Saint-O-Lanterns

by | Nov 6, 2024 | | 0 Comments

Every fall we have a little family tradition of carving Saint-O-Lanterns to light up our front porch for our annual All Hallows’ Eve party with symbols of saints and our beautiful Catholic faith! I love seeing everyone’s creativity year after year.

This year we honored St. Andrew, the Patron of Scotland and Golfers, with a golf-themed pumpkin. A dove for Rose’s recent Confirmation, and a Celtic cross paid tribute to the inspiring Irish St. Brigid. One of the boys also carved Lazarus emerging from the tomb and our youngest decided on a sweet little lamb for St. Germaine.

Confirmation Dove

St. Scholastica, pray for us!

Celtic Cross

St. Brigid of Ireland, pray for us!

St. Andrew, Patron of Golfers

St. Andrew, Patron of Golfers and Scotland, pray for us!

St. Germaine’s Lamb

St. Germaine, pray for us!

Lazarus Emerges from the Tomb

Sts. Mary, Martha and Lazarus, pray for us!

Here is the post with pictures of the kids carving this year’s Saint-O-Lanterns.

Scroll through all of our past Saint-O-Lanterns here.

Carving Our 2024 Saint-O-Lanterns

by | Nov 6, 2024 | | 0 Comments

Here are the pictures from our annual Saint-O-Lantern carving last Wednesday! My parents had just arrived from Southern Oregon for a quick visit, making it extra special!

I have a little catching up to do on the blog, before I get started posting all things Advent and all the fun annual Christmas giveaways! If I don’t share these now, I know they’ll never make it onto the blog—and my younger kids will be asking once again why I didn’t document it like I did for the older ones. 😉

Enjoy the pictures and stay tuned for the giveaways I have coming up soon!

You can see this year’s Saint-O-Lanterns all lit up here,

or scroll through all our past Saint-O-Lanterns in the archives.

All Saints Guessing Jars {12 More for 2023}

by | Oct 30, 2024 | | 0 Comments

The favorite game at every party we host for All Hallows’ Eve/All Saints’ Day is always the All Saints Guessing Jars. The past few years, with going back to hosting a smaller party at home, I have tried to have enough jars (some with new saints and some with repeats from past years) so that every “saint” in attendance can win one. I always think there will be no way to link more treats to saints, but yet I keep managing to come up with new ones each year! We had 12 new additions to the ever growing collection last year and I’m working on another 12 right now for this year.

New All Saints Guessing Jars for 2023

St. Anastasia …the Forgotten Christmas Saint

Christmas Candy – I used Christmas themed Hershey Kisses

St. Benedict & Scholastica – The Holy Twins

Twix Candy Bars

St. Barbara – Patron of Mathematicians

“Counting” M&M’s

St. Eligius – Patron of Veterinarians

Animal Crackers

St. John Bosco and the Big Gray Dog “Grigio”

Dog Bones (Scooby Doo Graham Crackers)

St. Fabian

Known for the miraculous nature of his election, in which a dove is said to have descended on his head to mark him as the Holy Spirit’s unexpected choice to become the next pope.

Dove Chocolates

St. Honoré – Patron of Bakers

Cookies – We used TJ’s Crispy Cruncy Chocolate Chip Cookies

St. John the Baptist

Any honey candy works! We used Dark Chocolate Covered Honey Grahams from TJ’s.

St. Hubert – Patron of Dogs/Hunting Hounds

Dog Bones (Scooby Doo Graham Crackers)

Our Lady Star of the Sea

Sea Life Shapes – We used TJ’s Scandinavian Swimmers

St. Hildegard von Bingen – Patron of Writers

Alphabet Cookies

St. Veridiana

…who shared her cell and meager food rations with two snakes.

Trolli Sour Brite Crawlers

You can download these printable labels here… 

… and the corresponding printable guess pages here.

We also included a bunch of jars from past years as well! Using Dots Pretzels instead of regular pretzel sticks for St. Bernadette was another new addition/variation.

If I can finish this year’s jars today, I will try and share them too, otherwise it might end up being next year! 😉

Here is the link to all of my FREE All Saints Party Printables!

All Saints Scavenger Hunt {Fourth Edition}

by | Oct 27, 2024 | , , , , | 0 Comments

Back in 2012, my husband and I created an All Saints Scavenger Hunt {Printable Party Game!} for our annual All Saints Party. The following year we created a second version featuring sixteen additional saints with new clues.

In 2015, we came up with another new version of the game, with sixteen additional saints including some of the newly canonized saints at the time.  (We actually matched the saints to our All Saints Guessing Jars, which you can find here, so that the children could learn a little more about each of the saints featured.)

In 2022, we decided to skip the huge parish party and go back to hosting a more intimate and cozy party at home and bring back this game. My husband and I created a new edition and I thought it would be fun to share it here on the blog for anyone looking for party inspiration! We’re already working on another one for this year’s party, so stay tuned!

ALL SAINTS SCAVENGER HUNT: FOURTH EDITION

To play the game, pictures of the 17 featured saints are handed out to some of the adults, along with the details if they aren’t familiar with the saint. You can see some pictures of the first version of the game being played here.

The children each receive the list of clues. Sometimes we pair the younger children with the older children to form teams of two.   The children need to match each clue to the correct saint. Once the child thinks he knows who it is, he will ask the person representing (holding the picture of) the saint. If he is correct the “saint” signs the line next to the correct clue on his child’s clue sheet. 

Now that nearly all the children at our annual parties are older I actually just tape them up on the wall in various places. If they are struggling I will sometimes give a clue to the whole group. Afterwards we see who (or which team) got the most correct.

FREE PRINTABLES

Download All Saints Scavenger Hunt #4 Clue Sheet

(the printable file includes the answer sheet)

Download Saint Cards

*Looks like I missed including St. Francis. You can download that card here.

Note: The printable saint card pictures are different than what we used for the party since we were scrambling at the last minute. We actually printed out product pages from these beautiful holy cards for the party since we ran out of time. I would love to order actual prints or Holy Cards to use in the picture!

This year I ordered Polaroids from January Jane for our fifth All Saints Scavenger Hunt! So excited. More coming soon! In the meantime you can save 10% over at January Jane with coupon code: LXZ-NTU27UL or by clicking this link.

Find more FREE PRINTABLES for your All Hallows’ Eve and All Saints’ Day Parties here!

The Northern Lights: An Art Project with the Kids

by | Oct 17, 2024 | , , | 0 Comments

Our 7-year-old is still talking about seeing the Northern Lights last week and keeps saying she wants to see them again. So, inspired by that beautiful night, we decided to do a little art project together and talked some of her siblings into joining us as well! We grabbed some black construction paper and our pastels, and spent the afternoon recreating all the gorgeous colors we saw up in the night sky—blues, greens, purples, and pinks.

Supplies

Create a Mountain Stencil

Use legal-sized printer paper for this since it’s longer than regular paper and fits the construction paper better. If you only have regular-sized paper, just cut and tape an extra piece to make it fit.n I ended up taping down the mountain stencil for my little girls to keep it from moving while they colored. The older kids just held it in place.

Color the Mountain

Shade over the mountain stencil and extend the chalk up onto the black construction paper. Use different colors – blue, green, pink, purple, etc – to recreate all the Northern Lights!

She was so excited, blending and smudging and getting the pastels all over her little fingers!

Blend the Colors

While holding the stencil in place, use a cotton ball to blend the pastels from the mountain onto the paper. Overlap the colors a bit for a smooth, glowing effect. Switch cotton balls for different colors to avoid mixing them too much.

Reveal the Glow

Once you’ve finished blending, gently lift the stencil to reveal the glowing mountain and your beautiful Aurora Borealis.

Add Stars or Snowflakes and the Moon

To finish, dab small dots of white acrylic paint onto the sky using a small paintbrush to create stars or snowflakes, and the moon too if you’d like!

Tip: It can get messy! I should have put something over our table but it cleaned up easily with a towel.

It was such a fun way to relive the memory and bring a little more nature-inspired creativity into our homeschool. If your kids are mesmerized by the sky like mine, this is a simple, not-too-messy, project to try!

“Rose” age 14

“Bud” age 12

“Grace” age 7

“Joy” age 5
(Mom helped with the trees)

Saint Philomena Original Art Giveaway

by | Aug 11, 2024 | , , , | 32 Comments

Happy Feast of Saint Philomena! I’m excited to celebrate by hosting a special giveaway in her honor. Last year, I reviewed the book My Name is Philomena: A Saint’s Story which was written and beautifully illustrated by Fr. Peregrine Fletcher. To make this feast day even more special, Fr. Peregrine has generously sent me one of his original illustrations to pass along to one of you!

If you haven’t ordered a copy of My Name is Philomena or Fr. Peregrine Fletcher’s other book, The Snail and the King (our review here), be sure to check them out. Each book tells an inspiring story and features captivating illustrations that make them perfect addition to your family’s collection.

My Name is Philomena is available directly from TAN Books or over at Amazon. You can find The Snail and the King over at Amazon here.

You can find additional books for August feast days here.

“And yet a bride I soon became,

What happy providence!

His lance which set me to the tomb

Released my soul to meet my groom,

My long awaited Prince.”

GIVEAWAY

My Name is Philomena Original Art

by Fr. Peregrine Fletcher, O. Praem.

Image was rendered in colored pencil

Please enter the giveaway by leaving a comment on this post and claiming your entry through the Rafflecopter box below. If you have any issues please contact me and I can assist with getting you entered in the drawing. Domestic/US Shipping is included. International residents are welcome to enter but would be responsible for any additional shipping costs. Giveaway ends August 14, 2024 at 11:59PM PST and winner will be announced on August 15th, the feast of the Assumption!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

St. Philomena, pray for us!

Strawberry Shortcake Birthday Party

by | Jul 11, 2024 | , , | 3 Comments

When our daughter requested a Strawberry Shortcake Birthday Party for her 7th birthday, I knew we were in for a sweet adventure. With bright colors, adorable decorations, fun party games, and lots of great friends, it turned out to be an incredible celebration!

She had been talking about it for months and had literally invited “everyone and their grandparents!” as one of her sisters told her oldest brother when he asked who would be coming. It was so much fun to bring her party theme to life and create all sorts of special memories for her and her friends!

I started my planning by ordering a couple handmade Strawberry Shortcake and Lemon Meringue dresses from Blu Moon Design over at Etsy! My girls are pretty tiny (just now outgrowing sizes 5 and 3) so I ordered them size 7 and 5 so they’d have extra length and fit for awhile. I also ordered this Strawberry Beret and these Green & White Knee High Striped Socks and paired them with their AG Peek-A-Boo Wellies since I forgot to look for brown Mary Janes. Super cute!

On the day of her birthday, the weather was gorgeous and we were also incredibly blessed to have three Sisters from the Slaves of the Immaculate Heart join us for the birthday party! Our little girls had just spent the previous two days with them at Morning Star Day Camp and their presence added such a special touch to the day, making it even more meaningful and memorable.

My Uncle Tom and Aunt Toni also came to the party! We have really loved having them nearby since we moved up here six years ago. My mom is the 8th of 13 children and he is the eldest. He reminds me so much of my grandmother and it’s so fun to hear him share stories with my children. The birthday girl was especially excited to receive her very own jar of his special homemade jam in her birthday gift from them!

She so wished that her cousin and oldest brother/godfather could have made it, but they both called and she got to visit with them over Facetime.

Homemade Decorations

Other than buying a couple red plastic tablecloths (this makes clean up so much easier) I made my own banner and food labels! I shared all of the printables I created here.

We also filled the book cart with lots of berry and spring/summer themed books including a few new ones!

Strawberry Shortcake Birthday Party Menu

Good morning. Welcome to Strawberryland. You can’t see it? Just a dot on the map. Ah, finest strawberries this side of the rainbow. The personal strawberry patch of Miss Strawberry Shortcake. She lives in a shortcake. That sounds like fun. And she tends to her fun in the rain and the sun. That’s Custard, her calico cat on the floor. But we’ll let them both sleep for just a dream more.

Main Dish and Sides

Desserts

Drinks

  • Orange Blossom’s Party Punch
  • Strawberry Lemonade
  • Lime Chiffon’s Sparkling Limeaid
  • Lem and Ada’s Sparkling Lemonade
  • Peach Blush’s Sangria (adults only)

Strawberry Shortcake Birthday Party Games!

I ran across some great game ideas for our Strawberry Shortcake theme! I also considered Strawberry Bingo or some of our lawn games from our Anne of Green Gables Birthday Party. Here is what we ended up doing:

Strawberry Stomp

For this game, children try to keep all the “strawberries” ( red balloons ) up in the air while the music is playing. When the music stops all the kids grab a “strawberry” balloon. Draw a name from a hat (or whatever you have on hand), and that child must bust their balloon and complete the challenge inside to win a prize. Keep the challenges short and fun. Some examples include:

  • Rub your tummy while patting your head
  • Twirl around five times fast
  • Sing your favorite song in a funny voice 
  • Crabwalk across the floor
  • Give out three berry nice hugs
  • Describe your favorite yummy dessert
  • Options are endless, come up with additional ideas!

After completing the challenge, the child rejoins the game but won’t be called again to pop a balloon. Make sure you have enough balloons so every child can grab one when the music stops. (Have twice as many balloons as players.) To make the balloons look like strawberries, use a marker to add strawberry seeds.

Supplies: Red Ballons, Music

Pie Making Race

A fun twist on a classic relay race! In this game, children are divided into teams, each given spoons to pick up “berries” (colored ping pong balls- red for strawberries, blue for blueberries and pink for raspberries) and run them to their team’s pie tin. It’s a delightful mix of teamwork, speed, and a little bit of friendly competition!

Each team is tasked with making a different kind of pie will only collect berries for that pie. For example, the team assigned to strawberry pie will only collect red ping pong balls.

To play: Scatter the different colored ping pong balls on one side of the yard. On the other side set up a table with a different pie tin for each team. Assign each team a kind of pie and give each player a spoon. At the start, everyone runs to the field of ‘fallen berries,” places one on their spoon, and rushes back to their team’s pie tin. The team that finishes their pie first wins.

Supplies: Red, Pink and Blue Ping Pong Balls, three Pie Dishes, White Plastic Spoons.

After the little kids completed their round all the big “kids” wanted a turn! Pink team won!

Catch the Purple Pie Man

“Aw, what’s the matter, kiddies? Did your can spring a leak!? (pulls off his disguise and giggles)“

The Peculiar Purple Pie Man, who lives in the Pie Tin Palace up on Porcupine Peak, is the notorious villain in Strawberryland. He is a mischievous, greedy baker who often seeks to undermine Strawberry Shortcake and her friends. In this game, he has stolen all the strawberry treats (candy). The kids must chase him to get them back.

To Play: Someone takes on the role as the Purple Pie Man. The children chase and try to tag him. When tagged, the Purple Pie Man must stop. The only way to be released is to throw out a handful of candy and make your escape while the children are all collecting it. Keep playing until all the candy is gone.

Purple Pie Man Costume: I ordered this Chef Hat, Bib Apron and Purple Mustache.

Since the Purple Pieman frequently referred to himself in the third person and always performed a quick jig after doing so. Mr. Sun describes him as a “misanthropic fathead with a skinny physique.”

You can watch the video over at Instagram!

All that running and basically being a “Human Pinata!” definitely wiped out the “Peculiar Purple Pie Man” but the kids are all still talking about that game. It was such a hit!

Honey Pie Pony

The kiddos also got to visit Honey Pie Pony, aka Chesterton, our new next door neighbor!

Strawberry Shortcake’s Birthday Cake

A bite of strawberry shortcake can turn any bad day around!

You can find our little birthday reel over at Instagram with a couple more video clips.

Birthday Gifts

She was given so many sweet and thoughtful gifts from all her friends! I had ordered her this cute Strawberry Shortcake backpack when it was on sale and some of her siblings got her some other 80s themed toys (Tenderheart Care Bear, My Little Pony) and a little Strawberry Shortcake doll. She also loved, loved, loved this set of pens from one of her friends and has been taking it everywhere!

Happy 7th birthday to our berry sweet and spunky girl!

Strawberry Shortcake Party Printables

by | Jul 11, 2024 | , | 0 Comments

Strawberry Shortcake Party Printables

“Good morning, my friend!” I had so much fun coming up with party plans and a menu and then making these Strawberry Shortcake Party Printables for our daughter’s 7th birthday! Once I got started I got on a roll and just kept going with more and more ideas… I didn’t use all of them, but came close! 🙂

Invitation

Click and save the image on the right to add your own text!

Berry Sweet Birthday Banner

Strawberry Shortcake Birthday Banner
Birthday Banners

Strawberry Shortcake Banner Printable

Strawberry Shortcake Party Printables: Food Labels

I probably could have just kept going, and I did add a few more to the ones pictured below, but here are lots of options based on many of the Strawberry Shortcake cartoon characters!

Strawberry Shortcake Food Labels

Strawberry Shortcake Food Labels

Strawberry Shortcake Game & Activity Signs

Strawberry Shortcake Pie Making Race
Catch the Purple Pie Man Game
Strawberry Stomp
  • Pie Making Race
  • Catch the Purple Pie Man
  • Strawberry Stomp
  • Honey Pie Poney

Click on any of the images below to save and print.

Pie Making Race Game
Catch the Purple Pie Man Game
Strawberry Stomp Game
Honey Pie Pony

Party Pictures: Strawberry Shortcake Birthday Party

“Hope your day is simply delicious!”

Café Ole’s Bean Dip – Party Size

by | Jul 11, 2024 | | 0 Comments

My kids LOVE this bean dip recipe. I’ve made it probably a half dozen times this year and it never lasts long. We decided to call it Café Ole’s Bean Dip for our recent Strawberry Shortcake Birthday Party!

Café Ole’s Bean Dip – Party Size

Ingredients:

  • 2 – 16 ounce cans refried beans
  • 2 cups chunky salsa
  • 16 oz shredded Mexican Cheese blend
  • 1 1/2 cups sour cream
  • 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
  • 2 tablespoons chili powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin, (or more to taste)
  • tortilla chips (love these for a grain-free option)

Directions:

  1. In a large bowl, combine the first eight ingredients: transfer to a 9×13 baking dish. I love my Pampered Chef Stone Rectangular Baker for this recipe.
  2. Bake dip at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until hot and bubbly.
  3. Serve with tortilla chips and salsa.

Optional ways of preparing:

Slow Cooker: Cover and cook on high for 2 hours or until heated through, stirring intermittently. The slow cooker is ideal because it keeps the dip warm.

Microwave: Heat in a microwave safe bowl for 5-8 minutes or until cheese is melted and smooth. Stir every couple of minutes. (My kids do this with leftovers, just less time.)

Strawberry Shortcake Birthday Party

Saint-O-Lanterns

Saint-O-Lanterns

by | Nov 6, 2024 | | 0 Comments

Every fall we have a little family tradition of carving Saint-O-Lanterns to light up our front porch for our annual All Hallows' Eve party with symbols of saints and our beautiful Catholic faith! I love seeing everyone's creativity year after year. This year we...

Carving Our 2024 Saint-O-Lanterns

Carving Our 2024 Saint-O-Lanterns

by | Nov 6, 2024 | | 0 Comments

Here are the pictures from our annual Saint-O-Lantern carving last Wednesday! My parents had just arrived from Southern Oregon for a quick visit, making it extra special! I have a little catching up to do on the blog, before I get started posting all things Advent and...

All Saints Guessing Jars {12 More for 2023}

All Saints Guessing Jars {12 More for 2023}

by | Oct 30, 2024 | | 0 Comments

The favorite game at every party we host for All Hallows' Eve/All Saints' Day is always the All Saints Guessing Jars. The past few years, with going back to hosting a smaller party at home, I have tried to have enough jars (some with new saints and some with repeats...

The Northern Lights: An Art Project with the Kids

The Northern Lights: An Art Project with the Kids

by | Oct 17, 2024 | , , | 0 Comments

Our 7-year-old is still talking about seeing the Northern Lights last week and keeps saying she wants to see them again. So, inspired by that beautiful night, we decided to do a little art project together and talked some of her siblings into joining us as well! We...

Northern Lights

Northern Lights

by | Oct 10, 2024 | , , | 2 Comments

We could only see the Northern Lights at home with the help of cameras, so after dinner, we took a drive out to Farragut State Park. It was so worth it! We followed it up with some picture books and a fun craft this...

Strawberry Shortcake Party Printables

Strawberry Shortcake Party Printables

by | Jul 11, 2024 | , | 0 Comments

"Good morning, my friend!" I had so much fun coming up with party plans and a menu and then making these Strawberry Shortcake Party Printables for our daughter's 7th birthday! Once I got started I got on a roll and just kept going with more and more ideas... I didn't...

Café Ole’s Bean Dip – Party Size

Café Ole’s Bean Dip – Party Size

by | Jul 11, 2024 | | 0 Comments

My kids LOVE this bean dip recipe. I've made it probably a half dozen times this year and it never lasts long. We decided to call it Café Ole's Bean Dip for our recent Strawberry Shortcake Birthday Party! Café Ole's Bean Dip - Party Size Ingredients: 2 - 16 ounce...

Prayer of Mothers

Father in heaven, grant me the grace to appreciate the dignity which you have conferred on me. Let me realize that not even the Angels have been blessed with such a privilege—to share in your creative miracle and bring new Saints to heaven. Make me a good mother to all my children after the example of Mary, the Mother of your Son. Through the intercession of Jesus and Mary I ask your continued blessings on my family. Let us all be dedicated to your service on earth and attain the eternal happiness of your kingdom in heaven. Amen.


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A Little About Me

Hi! I'm Jessica, a Roman Catholic wife and home educating mother to our nine children. I was home educated myself, along with my eleven younger siblings. I have a special devotion to St. Therese, through whom I have been given much help and many blessings--the beautiful "Shower of Roses" that she has sent my way! Here I will record a few of the blessings I treasure. Please remember that what you see here is just a little glimpse at our lives, so please say a prayer for us, as we continue to strive for holiness.

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