19/52 // Yarn Along

"A portrait of my child, once a week, every week, in 2013."

Afon:  At the end of a day in Llandudno for the Victorian Extravaganza, he is all smiles in front of the camera.  This stolen moment of poutiness shows another side of him that is all too familiar (and rather precious, when it's not 3 o'clock in the morning)!

I must have shattered my immune system eating Cornish pasties (sigh!!), Coca-cola, and clotted milk caramel at the Victorian Extravaganza because I was out of commission for Monday and Tuesday.  But today I am on the upward trend again and determined to eat more natural, wholesome food for at-risk thyroid diet (I know there's no scientific results for such a thing as adrenal fatigue, but the proof is in the pudding, so to speak).  I think what got me better for today was avoiding gluten all day yesterday, so I will avoid that as best I can.  Thank you for your love and prayers to get better!  Gosh, I'm sorry for talking about my health all the time, it must be terribly boring.  So let me make it up to you with some positive reflection: learning to live with an illness, especially an undiagonesed one, really makes the days in-between more precious, and gladdens my heart to be alive!  I am so thankful not to have to work right now, so all the little snatched moments can be given to Afon, whether it's just having him trail behind me holding onto my shirt while doing the laundry or being able to draw a picture for him.

Speaking of which, Mr. Afon got a stroller!  So Mama and Afon are going to attempt to go out walking for exercise like we did back in Florida.  It was always nice quality time for us, energized me for the rest of the day, and ordered us toward a better schedule.

I'm thinking about doing a summer retreat as well.  The Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and Mary, whose church we attend, have a house of prayer for just such a thing.  Masha, Jenna, and I have been talking about refreshment and renewal and how that is different for everyone; how even the most family-oriented people (maybe especially them) need some solitary time, and that is not just a thing mothers need set aside especially for a certain day every year.  We plan on talking about our distaste of Mother's Day in the upcoming days, so come back later for that.

Meanwhile, the story is getting underway with some excellent critique and encouragement from M. and J., and I'm reading Donald Maas's Writing 21st Century Fiction.  The blanket has been finished for a few weeks now, and it came out lovely, with a white scalloped border.  Simple and sweet.  I'm starting on a new crochet project as soon as I get the wool!

Yarn Along // WWRW

April 9, Feast of St. Mary Cleophas, who accompanied Mary, the Mother of Christ, and Mary Magdalene at the Crucifixion.

Something simple and straightforward to get back into the rhythm of crocheting: a soft baby blanket made entirely from double stitches, from here.  When I finish the rows, I'll add a shell border to tie it all in.  The yarn is called "Aran yarn," and I got it from Aldi.  I'm wondering how much more artisan yarn costs.

I've been reading aloud The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making by Catherine M. Valente to Afon at bed- and bath-time.  He only half listens, but I don't doubt for a minute that treating him like an advanced reader can only be beneficial.  I respect books far too much to withhold good ones from him based on something as insignificant as age.  c;

Ms. Valente knows her stuff.  It's delightful to read an author who has so carefully studied Faerie--and as is the way with Faerie (and fairy tales) this book isn't simpering and innocent.  There must be blood is one of the sovereign rules of Fairyland.  There's also lying, witches, blood tithes, and unsympathetic creatures, and that's only as far as we've read.  But the fickle, dangerous, and mysteriously ordered otherworld of folklore and human memory is intact and recognizable.  The witticisms abound, and are somewhere between fact and nonsense--which means it's probably, as is the way with literary things, truth.  Such as the assertion that children have no hearts, which is what makes them terribly thoughtless, reckless, and selfish, and that we grow hearts as we age.  It's biting but beautiful observation, and put in a way that maybe skims the truth of the matter far better than psychoanalysis.

I'll probably recommend The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland, especially for fans of Alice in Wonderland and The Phantom Tollbooth; but the ending remains to be seen.

In addition, I'm reading The Kings and Queens of Wales by Timothy Venning and like it very much.  It's not a tome and divides itself into neat little sections by chronology and then geography.  Research for the first Story (work on the second draft has commenced as of Monday!).  But I also consider it pleasure reading.

Joining Housewifespice and Small Things today.  Happy reading!

Saint Valentine's Day Miscellany

Feb. 12, Feast of St. Eulalia, patroness of runaways, torture victims, and widows.

I've seen a lot of Sesame Street renditions and factsforkids! picture books, and while we do enjoy reading My Fuzzy Valentine occasionally (er, my three-year-old enjoys it), the literary snob in me prefers something a little more artful.  Composition, design, storytelling, and illustration: these books about love are what we're reading for Saint Valentine's Day.

1  //  Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak isn't your classical love story, maybe, but when we read, "he wanted to be where someone loved him best of all" . . . if you have a wild things (or things), you know, you know.

2  //  All the Touch and Feel seasonal books are in our library because of how they correspond with the feast days.  And I just like seeing how they make each page and picture sensory, even if it is only the one sense (touch . . . and feel?).

3  //  The Wishing of Biddy Malone was a grocery store clearance find.  I'd not heard of Joy Cowley before, but apparently, she is a children's book giant!  Her voice as a storyteller is fantastic--she gets the Irishness into the narrative without sounding trite or silly--and the love story is a classic folklore, while remaining entirely new.

4  //  Barbara Lavalee's folksy, robust illustrations colored my childhood, and now they enrich my son's.  Like with Where the Wild Things Are, Mama, Do You Love Me? not what immediately comes to mind when you think Valentine's Day reading, but I daresay it's improved my and my son's understanding of each other.  The universality of the message is beautifully complimented by the culture-specific details.

5  //  BabyLit's Romeo & Juliet: because they're never too young to start indoctrinating with Shakespeare.  In truth, though, counting out the roses, love letters, and streets and bridges with my three-year-old has yielded positive results.

Inspired by Pam and Susan and Angie, I put together these valentines and Saint Valentine's Day printables (you can either click the picture to enlarge, right-click and print, or save them to your own hard drive and print from there or arrange in Word, Publisher, or another program).  I'll probably end up using one of their many fun project and celebratory ideas this feast day, as Afon's birthday is the day before and his birthday party the day after: no time for extra planning!

It's kind of annoying to me that the "saint" in Saint Valentine's Day is so often overlooked, so I made sure to make my pictures extra Catholic-y.  You know, short of an actual picture of the post-martyred saint.

Look at me, multitasking!  Be sure to check out Everything to Somenoe's first guest post, about one woman's St. Valentine's Day project that re-kindled first love in her marriage and this helpful homemade St. Valentine's Day at the newest housewife hub, Real Housekeeping.  Nice.

Five Favorites hosted at Moxie Wife.

What We're Reading Wednesday brought to you by HousewifeSpice.

Guest Post: Seven Gifts in Seven Days

by Genarita Grobarek

Feb. 11, Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes.

Last year around this time, I made the decision to do something special for my husband for the seven days leading up to Saint Valentine’s Day.  This was hard to do.   Not only did we have two needy boys under the age of 2 to take care of, but with all the stresses of life, we were going through one of those marital rocky periods.  You know, the ones we all have, but hate to admit we do?   One of my biggest complaints at the time was that I was not getting enough affection from the husband department.

Fast forward seven days, about that many late nights crafting and attempting to be creative on a budget, and seven small projects later:

My dear husband, not really having had too much to say during the seven days, told me on Valentine's Day that seeing me pour all the love and effort into those little things I did for him each day that week made him want to open up and do more for me in return.  He mentioned that after that week, he was going to really have to think hard about what to do, because clearly he had to put comparable effort into it.

A year later, we are back on track in a much more loving and happy place in our marriage.   I am very content looking back on last year; my husband went from being distant and preoccupied with day-to-day tasks to taking the time to tell me in his own way that he loves me, every single day.  Added bonus: during the tail end of that rocky period, he listened to what my requests were, went the extra mile, and made sure that I was getting everything on the list.

In retrospect, it did take a long time to get there, and I had to graciously grant him that time, but we are there now, which is all that matters!  During these rocky marital periods, it is easy to complain about what we are not getting and really hard to see what we are not giving.  So, my fellow Wives, love your husbands (although sometimes it is hard to make the first move or to take the first step) and do for them what they need, because if we make that effort, they will give it back to us ten-fold.




Genarita is a stay-at-home mom of two boys under four, with a third--a little girl!--on the way. She and her family homestead in Alaska.

Five Favorites (vol. 45)

Jan. 29, Feast of St. Gildas the Wise, a post-Roman, pre-Saxon British abbot, renowned for his historical (now known to be pseud-historical) work, in which can be found one of the first written records of King Arthur.  He preached to the mother of St. David, patron of Wales, while she was pregnant with him.  Gildas is responsible for converting much of the island of Ireland, and the influence of his writing survived long into the Middle Ages, particularly in the Celtic Church.  We like St. Gildas, if you couldn't tell!

1  //  Valentine's Day Scandinavian folk-style Tree of Life coasters are something I'd probably make string banner out of rather than use them to absorb leaky beverages.

2  //  Knee-high knitted socks with Scandinavian ornaments keep your toes warm in fierce weather.

3  //  I can see this Nordic winter wreath as bright spot in a mound of white, the only indication of a cozy, insulated, buried house in the snow.

4  //  This Swedish folk cushion cross stitch pattern makes me happy.

5 // Swedish Dalahäst printed tea towel is functional and cheery.

If there's one thing I like as much as I do Arthurian Britain and the Celtic peoples and their saints (see St. Gildas above), it's Scandinavian folk art and folk culture.  Probably because the Christmas season has ended but winter's still in full bluster, my mind fancies far, white northern regions and their cheerful, intricate designs warding off the dark and ice.  I listen to Scandinavian folk music and Google rosemaling and dahla horses.  I think about The Snow Queen and the reindeer herders and the sagas that share common heroes and gods with our English language and legacy.  I think about it all the time, actually, but at the cusp of January-February, it is especially fitting.

So!  My five favorite sorta-functional Scandinavian items.

Yarn Along

Jan. 8, Christmas weekday.

Crocheting my first hat after practicing with rounds and granny squares throughout the holiday.  I like the color, shape, and texture of this yarn, though it's nothing fancy--a cheap, acrylic off-brand.  Good for a beginner making mistakes.  I tend to do several of one pattern or item before moving on to a new, more complex one.  I learn by repetition and rhythm.

I finally finished Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card last week.  War books are easier reading for me than things like Jane Austen.  I attribute it to my Germanic and mythological interests.  I'm guessing most thirteen-year-old girls wouldn't read the Odyssey over Pride and Prejudice.  I still haven't read Pride and Prejudice.  I should just turn in my lit. degrees now, right?

Ender's Game was interesting, and hard to place.  I thought it pretty graphic, though no more than A Clockwork Orange, 1984, and other negative utopian classics.  I'm guessing the reason why I noted the violence in Ender's Game is because of its association as a young adult novel, my fore-knowledge of the author as a practicing Mormon, and, most importantly, the fact that the main characters are all children.  It resonated with a similar uneasiness as The Lord of the Flies, that children should be exposed to and capable of such evils, even genius children.

I think I liked it.

One of its strengths is that it's very straightforward and doesn't try any of this fancy modernist framing or unreliable narration.  I was caught off guard over and over by how non-complex the complicated motivations and characterizations were--and no, that wasn't a stutter.  Ender's Game is probably the first novel I've read that has genuinely complex and intricate depictions of human nature and the psyche portrayed with deliberate clarity rather than confusion.  I'm betting that's why it's so popular, because it's accessible.  One could even say there's a clear moral order.  While not directly depicted in the novel, it's there like a light from the outside, casting shadows and coloring the whole of the story.  My only complaint is that the tone and plot revelations in the end were jarring and gave me the impression that it was tacked on after the fact to smooth the way for sequels.

Had my latest doctor's visit today, and tests came back positive for lingering mycoplasma, which explains the constant illness.  It's like mono in that way, but you might have heard of it as walking pneumonia.  The doctor prescribed a special antibiotic because the typical ones aren't effective for treating mycoplasma.  I'm still convinced in my bones that there is a deeper problem going on here, because this kind of infection attacks the very young, the very old, or those with weakened immune systems.  Which is basically what I've been saying all along.  I feel the wake of it almost every day.  Thanks for your continued prayers.   xx

Seven Quick Takes: Volume 28

Dec. 21, Feast of St. Peter Canisius, priest and doctor.  This remarkable Jesuit almost single-handedly re-evangelized Central Europe, founded dozens of colleges, revitalized Catholicism with his prodigious writings, and laid the groundwork for the Catholic Reformation north of the Alps.  Declared a Doctor of the Church in 1925, he is patron of Germany, the Catholic press, and catechism writers.  Also, east of St. Thomas the Apostle in the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite.

I've got out of 7 Quick Takes lately, mostly because I'm really bad at them (ask an absentminded bookworm professor type to do anything "quick," I dare you!), but there are some days that I just have a lot of little things to say, and this is one of them.  So, without further ado:

-- 1 --

I waffle between under- and over-exaggerating my struggles.  What one day seems to be a true-to-life, honest examination of what's-happening seems on other days like a drama queen performance; what is judicial silence and determination of irrelevance on good days seems like prideful denial on bad ones.

I hope I didn't upset anyone too much by my "confessions" yesterday.  It's hard to know how to say it.  I've been put into place by dear ones who remind me to be a reverse Pharisee by denying need when need is real is not the Christian way.  Especially if I'm not at the place spiritually where I really don't care about my own suffering (pray that I get better at that, won't you?).  But it's all relative.  When I see what others are going through--a mother of two under two who just found out this Christmastime that she has cancer; a dear friend whose husband is dying; a coworker who admits she has never felt happy in her entire life; a relative who spends Christmas alone because her only son died years ago--I realize my issues are drops in an ocean of suffering.

So somewhere between everything-is-fine and the-world-is-ending, there's me.  I just wanted to share my thoughts as an exercise in reflection, in hopes it could help others the way it helped me.  And you needn't worry: I've come to the conclusion about a year back that I would not be too proud to ask for help--but I would only ask for that help if it's truly needed.

-- 2 --

And how the Lord provides!  I should have mentioned during the mild ranting that at the company Christmas party I got a gift card to Subway and a Christmas bonus; my EBT card was spontaneously renewed when I went to fill out the forms online this week; the Saint Vincent de Paul Society at my parish got wind of things and insisted on sending three bags of groceries home with me last weekend; my grandmother wrote a generous check for my Christmas present; and my folks, though out of work for two years and struggling themselves, are still in a place where they are able to and do provide anything I might need.  The Squirt will have no lack of presents from Grandmama and Grandaddy, that's for sure!

My poverty over this Advent has truly been a spiritual one.  But even in this, there is cause for rejoicing!  For how can we merit God's graces if we don't first find the gaping lack of them?

-- 3 --

I have to say, too, that not having spare money during Advent is liberating, a gift in itself (which follows on the heels of what I concluded yesterday).  Since I don't have the resources, I can't buy gifts.  Since I don't have the time, I can't make them.  Or if I do find myself with a little extra spending money, it's going to get spent on something that really wants to be given, and not just a it's-Christmas-and-it's-what-we-do-so-I-bought-you-something-even-though-I-wasn't-sure-it's-what-you-wanted.  You know?  It's a pure philosophy of gifting, in which gifting is better for the giver than the one who receives.

I might have to write more on that later.

-- 4 --

What I'm crocheting lately:

It's sweet, isn't it?  Eventually--eventually as in when Christmas is over and I'm not rushed for time-and-money economical presents--I'm going to venture into learning how to make garments like baby hats and sweaters.  My true dream, though?  Doilies.  Lace, delicate doilies, with iron hook crochets, like what Sarah makes.  Love it.

-- 5 --

(The one my husband might not want to read!)

(Hi, cariad!)

Speaking of clothing, learning how to sew has been on my radar for a while, at first as just a fun "what-if" hobby, then as a "cool people are doing it" scenario, and finally as a "I really want to make my own clothes someday" resolution.  And I don't mean in the fashion-y sense, though it'd be fun to experiment and make things inspired by otherwise obsolete fashions or considered un-cool by today's standards.  But also because things have been developing over the last two years in a direction of greater self-sufficiency and homemakery--or at least, my attraction to them has.  And certain shifts in income and lifestyle seem to support a change in that direction.

I've always had an inexplicable attraction (one of many) to spinning; and as I've picked up my crochet hook again this past autumn, I've let my mind wander along the story of production.  Even yarn from Walmart can rack up unnecessary expenses, if you're talking about really making things to supplement what you would ordinarily buy from a store.  With the handsome spindle given to me by a friend, I can spin my own yarn.  But I still have to buy the wool, and that's not something that's easily accessible either.  So get a sheep, I say to myself--or at least a cat or a dog or something, and use their fur to make your own thread, to crochet your own things.  But while we're at it, why not keep chickens, so we can have our own eggs, and maybe poultry.  In fact, why not throw in a farm?

-- 6 --

I know it seems incompatible with the prim, preppily dress girl in these photos, but my interest in semi-self-sufficiency--via either farming, urban homesteading, or community gardening--has steadily grown.  It started with an affection for rural life and peaked my interest as distributism when reading Chesterton.  Now I've come to know, on varying degrees of intimacy, families and individuals who are learned in, striving toward, or who actively maintain this alternative lifestyle.  The best part is that it's lock-in-key complimentary to the liturgical lifestyle we're already pursing.

In my internet wanderings, I've come upon a resource called the New Catholic Land Movement.  There is a greater dignity in seeing the product you have created, rather than doing abstract work for a symbol of a symbol of wealth (checks are imaginary money, and money is just made out of paper, and that paper is supposed to symbolize the gold in the national vault--wha??); or earning your daily bread by just spreading around ideas and things, rather than creating them--or worse, using and destroying them.  I see all these exceptional, lovingly and quality made items on Etsy that I actually covet, and I think, 'the only thing that keeps me from making those things myself is that I'm busy blundering doing unrelated things in order to make money so that I can eat and clothe myself and my family.'  But wouldn't it just be simpler and more satisfying to remove that nonsense in the middle and just do something that has an immediate, practical, and good end--like planting seeds for food, or keeping sheep to spin thread, or building the things you need like furniture and shelter?  A life like that wouldn't be devoid of luxury altogether, and I there's no question that there'd be a need for poets and painters, but the two types of vocations are much closer in their purpose than the modern world seems to imagine.

That's sort of the philosophy of distributism.  I know the romance would melt away for me soon enough, with hard winters and dependence on the hand of God, but I've already had to train myself in doing without, especially this past month.

-- 7 --

Last but not least, Soul Gardening is hosting its inaugural incentive offer.  Donate any amount to keep the grassroots ministry going and they will send a free copy of the award-winning "Eastern Bound" CD.  If you haven't yet, sign up to receive this quiet little journal; it is truly a must-have for any mama, stay-at-home papa, homesteader, homeschooler, or person who feels the occasional loneliness of isolation and wants lifting up by the black-and-white printed spiritual communion of the Church on earth, Catholic or no.  And oh my, the illustrations are so humbly breathtaking!

Join Jen at Conversion Diary for 7 Quick Takes Friday!

Yarn Along

Nov. 27, Wednesday of the 34th week in Ordinary Time.  Chanukkah begins.

My parents took the Squirt ahead of me to the family gathering place in the north of the state, giving me a while to compose myself and pack, prepare for the big holidays ahead (including Advent!) and rest from the past few weeks.  The autumn has been full and hectic.  I love my new job, but working six days a week is taking its toll on me--or perhaps it's just the underlying anonymous health conditions I'm trying to pinpoint and address.

The temperature is plummeting tonight, and so I'm grateful for a warm crochet blanket to spread over my lap while I catch up on Parks and Recreation and re-watch The Secret of Kells . . . hope to start Game of Thrones and Once sooner rather than later.  But this will really be the only extended vacation I have, since we work throughout the Christmas holiday (except the 24th and 25th) at the childcare center.  I've got a Sulfjan Stevens mix playing in the background, and he reminds me of winter.  I'm looking at changing the linens in the bedroom soon and growing more aware of the absence of pine-scent.  I'm feeling decidedly Scandinavian right now, as my Etsy searches reveal.

I'm reading two books, as I am usually not able to concentrate on one at a time: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban for the Harry Potter book club and Ender's Game.  Ender's Game is older than The Hunger Games trilogy and, though I haven't read the latter, it feels far more affirming.  But that may just be my knowledge of Card's Mormon beliefs and its preference by some whose opinions I regard highly.  I think I like it, though it is at some parts painful.  It surprises me with its forthrightness. With all my training for close reading, my methods flip and cancel out dealing with a theme and topic so complex in so simple prose.  I'll probably give a fuller review after I finish.

I wanted to observe Chanukkah this year, but things didn't arrange themselves favorably for it all to come together.  I was scrambling with other plans and responsibilities until the last minute, and it seems that there is not a significant enough Jewish population around here for the stores to sell menorahs.  I wanted to look up the prayers and liturgy of the holiday, and even see if there was a Catholic compliment/adaptation, like there is for Passover.  But here the Festival of Lights is upon us, and I'm none the wiser.  It will have to wait another year.

Do you or someone you know celebrate Chanukkah?  What are some of your favorite family traditions?

I think Chanukkah integrates well with the season of Advent (it usually falls later in the year, early December).  It's a compliment to the flames of the Advent wreath, the miracle of the light that the darkness failed to put out; God's goodness to His people; and a reminder that Our Lord became incarnate as a Jewish man, and that he is a Jewish man still in Heaven, now and forever.  Amen.

Coming up on the blog, I hope to do a companion decorating piece to the Hallowmass one; Micaela's special 3 Reasons I Love Catholicism Advent edition; and Haley's Advent Unplugged link-up.

I so want to "unplug" this Advent, but I really don't know what more I can give up.  I don't own a television and haven't watched anything online in two months.  I rarely go on Facebook any more, except after work when Squirt is still in the classroom, and I can steal a few minutes on my office computer.  The Harry Potter book club is suffering, and Jenna and Masha have been more than patient; plus, our time spent discussing together is so precious and empowering for me.  I'd really like to cook better, more healthful meals more frequently.  I've done dinner grab-and-go more times than I'm happy with this month.  And the laundry and cleaning are always endless; more than making me happy to have a neat home, it sometimes just must be done!  I wouldn't' mind giving up the car and subsequent costs, but, you know . . . suburban America and all.

So, all that said, I guess I'll have to think about it and get back to you.  Happy Chanukkah, friends, and, if I don't see you, a blessed Thanksgiving!

Liturgical Living: Haunting Your Home on a Budget

Oct. 29, Feast of St. Narcissus.  When three wicked men accused him of a crime, they confirmed their calumny by swearing terrible oaths: one that he might perish in a fire, the second that he might be struck with leprosy, and the third that he might lose his sight, should they be false.  All these things came to pass.  The first burnt at night by an accidental house fire; the second contracted leprosy  the third, seeing this, feared for his life and confessed his slander, continually weeping, thereby losing his sight before the end of his life.  St. Narcissus lived to be 116.

If I do nothing else for my seasons, at the very least, I decorate accordingly.  There's something about a home that reflects its environment and of a family that is mindful of the turning of the earth and the phases of the moon, who, with Saint Francis, calls them brothers.

In the Letter to Diogenetus, written around the 2nd or 3rd century AD, it is written "Christians cannot be distinguished from the rest of the human race by country or language or customs.  They do not live in cities of their own; they do not use a peculiar form of speech; they do not follow an eccentric manner of life."  It is a peculiar paradox of the Christians that we simultaneously live in the world but are not of it.

This doesn't have to take form in spooky, commercialized Halloween decorations.  It could be something as simple and elegant as bringing in seasonal foliage and flowers.  Children in particular will enjoy scouring their backyards and parks and forest paths for treasures.  The changing of linens, especially in the north at this time of year, is appropriate.  Cool cotton is exchanged for heavier wool and quilts.  The smells of wood fires, baking apples, and savory soups are better than expensive candles.  I keep pine cones year-round, but they are especially nice accents this time of year.

But if I want to get into the "spirit" of All Hallows' Eve (and I do), I aim to go heavy on the creativity and easy on the pocket.

First, I try to decorate with steals from the dollar store that don't scream--or howl, or screech--"mass manufactured."  The key is to be picky.  I buy what catches my eye and what will integrate well with my decor.

1. Paper jack-o-lantern cutouts.  I put one in each panel of the widest window in the sunroom.  It's neat that you can see them from outside as well as in.  (Also the damage from where it was taped up from last year!)
2. It looks and hangs like a fancy cloth banner from a craft store, but it costs dimes.  You could probably even make your own--find a template or throw a collage of patterns together and save as an image on your computer (I love Picmonkey), and print, cut, glue, hang.  The orange lights are about three dollars at dollar stores, but if you don't want to waste it, Christmas lights work just as well.
3. I've actually found the template for this square banner in the template options of my computer at work, even though I bought this banner on clearance out of season last year.  Imagine that!  Someone had the same idea I had (see #2).  Meanwhile, I replaced my usual post cards on the clothesline with vintage-style greeting cards.  They look like something ordered off of the oh-so-pricey Victorian Trading Company, but they're Hallmark.  I use one of each type and mail the rest to friends!

They're made out of cheap materials and paper, but you don't have to feel like a pollution bug.  Pack them up at the end of the month and save them for next year!  If they look a little shabby, all the spookier!

Now my personal favorite: pillows.  I've long proclaimed that changing pillow covers (along with other linens) is the easiest, fastest, and most effective way to decorate for the seasons.  If you have a fairly neutral color palate to work from, you'll have full reign of all kinds of colors and patterns.  What fun!  I change the pillow cases on the pillows that are practical additions to my bed, sofa, and chairs, and you wouldn't believe how instantaneous the transformation is.

1. I purchased clearance fabric from JoAnne's.  I don't sew, but I understand that it's fairly easy if you have a machine.  I had my sister whip together these pillow covers from the fabric in under two hours (that's six sewn cloth items in an episode of Sherlock!).
2. I chose this burlap fabric because it's sturdy and will stand up to my toddler.  But let's be honest.  I wouldn't have even looked at it if not for the pattern . . . do I have to use the word chic?  I think I will.  Well, if there are any fashion-minded fiends out there.
3. The pumpkin-shaped pillow was a splurge buy from JoAnne Fabrics.  It originally came with two glittery black bats, popping out on curling wires.  But my son made a speedy end of them.  Once again, pillows folks.  Fairly durable.

Seasonal items include found things from the natural world that I mentioned above.  Some are things that I can incorporate into my themed decorating but which I can use year-round.

1. A bright berry wreath teetering on the edge between dark orange and light red can transition into winter.
2. Autumn-colored flowers, either purchased at the store or picked in the field.
3. Candy corn is excellent for decorating.  Place it in clear jars, cups, candle holders, and lanterns for instant color and interest.  [not pictured] Acorns and pine cones gathered outside and arrange in similar ways are add variety and texture to your "vase fillers."
4. I love the Chinese lanterns that are blooming this time of year.  Living as we do in central Florida, it's the only color change we get.
5. The dried eucalyptus wreath fills our whole home with a sweet smell and puts the finishing touch on our sitting room/dining room/sun room.  I've wrapped purple lights around it.  (Warning: be careful of fire hazards!  We do not leave this unattended!)  The dreary fabric was bought at the dollar store in the Halloween section--but it's just black cheesecloth!  You can buy cheesecloth in tons of stores year-round, and you might already have some.  It serves well for creepy draped fabric.  If it's old, musty, and torn with holes, that's prefect.  I keep the same cheesecloth and break it out every year.  Cheap as free!
6. [not pictured]  Some places sell dried turning leaves this time of year.  Hit up the produce section of your grocery store for Indian corn, husks of wheat, gourds, pumpkins, and affordable, easy, table-to-tummy decorations.

Okay, so we've been good with our Halloween decorating tricks--now it's time to treat ourselves!  The extra stuff doesn't have to be Pottery Barn priced.  If you keep your eyes peeled for year-round deals, especially post-season clearances, you can snatch up some nice stuff for next year.  (Also, since we're Catholic, we get two days of festive extension after the secular holiday.  So there!)

1. This perfectly useless but perfectly handsome vintage jack-o-lantern hanging wall-thing was purchased at Target.
2. The bat decals were last year's unsold Martha Stewart wall decorations.  Nice!  (There's a huge witch silhouette that came with these, but I don't have a window or wall space big enough for her yet.)
3. Stripey straws can be used for all kinds of things: in caramel apples, candy melts, or just stuck in a class of chilled cider for instant festivity.  My son likes drinking out of straws, so I buy them anyway.  And they make such a picture sitting there on the cupboard in their cylindrical containers!  (Now imagine if you had potions bottles to go with them!  Next year, next year. . .)  I got these either at Target or JoAnne's.  I've seen black-and-white skull ones at Michael's that could do triple duty for Dia de los Muertos and Mardi Gras.

Whatever you do or don't do for the season, make sure you do it with your family.  I say this for my own sake.  It's easy to get wrapped up in the hype and get tied down to perfection and neglect to have fun, or get frustrated at my little boy for re-arranging my pine cone display (Every. Single. Morning).

Last, though while we may go through the movements the way other people do, we are mindful that they are not as other people do them.  On the contrary, they are suffused with purpose; and all or daily, mundane doings elevated and made as prayers.  "Pick up a pin for the love of God, and count your day well spent."  As the writer of the Letter to Diogenetus continues,

Yet, although they [the Christians] live in Greek and barbarian cities alike, as each man's lot has been cast, and follow the customs of the country in clothing and food and other matters of daily living, at the same time they give proof of the remarkable and admittedly extraordinary constitution of their own commonwealth.  They live in their own countries, but only as aliens. They have a share in everything as citizens, and endure everything as foreigners. Every foreign land is their fatherland, and yet for them every fatherland is a foreign land.  They marry, like everyone else, and they beget children, but they do not cast out their offspring.  They share their board with each other, but not their marriage bed.   It is true that they are "in the flesh," but they do not live "according to the flesh."  They busy themselves on earth, but their citizenship is in heaven.

Yarn Along

Oct. 23, Feast of St. John Capistrano, follower of St. Bernadine, widower, itinerant preacher, and Franciscan.  He lived to the age of 70, at which time he was commissioned by Pope Callistus II to lead an army of crusaders to defend Belgrade from the attacking Turks.  He died in the field a few months later, but his army delivered Europe from the invaders.

There hasn't been much time for reading lately, but crocheting takes only a passing concentration, especially when you get into the rhythm of the pattern.

This blue strip will (one day) be a baby afghan for one of my nephews.  I'm not sure which one yet.  I have two new ones!  My brother's son was born in August, and my sister-in-law's son just last Thursday.

Yarn Along

Oct. 16, Feast of St. Hedwig, maternal aunt to St. Elizabeth of Hungary, widow and religious.  She lived a life of poverty and humility, despite being the wife and daughter of nobility, and went often barefoot, even in winter.  When her husband, the Duke of Silesia, gave her a pair of shoes and insisted she not be without them, she carried them under her arm.  After he died, she renounced all worldly goods and joined they monastery they founded together, where her daughter Gertrude was abbess.  St. Hedwig is patroness of Bavaria, brides, duchesses, death of children, marital problems, Silesia, victims of jealousy, and widows.  Also, I should think, of Harry Potter fans.

Here we are, still getting over the flu.  But the flu is not the flu, says the doctor.  It's only an upper respiratory infection, which means that we could still get the flu.  Lovely!

I'm way overdue on a Harry Potter book club post, so procrastination is definitely in order (thanks to Jenna for yet another free period!).  I adore Ginny Sheller's blog Small Things and finally have something to link up, since being bedridden does not lend itself to much more than reading, and when that causes headache, crocheting is a practical alternative.  I haven't crocheted in over a year, so to get used to it again and practice my stitches, I made this simple scarf--no pattern, nothing fancy, just a single strip of worked yarn, in a pretty autumn auburn.

I'm hoping to work myself up to a confidence level to attempt a baby afghan or two--I've got another nephew (this one through marriage) due any day now!  Eventually, I want to set the wool yarn I spun last spring and make something of that, too.

For reads, I mentioned last week that I checked out The Great Heresies from our parish library.  Belloc's keen observations are prophetic.  You get the lightning bolt about why he and Chesterton were friends at lines like this:

Heresy, then, is not a fossil subject.  It is a subject of permanent and vital interest to mankind because it is bound up with the subject of religion, without some form of which no human society ever has endured, or ever can endure.  Those who think that the subject of heresy may be neglected because the term sounds old-fashioned and because it is connected with a number of disputes long abandoned, are making the common error of thinking in words instead of ideas.

It's that unapologetic masculine tone that Chesterton shares, to which I am always so drawn, fortified, as by the voice of God--something like lions roaring, and trumpets that sound in the fortress towers to announce the dawn.

Today

Linking up with the inspiring Masha at Piękno.

A secret kept, by one mama for another.  c;

Today, I am

Feeling . . .  tired!  I've been going without stopping these past few weeks, and even when I've managed to catch up on sleep I feel the tiredness of the lack of spiritual and mental rest.  But, I am able-bodied and blessed and buoyed up by the Holy Spirit and love of friends, so I'm not complaining (not at the moment, anyway!).

Seeing . . .  several papercrafts online for the upcoming baby shower.  I love DIY so much, especially the useless kind, like decorations.  You can do so much more with pretty handy things than with store-bought party supplies.

Smelling . . .  my lingering Butterfly Flower perfume from the friend's wedding I attended on Saturday--the fresh, floral scent I wore at my own wedding three years ago.  <3

Tasting . . .  popcorn, with just some oil and salt.  It's so delicious.

Listening . . .  the contented jabber of my son--little, monosyllabic shouts of enthusiasm.

Grateful . . .  for the internet.  Really.  After being forcibly kept from it more than I am accustomed, I realize how important it is for connecting me with friends and higher thinking that fuels me through the less-than-interesting and tiresome times.

Also, for civil debates and discussions.  Wish there were more of these, especially on the 'net.

Reading . . .  Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.  I've also rented an old favorite from the library, The Moorchild, but at the rate things are going, it'll be due before I put a significant dent in it.

Loving . . .  this late-summer time of year, when the light is deep, rich amber--the summer not quite yet drawing to a close, but well along.  A sunflower season.

Hoping . . .  for a cleaner home tomorrow!  For some time to write letters and catch up on reading.  For a relaxing stay on the beach this upcoming week.  For many photos of my son and grandmother together.  For love notes from my husband, and to see him again in person sooner rather than later.

A Belated Saint Patrick's Day

We are legit Irish around here.  My husband's mother was born and raised in Cork, and if you don't believe it, look for two seconds at a picture of my son.

So, as decent Americans and the Irish-descended, we have to celebrate Saint Patrick's Day, even if it's a day or two late.

Our friends joined us today for some hot tea, Irish soda bread, fruit, little sandwiches, and fruit tarts.  But first, here's what I did to prepare.

We made some easy lucky five-leaf clovers with green, washable finger paint and card-stock.  I embellished it with a teal marker and put it in a gold spray-painted document frame.

Both of the images in the above photos came from Sole Searching Mama.  I had good intentions of putting a prayer on back of the Saint Patrick icons to make them into a kind of prayer card, even high hopes of covering them in laminating people, but those plans all fell through when I ran out of time on my parents' printer.  And I wasn't up for reproducing one of Saint Paddy's long prayers by hand.

For the word art, I printed them out on card-stock I already had and trimmed them with my Michael's-bought paper-cutter.  Then I punched holes in them and strung silver ribbons left over from my wedding, of all things.  One of them, though, I kept and framed like Susan did.

(Read about "free lensing" here.)

. . . And that's it!  What, you thought I made all that food?  Pre-prepared spreads, breads, and pastries equals less stress and more fun, at least for this busy lady.  Oh!  I did boil water for tea. . .

Someone was a complete ham the whole time.  Not naming any names.

These girls (the same that were--all three of them!--bridesmaids in my wedding) always bring me a beautiful bouquet of hand-picked wildflowers.  I love-love-love little unexpected gifts, and I love-love-love flowers.  These flowers actually smelled like pomegranates!  I feel a bit frustrated at times because my thanks can never express just how much I appreciate the wildflowers.  Well, I hope they can feel my sincerity, anyway.

A text from their mom a couple.days ago read, "I have to tell you this, our journal topic today is . . . Write about a woman you know whose inner beauty shines outwardly.  They both chose you!"

What better motivation to goodness than this?  Girls, I will try to make you proud every day and be a woman worth emulating.

Hope your Saint Paddy's day was likewise sweet!  That's it for Saint Patrick's Day and Saint Joseph's Day.  Now back to our regularly programmed fast.