This post contains affiliate links, which means I may receive a commission of any sale made at no extra cost to you.

Last May, I wrote a post about Wendell Berry and his book, Home Economics.  I wrote:

Basically, he’s saying that he’s been wrestling with the development of an argument, using essays written over many years to try to clarify/mold one idea.  Isn’t that such a lost art in our age?  To ruminate on an idea, spinning it around and around, looking at it from all angles.  To read and read some more, listening to other people’s opinions and then weighing that against our original ideas.  To fortify those original ideas or yield to a new and better one.  Does anyone still do that?

After reading that book, I’ve often wondered what my big question would be.  What theme would I hold in my hands and contemplate like that?  And then…

I’ve been writing these weekly reflections on my blog for over a year now.  Some are quite thought out, others are more of the rambling type (sorry about those).  But as I recently browsed through my collection of posts, I started seeing some common themes.  I realized that I had a big question without really knowing it: What does it mean to be human?

I’ve pondered it in relation to technology. I’ve weighed it against the cultural push toward materialism. I’ve investigated life-giving alternatives with useful handcrafts and meaningful work. I’ve meditated on the Creator who made us this way.  My quest is certainly not over and I’ll continue to hold this theme lightly in my hands, turning it this way and that, letting the light shine on each new facet.  I’m excited to see where it leads me next.

Hoping to document 52 weeks of good things!

Five Good Things…

1. A room makeover for the little boys. // One evening at dinner, I made a comment about moving their beds around.  One thing led to another and they had an entirely new arrangement by bedtime!  I love that we were able to make things feel like new without having to spend any money.
2. Farm projects in full swing. // It’s go time here on the farm and I seem to be adding more and more outdoor tasks to my daily lists.  This week, we had pigs acclimating to the trailer (headed for the butcher soon!), prepped paddocks for others to go onto pasture, worked in the garden, planted peas and made plans for new chicks.  Spring is a wild ride.
3. Crafty perseverance. // I have nothing finished to share for Make Stuff March, just slow and steady work on existing projects.  This is what I hoped to strengthen in myself during Lent and while it’s been hard not to start something new and exciting, I know this (boring) middle part is where the virtue is found.
4. Postcards! // In an attempt to restart my snail mail habit, I decided to begin with something small: postcards!  I purchased a handful from DalekoUSA and dug out my stash of postcard-specific stamps.  Highly recommend the postcard route if you’re short on time or just want the recipient to know you’re thinking of them.
5. A trip down memory lane. // When we moved into this house almost eight years ago, I started a One Second Everyday project and kept it up for three years.  I just found a bunch of the raw footage from those videos and we spent over an hour watching them.  My kids were probably ages 11-1 and it was so fun to return to that crazy season.  We haven’t laughed that hard in a very long time.

Frugal Accomplishments //

• accidentally tie-dyed a load of kitchen towels when a pen snuck into the wash, but mitigated the damage with Oxyclean
• listed a few things on Pango/Poshmark/ebay
• made banana bread from overripe bananas
• saved $5 off each ticket to a Lego convention after searching for a promo code
• used my homemade compost in the garden (not nearly enough for all of my plants, but I’m insanely excited that I actually made it!)
• sold chicken to friends
• made broth from chicken backs in the freezer

Reading //

• Thou Shalt Not Destroy from Hadden Turner at Over the Field // “We must remember this. We must remind ourselves daily of our high and noble calling: the calling to create, to build, to fashion, and to grow, and then to steward, preserve, maintain and protect what we have made. It will be helpful to remind ourselves when tempted by destructivity that destructiveness, though often the easy and pleasurable option, rarely, if ever, creates value — and almost never results in beauty. And an action without value and devoid of beauty is probably something we ought not to do.”
• Do you remember how life used to feel? Flip phone February: how I downgraded my phone and upgraded my life from Catherine Shannon // This is partially behind a pay wall but the free section will resonate with a lot of people, I’m sure.
• On Kneeling from Heidie Senseman at Dappled Things // “We’re meant to feel strange and wobbly on our knees. We’re meant to reach out for a tether, something upon which to lean. And there in our flailing we find the Christ, the God-man, The One who condescended to meet us in our lowly humanity, The One who comes down even further to meet us in even lower places. Like here upon this kneeler, in humble posture. Of course we’d find Him down here.”  A good example of lex orandi, lex credendi: as we worship, so we believe.
• Why We Need Graveyards from Paul Lauritzen at Commonweal // Thought provoking.

New Additions to The List // 

• The Smile of a Ragpicker: The Life of Satoko Kitahara – Convert and Servant of the Slums of Tokyo by Paul Glynn
• The Eighth Arrow: Odysseus in the Underworld by J. Augustine Wetta

Watching/Listening //

• Lessons 16-21 of the How to Think Like a Thomist: An Introduction to Thomistic Principles from Aquinas 101 at the Thomistic Institute // Done!  This course was excellent.

Loving //

• this interpretation of The Iliad // Reading this to my littlest boys.

from the archives…

WEEK TWELVE 2024 // He Provides

This post contains affiliate links, which means I may receive a commission of any sale made at no extra cost to you.

Things have felt a little heavy around here, so I decided it was a good time to bring out this practice again.  I definitely needed to take my own advice (get out of head and into my hands) and lean heavily into gratitude to keep me moving.  Here’s my list:

Teeny seedlings sprouting under grow lights.  How the hens have adopted the lone remaining duck into the fold.  Changing the blade on my rotary cutter.  One on one time with my middle son.  The random ladybug crawling on my bathroom wall.  Hearing piano music throughout the house.  Getting into a dinner routine that works for us in this season.  Feeling the subtle shift of spring weather returning.

(Previous little moments lists: part one, part two, part three, part four, part five, and part six.)

Hoping to document 52 weeks of good things!

Five Good Things…

1. Keeping the sewing machine out on the desk. // I usually have it tucked away in a closet and it’s always a pain to lug it out and put it back.  In this season of life without any curious toddlers, I decided to keep it out on the desk full-time and wow!  Even though it happened in fits and spurts throughout the week, I made so much progress on my quilt!  My daughter has used it for little projects too.
2. A Make Stuff March update. // I definitely slowed down the pace from last week, but have still been working steadily.  This time, I finished three little ornaments that I stitched in 2023, started stitching the second ornament for my Handmade Christmas goal and made a lot of progress on the pinwheel quilt.  (See below.)
3. A mother/daughter quilting bee and a perseverance win. // When I organized my projects last week, I found the beginnings of a quilt I must have started back in 2010.  Most of the block pieces were cut and I even found the instructions I had printed from the Internet!  I started machine-piecing and quickly saw what must have been my frustration fifteen years ago: some of the pieces were slightly the wrong size!  But in the spirit of perseverance and finishing the task at hand, I decided to do the best I could with the supplies I had.  (I only had a few leftover fabrics, so couldn’t start over.)  My daughter helped me with every step including designing the layout and tying each quilt block corner.  (We even learned how to make a surgeon’s knot!)  None of it is perfect, but we’re getting closer and closer to a finished product.  I have loved spending time with her in our little mother/daughter quilting bee.  A sweet memory.
4. A lesson in failure. // I tried to make yogurt twice in the slow cooker and failed both times.  Choosing to see this as a good thing because it got my problem-solving wheels turning, gave me a healthy dose of humility and fed my piglets a special treat.  I want to try again once I recover from the money I wasted.
5. Pie for pi day! // I would probably have forgotten about this if it weren’t for my bingo board!  My middle kids each made a pie: apple and chocolate chip.  Delicious.

Frugal Accomplishments //

• discovered that a Bandaid makes a good makeshift thimble
• used up a science kit from last year that worked for a subject we’re studying this week (the solar system!)
• gave my daughter a haircut
• made another batch of granola to eat with our homemade yogurt
• used my soap saver bag (mine is no longer for sale, but this is similar) to use up the last bits and pieces
• made banana bread from bananas in the freezer
• cooked dried pinto beans to make into refried beans
• finally finished a shampoo that has been languishing in my shower since I bought something I liked better

This Week in the Liturgical Year //

March 12 was the Commemoration of St. Luigi Orione, Priest.

To Read: Homily of St. John Paul II on St. Luigi’s canonization

To Add to the Library: The Restless Apostle: From the Writings of Don Orione

To Copy in the Commonplace Book: “Without Prayer nothing good is done. God’s works are done with our hands joined, and on our knees. Even when we run, we must remain spiritually kneeling before Him.” and “Only charity will save the world.”

Reading //

• Why? Springing Forward, Falling Back, and Changing Times from Matthew Giambrone at Hearth and Field // “I had always been given to understand, anecdotally, mostly by my mother, that Daylight Savings Time was founded by Benjamin Franklin and was for the benefit of farmers’ harvest schedules and suchlike. I have conducted a short study of the matter, however, and it turns out neither assertion is true.”
• Who was Elizabeth Goudge? from Elizabeth Goudge Bookclub // “Elizabeth Goudge (which is pronounced somewhere between “Scrooge” and “rouge”) was visited by a constant stream of visitors and admirers from the 40’s until the end of her life, with them popping in the door at all hours. She felt that fame was her duty to share more of herself, so she wrote letters and visited with everyone who came. She loved her little dogs, doing embroidery, observing nature and living in the country.”
• Letters from Prison from Ben Spencer at Comment // This was so good.

On March 26, 1987, Ben Spencer—twenty-two years old, newly married, with a baby on the way—was arrested for robbing and killing a wealthy white man in Dallas. Nothing connected him to the crime. He was convicted on the testimony of three witnesses who lied for a $35,000 reward and a jailhouse informant who lied for a shorter sentence. Ben was sentenced to life in prison.

Ben’s story reveals how criminal trials can go off the rails and why innocence is not enough to undo the mistake. But it is also a story of faith. For thirty-four years in a maximum-security prison, Ben absorbed God’s Word at a cellular level: He forgave the people who framed him, and he never doubted that the truth would set him free. Ben’s spiritual journey can be traced in some two thousand pages of letters to his wife, Debra. He never succumbed to bitterness—he saw it as a poison—and he trusted that God alone controlled his fate, not the Texas legal system. His miracle came in the form of a new district attorney, who reinvestigated his case. Ben Spencer was exonerated on August 29, 2024, his name cleared and his soul burnished to reflect the image of Christ.

• It Is Time from Grandma Donna // “I have always been a curious thinker, I like to know how things work and why and I do better if I can see it and learn visually. A mentor is even better but there are not as many mentors today as we once had. We have now gone several generations without them as many of the old skills of the past have been replaced by machines that do it for you but this comes with a cost.”  I think about this often.
  • And this from Sara M in the comments after she shared how she spends her time after work: “I may have to live in the 2025 but it doesn’t need to live in me.”
• this passage from The Hidden Power of Kindness by Lawrence G. Lovasik that dovetailed nicely with last week’s thoughts:

Action is one of the most effective forms of self-encouragement and good cheer.  There is something intrinsically humble about action.  When you act, you come to grips with reality.  Action does not make your problems magically disappear, but unlike talk or dreams or merely good resolutions, it does begin to solve them.  As long as you act, there is limitless hope for you and very little room for gloominess.

In your action, however, try to take a long-range view of things.  This will further serve to encourage you.  You are often too impatient.  You want quick and easy solutions.  When they are not forthcoming, you get depressed.  Nature has a way of taking its own sweet time, and you are part of nature.  You cannot force things.  Cultivate a respect for time and the essential role it plays in all human activity. (p.43-44)

New Additions to The List // 

• Breadsong: How Baking Changed Our Lives by Kitty and Al Tait
• On the Road by Jack Kerouac
• The Joy of the Snow by Elizabeth Goudge
• Beyond the Snow: The Life and Faith of Elizabeth Goudge by Christine Rawlins

Watching/Listening //

• Lessons 13-15 of the How to Think Like a Thomist: An Introduction to Thomistic Principles from Aquinas 101 at the Thomistic Institute

from the archives…

WEEK ELEVEN 2024 // Make It Up With Relationship

This post contains affiliate links, which means I may receive a commission of any sale made at no extra cost to you.

There’s a quote I love from Kate at The Last Homely House: Get out of your head and into your hands!

Recently, I’ve heard a lot of anxiety/frustration/anger/fear about current events.  The news cycle is nonstop and so many things seem to be beyond our control.  In my area of the world, I see how many people are coping and these activities are not exactly life-giving: lots of alcohol, an obsession with work and productivity, excessive materialistic spending, etc.

Now this is silly and I’ll probably be mocked for its simplicity, but I think I have the antidote: get off that screen and into the physical present.  When you’re in touch with what is right in front of your eyes – your family, your neighborhood, your town – your priorities in life seem to come into focus.  I have no control over how the government is run, but I can attend public county committee meetings or police department meetups or school board meetings in my area.  I can’t solve world hunger, but I can donate to the food pantry in my city.  I can’t control inflation or high food costs, but I can get my hands in the dirt and sow a few seeds.

I think there’s a place for handcrafts in this too.  The act of making something from nothing is not only a huge boost in self-confidence, but also has this amazing way of drawing you into the task at hand.  In those moments, the repetitive nature of what you’re doing helps to soothe and calm the mind.  I think we all could see a little more of that.

So pick an old favorite or try something new: baking, diamond art, sewing, embroidery, punch needlework, needlepoint, cross-stitch, gardening, woodworking, quilting, painting, writing, playing an instrument… the possibilities are endless!  Wishing you a little more peace in your life (and mine!) this week.

Hoping to document 52 weeks of good things!

Five Good Things…

1. A new cookbook project. // I bought The Stay-at-Home Chef Slow Cooker Cookbook at the used bookstore for $3 and it inspired a new idea!  I’ve always wanted to make every recipe in a single cookbook and this may be the one.  This week, I made Extra-Sloppy Joes and Cheesy Bacon and Ranch Potatoes and both were a hit.
2. Planting more seeds. // This time, I started all of my tomatoes.
3. Week one of Make Stuff March. // Feeling very accomplished!  I fully finished my first Christmas ornament and even learned how to make a decorative bow for the top.  I finished a half-completed cross-stitch frog and then sewed it into a log cabin quilt block, finally attaching it to a random muslin bag I had hanging around.  (My first time using iron-on adhesive, which I also had in my stash!)  I practiced zippers again and made a pouch using a finished cross-stitch piece I must have made back in 2009?  (I used this tutorial this time.  I’m getting better and at least it zips!)  I hand-quilted a little on my grandmother’s flower garden quilt and started machine-piecing a pinwheel one.  Not sure if I can keep up this pace all month, but it’s a solid start!
4. Deterring a hungry fox. // For months now, our poor birds have been relentlessly pursued by a fox.  We had about 35 hens and 15 ducks last summer and now we’re down to about 12 hens and one lone duck!  We can’t let them free range anymore which is sad for everyone.  Anyway, we’re constantly looking for weak areas in our fencing and trying to stay one step ahead of that pesky fox.  This week, we felt triumphant as we watched him unable to penetrate our reinforced Critterfence.  Our Great Pyrenees, Samson, helped scare him back into the forest!
5. A new job for my 16-year-old son. // Very excited for him!

Frugal Accomplishments //

• began a test to see if we can get away with only going to the grocery store every other week
• made beef tallow in the slow cooker twice from fat in the freezer
• made broth from chicken backs in the freezer
• listed a few things on Poshmark/ebay/Pango
• made vanilla granola to use up the yogurt in the fridge
• gave the three youngest boys haircuts

This Week in the Liturgical Year //

March 7 was the Optional Memorial of Sts. Perpetua and Felicity, Martyrs.

To Listen: Perpetua: A Rare Female Voice from Antiquity from The Way of the Fathers Podcast

To Add to the Library: The Passion of the Holy Martyrs Perpetua and Felicity by Tertullian

 

Reading //

• The person I’ve become since I left social media from Slow Scottish Stories by Molly Ella // I relate deeply to this.

I can be hasty, thoughtless and ungrateful.

I struggle with anxiety.

I am widely imperfect.

Yet, I am me again. A better, more aware, happier version of myself.

I am finally content with my life.

It breaks my heart to think of the person I was before. There is no going back.

This is me.

• Meaningless language (and how fairy tale vocabulary can save us) from Susanna Schwartz at The Enchanted Window // “I think we’ve lost the old words and phrases we used to describe how people can live and behave, and we’ve replaced them with other terms that obfuscate the old meaning. Worse, I suspect it’s a terrible vicious cycle — we lost words like “nobility” and “virtue” because they didn’t mean anything to us anymore, and as they withered out of use, so did the ideals themselves. We lost a more human vocabulary, and along with it a more human way of life.”
• My Year in Books 2024 from Melisa Capistrant at The Cavalry of Woe // LOTS of good recommendations here!  I already have a bunch of the titles on my TBR and I added a few new-to-me ones to my list below.

New Additions to The List // 

• Grey Is the Color of Hope by Irina Ratushinskaya
• And I Am Afraid Of My Dreams by Wanda Półtawska

Loving //

• this free printable Lent calendar from Quis Ut Deus Press // I’m quickly running out of little ones who enjoy these kinds of things!

from the archives…

WEEK TEN 2024 // Little Moments of Delight

This post contains affiliate links, which means I may receive a commission of any sale made at no extra cost to you.

For a few weeks now, I’ve been pondering the idea of perseverance.  One way of defining perseverance is “the virtue by which one persists in the arduous good until the end is achieved.”  Sounds simple enough, but why is it so difficult in practice?  I don’t know if it’s because I have a little undiagnosed ADD or I’m the result of a culture insistent on instant gratification or maybe I’m just a squirrel (ooh, new shiny object over there!), but this is a virtue I struggle with.

BUT.  I also know what it feels like to endure to the end.  I know that euphoric feeling of satisfaction and pride.  I have tons of examples in my life, from very personal to ridiculously silly, and these are the cases I hold onto.  If I’ve done it before, I can do it again!

For Lent this year, I’m hoping to strengthen my perseverance muscle by focusing on one source of embarrassment and frustration: my pile of half-finished creative projects.  While it’s just frivolous fabric and papers and supplies, I feel like it’s indicative of a bigger flaw in myself and one I’d like to remedy.  Here’s to forty days of persisting in the arduous good until the end is achieved!

Hoping to document 52 weeks of good things!

Five Good Things…

1. A tease of spring weather. // We were in the 60’s most of the week and it was wonderful.  Coats off and sun on our faces…can’t wait for spring!
2. A weekday dinner date. // My husband called me on his way home from work to tell me to get dressed, we’re going out to dinner!  We are not spontaneous people so this felt wild and crazy.  So nice to spend some one-on-one time with him in the midst of another busy week.
3. A new apron. // Our “making do” project of the week: my daughter is a wonderful baker so I wanted to get her a full apron.  (She currently has a half version.)  After looking online, I ultimately decided to let her choose something in my fabric bin and we’d make one ourselves!  We used my full apron as a pattern and she sewed the pieces together herself.  She even added some beautiful “chicken scratch” embroidery to the hem.
4. Starting seeds. // It’s that time of year again!  I’m a little behind schedule, but I did manage to start the jalapenos and marigolds.  Tomatoes are next.
5. My gilt is not pregnant. // We weren’t sure if breeding had been successful (before the tragedy), but this was the week to watch and it came and went without a birth.  I’m a little sad that we won’t have a Fred Jr. but very happy to not have tiny piglets in late winter!

Frugal Accomplishments //

• bought twelve vintage deadstock zippers for $2.70 (vs. new zippers at $3.49 each!)
• made beef broth from bones in the freezer
• mended a rip in a son’s work jeans using these patches again
• listed two books on Pango
• covered seed trays with plastic wrap because I couldn’t find the clear dome tops
• made banana bread with overripe bananas

This Week in the Liturgical Year //

February 27 was the commemoration of St. Gabriel of Our Lady of Sorrows, Acolyte.

To Read: this entire website about St Gabriel of Our Lady of Sorrows

To Pray: Collect for Saint Gabriel of Our Lady of Sorrows

To Add to the Library: Saint Gabriel Possenti, Passionist: A Young Man in Love by Gabriele Cingolani

To Copy in the Commonplace Book: “Our perfection does not consist of doing extraordinary things but to do the ordinary well.”

Reading //

• The Practical Case for Studying Latin from Josh Allan at Antigone Journal // “Latin is useful, however; and unlike the sciences, it is not only useful to those who practise it. Indeed, Latin is useful to anyone who wishes to learn another language, or to anyone who hopes to become a doctor or a lawyer. It is useful to anyone who simply wants to improve their mental faculties, or expand the horizons of their perception, and that is without making the oft-repeated case – as I have avoided doing – that a knowledge of Latin deepens one’s understanding of Western culture, of art, philosophy and literature.”
• Better than Success from Johann Christoph Arnold at Plough // “Who are the role models we can point our children to today? Who can they really emulate? And what about you and me? Do our lives inspire our children to look beyond themselves and their own little worlds to find ways of making a difference in the world? After the work is done and the bills paid, do we help them aspire to what is worthy and good, or do they see in us lives driven by selfish and self-centered pursuits? Remember, children are always watching – always.”
• Classical Education’s Remedy for America’s Loneliness Epidemic from Rachel Alexander Cambre at Public Discourse //

In contrast, classical schools embrace an older understanding of education, one that prepares students for festivity and friendship, rather than socially handicapping them. Like their ancient and medieval predecessors, classical educators maintain that a crucial purpose of education is to liberate students from a calculative, utilitarian mindset by teaching them how to enjoy intrinsically worthwhile activities for their own sake. This does not mean that classical schools downplay the importance of working hard or striving for excellence, but that they emphasize the intrinsic goodness and beauty of those virtues—like those of fortitude and magnanimity—so that students might cultivate them because they are good and beautiful, not because they will help them to acquire wealth, power, or fame.

• The Age Of Abandonment from Freya India at GIRLS // Very thought-provoking.

New Additions to The List // 

• Looking for Anne: How Lucy Maud Montgomery Dreamed Up a Literary Classic by Irene Gammel
• No Bullet Got Me Yet: The Relentless Faith of Father Kapaun by John Stansifer

Watching/Listening //

• Lessons 9-12 of the How to Think Like a Thomist: An Introduction to Thomistic Principles from Aquinas 101 at the Thomistic Institute
• Can I Make Felt Look Like Stained Glass? from The Stitchery

Loving //

• this pretzel bread recipe // My daughter is a wonderful baker and tries something new each week.  This time it was pretzel bread – delicious!
• this creamy potato and sausage chowder recipe // A big hit.

from the archives…

WEEK NINE 2024 // Never Say Never

This post contains affiliate links, which means I may receive a commission of any sale made at no extra cost to you.

It is done.  The floors are done!  It took a long time to come to fruition, but the end result was worth every delay.  We chose a wide plank French oak and it is beautiful.

Anyway, I spent the rest of the week bringing order back into our home: unpacking our belongings, puttering around, organizing and decorating.  I could feel a physiological calm wash over me as each item went back into its place!  I already knew about this at some level, have read the studies about decluttering and order in the home, but now have a personal experience to confirm it.  Feeling very inspired to keep our home simple and tidy going forward.

Hoping to document 52 weeks of good things!

Five Good Things…

1. Forced rest. // We somehow all got sick again!  It seems to be a common occurrence everywhere this winter.  While I hate coughing and general feeling of yuck, I’m glad it’s not the stomach flu!
2. An honest mechanic. // Our frugal fix didn’t work long term, so we had to bring the car to the shop.  So thankful for an honest mechanic who does great work at a fair price.
3. Paying off another loan. // We used the $3,000 that we saved by removing the old flooring ourselves to pay the loan off in full!  Another huge weight off of our backs.  One credit card to go and we’re back to being debt-free except for the mortgage.  (But that’ll be next!)
4. A cross-stitch project for my teenage son. // When your 16-year-old son asks if you can make him something, you jump on the opportunity, ha!  We chose a pattern together and it is huge!  Thankfully, it’s only one color and is coming along pretty quickly.  I hope to have it done and framed before his birthday in the fall.
5. Deep freezer organization. // We have a few deep freezers on the farm and despite my best efforts, they always turn into a chaoic mess.  I saw a picture on Pinterest that would work for us and got right to work!  I ordered a bunch of HÅLLBAR bins (in both 3 gallon and 6 gallon) as well as a few UPPDATERA containers from Ikea and they are perfect for my needs.

Frugal Accomplishments //

• found my son’s preferred shirt (same exact shirt, bigger size) new with tags on the secondhand market
• refreshed my first floor curtains by washing with Oxyclean

This Week in the Liturgical Year //

February 21 was the Optional Memorial of St. Peter Damian, Bishop & Doctor.

To Read: Message for the 100th Anniversary of St. Peter Damian by Pope Benedict XVI

To Listen: St. Peter Damian—The Lord Be With You from Catholic Culture Audiobooks

To Add to the Library: St. Peter Damian: His Teaching on the Spiritual Life by Owen J. Blum

To Copy in the Commonplace Book: “A very good penance is to dedicate oneself to fulfill the duties of everyday with exactitude and to study and work with all our strength.”

Reading //

• We Still Need Paper Maps from Katherine Johnson Martinko at The Analog Family // “Maps do more than orient a person. They also spark imagination, curiosity, and wonder.”
• How to Raise Readers, in Thirty-Five Steps from Brad East at Front Porch Republic // Loved this list and agree with it all!

New Additions to The List // 

• Little House in the Ozarks: The Rediscovered Writings by Laura Ingalls Wilder and edited by Stephen W. Hines
• Folk Fashion: Understanding Homemade Clothes by Amy Twigger Holroyd
• Volcanoes in Human History: The Far-Reaching Effects of Major Eruptions by Donald Theodore Sanders and Jelle Zeilinga de Boer
• I’m Staying with My Boys: The Heroic Life of Sgt. John Basilone, USMC by Jim Proser

Watching/Listening //

• Lesson 6-8 of the How to Think Like a Thomist: An Introduction to Thomistic Principles from Aquinas 101 at the Thomistic Institute
• Keeping a Comic Diary from Jane Porter // This looks fun.

Loving //

• the cards from Painted Tongue Press // I keep forgetting to share about my first purchase on Go Imagine!  I was so pleased with these letterpress cards and will definitely buy more.
• this quote from Henry Ward Beecher: “Every tomorrow has two handles.  We can take hold of it with the handle of anxiety or the handle of faith.”

from the archives…

WEEK EIGHT 2024 // Now Is the Time

This post contains affiliate links, which means I may receive a commission of any sale made at no extra cost to you.

I had a good chuckle when I stumbled upon the painting above because…the look on her face was pretty similar to mine this week.

We have been in limbo with our flooring situation since October 29th and have hit delay after delay after delay.  I’ve been relatively patient as the months have gone by, but after moving all of our furniture into a POD and then hearing of another delay due to a snow storm…I about hit my limit.

In a moment of desperation, we decided why not, let’s just do the floor demo ourselves!  A couple of Youtube tutorials later and we were fairly confident in our abilities.  (It really wasn’t hard, even for non-handy people like us.)  As a family, we spent Monday through Wednesday doing the work entirely ourselves, getting everything removed and prepped and ready for the flooring team to arrive on Thursday.

And then…even though we were in contact with our estimator early in the week and he knew exactly what we were doing, there was still some sort of miscommunication and the person sent out on Thursday was for demo!  The poor guy came in and looked around so confused, ha!  Anyway, we had to be put back on the schedule for the installers and they wouldn’t be available for almost a week.

It’s funny to look back at my 2025 goals and the virtues I wanted to work on in the new year.  Ask and you shall receive!  Oh well.  We’ll just continue rolling with the punches, hoping we grow in patience and perseverance along the way.  We’ll have floors…someday.

Hoping to document 52 weeks of good things!

Five Good Things…

1. Doing the flooring removal ourselves. // We felt like we were on a HGTV show!  We also saved $3,000, learned a new skill and even discovered a new interest for one of my sons.  (Maybe general contracting is in his future?)
2. Six years with our dog, Lucy. // She is a joy and we can’t imagine life without her.
3. Warm temperatures that melted the snow within two days. // We are pretty done with this relentless winter!
4. Starting my “handmade Christmas” challenge. // I purchased the “Christmas Lights” pattern by Stitch With Coffee and am stitching 2 over 1 (two threads over one square) – tiny!  It’s turning out so cute.
5. A plan to organize our deep freezers. // More details once I acquire the supplies, but I’m excited to bring some order to chaos.

Frugal Accomplishments //

• frogged a discarded knitting project to use the yarn in a different way
• used a scrap fabric for the ornament cross-stitch
• refreshed my white bed quilt using Oxyclean (thanks to the prompt on February’s bingo board!)

This Week in the Liturgical Year //

February 10 was the Feast of Saint José Sánchez del Río, Martyr.

To Read: The young Mexican who gave his life for Christ the King

To Add to the Library: Saint José: Boy Cristero Martyr, Saints and Sinners in the Cristero War: Stories of Martyrdom from Mexico and Mexican Martyrdom: Firsthand Accounts of the Religious Persecution in Mexico 1926-1935

To Watch: Looking at Heaven: The Life of St. José Sánchez del Río

To Copy in the Commonplace Book: ¡Viva Cristo Rey!

Reading //

• Humane Learning in a Machine Age: A Professor’s Resolutions from Dr. Ben Reinhard at Hearth & Field // “We will have to move more slowly on this model: to read fewer works, but read them more deeply; to write less, but invest more in what we create. This seems to me an acceptable tradeoff. As we enter the machine age, the goal of introductory humanities coursework is no longer to teach close reading or the Western literary tradition, but something more fundamental: how to be human.”
• C. S. Lewis, Peter Kreeft, and the sequence: truth, goodness, and beauty from Jeffrey Wattles at Universal Family
• From Gourmet Pork to Subsistence Farming: Why Buellton’s Winfield Farm Will Stop Raising Mangalitsa Pigs in Favor of Sheer Survival from Matt Kettmann at Santa Barbara Independent // “At a time when supporting honestly raised, regionally grown, sustainably minded food is on the lips of every self-respecting restaurant lover, why is it essentially impossible to make a stable living off of working the land?”  A blog post for another day, but these questions are frequently being asked here at our farm too.
• The challenge: Avoiding the grocery store from Bruce Steele // “The challenge, To stop eating anything storebought. To see how long you can go on foraging , dry provisions from last years garden, preserves from your own trees or foraged fruit. And of course the garden.”

New Additions to The List // 

• A Bold Return to Giving a Damn: One Farm, Six Generations, and the Future of Food by Will Harris
• Politics by Aristotle

Watching/Listening //

• Lessons 1-2 (on George Orwell’s 1984) in the “Totalitarian Novels” course from Hillsdale College
• How I Turned Over 300 Scraps into a Beautiful Quilt in 1 Day from Sew Easy by Sandy

Loving //

• The Last Homely House Youtube channel // Her voice is so soothing and her projects are inspiring.  She reminds me of a British version of my grandmother!

from the archives…

WEEK SEVEN 2024 // Patience

This post contains affiliate links, which means I may receive a commission of any sale made at no extra cost to you.

This week, our primary focus was packing up the first floor as we prepare for our new flooring.  I’ve spent a lot of time decluttering the past few years but it still astounded me to see how many items we own, neatly tucked away in cabinets and nooks and crannies.  None of this is junk per se – it’s our puzzle collection and stacks of books and throw blankets and pillows – but it was a good reminder to never complain.  How fortunate am I to have collected an abundance of beautiful, useful things!

Hoping to document 52 weeks of good things!

Five Good Things…

1. Celebrating my husband’s birthday. // We did the math and have celebrated 20 years of birthdays together.  Time flies!
2. Making it through the ice storm (relatively) unscathed. // A wild experience.  Trees were snapping everywhere and roads were blocked in every direction.  We even lost power for 30 hours!  So thankful for our generator and fireplace.
3. The gentle reminder from my kids not to stress. // I think they could see it in my eyes.  With the unpredictable weather, my husband’s insane work schedule, car issues and a sick pig, I was very overwhelmed with all of the tasks that needed to be accomplished.  My sweet son joked, “So is No Stress 2025 out the window now?” and that was enough to pull me out of my spiral.  One step at a time.
4. Not breaking my finger. // In the midst of this crazy week, I somehow managed to jam the ring finger on my non-dominant hand!  Thankfully, taping it to the next finger helped significantly and I was back to normal a day or two later.
5. New art! // My “making do” project of the week: I finished my second cross-stitch project and planned to frame it for my dining room.  I took a quick look at framing services and realized that I might be able to do it myself!  I laced the back using this tutorial and put it in a secondhand frame I purchased on Poshmark.  Definitely not perfect, but done.

Frugal Accomplishments //

• used every tote and bag and piece of luggage we own to pack up instead of buying boxes
• did all of the heavy lifting (moving furniture into the POD container) ourselves
• found a secondhand frame on Poshmark to use for my cross-stitch project
• used the newspaper packing from the box to start a fire
• reused an Old Navy bag to package up an ebay order
• fixed a gear shifter issue without having to see a mechanic (maybe. hopefully.)

This Week in the Liturgical Year //

February 8 was the Optional Memorial of St. Josephine Bakhita.

To Read: St. Josephine Bakhita Was a Humble Witness to God’s Love

To Make: African Inspired Meal for St. Josephine Bakhita

To Copy in the Commonplace Book: “Be good, love the Lord, pray for those who do not know him. What a great grace it is to know God!”

Reading //

• The Rules of Discernment: A Practical Guide – Rule 7 from Megan Hjelmstad at Spiritual Direction
• That I Might Be Seen from John Cuddeback at LifeCraft // “How I see the persons around me is more in my power than how they see me. Maybe, when I feel unseen it is then most important that I look outward at others, that I renew my effort to see them better. Lord, that I might see. Them. Even now.”
• Hannah Coulter, the Green Lady, and Me from Emily G. Wenneborg at Plough // Thought provoking.
• The Gift of Kindness from Melisa Capistrant at The Cavalry of Woe // I loved this.
• “Immanence” by Evelyn Underhill // A poem mentioned in the Tasha Tudor documentary I watched last week.

New Additions to The List // 

• Aristotle: The Desire to Understand by Jonathan Lear
• Perelandra by C.S. Lewis

Watching/Listening //

• Lessons 4-5 of the How to Think Like a Thomist: An Introduction to Thomistic Principles from Aquinas 101 at the Thomistic Institute

Loving //

• this book from Alicia Paulson // A used bookstore find for $3!

from the archives…

WEEK SIX 2024 // Patience

This post contains affiliate links, which means I may receive a commission of any sale made at no extra cost to you.

I’ve recently been on a Tasha Tudor deep dive.  This week, I watched a documentary about her called Take Joy! The Magical World of Tasha Tudor.  (I don’t have Amazon Prime, but was able to purchase it for $1.99.)  There’s something special about learning about a person through their own words, their own stories.  I found her to be eccentric and quirky, but also warm and welcoming and unapologetic about who she is and what she’s passionate about.

The more I reflect, the more I think I want to be a bit more like Tasha Tudor.  I want to pursue my passions of frugality and farming and learning all.the.things without fear of what others may think.  I want to live simply and beautifully, even if that doesn’t look like the lives of most people.  I want to create a home atmosphere of creativity and usefulness and encourage my children in their individual pursuits.

One quote from the documentary really spoke to me so I jotted it down: “Tasha is not escaping from reality.  Rather, she is choosing to create the world the way she imagines it.”  I believe the world is full of the good, the true and the beautiful.  My quest is to intentionally create a life that reflects it.

Hoping to document 52 weeks of good things!

Five Good Things…

1. Stitching every day. // I started a new project called “Seeds of Kindness” by Scattered Seed Samplers and it’s coming together quickly.  I love adding a few stitches here and there throughout the day.
2. Starting the driving school process again. // We have another teenager so close to getting his license!
3. A hardwood flooring update. // The flooring has been purchased, a POD container ordered and the work scheduled.  So excited to get this big undertaking started.
4. Mending my favorite pair of jeans. // I accidentally snagged my favorite pair of jeans on a hog panel and was so bummed.  But then!  Building off of my frugality high, I decided that it wouldn’t hurt to try to mend them before just throwing them away.  Thank goodness for my little sewing basket!  I used these denim iron-on patches (ironed from the inside) and this thread and I think it turned out well!
5. A new project bag. // My “making do” project of the week: I watched a few cross-stitch ladies on Youtube and they all seemed to keep their projects in beautiful fabric bags.  I was about to look for options on etsy when I decided I would try to make one myself!  I used a variety of fabrics (an old chambray shirt, a polka dot pillowcase and a few pieces from my grandmother’s stash) and followed this tutorial.  It was pretty challenging and I made a lot of mistakes but I’m excited to try again soon.

Frugal Accomplishments //

• cut down another one of my husband’s old dress shirts for the fabric and buttons
• listed a few things on Poshmark
• made broth from frozen chicken backs for the pigs
• found a few pieces of clothing for a son in the hand-me-down bins

This Week in the Liturgical Year //

January 27 was the Optional Memorial of St. Angela Merici.

To Read: January Ends with Three Italian Educators

To Add to the Library: The Incorruptibles by Joan Carroll Cruz

To Pray: Litany of St. Angela Merici

 

 

 

Reading //

• Are Social Media Platforms the Next Dying Malls? from Ted Gioia at The Honest Broker // “Not long ago, we hoped that these artificial gathering places could be robust, vital replacements for the neighborhoods we tore down. But what I’ve learned is that you pay a heavy price for replacing a real community with a fake one.”
• Otium Omnia Vincit from Christopher Whittington at On Love and Longing // “I made myself out to be merely a laborer, a body put to work, a ‘Cog in the Machine,’ as they say. A worker, on the other hand, is one who applies themselves, either physically or mentally, to a task for the sake of creating or sustaining beauty. This is not to say that only the artist or poet is a ‘worker’ as such or that they are never laborers, but the privileged vocation of work is reserved for those who persevere in labor in order to sustain a life which partakes in beauty.”
• Simple Acts of Sanity: A Seed Catalogue from Peco and Ruth Gaskovski at Pilgrims in the Machine

New Additions to The List // 

• The Manchurian Candidate by Richard Condon

Watching/Listening //

• Inside Africa’s Food Forest Mega-Project from Andrew Millison // So cool.
• It Is Time To Create More Than You Consume from Rooney Sewing Patterns // I couldn’t agree more!

Loving //

• this volunteering opportunity with Creative Kindness // A really fun way to be creative and spread some cheer at the same time.
• this quote:

from the archives…

WEEK FIVE 2024 // Raising My Ebenezer

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Bringing back this prompt for the first time in 2025!  (Here’s part one, part two, part three, part four, and part five.)  I needed this intentional practice as our weather was bitterly cold and most of my family battled a nagging illness.

Here are the little moments of delight I found this week: Picking out a few papergoods from my rolling cart to add to my journals every day.  Puzzles with artwork by Charles Wysocki.  Making a fire first thing in the early morning.  Finishing my cross-stitch sampler.  Big plans for my oldest’s future.  A job opportunity for my second oldest.  Paying off a little chunk on our next debt challenge.  A family slowly returning back to health.

Hoping to document 52 weeks of good things!

Five Good Things…

1. More snow and ice. // Choosing to see this as a good thing even though we’ve had snow and ice on the ground for three weeks now and we are over it.  Definitely not used to this here in the mid-Atlantic!
2. Our incredibly kind feed provider. // Our feed delivery was supposed to come on Monday but due to our location and the precariousness of the roads, they had to postpone until the next day.  They called twice to apologize and explain and of course, we were completely understanding.
3. A Youtube feed full of creative endeavors. // So inspiring.  I feed off of their enthusiasm and can’t wait to be more of a creator in 2025.
4. Burning an entire candle! // It took about a month, but I burned the entirety of this candle.  Next candle on the desk: Battle Cry from CORDA Candles.
5. A new-to-me book genre. // I’ve been reading Kennedy’s Avenger: Assassination, Conspiracy, and the Forgotten Trial of Jack Ruby all week and I don’t think I’ve ever read anything like it.  I would describe it almost as a courtroom transcript but rewritten in prose, a play-by-play of the trial.  So interesting.  I keep placing myself in the jurors’ shoes and asking if each testimony was believable or would sway me one way or another.

Frugal Accomplishments //

• avoided the grocery store, only purchasing milk when we ran out
• cut down two of my husband’s old dress shirts, saving the fabric and buttons
• visibly mended three small holes in my cotton gloves
• made chicken broth from frozen chicken backs to bring out to the pigs
• removed the remaining bit of wax from my finished candle jar to use again as storage

This Week in the Liturgical Year //

January 24 was the Memorial of St. Francis de Sales, Bishop and Doctor.

To Listen: Introduction to the Devout Life audiobook on Catholic Culture

To Pray: Lord, I am yours, and I must belong to no one but you. My soul is yours, and must live only by you. My will is yours, and must love only for you. I must love you as my first cause, since I am from you. I must love you as my end and rest, since I am for you. I must love you more than my own being, since my being subsists by you. I must love you more than myself, since I am all yours and all in you. Amen.

To Add to the Library: St. Francis de Sales: A Biography of the Gentle Saint by Louise Stacpoole-Kenny, A Man of Good Zeal: A Novel Based on the Life of Saint Francis de Sales by John E. Beahn, and The Catholic Controversy: A Defense of the Faith

Reading //

• The Rules of Discernment: A Practical Guide – Rule 6 from Megan Hjelmstad at Spiritual Direction
• Shakespeare’s Grief from David Bannon at Front Porch Republic // “Hamlet also offers profound insight into the complex nature of masculine mourning. The obvious similarity of the names Hamlet and Hamnet aside, the play itself is preoccupied with twinning: the act of sublimation; doubling themes; the use of two points to describe a single complex meaning; a play within a play; all are delivered in a masterpiece of lyricism. The title character displays much of the terrifying anxiety and exhausting nature of grief while examining internal struggles that lead ultimately to transformation.”
• Where Is All the Fiction-Inspired Art? from Jonathan McDonald at Dappled Things

New Additions to The List // 

• Run by Blake Crouch
• The Children by Edith Wharton

Watching/Listening //

• the 1948 rendition of Hamlet with Laurence Olivier // Watched as I read along with the play.
• The True Horror Of WW1’s Tunnel Warfare from All Out History // I just read a book about tunnel warfare and wanted to learn more.  This documentary is long (almost three hours!) and I’ve finished about half so far.
• Lesson 3 of the How to Think Like a Thomist: An Introduction to Thomistic Principles from Aquinas 101 at the Thomistic Institute

Loving //

• this pretzel bites mix from King Arthur // I purchased a handful of mixes for my baking-loving daughter for Christmas.  These were a big hit!
• this quote from Fulton Sheen: “Because God is full of life, I imagine each morning Almighty God says to the sun, ‘Do it again’; and every evening to the moon and the stars, ‘Do it again’; and every springtime to the daisies, ‘Do it again’; and every time a child is born into the world asking for curtain call, that the heart of the God might once more ring out in the heart of the babe.”

from the archives…

WEEK FOUR 2024 // Brave Knights & Heroic Courage

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Pursuing the intellectual life in three easy steps!

I’ll preface this by saying that I’m fairly new to this endeavor, but I loved this quote from the article I shared last week and want to use it as my guide in 2025: “The true classical scholar is simply an ordinary person who loves truth, beauty, and goodness. He is not puffed up with self-importance, nor does he try to make a show of what he knows. His humility is a beacon of light, allowing him to emanate the true spirit of the classical tradition.”  So with my limited experience, below are the three steps I recommend for a successful reading year.  Hopefully it’s helpful!

1. Determine what you are curious about. // If you’ve ever looked at my weekly “Additions to The List” books, you know I find recommendations everywhere.  As you go about your daily life, start jotting down topics that interest you.  It may come from something in the news or a list you find online.  It may be something mentioned in a book you’re currently reading.  It may come from an ailment you’re suffering or an activity you enjoy.  It might even come from reflecting on your favorite subjects in school!
2. Choose your books. // Now that you have a few topics in mind, start collecting the books.  This can look like going on a shopping spree or just jotting down a physical list.  Now is also the time to reflect on how you read.  Do you like to read one book at a time or are you a multiple book kind of person?  (I like to have multiple books going at one time, as long as the subjects are significantly different from one another.)
3. Find pockets of time to read and make it a habit. //  This step takes a bit of time as you begin, but don’t give up!  I have found that I enjoy nonfiction books in the morning/early afternoon but by bedtime, I’m ready to curl up with a fictional story.  Start with a habit of ten minutes in the morning, half an hour before bed, etc.  Can you replace some scrolling with a book?

One last note: it seems common in today’s society to be ridiculously competitive about reading (ie. I read 250 books in one year, I stayed up for 48 hours to finish 20 books..).  Don’t fall into the trap!  This pursuit is about quality vs. quantity.  It is completely okay to read one single book – maybe just a paragraph or two a day! – as long as you keep going and really ingest the information in a deeper way.  We’re looking for greater wisdom here, not gold stars and accolades.

Happy Reading!

Hoping to document 52 weeks of good things!

Five Good Things…

1. New scrunchies! // “Making do” project of the week!  I have a bad habit of putting up my wet hair with an elastic and apparently that’s terrible!  Lately, I’ve tried to mitigate the damage by using a scrunchie instead.  I only have one, so was looking into buying more until I realized I could try to make my own!  My daughter and I used this tutorial and it was pretty easy.  We’re hooked and can’t wait to make more.
2. A less bloated stomach. // Wheat belly is a thing.
3. Seed catalogs in the mail. // ‘Tis the season!  Thankfully, I have plenty of leftover seeds from last year, so I only need to order a few.  I also found the planting schedule I made a few years back so I’m all ready to go for Growing Season 2025.
4. A hardwood floor update! // We finally heard back from insurance and the money has been approved to move forward.  We’ve been in a constant state of disarray since mid-October so suuuper excited to get this process going.
5. My go-to illness arsenal. // By the end of the week, we all got sick with colds and sore throats.  I pulled out all of our favorites: Cold Calm, Vitamin C tea with a spoonful of honey, Emercen-C, and Ricola cough drops.  Add in a lot of rest and we tend to bounce back quickly.

Frugal Accomplishments //

• cut up an old chambray dress to use as fabric (and saved the buttons too!)
• listed a few things on ebay/Poshmark
• altered two dresses that had slits a little too high (now much more appropriate for church, ha)
• made chicken broth from frozen chicken backs to bring out to the pigs
• invested in another 50 pounds of flour
• shredded some unneeded documents/junk mail to add to my compost pile
• made homemade bacon from sidemeat from our pigs using our meat slicer (delicious!)

This Week in the Liturgical Year //

January 13 was the Optional Memorial of St. Hilary of Poitiers, Bishop and Doctor.

To Listen: Hilary of Poitiers: Exile and Understanding from the Way of the Fathers podcast

To Read: Saint Hilary of Poitiers by Pope Benedict XVI

To Add to the Library: On the Trinity

To Quote: “The privilege of our Church is such that it is never stronger than when it is attacked, never better known than when it is accused, never more powerful than when it appears forsaken.”

Reading //

• The Rules of Discernment: A Practical Guide – Rule 5 from Megan Hjelmstad at Spiritual Direction
• The One Hundred Pages Strategy from Matthew Walther at the Lamp
• The Need For Adults from Freya India at GIRLS // Very, very thought provoking.
• New Year’s Resolution: Bring Back The Aunties from Mary Harrington // “Aunties, assemble! We have nothing to lose but the next generation’s loneliness.”
• Basically Beavers from Sarah W Rowell at Blind Mule Blog // “We learned that being friends was just as fun as being lovers, and often a lot more useful.”
• The Power of the Good, the True, & the Beautiful by Joseph Pearce at The Imaginative Conservative // “If the Good, the True and the Beautiful, as a reflection of the Trinity, are the end to which we strive they are also, through their manifestation in love, reason and creativity, the means by which the end is achieved. Love is the path to goodness; reason is the path to truth; and creativity is the path to beauty.”

New Additions to The List // 

• St. Rita of Cascia: Saint of the Impossible by Joseph Sicardo, OSA
• When Pride Still Mattered: A Life of Vince Lombardi by David Maraniss

Watching/Listening //

• Lesson 2 of the How to Think Like a Thomist: An Introduction to Thomistic Principles from Aquinas 101 at the Thomistic Institute

from the archives…

WEEK THREE 2024 // The Soul Craves Beauty

This post contains affiliate links, which means I may receive a commission of any sale made at no extra cost to you.

A new year always makes me introspective.  What do I want to do with this one, precious life?  How am I serving my family and my community?  What bad habits do I want to leave behind, what good habits do I need to practice and cultivate?  These questions remind me of a book I just finished in December called Shop Class for Soulcraft: An Inquiry into the Value of Work by Matthew B. Crawford, particularly this quote:

We are experiencing a genuine crisis of confidence in our most prestigious institutions and professions.  The question of what a good job looks like – of what sort of work is both secure and worthy of being honored – is more open now than it has been for a long time.  Wall Street in particular has lost its luster as a destination for smart and ambitious young people.  Out of the current confusion of ideals and confounding of career hopes, a calm recognition may yet emerge that productive labor is the foundation of all prosperity.  The meta-work of trafficking in the surplus skimmed from other people’s work suddenly appears as what it is, and it becomes possible once again to think the thought, “Let me make myself useful.” (p.9-10)

Let me make myself useful.

That’s a sentiment I would like to cultivate in my life in 2025.  But how?  Stop wasting time, emotion and energy on things that don’t matter.  Live in the real world not just the virtual one.  Do things that are tangible and have value.  Life a life of love and service.

Hoping to document 52 weeks of good things!

Five Good Things…

1. Snow! // We woke up to a winter wonderland on Monday.  We got around ten inches of snow, which is both a blessing and a hindrance: lots of fun to play in but not so fun when you have farm chores to do!  Our chicken-tractor-turned-feed-shed’s roof collapsed under the weight of the snow (unfortunately not fixable), but there were good things to be seen too.  For example, our neighbor offered to snow plow our long driveway and accomplished the task in two minutes versus the hours it would have taken to shovel out on our own.  So grateful.
2. Kids who can put on their own snow gear. // I feel like I was helping to put on pants and gloves and hats and zipping up coats for years and years and years…and then I blinked and they can do it all on their own now.  Bittersweet.
3. An audio drama of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe // For Christmas, we bought an old-school boombox for my ten-year-old son along with a 19-disc audio drama set of The Chronicles of Narnia (similar to this, but I bought a different, cheaper version on ebay).  We listened to The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe first and thought it was very well done!  (Our only pet peeve was the voice of Aslan was a bit corny.)
4. Using up supplies. // My “making do” project of the week: I found myself looking at stationery and pens so decided to collect what I already have.  Turns out that I have plenty!  I also have lots of random stickers so I’m using them with wild abandon on my planner and notebooks.  Supplies are meant to be enjoyed, right?
5. Dark red cardinals on the bright white snow. // So beautiful to see.

This Week in the Liturgical Year //

January 6 was the Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord.

To Do: Epiphany Home Blessing

To Read: Benedict XVI’s Homily for Feast of the Epiphany 2011

To Bake: Twelfth Night Cake or this Three Spice Epiphany Cake

 

Frugal Accomplishments //

• made banana bread
• added to my newest compost pile: fruit/veggie scraps, egg shells, coffee grounds, toilet paper rolls and dryer lint
• made homemade brown sugar using white sugar and molasses
• used pieces of the broken chicken tractor/feed shed to fortify the pig houses
• accepted leftovers from a catered lunch at my husband’s work
• listed a few items on ebay/Pango/Poshmark

Reading //

• Metaphysicians and Carpenters: Intellectual Pride in Classical Academia from Maddie Dobrowski at Circe Institute //

In his book on G.K. Chesterton and the Christian imagination, Thomas Peters writes, “Chesterton insisted that real artists are ordinary people who do art; they are not finely tuned instruments… nor do [they] need to live in trendy places, to possess certain eccentric furnishings, to wear a certain arty kind of clothing, or to eat at certain notorious cafés.” Likewise, the mark of a real classical scholar is not dressing in tweed jackets, smoking pipes, and quoting the Silmarillion while sipping on the latest microbrew (not that there is anything wrong with the Silmarillion or microbrews). The true classical scholar is simply an ordinary person who loves truth, beauty, and goodness. He is not puffed up with self-importance, nor does he try to make a show of what he knows. His humility is a beacon of light, allowing him to emanate the true spirit of the classical tradition.

• The Out-of-the Box Vocation from Denise Trull at Theology of Home // I loved this.

Caryll Houselander was never rich. She had about three to four dresses. The office where she wrote her books was a freezing little shed behind her friend Iris’s house. And it worked for her. She painted rooms for people’s houses, she carved Stations of the Cross. She wrote and wrote and wrote books. She was never wealthy or established but lived mostly a vagabond life in her leaf patterned overalls and large glasses. She lived among poor people and artists and those who would never be successful in the world’s eyes. Her great call, her reason for being, she discovered, was to simply try to convince each human being she came into contact with that Christ dwelled within them and their worth was unimaginable. She did it in her very small and limited life filled with odd jobs. And here we are today reading and being blessed by her books. God always finds a way to bless our efforts.

New Additions to The List // 

• Holy Teaching: Introducing the Summa Theologiae of St. Thomas Aquinas by Frederick Christian Bauerschmidt
• Fidelity: Five Stories by Wendell Berry
• Lark Rise to Candleford by Flora Thompson
• In the Beginning was the Word: An Annotated Reading of the Prologue of John by Anthony Esolen

Watching/Listening //

• Lesson 1 of the How to Think Like a Thomist: An Introduction to Thomistic Principles from Aquinas 101 at the Thomistic Institute
• We’ve been conditioned to OVER-CONSUME – A throwback to rationing from Real Vintage Dolls House

from the archives…

WEEK TWO 2024 // Gentle Defiance

This post contains affiliate links, which means I may receive a commission of any sale made at no extra cost to you.

Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is a common ailment for many people this time of year.  I used to mildly suffer but have recently learned to appreciate – and even love! – these cold winter months.  For me, it’s all in the mindset.  For ten months of the year, farming is my primary focus and I work hard.  Winter is a time for me to rest and get rejuvenated for the growing season ahead.  If winter is necessary for the natural world to thrive, I’d say it’s equally important for me!

My little list of things to prioritize this winter:

+ creativity projects (cross stitch, junk journaling, etc.)
+ lots and lots of reading
+ going to bed early
+ puttering around my home, decluttering and organizing and decorating
+ taking vitamin D supplementation (so important!)
+ daily walks

Need a little motivation to enjoy these January days?
Check out my January little things bingo board!

Hoping to document 52 weeks of good things!

Five Good Things…

1. Burning a candle in the early morning. // Scent of the week: White Pear & Apple
2. A new compost bin. // My husband helped me construct a third compost “bin” out of pallets.  I now can start a three-bin system – one to build, one to turn, and one to finish off before using in the garden – and I’m so excited.  Squirreling away all the things to build up my new pile!
3. Returning to healthy eating. // We feasted like kings during Christmastide and I’m ready to take a break from the treats.
4. A DIY reading journal. // In 2025, I thought it would be a fun challenge to seek out new ways of making do.  (The idea would be that I saw/wanted this item, but I did this instead.)  So for my first week, I made a reading journal!  My Youtube feed has been full of lovely ladies setting up new reading journals and I was thiiis close to buying this or this.  BUT!  In a burst of creativity, I decided I still had enough supplies in my junk journal stash to make my own!  It’s not perfect by any stretch but it will work perfectly for my needs.
5. Firewood with next day delivery. // We are supposed to get snow/ice/polar vortex temperatures in the next week and one look at our woodpile had us panicking.  Although we hated having to spend the money, the company was able to deliver the seasoned firewood the very next day and we’re ready for whatever winter weather comes our way.

This Week in the Liturgical Year //

January 2 was the Memorial of St. Basil the Great and St. Gregory Nazianzen, Bishops and Doctors.

To Listen: Gregory Nazianzen: Greatness in the Passive Voice from the Way of the Fathers podcast as well as St. Basil the Great—On the Right Use of Greek Literature

To Read: Basil, Gregory, and the Holy Spirit

To Add to the Library: On Christian Doctrine and Practice and On the Holy Spirit

To Bake: Vasilopita (Vasilopitta, honoring Saint Basil, is a Greek New Year’s custom.)

Frugal Accomplishments //

• stocked up on coffee during a sale at the grocery store
• listed a few books on Pango
• gave myself a little hair trim

Reading //

• The Rules of Discernment: A Practical Guide – Rule 4 from Megan Hjelmstad at Spiritual Direction
• Goodness, Like Truth and Beauty, is a Powerful Thing from Father John P. Cush at National Catholic Register
• Life in the Cyborg Age: A Conversation with Josh Pauling from Aaron Weinacht at Front Porch Republic // “Do we want to become the type of people who push a button to listen to Bach, who have a chatbot write them a poem, who have an image generator paint them a picture? Or do we want to become the type of people who can play Bach on the piano (or maybe even be the next Bach!), who can revel in writing a poem, who can create art with their own hands? Learning entails risk, challenge, strain, difficulty, and it is through such things that you build wisdom, virtue, and patience—that you become a better you.”
• The Measured Morning from Grandma Donna // “This sounds like a lot of effort to keep our usage down, but once we have it figured out and let go of things little by little we will get a routine and it will simply be just the way we live as those before us did…People live much differently today than when I first started housekeeping. We were brainwashed we needed these things that cost us so much today to purchase, to use, to upkeep and to and needed attachments and filters. And then there is the cost to run them whatever that thing may be.”

New Additions to The List // 

• The Last Murder at the End of the World by Stuart Turton
• Ingrained: The Making of a Craftsman by Callum Robinson
• A History of the Church in 100 Objects by Mike Aquilina
• Are We All Cyborgs Now?: Reclaiming Our Humanity from the Machine by Robin Phillips and Joshua Pauling

Watching/Listening //

• Lessons 3-6 of the Introduction to St. Thomas Aquinas course from Aquinas 101 at the Thomistic Institute
• What Makes Buildings Beautiful (And Why Beauty Does Matter) from The Aesthetic City

Loving //

• this slow cooker meal plan // This will be helpful as I get out of the holiday fog and back to regular meal planning.
• 2025 Art Book Reading Challenge! from Rebecca at A Humble Place // Fun!
• Welcome to 2025! Encourage one another from Annabel at The Bluebirds are Nesting on the Farm // I love the memories about her mom!  Inspiring.

from the archives…

WEEK ONE 2024 // The Beauty of Hope