Seven Quick Takes (Wherein I Reveal That I Might Have an Unhealthy Attachment to a Basket)

It was yesterday afternoon when I got the email with the crucial-to-life information that my favorite storage baskets of all time are on sale at JoAnn's.  And thus was born this post, for in the very moments before the tantalizing email came through I had been pondering whether or not I had anything to offer by way of Seven Quick Takes.  I admit this is somewhat of a lame excuse for a blog post, but (1) it gave me an excuse to take pretty pictures of colorful and organized things throughout my home, and (2) there just might be somebody else out there looking for the Next Big Thing that will revolutionize the way she organizes her entire home and life books and yarn and other random stuff.  If that's you, then may I present... 

The Organizing Essentials Seagrass Open Weave Basket 

(in both the rectangular and oval variety)

and Seven (Quick Take) real-life uses in my home and/or 
potential uses for you

(1)

We'll start with the obvious... book storage.

(2)

Organizational bins for all the loose stuff on your school shelves.

In basket No. 1: Music Masters CDs and Art cards

No. 2: Math-y stuff

No. 3: the "tech bin" - CDs for Latin and memory work, DVD player for Math-U-See lessons, ear phones for the iPads

No. 4: Flyleaf Emergent Reader Series and sight word flash cards

No. 5: Holy Cards and little Saint books

(3)

Storage for your current crochet (or craft of your choice) project.

(4)

Storage for your crochet projects-in-waiting.

(5)

Diaper storage

fake baby used for effect.  real baby was sleeping :)

(6)

Couch-side prayer and reading baskets

(7)

Pencil and crayon caddy :)

(Extra Take - since it's about a bathroom, I didn't feel like it really deserved to be one of the official Seven.)

Pretty place to corral restroom reading materials.

* * * * * *

Don't forget to head over to Jen's to check out more Quick Takes - I can pretty much guarantee they'll be more scintillating than mine and they probably won't end with a picture of toilet.

Happy Friday!

He Was Baptized...

in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit!  

Welcome to the Church, James!

There aren't many picture of the Baptism itself (sadness) because my oft- malfunctioning camera was doing what it does best - malfunctioning.  But here are the couple we did manage to get...

James was baptized in a shirt that my parents bought in Venice when they were expecting me!  As far as I know, all of my siblings and me were baptized in it and all of my children have been as well.  I sewed the little white pants for Aaron's baptism and we've used them for all the other kids as well.  

Lord, our God, out of the speech of little children you have fashioned a hymn of praise. Look with kindness on this child whom the faith of the Church commends to your tender care. Your Son, born of the Virgin Mary, gladly welcomed little children. He took them in his arms, blessed them, and held them up as an example for all.

We pray that you, Father, will also send your blessing on him, so that they he may grow in Christian maturity and, by the power of the Holy Spirit, become Christ's witness in the world, spreading and defending the faith.

-from the Order of Blessing for Baptized Children

Some New-to-Me Finds (Books for Early Readers)

I've recently started requiring more reading of Aaron.  He still reads out loud to me, but he's also started reading to Dominic (in the dark with a flashlight, of course!) before they go to bed at night, and I now also require that he do silent reading followed by an oral "report."  With all the additional reading he's been doing we needed to get some new material.  I'm always so grateful for recommendations on books written for children who are just on the verge of reading independence.  And I just love these three new series I discovered (as does Aaron) *they're not necessarily "new," but they're "new-to-me"* so I thought I'd pass along my own recommendations!  

Dodsworth in New York and other Dodsworth books, by Tim Egan

Dodsworth is off to seek adventure.  He's especially excited to see New York City, but he wasn't expecting to spend his time there chasing around a run-away duck!  At the end of the book, Dodsworth somewhat unexpectedly finds himself on a boat bound for France... time to order Dodsworth in Paris from the library!

Upstairs Mouse, Downstairs Mole and other Mouse and Mole stories, by Wong Herbert Yee 

If you love Arnold Lobel's Frog and Toad books you will absolutely enjoy these Mouse and Mole books.  (In fact, they are dedicated to "friends of Frog and Toad.")  The stories of these two friends are sweet and humorous and the illustrations are delightful!  Aaron's read two from the series already and they're so fun we have two more on order! 

Billy and Blaze books, by C.W. Anderson

* We had tried reading some of the these about a year ago, but Aaron wasn't ready for them.  We recently tried again and they're a better fit now. * Billy has always longed for a horse of his own and finally receives the perfect pony for his birthday. After they prove themselves the perfect pair by winning a horse show in the first book, you can imagine the adventures Billy and Blaze will encounter and the challenges they'll tackle together in the rest of the series!

Prayer With an Open Door Policy (or Small Ways for Busy Moms to Pray Throughout the Day)

Pray without ceasing.

1 Thessalonians 5:17

When you pray, go into your room and shut the door, 

and pray to your Father who is in secret.

Matthew 6:6

Lately I've been trying to refresh my prayer life, to pray without ceasing.  But, go into your room and shut the door???  Do you have any idea what can happen in the moment's time it takes for a mother to go into her room and shut the door? The most likely outcome of the mother-going-into-her-room-and-shutting-the-door scenario is that the police arrive very soon afterward presumably because the neighbors called when they witnessed your two-year- old exit your home through the clothes dryer vent and head down the block with very few clothes on (however she had a ukulele strapped to her back, a coonskin cap on her head, and a kitchen whisk in hand...) You get the idea.  I know Jesus loved the little children, but he didn't have any of his own.  Clearly.  I think it very likely that when Christ gave these instructions on prayer it was one of those times when he spoke before thinking.*  Well, he at least wasn't thinking through the implications it would have on a mother's life. 
  

But anyway, here we have a busy mother who wants to refresh her prayer life, to "pray without ceasing" so as to move throughout the day more fully in the presence of God. My life these days doesn't allow for extended silent meditation, thought-provoking philosophical and spiritual reading, uninterrupted hours in front of the Blessed Sacrament, or 20-decade rosaries.  (tip: If you long for the prayer life of the monastics, don't have children.) The closed-door prayer marathon isn't realistic, but I realistically can't get through my day without His grace.  So I'm keeping it simple and am trusting that my simple prayers will yield graces sufficient for my vocation.  The door is open for Him to work.  Perhaps you're busy also, but like me, need the strength, focus, and grace of  "prayer without ceasing."  Here's what I've been focusing on... 

Small Ways for This Busy Mom to Pray Throughout the Day:

(no closed doors here, but some of it is secret)

Make a Morning Offering.  It is short.  It is simple. It is my effort to order the rest of the day - to acknowledge the One from whom all good things come and to commit all my best efforts (which are really quite weak) to His service and for His glory.  Said offering is (sadly) often promptly forgotten once my feet hit the floor and I stumble downstairs with only one true thought on my mind.  Coffee.

Read Scripture each morning.  But not a lot of it, lest I retain nothing. (I love the New Testament published by Scepter Publishers that divides the entire New Testament up into approximately 5-minute bits so that you can read it through two times in a year.)  I've been trying to find something in the passage to "take with me" as I go through the day - I'll write it on a sticky note and hang it in the kitchen to re-read and re-focus as the day wears on.  I have to write it down, because I won't remember it throughout the day no matter how convicted I was by it in the morning.  Quiet morning convictions are often lost in the busyness, noise, and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches of the day.    

Aspirations (often in the form of prayers in emergency situations).  This form of prayer has been so fruitful for me lately, and I believe has prevented many a child-induced spiritual malfunction of my soul.  Let me explain.  There are three prayers I come back to over and over again throughout the day to maintain a calm and pleasant disposition, to beg forgiveness, and to order my efforts:  

For the things that grate on my nerves or try my patience - sibling squabbles, interruptions, pestering, irresponsibility, an entire canister of oatmeal spilled on the floor ceiling fan??? - I toss a Hail Mary heavenward.  It's become my alternative to yelling.  (Well, not all the time.  But that's the idea, anyway...)  I usually don't even get to the end of the prayer before the next big distraction hits.  But the point is I'm not below groveling before Our Lady and begging Mary, Mediatrix of All Graces, to bestow upon me an iota of the Grace with which she was blessed.  Hail Mary, full of grace... would you please ask your Son to give me an extra helping of the same - I long to be more like you and to react graciously and to conduct myself grace-fully in the midst of this blessed mess.  (This is the part that's secret since the child who's expecting a tirade from me, instead sees me starring at him kind of distracted and glassy-eyed.  Little does he know I'm trying to get through as much of a Hail Mary as I can before I respond to him with something that's in between "full of grace" and "tirade.")  

For the times when I slip up and yell at a child, or roll my eyes at the customer "service" I receive at the store, or speak to me husband with an "I'm right, you're wrong at work at all day so you have no idea" attitude, or scoff at... well, any number of ridiculous things - I quickly pray, Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me, a sinner.  And there's no lack of evidence which would suggest that I say this one a lot :)  

And for the times when I start to feel burdened and victimized by the very life that I chose (how un-explainable and crazy is that???) - I offer this aspiration over and over and over: All for the greater glory of God.  Laundry and dishes and meals and wiping runny noses, trips to the playground and library and dentist and doctor, reading Harold and the Purple Crayon for the fortieth time, cuddling when I wish I had more personal space, cleaning when I'd rather be crocheting, serving when I'd rather be sleeping - they are the "small realities" that St. Josemaria Escriva was speaking about when he wrote, "the holiness that our Lord demands of you is to be achieved by carrying out with love of God your work and your daily duties, and these will almost always consist of small realities."  (I wrote a little more about this here)  I cheerfully choose these small realities - loving my husband, raising my children, keeping my home.  In doing so, I am radiating Christ and serving the God who saw fit to bless me with this particular life for my own good and for His glory.  

On a good day I'm able to do some spiritual reading during the kids' afternoon nap/quiet time.  My favorite are the meditations from In Conversation With God, (also from Scepter) which follow the Liturgical Year.  Or I manage to fit in a Rosary, or part of one, while I'm exercising or nursing.  For me, the key to increasing the chances that I'll accomplish either one of these is to not make it a priority.  The minute I say, I will say a Rosary every day or I will definitely do spiritual reading at nap time today, is the minute that I fail at that portion of my prayer life.  I know that committing to something and sticking with it is important, and I am not suggesting we make no set commitment to personal prayer.  I just know that for some reason I am much more likely to "sneak" these things into my day when the opportunity arises, and I'm much more likely to be sidetracked and defeated when I've made them non-negotiable, set-in-stone items on my prayer-to-do list.  

Finally, if I'm not too tired at the end of the day - worn thin from attempting to remedy my own shortcomings as well as those of my children from dawn to dusk (and then some, if bedtime goes badly) and/or staying up too late writing long-winded blog posts such as this - I do my best to offer a sincere prayer of thanksgiving.  "Every good and perfect gift comes from You.  I am so unworthy of the many you have bestowed on me.  I'm forever grateful.  And I'm going to bed now, so I'll catch you again tomorrow, Lord.   I'll be here all day, and I'll leave the door open :)  Amen." 

*  Tongue in cheek ;)

(One final prayer tip - My friend, Mary, whose lovely blog is Better Than Eden, is leading a Novena for husbands.  It begins tomorrow and concludes on the Feast of St. Joseph.  Won't you join Mary, many others, and me in praying for the most important man in your life?  Mary has all the Novena info, so click on over there.  All the prep work is done for you!  It's an easy way to add a little extra to your prayer life and a big way to support your husband!)

I'm Back... Conditionally

I'm back from a couple weeks' hiatus.  Yipee! 

Taking a few weeks off to think and breath and pray about what this tiny corner of web-space is for me was good, but I haven't come to any earth-shattering revelations about blogging or the direction of Ordinary Lovely.  As for the future of this space...  I will only be here when the rest of my life is properly ordered.  I have not given up blogging for Lent, but I have taken on a variety of small Lenten sacrifices toward an improved home culture.  This is my focus this Lent, and if I am not advancing in that effort I won't be allowing myself to spend time and energy here until it is back on track.  Whatever disorder there has been was not the result of blog reading or blog writing.  Not in the least.  But it was the result of my own disordered priorities compounded by legitimate fatigue and by Laziness wearing his favorite costume, imagined fatigue.   

Anyhoo... even in my absence I was thinking and plotting and writing, and I have a few things set to publish here soon.  In the near future you can expect to read a few reflections on Faith and family life, homeschool, the art we've been doing, crochet (of course!), and some "scrap-tastic" sewing projects (projects that only use stuff from my scrap pile!)   I've even been imagining a mini-makeover in terms of how things look here at the blog.  (Goal for March - get a photo of myself up here to welcome you every time you click on Ordinary Lovely!)  I'm not planning anything that will knock your socks off, but I've got a handful of fun and simple things to get me rolling again!  I'm looking forward to it!

And in case you were wondering, here's an update on the fireplace mantel and the living room.  Status: neat and tidy for a week now!   It's been so good for my soul - it's easier to "see" the needs of my family with the clutter gone and some order restored! 

See?  No leg!  Our new family motto is, "a place for every leg and every leg in its place."
Catchy, huh?!

Clutter be gone!  Even the kids are on board and need no other explanation than,
"we're keeping the house like this because it's Lent."
(Clare is not clutter.  She can stay.)

And I leave you with my favorite picture from this weekend:

Love!

I Can't Blog Right Now Because There's a Leg on My Mantel

See?

And there's this...

And this...

And it would be very imprudent and irresponsible for me to do much of anything besides focus on family, housekeeping, and prayer.  I have already been absent here for some time and think I will be for several more days.  I've still been reading a couple of the blogs I love and am looking forward to jumping back in myself.  But... as you can see, there is so much here that deserves (and demands!) my loving attention.  

Hope to be back sooner rather than later!

Peace,

Theresa

Crime and Pu...Nourishment (Stretching a Dostoyevsky Reference a Bit Too Far Just to Make Some Recommendations on Books Not by Dostoyevsky )

The other day someone asked me how Sweet Baby James was sleeping at night and how night-nursing was going.  "Oh, it's been mostly fine.  Nursing in the quiet of night gives me the opportunity to catch up on a little Chesterton."  The inquirer may have thought me very clever and academic-like, but she was none the wiser since I hadn't quite specified...  I'm just still trying to get through G. K.'s Father Brown mysteries :) I started them when Clare was born two years ago, but the complete set I had borrowed from the library was so dang big and heavy, it wasn't a very nursing-friendly tome.  There's only so much you can manage with a tiny human attached to you and one hand free.  But now I've got the complete mysteries on my phone (99 cents in the Kindle Store!)so I'm able to manage much better :)  

I can think back to when I was nursing each of my children as newborns and recall the books that I read during that time. Mysteries come up frequently, particularly the Jane Austen Mysteries by Stephanie Barron.  They are an easy read, but are thoroughly entertaining and often quite suspenseful. If you're a fan of Austen and mysteries, I can pretty safely guarantee you'll enjoy these books.  If you're a stuffy Jane Austen scholar, maybe not. But I'll let you sort that out for yourself.  

Barron's series of 11 (soon to be 12 !!!! books) are written as if they were the long lost journals of Jane Austen which were only recently "discovered" in a basement.  In them Jane willingly, but rather accidentally, serves as a detective for a variety of crimes, and ends up solving many a mystery while she moves about her ordinary life in turn-of-the-19th-century England. Readers are introduced to many of the players in Austen's real life - her sister Cassandra, her brothers, sister in law, nieces and nephews, etc... as well as several fictional characters including one with whom she develops a compelling, though restrained, romance.  I've enjoyed all of the stories in the series and am looking forward to the latest, Jane and the Twelve Days of Christmas, purported to come out this fall.  (It is best to read the books in order if possible, as there are story lines which carry through and develop throughout.)  

There is a nice review of Barron's series here.  And a list of the books in the order that they were written is here.  

* * * * * *

Aaron has jumped on the bandwagon that is crime-solving while I nourish the baby.  He has been reading Mercy Watson Fights Crime by Kate DiCamillo to us (typically while I'm feeding James on the couch, which incidentally, is the exact same time that everyone else has to be on the couch.) I checked a few of the Mercy Watson books out of the library at Erin's (from Seven Little Australians and Counting) recommendation.  We've been thoroughly enjoying the quirky and funny adventures of the beloved household pig, Mercy.  The books are perfect for Aaron, who is able to read them independently.  Mercy Watson Fights Crime has been the favorite so far - it's hard not to enjoy a story about a bumbling thief who wants to be a cowboy and the toast-loving "porcine wonder" who foils him :)

that 's James and me in the bottom left corner :) 

So there you have it.  A series for you, based on one of the great literary geniuses and social commentators of Regency England.  And a series for your kiddos, based on... a pig. 

I think you'll enjoy both!