Links I Like This Week, #6

Homemade Coconut Oil Deodorant

DIY Catholic Children's Daily Planner by Sanctus Simplisitus

Homemade cloth wipes and wipes solution by Simple Homemade

NFP: 19 Year Later from In the Heart of My Home.  Elizabeth has posted great articles all week in honor of NFP Week.  I highly recommend them all :)

Homemade Chocolate Chips by Traditional Foods

I have A LOT of basil and needed some inspiration - I got it here.


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7 Quick Takes, #4

1.  I like to think of myself as a glass-half-full kinda girl.  When stuff happens, I usually remain calm and know that it will all work out in the end.  My husband, on the other hand, is the complete opposite.  That is why we make a great pair :)  Anyway, we have had a series of unfortunate things happen lately.  Let's just say that it is a good thing that I don't panic very easily . . . . We had our debit card number stolen and about $600 was taken before it was caught.  Not a huge deal because I just file a claim with the bank and eventually the money is returned.  Crossing my fingers it is back in our account before bills are due.  Thankfully, we always have "just enough!"

2.  We had torrential rains in our area last weekend and our basement flooded.  With a shop vac, dehumidifier, a fan, and lots of elbow grease, we got it cleaned up.  Thankfully, we completely cleaned out the basement and decluttered the week before . . . or the mess after the flood would have been muuuuuucccchhh worse.

3.  I was stung by a bee for the-first-time-ever.  It made me realize that I could have been much more sympathetic when my oldest was stung in the hand and my husband was stung in the ear just a few days before.  I'll know better for next time.
4.  Our 16 year old chihuahua is getting old quickly.  She moves slowly and  her eye site and hearing is worsening.  And she constantly pees in the kitchen.  I mop and wash the carpets sometime 2-3 times a day.  And I complain about it a lot.  Well, she got out of the house yesterday, and at about 10:00 p.m., we realized she was not in her bed.  She had been out in a terrible thunderstorm.  While this may not be a big deal for other animals, she is a very old house dog that acts like a cat.  She does NOT like to leave the house.  After a furious search of the neighborhood for about  1 1/2 hours, I found her coming out of the dark from back of our yard.  Needless to say, we are very thankful she is home.  I will continue to clean up pee and I will not complain.

5.  On a lighter note, we finished up swim lessons this week.  I'm very happy to have stronger, more confident swimmers in my house.

This one may have hurt a little:

6.  After praying the Novena to Saint Anne for nine days, we celebrated with a tea party in her honor. It was a wonderful way to celebrate the liturgical year in our home!

You can see all the fun we had here.

This is our St. Anne and St. Mary:

7.  One of my favorite real food blogs is GNOWFGLINS.  I tested a wonderful blueberry lemon muffin recipe for Wardeh.  I was tickled pink to see our our family highlighted in the blog post.  Check it out :)

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This post is linked with 7 Quick Takes which is hosted by Conversion Diary.

A Tea for St. Anne

Happy Feast of St. Anne!   St. Anne, the mother of Mary and the grandmother of Jesus is celebrated in the Catholic Church on July 26th.  She is the patron saint of homemakers, mothers, pregnant women, and women in labor.  Her husband, St. Joachim, also celebrated today, intervenes for fathers, grandfathers, grandparents.

After praying the Novena of St. Anne over the past nine days, it seemed fitting to celebrate dear St. Anne with a tea planned and orchestrated by my girls.

This is our own St. Anne and St. Mary:

 We decorated in red, pink and green which are colors usually associated with St. Anne.

 Pink floating rose candles:

 Watermelon  . . .

 Watermelon lime water . . .

 Strawberry cream puffs . . .

 Cucumber cream cheese tea sandwiches . . .

 St. Anne prayer cards to decorate the table . . .

 The girls made pink and green hair bows . . . .

 And paper chains . . . .

 Our girls worked on St. Anne coloring sheets and word searches . . .

The also made some Christmas decorations using St. Anne holy cards.

A lovely time was had by all.!  I would love to take credit for all these ideas but many came from these posts by Sanctus Simplicitus and In the Heart of My Home - both beautiful Catholic blogs that I love to read.  I also came across this Pinterest board dedicated to St. Anne. 

 As we strive to live the liturgical year in our domestic church, we hope to do more activities like this  to enrich our understanding of the Saints and of our Catholic faith.

Prayer to St. Anne
Good St. Anne, you were especially favored by God to be the mother of the most holy Virgin Mary, the Mother of our Savior. By your power with your most pure daughter and with her divine Son, kindly obtain for us the grace and the favor we now seek. Please secure for us also forgiveness of our past sins, the strength to perform faithfully our daily duties and the help we need to persevere in the love of Jesus and Mary. Amen.


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This post in linked to Crafolic's Tea With St. Anne Faith-centered Home Link-Up!

Novena to St. Anne, Day 8 and 9

DAILY PRAYER TO SAINT ANNE

O glorious St. Anne, you are filled with compassion for those who invoke you and with love for those who suffer! Heavily burdened with the weight of my troubles, I cast myself at your feet and humbly beg of you to take the present intention which I recommend to you in your special care.

Please recommend it to your daughter, the Blessed Virgin Mary, and place it before the throne of Jesus, so that He may bring it to a happy issue. Continue to intercede for me until my request is granted. But, above all, obtain for me the grace one day to see my God face to face, and with you and Mary and all the saints to praise and bless Him for all eternity. Amen.

Our Father, . . . Hail Mary . . .

O Jesus, Holy Mary, St. Anne, help me now and at the hour of my death.

Good St. Anne, intercede for me.

EIGHTH DAY

Hail, St. Anne! I rejoice at your exalted glory. You gave birth to Mary, whose divine Son brought salvation to our lost world by conquering death and restoring life and hope to sinners. Pray to Him who, for love of us, clothed Himself with human flesh in the chaste womb of your daughter.

Glorious St. Anne, with your blessed daughter, deliver me from everything that is displeasing in the sight of God. Pray to your gentle and powerful Grandson that He may cleanse my soul in His precious blood, that He may send His Holy Spirit to enlighten and direct me in all that I do, always obedient to His holy inspirations.

Good mother, keep a watchful eye on me. Help me bear all my crosses. Give me the fullness of your bounty and sustain me with courage.

NINTH DAY

Good St. Anne, I have reached the end of this novena in your honor. I have asked and ask again. Good mother, let not your kind ear grow weary of my prayers, though I repeat them so often.

Bounteous Lady, implore for me from divine Providence all the help I need through life. May your generous hand bestow on me the material means to satisfy my own needs and to alleviate the plight of the poor.

Good St. Anne, fortify me by the sacraments of the Church at the hour of my death. Admit me into the company of the blessed in the kingdom of heaven, where I may praise and thank the adorable Trinity, your grandson Christ Jesus, your glorious daughter Mary, and yourself, dear St. Anne, through endless ages.

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Novena to St. Anne, Day 7

DAILY PRAYER TO SAINT ANNE

O glorious St. Anne, you are filled with compassion for those who invoke you and with love for those who suffer! Heavily burdened with the weight of my troubles, I cast myself at your feet and humbly beg of you to take the present intention which I recommend to you in your special care.

Please recommend it to your daughter, the Blessed Virgin Mary, and place it before the throne of Jesus, so that He may bring it to a happy issue. Continue to intercede for me until my request is granted. But, above all, obtain for me the grace one day to see my God face to face, and with you and Mary and all the saints to praise and bless Him for all eternity. Amen.

Our Father, . . . Hail Mary . . .

O Jesus, Holy Mary, St. Anne, help me now and at the hour of my death.

Good St. Anne, intercede for me.

SIXTH DAY

Good St. Anne, do not allow my soul, a masterpiece of God’s creative power, to be lost forever. Free my heart of pride, vanity, self-love. May I know myself as I really am and learn meekness and simplicity of heart.

God’s great love for me leaves me cold and unresponsive. I must reflect this love through works of mercy and charity toward my neighbor.

In your boundless charity, good St. Anne, help me to merit the glorious crown which is given to those who have fought the good fight against the world, the devil and the flesh. Assist me to preserve purity of heart and body. With Mary and her divine Son, protect me always.


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Novena to Saint Anne, Day 5 and 6

DAILY PRAYER TO SAINT ANNE

O glorious St. Anne, you are filled with compassion for those who invoke you and with love for those who suffer! Heavily burdened with the weight of my troubles, I cast myself at your feet and humbly beg of you to take the present intention which I recommend to you in your special care.

Please recommend it to your daughter, the Blessed Virgin Mary, and place it before the throne of Jesus, so that He may bring it to a happy issue. Continue to intercede for me until my request is granted. But, above all, obtain for me the grace one day to see my God face to face, and with you and Mary and all the saints to praise and bless Him for all eternity. Amen.

Our Father, . . . Hail Mary . . .

O Jesus, Holy Mary, St. Anne, help me now and at the hour of my death.

Good St. Anne, intercede for me.

FIFTH DAY

Hail, all-powerful Lady. By God’s special favor, grant consolation to those who invoke you. Procure for them the eternal riches of heaven, and like a good mother, success in their temporal affairs as well.

Good St. Anne, obtain my deliverance from the punishment which my sins deserve. Obtain for me success in my temporal affairs; especially see to the salvation of my soul.

St. Anne, by your influence with Mary’s son Jesus, you have won the gift of conversion for many sinners. Will you then abandon me, who have chosen you as my mother? No, St. Anne. Your name alone, which signifies grace, assures me of the help of your prayers, and these prayers will surely procure pardon and mercy from Jesus. You will pray for me now and at the hour of my death.

SIXTH DAY

Good St. Anne, do not allow my soul, a masterpiece of God’s creative power, to be lost forever. Free my heart of pride, vanity, self-love. May I know myself as I really am and learn meekness and simplicity of heart.

God’s great love for me leaves me cold and unresponsive. I must reflect this love through works of mercy and charity toward my neighbor.

In your boundless charity, good St. Anne, help me to merit the glorious crown which is given to those who have fought the good fight against the world, the devil and the flesh. Assist me to preserve purity of heart and body. With Mary and her divine Son, protect me always.

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Novena to Saint Anne, Day 4

DAILY PRAYER TO SAINT ANNE

O glorious St. Anne, you are filled with compassion for those who invoke you and with love for those who suffer! Heavily burdened with the weight of my troubles, I cast myself at your feet and humbly beg of you to take the present intention which I recommend to you in your special care.

Please recommend it to your daughter, the Blessed Virgin Mary, and place it before the throne of Jesus, so that He may bring it to a happy issue. Continue to intercede for me until my request is granted. But, above all, obtain for me the grace one day to see my God face to face, and with you and Mary and all the saints to praise and bless Him for all eternity. Amen.

Our Father, . . . Hail Mary . . .

O Jesus, Holy Mary, St. Anne, help me now and at the hour of my death.

Good St. Anne, intercede for me.

FOURTH DAY

Good St. Anne, you offered your pure and holy daughter Mary in the temple with faith, piety and love. By the happiness which then filled your heart, I beg you to present me to your Grandson Jesus. Offered by you, I will be agreeable in His sight.

Kind St. Anne, take me forever under your protection. Deliver me from the temptations which continually assail me. Above all, attend me in my last hour. As I lie on my deathbed, be present with your daughter to console and strengthen me.

Holy Mary and good St. Anne, show yourselves to be mothers indeed by obtaining for me the grace of a good death. When my soul goes forth, lead it to God’s tribunal so that, by your powerful help and intercession, it may obtain a favorable judgment.

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The Dark Knight Rises in Pittsburgh

There has been quite a buzz in the city as The Dark Knight Rises opens today.  While I won't be going to see the movie in the theater because we don't get out very often without the kids, we enjoyed catching some of the filming last summer as a family.

The whole town had Batman fever:

The kids loved playing in the fake snow in August!

 

It was exciting seeing this fly down our streets!

Is this the Magnus Rex?

What summer blockbusters will you seeing this summer?

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Novena to Saint Anne, Day 3

DAILY PRAYER TO SAINT ANNE

O glorious St. Anne, you are filled with compassion for those who invoke you and with love for those who suffer! Heavily burdened with the weight of my troubles, I cast myself at your feet and humbly beg of you to take the present intention which I recommend to you in your special care.

Please recommend it to your daughter, the Blessed Virgin Mary, and place it before the throne of Jesus, so that He may bring it to a happy issue. Continue to intercede for me until my request is granted. But, above all, obtain for me the grace one day to see my God face to face, and with you and Mary and all the saints to praise and bless Him for all eternity. Amen.

Our Father, . . . Hail Mary . . .

O Jesus, Holy Mary, St. Anne, help me now and at the hour of my death.

Good St. Anne, intercede for me.

THIRD DAY

Hail, good St. Anne, who first responded to the needs of Mary, Mother of our Savior and Queen of Angels. Hail to you and to your husband St. Joachim, who watched over her infancy, presented her to the Lord in the temple and, according to your promise, consecrated her to the service of God.

Hail St. Anne, good mother! I rejoice in the marvels you continually perform, because they encourage all to seek your intercession.

Good St. Anne, by the great power that God has given you, show yourself my mother, my consoler, my advocate. Reconcile me to the God I have so deeply offended. Console me in my trials; strengthen me in my struggles. Deliver me from danger in my time of need. Help me at the hour of death and open to me the gates of paradise.

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Novena to St. Anne, Day Two

I have been thinking about how to celebrate the Feast of St. Anne, especially since we have two beautiful daughters named after her :)  I love this idea from Waltzing Matilda.  Our girls will have green and red ribbons in their hair!

DAILY PRAYER TO SAINT ANNE

O glorious St. Anne, you are filled with compassion for those who invoke you and with love for those who suffer! Heavily burdened with the weight of my troubles, I cast myself at your feet and humbly beg of you to take the present intention which I recommend to you in your special care.

Please recommend it to your daughter, the Blessed Virgin Mary, and place it before the throne of Jesus, so that He may bring it to a happy issue. Continue to intercede for me until my request is granted. But, above all, obtain for me the grace one day to see my God face to face, and with you and Mary and all the saints to praise and bless Him for all eternity. Amen.

Our Father, . . . Hail Mary . . .

O Jesus, Holy Mary, St. Anne, help me now and at the hour of my death.

Good St. Anne, intercede for me.

SECOND DAY

From the depths of my heart, good St. Anne, I offer you my homage this day and ask you to shelter me under the mantle of your motherly care. You know, good mother, how much I love you, how gladly I serve you, how happy I am to praise you, how eager I am to call on you in time of distress.

Good St. Anne, be pleased to extend your helping hand in all my wants. Listen to my prayers, for I place my trust in your gracious bounty. Make all my thoughts and desires worthy and righteous.

Jesus, I thank You for all the graces which in Your infinite goodness You have lavished upon St. Anne; for having chosen her, among all women, to be Your grandmother on earth and exalted her in heaven with such great and miraculous powers. In the name of her merits, I humbly recommend myself to Your infinite mercy.

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Novena to Saint Anne, Day One

Today starts the Novena to Saint Anne. She is the patron saint of mothers, women in labor and minors. Here she is symbolized by Mary in her lap holding the infant Jesus.
Would you join over the next nine days in praying this beautiful novena?

DAILY PRAYER TO SAINT ANNE

O glorious St. Anne, you are filled with compassion for those who invoke you and with love for those who suffer! Heavily burdened with the weight of my troubles, I cast myself at your feet and humbly beg of you to take the present intention which I recommend to you in your special care.

Please recommend it to your daughter, the Blessed Virgin Mary, and place it before the throne of Jesus, so that He may bring it to a happy issue. Continue to intercede for me until my request is granted. But, above all, obtain for me the grace one day to see my God face to face, and with you and Mary and all the saints to praise and bless Him for all eternity. Amen.

Our Father, . . . Hail Mary . . .

O Jesus, Holy Mary, St. Anne, help me now and at the hour of my death.

Good St. Anne, intercede for me.

 FIRST DAY

Dear St. Anne, though I am but a prodigal child, I appeal to you and place myself under your great motherly care. Please listen to my prayers and grant my requests. See my contrite heart, and show me your unfailing goodness.

Deign to be my advocate and recommend me to God’s infinite mercy. Obtain for me forgiveness of my sins and the strength to begin a new life that will last forever.

Blessed St. Anne, I also beg of you the grace to love, to serve, and to honor your daughter, the most holy Virgin Mary. Please recommend me to her and pray to her for me. She refuses none your requests but welcomes with loving kindness all those for whom you intercede.

Good Jesus, be merciful to the faithful servants of Your grandmother St. Anne.


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Our Little Girls are Getting Bigger . . .

Last week, we celebrated a fourth and sixth birthday. 

How did we go from this:

to this:

And this curly-haired little girl:

to this big girl?

We celebrated with an ice cream bar with lots of yummy toppings.

They were thrilled to open a few presents.

And I spent the day thinking about how the days are long but the years fly by  . . . .

Happy big girl birthday to our Bubbles and Mar-bear!

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