~FingerPrint Friday......Traditions~

There's a song by Stephen Curtis Chapman that goes:

I can see the fingerprints of God

When I look at you.

I can see the fingerprints of God

And I know it's true.

You're a masterpiece

That all creation quietly applauds

And you're covered with the fingerprints of God.

I see God's Fingerprints in Traditions....those time-honored customs passed down from generation to generation.

Jim and I made Fried Dough last night to take to our grandchildren tomorrow. God's Fingerprints will be evident as we watch those little smiles and "Hmmmmmm"s when they bite into them. God's blessings at their best~

I'm reprinting last year's photos and column, as I'm busy in the studio today. Enjoy!

St. Joseph, the husband of Mary and the earthly father of Jesus, is said to be the patron saint of home, family and laborers. His Feast Day is celebrated on his birthday: March 19th. It's a Sicilian tradition to make Fritelles or Fried Dough on that day. Depending on the region of Italy you are from, they may be called zeppole, or sfinges instead. For an interesting picture collage of fried doughs from all over the world, click here.

My Nonna always used her homemade raised bread dough to make Fritelles, as did my Mom, but I've found that the frozen Rhodes bread dough works quite well....and is way easier!

All you do is tear off about 2 inch pieces of the raised, raw dough, and fry them quickly in about a 1/2 inch of hot canola oil. Drain them on paper towels, then roll them in granulated sugar. My Mom often tucked raisins into the raw dough before frying. I make one batch with raisins for the kids, and one plain batch for Jim. One bite into the sugary, doughy delicacy will have you hooked. They rarely have time to cool before they've all disappeared...no matter how many I make!

Whenever I fry them up, I'm transported back into time......standing in my Nonna's or my Mother's kitchen, swinging my tanned legs back-and-forth, long curls flying, licking every last bit of the sugary coating off each of my fingers, begging for "just one more".

I continued the tradition by frying up batches of Fritelles for the boys on Sunday mornings in March before mass all the years they were growing up. It's a tradition that we continue to this day.....whether it's just Jim and I, or the boys, Jackie, and the grandchildren. Fried Memories at their finest~

Buon Giorno di San Giuseppe – Happy St. Joseph’s Day!

Stop over at Beki's Blog to read more FingerPrints and join in the fun~

Click on the link to go to more blogs celebrating New Friends Friday~

~FingerPrints Friday~

There's a song by Steven Curtis Chapman called, Fingerprints, that starts:
I can see the fingerprints of God
When I look at you
I can see the fingerprints of God
And I know its true
You’re a masterpiece
That all creation quietly applauds
And you're covered with the fingerprints of God.

Each Christmas I find my heart and my home flooded with memories of long-ago Christmases. Each one has its own distinct 'fingerprint'. We had our sons seven years apart....so Jeffrey, our oldest, had many Christmases with Mom and Dad all to himself. And oh did he have our undivided attention! I just couldn't imagine loving another child as much as I loved him. I feared that I couldn't 'mother' any child with the passion I had for this child. Yes...he was covered in God's fingerprints. I was happy to be the mother to this brilliant (of course!) precious child of God. I would dedicate my life to being the best mother I could be.

Jeffrey got on his knees every nite before bed and prayed for a baby brother. I tried my darndest to persuade him to pray for a baby 'sister'....to no avail! You know what they say about God always listening closely to the prayers of children. He did. And He sent us a new little set of fingerprints when Jeffrey was almost seven: Tommy. We were blessed with another brilliant (of course!) precious son.....and then there were two. The fingerprints continued.

We were going to name this new beautiful bundle, Ryan. Much to our chagrin, Jeffrey refused to call him 'Ryan', calling him 'Tom' after his favorite person in the world: his cousin and our Godchild, Tom. And although I had two gold little boy charms Jim had already had engraved with 'Jeffrey' and 'Tommy', you guessed it: Jeffrey won. We named our new little one Tommy! (Our Godson, Tom is Tommy's Godfather!)

The next Christmas we had two sons. They are the greatest gifts God could ever have sent us. I get very nostalgic each Christmas as the memories flood my heart and my mind with those long-ago memories. Sigh. They seem like just yesterday.


May you have a memorable day today. Be sure to look for the Fingerprints in your life this Friday in December....wherever you are in the world!





Stop by Beki's blog to read about more Fingerprints!


Thank you, David for the mention on Post of the Day!

Stop by his blog for some fine reads! You'll be glad you did!

~A Princess and A Castle~

While our son and DIL vacationed in St. John's, we spent some time with our two grandbabies, Ella: almost 4, and Jackson, 9 mos. One afternoon, we picnicked at Squire's Castle, part of our Emerald Necklace parks system. It was built in the 1890's by the founder of the Standard Oil Co. It sits on 545 acres. Squire's Castle was built as the GateKeeper's House to a future estate that was never built. The Metro Parks acquired it in 1925. The walking paths wind through breathtaking grounds.

I've been intriqued with Squire's Castle since I was a small girl. I couldn't wait to see Ella's reaction to it, as like most little girls, she LOVES playing "Princess".

She didn't disappoint me: Her eyes lit up as she insisted on dancing with "The Prince" (her Grandpa). It was a magical afternoon I hope she'll always remember. I know I will.