Meet Claire  →

I am a wife and mother that is passionate about sharing content that helps us each live a beautiful and virtuous life. As an etiquette instructor, I love to seek out the beautiful things that surround us. You can often find me making a meal with my husband, building LEGOs with my son, and reading a good book - all in a beautiful dress! Thank you for being a part of this community, I am so happy you are here!

Hello, I’m Claire!

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Insights on Literature, etiquette, and Beauty from a Catholic wife and mom

Summer

We are so thankful that June is here! May was a difficult month for us and we went through a few trials as a family. It was beautiful in many ways – especially celebrating Peter’s first birthday, Mother’s Day, and the Feast of Our Lady of Fatima. Yet, in the middle of the month we abruptly found out some news that required us to place our complete trust in God (we will explain what happened soon!). We share this because we want to encourage you to pray and have hope if you are are undergoing something difficult. This May we consciously chose to lay all of our worries, sufferings, and difficult situations into Christ’s hands. The peace we had because of that act of faith was incredible.

June brought us many changes and answers to prayers! We are excited for this fresh start and the beginning of summer. We will be spending this month close to home, celebrating Father’s Day and our second anniversary. June is the perfect time for us to celebrate our love and marriage. It is the month that Mike proposed, the month we got married, and went on our honeymoon! We have some fun dates planned that we cannot wait to go on, as well as some content sharing our love story, wedding details, and honeymoon highlights here on Finding Philothea.

This month, we are planning our trip and pilgrimage to Italy that we are going on next month! On the Feast of Our Lady of Fatima, we ordered tickets to Italy for a pilgrimage to Rome and Assisi. It is Mike’s (and Peter’s!) first time in Italy, and we cannot wait! If you have any advice for traveling with a one year old (specifically the best places to buy diapers, a stroller that is light enough to carry yet sturdy enough to ride over cobblestones, and the most comfortable baby shoes) we would love to hear what you have to say! I am also on the hunt for some lightweight, beautiful maxi dresses, so if you have any favorites, let me know! And we would love to hear your favorite gelato locations!

In August we will be moving into a convent house for a year. Our dear friends are starting a religious order and while they are away for the year studying, we will be residing in their home! This month we are clearing out any unused or unneeded household items not only to make our August move easier, but also to simplify our lives. We already went through our clothes and donated so many bags and it feels amazing! We are looking forward to living in a convent home with a beautiful chapel. It truly is such a gift. Read more about our friends here, and please consider donating to them!

We pray that your June is blessed! Know that we pray for our readers each day, and that we are so thankful for each and every one of you. Our goal is to spread beauty, truth, and goodness within the world, and the incredible joy and beauty you have shown us has been amazing. Thank you for reading and following along with our little family!

June 2017 Family Goals
– pray about, create, and follow a family rule
– prepare for our pilgrimage to Italy
– donate or sell unused household items in preparation for our move in August
– review statistics (Mike)
– celebrate Father’s Day in a special way
– celebrate our second wedding anniversary
– go strawberry picking
– make this strawberry sorbet with our freshly picked strawberries
– go for a walk each day with Peter
– spend twenty minutes each day practicing Italian together

June 2017 Family Goals

Mike

Summer

June in Buffalo

June Love

Color

June 2017

Mike in June

June Goals

June Goals

– M & C

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