AFFIRMATION

I wanted to share two tools Phil and I have learnt at our marriage preparation course. The first one is called the daily appreciation tool. It is a simple daily exercise where at least once a day you tell the other person one thing that you appreciate or find endearing or attractive about them. Phil and I have been doing this for about 2 months now and we have found it very valuable. Telling Phil one thing I appreciate about him each day has made me become more grateful of him and hearing him affirm me each day makes me feel loved and adored by him. The other exercise is something you can do every so often, rather than on a daily basis. You make a list of absolutely everything that is attractive about your partner. For each quality you then write how that quality (Physical, emotional or spiritual) affects you or makes you feel. For example: The way Phil plays and interacts with his nieces and nephews touches my heart and makes me feel happy and attracted to him. After you have written your lists you share them with each other. Phil and I found this exercise really wonderful. I definitely would recommend these tool to any couple.

THE NATIVITY OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

Today is the Feast of the birth of Mary.

Let us celebrate with Joy!

♥

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee.

Blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.

Holy Mary, Mother of God,

Pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death.

Amen.

MY SISTER'S CLOTHING DAY

On the 14th August, the Feast day of St. Maximilian Mary Kolbe my darling sister received the Habit of Carmel. She had been a postulant for about 7 months. Her new name is Sr Mary Magdalene of Jesus. Isn't that a beautiful title! It was such a lovely day and I am so happy for my sister. Whenever we go down to visit her she is radiating pure joy. It's not hard to tell that this is the life that she has been called to live. Please pray for Sr Mary Magdalene as she journeys towards making her vows.

WEDDING DRESS BUTTONS

I'm getting my wedding dress made by a dress maker and so I have been on the hunt to find all the materials for the dress. I bought the fabric and lace, but was having trouble finding the right coloured button to match my dress. So I decided I'd make my own fabric buttons using the same fabric as my dress that way they would match perfectly. I thought I would do a tutorial on how I did it.

You will need:

·        a thread spool

·        a pair of scissors

·        some self-cover buttons

·        your fabric of choice

·        some tailer chalk

·        some thread

·        a cardboard circle pattern cut-out (This should be included with your self-cover buttons)

1. Trace circle pattern onto the wrong side of the fabric and cut it out.

2. Run a gathering stitch close to the edge of the material. I used a sewing machine, but you could also hand sew. 

3. Place the button in the centre of the fabric on the wrong side and gather by pulling the treads.

      

4. Secure threads tightly and using your fingers smooth out any gathers around the button.

5. Place washer on shank with teeth side down and use the end of a thread spool to push the washer down   firmly.

6. Cut any loose threads close as close to the button as possible.

Ta-Da!!! A cute little satin button

 And here is all eighteen of them.

 So pretty! I can't wait to see them on my dress.

GOOD MORNING SUNSHINE!

Last week I watched the sunrise at the beach. 

It was so stunning to see the clouds slowly change colours from rich pinks to golds.
Beautiful!
God is good!

FR. BARRON ON MARRIAGE AND RELATIONSHIPS

CREATED MALE AND FEMALE

♥

You can hear it in our voices and you can see it in the build and form of our bodies, it's not hard to tell that men and women are different. Our sexuality, either our femininity or masculinity is rooted deeply into our personhood and has a very strong influence on our behaviour in a relationship. Men generally have a strong hearted, protective and problem solving tendency, whereas women generally have a gentle, warm and nurturing tendency. It is no surprise then that men and women feel most loved by different actions. A man will feel most loved by a women when she respects him, and his strength is needed or appreciated by her. A women will feel most loved by a man when he listens to, understands and cherishes her. It is important to be aware of what it is that makes the other feel loved. This way you can choose to give love in the way they best experience it. The fact that we are different is an awesome thing, after all God created us this way. How wonderful it is when man and woman become one and create a beautiful complimentary relationship like no other. Opposites really do attract!

Genesis 1:27 "God created man in the image of himself, in the image of God he created him, male and female he created them."

SPRING IS ON IT'S WAY

I went for a walk through my garden this morning and I noticed these beauties.

Looking forward to fresh mulberries in the spring!!!

Delicious :)

LOVE - A GIFT OF SELF

♥

Phil and I want to ensure that we have laid down a strong foundation to begin our marriage on. So we decided to take a pre-marriage course together. We have been to our first session and we found it really helpful. We learnt that love is not a mere feeling, but a deliberate choice you make to give of yourself to the other person. To truly love someone is to make a gift of yourself. We are all designed to be “gifts” to others and aren’t truly happy with ourselves until we do. Some examples of this self-donation would be an act of service, patiently listening to another, and in the bounds of marriage the total gift of self found in sexual intercourse. The beauty of marriage is that we are called to a mutual gift of self, where both husband and wife give of themselves to each other. Pope John Paul II called this mutual exchange a ‘communion of persons’. There are several characteristics needed to ensure that this gift of self in marriage is sincere. It should be freely given, total (holding nothing back), faithful (exclusive to each other) and fruitful. When entering into marriage, just like Jesus laid down His life for our salvation, we too must be ready to lay down our lives for another and for God and His plan.” What a mighty mission we are called to. I encourage you to reflect the love of God by committing to expressing this self-giving love to those around you.

HIM AND HER

Welcome to our little blog :)
I'm Bernadette and am engaged to a wonderful man named Philip.

He likes the colour yellow. She likes to wear dresses.

We like to...

cook

eat

hike

garden

pray

dance 

laugh
and much more.

We Love God
and we love each other.

Feel free to join us as we journey towards marriage and a lifetime beyond.