Our Annunciation Day Celebration

The dinner: cauliflower, white cheese sauce, chicken breasts,

rolls, and curried rice. The white grape juice and white tea

with honey hasn't been poured yet.

The dinner table, half way set.
Our Lady's statue, decorated for the day.
A close up of St. Gabriel.
Above the statue...
Theresa crowning Our Lady...
And here she is, complete with crown and the white roses

my wonderful husband brought home with him.

Pour forth, we beseech Thee, O Lord, Thy grace into our hearts, that we, to whom the incarnation of the Christ Thy Son, was made known by the message of an angel, may by His passion and death be brought to the glory His resurrection.

Through the same Christ, Our Lord. Amen

The Feast of the Annunciation

The boys (Jon, Tim, Dominic, and Kevin) singing The Magnificat

(You can find the translation of The Magnificat, the words of Our Lady to St. Elizabeth at the Visitation here).

(The beautiful statues and stained glass are in Mary Immaculate Queen Church, Omaha, NE.)

Last Day of March, First Day of April

Tomorrow is the Feast of the Annunciation (postponed 'til the 31st due to its regular day falling in Holy Week this year). What a joyful and beautiful feast! This is the day the Archangel Gabriel brought the Virgin Mary the most important message ever delivered. This is the day that God came to earth, the day Our Blessed Mother consented to be the Mother of God. Today begins the nine month count-down to Christmas, the birthday of Jesus.

In celebration, we'll crown Our Lady 's statue with a circlet of white roses. We'll sing Mother Dearest Mother Fairest, Hail Holy Queen and maybe Sing of Mary (below). We'll also get some white flowers and arrange them around the feet of our statue.

For dinner, in honor of the perfect purity and beauty of Mary, the girls and I want to try to make an all-white menu. I'm thinking chicken breasts, curried rice and shrimp salad and white rolls. Also, hmm... maybe cauliflower. But, it'd be fun to find some white asparagus (if I can afford it!) and blend up some hollandaise. (Just to make it good and fattening.) We'll have either white grape juice or iced white tea to drink. Then, for dessert we'll make some cream puffs sprinkled in powdered sugar, or, if we're feeling really ambitious, maybe some divinity (though this is such son, Jon's, specialty, nobody else around here has ever bothered to learn how to make it... )


For school, we found a few activities, templates, and coloring pages at this site. I'm hoping to find time to explore these beautiful Annunciation icons and talk about the symbolism of icons with the children. We'll also hopefully get to read about the Church of the Annunciation in Nazareth.

Also, since the great Archangel Gabriel has special importance in our home (our tenth child is named for him), I'll probably run through the choirs of angels with the children and explain the orders of rank in Heaven. I'm hoping to look through some Old Masters' paintings online and print out the largest, best version of St. Gabriel we can find, back him with cardboard and tack him near our statue of the Blessed Mother somewhere. If we're really ambitious, we may try to create or cut out other angels to place near her feet, as well. We'll see how much we can get to.

88888888888888888888888

Then, on Tuesday, to welcome in the new month of April, and in the spirit of lightheartedness, we'll play with some Palindromes and topsy turveys . I'll post a few fun ones I found tomorrow night. And, who knows what other surprises and foolishness we might discover? Stay tuned. &:o)

Seven Things

Eileen tagged me right before Easter for the Seven Random Things Meme! I love reading these from other people. They're always so much fun!

Here are the rules:

1. When tagged place the name and URL on your blog.

2. Post rules on your blog.

3. Write 7 non-important things/habits/quirks about yourself.

4. Name 7 of your favorite blogs.

5. Send an email/comment on their blog letting them know they have been tagged.

So, here we go:

My Seven Random Things:

1. I met my husband while working on our college paper, The Clarion. I was the editor-in-chief; he was the sports editor.

2. I can spell just about any word you throw my way, and give you a short definition off the top of my head. My children and my siblings call at all hours, from all over the world (Well, Grand Junction, Colorado, to Omaha, Nebraska, anyway), to settle bets and get cheater help with Scrabble. I'm pleased to be the walking family dictionary.

3. But don't tell me a number. The instant I hear it, I forget it. (How many of these am I supposed to do?)

4. My second toes are bigger than my first toes. A boy once told me that means I have "Greek toes," as opposed to "Roman toes" ~ a sign of beauty, apparently... Unless, of course, the girl you're flirting with has properly regimented Roman toes, which would then, of course, be a sign of beauty. (But, hey, I'll take any crumb that's thrown my way! And, no, those are unfortunately not my legs pictured over there.)

5. I have eight keys on my keychain. I know what seven of them go to. The eighth is a mystery key that I'm afraid to throw away.

6. I used to be able to touch the tip of my nose with my tongue ~ until seventh grade, when my best friend, Sally Davis, hit me in the mouth with a golf club. (Are you still out there somewhere, Sally?) I now have TMJ and can't touch the tip of my nose with my tongue. And, now in order to open my mouth all the way, my jaw actually pops out of its socket. (Gross, huh? But the kids think it's cool...)

7. I cannot relax in a messy house. And seven teenagers stayed up until midnight in my house last night watching Batman, eating popcorn, and using every glass that used to be in our cupboard. They left to go back to school in Omaha this morning at 4 a.m., and you wouldn't believe the disaster that's nagging at me right over my shoulder! I really ought to finish this post and go back to bed (I stayed up to write this after I saw them off), but I know I'm not going to be able to stand it...

It's the makings for a great little penance to add along with my prayers for their safe journey today, for sure...

So, I'm off to vacuum up popcorn and wash glasses and sweep up debris.

But, before I go, I'd like to tag:

Alice, at a Number of Things

Matilda at Waltzing Matilda

Joann at Ten Kids and a Dog

Bia at La Dolce Vita

Muddy Mama, over at Muddy Bathwater

Marian at A Lee in the Woudes

Cathy at A Bit of the Blarney

BTW: I just know someone else tagged me for this one right before Easter, too, and I hunted all around to remember who it was, but I'm so sorry, I couldn't find it. Maybe I imagined it? There will be a post coming soon all about perimenopausal brain malfunctioning...

The Boys Sing...

A tidbit of a cheerful, spring-like song for our late March enjoyment...

Look What I Got for Easter!

L-R: daughter Michelle, friend Lisa, friend Tim, sons Kevin, Jon, Dominic, friend Adam

Please excuse the unannounced blog vacation! I found out Saturday afternoon that, in spite of our previous resolve, my wonderful husband was loading up the gang and some of their friends and bringing them all home with him Easter Sunday! What a welcome and happy Easter surprise that was! As you can imagine, their being here has kept me pretty busy, all by itself. But, I also traveled to the Western Slope on Tuesday for my friend's rosary and funeral, and only got back last night. (It was a lovely, sad funeral, but we feel sure that if Angela is not already enjoying the beatific vision, she will soon be.)

But, anyway, I'm home now. Except for our oldest son, Paul, we're all here. And then some. &:o)

Tonight we're pulling together a double birthday party for Kevin and Jon, whose birthdays, the 25th and 28th of March, will never again (in their lifetimes) both fall outside of Lent.


Kev
19
**
**
Jon
17



So I have a roaster full of roasts cooking down to delectible yumminess for barbeque and we'll be making a big southern trifle (We call it "Sumpin' good") of oreos, whip cream, and mocha flavored pudding for the birthday "cake."


The gang is out visiting friends right now and I have the house to myself and the five Littles. So, we'll make a path through the backpacks and paraphernalia that comes with teenagers, clean the bathrooms, and get a leg up on laundry while the coast is a little clearer. Then, tonight after all the aunts, uncles, cousins and grandparents arrive, I'll see if I can coax the Omaha contingent to sing for us. So, stay posted to see what they come up with for us.

And, Oh, Yeah! Meet the newest member of our family:

I can't help but feel like it looks a little too "soccer-mommish" for me. Our big old 15 seater van was a kind of badge of our highly-prized, big family weirdness. But, the poor old girl is only worth about $2500 and it was going to cost $2000 to fix her. Yikes! And, honestly, the gas was killing us. We travel about an hour to Mass, and are 40 minutes away from the nearest Walmart. Need I say more? And, while I will miss all that wonderful space in the big van, my poor back sure appreciates the ease of loading the babies into the minivan! (And it's runs so quietly and smoothly, I feel like I'm driving a hovercraft!)

To Bunny or Not To Bunny,

That is the Question...

A kind commentor mentioned that she was waiting to hear how we celebrate Easter. And I though, "Well, um, gosh, I thought I did that..." But it occured to me that I didn't mention maybe the most significant thing about our traditional Easter celebration, and this is likely the detail she wondered about. See, I did describe all the things we do, but I completely forgot about that thing we don't do.

Yes, folks, you guessed it. We don't do the bunny. We have no quarrel, whatsoever, with families who cherish this tradition. Heaven knows, I don't want to get into that discussion! But, we just have never felt that the pretend "magic" and "mystery" of the Easter Bunny was better than the real Magic and Mystery of Our Lord's Resurrection. It just seems a little distracting to us. After a good Lent, it seems a little, well... inconsequential...

We enjoy coloring and hiding eggs, but the children know that Mommy or Daddy or sometimes Aunts or Uncles or Big Brothers do the hiding. (I think the repartee resulting from that knowlege during the hunt is way more fun!) I make up Easter baskets, and sometimes we hide them, but usually we just have them waiting on the dining room table on Easter morning. As long as there's candy after the long sugar drought... Well, seriously, the kids don't care where it comes from! In general, our celebrations are more about being together and enjoying the Feast for the sake of the Feast, and we've never missed the invisible rabbit.

Other mythical creatures that we wave at as they pass our house through the year:

The Tooth Fairy

Santa Clause

The Great Pumpkin


But, we do believe in Leprechauns,


And we're split on Nessie and Bigfoot

Happy Easter!

O God, Who, on this day, through Thine only-begotten Son,

hast overcome death and opened unto us the Gate of Eternity;

even as by Thy grace Thou dost inspire our desires,

so also follow them up with Thy continual help.

Amen.

Lenten Prayer

Stretching out Thy divine hands upon the Cross,

Thou hast joined together

that which before was divided,

and by Thy mediation

Thou hast offered as a gift to the Father

the nature of mortal man,

that was under condemnation.

Therefore we sing the praises of

Thy sinless Crucifixion.

~ St. Joseph Studite

Tidying Up Before Easter

A Housecleaning Retreat


This is what I'm going to do:

* Start off by saying the Prayer to St. Anne, Patroness of Homemakers

Dear Saint Anne, we know so little about you except for your name. But you gave us the Mother of God who called herself the handmaiden of the Lord. In your home you raised the Queen of Heaven and are rightly the model of homemakers. In your womb came to dwell the new Eve, uniquely conceived without sin. Intercede for us the we too may remain free from sin and from the temptations of sin.

Guide and help us in our daily tasks. Help us to find satisfaction and gain grace in our vocations as homemakers.

* Then, I'm going to put on my apron, roll up my sleeves and have at the list, praying before I begin each project and trying my best to meditate while I work.

Here's my list:

Deep Clean the Kitchen

* Get down on my knees, really clean the floor; scrub the baseboards under the cabinets.

Dear Lord, when you knelt to wash the feet of your disciples, you taught us that much of humility is learning joy in service to others ~ and so serving You. Help me to remember that even the lowliest task I do for my family, if done out of love, is a task done for You.

* Clean the refrigerator, inside and out; likewise the pantry and cupboards.

Help me to be grateful, Lord, for the blessings I take for granted, the roof over over our heads, the food on our table, the bounty of the country we live in. Please help me always to remember those who are less fortunate ~ in my prayers, but also by any practical works of charity I can do for them.

* Clean the oven and stovetop.

The debris that collects in this oven over time is like the debris left in my soul from sin. Help me, Divine Paraclete, to be faithful about the Sacrament of Confession. Help me to be diligent every evening about my examination of conscience and sincere Act of Contrition.



Clean the Living Room and Dining Room

* Dust all the wooden surfaces; use oil soap to really scrub the dining room table and chairs.

At the Last Supper, Dear Lord, You gathered your twelve disciples around You at a dinner table where you offered the first Mass, an example and a foreshadowing of the most important event of human history, your sacrifice and death on Calvary. Whenever I prepare and serve a meal at our family table, help me to remember, Lord, that Holy Thursday. Help me to unite the sacrifices I have to make in my daily life with your Great Sacrifice.

* Sweep, mop, vacuum.

Dear Mother of Jesus' home in Nazareth, I offer the mundane chores of my day to you toward the needs you see most fit. Please use my poor prayers to sweep away someone's pain, to wash away apathy in some hardened heart, to clean away hatred or despair from some suffering soul.



Deep Clean the Bathrooms

* Scrub, scour, disinfect.

To the dear Immaculate Heart of Mary I offer this unpleasant but necessary task for an increase in the love of purity in our world. Please, most especially, save the innocence of our young.



Clean the Bedrooms

* Pick up all the toys, dirty clothes, flotsam and jetsam from the children's rooms.

Help me, St. Anne, Grandmother of Jesus, to show my children the patience I want Our Heavenly Father to show me for my own faults of carelessness, laziness, and lack of consideration. Help me to be instructed as I instruct my children.

* Organize and declutter the master bedroom.

Dear Lord, who taught us at the Wedding at Cana how You value the married state, help me to keep uppermost in my mind the true meaning of my marriage vows. Teach me how to best help my spouse reach your side, where together we can lead our family.

Laundry

* Wash all sheets, blankets, etc. Get entirely caught up. Iron what is needed to be ironed.

I offer up to You, Lord present in the Blessed Sacrament, this service to my home and family, remembering the linens in which You were wrapped at your death. Help me to remember that last service the Holy Women helped your Mother perform and to offer all my duties as if You were here sharing their fruits with my family.

Tidy up Outside

* Park all the bikes, pick up trash, rake, arrange the lawn furniture neatly.

Dear St. Joseph, model of responsibility, show me how to be truly grateful for my husband's sacrifice and hard work for our family. Help me never to take for granted this home that he has provided, and for the many things he makes possible for us. I beg you to intercede for graces on my husband's behalf, that he always be blessed with your strength, perserverance and wisdom.

** My Friend, Diane, and her mom mark their rubber gloves with "JMJ" or with the names of saints to help keep them focused during their cleaning duties. Isn't that a great idea?

**Make sure to visit Under Her Starry Mantle for Tuesdays with Saint Anne

The Week Ahead

I'm struggling with my week ahead. Over the years, we've collected a pretty good set of family traditions for Holy Week, and it looks like we're not going to get to do any of them.

In years past, we've gone on a Palm Sunday family procession, burying last year's palms on the four corners of the property. Our St. Patrick's Day took precedence this year, but I expect we'll still do that next week when everyone's home. (With so many Littles at home, it was the lighter-hearted tradition that just ended up winning out.)Then, of course, the first three days of the week have always been and will be still this year devoted to a deep spring cleaning. Oh, joy. But, I'm making the most of it. I'll post on that later today.

Then, (usually) on Holy Thursday, for a late lunch to accomodate Thursday evening Mass, we prepare a dinner of lamb, new potatoes, asparagus and hot cross buns. Daddy blesses each hot cross bun and hands it around the table to each family member, then he reads the Biblical account of the Last Supper, before grace. We like to watch Jesus of Nazareth on Holy Thursday now, because we've bumped The Passion of the Christ up to Good Friday.

After the Tre Ore and the Mass of the Presanctified, on Good Friday, we have a simple vegetable herb soup, with the rest of the hot cross buns from Thursday before watching the movie. On Holy Saturday we'll take care of the last minute Easter details, trying on all our Easter outfits, dying Easter Eggs, preparing the make-ahead portions of Easter dinner, etc. Then we go to the Easter Vigil Mass. In past years we've ended our Easter Lenten sacrifices at Saturday noon, in the way of Pope St. Pius X liturgy. And at that time, we play loud recordings of bells ringing and have a big celebratory luncheon. The theme being joy in Christ's arrival in Heaven, the gates having been opened for us already.

Then, on Easter morning, after morning Mass, if a contingent has not gone to midnight Mass, we do the traditional egg hunt and dig in our Easter baskets for goodies. Then we have a ham dinner, sometimes here, sometimes a buffet over at my Mom's. After which we visit and play and run off our sugar rushes (adults and children!)

But, Alas! This year, the children in Omaha couldn't bear not to sing in all the Holy Week ceremonies at the parish there, and begged to be allowed to stay. How could we say no to that? And the rest of Easter break is too short to justify driving everyone home for a visit and all the way back again, so the children won't be coming home. We thought about taking the whole family out to see the gang and enjoy Holy Week in Omaha, but, William (2), our darling little bag-o-cats is going through a stage right now where he simply cannot bear to be strapped in his carseat. We all decided we just really didn't want to deal with that on an eight hour drive. Just imagine. No, I don't want to imagine it.

So, my husband is making the drive out with Theresa (9), Cathy (7), and Gabriel (3), who couldn't make it another month without seeing their brothers and Michelle. Anna (5), for the sake of car space, is getting to stay with her beloved Aunty Nina for a few days as an Easter treat. I'm staying home with William. And while this is not exactly a Lenten penance, staying home with my sweet little firecracker, I will so very much miss being together and celebrating like we always do. I know it's for the best to do it this way this year, but it still pains me. William, Anna, and I will spend Easter day at my sister, Donna's house with my parents and a few other of my siblings, which will be very nice. But Thursday through Saturday will be a dear penance. =sigh=

I expect it will be good for me. I know I have to be determined to make it good. So, here I am, getting determined. Determined. It'll be good.

Note: I have a couple of posts I may publish this week, but I expect I'll be a bit scarce. I have some reading I want to concentrate on. Have you ever read A Doctor at Calvary? It's an amazing way to contemplate Our Lord's passion and death.

Wishing you all a blessed Holy Week and the happiest Easter!

Prayers Needed

Please pray for the soul of my friend, Angela, who has just died, at the age of thirty-four, leaving behind four children. A dearer soul and a better mother I have never seen. The tragedy of her loss to her loving family and friends cannot even be expressed. She will be missed more than words can say. Please help us send her soul quickly to Heaven. Please pray for her family.

May the Divine Assistance remain always with us, and may the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.

Not an Irish Tune, But in the General Vicinity, Anyway

Sons Kevin, Jon, and Dominic, with buddy Tim, singing Loch Lomond.

The boys humored me by singing "just one more" before I left for home at my last visit. Tim didn't know that the boys had agreed while he was out of the room to skip the two middle verses ~ that's why there's a little "low spot" in the middle there, where he's trying to figure out what happened. And Kevvy had a cold, too, but I think it still turned out pretty well.

All Things Irish

Even though St. Patrick's traditional feast day lands in Holy Week this year, we're going to do some quiet downtime games to mark the day. Here's a nice Irish Jigsaw puzzle for the children to work on St. Patrick's Day.

And here's a bit of a crossword puzzle to print, or solve online, as well.

Perfect irish Scones

Maybe for breakfast Monday morning?

Leprechaun Cam

The camera is up and running near a fairy ring in Tipperary, Ireland. Tune in to see if you can spot some leprechauns! To aid, perhaps, in your hunting, and to learn a little more about the wee folk, please note this article by Dr. George Johnson on the Science of Leprechauns.

The preferred day of celebration for fasting Irish Catholics, this day, Sunday, the 16th, is our Lenten chance for feasting and revelry. Ours is a mild revelry, though. As card carrying Irish progeny (descended from the Gillikin clan) we have corned beef and colcannon on the menu for the afternoon. Then we'll air the traditional once-a-year viewing of our all-time favorite movie, The Quiet Man. We'll have a bowl of bread pudding. We'll toast one another with a cuppa tay or a droppa Guiness, and ask the blessing of the great saint. And we'll be askin his blessing on all of you, just the same!

Have a blessed St. Pat's Eve!

Fair warning...As I wait for the potatas ta boil, I might just take a stroll around the internet and find some more Irish shenanigans ta share with ye!

The Blahs

Every year it's the same thing, but I'm a little slow, you know. I've only just figured out the pattern.

I'm talking about the February/March Blah Syndrome, my annual body/mind/spirit stroll through the dumps...

There's such an obvious setup for depression here, I don't know why it didn't become clear to me for so long. First of all, we've got Lent falling somewhere through these two months. The weather, at least where we live, is the PITS through most of February and then is only nice enough in March to tease us. Schooling has lost its freshness and become just something we have to get through 'til summer vacation. I'm usually depressed because I've gained weight through Christmas and lost none during Lent. (I'm sure that's part of God's imposed penance on me, but it's still downheartening!) Then, of course, it's tax season ~ not something that fills my heart with rejoicing. I know that spring and Easter are coming, but this durned waiting is killing me.

Has anyone else noticed a seasonal bad mood? There is reason to have heart. Spring really is coming. And, while we're waiting for it, there are some things we can do to lift our moods. I've been thinking of some things that cheer me up. Here's the start of my list. Can you help me add to it?

1. Do something fun!

• start a tickle war with your children, the younger the giggleboxes, the better. (There's nothing like baby giggles to cheer you up!)




• Start plotting some April Fools Pranks


• Plan a trip! Even just a daytrip will break the monotony.

2. Lighten and Freshen up your space!

• Change the winter decor in your house, to spring colors.


• Don't wait for your seeds or bulbs to come up; go buy some full-bloomed flowers and put them somewhere right in your face!


• Wash your windows to let in the light; open those windows every chance you get!
  

3. Pamper yourself!

• Have your hair cut or colored, or buy some new barettes.


• Get some Jergens Natural Glow and get a head start on a tan.
  
• Then go buy some sandals for your tanned toes.
  

8. Surprise someone you love:

• put a love note on your husband's rearview mirror,


• make orange blossom muffins for your children for breakfast,


• send your Mom , sis, or best friend a snail mail "Thinking of you" card,


• bring flowers to put on the altar at church...

(Our Lady of Good Counsel Church in New Orleans )

Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows

Chaplet of the Sorrowful Mother

This is a thirteenth century devotion promulgated by St. Bridget of Sweden. It's nice to have a chaplet to use when praying it, but it's not necessary. Its purpose is to pray in rememberance and compassionate with Our Blessed Mother in her Seven Sorrows surrounding the suffering and death of her Divine Son. Today might be a good day to consider adding or substituting the chaplet of the Seven Sorrows for the daily rosary.

This is how the chaplet is prayed:

In short, the chaplet consists of seven Hail Marys one for each of the seven Sorrows. One Our Father is said before each group of seven Hail Marys: which are separated by a medal on the actual chaplet. Three Hail Marys are prayed at the end (on the three beads of the chaplet) in honor of the Tears of Our Sorrowful Mother. This is a wonderful Lenten meditation.

For each of the seven sets of seven Hail Mary, meditate on the following:

THE FIRST SORROW- The Prophecy
The prophecy of holy Simeon who told Our Sorrowful Mother of the bitter passion and death of Jesus (Our Father-Seven HaiI Marys:
THE SECOND SORROW - The Flight
Our Sorrowful Mother is forced to flee into Egypt to save her beloved Son from the death decreed by Herod (Our Father-Seven Hail Mary:
THE THIRD SORROW- The Loss
Our Sorrowful Mother is separated From Jesus for three long days while He is lost in Jerusalem (Our Father-Seven Hail Marys)
THE FORTH SORROW - The Meeting
Our Sorrowful Mother meets Jesus on the road to Calvary and sees Him fall under the cruel weight of the cross (Our Father-Seven Hail Marys
THE FIFTH SORROW- Jesus Dies
Our Sorrowful Mother watches Jesus die on the Cross (Our Father-Seven Hail Marys
THE SIXTH SORROW - Mary Receives Jesus
Our Sorrowful Mother receives the dead body of Jesus in her arms (Our Father-Seven Hail Marys)
THE SEVENTH SORROW - The Burial
Our Sorrowful Mother sees Jesus placed in the sacred tomb (Our Father-Seven Hail Marys)

On the last three beads at the end of the chaplet:

THREE HAIL MARYS
Three Hail Marys are said in honor of the Tears of Our Sorrowful Mother
Our Father, Hail Mary, Gloria for the papal intentions.

AND...
Here is a post I wrote back in September on the Feast of the Seven Sorrows, a modern mother's look at each one...

Here's the link to our sons' choir singing the Stabat Mater.

And here area couple places to get a chaplet: Discount Catholic Products, The Grotto Gift Shop, Gifts of Faith and I know there are small etsy-style shops out there where faithful families make these, as well.

Most especially, our family is begging prayers for the intercession of the Sorrowful Mother for my husband's uncle, who passed away this morning. Thank-you so much for your kindness, if you can remember him today.

May the Divine Assistance remain always with him, and may the souls of all the faithful departed, throught the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.

Sacred Spaces

It's fair day!
Welcome to the Sacred Spaces event of the Simply Lovely Fairs series! It's a beautiful day, the sun is shining, the breeze is blowing the streamers and penants tied to the brightly decorated booths all around the fairgrounds. I'm ready to go on a hunt for inspiration! Come with me and I'll introduce you around!

First up is Grandma K 's booth at A Bit of the Blarney . Look how it softly glows! Let's stroll over there to see what that's all about.

"...in our house," she explains,"each room has a small crucifix over the light switch. That way each time you enter or leave the room and must turn on or off the light you see the "Cross of our Salvation." So with each light switch sold, a crucifix would also be added. "

Next, I'll to take you over to check out the lovely thoughts and visuals over the kitchen sink at Sonlight Garden. Make sure and have a look at the adorable mini altars this creative mom has made for her children!

From here you can see Barbara's Booth, These Things, which is beautifully decorated with an array of wreaths inspired by the colors and themes of the Liturgical Year. You'll find a special corner devoted to the Look of Lent, with some wonderful ideas for the season.

Now over to Michele's at Decrease to Increase. Michele has a perfectly wonderful Stations of the Cross idea to share, as well as pictures of her family's domestic altar and sacred image collections.

Bia's booth is next over at La Dolce Vita. Her prayer station and prayer basket ideas are wonderful. You'll find a treat for all the senses in Bia's Sacred Space!

There is still plenty of space for more booths, folks! If anybody would like to join in the fun, please leave your comments and/or links in the comments box below!


But, here, last, we've come to my booth:



Sacred Spaces Everywhere
But don't expect them to be quiet or subdued...

I Find a heaven in the midst of saucepans and brooms."
~ St. Stanislaus Kostka

I've always thought it would be the ultimate in Catholic piety to own a prie Dieu. I would make a special, quiet little corner for it, complete with pictures and statues. Surely that would inspire me to pray more and pray better... Or I'd just as happily take a little meditation corner out in the garden, with a beautiful statue of the Blessed Mother, or St. Francis (or both of them!) Someplace quiet. Contemplative. Someplace where I can pray for all those children who keep me from having a chance to kneel down and pray.

But, I don't have a prie dieu, and am not likely to have one for some time. For one thing, the simplest ones start at $200, and for another thing, I don't have the time ~ or the quiet. At this season of my life, with many small children still at home, I have to catch a prayer life on the run. Which is OK. Every season of life has its challenges, and God gives us opportunities for grace at every turn, so long as we learn to recognize them and grab them as we're running by. Or, better yet, surround ourselves with our faith, so that in every breath, we find a prayer.



The very experience of living in our homes can be a prayer.


A lifelong prayer for the salvation of our children. Imagine the graces flowing through the rooms of a house where a child knows from its first awareness that God is the focus, that His love is what makes us happy, that His Heavenly Court are our refuge in hard times, our cheerleaders in good times. This faith permeates like the scent of bread baking. Who can resist it?


The whole house is a sacred space! And the Catholic attitude of our family life can lift our hearts and minds to God.

All the words we speak
...not only to the Heavenly Father, but those spoken in charity to one another can be prayers, even if their purpose is no more than to fulfill our vocation. So, telling the children for the fifth time in one day to take off their muddy shoes at the door, ~ if you remember to say it patiently ~ can be a prayer. One moment of biting the tongue for love of charity can be worth many moments of formal prayer on a private prie dieu.


It's good to remember that it's not only the prayers we say that rise to heaven. If we imagine our every word being placed on an incense burner that will drift up to Our Blessed Mother's heavenly home, we can't help but be more careful about what we choose to say. We want the scent that reaches paradise from us to be a pleasant one.

The music and entertainment that are the habits of our homes also reach the ears and eyes of the Heavenly Court and furnish the minds of the people who are subject to them. Choosing wholesome television and music for our love of goodness, for our love of God, can turn our entertainment into prayers. Turning off the television for more active pursuits clears the air better than almost anything to create a sacred space of our homes. The sacrifice of giving up or limiting this medium is a powerful prayer!

Above: The Singing Nuns

What do you see

... that lifts your heart and mind to God? Most people are strongly oriented toward the visual. You can't help but notice that the modern world is largely set up to influence us through our eyes: television, movies, books, computers, billboards, blackboards, bulletin boards, post-it notes... They all communicate through our sight. The decorations of our home communicate something, too. Consciously or subconciously, we display what we love. Look around your house and see what it tells about you.

I'll tell you one thing we love. Words. I recently realized this, in fact. We have words everywhere! And not just in our book collection (and in this verbose post...); even our wall art consists mostly of pictures with words on them. So, it's probably no accident that our children are readers, huh?

They learned early that letters and words are important to Mommy and Daddy, important to our family, and therefore important to them.

We teach the same thing to our children by displaying pictures and statues of the Holy Family and the saints.

We have a crucifix in every room, and a multitude of statues and pictures that we've collected over the years. We are blessed to have so many, in fact, that we circulate them according to feasts and seasons. Doing this is a wonderfully visual way to keep the children in tune with the liturgical year. Right now, St. Joseph has the place of honor on our dining room table (unadorned because it's Lent). At other times of the year, we'll bring out statues of St. Therese the Little Flower, Our Lady of Fatima, St. Michael, St. Rita, the Infant of Prague, our Ecce Homo or Pieta, etc. But we come to think of our heavenly patrons as family, by displaying their images as we do our earthly family's photographs.

We have a regular schedule for prayers that take place before our Sacred Images. It's a custom in our family for the little ones to blow kisses to Jesus and Mary's statues at bedtime. Our big statue of the Blessed Mother has received many, many dandelions at her feet through the years and we believe they turn into roses by the time the love that's offered with them reaches the Real Woman in heaven. Our Lady also has her own coffee can where the children drop their extra coins, to save money for the Mary garden we want to have someday. These little things live in their hearts and minds forever and help make fertile places for Faith to grow.

It's important to find that time for real connection with God in prayer, real prayer, but for a busy mom, this time often comes in stolen moments. A minute or two by the bedside in the morning and evening are usually the only private time I have with Our Lord! But the God who made me and blessed me with my ten beautiful children (who come with an enormous amount of laundry, dirty dishes, schoolwork and general upkeep!) understands my busy life better than anybody. As long as I love Him, while I'm loving my family, He knows I mean it as a prayer. My morning offering insures it!

Michelle's room is crowded with her collections, religious

images tucked very nicely into all the corners of her life...

Our Sacred and Immaculate Hearts plaques displayed with

books, and Our Lady of Fatima reigning over the computer desk.

Lenten reading and inspiration on my bedside table.

Notice how St. Rita, the patroness of impossible cases,

is stationed near my laundry area... As a mother, herself,

I feel sure she sympathizes!

Other great resources:

Here is an excellent article on the Domestic Church.

Go here for information on the Enthronement of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in the home.

You've Gotta See This Guy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kTSFhIv9bYg&eurl=http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=94747407415633325&postID=8415501134010412360

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CuoR6OM6KxA&eurl=http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=94747407415633325&postID=8415501134010412360

(This one's for Bia)

When you get to the end, you can check out some of his other video clips on the scroll at the bottom,too. Isn't he amazing?

H/T Julie G & Alena V.

Reminder: Simply Lovely Fair This Week!

Coming THIS WEEK to this blog near you!
Please remember to send me your links and ideas for

Simply Lovely

Sacred Spaces

before Wednesday, so we can have a full fairground for the event! I'm really looking forward to wandering through everyone's booths!

For a full description of the theme, click right here.

Blog Friends Bouquet

Cathy at a Bit of Blarney, who is such a sweet and supportive blog friend sent over this beautiful bouquet and the kindest wishes! Thank-you, so much, Cathy! I'm sending this bunch of flowers, express delivery, right back over to you ~ and to:

Peggy at A Catholic Notebook

Suzy at Sailing by Starlight (though she's on hiatus now for Lent)

Joann at Ten Kids and a Dog

Bia at La Dolce Vita

Kaila at Ego me habeno

Laura at Catholic Teacher Musings

Marie at View From the Pews

Raulito at Disciple of the Dumb Ox (though he's also on hiatus for Lent, and he has to give the flowers to Mrs. Raulito)

Maryan at A Lee in the Woudes

And, since I know many of you have probably already gotten this award because you really are such good and thoughtful bloggers, and because I'm selfish enough to want my award to stand out from the crowd, I'm sending along some of this:

A Box of Virtual Chocolate

No calories or fat, and it breaks no Lenten fast or sacrifice!

And this

little fellow

is the delivery boy!

(Only eight more days, 'til St. Patrick's Day!)

Go mbeannaí Dia thú!

(You'll have to ask him if he or his buddies want to help with your deliveries, dear friends. Bribes might be in order. My little guy is partial to Guiness and Philly pretzels)