I was 20 when we were married. Generally speaking, I didn’t know much of anything. I knew I wanted to marry Daniel in a church. I didn’t even care so much which church (it was a few years before we became Catholic). I didn’t care what our wedding colors were. It didn’t make much of a difference to me what song played when I walked down the aisle. It was before Pinterest. I just wanted a white … [Read more...]
Our Lady, Stella Maris….Over at To The Heights
I'm over at Olivia's lovely blog, To the Heights chatting about Our Lady while Olivia enjoys sweet moments with her new little one! "Star of the Sea, or the Latin version of the title, Stella Maris, speaks to the idea that Our Lady is a sparkling light of hope for Christians. Our Living Hope, Christ Our Lord, is made flesh through her. But her role as a channel of God’s grace is … [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...]
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...]
We Call This Friday Good
Good Friday is here. We are so close to Easter, but Resurrection doesn't mean much if we haven't entered into Christ's Passion. If you have a chance, try to read from T.S. Eliot's Four Quartets, particularly East Coker, IV. The wounded surgeon plies the steel That questions the distempered part; Beneath the bleeding hands we feel The sharp compassion of the healer's art Resolving … [Read more...]
The Freedom of Giving Up
We have a very mixed up idea of what freedom is. We think that freedom is choice, and more specifically in our consumerist society, we think true freedom is having a multitude of choices. We expect the t-shirt we want to be available in every color under the sun. We expect hundreds of flavors of coffee to be waiting for us at the grocery store. But on a deeper level, we think moral freedom is … [Read more...]
Becoming a Family of Prayer
When I read Kendra of Catholic All Year's Day in the Life post last week, I immediately asked if she would write about how she fits prayer into her family's life. We just started trying a family Rosary again after taking a break since Baby Gwen was born, but I was inspired by how Kendra centers her family's whole day around prayer. Enjoy! - Haley (p.s. Our only computer died this week, so … [Read more...]
Liturgical Living At a Glance: April
I’m always trying to figure out how to make it easier for families to observe the Christian Year because we felt so overwhelmed when we first started that journey (which is why we wrote the book we wish we had then). I thought it might be helpful for our family to have resources compiled for the month ahead so that we can plan in advance which special saints days we want to observe and I hope … [Read more...]
Making a Simple St. Joseph’s Day Altar (Liturgical Living Doesn’t Have to Be Perfect)
Yesterday, March 19th, was St. Joseph's feast day. And every year, we forget to celebrate. Maybe it's because it's Lent? Maybe it's because St. Patrick's Day comes just two days before. Even though it's not as important a feast as St. Joseph's Day, it seems to overshadow it because St. Patrick's Day is a big deal culturally for Americans (because so many of us are descended from Irish immigrants) … [Read more...]
More Than Chocolate Bunnies: Simple and Fun Kids’ Easter Basket Fillers (And Easter Egg Votives Giveaway!)
Ever since we began observing the liturgical year, we do it up big for Easter. After the 40 days of Lent, it’s time for the biggest party of the year in celebration of the Resurrection! We try to find ways to help our kids understand the Christian Year and having simple meals during Lent and then really celebrating with food and gifts for Easter helps them learn to participate in those seasons. I … [Read more...]
