The Mysterious Affair at Sterling Hall Murder Mystery Birthday Party

by | Oct 7, 2025 | , | 2 Comments

The Mysterious Affair at Sterling Hall Murder Mystery – A 19th Birthday Party

Back in 2021 we hosted our first Murder Mystery for a 16th Birthday and it was such a hit we had to do it again! So far I’ve thrown four more – a couple for birthdays and a couple as farewell parties for friends – with another coming up in a couple weeks. I have been terrible about sharing any of them here on the blog, so I’m going to start with The Mysterious Affair at Sterling Hall Murder Mystery which I threw for our eldest daughter’s 19th birthday. It was so much fun!

Once again we purchased the Murder Mystery from Shot in the Dark Mysteries:

“The Mysterious Affair at Stirling Hall has been designed to be played as a Georgian or Victorian Era or murder mystery (think of these as a Jane Austen murder mystery party, for example) or as an Edwardian Era murder mystery (more of a Downton Abbey themed murder mystery party).”

We kinda combined the two with Austen decorations and added a prize for best male and female costumes inspired by either Austen or Downton Abbey! (Free PDF Download/Printable of the voting cards I made here.)

(We purchased the 18 suspects + 2 witnesses package from Shot in the Dark Mysteries)

.: Party Decorations :.

For the decorations, I had so much fun blending Austen-inspired details with a touch of murder mystery mixed in! We used Austen books and quotes (I dug up and printed some that tied into our murder mystery theme – download my free printables here) and displayed them around the house. I reused the homemade birthday banner from her earlier Jane Austen-themed party for her 14th birthday, added lots of balloons, and placed teapots and teacups on the table for that proper English touch.

To complete the look, we also included Austen art from Sleightholm Folk Art , dolls from Marzipantz, the Penguin Clothbound Jane Austen Set, candles, and lots of roses! It all came together beautifully – lots of pink, feminine, and just mysterious enough for the murder mystery theme!

You can download the quote documents I created here. I just printed them out and mounted them to pink card stock.

Custom Book Blanket I ordered back in 2017 from Sweet Sequels.

Jane Austen Birthday Book • Pride & Prejudice: Book to Table • Pride & Prejudice Coloring Book • Sense & Sensibility Baby Lit • Jane: My First Jane Austen • Lit for Little Hands: Pride & Prejudice • Little Women Baby Lit • Goodnight Mr. Darcy • Jane Eyre • Pride & Prejudice Little Miss Austen • Pride & Prejudice Seek and Find • Pride & Prejudice Baby Lit Storybook • Ordinary Extraordinary Jane Austen • Pride & Prejudice Notebook • Awesomely Austen Series • Marrying Mr. Darcy Game

A punch bowl full of prizes (mostly from Trader Joe’s) and we also filled the little girls book cart with Austen themed books too!

.: Costumes :.

When I sent out the suspect packets I told all of our guests: Costumes (dressy and/or suspect based – think Gregorian/Victorian/Edwardian Eras) are optional but highly encouraged!  We’ll have a prize for the vote on favorite costumes both male & female! Five of our kids were assigned suspect roles. The birthday girl was Lady Adella Westby.

“Wife of Lord Henry Westby and Lady of Stirling Hall, Lady Westby is class and grace personified. At her husband’s side, Lady Westby ensures the running of Stirling Hall. In her spare time, attempts to coordinate the marriage of her daughter, Lady Lila Westby, to be a happy union for her daughter and benefit to the standing of the Westby family as a whole. Lady Westby wears a long dress made from luxurious material, large jewelry and long satin gloves.“

Some of the costume supplies we purchased to add to our ever growing costume collection: White Satin Gloves, Black Satin Gloves, Retro Ruffle Aprons with Pockets, Women’s Susan B. Anthon Black/White Costume, Girl’s Costume, Gentleman’s 3-Piece Victorian Costume. The rest of what they wore were things we already had, including the Periodic Table Tie, Leather Bag, and Peacock costume (from Gymboree years ago)!

Dr. Buford Macy is the town doctor and frequently makes house calls to Stirling Hall whenever he is needed. While arrogant, candid and sometimes outright offensive, Buford Macy is a good doctor and has taken care of the Westbys for decades. Buford Macy wears a dress shirt and tie with a white medical jacket and carries a black medical bag.

Chiquita: Ettie O’Delle is Lady Lila’s ladies’ maid. Soft-spoken and mild-mannered, Ettie is well-liked by both the staff beneath the stairs as well as those in the house. While she is sweet and kind, she can be ruthless when she needs to be, and will quickly scold the other servants if they speak out of turn or against the Westbys. Ettie wears a black dress with white aprons.
Rose: A newer addition to the serving staff at Stirling Hall, Florence Monroe is a woman with ambition above her station. She frequently condescends to her fellow servants “below the stairs” and takes every opportunity to make it apparent that she considers herself above everyone else. Florence wears a plain black dress with white aprons.

“Bud” decided to dress up as a servant and our littlest girls picked out favorite costumes from their collection to wear to the party too!

.: The Menu :.

White Punch
Sparkling Cider
 
Cheese Tray
Charcuterie Board
with various meats and crackers
Cucumber and Baby Carrots
with Ranch Dip
Deviled Eggs
Chicken & Cheese Mini Tacos and Taquitos
Strawberries & Cream Popcorn
Dark Chocolate Sea Salt Caramels
Strawberry Wafers
Chessman Butter Cookies
European Cookies with Belgian Chocolate
Strawberries, Grapes and Cherries
Pizza Rolls
Meatballs
 
“Tall, Dark & Delicious” Cold Stone Ice Cream Cake
Topped with a Rose – Both the roses and the cake gifts from Aunt JoAnn!
 

.: Suspect Guides & Name Tags :.

I’ve been reusing Badge Holders and Clips from Walmart for all the parties. You can also find some here. I used this Rose Floral Clipboard Folio for all my Host Materials.

My beautiful Chiltern Classic Editions of Emma and Pride & Prejudice were also used as decorations. They have a boxed set of Jane Austen books now!

.: Our Guests Arrive :.

Showing “Lord Henry Westby” the big (fake) diamond on her ring finger, while trying not to fall over laughing! Her brothers looking on skeptically!

.: A Murder Is Announced :.

After everyone arrived, and had had a chance to get some food, we began the mystery with the Announcement of Murder. Our package came with an audio file, but I opted to read the transcript to the teens. Afterwards each of the suspects introduced themselves and read their bio to everyone. 

.: The Suspects and Sleuths :.

A few quick group photos out front before starting the investigations!

.: The Investigations :.

The investigation portion of the mystery was next! I set the timer for 90 minutes of investigations. I assign all the roles each time but I never know until “The Big Reveal” who committed the crime or any of the details. It makes is so much fun for everyone!

SPOILER ALERT: When it came to assigning the roles, I tried my best to be thoughtful about who played which character—especially when it came to the “couples.” I really did try to avoid any implied love interests between the teens… but I completely failed!

Of course, the two characters who ended up with supposed love letters between them were the pair who have been teased about each other ever since they were like five! (Shaking my head while laughing at the joke on me!)

She played Lady Harriet Westby and he was cast as Mr. Byron Gilbert. It made for some very entertaining moments during the evening!

Mr. Gilbert is a guest at Stirling Hall, and has been staying with The Westbys for a week. He is very well mannered, and most who meet him consider him to be an absolute delight. A single young man with a large financial sum each year, Mr. Gilbert is set to inherit Prestgale Abbey, a large estate not two hours from Stirling Hall. As such, Mr. Gilbert has become a much-sought visitor, and his stay at Stirling Hall has sparked whispers about the fact that his visit may result in the young bachelor finally selecting a wife. Mr. Gilbert wears formal white tie attire.

The middle of the Westby daughters, Lady Harriet is the plainest of the three. She is agreeable though, and desperate to get out from under the shadow of Stirling Hall and her rank and experience the world. Adventurous yet distinguished, Lady Harriet wears dresses of rich fabric in the most cutting-edge styles of the day.

.: The Big Reveal :.

.: Nineteen Candles :.

We finished the night by singing Happy Birthday and lighting nineteen candles for the birthday girl. After all the laughter and mystery, it was the perfect ending to such a fun evening!

Happy Birthday!

Scroll through more of our past birthday parties here or here.

5 Little Ways to Celebrate the Feast of St. Thérèse

by | Oct 3, 2025 | , , , | 2 Comments

This is another article I wrote ten years ago (back in 2015) for TAN Homeschool on 5 Little Ways to Celebrate the Feast of St. Therese. It’s no longer available on their site so adding it here to the blog.

The feast of St. Thérèse is celebrated each year on October 1st (new calendar) and October 3rd (traditional calendar). Here are five little ways to celebrate her feast day at home with your children.

From the Book Basket

“I am but a weak and helpless child, yet it is my very weakness which makes me dare to offer myself, O Jesus, as victim to Thy Love.” – St. Thérèse

In addition to the precious Catholic Treasure Box Books published by TAN (also available directly from the publisher here), The Little Flower of Jesus by Sister Julita is another favorite of all the little ones in our home, complete with full color pictures on every page.

The Little Flower: The Story of St. Thérèse of the Child Jesus by Mary Fabyan Windeatt (also available direct from TAN) makes an excellent family read-aloud.

Two of my personal favorites (in addition to The Story of a Soul) are Thérèse and Lisieux by Pierre Descouvemont (Translated into English, it is filled from cover to cover with photographs, illustrations and texts documenting the life and times of St. Therese.) and Archbishop Fulton Sheen’s St. Therese – A Treasured Love Story. (Updated to add: A paperback edition is now available as well.)

You can find my complete list of St. Therese picture books (and other books for October!) here.

The Catholic Child and the Saints • Saints for Girls from TAN Books

Coloring Pages

“Without love, deeds – even the most brilliant, count as nothing.”

 “Little Saint Thérèse” Paper Dolls can be purchased and downloaded from Stella Marigold Art over at Etsy! They are available in articulated or traditional style. (Here is another option as well!)

You can also find coloring pages of St. Thérèse as a child and in habit at Waltzing Matilda.

Arts & Crafts

“Miss no single opportunity of making some small sacrifice, here by a smiling look, there by a kindly word; always doing the smallest thing right and doing it all for love.” – St. Therésè

“St. Therésè, the Little Flower, as a child, used a small string of beads in her pocket to help her count the gifts she did to offer to God. In this way she was able to advance in perfection daily. You too, can grow in holiness by following the example of the Little Flower. Sacrifice Beads or Good Deed Beads are a string of ten beads, which can be pulled and remain in place. They are used to count the acts of love or sacrifices a person makes in a day for God. The string of beads helps a person to grow in virtue by challenging them to be faithful in making acts of love each day. Sacrifice Beads also have a fixed Our Father bead on the end of them and can double up as a rosary.” For more information or to order sacrifice beads or kits, visit: www.thelittleways.com.

You can also find directions for making Sacrifice Beads in the archives.

Catholic Cuisine

St. Thérèse, the little flower, please pick me a rose from the heavenly garden and send it to me with a message of love; ask God to grant me the favor I thee implore and tell Him I will love Him each day more and more. – Rose Novena

There are many rose themed recipes that are perfect for this special feast. Check out Heavenly Garden Apple Rose Pastries, Rose Cupcakes, Rose Cake, Heavenly Rose Garden Tea Sandwiches, or Rose Bread for inspiration or simply decorate your table with a vase of fresh cut roses! (Update to add: You could also Bake Eclairs!)

Heavenly Garden Apple Rose Pastries from 2013

Family Prayer

“For me, prayer is a surge of the heart; it is a simple look turned toward heaven, it is a cry of recognition and of love, embracing both trial and joy.” – St. Thérèse

The Twenty-four ‘Glory Be’s’ Novena to St. Thérèse is said to be the most dear to the Little Flower.  You can read a story about this novena here.

The Glory Be is said 24 times each day for nine days, in thanksgiving for all the blessings and favors given to Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus during the 24 years of her life. Start the novena each day with this prayer:

“Holy Trinity, God the Father, God the Son, and God, the Holy Spirit, I thank You for all the blessings and favors You have showered upon the soul of Your servant Thérèse of the Child Jesus, during the 24 years she spent here on earth, and in consideration of the merits of this, Your most beloved Saint, I beseech You to grant me this favor, if it is in accordance with Your most Holy Will and is not an obstacle to my salvation.”

After this prayer, follow with the 24 Glory Be’s, between each of which should be included this short prayer”

“Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus, pray for us.”

I also really love the Morning Prayer written by St. Therese! 🌹

You can find many more ideas for celebrating the feast of St. Thérèse here.

5 Ways to Celebrate Michaelmas

by | Sep 29, 2025 | , , | 0 Comments

I originally wrote this article on 5 Ways to Celebrate Michaelmas for TAN Homeschool ten years ago, back in 2015, and shared the link here… I realized today that it is no longer available so I dug it up and decided to pop in to post it. I hope you all have a blessed Michaelmas!

The feast of Sts. Michael, Gabriel & Raphael, Archangels, traditionally known as Michaelmas, is celebrated each year on September 29th.

According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, “the existence of the spiritual, non-corporeal beings that Sacred Scripture usually calls “angels” is a truth of faith.” [CCC 328] Angels are found throughout the Bible in both the New and Old Testaments.  They are considered to be servants and messengers of God and many of the main subjects in the Bible were visited by angels. “Angels are spiritual creatures who glorify God without ceasing and who serve his saving plans for other creatures: ‘The angels work together for the benefit of us all.’” (St. Thomas Aquinas) [CCC 350]

Let us make an extra effort to teach our children to have faith in angels and to pray for their intercession! Here are five ways to celebrate Michaelmas at home with your family:

From the Book Basket

Short stories about “Saint Michael, the Archangel” and “Saint Gabriel, the Archangel” can be found in Saints for Boys, a darling book for children by Alma Savage. (Purchase it directly from TAN Books here!)

The whole family will also enjoy The Day the Angels Fell, a dramatized audio production with exciting sound effects, which can be purchased and downloaded from Regina Martyrum Productions!

Additional suggestions can be found in our September Book Basket!

Michaelmas 2018

Coloring Pages

Beautiful coloring pages of the three Archangels can be downloaded and printed at Waltzing Matilda.

Arts & Crafts

Young children will enjoy creating Hand and Foot ARCH using either paper or finger paint! These are also perfect for the upcoming feast of the Holy Guardian Angels on October 2nd. You can find the directions here at Shower of Roses.

Catholic Cuisine

All fruit and berries have their season and blackberries are no exception.  According to an old Irish folk tale, when St. Michael cast the Devil out of Heaven and into Hell, the Devil fell into a blackberry bush and spat on the berries making them bitter and inedible after Michaelmas. It is said that the Devil returns each year to curse and spit on the fruit.  You can find the recipe for a delicious Michaelmas Blackberry Cobbler at Catholic Cuisine. (Update: I adapted the recipe to use Cassava flour and coconut sugar in 2020 pictured below.)

Another option is to bake Devil’s Food cupcakes, decorate with chocolate frosting, and serve with cocktail swords (Playmobil swords work great too!) so the children can help St. Michael defeat the “devil”!

Celebrating Michaelmas 2020

Family Prayer

What would be more fitting than the St. Michael prayer? This prayer was written by Pope Leo XIII after he had a vision of the battle between the “Woman clothed with the sun” and the great dragon who tried to devour her child at birth, in the Book of Revelation.

Saint Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle. Be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil. May God rebuke him, we humbly pray; and do Thou, O Prince of the Heavenly Host – by the Divine Power of God – cast into hell, satan and all the evil spirits, who roam throughout the world seeking the ruin of souls. Amen.

St. Michael the Archangel, Ora Pro Nobis!

Scroll through all past Michaelmas and St. Michael posts in the archives!

The Primacy of Peter: A Papal Unit Study & Lap Book (2025 Edition)

by | May 8, 2025 | , , , | 3 Comments

Back in 2013, I created The Primacy of Peter: A Papal Unit Study & Lap Book to share here at Shower of Roses. This week, as we continue to pray for the soul of Pope Francis and for all of the cardinals in the conclave as they begin the process of electing our next pope, I’ve been working on updating and relocating the files. Since Scribd is no longer a free platform for sharing resources, I’ve moved everything over to Dropbox for easier access. I’m also doing my best to update some of the original files, but it been a bit complicated and taken longer than I had expected since the old formats are no longer compatible with newer software. 😅

This unit study is a wonderful resource for Catholic families, homeschoolers, or anyone wanting to learn more about the papacy with their children or grandchildren! I enjoyed creating it for my older kids when they were younger, and am now looking forward to using it again with our younger children.

It’s still available as a donation only resource, and you’re more than welcome to share this post with anyone who might benefit. If you’d like support the cost of keeping Shower of Roses online or buy me a coffee, donation links are included below. Thank you!

Download all 2025 Papal Lap Book Documents

Donate through Paypal Here or Venmo Here

I will continue adding and updating files as I complete them.

Lap Book Supplies

Note: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Additional affiliate links included.

Here is a list of the supplies I used for creating our Papal Lap Book:

  • Yellow File Folder – I usually purchase file folders in assorted colors by the case made by Smead or Staples so I always have them on hand. You can find just yellow here or here.) 
  • White Card Stock and Paper – 4 pieces per lap book, 2 to attach to the book, 1 on which to print the flag cover, and 1 more on which to print the St. Peter’s Basilica Pop-Up. 
  • Scissors
  • Glue Stick
  • Tape
  • Red Ribbon – This is used to tie shut the “Who is the Pope?” mini-book.
  • Optional: Red Paper and/or Card Stock (or color of choice) – We used red paper to accent “What Happens When A Pope Dies?”, and red card stock for our “Amazing Pope Facts,” “Selecting a New Pope,” and “Some Special Popes.”  

Unit One: St. Peter, The First Pope

Unit Two: The Holy Fathers

  • Read Various Books about Past Popes
  • Read “The Bishop of Rome” (pages 112-113 My Catholic Faith)
  • Begin the following Mini-Books:
    • Who is the Pope?
    • Some Special Popes  (Peter the first Pope, Gregory the Great invented Gregorian Chant, Leo the XIII wrote the St. Michael the Archangel Prayer, Pope Pius X – the Pope of the Eucharist  – work on one page/paragraph per day)
    • (Option) Some Special Popes Tab Book with room for coloring pages and traceable quotes  – * Still need to figure out how to update the final page of this one since it isn’t applicable to young children now 😉
    • (Option) Some Special Popes Tab Book with Fill-in-the-Blanks
    • Amazing Pope Facts
    • Symbols and Garments Layer Book

Unit Three: The Hierarchy of the Catholic Church

Unit Four: The Papal Elections

Unit Five: Assemble Lap Book and Pray Daily for the Pope!

Papal Unit Study Past Blog Posts/Resources:

You’ll find additional resources and ideas in these past blog posts.

Original Papal Unit Study and Lap Book from 2013

Papal Lap Book Unit One: St. Peter, The First Pope
Papal Lap Book Unit Two: The Holy Fathers, Past and Present
Papal Lap Book Unit Three: The Hierarchy of the Catholic Church
7 Quick Takes :: Habemus Papam!

Scroll through all past Papal Unit Study posts here.

We Have a Pope (also available from Holy Heroes) • The Swiss Guard: Protectors of the Pope • Popes Coloring Book • 101 Surprising Facts About Church History (also available from TAN Books)

We Have a Pope! • I Believe: The Apostle’s Creed in Sacred Art for Young Children (also available from Holy Heroes) • How to Be Pope • Lolek: The Boy Who Became John Paul II • Be Saints: An Invitation from Pope Benedict XVI • Friendship with Jesus: Pope Benedict XVI Talks to Children on Their First Holy Communion

Peter and Jesus By the Charcoal Fire • St. Peter’s Story • Cathedrals • Karol from Poland • Joseph from Germany • Karol: The Boy Who Became Pope • A Boy Who Became Pope: The Story of Saint John Paul II 

The First Christians: The Acts of Apostles for Children • A Story of Saint Peter • My First Catholic Picture Dictionary • Pope John Paul II • Saint Peter the Apostle • Pope Fiction: Answers to 30 Myths & Misconceptions About the Papacy (also available from TAN Books) • Our Holy Father the Pope: The Papacy from St. Peter to the Present

Papal Unit Study Book List updated from original Unit Study:

St. Peter, The First Pope

Holy Fathers

On the Papacy

Note: My husband grew up reading My Catholic Faith and introduced me to this book.  I love it!  We will be reading the chapters on The Primacy of Peter, The Bishop of Rome, The Hierarchy, Powers of the Pope, and The Papal Elections.

Prayer for the Election of the Supreme Pontiff by Fr. Chad Ripperger

Lord Jesus Christ, by entrusting to St. Peter and his successors the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven, Thou didst establish the office of the papacy. Grant to Thy Church, we beseech Thee, a pope who, in his dedication to the Sacred Tradition of the Church, will seek to govern the Church according to the Deposit of Faith and for the salvation of souls.

Immaculate Mary, Mother of the Church and Queen of Confessors, we consecrate to thee the conclave and the election of the Holy Father. Blessed Mother, look not upon our sinfulness or upon the infidelity of many Catholics who do not accept the teaching of thy Son, but upon the Church which is the spotless Bride of thy Son, so that we do not get the leader we deserve, but a Holy Father who will guide the Church for the glory and honor of thy Son. Amen.

Novena Prayer for the Sacred College of Cardinals gathered for the Conclave to elect the Roman Pontiff by Cardinal Burke (Source to download prayer card)

I kneel before you, O Virgin Mother of God, Our Lady of Guadalupe, the compassionate mother of all who love you, cry to you, seek you, and trust in you. I plead for the Church at a time of great trial and danger for her. As you came to the rescue oft h e Church at Tepeyac in 1531, please intercede for the Sacred College of Cardinals gathered in Rome to elect the Successor of Saint Peter, Vicar of Christ, Shepherd oft he Universal Church.

At this tumultuous time for the Church and for the world, plead with your Divine Son that the Cardinals of the Holy Roman Church, His Mystical Body, will humbly obey the promptings of the Holy Spirit. Through your intercession, may they choose the most worthy man to be Christ’s Vicar on earth. With you, I place al my trust in Him Who alone is our help and salvation. Amen.

Heart of Jesus, salvation of those who trust in Thee, have mercy upon us!
Our Lady of Guadalupe, Virgin Mother of God and Mother of Divine Grace, pray for us!

Saint Joseph, Patron of the Universal Church, pray for us!

Happy Easter

by | Apr 27, 2025 | , | 5 Comments

Happy Easter! 🌷 We were so blessed to spend the Triduum down in California at Thomas Aquinas College! Our daughter is a sophomore there and her golden birthday fell on Easter Sunday this year!!! It was our second time spending Easter at TAC (last time was nine years ago back in 2016) and it was just as beautiful as we remembered. So grateful for the inspiring talks, the beautiful liturgies, the peaceful campus, and having our whole family all together! 🌷

May the light of Christ, rising in glory,
dispel the darkness of our hearts and minds.

(See a few more pictures from the Easter Vigil at Thomas Aquinas College here.)

Wishing you all a Blessed and Joyous Easter Season! 

The Great O Antiphons, The Golden Nights + Giveaway

by | Dec 17, 2024 | , | 59 Comments

The Great O Antiphons, The Golden Nights + Giveaway

Ever since our oldest children were very little, we have been implementing an old monastic custom in our home by providing special treats, representing each of the “O Antiphons” on the days leading up to Christmas. The O Antiphon prayers begin on December 17th and end on the 23rd, which is the last Vespers of Advent, since the evening prayer on the 24th is the Vigil of Christmas.

The Benedictine monks arranged these antiphons with a definite purpose. If one starts with the last title and takes the first letter of each one – Emmanuel, Rex, Oriens, Clavis, Radix, Adonai, Sapientia – the Latin words ero cras are formed, meaning, “Tomorrow, I will come.” Therefore, the Lord Jesus, whose coming we have prepared for in Advent and whom we have addressed in these seven Messianic titles, now speaks to us, “Tomorrow, I will come.” So the “O Antiphons” not only bring intensity to our Advent preparation, but bring it to a joyful conclusion.

Each night, following our family rosary, we pray the O Antiphon for the day, sing O Come, O Come, Emmanuel, which was inspired by this ancient tradition, and then give the children a special treat.

The “treats” have varied from year to year. Some years it has been little gifts or activities for the family, some years it is all food related, and some years it is a mix of both, depending on our schedule and budget. It doesn’t need to cost much or even anything at all! Be creative!

Sometimes the treats are a bit of a stretch, but my goal is try and find gifts that will either help increase our faith (Catechism books, holy family, saints, prayer, etc) or encourage family time (games, puzzles, going to look at Christmas lights, etc). You can find some of our past O Antiphon treats by scrolling through the archives and visiting Catholic Cuisine.

Our family loves this tradition. It is such a fun way to teach the children about these beautiful prayers of the church and also increase their excitement as Christmas gets closer.

Here are more details on our O Antiphon House and Blocks

In case you are looking for some inspiration, I’ve listed some of the treats I’ve given my family over the years (along with my picks for this year)… Special food ideas, activities and gifts (or you can simply decorate chocolate coins!) for each of the O Antiphons can be found below.

Once again I am hosting an O ANTIPHON GIVEAWAY! Seven lucky visitors here at Shower of Roses will receive gifts this year!  Be sure to scroll to the bottom of this post for the details and to enter.

O Sapientia (O Wisdom) – December 17th

Since the symbol for wisdom is a book, I usually choose a new Catholic book for our family. This year it is The Holy Bible Adapted for Young Readers for the kids and Building a Wholesome Family in a Broken World: Habsburg Lessons from the Centuries for Sean and I both new releases from Sophia Institute Press (and available on Amazon as well here and here). *SAVE 30% with code XMAS30 at Sophia on orders of $25+

O Wisdom Ideas from Over the Years:

O Wisdom that comest out of the mouth of the Most High, that reachest from one end to another, and orderest all things mightily and sweetly, come to teach us the way of prudence!

December 18th – O Adonai (O Lord)

One last new Christmas puzzle to start!

(Update: I ordered this puzzle from Puzzledy during a Black Friday/Cyber Monday sale. I had run across it and another one I really wanted elsewhere but it was out of stock and I had to hunt them down. Looks like they still have 5 or 6 in stock.)

In the past we would always emphasize the word “house” in this Antiphon, and have made our Gingerbread Houses or Gingerbread Cookies on this night.  Now that we have two birthdays this week (and two birthday cakes to bake and decorate!) we usually wait until New Year’s Eve to decorated Gingerbread Houses. 

O Adonai Ideas from Over the Years:

O Adonai, and Ruler of the house of Israel, Who didst appear unto Moses in the burning bush, and gavest him the law in Sinai, come to redeem us with an outstretched arm!

December 19th – O Radix Jesse (O Root of Jesse)

Our 2024 Family Ornament will be wrapped up for the 19th! I also got the LEGO Poinsettia Set for the little kids to build today. A sweet friend gifted us with a beautiful live poinsettia already this year!

O Root of Jesse Ideas from Over the Years:

O Root of Jesse, which standest for an ensign of the people, at Whom the kings shall shut their mouths, Whom the Gentiles shall seek, come to deliver us, do not tarry.

December 20th – O Clavis David (O Key of David)

As St. Padre Pio, said: “Prayer is the best weapon we have. It is a key opening God’s Heart.”  

Once again we are planning to take our children to Mass or Adoration. I’ll probably wrap up this “Trimming the Tree” candle since our college girl will be flying home and we’ll decorate our tree this upcoming weekend.

O Key of David Ideas from Over the Years:

O Key of David, and Sceptre of the house of Israel, that openeth and no man shutteth, and shutteth and no man openeth, come to liberate the prisoner from the prison, and them that sit in darkness, and in the shadow of death.

December 21st – O Oriens (O Dayspring)

We’ll once again make hot cocoa and pile in the car to go look at Christmas lights downtown weather permitting!

O Dayspring Ideas from Over the Years:

O Dayspring, Brightness of the everlasting light, Son of justice, come to give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death!

December 22nd – O Rex Gentium (O King of the Gentiles)

Seek and Find Books from Ignatius Press… We already have the first in the series. So fun! (Also available from Amazon here.)

O King Ideas from Over the Years: (many are perfect for Epiphany too)

O King of the Gentiles, yea, and desire thereof!  O Corner-stone, that makest of two one, come to save man, whom Thou hast made out of the dust of the earth!

December 23rd – O Emmanuel (O With Us is God)

My True Love Gave to Me: A Catechism for the Twelve Days of Christmas

(Currently out of stock at TAN Books)

O Emmanuel Ideas from Over the Years:

O Emmanuel, our King and our Law-giver, Longing of the Gentiles, yea, and salvation thereof, come to save us, O Lord our God!

Scroll through all the past “O Antiphon” posts here.

If you are looking for gift ideas, you can find my lists of Christmas Gift Ideas & Stocking Stuffers here (2015), here (2016), here (2017), here (2018), here (2019), here (2020), here (2022) and here (2023).

O Antiphons Giveaway

And finally here is the 4th and final of my blog giveaways for this year! This will be a quick one! Enter by 12/19/2024. I’ll draw names on Friday!

Prize #1 – Set of Cookie Stamps

Win a Set of 7 Cookie Stamps with recipe booklet to go along with each of the O Antiphons: Wisdom: #460 – Triune God, House: #214 – Home Sweet Home, Root of Jesse: #520 – Willow Tree, Key of David: #543 – Key to My Heart, Dayspring: #291 – Moravian Star, King: #448 – Norwegian Wedding Crown, and Emmanuel: #368 – Nativity sponsored by Rycraft Cookie Stamps ($90.93 Value)

Congratulations, Angela S!

Prize #2 – Deluxe Christmas Nativity Wooden Playset

Includes: Deluxe Christmas Nativity Wooden Playset sponsored by Shining Light Dolls ($84.99 Value)

Congratulations, Dee!

Prize #3 – Set of all four Seek & Find Books from Ignatius Press

Includes: Seek and Find Books – The Life of Jesus (Books 1), The Lives of Saints (Book 2), On the Way to Santiago de Compostela (Book 3), The Twelve Apostles (Book 4) sponsored by Ignatius Press ($59.96 Value)

Congratulations, Agnes!

Prize #4 – Two New Books from Sophia Institute Press

Includes: The Holy Bible Adapted for Young Readers and Building a Wholesome Family in a Broken World: Habsburg Lessons from the Centuries sponsored by Sophia Institute Press ($43.90 Value)

Congratulations, Rachel B!

Enter the Giveaway using the Rafflecopter Box below: 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Read more about our family’s traditions here:

The Advent Season In Our Catholic Home

A Letter to Baby Jesus

by | Dec 11, 2024 | , , | 0 Comments

A Letter to Baby Jesus on the Eve of the Feast of St. Nicholas

Incorporating the Christkindl Tradition into Advent

Back in 2012, I shared about a beautiful Austrian custom I first read about in Maria von Trapp’s Around the Year with the Trapp Family. (At the time, I had the out-of-print 1955 version—how wonderful that it has since been reprinted! Affiliate links to the book at Amazon and Sophia Institute Press.)

Maria describes how her family prepared for Advent, including a tradition involving letters to the Holy Child:

…And there is still one very important thing to do for Advent. According to Austrian custom, every member of the family writes a letter to the Holy Child mentioning his resolutions for the weeks of Advent and listing all his wishes for gifts. This “Christkindl Brief” (letter to the Holy Child) is put on the window sill, from whence the Guardian Angel will take it up to heaven to read it aloud to the Holy Child…

Inspired by this tradition, we decided to incorporate it into our own family’s Advent traditions.

Our Family’s Christkindl Tradition

Each year during Advent, our children write letters to Baby Jesus. In the past we have used various templates or they have handwritten their own. In their letters, they include:

  • What they are thankful for,
  • Special intentions they are praying for,
  • Ways they want to grow closer to Jesus,
  • and Christmas gift wishes.

Instead of placing the letters on the windowsill, our children just tuck their “Christkindl Briefs” into their shoes or slippers on the eve of St. Nicholas’ feast day. The next morning, St. Nicholas has “picked up” the letters to deliver them to the Christ Child!

This has become a meaningful way to tie in St. Nicholas’ feast day and deepen the connection between Advent and Christmas. Plus, it helps our children reflect on both spiritual preparation and the joy of giving and receiving.

Dec 5th: Our littlest ones with their “Christkindl Briefs” (Letters to the Holy Child) all ready to go—they tucked them into their slippers before heading to bed, for St. Nicholas to pick up tonight and deliver to Baby Jesus. (They wrote letters to St. Nicholas too!) 💌

Write Your Own Christkindl Brief

This year I created a new template for our younger children. Even though we write our letter’s on December 5th, it really can be done anytime during Advent leading up to Christmas.

If you’d like to use it too you can download the printable letter pdf here or simply save the image below to print at home.

If you decide to try this tradition in your home, I pray it brings your family closer to the heart of the season—preparing not just your homes, but also your hearts, to welcome the Christ Child.

Wishing you a joyful and blessed Advent season!

A Book Lover’s Christmas 1,000 Piece Puzzle

by | Dec 10, 2024 | , , | 3 Comments

A Book Lover’s Christmas A 1000-piece Jigsaw Puzzle — Includes Beautiful Illustrations of Christmas Scenes from Literature, find Your Favorite Characters!

I mentioned earlier that our family really loves puzzles. I included this Book Lover’s Christmas puzzle in this year’s New Finds for Christmas and pulled it out to get started on the First Sunday of Advent. Everyone loved it!

I love that, when there is a puzzle in progress, there is always someone working on it late at night before bed…

… and even early in the morning before anyone else is up!

They started this one on the December 1st and had it finished on the 4th, despite school, chores and extra curricular activities. It turned out beautiful and we all loved pointing out and discussing the scenes from so many great books!

Features Classic Festive Scenes From Favorite Books Including:

Little Miss Bronte: Wuthering Heights

Jane Eyre (We have many versions… Our 15 year old just finished the Ignatius Critical Edition – my review here – for her high school literature course this year, older sister has it in her Bronte collection, and I have a very old copy and a newer copy pictured above!)

The Gift of the Magi

Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (our 12 year old’s edition is from Barnes & Noble)

The Snow Queen by Hans Christian Andersen, Illustrated by P.J. Lynch

Anne of Green Gables (Included in the Puffin in Bloom Collection)

Emma (Also included in this new Jane Austen Gift Set!)

Little Women (Also included in the Puffin in Bloom Collection)

The Nutcracker (also from Barnes & Noble)

A Christmas Carol and Other Christmas Writings

The Night Before Christmas by Clement C. Moore

“Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good night!”

A Book Lover’s 1000 Piece Jigsaw Puzzle

Scroll through other favorite puzzles here.

Christmas Market Search & Find Puzzle

by | Dec 10, 2024 | , | 2 Comments

Christmas Market Search & Find Puzzle – Amazon Affiliate Link

Winter in our house means puzzles! Right after Thanksgiving, the folding card table and puzzles come out. There’s something so relaxing about gathering around the table and working on puzzles together.

Years ago, I started the tradition of getting one new puzzle each Advent. It was perfect—slow and steady, just like the season. But as the kids have gotten older, they have also gotten much faster. And with all the feast days this week, and two birthdays next week, Advent seems to fly by as well… This year I picked up a couple new puzzles at a local bookstore but then stocked up on even more during the black Friday sales. We should have enough to keep them busy for a little while anyway! 😉

On the first Sunday of Advent I set out two new puzzles. One for the whole family (pictures coming next – it’s already been completed, as well as the following one for the second week of Advent!) and also this one for the little girls. They’ve completed it at least four times already and it’s kept them occupied (and happily working together) for hours!

Christmas Market Search & Find Puzzle by Mudpuppy

Advent is such a busy season, but making time for simple traditions like unwrapping books to read each night after our family rosary and assembling puzzles helps us slow down and spend time together.

Have you put together any puzzles lately? I’d love to hear about your favorites!

Advent Devotional: The Road to Bethlehem

by | Dec 2, 2024 | , , | 3 Comments

The Road to Bethlehem: Daily Meditations for Advent and Christmas by St. Alphonsus Liguori

TAN Books has been publishing some beautiful books, and this one is no exception! Yesterday, for the First Sunday of Advent, I gave each of our older kids their own copy. I had one shipped direct to our oldest son in Arizona, but it (and the one I still have here for our current college student) hasn’t arrived yet, so I also sent them the Audible Audiobook so they can still get started while they wait for their physical copies to arrive.

There are only about 3-4 pages for each day so it’s very easy to implement into your Advent prayers and devotions. Following the 18 Meditations for Advent there are 9 Meditations for the Christmas Novena (Dec 16-24), then 12 Meditations for Christmas (Dec 25-Jan 5) and 8 Epiphany Meditations (Jan 6-13).

“This Advent Season, let the great and prolific Doctor of the Church, St. Alphonsus Liguori, guide you on a daily prayerful pilgrimage from the start of Advent through the birth of our Lord to the Epiphany. Drawing on Sacred Scripture and his profound saintly counsel, St. Alphonsus takes you into the details of Christ’s birth for prayerful reflection that will have your imagination placing you at the feet of our infant Lord. With meditations on the poverty of our Lord becoming man to Jesus weeping as a baby and lying on straw, St. Alphonsus will bring a humble intensity to your Advent prayer life. The contents of these meditations are marked by both joy for the birth of our Lord and sorrow for what we know He will suffer for our salvation.” – Read more here.

I highly recommended it if you are still looking for an Advent and Christmas devotional! You can order The Road to Bethlehem from TAN Books or over at Amazon. I also included it in this year’s New Picture Books for the Feast of St. Nicholas!

P.S. TAN Books has 35% off sitewide today for Cyber Monday!

5 Ways to Celebrate Michaelmas

5 Ways to Celebrate Michaelmas

by | Sep 29, 2025 | , , | 0 Comments

I originally wrote this article on 5 Ways to Celebrate Michaelmas for TAN Homeschool ten years ago, back in 2015, and shared the link here... I realized today that it is no longer available so I dug it up and decided to pop in to post it. I hope you all have a blessed...

Happy Easter

Happy Easter

by | Apr 27, 2025 | , | 5 Comments

Happy Easter! 🌷 We were so blessed to spend the Triduum down in California at Thomas Aquinas College! Our daughter is a sophomore there and her golden birthday fell on Easter Sunday this year!!! It was our second time spending Easter at TAC (last time was nine years...

A Letter to Baby Jesus

A Letter to Baby Jesus

by | Dec 11, 2024 | , , | 0 Comments

A Letter to Baby Jesus on the Eve of the Feast of St. Nicholas Incorporating the Christkindl Tradition into Advent Back in 2012, I shared about a beautiful Austrian custom I first read about in Maria von Trapp’s Around the Year with the Trapp Family. (At the time, I...

Christmas Market Search & Find Puzzle

Christmas Market Search & Find Puzzle

by | Dec 10, 2024 | , | 2 Comments

Christmas Market Search & Find Puzzle - Amazon Affiliate Link Winter in our house means puzzles! Right after Thanksgiving, the folding card table and puzzles come out. There’s something so relaxing about gathering around the table and working on puzzles together....

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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Sean & Jessica, Captain-24, Ranger-23, Twinkle Toes-21, Chiquita-20, Snuggles-17, Rose-15, Bud-13, 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.

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