C.Ruegg

For Richer, for Poorer: How Hardships and Poverty can Benefit your Marriage By Cara E. Ruegg image found  here A lot of friends, acquaintances, and some strangers too were very concerned that my husband and I planned on marrying when we weren’t too financially secure, with him working part-time and studying full-time. They talked to me about how my marriage would fall to pieces before it even begun because the stress would be too much, how I’d starve, how this was a cruel thing for me to consider with a child looming in the future (even though his planned graduation was 8 months away from our marriage date). When I told my family though, they had the opposite reaction: nonchalance. Oh, so you’re going to struggle a little bit? Oh, so you’re starting out with scraps. Well, when I married your grandpa… and then the story of true poverty, starting out with nothing in a foreign country came out. I suppose, this is what you get being second generation American.   S

At the Crossroads: Discerning God’s Will By Cara E. Ruegg Available to purchase on my Etsy page I was about 16-years old when I not only decided I was going to become Catholic, but a Religious Sister. I even contacted the Franciscan Sisters in Kansas City, told them I wanted to be a “nun”. The Sister I was speaking to scurried along and got Mother Superior for me. She began discussing the process with me when I blurted out, “I’m not Catholic yet”. I wouldn’t be surprised if she mentally did a back-flip. They ended up sending me a Catechism in the mail and the location of a Latin Mass for me to attend.   My family was at first very shocked by this decision of mine, and I cannot say it met with much favor initially. They didn’t understand why, and it probably didn’t help that I added to the mix “I want to be a nun”. My poor, bewildered mother said to me during this pre-conversion time something along the lines of, “You are all or nothing. It can’t just be half-

Giuseppe Bezzuoli - St. Philomena Peace be to you, Filumena By Cara E. Ruegg Peace be to you, Philomena, Little martyr dressed in white Anchored to the heart of Christ Just a child when they tried To take away your glowing light Just a girl who was in love   With the God, creator above,   Who made your valiant heart   So generous and strong, Make me love Him too   Peace be to you, Philomena, Little princess with lilies in your hair Little virgin all so fair Pray His blood takes away All that’s stained, that’s sullied me. May He alone be that arrow of love That strikes me to my very core Alone may He be for whom I live and die For whom I lay down my life As a little lamb, on a slab of wood For love like you. Peace be to you, Philomena. Here are some of my items for sale in honor of St. Philomena: Philomena Prayer and Symbol on wooden canvas St. Philomena Cup Here are some clothing design

A lot of people looking into my relationship thought that I’d be in for a big surprise when I got married, reminding me that the daily chore of living together day in and day out with someone would bring out all of their flaws and that I had no idea what I was getting into since our courtship was so short (a little bit over a year, most of that long distance and four months or so of it with me uninterested). So far, I haven’t found that too terribly true. Not saying we both don’t have our flaws, but I saw his flaws a mile away and got a feel for them after date #3. Granted, we were both over the age of twenty-five so maybe that helped and he wasn’t the first man I dated, so that may have helped too since I knew the “warning signs” to look out for, we also didn’t get swept up in emotions initially (especially with it starting out completely platonic at first on my end) so there wasn’t any major blinders on that would’ve blurred serious red flags, and we prayerfully discerned be

Here's my take on a couple Sheer Miracle Products: You can get free samples here: https://www.sheermiracle.com/get-free-samples/ Hide the Red Organic Concealer I am so impressed with the green Hide the Red organic concealer. I got free samples from Sheer miracle and love them. It's amazing how well it worked at hiding the red and felt super nice on my inflamed skin. This photo was without any additional cover up on a no make up face. I recommend using the green to cover up and redness on your face, and then putting foundation overtop for additional coverage.  Sheer Miracle Eye Shadow I definitely recommend eyelid primer if you want to pull off the way the eyeshadow looks on the models on their website, because otherwise it is much lighter on your eyelids. This being said, it turned out great in my opinion. It has a bit of a nice shimmer and beautiful color variations.  Top to bottom: beige, flesh, violet, goddess

A Family of Saints: Part Three By Cara E. Ruegg Therese walking with her father -- The discovery of Orion Picture of Therese praying with her father After Zelie Martin’s death, Mme. Guérin, taking to heart Zelie’s dying request, suggested to Louis that he move to Lisieux so as to be closer to her and Zelie’s brother. This would become a new home to the Martin children, and Mme. Guérin another mother. However, Louis Martin, was initially torn at the prospect of moving. His aged mother lived in Alençon and family graves resided there; he also was quite fond of the countryside and many of his close friends and his confessor advised against his moving. Louis turned to his two eldest and said to them, “I am asking your advice, children, because it will be solely on your account that I make this sacrifice, and I would not wish to impose one upon you also.” Both girls assured him they only wanted his happiness, but he figured out their desires, and selflessly p

A Family of Saints: Part Two By Cara E. Ruegg Evening in Alençon - charcoal made by Pierre-Léon-Adolphe Annould In his treatise on the beatification and canonization of the servants of God, Pope Benedict XIV said: “In order to be heroic a Christian virtue must enable its owner to perform virtuous actions with uncommon promptitude, ease, and pleasure, from supernatural motives and without human reasoning, with self-abnegation and full control over his natural inclinations.” Such heroic virtue can be seen in the Martin family, especially as Zélie Martin neared her death. Louis Martin made countless sacrifices for his wife, one of these was letting go of his own business as a watchmaker to better help her in the running of her lacemaking business. On April, 1870, he sold his jewelry shop as well as their home in Rue du Pont Neuf to his nephew, M. Adolphe Leriche, and searched for a new home more suited to his wife’s desires. She wanted a large garden for he