My lovely friend Nicole Bennett, blogger of Gidget Goes Home and creator of The Motherhood and Jane Austen Book Club, wrote a fantastic ebook on the basics of sewing--something I want to learn to do. It's called Sewing School 101: Simple Tips to Get You Stitching. I've been so excited to share the book with you, but...it's hard to vouch for a book on sewing when you know less than nothing … [Read more...]
The Carrots Classic Book Club: Brideshead Revisited Discussion Recap #1
A couple of weeks back, we had our first meeting of the Carrots Classic Book Club and discussed the beginning of Evelyn Waugh’s Brideshead Revisited (you can see the whole discussion in the FB event). It’s a familiar read for me, my very favorite novel, but I still learned so much from you all. What jumped out at me the most is how masterful Waugh’s characters are. I feel like I know them because … [Read more...]
20 Picture Books That Will Delight Your Children (And That Won’t Annoy You)
This is a popular post from the archives that has been brushed up to share some of our favorite picture books! These are some tried and true titles that have passed an important test: we've read them hundreds of times to our kids and don't hate them yet (miraculous, no!?). The stories and illustrations of these books are enchanting and they have become classics in our household. Enjoy our list and … [Read more...]
Book Clubs and Being a Verily Fangirl
As you probably know, I'm such a Verily Magazine fangirl. So when I was asked to contribute an article about friendship and book clubs (!), I may or may not have squealed. I'm not telling. Draw your own conclusions. "When one season of life ends, it’s easy to lose touch with friends—the common threads holding us together no longer seem to exist. While keeping up with girlfriends on the same … [Read more...]
Welcome to My Little Oratory (And a Giveaway!)
I know we’ve been talking a lot about books lately, but there are so many good books coming out of the Catholic blogosphere right now! Cari Donaldson’s Pope Awesome, Jen Fulwiler’s Something Other Than God, Sarah Mackenzie’s Teaching from Rest, and now The Little Oratory: A Beginner’s Guide to Praying in the Home by David Clayton and Like Mother Like Daughter’s Leila Lawler (and illustrations by … [Read more...]
I Bribed My Children With LEGO So I Could Read This Book (and a GIVEAWAY so you can read it, too!)
I've never pre-ordered a book. But when Jen Fulwiler's spiritual memoir Something Other Than God was available for pre-order on Amazon, I went for it. I've been a devoted reader of Jen's blog Conversion Diary for years and I've followed her process of writing and re-writing and then teaming up with an amazing publisher (Ignatius Press!) to release this story. But when my copy finally arrived, I … [Read more...]
How Does a Busy Mama Make Time to Write? (For the Love of Blogging Series)
Welcome to the For the Love of Blogging series at Carrots! I often get emails and comments asking about various blogging-related things, so I thought it would be fun to answer some of them right here on the blog as a little on-going series. I hope you enjoy it and find it helpful! If you have a question about blogging, feel free to leave it in the comments and I may be able to answer it in a … [Read more...]
The Novel that Made Me Catholic (Introducing the Carrots Classic Book Club)
It sounds strange, but Evelyn Waugh’s 20th century British novel, Brideshead Revisited influenced my decision to become Catholic perhaps more than anything else. I read the Church Fathers and studied Catholic theology and my intellectual obstacles to becoming Catholic were slowly crumbling. But at my core, I need story. My brain works narratively. I slog through non-fiction, but I can devour … [Read more...]
Dear Moms, Don’t Hate Yourself for Liking Social Media
We're always hearing about the dangers of being plugged in. It’s so easy to get too attached to our screens. To be looking down at our phones when we should be looking up at our children. I get it. It’s so hard to have a healthy balance and not let the internet and social media take over our lives. It’s a very real danger to be, in the words of T.S. Eliot “Distracted from distraction by … [Read more...]
A Flood of Earth-Shattering Events and a Few Things You Should Know About Books
What an exciting week! We're still on the road, but will be arriving home tonight after an amazing trip from Florida to New Orleans to Texas and back. We attended the wedding of a dear friend at the church where we were confirmed (and it was the first Catholic wedding we've ever been to!) Gorgeous wedding, glorious reception under the Texas stars. Then we got to visit my best friend's newborn … [Read more...]
