This Week’s Miscellany: Hallowtide and Beyond

It feels like November is always a whirlwind, but this year it’s been crazier than usual with my book edits due back at Thanksgiving (eek!). Life has been so full, but full of good things. I can’t believe I keep failing to post weekly TWMs. My last one was almost a month ago! #worstblogger

We had a great Hallowtide. We continued our tradition of trick or treating with my best friend from college’s kiddos. My kids were a Jedi, a mermaid, and “Princess Sparkles” which is a character of Gwen’s own making.

I’m not sure what Daniel was supposed to be.

For All Saints Day Lucy was St. Elizabeth of Hungary and Gwen was St. Mary Magdalene. Pillow case head coverings compliments of the 5 minutes before we had to leave for homeschool co-op and were rushing to find something we could turn into a costume. For All Souls we made soul cakes and went to pray for the dead at a local cemetery before the beautiful All Souls Requiem Mass. Very Memento Mori.

In other news we’ve been enjoying the beautiful temperate weather of autumn in Texas. Park days in the middle of November are why we homeschool through the miserable summer when we don’t even want to be outside.

And Daniel and I managed to go on a little day trip date to the Texas Monthly BBQ festival in Austin. We ate such good food and so much of it. Possibly more meat than I’ve ever eaten in my life in one sitting? We only wanted veggies for a few days afterwards while recovering.
And then for something completely different one of my very besties who is a vegetarian and would not have enjoyed the BBQ fest  came to visit all the way from Atlanta. Such a treat! We pumped her full of tex mex before she had to head home.

On Our Bookshelf:

This is a new one from one of our favorite author/illustrators, Demi. It’s beautiful! We also love Demi’s St. Nicholas, Mother Teresa, and St. Joan of Arc. (Those are my Amazon affiliate links. And psst! If you use my Amazon link for your Christmas shopping, at no additional cost to you, a portion of the sale of whatever you order will benefit Carrots. Some of you make an effort to shop through my Amazon links each year and it is a HUGE blessing to my family. So thank you!)

Links:

The review of Breathe I wrote for America Magazine

Gateway to the Upside Down: Alexi Sargeant (Best discussion of Strangers Things I’ve seen yet!)

Being Open to Life Means Being Open to Loss: Susanna Spencer

The Making of an American Nazi: The Atlantic (Incredibly disturbing but important for understanding the alt-right movement.)

Modest Dressing, as a Virtue: NYTimes (Pretty fascinating.)

Why You Hate Contemporary Architecture: Current Affairs (There’s some language in this one, but I found it to be positively brilliant.)

Podcasts:

When a Saint Brings a Baby Back to Life: The Alleged Miracle of Ven. Fulton Sheen with Bonnie Engstrom: Fountains of Carrots

How We Adult (And Advice to Our Single Selves): Fountains of Carrots

Love Where You Live: The Simple Show

And this one is a must listen for homeschoolers: A Dangerous Adventure. But you will need kleenex.

 

And don’t forget! Just through November 19th my friends at Grove Collaborative are offering my readers a great deal with FREE Mrs. Meyer’s products.

When you place your first order of $20 using my link, you’ll get:

• Free Holiday Mrs. Meyer’s hand soap
• Free Holiday Mrs. Meyer’s dish soap
• Free Holiday Mrs. Meyer’s multi surface spray
• Free Grove seasonal kitchen towel
• Free Shipping & 60 Day VIP Trial

“But what if I’m already a Grove customer? Do I get anything special?” Don’t worry, friends, you do. Existing customers can click here to get a free set of Grove walnut scrubber sponges.

I should warn you that last year, Mrs. Meyer’s seasonal scents sold out quickly. This offer is only available through Sunday November 19th or until the sets are gone, so don’t miss out! Here’s how it works:

1. Sign up for Grove Collaborative here. You will receive the Holiday Set for free when you sign up! (I picked Orange Clove.)
2. To receive this offer, your order needs to be a minimum of $20. Choose the combination of products and scents you love and receive your first box within a few days. My kids love the strawberry flavored Tom’s toothpaste and I’m a big fan of the Seventh Generation laundry detergent and dishwasher pods.
3. You made it! Click Finish & Pay and place your order.

Wishing each of you a beautiful weekend and safe travels if you’re heading out of town for Thanksgiving!

Lots of love,

Haley

Disclosure: Links to Grove and Amazon are affiliate links. I only partner with companies I love and products I use myself.