Catholic Fire

1. Valentine's Day -- Here are the cards we shared with one another. Bill's is on the left and mine is on the right. 2. We decided rather than go out to eat in.  Here is what I prepared for our Valentine's Day meal: shrimp cocktail,  keta salmon with a tasty rub, asparagus, and baked potatoes. It is so easy to prepare and super healthy as well as delicious. 3.  Here is my Valentine's Day gift from Bill -- a diffuser which is so relaxing at bedtime. I combine lavender essential oils with absolute rose and it produces a heavenly scent! 4. What have you been reading this Lent? Here is what has been on my night stand: The Autobiography of Dina Belanger (a French-Canadian Blessed), The Lenten Magnificat, Magnificat Year of Mercy Companion, and The Word Among Us -- Lent 2016. I am really enjoying reading about Blessed Dina, but am taking my time reading this volume, as there is much to savor here. 5. Lenten music -- For Lent, I tend ...

An introverted, chivalrous small business owner and a sweet, extroverted Midwestern woman meet and attempt the almost impossible: an "old-fashioned" courtship in contemporary America. Amber, an attractive and intelligent young woman, is a drifter, a fun-loving, "free spirit" who moves from one town to another when the going gets tough and drives until she runs out of gas. This time, she has run out of gas in a town in Ohio, where she rents an apartment upstairs from Clay's antique shop. Amber is fascinated and curious about Clay’s old-fashioned ideas concerning women and his strong morals. She becomes so attracted to him that she conveniently invents accidents and repairs for him to fix, so she can see him on a regular basis. After a series of flirtatious episodes, at both her apartment and in the grocery store, he realizes that, he, too, would like to get to know her better. The two, still in their twenties, have been tainted by the world and by their pas...

1. Make a homemade Valentine for your loved one. Be sure to mention on your card some specific ways they are special to you, i.e., "You always laugh at my corny jokes" or "You always compliment me on my cooking even though boiling hot water is a challenge for me." 2. Write a love letter to your Valentine on pretty pink stationary and tell him/her exactly why you love him/her and what makes them special. 3. Prepare a special meal and get dressed up. Use your best china, candles, and your linen napkins. Take out your best wine or open a bottle of champagne, or favorite non-alcoholic drink. (Chill the glasses beforehand.) 4. Purchase one long-stemmed red rose for your partner and compose a love poem to accompany it. Present it in an envelope sealed with a red foil heart. 5. Take a walk together, hold hands, and reminisce about romantic times in the past - such as the day you first met and fell in love, your wedding day or another special time for the two of...

1.   Happy Valentine's Day! I hope you all have some special plans for today. I'm planning a special home-cooked meal for this evening and a romantic dinner out tomorrow night. I have a beautiful new red dress to wear and am getting my hair done today, so I am excited!  If you still need some ideas for celebrating, check out these posts:  For Couples: Ten Romantic Ways to Celebrate Valentine's Day  and  Ideas for Men: Ten Romantic Ways to Celebrate Valentine's Day . And here is what women definitely don't need for Valentine's Day! 2. This past week we celebrated one of my favorite Marian feast days -- Our Lady of Lourdes! I share my personal reflections with readers HERE,   3. Can you believe it? A new biopic on Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta will be out in 2015! The producer of the film, entitled I Thirst , is the former executive producer of the television series 24; the scriptwriter co-wrote the script for the 2004 film Hotel Rwanda. I...

How perverted and disordered is this? Cecile Richards, the CEO of the Planned Parenthood abortion business, is telling the public that women NEED abortions for Valentine's Day! Via LifeNews.com :  The following is a Vine video the abortion activist is promoting on Facebook and Twitter today. #WhatWomenNeed for Valentine’s Day: http://t.co/6oQu28YZMa — Cecile Richards (@CecileRichards) February 10, 2014 The promotion of abortion for Valentine’s Day is not surprising considering that’s just about all it offers pregnant women. Some 92 percent of pregnant women going to Planned Parenthood get abortions. I think what women need is protection from the deception of people like Cecile Richards, who support the physical, sexual,  emotional, and psychological abuse caused by abortion. Women need more love and respect. Women need to be told the truth about the horrors of abortion and not deceived by people like this who portray it as something that is not only desirable...

It's time to plan ahead, guys, for that romantic day! If you haven't started yet, now is the time. 1. Attend a Night of Romance in your diocese, like the one offered HERE. 2. Go out to eat at her favorite restaurant, and read a poem you have written just for her. Then, present her with a single long-stemmed red rose. 3. Recreate your first date together, as they did in Parent Trap . Get dressed up and enjoy! 4.  Put the children to bed, build a fire and watch your favorite romantic movie together. Share your favorite  wine. 5.  Wake up extra early Valentine's morning, and make your wife breakfast in bed. Plan ahead, and cook something special like crepes or French toast. If work permits, go in late, and offer to get the kids ready for school while she sleeps in and enjoys her breakfast in bed. Add a favorite latte to her breakfast tray to show her you put in the extra time and thought to make her day. 6. If you want to cook for your wife but mornings...