 You guys have seen all the videos, articles and memes regarding the ALS Ice-Bucket Challenge at this point. For those of you that haven't (I can't imagine there being many of you), there is a viral challenge sweeping the internet. It goes like this: Maggie gets nominated by Joe to dump a bucket of ice-water over her head. Should Maggie accept the challenge, she donates $10 to ALS research, videotapes herself getting soaked, and nominates 3 new people to the challenge. Should Maggie NOT accept, she donates $100 to ALS research. Either way, money is donated to ALS research. With those accepting the challenge, however, the added benefit is raising awareness. Now I've seen a lot of folks complaining about the challenge taking up space on their news feed. I find that to be an incredibly arrogant complaint, especially when the "hide" feature is so easily accessible. Why complain about other people posting a 30 second video that you don't have to watch? It just seems incredibly arrogant. Then I saw folks complaining about donations to the ALSA. The ALSA funds embryonic stem cell research, so I was mostly on-board with folks complaining about donations made to the ALSA. Most people are completely unaware of the embryonic stem cell issue. That being said, there are several organizations one can donate to that meet the requirements of the ALS Research donation. I, for example, offered the Kimberly Kim Foundation as well as the John Paul II Medical Research Institute as viable, moral alternatives. So again, why complain about something with such an easy solution? Finally, I saw the most ridiculous of all arguments, and it shamefully came from a Catholic whom I follow via Facebook: Frank Weathers of Why I Am Catholic. Normally I can get behind stuff Mr. Weathers writes, but his brief, snarky message against the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge made me cringe. He quotes Matthew 6:2-4 and uses that as his "#1 Reason" for being against the challenge: When you give alms, do not blow a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets to win the praise of others. Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right is doing, so that your almsgiving may be secret. And your Father who sees in secret will repay you.  I think Mr. Weathers is stretching things a bit. He'd've gotten more support if he stuck with the anti-embryonic stem cell research. Pulling the Bible into things as if he actually thinks Jesus wouldn't be cool with His children banding together in such a way to help one another... that's mind-blowing to me. People aren't dumping water on themselves to say "Look at me and how charitable I am!" In all honesty, I think the majority of folks are doing it so they can feel a sense of belonging. They see this challenge as being a real solution to a real problem, and it's a solution that is fun, easy and entertaining. And they're right! This sense of belonging has become a real movement which has already raised over $70 million dollars. $70 MILLION DOLLARS!!! And that's only from the ALSA. That doesn't count the Kimberly Kim Foundation or the JPII Medical Research Institute. That is nothing to turn your nose up at. More than raising money, this viral campaign has raised awareness of ALS which has raised compassion and understanding. It has caused folks to reach out to one another in new and unexpected ways. It has given hope to those struggling with ALS, and in some ways empowered them to realize they COULD do something about their seemingly hopeless situation. Again, it has bonded people into a sense of belonging to a real solution. That is incredible! And yes, while it'd be nice for folks to support, en masse, Christians is the Middle East, you cannot condemn participants of the ALS Challenge because, frankly, you have no clue if that person already IS. Supporting one does not preclude you from supporting the other. So I'm in favor of the challenge, and I think anyone who would attempt to shame me or call my Catholicism isn't question would do well to remove the hull of the Titanic from their eye first . I accepted the challenge from a friend, explained my donation to the Kimberly Kim Foundation (as opposed to the ALSA), and then requested (in my commentary) for my three nominees to do the same. So not only am I spreading awareness for ALS and donating to the solution, I'm also making folks aware of the embryonic stem cell issue that, again, most folks are simply unaware of (and not seeking to intentionally be malicious about). Finally, from a marketing standpoint (given my background in Communications), I LOVE the simplicity with which this challenge went viral. Brilliant marketing ploy. Kudos all around. Ooo, and obviously, keep folks suffering with ALS in your prayers, and if you haven't already, make yourself aware of the signs and symptoms so you can better serve those whose lives are affected by it!
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 My final Lenten Giveaway consists of this gorgeous resin wall plaque depicting Michelangelo's exquisite Pieta. Was there ever a sculpture more beautiful? Not in my opinion. Michelangelo's hands were guided by the angels as he chiseled away to define Our Lord and Lady's features. Mary's Divine Maternity is laid out upon her lap, and all who see cannot help but feel their hearts moved to pity for this grieving mother. And Christ - His beaten, lifeless Body drained of everything for love of us. How can we not stop to meditate on this impossibly awe-filled sacrifice? I felt this was the most apropos prize for the final weeks of Lent. Here's a detail. The plaque is simply beautiful.  Again, I'll be hosting the giveaway through Rafflecopter. Details on entry are below. Easy entry for folks who are already following via FB / Twitter!
Good luck! A super hearty congratulations to our winners! Please make sure you check your inbox for a message from me requesting your shipping address. These can ship today if you get back to me!
Thanks to all who participated. The last Lenten giveaway will be posted by the end of this week. Be sure to check back soon! Forgive my tardiness. I had originally planned to post this Giveaway on Friday, but Uncle Billy's funeral went longer than I had anticipated. However, here it is! I'm excited to announce that I'll be giving away four different crucifixes, each a beautiful bit or art.  First up is this amazing Stations of the Cross crucifix. The little boxes each depict a different station. It's small enough to really use as a prayer tool, but it's obviously great to hang on the wall, too. I just found the size perfect to keep by my bedside for personal prayer. It's like having the Stations of the Cross in my parish church right in the palm of my hand! So for Lent, I thought this was a very fitting prize for those looking to deepen their understanding of (and appreciation for) Christ's Passion. It's just magnificent.  Next in line is a dream for those devotees of Divine Mercy. St. Faustina joins Christ as Divine Mercy onto this wood cross. The "shine" you see is the reflective gold paint the artist used to create a border and accents. Three doting cherubs look down in wonder at the gift of Divine Mercy while St. Faustina is consistently at prayer for all of her "poor souls." This is the largest crucifix in the giveaway, standing at 12" high, this would be great as an entryway crucifix. It is bold, different, and a great reminder that Christ's death, though terrible, was, in fact, a gift of Divine Mercy. He died not to condemn, but to reconcile.  Again, sorry for the glare. I was taking these images with an iPhone, so not all of them came out as nicely as I'd hoped. Anyway, this is a truly beautiful crucifix. It's called an "Archangels Crucifix" because of the presence of St. Gabriel (holding the lillies to signify purity and truth), St. Raphael (holding a staff to represent healing) and St. Michael at the foot of the cross defeating the serpent. At the top, these three archangels lead the "host of angels" behind them in prayer and contemplation of the Triune Sacrifice a the center of the cross. This colorful cross is about 6" high and is STUNNING.  Finally, we have this little guy. This is a small cross depicting the Trinity in all their infamous iconic appearances. Each branch of the cross contains a different variation on well-known iconography of the Most Holy Trinity. I love this because of the way it forces folks to remember that we didn't just sacrifice Christ on Calvary. The sacrifice was a TRIUNE sacrifice. God the Father and the Holy Spirit took just as much an active role in this mercy as Jesus. This beautiful cross depicts their loving, united relationship so wonderfully. Even at only 3.5" it packs a powerful punch! Okay, so now that you've seen these beauties, directions on how to enter are below!
Good luck and again... may your Lent continue to be blessed!  I had the pleasure of receiving a copy of Walking With Jesus to Calvary: Stations of the Cross for Children. I got it in the mail early this year and have been waiting for Lent to roll around given the nature of the book. Here we are! The book is written by Angela M. Burrin and illustrated by Maria Cristina Lo Cascio. Truthfully, the illustrations are what drew me in to the story. Colorful, fluid and expressive, they told the story of the Stations in beautiful detail. The writing ended up surprising me. At first, I was very put off by the "lengthy" paragraphs. Truthfully, I think this is because my expectation was that I'd be able to read it to Vincent. This book is not meant for toddlers. It's meant for older children - at least 1st grade and up. Once I made peace with that, I found the narrative grew on me. I especially love how Burrin pays close attention to the Blessed Mother throughout the stations. Never is she far from her Son. She, too, is an active participant in His Passion, and Burrin does a wonderful job keeping this in focus for us. There are some passages that solicited heart-wrenching sadness for her. For this fact alone, this book has become my favorite Stations book for children. Now for the content: There is a brief Forward that explains what the Stations of the Cross are and why we keep this form of prayer alive. There is also a page explaining how to pray the stations, offering suggestions for first-timers (It's okay to choose one or two Stations at a time and really focus on them. You don't have to pray them all at once!). There is no Table of Contents (I assume with 14 stations, it's hard to get lost). However, given the Stations are listed where the Table of Contents usually go, I'm not sure why they opted to leave out page numbers. That could be helpful to veterans who are looking to focus on one or two for a specific prayer intention. Just before the Stations begin, Burrin wisely decided to explain a little about Holy Thursday, and how Jesus came to be in Pilate's courtyard. Thus, with the kiss of Judas Iscariot, we begin our journey with the Stations. At each Station, Biblical quotes are interlaced with imagination as Burrin tells the story of Jesus' Passion in a child-friendly manner. At the end of each Station, there is a small reflection / prayer kids can offer that brings that footstep of Christ in sync with their own. One, in particular, calls out to the Holy Spirit. I loved that, because normally the reflection prayers tend to focus solely on Jesus. Of course, each Station is beautifully illustrated by Lo Casio. Some of the images have left me staring at them for many minutes before I realize I've lost myself in their mysteries. I mean, just look at these two examples. I apologize, I snapped them with my phone, but even through the grainy iPhone shutter, the powerful emotions pours through:
Oh, that last one of Our Lady cradling Jesus - it is perfect. The tree in the background is barren and lifeless (which is poignant given how lively the background trees were in previous Stations). The atmosphere is grey, foggy and ominous. Joseph of Arimethea is hunched over them like an old bough weighed down by weather, protective. Mary's mantle is unfurled to encompass Jesus' Body... an exaggerated drawing, but similar to Michelangelo's Pieta. The effect is a brutal, gut-wrenching beauty - a mother cradling Her Baby Boy one last time as the entire world mourns with her.
Can you guess where I keep catching myself getting lost? Finally, the Stations end with the Resurrection (since not all books contain a 15th!). Burrin includes Mary Magdalene's joyous meeting of her Resurrected Savior, which I always appreciate. This book then gifts you a few surprise pages that I think are incredible resources for school-aged children. The first is a 2 page spread on Prayer Intentions. After all, when you pray the Stations, you should have some intentions in mind, right? This useful list suggests everything from family and friends to doctors, politicians and the souls in Purgatory. I LOVED this, and I thought it was very wise to add this section. Finally, there was a four-page spread of traditional prayers used while praying the Stations of the Cross. These pages, just as the Stations, themselves, are beautiful illustrated. These latter pages reminded me of those gorgeous illuminated manuscripts monks would create as they copied the Bible over and over and over again. Verdict: This hard-cover book is a winner, all 45 pages of it. I am so glad The Word Among Us Press sent it my way for review. As a thanks, I'll be giving one away to one of you fine readers! Enter via Rafflecopter below. Good luck! Congratulations to Stacy of Catholic and Crunchy! As you can see above, Vincent drew her name from the pool of paper and beads (he wouldn't be bothered otherwise).
:) Thanks for entering, folks. I hope you all have a blessed final few days of Advent. May your Christmas season be bright, beautiful and full of Christ's love.  Guess who has another giveaway for you to take part in?
This girl right here! If you’ve ever been interested in the liturgical year, tid-bits of history about our traditions or even curious what fun activities other families do to participate in the liturgical calendar, this giveaway is for you! There’s a new series of books being published that not only follows the liturgical year, but provides great insight, resources and ideas so you and your families can follow along, too! The series is titled Let Us Keep the Feast and is from Doulos Press. There will be four books in total, but right now, I’m focusing on Book One which focuses on Advent and Christmas. In addition to being chock-full of beautiful, enriching perspectives about these two special seasons, I’m pleased to report that Michelle Bychek of Liturgical Time co-authored it! Many of you have heard me speak highly of her blog and veil shop in the past. After reading her portion of the book, I’m pleased to report that she is just as thorough with her book writing as she is with her gorgeous lace work. The book is is written from a refreshingly traditional perspective. I should also note that while the book is not specifically Catholic, it does espouse Catholic traditions. Everything is very streamlined for easy reference. You can follow along page by page or jump around if you’re looking for something specific (recipes and activities for children come to mind). I honestly love this feature because I’m one to grab a book off the shelf and thumb through for craft ideas for my CCD classes. My absolute favorite part about this book, though, are the various historical insights that explain why we Christians celebrate in the way that we do. I admit I learned a thing or two from these pages, and that, itself, is reason enough to recommend it to others. I haven’t tried any of the recipes, but something tells me that should I venture it, I’d have another reason to recommend as well. :) Anyway, I really enjoyed reading this book and learning more about my favorite traditions. You’ve got a chance to score yourselves a copy, too! I'm going the old-fashioned route and taking names. Just comment below and I’ll have Vincent scoop a name from the batch on Friday evening. I haven't videotaped him doing a drawing in a while! If you can’t wait until then, it’s available in digital form through Doulos’ eStore for only $1.99. If you’re like me and must have a physical copy, it’s $9.95 through Amazon. So good luck and enjoy the rest of your Advent! 
Congratulations go to Dom as the winner of the Christmas Creche. However, I'd like to tell you all about the wonderful, generous thing she's doing with the creche that Divine Providence put into her hands.
A couple days ago, my mother noted that I was giving away the creche on my blog. She said, "Why don't you give that to So-and-So. She needs one for the kids." I told her I couldn't do that. It felt like I'd be cheating all of those who participated out of a chance to win. I told her she could enter if she wanted to for a fair shot, but I couldn't justify pulling the nativity after posting it as a giveaway, ya know? Anyway, fast forward to my buddy, Dom, winning the creche. She and I met a couple years back online. We started out as two women sharing tidbits about the faith, and slowly developed a friendship rooted firmly in "I'll pray for you, you pray for me." We never met in person, but I can always count on her to be a wonderful person through and through. So imagine my delight when her name was drawn as the winner. This is her 2nd win from my page (out of the 10 or so giveaways I've done). When I told her about the family with no creche, she generously offered to pass it along to them. How sweet is that? She did not have to be so generous, but she chose to be, and for that, I am humbled. Now this family will have a Christmas creche, and the mom will have a beautiful display with which to teach her two young children about the real reason for the season for many years to come. When Dom displayed this generosity without hesitation, I asked if there was anything I could do to repay her kindness. She said, "Pray a novena to St. Monica for the conversion of my children." I'm going to admit something that embarrasses me a bit, but I've never successfully completed a novena. I've started plenty, but never completed one (at least in the right amount of time). However, I promise that I will complete this novena for Dom as a thank you. My mom, when she heard Dom's request, offered to do the same. :) I would ask that anyone else, if you feel so inclined, please pray along with us. What a beautiful way to start this week. Thanks for the Christmas magic, Dom. And thanks to all who participated. Up for grabs is an adorable Linda Dano nativity set, complete with the wooden stable to house the holy family. I had originally purchased this set as a Christmas gift for my brother, I think, but either my Mom or he purchased another one almost exactly like it. This set has been sitting in my basement, forgotten, until I began retrieving things for Christmas decorating. As such, I now have a pretty awesome give-away for one of you lucky readers! It's brand new. I only opened it to make sure no pieces were broken while it was stored away. Original packaging is mostly intact except where I cut into the tape. Yay! You can see info on both the figures and the stable by clicking the pictures below. However, if you have any questions, you can feel free to message me. This set is completely FREE (so shipping is on me!). I just want to see this set go to a family that will use it and enjoy it.
My friend, Jay, and I looking super excited - or surprised. I dunno. I ran out of good pictures.
Also, heads up everyone!
Mandi over at Messy Wife, Blessed Life is doing an awesome giveaway that happens to feature yours truly and a litany of other small businesses. Go over and enter to win. I bet you'll find yourselves a few folks to purchase stocking stuffers from. :) Click here and good luck! Congratulations to our winners! :) I hope you had as much fun as I did. Check your e-mails to see what you've won. Please make sure you message me your addresses so I can get these prizes out to you on Monday.
Have a blessed weekend everyone!!!  K, I dunno about the rest of you, but I'm about done with the doom and gloom nosedive my blog's taken the last few weeks. I feel as though one thing after another has been loaded up on me, and I've decided that the best way to "unload" myself is to give stuff away. Seriously! Giveaways are always fun, they're always happy, and they're always, always, always entertaining! Who doesn't love the thrill of chance? Who doesn't love spreading the happy news that someone won something? I love it, so I'm running one. It's my Happiness Contest, so woo hoo!!! I'm going to be giving away my favorite stand-bys. They're favorites for very good reason! For more info on each prize, click the photos! Clarifications: 1st Prize is the set of Sacred/Immaculate Heart dolls. You get Jesus AND Mary! You can comment once per day with a "Happy Trick" and each entry counts as a separate entry. So load up, because I'm all for trying and sharing happy tricks. :)  SET of Jesus and Mary dolls!
Now, how do you win? I'm so glad you asked!
This is going to be a Rafflecopter giveaway since it worked out so well the last time. Contest will run for two weeks. Good luck!  A couple charms / lockets / baubles So I just learned about a really cool company called Origami Owl. I'm actually super excited about it
Origami Owl is a cute online shop that allows you to create your own jewelry. They've got lockets that you can design into personalized momentos similar to those Pandora charm bracelets you see on TV. The lockets are actually like little frames into which you can enclose charms or plates that showcase symbols that mean something to you. My friend, Mary, for instance, could get a silver locket and fill it with a kitten charm, an emerald stone (she loves emeralds), a plate that said "Nana" ('cause who doesn't love her Nanny?), and a key dangle so she could tease Vince telling him it was the key to the North Pole (she'd do that... she really would). Mine, on the other hand, would be silver, contain Vincent's birthstone, a big plate saying "Mom" with a little one for "love." I'd definitely have a cross charm along with an angel one. My dangle would probably be the owl (just because it's so cool looking!). Everyone's is different, and if your hobbies change, your interests change, or you wanna add more birthstones as babies arrive into your lives, you can do that! You can also change the colors of the lockets to go along with your outfits, etc. I think the entire concept is BRILLIANT. Since I love sharing super cool things with you guys, I'm giving away a $50 gift card to Origami Owl to one of you lucky ducks at the end of the week. How awesome is that?! Plus, the best part about this give-away is that it benefits a stay-at-home-mom who is currently raising two beautiful children all on her own! Her name is Heather, and I'd like nothing more than to send all of you her way to see all the incredible things she offers through Origami Owl. Just think of all the charms and dangles $50.00 can get you! I'm using Rafflecopter again. Info is below. Contest is only running for this week. Best of wishes to everyone! :) I'm so excited to announce a Lenten Giveaway from My Broken Fiat! These prizes were chosen specifically because they're geared towards Lent and the Lenten journey. The giveaway will extend a little longer this time specifically because there are so many prizes. The content opens today, Ash Wednesday, and will extend through until Laetare Sunday (4th Sunday of Lent). Since Rafflecopter was so splendid last time, I decided to go the same route again for the various items. The sixteen (16!) items are:
I know, I know. I should've done this BEFORE Christmas and not after it, but c'est la vie. Better late than never, right? Up for grabs is an adorable Linda Dano nativity set, complete with the wooden stable to house the holy family. I had originally purchased this set as a Christmas gift last year for someone who ended up getting a family heirloom creche from her grandmother who is no longer able to decorate like she used to. This set has been sitting in my basement, forgotten, until I began packing things away this year. As such, I now have a pretty awesome give-away for one of you lucky readers! It's brand new. I only opened it to make sure no pieces were broken while it was stored away. Original packaging is mostly intact except where I cut into the tape. Yay! You can see info on both the figures and the stable by clicking the pictures below. However, if you have any questions, you can feel free to message me. This set is completely FREE (so shipping is on me!). I just want to see this set go to a family that will use it and enjoy it.
To Enter I'm gonna try my hand at Rafflecopter this time. Let's hope this works. Good luck and best wishes everyone! :)
 This is slightly embarrassing.
But I guess mortification is good for the soul, right? I was talking to a friend of mine this morning about how my Giveaway for Michaelmas has gotten absolutely zero traction. I couldn't figure out why. My other contests have at least gotten some sort of action. This one, though? Zip. So I asked her, "Why do you think that is? Did I do something wrong? Are my 'prizes' sucky?" She gave me some interesting feedback that I hadn't thought of before (being new to all this "contest" stuff). She said that books and cards are seen as "low value." They're "pointless" for us bloggers to give away because they're seen as cheaper than an entrant's information. Folks could easily purchase the book or the deck of cards from Amazon or something for a paltry fee, and they wouldn't have to fork over effort to get them. It's a sure thing, and all they'd need to do would be to give consent because Amazon (or wherever) already had their information. My blog, however, does not. It doesn't store anyone's information, and getting the items isn't a sure thing (though in this case, it might end up being). They'd also have to see my face on Twitter / Facebook or whatever just to get an entry, and lots of people don't like the added hassle of connecting to yet another pointless page on Facebook. Hand-made items, like earrings, on the other hand - those tend to do well for blog give-aways because they're personal. You can't get them anywhere else, and it's always nice to own something from a blogger you've come to know through their online musings. Point taken - I've enjoyed very much the things I've gotten from bloggers who offer unique and beautiful things online. I asked her why, then, folks weren't entering even if it was just for the earrings. I mean, I've gotten a few orders this past week, and not one of those who ordered entered the contest (so I was confused... people obviously wanted the earrings... but I guess they didn't want to chance not getting a free set?). She said it was because the chances were greater that they'd get one of the "sucky" items, which cancelled out their desire to enter. That was interesting. I'd never thought of it that way before. She gave me a lot to think about, and I'm happy for her honest feedback. It makes a lot more sense, especially seeing my stats every day remain about the same, but no sort of "activity." So my quandry... should I take down the contest early and create a separate one for earrings, or should I leave the original one up in the interest of fairness (since I did say I'd be pulling names on Michaelmas)? Anyone else have this sort of issue when they've run contests in the past? Ah well. Even if you haven't, this is good food for thought in case you folks have any ideas of looking to host one in the future. *Grin* That's right, folks! I've been wanting to do another giveaway for a while, but having been so busy the last few weeks, I haven't had much of a chance. Now that things are beginning to settle down, I wanted to post this before Michaelmas came and went. This contest will be running through September 29th (winner will be chosen on September 30th). There are a few ways to enter (each counts as a separate entry, so remember to comment completion of each separately):
Best wishes to everyone!!! ***The "Like" buttons below (while great for spreading the word) are not traceable. Please use the links at the top of this page to "Like" MyBrokenFiat's Facebook Page / Twitter.*** So... what can I win?  A pair of my earrings! And any pair at that (so long as you're willing to wait on the two or three beads / charms that are on backorder)! I'm looking to spread my little crafty wings so folks know I'm here, and what better way to do that than a give-away? Winner gets to choose any pair from the store.  The Catholic Doctrine Playing Cards are back! I've got a brand new deck to give away. This pack is red in color and full of all sorts of tid-bits, prayers and reminders. These are a practical, fun way of speaking to others about the Faith!  I was given an extra copy of Conchita's Diary. Conchita is one of the seers of Garabandal and she wrote a brief booklet describing her time with Our Lady. Since it's an extra copy, I figured I'd use it as part of the give-away since so many of you had expressed interest in the Prophecy series I did a few months back. I read through my personal copy within about an hour. It's very brief, but full of some truly beautiful insights into the love Our Lady has for us. There's even a memory of Our Lady playing hide-and-seek with the children. <3 Best of all, when you're done reading it, you can use the cover as artwork because it's simply beautiful. :) I actually prop my copy up on my bookshelf because I enjoy looking at this rendition of her holding Jesus. Anyway, a copy is up for grabs! I'll have Vince draw three names from his favorite bowl and the prizes will be awarded in the order you see here (first name gets earrings, second name gets the deck, third name gets the book).
If you've got questions, let me know. Otherwise, good luck! Hi everyone! Thanks so much for all the interest. Almost 2 dozen of you have "liked" this post on Facebook, but I cannot track those entries as you didn't use the proper function. Please be sure to like MBF using the link at the top of this blog or in the bullets below. Thanks!
So I came across the most WONDERFUL dolls in the universe. I loved them so much that I want to share them with my readers. 101 Foundation, a fabulous Catholic shop on a mission to bring Our Lady's messages of love, prayer and repentance to the world, has 24" cloth Jesus / Mary dolls. I've seen them in person, and they are ADORABLE!!! We all remember "My Buddy" or "Kid Sister" from when we were kids. What better "Buddy" to carry around than Christ or His Blessed Mother? Being that this is June, I'd like to give away the Sacred Heart of Jesus doll. In addition to the 2-ft Christ doll, I'll be including a deck of Catholic Doctrine playing cards! This set is a fun and useful tool for anyone looking to deepen their own understanding of Church teaching, or help their children / friends learn the finer points of our faith. This contest will be running through June 30th (winner will be chosen on July 1st). There are a few ways to enter (each counts as a separate entry, so remember to comment completion of each separately):
There will also be two runner-ups who will be gifted their own Catholic Doctrine playing cards. Best wishes to everyone!!! The "Like" buttons below (while great for spreading the word) are not traceable. Please use the links at the top of this page to "Like" MyBrokenFiat's Facebook Page / Twitter.
 Alrighty, I've caved. I registered MyBrokenFiat with Twitter. All the cool kids were doing it.
Help me out by getting my following started! I intend to amass an army that will take over the world. ... I mean, I intend to amass a following of like-minded, respectable folks who enjoy sharing tips and anecdotes on religion, raising a family, and other relevant morsels. Follow, share and tweet. Thanks, all! :) Also be sure to let me know what your Twitter handle is so I can follow you as well. I'm still not entirely sure how all this works, but eventually I'll figure it out, I promise! Here are the pictures I promised! Much clearer, you can see how awesome these dolls really are. Vincent certainly loves them! I love their eyes - one of the white specks is a heart, and the other is a dove, the symbol of the Holy Spirit. How awesome is that? You've still got a chance to enter to win the Sacred Heart of Christ doll. The drawing is July 1st, so get your entries in by the 30th. Good luck! 
Trio of smiles
 Can you guess who I am? Hey folks! Cam over at A Woman's Place is also doing a doll give away!
She's allowing one lucky person to acquire their own saint peg doll. You can see samples of her recent dolls on her Etsy page, Sadie's Saints. Entry is easy. There are various ways to enter listed on the entry itself. Have at it, folks. The possibilities are endless... especially for little ones looking to make believe with their favorite patrons! While you're at it, don't forget to check out the Sacred Heart of Jesus giveaway currently being hosted right here at My Broken Fiat. Entries being accepted until June 30th, so be sure to be counted in the fun! Best wishes to everyone! After writing down and cutting up all the names for the different entries, I put them into Vincent's favorite bowl and let him choose the winner!
Congratulations to Marianne - hope you enjoy your new veil from the lovely Michelle!  Ladies (and thoughtful gentlemen), here's a chance for you to win my favorite veil from Michelle over at Liturgical Time! I'm so excited to announce this give-away! The beautiful chapel veil you see above is a floral and butterfly themed fabric that is light and easy to wear. It's sides are long enough to tie kerchief-style which means it'll stay put (useful when wrangling tiny hands that would give anything to play with Mommy's hair). Entrance is easy, and you even have a chance to double (and triple) up! How to Enter: (Each bullet counts as a chance to win) - Leave a comment telling me which of Michelle's veils you like the best (and be sure to include your e-mail so I have a way to contact you - those remain hidden, and I don't do mailing lists, so no worries about privacy or spam).
- Repost this giveaway on your own blog (and come back providing me with a link that proves you did so). - "Like" My Broken Fiat on Facebook. - Bonus points for anyone who wants to share their story of how they came to veil. Just be sure to leave that as a separate "comment" so it gets counted as a separate entry. Submissions end Saturday night. I'll announce the winner on Mother's Day. Best wishes and a million blessings to all of you!  Test your Lit. Calendar Strength! A friend of mine asked what I'd be teaching for CCD tonight (because she's been enjoying the crafts we did over the last two periods). I told her I was sorry to burst her bubble, but there wouldn't be a craft tonight so much as a test. Ha ha. She then asked me what the test was on. I told her the Liturgical Calendar. She responded that it'd be fun if she could take the test, too, just to see where she compared to my 6th graders. She took the test, and subsequently failed miserably. Chagrined, she warned me that the test was too hard for my class, and suggested that I rework it into one of my crossword puzzles to give them a fighting chance. I explained the test was only difficult because she hadn't taken part in my class. If she had, she'd've known all the answers! She expressed some doubt, but wanted me to compare her grade to the average grade of my kids. Welp, my class scored an average of 93%. When I called my buddy to let her know, she almost didn't believe me! Ha ha. But I've got the tests to prove it. I am so proud of them! Plus, now that I've explained the answers to her, no doubt she'd score at least a 93% next time around, too. Ha ha. But for anyone else interested in testing their skills, I've included the test for your entertainment (or if you'd like to use it for your own classes, be my guest!). |
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