Anchors Aweigh

Here's one more reason to become a Lilla Rose consultant:

If you become a consultant today, July 31, then you can purchase the August Flexi of the Month today.

If you would like to become a consultant, please visit http://lillarose.biz/pretty and click "become a Consultant".

Additional information about becoming a consultant is available here.

If you have any questions, please contact me at prettynwrose at gmail dot com. I would be happy to have you on my team!

For customers who would like to purchase the August Flexi of the Month, Anchors Aweigh, you may do so on my Lilla Rose website starting at midnight. These flexi clips will be available through the end of August while supplies last.

I hope that everyone is having a wonderful summer!
Anchors aweigh my friends!

Lost in the Fjord

Before leaving for his new assignment, our previous assistant pastor, Fr. V., recommended a book to us as a possible future read aloud. On Sunday, after Mass, I was surprised when my friend, Elena S., came up to me and gave me a present for my family. Once in our van, delight superseded my surprise when I saw that Elena had given us Lost in the Fjord: The Adventures of Two Icelandic Boys, the same book about which Fr. V. had told us.

Elena included a letter with the book, writing:

"Attached is the book Lost in the Fjord. This is a true story.
It is for children from 9 to 90+ years old, written in a similar style to St. Exupery's Le Petit Prince.
It describes the true story of two brothers, Nonni and Manni (11 and 8 years old), who started an adventure with a boat in a Fjord in Iceland and ended in the big sea, fighting for their lives.
Following their breath-taking efforts to survive in the darkness of the night, we discover the purity of their heart shining like a star, their love and trust in Jesus, love for each other, the poser of prayer, and their heroic efforts in face of adversities. Yes, it is a wonderful book for children, but this story has a hidden treasure which can escape the children. It will surprise you with a great theme for meditation.
I hope that you will like it, and you will introduce Nonni and Manni to your children, family, and friends.
God bless,
Elena S.

I am looking forward to listening to my husband read this story to our children.

A Great Way to Earn Money from Home

Are you looking to earn a little extra income? Lilla Rose might be able to help you do so. Please visit http://lillarose.biz/pretty and click "become a Consultant" to learn more or email me at prettynwrose at gmail dot com. If you have any questions, please contact me. I am happy to answer your questions and would be grateful to have more people on my growing team.

More information about being a Lilla Rose consultant is available here.

August 1, Day of Prayer for Christians persecuted in Iraq, Syria and the Middle East

The Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter is asking all of its apostolates around the world to dedicate Friday, August 1 to a day of prayer and penance for the Christians who are suffering terrible persecution in Iraq, Syria and elsewhere in the Middle East.
Please see their website for more information.

A Rainy Day Summer Daybook

Outside my window

It is overcast and raining lightly. We have had a very sunny summer so far. A little bit of rain is necessary to water our trees and flowers. As my husband told our pastor, "There's nothing wrong with a little rain. I like my grass to be the same color as my weeds."

I am wearing

a khaki skirt and a red shirt.

In the kitchen

I am happy that this berry cream birthday pie from Costco was well received. I thought that a pie would be a nice change from a cake.

I am dreaming about freshly caught barbecued salmon for dinner on Friday night.

I am thankful for

my baby boy! 

He is very active and smiles a lot. 

He will often giggle when one of his siblings gives him to me. I am so thankful that God blessed us with another little boy. I absolutely love him!

I am hearing

Kilian's breathing as he nurses and an occasional clap of thunder.

I am praying for

the priests, nuns, seminarians, my daughters, all the other girls, organizers, and volunteers of the FSSP camp in which our girls are participating.

I am praying for Eva. She had surgery on Monday and I am hoping that everything went smoothly and that she recovers quickly.

I am also continuing to pray for Kim.

We are learning all the time

Anthony returned from Camp St. Joseph, a boys' camp, with lots to share. It was the second FSSP boys' camp that he attended this summer. I am thankful that he was able to go to both camps and for all that he learned from the priests and seminarians. A couple of nights ago, he was telling us that Fr. Nolan had shown all of them how to do push ups correctly. Let me just say, they are much more difficult than the push ups that we learned to do when we were little. From the way he talks, I know that he thinks that "FSSP priests are cool". Not only are "they cool", but they are more manly than most men today. Most importantly, they are holy and have a deep love for God.

Cecilia sewed two more skirts before leaving for the girls' camp. She made them based on the measurements of this skirt. She is about 5'3". We bought 2 yards of material. This allowed Cecilia to cut 2 panels for each tier, giving her a nice seam down either side of the skirt. The top tier was 9" x 38" (she cut two 19" panels). The second tier was 7" x 50" (two 25" panels). The third tier was 7" x 64" (two 32" panels). The fourth tier was 7" x 80" (two 40" panels).  The fifth tier was 6" x 96" (two 48" panels). These shirts from Lands End go perfectly with the tiered skirt that we bought and the ones that she made.

Agnes made a gored skirt, using an old pattern that we have. I think that she has been bitten by the sewing bug too.

I am missing my three oldest daughters and praying that they are growing in their love for God. Last night, I was happy to hear from my friend, Elena, that everyone was okay after a wind and thunderstorm. I can't wait for them to come home.

I am reading

The Glories Of Mary by St. Alphonsus Liguori. This book is truly excellent! I am reading through it slowly and loving Our Blessed Mother more and more because of it. God is so good!

I am thinking about 

learning things by heart. In high school, I was blessed with an English teacher (a former college professor) who had us learn all sorts of things by heart. I still remember reciting from Chaucer in Old English:

Whan that Aprille with his shoures soote
The droghte of Marche hath perced to the roote,
And bathed every veyne in swich licour
Of which vertu engendred is the flour...

My children have also heard me quote from Samuel Taylor Coleridge's Rime of the Ancient Mariner

Water, water, everywhere,

Nor any drop to drink.

Anyway, this teacher recently shared that he used to receive snide comments from people, including fellow colleagues, because he would have us memorize poetry. What his colleagues didn't realize was that he was making a lasting impression on his students. "Doc", as my baby sister refers to him, was probably my favorite teacher because he had us not only read great literature, but learn to appreciate and like it. I will always be grateful that he taught us to enjoy learning things by heart and to love learning.

I am listening to

or rather replaying Fr. S.'s sermon from Sunday in my head. Fr. S. gave an excellent sermon (as usual) on Our Lady of Mount Carmel and the brown scapular. He shared that we should kiss our scapulars each night He mentioned that a soul is like a garden, and so much more. Finally, he told us that it is virtually impossible for anyone to get to Heaven without Our Lady's assistance. It was a beautiful sermon and I am hoping that Fr. S. eventually makes it available to all of his parishioners in booklet format.

Plans for this week

• Go to daily Mass
• Prepare for a Lilla Rose party that a couple of friends are hosting on Monday
• Pick up a new fishing reel for my son who wants to go fishing
• Spend some time gardening

A favorite prayer

Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that anyone who fled to thy protection, implored thy help, or sought thine intercession was left unaided. Inspired by this confidence, I fly unto thee, O Virgin of virgins, my mother; to thee do I come, before thee I stand, sinful and sorrowful. O Mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not my petitions, but in thy mercy hear and answer me. Amen.

My Nature Girl

This daughter of mine has always been fascinated with bugs, sea creatures, and animals of all sorts. Last week, she collected a bunch of clams and we enjoyed clam chowder for dinner thanks to her. She wanted to catch a bunch of crabs, but I told her that we would wait for her Uncle Kevin and Aunt Lynda to give us some crabs from their crab pots. She was disappointed, but happy that I told her she could collect the clams. Surprisingly, she couldn't bring herself to eat a single clam. She ate clam chowder with all of the clams picked out of it.

Accepting God's Will

Not too long ago, I read a true story in a book. I don't remember if I read it in The School of Jesus Crucified, The Twelve Steps to Holiness and Salvation, or another book. I don't even remember the story very well. I do remember the lesson that the story was imparting and I have been ruminating on it ever since.

The saintly author told the story of a man who prayed to get well. After his prayer was granted, he realized that being well may not have been God's will for him. So the man prayed that if it was God's will that he be sick, then he wanted to be sick again because he knew that whatever God's will was was better for his soul than what he wanted. The man became sick once more.

My pastor has said on more than one occasion that we are called to embrace our crosses, not fight them. St. Therese of Lisieux said, "For one pain endured with joy, we shall love the good God more forever." St. Teresa of Avila shared, "We always find that those who walked closest to Christ were those who had to bear the greatest trials." God allows us crosses in order to help us grow in holiness. Our response to the crosses that we are sent, whether the cross be an illness or something else, can either help or hinder our souls.

My Jesus, mercy.

Thy will be done in my life and in my death.

It's a Great Time to Become a Lilla Rose Consultant!

Lilla Rose is offering

This means that everyone who signs up to be a Lilla Rose consultant between now and July 31 can save between $9.80 and $21.95, depending on which consultant kit you purchase and whether you live on the East Coast or West Coast.

Why become a Lilla Rose consultant?

Well, aside from the obvious:

I have 7 good reasons why you might want to become a Lilla Rose consultant:

1. Flexi clips and hair bands sell themselves! When someone sees a flexi clip or hair band in your hair, they often comment. When someone tries a flexi clip on, they usually like it and want to buy one! Once someone buys one, their friends will most likely want to buy one (or more) for themselves. As one of my friends shared, “Rebecca’s been wearing her flexi and getting lots of compliments!”
2. Depending on how much time you have and what your goals are, you can be a casual, part-time, or full-time Lilla Rose consultant. You can sign up as a casual consultant to purchase hair accessories for yourself and as gifts for family and friends. You can be a part-time consultant, selling Lilla Rose products online or at parties. Or you can be a full-time consultant, build a team, and sell online, at parties and shows.
3. Lilla Rose offers an affordable start. Becoming a consultant costs between $49.95 and $599.95, depending on what package you select. I personally wish that I had signed up with the fast start kit (please see the video below). I am happy to explain the differences between the kits. Simply email me at prettynwrose at gmail dot com or leave a comment.
4. There are no monthly fees and there is no inventory to store. The only yearly requirement is that consultants have $29 in sales for the entire year.
5. Consultants can earn 30-45% commission on all sales, plus receive the same discounts on items they purchase!
6. Being a Lilla Rose consultant provides a great way to make new friends! 
7. I would be happy to have you on my team!

Please consider signing up to be a

LILLA ROSE CONSULTANT

ON OUR TEAM TODAY!

*This video explains the benefits of signing up with the Fast Start kit. As I mentioned above, I wish that I had signed up with this kit.

*If you have any questions about becoming a Lilla Rose consultant, please email me at prettynwrose @ gmail dot com.

Delphinium

Our Lady's Tears

Wordless Wednesday: Beach Day

Pretty as a Flower

Recently, Eva purchased some flexi clips from us and took advantage of our "buy 3 or more, get 1 free" offer for new Lilla Rose customers. Eva emailed me after Flora received her free clip, letting me know how much she liked it and included a couple of photos. I asked her if I could use the photos and Eva graciously offered to take more pictures.

I think that the Hawaiian Flower, the hibiscus, looks beautiful in Flora's hair. I am also in awe of all the daisies in the garden. They make me think of St. Therese's words in Story of a Soul, "The splendor of the rose and whiteness of the lily do not rob the little violet of its scent nor the daisy of its simple charm." Anyway, I will be using the beautiful photos that Eva took for graphics like the one below. Thank you, Eva and Flora for sharing these photos. Flora is named appropriately. She is as pretty as a flower.

These are some of the pretty clips available on our website.

If you are a new Lilla Rose customer and would like to take advantage of our "buy 3 or more, get 1 free" offer, please visit www.lillarose.biz/pretty. Place your order for 3 or more items. Once you have completed your order, please email me the item number that you would like (up to a $16 value) and I'll order it for you.

If you have any questions, I am happy to answer them.

Tantum Ergo

Recently, I realized that my younger children do not know the Tantum Ergo by heart, so I made this printout in order to help them learn it. I am posting it here, just in case anyone else can benefit from having a printed copy.

Download Tantum Ergo

The Joys of Homeownership: Dishwasher Repair

When your dishes start coming out of the dishwasher looking worse than they did when you put them in, it is not necessarily time to call the repair man or purchase a new dishwasher. As I mentioned here, the Handy Guys have a podcast (embedded below) which explains how a person might be able to get their dishwasher working properly again. According to the handy guys, the basins of Kenmore, Kirkland Signature, and Whirlpool dishwashers usually need to be cleaned every two to three years. They are probably accurate, as we cleaned our basin two and a half years ago and again on the last Saturday of June.

Once again, thanks to the handy guys, our dishwasher is cleaning the dishes and we didn't need to spend a penny.

Dishwasher Repair Bonus: At one point, our dishwasher completely stopped working and the display showed an error. As luck would have it, this was right after the warranty was up. We looked up the error on Google and quickly found how to reset the dishwasher and get it running again. Over the years, we have learned that with a little research, we can often fix things around our house ourselves.

Chips for Breakfast

Our little boy has a habit of falling asleep when he eats. Usually, he does so during lunch or dinner. However, yesterday morning, he did so while eating his breakfast. I think that the Sun Chips must have had a soporific effect.

Please Pray

Please pray for my friend Kim. Kim will be having brain surgery tomorrow, July 7. Her surgery was originally scheduled for the 14th of this month; however, after an MRI, doctors decided that it would be best to move the surgery up a week.

Kim in 2008

Update via a mutual friend: Thank you to everyone who is praying for Kim. The good news is that the doctors removed necrotic tissue which relieved pressure on Kim's brain. Kim is coherent. Cancer cells were found on the membrane of her brain. Please continue to pray for Kim.

Lilla Rose Mystery Hostess Party Winner

And the winner is...

Congratulations Kathy!

I will be contacting you to find out what hostess rewards you would like.

Thank you to everyone who helped to make our first Lilla Rose Mystery Hostess Party a success by purchasing hair accessories and sharing information about the party.

If you would like to be notified about future Lilla Rose sales

and/or mystery hostess parties, please let me know in the comments

or via email (prettynwrose @ gmail dot com).

If you would like to get a flexi clip, bobby pins, a hair band, or you pins, I have a special promotion for new Lilla Rose customers:

I hope that everyone has a 

Happy 4th of July!

This post contains affiliate links. Thank you to everyone who uses them.

A Pleasant Surprise

On Saturday, I received a package from Catholic Embroidery. When I saw who it was from, I commented, "I didn't order anything." When I opened it up, I was very thankful because I have been needing what I received. The box contained these wonderful notecards and a thank you from Mary, one of Catholic Embroidery's family members, for linking to them from my blog. I am not an affiliate of Catholic Embroidery; rather, I am a happy customer who is thankful for the products that they provide to Catholic families.

Catholic Embroidery is a small family-owned company that produces and sells a variety of quality, often custom-designed items that make great baptism, birthday, and Christmas gifts. Over the past few years, we have purchased a number of items from this great company to give as presents to family and friends. I have also received some presents that have been purchased through Catholic Embroidery. One of the items that we purchased was a beautiful, personalized baby blanket that we gave to one of my godchildren as a baptism present.

One year, our eldest daughter received a custom-embroidered missal cover as a present. She was happy to help us choose the image and words that she wanted on it, and was delighted with how the missal cover looked when it arrived (my husband and I were impressed). The missal cover still looks great after approximately four years of use and Catherine has commented more than once on how much she likes it.

Two of my daughters and I have also received embroidered aprons which look great. The aprons do a good job of protecting our clothes in the kitchen and they wash well. More importantly, we like them.

We also have a key fob from Catholic Embroidery that is invaluable to us. Our front door has a deadbolt and the key fob prevents us from losing the key. I have also been known to wear the key fob on my wrist when we play outside or go to the beach. Prior to getting the key fob, I am embarrassed to say that I locked our children and myself out of the house on more than one occasion.

Catholic Embroidery has many more well-made, Catholic-oriented items available. I look forward to using the pretty notecards and continuing to turn to Catholic Embroidery when we need a special gift for a family member, godchild, or friend. May God bless the wonderful family behind Catholic Embroidery and may their business continue to flourish!

July Daybook

Outside my window

The sun is shining and the children are running through the sprinkler. At least they were when I started to write this daybook.

I am wearing
a denim skirt and a black t-shirt.

In the kitchen

I am hoping to get our barbecue's propane tank filled so that we can have a barbecue tonight. Check, I did it!

I am thankful for

friends who give me beautiful flowers to grace our table and home.

I am also thankful for children who cut flowers from our garden to give to Our Blessed Mother.

I am hearing

the children playing outside.

I am continuing to pray for

the repose of Fr. Walker's soul and for Fr. Terra. It is amazing that Fr. Terra survived. My friend, Elena, shared this photo of Fr. Terra with me. In your kindness, please pray for Fr. Terra's complete recovery.

We are also praying for Fr. V. as he begins his new assignment. We are praying for Fr. H. as he begins his first year of his priesthood and we are praying for our pastor, Fr. S. We are so blessed to have such a holy priest for our pastor.

We are learning all the time

Brendan was blessed to be able to participate in our parish's boys' camp, Camp St. John Eudes, this summer. Fr. V. organized it and three FSSP seminarians (two from our parish) helped him run it.

After reading Greg's Microscope, Patrick and Finnian became very interested in using our microscope. So, Anthony has been using it with them regularly, looking at bugs' wings, legs, etc. The boys have also started making a bug board again. I''ll have to share a photo of it eventually.

Cecilia has been bitten by the sewing bug again and has been making tiered skirts, following these instructions. As the title states, they are easy to make. I think that the lovely pearls hair band looks so pretty in her hair.

Agnes is learning all about sales and has been happily taking photos. After we received these liberty bow bobby pins, she decided that she had to take some photos of them. I like how she captured the rain on the rose. Agnes is very artistic and she tends to see things that others might not notice.

I am reading

The Glories Of Mary by St. Alphonsus Liguori.

I am listening to

Fr. Ripperger's presentations on modesty. I have also been listening to Fr. Walker's sermon on Mercy and Justice. Thanks go to my pastor for the latter recommendation, as he told a friend and me about the sermon after Mass one day.

Plans for this week

• Meet with a homeschooling mother to show her our Lilla Rose samples.
• Go to the beach
• Visit with a friend who has signed up to be a Lilla Rose consultant on my team. If any of my readers are interested in becoming consultants, please let me know. I would be happy to have you join my team.
• Go to First Friday Mass
• Have a 4th of July barbecue
• Garden
• Clean up around the house
• Start checking to make sure that the children have everything that they need for the camps to which they will be going.
• Enjoy my husband's 4 day weekend! I really like it when he gets to spend a few extra days at home with us.

A favorite prayer

My Jesus, I adore Thee.

My Jesus, I love Thee.

My Jesus, I trust in Thee.

My Jesus, have Mercy on me, a sinner.

My Jesus, Thy Will be done.

The Solemnity of the Most Precious Blood

O my God, I beg of Thee in union with the Immaculate Heart of Mary, through the merits of the Precious Blood offered Thee in every Sacrifice of the Mass throughout the world, to grant that this day one mortal sin may be averted, one soul in doubt may be converted to the truth, one soul about to die in sin may receive the grace of repentance and a happy death, and the deliverance of that soul in purgatory which is nearest Heaven. I wish by this offering to console the Heart of Jesus in agony for the souls lost through the Teaching of error against the true 
Church of Christ Jesus, Our Lord.

Amen