Pretty, Happy, Funny, Real: May 2016

Pentecost Bouquet in the Month of May

Joining Like Mother, Like Daughter for pretty, happy, funny and real times...

~ Capturing the context of contentment in everyday life ~

L.I.F.E.

L is for LIFE

Styling my Autumn Hutch

Displaying my silverware in a flower vase...
easy access, while reminding me to use enjoy the silverware more often.

Decorating for the season can be simple.
I never find decorating to be a hassle or burdensome.  If I did, I simply would not decorate.  Right?

Journey to Lourdes: Part One

Joining Like Mother, Like Daughter for some pretty, happy, funny and real times...

{pretty}

This is the beautiful day and scenery that greeted us as we entered Lourdes, France...

Bus Ride to Lourdes

~ Welcome Home ~

~ Welcome ~

To my Catholic Family Journal...and journey.

On Saturday, at the Easter Vigil, several men and women will be received into the Church.  This is such an exciting and sacred time - The Easter Triduum.  

We have been preparing for Easter, during this Lenten season.

Today, Good Friday, is the only day we do not celebrate the Holy Mass.  This is a sobering thought.  No Holy Mass.  {{{I shiver}}}.  

Additionally, this time is special to me, because on April 21st, I will celebrate the 3rd Anniversary of my little cyber-journal.  My blog.  Which was dedicated to Our Mother, Mary.  And to Christ, Our Savior and Redeemer.  

As my children and I look back on our posts, we are reminded of all the joys we share together - as a family, and through our Faith.  

For the first year or so, I kept this blog private.  Very private.  I still do...But, after much prayer & time, I opened the door to our little world.  

Sharing a peek into our Catholic home.  I am happy that I have guests that visit us here.  It is not my goal to try and capture hundreds or even thousands of readers.  It is my goal to share my love...my family and my Faith.  As imperfect as we are.

Sharing the Catholic Faith.  The Catholic Church is such a gift.  No one can really explain....It is something that needs to be experienced.  Because even the pain and suffering is all for a greater glory.

I am so thankful for the gift that my parents gave me...The Catholic Faith.  So rich.  So full.  So home...thank you for your visit.  You are welcome to come over...anytime!

WELCOME HOME

Welcome Home - Click Here

Sharing with Catholic Bloggers Network

~ Humble Servant ~

Pope Francis I

{happy}

"And now, I would like to give the blessing, but first I want to ask you a favour. Before the bishop blesses the people I ask that you would pray to the Lord to bless me – the prayer of the people for their Bishop. Let us say this prayer – your prayer for me – in silence."     ~ Pope Francis I 

Viva il Papa!

 

"I will now give my blessing to you and to the whole world, to all men and women of good will. Brothers and sisters, I am leaving you. Thank you for your welcome. Pray for me and I will be with you again soon. We will see one another soon. Tomorrow I want to go to pray to the Madonna, that she may protect Rome."  

                                                                                                        ~ Pope Francis I

 We are so Joyful with the news of our new Holy Father!  My children made a special request...

It's like a mini-Easter...total JOY and Happiness!

{pretty} delicious

We LOVE our Papa!

and He LOVES Us!
















{funny}
We began our Cardinal & Conclave craft a couple days ago.  Yesterday we read a guide to the Conclave and prayed earnestly for the election of our pope and wondering Who will the Holy Spirit call to lead the Church? while working on our wooden cardinal craft....
This morning we attended Mass to pray for our Pope...and then the WHITE SMOKE appeared....shortly after 7:00PM (Rome time) today (3-13-13) the white smoke emerged from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel!

Habemus Papam!

{real}

"Good night and sleep well!"
                                                    ~ Pope Francis I 

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

 

~ Cardinals & Conclave ~

We continue to pray for our Adopted Cardinal...and as we anticipate the Papal Conclave, we decided to join Equipping Catholic Families' GUESS WHO?! activity.

I printed out all five sheets of the cardinals here.

Since I've been clearing out my arts & craft boxes, I found these wooden doll pins and pegs and thought they would be useful...

But which to use?  Decisions, decisions.

There are only 27 wooden pins left and about 30 pegs...then I had a peg that had a little "hat" on top.  I thought I would save this for our next elected pope;  since I have four of them, I am going to do a Benedict XVI, Pope Emeritus, too.

I had originally intended to do an activity with my First Communion Class using the Cardinal sheets, however, we just didn't have time since we are preparing for the sacrament of First Confession in a week.

So, Little Lamb and I are taking some time today to learn more about some more of our Cardinals...since we have adopted our own. 

What a time we are living in...we have access to so much information.  We are excited to see the Papal Interregnum unfold...

Stay tuned.

Linking up to Catholic Bloggers Network

~ Cardinals ~

 

Dear Valerie,

Congratulations!

You have adopted this Cardinal:

Francisco Robles Ortega,

from Mexico,

born 2.3.1949.
He's been a Cardinal since 24.11.2007

and his function is: Archbishop of Guadalajara, Mexico

May the prayer for your Cardinal be deeply blessed.
 

Have you adopted your Cardinal yet?

Little Lamb:  "I have to say, he does look good in red"

Mom:  "But would he look good in white?"

;o)

 

~ Resolutions ~

"Much peace have they that love thy law,

and to them there is no stumbling block."

                                                                                                        ~  Psalm 118:165

For years, "Simplicity" has been our family motto. 
Actually, ever since our first pilgrimage to Rome (over nine years ago - when Little Lamb was just a baby), one of our guiding principles has been to live a life of Simplicity. 

Fresh from the bakery.  Simply delicious!

 

We have used "Simplicity" for years because we were (and still are) trying to achieve a Simpler Life.  It takes time to shed from all "stuff" that we have taken on from over the years. 

We live in a world of many distractions.  Where even "good works" can be a distraction from our real vocation in life. 

The simple fact is, My vocation is to be a wife and a mother.  And my vocation should take priority above all other good works. 

With life flying by, and so many distractions to keep us from our true goal - we need to stay focused on what is truly important.  Focused on what we were created for:

To KNOW, LOVE, and SERVE Him, in this world; so that we may be with Him in Heaven for all eternity.

For last year's Resolutions, I borrowed from St. Elizabeth Seton's  resolves.

This year, I have been soul searching to find what direction I (we) should be headed. 
I first thought that it should be Faith, since we are in the Year of Faith.  But I was not settled with Faith alone.  I felt that I was being prompted to work on something in addition to growing in my Faith...
I love the little hints that He lays in front of us for us to pick up on.  To give a sense of where we are and where we should be going...

I'm being somewhat vague here, because this is my (general) Family Journal, and not my personal journal...So, even though I still haven't completed all my resolutions (maybe I should work on procrastination - lol) I will, at least, state our family motto:

Peace.

Peace in the home, peace in our souls, and peace in our hearts. 

A quiet heart.  A simple heart.  A peaceful heart.

As a mother, I think we are the ones in the family that are always trying to keep the peace.

Peace and Quiet, they go hand in hand.  lol. But they are not always there. 
So how does one obtain peace?

That is what I hope to find achieve this year - 2013.  A peaceful heart, so that I can know, love and serve Him...and share this *peace* with my family - my husband and my children.

And may God's grace and peace be with us all this year!

"LORD, you establish peace for us;

all that we have accomplished you have done for us."

~  Isaiah 26:12

~ Be Stouthearted ~

First crop of olives from our garden.

 

This morning at Mass, things seemed more still and quiet than usual.  Almost somber.  Maybe it was just within my heart.

 

When I knelt down before Him, and thanked Him for another new day in which to serve Him, His Fatherly comfort surrounded me. 

I found Today's readings consoling...

"My beloved, obedient as you have always been,
not only when I am present but all the more now when I am absent,
work out your salvation with fear and trembling.
For God is the one who, for his good purpose,
works in you both to desire and to work.

Do everything without grumbling or questioning,
that you may be blameless and innocent,
children of God without blemish
in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation,
among whom you shine like lights in the world,
as you hold on to the word of life,
so that my boast for the day of Christ may be
that I did not run in vain or labor in vain.

But, even if I am poured out as a libation
upon the sacrificial service of your faith,
I rejoice and share my joy with all of you.
In the same way you also should rejoice and share your joy with me."
~ Phil 2: 12-18

And Today's Responsorial Psalm, much more so...

R. (1a) The Lord is my light and my salvation.
The LORD is my light and my salvation;
whom should I fear?
The LORD is my life's refuge;
of whom should I be afraid?
R. The Lord is my light and my salvation.
One thing I ask of the LORD;
this I seek:
To dwell in the house of the LORD
all the days of my life,
That I may gaze on the loveliness of the LORD
and contemplate his temple.
R. The Lord is my light and my salvation.
I believe that I shall see the bounty of the LORD
in the land of the living.
Wait for the LORD with courage;
be stouthearted, and wait for the LORD.R. The Lord is my light and my salvation.

Fresh from the garden, picked this morning

Today's Gospel...
Great crowds were traveling with Jesus,
and he turned and addressed them,
"If anyone comes to me without hating his father and mother,
wife and children, brothers and sisters,
and even his own life,
he cannot be my disciple.

Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after me
cannot be my disciple.

Which of you wishing to construct a tower
does not first sit down and calculate the cost
to see if there is enough for its completion?
Otherwise, after laying the foundation
and finding himself unable to finish the work
the onlookers should laugh at him and say,
'This one began to build but did not have the resources to finish.'
Or what king marching into battle would not first sit down
and decide whether with ten thousand troops
he can successfully oppose another king
advancing upon him with twenty thousand troops?
But if not, while he is still far away,
he will send a delegation to ask for peace terms.
In the same way,
everyone of you who does not renounce all his possessions
cannot be my disciple."
~ Luke 14:25 - 33

me in a happy place, thinking happy thoughts. :o)

 

Whoa!

Well, the Summer came and went...

~ Fall 2011 ~

The Fall, too!

~ Advent 2011 ~

Winter was WONDERFUL...
and now we are in a New Year!


Which reminds me of RESOLUTIONS...
Years ago, while I was on a woman's retreat, one of the priests spoke about Resolutions - and why we need them...our Pastor spoke on Resolutions at this past First Friday Mass...
Here are six resolves St. Elizabeth Ann Seton made (from the Women of Grace E-Newsletter):

St. Elizabeth Ann Seton stands as a model for women today. Wife, mother, widow, founder,religious sister, patron of the death of children, daughter of God, spiritual daughter of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Her life, her words, her example, and her desire for God alone, give the women of today a sure and safe path to follow.

Following are six resolves Mother Seton made. As they did for her, they may well lead us, too, to sanctity and holiness of life:

She wrote: “Solemnly in the presence of my Judge, I resolve through his grace

1) to remember my infirmity and my sin

2) to keep the door of my lips

3) to consider the causes of sorrow for sin in myself and in them whose souls are as dear to me as my own

4) to check and restrain all useless words

5) to deny myself and exercise the severity that I know is due to my sin

6) to judge myself – thereby trusting through mercy, that I shall
not be severely judged by my Lord

Perhaps these resolutions might be good ones to make as we begin this new year in Our Lord, 2012.

Resolutions..a very good thing.
Thank you, God, for this New Year!

~ CHRISTmas 2011 ~