Support Small Business Saturday- Some great small businesses to patronize

I am looking forward to Advent, as I do every year and I am not trying to rush anyone to overlook Thanksgiving (tryptophan here I come!). The reality is, Christmas Eve is not the optimal time to go rushing about for a present to give a loved one so I am going to pass on some sites where you can get some lovely items, some of which will need at least a few days to make it from the maker to your house. Also, the Saturday after Thanksgiving is being promoted as Small Business shopping day so this is your chance to patronize a small business and some of them will/may have promotions for "Black Friday".

1) Lady in Blue- Yes, I gave a shout out to this store in my post on veils, but she has so much more. Check out her t-shirts, dolls and soft nativity. She is offering free shipping for a few days so you can get that rosary purse or veil purse.

http://www.etsy.com/shop/LadyinBlueShop

2) Unbreakable Rosaries- I LOVE her bracelet rosaries. She has unique styles and they don't break. Despite my best attempts, my bracelets tent to occasionally catch on something. I have broken a couple of lesser ones, but hers just laugh (not really but you get the idea, they don't break). If you want to get a keepsake rosary for someone, I highly recommend her.

http://www.etsy.com/shop/unbreakablerosaries?ref=pr_shop_more

3) Catholic Embroidery.com

You need a cover for your missal or breviary/LOTH book, a baby blanket for a birth or baptism, a tote back or you are into aprons, handkerchiefs or pillowcases look no further. Beautiful designs and the main reason my missals and breviary are in as good a condition as they are. I also have her adoration tote which is great for my Bible and prayer books for adoration and my daughter loves her mass bag.

http://www.catholicembroidery.com/Catholic_Embroidery/Catholic_Embroidery/Catholic_Embroidery.html

4) Cute clothes for girls and women. Blouses were always hard for me to find. I found this site due to a tiny add in The Wanderer and it was amazing. I now have feminine and basic blouses that fit. My daughter loves her pink jumper and the white blouse for girls and adults is opaque! That is a very good thing. If you are tall and like skirts of a modest length, this is your site. Her skirts are really well made and the ones I have just make me feel feminine. I also like that they are serious about keeping the Sabbath holy. They disable the purchasing part of their store so no one can buy on Sunday.

http://www.phyllisjean.net/

5) Saints Galore- Cards, calendar
Gorgeous Christmas cards and cards for every other occasion including spiritual bouquets. I have their pro-life luggage tag (stocking stuffer anyone?) and their wall calendar is amazing. The art is beautiful, but more importantly, the calendar includes OF and EF feats and days on the calendar AND it indicates the liturgical color for each day in both EF and OF. So necessary and handy for those of us who attend both forms and it is wonderful for teaching our daughter the proper liturgical color for our Infant of Prague
statue.

http://www.saintsgalore.com/


6) Pro Multis Media
Their dvd and cd of the Rosary in Latin changed my life. I had been trying to learn some Latin for years and their dvd and cd was wonderful to help me learn to pray some of the prayers verbally in Latin. They also have dvd's and cd's of the rosary in English in two different versions. They have some other excellent cd's and they also carry some books and educational cards on the stations of the cross, the mysteries of the rosary, the seven sacraments etc, all in a more traditional art form. They also carry some sacramentals and chapel veils. In fact, they have some of the Spanish veils on sale through the end of November which would be perfect for a woman who likes/wants a shawl veil or someone getting married or having a quincenera.

http://www.promultismedia.net/

Calendar Finds-aka how to avoid your mind playing tricks on you

I must admit that given my choice, I would love to belong to a parish that was strictly TLM. One of the hazards/challenges of attending daily mass in the OF and Sundays in the EF is keeping track of what feast day it is, what saint is being commemorated and what is the liturgical color for the day. And don't get me started on what week in Ordinary time it is in any given week.

We have an Infant of Prague statue with vestments for all of the liturgical colors: white, green, red and purple (no rose yet, but that color is for only two Sundays a year) as a way of teaching our daughter the seasons of the liturgical year as well a way of sanctifying the year.

So, in the post Vatican II period, the seasons of time were renamed, liturgical remembrances were jettisoned (Ember Days) and saint's feast days were moved around, feast days are not celebrated on the correct day, but on the following Sunday (Ascension). Case in point, this past Friday was the Solemnity (for OCDS Carmelites) of St. Therese of Liseux in the NO, but that feast is today in the EF (though suppressed by the Sunday except in those parish's whose patron is St. Therese or for Carmelites.

The result, is almost every week a disconnect between what we are praying at Sunday mass and in my breviary (Benedictine Diurnal) and what we are praying at mass during the week. Once during Pentecost season (I think) this past May, I thought Father was wearing red because of the season but it was for a martyr who had a different feast day in the EF.

So, what is an already busy mom to do? One BIG help has been a wall calendar I found at a bookstore last year. In one of my web searches a few months ago, I found the company that makes the calendar and some other wonderful items. It is a calendar that has what the season and feast is for EF and OF. What really sets this one apart is it also has a guide to the liturgical color for both EF and OF. I know Tan Books also has a dual calendar that has both forms, but it does not indicate the liturgical colors. I also have an EF wall calendar from Seraphim at work (because it is smaller) but it does not help with knowing what the OF is that day.

I highly recommend you check out the Saints Galore calendar. They also make a lovely rosary book that has the prayers in Latin, English and Spanish and a pro-life luggage tag as well as lovely holy cards, and cards including spiritual & prayer bouquets and name day cards.

http://www.saintsgalore.com/

I get no money for this, I am just a satisfied customer who is a lot less confused.