Celebrating the Saints :: Our 2021 Costumes

by | Nov 2, 2021 | , , | 5 Comments

Celebrating the Saints Costumes - St. Martin of Tours, St. Margaret of Scotland, St. Germaine Cousin, St. Elizabeth of Hungary, St. Kateri Tekakwitha, St. Olaf 

Almighty and everlasting God, Who hast enabled us to honor in one solemn feast the merits of all Thy Saints: we beseech Thee, that, with so many praying for us, Thou wouldst pour forth on us the abundance of Thy mercy for which we long.

St. Kateri Tekakwitha

St. Martin of Tours

Helmet can be found here.

St. Margaret of Scotland

St. Olaf

St. Germaine Cousin

St. Elizabeth of Hungary

Scroll through more of our Celebrating the Saints Costumes here.

Happy Feast of All Saints!

Saints Around the World

by | Nov 1, 2021 | , , , , | 6 Comments


A couple weeks ago I asked our sixteen year old daughter if she’d write a book review of Saints Around the World for here on the blog, since I hadn’t had a chance to get to it myself, and she did such a great job! I just took the pictures to include. Head over to Instagram for a chance to win a copy! 

In honor of the saints who we glorify this All Saints Day, Saints Around the World, written by Meg Hunter-Kilmer and illustrated by Lindsey Sanders, is a beautiful blend of saints, known worldwide, and stories of whom I hadn’t heard of. These gripping tales of martyrs, kings and queens, laymen and laywomen, warriors, and the religious, show both their virtues and their flaws, which they used to get even closer to Christ. This book helps children understand that not a single saint was born a saint and it keeps them from saying, “There’s no way I can be like him!” but inspires them to say, “this person was so much like me! I’m going to be just like him when I’m older.” 

The text and illustrations work hand in hand to give this effect. The text is written so that it can be understood by little ears and is enjoyed by all ages. It normally begins with the saint’s personal character or physical difficulties so that every child finds a saint who they can relate to. The beautiful illustrations depict the saint surrounded by hidden symbolisms; from the colors of the scenery to the way the saint’s hair’s done! The four different indexes in the back (geographical, feast day, topical, and chronological) help the reader find someone to fit every description.
This is a great read for children of all ages, all discerning different vocations, and from all walks of life, especially during this time we spend glorifying the saints in heaven who have gone before us into the celestial realms of heaven! 

All ye Holy Angels and Saints, Pray for Us!

Order a copy of Saints Around the World from Amazon, directly from St. Paul Center or the Saints Around the World Book Set (and the Saint Blocks!) from Almond Rod Toys.

All Saints Guessing Jars {2021 Edition}

by | Oct 30, 2021 | | 7 Comments

Pretty much last minute, as usual, but I wanted to share the 18 NEW All Saints Guessing Jar Labels that I came up with and made for this year’s party at our parish! I think that puts the total count up to about 98 options between these and all the others that can be found in the archives from over the years.

Here is the link to all of my FREE All Saints Party Printables!

I have so much fun trying to connect saints with treats each year! A few days ago my eleven year old daughter and I went to the store to see what we could find to use for this years jars. 

I was also so excited and relieved to finally find wide mouth jars after multiple online orders were cancelled and unsuccessfully searching many local stores! It’s so much more fun for the children to actually get to keep the treats in the jar instead of getting them dumped into a ziplock to take home. 

“Are there any saints who would work for Caramel Apples???”
…. google search…. St. Dorothy is the patron of gardeners and depicted with apples… Perfect! 

“According to her apochryphal tradition, she was a resident of Caesarea, Cappadocia, who when she refused to sacrifice to the gods during Emperor Diocletian’s persecution of the Christians, was tortured by the governor and ordered executed. On the way to the place of execution, she met a young lawyer, Theophilus, who mockingly asked her to send him fruits from “the garden” she had joyously announced she would soon be in. When she knelt for her execution, she prayed, and an angel with a basket of three roses and three apples, which she sent to Theophilus, telling him she would meet him in the garden. Theophilus was converted to Christianity and later was martyred.” – Source

St. Dorothy, Patron of Gardeners: Brach’s Caramel Apples
St. Blaise, Patron of Wild Animals: Animal Crackers
St. Amelia, Queen of Hungary, Patron of Farmers: Brach’s Pumpkins



“How about frogs… Any way to tie frogs to a saint?” 
We ended up finding this:

“Saint Ulphia of Amiens is a Christian saint, venerated particularly at Amiens. She was said to be a young girl living on the banks of the Noye in the who became a hermit at what would become Saint-Acheul, near Amiens in the Kingdom of the Franks, under the spiritual direction of Saint Domitius (Domice). At the end of her life, she formed and directed a community of religious women at Amiens.

Legend states that Ulphe placed the frogs in the area around her hermitage (which was built in a swampy area) under interdict as a result of their loud croaking, which kept her awake at nights. Thus, in her iconography, she is depicted as a young nun seated in prayer on a rock with a frog in the pool near her.

A 19th century hagiographer noted that the frogs in the area around the oratory of Saint Ulphe were, indeed, very quiet. However, if these frogs were taken elsewhere, they became boisterous once again.”

St. Ulphia of Amiens: Gummi Frogs (I threw in some Mini Frogs too to complicate things!) 
St. Anslem… who Protected a Hare: Annie’s Bunny Grahams 
St. Abigail, Patron of Bees & Beekeepers:  Bit-O-Honey’s

York Peppermint Patties work perfectly for St. Margaret Clitherow, the “Pearl of York, as well as for St. William of York!

St. Margaret Clitherow, the “Pearl of York: York Peppermint Patties
St. William of York: York Peppermint Patties
St. Ignatius of Loyola… who was struck by a cannonball:  Cannonballs (aka Whoppers) 
 
“Five hundred years ago, Iñigo López de Loyola (Ignatius of Loyola) was struck by a cannonball during the Battle of Pamplona. What might have been an inconvenient and painful injury changed that soldier’s life and, ultimately, shaped our lives as well.” – Source

My children LOVE KitKats and Reese’s… so I picked St. Katharine and St. Thérèse whose names could be nicknamed KitKat and Reese! 😉 

St. Katharine Drexel: KitKat Minitures

St. Thérèse of Lisieux: Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups

Doctors of the Church: Smarties

Aren’t these Kodiak Bear Bites great! I included three saints with their bear stories last year, but two more to add this year.

St. Francis of Paola, Blessing the Fish: Goldfish Cookies or Crackers

St. Seraphim of Sarov: Kodiak Bear Bites
St. Maximinus of Trier: Teddy Grahams

This year the Alphabet Cookies are getting linked to St. Francis de Sales, patron of writers & journalists. If the kids look closely while counting they will see “PRAY” spelled out around the bottom and top of the jar. 😉 

 

Another random fact I learned this year:  In the Maltese language, the Milky Way galaxy is called It-Triq ta’ Sant’Anna, literally “The Way of St. Anne”.

St. Anne: MilkyWay Minis

St. Luigi Scrosoppi, Patron of Footballers: Sport Balls *How many soccer balls are in the jar? 😉 

St. Francis de Sales, Patron of Writers & Journalists: Alphabet Cookies 

Once again I also made additional guess pages to go along with each of the jars. 

PSA: Order Your Advent Candles Now

by | Oct 27, 2021 | , | 0 Comments

Advent begins at the end of next month and it’s time to order Advent Candles for your Wreath!

 
For many years now we have been ordering the beautiful 100% Beeswax hand-poured tapers, made by the Dominican Nuns at The Cloister Shoppe, for the wreath we light each night during dinner. 
(Note: all links are affiliate links.) 
I try to plan ahead each year and order extra candles to have blessed on Candlemas (Feb 2) to have on hand for the new liturgical year and the following Advent.
In addition to the Advent Candles, some of my favorites have included: 
  • Beeswax Candles – You can’t go wrong with any of these! I replace our Advent Candles with Beeswax Candles for the Christmas season.

We usually have two Advent wreaths set up in our home for Advent.  
The taper Advent Candles are placed in an Advent Wreath on our dining room table and we light them during dinner each night. 
We also have a larger wreath on the coffee table in the living room which we light during our family rosary each evening. I still really miss the pillar candles I bought for years from the Benedictine Monks… I currently use these 3×3 candles in purple and pink.  (Scroll through all Advent Wreath posts here.) 
One year I was feeling extra ambitious and hung our Advent Wreath like the Von Trapps! 

My children also really enjoy creating their own candles using this 100% Beeswax Advent Candle Kit from Illuminated Ink (pictured above). It’s such a fun Advent activity for children.
  
Speaking of Advent Wreaths…Advent Wreath Socks from Socks Religious are a lot of fun too!  
I really enjoyed mine last year and can’t wait to pull them out again next month. 🙂 
The dear sisters only make a limited quantity of Advent Candles. 
They tend to sell out very quickly each year so be sure to order them soon if you are interested! 

Now till December 1, 2021:
$5 off $80 or more with promo-code: Christmas2021

For more Advent Planning:  The Advent Season In Our Catholic Home

St. Joan of Arc’s Annual All Saints Party

by | Oct 26, 2021 | , | 5 Comments

Note: Dates above from last year’s party! 
Some of our children’s favorite childhood memories are the All Hallows’ Eve Parties we had at our old parish (up through 2010) and hosted at our old home (from 2011-2017). Since moving to Idaho in October 2018, we’ve been attending and helping with our parish’s annual party. We’ll be having our 3rd Annual All Saints Party at the new parish location this Sunday night and my children are all so excited!

I never did get around to sharing the pictures from last year’s party so I went through them last night to choose some to share. My camera’s battery died towards the end of the evening, and then my cell phone, but I did manage to get some more photos towards the end after a friend loaned me his portable charger. This year I’ll make sure to charge those batteries before we leave home! 😉  

Last year Fr. Rapoport took over coordinating the party! (Thank you, Father!!! It’s hard enough for some of us moms of large families just to get our children in costumes and to the party!) Father decided to incorporate some Octoberfest themes as well as a Silent Auction to fundraise for our Church Building Fund and it was a huge success.  The Young Adults group baked pretzels, served food/drinks, sold apple cider, and took care of the set-up and tear-down.  The Youth Group teens were in charge of running all the games once they arrived with their families. It worked out really well asking each family to donate a package of brats or hotdogs, candy, and drinks to help with the food and the parish is doing the same this year.

Schedule for the Evening: 

  • 5:00 pm Meal Prayer/Food/Games
  • 6:30pm Litany/Hymns/All Saints Costume Contest
  • 7:00pm Pumpkin Carving Contest
  • 7:30pm All Saints Guessing Jars Contest Announcements
  • 8:00pm Silent Auction Winner Announcements/Bonfire
  • 9:00pm Cleanup

.: Saint Costumes :. 
St. Helena, St. Teresa of Avila, St. Maximilian Kolbe, St. Anges + Lamb, St. Rose of Lima, St, Michael the Archangel

 

 

.: Outdoor Games :.

 
 

  
.: Dinner :.

.: Beirgarten :. 

.: Litany of the Saints & Hymns :.
.: Indoor Games :.

Click the link above for my FREE Printables! 
  

.: Silent Auction :. 
 
 
I didn’t get pictures of all the silent auction items… SO many great things! 
 The “Dinner with the Priests” ended up going for $1,000! 
.: Saint Costume Contest :. 

Our St. Agnes ended up winning the costume contest for girls 16 and up (it helped to have a live baby “lamb”) and our St. Teresa of Avila took the prize for girls ages 11-15!  

Thankfully Fr. R was judging the older age categories. Some of our younger children were at a disadvantage with their uncle/our pastor choosing for those age groups. 😉  Poor Father had many of the younger children jumping up and down saying, “Pick me, pick me!” He finally told them, “I have to pray on this! I have to pray on this!” 
There were SO many amazing costumes at the party! 

.: Saint-O-Lantern Pumpkin Carvings Contest :.

The three parish priests choose the three winners from all the anonymously carved pumpkins. It’s been so long that I can’t remember who won… I’m pretty sure St. Joseph and and the Marian carvings took the wins this year, but I could be wrong.

.: All Hallows’ Eve Bonfire :. 

“You cannot be half a saint; 
you must be a whole saint or no saint at all.” 
– St. Thérèse of Lisieux
All Saints in Heaven, Ora Pro Nobis! 

High School Graduation Party {Class of 2021}

by | Oct 25, 2021 | , , , | 6 Comments

At the end of August, just before our three oldest headed off to college, we hosted a graduation and 18th birthday party for our daughter.  She’s our third to graduate Magna Cum Laude from Kolbe Academy. Three down…  “Only” six more to go! We ended up having right around 150 family and friends show up to join us to celebrate with a back yard barbecue and games.  Even my parents, sister and newest little niece were able to make the drive up from Oregon! It was such a fun evening!

.: Graduation Cap Cupcakes :. 

I made a more girly version of the Graduation Cap Cupcakes we made for her brothers! 

.: Graduation Candy Buffet :. 

I also reused the signs Graduation Candy Buffet Signs from the boys’ party, but included more pink here too to coordinate with the party colors. I shared them as a free printable a couple years ago if anyone would like to use them as well. 



.: Graduation & Birthday Cakes :. 


.: More Decorations :. 


For decorations I printed out her annual End of Year Interviews from over the years and pinned them to some string lights. It was so cute to see all the little girls giggling over them!


.: More Pictures from the Party :. 

 

  

 
 

We pulled out some of the same games from our previous party including Kan Jam, Spikeball, Cornhole and Ping Pong. I meant to bring out BattleChip but completely forgot!

May God bless and protect our newest college student! 

Pray for the Carmelites

by | Oct 2, 2021 | , , | 2 Comments

Please read these recent news articles and keep the Carmelites in your prayers: 
 

“I urge my brother Bishops, priests, and above all the faithful laity to raise their voices against the destruction of Convents of contemplative life and traditional religious Communities. It is necessary to give not only spiritual and moral support, but also material and media support to the victims of an attack that has been getting worse in recent weeks after the promulgation of the Motu Proprio Traditionis Custodes, so that the persecuted religious sisters may be defended and those who are responsible for this persecution that is hateful in the eyes of God and the entire ecclesial community may be exposed.”
+ Carlo Maria Viganò, Archbishop
Former Apostolic Nuncio to the United States
October 1, 2021
God bless and protect Archbishop Viganò! 
St. Thérèse of Lisieux, ora pro nobis! 🌹

End-of-School Interviews 2020-2021

by | Sep 22, 2021 | | 10 Comments

I started this post when our school year ended back in May, but it’s taken me until now to finish it up.  At the end of May, “Rose” and I flew back to Virginia to make the long road trip home from Christendom College with the older boys. The rest of the summer was a whirlwind of activities, birthdays, summer jobs, summer camps, hosting a family reunion and then a graduation party, not to mention all the college transitions and preparations! It was such a wonderful summer and I sure treasure those months we have each year with everyone home. 

I’ve been reminiscing a lot lately, thinking back to when I started this blog nearly fifteen years ago as an overwhelmed young home educating mother still in my twenties. Our oldest was six at the time and I was pregnant with number five. Now those first five children of ours are all in high school and college! I can’t keep the tears from falling every time we put them on a plane or drop them off at school, but it is also so exciting to see them growing up and following God’s plan for their lives. As a dear friend of mine recently said, “It’s like reading a good book and you can’t wait to turn the page and see what happens next!” 
December 12, 2020 – On their way to a Youth Group Christmas Party!

 

I didn’t spend time blogging over the summer, maybe I’ll get the opportunity this fall to go back and share a few things, but first I wanted to finish up this post with their annual End of School Interviews!  
Here are this past year’s interviews (revised with blog nicknames):
Photo taken at Mount Rushmore on their road trip to college last fall:
When your son sends you a bathroom selfie in the guys’ dorm on his way to class 
… with a broken front tooth and the toilet seat up… 
it’s hard to resist using it for his end-of-year photo! 
My favorite part is that he doesn’t even mind. I love his confidence! 

His tooth was a soccer injury, re-broken from when he was younger. 
It’s currently glued back together again and looks better than it did before. We’ll see if it holds…
No more soccer games without a mouth guard! 
Oh, I sure miss our sweet girl! She flew home for the weekend and it was so hard to take her back to the airport early Monday morning. It was such a fun weekend! 
She got to go on a second “Nun Run” this year and took some great pictures! 
I need to see if I can get her to share about her trip on the blog. 
It’s been really hard on her with her sister/best friend off to college… 
Hoping we can make that visit to UMary happen soon!
Now that he’s in high school, and not a brand new baby, I really need to change his blog nickname from “Snuggles”…. It’s just so confusing to change it with the old nickname all over the archives! 
He’s not a fan of “Scout” (too boy scout sounding he said) and “Sergeant outranks Captain”… so we are considering “Sniper”… He liked that one.  How is it even possible that he is in high school already?! 

We’ll go back to calling her “Grace”… but for today her name is “Lola Dutch!” 

Favorite Book: Lola Dutch
Favorite Book: You Are My Little Cupcake 
Favorite Toy: Bunny
I’m realizing now that I messed up on a few of the favorite book titles in the images. I don’t have time to go back and fix them all right now, but the links should all be correct. 🙂 

The Fourteen Holy Helpers

by | Sep 9, 2021 | , , , | 61 Comments

Have you seen the lovely new book by Allison Lunsford and Illustrated by Joan Bennett? 

As we kick off our new school year, I have three copies to of The Fourteen Holy Helpers to give away, one copy here on the blog and two more over at Instagram!

“The fourteen saints presented in this book were classified as the “Holy Helpers” during the scourge of the Black Plague in the 1300s. Today, it seems there has never been a better time to re-introduce the Holy Helpers to the Catholic world and to society as a whole.”

This beautifully illustrated book, filled with captivating accounts of the Fourteen Holy Helpers, paints the images of the saints so well both in art and words. Readers of all ages will be inspired by these incredible saints!

.: Giveaway :. 

Enter for a chance to win an autographed copy of The Fourteen Holy Helpers in the Rafflecopter box below. Click over to Instagram for an additional chance to win a copy and one for a friend too!

Back to School :: 2021-2022

by | Sep 8, 2021 | , | 11 Comments

Blessed Mother, as you so humbly and graciously accepted God’s will to bear and raise His only son, and to guide him in wisdom and virtue, help me in the instruction and education of my children. Pray to your Heavenly Son to grant me the grace and strength to assist in their learning, overcoming tiredness and discouragement. Assist me in the management of my home, so that I may be able to keep order and peace, despite the challenges of schooling within it. Intercede for me, imploring Our Heavenly Father to bestow upon me wisdom, not for my own sake, but so that I may form my children’s minds and hearts, so that they may grow into strong adults, helping to shape the world for His glory, and ultimately inheriting the kingdom of heaven. Call upon your heavenly angels to stand by my side, with their great intelligence, to help me understand that which I am instructing, and assist my children in learning of same. We humbly ask this through you beloved Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

We are off to Mass to celebrate our Blessed Mother’s birthday and the beginning of our new school year!

I shared the following over on Instagram but wanted to record it here too:

After a whirlwind road trip on Friday, move-in day Saturday, and New Student Mass and Brunch today (Sunday), I’m heading back home and leaving a big chunk of my heart in North Dakota. How is it even possible that we have three young adults in college already?!?  Please remember them, and all students, in your prayers! Love you so much @captain_faramir @celtickittens @rangerrascal and I will be praying and fasting for a blessed and fruitful semester for you all at @universityofmary!

I keep having the sweetest pictures pop up in my memories this week… Click here for a flash back to ten years ago! So much has changed and yet so much is still the same. I’m so grateful for all the blessings we have been given and excited to start this new school year with our youngest six still at home! 

God is good!
All Saints Guessing Jars {2021 Edition}

All Saints Guessing Jars {2021 Edition}

by | Oct 30, 2021 | | 7 Comments

Pretty much last minute, as usual, but I wanted to share the 18 NEW All Saints Guessing Jar Labels that I came up with and made for this year's party at our parish! I think that puts the total count up to about 98 options between these and all the others that can be...

Pray for the Carmelites

Pray for the Carmelites

by | Oct 2, 2021 | , , | 2 Comments

Please read these recent news articles and keep the Carmelites in your prayers: Traditional Carmelites in Pennsylvania announce apostolic visitation Abp. Viganò defends traditional nuns against ‘bullying’ by Vatican "I urge my brother Bishops, priests,...

End-of-School Interviews 2020-2021

End-of-School Interviews 2020-2021

by | Sep 22, 2021 | | 10 Comments

I started this post when our school year ended back in May, but it's taken me until now to finish it up.  At the end of May, "Rose" and I flew back to Virginia to make the long road trip home from Christendom College with the older boys. The rest of the summer...

The Fourteen Holy Helpers

The Fourteen Holy Helpers

by | Sep 9, 2021 | , , , | 61 Comments

Have you seen the lovely new book by Allison Lunsford and Illustrated by Joan Bennett? As we kick off our new school year, I have three copies to of The Fourteen Holy Helpers to give away, one copy here on the blog and two more over at Instagram!"The fourteen...

Back to School :: 2021-2022

Back to School :: 2021-2022

by | Sep 8, 2021 | , | 11 Comments

Blessed Mother, as you so humbly and graciously accepted God's will to bear and raise His only son, and to guide him in wisdom and virtue, help me in the instruction and education of my children. Pray to your Heavenly Son to grant me the grace and strength to assist...

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.


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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.

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