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{pretty, happy, funny, real} :: Ash Wednesday, Physics, and a Piano Recital

Feb 23, 2015 | , , | 9 Comments

~ Capturing the context of contentment in everyday life with Like Mother, Like Daughter. ~

{pretty}


After Mass earlier today. #ashtag #catholic #lent #ashwednesday

Rose is wearing her pretty pink Girl’s Kerchief Tie Veil from Modesty Veils… I have a few in white too which our older girls wore for years before they discovered new veils in their Easter baskets a couple years ago. I actually have some new veils from Robin Nest Lane for this year’s Easter baskets. One is a little girl’s pink veil with tie backs and three darling swirled lace rosettes on one side. It is SO pretty! I actually meant to put it in Rose’s Christmas stocking but completely forgot… It will be perfect for Easter!


{happy}


We made it through Mass but the three year old wasn’t too happy when we headed to the car instead of the playground! #ashtag #catholic #lent #ashwednesday

I always feel a little funny posting pictures on Ash Wednesday but I did anyway. I also enjoyed reading the thoughts on the popular #ashtag shared by Phil Lawler and Jennifer Gregory Miller. 


{funny}


During the children’s Physics Lab on Thursday afternoon I overheard the tutor ask: “What do you think would happen if you threw this ball as hard as you could?”

Ummm…. If you throw that ball in the house, you will have all sorts of forces coming down on you. Not just gravity! 😉 


{real}


The girls had their very first piano recital this afternoon! I completely forgot to take a picture until afterwards, but I was able to take a “screen shot” of the video. They did a lovely job playing their individual pieces and playing together! 


Afterwards we headed to Mass and then out for dinner. 


It was the “Grand Opening” weekend for the first (and only!) fast food restaurant in our little town. I actually haven’t eaten at a Subway since I was a teen and ended up with food poisoning… I’m still not much of a Subway fan but it wasn’t as bad as I remembered. We enjoyed visiting with my parents and even my sister happened to see us and stop by to visit. It was a really nice way to end the weekend!


A Lenten Calendar for Catholic Children {revised}

Feb 18, 2015 | , | 24 Comments

Yesterday afternoon I had a little free time, while the older children were working with their math tutor and the three little ones were all napping (a rare occurrence these days!), to make this year’s Lenten Calendar.  I used the same documents I created last year, but this year I assembled it a little differently (similar to how I first assembled it back before I was blogging) so that each week could begin with Sunday.

Jesus rose from the dead “on the first day of the week.” Because it is the “first day,” the day of Christ’s Resurrection recalls the first creation. Because it is the “eighth day” following the sabbath, it symbolizes the new creation ushered in by Christ’s Resurrection. For Christians it has become the first of all days, the first of all feasts, the Lord’s Day (he kuriake hemera, dies dominica) Sunday: We all gather on the day of the sun, for it is the first day [after the Jewish sabbath, but also the first day] when God, separating matter from darkness, made the world; and on this same day Jesus Christ our Savior rose from the dead. (CCC 2174)

I love how it turned out this year! With this year’s revision our Lent Calendar now ends with Holy Saturday, the final day of the forty days of Lent. I am hoping to create an Easter Calendar on the opposite side of the poster board beginning with Easter Sunday! 
If you are looking for a small printable calendar be sure to visit Pondered In My Heart or Waltzing Matilda. They both offer beautiful calendars which I always print for our older children. JOY{filled}family also offers a printable calendar based on the Traditional Calendar here.

LENTEN CALENDAR

SUPPLIES:

  • 1 – 22″x28″ White Posterboard
  • Purple Marker
  • Yard Stick and/or Ruler
  • Printed Images and Text (Free Download Here)
  • Scissors and Glue Stick
  • Purple Card Stock or Construction Paper

DIRECTIONS:

Create seven rows of 3 1/8″ x 3 1/8″ squares for the 40 days of Lent plus all of the Sundays, with an 1/8″ border on each side of the poster board.

Label the Days of the week Sunday through Saturday.

Each day of the week has a special prayer intention for which we pray and fast:

  • Sunday – In Thanksgiving for God’s Blessings
  • Monday – For an End to Abortion
  • Tuesday – For Conversions to the True Faith
  • Wednesday – For our Holy Father and all Priests
  • Thursday – For our Family, Godparents & Godchildren
  • Friday – For Forgiveness of Sins in our World
  • Saturday – For our Deceased Relatives

Add a Fish Symbol to each Friday representing the days of abstinence.

Title the top of the calendar with LENT: Pray, Fast, Give Alms.

Through prayer, fasting and alms giving, we bring Jesus into our lives, and commit ourselves to being united with him in His suffering, death and resurrection. Through this we also love and serve Him as we love and serve our neighbor.


With this year’s revision I had a little extra room at the top of the calendar. I considered adding an image for Shrove Tuesday, but decided on a little pocket made out of card stock to hold the crosses to cover each square.
Cut out, place, and glue all the images for Ash Wednesday, the various feast days, all the Sundays of Lent, and Holy Week.

Our calendar has a square for each day, from Ash Wednesday to Easter Sunday. Special Feasts and Holy days during that period are decorated to represent that day. For example, we have a picture of St. Patrick on March 17th and St. Joseph on March 19th. These special feasts help break up the long Lenten Season.

Hang somewhere it can easily be seen (and reached) by the children. 


I probably could have gotten a better picture of the calendar hanging in the kitchen, but I got distracted by my two little cuties who looked all cozy on the couch behind the island… 

It looks like they discovered the basket of books for Lent! 
+ + +
PRAY • FAST • GIVE ALMS

PRAY

  • Each Morning for the Special Intention of the Day
  • Daily Family Rosary
  • Stations of the Cross on Friday
  • Adoration Hour
  • Daily Mass

When the older children were little I made or purchased stickers of rosaries, stations of the cross, churches, etc for them to add to each day we prayed the rosary, stations, or attended Mass.

FAST

  • Take one item from the pantry each day for the poor
  • Simple Meatless Meals on Fridays
  • Personal Sacrifices I’m Offering Up for Lent 

Toddlers don’t always understand the concept of giving something up for Lent. Instead of having our youngest children give something up we have them focus on giving away. I stock the bottom shelves of the pantry with appropriate food items that can be donated, and everyday the little ones choose something to place in a box to be donated to a needy person or organization. I fit this extra food into our grocery budget by serving simple meals throughout lent, especially on Fridays.

We are also choosing some things to offer up individually and as a family. I’ve left it generic on our calendar as “Personal Sacrifices I’m Offering Up for Lent.”

GIVE ALMS

  • Count the items listed for each Day 
  • Put corresponding Number of Pennies in the Rice Bowl

In Guiding Your Catholic Preschooler (affiliate link) the author says: “Playing with pennies is fun, and so is putting them in a piggy bank. So try combining the two… Almost every church has Rice Bowls for lent… Think of items in your home that you can count. Select something different for every day of lent and put this on your calendar. For example, after deciding to count all the doors in your house, take the child and count all the doors. For each item counted, give him a penny to put in the Rice Bowl. There can be forty or forty-five pennies each day. It can add up, especially if you have more than one child! After Easter, bring the Rice Bowl to your church and have your child give it to your priest. Explain that this money will be used to buy food and clothes for people who do not have enough money to buy their own.”

Some examples of things that could be counted include: shoes, beds, windows, chairs, tables, pictures on the walls, trees in the yard, rooms, light fixtures, books on the shelf, silverware, stairs, toys, dolls, etc… You can be creative! This is a great opportunity to teach the children to be grateful for all they own. It is also a perfect time to work on filling those 40 bags with items to pass along to someone in need.

Update: Now that we have older children I pick up a few rolls of quarters, dimes, and nickels , in addition to the rolls of pennies for the little ones, that can be earned to donate to the poor by doing extra chores during Lent. 
In the past I would usually write down something for the younger children to count in each square at the beginning of Lent (see Give Alms above). However, I’ve found it easiest to just assign them each morning (or the night before), that way I can easily incorporate specific areas that I want to work on decluttering.

Once again I created squares with a cross on one side (printed on purple card stock) to cover each calendar square, instead of the cut out crosses we’ve used in the past. My plan for this year is to write on the back of each square the assignments for the day – what/where we will be praying, a reminder to fast/take an item from the pantry for the poor, something to count for the younger children’s “Give Alms” and perhaps the extra chore options for the older children.
 At the end of each day – after we complete our prayers, fasting, and alms giving for the day – we will place the purple cross over the square of that particular date on the calendar as we count down the days until Easter Sunday!

You can read more about how our family has observed Lent in the past here:
Grant, O Lord, that we may begin with holy fasting this campaign of Christian service, so that, as we take up battle against spiritual evils, we may be armed with weapons of self-restraint.

Shrove Tuesday

Feb 18, 2015 | | 1 Comment

Shrove Tuesday, also known as Mardi Gras (French for Fat Tuesday) and Pancake Tuesday, is the day before Ash Wednesday and the beginning of Lent. Traditionally, in addition to abstaining from meat, the faithful were required to abstain from fats, eggs, and butter as well for the duration of Lent. Even though today’s Lenten fast does not require total abstinence from all animal products, recalling the tradition of serving pancakes on Shrove Tuesday, along with bacon, ham, or sausage, serves to unite ourselves with the heritage of our past while enjoying a feast before the upcoming days of fast and abstinence.

I’ve already made this year’s Mardi Gras Beignets… I just need to finish frying the bacon and pancakes and dinner will be ready!
Mardi Gras Prayer
from Creighton University’s Praying Lent
Blessed are you, Lord God of all creation, for it is from your goodness that we have this day to celebrate on the threshold of the Season of Lent. Tomorrow we will fast and abstain from meat. Today we feast. 

We thank you for the abundance of gifts you shower upon us. We thank you especially for one another. As we give you thanks, we are mindful of those who have so much less than we do. As we share these wonderful gifts together, we commit ourselves to greater generosity toward those who need our support. 

Prepare us for tomorrow. Tasting the fullness of what we have today, let us experience some hunger tomorrow. May our fasting make us more alert and may it heighten our consciousness so that we might be ready to hear your Word and respond to your call. 

As our feasting fills us with gratitude so may our fasting and abstinence hollow out in us a place for deeper desires and an attentiveness to hear the cry of the poor. May our self-denial turn our hearts to you and give us a new freedom for generous service to others. 

We ask you these graces with our hearts full of delight and stirring with readiness for the journey ahead. We ask them with confidence in the name of Jesus the Lord.

Strawberry Hearts {A Sweet & Simple Treat}

Feb 16, 2015 | , , | 3 Comments

It is to those who have the most need of us that we ought to show our love more especially. ~ St. Francis de Sales


Love is patient and kind; love is not jealous or boastful; it is not arrogant or rude. Love does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrong, but rejoices in the right. Love bears all things, hopes all things, endures all things.  1 Corinthians 13:4–7

Celebrating St. Valentine’s Day

Feb 16, 2015 | | 3 Comments

This past Friday we were invited to attend a St. Valentine’s Day party at the home of some friends. After the birthday last weekend, the World Marriage Sunday Potluck at Church, a full school week, extra curricular activities, and Snuggles tooth extraction (poor little guy!!!) on Thursday afternoon after piano and before hockey, we didn’t have much time to prepare this year.  
Thankfully, with a little help from some free online printables, we were able to pull together (over 150!!!) Valentine cards by midnight. Whew! Captain and Bud (our little popcorn bandit) gave out bags of popcorn, Ranger handed out Heart Breaker Valentines, Twinkle Toes handed out Anne of Green Gables Chocolates, Chiquita choose to create these Hershey Kiss Lighthouses, Snuggles handed out Melted Snowmen, and Rose ended up using some store bought Hello Kitty Valentines (which she loved even though they were purchased years ago!) after my printer ran out of ink…

It was so great to get out of the house and spend the day (and all evening – we didn’t get home until 9!) visiting with friends.  Saturday morning the children were up early digging through their boxes of Valentine cards. They only have a couple days to finish up their treats… Lent is almost here!

I’m off to make this year’s Lenten Calendar, print individual calendars, and see what else I need to prepare for Wednesday… I hope your week is off to a great start!


{pretty, happy, funny, real} :: Instagram Recap

Feb 15, 2015 | , , | 1 Comment

~ Capturing the context of contentment in everyday life with Like Mother, Like Daughter. ~
Well, I’m a little too late to join the link up, but here is my post anyway! 
{pretty}

Well that was sweet. Happy St. Valentine’s Day!
{happy}
Date night! Sean gave me the tickets for my birthday last month! So much fun!!! #sevenbridesforsevenbrothers
(It was really fun going out, but this was one musical that I didn’t like nearly as much as the original film version. Let’s just say that I was glad we didn’t take the children to see this one…)

{funny}

I’m gonna “POP” a “CORNY” question… Will you be my Valentine? 
#fromourlittlepopcornbandit

{real}

We’re enjoying the sunshine! It’s such a gorgeous day today!

Saturday afternoon I took the girls out to lunch with some of our neighbors. Afterwards we all headed to Church to go to Confession, to celebrate St. Valentine’s Day as a family in preparation for Lent. In between Confessions and Mass we let the children burn off a little energy in the playground and even Sean and I enjoyed the swings! 

A Ranger’s Apprentice Birthday Party

Feb 12, 2015 | , | 19 Comments

This past Saturday Ranger turned thirteen! It’s so hard to believe that we now have two teens in our home and we are only eighteen short months away from three teens… Unfortunately I just can’t seem to find the pause button on their childhood and they are going to grow up whether I like it or not. I’m not ready for this!!! 😉

This year the birthday boy requested a “Ranger’s Apprentice party theme and lemon cake.” Lemon didn’t exactly go with the decorations I had planned for the cake so he actually ended up getting two birthday cakes this year! The chocolate candy covered Archery Target Cake and lemon “Castle Redmont” cake which I simply baked in a castle shaped bundt pan and dusted with powdered sugar. The boys provided me with a minifigure to represent Will, the main character from the Ranger’s Apprentice series.  It was perfect!  
“Even though the circumstances were unusual, he had given permission for Will to be accepted as a ward of Castle Redmont.”

Everyone, including Ranger, loved the cakes when they woke up and discovered them in the morning. Along with the cake I had a coffee/hot cocoa bar with fruit and pastries set up for breakfast, since all Rangers drink coffee.

Other than the cake(s) and themed food for the day, I didn’t have time to plan any games or decorations. He didn’t mind, what he really wanted was for the whole family (including mom!) to come and watch their hockey games, so that is what we did (even my parents and one of my sisters showed up to watch!) and the boys won their games! ❤

 

.: Rangers’ Coffee Bar and Master Chubb’s Sweet Cakes:.
Learn how to drink coffee, sweeten it with honey if you must. 
~ Do’s and Don’t for Rangers in Training
“He can climb, all right. I remember when he climbed up a drainpipe into my kitchen and stole a tray of sweet cakes that were cooling on the windowsill.”  
.: Wild Boar Bacon Bites :.

“Halt’s heavy-shafted, long arrow was almost buried in it’s side, driven there by the full power of the Ranger’s mighty longbow. He’d struck the charging monster right behind the left shoulder, driving the head of the arrow into and through the pig’s massive heart. A perfect shot.”

I used this recipe. They didn’t last long!
.:  Will’s Flaming Arrows :. 

“Will watched, horrified. A thought was forming, an idea was lurking somewhere at the edge of his mind. He looked to one side, saw the flickering torch that Baron Arald has discarded. Fire. The one weapon that could defeat the Kalkara. But he was forty meters away…”
“He  whipped an arrow from his quiver, slipping from the saddle and running lightly to the flickering torch. A good supply of sticky, melted pitch had run down the handle of the torch and he quickly rolled the arrowhead in the soft, clinging stuff, forming a huge goblet of it on the arrow. Then he placed it in the flame until it flared to life.”
These were so easy to make using the same technique from our Lone Ranger Campfire Cake for making the flames.

“Will brought the arrow back to full draw, wincing at the pain as the flames singed against his bow hand. He raised his aim point a little to allow for the extra weight of the pitch, and released.”

.: Apprentice Oak Leaf Chocolates :.

“Later that afternoon, after all the noise and celebrations had died down, Will sat alone on the tiny verandah of Halt’s small cottage. In his hand he held a small bronze amulet, shaped like an oak lac, with a steel chain threaded through a ring at the top. “It’s our symbol,” his teacher had explained as he handed it to him after the events at the castle. “The Rangers’ equivalent of a coat of arms.””

Oak Leaves Candy Mold and Peanut Butter Candy Melts

“Bronze is the apprentice color,” Halt told him. When you finish your learning, you’ll receive a silver oak leaf like this one. We all wear them in the Ranger Corps, either silver or bronze.”

.: Tug’s Apple Cider :.
“Tug’s ears shot up. He liked apples. He also thought he liked this boy-he played this game well. Tossing his head approvingly, he trotted forward and took the apple delicately. Will seized hold of the bridle and the pony crunched the apple. If a horse could be said to look blissful, this one did.”

.:  Ranger’s Stew :.

Organic Carrots of Many Colors and Baby Potatoes
“He led the way to the kitchen and introduced Will to the mysteries of cooking: peeling and chopping onions, choosing a piece of beef from the meat safe, trimming it and cutting it into neat cubes, then chopping vegetables, searing the beef in a sizzling pan, and finally adding a generous dash of red wine and some of what Halt called his “secret ingredients.” The result was a savory-smelling stew, simmering on the top of the stove.”

.: Birthday Cake :.

“As they rode through the crisp, white snow, their horses’ hooves making only the smallest of sounds, Halt had been pointing to disturbances in the even white cover. They were tracks left by animals and it was Will’s task to identify them.”

*All quotes are from Ranger’s Apprentice, Book 1, The Ruins of Gorlan by John Flanagan


.: Birthday Gifts :.
Ranger’s siblings all surprised him with 13 of the new Series 13 Minifigures for his 13th birthday! Twinkle Toes also gave him the Archer Minifigure from Series 3 (like this one) and Captain gave him the Epic Perplexus we found on clearance after Christmas.  He also received cards/gifts from both sets of Grandparents. 
His dad and I gave him the remaining four books needed to complete the boys’ Ranger’s Apprentice collection of hardcover editions, The Lonely Mountain Lego Hobbit set (way overpriced at the moment, I actually purchased it before Christmas and it came with a poster)…

… The Lincoln Memorial Architecture Lego set, The United States Capitol Metal Earth, a backpack (he’s been needing one for when he meets with his tutor), and some Milk Chocolate Smashing S’mores. 


Happy 13th Birthday Ranger! 

Ranger’s Apprentice Archery Target Cake

Feb 9, 2015 | , , , | 12 Comments

“Will was in the open meadow behind Halt’s cottage, practicing. He had four targets set up at different ranges and was alternating shots at random between the four of them, never firing at the same one twice in a row.” ~ Ranger’s Apprentice, Book 1, The Ruins of Gorlan 

This past weekend we celebrated our “Ranger’s”13th birthday! Our boys love all the books written by Australian author John Flanagan and we thought it would be fun to celebrate with a Ranger’s Apprentice themed party this year.

I considered making a castle and cabin combination like this Ranger’s Apprentice birthday cake, but thought it was a little “too childish” for our newest teen, and wanted to “keep it simple” for myself! I ended up deciding to try and create an Archery Target Birthday Cake using candy instead of fondant. It was so easy to decorate and the boys said I “hit the bull’s-eye with this cake!”   

Archery Target Cake

Supplies:

  • 2 – 9″ Round Cakes
  • Buttercream Frosting (or white frosting of your choice)
  • 11 KitKat Candy Bars, Full Size
  • Yellow, Red and Blue M&M’s
  • Bamboo Skewer, Duct Tape & Scissors (for arrow) 

Directions:

Prepare and bake cakes according to directions. Cool.

To make the top of the cake nice and flat I trimmed the rounded tops off each cake. I placed the first cake on the center of the platter and then turned the second cake over, placing it bottom side up and centering it on the trimmed top of the first cake. Cover the cake with frosting. Since it was going to be covered with candy, I didn’t worry about any crumbs in the frosting. 

I decided to trim one side of the KitKat bars so that they wouldn’t stick up too far above the top of the cake. I also broke them in half (sections of two) before wrapping them around the cake. 
Using yellow, red, and blue M&M’s I created the archery target’s concentric rings on the top of the cake. 
To create an arrow for the center of the cake, I used a Bamboo Skewer with a little Metallic Chrome Duck Tape.  I folded a piece of Duck Tape over the end of the Bamboo Skewer and then trimmed it with scissors to resemble the end of an arrow, before sticking into the center of the cake. 

“Will, his quiver empty for the tenth time that morning, stopped to survey the results. He nodded in satisfaction. Every arrow had hit a target, and most of them were clustered in the inner ring of the bull’s-eye itself. It was shooting of an exceptionally high quality and it proved to him the value of constant practice. He wasn’t to know it, of course, but there were already few archers in the kingdom, outside of the Ranger’s Corps, who could have matched him.”  ~ Ranger’s Apprentice, Book 1, The Ruins of Gorlan

Celebrating the Saints :: St. Brigid of Ireland

Feb 3, 2015 | , , , , , , | 13 Comments

The feast of St. Brigid, the “Mary of the Gael,” is celebrated on the first of February.  You can read more about this well loved Irish saint here. I actually wasn’t planning on doing anything extra to celebrate her feast day this year, especially since it happened to fall on (Super Bowl) Sunday…
I had been admiring the Saint Brigid painting as Audrey Eclectic was posting pictures of her progress on Instagram, but I didn’t plan on purchasing it… Then one afternoon my daughter was asking questions about Confirmation and whether or not she could choose two saints. I asked her why she wanted to know and she said that she loves St. Rose and St. Brigid and wasn’t sure she could pick between the two. Shortly after our conversation I logged into Etsy and there was the painting! I happened to have some money in my PayPal acct from some books I just resold so I purchased it right then and there. I considered saving it for her Confirmation, but that is still years away and she has a special devotion to her now so I surprised her with it on Sunday morning! She loves her new painting and we are still trying to decide the perfect place to hang it in her bedroom. 
Between the conversation with my daughter and the new painting I was inspired to try and do a little something extra to celebrate St. Brigid’s feast day after all. I gathered our picture books, printed some coloring pages, pulled the box of chenille pipe cleaners out of my closet, and we were ready to go!
.: STORY TIME :. 

by Bryce Milligan (study guide in Catholic Mosaic)

“Brigid’s Cloak retells an ancient tale about one of Ireland’s most beloved saints. On the day she is born Brigid receives a brilliant blue cloak from a mysterious Druid. Years later, the young girl still wears the now tattered but beloved cloak while she tends her sheep. Is it her imagination that suddenly takes her to an unfamiliar land? Or is it something far greater that leads Brigid to a crowded inn in a town called Bethlehem?”

Some Additional Stories of St. Brigid found in Our Collection:
Saint Brigid (Saints: Lives and Illuminations) by Ruth Sanderson
Saint Brigid and the Cows (Brother Wolf, Sister Sparrow) by Eric A. Kimmel
Saint Brigid (Saints for Girls) by Eve Rouke
St. Brigid and the Cows by Eva K. Betz

Saint Brigid found in Saints: Lives and Illuminations
Have I ever mentioned how much I love Saints for Girls and Saints for Boys? 😉 

.: COLORING PAGES :. 

Saint Brigid Coloring Page from Waltzing Matilda
Note: A St. Brigid Coloring Page can also be found in Fenestrae Fidei
by Rose, who just turned 5

I asked if he could hold his picture so I could take a picture! This is what I got… I love him so much!
.: CRAFT – ST. BRIGID’S CROSS :. 

Can you tell which one the boys made? #seahawks #patriots #beavers
We’ve made these a couple times in the past and find these step-by-step pictures helpful. 
Supplies For each Cross: 
16 piece of pipe cleaner, straw, or other weaving material, each 8″ in length
Note: Save some of the short pieces to tie the ends. Some of my children also used their remaining 4″ lengths of pipe cleaner to create miniature crosses.

.: THE IRISH RULE OF HOSPITALITY :.
I saw a stranger yestreen; 

I put food in the eating place, 

Drink in the drinking place, 

Music in the listening place, 

And in the name of the Triune 

He blessed myself and my house, 

My cattle and my dear ones,
And the lark said in her song 

Often, often, often, 

Goes the Christ in the stranger’s guise, 
Often, often, often, 

Goes the Christ in the stranger’s guise.
The Irish Rule of Hospitality

St. Brigid of Kildare was well known for her hospitality and generosity inspiring the standard used in the Irish Rule of Hospitality. May we always follow St. Brigid’s example and receive the Christ in the stranger’s guise. 

Saige was baptized “Brigid” and given a miniature St. Brigid cross as well as Caroline’s Calf, Garnet
.: CATHOLIC CUISINE :.
I wish I had a great lake of ale for the King of kings, and the family of heaven to drink it through time eternal. I wish I had the meats of belief and genuine piety, the flails of penance, and the men of heaven in my house.
~ St. Brigid of Ireland 
 
St. Brigid is the patron saint for numerous things including cattle and dairy work. She was said to be the best mead and ale maker in all of Ireland, as well as an excellent cook. One way to celebrate this Abbess from Kildare is to enjoy a steaming bowl of Irish Beef stew… made with Ireland’s own Guinness Draught!

You can find my favorite recipe for Irish Beef and Guinness Stew over at Catholic Cuisine. 

Some of us have been fighting a stomach bug this past week, so I decided to save the stew for next weekend (it ties in perfectly to our birthday theme for Ranger!) and I served Chicken Soup (straight from the pantry! lol) instead.  As Mary pointed out, St. Brigid is also the patron of those who raise chickens. Perfect!

O God, bless my pantry!
Pantry which the Lord has blessed.
Mary’s Son, my friend,
come and bless my pantry!
– St. Brigid of Ireland
To go along with our chicken soup I decided to let the children try and create “St. Brigid’s Cross Dinner Rolls.” I pulled out some frozen dinner rolls from the freezer and let them thaw for about an hour while they painted their pictures.

 I wasn’t sure if they would turn out, but they actually did and the kids loved them! I’ll have to post the directions over at Catholic Cuisine sometime before her feast day next year.

+ A FEW MORE LINKS +
Ranger’s LEGO contribution to the decorations for the feast of St. Brigid! 

.: PRAYER :. 

Saint Brigid, Mary of Ireland ask for us all today, 
The courage to do God’s bidding whatever the world may say. 
The grace to be strong and valiant, the grace to be firm and true, 
The grace to be faithful always to God, His Mother, and You. 

Saint Brigid, Ora Pro Nobis! 

Sponsor Love: Quarterly Update & Current Specials

Feb 2, 2015 | | 1 Comment

I am excited to introduce you to a few new sponsors this quarter. Be sure to keep these great businesses in mind when preparing your homes for Lent and making plans for Easter!

I am also working on two giveaways for this quarter, the first will be included with this year’s Baskets of Books for Easter (similar to last year’s post) and the second will be Easter Basket Stuffers and Gift Ideas with a “basketful” of giveaways from my generous sponsors!

Please welcome my new sponsors by visiting their websites:

Easter at Ephesus
Easter at Ephesus is the latest release from De Montfort Music and AimHigher Recordings, the same people who recently released Christmas in Harvard Square!

The other CDs in the series (Advent at Ephesus, Lent at Ephesus, and Angles and Saints at Ephesus) are favorites in our home and I am looking forward to adding Easter at Ephesus to our collection this year!

Pre-order your copy of Easter at Ephesus over at Amazon.com today!

St. Augustine Academy Press
Last year our children received some books published by St. Augustine Academy Press for Easter and Christmas, and I’m definitely planning on including a few more titles in this year’s Easter baskets! Our latest addition was the amazing new publication by Lisa Bergman, Treasure and Tradition: The Ultimate Guide to the Latin Mass. You can read my husband’s review here.

Audrey Eclectic
I first ran across Audrey Eclectic last fall and have been admiring Heather’s art ever since. I recently placed an order for one of her original paintings and it is simply gorgeous! In addition to the originals, prints and postcards are also available. I’ve been thinking the postcards would make perfect Easter Basket stuffers for little girls and I have this particular set in mind for one of mine!

Visit Audrey Eclectic Folk Art blog to enter the Giveaway for a Print of St. Brigid!
You can also follow Audrey Eclectic on Facebook and Instagram! 

A special thank you to all my returning sponsors!
    

Prayer Pillowcases Do your children have a Prayer Pillowcase yet? Last year a few of our children received Prayer Pillowcases in their Easter Baskets and I’m hoping to include one or two more this year!
Catholic Child is the perfect place to find inspiring gifts for Catholic youth – from toddlers to teens. Lent begins in just a couple weeks, so be sure to browse the Lent and Easter section!

  

Mama’s Notebooks is currently offering 20% OFF ALL PRODUCTS! You can also get save an additional 5%with coupon code FAST5. For a limited time you can also buy three books and get one of equal or lesser value free with coupon code TRGE15.  I love my Mama’s Notebook! It’s a perfect place for all my menu planning and to-do lists!
Jesse Tree Treasures creates beautiful handcrafted gifts for the liturgical seasons. One of their latest additions is the lovely Pastel Holy Week Ornament Set! You can order it here!

  

Gail Giron Designs has been restocking her shop with all sorts of beautiful creations that would make great Easter, First Communion, and Mother’s Day gifts! Custom orders are accepted so be sure to look through her past sales for ideas!

“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.”

  

My girls love the sweet “little habits” they received for Christmas. I’m already making plans to include more in their Easter baskets this year!
Another Christmas favorite was the beautiful embroidered scapulars from StellaMarigoldArt.  Andrea’s shop is currently on vacation, but she will be re-opening later this month. You can click over to Etsy to sign up for an email notification once her shop is open again or find her on Facebook.

     

The collection of handmade soft saints available over at Trendzilly has been growing! Rose received the Saint Therese for Christmas and I am so impressed with the beautiful detail. Custom orders are accepted if you are looking for a specific saint! In addition to the soft saints, Trendzilly also offers 1st Birthday Outfits, Tutu outfits, Applique & Embroidered items, Heat Packs, Hand Warmers and Boo Boo Packs, Downloads, Party packs, Hand Sculpted items, Personalized gifts and more. All with a personal touch and affordable prices.
Sacred Heart Books & Gifts offers Catholic books, gifts, homeschool curriculum at discount prices!

Be sure to keep Robin Nest Lane in mind if you are looking for a new veil. Robin creates such lovely veils for ladies, girls, and even dolls! In addition to the website, you can also browse her veils over at Etsy.
If you are interested in advertising at Shower of Roses click here for current availability and to request more information.


Our Family

Sean & Jessica, Captain-24, Ranger-22, Twinkle Toes-21, Chiquita-19, Snuggles-17, Rose-14, Bud-12, Grace-7 and Joy-5 (blog nicknames)

A Little About Me

Hi! I'm Jessica, a Roman Catholic wife and home educating mother to our nine children. I was home educated myself, along with my eleven younger siblings. I have a special devotion to St. Therese, through whom I have been given much help and many blessings--the beautiful "Shower of Roses" that she has sent my way! Here I will record a few of the blessings I treasure. Please remember that what you see here is just a little glimpse at our lives, so please say a prayer for us, as we continue to strive for holiness.

My Other Blog: Catholic Cuisine

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Shower of Roses Alphabet of Saints

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All original photographs and written material are ©2007-2025 Shower of Roses. I'd love for you to link back to me, but please do not copy or take content from this blog without permission. Click here for my Copyright Terms & Conditions. Thank you for visiting!

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Prayer of Mothers

Father in heaven, grant me the grace to appreciate the dignity which you have conferred on me. Let me realize that not even the Angels have been blessed with such a privilege—to share in your creative miracle and bring new Saints to heaven. Make me a good mother to all my children after the example of Mary, the Mother of your Son. Through the intercession of Jesus and Mary I ask your continued blessings on my family. Let us all be dedicated to your service on earth and attain the eternal happiness of your kingdom in heaven. Amen.


Our Family

Sean & Jessica, Captain-24, Ranger-22, Twinkle Toes-21, Chiquita-19, Snuggles-17, Rose-14, Bud-12, Grace-7 and Joy-5 (blog nicknames)

A Little About Me

Hi! I'm Jessica, a Roman Catholic wife and home educating mother to our nine children. I was home educated myself, along with my eleven younger siblings. I have a special devotion to St. Therese, through whom I have been given much help and many blessings--the beautiful "Shower of Roses" that she has sent my way! Here I will record a few of the blessings I treasure. Please remember that what you see here is just a little glimpse at our lives, so please say a prayer for us, as we continue to strive for holiness.

My Other Blog: Catholic Cuisine

Please Visit My Sponsors…

This Week's Popular Posts

Shower of Roses Affiliate Links

All About Spelling
All About Reading
All About Reading Pre-reading
All About Reading Giveaways
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Our Advent & Christmas Books

Shower of Roses Christmas Gift Guides

Looking for Something?

looking-back

  • ▼2024 (20)
  • ►2023 (30)
  • ►2022 (48)
  • ►2021 (48)
  • ►2020 (57)
  • ►2019 (61)
  • ►2018 (90)
  • ►2017 (128)
  • ►2016 (148)
  • ►2015 (172)
  • ►2014 (227)
  • ►2013 (238)
  • ►2012 (308)
  • ►2011 (297)
  • ►2010 (313)
  • ►2009 (486)
  • ►2008 (564)
  • ►2007 (148)

Posts About:

Shower of Roses Alphabet of Saints

A Papal Unit Study & Lap Book

Shower of Roses Easter Gift Guides



All Saints Party Printables

All original photographs and written material are ©2007-2025 Shower of Roses. I'd love for you to link back to me, but please do not copy or take content from this blog without permission. Click here for my Copyright Terms & Conditions. Thank you for visiting!