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Wishing you all…

Dec 26, 2010 | , , | 10 Comments

… a Blessed Christmas!


Remembering you all this Christmas and praying your celebration brings a heart full of joy as you remember God’s amazing love shown through His Son, Jesus.

May this Joyous Season and your Coming Year be filled with the Blessings of His Peace! 

Peanut Butter Cup Cookies

Dec 23, 2010 | , , , | 6 Comments

Last week I organized a cookie exchange for the girls and their friends.   Each girl was to bring three dozen cookies so they could all assemble a couple cookie trays each, one for their family and one to give as a gift.

Chiquita decided to make Peanut Butter Cup Cookies (aka: Hershey’s “Peanut Butter Temptations“) as her contribution to the exchange.   They turned out so delicious that I picked up a couple more bags of Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups so we can make some for our family Christmas Party!

Peanut Butter Cup Cookies

Ingredients: 

About 40 (13-oz. pkg.) REESE’S Peanut Butter Cups Miniatures
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions:

1.  Heat oven to 375°F. Remove wrappers from candies.   Optional:  Line small muffin cups (1-3/4 inches in diameter) with paper bake cups.    (We omitted the paper bake cups and they turned out great!) 

2.  Beat butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar, peanut butter, egg and vanilla until light and fluffy in large bowl. Stir together flour, baking soda and salt; add to butter mixture, beating until well blended. Shape dough into 1-inch balls; place one in each prepared muffin cup. Do not flatten.

3.  Bake 10 to 12 minutes until puffed and lightly browned; remove from oven. Immediately press peanut butter cup or piece onto each cookie. Cool completely in muffin pan. About 3-1/2 dozen cookies.  (Using the small Pampered Chef Scoop, we ended up with almost 4 dozen cookies, though I did have to open a second bag of peanut butter cups.)

Candy Cane Dots for Christmas

Dec 22, 2010 | , , | 7 Comments

Thank you Charlotte for sharing this fun and easy idea! 

Candy Cane Dots

Ingredients:

1 bag of pretzels (We used the round “Butter Checkers” by Rold Gold – so the Candy Cane Dots would look like cute little Christmas Ball Ornaments! )
1 bag of Hershey’s Candy Cane Kisses
1 bag of Christmas colored M&M’s

Directions: 

Pre-heat the oven to 200˚ degrees. Place a sheet of parchment paper on a baking sheet. (I forgot to do this step, but it wasn’t a problem.) Arrange the pretzels in a single layer and add a Hershey’s kiss on top of each pretzel. Place them in the warm oven. Let them bake for about 8 minutes. The white chocolate Kisses will melt quickly, so keep an eye on them. (If you opt for chocolate kisses, they won’t melt completely, just get shiny.) Remove from oven and press an M&M in the top of each soft Kiss. Let them cool and enjoy!

A Few More Pictures…

Dec 22, 2010 | , , | 14 Comments

... from Rose’s First Birthday!

Three of the Tree Kids joined us for Rose’s birthday and got to stay until Friday night!   We all had such a great time, and I enjoyed seeing what it would be like to be “mom” to 9 children ages 10 and under for a few days! 🙂   
Rose wasn’t quite sure what to think about the lit candle on the top of her cake.  Luckily she had plenty of help with blowing it out! 
I was so happy to see how much she loves the Saint Dolls I painted for her.  She has been carrying them around every day! 

Rose was very excited about the picture books from our visitors… 

… and she just loves her new little cupcakes, 
even though she couldn’t seem to carry them all at one time! 😉
“For me?!?  Really?!?”

Rose loved the pink roses and ate every single one of them before tasting her cake.

I am pretty sure she enjoyed her chocolate cake as well!

After her bath, she was very excited to find her last gift assembled.
(Thank you Daddy!)

Isn’t that the cutest little “elephant walker” ever?!
Just before bedtime, Rose unwrapped the book for the day,
for Daddy to read to everyone!  

Our 2010 Jesse “Tea” for Advent

Dec 18, 2010 | , , , | 11 Comments

Our family really enjoyed the Jesse “Tea” we had last year, so we decided to do it again this year! Since this year it was just days after Thanksgiving and our road trip to visit my Husband’s parents, we weren’t able to have it on the first Sunday of Advent, but the following week was just as enjoyable! It really could be done anytime during Advent, or you could even serve a little something to go along with your Jesse Tree Ornaments and Readings each day of Advent!   Here are some pictures from this years “Tea.”

Since our children are now very familiar with all the Old Testament stories, we all sat around the table and, as we got to each menu item, they took turns telling everyone the story it symbolized. I always love listening to the stories in their own words…

Here is what was included in our menu this year:

~ The Jesse “Tea” ~

A couple of us had tea and the rest opted for “Adam’s Sparkling Apple Cider.”
(We also decorated the table with the pretty Beeswax candles the girls made in Little Flowers.)
~ Adam’s Apple ~

This year we had little bags of Sliced Apples with a gummi worm serpent!

“And the woman saw that the tree was good to eat, and fair to the eyes, and delightful to behold: and she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave to her husband who did eat.” Gen. 3: 6

~ Noah’s Ark ~

This year I adapted this darling idea from Kaboose.
I decided the first one was too big, so modified the snack ark to the smaller version below:

“And God said: This is the sign of the covenant which I give between me and you, and to every living soul that is with you, for perpetual generations. I will set my bow in the clouds, and it shall be the sign of a covenant between me, and between the earth. And when I shall cover the sky with clouds, my bow shall appear in the clouds: And I will remember my covenant with you, and with every living soul that beareth flesh: and there shall no more be waters of a flood to destroy all flesh.And the bow shall be in the clouds, and I shall see it, and shall remember the everlasting covenant, that was made between God and every living soul of all flesh which is upon the earth. And God said to Noe: This shall be the sign of the covenant which I have established between me and all flesh upon the earth. ” Gen. 9: 12-17

~ Abraham’s Stars ~

This year I made our own Chocolate Stars, one for each person, using a Wilton Candy Mold and White Chocolate Melts!
“And he brought him forth abroad, and said to him: Look up to heaven and number the stars, if thou canst. And he said to him: So shall thy seed be.” Gen. 15: 5

~ Isaac’s Bundle of Sticks ~

This year I used red string licorice instead of string cheese to tie our little bundles of 8 pretzel sticks together. It seemed to work a little better.
“And he took the wood for the holocaust, and laid it upon Isaac his son: and he himself carried in his hands fire and a sword.” Gen. 22: 6

~ Jacob’s Ladder ~

Using the Isaac’s Bundle of Sticks, each person makes their own ladder.


(This photo is from last year.) 

“And he saw in his sleep a ladder standing upon the earth, and the top thereof touching heaven: the angels also of God ascending and descending by it.” Gen. 28: 12

~ Joseph’s Coat of Many Colors ~

Once again, these were very fun, and easy to make, following Alice’s directions.
“Now Israel loved Joseph above all his sons, because he had him in his old age: and he made him a coat of divers colours. And his brethren seeing that he was loved by his father, more than all his sons, hated him, and could not speak peaceably to him.” Gen. 37: 3-4

~ The Burning Bush ~

This year we dipped our Broccoli Florets dipped in Bowls of Tomato Basil Soup, since I wanted to add a few more healthy main items this year.  (It doesn’t look like I got a picture of the soup though!) 
“And the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he saw that the bush was on fire and was not burnt. And Moses said: I will go and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt.” Exodus 3: 2-3

~ Moses’ Tablets of the Law ~

I bought Milano cookies, as recommended by Alice, but added Roman Numerals I-X with chocolate icing. I love how they turned out!

“And after this he said: Hew thee two tables of stone like unto the former, and I will write upon them the words which were in the tables, which thou brokest.” Exodus 34: 1



~ Jonah and the Whale ~
I wasn’t able to find the Whale Crackers this year, so our “Whales” were fish! 🙂
“Now the Lord prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonas: and Jonas was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights. And Jonas prayed to the Lord his God out of the belly of the fish. ” Jonah 2: 1-2

~ The Root of Jesse ~

Baby Carrots since they are a “Root” Vegetable
“And there shall come forth a rod out of the root of Jesse, and a flower shall rise up out of his root.” and “In that day the root of Jesse, who standeth for an ensign of the people, him the Gentiles shall beseech, and his sepulchre shall be glorious.” Isaiah 11: 1 and 10


~ David’s Star Tea Sandwiches ~
I just used two different sized Star Cookie Cutters to cut one star out of bread and a slightly smaller star out of cheese.
1 Samuel 17: 12-51



~ Bethlehem, House of Bread ~
A Plate of Rolls to go along with our soup!  Next year I think I might actually serve Bread Bowls filled with soup! 
“But they said to him: In Bethlehem of Juda. For so it is written by the prophet: And thou Bethlehem the land of Juda art not the least among the princes of Juda: for out of thee shall come forth the captain that shall rule my people Israel” Matthew 2: 5-6


~ John the Baptist’s Honey ~
Last year I ordered a box of Honey Stix from Amazon for about $14.00, not realizing I would be receiving 384 of them (instead of 48)! I think I am going to have Honey Sticks until my children are grown! 
I also served shell shaped butter with the rolls. 
“And it came to pass, that when Elizabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the infant leaped in her womb.” Luke 1: 41
“For this is he that was spoken of by Isaias the prophet, saying: A voice of one crying in the desert, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight his paths.” Matthew 3: 3

~ Angelic Messengers ~

Eliminating another candy from last years menu, I decided to try Lacy’s Angel Snack, using Kix instead of Oyster Crackers, since I already had them in the cupboard. My children loved these!
“And in the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent from God into a city of Galilee, called Nazareth, to a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary. And the angel being come in, said unto her: Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women. ” Luke 1:26-28
~ Flowers of Jesse ~
This year I used a White Cheesecake that we ended up saving from Thanksgiving and topped it with a few Roses.
“And there shall come forth a rod out of the root of Jesse, and a flower shall rise up out of his root. And the spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him: the spirit of wisdom, and of understanding, the spirit of counsel, and of fortitude, the spirit of knowledge, and of godliness. And he shall be filled with the spirit of the fear of the Lord. He shall not judge according to the sight of the eyes, nor reprove according to the hearing of the ears. ” Isaiah 11:1-3

Be sure to visit Cottage Blessings for more ideas, recipes and her shopping list!

Christmas Gift Ideas :: A Few of our Favorite Toys

Dec 18, 2010 | , , , , | 9 Comments

I posted some of our favorite past Christmas gifts the other day in my Daybook post, but since I have recieved a number of emails regaurding gifts and toys, I thought I would answer a number of questions and mention a few more of our favorites.

Update:  I wanted to add that our Christmas celebration does not revolve around the gifts our children receive.  They usually receive three each, just like Baby Jesus, and the focus is on attending Mass and giving to others.   What you will see below is a combination of many years of gifts from Christmas and birthdays in an attempt to answer many questions all in one place. 

~ Play Kitchens, Tea Sets and Food ~

One Christmas our girls recieved an adorable Pink Retro Kitchen & Refrigerator.  It was during a year in which Hubby told me I had a budget of only $25.00 to spend on each child…   I saw the set at Costco and wanted to purchase it so badly, but it was $140.  I can’t tell you how excited I was when we went to a St. Vincent dePaul Auction and they had this kitchen set!  It was “new” but it did have a little bit of damage to the fridge from the assembly – no big deal!  I won the auction for $40! YAY!!  Anyhow, I don’t know where to send you all for a steal like that, but Amazon does have it right now at an affordable price.

That same Christmas, a friend of mine crocheted some darling food to go with the kitchen.  Since then we have added a number of play food sets, mostly by Melissa & Doug.  The favorites have been the Melissa & Doug Slice and Bake Cookie Set and the Melissa & Doug Deluxe Ice Cream Parlor Set (which you could see Rose playing with on her birthday).

As for tea sets, we love the little tin tea sets by Schylling.  We have the one that now reminds me of Serendipity (the Alphabet Path) every time I see it, and the other is covered with Roses (which is also available in a tin basket)!  They are so pretty – though they do tend to bend if they happen to be stepped on!  🙁

~ Fairies, Castles and Calico Critters ~


The girls’ favorite toy is their Princess Castle!  I still can’t believe that it is only $49.99 (50% off!) at Amazon right now!  (I think I paid around $60 for ours, and it has been worth every penny!) We also have the furniture to go with the castle, which is also 50% off right now! 


My girls mostly play with the hand-painted dolls I have made them when playing with their castle, as well as their Calico Critters.   I just LOVE all the little animal families.   We have the Fisher Cat Family and the Norwood Mouse Family.  My girls love the Kitchen Set that they have, but I don’t think I will be purchasing any more tiny pieces anytime soon.  (Perhaps when the baby is a little bit older, or my girls are better about keeping the little pieces off the floor.)   I am thinking about getting the little Carriage for Twinkle Toes and maybe another family of critters for Chiquita.  



Last year Twinkle Toes received an adorable Fairy Forest Lodge. I just noticed that there are a number of new “furniture” pieces to go along with it including: Fairy Forest Harp, Bathroom Set, Fairy Forest Pianoand Fairy Forest Cooking Hearth! (You can find the new set available here.) They are all SO cute! I might have to order one of them for her. I also might order Safari LTD Fairy Fantasies Tube since my children enjoy playing with our other Safari Tubes.

~ Baby Dolls ~
Ever since the girls were little I’ve been purchasing them the sweet baby dolls by Corolle and Gotz.   For real little girls, a few of our favorites are the 8″ with hat and 8″ blond Mini Muffin Dolls by Gotz, the 13″ Muffin Doll by Gotz, and Miss Rose and Miss Grenadine by Corolle.
My girls also loved the Poupette line of dolls by Corolle.  We currently have the “Fifi” and “Lulu” dolls.  For some reason Corolle discontinued this line and I can only find the Loli doll (which we do not own) but you can see the others here.    Twinkle Toes also loves her Elizabeth Cloth Doll (which she received on her 6th birthday), but it too seems to have been discontinued!  
Looking at these dolls, reminds me of when Twinkle Toes was a few years old and she was “trying to keep her baby dolls warm.”   She lined them all up on the edge of out wood stove and Hubby & I ran to the living room to see what was on fire.  The backs of ALL her poor dolls heads were completely burned/melted.    The funny thing was that we lined them all on the front porch trying to decide what to do with them when some JW’s came to the door.   (I wish I had a picture!)  I still wonder what they thought of all those “torched” dolls!   Needless to say, Twinkle Toes recieved a couple new dolls for Christmas that year.
As my girls have gotten a little older they are now very interested in the Historical American Girl Dolls, and they have a number of the mini versions.

My girls also LOVE the Faith Filled Friends they received last Christmas.  Many of you have emailed me asking where you can find these dolls…  Unfortunately, the only one I was able to find was the St. Therese Doll at Catholic Child which has recently sold out. 🙁

Though I haven’t purchased one yet myself, another lovely option would be the beautiful Zélie Dolls from Family Cloistered Learning Center.  Someday I would like to order  a couple of these dolls for my girls.


~ Dress Up & Imaginative Play~

Our children all love to Dress Up!!!  We have lots of Saints Costumes, Vestments, Princess Costumes, Swords & Shields, Camouflage, Leather Vests and Chaps, Toy Guns, and the newest addition Play Silks!  Our children rarely go a day without dressing up for play! 

For young boys, I highly recommend the Miniature Mass Kits from Our Fathers House.  Our older two boys each have their own, and when Snuggles gets a bit older I would like to get him a set as well.  (Ooh!  They were quite a bit less expensive when we bought the set for Captain, and our second set was a gift. Still I think it is such a great thing for boys to have!) 

Christmas 2005

~ Folkmanis Puppets ~
Last year, I purchased a bags of Folkmanis Puppets at a local going out of business sale.   My children’s stockings were filled with them last year and they are played with all the time!  They are so cute and fun and make great little gifts/stocking stuffers.  
I saved the Gray Squirrel Puppet I bought last year for this year, and we will give it to either Snuggles or Rose.  They would both love it! 

~ Lincoln Logs ~


My boys have loved Lincoln Logs since they were little.    I am always amazed at some of the things they will build… They made the Church above back in 2007.

~ Playmobil ~ 

We haven’t yet branched out into Legos (I’m still trying to convince Hubby since he is hesitant about all the little pieces…) but our boys really love their Playmobil collection.   I love that it ties the sets we own tie so well into their schooling, and we often find the boys reenacting the stories they have read in their History books!

The boys also love setting up their Playmobil Romans for Good Friday and Easter, and the Nativity Set for Christmas!   I haven’t purchased any of the Egyptians yet… Perhaps in a couple years when we are studying Ancient History again.  

~ Board Games ~

We have a lot of board games…  In years past each of our children would receive a game on Christmas, and they added up QUICKLY! Last week, I gathered all the games from all over the house – they were in 5 different spots – and moved them all into my hall closet, getting rid of a few that we do not play.   Now that we have a pantry in the kitchen, I don’t need this cupboard for food!!  Anyhow, our family really does enjoy playing board games together.

Our family favorites are Settlers of Catan (Hubby & I play this with our oldest two boys – though we do have the extension pack for when we have guests!), Stratego, Battleship, Lionheart, Sequence, and my children especially love playing the Game of Life and Mancala!  Captain’s favorites are Risk (we have the Lord of the Rings version) and Axis & Allies – he has the D-Day version and the Spring 1942 version – and I will often find him off playing whenever he has the chance!

This year the boys will be receiving Carcassonne and Settlers of Catan Seafarers Game Expansion (for Settlers of Catan).

 *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Well… That pretty much sums up most of the toys we have in our home at this time – though you’ll run across a bunch of others in my our Alphabet Path posts!

We do have a collection of Little People, a great Wooden Train Set that has been boxed up for awhile, but will come out again soon for Snuggles, a cute little wooden doll house,  and, of course, a couple drawers filled with Army Guys and Matchbox cars.  Now, I need to get back to checking off the last few items on my own list this year while there is still time to order online!

I would love to hear what toys your children love to play with!  

Also, you might have better luck leaving any other toy related questions in the comments and I will try and answer them here… My inbox has spiraled out of control once again and I can’t guarantee a response (or at least a quick one!) if you send me an email.  😉

{this moment}

Dec 17, 2010 | , , , | 7 Comments

{this moment} – A Friday ritual. A single photo – no words – capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. If you’re inspired to do the same, visit Soulemama to leave a link to your ‘moment’ in the comments for all to find and see.

.: Happy 1st Birthday Rose! :.

Dec 15, 2010 | , , , , | 19 Comments

Our baby girl is one year old toady!!  It truly seems like she was just born, but at the same time I just can’t imagine my life without her!  What a blessing she is to our family! 
Her beautiful rose covered dress was a hand-made birthday gift from Emily!  Isn’t it just perfect?!?! Thank you Emily!
And Captain said I had to post this last picture, which is a face Rose loves to make.  It is TOO funny! 
I’ve never had to bake a birthday cake at this time of year (I don’t even have any siblings with birthdays in November or December) so I originally thought with all our other usual plans I would just purchase a cake and stick the Rose Fairy Ornament I had purchased for her on top this year.  Truthfully that would have been so much easier than trying to attempt (for the very first time) making a few pink frosting roses (the white roses were made by Wilton) at 2 am…  How do they make it look so easy on youtube?      It may be full of little imperfections, but it was made with love and my children, especially Rose, were very excited when they saw it this morning. 
The cake is chocolate, gluten-free in fact since this mix is so delicious, with cream cheese frosting.  I made two 8″ cakes, and saved some of the batter to make a small 6″ cake for the top.   I thought it might work well to take that off after we sing and give to her.   Since she liked chocolate so much, I think she will be in heaven! ‘Ill try and post pictures later tonight after dinner and cake… Hurry home Daddy! 

Happy 1st Birthday 
sweet little Rose!

My Advent Daybook :: December 14, 2010

Dec 14, 2010 | | 12 Comments

Outside my window… It’s raining on and off, and looks like it is going to continue raining all week.  It’s not that cold (30-50 degrees all week), but my children keep hoping it will snow again!

I am listening to… Celtic Woman’s Christmas Celebration.  (You can download the whole MP3 Album for only $5.00 here.)

I am thinking… about Christmas gifts for my girls.  Unlike last year, when I had everything purchased and wrapped months before Christmas,  I am still working on my list this year and quickly running out of time.   Last year  Twinkle Toes received an adorable Forest Fairy Lodge.  I just noticed that there are a number of new “furniture” pieces to go along with it including: Fairy Forest Harp, Enchantmints-Fairy Forest Lodge-Bathroom Set, Fairy Forest Piano and Fairy Forest Cooking Hearth!  They are all SO cute!   I might have to order one of them for her.    I also might order Safari LTD Fairy Fantasies Tube.

While I was at amazon, I noticed that the girls FAVORITE dollhouse castle, the Melissa & Doug Deluxe Wooden Folding Princess Castle, has dropped in price and is only $49.99 (50% OFF!!).  I have never seen it priced this low before!! (I think I paid around $60 for ours, and it has been worth every penny!  My girls play with it all the time.)   We also have the furniture to go with the castle., which is also 50% off right now?!?!   🙂

My girls mostly play with the hand-painted dolls I have made them when playing with their castle, as well as their Calico Critters.   I just LOVE all the little animal families.   We have the Fisher Cat Family and the Norwood Mouse Family.  My girls love the Kitchen Set that they have, but I don’t think I will be purchasing any more tiny pieces anytime soon.  (Perhaps when the baby is a little bit older, or my girls are better about keeping the little pieces off the floor.)   I am thinking about getting the little Carriage for Twinkle Toes and maybe another family of critters for Chiquita.   Decisions, decisions…

I DO have their main gift already though, and if it is all they get, they will be more than thrilled!  I won’t say exactly what it is, but I will tell you that their most very favorite toy this past year has been their Mini American Girl dolls. 

I am thankful for… so very, very, very, very THANKFUL that Rose’s heart is all better!  I keep giving her a big squeeze and smile every chance I get and she just giggles.  So cute!

I am praying… The Christmas Rose Novena.  I am also praying for an online friend who miscarried her baby girl today.  May our dear Lord comfort her and her family!

From the kitchen… After seeing so many pretty things above everyone’s kitchen sinks this week, I am trying to decide what to add to mine!  Here are a couple pictures I snapped the other night:

It’s hard to believe that we’ve been using our new kitchen for 3 months already!  So far the only things I have near and around our sink are the permanent fixtures, inluding a soap dispenser to match our faucet, and the tile backsplash.  I find the simplicity of it all very pretty and enjoyable… something I could never say about our old kitchen sink!  🙂

From the learning rooms… we are all very much looking forward to our “little” Christmas break this year, and having a hard time adjusting to schooling this month, since we usually take most of the month off.  Nevertheless, we are making progress, just not as much as I would like. . .

Living the Liturgical Year at Home… I just love this time of year.  There are so many wonderful traditions to incorporate into living the liturgical year at home!  Yesterday we celebrated the feast of St. Lucy, and later this week we will begin praying the O Antiphons.  We have always had special gifts or activities to go with each of the O Antiphons and I suppose it is time for me to decide what those are going to be this year!  Here is the link to all of my old posts on Celebrating the O Antiphons.

I am creating… Christmas Creches, Chocolates, Cookies for Little Flowers, and a simple birthday Cake for Rose!

I am wearing… my slippers!  It is so cold in our house right now.  I really should go and try to light a fire…

I am reading… Large Family Logistics and Real Food for Mother and Baby: The Fertility Diet, Eating for Two, and Baby’s First Foods.  I am really enjoying Large Family Logistics, though I am bummed that it wasn’t on sale when I purchased my copy! lol! Anyhow, it is written by a Christian Home Educating Mother of 9 children and already I am incorporating some of her advice and noticing a difference in our daily life.   I may not have 9 children, but I do find it challenging enough attempting to keep up with the six that we do have!   I am looking forward to sitting down and reading the rest of it, perhaps over our Christmas break.

On my iTouch… Where is that thing anyways?  I think I conveniently “lost” it for a few days after getting creamed by my sister-in-law one too many times playing “Words With Friends!”  😉  And what do you know, I actually have had a little more time for blogging this week! lol!   OHHH!!  It’s not lost! As I was typing that the Angelus Bells just started going off… Ok, I am off to find it and pray the Angelus with the kids, I’ll be back to finish up this post soon! 🙂

Pondering these words… from Mother Teresa.

“The family that prays together stays together, and if they stay together they will love one another as God has loved each one of them. And works of love are works of peace.”

“What I can do, you cannot. What you can do, I cannot. But together we can do something beautiful for God. Yes, you must live life beautifully and not allow the spirit of the world that makes gods out of power, riches and pleasure make you to forget that you have been created for greater things – to love and to be loved.”

Our little Rose… will be one years old TOMORROW!!   It seems like just yesterday when Captain snapped this picture as I was headed out the door to my scheduled 5pm doctors appointment.  I had a feeling that I might be in the early stages of labor and sure enough I was.   Rose arrived at 11:49 that night!

Noticing that… my baby won’t be a “baby” much longer.  🙁

Towards personal care… Let me just say… “That time of the month” really stinks!  I am not used to this! 😉

Around the house… I just bought a beautiful new 8×10 wool rug for the new family room.  What a difference just having a rug has made!  It has made the room quieter, cozier, and now the kids have someplace to lie down and read books or play games other than in the bedrooms.   The noise (with hardwood floors and hardly any furniture everything seems o echo) was driving me crazy!!!   I actually wasn’t suppose to be spending charging anything else right now, but when I saw it at Costco – and that their was an extra $60 off bringing it down to just over $200 – I couldn’t resist.   When I got home and asked Hubby if he could carry something in from the car for me he said “Oh NO! What did you buy?!?”  I just smiled and then Captain said “Uh, oh!  That’s what she looks like after she buys something from Costco!!”  (Seriously, they didn’t even know where I had gone since it was after the baby’s echo. lol!)  They know me well!   Anyhow, everyone (including Hubby) loves the rug!  Now if only the couch would arrive…

On keeping home… Setting the goal of “4 loads by 4pm” (washed AND put away) really helps one keep up with the Laundry and makes sure sure that there aren’t piles of laundry everywhere when Hubby gets home!  It is also nice knowing that when those loads are completed it is “done” for the day.   (Thank you Kim!)

One of my favorite things.. seeing all our children gathered around Hubby each evening as he reads the Christmas Picture Books each night before bed!  This has been working out really well for our family this year, and having their Dad read the stories this year makes our collection of books seem new all over again!

A few plans for the rest of the week:

We have a fun week ahead of us including a visit from some friends, Rose’s 1st Birthday, and a Little Flower’s meeting!  I am also hoping to find the time to finish updating my address book (I am finally inputting the addressed into the computer, so I can print labels) and start working on our Christmas Cards.

A Picture thought I am sharing:


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.

My Other Blog: Catholic Cuisine

Please Visit My Sponsors…

This Week's Popular Posts

Shower of Roses Affiliate Links

All About Spelling
All About Reading
All About Reading Giveaways
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Our Advent & Christmas Books

Shower of Roses Gift Guides

Looking for Something?

looking-back

  • ▼2026 (1)
  • ►2025 (31)
  • ►2024 (41)
  • ►2023 (30)
  • ►2022 (48)
  • ►2021 (48)
  • ►2020 (57)
  • ►2019 (61)
  • ►2018 (90)
  • ►2017 (128)
  • ►2016 (148)
  • ►2015 (172)
  • ►2014 (227)
  • ►2013 (238)
  • ►2012 (308)
  • ►2011 (297)
  • ►2010 (313)
  • ►2009 (486)
  • ►2008 (564)
  • ►2007 (148)

Posts About:

Shower of Roses Alphabet of Saints

A Papal Unit Study & Lap Book

Shower of Roses Easter Gift Guides



All Saints Party Printables

All original photographs and written material are ©2007-2025 Shower of Roses. I'd love for you to link back to me, but please do not copy or take content from this blog without permission. Click here for my Copyright Terms & Conditions. Thank you for visiting!