Christmas Rosary in Carnelian and Fire Agate

The Aves in this rosary are beautiful 6mm orange red carnelian beads. Each of these beads has been wire wrapped with a swirl of silver plated going up the side. Accenting the Ave beads are 10mm red and white fire agate beads. The red in the fire agate beads is the exact color of the carnelian beads.. Accenting the fire agate beads are 4mm white howlite beads. The center is a scapular medal honoring the Sacred Heart of Jesus. The reverse side of the center depicts the Holy Family. The Resurrection crucifix shows the Risen Lord. Both are made of silver colored metal. Click here to learn more about this rosary and please click here to visit my shop, Holy Name Rosaries

Stations of the Cross Chaplet

Also known as the Via Dolorosa or Via Crucis, the Stations of the Cross is one of the most meaningful ways to meditate on the Passion of Our Lord.

While most chaplets honoring the Way of the Cross which have medals, this chaplet has finely detailed sculptural images depicting the individual stations. They are comprised of silver colored metal. The beads are black onyx which are in keeping with the solemn nature of the Stations. The black beads represent our sinful nature and our penance. The red beads on the connectors represent the Blood of Christ which was shed for us. Appropriately, at the center of it all is the Sacred Heart of Jesus because it is His heart and His love for us which led Him to sacrifice Himself for us. The crucifix shows Mary the Mother of Jesus and John the Apostle at the foot of the cross. Please note the third and fourth pictures depict 12 of the 14 Stations. This will give you an idea of what they look like.  Please click here to learn more about this chaplet and please visit LaudeArtsandGifts.com to view more of my unbreakable rosaries and chaplets.

St Kateri Tekakwitha Rosary

Saint Kateri Tekakwitha is the first Native American to be beatified. She was born in 1656. As young girl, she contracted small pox and her face was terribly disfigured by the disease. She converted to Catholicism as a young woman and because of this she was shunned by her tribe. She suffered greatly because of her faith. She was devoted to the Eucharist and cared for the sick and elderly. Like St. Therese, she died at the tender age of 24. After she died, the terrible scars from the small pox disappeared leaving her skin smooth and unmarred. She was beatified by Pope John Paul II in 1980 and she will be canonized by Pope Benedict XVI on Oct 21, 2012. She is the patron of the environment and ecology.

I love the Aves in this rosary. They are 8mm reconstituted howlite and are predominately blue with small patches of tan and black veins. The remind me of little stained glass windows or even mosaics. The Pater beads accent the Aves very nicely. They are comprised of 8mm black onyx beads flanked by 6mm onyx beads accented with a swirl of silver plated wire. The center and the crucifix are silver colored metal and the wire is silver plated copper.  Please click here to learn more about this rosary and please visit LaudeArtsandGifts.com to see more of my unbreakable rosaries and chaplets.

Thought for the Day

Disciple:  Master, what do I need to do to become enlightened?

Master:  As little as you can do to make the sun rise in the morning.

Disciple: Then what is the benefit of all the spiritual exercises that you give me to do?

Master:  So you will be awake when the sun begins to rise. 

                                 Anonymous saying from the Desert Fathers

Lazo Wedding Rosary

Lazo Wedding Rosary at LaudeArtsandGifts.com

The Lazo or Lasso Rosary has Mexican origins. Basically, a Lazo rosary is two full rosaries joined together by one crucifix. It symbolizes the union of the bride and groom in marriage. Traditionally, the godparents or sponsors of the couple getting married place the rosary around the bride's neck and around the groom's neck during the wedding ceremony. Special prayers are then said to join them in Holy Matrimony. After the wedding, one of two things can be done. Some couples keep the rosary so that they can use it to pray together and then later pass it along to their children when they get married. Other couples break the rosary down into two separate rosaries. Then they give one rosary to the bride's mother and the other to the groom's mother as keepsakes of the wedding.

The Pater beads in this rosary are comprised of handmade wedding cake beads, the Aves are white Czech glass beads.   The crucifix and the three centers are lead free pewter.   Please click here to learn more about this stunning rosary.   Also, please visit my shop at LaudeArtsandGifts.com to view more of my rosaries and chaplets. 

Men's Pardon Rosary Copper, Sterling and Onyx

The amazing Pater beads in this handsome rosary are solid copper with sterling silver randomly brazed onto the surface. They were handcrafted by the owner of Refined by Fire here on Etsy. The Avé beads are 6mm onyx beads. The wire is solid copper which has been antiqued. The Indulgence crucifix is also known as the Pardon crucifix. Special indulgences can be obtained from St Pius X by praying on this crucifix or kissing it. The crucifix is copper plated brass as is the Miraculous Medal.   Please click here to learn more about this rosary and please visit my shop at LaudeArtsandGifts.com to see more of my unbreakable rosarie

Bohemian Rosary Bracelet from Laude Arts

The Avé beads in this bracelet are 8mm Bohemian Czech beads. They have a very light green/blue background speckled with bronze patches. Complimenting these beads are bronze colored spacers. The Pater bead is also Czech Bohemian glass. It appears to be solid bronze, but is actually a deep blue glass bead with a metallic bronze coating. The Miraculous medal, double sided crucifix and toggle clasp are antiqued brass.  Please click here to learn more about this bracelet.   Also, please visit my shop, LaudeArtsandGifts.com to see more of my handmade rosaries and rosary bracelets.

Great Stocking Stuffers!

Rosary Place Marker from LaudeArtsandGifts.com

Looking for some neat stocking stuffers?   Try these great rosary markers from Laude Arts and Gifts.  Built with an unbreakable construction, these dainty looking markers are sturdy enough to be used as zipper pulls or key chain fobs or 100 other uses.   Please click here to learn more about these great little gifts for Christmas.  Also please visit my shop LaudeArtsandGifts.com to see my unbreakable rosaries and chaplets. Thanks for looking.

I've felt strongly drawn to St Kateri since the early summer when I first "discovered" her.  Her simple life and devotion to Christ have been an inspiration to me.  Also, since my great grandmother was a Native American, I am immensely proud that St Kateri is the first Native American to be canonized.   So, now I present another item in what is quickly becoming my "line" of St Kateri Tekakwitha rosaries, rosary bracelets and chaplets.  :)  If you would like to learn more about St Kateri, please visit my blog post  http://strengthen-your-brethren.blogspot.com/2012/07/st-kateri-tekakwitha-lily-of-mohawks.html

The striking Aves in this rosary bracelet are 8mm re-constituted howlite. It is turquoise colored with patches of light brown with a black matrix. They remind me of stained glass windows. The Pater bead is a 10mm wood stone bead. It really looks like wood., but is actually stone. St Kateri had a special devotion to the cross, so I used the cross extender to add length to the bracelet. All of the components are silver colored metal.  Please click here to learn more about this bracelet.  Please visit my shop LaudeArtsandGifts.com to see more of my handcrafted rosaries and chaplets.

Got Milk?

I don't!  At least I'm not supposed to have milk.   Truth be told, I have a quart of that wonderful, white liquid tucked secretly away in a dark corner of my refrigerator just waiting for that moment when I simply can not handle another cup of tea mixed with that substance affectionately known as "alternative milk".   You know...that stuff they make with soy beans or almonds or some such that they try to convince us is as good as milk?   It isn't.   I can honestly say that I don't mind the taste of almond milk...but it leaves one heck of an after taste.  Yuk! 


Honestly, I never realized what a big part of my diet included milk and milk by-products, and I truly never realized how much I love that white stuff in all its many and varied forms.  So why, you may ask, am I writing this lament?   It isn't because I am lactose intolerant...that's the hard part.   I can tolerate lactose quite well thank you very much.   It's because, according to my chiropractor, milk causes inflammation.   Who knew?  Apparently, I didn't.   My doctor delivered this information after I had pinched the L5 nerve in my back and was in so much pain I could barely walk.  Apparently, inflammation and arthritis is running ruin with my spinal column rendering me structurally unsound.  


However, not one to be easily duped and definitely not wanting to be parted from my substance of preference so quickly, I went to the internet to see if this alarming news could possibly be true.   Sadly, it is according to this website:  http://www.livestrong.com/article/348549-foods-that-cause-arthritis/    Reading this article brought no comfort whatsoever.    Imagine my surprise and alarm when I discovered there are other foods I deeply love that cause inflammation and arthritis.


Listed in this article are all of my top faves: potatoes, sweet potatoes, sweet peppers, the list goes on and on and sadly, on.  They described these foods as "nightshade" vegetables which led me to conjure up images of people furtively meeting in dark alleys for their veggie fix.  Even beef is considered to be a culprit in the conspiracy of foods that can cause pain and swelling in our joints.   It looks like my diet is about to change radically.


With that in mind, I trucked off on my weekly jaunt to the grocery store.   With a heavy heart, I bypassed my favorite brand of Raisin Bran.   I think I heard it sniffing as I reached for container of oatmeal and a box of something called Mixed Grain cereal with flax seed.  At least it sounds healthy!   According to the description, it is rich in Omega Fatty Acids, another substance my nutrition conscious chiropractor told me to take.   With strength and courage, I entered the produce department and forged past the potatoes, sweet potatoes and peppers and went to the broccoli, beans and spinach.   Well...at least no one can accuse me of not going green.  I left the market and drove with determination past my favorite hamburger stand on the way home.   I mean...why foil my all my valiant efforts in the market with a healthy...or should I say unhealthy...dose of cholesterol?


So now, here I sit at my computer, bidding a fond farewell to my delicious, but wretchedly unhealthy diet and welcome with open arms my new, healthier diet and, hopefully, pain free future.