Ora et Labora
Jane Austen Birthday Party
It is a truth universally acknowledged that…
…. some of the best parties are birthday parties!
At the end of August we celebrated our oldest daughter’s 14th birthday with a Jane Austen birthday party, focusing on the birthday girl’s two favorite Austen books: Pride & Prejudice and Emma!
This brand new high schooler of ours decided to join the local high school’s soccer team and ended up having daily doubles every day the week of her birthday – Run like Mr. Collins just proposed! 😉
In between her first practice and her second I took her to town for a birthday coffee and to stop at the store for some party food. While she was at her second practice we all worked together quickly at home to bake a cake, decorate, and pull together some party appetizers for a movie night. We started with the BBC version of Pride & Prejudice and then watched Hallmark’s modern day spin off Unleashing Mr. Darcy. Even with very little preparation ahead of time it all came together!
Pride & Prejudice Inspired Birthday Banner
The night before the birthday party I was up late with the baby, as usual, and ended up making a last minute birthday banner. You can download and print my document here if you’d like to use it too.
During her morning soccer practice I cut it out and hung it up. Everything takes at least ten times longer than it did before this cute little baby arrived, but the party decorations came together
While I baked the cake our 12 year old helped decorate and update the letter board.
Emma Inspired Birthday Cake
My bundt pans have saved me so many times lately when I don’t have the time or energy to be very creative but still want to pull together something special…
I’ve used them for Chronicles of Narnia, Snow White & Rose Red, When Calls the Heart, and Ranger’s Apprentice Birthday Cakes.
For this birthday I used my Nordic Ware Cathedral Cake Bundt Pan and placed it on top of 2 – 9″ Round Cakes, decorating it with fresh flowers, some frosting, powdered sugar sprinkles, and grapes.
It was inspired by this cake from the BBC version of Emma. What do you think?
Pride & Prejudice Movie Night Party Appetizers
Longbourn Layered Dip
The Ladies of Longbourn are diverse in their character. Some are lighter in substance while others are more complex, just like the layers of this dip.
Mr. Collins Cheese-ball
While its namesake is cheesy you may find this savory treat a little more sensible. Served with crackers.
Lady Catherine Kabobs
Her ladyship has been known to pierce through sweetness much like bamboo skewers pierced through fruit and cake.
Pemberley Salad
Almost as delightful as the grounds at Pemberley are the greens of Pemberley, especially when paired with pasta, chicken, and a creamy balsamic dressing.
Darcy’s Decadence
A warm, rich, and chocolatey dessert fit for a man of good fortune.
Served with ice cream and caramel sauce.
Lydia’s Lemony Libation
A sparkling lemonade and white wine punch.
Like Lydia it’s sweet but a little tart.
(Update: We made our punch with lemonade concentrate, 7-up, and vanilla ice cream. No wine included!)
Party Time
“I love you most ardently” 💕
#littlemissausten #prideandprejudice #allreadyforhersistersparty #hurryhomedaddy
I ordered the onsies here. Isn’t it perfect?!
Here’s the link for our favorite heart swaddle and Baby Lit Board Book too.
I shared a video of her squeaks and squeals over on Instagram.
I love how our seven year old is always on her tip toes! I often don’t even notice until I look at the picture later…
I love having teens!
Birthday Gifts
I shall be miserable if I have not an excellent library…
The birthday girls gifts were basically a mix of (much needed) clothing and books:
- American Eagle Flannel Shirts & Nike Fleece Skirt (like her sisters)
- Jean Skirt • Pride & Prejudice Graphic T-Shirt
- Twist Gray Knit Infinity Scarf
- White Lace Dress (for her upcoming Confirmation) and Green Dress from Macy’s
- Lizzie and Emma Prints from Sleightholm Folk Art
- Jane Austen Doll Dress (I won it in a giveaway a couple years ago!)
- Pride & Prejudice Notebook
- Just Bloom Planner
- Marrying Mr. Darcy Card Game (I want to get her the Emma Extension for Christmas!)
- Pride & Prejudice Coloring Book
- Be Yourself!: A Journal for Catholic Girls
Some of her gifts doubled as party decorations, including her new set of Jane Austen books. I’ve had quite a few of the Austen themed gifts stashed in my closet for years waiting for one of the girls to have a Pride & Prejudice Birthday. So glad to finally pull them out!
I love that all my girls still love to play with paper dolls. This Pride & Prejudice set is the newest addition to their collection.
This loving big brother is the reason I was able to finish the birthday cake and be able to take any pictures of the party! He is one of the few people she allows to hold her when she’s upset.
Fourteen Candles
Completely, and perfectly, and incandescently happy…
Happy Birthday!
Mr. Collins Cheese-ball
I’m working on a post with all the pictures from our 14 year old’s recent Jane Austen themed birthday party. In the meantime here is the recipe for the “Mr. Collins Cheese-ball” that Chiquita made as one of the appetizers for her older sister’s birthday and movie night!
Ingredients:
- 8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
- 8 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded
- 3 green onions, chopped (whites and greens)
- 2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tsp. dried oregano
- 1/2 tsp. dried parsley
- 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- 1 cup pecans, chopped
Directions:
Mix the cream cheese, mozzarella cheese, onions, Worcestershire sauce, oregano, parsley, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, and salt together until well-combined.
Turn the mixture onto a large sheet of plastic wrap, cover and shape into a ball. Refrigerate for 30 minutes to one hour.
Place the chopped pecans on a small plate, remove the cheese ball from the fridge and gently roll in the pecans, helping them to stick to the outside of the cheese ball.
Serve with crackers.
Three Months
Bargain Priced Books :: Highway to Heaven Series:
Last night I was so excited to be able to order a hardcover copy of the recently republished First Grade text in the series Highway to Heaven Catechism series at an incredible 80% off!
Produced by the Marquette Univerity Institute of Catechetical Research under the editorship of Edward A. Fitzpatrick in the 1930’s, this series of Religion textbooks is a breath of fresh air. Unashamed love of the Catholic Faith is evident on every page.
Full of large, 2-color illustrations, The Book of the Holy Child is the First Grade text in the series. Teacher’s manuals and Student Workbooks will be coming soon from St. Augustine Academy Press!
Read more here…
Unfortunately the flash sale offered by Amazon didn’t last long and the books are currently back up to full price. However, the publisher is now having a sale, offering the books at the steepest price cut they could possibly offer without selling the books at a loss.
Our Lady of Fatima {100 Years Later}
On the Feast of St. Teresa of Calcutta
Saint Teresa of Calcutta dolls from Catholic Folk Toys and Almond Rod Toys
Two Month Daybook
fire season has arrived… This past week was filled with thunderstorms, smoky skies, and even a power outage following one of the storms. This weekend my husband is working as a resource advisor for some of the local wildfires that were started by the storms. Please keep him and all fire fighters in your prayers!
Update: It’s been almost a month since I started writing this post. Maybe this weekend I’ll finally be able to finish. It’s still fire season… The smoke has been awful (we celebrate every time we see blue skies, which hasn’t been very often lately) and my husband is on another assignment, this time at the Chetco Bar Fire.
I am thankful…
If you follow me over on Instagram, you might have read about our scare last month. Our little baby girl had an ALTE (Apparent Life Threatening Event) on August 4th/5th and we ended up spending most of the night in the Emergency Room.
She had fallen asleep and was in her basket out in the living room. It was around 11:30pm and we had just finished watching an episode of a show on Netflix and I left to go brush my teeth. She was sleeping very quietly, which isn’t very common for her, so I went out to check on her and bring her back to our room. I picked her up (in the dark) and she felt very limp, as I was carrying her down the hallway I couldn’t tell if she was breathing so I flipped the light on and could see that she wasn’t. I yelled for Sean as I brought her to our bed trying to get her to breathe. She was turning purple. Lifting her arms, patting her back, etc, nothing was working to help her stop choking. I grabbed the syringe and Sean started using it to suction out her throat. After about 4-5 attempts we finally got her breathing. It felt like forever, but was probably right around a minute. I lost a nephew of mine to SIDS and kept thinking that was what was happening… It was terrifying.
After talking to an on-call nurse, we took her to the hospital so they could check for aspiration. The ER doctor thought that this “ALTE” (I had never heard the term before this ER visit) was most likely due to her reflux. I’m still not 100% convinced that it was only the reflux, and I think it had more to do with sleep apnea and irregular breathing when she finally falls asleep, which I’ve noticed since she was born, mixed with the reflux… We had put her on reflux meds the week before last and I think they were making her sleep even deeper when she’d finally fall asleep. I took her off them following the ER. Her pediatrician agreed that it was best to take her off of them, since we didn’t notice much of a difference – she has bad days and good days with or without them. They all said it “shouldn’t” happen again. I really hope and pray it doesn’t.
I am thinking…
When she was discharged, I told them she’d be seeing her doctor that upcoming week so they didn’t schedule a follow up… I thought she had her two month checkup on the morning of the 10th, but when we got to the pediatrician’s I found out that it was scheduled for the 15th and her doctor wasn’t even in the office. I’ve been too exhausted to even read my planner correctly! I broke down in tears. His nurse had me bring her back anyway and checked weight, lungs, etc. she promised to call the doctor and see if he wanted to wait until next week to see her, or have us come back the next day, and then let me use the room to feed the baby before heading to our next appointment. Before we had a chance to leave the pediatrician walked in! The nurse had sent him a text message and he came right down. It was so reassuring to talk to him, go over everything, and get his opinion on what most likely happened. Had we seen him that previous Saturday, he would have admitted her for a couple days of observation and monitoring, mainly to make sure she wasn’t coming down with something that caused this to happen, but we’ve been doing that at home and so far she hasn’t had any repeats.
Learning all the time…
The little ones completed two weeks of swimming lessons from August 14th to 14th. It’s Myrna’s 60-something year of teaching! She has been such a blessing to our family. #MyrnasSwimmingStars
Celebrating the liturgical year…
on the feast of St. Clare: On my way home from work this evening I ran into the bakery at the local market and picked up some eclairs… We have a nameday to celebrate after our family rosary this evening! {I ran across a recipe for an AIP version that I could enjoy too, but I didn’t have the time or energy to bake them this week. Maybe for the feast of St. Therese!}
From the kitchen…
baking competitions inspired by The Great British Baking Show!
I am working…
Cinnamon & Raisin Porridge for breakfast, garnished with additional raisins and toasted coconut flakes! {I’ve been doing my best to keep up at work, despite the challenging baby, but things at home have been extra hard, especially trying to prep foods for my special Autoimmune Protocol diet… Thursday evening, before the baby and I left the office to come home, I was given a summer bonus: 8 HOURS of paid help at home on Friday! Grocery shopping, lots of food prep, and even organizing the girls’ rooms to finally make room for baby things all got done!}
I am creating…
plans for the new school year.
I am going…
August 3rd: I wasn’t the only one who had an appointment with my chiropractor this morning! She loved her first (very gentle) adjustment! I’m hoping it helps her feel a little better and she’ll start letting us lay her down occasionally.
that I continue to heal and won’t need to continue going to the chiropractor/physical therapist. My X-rays resulted in both good and bad news.
I am praying…
I am reading…
We’ve been continuing Primary Arts of Language over the summer and they were excited when they realized they could read Faith and Freedom’s Here We Come.
July 31st: She was so excited to spend some time reading aloud to the baby and I this afternoon while the inflatable kiddie pool filled with water 💙
Pondering these words…
from St. Rose of Lima:
it is impossible to reach the height of Grace.
The gift of Grace increases as the struggle increases.”
I am listening…
to my little ones reading aloud!
Around the house…
One of my favorite things…
seeing the older boys holding their new baby sister. They love her so much! We all do!
A little peek at my day…
Back to School Giveaway :: Ave Maria
To celebrate the upcoming school year, I’m hosting a giveaway each Friday until Labor Day featuring educational products and books. Today’s giveaway is sponsored by De Montfort Music!
Press Release:
On the heels of having several #1 Billboard Classical Traditional albums, De Montfort Music teamed up with sister label AimHigher Recordings and Sony Classical in the recording of the angelic music of Ave Maria by The Boys of St. Paul’s Choir School. The album will be released on September 8, 2017. It is available for preorder now. This will be the second international release for the Choir School- who topped the Billboard classical charts, and became a media favorite with their 2014 release Christmas in Harvard Square. They have been featured on CBS This Morning, NPR, Good Morning America, Fox & Friends, WGBH, Boston Globe and even had their own PBS Special. Having recently celebrated their 50th anniversary, Saint Paul’s Choir School in Cambridge, Massachusetts strives to engage young men in the development of their intellectual and musical talents. Located in the heart of Harvard Square, the school has had a large presence and impact within the Harvard community. The school seeks to develop the diverse musical talents of each boy so that he may use his musical gifts serving the community at large by the performance of master works of choral literature.
Founded in 1963 by Dr. Theodore Marier, an internationally acclaimed choral scholar, Saint Paul’s Choir School is the premiere musically intensive boy choir school, which educates choristers in grades 4 through 8 in the United States. The Choir School seeks to embrace the great cathedral school tradition as it unites a rigorous musical and academic curriculum preparing each student to grow and flourish in a dynamic and changing world.
Having performed frequently with the Boston Symphony Orchestra, with many notable conductors including Itzhak Perlman, and having performed on the road from Carnegie Hall to St. Peter’s Square at a papal audience for Pope Francis to Red Sox and Celtics games, the boys of St. Paul’s Choir School have covered much diverse and musically challenging territory.
Saint Paul’s Choir School —identifies and accepts boys from the greater Boston area as well as the entire United States, who are musically talented and academically qualified. Students are offered an intensive musical training and a rigorous academic program.
The Boys of St. Paul’s Choir School are at an apex of greatness under the musical direction of Mr. John Robinson, who hails from the UK and came up in the boys choir schools in Cambridge, UK. The community is led by Fr. William Kelly, himself once a choirboy student at St. Paul’s.
Ave Maria will be released on AimHigher Recordings through their international distribution collaboration with Sony Classical. The creative forces behind the album include multiple Grammy Award-winning Producer Christopher Alder, and Brad Michel, also a Grammy Award-winner. Choirmaster John Robinson masterfully directed the presentation of the repertoire. Bursting with the transcendent sounds of this choir of boys and men coupled with the glorious acoustic of St. Paul’s in Harvard Square, every selection on Ave Maria tells a story. Each beautiful and interesting choral work has its own history. Perhaps none more significant than that of the inspiration for Palestrina’s Missa Pappae Marcelli or of the extraordinary depiction of the Magi from the East in ‘Reges Tharsis,’ on to the vivid and dramatic use of harmony in Bruckner’s ‘Virga Jesse floruit.’ One thing is clear, this beautiful music has a stream of inspiration running clearly throughout. Dvorak and Rachmaninoff are such well-known names, however Rachmaninoff himself called ‘Bogoroditse Dyevo’ a favorite of his own works.
De Montfort Music has generously offered to send FIVE of my visitors here at Shower of Roses a copy of this brand new CD!
End of School Interviews 2016-2017
(revised with blog nicknames as usual)
She really loved Following Narnia from IEW for writing and it inspired her to ask for a Chronicles of Narnia themed birthday party. The U. S. Elections Lap Book and White House Cookie Kit were perfect for the election year and inauguration day!
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