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Books, Brews and Crux S. Patris Benedicti Pizza on the Feast of Saint Benedict

Jul 12, 2019 | | 2 Comments


Happy Feast of St. Benedict! 🍻

“In the ordinary form of the Roman rite, the feast of St. Benedict of Nusia is today, the date on which his relics are believed to have been translated to Fleury Abbey in St. Benoît-sur-Loire in France. In the traditional or extraordinary form of the Roman rite, his feast day is March 21, the day of his heavenly birthday. We don’t blame you for wanting to celebrate the founder of Western monasticism twice in one year. After all, given all the drinks the Benedictines developed, you’ll need far more than one sitting to appreciate them.” 

While we were in Oregon this past weekend, for my little sister’s wedding, we were able to stop back by Benedictine Brewery to purchase a couple more glasses and some more of their great beer. Unfortunately our options were pretty limited following the 4th of July rush!


HAUSTUS
Pale Ale

The pale counterpart to Black Habit, best described as a Belgian pale with Northwest influence. Aroma is fresh and slightly spicy, and the mouthfeel is silky and effervescent. Tropical fruit flavors lead to a noticeably hoppy finish. Designed to go with meals. ABV about 6.7%. 


SAINT BENEDICT
Farmhouse Ale

A session ale in the farmhouse tradition, this beer gets its name because it was first brewed on March 21 and first served on July 11, the two annual feasts of St. Benedict. Bears the fresh aroma of yeast. Complex flavor for a lighter beer, with a slightly tart and peppery finish. Stands well as a cold beverage on a summer day. ABV about 4.7%.

Perfect to go along with the Benedictine Pizza, shared by Tiffany back in 2012, over on my Catholic Cuisine website!

 

Super easy to make with a couple family size pizzas (cheese and pepperoni) from Papa Murphy’s and a couple cans of black olives. Thankfully most of my kids love olives! 




Crux S. Patris Benedicti 
(The Cross of the Holy Father Benedict)

You can learn more about the Meaning of the Cross of St. Benedict Medal here. 



Our favorite picture book about St. Benedict is The Life of Saint Benedict by John McKenzie, O.S.B.

The book is based on his biography by Pope Saint Gregory the Great, and told by a Benedictine monk living today in Italy at the birthplace of Benedict. 

 

Speaking of the Monks of Norcia… Through marriage I ended up blessed with three FSSP priests as brother-in-laws and my little sister ended up with a Benedictine Monk, Brother Evagrius, as a brother-in-law! It was great to meet him this past weekend at Peter & JoAnn’s wedding! 



A Prayer for the Intercession of Saint Benedict

Raise up in your Church, O Lord, 
the spirit with which our holy father Saint Benedict was animated, 
so that filled with the same spirit, 
we may strive to love what he loved and to practice what he taught. 
Through Christ our Lord, 
Amen. 

Saint Benedict, Ora Pro Nobis! 

Wedding Reception Activity Book for Children

Jul 9, 2019 | , | 8 Comments

My little sister got married on Saturday! 

Being one of the youngest in our large family, with no children of her own yet, I don’t think she quite understands how hard it can be to get a family of ten ready for a road trip, especially at 33/34 weeks pregnant, without the help of the teens who all have summer jobs!
I had planned to spend last Wednesday getting my hair cut and highlighted and then packing and loading the cars (with the 4th of July on Thursday and leaving by 5am on Friday) but instead of packing two of my girls and I spent the afternoon and evening crafting…

Tuesday night the bride-to-be called and asked if I could come up with activities for the 40+ children that were going to be at the wedding reception…. Ummm, sure? I probably should have said no, but I already had to say no to both her Bachelorette Weekend in Tahoe and her Bridal Shower in Portland. Coming up with activities for kids at the last minute… Now THAT was something I could do!
I did some searching online and found this darling printable wedding activity book for kids.
When our seven year old saw the books he cracked me up when he started singing:
“I do, I do, I do, do do do do do do doo
Yeah, I do, I do, I do, do do do do do do doo”
Wedding Activity Book for Children: 
  • Printable Pages – 2 pages, front and back for each book (I used Costco’s premium 24 weight 97 bright copy paper – nicer than plain copy paper, but also cheaper and easier to work with than card stock) 
  • X-acto Knife (for punching holes in spine of book for the twine to thread through) 
  • Twine (approx 16-18″ per book) 
  • Scissors & Ruler
Personalized Crayon Packets: 
I had almost everything I needed to make these already, we just had to buy crayons.
You’d think that the large packs of crayons would be the cheapest way to buy a lot of crayons (I needed around 400 crayons) but that wasn’t the case, at least not at Walmart:
  • 120 Crayola Colors = 5.8 cents each
  • 96 Crayola Colors = 5.2 cents each
  • 64 Crayola Colors = 4.6 cents each
  • 32 Crayola Colors = 5.5 cents each
  • 8 Crayola Colors = 10.9 cents each
Winner:  24 Crayola Colors @ $0.50 per box = only 2 cents each
(I spotted them hiding on the top shelf and I asked someone to help get them down for me.) 
We price checked the Cra-Z-Art Crayons too:
  • 96 Crayons = 4.1 cents per crayon
  • 64 Crayons = 2.6 cents per crayon (getting better!) 
 
But the 24 Packs (only had a few left) were just $0.33 per box or a mere 1.3 cents per crayon! 
 
We ended up purchasing a mix of 24 Packs of Crayola Crayons (with the new Bluetiful color, perfect for a bride/wedding) and 24 packs of the Cra-z-art Crayons.
 

Two of my girls took care of packaging up all the crayons while I assembled the activity books!

 
 
Each 4×6″ treat bag would hold 11 crayons, so they would pull out two crayons from each 24 count box (different colors each time to make additional mixed color sets) and then divide the rest between two bags.
I was really pleased with how it all turned out, and so was my sister!
I was also excited to see so many of the children using them at the reception as well.
They were a hit! In fact there weren’t any leftover by the end of the night.
 

Puppy Paw-ty

Jun 25, 2019 | , , | 9 Comments

Twice the giggles! Double the fun!
It’s time to celebrate YOU because you’re turning TWO!! 

Our baby girl turned TWO a couple weeks ago and this year we celebrated with a puppy themed pawty! We have never had a dog, but one of her favorite things this past year has been “Doggies!” She will often round up all the stuffed dog animals from around the house to carry around in a basket or tuck into her bed. Her brother bought her a little plush dog house with five puppies for Christmas and it is still one of her favorite toys. The puppy theme was pawsitively perfect for her! 😉

We dressed her up in favorite hand-me-downs from her now fourteen year old sister and I was able to finish decorating her cake while she took her afternoon nap.

We have never been able to get her to sleep in a crib (or rather our pack-n-play since we never replaced our crib – plus she is so strong she can scale the sides of anything and throw herself out!) but she does love her DockATot Grand for naps. Who wouldn’t?! It looks so comfy! 
.: PARTY FOOD :.
The girls and I had fun coming up with ideas for the party menu! 

Paw Print Cupcakes (Gluten Free)
 
Fetch (Pretzel Sticks) • Puppy Kisses
Pretzel Bark • Bark Thins

 

Puppy Chow • Ruff-age

Hot Dogs
Pawsta Salad 
 
The Chocolate Lab was her favorite! She LOVES “Chotlit!” and berries (and dipping things!) and being able to combine it all was so much fun! 😉

.: THE BIRTHDAY GIRL :.
.: PUPPY DOG CAKE :.
I made her cake with 3 – 6″ round cakes, cutting the domes off of each, and then just decorated it with various colors of frosting. It was really simple to make and turned out pretty cute! 

.: BIRTHDAY GIFTS :.
We picked out two doggies – Charlotte the Dog and Noah the Dog – from Cuddle + Kind along with a white Strolley made by Ollie Ella for the birthday girl! The hand-knit dolls came with a couple free prints that I added to the birthday banner (reused from our Sound of Music birthday) for decorations. 
I hid her gifts in my bathroom closet but she managed to find them before I had a chance to wrap them up for her. She didn’t care and was so excited!  
 
 

Her eldest brother/Godfather also had a gift for her when he got back home from work. He wanted to give her one of his childhood favorite things… Blues Clues! The card he made her was so sweet too.

 
 

We decorated with our collection of stuffed dogs Ostheimer dogs, adding a few new wooden dogs to our collection. She was so cute walking her doggies around the coffee table before bedtime.   
 

In addition to the Masses she had offered for her by her uncles who are priests, she was also blessed with a double rainbow outside our home following the rain!
“And when it rains on your parade, look up rather than down. Without the rain, there would be no rainbow.” ― G. K. Chesterton
.: TWO CANDLES :.

Father had been stuck at the airport overnight, after his second flight back was cancelled due to mechanical issues, but his flight finally arrived and Sean picked him up just in time to join us for the birthday girl to blow out her candles on his way back to the parish!

 
 

Happy 2nd Birthday! 

St. John’s Bonfire + 30th Anniversary Celebration

Jun 25, 2019 | , , | 4 Comments

Lord God, almighty Father, the light that never fails and the source of all light, sanctify + this new fire, and grant that after the darkness of this life we may come unsullied to you who are light eternal…

“June 24 is one of the oldest of the Church feasts. It is the birthday celebration of St. John the Baptist, and is sometimes called “summer Christmas.” On the eve of the feast, great bonfires were once lighted as a symbol of “the burning and brilliant” light, St. John, who pointed out Christ in this world of darkness. The solstice fires had been pagan, but now they were blessed by the Church in John’s honor. There are actual blessings for the bonfire in the Roman liturgy. Magical and superstitious elements of food and drink were forgotten, and we were encouraged to have great picnic feasts out-of-doors around the blazing logs. The outdoor grill, so popular in our own back yards, was once less selfish and more communal. We feasted as many neighbors and not as exclusive individuals.” source

 
This article from Regina Magazine was passed out to all of us just before Father blessed the bonfire. 
June 24th is also Father Terra’s 30th Priestly Anniversary! We had so much fun attending a St. John’s Bonfire and Surprise Potluck in his honor this past weekend. 
Even though I had never met Fr. Terra before moving here, my grandfather would always give us updates about him until he passed away in 2009. He would be so happy to know that his great-grandchildren are getting to know this holy priest, who happened to grow up in the same parish as my mom! Fr. Terra actually offered his first Mass at the church where my parents were married and I spent much of my childhood. Such a small world! 

Update: St. Joseph’s Apprentice just let me know that this beautiful artwork is by Daniel Mitsui
The cakes both for the party and for after Sunday Mass (see picture at bottom of post) were both amazing! I need to find out where they were made for future reference. So awesome! 

 Our family brought along a couple side dishes and a simple chocolate Cathedral Bundt Cake to share.

In addition to the St. John’s Bonfire, there was also musical instruments played for Father, poems recited, and some songs sung for him as well! Three of our teens have really enjoyed being in the choir since moving to our new home/parish.

It still feels like a dream that we are actually living here and able to be part of such a wonderful parish community. We are so grateful! 
 

Let us pray. God, who by reason of the birth of blessed John have made this day praiseworthy, give your people the grace of spiritual joy, and keep the hearts of your faithful fixed on the way that leads to everlasting salvation; through Christ our Lord. Amen. 

Picking Berries at the Strawberry Patch

Jun 18, 2019 | , | 5 Comments

“It is the sweet, simple things of life 
which are the real ones after all.” 
— Laura Ingalls Wilder

We got up early this morning to go pick strawberries with friends! 🍓🍓🍓
“Live in each season as it passes: 
breathe the air, drink the drink, taste the fruit.”
— Henry David Thoreau

The girls helped bake this Naturally Sweetened Fresh Strawberry Pie for dessert with some of our strawberries. We are hoping to go pick more to freeze sometime soon… We’ll see! 

(I also just ordered a copy of Strawberry Girl to read this week too!) 

Baby Updates :: 30 Weeks and Counting

Jun 13, 2019 | , , | 12 Comments

“Nothing, how little so ever it be, if it is suffered for God’s sake, can pass without merit in the sight of God.” – Thomas a Kempis

Happy Feast of St. Anthony!

It’s hard to believe that it has been five years today since we lost our little Anthony. After his miscarriage, I really didn’t think I’d be able to have any more children, or at least not be able to carry a baby to term… Three years later we welcomed our surprise baby (shortly after getting rid of nearly all our baby stuff, of course) and here we are again, preparing to welcome yet another baby girl!

I’ve shared a few little updates over on Instagram, but thought I’d take a minute to transfer those pictures of her over to the blog today.

April 3rd:
On Monday we hit the halfway mark! I’m really looking forward to another peek at our baby girl next week 💗 #prayingforstrength #20weeks #dueaug19th2019 #stilldebatingbabynames

Baby’s Profile at 21 Weeks

May 29th:
It’s been a rough week (see prayer requests below), but look who I got to see today! I had to pop in and share this sweet picture with you all! My doctor had some concerns at my appointment yesterday, and a followup ultrasound was scheduled for this afternoon, but everything looks good and she’s measuring in at exactly 3lbs. #28weeksandcounting

P.S. In your charity would you please offer a prayer for my Mother-in-law who has been gravely ill, for my husband who traveled to Arizona to help care for her, for our two soon-to-be First Holy Communicants (they were supposed to receive this past weekend with their class, but we decided to postpone till their dad is home again), for the repose of the soul of my Uncle Shawn who passed away early Monday morning, and for our little toddler who is currently fighting a high fever. 

Baby’s Profile at 28 Weeks
June 11th:
I saw my doctor this morning for our 30 week check-up and everything is looking perfect 💗

I’m so so grateful this pregnancy is going much better than my last, that I’m able to keep food down now, and that I’m still able to walk without any issues, unlike two years ago. Thank you all for the prayers! 🌷

I haven’t done anything at all to prepare for her arrival yet – I think it’s still sinking in that another baby will be joining our family soon! – but we now have a darling gown for her and a precious little embroidered Immaculate Heart badge too!

Thank you BabyMyLove and StellaMarigoldArt! 

PRAYER TO ST. ANTHONY 
FOR HEALTH OF AN EXPECTANT MOTHER 
AND HER UNBORN CHILD

Glorious St. Anthony, you were blessed to hold the Infant Jesus in your arms. I come to you now on behalf of (mention name) who pleads for the health and safety of the child that God has graced her to conceive.

St. Anthony, guard this life God has created, and the mother God has chosen for this child. Let your gentle hand, like that of a skilled physician, aid in her delivery so that this baby will know good health and lasting happiness.

May her child be favored with the grace of holy baptism, and grow to love our lord Jesus Christ above all else in this world. Amen.

St. Anthony, Patron of Expectant Mothers, Ora Pro Nobis!

The Catholic Child and the Saints

May 16, 2019 | , , , , , , | 12 Comments

My dear Child: The Saints are your Special Friends in Heaven.

They are happy with God.

They are most willing and most anxious to help you, and God is so good, He will hear their prayers for you. 

You must have your special friends in heaven before God, and you must often pray to them. 

You will wish to pray to your Patron Saint, to St. Anthony, to St. Aloysius, to St. Stanislaus, to St. Ann, to the Little Flower.

DEAR St. Therese, thou wert always good and obedient and always did the Will of God. Now thou art a great saint in heaven with God. 

Thy loving and tender heart rejoices to send down roses upon earth. O give me the sweet flower of a great love for Jesus! Pray for me that I may have all the graces I need. 

Excerpt from Jesus, Make Me Worthy – A reprint of the original can be found here

Saints for Girls: A First Book for Little Catholic Girls

Lady Saints Leggings • Twirl Dress

Chews Life Rosary

Last Week of High School for our Two Graduates

May 12, 2019 | , , , , , | 24 Comments

 .: Inland Empire League District Golf Tournament :. 
May 6, 2019: Our whole family (and some friends!) went out to watch the boys golf in their final High School Varsity Golf Tournament. 
I’m SO proud of these two sons of ours. It wasn’t easy moving to a new state halfway through their senior year. They had always played on the varsity golf team and even went to state last year… They had been really looking forward to going back to the Oregon State Championship this year. Moving to Idaho, joining a new team, and switching from a 1A/2A/3A school to a 5A school was a big challenge for them. They never had to worry about qualifying for tournaments on their old golf team. Here their new golf team had 35 boys on the team and only the top 5 get to participate in the varsity tournaments. It was a sad morning one day during the season when just one of them left to go to a tournament and the other stayed home since he hadn’t qualified. 
 

They both worked really hard to continue improving and I was so happy that they both made the top five for the final tournaments and including the District Tournament/State Qualifier! Their team played well and came in third place in the district, but they needed to be in the top two to go on to state. They were disappointed but happy that they had improved since last year and that their current team score was better than all the teams back home in Oregon. High School golf has officially come to an end! 
Here is a photo of all three of our high school golfers, with their coach (who actually played against my youngest brother in college!), following the district tournament. The girls team also came in third place! 
.: Kolbe Academy :. 
May 9, 2019: This is it… They are officially done! I just finished grading and sending off the final samples and reports to Kolbe Academy for our two high school seniors! 🎉😭
#highschoolgraduates #catholichomeschool #kolbeacademyhomeschool #magnacumlaude
.: Carmel :.  
May 11, 2019: Beautiful Saturday Morning Mass at Carmel (James and John served together yesterday morning too. Perfect end to their final week of high school!) ❤️
.: College Decision Day :. 
Photos from Experience Christendom Summer Program 2018
May 1st was National College Decision Day. After months of discerning and applying to various colleges, not to mention working on financial aid and scholarships, the decision was finally made and we called up the Admissions Director on April 30th to put down a second deposit. 
Both boys will be attending Christendom College in the fall!
My due date is Monday, August 19th and Move-in Day is across the country on Friday, August 23rd. 
Please keep them (and me 😭) in your prayers! 

Easter Outfits for the Girls on Holy Saturday

Apr 21, 2019 | , , , | 8 Comments

My girls loved their Christmas dresses and skirts (pictured here, here and here) from Baby My Love so much that we decided to order their Easter Outfits from Sharon as well! These will most likely also end up being their outfits for my sister’s wedding in July. They are so lovely and comfortable too!

I tried to take a picture of all four girls on Holy Saturday, just before we headed out the door to attend the Easter Vigil at our new parish, but our littlest one didn’t want to cooperate! 🙂

 

Twinkle Toes: Mint Twirl Skirt (Women’s Small) paired with a white top and this Peach Cardigan
Chiquita: Pink Rose Floral Twirl Skirt (Women’s Small) paired with this Burgundy Cardigan
*Made with the fabric from this Easter Dress. Sharon is great about custom orders!
Rose & Grace: Easter White Rose Floral Full Twirl Dress (Size 8 and 2T)
Baby My Love is currently having a sale and Easter Dresses are currently 15% off!

We also gave Chiquita (who turned 14 on Holy Saturday this year!) a new brown scapular from Stella Marigold Art as one of her birthday gifts, to replace the one we gave her years ago and worn daily.

*Nails painted with Fig from Lisieux Nail Polish!

Our older girls have loved singing in the choir this year, here at our new parish, and had been looking forward to and practicing for all of the Triduum Liturgies all of Lent. I didn’t get many pictures, but it was all so beautiful! Here is one beautiful picture from the Easter Vigil taken of the girls up in the choir loft by our good friend, Marc Salvatore, who happens to be up here visiting!  I’ll be back with more Easter pictures sometime soon… 
Happy Easter! 

Palm Sunday

Apr 14, 2019 | , , | 0 Comments

  

A few pictures from “My Holy Week Missal” 🌿

She looks like a little angel but wore herself out (and her mama!) during Mass as usual 🌿🤦‍♀️🙏🏻😴 Someday we will make it all the way through Mass again without needing to take her out of church…
Our Lady, Mediatrix of All Graces, Ora Pro Nobis! 

Our Family

Sean & Jessica, Captain-24, Ranger-22, Twinkle Toes-21, Chiquita-19, Snuggles-17, Rose-14, Bud-12, Grace-7 and Joy-5 (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-24, Ranger-22, Twinkle Toes-21, Chiquita-19, Snuggles-17, Rose-14, Bud-12, Grace-7 and Joy-5 (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 Pre-reading
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As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

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