A Pilgrim's Journey

This summer I took a group of teens to the Archdiocesan Youth Conference.  They all had a great time and were particularly interested in the Evening Prayer that we participated in.  That gave me an idea!! I asked them if they would like to meet every Monday night from the end of AYC to the beginning of school to talk about  different types of prayer that they may not have heard of or participated in.  So far I feel like it's been pretty successful.  The first evening we learned about Liturgy of the Hours and we prayed evening prayer together.  The next week we tried a Lectio Divina.  I thought none of them would come back after that.  Lo and behold the next Monday night, there they were!  So we prayed a Scriptural Rosary (always a favorite of mine because by the third Hail Mary I have usually forgotten what mystery I was meditating on) and believe it or not-they liked it.  Some had never even prayed a regular Rosary before. But that was the last trick up my sleeve. I was running out of ideas.

Recently I have been reading up on Labyrinths and so I decided that had to be my last hurrah to finish the summer up.  I needed to take the kids to one.  I found one at the Holy Name Retreat Center not far from our church.  Permission slips in hand I set out with 6 kids on a very special journey.  Up until recently, the only Labyrinth I had heard of had a minotaur in it.  What I discovered through my research is that a Labyrinth is a tool for prayer and meditation.  They have been around for centuries but became very popular during the middle ages.  Christians wanted to make pilgrimages to the Holy Land but the Crusades, expense and plague made it almost impossible.  Cathedrals across Europe were designated as pilgrimage sites and they installed circular labyrinths to mirror a pilgrims journey to the Holy Land.  The twists and turns of the Labyrinth reminded the pilgrims of their own lives and their own faith journey.  Today we can use Labyrinths for our own spiritual growth.

A Labyrinth is divided into three parts, the journey in, reaching the middle and the journey out.  We began by silently stating what our intention was.  Two of the kids are going off to college this fall and I wondered if that was what they wanted to ponder about.  For me, my intention was just to find a peaceful end to a terribly busy and demanding day.  We each chose something to keep us focused during our journey, some chose a bible passage and I chose to repeat the Hail Mary. Then, one by one we began to walk.  I have to say I was somewhat preoccupied with how the teens were doing and in taking a few photos so I didn't feel like my mind was quieted enough to receive the peace I was looking for, nevertheless, I still came away from the experience happy and rested.  I noticed that when the kids reached the middle, one by one, they sat down and didn't leave.  At first I thought they just didn't know what to do but as I got closer I realized that most of them were praying.  No one said a word the whole time.  One by one they slowly walked back out.

VBS-Pandamania

I know it's been a while since I've been on, I took it easy in June and July to rest a bit.  Since I was on last I completed my VBS program at the church.  Around 40 kids attended the week of fun and exciting events.  Here is how it went. 

This is how the stage decorations came out.  My husband built the screens and my kids and some of our friends, the Blanco's, helped out.  At night, lit up, it really felt like a bamboo forest in China!  Here is how we decorated some of the other rooms.

I LOVED the Junior high room, I really think they had a blast.  I made the table decorations in the snack area with my CRICUT machine.  This is such a great program for the children of St. Matthew's!

 Here are some of my favorite shots!  There is even a shot of our "whale" from the Jonah and the Whale Bible Adventure.  The kids loved sitting inside the giant whale!

As you can see we had a blast all week!  If your child attended Totally Catholic Pandamania this year and you want these or other pics, e-mail me and I will e-mail them to you-I have ton of shots.

PANDAMANIA-Welcome STM parents!

The best part of my job every year is VBS.  I am the VBS director at my church every year and I love it.  It is a great time where the kids learn valuable lessons about being Catholic and have a ton of fun at the same time.  We purchase the program from OSV, they take the GROUP publishing program every year and turn it "Catholic".  I feel like it is one of the best programs around.  Last year the theme was "High Seas Expedition" and this year it is "PANDAMANIA".  The best part of the week is decorating the stage or gathering area. Last year I tried to make the stage look like a ship.  The year before I had a carpenter from our church actually build a "shack" out of my old fence  to add to the swamp feel.  This year I am trying to recreate a bamboo forest right inside the auditorium.  Today was the big kick off registration at church and I spoke after every Mass, trying to encourage parents to sign their kids up.  This year I hope to get 50 kids, k through 8th grade.  This is the first year I have added a junior high group (just a coincidence that my daughter just completed the 6th grade-not!) and we have to see how well that goes.  I will try to update all my projects here with pics as I complete them. I am so worried because I still need three teachers and at least 5-10 more high schoolers.  That's my project for this evening, pray for more volunteers.  Watch as PandaMania comes together in the next three weeks!

Living Simply?

Too nervous to do her own shoes.

...and here's the Monster.

I guess I am going to have to rethink my idea of "living simply". This world is just so busy, lately I have been thinking that I have to put off living simply until my kids leave!  Maybe what I need to concentrate on is "slowing down".  Friday night was Prom Night for my daughter, Ally.  Since she didn't want to necessarily go to Prom (not a big fan of dances or staying up all night) we had issues getting her ready.  She showed absolutely no initiative in getting herself ready for this thing. She never asked me to order a boutonniere, never asked to make a hair appointment, never asked about a purse or what jewelry she was going to wear.  We picked out some shoes to be dyed blue and she never told me they had called her to pick them up.  So why then, agree to go? Not sure. Because her BF is a senior and I guess that makes it kinda required.   Anyway, my day Friday was spent running around all day looking for jewelry and trying to beg someone to make me a boutonniere.  Two florists actually LAUGHED at me when I went in and asked. LAUGHED. So how dumb did I look saying that I needed a boutonniere for the prom, TONIGHT! Some lady finally took pity on me and whipped one up right there. She was an angel.  An angel florist.  They come in all forms, let me tell you.  Eventually I managed to find her three options for jewelry (she picked the set I would have least thought she would) and an updo. No purse (she went without) and no mani-pedi (she didn't seem to notice). Well, Ally finally made it to the Prom and she wound up looking gorgeous, like a princess. ( Even though 2 hours earlier she was standing in our living room, while her sister was buckling her shoes, screaming at me and downing a MONSTER energy drink.) Ahhh to be a teenager again. who wouldn't want to do it?  o-O

Ally and her date.  She had calmed down a bit by then.                                                  










 I sorta felt like she was walking away from me and her childhood, then I went home and saw her room.

Confirmation Collage

Wow, it's been a while since I got to post!  Easter wore me out this year and I needed some time to rest. This past weekend my oldest daughter was confirmed.  She chose St. Patrick as her saint and wore her Easter dress.  She looked beautiful and I am so proud of her.  She was so excited that night, she had really been looking forward to the big event.  I wanted to give Ally a unique gift that would show her own individuality and how much I love and respect her.  I decided to make a collage of some important items and events in her life for the last year or so.  Here is how it came out.  My friends Tricia and Barbara helped me with it.  This frame is just little snippets of Ally's life.  If you look closely you will see: pearls,wire treble clefs, little fleur de lis, lots of antique looking keys, a picture of the cast of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, lots of pictures of her friends and  productions she's been in, an image of the Virgin Mary holding baby Jesus, a Finch Bird, her initials, a bottle of 'faith', dried flowers and a bottle of 'hope'. It wasn't hard to make, the frame was purchased from Archivers along with a mini pack of paper and coordinating ribbon.  Then I collected little items that I thought meant something to her.  It was kind of like making 12 little scrapbook pages.  My favorite items are the bottles of faith and hope.  I had so much fun making this frame, I think Ally really appreciated it.  I really appreciate Tricia for cutting out all of the little pieces of paper and Barbara for her great ideas and support.

Resurrection Cookies

There are so many fun activities to do with your kids during Holy Week.  I like to make these with my youngest daughter, Catherine.  We've made them several times and they are very easy to make. Make sure you have a bible handy!

Resurrection Cookies

1 cup whole pecans
1 tsp vinegar, plus some for your children to taste
3 egg whites
pinch salt, plus some for your children to taste
1 cup sugar, plus some for your children to taste


Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. It is very important to preheat the oven before you begin.

Jesus is arrested and beaten by the soldiers. Mark 43 & 65
Place pecans in a plastic baggie and crush them up with a rolling pin or whatever you have. beat them with a rolling pin or wooden spoon to break into small pieces.

Jesus was given vinegar to drink. Matthew 27:34
Taste and smell the vinegar. Add vinegar to a mixing bowl.

Jesus gave his life for our lives. John 10:10-11
Add egg whites to vinegar.

Tears were shed by Jesus' followers. Luke 23
Tears are salty. Add the salt to the bowl.

Beat with a mixer on high speed for 12 to 15 minutes until stiff peaks are formed. Explain that the color white represents the purity in God's eyes of those whose sins have been cleansed by Jesus.  Isaiah 1:18


So far the ingredients are not very appetizing. Add the sugar to the egg whites, and give some for your children to taste. Explain that the sweetest part of the story is that Jesus died because He loves us He wants us to know and belong to Him.   John 3:16


Jesus was laid in a rocky tomb. Matthew 27:57
Fold in the broken nuts and drop by teaspoonfuls into little mounds on a parchment or wax covered cookie sheet.

The tomb was sealed. Matthew 27:60

Put the cookie sheet in the oven, close the door and turn the oven OFF.

GO TO BED! Explain that they may feel sad to leave the cookies in the oven overnight. Jesus' followers were in despair when the tomb was sealed.

On Easter morning, open the oven and give everyone a cookie. Notice the cracked surface and take a bite. The cookies are hollow! On the first Easter Jesus' followers were amazed to find the tomb open and empty. Mark 16:6

Holy Week and Veggie Gardening in Houston

Yesterday was Palm Sunday and like any good Catholic Mom you are probably waking up to a table  full of palms. Hmmmm. Can't toss them, they are blessed aren't they? Hmmmm.... I have the answer for you! Below is a website (not Catholic, but gets the job done) that shows how to make palm crosses.  I like to make them and tuck them into a bible or adhere to a cross somewhere in the house.  

http://www.kingofpeace.org/palmcrosses/

Now that problem is solved! 

Today is tax day.  We had to pay :(  For the first time in years, since before kids, we had to pay.  My husband had a job change last year and our income went down $5,000 this year but we still had to pay.  Hmmmmm....  It's going to get worse before it gets better, I guess, so I wake up this morning more determined than ever to try to simplify our lives.  Here's my challenge this week: no eating dinners out.  I am going to make up the amount I sent to the IRS in two weeks by skipping 3 meals for my family out.  That should save around $90.00, just enough to cove our bill.  

Next problem solved!  On to something more fun!  A garden update.  I am posting pics of how my garden has grown in the weeks since I put everything in.  The zucchini I was so worried about is blooming but I think I need bees to get the zucchini's to form. Anyone have any insight into this??  I am desperate to get zucchinis this year. 

See the blooms!

Little cucumbers are already forming!

This is the herb garden, closer to the kitchen door, for easy access.  The bloom belongs to a pumpkin, I hope it produces a pumpkin for fall!

This is malabar spinach which is very similar to the spinach we buy in the grocery store.  I think it needs thinning out because it is supposed to grow taller, like a vine.  I really have no idea what I am doing, I just try to look stuff up on the internet and give it a try.  I hope this works, we LOVE fresh spinach leaves in our salads.   Well, it's off to get ready for work. Have a great week!