My Daybook ~ December 15th

FOR TODAY: December 15th, 2008

Outside my Window... there is a blanket of snow covering the ground! We woke up to snow for the first time this winter on Saturday morning, and it has been snowing each night since!

This is pretty rare for here, and although it does snow a few times each year, it usually isn't this early!

I am thinking... about the fact that this is the first time in just over 9 years that I have not been pregnant and/or nursing a baby. I don't know what to do with myself!

From the school room... The boys are still working on their Advent Lapbooks, which they are loving. We will also spend sometime finishing up all their English, spelling, phonics, etc, so we can take the next 2 weeks off.

I am thankful... for our fireplace/woodstove on these cold mornings.

From the kitchen... I have a pot of oatmeal simmering on the stove, leftover Santa Lucia bread, and a pot of coffee brewing. I think I will make a sauce for Spaghetti or Lasagna for dinner, and sometime this week, I want to bake a cake or cookies for St. Joseph. Oh, and remember that Thursday, Friday, and Saturday are Ember days!

I am creating... a list of Christmas gifts that I still need to purchase or mail. I am *so* behind this year!

I am going... to mail some packages this week, and hopefully finish my shopping.

I am wearing... my jammies still, though I need to change soon since the tutor is coming this morning.

I am (still) reading... The Practice of the Presence of God. I am also finishing up Pierced by a Sword.

I am hoping... that my sister can come over today and help me put together our Christmas card. I still haven't done that... The past few years we have sent out the same one (from Costco) as a number of friends, and so we can make a custom one this year. Wish me luck!

I am hearing... little feet running up and down the hall, and many excited voices. My kiddos love the snow!

Around the house... I have so much to do this week to finish preparing for Christmas! I am hoping to be able to clean the house real well, and catch up on that never ending pile of laundry!

One of my favorite things... our new flannel sheets!! We finally bought a set, when Costco had a great deal on them, and they really make all the difference in the world on these cold winter nights!

A Few Plans For This Week...

• The tutor will be coming today, tomorrow, and Wednesday, and then that will be it until next year!
• Hubby's last day of work for the year is Thursday, and then he will have the next 2 weeks off!
• Possibly take the kids roller skating with our home school group. We have ice skated many, many times, but I don't remember having ever taken my kids roller skating!
• Friday my tutor will be baysitting so I can run errands, and do a bit of shopping! I am SO excited!!
• I am also going to try not to take on too much... I don't say no enough, and my list of people that I need to say no to, is the same as Jennifer's! I don't know why I am always trying to accomplish more than is humanly possible.... Sheesh!!
  

A picture thought I am sharing:

Big Smiles :)

This was taken Saturday night at my brother's house, right before we took the kids to a place called "The Farm." It was planned at the last minute and we had SO much fun. I'll try and post pictures sometime this week.

To view more Daybooks visit Peggy here.

I hope you have a wonderful week!

Happy Santa Lucia Day!

 

Our Santa Lucia's Braided Bread turned out delicious, the girls looked darling in their nightgowns and crowns, and they really enjoyed "waking" the (very awake yet cooperative) boys. Although it has already melted, we even woke up to our very first snowfall of winter! 

I've been busily painting more Wooden Saints (I need to hurry, since I would like to give the whole set to the girls with their Christmas Present), Snuggles is sleeping, and the rest of our kiddos are playing board games with their daddy. I love Saturdays!!! 

 So, what are you up to this weekend?

O glorious Santa Lucia, who combined the profession of faith with the glory of martyrdom, help us to openly profess the truths of the Gospel and to walk in faith according to the teachings of our Savior. 

 Oh Virgin of Syracuse, be thou the light in our life and the model for our actions so that, after following in thy footsteps here on earth, we can rejoice together with thee in the vision of our Lord. Amen.

Mexican Fiesta for Our Lady of Guadalupe

Baja Fish Tacos, steamed corn, and Rosy Treats...

...followed by coloring a beautiful image of Our Lady of Guadalupe, while listening to this CD and this picture book.


Our Lady of Guadalupe, mystical rose, intercede for the Church, protect the Holy Father, help all who invoke you in their necessities. Since you are the ever Virgin Mary and Mother of the true God, obtain for us from your most holy Son the Grace of a firm faith and sure hope amid the bitterness of life, as well as an ardent love and the precious gift of final perseverance. Amen.

A Christmas Rose

The Christmas Novena to St. Therese begins today, 12 days before Christmas. One is to pray the novena 12 times per day for 12 days to honor the 12 years of Christ's childhood. May you receive a Christmas Rose of many blessings this Christmas!

MYSTICAL ROSE NOVENA

Remember, O Gracious Little Rose Queen, your promise to spend your heaven in doing good on earth and even, if necessary, to come down to help those who ask your aid. If it is God's Holy Will, and my dispositions are pleasing to Him by their honesty and true desire for goodness, keep your promise to shower roses and send me some visible sign of your heavenly friendship for me and for those I love. In memory of the great interior enlightenment you received on a certain Christmas of your early life, ask God for a "Christmas Rose" for me in these my urgent needs, that I may experience an increase in faith, hope and confidence. (Meditate, here upon your petitions so that St. Therese can understand why your are asking her to assist you.) I desire to know and to accept real objective truth about life and death. Give me assurance that you understand and will remain my heavenly friend, so that one day we may be together with God. Keep your promise to give some answer! Amen.

St. Therese of Lisieux ~ Pray for us!

Little Flowers Girls' Club ~ December Meeting

Well, I had our Little Flowers meeting scheduled for last week, but due to my miscarriage the week prior, I just wasn't prepared, nor was I quite up for it... Soooooo, I postponed it a week, and we met last night.

At the last minute (well, not quite the last minute, but at 1:30 in the afternoon) I found out that the room, in the back of the local bookstore where we usually meet, was filled with boxes and not available, so plans changed and the meeting was now going to be at MY HOUSE!! Yikes!! Not only did I have to finish coming up with notebook page -- I was having a hard time being creative and so I had put it off till the last minute, and when I was almost finished Microsoft Word decided to crash before I saved my document and I had to start over, which was fine cause I didn't really like it at that point anyway, but still, totally annoying! -- but now I also had to clean my house!! (picture a frantic mother running around cleaning, baking and crafting for 4 hours, while trying to take care of a five little children!) Nevertheless, everything turned out fine in the end and I actually really enjoyed hosting the meeting at my home. PLUS, hubby had the opportunity to take all his boys out to dinner! Thank you honey!! :)

Anyhow, here is an overview of our night:

As the girls arrived, I had them all start right in on their coloring. We used Waltzing Matilda's beautiful St. Jane Frances de Chantal coloring page, of course! Thank you Charlotte, you amaze me!

We had a new addition this month as well...

Well, new in that this was the first time we actually got to see Amy's new little one at the meeting... Last month he was still in her tummy! ☺ In fact, he was just born a week and a half ago, and although I have got to see him a couple times since then, last night was the first time I actually got to hold him!

Congratulations Amy!!!!!

After everyone arrived, we started the meeting with the prayer to St. Therese and the Acts of Faith, Hope, and Love. We then continued with a review of last months virtue and saint. Beads went into the jar for all the completed assignments. Next I introduced the virtue we will be working on this month, Love of our Neighbor, and we read a short biography of the saint for this month, St. Jane Frances de Chantal.

Did you know that her feast day is actually December 12th, but (in the United States) it was moved to August 18th so that the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe could be celebrated? I didn't until last night when we were reading about her!!

To further discuss Love of our Neighbor, I once again used the book Chat's With God's Little Ones. I highly recommend adding this book to your collections. I have used it for years with my little ones, and it has come in so handy the last couple months for Little Flowers too! It is perfect for the younger girls, and I love that it gets them thinking, and trying to answer the questions. This month I used the lesson on The Fifth Commandment: Chapter 10, Lesson 27:

The Fifth Commandment tells us to be kind. Can you say that? (Help the child to repeat the whole sentence. If necessary, break it up into phrases so that he may repeat a phase at a time. If time allows, also review what the first four Commandments tell us to do.) Do you know who God wants us to be kind to? (everyone). Do you think that includes ourselves? (yes). Do you think it is kind to ourselves or to others if we quarrel and get angry? (no). Do you think it is a sin to hit other children? (yes). If a child hits you once, you might offer it up for love of Jesus. But if someone keeps on hitting you or hurts you in some way, you should go right away and tell your parents of teacher (or babysitter). If a child does something bad to you, do you think that Jesus wants you to do something bad to them? (no). When Jesus was whipped and crowned with thorns and nailed on the cross, did He try to get even with the people who did that? (no). He showed us an example of what He wants us to do, didn't He? (yes). Jesus also wants us to be a good example to everyone. Do you know what it means to be a good example? It means that if people see you doing good things, they will want to do good things too.

If someone sees you doing something bad, do you think they might start to do bad things too? (yes). So when we do something bad in front of someone else, do you think it might hurt their soul? (yes). But if we do good things, do you think we will be kind to their soul? (yes). Does Jesus want us to be kind to everyone, even bad people? (yes). We don't have to make friends with bad people but we should pray for them and give them good example. Jesus said that whenever we do something bad to someone, we do something bad to Him. He also said that whenever we do something good to someone, we do something good to Him. Do we want to always do good things for Jesus? (yes).

I continued on with the following question to the girls: What do you think we could do this month for love of our neighbor, and for Jesus?

One of the little girls responded with "we could give food to the poor!!" Perfect!! It was just what I was hoping one of them would say, since that was going to be their extra credit project for the month. At that point I handed each girl a brown paper bag (thank you Marci for picking them up for me!!) and they glued their pictures of St. Jane to the front. Sometime during this month, each girl will fill the bag with food for the poor.

We then moved on to the craft, another page for our notebooks. I printed out an image of St. Jane, and typed up a few quotes for the girls to use, including the invocation to St. Jane, the memory verse of the month, a quote out of the Catholic Girl's Guide, and a quote on the two great commandments. They also got a sheet of red card stock, some green construction paper, and a couple Martha Stewart dimensional rose stickers. (Here is the link to my document.)

Here is the page that I put together as a sample (which I finished minutes before the girls arrived... Whew!!) :

As usual, the girls all did such an amazing job!

This month I decided to add an extra craft. Since Saturday is the feast of St. Lucy, I thought it would be fun for all the girls to make Santa Lucia Crowns! I was hesitant though, about cutting out all the leaves and berries, until Marci offered to use her totally cool new machine to take care of that for me! What an amazing time saver, it is awesome! And the leaves turned out SOOO cute! What would I do without Marci?!? All I had to do was print out the candles onto cardstock and cut the bands. The girls colored the candles and put the crowns together themselves.

It was my month for snacks... Yes, I gave myself this month when I saw that the flower was the rose. ;) And how perfect that the meeting ended up being on the eve of the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe -- another perfect feast for tying in Rosy treats! (and I had lots of leftovers!!) I served Rose Cupcakes with Rosy Punch. There was also a pot of coffee and brownies for us moms! I wish I would have had a chance to make the Santa Lucia's Braided Bread, but we will be making it tonight, for tomorrow morning anyways!

While the girls had their cupcakes and punch, I read them a couple books. First we read Hanna's Christmas (which I borrowed from the library) since they had just finished making their crowns, and then we read Good King Wenceslas since, in this book, "The king makes his way through the snow, loaded with gifts, to share his wealth with the poor man." I had hoped to read Shoemaker Martin and The Christmas Candle as well, since they are both great Christmas Picture books about sharing with the poor, but we ran out of time.

Wow!! This post sure got long!! I'll end now with the group photo.

We sure missed all of you girls that weren't able to make it this month!! I hope you all have a very Blessed Christmas and hopefully we will see you in January!

Saint Jane Frances de Chantal, pray for us,
As in the visitation, help us to love our neighbor.

Saint Therese, the Little Flower, pray for us!

A Spiritual Bouquet...

...from one of my Little Flowers.

Thank you so much sweetie!! It made my day!

Little Flowers

The girls had a great time at Little Flowers tonight... I will post more about our meeting soon!

Must... Keep... Eating...

What you don't see is that, as soon as Snuggles had finished eating his lunch, he woke right back up when I washed him up, and it took me awhile to get him to take his afternoon nap! Aren't sleepy babies just the cutest?!