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Madonna and Child Valentine Cards

Feb 12, 2014 | , , , , , | 26 Comments


Of all the Valentine Cards we have been creating, the Madonna and Child Valentines that Rose and I made, inspired by an image a friend of mine pinned, are my favorite! ❤


These would also be perfect for Mother’s Day and Christmas, don’t you think? 


Supplies:   (This post contains affiliate links. )




Step One: Cut out images of Our Lady and Baby Jesus and glue to the center of doily.


Step Two: Fold in the sides of the doily and lace a piece of the crochet thread through the holes.


 Step Three:  Tie and attach a medal. 


Option: On some of the cards we outlined the image with Silver Glitter Dimensional Fabric Paint.




After they dried overnight we then finished assembling the rest of the cards.




We also made some with color images, which I had softened using photo editing software to create a more antique look.   Rose loved attaching the medals to all twenty of her cards!





I also made some tags for Rose to glue on the back and sign, with three different quotes: 


Love our Lady, and she will obtain abundant grace to help you conquer in your daily struggle. 
~ St. Josemaria Escriva

Never be afraid of loving the Blessed Virgin too much.  You can never love her more than Jesus did. 
~ St. Maximilian Kolbe

What a joy to remember that she is our Mother!  Since she loves us and knows our weakness, what have we to fear? 
~ St. Therese of Lisieux

Conversation Hearts Bible Verse Valentines

Feb 11, 2014 | , | 5 Comments

The feast of St. Valentine is coming up and we’ve been busy creating Valentine Cards to pass out  to friends and family.  I’ve already shared our Bible Candy Valentines and today I wanted to show you the Valentines Twinkle Toes has been creating with Conversation Hearts!  After a quick search through the Catholic Douay-Rheims Bible we found a verse from 1 Peter that tied in nicely to the candies and then created tags to attach to each box.  
But according to him that hath called you, who is holy, be you also in all manner of conversation holy. 1 Peter 1:15

After cutting out the tags she punched a small 1/8 inch hole in each and tied them to the boxes of Conversation Hearts with some White Crochet Thread. (affiliate links) Like the Bible Candy Valentines, they were also quick and easy to make and turned out so cute! 

A 12th Birthday Filled with Surprises!

Feb 10, 2014 | , , , , , | 30 Comments

When I asked Rascal Ranger* what sort of theme he would like for his birthday this year, I expected him to say a “Ranger’s Apprentice” theme. . . or perhaps something that would incorporate The Lord of the Rings series, like last year’s Hobbit Birthday Party.   Instead he told me that he wanted it to be a “surprise!”

A couple days later I was out running a few errands with our oldest son and as we were leaving the store we noticed a poster for The LEGO Movie, and that it was going to open on Ranger’s birthday!  How perfect!  We have only taken some of our children to the movies a few times, and after discussing it with Sean we decided the movie would be a fun birthday surprise.  Between The LEGO Movie and Charlotte’s past movie themed party I had all the inspiration I needed to pull together his “surprise” birthday!  
.: Surprise! A Simple Cake :. 

From Instagram last Friday morning: The birthday boy is such a great kid! He knows it has been a busy week and smiled and thanked me when he saw his simply frosted cake this morning after requesting a “surprise” theme this year… Sean just took him to get a birthday hot cocoa and it’s time for the rest of us to get busy with the rest of the decorations!!! His day will be filled with surprises!

He really did think it was all I was able to pull together for his birthday… and he was perfectly fine with that!  Wednesday we had the opportunity to purchase a used bunk bed for the little boys (I’ll post more about that later) and after a trip to the hardware store Sean and I were up until well after midnight assembling the bed.   Thursdays are always filled with lots of schoolwork and tutoring, and just when I was about to start decorating the cake we received a call from Captain’s doctor letting us know that he is referring us to the specialists at the children’s hospital 5 hours away, which had me fighting tears the rest of the night… (Please continue to pray for Captain. They suspect CVS, but need to rule out other diseases. We will also be having him tested for food allergies and sensitivites soon.)  His reaction and gratitude for even a simple cake made the rest of the surprises we had in store for him that much more exciting and fun!

.:  Surprise! A Popcorn Birthday Cake :. 
As Sean was leaving with the birthday boy, I asked them to please pick up some ice cream too, while they were in town.  This would give us about one hour to decorate the cake and the house before they got back!  Thankfully it all came together incredibly fast.  
Ranger did think I was going to do “something” to the cake while they were gone, but all he could come up with for that round yellow cake was the sun!  He had absolutely no idea what I had planned. 
Note: This post contains Amazon Affiliate links. 

Popcorn Birthday Cake Supplies:

I bought two 12 packages of the Wilton Dot Candles so we wouldn’t need to use the purple.  These reminded Captain and I of Legos and matched our theme perfectly! 

.:  Surprise!  Decorations :. 
I downloaded the Movie Times font suggested by Charlotte and created the birthday banner using a small hole punch and black ribbon.   You can download my birthday banner document here.  
I found the Movie Director Clapper at Amazon.  I have white chalk around here somewhere but I wasn’t able to find it so I just printed out the text with the Lego font and taped it on to the clapper. Not what I originally had in mind, but I was in a hurry and it worked. 
I had a box of concession candy for each of the children as party favors.  
You can download the Concessions sign here.  I added the yellow lights with marker.
We hung some Dizzy Danglers from the light fixture and set the table with a red plastic table cloth, black plates, and yellow napkins. We also scattered some old fashioned movie tickets around the table, and some Lego Movie items/gifts for the birthday boy! 

.:  Surprise!  Let’s Go to the Movies! :. 
I ran across The Lego Movie Collector’s Edition gift card at Target.  He discovered it at his place setting and we asked if he’d like to go see the movie at noon! 
.: Surprise!  Lego Movie Series Mini-Figures :. 
Captain and I also picked out some Lego Movie Series Mini-Figures to give the birthday boy and use as decorations!  We stood there in the store for awhile trying to find the ones we wanted and were excited that they ended up being the ones we had been looking for:  Larry the Barista Coffee Guy, William Shakespeare, Abraham Lincoln, Emmett/Construction Worker, Bad Cop/Good Cop (played by Liam Neeson!), and Taco Tuesday Guy.  
.: Surprise! Special Gifts :.

Before we left for the movie, we had him open a few of his gifts.

The first was a tackle box filled with the discontinued Lego Mindstorms NXT that one of my friends son’s had outgrown and she had passed down to us!!!

He also opened the gifts (coins, drawings, a candy bar, etc) from all of his siblings.

“COOOOOOKIE!!!!” said Bud, after his older brother opened the Twix from Twinkle Toes.
.: Surprise! Friends :.

  

Ranger was surprised once again when we arrived at the theater and discovered that five of his friends were joining us for the movie, and would be spending the rest of the day with us. His one and only past birthday party that included friends was his Bowling Birthday Party on his 7th (Golden) Birthday!

Note: The Lego Movie was fun and entertaining, and it definitely had me laughing at times. However, just like pretty much every Hollywood movie anymore, it included some bad humor, language, and unnecessary scenes that we would have skipped had we watched it at home. We only took our oldest three (ages 10-13) to see the movie and the four younger children had fun with their cousin and aunt during the movie.

.: Surprise! Colossal Pizza Party :.
Colossal Pizza minus the $25 gift certificate I won last time, minus another $10 Restaurant.com certificate = $15.00 for pizza for 14 people, with leftovers!!! 

.: Surprise! Birthday Fun :.
After pizza, his friends all came back to our house for cake, ice cream, and to play for the rest of the afternoon and evening.  

.: Surprise!  More Gifts :.

After cake and ice cream the birthday boy opened the rest of his gifts including:  

The Art of the Hobbit, Lord of the Rings Confrontation, Ent (from the Tower of Orthanc set and purchased separately on ebay)…

… and the Lego Movie Trash Chomper and Lego Movie Castle Calvary (from his friends). 
.: Surprise!  Ranger’s Cloak and Oak Leaf :. 

His favorite gift was the surprise Ranger’s Cloak (complete with a “Claw of Kalkara” for the clasp!) made by my dear friend Erica, along with a silver pewter oak leaf I ordered from a shop on Etsy! He has been wearing them nearly non-stop since his birthday.  I hope you are planning to open that Etsy shop soon, ELM!  I have four more children who has already requested cloaks for their upcoming birthdays this year…

*I’m officially changing Rascal’s blog nickname, at his request. He was only 5 when I started blogging and quickly outgrew “Rascal” later that year!  I’m hoping that since they both start with “R” it won’t cause too much confusion… 

Happy 12th Birthday, Ranger!  

Mama’s Notebooks {Sponsored Review & Giveaway}

Feb 9, 2014 | , , , | 76 Comments

Mama’s Notebooks brings you helpful notebooks to organize your family life. All of our notebooks are designed from the ground up by a Mom for other Moms, and feature simple and effective charts, lists, and ideas to help your family life run more smoothly! Our notebooks are spiral bound for your convenience.

Mama’s Notebook: Weekly Planner and Organizer provides you with an easy, flexible, and efficient way to organize your life. In one glance, you can coordinate your meal plan with the whole day’s events and tasks, and there’s always ample room to take notes on the things that matter to you most! Unlike other planners, you can start up Mama’s Notebook on any week of the year, and you can skip weeks as needed. The back section of the planner provides you with easy reference sheets to help you schedule and shop efficiently.

The Budget Notebook by Mama’s Notebooks is designed to help you keep a household budget that is simple, easy, and accurate. It features charts for everything you’ll need to get your budget under control, as well as a Notes section at the back with ample room for planning, organizing, writing reminder and to-do lists, and tallying up sums. You can purchase this notebook for an academic year budget (September-August) or a calendar year budget (January-December).

As much as I love my computer programs and apps, I also really love my printed calendars, planners, checklists, and notebooks!  I have a few that I use on a daily basis for various purposes. I use my Saints Calendar & 16-Month Planner  (which is usually on my desk) for looking ahead to upcoming feast days and planning our celebrations, I use my Half-Sized Catholic Daily Planner (which is usually tucked in my purse) to keep track of all scheduled appointments, and I use Color-Coded Check Lists for our lesson plans and goals along with Weekly Check Lists for the children’s lesson plans.  
This year, as I mentioned last month, I am enjoying my lovely review copy of The Mama’s Notebook!  It is usually opened up on my kitchen counter or dining table and it has been the perfect place to jot down meal plans, the books we’ve been reading aloud each week, some of which I plan to (eventually) transfer to the children’s checklists (we started our brand new copy of The World’s Story this week!), along with any projects and other little things I need to remember to do each week.  One of my favorite features is that it doesn’t include pre-printed dates and if I miss a week (which happens more frequently than I’d like to admit!) I can pick right up where I left off and not feel like I am wasting half of the book! 😉   I also love that there is plenty of room for writing down messages, notes, and listing goals, as well as many helpful planning sheets in the back. 
I’m hoping to start using The Budget Notebook each month and I’m really looking forward to checking out The Homeschool Notebook which is coming soon! 
Mama’s Notebook currently offers the following products: 

All notebooks are currently 15% until the end of February!
Would you like to win a free copy of Mama’s Notebook and The Budget Notebook? 
Mama’s Notebooks has offered to send a set to one of my visitors here at Shower of Roses!
 Please enter the giveaway using the Rafflecopter box below:

Bible Candy Valentines {Tutorial & Free Printable}

Feb 7, 2014 | , | 17 Comments

Love is Patient, Love is Kind 
1 Corinthians 13:4

This year for our upcoming St. Valentine’s Day card exchange, Snuggles decided to create Bible Candy Valentines to give to his family and friends!  I’ve run across variations of this idea in the past, some using Avery labels to create the text or silver wrapped candies.  We opted to create our own text boxes so that the “gold gilding” (on the edges of the bible pages) would show.  It was such a fun craft. Snuggles really enjoyed assembling the Bibles and can’t wait to hand them out next week on St. Valentine’s feast!

Bible Candy Valentines

Supplies:

  • 1 bag of Hershey’s Nuggets *Affiliate link (I purchased the 18 oz “Family Bag” of Milk Chocolate with Toffee & Almond, wrapped in gold)
  • 1-2 sheets of Black Card Stock cut into 2.25″ x 1.5″ cards
  • 1/8″ Red Ribbon cut in 2 1/2″ to 3″ lengths
  • Scissors and Glue Stick
  • Printable (or create your own)

 

I love it when our crafts/activities tie in nicely to our other studies.
 This week in Math we have been practicing counting by 2’s! 🙂 

Assemble:

  1. Glue about 1/2″ of the ribbon to the middle of your black paper rectangle.  
  2. Add additional glue to the paper and center the wrapped chocolates on the paper, side by side, over the red ribbon.  
  3. Cut out the printed text (from printable or create your own) and fold in half.  Cover the back with glue and attach it to the top of the chocolates, sticking the folded center down the middle of the two chocolates, creating the appearance of an open bible.  
  4. Take the ribbon and put a little glue in the center of the side facing you. Bring the ribbon over the two pieces of chocolate and place it right down the middle of the open pages. You might need to press the ribbon down gently (with your finger or a paperclip) so it will stick. Let dry completely. 

Snuggles added additional To/From labels to the back of each.  

Download Printable File Here

Meet the Masters :: Mary Cassatt

Feb 6, 2014 | , | 3 Comments

Mary Cassatt was the next Master Artist, following Vincent van Gogh, in our Art Course this year.   We completed this unit study last Saturday afternoon.  Each of the units has taken us about three hours to complete – one for the lesson/discussion, one for the worksheets, and one for the art activity.  We prefer spending a whole afternoon completing the units, but they could easily be broken up and spread out over the week or month.   My goal for this year is to complete Tract A, which leaves us with Piet Mondrian, Pablo Picasso, and Claude Monet coming up this spring.

.: Master Artist Introduction :. 

Mary Cassatt (kah-SAHT) 

American (1844-1926)

Mary Cassatt was an American who traveled to France to study art. It was quite an accomplishment for a woman, and an American at that, to exhubit with the famous Impressionists. She beautifully painted portraits of women and children.

Art Activity Emphasis: Portraits, Hats
Media: Pastel on Colored Paper
.: Art Supplies :. 

*All links to Amazon are Affiliate Links. 

18″ x 24″ Newsprint (for practicing plaid/patterns)
Oil Pastels (we ended up using these oil pastels and not the pastels pictured above)
12″ x 15″ black paper (I only had 5 sheets, so Rose used brown)
6″ x 9″ sheet of skin toned paper (We used Ivory Card Stock trimmed to size) 
various Pastel Colored Construction paper (pale green. pale blue, pale pink, pale purple, etc) 
Scissors and Glue
Pencil 
Red Crayon or Red Colored Pencil
Paper Towel

.: Practice Technique  – Portraits, Hats, and Patterns :. 

.: Art Project – Girl In Large Hat :. 

.: Additional Reading :. 

 (This book, along with more of the Mini Masters, will be added to Easter Baskets this spring.)

Young Mother Sewing (1900)

During our lesson we identified and studied the “line of composition” in some of her paintings including Young Mother Sewing and Breakfast in Bed.
Breakfast in Bed (1897)

Color Your Own Mary Cassatt Masterpieces

Meet the Masters :: Vincent van Gogh

Feb 4, 2014 | , | 19 Comments

This year we are studying some of the Master Artists using Meet the Masters. First up: Vincent van Gogh.
My husband took art appreciation classes in college, but I never did study any of the artists growing up…  I’ve used Child Size Masterpieces (affiliate link)  and incorporated a few Leonardo and Michelangelo art projects with the older children when they were younger, but other than that I have never made much of an effort to incorporate art study into our lesson plans until this year.  
 
In the fall we all enjoyed creating our Art Portfolios.   We also completed the Vincent van Gogh unit study.  This was our first introduction to van Gogh’s life, and wow. Studying the artists is so different than studying the lives of the saints! We ended the lesson with a great discussion about the importance of having our faith at the center of our lives, and a prayer for his soul.  
 
.: Master Artist :. 
Vincent van Gogh (van-GOE)
Dutch (1853-1890)
The results of Van Gogh’s unhappy and tragic life are beautiful, expressive paintings of a world that did not accept or understand him.
Art Activity Emphasis: Texture
Media: Oil Pastel on black construction paper card stock

Lesson: Complete Meet the Masters Slide Show

.:Art Supplies :. 
 Note: All links to Amazon are affiliate links. 
Black construction paper (we used card stock instead)
Oil Pastels (we used the Pentel 16 count) 
Paper towel (for wiping fingers)
.: Practice Technique – Texture :. 

 

.: Art Project :. 

Didn’t they all turn out so pretty?! 
.: Additional Reading :. 
I’d also love to do this Sunflower Art Project as an additional follow up activity and read a few other books on van Gogh including Katie and the Sunflowers, van Gogh and the Sunflowers, and In the Garden with van Gogh!

February Daybook on the Feast of St. Blaise

Feb 4, 2014 | , , | 27 Comments

Roses are red, violets are blue, 
Angels in heaven know I love you.
– Old Song, excerpt from A Time to Keep: The Tasha Tudor Book of Holidays
*Note: All links to Amazon are affiliate links.

Outside my window…
Yes, those were our children out there in the front yard wrapped in blankets early this morning, trying to stay warm while I searched the house trying to figure out what was burning…  The smoke was coming from a light fixture in the little boys’ room.

I am thinking…
It’s nice to have electricians in the family! My Dad and Mom were on an airplane headed to Hawaii this morning (My Dad rarely travels, but Mom talked him into going over to watch a golf tournament my brother will be competing in this week!) but my brother Brian returned my call and headed over to take a look at the wiring for me in exchange for some lunch. Even though it ended up being just the lightbulb (Whew!!!!)  I had him take down the fixture (wall sconce) anyways, since we need to rearrange the furniture to make room for a bunk bed for the boys.

I am thankful… 
for those the two new bookcases! I assembled them last week and filled them with some of the books from the little boys’ room, which was our old schoolroom.  We still seem to have more books than shelves, but I’m getting a little closer to finding homes and getting them all organized once again.

Learning all the time…

Saturday, while Sean was at work, we spent some time learning about Mary Cassatt and creating some artwork before heading outside to enjoy the sunshine for the rest of the afternoon.  I’ll post pictures of their completed art projects soon.

Celebrating the liturgical year…
St. Brigid, Candlemas, St. Blaise, and so many more wonderful saints and feasts to celebrate and read about this month!

From the kitchen… 
Candlemas Cookies with Drip Plates and Saint Blaise Sticks!

I am working on… 
plans for Rascal’s birthday this coming Friday.  When I asked him what sort of theme he’d like this year he asked if it could be a surprise! 🙂

I am creating…
homemade Valentine cards with Rose and Snuggles! I’ll share some pictures of our creations sometime soon, but in the meantime, aren’t these Vintage Valentines adorable?

I am going…
to pre-order Lent at Ephesus.

I am hoping…
that I will hear back from our pediatrician soon. Last week we took our oldest to see his pediatrician for an evaluation and to begin some testing for a reoccurring problem (violently vomiting for hours) he has been having every 1-2 months this past year, and again last week. Hopefully we can figure out the cause (and a solution) before it happens again. Thank you to everyone who has been praying for him!

I am praying…
for a few special intentions and an increase of true, sacrificial love within our family during this month of February, which is dedicated to the Holy Family.

Jesus, Mary and Joseph, like you we are members of the Father’s family. We pray that our family love may reflect his love on its openness to all people. May we forgive even when not forgiven, and be patient with others’ weaknesses.

Jesus, give us peace, unit and strength to meet the difficulties of daily living. May we use our family resources to improve the quality of life for ourselves and all people. Let us show joy in serving, for whatever we do for others, we do for you.

Mary, inspire us, that our love may be strong but not possessive. Let our willingness to give depend on the needs of others rather than on the cost of giving.

Joseph, help us to be attentive to the Father’s will. Let us be ready, as you were, to act whenever he calls us.

I am reading…
Cranberry Valentine and making plans with Snuggles and Rose to bake a Cranberry Upside Down Cake (using the recipe on the back cover) with the cranberries in the freezer.

Pondering these words…
which begin the chapter titled “The Wounds of Childhood” in The Context of Holiness (one of my birthday gifts!) by Marc Foley, and thinking back to some of those events in my own childhood.  I think I’m really going to like this book.

There are certain events in life, deaths, births, marriages, divorces, and critical life choices that cut life in two. They determine “before” and “after” for us. They are definitive moments after which life will never be the same… 

I am listening… 
to Snuggles and Rose having a hilarious little conversation. They are across the room from each other and talking on their calculators cellphones.

Around the house…
legos. This afternoon I was about to “kill a spider” when one of the kids said, “Mom!  It’s just a lego!” That “lego” looked way too real on our tile entryway floor.

One of my favorite things…  
the smell of beeswax candles. Mmmmmmmmm 

This week’s plans…

  • Math Tutors (at home) on Tuesday and Thursday
  • Post Office, Library, and a few other errands
  • Rascal’s 12th Birthday – 
  • Dinner/Auction Fundraiser for the local crisis pregnancy home

A little peek at my day…
Nope.  I’m not going to share a picture of the smoking lightbulb, the little black “spider” I was about to smash, the mountain of laundry I have yet to catch up after falling behind while sick last month, the lunch crumbs on the floor, or the piles of school books on the countertops.  I prefer to focus my camera lens on the peaceful and precious moments that are sprinkled throughout the day in spite of the craziness of large family life. ♥ 

Let us go forward in peace, our eyes upon heaven, 
the only one goal of our labors. ~ St. Therese of Lisieux

Usborne Books {Sponsored Review & Giveaway}

Feb 1, 2014 | , , , | 86 Comments

Are you familiar with Usborne Books & More?  

Marie, an Independent Usborne Consultant from Joy Beyond the Cross,  offered to let me choose some books to share here at Shower of Roses!  We have always had Usborne books on our shelves and they are often some of the children’s favorites.  Years ago I actually signed up as a consultant (mainly for the discount), but stopped selling/purchasing the books from Usborne when I realized that the books were cheaper on Amazon than I could buy them as a consultant.  This was the first concern I brought up to Marie, but she let me know that a couple years ago Usborne stopped selling the books through Amazon (some new/used copies are still available through Amazon marketplace) and they have since made it really easy for moms to be consultants (no monthly requirements anymore)! I was so glad to hear that, and really enjoyed putting together my order! 🙂

I will share some of our favorites below, but also want to point out real quick that, as is the case with every secular book store, not all of the books that Usborne sells are books that I want on our bookshelves.  We have always loved the books in the See Inside series, but I recently returned the copies of See Inside Planet Earth and See Inside Space since they had some definite agendas they were pushing… I’ve also taken a marker to a couple of the History books adding a little more coverings (e.g. “Roman Bathtime”) and some of the Art books we own include lots of anatomy as well (e.g. Sistine Chapel paintings).

For this post I thought it would be fun to ask each of my children to pick a favortie for me to share with you all.  The links in this post will take you directly to Marie’s Usborne Store.  I’ve also included Amazon Affiliate links so you can read additional reviews for each book if you are interested.

This year we have been studying art using Meet the Masters (I’ll be posting another art project soon!) and the Usborne Art books have been an excellent addition to our collection!  The Usborne Book of Famous Paintings (Amazon reviews) is pictured above with Art Treasury (Amazon reviews), The Children’s Book of Art (Amazon reviews), Famous Artists, and the Impressionist Sticker Book.

Time Traveler, Ancient World (Amazon Reviews) and The Usborne Encyclopedia of the Ancient World (Amazon Reviews) are incorporated into RC History’s curriculum and they are always greatly enjoyed, especially by my boys.

Captain’s Pick (age 13) :: Time Traveler
“Discover what life was really like in this action-packed adventure through history. Visit a castle during the Crusades, meet a ferocious band of Viking raiders, explore Rome when the Roman empire was at its height and take a trip down the Nile at a time when pharaohs ruled Egypt. Informative and amusing, this fully illustrated book contains four updated Usborne classics: Knights & Castles, Viking Raiders, Rome & Romans, Pharaohs & Pyramids.”
Rascal’s Pick (age 11) :: See Inside The Second World War
“With vivid illustrations and flaps to lift, the book takes you into the action of the Second World War.”
Twinkle Toes’ Pick (age 10) :: Illustrated Stories from Shakespeare
“From lively comedy to dark tragedy, with clowns, witches and a doomed romance, this wonderful collection has six of Shakespeare’s best-loved plays. Discover the stories of Twelfth Night, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Hamlet, Macbeth, Romeo and Juliet, and the Tempest, all beautifully retold for easy reading.”
Chiquita’s Pick (age 8) :: I can draw people
“Even very young children will be able to achieve delightful results when they follow the clear step-by-step picture instructions in this book. Packed with attractive drawings, each double page spread shows children how to draw a different type of person, from a soccer player to a ballerina. Precise hand-control is not required, and lots of ideas for adding details and backgrounds guarantee satisfying results for adults and children alike.”
Snuggles’ Pick (age 6) ::  Illustrated Stories from Aesop
“This timeless collection of over thirty fables is filled with Aesop’s best-loved characters. Meet the lion who becomes friends with a mouse, a clever fox, a foolish crow and a wolf dressed up as a sheep. Enchantingly illustrated and retold, these stories are the perfect introduction to Aesop and will be enjoyed for years to come.”
Rose’s Pick (age 4) :: 1001 Things to Spot in Fairyland
“Discover the magic of fairyland in this enchanting picture book, which will provide hours of puzzle-solving fun. Search for pretty flower fairies in a secret garden, look for frog princes at fairy school and see if you can find bluebirds flying somewhere over the rainbow.”
Bud’s Pick (age 2) ::  That’s not my reindeer…
“This delightful series of board books is aimed at very young children. The bright pictures, with their patches of different textures, are designed to develop sensory and language awareness. Babies and toddlers will love turning the pages and touching the feely patches.”

A little more about Marie and a couple specials for you: 

My name is Marie Bauman and I am a Catholic, SAHM married to Greg (aka Mr. B) and have a 2 year-old daughter named Elizabeth. I blog at Joy Beyond the Cross. We live in the great state of Minnesota, also known as the frozen tundra. We are currently expecting another little Baby B in August 2014. Mr. B and I love to read anything and everything and enjoy sharing this passion with Elizabeth, our little bookworm.

I originally became a consultant with Usborne as a way to get discounts on the books (hey, honesty is the best policy!). However, I realized quickly how truly great the books were and I started branching out to my friends and family as I knew they would love the books just as much as we did. There are books on a large variety of topics and many of the books are great for homeschooling curriculums.

Being an Usborne consultant has been a perfect fit for me because it is 100% flexible and there are no sales quotas or high pressured sales tactics involved. Which is a good thing, because I absolutely detest selling anything and I vowed I never would sell anything again after a traumatic experience at age 10. True story!

I love being able to put this side business down and pick it up when I want to.  Right now, I am picking it back up to help fund “Baby B’s HCG and Progesterone Supplementation Fund” or aka “The poke Marie in the hip multiple times per week fundraising effort”. I am offering a couple of Winter 2014 incentives including the following:

Offer #1 – Free shipping on all retail orders > $50
Offer #2 – 10% off retail orders > $100

Note: The offers can be combined. Since I am offering them directly, I will refund you the amounts via paypal or check immediately after your order is placed. Offer #2 excludes taxes. Usborne offers a lifetime guarantee on all books. Go forth and read a good book!

Order from Marie online at Usborne Books & More.
And I have a couple Usborne books to give to one of my visitors here at Shower of Roses:
(Retail Value $19.99)
(Retail Value $10.99)
Please enter the giveaway using the Rafflecopter box below:

Sponsor Love: Quarterly Update & Current Specials

Jan 31, 2014 | | 5 Comments

Today I have the pleasure of introducing you to all of my new (and returning) sponsors for the next quarter (February/March/April) here at Shower of Roses! Despite turning down requests for a number of years, last November I finally decided to start accepting sponsors. What a blessing! Last month we opened a new savings account for our “van fund” and our dream of purchasing a larger van, one that will fit our growing family – currently just in age/size, not in quantity 😉 – is starting to become more of a reality with the extra income from my awesome sponsors here at Shower of Roses.  All of the sponsors are wonderful Catholic businesses who have blessed our family in the past with their lovely and inspiring products, books, and creations!

Please consider visiting and supporting these online Catholic Shops and Small Businesses, and be sure to watch for some upcoming giveaways. I have quite a few planned for this spring! 
.: Holy Heroes :.


Lent will be here before you know it!  Holy Heroes is currently offering the “Roadmap to Easter” for 30-50% off until February 3rd! 

Visit Holy Heroes and be sure to check out the Deal of the Day.

 You can also order a Free CD!

(One per customer. S/H will be added to the cost of the free CD.)

.: Prayer Pillowcases :.

Prayer Pillowcases are more than just a pretty place to lay your head! They’re a unique way to bring Catholic art and prayer into your home. And a practical way to share the Faith with your family and friends. Our distinctive line combines original art and favorite Catholic prayers that appeal to all ages and transform pillows from the ordinary to the divine! Honor a special occasion or make any occasion special with the gift of a joyful, lasting (and personalizable) Prayer Pillowcase. We’re always working on new designs and hope you’ll visit again soon to see even more ways to help your loved ones begin and each day with a prayerful heart.

Watch for the upcoming spring debut of the Pope John Paul II Prayer Pillowcases!
.: Catholic Embroidery :.

Catholic Embroidery (a division of Precision Embroidery LLC) was established by the Serafino Family in 2007 and is dedicated to providing Catholic items for both every day life and for the service of the Altar. Our family business strives to offer products that bring beautiful representations of our Faith into the homes and hearts of Catholics across the globe. To do this, we have worked with only the finest Catholic graphic artists to create exclusive signature embroidery designs that display the true beauty and symbolism of our Faith, and applying them to useful items (ie. aprons, handkerchiefs, afghans) to uplift Catholics in their daily lives.

In keeping with celebrating the upcoming feast of St. Joseph of March 19th, we’ve designed a limited edition St. Joseph Apron and Applique for the occasion! Deck your kitchen and St. Joseph altar with these exclusive embroidered treasures featuring our St. Joseph Portrait design and Viva San Giuseppe! monogram in traditional Italian colors. 

Take advantage of our Pre-Order special of free shipping on all St. Joseph item pre-orders from now until February 12th with coupon code STJOSEPH.

Also keep warm an beat winter blues with our embroidered St. Benedict Fleece Embroidered Throw – 100% fleecy warmness for your home, office, school room, or car! 
.: Mama’s Notebooks :.

Mama’s Notebooks brings you helpful notebooks to organize your family life.

All of our notebooks are designed from the ground up by a Mom for other Moms, and feature simple and effective charts, lists, and ideas to help your family life run more smoothly! Our notebooks are spiral bound for your convenience.

.: Jesse Tree Treasures :.


Jesse Tree Treasures offers some beautiful resources for Lent and Easter including their Stations of the Cross Ornaments and the Holy Week Easter Ornaments.

Be sure to visit the Etsy shop and check out their brand new
.: Gail Giron Designs :.

Gail Giron Designs offers gorgeous handmade
Rosaries, Tenners, Jewelry, Sacramentals and more. Special orders are welcome!

.: Catholic Child :.

Catholic Child Catalog is the place to find teachings and treasures for Catholic youth of all ages, toddler through young adult. Our faith-enriching product line includes traditional Catholic items such as rosaries, bibles, devotional jewelry and books on the lives of the saints alongside card games, board games, audio stories, teen fiction and apologetics, movies, music, posters and framed art.

Catholic Child is currently having a Flash Sale this weekend with savings up to 50% off! Orders over $50 also qualify for Free Shipping with promo code #189012
.: Holy Heroes Lenten Adventure :.

Lent begins on March 5th this year.   Once again Holy Heroes is offering their free Lenten Adventure! 

This includes: FREE video, music, and fun activities delivered to your email inbox all through Lent! Join the Holy Heroes Adventure Guides for your Best Lent Ever!

Sign up for Lenten Adventure today!

.: Sacred Heart Books and Gifts :.

At Sacred Heart Books and Gifts we strive to keep our products at the lowest prices possible. We do not mark up a product and then provide a “discount.” We do not throw in any gimmicks to create an illusion of steep discounts. Keep in mind that we discount 365 days a year. Items not discounted are due to publishers’ requests or because of low discounts given to us by our suppliers. Our mission is to bring to you the finest products at a fair cost. We have worked hard to maintain the highest levels of quality and service.

Sacred Heart Books and Gifts discount the majority of their books and other media products by 15% off publishers prices.
Sacred Heart Books and Gifts also offers a low, flat shipping rate of $5.95 
for all orders totaling over $15.00, regardless of size! 
.: St. Luke’s Brush :.

St. Luke’s Brush is an Etsy shop that specializes in hand-painted Catholic Saint Dolls, religious education play sets and religious art and gifts. These are high quality, one of a kind toys and gifts guaranteed to inspire a greater love and understanding of the Catholic Faith. Garry and his wife Amy opened the shop in September of 2010 with the hope of bringing handmade Catholic toys to small hands. More than three years later the art of St. Luke’s Brush has delighted children and adults alike. “One of the things we realized along the way is truly what a small number of saints and religious figures are represented in Catholic statuary. So in addition to providing patron saints as toys for children, adults were finding they could obtain a three dimensional representation of any saint they wanted.” As an artist Garry takes inspiration in the many forms of Catholic art and distills it into his own unique vision with each piece having an original and spontaneous quality. In addition to creating atrium materials for Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, we offer a great selection of gifts, perfect for Christmas, Feast Days, Easter, Sacrament Gifts and other special occasions. Custom orders welcome!

Visit St. Luke’s Brush over at Etsy!
.: Sew Sweet by Shannon :.


Sew Sweet by Shannon is a small homebased business in the heart of the US that sells lovingly handmade clothing, accessories, and toys for little girls and women.

Visit Sew Sweet by Shannon over at Etsy!
.: Sew Many Booties :.


Sew Many Booties offers unique, affordable and adorable home-sewn baby booties and toddler slippers in 4 sizes up to 24 months.

Be sure to check out Angela’s shop
Sew Many Booties over at Etsy!
.: Marie Bauman :.

My name is Marie Bauman and I am a Catholic, SAHM married to Greg (aka Mr. B) and have a 2 year-old daughter named Elizabeth. I blog at Joy Beyond the Cross. We live in the great state of Minnesota, also known as the frozen tundra. We are currently expecting another little Baby B in August 2014. Mr. B and I love to read anything and everything and enjoy sharing this passion with Elizabeth, our little bookworm. I originally became a consultant with Usborne as a way to get discounts on the books (hey, honesty is the best policy!). However, I realized quickly how truly great the books were and I started branching out to my friends and family as I knew they would love the books just as much as we did. There are books on a large variety of topics and many of the books are great for homeschooling curriculums. Being an Usborne consultant has been a perfect fit for me because it is 100% flexible and there are no sales quotas or high pressured sales tactics involved. Which is a good thing, because I absolutely detest selling anything and I vowed I never would sell anything again after a traumatic experience at age 10. True story! I love being able to put this side business down and pick it up when I want to. Right now, I am picking it back up to help fund “Baby B’s HCG and Progesterone Supplementation Fund” or aka “The poke Marie in the hip multiple times per week fundraising effort”. I am offering a couple of Winter 2014 incentives including the following:

Offer #1 – Free shipping on all retail orders > $50
Offer #2 – 10% off retail orders > $100

Note: The offers can be combined. Since I am offering them directly, I will refund you the amounts via paypal or check immediately after your order is placed. Offer excludes taxes and s/h. Usborne offers a lifetime guarantee on all books. Go forth and read a good book!

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Our family is very grateful for the support of both my sponsors and visitors!
If you are interested in advertising at Shower of Roses,
click here for my current rates and policies.

Thank you and May God bless you all!


Our Family

Sean & Jessica, Captain-24, Ranger-22, Twinkle Toes-21, Chiquita-19, Snuggles-17, Rose-14, Bud-12, Grace-7 and Joy-5 (blog nicknames)

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.

My Other Blog: Catholic Cuisine

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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.


Our Family

Sean & Jessica, Captain-24, Ranger-22, Twinkle Toes-21, Chiquita-19, Snuggles-17, Rose-14, Bud-12, Grace-7 and Joy-5 (blog nicknames)

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.

My Other Blog: Catholic Cuisine

Please Visit My Sponsors…

This Week's Popular Posts

Shower of Roses Affiliate Links

All About Spelling
All About Reading
All About Reading Pre-reading
All About Reading Giveaways
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Our Advent & Christmas Books

Shower of Roses Christmas Gift Guides

Looking for Something?

looking-back

  • ▼2024 (29)
  • ►2023 (30)
  • ►2022 (48)
  • ►2021 (48)
  • ►2020 (57)
  • ►2019 (61)
  • ►2018 (90)
  • ►2017 (128)
  • ►2016 (148)
  • ►2015 (172)
  • ►2014 (227)
  • ►2013 (238)
  • ►2012 (308)
  • ►2011 (297)
  • ►2010 (313)
  • ►2009 (486)
  • ►2008 (564)
  • ►2007 (148)

Posts About:

Shower of Roses Alphabet of Saints

A Papal Unit Study & Lap Book

Shower of Roses Easter Gift Guides



All Saints Party Printables

All original photographs and written material are ©2007-2025 Shower of Roses. I'd love for you to link back to me, but please do not copy or take content from this blog without permission. Click here for my Copyright Terms & Conditions. Thank you for visiting!