Category Archives: Smorgasbord ‘n Smidgens

New Podcast ~ And a Gallery! October 2021

13 Wednesday Oct 2021

Posted by in Podcasts - Finer Femininity, Smorgasbord 'n Smidgens

≈ 7 Comments

New Podcast!

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…

 

Summer/Early Fall Gallery ~ 2021

23 Thursday Sep 2021

Posted by in FF Tidbits, Smorgasbord 'n Smidgens

≈ 11 Comments

Well here we are, summer is past and fall has begun! It still feels like summer is in the air here but the nights are getting cooler.

We are very busy getting ready for our Shakespeare Festival that is beginning this Friday. It goes all this weekend and the next. It is a lovely, family-friendly event that is a one-of-a kind experience. The play this year is MacBeth. It is extra special this season because last year the event was cancelled due to Covid. I will post pictures later.

We have 5 daughters/daughters-in-law that are expecting now. Which brings the total number of grandchildren to 40! May God bless our expectant mothers who each have their own set of crosses during pregnancy. It is an exciting time for all…but there are always the thorns among the roses, as you all know. Looking forward to the blossoming of the roses!

The world is crazy right now…and the church has huge problems! And yet, in the way of sanctity, nothing has changed. We continue to have to pull ourselves away and strive for personal holiness. It is a lesson that is hard in this day of information glut that is constantly slung in our direction. We can get so caught up in it!

But, really, what it comes down to is a constant turning back to what has been taught through the ages by the saints, the Church Fathers, scripture, etc. Nothing new under the sun. Let’s look in the right places for this information. That is what will give us peace.

Are there big problems? Do we have personal problems? Does the world have problems, our nation? The Church? It’s all disheartening and, if we let it, it can be discouraging. But there is a solution. Yes, there is.

Our Lady gave us the solution at Fatima…the rosary. Get back to the family rosary. And if you are saying it already…say it better. Spread the word. This world needs it so badly!

And continue to live a Catholic life. Build Catholic culture within your families. After you are gone, your legacy will continue to pass this culture on to make the world a better place to be….and to populate heaven with souls.

And now, a gallery of our summer doings in this “neck of the woods”.

Click on the first picture to view the gallery….And don’t forget the caption below:

Stuff ‘n’ June 2021 Gallery

22 Tuesday Jun 2021

Posted by in Catholic Home Life, Smorgasbord 'n Smidgens

≈ 4 Comments

A fun post!

Some recent videos Gin and I had fun making….

My daughter, Gin, gives a little tour of her son’s shop that he built.

Gin‘s beginnings of making a vintage dress out of a curtain. (Part one)

Gin gives us a brief peek into her crafty business of making a vintage dress out of a curtain. (Part Two)

Just a little tour of Gin‘s world on a Monday morning in spring time 2021.

A tour of our spring flowers at the beginning of their growth, the beautiful rock garden handiwork and our two grottoes. 🌺💐🌸🌷
“Where flowers, these emblems of purity are found, you may rest assured that they represent a hope, and speak of a goodness of heart not to be found where they are absent.” -Fr. Lasance
“I have always noticed that wherever you find flowers, no matter whether in a garret or in a palace, it is a pretty sure sign that there is an inner refinement of which the world is not cognizant. I have seen flowers cultivated and cherished by some of the lowest and poorest of people. Where these emblems of purity are found, you may rest assured that they represent a hope, and speak of a goodness of heart not to be found where they are absent.” -Fr. Lasance, My Prayer Book

Welcome to my June Gallery of…Home

What do you think makes a beautiful and happy home? How important is this?

Having a happy home is crucial to the spreading of our Faith. To whom do we want to spread our faith? First of all, to our children. They need to see the deep and lasting beauty of our faith shining forth in our everyday lives, making our home beautiful and happy.

Our faith is oftentimes an unspoken reality, the undercurrent in the everyday bubbling brook, that flows into every facet of our lives.

This happiness does not have to be unrealistic. Life is what it is and there are many days where the smiles don’t come as easy and nerves are rawer because of whatever is upsetting the apple cart at the time. These are opportunities too.

A good priest said that if our kids see ONLY that life is perfect at home, if they grow  up wearing rose-colored glasses all the time, they are going to get quite a jolt when they enter into their own vocation and it is less than perfect…and it will be. So it is good that the kids see reality, too.

That being said, we need to create a home that is joyful and lovely, in amongst the “real”-ness.

Let us live more for our homes. Let us love one another more. Let us cease to complain, criticize, and contradict each other. Let us be more patient with each other’s faults. Let us not keep back the warm, loving words that lie in our hearts, until it is too late for them to give comfort. Soon separations will come. One of every wedded pair will stand by the other’s coffin and grave. Then every bitter word spoken, and every neglect of love’s duty, will be as a thorn in the heart. -J.R. Miller, early 1900’s

Click on the first picture to view the gallery…. (Thank you to Henry Toenjes for permission to use some of his Pilgrimage photos.)

Notable Quotes/New Grandbaby!

07 Friday May 2021

Posted by in Inspiring Quotes, Smorgasbord 'n Smidgens

≈ 20 Comments

Some inspiring quotes for your day…..

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“It is wrong to deny one’s self all diversion. The mind becomes fatigued and depressed by remaining always concentrated in itself and thus more easily falls a prey to sadness. Saint Thomas says explicitly that one may incur sin by refusing all innocent amusement. Every excess, no matter what its nature, is contrary to order and consequently to virtue.” – Light and Peace, Quadrupani, 1795

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“Dear Girls, contemplating the final leap, I want you to understand that you can afford a great deal less to be careless after marriage than before; because you have now to keep the husband you have won. Men like what is bright and cheerful, and pleasant to behold. So far as you are concerned see that you are never an eyesore. Even if you have your own work to do, there is no necessity why you should be a dowdy or a slattern. Even a cotton dress clean and daintily made can be as becoming to you as a robe of silk and lace.” -Courtship and Marriage and the Gentle Art of Home-making, Annie S. Swan, 1894

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“Christian humility does not lower, it elevates; it does not cast down, but gives courage, for the more it reveals to the soul its nothingness and abjection, the more it moves it toward God with confidence and abandonment.” – Divine Intimacy, Fr. Gabriel of St. Mary Magdalen, O.C.D.

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“Children must not feel that because of their littleness, their prayers lack power. Because of their stunning purity and their childlike love, their prayers are probably far more powerful than our own. We should encourage them to pray boldly and should point out all they can accomplish by uniting their prayers to Christ’s prayers for all men. This gives them the soundest, most mature, and most inspiring reason for acquiring habits of prayer.”
-Mary Reed Newland, How to Raise Good Catholic Children

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“The first area that you must succeed in, since you are a woman, is in the home, in the roles of compassionate wife, diligent mother, and successful keeper of the home. Yes, the key to your happiness lies within your own four walls. To reach these goals you may have to go beyond the call of duty…go the second mile, doing more than is asked or expected. ” -FW

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The truly religious wife finds God at Mass and from Him receives the strength to become the ideal helpmate to her husband. She does not leave God at church but keeps Him with her every minute of the day in every nook and cranny of her home. Each menial, repetitious task she must perform is a work of love for her husband and children, and through them, a work of love for her Creator. – Fr. Raoul Plus, S.J. 1950’s

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“Lord, You know my weakness; every morning I make a resolution to practice humility, and every evening I acknowledge that I still have many failures. I am tempted to be discouraged by this, but I know that discouragement also has its source in pride. That is why I prefer to put my trust in You alone, O my God. Since You are all-powerful, deign to create in my soul the virtue for which I long”. – St. Therese of the Child Jesus

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St. Francis de Sales gives us some words of warning 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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“Although it is doubtless pleasant to feel assured that no microbe-producing speck can possibly lurk in any corner of the house, and to be certain that food and everything pertaining to it is perfect so far as cleanliness is concerned, there is a sense of insecurity and unrest in the abode of the over-particular woman which often develops into positive misery and discomfort. It is the sort of discomfort specially distasteful to the male portion of mankind.”
Annie S. Swan Courtship and Marriage And the Gentle Art of Home-Making, 1894

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“The many troubles in your household will tend to your edification, if you strive to bear them all in gentleness, patience, and kindness. Keep this ever before you, and remember constantly that God’s loving eyes are upon you amid all these little worries and vexations, watching whether you take them as He would desire. Offer up all such occasions to Him, and if sometimes you are put out, and give way to impatience, do not be discouraged, but make haste to regain your lost composure.”
― St. Francis de Sales

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Congratulations to David and Margy!!

It was an extremely long and arduous labor, with two trips to the Birth Center and finally one to the hospital, but Margy was able to deliver naturally and they are both very happy!

Welcome Sean David (Sean is Celtic for John), 6lbs., 8 oz.!

First Photo after Baby is Born

Sweet little one. His head was swollen and bruised because of the long birth process. But it is already looking much better!

Through a little miracle I was able to visit in the hospital. We were all happy to see each other and ooo and ahhhh over baby! (And discuss the details of a labor that started Sunday night and ended Wednesday morning! The midwife said baby was transverse arrest meaning the side of the head, instead of the top, was on the cervix. Margy did exercises during labor to change that.)

Margy and Baby

David is so relieved. He was the best “Dad Coach” I have ever seen!

Avila holds her cousin.

Grandpa and Gemma admire him.

Make a statement with this lovely and graceful handcrafted “St Anne and Our Lady” apron….fully lined, lace overlay….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! 🌺 💗 Available here.


Set of all 20 Children’s Saints Lives

For ages 10 and up. Great stories of the saints for youth that are easy to read; yet extremely edifying and instructing! We all need good examples how to live a good Catholic life — these books will not overwhelm or turn off those who need them most.

This post contains affiliate links. Thank you for your support.

 

 

 

Sharing Our Creativity….

23 Friday Apr 2021

Posted by in Creativity, FF Tidbits, Smorgasbord 'n Smidgens

≈ 10 Comments

The following post is for your creative inspiration. It is good to have some kind of craft or hobby going. It lightens the spirit!

Being creative is something that we love to do here!

We all have some sort of creativity within us. Oftentimes it lays dormant because of busy lifestyles, lack of ambition, finances, etc.

This post is meant to encourage you to pick up that needle, that paintbrush, pick that bouquet for the middle of your table, get your camera and go out in nature to take a photo, etc. These things bring joy to the one who is creating and joy to the recipients! It doesn’t have to take a degree, lots of money or tons of time.

I think it is very important to bring back to life the creativity that God has given us! Don’t let your lifestyle get so busy that you don’t squeak in a little something, just a moment or two where you can let those creative juices flow! It is like therapy to a weary soul!

These past few months we have done some creating around here. I love the beauty of such innovative things and so…. I take pictures!!

Some of my girls are not creative in the way you would think of creativity. I tell you this because there are many ways to express ourselves….baking, a lovely dinner, a beautiful garden, etc. It’s not all about a needle and some yarn….Find your niche and begin your innovative path!

Here’s a picture of me with all of my girls. They are all so unique and very special! They have creative streaks, every one of them, expressing  them in different ways. I don’t have pictures of each one’s “streaks” but I have included some of them here.

Rosie has been working on crocheting the Baptismal gown for David and Margy’s new little one that is due in about a week. She finally got it done, down to all the embellishments and waited for a good moment to present it to them. Margy was pleased!

Gin made the slip and crocheted the emblem of Our Lady on it. So sweet!

 

Our daughter-in-law, Sarah, loves to make tallow (rendered from beef) and soap (made with her fresh goat milk). She is very savvy when it comes to matters pertaining to natural healing. So, depending what the person she is giving the gift to is going through, she may add some special essential oil to the lovely tallow that seems to work wonders for many skin conditions!

Dominic is getting ready to cut the soap.

Augustine helps….

Her lovely tallow.

Augustine helps….haha

Here’s Margy’s cute egg for Easter….

She has been into needlework lately, too. Here is what she is working on for someone who is probably looking at these pictures. Namely…me and hubby! Time consuming and detailed, that’s for sure!

 

Gin is busy with many things! Here is a pinafore she made for Emma….

Here is a dress she made for herself. Pretty complicated…..

At a cousin’s wedding….

More projects for Easter…..

Colin and Z’s projects right now include putting up fencing and taking care of their many goats they are raising. Wish I had some photos…but next time! Here are a couple from Easter. Charlotte finds her basket! And the kids are happy!

Jeanette has been busy with many things outside! She has a new greenhouse this year and is excited about starting many plants in it! Her and Mike have been planting trees and flowers and other projects to beautify their home.

I went to Theresa’s to do a photo shoot for her new line of wonderful, completely natural homemade soap! Right now she is selling locally but hopes to expand onto my Etsy Shop eventually. Here’s a peek….

Coffee Cedarwood Exfoliating:

Coffee Cedarwood Exfoliating

Activated Charcoal (very good for drawing impurities out of the skin):

Honey Oatmeal Soap….

Sunrise (Lemon Mint, I think)

Rosemary Mint….

Lavender….

A gift for my birthday….

Here’s a little bit of God’s Handiwork. We had a pretty good snow 3 days ago. It covered the blossoming trees and tulips, etc. The first picture was taken in our yard in the morning. The second one of the same place in the evening….

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!

NEW! Blessed Mother Graceful Religious Pendant and Earring Set…Wire-Wrapped, Handcrafted. Available here.

 

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)

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A Gallery March 2021

23 Tuesday Mar 2021

Posted by in Give-Aways, Smorgasbord 'n Smidgens

≈ 69 Comments

Lent is slowly coming to a close. Many of our couples and guys have been taking part in the Exodus 90 program which started in January….shortly after Epiphany. So it has been a long haul of cold showers, no snacks, no sweets, no unnecessary internet, fasting, meditation, etc. It is very rewarding…..and how happy they are when Easter arrives!

Below is a gallery of some our doings this last month.

Click on the first picture to view the gallery….