Whew. We survived the Stomach Flu of 2013 (oh my gosh, you don’t even want to know) and thankfully were recovered before heading off on vacation to NC with my extended family. Benjamin asked this morning, “so…..how many days til we go back to the mountains?” Somebody really enjoyed that Daddy was off work and could go hiking with him and catch salamanders for hours!
On our way up to NC we stopped to let the kids run around at the Greenville, SC farmer’s market (awesome) and I’m not sure whether it was Daniel’s massive beard or Gwen’s super long baby locks….(timeout for proof of Gwen’s awesome hair):
I CANNOT HANDLE THE CUTE. Where was I? Ah….Daniel’s massive beard or Gwen’s super long baby locks that gave us away, but as we passed a cute family on the sidewalk, a woman said, “Hey! Are you Carrots for Michaelmas?” What are the odds?! So, I got to chat with this sweet reader from Pennsylvania for a couple minutes while my kids ran amock. Thank you for making me feel like a celebrity for the rest of the day and I hope I didn’t smell too strongly of baby spit up!
On the Homestead:
Check. Out. This. Squash. Benjamin was actually in tears at the thought of eating it for dinner because he loved it so much.
The Quotable Benjamin:
Benjamin: “Do you think we could get some Butterfingers sometime?”
Me: “Probably not.”
Benjamin: “But they’re good for you! They have BUTTER!”
“Why didn’t you go to sleep, Benjamin?!”
“Well, I wasn’t as tired as a lion whose never had a nap in the whole world so…..”
The Quotable Lucy:
Because a bird was singing outside her window at bedtime: “Stop, Bird! Go sleep! You boverin’ me! Mom! BIIIIIIRRRRRRRRD!”
Lucy gives me a cute attack whenever we bless the food. “and dees dye gifs, we bout cecieve by by boumpy!”
And when Gwen has the hiccups: “No no, Baby ‘Wen! My hiccups! Hiccups are MINE!!!”
Book Love: I actually finished FIVE books while we were out of town. I have to admit that my favorite thing about our yearly vacation is having hours to read in the car and while my sweet parents play with my kids.
I started with Dad Is Fat by Jim Gaffigan, Wives and Daughters by Elizabeth Gaskell, and The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Bronte. And I then I finished off a couple of quick reads: The In-Between by Jeff Goins and Start by Jon Acuff.
But Daniel and my brother are both reading Kristin Lavransdatter right now and even though my last re-read was less than two years ago, hearing them talk about it makes me want to read it again RIGHT NOW.
Links (so many links this week because I’ve been out of the loop for a couple of weeks!):
Should Francis Take on Birth Control? A Response: JoAnna Wahlund
A Fool and her Gender Studies: Simcha Fisher “But when a mother feels guilty for feeling like a mother, then we’ve engineered the kind of problem that causes civilizations to fall.”
Marriage–The Mysterious Sacrament: Fountains of Home “Our marriage in the spiritual reality is something much bigger than just the two of us. It is itself a sacrament. A sacrament where my husband and I are the matter, like the physical bread and wine used in the sacrament of the Eucharist. We’re the basic, plain, worldly, physical, bodily stuff of which God uses as a direct way to give grace and love.”
Why Are America’s Post-Partum Practices So Rough on New Mothers?: The Daily Beast
The Day I Stopped Saying “Hurry Up”: HuffPo
O, Alma Mater: Verily (Makes some great points about the value of education for women who choose to leave the work force to raise their children: “Having received the wonderful gift of an elite education, I didn’t leave it behind. I carry it with me in who I am today. It enriches my life in ways that no salary can measure. It is worthwhile in a way no measure of productivity is needed to justify...”)
Because You Never Know When Pope Francis Might Pick Up the Phone and Give You a Call: Patheos
Jim Gaffigan on Fatherhood for the Recovering Narcissist: Catholic World Report
Sponsor Love:
And please show some love to new Carrots sponsor, Lilla Rose Hair Jewelry. The products are beautiful and I am so in love with these Downton Abbeyesque hair pins that I wish I had long hair to do a fancy up do with them. And there’s a 10-20% sale on over 100 items until midnight Saturday! Also, Mandi is the sweetest and has a precious little one named Lucia, so we clearly dig the same saints for baby name inspiration. You can also follow her Lilla Rose FB page!
(If you’re interested in sponsoring Carrots by advertising on my sidebar, you can find out more on my advertising page or contact me at haley.s.stewart@gmail.com)
Happy weekend, everyone!
Love,
Haley
P.S. You can follow me on Bloglovin’, Feedly, or subscribe via email with the buttons on the left sidebar. You can also follow me on Facebook, Twitter (@haleycarrots), Pinterest (haleyofcarrots), or my personal favorite, Instagram (carrotsformichaelmas). I love connecting with my wonderful readers!
I knew it! I knew that was Greenville just from the picture! Don’t you love downtown Greenville? We just moved to Florida from Greenville and I miss downtown. Glad you all had fun!
It’s so lovely! We talk about moving there whenever we visit, haha.
Greetings from Australia! I’ve been looking at your blog for a few weeks now and been dying to comment, as we are Catholic homeschoolers and our children are the same age as yours. I read Kristin Lavransdatter myself in the weeks before our third was due in April this year and wow, it was so amazing to be in the midst of pregnancy and motherhood (and wifehood!) swimming in the world of that book which is all about love. I had to come up for air sometimes to, you know, look after my family and suchlike, but what an experience it was! I’m currently dipping into Frances Parkinson Keys’ St Anne, and I’ve been eyeing off Wives and Daughters as well. Thanks for the great reading on your blog!
Thank you so much, Sarah! So fun to connect without other Catholic mamas! Tell me more about the Keys’ St. Anne book. I haven’t heard of it!
Those baby locks are to die for!
That woman was brave! If I saw a blogger, I probably wouldn’t say anything for fear of being mistaken! Or simply because I get so nervous (to me it IS like meeting a celebrity! Just being in the same facebook group as a “big” blogger (or bigger than me) makes me all giddy!
ha me too 🙂 Every time I get a like on a family pic from “Somechop” Fisher or Jen Fulwiler retweets me I’m beside myself for several minutes. LOL
Maybe next time you come to Greenville, I can run into you on the street too!
That’s a great family photo — y’all are the cutest!
Aw, thank you, Margaret! <3
And you thought butchering the chickens was a tough conversation! Nothing compares to the love of a boy for his squash. 🙂
hahaha!
Can I borrow Dad is Fat? I think we would really enjoy it around these parts. 😀
done! <3
That family picture is amazing! It captures the essence of your blog so well!
Also, you are a reading machine. Go you!
Thank you, Eva! It was a treat to have time to read!
I was once recognized in public because of a friend’s blog. “Didn’t I see you on…” Made me feel like I was in her entourage. LOL
Well you made me do it, I put Kirsten on hold at the library.
Yay yay! Make sure it’s the Tina Nunnally translation. The older translation is supposedly hard to get into. I hope you love it!
You guys are a gorgeous family! <3
You are so sweet, Jeni!
I’m a new(ish) follower on Carrots and can I just say I already adore your family. 🙂 I really enjoy your blog, it’s nice to “meet” other Catholic mamas online!
And oh, Kristen Lavransdatter, now I want to re-read it too!
Aww! Thank you so much, Margaret! I’m so glad you’re here 🙂 I think it’s going on my 2014 reading list no matter what. I find myself thinking about Kristin all the time, haha.