End-of-School Interviews for 2013-2014

So I have decided to keep using the children's nicknames online for now. Thank you all for your help with this decision.  I'm so blessed to have such great visitors here at Shower of Roses! It's been such a joy to share our family with you here and I'm looking forward to continuing to do so, though it is sure getting harder to find the time as the children (and I!) get older… I started creating these interviews at the beginning of summer but was stalling on sharing them until I had made the decision about the nicknames and which version to post.  These were originally inspired by Sarah in 2012 and we made them again last year. It's so fun to look back at them each year and see how much the children have grown and changed!

Captain's Favorite Books: Brotherband Chronicles, Twenty Tales of Irish Saints and The Cat of Bubastes: A Tale of Ancient Egypt

Ranger's Favorite Books: The Royal Ranger, The Chronicles of Xan (Includes: Shadow in the Dark, The Haunted Cathedral, and The Fire of Eden) and St. Thomas Aquinas and the Preaching Beggars 

(So glad he LOVED all the books he was given on Christmas morning! And here are the links to this year's LEGO Perplexus and one of his Metal Earth creations. He was also really proud to serve Mass for our Archbishop during summer camp! I'm still trying to track down a photo…)  

Twinkle Toes' Favorite Books: Olivia and the Little Way (or order one with a special inscription from the author by clicking the ad in the sidebar!), The Secret Garden (illustrated by Tasha Tudor), St. Therese and the Roses

Chiquita's Favorite Books: Strawberry Hill, The Secret Garden (illustrated by Inga Moore) and Sisters of the Last Straw

Snuggles' Favorite Books: Run, Bug, Run, The Runt Pig and Cobweb the Cat

(He was so excited to read these books on his own! We used these readers with PAL. He is also looking forward to more "MATH, MATH, MATH!!!!" next year.)

Rose's Favorite Books: Beauty and the Beast (illustrated by Jan Brett) and Saints for Girls

Rose can't wait for her new Math book to arrive and has been asking to start every day… I'm going to have SIX children in Saxon Math this upcoming school year…. OH, my! 

Bud's Favorite Books: Is Your Mama a Llama? and See Inside Trains

Our 2013-2014 Field Trips:

Civil War Day

Hiking the Gorge Trail

Railroad Park

Young Hunters Day 2014

Coastal Road Trip: The Beach and Stout Grove

Crater Lake

I'm starting to look forward to beginning our new school year, but not until after we fully enjoy these last few weeks of summer! 

Summer Daybook :: August 12, 2014

Outside my window...
I ignored my never ending to-do list yesterday, took the children to the library to turn in their summer reading check lists, and then headed out to my parents home for the day!



My mom made lunch for all of us and the kids had so much fun visiting with their Uncle David and Uncle Kevin, who will both be headed back to college soon.



I am thinking...
about blog nicknames, and how necessary it is to keep using them here at Shower of Roses. When I first started blogging over seven years ago, back in 2007, I was pregnant with our fifth child and our oldest was still only six years old! There weren't very many other Catholic bloggers and using nicknames was common. At the time using nicknames made my husband and I more comfortable with sharing our family online even though I've dropped little hints over the years. It doesn't seem nearly as necessary any longer and my husband has given me permission to use their names… but I'm still thinking about it.  :)

I am thankful... 
that my husband arrived home safely last Tuesday night! However, even though he is back in town, we haven't gotten to see him very much. He worked at the office on Wednesday and Thursday and then, following some meetings on Friday morning, has been working on an engine since. Last night he didn't get home until after 11pm and was gone again around 6:30am this morning. Despite the extra challenges, we are thankful for the overtime too! It is always such a blessing each fire season.

August 5, 2014: "Daddy's Home!" 

Our little "Rose" ran and jumped into his arms when he walked in last Tuesday night, after being at fire camp for the previous 10 days.  The kids were also excited to see what sort of lunch leftovers he had for them this time!



Learning all the time…
The children are all enjoying their summer break and we won't be starting our new school year until after Labor Day!  Nevertheless, we have been working on some math lessons to get a jump start on the year and hopefully give us some flexibility to go on a family vacation in the fall.  Our summer days have also been filled with great books and art projects.  I love how they truly are "learning all the time."

My mother-in-law is always sending such fun, thoughtful, and educational gifts to the children!  At the beginning of summer we received a box of Bethlehem Books (we've been collecting them for years and now own most of their books!) including: Beyond the Desert Gate, The Drovers Road Collection, Alvin Fernald, Foreign Trader, Alvin Fernald, Mayor for a Day, Away Goes Sally, Old Sam, Dakota Trotter, Nacar: The White Deer, Stairstep Farm, and Willow Wind Farm.  A couple weeks ago the girls received three sticker books: Victorian Fashion, Victorian Dollhouse, and Costumes Around the World. "Thank you, Grandma!" 

Celebrating the liturgical year...
With Sean still working on fires (currently on an engine locally) and fighting this head cold, I COMPLETELY forgot that the boys were suppose to serve Mass on Sunday morning. (It probably would have been a good idea to write it down in my planner.) I woke up thinking we'd go to an afternoon Mass but remembered at 10:20 that it was the annual St. Anthony Festa! Oh, NO!!! I sent a friend a text msg to see if it was at 10:30 or 11:00, grabbed some Mass clothes for myself and the little ones plus the boys' cassocks and surplices, and loaded the car with all seven kids. We left the house at 10:35 to drive to the fairgrounds (we usually allow 30 minutes) and the boys miraculously arrived at 10:55, five minutes before Mass, to find to rosary just ending and Father waiting... Whew, that was way too close! (And thank you Guardian Angles!) On another note, I realized during Mass that the last time we saw Father Carmelo was when he met us at the cemetery in June to bury our little Anthony, who I miscarried on the feast of St. Anthony this year. What a morning... I think it might take me all week to recover!



From the kitchen... 
On Saturday morning my mom picked me up and we headed to the local Growers Market. I came home with lots of freshly picked produce to help us get over the colds we have been fighting since last week. I think I'm actually getting over this one without it turning into secondary infections, for the first time in over a year!



I am working on... 
stopping what I'm doing to play with the children. After watching The Perfect Game recently they have all started playing baseball together each afternoon and I've been joining the fun!



(I actually ordered the Blu-Ray version of The Perfect Game, but it's also currently available for Free Streaming with Prime!) 

I am creating...
a list of the books that are on the girls' bookshelf for those who have asked. I'll try and post it soon!

I am going...
to the dentist this afternoon for a filling… no fun.

I am hoping...
to come up with some plans for our oldest daughter's birthday at the end of the month! Where has the summer gone?! I really need to find the reset button… With our miscarriage at the beginning of summer, and everything that has followed, it has gone by so quickly and I'm just not ready for school to start again in a couple weeks.

I am praying...
for my husband's safety, and for the safety of all our firefighters. We are also praying for a special intention for our family, and that God will make His will clear to us. (And for so many other intentions including all the Christians in Iraq…)

I am reading…
lots of picture books to the little ones.  Yesterday was the last day to turn in the summer reading lists and book reports at our local library, and I woke up to find the boys sitting outside working on their reports on The Hobbit (Audiobook with Tolkien Dictionary) and Shadow in the Dark.





Pondering these words...
from St. Jane Frances de Chantal:

"If we patiently accept through love all that God allows to happen, then we will begin to taste even here on earth something of the delights the saints experience in heaven."

I am listening... 
to this little guy pretending to be Johnny Cash with his sister's "Sound of Music" guitar.



Around the house...
LEGO! I couldn't resist grabbing my camera the other day after walking by the boys' bedroom and seeing an ent hanging from the side of one of the houses in their LEGO town! I really need to share pictures of some of the boys' creations.



One of my favorite things...  
the wi-fi function on my camera! I finally figured out how to enable the wifi and transfer a photo from my camera directly to my iPhone using the EOS Remote app. I ❤ this feature!



This week's plans…
We have a camping trip with friends coming up and I am praying that I can still pull it off without Sean's help. Please say a little prayer for me!

A little peek at my day...
My youngest brothers pulled out there Slow Stick Airplanes yesterday to show their nieces and nephews, then played a game of Frisbee Golf before the smoky skies started getting worse and it was time for us to go home. It was such a fun day!

Gail Girón Design {Sponsored Giveaway}

I have another giveaway for you all today! In addition to creating beautiful rosaries and jewelry, Gail Girón Design recently started designing magnets as well! Every item in Gail's Etsy Shop is handmade and ready to ship. You can also contact her directly to request a custom order.

Gail is offering to give away three of her inspiring magnets featuring St. Michael, Pope St. John Paul II, and St. Therese of Lisieux!  Three winners will be chosen, one for each magnet. The giveaway will be open through August 14th, and the winners will be chosen, contacted by email, and announced here in this post on August 15th, the feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary!

Please enter the giveaway using the Rafflecopter Box below: 

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The Big Girls' Bedroom {and How We Organize Their American Girl Dolls and Clothes}

After I posted pictures of the girls' paintings yesterday I realized I should have taken a picture of them hanging on the wall!  I still need to purchase a couple white frames, but we temporarily used some tack adhesive to hang them in their bedroom. I also realized that I never did share pictures of their bedroom last summer, after we assembled their new bunk bed and they switched rooms with their younger sister.  Since we spent last week deep cleaning and reorganizing their bedroom, now is the perfect time to take some pictures to share! 

This bedroom is still the original "Buttercream" color that I originally choose from Ellen Kennon Full Spectrum Paints when we added on the bedrooms and bathrooms about 10 years ago. I've had to touch it up here and there over the years, but it still looks so bright and cheery. 

"Buttercream is a soft yellow with just enough pink to give it a rosy glow without turning peach. It is a mental, intellectual color promoting creativity, logic and organization. Reminiscent of sunshine, it also encourages hope and optimism."

The girls dresser is one that I was given. I had it painted and the knobs replaced by the same lady who painted my dining room hutch.  The "Thank Heaven for Little Girls" sign reminds me of my Grandmother, who would always sing that song to me as a child, and was purchased from a local boutique when the girls were younger.

Caroline (Christmas '12), Felicity (8th birthday/2011), Elizabeth (Christmas '10) and Saige (10th Birthday/2013)

Twinkle Toes keeps her American Girl Dolls on top of the dresser along with her doll cradle.

Kaya (Christmas '12), Josefina (Christmas '10), and Kirsten (7th Birthday/Apr. 2012)

Chiquita keeps her dolls, along with Kaya's Animals and Josefina's bed, on top of the short bookcase in between the foot of their bunk bed and the bedroom door.

When I had to give up our little school room to the younger boys last summer (sniff, sniff . . . I'm still recovering from the loss and struggling to find new homes for everything), I moved two of the newer white bookcases to the big girls' bedroom. The taller bookshelf is filled with quite a few books from my  childhood, as well as some of the girls own favorites.  The bottom shelf has Magazine Files for all of their Lap Books (both completed and in-progress) as well as three-ring binders that contain their individual Holy Card Collections.

We usually hang a crucifix above each bed, but the girls' crucifixes are still hanging above the beds in their old room. Using a couple holes that were already in the wall, I "temporarily" hung a crucifix and our Our Lady of Mount Carmel picture (also from the school room) last summer.

The smaller bookshelf was transformed into their American Girl Clothes Closet and Bookshelf!

We lowered the shelf and placed a tension rod near the top which gave us a perfect place to hang all the pretty dresses and nightgowns for their dolls.

Last year I ordered some tiny wooden hangers at the suggestion of a friend (Thank you, Aimee!) and they are just darling!

I ordered a mix of the standard Doll Clothes Hangers and some Doll Clothes Hangers with Clips.

The girls line up all the dolls coordinating shoes against the back of the bookcase behind the dresses. 

The "closet" is still the same - closet organizers along one of their bedroom walls.  Now that they are getting older I wish I would have left a spot for long dresses and skirts when I installed the closet organizers four years ago.  

Behind the doors the girls keep a couple boxes with all the rest of the doll accessories, a couple boxes with letters from pen pals, some craft supplies, a couple boxes with all their favorite artwork, and their binders from Little Flowers and Along the Alphabet Path.  Inside the drawers below they keep their hats, craft supplies, and the bottom drawer has their few LEGO sets. 

The girls keep their fall and winter clothes on the top bars for now, and have their summer skirts and dresses on the bottom bars. The Green Closetmaid Drawers are where the girls keep their summer shoes (one drawer each), their robes, all of their Calico Critter dolls and furniture, some craft supplies, and I actually think the top drawer is empty at the moment since the dolls that were in it are over in their little sisters room at the moment!  

Blessed Imelda(s) and St. Catherine of Siena Zelie Dolls and First Holy Communion Dolls from Saintly Silver 

First Holy Communion Gift Ideas

I couldn't resist a close-up picture of some of their dolls on the shelf… You can also see their American Girl Dolls dressed up as saints here. 

Underneath the bunk bed we have three storage boxes: one for all of their dress-up clothes, one for hand-me-downs that are still too big, and one for their shoes/winter boots. 

Despite the little defects (including gray spots/paint overspray on one of the headboards which you can't even notice with it against the wall) I just LOVE the girls' bunk bed!  It is so beautiful and feminine with the lace finish and ROSES! 

Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this little tour of their bedroom. Now I have proof that it was actually clean for a couple days! Time to move on and see if we can tackle another room or two in this house before our school year begins. . .

Books for Girls :: A Closer Look at the Bookshelf