Ascension And Good Shepherd Garden Party~Week 6

Ascension/Good Shepherd Lunch

The Easter season count down continues as we enter the final week to Pentecost!  It has been great fun for us to participate in the Good Shepherd Garden parties this year over at Catholic Cuisine.  For week 6, we combined our garden party with The Ascension of the Lord...The theme of heaven fit perfectly!  I created a separate post over at Catholic Cuisine for an Ascension Lunch.  You can pop over there for specific instructions on most of these items.  

Our Menu:

The Theme: Oh What a Beautiful City!

The City Gates of Heaven Cracker Bites

The Temple of God Fruit Salad

Crowns of Heaven Sandwiches

Ascension Pie, topped with the Bride and Groom

{Our chairs were the heavenly Thrones and we played Hallelujah music}

Since we combined our Good Shepherd Garden Party with a celebration of The Ascension of the Lord, we tried to make everything "heavenly white" in color!

O Paradise, holy city of my God!  O native land happily destined to be mine, how I sigh for you!

~St. Joseph Cafasso~

These were our City Gates of heaven cracker bites...

Revelation 21:9-14

We just used crackers, spread with cucumber dip, topped with shoestring potatoes!

The Temple

Revelation 21:22-25

The Bible tells us that God will be the temple!

We carved out a white honey dew melon to be our temple and filled it with white fruit. (White peaches, nectarines and pears)

Our heavenly Crown sandwiches were made with white turkey meat and provolone cheese, cut out with a crown-shaped cookie cutter.

The kids had fun with these!  

Isaiah 62:3-5

Everyone who loves Jesus will receive a crown.  The shape reminds us of eternity, without beginning or end.

Our heavenly thrones were our dining room chairs!

Revelation 22:1-5

We are God's children.  He has prepared thrones for us within the holy city.

We played heavenly Hallelujah music for our Ascension Lunch and Good Shepherd Garden Party.

Ascension Pie was dessert, topped with our Bride and Groom!

We decorated Pepperidge Farm Ginger Man cookies as our Bride and Groom...

Hosea 2:18-20/ Revelation 19:6-9

And placed them on top of our vanilla Jell-O classic pudding pie, topped with mini marshmallows...Voila, we had "Ascension Pie" via marshmallows for the fluffy heavenly clouds!

It was a joyful celebration!

The Ascension of the Lord

~Acts 1:11~

~Men of Galilee, why are you standing there looking at the sky?  This Jesus who has been taken up from you into heaven will return in the same way as you have seen him going into heaven~

Jesus enters heaven in triumph.  Where He has gone, we hope to follow!

"Let our hearts ascend with Christ."

St. Augustine

The Real "To Do" List

Is anyone else a task master monster like me?  Just this week I had a panic feeling that went something like this...Summer is already here, there's so much to do, and I haven't even started my "to do" list!  OH MY!  Today I saw these lovely bricks on a walk and felt them God gently speaking to me.  Then I stumbled across this sweet little list called The Real "To Do" List.  I am taking a deep breath and think I'll start here for now.

The Real To-Do List:

1.   Sing
2.   Smile at Strangers
3    Keep Learning
4.   Notice Kindness
5....Eat ice cream
6.   Hope
7.   Count your blessings
8.   Laugh
9.   Love
10. Love some more

The Blessing of Fathers

This is my husband (far right) with some of our troops!  

Bless his heart...He packed up 4 of our 5 children (Ok, the older 2 packed themselves) and took them on a back packing trip for 2 nights this weekend.  He was the leader for a scout trip so the younger two got to tag a long and sleep in a tent for the first time. My 68 year old father, who is also quite the trooper, hit the trails too.  What a blessing for the grandkids...and equal blessing for the fathers.

I heard lots of great stories about climbing trees, playing cards and capture the flag...

The views looked fabulous...

The best part for me is that everyone made it home safe and sound!

~Thank you, Lord, for the blessing of fathers~
I stayed behind and shared quality time with Angel Baby and my Mom. We bawled our eyes out watching the PBS Memorial Day Special.

We are flying our flags in memory of our fallen heroes, today.  But then again, we're just one of those families that fly our flags every day, lest we forget to be grateful.

Faith & Family has a wonderful post On Memorial Day.  Be sure to check it out if you haven't already read it..It's one of the best I've seen.

This prayer was in the Magnificat today:

A Prayer for Memorial Day

Remember, Lord, the fallen

Who died in fields of war,

In flaming clouds,

in screaming crowds,

On streets that are no more,

That we today might waken

And greet this day in peace

With grateful prayer for those who bear

The storms that never cease.

Remember friends and strangers,

And those forgotten now,

Whose names are known to you alone,

Before whose love we bow

And ask that you surround them

With mercy’s endless light

That they may live,

and we forgive

The foe they went to fight.

Remember, Lord, the living,

Who bear the pain of loss-

A death she died who stood beside

Her Son upon the cross.

Remember all your children

The dead and those who weep,

And make us one beneath the sun

Where love will never sleep.

Good Shepherd Garden Party~Week 5

We were able to squeeze in a quick and easy Easter countdown Good Shepherd Garden Party this week, despite my travels and other family travels!  We had our party a little early (on Wednesday) before going out of town.

The Theme for Week 5 was Gardner Plants Paradise.  

Our Garden of Paradise Menu:

Owl of Wisdom Pizza

Tree of Life's Leaves Green Salad

Tree of Life's Fruit Cocktail 

Olive Tree Veggie Platter

Palm Tree Punch with straws

Tree of Life's Flower and Roses Cookies

Lily Centerpiece

Lilies and Palm Tree Centerpieces

Palm Trees symbolize strength and persistence of life as they survive in tough conditions.  They also remind us of the palm branches waved as Jesus entered Jerusalem, ready to bring us new life.

Lilies represent a simple and wholesome way of life.  They are also symbolic of Easter and new life.

Our Family Garden of Paradise Table

~Palm Tree "Garden of Paradise" Plates, Napkins, and Straws~

(Thank you, Dollar Tree!)

Tree of Life's Leaves Green Salad

The Book of Revelation tells us that the leaves on the tree of life "are the healing of nations."

Tree of Life's Fruit Cocktail

The Book of Revelation says that the tree of life has twelve kinds of fruit.

The Olive Tree Veggie Platter

The olive tree grows slowly, making it more valuable.  People plant olive trees as a way to give future generations something valuable and holy. 

Owl of Wisdom Pizza

The owl is often associated with the biblical woman named wisdom, often shown with an owl nearby.  The book of Proverbs says that Wisdom is a tree of life to everyone who sits alongside her.

Tree of Life's Flowers and Roses

The tree of life has leaves and flowers and fruit that will make us healthy.  Healthy flowering trees are a sign that people treat one another fairly, that there is justice instead of fighting and misunderstanding.

Roses represent love and devotion.  They are also the symbol of Mary, Mother of God.

We needed 2 pizzas for our family...Here is our 2nd owl.  These were so easy to make with prepared pizza crusts, brushed with olive oil.  Just a little snip from the top of the pizza made the perfect canvas for an owl's head!  We just added pizza sauce, cheese and owl face trimmings.

~"Hoo" says owls are spooky?~

We think they're cute!

15 More Days of Easter!

Remembering...

"We cherish too, the Poppy red
That grows on fields where valor led,
It seems to signal to the skies
That blood of heroes never dies."
~Moina Michaels~
(In response to Flander's Fields)
We started the Memorial Day weekend remembering our family hero, my late dear husband, a missed father, brother, friend, and precious human being.

A Memorial Scholarship for an Outstanding Army Cadet was set up, after his death, at the University where Chris and I received our Officer Commissioning.  My oldest son and I make the long trek each year to award the scholarship, going on it's 17th year. Being at the forefront of Memorial Day weekend these past few years makes it all the more meaningful.
“No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” (John 15: 13)

The award continues to be a blessing...Chris' parents who lost 2 of their 4 sons, through seperate tragedies, can smile through their pain.

Another link is added to a perpetual chain, breathing life from the past, into the present and beyond to the future. 

My stomach and heart never fail to ache as I give my speech each year...

But we always drive away striving to love those around us more truly, stronger and deeply.  "If we truly want to love, we must give until it hurts."~Blessed Teresa of Calcutta~

Memorial Day was first observed on May 30, 1868, when flowers were placed at the graves of Union and Confederate soldiers. On this day we honor all who have died in service of our nation.

Dear Heavenly Father,
With a sober heart we come before You this Memorial Day. We pause for a moment and call to mind all the men and women who have died in the service of our nation since 1776.
Dear God, please look with mercy on our brave and selfless brothers and sisters, who did not shirk from their task but gave themselves completely to the cause of defending and protecting us all. Bless all who have given their lives for the sake of liberty, and grant them eternal rest with You.
We remember also our brave men and women now serving in our Armed Forces, both at home and abroad. Dear God, send out Your angels to protect them all. Help them discharge their duties honorably and well. Please bring them safely home to their families and loved ones. Please bring Your peace and mercy to our troubled world.
We ask this, Father, in the name of Jesus, Your Son, our Savior and Lord. Amen.

Take a Moment to Reflect and Pray:
To help re-educate and remind Americans of the true meaning of Memorial Day, the "National Moment of Remembrance" resolution was passed in December 2000 asking all Americans at 3 p.m. local time "to voluntarily and informally observe in their own way a Moment of remembrance and respect, pausing from whatever they are doing for a moment of silence or listening to 'Taps'."


Other Ways to Observe This Day:
Visit cemeteries and place flags or flowers on the graves of our fallen heroes.
Visit local memorials.
Fly the U.S. Flag at half-staff until noon.
Fly the POW/MIA Flag
Pledge to aid the widows, widowers, and orphans of our fallen soldiers, and to aid the disabled veterans
(Prayer reposted from the Autom Company)