Sweet Sixteen
Today is our 16th Wedding Anniversary! If you’d like, you can see some of our wedding photos in this post from last year.
I actually took most of these pictures last October 2nd as well, but I never had a chance to post them here on the blog… I had just finished praying the St. Therese novena (October 2nd is the eve of her traditional feast day) for a very special and specific family intention, and was wondering if dear St. Therese would send me a rose. Of course it couldn’t just be any rose – all the roses here on the blog and anniversary roses from my husband wouldn’t count, especially since he knew I was praying the novena – so I wasn’t sure how she’d find a way, but she always does!
I couldn’t believe it when I pulled this book out of the box in my closest, opened up the page to “Our Fifteenth Year” and then noticed the roses. Apparently the flower associated with 15th anniversary is the rose! It was just a little sign, but it reassured me that she would be interceding for our family once again.
Anyway, it’s hard to believe that another year has passed already! I thought it would be fun to finally share these pictures of Our Wedding Anniversary Memory Book and a little glimpse at our family’s past fifteen (now sixteen!) years. This beautiful book was a bridal shower gift from my Aunt Bridget and I have always loved pulling it out each year on our anniversary.
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| Our First Year – September 2000, In DC for my SIL’s wedding |
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| Our Second Year – October 2001, Jet Boat Ride for our Anniversary |
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| Our Third Year – Thanksgiving 2002 |
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| Our Fourth Year – Christmas 2003 |
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| Our Fifth Year – Easter 2004 |
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| Our Sixth Year – Christmas 2005 |
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| Our Seventh Year – Easter 2007 |
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| Our Eighth Year – October 2007 |
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| Our Ninth Year – December 2008 |
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| Our Tenth Year – My brothers wedding, summer of 2009 |
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| Our Eleventh Year – Visiting my husband’s parents, November 2010 |
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| Our Twelfth Year – October 2, 2011 and Christmas 2011 |
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| Our Thirteenth Year – Easter 2012 |
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| Our Fourteenth Year – Thanksgiving 2013 |
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| Our Fifteenth Year – December 2014 |
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| Grand Teton National Park – 4th of July, 2015 |
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| Old Faithful, Yellowstone National Park – July 2015 After eight days on the road… someone is letting off a little steam! 😉 |
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| On our way to hike to Inspiration Point in the Grand Tetons… looking just a little bit older than we did back in 1999! I’m looking forward to many more wonderful years with this loving husband of mine. |
A Morning Prayer Written by Saint Thérèse
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| Saint Thérèse of Lisieux – Original Art by Audrey Eclectic Prints available at Etsy or enter the Audrey Eclectic giveaway! |
Free Printable St. Thérèse Worksheets
Here are the links to the St. Thérèse activity/worksheets I created a number of years ago:
- A St. Thérèse Crossword
- The Story of St. Thérèse (Fill in the Blanks)
- Quote from St. Thérèse on her Deathbed (Pick the correct letter)
- St. Thérèse of Lisieux Word Search
You can find many more “Ideas for Celebrating the Feast of St. Thérèse” here or by scrolling through the “St. Thérèse” label in the archives here at Shower of Roses or over at Catholic Cuisine.
St. Jerome and the Lion
Every once in a while our history studies line up perfectly with the liturgical year. Our core text readings for today (with my youngest students) happened to be “Christians Writers Defend the Church” (Founders of Freedom, Unit Four Chapter III) which includes a section about Saint Jerome, whose feast is celebrated today. I love it when that happens!
I pulled out a couple awesome coloring books (The Fathers of the Church and The Legend of Saint Jerome and the Lion are both currently OOP), as well as a picture book about St. Jerome, for story time, discussion questions using Catholic Mosaic, and narration.
Celebrating Michaelmas
Art Angel Gallery {Sponsored Giveaway}
Art Angel Gallery 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.
Raphael has generously offered to give away the following handmade bracelets and pendant necklace to my visitors here at Shower of Roses, as we prepare to celebrate the feast days (New: October 1st and Traditional: October 3rd) of a saint who is very dear to my heart.
Pope Francis Visits the Home
Knowing how Pope Francis likes to mingle with the crowds, the kids decided to insert another stop into his American visit. In his surprise fashion, Pope Francis made an impromptu detour to our home.
They readied the place for him by building a cathedral with their Nesting Blocks, Blessing Blocks, and Tiny Saints. The Popemobile led the assembly to the front doors of their little church.
Commemorating the Canonization of Junípero Serra
It’s another historic day in the Catholic Church as our Holy Father visits the United States of America and Father Junípero Serra becomes the very first saint to be canonized on U.S. soil!
Junípero Serra was a Spanish Franciscan friar who founded a mission in Baja California and the first nine of 21 Spanish missions in California from San Diego to San Francisco, which at the time were in Alta California in the Province of Las Californias in New Spain. (source: stjunipero.org)
Here are seven ways to commemorate this special day with children:
1 – Picture Books
There are some great picture books available about the Papacy, Pope Francis and the soon-to-be canonized Saint Junipero Serra. Snuggles received a new book about our Holy Father (“his Pope“) in his Easter basket last year. Many of these books are available from Sacred Heart Books and Gifts, Catholic Child, and through my affiliate links below. Here is the list of the books we’ll be reading:
Jorge from Argentina: The Story of Pope Francis for Children by Marlyn Monge
Our Holy Father the Pope: The Papacy from Saint Peter to the Present – An excellent book for teaching children about the Papacy.
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| “Only the Pope may declare men and women to be saints.” – Our Holy Father the Pope |
The Mission Bell (OOP) – The story of Father Junipero Serra’s travels in the California wilderness, of his interest in the Indians and of his building of the missions.
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| The Mission Bell |
Song of the Swallows – First published in 1948, was written and illustrated by Leo Politi about Mission San Juan Capistrano, the 7th of 9 missions established by Father Serra.
The First Californian: The Story of Fray Junípero Serra (OOP) – Chapter book by Donald DeMarest and originally published in 1963.
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| The First Californian |
I’m still waiting for our copies of the following two books to arrive:
Serra: American Founding Father
Junípero Serra: Founder of the California Missions (Pre-Order! I’ll probably save this for one of the children’s Stacks of Books on Christmas Morning or for next year’s Easter Baskets since it hasn’t been released yet.)
2 – Coloring Pages & Worksheets
Free Online Resources:
Pope Francis printables from Tiny Saints
Pope Francis in the United States from Paper Dali
Blessed Junipero Serra’s Canonization Day from Paper Dali
Pope Francis coloring pages from St. John the Baptist Religious Education
Blessed Junipero Serra from Catholic Playground
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| From Catholic Playground, Saints of the Americas, and Paper Dali |
Coloring Books to Purchase:
Bl. Junipero Serra from Saints of the Americas Coloring & Activity Book
Pope Francis Coloring & Activity Book
Popes Coloring Book (Dover)
California Missions Coloring Book (Dover)
3 – Lap Book
If you never downloaded the Papal Lap Book and Unit Study I created during the Election of Pope Francis, now is another great time for a Unit Study on the Papacy. Here is a list of my published posts on the Lap Book. (I never did get back to completing the posts for the last couple units.)
Scroll through all my Papal Unit Study posts here
(Note: A number of my posts include suggestions for reading from My Catholic Faith. This was a childhood favorite of my husband’s and we have been using it with our children ever since our teenagers were toddlers. This beautiful book has just been released in Audio format!!! Today we will be listening to the following sections: 74. One Body in Christ: Communion of Saints, 93. The Veneration of Saints, and 94. Relics and Images.)
4 – Crafts
California Missions to Cut Out (Book 1) and California Mission to Cut Out (Book 2)
Summer with the Saints: Blessed Junipero Serra (homemade holy cards)
Mission Drawings on Brown Paper and Drawing Guides
5 – Catholic Cuisine
Celebrating Bl. Junipero Serra with California Mission Foods over at Catholic Cuisine
Mexican Chocolate Bread Pudding over at Catholic Cuisine
Flan — A Spanish Delight over at Catholic Cuisine
Italian Cream Cupcakes with Vatican Flag and Pope Francis’ Papal Coat of Arms Cupcake Toppers
Keys of Heaven Candies for my children using this Key Mold and Yellow Candy Melts
Chicken Paella from CatholicMom.com
More ideas can be found over at Catholic Culture
Fig Newtons – The Black Mission Fig was named after the mission fathers who planted the fruit as they made their way north along the California coast!
6 – Gift Ideas
Hand-painted Bl. Junipero Serra Doll from {JOY}filled Family
St. Junipero Serra from Naturally Catholic
Pope Francis and Saint Junipero Serra from Tiny Saints
Blessed Junipero Serra print form Portraits of Saints
Monk Rag Doll from Jacob’s Toy Box
7 – Watch the Live Coverage
The Official Schedule for Pope Francis’ Visit to the U.S.
Live Streaming and Archived Videos from the Vatican YouTube Channel (English)
Yesterday we pulled out the iPad and started watching the World Meeting of Families using the EWTN app and AirPlay! Our older boys set their alarms to wake up extra early this morning to watch the welcoming ceremony at the White House before meeting with their math tutor! EWTN will also be streaming the canonization. You can view their schedule here.
5 Ways to Celebrate Michaelmas
The feast of Sts. Michael, Gabriel & Raphael, Archangels, traditionally known as Michaelmas, is coming up on September 29th. Today I’m sharing 5 Ways to Celebrate Michaelmas over at TAN Homeschool!
UPDATE: You can now find my original article here on the blog.
On the Feast of Saint Matthew
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| Saint Matthew from Catholic Folk Toys |
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| Matthew from The Twelve Apostles by Marianna Mayer |
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