The sunrise out my window is so gorgeous this morning, and it inspires so much gratitude. Every time I see a sunrise or sunset I use it as a reminder for gratitude and prayer.

If you read books about habits, one of the factors for building successful habits is to have a trigger that reminds you to take the habit action you want to do.

Want to journal in the morning? Put your journal under your coffee cup.

Want to pray more? Find little triggers that remind you of God.

Want to insert a daily Mass into your weekly schedule? What do you already have in your weekly schedule that you can piggy-back that on to?

I’d love to hear about your habits!

Love to all,
Megan

Carry a scapular with you by keeping this Green Immaculate Heart Wallet Scapular in your wallet or pocket. Approved by the Vatican, this contemporary way of keeping a scapular gives anyone an alternative to devotional use.

When feelings of frustration, anger, or hurt bubble up in your daily life, this Saint Francis of Assisi necklace reminds you to breathe and become peaceful. Let St. Francis help you de-stress as you turn your actions and thoughts towards those of peace.
This necklace has a modest but elegant look. The St. Francis medal is thick and substantive, as is the “Peace” tag and rhinestone setting.
Comes carded with a burlap branded bag. Miriam Hahn Designs.

Handmade in Kalambaka, Greece by experienced and skilled artisans, this icon set includes two 9″ x 12″ beautifully detailed icons with genuine gold leaf. 

The first icon features Jesus Christ as the Tree from which all spiritual life flows hand painted in rich, vibrant colors. He is depicted in this radiant image surrounded by the holy Apostles and crowned by the blessed Trinity. This image brings to mind and heart the Lord’s words in the scriptures, “I am the true vine and ye are the branches.”

The second icon, known as the “Root of Jesse,” depicts Mary as the Theotokos, or “God-bearer” in the center of the tree surrounded by images of Christ’s forefathers along with those who prophesied of His coming. It recalls the verse from the prophet Isaiah: “There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots.” It’s an image that celebrates the earthly heritage of Christ and its role in the fulfilment of the Scriptures. 

Bring new light to your home’s sacred space (and to your own spiritual life) by including these pieces of art as your focus for meditation and prayer.

Welp… that didn’t work out.

Everything I had planned for our tiny family Christmas dinner went wrong… and it was hysterical! 

Since for the first time in my life our Christmas Dinner was just my immediate family – my husband and 2 daughters – we scaled back on Christmas dinner.  But that was supposed to up-the-ante on the quality, right?

Oh… but that did not go well.

Way back in high school when I did a lot of theatre, I hated getting nervous before a show, but I also knew that if I was nervous, I was probably going to do really well. It was the times when I had no nervous sensation at all that I had to be wary because those were the performances that were flat and lifeless.

So perhaps my over-confidence and lacksidasical approach to dinner shuold have been a warning of what was to come.

Instead of referring back to the recipes that are tried-and-true and honed over years and years of holiday meals, I though “meh – I know this by heart. It’s fine.”

Well it wasn’t. The turkey was dry and tasteless, the dressing was under-seasoned, the fresh cranberry salad as soupy and the potato dumplnigs were so bad they didn’t even make it to the table because they had turned to mush when we boiled them.

This is the first time in my life I left a Christmas Dinner table without the regret of “Why did I eat so much?”

So where was the ZING? I was missing the jitters I felt when making dumplings for a whole crowd of people. It was replaced with a meh – it’s a Friday cooking dinner” feeling. A complete lack of anticipation.

And how many times have I approached the Eucharist with the same lack of AWE or ZING or LOVE? 

A bible verse comes to mind as I write this “Return to me with your whole heart, with fastin , weeping, and mouring.” Joel 2:12

“Do not fear, O land! dileght and rejoice, for the Lord has done great things!” Joel 2:21

That lack of zing, that lackluster mind-wandering during prayer and Mass… those are all indicators that I need to up my game and find new ways to be energized in my faith.

Happy New Year! I pray that you always have that special “Zing” in your heart for Jesus.

Love to all,

Megan

The crucifix from Jeweled Cross has delicate sprays of gold florals with a gold finish corpus and a gold finish INRI sign. Gift Boxed.

The perfect way to kick off the new year … with Our Mother Mary!

Perfectly small but impactful readings for every day of the coming year. Learn more about Mary and deepen your relationship with her and her Son!

The thing I love about this bible is that even though it’s a “youth” bible, I learn a ton from it as well. 

Designed specifically with Catholic youth in mind, this edition will enable teens to grow emotionally and spiritually in their Catholic faith. 

Lately I’ve been contemplating the mis-match between my wants and what I’m prepared to receive – including God’s grace.

We hear stories of saints who suffered greatly, but were also open and able to recieve abundant Grace. That ability to RECIEVE God’s grace is not to be overlooked.

In St. Faustina’s diary she writes of this message she received: “Souls without love or devotion, souls full of egoism and selfishness, proud and arrogant souls full of deceit and hypocrisy, lukewarm souls who have just enough warmth to keep themselves alive: My Heart cannot bear this. All the graces that I pour out upon them flow off them as off the face of a rock. I cannot stand them because they are neither good nor bad.”

So if God is pouring out abundant graces on me, am I even capable of receiving it?

The sixth day of the Divine Mercy novena begins with God’s request to bring Him meek and humble souls because “Only the humble soul is capable of receiving My grace.”

Well… I guess the good news is that I certainly have room for growth, and I’m grateful for that little roadmap of how to be able to receive more Grace!

Love to all,
Megan

This small booklet by Father Michael Gaitley, author of 33 Days to Morning Glory and Consoling the Heart of Jesus gives you a brief but comprehensive introduction to Divine Mercy including, its history and context, the essential elements of the devotion, and how you can live this profound and beautiful message. 

It also includes two bonus appendices: Valuable Divine Mercy prayers and Divine Mercy wisdom from Popes John Paul II and Benedict XVI.

This book has everything you need to know about this important message and devotion. 

Creating a habit of constant growth in one’s faith isn’t easy. It starts with tiny steps. That’s why I love this series of books. It doesn’t demand massive amounts of time or brain power. Instead you get to spend an entire year with a single facet of the Church:

Church Fathers
Mary
The Angels
The Saints
The Eucharist
The Bible

What do you want to learn about this year?

Love is an action.

It’s not a feeling that you sit around and wait for.

You are also a bottomless vessel of love. You are capable of so much more love than you even know – because you are made in God’s image, and God is Love.

It’s one thing to understand this intellectually, but a whole different thing to understand it in your heart and soul.  

Perhaps an act of Faith and Love is to “do it anyway”. Love those around you anyway. 

Don’t get me wrong; I don’t mean that you subject youself to harm and abuse, but only that in those situations instead of reacting in kind, you find compassion for why they are hurting, pray for their healing, and love them from a distance. 

Looking for God inside a person that drives us nuts is an act of love, maybe even a radical act of love especially in today’s world where we are so quick to write someone off as “other” or “them”. 

Look for God. Pray for healing. Love them anyway.

Love to all,
Megan

This nativity is stunning!
Each figure is wrapped in cloth and the detail is amazing. Click here to see the stunning wire sculptures that make up the background pieces of camels and angels.

Stunning Nativity

Illuminate your home with this hand-painted, hand carved Tree of Life icon set.

Handmade in Kalambaka, Greece by experienced and skilled artisans, this icon set includes two 9″ x 12″ beautifully detailed icons with genuine gold leaf. 

Bring a new light to your home’s sacred space (and to your own spiritual life) by including these pieces of art as your focus for meditation and prayer.

Tree of Life Icon Set of Two

A modern take on the Advent Wreath 🙂

Pillar Advent Set with Tea Lights

This morning totally got away from me, so I can’t even wish you the regular “good morning” today. 

That’s the 3rd time in 2 days that I’ve noticed my time is slipping away. Yesterday I called it a “calendar fail”.

Today I acknowledged that if I don’t take ownership of my calendar mess, I’m setting myself up for a not-so-Merry-Christmas.

Yesterday I read in my devotional that as we are called to act boldly, we have to be prepared first. And as Advent is the season of preparation, the next step is to be bold!

(Honestly, I don’t know what the Bold part looks like, but first thing’s first: preperation.)

A few weeks ago I felt a tug to clean off my calendar for 2 weeks. I did and it was magical. Since then instead of keeping it up, I went the other direction and neglected good calendar hygiene.

This advent, my preparation is being aware of my time obligations too – protecting time to spend with Jesus, enjoying time with our little family since we can’t get together with the extended family, and looking at my calendar and asking “Is this helping me get ready to be bold?”

I hope you have a wonderful Advent season and find a way to grow closer to God.

Love to all,
Megan

Silver Oxidized Visor Clip – Shown in Brass – Available in Silver only – With metal clip on back.

Jen Norton’s painting of The Our Father is printed on a 8×8″ Cradled Birch Panel Base, Archival print on paper adhered with matt medium, 2-tone painted sides, protective varnish top-coat.

Recently I picked up my paintbrushes again, and I started experimenting with water colors. 

The best part is that I did this in the middle of the day. I played with paints in middle of a work day and it was so delightful! And I only did it after some prodding from a friend.

She told me something that struck a cord – and I hope I don’t botch her words too terribly: When we play, we are trully ourselves as God meant us to be.  Giving ourselves permission to play brings us closer to God.

And with her permission to give myself permission, I have been having such a joyful time creating things. I’ve painted tiny root vegetables, written a children’s story, and been more imaginative in my prayer than ever before.

I’m not playing to be productive, but to feed that part of me that wants to create. Creating without judgement is delightful! And it’s a form of prayer.

Give yourself permission to play, and see how God meets you there.

Love to all,
Megan

12 Days of Christmas Ornaments

I was SO excited that these ornaments arrived the same day we had our first snowstorm! I could take the snowy pictures that these 12 ornaments really needed to pop 🙂

This isn’t just one ornament – it’s 12. Each of the 12 Days of Christmas are represented in this gift set. 

12″ Wood Grain Texture Nativity Set

Enter into the beauty and the mystery of the Christmas season with our 12” Wood Grain Texture Nativity Set. Displaying a Nativity scene in your home during the Christmas season is a long-standing and well-loved Christian tradition. This gorgeous Nativity is sure to become a beloved tradition in your home and a treasured family keepsake. 

I love Advent!

And I think it’s a little scary. When it comes up on the horizon, I feel like change is in the air… like something BIG is going to happen, and God is expecting me to be a part of it.

And that means I’ll have to change.

And change can be scary.

The truth is that something big IS in the air. We are going to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. We are stepping out of Ordinary Time (which, let’s be honest, is when I get a bit lazy about by spiritual wellbeing).

We are told to stay awake and be ready. We need to prepare the way of the Lord. His coming is more imminent.

Now I’m asking myself – am I going to resist what God is asking of me, thus making it harder on myself, or am I going to lean in and trust?

So outside of all the hustle and bustle of the holidays, make sure you make time to pause, ask God what He wants from you and listen. 

I’ll be praying for you!

Love to all,
Megan

Magnetic Mini Nativity Set in Stable

This adorable little set is perfect for small spaces! And it stores itself nicely with magnets so the pieces don’t get separated from the stable. 

Add a little whimsy to your Catholic Christmas display this year! Perfect for tweens and teenagers to have their own nativity in their room to remind them of the reason for the season.

Please note that because of the small pieces, this set should be kept away from small children.

24 inch Our Lady Of Grace Garden Statue

These vinyl garden statues are a popular gift for mothers during the Christmas season. If have a hard time finding gifts for someone who loves to garden or takes pride in their landscaping, these beautiful hand-painted statues may be worth looking into.

Hope, Peace, Love, Joy Advent Mini Candle and Wreath

Ok – maybe I’m a little obsessed with mini things this morning, but this advent wreath is super adorable. 

It’s less than 4″ across, but is still made with quality pewter. The candles are 4″ tall. It’s small, but it’s a great way to start a family Advent Wreath tradition.

(And yes – we have larger, traditionally-sized wreaths too)

Lately I’ve been wondering how to spread love. 

LIke – if I can’t just go out in the streets and start hugging people, if posts on Facebook get lost in the noise, what do I do?

My husband started playing Christmas songs yesterday because we have 7″ of snow on the ground – which is beautiful. And my heart grew 2 sizes. It reminds me that I get to have my little family all together for 2 solid months.

I’m so ready for family time. I can’t wait for my oldest to come home from college and the 4 of us to be together, getting on each other’s nerves, teasing, playing games, eating popcorn while watching movies, and simply being in the same building together. 

But outside our little bubble, how can we make sure we’re leaving this world better than when we came in?

Or is that too much to bite off?

I’m diving back into the book “Only Love Creates” this weekend. In it, Fr. Fabio Rosini talks about it’s not the body that causes the most suffering, but the heart. 

How can we show love in deaply meaningful ways? That’s what the spiritual works of mercy are for:

To instruct the ignorant.
To counsel the doubtful.
To admonish the sinners.
To bear patiently those who wrong us.
To forgive offenses.
To comfort the afflicted.
To pray for the living and the dead.

Love to all,
Megan

Only Love Creates

Common do-good-ism is all around, but Fr. Fabio Rosini says, we no longer know what mercy is – and mercy is more essential than ever before.

We confuse mercy with generic compassion, forgiveness, or acceptance.

But mercy is something completely different. It is an act, a work, a knowledge, a care, the fruit of a relationship with other people. It springs up not from humans but from one’s relationship with God.

It is therefore a work of God, and not of ourselves.

Nativity Scene Pocket Coin with Color Glitter Epoxy

The hustle and bustle in the days leading up to Christmas can easily distract from the joy and love that is meant to accompany this holy and sacred season. However, this pewter coin fits perfectly into your pocket or purse and serves as a gentle but persistent reminder that you can carry with you throughout Advent.

12 inch Pearlized Nativity Set – 11 Pieces

I love the detail they paint on this nativity scene. The colors and the pearl finish are gorgeous!

We have a photo of each of the individual pieces, and the scenes come in the following sizes:

8″ – the most common size

12″ – beutiful in larger rooms and under Chistmas tress

18″ – great for large space like in a church or school

And the added benefit that they are resin, so are actually quite durable.

Whether St. Francis originated this prayer or not, it still does a wonderful job of calming my heart and reminding me that I can actively bring peace into this world, even if it’s in my own small way. 

Read through this prayer. Sing this prayer. Take and revel in this prayer. It will bring your blood pressure down and give peace and love more room in your heart.

Lord, make me an instrument of Your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love.
Where there is injury, pardon,
Where there is doubt, faith,
Where there is darkness, light,
and where there is sadness, joy.

O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled, as to console;

To be understood, as to understand;
To be loved, as to love;
For it is in giving that we are pardoned;
And in dying that we are born to eternal life.

Love to all,

Megan

Saint Francis Prayer for Peace Laminated Prayer Card

Find inspiration to help the weak, poor and less fortunate with our Saint Frances Laminated Prayer Card. As a young woman, Saint Frances wanted to become a nun but poor health kept her from entering a convent. When she finally took her vow, her Bishop requested her to form a group to care for poor children in hospitals and schools. Like many Catholic saints, Saint Frances devoted her life to helping the poor until her death in 1226. Saint Frances is the patron saint of immigrants.

Peace On Earth Pewter Ornament with Crystals

Modern and Graphic, this ornament features the words, “Peace on Earth.” The green and blue, sparkle enameled world in the center from the “O” in “on” for a lighthearted look. Blue and green crystals are scattered through the rest of the letters.

Come Holy Spirit.

Come Holy Spirit.

Come Holy Spirit.

This little prayer has been on my lips since it was taught to me by a dear friend a few years ago.  It comes easily, and it gives my heart, head, and soul space from whatever is directly in front of me.

And that little space – that little crack is all God needs to pour His graces out upon us. 

This last week I’ve been so full of gratitude, and when I placed my petitions before God in prayer last evening I had an image of what I wanted a year from now: to fully embrace a new friend I’ve made in a full hug. 

And I don’t know that she’d ever consider me a friend or just an acquaintance, but her presence and her words have been so comforting to me these past few months. I don’t even know if she remembers our conversations.

But in reality, that doesn’t matter to me. Her faith comes so easy to her –  I stand in awe. 

I read somewhere that as you grow in faith, so does your willingness to talk about your faith.  I had never thought about that, but it certainly makes sense.

And she really draws me out of my thoughts and into deep conversation about Jesus, and for that I am so grateful. She didn’t try to put words in my mouth, or try to rush the conversation. And in that conversation I recognized how far I have come, thank God.

I pray that you have someone in your life that you have have heartfelt conversations about your faith in ways that feed your soul.

Saint Michael the Archangel dime-sized medal made in the USA by skilled artisians. The vintage-style medal depicts St. Michael defeating the devil in battle. “St. Michael Pray for Us” is egraved over the Archangel’s head.

Choose from Sterling Silver or Gold Filled.

Supplied with a chain in a deluxe gift box.

– Lifetime warranty
– Handmade
– Made in the USA
– Deluxe Gift Box 
– 18″ Chain 

The National Catholic Register says: “Catholic social teaching could become a tremendously effective tool for making that better world — where justice, peace and love would be the norm — if we would commit to regularly reading it, praying with it, teaching it, preaching it and living it.”