Soul Cakes: The Original Halloween "Treat"

During the Middle Ages in England, on the night before All Saints Day, or Hallowmas, pesants and children called "soulers" would go about town singing and praying for the souls of the dead. They would stop at homes and beg for a "soul cake" and promise in return to pray for the household's deceased family members to be released from purgatory. If homeowners...

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The Rosary and Kids - Part 4

October is almost over, which means it's time for the 4th and final "The Rosary and Kids" post.  This time I've come up with a list of some of our favorite rosary products that have helped make the rosary a part of our home. I am so thankful for the wonderful people who take their time to make holy products! 1. Baby Rosary (0-12 monts). These...

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How to Cut your Grocery Bill in Half

No, this is not an advertisement. It's a way of saving money often called "the coupon game" and I love it! About a year ago I was introduced to this fun and exciting (well, I think it is) world of saving major bucks on your grocery bill. To keep your attention I have included a few recent receipts. Full Price:...

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From Napkins to Vestments

All right procrastinators, this one's for you. Homemade vestments for All Saints Day in less than an hour. Isn't he cute! Materiels: Two cloth napkins in green, red, white or purple, depending on what liturgical season you are going for2 1/2 yards of 1 1/2 to 2 inch gold ribbonHot glue gun and/or sewing machine Step 1: Sew or hot glue...

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From Pants to St. Francis Tunic

Over the years I have made many of my kids Halloween/All Saint's Day costumes. First, there was the infant of Prague costume for when our kids are infants. Then came St. Anne. Next Our Lady of Lourdes. Last year after we moved I didn't have it in me to pull off elaborate (this is a relative term) costumes for my kids. Fortunately my...

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The Rosary and Kids - Part 3

A few years ago Magnificat began selling rosary greeting cards with 20 different images depicting each mystery of the rosary. While I wasn't too interested in using them as greeting cards I was interested in the fact that they were each a perfect 5 x 7, which means they could be framed. At the time we were just beginning...

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Handwriting Without Tears

She did it, my poor daughter who was given 9 letters in her double name legibly wrote them in the right order. I'll never forget her buddy Sam coming over one day when they were three and saying to her "S-A-M that's how you spell my name, how do you spell yours?" Blank stare. No one warned me about the perils of trying to get a preschooler to...

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Chick Flicks and Chastity

That was not taken at UNC, but you get the idea. In high school I was voted "Most Likely to become a Motivational Speaker", well, I guess they kind of got it right. Last year at the FOCUS national conference in Orlando I gave a breakout session titled "What Chick Flicks and Love Songs have to do with Chastity", it was for men only. Perhaps I am...

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