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We’re delighted to have with us Shannon Evans of the blog, We, A Great Parade. We have a wonderful conversation today with Shannon as she shares with us her family’s story of international adoption and how her son has transformed not only her faith but how she sees the world.

Shannon speaks with passion and honesty when it comes to both the joys and challenges of adoption, and in turn, how all of us can contribute to a society that supports life and those who suffer in our own communities.

We are so happy to have such an inspiring but also practical conversation on these very important topics, we hope that it’s an episode full of food for thought.

Links to what we mentioned in today’s episode:

Holly Fish

The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky

FoC 060: The Sisterhood of the Traveling Mom Jeans with Blythe Fike

Safe Families

Young Lives

Adoption from Foster Care (US)

Shannan Martin

Connect with Shannon:

• Shannon’s blog: We, A Great Parade
• Instagram
• Facebook
•  Upside Down Podcast 

Next Book Club Episode:

And remember — we’re reading Lucy Maud Montgomery’s The Blue Castle for our next book club episode coming up in March. If you’d like to read along get your copy today!

 

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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It’s a Q&A episode! Every so often we gather questions from listeners in the Facebook group and answer them (between tangents, of course).

This particular episode we focused on the questions we got about organizing our lives and homes as well as what’s working for us spiritually. We cover everything from schedules to meal planning (or lack thereof) to our prayer lives. So grab a cup of coffee or tea and enjoy!

Things we talked about:

The Buy Nothing Project

Magnificat

Laudate app

Blessed Is She journals

Catholic Woman’s Companion Planner

Haley post: How I’m Organizing My Life Right Now

Other Q&A episodes:

Episode 26: Fountains of Carrots Answer Your Questions

Episode 40: How Small Can We Go and Other Questions Answered

Episodes that answer other questions asked in the FB group:

How we find time to read: Episode 8.

How we deal with social media: Our interview with Kendra Tierney.

Next book club episode:

We’re reading L.M. Montgomery’s The Blue Castle for our next FoC book club episode so grab a copy so you can read along!

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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Blythe Fike has been on our list of folks we’d love to interview for ages! She’s basically one of our favorite people and as Haley discovered when hanging out with Blythe in real life, she’s a top notch storyteller. As in, you’ll be laughing so hard you’re crying kind of storyteller. We’re so thrilled that she was able to join us on the podcast this week!

Blythe is a blogger at The Fike Life, wife to Kirby, and mom to seven kids. She lives in sunny LA in a fantastic mid-century home. Blythe has a great conversion story and is full of love for her Catholic faith. She’s also the person everyone should be following on SnapChat and Instagram.

In this episode Blythe shares about converting to Catholicism after growing up in the Baptist church as a pastor’s kid. It’s a great story! We covered some pretty deep theology, but we also covered some light and hilarious topics. We were crying with mirth at her stories about her former life in a early 2000’s pop group. Blythe is such a joyful person that it can’t help but rub off on you!  So if you’re ready to laugh, grab your cup of coffee and enjoy.

Links for this episode:

The YouTube video about Catholicism featuring Blythe and her family by SoulPancake

Blythe’s brother’s band: The Head and the Heart

Bishop Barron’s Word on Fire Ministries

Scott Hahn’s books

How to connect with Blythe:

• Blythe’s blog
• Instagram
• Facebook

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.

This post contains Amazon affiliate links.

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When we realized it had been awhile since we’d recorded an episode that focused on Catholic single life, we knew Christina Grace Dehan was the right person to chat with! We’ve been following Christina  over at her blog The Evangelista for ages. She writes about everything from fashion to Pope Benedict XVI and has been beautifully open about the challenges of Catholic single life and vulnerable about her journey to the altar.

Christina is a speaker, writer, and former high school Theology teacher who resides in central Texas and Haley is so glad they’re neighbors now! She writes at her blog and for other sites about personal growth, relationships, the benefits of therapy, and faith. And for the past couple of months she’s been very busy with wedding plans for her Christmastide wedding!

In this episode we talk about the challenges that Catholic single folks face in modern life (particularly the womenfolk), how to encourage and support single friends, and how to prepare for seasons like engagement and marriage. We chat Catholic weddings and Christina also shares her dating and engagement story with us and it is NOT to be missed. So grab a cup of coffee and enjoy!

Links for this episode:

Christina’s post: My Engagement Is Not a Fairy Tale

How to connect with Christina:

• Christina’s 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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It’s Advent! Since it’s a favorite season of ours, we just had to devote a whole episode to Advent chat.  It’s such a lovely time of year, but if we’re not careful we can take on a whole load of stress instead of enjoy a season of refreshment and renewal. We wanted to talk about the Advent struggle and what we’ve learned over the years about being nourished by observing Advent and avoiding the pressure of making Christmas perfect.

In this episode we share about how we observe Advent with our families, how we bring quiet into our homes (and into our own whirring brains!), the importance of self-care so we don’t get burnt out before Christmas, and (of course) what we like reading during this season.

So grab a cup of holiday tea and enjoy!

Music for Advent we talked about:

• Advent Playlist: Wonder: Carrots for Michaelmas
• Advent Playlist: Sleepers, Wake!: Carrots for Michaelmas

Advent at Ephesus by the Benedictines of Mary, Queen of Apostles

Book Suggestions for Advent we talked about:

Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

Watch for the Light: Readings for Advent and Christmas

The Reed of God by Carryl Houselander

Jesus of Nazareth: The Infancy Narratives by Pope Benedict XVI

Blessed is She Advent Journal by Elizabeth Foss

Comfort & Joy: Living the Liturgy Through the Advent Season by  Elizabeth Foss

The Little Oratory: A Beginner’s Guide to Praying in the Home by Leila Lawler

The Catholic Woman’s Companion (Planner by Nancy Bandzuch that Haley loves)  And here’s a discount code for it (not sure when it expires, though) NIGEL35 for 35% off.

Movies we talked about in this episode:

Miracle on 34th Street

Little Women

Links we talked about in this episode:

Advent: Preparation for Preparation: Like Mother, Like Daughter

Names for a Christmas Baby and More Christmas Names: Sancta Nomina

Christy’s Little Traditions, Big Reward: Living Liturgically to Grow Faith

Christy’s Choosing Peace This Advent When You’re the Mom to Littles

Christy’s A Relaxed but Intentional Advent; or The Lazy Girl’s Guide to Advent

Christy’s G.K. Chesterton on How To Celebrate Christmas

Haley’s Advent: Nourish Your Spiritual Life and Avoid the Holiday Burnout

Haley’s 27 Picture Books for Advent and Christmas

Previous podcast episode:

Advent Music is a Thing

Episode Sponsor:

 

This post is sponsored by Monica at Arma Dei: Equipping Catholic Families. Her blog is packed with Catholic crafts and family traditions as well as a shoppe of Catholic craft kits, books and quizzing cards packed with Saints and Sacraments through the Liturgical Seasons.

The Super Saints quizzing cards feature the original artwork of her 16 year old daughter.  They’re packed with quick facts and formatted into cards your family can play real card games with! And this bundle is perfect for St. Nick’s Day coming up on December 6th.

Monica also has a brand new line of Prayer Impressions Journal Stamps that will transform your Prayer Journal, Catholic Planner or Sunday Mass Missal, changing how you pray and focusing your spiritual habits.

To find these lovely products, check out www.ArmaDei.com. Use the code Carrots20 for 20% off cards and craft kits until December 15th (on purchase of $20 or more).

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.

Links to Amazon are affiliate links. At no additional cost to you, sales made through these links will support this podcast.

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We’ve had several questions lately about 20th century Catholic writer, Flannery O’Connor in the Facebook group. And since we share a deep and enduring love for Flannery, it wasn’t hard to convince us that she deserved her very own episode.

In this conversation we discussed why we love Flannery, tips for where to start if you’re unfamiliar with her works, some typical reactions when reading her for the first time,  why she inspires us so, and whether we think there’s any chance she’ll ever become St. Flannery of Milledgeville.

So grab a cup of coffee (or a glass of sweet tea if you want to really dive deep into Flannery’s world) and enjoy!

Books we talked about in this episode:

A Good Man Is Hard to Find and Other Stories by Flannery O’Connor

Everything That Rises Must Converge by Flannery O’Connor

The Violent Bear It Away by Flannery O’Connor

Wise Blood by Flannery O’Connor

The Habit of Being: Letters of Flannery O’Connor

Flannery O’Connor and the Christ-Haunted South by Ralph Wood

The article that mentions the Flannery documentary film: Flannery O’Connor’s Genius and Grace: William Doino, Jr. for First Things

Haley’s post, 10 Things I Love About Flannery O’Connor

Christy’s post, Will We Read Blogs in 50 Years Like We Read Flannery O’Connor’s Letters

Christy’s post, Milledgeville Pilgrimage or; The Fountains of Carrots Roadtrip

Today’s episode is sponsored by audible.com, head on over for a free audiobook download and a free 30-day trial at audibletrial.com/FountainsofCarrots .

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.

Links to Amazon are affiliate links. At no additional cost to you, sales made through these links will support this podcast.

 

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This episode is sponsored by our friends at CheruBalm.

A few months ago, we happened upon Kristyn Brown’s amazing Saints Project when scrolling through Instagram and we were hooked. We knew we wanted to share her work with you and get a behind the scenes look at the project.

Kristyn is a wife, mama, and a photographer who was inspired to start photographing people to portray different saints. In this episode she shares the story of how the project began, how she chooses which saints to portray (as well as the faces to photograph), and how this creative project has brought her into closer friendships with the saints.

Part way through the interview, Christy realized that this episode would air on All Saints Day! We call that positively providential!

We loved talking to Kristyn about our favorite saints and how they’ve entered our lives and helped us in our journey of faith. We know you’ll love getting to know Kristyn (and the saints she brings to life in her photographs) in this episode, so grab a cup of coffee and enjoy!

How to connect with Kristyn:

• Kristyn’s website
• Instagram
• Kristyn’s Etsy Shop

This episode is generously sponsored by CheruBalm, a lovely little Catholic company that makes handmade chrism-scented baby balm out of natural ingredients safe for sensitive skin. If you’ve ever had the pleasure of smelling a newly baptized baby’s forehead, you know how good that chrism scent smells! These lovely tubes of baby balm are perfect for stocking gifts, baptismal gifts, or baby shower gifts.

And CheruBalm has generously offered Fountains of Carrots listeners a lovely 20% off discount code! Just head over to the FoC discount page to grab your code and enjoy some swoonworthy scents for baby’s skin.

(And psst! Haley’s running a CheruBalm giveaway this week, so you can head over there to enter and four lucky winners will receive some chrism-scented balm.)

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 reading Anna Liesemeyer’s blog In Honor of Design for years and years. In addition to creating a beautiful and inspiring online presence, we have always admired how Anna balances her vocation to marriage and motherhood with owning her own business.

Anna is a mom of five lovely children and wife to Gabe living in in Atlanta area. Her blog is downright stunning, but so relatable and authentic. We were overjoyed that she agreed to chat with us and share about her family life, her business path, and so much wisdom about work/life balance.

In this episode we ask Anna how she got started with running her own business and how she structures her work life around what is best for her family. We talk about putting our families first in every situation, how to balance work and creative life with our vocations, and how to make the difficult decisions about discerning what to take on and what to say “no” to.

Anna is such a delight and we know you’ll be inspired by our conversation with her. So grab a cup of tea and enjoy a great episode!

How to connect with Anna:

• Anna’s blog
• Twitter
• Instagram
• Facebook

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 wanted to have Tommy Tighe on the show ever since Haley’s family met the Tighes on their road trip around the country last summer.

Tommy is a husband, father, and marriage and family therapist in the Bay area. He writes for CatholicMom.com and Aleteia and co-hosts the Catholic Hipster Podcast with Sarah Vabulas. He is also king of Catholic Twitter (did you even know there’s such a thing?). His Catholic hipster book will be published by Ave Maria Press Fall 2017.

We don’t remember an episode where we’ve laughed so hard as we did with Tommy. We cover Haley’s composting toilet, what the heck Canadians dip their french fries in, and the insanity of social media. But the conversation does get very serious when we discuss the death of Tommy’s newborn son, Luke, this past spring. Tommy was willing to share about the pain his family has been experiencing and how we all can do better to support families experiencing grief or crisis. He has some great wisdom to share about how to show up for your friends when they’re suffering and what to say and what not to say.

We loved talking with Tommy we think this episode is going to be helpful and inspiring. It’s a great episode, so grab some coffee and listen in!

Tommy’s article:  A Letter to the Lady Annoyed by my Kids at Mass

How to connect with Tommy:

• Tommy’s blog
• 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.