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Praying for all Pregnant Women…

Jan 4, 2013 | , , | 7 Comments

… especially Kelly and Jennifer!  Will you please join me? 


Full of confidence, I have recourse to thee, O holy Virgin and Martyr St. Margaret!  I implore thy powerful intercession with Jesus Christ and His Virgin-Mother for all women in the state of pregnancy. Intercede for them, that they may carefully preserve their babies from harm and, by their pious conduct, assiduous prayer, and the offering of good works to God, may obtain many graces for their souls.  

Have compassion especially on her who is now in the state to require thy loving assistance.  Espouse her cause. Obtain for her alleviation in her pains, comfort in her sufferings, and a living healthy child, for the glory of God and the joy of Holy Church. O most loving and thrice-blessed Martyr, thou who art so rich in merit, present to the Heavenly Father all the sufferings and tribulations thou didst endure for His love.  Unite all to the merits of Jesus Christ, to those of His Blessed Mother, and of all the saints in heaven.  Offer them for this poor, suffering mother, O thou who hast lent thy assistance to so many in similar need!  Obtain once more the favor of heaven for this mother and her unborn babe,  Oh, no, good St. Margaret, thou wilt not abandon us! Thou wilt obtain a favorable answer to our request, by thy intercession at the throne of Divine Mercy. We thank thee beforehand for all thy goodness.  In return for all the favors thou wilt obtain for thy clients, we offer thee all the praise and love given thee by saints and angels of heaven; but, above all, the love bestowed upon thee by Mary, the Virgin Mother, and by the Lord of glory, Jesus Christ Himself, as well as all that they will continue to shower upon thee for all eternity.  Amen.

~ Mother Love: A Manual for Christian Mothers (Available from Angelus Press and Amazon) 
Prayer to St. Margaret for a Woman in the Pangs of Childbirth 


Cookie Cutters Tell the Story of Christmas

Jan 4, 2013 | , , , | 4 Comments

Back in November Debbie shared an article with me that was written by Iris Hammett in the 1940’s titled “Cookie Cutters Tell the Story of Christmas.”  We have made Nativity Cookies and Starlight Cookies in the past, but I thought this story would be a fun alternative for this year and we finally had a chance to make them today!  We also spent some time baking cookies to go along with a couple more of our Christmas picture books, but I’ll post about those later.

Cookie Cutters Tell the Story of Christmas
By Iris Hammett, written in the 1940’s
(Published in the Mansfield News Journal)

“It is a story, as suggested by cookie cutters, which are familiar to the younger generation both for their utilization purpose in shaping sweets and as playthings for toddlers. This is their message as interpreted by Mrs. Iris Hammett.”

“The oven is heated, the dough is made, and the kitchen table is spread with an array of cookie cutters. But these are not just ordinary cookie cutters, for they have a story to tell.”

“Three (Seven in our case!) anxious little faces look on with great anticipation of receiving a sweet morsel when it is baked. Their dark eyes glisten as they listen to the story of the Christ child as each cutter tells his part.”

“First, we make an angel, for it was an angel who came to Mary and told her that she would have a baby boy and should call his name Jesus, for he would save his people from their sins.”

“Second, we make a donkey, for it was a little donkey that Mary rode into Bethlehem where the baby Jesus was to be born.”

“Third, we cut a star for the star that shone in the East to guide the Shepherds to where they would find the Baby Jesus. The wise men had seen this star in the East and knew it told of the birth of the Savior.”

“Fourth, we cut more angels for the angels who sang Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men. The angels also brought the good news to the shepherds as they watched their sheep during the night.”

“So we make candy cane cookies to represent the shepherd’s staff.”

“Fifth, we make a camel because the wise men traveled over many miles of sandy desert on camels that they might find the young child.”

“Then we come to some of the cookie cutters which we can’t find in the Bible, but which have wonderful meaning by which we tell God’s love for us.
We make a wreath for it is round and has no end, even as God’s love has no end. He gave to us eternal life which has no end. We think of the wreath being made of evergreen and so we frost it green. The evergreen is a symbol of the eternal life which Christ bought for us on Calvary.
Then comes the Christmas tree, again an evergreen tree, the symbol of everlasting life. It stays green winter and summer as no other tree. It tells of the love of Christ which goes on and on, and of the eternal life which he gives us if we believe in him as our Savior.

And last of all we make the bells, for the bells ring out the glad news that a savior is born this day in the City of David.”

“And so, as we bake our Christmas cookies, we see the story of the Savior’s birth and purpose in our lives. What a wonderful way to gather the little ones around and tell them of God’s love for us. As we roll and cut the dough and mold it into shape, we tell over and over the story that never grows old.”

“Then breathe a little prayer that we are molding young and pliable lives, minds, and hearts into the right form, that they might come to know and love this Christ that was born on Christmas Day.”

“My prayer is that my children shall never forget the cookie cutters and the story they told of Jesus, His birth and purpose.”

“Thus we keep Christ in Christmas even with the cookie cutters.”

Our Cookie Cutters:
Our Christmas Story Picture Books:

Wishing you all a very Merry 10th Day of Christmas and 
a Blessed Feast of the Most Holy Name of Jesus!
  

{pretty, happy, funny, real}

Jan 3, 2013 | , , , | 9 Comments

~ Capturing the context of contentment in everyday life. ~
{pretty}
Our Jesse Tree with all of the Ornaments
{happy}

I’m so happy that I ended up ordering this cute little chair as a Christmas gift for Bud… 

He hasn’t been sitting still long enough to use it much yet, but Rose absolutely loves it!  

{funny} 
A little conversation with my sister on Christmas Eve:
Julianna (while picking up this statue):  “Awww!  This is so cute!! Did you paint it?”
Me: “Ummm…. No.  You did!”  
Julianna:  “Oh!  I thought it looked familiar!” 

(She painted it for us back in November of 2000.  Just over 12 years ago, when she was only 12!)
{real}


One of the big boys’ favorite gifts were the Dwarf Hoods from The Fig and Thimble that they found tucked into the toes of their stockings!

They have been having so much fun with them…
Yesterday I looked out the kitchen window to see this and this:

“We are transporting our food and provisions down the side of the cliff!”

I ordered another hood to give to one of the girls, but I probably should have purchased one for Snuggles too.  Maybe for his birthday in June.  He improvised, creating a “hood” from one of his own sweaters, tucking the sleeves inside and pinning it under his chin!

Oh, and his sword was another awesome Etsy find, from Nadja’s Etsy store Frost Lane! 

Visit Like Mother, Like Daughter for more pictures of contentment.

On the 9th Day of Christmas…

Jan 3, 2013 | , , | 4 Comments

Smiling at Baby Jesus, Who is on the other side of this year’s Christ Candle

I just love it when our little Bud says “Giggle, Giggle, Giggle.” I’ve been trying to capture it on video, with only a little luck, and had to share a few of tonight’s videos with you all… Just so you can have a little peek at our cute little man’s personality!

And while I am at it, here are a couple more of his “Superman Crawl” that I videoed on November 14th.

I promise I will eventually share pictures from Christmas Day. I just haven’t had a chance (or rather the motivation) to sort through all of them yet and try to choose favorites! 🙂  Last year it took me until January 11th…   In the meantime I hope you are all still celebrating and enjoying Christmastide!

A Few Highlights from 2012…

Jan 1, 2013 | , | 17 Comments

A New Year’s Prayer 
May God make your year a happy one!
Not by shielding you from all sorrows and pain,
But by strengthening you to bear it, as it comes;
Not by making your path easy,
But by making you sturdy to travel any path;
Not by taking hardships from you,
But by taking fear from your heart;
Not by granting you unbroken sunshine,
But by keeping your face bright, even in the shadows;
Not by making your life always pleasant,
But by showing you when people and their causes need you most,
and by making you anxious to be there to help.
God’s love, peace, hope and joy to you for the year ahead. 
~ Anonymous
Inspired by Amy, I thought it would be fun to compile a few highlights from each month of 2012.  It’s been a busy year, filled with love, joy, and many blessings!  And I think I am ready for a long winter’s nap… 😉 
January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December
May 2013 be filled with love and blessings for you all! 
Happy New Year!  

My Christmas Daybook

Dec 31, 2012 | , , , , , , , , | 13 Comments

Outside my window… 
It has been cold, rainy, and cloudy, but the kids have been enjoying playing inside with all their new toys, including the little set of stacking sun blocks that they received as an O Antiphon gift this year!

As you can see, all blocks make excellent cellphones! 
“Hi Dada!”

I am thinking…        
about how quickly the past year flew by… How did our baby turn one already?!  He continues to bring so much joy to our family!

Bud was waiting for Rose to push the button on one of our musical ornaments.  

Each time she did he would sit up and start bouncing (dancing).  It was so cute! 

I am thankful… 
that my sister JoAnn was willing to babysit so we could take the oldest two on an “Unexpected Journey” to see The Hobbit!

I was also very thankful that David (my youngest brother) and I were able to get in to the movie too!
David and I were going to meet Sean and the boys at the theatre, since they (JoAnn & David) were running a little late getting to our house, and when we got to the theater the line was so long and the last tickets sold to the people in line a couple groups in front of us…  They told us sorry and I got out of line and called home – to give my sister a hard time! 😉  Anyways, I went back to the ticket booth to ask if I could at least go inside to tell my husband (who was going to try and save seats for us) that we wouldn’t be joining them.   She asked how many there were of us and when I told her “just us two” she said that there were only two seats in the whole theater left and they probably weren’t together, or anywhere near my husband.   She said we could go in and see, and come back and purchase the tickets.   The theater was PACKED, but an usher walked over to us and directed us to the two seats, which were right next to my family!!!

Note: Had Sean and I previewed the movie we probably wouldn’t have taken the boys, but thankfully they had finished listening to the book and knew what to expect.   They absolutely LOVED the movie and are still telling us that it wasn’t “too scary” for them!  

Kevin (18), David (16), Mary (20), Jessica (old), and JoAnn (20)

After the movie I went on another unexpected journey (after coming back home to nurse the baby and get him to bed) – this time to the bowling alley with my four youngest siblings and some of their friends.   It was so much fun, even if it made me feel really old! 😉

Learning all the time… 
As much as I am enjoying our Christmas break, I am starting to look forward to getting back to our school work and normal routines next week.  We still have quite a few things that I would like to complete before the end of our 2nd quarter on January 25th!

Celebrating the liturgical year… 
I meant to share about this lovely set of Ornaments for the 12 Days of Christmas before Christmas, but just never had a chance.  I love that they focus on the faith filled meaning behind each of the gifts in “The 12 Days of Christmas” song.  Perhaps consider ordering a set now, to have ready for next Christmas!  They tie in nicely to our 12 Days of Christmas Lap Book.

From the kitchen… 
Chiquita, (my sister) Julianna, and I all worked on this Gingerbread Nativity on Christmas Eve, while Rascal made his own Gingerbread creation.

Snuggles, Twinkle Toes, and Rose also assembled houses, but they are still waiting to be decorated. With all of our company and getting ready for Midnight Mass, finishing the gingerbread houses wasn’t hight on the list of things to do this year! Maybe we will get back to them, maybe not…

I am working on… 
sorting through my pictures from Christmas Day, rather slowly!  I haven’t wanted to “waste” any of this glorious Christmas break in front of the computer.   I will have plenty of time to catch up on emails and blogging next week, when my husband is away on training…

I am creating… 
not much at the moment, but I do have plans for the new Knit and Weave Loom Kit that Sean gave me for Christmas! Just as soon as I can pick up some yarn from the craft store.

I am going… 
to miss having the twins in town! Mary left today and is headed back to Texas, and JoAnn left a couple days ago to get back to work and college.   I think I need to plan a couple trips to visit them!

I am hoping… 
that I am not allergic to our cat… Our kids love him so and (as much as he drives me crazy) I would hate to have to get rid of him.  I am still waiting for my referral to the allergist, but I had another allergic reaction late last night (for no apparent reason, after brushing my teeth and drinking a glass of water).  Thankfully I had some Zyrtec on hand this time.

I am praying… 
with the help of my beautiful new prayerbook – Mother Love!  Originally published in 1888, it was just republished by Angelus Press.

I am reading… 
A Darcy Christmas and the various books by Karen Witemeyer.  I’ve also been flipping through my new 2013 Day Planner!  My dear Mother-in-Law sends me a new copy every year and it is my favorite.  I use it for planning out all of our feast day celebrations and it sits next to my computer for easy reference!

Pondering these words…
spoken by Bishop Cramer which I read in my copy of Mother Love:

“O, that we could proclaim throughout the whole world and impress deeply upon the heart of every mother the words: PRAY! Pray incessantly!  Pray earnestly and fervently for your children.“

I am listening…  
The boys have been having so much fun assembling all their new lego sets while listening to hours and hours of The Hobbit and Fellowship of the Ring!  (The unabridged versions narrated by Rob Inglis are excellent! Thank you for the recommendations!)

By the end of Christmas Day the boys had finished listening to The Hobbit and building The Hobbit Home (we decided not to save it and switched it out with a different set to save for February) and Barrel Escape among other things!

Around the house… 
lots of kiddos in new Christmas Pajamas… Christmas morning just gets better every year!

One of my favorite things…  
This gorgeous St. Francis Tenner, which I gave to my mom for Christmas, was made by Barbara.  My mom loved it so much that she said she’d like to order Tenners for each of her children for their birthdays this year.  That’s a lot of Tenners! 😉

Do visit Barbara’s Etsy Store!  She has such beautiful creations for sale… My children will each be receiving one of her Embroidered Scapulars in their Easter Baskets this coming March!  Yes, I have already been thinking ahead to Lent and Easter! :/

This week’s plans…

Monday :: New Year’s Eve Party

Tuesday :: New Year’s Day and Mass (Holy Day of Obligation)
Wednesday – Thursday :: Enjoy the rest of our Christmas Break
Friday :: Mass and Brunch with Father C.
Saturday :: Attend the Vigil Mass and take down our Christmas tree…  (Unless I want to figure out how to do it myself this year!) Our Nativity Sets will remain out until February 2nd – Candlemas Day.
Sunday :: Celebrate Epiphany; Sean leaves in the early morning for another training session… He will be gone for three weeks.  Please keep us in your prayers!

A little peek at my day…
Headed to the pizza parlor (a couple days after Christmas) to visit with relatives from out of state…
(And wearing my favorite new neck warmer! Thank you Jacqui! I love it, and what a fun surprise!!)  


On the 5th Day of Christmas…

Dec 30, 2012 | , | 0 Comments

“Remember the sufferings of Christ, the storms that were weathered…the crown that came from those sufferings which gave new radiance to the faith…All saints give testimony to the truth that without real effort, no one ever wins the crown.” 
~ St. Thomas Becket

“Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and for ten days you will have tribulation. Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life.”
~  Revelation 2:10
St. Thomas Becket, Pray for us! 

On the 3rd Day of Christmas…

Dec 28, 2012 | , , , | 3 Comments

… Eagle Brownies for the Feast of St. John the Evangelist! 

O Glorious Saint John, you were so loved by Jesus that you merited to rest your head upon his breast, and to be left in his place as a son to Mary. Obtain for us an ardent love for Jesus and Mary. Let me be united with them now on earth and forever after in heaven.

Merciful Lord, we beseech Thee to cast Thy bright beams of light upon Thy Church, that it being enlightened by the doctrine of Thy blessed Apostle and Evangelist Saint John may so walk in the light of Thy truth, that it may at length attain to the light of everlasting life; through Jesus Christ our Lord. 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.

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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
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As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

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Shower of Roses Christmas Gift Guides

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