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Sew Sweet by Shannon {Sponsored Giveaway}

Apr 5, 2014 | , | 0 Comments


As my girls get older (and the clothing styles get shorter and shorter!) it is getting much more difficult to find them cute, modest skirts and dresses. I was so excited this past week when I saw the new Color Block Skirts added to Shannon’s Etsy shop.  I just know my girls would love these colorful skirts for summer!

Shannon is a young Catholic and recent homeschool graduate who now operates a small homebased business in the heart of the U.S. selling lovingly handmade clothing, accessories, and toys for little girls and women.

I’ve posted about the darling dress and toys she made for Rose last fall and I’m looking forward to surprising my older girls with some pretty headbands and tote bags for Easter/Birthdays.  Now I just need to decide what color skirts they would like the most and order a couple in their sizes!

.: Limited Time Offer :. 
Sew Sweet by Shannon is offering FREE U.S. domestic shipping until Easter for all Shower of Roses visitors with coupon code:
SHOWEROFROSES

.: Giveaway :. 
Shannon has also generously offered to send a custom made Color Block Skirt of choice to one of my visitors here at Shower of Roses! 

Everyone is welcome to enter the giveaway using the Rafflecopter box below:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Feasts & Seasons :: Our April Book Basket

Apr 4, 2014 | , , | 3 Comments

At the beginning of each month I fill a basket with books featuring the the various saints whose feast days will be celebrated during the month and place it in the living room. Throughout the month I will find the children curled up on the couch reading books they have chosen from the basket, either on their own or to their younger siblings.  I also choose books from the basket for some of our afternoon family read-alouds. Our collection started very small and we have continued adding additional books over the years which we have either purchased or have been given as gifts. Some are picture books, some are chapter books, and some are collections of saint stories. This post is a work in progress and I will continue adding links as I sort through our collection.

This list just includes our Saint Books for April. You can find most of our Lent and Easter Picture Books here and a few more here. 

April 1st, St. Hugh (Hist.):

April 2nd, St. Mary of Egypt (Hist.):

April 3rd, St. Richard of Chichester:

April 4th, St. Benedict the Moor (New):

April 4th, St. Isidore of Seville (New, Trad.):

April 5th, St. Vincent Ferrer (New, Trad.):

April 7th, St. John Baptist de la Salle (New) (Trad – May 15th):


April 16th, St. Magnus of Orkney:

Note: I wanted to note that the story of St. Magnus is a pretty intense and one that we probably should have saved until the boys were teens before sharing it with them – they were only 6 and 7 at the time.  Nevertheless, the heroic life of St. Magnus made a strong impression and he has remained one of our oldest son’s favorite saints ever since. You can see him dressed up as St. Magnus in 2007 here.

April 16th, St. Bernadette (Trad./some places) (New/some places – Feb. 18th):

I’m so happy that Saints for Girls will be back in print SOON!  This sweet book will be going in Rose’s Easter basket this year. 

April 16th, Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI’s Birthday:

April 21st, St. Alexandra (Hist.):

April 23rd, St. George (New, Trad.):

New additions to our collection this year:  (These will probably end up in one of the boys’ Easter baskets after they arrive.)

April 25th, St. Mark:

April 27th, St. Zita of Lucca (Hist.):

April 27th, Canonization of John XXIII and John Paul II :

With the canonization of Pope John XXIII and Pope John Paul II coming up on Divine Mercy Sunday, we will be reading some stories about these two past popes! 
Have you ordered a copy of Our Holy Father, the Pope: The Papacy from Saint Peter to the Present yet? You can find a short story about John Paul II inside!  
New and Upcoming Releases that I’ve ordered to add to our collection:   

April 28th , St. Louis Marie de Montfort (New):

April 29th, St. Catherine of Siena (New) (Trad. – Apr. 30th):

April 30th, St. Catherine of Siena (Trad.) (See Apr. 29th)

April 30th, Blessed Marie of the Incarnation:

My Daybook :: April 2, 2014

Apr 2, 2014 | , , , , | 13 Comments

Outside my window…
the sun is shining and the grass is looking pretty green on my side of the fence!  (Not that we actually have a fence yet… It’s still on the to-do list… lol) After seriously thinking we would be selling our home and moving, I have been looking around and noticing all the little things I love about our home.  We still have many unfinished projects but it has sure come a long way since we purchased our little fixer-upper 14 years ago this spring.  I’m happy that we will be staying here after all, at least for now.

I am thinking…
that I need to email our oldest son’s specialist at the children’s hospital. He was sick again on Sunday morning, though it wasn’t nearly as severe as usual (perhaps due to his medications, including the acid reducers) and only lasted a couple hours instead of six. It is so strange that it hits like clockwork every two months.  I did talk to the doctor last week and so far there is nothing to worry about from the test results.  She’d like to do an endoscopy next (which requires sedation) but Sean and I would like to look into more allergy testing first.

I am thankful… 
that even if I have fallen behind almost everywhere (house cleaning, grocery shopping, bookkeeping, blogging, emails, and even this year’s Jesus Tree readings – God had his own Lenten plans for us this year) our school year is going really well and all FIVE of the children are right on track to complete their SAXON Math books before the school year ends! It was a difficult transition back to Saxon from Teaching Textbooks but, according to the learning curves following their recent required state tests, it has been an incredibly productive year too!  I am so proud of all their hard work.

Learning all the time…

This week we are wrapping up our third quarter of this school year and then moving into the final stretch before summer!

Celebrating the liturgical year…
It’s time to update the book basket with saint books for April.  I’ll try and compile our list soon to share with you all!

From the kitchen… 
Cara Cara Oranges. Our little “princess” loves them… After all, they are pink!

I am working on… 
our tax return. I still have way too many receipts to sort through from last year, and only two weeks left! Yikes… How is it possibly April already?!

I am creating…
my submissions for RTJ’s Creative Catechist. I just submitted my first article for the September issue yesterday!

I am going…
to post another sponsor update at the beginning of May, but do welcome my new April sponsors, Saints 365 and Bridgie & Green, by visiting their blog and Etsy shop!  Be sure to keep all my awesome sponsors in mind, especially with Easter coming up, and be sure to tell them I sent you. If you happen to have a business and are interested in advertising you can download my media kit here or send me an email.

I am hoping…
to spend a little time this afternoon helping the children complete the Holy Week Banner they started making during the homeschool group activity on Monday.

I am praying…
The Holy Way of the Cross to be made by the Christian Mother for the Benefit of her Children found in The Christian Mother: The Education of Her Children and Her Prayer.

I am reading…
The 10 Habits of Happy Mothers: Reclaiming Our Passion, Purpose, and Sanity again, along with Holiness for Housewives (and other working women) and Meditations for Lent.

Pondering these words…
from The 10 Habits of Happy Mothers on Why Mothers Need Solitude:

“Why do we need solitude (and silence, which often accompanies it)? We need it because solitude makes us more sensitive mothers. Removing ourselves from constant stimulation and noise actually sharpens our sensitivity. Also, solitude forces us to face ourselves. In solitude we learn to like ourselves better because we are faced with our own company. It helps us heal from old hurts so that we can be free to enjoy the present and it refreshes us in ways that the company of others can’t. Finally, solitude centers us and brings about a deep peace that cannot be achieved while staying immersed in either the good noise of friends and family or the awful noise of raucous media. We must retreat into quiet aloneness so that we can learn to be the women we were meant to be.”

I am listening… 
to lots of conversations about “selling and buying homes,” “new jobs,” and “high property taxes.” We had a rainy spring break and the children spent lots of time building a lego town in the older boys’ bedroom.  I am always amazed at their creativity and need to take some close-up pictures to share.

Around the house…
stacks of books that I need to sell.  I’m trying to decide if I should wait until August to host this year’s Curriculum Sale Blog Hop (like usual), host it early (perhaps in May), possibly host two, or just forget the idea and list the books on Cathswap or Ebay… Any thoughts? Are any of you interested in participating in another link-up this year?

One of my favorite things…  
visiting the ocean.

This week’s plans…

  • Monday: Stations of the Cross and Craft with other local homeschoolers
  • Monday: Dinner Date with my husband
  • Tuesday & Thursday: Tutors for a few hours in the afternoon
  • Meet with our Contractor about a couple projects we are hoping to begin this summer
  • Order a few more books and other little gifts for the children’s Easter Baskets (you can find last year’s list here) 
  • Make time for some solitude and another visit to the adoration chapel

A little peek at my husband’s birthday…

It’s a good thing my husband loves to fight wildfires. . . He had one on his birthday cake this year! 

It melted the frosting and the trees, but with a little help he was able to get the fire contained and extinguished!

A Quick Visit to the Ocean

Apr 1, 2014 | | 4 Comments

Who knew it was so hard to find a hotel room for the night with only four children!?  Late Sunday night (on March 23rd) we decided to drive an hour west and stay at the coast for the night, instead of making the long drive home.  We had completely forgotten that spring break had just begun! After either visiting or calling nearly every hotel in the area I was finally able to convince one of the hotels to let us stay in the very last room they had available. It was a lovely room overlooking the ocean and we spent Monday, my husband’s birthday, driving down the coast (and even spotted a whale!) after he made the call from the hotel to turn down the job offer. The ocean is always one of my favorite places to visit and I love that it is within driving distance for us. It was such a peaceful way to end that crazy week!

Our Trip to the Children’s Hospital

Mar 27, 2014 | , , | 39 Comments

Last week, on the Solemnity Feast of St. Joseph, Sean and I headed out of town with our oldest two boys, while my mom watched our five youngest.  We were headed to the children’s hospital five hours away for some testing for our oldest son. The appointment had been rescheduled from the previous Friday since I had been recovering from the flu/infections and my husband had a job interview that particular Friday morning.  Of course God’s timing is always perfect and the change of dates ended up being a blessing.  
We weren’t sure if he would be offered the job or not, but we decided to take the opportunity to look at the surrounding towns and housing options.  It wasn’t a promotion, but moving expenses would be paid and it would bring us closer (though still 45-60 minutes away) to a traditional parish with frequent Latin Masses and a large active homeschool group, in addition to the job being located near two small Classical Catholic schools and many Catholic families. 

We left early hoping to make it to the noon prayers at the Abbey, but we didn’t arrive until 12:15 and just missed them… 
We decided to walk over to the gift shop and on our way we noticed a priest walking towards a building. From the distance it was hard to tell, but we thought it might be Father Theo! He walked into the building but ended up coming out the other side and headed to the gift shop too. He was purchasing a scone – the closest thing he could find to bread for the feast of St. Joseph! – when we walked in! 

It was so nice to be able to sit down and visit with him for awhile and to ask his advice on the possible job and move.  Before we left he gave our oldest a blessing. We sure miss him!

After visiting with Father we spent some time walking the grounds at the Abbey.

Our next stop was at the gorgeous church in town. Someone was cleaning the entry area so it happened to be unlocked and we were able to peek inside.  We had been here before for one of my friends/bridesmaid’s weddings and I just love this church!

Next we stopped for lunch at a local German restaurant before getting back on the road. 
After driving through many more (not nearly as beautiful and way more crowded) towns we stopped at the Lego store to surprise the boys (they picked out a Logging Truck and Camper Van), then went to Rose’s godparents home for dinner and to say hello to our sweet little goddaughter, before heading to the home of another friend for the night.
My friend Alecia happened to have a case of First Class Relics visiting her home, including St. Therese, which we were able to venerate. Captain was able to touch his new medals from the Abbey to the relics and I was able to touch my crucifix and wedding ring (it’s a sacramental after all) to them as well, making them 3rd class relics! 

The next morning bright and early we headed to the hospital.  We were the first appointment of the day in the Speciality Clinic and we didn’t wait long before meeting with the doctor.  
After discussing the past year and symptoms with us, she ordered quite a few tests and sent us to the lab and radiology. She wasn’t sure if radiology would be able to get us in, but she said to remind them how far away we live, and after initially saying no they “squeezed” us in for the 4-5 hour test!  After having him drink a special “milkshake” they took x-rays every 15-30 minutes to watch the drink make it’s way through his digestive tract. 
In between the various x-rays we had lots of time to explore the hospital, which is practically a whole city at the top of the hill.  We walked across the Sky Walk and even rode the Arial Tram! 

The x-rays all went well and they didn’t find any blockages! (We did just receive some abnormal results from the lab and are waiting to hear more from the doctor.)  Just as they were taking the last set of x-rays on Thursday afternoon, Sean had a call offering him the job and giving him only until Monday to make a decision… 
From the hospital we decided to visit the parish I mentioned earlier (the one that has such a wonderful homeschool community) and we called another dear priest who happens to currently be at this parish.  He happened to have a couple hours free and met with us.  My husband has applied for a number of out-of-state jobs over the past 15 years, and has switched jobs locally for various promotions, but this was the first job that he had been offered away from our home and my extended family.  The thought of moving was pretty terrifying for me and it was such a blessing to have the guidance from these holy priests.  There were many pros and cons for either decision – whether to take the job or not – and as Fr. Anderson said either decision would be the right one…. I think I was hoping for something a little clearer. 😉 And when my husband spoke with one of his brother’s the advice he was given was to make the decision based on what we know, not on what “could” happen if we move. We had lots of praying and discerning to do over the next few days! 
We started the drive home, stopping at the state college to take my little brother out to dinner, and got home after midnight on Friday morning.  For some reason the thought of moving was so overwhelming for me (we have lived in this home since before any of our children were born, and it has grown with our family overtime), but after two days of crying and lots of conversations with my husband, mom, and friends, I started to feel at peace with the decision to move.  It could be a fun adventure, right? 
We had been looking at housing options online, and started noticing that not only would the cost of homes be so much more, the property taxes were double, and even triple, what they are here, and it might not be likely that we’d be able to replace the same size of home, let alone find one with any acreage. (In fact one of the options had only a walkway for a backyard, needed to be remodeled, and would still cost more than we could potentially receive for our current home. Another was new, but had huge power lines going through the front yard and a cliff off the back, which wasn’t mentioned or shown online.) One more trip to the area seemed like a good idea.  The three oldest boys went to a friends home and we got up at 4am Sunday morning to attend the 11:00 EF Latin Mass at Holy Rosary.  
Mass was beautiful and it was such a joy to meet so many wonderful families!  We went out to lunch with a few new friends and started thinking that we’d soon be attending Mass here every Sunday.  However as the evening went on and we looked at more and more of the housing options and surrounding towns, and we started to notice just how far of a commute my husband would have if we opted to live near the parish, we decided that without a promotion the higher cost of living and the commutes would just be too challenging.  (Along with all the other pros and cons that factored into our decision.)  So on Monday morning, which happened to be my husband’s birthday, he called and turned down the job… We arrived home Monday night and will be staying here for now, grateful for all we do have here (our friends & family, great tutors to help me with home educating, our home, and a bi-monthly Latin Mass, to mention a few – oh!  and way less rain! lol) and working on the virtue of patience. 
It was encouraging to read in last weekend’s Catholic Sentinel that changes are coming. It gives us hope to read that “Reverent, beautiful, prayerful and worthy celebration of the holy Mass must be the hallmark of every parish community.”
We are so grateful for all the prayers that have been offered for our oldest son and for my husband and I as we worked through all these decisions for our family.  Deo Gratias! 

Catholic Embroidery {Sponsored Review & Giveaway}

Mar 23, 2014 | , | 0 Comments

It has been an emotional and whirlwind of a week!  We arrived home from our trip to the children’s hospital late Thursday night (or rather early Friday morning – so far the testing has been going well) and we are turning around and heading out of town again early tomorrow (Sunday) morning… As I mentioned briefly last Monday, we have some big decisions that need to be made soon. I’m sorry to be vague for the time being, but hopefully next week I’ll have the opportunity to get back to blogging again and share some of what has been going on with you all.  In the meantime, could you please offer a prayer or two for our family?

Anyways, before I get off the computer to pack (and hopefully get a few hours of sleep tonight) I have another coupon code and giveaway for you all!

I think I might have mentioned Catholic Embroidery in the past… 😉  I just love their products!

I wish I had time to take updated pictures of some of our favorite items from Catholic Embroidery (there are many!) but I am going to have to settle for sharing the links and pictures to some of the things I’ve posted about in the past:

#1 – Baptismal Blanket from my blog post Our Baptized Baby and a Beautiful Baptismal Blanket

#2 – First Communion Handkerchief from my blog post First Holy Communion Gift Ideas

#3 – Rosary Case from my blog post The Big Purse Dump

# 4 – Rosary Case from my blog post On Easter Morning {Our 2013 Easter Baskets!}

#5 – Custom Children’s Missal Cover from my blog post On the Feast of St. James

#6 – Pysanky Basket Cover from my post Seven Quick Easter Takes and Easter Symbols {An Easter Basket for the Whole Family}

#7 –  My Custom Shower of Roses Apron from my post {pretty, happy, funny, real}

#8 – Custom Ordered Tote from my blog post Celebrating the O Antiphons :: The Golden Nights

# 9 – Love of the Little Flower Afgan from my blog post My Daybook :: October 13, 2013

I have always been beyond happy with each purchase from Catholic Embroidery and I look forward to adding more of their products to our home in the future!

.: First Communion Coupon Code :. 

The “Season of Sacraments” is already upon us and our First Communion Handkerchiefs are just the gift for the Catholic Child. This year, we are offering a Standard and Custom version of the gold-metallicembroidered keepsake. 

Shower of Roses visitors can obtain FREE SHIPPING on both of these styles by entering FIRSTCOMMUNION in the promotion box at checkout through April 4, 2014.

Other things that are especially popular this time of year are our Pysanky Basket Cover, Accessories for Easter Baskets, and our Lamb of God Apron, Table Runner, and Stationery…

And now for the Giveaway! 
Catholic Embroidery would like to introduce and give one of their new embroidered Hoodies to one of my visitors here at Shower of Roses; winner’s choice of the Ave Maria Hoodie or the Fleury Child of Mary Pink Hoodie in whatever size of choice. (An over $40 value!)
Please enter the giveaway using the Rafflecopter box below:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

A March Daybook on the Feast of St. Patrick

Mar 18, 2014 | , | 10 Comments

Outside my window…
we have been enjoying the beautiful spring weather.

I am thinking…
about so many things.  We have some big decisions to make and we are praying our rosary every night that God will make His will for our family clear.

I am thankful… 
for antibiotics!  I just took the last antibiotic last night and am feeling so. much. better.  I’m still dealing with some congestion though and avoiding dairy and sugar and taking lots of Vitamin C, probiotics, and now some mega doses of Vitamin D, due to some super low test results this past week.

Learning all the time…

I promise I haven’t forgotten about the curriculum update some of you have been patiently waiting for… I had really hoped to finish and share the post by now, but with our trip to see the specialists this week it is going to have to wait a little longer.  We are all really enjoying most of our subjects this year, but also looking forward to our Spring Break next week!
Celebrating the liturgical year…
We are celebrating St. Patrick today and the feast of St. Joseph is coming up the day after tomorrow!  You can find the links to most of our past March feast day celebrations here, thought it looks like I have a little updating to do. . .  It might be best to just search the labels for St. Patrick and St. Joseph.

From the kitchen… 
Shamrock Frittata with Irish Sausage…

… Shamrock Toasties, as requested by our sweet boy celebrating a name-day…

.. and Irish Beef and Guinness Stew with Traditional Irish Soda Bread!  Yummmmm.

I am working on… 
resting.  Though you wouldn’t know it after looking at all that yummy St. Patrick’s Day food! 😉

I am creating…
my submission for the summer issue of Catholic Digest.

I am going…
on a road trip with just my husband and oldest two boys!  My parents have offered to watch the five youngest (for the first time overnight) while we travel to see the specialists and I’m really looking forward to spending this special time with just the boys.

I am praying…
that the specialists will have some answers for us when we meet with them on Thursday morning.

 

I am reading…

a new addition to our collection of picture books for March: St. Patrick and the Three Brave Mice.

In my opinion some of the illustrations are rather scary (snakes always scare me) and the story is really short, but the little ones have been asking me to read it over and over again.  They really love the little mice and how they tried to help St. Patrick rid Ireland of that last snake! 

Pondering these words…
from Arthur Brisbane:

“[St. Patrick] was a terror to any snake that came in his path, whether it was the cold, slimy reptile sliding along the ground or the more dangerous snake that oppresses men through false teachings. And he drove the snakes out of the minds of men, snakes of superstition and brutality and cruelty.”

I am listening… 
to Traditional Irish Music on Pandora and the children just finished watching Patrick – Brave Shepherd of the Emerald Isle.

Around the house…
I love that our oldest son picked up my slack and decorated for St. Patrick’s Day this year! He pulled out his statue of St. Patrick along with a few of his Holy Cards, put together a little Leprechaun/Rainbow/Pot of Gold and Irish Flag Lego Creations, and even pulled out one of his favorite stuffed animals from when he was a baby and a paper on St. Patrick that he recently finished writing!

One of my favorite things…  
I never get tired of watching this little guy try and blow out all the candles around our home.
 

This week’s plans…

  • Celebrate the Feast of St. Patrick (and our Irish Heritage!)
  • Math Tutor on Tuesday (Next week is Spring Break!)
  • Table Replacement Arriving! (So excited! It only took 7 months…) 
  • Celebrate the Feast of St. Joseph (It will be extra simple this year…)
  • Trip to take Captain to see the Specialist (Please pray! and I’ll be away from the computer for a couple days…)

A little peek at my day…

Waiting for Grandpa and Grandma to arrive for dinner! We were so excited when I asked my parents at the last minute to join us for our St. Patrick’s Day dinner and they said yes!  Happy name-day to my Dad, Patrick Joseph Murphy, and Happy Birthday to my dear Father-in-law James Patrick and brother-in-law Father T.G. So many reasons to celebrate on this special feast day! 

Prayer Pillowcases {Sponsored Review & Giveaway}

Mar 15, 2014 | , , | 0 Comments

I’m sure you have noticed the beautiful ad in my sidebar for Prayer Pillowcases.  I am so grateful to have them as one of my sponsors here at Shower of Roses and excited to share a closer look at their lovely pillowcases with you all today! 

Last Christmas two of our children were blessed with Prayer Pillowcases of their patron saints! The inspiring and soft pillowcases have been such a lovely addition to our home and I have been very impressed with the quality. These pillowcases are made in the USA and the images are printed directly onto the pillowcase using non-toxic water based inks. I have washed the pillowcases inside out using cold water and have only noticed very minimal fading after the first washing and they still look just as beautiful as when they arrived!

I have covered it up in my photos, but each of the pillowcases has been personalized with our child’s name.   I always love to include a religious gift in our children’s Easter Baskets that reflects one of their patron saints, and the Saint Patrick and Saint Joseph pillowcases are going to be included in two of the boys’ Easter baskets next month!  
In addition to Christmas and Easter, these Prayer Pillowcases would also be perfect gifts for celebrating name-days, First Confession, First Holy Communion, and any other special occasion!  
For a limited time Prayer Pillowcases is offering FREE SHIPPING anywhere in the U.S. and U.S. Territories on ANY SIZE ORDER! (You can find the rates for International Shipping here.)

And now for the giveaway! 

With the feasts of St. Patrick and St. Joseph coming up this next week, Prayer Pillowcases has offered to give a personalized pillowcase to TWO of my visitors here at Shower Roses!  (You can find our past celebrations for St. Patrick’s Day and St. Joseph’s Day in the archives.) 

One visitor will receive the Saint Patrick Prayer Pillowcase and another visitor will receive the Saint Joseph Prayer Pillowcase, each specially personalized for the winner!

 Please enter the giveaway using the Rafflecopter box below:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

{Seven Quick Takes} At the end of a quiet week…

Mar 14, 2014 | , | 14 Comments

— 1 —

From Instagram last Friday: Whew! Just spent the last two hours hand scrubbing the tile and wood floors… (while Sean and the kids worked on the bedrooms and vacuuming the carpets!) Time for our family rosary and then bedtime for all the little ones. It is going to be so nice to start the weekend (and the rest of the to-do list) with a clean home, following a productive school week!

Is it really Friday already?  I didn’t intend to take the week off blogging, but God had other plans for me… Apparently I over did it last week, while still recovering from the H1N1 flu that had gone through our home, and after pushing myself through the weekend, I ended up coming home from our Latin Mass Sunday evening and climbing straight into bed with a horrible ear ache. My husband called my doctors office first thing Monday morning and I didn’t get back out of bed until the appointment he set up on Tuesday afternoon.  I ended up coming home with antibiotics for the infections in both ears (including a double infection on one side) and a sinus infection.  I’ve been so incredibly weak and the little energy I’ve had has been spent on meals and home educating. Please forgive me if I owe you an email… It’s going to take me a little while to catch up online. 
  

— 2 —
We were suppose to be on our way to see the specialist for our oldest son today, but yesterday I ended up rescheduling the appointment for next Thursday.  I just don’t have the strength for the trip yet (it’s a five hour drive each way) and Sean had a work commitment come up for this morning as well.  I hated to postpone the trip, but so thankful they are able to squeeze us in next week instead! Please continue to keep our oldest son in your prayers as we search for answers to his health issues. 
— 3 —
I’ve received a few prayer requests in my inbox this week… I’m praying for all the intentions and wanted to pass along this email to you all.  Please keep Michaela in your prayers!

“We have a friend that was diagnosed with cancer in November. She is the oldest of 9 children. She has had chemo and reconstructive surgery to remove the tumor. Unfortunately the tumor is chemo resistant and she will have to have more intense chemo for a longer period. I was hoping you would be willing to spread the word about Michaela. Her family is requesting prayer (most importantly) but also if anyone feels called to help donate money that would be great as well. You know the financial strains on a large family without a major illness. Here is her facebook page Michaela Ambrose Fund and her website. Any help at all would be greatly appreciated! This such a devout and loving family! They really deserve any help you are able to give to them. Thank you!”
— 4 —

From Instagram last Saturday: So grateful for this quiet and peace filled day… It started with Sean taking the kids (all SEVEN of them!) to work with him so that I could focus on some projects/deadlines of my own without distractions; and it’s ending with the sacrament of confession and a visit to the Blessed Sacrament!

Looking back I should have left it at that and not tried to squeeze in another marathon grocery shopping trip (Costco, Trader Joe’s and Natural Grocers) following adoration… At least we had plenty of food in the house while I was sick in bed! 🙂 

— 5 —
It’s raining again this morning, but we’ve been enjoying beautiful Spring weather all week and the children have been spending every afternoon outdoors! 
— 6 —

Sour or Not Sour? Chemistry (Affiliate link) experiments are so much fun with this little guy! 
During this experiment (on Thursday of last week) we also discussed the difference between “sour” and “ew, disgusting!” I expected his reaction to the lemon juice (and wish I would have caught it on video) but who knew Mineral Water tasted so badly?! 😉  
— 7 —

Today is the last day to enter the giveaway for the beautiful St. Therese earrings from Gail Girón Design.  Gail is also offering a Free Shipping Special on all domestic orders through March 17th using coupon code STPATRICK17.  Be sure to check back sometime this weekend for the next giveaway sponsored by Prayer Pillowcases!


For additional Quick Takes visit Conversion Diary.

1st Pontifical High Mass at the Throne

Mar 9, 2014 | , , | 10 Comments

I still can hardly believe that Archbishop Sample is our Archbishop! He gives me such hope for our liberal state and diocese. Deo Gratias!

This beautiful and inspiring sermon was given by His Excellency Archbishop Sample at the Pontifical Mass he celebrated in the Extraordinary Form on March 1, 2014 at the Brigittine Monastery in Amity, Oregon.

The Mass was the crowning celebration of a 3-day conference on Gregorian Chant and the role of sacred music in the liturgy.  I had wanted to surprise my husband with a trip to attend as an early birthday gift, but due to the flu it wasn’t a possibility this year… Instead he will be receiving a 12×18 print of the above photo and hopefully he will be able to attend the next conference. 🙂

Note: You can view the rest of the photos from this Mass here.  The video below and all the photographs were taken and edited by our friend Marc Salvatore.  Thank you Marc! 

“Let’s not ever forget that as much as we may want to get every word right in the liturgy, and as much as we want to get every movement down perfectly in the liturgy, if we do not have love then it’s just a show. So let’s be people filled with love.” 


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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.

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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
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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?

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Posts About:

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!