Every so often, we chat fashion at Carrots. I hope it feels like going shopping with a friend, but not having to try on jeans….or leave your couch. I know my Canadian friends and some of my yankee friends are still getting snow. I. can't. even. Come sit on my back porch with me and drink sweet tea because I like my April to feel like summer, thank you very much. And 80 degrees and sunny is my … [Read more...]
What NFP Looks Like for Our Family Right Now
I get frequent questions about and requests for updates on how we do Natural Family Planning. It’s ok, I really don’t mind. That’s what I get for running a long series on NFP. Because while you can read about statistics and methods all day, sometimes it helps just to hear about a real person’s experience. Does our experience look like everyone else’s? No. There’s definitely a spectrum and we fall … [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...]
Sticky Handprints and When You’re Not Ready for Easter
It’s Holy Week and I’m not ready for it. It’s been a busy Lent. It started out focused, but then life showed up. Did that happen to you, too? With our house on the market, trying to keep everything clean while homeschooling and raising three little ones is driving me crazy. Daniel was really busy at work and was out of town some for his second gig as a youth group leader. My lenten food … [Read more...]
This Week’s Miscellany: Vol. 122 (Spring in FL, AKA Mosquito, Edition)
Happy Springtime, y'all! The azalea's are in bloom in N. Florida and so are the mosquitos. So feel free to be jealous of our balmy weather and the constant attack of giant insects. To be fair, we have had three weeks of glory--eating outside for every meal and kicking the kids into the backyard to wear themselves out climbing trees and digging in the dirt. Now I just need to figure out the … [Read more...]
Why Mary Has to Hold the Cards: Thoughts on the Annunciation, Assault, and Free Will
In Dante Gabriel Rossetti’s Annunciation, we see the angel Gabriel visiting Mary in her bedroom. He stands tall while she shrinks back on her bed. Her face is difficult to read. Is she deep in thought? Or is she paralyzed by fear? The image is deeply unsettling and it’s hard to ignore the fact that it looks like we are witnessing an assault on a young girl. This is problematic on so many … [Read more...]
These Are a Few of My Favorite Things (FaithBeads Giveaway!) {Sponsored Post}
I love to support small family businesses. And I love heirloom-quality, vintage-inspired rosaries. Put 'em together and you get FaithBeads--beautiful rosaries and jewelry made by a Catholic mama in her at-home business. The artist behind FaithBeads is Erin Heller, Catholic homeschooling mama of three. Erin converted from agnosticism 10 years ago before marrying her husband, a cradle Catholic. … [Read more...]
This Week’s Miscellany: Vol. 121
St. Patrick's Day has to be one of my favorite days of the year. What a cool saint. And Irish Soda Bread, Corned Beef and Cabbage, and Guinness Floats--what could be tastier? The kiddos had mint chocolate chip ice cream and danced to Irish music. It was an all-around success. Lucy and I also went to our first mommy-daughter movie date to see Kenneth Branagh's Cinderella. You can read my … [Read more...]
Charity Has Power and How Disney Didn’t Ruin Cinderella
Image source: Disney “Where there is kindness, there is goodness. Where there is goodness, there is magic.” I took my daughter to her first real movie last weekend to see Disney’s new live action Cinderella starring Lily James. I was intrigued by the trailer, but once I heard that Kenneth Branagh was directing, I had very high hopes. Any review will tell you that the film is … [Read more...]
Getting the Eastertide Party Going {Sponsored Post}
When I was chatting with Christy and Bonnie on the Fountains of Carrots podcast recently, I realized that while we have some set traditions for observing Lent in our home, we haven't developed as much for celebrating Eastertide (50 days!) after Easter Sunday comes to an end. But we're slowly and surely adding in some solid Easter traditions in our home, so I thought I'd share. Kick it Off! One … [Read more...]
