::Catholic Mom:: why saint Joseph rocks and how to pray his novena

Today is the feast of Saint Luke and in honor I'm doing a catholic post (even though this post is about saint Joseph.) I also have another big reason for posting about this.

That reason being: my husband got a full time position at his job!! Okay, let me back track. When I was 7 months pregnant my husband flew to Colorado to visit his brother. I was so worried something would happen to him on the trip. I mean like couldn't even sleep or look at him without thinking the worst -worried. Right before he left we received a saint joseph holy card in the mail (totally random) with a novena prayer and a promise that no one who had ever prayed it had been denied their request. It also promised that anyone who kept this card on their person would not suffer an unexpected death. Wow, perfect. So I prayed the novena, and my husband still keeps the card in his wallet, and obviously he came home to me all in one piece. 

Since then I have been praying this novena pretty much everyday for one thing (or person) or another. One of the very first things I prayed it for was for my husband to get full time and this week he did. I pray the prayer straight from my phone everyday before I check email/Facebook/messengers etc. 

So here is what I do for those of you who have a smart phone. 

First, go to http://prayertostjoseph.org. It looks like this:

Then I saved it as a book mark to my home screen. I keep it in a folder with other saved prayers and my notes app. 

In my notes app I keep a note titled "novena." I lable Each thing or person I pray the novena for using an initial. You could also type out what your praying for, but I prefer not to in case someone were to see it. Then, as I pray the novena each day, I put the number of the day/prayer next to the initial to keep track of how many days I've done for each person or thing. This novena is nine consecutive days of reciting the saint Joseph prayer. 

So many of the things I have prayed for have already come to fruition. It's insane. (I pray for the conversions of loved ones more than anything.) And my devotion to saint Joseph and the holy family has grown so strong.. I believe praying this novena led to my eventual devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, hitch has changed my life. The fruits of this practice really are endless. Every morning when I reach for my phone I commit to opening this prayer before doing anything else. 

If you don't have a smart phone this discipline can be easily modified to fit your lifestyle, whether you save the prayer on your computer, or print it out or even write it down. However you do it, you won't regret it. Saint Joseph is amazing! Take advantage of his wonderful gift for us!

God bless and have a happy Lord's day!

::Snippets::

Just a quick photo shoot. Poor Amy >;)

Artistic Mom:: morning art journal

Finding time to journal with a new born is hard, but not impossible!

Any new mom artists out there?? How do find time for your art with a baby on board?

::Artistic Mom:: angel

Above: finished product. Below: the process.

A little gesso makes all things new. 

"Angel" done on a medium sized square canvas. 

Mixed media: graphite, acrylic spray, neocolor crayon, aqua marker, sharpie, collage

Amy's Mom:: eight toys we love

1. Our Lady of Guadeloupe doll. We bought this for Amy on our trip to the shrine of Our Lady of Guadeloupe in WI. There is a whole line of these adorable (and Catholic!) dolls at Shining Light Dolls (of course, we entend to collect them all.) 

2. Easter rabbit handmade by annie beez folkart. (on her days off she's Amy's grandma!)

3.Amy's Jellycat! sent to herfrom her great aunt Kathy in Seattle! We looove Jellycat and this teddy is perfectly made for snuggling <3

3. One of my favorites- Amy's first rosary! We usually hang this from her carrier so it goes where ever she does!

5. Circus Bear. This is a hand-me-down from Amy's aunt Isabel and his little hat and crooked smile make him irresistible,

6. Francis. Brought back from Assisi when Amy's grandma visited Rome.

7. Circo Elephant. Target. 10$. So cute. Get one.

8. Okay this doesn't really count as a toy, more of a decoration. This is "Bear," a paper mask I made him when I was three. We love him <3.

Where did you get some of your favorite kids toys? I'm a toy lover and I'm always looking for a cute new addiction to the family!

Catholic Mom:: happy consecration day, world!

Today, on the anniversary of the miracle of Fatima, the pope consecrated the world to the Immaculate Hear of Mary- and we celebrated with a group of about 30 people, praying the rosary and eating good food! 

Happy Sunday!

Snippets

.:I'm so thankful that this is what I get to wake up to:.

.:a visit from a friend:.

Crafty Mom:: diy table tray

A trip to the thrift store today sparked an unexpected diy project: a new table tray! 

What you'll need: 

•scissors (yes, mine are covered in rhinestones. Hobby Lobby. And they actually have wonderful blades- I use them for everything including fabric.)

•tape (not pictured, but my tape dispenser is also covered in rhinestones. Just thought I needed to mention that.)

•decorative paper (I used paper from a scrap book pad I bought at Walmart- I got it a million years ago and it has gone a long way! I've used it for tons of projects and I still have paper left, I highly recommend getting one. But you can also use wrapping paper, a cut up gift bag or even a cut up magazine. Anything with an image you like will work)

•a frame (mine is from the thrift store and it was over priced- $2)

Cut my paper into smaller squares and taped them to the paper insert that came with the frame. I started from the middle and worked my way out to keep the spacing even, although honestly, you'll be putting things on it anyway so it doesn't really matter. 

Put the frame back together. That's it! Your done! Nice. 

Just a quick note about the above picture. The table is a piece of my husband's old furniture that had sentimental value to him. We painted it white and bought new hardware from hobby lobby. You can get hardware from a lot of places, but I like hobby lobby's selection that best. They are unique and artistic, the one above is a beautiful navy blue flower. The lamp is thrifted and updated with a shade from target. The chair is from Craig's list. The mirror behind it is thrifted painted with crackle. All I'm saying is a little diy goes a long way!! Have fun!