Stacks of Books on Christmas Morning
Captain (age 13) received the basic Kindle e-reader (the 6″ Ink Display, “without special offers” version, purchased on sale – it won’t let me link directly…), this cover, and The Invaders: Brotherband Chronicles #2, The Gate (the new book by Nancy Carabio Belanger is now available at Amazon) and Twenty Tales of Irish Saints.
Rascal (age 11) also received the basic Kindle e-reader (“without special offers” version, purchased on sale), this cover, and The Royal Ranger, The Haunted Cathedral and The Fire of Eden.
Twinkle Toes (age 10) received the Samantha Books Set, Samantha Just for Fun (not pictured), Inside the Secret Garden (illustrated by Tasha Tudor – she received The Secret Garden also illustrated by Tasha Tudor for her birthday), The Tasha Tudor Cookbook, Mandy, Pink Ponies Cookbook, Ballet Shoes (somehow this ended up in TT’s stack instead of C’s, oops!), Strawberry Hill, Saint Catherine of Siena Audiobook, and a set of Little Lined Books… in her stocking.
Chiquita (age 8) received The Secret Garden (illustrated by Inga Moore), The Little House Cookbook, Addy Book Set, Rebecca Just for Fun (not pictured), A Story of Saint Agatha, Queen of the Poor, King Oberon’s Forest, Sweet Little Ladies and the Secret at Berry Creek and a set of Little Lined Books… in her stocking.
Snuggles (age 6) received Saint Felix and the Spider, Cranberry Christmas, Peter Pan, Sir Cumference and the Off-the-Charts Desserts, Three Tales of My Father’s Dragon, and See Inside Trains. (I forgot to include one of his books and the audio book in the photo…)
I also pre-viewed a copy of the darling book Red Knit Cap Girl by the same illustrator, before wrapping and sending it to one of our goddaughters for Christmas, along with a little doll I hand-painted… and LOOK!!! Charlotte’s darling photo was featured on the author’s blog! I just love all of her illustrations and I’ve already ordered a copy of Red Knit Cap Girl for our family, along with a copy of All Creatures Great and Small to include in Easter baskets this spring!
Celebrating Epiphany
I didn’t think I was going to be able to pull it off this year, but this morning I woke up feeling better (I have been pretty sick since the first) and decided I could at least make cupcakes for the children to celebrate Epiphany! I quickly baked the cupcakes, and then decided to keep going. Pretty soon everything had fallen into place (thanks to a bit of pre-planning) for a simplified version of last year’s Twelve Days of Christmas Dinner party to go along with some Pasta and Salad. I have a few pictures to share with you all before I am off to get some more rest.
The only connection this salad has is that I made sure it had seven ingredients 🙂
Feasts & Seasons :: Our January Book Basket
January 1st, Solemnity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Holy Mother of God (New) and Circumcision of Our Lord (Trad.):
- Virgin Mary (Saints and Angels) by Claire Llewellyn
- Mary: Mother of Jesus by Mary Joslin (study guide in Catholic Mosaic)
- Take it to the Queen: A Tale of Hope by Josephine Nobisso
- Mary by Demi
- Solemnity of Mother of God – Protectress (Mother of God Coloring Book)
- Mary, Mother of God (Mondays With Mary, I own the first edition) by Meredith Henning
January 2nd, St. Basil the Great (New):
- Saint Basil (Saints: Lives and Illuminations) by Ruth Sanderson
- St. Basil the Great (Picture Book of Saints)
January 3rd, Most Holy Name of Jesus (New):
January 3rd, St. Genevieve (Hist.):
- Saint Genevieve (Saints: Lives and Illuminations) by Ruth Sanderson
- St. Genevieve (Once Upon a Time Saints) by Ethel Pochocki
- Saint Genevieve (Saints for Girls – also available from TAN/Neumann Press) by Susan Weaver
- Genevieve, the Shepherdess from The Golden Legend of Young Saints
January 4th, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton (New):
- Elizabeth Seton (Around the Year Once Upon a Time Saints) by Ethel Pochocki
- St. Elizabeth Ann Seton (Lives of the Saints: An Illustrated History for Children) by Bart Tesoriero
- Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton (More Saints: Lives and Illuminations) by Ruth Sanderson
- E – St. Elizabeth (An Alphabet of Catholic Saints) by Nippert
- Mother Seton and the Sisters of Charity (Vision) by Alma Power-Waters
- A Story of Mother Elizabeth Seton by Brother Ernest (Neumann Press – also available from TAN)
- Kat Finds a Friend: A St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Story by Joan Stromberg
January 4th, St. Pharaildis:
- Pharaildis (More Once Upon a Time Saints) by Ethel Pochocki
January 4th, St. Rigobert:
- Rigobert (More Once Upon a Time Saints) by Ethel Pochocki
January 5th, St. John Neumann (New):
- John Neumann (Around the Year Once Upon a Time Saints) by Ethel Pochocki
- St. John Neumann (Lives of the Saints: An Illustrated History for Children) by Bart Tesoriero
- “Do whatever He tells you.” Saint John Neumann by Brenda and George Nippert
- Thomas finds a Treasure: A St. John Neumann Story by Joan Stromberg
January 5th, Twelfth Night (The Twelve Days of Christmas):
- The Twelve Days of Christmas by Jan Brett
- The Twelve Days of Christmas by Laurel Long
- The Twelve Days of Christmas by Gennady Spirin
- The Twelve Days of Christmas: A Christmas Carol (A Little Golden Book)
- The Twelve Days of Christmas: The Story Behind a Favorite Christmas Song
- Twelve Days of Christmas Stained Glass Coloring Book
- The Thirteen Days of Christmas by Jenny Overton
- The Little Match Girl by H. Thury (study guide in Catholic Mosaic)
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| The Twelve Days of Christmas by Laurel Long |
January 6th, Epiphany of the Lord (New, Trad) Sts. Caspar, Balthasar & Melchior, the Three Wise Men (Hist.):
(In the United States this feast is celebrated on the first Sunday following January 1st)
- Babushka and the Three Kings by Ruth Robbins
- Small Camel Follows the Star by Rachel Brown
- The Third Gift by Linda Sue Park
- We Three Kings by Gennady Spirin
- The Last Straw by Fredrick Thury (study guide in Catholic Mosaic)
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| Small Camel Follows the Star by Rachel Brown |
January 13th, Baptism of the Lord (Trad.):
- Saint Nina (Saints: Lives and Illuminations) by Ruth Sanderson
January 14th, St. Kentigern:
- Kentigern (More Once Upon a Time Saints) by Ethel Pochocki
January 14th , St. Felix of Nola:
- Saint Felix and the Spider by Dessi Jackson
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| Saint Felix and the Spider by Dessi Jackson |
January 15th, St. Paul – The First Hermit (Trad.)
- St. Paul and St. Anthony: The First Hermits (The Book of Saints & Heroes) by Andrew Lang
January 17th, St. Anthony of Egypt (New, Trad.)
- Saint Anthony (Saints: Lives and Illuminations) by Ruth Sanderson
- St. Paul and St. Anthony: The First Hermits (The Book of Saints & Heroes) by Andrew Lang
January 20th, St. Sebastian (New, Trad.)
- St. Sebastian (Saints and Angels) by Claire Llewellyn
- St. Sebastian (Lives of the Saints: An Illustrated History for Children) by Bart Tesoriero
- S- St. Sebastian (An Alphabet of Saints) by Robert Hugh Benson (Neumann Press)
January 21st, St. Agnes (New, Trad.):
- St. Agnes (Saints and Angels) by Claire Llewellyn
- Saint Agnes (Saints for Girls – also available from TAN/Neumann Press) by Father Gales
- Saint Agnes by M.R. Berardi (OOP – from my childhood collection)
- Beautiful Saint Agnes from The Golden Legend of Young Saints
January 21st, Our Lady of Altagracia:
- A Gift of Gracias: The Legend of Altagracia by Julia Alvarez (study guide in Catholic Mosaic)
January 23rd, Espousals of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Hist.):
- Betrothal of Mary to Saint Joseph (Mondays With Mary, I own the first edition) by Meredith Henning
January 24th, St. Francis de Sales (New) (Trad. – Jan 29th):
- St. Francis de Sales (Lives of the Saints: An Illustrated History for Children) by Bart Tesoriero
- Saint Francis de Sales (More Saints: Lives and Illuminations) by Ruth Sanderson
January 25th, The Conversion of St. Paul (New, Trad.):
- Paul (Lives and Legends of Saints) by Carole Armstrong
- St. Paul (Saints and Angels) by Claire Llewellyn
- The Great Hero: St. Paul the Apostle
- Adventures of St. Paul by Oldrich Selucky
- St. Paul The Apostle by Mary Fabyan Windeatt
- The First Christians: The Acts of the Apostles for Children by Marigold Hunt
- On the Road to Damascus from Golden Legend of Young Saints
January 26th, St. Paula (Hist.):
- Saint Paula & Saint Jerome (Saints: Lives and Illuminations) by Ruth Sanderson
January 27th, St. Angela Merici (New) (Trad. – June 1st):
- Saint Angela Mereci (More Saints: Lives and Illuminations) by Ruth Sanderson
January 27th, St. John Chrysostom (Trad.) (New – Sep. 13th):
- Saint John Chrysostom (Saints: Lives and Illuminations) by Ruth Sanderson
January 28th, St. Thomas Aquinas (New) (Trad. – Mar. 7th):
- Thomas Aquinas (Around the Year Once Upon a Time Saints) by Ethel Pochocki
- St. Thomas Aquinas (Saints and Angels) by Claire Llewellyn
- St. Thomas Aquinas (Lives of the Saints: An Illustrated History for Children) by Bart Tesoriero
- Saint Thomas Aquinas (More Saints: Lives and Illuminations) by Ruth Sanderson
- St. Thomas Aquinas by Mary Fabyan Windeatt
- St. Thomas Aquinas and the Preaching Beggars (Vision) by Brendan Larnen, OP and Milton
- The Quiet Light: A Novel about St. Thomas Aquinas by Louis de Wohl (Note: This is not a children’s book, but I have really enjoyed reading the saint novels by Louis de Wohl.)
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| Saint Thomas Aquinas – Lives of the Saints: An Illustrated History for Children |
January 29th, St. Francis de Sales (Trad.) (New – Jan 24th):
See January 24th for booklist.
January 31st, St. John Bosco (New, Trad.):
- A Story of John Bosco by Brother Ernest (Neumann Press – also available from TAN)
- St. John Bosco by Kathleen Pearce
- St. John Bosco and Saint Dominic Savio (Vision) by Catherine Beebe
- St. John Bosco Mission to Love DVD
Other Links for January:
Links for January :: Month Dedicated to the Most Holy Name of Jesus
Roses for Baby Jesus
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| Rose loves lining up her new pink Rosary Roses five times for Baby Jesus during our family rosaries! |
Today is the Feast of the Most Holy Name of Jesus on the new calendar and it is celebrated on January 5th on the traditional calendar. We will be reading The Saving Name of God the Son and coloring pictures from the Holy Name of Jesus Coloring Book.
It is also the historical feast of St. Genevieve! You can find short stories about St. Genevieve in Saints: Lives and Illuminations, Once Upon a Time Saints, and Saints for Girls: A First Book for Little Catholic Girls (also available from TAN/Neumann Press – I’m dying to read this one to Rose, but I’m still saving it for her Easter Basket this year!). I’ve been busy organizing bookshelves and hope to share a complete list of books for January soon.
A Few Highlights from 2013. . .
Like last year, I thought it’d be fun to share some of the highlights from this past year. I actually compiled photo albums as gifts for our parents this Christmas and I snapped some screen shots of those pages (with the text slightly modified) to share with you all here at Shower of Roses. Once again it has been such a wonderful year, filled with so much love, joy, and many, many blessings!
In January we celebrated the twelve days of Christmas with a super fun dinner party and I celebrated my 35th birthday… Even though Sean was away for training for a few weeks he and the kids made sure it was just as special as always!
Rascal turned 11 in February with a Hobbit themed birthday!
March was busy! We welcomed a new Holy Father, completed a Papal Unit Study and Lap Book, and the boys were excited to see their “Habemus Papam!” lego creation shared all over the web, and even tweeted by a Vatican spokesman!
In the meantime the girls were busy practicing Irish Dancing for St. Patrick’s Day.
We spent a weekend at the coast for Sean’s birthday.
March ended with Easter Sunday, Baskets filled with Books, and our Annual Egg Hunt! You can scroll through all the Easter posts here.
Our sweet niece turned 3, learned to walk, and has been making such wonderful progress.
In April we were blessed to attend a Sound of Music play and enjoy another Mother & Daughter Tea Party.
Chiquita celebrated her 8th birthday with a Josefina American Girl themed party.
After years of praying we were blessed with a regularly scheduled Latin Mass each quarter!
In May Twinkle Toes had her (first phase) braces taken off and we celebrated the feast of Pentecost – one of the many beautiful feast days we celebrated again this year.
In June we attended a Catholic Family Camp with the Fathers of Mercy.
Snuggles turned 6 on the last day of Golf Camp and was thrilled with his Lone Ranger birthday!
The 4th of July was celebrated with friends and fireworks, and cake!
In July we became the parents of a teenager. . . Captain loved his Long Expected Party!
Summer was filled with wildfires and overtime, way too much smoke, a vocations camp, swimming lessons, tidepooling and more.
In August we were blessed with another beautiful Goddaughter. The children were (once again) inspired to play Mass (and Bud here) following an amazing Latin Mass we attended during a William Byrd Festival.
Twinkle Toes became a Ten-ager and loved her “Caroline” party.
We ended the summer with one last trip to the coast, a cake on the anniversary of Summorum Pontificum, an exciting golf accomplishment for my brother, another visit from friends and a trip to Crater Lake!
After our guests headed home we began our 2013-2014 school year with goals and checklists.
In October we tried not to worry when my husband was furloughed, and some of the family headed to visit my husband’s parents for the first time in nearly three years. The older boys and I missed them so much! It was hard not being able to travel all together… Saving for a larger van, one that fits all nine of us, is one of our goals for 2014!
December started peacefully, but very quickly we were reminded of just how much we value running water in the home when our pipes froze and our well pump’s motor died following a snowstorm and abnormally low temperatures for our area!
Despite the lack of running water (thankfully for “only” 6 days, before we were able to replace the deep well pump) I still managed to pull together a perfectly pink party for Rose!
And Bud celebrated with a Deer in the Woods birthday!
The feasts of St. Nicholas, Our Lady of Guadalupe, and St. Lucy were enjoyed as much as ever and Christmas was beautiful! (I created the book before Christmas, but do plan to share some pictures from Christmas day soon.)
Ice Skating and Pizza on the 6th Day of Christmas
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| Thank you Grandpa and Grandma M. for all the new hats and mittens! |
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| The older boys took turns helping Snuggles skate. |
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| Uncles are the best. . . |
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| . . . even when they are “it!” |
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| It was a good thing that the kids worked up an appetite ice skating… The pizza shop isn’t kidding when it calls this pizza “Colossal” size! Thankfully my brothers helped! |
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| At 2 1/2 feet in diameter, the colossal pizza was the equivalent of over 3 family sized pizzas! They usually charge $43 for the colossal pepperoni pizza, but I had a $10 Restaurant.com certificate, so I thought $33 to feed 12 people (with a box of pizza leftover!) was a bargain! Bonus: The pizza parlor is celebrating their birthday this week and they just called this morning to let us know we won the $25 gift certificate from yesterday’s drawing! |
The Twelve Days of Christmas & Cathedral Windows
They kindly let Twinkle Toes add that last piece!
I’m hoping to have another Twelve Days of Christmas Dinner Party on Twelfth Night!
Well, I’m off to start our next puzzle – Heaven on Earth complete with stained glass windows!!! dinner… I also made some Cathedral Window Cookies in honor of St. Thomas Becket for dessert. I hope you are all having a Blessed Sunday and Feast of the Holy Family!
On the Feast of St. John
After a rather crazy Advent, we have all been greatly enjoying these peaceful and relaxing days of Christmastide! Yesterday we celebrated the feast of St. John and a name-day in our home. Instead of baking the Eagle Brownies again this year, Rascal asked if I could make St. John’s Love. After we all sat down for dinner my husband blessed the wine.
Blessing of Wine for the Feast of St. John the Apostle
(Source: Feast Day Cookbook)
Leader: Our help is in the name of the Lord.
All: Who has made heaven and earth.
Leader: The Lord be with you.
All: And also with you. (I love that the kids all answered “And with your spirit!”)
Leader: Let us pray. Be so kind as to bless and consecrate with Your right hand, Lord, this cup of wine, and every drink. Grant that by the merits of Saint John the Apostle and Evangelist, all who believe in You and drink of this cup may be blessed and protected. Blessed John drank poison from the cup, and was in no way harmed. So, too, may all who this day drink from this cup in honor of Blessed John, by his merits, be freed from every sickness by poisoning and from any harms whatever. And, when they have offered themselves in both soul and body, may they be freed, too, from every fault, through Christ our Lord.
All: Amen.
Leader: Bless, Lord, this beverage which You have made. May it be a healthful refreshment to all who drink of it. And grant by the invocation of Your holy name that whoever tastes of it may, by Your generosity receive health of both soul and body, through Christ our Lord.
All: Amen
To begin the toasting, the Father of the house lifts his glass toward the Mother and says, “I drink you the love of St. John.” The Mother then replies, “I thank you for the love of St. John.” She then turns to the oldest child, lifts her glass and says, “I drink you the love of St. John…” and so on, until everyone has been toasted.
Christmas Eve in Pictures
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| Baby Jesus will arrive soon! |
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| Madonna and Child |
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| After finishing the Noah’s Ark puzzle, we started the Our Lady of Guadalupe puzzle once again! This week we are working on The Twelve Days of Christmas! |
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| Looking through the Family Photo album I helped my mom assemble. She gave a copy to all 12 of us siblings for Christmas! |
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| Sean picked out a board book and Tug Boat for our niece (his goddaughter) which she loved! |
On the Feast of Stephen. . .
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| Stephen’s Feast and Saint Stephen from Saints: Lives and Illuminations |
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| Good King Wenceslas by Jane Seymour and Good King Wenceslas by John Neale |
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| Mirkwood Elf Army |
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| Coast Guard Patrol |
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| Lake Town Chase |
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