What a mystery.
Do you know how much God loves you?
____________________________________ "God's love for Israel is compared to a father's love for his son.
His love for his people is stronger than a mother's for her children.
God loves his people more than a bridegroom his beloved; his love will be victorious
over even the worst infidelities and will extend to his most precious gift:
...'God so loved the world that he gave his only Son'... CCC 219 / John 3:16
____________________________________
I look at the cross in all of its saving glory. I see a broken body. Broken for me?
Blood shed for a girl who can't go 24 hours without sinning?
A worthy, holy, blameless man crucified for a guilty party?
I close my eyes and I can hear the beat of His heart as the world, in silence, awaits His final breath. thump... thump... thump... the rhythm is singing my name.
My name.
____________________________________ "Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed,
yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken..." Isaiah 54:10
____________________________________
Blood and water gush forth from His heart. A fountain of mercy... and I want to run.
I feel unworthy. So I beat myself up. Why? Because it just feels better. I HATE being a burden.
I think that I understand better today than ever before
- in the vocation of marriage and motherhood -
what it means to SACRIFICE OUT OF LOVE for someone.
There is NOTHING I would not do for my spouse or child.
Barring all things that would separate me from God.
It's not a burden, but a welcomed JOY. I want to give my life.
Just as He wanted to give His life for me. For me. Repeat that to yourself, Brittany.
I can see NOW that LOVE - all consuming, wild, passionate LOVE - held Christ to the cross that day.
Love for me. I still have a hard time accepting that. I want to crawl up there next to Him and just
lay my head on His chest. I want to feel His heart beat... and breathe with Him. In and out. Forever.
Let this song bless you. A love song between God and His beloved.
You are worth it. He loves you more than you know.
Yesterday I took the kids to peer at the Easter Bunny at the mall.
I say "peer" because there was NO WAY I was paying $10 bucks for my children to have
a moment on the bunny's lap that would most likely only lead to tears and night terrors.
We've been talking about the "Bunny" lately. He is EVERYWHERE.
He and Santa Claus have some serious PR reps. Job well done. My kids have noticed!
Our family has decided that bunnies can be part of Easter in a fun, Spring-is-here,
fluffy, feel good kind of way. But we have opted out of the commercialized Easter Bunny scene
to give our kids the chance to revel in the mystery of Holy Week and Easter morning with
ideas, images, and stories of the miracle that truly took place.
Am I worried that my kids will not believe in God
if we allow them to believe in the Easter Bunny?
(Because when they find out the Easter Bunny and Co. are not real that must mean that Jesus isn't real too???)
Uhhh... definitely a concern, but not the main reason.
Our desire is to connect these special holidays with Christ and His saints,
REAL PEOPLE, so that our children can visualize, live, and thrive in the body of Christ.
Does that mean we can't celebrate the season with traditional flare?
I don't think so! We have been busy getting ready for Easter morning...
And here is a snapshot of reality. It was messy! There was tension and tears.
But we had fun!!! Broke a couple eggs in the process. Second breakfast, anyone?!
This is good though. A perfect representation of our souls before Christ...
broken... and crying out for a Savior!
We knew that we wanted our kids to have Easter baskets too, but decided to call them
"RESURRECTION BASKETS" instead! Here is how it is going to work...
A lovely friend of mine had this beautiful idea to build a "tomb" in the
house to place Jesus in on Good Friday.
The only question I had was, "How do I keep my BOYS (she has girls!) out of the TOMB... "TENT"... "FORT" ... for a couple days?!
Here is our solution. We let the boys play with this for a long time last night.
They loved crawling in and pretending to be Jesus. Hours of entertainment!
But we made it small enough (storage box with black cloth) so that we could
keep it UP HIGH for viewing purposes... and to prevent tomb raiders!
They will also be placing their Easter baskets in the tomb with Jesus...
and on Easter morning... Jesus will be gone - RAISED FROM THE DEAD -
and their baskets will be RESURRECTED with lots of special treats!!!
Thoughts? I know you parents out there have them!
Especially when it comes to traditions and holidays with kids.
What's your jive? How do you bring Easter to life in your home?
P.S. we are LOVING this book about the THREE trees that were part of Jesus' life!
Thanks, Uncle Mattman! The Tale of Three Trees
Oh man. Guys. The Girl Behind the Blog take #2!!!
I've got my popcorn ready to go...literally. You better get yours!
Getting in touch with my inner foodie and
talking all things FOOD this month! Check it out!
After you watch the video you should totally leave some comment love...
___________________________________ what foods can't you live without?
what's your food philosophy?
where do you go for culinary inspiration?
who is your favorite chef?
___________________________________
Linking up with Ashley of 5 oh Wifey and Chelsea of Taste and See
You MUST go visit these ladies- VERY. COOL.
Holy Week always brings up much emotion for me.
It was Holy Week 2008 that mine and Nathan's relationship was literally resurrected.
It's a long, complicated, messy, love story. A story, that against all odds, ended with us at an altar,
binding ourselves to each other til death do us part.
Let me back up. We had broken up twice during our relationship only to get back together.
But on that hot day in July of 2007 it was over for good. I told Nathan goodbye outside the Church, the one
we used to pretend we would get married in, for what I just knew was going to be the last time.
I asked him to erase his presence from my life and to never contact me again.
At different moments we revealed to my parents that we both felt as if we had lost our spouse.
Heart wrenching. We moved on. Went our separate ways. I cried myself to sleep for 3 months straight.
It was February 22nd, 2008, 7 months after the final break-up, that I walked into another Church
to meet a man holding a violin case and smiling from ear to ear at the sight of me. He moved my heart like no one had ever moved my heart before.
I was going to be the maid of honor in a wedding and he was the hired violinist.
My friend had asked me if I would be bothered by this arrangement... it was HER wedding!
How could I tell her "no" ? Nathan has such a gift with music. I knew he would bless their special day.
So there he stood, at the front of the church, calling the wedding party down the aisle with the melody
falling from his violin. He played by memory so he could watch ME with his heart and eyes.
I could feel his gaze following me. A lover's silent beckon. I heard the call. God had put a deep love for
this man, the violinist, in my heart a long time ago. We just couldn't make it work.
Our backgrounds seemed so different - so hard to mesh together.
When we saw the future it just didn't make sense... the two of us?
There was this preacher. His vest and alligator skin boots matched his sweet Louisiana accent.
In the middle of rehearsal he just stopped. He stopped and walked to the front of the stage and said,
"The Holy Spirit has moved me to speak. I don't know who this message is for, but I'm going to share.
As you run the race towards heaven - you want to be running with someone who is by your side.
Someone who encourages and moves your heart toward Christ like no one else can!"
My mom looked like she was doing smoke signals or something in the back of the church
as she was laughing, waving, and pointing towards that violinist.
Nathan had tears coming down his cheeks and I knew. I knew the message was for us. We were the perfect "running" partners.
We tested the Spirit and took time to pray and discern. Another 5 weeks would pass in silence.
We took the rest of the season of Lent to really make sure this was IT... that this was what God wanted.
Nathan called me one time to ask for this "retreat." That was it.
No further contact until AFTER the Easter Vigil when he came into the Catholic Church.
I sat in a separate pew that night and watched the man of my heart come into the arms of the Church.
We met outside on the sidewalk after the last "Alleluia" was sung.
No words. A lot of tears. It was confirmed that night as our love for each other
was resurrected with Christ. God had made us for each other.
I love you forever, Nathan.
P.S. if you entered for a chance to win Satin Hands by Mary Kay
you can check the rafflecopter HERE to see if you won!!!
If it was clean, orderly, pleasing to the eyes, and put together nicely,
you can bet it got her starry-eyed approval.
Her mother would often tell her, "You can't just love the pretty Jesus."
But the pretty Jesus is sooooooo easy to love.
He was the sweet one to be found in the lilacs bushes or the summertime. He was the picture-perfect
family that came over for dinner on Sundays, the friendships that just clicked, the ministries that everyone
wanted to be part of. He was the colorful paper, fancy parties, good food, and sparkling lights.
He was beautiful. And she loved Him.
Time grew this girl into a woman,
but God would not let her age unrefined.
He came to her more and more often as the "ugly Jesus."
For that's what she called Him. Not out of disgust, but more out of playful understanding...
knowing that He was TRYING to purify this part of her heart.
He was the one that was not easy to love, not pleasing to look at, and not sweet smelling.
He was inconvenient, in the way, and didn't make her feel good.
But she let Him move her. As the years went on He became more and more familiar.
Easy to spot. Almost a welcome comfort. This was part of her path to sanctity.
As she was wrestling her whiney children into the car one day He showed up.
Here she was - a fit to be reckoned with, trying to get organized and to the grocery
store in all of her yoga pants and messy bun glory to grab FOOD to FEED
visitors who were due at any hour. A noble endeavour. Worthy of sainthood.
"Excuse me... yooohooo," came a little voice over her shoulder.
OH NO. I don't have time for this!
She turned around to see an elderly woman standing in the cold,
in the snow, trying to get her attention.
"Oh hey. I'm really busy. Don't have time to talk.
My kids are crazy. I'm running late. Catch you later?"
Yes, she really said that.
The old lady just smiled and began to walk away.
The woman sighed. She knew. This was it. The ugly Jesus had come to see her again.
The inconvenient one. The one that wasn't dressed up or pleasing to the eyes.
The one that was uninvited, in the way, and a little irritating.
But He was here in that old lady.
"Stop. Please come back. Can I help you?"
The old lady turned and with much thanks asked for a ride to the drugstore.
That was the test. That was the refiner's fire for the day.
I'm glad I didn't miss it.
I'm glad I traded in my starry-eyes to love this ugly Jesus.
I know that I gave Jesus a ride to the drugstore that day.
Stop. Wait! Don't run for the hills yet.
I'm not going to preach ankle length, jean skirts and not-too-tight turtlenecks to you.
This is a matter of the heart and so I will approach it with style and grace.
______________________________________________________________ "Modesty is decency. It inspires one's choice of clothing.
It keeps silence or reserve where there is evident risk of unhealthy curiosity. It is discreet." Catechism of the Catholic Church 2522
______________________________________________________________
I know as a Christian woman I have heard. it. all. when it comes to modesty.
Rules about wide straps, thigh coverage, cleavage control, and skin exposure are still swimming in my head.
But I want to be stylish and not the "F" word... frumpy.
______________________________________________________________ "Modesty protects the intimate center of the person.
It means refusing to unveil what should remain hidden.
It is ordered to chastity to whose sensitivity it bears witness.
It guides how one looks at others and behaves toward them in conformity
with the dignity of persons and their solidarity." Catechism of the Catholic Church 2521
______________________________________________________________
I have thought MORE about modesty NOW that I am a mother to two BOYS than ever before in my life.
It is true. Men are wired differently. Visual effects are pleasing to their eyes.
But like I said, this is a matter of the heart, dear sisters AND brothers.
Modesty begins at the center of our person and pours forth in the way we dress, talk, carry ourselves.
______________________________________________________________ "Blessed are the pure of heart, for they will see God." Matthew 5:8
______________________________________________________________
We are each others' keepers. I really believe that modesty is a two way street.
As men and women we CALL OUT the dignity in each other.
When men praise and cover the women in their life by honoring them with holy thoughts, and when they
truly delight in the modest beauty she presents, those women are then ENCOURAGED to be the ravishing,
discreet, mysterious persons God created them to be... offering men a safe place to rest their eyes.
When women dress "cute", but respectably, they send the message to men that they CARE and want to help
them honor God with their hearts and minds. Women call out the best or worst in men.
How they dress sets the tone. An outfit can call out a beast or a king.
As the mother, and lead lady, in the lives of my little men, I want to be the model of modesty for them.
I want to set the bar NOW so they learn that beauty can be found in being stylish and graceful.
______________________________________________________________ "Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it." Proverbs 4:23
______________________________________________________________
I grew up playing DRESS-UP in the skirt I am wearing!
My grandma picked it up at a garage sale when I was little. Seriously vintage.
I have found similar styles at Old Navy & Gap // black t-shirt from Discovery // gray jacket is Piko 1988
Let us encourage one another, as March is #EncourageBeauty month,
to be the beauties that God intended us to be! Let us COVER ourselves and the men and women
in our lives by offering them the virtue of modesty.
And don't forget: You can enter to win some fun beauty products from Mary Kay here!!!
__________________________________________
::: linking up with Lindsey from The Pleated Poppy :::
__________________________________________
I feel beautiful when I am FREE to be me.
No expectations, no false pretenses... just me for who I am.
I feel beautiful when I am REAL.
I think that sometimes as women we put up guards or put on masks to shield ourselves
from the eyes of the world. Some of us are broken and wounded. Others are pressured and
manipulated by the ideas and images that society is throwing at us day after day.
We run, we dodge, we hide... afraid to be noticed, really noticed, for the beauty we possess.
But the truth is, the woman who lies under the covers at night - wiped clean of make-up,
free of uptight hair, wearing what makes her comfortable... is the true woman.
The woman in her infant-like state before her Maker - wrapped in the beauty He gave her...
the beauty He intends for her to give to the world. A shameless gift.
I want to be that woman always.
Free. Real. The way God made me.
Last week I met up with my friend, Cathy, who is currently working with Mary Kay.
She asked me if I would be willing to do a BEFORE and AFTER (make-up) shot for her portfolio.
YES! I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to be REAL with you and let you see me for me.
I encourage you, fellow sisters, to acknowledge and uplift the women in your life.
We all have our issues, our struggles. We all have a side we would rather not show.
But what better way to encourage beauty than to be FREE and REAL with EACH OTHER?
Cathy from Mary Kay is giving away a Satin Hands gift set to one of my readers this week!!!
Have you tried this stuff?! AMAZING. They make it for your lips too! I have both sets!
My husband said, "Women, love the word 'exfoliate.'"
Made me laugh! There's truth to that statement!
This package deal comes with hand softener, hand scrub, and hand moisturizer
to help exfoliate and restore your hands to their natural, beautiful state!!!
I want to #EncourageBeauty by blessing one of my lovely readers with some skin pampering goodness!!!
We all know that good beauty products make us FEEL pretty!
// Open to US residents only // Not endorsed by Mary Kay // Winner will be notified by e-mail //
If you are interested in ordering Mary Kay products you can meet Cathyhere!!!
She is a sweetheart - loaded with tons of beauty tips and a
passion for helping women be them beautiful selves!!!
When we said, "I DO" on our wedding day we knew pretty much everything
there is to know about each other. And whatever we haven't known along the way,
we have figured out by reading each others' minds like Jedi masters.
NOT. What a joke!
We are going on four years of marriage here (insert roaring applause) and the truth is
that we are BOTH changing on a regular basis. Quite frankly, if I wasn't keeping up
with my husband, I would have no idea that he went from a die hard lover of sleep to
a stay-awake-til-all-hours of the night working on finances kind of dude! for. the. fun. of. it. YES, I married a huge nerd.
Are you a student of your spouse?
Last Friday night we decided to update each other on the things that MAKE US HAPPY.
We crashed on the couch with hot cocoa and peanut butter cups to listen to each other
share on the latest version of "preferences" and "likes."
Two people. Two lists of 25 things.
Eye opening. Heart warming. Laughter provoking. Mind boggling.
Before we shared our lists - we first took turns guessing a couple items
that we thought the other MUST have listed. We both got a 50% on that test.
CRAZY! Yea, we needed this!
Things that USE to make me happy when we got married were not so important anymore.
Things like allergies, having children, moving to a busy location, and discovering
more sources of happiness definitely changed things up a bit.
We shared very serious things like, "Giving Christ to those around me."
To not so serious things like, "Fruit Pebbles as breakfast in bed."
What have you learned about your spouse lately? Do you know what makes him happy?
If this super sweet marriage deal is for life... how awesome is it to take the whole thing
to the next level, the next chapter, the next age with really knowing and understanding ways that you
can make your best friend HAPPY?!?! To bless his life with JOY?
From our hearts to yours!
________________________________________________
P.S. You are running out of time to enter for a chance to win a
handmade, recycled journal from The Recycled Library!!!
Her work is so lovely and would make a such a special gift... Easter, Mother's Day, Graduations... are just around the corner!
Visit Erin at her shop and let her bless you,
or your loved ones, with one her beautiful creations!!!
We walked into Church about ten minutes early last Sunday. MIRACLE. Cue angelic choir.
As soon as we hit the pew my boys start chanting, "Snack. Snack. Snack."
That's when I started apologizing to the people around us for any mischief that
would come from our direction!
My husband took them out to the narthex to release some boy energy before Mass actually started.
I had ten full minutes by myself... to try and not look at other people coming in or wonder about
the family six pews ahead... ten full minutes to pray. Just me and God.
I told Him that I am sorry that my prayers are so scatterbrained these days.
I now talk to God like I talk to my friend who comes over for coffee in the afternoon...
Dear Lord... "Don't touch your brother, Isaiah!" I give you my mind, my heart...
"If you spill that cereal on purpose you're in trouble." Please help me to be the
best wife and mother... "That's it. TIME OUT!" Amen.
Even in the ten minutes I had ALONE before God I was stumbling into this crazy habit.
And I almost laughed at how ridiculous it is!
My relationship with God is REAL. It's ALIVE.
It's MOVING and it is CHANGING as I grow and my life evolves.
I don't think He's expecting pious acts of prayerful adoration or hoping that I come forward in sack cloth
and ashes. I'm pretty sure He's not planning on me delivering an eloquent petition of all my needs.
That's what I've been trying to give all these years!
But He is expecting to receive my heart - whatever conversation I can give to Him.
I think my relationship with God is more AUTHENTIC today than it has ever been before.
My children have called out the best version of myself.
They've made me face God as I am.
Not who I hope He sees me as.
Does that make sense?
"He thirsts for you. He loves you always, even when you don't feel worthy.
When not accepted by others, even by yourself sometimes - He is the one who always accepts you.
My children, you don't have to be different for Jesus to love you.
Only believe - you are precious to Him as you are.
He will do the rest."
- Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta
These pictures were taken after Mass this past Sunday.
They got suckers for being good! Woohoo! I LOVE when that happens!
I am wearing a maxi skirt from Target // stripped v-neck t-shirt that I thrifted {similar} //
jean jacket from JCPenney // red scarf is from Paris, France {similar} //
& I'm rocking some pink Converse under that skirt!
Brother & Brother are wearing khakis from Old Navy & plaid jackets from Babies R Us.
Saints in the making?!?!?
It is such a joy to watch them grow in their love for God!
I could not stop laughing in this video! SORRY!
SUCH. A. BLESSING.
As you all know, I LOVE celebrating feast days with my family!
With St. Patrick's Day and St. Joseph's Day just around the corner...
we had to get started with the partying! Here are some fun ideas we came up!
// Rainbow Fruit Kabobs //
:: Skewers with colorful fruit ::
I'm not sure either one of them actually completed an entire stick... // Shamrock = Lesson on The Trinity! //
:: Legend has it that St. Patrick used the shamrock to teach pagans
about the Holy Trinity! God is 3 persons in 1. Shamrock is 3 leaves in 1. NICE! // Pot of Gold with Rainbow Sprinkles Cupcakes //
:: yellow cake mix (we went gluten-free with Betty Crocker), frosting, and rainbow sprinkles :: here are some cool sprinkles found on Etsy!!! // St. Joseph Lantern //
:: I know that I am guilty of often overlooking St. Joseph in Scripture.
But people, St. Joseph is awesome! Angels appeared to him too - and he was the man
chosen to GUARD Mary and Jesus - the Holy Family!!! ::
So I thought this lantern box was appropriate. For a number of reasons...
As a guardian and carpenter he would have
worked with his hands and used WOOD & LIGHT.
:: Color and cut out pictures of St. Joseph to fit inside of 4 wooden craft sticks.
You will need 16 total - 4 for each side. Attach sticks with glue and let dry.
Use clear packing tape to attach all four panels together. Set up as a box. ::
HIGHLY recommend using LED candles to avoid accidents!!!
Paper, wood, fire, and children... not a good combo!
Please feel free to share these ideas with other friends and family!
Let's celebrate these great Saints in style!
