Outside my window…
After some gorgeous and fairly warm autumn weather up here in North Idaho, a cold front rolled in and it’s been raining on and off this past week and snowing at the higher elevations. I’m praying for nice weather on Monday for All Hallows’ Eve!
That I have access to Shower of Roses. I had quite the scare on Wednesday… I received an email from Blogger letting me know that they had removed my blog… It was gone. The whole blog. All of it… I had no access to any of my content at all. They said that it had been flagged and that after review they “determined that it violates our guidelines”… specifically that the “content has violated our SPAM policy.” I asked them to reconsider – while unsuccessfully trying to hold it together and keep from sobbing… The automatic response was that they would get back to me within two business days. An hour later (probably thanks to everyone’s prayers over at Facebook, they emailed back: “Hello, We have re-evaluated your blog against Blogger Community Guidelines https://blogger.com/go/contentpolicy. Upon review, the blog has been reinstated. You may access the blog at http://www.showerofrosesblog.com/. Thank you for understanding. Sincerely, The Blogger Team.”
I need to figure out what I need to do to prevent that from happening again… I need to move to somewhere where I own and have full control over my content. It just seems like such a daunting task after over 15 years of sharing here on Blogger. I’m also worried about the potential costs involved and if it’s even a possibility. I was given a couple contacts over on my Facebook post. Please say a prayer that I can figure it out!
Learning all the time…
I’ve been blogging a lot about all the fun I’ve been having with my youngest students. I’ve had a lot of requests and promise that I’ll share more about what the older ones have been up to soon even if it isn’t as interesting!
All Hallows’ Eve is coming up on Monday! Our parish will be hosting another All Saints’ Party, but our teens requested to host a small party at our home this year instead of helping with the parish party. Last year it was freezing cold and there was well over 600 people in attendance… Our parish has continued to grow and I’m sure it will be even bigger this year! A good problem to have for sure, and I’m glad it’s an option, but our children really loved and miss the more intimate parties we used to host at our old home in Oregon. Here are the direct links to some of those parties: 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014.
If you are hosting a party, or helping with a parish party, you can find all sorts of FREE downloadable All Saints & All Souls Printable Decorations, Games & Activities in my blog archives.
Craft supplies all over the kitchen counter at the moment! Tomorrow we’ll be carving our annual Saint-O-Lanterns, or at least that’s the plan!
I am working…
We’ve all been working on coming up with saint costumes! I found a crown I wanted to order for one of the girls but it was expensive and then went out of stock… Last Sunday she started making her own and it is turning out great! I’ll have to share pictures of it when it’s completed.
…some games for our party, this year’s All Saints Guessing Jars, and Ora Pro Nobis Candy Boxes. I picked up some healthier treats (Unreal Dark Chocolate Coconut Minis and Peanut Butter Cups, That’s It Mini Fruit Bars, Pure Organic Fruit Bars, and Chomps Minis) to fill our Ora Pro Nobis Candy Boxes with this year.
…to finally get my very first passport! I applied for one a couple weeks ago and can’t wait for it to arrive.
I am hoping…
…that, God willing, I can go to Fatima for my baby brother/oldest godson’s wedding early next year!!! I don’t know if we can actually make it happen or not, but I applied for my passport and that was the first step. We’ll see!
I am praying…
…for Sarah Grant, a sweet mother from our parish who was recently diagnosed with cancer after delivering her newest little baby early via c-section.
lots of picture books to our preschoolers but not much else. I ordered a new book for me recently and hoping to at least get back to my personal “minimum of 10 pages a day” goal soon.
from St. John Vianney:
We have two new kittens! I’m actually allergic, but they are living in the garage and over time we will move them outside/to the shop. We have had a mouse problem since moving here and the kids have all really missed Ferdinand and Isabella. October seems to be the month we end up with cats!
…High School sports for our teens. It’s so great that high schoolers are allowed to try out and participate in our local high school sports, both back in Southern Oregon and also here in North Idaho! Our oldest two played Varsity Golf all four years of High School, two years of Varsity hockey, two years of Varsity soccer and a year of JV Basketball for one of them. Our oldest daughter played four years of Varsity golf (with unfortunately only one tournament junior year due to shutdowns) and one year of soccer. And our next two joined the fun this school year, playing on the Varsity Girls Golf team and JV Boys Golf team! We went to the Golf Banquet last Wednesday night to finish the season.
- Hockey Practice for the boys Mon/Wed/Fri with games Fri/Sat
- Carving our annual Saint-O-Lanterns Sunday after Mass
- Hosting an All Hallows’ Eve Party Monday!
- Mass on the Feasts of All Saints and All Souls
- Doctor appointment on Tuesday that I scheduled 3 months ago 🙏🏻
- Weekly PT on Thursday
- Friends for dinner next weekend!
A little peek at our trip to Green Bluff…
I absolutely love how you coordinated the color scheme for all the kids outfits!
Oh NO! Just READING that your blog was removed – even temporarily – made me GASP! Shock! No WAY!! Your beloved blog better NOT be at risk of removal! You have a community of Catholics who cherish your inspirational postings and whose faith has blossomed in their own families when putting into practice your wonderfully creative ideas. And what to speak of the great affection for you and your family, watching them grow, some even from before they were born! No, we need your blog to stay put! How else would we have otherwise known to pray and offer support for others in need and for events, and now for Sarah Grant and precious Theo? Thank you for sharing their needs, it is one of so many special mercies/opportunities that your blog makes possible and brings to fruition. May God bless you and your dear family. Surely He will reward you for (delightfully!) igniting the faith in families everywhere.
I don't understand why they would think about removing your blog. Your blog is so entertaining and informative. love the photos of the Pumpkin outing.
Marion
Thank you for sharing your family outing. Everyone looks lovely. The Pumpkins are a great variety of sizes.
Joan
It looks like a good time was had by all. With all these pumpkins, I see a lot of pumpkin pie in the near future. The children look so festive in their colorful outfits.Glad your blog is back. I look forward to your posts. God Bless.
Marilyn
Sweet children, adorable kittens, pumpkins and Autumn fun, studying, sports, and art…your family is such a precious inspiration! I too am so thankful that your blog was reinstated. I feel sad for you that you experienced such unfairness. With so many years of precious family memories in your blog… I love reading about your inspirational Catholic family's faith journey. Happy All Hallows' Eve tomorrow. ~Debbie
Your blog is a treasure for us. Two ideas- first was to contact Lifesite news and ask what their bloggers use. Second, was that Dr Mercola moved all of his content to Substack. God bless, Sarah
I am a newer reader to your blog but I am so happy it is still here! You are such an inspiration to me as a young mom with 3 littles. Also – you are so beautiful as are all your children! God bless xo