Celebrating the Feast of St. Nicholas :: 2014

by | Dec 18, 2014 | , , , | 12 Comments

Each year our celebration of the feast of St. Nicholas looks a little different, but some things always stay the same… The children always wake up to their slippers or shoes filled with treats and receive new Christmas books! Last year we stayed home all day enjoying the snow (completely unaware that we would soon be without running water for six days due to freezing pipes!), this year the weather was much warmer and we spent most of the day enjoying activities outside of our home.  Of course I have some pictures to share with you all!

.: Gifts from St. Nicholas :.
We have had a very full schedule this year which doesn’t leave much time for crafts. My children didn’t even notice that the coins weren’t decorated with images of St. Nicholas and they loved this year’s Blended Maple Candy St. Nick’s from Maple Grove Farms in Vermont and purchased at our local health food store! 
Our oldest two boys still fit last year’s slippers, so instead of new slippers they were happy to be able to make a donation to a local charity. Our younger children were delighted to discover their new slippers and all the children loved discovering all the treats.  In addition to the candy mentioned above they also received a cutie, Saint Blessing Blocks, a painted saint doll, and a new picture book.  There was even a St. Anthony painted saint (a gift from Catholic Folk Toys) to remember the baby we would have been preparing to welcome (Jan 5th) this month or next… 
.: St. Nicholas Day Brunch :.
My boys had been asking me to come watch their Saturday morning Hockey games for a few weeks and I wasn’t able to go due to other commitments. With St. Nicholas Day falling on Saturday as well I told them I could go this week, as long as they didn’t mind skipping our usual brunch and have a simple breakfast. They didn’t mind at all and were so excited! And, even though I didn’t get many pictures, I ended up being able to throw together a couple Cherry Cheese Candy Cane Coffee Cakes while my husband scrambled eggs and cooked some maple sausage, before we all ran out the door after all!  
.: Hockey :.

It was so much fun to watch them play… and they won their game! 
.: Victorian Christmas :. 
After the hockey game we drove out to one of our favorite little historical towns in the area, where I used to own the local phone book! We visited many of the little shops including the toy store, enjoyed the popcorn and cider that was being handed out, toured the Catholic Rectory, went on a horse-draw wagon ride, and then shared a gourmet pizza before heading home! 

 

 

The evening ended with a 7pm bilingual Quinceañera Mass and reception for one of my past Little Flowers! It was such a wonderful day filled with so many blessings… 
God, we pray that through the intercessions of St. Nicholas
you will guide and protect our children. 
Keep them safe from all harm and help them grow
to become loving disciples of Jesus in your sight. 
Give them strength to always mature into deeper faith
in you, and to keep alive joy in your creation. 
Through Jesus Christ Our Lord. Amen.

Regina Martyrum Productions {Sponsored Giveaway}

by | Dec 17, 2014 | , | 0 Comments

I know I told you all that I wasn’t planning on hosting any more giveaways this year, but when Regina Martyrum Productions contacted me about hosting a giveaway here at Shower of Roses for $150 IN GIFT CARDS I knew I had to carve out a little time, in between the birthday parties this week, to put together one more giveaway post for you all!

Regina Martyrum Productions produces the finest works of Catholic audio theatre. With emphasis on the lives of the Saints, these products are edifying, and entertaining.

Stories hold our attention, teach us morals, and can teach a moral lesson while entertaining. We all love stories. Here at Regina Martyrum Productions, we provide high-quality, fully-dramatized Catholic stories. From Old Testament scenes to New Testament saints, we provide the best, timeless stories for today’s Catholic audiences. Engaging the power of your imagination while listening, you and your children will walk through the pages of the Church’s history. These are not your run of the mill “books on tape!” Every production is packed with full cast, great music, and realistic sound effects! They are great in the car, at story time, or at anytime! 

I have been a fan of Regina Martyrum Productions ever since our oldest children were toddlers! I treasure our collection of CDs, and even some audio cassettes which we were given many years ago. Now these timeless Catholic stories are available as digital downloads!

These inspiring stories of the saints will make a deep impression on both children and adults! We love all the stories, but my personal favorite (and my husbands too!) is the story of St. Gerard Majella, To Heaven Through the Window.

Regina Martyrum Productions is working on adding new stories to the digital collection each month and yesterday they released the story of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton! I downloaded and enjoyed listening to Valiant Daughter of America last night and look forward to sharing it with our children on her feast day next month.

Regina Martyrum Productions offers Gift Cards which would make perfect Christmas gifts for family, friends, Godchildren, and Godparents! You can purchase gift cards for 1 story, 2 stories, 3 stories, or more!

I have FOUR GIFT CARDS to give away from Regina Martyrum Productions totaling $150! Please enter the giveaway using the Rafflecopter box below. Four winners will be randomly generated using the entries from Rafflecopter and contacted via email on December 23rd:

  • First winner will receive: $60 Gift Card
  • Second winner will receive: $45 Gift Card
  • Third winner will receive: $30 Gift Card
  • Fourth winner will receive: $15 Gift Card

Note: Bonus entries will be awarded for helping to spread the word about this great company, visiting and following them on Facebook, subscribing to updates, and/or ordering a gift card!


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Roses in the Snow {A Brand New Picture Book!}

by | Dec 15, 2014 | , , , | 8 Comments

We are celebrating a sweet little girl’s 5th birthday today!  I can’t believe my little “Rose” is already five years old… How did that happen so fast?!?  I’ll be back later with pictures from our party, but in the meantime I wanted to share one of her birthday gifts with you all.

This sweet book about St. Elizabeth of Hungary was just released on December 6th and would make a lovely Christmas gift! It was written by Dessi Jackson and Illustrated by Lydia Grace, the same author and illustrator of Saint Felix and the Spider, and it is beautiful! I can’t wait to read it to my children! You can order it from Amazon here.

Update: The publisher has audio pronunciations for the Hungarian words in the story! Visit www.quisutdeuspress.com then click on “Roses In The Snow” On the bottom left hand side of the page you will find the pronunciations for nagymama, édesem, kifli and kalács!

Santa Lucia, Saint of Light

by | Dec 14, 2014 | , , | 15 Comments

Santa Lucia
by Katherine Hyde
based on traditional Swedish lyrics
Night treads with heavy step
Round yard and hearth
Woods brood in darkness now
Sun’s gone from earth
But through the darkness comes, 
With brightness glowing, 
Saint of the heav’n-ly light, 
Our Savior showing
Maiden so sweet and fair, 
Bright candles in your hair, 
Santa Lucia, Santa Lucia! 
Child of the holy light, 
Banish the dark of night, 
Santa Lucia, Santa Lucia!
 
Night now goes great and mute
Silence rules all things
What is that murmuring
As of an angel’s wings

There on our threshold
White-robed and shining 
Comes she with bread to spare
Our need divining
Maiden so sweet and fair, 
Bright candles in your hair, 
Santa Lucia, Santa Lucia! 
Child of the holy light, 
Banish the dark of night, 
Santa Lucia, Santa Lucia!
Darkness shall soon depart
From vale and mountain
She brings good new to us
Light like a fountain
Soon day shall rise anew
Daystar is coming
In skies of rosy hue
Salvation’s dawning
Maiden so sweet and fair, 
Bright candles in your hair, 
Santa Lucia, Santa Lucia! 
Child of the holy light, 
Banish the dark of night, 
Santa Lucia, Santa Lucia!
A few links:
Dept. 56 Lucia Statue (found on ebay)
Santa Lucia, Ora Pro Nobis! 

Celebrating the O Antiphons :: The Golden Nights

by | Dec 12, 2014 | , , | 7 Comments

Photo from Christmas 2011 – Details about our O Antiphon House

Ever since our oldest children were very little, we have been implementing an old monastic custom in our home of 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, after 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.  Some years it has been little gifts/activities for the family, some years it is all food related, and some years it is a mix of both.   You can see some of my past posts from 2007-2013 by scrolling through the archives and visiting Catholic Cuisine.

Our family just loves this little 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 is the list of this year’s treats for each O Antiphon:

.: December 17th :.
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!

Since the symbol for wisdom is a book, I usually choose a new Catholic Book for our family. In the past those books have included this illustrated book of saints, Around the Year: Once Upon a Time Saints, the beautiful A Catholic Child’s Picture Dictionary, Novena: The Power of Prayer, new children’s prayer books for Mass, and a craft kit to make Christmas Bookmarks.  

This year I choose this new Catholic Trivia game. I’m looking forward to playing it after dinner on December 17th! 

.: December 18th :.
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!

We usually 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 Christmas Eve, or sometime during the 12 Days of Christmas. We have given the kids this Gingerbread House Cookie Cutter, and one year I totally stretched it and choose the Little House on the Prairie DVD. We have also roasted marshmallows over a fire, drawing from the reference to “Moses in the burning bush.”

This year I purchased this cute 3-D Mini Gingerbread House Cookie Cutter made by Sweet Creations! I’m planning to wrap it up with some Christmas sprinkles. (I still need to pick them up at the craft store this weekend, but hopefully they will have this Gingerbread Boy Mix, Candy Canes, and Snowmen.) I’m also planning to buy a package of pre-made dough, to keep it as simple as possible, and let the children bake and decorate the cookies, while I bake and decorate a birthday cake! (I just hope the cookie cutter arrives on time, since I still haven’t gotten a notification that it has shipped… If it doesn’t arrive I might shop by the local kitchen store to pick up this pan instead. I came close to buying it the other day when the girls and I discovered an amazing kitchen store in a nearby town!)

.: December 19th :.
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.
Carrot Cake and Root Beer Floats
Speaking of that birthday cake, this year we are celebrating Bud’s birthday with a Farm/Barnyard theme. I think Carrot Cake and Root Beer Floats will make a yummy addition to the party and tie in the O Antiphon nicely! If I run out of time (or energy) I will pick up a Costco Carrot Cake, but I’m really hoping to decorate one for him myself as I usually do for the children’s birthdays… We’ll see! 🙂 
We also always purchase our Christmas Poinsettia Plants on this day. Other past treats and recipes have included: 12 Red Glitter Poinsettia Ornaments, Miracle of the Poinsettia, The Miracle of the First Poinsettia, baked Poinsettia Cupcakes, Hearty Beef Stew, and Old Fashioned Root Beer Drops.
.: December 20th :.

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.

Tickets (the Key) to A Christmas Carol at the Theatre!

Since this is initially a monastic tradition, and on this night, the monk in charge of the wine cellar would provide a special bottle of wine. We usually always serve a special drink with dinner. Sometimes I also serve a Key Lime Pie as well! One year I purchased a couple key hook rails from Target to use to hang our Rosaries, and another year we gave the children this Key Puzzle/Brainteaser!

This year, in addition to a special drink with dinner, the four oldest children will be given tickets (the key/admission) to see A Christmas Carol at the theatre!

.: December 21st :.
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!

O Dayspring Christmas Candle

Our favorite tradition for this O Antiphon is to pile in the car after dinner with hot cocoa and drive around to look at all the Christmas lights. In the past we have also given the children this set of sun blocks, decorated our own house or tree with Christmas lights, enjoyed “O Dayspring Ice Cream,” and addd the Kurt Adler 10-Light Candle with Gold Dish Light Set to our Christmas Tree!

This year, in addition to driving to town to look at Christmas lights, since we didn’t have the chance to make it on the feast of St. Ambrose or the Immaculate Conception, we are going to decorate this year’s Christmas Candle using a tiny wax baby Jesus I purchased years ago along with Stockmar Gold Decorating Beeswax.

.: December 22nd :.
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!

O King of the Gentiles Stained Glass Nativity Puzzle

One year I ordered one of the beautiful sets of Three Kings Gifts! Every Christmas the kids put together a Christmas Play for their Daddy & I, and these have been such an awesome addition original props! Other years we have made Crowns, added a “King” puppet to our puppet collection, baked a Crown Cake and/or Cookies, added the King of the Golden City CD to our collection, and assembled the Three Kings Puzzle.

This year we will begin working on this beautiful Stained Glass Nativity Puzzle which I mentioned in this year’s fun finds for Advent post. 

.: December 23rd :.

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


Oplatki Wafers 

In the past the children have been given special Holy Cards or Coloring Books, including the beautiful Eucharistic Adoration: With Saints And Symbols Of The Eucharist Coloring book, this 500-Piece Stained Glass Jigsaw Puzzle, added various Children’s Nativity Sets to our collection, made a Chocolate Nativity Scene, and received the Holy Family Puzzle with a lovely embroidered Mass bag from Catholic Embroidery.

This year we are going to introduce our children to the Polish tradition of Oplatki Wafers! On Christmas Eve the Polish people celebrate a traditional vigil supper called “Wigilia” which means “to await”. The children of the family look for the appearance of the first star at dusk and then to begin the meal members of the family break up pieces of Oplatki and give them to each other with a blessing. Then the actual supper begins. (Read more at Aquinas and More.)

I ended up ordering this set from Aquinas and More and this set (with greeting cards to give to extended family) from the large selection of Oplatki Wafers over at Amazon.

For a simple treat for each day, here is the link to my printable in the archives for O Antiphon Chocolate Coins!

Instagram Recap

by | Dec 10, 2014 | , , , , | 18 Comments

I have so much I’d love to blog about but right now I only have a few minutes to spare so I thought I’d pop in real quick with another Instagram Recap! As soon as my kiddos finish up their school work for today we are going to start making some little rosaries to send to children in an orphanage in Nigeria for Christmas. ❤  I hope you are all having a blessed Advent! 
December 1st:

 

We just finished reading about Saint Eloi whose (historical) feast is celebrated today. He is the patron of metalworkers and jewelers. St. Eloi, pray for us!

December 3rd:
As much as our little guy loves his wooden saint dolls, when it comes to nap time he has to have his Saints n’ Stitches Pillow that his Godmother made him last Easter! For a limited time Charlotte is offering the KITS in her Etsy shop, Waltzing Matilda Makes… They’d make great stocking stuffers! You can find the link in my most recent post on the blog. She also has two pre-made dolls available, but isn’t accepting any custom orders at this time.

December 4th:


At the theatre with my little sis and a couple of my girls… Fiddler on the Roof is about to start!
The girls with Tzeitel! #meetingthecast #fiddlerontheroof #previewnight #somuchfun

December 6th:

After a fun morning at home, complete with treats from St. Nicholas on his feast day today, the boys just won their Hockey game for the first time this season! It ended up at 12 to 11, and they scored two-thirds of all the goals for their team! Our oldest scored six goals, our second scored two, and the youngest playing didn’t score any since “Nobody was passing me the puck!!!” (lol they were) It was also the first game I was able to go watch this year… They said “Mom needs to come to every game!” Happy St. Nick Day!

Touring the historic Catholic Rectory built in 1861! #catholic #victorianchristmas


@thesideoflove tagged me for #widn It’s after 10 and we are at our parish hall following the Quinceañera Mass for one of my past Little Flowers! The tamale dinner was amazing and our little ones (especially the two year old in the background!) are loving the cake pops! The party is just getting started but it’s almost time for us to head home… It’s been a FULL day and this mama is tired! 
December 7th:

Exploring downtown with their Daddy after attending a Christmas Concert!  (They really enjoyed watching their piano teacher sing!) 


 
Nutcracker Soldiers! They had such a fun night! #daddydatesarethebest

December 8th:

 

On our way to find this year’s Christmas Tree!

Enjoying the gorgeous sunset on our drive home from the woods with our Christmas Tree!

 

The next time we decide to buy a $5 permit and go cut down our own Christmas tree, we need to make sure we take along a tape measure!!! Our beautiful 11 FOOT tree didn’t look nearly as tall out there in the woods! #rearrangeallthefurniture

It’s a little early for us to go get our tree, but remember last year?! 🙂  The tree is all set up, but we haven’t decorated it yet. We are going to add the lights Friday night to turn on the next morning for Santa Lucia Day (Lucy means light!) and then add all our ornaments and decorations on Gaudete Sunday!


The older kids are really enjoying their literature study of A Christmas Carol! Last week they all wrote biographies on Charles Dickens and started studying some of the vocabulary. Today we discussed the characteristics of a narrative story, inferences, the setting, characters, and they started rewriting a scene from the story in their own words. They are excited to be working on a Lap Book again!

For all those who have asked: We are using most of this Lap Book. It’s pretty extensive. I’m not sure if we will be able to finish it before we go see the play on the 20th with everything else that has been going on plus two birthdays next week, but at least we’ve gotten started. I’m also reading the story aloud, we’ve listened to the audible version, and we are also incorporating this new picture book about about The Story Behind A Christmas Carol.

Preparing for Christmas :: Seven Fun Finds for Advent

by | Dec 5, 2014 | , , | 4 Comments

Advent has arrived and the Christmas countdown has begun! This past Sunday, in addition to celebrating the feast of St. Andrew, we lit the first candle on our Advent Wreath, drew names for our Christkindl, read The Beautiful World (chapter one of Read-Aloud Book of Bible Stories) for our Jesse Tree, and unwrapped our first book after our family Rosary and Christmas Novena. I love the season of Advent and preparing our hearts for Christmas! 

Christkindl Angel Ornament

I also love sharing some of my "Fun Finds for Advent" each year. Here is my list for 2014 in Seven Quick Takes:

#1: New Advent Wreath and Candles

Enesco Pillars Advent Wreath 5-piece Set and 100% Beeswax Taper Candles
(pictured on this Heritage Lace Silent Night Runner)

I've been admiring this beautiful wreath for a couple years now and purchased it during a great sale last month after discovering the lovely 100% Beeswax Taper Candles made by the Cloister Shoppe. We will still have our usual large Advent Wreath in our family room, but this has been a nice addition to our dinner table. My only complaint is that it's a little small, but that could be just because our dinner table with a family of nine is so huge! 😉  Someday I would love to have a hanging Advent Wreath above our table, but for now this has been a lovely addition to Advent in our "Domestic Church."  

#2: St. Nick's Goat Milk Soap

St. Nick's Goat Milk Soap

Speaking of the beautiful new Advent Candles, I also purchased the St. Nick's Goat Milk Soap from the creative sisters at the Cloister Shoppe. It will be a great addition to our home for the rest of the Advent and Christmas season, following the feast of St. Nicholas.  I also ordered a couple books that I'm looking forward to giving our children in their Stacks of Books on Christmas morning.

#3: Advent Adventure Activity Books

Advent Adventure Activity Books

From Instagram: On our way to Mass on the First Sunday of Advent! I have some #AdventAdventure brochures to hand out to other families, our new Advent candles to be blessed, and we just finished going over the Mass Quiz in the children's Advent Adventure Activity Books. I love #Advent

The 100% Beeswax Advent Candle Kit can be found at Holy Heroes.  
You can also see pictures of our children creating the candles here.

#4: Advent Calendars

Since Advent began on November 30th this year, on the official "Day 1" we unwrapped and set up all our Advent Calendars, our original favorites and some new ones as well. 

Playmobil Santa's Workshop Advent Calendar

I wasn't going to do the toy Advent Calendars again this year, but our children had so much fun with them last year that I couldn't resist… This year we have four, one for each bedroom.  I already had last year's Lego City Advent Calendar (for the younger boys to share) and I ordered the new 2014 LEGO City Calendar for the older boys and Friends Calendar for the older girls.  (NOTE: The best time to purchase these is during a Buy-one-Get-one-50% off sale at Barnes and Noble sometime before Thanksgiving with the extra member discount, which brings them down to about $20 each from $29.99.) 

Lego Friends Advent Calendar, Lego City Advent Calendar (2013), and Lego City Advent Calendar (2014) - all way overpriced at the moment… These always sell out quickly each year.

I really wanted to order this Schleich Christmas on the Farm Calendar for Bud (I'm considering a Barn/Farm themed Birthday for him this year) but it seemed overpriced for what is included… 


I was a little skeptical when I placed an order for the new Playmobil "Santa's Workshop" Advent Calendar for Rose, but I LOVE IT!!!!  

Look at that!  It even has a HANGING ADVENT WREATH!  Go buy it now for next year! 😉  You could even swap out Santa for St. Nick! 

Rose has been having so much fun opening a new box each morning and discovering the little toys to add to her scene.  

I also ordered the Playmobil Christmas Room and Nativity Scene to give to Rose for her birthday.  (These have also increased in price since I placed my order…) Once again it was the beautiful Advent Wreath, as well as the sweet little nativity and traditional candles on the tree, that made me want to add these sets to our collection. 

#5: New Family Puzzle

Stained Glass Nativity Puzzle

Our family really loves to assemble puzzles during Advent!   In 2010 we assembled the Our Lady of Guadalupe Puzzle. In 2011 the kids loved The Nativity in the Woods Puzzle, followed by the gorgeous Holy Family Jigsaw Puzzle and the They Come Bearing Gifts Puzzle for Epiphany. In 2012 we assembled the beautiful Glorious Nativity 1,000 Piece Jigsaw Puzzle and this lovely stained glass puzzle.  Last year we assembled "The Invitiation" - a gorgeous Noah's Ark themed 1,000 piece puzzle and also assembled this lovely 12 Days of Christmas Puzzle during the 12 days of Christmas.

This year I was excited to discover this beautiful new Stained Glass Nativity 1,000 Piece Jigsaw Puzzle! Isn't it gorgeous?! I will probably wrap it up as the special treat for the "O Emmanuel" Antiphon.   I also have this Christmas Angel puzzle that I purchased last year that I hope to assemble with the children as well, just as soon as our Christmas break from school begins.

A Christmas Angel

#6: Saint Blessing Blocks

Saint Blessing Blocks

Charlotte emailed me the link to this brand new Etsy shop! I've made my own Saint Blocks in the past and they were a lot of work… These little blocks are reasonably priced at just $5 each! I placed an order for the Deluxe Nativity (birthday gift for Bud), the December Feasts Saint Blocks, and 5 additional Catholic Saint Blocks. There were additional saints that I would have loved to add to my order, but those will have to wait until Easter.

UPDATED with new photo: These weren't suppose to arrive until tomorrow afternoon, but the mailman just dropped them off! St. Nicholas must have helped get them here in time for his feast tomorrow! 🙂 

Speaking of Saint toys, Last year I shared the Our Lady of Guadalupe and St. Nicholas Collectible Vinyl Figure from Shining Light Dolls… It looks like they have a couple new dolls available including St. Patrick and Our Lady of Fatima. 

Also, be sure to keep an eye on Charlotte's Etsy shop. She sold out of Saints n' Stitches Kits pretty quickly the other day, but she might list more on Monday. 

#7: Gift Ideas

I posted about Christmas in Harvard Square when it was first released in October, but wanted to remind you all again that it would make a lovely Christmas gift!

I also wanted to mention Treasure and Tradition for anyone out there who would like to learn more about the Latin Mass. It is a gorgeous new book from St. Augustine Academy Press and I'm looking forward to reading my review copy! 

You can find my past "Fun Finds For Advent" in the archives:  

Preparing for Christmas :: Seven Fun Finds for Advent (2013)

Preparing for Advent: A Few Fun Finds for 2012

Preparing for Advent: A Few Fun Finds (2011)

Links for Advent & Christmas Planning From the Archives

Feasts & Seasons :: Our December Book Basket

by | Dec 4, 2014 | , , , | 0 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.

Advent & Christmas:

December 1st, St. Edmund Campion (Hist.):

December 1st, St. Eligius (Hist.):

December 2nd, St. Bibiana (Trad.):

December 3rd, St. Francis Xavier (New, Trad.):

December 4th, St. Peter Chrysologus (Trad.) (New – July 30th):

December 4th, St. Barbara (Trad.):

December 5th, St. Sabas (Trad.):

December 6th, St. Nicholas (New, Trad.):

December 7th, St. Ambrose (New, Trad.)

December 8th, The Immaculate Conception (New, Trad.)

December 9th, St. Peter Fourier:

December 9th, St. Juan Diego (New):

December 10th, St. John Roberts:

December 10th , Our Lady of Loreto (Hist.):

December 11th, Bl. Franco Grotti:

December 12th, Our Lady of Guadalupe (New, Trad./some places):

December 12th, St. Finnian:

December 13th, St. Lucy (New, Trad.):

December 13th, St. Odilia (Hist.):

December 14th, St. Spiridion:

December 14th, St. John of the Cross (New) (Trad. – Nov. 24th):

December 15th, St. Nino (Hist.):

December 16th, St. Adelaide (Hist.):

December 16th, Los Posadas:

December 17th, Pope Francis’ Birthday:

December 17th, St. Olympias (Hist.):

December 18th, St. Flannan:

December 19th, Bl. Urban the V (Hist.):

December 20th, St. Dominic of Silos (Hist.):

December 21st, St. Thomas, Apostle (Trad.) (New – July 3rd ):

December 22nd, St. Frances Xavier Cabrini (Trad./some places) (New – Nov.13th):

December 23rd, St. Servulus (Hist.):

December 24th, Bl. Paula Ceriolo:

December 25th, Christmas, The Birth of Our Lord Jesus Christ (New, Trad.):

December 26th, St. Stephen (New, Trad.):

December 27th, St. John the Evangelist (New, Trad.):

December 28th, The Holy Innocents (New, Trad.):

December 29th, St. Thomas Becket (New, Trad.):

December 29th, St. David the King (Hist.):

December 30th, St. Anysius (Hist.):

December 31st, St. Melania:

Other Links for December:

Saints n’ Stitches

by | Dec 3, 2014 | , | 1 Comment

Back in October I shared a couple pictures and mentioned that our older girls have been enjoying learning how to embroider using the Saints n’ Stitches kits they received in their Easter Baskets earlier this year.  (You can see a couple pictures of our youngest two with their completed dolls on Easter morning. They still love their precious saint dolls!)  These sweet little kits or the completed dolls would also make perfect stocking stuffers! 

Charlotte is offering the kits once again for a LIMITED TIME!!! 

Click over to Waltzing Matilda Makes to place an order! 


Regina Martyrum Productions {Sponsored Giveaway}

Regina Martyrum Productions {Sponsored Giveaway}

by | Dec 17, 2014 | , | 0 Comments

I know I told you all that I wasn't planning on hosting any more giveaways this year, but when Regina Martyrum Productions contacted me about hosting a giveaway here at Shower of Roses for $150 IN GIFT CARDS I knew I had to carve out a little time, in between the...

Saints n’ Stitches

Saints n’ Stitches

by | Dec 3, 2014 | , | 1 Comment

Back in October I shared a couple pictures and mentioned that our older girls have been enjoying learning how to embroider using the Saints n' Stitches kits they received in their Easter Baskets earlier this year.  (You can see a couple pictures of our...

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-25, Ranger-24, Twinkle Toes-22, Chiquita-21, Snuggles-18, Rose-16, Bud-14, Grace-8 and Joy-6 (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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