Bargain Priced Toys :: LEGO Lakeside Lodge
Our 2016 Advent Book Basket and Printable Labels {Plus Christmas Mosaic & Picture Book Giveaway!}
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For More Details About Christmas Mosaic:
Christmas Mosaic :: A Review & Featured Book List
I’m hosting giveaways every weekend of November this year, leading up to the first Sunday of Advent on November 27th. This weekend I have five prizes to give away, all perfect to help build your own family’s Advent and Christmas book collection!
Congratulations, JoAnn B!
Congratulations, Laura G!
Congratulations, Heidi O!
Prize #4: The Three Gifts of Christmas
Congratulations, Jessica K!
Congratulations, Trisha S!
U.S. Elections Lap Book
U.S. Elections Lap Book
This month we have been learning about U.S. Elections and we are working on the final details of our U.S. Elections Lap Books today as we wait for the polls to close this evening…
Four years ago we completed these Presidential Election Lap Books and Unit Study and this year we used the excellent U.S. Elections Lap-Pak from Homeschool in the Woods, as I mentioned in our 2016-2017 Curriculum Plans last month. We’ve all learned so much and have had a great time creating all the mini-books.
In addition to the resources provided in the Lap-Pak, we’ve added in some books, videos, and this Pro-Life Citizenship Unit Study (for the teens) as well.
We still have a few things to finish… The kids are each writing their personal policies (social, economic, and foreign) and working on coming up with their own campaign ads and slogans.
Left Flap:
- Suffrage
- The Presidential Campaign: Stump Speaking
- Election Day
- The Electoral College
- National Conventions
- Terms of Office
- The Presidential Campaign: Platform
- The Presidential Campaign: Campaign Advertising — Spreading the Word!
- The Presidential Campaign: Media — News Source
- Inauguration Day
- Definition of “Election”
- The “Vocabinet”
- Raising Money
- Different Forms of Government
- A “Handful” of Political Parties
- Statistics
- Who Do We Vote For?
- The Electoral Race!
- Caucuses & Primaries (Choosing the Candidate)
- The Three Branches of Government
- The American Experiment
Books:
See How They Run: Campaign Dreams, Election Schemes, and the Race to the White House
Presidential Elections and Other Cool Facts
Thanksgiving in the White House
Elections in the U.S.A. Activity Book
Electoral College for Kids from Waltzing Matilda
Misc other resources and videos (I’m out of time to link to them all right now!)
They also want to add the election prayer/novena we have been praying to the back of their Lap Books as well:
New Christmas Books for the Feast of St. Nicholas {and a St. Nicholas Giveaway!}
The feast of St. Nicholas is one month from today! Every year on December 6th our children wake up to find new slippers (or sometimes as new pair of shoes for winter) filled with little treats, chocolate gold coins, candy canes, and new Christmas books.
I realized after wrapping all the books that I completely forgot to take pictures of the inside pages…
Here is the list of books my husband and I picked out for our children this year:
It’s getting so hard to choose books for our older boys… Not sure how much longer I’ll be able to keep it up, but this year our oldest son is getting this coloring book based on one of his favorite Christmas stories. Coloring while listening to music or audio books is one of favorite ways to relax. I think he will love it!
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For additional Christmas book suggestions you can find some of our lists in the archives:
Saint Nicholas & the Nine Gold Coins {Beautiful book!}
Christmas Mosaic: A Review & Featured Book List
35 Favorite Christmas Picture Books for Children
Feasts & Seasons :: Advent & Christmas Collection
Our 2015 Advent Book Basket and Printable Labels {I’m planning to share our 2016 Basket and Labels next weekend!}
New Christmas Books for the Feast of St. Nicholas: 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015
Even more St. Nicholas themed gifts can be found in last year’s post filled with Christmas Gift Ideas & Stocking Stuffers
I’m hosting giveaways every weekend of November this year, leading up to the first Sunday of Advent on November 27th. This weekend I have six prizes to give away, all perfect for Advent and the feast of St. Nicholas, from some of my sponsors here at Shower of Roses!
Prize #1 – Saint to Santa: How St. Nicholas Became Santa Claus
sponsored by Pauline Books & Media (combined value $30.90)
Congratulations, Janette M!
Prize #2 – St. Nicholas Natural Wood Handmade Saint
sponsored by Naturally Catholic (value $30.00)
Congratulations, Erin M!
Prize #3 – MISSION:CHRISTIAN Advent+Christmas 2016
and The Children’s Little Advent Book sponsored by Peanut Butter & Grace (combined value $21.99)
Congratulations, Kathleen F!
Prize #4 – Ishtar’s Odyssey: A Storybook for Advent
sponsored by Sacred Heart Books and Gifts (value $13.69)
Congratulations, Courtney S!
Prize #5 – St. Nicholas
sponsored by Shining Light Dolls (value $12.99)
Congratulations, Lindsay K!
Prize #6 – Nicholas of Myra, Giver of Many Gifts
sponsored by Catholic Child (value $4.95)
Congratulations, Elizabeth S!
Saints on the Go!
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| November 3rd – Feast of St. Martin de Porres |
Today is the last day to enter the giveaway for a chance to win a copy of Saints on the Go! along with three of the Shining Light Dolls featured in the book: Saint Martin de Porres, Saint Teresa of Calcutta, and Saint Padre Pio. You can enter the giveaway here!
I’ll be back later today with the list of books we’ve picked out for this year’s feast of St. Nicholas (only one month from today!) along with another great giveaway!
All Souls’ Day Mass at the Cemetery
Sponsor Love:: Quarterly Update & Current Specials {scroll to the bottom for a giveaway!}
Happy Feast of All Saints! We just got home from Mass and I finished filling Our November Book Basket along with another basket with more fall/Thanksgiving themed picture books. Later today we’ll fill out our November calendars with the names of all the departed souls we will pray for this month. (You can find the printable here: Ora Pro Nobis Candy Boxes.) Oh, and Advent is coming up at the end of this month! Have you ordered your Advent candles yet?
I have some awesome giveaways planned for the next four weekends, in preparation for Christmas next month, but first I want to share another quarterly update on all my sponsors here at Shower of Roses, along with quite a few coupon codes! Be sure to scroll to the bottom for a chance to win one of two sets of beautiful and saintly coloring books from Peanut Butter & Grace and St. Augustine Academy Press!
Please welcome my new (and returning!) sponsors:
Naturally Catholic
Authentically Catholic…Naturally Beautiful
“This started out as a homeschooling project. I made some gifts for family and friends, took some pictures, and launched my shop. Then orders started pouring in!
Our whole family is involved. We all come up with the designs (usually during dinner conversations!). I do the sawing, painting, and woodburning, my brother helps sand, my sister sews the bags, my Mom is the artist, my little brother and sisters test the toys, and Dad is “quality control”!” Read more here…
Art Angel Gallery
Art Angel jewelry designs are born of a love for art and faith. Owner and designer Raphael Fitzgerald holds an M.A. in Art History and specializes in vintage holy card jewelry.
with coupon code: SAVE10
Give Him 5
“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.”
Free online fundraising!
#1 crowdfunding for faith, family, and friends
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A special THANK YOU
to all my continuing sponsors!
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.
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| Don’t miss the brand new Circle of Friends designs! |
“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)
We help parents and teachers weave the beauty of the pro-life message throughout all areas of study. Our program is comprehensive, easy to teach and brings the expertise of pro-life leaders from around the world right into your classroom. Covering a range of subjects that includes foreign language, religion, history, science and more, we have something to help your students embrace the dignity of all human beings from the moment of creation onward. This fall we released an engaging lesson for elementary students on the life and works of St. Teresa of Calcutta focused on her dedication to the preborn. For middle schoolers, we released a study on the beauty of the developing human person, and another on the fascinating life and pro-life contributions of Dr. Jerome Lejeune. High school students now have the opportunity to learn the truth about Margaret Sanger through our multimedia unit study uncovering the impact of her legacy on this generation and beyond. And just in time for the election, we released a lesson on pro-life citizenship which views the election process through a Catholic lens. Endorsed by Cardinal Burke, the Culture of Life Studies Program is helping parents, teachers and students build a culture of life.
Christmastime in New Orleans
A big band jazz orchestra composed of 18 of New Orleans finest jazz and classical musicians, The NOLA Players came together to honor their beloved city through this musical Christmas card, Christmastime in New Orleans. The latest offering from AimHigher Recordings/Verve and The NOLA Players’ first collaboration, this gorgeous and merry recording contains 14 tracks of brand new original arrangements of holiday favorites and is sure to be a Christmas classic for this season and many to come.
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.
Behold Publications, LLC
“Behold Publications, LLC is more than just a publisher! Family owned and operated since its founding in 1999, we have developed great Catholic clubs like the Little Flowers Girls’ Club and Blue Knights Catholic Boys’ Clubs for Catholic girls and boys ages 5 and up. What makes these clubs unique is that they are at their core faithfully Catholic. We don’t “tack on” Catholic identity as other clubs might, but begin and end with a Catholic world view. We also believe that local clubs best operate the way they see fit, so there is no national organization, policies, registration or dues. Groups can easily adjust the program to fit their local needs. Behold Publications also produce a line of historical fiction based on American history and American saints for ages 7-15.”
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 (think of 77 Ways to Pray with Your Kids), or to hand to their kids (think of the Illuminated Rosary prayer books). Our primary audience is “middle pew Catholics”—parents who attend Mass regularly and want to do more to integrate the faith into their family life, but don’t know where to begin. They might even say, “I can’t teach my children about the faith because I don’t know how.” These parents are probably both working to support their family, living the crazy-busy lifestyle of the typical working- and middle-class American family.”
Enter the giveaway at the bottom of this post for a chance to win a set of two coloring books!
“Shining Light Dolls is dedicated to bringing high quality religious dolls to children of all ages! At Shining Light Dolls, we believe children deserve to have beautiful toys with a contemporary aesthetic and meaningful message.”
“Our shop provides families ornaments and tools to share the traditions of the different seasons of the church year, like the Jesse Tree, O Antiphons, Advent, Lent, Easter and other aspects inspired by Jesus. We create ornaments that would help others share their faith with their children and last for years to come.”
Visit Catholic Folk Toys for beautiful hand painted wooden saint dolls and more! Custom orders are welcome! In addition to the hand painted wooden dolls and jewelry, Tammy is also making silver rosaries, rosary bracelets, and painting wedding and baptismal gowns. Custom paintings are available and also prints and cards of paintings. They make lovely “save the date” cards, thank you notes or invitations. Please contact for availability and details.
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.”
on November 3-6, 2016
for orders over $40
with coupon code: FSJMJ
Robin Nest Lane
Robin Nest Lane has recently released a new line of convertible head coverings! This collection of modest coverings, available in an array of colors, is well suited for those seeking an inconspicuous veiling option and is perfect for those who are newer to veiling!
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.”
So many darling little habits and accessories to choose from… Be sure to check out the new Missionaries of Charity habit. My girls love it!
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Catholic Cuisine Aprons
As you are shopping for Christmas gifts this year, don’t forget the beautiful Catholic Aprons available over at Catholic Cuisine! 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. Designed with two large pockets and 1″ wide neck and waist ties, with adjustable neck strap, they measure 22”W by 30”L.
Prize #2:
Win a set of two coloring books from St. Augustine Academy Press:
A Feast of Saints Coloring Book and Feasts of Our Lord and Our Lady Coloring Book
Enter the giveaway using the Rafflecopter Box below:
I have one small ad left for November through January!
Celebrating the Saints :: Our 2016 Costumes
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| St. Olaf, St. Philomena, St. Elizabeth of Hungary, St. Teresa of Calcutta, and St. Andrew the Apostle All Saints in Heaven, Pray for us! |
I took these pictures on our way to our parish’s Trunk-or-Treat and Carnival last Friday night and our children will be wearing them again this evening when we head out to my parents home for the evening. This is the first year in many years that I won’t be hosting our annual All Hallows’ Eve party… I’m really sad that I had to cancel it, but I’ve between working on my health and working so many extra hours, I just don’t have the energy this year. Our kids all understand and are very excited to go out to Grandpa and Grandma’s. I just got off the phone with my mom and she is busy in the kitchen making Soup, Chili, Spice Cake, Rice Krispies Treats, and even Caramel Apples! I’ll be bringing along a few games including Saints Bingo and some new All Saints Guessing Jars.
Other than ordering a new St. Teresa costume for our oldest daughter, following the canonization of Mother Teresa, we hadn’t put any thought or energy into this year’s costumes… Friday afternoon we finally pulled out our two costume boxes and threw together costumes before heading to the church. This is one of those years when I’ve been very grateful to have a nice collection to choose from!
Twinkle Toes (age 13) dressed as St. Teresa of Calcutta
(Over the years we have built a well-loved collection of costumes from Our Coats of Many Colors.)
This was a repeat of her 2010 Costume… She was so little back then!
New Picture Book for Our November Book Basket: Saints on the Go! {Review & Giveaway}
In addition to Saint Martin de Porres, Saint Teresa of Calcutta, and Saint Padre Pio, this book also features St. Joan of Arc, St. Ignatius of Loyola, St. Kateri Tekakwitha, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, St. John Bosco, St. Francis Xavier Cabrini, St. Katherine Drexel, St. Maximilian Kolbe, St. Josemaria Escriva, and St. Pope John Paul II.
Shining Light Dolls has generously offered to send one of my visitors a copy of Saints on the Go! plus three of the saints featured in this brand new book: Saint Martin de Porres Shining Light Doll, Saint Padre Pio Shining Light Doll, and the Saint Teresa of Calcutta Shining Light Doll.
All Saints Guessing Jars {18 More Saints!}
The All Saints Guessing Jars have been such a hit at our past All Hallows’ Eve Parties. Last year we coordinated the jars to (mostly) match the third edition of our All Saints Scavenger Hunt.
It’s always so fun looking for ways to connect yummy treats to saints and their symbols. We also made sure to include the saints who had been recently canonized! We included Candy Watches for St. Louis Martin, Lace Cameos for St. Marie-Azelie Martin, and Chocolate Mission Bells for St. Junipero Serra.
As usual I used my Wide Mouth Mason Jars with White Storage Lids for each jar.
St. Louis Martin :: Candy Watches
St. Marie-Azélie Martin :: Lace Cameos
St. Lucy:: Chocolate Eyeballs
St. Cloud :: Mini-Marshmallow “Clouds”
St. Junipero Serra :: Chocolate Mission Bells
Sts. Mary & Martha :: M&M’s
St. George :: Hot Tamales
St. Brigid :: Chick-O-Sticks and Cow Tales
St. Elizabeth of Hungary :: Candy Roses (not pictured above)
To keep each person’s guesses secret I also created little sheets of paper for each contestant to write their name and guess, before folding it in half and dropping it into an empty jar or bag with a matching label.
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