When Calls the Heart Birthday Party
#PartyLikeAHeartie
After we got back home, I quickly baked a heart shaped cake (the pan is currently 39% off!) and pulled together some birthday treats.
I had every intention of making Shepherd’s Pie, along with all the ingredients, but I ran out of time so we had chicken and grilled corn on the cob instead…
From Mom: Apron, Sweethearts Pot Mitt, Heart Cakelet Baking Pan, and Sewing Basket
Oh my dear, never commit your heart unless there is jewelry.
~ Rosemary
And, of course, the Collector’s Editions of Season 1 and Season 2
… maybe she’ll receive Season 3 for Christmas!
Autumn Daybook
Outside my window…
Hockey season is coming up! The boys have been sorting through all their gear and getting ready. So has their Dad… He just completed a training so that he can be assistant coach for their high school team this season!
I am thankful…
We celebrated our 17th Anniversary on the Feast of the Holy Guardian Angels, right in between the new and traditional feasts of St. Therese. I was so impressed that our girls pulled off this {100% AIP dairy-free, sugar-free, grain-free, gluten-free, egg-free} Pumpkin Spice Cake with Gingersnap Crust completely on their own, before and after our power outage that afternoon and evening!
They said they felt like they were doing a chemistry experiment, using all those weird ingredients like beef gelatin and arrowroot starch, but it turned out amazing! I enjoyed some of the leftovers the next morning for breakfast. Mmmmmmmmm!
Learning all the time…
Every morning this little “preschooler” of mine is up, dressed, and ready to “DO SCHOOL!”
Our favorite fall feast day celebrations were very simple this year, but still fun and memorable!
From Instagram on Michaelmas: “I’ll just be at the office 2 hours” this afternoon turned into 6+ hours and I didn’t think I was going to be able to pull anything together for today’s feast… but the girls took care of the decorations and little gifts (including sewing St. Michael’s leg back on!) for their brother, and I just pulled some cupcakes out of the oven. They should be ready by the time the boys get home from a football game! #wehaveanamedaytocelebrate #happymichaelmas
I love being able to stretch one batch of cupcakes to cover three feast days! Eight cupcakes were frosted for Michaelmas, eight more became our “lion” for the feast of St. Jerome (I dyed the frosting yellow with some turmeric and nobody noticed), and the remaining eight were decorated with strawberry roses for the feast of St. Therese.
From the kitchen…
On the feast of St. Therese: “Life has been so incredibly full lately and I’ve been struggling to keep up… After spending some time at the office (payroll to process before Monday), I came home to catch up on some school lessons from this past week and deep clean the little boys’ room… Now I’m making some AIP Hamburger Stew for dinner, decorating the last eight chocolate cupcakes (leftover from Michaelmas) with strawberry roses, and enjoying a rose colored strawberry kombucha! Cheers!”
I’m still loving all the recipes in The Healing Kitchen: 175+ Quick & Easy Paleo Recipes to Help You Thrive. I made a few little modifications (I used sweet potato and turnips instead of plantains) to the Hamburger Stew recipe and it was amazing! Everyone loved it and I’ll be making it again soon.
I am working…
on rebuilding this year’s curriculum post… still… and making sure I save a back up copy this time. I’m also working on scheduling some fun giveaways for next month, leading up to Advent and Christmas!
I am creating…
I haven’t been creating much lately, but our 4th-8th graders have been creating New World Explorers Lap Books. The covers turned out awesome! Our 6th grader used oil pastels for her cover.
I am going…
We recently took our high schoolers to see Hamlet at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival! Our boys read Hamlet last year, as a supplement to their history class, and this year they will be studying it in their Introduction to Literary Analysis class. The tickets are usually too expensive, but we were able to purchase our tickets at 40% off during a weekly web special for this particular showing!
I am hoping…
that my permanent retainer doesn’t break again. It’s broken twice (the metal actually snapped!) in the past few months and my orthodontist spent a few hours on a Friday afternoon recently removing the retainer (and all the glue!) and replacing it with a Kevlar version. I guess it’s the strongest option available. My husband joked that my mouth is now bullet proof… So far it’s working!
I am praying…
the rosary, with my family, every night at 8:00pm just before the little kids go to bed. The month of October is dedicated to the Most Holy Rosary. The Rosary Flip Book from Sacred Art Series, with beautiful art images from the 16th Century work of Goswign van der Weyden, is an excellent aid to help avoid distraction and reflect on the mysteries of the Rosary.
I am reading…
The Friar and the Knight: Bartolome de Olmeda and Cortez aloud a few days each week. I’ve also filled a basket with lots of picture books about New World Explorers. Sometimes the older girls read them aloud to the little ones, sometimes I do, and sometimes they re-read them again on their own.
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| Leif the Lucky by Ingri & Edgar Parin D’Aulaire |
Pondering these words…
from St. Therese. I find them so encouraging and inspiring, especially during this month of October which is dedicated to the Most Holy Rosary:
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| The Catholic Daily Planner from Michele Quigley • Rosary Bracelet from Loreto Rosaries |
I am listening…
to my four year old pointing out “Squeally-e’s” all the time… Even at the end of Mass, on Sunday morning, while we were praying our diocesan Prayer for the Jubilee of Mercy!
Around the house…
A new little computer desk. It’s not ideal, but it fits in the corner of the dining room and it’s so nice to finally have somewhere other than the kitchen counter (or my closet floor!) for the iMac.
One of my favorite things…
I love giving my mom birthday gifts that I know will become one of her favorite things! For her 60th birthday this year I ordered her the St. Benedict Tenner from Loreto Rosaries. My mom is a Benedictine Oblate and every year, on the weekend closest to her birthday, she attends her annual retreat at Mount Angel Abbey. I loved being able to give her this tenner before she left this year! We also gave her some finishing salt purchased during my recent trip to Portland, and a journal and some spring water from the Mother Cabrini Shrine I visited this past summer just outside of Denver.
This week’s plans…
It’s going to be another full week with our homeschool schedule, co-op, work, Mass, and a few other activities. It’s off to a great start!
A little peek at my day…
{or yesterday, since it’s taken me two days to finish this post} we met up with my brother and his family at a pumpkin patch.
– Anne of Green Gables
(One of the girls was reading her Puffin in Bloom edition of Anne of Green Gables on the drive to Mass this morning. The quote seemed fitting.)
Happy October!
Dolls from Heaven {Review & Coupon Code}
Our girls already have quite the collection of American Girl dolls and I have refused to purchase any more… They also have beautiful Little Habits and Saint Costumes for their dolls as well. Nevertheless, this lovely St. Therese doll (made and sold by a Catholic company!) will be such a fun and inspiring addition to their collection!
Since I’ll be giving her as a gift later this year, I didn’t take her completely out of the box, but she seems very similar to the girls’ other dolls in both size and quality. She even comes with a book!
In addition to the Therese Doll and Book, Therese’s Sunday Best and Therese’s Accessories are also available. You can purchase everything together with a $5 discount here.
Therese’s “Sunday Best” outfit is gorgeous! It comes with a Blue long- sleeved dress with cream ruffles, white stockings, cream boots, and a cream hair-bow.
The smell of roses as I opened Therese’s Accessories, coming from the brown rosary, was a wonderful surprise! The accessories also come with a Carmelite mantle (cape) and a picture of Therese’s Holy Face of Jesus and the Infant Jesus.
In addition to their St. Therese doll, Dolls from Heaven has recently released St. Joan of Arc too. She showed up on my porch a couple days ago and now I can check two gifts off of my Christmas shopping list for this year! sssshhhhhhh…. 😉
St. Michael’s Stomp
Search for the Hidden Garden: A Discovery with Saint Thérèse {Book Review & Giveaway}
The month of October is right around the corner which means the feasts (both new and traditional!) of dear Saint Thérèse of Lisieux are coming up quickly! I’ll be updating our our September book basket with books for October and have a brand new chapter book to add this year.
Like the first book in the Friends with the Saints series, The Wolf and the Shield: An Adventure with St. Patrick which my children loved reading earlier this year, the second book in the series will be another welcome addition to our collection!
Search for the Hidden Garden: A Discovery with Saint Thérèse by Sherry Weaver Smith transports the reader to historical 19th century France with a fictional story of young Saint Thérèse of Lisieux and her inquisitive companions. The story depicts the girlish adventures of a close delightful Christian friendship between fictional characters and young Therese Martin.
In addition to a “Historical Note” about St. Therese, a post-story section of “Discussion Questions” gives young readers the opportunity to thoughtfully apply their reading experience. This story is sure to captivate the minds of young girls and give them a lasting impression of The Little Flower.
Pauline Books & Media provided me with a free copy of Search for the Hidden Garden in exchange for an honest review. They also sent me a second copy to give away to one of my visitors here at Shower of Roses!
Little Saints Preschool :: Fall is Here!
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| Folkmanis Puppet Sequoia Wildlife Set • Mini Barn Owl Finger Puppet |
This week we jumped ahead to the “Fall is Here!” theme in the Little Saints Preschool Program. I pulled out all of our fall themed picture books (and favorite fall puppets!) and then headed to the library with my little ones to pick up more. We had a break from the summer heat, with a couple rainy days to welcome fall, but the sun is back and the forecast says it’s going to hit 95˚ by Monday…
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| Acorn Fairy Home • Gray Squirrel Finger Puppet • The Complete Peter Rabbit Library • Tree Finger Puppet Play House |
Nuts to You!
The Tale of Timmy Tiptoes
The Tale of Squirrel Nutkin
Where Does the Brown Bear Go?
Woody, Hazel and Little Pip
Rabbits, Squirrels, and Chipmunks
Johnny Appleseed
How to Make an Apple Pie and See the World
Why Do Leaves Change Colors?
Little Saints Suggested Books from the Library:
Every Autumn Comes the Bear
Red Leaf, Yellow Leaf
The Fall of Freddie the Leaf
All In the Woodland Early
Extra Fall Themed Books from the Library:
Leaf Man
Fletcher and the Falling Leaves
Leaf Jumpers
Christopher’s Harvest Time
Miss Maple’s Seeds
Four Seasons Make a Year
The Little Yellow Leaf
Mousekin’s Woodland Sleepers
Autumn: An Alphabet Acrostic
This fun puzzle from our collection made a nice addition this week!
September Poetry Review
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| Branch & Twig Colored Pencils • Stockmar Beeswax Stick Crayons |
We quadrupled the recipe and saved the last piece for Sean.
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Any (and every!) puddle will do… #firstrainydayinmonths |
…along with Cheese Slices, Cucumber, Red Pepper, Orange Pepper, and an Oak Leaf Cookie Cutter
We made a simple dip with some plain yogurt mixed with Deliciously Dill
I had hoped to make Leaf Rubbings and My Blessings Handprint Trees, but ran out of time… Fitting all these fun activities on top of the rest of our school schedule and the 15-20 hours I’ve been spending at the office each week has been a challenge, but so worth it… I’m really enjoying sharing these great picture books and fun activities with my littlest ones! Next week, with Michaelmas and the feast of the Holy Guardian Angels coming up, we’ll be focusing on “Colors/Guardian Angels”…
Leaf Man :: A Picture Book Inspired Craft for Fall
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| Leaf Man by Lois Ehlert |
Little Saints Preschool :: Alphabet Fun
I’m not sure how much of the Little Saints Preschool Program we will actually get to this year… However, considering it could very well be the last year we have a pre-schooler (our “baby” will turn five in December… how did that happen?!), I’m going to try and fit some of it into our schedule.
My very loose “plan” is to not let myself try and “do it all” like I crazily attempted with our first two preschoolers all those years ago, and just pick and choose from the program’s themes as I can fit some of them in, using what I have saved from the older children, and adding in additional books, toys and games from our collection. We will do what we can, keeping it simple and fun!
Our little guy will also be joining Rose in some of her studies this year (we’ve started learning about Early American History and memorizing poetry!) and Rose (as you will see in the pictures below) is loving being included in some of her brother’s “schoolwork” too… along with the rest of their older siblings on occasion. Hahaha! Who can resist all the wonderful picture books and fun pre-school activities?! Our school year is off to a great start!
I can’t believe I had never read Chicka Chicka Book Boom to him! It was his favorite this week.
You can find all our past Little Saints Preschool posts listed here or scroll through them all here.
LEGO Ideas :: Dutch Bros. Coffee Drive-Thru
Last month Ranger built this Dutch Bros. Coffee Drive-Thru to submit to LEGO Ideas!
I’ve been having so much fun, the last couple times I’ve picked up drinks, pulling out my phone and sharing the pictures with the baristas! They all have gotten so excited over all the perfect little details. “Check out the espresso maker inside!” . . . “Look! He even has our blue cup lids!” . . . “This looks more like our stand than our actual stand!” . . . “There’s [name], our delivery guy!!!” . . . One of them even said: “This is the BEST job application EVER! How old is he? Fourteen? Tell him that in two years from now, if he wants a job, he’s hired!” Hahaha!
I’ll let him tell you a little more about the set he created:
“This is a LEGO Dutch Bros. Coffee Drive-Thru. The reason I built this set is because I love Dutch Bros. Coffee, not only their drinks, but also their crazy happy and enthusiastic employees. It’s impossible to leave the drive-thru without a smile, plus a free drink on your birthday! This set would be a great addition to your LEGO town/city.
Dutch Bros. Coffee was founded locally here in Southern Oregon in the year 1991. It is now the largest privately held drive-thru coffee chain in the United States!
The Dutch Bros. Coffee menu includes hot coffees (my favorite is the Kicker!), real fruit smoothies, blended drinks, infused teas (hot and iced), sodas, hot chocolate or “Not-So-Hot”, and more!
Set includes:
- Dutch Bros. Coffee Drive-Thru
- Two vehicles (Sprinter delivery van and Mercedes Sedan)
- Four minifigures (Two Dutch Bros. Coffee employees, a deliveryman, and a customer)
- Dutch Bros. Coffee business sign
- The LEGO Dutch Bros. Coffee Drive-Thru is built on a 32×32 base plate. The roof is detachable and the inside includes a coffee machine, coffee cups and lids, a refrigerator with opening doors, and desk with computer and cash register.
The LEGO Dutch Bros. delivery van seats one and has three working doors, one in the back for loading and unloading cargo, and two doors in the front, one on each side. The LEGO Sedan seats one and features two opening doors and a detachable roof.
Please support this project! It will make a great new addition to your LEGO town. “
St. Teresa of Calcutta Back-to-School Treat
I am a little pencil in God’s hands. He does the thinking. He does the writing. He does everything and sometimes it is really hard because it is a broken pencil and He has to sharpen it a little more.
~ The Joy in Loving: A Guide to Daily Living by Mother Teresa
Our school year began last week (Sept. 6th), immediately following the canonization (Sept. 4th) and feast (Sept. 5th) of Mother Teresa. I decided to modify my Patron of Students Back-to-School Treat this year, incorporating the quote above which ties in so nicely to the candy pencil.
I modified the original tags, first changing the text to include part of the quote above and then changing the border to three blue stripes to symbolize Mother Teresa’s sari.
From the beautiful and brand new picture book Mother Teresa: The Smile of Calcutta:
The Lord said to Mother Teresa, “You will dress in simple Indian garments or, rather, dress like my mother – in simplicity and poverty. . . . Your sari will become holy because it will be my symbol.” The sisters wear a white sari with a blue border. The white represents purity. The three blue borders represent the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Blue is also the color of the Virgin Mary. The sisters’ sari is a witness to mankind: it is the sign of God’s love.
Here is another quote from Mother Teresa which I shared with our kids:
I don’t claim anything of the work. It’s His work. I’m like a little pencil in His hand. That’s all. He does the thinking. He does the writing. The pencil has nothing to do it. The pencil has only to be allowed to be used. In human terms, the success of our work should not have happened, no? That is a sign that it’s His work, and that He is using others as instruments – all our Sisters. None of us could produce this. Yet see what He has done.
These treats are perfect for celebrating the new school year at anytime, or even to use as prizes/favors at upcoming All Saints’ parties this year!
St. Teresa of Calcutta Back-to-School Treat
Supplies:
- ROLO®
- Hershey’s Kisses
- Printable Pencil Wrapper (or create your own with these directions)
- Scissors
- Pinking Shears
- Adhesive
- Mother Teresa Quote/Tag
- Small Circle Hand Punch
- Curling Ribbon
Download and Print My Free Documents: Pencil Wrapper and Mother Teresa Quote/Tag
Directions:
Cut out wrapper and trim the short yellow end with pinking sheers (zigzag edge scissors). Wrap around ROLO and adhere.
Cut out and cover the end with the pink circle to finish the “eraser” end of the pencil.
Adhere one Hershey’s Kisses to the other end.
Cut out, punch a small hole, and attach the Mother Teresa quote with some ribbon.
Note: I attached them to the top of this year’s Back-to-School Schultütes {Simplified}.
St. Teresa of Calcutta, pray for us!
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