A gift guide? Less than two weeks before Christmas? That's how things roll around here this year. Last year I was ON THE BALL and we did all family gifts on St. Nicholas Day on December 6th so that we could just relax during Advent and get geared up for the 12 Days of Christmas. This year, not so much. Thanksgiving travel really added the crazy to our pre-Advent time. So here I am two weeks … [Read more...]
Pain, Joy, Love, and a Christmas Playlist for You
We've had record-breaking storms for the past few days. Our driveway is under water and yesterday when we were driving home after visiting some friends, a huge oak tree had fallen across the street. Detour time. Yesterday we woke up to a puddle in our kitchen where our roof was leaking. Sigh. But it's almost Christmas. And I think the little stubby purple candle from the first week of Advent is … [Read more...]
10 Ideas for YOUR Christmas List, Moms
When Daniel's parents ask for Christmas lists for the kids, I can rattle off several things right off the top of my head. But when I'm supposed to write down what I want....it's a different matter. I just stare at a blank page. I think other moms have the same issue. We spend our days focused on other little people and it feels weird to focus on ourselves. I just sit there for several minutes … [Read more...]
Why We Don’t Do Santa
Last week a friend confided to me that she wasn’t comfortable telling her young child that Santa was bringing presents on Christmas Eve. She recalled the confusion, outrage, and betrayal she felt as a child when she overheard the truth about Santa. Not wanting to repeat that experience for her child, she explained to friends and family that they would be skipping Santa. Her concerns were dismissed … [Read more...]
Liturgical Living at a Glance: December
It's HERE! It's finally here! Our new ebook, More Feasts! Celebrating Saints and Seasons with Simple Real Food Recipes is available for purchase this Advent season. 10 new recipes! Reflections on Advent and Holy Week and a few activities to do with children to bring the liturgical year into the home. We are so excited to share it with you! And just for Advent, our first ebook … [Read more...]
The Good Thing About Being Sick on Christmas…
(Prepare yourself for some poor quality iphone pics with bad lighting. Lucky you!) Waking up in the middle of the night Christmas Eve with a head cold that gets progressively worse all Christmas Day and becomes a throat infection until you're shivering, achy, and feverish, on the couch with a hot cup of tea might not be the ideal way to celebrate..... However.... The good thing about … [Read more...]
Holy Time: The Joy of the Incarnation and the Pietà
The Incarnation of Christ, celebrated in the liturgical season of Christmastide, takes on a richer significance for me with each passing year. The story of the Nativity is fuller, but undeniably more strange. It loses the saccharine quality of greeting cards and becomes complicated. Christmas becomes more intricately connected to Holy Week and I’m reminded that the miracle of the Incarnation … [Read more...]
Merry Christmas from Carrots!
Wishing all of you a wonderful Christmas! We're been having a wonderful day with family (and a special movie date to see Les Mis while sweet grandparents watched the kiddos!). So grateful for each and every one of my faithful readers who make it such a joy to blog in this space! Christus Natus Est! … [Read more...]
Our 12 Days of Christmas!
Contrary to what retailers might have you believe, the 12 Days of Christmas are not the 12 days that precede Christmas. They actually begin on Christmas Day, lasting until the Feast of Epiphany on January 6th. This season, also known as Christmastide, is traditionally when the holiday celebrating starts, but you'd never know it from all the Christmas trees already stripped bare and left by the … [Read more...]
Christmas Tree Joy: A Photo Post
It's been quiet at Carrots this week, friends. I got hit by another bout of serious morning sickness and have been out of commission for a couple of days. Thank heavens for my mom and my in-laws who took care of the kids almost all day yesterday so that I could rest and recover from some fun pregnancy vomiting. I spent the whole day in bed with ginger ale and Harry Potter audiobooks. Anyhow, … [Read more...]
