Sponsored

First Communion Gifts @ Aquinas and More Catholic Goods {#Allume Sponsor Spotlight}

Apr 29th, 2012

by jen.

I’m so excited to be able to share my first Allume conference sponsor with you!

I’m also excited that they got with me so soon because I get to share some BEAUTIFUL First Communion items with you! My daughter is still too young (just turned four), but I am looking forward to being able to share in the sacraments with her!

They have fabulous, orthodox gift items to help your loved one’s special day be a memorable one!

Isn’t this St. Maria Goretti First Communion Veil beautiful? And less than $30!

This gold-plated First Communion Charm Bracelet would be loved by any little girls. It includes 5 charms: a Miraculous Medal, a Crucifix, a chalice, a Guardian Angel Medal and Praying Hands and would be a memorable gift for your granddaughter or goddaughter!

If you have a boy to buy for, there are several REAL Catholic bibles available– not just Catholic versions of Protestant bibles. What a great time to be able to upgrade them from a picture bible to a real bible of their own!

Of course with coming more fully into the church comes a little more responsibility to pay attention and Aquinas and More Catholic Goods also has a selection of Children’s Missals. They even have a missal for those who attend the Traditional Latin Mass!

If you are a Godparent or other family member looking for a GOOD Catholic First Communion card, you will find those also!

Aquinas and More Catholic Goods is a fabulous online shop for Catholic items. NONE of their items are made in China and for good reason. I love that they walk the walk! Ian Rutherford started his store in 2002 and it is run by his family and friends. If you are in need of Catholic items or gifts for the sacraments, I would start at Aquinas and More — Good Faith. Guaranteed.

Thank you to Aquinas and More for agreeing to sponsor me at Allume this year!!

Jen S.

Disclaimer: Aquinas and More has agreed to partially sponsor my trip to Allume in October. I love Aquinas and More and their related companies and I’ve dealt with the owner several times. It’s a small family-owned company and I would rave about them even if they hadn’t sponsored me for the conference.

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Beside Still Waters {Book Review}

Jun 26th, 2011

by jen.

2 comments

Beside Still Waters is Tricia Goyer’s newest and probably her best novel to date! It’s the story of a young woman whose very birth was the result of a tragedy. Marianne’s parents buggy was hit by a semi truck one night & her two older sisters were killed instantly. The stress caused her mother to go into labor and she was born in the shadow of the wreckage. As a result, Marianne has always felt like she has lived in the shadows of her family.

She is hoping for a chance to live a normal life of her own and is heartbroken to discover that her parents are planning to move the family from the close-knit Amish community that the family has been in for generations. Upset to be leaving everything she knows in Indiana to go to a more liberal community in Montana, Marianne struggles with what she had home versus what she could have in Montana. This book is a story of growth, change & struggle.

I have read several of Tricia Goyer‘s books in the past. I enjoyed Beside Still Waters, the first in The Big Sky Country series the best. I was immediately drawn in by the characters, their struggles & heartaches. She expertly tells the story of Marianne and her family in both the new and old Amish communities. The story is neatly wrapped up but still whets the readers appetite for the next one.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys fiction. If you like Amish fiction than you will love this book! I think this might be the best book she has written so far. Check it out today!

Disclaimer: I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of the Beside Still Waters Campaign and received a copy of the book and a promotional item to thank me for taking the time to participate.

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Don’t buy a home without reading this first!

Feb 1st, 2011

by jen.

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Image via Wikipedia

I would sooooo love to see a SOLD sign in front of my house. Preferably before fall. But the Michigan market seems to be slow to recover. I’ve read that Mission Beach real estate (near San Diego) seems to be looking up. I sure wish it would up here. I’ve been busy packing & purging knowing that sales will pick up when (if) warmer weather hits and we will be moving SOMEWHERE. I’ve been pondering the financial pummeling we will be taking to sell the house and I’ve learned a few things.

1. Don’t assume your income will go up.

Seriously. We’d had THREE pay cuts since building our house. And our income has not gone up AT ALL.

2. Don’t assume you will be in one spot forever.

We like to travel,–why did we build based on the assumption we would die here? And who’s to say you will be able to find a job where you are if you lose yours? Do you even want to?

3. Don’t assume you will be able to make it work on one income.

Make it work FIRST! Ask me how I know. Hmph. I’m not even going to address it further–just go listen to Dave Ramsey talk about real estate. And do what he says.

4. If you do decide to buy, be IN your long term life-style before buying.

We built the house long before we had kids. Everything I thought I’d like or how I thought things would work? Yeah, all of it’s wrong. Maybe I should just continue to talk about assumptions . Do I need to wash 3 toilets a week? NO!

5. Think about the importance of every piece.

We built so it’s kind of different but if you renovate, think first. Did we have to spend $3000 on light fixtures? Nope. Did we need to paint the walls crazy? No, but it cost the same–paint is paint. Did we need to have expensive blinds/draperies? Nope (we did okay on that one).

We’ve decided that IF we ever buy again, we will never borrow money to do so.

Did you pay cash or decide to live in an apartment long term? Tell me about it! I want to hear your story!!

This post was sponsored by http://adailyshot.com/.

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House Loves & Wishes

Dec 30th, 2010

by jen.

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We have our house on the market (again) and this time we’re REALLY motivated to sell. As we were getting ready for the showing we had today, I started thinking about what I liked and disliked about my house, which we custom built. I should have no excuses for likes and dislikes but what I wanted when we built it, was based on a whole different lifestyle – one with lots of disposable income and no kids!

One of my favorite things about the house (besides the paint colors upstairs), is the double-sided super deep, premium gauge stainless steel kitchen sink I made the builder put in. It cost a ton of money but it’s 12 inches deep and is big enough to clean even my large dishes easily. If I ever build another house, I will definitely put in another one!

I also really like:

My large (non-whirlpool) soaking tub (which is big enough to give birth in, thankyouverymuch!)
The paint colors upstairs (teal green, royal purple & navy blue – but don’t ever paint navy blue. Trust me on this one.)
My freezer-on-the-bottom fridge.
Having a master bedroom suite big enough to fit a king bed, a twin bed & a bassinett.
Having audio wired through the whole house, and
Having twice as many electrical outlets as normal.

There are a few things I wish I had though. I would love to have some adirondack chairs. They are soooo comfortable to sit in. There is a furniture company that mocks me all summer by having them sitting outside in every color imaginable.

I would love to have an Adirondack chair in almost every color imaginable, especially bright colors like the pic on the left. I can see hubby’s point about not having them though. We barely have any grass or yard to speak of and our plan has been to eventually move to an apartment anyway. Having half a dozen of these doesn’t make sense long-term. Sigh.

The other thing I wish our house layout allowed for was a more open kitchen. I have a lot of friends with an open kitchen who have butcher block countertops and islands. I would LOVE that–especially for baking with Lil’ Bit. It would be nice to have a more intuitive design that lets more people in the kitchen, without tripping all over each other. I like this butcher block countertop in particular:

Doesn’t that look wonderfully useful? Can you say extra storage? Swoon! Like I need more stuff or space to put it. This place is already filled to the gills. I can’t imagine what it’s going to be like to move to an apartment ½ the size of my house. Anyway, what about you?

What do you love or want in your house (or apartment)? Leave a comment below! I’d love to get an idea of what you find useful in your domicile .

Disclaimer: This post was sponsored by http://www.butcherblockco.com.

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Some kickin’ Boots

Dec 12th, 2010

by jen.

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I don’t often post about fashion even though I spend a ton of time shopping and making sure I’m not the quintessential frumpy housewife. Right now, I’m on a hunt for some kickin’ boots to wear with my tights & dresses/skirts. After spending the summer & fall at the gym, I no longer need wide shaft boots and so I’m on the hunt.

In my hunt, I’ve been drooling over the Cole Haan section at Zappo’s.

Are these not the cutest boots you’ve ever seen?

These look a little more practical for snowy days though, don’t you think?

I’m also kind of looking for a new purse. I bought one big enough to use for a diaper bag, too, but the sides don’t close and there is a LOT of snow. I got a purse full of it earlier today. I didn’t know it but there are great shoes AND accessories designed by Cole Haan, too.

I think this Cole Haan Crossbody handbag would be big enough and would keep the snow out. My only concern is that it’s leather. I’d have to weatherproof it for sure.