Our family tries hard to find a holy balance between recognizing Advent as a penitential season and recognizing that I, once again, did not buy a couple of Christmas presents each month through the year like I said I was going to.
I don't like the idea of rushing out on Black Friday to buy presents because crowds, lines, and stress, oh my! If any of y'all are like me and prefer to stay at home to do your Christmas shopping - pop open Pandora Christmas, grab your hot chocolate, and click here to feel the festive.
 |
| Shamelessly stolen from Organic Mama's Shop's Facebook page. |
I met the lady behind the beads, Shannon, at Edel this summer. I helped her run her Organic Mama's Shop booth and let me tell you, this lady is legit. She has a passion for and genuinely loves helping busy, overwhelmed mamas grow (try to? tell me I'm not alone) in holiness. And I don't know how she does it, since she's a busy homeschooling pregnant (!!!) mama of many littles! But she does and her work is incredible. I love her work so, so much.
Shannon was gracious enough to gift me with a Rosary from her shop. I told her that I'd love to review something, but I'm not a nursing mother and I can't wear bracelets because my wrists are so thin you could probably floss your teeth with them. Then she told me about her rosaries.
I have wanted a good, beautiful rosary for ages - not that the plastic ones aren't good rosaries! Just one that wasn't going to be broken by little hands eagerly wanting to pray her Aves (or throwing a fit because she wanted to hold it, I've heard it both ways) and one that hadn't been given away (because that always seems to happen, amiright? You end up on a plane next to the one on-the-fence non-Catholic who is considering converting but just can't make the swim across the Tiber? And what else can you do except give him your Rosary because Mama Mary will help him!).
What really spurred me into wanting a rosary that lasted through my lifetime was the death of my grandpa this summer. He died with his rosary in his hand. And our entire family has fond memories of him praying on this beloved rosary. I would love that for my children - to have memories of their mama using the same beautiful Rosary over the years.
Shannon's given me just that. Look at this beautiful treasure.
Shannon is truly an artisan. The quality of her work is unsurpassed. The beads are made of semiprecious stone and strung together with sturdy cotton cord. I've carried this beautiful Rosary around in my pocket, I've let my children use it, I've let my two-year old niece play with it and it's stayed together. Seriously, very, very well made. It is obvious that her work is built to last a lifetime - and we all know that for Catholic mamas, that usually means lots and lots of little hands will be loving on the item through the years, too!
 |
| Not staged one single bit.... |
And IF IF IF it ever breaks, Organic Mama's Shop has a lifetime repair or replacement policy. If for some crazy reason your rosary (or jewelry from her store) breaks, just send it back to Shannon and she will repair or replace.
Who has that kind of service nowadays??
And on top of that, 10% of all her income through her shop goes directly toward supporting crisis pregnancy centers.
Remember when I said this lady cares about helping women grow in holiness? See what I mean?
As I mentioned, Organic Mama's Shop sells more than just Rosaries, if you already have your perfect Rosary. She has Rosary bracelets (recently reviewed by my sweet friend Cate) which are well-loved throughout the Catholic mama community; novena bracelets that help absent-minded mamas remember that yes, I did commit to nine days of prayer; nursing bracelets which would have been fantastic when I was a nursing mama; and nursing necklaces which are not only useful, but so beautiful. She has lots of other products in her store so go check her out, really.
And Shannon graciously gifted my readers with the code STORYOFOURSOULS for 20% off. So leave Organic Mama's Shop open on your husband's computer tonight with your favorite item winking at him from the page and then casually mention the 20% off deal. Remember to act surprised on Christmas morning. Rinse and repeat for birthdays. At least that's the plan for me. :)
No comments:
Post a Comment