Our Lady of Altagracia Tea: Looking Forward and Back

Our First Saint Tea Ever, which Was in Honor of Our Lady of Altagraica in 2010

As I ordered A Gift of Gracias: The Legend of Altagracia last night, I got a bit nostalgic.

It was three years ago this month that our family celebrated our first Saint Tea, and, although I have neglected to post pictures of our annual Our Lady of Altagracia tea since, we have never missed enjoying this particular occasion. So, today, as I look forward to our family's annual tea on the 21st, I thought I would share pictures from the past three year's worth of menus in the hopes that they may inspire other families to enjoy celebrating Our Lady in two weeks, too.

Our 2010 Lady of Altagracia Tea

In 2010, Luke, Nina and I celebrated with Grammy. Our menu included freshly orange clementine juice, orange muffins, orange snowball cookies, orange glaze and clementines and decorations included a basket of oranges, a candle, the book A Gift of Gracias: The Legend of Altagracia and a framed image of Our Lady with a rosary around it.

Nina, at 2 years old, making our juice.

Our 2011 Tea

Luke, Nina, Jack and I celebrated with our neighbor.  Our menu and decor were the same as in 2010, with the addition of Pan de Coco on menu and gold stars the kids had helped cut out and decorate for the table.

Close Up of 2011 Tea

At but seven months old, Jack could not eat our tea menu, but he sure enjoyed teething on plates.

Since we forgot to put out our "oranges and stars" juice wigglers during tea, Daddy enjoyed them later with us in 2011.

Our 2012 Tea

For the first time, Jack, Nina, Luke and I were able to celebrate Our Lady of Altagracia with Daddy.  We did a lunch tea with a menu that included, orange juice, clementines, "oranges" (sliced sweet potato rounds), a large "orange" (knox-juice wiggler), an "orange orchard" (greens, carrots and ham), and GFCF orange cookies.

Nina and Luke helping to make our "orange orchard".

Nitrate- and nitrate-free ham, organic carrot slices and organic baby spinach make for feast day food that meets our food goals.

In 2013?

Our menu for this year is still to-be-determined, but will likely include orange wigglers, GFCF no-bake coconut-orange balls, clementines and a good portion of raw foods.

Will you be celebrating Our Lady of Altagracia on January 21?  What foods and fun will you include?

 

 

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Training Happy Hearts:

A Call to Faith Formation for Young Children

You are invited link up anytime with posts -- old or new -- that share your ideas, wisdom, reflections, activities and practical tips and tales about training up young children so that they may have happy hearts, united with God.  Henceforth, this link-up will be posted anew each Sunday, but will contain all linked ideas to date, creating, in effect, a library of ideas for sharing our faith with little ones.  Enjoy browsing the links as well as adding new ones each week.  Thank you and God bless!

1. Dramatize Visitation/Answer Where Babies Come from	2. Corpus Christi Monstrance Activity	3. guess who's my favorite saint?
4. Immaculate Heart of Mary Crafts	5. A Call to Faith Formation	6. The Holy Water Font
7. Bedtime Blessings	8. Scripture Memory	9. Children with Faith
10. Scrapboking Sacraments	11. Cataloguing Family Holy Cards	12. I Spy August Saints
13. Monstrance Activities for Saint Claire	14. Kathie Morrissey	15. Review: Catholic Lingo Bingo
16. Teaching Kids to be a Blessing to others	17. Angel Craft for Archangels or Guardian Angels	18. Tabletop Rosary
19. Jesus in the Eucharist Art Project	20. Catholic I Spy (Free Printables)	21. Giant Pro-Life Active Rosary {Great for all ages}
22. Catholic Child's Lesson Planner free downwload	23. Liturgical Year Bulletin Board	24. Free Catholic File Folder Games!
25. Catholic Child's Daily Journal	26. Notebooking Butler's Lives of the Saints	27. Misc. Catholic Printables FREE to download!
28. Catholic Liturgical Homeschool Planner	29. Catholic homeschool Helps!	30. Cloud of Saints Craft
31. Noreen	32. Faith Activities for An Advent Calendar	33. More Faith Activities for Advent and Books
34. Our Lady of Guadalupe Mexican Flower	35. Juan Diego's Paper Tilma for kids	36. Keeping Christ in Christmas
37. St Stephen ~ Rock Candy	38. Most Holy Name of Jesus Plaque	39. Decorated Star of Bethlehem
40. First Communion Preparation at Home	41. Teaching my kids to love the land	42. Preparing for Eucharistic Adoration
43. Monstrance Chalk Craft	44. Lent,St. Valentine's Day	45. Make Heart Rosary Decades
46. Home Made Children's Book&Recipe	47. Crayon Resist Holy Trinity Shamrocks	48. Saint Joseph as the First Knight
49. Easter Wreath/St. Patrick	50. Faith Filled Freebies	51. Divine Mercy
52. Pentecost Lapbook & Activities	53. Pentecost Dessert	54. Pentecost Lesson
55. Ascension of Jesus	56. Saint Catherine of Sienna: Cards for the Sick	57. Most Holy Trinity Link up
58. Trinity Candles	59. Free Bible Stories for Children Unit Study	60. Guide to Catholic Craft Kits
61. Sacred Seasons Liturgical Calendar + Stickers	62. Making Religion Come Alive for Children	63.
64. What I Learned in Austin: Grace and Mercy	65. FREE Reconciliation Prep Printable	66. Catholic Advent Crafts for Kids
67. Advent: Time of Waiting Craft	68. Jesse Tree Ornaments	69. Saint Nicholas Crafts for Kids

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