Tomorrow is the Feast of St. Andrew. Daniel whipped up this fabulous meal of Tahini Tilapia for our celebration of St. Andrew (a fisherman) a couple of years ago and it's still a staple at our house. And since November 30th is on a Friday this year, how handy that it's fish for us Catholics, right? The following is drawn from a post on Feast!, our woefully neglected Christian Year blog, that … [Read more...]
How We Celebrate Advent
After writing about observing Advent instead of fighting Santa, I promised to tell you a little bit about what our family does to celebrate Advent. It's actually very simple and I think the difficulty lies in having to say no to a lot of festivities in order to spend Advent waiting, reflecting, and anticipating. What We Do: We bring out our Nativity Scene. My sweet mother-in-law gave us this … [Read more...]
Little Holydays: A New Link Up!
As you noticed from my recent posts on The Gift of the Liturgical Year and the season of Advent, I've been doing a lot of thinking about holy days. Partly because I'm so excited about our new link up: Little HolyDays: Redeeming Time with Feasts, Fasts, Holidays, and Everyday! It’s being hosted by over here at Carrots for Michaelmas and with Tammy and Hannah of Dualing Moms and Molly of Molly Makes … [Read more...]
Holy Time: Observing Advent Instead of Fighting Santa
Every year I hear folks bemoaning the secularization of Christmas and how commercialism has overtaken what used to be a Christian holiday. I read news stories about which retail stores are promoting “Happy Holidays” instead of “Merry Christmas” and which groups and organizations are boycotting those stores for choosing to greet their customers in one way or another. People label it the “war on … [Read more...]
Holy Time: The Gift of the Liturgical Year
“The liturgical year is not an idle discipline, not a sentimentalist definition of piety, not an historical anachronism. It is Jesus with us, for us, and in us as we strive to make His life our own. It is goad and guide to the kind of personal spirituality that is worthy of the Jesus whose commitment to the Word of God led Him all the way to the cross and beyond it—to Resurrection.” (Joan … [Read more...]
GIVEAWAY (Now Closed): 100% Beeswax Advent Candle Making Kit from Toadily Handmade
Halloween is over. All Saints Day and All Souls Day are passed. We're in November. Has it hit you yet? In the blink of an eye we'll be sitting down to Thanksgiving dinner. Advent will sneak up on us and then BOOM, it'll be Christmas! If you're like me, you've just realized that the holidays are right in front of us. And you probably haven't ordered your Advent candles, yet. Well, you're in … [Read more...]
This Week’s Miscellany: Vol. 30 (All Souls Edition)
First things first! So happy to announce that dear friend and occasional Carrots contributor Katherine and her wonderful husband John welcomed a precious baby boy (their first) into the world on Halloween! He is just perfect and I'm itching to get to Boston to snuggle him. Praise God from whom all blessings flow. In the Liturgical Year: We have had the best time celebrating Hallowtide! We've … [Read more...]
Michaelmas Traditions: Prayers, Food, and Flowers
Michaelmas is quickly approaching: September 29th (next Saturday)! It will come as no surprise to you that I love St. Michael's Day. It was the first feast we celebrated when we started observing the Christian Year in 2009, the Fall before our conversion to the Catholic faith. What is Michaelmas? Michaelmas (pronounced Mickel-mas) is a feast day celebrating the Archangels. It follows the … [Read more...]
Happy Birthday, Mary (from a 3-year-old)
It's a birthday weekend at our house. My father-in-law's birthday was yesterday and I get to share a birthday (27!) with Our Lady today. When Benjamin heard that we would be celebrating Mary's birthday, he asked to make her a card. "Blue paper because she loves blue. And a pink cake with candles on the front." Blue and pink, Our Lady's colors of faithfulness and love. Here's what he asked me … [Read more...]
How to Gift Friends with Meals
I love this post by my dear friend Katherine full of wonderful tips for bringing the gift of food to friends in need of a home-cooked meal. Enjoy! - Haley I’ve been on the receiving end thrice recently: of a lasagna brought by a friend when I was laid low with morning sickness; of a half-dozen hearty Southern meals at my grandfather-in-law’s funeral; of a fill-the-freezer campaign by my … [Read more...]
