Being in the Presence of God Amongs the Pots and Pans

"God is in the pots and pans." -- St. Teresa of Avila

A devotional classic that you may not have heard is "The Practice of the Presence of God" by Brother Lawrence . When someone once asked him how he had such a habitual presence of God in his life, he had said it was because of a willful decision to spend his entire life in God's presence not matter where he may be.

He worked in the monastery kitchen, which was a very busy place to be (kind of being a busy mom?). But in that enviroment, he always maintained his vision of being at the Throne of God always trying to keep his composure and tranquility of spirit. "The time of busyness," he had said, "does not with me differ from the time of prayer, and the noise and clatter of the kitchen, while several persons are at the same time calling for different things, I possess God in as great tranquility as if I were upon my knees at the blessed sacarment." In other writings he says, "Lift up your heart to him, sometimes even. .. when you are in company; the least little remembrance will always be acceptable t Him. You need not cry very loud; He is nearer to us than we are aware of." Brother Lawrence talked continually to Our Lord, therefore he established aHis constant presence. He wrote, "To be with God it is not necessary to be always in Church. We can make a chapel of our heart where we can escape from time to time to talk with Him quietly, humbly, lovingly.

A wonderful prayer to say amidst our busy day:

"Lord of all pots and pans and things, since I've no time to be a great saint by doing lovely things, or watching late with you, or dreaming in the dawnlight, or storming heaven's gates, make me a saint by getting meals, and washing up the plates. Warm all the kitchen with your love, and light it with your peace; forgive me all my worrying, and make my grumbling cease. You who always gave your people food, in the house or by the sea, accept the service that I do - I do it for you."
~ St. Teresa of Avila

St. Therese The Little Flower's Feast Day is October 1st.

The feast day of the St. Therese The Little Flower is approaching us on October 1. More information about the life of St. Therese can also be found at Society of The Little Flower.

A MORNING PRAYER WRITTEN BY ST. THERESE

O my God! I offer Thee all my actions of this day for the intentions and for the glory of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. I desire to sanctify every beat of my heart, my every thought, my simplest works, by uniting them to Its infinite merits; and I wish to make reparation for my sins by casting them into the furnace of Its Merciful Love.

O my God! I ask of Thee for myself and for those whom I hold dear, the grace to fulfill perfectly Thy Holy Will, to accept for love of Thee the joys and sorrows of this passing life, so that we may one day be united together in heaven for all Eternity. Amen.




I have to credit St. Therese for beginning the deeper spiritual journey that I am on now. I borrowed The Story of a Soul from the Library, and that was it for me. I bought the book about 15 years ago, and love to re-read it from time to time.

Some great ideas for the day, make some St. Therese sacrifice beads, great for mom as well as the kids to have! For the kids, here are some great coloring pages of St. Therese. Homemade Holy Cards can also be made with the many images of The Little Flower we can find online. A great idea is to make one, maybe a little larger than the size of a holy card, and put St. Therese's Morning Prayer that is above on the flip side to keep on a nightstand. Paper roses are sure to be a hit with the kids to make St. Therese in honor of her Feast Day. Lastly , here is a Novena, may you received many roses from heaven on the Little Flowers Feast Day!!

Recipe Perfect for Fall, Pumpkin Roll with Cream Cheese Filling

Not only is Pumpkin Roll guaranteed to be a crowd pleaser, but this is a recipe that you can make ahead early in the fall and throw in the freezer for future use (I wrap mine first in wax paper, then in aluminum foil). When I buy the bigger can of pumpkin, I have enough to make a couple rolls at a time. I like having them on hand, so then with the craziness level picks up and I need a dessert to bring along to a back sale or get-together, I can just simply pull one out of the freezer, thaw it out, and sprinkle some powered sugar on it.

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup powdered sugar (to sprinkle on towel)
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3 large eggs
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2/3 cup canned Pumpkin
• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• 1 cup powdered sugar, sifted
• 6 tablespoons butter, softened
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup powdered sugar (optional)

Directions:)

1. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F. Grease 15 x 10-inch jelly-roll pan, I use a deep cookie sheet; line with wax paper. Grease and flour paper. Sprinkle towel with powdered sugar.
2. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves and salt in small bowl. Beat eggs and sugar in large mixer bowl until thick. Beat in pumpkin. Stir in flour mixture. Spread evenly into prepared pan.
3. Bake for 13 to 15 minutes or until top of cake springs back when touched. Immediately loosen and turn cake onto prepared towel. Carefully peel off paper. Roll up cake and towel together, starting with narrow end. Cool on wire rack.
4. Beat the cream cheese, powdered sugar, butter and vanilla extract in small mixer bowl until smooth. Carefully unroll cake; remove towel. Spread cream cheese mixture over cake. Re-roll cake. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least one hour. Sprinkle with powdered sugar before serving, if desired.

The Mother of the Little Flower

The man who doesn't read good books has no advantage over the man who can't read them.

~Mark Twain


I love to read books that are inspirational it me as a Catholic wife and mother. The Mother of the Little Flower, is a book that I want to recommend to you today that is one of those rare jewels. The book is written about Zelie Martin, the mother of St. Therese, by her sister Celine Martin. Zelie Martin married at age 27 and bore nine children. She ran a successful home business and at the same time raised one of the most beloved Saints of our times, The Little Flower. This is such an inspiring book about the life of such a charitable, pious Catholic mother. Zelie Martin passed away at age 45 of breast cancer, but has left us with such an amazing legacy. Zelie Martin was declared Venerable by the Church in 1994 for her Heroic Virtue, and her cause is now progressing toward Beatification. This books is available from Tan Publishing.

I would love to hear from women about books that have made such an impact on the lives as this one has made on mine. Please let me know via the comment section or on facebook, via the badge in the margin.

Training Our Hearts to be Content

"But godliness with contentment is great gain." 1 Timothy 6:6

Have you ever experienced the feeling of being discontent? Possibly it is in desiring a larger home, nicer cloths or a newer car?If we as women ponder our own discontentment , we can possibly trace its roots all the way back to Genesis when Eve who literally had paradise at her fingertips, but still felt the pangs of discontentment when she was offered the forbidden fruit.

Contentment is so important for today's Christian woman. When we are content we are not running around blowing our family budget trying to keep up with the Joneses. We are at peace from not purchasing what we can't afford. When we are at peace, we are happy and that permeates into our entire home-life. We can not keep our eyes on what others have and measure our own success in life comparing it to what we have at the moment. It is not easy to remain in a state of contentment with the constant bombardment of magazines, tv shows and advertisements that are trying to convince us that we need more, more, more.

Sometimes, it discontentment can get in when you are visiting a friends home that is larger than yours, and you go home with discontent in your heart. Possibility it might be a yearning to have a closet full of the newest fashions. This discontentment leads to covetousness. It is important to guard our hearts, so discontentment does not hinder us or those we love. Possibly, if we are content we can influence others as well. If we can train our thoughts for contentment and being confident in God's provision in our lives, we truly will be a light to the world that is so focused on materialism and consumerism.


I say this this week as a woman who is trying to clean her house and is trying to figure out what the heck to do with all of this stuff that I just had to have, and I have to ask myself, "What could have possibly motivated me to buy this?" I hereby resolve to be more mindful on remaining in a state of being thankful and content with what I already have instead of being so easily swayed to buy more. I and my family will be so much better off for it.

Getting Ready For Fall

I am so ready to welcome the season of Fall here in Ohio. This is my absolute favorite time of year, I find the coolness invigorating as the weather changes from the long, hot summer we have experienced this year. I love the Fall colors and comfort food that I love to make.

To me, call Fall brings to my mind how I will be working on my "nest", getting my home ready for my favorite time of the year. Here is a little look at what I have been doing around our house the past couple of weeks.

First of all, I have been doing some deep cleaning. I want my home to be inviting, comfortable and clean so my home can be a place of hospitality, and and cozy place to cocoon in the winter for my family.

I have began a grand mission of organizing my home. I have started with my linen closet, took absolutely everything out, with all goal of weeding out unwanted items.. The garage will be next before it gets too cold. It would would be great if we could get two cars in there this year! I have done my own closet, and was able to give away an entire garbage bag of cloths. I intend to empty out my kitchen cupboards, wash them out and get rid of items I have too many of. Our basement and attic will be last, getting rid of things I have been holding on to that should really be pitched or given away. I am on the lookout for some more totes and easy shelving to organize everything.

As I was cleaning my own closet, I am in the midst of bringing everyone's wardrobe up to date. Out with the summer gear, in with the nice fuzzy sweaters and warm flannels! My daughter alone got ready three trash bags of cloths for donation. Now, we know what we need when we go shopping. I like get some sort of update for each of our wardrobe each year. It is not always financially feasible to do so, but it always is best when we know what we actually have that fits and what we needed to get rid of because we had outgrown them or simply have worn them out!

Outside, I have been pulling out my garden. The snow will be flying before you know it, so I have been pulling everything that is done in my garden, and taking my deer fencing down. I am thinking about trying to grow some salad greens before the winter gets here.



I absolutely love bringing out all of our fall decorations. I got a hay bale and put pumpkin out top for our front door. I have nice burgundy mum that I have next to it. I LOVE mums, and have them all around the outside of my house. I have much success with them coming back year after year. I usually like to buy one a year to have in the house, and when I am done with that, I just put it in the ground. Next year, it will usually bloom in the Spring and in the Fall. I have brought out my big orange tote full of Fall decorations, and have begun decorating for the season. Already, I can smell the aroma of pumpkin & spice candles burning in our home. I suppose I should have waited until my cleaning and organized were complete, but I get too excited and seem to always but the buggy before the horse when it comes to decorating!





Now that the cooler season is upon us, I have been putting much thought into our menus. We adjusting from our Summer B-B-Q menu to the comfort foods that we love so much. Soups, pies, and homemade bread is now on my mine for the upcoming weeks ahead. I have already made a pear pie from the tree that was growing in my parents yard. I have frozen several "pear pie in a bag", so in the winter all I have to do is to make the pie crust, throw the pears in, and bake!

Lastly, I want to make some fun family memories this Fall. It is so important to make warm memories for your children that will last. This weekend I hope to take the kids to our yearly trip to the apple farm. In a couple weeks, we will be looking forward to a hay ride and some warm apple cider!! I just purchased some new candy molds with my 40% off coupon, so my children and I will be making some fall chocolates together this year as well. This wonderful season will be over before you know, take advantage of it while you can!