Happy Halloween

Happy Halloween!

Here are the children in their costumes... Hope everyone had a great Halloween... We had delivery pizza and went door to door Trick or Treating...

Monkey - Dale Jr. Peanut - Chocolate Chip Cookie Linebacker - Snowman The Candy:

Wednesday 28th - Friday 30th

It was another quite and typical week.... We are having car troubles which will hopefully be fixed soon... So other then my daily walks of 0.8 miles... I stayed home... Still setting things up on the new computer... I also took the time to catch up on laundry... Not much else to say really... Hopefully next weeks blog will be a bit more... ::smirk::

Tasty Tuesday

Caroline's Peanut Butter Criss Cross Cookies

2 C. Flour
1 t. Baking Soda
1/2 t. Baking Powder
1/4 t. Salt
3/4 C. Butter, melted
3/4 C. Peanut Butter
3/4 C. Sugar
3/4 C. Brown Sugar
2 Eggs
1 t. Vanilla
Sugar and Fork

Mix ingredients together till well blended... I use a 3 T. scoop (we like big cookies) to make mine but you can roll them into balls and place on cookie sheet... Dip a fork in a bowl of sugar and press the tops to make the criss cross pattern (see photo)... Bake 10 minutes at 375 degrees...

ENJOY!

Menu Planning Monday 10-26

Here is my monthly menu (about $500 for a family of six) for October 25th - December 5th... ENJOY... Watch my blog for recipes... Some have already been posted as they are family favorites... If you want to find the recipes on my blog click on the 'label' "Recipe" that will take you to them all...

Super Bowl Chili
Chicken Parmesan
Swiss Steak
Chicken Quesadillas
HALLOWEEN Pizza – Delivery
Chicken Burrito Bundles
Tacos
Chicken Oven Baked w Barbecue Sauce
Philly Cheese Steaks
Martha’s Rosemary Fried Chicken
Spaghetti Meatballs
Ham Dinner
Chicken Stir Fry
Sloppy Joes
Chicken Weeknight Pot Pie
Lasagna
Chicken Fettuccine
Cheese Burgers
Thanksgiving
Onion Salisbury Steaks
Chicken Fingers
Tomato Crockpot Beef Roast

Wednesday 21st - Saturday 24th

This week kind of flew by... I was quite busy... However when I look back it's like what did I really do... Funny how life is that way... You are running, running but then when look back you are what exactly did I do? I guess it's just hard to remember things when you were so busy that you didn't even take the time to remember them... LOL... A few things I did were of course laundry, remodeling, baking, cooking, playing with the children, reading books, cleaning (LOL), I spent some time catching up on sleep... We have a 4 day weekend... It's been wonderful! I haven't really gone any where... Just stayed here at home taking care of home... Just a step back away from the run here, run there, kind of life... The Walton's Season 4 has rolled around in my queue so we have been taking time to sit back to a time when things didn't move at the speed of light... So, funny in one episode they are driving and one is saying my goodness how fast are going? the driver replies oh 20-22 MPH! The other replies slow down before you kills the both of us... Can you imagine driving anywhere at less then 25 MPH? Funny how times change... How I wish we could all go back to those simpler times and when everyone knew what really mattered most in life... I know times then were hard but still... Something to think about...

Tasty Tuesday

Chicken Broccoli Cups

2 tubes refrigerated biscuit dough (I always make my biscuits from scratch but not sure how to adapt it to this recipe)
2 C. Shredded Cheddar Cheese (I usually use a blend like Colby/Jack or Cheddar/Jack or mild/white Cheddar)
1-1/3 C. Crispy Rice Cereal
1-1/2 C. Boneless Chicken Breast Cooked, Cubed/Shredded
1 can Cream of Mushroom Soup (I used 2 C. Chicken Gravy)
2 C. Broccoli Florets cooked, chopped

Place biscuits in muffin cups, pressing dough over the bottom and up the sides. Add 1 T of cereal and 1 T of cheese to each cup.

In large bowl combine chicken, soup(gravy) and broccoli till well mixed; spoon into cups. Bake at 375 Degrees for 20 minutes... Sprinkle tops with cheese and bake another 5 minutes... Serve...

Yield: Approx 20 Single Serve 'Cups'

ENJOY!

Marvelous Monday

I went to Engineer's 30 day meeting at his program... After enrolling they do a 30 day review... The meeting went very well... He is doing awesome in his program... We wrote his plan for the up coming year till his next review which will be done annually now... We have lots of fun things planned for him and wonderful independance skills for him to work on and master... Hopefully he will graduate from the program soon... However I should not get ahead of myself... It will be many years I'm sure before that... I'm so glad we placed him in this program... Still their are feelings of are we really doing the right thing... KWIM? However I remain very optimistic about the future... It was an otherwise quiet day the rest of the day filled with the usual laundry, and other homesteading duties...

Son Saturday

Engineer 9-1/2 Years Old

Saturday is the day I spend a good part of the day just Engineer and me... Today I took some PICS of his latest 'creations' he made via his train set, Lincoln Logs, and LEGOS...

He is doing much better with his log buildings... He used windows and other accessories this time... Before he just made square and rectangle shapes... Just stacking the logs vs creating something... These look like the ones on the box... This is 'Bob's Yard' from his favorite TV Series Bob the Builder... Weren't they impressive... Next we loaded in the car to check out the 'new' Walmart being built on the south edge of town... He was very excited by the 'Road Closed' sign... He loved to ask me during the entire time there... Why is it closed? He would then answer himself... Because there is no road... He thought that was quite the entertainment...

The other sign that caught his eye was this one... He wanted us to walk and 'find' the Dead End but it was too cold... We saw it from the street that passes by the Walmart... He was thrilled... Shouted to me "it ends at the unloading depot"... LOL!!! His staff is really enjoying his extensive vocabulary in regards to construction and trains... I said well he learned it from his videos... He does... He's like a little sponge soaking up each little detail has he watches the video over and over... It was quite chilly and windy since there is nothing to stop the wind way out there in 'farm' country... We had a great time any way... We also spent time picking up sticks at home, and I found two more pairs of gloves for him... I really need to finish knitting his 'new' hat... We had a wonderful afternoon just us... What to do next weekend? Any ideas?

Fs Friday

Couldn't pick just one F today because today was Full of all kinds of F... First F of the day was Fitness... Do to vehicle issues I walked 1.5 miles so I could complete errands... I first walked to a local parish... Spent a few moments in Adoration... I then dropped off some papers... I started my walk to the bank... I deposited two checks, chit chatted and then I was off again... A short walk over to the grocery store to the 'blue' mail boxes... I dropped in a bill I had been meaning to mail for some time... Next I headed home... I haven't walked this far in a long time... Goodness knows it was good for me... I'm proud of myself... I had doubts that I could accomplish such a task... The next F leads me to Foul Mood... I was extremely unhappy starting Thursday night and most of Friday that I had no vehicle and may not have one for some time... However my mood Flipped when my husband with the help of a coworker brought both vehicles home tonight after work... So, there you have it... My Friday...

Thankful - Thursday

It's been a while since I did one of these and wanted to start up again... So, here is are my Top 10 things I'm most Thankful for this week... I hope it helps to remind you of the little things you are Thankful for too!

1. Plenty of Healthy Food
2. Warm, Dry, Safe Home
3. Freedom
4. Healthy Family
5. Engineer is receiving the behavior help he's needed for so long
6. Quality Medical Services Close to Home
7. Good Friends
8. Love of my Husband
9. My children have 7 living Grandparents
10. Functional Computer and High Speed Internet so I can stay 'connected'

Well Wednesday

All is well here today... I dropped Monkey off... Made a loaf of bread... Ready Linebacker and dropped him off... Picked my husband and Peanut up for our session... Everything went well there... I stood up and took charge... It was definetely better without Linebacker there... Peanut was quiet and barely noticeable... My list was helpful... I left it to be put in the file... Should be interesting to see what happens in our next session... Picked Linebacker up... I have this awful sinus headache just over my left eye... UGH!!! Picked Monkey up... Walked 0.8 miles today... Turned the dryer on several times.. Takes forever to dry a load of jeans... Put Linebackers clothes in the wash... Monkey had ST...

Ts Tuesday

I couldn't just name today Tasty Tuesday because so many other Ts happened to us today... Thrilling day because our Little Flowers / Blue Knights order arrived... We are all ready for year II... I just love this program... I look forward to the day when I can just Travel and start this program in parishes... Sharing my Time and Talent with others... Looks like the Threat that appeared just after Mother's Day will finally be gone hopefully by the end of the month... We should have a letter stating to the fact soon... Woo hoo!!! Today is a double Tasty Tuesday because I'm sharing my Chicken Mushroom Fettuccine Recipe and my Old Fashioned Cookie Recipe...

Chicken Mushroom Fettuccine

1 stick Butter
5 Cloves Garlic, pressed (adjust to personal tastes of garlic)
1-2 pkg Mushrooms, washed and sliced (depending on how mushroomy you like it)
2 C. Milk
1-1/2 C. Powder Parmesan Cheese (I rarely use this form and usually grate my own fresh)
1/4-1/2 C. Flour (thickening sauce)
1-1/2 lbs Chicken, cooked and cubed
16 oz Fettuccine Noodles (cook as directed on box)

Saute mushrooms and garlic in butter over medium heat until tender... Add milk and cheese... Whisk till 'smooth'... Once mixture is warm add just enough flour to thicken and increase heat to medium high... Continue to whisk... After mixture is thicken reduce heat to low and stir in chicken... Stir occasionally till entire mixture is heated through... Combine chicken/sauce mixture and noodles... 8-10 Servings.
Old Fashioned Cookies

1 C. Butter
2 C. Sugar
1/4 C. Brown Sugar, firmly packed
2 Eggs
1/3 C. + 2 T. Milk
2 t. Vanilla
4 C. Flour
2 t. Baking Powder
1/2 t. Salt
Icing
Sprinkles (we call them pretties ::grin::)

Cream butter. Add sugar and eggs, beating well. Stir in milk and vanilla. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in a large mixing bowl; add to creamed mixture, mixing well. Chill.

Roll dough to 1/8" thickness on a lightly floured surface; cut into circles (I used a floured biscuit cutter). Place 2 inches apart on cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 to 12 minutes. Remove to wire racks to cool. Decorate as desired.

Yield: about 5 dozen.

Of course there was all the tantalizing fun of laundry, dishes and diaper changing today... ::smirk::

Moments in My Life - Monday

Here are just a few moments from my life on this particular Monday... This morning I photographed some beautiful snow that is now gone... Wasn't it beautiful?
Here it is on my lilacs:

At moments it was coming down pretty good...
A view down the street:

A lovely up close photo of the individual flakes... Beautiful: I picked up coats for all my blessings and myself today... I'm washing them so photos will be come in a bit... I made Chicken Mushroom Fettuccine... Recipe to come on Tasty Tuesday... Made a few homesteading phone calls... We finished the rest of our 'Family Movie Night' movie... We watched Race To Witch Mountain... Interesting movie... My husband picked it...

Slow Saturday

Kind of a quiet day... I went through Engineer's clothes today... Packed up all the 'warm' things and reorganized all his shelves with all his 'cool' weather things... It should make it easier for dressing for school and dressing for bed... I watched Ladder 49... Pretty good movie... I didn't care much for the ending... I guess not every movie can have a 'happy ending'... Definetely a tissues movie... I didn't expect it to effect me so deeply... I chatted with a friend on the phone and another one in IM... It is good to catch up with friends... The day is gone now... I'm off to throw in a load of laundry, start the dishwasher and head to bed... Night All...

Feeling The Cold - Friday

Brrrr... Winter is coming... We had our first really good frost this morning... Right now our drawers are packed with warm and cool clothes... So, that had to be taken care of today now that it will stay cold and not flip flop back and forth... So, out came all the warm stuff minus one outfit for that odd day and in went all the cool weather stuff... Talk about a PROJECT!!! Whew! Every one's drawers were a messed... We had drawers w/ a pair of shorts in them, t-shirt, pair of jeans, socks, underwear, etc... All in ONE drawer! I'm like no wonder everything looks like it was in a crumpled heap on the floor when you put it on... ::smirk:: I'm glad that is taken care of... I don't know if I updated.... I did some reorganizing and found those missing pieces for the quilt I wanted to work on... I'm ready to sew next week... I only have one appointment and the rest of the days I'm sewing!!! I had my 2nd Women of Grace Study Group meeting today... I just love Johnnette... She is just a breath of fresh air in this flat world I live in... Short post today but changing of seasons is a big task for a family of 6 which I know many of my readers with families of my size and larger can completely relate to... Talk to you all tomorrow...

::before and after PICS to come... need to download them from my camera::

Tasty Thursday - SD Meatloaf Recipe

Since I forgot to post something Tasty on Tuesday and need to go back into the swing of sharing recipes... I thought I'd throw it out on Thursday because I don't have much to write about other wise... Next week Tasty will be on Tuesday with hopes that Thursdays can be Thankful again... ::grin:: We will see how that all goes when we come to it... Engineer had his dental visits this morning with his staff... He did well... They are waiting for his baby teeth to fall out, and his molars to come then we will schedule another sedation dental visit at the hospital so they can clean, x-rays, sealants, etc... He also had his late (we switched drs this year) 9 year well check with staff there... He recieved a seasonal flu shot... It is part of their policy... I don't agree with it... It will be interesting to see what his reaction is if any to it... I wonder how much mercury the current flu shots have in them... So, everyone has been introduced for future appointments... Peanut had ST today... She is doing so well... She's working on F and S sounds... I spent a good part of the day hunting for a remote... They need to put tracking devices on these things... ::smirk:: I can't seem to find it any where... I have the Notebook (yes i know I'm so 'outdated) which I have never seen but people keep talking about how 'great' it is so I'm watching it... ::grin:: I also have Ladder 49... I'm very excited to see that... Off to watch netflix... Enjoy the recipe...

South Dakota Meatloaf (never made this before till this month)
by Best of Taste Of Home 2009

1 Egg
1/3 C. Evaporated Milk
3/4 C. Quick-Cooking Oats
1/4 C. Chopped, Onion
2 T. Worcestershire Sauce (I never buy this and just use Steak Sauce)
1 t. Salt (I always leave this out unless baking)
1/2 t. Rubbed Sage
1/8 t. Pepper
1-1/2 Lb Ground Beef (I will use 2 lbs so it will hopefully last 2 days)
1/4 C. Ketchup

1. In a large bowl, combine the first eight ingredients. Crumble beef over mixture, and mix well. Press into an un greased 8" x 4" loaf pan. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 1-1/4 hours; drain.
2. Drizzle with ketchup; bake 10 minutes longer or until meat is no longer pink and meat thermometer reads 160 degrees.

Yield: 6 Servings

Comments:
Lauree Buus - Rapid City, SD
"I've tried other versions of meat loaf, but I always end up coming back to this one. It's based on my mother's traditional recipe."

What A Day - Wednesday

It was one of those days... ::smirk:: It was picture day at school... School picture prices are ridiculous! I hope they turned out well... I'll share when they come in... This year we have Engineer and Monkey in public... I will have Peanut and Linebacker's done in a private session locally... I need to schedule that before our membership expires and I lose my discounts... eekk! Sitting Fees are killers! I just seriously want a break from appointments so I've been putting off setting up a day/time for that... Time is ticking... Some things I'd like to share with my blog readers but not sure how to word them because this is a public form... So, if I struggle with things and they sound kind of cryptic I know you my regular readers understand... Let's just say this mornings 'session' started off very well then went quickly down hill... ::sigh:: Hopefully the next one will be better... I've talked to a few friends in detail and I need to just step up and say what needs to be said at the 'sessions' or it's just a waste of time because REAL change needs to happen... I've come to a point where it's A. just give up and live with things the way they are and forget about any hope of change, B. leave and say forget it's not worth fighting to change/can't live with it unchanged any more, or C. step up and despite the consequences make change happen because things can't continue this way any longer... Sorry for the repetitiveness... I seem to lose my vocabulary when I'm upset... ::sigh:: A girlfriend of mine and I have a plan and hope to start working on it so I'm ready when the next 'session' rolls around... I'd appreciate any prayers... I'm usual so very assertive yet this has my knees shaking... Monkey had ST and that went well... Don't you just love how I just blink change subjects... ::grin:: Sometimes I'm hard to follow... Sorry, just how my mind works... We had our first CCD class tonight... It was good... I was wondering why the 'theme' was You've Got Mail... We learned/will be teaching this month at home about "Epistles" which pretty much means 'old letter that was read to large groups of people'... Pretty creative of the curriculum writer... Next month is "The Final Coming" sounds pretty foreboding... ::smirk:: Should be interesting... I made Chicken Enchiladas... I signed the children up for the Epiphany Play... It will be our first year... I'm excited... I guess that is pretty much what today consisted of... Catch ya again tomorrow...

Mixed Up - Monday / To Do List - Tuesday

Monday was kind of an off day... I went to an appointment only to find I had remembered and wrote down several times the wrong day... I caught up on laundry... I reorganized my quilting drawers... I guess a while back the children knocked it over and my husband being helpful picked it all up but everything was mixed up... I also realized I'm missing 10 pieces of fabric for a quilt I had planned on working on... That's frustrating... I rested in the afternoon/evening... I have a little bit of a cold...

I rested most of the morning... I still have that cold... It's about the same as it was yesterday... I ran a ton of errands today... One place had a waiting time of almost 2 hours before I could be helped and take care of why I was there... It was downtown... I was in 1/2 hour parking and ran out and moved to 90 minute parking... Glad I didn't have to move again... It is all taken care of so I'm glad I took the time to just wait it out... It was really bothering me that I hadn't been able to do this last Thursday/Friday... I dropped off paper work at a couple of places... It was another thing that had been bothering me that I wasn't able to take care of last week... I dropped off donations to a local clothing pantry... I went to the post office to mail bills and my brother's birthday gift... I stopped in person and paid our car insurance... It is due within a few days once the month begins so by the time payday comes and everything I rarely have time to mail it... I'm glad the office is only a few blocks from our house... I shopped at Walmart for this years supplies of undershirts and PJs... I found Peanut's Christmas Eve PJs... I know she is going to be excited when she sees them... I picked up an electric pencil sharpener... Our manuals have been just eating the pencils... It will make homework pleasant... We have been using pen... I made sausage gravy n' biscuits and chicken enchiladas today... I need to get the laundry moving again...

Shopping - Saturday

Shopping is the prefect term to describe today... I shopped nearly all day long... First place I went to was Walmart to restock our pantry... I arrived at 11:45 AM and left at 2:15 PM... I didn't realize how long I'd been in there till I came home and saw the time... WOW! I rested for a bit after unpacking... Next I picked up Engineer and we headed to Sam's... We were in there about an hour... We dropped off my Netflix in the box and then I dropped him off... Roofer came by to see if he could find the leak... Our main roof is shot... Looks like we will be replacing that in the spring most likely... UGH! He is sending us some estimates on costs... It will be twice what the kitchen repair was because that was only 3-4 squares of shingles and the main roof will be 9 squares most likely... I rested for a few hours while my husband took the middle ones to the library and run errands... When he came home I finished up the last of the shopping at the grocery store... Another 90 minutes of shopping... We have about 10 things I couldn't find at my usual locations that I will have to search for around town for but we are fully stocked! The pantry, freezer, fridge, you name it... It's packed... This months budget was $500 since I had to restock many of our 'staples'... The rest of the month will be a perishable here and a gallon of milk there and that's it as far as shopping in concerned till after November 7th... Look for my new monthly menu that week from Oct 25th- Dec 5th... After all that shopping we cleaned cabinets, drawers and shelves so we could pack away all our purchases of the day... Amazing all the junk you can collect... LOL!! Have a great rest of the weekend...

Guardian Angels

St. Michael the Archangel

Guardian Angels

The term guardian angels refers to the belief that each person has an angel who is available to shepherd their soul through life, and help bring them to God. Belief in the reality of angels, their mission as messengers of God, and man’s interaction with them, goes back to the earliest times. Cherubim kept Adam and Eve from slipping back into Eden; angels saved Lot and helped destroy the cities of the plains; in Exodous Moses follows an angel, and at one point an angel is appointed leader of Israel. Michael is mentioned at several points, Raphael figures large in the story of Tobit, and Gabriel delivered the Annunciation of the coming of Christ. The concept of each soul having a personal guardian angel, is also an ancient one, and long accepted by the Church.

The feast celebrating the angels who helped bring us to God began in many local calendars centuries ago, and was widely known by the 16th century. Pope Paul V placed a feast venerating the angels on the general calendar on 27 September 1608. Ferdinand of Austria requested that it be extended to all areas in the Holy Roman Empire. Initially placed after the feast of Michael the Archangel, it was seen as a kind of supplement to that date. Pope Clement X elevated the feast, celebrated 2 October, to an obligatory double for the whole Church. On 5 April 1883, Pope Leo XIII raised the feast to the rank of a double major.

Prayer to Your Angel Guardian

Angel of God,
my Guardian dear,

to whom His love commits me here,

ever this day be at my side,

to light and guard,

to rule and guide.
Amen.

Full Friday Changed To Free Friday

I had a whole lot of things I was going to do today... I am not going to do them... I going to stay home all morning and not leave the house and relax... After the anxiety/panic attack of worrying/stressing about doing everything today in the short period of time I had available to do them... I decided I'm not going to do it... I'm not going to be all stressed out... I said tomorrow I'm not doing it... This is not good for me and it's not taking care of me... I need to take care of ME right now... So, we all slept in this morning... Monkey, Peanut and Linebacker all slept till 9:30 today... Sure beats quarter after 7! I'm not a morning person so 9:30 is still early for my standards... ::smirk:: I will go out in about an hour to put some money in the bank and drop off some papers but then after that my day off begins again... I'm going to spend my day doing the things I enjoy like cooking my family a delicious meal (Santa Fe Chicken), folding fresh smelling laundry (too much rain to hang out so I will have to settle for warm dryer), if the mood strikes me I might even sit down and sew a bit... Tonight after dinner I'm going to sit down with hot air butter popcorn and watch a movie... A night of laughing with my children is just what I need... Everyone have a wonderful beginning of the weekend...

Thankful to be Blogging Again - Thursday

Things have been mostly good... Engineer is doing well (photos below)... The other children are doing well also... Linebacker has a bit of the sniffles but with the weather/season change that is expected...

Monkey and Peanut had well check ups... They are doing good... Peanut is on the small side (20s %) but healthy... Monkey is right on for the average (50s %)... Nothing too exciting... We declined the H1N1 vaccine and seasonal flu vaccine...

We had some reworking of our finances but looks like we will make it financially with God's graces to our goal of February (tax refund)... God willing we might be better off then we have been in a long time... September to February is our hardest part of the year financially...

I'm looking forward to the holidays with much optimism... I praying for a different kind of holiday where we focus on the true meaning vs the societal/commercial views of the holiday...

I'm still working on my self improvement plan of taking care of myself... No more burning the candle at both ends...

Goal 1: Sleep 8-10 Hours a night with the rare exception of less...
Goal 2: Eat 3 meals and 1 snack at regular intervals not all in 1 hour in the late afternoon/evening...
Goal 3: Have 20 minutes of uninterrupted of alone time every day...
Goal 4: Take care of personal needs daily or every other day...
Goal 5: Remember I am a person and deserve all the above the same as anyone else in this family....

I will update and change the goals when goals are accomplished and well established as habits...

Engineer had a psych appointment and introduced his new staff to Dr. F... It went well... Dr. F. is excited to work with the staff and together as a team help Engineer...

I didn't do all I wanted today but the weather is icky... Rainy and very chilly... I think staying home was the best option... Hopefully I can squeeze my tasks into my already stuffed Friday tomorrow... I've been doing a ton of laundry... Fell a bit behind this week but picked up on other things like unloading, loading, and running the dishwasher by 8-9 PM instead of turning it on at 1-3 AM and heading off to bed... I loved to be quilting today but my sewing desk is in the perfect location and height to be a catch all... I cleaned it off today...

Before:

Sometimes when you are cleaning you should never ask yourself "I wonder what is behind X?" You may not like the answer.... LOL...

Behind:

Not too bad right? Could have been worse... See that brown paper bag? That's my brother's birthday present... Purchased 4th July weekend while we were at the Teddy Roosevelt National Park... His Birthday's the 8th of July... I'm mailing in a few days... Opps... At least I found it... I tore the house apart a few times in search of it and never found it... Now I know why... ::smirk::

After:

Like my new 'lamp'... Birthday present... Gives just a little bit more light on my working surface... There is a 'room' light but it casts shadows since it is a chandelier behind me...

Also, for my birthday I picked up this because I thought oh that's kind of neat... What do you think I should use it for? Leave me a note in my comments section... Thanks! (Size: 10-1/2" square)

Closed:

Open:

As promised recent PICS of Engineer:

Last Group Photo Taken:

St. Therese of Lisieux

Saint Therese of Lisieux

Therese Martin was the last of nine children born to Louis and Zelie Martin on January 2, 1873, in Alencon France. However, only five of these children lived to reach adulthood. Precocious and sensitive, Therese needed much attention. Her mother died when she was 4 years old. As a result, her father and sisters babied young Therese. She had a spirit that wanted everything. At the age of 14, on Christmas Eve in 1886, Therese had a conversion that transformed her life. From then on, her powerful energy and sensitive spirit were turned toward love, instead of keeping herself happy. At 15, she entered the Carmelite convent in Lisieux to give her whole life to God. She took the religious name Sister Therese of the Child Jesus and the Holy Face. Living a hidden, simple life of prayer, she was gifted with great intimacy with God. Through sickness and dark nights of doubt and fear, she remained faithful to God, rooted in his merciful love. After a long struggle with tuberculosis, she died on September 30, 1897, at the age of 24. Her last words were the story of her life: "My God, I love You!" The world came to know Therese through her autobiography, Story of a Soul. She described her life as a "little way of spiritual childhood." She lived each day with an unshakeable confidence in God's love. "What matters in life," she wrote, "is not great deeds, but great love." She lived and taught a spirituality of attending to everyone and everything well and with love. She believed that just as a child becomes enamored with what is before her, we should also have a childlike focus and totally attentive love. Therese's spirituality is of doing the ordinary, with extraordinary love. Therese saw the seasons as reflecting the seasons of God's love affair with us. She loved flowers and saw herself as the "little flower of Jesus," who gave glory to God by just being her beautiful little self among all the other flowers in God's garden. Because of this beautiful analogy, the title "little flower" remained with St. Therese. Her inspiration and powerful presence from heaven touched many people very quickly. She was canonized by Pope Pius XI on May 17, 1925. Had she lived, she would have been only 52 years old when she was declared a Saint. "My mission - to make God loved - will begin after my death," she said. "I will spend my heaven doing good on earth. I will let fall a shower of roses." Roses have been described and experienced as Saint Therese's signature. Countless millions have been touched by her intercession and imitate her "little way." She has been acclaimed "the greatest saint of modern times." In 1997, Pope John Paul II declared St. Therese a Doctor of the Church - the only Doctor of his pontificate - in tribute to the powerful way her spirituality has influenced people all over the world. The message of St. Therese is beautiful, inspiring and simple.

Two Great Alternative 'Scout' clubs For Catholic Girls/Boys:

Little Flowers Girls' Club® is a four year Catholic program for girls ages 5 and up based on learning Catholic virtues through the lives of Catholic saints, Scripture and the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Developed by a Catholic mom of eleven, Rachel Watkins, and based on Fr. Lasance's Catholic Girls' Guide, the Club strives to bring the Catholic faith alive and inspire the girls to become authentic Catholic women.

Little Flowers Girl's Club® Blog

Blue Knights Catholic Club is a boys' club aimed at teaching the truths of the Catholic faith to boys through Scripture, saints' biographies, games, crafts and the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Based on the popular Little Flowers Girls' Club, this four year program developed by Major Dan McGuire maps out nine virtues for boys ages 5 and up in the first year, and then follows up with three years covering nine catechetical lessons each.

Blue Knights Catholic Club Blog