Category Archives: Give-Aways

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….

“Do the things you don’t want to do. Do them cheerfully and well. E.Schaeffer wrote, ‘Somebody has to get up early, stay up late, do more than the others, if the human garden is to be a thing of beauty.’ At first glance it doesn’t seem fair, but there are hidden and precious rewards for dying to self and serving. Stomping and self-pity cancel the reward points.” 🙂 -Charlotte Siems

Blessed Mother Graceful Religious Pendant and Earring Sets…Wire-Wrapped, Handcrafted. Get it blessed and use it as a sacramental. Available here.

A masterpiece that combines the visions of four great Catholic mystics into one coherent story on the life of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Based primarily on the famous revelations of Ven. Anne Catherine Emmerich and Ven. Mary of Agreda, it also includes many episodes described in the writings of St. Bridget of Sweden and St. Elizabeth of Schenau. To read this book, therefore, is to share in the magnificent visions granted to four of the most priviledged souls in the history of the Church.

In complete harmony with the Gospel story, this book reads like a masterfully written novel. It includes such fascinating details as the birth and infancy of Mary, her espousal to St. Joseph and her Assumption into Heaven where she was crowned Queen of Heaven and Earth.

For young and old alike, The Life of Mary As Seen by the Mystics will forever impress the reader with an inspiring and truly unforgettable understanding of the otherwise unknown facts concerning Mary and the Holy Family. Imprimatur.

He was called the man of his age, the voice of his century. His influence towered above that of his contemporaries, and his sanctity moved God himself. Men flocked to him–some in wonder, others in curiosity, but all drawn by the magnetism of his spiritual gianthood. Bernard of Clairvaux–who or what fashioned him to be suitable for his role of counseling Popes, healing schisms, battling errors and filling the world with holy religious and profound spiritual doctrine? Undoubtedly, Bernard is the product of God’s grace. But it is hard to say whether this grace is more evident in Bernard himself or in the extraordinary family in which God choose to situate this dynamic personality. This book is the fascinating account of a family that took seriously the challenge to follow Christ… and to overtake Him. With warmth and realism, Venerable Tescelin, Blesseds Alice, Guy, Gerard, Humbeline, Andrew, Bartholomew, Nivard and St. Bernard step off these pages with the engaging naturalness that atttacks imitation. Here is a book that makes centuries disappear, as each member of this unique family becomes an inspiration in our own quest of overtaking Christ.

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Quotes to Live By

09 Wednesday Dec 2020

Posted by in Give-Aways, Inspiring Quotes

≈ 1 Comment

Inspiring Quotes for your day…

It is not the solitude of the Himalayas that makes prayer. The essence of prayer is the company of Our Lord.
A person may be exceedingly busy, yet there may be still that quietness of the spirit necessary to prayer.
You need not give up the most troublesome and onerous line of life, but if you desire to set your heart on God, there must be quietness from the noise of the world. So will you be with God and God with you. -Fr. Daniel Considine, S.J., 1950’s, Photo by Susan Fox, Trevillon Images

“It is a high honor for a woman to be chosen from among all womankind, to be the wife of a godly and true man. She is lifted up to be a crowned queen. Her husband’s manly love laid at her feet, exalts her to the throne of his life. Great power is placed in her hands. Sacred destinies are reposed in her keeping. Will she wear her crown beneficently? Will she fill her realm with beauty and with blessing? Or will she fail in her holy trust? Only her married life can be the answer.” -J.R. Miller

His grace does not operate on our imaginings, ideals, or dreams. It works on reality, the specific, concrete elements of our lives. Even if the fabric of our everyday lives doesn’t look very glorious to us, we can be touched by God’s grace. -Fr. Jacques Philippe, Interior Freedom https://amzn.to/2QL5a5D (afflink)

“God made us to be happy in this world and eternally happy in the next. Doing His will – as expressed in the commandments and by the voice of His Church – is the surest way to attain our destiny.” – Fr. Lovasik

“Parents are often to blame for the rebellious spirit of their children, because they give little of themselves – of their time, interest, and practical love – and then complain that their children do not obey. Let your good example be a sufficient motive for your children’s obedience, even when you are obliged to ask them to do things that few other parents ask.” – Fr. Lovasik

Is it true, is it kind, is it necessary? Be careful of those sins of the tongue! Great sermon! http://www.audiosancto.org/sermon/20140323-Seven-Ways-to-Sin-By-Detraction.html

♥♥♥ “How often do the father and mother of a large family remain young at heart because of the love they give to, and draw from, their children and grandchildren? In fact, many say that old age is their happiest time of life because they can enjoy to the fullest the love of the children!” – Rev. George A. Kelly, Catholic Family Handbook

“Never be ashamed of your home or family because it is humble. People who look down on those whose home is humble and who lack social prominence are not worthy of the friendship of decent families. The most important things in life are character, honest work, humility, loyalty, friendliness, and love.” -Fr. Lovasik, Catholic Family Handbook

“God has so constituted us, that in loving and caring for our own children—the richest and best things in our natures are drawn out. Many of the deepest and most valuable lessons ever learned, are read from the pages of a child’s unfolding life. There is no influence more potent than that which touches us when our children are laid in our arms. Their helplessness appeals to every principle of nobleness in our hearts. Their innocence exerts over us a purifying power. The thought of our responsibility for them, exalts every faculty of our souls. In the very care which they exact, they bring blessing to us.” J.R. Miller

“Whenever and however the vocation is received, to be among the chosen few of the Lord is of itself a great privilege, a high distinction and an enviable honor.” -Rev. Fulgence Meyer O.F.M., 1928

Don’t insist on perfection. Expecting perfection from yourself and others is a setup for disappointment. Things won’t go as planned and you won’t be perfectly organized. Let it go. This, too, shall pass. -Charlotte Siems

🌸🌸Everyone is drawn to a smile. Who and what you are is reflected in your face. Does your husband see you as a happy, grateful woman? Love is like a flower: you can’t expect it to grow without sunshine. Has your husband seen your sunshine lately? ☀☀

A picture of the incredible Beauty of God….

“Look at the birds of the sky. They neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they are? But which of you can add any time to your life by worrying?”

The great St. Bernard wrote in his rule that whenever the monastic bell rang, the monks were to drop what they were doing and go to whatever they were being called to.

In our homes, our monastic bell is all the many things beckoning at us throughout the day…the diapers to be changed, the dishes that need doing, the laundry that needs to be done, etc.

We respond to these things right away, even though we many not want to, remembering that these duties are the very things that will make us holy.
www.finerfem.com

Prague At Christmas… Dear Infant of Prague, O Little Jesus, have mercy on us!

One man found the secret of true happiness. His name was St. John Bosco. He was a man who experienced many trials, but who also lived a life full of gladness and joy. St. John Bosco was so happy that he could hardly contain it. “Dear friend,” he wrote to an associate, “I am a man who loves joy and who therefore wishes to see you and everybody happy. If you do as I say, you will be joyful and glad in heart.” Read more here at The Catholic Gentleman.

Are you blessed by this site? Consider donating today by clicking the donate button. Our benefactors are remembered in our daily, family rosaries….

Review: Love these!! So far I’m only on the Spring edition but I love it! Short little inspiring blips here and there that a busy mom and wife can pick up and put down and receive encouragement and inspiration for the day to live out her Catholic faith and vocation! Thank you so much for putting these maglets together! The seller is wonderful with communication and didn’t hesitate to fix the problem when I hadn’t received my order. Meadows of Grace is a wonderful, personable, and professional shop that I will definitely return to!

All 5 Maglets! Finer Femininity is a small publication compiled to inspire Catholic women in their vocations. It consists of uplifting articles from authors with traditional values, with many of them from priests, written over 50 years ago. These anecdotes are timeless but, with the fast-paced “progress “of today’s world, the pearls within the articles are rarely meditated upon. This little magazine offers Catholic womankind support and inspiration as they travel that oftentimes lonely trail….the narrow road to heaven. The thoughts within the pages will enlighten us to regard the frequently monotonous path of our “daily duties” as the beautiful road to sanctity. Feminine souls need this kind of information to continue to “fight the good fight” in a world that has opposing values and seldom offers any kind of support to these courageous women. Inside the pages you will find inspiration for your roles as single women, as wives and as mothers. In between the thought-provoking articles, the pages are sprinkled with pictures, quotes and maybe even a recipe or two…Available here.

Advent wreaths and candles….

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

Christkindl and Other Advent-y Things

01 Tuesday Dec 2020

Posted by in by Maria Von Trapp, Give-Aways, Seasons, Feast Days, etc.

≈ 107 Comments

Don’t forget to scroll down for the GIVEAWAY!!

From Around the Year With the Trapp Family

After our first gathering around the Advent light, and the singing of the first Advent hymn, an air of expectancy spreads over the family group; now comes the moment when the mother goes around with a bowl in which are the little cards with the names of the new saints.

Everybody draws a card and puts it in his missal. This saint will be invoked every morning after Morning Prayer. Everyone is supposed to look up and study the life story of his new friend, and sometime during the coming year he will tell the family all about it.

As there are so many of us, we come to know about different saints every year. Sometimes this calls for considerable research on the part of the unfortunate one who has drawn St. Eustachius, for instance, or St. Bibiana.

But the custom has become very dear to us, and every year it seems as if the family circle were enlarged by all those new brothers and sisters entering in and becoming known and loved by all.

And then comes another exciting moment. Once more the mother appears with the bowl, which she passes around. This time the pieces of paper contain the names of the members of the family and are neatly rolled up, because the drawing has to be done in great secrecy.

The person whose name one has drawn is now in one’s special care. From this day until Christmas, one has to do as many little favors for him or her as one can. One has to provide at least one surprise every single day—but without ever being found out.

This creates a wonderful atmosphere of joyful suspense, kindness, and thoughtfulness.

Perhaps you will find that somebody has made your bed or shined your shoes or has informed you, in a disguised handwriting on a holy card, that “a rosary has been said for you today” or a number of sacrifices have been offered up.

This new relationship is called “Christkindl” (Christ Child) in the old country, where children believe that the Christmas tree and the gifts under it are brought down by the Christ Child himself.

The beautiful thing about this particular custom is that the relationship is a reciprocal one. The person whose name I have drawn and who is under my care becomes for me the helpless little Christ Child in the manger; and as I am performing these many little acts of love and consideration for someone in the family I am really doing them for the Infant of Bethlehem, according to the word, “And he that shall receive one such little child in my name, receiveth me.”

That is why this particular person turns into “my Christkindl.” At the same time I am the “Christkindl” also for the one I am caring for because I want to imitate the Holy Child and render all those little services in the same spirit as He did in that small house of Nazareth, when as a child He served His Mother and His foster father with a similar love and devotion.

Many times throughout these weeks can be heard such exclamations as, “I have a wonderful Christkindl this year!” or, “Goodness, I forgot to do something for my Christkindl and it is already suppertime!”

It is a delightful custom, which creates much of the true Christmas spirit and ought to be spread far and wide.

And there is still one very important thing to do for Advent. According to Austrian custom, every member of the family writes a letter to the Holy Child mentioning his resolutions for the weeks of Advent and listing all his wishes for gifts. This “Christkindl Brief” (letter to the Holy Child) is put on the window sill, from whence the Guardian Angel will take it up to heaven to read it aloud to the Holy Child.

To make small children (and older ones, too) aware of the happy expectancy of Advent, there is a special Advent calendar which clever hands can make at home.

It might be a house with windows for each day of Advent; every morning the child opens another window, behind which appears a star, an angel, or some other picture appropriate to the season.

On the 23rd, all windows are open, but the big entrance door still is closed. That is opened on Christmas Eve, when it reveals the Holy Child in the manger, or a Christmas tree.

All kinds of variations on this theme are possible, such as the Jacob’s Ladder shown on our illustration, which leads step by step to the day of Christ’s birth. All such little aids make Christmas more wonderful and “special” to a child, and preparing them adds to our own Christmas joy.

{Advent Calendar: Take piece of cardboard; cut out clouds, leaving them attached at one point so that they can fold out. Cut spaces in ladder as on insert so that they can fold down. Take transparent paper same size as cardboard. Paint and draw pictures of stars, angels, toys, etc. on spots behind clouds and ladder steps. For top cloud, put Christmas tree or Christ Child in crib. Paste this on back of calendar. Each day another cloud or ladder step should be opened, until Christmas Eve is reached on top of ladder.}

 
“Where on earth shall we find Jesus but in the arms of Mary! Was it not she who gave us the Eucharist? It was her consent to the Incarnation of the Word that inaugurated the great mystery of reparation to God and union with us which Jesus accomplished during His mortal life, and that he continues in the Eucharist.” -St. Peter Julian Eymard,
Painting by Nellie Edwards, www.PaintedFaith.net

Are you blessed by this site? Consider donating today. Our benefactors are remembered in our daily, family rosaries….

Need a unique gift for Christmas? Take a peek at my Holiday Package Deal!

Catholic Mother Goose, Volumes One and Two!

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.

Delicious Christmas teas…. I love this brand of tea! What a great Christmas gift idea!


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How to Stay Young (Part One)

27 Sunday Sep 2020

Posted by in FF Tidbits, Give-Aways

≈ 5 Comments

My mom was a person who always seemed young. She had so many interests! Getting her Docotrate in Naturopathy at the age of 62 was an indication of her unending interest in life and helping others! And she did not quit picking up books and learning about the latest techniques in her field until shortly before she died.

Father Daniel Lord, 1950’s, suggests that these are the very things that will keep us young, in spite of a body that is slowing down….

Young Souls

Youth, maturity, and old age are not a matter merely or even mostly of the body. They are very much a matter of mind, of soul, of emotions. It is rather interesting to notice what groups have a way of staying very young and very much alive.

High in that list all of us would, I think, place artists of almost all types (except those who wreck their youth with folly or excesses of any kind). Actors and actresses stay young. Scientists have a way of remaining young in ripe old age.

Authors often remain youthful and alert quite beyond their period of productivity; they keep on running, like old Shaw himself or H. G. Wells or Dickens or the long-bearded poets.

And when baseball players are tottering to the dugout for the last time, musicians and painters and philosophers are just starting off to a good healthy swing at the ball of their particular art or craft. T

hen saints have an astounding way of staying young. They remain the youngest of the sons and daughters of our race. Many of them seem actually to have found the fountain of perpetual youth. But we’ll come back to them later.

So I think that the whole fundamental measure of youth comes down to this: How alert is your mind? How responsive is your soul? How quick are your reactions? How many interests have you? Is the world wonderful to you, or is it a bore? Do you find most things delightful or annoying? Are you fond of new acquaintances and devoted to old friends?

While you are on the watch for new marvels, do you keep all your affection for the old astonishing things that have always delighted you?

Young Aged

One meets with gratifying regularity old people who are intensely young. I am thinking at the moment of one old lady who is well into her eighties. Her personality dominates the family circle, and she is by all odds the alivest one in the group.

Nothing escapes her interests. She is alternately amazed and amused and concerned by the happenings in her home circle and in the world.She knows all the baseball scores, and she can tell you the odds on the current heavyweight contender.

She enjoys good music and pores over current literature. She is up to the minute on political questions and has violent opinions on every new issue as it arises. She wants all the news of her family and her family’s families. She has become a sort of clearinghouse for the harmless gossip of the family and of the neighborhood.

She sews, and she hums as she sews. She is equally at home with a needle, a book, a rosary, or a cool convivial drink in her hand. No one ever thinks of her as being old.

Only the heaviness of her body and the slow dimming of her hearing keep her from seeming as young as her granddaughters. And when she meticulously cares for her complexion before she retires, using all the correct creams and cleansers, it seems, not the affected vanity of an old woman, but the perfectly proper conduct for one with so young a personality.

Within Control

No doubt about it youth is aliveness, interest, vivid response. Now note: While it is not always possible to retain the youthfulness of our arteries and the pliability of our muscles, it is possible for even the person of little education to keep his interests alive, to develop new interests constantly, and to be youthful in mind and soul.

I have known old Irishmen who could scarcely read but who had souls and minds that were responsive to everything that went on around them. They were interested in everything that happened, in everyone they met.

How different from the young man who sits dozing in the corner of the porch, cigarette pendant from loose lip, daydreaming or entirely dreamless in the midst of a world that is simply pulsing with excitement and wonder and beauty and the march of events and the dance of the days.

I have known old Germans who woke to beautiful life when they heard good music, even though they themselves could perhaps read not a line of it.

To Stay Young

I have known old teachers who remained as young as the pupils they taught, and younger. It was almost as if the youngsters that came into their classroom left behind them some of their youth to keep their teachers eternally young. Often the teachers were vastly younger than the old, bored, uninterested, incapable-of-being-stimulated young people that passed unresponsively through their hands.

So there is just this simple recipe for remaining young: Stay interested—biologically interested. Yes; staying young is a matter of keeping the mind and soul young. And that consists in keeping one’s interest alive. Plenty of interests, plenty of life. Quick of response, much alive. No interests, already old. No response, already dead.

Two Rules

Now it is essential to remember two things:

First no one can keep another person alive. Each one must do this for himself.

Second it really is not very important what sort of interest one develops. Any interest that has permanence will do. Interest in practically anything will serve to keep a person alert, absorbed, alive.

I should like to stress that first point because I grow weary when I see young people who depend upon others for their interests. It is quite true that when a stimulating adult crosses a youngster’s path, that youngster is most fortunate. Some sparks from the electric generator of the adult’s personality may serve to set the young person afire with interests and enthusiasms.

Thrice blessed is the child of alert parents, parents whose interests are varied and spontaneous yet carefully cultivated. Twice happy the young person who finds himself within the magnetic field of some grown man or woman who has kept at high frequency his or her power of response.

But in the long run the seed of aliveness will be found to be within the individual. It requires self-expansion, self-development.

A mother and a father give their child physical life; they and the doctors and the nurses and the teachers nourish and care for that young life. Eventually they turn that physical life over to the care of the child, who makes it, mars it, develops it, stunts it as he wishes.

And the aliveness of his mind and soul in time becomes his responsibility in exactly the same fashion as his body is his responsibility.

Thank you all so much for your kind comments on the Giveaway post. I read each one and they brought a smile to my lips and warmth to my heart! Your words are encouraging…thank you!

And now….The winner of the Finer Femininity Giveaway is…

Congratulations Courtney! I have sent you an email!

If we could get people to work together without jealousy, it would help God’s work immensely. . . .
Are there any against whom I feel tempted to bear a grudge? Any of whose misfortunes I feel a little pleasure in hearing? Why am I willing to listen to conversation disparaging to someone else? Can I cleanse my soul of touchiness and jealousy? How can I become more and more unselfish, and efface myself?
Let me put aside considerations of my own satisfaction. . . . Ask Our Lord in Holy Communion to free you from touchiness and jealousy. -Fr. Daniel Considine, 1950’s

Beautiful Blessed Mother Wire Wrapped Rosary! Lovely, Durable…

Each link is handmade and wrapped around itself to ensure quality. Available here.

A book of your favorite litanies….

Chosen by God for the incomparable vocation of spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary and foster father of Our Lord Jesus Christ; St. Joseph received magnificent divine graces and favors not granted even to the Old Testament Patriarchs. Known as the most humble of men; St. Joseph received from Almighty God the authority to command both Our Lady and the Son of God Himself; and in Heaven he continues to have great intercessory power with God.
The Divine Favors Granted to St. Joseph shows how this greatest of the Patriarchs is the patron of all Christians and how wonderfully he answers prayers; plus; it gives many of the ways of honoring him and many prayers to request his intercession. One of the finest books on St. Joseph; it will surely inspire the reader with a profound devotion to this great “Patron of the Universal Church.” Impr. 176 pgs;

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Promote Happiness in Your Homes

20 Sunday Sep 2020

Posted by in Attitude, Family Life, Give-Aways, Tidbits for Your Day

≈ 85 Comments

A few quotes from Father Lasance and then….A Giveaway!

My Prayer-Book (Happiness in Goodness)

Be Affable Always

There are some who are affable and gracious to everyone as long as things go according to their wishes; but if they meet with a contradiction, if an accident, a reproach or even less should trouble the serenity of their soul, all around them must suffer the consequences. They grow dark and cross; very far from keeping up the conversation by their good humor, they answer only monosyllables to those who speak to them. Is this conduct reasonable? Is it Christian?

🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺

It is to be regretted that so many people who are very pious are very censorious in their comments upon their neighbors. Piety ought to find expression in kindness to our neighbors as well as in devotion to God. We should remember that the Christ who we serve was kind.

🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻

Enthusiasm

It is faith in something, and enthusiasm for something, that makes a life worth looking at. – Oliver Wendell Holmes.

🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹

Keep a hobby and ride it with enthusiasm. It will keep you out of mischief, to say the least; it will keep you cheerful. Here as in all things you can apply the Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam.

💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐

Home is the place where a man should appear at his best. He who is bearish at home and polite only abroad is no true gentleman; indeed, he who can not be considerate to those of his own household will never really be courteous to strangers. There is no better training for healthy and pleasant intercourse with the outer world than a bright and cheerful demeanor at home. It is in a man’s home that his real character is seen; as he appears there, so he is really elsewhere, however skillfully he may for the time conceal his true nature.

🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸

Promote Happiness in Your Homes

It would do much in the home if all the members of the family were to be as kind and courteous to one another as they are to guests. The visitor receives bright smiles, pleasant words, constant attention, and the fruits of efforts to please. But the home folks are often cross, rude, selfish, and faultfinding toward one another. Are not our own as worthy of our love and care as is the stranger temporarily within our gates?

🌷🌷🌷🌷🌷🌷🌷🌷🌷🌷

A Sunshiny Disposition

There is a charm which compensates so much for the lack of good looks that they are never missed, and when combined with good looks it doubly enhances them. The name of this charm is a sunshiny disposition. If things go wrong, as they will go once in a while, does it mend matters to cry over them? Sensible women will say “No,” the women who do not know how to control themselves will say: “Yes, it does me good to cry; I feel better after it.”
There are times when tears must come, but these are beautiful, holy tears. Quite the contrary are the tears shed over selfish, petty annoyances “to relieve nerves.” The grandest quality of the human mind is self-control.

💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐

Father Lasance says:

a Giveaway!!!

Today, I’d like to offer you a Fall Giveaway!!

The winner will receive this lovely, Vintaj wire-wrapped Blessed Mother Necklace! Get it blessed and you can wear it as a Sacramental. Included is the Finer Femininity True Womanhood Maglet!

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 Monday, September 28th!

Finer Femininity is a small publication compiled to inspire Catholic women in their vocations. It consists of uplifting articles from authors with traditional values, with many of them from priests, written over 50 years ago. These anecdotes are timeless but, with the fast-paced “progress “of today’s world, the pearls within the articles are rarely meditated upon. This little magazine offers Catholic womankind support and inspiration as they travel that oftentimes lonely trail….the narrow road to heaven. The thoughts within the pages will enlighten us to regard the frequently monotonous path of our “daily duties” as the beautiful road to sanctity. Feminine souls need this kind of information to continue to “fight the good fight” in a world that has opposing values and seldom offers any kind of support to these courageous women. Inside the pages you will find inspiration for your roles as single women, as wives and as mothers. In between the thought-provoking articles, the pages are sprinkled with pictures, quotes and maybe even a recipe or two.

“Holiness means happiness. Holy people are happy people at peace with God, with others, and with themselves.
There is only one requirement. You must do God’s will. This embraces various obligations and gives you corresponding rights and privileges.
This is the lesson of the Holy Family. The will of God must count for everything in our daily lives. Prosaic deeds done for God can lead to spectacular holiness.
Jesus, Mary, and Joseph were human, intensely human in the best sense of the word. They show us how our lives, too, should be human–truly warm and Godlike.”

The Catholic Young Lady’s Maglet (Magazine/Booklet)!!

Enjoy articles about friendship, courting, purity, confession, the single life, vocations, etc. Solid, Catholic advice…. A truly lovely book for that young and not-so-young single lady in your life!

Age appropriate: 14 and up (at Mom and Dad’s discretion). 🙂

Available here.

Package special available here.

Save

Save

Sa

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.

The Assumption! by Maria Von Trapp

15 Saturday Aug 2020

Posted by in by Maria Von Trapp, Give-Aways, Seasons, Feast Days, etc.

≈ 1 Comment

Happy, Happy Feast of the Assumption! Make sure you do something a little special today to remind your children what a special day it is! For inspiration see this post.

From Around the Year with the Trapp Family

The day of the Assumption, August 15th, is the oldest and most important of all the feast days of the Blessed Mother.

In the old country it is also known as “Great Flower Day.” All the women and girls come to church on this day with their arms full of neat bundles of herbs, which they put down in the sanctuary at the Offertory procession.

On this feast day the Church blesses the herbs immediately preceding Mass. The priest, standing before the altar and facing the people, pronounces a long and solemn blessing at the end of which the herbs are sprinkled with holy water and are incensed.

There are special herbs which traditionally have to be included. Days before the feast the people are collecting them in the meadows and woods. Every family sends one such bundle to be blessed.

Afterwards it will be kept in the corner at home near the picture or statue of the Blessed Mother.

In cases of sickness a leaf is dropped into the food of the patient and during heavy thunderstorms one of the herbs is put into the fire on the kitchen stove–it is a sacramental and is meant to protect us in body and soul.

The connection between the feast of the Assumption and the blessing of herbs is told in an old legend.

When Mary the Mother of Jesus felt that her end was drawing near, she sent her guardian angel to summon the Apostles, who had gone out into the world to preach the Gospel of her Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ.

When they received the summons, they came in a great hurry and were just in time to witness the happy death of their dear Mother. Everyone had come except Thomas. He was three days late.

When he heard that the Blessed Mother had been resting in the tomb for days, he cried bitterly and pled with the Apostles to open the tomb once more and let him glance at the beloved features.

The other Apostles yielded to his plea, but as they opened the tomb, they found it filled with flowers, which gave out a heavenly scent. On the place where they had laic the body there was only the shroud left–the body had been borne up to heaven by the angels, where it was joined by the holy soul of the Mother of God.

According to the legend, all the flowers and herbs on earth had lost their scent after Adam and Eve committed the first sin in the Garden of Eden. On the day of the Assumption of the Blessed Mother, however, the flowers were given back their scent and the herbs their power to heal.

Looking for a fun craft with the little ones today? Take a look at this post!

 

“Let us run to Mary, and as her little children, cast ourselves into her arms with a perfect confidence.” – St. Francis de Sales
Happy Feast of the Assumption!

 

A sermon for this wonderful feast day!

Your children can celebrate with these coloring pages!

Are you blessed by this site? Consider donating today. Our benefactors are remembered in our daily, family rosaries….

book suggestions

Lovely book, worth the time and money! This book will inspire you with ways to live the Liturgy within your home!

In this joyful and charming book, Maria Von Trapp unveils for you the year-round Christian traditions she loved traditions that created for her large family a warm and inviting Catholic home and will do the same for yours….Mary Reed Newland wrote numerous beloved books for Catholic families, but The Year and Our Children is her undisputed masterpiece. Read it, cherish it, share it, put it into practice and give your kids the gift of a fully lived faith, every day and in every season….

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Notable Quotes

03 Wednesday Jun 2020

Posted by in FF Tidbits, Give-Aways, Inspiring Quotes

≈ 7 Comments

Here’s some inspiration for your day….

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What is our conversation like each day, especially with the members of our family? Do we continually talk about depressing news, do we regularly voice our negative opinions about the people and situations around us? Do we talk about our own sufferings and our needs in a complaining manner? How about a different approach? Let’s talk about the positive instead. If we are talking of people, let’s make the effort to only bring up the good. Want to talk about heroes? Our grandparents, parents, ordinary folk and how they have overcome obstacles would be a good testimony to your kids. We all have stories to tell….make sure they are bringing out the best in those who are listening! – Finer Femininity 💖

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There flows a rule of conduct that is very important to keep in mind when we should happen to commit a fault. We certainly must feel sorry for having sinned, ask God for pardon, humbly beg Him to accord us the grace not to offend Him again in this way, and resolve to go to confession at an opportune moment.

Without making ourselves sad or discouraged, we should recover our peace as quickly as possible thanks to graces from on high, and resume our normal spiritual life as if nothing had happened. The more quickly we recover our peace, the better it will be! We make much more progress in this way than by becoming irritated with ourselves! -Fr. Jacques Philippe, Searching For and Maintaining Peace https://amzn.to/2R31uNq (afflink)

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Martyrdom by the little fires of hidden fidelities constantly adhered to, of tormenting temptations courageously and perseveringly repulsed, of the exact and loving fulfillment of duties toward God and neighbor, of prayer faithfully practiced despite disgust, aridity and the pressure of work–is it not a martyrdom? Who can estimate the value of its countless offerings which are not publicized but which cost . . . and which count! -Christ in the Home, (afflink) https://amzn.to/2Y2V1l3

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She ought not to be ignorant of what used to be considered the chief, if not the only occupation for women,—she ought to be fit to keep house on the shortest notice. It is a woman’s heritage. -Gentle Art of Homemaking, Annie Swan https://amzn.to/2XhJsGS (afflink)

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“The Crucifix on the wall, the pictures of Our Lord and His Mother – the loveliest you can afford – the little shrine with lights and flowers – these unceasingly speak to your little ones of God’s love and His Beauty, preparing them for that friendship with God, that willing, personal submission to Him that is true freedom and happiness.” -Dominican Nun, Australia, 1954, Painting by Ferdinand Georg Waldmuller

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No one likes to be taken for granted. In any human relationship a little sign of appreciation goes a long way. Life does not have to be a hard pull uphill all the time. To know that someone, especially the one we love, values our efforts sends us off with our heads in the clouds. The wife who is wise enough to show her husband appreciation for all his efforts will keep his heart fixed upon her. – The Wife Desired, Fr. Leo Kinsella http://amzn.to/2rtUpb9 (afflink)

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A mother holds her baby in her arms, looks up to God, and knows that she, by months of suffering and patience, has co-operated with Him in making and bringing into the world a little body housing a priceless soul. A father stands above his new-born son resting in the arms of his wife, and knows as he picks him up and weighs him tenderly that he has shared with God the Father His very fatherhood; for this mite of humanity, immortal in destiny, is truly his son. Mother and father together have co-operated with God in the astonishing creation of a human being. -Fr. Daniel A. Lord, 1950’s
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“Be patient with everyone, but above all with yourself…do not be disheartened by your imperfections, but always rise up with fresh courage.”
Introduction the the Devout Life― St. Francis de Sales

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A nation can be no stronger than its families are, and they can be at their best in the country. And when to this natural strength we add the crowning glory of the Catholic Faith, when we strive to bring Christ to the countryside, and the land to Christ, we are certainly exercising a great apostolate. -An Australian Dominican Sister, 1950’s, Painting by Eugenio Zampighi

 

 

 

 

 

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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An Apron Giveaway!

27 Wednesday May 2020

Posted by in FF Tidbits, Give-Aways

≈ 174 Comments

Today, I’d like to offer you a Spring Giveaway!!

The winner will receive this lovely, fully lined Apron made by Gin!

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! 🌺 💗

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 Wednesday, June 3rd!

“Mothers, as far as possible, be at home with your children. As you nourished your child before he was capable of eating solid food, so in the early formative years, nature has determined that you must nourish your child in virtue.”

-Fr. Lawrence G. Lovasik. The Catholic Family Handbook

Painting by Trent Gudmundsen,

The rosary, scapulars, formal prayers and blessings, holy water, incense, altar candles. . . . The sacramentals of the Holy Catholic Church express the supreme beauty and goodness of Almighty God. The words and language of the blessings are beautiful; the form and art of statues and pictures inspire the best in us. The sacramentals of themselves do not save souls, but they are the means for securing heavenly help for those who use them properly. A sacramental is anything set apart or blessed by the Church to excite good thoughts and to help devotion, and thus secure grace and take away venial sin or the temporal punishment due to sin. This beautiful compendium of Catholic sacramentals contains more than 60,000 words and over 50 full color illustrations that make the time-tested sacramental traditions of the Church – many of which have been forgotten since Vatican II – readily available to every believer.

“The more things change, the more they stay the same.” Published 80 years ago, this Catholic classic focuses on the Christian family and uses as its foundation the1929 encyclical “On Christian Education of Youth” coupled with the “sense of Faith.” Addressing family topics and issues that remain as timely now as they were when the guide was first published, “The Christian Home” succinctly offers sound priestly reminders and advice in six major areas…

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The Winner Is! & Other Paraphernalia (New Grandbaby, etc.)

18 Tuesday Feb 2020

Posted by in FF Tidbits, Give-Aways, Smorgasbord 'n Smidgens

≈ 12 Comments

We have a new little grandbaby!

….this is number 31 and there are three more on the way! God is good.

Everything went well for Theresa. He is a little boy and his name is Adam Joseph, 7lbs. 12 oz.! They will have a double Baptism as Devin’s brother and sister-in-law, John Paul and Julianna, also had a baby on the same day!

Nurse Sarah with newborn baby.

Happy parents!

At the Birth Center for the post-partum checkup, two brothers with their wives pose for a picture.

Cousins…. (Paulina and Adam)

Grandma (me)

Theresa a couple days before baby was born.

New mamas…Theresa (Tweety) and Virginia (Gin)

St. Valentine’s Day Fun!

Gemma and Angelo headed up a lot of the activities for the evening.

Gemma had the kids write out St. Valentine cards for their cousins.

Fun conversations!

Colin…The holes are from hard work….(not to be in style) hehe

The girls decided to learn a little ukulele!

Vin & Gin…at home with their new ride.

The girls are at their favorite place…God’s Storehouse. Doing a little proselytizing.

Vincent is building this fireplace for our daughter and son-in-law, Mike and Jeanette.

Dominic and his niece, Anne Marie.

Anne Marie

Colin makes bread

Zaelie makes dinner. 🙂

Birthday party for our grandchild and Godchild, Agnes!

Hubby is not usually so much on the ball for St. Valentine’s Day. This year he surprised me with these beautiful roses!

A couple of Valentines!

Margy is making a blanket for David for St. Valentine’s Day.

Working on the Cabochons for my jewelry and rosaries.

Rag Curls on Margy!

“DON’T take a picture of my face!”

Curls, curls, curls!

Togetherness… Look at that hairdo on Avila! haha

When I am listening to Democrats. There. My big political statement of the year.

I want to thank all of you for your very kind words on the comments of the Giveaway! Not one of them went unnoticed and I was touched by your encouragement and goodness. You have been an amazing support to me as I continue to do this website. It is a joy to me…so are you. You are in my prayers, please keep us in yours. I depend on them. 

And now….

MARTHA WITTER!!

Congratulations, Martha! I have sent you an email!

 

Inspirational Quotes for Your Day

12 Wednesday Feb 2020

Posted by in Give-Aways, Inspiring Quotes

≈ 66 Comments

How about some inspiring quotes for your day!?

 

Inspiring Quotes!

True Love💗 “I look forward to being near you, my dear Louis. I love you with all my heart, and I feel even more my affection when you are not here with me. It would be impossible for me to live away from you.” Santa Zélia Martin

Saint Louis and Saint Zelie, pray for us!

“A true wife makes a man’s life nobler, stronger, grander, by the omnipotence of her love ‘turning all the forces of manhood upward and heavenward.’ While she clings to him in holy confidence and loving dependence she brings out in him whatever is noblest and richest in his being. She inspires him with her courage and earnestness. She beautifies his life. She softens whatever is rude and harsh in his habits or his spirit. She clothes him with the gentler graces of refined and cultured manhood. While she yields to him and never disregards his lightest wish, she is really his queen, ruling his whole life and leading him onward and upward in every proper path.” J.R.Miller

“As my children are growing and watching every move that I make I’m careful to put my best attitude forward. Whether it’s about waking early or hitting the books, I strive to reflect a level of enthusiasm in hopes that it might ignite a fire, and spur them on to embrace a good attitude of their own.” -Darlene Schacht, The Good Wife’s Guide https://amzn.to/2WpfMYf (afflink)

“We all carry two bags—each and every one of us—one is packed with virtue, the other our faults. I’m talking marriage here, when I say that somewhere between courtship and the seventh year many women have shifted their focus from one of adoration to fault finder. We start to analyze, dissect, and over analyze the faults that we find, hoping to reshape our husbands according to our version of the perfect man. Living in harmony requires patience on both sides as we work to rebuild our view of one another.” -The Good Wife’s Guide, Darlene Schacht

Creating a home filled with order and cleanliness communicates a heart that is ordered and pure. Take a moment today to make your home more simply organized and see how the sweet savor blesses those around you. -Emilie Barnes, Keep It Simple for Busy Women http://amzn.to/2y2JoN3 Photo by H. ARMSTRONG ROBERTS

Vocations: The Married or Religious Life….”Similarly God has fitted and qualified each person for a peculiar sphere of life. Whoever adopts the life he is created for, and pursues it properly and fervently, will achieve great success and much happiness; whereas if one seeks to follow a life for which he is not adapted, he will necessarily incur disappointment and failure. Many a plant thrives wonderfully in the tropic zone, which is pitifully dwarfed and stunted in the temperate or arctic zone, In the same way many a person prospers immensely in a given vocation,who would be the merest bungler in another calling.” -Youth’s Pathfinder, Rev. Fulgence Meyer, 1927

When St. Thérèse of the Child Jesus had become quite ill, she dragged herself with great effort to Church to receive Jesus. One morning, after Holy Communion, she was in her cell, exhausted. One of the sisters remarked that she should not exert herself so much. The Saint replied, “Oh, what are these sufferings to me in comparison with one daily Holy Communion!”— Something not permitted everywhere in her times. She ardently pleaded with Jesus: “Remain within me, as You do in the tabernacle. Do not ever withdraw Your presence from Your little host.” -Jesus Our Eucharistic Love https://amzn.to/2YKBYPX (afflink) , Painting from https://www.facebook.com/sanctuairetheresedelisieux/

“As a family, try to lead a hidden life with Jesus in the Holy Eucharist. Through holy Mass, offer yourselves through Mary’s hands as a sacrifice with Jesus; at Holy Communion, you will be changed into Jesus by divine grace so that you may live His life; by your visits to the tabernacle, you will enjoy His friendship in the midst of the many problems of life.” -Fr. Lawrence G. Lovasik. The Catholic Family Handbook (Photo from our daughter’s wedding)

“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 http://amzn.to/2p51Nsz (afflink)

Forgive. Decide you’re not only going to be his lover – you’re going to be his forgiver. Be quick to forgive and get good at it. You’ll probably have lots of opportunity to practice it.
Then forget. Once it’s been forgiven, put it behind you and never pick it back up again. Here’s the hard part: letting it go. Resist the temptation to grab it back and maybe even throw it at him when it happens again. I’m sorry, but this doesn’t count as true forgiveness. Forgive as God has forgiven you—as far as the east is from the west (Ps. 103: 12). -Lisa Jacobson, 100 Ways to Love Your Husband https://amzn.to/2LtmBoj (afflink)

The beginning of courtship should be slow and reserved so that the girl may withdraw at any time without attracting comment. Before accepting constant attention from a man she should observe him seriously, and thus be in a position to prevent the full development of a courtship which cannot ripen into a happy marriage. A girl should not accept the marked admiration and favors of a man until she knows him well enough and favorably enough to accept his proposal. -Fr. Martin J. Scott, S.J., 1950’s

NEW!

Beautiful Blessed Mother Wire Wrapped Rosary! Lovely, Durable…

Madonna of Heaven Apron! Feminine and Beautiful!

 

I have prepared this Lenten journal to help you to keep on track. It is to assist you in keeping focused on making Lent a special time for your family. We do not have to do great things to influence those little people. No, we must do the small things in a great way…with love and consistency…

Timeless words from the pen of Bishop Fulton J. Sheen inspire the heart and imagination as readers embark on a Lenten journey toward a better understanding of their spiritual selves. Covering the traditional themes of Lent–sin and salvation, death and Resurrection, sorrow and hope, ashes and lilies–these 50 passages and accompanying mini-prayers offer readers a practical spiritual program as a retreat from the cares and concerns of a secular world view.

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