~ pretty, happy, funny, real ~ Summer Family Car Trip August 2013

~ Capturing the context of contentment in everyday life ~

Every Thursday at Like Mother, Like Daughter

and linking up to Catholic Bloggers Network

2013 Monthly Link-Up Blitz

Visiting the California Missions and Colleges and everything in between!

Treasures we picked up along the way...
others will be revealed until Christmas!

When my husband and I were first married, over 23 years ago, we drove to all the California Missions up and down the El Camino Real.

We bought a book about the Missions, read up on each one, and drove...

We have a lot of memories and fun stories that we try and remember to share with our children.  We were SO excited to plan our recent trip to visit several colleges and Missions, as well as some fun amusement & theme parks and museum.  Actually, Butterfly mapped out our entire route and printed out a package for us to follow!  I just love industrious teens!
  (thank you, sweetie! xo)

{pretty}

Across the street from San Juan Bautista Mission

 The skies were so very {pretty}!

As were all the Missions and the art, statues and religious artifacts within the church walls...

Inside the Mission San Miguel Archangel

We had a very knowledgeable tour guide take our family through the San Juan Bautista Mission - it was awesome!

This was not a Mission, but one of the several colleges that we toured...we were excited to celebrate the Holy Mass in the chapel.

{happy}



Ronald Reagan Museum

This family trip had something for everyone...everyone was {happy}!

These wine barrels were neither in the CA Missions or Colleges (well, I'm sure you might find a keg or two of some kind of spirit in one or two frat houses). 
Disneyland.  Surprise, surprise!






(Mom & Dad) enjoy a glass of wine as we watch the parade passing by...this may be why they call it "the happiest place on earth". 





We jumped over to California Adventure and headed over to Paradise Pier...California Screamin' was the name of this ride:

They take a picture of you as you are screaming your head off...Butterfly just smiled sweetly. 

{funny}

Door within a door at San Juan Bautista Mission

This is not a mouse house...on the contrary, it is a cat door!  Cute and {funny}.

Personal favorite of mine  :o)

Another favorite  :D
Liquid Bread...from our monks!

After we checked into our hotel, we took a walk...we had dinner at an old friend's...KARL.
Karl Strauss.  We went for the burgers & fries. 

When mama is happy, everybody is happy!

Up next, Universal Studios.
This qualifies as {happy}, too:

  and this:

 Do not be fooled, this was my after lunch appetizer. 

Met this {funny} lady:

Lucy...I'm home!

{real}

Conductor admiring and taking pictures of traditional vestments
Mom trying to slyly take a picture of him, taking a picture...

The Fantasmic show was pretty impressive...although I could not get any good shots

All the Disney characters on the Mark Twain

One of the best pyro techy shows, ever.  {real} entertaining.

Go to Like Mother, Like Daughter to find more contentment...

~ 3 - 2 - 1 ~

Joining Jenny and the other Ladies over at Suscipio for

3 Things I am Thankful For…

~ Firefighters

~ St. Florian

~ My Pastor

2 Places I Would Love to Visit…

~ Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Mexico

~ Washington, DC (with all the monuments, memorials, etc)

1 Place I Love to Go…

~ to visit my parents and share a cup of tea.




Join Jenny over at Suscipio for some fantastically Friday fun...

~ The Assumption ~

On August 15th the Church celebrates the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

This day is also know as the Dormition of the Blessed Virgin...because her body did not know corruption after death.

Her body and soul were taken up into heaven. 

Although the Gospels say nothing about how long the Mother of God remained on earth after Christ's Ascension into heaven, the  foundation of the feast of the Assumption can be found in the sacred tradition of the Church. 

The Feast of the Dormition is one of the oldest of Marian feasts, beginning in Jerusalem shortly after the Council of Ephesus (431).  The Dormition of the Most Holy Mother of God" is the title in the East, and "The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary is the title in the Western Church.

Holy Father Pius XII defined the dogma of the Assumption; solemnly proclaiming:  "By the authority of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul, and our own authority, we proclaim, declare and define as a truth revealed by God, that the Immaculate Mother of God, the Ever-Virgin Mary, having ended the course of her life on earth, was taken body and soul into heavenly glory."

 

This Feast is associated with the old custom of the blessing of flowers and herbs.  In our parish, we bring them to our church to have them blessed.

At home, we haven't really had a tradition...well, besides attending Holy Mass.

Soooo, I was excited when this book arrived just a week or so earlier...

Listed under this feast day was this amazing exotic salad...MORACCAN SALAD!

This salad was both exquisite and refreshing!

Moroccan Salad for the Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary

 

All the combined ingredients gives this dish a gorgeous presentation...and the taste...
both tangy and sweet, making it the perfect combination ~ very flavorful!

Per the Hand-Maid Household - A Feast, just is not a feast without DESSERT. 

We decided to make something super simple. 

Three ingredients.  No baking.  Using what we had on hand.

Little Lamb named them:  A Little Bit of Heaven

INGREDIENTS:
Pitted Dates
Shredded Coconut
Coconut Butter or Oil (we used coconut oil because it is what we had on hand.)

DIRECTIONS:
Smooth a little coconut oil on date.  Roll date in shredded coconut.  Enjoy. 

“My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord;
my spirit rejoices in God my Savior
for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant.
From this day all generations will call me blessed:
the Almighty has done great things for me
and holy is his Name.
He has mercy on those who fear him
in every generation.
He has shown the strength of his arm,
and has scattered the proud in their conceit.
He has cast down the mighty from their thrones,
and has lifted up the lowly.
He has filled the hungry with good things,
and the rich he has sent away empty.
He has come to the help of his servant Israel
for he has remembered his promise of mercy,
the promise he made to our fathers,
to Abraham and his children forever.”

~ Luke 1:39-56

 

Almighty ever-living God, who assumed the Immaculate Virgin Mary, the Mother of your Son, body and soul into heavenly glory, grant we pray, that, always attentive to the things that are above, we may merit to be sharers of her glory. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

 

Linking up to Catholic Bloggers Network
2013 Monthly Link-Up Blitz

 

 

Saints Cele-LINKY

 

and

Catholic: And Living It! Link-Up

 

 

~ {pretty, happy, funny, real} : August Week III 2013 ~

~ Capturing the context of contentment in everyday life ~

Every Thursday at Like Mother, Like Daughter

 

{pretty}

 

Once again, it was my turn to prepare the flowers for the sanctuary.

I found some {pretty} roses...I love the assortment of pastel colors mixed with the BIG bold white chrysanthemums (One for each Person:  Father, Son & Holy Spirit)

 

{happy}

Happy Birthday!  Perfect way to celebrate & give thanks!

A very {happy} Birthday to my son's (and our family) friend who turned sixteen this month.
To celebrate his birthday, he invited my son and another friend to serve the Holy Mass with him and his older brother.
They are all pictured here (The 'birthday boy' is the first server on the left and Conductor is third from the left).  They all went out to lunch after the Mass...
Future priest...? Let's pray.  God's will be done.

 

{funny}

I received this cookbook as a wedding gift, over 23 years ago!  It is now held together by rubber bands.  :o)

 

{real}

 

 

This is what it looks like when I *release* the bands...

It has helped me tremendously in the earlier years of my domestic pleasures.

I have no intention of getting rid of this tattered book useful tool anytime soon.

 

 

Go to Like Mother, Like Daughter to find more contentment...

 

Also,

Linking up to Catholic Bloggers Network
2013 Monthly Link-Up Blitz