And then we'll feast, feast, feast, feast....

I don't know if I can keep up with all the feasting around here! If you want to try, go visit A Shower of Roses because she's good. No, not me! Lol! Jessica! I really don't know how she does it, especially with those 5 beautiful children. Young children. I could never have done what she does at her age. Maybe it's because she was homeschooled. So maybe there is hope for my children, at least.

We did celebrate the Feast of the Archangels yesterday with devil's food cupcakes, coloring pages, and an Archangel quiz game. Those all came from A Year with God. We ended dinner with a rousing, spontaneous game of Catholic Jeopardy from the same book. It was a lot of fun.

Tonight we'll take a breather. Sorry, St. Jerome.

Wednesday is the Feast of St. Therese, my patroness. I don't know how much feasting we'll be doing since the family won't be together in the evening. I'll be at choir rehearsal and MoW, Hitch, and Madden will be at The School for an awards ceremony. If I'm up for it, literally, at 6 a.m., I'll make French Toast in her honor, and we'll have a pink beverage in the afternoon while we make paper roses. If we are anywhere near a Catholic store, I'll pick up a copy of one of the Therese movies to watch while we make flowers. Since it's on October 1, the Month of Nothing will be over!

Thursday is the Feast of the Guardian Angels and we'll be having angel food cake in their honor. They definitely deserve a party since I depend on the guardian angels in this family and they always come through for me! I might decorate it with roses, for Therese, but I don't think they'll mind. I'm sure they love her too.

Saturday, the 4th, brings us to St. Francis of Assisi---another of our family patrons. I'm not sure how we'll mark the day as Madden will be busy with football and the homecoming dance that night. Maybe it will be brunch---because I doubt he will be up for breakfast!

Then we have a little break from family feasts until the 16th when we celebrate the feast of St. Margaret Mary Alacoque. Plans for that one need to be researched! Perhaps a heart-shaped cake for the Sacred Heart?

Question for my readers----how do you keep up with feasts at your house? What do you do to celebrate?

Whew

I feel like I'm way behind on blogging---as if you can be behind on blogging because you can do it as much or as little as you have time for want.

I should be asleep because I could not stay awake for half of the Debate. I should have been at Rachel's house. Bet I would have stayed awake there! I had no idea how exhausted I was from the past few days. So now, sweet MoW has gone to School to nap while he waits for our boys to get home from their 3-hours-away football game. I can never sleep when he's not here. So here I am!

I have to thank my friend Shelly for this award. I'm so honored. You know, we're gonna have to get together and meet one day---so she can see my great hair. LOL.
So now I have to give this award to 7 of my favorite blogs. And it's so hard to choose. I might even have to give it to some of the people that Shelly gave it to because they're my favorites too!

1. Mrs. Fussypants is one of my new favorites. Go check her out!
2. Love Your Mother has some wonderfully insightful and intelligent posts. Go visit her and she'll give you lots of food for thought.
3. A very inspirational young lady over at Shower of Roses. I won't make you give the award to 7 more peeps since you already got one!
4. Carol at Perpetual Kindergarden is a very dear IRL friend who encouraged me to start blogging and needs to do a little more herself. ;-)
5. Fawndear and I continually inspire each other, so she definitely deserves this!
6. Mary at Owlhaven is another new discovery that I enjoy a lot.
7. And I love The Family-Centered Life.

So many beautiful women, so many blogs to read and be inspired by. But you know, having them in a Reader is so much easier than checking them all every day. And I do delete some of the less-inspirational when I add new ones. The list doesn't just grow on forever.

The Novena Starts Today!

The feast of my sweet friend, St. Therese, is October 1. I have been looking forward to it, but I'm terrible at remembering to begin the Novena! Thanks to Elizabeth and Jessica for reminding me.

Many years ago the MoW gave me a little book for Christmas. I think it was Christmas. And it was a children's book. But it was a quick read, and a very nice story of a spoiled little French girl who became a Carmelite nun at age 15 and died at 24 of tuberculosis. I mentioned to MoW that she had written her autobiography and I would be interested in reading it if a copy could be found.

I had no idea how easy it was to find The Story of a Soul (just check any Catholic bookstore!). I think he gave it to me the next day. And so began my relationship with this sweet saint whose Little Way attracted me so much. Doing little things for Jesus each day was much easier than trying to become a saint!

When it was time for me to choose a patron saint during RCIA, I was at a loss as to whom I should pick. I prayed and prayed for guidance until the last day. And I still didn't have an answer. I mentioned to one of the other sponsors that I was still waiting for a heavenly response to my prayer and she said, "I thought for sure you would choose St. Therese of Lisieux. You talk about how she inspires you all the time!" Well, duh. So I did.

"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." I love my friend Therese. I may not always remember to start her novena on time, but I know she is always there for me, praying for me and sending me the occasional rose.

Oh, Little Therese of the child Jesus, please pick for me a rose from the Heavenly Garden and send it to me as a message of love.

Oh little flower of Jesus ask God the favors I now place with confidence in your hands ( mention special request).

St. Theresa, help us to always believe as you did in God's great love for me, so that I may imitate your little way each day.

Amen.