Category: Blog

Shrimp Tacos with a Twist

Looking for a super easy, tasty, affordable, quick and yummy meal for

Fridays during Lent?  I got one!  

Ok…it’s truly this easy! Add these items to your shopping list this week.

Follow the directions on the popcorn shrimp box for baking and while that’s in the oven mix up the Asian Salad ingredients, which are all included in the bag.

Toast your corn tortillas over a flame on your gas stove or microwave for a few seconds to heat.

Build your Asian taco by adding the salad mix on to the tortilla, followed by fresh slices avocado and topped with popcorn shrimp.

If you’re feeling funky, add some yummy Tabasco Sriracha, our favorite, on top!

Some other ingredients you could add on include cilantro, mango, or sweet peppers.

My family goes meatless on Friday’s year round, so this is a quick for me, yummy for them favorite.

 So quick in fact, that this blog post took me longer to write then the time it takes to make this meal!

I hope you enjoy it too!

Lenten Blessings!

 


SOM Club March Member Spotlight

Meet the Teipen FamilyThis amazing family is shining in our March Spotlight!

Let’s meet em’!

Faustina is 9yrs old and her favorite Saint is Mary! Why? Because she is the Mother of God of course:) Faustina enjoys making the activities that comes in the Saint of the Month box each month.

Augustine is up next and he is 11yrs old. His favorite thing about the SOM Club was the activities sent during the Christmas months because our family worked on it together.  Augustine’s favorite Saint is   St Therese because she was called the Little Flower. She did a lot of little things that helped others.

Ave Maria  is 7 years old and her favorite Saint is also St. Therese of Lisieux because she was a nun. Ave Maria enjoys the Saint Story each month, along with the coloring page.

Ignatius is the little guy, and he is 3 yrs old and wanted in the picture also. He is a sweet saint in the making!

Finally meet John Paul…any guesses who his favorite Saint is?! You got it! Saint JP the Great!

Please join me this month by adding the entire Teipen family and their intentions to your prayer list. May the love of Christ continue to inspire them as they answer the call to service and sainthood, just like their namesakes.

Blessed Mother, St. Faustina, St. Augustine, St. Ignatius,

St. Therese and St. John Paul…

pray for them! 


March Saint of the Month

Saint Thomas Aquinas!

Thomas was the son of the Count of Aquino and was born in the family castle in Lombardy near Naples, Italy.    Thomas was one of nine children and was very intelligent, but he never boasted about it. He knew that his mind was a gift from God. His parents hoped that he would become a Benedictine abbot some day. Thomas was sent to the abbey for schooling when he was five and he was educated by the Benedictine monks there. When he was eighteen, he went to the University of Naples to finish his studies. There he met a new group of religious men called the Order of Preachers. Their founder, St. Dominic, was still living. Thomas knew he wanted to become a priest and felt that he was called to join these men. So he secretly joined the Dominican order in 1244. His parents were angry with him. When he was on his way to Paris to study, his brothers kidnapped him and kept him a prisoner in one of their castles for over a year. During that time, they did all they could to make him change his mind.

One of his sisters, too, came to convince him to give up his vocation. But Thomas spoke so beautifully about the joy of serving God that she changed her mind. She decided to give her life to God as a nun. After fifteen months, when Thomas’ mother realized she could not sway her son, she tried to preserve the family name by arranging for his escape through a window. She believed a secret escape was better than appearing to accept his decision. Thomas was finally allowed to openly follow his call to the priesthood.

St. Thomas wrote so well about God that people all over the world have used his books for hundreds of years. His explanations about God and the faith came from Thomas’ great love for God. He writings touched the hearts of people because he was not trying to impress anyone. He just wanted with all his heart to offer the gift of his life to Jesus and the Church. One day, Thomas was praying before the Crucifix in the early morning in the chapel of St Nicholas in Naples, Domenico da Caserta, the church sacristan, overheard a conversation. Thomas was anxiously asking whether what he had written on the mysteries of the Christian faith was correct. And the Crucified One answered him: “You have spoken well of me, Thomas. What is your reward to be?”. And the answer Thomas gave him was what we too, friends and disciples of Jesus, always want to tell him: “Nothing but Yourself, Lord!”

St. Thomas is one of the greatest Doctors of the Church and is considered the universal patron of universities, colleges, and schools. Around the end of 1273, Pope Gregory X asked Thomas to be part of an important Church meeting called the Council of Lyons. While traveling to the meeting, Thomas became ill. He had to stop at a monastery at Fossanova, Italy, where he died after receiving Last Rites. It was March 7, 1274. He was only forty-nine. His original feast day was March 7, the day of his death, but because the date often falls within Lent, in 1969, a revision of the Roman Calendar changed his feast day to January 28, the date his relics were moved to Toulouse.  St Thomas…pray for us!

Learn more about this holy Saint by watching this short story…

 


SOM Club February Member Spotlight

Meet Emarie!

This sweet girl is our February Member Spotlight!

Emarie is 6 years old and has been apart of the Saint of the Month Club since the beginning, in fact, it was her uber creative mom, who inspired me to start this little Saint Club.

As you can see from the photo, Emarie is DAR-LING! And judging by her favorite Saint, Saint Kateri, she’s got a little spunk in her too. She likes St. Kateri because she is brave.

Emarie’s favorite part of the SOM Club are the crafts and coloring pages she gets each month, so I would guess she’s a creative soul. Kinda, one of my favorite parts of the Club too! AND, speaking of creative, her favorite animal is a unicorn!!! Love that!

I pray for you all each and every month, especially as I pack up your individual boxes. My prayers for you usually go something like this…

” Saint Agatha, fill the home of Emarie with your love of Jesus. Intercede on their behalf at the feet of Our Lord. Help her family grow in their love of the Eucharist and one another. All God’s Angels and Saints, pray for them.  Amen.”

Please pray for Emarie and her family this month, especially that the would have a fruitful Lent.

Thank you!


Activities for Lent

 

Lent is right around the corner and through the years, I have truly come to enjoy this penitential season. Lent offers us an opportunity to enter into the suffering of Jesus and help us to prepare a way for Him in our hearts at Easter. Above you will find a few ideas on how to enter into this season. I hope your family has already made some of these activities a part of your Lenten season traditions! If not, feel free to incorporate them into your own Lenten traditions.

Write down your own family’s Lent traditions…Lent activities

Planning on attending Stations of the Cross? Print of this certificate to encourage your children in their participation and prayer… stations of the cross cert.

Praying for each one of you…mama to mama, that you and your family have a fruitful and blessed Lent!


February Saint of the Month

Saint Agatha

 

Feast Day is February 5th

Virgin and Early Martyr of the Church

Patron Saint of Sicily, Bell Founders,  breast cancer, earthquakes, Nurses, and against fires.

Saint Story:

Agatha lived in Sicily and was a Christian born to a rich noble family around the year 231. From her very early years, the notably beautiful Agatha dedicated her life to God. The governor heard of Agatha’s beauty and brought her to his palace. He wanted to make her commit sins, but she was brave and would not give in. “My Lord Jesus Christ,” she prayed, “you see my heart and you know my desire. I am all yours. Save me from this evil man. Make me worthy of winning out over the devil.”

The governor, named Quintianus, sent Agatha to the house of a wicked woman and hoped she would become bad too. But Agatha had great trust in God and prayed all the time. She kept herself pure. She would not listen to the evil ideas of the woman and her daughters. Agatha never lost her confidence in God, even though she suffered a month of assaults and efforts to get her to abandon her vow to God and go against her virtue.

After a month, she was brought back to the governor and Quintianus tried again to win her. “You are a noblewoman,” he said kindly. “Why have you lowered yourself to be a humble Christian?” “Even though I am a noble,” answered Agatha, “I am a slave of Jesus Christ.” “Then what does it really mean to be noble?” the governor asked. Agatha answered, “It means to serve God.”

When Quintianus realized that Agatha would not sin, he sentenced her to be burnt at the stake, but an earthquake saved her from that fate; instead, she was sent to prison. In prison she was tortured, badly beaten, and given no food or medical care. But the Lord gave her all the care she needed. He was her Sacred Physician and protector.  Agatha had a vision of the apostle, St. Peter, who comforted her and healed her wounds through his prayers. After four days, Quintianus ignored the miraculous cure of her wounds and he had her tortured once again. When she was returned to prison, Agatha prayed, “Lord, my Creator, you have ever protected me from the cradle; you have taken me from the love of the world, and given me patience to suffer: receive now my soul.” Agatha soon died a martyr at Catania, Sicily, in the year 251.

St. Agatha, also known as Agatha of Sicily, is one of the most highly venerated virgin martyrs of the Catholic Church.

Another Saint who’s feast day we celebrate in February is St. Blaise! Maybe you received a blessing of your throat at mass last weekend? Learn more about Saint Blaise and watch this short video!

 


January “Live Like a Saint” Virtue Challenge

Month of January:  Saint Francis de Sales supported people in their faith life with the gentle encouragement to “Be who you are, and be that well.”  In fact, many Saints give us this same encouragement, yet they use different words. Saint Catherine of Siena says to “be who God made you to be and you will set the world on fire!”  St. Augustine’s advise is to “love God and to do as you please.” What! Wait…do as we please, set the world on fire, be who we are?! This can sound confusing, especially when sometimes we can be grumpy, selfish, and just plain sassy! But, is that who God made us to be, or is that who we sometimes become when things aren’t going our way? Hum?

God is perfect love and He created us. In fact, He knows every hair on our head! He loves us so very much, even when we are grumpy, selfish, and sassy. What the Saints are telling us is that if we love God with all our hearts, He can help us to be like Him and become Holy. Did you know that you were created to be HOLY?! You are! Did you know that you were created to be a saint?! You are! Being holy means that you love God and want to put Him above everything else in the world. It means you want to serve Him and help build His kingdom here on Earth by loving others. When we do that, then He guides us in our life to make the right choices. When we love Him like this, we don’t want to make choices that go against His love for us.

So…now we know God made us for holiness and service. But we are all different, aren’t we? Some of us are quiet, some of us speak loudly. Some of us are silly, and some of us are very serious. Amen to that! Praise God that He made us all so different, because it’s those differences that best serve Him. When we share our unique and special qualities with others, it gives God joy and honor. So this month, that’s what we will do! Be who we are! Wait…what? You may be asking, “how should I know who I am… I’m only 9 years old!”.  And that’s a good point. So, how can we figure out who we are? First, pray and ask God to help you to see goodness in yourself. That goodness is His love for you!  Maybe you can also ask your parents and sibling what their   favorite things about you are. Have the people who love you help you with this and together make a list. Once you have a list, gather your favorite art supplies, pull out the empty frame in this month’s box and find a photograph that you really like of YOU.  On the frame write the words I AM… and using your art supplies decorate the frame with all the good qualities that best  describe you.

Need a few ideas on how to bling out a “I AM…” photo frame? Check this out!

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Another fun art frame option is…

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When you’re done “blinging” out your frame, tape your photo to the inside and hang it somewhere special. Be grateful to God for who He created you to be. Celebrate your special gifts! Those gifts are what will help you get to Heaven!


January Saint of the Month

Saint Francis de Sales

Feast Day is January 24

Bishop and Doctor of the Church

Patron Saint of Journalist, writers, Catholic press, confessors and deafness.

Francis was born at the de Sales castle called Chateau of Thorens in Savoy, France. His wealthy family provided him with an excellent education. He studied at La Roche, Annecy, Clermont College in Paris, and did law at the University of Padua. By the age of twenty-four, Francis was a Doctor of Law. He returned home, and led a hard-working life as Senate advocate. He was not really interested in important positions or a social life.

In his heart, Francis was listening to a call that kept coming back like an echo. It seemed to be an invitation from the Lord telling him to “Leave all and follow Me.” Francis finally tried to explain his struggle to his family.

All the time, he never lost his passion for God. He studied theology and practiced mental prayers, but kept quiet about his devotion. To please his father, he also studied fencing and riding.

God made his will clear to Francis one day while he was riding. Francis fell from his horse three times that day. Every time he fell, the sword came out of the scabbard, and every time it came out, the sword and scabbard came to rest on the ground in the shape of the Christian cross.

His father was very disappointed. He wanted Francis to be a great man of the world. But Francis spent lots of time in prayer, finally his gentle ways won over the family and Francis became a priest on December 18, 1593.

In those times Christians were bitterly divided. Father Francis offered to go to a dangerous area of France to win back Catholics who had become Protestants. His father tried to stop him. He said it was bad enough that he had allowed Francis to become a priest; he was not going to let him die as a martyr as well.

But Francis knew that the Lord would protect him. He and his cousin, Father Louis de Sales, began their long walk to the Duchy of Chablais. The two priests soon learned how to live with insults and physical discomforts and their lives were often in danger.

Francis explained the teachings of the Catholic faith in very simple and clear language. And his gentle way with everyone, slowly brought many back to the Roman Catholic Church. He even made up a sign language so that he could explain catholic teaching to a deaf person.

When he was thirty-five years old, Francis became the bishop of Geneva, Switzerland. He travelled and preached throughout the Duchy of Savoy, working with children whenever he could.

He was a good friend of Saint Vincent de Paul. With the help of St. Jane de Chantal, he started a religious order of sisters in 1610. These women are called the Order of the Visitation.

Francis wrote wonderful books about the spiritual life and the way to become holy. The books, “Treatise on the Love of God” and “Introduction to the Devout Life”, are still available in book stores today. They are considered spiritual “classics.”

Saint Francis had a devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and wrote the following prayer…

May thy heart dwell always in our hearts!
May thy blood ever flow in the veins of our souls!
O sun of our hearts, thou givest life to all things by the rays of thy goodness!
I will not go until thy heart has strengthened me, O Lord Jesus!
May the heart of Jesus be the king of my heart!
Blessed be God.
Amen.

Bishop de Sales died at Lyons on December 28, 1622, at the age of fifty-six. Because of his good work that brought many people back to God and the Church, he was given the special title “Doctor of the Church.”

source sited: holyspiritinteractive.net/catholic.org

Check out this video about the life of St. Francis de Sales:

 

 

 

 


Columbus Catholic Women’s Conference

2017 Columbus Catholic Women’s Conference Spotlight: Tru Original…

Hello, my name is Jill Metz and I’m the artist behind TRU Original. I married a cradle Catholic in 1999 and have two teenagers, ages 16 and 17yrs old. After 10 years of marriage, God led me into the Catholic Church, many would say kicking and screaming! I have been a professional artist since 2007 but in 2014, God again called me to another conversion…this time it was in my artwork. He commissioned me to begin painting Saints. I tried to ignore His prompting, and then when that wouldn’t work, I tried to convince Him that He had the wrong girl. I even tried to re-route Him by creating other “callings” for myself, although worthy they seemed, they weren’t my true purpose. Finally, St. Lucy came into my life and I experienced a profound healing of my eyes that convinced me to step out in Faith, yet again, and that has lead me to where I am today…painting Saints and creating Catholic art. I get to know each Saint I paint in a very intimate way. I feel they guide my hand and I surrender my work to them and to the Holy Spirit. You can read more about my healing experience through the intercession of St. Lucy here. Or, listen to my Faith in Action podcast on Catholic Radio Indy.

Most recently, through the prompting of one of my customers and of course, The Holy Spirit, I created The Saint of the Month Club. This Saint of the Month Club is a celebration of our friendship with the Saints. It’s faith-filled encouragement and inspiration for boys and girls, ages 5 through 12 years old. It’s a helping hand for Parents, Grandparents, Godparents and anyone who wants to assist a child in growing in their love of Jesus and His Church. A monthly Saint of the Month Club package is delivered right to the door. Each month I prayerfully create and select items that encourage a fun and interactive journey with a special Saint. Children will be inspired by this gift to live out their faith through prayer, action, and creativity.

So, as you can tell…I kinda dig the Saints! It’s an honor to paint the Saints. It’s an honor to be called to share the love of the Saints with families. I look forward to meeting you and introducing you to the artwork I paint. May the love of Christ propel us all to be radical and bold in sharing our love for Him and our friends in Heaven.

Looking forward to a great event this weekend in Columbus OH. Thanks for the love and for all the SHARES!


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