Tribute to the Blessed Virgin
I wanted to share this beautiful video with you today since it is the Solemnity Feast of the Immaculate Conception. It was created by the same friend who made our All Saints video, and is “a tribute to the life of the Blessed Virgin Mary and her role in the plan of salvation.”
Creating our Christ Candle
Today is the Feast of St. Ambrose! You can read about him here.
St. Ambrose is the Patron Saint of Candlemakers, among other things, so I thought it would be a good day to let the children decorate our Christ Candle in time to drape it with blue cloth tomorrow, December 8th, the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. On Christmas Eve we will remove the cloth to reveal Christ and replace our Advent Candles with this one as we celebrate Christmas.
We really enjoyed reading the story of St. Ambrose out of wonderful book we just purchased titled Once upon a time Saints. The children were all quite captivated and I look forward to reading more stories from this book.
However, when it came time to decorate our candle, I was not quite sure what to use since the supplies I ordered ended up being out of stock and have yet to arrive… Captain had the great idea of using some nativity stickers I purchased last year! Now how easy is that! We tied a big gold ribbon around the candle and the kids got busy applying stickers.
I wish I would have made a yummy treat like Matilda and Meredith..these two women never cease to amaze me…but, alas, that was not to be. Definitely next year!
St. Ambrose ~ Pray for us!
Inspirational Advent Reading
My husband just posted the
by Saint John Vianney
over at his blog Unam Ecclesiam. This, along with all the sermons for the church year including holy days and special feast, by the dear Cure’ of Ars can be found in this book that I purchased for husband a few years back…
It is well worth the time to hop over there to read and contemplate this sermon.
It begins:
“In all thy works remember thy last end, and thou shalt never sin.”
Ecclus. vii. 40
“How is it that these truths, which have converted so many sinners, make so little impression upon us? Ah! my brethren, that is because we do not take them to heart sufficiently. Behold, my brethren, how much Jesus Christ wishes to save us; at one time he appears to us as a poor child in the crib, lying on a handful of straw, which He moistens with His tears; again treated like a criminal, bound, pinioned, crowned with thorns, scourged, falling under the weight of the cross, and dying in martyrdom out of love for us. “
Click here to read the rest. Oh! You can also read his sermon on purgatory here.
And what a feast it was!
The children were up bright and early this morning… They scurried down the hall and were VERY excited to find their new slippers, books, and gold coins, in addition to the special breakfast. In fact, it was early enough for Daddy to read a brief story of St. Nicholas before leaving for work!
OK…
I just had to draw your attention to this little portion, of the above picture, that I cropped out.
Isn’t it precious!?!
Now, if only the others could pay such close attention!
Rascal enjoyed showing Snuggles… (Hubby really didn’t like Peanut, and this name is very fitting — sorry for the change!)… his new book from St. Nick.
The day ended up being filled with activities… Lots of crafts, books, and even a trip to the library so we could check out some more books off the Christmas Mosaic book list. The kids are just devouring them! I feel a tinny bit guilty walking out of the library with all most of the Christmas books! Oh!! While we were at the library I reserved one of their conference rooms. I want to put together a Winter Christmas Storytime like Dawn did! I think it would be such fun. Now I just need to round up some friends!
Now… I must get my self to bed. I don’t do well without sleep, and last night it was 3AM before I collapsed got into bed… I’m wondering if it is time to start giving Snuggles solids… He has been wanting to eat all night long. He just fell asleep, so I’m off! Goodnight and God Bless!
Happy Feast of St. Nicholas!
My hubby and I started a tradition with our kids, of giving them new slippers every year for the feast of St. Nicholas. My kids love it and REALLY look forward to it. I always have such fun picking out the slippers… Aren’t those Pink Boots darling?!?
This year I decided to start a new tradition of giving them a Christmas Book as well to add to our collection. With 5 kids, we will have quite the collection in no time… All the books I choose for this year are from Cay Gibson’s Catholic Mosaic book list. Thank you Cay for all the wonderful books you have introduced us to! The titles pictured above are: The Miracle of St. Nicholas; The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey; The Legend of the Poinsettia; A Small Miracle; and Saint Nicholas.
Our table is set ready for breakfast! I did end up making the Candy Cane Coffee Cake, and it looks so yummy! I can’t wait till morning! I have a little Saint Nicholas statue that my sister Julianna painted for us about 6 years ago, it’s so cute, and I pull it out every year! Normally, I place the kids bags of coins with their note from St. Nick in their new slippers but, with the fire going I was afraid they would melt 🙂 So they ended up on their plates… I don’t think they will mind!
Other decorations around our home include:
Our Nativity set… Or the beginnings of it any ways. As Advent progresses and we get closer and closer to Christmas we will be adding to it. At this point, it is pretty bare 🙂
Here is our Advent Wreath and our Tree. This year I ended up just picking up a wreath at Costco instead of making our own. I think it looks pretty though! Our mantle is aglow with a lovely strand of white and silver garland Christmas lights that I bought at the last St. Vincent Auction we went to with some friends. And our tree is super TALL! I LOVE it! The boys went with daddy, Aunt Bridget & Uncle Shawn to cut it down in the mountains. We will decorate it closer to Christmas.
Here is a picture of Daddy putting together our Advent Calendar last Saturday night! The kids were VERY captivated!
Chiquita and Twinkle Toes were the first 2 to open the boxes!
One last decoration I’ll share is our candles in the window. Teresa Zepeda, in her book Celebrating the Faith in the Home, describes the tradition as follows:
“This simple touch has both symbolic and historical significance. It symbolizes that, unlike the inn at Bethlehem, we do have room in our homes and hearts for the coming Christ. And it also calls to mind that throughout history great sacrifices have been required of God’s faithful people. During the persecutions in Ireland following the Reformation, fugitive priests would travel from house to house offering Mass in the night. Every Irish family deeply wished to be honored with a priest’s visit on Christmas eve, and the candles in the window were a secret welcome to any priest who might be near. The doors were left unlocked so the priest could enter silently and wake the family. The lighted candles and unlocked doors were explained to the English authorities as symbols of welcome to Jesus, Mary & Joseph, who allowed it as “harmless superstition.””
And being Irish myself, I can’t pass up this Irish Tradition! Now… If only we could get a priest to stop by and say Mass Christmas Eve… How cool would that be!?
Noah’s Ark …
The kids loved putting together the Noah’s Ark Collage and looking through a wonderful book about Noah’s ark the other day after reading the bible story for our Jesse Tree.
Afterwards, I decided to give Trina’s suggestion a try, and have the kids act out the bible story… Captain, wasn’t sure he wanted to–he is definitely the shy one of the bunch, but I told them if they did a short play for me, I would let them have a treat of some sort.
Now, they had listened to Strengthened by God at least twice already this week, so they had a definite idea of what they were “suppose to say” in their play.
It went as follows:
Rascal: Uh, er, uh, er (while drilling into the table ark)
Captain: Actually, I don’t want to…
Rascal: But you have to, come on!
Captain: No… Ooohh! OK… Noah, Noah, Noah!
Rascal: Who’s there?
Captain: It’s your Lord God speaking.
Rascal: Then you say, “Noah, I have more work for you.”
Captain: No, not “more” MUCH!
Rascal: What?
Captain: Build me an Ark! 40 cubics wide and forty cubics tall.
Rascal: What for? Why?
Twinkle Toes pipes in with her cute little voice: He’s gonna bring a FLOOD! You need to get all the animals!
Rascal: OH! I forgot to get the animals.
Captain: Wait.. I have more work for you! You need to collect animals for the ark.
Rascal: But where do I put them?
Captain: Put 2 of each animal in the ark. Chiquita, can you go get some animals?
Twinkle Toes: We need pretend animals.
(Here Rascal & Chiquita run back to the bedrooms and grab a handful each of stuffed animals.)
Rascal: I got some, but I only have one monkey. Chiquita can be the other monkey.
(This is said as Chiquita is trying to escape with the monkey.)
OK. I’ll put the animals on the table… It’s the ark.
*It starts to get a bit chaotic in the room.
Captain: QUIET! I’m trying to think… don’t put the animals on the ark yet, I didn’t tell you to yet.
Rascal: Yes you did!
Twinkle Toes: You need to say that there will never be a flood again…
Rascal: And that I lived to be 50 YEARS old! Or something…
(I guess 50 is old to my little ones.)
There “play” was quite interesting… Much more so than it sounds in writing! We will have to try this again. Thanks for the idea Trina!
Anyways, the kids wanted me to post pictures of their artwork! Enjoy 🙂
Captain ~ Age 7
Rascal ~ Age 5
Twinkle Toes ~ Age 4
Chiquita ~ Age 2
Off to Mass
Chiquita just walked up to me with her jacket on and said:
Chiquita: Bye, Bye Mommy.
Me: Where are you going Chiquita?
Chiquita: To Mass!
Me: How are you going to get there?
Chiquita shrugs her shoulders, grins at me, and walks off singing “Alleluia” while looking at the pictures in “Green Eggs and Ham”…
The Legend of the Candy Cane and Recipe
This year, for the feast of St. Nicholas, I am planning on making a Candy Cane Coffee Cake and St. Nicholas Hot Cocoa for Breakfast. I thought I would take a second and share the recipes with you all.
Like the Advent wreath, the candy cane is also packed with symbolism as well:
“According to legend there was a candy maker who wanted to invent a candy that was a witness to Christ.
I just requested the book The Legend of the Candy Cane from the library. It sounds great, and I am looking forward to reading it to the kids… Here is a link to a Candy Cane Acrostic page as well. It would be fun to try and create one with the symbolism of the “Candy Cane”.
Now, on to the recipes!
Candy Cane Coffee CakeCoffee Cake
1 16-ounce package of Pillsbury Hot Roll Mix
1/4 cup Granulated Sugar
2 Eggs
3/4 cup very warm Milk
1/4 cup Butter or Margarine, softened
1/2 cup Pecans, chopped
3/4 cup dried Cranberries or Cherries
1/2 cup Cherry Preserves
1 tablespoon WaterGlaze
3/4 cup powdered sugar
2-3 teaspoons milkPreheat oven to 375°F. For coffee cake, combine hot roll mix, yeast packet and granulated sugar in a bowl. Separate 1 egg white from yolk; reserve white. Add milk, butter, whole egg and egg yolk to a bowl. Stir until mixture forms a ball.
Turn dough out onto well-floured surface. With floured hands, knead dough 5 minutes. Sprinkle additional flour over surface as needed to reduce stickiness. Cover; let dough rest 5 minutes.
Chop pecans; combine with the dried fruit in a bowl. Place dough in center of lightly floured rectangle stone; roll into 12 x 15-inch. Spread preserves in 6-inch strip lengthwise down center of dough to within 1/4 inch of each end; sprinkle fruit mixture evenly over preserves.
Cut 1-inch-wide strips on each side of fruit filling to within 1/2 inch of filling. Lift strips of dough across filling to meet in center, twisting each strip one turn; pinch together in center to seal. Tuck ends up to seal. Lift and stretch one end of shaped dough using spatula; curve to form cane. Cover; let rise in warm place 30 minutes.
Lightly beat reserved egg white with 1 tablespoon water; brush over dough using a Pastry Brush. Bake 20-23 minutes or until deep golden brown.
For glaze, mix powdered sugar and milk until smooth; drizzle over warm coffee cake. Cool 15 minutes. Cut into 1-inch slices.
Yield: 15 servings (This is a modified Pampered Chef Recipe)
For the Hot Cocoa, we will just add Torani Peppermint Syrup to our favorite Ghirardelli Hot Cocoa. In the past I have made jars of the recipe found in this post as gifts, and it was delicious! The kids will also each get a candy cane to stir their cocoa with for extra fun!
O good holy Nicholas,
you who brought joy to children,
put in my heart the spirit of childhood
about which the Gospel speaks.
Teach me how to sow
happiness around me. Amen.
—Prayer to St. Nicholas
I couldn’t resist!
**Note: She has never slept with an eye mask before… She found it in the school room.
A Christmas Meme
I just saw this Meme over at By Sun and Candlelight. I thought it would be fun to give it a shot:
Wrapping paper or gift bags?
Christmas is the one time of year I use wrapping paper… Although, even then, I still do use a few gift bags! This year, I think I may even try making a couple of Violet’s Oragmi Boxes to use for a few gifts… Check them out, they are so cute!
Real tree or artificial?
Real! We have considered in the past purchasing an artificial tree, but the real tree wins every year. My Aunt Bridget, Uncle Shawn & Hubby just took the boys up to the mountains this past weekend and cut down a beautiful 10 foot (at least) Fir Tree. I absolutely love it! And for only $5–the cost of the tree permit–you really can’t beat that!
When do you put up the tree?
We usually wait till the Sunday before Christmas… But since they went with Auntie, we got it early this year. We will still wait to put the ornaments on till Christmas Eve (or the day before).
When do you take the tree down?
We try to leave it up at least till Epiphany. Allthough, one year, our fire alarm went off on New Year’s day, causing my hubby to toss it out the door, ornaments and all! 🙂
(That was an absolutely crazy New Years, resulting with us being evacutaed from our home when we lost our power, which stayed out for 3 days, since part of the house was not insulated due to our addition and so the temperature dropped to 30 degrees INSIDE because our woodstove was messed up by the people that cleaned it, causing the alarm to go off and the house fill with smoke; AND we were unable to get out of our driveway since our road was the last to be plowed 3 days later after a huge –NOT normal for here–snowstorm… And to top it all off I got broncitis and the kids were all sick! It was a New Years to remember, or NOT!)
Favorite holiday theme?
This one is hard for me… Our theme is just Christmas, and very Catholic 🙂
Favorite gift received as a child?
Books! I loved to read, and LOVED getting books. I especially remember the year I received Nancy Drew books from my Grandmother, and The Little House on the Prairie set from my parents. I was in heaven!
Do you have a nativity scene?
Yes – we have a few. One that goes on top of our entertainment center, another for the school room. This year, I ordered one for the children to play with from a friend who sells these great Blessed Toys.
Hardest person to buy for?
I would have to say my dad… Although, every once in awhile, I get lucky!
Easiest person to buy for?
My Kids!
Worst Christmas gift you ever received?
Honestly, I can’t think of one.
Mail or email cards?
Mail. I just love sending (and receiving) Christmas Cards! We usually send out a photo card… I still haven’t had them made for this year… It is on my list of things to try and get done this week! Yikes, I am running out of time!
Favorite Christmas movie?
It’s a Wonderful Life and White Christmas.
When do you start shopping for Christmas?
In the past I would start in the fall, and try to be done by Thanksgiving… This year, that is not the case, I still have quite a bit more to do.
Have you ever recycled a Christmas present?
I don’t think so.
Favorite thing to eat at Christmas?
Baklava and Fudge
White lights or colored on the tree?
White, definitely!
Favorite Christmas song?
I have always LOVED The Little Drummer Boy; Sleigh Ride; And Away in a Manger, to name a few!
Travel for Christmas or stay at home?
We use to go to my hubby’s parents every other Christmas (20+ hour drive), but now, with all the kids, we stay home. We miss them though, and wish it wasn’t so FAR! Where we end up being seems to vary every year… And, as the years go on, and more kids arrive, we end up staying home more and more. This year, we will stay home Christmas Morning, and then probably drive out to my parents for the evening … We’ll see 🙂
Can you name all of Santa’s reindeer’s?
No… I can NEVER remember one of them… Is it Donner or Donder? Something like that 🙂
Angel on the tree top or a star?
Angel
Open the presents on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day?
The kids all get new pajamas Christmas Eve, other than that it is always Christmas Day (except for the couple times we went to my In-laws for Christmas, then we waited till my Brother-in-laws, who were coming from the seminary to arrive a day or two after Christmas–All Christmas week is considered Christmas though… So it was still Christmas!).
Most annoying thing about this time of year?
I totally agree with Dawn “Commercialism. Disrespect. The mall.” To that I have to add the Traffic!
What I love most about Christmas?
I LOVE Midnight Mass, although, it has gotten much harder to be out that late with 5 little ones, we still try! I also love seeing the anticipation and excitement in my children! It’s just so precious.
NOW…I am going to tag:
Amy at Knit Together in Love
Regina, cause I know she will just LOVE it! 😉
Trina at Merry Menagerie
and my cousin Margaret (are you ready for another one!)
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