{this moment}
You can find my pictures from our 10th Annual All Souls Mass here.
Bargain Priced Books :: Katy’s Christmas Gift
Katy sets out in the snow to visit the new baby born in the innkeeper’s stable. She is bringing gifts: a loaf of bread, her cat Sasha and, most importantly, her favourite toy — a wooden bird whistle. But Sasha doesn’t want to play in the cold snow, and the animals of the forest eat the bread. Soon Katy’s carefully chosen gifts are gone — except the most special one of all. As the snow gets deeper and she gets colder, Katy wonders whether she’ll ever have the chance to give her gift to the baby? Katy’s Christmas Gift is a heart-warming and original version of the Christmas story for young children. Bernadette Watt’s lively illustrations are full of colour, light, joy and festive feeling.
“How do you do all that you do?”
Earlier today I shared a link over on Facebook to the Martinmas Lanterns we made a couple years ago. Shortly afterwards I received a comment that made me stop and wonder how many others feel this way when they visit my blog(s), although I’m sure that long time visitors here at Shower of Roses (and over at Catholic Cuisine too) have observed that our family has had various seasons of activity when it comes to celebrating the feasts and seasons of the liturgical year. You can read my response below.
“I have the same questions as anonymous above. I was actually thinking right before I read their comment that I may have to stop reading this blog because it makes me feel so inadequate. I’m a Catholic homeschooling mom that can barely keep up with laundry let alone celebrate nearly every Saints’ feast day with special food and a craft. I suppose my children know the Hail Mary. I’ll have to be content with that for now.”
If it makes you feel any better, my dryer (and a number of other things) broke last week due to a power surge and we have clothing piling up and hang drying all over the house (shower rods, door jams, near the fireplace, and anywhere else I can find) as I try to keep up with the necessities while we wait for the repair man to fit us in… Combined with our daughter having a bad poison oak outbreak all over her face/neck/arms, it’s been a really hard week around here…
In the past I have joked with a friend that sometimes I will look through my archives here and also think “How does she do it?!” 😉
This year, with two highschoolers, a kindergartner, and three other children in between to home educate (plus an eager pre-schooler!), not to mention hockey season and high school robotics, it’s definitely turning into one of the (much!) harder seasons for fitting in the “extras” while trying to maintain my health at the same time. There is so much more I need to keep up with now and I just don’t have the same amount of extra time or energy that I had in the past.
Our family definitely goes through different seasons – sometimes we place more emphasis on doing extra little things to celebrate the saints and seasons, and other times it just isn’t possible. Other than pulling out these lanterns (since they are already made) from a couple years ago (and donating the extra winter clothes I’ve been sorting) I don’t have big plans for Martinmas this year. If it’s not raining we might light another fire outside before bedtime (we live out of town and have a fire pit) to use up some of the leftover marshmallows from our All Hallows’ Eve party.
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| Martinmas Bonfire 2014 |
Focusing on the sacraments and teaching our children to pray is the most important. Celebrating the feasts with food and crafts is fun (and something that I really enjoy), but it is not at all necessary for our salvation.
The year we made these lanterns and invited friends over to celebrate with us I was “trading” math tutoring for teaching my friend’s children about the saints… I was spending extra time on feast day celebrations that year, but I had extra help with math. I blogged a little about that here. (Of course knowing I had them coming encouraged me to do more than I probably would have done otherwise.)
There are certain feast days that we do try to celebrate every year (Michaelmas, St. Patrick’s Day, Santa Lucia Day, etc), espeically those of our children’s patron saints. Sometimes it is something very simple (at least it seems simple to me since I’ve been doing it for so many years – like baking a boxed cake mix in a heart shape pan for the feast of St. Catherine of Alexandria) and other times it will end up being much more elaborate (like for the canonization of St. Therese’s parents – something I was very excited to watch and celebrate and only happens once).
We started these little family traditions very small and one at a time. They have grown over the years along with our family. Incorporating the saints feast days into our family life/meals is something that now comes pretty naturally for me. Please don’t feel inadequate if it is something that you just can’t do with your own family. I really hope that my visitors here at Shower of Roses can look at my posts as just possibilities and ideas, and not feel like these are things you should be doing with your own families.
Hang in there and may God bless you and your family!
Seven Quick {Out} Takes
I guess she finally decided… “If you can’t beat him, join him.”
And that was the end of our little photo shoot!
Sponsor Love :: Quarterly Update & Current Specials {scroll to the bottom for a little giveaway!}
It’s time for another quarterly update on my awesome sponsors here at Shower of Roses!
I have a quite a few new sponsors to introduce you to this quarter including My Catholic Faith Catechism, Shining Light Dolls (who I’ve mentioned many times in the past!), and some lovely Etsy shops specializing in beautiful Catholic toys, dolls, and jewelry!
De Montfort Music is back again this quarter with Christmas in Harvard Square and St. Augustine Academy Press is also back with a number of new additions to their catalog!
A huge thank you to all my returning sponsors. Be sure to check below for updates and specials from all these great businesses and keep them in mind for your Christmas gift giving!
Please welcome my new sponsors:
Christmas in Harvard Square: The Boys of St. Paul’s Choir School
I posted about this CD last year when it was first released. It is beautiful! Click here to order.
Special Offer:
“Originally written by Bishop Louis LaRavoire Morrow in 1949, the book My Catholic Faith: A Catechism in Pictures is a treasure trove of fundamental Catholic Teaching and Theology. It is now available for you to listen to for the very first time!”
My Catholic Faith Audio is currently available as an Instant Download. They are also actively pursuing ways to make it available on CD as well! Be sure to follow My Catholic Faith over at Facebook for updates.
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…
I first discovered Naturally Catholic while searching for ideas for Commemorating the Canonization of Junípero Serra in September and then also shared one of my favorites over on Facebook Page. I can’t wait to give the Pope and Swiss Guard Scene to our youngest next month for his birthday or Christmas. I also ordered a few more items for the upcoming feasts of St. Nicholas, St. Lucy, and Christmas. I love that each items comes with a card that says that a Divine Mercy Chaplet was prayed for the recipient of the set. The child’s name and date of the prayer is included on the card.
St. Augustine Academy Press
We are a small family apostolate located in the Chicago area, dedicated to finding and republishing classics of Catholic literature that are out of print and in the public domain. Our special focus is the work of Mother Mary Loyola, but we also feature the work of the well-beloved Father Lasance, of William Canton, and many others. Though we started out by offering photograhic reprints of these older books, most of our titles have now been completely retypeset.
Here are a few updates from Lisa Bergman:
–New copies of The Little Children’s Prayer Book are now available! We greatly improved the black and white artwork and replaced the cover illustration (which everybody loved but was very girl-specific) with a more unisex image of Christ with a child…and gorgeous endpapers which I modeled after an early 19th-century breviary. And yet it will be much more affordable now! It will be $18.75 now and I may be able to put it on sale for Christmas too.
–I just finished the sequel to The Cave by the Beech Fork, called The Sheriff by the Beech Fork and have added it to my website. I will be rolling out an entire series of books by Father Spalding over the next couple years, which are absolutely outstanding Catholic adventure books for boys. Like Father Finn, but historical fiction/adventure.
—The Voyage of the Pax was a great tip from a homeschool mom I met this summer…it’s another allegory very similar to King of the Golden City and anyone who loved that one will love this one too…especially because at heart, it’s all about the life of a religious vocation…
Some of these books will definitely be ending up in my children’s Stacks of Books on Christmas morning this year!
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.
Visit Art Angel Gallery at Etsy, Facebook and Instagram!
Baby Steps To Jesus
“Hi, I’m Sarah! I love crocheting, I love dolls, and I love my faith! Learning about the Saints is like reading an action/adventure/love story all in one… They truly are our heroes. I want children to learn and love the Saints as much as I do. That’s why I’ve started this shop! I’m a full-time stay at home mommy. I fall in love with my husband more every day and our children are our greatest treasures. Crocheting is my biggest hobby and I love watching children light up when they receive one of my dolls! I’ve sold over 100 dolls before I even got started on Etsy. I hope you find the perfect doll for your little one while you’re here! God love you!”
Sarah’s dolls are darling and I plan to tuck a couple of them into my children’s stockings this upcoming Christmas! You can find Baby Steps To Jesus at Etsy and over at Facebook.
Shining Light Dolls
Saints are an amazing part of the Catholic faith; they show us what it means to live the life of Christ no matter who you are, what time in history it is, or where in the world you live. They are our role models!
Shining Light Dolls recently added four more dolls to the collection! All these dolls make excellent gifts for young children for St. Nicholas Day, Christmas, Birthdays, Baptisms, and more!
Prayer Pillowcases are 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.
Prayer Pillowcases is now offering seven new designs including a new St. Catherine of Siena pillowcase, two styles for St. Jude, and four styles for the Holy Spirit!
Catholic Child
Last year I shared a list of my Advent & Christmas Favorites from Catholic Child. My absolute favorite is still the Infant Jesus in Manger! They also have lots of Catholic toys, Crafts, and more that would be great Christmas gifts or Stocking Stuffers.
Culture of Life Studies
Culture of Life Studies has recently released a brand new Pro-Life Coloring Book!
Jesse Tree Treasures
Advent is almost here so now is the time to order a set of Jesse Tree Ornaments. Jesse Tree Treasures has also created a couple lovely new products for this year, a sacrament set (similar to the Parable Pouch), and a Christmas Carol set!
Gail Giron Designs
Gail has recently launched a beautiful new website filled with so many gorgeous creations!
“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.”
Lots of new releases over at Behold Publications, including my revised and updated Little Flowers Crafting Pages!
Audrey Eclectic
“A unique collection of American folk art created in the heart of the Oklahoma prairie. My inspiration comes from literary classics, spooky tales from the past, the pioneering spirit, my home town, Scandinavia and other lands far away.” You can also find Audrey Eclectic on Facebook and Instagram!
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| Our daughter received this beautiful original art as a birthday gift last August. You can purchase a copy of the print here! |
Catholic Folk Toys
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.
Regina Martyrum Productions
Lots of new additions over at Regina Martyrum Productions! I recently downloaded and listened to Blessed Margaret Castello – The Poor Outcast and all I have to do is think about her and it stops me from complaining about any of my little daily challenges. I’m really looking forward to listening to St. Jude – Apostle of the Master and the upcoming St. Catherine Laboure – Recourse to Thee.
We love Tiny Saints! I first purchased some for our two oldest boys last Easter and they are the new craze in our family. All the children love them and have been attaching them to their backpacks and purses. Our oldest received a few more for his birthday, some were found in this year’s Back-to-School Schultütes, and the Pope showed up while visiting the United States along with Junipero Serra and a few other heavenly friends! I have some more stashed away for the feast of St. Nicholas. Shhhh!
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| “I’ve got some big news… The bank finally came through… and I’m holding the keys to a brand new Chevrolet!” I’ve been singing Mud On The Tires ever since driving our new Chevy home on August 20th! We feel SO very blessed and grateful to finally (after nearly four years!) have a car that fits our WHOLE family! And doesn’t the new little Saint Zelie and Saint Martin Tiny Saints look so cute on my (not-so-tiny) key chain?! |
Free Shipping on Orders $10 or More!
Offering Catholic books, gifts, homeschool curriculum at discount prices!
Robin Nest Lane
Are you looking for a new veil? Robin creates such lovely veils for ladies, girls, and even dolls!
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!
Have you seen the brand new Wooden Catholic Mass Kit from Almond Rod Toys?! I’ll be receiving a review set soon and can’t wait to see it in person! Up until now I’ve stuck with just the brass Mass sets that my older boys grew up playing with all the time, but I love wooden toys and this looks like a set I wouldn’t mind adding to our collection! My children are still playing with the Saint Blessing Blocks and Nativity Set they received as gifts last Christmas!
The Little Habit
My girls love their collection of beautiful little habits, saints and accessories from The Little Habit.
The Guardian Angel Dress is once again available in limited quantities! We also have the Our Lady of Guadalupe Dress and Crown which is gorgeous and perfect for her upcoming feast.
Waltzing Matilda Makes
Charlotte’s Saints ‘N Stitches are so sweet and cuddly. Right now there are only a couple pre-made pillow dolls available, but you can purchase Embroidery Kits (my girls love these!) or the brand new printable designs to create your own (I hear some of her boy saints will be added in the next few days).
click here for current availability and to request more information.
If you missed ordering a set of 100% Beeswax Advent Candles when I shared a linked to them last month, now’s your chance! The Dominican Nuns just finished making more and they are available again in limited quantities over at The Cloister Shoppe!
Update: It looks like the 100% Beeswax Advent Candles might be sold out again, in just one day after sharing the link over on Facebook. Another option, if you are not able to get the beautiful candles from the nuns, might be this set of candles. I haven’t seen them in person and they are more expensive than the Cloister Candles, but they are are also handmade and look like good quality. You and your children can also roll your own, though these burn really quickly.
Our 10th Annual Mass at the Cemetery…
Celebrating the Saints : Our 2015 Costumes
“Pier Giorgio Frassati was born in 1901 in Turin, Italy. A role model for modern youth, Frassati was a dynamic and faithful activist. He strived to apply Catholic teachings to social policy and led fellow students and young people to do the same. He was known as an outdoorsman and is often depicted picking and skiing. He died at the young age of 24 and is now a patron for youth.” – Description from the back of his Blessed Pier Tiny Saint package.
Costume: New pants (he is growing SO fast!), belt, Dad’s shirt and old work boots, walking stick, and pipe from costume box.
“Officer in a legion of Christian soldiers from Upper Egypt during the reign of Emperor Maximian Herculeus. His legion, as many as 6600 men, was massacred en masse by their own side when they refused to participate in pagan sacrifices prior to battle. One of the Martyrs of the Theban Legion.” – (source)
Costume: I ended up ordering this costume (in a size large) and Roman Soldier Helmet last week, which he paired with a red cape from our costume box and one of the boys’ old wooden Blue Knights swords.
Costume: White gown from my childhood St. Elizabeth of Hungary costume, the detached white collar, wimple and veil from our St. Clare costume, my black robe draped over her shoulders (sleeves tucked in) and tied around her waist, and this beautiful Rose Garland Halo.
Originally Chiquita was planning to dress as St. Philomena, but ended up deciding to dress as the “Blessed” sister of the saint her younger brother chose to dress up as this year. She really enjoyed reading what we could find about St. Isabella and wrote a great paper over the last couple weeks to read to everyone at our party.
Costume: I originally ordered this Blue Renaissance Princess Costume in a size large, but it was way too big (it fit me!), so we sent it back to exchange for the medium. Blessed Isabella is depicted with a crown at her feet, so Chiquita pinned the girls’ Reversible Silk Crown to the bottom of her dress. We braided her hair and wrapped her head with a sheer scarf from the dress up bin.
Costume: I first saw this costume on Melody’s blog and ended up ordering it to give to our little guy for Christmas last year! You can find the King Child Costume in small here. The totally amazing Shield and Sword was from Made by Alejandro.
Costume: Her older sisters Mother Teresa costume (you can see Twinkle Toes wearing it here in 2010 and Chiquita wearing it here in 2012), with a black jacket and white rosary.
Costume: Bud was so excited to dress up as “THE POPE!” Inspired by a picture we have, he ended up dressing up as St. John Paul II wearing the pope costume my Mother-in-Law made for our oldest son back in 2006!
I love them so much!
Blessed Mother Teresa and Saint John Paul II
Quick & Easy Homemade Paper Crowns
Last year I had elaborate plans to make the girls lace princess crowns (like these) for their saint costumes using lace ribbon, fabric stiffener, and glitter paint. I ran out of time and the bag of supplies is still sitting in my closet…
Celebrating the Saints :: Our Annual All Hallows’ Eve Party {2014 Edition}
4:00 – Arrive, Outdoor Games
5:00 – Rosary, Litany of the Saints & Group Photo
5:30 – Potluck Dinner/Hearty Appetizers & Refreshments
6:30 – Saint Presentations, Additional Games & Roasting Marshmallows
I purchased big bags of candy at Costco to fill Ora Pro Nobis Candy Boxes and various additional candy or treats to fill the All Saints Guessing Jars. I also watch for Costco’s coupon/discount on the 30 count boxes of full size candy bars (I buy one or two, depending on the size of our party) to hand out to each little “saint” as a treat for giving a short presentation on who they came dressed as for the party, along with a little tag/reminder. Each family helps by bringing 1 pound of candy per child they are bringing to the party to be used as prizes for the various games.
You can find my most popular All Saints Party Printables here.
One of the families arrived late and is missing from the group photo, but here are at least most of the saints from our 2014 party. All the costumes were so creative and beautiful!
Like usual, my friend Trina coordinated a couple of the games for the party. One of the games she brought was the supplies (a big whiteboard, eraser, markers) to play Saint Pictionary! She would give each child a saint to draw. The first person to guess correctly would win some candy and then get a turn to draw a saint. They had a blast!!
Apparently the All Saints Guessing Jars are my children’s absolute favorite All Hallows’ Eve/All Saints’ Day Party Game. I guess their friends really love it too and have already been asking them, “Is your mom going to have the Saint Guessing Jars again?!?!?!”
Next it was time for another All Saints Scavenger Hunt. Trina explained the game to the kids and broke them into groups (older kids with younger kids) while I passed out the Saint Pictures/Answers to the older teens/adults and the list of clues to the children.
The goal is to match each clue to the correct saint. Once the child thinks he knows who it is, he will ask the person representing (holding the picture of) the saint. If he is correct the “saint” signs the line next to the correct clue on his child’s clue sheet.
As always I had special treats for all the children who came dressed as a saint and stood up to share a little bit about him/her with everyone.
…and then my kids stayed up extra late swapping candy with some of their friends.
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