Our Lady of Lourdes Grotto Craft

Happy Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes!  

It seems like just yesterday that I helped our oldest four with this sweet craft in honor of Our Lady...

Fourteen years later, I spent some time this afternoon helping our current four year old make it today! It's such a simple craft and turns out lovely. 

Supplies:

Our Lady of Lourdes Coloring Page 

Charlotte's is perfect! I printed it at 75%.

Crayons

Construction Paper and Scissors

Last time we used yellow and brown. This time we went with blue and black

Tissue Paper 

Crumple up little pieces to glue down as flowers and leaves. 

Glue 

Glitter (Optional)

Back in 2008 we used gold glitter for Our Lady's halo. 

I only had clear glitter this time so we used it to surround Our Lady. 

Ever Immaculate Virgin Mother of Mercy, Health of the sick, refuge of sinners, Comforter of the afflicted, you know my wants, my troubles, my sufferings; look with mercy on me. By appearing in the Grotto of Lourdes, you were pleased to make it a privileged sanctuary, whence you dispense your favors; and already many sufferers have obtained the cure for their infirmities, both spiritual and corporal.

I come, therefore, with complete confidence to implore your maternal intercession. Obtain, O loving Mother, the grant of my requests. Through gratitude for your favors, I will endeavor to imitate your virtues, that I may one day share your glory. Amen.

Our Lady of Lourdes, ora pro nobis! 

{pretty, happy, funny, real}

~ Capturing the context of contentment in everyday life ~

{pretty} 

August 6th (and 7th)

Extra Summer Babysitting Money = 

Another Bird Paint-by-Number for her collection! 

{happy} 

  

My little avocado lover 🥑💗 

#iknowguacisextra

(Guac is Extra Bib from Bella Tunno) 

{funny}

Peekaboo!

{real}

August 7th

One of my two baby girls slept through all of Mass earlier this afternoon 💙#despiterepeatkickstotheface

For the Birds :: Simple Popsicle Stick Bird Feeders

One day last month, after spending all morning watching the first flights of all the house finch fledglings from their nest on our front porch, we spent the afternoon learning about birds and crafting bird feeders using a bird themed box from AniMail. 

  

 

After hanging them in a couple trees out front, it didn't take the birds long to find the new feeders! 

"Use what talents you possess; the woods would be very silent if no birds sang there except those that sang best." - Henry Van Dyke

Wild One Birthday Cake

We are celebrating our little one's first birthday today! I only have a few minutes before our guests begin to arrive, but I wanted to share her birthday cake real quick. It turned out so cute!

Here's what I used:

• Trader Joe's Party Cake (I also picked up a Strawberry Cheesecake and baked GF cupcakes.) 
• Ostheimer's Baby Forest Animals (So many options! I used the Roe Fawn Head High, Fox Small Sitting, Rabbit Small Classic, Bear Small Sitting, Wolf Small Playing, Hedgehog Small. You can find a set of most of them over at Nova Natural or individually at The Wooden Wagon. Watch for coupon codes and sales.)
• Scrapbook Paper, Scissors, Glue Stick (to make tiny little party hats for the baby animals) 
• Pearl Beads and Tiny Pompoms (I used a dab of hot glue to add these to a few of the hats.) 
• Wild One Cupcake Topper

Crafting tiny little party hats for all the forest babies...

I ended up making a little crown for the baby bear. 

It’s been a long time since I’ve used my Cricut but I pulled it out to make a highchair banner and food labels. I'm sure I'll be back with the rest of the pictures soon. First birthdays are so much fun! 

Hobbit Hole Valentines :: An Unexpected Adventure

In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit. Not a nasty, dirty, wet hole, filled with the ends of worms and an oozy smell, nor yet a dry, bare, sandy hole with nothing in it to sit down on or to eat: it was a hobbit-hole, and that means comfort...

 

While trying to come up with ideas for homemade valentines for our homeschool group's party tomorrow (it's early this year, since St. Valentine's day falls on Ash Wednesday) some of our children decided to focus on their favorite books.  For our ten year old, that would be The Hobbit. 

He especially loves reading his illustrated edition while curled up in his custom blanket from Sweet Sequels that he received for Christmas.

What kind of Adventure? How about a Lenten Adventure! 

We had a package of leftover Fudge Stripes from this year's Candlemas Cookies so I asked if he wanted to decorate Hobbit Hole Cookies! We modified our original cookie, using what we had on hand, and used some melted green candy to attach a green candy melt and yellow sprinkle to each cookie. We printed this image from Guemozart and attached them to each treat bag.  So easy! 

Next he needed to come up with a Valentine Mailbox. I told the kids they had to be creative with things we already have around the house, since it’s just too hard to get to the craft store. He is pretty excited with the Hobbit Hole Mailbox we made to match his Valentines using the Costco sized Quaker Oatmeal box, some felt, a wooden block, cotton ball, and rocks from our driveway! 💚

I'll be back soon with some more of our valentines for this year. In the meantime you can scroll through past Valentines in the archives. Some of my favorites are the Madonna and Child Valentines, Bible Candy Valentines, and Little Way Valentines. 

Our Lady's Rosary

My God, I believe, I adore, I hope and I love Thee! I beg pardon for those who do not believe, do not adore, do not hope, and do not love Thee. Amen.

- Prayer taught by the Angel of Peace to the three children during his first apparition

The Rosary is a special prayer of the Blessed Virgin Mary that recalls events in the Life of Christ and of His Blessed Mother. The use of a string of Rosary beads helps to pray the Apostles Creed, the Our Father, the Hail Mary, and Glory Be to the Father. On each large bead we say an Our Father and on each small bead a Hail Mary. The Our Father and ten Hail Mary’s is followed by the Glory Be and together referred to as a decade of the Rosary. While reciting these prayers, we think of Our Blessed Lord and look at Him through Our Blessed Mother’s eyes to understand Him with our heart. We should try our best to pray Our Lady’s Rosary, bringing our mind back to the mysteries if our mind wanders or we get distracted. Families that pray the rosary together daily are especially blessed by God.

In 1571, Pope St. Pius V urged all of Christendom to implore Our Lady by means of the rosary in defense against an advancing Moslem Turkish force that threatened the Mediterranean and the West. The outnumbered Christian fleet prevailed at the Battle of Lepanto and, attributing this victory to the praying of the Rosary, the Feast of the Holy Rosary was established the following year on October 7. Such importance is the value of the rosary in the life of the Christian that in 1858 Our Lady appeared 18 times to St. Bernadette Soubirous in Lourdes, France each time holding a Rosary in her hands and imploring us to meditate on its mysteries, to help her save souls. Then in 1917, the Blessed Virgin appeared again to three shepherd children at Fatima, Portugal asking for penance and prayer, and for the Rosary to be said daily and devoutly for the peace of the world. At the last apparition on October 13, 1917 she said that she wanted to be called Our Lady of the Rosary while warning the faithful to amend their lives, ask pardon for their sins, and that “they must say the Rosary."

Supplies For Each Rosary:

• Pre knotted string
• 53 Hail Mary beads
• 6 Our Father beads
• Crucifix
• Copper rose center bead (or other bead of choice)
• Small beads for on either size of the Our Father beads
• Small bead to connect the crucifix

Directions:

1. Take the pre-knotted string and start by threading a small bead, an Our Father bead, then another small bead, followed by 3 Hail Mary beads, then once again with a small bead, Our Father bead, and another small bead.

2. Add the rose center bead followed by 10 Hail Mary beads. Then a small bead, Our Father bead, small bead, and 10 Hail Mary beads again. Repeat this pattern until you have all 5 decades on the string.

3. Now take the string end and feed it back through the copper rose center bead. Pull until tight. Split the string and tie a few knots around the center string.

4. Add the small clear bead and crucifix to the other end of the string and feed the string end through the small bead. Tie off like the center.

5. After you have tied all the knots trim the strings to about ¼-½”.

6. Have an adult take a lighter and melt the trimmed ends.

7. As Our Lady of Fatima instructed Sister Lucia, “Continue to pray the Rosary every day.”

  

   

 

{It's taken a few years to get around to sharing the pictures from this craft/service project, but on the feast of the Immaculate Conception in December of 2014, we spent the afternoon (and late into the night!) assembling thirty-five rosaries (five each - the older boys and I helped the younger ones finish theirs) to send to children at an orphanage in Nigeria for Christmas that year.  This project was coordinated by my friend Aleesa and her business donated all the supplies. Aleesa's pastor was from Nigeria, going back for Christmas, and had requested 70 rosaries to give to all the children.} 

  

O JESUS, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I offer You my prayers, works, joys, and sufferings, all that this day may bring, be they good or bad: for the love of God, for the conversion of sinners, and in reparation for all the sins committed against the Sacred Heart and the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

- Fatima Morning Offering