My Daybook :: November 14, 2011
Outside my window… we have leaves everywhere. Or as Twinkle Toes has been quoting:
I am thinking… about Christmas gifts. I would really love to have all of my planning and shopping completed, and all the gifts wrapped, by the first Sunday of Advent, which is coming up way too quickly!
I am thankful… for extra help. I hired an affordable cleaning lady for the very first time last month! She came for 3 hours to deep clean the bathrooms, dust, vacuum, and mop the floors. It was amazing! Of course I “cleaned” (or should I say de-cluttered) all morning before she arrived and was so happy to have such a shiny house when she left. Now, three weeks later, if I could just get her to come back!
From the kitchen… leftover pizza for dinner. I haven’t felt like cooking much lately. If I could just find the motivation and extra energy to double some yummy recipes and stock up the freezer during the next couple weeks! I am going to look up the recipes that Barbara shared with me during my last pregnancy for some inspiration. If anyone has a great freezer recipe to share, I’d love some suggestions.
Learning all the time… Right now we are studying Colonial Life, which is just perfect with Thanksgiving coming up next week! I’ve been struggling to find time to work with Snuggles much, but he does love to join in with whatever the big kids are doing, so I don’t feel too bad. Still, I’d love to get back to Little Saints!
Living the Liturgical Year at Home… It’s almost Advent!!! I spent some time updating my Links for Advent Planning from the Archives this past week, adding all the new posts from last year. The feast of St. Elizabeth of Hungary (one of the saints I choose for my confirmation) is also coming up this week. I’m hoping to make St. Elizabeth’s Crown (or some variation) for dessert!
I am creating… a checklist for Advent and Christmas. Hopefully it will help me feel a little more like I “have it all together” this year… Even if I really don’t! 😉
I am wearing… warm socks and a thick sweater. It is COLD today!
I am reading… history and science books to my children. That’s about all I’ve had time for lately, but I’d like to get back to The Happiness Project: Or, Why I Spent a Year Trying to Sing in the Morning, Clean My Closets, Fight Right, Read Aristotle, and Generally Have More Fun.
Pondering these words… from yesterday’s readings, which weren’t exactly comforting after a couple days of struggling from anxiety and panic attacks. Hubby glanced over at me, and I couldn’t help smiling:
When people are saying, “Peace and security,” then sudden disaster comes upon them, like labor pains upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.
Yes, I have been a little nervous about delivering again… pretty much since the moment Rose was born…
Noticing that… I really miss being able to share posts through Google Reader, not that I’ve had much time for reading blogs anyways, but still! Why did they have to change that?!?
Towards personal care… I’ve been trying to stay off my feet as much as possible, since walking seems to trigger contractions. It is much easier said than done!
I am listening… to the Felicity Books with my girls, as part of their Colonial History study.
Around the house… there are quite a few partially finished projects. The next on the list is to finish assembling the drawers for the “closet” organizers in the babies room so I can finally have a place to put his clothing, once I get it all washed. Hubby has been working constantly, and has only had Sundays off since I got back from Texas. Maybe this next weekend?
I am hoping… that this baby takes after all of his siblings and arrives a little early. Looking ahead at my calendar for December, it looks like the the 16th would probably work best for me… 😉 And goodness, that is just a month away!
I am praying… for the Hadley Family. We attended a dinner/fundraiser for their sweet children this past weekend and I am always so inspired by this amazing family. Please continue to remember them in your prayers, as they continue to search for a cure for their children, and all the other children suffering from Neimann-Pick Disease known as “Childhood Alzheimer’s.” For those of you that have so generously donated to Hadley Hope in the past, here is an update on Peyton and Kayla:
One of my favorite things… Amazon and Prime Shipping. The Nativity Fabric Advent Calendar I ordered arrived and it is even nicer than it appeared in the picture. I just LOVE it and can hardly wait to surprise the kids with it on the first Sunday of Advent!
A few plans for the rest of the week:
- Hockey Skills and Drills Tonight (Hubby came home early to take the boys so I could stay home! Yay!!)
- Try and schedule a Hair Cut for myself and the girls
- Tutor and Piano Lessons on Wednesday
- Hockey Team Practice on Thursday Night
- Daily Mass on Friday
- Hockey Game on Saturday Morning
- Mass on Sunday
- Musical with the older kids, hopefully!
A Picture thought I am sharing:
{this moment} :: At the Symphony with Daddy
32 Weeks and 4 days. . .
I was blessed with another peek at our little guy this morning, when I went back in for an echocardiogram, as well as to check his weight and positioning.
Before I left for the appointment I told my husband that I was nearly positive that he wasn’t breech anymore, just by the way I was feeling and all the extra room I now seem to have, and sure enough he has finally settled head down. Yay!!
His heart also looks perfect, and he is measuring apporximately 4 pounds 11 ounces at the moment, which is about a week bigger than he should be measuring (none of my other children have ever measured big) according to the Jan. 1st due date. Today’s estimated due date came up as December 25th once again, which is what it was to begin with…
Preparing for Advent :: A Few Fun Finds
I’ve been having to “take it easy” lately, due to lots of contractions and a positive fetal fibronectin test (which isn’t really very accurate when it is positive, and doesn’t mean I will go into labor in the next couple weeks, I just don’t have the reassurance that I won’t…). So, as you have probably already noticed, it has finally allowed me to spend a little time considering this coming Advent and Christmas. I’ve been having so much fun deciding on a few new things to purchase (with the help of a surprise Amazon gift card!!) for this year, and I thought I’d take a moment to share a few of my finds with you all.
Have you seen the new Saint Nicholas and Christmas Angel Playmobil toys? My boys absolutely love all things Playmobil and I can’t wait to surprise them with this little set on the feast of St. Nicholas!
Last year our children had so much fun putting together the Our Lady of Guadalupe Puzzle during Advent, that I decided to purchase another puzzle for this year. I ran across some beautiful options, including No Room at The Inn, White Mountain Puzzles O Night Divine, Ravensburger Two Angels, and this absolutely gorgeous Holy Infant Window Puzzle. I ended up deciding on this Nativity in the Woods 1000pc Jigsaw Puzzle though… For some reason, it just seemed perfect for our family! (Here is a similar Stained Glass Window Jigsaw Puzzle.)
In the past it has always been so hard to find Nativity themed Stockings for our boys. (The girls all have Angel Stockings, which seem to be a little easier to find, though not much!) This year we ran across two favorites and ended up deciding on the beautiful Kurt Adler 19-Inch Canvas “Joy to the World” Christmas Stocking, in case this new little guy decides to arrive in time for Christmas.
In addition to the our very first and favorite Advent Calendar, I have always wanted to add a Fabric/Banner Version as well, to go along with our Jesse Tree, but have never had the opportunity to create one. This year I was surprised to run across so many options including: Alma’s Design Nativity Advent Calendar, Nativity Fabric Advent Calendar by Vermont Christmas Company, Nativity Advent Calendar by Pockets of Learning, and the Little People Nativity Advent Calendar. I ultimately decided on the Nativity Fabric Advent Calendar by Kubla Crafts. Which one is your favorite?
Next on my list is trying to find nice, yet affordable, slippers, chocolate coins and new picture books for the feast of St. Nicholas!
Preparing for Advent :: Advent Candles
I mentioned yesterday that I spent some time this past weekend searching for Advent Candles. I had called the Monastery/Abbey Bookstore where we usually purchase our favorite Advent Candles to place an order, only to find out that the monk that usually makes the advent candles only made a very small batch this year, and they only have a couple 3″x2″ round sets and one 4″x2″ square set, priced at $18.95 per set. My concern is that we would burn through these much too quickly (since we light them for a couple hours each evening).
The woman at the Abbey bookstore suggested this lovely set of 100% Pure Beeswax Tapers, but I just love the look and practicality of the Pillar Candles for our family.
My search began… First I headed to Autom. I loved this Purple Advent Candle Pillar Set, but I wanted to keep my spending as close to $5 per candle as possible, which is what I have been spending in the past, and it was priced at $24.99 plus shipping. If I hadn’t just missed their Free Shipping Offer on Facebook, I probably would have ordered this set.
A friend then shared a link on Facebook, suggesting the Advent Candles sold by the Monastery Candle Shop. They looked like they would be perfect!! They are only $14 per set, and are approximately 6″x 2 1/2″ tall. I was about to order a set, but then the shipping calculated to be more than the actual candles… (Update: Unfortunately these did not burn well for me and I will continue searching for a new source in the future…)
Yesterday I called Brother David, the monk who makes these candles, at the St. Bernard Abbey in Alabama, and he agreed to ship 2 sets in a flat rate Priority Box (instead of using UPS), which would bring the total to only $19.00 per set. Yay!! I have a couple other friends that are looking for sets, so I might offer the extra set to one of them, or I’ll just save it for next year.
I am so excited that we will have Advent Candles made at a Monastery again this year, and that we didn’t need to resort to making our own, or painting some white pillar candles with crayon wax!
Note: I did consider this idea years ago, after the idea was shared by a visitor here in the comments, but I have been spoiled by the beautiful Monastery Candles. It would probably be a fun project though, and Lacy has a tutorial that she posted last year.
Speaking of crafts, I am considering ordering a set of beeswax sheets for the girls to roll candles as an American History Project. Amazon has this great Beeswax Advent Candle Kit
Jesse Tree Treasures for Advent
Can you believe that Advent begins in just 20 days?!? This weekend I spent some time trying to check the first couple things off of my list, including finding a set of Advent Pillar candles (the ones I have purchased these past few years aren’t available this year) and deciding on a “Nativity Stocking” for our newest little guy (our boys all have nativity themed stockings and the girls have angel themed stockings), who might just decide to arrive in time for Christmas this year.
Anyhow, those of you that have been visiting here for any length of time know just how much I love all of our family traditions for Advent and Christmas. One of our favorites, ever since our oldest children were just toddlers, has always been the Jesse Tree. I made our Jesse Tree and Ornaments out of felt, and even though it was a ton of work that first year, we have re-used it every year since.
This year I am so excited to add a new ornament set to our collection! I was recently asked to review this beautiful wooden set of Jesse Tree Ornaments, along with a set of gorgeous O Antiphon Ornaments, made by Jesse Tree Treasures. I couldn’t be more happy to recommend them to you all and am so excited to have these extra sets to use with my own children this year!
As the Catholic Encyclopedia notes, “Advent is a period beginning with the Sunday nearest to the feast of St. Andrew the Apostle (30 November) and embracing four Sundays.” That means that the First Sunday of Advent can fall as early as November 27 or as late as December 3, resulting in a maximum of 28 days leading up to Christmas Eve. The Jesse Tree set comes with 28 beautiful wooden ornaments, giving you enough symbols for every day of Advent, not just the 24 days of December!
In addition to the beautifully decoupaged ornaments, the set also includes beautiful gold cards with all of the scripture references.
Instead of the actual bible verses, we usually read the corresponding bible stories (I’m working on this year’s list) from the New Catholic Picture Bible, which works out nicely for our family. This year I plan on having my older children read the bible story each day to the little ones… For some reason reading aloud is so hard for me during my last trimester! 😉
“Each ornament measures 2-3/8″ in diameter and 1/4″ deep. Ivory yarn for stringing is included. The ornaments come in a white gift box and include a card with scripture references and a devotion for each day. They are made with Jo Sonja’s paints which was carefully selected to be safe and lead-free.”
Another one of our favorite traditions is celebrating the O Antiphons! Every year I come up with some sort of treat for each day (2007, 2008, 2009, 2010) and a couple years ago we also made an O Antiphon House. These Gold O Antiphon Ornaments from Jesse Tree Treasures will make such a lovely addition to these special days leading up to Christmas:
“These stunning wooden ornaments reflect the light of Christ coming in the darkest part of winter as an infant in a manger. They are handpainted a beautiful gold which is the “O” in the antiphon. Then lovingly decoupaged with a beautiful handpainted image that reflects the meaning of each antiphon. These ornaments are made with Jo Sonja’s paints which are made from the finest quality pure pigments, the colors will remain vibrant and true for generations. The paint was carefully selected to be safe and lead-free. Each set of seven ornaments also comes with a devotional booklet. The antiphons correspond to a verse from the traditional hymn “O Come, O Come Emmanuel”. These verses are included in the devotional, as well as the corresponding scripture and a short devotion.“
Note: Currently a limited number of sets are listed as available over at Etsy, but Angie let me know that she will make as many as needed. So, if it says that a set is sold, just send her a note and she will be sure to make you a set. Thank you Angie!!
The Little Prayer
Have words that are so long
I can’t remember what they are,
Or where they all belong.
And then I feel like crying, God,
For I suppose I should
Know all those prayers by heart–and O!
I do want to be good!
But mother says You understand
That I am very small,
And that You like it if I pray
In my own words and all…
Now, when I cannot think just how
A prayer is meant to go,
I kneel down anyway and say
“Dear God, I love you so!”
Our 6th Annual Mass at the Cemetery…
Sanctifying Halloween :: Celebrating the Saints!
We ended up having over 50 guests, including two wonderful priests, all six of my siblings that currently live in the area, and even four of our godchildren!
My children were especially excited to see their Aunt Julianna show up dressed as Blessed Kateri, and their little cousin as St. Philomena!
FAITH: The blindfolded participant represents the leading force in defying evil, faith, which must be blind. People gathered near the player and spin him around to confuse his sense of space. Sometimes the turns numbered thirty three in memory of the life of Christ. The voices of others cry out guidance, while others call out false directions to disorient the hitter.
HOPE: With the piñata hanging above their heads, the children watch towards the sky/heaven hoping and waiting for the prize. The stick for breaking the piñata symbolized virtue, as only good can overcome evil. Once broken, the candies and fruits represented the just reward for keeping faith.
CHARITY: Finally the piñata symbolizes Charity. With its eventual breaking, everyone shares in the divine blessings and gifts.
At this point I started wondering if some of the children, including my own, had eaten a little too much sugar… They were literally
All Saints in Heaven, Pray for us!
{pretty, happy, funny, real}
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