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Listeners have been urging us to have a priest on the show for ages! We finally made it happen by asking Fr. Dan Folwaczny (who we discovered through his fantastic Twitter feed) to join us to discuss vocation.

Fr. Dan is associate pastor of St. Norbert/Our Lady of the Brook in the archdiocese of Chicago. He studied to be an astrophysicist so his story is literally that of a rocket scientist turned priest!

In this episode Fr. Dan shares the story of how God called him to be a priest. We talk about vocation, pursuing holiness without the anxiety of having to fit into boxes, things that surprised him about becoming a priest, and how lay people can support our priests in their vocations and vice versa. We also touch on ways families can encourage children to consider religious life.  We know you’re going to love Fr. Dan’s wisdom and sense of humor and end this episode wanting to send him gifts of mac n’ cheese! So grab a glass of iced tea  (it’s hot out there, folks!) and enjoy the conversation.

To connect with Fr. Dan:

• Twitter

Hear ye, hear ye!

Haley’s book coming out in September is available for pre-order and you can get 20% off if you use the code STEWART over at the publisher, Ave Maria Press’s site! So head on over to grab the deal.

Come hang out with us!

Haven’t joined in on the fun with 3,000+ other FoC listeners in our facebook group? It’s your direct line to some fantastic folks who also care about faith, culture, books, and whatever our current Masterpiece Theatre craze might be! Join in with the link below.

• The Fountains of Carrots Raspberry Cordial Social Club on Facebook (our Facebook group)
• Connect with Haley on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and her blog
• Connect with Christy on Facebook, Instagram, and her blog

You can listen to us on iTunes, and we’d love a quick rating or review. If you have an android device we’re also on Stitcher. And as always, you can find all links, show notes, upcoming guests, and listen to all episodes at Fountains of Carrots.com.

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When we heard rumors that a cause for Willi Graf’s canonization might be opened, we knew we wanted to know more about this young Catholic student who participated in resistance against Nazism in Germany as part of The White Rose and met his death as a martyr. Then we found Dr. Stephani Richards-Wilson who has been studying his life for over a decade! We’re thrilled she was willing to join us for this episode on the inspiring figures who heroically shared the truth about the Third Reich, risking their lives to do so.

Dr. Richards-Wilson is the Director of Graduate Business Programs at Alverno College. She wrote a dissertation on Willi Graf and is currently working on the first biography of Graf to be released in the English language.

In this episode Dr. Richards-Wilson shares the story of Willi Graf and The White Rose, the group of five students and one professor who resisted the Nazis. It is an incredible story! We also discuss the preparation for the cause for Graf’s canonization and how getting to know the saints and details about their lives and personalities helps us see them as human beings who struggle just as we do in their journey toward holiness. We touch on the timeliness of Graf’s story considering the recent resurgence of Nazi ideology, anti-semitism, and racism in our world. And we talk about the importance of sharing the stories of the inspiring and heroic figures when it’s easy to obsess over the perpetrators of horrific crimes. We think you’ll be fascinated by the story of Willi Graf and The White Rose, so grab a cup of tea and settle in!

Further reading on Willi Graf:

Faith Under Fire: Willi Graf and the White Rose, an article by Dr. Richards-Wilson

In this episode we talked about:

The Man in the High Castle

To connect with Dr. Richards-Wilson:

• web site

Our Sponsor:

This episode is sponsored by Sock Religious–a family-owned Catholic company creating saint-inspired socks to rock on your favorite feast days.

All Fountains of Carrots listeners can use code FOUNTAINS to receive 15% off their purchase! Grab your socks here.

Come hang out with us!

Haven’t joined in on the fun with 3,000+ other FoC listeners in our facebook group? It’s your direct line to some fantastic folks who also care about faith, culture, books, and whatever our current masterpiece theatre craze might be! Join in with the link below.

• The Fountains of Carrots Raspberry Cordial Social Club on Facebook (our Facebook group)
• Connect with Haley on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and her blog
• Connect with Christy on Facebook, Instagram, and her blog

You can listen to us on iTunes, and we’d love a quick rating or review. If you have an android device we’re also on Stitcher. And as always, you can find all links, show notes, upcoming guests, and listen to all episodes at Fountains of Carrots.com.

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We’ve had it on our hearts to do an episode on foster care and we realized that Annie Tillberg was the perfect guest to share on the topic! Annie and her husband Dan have an amazing story about fostering–both beautiful and heartwrenching. Annie is a blogger and the biological mother of two beautiful girls on earth (and a baby on the way!) and is currently fostering a sweet baby girl as well.

In this episode we talk about the calling that all women have to motherhood and how that calling is not always to biological motherhood but sometimes to spiritual motherhood, adoption, or foster care. You will learn so much about the practical side of how foster parenting works and the goals of foster care (hint: it’s not typically to adopt the child in your care) as well as the discernment process that the Tillbergs went through in their journey of choosing to become foster parents. We also touch on the sacrificial nature of foster parenting and how it can be a living out of the pro-life message. So grab a cup of tea (and maybe a box of kleenex) and enjoy the conversation!

To connect with Annie:

• blog
• instagram

Come hang out with us!

Haven’t joined in on the fun with 3,000+ other FoC listeners in our facebook group? It’s your direct line to some fantastic folks who also care about faith, culture, books, and whatever our current masterpiece theatre craze might be! Join in with the link below.

• The Fountains of Carrots Raspberry Cordial Social Club on Facebook (our Facebook group)
• Connect with Haley on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and her blog
• Connect with Christy on Facebook, Instagram, and her blog

You can listen to us on iTunes, and we’d love a quick rating or review. If you have an android device we’re also on Stitcher. And as always, you can find all links, show notes, upcoming guests, and listen to all episodes at Fountains of Carrots.com.

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A new film adaptation of one of our favorite classics, Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women has just been released to US audiences and so it seems like the perfect time to discuss this timeless coming-of-age novel. In this episode we tackle the big questions: do each of the March sisters grow and develop to the same degree? Should Jo have ended up with Laurie? What is the deal with Meg and John’s weird marital relationship? And is Amy the literal worst?

We really dive into the romantic relationships in the story as well as determine which March sister we most identify with. We also discuss the pros and cons of the various film versions of the story.  This episode was a blast to record, so grab yourself a cup of tea and enjoy!

In this episode we talked about:

Haley’s review for America Magazine of the new series for BBC/PBS 

This post contains Amazon affiliate links.

Books and films we talked about:

Little Women

2017 film series

1994 film

1949 version

1933 film

Big News!

The book Haley has been working on for over a year with Ave Maria Press JUST became available for pre-order! AND THERE WAS MUCH REJOICING!

You can gain Haley’s undying loyalty by pre-ordering your copy of The Grace of Enough: Pursuing Less and Living More in a Throwaway Culture today! Pre-orders are crucial to getting Amazon and bookstores to stock a book, especially for new authors, so pretty please support your neighborhood podcasting writing mama.

What’s this book all about? It’s part memoir and part reflection and guide to essential elements of intentional Christian living that Haley’s family discovered during an extraordinary year on a farm (with no flushing toilets!) and that they continue to practice today in their little house in the city. You’ll be inspired to:

• live simply
• offer hospitality
• revive food culture and the family table
• reconnect with the land
• nurture community
• prioritize beauty
• develop a sense of wonder
• be intentional about technology
• seek authentic intimacy
• center life around home, family, and relationships

And people who aren’t just Haley’s mom read it and liked it! Here’s what they said:

“If you’ve ever yearned to make radical changes to your life that will bring you lasting satisfaction, this is the book for you.” —Jennifer Fulwiler, SiriusXM radio host and author of Something Other Than God and One Beautiful Dream

“This book is an antidote to the Throwaway Culture, a blueprint to living a fulfilling life. What St. Benedict did for the early monastics, Haley has done for modern suburbanites and families: provide a compelling rule, a practical life plan, one centered on community, simplicity, and charity.” —Brandon Vogt, Content director of Word on Fire Catholic Ministries and author of Why I Am Catholic (and You Should Be Too)

“Prophets wake us to our true state, call upon us to be better than we are, and demand that we think hard about the life we are living. And thus we shy away from prophets. Haley Stewart, however, won’t let us escape so easily. Hers is a genuinely prophetic voice, but one so full of fun and the sheer joy of living that she thoroughly charmed and convinced me. A wonderfully wise book for our confusing and misguided era.” —Paula Huston, Author of One Ordinary Sunday

So pre-order your copy today!

Come hang out with us!

Haven’t joined in on the fun with 3,000+ other FoC listeners in our facebook group? It’s your direct line to some fantastic folks who also care about faith, culture, books, and whatever our current masterpiece theatre craze might be! Join in with the link below.

• The Fountains of Carrots Raspberry Cordial Social Club on Facebook (our Facebook group)
• Connect with Haley on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and her blog
• Connect with Christy on Facebook, Instagram, and her blog

You can listen to us on iTunes, and we’d love a quick rating or review. If you have an android device we’re also on Stitcher. And as always, you can find all links, show notes, upcoming guests, and listen to all episodes at Fountains of Carrots.com.

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Can women “have it all” when it comes to creative fulfillment and nurturing their families? Jennifer Fulwiler says “yes,” but redefines what it means to “have it all” in her new (fantastic!) memoir about pursuing her passion to write in the midst of having 6 babies in 8 years. We have wanted to have Jen on the podcast for ages and this topic is so dear to our hearts (and it’s why we spend time producing a podcast even though we have 8 kids and one on the way between us).

Our creative pursuits matter. God wired us all with certain passions and talents. But how do we nurture these talents without sacrificing our family’s wellbeing? That’s what this episode is all about: saying yes to live-giving creativity that empowers us to serve faithfully, and saying no to “mom guilt” for structuring our lives differently from other families.

You probably already know her, but for the two of you who don’t, Jennifer Fulwiler is a best-selling author, radio show host on SiriusXM The Catholic Channel, speaker, and force of nature. Her whole family of 8 is currently traveling up the eastern seaboard to promote her new book, One Beautiful Dream that releases TODAY!

Whether you’re married, a parent, or single, Jen’s insights in this episode about the Christian call to serve and how pursuing the dreams God gives us helps us live out that calling are for you. So grab your running shoes and headphones or (if you’re like us) grab a cup of coffee or tea and enjoy this engaging conversation!

Jen’s books: (links to Amazon are affiliate links)

One Beautiful Dream

Something Other Than God

Links we discussed:

‘I regret having children’: Macleans

And Haley’s reflection on the article above: Is this why some women regret motherhood?

To connect with Jen:

• web site
• facebook
• instagram
• twitter
• podcast (of her radio show)

Come hang out with us!

Haven’t joined in on the fun with 3,000+ other FoC listeners in our facebook group? It’s your direct line to some fantastic folks who also care about faith, culture, books, and whatever our current masterpiece theatre craze might be! Join in with the link below.

• The Fountains of Carrots Raspberry Cordial Social Club on Facebook (our Facebook group)
• Connect with Haley on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and her blog
• Connect with Christy on Facebook, Instagram, and her blog

You can listen to us on iTunes, and we’d love a quick rating or review. If you have an android device we’re also on Stitcher. And as always, you can find all links, show notes, upcoming guests, and listen to all episodes at Fountains of Carrots.com.

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Divorce and annulment affect so many Catholic women (and men), but they’re often topics that aren’t discussed much in Catholic circles. And annulment is an incredibly misunderstood Church teaching (hint: it’s not Catholic divorce!). We’ve been moved by Patty Breen’s story of her experience of seeking an annulment and we knew that she was just the right person to speak on this topic. But Patty’s expertise on annulments goes beyond personal experience. Helping couples who are seeking annulments is part of her job as a pastoral associate at her parish!

Patty works as a pastoral associate for a Catholic parish in Michigan,  is a runner, and writes for the Catholic women’s ministry Blessed Is She. In this episode we talk with her about her story of discovering her spouse’s addiction problems and the difficult work of trying to save her marriage as well as the discernment she went through to make the decision to end the marriage. We also discuss how the annulment process can be very healing for those walking through it, what to expect when seeking an annulment, how to be a good friend when someone you care about is in the annulment process, and more!

We hope that shedding some light on annulment helps women in difficult situations feel less alone. So grab a cup of coffee or tea and enjoy the conversation!

Links we discussed:

God hates divorce. But God doesn’t hate divorced people: Patty’s piece for America Magazine

Our episode discussing pornography and it’s effect on women with Matt Fradd. 

To connect with Patty:

• blog
• instagram
• twitter

Our Sponsor:

Over West Quilting + Design is an online quilt shop, operated by Gillian Kantor. A wife and mom to five, almost six, Gillian loves designing sweet and simple quilted pieces for the home.

Her Etsy shop features pillows, sleeping bags for dolls or stuffies, lap quilts, and baby blankets. Her newest line includes custom Saint pillows, featuring your favourite Saint, and the Rosary quilt, which has a picture of our Lady, as well as a pocket right in the quilt to hold your rosary or Saint card or small special memento.

You can find Over West Quilting + Design on Etsy and see her new products on Instagram at @overwestquilting. To contact Gillian by email, send your message to overwestquilting@gmail.com

All Fountains of Carrots listeners can use code FOC10 to receive 10% off their purchase!

Come hang out with us!

• The Fountains of Carrots Raspberry Cordial Social Club on Facebook (our Facebook group)
• Connect with Haley on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and her blog
• Connect with Christy on Facebook, Instagram, and her blog

You can listen to us on iTunes, and we’d love a quick rating or review. If you have an android device we’re also on Stitcher. And as always, you can find all links, show notes, upcoming guests, and listen to all episodes at Fountains of Carrots.com.

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As soon as we read Tyler Blanski’s new spiritual memoir An Immovable Feast: How I Gave Up Spirituality for a Life of Religious Abundance we knew we had to have him back on the show. Tyler has so much wisdom to share about the spiritual landscape millennials experience and we could talk to him for hours!

Tyler and his wife Brittany decided to convert to Catholicism just before the birth of their first child when Tyler was an Anglican seminarian. The story is so compelling! We know you will be spellbound by the beauty of their conversion story and if you grew up in Christian subculture during the 90s and early 2000s Tyler’s experience will absolutely resonate with you.

In this episode we talk about the spiritual crises of our generation, how spouses can help each other on their spiritual journeys, the phenomenon of being “spiritual but not religious,” Christian subculture for millennials, and the Blanski’s beautiful conversion story.

So grab a cup of coffee or tea and enjoy the conversation!

Tyler’s book:

(links to Amazon are affiliate links)

An Immovable Feast: How I Gave Up Spirituality for Religious Abundance

More links:

Haley’s review of An Immovable Feast

Our other episode with Tyler: Seeing the Sacred with Tyler Blanski

To connect with Tyler:

• website
• facebook

Coming Soon:

This wildly popular bundle comes around just once a year (this is its 6th year!) and it’s only available April 11th-16th.

This year, Haley’s 35 page ebook The Literary Medicine Cabinet: A Guide to Self-Care Through Good Books is one of the 129 resources included!

If you’re ready to organize and declutter your home, learn to balance your many roles, be a more intentional mom, and put delicious meals on the table faster and easier, then you will definitely want to pick up this bundle for just $29.97 (pssst… it’s worth over $3,680!).

But you have to act fast — at a price like this, they can only offer it for six days! And if you grab your bundle through Haley’s author affiliate link, you’ll get a thank you gift of one of her other ebooks of your choice:

Come hang out with us!

• The Fountains of Carrots Raspberry Cordial Social Club on Facebook (our Facebook group)
• Connect with Haley on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and her blog
• Connect with Christy on Facebook, Instagram, and her blog

You can listen to us on iTunes, and we’d love a quick rating or review. If you have an android device we’re also on Stitcher. And as always, you can find all links, show notes, upcoming guests, and listen to all episodes at Fountains of Carrots.com.

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We’ve been following Mary Haseltine’s blog for years and years and we are thrilled that she agreed to join us on this episode to talk about the sacred nature of birth and how it relates to our faith. With let’s just say lots of kids between us, I’m surprised that we’ve never podcasted about birth before, but now seemed like the right time!

Mary is a doula, mother to five boys, and blogger. She’s about to release her first book with Our Sunday Visitor titled Made for This: The Catholic Mom’s Guide to Birth. She has also studied the Theology of the Body extensively and we love how she combines Catholic teaching on the body with her experience as a mom and doula to help women feel more confident about birth and view it through a sacred lens.

In this episode we talk about bringing prayer into the birthing room, how mothers can prepare for birth, choose healthcare providers, and create a birth plan. We also discuss how mothers who have had traumatic or negative birth experiences can find healing and process their trauma so they can feel confident about future births and their role as mothers. Mary’s book is a fantastic resource and offers tons of reflection, information, and a wide variety of different birth stories. We totally agree with her that there is not “right way” to give birth and love the wisdom she shares in this episode about how women can prepare for a birth that will be right for them.

So grab a cup of coffee or tea and enjoy the conversation!

Mary’s book:

Made for This: The Catholic Mom’s Guide to Birth

To connect with Mary:

• website
• facebook
• instagram

Our Sponsor:

This episode is sponsored by Annunciation Designs.  Catholic families seek beauty and truth in their busy lives.  With hand-lettered designs, Annunciation Designs offers products that call to mind the sacred in the midst of the ordinary.  Find more at annunciationdesigns.com, including hand-printed Catholic baby swaddles, labor encouragement cards, tea towels with Saint quotes that are super appropriate for the kitchen, and cards for the sacraments and other life events. You can also follow @annunciationdesigns on Instagram.

Come hang out with us!

• The Fountains of Carrots Raspberry Cordial Social Club on Facebook (our Facebook group)
• Connect with Haley on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and her blog
• Connect with Christy on Facebook, Instagram, and her blog

You can listen to us on iTunes, and we’d love a quick rating or review. If you have an android device we’re also on Stitcher. And as always, you can find all links, show notes, upcoming guests, and listen to all episodes at Fountains of Carrots.com.

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Today we’re talking about some of our recent good reads and fantastic shows. Books and tv: two of our favorite things! For this episode we each picked three books and three shows that we loved and want to share with you. We cover everything from domestic spy thrillers to books by popes. So grab a cup of coffee and discover some great new reading material and binge watches!

Our Book Picks:

Need to Know by Karen Cleveland

Reading People by Anne Bogel

Jesus of Nazareth: The Infancy Narratives by Pope Benedict XVI

O Pioneers! by Willa Cather

The Glass Town Game by Catherynne Valente

The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley

Sourdough by Robin Sloan

Other Books We Talked About:

Dark Matter by Blake Crouch

Jesus of Nazareth: Holy Week: From the Entrance Into Jerusalem to the Resurrection by Pope Benedict XVI

Shadows on the Rock by Willa Cather

Mr. Penumbra’s 24 Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan

Our TV Show Picks:

Dickensian, Available on Amazon’s Brit Box Channel

Somebody Feed Phil, Available exclusively on Netflix

Broadchurch, Available on Netflix

This Is Us

The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Available on Amazon Prime

The Good Place, First Season Available on Netflix

Other Shows We Talked About:

Anthony Bordain, Parts Unknown

This episode is sponsored by 40 Days to a Feminist Faith e-retreat by our friend Claire Swinarski of The Catholic Feminist Podcast

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One of our favorite people to follow on social media is Brandon Vogt. He’s an author, father of many adorable children, chicken coop builder extraordinaire, and content director for Bishop Barron’s Word on Fire Catholic ministries. And he’s passionate about reviving Catholic apologetics. So after receiving many questions in our FoC facebook group about how to deepen our understanding of the faith and know why we believe what we believe we knew Brandon was just the man to share on this important topic.

In this episode we talk about how knowledge about how to defend our faith became de-emphasized during the rise of ecumenism and how that failure to learn apologetics has contributed to the mass exodus of young people from the Church. Brandon gives advice for conversing with friends, family, and even strangers who have left the faith. We also discussed the very important task of teaching apologetics to our children and shared resource ideas for teaching ourselves apologetics and teaching our children.

Mentioned in this episode:

• ClaritasU.com
• Why I Am Catholic (And You Should Be Too) by Brandon Vogt
• The One Thing: Passing Faith Onto Children by Matthew Kelly
• William Lane Craig kids books on God’s attributes
  • God is Spirit
  • God is Everywhere
  • God is Self-Sufficient
  • God is All-Loving
  • God is All-Knowing
  • God is All-Powerful
  • God is Three Persons
  • God is Forever
  • The Greatness of God
• Lee Strobel apologetics books for kids
  • Case for Christ (For Kids)
  • Case for Faith (For Kids)
  • Case for a Creator (For Kids)
• Natasha Crain apologetics books for parents
  • Talking with Your Kids about God: 30 Conversations Every Christian Parent Must Have
  • Keeping Your Kids on God’s Side: 40 Conversations to Help Them Build a Lasting Faith
• Brandon’s project, Help Them Return
• Robert Bishop Barron’s Word on Fire Catholic Ministries

Brandon’s other books:

Saints and Social Justice: A Guide to Changing the World

The Church and New Media: Blogging Converts, Online Activists, and Bishops Who Tweet

To connect with Brandon:

• website
• facebook
• twitter 

Come hang out with us!

• The Fountains of Carrots Raspberry Cordial Social Club on Facebook (our Facebook group)
• Connect with Haley on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and her blog
• Connect with Christy on Facebook, Instagram, and her blog

You can listen to us on iTunes, and we’d love a quick rating or review. If you have an android device we’re also on Stitcher. And as always, you can find all links, show notes, upcoming guests, and listen to all episodes at Fountains of Carrots.com.