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Our Journey Through Geography

May 18, 2011 | | 14 Comments


A couple years ago I purchased a wonderful hands-on Literature Approach to Geography based on four of the classics by Holling C. Holling.   Since the Alphabet Path kept us pretty busy last year, I didn’t have a chance to start using it until this year, and my children have absolutley loved this program!   Even though my boys are still slowly making their way through their State-by-State Scrapbooks it has been a most welcome addition to our curriculum this year.

Course Materials:

(also available here)

“This award-winning study is designed to cover geography, but also includes some history and science as well. The teacher’s guide provides the framework for getting the most out of the Holling books as well as four maps (available separately) designed to be colored and labeled by your student. Three main geographic regions of the U.S are covered in this course as well as an introduction to world geography in the book, Seabird.”

(also available here)

“This set of four 18″ x 24″ maps is used with the Geography Through Literature study guide. Each blank map depicts a different area of the United States.”


“Books in this series are: Paddle-to-the-Sea, Minn of the Mississippi, Tree in the Trail, and Seabird. Whether following the adventuresome voyage of a carved toy canoe, tracing the travels of a not-so-timorous turtle, or learning about life on the Great Plains as witnessed by an aged cottonwood tree, readers will relish the blend of history, geography, and nature.”

Last fall we continued our journey though Geography with this wonderful set of books with the story of Paddle-to-the-Sea.   We had read this one before and all my children LOVED it (remember their cute little Modeling Wax Canoes?), so they were very excited to dig in deeper.  


While reading about Paddle’s journey from Lake Nipigon to the Sea, we also researched Canadian Geese, Sawmills and how they function, Iron Ore, Copper, Freighters, and so much more!  The children labeled the States, Capitals and Cities along the path and I even pulled out the couple pictures I have from the trip I took to Niagara Falls with my Dad when I was about Captains age.   


Our Completed Map for Paddle-to-the-Sea

Then, in January, we moved on to Tree in the Trail.   This was a wonderful story about the history of the Great Plains and the Santa Fe Trail, told by focusing on a cottonwood tree along the trail and the events that happened to and around that tree.


While studying this book, we researched cottonwood trees, Francisco Vasquez de Coronado (and added his trail to the map), Comanche Warriors, Flintlock Rifles (and other weapons: Indian arrows and arrowheads), the Wagon Trail to Santa Fe, the Cimarron Crossing and Trail, and much more.   


The children labeled the Arkansas, Missouri and Mississippi Rivers, the States of Texas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa, Missouri, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee, Kentucky, Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio, in addition to their capitals as well. 


They found and labeled the Rocky Mountains and the Gulf of Mexico, and illustrated the Tree in the Trail, the “Yoke” made from the tree, and a cute wagon and buffalo.  I thought they did a wonderful job! 


Our Completed Map for Tree in the Trail
(click picture for larger view)

We have now moved on to Minn of the Mississippi and will finish up with Seabird sometime during this next school year.    That is one of the benefits of home schooling, you can still finish up the extra courses you love even if you are not able to complete them by summer! 😉

Our Weekday Schedule – A Starting Point…

May 17, 2011 | | 17 Comments

Over the past few months I have received many requests for an updated copy of our Daily Schedule.  Our old schedule worked wonderfully for awhile, but, with the changes in our curriculum this year and a new baby toddler, it was time to make some modifications.

This past January I pulled out my copy of Managers of Their Homes and created a new schedule, incorporating this year’s learning plans along with some of the ideas in Large Family Logistics. It was actually going really great until, well, Daylight Savings hit, followed by a number of birthdays, spring sports, Holy Week, Easter, and now “morning” sickness – which has ultimately caused me to throw all schedules out the window, and pray to just make it through the day! Okay, it’s not that bad, but you get the general idea.

Thankfully the routines that we established during our first couple months of really following this schedule have been such a blessing and my children have taken it upon themselves to continue their daily learning, chores, etc, despite my sleepiness, sickness, and overall lack of organization.

Anyhow, with all the inquiries, I was finally inspired to re-print out our schedule, which is more of just a guide for the day, and share it with you all.  Our days don’t always ever go according to plan, but that is okay.  The interruptions are usually little blessings in disguise and we just jump ahead to whatever is next. Our schedule allows plenty of room for flexibility and for the rabbit trails we love to follow.

For a larger view you can either click on the images above, 

Note:    I never did finish filling in the afternoon/evening blocks with the childrens’ chore assignments, etc, but I just assign what is needed each day, depending on our other plans, outings, and daily focus areas.

The Good Shepherd’s Garden Party :: Week Three

May 16, 2011 | | 5 Comments

The Heavens Tell God’s Glory!
As spring from winter does succeed, and leaves the naked trees do dress:
The earth, once dead, is clothed in green, in sunshine each their joy express.
My sun’s returned with healing wings, my soul and body do rejoice.
My heart exults and praises sings to God who hears my joyous voice.
~ The Garden of the Good Shepherd

Other than lightning, we pretty much had it all this past week: Sunny Days, Cloudy Days, Raining Days, Windy Days, it Hailed and we even spotted a Rainbow!

The week ended with an early morning trip to take Hubby to the airport (to fly off into the Heavens!) on his way to Michigan for training.   We miss him already!    Our Garden Party just wasn’t the same without him, but it did help put some smiles back on our children’s faces… It is going to be a long couple weeks!

Captain decided to set the table with our “Heavenly” tablecloth, covered with angels and roses, and the girls insisted that we use a few play silks like we did last year. . . How do they remember these things?
The “morning” sickness has hit me full force, so to limit my time in the kitchen I made quite a few changes to the menu this week… Actually, I think the only thing I didn’t change was the crushed ice Hail.  Here are a few pictures from our party:
~ The Sun ~
Inspired by Charlotte’s party last year, we ended up making a Sun Pizza.   Originally I was going to make it like she made hers, but after seeing a DiGiorno Pizza with Breadsticks I thought it might be a slightly easier option.   
~ The Clouds ~
When we were picking up the pizza and fruit at the store, Captain spotted cream puffs and asked if we could use them for the clouds.   I thought it sounded like a good idea.  Yum!! 
~ The Rain ~
We already had “Rain” to drink, but with a little more Easter candy in the cupboard, the girls mentioned that the blue hershey kisses looked like raindrops.
 
~ The Lightning ~
Using the Lightning Bolt “Straw” printout as a template I made lightning bolt cookies, with a little extra cookie dough that I still had in the fridge. 
~ The Wind ~
Though not the calmest wind, my children LOVED having some Bugles mini Tornadoes as part of our party! 
~ The Rainbow ~
 
This year, instead of the Rainbow Kabobs, we opted for a Fruit Rainbow with Whipped Cream Clouds. I thought it turned out so pretty! I’ve been wanting to make one ever since seeing the Fruit Rainbow Robina made on St. Patrick’s Day.  
 
~ The Hail ~
Twinkle Toes filled all the glasses with “Hail” while Rascal filled them up with “Rain.”
I happened to catch Rascal teasing his little sister in this picture…
She knew he was teasing her, started giggling, and then watched to make sure he finished filling up her glass.  
These Garden Parties are turning out to be the highlight of the week for our little Snuggles, who has always been the most pickiest eater ever!  He just loves them, and gets so excited…
 
I just love that even though I spent only a few minutes glancing over last year’s parties/plans, and made a quick stop at the store on the way home from the airport, everything fell into place for this party.   The Good Shepherd Garden Parties have been such a blessing for my family, and truly help extend the happiness and joy of Easter throughout the whole Easter season for my children.
I can’t wait to see everyone else’s Garden Parties over at Catholic Cuisine!

{pretty, happy, funny, real}

May 13, 2011 | , , , | 12 Comments

Capturing the context of contentment in everyday life. 

I know I am posting a day late, but the past few days have been so busy!

{pretty}

Catching up on some reading while watching her brother’s Fencing Tournament.

Rose just loves her little St. Therese doll, a gift from my friend Amy!
{happy}

A Little Way of Homeschooling ::
Thirteen Families Discover Catholic Unschooling

I was so happy to reconnect with Suzie, the author of A Little Way of Homeschooling, after receiving the sweet note she sent me, after finding this blog. She hadn’t made the connection, but I actually met her at her home in Virginia while attending Christendom (her husband was one of my professors) and her brother purchased (and still currently lives in) my own childhood home (built by my Dad) in California! Isn’t it such a small world?!?

I have never considered myself an “Unschooler” and I wasn’t sure how I would like the book (other than the fact that it was written by Suzie and St. Therese is pictured on the cover!), but I must tell you that it has been so very inspiring and just what I have been needing lately. St. Therese sent this little “rose” to me at the perfect time! Hopefully I will have a chance to share more about the book soon.

{funny}

Our silly girl with a graham cracker in one hand, a granola bar in the other, and wearing her big sister’s sunglasses… She was being such a stinker and just had to have those sunglasses…

Here is the other picture, taken 10 minutes earlier:

Oh, yes, she was mad, but I just love seeing her wrinkle up that bottom lip! 


{real}

 Our precious little baby at 6 weeks and 1 day old ~ May 12th, 2011

I had my first appointment on Wednesday, and since I mentioned that my cycles had been somewhat irregular (due to nursing) they decided to send me for a dating ultrasound to double check my original due date.  It was so reassuring to be able to get a peek at our little one yesterday afternoon, and hear the sound of the heart beating strongly.  

As for my due date, based on my cycle the baby should have been due between Dec 23-25th.  However, according to the ultrasound I am actually not due until January 4th!  This explains why that first test had such a faint second line, since I was not even three weeks pregnant, at the time!!   

I had thought that, like Rose, I would most likely deliver and be home in time for Christmas…  (I have never made it to my due date.)  However, since my average is to deliver about 10 days early, this baby could arrive RIGHT at Christmas….  And, if for some reason I actually do go all the way to my due date, my husband will be out of state on training for the first two weeks of January…. This should make things very interesting!  
Visit Like Mother, Like Daughter for more pictures of contentment!

Artist Trading Cards: A Marian Swap and a few pictures from the For all the Saints Swap!

May 10, 2011 | | 5 Comments

We are all so pleased to hear that Kimberlee is hosting another Marian ATC Swap!   We loved participating in the Marian and For All the Saints ATC swaps last year, and look forward to participating again.  Head over to Pondered in my Heart for all the Details!  

Seeing the announcement reminded me that I still had a post in my drafts folder with pictures of the Artist Trading Cards that my children sent and received last fall! For some reason I didn’t take a picture of the cards Rascal and Snuggles received and I wanted to do so before finishing the post, then never did…  Here are the pictures that I did take: 

by Captain (age 10)
St. Gerard, St. Ignatius, St. Patrick,
St. Paul and Our Lady of Guadalupe

by Rascal (age 8) 
St. Mark, St. Margaret Mary, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton,
St. Gabriel and St. Nicholas

by Twinkle Toes (age 7)
St. Theodore Guerin, St. Margaret Mary, St. Brigid,
and two of St. Catherine of Alexandria

by Chiquita (age 5) 
St. Bernadette, St. Rose, St. Catherine of Laboure,
St. Therese and St. Clare

by Snuggles (age 3)
St. Michael the Archangel

The Cards our Children Received last Fall:

My children were very excited to receive a couple cards from their friends, including one of my Godsons.  Captain was also very excited to see a picture that was sent to me by the mother of a boy who received one of his cards, and recognized him from this blog!  It was very sweet, and it made me laugh hearing his reaction, saying “Mom, you are NOT going to believe this!”  SO cute!!  I could picture my boys doing the same thing!

for Captain (age 10)

for Twinkle Toes (age 7)

for Chiquita (age 5)

My children have loved adding the cards they receive to their Holy Card Collection Albums.  Thank you so much, Kimberlee and family, for hosting these fun swaps for all of us! 

So, will your family be creating some Art for Our Lady this year? 

The Good Shepherd’s Garden Party :: Week Two

May 10, 2011 | | 8 Comments

Welcome to the Lord’s Table

How good a thing it is, how pleasant to behold,
when all God’s people live in peace, like sheep within one fold.
As perfume, by its scent, spreads fragrance all around,
so life itself will sweeter be where unity is found.

This past week, since we spent Friday attending First Friday Mass and running a few errands, and on Saturday the boys participated in their first Fencing Tournament before coming home to continue building the fence for our new garden, we ended up saving our 2nd Good Shepherd’s Garden Party for yesterday, after Mass on Mother’s Day!   It was such a nice way to celebrate the day with my family, and my husband and children helped prepare some of the menu items while I ran out to take a little gift to my own mom.

Here are a few pictures from this week’s party:

~ The Table ~

Twinkle Toes started setting the table, while Chiquita and Snuggles carried the Wine Glasses, which they all just love being able to use every once in awhile for these special occasions!    
~ The Chairs ~

Inspired by Charlotte, and the last part of the bible verse for for this symbol (“Then he took curds, and milk, and the calf which he had prepared, and set it before them; and he stood by them under the tree while they ate.”), we skipped decorating the chairs and instead enjoyed Fresh Mozzarella Balls “Cheese Curds.”
~ The Bread ~

Our Lamb of God Rolls didn’t turn out nearly as cute as it did on Easter…  I’m not exactly sure what it looks like, but the kids still loved it.   
~ The Honey ~ 

We already had some creamed honey in the pantry, which we used for this menu item, along with some delicious lemon curd, made by a sweet friend, which I have been saving for a long time to open on a special occasion…. Yum!!!  
~ The Wine ~ 

This year, rather than making our own, we picked up some Sparkling White Grape Juice, Sparkling Peach Grape Spritzer, and Sparkling Raspberry Grape Spritzer. 

Cheers!!!
~ The Fruit ~

I have wanted to try and make an edible fruit bouquet for a couple years now, and decided to make one for my mom for Mother’s Day.  

While I was taking it out to her, my boys and husband made one (left) for me!  As soon as we got home the girls joined the fun and made one (right) as well.

Once again we’ll save our 12 Fruit Salad for Pentecost Sunday.  
~ The Milk ~

This year I pulled out our Ice Cream maker and let Snuggles make Vanilla Ice Cream!  He had so much fun and loved watching the ice cream spin and get thicker and thicker.  And I loved watching him…  He is such a cutie!! 

“I think it’s all done, Mom!”

 
In addition to the delicious Vanilla Ice Cream that Snuggles made, I also had picked up some “Bunny Tracks” (Vanilla Ice Cream with Thick Fudge and Peanut Butter Caramel Ribbons, Chocolate Covered Peanuts and Peanut Butter Filled Chocolate Bunnies) and we set out whipped cream, syrups, sprinkles and Easter Candy for making Sundaes!  

Like last year, it was such a treat! 
~ The Pizza ~

When we were at Costco on Saturday, we picked up a Pepperoni Pizza, along with some mushrooms and bell peppers to add to the top, for this Garden Party. 

Overall it was such a nice Mother’s Day, complete with a (decaf) coffee from my husband on the way home from Mass, which I enjoyed while he made breakfast!!   The boys surprised me with a thoughtful book (spending a Barnes & Noble gift card they had been saving, with a little extra help from their Daddy) and I enjoyed playing with the early Mother’s Day gift (which I love, love, LOVE!!!) my husband spoiled me with just before Easter.

 Be sure to visit Catholic Cuisine to share pictures from your own Garden Party!

I hope you all had a very Happy Mother’s Day!!

{Pretty, Happy, Funny, Real}

May 5, 2011 | , , | 88 Comments

The I-Just-Can’t-Keep-It-A-Secret-Any-Longer Edition!

Capturing the context of contentment in everyday life.

{pretty}



“The Madonna Lily is a symbol of purity, and became known as the Madonna Lily, the white ones being associated with the Holy Virgin by Christians. Christians believe that the lily had been yellow until the Virgin Mary picked it up. Lilies are a symbol of fertility.  Dreaming of lilies in spring signifies marriage, happiness and prosperity…”
{happy}

After taking two tests and seeing a very, very, faint second line (the first just before decorating a Nesting Doll Birthday Cake – wasn’t that appropriate?!? – on Tuesday of Holy Week and the second on Wednesday morning just before celebrating a birthday), my friend Jamie (our contractor’s wife) showed up with a digital test on Holy Thursday.  Yep… That one definitely says “Pregnant!” 
{funny}

A snapshot of one of the online due date calculators I used to see when I might be due. . . 
the doctors office confirmed this when I scheduled my appointment.

Can you believe that?!? December 25th, Christmas Day?!?  That was the very same due date that I had with our last baby, who will turn 2 this December. . . In fact, last year I said a number of times that “I really should have a baby every Christmas, because I was so much more organized last year. . .”  I guess Our Dear Lord and St. Therese have a sense of humor, or they took my little “joke” as a prayer!   I guess it is time to start getting ready for Christmas! 😉 
Other funny/interesting moments:
The email that I received in March from a friend who had just had “two very vidid dreams” in which I was announcing that I was pregnant…
My Aunt saying that she already knew when I told her last Sunday. . . She said she could tell from my voice the last time I spoke with her, on Palm Sunday, and that when she hung up the phone she turned to her girlfriend and said “She’s pregnant!”  I didn’t even take the very first test until a couple days later!   
Snuggles (after finding out about the baby) asked “Mommy, is the baby in your tummy a girl or a boy?” After I replied that I didn’t know yet, he proceeded to put his little mouth right next to my tummy and yell at the top of his lungs “ARE YOU A GIRL OR A BOY????”
{real}

Our children’s excitement as we told them, on Easter Sunday, of the precious Christmas gift that is already on her/his way!

Lilypie Pregnancy tickers

“My facial features start to form, 
and dimples mark my ears.
Tiny buds will be my arms and legs
A beating heart appears.”
~Week 6, The Miracle of Me

Please remember us in your prayers!!! 

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

The Littlest Matryoshka :: A Nesting Doll Birthday

May 4, 2011 | | 20 Comments

On April 20th our little “Chiquita” turned six years old! I had originally planned to let her invite a few friends to celebrate this year, but since a couple of her best friends just moved far far away, and since it ended up being during Holy Week this year, I decided to perhaps put her “friends” party off until her 7th birthday. However, after seeing how cute everything was coming together, and not knowing what next year will be like, I decided to just go for it and called up a few of her friends at the last minute.  It ended up being such a fun little party!

My girls’ first introduction to Nesting Dolls was this past Christmas when we received the cutest measuring cups ever from a friend.   They just loved them and Chiquita decided that this had to be the theme for her next birthday.   

I looked for some ideas online, but my inspiration ended up coming from the sweet little book The Littlest Matryoshka with its matching set of dolls, and from the Cricut Cartridge, Paisley (which has four different templates for Nesting Dolls).    I had also purchased another book called The Magic Nesting Doll (which is a Sleeping Beauty in reverse type fairy tale – the girl wakes the prince), but I decided to save that to use as a Christmas gift and perhaps order the dolls to go along with it as well!

.: A Nesting Doll Happy Birthday Banner :.

I created this banner using my Cricut with the Paisley (Shapes and Dolls) and Winter Woodland (Font)  Cartridges.  I also created some of my own paper (with the tiny black nesting dolls, using copyright free images online and printing it in grayscale – my document can be found here) and tied it all together with some red and white gingham ribbon.

.: The Littlest Matryoshka Coloring Pages :.

We started the party with reading The Littlest Matryoshka and then coloring pictures of the six sisters (nesting dolls) from the story:  Anna, Olga, Varka, Vanda, Nadia, and Nina.  You can check out the website for other fun online activities!  (Originally I had planned to give those super cute Babushkups to my daughter as a gift, but after seeing how fragile they are, I opted to just use them as a decoration!)

I also printed out a worksheet to Finish Drawing the Matryoshka Doll! 

Other coloring page options include this Nesting Doll Dot-to-Dot, a set of Three Nesting Dolls from Outside the Lines, and these printable Russian Dolls from Activity Village. 

.: Decorating Matryoshka Doll Cookies :.

These little cookies turned out so cute.   I didn’t have time to order a cookie cutter, so I made a couple paper templates along with a small batch of sugar cookie dough. (It was Holy Week after all, and I really didn’t want to have any leftovers!)   

 

I had white frosting, a variety of cookie icings, sparkle gel frosting and sprinkles for the children to use for decorating.

.: Nesting Doll Memory Match :.

Next the girls played a game of Nesting Doll Memory match!   My Cricut came in very handy as I quickly cut out nesting doll shadows to use for the playing cards.  I then used two of each Russian Nesting Dolls Stickers (Dover Little Activity Books) for the images.  It turned out really cute!

.: Place the Littlest Matryoshka inside the Babushka :.

After creating the banner the weekend before her birthday, I stayed up late making this game as well.  I used a dinner plate to trace a circle for the head and then drew one side of the body of the nesting doll, cutting it out and then using what I had cut off as a guide for the other side, making sure it was symmetrical.  I then painted on a scarf and the hair with acrylic paints, and then cut the rest our of paper.

I just loved how it turned out, and it ended up inspiring me on how I would decorate her cake!

  

Using a variety of paper colors along with the four different designs provided on the Paisley Cartridge, I made small nesting dolls for each of the children to place inside the large nesting doll for a “Pin the…” type game!   

I even made a couple for the boys!  😉

We used the girls play silks, to match the scarves on the nesting dolls, as blindfolds!

I used a couple more of the Russian Nesting Dolls Sticker Books as prizes.  
.: The Littlest Matryoshka Nesting Doll Birthday Cake :.

I posted about her birthday cake on her birthday, but I’ll include the pictures here anyways, for those of you that missed it. . .   I made the cake by cutting off one end of a 13″ oval pan (the body) and cutting out part of a 8″ round pan (the head) so they would fit together nicely. After frosting it with white buttercream, I outlined the face (using the rim of a 6″ round cake pan), cheeks (using a small cup), and the rest freehand with a toothpick, before decorating it with the various color icings.

I didn’t think there would be any way to top the cake I made for her last birthday, but she loved it just as much! 

.: Birthday Gifts :.

In addition to her new nesting doll and book, Chiquita received a stack of six gifts from her family, and a couple other darling gifts from her friends!  

Chiquita is working on her thank you cards now, using the Masha and Friends: Matryoshka Notecards.
.: Party Favors – Nesting Doll Lollipops :.

Using White Candy Melts and this great little Babushka Doll Ice Cube Tray as a mold, I made each girl a Nesting Doll Lollipop as a party favor.

In the end I did need to “let a couple things go”…  Like the Matryoshka Painted Dolls I had hoped to paint for each girl, the “Nesting Doll Crayons” I had planned on making with my silicone molds to go along with the coloring pages, and the family of nesting dolls I had wanted to paint as each of our six children.   But I had to save a few ideas for next time, right?!? 😉

Little Flowers Girls’ Club ~ Responsibility

May 3, 2011 | | 4 Comments

I have been looking forward to sharing this picture with you all, ever since I made these cupcakes for our our 6th Little Flowers Girls’ Club meeting for Wreath III – which took place on the Friday before Palm Sunday, and Holy Week, and my daughters birthday, and… Yes, it has been a little busy around here the past couple weeks, and I am just now finding making the time to put together this post.   Anyhow, didn’t they turn out darling?

My husband kindly offered to give the talk to the girls, on St. Anne and the virtue of Responsibility, and I didn’t take any notes since I was busy preparing the craft, but here are some highlights from the rest of our meeting:

~ Coloring Pages ~

St. Anne Coloring Page from Waltzing Matilda
This is my favorite coloring page ever of St. Anne (who is one of my confirmation patrons), which was inspired by a beautiful St. Anne Statue. 
Even our little Rose insisted on coloring it with the big girls!  
~ Notebook Pages ~

For this month’s Virtue Notebook/Scrapbook Page, I used the memory verse for Responsibility, a prayer to St. Anne, a quote about responsibility that I just love…

“None of us are responsible for all the things that happen to us, but we are responsible for the way we act when they do happen.”

… an image of St. Ann, and some red mums (the flower for this virtue). You can download my document here.

Here is a picture of the sample page I created:

Here are the girls’ completed pages for “Responsibility”:

~ Craft :: St. Anne’s Family Album ~

I have been wanting to make a St. Anne’s Family Album for a couple years now, and figured this would be the perfect opportunity.   To try and keep the costs down (the Paper Mache books were about $4 each)  I had each family make one – the two sets of sisters each made one together. 
Even though it did cost a little more than some of our past crafts, all the mothers agreed that they are more than willing to spend a little bit extra so that the girls could create something that was beautiful and worth saving.  

Supplies for each Album:
1 Paper Mache Book per girl
Acrylic Paints and Paint Brushes
Images of St. Anne
Embossed Frames

The link to download the St. Anne Images can be found here.
(Thank you Charlotte for inspiring this beautiful craft!) 

~ Snack Time ~

Mum Cupcakes

These cupcakes were inspired by a recipe in What’s New, Cupcake?: Ingeniously Simple Designs for Every Occasion.   They would be great to make this coming weekend for Mother’s Day, anytime this month for our Blessed Mother during her month of May, or in July for the feast of St. Anne.  I posted the directions over at Catholic Cuisine!

The girls have really enjoyed decorating their cupcakes with the flower for each virtue this year!

St. Anne, grandmother of Our Lord, Mary learned responsibility from you, pray for us to stay on task.

St. Therese, the Little Flower, pray for us!


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

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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.

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