Feast: All Souls Day

This is the screen-saver we'll have on the family computer all month ... so that we remember to pray to, and for, the souls in Purgatory.

[A cool side note:  we actually have seen this fresco in situ ... it was done by Luca Signorelli as part of his fresco cycle done in the Chapel of San Brizio in Orvieto (Italy) Cathedral (1499-1503).  This particular part is titled, "Resurrection of the Flesh".  We saw his gorgeously restored during a visit back in 2003 -- we were taking a lunch break on our bus trip from Gaming, Austria to Rome, Italy to see Pope John Paul the Great!  The kids especially remember the stop as we had a great lunch from one of the little groceries on the way back to the bus!]

String Bean (3), dh, Kotch (almost 12), BamBam (in the backpack at 4months!), me, LegoManiac (4), Brikhead (almost 14) in Orvieto!

Handmade: Christmas Cards for you to order ...

These gorgeous cards are handcrafted by a couple of young friends of mine. You just might want to order in time for the annual Christmas mailing ...

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These hand-crafted Inspirational Cards are beautiful reminders of the Christmas Season, handmade by two high school-aged homeschoolers, Kathleen and Camryn. Please send in your order and payment by November 15th, and you will receive your order by December 8th at the latest. Contact Camryn at cacacc6kids@comcast.net with your name, phone number, address, and order. Cash and checks are accepted.

Pricing -- please add $5 to your total order for shipping if you live outside the Prince William County area (email if you're unsure):

Merry Christmas: $14 for a pack of eight 4 1/4 by 5 1/2 inch cards, with envelopes.  Inside saying: (in brown)

May the miracle of Christmas find you safe in the peace of God, warm in the light of Christ.

Season’s Greetings: $12 for a pack of eight 4 1/4 by 5 1/2 inch cards, with envelopes.  Inside saying: (in silver):

Warmest greetings of the season and every good wish for the coming year.

Holy Family: $12 for a pack of eight 4 1/4 by 5 1/2 inch cards, with envelopes.  Inside saying: (in silver)
May the true joy of Christmas light your world and lead you into a new year that shines with God’s blessings.

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Please support this young cottage-craft ... the girls do beautiful work!  Remember, though, that you only have until November 15th to get your orders in!

Feast Day: All Saints Day

What cooler feast is there?  This is the one for that covers ALL the Saints and saints in Heaven:  to pray to them and thru them for help and to think about what they did to get washed in the blood in order to wear the white ....

God bless you all ...

Feast: Halloween 2009

We had SUCH fun today.  The kids are getting old enough to really get "into" Halloween and participate in all their ideas for making the day special.

We made cats yesterday ...

ghosts and scarecrows today ...

designed pumpkins for Dad to carve

dressed-up as Jeff Gordon, Flower Fairy, Jarhead Jerry

and headed out to trick-or-treat

Hope y'all had a wonderful All Hallows Eve ... tonight we get an extra hour of sleep (wooooohoooo) and tomorrow we start the month of the Saints and Holy Souls!

God bless you all ...

Recipe: Fall Colors High Fiber Pizza

Fridays are pretty good around here ... meatless meals (which means some pretty creative menu-planning), dad is home for the weekend, and we are all feeling better than we did this morning (which is saying ALOT!). 

I had PLANNED on making sourdough pizza but forgot to start the dough early -- needs a few hours to rise.  So, a quick gander at my various recipes, and I found a pretty good recipe (I think, originally from Family Fun) called "Pizza Bites" that I've used successfully in the past.  This time I "tweaked" it a bit more than usual and it was amazingly good.

Here's my recipe for Fall Colors High Fiber Pizza:
Dough: 

• 2 to 2-1/2 cups unbleached all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/2 cup Bob's Red Mill Whole Grain High Fiber Hot Cereal
• 1 tsp Italian Seasoning
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt
• 1 cup very warm tap water (about 110-120 degrees)
• 2 tbls olive oil
• 1-1/2 tsp sugar
• 4 tsp minced garlic

Soften yeast in the water for about 5 minutes.  In a large bowl combine 1 cup of the unbleached flour, the wheat flour, hot cereal, Italian seasoning, salt, yeast and water;  stir in the olive oil, sugar and garlic.  Stir in enough of the remaining flour to make a soft dough.  
Knead dough on a lightly floured surface for about 10 minutes or until smooth and elastic.  Place in greased bowl, turning to grease top; cover with plastic wrap and place in warm draft-free spot for about 30-45 minutes. 

Preheat oven to 425.

Punch down and flatten onto large pizza pan (ours has holes in it and is 16").

Toppings:

• campari tomatoes -- about 6, sliced thinly
• 1 orange sweet pepper -- sliced into small chunks
• olive oil
• 2 cups Italian shredded cheese (a mix of parmesan, mozzarella, asiago)

Sprinkle olive oil on top of unbaked crust -- spread to cover evenly. 
Sprinkle with about 1 cup of cheese
Sprinkle tomato and sweet pepper pieces evenly over top
Sprinkle with remaining cheese

Place in preheated oven and baked for 10-15 minutes; I should have removed mine at about 10 minutes but I was making a pot of tea and forgot!  You want to remove when crust is crisp and cheese is just starting to darken.

Serve with a green salad and you've got a great meat-less, high-fiber and YUMMY dinner!

And it must have been good as it gave the kids the energy to go to our very own bowling alley (Lego-style)!

Hope you and yours are snuggled up, like mine, enjoying a wondrous family movie after a satisfying dinner (and of course, ice cream for dessert).  Mine are watching the 3rd of the Tolkein Trilogy -- Return of the King.  A beautiful Friday night!

Crafts -- easy, seasonal craft for spooky nights

This is a GREAT craft that the kids remember fondly -- the last time we did it was Oct 27, 2007 (in Denver) and it's just as fun 2 years later .... it's an especially good for a don't-feel-quite-well-but-are-getting-bored kinda day .....

Take 9x12 construction paper -- the thicker the better.  Fold in half (so it's 9x6) and with a white colored pencil (crayons don't seem to give the depth of color you want), draw a tail, body, head and ears ....

Cut it out .... keeping outside the white lines ...

Glue the tail piece (save the back for a brace ... explained below), head and ears in place:

and then put in the details using colored pencils as they really do color better:

When you go to stand-up the cats, if your construction paper is a bit wimpy (ours was!), you can use that extra tail piece as a brace on the legs:

Enjoy your Halloween night .....

Review: Go to Joseph!

After our "year of Job and Lamentations" (when we spent a full year trying to sell the house in Denver while living in Virginia and trying to buy a house here), I have found a new love and devotion to St. Joseph!  This is the go-to guy for all things impossible and necessary; he is the saint that is second only to Mary in the panoply of Catholic saints; this guy is good!

Well, when I saw a new book on the review shelf for the Catholic Company called Go to Joseph, I knew I had to read it.  And, boy am I glad I did!

Written by a Joseph-devotee and scholar, Fr. Richard Gilsdorf (1930-2005), this book is a very readable but scholarly book on all the things that make Joseph the "go-to saint".  Fr. Gilsdorf quotes scripture -- what little there is that mentions the head of the Holy Family; he synthesizes papal documents like encyclicals and apostolic letters; he summarizes other theologians' writings about St. Joseph. 

And, even with all this heavy scholarly writing, Fr. Gilsdorf imbues his writing with a sense of the love the author feels for the subject; a love that is a reflection of what St. Joseph must have felt for Mary and Jesus. 

Fr. Gilsdorf explains that in Joseph's life with the Holy Family, we can see his work and intercessory powers for us now (pg 69):

1. he provides for us by answering the prayers of the faithful with powerful intercession
2. he governs us for Christ has made him "Lord of His house and ruler of His possessions"
3. he cherishes us as he loved Mary and Jesus
4. he protects us under his title of "Protector and Defender of Holy Mother Church"

I particularly like how Fr. Gilsdorf explains the importance of the lack of detailed information about Joseph in the Bible and other early Church writings: 

We must understand there is a reason the Holy Spirit in His infinite wisdom has told us only so much and no more.  One obvious reason is that by limiting the information, all persons of all paces and times can apply the basic facts to their own individual lives .... Thus, families of all ages can more readily imitate the essentional virtues of the Holy Family.  Married couples can emulate the holy bond of Mary and Joseph ... Joseph, the just man, can be an example for all the faithful, but he serves in a special way as model for young men to answer God's challenge in all walks of life.  He can be the stron patron and intercessor of workers and family providers.  He can be a special patron of preiests married to the Church ..." (pg 101)

The appendices are well-worth perusing and using -- bibliography of other scholarly works and Church writings about St. Joseph, prayers written to St. Joseph (including the Litany to St. Joseph and one written by Blessed John XXIII) , and the homily delivered by Pope Benedict XVI for the Feast of St. Joseph, March 19, 2009.

Don't let this small (only four-by-six, 134 pages) volume fool you ... this is one of those books that I'll be constantly delving into when I need a boost, when I need to remember just how much St. Joseph has done for the Holy Family, Holy Mother Church, and me and mine.  This is a book to leave on the bedside table, in my purse, or on my desk for reference.  Yes, it's that good!

So "Go to Joseph" with whatever you need ... and he will intercede to God for you and yours!  And read the book if you want to know more about this quiet head of the Holy Family.

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This review was written as part of the Catholic book Reviewer program from The Catholic Company. Visit The Catholic Company to find more information on Go To Joseph.


Gilsdorf, Fr. Richard W. (edited by Patrick F. Beno) -- Go to Joseph.  Star of the Bay Press (Green Bay, WI).  2009.  ISBN:978-0692-003-008.  paperback (134 pages).