Little Flowers Girls’ Club ~ The Gift of Counsel
I wasn’t nearly as organized for this meeting as I would have liked, and actually didn’t start even printing the coloring pages until the night before, and then created the sample craft, notebook page the morning of our meeting, and I was actually trying to finish up the cupcakes as the meeting began… Thankfully my husband had the day off and was able to help, in addition to picking up pizza for the meeting, before taking off with all the boys to a Hockey game, and Amy’s daughter “Rose” agreed to read the story of St. Catherine of Siena (from Around the Year with the Saints) to all the girls during the meeting.
This meeting focused on the gift of Counsel and St. Catherine of Siena. We will now be taking a couple month break, as both Amy and I prepare to welcome our new little ones! Our next meeting will take place in March.
- Continue working on the cover, if necessary
- Review last month’s gift and add Mini Books that were completed at home
- Add Definition and Motto for the Gift of Counsel
- Add the correct Jewel to the Treasure Box
- Complete the Saint Profile*
- Complete the Convert Profile*
- Choose and write down your favorite “Words of Counsel from a Doctor of the Church” to share at the next meeting*
A Man for All Seasons
(Additional Option for younger girls is My Catholic Family DVD: St. Catherine of Siena)
We adapted this recipe from over at Catholic Cuisine for our “craft” for the gift of “Counsel” (following recipes). I purchased a light blue cloud fabric for the jars, tying in the color/jewel of “aquamarine” and the symbol of “clouds.”
South Pole Cupcakes…
… on the 100th Anniversary of the “discovery” of the South Pole!
This afternoon, while I was in the middle of baking a cake for Rose’s birthday tomorrow, I noticed that it was the 100th Anniversary of the first person to reach the South Pole. I happened to have some extra cake batter, along with a fun North Pole Cupcake idea I had been wanting to try, so I decided to surprise the kids with an afternoon snack and extra history lesson when they got home from piano! I was wishing that I had the Race to the South Pole Coloring Book, but instead we did a little research on The Frozen Continent of the South Pole and added the date of discovery to our timelines along with some illustrations inspired by some google images of the discovery and/or Draw Write Now, Book 4: The Polar Regions, Arctic, Antarctic.
Santa Lucia Day in the Evening
This year I just didn’t have the energy to bake our annual Saint Lucia’s Braided Bread on the eve of St. Lucy’s feast day, due to lots of contractions, after a very busy day attending a field trip (the weather was beautiful!), baking cupcakes, and then Our Lady of Guadalupe Potluck at our parish (at least I didn’t have to make lunch or dinner!). I tried again in the morning, getting up at 5 am, but after starting the laundry and more contractions, I gave up and went back to bed. I just haven’t had same energy during Advent this pregnancy, as I did when I was pregnant with Rose.
Our children understand, but still I found our little Chiquita, who celebrates a name day on this beautiful feast, with tears in her eyes. When I asked her what was wrong she said that “We are missing Santa Lucia Day!” Apparently it just isn’t complete without the Saint Lucia Bread, and the cinnamon rolls that Daddy was going to bring home from work (yes, he was already called back in after just a day of leave) just weren’t going to be the same. Despite feeling awful, it was so nice to see how much these little feast day celebrations have come to mean to our children.
I somehow managed to pull myself together long enough to bake the bread before my afternoon OB appointment, for the girls to serve (while singing/playing the song Santa Lucia) before bedtime, after our family rosary, Advent Read-a-loud, and Jesse Tree. It was so worth the extra effort!
My Daybook :: December 12, 2011
Outside my window… it is cold and icy! I need to make sure that everyone dresses warm before we head out today.
I am thinking… about Rose’s 2nd birthday. We do have a few gifts for her, but haven’t made any other plans or decided on a cake. Birthdays during Advent are hard, especially when you full term with another baby!
I am thankful… for the sacrament of Confession, holy priests, and all the graces that go along with the sacrament. I am also thankful for all my wonderful friends that are always looking out for me… Thank you, Aimee, for the lovely candles and holy water blessed in the name of St. Raymond Nonnatus.
From the kitchen… jars of Starlight Cookies for Christmas Eve! The girls had so much fun making these during Little Flowers this past Friday. We made a few modifications to the recipe at Catholic Cuisine. I will try and post our changes, along with the printable tags that I made soon!
Learning all the time… This will be our last “official” week of school for the year, though I do plan to have the kids continue until whenever this little guy arrives. Today we are headed out on another field trip which should be lots of fun!
Living the Liturgical Year at Home… Yesterday we lit the rose candle for Gaudete Sunday! Today we celebrate the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, tomorrow Santa Lucia Day, and later this week we will begin praying the O Antiphons! This year we won’t be doing quite as much as we have in the past (you can find all of my old posts in my Advent & Christmas Planning Post) but we do have a special book for today, along with Mexican Fiesta Potluck at Church (we need to bring a dessert, so I am thinking a Rose Cake or Cupcakes will be perfect). Tomorrow the girls get up early to wake everyone else with a yummy breakfast. (You can find tons of other Ideas for Celebrating Santa Lucia Day here. As for the O Antiphons, unlike last year when I focused on all food treats for each of the seven days, this year I have little gifts wrapped in gold for each day, topped with the corresponding O Antiphon Ornament. I will try and post this years list of gifts, but in the meantime you can find lots of our past ideas in the archives.
I am creating… Christmas gifts! I stayed home with the two youngest on Saturday, while my husband took the boys to their Hockey game and then the four oldest to a birthday party, also at the Ice Rink. It was the perfect opportunity to assemble and wrap most of the kids Christmas gifts – we have always given them three gifts each (plus new pajamas on Christmas Eve), which is now starting to add up to quite a few presents to wrap! I still have a few more to do, but I am starting to feel so much more prepared.
I am wearing… black yoga pants, a purple long-sleeve maternity top, grey sweater/vest, and black boots. Everything else is either too tight, too uncomfortable, or too hard to get on! 🙂
I am reading… Advent and Christmas With Fulton J. Sheen. I am also reading Mamarazzi: Every Mom’s Guide to Photographing Kids, which was a surprise “baby” gift from a dear friend (Twinkle Toes’ Godmother) that just arrived in the mail!
Pondering these words… from the “Conversations with God Daily Dose” for the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe:
Noticing that… I made it to 37 weeks. Officially full-term!
Towards personal care… still need to pack that bag for the hospital, but I am getting closer! I picked up some travel size toiletries at the store and have a little pile building on the bathroom counter, along with a list of the other items I’d like to remember to bring. I also need to remember to pick up some more Arnica, which is always so helpful after delivery!
I am listening… to the sound of the washing machine. Just one more load to finish and I will be completely caught up! I’m hoping that this afternoon can be dedicated to washing all the baby blankets and clothes. I’ve put it off long enough.
Around the house… The floors need to be mopped and the bathrooms need to be cleaned. Thankfully the wash is *almost* caught up, we will have a cleaning lady coming again on Wednesday afternoon!
I am hoping… that Isabella is okay, and perhaps found a new home. She has been missing for a week now and the kids are heartbroken. They LOVED her! Ferdinand also seems so lonely without her. Some of our neighbors have had their outdoor cats for years, and others have had their cats go missing. We have quite the wildlife in the woods around our home (cougars, bears, raccoons, bobcats, foxes, etc) and she was such a daring cat, and quite the hunter, that I worry that she might have picked a fight with the wrong animal. 🙁
I am praying… the Christmas Rose Novena for a Healthy Baby and Safe Delivery. It starts today!
One of my favorite things… annual leave! Hubby has enough “use it or lose it leave” to take the rest of the year off!!! (He actually had more than enough, and ended up donating hours to a fellow forester who has a son with cancer and not enough leave.) He may have to go in a few days here and there, but I am so thankful that he will be able to be home most of these next few weeks.
A few plans for the rest of the week:
- Monday :: American History Themed Field Trip; Fiesta for Our Lady of Guadalupe at Church
- Tuesday :: Celebrate Santa Lucia Day; 37 Week OB Appointment
- Wednesday :: Tutor from 9-1; Piano from 2-4 for the four oldest
- Thursday :: Celebrate Rose’s 2nd Birthday; Hockey Practice
- Friday :: Have a Baby? *I did say the 16th would be the most convenient! 😉
- Saturday :: Last Hockey Game before Christmas Break; Begin praying the O Antiphons
A Picture thought I am sharing:
P.S. There is still time to add a guess on when you think this little one will arrive, if you haven’t already! I will probably close the game to new guesses tonight.
Nativity in the Woods :: A Puzzle for Advent
As I mentioned in one of my Preparing for Advent posts this year, I had ordered a new puzzle for the children to work on this Advent. This was their 4th 1,000 piece puzzle in the past year… They started with the Our Lady of Guadalupe Puzzle last Advent, completed the Last Supper Puzzle during Lent, and then worked on a Good Shepherd Puzzle during the Easter Season.
For this Advent I ended up deciding on a Nativity in the Woods 1,000pc Puzzle. Originally I had planned to give it to them on the first Sunday of Advent, but ended up waiting until just before bedtime on the feast of St. Andrew, November 30th. Of course they wanted to get started right away!
I think we might pull out the Our Lady of Guadalupe Puzzle today, and then I also ended up ordering this beautiful Holy Family Jigsaw Puzzle (which I ran across after linking to all the other puzzles I was considering in that first post), to use as one of our O Antiphon gifts this year. That way they will have another to work on during the Christmas season!
Any Guesses?
December is just flying by, which means my due date is coming up soon! I’ve been having a lot of contractions lately, and it seems like I fall asleep pretty much every time I sit or lay down “for just a second,” but that is pretty normal for me at this stage. Between my last appointment and this week’s appointment, I progressed to 2cm and 50% effaced… I was pretty excited about that, until I looked back at this post and noticed that I was at 3cm a whole week before Rose was born!
Nevertheless, after having a hard time making it through Mass this morning due to some more strong contractions (which died down after a couple hours), I came home determined to make the time to wash the baby blankets, baby clothes, and start packing my bag to take to the hospital… Just as soon as I finish the other 10 loads that have piled up in the laundry room… and get ready for tomorrow’s Little Flowers Meeting… and… 😉
In the meantime, I thought it would be fun to host another Online Baby Pool, like we did for Rose. To help you out, I’ve listed all of our other children’s birth statistics.
So, when do you think this little guy is going to arrive?
P.S. If you have any “nickname” suggestions for this blog, I’d love to hear them too! At this point I am thinking about using either “Bud” (since it sounds so perfect after Rose, and they were both due at Christmas-time), or “Little Man” which is the theme for a Baby Shower/Celebration that a sweet friend is planning for after his arrival. Any other ideas? As for his real name… We still haven’t decided on that either! 🙂
Celebrating the Feast of St. Nicholas
Nicholas is the great patron of children and of Christmas giving. The word “Santa Claus” is a short form of “St. Nicholas.” He was born in Asia Minor, and after his parents died, he gave all his money to charity. Once a certain poor man was about to abandon his daughters to a life of sin because they did not have the money for a dowry. St. Nicholas heard about his problem, so at night, he threw a bag of gold in the man’s window. This was for the oldest daughter. He did the same thing for the second daughter, and the grateful father kept watch to find out who was being so good to him. When St. Nicholas came a third time, the man recognized him and thanked him over and over again.
Later St. Nicholas became Bishop. He had great love for justice, and once he saved three men who had been falsely condemed to death. He then turned to their accuser and made him admit that he had been offered money to get rid of these three men.
St. Nicholas died in Myra, and a great basilica was built over his tomb. Many churches were dedicated in his name, and when his relics were brought to Bari in Italy, this city became a favorite shrine for pilgrims from all over Europe. He is also the patron of sailors, of prisoners, and with St. Andrew, the Patron of Russia.
To enter Heaven we must keep our soul without sin, or have it washed clean again by sorrow and confession.
Pray for Us!
Field Trip to a Water-Powered Grist Mill
Last week, just before we all came down with a cold, we had the opportunity to attend a field trip to a local grist mill. This particular mill is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and is the oldest water-powered grist mill (and the only one that is still commercially operating) west of the Mississippi River! Since we have been studying Early American History this year, and particularly Colonial Life at the moment, this field trip opportunity couldn’t have come at a better time.
“This mill is not a water wheel operated mill, rather the water in the millrace flows into a penstock twelve feet deep, where its weight provides pressure to activate the turbine that runs the wheels, belts and pulleys. This movement also turns the large millstones that grind the grain.”
To reach the grinding stones (which are still the original stones that were quarried in France over 130 years ago, shipped across the ocean, assembled into four -foot diameter stones in Illinois, and then carried over the mountains by wagon), the grain is fed into a hopper that in turn feeds it into the “eye” of the stones. In about three hours, it is ground to flour or cracked wheat depending on how the stones are set. We were told that Stone Grinding protects the nutrients and thoroughly blends the entire grain.
“The mill has a basement where water power is harnessed and three floors where grain is received, stored and ground. Architecturally the building is interesting because the frame was raised first. The beams were morticed together and pinned with hard wooden pegs. The walls of whipsawed lumber were nailed to the frame with square nails. Foundation pillars are two feet square and were hewn with a broad ax. A waterwheel did not power the mill but rather water flowed into a 12-foot deep penstock, its weight creating the pressure that activated turbines powering the belts and pulleys that would move the giant stones.”
I thought it was interesting that the millers wife (a mother of seven children!) stayed busy hand-washing, drying, and ironing laundry for just 10 cents a load (which was great money back then), and also maintained a trap line along the creek. The picture on the right is the bathtub in which she bathed all those children, beginning with the oldest and then ending with the youngest.
The Country Store at the mill has all sorts of neat antique memorabilia on display, in addition to all the great products that they offer.
We came home with mixes for Cornbread and Oat Scones, their new Black & White Bean Chili Mix, along with some other fun treats including Lemon Curd, Lingonberries Preserves (imported from Sweden, which I plan to serve on Santa Lucia Day!), Gold Rush Old Fashioned Sourdough Starter, and some Old Fashioned Lemon and Root Beer Drops.
All the children were also given little sample bags of wheat to plant next spring. Our little Rose, however, was determined to get into that bag and try a sample! Yes, she is pretty good at getting into whatever it is that she wants, and had no trouble getting the twist-tie off the baggie.
Links for December :: Month Dedicated to the Divine Infancy
Links for December: You can find my Links for Advent and Christmas Planning from the Archives here…
… and The Advent Season in Our Catholic Home here.
Advent
- Links for Advent and Christmas Planning from the Archives (various)
- Lighting Our Advent Wreath on the First Sunday of Advent (2012)
- Precious Moments :: Adding the First Ornaments… (2012)
- My Daybook :: The First Week of Advent (2013)
- Celebrating the Saints :: Saint Andrew the Apostle (2014 – First Sunday of Advent)
December 3rd – Feast of St. Francis Xavier
December 6th – Feast of St. Nicholas
- The Legend of the Candy Cane and Recipe
- St. Nicholas Hot Cocoa and Counting down the days…
- A Makeover for Santa Claus
- St. Nicholas Chocolate Coins
- The Baker’s Dozen :: A Saint Nicholas Tale and Baking Cookies for the Feast
- Happy Feast of St. Nicholas! (2007)
- And what a feast it was! (2007)
- Celebrating the Feast of St. Nicholas (2008)
- In Honor of St. Nicholas (2009)
- Celebrating the Feast of St. Nicholas (2010)
- Celebrating the Feast of St. Nicholas (2011)
- Celebrating the Feast of St. Nicholas (2012)
- Celebrating the Feast of St. Nicholas (2013)
- Making a list… (2009 Plans and New Books)
- New Christmas Books for the Feast of St. Nicholas (2010)
- New Christmas Books for the Feast of St. Nicholas (2011)
- New Christmas Books for the Feast of St. Nicholas (2012)
- New Christmas Books for the Feast of St. Nicholas (2013)
- New Christmas Books for the Feast of St. Nicholas (2014)
December 7th – Feast of St. Ambrose
- Creating our Christ Candle (2007)
- See our 2012 Christ Candle here and here
December 8th – Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception
December 12th – Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe
- Mexican Fiesta for Our Lady of Guadalupe (2008)
- A Tea in Honor of Our Lady of Guadalupe (2009)
- On the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe (2010)
- A 1,000 Piece Challenge! (Our Lady of Guadalupe Puzzle)
- ¡Viva la Virgen de Guadalupe! (Painted Dolls and Books)
- An Our Lady of Guadalupe Pop-up Book!
- Celebrating the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe (2012)
- A Brunch on the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe (2013)
December 12th – Christmas Rose Novena
- A Christmas Rose (St Therese Novena which begins 12 Days before Christmas)
December 13th – Feast of St. Lucy
- Ideas for Celebrating St. Lucia Day!
- Our Santa Lucia Crown (2007 – Craft)
- Happy Santa Lucia Day! (2007)
- Happy Santa Lucia Day! (2008)
- Santa Lucia Day (2009)
- On the Eve of Santa Lucia Day (2010)
- Santa Lucia Day in the Morning (2010)
- Lucia, Saint of Light – Free Audio Book!
- Santa Lucia Day in the Evening (2011) and {pretty, happy, funny, real} (2011)
- Dress Suggestions for Santa Lucia Day (2012)
- Santa Lucia Day in the Morning (2012)
- Santa Lucia Day (2013)
December 17th to 23rd – The O Antiphons
- O Antiphon House
- O Antiphons ~ Dec 17 to 23
- Celebrating the O Antiphons (2007)
- O Sapientia ~ O Wisdom (Dec 17th)
- O Adonai ~ O Lord and Ruler (Dec 18th)
- O Radix Jesse ~ O Root of Jesse (Dec 19th)
- O Clavis David ~ O Key of David (Dec 20th)
- Celebrating the O Antiphons ~ Our Plans for this Year! (2009)
- Highlights From This Year’s O Antiphon Activities (2009)
- O Antiphons :: Incorporating and Old Monastic Tradition in the Home (2010 – Catholic Cuisine)
- Celebrating the O Antiphons :: The Golden Nights (2011)
- Preparing for Advent :: O Antiphon Gifts (2012)
December 24th – Christmas Eve
- Our Christmas 2008: Christmas Eve
- Painting Sugar Cookies on Christmas Eve (2009)
- Gingerbread Fun (2010)
- Christmas Eve in Pictures (2011)
- Christmas Eve in Pictures (2013)
December 25th – Christmas Day
Celebrating Christmas
- Our Christmas (2007)
- Our Christmas 2008: Home Tour
- Our Christmas 2008: Christmas Day
- Scenes from Christmas Day :: Christmas Brunch (2009)
- Scenes from Christmas Day :: Around our Home (2009)
- Scenes from Christmas Day :: Opening Gifts (2009)
- My Christmas Daybook :: December 30, 2010
- On Christmas Day in the Morning (2010)
- Christmas Day in the Morning and {pretty, happy, funny, real} (2011)
- {pretty, happy, funny, real} On Christmas Eve (2012)
- My Christmas Daybook (2012)
- Christmas Eve in Pictures (2012)
- Our Christmas Day Christkindl Family Gift Exchange (2012)
- Christmas Day in the Morning (2012)
- Roses for Baby Jesus (2013)
- Christmas Day :: December 25, 2013
Christmas Recipes
- Candy for Christmas
- Candy Cane Dots for Christmas
- Chocolate Christmas Coins
- Chocolate Nativity Set
- Christmas Baking
- Christmas Cookies
- Gingerbread Fun
- Gingerbread Fun on New Year’s Eve
- Nativity Cookies
- Painting Sugar Cookies on Christmas Eve
- Peanut Butter Cup Cookies
- South Pole Cupcakes
- Starlight Cookies for Christmas Eve
- Cookie Cutters Tell the Story of Christmas
- The Christmas Cookie Sprinkle Snitcher
- The Baker’s Dozen :: A Saint Nicholas Tale and Baking Cookies for the Feast
Gifts
- Made with Love
- Shhh! Don’t tell them… (2009 Christmas Gifts)
- Christmas Gift Ideas :: A Few of our Favorite Toys
- Checking it Twice… (2012)
- Checking it Twice… {Christmas Gifts 2013 Edition}
- Stacks of Books on Christmas Morning (2013)
- Also check the Christmas Morning posts…
Puzzles
- Nativity in the Woods :: A Puzzle for Advent
- Glorious Nativity :: A Puzzle for Advent
- Noah’s Ark – The Invitation :: A 1,000 Piece Puzzle
- The Twelve Days of Christmas & Cathedral Windows
December 26th – Feast of St. Stephen
- On the Feast of Stephen… (2013)
December 27th – Feast of St. John
- Feast of St John (2007)
- St. John’s Day (2008)
- Edible Eagles (2010 – Catholic Cuisine)
- On the 3rd Day of Christmas… (2012)
- On the Feast of St. John… (2013)
December 29th – Feast of St. Thomas Becket
- Sword and Miter Cookies for St. Thomas Becket
- On the 5th Day of Christmas… (2012)
- The Twelve Days of Christmas & Cathedral Windows (2013)
December 31st – New Year’s Eve!
Other Links for December Resources:
- Catholic Cuisine: Recipes for December ~ Month Dedicated to the Divine Infancy
Our Lady of Guadalupe Pop-Up Book
Our Lady of Guadalupe
Pop-up Book by Francisco Serrano
I mentioned the other day that I did have another new book to surprise the kids with this Advent. I actually pre-ordered this book last year, but it ended up not arriving in time for the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, so I saved it for this year. All year I’ve been dying to take it out of my closet to share with the kids. They are going to love it!
This book has twelve pages, which create six beautiful double page pop-ups, telling the story of Our Lady of Guadalupe. Here are a few examples:
The price for this book on Amazon seems to change frequently… It was listed at 20% off the other day, and is now currently 32% off! Either way, I think it is definitely worth the price.
The feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe is coming up on December 12th, preceded by the feast of St. Juan Diego on December 9th. I’m not making any definite plans for a Mexican Fiesta or another Our Lady of Guadalupe Tea this year, since I will be “full term” by then, but at the very least we will be reading this book, beginning our Christmas Rose Novena, and enjoying some sort of Catholic Cuisine!
P.S. Could you please say an extra prayer for us, as we all try and get over coughs, colds, sore throats, and earaches? Nothing like getting sick to force me to try and rest and to cancel/reschedule the rest of our plans for the week… Thank you!
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