Congratulations JOY{filled} Family
Easter Baskets On Easter Sunday
I always look forward to filling our children’s Easter baskets each year with books and gifts that incorporate our beautiful Catholic faith! I also love incorporating the various Easter Symbols and filling a basket with various gifts for the whole family to enjoy. You can read more about the various Easter Symbols here and find many gift ideas here. Easter Sunday has already passed this year, but perhaps this post will give you some gift ideas for upcoming sacraments, birthdays, or even next Easter!
All of the wooden animals and figures came from The Wooden Wagon. Like all hand carved wooden toys, they aren’t cheap, but I did get a discount on them using a promo code they sent out in January. We started our children’s collection last year on their birthdays and Christmas and look forward to adding to it little by little over time. Our five year old plays with all of his wooden animals on a daily basis. Wish I would have started collecting these years ago to go along with the rest of our wooden blocks and saint dolls!
This year, in addition to their books, all of our older children were excited to receive Catholic and/or Pro-Life T-shirts which we had ordered from a couple different online websites along with new missal or bible covers from MissalCovers.com purchased with that credit I mentioned in yesterday’s post. I don’t think a day has passed when I haven’t seen at least one of the t-shirts on one of our children. The older boys had gotten a couple Catholic T-shirts last year as well, along with some fun t-shirts for Christmas, so I knew they’d love them. They are also really enjoying their subscription to the Catholic T-Shirt Club!
- Manual for Spiritual Warfare (with his name embossed on the front)
- A Man Cleansed by God: A Novel Based on the Life of Saint Patrick
- A Shepherd in Combat Boots: Chaplain Emil Kapaun of the 1st Cavalry Division
- Scripture Illuminated
- OSU Beavers themed golf ball marker Cap Clips
- Get Holy or Die Tryin’ T-Shirt from Catholic to the Max (features some of his favorite saints including St. Isaac Jogues and St. Maximilian Kolbe)
- Celtic Cross T-Shirt which was also from Catholic to the Max
- Dominican Shield Missal Cover custom made to fit his beautiful Leather Bound Catholic Bible (pictured in this post) with his initials on the back
- Chocolate Cross, Eggs, and a few other little treats
- Manual for Spiritual Warfare (with his name embossed on the front)
- A Man Born Again: A Novel Basked on the Life of Saint Thomas More (He has almost finished reading this story and has brought it up to me a number of times. Sounds really great!)
- Nice Going, Red: The Story of a Boy who “Couldn’t Take It” (also available directly from St. Augustine Academy Press)
- Windows Into Christ: A Coloring Book for Prayer and Meditation
- OSU Beavers themed golf driver cover
- Spiritual Warfare T-Shirt from Totally Catholic Tees (Seemed appropriate as he prepares for the sacrament of Confirmation and to be a Soldier of Christ!)
- I Can Do All Things T-Shirt (in Apple Green) which was also from Totally Catholic Tees
- St. John the Evangelist Symbol Custom Cover made to fit his beautiful Leather Bound Catholic Bible (pictured in this post) with his name embroidered on the back
- Chocolate Cross, Eggs, and a few other little treats
- Prayers and Heavenly Promises
- Brigid and the Butter
- The Shadow of the Bear: A Fairy Tale Retold (She had finished this book by the day after Easter!)
- Our Lady’s Garden: A Coloring Book for Prayer and Meditation
- Rain Cover for her golf bag
- Who’s your hero? “Heart” Girly T-Shirt (on sale for only $10!) from Totally Catholic Tees
- Life T-Shirt (in Deep Heather Teal) which was also from Totally Catholic Tees
- St. Rita Missal Cover (white vinyl) made to fit her copy of Jesus, Make Me Worthy with her name embroidered on the back and a pocket for a favorite holy card
- Easter Note Sheets, Immaculate Heart Note Sheets, and Our Lady of Fatima Note Cards (purchased during a clearance sale from Trademark Catholic Stationary)
- Chocolate Cross, Eggs, and a few other little treats
- The Costly Cookie Chronicles
- The Chestertons and the Golden Key
- Saint Clare of Assisi: Runaway Rich Girl
- 32 Days: A Story of Faith and Courage
- Life Girly T-Shirt (in Light Blue) from Totally Catholic Tees
- Guadalupe T-Shirt which was also from Totally Catholic Tees
- Floral Lace Mantilla in Lilac
- Custom Floral IHS Missal Cover (white vinyl with purple IHS and pink flowers) made to fit her First Holy Communion Bible with her name embroidered on the back and a pocket for a favorite holy card
- Two packages of Sts. Francis and Clare Note Sheets (one with envelopes) and Our Lady of Fatima Note Cards (purchased during a clearance sale from Trademark Catholic Stationary)
- Chocolate Cross, Eggs, and a few other little treats
Note: She loved all four of her books and had read them by the end of the week following Easter Sunday… Her comment after reading 32 Days: A Story of Faith and Courage? “It was SOOOOO good, but I wept BUCKETS!” ❤
- A Young Catholic’s Daily Missal
- Will Wilder #2: The Lost Staff of Wonders
- The Shadow of His Wings: A Graphic Biography of Fr. Gereon Goldmann
- Wind In the Willows
- St. Michael Kid’s T-Shirt from Catholic to the Max
- Custom St. Michael Archangel Missal Cover made to fit A Young Catholic’s Daily Missal with his name embroidered on the back
- Baseball Gloves
- Chocolate Cross, Eggs, and a few other little treats
- St. Therese Wooden Saint from Naturally Catholic
- King and Lady-in-Waiting Wooden Figures (to add to her Fairy Tale collection from her last birthday – I ordered a number of Ostheimer figures from The Wooden Wagon during an after Christmas sale to use as gifts this year!)
- Custom made Pearl & Rose Missal Cover for Jesus Make Me Worthy (white vinyl with her name embroidered on the back)
- Flowers for Jesus: A Story of Thérèse of Lisieux as a Young Girl (Hardcover edition)
- Mary and the Little Shepherds of Fatima
- Rapunzel: Based on the Original Story by the Brothers Grimm
- Hershey’s Chocolate Cross and See’s Sweet Surprise Chicks Chocolate Eggs
- Simon of Cyrene and the Legend of the Easter Egg
- Nikola and the Monk
- Adventures in Brambly Hedge
- Wonders of Nature
- Wooden Lion, Baby Elephant, Baby Crocodile, and Running Fox (The lion was me thinking ahead to the upcoming Chronicles of Narnia birthday party!)
- St. Florian from Catholic Folk Toys
- Hershey’s Chocolate Cross and See’s Sweet Surprise Chicks Chocolate Eggs
Last year (March 2016) I had ordered four (two sets of two) Miniature Birettas from Michele Quigley to go along with all his wooden saint dolls. I kept forgetting to give them to him but they finally made it into this year’s Easter basket! He placed on on St. Florian but then decided he needed a more appropriate saint (St. Florian was a soldier, not a priest) and so he ran over to get St. John Paul II.
Maybe someday I’ll get back around to posting pictures from the past couple years…
A First Holy Communion Gift for our Godson
One of my favorite First Holy Communion gifts to give is the Jesus, Make Me Worthy prayer book. I’ve shared many prayers from this sweet and inspiring book here on the blog over the years.
The Blessed Sacrament Gift Wrap, Holy Cards, and First Holy Communion Greeting Card all came from an amazing sale over at Trademark Catholic Stationary & Gifts last January! (I couldn’t believe the prices… The gift wrap was marked down to just 25 cents a package and I ordered four packages for just $1.00! Thanks again for letting me know, Pam! I wish I would have posted a link here on the blog so you all could have taken advantage of the sale too… I was in the midst of recovering from the flu at the time.) I stocked up and was able to give our girls some beautiful note cards and stationary in their Easter baskets!
A Spiritual Bouquet and Baby Gift for Lena
Lena over at JOY{filled} family (also on Instagram here and one of my past contributors over at Catholic Cuisine) is preparing to welcome her newest little boy (baby #8!) on May 8th! If I lived nearby I’d host a baby shower for her, but instead I’m going to try my best to shower her and our soon-to-be newest Godson with prayers!
If you’d like to be included in this spiritual bouquet, please leave me a comment here, over at Instagram, or send me an email by May 7th with the number of rosaries – or Our Fathers, Hail Marys, Glory Be’s, if you can’t commit to one or more complete rosaries – that you will offer for her and her family and their new baby and I’ll include them in this card!
I’m also working on coordinating a group gift to have sent to her family. It’s the one new thing she’d love to purchase for this baby! You can find all the details here if you’d like to consider a small contribution towards this gift as well.
Sponsor Love :: Quarterly Update & Current Specials
I am so excited that it is finally May! I’m really looking forward to celebrating sacraments, finishing up our school year, and preparing to welcome our new baby next month!
It’s time for another quarterly update on all my amazing sponsors here at Shower of Roses. I also have some great coupon codes to share with you as well!
Please welcome my new sponsors:
Our Catholic faith is an incredible gift. It sustains us and guides us, yet at times during these years of babies and housework, it can be a struggle to FULLY ENGAGE with our faith. What is more, as Catholic Mothers we not only crave a closeness with our God, but we are charged with raising faith-filled children and creating a holy home. We take this work of living and teaching the faith very seriously, but we often forget one very important ingredient: Creativity. I believe that creativity is one of the most powerful ways we can engage with and teach our Catholic Faith. I believe that crafting can be a prayer. I believe that children learn best when given the opportunity to create–and that we should use their creativity to help them fall in love with God and his church. And finally, I believe that anyone, young or old, can create meaningful, beautiful things. Even you. On this site you will find countless ways to live out your faith by engaging your creativity.
This year we have Confirmation cards with the 7 Gifts of the Holy Ghost in English and Spanish and we have also added Divine Mercy image First Holy Communion cards!
The products are great for building up your faith and evangelizing to your family through the tshirts and sacramentals that are included in each month’s box. Each month we send a brand new, exclusive Soft Style Premium Catholic Tshirt, Sacramentals of different sorts (rosaries, scapulars, and more), Holy Cards, and Holy Medals to our subscribers. The shirts are a surprise and will be revealed when you open your box each month. Each month is a new design that we create, so you are sure to receive the latest and best Catholic gear every month!
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| Our older boys received their first box {an early Confirmation gift!} last month. |
Right now you can save 20% OFF YOUR FIRST MONTH with coupon code: MAMAMARY (Expires 5/14/17)
SaongJai
Never been such devoted sisters… Ever since we were little we liked to do creative things together and we’ve always loved to bead and make jewelry. I also wanted to help my sister who has Chronic Lyme Disease. So, making and selling rosaries, Catholic jewelry, & things, will hopefully be a way to help with the cost of her treatments that are not covered by insurance. We take custom orders for rosaries, jewelry, crucifixes, and other Catholic things. Read more here…
Prayer Pillowcases
… more than just a pretty place to lay your head! They’re a unique way to bring Catholic art and prayer into your home. And a practical way to share the Faith with your family and friends. Our distinctive line combines original art and favorite Catholic prayers that appeal to all ages and transform pillows from the ordinary to the divine! Honor a special occasion or make any occasion special with the gift of a joyful, lasting (and personalizable) Prayer Pillowcase. We’re always working on new designs and hope you’ll visit again soon to see even more ways to help your loved ones begin and each day with a prayerful heart.
“Our goal is to help you find the finest resources to help you nurture the faith of your Catholic child and strengthen him or her for the challenges of the journey ahead. Each one of the hundreds of items you find here has been chosen by us with care, reviewed for faith and quality, and has been child and parent approved. When you buy from Catholic Child Catalog you are supporting an independently owned, personally run business that remains committed to searching out products to guide, inspire and delight the young Catholics in your life.”
American Life League’s Culture of Life Studies Program (CLSP)
The Culture of Life Studies Program has several new one-class lessons on saints, including St. Damien of Molokai whose feast day is May 10. We also have a wonderful lesson on our Blessed Mother, who is honored and revered throughout the month of May. Check out our latest offerings today!
An international community of young priests known as The Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter, or “The Fraternity” as they have lovingly been referred to, includes some of today’s most skilled and committed singers of Gregorian chant. The community has been preparing to present ancient melodies anew, on the album Requiem, to be released on May 12, 2017 through their new international collaboration with De Montfort Music/Sony Classical…
Gail’s Designs has been creating unique, elegant jewelry and cherished rosaries since 2009. Gail has been an artist for most of her life and is grateful for her faith and being able to make elegant jewelry and cherished rosaries for people of the Catholic faith.
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| My favorite Miraculous Medal Earrings from Gail’s Designs |
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Regina Martyrum Productions
“Regina Martyrum Productions produces the finest works of Catholic audio theatre. With emphasis on the lives of the Saints, these products are edifying, and entertaining.”
Be sure to subscribe for emails or follow on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Google+, and Instagram for sales and updates.
The mission of Peanut Butter & Grace is to help Catholic parents raise children who know and love Christ and his Church. We do this by providing digital and print resources that assist parents in forming their children in the faith within the daily life of their family. All of our products are made for Catholic parents—either to use themselves, or to hand to their kids.
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| Brand New Release: In the Realm of Mist and Mercy with Lesson Plans |
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Kolbe Academy
“Kolbe Academy was founded in 1980 by three families who experienced first-hand the rapid decline of the public school system and who were looking for a wholesome, academically challenging educational environment. The founders anticipated the need to form young Catholic citizens who could effectively defend their Faith through a thorough understanding of doctrine and regular reception of the Sacraments. They also foresaw the growing need for better, more individualized and intensive instruction in basic education. Kolbe Academy Home School became an outgrowth of the day school in 1993 when parents who lived too far away to commute asked for our help with home schooling their children. Recently Kolbe Academy merged with Trinity Grammar and Prep to become Kolbe Academy/Trinity Prep, which educates students from Pre K through high school. With a focus on providing an education that is Ignatian in Method, Classical in Content and Loyal to the Magisterium in a small-class size environment or at home, Kolbe Academy continues to thrive.”
“Give Him 5 Ministries is about falling in love with Jesus! Just as Jesus Christ is the center of our Catholic faith, He is also meant to be the center of our daily lives. Give Him 5 provides people with the encouragement and tools they need to ignite their prayer life and to fall deeply in love with the Lord. Give Him 5 Prayer bags make wonderful gifts.”
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| Give Him 5 Mug or Gift Set |
Specializing in high quality veils and mantillas for ladies and girls. Robin is a Catholic mother of 15 ( 7 with Our Lord ) who spends her days serving, loving, praying, and sewing. Robin started making veils for her daughters and wanted to share with others. She truly loves creating veils to serve Our Lord!
Almond Rod Toys
Almond Rod Toys makes Saint Blocks that are just the right size for little hands and can be used for imaginative play, building, stacking or collecting. The front has a print of original watercolor artwork. The back has a quote or a prayer chosen to inspire little ones and the one that cleans up behind them. The saint’s name, feast day and patronage are also listed; just enough to be a reminder and an inspiration for further learning.
Visit Almond Roy Toys at Etsy and follow the Facebook page!
“Et Corde means “open heart”. I create rosaries, bracelets and necklaces using the hand wire wrap technique with beautiful antique reproduction medals. I hope that my pieces can be an heirloom that can be passed down in your family.”
Catholic Cuisine Aprons
All of our aprons are embroidered, not screen printed, giving them a rich, elegant, look! Our durable 100% cotton-twill aprons, with soil-release finish for added stain protection, provide ultimate full length cover and comfort.
Catholic T-Shirt Club {An Early Confirmation Gift}
Our older boys love Catholic T-Shirts and they each have a few personal favorites that they received over the last couple years in their Easter Baskets. They are currently preparing to receive the sacrament of Confirmation this year and one of their gifts is a subscription to the Catholic T-Shirt Club! They recently received their first box and this month’s T-Shirt focused on St. John Paul II and Divine Mercy. Jesus, I Trust in You.
Rather than having duplicate T-Shirts (there is an option for double of everything, but they prefer having their own styles/shirts) they are getting the “Bishop Box” which comes with an exclusive Catholic T-Shirt each month, as well as sacramentals and holy cards that tie into the monthly theme. This month Ranger kept the T-shirt and Captain kept the rosary and they spilt up the rest.
…but I’m still looking for a couple more Confirmation gifts for our boys.
I’d love to hear about any of your favorite Confirmation gifts to give and/or receive!
Baking Emoji Shortbread Sugar Cookies
Brunch on Divine Mercy Sunday
This year, instead of using store bought cinnamon rolls, I used the leftover half of Pioneer Woman’s “Cinnamon Roll Dough” to make our Divine Mercy Sunday Cinnamon Rolls!
“Mom! Are you making a cinnamon roll scroll?!?!” – Bud (5)
It sure looked like it from his viewpoint over at the counter.
It worked out wonderfully! After rolling out the dough (30″x10″) and covering it in softened butter (I think it’s a little easier to work with softened instead of melted as she suggests) along with sugar and cinnamon, I rolled both sides until they met in the middle, sliced and then pinched the bottom to create the point of the heart.
Meanwhile the girls washed the berries and made scrambled eggs and bacon. They all liked the Orange Marmalade Rolls we made for the recent Narnia birthday party, but apparently nothing compares to the original Maple Frosting covered version!
Divine Mercy Cinnamon Rolls
I love shaping cinnamon rolls into all sorts of shapes for our children including Shamrocks for St. Patrick’s Day and Turkeys for Thanksgiving! Last year I ended up shaping our cinnamon rolls into hearts and serving them with whipped cream, strawberries and blueberries for Divine Mercy Sunday.
I happen to have some leftover “Cinnamon Roll Dough” from the Orange Marmalade Rolls I made for our daughter’s Narnia themed birthday a couple days ago so I’m planning to use it to make Divine Mercy Cinnamon Rolls again this year! You can find the directions over at Catholic Cuisine.
Chronicles of Narnia Birthday Party
I stayed up late baking “a great and gloriously sticky marmalade roll” as a special treat for the birthday girl! I used this Orange-Marmalade Rolls recipe with St. Dalfour Orange Marmalade.
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| From Instagram: Instead of frying up some “new-caught fish” we opted for bacon and fruit to go along with the potatoes and marmalade rolls. I also served a “jug of creamy milk for the children (Mr. Beaver stuck to beer)…” #akahotchocolate #chroniclesofnarnia #lionthewitchandthewardrobe #adaywiththebeavers #orangemarmaladerolls #birthdaybrunch Now to figure out how I’m going to talk my kids into “sardines on toast” for teatime! 😉 |
Her one birthday wish was “new books!” She received her own set of The Chronicles of Narnia, and the Tales of the Texas Panhandle Series: The Wind Blows Free, The Wide Horizon, and The Good Land. She also received an eeboo Birthday Book!
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