you?’ And they paid him thirty pieces of silver.” Mt. 25: 14-15

~ Unleavened Bread ~

Like last year, and to keep it simple for myself, I picked up a package of Naan since my family loves it, although technically it is a leavened bread… It was perfect to serve with either the Chicken Soup.

“And on the first day of Unleavened Bread, when they sacrificed the passover lamb, his disciples said to Him, ‘Where will you have us go and prepare for you to eat the passover?'” Mk. 14:12

~ The Mount of Olives ~

This year’s Mount of Olives was a couple cans of Black Olives.

“And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.” Mk. 14:26

~ The Cock Crows Twice ~

I baked a couple chickens and fed my family with them twice! 🙂

On Saturday I roasted two chickens (along with parsnips and carrots) for dinner… Then on Sunday I used all the remaining meat and the remnants of one of the chickens to make a large pot of Chicken Soup for the Lenten Dinner. (The remnants of the second chicken went into the crock pot to be used for making bone broth.)

As I mentioned last week, I’ve been on a special autoimmune elimination diet (AIP) which really limits what I can eat, but there was still plenty included in this menu that I could enjoy: Salad (minus the tomatoes) with the Oil and Vinegar, a few Garlic Stuffed Green Olives (I passed on the black olives), and a big bowl of Chicken soup filled with lots of extra veggies (turnips, celery, onions, carrots and leeks). I made sure to fill a smaller pot with some soup for myself (with enough for lunch the next day) before adding noodles for the rest of the family. Yummm! I need to get back to Costco to pick up a couple more Organic Chickens!

“And Jesus said to him, ‘Truly, I say to you, this very night, before the cock crows twice, you will deny me three times.'” Mk. 14:30

~ Gethsemane Figs ~

A box of Nature’s Bakery Fig Bars was an easy addition for the Gethsemane Figs.

“And they went to a place which was called Gethsemane; and he said to his disciples, ‘Sit here, while I pray.'” Mk. 14:32

~ Sleepy Apostles ~

Last year (as suggested by Jennifer Anne) I served Sleepytime Tea after dinner, and I did enjoy some myself this year, but for the rest of the family my husband suggested serving Mochas (or hot cocoa for the little ones) after dinner to “Keep those Sleepy Apostles awake!” I love it!!

“And he came and found them sleeping, and he said to Peter, “Simon, are you asleep? Could you not watch one hour?” Mk. 14:37

~ Judas’ Kiss ~

One Hershey Kiss each to represent Judas’ Kiss.

“And when he came, he went up to him at once, and said, ‘Master!’ And he kissed him.” Mk. 14:45

~ The Clouds of Heaven ~

We topped the Mochas with whipped cream…

“And Jesus said, ‘I am; and you will see the Son of man seated at the right hand of Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven.'” Mk. 14:62

~ Peter’s Tears ~

… and sprinkled on a few mini marshmallows for Peter’s Tears.

“And immediately the cock crowed a second time. And Peter remembered how Jesus had said to him, ‘Before the cock crows twice, you will deny me three times.’ And he broke down and wept.” Mk. 14:72

The girls set the table and the boys helped prepare the soup and salad.

I printed off some new little card stock signs, this year on red card stock for Palm Sunday.

(You can download my document over at Scribd.)

During dinner my husband read the sermon for the day from Sermons of the Curé of Ars after the children read all the bible verses for each menu item.

This year our older boys came up with LEGO creations for Holy Week and Easter, instead of the Playmobil scenes they’ve created in the past! I’m hoping to gather all the pictures into one post to share, but here’s a little peek what they were working on for Palm Sunday.

For more past Lent and Easter posts:
The Lenten Season In Our Catholic Home
Easter – Pentecost :: From the Archives

Happy Easter from Our Family To Yours!

by Jessica | Apr 7, 2015 | Easter, Pictures | 12 Comments

Christus resurrexit! Resurrexit vere!

A Special Prayer Request for the Snodgrass Family

by Jessica | Apr 6, 2015 | Prayer Request | 9 Comments

Happy Easter!

I’m a little late in sharing this prayer request, but I wanted to take a moment and ask you all to please join us in praying, once again, for some friends of ours and their newest blessing who was recently diagnosed with Trisomy 13.

You may remember praying and/or donating funds for the Snodgrass family last summer when they lost their precious little Julianna in a tragic accident.

I’ve attached the prayer request and novena below. Thank you and may God bless you all!

+ + +

Dearest Friends and Family,

As some of you may have heard, Renee and Gabe Snodgrass have been blessed with another pregnancy. Recently they have been informed that this child, Patrick Gabriel, has trisomy 13, a rare chromosomal disorder where the child has an extra chromosome #13. Individuals with this condition have physical and mental disabilities and usually only live for a few days or weeks, if at all. About 5-10% of these children live past the age of one.

We are reaching out to you to ask if you would please join us in a novena to pray for Patrick and the Snodgrass family. We feel called to ask for Blessed Margaret of Castello’s intercession. Blessed Margaret of Castello was born in 1287 to wealthy parents in a small town in Italy. Her parents were so excited to welcome this new life into the world, but when they found out she was hunch-backed, lame, and blind they imprisoned and abandoned her. She totally embraced her disabilities and suffering and trusted the Lord gave them to her for a reason. For her, she saw suffering as her pathway to heaven. Hence, she is often prayed to for healing for the discouraged, sick, unwanted, and abandoned as well as for discerning the will of God.

Her immense faith led to her beatification in 1609. More information about her can be found on the following website: Blessed Margaret of Costello.

We are going to start the attached 9-day novena on EASTER SUNDAY, APRIL 5, 2015
(what a great day to ask for a miracle!) which will conclude on Blessed Margaret’s feast day, April 13th.

Hundreds of healings have been attributed to the intercession of Blessed Margaret of Castello. In order for Blessed Margaret to become canonized as a saint, she needs one more approved miracle. “An approved miracle has to be truly wondrous, incapable of a natural explanation, solely and verifiably entrusted to the saint’s intercession, and accurately documented with all the appropriate medical records and multiple attestations.” Supporting evidence for her canonization thus far are:

Girl is cured at Blessed Margaret’s funeral
Her body is incorrupt
She is declared blessed in 1609
She needs one more miracle to be declared a saint

If the Lord wills it, we know, without a doubt, that He can heal Patrick. Let us come together and humbly submit our wills to the Lord to allow Him to be glorified.

Blessed Margaret of Castello Novena

Imploring Blessed Margaret of Castello’s Intercession

Even if my father and mother forsake me; the Lord will take me in.

Ps. 27:10

1st Day
O Blessed Margaret of Castello, in embracing your life just as it was, you gave us an example of resignation to the will of God. In so accepting God’s will, you knew that you would grow in virtue, glorify God, save your own soul and help the souls of your neighbors. Obtain for me the grace to recognize the will of God in all that may happen to me in my life and so resign myself to it. Obtain for me also the special favor which I now ask through your intercession with God.