On November 1, we celebrate the host of saints in heaven. We ask them to intercede for us so that one day we too may join the holy soul for all Eternity.
I am currently reading the book, Blessed Jacinta and Blessed Francisco of Fatima written by Fr. J. Fox. The book was compiled from an interview with Sr. Lucia (the cousin of Jacinta and Francisco). I was humbled to read of the unwavering faith of Jacinta and her brother Francisco. Jacinta was only six years old when Our Lady first appeared to the Fatima children. She was a lively girl, full of surprises. Though small as she was, she was known to be impulsive, an agressive leader and had much influence over Francisco. Jacinta loved dancing, in fact her love was so strong that if she heard an instrument playing she would spring to her feet and dance. Francisco had a calm temperament and kept to himself. He liked to play his flute while tending the sheep in the fields. He had a love for nature and a courageous spirit. He was lively in games, but almost always lost.
I found this coloring page from Immaculate Heart Coloring Pages just the other day. Cute as ever! Might have the girls color it tomorrow if our printer cooperates.
The biggest and roundest was selected as our carving pumpkin. We had hoped to carve more, but time got away from us and kids needed to be put to bed. The girls helped scoop out the guts and separate the seeds. We soaked the seeds in a bath of brine overnight (this is the KEY if you want them salty and crunchy) and then roasted them in the oven with smoked paprika and a touch of salt.
Following the theme of fall snacks, I made these chocolate acorns. Chocolate kisses, butterscotch chips, Nutter Butter Bites, and some melted chocolate is all you need to assemble this sweet treat.
I'm making a few goodies to stuff the kids shoes with for the Feast of St. Nicholas. (Yep, it's a bit early to be thinking about December, but really, I've got to get ahead when I have the chance!) These pocket saint dolls are from the Etsy shop BabiesBowtiesBobbins. She has a large selection of saints to choose from. I purchased the DIY kit, for slightly less and will be filling and sewing the dolls myself.
Check out what we've done in the past for the Feast of All Saints:
My four year old has told me many times that she wants to go to heaven to be with Mary and Jesus. This afternoon, while praying my rosary, she climbed onto my lap. She asked if she would see the apostles up there (heaven). I said yes, of course! And St. Francis, St. Maximillian, St. Nicholas, and St. Agnes!
Isn't it amazing to think about who you could rub elbows with in heaven? I mean how cool would it be to dine with St. Lawrence and St. Martha, share a hearty laugh with St. Bernard of Clairvaux or hike the mountains with St. John Paul and Blessed Pier Giorgio? Heaven will be GREAT!
My husband and I desire our children to know and love the saints. To help them get to know their patrons, we read stories and celebrate their feast days with tasty foods and fun activities.
Our children look forward to the All Saints Day Party in late October. They dressed up as the Fatima shepherd children: Lucia, Jacinta and Francisco. It seemed fitting since this past year marked the 100th Anniversary of the apparitions of Our Lady to the three Portuguese children. The girls wore simple peasant skirts (made from well-loved pillowcases) with matching scarfs tied around their heads. Francisco's outfit included a collared shirt, vest, and stocking hat (handmade from fleece). The kids shared the one sheep but each had their own rosary to hold.
My husband and I desire our children to know and love the saints. To help them get to know their patrons, we read stories and celebrate their feast days with tasty foods and fun activities.
Our children look forward to the All Saints Day Party in late October. They dressed up as the Fatima shepherd children: Lucia, Jacinta and Francisco. It seemed fitting since this past year marked the 100th Anniversary of the apparitions of Our Lady to the three Portuguese children. The girls wore simple peasant skirts (made from well-loved pillowcases) with matching scarfs tied around their heads. Francisco's outfit included a collared shirt, vest, and stocking hat (handmade from fleece). The kids shared the one sheep but each had their own rosary to hold.
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| The Fatima children: Lucia, St. Francisco and St. Jacinta |
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| Our home altar displaying a few of our favorite saints/blesseds |
During the month of October, I put out our holy cards and saint images to display on our home altar. The girls like to guess the names of each saint.
In other news...
To our surprise, we had a few volunteers pop up in our compost this year and we scored seven pumpkins! Yep, that's right. Grown from our heap of decomposing dirt. The kids were excited to see our pumpkin patch grow and the "pung-kins" turn from green to glowing orange.
The biggest and roundest was selected as our carving pumpkin. We had hoped to carve more, but time got away from us and kids needed to be put to bed. The girls helped scoop out the guts and separate the seeds. We soaked the seeds in a bath of brine overnight (this is the KEY if you want them salty and crunchy) and then roasted them in the oven with smoked paprika and a touch of salt.
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| DIY pocket saint dolls from Etsy. |
Check out what we've done in the past for the Feast of All Saints:
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