Leane VanderPutten, mother of eleven, grandmother of twenty-seven, shares with you tidbits that she has learned from….Morsels that will help you and your loved ones keep on that path that is grounded in that Sense of the Sacred, in every walk of your journey. In many ways, Our Catholic Church, our society and our families have lost this sense, this reverence. We need to get back to where our families are once again venerating Our Lord in the Holy Eucharist, where the liturgy is lived inside the home, where couples are reverencing each other, children are respecting their parents…and women are cherishing and realizing their incredible role in bringing this “Sense of the Sacred” back to our homes!
Join me as I read to you this lovely article by Joseph Breig, husband and father, who wrote his thoughts about the great influence the rosary has had on his life and his family….”When I get to heaven – as I trust I shall – something very embarrassing is bound to happen. As sure as shooting; somebody who has known me rather too well for comfort on this earth is going to come up to me and say, in a loud voice enough for everybody to hear, ‘How in the world did you get in here?'”
And now, a gallery of our last two events and some tidbits in-between! Click on the first picture to see the gallery…
Toby & Ely watches as Mom makes homemade marshmallows.
Very interesting…
This will be cut and marshmallows ready to roast over the fire later in the evening.
Rosie is busy making grain-free bagels
Looking yummy
Egg brush makes them look shiny!
Yum
Double yum!
Our booth at the Shakespeare Festival is set up!
My rosaries and religious jewelry…
Theresa’s soaps…
Gin’s crocheted hats and her and Jeanette’s lovely Kanzashi ribbon flowers!
Mom has a good talk with Tonio in the booth….heh heh
So he gets back to work making more wire rings that were a hit!
From the vantage point of the booth….
Dominic says hi as he passes by…
Helpers Gemma, Madeline and Hannah
This is the back of the booth where the family can sit and chat…along with visitors.
Gin and Mom
Mom and Hannah
Vincent sold soap this year as Theresa was too sick with morning sickness
Gemma is sales lady this night
Hubbub….
At night…
The very popular ax and knife-throwing booth beside us.
A boys’ school came to visit the festival and took the stage for awhile…
The girls and Ernie took the stage, too.
Newly ordained priest, Fr. Eichman visits the booth…
And just enjoys the atmosphere.
Dr. Joseph Pearce came to visit the booth…
Vincent had Legion of Mary with the grandchildren at Gin’s. It’s set up and ready to go!
Vincent’s mason skills at work
Vin and Gin are putting in a wood stove.
Beautiful!
My cabochons are piddly work but I enjoy it!
Especially when I have a homemade latte and no-grain cookie close by!
Well, good morning, Sean!
Lots of company during the festival…
Peg-Leg Ely has a purpose very early in the morning!
I take a walk each day in our yard and had Angelo build this little grotto for me on the far end of it.
Harvest of apples!
Angelo is busy processing and dehydrating the apples.
Harvest of spaghetti squash!
Our annual Bow shoot took place this last Sunday!
The weather was perfect!
Rosie and others are practicing…
Son, Sep and Son-in-law, Devin.
Trophies are ready. Sep is getting ready…haha
Madeline is tallying scores…
Little Johnny is ready…
Ely…carrot top!
Jeanette, Rosie, Margy
Colin and crew
Grandsons….Sep and Molly’s boys, Gracian, Fabian and Sebastian
Two daughters-in-law, Molly and Z (Elizabeth)
Vin helps Colin get sights set on his bow, Gemma photo-bombs.
Practicing up!
Agnes gets in there.
Lots of food is sold. This event is a fundraiser for the needy at Christmas. Raised close to $5,000!
Friend, Julianna and children
Good times
Margy is tallying scores.
Ben setting his sights.
Grace, Emma, Agnes.
Devin shoots.
He helps Adrian.
Adrian’s turn…
Friends…
Margy, Dave, Dom, Sarah. Sarah is expecting and struggling with morning sickness, too.
Father and little people haggling over scores.
Paul, who detests getting his photo taken. I am very obliging. 😉
Hello!
Vincent runs the food…
Vin says, “Is it over yet?”
Mom and Theresa say the same….
Trophy time!! Mike runs the event..
And passes out trophies!
Rosie wins third place in women’s category. Jeanette won second place!
Thank you so much for all of your lovely comments on the Giveaway Post! May God bless you…you are in my prayers, please pray for us!
And now…the soap Giveaway!
Congratulations Angela! I have sent you an email!
A new Podcast to listen to!
“Sooner or later a man’s habitual thoughts come out in his life and character….” by Father Lasance, 1934, Holiness & Happiness
At any rate, she has by nature the power, the art, and the disposition to please, to soothe, to charm, and to captivate. It is a wonderful power; and we see daily women exerting it in a wonderful way. Why will not women who are truly good, or who sincerely strive to be so, not make it the chief study of their lives to find out and acquire the sovereign art of making their influence as healthful, as cheering, as blissful as the sunlight and the warmth are to their homes? – Rev Bernard O’Reilly, True Womanhood, 1894 http://amzn.to/2mPm81e (afflink)
The Rosary is a powerful weapon to put the demons to flight and to keep oneself from sin…If you desire peace in your hearts, in your homes, and in your country, assemble each evening to recite the Rosary. Let not even one day pass without saying it, no matter how burdened you may be with many cares and labors.~Pope Pius XI
Every minute counts! Let Saint Joseph remind you of the time with this beautiful Saint Joseph pocket watch. Available here.
Losing your peace of soul over the state of the world and the Church? Don’t! Consider the following books…..
We live in an age characterized by agitation and lack of peace. This tendency manifests itself in our spiritual as well as our secular life. In our search for God and holiness, in our service to our neighbor, a kind of restlessness and anxiety take the place of the confidence and peace which ought to be ours. What must we do to overcome the moments of fear and distress which assail us? How can we learn to place all our confidence in God and abandon ourselves into his loving care? This is what is taught in this simple, yet profound little treatise on peace of heart. Taking concrete examples from our everyday life, the author invites us to respond in a Gospel fashion to the upsetting situations we must all confront. Since peace of heart is a pure gift of God, it is something we should seek, pursue and ask him for without cease. This book is here to help us in that pursuit.
Reverend Irala here addresses ways to promote mental and emotional well-being to help increase one’s health, efficiency and happiness. He speaks on topics such as how to rest, think, use the will, control feelings, train the sexual instinct, be happy, and choose an ideal. Included are also many practical instructions on dealing with mental struggles of all kinds. This book is most useful in our present times of worldly confusion.
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Lord Bacon, one of the great English philosophers and essayists, tells us: “He was reputed one of the wise men that made answer to the question–when a man should fall in love and marry–‘a young man not yet, and an older man not at all.'”
I, for one, cannot dismiss the feeling that the formulator of that answer was either once in love and was jilted, or he was married and his wife beat him.
Love is the wine of existence and marriage is an honorable estate, or, should I say, for some it is an imperative one, and go along with Saint Paul, who fiercely puts it:
“For it is better to marry than to be burnt.”? (I Cor. 7:9.)
In the second chapter of the Book of Genesis we are told that when the world was in its freshness of new beauty and Adam was master of it all, God saw the need of making a companion for him. One thing was lacking: “for Adam there was not found a helper like himself” and “it was not good for man to be alone”; and so God made Eve.
Strange as it may seem, falling in love means searching and finding in another, the partner who will make it easier for you to fulfill your destiny and realize God’s plan for yourself. At least, that is one conception of love.
A clear-cut definition of love is not as easy to find as one might imagine. Few encyclopedias even carry the word. They devote pages to economics, art, and music, but ignore love.
The writers of books on marriage either avoid giving a definition of it or frankly admit that it is indefinable.
Cole Porter went so far as to set the question “What Is This Thing Called Love?” to music, yet he gave no satisfying answer. The inimitable George Bernard Shaw, when invited to contribute to a book on marriage replied: “No man dare write the truth about marriage while his wife lives.”
Perhaps that answer may supply a key to the problem of why so few have dared to define love. There may be as much “dare not” as “cannot” involved in this complex matter.
The gifted St. Thomas Aquinas had no inhibitions on the subject and boldly declared that “to love a person is to wish him well.” .
Sir Walter Scott says:
True love’s the gift which God has given
To man alone beneath the heaven.
It is not fantasy’s hot fire
Whose wishes, soon as granted, fly;
It liveth not in fierce desire–
With dead desire, it doth not die.
It is the secret sympathy,
The silver link, the silken tie
Which heart to heart and mind to mind
In body and in soul can find.
To Scott, then, love is a composite thing which, laying hold upon one’s nature, binds it with another in secret sympathy. Like grace, the effects of love are easier to treat than its nature.
Love, like death, is the universal leveler of mankind. It is nature’s motive and reward. “We are all born of love,” said Disraeli, “and it is the principle of existence and its only end.”
It is only natural that since love was to be the mainspring of man’s existence it would be the very thing Satan would endeavor to counterfeit.
Thus true love, like every genuine thing of value, has numerous imitations. The cruel task for many is to sift the wheat from the chaff, to distinguish the true from the false, the precious metal from the slag.
There is but one thing against which genuine love is helpless and that is time. Love is like wine in that age improves the good and sours the bad.
If we are to accept modern songs, novels, the radio, and movies as our criteria, we shall believe that love comes at first sight and with such a crushing force that one is powerless to resist.
Such, however, is not the case. If love were always to strike like lightning, then no one would be safe. Your mother might be smitten by the paper boy and your father by John’s Other Wife.
Momentary attraction must not be confused with love, for love needs time.
Love at first is fancy, then there follows admiration, joined with respect and devotion. In this mélange of emotions there occurs, sometimes, violent agitation, but more often there is a gentle simmering, a confused but agreeable mingling, until gradually all becomes transfused into a vital feeling called love.
“The introduction to this felicity,” says Emerson, “is a private and tender relation of one to one, which is the enchantment of human life; which, like a certain divine rage and enthusiasm, seizes a man at one period and works a revolution in his mind and body; unites him to his race, pledges him to the domestic and civic relations, carries him with new sympathy into nature, enhances the power of his senses, opens the imagination, adds to his character heroic and sacred attributes, establishes marriage and gives permanence to human society.”
“You will keep a watchful eye on their steps; you will not suffer the whiteness of their souls to be stained and contaminated by corrupt and corrupting company; you will inspire them with a high esteem and jealous love for purity, advising them to commend themselves to the motherly protection of the Immaculate Virgin. Finally, with the discretion of a mother and a teacher and thanks to the open-hearted confidence with which you have been able to inspire your children, you will not fail to watch for and to discern the moment in which certain unspoken questions have occurred to their minds and are troubling their senses. It will then be your duty to your daughters.” -Pope Pius XII
NEW! CHEERFUL CHATS FOR CATHOLIC CHILDREN PODCAST ~ Catholic Mother Goose…Jack Be Nimble, Etc.
Join me as we read some delightful poems from Catholic Mother Goose….highlighting the beautiful traditions of our Faith. The Children will be reminded of such things as the sacramentals, the timeless truths of the Catholic Religion, the Works of Mercy, etc. What a fun and easy way to turn those little minds to what is most important in their lives….their Catholic Faith!
Sign up for the Fall Soap Giveaway by making a comment on this post!
Penal Rosaries!
Penal rosaries and crucifixes have a wonderful story behind them. They were used during the times when religious objects were forbidden and it was illegal to be Catholic. Being caught with a rosary could mean imprisonment or worse. A penal rosary is a single decade with the crucifix on one end and, oftentimes, a ring on the other. When praying the penal rosary you would start with the ring on your thumb and the beads and crucifix of the rosary in your sleeve, as you moved on to the next decade you moved the ring to your next finger and so on and so forth. This allowed people to pray the rosary without the fear of being detected. Available here.
October & November 2021! Printable Traditional Catholic Planner~Meal Menu/Homeschool Page~Daily Gratitude/Spiritual Checklist/Daily Goals
This book describes the great spiritual power of the Mass, how it holds back the wrath of God, its wonderful eternal and temporal benefits, and several excellent ways to pray at Mass. Hidden Treasure is the prototype book on the Mass for all other books on the same subject; others basically repeat what this small book contains.
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The resolution being now well formulated, the task of making it begins. Merely to say it over or to promise it in a feeble way is absolutely useless. The whole will, with the whole force and energy of the will, must be brought into it.
Not only that, but the whole living strengths of the will must be literally hurled into it, not once or twice, but again and again each day, right up to the very last day of the month. The resolution must be meant.
We must be able to say, “Yes! before God, I mean that! I mean it as intensely and really as I can ever mean anything! I will keep that resolution. I know I can and will keep it because I mean it. Further, I will take every precaution to keep it alive and vigorous within me by re-making it again and again.”
Needless to say such resolutions should not be lightly made, nor should they be trifled with. In them the credit of the will is at stake. It is a serious thing to make a serious resolution, and it is a bad thing to break one, bad for the will and bad for self-respect.
Now, Catholic writers suggest many means whereby we may render our resolutions more secure. One practical method is to make the “Particular Examen,” which consists in a half-daily examination of our failures or success in our resolution.
We must pray for the grace to keep our resolutions. Supernatural aid will then be ours; but prayer will also aid us naturally.
We must meditate on the advantages of keeping it and on the disadvantages of breaking it, on the beauty of patience and on the pettiness and shame of irritability. Our mind will be convinced by this means, and our emotions will be aroused in favor of the resolution.
Next, we are advised to intensify our resolution not merely by direct will-acts, but by indirect will-acts derived from self-inflicted penance. For pain and hunger will make us more in earnest and will make our “meaning” more sincere.
Such, in general, is the method which Catholics are taught to employ in the matter of resolutions. Needless to say, if this method is faithfully employed the will grows strong and energetic—its good qualities are developed and its faults are corrected.
Of course, it must not be thought that religion in itself wholly consists in making and keeping good resolutions. This is not so. Nevertheless, to a great extent, religion depends on the making and keeping of good resolutions, as on its method.
It may perhaps be well to take a type of will-hero, whose strength of will was the outcome of religion.
Such a one was John Berchmans, a young Flemish Jesuit of the early seventeenth century. His name is unknown to the literary and political world, but none the less he was possessed of remarkable gifts of mind.
The chief note of his character was moderation and good-sense, combined with an extraordinary tenacity of purpose. If he put before himself some end to be gained, he devoted his whole strength towards achieving it, and he regarded every tiny detail involved in this pursuit of his end as of the most serious consequence–maximi minima habuit.
He combined the qualities of miser and spendthrift in such matters, being most miserly about allowing himself the slightest deviation from his purpose or the slightest delay in winning it, whereas he was most lavish and generous in giving himself and all he had to the working out of his aim.
In him the maxim was verified to the fullest: “Suae quisque vitae victor est; artifex hujus operis est voluntas.” Each one is the conqueror of his life;the artist is the will of this work.
He set himself to become a saint in a new way, by doing ordinary things extremely well, and thanks to his lifelong pertinacity of purpose he gained his end.
That be sought in religion strength and inspiration is of course indisputable. To fulfil perfectly all his religions duties was the main object of his life, and it was in fulfilling them that the promptness, consistency and persevering regularity of his will were manifested.
It would not be difficult to find among the annals of the Saints many other examples of will-heroes: some were men of extraordinary energy, like Francis Xavier, some of extreme gentleness, like Francis de Sales, some of cold intellectual intensity, like Ignatius, some of child-like sweetness, like Antony of Padua.
In each case great will-strength followed in the wake of religious perfection. In each case converse with God raised and developed the will-faculty, just as it improved every other faculty of the mind.
We have seen at some length that the practice of religion implies will-training, but nevertheless it must be remembered that it is not the special aim of religion to train the will. It does so only indirectly, and it does not always do so as perfectly and as surely as we might wish.
It seems necessary to have some specific training. To train the will, as it were, for the sake of the will itself, for the sake of the perfection of the will, and not for the sake of other thing.
The will must be taught, to some extent, to will for the sake of willing. The will builds up will by willing. As we shall see later, it builds up will best by willing will.
The will must, as it were, turn back on itself in willing, and will will. Exercises calculated to provoke willing for the sake of willing are necessary.
We must feel the pure glow of pleasure involved in willing for the sake of the will. Just as the intellect or memory must be trained, apart from the training they receive in the practice of religion, so must the will be trained apart from the training it receives in this manner.
It must not, however, be overlooked that will-training of itself, without relation to religion and morality, is in great part meaningless. For, as Professor Forster writes, “All our efforts are lacking in deeper meaning if they are not correlated to a great spiritual view of life as a whole. Even the most perfect development of willpower tends to degenerate into a mere athletic exercise without enduring significance.”
NEW CHILDREN’S PODCAST! GROWING IN GRACE
There is one way that Ernie will never stop growing. Do you know what that is? He should never stop growing in grace. Ernie, and all of us, always need to work on filling ourselves up with grace…
“Blessed is the home where unkind speech does not enter, nor cursing, nor bad literature, nor intemperance, for on that home will be heaped the blessings of peace.” – Fr. Lawrence Lovasik
Painting by James Hayllar (1829 – 1920, English)
Beautiful Blessed Mother Wire Wrapped Rosaries! Lovely, Durable! Each link is handmade and wrapped around itself to ensure quality. Available here.
Here is a marriage blueprint that every woman can follow. Happy marriages do not just happen, they are made. It takes three parties to make a good marriage; the husband, the wife, and the Lord. This book is concerned with helping the woman to become the wife desired and therefore loved that every man worth having wishes to find and keep.<P> This book sold over a quarter of a million copies shortly after its publication in 1951, and it was read by Catholics and non-Catholics alike. It is a practical manual. It should be read by every woman considering entering the matrimonial state and also by those women who are already married. It can also be read by men who may wish to see what a real challenge it is for a woman to live up to their expectations and how grateful they should be if they are blessed to find the woman of their desires…
Armed with Barbeau s wisdom, you’ll grow closer to your wife and to your children, while deepening your love for God. You’ll be able to lead your family to holiness amidst the troubles and temptations that threaten even the best of families today: infidelity, divorce, materialism, loneliness, and despair.
The Father of the Family makes good fathers and good fathers are the secret to happy homes….
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This is a Traditional Catholic printable planner for the month! Set your days in motion having a plan that will help to keep your focus on your daily duties! Featuring the Old Liturgical Catholic Calendar for the year, you will also be able to keep track of the feast days throughout the year so you can plan accordingly!
A little video (with some jaunty music 😉 )explaining the planner. The script is included below for those who would rather read about it….
We would like our days to run smoother…to focus on our daily duties so that when that time comes for some relaxation and recreation, we know that we have put our best foot forward in sticking to and focusing on running our home with as much precision as possible in the life of a busy wife/mother.
That is what this printable planner is here to help with….
Let me run through it with you.
This is your daily page. On the top of this page is the day and the date. Underneath the date, the feast day will be noted. This planner follows the old liturgical calendar so the feast days will be according to the traditional calendar.
Also, the familiar fish will be added under the date on the days of abstinence.
You will no longer have to run to your calendar on the wall to see what special saint to pray to that day or to make note of an important feast day of the church!
On this daily page is the hourly time slots so you can map out your day. It’s important to be flexible but it is also important to have order. This area is for more scheduled things throughout the day that you want to put a time on…
…like getting up in the morning, starting school, lunch, rosary, appointments, or just anything else you want to accomplish at a particular time.
If you like the time slots, use them. If you prefer not to use timeslots and just have your duties written down in order then you can use it that way, too.
On the right of these day-to-day pages you will see a space for your daily goals. Here you can write such things that you would like to get to that day but not necessarily a specific time. as spend 15 minutes cleaning fridge, write a note of thanks to someone,
Everyone will have their own daily goals that can vary greatly. But you get the picture.
If you need to use the spot for something different, then do it!
Next is our spiritual goals. The foundation of our day. As you can see I put important things on this checklist. If you have others, you could include that in your daily goals space above also.
And of course, the space for gratefulness. Each day we need to work on having an attitude of gratitude. It really will change our life for the better. And actually writing them down helps, too!
There is a quote included on each page. These quotes are from solid Catholic authors. They reflect knowledge, common sense and timeless wisdom.
All of this is included on each of your daily pages throughout the month.
There are three other pages along with your daily pages..
The first page of each month, what I call the title page has a space for your spiritual intentions for the month. We all have big things that we want to pray for. We can include these things here and offer up all of our prayers works joys and sufferings of the month for these intentions.
We also have a space here for the monthly goals. Bigger things… Like paint the bathroom, say a novena, get to daily mass four times a week, things like that.
This is a great page to kind a wrap our head around the bigger picture for the whole month. Having them there in front of you, writing them down is Definitely an incentive to get them done!
Another page included is a menu plan for the month. I have the dates written in there and just enough space to include dinner which I thought was probably the meal that needs to be planned out the most.
What a difference a meal planner makes! I didn’t include a grocery list because thats something you have to take to the store with you anyway. So you can do that on your own separate piece of paper or on a grocery list app on your phone.
The third page is the homeschooling page for the month with a blank for the students name in the top right hand corner.
There is a space on the left-hand side for your subjects and then across is for each day of the week. You can print out multiples of these papers depending on how many students you have for the year.
Get yourself a pretty three ring binder and a three hole punch and you have yourself a lovely monthly planner! The links for those are in the description below. They are affiliate links, so thank you for your support!
Also, you have the option to print these out in color is you so wish as I did the pages in color. B & W looks great, too!
A gentle reminder as we go forward planning our month, that people are more important than things… schedules and accomplishments . We need to remain flexible and not get in a tizzy if we didn’t get things done during the day that we had put on our planner.
That being said, these planners/journals can be very helpful in trying to stay focused during our day. When we put our best foot forward, God meets us more than halfway!
So, I wish you joy in planning out your upcoming weeks using your new traditional Catholic daily planner! God bless you and Our Lady guide you.
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I took mine to the local computer shop and had it spiral bound for less than $3. It lays nice and flat and works perfectly!
We must take great care to be encouragers of our children. They will only be with us for a short time. What kind of legacy do we want to leave for our children? ….One of hope, love and inspiration or one of negativity and criticism? Take those moments today to listen to them, to smile at them and to see the wonderful good inside of them. Let’s start the habit today of seeing the positive in our children!
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Hands Free Mama is the digital society’s answer to finding balance in a media-saturated, perfection-obsessed world. It doesn’t mean giving up all technology forever. It doesn’t mean forgoing our jobs and responsibilities. What it does mean is seizing the little moments that life offers us to engage in real and meaningful interaction. It means looking our loved ones in the eye and giving them the gift of our undivided attention, living a present, authentic, and intentional life despite a world full of distractions.
With his facile pen and from the wealth of his nation-wide experience, the well-known author treats anything and everything that might be included under the heading of home education: the pre-marriage training of prospective parents, the problems of the pre-school days down through the years of adolescence. No topic is neglected. “What is most praiseworthy is Fr. Lord’s insistence throughout that no educational agency can supplant the work that must be done by parents.” – Felix M. Kirsch, O.F.M. https://amzn.to/2T06u28 (afflink)
This post contains affiliate links. Thank you for your support.
A little encouragement in your search for modest blouses for the hot weather (it’s still hot here in Kansas) along with a little tutorial on shortening and hemming your blouse sleeves…
If I am not capable of great things, I will not become discouraged, but I will do the small things! Sometimes, because we are unable to do great things, heroic acts, we neglect the small things that are available to us and which are, moreover, so fruitful for our spiritual progress and are such a source of joy: “Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful over a few things, I will now trust you with greater. Come and share your Master’s joy.” (Matthew 25:21) -Fr. Jacques Philippe, Searching For and Maintaining Peace https://amzn.to/2WcepLs (afflink)
Painting by Jim Daly
Coloring pages for your children….
Author Mary Reed Newland here draws on her own experiences as the mother of seven to show how the classic Christian principles of sanctity can be translated into terms easily applied to children even to the very young.
Because it’s rooted in experience, not in theory, nothing that Mrs. Newland suggests is impossible or extraordinary. In fact, as you reflect on your experiences with your own children, you’ll quickly agree that hers is an excellent commonsense approach to raising good Catholic children.
Fr. Lawrence Lovasik, the renowned author of The Hidden Power of Kindness, gives faithful Catholics all the essential ingredients of a stable and loving Catholic marriage and family — ingredients that are in danger of being lost in our turbulent age.
Using Scripture and Church teachings in an easy-to-follow, step-by-step format, Fr. Lovasik helps you understand the proper role of the Catholic father and mother and the blessings of family. He shows you how you can secure happiness in marriage, develop the virtues necessary for a successful marriage, raise children in a truly Catholic way, and much more.
This post contains affiliate links. Thank you for your support.
Come and join me as I pray a form of Morning Prayers that I have used through the years…. Here is the link for the prayers to print out.
Come and join me as I pray a form of Night Prayers that I have used through the years…. Here is the link for the prayers to print out.
Come and join me as I pray the St. Patrick’s Breastplate, also known as the Lorica of St. Patrick…an amazing power of protection. St. Patrick wrote it in 433 A.D. for divine protection before successfully converting the Irish King Leoghaire and his subjects from paganism to Christianity. (The term breastplate refers to a piece of armor worn in battle.) I say this prayer often for the protection of all my loved ones!
Thank you all for the lovely comments on my Giveaway Post! I want you to know that I appreciate them very much! ❤
And now….
Congratulations Lynn! I have sent you an email!
St. Francis de Sales on the company we keep: “Be very careful, therefore, dear reader, not to have any evil love, because you will in turn quickly become evil yourself. Friendship is the most dangerous of all love. Why? Because other loves can exist without communication, exchange, closeness. But friendship is completely founded upon communication and exchange and cannot exist in practice without sharing in the qualities and defects of the friend loved.”
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This is a unique book of Catholic devotions for young children. There is nothing routine and formal about these stories. They are interesting, full of warmth and dipped right out of life. These anecdotes will help children know about God, as each one unfolds a truth about the saints, the Church, the virtues, etc. These are short faith-filled stories, with a few questions and a prayer following each one, enabling the moral of each story to sink into the minds of your little ones. The stories are only a page long so tired mothers, who still want to give that “tucking in” time a special touch, or pause a brief moment during their busy day to gather her children around her, can feel good about bringing the realities of our faith to the minds of her children in a childlike, (though not childish), way. There is a small poem and a picture at the end of each story. Your children will be straining their necks to see the sweet pictures! Through these small stories, parents will sow seeds of our Holy Catholic Faith that will enrich their families all the years to come!
This revised 1922 classic offers gentle guidance for preteen and teenage girls on how to become a godly woman. Full of charm and sentiment, it will help mother and daughter establish a comfortable rapport for discussions about building character, friendships, obedience, high ideals, a cheerful spirit, modest dress, a pure heart, and a consecrated life.
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In light of our faith, it is those little things that make or break us. The little things we do…the habits slowly built through repetition and discipline that build the monuments of character and virtue in our souls. And then it is the little things that we don’t do and should…that eventually cause a breaking down of the faith. So…let’s take a listen to Father Carr in this excerpt called “Little Things”.
“This Conscience has a quiet, tiny voice, but it can shout down the widest passions. It is beyond bribes and knows no fear….” Let’s take a listen to Father Carr in this excerpt called “Conscience” from Helps to Happiness, 1962. Imprimatur and Nihil Obstat.
And Now….A Giveaway!
Today, I’d like to offer you a Summer Giveaway!!
The winner will receive this lovely package…
Just leave a comment here, and your name will be added! It is always great to hear from you. 🙂
I will announce the winner next Tuesday, August 17th!
The following pages in this Maglet (magazine/booklet) is for you…to inspire you in your daily walk as a loving, strong, patient Catholic mother.As mothers we have an awesome responsibility, as one of the key people in our children’s lives, to help mold them into happy, well-adjusted, faith-filled adults. This Maglet is filled with unique articles and anecdotes to help you in this journey.It is unique because most of the articles are written by men and women (some priests and a Dominican nun) who have lived in an age where common sense was more of the norm. Their advice and experience are timeless and invaluable…
“Be loyal to each other in periods of trial, and confidently seek the blessing of God at Mass, Holy Communion, and prayer.”-Fr. Lovasik, Catholic Family Handbook https://amzn.to/2LGXmzH (afflink)
Our Lady of Guadalupe Apron! Feminine and Beautiful!
Hands Free Mama is the digital society’s answer to finding balance in a media-saturated, perfection-obsessed world. It doesn’t mean giving up all technology forever. It doesn’t mean forgoing our jobs and responsibilities. What it does mean is seizing the little moments that life offers us to engage in real and meaningful interaction. It means looking our loved ones in the eye and giving them the gift of our undivided attention, living a present, authentic, and intentional life despite a world full of distractions.
With his facile pen and from the wealth of his nation-wide experience, the well-known author treats anything and everything that might be included under the heading of home education: the pre-marriage training of prospective parents, the problems of the pre-school days down through the years of adolescence. No topic is neglected. “What is most praiseworthy is Fr. Lord’s insistence throughout that no educational agency can supplant the work that must be done by parents.” – Felix M. Kirsch, O.F.M. https://amzn.to/2T06u28 (afflink)
This post contains affiliate links. Thank you for your support.
Here is a simple outline to ensure we are carrying out our daily duties as best we can on this road we travel as Catholic women. This is my own list of what I deem the basics of a successful day. It is an ideal I strive for. You may have your own plan, and I hope you do. If this can help in any way, then I have accomplished my goal with this video. Link to My Morning and Night Prayers. Link to My Journals.
I have included the transcript for the video below:
I’m here to talk to you today about Two Simple Steps for a Successful Day.
I think that most ladies would like a simple outline that they can stick to each day to ensure we are carrying out our daily duties as best we can on this road we travel as Catholic women.
This is my own list of what I deem the basics of a successful day. It is an ideal I have strived for. I have successes, I have failures but at least I know this plan, it is burned into my mind so I can get back to it if I am floundering!
You may have your own plan, and I hope you do. If this can help in any way, then I have accomplished my goal with this video.
#1 ~ STAYING GROUNDED WITH PRAYER
#2 ~ STAYING GROUNDED WITH A LIST
#1 – Our Prayers. Starting with our morning prayers.
Our Morning Offering is one of the most important prayers of the day. Imagine a bunch of zeroes, let’s say 9 of them on a blackboard. How much are nine zeroes worth? One big fat zero.
Now put a one if front of them. Do they become a lot more valuable? Yes they do. Kind of changes the picture, doesn’t it?
Our Morning Offering is like that one. All of a sudden, all our thoughts, words, actions, sufferings of the day have value. Before our Morning Offering, they are not worth as much. After our Morning Offering, they are so much more valuable.
All is used as an offering to Our Lord for our own happiness and salvation, and for those we love.
I know that we often hit the ground running…nursing a baby, helping our toddler, or our alarm didn’t’ go off and we are running to school or work late. Let’s make sure we get that Morning Offering in. It’s very important.
We should try to say our whole Morning Prayers….
And I will include a link in the comments below that may be able to help you with your Morning and Night Prayers…they are what I have said throughout the years.
You should have a few other simple time slots for prayers throughout the day. Not too much and not too long. But enough to keep us and our family grounded all day long.
I usually stop midday, 3:00 to say with whoever is at home at the time our Mercy Chaplet. You could do any prayer you wish here. Maybe a Litany? Maybe the Holy Wounds Chaplet? I have a lovely book with many different chaplets in it. You could switch it up each day if you like. Maybe a special prayer honoring our Lords crucifixion because the hour is 3:00?
When my kids were younger we would say the Mercy Chaplet…that took 5 minutes…then I set the timer for 15 minutes for quiet time. Then I would give them 3 choices.
They could read a spiritual book. If they were young that would mean looking at the pictures of a children’s spiritual book.
They could pray.
They could rest. And yes, sometimes they fell asleep.
It was very valuable…that quiet time with the kids. Because we lose our taste for spiritual things if we do not nourish ourselves each day. And once again, this is building a great habit with your children they can carry on throughout their lives.
So we have our Morning Prayers, our Midday prayers…then our daily rosary and our night prayers. Daily Mass if we can.
So…number one…staying grounded with prayer. Let’s keep that prayer life alive and well!
Just a note…Make sure you say simple morning and night prayers with your little people so they get in the habit of this. This is very important!
I said my own morning and night prayers by myself…hopefully before the kids got up, but not necessarily. And then I would gather the little people who weren’t old enough to say their prayers yet, I would sit down and have them kneel before me and say their prayers with them. They were simple and eventually they memorized them and could say them on their own.
This got them in the habit of morning and night prayers. Because I have met Catholics who know the necessity of saying the daily rosary and they do that. But they find the morning and night prayers daunting…because they weren’t trained as youngsters! So do that for your children…
This is the basis of a successful day! We now have the grace to do what we need to do for the rest of the day. To make the right decisions. To get our work done, To deal with any crosses, etc.
#2. STAYING GROUNDED WITH A LIST.
Make a List!
I sure notice a difference when I get back to making my list! I accomplish so much more…and I don’t forget so many things. I get myself a lovely journal-type book and then I turn to it during the day when I am floundering and getting distracted with things I don’t need to get distracted with…not talking about my family. They are one big blessed distraction…a good one and one that needs attending to.
But you know those other distractions….the ones we could do without…or that make us put off our priorities…until later…and then we’re too tired.
Making your list the night before is helpful. But if you haven’t done that, snag a few moments as early as possible the next day to write your list.
I use shortcuts to write mine down, For instance, MPR is morning prayers, NPR is night prayers, MCHAP is mercy chaplet. This makes the list writing quicker. And since I know the basics well, I know what I am talking about.
Many of the other items I write the whole thing out. I have made the mistake of doing shortcuts on the other non-basic things on my list and when going back to it, I couldn’t remember what it was I was writing down. J
This list, which is my #2 step of a successful day, will help you with your #1 step – Staying Grounded with Prayer…because you write down your spiritual items at the top….After all they are top priority!
Morning Prayers, 3:00 prayer, Rosary, Night Prayers.
And if I go to daily Mass, I will come home, write down daily Mass and then check it off. Check these spiritual items off when you are done.
If you have accomplished those by the end of the day, you have accomplished the most important work of the day…because these very prayers will give us the grace to accomplish the other duties of the day!
And even if it is one of those days and we get nothing else accomplished…because of a child being sick, an unexpected visitor, a fridge that needs tending to because it quit working, etc, we still have those prayers, that time with God. And He will bless that! And will help us to embrace these other things that throw us off-kilter!
As you think of things throughout the day, add them to your list. But don’t overwhelm yourself. Stick to the priorities and a few other items. For me, I put down even the little things…like take out garbage. Then I can check it off and it does give one a feeling of accomplishment and it energizes me!
The most important ones need to be checked off by the end of the day….like make dinner, do laundry, make lunches, check on mother, etc. Write them down!!
And for those ones you think of during the day and don’t get to… Transfer them to the next day!
To get into these habits….Prayers, List-Making…is very valuable.
I want to show you a couple of examples of my list. Here’s one day.
Something must have come up this day because I don’t have much checked off. Maybe I just got distracted. That’s ok…I don’t beat myself up for that. I especially like to get my spiritual part of the list done.
Most of my days don’t have the night prayers checked off because I forget to check them off in the evening. And sometimes I do forget!
Here’s another day.
Now this day looks better! I can walk away from that day and say, “Wow, I was able to get a lot done and it looks good to have all those check marks!” There were some things I didn’t get done and I will transfer those to the next day,.
These habits help us to train our will. Regularity, order…it is the making of a saint. The daily little things are the important ones! Saying those short prayers with your kids every day, morning and night, is teaching them invaluable lessons about regularity and good habit-making.
I want to remind you that in the comments I have a link to my morning and night prayers.
I also have a link down there for my journals. I think using a journal for while can be quite helpful.
I have an Advent Journal, Lenten Journal, a Gratitude Journal and then a 30 Day Journal for boys and one for the girls. Those last 2 are in color and quite lovely! And those will help those children to stay on track for 30 days and carry some of those habits with them throughout life!
These are very good tools to help us on this journey of getting our lives in order. The link for those are in the comments.
In conclusion, I would like to say that I am still on this journey. It is never perfect and life throws at us its curve balls. Sometimes we cause the curve balls! It’s not our failures that are the important thing…we are human, we will fail. It is how quickly we pick ourselves up!
So let’s remember the 2 basics of a successful day:
#1 Staying grounded with prayers
#2 Staying grounded with a list
Thank you for tuning in today. God bless you!
A mother should make it one of her important responsibilities to keep a clean and organized home. This is not always possible, especially at certain phases of child-bearing years, and she must be patient with circumstances and with herself. At the same time, it should be one of her priorities. -Finer Femininity
Make a statement with this lovely and graceful “Strawberry Soda” handcrafted apron….fully lined….made with care. Aprons tell a beautiful story…..a story of love and sacrifice….of baking bread and mopping floors, of planting seeds and household chores. Sadly, many women have tossed the aprons aside and donned their business attire. Wear your apron with joy….it is a symbol of Femininity….”Finer” Femininity! 🌺 💗 Will fit most sizes…
In With God in Russia, Ciszek reflects on his daily life as a prisoner, the labor he endured while working in the mines and on construction gangs, his unwavering faith in God, and his firm devotion to his vows and vocation. Enduring brutal conditions, Ciszek risked his life to offer spiritual guidance to fellow prisoners who could easily have exposed him for their own gains. He chronicles these experiences with grace, humility, and candor, from his secret work leading mass and hearing confessions within the prison grounds, to his participation in a major gulag uprising, to his own “resurrection”—his eventual release in a prisoner exchange in October 1963 which astonished all who had feared he was dead.
Powerful and inspirational, With God in Russia captures the heroic patience, endurance, and religious conviction of a man whose life embodied the Christian ideals that sustained him…..
Captured by a Russian army during World War II and convicted of being a “Vatican spy,” Jesuit Father Walter J. Ciszek spent 23 agonizing years in Soviet prisons and the labor camps of Siberia. Only through an utter reliance on God’s will did he manage to endure the extreme hardship. He tells of the courage he found in prayer–a courage that eased the loneliness, the pain, the frustration, the anguish, the fears, the despair. For, as Ciszek relates, the solace of spiritual contemplation gave him an inner serenity upon which he was able to draw amidst the “arrogance of evil” that surrounded him. Ciszek learns to accept the inhuman work in the infamous Siberian salt mines as a labor pleasing to God. And through that experience, he was able to turn the adverse forces of circumstance into a source of positive value and a means of drawing closer to the compassionate and never-forsaking Divine Spirit.
He Leadeth Me is a book to inspire all Christians to greater faith and trust in God–even in their darkest hour. As the author asks, “What can ultimately trouble the soul that accepts every moment of every day as a gift from the hands of God and strives always to do his will?”
I think it would be a great idea to have a Tea Party for one of the Twelve Days of Christmas! Girls and Boys alike enjoy tea parties…and older folks, too! And it would be a good opportunity to pull out the nice china and set a real spread! We love tea and tea parties over here! We don’t take time to have them too often but it is always a good time! (Scroll down for the recipe links!)
You can plan a tea party of your own…..simple or a little more extravagant, with a little help from Emilie Barnes.
Christmas is a special time for friends and family to gather together, and a Christmas tea offers a wonderful chance to celebrate your relationships and the season itself. Let your Christmas tea be your special gift to friends, family, and yourself.
Tea parties are more personal than a general party. There is something about a tea party that brings out the best in people – the best behavior, the best intentions, the best attitudes. We expect a little more of each other when we come to tea, and we tend to live up to those expectations. We give a little more. That in itself is cause to celebrate!
I begin planning my holiday tea party in October, because it takes time to get the details just right. Keep your eyes out for pretty Christmas-themed notecards with no message inside to use for invitation. Send them out by the end of November.
There are no limits on the decor for a tea party. Take advantage of the wonderful decorating materials that are available – sparkling red and green fabrics, lush and fragrant greens, and all kinds of candles. Fragrant pine garlands, red berries, shiny red apples, pretty ornaments, poinsettias and anything Christmassy are great for an arrangement or special centerpiece.
The table can be as decorative as you like. I usually pull out all the stops and use my best china and fancy white linens for this celebration. I love to decorate each guest’s plate with a little candle held in a special clip – the same kind used many years ago in Europe to secure little candles on the Christmas tree. There are no rules to decorating. It’s whatever sets a tone and mood for your party. Play Christmas music to add to the merriment!
And load the table with a variety of sweet and savory foods. I usually have a special tea, some tea sandwiches, a fancy cake, fruits and a special cheese like mascarpone, and decorated Christmas cookies. Everything is presented on doily-lined trays…it’s almost too pretty to eat!
The most special part of this holiday tea is when we share our favorite memories and Christmas blessings together. I light the candle of the person nearest to me and ask her to share a Christmas thought or Christmas blessing. After she speaks. she lights the candle of the person next to her, who then shares her Christmas thoughts. Around the room we go with each person sharing a bit of her heart.
Spiced Russian Tea
6 teaspoons Russian blend or any good black tea
1 pinch cloves
1 1/2 pints freshly boiled water
Place tea and cloves in pot, add water, and brew for five minutes before pouring. Add sugar and lemon to taste.
Almond Chicken Tea Sandwiches
3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cooked and chopped coarsely
1/2 cup slivered, blanched almonds
1/2 cup mayonaise
White or wheat bread
Butter each slice of bread well. On half the slices, spoon about 3 tablespoons of almond chicken mixture. Top with remaining slices.
Wrap in wax paper and again in a slightly dampened kitchen towel. Let filling set for at least an hour before serving. Cut off crusts and trim into pretty shapes.
The following are links for some Festive Food Ideas! Christmas season is not over…let us continue to celebrate!
Peanut Butter Cups:
“The secret to a good peanut butter cup isn’t the chocolate. What really makes them shine is finding the right peanut butter center. We couldn’t use just peanut butter because that would leave the wrong texture, and would probably effect the shape of the cups we’ve come to hold dear. The trick, we found, was to mix the peanut butter in with some confectioners’ sugar and graham cracker crumbs. It provided just the right amount of sweetness with some firmness to it as well to make the peanut butter cups a perfect no-bake treat.”
This classic Christmas dessert is too delicious to have just once a year. So our family serves it for birthdays…and whatever other occasion we can think of! —Cynthia Butt, Winnipeg, Manitoba
“I adapted a Bundt cake recipe to create this layer cake. Cranberries, walnuts and homemade frosting make it taste so delicious that you’d never guess it starts with a convenient cake mix.” —Sandy Burkett, Galena, Ohio
“Many years ago, while taking my nieces on a little nature walk, I remember watching as my youngest niece picked up a pinecone and tried to eat it. I can only imagine how prickly the scales were on her tiny tongue! Here’s an idea for a pinecone snack that’s sure to make curious tastebuds happy.”
Happy 5th Day of Christmas! “The childlike faith and hope of simple peasants found fulfillment in a Child. Christmas came rushing into their uneventful lives on the wings of an Infant’s smile, and the low-voiced gratitude of a mother welcoming these first Christmas guests who, in a beautiful single gesture, adored her Son and filled her day with the sweet fragrance of their Christmas greeting.” -Fr. Daniel A. Lord, Art by Donna Gelsinger, https://www.donagelsinger.com/
New Podcast!
Join siblings Gemma (15 years old) and Angelo (14 years old) as they discuss the efficacy of Journaling and of using their Traditional 30 Day Journals….
Just in time for those New Year’s Resolutions!… The Catholic Boy’s and Girl’s Traditional 30-Day Journals! Let’s keep our youth engaged in the Faith! Let’s teach them how to be organized, how to prioritize, how to keep on top of, first, the Spiritual things in their lives, and then the other daily duties that God requires of them… Available here.
S
In With God in Russia, Ciszek reflects on his daily life as a prisoner, the labor he endured while working in the mines and on construction gangs, his unwavering faith in God, and his firm devotion to his vows and vocation. Enduring brutal conditions, Ciszek risked his life to offer spiritual guidance to fellow prisoners who could easily have exposed him for their own gains. He chronicles these experiences with grace, humility, and candor, from his secret work leading mass and hearing confessions within the prison grounds, to his participation in a major gulag uprising, to his own “resurrection”—his eventual release in a prisoner exchange in October 1963 which astonished all who had feared he was dead.
Powerful and inspirational, With God in Russia captures the heroic patience, endurance, and religious conviction of a man whose life embodied the Christian ideals that sustained him…..
Captured by a Russian army during World War II and convicted of being a “Vatican spy,” Jesuit Father Walter J. Ciszek spent 23 agonizing years in Soviet prisons and the labor camps of Siberia. Only through an utter reliance on God’s will did he manage to endure the extreme hardship. He tells of the courage he found in prayer–a courage that eased the loneliness, the pain, the frustration, the anguish, the fears, the despair. For, as Ciszek relates, the solace of spiritual contemplation gave him an inner serenity upon which he was able to draw amidst the “arrogance of evil” that surrounded him. Ciszek learns to accept the inhuman work in the infamous Siberian salt mines as a labor pleasing to God. And through that experience, he was able to turn the adverse forces of circumstance into a source of positive value and a means of drawing closer to the compassionate and never-forsaking Divine Spirit.
He Leadeth Me is a book to inspire all Christians to greater faith and trust in God–even in their darkest hour. As the author asks, “What can ultimately trouble the soul that accepts every moment of every day as a gift from the hands of God and strives always to do his will?” This post contains affiliate links. Thank you for your support.
And now, a gallery of our last two events and some tidbits in-between! Click on the first picture to see the gallery…
Now this day looks better! I can walk away from that day and say, “Wow, I was able to get a lot done and it looks good to have all those check marks!” There were some things I didn’t get done and I will transfer those to the next day,.
