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We are thrilled that Ann Marie Heasley of one of our favorite design blogs, White House Black Shutters, joined us for this episode!

In our conversation with Ann Marie, we chatted about decluttering the space in our homes and how it’s possible to simplify with small children in the house. We also picked Ann Marie’s brain about how she nourishes her own creativity while balancing her role as a mother. So listen in to hear all about clean counter envy, a healthy perspective on beautiful pictures on the internet, and more!

Mentioned in this episode:

40 Bags in 40 Days

The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo

How a Family of Five Got Rid of Half Their Stuff: Carrots for Michaelmas

To connect with Ann Marie:

• blog – White House, Black Shutters
• facebook – White House, Black Shutters
• Ann Marie on twitter
• Ann Marie 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.

Disclosure: This post contains Amazon affiliate links.

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Who doesn’t love talking baby names?

We both love talking baby names and today we have the Catholic baby naming expert Kate Towne of Sancta Nomina with us to indulge in the whys and hows of baby names from a Catholic perspective.

We discuss the value of the Catholic tradition of naming our children, Kate gives both Haley and Christy a name consultation based on their children’s names, and we chat a little about Catholic hipster names and trying to get our husbands to go along with our name loves. It’s a fun episode that’s sure to get your mind spinning up new names for all your possible future children.

Mentioned in this episode:

Sancta Nomina

The Baby Name Wizard

Behind The Name

Connect with Kate:

• Facebook
• Twitter
• 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 happy to have Emily Stimpson on the show. Emily is a renowned Catholic writer, speaker, and author who has recently begun sharing her wonderful recipes, hospitality tips, and home decor ideas on her new blog, The Catholic Table. We thought she’d be the perfect guest to discuss the importance of food as a sign and symbol of God’s love and it’s inherent connection to the Eucharist.

We also have a great time talking about hospitality; why it matters and why we should make it a priority in supporting the community around us. Emily talks about her 100 year old home and how she’s discovered her own style and why bringing beauty to your home is a spiritual practice.

We have a lovely conversation that’s perfect for this time of year when we think of hosting, cooking, and taking time to treasure our loved ones, we hope you enjoy it!

Links to Emily’s posts we talked about today:

Sometimes You Just Need To Eat Cheesecake…And Other Important Truths About Food

Good To Eat: How I Said “Goodbye” to Anorexia and “Hello” to Cheese

A Window to God: Five (Affordable) Ways to Bring Beauty Into Your Catholic Home

Let’s Get Personal: Making Your Catholic Home “Your” Catholic Home

Where to find Emily:

• The Catholic Table
• Emily’s speaking and writing website
• Facebook
• Twitter

Emily’s books:

These Beautiful Bones: An Everyday Theology of the Body

The American Catholic Almanac: A Daily Reader of Patriots, Saints, Rogues, and Ordinary People Who Changed the United States

The Catholic Girl’s Survival Guide for the Single Years: The Nuts and Bolts of Staying Sane and Happy While Waiting for Mr. Right

The Fulfillment of All Desire Study Guide

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 looking forward to chatting with author, blogger, and podcaster Cari Donaldson for ages! And it was even more fun than we imagined.

We asked Cari all about her family’s recent move from suburbia to an old house with plenty of land and what life is like on their new-to-them homestead. There was also some fangirling about a few of our favorite TV shows: the respectable and the embarrassing. And we finished things out by chatting about the challenges of raising large families. Cari is awesome and we know you’re gonna enjoy all she has to share!

Mentioned in this episode:

Cari’s homestead (first floor house tour and garden tour)

The Walking Dead (read Cari’s recaps here)

Firefly

True Detective

Cari’s book:

Pope Awesome and Other Stories

To connect with Cari:

• blog – Clan Donaldson
• blog – Ghost Fawn Homestead
• Ghost Fawn podcast
• facebook – Clan Donaldson
• facebook – Ghost Fawn Homestead
• Cari on twitter
• Cari on Instagram
• Ghost Fawn Homestead on Instagram
• Ghost Fawn Homestead on 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.

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In this episode we had the pleasure of interviewing the wonderful Nancy C. Brown about one of our favorite topics: the Harry Potter series. Nancy is the author of The Mystery of Harry Potter: A Catholic Family Guide and The Woman Who Was Chesterton (about G.K. Chesterton’s wife Frances).

We had a nerdfest sharing about our love for the books. We discussed how they can be positive for both the moral imagination of the child and for family bonding and we examined some of the Catholic themes in the series. We also went into some of the concerns parents have about the series.

If you haven’t read the Potter books and aren’t sure if you want to share them with your children, I highly recommend reading Nancy’s book. She covers every concern I’ve seen raised about the books, so definitely start there to discern whether they’re right for your family!

Mentioned in this episode:

Harry Potter!

Lepanto by G.K. Chesterton

Nancy’s books:

The Mystery of Harry Potter: A Catholic Family Guide

The Woman Who Was Chesterton

To connect with Nancy:

• blog
• podcast

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 happy to have author, blogger, master of the new media, and content director for Word on Fire, Brandon Vogt. He’s here to discuss Pope Francis’s visit to the United States and to hash out the things you’ve seen in the media and on your Facebook feed with what Pope Francis really said.

We recorded this episode last Thursday, so only two days into the Papal visit, but we think we touched on a lot of important themes from the Holy Father’s visit.

We have Pope Francis fever and we know if you do too you’ll enjoy this episode!

Mentioned in this episode:

Brandon’s new project, Help Them Return

Robert Bishop Barron’s Word on Fire Catholic Ministries

Brotherhood of Hope

Pope Francis’s address to Congress

A little bit more about Dorothy Day and Thomas Merton

Christy’s post on Dorothy Day’s autobiography, The Long Loneliness. 

Pope Francis responds to reporter, “…if they want me to recite the Creed, I can!”

Highlights from Bishop Barron’s World Meeting of Families keynote speech

The Onion articles: Pope Francis Reverses Position On Capitalism After Seeing Wide Variety Of American Oreos and Pope Francis Kills 3 Hours Milling Around Atlanta Airport During Layover To D.C.

Brandon’s favorite Catholic news sources: John L. Allen, Jr. on Crux, National Catholic Register

Pope Francis’s encyclical Laudato si’

Brandon’s 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.

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Today we’re back with the second part of Mary’s incredible story of her daughter Courtney’s life. Mary shares with us the details of Courtney’s final days on earth, complete with profound moments of grace. This is a beautiful testament of the power of faith and that death does not have the final word.

We hope that you are moved by Mary’s story. Please head over to Mary’s blog to read more about Courtney and if you feel so moved donate to helping pay down the Lenaburg’s medical bills with the Paypal button on the sidebar of Mary’s blog. We know that any amount you could give would be a huge blessing to Mary’s family.

#lovealwayswins

St. Courtney, pray for us!

To connect with Mary:

• blog 
• instagram
• 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.

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We are thrilled to be talking to the amazing Mary Lenaburg in this episode. Mary is the blogger behind Passionate Perserverance and she has an incredible story to share about her family’s journey and her daughter, Courtney.

We have followed Mary for years and the way she shared the sorrows and joys of parenting a child with special needs has inspired us so much. Mary is also an engaging storyteller and we just know you’re going to be moved by what she has to share.

We’re publishing Part One of Mary’s story this week, so check back next Tuesday for Part Two!

To connect with Mary:

• blog 
• instagram
• facebook
• twitter 

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’re back! After a long summer break (mostly due to Haley’s cross country move and two month road trip) we are so excited to be podcasting again.

This week we shared all about our summers!

We recapped the Edel Gathering 2015 and Christy’s obsession with the American South.

We chatted about our Fountains of Carrots whirlwind pilgrimage to Flannery O’Connor’s farm in Milledgeville, GA.

And Haley’s family’s crazy American road trip and new life as her husband Daniel begins his farming internship in Texas.

We probably shouldn’t have talked about bear attacks and compost toilets but….we did.

And we invited all our listeners to join us in the FoC Facebook Group where we chat about books, discuss ideas for episodes, and have a lot of fun. It’s called the Fountains of Carrots Raspberry Cordial Social Club. Basically it makes it easier for us to share with you since Facebook doesn’t like showing posts from pages unless we pay them money.

Haley’s posts about the road trip:

Our Secrets to Keeping Kids Happy on a Long Road Trip

Why You Should Take Your Kids to Caves, Monasteries, and Fancy Hotels

A Pioneer Girl Wannabe’s Dream Come True

And Haley accidentally said that the amazing Ultimate Healthy Living Bundle is available Tuesday, but it starts Wednesday, oops! It’s a brief sale full of oodles of amazing resources (including Haley’s husband Daniel’s eCookbook) for a super low price and there’s over $200 worth of bonus offers including free essential oils, credit and Mrs. Meyers soap from ePantry and more! Be sure to check it out before it disappears.

Links to the bundle are Haley’s affiliate link and at no additional cost to you, a portion of the sale will support her family. Thanks so much!

And P.S. Haley is turning 30 this week and celebrating with a Facebook party and some giveaways! So if you want to party in your PJs on Wednesday night (9:30 EST) just head over to the Carrots for Michaelmas Facebook Page!

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 are thrilled that we get to share this awesome episode featuring our friend Kendra Tierney. Kendra is the author of A Little Book About Confession for Children and the voice behind the wildly popular blog Catholic All Year. She is also homeschooling mom extraordinaire and is about to welcome her eighth baby to their home in sunny California!

We had a great conversation about how to use social media, avoid Instagram envy, respect our kids’ privacy, and protect our children from inappropriate content on the internet. Kendra also shared some great tips for aspiring bloggers!

Related post to what we talked about today:

Haley’s post on Instagram Envy.

Kendra’s post about what she loves to see on a blog.

To connect with Kendra:

• blog 
• instagram
• facebook
• twitter 

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.