Bargain Priced Toys :: LEGO Great Vehicles

Hello! Wow, has it really been two weeks?!

I didn't intend to take a break from blogging here at Shower of Roses, but between hosting the giveaways (thank you all for participating and congratulations to all 30 winners!), a special diet I've been on for the last three weeks (I'll share the details later), friends visiting from the Midwest (a family of 7, including one of my Godsons!), three months worth of "Quiet Moments" due for the summer edition of Catholic Digest, and then coming down with a cold/flu which has knocked me off my feet, I just haven't had the time or energy… I've missed blogging and really hope that I can start fitting it back in again soon!

In the meantime, just in case I didn't share enough Easter Basket Stuffer Ideas in my last post, I wanted to pop in real quick to let you all know that once again Amazon has some great discounts on LEGO sets!

Last year we gave each of our boys a small LEGO set in their baskets. They didn't see them at first, but got so excited when they realized that the bottom of their baskets were filled with LEGO bricks and the directions to build a set. I had taken them all out of the boxes and used them as filler. :)

Photo taken last November of the boys' LEGO town

Our boys all really love the Great Vehicles in the City collection and right now many of them are 20% off which drops the price to just $15.99 each. These are also great to have on hand to give as birthday party gifts for friends! Here are the links to some of the sets that are currently on sale:

LEGO City Great Vehicles Camper Van

LEGO City Great Vehicles Dune Buggy Trailer

LEGO City Great Vehicles Pickup Tow Truck

LEGO City Great Vehicles Snowplow Truck

LEGO City Great Vehicles Racing Bike Transporter

LEGO City Fire Truck

The following sets are priced a little higher but are also currently 20% off:

LEGO City Great Vehicles 4x4 with Powerboat (pictured above)

LEGO City Great Vehicles Auto Transporter

LEGO Creator Vehicle Transporter

LEGO City Service Truck (pictured below)

My boys also really love the Creator sets and the Mountain Hut (definitely a favorite!) is currently 25% off:  Lego Creator Mountain Hut

The boys all think the new Service Truck is awesome and purchased it with their savings. Apparently they needed a porta potty for their city…  Oh! And that old photo of the Bull Rider is the background? That's my husband. :) 

Celebrating the Saints :: St. Brigid of Ireland

The feast of St. Brigid, the "Mary of the Gael," is celebrated on the first of February.  You can read more about this well loved Irish saint here. I actually wasn't planning on doing anything extra to celebrate her feast day this year, especially since it happened to fall on (Super Bowl) Sunday…

I had been admiring the Saint Brigid painting as Audrey Eclectic was posting pictures of her progress on Instagram, but I didn't plan on purchasing it... Then one afternoon my daughter was asking questions about Confirmation and whether or not she could choose two saints. I asked her why she wanted to know and she said that she loves St. Rose and St. Brigid and wasn't sure she could pick between the two. Shortly after our conversation I logged into Etsy and there was the painting! I happened to have some money in my PayPal acct from some books I just resold so I purchased it right then and there. I considered saving it for her Confirmation, but that is still years away and she has a special devotion to her now so I surprised her with it on Sunday morning! She loves her new painting and we are still trying to decide the perfect place to hang it in her bedroom. 

Between the conversation with my daughter and the new painting I was inspired to try and do a little something extra to celebrate St. Brigid's feast day after all. I gathered our picture books, printed some coloring pages, pulled the box of chenille pipe cleaners out of my closet, and we were ready to go!

.: STORY TIME :. 

Brigid’s Cloak: An Ancient Irish Story 

by Bryce Milligan (study guide in Catholic Mosaic)

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

Some Additional Stories of St. Brigid found in Our Collection:

Saint Brigid (Saints: Lives and Illuminations) by Ruth Sanderson

Saint Brigid and the Cows (Brother Wolf, Sister Sparrow) by Eric A. Kimmel

Saint Brigid (Saints for Girls) by Eve Rouke

St. Brigid and the Cows by Eva K. Betz

The Life of St. Brigid: Abbess of Kildare by Jane G. Meyer

Twenty Tales of Irish Saints

Note: You can listen to the FREE audio of The Life of St. Brigid: Abbess of Kildare here. 

Saint Brigid found in Saints: Lives and Illuminations

Have I ever mentioned how much I love Saints for Girls and Saints for Boys? ;) 

.: COLORING PAGES :. 

Saint Brigid Coloring Page from Waltzing Matilda

Note: A St. Brigid Coloring Page can also be found in Fenestrae Fidei

by Rose, who just turned 5

I asked if he could hold his picture so I could take a picture! This is what I got... I love him so much!

.: CRAFT - ST. BRIGID'S CROSS :. 

Can you tell which one the boys made? #seahawks #patriots #beavers

We've made these a couple times in the past and find these step-by-step pictures helpful. 

Supplies For each Cross: 

16 piece of pipe cleaner, straw, or other weaving material, each 8" in length

Note: Save some of the short pieces to tie the ends. Some of my children also used their remaining 4" lengths of pipe cleaner to create miniature crosses.

.: THE IRISH RULE OF HOSPITALITY :.

I saw a stranger yestreen; 


I put food in the eating place, 


Drink in the drinking place, 


Music in the listening place, 


And in the name of the Triune 


He blessed myself and my house, 


My cattle and my dear ones,

And the lark said in her song 


Often, often, often, 


Goes the Christ in the stranger's guise, 

Often, often, often, 


Goes the Christ in the stranger's guise.

The Irish Rule of Hospitality

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

Saige was baptized "Brigid" and given a miniature St. Brigid cross as well as Caroline's Calf, Garnet

.: CATHOLIC CUISINE :.

I wish I had a great lake of ale for the King of kings, and the family of heaven to drink it through time eternal. I wish I had the meats of belief and genuine piety, the flails of penance, and the men of heaven in my house.

~ St. Brigid of Ireland 

 
St. Brigid is the patron saint for numerous things including cattle and dairy work. She was said to be the best mead and ale maker in all of Ireland, as well as an excellent cook. One way to celebrate this Abbess from Kildare is to enjoy a steaming bowl of Irish Beef stew… made with Ireland’s own Guinness Draught!

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

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

O God, bless my pantry!

Pantry which the Lord has blessed.

Mary’s Son, my friend,

come and bless my pantry!

- St. Brigid of Ireland

To go along with our chicken soup I decided to let the children try and create "St. Brigid's Cross Dinner Rolls." I pulled out some frozen dinner rolls from the freezer and let them thaw for about an hour while they painted their pictures.

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

+ A FEW MORE LINKS +

St. Brigid's Oaten Bread from Ireland

Irish Potato Pancakes

Traditional Irish Soda Bread 

8x10 St. Brigid Print

White Vintage Style Taper Candle Holder

100% Pure Beeswax Taper - Raw

Woodcut Irish Blessings Celtic Cross

Scroll through all St. Brigid posts in the Archives

Ranger's LEGO contribution to the decorations for the feast of St. Brigid! 

.: PRAYER :. 

Saint Brigid, Mary of Ireland ask for us all today, 

The courage to do God’s bidding whatever the world may say. 

The grace to be strong and valiant, the grace to be firm and true, 

The grace to be faithful always to God, His Mother, and You. 

Saint Brigid, Ora Pro Nobis! 

January Daybook

Outside my window...
The boys were playing hockey in the driveway yesterday afternoon and called the rest of us out to the front porch to watch the sunset. It was gorgeous!

I am thinking...
I didn't participate in any of the online discussions about the Pope's recent comments, but I did have a little conversation about them with my husband and our oldest son must have been listening... I couldn't help laughing as I was reading the final draft of his Five Paragraph Interview Essay yesterday and noticed the simile he chose to include as required by his Student Writing Intensive checklist!

I am thankful... 
I am so thankful that our Dentist's office lets us schedule so many back-to-back appointments! Our schedule was crammed full the past two Tuesdays, but now all the Dental Exams and Cleanings are done for the next 6 months! Only Snuggles needs a follow-up appointment to have one of his baby teeth removed sometime within the next month.

From Instagram on Tuesday, January 20th:
My mom just called and said she had a little time this afternoon and asked if I needed any help... "Why YES!!!! I do! If you could meet me at the math tutor's at 1:30, I could then go home with all the little ones and you could take (three of the older children) to their afternoon appointments. The schedule isn't quite as bad as it was last week, but I'll make you a list of who needs to be where and when." ‪#‎thankyoumom‬ ‪#‎youarethebest‬ ‪#‎mydayjustgotsomucheasier‬

Learning all the time... 
We are nearing the end of our Biology course for this year and will begin Physics next month. Lately we have enjoyed observing our five new little friends who have been growing so incredibly fast! We will transfer them to the Butterfly Garden once they become chrysalides. Next up in our Laboratory Workbooks… Grow-a-Frog!

Celebrating the liturgical year...
The Feast of the Purification, which is also called Candlemas due to the traditional blessing of candles at Mass, is coming up on February 2nd. It is customary to bring candles (at least 51% beeswax) from home to be blessed for devotional purposes. Last year, in addition to the candles we had blessed, I ordered a pair of the Raw Beeswax Candles from Bluecorn Naturals which I LOVE! They burn so nicely and are such a beautiful addition to our dinner table. This year I decided to order some extra beeswax candles in various colors. I think the Eggplant Tapers will be perfect for during Lent, the Red Tapers for Pentecost, and the Moss Tapers for ordinary time!  I also need to purchase a couple more pillar candles for creating our 2015 Paschal Candle for Easter and Christ Candle for Christmas.

From the kitchen... 
I've used my crock pot nearly every day this past week. It has been such a huge help! After posting a picture on Instagram last Thursday I had a couple requests for my mom's "Chili for a Crowd" recipe. I made some modifications and rather than trying to type it all up in the comments over at Instagram I'm just going to share it here along with my notes.

Chili for a Crowd

(Serves 8-12) 

1 1/2 lbs ground beef (I use 2 lbs)
2 onions, chopped
1/2 cup green pepper, chopped (I used 1 bag of Trader Joe's Melange a Trois - Red, Yellow, & Green Bell Pepper Strips found in the frozen section) 
1/2 cup celery, chopped (I omitted the celery) 
1 tsp. chopped garlic (I used 2 cubes of the Dorot brand Crushed Garlic from Trader Joe's) 
3 - 16 oz. cans diced tomatoes (I used 2 cans of diced and 1 can of tomato sauce)
3 - 16 oz. cans kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 TBS Worcestershire Sauce
1 TBS chili powder
1 1/2 tsp oregano
1 1/2 tsp cumin
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (I omitted)

Sauté ground beef, onions, pepper, celery, and garlic. Drain fat. Stir in remaining ingredients. Cook over medium until it comes to a boil - 5 to 8 minutes. Reduce heat to low. Simmer for 30-40 minutes.

Note: After sautéing I transferred it to my crock pot and stirred in the remaining ingredients. I did this the night before, since I wasn't going to have time in the morning. The next morning I set it on low for 8 hours and it was ready to eat when we arrived home from piano. The crock pot kept the chili warm for the boys' second dinner later that night after hockey! :)

From Instagram on Thursday, January 22nd:
It's so nice to have a little extra help in the kitchen on these busy days... I just walked back in the door and dinner will be ready in 1 minute! Tonight we are having my mom's "Chili for a Crowd" which happens to be "just enough" for our little family... especially on Hockey nights when the boys all end up eating dinner twice!

I am working on... 
I just finished adding a few posts from 2014 to Links for February :: Month Dedicated to the Holy Family. I can't believe February is only a week away!

I am creating...
Yesterday, Friday, January 23rd, was the final day of our second quarter. Our school year is officially half over!!! This weekend I'll be finalizing our plans for the second half of the school year and printing out the children's checklists for our third quarter.

I am going...
I have some Pirouette Cookies hidden away in the pantry, but I am going to need to pick up some Fudge Stripes Cookies and Mini Marshmallows so the kids can make our Candlemas Cookies with Drip Plates again this year.

I am hoping...
and praying, praying, praying, that we will be able to find a permanent replacement for Father K or better yet that God will work a small miracle and bring the FSSP (the order of priests to which my husband's three brothers belong) within driving distance. For the past two years Father has been traveling from a neighboring diocese to offer the Extraordinary Form of the Mass at our local parish. In 2013 we were blessed to have the Latin Mass once per quarter and in 2014 the frequency increased to every other month for a total of 10 Masses over the past two years. Unfortunately Father was unable to commit to any Masses in 2015 and we are searching for a replacement. At this time we have a priest who has agreed to make the trip to offer a 7pm Mass on March 1st. It's a start!

I am praying...
a prayer my sister texted me last month. Thank you little sis!

Eternal, Holy God, I come to you burdened with worries, fears, doubts, and troubles. Calm and quiet me with peace of mind. Empty me of the anxiety that disturbs me, of the concerns that weary my spirit, and weigh heavy on my heart. Loosen my grip on the disappointments and grievances I hold on to so tightly. Release me from the pain of past hurts, of present anger and tension, of future fears. Sometimes it's too much for me Lord, too many demands and problems, too much sadness, suffering, and stress. Renew me spiritually and emotionally. Give me new strength, hope, and confidence. Prepare me to meet the constant struggles of daily life with a deeper faith and trust in You. Let your love set me free, for peace, for joy, for grace, for life, for others, forever. Amen.

I am reading…
Today I read a short story to my little ones about St. Francis de Sales from our January Book Basket. We have also been reading our review copy of Treasure and Tradition from St. Augustine Academy Press. Review coming soon!

Pondering these words…
from St. Francis de Sales that were quoted at the beginning of Chapter 7 in Momnipotent: The Not-So-Perfect Guide to Catholic Motherhood:

"Accept the duties which come upon you quietly, and try to fulfill them methodically, one after another. If you attempt to do everything at once, or with confusion, you will only cumber yourself with your own exertions, and by dint of perplexing your mind you will probably be overwhelmed and accomplish nothing." 

I am listening…
to the girls practicing on the piano. They are loving their piano lessons this year. I am so thankful that we have finally found such an excellent piano teacher within driving distance. She teaches upstairs at a Presbyterian church and the girls will participate in their very first recital next month!

From Instagram on Thursday, January 22nd:

The girls are having fun enjoying some of the other instruments while waiting for their piano teacher!

Around the house...
There are always LEGO creations of some sort around our house. This little "King's Castle" is the boys' latest!

One of my favorite things...  
I love ice skating, though I don't get to skate nearly as much as I would like. The children were invited to participate in a local field trip to the rink on Friday the 16th, which happened to be my birthday. The five oldest could skate for free and any other family members only cost $5 each so we all decided to go!

From Instagram on Friday, January 16th:
Oh boy! Her first time ever and my first time in 7-8 (?) years! This should be fun!!!

Sean was able to take the day off work and we brought along a stroller for Bud. It was my first time skating since 2008 and Rose's first time ever. We had such a great time!

This week's plans…
Same as usual… Mass on Sunday. Hockey practice on Monday and Thursday nights. Tutors on Tuesday and Thursday mornings.  Piano lessons on Thursday afternoon. Hockey games on Saturday morning.

A little peek at my day...
My little cowboy enjoying a boatload of oatmeal!

Isn't his TUG BOWL Dinner Set adorable?! He loves it! Here is one more picture taken just after he unwrapped it last month on his birthday!