My Daybook :: October 13, 2013

Outside my window... 
after a record-setting rainy September, we have finally been enjoying some beautiful fall weather!

I am thinking...        
about ways I can reduce our monthly expenses and help supplement our (lack of) income, during this government shutdown, in addition to the commissions I currently earn through Amazon and other affiliate links here at Shower of Roses.  Thank you all for your support in this way, and for each and every purchase you all make through my links!  It all adds up!  It may not be enough to pay our house payment, but it is enough to help buy groceries and hopefully stretch the little we have in savings (that we had hoped to use as a down payment on a larger van) for a couple months if necessary.

I am thankful... 
for video chat. The other morning my little baby boy pulled his daddy over to the computer, pointed to the screen and said "MAMA?!"  Oh, I miss that little boy of mine! It was the second time this week we have been able to use the video chat. What a blessing!

Learning all the time... 
I am also thankful for the wonderful (Catholic!) tutors I have for our children, through our local homeschool charter school!  Even though the younger children were gone Kathleen spent her usual 5 hours here on Thursday afternoon teaching the boys their next couple Math lessons, reviewing their Latin and Science, and building various circuits with them using Snap Circuits.  She is such a blessing!



This week the boys also really enjoyed learning how to use a compass.

Kathleen brought her own college Staedtler Compass along and said they are the best.  I will have to get one for the boys sometime soon - apparently they will be needing one to complete their upcoming lessons.

Celebrating the liturgical year... 
The feast of St. Teresa of Avila is coming up on Tuesday, October 15th, and the boys and I will be celebrating with an evening "Welcome Mass" for our new Archbishop! Our oldest had the opportunity to meet him at his summer camp, but the rest of us have not had the privilege.  We are very excited!  You can find a few additional ideas for the feast of St. Teresa of Avila in the archives.

From the kitchen... 
My brother Brian is awesome!  I've been working on cleaning and organizing my closet this past week and asked if he could come over and cut open the attic access in the ceiling of my closet.  My hope was that I might find a little storage space.  No such luck there - just lots of insulation and the furnace - but he did bring us dinner!

I am working on... 
a "Media Kit" for Shower of Roses.  I have been turning down blog "sponsors" for years, only listing "affiliate" links and offering some reviews and giveaways from time to time, but now I am reconsidering this as an option.   My biggest hesitation has been that it would influence the way that I blog and change my blog in a negative way.   I've been blogging long enough that I don't think that will be an issue.  I also plan to be selective in the businesses that I allow to advertise in the sidebar, making sure they are businesses I would purchase from myself and recommend to friends.  I'll be adding a button to the sidebar soon for my first advertiser, Catholic Embroidery, and you all know I highly recommend them already and have their beautiful products sprinkled around our home!

I am creating... 
lots of little angels for a Jesse Tree Ornament Swap, with craft supplies I already happened to have in my closet.  I was so excited to see it fill up (along with a 2nd swap as well) so quickly!

I am going... 
to try and finish up on a few blog posts I've had in my drafts folder - a few State-by-State Pages, Making Marshmallow Molecules, decorating Art Portfolios, and more.  I always have so many posts I begin and never have quite enough time to complete!

I am hoping... 
to finish deep cleaning and organizing the house before all the little ones get home.  It is taking longer than I thought it would, but will be so nice once it is done...

I am praying... 
for all those who have asked me to pray for them, and especially for the safety of my family while we are separated.  My husband's parents live in a rather dangerous border town, and last night a border patrol helicopter was shining a light into the next door neighbors yard, with additional agents on the ground with guns and flashlights.  Not exactly what this worried mama wanted to hear...

I am reading... 
and sorting through all sorts of paperwork as I clean out all the boxes that had been stored in my closet. I stayed up way too late the other night after discovering these "CWOD" Magazines from my college days at Christendom.  Does anyone recognize the illustrator?  :)

Pondering these words...
from the Catholic Digest Quiet Moment for today:

"We shall steer safely through every storm so long as our heart is right, our intention fervent, our courage steadfast, and our trust fixed on God." ~ St. Francis de Sales

I am listening...  
to Angels and Saints at Ephesus.  Every single hymn on the CD is beautiful and inspiring, but one of my favorites is "A Rose Unpetalled" - a poem of St. Therese of the Child Jesus and the Holy Face, set to music.  I also love "Dear Angel Ever At My Side!" Both are perfect for October!

Around the house... 

baskets filled with warm blankets.  It has been chilly lately!

One of my favorite things...  

spending time with my children.  As much as I (we all!) miss the little ones, I am sure enjoying this special time at home with just our two oldest boys!

This week's plans...

• Start planning this year's All Hallows' Eve/All Saints' Party - it is coming up so quickly! 
• Mrs. M tutoring Math on Tuesday
• Welcome Mass for the Archbishop Tuesday Night
• Party (Ladies Night) at my house for anyone who would like to come on over! ;)
• Mrs. W tutoring on Thursday
• Welcome home the rest of the family as soon as the arrive - most likely sometime between Thursday and Saturday!

Early Monday morning - Day 1 of a 2 day (22+ hour) drive to visit grandparents! 

A little peek at my day...

It has been soooo quiet in our home!  Last night the boys and I enjoyed our Saturday evening playing cards, eating gluten-free chocolate chip pumpkin cake (the boys made it using the recipe on the side of the Namaste Vanilla Cake Mix), and staying warm near our first fire this fall.  

Advent Preparations & A Jesse Tree Ornament Swap!

So, who else is thinking ahead and making plans for Advent and Christmas?  With my younger children out of town I have quite the list of little projects I am hoping to complete over the next week, including wrapping some of the Christmas gifts I had (thankfully) purchased throughout the year as well as wrapping up books for this year's Advent & Christmas Book Baskets and St. Nicholas Day!  I'll try and post a complete list sometime, but my new picks for this year do include those pictured in the basket above:  Bambinelli Sunday (a newly published book by Amy Welborn), Kersti and Saint Nicholas (written by Hilda van Stockum, originally published in 1940 and reprinted in 2010!), and The Dolls' Christmas (OOP, I finally found an inexpensive used copy earlier this year!). 

I am also going to be making some little "Angel" ornaments for a Jesse Tree Swap which Karen generously offered to host this morning on Facebook!   We will still use our original well loved felt Jesse Tree, along with our beautiful set of Jesse Tree Treasures Ornaments, but I am very excited to add a handmade set to our collection as well!  If you are interested in joining the swap go sign up now!  

A Prayer Request and Giveaway Winners

With all those fun giveaways last week, I had quite a few entry slips to cut and fold today!  It was actually just what I needed to help stop the tears and keep my mind off missing my babies...

Before the furlough, Sean was scheduled to take his vacation leave beginning today and had planned to take some of our children to visit his parents. (It has been 3 years since our last visit and they haven't met our youngest yet... We would have loved to all go, but we can't all fit in our mini-van - especially for this long of a drive - since we are one seat short, which is why it's been so long since our last visit.) We went back and forth over canceling the trip, but decided to not put the visit off any longer, especially with winter (hazardous driving conditions) coming.   He ended up taking the five youngest (he is a crazy brave man!) and I am home with just the older boys (it is so quiet here).  Could you please remember them in your prayers?

Anyways, on to the winners of the giveaways, before I start crying again...  

Mommyof3 is the winner of the Catholic Mosaic giveaway, sponsored by Krista, and offered on the feast of St. Jerome! 

Jacqui is the winner of the St. Therese the Little Flower Daily Journal offered on the feast of St. Therese! 

Marie is the winner of Angel in the Waters and Catholic Treasure Box Book 1 offered on the feast of the Holy Guardian Angels!

Julie is the winner of The Greatest of These is Love, sponsored by author Megan Therese Schuelke, and offered on the traditional feast of St. Therese!



Elm is the winner of Mama's Notebooks sponsored by Heather Wood, and also offered on the traditional feast of St. Therese!



Heather Wilson is the winner of Can you find Followers of Jesus? Introducing Your Child to Disciples, also sponsored by Krista, and offered on the Feast of St. Francis! 

Congratulations to you all and I will be contacting you soon for your mailing addresses!

(or if you see this first just email them to me at jessica.showerofroses(at)gmail(dot)com)

And thank you to Krista, Megan, and Heather for sponsoring some of the giveaways! 

I wish I could send each and every one of you a gift!  Your comments are always such a joy to read.  Thank you all for your kind words, prayers, and support!  I will offer up an extra rosary, on this beautiful feast of Our Lady of the Rosary, for all of you and your families!  

Celebrating the Saints :: St. Francis of Assisi

We are so blessed to have two of my friends, who are Catholic mothers and home educators, tutoring our children through the home-based charter school we use.  Our "allotment" goes quickly with the extra tutoring, so over the summer my friend Trina and I discussed options for this school year.  She suggested "trading" some time to stretch my allotment further - she would tutor my children in Math (and help with PAL) and I could do something for her... My question?  What could I possibly do for her?  (She is a brilliant teacher after all and was one of my siblings favorites at their high-school co-op.)  She laughed and said she could think of plenty, starting with CELEBRATING THE FEAST DAYS with her children!  She said all I would have to do is just include her children in some of the celebrations we have already throughout the year.  Ooh!! Yes, that I could do!   Her boys are also great friends with my boys, so everyone was excited about this arrangement and we have six fun feast days planned for this school year.  Today we had our first afternoon of "Celebrating the Saints" and it was so much fun!

.:  STORY TIME :. 

There are many many books on St. Francis.  Here are the books I choose from our collection to share with the children today... 

Introduction and Art Appreciation: 

Lives and Legends of the Saints 

by Carole Armstrong

"A lavishly illustrated volume--featuring the famed works of Raphael, Bosch, and Giotto--recounts the dramatic histories of many Christian saints, including John the Baptist, Francis of Assisi, and Joan of Arc."

Art Appreciation:  Saint Francis Preaching to the Birds by Giotto about 1266-1337 Louvre, Paris

(Also featured on the front cover of the book.)

Read and Discuss:

The Good Man of Assisi 

by Mary Joslin

Vocabulary and Discussion Prompts from Catholic Mosaic

"Here, simply and charmingly retold, is the classic story of the man who became a channel of God's peace to the world--its people and its creatures."

We them moved on to the following fun books saving "the best for last" at the request of my boys:

St. Francis and the Proud Crow 

by Bernadette Watts  

(another version is available here)

"After Saint Francis grants his wish for a golden cage, Crow realizes the folly of envy and the value of freedom and love."

Francis Woke Up Early 

by Josephine Nobisso

"While other children’s religious titles focus on Saint Francis of Assisi as an adult, few, if any, have concentrated on the early life of the patron saint of animals and the environment. Stunning illustrations punctuate this beautifully told story of Saint Francis as a boy as he communes with nature and treats even the fiercest of animals—a hungry wolf—with the same compassion he would show his grandmother. In a fearless display of courage, tolerance, and understanding, the young Francis makes peace with the wolf, foreshadowing his teachings of harmony with the world around us and man’s duty to protect nature."

(I have also blogged about this book here.) 

Saint Francis and the Wolf

by Richard Egielski

"Terrible wolf is terrorizing the town of Gubbia, and no one can stop him! First the townspeople send a brave knight. He never returns. Then they send an army of trained warriors. They get destroyed. Finally the townspeople send a great and mighty war machine, but even that can't stop the wolf. The villagers don't know what to do -- until Saint Francis visits the town and speaks to the wolf in his own language."

This is such a fun book to read and totally captivated the children...  

Can you tell which picture I was showing the kids when this photo was snapped?  ;) 

Bud isn't sure what to think about that scary wolf... 

.: ACTIVITY :. 

After we had finished reading all the books I sent the kids outside to burn off some energy while I prepared the supplies for decorating Wolf Paw Cookies!



You can find the directions either in the archives here at Shower of Roses, at Catholic Cuisine, or in this month's issue of Catholic Digest! ;)

.: ST. FRANCIS COLORING PAGE :. 

I had printed out various coloring pages, but Charlotte's St. Francis Coloring Page was unanimously voted the favorite and the only one chosen by the kids!  Thank you Miss Charlotte!

.: PIZZA :. 

I served pizza for lunch, perfect for this Italian saint! 

Olive Oil Pizza Dough

adapted from Artisan Pizza and Flatbread in Five Minutes a Day

Dough: 

• 3 1/4 cups lukewarm water
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 tablespoon yeast
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 7 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

To make the dough:
Use the "dump and stir method" of mixing the dough in a 5-quart Container with Lid, using a wooden spoon. Cover the container, not airtight and let it rest for about 2 hours on the counter. The dough can then be used right away, but it is much easier to handle once it has been thoroughly chilled. The dough can be stored in the refrigerator for 2 weeks!

Today, since we eat meatless on Fridays, we topped the pizzas with Chunky Tomato Sauce and Olive Oil, and various other toppings including Fresh Basil, Mozzarella, Parmesan, Sliced Mushrooms, and Black Olives.  Yum!!   

I transferred the pizzas from my counter to the hot stone in the oven using my amazing Super Peel and baked them at 500˚ for 5-6 minutes each. 

.: PRAYER :. 

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.

Where there is hatred, let me sow love;

where there is injury,pardon;

where there is doubt, faith;

where there is despair, hope;

where there is darkness, light;

and where there is sadness, joy.

O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek

to be consoled as to console;

to be understood as to understand;

to be loved as to love.

For it is in giving that we receive;

it is in pardoning that we are pardoned;

and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life. Amen.

**********************************

It has been so much fun hosting give-aways each day this week, and I have especially loved hearing from you all in the comment box!  Thank you for all your kind comments, prayers and support. Today's giveaway has been sponsored by Krista, who would like to pass along one more duplicate book from her own collection in addition to the Catholic Mosaic:  Can you find Followers of Jesus?  Introducing Your Child to Disciples.  

Can you find Followers of Jesus?  Introducing Your Child to Disciples 

We don't own this book, but we do have Can you find Saints? which is a favorite in our home!  You can see pictures in this post.... It would be perfect for All Saints Day! Anyways, back to Can you find Followers of Jesus?... 

If you would like to be entered to this giveaway, just leave a comment on this post, and make sure your email address is either linked on your profile or included in the comment so that I am able to contact you if you win.

There is still time to enter the other giveaways for a copy of Catholic Mosaic, a copy of St. Therese the Little Flower Daily Journal, the two children's picture books, The Greatest of These is Love and Mama's Notebooks. The giveaways will all be open through Sunday, October 6th and I will update each post and contact the winners next Monday, October 7th.

UPDATE:

The winners of all the giveaways have been announced here.  

Thank you all for participating!

Happy Feast of St. Francis! 

On the Traditional Feast of the Little Flower

Dear St. Thérèse, 

thou wert always good and obedient 

and always did the Will of God. 

Now thou art a great saint in heaven with God.

Thy loving and tender heart rejoices 

to send down roses upon earth. 

O give me the sweet flower of a great love of Jesus!

Pray for me that I may have all the graces I need. 

Prayer from Jesus, Make Me Worthy - a reprint of the original can be found here. 

Today I spent some precious moments with my little "Rose" teaching her about "Our Patron Saint" using one of my treasured childhood books.   Unfortunately my copy is tattered and missing the cover... I've searched for another copy, but have only found the (awful) revised edition from the 70's with new illustrations and text.... I plan to keep searching!

It's been an challenging week in our home, with the government shutdown, and I wasn't able to bake any more special treats for today, but the older girls still celebrated by illustrating (using the same Catholic How to Draw book from yesterday)  a couple more pictures!  I thought they turned out beautifully!

St. Therese by Twinkle Toes (age 10) 

St. Therese by Chiquita (age 8)

Today I have two more giveaways for my dear visitors here at

Shower of Roses!

The first giveaway is for a newly released book titled The Greatest of These is Love.  This book is generously offered by author Megan Therese Schuelke, a young Catholic from Minnesota!   

"Megan Schuelke is a woman beyond her years. Her seemingly perfect world was rocked when she learned at age 17 that her mother had been diagnosed with cancer. In the midst of her desperation and frustration, Megan had a choice to make: She could run away from God, or she could run to Him. Megan chose to take God's hand through the struggles, discovering along the way the beauty in the life He had planned for her. This book is more than just one young woman's journey through life. It is a testament of God's power to turn tears into dancing, to turn darkness into light. Megan's story is one that inspires and gives hope to all young people searching for truth and love in a world filled with sadness."

********************************************

The second giveaway is offered by Mama's Notebooks.  Heather Wood has generously offered to send the winner of this giveaway a copy of Mama's Notebook Weekly Planner and Organizer and The Budget Notebook! 


Mama's Notebook Weekly Planner and Organizer:
Mama’s Notebook provides you with an easy, flexible, and efficient way to organize your life. In one glance, you can coordinate your meal plan with the whole day’s events and tasks, and there’s always ample room to take notes on the things that matter to you most! Unlike other planners, you can start up Mama’s Notebook on any week of the year, and you can skip weeks as needed. The back section of the planner provides you with easy reference sheets to help you schedule and shop efficiently.



The Budget Notebook:
The Budget Notebook by Mama's Notebooks is designed to help you keep a household budget that is simple, easy, and accurate. It features charts for everything you’ll need to get your budget under control, as well as a Notes section at the back with ample room for planning, organizing, writing reminder and to-do lists, and tallying up sums.

********************************************

Note: I have not seen either the book or planners in person, but I am very much looking forward to checking out my review copies! Thank you Megan and Heather!

If you would like to be entered for either of these giveaways, just leave a comment on this post, and make sure your email address is either linked on your profile or included in the comment so that I am able to contact you if you win.

There is still time to enter the other giveaways for a copy of Catholic Mosaic, a copy of St. Therese the Little Flower Daily Journal, and the two children's picture books. I'll be back with one last giveaway sometime tomorrow! The giveaways will all be open through Sunday, October 6th and I will update each post and contact the winners next Monday, October 7th.

UPDATE:

The winners of all the giveaways have been announced here.  

Thank you all for participating!