Making the world more beautiful

So, the inspiration for this post has been brewing for some time, but it is difficult to find spare moments in the day. A few days ago, I saw a florist at the farmer's market and thought it perfect because I was already planning to buy flowers for a friend's birthday. And these were homegrown wildflowers! The lady asked me about my friend and I told her the word 'vibrant'. So she proceeded to put together an amazingly vibrant bouquet with the utmost care and precise movement. She kept arranging the flowers just so to make the bouquet perfectly aligned and balanced. It reminded me of the Practical Life lessons for the primary child in Montessori, (one of which is flower arranging) where you do everything deliberately and very very slowly, so the child will be able to mimic you and will also go slowly when he later does it himself. (I can't wait to begin some of these lessons with my son!) Anyway, here is the bouquet:

Then, as I reflected on the efforts of the flower lady to make the bouquet as beautiful as possible for my friend, I remembered a beautifully illustrated children's book called 'Miss Rumphius' by Barbara Cooney.

This book tells the story of a woman who is told as a little girl that she must someday do something to make the world more beautiful. So she lives her life but eventually remembers her resolution to do something to make the world more beautiful, so she begins to plant lupines all over the countryside. She becomes known as the 'Lupine Lady'. Only then, after she makes the world a little more beautiful, is Miss Rumphius truly happy.

A couple days after the experience I had with the flower lady, I was in adoration before the Blessed Sacrament, and I opened The Diary of St. Faustina, paragraph 208, and read, "O you small, everyday sacrifices, you are to me like wildflowers which I strew over the feet of my Beloved Jesus." So not only are we called to make the world more physically beautiful, but by our sacrifices we offer spiritual bouquets to our Lord, thus making the spiritual world more beautiful. 

Then I randomly opened the book 'He and I' by Gabrielle Bossis to this passage: "I was giving [Jesus] a sacrifice and I said, 'It's a flower that I'm pinning to Your robe'. [He said]: 'Give Me these flowers often. (The voice seemed to smile). It's as though you added to My beauty. You see, when you become more beautiful, I become more beautiful. Oh, my little girl, how one we are! From the time of your morning Communion, right to your night's sleep, let us be one! And again, when you are fast asleep- one. Forever oneness....Would you like that? Then tell Me that you long for it. Keep it always before the eyes of your soul." -1941, May 30

When I read this, I knew our Lord desired me to specifically meditate on this theme of sacrifices offered to our Lord in the form of spiritual flowers. And not only do these sacrifices add to our spiritual beauty, but they add to Jesus's as well. It brings us into closer union with Him. Why would we not want to use these opportunities to grow closer to Him? We all have sacrifices that we could quietly offer throughout the day instead of complaining or venting later to our husbands. 

This is the true work of being a homemaker. Making the house more beautiful, cooking a delicious, wholesome meal, yes, these things are important and good, but even more so we need to make ourselves more spiritually beautiful, more virtuous, so we can help our family members do the same. Then we can eventually all be together in heaven for eternity. This is our true and ultimate goal. Pray for me in this difficult yet crucial task and I will pray for you as well!

Delighting the Senses

Since my decision to not buy processed foods, I've been getting creative in order to still enjoy some old favorite sweets, such as ice cream and peanut butter cups. There are plenty of great recipes out there that do not involve refined sugar and other nasties. One that I found very refreshing on a hot day was this recipe [http://www.foodrenegade.com/no-churn-ice-cream-honey-cinnamon/] for honey cinnamon ice cream. It is 'no churn' but since I have an ice cream maker attachment, I used it. It is simple and the subtle flavor of cinnamon sweetened with honey is so pure and light.

Here's a photo of the delectable treat just before I devour it:

And the neat thing about this ice cream is that it is not so rock hard after it freezes probably because of the honey (but supposedly if you do not add honey you can add vodka to make it not so rock hard).

Then I found this great recipe for almond butter cups: http://www.savorylotus.com/2013/05/17/salty-sweet-almond-butter-cups/#more-1439. These are amazing! My husband, who loves processed sweets and is usually wary of the healthful sweet concoctions I cook up, was eager for another one of these, so they must be tasty! I used my new silicone cupcake liners, which were perfect for peeling out the cups, and they even look like Reese's cups with the brown liner!

Also, these are the opposite of your normal nut butter cups because the chocolate layer is on the inside. But they are perfect! I wouldn't want to change them a bit!

Well, hopefully this inspires some of you to create some delicious treats that are actually good for you, (in moderation)! Next on my list is this recipe for coconut popsicles: 

http://www.savorylotus.com/2013/05/15/coconut-freezer-pops/

"Like the sun rising in the heights of the Lord...

...so is the beauty of a good wife in her well-ordered home" -Sirach 26:16

This verse inspires me in my homemaking aspirations- homemaking is meant to make a woman beautiful! It is to create beauty all around her for those whom she loves, thus making herself beautiful. Lately I have been meditating on the art of homemaking, how it truly is an art, though it is becoming a lost art, sadly.

This weekend I was at a lovely bridal shower for my sister-in-law, and the theme was fitting: 'My Favorite Things About Homemaking'. Several of the ladies mentioned how they did not particularly like keeping house, but they liked making things beautiful. The hostess mentioned that she specifically chose the word 'homemaking' to describe the theme of the shower, because homemaking is not just keeping house, but rather, it is making it a home and making it beautiful for loved ones.

This blog will document some projects in my homemaking adventures. It will also be my motivation to complete some long delayed undertakings. I hope it may inspire others to labor at the art of homemaking, for it is truly a labor of love, and our calling as wives and mothers.