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My Daybook :: January 10, 2013

Jan 10, 2013 | , | 31 Comments

Our 2012 Christ Candle on Christmas Day

Outside my window… 
the ground is covered with snow and my awesome little brother was outside early this morning, changing the master bedroom outlet breaker for me – the one that would trip nearly every time I turned on the treadmill for the past year, requiring a trip outside usually in the dark. I’m so excited that it is fixed!

I am thinking…        
about how much I miss having Sean home.   Why does it always get so crazy around here when he is gone?   Thankfully we are nearly through the first week, of three… Is it really Thursday already?

I am thankful… 
that I didn’t need stitches last night, after cutting my thumb.  Ouch!  I need to slow down a little bit…  I knocked over that pretty soap bottle while washing the dishes and stuck my thumb right into a sharp piece of glass when putting more of the broken pieces into the trash can.   I didn’t need stitches, just a Steri-Strip and a Tetanus shot late last night. Now I just need to keep it clean and dry for the next four days…

Learning all the time… 
This week didn’t get off to a very good start, but that’s always the case after a break, right?  We have gotten through the essentials, but I am really hoping we can get back to The Alphabet Path (letter D), Science (I’ve been nervous ever since the Tooth incident), and finishing up our Civil War Unit Study these next couple weeks.   Thankfully everyone is right on schedule with Math, Language Arts, and Latin.

Celebrating the liturgical year… 
I spent some time pulling out some of our saint books for January and updating the sidebar.  I’m hoping to get back to organizing all of our books and categorizing them sometime soon. (I started last fall and never finished.)  Other than another Tea on the Feast of Our Lady of Altagracia and incorporating something in honor of St. Agnes, I don’t have many plans for the rest of the month.

From the kitchen… 
Thirteen different flavors of jam!  I had been collecting them for awhile with the intention of making an Epiphany Tart.  After spending so much time in the kitchen on Saturday, preparing our Twelve Days of Christmas Dinner Party, followed by an early morning driving Sean to the airport, I was just too tired.   At least we are stocked up on jam for awhile!   And maybe we will still make it eventually… We’ll see.

I am working on… 
potty-training Rose.  It’s (past) time!  Monday I woke up to a couple sick children and after uncountable dirty-diapers (Bud) I gave Rose a bath and decided not to put another diaper on her.  Unlike in the past, I thought she was finally ready!  We haven’t had any daytime accidents, and just one accident last night (which is probably because I wasn’t home to put her to bed).  She is doing great!

I am creating… 
a new budget.  I knew the Dental Insurance we signed up for was going to start coming out of my husband’s paychecks this month, but I wasn’t prepared for just how much (tax increase too?) his paycheck dropped… I usually preschedule bill payments and I ended up having to raid all the kids piggy banks and make a late night trip to the ATM on payday this week.  Thankfully it all worked out, and I didn’t bounce anything, but it was way too close. Whew!

I am going… 
to try and continue catching up on emails!  I finally have it down to “only 100” emails sitting in my inbox from the last year waiting for a response… That’s progress!  😉

I am hoping… 
that the scale starts going down a little bit. I’ve been walking/jogging every day this year and it still hasn’t budged… I keep telling myself that I am gaining muscle and the scale will start coming down eventually.  Still, it has been discouraging.

I am praying… 
that next week isn’t nearly as “eventful” as this week has been!

I am reading… 
excellent posts on discipline over at Like Mother, Like Daughter.   I’m often asked “How do you do it all?” It is a difficult question for me to answer (My first thought is “I just do… and I don’t get to everything that I’d like to!”), but I think it all comes down to well behaved and obedient children, in addition to thinking and planning ahead.   We have required and trained our children to be obedient since they were babies.  They are still children and get into arguments with each other and have to be reminded to do their chores frequently, and it is always a work in progress, but they are great kids.  A couple Sundays ago I had to take the baby out of Mass and Hubby had to also leave for a few minutes – the remaining six children sat in the pew and paid attention to Mass.  The usher came up to me in the back and said “My kids would never have done what your kids are in there doing, if my wife and I had left them there by themselves! I’ve never seen anything like it.”  I was a very proud momma at that moment!  🙂

Here is a great post to start: Six-to-eleven year olds need less patience from you.  Then maybe move on to The Reasonably Clean Kitchen starts with rules for the kids.

Pondering these words…
from Auntie Leila’s post on Destruction-proofing your family:

“And they don’t realize how necessary forming habits in their children is to future happiness. They let them grow willy-nilly, pacifying rather than disciplining, leaving family culture to the four winds and then wondering why things are so unpleasant. “Later, when we’re older, we’ll think about how we want our family to be.””

I am listening…  
We are still listening to The Lord of the Rings, and we are now on the second part of The Two Towers.

On Sunday afternoon Rascal started building his new Helm’s Deep lego set.  He had it finished by dinnertime!

It’s been fun to see all their new creations, incorporating some of their old sets as well.

Around the house… 
there are still signs of the Christmas season, even though we took down our tree this last weekend.  We will leave our Nativity out until Candlemas.

One of my favorite things…  
The short little phone calls from my husband, even though he hasn’t been able to talk for more than 10 minutes each day.  They keep him BUSY on these trainings!

This week’s plans…

Survive!  😉

A little peek at my day…
It started snowing again!

Our Twelve Days of Christmas Dinner Party on Twelfth Night!

Jan 8, 2013 | | 20 Comments

I mentioned the other night that I was planning a Twelve Days of Christmas Dinner Party on Twelfth Night for my family!  I was able to make it to the grocery story after a lovely (early birthday) dinner date with my husband on Friday night and found almost everything on my list.  (Sean left early Sunday morning for another out of state training session and will be gone for three weeks… Please keep his safety, and my sanity, in your prayers!)   While Sean packed and prepared for his trip, I had fun in the kitchen creating this Twelfth Night/Epiphany Party for our family!  We enjoyed a late lunch/early dinner and then went to the Vigil Mass before coming home for dessert and games, before taking down our tree… I was so sad to see it go, but it is now quickly drying out, and the thought of me trying to wrestle it out of the house with the boys didn’t sound like too much fun! 😉  I did, however, keep the little trees and lights by the fireplace, and our nativity and Christ Candle will remain out until Candlemas!   

Inspired by the song The Twelve Days of Christmas, I came up with twelve menu items for our party. Legend has it that each gift represents an aspect of our faith and it has been said that this song was used to help teach catechism to children when religious instruction was prohibited.  Whether or not this is true, I just love all the symbolism and am always looking for ways to teach my children more about our faith.  (Note:  You can find our Twelve Days of Christmas Lap Book here.)  When creating the menu I drew from both the original gifts and the Catholic aspects of our faith which they symbolize.

I set the table with a red tablecloth and our Silent Night Table Runner, moved our Twelve Days of Christmas Ornaments from the kitchen to the table as well, and used the lovely new little ornaments from Jesse Tree Treasures to place next to each food item.

.: The Menu :.

Eight Maids-a-Milking Eggnog and/or Pure White Punch

Four Calling Birds Chicken Wings or Salad with Grilled Chicken
Five Golden Onion Rings with Dipping Sauce
Six Geese-a-Laying Deviled Eggs or Egg Salad
Seven Swan’s a Swimming Bean Dip
Nine Ladies Dancing Fruits of the Holy Spirit Salad
Twelve Drummer’s Drumming Chicken Drumsticks

Ten (Lord’s a Leaping) Commandment Cookies
Eleven Piper’s Pretzel Rod Pipes and/or Chocolate Choir of Angels


I did end up making a few modifications to my planned menu, based on what I was able to find shopping.  Here are some pictures of what we came up with: 
.: A Partridge in a Pear Tree :.

Partridge in a Pear Tree = 1 Beloved Son, Jesus Christ, on the Cross

When I saw the Partridge in a Pear Tree Pie over at Taste of Home, I knew I had to try making it… It was pretty simple and turned out so cute and delicious.   I didn’t have a partridge cookie cutter so I just hand cut a design with a butter knife.  I also added some little leaves and cross shapes as well.

.: Two Turtle Doves :.

Two Turtle Doves = 2 Testaments (Old & New) 
Turtle Dove Chocolates!  You can find the recipe at Catholic Cuisine. 
.: Three French Hens :.

Three French Hens = 3 Gifts of the Magi and/or 3 Virtues, Faith, Hope & Love
I made our Twelfth Night Rum Cake with three Chocolate Coins hidden inside.  I had a small gift for each person that found a coin in their slice.  (This year it was my husband, Chiquita and Snuggles.)


I also made some Gluten Free Mini Rum Cakes, and used Coconut Sugar for the rum syrup.  You couldn’t even tell the difference. (I knew I needed some healthier options for myself or I’d never be able to resist a couple of the treats.  

.: Four Calling Birds :.

Four Calling Birds = 4 Gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John
I planned to pick up four kinds of Chicken Wings/Appetizers for this menu item, but that was the one thing I forget to get at the store.   Grilled Chicken on top of Salad, or even bird shaped sandwiches would have worked as well.  Our meal was made up of mostly appetizers and desserts, but a chicken main dish could be easily incorporated here too.

Instead, I just ended up pulling our our Church Windows game for the kids to play – tying in Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, the 4 Gospel Writers.

.: Five Golden Rings :.

Five Golden Rings = 5 Books of Moses: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy
Snuggles (by far our pickiest eater) decided to try one of these “Golden Rings” (Onion Rings). After taking a couple bites he asked “What’s inside this?” When nobody gave him a direct answer, just asked if he was going to eat the rest, he said, “No… It tastes odd!” lol Next time I think I might opt for dried apple rings!  
.: Six Geese A-Laying :.

Six Geese A-Laying = 6 Days of Creation
Deviled Eggs made a yummy and healthy addition to the party and tied in nicely to the six geese a-laying!
.: Seven Swans A-Swimming :.

Seven Swans A-Swimming = 7 Gifts of the Holy Spirit
Since the seven swans a-swimming represents the seven gifts of the holy spirit, I decided to serve our Pentecost seven layer dip with chips.
.: Eight Maids A-Milking :.

Eight Maid A-Milking = 8 Beatitudes
I already had some eggnog leftover from Christmas.  
.: Nine Ladies Dancing :.

Nine Ladies Dancing = 9 Fruits of the Spirit
A simple fruit salad made from nine fresh fruits: Kiwi, Banana, Apple, Pear, Cantaloupe, Watermelon, Red Grapes, Oranges, and Pineapple. 
.: Ten Lords A-Leeping :.

Ten Lords A-Leeping = 10 Commandments
Pepperidge Milano Cookies with the Roman Numerals written with black sparkle gel.

.: Eleven Pipers Piping :.

Eleven Pipers Piping = 11 Faithful Apostles 
Pretzel Rod Pipes and A Choir of Chocolate Angels to match the beautiful illustrations in our book. 

.: Twelve Drummers Drumming :.

Twelve Drummers Drumming = 12 Points of the Apostles Creed
Originally I was going to make Chicken Drumsticks, but when I saw these Chicken Drumellas at Trader Joe’s I thought they would be perfect quick and easy! 
.: Picture Books :.

Twelve Days of Christmas Picture Books: 

The Twelve Days of Christmas Illustrated by Laurel Long
The Twelve Days of Christmas Illustrated by Jan Brett
The Twelve Days of Christmas: A Christmas Pop-Up Illustrated byJohn Patience
The Twelve Days of Christmas: The Story Behind a Favorite Christmas Song (not pictured)

Epiphany Picture Books Pictured:

The Last Straw by Frederick H. Thury
The Third Gift by Linda Sue Park
Baboushka and the Three Kings by Ruth Robbins
We Three Kings Illustrated by Gennady Spirin

Three Kings Original Gifts of Christmas: Gold Frankincense & Myrrh Deluxe Three Box Set

A Twelve Days of Christmas Dinner Party on Twelfth Night

Jan 5, 2013 | , | 16 Comments

I have been working on a menu (with a little help from a very dear friend) for a Twelve Days of Christmas Dinner Party on Twelfth Night for my family and thought I would share it with you all, since I have been asked by a few friends.   I don’t usually like posting before hand, since I don’t know how (or if!) it will turn out, but here are my plans!  

.: The Menu :.

Eight Maids-a-Milking Eggnog and/or Pure White Punch
Four Calling Birds Chicken Wings or Salad with Grilled Chicken
Five Golden Onion Rings with Dipping Sauce
Six Geese-a-Laying Deviled Eggs or Egg Salad
Seven Swan’s a Swimming Bean Dip
(recalling the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit)
Nine Ladies Dancing Fruits of the Holy Spirit Salad
Twelve Drummer’s Drumming Chicken Drumsticks

(with maybe some crosses added instead of the extra pear’s out of pie dough)
Three French Hens Chocolate Coins in the Twelfth Night Rum Cake  
(representing the three gifts of the Magi) 
Ten (Lord’s a Leaping) Commandment Cookies
Eleven Piper’s Pretzel Rod Pipes and/or Chocolate Angelic Messengers
I also have this BEAUTIFUL new book that just arrived in the mail, in addition to both our old (pictured above) and new (from Jesse Tree Treasures) Twelve Days of Christmas ornaments to use as decorations!

I am also hoping to make Charlotte’s Epiphany Tart on Sunday.   If all goes well, and I’m able to find everything I need at the store tonight, I’ll be back with pictures to share!

What are your plans for this year?

UPDATE:  YOU CAN SEE PICTURES FROM OUR PARTY HERE.

The Christmas Cookie Sprinkle Snitcher

Jan 4, 2013 | , , , , | 11 Comments

“In a neat little village
all covered in snow,
sleep apple-cheeked children
their hearts all aglow,
dreaming of morning, when they will awake,
hungry for cookies their mothers will bake.”

And so begins the story of The Christmas Cookies Sprinkle Snitcher written by Robert Kraus over 40 years ago, and finally republished in 2010.  Our children were very excited to discover this book in our Advent Book Basket this past Advent!

Originally I planned to bake sugar cookies (in preparation for Christmas) the day they opened the book and read it for the first time, but since I was recovering from a sinus infection it was postponed until after Christmas.

So yesterday, after sharing how Cookie Cutters Tell the Story of Christmas, I pulled out a bunch of our Christmas Sprinkles and we used some more of our sugar cookie dough to cut out additional cookies to decorate. 
We were finally able to try out the fun new snowflake cookie cutter that I had picked up for the Sound of Music Birthday Party, but didn’t have the time to use… 

…and thankfully the Sprinkle Snitcher hadn’t found my stash of sprinkles! 😉

The kids had a blast, and doing all these fun activities during the Twelve Days of Christmas, instead of before, has been an excellent way to really celebrate the Christmas season this year!  (Even though it has been awfully hard to resist all these delicious looking cookies with my New Year’s resolutions, I have been successful!  And I’ve even walked/ jogged 20 miles on the treadmill over the first 4 days of this new year!  Woohoo!! Hopefully I can actually keep it up once we start back to school next week!)

Happy 11th Day of Christmas! 
I’ll try and post our plans for Twelfth Night a little later this evening…

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!


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
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As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

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