The Sofa Works of Mercy

November 28, 2017 By Jenna 6 Comments

The after Thanksgiving shopping frenzy is over, and it’s Giving Tuesday. Just another money-grabbing day to tack on to the madness? Come on now. We’re not that jaded, are we? I like Giving Tuesday! I get to shop, give gifts, perform Corporal Works of Mercy, and I don’t even need to leave my couch. And you can do the same.

Below are seven organizations you can give to from the comfort of your sofa. And you don’t have to do them all today; Pin this post for days when you’re looking to spread a little Christ out into the world.

Feed the Hungry

I love the mission of Heifer. They aim to end hunger and poverty across the globe by providing the means for sustainable agriculture in communities where there is a long history of struggle. Your donations help provide animals such as heifers, goats, and bees, as well as fund training for the recipients so they can have a steady supply of food from the animals and their by products. Families are also able to earn income by selling the surplus of their labor at local markets.

Give Drink to the Thirsty

The Flint, MI water crisis isn’t in the news anymore, but it is still a major problem for residents. Catholic Charities spearheads one of the biggest efforts to provide bottled water and fresh produce among other necessities for members of the community. You can send cases of bottled water per the requirements on their site, or you can donate to their Go Fund Me page.

Shelter the Homeless

Mary’s Mantle is a home for homeless pregnant women in Southeast Michigan. They provide shelter, but they also help women with job search, apartment hunting, parenting skills, nutrition classes, Bible studies, and many other practical skills that will help them beyond their stay. They even have an after-care program so the women can continue to receive support and guidance after they leave.

Visit the Sick

Child’s Play improves the lives of hospitalized children through toys and games. You can donate through PayPal, or you can search for a hospital near you and view its Amazon Wishlist.

Visit the Imprisioned

Chicago Books to Women in Prison is a volunteer organization that matches books to the requests made by incarcerated women in Chicago and other cities from California to Ohio and many states in between. Each inmate is sent three books with an order form to receive more. Requests range from dictionaries and Bibles to crafting books and GED prep. Browse their Amazon wish list to see which books are in high demand right now.

Bury the Dead

Gavin’s Gifts provides caskets for families who are mourning a stillbirth of a child. The average cost to make one of these caskets is $140, and 100% of your donation goes to buying supplies: wood, hardware, silk, and embellishments.

Give Alms to the Poor

The philosophy behind GiveDirectly is simple: they give money to the poor, no strings attached, and they allow those people to purchase whatever they need with that money. Some may argue that teaching a man to fish is a better model of charity, but that man also needs assistance while he is learning the trade.

“And the king will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.’” Matthew 25: 40

Liturgical Living for the Everyday Woman

April 1, 2017 By Jenna 4 Comments

So you want to make more time to celebrate the liturgical year, but every time you go searching for ideas, you find a plethora of children’s craft and youth group game ideas. While those things are so needed in those specific arenas, where does the adult woman fit in? How do we celebrate the beauty of the Church year as an adult?

We are here with a variety of ideas for adult members of the Church so they too can feast on and observe these special days. From recipes to readings and chrism to charity, you’ll find plenty of gorgeous ways to live your faith this next month.

Head to Blessed is She to read more.

3 Arrow Prayers to Keep in Your Back Pocket

September 28, 2016 By Jenna 5 Comments

I was at the gym after just finding out we were pregnant with #4; this baby was a surprise, so I was feeling uneasy and anxious. My gym-friend came by to say hello and asked how I was doing. I told her the truth.

“We just found out we are pregnant with #4. We are happy, but honestly, I am also really scared. Will you pray for me?”

This friend is a special person. She is not like most people who say, “Of course! You’re in my prayers.” Nope. She stopped everything she was doing right there in the locker room and extended her hands over me while she prayed a beautiful prayer out loud for the whole world to hear. She finished by saying, “If I don’t pray over someone right when they ask, I always forget.”

Most people won’t do that. I have never done that. I am the one who says, “Yes! I will be praying for you!” And, not to toot my own horn, but I follow through. I used to forget. I used to tell people I would pray for them, and that was nothing more than a platitude. So, I had to come up with a better method.

I came up with three prayers that work in just about any situation where prayer is called for. I can quickly offer up these words for someone in need and do my merciful duty right on the spot. I mean, I can always pray more later, but at least I know I have put in a good word for that person already.

So, what are these three prayers?

Lord, have mercy.

Someone’s Facebook status is asking for prayers for her mom who just had a heart attack. A friend’s husband is being laid off. Another tragedy has taken place in the world. “Lord, have mercy.” This is a way for us to ask God to be kind and forgiving toward us and to help us in our time of need.

May perpetual light shine upon him.

Praying for the souls in purgatory is so important. They cannot pray for themselves. We need to do our duty to pray them into Heaven. Whenever I hear of a death (an acquaintance, friend of a friend, a celebrity, a world event), I offer up this prayer.

God is good!

And, it’s always important to thank God. When you or someone else is celebrating good news or an accomplishment or a blessing, let God know you recognize his goodness!

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Now, can we always pray this way? Is this type of arrow prayer* a great substitute for thoughtful time with the Lord? Um, no. But, when we say these three short prayers with sincerity, we can assure that God hears us, and he honors those prayers. We can never forget to pray for one another!

*quick prayers we shoot up to God in the midst of our day

Fighting for Our Marriage: The Secret Weapon

July 25, 2016 By Jenna 4 Comments

Happy 48th birthday, Humanae Vitae! Read my thoughts along with Cardinal Dolan, Archbishop Chaput, Sister Helena Burns, Tommy Tighe, Sheila Liaugminas, and Janet Sahm Easter. A donkey among horses, I am.

Do you know what creates the tightest bonds? A common goal. Or a common enemy, if you will. My husband and I are on the same team fighting the same fight – and no, the opponent is not natural family planning. Instead, that is our weapon.

Every single day we must choose to stand together and fight off the culture of death in the media, in the people we know and in ourselves. We have to humble ourselves when we find out we are pregnant with our fourth after broadcasting that we wanted to take a break from having kids for a few more months.

Read the rest here.

And follow Couple to Couple League in the following places:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/The-Couple-to-Couple-League-Natural-Family-Planning-211105765697/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/coupletocouple/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/coupletocoupleleague/

Should Catholic Makers Share Their Business Secrets?

February 20, 2016 By Jenna 5 Comments

You put hours of work and research into your crafts, and then someone emails you with, “Could you share how you make your product?” What is the Catholic answer to this situation? It might be a little different than your instinct.

Like most things in life, I don’t think there is a prescriptive “Catholic” answer to situations like this. Womp womp. So, I decided to ask my husband, and he came up with some bangers.

photo credit | dollar photo club | nikolaydonetsk

So, Mike’s company makes parts for planes that are often used in combat. It is a top secret 007 facility, so they don’t share industry secrets because it is a matter of national security (much fancy). The processes of his company also create jobs for thousands of people, so sharing those things would eliminate the livelihood of tons of people.

Those reasons seem pretty obvious. If it is a matter of security or livelihood for your family or business, then, no, it might actually be wrong to share your secrets.

What about something with lower stakes like personal recipes? If a friend asked you for your recipe at a potluck, 99% of time you would share it. But maybe you don’t want to share your secret sauce because it is special to you – it makes you stand out. And that’s ok to keep it to yourself.

Is what you’re doing something very special to you that makes you unique? In this case, you can choose whether or not to share, and either way is equally fine.

Sometimes the info that you’re being asked for can easily be looked up; it might be public knowledge. While it may be annoying to have to answer these questions for someone when you took the time to figure it all out yourself, the charitable thing may be to share the information or point the person in the right direction to finding it.

Then again, the time that you put into research and development is part of the product cost. If the hours that you put into trial and error and picking and choosing is integral to the quality of your product, sharing might jeopardize that.

Think about the goal of your business. Is it to help humanity in some way? The CEO of Tesla, Elon Musk, put it this way: “If we’re all in a ship together, and the ship has some holes in it, and we’re sort of bailing water out of it, and we have a great design for a bucket, then even if we’re bailing out way better than everyone else, we should probably still share the bucket design.”

But maybe your goal is to make some extra money for your family. Is divulging information about your craft going to dilute the field and take away from your income? Or perhaps you just create for fun, and there is no consequence for giving up that knowledge.

In the end, whatever you decide, you do need to respond to inquiries in a Catholic way. It ends up being more about why you choose whether or not to share trade secrets and how you go about interacting with the person asking.

Has this ever happened to you? What was your response?

Check out my shop for your embroidery needs and anxiety remedies.

Color Me Prepared

February 3, 2016 By Jenna 1 Comment

disclaimer stuff: got a product, words are mine, etc.

The little Christmas tree the kids begged me to keep up until Candlemas (hello and goodbye…), is mocking me in the corner. It knows Lent starts next week. Next. Week. As in the 10th.

What are you going to abstain from? How are you going to make it meaningful? What are your grand plans for sainthood? I don’t know!

I do have the coloring pages covered. We all know coloring pages are code for “I don’t have my act together, but I want to live liturgically with my kids.” (p.s. I am working on a new book for families called The Lazy Liturgical. Keep your eye out for it.)

But what if coloring pages weren’t lame, and they were actually thebomb.com, or more specifically, illustratedchildrensministry.com?

The kids and I plan on working through An Illustrated Lent for the next 40ish days. Coloring is my jam, and my kids share the love too. It’s the one thing I do right as a parent. (And if you’re looking for over-achiever status, try the Family Edition package with easy and adorable devotion pages.)

And these suckers are HUGE. Check it out. There are nine of these bad boys:

2ft x 3ft x 2 cute feet

These nine original, meditative coloring posters each have a word in the middle to use for reflection, meditation and discussion. I can do that.

So, you just need to go over and get them now. Because Lent is next week. Next Week. And use the promo code CALLHERHAPPY for 20% off because I’m magic like that.

30th Birthday Mess

November 2, 2015 By Jenna 9 Comments

Instead of writing a bunch of separate posts, you get this big old mess of a post, but it’s my (30th!!!) birthday today, so maybe just roll with me?

Dia de los Muertos

Today is All Souls Day. Remember to pray for the Holy Souls in Purgatory. And learn more about today’s indulgences here. I’ve got some pics of this year’s sugar skull makeup. See past years here.

We spent yesterday at the Detroit Institute of Arts where they had an ofrenda exhibit. I was in Dia heaven, while the kids were less than thrilled and more than scared.

made by my cousin, Patti Pfaendtner!

The best gift? My brother surprising me from Cali <3

Etsy News

I’m having a sale in my shop until the end of today. 15% off with code DIADELOSMUERTOS. Get some Christmas shopping done, maybe?
Also until the end of the day (7:30 est), there is an Insta-auction going on to support the Van Drie family. Kristen is a fellow Michigan maker, and her family recently suffered the loss of their sweet 6yo daughter Kaylee. Consider supporting her family by bidding on one of the hundreds of donated items in the Instagram auction located at @candlesforkaylee.
My friend Kathie just opened up her Etsy shop, and it is just in time for the chill coming in. Adorable hats and high quality photography. I mean, check out my kiddos:

I think my favorite item in her shop right now is the Cinderella hat. Supah clever! Click over and give her a heart on Etsy.

Blog Announcement

Now that my book is done I feel like my blog has come to fruition – like it was all building up to this: a resource to really help people battle a cause I feel passionately about.

I’m not done blogging; I’ll still post here from time to time, but I’m going to focus my efforts on my embroidery shop and (if the winds of the spirit blow me in that direction) homeschooling. Oh, and God wants me to write another book coming next year: The Lazy Liturgical (all about how to celebrate and observe the many feasts and solemnities of the Church without any preparation at all) – so there’s that too.

Ashley will be taking over 5Faves starting Nov. 11. She’s so incredibly qualified that it ain’t even funny.

And my site will remain as well. Consider it more of a landing page for all things Call Her Happy: the blog, the book, the shop, the girl.

And, if you’d like to keep up with me, I’ll be over on the gram peeking on you too.

El Fin

If you made it all the way down here, good on ya. Leave the names of your faithfully departed in the comment section. I would love to pray for them today.

#5Faves: Catholic Jewelry

September 22, 2015 By Jenna 5 Comments

In honor of Papa being in the States this week, I thought I’d get real.deep. on your and talk about my favorite pieces of Catholic jewelry. I mean, if you can’t be at the party in Philly with him, you can celebrate by looking fancy at home.

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Sacred Heart Leather Wrap Bracelet from Tartan Haus

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Our Lady of Guadalupe Cameo-style Ring by In the Lavender Haze

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Pope Francis Earrings by Please Buy My Art

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Mary Locket by Chloe’s Vintage Jewelry

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Miraculous Medal Brooch by Bad Chihuahua Designs
(No one buy this unless you’re buying it for me, then have at it. I want it hard.)

What are your pieces of Catholic jewelry? Tell me in the comments or link up your #5Faves (about anything!) below. .

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#5Faves Things About BIS

August 18, 2015 By Jenna 9 Comments

Blessed Is She started almost one year ago. Time to love on it a little more than I already do.

What is Blessed Is She?

“Blessed is She is about a deep spiritual honesty, transparency and authenticity; remaining true to the Magisterium throughout. We want to reflect upon the lives of the many women that contribute to this site while also allowing the contributor’s voice to share peeks of individuality to show that we understand from experience, the collective of women who could be reading our work. Keep in mind all that they could be facing and focus in on how we can best help them to find their way to prayer each day. Daily grace for pondering hearts.” {from our style guide} Check it meow-t.

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The Sisterhood: Not only is this a daily readings and devotions site for women, it’s a community. I’m talking super Sister Sledge. If you are part of BIS, you are part of a greater group of women who have.your.back. Find your regional group on Facebook, and start attending brunches and other fancy yet laid back events.

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The Devotions: So, each day I read a little bit of The Word, but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t speed read down to the bottom to get into the devotions. The authors write from the heart, pouring out some truth. These women relate The Word to our own lives – whether you’re a mom, a wife, in the workplace, at home or in school. Or maybe you’re just a hobo for Christ.

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The Gear: I’m a big fat one for pretty thangs. And BIS is all about the gorg. Not suprisingly, they have the cutest shirts, journals, prints et-set-er-uh. I wear the classic tank so much that I would be embarrassed if I actually cared about that ish. Shop here.

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The Images: I told you, BIS is all about what is beautiful. People are drawn to what is pleasing to the eye, no? So, what better way to bring women closer to the gift of Christ than to wrap it up in some pretty packaging. The Gram is full of beautiful shots that in which you can imagine yourself.

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The Giveaways: And, of course, to celebrate a year, BIS is giving away tons of pretty goodies. Enter the Rafflecopter below. Best of luck, dears.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

How has Blessed Is She impacted your life? Tell me in the comments or link up your #5Faves (about anything!) below. .

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#5Faves: Articles About NFP

July 21, 2015 By Jenna 12 Comments

It’s NFP awareness week, my people. So, I’m here to, uh, make you aware. All of the honesty without any of the details! And, since I am doing a craft show this weekend, I will keep this as brief as my Phase 3…ha. Kidding. Sometimes.