Recently canalized John Paul II celebrates his feast day on Oct. 22. Read about him HERE . To make this ornament you will need: white felt light blue felt yellow felt peach felt brown permanent sharpie marker yellow permanent sharpie marker scissors  (these  kind work well) glue (hot glue,  felt glue ,  or tacky glue – like  this  or  this ) needle and thread for the looped hanger Cut out the parts as pictured above. Use a brown sharpie marker to add the buttons to the cassock. Glue down the bottom-buttoned part of the cassock onto the blue background. Add the upper part with the split in the middle. Now glue down the head. Add the little zucchetto. Next, add the yellow cross using the two yellow parts. Using brown and yellow markers draw on the ”chain”. Use only a very light dots of brown and wait for it to dry before adding the yellow. Add a threaded loop to the top to hang it up. St. John Paul II, pray for us. ~JenMarie and Elizabeth

St. Luke, evangelist, is the patron saint of doctors, painters, and sculptors. Not much is known about him, but it’s believed that St. Luke was the first icon painter. He is said to have painted pictures of the Virgin Mary and Child, in particular the Hodegetria image in Constantinople which is now lost. Some believe that he never painted at all, but ether way he is now the patron of artist. He is also the patron of doctors because it’s believed he had an education as a physician. One thing we know for sure is that he wrote the Gospel and the Acts of the Apostles. His feast day is Oct. 18th on the new and traditional calendars. Read more about him HERE and HERE . To make this ornament you will need: white or off-white felt light blue felt maroon felt tan felt lots of different colored permanent sharpie markers: red, orange, yellow, green, blue. purple, black, etc. scissors (these kind work well) glue (hot glue, felt glue ,  or tacky glue – like this or this ) needle and thread for the looped hanger Cut out the parts as pictured above. Add the many different colors to the pallet with the markers. Add one of the colors to the tan brush-bristles. Add a black line to the end of the brush handle (optional). Glue down the pallet to the blue background. Then glue down the bristles of the brush, then the brush handle. Now cut out around the art image to remove all the extra blue background.  Add a threaded loop to the top so you can hang it up.  St. Luke, pray for us. ~JenMarie and Elizabeth

The feast day of our Guardian Angels is Oct. 2nd (new and traditional calendars)! We can’t overlook the feast day of our own personal help and guide! After all these holy angels have been by our side from the beginning of our lives!  Elizabeth and I created two ornaments for the Guardian Angels. One has a boy on it and one has a girl. You could make a bigger ornament and add them all together if you wish. But I figured the boys would like to have a less girly looking ornament! 😉  Boy\’s Guardian Angel  To make the boy ornament you will need: white felt green felt medium blue felt light blue felt peach/tan felt navy blue felt black felt (for shoes) maroon felt yellow felt permanent sharpie markers : black, brown, orange, blue and yellow (optional) scissors good quality, thick tacky glue or hot glue (I use hot glue)Tacky glue like this: HERE and HERE You may also like to try Felt Glue needle and thread to make a loop for hanging Cut out all the parts and pieces like those pictured above. We used blue marker to add detail to the angel\’s robe, We also used black to add a shaded edge to the maroon shirt and we used orange to add an edge to the yellow halo. Use brown marker to make hair on the two heads and black to make eyes and a mouth. Use a set of dots to make the mouth so the line will have a cleaner look.  Now glue the green grass onto the light blue background. Glue the wings onto the back of the angel\’s robe. Have a small part of the angels wings sticking out the top of the robe so you have something to glue the head on to. Glue the hands onto the back of the angels sleeves. Now flip him over and add his halo and then his head. Now glue the angel onto the grass and blue sky background. Next make the boy. Glue the arms and the top edge of the paints to the back of the shirt. Add the shoes to the back of the pants leg. Then flip him over and add the head to the top of the shirt. Next, glue him in front of his angel.  Cut out around the angel and boy to remove any extra background. Sew a thread through the top and make a loop so you can hang it up. Girl’s Guardian Angel To make the girl ornament you will need: white felt green felt pink felt light blue felt peach/tan felt purple felt brown felt yellow felt permanent sharpie markers : black, brown, orange, purple, pink, and yellow scissors good quality, thick tacky glue or hot glue (I use hot glue)Tacky glue like this:  HERE  and  HERE  You may also like to try  Felt Glue needle and thread to make a loop for hanging Cut out all the parts and pieces like those pictured above. We used pink and yellow markers to add detail to the angel’s robe. We also used purple to add a detail to the purple dress and we used orange to add an edge to the yellow halo. We used a brown marker to add shoes to the girls feet. And we also used a brown marker to detail to the hair pieces.  **But don’t add the eyes and mouth till later. Now glue the green grass onto the light blue background. Glue the wings onto the back of the angel\’s robe. Have a small part of the angels wings sticking out the top of the robe so you have something to glue the head/halo onto. Glue the hands onto the back of the angels sleeves. Now flip her over and add her halo and then her head. Now, add her hair. Next, glue the angel onto the grass and blue sky background. Next make the girl. Glue the arms and the legs to the back of the dress. Then flip her over and add the head to the top of the dress. Then add her hair. Now, glue her in front of her angel. Finally, using a black marker, add the eyes and mouth to the angel and the girl. Create the mouth by making a set of dots. Dots help the edges of the line/mouth maintain a cleaner look.  Cut out around the angel and girl to remove any extra background. Sew a thread through the top and make a loop so you can hang it up. May you all have a blessed day! ~JenMarie and Elizabeth

Isaac Jogues, was a Jesuit priest, missionary and martyr who worked among the native Indians in North America.  Jogues and his assistant, Rene Goupi, were torture by some Iroquois. Among other horrible acts of mistreatment, Isaac Jogues had two fingers removed. He eventually escaped, but was later martyred. He is one of ”The North American Martyrs”. His feast day is October 19. Read more about him HERE . To make this ornament you will need: white or off-white felt light blue felt tan felt blue permanent sharpie marker brown permanent sharpie marker scissors  (these  kind work well) glue (hot glue,  felt glue ,  or tacky glue – like  this  or  this ) needle and thread for the looped hanger First cut out two hands. The easiest way to make hands it to cut out a hand which as all the fingers together and then cut down between the fingers to separate them.  Also cut out a host. Using a brown marker, add a cross. Cut out a light blue piece of felt to use as the background. Be sure to cut off two fingers on his right hand. (Ya, it feels wrong – I know.) Glue down the host and hands so it looks like the host is being held by the hands. If you wish, make a few sleeves for the hands and glue them down.  Also cut out around the hands and host – remove the extra blue background. Use the blue marker to add a border to the blue background. Now add a threaded loop to the top to hang it up. St. Isaac Jogues, pray for us. ~JenMarie and Elizabeth

St. Francis of Assisi’s feast day is Oct. 4th. (new and traditional calendars).  Elizabeth and I made 2 ornaments for his feast day. I’m going to focus on the more detailed ornament, but I include simple instructions for the easier ornament at the end of this post. So if you want to make the smaller ornament scroll to the bottom of this post.  Normally, St. Francis needs no introduction, so I’m going to jump into the ornament instructions. To make the more detailed ornament you will need: Felt: green felt (grass) peach felt (head and hands) medium brown felt (robe) white felt (doves) gray felt (rabbit and squirrel) light blue felt (background) yellow felt (halo) Permanent Sharpie Markers: orange (halo) black (face and animals and robe) brown (face and animals and robe) red (hands) You will also need: scissors glue (hot glue,  felt glue   or tacky glue – like this or this ) thread and a needle (for the looped hanger) First cut out the parts like those in the picture above. The light blue felt is a larger piece of felt that will serve as the background. Glue down the long strip of green (grass) to the bottom of the light blue felt. Now add black and brown marker detail to the robe. Glue his hands to the back of the robe sleeves and then flip it over and add the red-blood (stigmata) to his hands. Glue the robe (with attached hands) to the blue/green background.  Add an orange edge to the yellow halo and glue it above the robe. Now decorate the head with brown and black marker (as pictured).  Use a set of dots to make the mouth so the line will have a cleaner look. Then, glue it on top of the halo. (as pictured)  Now, glue the small strips of green (blades of grass) to the area beside/behind the bottom of his robe. If you wish, add the bunny and squirrel to the ornament. We used brown and black markers to add detail to the animal shapes.  Next, we cut out around St. Francis to remove the extra background; we cut it into a half-oval shape. Then we added the doves. We allowed a small part of the doves’ wings to hang off the edge of the background. We thought that made it look more interesting. 🙂  Above is the image of the two ornaments – the harder one and the easier one. To make the easier ornament  you will need: Felt: peach felt (hand) medium brown felt (sleeve) white felt (for the dove) light blue felt (for the background) Permanent Sharpie Markers: red (hands) light blue (for the edge of the background) You will also need: scissors glue (hot glue,  felt glue   or tacky glue – like  this  or  this ) thread and a needle (for the looped hanger) To create the easier ornament, cut out a hand, a rectangle (for the sleeve) and the two bird parts (the wings and body). The dove parts are shown in the parts-image for the more difficult ornament (above- third picture down) Glue the hand onto a piece of light blue felt. Add the sleeve over top of the hand\’s wrist. Add the dove diagonally from the hand. Add a red spot to the palm of the hand. Now, cut out around the hand and dove to remove any extra background. Use a light blue sharpie marker to make the blue outer edge on the blue felt background.  Both ornaments were given a knotted-threaded loop to hang it. St. Francis, pray for us! Hope you have a blessed and joy-filled day! ~JenMarie and Elizabeth

St. Margaret Mary Alacoque was visited by Jesus and He communicated to her his desire for the devotion to the Sacred Heart. Through her, He told us of His desired for us to go to First Friday Mass.  Her feast day is Oct. 16 on the new calendar and Oct. 17  on the traditional calendar. Read more about her on THIS page. This ornament depicts Jesus showing his Sacred Heart to St. Margaret Mary.  To make this ornament you will need: light brown or peach felt red felt yellow felt white felt (optional) brown sharpie permanent marker purple sharpie permanent marker orange sharpie permanent marker black sharpie permanent marker scissors ( these kind  work well) glue (hot glue,  felt glue ,  or tacky glue – like  this  or  this ) needle and thread to create the looped hanger Cut out the pieces as they are pictured above. Use a black marker to make the crown of thorns on the heart. Use a purple maker to make the shaded edge on the heart. Use an orange marker to add the extra color to the flames. Finally, add a light edge to the hand with a brown marker. Lay out your parts onto your background so know where they will need to go. Then glue down your flames. Add the heart over top the flames. Then, fold the three fingers back on the hand so it looks like it’s pointing. Glue them back. Glue down the hand so it looks like it’s pointing to the heart. Then cut off the extra outer edge of the tan back ground.  ~*You can stop there if you like*~ OR you can add an extra piece of white material so it look like Jesus is pulling back his shirt. Cut out a piece of white felt like the one pictured above. Add glue along one side of the ornament. Place the edge of the white felt onto the glue.  Now add glue to the back of the white felt. and fold it back – in a messy kind of way – so it looks like a shirt/robe. Now flip it back over and trim the top so the shirt and chest are both even. Now add a threaded-loop to the top and hang it up. Be sure you find the center of weight, one side will be a little heavier then the other. If you are trying to fulfill your First Friday devotion you may like THIS post: St. Margaret Mary, pray for us! Sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy on us! ~JenMarie and Elizabeth

St. Teresa of Avila’s (AKA: St. Teresa of Jesus) feast day is Oct. 15 in the new and traditional calendars.   St. Teresa once said: "Let nothing disturb thee, Nothing dismay thee. All is passing, God ever remains. Patience obtains all. Whoever possesses God Cannot lack anything God alone suffices." Those words are ones I often need to hear! Read about her HERE . St. Teresa’s ornament is a heart, a flaming arrow and the Holy Spirit. These are all common symbols of Teresa of Avila. To make this ornament you will need: red felt medium or dark brown felt yellow felt white felt (optional) orange sharpie marker purple sharpie marker scissors  glue (hot glue, felt glue ,  or tacky glue – like this or this ) thread and needle to make the hanger Cut out the parts like those pictured above. (The dove parts can be optional if you think that\’s too challenging or time consuming.) Use purple marker to outline the heart and orange marker to outline the flame. Glue down the flame and the arrow’s stick. Now glue down the triangle point and the feather parts of the arrow.  Finally add the dove. (if you wish) Glue down the wings first and then the body. Add the threaded loop to the heart. We spanned our loop from one side of the heart to the other so it helps to kept the heart up-right. Each end of the thread is knotted on the back of the heart. St. Teresa of Avila, pray for us! ~JenMarie and Elizabeth

St. Jude, apostle and martyr, shares his feast day with St. Simon on Oct. 28th. Read about him  HERE . To make this ornament you will need: green felt yellow felt (we had two shades of yellow and we used one shade for the medallion and the brighter shade for the tongue of fire. – but it will work fine if you only have one shade of yellow.) brown permanent sharpie marker orange permanent sharpie marker red permanent sharpie marker scissors  (these  kind work well) glue (hot glue,  felt glue ,  or tacky glue – like  this  or  this ) needle and thread for the looped hanger Cut out the tongue of fire and the medallion from yellow felt. Use a brown marker to make Jesus\’ face on the medallion. Use orange and red to add color to the yellow flame. Glue them onto the green background. Cut out around them to remove any extra green background.  Add a threaded-loop to the top to hang it up. St. Jude, patron of hopeless situations, pray for us! ~JenMarie and Elizabeth

Normally when I post these liturgical ornaments I do a short quick biography… I’m never sure if I need to, but it always seemed like I should. Being that today I’m posting about St. Therese, The Little Flower, I feel odd trying to do her life justice in just a few sentences and because she is so popular I decided I’m not even going to try!  🙂  If you want to know more about her ”Google it" and you’ll find a wondrous wealth of resources. If you are looking for a good book about St. Therese my kids love these books: The Story of St. Therese of the Child Jesus (Saints Lives) St. Therese of the Child Jesus (St. Joseph Picture Books) God’s Little Flower : The Story of St. Therese of Lisieux Saint Therese and the Roses (Vision Books Series) And this Movie: Therese St. Therese’s feast day is Oct. 1 in the new calendar and Oct. 3 in the traditional calendar. To make this ornament craft you will need: medium blue felt black felt medium brown felt pink felt red felt white felt peach or tan felt scissors  good quality, thick tacky glue or hot glue (I use hot glue)Tacky glue like this: HERE and Here  You may also like to try Felt Glue thread and needle to make a hanging loop Step 1: Cut out shapes like these pictured above – using correct colors. (We did add a red long wavy stand which is not pictured.) Be sure the blue felt is bigger than all the other pieces so you have plenty of room to glue Saint Therese onto it.  Also, the black veil and the ”U” shaped black veil should be the same size. But the ”U” shaped veil has the center cut out. Step 2: Glue down the black veil, then add the head and white habit. Don’t add the ”U” shaped veil, yet and try not to add glue to the bottom of her chin yet.  Step 3: Once you have added the head and habit, add the ”U” shaped black veil to cover the outer edges of the head and habit.  Step 4: Add the brown half oval shaped body. It will be located below her head with a small space between her chin and the brown body. Step 5: Now add the white collar. Be sure the top edge is just under her chin. Now glue the collar and her chin down.  Step 6: Add some leaves to the lower body area.  Step 7: Roll the long strips into a rose – Cut off any extra which would make the rose too big. Make and glue one at a time. When gluing them make a pool of glue about the size of the rose and then lay the rolled rose into the glue – wavy side up and flat side into the glue. Press the rose into the glue. Do the same with the next two roses.  Step 8: Cut off the extra blue felt from around the St. Therese figure and roses.  Step 9: Add a thread loop to hang the ornament. Sew a piece of thread (we used gold) through the top and knot it.   Step 10: Hang the ornament wherever you like and enjoy! This would be a great project for a Little Flowers Girls Club, too! St. Therese, pray for us! May God Bless you all with Joy! ~JenMarie and Elizabeth  (Elizabeth, my sweet helper, has loved St. Therese since she was a toddler!)

St. Gerard Majella, the patron saint of mothers, is one of my favorite saints. It’s very fitting that his feat day is in the month of October – pro-life month – since he is such a pro-life saint. His feast day is historically on Oct. 16th. Read more about him at the bottom of THIS page.  This ornament depicts a pair of baby feet inside a blue heart, which is inside a pink heart. This is my symbolic way of showing pregnancy. The hearts are attached to a cross to show that life is meant to be sacrificial.  To create this ornament you will need: light blue felt pink felt medium brown felt peach or tan felt brown sharpie permanent marker scissors ( these kind work well) glue (hot glue, felt glue ,  or tacky glue – like this or this ) needle and thread to create the looped hanger Draw the feet onto the peach felt using a brown sharpie marker. Use a set of side-by-side dots to \”draw\” the feet. This gives the lines a cleaner look. First make a bean-shape which as a flatter end at the top. Then add a few circles to make the toes. Ours only has 4 toes. It can be difficult to make the smaller toes with the marker – so we just made 4 on each foot. Now cut out the two feet. Cut out the pieces like those pictured above. Place the shorter brown strip over the longer strip to make a cross. Glue them together in the center. Glue on the larger, pink, heart – like shown. Then glue on the blue heart.  Add the feet to the blue cross, and then add a threaded-loop to the top of the cross to hang it up. St. Gerard, pray for us! ~JenMarie and Elizabeth

October 7th is dedicated to Our Lady for the Rosary.  The feast of Our Lady of the Rosary was instituted to honor Mary for the Christian victory over the Turks at Lepanto on October 7, 1571. The Battle of Lepanto was a great sea battle and the Christians were outnumbered by the Turks – 7 to 1! Pope St. Pius V asked that all Christians pray the Rosary. Then, God gave the Christians an incredible victory!   Read more about the battle HERE . Elizabeth and I created a new ornament for the occasion.  (This will be the last ornament till next week.) To create this ornament you will need: •medium blue felt •light blue felt •white felt •pink felt •peach felt •medium brown felt •yellow felt •purple felt (or any other color you would like to use to make the Rosary) •orange Sharpie marker •yellow Sharpie marker •blue Sharpie marker  •brown Sharpie marker •purple Sharpie marker (or other color to match your Rosary color) •scissors •glue (hot glue, felt glue   or tacky glue – like this  or this ) •needle and thread for looped hanger Cut out the parts like those shown above. We used a hole-puncher to make the little purple beads. If your hole-punch is not 100% sharp you may have to use scissors to finish cutting a few edges.  Also, the blue rectangle should have been the brown color (like her hair) – making it blue was a little mistake which we realized after we finished creating Mary. First, glue down the light blue body onto the pink background. Then glue down the blue rectangle (which should have been brown). Cut the rectangle so it fits over top the light blue body.  Add the halo which was out-lined with an orange Sharpie marker. Add the head – be sure the head\’s chin touches and slightly covers the light blue body. Now, add the hair, which has been detailed with a brown maker.  Next add the veil. This can also be detailed/shaded with a light blue sharpie marker. Now you need to make a few lilies (we made 3). A step-by-step picture is above. Add the lilies to the ornament -like above. Next arrange the beads, heart-shaped Rosary center, and cross around the lilies. When you feel that you know how you want to arrange them, glue them down. We added a purple out-line to the Rosary. We also added a yellow outline around Mary to make her \”glow\” . Now cut out around everything and remove any extra pink background. Add the threaded loop and hang her up!  Now, I’d like to ask a personal favor. My oldest brother is a fallen away Catholic, who’s birthday falls on Oct. 7th. Please, pray for him! He’s a great guy who would make an awesome soldier for Christ! Thank you for any prayers! 🙂 God Bless you all with joy and peace! ~Jennifer and my helper, Elizabeth

The feasts of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary often fall on the first Friday and Saturdays in June and this year is no different. So I wanted to share a few files that I pulled out of a dusty old folder which I had saved on my old computer. (Don’t worry I “dusted” them off! 😉 ) A devotion to the Hearts of Jesus and Mary was a BIG DEAL years ago. Now (at least in my area) these special days often seem to be overlooked and even forgotten. I’ve heard of schools that take time off from teaching to have the kids go to Mass every First Friday. That’s sooo awesome! ! It’s wonderful to see some schools do that! But if your kids are not lucky enough to go to a school that holds such a monumental sense of importance for First Friday or if you homeschool like me you need to be sure your kids understand the importance of going to Mass on First Friday, as well as, First Saturday. Here are the promises made by Jesus and Mary: About the Sacred Heart of Jesus{9 First Fridays} The authentic texts as found in the writings of St. Margaret Mary: (Jesus said) I will give them all the graces necessary for their state of life. I will give peace in their families. I will console them in all their troubles. I will be their refuge in life and especially in death. I will abundantly bless all their undertakings. Sinners shall find in my Heart the source and infinite ocean of mercy. Tepid souls shall become fervent. Fervent souls shall rise speedily to great perfection. I will bless those places wherein the image of My Sacred Heart shall be exposed and venerated. I will give to priests the power to touch the most hardened hearts. Persons who propagate this devotion shall have their names eternally written in my Heart. In the excess of the mercy of my Heart, I promise you that my all powerful love will grant to all those who will receive Communion on the First Fridays, for nine consecutive months, the grace of final repentance: they will not die in my displeasure, nor without receiving the sacraments; and my Heart will be their secure refuge in that last hour. About the Immaculate Heart of Mary {5 First Saturdays} Our Lady of Fatima asked that, in reparation for sins committed against her Immaculate Heart,  on the first Saturday of five consecutive months the Catholic: Go to Confession (within 8 days before or after the first Saturday) Receive Holy Communion Recite five decades of the Rosary Keep me company for fifteen minutes while meditating on the fifteen mysteries of the Rosary She promised that, whoever would ever does this, would be given at the hour of his death, the graces necessary for salvation. Isn’t that AWESOME!!!! Wow! What a gift Jesus and Mary have offered us! Most people would do these things if it meant they would win the lotto and these promises are far better than winning money! So we need to teach a devotion of the Sacred Heart and the Immaculate Heart to our children! But please explain to the kids that finishing the requirements that Jesus and Mary asked does not mean we can do whatever we want and still get into heaven. A person must still try very hard to be good. These promises are Jesus and Mary’s extra help to those who complete the tasks. They are not a heavenly assurance. An Activity to Get Kids Interested and Motivated I know that getting kids motivated can be a little difficult. So I made a few things to help you.  First: Here is a printable of the promises: Read these promises to the kids and explain what they mean.  Second: Here are a few printables for the kids. With these printables, the kids can create a chart to keep track of the First Fridays and First Saturdays which they have finished the requirements. Choose the one(s) you like best for your situation: Download all these Sacred & Immaculate Heart Pages: You may also like to a simple coloring page What to do: After printing out the above pages (one set for each child) have the kids color the Sacred and Immaculate  Hearts on the chart(s). They can also decorate them with whatever they want (stickers, glitter, or other fun items) Then as the months pass they can mark to months that they were successful at completing the requirements. Or you can make these printables into a craft if you wish! Have the kids color a simple paper plate with “rays of light”. Then color the hearts on the chart. Now cut out the hearts and glue them to the plate. Then glue on the months into the rays around the hearts. As they finish the months the kids can mark, high-light, or decorate the ones that they have completed.  These charts and crafts will help them to remember to go to Mass and pray with a prepared heart and holy spirit. Hang them in a prominent spot so they can serve as a good remember as the months pass. After they have completed the  requirements : After they have finished the requirements for 5 First Saturdays and/or the 9 First Fridays then you may award them a certificate of completion: You can have a big ceremony if you like!  But be sure to invite Jesus and Mary to the party!! God Bless! ~JenMarie

Hi, everyone! For the month of June and August – the months of the Sacred Heart and Immaculate Heart – I created this new download... This download is a set of printable hearts which depicts the Sacred and Immaculate Hearts. I modeled these hearts after some old antique prayer cards . Those old holy cards often gave a decorative lacy border to each card. I always found those cards to be so beautiful. These fancy hearts make an amazing decoration for your home, church vestibule, or class room!  We used them to decorate our Marian Tea Party this past May. I also reused some to decorate our home for the month of June – since it is the month we celebrate the Sacred Heart. The download has a selection of sizes to fit your needs... Download The Lacy Hearts Here: While these hearts look great when colored with bold colors, they also look lovely when colored lightly. But if you are not fond of coloring, they look just as gorgeous uncolored!! They add a sweet pale-white splash to any wall or display! How to make and use these hearts: These are so easy to make! Just print them off, color them (if you want), and cut out around the hearts. They each have a thick gray border. Cut anywhere inside this gray-border area for a perfect and beautiful cut! It’s so easy! Use a hole puncher to create a hole (or holes) to hang these up. Depending on the way you want to hang them, you can make two holes or just one hole in the flame area. Hope you enjoy them! God Bless. ~JenMarie

St. Faustina’s and the Divine Mercy! Wow! Yes, we need mercy these days! God forgive us we know not what we do… Saint Mary Faustina was visited my Jesus and he asked to have an image made of Him. The Chaplet of the Divine Mercy is also dedicated to her… okay that was a horrible way to shorten her amazing life story, so please if you want to know more about her click HERE and HERE .  Her feast day is Oct. 5th on the new calendar. The chaplet of the Divine Mercy is such a beautiful prayer, but in my house I have to keep myself from laughing as my 3 year old son takes the lead and says the prayers. He gets angry when anyone else tries to take a turn. Well, I’m glad he’s learning to pray, now I need to better teach him to share! 🙂 To create this ornament you will need: black felt white felt medium blue felt medium brown felt yellow felt peach felt black sharpie marker brown sharpie marker red sharpie marker blue sharpie marker orange sharpie marker scissors glue (hot glue, felt glue  or tacky glue – like this or this ) thread and a needle (for the looped hanger) First we made a Divine Mercy image. Make a square black background and a white Jesus shape (like above). Make your black background a little bigger than ours – we discovered that helps when it\’s time to add the frame. Also make a yellow halo.  Use an orange marker to decorate the halo. Use a black marker to outline Jesus and use a brown marker to make Jesus\’s hair and beard. Next, use red and blue markers to make the rays. Glue all those parts down onto the black background and add a brown felt frame to the image. Again, make your black background larger than we made ours so you have an easier time adding the frame. Cut out shapes like these pictured above – using correct colors. Be sure the blue felt is bigger than all the other pieces so you have plenty of room to glue Saint Faustina onto it. Glue down the half circle-body and add a small strip of white to form a collar. Add the head and over-lap the chin into the collar. Add a small white rectangle on top of  her head. Now add white rectangles on each side of her head. Be sure they lay on top of her face – only glue them at the outer edges of the rectangles.  Next, glue down the \”U\” shaped veil. Cut off the pointed ends on the two side flaps – so they look more rounded.   Fold the two side flaps back (away from her face) onto the black veil. Glue them down. Add the picture of the Divine Mercy, and cut off the extra background.  Add a threaded loop to the top so you can hang the ornament. St. Faustina, pray for us! Jesus, have mercy on us! ~JenMarie and Elizabeth

I mentioned in a post last week that Jonathan and I are working on an ebook to teach children about the Divine Mercy. Well, today I’m thrilled to tell you that it’s now available for you to purchase! This 36-page ebook is packed full of information to help you teach your kids about St. Faustina and the Divine Mercy! Aside from all the pages which include information about the history and meaning of the Divine Mercy, you will also find crafts and activity pages! The book‘s topics include: St. Faustina and the Divine Mercy (Life Summary) A Summary of the ABC’s of Mercy A – Ask for Mercy Why do I need mercy? St. Faustina and the Chaplet of the Divine Mercy How do I ask for mercy? Learning the Chaplet of the Divine Mercy – Mini Book Activity Praying the Divine Mercy Chaplet – Instruction Sheet B – Be Merciful How are we called to be merciful? Jesus told us through St. Faustina (to be merciful) Corporal and Spiritual Works of Mercy – 3 Types of Mercy Unscramble the Works of Mercy Activity C – Complete Trust Trust Your Heavenly Father Just as Jesus Did Jesus’ Agony in the Garden Activity Jesus Told St. Faustina About Trust Prayer for Trust Jesus Banner The ABC’s of Mercy – Recap Page About the Divine Mercy Image Divine Mercy Coloring Page Divine Mercy Stand-Up Image Create a Divine Mercy Picture From Felt (Including Liturgical Ornament and Banner) All these pages are black and white so they are gentle on your printer’s ink. The cover and the last page have color, but these two pages can be printed in grayscale with no problems. This file is for purchase in our shop. Click Here to visit our shop and purchase it! We recommend this book be used with children ages 10 and up because of the reading material which is included in it. However, children under the age of 10 can enjoy the art activities and some of the simpler topics. Feel free to include your younger children in the discussions and add your own explanations to help make this information appropriate for their level of learning. Our family printed the ebook pages out and added them to a three-ring binder (one for each child). Most of the pages stayed together in the binder but some of the crafts the kids made to decorate our home. I’ve also included the patterns for the Divine Mercy Liturgical Ornament. The ebook also has a larger pattern so you can create a banner to hang in your home. In the processes of creating this ebook Jonathan and I have really deepened our understanding of the Divine Mercy and it taught us how necessary it is for us, our family, and our society.  We have enjoyed our time working together and we are pleased with the ebook and how it turned out. We hope you learn and grow from this book as well. This file is for purchase in our shop. Click Here to visit our shop and purchase it! Have a blessed day! ~JenMarie

My kids love Chex mix, so at many parties and family events my oldest daughter or I will make a double batch of the nibbly nummies!! I always thought the Chex squares looked like cute little fishing nets so I made a Chex mix recipe to celebrate the feast day of St. Peter (June 29)! The nets even have fun little fish to accompany them! 🙂But my kids enjoyed the sweet wiggly “water waves” the best! St. Peter’s Fishing Nets Snack INGREDIENTS ¾ cup packed brown sugar ½ cup (one stick) butter or margarine 8 cups Rice Chex® cereal 1 ½ cup pretzel fish ¼ cup white chocolate chips 1 drop of blue food coloring Cover a large cookie sheet with waxed paper.  Add the brown sugar and butter to a large microwavable bowl. Heat on High 1 to 2 minutes, stirring after 1 minute. When the butter is bubbly and melted stir in the cereals and pretzel fish. Microwave on High for 3 minutes, stirring after each minute. Spread on the wax- papered  cookie sheet to cool. In a small microwavable bowl, microwave the white chips on High about 30 seconds or until chocolate can be stirred smooth ( Do not over-cook or it will become thick). Stir in 1 drop of blue food coloring. Drizzle over the snack mix. I found it easier to put the melted chips in a small Ziploc bag. Snip a very small hole in the corner of the bag and squeeze the melted chips out through the hole over the mix.   Refrigerate about 30 minutes or until melted chips is set. Store in airtight container. Download the Recipe Here: It’s a great treat for the feast days of St. Peter!! My kids and other family members LOVED it! They just gobbled it all up!! I’m glad I was able to get a quick picture! 🙂 Hope you all enjoy it! St. Peter pray for us! ~Jen-Marie

I’m sure most women would think I’m a complete nutcase for wanting more children after having 9 babies, but I assure you that before I had children and after I had my first, second, and third I too would have thought that anyone wanting to have more kids after 9 was some kind of crazy person!! I love my kids and I thank God for them each and every day. They each have such amazing personalities, all with their own little twist of fun and intrigue. They all have different gifts and talents, different loves and hates, different personality traits that make them each so special and unique! I didn’t give them those traits. Sure I carried them and raised them and loved them, but I didn’t make them to be who they are. Human life is truly awesome to behold, God has created so many different looking people with so many different personalities. God truly has amazed me with each and every one of my children. They are all so special in their own little ways. The old saying that children are a gift from God is a saying that so many people just can’t see in our society today. They see all the work that children bring and all the trouble that they cause. Yes, they are work and they can cause trouble, but they are so much more than that!! Now that I’ve had 9 I see a small glimpse of the beauty that God sees. He has a plan for each human being. Each one was created with a special personality to do a special task. But it takes brave couples to bring these special little humans into the world. So often our worldly desires get in the way. We forget God and we focus on the things we want to do. Many times God’s will is just a pill that is too hard to swallow! So we search in a different direction for our heart’s desires. But if we do the will of God we will realize it is his will that will fill our hearts with joy. God’s will is our very foundation!! It is the reason he gave us the personality we have. It is only up to us to perfect ourselves by becoming more selfless and less sinful. Then we truly can find the road to our destiny and to true happiness. So how will my children turn out to be? That is completely up to them. I can only give them the knowledge of God and the discernment to know right from wrong. God has given them the ability to handle the task they are made to do. Only they can choose to listen and do it! So for now I will take the strength I have to raise them to honor God and in doing that, I will be doing one of the tasks God has created me to do. To my children: I love you, each and every one… May you grow in the love of God and in the wisdom of the path that He is laying out for you. ~Love,Mom (Jen-Marie)

This article on discipline was sent in an e-mail from CHC back on February 16, 2010. The way it explains how to handle children is wonderful! I just wanted to share: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Since it is almost impossible to homeschool in the absence of discipline, we offer ‘The Five C’s to a Happy Home.’ The first step in effective discipline is verbal correction . When an undesired behavior is first addressed, point out what the child did wrong, why it’s wrong, and an alternative, positive behavior. “We don’t hit the kitty; instead, we pet him, like this.” Now the child knows what behavior is not acceptable, and what is. The second step in effective discipline is that it is conversation-free . There is often a temptation to think, ‘well, maybe he didn’t understand the first time I told him not to hit the kitty, so I should explain again.’ Discussing the issue again invites the child to talk back, and can develop into a power struggle. Limit talk to a single, brief statement— ‘Remember, we don’t hit the kitty’– as you lead the child to time-out; do not respond to any outburst from the child. Words alone are not discipline; they are just words. The third step in effective discipline is consequences . Time-out can be an effective consequence if it is used consistently. Another excellent consequence is to remove the child from the scene. [He has to get down from the table and wait to resume eating until he is in control of himself and everyone else is done.] If the behavior centers around a toy or an object, the toy or object can be taken away for 24 hours. The fourth step in effective discipline is consistency . A child who has been disciplined inconsistently usually ignores correction, because he knows that he can get away with the behavior several times before anything happens. This is reward enough to keep the bad behavior alive. In contrast, a child who burns himself on a hot wood stove will not touch the stove a second time, for he realizes that the stove will consistently burn him each and every time he touches it. If a child has been disciplined inconsistently, he may test vigorously when a firm plan of discipline is put into place. But, if correction and consequences follow each time, the behavior will die out. Each time he hits the kitty, he goes to time out. The final step in effective discipline is “catching the good.” It is of paramount importance to be observant, catch the child doing the good behavior, and praise him for the improvement. “See how nicely you have learned to pet the kitty. Good job.” Praise stresses the correct behavior, demonstrates to the child that he can do it, and warms little hearts. If undisciplined children are ‘running the household,’ you may wish to drop school for a week and focus on the Five C’s. Pray for wisdom and the graces that Our Lord promises to all parents, then identify the worst behaviors and address those first. Announce to the children what will be expected from now on, and begin taking those five steps to reclaim your happy home. We keep all of you in our prayers and regularly have Holy Mass offered for your intentions. We truly appreciate your prayers for the CHC apostolate, also! In Their Hearts, Theresa Johnson http://www.chcweb.com/

A friend of mine sent me a link to this blog: Pondered in my Heart They are hosting a Marian Artist Trading Card swap. It’s open to all ages. Basically, You create 5 pictures of Our Blessed Mother and mail them to Kimberlee along with a self-addressed stamped envelop, and she will send cards from others of the same age. They must be postmarked by May 28. Sounds like fun, I’m sure some of my kids will love it!! Thanks, Kimberlee! Read her blog entry with all the information here: Our Lady Art Card Swap

As a child, I rode home from school on a bus stuffed-full of public school kids. My siblings and I were the only Catholic school kids on the bus. I was a petite girl and my fashionable Catholic-school uniform was a mark to show all the tough public school kids I was free for the taunting. The good news is I was lucky enough to befriend a public school girl just about my age. She was very sweet. After years of sitting next to her, we became very good friends. She told me one day that she asked her mom if I could come over for a slumber party. But her mother refused because I was one of those “statue worshiping Catholics”. After explaining that her mother was 100% wrong and that we really DON’T worship statues, she took the explanation home to her mother. Later that year her mother was kind enough to allow me to sleep-over. I was an ecstatic young girl who had just begun to learn the true depth of the common misconceptions that circle around the Catholic faith. Even most so-called Catholics seem to think that statues are pointless and find it odd to have them….I’ll say it again, Catholics don’t worship statues, BUT we do have a personal need for them. The Catholic beliefs are very deep and for the average non-catholic the idea of statues seems a bit strange, but once a true understanding of the faith is revealed it’s not as strange or as pagan as it may appear to be… Most people have pictures of their family members or friends hanging on their walls, on a fridge, or they may carry them around in their wallet, on a key-chain, or carefully preserve them in an album. Why? It’s a way to remember those who we love or it may be a way to honor them. When you kiss a picture of your dearly departed love ones, and hang their image on your wall or sit it next to your bed are you worshipping them? No, of course not!! It is your way of remembering them. Just like these family pictures the statues that a Catholic keeps are nothing more than an image of someone they admire and/or love. They are NOT a God worthy of worship. They are only an image cast of plaster, concrete, wood, or paper, but having these statues, crucifixes, or pictures of Jesus, Mary, or other holy people help remind all who see them what is important in life and how we should be acting. They are a gentle reminder to all. That is why so many people hate to see them, especially those who are not religious. Years ago there was an old tradition of hanging a Crucifix in every room of your home. Sadly, today that tradition has died out, but the reason for keeping a crucifix in each room was to remind us that God is always watching and with us. It was a reminder of the wonderful deed Jesus did for us, and that our personal sacrifices are never in vain. So the more images one has in their home the more often they can be reminded of what is right and what is wrong, of what is a good action and what is a bad action. They are also a reminder that we should always put God first, and that we should always think of God throughout the day and pray to him for every need. Who would be crazy enough to worship concrete, plastic, plaster, or any other man-made item in our modern society!!! Do you worship those cute little figurines you have on your shelf? No, and Catholics do not worship statues or images either. The statues are nothing more than a reminder of the ones who have gone before us and their holy lives. At times it can appear that Catholics are worshipping statues, but we are only honoring the person who is in heaven. We can not honor the REAL person, because they are not here on earth with us. So a statue is the “stand-in”. It’s kind of like when you put flowers on a grave. You are remembering and honoring a deceased love one. To a person who doesn’t understand, it could look like you are giving flowers to a stone, but things are not always what they appear. Although those who do not fully understand the Catholic faith statues can seem sinful or crazy, they are really a tool to help remind us to stay on the correct spiritual path that Our Lord placed us on.  _____________________________________ Biblical Writings about Statues Some have criticized statues (also known as graven images ) as being a straight-up defiance of the second of the ten commandments: Exodus 20:4 “Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth.” But elsewhere in the Old Testament, King Solomon himself had no problem with graven images. He used them in the making of the temple: 1 Kings 7:36 “He engraved cherubim, lions, and palm trees on the surfaces of the supports and on the panels, in every available space, with wreaths all around.” So the idea of having an image is okay according to the Bible, but problems creep in when someone believes the plaster image is actually a real true God. ___________________________________________ Buying Catholic Statues, Crucifixes, and Pictures Buying statues, crucifixes, and holy images can be a bit costly, but buying from non-catholic sellers is often cheaper. I’ve bought, Holy Family statues, a Palm Sunday set, an Easter set, Jesus with his disciples set, St. Frances, Jesus with the children statue, Stations of the Cross statues, outdoor garden statues, and more from secular catalogs. Also, Check out Catholic and non-Catholic Thrift shops and garage sales! ____________________________ The Statues In Our Home Personally, we have an over-abundance of statues in our home, but we only display the statues and pictures that are appropriate for the season or month. The other statues are kept in a locked cupboard,  so the little kids can’t break them.  They are safe there until the season/month they are to be displayed. This helps to keep the interest of the kids since the statues are always changing, and as we change them from one month to the next it gives us an opportunity to talk about the virtuous people the statues represent. _______________________________ God Bless, ~Jen-Marie .