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{pretty, happy, funny, real} :: On Christmas Eve

Dec 27, 2012 | , , , , | 14 Comments

I have so many pictures to post from this week, I hardly know where to start !  We have really been enjoying Christmas, spending time with extended family, a few fun outings, and lots of of time just relaxing (and very little time online).  It’s been so nice!  I hope you are all having a very Merry Christmas too! 

{pretty}


Getting ready for Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve…


{happy}

Julianna, Jessica, JoAnn, and Mary

I was so happy to have some of my family in town and over on Christmas Eve!  
My mom and brother Kevin were traveling back from a golf tournament in Georgia on Christmas Eve, and Jennifer hadn’t made it to town yet either, but we had my Dad, brother Brian and his family, Julianna, JoAnn (home from college), Mary (home from Texas), and David over on Christmas Eve!  I’ll be sure to share more Christmas Eve pictures soon…  


{funny} 


Any guesses on what Rascal created instead of a Gingerbread house this year? He is so creative! 
(You can find the answer here.) 



{real}


I took my camera to Midnight Mass, but only took this one blurry picture of Father preaching the homily in a candlelit church.   (The lights were shut off during the homily.) Sean sang with the choir, which was just a small group, but they did a beautiful job singing traditional hymns and even chant!  (Very rare for our area!)  We have been feeling so very blessed lately!

I haven’t mentioned it here yet, since it still wasn’t a for sure thing, but we are finally going to have a LATIN MASS in our area!!!!  (Thank you all so much for your prayers for this intention of ours!) We spoke with our pastor when we had him over for dinner, but one of the challenges at that time was finding a priest that was capable of offering the Mass.  When we attended Mass over at the coast in August the priest there offered to come over on a monthly basis to offer it for us, without us even asking!   Over the past few months Sean has met and spoken with both our Pastor and the priest from the coast a number of times and we will be having our first  (quarterly) Latin Mass in February!   This is an answer to many many years of prayer!   We can still hardly believe that it is official, and that it will be offered at the little mission church just 5 miles from our home!   We will be praying for its success, and that someday we will be able to have it on a more frequent basis.  Deo Gratias!! 



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Wishing you all…

Dec 24, 2012 | , , , | 15 Comments

The Welcome
by Leonard Feeney, S.J.
No music He heard, and no angels He saw
As He lay in His wrappings of linen and straw;
And the ox and the ass could not kneel and adore
For the poor creatures never were angels before.
The palace He found was an old cattle stall
With a broken-down roof and a windowless wall,
And it looked so ashamed of its spider-worn wood;
But it tried to be Heaven, as well as it could.

A dull stable-lantern that hung dark and dim
Was the small bit of moonlight that flickered on Him.
Now it longed to be beautiful, starry and bright;
And it sputtered and wept for the dearth of its light.

But a Lady of Beauty stood over His head.
While she gathered the strewings about for His bed.
And her soul was as sweet as a fresh-budding rose
And as white as the fusion of myriad snows.

And her hands did not soil this immaculate prize,
And her breath did not sully the bloom in His eyes.
On her breast sweet and safe could He slumber and nod:
The lily-white village-maid, Mother of God.

~ Excerpt from The Eternal Babe Twenty-five Nativity Poems

May you have a blessed and joyous Christmas! 

Some Peace On Earth {In Remembrance of Fallen Troops}

Dec 24, 2012 | , | 4 Comments

My friend Danielle’s sweet little girl, who lost her daddy in 2010, is in this Christmas video at 1:02…

You are all-powerful, God, and live forever in light and joy. Look with pity and love, we beg You, on those men and women who bravely fought and gallantly died for their country. By laying down their lives, they showed supreme love for others.

Accept, we ask You, their sacrifice and their belief in the justice of the cause they died for. Let their offering not be in vain. Please forgive any sins and faults they may have committed. Speedily, we implore You, bring them into Your Presence where fear, sadness, mourning, and death cannot exist.

Have pity in Your loving kindness on those they leave behind. In Your own unsearchable ways, make good for their absence, and lavishly bestow Your love and consolations on those deprived of their presence. This we ask in the Name of Christ, our Victor King. Amen.

A Winter ONEderland Birthday Party!

Dec 21, 2012 | , , | 12 Comments

“HOW quickly the TIME has COME!
Our little snow man just turned ONE!“

On Wednesday we celebrated our little man’s 1st birthday! Originally I had planned to invite all our extended family to this party, but since we had just had a big “Sound of Music themed” birthday party a few days before for his big sister, and since my mom and brother left for a golf tournament in Georgia on Wednesday, we decided to keep this first birthday party to just our immediate family.  It ended up being for the best since I came down with a bad cold.  Thankfully I had wrapped his gifts and picked up a few decorations ahead of time, and on Tuesday afternoon I had made a couple of little birthday banners.  I made the kids Snowman Pancakes for Breakfast and somehow managed to decorate the cake, but that was going to be it, until my older boys stepped in to take over the rest of the snacks for our little party!   They did a great job and everything look so cute… and, of course, I still took plenty of pictures!

.: A WINTER ONEDERLAND :.
.: BIRTHDAY TREATS :.
I love how a few themed foods really add to the party atmosphere!  
Peppermint Cocoa 
with Snowmen, Gingerbread Men and Snowball Marshmallows
Lindt Chocolate Snowmen
Peppermint White Chocolate Pretzel Snowflakes

Snowflake Crackers
Ice Cubes (Inspiration found here)
Oreo Snowman made by Captain
white chocolate covered Oreos with mini M&M’s mini Chocolate Chips 
and an Orange Sprinkle for the nose
Olive Penguins (Inspiration found here)  made by Captain

Snow Globe Sandwiches (Inspiration found here)  made by Captain & Rascal
Blizzardy Pasta with White Béchamel sauce
and Baby Carrots (Snowman Noses!) 

.: THE BIRTHDAY BOY :.
.: SNOWMAN CAKE :.

When I ran across the cute Snowman Cake made by Bird On A Cake, I knew I wanted to try it for this birthday party.

Mine didn’t  turn out as cute as I had envisioned, partially because I was in a hurry and didn’t spend much time making the snowmen, and added all the details first before filling them in with white candy, instead of adding them after.   (I used various sizes of this snowman, piping the melted candy onto parchment paper – 1st the hat, scarf, and details, followed by the white bodies.   Once they had hardened I peeled them off and put the flat/back side facing out around the cake.)

Still, I thought it did turn out cute and added to our Winter ONEderland Theme!  
.: ONE CANDLE :.
Bud loved his cake, though he couldn’t figure out how to blow out that candle… 

He had plenty of help! 

He loved his cake… So much he even licked the plate!   Silly boy! 

.: BIRTHDAY GIFTS :.

I wrapped up lots of little gifts for the birthday boy to open… 

The first was the darling stackable snowman from his Godparents, who also sent him the adorable penguin hat!  After that it was all we could do to take away the new “hammer” and get him to open another gift!  Yep, the snowman was a HIT! 😉

Next he opened his Wheely Bug… A new little “Bull” for this little Texas cowboy of ours to ride!

After that he opened his own little nativity set.  Rose kept getting upset each time she set it up for him and he’d take it apart, placing all the figures into the stable!  

Since he loves our various stacking blocks, I also found him these adorable wooden tree puzzle blocks and some little woodland animals.   (Yes, that gift was more for me than for him, but he still liked it!) 
Before bed we all enjoyed reading Snowmen at Work and Snowmen at Night!  

Happy 1st Birthday! 

{pretty, happy, funny, real}

Dec 21, 2012 | , , , | 10 Comments

~ Capturing the context of contentment in everyday life. ~

{pretty}

I think it looks so pretty outside when it has been snowing, especially when the deer are visiting!  
It has been snowing on and off all week!
{happy}

Our little birthday boy was very happy and excited to show me he could stand up on his own yesterday morning.   He has been getting lots of extra hugs and kisses from him momma lately, especially when he says “giggle, giggle, giggle, giggle”  (his version, we think, of “tickle, tickle, tickle, tickle)… It is just too cute!

{funny}

We ended up ordering a Wheely Bug for him on Tuesday and since it arrived on Wednesday afternoon, we gave it to him for his birthday.  (And we are getting him that cute little chair for Christmas!)  It is funny looking but he LOVES riding his little “bull!”   I was amazed at how quickly he figured it out, and he has been scooting all over the house today – and when he isn’t his big sister has been enjoying it as well!   I’m almost tempted to get her the ladybug, since I still haven’t started that handmade gift I was going to make her…  So much for finishing all my shopping before Advent this year!

{real}

I made a couple birthday banners on Tuesday afternoon, for the birthday boy, but before I could start making his cake Tuesday night I had a bad allergic reaction to something.   I went to see my doctor this morning and left with a referral to see a specialist and three prescriptions (Zyrtec, prednisone – to have on hand in case of another reaction, and antibiotics for a sinus infection).  No… I haven’t been feeling my best this week.

I did manage to bake and decorate a cake on Wednesday after breakfast, but was going to keep the rest of the party simple.  However, my oldest two boys decided to step in and take over creating some of the treats we had planned including penguins out of olives, Oreo Snowmen, and these cute Snow Globe Sandwiches!  

I’ll be back with some more pictures from our Winter ONEderland,
just as soon as my head clears up a little!

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Checking it Twice…

Dec 18, 2012 | , , | 100 Comments

So, how is your Advent going?   It has been just a little busy around our home this past week!   😉

As I set out the O Antiphon House and Gifts late last night, and we begin to pray the O Antiphons this evening, I figured I had better take a look at my Christmas list and fill in any gaps while I still have time to place online orders!

I plan to keep the kids away from the computer this week, so I thought I’d finally share my list with you all (since so many of you have asked to see it) and ask for a little advice while I am at it…

Our children receive three gifts each on Christmas from their Dad and I, recalling the three gifts Christ was given, plus they wake up to discover their stockings filled as well.   Depending on the gifts, sometimes I combine multiple items into “one” gift package (i.e. clothing, shoes, etc, or various small toys).  You can see some examples in last year’s post about Christmas morning.   You can also find my 2009 list here:  Shh! Don’t tell them….

Even though we stick to “just” three gifts each (plus stockings, plus O Antiphon treats, plus St. Nicholas Day, plus  😉 …)  with seven children it can add up quickly!    I have found that I have to be creative in order to purchase quality gifts for the children.   Some items were purchased on Black Friday sales, some were purchased on clearance, some were even ordered by the charter school (as “consumables” that tie into their history course – i.e. the craft kits for the girls).   The rest was purchased with gift certificates and the commissions resulting from all of your purchases from my Amazon and All About Reading affiliate links! I can’t tell you what an incredible blessing that has been this year…   Thank you all so very much!

So, now that I have clarified all of that, here is a peek at my list:  (Yes, I am going to make those of you who wanted to know do a little extra clicking, just in case! 🙂 Sorry about that!) *Also, while creating the links, I couldn’t believe how much some of the things have gone up since I purchased them… crazy!

Captain: This, This and This
Rascal:  This, This and This (We are saving this for his Feb. birthday!) 
Twinkle Toes: This, This, and These Kits (Saving the accessories for Easter Baskets!) 
Chiquita: This, This, and These Kits (which I’ve seen for 1/2 price at Michaels!) 
Snuggles: This, This, and These Wooden Toys (He can decorate the shield for Blue Knights!)
Rose: This, This, and a Handmade Gift (Which I still need to make!) 
Bud: This, This (only $20 at Costco), and ___?  (He is getting this after all – which is on sale for only $16.99 today, this, this, and some clothing for his birthday.)

Also, to keep the “mess” to a minimum on Christmas morning I try to get rid of as much packaging as possible when I am wrapping the gifts, and I also keep a big box close by on Christmas morning to fill with all the rest of the wrapping paper and trash.   I ran across a great idea to actually wrap the trash box and I think I might just have to do that this year!  I actually have almost all the gifts wrapped and ready for Christmas Eve.  We will be hosting a family get-together and then heading to Midnight Mass!

Now for a few questions of my own… I always like to include a book in each of the children’s stockings.  This year I was thinking it would be fun to do an audio book for each of them… I only have a couple and need some suggestions!   Here is what I have so far:

Captain:  Any Suggestions?  
Rascal:  Any Suggestions?  Perhaps The Hobbit?  Which is your favorite Audio version?
Twinkle Toes: Any Suggestions?  Maybe Little Women? 
Chiquita: Any Suggestions?  I’m leaning towards Little House on the Prairie…
Snuggles: Blessed Miguel Pro – Codename: “Cocol” — Undercover for God (Brand New!!)
Rose: Cat Chat Vol. 5:  A Christmas to Remember
Bud:  One Night in Bethlehem (Board Book)

The girls have a lot of the American Girl Audio Books, and the boys never get tired of listening to The Chronicles of Narnia, Enemy Brothers, The Winged Watchman, and the various audio books by Regina Martyrum Productions.    What are some of your family’s favorites?

I also still need to possibly purchase one more gift for Bud, along with some stocking stuffers.  Does anyone have some favorite suggestions for 1 year old boys, who have plenty of hand-me-downs from older siblings?  I’ve been considering one of these chairs, but not sure if it’s worth the expense… They have them at our Orthodontist office and my little ones all love them!  Thank you in advance for your help!  

My Favorite Things :: A Sound of Music Birthday Party!

Dec 17, 2012 | , | 43 Comments

Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens, Bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens
Brown paper packages tied up with strings, These are a few of my favorite things

Cream colored ponies and crisp apple streudels, Doorbells and sleigh bells and schnitzel with noodles
Wild geese that fly with the moon on their wings, These are a few of my favorite things

Girls in white dresses with blue satin sashes, Snowflakes that stay on my nose and eyelashes
Silver white winters that melt into springs, These are a few of my favorite things

When the dog bites, When the bee stings, When I’m feeling sad
I simply remember my favorite things, And then I don’t feel so bad

Yesterday our sweet little “Rose” turned three years old…   She just loves watching the Sound of Music and reading the My Favorite Things picture book she found in her Easter Basket earlier this year, so I decided to give her a “My Favorite Things” birthday party!

It had been a busy week, enjoying a visit with friends and celebrating feast days, but everything fell into place for her party.   The boys and Sean arrived home from the Lego competition around 6pm, just as the rest of our guests (my parents, four of my brothers, my sister-in-law, and niece) were arriving.  I’m pretty sure this birthday will be remembered as one of her own favorite things!

Raindrops on Roses… 
 
Pink Roses from Daddy, just for our little Rose!
Speaking of her Daddy, I posted it on Facebook, but I still haven’t had the opportunity to share with you all what happened when he came home from work a couple weeks ago…   The kids were watching The Sound of Music and I told them to pause it for dinner, since their Dad had to work late.  We all ate and just as we were finishing Sean walks through the door (right by our TV) and the movie resumes on it’s own. (it does that after it’s been paused for so long) Immediately “Rolfe” salutes and yells “Heil Hitler!” What timing, and OH MY GOODNESS it was funny!!!  Definitely not the greeting he is use to hearing when he arrives home from a long day at work!  😉 

… and Whiskers on Kittens

The kids all enjoyed coloring (including the “whiskers on kittens”) Three Little Kitten Coloring Pages.   I realized that we don’t have a copy of this book!   We had the Golden Book when I was a child, but I couldn’t find it online.    Which is your favorite?   Maybe the one illustrated by Jerry Pinkney or the one by Paul Galdone?

Bright Copper Kettles… 

When I went looking for a copper kettle, I quickly discovered how expensive they can be!  Yikes… I was very excited to find this little vintage miniature copper kettle on ebay.  She will love having it for her play kitchen!

… and Warm Woolen Mittens
I made cut-out cookies, using store bought dough, for the kids to decorate using a printed template. 
Planning ahead to the party, I wrapped up The Mitten for today’s Advent book…  It tied in nicely! 

Brown Paper Packages Tied up with Strings
 
Friday night I made a “Brown Paper Packages Tied up with Strings” Birthday Banner using my Cricut while my friend Erica (her and her dear children visited from Wed-Sat morning!) baked the cakes and we visited! (Oh, how we have MISSED her and her family since they moved…) 
I used my Winter Wonderland Cartridge for the letters and the Once Upon a Princess cartridge for the strings.  I made the brown packages by cutting brown 8.5″ x 11″ card stock into 4 pieces with a paper cutter.  I punched little holes in each corner to string the twine through, and hung it in the window!

Of course I wrapped all her gifts in brown paper tied up with strings as well!  
These are a few of my favorite things…

Rose opened one of her gifts before her dad and the big boys left for the day.   She was so excited about the little toy guitar I found for her on ebay!

She opened the rest of her gifts after we had cake and she loved them all! 

The Buckley Deer Family, Clothing, and a PINK doll (purchased from Magic Cabin with a gift certificate) from Daddy and Momma.  A beautiful card and money from Grandpa & Grandma G.  Adorable pink “Beaver” pajamas and play balls from Grandpa & Grandma M.  And the cutest slippers and mittens from her Aunt, Uncle and Cousin.

Whew!  And it’s not even Christmas yet… I’m not sure what I think about these December birthdays… For Christmas she will be receiving another special doll, the Grimm Wooden Fairy Tale Village Blocks, and a homemade gift from Momma (if I have a chance to finish it, otherwise I will wrap up this stocking stuffer).

Cream Colored Ponies… 

Rose loves her big brothers stick horse, so when I ran across this “cream colored pony” for a few dollars on Black Friday, I had to get it for her birthday!  She spent most of the day (when she wasn’t playing her guitar) galloping around the house!

and Crisp Apple Streudels

I had forgotten to purchase Apple Streudel at the grocery store, but the homemade version I made ended up tasting so much better! Yum!!

Doorbells and Sleigh Bells

We made “Sleigh Bell Necklaces” with silver and PINK jingle bells for all the girls – including mom and grandma – using some leftover twine.  

They were so pretty and festive! 
and Schnitzel with Noodles
Wienerschnitzel (hot dogs!) with Noodles for dinner.  
Both are definitely favorites of the birthday girl!  


Of course we had to have pink lemonade too… 
The Baroness: “Not too sweet, not too sour.” Uncle Max: “Just too, uh… PINK!” 
Wild Geese that fly with the Moon on their Wings
These are a few of my favorite things
I forgot to print something out for my “wild geese that fly with the moon on their wings” decoration, but here are a few more of my favorite things that I found for the party! 
A couple days before Rose’s birthday I ran across this limited edition Sound of Music/Favorite Things gift box for only $19.99 at Costco.  I called home to ask the boys if we still only owned The Sound of Music on VHS and when they said that was all we had I went ahead and purchased it.  I didn’t even realize I was purchasing such a treasure!  
It came with all sorts of goodies, including a cute little “My Favorite Things” music box!   We played the soundtrack during the party, and I also pulled out the included postcards to scatter around as additional decorations.   (Also pictured above is Rose’s My Favorite Things picture book. So sweet!)

We have also been enjoying V is for Von Trapp: A Musical Family Alphabet! 

Girls in White Dresses with Blue Satin Sashes
The birthday girl’s two favorite big sisters dressed up in their beautiful white dresses and mom bought some blue satin ribbon to complete their party dresses.

Snowflakes that stay on my Nose and Eyelashes
While I was making the banner, I also cut out snowflakes using the Winter Wonderland cartridge.  I love my little Cricut!
I set these out, but we ran out of time to make them… 
They will be a perfect addition to Bud’s Winter ONEderland party on Wednesday.

Silver White Winters that melt into Springs
I was originally going to try and cover the cake with various “favorite things” but then decided to go with “silver white winters” for the top tier, and “melt into springs” for the bottom tier!   I used the Wilton Large Snowflake Lollipop Mold for the top and the miniature rose mold for the flowers.  I made the rest of the decorations by piping melted candy onto parchment paper creating the designs that I wanted for the cake! 
These are a few of my favorite things

(Unfortunately Bud missed his afternoon nap and ended up sleeping through most of the party…)
 The birthday girl loved blowing out her candles… 
… and eating her Strawberry Cake and Ice-Cream…
after all, they were PINK-UH!!! 
Happy 3rd Birthday to my beautiful 
Christmas Rose! 


I’m just curious…

Dec 17, 2012 | , , | 19 Comments

… if any of you can guess the inspiration for Rose’s birthday cake?  

I thought it turned out cute, but I pretty much had to explain it to everyone that came to her birthday party!  🙂 
I’ll be back with more pictures soon… We had so much fun!  

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

Our Advent & Christmas Books

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