July Book Reviews: Summer Reading List 2016-- WOW!!!

July flew by here.  We had some visitors and took a crazy and quick trip back to California, but I did still manage to get a good amount of reading in, thanks to organizing and making reading and prayer top priorities in my days.  It also helped that we were in the car for looooong hours to CA.  I read a book and then some in those few days alone.  

A couple books on my list (Lizzy and Jane and The Nightingale) were books I had seen on a blogging friend's (Bobbi at Revolution of Love) lists, so I decided to check them out at our local library and see what I thought.  And I even formatted my review system similarly to hers, pulling from Amazon summaries and giving my own take as well.  Enjoy. 

Lizzy and Jane

by Katherine Reay

I adored this book.  A lovely and easy to read book.  One that was filled with food, family relationships, and real life struggles.  I laughed, I cried, and I ate food along with the characters.  It was like Food Network meets Jane Austen meets real life.  

Definitely grab your own bowl of fresh fruit and fresh whipped cream (or whatever food strikes your current fancy) and dive into this book. 

Amazon's summary:

Elizabeth left her family’s home in Seattle fifteen years ago to pursue her lifelong dream—chefing her own restaurant in New York City. Jane stayed behind to raise a family. Estranged since their mother’s death many years ago, the circumstances of their lives are about to bring them together once again.

Known for her absolute command of her culinary domain, Elizabeth’s gifts in the kitchen have begun to elude her. And patrons and reviewers are noticing. In need of some rest and an opportunity to recover her passion for cooking, Elizabeth jumps at the excuse to rush to her sister’s bedside when Jane is diagnosed with cancer. After all, Elizabeth did the same for their mother. Perhaps this time, it will make a difference.

As Elizabeth pours her renewed energy into her sister’s care and into her burgeoning interest in Nick, Jane’s handsome coworker, her life begins to evolve from the singular pursuit of her own dream into the beautiful world of family, food, literature, and love that was shattered when she and Jane lost their mother. Will she stay and become Lizzy to her sister’s Jane—and Elizabeth to Nick’s Mr. Darcy—or will she return to the life she has worked so hard to create?

Maisie Dobbs: Birds of a Feather

by Jacqueline Winspear

I really enjoyed the first book in the Maisie Dobbs series, so I snagged up the next one on my Kindle from our local library.  It was just as fun and intriguing a read as the first and I loved the historical elements as well.  Time to grab the next one, hopefully for the latter part of August....

Amazon Summary:

Jacqueline Winspear’s marvelous debut, Maisie Dobbs, won her fans from around the world and raised her intuitive, intelligent, and resourceful heroine to the ranks of literature’s favorite sleuths. Birds of a Feather, its follow-up, finds psychologist and private investigator Maisie Dobbs on another dangerously intriguing adventure in London “between the wars.” It is the spring of 1930, and Maisie has been hired to find a runaway heiress. But what seems a simple case at the outset soon becomes increasingly complicated when three of the heiress’s old friends are found dead. Is there a connection between the woman’s mysterious disappearance and the murders? Who would want to kill three seemingly respectable young women? As Maisie investigates, she discovers that the answers lie in the unforgettable agony of the Great War.

The Nightingale 

by Kristin Hannah

I loved this book and cried my eyes out reading it.  There aren't many books I have cried so much through.  The characters were so relate-able, the historical elements were thoroughly interesting, the horror behind the history was devastating, and it just came together in a beautiful story that touched every emotion I have.  Love, family, war, separation, fear, guilt....  This book rocked my world and made me think differently and more deeply about life and the blessings I have.  

Amazon summary:

In love we find out who we want to be.

In war we find out who we are.

FRANCE, 1939

In the quiet village of Carriveau, Vianne Mauriac says goodbye to her husband, Antoine, as he heads for the Front. She doesn't believe that the Nazis will invade France … but invade they do, in droves of marching soldiers, in caravans of trucks and tanks, in planes that fill the skies and drop bombs upon the innocent. When a German captain requisitions Vianne's home, she and her daughter must live with the enemy or lose everything. Without food or money or hope, as danger escalates all around them, she is forced to make one impossible choice after another to keep her family alive.

Vianne's sister, Isabelle, is a rebellious eighteen-year-old girl, searching for purpose with all the reckless passion of youth. While thousands of Parisians march into the unknown terrors of war, she meets Gäetan, a partisan who believes the French can fight the Nazis from within France, and she falls in love as only the young can … completely. But when he betrays her, Isabelle joins the Resistance and never looks back, risking her life time and again to save others.

With courage, grace and powerful insight, bestselling author Kristin Hannah captures the epic panorama of WWII and illuminates an intimate part of history seldom seen: the women's war. The Nightingale tells the stories of two sisters, separated by years and experience, by ideals, passion and circumstance, each embarking on her own dangerous path toward survival, love, and freedom in German-occupied, war-torn France--a heartbreakingly beautiful novel that celebrates the resilience of the human spirit and the durability of women. It is a novel for everyone, a novel for a lifetime.

Lily of the Mohawks: St. Kateri 

by Emily Cavins

This was my Saint biography choice for the month of July since St. Kateri's feast day is July 14 (my sister's birthday).  Our oldest, Kayla, loves St. Kateri, and has already read the Encounter the Saints series book about St. Kateri, which we were (and still are) reading aloud.  I know only a very basic story about St. Kateri, so I picked this up earlier in the year at a closing sale, so that I could learn more and better relate to my daughter's great love for this Saint.  I did really enjoy learning more about St. Kateri, and I was floored by the intensity of her devotion, love, and choice to suffer for and with Christ.  

Amazon summary:

Even before Kateri Tekakwitha’s canonization on October 21, 2012, many had been inspired by the story of the young Native American mystic who lived in the Mohawk Valley during the seventeenth century. With Emily Cavins's skill for weaving together historical facts and a compelling story, readers will discover Kateri’s path to sainthood against the backdrop of her life as a Native American in New York. These pages will reveal:

What led to Kateri’s desire to become a Christian

Her piety and self-denial in the face of persecution and illness

Her impact on the Catholic Mohawk community

The long road to sainthood, including two miracles attributed to Kateri

More than just a compelling story of Kateri’s short life, readers will also learn how to avail themselves of Kateri’s intercession, why Kateri has become known as the patron saint of the environment, and of her connection to St. Francis of Assisi.

My awesome beautiful badass book of saints

by Maria Morera Johnson

The title might throw some (I know it would drive my own mother batty), but I LOVED this author's approach.  I loved her style of writing, her wit, and the real true to life element she weaved into a book about saints.  She weaved in her own experiences, those of other strong, amazing women, and a wonderful collection of women Saints to teach lessons and inspire women everywhere to live holy, grace-filled, empowered, and courageous lives of faith.  

Ave Maria Press summary:

In this edgy, honest, and often audacious book of Catholic spirituality, blogger and popular podcaster Maria Morera Johnson explores the qualities of twenty-four holy women who lived lives of virtue in unexpected and often difficult circumstances.

In My Badass Book of Saints: Courageous Women Who Showed Me How to Live, Johnson shares her experience as a first-generation Cuban-American, educator of at-risk college students, and caregiver for a husband with Lou Gehrig’s disease. Through humorous, empowering, and touching portraits of twenty-four spiritual mentors who inspired her, Johnson shows how their bravery, integrity, selflessness, perseverance, and hope helped her and can help others have courage to reach for a closer connection to God.

She presents remarkable holy women and saints—including the gun-toting Servant of God Sr. Blandina Segale, who tried to turn the heart of Billy the Kid; and Nazi resister Irena Sendler, who helped smuggle children out of the Warsaw Ghetto during World War II—in a way that brings their vivid personalities to life and helps readers live out the challenges of their lives with virtue and conviction. The book includes a group discussion guide.

...and we're still working through a few books that we started in June and/or July, so August should bring lots of wonderful books and reviews as well.  

Did you read any books in July?  

Share away!

Life as a Prayer

Last week, I saw this post by Haley (Carrots for Michaelmas) about moms and prayer shared on Facebook.  The following quote really stood out to me (and no, it wasn't just because it was the first line and it was in bold-hehe).  "Sometimes I make the mistake of separating my spiritual life from my vocation as a wife and mother. I see my children as distractions from prayer and spirituality, rather than an opportunity to love God. "

That same week, I finally listened to this amazing Building Bridges Podcast featuring guest Mark Hart.  I cannot stress how amazing this podcast was for me.  The title is a little deceptive because suffering is only part of the conversation.  He also chats about prioritizing, PRAYER, marriage, and so much more!  

Additionally, I have been reading a book called Breathe- Creating space for God in a Hectic Life the past several weeks.  The basic premise of this book is about prioritizing your life and allowing yourself the freedom to say no to things that don't bring you closer to Christ.  That sometimes means saying no to GOOD things.  Because sometimes, we are doing things to "maintain an image" instead of because we love Christ and want to bring Him glory.  I know if I'm being honest, there are many times that I just say yes when people ask for help because "God would want me to because it's the nice, helpful thing to do".  And sometimes that means that I am stretched really thin at home and lash out at my husband and kids.  Every choice isn't between good and evil.  Some choices are between good and good, but you have to listen to the still small voice inside and do what God is asking of you.
 

   

It shouldn't be news to most of you that I am a perfectionist.  I like to do things, and I like to do them well.  Now there's nothing wrong with that, in and of itself, but words of affirmation is also one of my primary love languages.  This means I struggle all the time with doing the right things FOR THE RIGHT REASONS.  I thrive on people's affirmations and praises.  

So when I put on a party for my daughter's birthday, if people tell me that everything looks awesome and the food was great, I'm happy.  But I sometimes, forget that the reason for the party was not for me to feel awesome, needed, or helpful--it was to celebrate my daughter's life and to put a smile on her face and have fun creating.  Sometimes I am able to throw a party that is nicely put together, but my focus stays where it should on the celebration of life and on my daughter, and I enjoy the creative aspect as a side.   BUT sometimes, I get so carried away in the details being just so that I end up missing out on really participating in the party, because I'm running around taking care of everything.  I'm really trying to pray about how I go about things these days and making choices that fall into God's plan for my life, not feed an image.  

My plan to simplify really has a lot to do with putting priorities back in place.  I do pray.  I have always prayed.  But it's often shoved to the background because, well, did you read Haley's post?  Life is hectic with kids.  Who has time for a lot of quiet, alone time and daily Mass and adoration?  But in reading Haley's post and listening to that podcast, I'm realizing it's about understanding that my life is a prayer if I make it one.  It's about my heart and my attitude.  If I'm intentional, there are so many different, exciting, unique ways to center my life on Christ each day.  

Out of curiousity, I wrote down ways that I have tried, at various times, to pray throughout my day as a mom.  I was surprised at how many different ways I do pray, and thrilled to find that I could feasibly do most of them every single day.  WOW!

Here's my list:
**Please note that these are all things I do sporadically now.  It's my hope to be more intentional and make my life more of a prayer by using things I already do here and there on a more regular basis and "pray with my feet" more (as Haley put it.) ** 

My Favorite Ways to Pray:

Prayer Journal
(the girls and I have quiet time and do our own prayer journaling for 10-15 minutes after breakfast in the morning)

Gratitude Journal 

(sometimes, I do this through a less formal medium like a post on Instagram with Blessed Is She's #projectblessed hashtag, which is a fun way to get connected with other Christ-centered women as well and be encouraged!)

daily Mass
(I aim for 1 day a week with the girls)

Reflect on Saint quotes and/or Scripture
(I like to write verses/quotes on note cards and decorate them a little and put them around the house.  I switch them out and use old notecards as bookmarks or glue them into my prayer journal.  I also use dry erase markers to write verses on the mirrors sometimes).

Rosary
(I sometimes do it decade by decade as I have a chance throughout the day.  Sometimes I use these YouTube videos and pray while I do chores or even in the middle of the night when I'm nursing)

Praise and Worship
(Chris plays guitar, and we try to set aside Friday evenings for family praise and worship.  Additionally, I play my "Matt Maher" station on Pandora during the day and jam out while I'm cleaning or while the kids eat and of course, in the car!)

Offer it Up
(I try really hard-and often fail-to offer up doing chores I hate or keeping my mouth closed when I really want to say something as little sacrifices throughout my day.  I can almost hear my mom now, "Don't waste the suffering, Laura.".....

Prayer Places
(We have certain places/times that we often end up praying.  These include, but are not limited to:  before meals, before bed, in the car, when someone gets/needs a timeout, when we pass a Catholic church, when we hear a siren, etc. Obviously our bedtime routine with the kids is more drawn out and we say several prayers together and talk about what we're thankful for and pray for others, but a quick Our Father with the kid in the timeout corner, or a Hail Mary when we hear a siren etc. all help us lift our eyes to heaven throughout our day)

Daily readings
(I follow Blessed Is She on Facebook or you can find the devotions on the BIS website and they have the daily readings plus a little reflection.  On good days, I start my day off by going there.  I also have my Magnificat that I can use.

Go outside
(Seriously, it is incredible how getting outside and taking some time to enjoy God's creation can be so, so good for one's soul.  Whether I just step outside and take a few deep breaths or whether I am able to get outside for a run or a walk with the family, it is so peaceful.)

Family Consecration
(We fell out of routine with this when we moved, but we wrote a Family Consecration which I love, love, love!)

3-minute Retreat
(This is through the Loyola Press website, but I was introduced to it by my mom's group and it's a really nice way to take a quick pause in your day and regain your perspective and your peace.)

Chaplet of Divine Mercy
(I love the Chaplet, and after listening to Mark Hart on the podcast, I think I might set a 3 O'Clock Mercy Hour alarm and try my best to stop and do a quick chaplet each day at that time.)

Serving my family
(Every little aspect of the daily grind can all be a prayer as well if I do it with love and joy and for the glory of God!)

What are ways that you like to
  "pray without ceasing"
throughout your day??? 

I'd love to hear your ideas for keeping
 Christ at the center of your thoughts each day.


Check out more amazing posts about the power of prayer here.
#BISsisterhood

The Cutest {Homemade} Teething Ring

Back in April, I attended the Catholic Women's Blogging Conference in California.  You can read more about that experience here.  

While I was there, I met many lovely women, and have since been checking out many of their blogs.  One of the women who came blogs here at http://www.sewtravelinspired.com/

Back in June, I read her post about sewing a teething ring, and commented about it because 1) they are adorable! and 2) my 6 month old was FULL on teething and chewing on EVERYthing.  

 I don't sew, but I wondered if she sold them.  I never got an answer on that because she sent me one for free because she was so sweet and apparently my baby didn't get on her last nerve at the blogging conference where we met.  :)  

Not only did she send a teething ring, but she sent an extra fabric piece so that you can easily switch a fresh one out for a used one when it's time to put it in the wash.  Smart!!!!!!!!

Here is my daughter gnawing and sucking the heck out of that thing upon arrival!

I will let you know now that Maria did not ask me to review this item, but my daughter really loved it, and I really appreciated her sending it to us, so I wanted to share this with others.  Perhaps some of you are crafty enough to make your own using her tutorial.  

What I love about this teething ring in a nutshell:

*The wooden ring is easy for baby to hang onto and perfect for gnawing on.  

*The fabric piece(s) are really cute and bright, which makes it easier to find in the diaper bag when I take it to have on the go

*The fabric piece is detachable and washable.

*The extra fabric piece makes it so that when one needs washing, there is already a fresh scrap to put on the ring so that baby can keep chew, chew, chewing.  And drooling.  

*No parts are small enough to be a choking hazard. 

*It's adorable.  

Thank you, Maria, for sharing your gift of sewing with us!  

In Summer!!!!!!!!!!!

This year we chose to homeschool our oldest daughter for Kindergarten.  I could tell you about what a fun year it's been, but that's another post.  Today marks her official last day of school as a homeschooling Kindergartner, so we are looking ahead to summer.

And yes, I am going to be totally cliche (we have Disneyland annual passes; how can I pretend that we don't love Disney?) and share this video.

      

Hopefully, watching that video got you all excited for summer fun and relaxation like it does for me. 

In the past few days, I've read some blog posts about summer that have also evoked that same sort of thrill for summer fun and relaxation.  

My friend, Stephanie, writes her summer "Mom Self Help" manifesto , which encouraged me to actually make some concrete goals this summer so that I can achieve a summer that both calms my body and soul as well as exhilarates them.  

So without further ado, here is a list of some of my own self help goals, some of them quite similar to Stephanie's and some a little different.

1.  Prayer Process

I'd like to spend more time with Jesus. I love the simplicity of this prayer process that Matthew Kelly formulated.  I also love the complexity of it.  I love that it asks us to thank God, ask forgiveness, get to ourselves better, pray for others, and listen to the Lord.  My hope is to begin this habit each night, for a mere 10 minutes.  And let the Holy Spirit take it from there.

2. Limit sugar intake

My dress size doesn't necessarily give away my sugar addiction, but it is quite real.  When I am overwhelmed, tired, angry, sad, bored, (and yes, sometimes when I'm really happy to) sugar is where I turn almost immediately.  Sometimes it's just a quick fix handful of M&M's , but I have also been known to raid the pantry and grab fistfuls of chocolate chips at a time or have secret afternoon bowls of ice cream.  And lately I feel like the sugar intake is become more like a major food group for me. 

Then I read this post about sugar, which really didn't have any information that was new to me, but it was convicting to me because I have definitely been shutting out the voice inside saying "Too much, you'll regret that..."  

So good-bye candy and sweets!  I'll be enjoying only the occasional baked good item and limit my ice cream addiction to two times per week.  

3. Limit social media and time on the computer

Since we're being honest here, I should probably just admit that I spend more time than I need to or even truly want to on social media.  And it takes time away from relationships, chores, and the me-time that I'm trying to achieve with these goals.  So I'm removing the FB app from my phone for the summer, answering less phone calls, and spending less time scrolling.  

I will set aside a few days a week to blog/read blogs during naptime, after bedtime, or arrange time that the hubby can take the girls for a little daddy park date and then step away.  

And I will use my time on the internet to learn more about my faith, be encouraged, encourage others, and speak life.  I tend to only start my day with these Blessed Is She daily reading devotions about half the time.  This summer it's how I will wake up every day.  

Blessedisshe.net


4. Frequent Confession and Communion

I put the Sacrament of Reconciliation off a lot. It will take some planning and setting aside time (1-2 times a month), but I need it.  Bring on the grace.  I'm also planning to take the girls to daily Mass at least 1 day a week.   Again, bring on the grace.  I'm not super mom.  I need as much grace as I can get to love and guide these little ones to heaven. 

5. Exercise more

My routine is off.  Time to get back into it.  Running 3X a week and some core/toning 3-5X a week. 

A quick youtube search found some of my favorite 10 Minute Solution Pilates videos...

I always feel so much more energized, sleep better and more soundly, and just feel happier when I am exercising regularly. 

6. Look sharp

As a mom it's easy to get so caught up in everyone else's needs that you forget that you have some too.  Feeling beautiful may not seem important, but for me it is.  I don't shower everyday (it dries out my skin and hair anyway), but I can take 5 minutes to do my hair and not just slip it into the easy pony tail every day of the week.  I can take 2 minutes to apply just a touch of mascara.  And I can put the maternity shorts away and go out to search for a couple pairs of shorts that I love.  I love my the style of my maternity shorts, and they are definitely comfy, but my preggo body stretched them out a bit so they sag a bit in places that I'm not (currently) sagging.  So I guess I should do myself a favor and actually get shorts that fit my body right now.  Add to that getting my hair cut on a regular basis to keep those split ends away and I think I will start to feel more confident in my current mommy skin. 

Now for some summer plans!

My friend Laurel, wrote this piece about her summer plans using pictures from summers past. I loved it so much and immediately after reading through her post, I was already formulating a picture compilation in my own mind of what I hope our summer will look like.  

So to coin her phrase: 

This summer will probably look like..........

family hiking adventures

 sensational art projects

homemade ice cream (in moderation, see above!)

puzzles sprawled out on the floor

restful nap times

oodles of dress-up

silly faces and giggles

summer gardening

Daddy reading in silly voices

endless swinging

sunny pool time!

sandy feet and jumping in crashing ocean waves 

rib-eating (and grilling, of course)

more reading

park play dates

sister bonding

bunny hunting

drool-y, teething gnawing fests

beer brewing and drinking

gorgeous ocean sunsets

(other sunsets too...)

even more reading

visits to see Jesus

baby wearing (Photo credit: Hubby)

music and park fun with friends (Photo credit: my dear friend, Jacinta)

kite-flying (Photo credit: Hubby)

Disneyland adventures (counting down the days till blackout days are over-only 2 more months...)

observing the fish

trips to Nana and Granddaddy's

Togetherness 

(Photo credit: Hubby's bro, Nick)

What are your summer plans?

I'd love to hear!

Beautiful Like Me!

The word COMPARISON has been on my heart for awhile.  And then I read this post at Catholic All Year about "mommy wars" and such and it was spot on.  Read it.  Go ahead.....

So, have YOU ever noticed that the world makes EVERYthing a comparison? 

Now I'm not saying there is a problem with weighing decisions with a nice pro-con list, or that there is no place for competition.  

She'd probably win an eating competition.
Or at least make a huge mess. 

On the contrary, I love a good pro-con list when it comes to making a decision.  I simply make sure that I ask the Holy Spirit to guide me and if His input doesn't agree with my detailed pro-con list, I still listen to Him anyway.  Even if the only thing listed on my "pro" side is: I feel like God is calling me to do this....

Similarly, I absolutely love a competitive sports game or a riveting board game.  And I think there is a place for it.   

The problem, I think, is that what should be a friendly competition often becomes aggressive because we begin comparing ourselves to others in very unhealthy ways.  And in our society that sort of comparison mentality has spilled over into every part of our lives.  

We get up each morning and some of us go to jobs.  Jobs where we constantly feel the need to be better than our coworkers or really just be "the best".  We want to be best so that we don't lose our jobs, which sounds rather admirable, BUT (of course there's a but) this sort of attitude means that we are motivated by fear.  

We should be doing our very best out of love (for our family, for ourselves, out of respect for the people we work for), and if that's not enough for a company, then the Lord has a better plan.  And yes, it is absolutely a huge step to dive in with LOVE as your only true motivation, because people are often selfish, and there are many others out there who are looking for any and every way to get ahead.  

BUT (yep, another but!) this comparing attitude isn't just limited to doing well at jobs.  It's EVERYwhere!!

Take a look in the mirror.  Chances are you are daily comparing yourself to someone else.  Perhaps it's someone you know who seems to be able to eat anything they want and never gain an ounce.  Perhaps it's the women in magazines, on television shows, and in movies who are likely airbrushed and photoshopped anyway.  Perhaps it's a version of YOU that you saw in the mirror 2, 3, 5, or 10 years ago and you so desperately want to be there again.  But we rarely truly see ourselves in the mirror.  We are constantly trying to change something or beating ourselves up because we aren't something else.  

Now I'm not saying we shouldn't aim to be healthy and fit, but our aim should not be to look like someone else or to be as thin as "the perfect woman"!  It should not be because we don't feel beautiful at a certain weight, with a certain hairstyle, etc.  No matter what size we are, we should eat nutritionally and get regular exercise.  Why?  Because we are all temples of the Holy Spirit and we should take care of the gift of our bodies that the Lord has blessed us with.  But we should also realize that we are beautiful no matter size we are or what stage in the life we are in.  

If you go through, say, a pregnancy, you may gain some extra weight.  And it may take some time to slowly lose those extra pounds (and some parts of your body may just never be the same again).  But we shouldn't compare ourselves to others or our past selves during the process.  It's so tempting to look at other moms and be jealous because they lose the baby weight more easily.  We might also look at other moms who are struggling to lose the weight even more than we are, and get a little prideful.  Well, at least I don't look like them!  She must have eaten nothing but donuts that whole pregnancy.  Geez!  Comparing, again!!  

What we should be doing instead is loving ourselves and each other exactly as we are in the present.  That doesn't mean we can't have goals and recognize that there are areas where we can improve our health, but we should realize that we are the same person at every step in the process.  Who we are does not change with our size, hairstyle, or a new outfit.  We will ALWAYS be a child of God.  The state of our soul and the way we treat others is so much more important!

And yet comparisons are everywhere.  When we take a test, it's usually not enough for us to do well.  We want to do BETTER than everyone else.  

When we get married, we want to have the BEST marriage.  

We want to buy the BEST house with the biggest kitchen or the largest yard.  

We want our kids to be the MOST stylish, the CUTEST, SMARTEST.  We want them to be the most well behaved, and polite.  We want them to be perfect. 

 And we want to be the BEST parents.  The ones who "can do it all" and do it all perfectly.  

And on and on....

We crave the BEST of everything, and we seek to be the BEST at everything.  

And we never stop to think that all these comparisons hurt us and they hurt others. We are so wrapped up in a never ending competition.  We will always be able to find someone who is better at something than we are, so our constant comparisons become depressing.  They defeat us.  They paralyze us.  

We become afraid.  We put on facades and pretend we are people that we aren't.  We change ourselves and look to others for approval.  We try and try and try and never feel like we are getting anywhere.  

WHY?

Because we have difficulty living out this simple verse:

 Because the TRUTH is that God made everyone unique.  Sure we have similarities.  But no two people are exactly the same.  And we aren't supposed to be.  There is no cookie cutter perfect person.  I saw a quote on Pinterest once that said "I am not beautiful like you.  I am beautiful like me."

God wants us to be who He created each of us to be.  He does't want us to be someone else.  He wants us to take pride in being His beautiful and perfect creation. He wants this for us:

We are so busy comparing ourselves to others, trying to be better than others, and trying to win the approval of others that we forget that God made us different-- UNIQUE!!  We don't have the same paths to heaven.  Our paths will cross dozens, hundreds, thousands of others' in our lifetime, but he calls us to let OUR light shine.   

I believe God wants us to tear down the walls we build up with comparisons.  He wants us be transformed and to be confident in His love for us.  He wants us to know ourselves and be kind to ourselves.  He wants us to know our worth and our beauty which is a reflection of Him--we are created in His image.  

We are the light of world.  

We need to stop labeling, judging, and comparing.  Instead let's look for the beauty in others and in ourselves. Let's encourage each other.  Let's compliment each other.  Let's live a life of love.  

That's where true beauty is found. 

Link-up over at blessedisshe.net for some great posts about body image this week

Catholic + Women + Bloggers + Community = CWBNCA 2015

So....I couldn't even tell you how I found out about this wonderful event exactly.  Through Facebook somehow.   I blog mostly for my own sanity (it's sort of like talking to yourself, except people don't judge you for it).  I also blog to share ideas and my faith in a little tiny way.  

So what in the heck was I interested in a Catholic Women Blogging Network conference for?  

Community. 

Oh, you thought I was just trying to be funny about talking to myself?  

Yeah....no.  That's real. 

I'm a SAHM to 4 littles (aged 4 1/2 months-almost 6 years old).   I have an incredibly awesome and supportive husband who is my best friend, but he is also a man.  Chatting (read:about everything!) is not his thing.   I just started homeschooling this year.  I'm home with my own questions, frustrations, and thoughts for most of the day. 

So, I crave community with other like minded women.  When I saw that this conference was happening relatively near me, I signed right up (after checking to be sure I could bring a nursing baby, of course!)

And then I got more and more excited, especially after I found out that a gal I recently met through our homeschooling group was going too!  We both confessed on the drive up together that we had been like kids at Christmas, and could barely sleep the night before the big day!!  

We were greeted upon arrival by Jenna Guizar who founded Blessed Is She .  And then we just waltzed right in through THE red door that you see in many of Kendra's (from Catholicallyear.com) WIWS posts .  The following day we all squeezed in for a What I Wore Sunday picture in front of the same famous red door.  

Photo credit: Kendra and her daughter Betty (who snapped the shot) from Catholicallyear.com

Anyway, so the event took place in Kendra's home.  The hostess with the mostest, right?  Yes! She welcomed a bunch of strangers from the internet into her home.  And served us.  She made the totally adorable cookies with our names on them, as if just opening her home wasn't more than enough. 

I won't rewrite a recap because the woman behind putting this whole thing together, Micaela Darr, already did that here on her blog .  

When I arrived, I felt a little like this lone rose that I noticed on one of Kendra's bushes.  I had been feeling isolated. Rather alone. 

The long and short is that I came away with blogging tips and tricks, yes, but even more than that, I came away with a true sense of community and support.  I came home ready to say YES to the Holy Spirit in a bigger way in my life.  I came home asking God how I could serve Him better.  I came home seeking to grow more in holiness, and support these incredible women and others in their walks as well.  I came home filled to overflowing. 

Photo credit: Jiza of Olive and Cypress 's camera plus Betty who actually clicked the button. 

Aren't these ladies lovely???  I can tell you that their hearts were even more lovely, so yeah.  WOW!

For more pictures, head to Instagram and look under the hashtag #cwbnca and also check out my pretty terrible quality (BUT. I'm. just. so. excited!! and have to share them!! ) pictures below! 

Those are our hostesses Kendra and Micaela in the middle 

Totally creeping on these inspiring ladies having a conversation.  

I love, love, love the Blessed Is She community, so of course, I love Jenna for saying yes to the Spirit's call to start it.  Also, because she's super sweet.  

just one of the beautiful gals who sat at my table, Karianna

Laura held my baby for awhile because she was missing her 11 month old baby who was staying home with Daddy for the day...

terrible selfie time with Ronni and Laura

Can you live closer, Jiza and Theresa?

I actually went to school with this lovely lady, Kristin, at FUS.  It was so great to reconnect and hear all about her journey with podcasting!

I met Erica from beaheart.com .  She is amazing and talented and she is also the leader of our online Blessed Is She book club (we are reading Love Does by Bob Goff).  Shameless plug, but she has a Mother's Day sale going on right now--check out her site.  

Andrea escaped back to Arizona before I managed to ask/beg for a selfie....how did you manage that?

The day in somewhat of a nutshell: note-taking as we listened to wonderful women speak about different aspects of blogging, praying together, and sharing art and beauty.  The print on the top right was made by Erica and was a gift to each of us!  

On Sunday, many of us returned with our families and attended Mass at the San Fernando Mission. 

 

 And Kendra graciously opened her home to us all again for a lovely brunch that she and Micaela planned and cooked for, bless their hearts.  

Thank you, beautiful ladies for everything.  I am excited for (crossing my fingers) next year, as well as hoping to connect with some of you in various ways even sooner!  Thank you for your hearts and for sharing your blogs and yourselves with me this weekend.  I feel so very blessed!!