Vocation Chalice

Our parish began a new ministry a few months ago called the "Vocation Chalice".  Each week a family gets to take home this beautiful chalice and rosary and are to pray for vocations for the week.


The chalice is carved from olive wood from Jerusalem and was personally blessed by Pope Benedict XVI in May of 2011.  It was also placed near the tomb of Blessed John Paul II.

The detail on this chalice is just wonderful.  I've heard that many blessings have come to the families who have had this in their home.  The very holy woman who started all of this urged us to pray, not only for vocations, but for anything we needed or wanted.  No matter what the outcome, it will be an incredible blessing to have this in our home for the week.

 

Winner Announced!

Using an online random number generator, the winner of my first giveaway is #2

Margaret from Minnesota!

 
Congratulations, Margaret! Send me an email at

laura@catholic-homeschooling-resources.com

and I'll send you the link for the unit study!

 

7 Quick Takes and Giveaway!

--- 1 ---

I'm hosting a GIVEAWAY of this unit study until Saturday the 7th at 11:59 am.  If you've never tried a unit study, now is the time to enter!  All you need to do is go HERE (the original post) and leave me a comment about whether or not you've done a unit study before.  I welcome details, but they aren't necessary.  Unit studies are a great way to teach all your kids at once, take a break from your regular routine and cover a lot of great material at one time!

--- 2 ---

Since I'm not above begging and pleading, please go and enter HERE because it would be a lot more fun if there were a lot of entries!  Wouldn't it????  Good, thanks for agreeing with me :)  Now go and invite a friend over so they can enter, too!

--- 3 ---

It is confusing to me...is today (Friday) the Feast of the Epiphany even though we celebrate it on Sunday?  This is the day after the 12th day of Christmas, so what does it mean?  Well, Happy Feast of the Epiphany, anyhow.  Sad to say that we've never developed any real traditions surrounding the Epiphany.  I've heard about different things to do, and we've even tried a couple of them, but none of them have really stuck.

--- 4 ---

It is back to school for us next week.  I usually change subjects around this time since the kids have finished some of their other ones up already.  I have a few more days to figure out where I'm going to fit them all in and then it is time to hit the books again!  I suppose the routine will be a good thing to get back to.

--- 5 ---

Have you had a chance yet to take a look at my new book?  Have you thought about having a more organized and better plan for your day?  Are you ready to take the bull by the horns and do something about it?  Good, I thought you would be ready by now!  See ya' over there after the Quick Takes!.

--- 6 ---

We had a bit of excitement this week when Mr 11 yo was washing dishes at lunchtime and a bowl slipped, broke and cut his wrist.  Seeing as how we couldn't get the bleeding to stop enough to put a bandage on it, we took him to the Immediate Care.  While the doctor wasn't happy that he cut himself, she was impressed that he got his cut while helping out with chores! Thankfully there were no stitches necessary.

--- 7 ---

In case you missed it, Ms 15 yo has started and is facilitating a year long prayer campaign for our country.  If you would like to join in, you can go here for all of the details!  She needs 280 volunteers to cover the whole year.  Will you be one of them?
 

For more Quick Takes, visit Conversion Diary!

My First GIVEAWAY!!!

To start the new year off on a good note, I thought it might be fun to try my first giveaway! 

All you have to do to enter is to leave a comment and tell me if you've ever done a unit study before.  If you'd like to give some details, that would be even better.  If you've never done one, would you like to?  What has stopped you from doing one in the past?  In other words, let me know what you think of unit studies.


You have from now until Saturday, January 7th at 11:59 am.  Saturday afternoon I will use a random number generator to pick a winner and the winner will win...

A free download of my St. Ignatius unit study.  

This unit study is adaptable for all grade levels.  Obviously the older the student, the more in depth they can get.  That's the nice thing about unit studies...they can work however you need them to!

This way if you've always wanted to try one or you've never tried one, you have nothing to lose!  If you've done them before, here is a chance to do another one for free.


Here's your chance to learn all about St. Ignatius and the Renaissance Era.  This unit study encompasses history, art, writing, vocabulary and much more.


Remember...leave me a comment and you'll be entered!

An Important Prayer Campaign

Along with our other girls, Ms 15 yo has involved with a Catholic girls' club for quite a few years now.  One of the requirements of this club is that the girls, when they reach a certain number of years of participation, do three major works.

This year, both she and Ms 17 yo are working on their work of Love.  This is how she describes what she is doing:

For my third major work, I am going to begin and facilitate a year long prayer campaign for our country. It will consist of 40 consecutive novenas ending on Christmas Day, 2012, with seven people praying each novena. This is where you come in. I need 280 volunteers to pray ONE novena each sometime during the year.

The prayer that each participant will be praying is the "Powerful Novena in Urgent Need" to the Infant of Prague.  The specific intention that will be stated is:

O Jesus we come before you humbly asking for the return of our country to your Sacred Heart that we might come to know, love and serve you.

If anyone is interested in volunteering for a 9 day spot, please either email me at 

laura@catholic-homeschooling-resources.com

or leave a comment here with your email (which I will not post :) so that she can get back to you and assign you a spot during the year.  I believe she is working on filling up the slots for January and February, but if there is a specific month you would like to pray, just let me know in the email/comment.

I know there are a lot of praying people out there, so please don't hesitate to get in contact with us so you can participate.  You can even sign up your whole family to take spots, as she is looking for 7 people for each 9 day time frame.

Thank you in advance for your generous participation!

 

7 Quick Takes December 30, 2011

--- 1 ---

Occasionally I do let go of my camera, although I don't know why.  The photo prior to this showed me holding up this same necklace and  earring set with a much more pensive look on my face.  My family accused me of not liking my new jewelry.  That was not it at all.  I had moved that quickly to the thinking mode...things like, what else would this go with, when could I wear it next, etc.  This picture was of me showing my true feelings for my new gift.

--- 2 ---

My older girls had a Christmas party on Thursday.  They decided to do a homemade gift/white elephant grab bag.  I have to say that everyone took it to heart and came with some really nice gifts.  One of the younger girls crocheted a beautiful shawl that Ms 8 yo won.  I love kids with creativity; especially because I have always been creatively challenged.  Creativity is actually one of the few things that is improving in me as I age.

--- 3 ---

If you are reading this on Friday, then Happy Feast of the Holy Family.  It is a bit confusing this year with it being on a Friday and not a Sunday, but none-the-less, have a grace-filled, holy family kind of day.

--- 4 ---

Have you seen this one yet?  If not, give it a go...it is quite funny.

--- 5 ---

Here was a conversation that transpired between Ms 19 yo and Mr 6 yo the other day:

Ms 19 yo: What'll you give me if I make you a sandwich?
Mr 6 yo: Candy?
Ms 19 yo: Mmm... no. How about a big hug and say "You are the most wonderful person in the world.
Mr 6 yo: No, because that isn't true!
Ms 19 yo: O.o 
Mr 6 yo: Well, you are the most wonderful person in the world to me, but not to anyone else. It's not like that.

Well, at least he's honest; although I'm sure her boyfriend might not agree with him on that last part :)
 

--- 6 ---

Today, Friday, marks a grand occasion for me...I get to go take photos for a 50th Wedding Anniversary party!  I can't wait.  I love taking photos and I've not done this type of event before so I'm excited to see how it goes.  I'm thrilled that it is during the day because it is always easier to shoot in daylight!  What fun to capture the joy of a couple married so many years!

--- 7 ---

Have a very happy and blessed New Year!  If one of your resolutions for the new year is to be more organized and have a smoother running household, then make sure you go here!

For more Quick Takes, visit Conversion Diary!

Are You Ready??

While perusing my new Christmas gift, I found a section towards the back entitled "How to be a better Catholic".  It gives an outline for the things you need to do daily, weekly, monthly and yearly.  It is very Ignatian (is that the proper term for something Ignatius??) so you will find the same type of outline in the prayer section of "A Plan for Joy in the Home"!  

I'm always excited when I'm reading something that tells me that God wants us to be organized.  It makes me feel like all the time I spent on this book is really worth it!  Here is what the "Daily Roman Missal" has to say:

"The practice of some acts of piety throughout the day will help you to have a divine contemplative life in the midst of the daily routine.  The habitual performance of these acts will also be the foundation for growing in Christian virtues.  Most important is to be consistent in your daily schedule, in your spiritual game plan, so that you will live as a child of God."

 If you are ready to be more organized and build your spiritual game plan, then I have the book for you!  I hope 2012 is a more organized, more prayerful year for you :)