Travel Bug

My boyfriend's sister just returned from a year in Poland. She was doing a high school exchange there. I have never been to Europe, but am dying to go. All her travel stories have made me long for travels of my own.

As much as I admire other places all over the world, I am very much a homebody. I think I should start with the exploration of my home, Canada, before venturing anywhere else this time. I have been as far west as the city of Vancouver in beautiful British Columbia (yes, I will give you this, your licence plates are accurate) to visit family last April. I have also been in every province between here and there- Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta.

{Beautiful city of Vancouver-and this coming 
from a country lady!}

I have been as far east as New Brunswick, and travelled through Quebec. And, next on my list (who knows when, though) is P.E.I.

{I love me some Ocean & light houses!}

{Prince Edward Island-you're killin me!}

{My mouth...it's watering}

{Green Gables! It's captures my childhood memories 
of reading about Anne}

{How lovely! I love me some potatoes-heehee}

Let's go exploring!

Emily xox

Praise be to God, for this lovely place!

Pinterest Closet

I will admit once again that I am addicted to Pinterest. Yes, it is a thing.

I will also tell you that I have a Pinterest closet. It is wear I keep the clothes I would own if I had endless financial ability AND the space to house all of it.

I thought that with summer being here and all, I would share with you some of my favorite Pinterest pieces.

This dress is from ModCloth. It is cute and summer and perfect...

Maxi skirts and dresses are so popular this year. This one from ShopBop is adorable and fun!

This outfit is from http://www.classygirlswearpearls.com/ , and is perfect for summer boating and relaxing, but still dressy and modest enough for anywhere you may find yourself this summer!

Another ModCloth find, this dress is perfect for summer weddings or dressy occasions you may find yourself attending.

Last but not least, there strappy sandles that are linked to this site can do no wrong. They are too cute & a delightful colour! So perfect for summer!

Happy summer shopping!

Emily xo

Saint Maria, Pray for Us!

Happy Feast of Saint Maria Goretti! 

This image was recognized my Maria's mother to be a close likeness of her daughter, so I thought it would be lovely to include on this day. You can visit my previous posts about St. Maria, or this Catholic Fire article to find out more about this wonderful young lady and her awesome courage.

Cardinal Salotti, after Maria's death, said,

"Even if she had not been a martyr, she would still have been a saint, so holy was her everyday life."

God bless,

Emily xo

Get to Know the Mess

I decided I was going to a 'get to know me' kind of post. I am going to answer a series of questions about myself, and I would love if you'd do the same. We can get to know one another!

You are kind of getting to know the Mess that is looking for the Message.

Q: What word best describes you?

A: I would have to go with passionate, I think. I have a fiery passion for justice, life and many, many other things. When I love something, or believe in something, I will fight for it. I am passionate about the life and faith I live.

Q: What is your favourite food?

A: Hmmm...I really enjoy food, so this is tricky. However, I will narrow it down to two-one actually food and one dessert/treat type food. Taco salad is a number one for sure. I love everything about it. And, hands down, ice cream. I would eat it every single day. I have yet to cross an ice cream I dislike.

Q: What is your mission?

Probably if I knew the answer to that I would not be the host of this blog. However, I know my above-all mission is to serve my King.

Q: Who do you admire?

A: There are many people worth my admiration. But if I had to pick one, right at this moment, I would choose Troy. He is the most giving person I know. He loves me unconditionally-which, let me tell you, is no easy task. He is the hardest worker in the world. Seriously. He never stops.

Q: If you had a million dollars, what would you do?

A: A loaded question, to be sure.
If I was feeling greedy & wanted something for myself it would be a reliable vehicle. Nothing brand new or fancy...just one that works. And, a piece of waterfront property or a cottage. Again, nothing fancy. Just a small, remote cabin on the water that I can stay in with my family in the summer.
I would go to the Philippines and visit Baby, the little girl I sponsor, and I would give her the world, and so much love.
I would make sure my family was taken care of, and I would take their debt away in a heartbeat so they wouldn't have to be burdened with worry.
I would send money to my Dominican friends in Yamasa so they could improve their life in anyway it needs to be.
I would buy a stranger's groceries.
I would be incredibly thankful.

Q: What are your favourite books?

I love books. I love to unlock the mystery that is hidden in the words. I love Karen Kingsbury books. They are easy to read, innocent, and good to relate to. I am currently reading Three To Get Married by Fulton J. Sheen.  It is a phenomenal book, and  one of my favourites.
To be honest though, my favourite books are always changing. My old time favourites are The Mitchells: Five for Victory, Anne of Green Gables, Little House on the Prairie, Ramona and Beezus (and all Ramona books!) and The Giver.

Q: Camping or a luxury hotel?

Camping, hands down. I would spend every moment of the summer camping, if I could.

Q: Are you a morning person?

A: Definitely. I love being up in the morning, saying my prayers as the sun rises and drinking a cup of coffee. It is peaceful and beautiful.

Q: Can you keep a secret?

A: If you asked my boyfriend he would tell you I can't keep one to save my life. He may be on to something. If I know the secret is important, or private or would hurt someone, I can keep it under lock and key. But, do I tell people about their Christmas gifts before Christmas? Guilty.

Q: What chore do you absolutely hate doing?

A: Dusting! I hate dusting, but do it all the time. What I hate about it is having to move everything to dust thoroughly. It seems like so much extra work, and the next day everything is dusty all over again!

Q: Do you have a favourite smell?

A: Freshly cut grass and babies. Anything baking.

Q: What is your favourite sound?

A: Children laughing, and babies cooing. Silence.

Q: What is the hardest thing you have ever done?

A: There are always trials in our life, and I have come to roll with the punches. The hardest thing I have ever had to do was bringing forward a person I knew and trusted for abusing my closest friend.

Q: The best part of waking up is...

A: The stillness of the day before all the memories and knowledge of the day that lies ahead comes crashing down. The first deep breath of morning air.

Have a fabulous Friday, loves!

Emily xo

Small Bedroom Ideas

Come the fall I will be having a new bedroom. It will be tiny. And I will be sharing it.

Soooo...

Pinterest and I have been spending a ridiculous amount of time together. I thought I would share some of the ideas I have found with you, and hopefully you will find some inspiration.

1.

I found the link to this site and photo on Pinterest, and was intrigued. This is about maximizing space in a small bathroom (specifically at a cottage). But, I thought this was a very neat idea.
Since my new room will be tiny, and shared I will not have a lot (or any, really) space for any extras. Just the necessities will have a place and the rest will be packed away for future use. But, I have a few novels that I have read, and love, and always go back to that I cannot bring myself to pack away. I also got a candle for Christmas that has the most beautiful jar and is a lovely colour that I don't want to pack away either. And, I have a few other, tiny pieces that I would love to have out but don't have a spot for.
So, I have decided I will make myself a shelf like this for above the bedroom door. I can put a few nicknack's up there that would otherwise get packed away. They'll be simple, special things that I don't need or use very often, but add a personal touch to a space that would otherwise go unused.

2.

Again, Pinterest showed me this site. In this new room of mine we are having 1 set of white bunk beds. What I liked from this photo, and took from it to help in my designing ideas, was the shelves at the head of the beds. You have to look closely, but there are shelves running along the heads of both bottom bunks.

We all have things we like/need to keep close by where we sleep, but in a small room a night stand takes up valuable space. Having shelves at the head of the bed not only removes a night stand, but it also allows the person on the top bed to have storage.

3.

Click here for the link to this site. Because I will be in school in the fall I am going to need a desk in my room, but desk storage space will be limited. I am thinking that the mason jars below this shelf would be ideal for paper clips, tacks, and other miscellaneous desk items.

This would also be good for storing things like hair ties, bobby pins or small jewellery that you wear on a regular basis and want close by.

Freeing up space on your desk or dresser allows for you to have a smaller piece of furniture, and therefore giving you more space in your small room.

Okay, well that is a start of my ideas anyway. Let me know if you have any suggestions!

-Emily xo

Quote of the Day- Country Music

Today's quote is from one of my all time favourite country songs, Love like Crazy by Lee Brice. There are so many wise words in the song, so even if you are not a lover of country music, it is worth a listen.

This photo was taken from Pinterest... I am addict.

-Emily xo

O, Canada

Yesterday, July 1st, was Canada Day!

To all you fellow Canadians out there, I hope you enjoyed your day of red and white!

On Sunday morning my boyfriend & I went to Mass together, and as the final song, the choir asked the congregation to join in the singing of O Canada. I stood my straightest, with my hands at my side.

Sunday evening my family invited over a bunch of my extended family. We had red and white cupcakes and napkins. We ate and drank and celebrated.

Last night my boyfriend and I went to the celebrations in his home town and watched the fireworks and listened to the laughing children and cheering adults from his truck, parked up on a hill.

Today, I carry on with my life and go to work and love my family and breath a silent prayer of thanks for my life here.

I am proud of being a Canadian, and am immeasurably grateful that I was born in this country. But, every year on Canada Day I find it challenging to be so proud of a nation that is so falsely wonderful.

 We are too polite and politically correct to call a spade a spade and to call one another out when something is wrong. Oh yes, we have legalized gay marriage, how progressive of us. Never mind that is a sin and we are a Christian nation. We have removed God from everywhere possible (with the exception of out National Anthem, but I am sure that is coming), when we have scripture quotes engraved in the Peace Tower on Parliament Hill that have stood the test of time.

We have immigration rates that are sky high which is the only reason we are able to sustain our population. Immigration is wonderful, but we cannot allow the murder of millions of unborn Canadian babies to happen because we are too 'politically correct' to enforce any sort of law in this regard. It is pathetic that we need to rely on people fleeing their own countries in order to sustain our own country.

I am proud that I am a Catholic Canadian, and that I live in a nation that allows me to be so. I am shamed by how ungodly our nation is, and how we have given evil an upper hand. But, I am far from being proud of this country. We are not doing justice to our ancestors who founded this place.

God bless this nation,

Emily xo