Celebrating Our Lady's Birthday {and a 2000th Post Giveaway!}

Before I move on to sharing some pictures from Our Little Flowers Mother-Daughter Tea Party, I thought I'd post a few pictures from our family celebration in honor of the Blessed Mother's birthday this past Saturday.

Originally I had intended to serve the birthday cake during our tea, but we ended up with so many delicious foods and desserts that everyone just couldn't eat one more thing and I decided to save it for my kids.  The boys and our little Rose were especially excited to not be left out of all the fun!

After dinner we added a few candles to the cake and sang Happy Birthday to Mary!

Speaking of celebrating, I also just noticed that this is my 2000th post!  Isn't that crazy?  I remember getting excited when I made it to 100!  I started this little blog just over 5 years ago, right before Snuggles was born.  At that time I had no idea how much this little space would bless our family with friendships, prayers, support, and (most unexpectedly) even financially (thank you to all of you that purchase through my affiliate links).  Blogging has helped keep me sane and is actual proof that I really do get things done around here, despite what it feels like most of the time! ;)   God sure does provide for all of our needs!

Taking a look at the Shower of Roses stats I am so amazed that there are 1230 of you currently following though feeds and the blog is quickly approaching 1,000,000 unique visits with over 2,000,000 page views since 2007!



With the feast of St. Therese coming up at the beginning of next month, I thought this would be the perfect time to host another giveaway!  I've put together a St. Therese Gift Package  (*basket not included) for one of my visitors.  The package will include:

• A lovely St. Therese "Living the Little Way" Apron donated by Catholic Embroidery  (Now is the perfect time to start ordering aprons or other beautiful embroidered products as Christmas gifts!  Catholic Embroidery now also has a blog and Facebook page, so be sure to check those out as well) 
• Rose Covered Journal
• Rose Notecards
• A Set of Rose shaped votive candles
• A pretty little wall plaque of St. Therese
• 1 bar of Cinnamon Nutmeg Soap and 1 bar of Honey Almond Soap (not pictured) donated by Three Little Maidens Soap Company (These would also make great gifts!)

To be entered, just leave a comment on this post by September 18th!

(Be sure to include your email address if it isn't already linked on your profile.)

Update:  For those of you that are not seeing your comments, all you need to do is click the "Load More..." link at the end of the first page of comments.   I, too, had a hard time figuring out where they were disappearing to, but apparently Blogger has a limit on how many comments will show on the first page.  This was the first time you all have ever even come close to exceeding that limit!

Thank you to all of my visitors for your comments and for making blogging such a joy!  

A Votive Mass for Our Lady

This past Friday we were so very blessed with a Latin Votive Mass for Our Lady!  It was the first time Father Carmelo (a retired priest in our area) has agreed to offer Mass in Latin for us.  It wasn't the extraordinary form, but still so very beautiful and (as a friend mentioned) we must celebrate these small victories in our liberal diocese.

The little historic church, which usually just has our family and a handful of other people attending on Fridays, was packed on this particular weekday morning during the first week of school.   We also had the lovely local Schola Choir singing in the loft. Who says that there isn't enough interest in Latin Masses around here?!

Following Mass, the Legion of Mary invited us to stay for a little reception.  It was such a beautiful and joy filled morning!  We are hoping that Father will agree to offer Mass in Latin more often... Perhaps for our annual All Souls Mass this year?!?  :)

I spent the rest of Friday preparing for our Mother/Daughter Tea Party on Saturday, which was so much fun!  I have tons of pictures to share with you all, but they will have to wait... My online time is extra limited at the moment, while we work on establishing some good routines for our new school year.    I'll be back soon!

Tea Time

I let the girls stay up late and keep me company last night, as I worked on getting ready for our Mother/Daughter Tea Party today in honor of Our Blessed Mother's Birthday!  They were so cute to watch playing together at the counter while I decorated our cake.  I just posted the cake recipe over at Catholic Cuisine.  I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

{pretty, happy, funny, real}

~ Capturing the context of contentment in everyday life. ~

{pretty}

Rose had so much fun playing catch with her sister the other day.

{happy}

The kids are all very happy with their science journals this year (the original journal for the boys and the junior journal for the girl) and super excited to be studying Swimming Creatures.   I just ordered this Sea Life Alphabet Coloring Book to add to the Alphabet Path for Snuggles, which he can color while he sits in on his older siblings science (we read the text aloud all together) and participates in the extra activities!  

{funny}

Every school has a class clown... Right?!?

{real}

Have I mentioned yet that our little Bud frequently sleeps with his eyes open?  So strange!  It's like he's watching me to make sure that I don't try and set him down or leave the room...  I've read that most babies will outgrow this by 12-18 months.  I sure hope so!

Visit Like Mother, Like Daughter for more pictures of contentment

The Big Day

Please tell me I'm not the only mother that cried when her children went in to get their braces put on their teeth...  I felt so silly!   Still, how are they possibly old enough for braces?   I'm not ready for them to grow up yet!  

Of course, I took pictures before, during, and after their appointment to share with you all.  Speaking of which, Twinkle Toes asked me which color rubber bands I had on my braces, when I first got them...  I couldn't remember and she commented that, "It's too bad your mom didn't have a blog when you were little, so you could go and check!"  So, for the record, Twinkle Toes opted for "Screaming Pink" and Captain choose "Midnight Blue."  :) 

Before:

During:

After: 

  Smoothies from the Orthodontist!

Curious Siblings...

Special Treats

During their appointment, while I was at the store stocking up on Ibuprofen and Mouth Wash, I decided to surprise Captain with a few new lego minifigures.  Twinkle Toes's surprise should be delivered by the UPS man any minute!  :)   

(I love it when I pre-order new books.  This one will also be arriving tomorrow!  I would have had it by now, but I ordered it so long ago I had to update my credit card information...)

Bud wasn't sure what to think...

... but he always has a smile for his mama!

Time for me to go mop the floors...  They just somehow looked clean in that video from the other day!   We've decided to cut back on the cleaning lady to (partially) help with all the extra dental expenses... (I'm sure I looked like Snuggles when we added up all the charges!)  I am sure going to miss having her help, even if she was only coming six hours a month!  Still, it will all be worth it, and it's such a blessing to be able to do this for our children.   God is good!

Just for Fun

I had to share this little video clip with you all, of our little Bud crawling. He does crawl on his hands and knees when he's on carpet, but usually prefers to slide along on his tummy on the tile and wood floors. He can get around faster that way too.

In this video he is crawling towards me, but the other afternoon he actually "ran" away from me, giggling the whole time, when I went to try and take one of his older brothers toys away from him. The little stinker!

Make a video - it's fun, easy and free!
www.onetruemedia.com

Back-to-School :: 2012-2013

Today was the first day of our new school year!  Despite my efforts to keep our extra activities to a minimum this week, it just wasn't meant to be... Today we ended up with one last Dentist Appointment for Captain, tomorrow morning Captain and Twinkle Toes will be getting their braces put on, Friday the boy's will be serving a special Mass in honor of Our Lady, and Saturday (on Our Lady's Birthday!) we are finally having our Mother/Daughter Tea Party - which I will be hosting at our home!   I was a little overwhelmed last night thinking about it all, but I'm trying to focus on one thing at a time,and  praying that it all falls into place...  Sure enough, our first day went as well as could be expected (for a first day), and we are all very excited about the new year!

Captain :: 6th Grade   ~   Rascal :: 5th Grade

   

Twinkle Toes :: 3rd Grade   ~   Chiquita :: 2nd Grade

 

Snuggles :: Kindergarten   ~   Rose :: Pre-School

As usual, the kids all woke up to find Schultütes filled with snacks and school supplies, along with another "Patron of Students Treat" tied to the top.   The sizes aren't very consistent, and Twinkle Toes' looks more like a slice of pizza rather than a cone, but I was focused on the quantity, and not so much the quality this year.   And, thankfully, I was able to assemble and fill them all in less than an hour and a half.   Sometimes I wonder what I was thinking when I started all these "traditions" in our family... I sure wasn't thinking that someday we'd have seven kids!  ;)  Still, I think that it is worth the extra effort for all the smiles and excitement from the kids... Such a fun way to start each new school year!

 Prayer for My Children

from Mother's Manual

Dear Mother Mary, in your motherhood of Christ you have become Mother to us all.  Praise God for this great gift to us!  Today I place all my children again under your mantle of loving care.   Please protect and watch over them with your motherly compassion.   Bless their spirits, that they may come to know, love and serve the Lord.  Guard their minds to be ever pure and focused on the true, the good, and the beautiful.

O Mary, in the Scripture it is written:  "A joyful heart is health for the body" (Proverbs 17:22).  Please guard my children's hearts that they will be obedient to the Lord and so will be content, joyful, and true.  Bless their bodies with health and strength.  Preserve in their souls the image of God they received in Baptism.  May they grow to their full potential.  Always, Mother Mary, protect them, preserve them, and watch over them in your maternal care.

Finally, dear Mother, please help me also to be a good wife to my husband and a good mother to our children.  Please supply where we may be lacking, and protect our children from all evil.  Amen.

Queen of the Most Holy Family, Pray for us!

Good St. Joseph, Pray for us!

Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, I love you; save souls. 

Inspiration for the New School Year

Why Homeschool

I shared the link to this beautiful homily over on my Facebook page a week or so ago, and was going to add it to my last Daybook post as well.  I changed my mind and decided it really deserved a post of it's own, that way I'll be able to find it easier when I need to listen to it again in a month or two.  ;)  

It is so inspiring and encouraging - just what I needed to hear as we begin our new school year!   

 Note:  Here is a link to the conditions for sharing this sermon.  I just offered three Hail Mary's for the priests that preach the sermons at Audio Sancto, and ask you all to do the same.  Thank you! 

Prayer for Homeschoolers

Dear Lord, bless me in my decision to homeschool my children. Grant me the grace of peace and determination in this awesome endeavor. Lead me to the proper materials for the instruction of each of my children, so that their individual talents and skills will be nurtured and they will grow in intelligence to the fullness of their abilities. Give me the strength to persevere when the weight of being teacher, mother, wife, and housekeeper seems too much to bear. Help me to maintain my household and family school, knowing that there will be times when one or both may seem to suffer, but confident that you will assist me in restoring harmony to both in good time. Allow me the contentment of heart and knowledge that the proper formation of my children's minds holds importance far above many of the callings of this world. Bestow on me courage to overcome the criticisms of those who disagree with me in this effort, keeping ever mindful that the growing of my children in knowledge and grace will be for your glory, and the trials I must endure are for my personal sanctification. Amen.

Prayer to Our Lady for Homeschooling Parents

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

May the most just, most high, and most adorable will of God
 be in all things done, praised and magnified forever.

Happy 9th Birthday, Twinkle Toes!

This past Thursday our oldest daughter turned nine... NINE!!!  The last of the single digits!  Where has the time gone?!?  It seems like just yesterday (November 25, 2002 to be exact - which is a special day for us, and easy to remember) that I prayed that if I happened to be pregnant (I thought I might be) that we would be blessed with a daughter.   A few months later I couldn't stop the tears, when they told us that our first baby girl was on her way.  I was so happy!   The months of bed rest were worth every minute, and we are so blessed to have her in our life.  

As I mentioned the other day, the birthday girl requested a "Camping" and/or "Waterslide" theme, so I did my best to combine the two.   You can see a few more pictures of her cake in this post.   She loved it!!! 

.: At the Waterslides :.

Thursday afternoon was the perfect day to go to the waterslides.  The weather was warm, and we were able to avoid the weekend crowds.   The last time I took the kids to these waterslides was when Twinkle Toes was a newborn and Hubby was off fighting a fire - too young for any of them to really remember what it was like.   We all had a great time!

 I felt like a kid again, racing the birthday girl down the slides!  

It was SO. MUCH. FUN!!!!   

Hubby & I took turns taking Snuggles and Rose.   Snuggles LOVED the slides, but Rose wasn't quite sure... She'd ask to go, and then say "Whoa.... whoa.... whoa... whoa... WHOA.... WHOA... whoa... whoooaaaa..." the whole way down.  Then she'd take a 30 minute break before asking to go again.  It was so cute!  

Everyone was starving by the time our passes ran out, so instead of heading home to roast hotdogs and those marshmallows pictured above, we headed to the pizza parlor.   Yummm..... 

.: Time for Cake :.

.: Birthday Gifts :.

Twinkle Toes' main gift was the trip to the waterslides, but she also was very excited to open a few more gifts at home, after blowing out those nine candles. 

Her older brothers "spent" the last of their Summer Bingo tickets to purchase a little American Girl Pet (from Costco) for her and her dolls.   She was beyond excited!  

She also loved the sweet letter from her little sister. 

Twinkle Toes also received a living room set to furnish that "one empty room" in her dollhouse.   In addition to some new clothing, books, and a nightlight.  

We ended up not having time to pitch the tent and sleep outside, so instead I moved the coffee table and the kids all slept in the living room under the stars!