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A Few Memories and a Childhood Treasure

Aug 28, 2013 | , | 8 Comments


“If you dear little girls would only learn what real beauty is, and not pinch and starve and bleach yourselves out so, you’d save an immense deal of time and money and pain. A happy soul in a healthy body makes the best sort of beauty for man or woman.” ― Louisa May Alcott, Eight Cousins

My absolute favorite thing to do as a child was read.  As the oldest of twelve children life was always busy, but I’d often sneak away and hide under my bed or in the closet with a flashlight and a book.  At one point I even remember intentionally trying to make my mom mad (soooo naughty of me!) so she would send me to my room just so I could spend more time reading.  This quickly ended one afternoon when I said something that resulted in a “Go to your room!” from my mom who then told my sister Jennifer to take over the dishes I was washing.  Jenny responded “That’s not fair! She wants you to send her to her room so she can read!” From then on my “punishments” were changed to additional chores, usually mopping the wood floors…

Earlier today I took a break from chores and lesson planning and was looking through some of my old treasures – favorite books from my childhood – trying to choose a few to share with our oldest daughter this coming school year.   Now that she is turning 10 this week I thought she might enjoy one of my old favorites, Eight Cousins by Louisa May Alcott.  It had been tucked away in my closet for safe keeping and I was so excited when I opened it and recalled that it had been given to me, by my Grandmother, 25 years ago on my 10th birthday, and had originally been given to my Grandma Jo Ann by her Aunt Viv on Christmas in 1940! 



I think I have shared a little about my Grandma (my Dad’s mom) in the past, but I can’t seem to find the post… She passed away just two years later (in May of 1990, at the age of 61), within two months of being diagnosed with cancer (right after Easter that year), which was also right after being sentenced (on Good Friday by a “Catholic” judge) to three months in jail for sitting and praying the rosary in front of an abortion clinic with Operation Rescue.  God had other plans for her… I loved her so much!  How I miss her and wish she could meet her great-grandchildren. Last week, when I was watching the kids play Mass, I asked God to please let her have a little peek through the clouds – I could just picture her smiling! 


Anyways, my copy of Eight Cousins is starting to fall apart, but I did order a new copy to give to our oldest daughter on Friday.   I love that the Penguin Classics Paperback version shows Rose ice skating on the cover!  It will tie in nicely to the “Caroline” themed birthday we are planning.  🙂

Seven Quick Takes From Our Trip Last Weekend

Aug 23, 2013 | , , , , , , | 5 Comments

— 1 —

Last weekend we were blessed to be able to travel to meet our newest goddaughter and attend her baptism and the 10th Anniversary Mass and Renewal of Vows of her parents! This sweet little girl was born last month following a very complicated delivery.  Thanks be to God both baby and momma are doing well!  

— 2 —

I had hoped to get out of town early Friday morning, but it ended up being nearly 11am before we left. When I asked my husband to stop in town, before getting on the freeway, so I could pick up some Moscato and Peach Schnapps he said, “Well that is a perfect Facebook update for you… ‘We are on our way to our new goddaughter’s baptism… First stop: Liquor Store!’”  Ummm, yeah… When you put it that way…

— 3 —

After arriving in town, and dropping off our suitcases and sleeping bags at the home of some friends who graciously offered to host us, we headed to the golf course to meet David & Ursula and their family for a fundraiser/bbq.   My older girls were so excited to see one of their own best friends again and it was the perfect opportunity for me to hold the baby!

We also got to see a couple other priests we knew, as well as meet the Bishop and Father Vuky, who would be concelebrating the Baptism Mass. 

— 4 —
After dinner we headed to back to Ursula’s new home (they moved this month and now live right next to the church!) to drink sangria and not worry about all decorations, food and desserts for the 200 guests! make a shopping list so I could go to Costco in the morning for food, drinks, and desserts for the reception, while Sean and the boys helped set up tables and chairs in the back yard.  The Peach Sangria was awesome!  Here is the recipe:

~ Peach Sangria ~
1 bottle Moscato
1/3 bottle Peach Schnapps
1 liter bottle 7up (or Sprite)
Sliced fresh peaches
Stir all ingredients (except 7up) together in the fridge and let the fruit sit to absorb all of the delicious flavors, then add sprite just before serving.  Yummm!
— 5 —
At that point it was getting really late and we headed back to the home where we would be staying.  Little did our hostess know when I gave her a Catholic Cuisine apron, and a couple other goodies as a thank you gift for her and her husband’s hospitality, that she would be wearing that apron all weekend long! 😉  
Alecia was amazing!  She stayed up late making some pasta salads to help with the party the next day, went shopping with me to Costco and Winco for the food for the party, made Chicken Salad Sandwiches to take as well, and also fed my own family amazing meals all weekend long! 
I originally met Alecia when I was fourteen.  She was my camp counselor (when she was about the age I am now!) at an MI camp.  The following year I spent the night at her home for the first time on my way to World Youth Day in 1993!  The rest of the group I was staying with was staying at a local gym, but I was weak from recovering from the flu and she took me home so I could sleep in a bed.  I also became good friends with a couple of her boys during those summer camps when we were teenagers, and one of her boys headed to Christendom the year after I attended.  So many great friends are made though Catholic Summer Camps!  
Alecia has always been so thoughtful and caring.  It was such a blessing to be able to take our children to meet her and they loved her just as much as I do!  In fact, one of the first things that Snuggles said when we arrived home was “I want to go back to that house where we slept!” 

— 6 —

I already posted a few pictures of the baptism, which was so very beautiful.  You can find them here.

Here is one more picture of my beautiful friend and new goddaughter!

— 7 —

Sunday morning we headed into town to attend a a Solemn Pontifical Mass (1970 Missal) which was part of the William Byrd Festival and featured Byrd’s Mass for Three Voices.  

The Celebrant was the Most Reverend Basil Meeking, D.D., who is the Bishop Emeritus of Christchurch, New Zealand.  

Following Mass our children erupted with cheers when my phone announced “Calculating Route to the Lego Store…”  Even though it wasn’t the way I had planned to surprise them with this first visit ever to a lego store, it was still quite the surprise!   
One of the employees let them all build a minifigure to take home, in exchange for sorting some legos, and I let the boys fill a little container from the pick-a-brick section.  Of course the older boys were the most excited to see the new Tower of Orthanc in person. 

After that we met up with David and Ursula at Red Robin before heading home… The waitress was wonderful and not at all overwhelmed by our “4 adults and 13 children!”

Originally I had hoped to head from the Baptism straight to Idaho so that our older boys could attend a summer camp at one of Sean’s brother’s parishes this week, but it was just too much to try and plan.  Honestly it has taken me nearly all of this week to just recover from the weekend trip!   Our summer has flown by and I still have so much I need to finish before our new school year begins on September 3rd…  I better get back to my planning!  I hope you all have a great weekend!

For additional Quick Takes visit Conversion Diary.

In nomine Patris, et Filii, et Spiritus Sancti…

Aug 21, 2013 | | 28 Comments

Yesterday afternoon I heard praying and singing coming from the girls’ bedroom and found all seven of our children (ages 13 down to 1) playing “Mass!”

My mom saw the picture above (posted from Instagram to Facebook) and called to ask if it had been staged. No, it was not staged!  If it had been staged I would have given my oldest daughter a sweater to cover her shoulders, grabbed the girls’ Mass veils from the van, and brushed everyones hair! 😉  They did this completely on their own, without any encouragement or help from me. 
It brought tears to my eyes to see that this was the way the children had chosen to spend their afternoon, after I had asked the older ones to watch the little ones while I was busy catching up on some computer work and preparing to paint.  The Mass kits hadn’t been pulled out much this year, but when I showed the pictures to my husband last night he pointed out that last weekend, while we were traveling, we had attended two very beautiful Masses (A Baptismal Mass on Saturday and a Solemn Pontifical Mass on Sunday that was part of the William Byrd Festival), in two gorgeous churches, celebrated by two different bishops. The beauty and reverence of the Masses did indeed inspire our children.  
After snapping that first picture (from the back of the “church” with my phone) I was asked to join them for the rest of Mass.  I did, but first I ran to grab my camera.  It was all so sweet!   I sure wish I would have video recorded, especially a little of their singing before they knew I was listening… After that it wasn’t quite as dramatic!
The top bunk was used as a “Choir Loft” for the “Monk” who came down to chant the readings. 
 
Yes, there was a little confusion in the “congregation” on whether to stand or kneel following the Agnus Dei…  We have been attending a mix of Norvus Ordo (our usual local Mass) and Extraordinary Form Masses (we’ve been recently blessed with one EF Mass a quarter in addition to our occasional trips to the coast for Mass), and the postures at different times of the Mass have been a little confusing for the younger children.   Even though the “general norm” is to kneel following the Agnus Dei, our (recently retired) last archbishop “determined otherwise.”  We usually kneel (at least when we can) and hope that our new Archbishop will make this the “norm” for our diocese!  We also continue to pray for more frequent Latin Masses… 
We were out of Rice Crackers, but the kids found some leftover Banana Chips in the snack bag from our recent trip.
So many precious moments… 
… perhaps all this extra practice will help our little man behave a little better the next time we attend Mass!  😉
He tried to escape during the recent baptism.
“My dolly came to Mass too, ’cause we both made our First Holy Ta-mmunnions!”  

Miniature Mass Set (older version) and Red & Green Vestments (no longer sold) from Our Father’s House 
(the older boys were given these in 2005) 
Folding Book Stand (similar to this)
Family Prayer for Vocations

O Divine Jesus, Who has taught us to pray to the Lord of the harvest that He send forth laborers into His harvest, be pleased to raise up many holy Priests and religious to work according to the intentions of Your Heart and to procure by their ministry the salvation of souls and the glory of Your Father. And if it should please You, O Lord to choose one such from our family kneeling before you at this moment, we thank You with all of our hearts on this earth and for all eternity. 
Amen.

Mary, Mother of all Vocations, Pray for Us!

Our Goddaughter’s Holy Sacrament of Baptism

Aug 20, 2013 | , , , | 27 Comments

Our beautiful new goddaughter on her Baptismal Day – August 17, 2013
Loving God, Creator of all good things,
Thank you for the gift of life given to our goddaughter.

What a privilege it was for us to stand as witnesses for the Church
when our goddaughter was washed in baptismal waters.

Lord, help us to be faithful to you all the days of our lives.

Our older boys were honored to serve at the altar for the Baptismal Mass, which was also a 10th Anniversary/Renewal of Vows Mass for our dear friends.  We had missed their actual wedding 10 years ago since I was on bedrest with our oldest daughter. 

As our goddaughter grows in age and faith,
enable us to be a good example for her 
of how to live as a follower of Jesus.

Rose loves her godparent’s new baby, her brand new godsister!  

Through our love and concern, in moments of joy and sorrow,
allow us to reveal your loving face, O God.

We pray this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

I ended up helping with all the food for the party and was so pleased that their Costco had a beautiful white cake on Saturday morning.      I had also happened to pack along a candy cross “just in case” to use as a cake topper.  Perfect! 
I ran out of time before our trip to order a Baptismal Blanket, which ended up being just fine since another blanket (the one used for her five older siblings) was going to be used anyways.  Instead we gave our goddaughter a Sacramental Certificate and Pink Rosary Roses as a little baptismal gift. 

Deo Gratias! 

Celebrating the Assumption

Aug 16, 2013 | , | 5 Comments

Rosary Album: A Visual and Scriptural Meditation of the Rosary, an Easy and Devout Method of Reciting the Rosary is pictured on the left and a page from The Life of Mary for Children is on the right. 

Who is she ascends so high,
Next the heavenly King,
Round about whom angels fly
And her praises sing?

All ready for Mass with one of her favorite bags… (Thank you Miss JenniferAnne!!!)
… wearing her pink veil, and making sure to tuck her “My Little Prayer Book” inside.
Who is she adorned with light,
Makes the sun her robe, 
At whose feet the queen of night
Lays her changing globe?
Mary by Demi, Rosary Album and The Life of Mary for Children
This is she in whose pure womb
Heaven’s Prince remained;
Therefore in no earthly tomb
Can she be contained.

Heaven she was, which held that fire,
Whence the world took light,
And to heaven doth now aspire
Flames with flames t’unite.

Heavenly Assumption Parfaits… 
… you can find the recipe at Catholic Cuisine! 
She that did so clearly shine
When our day begun, 
See how bright her beams decline:
Now she sits with the Sun.

Snuggles definitely takes after my Dad… (Yes, that is my Dad’s trademark silly face!) There’s a real smile! Silly boy. 
Sir John Beaumont (1583-1627)  
Update:  I just found additional copies of the Rosary Album Booklet available at the National Shine for a much better price.  We were given two copies, one for the boys and one for the girls, from Sean’s youngest brother. 
It is a beautiful book! 

Celebrating the Feast of St. Maximilian Kolbe

Aug 15, 2013 | , | 4 Comments

Today was the feast of St. Maximilian Kolbe!   Our day was rather busy, but when Charlotte posted a link to her St. Maximilian Kolbe coloring page, I just had to print out a couple copies for our little ones.     They had so much fun coloring their pictures of St. Maximilian Kolbe for the first time… 
…while the older children read St. Maximilian Kolbe: The Story of the Two Crowns!

As you can see, Rose seems to have a very different style when it comes to coloring than the rest of her siblings!

Thank you Miss Charlotte! 
“There will be sufferings, temptations; perhaps you will be haunted by discouragement… learn to be ready for the greatest sacrifices… do not desire extraordinary things, but simply to perform the will of the Immaculata…” 
– St. Maximilian Kolbe

Summer Daybook :: August 13 and 14, 2013

Aug 14, 2013 | , , , | 25 Comments

*I started this daybook yesterday morning, but it took me until today to finish… It’s been a little busy!

Outside my window… 
Sunshine and Sunflowers!  We have been enjoying the (moderately) clear skies the past few days, but it looks like the smoke will be a problem again beginning on Wednesday.

I am thankful… 
that Sean was able to take Sunday off and has a break from the fires this week.  He has a project that needs to be caught up at his regular job, which will take all of this week, then he will probably return to the fire lines next week.  He is still working extra long days, but thankfully he has been able to get a little more sleep.

I am thinking…        
about paint colors.   I picked up a gallon of paint last Saturday for the three walls surrounding our fireplace.  I thought it was going to be perfect (how could it not be with a name like “October Mist”?) and I do love the color, but it just doesn’t look good on those particular walls…  It’s been hard to get an accurate picture of the color, but here are two that seem to be the closest, taken at different times of the day.

Morning Picture – Paint looks lighter
Afternoon Picture – Paint looks darker (and so does the whole house) but this will give you an idea of how it looks
It just doesn’t seem to match the stone, and I also don’t like the combination of the Cream (Yellow) and the Green.  It all looks too pastel to me.  I’m thinking either a much darker sage green, a mushroom color, or maybe one of the darker colors from the stone might look better (but I also don’t want to make the room too dark)… Any suggestions? 

Learning all the time… 
This past week I had a call from the principle of the local Catholic school offering our family a very generous scholarship for our children to attend this coming school year.  The school is small (many of the grades are combined) and, if I had to put the children in school, it would be our best local option… And yet the thought made me so sad.  Home Educating is such hard work, but I do love it.  I love having the children home, I love being able to customize our curriculum to their learning styles, and they love homeschooling too.  Plus, what would I have to blog about if we sent them to school! 😉

Celebrating the liturgical year… 
the feast of the Assumption is this Thursday!  We will be attending Mass and then enjoying some delicious Assumption Parfaits after dinner.

From the kitchen… 
we came home from town this afternoon to discover a fun package that had been overnighted from dear friends in the midwest.  These amazingly yummy sugar cookies reminded us all immediately of our last visit and tide-pooling.  Come back soon, we miss you!!!

I am working on…
projects around the house.  I hope to finish before school starts. Is it possible?  Probably not…

I am creating… 
color coded checklists!  I have the oldest two boys’ lists completed… Just three more grades to go! I am already starting to feel so much more prepared for this coming school year, which will begin on September 3rd.

I am going… 
to be a Godmother again, for the 10th time!  We are all so excited to be able to make the trip north this weekend to attend Rose’s Godparents 10th Anniversary Mass and Celebration, which will also include the baptism of their newest little girl who was born last month!  We missed their wedding 10 years ago, since I was on bedrest while pregnant with Twinkle Toes that summer.  It is going to be such a fun weekend!

I am hoping… 

that I have a chance to make some zucchini bread this week.  Does anyone have a favorite recipe?

I am praying… 
for more rain, minus the thunder and lightning, and for the safety of the firemen.  We are also praying for some dear friends who could use extra prayers.

I am reading… 
Bambinelli Sunday: A Christmas Blessing.  I preordered this book awhile back, to save for the feast of St. Nicholas, and it arrived this afternoon!

Pondering these words…
from today’s page in Small Steps for Catholic Moms.  My copy is out of print but it has recently been republished by Ave Maria Press and can be pre-ordered for 24% off at the moment!

“I must anticipate the desires of others…show that we are much obliged, very honored to be able to render service. The good Lord wants me to forget myself in order to give pleasure to others.”
St. Therese of Lisieux

I am listening…  
to Knee Deep!  It gets us dancing and singing along (and wanting to jump in the van and head to the ocean!) every time the smokey skies start getting to us.  😉

Around the house… 
My mom and dad came over last week to help me hand some curtains in the living room (they match the ones in the dining/family room and were on clearance!) and a couple weeks ago the boys helped me switch around the couches.  It was quite the challenge getting them through the kitchen, but after flipping them upside down we were able to make it work.  Once we settle on a color for the accent walls we hope to find a chair in coordinating colors, as well as a new fan, table, and a couple lamps.  In the past our focus has always been on remodeling and adding on to our home, it’s been fun to put a little more thought into furnishing and decorating lately.

One of my favorite things…  
home educating our children.  And color coded checklists! 😉

This week’s plans…

Swimming Lessons, haircuts for a couple of the girls and I, finish creating the color-coded checklists,  Mass on the feast of the Assumption, and then head out of town for a fun-filled weekend with friends!

A little peek at my day…

A New Hairstyle for Rose! 

Curriculum Sale Blog Hop :: Thank You & Giveaway!

Aug 9, 2013 | , , | 90 Comments

I hope you all enjoyed browsing though all the great books for sale on all the various blogs or, if you joined the link up, were able to pass on some of the books you no longer need to new homes during this year’s Online Curriculum Sale Blog Hop!  I was so excited to pass on so many of our own books (post one and two) and help my mom sell some more of hers as well.  (I did just reduce the prices on some of her remaining books and will continue accepting requests and forwarding them to her.)   I’m headed to the post office right now to mail the rest of the orders that have been completed!

As a little thank you I wanted to offer a giveaway for a copy of the brand new 2014 Saints Calendar & 16 Month Planner, which begins September 1st of this year. (I blogged a little about it here.  If you have already pre-ordered a copy it would also make a great gift!)

For anyone who would like to be entered in the giveaway for this Saints Calendar, just leave a comment on this post.  Make sure your email is either linked on your profile or included in the comment so that I am able to contact you if you win. 

If you participated in the link-up by hosting a blog sale on your own blog,  purchasing books from one of the links, or helping to spread the word on your own blog or Facebook, please leave a second comment for a bonus entry in the giveaway!

Comments will be closed Monday night and I will update this post and contact the winner on Tuesday.

In the meantime I want to ask you all to pray for Rita Davidson, owner of Little Flowers Family Press, and her family.  Their home and business were just destroyed by a house fire which they barely survived. They did not have insurance and lost everything.  If you can help you can find the link to the Facebook page for the Trust Fund for their family here.  
Thank you and God bless you all!
UPDATE:  Congratulations to Amy Caroline!  It looks like it ended up being a good thing that your first comment didn’t work.  🙂  I’ll get your new planner to you soon! 

Our Family

Sean & Jessica, Captain-25, Ranger-23, Twinkle Toes-22, Chiquita-20, Snuggles-18, Rose-15, Bud-13, Grace-8 and Joy-6 (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.

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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-25, Ranger-23, Twinkle Toes-22, Chiquita-20, Snuggles-18, Rose-15, Bud-13, Grace-8 and Joy-6 (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 Giveaways
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Our Advent & Christmas Books

Shower of Roses Gift Guides

Looking for Something?

looking-back

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Posts About:

Shower of Roses Alphabet of Saints

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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!