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by | Dec 29, 2022

Highlights from “E” Week


~ Letter Formation ~


Letter “E” out of Modeling Beeswax
As well as an Elephant and a little nest with (green!) Eggs.

I also made the girls a Letter E Worksheet in addition to their HWT Wooden Pieces, etc…
(Sorry, no pictures… I didn’t have my camera the first couple days of the week.)


~ Eyebright Fairy Coloring Pages ~


From this Coloring Book
(While looking at the Flower Fairies Alphabet book and listening to the CD!)


~ Picture Book Science and More ~

E is for Electricity


Science Book of Electricity
Bill Nye The Science Guy: Electrical Current (DVD)
Electricity (The Usborne Young Scientist Series)
Electricity
Switch On, Switch Off (Let’s-Read-and-Find-Out Science 2)


E is for Endangered Animals: Bald Eagles and African Elephants

Endangered Species Coloring Book (pdf) We used Page 24 for the Bald Eagle.
Endangered Elephant Coloring Page and Comprehension Worksheet



E is for Emperor Penguins




~ Picture Study :: Brian Connelly’s Brown and White Eggs ~





Using Museum ABC, Museum ABC Nesting Blocks, and Elizabeth’s pdf




~ E is for St. Elizabeth Ann Seton ~


Our Painted Saint Elizabeth for with


Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton Coloring Page
Copywork from An Alphabet of Catholic Saints

We read St. Elizabeth Ann Seton by Father Lovasik, which is wonderful, but I am hoping to add Kat Finds a Friend, Mother Seton and the Sisters of Charity, and Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton Daughter of America to our collection since we will be studying her more later this year for Little Flowers.


~ E is for Elsa Beskow ~


These are a few of the books we read at bedtime this week:

Pelle’s New Suit
Children of the Forest
Ollie’s Ski Trip
Peter and Lotta’s Adventure
Around the Year


~ Crafts : E is for Embroidery ~

We started out with lacing shapes, including a few “Engines.” I had meant to order the Fairies of the Field Lacing Cards, but then I completely forget… (I’ve been doing that a lot lately!)



I then pulled out a Embroidery Kit, which I had purchased on clearance from Hearthsong a while back, and started to introduce the girls to Embroidery.



I think it is going to be awhile before the girls are really able to embroider on their own, but I just couldn’t pass up this opportunity to try out Charlotte’s Saints n’ Stiches. In fact, she even has a St. Elizabeth of Hungary! The girls helped (mainly watching each step and choosing floss colors), but I pretty much did all of the embroidery work. (It had been YEARS — and even at that, I only ever learned how to cross-stich so I am sure I made plenty of mistakes — but I really enjoyed it!! My super sore fingers, not so much.)




I still need to finish them up by making them into little dolls… Hopefully this week!

Closeups:


Saint Elizabeth of Hungary
One of my Confirmation Saints


St. Therese of Lisieux
Another one of my favorites!


~ Serendipi-Tea Time ~

We enjoyed lots of “E” foods this week including Enchiladas, Eggos,
English muffins and lots of Eggs…

For our baking project/tea time this week we made
Easy Elephant Ears Cookies!
Here’s the recipe/instructions.


Can you tell that someone just lost her second tooth?











We are moving right along…
Tomorrow morning we will begin another Fun week!

Learning about Ancient Rome: Roman Numerals

by Rascal
Roman Numerals
from Ancient Rome (Modern Rhymes About Ancient Times)

Some letters led a double life.
They served as numbers, too.
They used a simple system –
The numerals were few.

For one you used the letter “I.”
For five the letter “V.”
“L” was fifty; “X” was ten.
One hundred was a “C.”

The system had its problems though,
When numbers got too high.
And Romans weren’t able
To divide or multiply.

Their numerals were useful
But it’s very clear to me,
That we are served much better
By our numbers 1, 2, 3…

A few of the other resources we’ve used:

However, the boys have had the most fun with this online Roman Numerals Game!

26 Weeks…

… and growing FAST!!

“My senses are developing
as I practice looking and hearing each day.
At roughly nine inches long and almost two pounds,
there is less room for me to play.”


~The Miracle of Me

Small Successes :: September 17, 2009

“It’s important for moms to recognize that all the small successes in our days can add up to one big triumph. So on Thursday of each week, we do exactly that.”
~ 1 ~

I finally hooked up the printer to this new iMac Computer.  I had been stalling (for nearly two months) since I thought I would need to try and find the installation disk that came with the printer.  In the meantime, every time I needed to print something I would put the file on a flash drive and open it on the old PC.  (Very time consuming…)  Well, it turns out that all I had to do was unplug the USB cord from the back of the PC and plug it into the Mac.  I opened a document to see and hit the print button, just to see if it might by chance work, and it printed… Just. Like. That!  lol!


Also, speaking about this wonderful Mac,  I installed MacGourmet Deluxe and I am LOVING it!!  I am still learning how to use all the features, but so far I have learned how to clip recipes from online to add to my library, create meal plans and shopping lists, sync it with iCal, and even build a cookbook!!!  This is going to be so much fun!

~ 2 ~

I was able to go out with four of my friends on Tuesday night to see Julie & Julia.   Afterwards, since Starbucks had just closed we went to Applebees and visited for another couple hours.   It was a very much needed break and I had a great time!   Now I really want to try and make Julia Child’s Beef Bourguignon.

~ 3 ~

I think I may have mentioned that I’d been saving for a new white wooden crib for this baby?  Well, yesterday morning, after searching and searching online and not finding exactly what I was wanting (at an affordable price), I decided to take my friends advice and check out Craigslist.   Can you believe that a beautiful white “Serenity” crib made by Baby’s Dream had JUST been posted and that it was only FIVE minutes from my house?!  (Especially, considering that I drive 20-30 minutes to get anywhere!)  She had purchased it 2 years ago from a specialty boutique about 45 minutes away for $500.  It does have a few minor scratches, but I still LOVE it and it is going to look so cute with the crib bedding I picked out for this baby. 

I do have it set up already, but I’ll wait to take a picture till I have all the bedding… In the meantime, here is a picture from Baby’s Dream.  Just try and picture it painted white with pastel sage and rosy pink bedding.  

What are your Small Successes this week?

Stop by Faith and Family Live to read more of this week’s Small Successes.

A Gift for the Baby

Earlier this afternoon, while I was busy trying to catch up on a little paperwork, I told the children to stay out of the hallway so that Captain could mop the floor, his chore for today.  Snuggles was finally napping (after getting into even more mischief today!) and Chiquita was playing in her bedroom.  Rascal and Twinkle Toes decided to play in the boys’ room.   A few minutes later, since I was just across the hall in the school room, I could hear Rascal and Twinkle Toes start to pray the rosary.  About 20 minutes later they finished, ALL BY THEMSELVES!!  It was so precious!

When they came out, I asked them what they had been doing and Rascal said, “We prayed a rosary for the new baby!  It was “Twinkle Toes” idea.”   Twinkle Toes just smiled. 
No wonder this pregnancy is going so well!

Highlights from “D” Week

~ Letter Formation ~

Big “D” and little “d” out of Modeling Wax

Silly little girls! 😉 
They also worked on Signing “D” and Hidden Letter D
~ Double Daisy Fairy Coloring Pages ~

From this Coloring Book (while listening to this CD!)
~ Picture Book Science :: D is for Dinosaurs ~

I had a basket full of dinosaur books from both the library and our own collection.  However, I wasn’t the one to read them. The boys really enjoyed reading them to the girls this week, which was nice!

Other dinosaur fun that we enjoyed:

Reading Rainbow: Buried Treasures (Digging up Dinosaurs)

Dinosaur Fact Files and Worksheets
Color by Number Dinosaur
Discovery Channel Dinosaur Page (My children especially enjoyed the games!)

Wee Sing Dinosaurs
How to Draw Dinosaurs And Prehistoric Life
Leap and the Lost Dinosaur (On Leap Pad)
and Megatoob- Dawn of the Dinos


~ Picture Study :: D is for Dance and Degas ~
Edgar Degas’ Ballet Rehearsal on Stage

Practicing drawing dancers with the help of I Can Draw People!

~ D is for St. Dominic ~

An Alphabet of Catholic Saints and our painted Saint Dominic
Flower Fairies Alphabet and daisy out of Modeling Wax

Copy work (generated here)
using the poem found in An Alphabet of Catholic Saints

St. Dominic Coloring Page

We read about David in Letters from Heaven: An Illuminated Alphabet and colored this picture.

D is also for Divine Mercy,  so what a perfect week for our first Little Flowers Meeting of the year!!

~ D is for DePaola ~ 

At bedtime this week we read and/or compared pictures in lots of our Tomie DePaola Books:

The Night of Las Posadas
The Story of the Three Wise Kings
The Clown of God
The Legend of the Poinsettia
The Holy TwinsThe Parables of Jesus
The Miracles of Jesus
The Lady of Guadalupe
Christopher: The Holy Giant
Francis: The Poor Man of Assisi
The Knight and the Dragon
Mary: The Mother of Jesus

~D is for Draw Write Now ~

My children LOVE all the Draw Write Now books.  You can purchase them individually, however the Draw Write Now Boxed Set of all eight books is awesome.  The boys have been using these for a couple years now, but Twinkle Toes really started enjoying them this past week!

Now, if I could just figure out what to do with the hundreds of drawings I have piling up around here! 😉

~ D is for Dolls ~

Twinkle Toes’ received The Flower Fairies Activity Book as a gift from her Godparents last year and we thought this was a perfect week to cut out the Flower Fairy Paper Dolls!  (The book also has lots of other fun activities too!) 

~ D is for Decoupage ~

I was so excited when I found a packet of Cecily Barkers Fairies, to Decoupage, at Michaels.  This was our first attempt and we had so much fun!

~ Serendipi-Tea time ~

D is for Decadent Donuts!
“D” week was Delicious!!!  

On the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross

I was not very good about embracing my own little crosses…   The morning started out so wonderfully peaceful.  We had Eggos for breakfast and started our school day on time!  However, by afternoon everything seemed to be falling apart!  For example: Captain could not finish his Math or Phonics correctly. (After 3 hours I finally gave up and sent the boys outside for a break. We all needed one…)  I then realized that while I was working with the boys, the girls were having a little camp out in my bedroom and, in addition to the fort which had been made out of my bedding, I found smashed apple jacks all over the room.  While I was cleaning that up, Chiquita managed to break a first communion gift of Captains.   At nap time, Snuggles somehow got access to a blue permanent marker and decided to write all over his bedding and himself. (Thankfully he didn’t write on the comforter, just the sheets.)  Hubby had to work a 16 hour shift (plus his commuting) and I kept finding myself losing my patience and getting completely overwhelmed…

Why was I letting it all get to me so much?  We ALL have our daily crosses and, compared to others I know, my own are particularly light right now.  I finally took a step back, said a little prayer, and calmed down.    I let the rest of the school work go for the day,  baked a (simplified) cross shapedcake like I had planned (but had all but given up on),  bathed the baby, and read the children the story of The Tale of Three Trees: A Traditional Folktale.   The day ended much better!

Prayer for all who carry their Cross
(from the back of a Holy Card)

O my God, I thank you for this cross you have allowed me to carry. Please give me the strength and faith to persevere so that I may bring glory to your name while withstanding the burden of its weight.  Thank you for offering me a share in your suffering.  I know that you have always been, are now, and ever will be at my side every step of the way.  Thank you also for every “Simon” that you have sent to help me bear this cross.  I have prayed so often that this thorn in my flesh would be removed, but I trust that your grace is sufficient.  Change my heart’s troubled cry of – “How long, O Lord?”, into words of trust: “However long, O Lord.”  May I seek only to do your will and to unite my sufferings with your passion.  Help me to not get lost in my own self concerns, but may I find in these trials a way to greater virtue, a call to prayer and a path to trust in you alone.  Permit me not to waste my pain, but to make of these struggles a sacrificial offering for others.  Lord, when I am weary and I fall, exhausted under the weight of this cross, please give me the courage to press on as you did.  Lord Jesus, I embrace with love my cross, as a share in your own.  By your grace, may I carry it all the way to the vision of your glory.  I abandon myself totally to your will.  Christ Jesus, I trust in you.  Amen. 

Everything is Coming Up Roses!

YES, I keep finding roses everywhere this pregnancy!!!   😉 

Chiquita has and loves this tea set.  However, when I saw that Schylling had come out with this new Rose Tin Tea Set, I decided it was time to order a tea set for Twinkle Toes (with an Amazon gift card I’d been saving).   I  think I will wrap it up with the little apron she’ll be getting for Christmas… 

Isn’t it darling!?!?!  It just arrived in the mail and it is even cuter in person!  

It even matches the girls little kitchen perfectly!!

My Daybook ~ September 14th

FOR TODAY: September 14, 2009  
The Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross

Outside my Window… it is still dark.  I am not usually up quite so early (It’s only 5:30 am), but hubby just left to go back out on an engine again today and so I figured I should get up early too…

I am thinking…  about, and praying for, my brother and sister-in-law who just found out that they are expecting their first baby next May! My children are thrilled that they will finally have a cousin that doesn’t live all the way over on the other side of the country!

I am thankful… that this particular fire assignment is local and that hubby was able to come home last night to sleep, even if only from 10:30 pm to 5:30 am.  We had a thunderstorm on Saturday night which sparked well over 30 fires in the area. Yesterday (he was called out after we got home from Mass) he worked on putting out 3 of those small fires and will be out looking for more today.

From the kitchen… a new (to me) KITCHEN AID MIXER!!! I was so surprised and thrilled when one of my friends brought it into the kitchen, after our Little Flowers Meeting last week, to give to me!  I have always wanted one and am really looking forward to learning how to use it!!! THANK YOU AMY!!!!

From the school room… The girls begin “E” week today, and will be learning about Eyebright, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, Electricity and lots more.  Today the boys will be learning about New Jersey, the 3rd State and more about Colonial History.  The boys have also been LOVING working with the Math Balance this past week.  What a totally awesome manipulative!

Living the Liturgical year at Home… Since today is the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, I am planning on serving Pesto and a Tomato Basil Mozzarella Salad for dinner, just like last year .  I am also thinking about baking a Cross Shaped cake this afternoon.  We’ll have to see though… My energy levels really seemed to drop this past week/weekend.  (I can tell I am getting close to the 3rd trimester, and I might need to start slowing down a bit…)   

I am creating… a post for “D” week and finalizing our plans for “E” week.  Oh, if only I had a little more Energy! 😉

I am reading…  Jane of Lantern Hill.  I thought I hadn’t read this book before, but once I started I realized I had read it when I was a child.  I don’t remember it very well, and am really enjoying it once again.
I am going… to continue to try to catch up on my emails.  I seem to always be behind and I do apologize if you’ve been waiting (forever!) for me to get back to you!!

I am wearing… my pajamas still.  It’s early! 

I am hoping… that  I do not have Poison Oak.  My face has been itchy ever since hubby walked in the door last night.  I am highly allergic and I am sure he was around quite a bit of it in the woods yesterday. Did you know that it only takes one nanogram (billionth of a gram) of urushiol oil to cause rash and that it active on any surface, including dead plants, for up to 5 years… Ugh!! For the longest time I would break out in Poison Oak just from driving hubby’s car!  The last few times I’ve been able to ward it off with a little zertec…  Hope it works today! =) 
I am hearing… the hum of the computer, clicking of keys, and the tumbling of the dryer — that’s it.  It is still very quite in our home this morning.

Around the house… I am hoping to tackle the last pile in my bedroom, which was left over from changing all the rooms around.  I just hadn’t found the time to get to it and I really need to either get rid of it all or find homes for the things I’d like to keep.   Perhaps if I work on it a bit each afternoon…

One of my favorite things… looking through Our Wedding Anniversary Memory Book.  I can hardly believe we will be celebrating our 10th anniversary in less than 3 weeks!

A Few Plans For This Week…  Not much planned for this week, other than school… I am hoping to have a chance to go see Julie & Julia with a couple friends one night, and on Friday we’ll be going to Mass and Benediction followed by a doctor’s appointment.  That’s it!  

A picture thought I am sharing:


This was taken late Saturday morning… Someone was still tired! =) 

To see more Daybook’s visit Peggy!


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)
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  • 2016 (148)
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  • 2013 (238)
  • 2012 (308)
  • 2011 (297)
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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!