The Lucky Winner…
The rest of you still have time to place an order for Easter, if you do it soon! Easter is just two weeks away!!! (I spent most of last night ordering some great Easter, Spring, Saint and Historical books, in addition to a few other things including a Brother Hubert doll, for my children’s baskets this year – with the proceeds from all the generous donations on my Papal Lap Book! Thank you all so very much!!!)
I hope you had a very happy and fun-filled St. Patrick’s Day! (And Happy Birthday to my Father-in-Law and Brother-in-Law!) I’ll be back soon with pictures and videos from the girls’ Irish Dance Performances at our parish this afternoon! They were so cute! Happy St. Patrick’s Day!
7 Quick Takes :: Habemus Papam!
What an exciting week! We’ve been glued to the live feeds online all week (which has left very little time for blogging or answering emails, sorry!) watching for that white smoke, the announcement and first blessing Urbi et Orbi from our new Pope Francis, the Holy Father’s first Papal Mass, and more! I have loved seeing my children’s interest and excitement as well! All that work with the Lap book and Unit Study has paid off, and I have even had my older boys explaining a few things to me this past week!
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| Watching the white smoke and waiting to hear who has been chosen! |
I actually had an appointment at 11:40 on Wednesday, here in our little town, to pick up some paperwork… I was torn on whether to reschedule or not, having seen the white smoke, and knowing the Pope would be announced soon. It was the quickest trip to town EVER! I arrived back home with plenty of time to spare. Whew!
As I posted on the Catholic Cuisine Facebook Page following the announcement and learning a little more about Pope Francis, “I told my children they get to “cook their own meals” today, just like our new Pope!” They loved the idea! I ran to the store to purchase some Argentina Wine and we modified our dinner plans so the kids could make some “Argentina/Italian” pizza!
Snuggles was very happy to finally get to color a picture of “his” Pope!
— 7 —
Papal Lap Book Unit Three: The Hierarchy of the Catholic Church
Sic me Deus adiuvet et haec Sancta Dei Evangelia, quae manu mea tango.
Thus, may God help me and these Holy Gospels which I touch with my hand.
The Conclave is now officially underway and the doors of the Sistine Chapel were closed off just moments after Msgr. Guido Marini announced the famous Latin phase: “Extra Omnes,” which roughly translates to “Everyone Out!”
Read:
Family Read Aloud
- Break-in at the Basilica (continued)
- Read “The Hierarchy” (pages 118-119 of My Catholic Faith)
- Read “Powers of the Pope” (pages 114-115 of My Catholic Faith)
- Who is the Pope? A Very Short Book for Children (e-book)
- Chapter on Apostolic Authority: Peter and the Papacy from Beginning Apologetics
Novena to the Holy Spirit for the Conclave
I’ve also created another Novena book option which can be downloaded at Scribd, for my older children. And I also added a informational page for the children to fill out on our “Adopted Cardinals! It can be downloaded here if you’d like a copy.
Hierarchy of the Catholic Church
As we continued discussing the role of Cardinals in the Catholic Church, we read about all “The Hierarchy” (pages 118-119 of My Catholic Faith) while the children cut out (or copied) the definitions and assembled their “Hierarchy of the Catholic Church” mini-books. We also watched the following video:
What are the Chief Powers of the Pope?
For this mini book we read “Powers of the Pope” (pages 114-115 of My Catholic Faith). Some of the children pasted the text into the book (they will understand it more as they get older) and the others copied the text.
What Happens when a Pope Dies?
Using the definitions found in Who is the Pope? A Very Short Book for Children (e-book) and in this EWTN Article, I ended up creating a fill-in-the-blank version of this “What Happens When A Pope Dies?” mini-book.
Guess Who?! Cardinals Edition
We have been having so much fun with Monica’s Guess Who?! The Cardinals game!
Jacob’s Toy Box {A Review & Easter Give-away!}
I had been hoping to compile an updated list of Catholic Easter Basket Ideas and Easter Symbol themed gifts, but I haven’t had a chance yet and Easter is quickly approaching!
I haven’t finished my own Easter shopping quite yet, but I did want to share a precious little rag doll from Jacob’s Toy Box that one of my little guys will discover in his Easter Basket this year: Father Martin with his vestments and story.
Isn’t he great?! Not only is he soft and cuddly (um… can you say that about a priest doll?) – perfect for my little toddler – I love the traditional cassock (over pants) and vestments (including an Alb, Cincture, Maniple, Stole and Chasuble)! Now I can’t decide if he is going to end up in Snuggles or Bud’s basket this year… And I’m sure Rose would love Sister Marie… But, I did order Hand-painted Bookmarks of their Patron Saints for the 5 oldest, including Snuggles, and plan to complete a set of blocks for Rose (which I still need to get going on), so perhaps he should go to Bud… What do you think?
Anyways, I’ve really enjoyed “meeting” Christine through our email correspondence, and wanted to share with you all, with Christine’s permission, the beautiful yet heartbreaking story of how she named her business:
“I started this business last summer–2012. It has been a rough couple of years–In 2010 I was diagnosed with a terminal pregnancy–My daughter had trisomy 18– a fatal chromosome defect. We found this out at 24 weeks, and of course we didn’t terminate the pregnancy. She died at 27 weeks. Those were a few tough weeks. Knowing that the baby inside of me wouldn’t live. After she died I started a home-based fresh flower business and it did pretty well.
Then, surprise! At the end of 2011 I found out I was pregnant again. We were so excited–but scared. (Back and 2009 I was told by a medical specialist that I would never be able to get pregnant again–I proved him wrong!) The OB doctor watched me like a hawk–everything was going smoothly. Then when I was 32 weeks had a stress test/ultrasound on a Wed.–Jacob, our son, looked fine. On Friday I only noticed a bit of movement in the morning. Called the doctor that night and he said not to worry. Things had looked fine a couple of days ago. Saturday morning I still had not felt him move. The OB had me come into the hospital. Jacob had died. They were unable to determine what caused his death–he looked perfect!
This experience made me want to focus even more on my family and doing flowers I felt was taking too much time away. But, I wanted to be doing something and have enjoyed crafts in the past. My husband, kids, and friends encouraged me to start making and selling these toys.–thus the birth of Jacob’s Toy Box. By the way, we are a homeschooling family too. My oldest is a senior and my youngest in kindergarten. My husband and I have been married almost 20 years.”
I was very touched by Christine’s story, and my heart aches for her as I know all too well what it is like to lose babies… What a special tribute she has created for her little son with Jacob’s Toy Box!
She also had a story to share about my husband’s brothers:
“Oh–just a funny story about one of your brother-in-laws–When Fr. J. G_____ was at our parish, I went into the confessional to receive the sacrament. The voice of the priest sort of sounded like our priest but not quite. I asked the priest “Are you Fr. G____?” His reply:”I am A Father G____.”
Yes, there are a few of those “Father G’s” around, which is another reason I am thrilled to have a “Priest” doll for my children! Hmmmm… I might have to see if I can eventually order another with dark hair that we can name “Uncle Father” as our children affectionately call those three dear priests! 😉
I sure do love supporting Catholic businesses and families when we can. Some of my favorite gifts for our children have either been handmade by creative and talented Catholics like Christine! These gifts are treasures for sure, and things you just can’t find at those big box stores or websites!
If any of you would like to place an order, you will need to do so no later than March 25th for Easter delivery! These sweet dolls would also make excellent First Communion Gifts, in addition to the other suggestions I posted last year.
Christine has also generously offered to give a Brother Hubert Rag Doll and Brother Hubert and The Battle with the Goat to one of my visitors here at Shower of Roses!
He even has a tonsure! I love it!! He is definitely going on my “wishlist” for one of my little boys!
To enter this give-away:
Click on over to Jacob’s Toy Box and check out all the adorable rag dolls created by Christine and then leave a comment on this post, telling me which is your favorite, before Midnight (PST) on Saturday, March 16th. Be sure to leave your email address, or have it linked in your profile, so that I am able to contact the winner. I will update this post with the lucky winner on March 17th, St. Patrick’s Day!
BONUS: Share this giveaway on either your own blog or Facebook page and come back and let me know that you did by leaving a second comment for an extra entry! Like Shower of Roses and Jacob’s Toy Box on Facebook for a third entry! Be sure to leave a comment for each entry since they will be numbered for use with a random number generator to determine the winner.
And before you go, I wanted to add a little prayer request… Please click over to Kirsten’s blog, Sonlight Garden, and let her know you are praying for a miracle for her own beautiful baby.
State-by-State Baking :: Alabama Fried Cherry Pies
all Alabamians have great pride in.
Our state is “The Heart of Dixie,”
a heritage passed from kin to kin.”
We’ve been wanting to make our recipe for Alabama for a few weeks now, but we had to wait for a Sunday. (Since it is Lent and we gave up sweets this year, and since the girls were set on making this recipe!) The last couple Sundays didn’t work out for one reason or another, but this afternoon (on Laetare Sunday!) we finally had the time to spend in the kitchen frying pies inspired by a quote from The United States Cookbook. The girls had previously read Y is for Yellowhammer: An Alabama Alphabet and then completed their Notebook Pages.
- 1 can Cherry Pie Filling
- 1-2 cans “Flaky Layers” Biscuits
- Powdered Sugar
- Oil/Fat for Frying
On a floured surface, roll each biscuit into a thin circle.
Place one spoonful of pie filling into middle.
Fold over one part of the circle onto the filling, making a semi-circle. Press down to seal the edges using a fork.
Heat about 1/2″ of oil in a frying pan. Carefully, fry the prepared pies for 2-3 mins on each side over medium-low heat until golden brown.
Note: Be sure that the oil is over medium-low and not high, or the pies might burn on the outside and still be gooey on the inside! Ask us how we know… 😉 After a couple attempts (and turning the heat down) we finally were successful!
Sprinkle the warm pies with powdered sugar.
State-by-State Scrapbook :: Alabama
history does glorify.
The uniforms of the Civil War soldiers,
Yellowhammer is our Y.”
.: Alabama by Captain :.
.: Alabama by Rascal :.
*The links to the worksheets used for these notebook pages can be found here, and here is the link to all of our State-by-State Study posts.
You can also find the Alabama Fried Pies that the girls made for this state here!
Our Little School Room
I love wooden stacking toys! They are so pretty and the kids have so much fun playing with them! On this shelf you can see the Little Flower Wooden Stacker, a set of Stacking Birds, the Stone Cave, Rainbow, Fire, Water Waves, and a little wooden Peacock from last year’s family Easter Basket.
{this moment}
Papal Lap Book Unit Two: The Holy Fathers, Past and Present
As we continue The Primacy of Peter :: A Papal Unit Study and Lap Book, we moved on from our first unit about St. Peter, The First Pope last week and began our second unit based on all of the Holy Fathers, Past and Present, of the Roman Catholic Church! Beginning with Saint Peter the Apostle and first Pope, and ending with Pope Benedict XVI the 265th Pope, who is now the Pope Emeritus.
What a blessing it was to have high speed internet and watch (via EWTN online) the Holy Father, during his last hours as our Pope on February 28th, say goodbye, leave the Vatican as the bells rang during Lent, give his final blessing from the balcony at Castle Gondolfo, and then watch the doors close and the guards leave their post… I didn’t expect to cry, but I did, and Bud clapped along with all the crowds!
Read:
Family Read Aloud
- Lost in Peter’s Tomb (continued)
- The Man Who Never Died: The Life and Adventures of St. Peter the First Pope (continued)
- Break-in at the Basilica
- Read “The Bishop of Rome” (pages 112-113 My Catholic Faith)
- Joseph and Chico: The Life of Pope Benedict XVI as told by a Cat
- Max and Benedict: A Bird’s Eye View of the Pope’s Daily Life
- Lolek: The Boy Who Became John Paul II
- Be Saints: An Invitation from Pope Benedict XVI
- Friendship with Jesus: Pope Benedict XVI Talks to Children on Their First Holy Communion
- Pope John Paul II
- Picture Book of Saints
- Can You Find Saints? : Introducing Your Child to Holy Men and Women
Older Children
- Habemus Papam! Pope Benedict XVI
- Karol from Poland: The Life of John Paul II for Children
- Joseph from Germany
- St. Pius X: The Farm Boy Who Became Pope
Who is the Pope?
For this mini-book I read “The Bishop of Rome” (pages 112-113 My Catholic Faith) while the children colored and assembled their mini-books.
Some Special Popes
For this Tab Book the children studied five different popes beginning with St. Peter and ending with Pope Benedict, and looked through the complete List of Popes. We learned how St. Gregory the Great invented Gregorian Chant and called himself “Servant of the Servants of God.” We learned about St. Leo the XIII who wrote the St. Michael the Archangel Prayer. And we also learned about Pope Pius X, the Pope of the Eucharist.
In addition to the original blank book I created, I created a couple additional books for my younger children. The first has traceable text and a reduced size coloring page for them to color for each of the Popes! You can download my document here: Some Special Popes – Coloring/Quotes (Note: you will need to print the coloring pages at a reduced size to paste into the provided spaces. The coloring pages are from other websites and copyrighted.)
Here are the links to the various coloring pages we used for our mini-book:
- St. Peter and the Keys of the Kingdom
- St. Gregory the Great from Waltzing Matilda
- St. Michael the Archangel from Waltzing Matilda (prayer written by Pope Leo XIII)
- St. Pius X from Waltzing Matilda
- Pope Benedict XVI from Waltzing Matilda
We read some short stories about each of the Popes. For those who don’t have access to these saints stories at home, here are a few online sources:
- Pius X and another at Loyola Press
- Gregory the Great (Holy Spirit Interactive) and Loyola Press
- Pope Leo XIII and the Prayer to St. Michael
Amazing Pope Facts
The children also started working on their Amazing Facts mini-books. These were inspired by the short chapter in the ebook Who is the Pope? Here is also an interesting article with A Few Fun Facts about Popes in History. Some of the topics I suggested to the children included:
- Which Pope was the Pope the longest?
- Which Pope was the Pope the shortest?
- What happened in 1978? Answer: 1978: The Year of The Three Popes (I found this especially interesting since I was born in January of 1978!) 😉
- What is meant by the infallibility of the Catholic Church?
We also read the section from My Catholic Faith on Infallibility of the Church, which I think is Amazing!
Question: What is meant by the infallibility of the Catholic Church?
Answer: By the infallibility of the Catholic Church is meant that the Church, by the special assistance of the Holy Ghost, cannot err when it teaches or believes a doctrine of faith and morals.
Question: Has the Church in fact proved itself infallible?
Answer: It is a historical fact that the Catholic Church, from the twentieth century back to the first, has not once ceased to teach a doctrine on faith or morals previously held, and with the same interpretation; the Church has proved itself infallible.
My Catholic Faith goes on to explain:
- It is a historical fact that not one Pope, whatever he was in his private life, has ever taught error.
- True, some high rulers of the Church have gravely sinned. Nevertheless, enemies of the Church have exaggerated even the lack of impeccability. In the long line of Popes the vast majority led virtuous lives. Many of them are honored as Saints and martyrs. The enemies of the Church can bring charges against only five or six Popes: Most of the charges are calumnies or exaggerations. But even if the charges were true, they prove nothing against infallibility. (Of the Sovereign Pontiffs that have succeeded Peter, 84 are canonized Saints, of whom 32 were martyrs. However holy the Pope, he regularly goes to confession to a priest. No Pope ever considers himself above the laws of the Church and of God.)
- The Church cannot change its teachings on faith and morals. But it may restate the doctrines more clearly and completely. Year after year the Church proclaims the same unchanging doctrines. Her doctrines need no reform, for they are of Divine origin, the work of the Incarnate God. (No Pope or general Council in almost two thousand years has annulled or revoked a single decree of faith or morals enacted by a previous Pope or Council. This is history.)
Additional Activities:
Saints Who Were Popes
Research the Pope’s Coat of Arms
Color Blessed John Paul II’s Coat of Arms
Color Pope Benedict XVI’s Coat of Arms and info
Study “What is a Coat of Arms?” and look up our own family Coat of Arms.
Add Pope Benedict to Timeline
When we were discussing Pope Benedict XVI this past week, and that he was had been Pope for 8 years, Chiquita wanted to know if he was elected Pope before or after she was born. I remember very clearly the day Pope Benedict XVI was elected, and watching the white smoke (via a webcam) coming from the Sistine Chapel, but most of the rest of that year (pre-blogging days with 4 babies age 4 and under) is a blur…
Our Lent & Easter Book Baskets
Petook by Caryll Houselander
Amon’s Adventure: A Family Story for Easter
*The Easter Cave by Carol Wedeven
*The Jesus Garden: An Easter Legend by Antoinette Bosco
*Easter in the Garden by Pamela Kennedy
A Tale for Easter by Tasha Tudor
The Birds’ Gift: A Ukranian Easter Story by Eric A. Kimmel
*The Easter Swallows by Vicki Howie
The Story of the Easter Robin by Dandi Daley Mackall
*Easter by Fiona French (Be sure to get the Ignatius Press version and not the one “with words from the King James Bible)
Simon and the Easter Miracle: A Traditional Tale for Easter by Mary Joslin
The First Easter Bunny by Frrich Lewandowski
The Parable of the Lily by Liz Curtis Higgs
Happy Easter Day! by Wendy Watson
The Country Bunny and the Little Gold Shoes by Marjorie Flack
Easter by Miriam Nerlove
*The Egg Tree by Katherine Milhous
The Golden Egg Book by Margaret Wise Brown
Easter Bunny’s Amazing Day by Carol Benoist & Cathy Gilmore
*Easter Eggs for Anya: A Ukranian Celebration of New Life in Christ by Virginia Kroll
*Rechenka’s Eggs by Patricia Polacco
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