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striving to radiate Him always

Finger Knitting

by Filed Under: Crafts

finger knitted scarf
Sparkles took up knitting last year, thanks to Rose.  Sweetie didn’t have an interest at the time.  I desired for her to learn something in the way of knitting or crocheting.  This was the perfect opportunity, a Little Flowers lesson in patience.
Sweetie took to finger knitting.  It’s just her pace – fast craft with instant gratification.
She knitted a 49 in scarf in 30 min.  Now she is begging for more.

~~~
Finger Knitted Scarf

 P1140013
Supplies:

  • yarn*
  • scissors

P1140031
Directions:

  • prepare yarn (18 yards was enough for a 49 in scarf)
  • follow the directions in this video  (it’s the best video tutorial that I’ve seen)


Cost:

  • 18 yards of yarn for 49 in scarf
  • 1 skin of 300 yards – $10.99
Cost per scarf – $1.52
~~~

P1140051
*My yarn supply is low and purchasing more is not an option.  So, I have been making my own yarn—t-shirt yarn.  I’ve raided my give-away piles for old shirts.  I followed this tutorial to cut my shirts for t-shirt yarn.  Be certain to give all family members fair warning.  This is so fun that one can tend to go a lil’ crazy and no shirt will be let untouched.  Dad has stashed away his favorites in fear that I might shred them.

tired me - post Mass & LF meeting

Word of the Year

by Filed Under: Motto, New Year, Prayer, Word of the Year 5 Comments

“Almighty Father, I place the Precious Blood of Jesus before my lips before I pray, that my prayers may be purified before they ascend to Your divine altar.” ~St. Mary Magdalene de Pazzi

I desired to adopt a word for the year.  It was a fruitful exercise for me last year and felt that I could use a simple reminder of His call for me.

I struggled with coming up with a word.  Finally, I asked Dad to pick one for me.  He told me to go to my saint for the year, St. Mary Magdalen Pazzi.  Praise God for the headship of my family.  It was the exact place that I needed to go.  The word was immediately made known.  It’s not original or flashy–the word is PRAY.pray - crucifix

Everything starts with prayer.  Prayer is where I hear His voice.  Prayer in Adoration, in celebration of the Mass, in my work, in times of trials, in times of jubilation, in union with Dad, with my family, for others, united in sacrifice and penance, in the tears that I shed,….I must pray in all things at all times.
I desire to do all things for the greater glory of God and I trust that, through prayer, He will show me the way.

I’m not abandoning any of my previous words.  In fact, through this practice, they have been imprinted on my heart.  Perfection is not sought.  My goal is only to move closer to Him and do His will.

“Our prayer must be humble, fervent, resigned, persevering, and deeply reverent, for we must reflect that we are in the presence of a God and speaking with a Lord before Whom the Angels tremble out of respect and fear.” ~ St. Mary Magdalene de’ Pazzi
~~~
2012 Motto
Be Charitable.
Be Useful.
Be Gentle.
Be Joyful.
Pray always.
Forget about yourself.
ALL FOR!


In His JOY,

 

The Lettered Cottage

Resourceful

by Filed Under: Crafts, Frugal Living, Gifts, New Year, Simplicity

Dad and I have made a pact, we will not be buying anything this year.  In other words, no shopping.  We will only purchase whole, clean food and personal necessities.  It’s a call that has been on our heart for sometime now but we I have resisted.  We are now cooperating with His grace and moving forward.
We are very limited with our financial resources and are facing some more difficult times.  All of which, have been answers to prayers.  The Good Lord is making it easy for us to know His will.
We have nothing to fear.  We are not going without and trust in His providence.  All of our needs are being met, praise God.

Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you shall eat or what you shall drink, nor about your body, what you shall put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?  Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?  ~ Matthew 6:25-26

We pray that we grow to be better stewards of our blessings (monetary, physical, spiritual,–all things).

But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things shall be yours as well.   Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Let the day’s own trouble be sufficient for the day.
~ Matthew 6:33-34
~~~

No shopping doesn’t mean no crafting or gift giving.  The kids and I will use what we have on hand. Here are a few of our latest creations.  I did purchase some prints of the photos that I had taken.
knitting
Sweetie is my focus group when it comes to all things Little Flowers.  I usually have her do a trial run of the LF craft for the month.  This gives me a good idea of the level of difficulty for the craft and about how long the craft will take.  This month’s craft has to do with knitting.
photo canvas
I took family photographs for Christmas gifts.  I used the photos to create photo canvases.  I printed enlargements at Costco and applied them to my stash of canvases.  (The canvases have been sitting in the bag for almost six years now.  I had intended to create personalized paintings.)
Photo CanvasPhot
Rose and I made personalized trinkets for Dad’s co-workers and her girlfriends.  The pictures below don’t do these creations justice.  They’re simple, fun and absolutely darling.
stamped metal tagsstamped washer

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I hope to use up all my craft supplies this year.  I’ll be sharing my creations at the weekly Stash Bash and Pinning it Down.

Curtain Aprons

by Filed Under: Crafts, Gifts, Little Flowers

I held my fourth Little Flowers meeting in early December.  The girls made a simple Curtain Apron for their craft.  It was a lovely craft edition for the meeting since St. Martha is a patron saint of homemakers.  The apron was intended to be gifted for Christmas.

LF finished curtain apron

Curtain Apron

this is an up-cycle craft

Supplies:

  • valance style curtain (I purchased 18 valances from my local thrift store to create aprons for 36 girls)
  • ribbon (I used a min of 1.5 yards of ribbon for ea. apron)
  • scissors
  • safety pin

Approximate cost of ea. apron (if items need to be purchased) – $2

Approximate cost of ea. apron (if items are on hand) – FREE

LF curtain aprons

Directions:

  1. cut the valance vertically at a place that will yield enough coverage for your desired homemaker.
  2. optional:  hem the cut side of the valance.
  3. cut ribbon to the desired length.  long enough to tie around the waist of the intended homemaker.
  4. attached safety pin to the end of the ribbon.
  5. thread the ribbon, safety pin first, into the top portion of the valance that was indented for a curtain rod.
  6. remove the safety pin and prepare the Curtain Apron for presentation.

~~~

lf threading ribbon

creating aprons

lf sparkles apron

preparing creations for presentation/wrapping

lf wrapping apron

finalizing packages

The Feast of the Holy Family

by Filed Under: 01 January, 01 January Saints, Holy Family 1 Comment

clip_image002

 The special devotion which proposes the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph as the model of virtue of all Christian households began in the XVIIth century. It started almost simultaneously in Canada and France. — The Association of the Holy Family being founded in Montreal in 1663, and the Daughters of the Holy Family in Paris in 1674. Numerous other congregations and associations under the Patronage of the Holy Family have been established, since that time, and they are spread over the world. The Archconfraternity was established by Pius IX in 1847. In 1893 Leo XIII approved a feast for Canada, and Pope Benedict XV extended the Feast of the Holy Family to the whole Church and ordered its celebration to be kept on the Sunday after the Epiphany.

holyfamilyFIRST SUNDAY AFTER THE EPIPHANY
The Feast of the Holy Family

O Lord Jesus Christ, who by thy wondrous holiness didst adorn a human home, and by thy subjection to Mary and Joseph didst consecrate the order of earthly families ; grant that we being enlightened by the example of their life with thee in thy Holy Family, and assisted by their prayers ; may at last be joined with them in thine eternal fellowship.  Who livest and reignest with the Father. Amen.

~~~

Mother Teresa’s Prayer for Families

Heavenly Father, you have given us the model of life in the Holy Family of Nazareth.  Help us, O Loving Father,to make our family another Nazareth where love, peace and joy reign.

May it be deeply contemplative, intensely EucharisNativity-Bicci-di-Lorenzo-detail1-300x225tic, revived with joy.  Help us to stay together in joy and sorrow in family prayer.

Teach us to see Jesus in the members of our families, especially in their distressing disguise. 

May the Eucharistic Heart of Jesus make our hearts humble like his and help us to carry out our family duties in a holy way.

May we love one another as God loves each one of us, more and more each day, and forgive each other’s faults as you forgive our sins.

Help us, O Loving Father, to take whatever you give and give whatever you take with a big smile.

Immaculate Heart of Mary, cause of our joy, pray for us. 
St. Joseph, pray for us.
Holy Guardian Angels, be always with us, guide and protect us.
Amen.

~~~

Lesson V

To all fathers of families, Joseph is verily the best model of paternal vigilance and care.  In the most holy Virgin Mother of God, mothers may find an excellent example of love, modesty, resignation of spirit, and the perfecting of faith.  And in Jesus, who was subject to his parents, the children of the family have a divine pattern of obedience which they can admire, reverence, and imitate.  Those who are of noble birth may learn, from this Family of royal blood, how to live simply in times of prosperity, and how to retain their dignity in times of distress.  The rich may learn that moral worth is to be more highly esteemed than wealth.  Artisans, and all such as are bitterly grieved by the narrow and slender means of their families, if they would but consider the sublime holiness of the members of this domestic fellowship, cannot fail to find some cause for rejoicing in their lot, rather than for being merely dissatisfied with it.  In common with the Holy Family, they have to work, and to provide for the daily wants of life.  Joseph had to engage in trade, in order to live ; even the divine hands laboured at an artisan’s calling.  It is not to be wondered at, that the wealthiest men, if truly wise, have been willing to cast away their riches, and to embrace a life of poverty with Jesus, Mary, and Joseph.

~~~

Holy-family

Resources:

 

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Prayer to the Holy Family

This prayer is taken from Prayer Book for Religious, compiled by Fr. F. X. Lasance, S.J. (Benziger Brothers, 1904)

O most loving Jesus, Who by Thy sublime and beautiful virtues of humility, obedience, poverty, modesty, charity, patience and gentleness, and by the example of Thy domestic life, didst bless with peace and happiness the family Thou didst choose on earth, in Thy clemency look down upon this household, humbly prostrate before Thee and imploring Thy mercy. Remember that this family belongs to Thee; for to Thee we have in a special way dedicated and devoted ourselves. Look upon us in Thy loving kindness; preserve us from danger; give us help in time of need, and grant us the grace to persevere to the end in the imitation of Thy Holy Family; that having revered Thee and loved Thee faithfully on earth, we may bless and praise Thee eternally in heaven.

O Mary, most sweet Mother, to thy intercession we have recourse, knowing that thy Divine Son will hear thy prayers.

And do thou, O glorious Patriarch, St. Joseph, assist us by thy powerful mediation, and offer, by the hands of Mary, our prayers to Jesus. Amen.

~~~

Sancta Familia ~ ora pro nobis

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