Revolution of Love

Revolution of Love

Do small things with great love.

Preparing for Christmas with the Blessed Is She Advent Journal

Anyone who knows me, knows that I love Christmas and I’m one of those annoying people that starts celebrating the day after Halloween. I haven’t put up any decor yet but it’s been non-stop Christmas movies and carols so far. (I’ve got Charlie Brown’s Christmas soundtrack playing as we speak.)

However, I want to make sure that I am not only enjoying the “fun” parts of Christmas but also taking time to prepare my heart for the coming of the Christ Child. That is where the new Blessed Is She Advent Journal comes into play.

The text of the jourmal was written by one of my favorite Catholic bloggers and fellow BIS team members Elizabeth Foss. Elizabeth’s wise words always have a way of challenging me but she does it in a gentle and loving manner that touches my heart. She describes the journal like this…

The Blessed is She journal is a Bible study. There is an abundance of scripture, an essay every day related to the scripture for you to think about, a prayer, and a journaling prompt. It’s designed for your morning quiet time or a small group Bible study.

As a wife, mom of 9 (ages 8 to 20’s) and cancer survivor, Elizabeth has a unique perspective of living the Catholic faith in everyday life, and here specifically, during Advent. Her words are beneficial to Catholic women in various vocations – single, married, mom of little ones, mom of older ones and grandmother.

Here is a short video of Elizabeth explaining a little more about the journal.

 

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Advent Print

The beautiful artwork was done by the talented Erica Tighe. (See my interview with her here.)

I love the BIS journals and they always motivate me to take some quiet time with Our Lord and spend it in prayer. If you’d like to purchase one for Advent, I’d recommend doing it sooner than later since last year we completely sold out!

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In the BIS Shop, you can order the Advent Journal ($20), the Advent Print ($15), the Jesse Tree Cards ($20) or save $5 by purchasing all three in the Advent Bundle.

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Note: The Jesse Tree cards are the same ones from last year. They are great because once you purchase them, you can use them every year. Last year I used them with our Jesse Tree.

Lastly, don’t forget you also have the optionΒ  to sign up as a Blessed Is She member.Β  You get to view the numerous workshops and will receive a copy of the Advent (and Lent) journal automatically. Cost is $99 for a year. (Or use the payment plan of $9.99 a month.)

Want to take a peek before deciding? Jenna has you covered. Here you go…

I look forward to connecting with you on social media as we journey through Advent together. πŸ™‚

PS – You can follow RoL on Bloglovin, Feedly or another news feed. If you are a social media fan like me, we can stay in touch through Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, GoodReads, Letterboxd, or Spotify,

PPS – This post contains affiliate links. Any monies made are used to keep this blog online. xoxo πŸ™‚

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Speaking of the Blessed Is She workshops, be sure to join us for Elizabeth’s workshop By the Manger in the Morning on Tuesday, November 14 at 9:00 PM EST/6:00 PM PST. I hope to see you there!


Now That the Election Is Over…

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Now that the election is over, I have friends who are rejoicing and friends who are weeping. Whether you feel victorious or punched in the gut after last night, our mission has not changed – love God and love one another. So be especially kind without gloating or complaining. We are still one family and have to learn to respectfully get along and work together. Spread some love, people.

One things we can all do together is say this Prayer After an Election from the US Conference of Bishops.

God of all nations,
Father of the human family,
we give you thanks for the freedom we exercise
and the many blessings of democracy we enjoy
in these United States of America.

We ask for your protection and guidance
for all who devote themselves to the common good,
working for justice and peace at home and around the world.
We lift up all our duly elected leaders and public servants,
those who will serve us as president, as legislators and judges,
those in the military and law enforcement.
Heal us from our differences and unite us, O Lord,
with a common purpose, dedication, and commitment to achieve liberty and justice
in the years ahead for all people,
and especially those who are most vulnerable in our midst.

Amen.

PS – You can follow RoL on Bloglovin, Feedly or another news feed. If you are a social media fan like me, we can stay in touch through Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, GoodReads, Letterboxd, or Spotify, πŸ˜‰

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#BISgrateful in November: A Special Time with My Girl

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Photo credit: Blessed Is She

For the month of October I participated in #write31days with my own 31 Days of Gratitude. It was a great exercise in being thankful, especially when I am prone to complain. It is easy for me to get frustrated and upset when things go wrong and it takes the grace of God and my taking a deep breath to instead look at the enormous blessings that surround my life. Practicing gratitude is something I want to continuously cultivate in my life so I am excited that I have the chance to be intentionally grateful this month of November with my sisters at Blessed Is She.

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Meagan wrote a great piece (that girl can write!) on the BIS blog and this week we are being challenged to share our gratitude! If you are a blogger, link up here. If you are on Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat or whatever your social media preference, share the gratitude and use the hashtag #BISgrateful. There is a lot of stress these days – from our own families to the upcoming election to world events. We could all benefit from taking a deep breath and focusing on the positive in our life.

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Last month I talked about my boys and how after years of secondary infertility and miscarriages, they were truly a blessing from God. I shared how life is loud, messy and filled with giggles about bodily functions but that I am love with my sweet little guys.

Although I talk a lot about the boys and their antics on the blog, I don’t talk as much about my first born and sweet daughter Bella. That is simply to give her more privacy as she gets older. But today I am mentioning her because I am especially thankful for the time we shared this weekend.

Bella was scheduled to attend a Confirmation retreat/hike at the beach on Saturday. In the days leading up to the retreat, everything was going wrong and life was extra stressful. (You can always tell when things are stressful. The blog is quiet and I don’t post to IG. πŸ˜‰ ) Then at the last minute, a call came in and I was asked if I could chaperone for a couple of hours at the retreat since the the other person had an unexpected situation come up. It meant changing plans and moving around schedules but I could feel God tugging at my heart that I should go, so I did.

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I may have been reluctant but I am glad I went because Bella and I were able to talk, share and pray together. (Not to mention that the beach was especially gorgeous that day!) We laughed that I felt like I was dying hiking up some of the hills and that I kept lagging behind the group (and got lost once) because I was taking too many photos. Plus, Bella is more like Brian, in that she tends to be more quiet about what she is thinking (whereas I post it for all the world to read) and it was touching to have her open up about things on her mind. It was good for both of us.

So not only am I thankful for our time together, but I’m thankful for the grace to answer the Holy Spirit’s prompting when I wanted to say NO. Sometimes things don’t go as I had planned but more often than not, when I surrender to God, He works things out even better than I could have imagined. For that I am truly thankful.

PS – You can follow RoL on Bloglovin, Feedly or another news feed. If you are a social media fan like me, we can stay in touch through Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, GoodReads, Letterboxd, or Spotify, πŸ˜‰

 


31 Days of Gratitude (Day 31): Pumpkin Patch & Halloween Fun

It’s the final day – Day 31 of the Write 31 Days Challenge and my 31 Days of Gratitude 2016.

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I can’t believe I made it to the end of the challenge. It was easier having a few free days like Throwback Thursday posts and Sunday quotes but at least I posted everyday. It was a good exercise and hopefully there was something in it that you enjoyed.

October is also a big month for family fun and field trips with the kids. There are always such sweet and fun memories. I think my favorite part of these trips are when my boys grab my hand or give me a hug or rest their head on me on the bus. Those little moments when they get some alone time with mom mean a lot to them. It means even more to me because I know how quickly these moments pass. They are all growing so quickly, it just makes me want to savor each moment and thank God for this present time. For that I am truly grateful!

Below is a collection of photos taken this month.

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John-Paul and I visited Casa de Fruita in Hollister, CA with his class.

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Shucking corn.

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Riding the train.

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You’ll often find a peacock (or five!) roaming the grounds. RevolutionofLove.com - 31_days_2016_fruita_jp_ba_1

John-Paul and I had a great day!

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Matthew and I visited The Farm in Salinas.

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We made some friends.

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I LOVE the sunflowers!

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Olivia the cow.

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Mama went shopping.

RevolutionofLove.com - 31_days_2016_farm_6Matthew found the perfect pumpkin.

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The camera was a little too close for Matthew but he’s still my cutie!

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And finally, here is the boys dressed in their Halloween costumes. Unfortunately, my sweet Bella had a stomach bug and spent the day in bed. (She is better now though.)

I hope you had a wonderful October!! Now that Halloween is over I am completely ready to turn on the Christmas music and start decorating for the holidays. πŸ˜‰

PS – You can follow RoL on Bloglovin, Feedly or another news feed. If you are a social media fan like me, we can stay in touch through Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, GoodReads, Letterboxd or Instagram. πŸ˜‰

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For more 31 Days of Gratitude, visit the homepage here.

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Want to join the writing challenge but are unable to write everyday? Join me for the Weekly Writing Challenge in October instead.

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31 Days of Gratitude (Day 30): Quote of the Day

Happy Sunday! Today is Day 30 of the #write31days challenge and my 31 Days of Gratitude 2016. Here is your Sunday gratitude quote of the week. πŸ™‚

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Have a restful Sunday. πŸ™‚

PS – You can follow RoL on Bloglovin, Feedly or another news feed. If you are a social media fan like me, we can stay in touch through Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, GoodReads, Letterboxd, or Spotify, πŸ˜‰

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For more 31 Days of Gratitude, visit the homepage here.

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Want to join the writing challenge but are unable to write everyday? Join me for the Weekly Writing Challenge in October instead.