Hi everyone! Happy Sunday!  And Feast of the Pentecost! I apologize for being MIA the past few weeks, if you didn’t know I got married on May 4! I had an amazing time and am so happy to be married to my best friend and I so greatly appreciate all the prayers and well wishes you gave us. I am so blessed!

If you haven’t been around this week, you missed some great posts! We have a few new authors joining us! Sarah wrote an awesome post about body image on Thursday and Mary wrote an introduction to her Joy Journey series and you will see her posts every Friday! I will be back to writing regularly as well!

Jim and I are running a half-marathon this morning (probably as you read this!) so we went to Mass downtown yesterday. The next time you see me on a Sunday, I’ll be just minutes away from becoming Catholic! That’s right, two weeks from today I’ll be getting confirmed and receiving my first Communion! I am so extremely excited!

Dress: Loft on sale Sweater: my mom’s Shoes: DSW

I hope you enjoy your Sunday!

I am so honored and excited to be a new contributing writer to this fabulous site. Thanks to Kendra and Emily for their confidence in my ability to encourage and support you on your journey of Catholic Womanhood. I pray that my words uplift and never offend.

As we get to know each other, I hope to share some of the wisdom I have learned in the last twenty-five years of married life and twenty-three years of parenthood. If you are single or currently praying for a sweet little soul to join you and your husband, have no fear, there will be something for everyone. That’s what’s so great about the Holy Spirit: His words are all-inclusive.

When deciding whether or not to accept this opportunity, I pondered everything in the world attacking our faith, femininity, and families. As daughters of a King seeking joy in the mundane of daily living, can we find that “sweet spot” between meeting our family responsibilities and lifting our hearts to the One who we truly serve? While we fulfill our individual callings, do we recognize the good work we’ve done each day, regardless if the laundry is folded or dishes put away? Can we gently, yet firmly, respond to the attacks on our faith from the secular world with words backed by sacred scripture? Even if these attacks come from within our own families?

As I prayed about these questions and this new weekly column, the answer came with a resounding “Yes.” So these are some of the questions I want to write about, especially focusing on this journey of a feminine life. What I call The Joy Journey.

Now, as you can see from my bio, my idea of joy might not be what the world considers fun, but that is my point. In everyday life, no matter what disasters occur or struggles you face, there will always be something (sometimes MANY things) that are worth the “Joy dance”. These are those shining moments—the same moments when we dance in our underwear in the rain—that I want to help you recognize. These are the moments from which we draw the courage and strength to face each new day.

As Catholic women we are given incredible gifts and innumerable blessings. But these gifts come with some of the most important responsibilities in this world. Whether we marry, take vows of religious vocation, or remain single, we are all created in His image and likeness to serve others as “spiritual mothers”. Every Catholic woman is asked to raise, teach, or model our beliefs so that those who God puts in our path can go out into the world and speak the truth of the Gospel with love and grace.

Doesn’t His plan sound exhausting? And nearly impossible? I’m tired just thinking about what He asks us to do. Yet as I struggle with these words and dream about slipping back into bed, I hear Christ’s admonition to go out and do it. Yowza . . . it’s overwhelming, this thing called womanhood. This journey toward Joy.

So how do we proceed?

Small steps, my friends. Together, we will break down our daily lives into small pieces. As we examine each segment with positive self-affirmation in regards to homemaking, fashionably modest dress, cooking and raising children, I hope to help you recognize God’s hidden graces, those tiny things—seemingly meaningless moments—the rest of the world scoffs at.

Together, we will gently encourage and quietly guide one another. I can’t wait to start this journey with you. Because one thing is sure, whenever you keep your heart and mind on Heaven, Joy will find you even when you’re not looking for it.

 Doesn’t that sound like a journey worth taking? Won’t you join me?

I hope so. I look forward to seeing you here next Friday.

Blessings and Grace,

Mary

]]> http://www.finelinenandpurple.com/2013/05/17/the-joy-journey-introduction/feed/ 11 http://www.finelinenandpurple.com/2013/05/17/the-joy-journey-introduction/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=the-joy-journey-introduction http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/FineLinenAndPurple/~3/M6xMhmeQwa8/ http://www.finelinenandpurple.com/2013/05/16/size-is-just-a-number/#comments Thu, 16 May 2013 20:40:44 +0000 Kendra http://www.finelinenandpurple.com/?p=1043 Sarah is here as a new regular contributor to Fine Linen and Purple! She’s starting off by writing a few posts about body images for us, starting today with “Size Is Just A Number.”

I don’t remember the exact day I first looked in the mirror and hated what I saw, but I think I was around 12 years old. I remember the feeling clearly enough, though.  I hated my reflection. Her arms were too thick and her body was not the long, lean, ballet dancer’s ideal. I began experimenting with various diets, trying to lose weight one way or another. This self-destructive pattern continued as I gave up ballet for cross-country and track in high school.

By my freshman year of college, I was convinced that everything would fall into place if I could just be thinner. Clothes would look good on me, I would be able to break into faster running times, and I would have lots of friends and have it all figured out. This mentality eventually landed me in outpatient treatment for an eating disorder. I met weekly with a nurse practitioner, a psychologist, and a sports nutritionist.  I got to a healthier weight and have managed to more or less maintain that for the past eight years.

I’ll spare you the details, but even if you’re not so underweight as to need residential treatment for self-starvation, your body is slowly destroyed from the inside out. I was lucky – I have been able to get pregnant and don’t have very many physical reminders of this period in my life. The emotional scars, however, are huge.  I will freely admit that I still have rigid standards for how I “ought” to look, and blame myself when I don’t see that in the mirror.

This makes buying clothes…difficult, to say the least. Despite the fact that I have lost most of the weight I gained while pregnant with my twin girls (now 11 months old), my body is not what it once was. I can’t walk into a store and grab “my” size without some trying on. I don’t always find something that fits even when I do try things on. Most importantly, I’ve had to let go of the notion that I am a certain size, because some of the best-fitting things I have gotten since my girls were born are much larger than I have ever worn in my life.

As the title of this post says, size is just a number. But culturally, body image is intertwined with all kinds of numbers – waist size, bust size, weight, and clothing sizes are just a few of them. Once upon a time, clothes were made to fit the wearer. Now that we buy our clothes ready-made, in predetermined, non-standardized sizes, it’s the other way around.  We change our bodies to fit the clothes, and judge ourselves accordingly. Becoming a certain size is cause for celebration  - or devastation. Sure, you can just cut the tags out, but at least for me, it’s hard to forget that number. I know which are which.

A breakthrough of sorts came from an unlikely source. Thrift store shopping – the source of many of my postpartum clothes – does not allow one the luxury of trying on the same item in multiple sizes, so something either fits or you don’t buy it.  Obviously buying clothes that are a little too small is impractical (I’ve got lots of those already) so I find myself buying clothes that either fit or are a little too big. Allowing my body to be flattered by larger clothes was strangely freeing, almost like the feeling I’d expected back in college when I tried to starve myself into perfection. This feeling comes in waves – there are certainly many days where I really would rather fit into my pre-pregnancy clothes – but I’ll take it, even in small doses.

Size may be just a number, but I’m here to say that number, along with others like it, can take control of your life. Buying clothes that fit your body and making healthy choices are two of the best things you can do for yourself, and they are important steps towards learning to love your body. I’m not there yet, but I’m a long ways from the girl who began to hate her reflection fifteen years ago, and that’s a giant leap in the right direction.

Learning to love myself in clothes that fit.

Thanks again  to Sarah for this post. Look for Sarah here in the future, as she will continue to share her feelings and experiences with body image issues. You can find more of Sarah’s writing at And Twins Make Four!

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 Welcome, WIWS linkers!

If you didn’t hear already, Emily is now married! If you want to see Emily’s wedding dress or my bridesmaid dress, head over to the post I wrote earlier this week.

We’ve been a little behind on putting out posts for you all due to the business of the wedding because of this, but we promise new content is coming soon. We’ve got some big changes coming soon, including some new permanent writers coming to the blog, ones that you probably already know and love. We can’t wait!

Anyways, Happy Mother’s Day! I hope every one of you are celebrating the mothers in your lives! I’m hoping to do some video chat with my own mother and MIL today, as well as celebrate my own motherhood with my little one.

Dress – Kohl’s 2013, Cardigan Kohl’s 2010?, Shoes not pictured – Me Too

Mass today was pretty much a nut house because Henry decided to sleep a few less hours overnight than usual. We made it through though, and he’s napping away in the other room. My kind husband is spending this Mother’s day cleaning our kitchen and other rooms so that I can relax….almost the best present I could ask for!

How are you all celebrating the mothers in your lives today? We’d love to hear!

Happy Sunday!

Of course this was because Emily finally got MARRIED!

I’m guessing Emily is planning a more detailed post once she gets her official wedding pictures back to show you the gorgeous details and all that beautiful wedding goodness you’re all waiting for. In the meantime I’ll just share with you a quick set of pictures to show off what we wore.

Jim’s tux – Men’s Wearhouse (rented), Emily’s dress – Mori Lee, necklace – custom made by the dress shop to match the dress, shoes (not pictured) – Fergie at DSW 

I love how Emily took a little risk from her usual style and got a dress with some bling. The fit and design worked so well for her! Also, have you ever seen two people more thrilled to be married?!

My dress and sash – David’s Bridal, my shoes – Candies at Kohl’s, Henry’s tux – Men’s Wearhouse, Stephen’s tux – Men’s Wearhouse (rented)

Emily had the bridesmaids pick out our own black dresses. I loved having that little freedom and had fun picking out this dress. The shoes I picked were a little ridiculous, but they worked for the short bit I had to wear them. I’m going back to wearing shorter heels in the future

Once Emily gets the pictures back, there will be a bigger post. Thanks for reading and being patient with us as we get back to our regular blogging schedule!

Since it is Emily’s wedding weekend and Kendra is out of town as a part of the wedding, we decided it would be best to have someone else host What I Wore Sunday.

So please head on over to Mandi’s at Messy Wife, Blessed Life for the linkup! Thanks for participating, as always!

I decided to link up with Hallie today for her 5 favorites for my last week of my wedding countdown! Only 3 days until our wedding!

1.

I love my shoes. I love them. Although I’m still afraid of falling in them. Haha!

2.

I really love our cake topper. It even looks like us!

3.

I really like the music we have chosen for our ceremony and for our first dance song!

4.

I love this card that I got for jim to give him before the ceremony. I found it on Etsy!

5. Our house.

I love, love, love our house. I love decorating and moving into it and knowing that soon I’ll be living there with my husband! It’s awesome.

The next time you hear from me I’ll be a married woman! I can’t wait to share pictures!

Since I will be busy with the wedding and Kendra will be out of town at the wedding, What I Wore Sunday will be hosted by the lovely Mandi at Messy Wife, Blessed Life. Be sure to check there on Sunday!

And make sure to enter the giveaway for Amanda’s book, Worthy!

I’ve been reading her blog for some time now and I am so excited for her book and that she is able to share it with you here!

Worthy addresses the struggles that women face in their quest to be found worthy. The book features three sections: the lies that Satan tells women, overcoming those lies through faith, and what it means to live as a woman knowing that God finds you worthy.

From the back cover:

Ever since Creation, Satan has been after women’s hearts. His most profound method of getting to the heart of a woman is to attack her sense of worth. Women struggle to let others find them worthy, to find themselves worthy, but most importantly to be found worthy by God. We buy into the devil’s lies, all the while forgetting the truth that Christ has already found, and continues to find, us worthy. Once we discover, or perhaps rediscover, that He finds us worthy we are changed and challenged to live as a woman after the heart of the One who loves us and finds us worthy yesterday, today, and forever.

Sounds like an awesome book to me. Enter below (please remember that all entries will be verified). And remember, if you don’t win you can always check out her site and purchase one for yourself! We will notify the winner by email and if you do not respond within 48 hours, we will choose another one (and we don’t want to do that!)

Special thanks again to Amanda for this awesome giveaway!

Enter now to win a copy of the brand new book Worthy by Amanda Mortus
]]> http://www.finelinenandpurple.com/2013/04/30/giveaway-win-a-copy-of-the-new-book-worthy-see-yourself-as-god-does/feed/ 26 http://www.finelinenandpurple.com/2013/04/30/giveaway-win-a-copy-of-the-new-book-worthy-see-yourself-as-god-does/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=giveaway-win-a-copy-of-the-new-book-worthy-see-yourself-as-god-does http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/FineLinenAndPurple/~3/5Ohw7-zT7fU/ http://www.finelinenandpurple.com/2013/04/28/what-i-wore-sunday-volume-28/#comments Sun, 28 Apr 2013 13:00:32 +0000 Emily http://www.finelinenandpurple.com/?p=1013

It’s time again for What I Wore Sunday! This past week we had my 4th week of my wedding countdown having to do with my bridal accessories. There’s also a sneak peek of my wedding hair if you’re interested! If you have any ideas of what you would like me to talk about this week, please let me know! This will be my last week (as my wedding is on Saturday!) so the next time you see me here on a Sunday I’ll be a married woman!

We have an awesome giveaway coming up this week so please keep a look out for it!

As always, if you have an idea for a guest post, please send us an email at finelinenandpurpleblog at gmail dot com or use our contact page. We’d love to have you!

I am not a jewelry person (nor do I pretend to be). The only jewelry I wear is my engagement ring. That’s it. I hardly wear makeup and more often than not my hair is in a messy bun. There. I said it. I’m also a tomboy, in case you haven’t guessed by now. I live for lazy Saturday’s in sweats. Anyway…

I had a hard time choosing what jewelry, makeup, and hairstyle I was going to wear for my wedding. I’m not a big fan of big bling, but my dress seems to say otherwise. It is very sparkly and shimmery. I always had it in my mind that I would wear pearls with pearl earrings. However, it just didn’t work with the style of dress I ended up picking. Sad day. My aunt bought these beautiful earrings and a necklace, and sadly it didn’t work with my dress. Oh well.

The good thing is, the place I bought my dress from has someone that makes custom jewelry. Someone was going to make a necklace that matched my dress perfectly! I was so excited (not only because I really didn’t have to go pick one out but that there were people who did this for a decent price!) She made this beautiful crystal necklace that matches perfectly with my dress (I can’t wait for you all to see it!)

I am still unsure what I am going to do about earrings. I have many options, my aunt has a pair that would work, I could wear simple studs, or my best friend has some she said would match as well. I’m leaning more towards the simple studs because I am a simple jewelry person. I don’t really wear any dangly earrings (and those are what the other two pairs are).

My hair was really hard to decide on. There were so many cute ideas on Pinterest that I wanted to try them all! Lucky for me, I have extremely thick hair that could pretty much be transformed into any of those hairstyles. I went last weekend for my trial run and really liked what my stylist did. I’m just hoping it doesn’t fall out when I get on the dance floor!
Here’s the example of what she did. I liked it! Obviously it will be less frizzy when the time comes, but the idea counts

I’m really nervous about my makeup because a. I don’t wear any ever other than eyeliner sometimes and b. it’s airbrush makeup. Goodness. I don’t know what that’s going to look like and it makes me nervous. I told them that I don’t really wear makeup and I want it simple, but I’m still hoping it looks nice and like me!

Okay, so next week I’ll be within days of the wedding and I’m going to ask you guys what you would like me to talk about! What wedding things do you love hearing about? I need some ideas!

Also, could we say a little prayer that the weather ends up being like it is currently forecasted? I have to admit, it’s pretty exciting to see your wedding date on a weather forecast. The little things

See you all on Sunday!