Habemus Papam (We have a Pope!)

I signed up for the Popealarm (text and email alert),but it was the hubby's sister whose text we got first.  I can hear my children move an inch in their sleep, but somehow I didn't hear the text message jingle from one room away.  The hubby keeps his phone on him though, so he got his sister's text with the news that there was White Smoke coming from the Sistine Chapel's chimney.

What a beautiful tradition

We waited anxiously, watching NBC's coverage to see who the new Papa would be.  When the doors finally opened, we were introduced to our newest successor to St. Peter, Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio.  He took the name of Pope Francis.  I am an alumni of the Franciscan University of Steubenville, so I like to think he was thinking of St. Francis of Assisi.  St. Francis is one of my favorites.  Poor, humble, and so ready and willing to serve others.  We visited Assisi during our semester in Europe and that place is about the most peaceful place in the world, I think.  I am excited to have been able to follow the process of electing a new pope and even more excited to welcome our new Papa, Francisco!

We are having a party tonight.  I haven't decided if the food will be geared more toward Argentina or Italy (his parents were Italian).  But what I have decided is that we will be having Pope cookies for dessert.

          Sugar cookie dough


Roll it out.  Now this part might sound sacrilegious at first...but use the gingerbread lady cookie cutter (if you have one) because then it looks more like the Pope wearing his white cassock.

Bake the cookies to perfection

Frost them and voila!  Pope cookies!  I used a few dried cranberries to make one of the Pope cookies have red shoes like Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI wore.  

 Habemus Papam!