Text Message Book Review (and Faith Table Decor!)

Hello little blog. It's been a while!! I miss you. 

Good-bye August:

Hello September: 

Exhalation of the Cross (Sept. 14) from Seton Art 1 made a few years ago- I should have 3, but boys would always give them away to sisters and grandma!

Saints for Sept. coloring pages from Waltzing Matilda Blog- colored and laminated a few years ago for our "month of saints" study. 

 Also from Seton Art 1- colored by my boys a few years ago. 

And, for those who might be interested, an impromptu text message "book review" from my 19yo daughter, Erin. You get to read it at your leisure- I think the text came through like at 1 a.m. or something! Either way, I enjoyed reading it. 

First Text From Erin: 

"Hey so I picked up that book you gave me for Easter, "extreme makeover", and so far it's really good. I like it because it doesn't really say "you should do this or that" or "this is bad" -it more speaks in general terms and gives statistics (a lot of references to studies). So things that don't really apply are still interesting."

A While Later: 

"I like how it's a more concrete and logical approach to beauty, chastity, modesty, faith and just living life. It's cool cuz like I said the book is more telling stories, listing statistics, sharing personal experiences, then at the end of every chapter there are a list of more personal questions to ask yourself. So the chapters are good to get you thinking and also helps you see how to kind of defend your view..rather than saying "in this christian book I read",  you can say "well I read that 9/10 women would say..blank" you know?"  

And then: 

"It's less idealistic and abstract and has more real information to help for your conscience. :)"

Finally, a return message in response to a text back from me (that I don't have a record of):

"Ya,  I like it cuz it doesn't feeel like a faith book lol. And also I think it's good to not be reading one about couples. I can just focus on myself."

Weird format, I know, but I thought you could get the full "text message feel" that way! :) 

Bookish Inspiration

Long before we had the ability to share our faith via the blogosphere, there were some very special books that I stumbled upon (before stumbling was something people did on the computer!). These wonderful books give me much the same feeling I get when I browse the blogs of the very many Catholic women who share the every day celebrations and challenges of raising their families- I get to peek in to the window of Mrs. Newland's home and see how she did it. 

I love The Saints And Our Children! In it Mrs. Newland shares with us the lives and wisdom of the saints.  Through Saint Therese she gives us help for guiding our own children- "We must not confuse blunders with faults, mistakes with sins. Only if our motive is supernatural can we overcome our irritation and always differentiate between them; correction and punishment must be dictated by our concern for our children's soul, not our embarrassment in front of the neighbors!"  

In the forward of The Year & Our Children,  Mrs. Newland shares that her family did not always do these things (celebrate feast days of the church at home)- they are one of the families that "picked them up". I can so relate to that. Advent, the 12 days of Christmas, Saints of Advent, the conversion of St. Paul, and so much more are covered in this book. Available on Kindle! 

Both of these books are very "readable". Trust me- these days my brain power is limited, so, if I say so, they are! Happy reading. :) 

Mondays With Mary

I have gained the most inspiration when I have had the opportunity to visit a Catholic home where the faith is being lived. I have been blessed on a few occasions to have this happen and I walk away better prepared to live our beautiful Catholic faith and create a Domestic Church in our home. Mondays with Mary inspires me in that same way- I feel like I have been invited into the author's home to get a peek at how she spends this very special time with her children.

I have to confess that we have not, strictly speaking, used this book yet. Reading it lended inspiration to our  feast day celebrations during November and December, but I knew when I purchased the book that it would be for the New Year. But, I really do love this book (I have enjoyed just sitting and reading through it) and anticipate getting lots of use out of it this year. I will update as we progress through the book.

A Little More Info. On This Book:

Inspired by the Litany of Loreto, this book is broken down in to Part 1- Mary Our Mother, Part 2- Mary, Ever Virgin, Part 3- Marian Symbols, and Part 4- Mary Our Queen. Under these headings there are a total of 32 "teatimes". Each of these teatimes includes an explanation of the celebration, teatime chat ideas, devotional activities (one or more), and a recipe idea. There is also an appendix for May (Mary's month), one for recommended reading, another for hymns, and one for other resources.

You can visit the author's blog here.