.: Happy 1st Birthday Rose! :.
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! 
My Advent Daybook :: December 14, 2010
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
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
While I was at amazon, I noticed that the girls FAVORITE dollhouse castle, the Melissa & Doug Deluxe Wooden Folding Princess Castle
. 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 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:
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
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.
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:
Lucia, Saint of Light – Free Audio Book!
Last year I ordered Lucia, Saint of Light
Ideas for Celebrating St. Lucia Day
Ideas for Celebrating St. Lucia Day
December 13th is the Feast of St. Lucy, also known as St. Lucia Day (Luciadagen) in Sweden.
In Sweden, the oldest daughter of a family will wake up before dawn on St. Lucy’s Day and dress in a white gown for purity, often with a red sash as a sign of martyrdom. On her head she will wear a wreath of greenery and lit candles, and she is often accompanied by “starboys,” her small brothers who are dressed in white gowns and cone-shaped hats that are decorated with gold stars, and carrying star-tipped wands. “St. Lucy” will go around her house and wake up her family to serve them special St. Lucy Day foods.” ~ Fisheaters
Since our second daughter celebrates one of her “namedays” on this feast, she and our oldest share the honors. 🙂
I just noticed that our St. Lucy links and ideas are scattered all over, between our past St. Lucia Day Celebrations (2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010 Eve & Morning), our Little Flowers Meeting on St. Lucy, and “L Week” for the Alphabet Path, so I thought I would try and organize them into one post and add a few ideas from others as well.
Note: I’ve had this post in my draft file for awhile now, but just didn’t have a chance to finish it up… I think I have all the links I’ve added so far in place, but I will probably come back when I have time to add a few more. Happy St. Lucia Day!
RECIPES
- Bake Saint Lucia’s Braided Bread.
- Serve Cuccia, St. Lucy Wheat, for breakfast.
- Make St. Lucia Buns, Lussekatter. (I’d love to hear if any one has any tips on where to buy affordable saffron threads. I had to scratch it off my shopping list the other day when a small packet was priced at $19.99.)
- Bake Gingerbread Cookies. (We will be having some this afternoon while we color and read a few books!)
- Serve Coffee.
- For a quick and easy alternative, you can do like we did back in 2007 and serve donuts for as an alternative to the crown shaped sweet bread, or shape canned cinnamon roll dough into St. Lucia Buns.
SING
Sing “Santa Lucia:”
The silver star shines on the sea,
the waves are gentle,
the wind is favourable.
Come to my swift little boat!
Santa Lucia! Santa Lucia!
O dear Naples, o blessed land,
where creation was pleased to smile!
Come to my swift little boat!
Santa Lucia! Santa Lucia!
Sing the following to the tune of “Are You Sleeping?”:
O, Saint Lucia,
O, Saint Lucia,
Wearing white,
Lighting up the darkest
Lighting up the darkest
Winter night,
Winter night.
Print a Saint Lucia Puppet Song and Coloring Picture.
STORYTIME
In our Basket:
Lucia, Saint of Light is a new addition to our collection this year and it is such a wonderful book to own. However, we have listened to this story before. If you don’t have access to the book, you can download and/or play a podcast of it here! (Updated with correct link!)
From the Library:
Kirsten’s Surprise: A Christmas Story
Looks intersting:
CRAFTS & ACTIVITIES
- You can make a St. Lucia Day lantern using this pdf excerpt from Ann Ball’s Catholic Traditions in Crafts.
- Download a St. Lucia Paper Doll complete with two outfits – and of course – a crown!
- Hand-paint a St. Lucy Wooden Doll!
- I think I am going to paint a couple Star boys to go with our Santa Lucia Doll!
- Make Santa Lucia Peg Dolls.
- Make a Scandinavian Christmas Crown.
- Sew a beautiful St. Lucy Crown (As Cozy as Spring) out of felt or this one from JOYfilled Family.
- Print and put together paper Santa Lucia Crowns & Hats. (This is the first year we haven’t made these! Here is the link to our paper crowns.)
COLORING PAGES & COPYWORK
- Color St. Lucy of Syracuse and St. Lucia with Star Boy from Waltzing Matilda.
- Create a Saint Lucia Paper Dolls from Paper Dali.
- Fenestrae Fidei: A Coloring Companion for Catholic Mosaic also has a beautiful coloring page, if you own this great resource.
- Copywork Page I created at Writing Wizard using a quote from An Alphabet of Catholic Saints.
- Create a St. Lucy Notebook page highlighting the virtue of Loyalty.
PRAYERS TO ST. LUCY
Saint Lucy, you did not hide your light under a basket, but let it shine for the whole world, for all the centuries to see. We may not suffer torture in our lives the way you did, but we are still called to let the light of our Christianity illumine our daily lives. Please help us to have the courage to bring our Christianity into our work, our recreation, our relationships, our conversation every corner of our day. Amen.
O glorious Santa Lucia, who combined the profession of faith with the glory of martyrdom, help us to openly profess the truths of the Gospel and to walk in faith according to the teachings of our Savior.Oh Virgin of Syracuse, be thou the light in our life and the model for our actions so that, after following in thy footsteps here on earth, we can rejoice together with thee in the vision of our Lord. Amen.
Relying on Your goodness, O God, we humbly ask you, by the intercession of your servant, Saint Lucy, to give perfect vision to our eyes, that we may serve for your greater honor and glory. And we pray for the salvation of our souls in this world, that we may come to the enjoyment of the unfailing light of the Lamb of God in heaven. St. Lucy, virgin and martyr, hear our prayers and answer our petitions. Amen.
Sancta Lucia, Ora Pro Nobis!
Santa Lucia Day in the Morning!
On the Eve of Santa Lucia Day
My children are all so excited to finally use the lovely gifts they received last year from our sweet friend Emma and her family, who live in Norway!(Authentic Swedish St. Lucy Crowns, a Maiden Light, and Star Boy Hats and Wands for all our children!)
Our Santa Lucia bread is ready and I didn’t even kill the yeast this year! Apparently I usually heat the milk too hot, and our bread doesn’t rise very well… So, this year, I called Amy and had her walk me through it. It turned out better than ever and was SO easy to make this year with the help of Amy’s old Kitchen Aid mixer! 🙂
The older girls have their white nightgowns, and are very anxious for morning to arrive! And I am looking forward to a piece of that delicious Santa Lucia Bread!
On the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe
. After reading it, Hubby pointed out that it was written in 1948 and the gorgeous illustrations are from 1926. It really is such a great book! I purchased it for our History course this year, and am very pleased to have it in our collection. The Christmas Rose Novena
As you all know, I love praying Novena’s to St. Therese and the Christmas Novena is one of my favorites!
Two years ago (in 2008) I prayed this novena, shortly after my miscarriage, for the health of my next baby and that God would calm my fears of another pregnancy… A few months later (shortly after a downpour of roses) I found out that I was expecting! I then went to look up my due date (noticing my calendar, which happened to picture a big rose and the phrase “Count Your Blessings” that day) and was amazed that I was due on Christmas! (This was later confirmed by an ultrasound that was trying to decide between Christmas Eve & Christmas Day.) Our “Christmas Rose” was on her way!
Anyway, the Christmas Rose Novena to St. Therese begins today, on the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, 12 days before Christmas. One is to pray the novena 12 times per day for 12 days to honor the 12 years of Christ’s childhood.
This year I will be offering the novena in Thanksgiving for our little Rose and the recent good news regarding her heart, as well as for a few very dear women who have recently suffered the loss of their babies. May Our Lord comfort them all, and bless them with a new baby to have and hold soon!
May you all receive a Christmas Rose of many blessings this Christmas!
MYSTICAL ROSE NOVENA
Remember, O Gracious Little Rose Queen, your promise to spend your heaven in doing good on earth and even, if necessary, to come down to help those who ask your aid. If it is God’s Holy Will, and my dispositions are pleasing to Him by their honesty and true desire for goodness, keep your promise to shower roses and send me some visible sign of your heavenly friendship for me and for those I love. In memory of the great interior enlightenment you received on a certain Christmas of your early life, ask God for a “:Christmas Rose” for me in these my urgent needs, that I may experience an increase in faith, hope and confidence. (Meditate, here upon your petitions so that St. Therese can understand why your are asking her to assist you.) I desire to know and to accept real objective truth about life and death. Give me assurance that you understand and will remain my heavenly friend, so that one day we may be together with God. Keep your promise to give some answer! Amen.
St. Therese of Lisieux ~ Pray for us!
¡Viva la Virgen de Guadalupe!
and The Lady of Guadalupe
by Tomie dePaola.
by Francisco Serrano which is being re-released this month! I am really looking forward to sharing it with my children. I also can’t wait to start putting together the beautiful Our Lady of Guadalupe Jigsaw Puzzle
.
It’s official…
! 
.
This Christmas, I am hoping to decorate a birthday cake for Baby Jesus by placing a white chocolate nativity scene on top of a chocolate frosted cake and adding green accents, but this time I just used the chocolate melts that I already had in the cupboard.
I ordered my Nativity Chocolate Candy Mold Set
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