What she said...

Charm is deceptive and beauty fleeting; the woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.
Give her a reward of her labors, and let her works praise her at the city gates. ~Proverbs 31: 30-31

There is, of course, a difference between this sort of idea, the idea that a woman ought to make herself attractive to the opposite sex so she can then manipulate them into the sort of behavior she wants from them, and merely wanting to dress or look nice. But I've seen the blurring of the line from time to time, when women will describe, say, a vintage-inspired look as "sassy" or "flirty," or sigh over a time when "feminine" women got what they wanted with a careful batting of the eyelashes and a slowly-curving, red-lipsticked smile. To be fair, I'm not sure there ever really was such a time; the woman in that pleasant daydream was just as likely to be told, curtly, by her other half to quit wasting his time with her tricks and get dinner on the table--but it's the idea that it's both acceptable and essentially feminine to be a flirt that I find disturbing.

You can read the rest here. We women don't like to have our ideas challenged, but if that challenge makes us look honestly and objectively in an examination of conscience kind of way at what we believe in the light of what God would have us believe, isn't that a good thing?

More thoughts

If there is only one other thing that you read today, make sure it is this breathtakingly beautiful post from Ann:

Attend to Your Life and You Make it Art

What she said...

No time to say more. Too busy reading ! : )
Have a lovely weekend!

Carnival of Kitchen Madonnas

from Ruth in Virginia

Mother had wept when she saw the picture – "Though I still don't know why," said Janet – but when Marta saw the good place, she stood quite still. Then slowly she lifted her hands and her whole face was transformed. "Maty Bozha!" breathed Marta, but in a very different way from the way she had said it upstairs. She took one step nearer. "Matir Bozha!" she breathed again, and then she began to speak. None of them could understand the words she said, but even Janet knew it was a prayer or a hymn of thanksgiving and praise.

~The Kitchen Madonna by Rumer Godden

Thank you to all who answered my *call for Kitchen Madonnas. I can't wait to show them to the children in the book club and see how your lovely pictures inspire them.

Michelle shares her kitchen with a view and the inspiration she keeps close by. I am amazed that she has only been in her new abode for a few weeks and yet it looks so much like home. These military wives are a breathtaking breed to behold!

Join Barb for a holy coffee break and look carefully at her windows to see the lovely little shrine she has created to remind her of her calling as a secular Franciscan to strive for perfect charity in their secular lives. With those bright sunny windows and that beautiful reminder, I am sure she does an excellent job!from Laura in AZ

Lorri serves up more than mac and cheese. She also has a lovely little coffee spot with a beautiful Madonna to inspire her not only to get the dishes clean but to clear out the clutter. Inspirational in more ways than one, I tell ya!

Striving to be an Apostle to Suburbia, Leeann shows us her lovely Kitchen Madonna who is dressed to the nines. I am sure Our Lady loves her precious pink hat and wears it with proudly.

Kimberly from Ohio sends this lovely Lady dressed in blue who is perfectly poised in her handsome setting. Be sure to poke around her beautiful blog and find out more about her favorite (soon to be famous I am sure!) photographer. You'll be glad you did.Betsy's Madonna

Amy Caroline (such a lovely lyrical name!) has not one, not two, but three Kitchen Madonnas. Go check them out and also take a look at her No Bake Cookies. She's must come from pioneer stock I think!

Melanie is someone I knew in college and now, through the amazing powers of the internet, I have the pleasure of getting to know better (and watch her little Bella grow cuter and cuter everyday!). Melanie's Madonnas are in the kitchen, but it is her San Damiano cross that inspires her to fight back the waves of nausea and make her home "an imitation of the little house in Nazareth".

From Rachel in NC

And the sweetest little lady I know in Minnesota shares her lovely Kitchen Madonna. Someday I hope to get to see this beautiful lady in person and her kitchen too!

Update:
I forgot to add my own Madonna that is how wound up I am right now. I hope it goes well.

*Prayers for tomorrow would be most appreciated!

Loveliness of Back to School

The Starry Sky Ranch is the place to head for great back to school ideas. Hurry on over there before the bell rings!

Loveliness of Clearing the Clutter

Head on over to Lorri's for a steaming bowl of mac and cheese. Prepare to be inspired to use it or lose it at the Loveliness of Clearing the Clutter fair!

Dee-doo-doo-doo, dee-doo-doo-doo

I unlock this door with the key of digital images. Beyond it is another dimension: a dimension of sight, a dimension of confusion, a dimension of heaps and piles. You're moving into a land of both shadow and substance, of things and ideas. You've just crossed over into... the Cluttered Zone.



There are many different kinds of clutter. Some clutter shows up over time and some clutter seems to sprout and blossom overnight. What you see above the worst kind of clutter in my mind... project clutter. It never seems to fail that when I get focused on a project, everything else disappears from my mind's eye. I have been working on several projects simultaneously so, well... you saw the pictures. The worst part of "project clutter" is the guilt you feel when it is over and you see the mess that lies in your wake. Did I really have to sew those now? I shouldn't have spent all that time on a silly little project? Now look at this place... was it really worth it?

Anyway... Husband is going through a stressful time at work right now and I know that I always feel better when our room is a place of comfort and peaceful refuge. Hopefully, the peace and calm of home will soothe his raw nerves, too. Other than the carpet (which we can do nothing about at this moment) and the lack of curtains (can't decide what I want), I think it looks lovely. This is probably more than you ever wanted to know about my bedroom, but here it is:

Pictures from top to bottom: From our honeymoon in Seattle, Shortcake (age 1), & The Professor (age 3) and that is a weather radio on the shelf, not a prehistoric alarm clock. It tells us if we need to hide in the closet or just under the covers! The basket contains most of my "current reads".

Yes, I painted stripes on 3 of our 4 walls. Don't ask me why. I think it had something to do with a bad Trading Spaces flashback. Someone once said that our room reminded them of the inside of a hat box. Not sure what that meant, but they insisted it was a good thing. This basket of books are all written in Czech and came from my grandparents. I am looking into donating them to a Czech museum.

Pictures: Our honeymoon lighthouse, The Professor holding newborn Shortcake, & The Professor age 4 and Sunshine age 3. The big piece of metal in the corner is Husband's rowing machine. It's bad for decor but good for his back.

Pictures on top: My grandparent's wedding picture and my great-grandparent's wedding picture
On the wall: Girl with a Pearl Earring by Vermeer (my favorite!) I saw it during its restoration process in the Netherlands and brought back this poster.

The blue in the blanket on our bed perfectly matches the blue in the Vermeer and I love it. Thanks for stopping by and stomaching my brutally honest clutter!

Oh, and Barbara... I see your dare and raise you a double dare! : )

Loveliness of the Seashore

I must go down to the seas again, to the lonely sea and the sky,
And all I ask is a tall ship and a star to steer her by,
And the wheel's kick and the wind's song and the white sail's shaking,
And a grey mist on the sea's face and a grey dawn breaking.

I must go down to the seas again, for the call of the running tide
Is a wild call and a clear call that may not be denied;
And all I ask is a windy day with the white clouds flying,
And the flung spray and the blown spume, and the sea-gulls crying.

I must go down to the seas again, to the vagrant gypsy life,
To the gull's way and the whale's way where the wind's like a whetted knife;
And all I ask is a merry yarn from a laughing fellow-rover,
And quiet sleep and a sweet dream when the long trick's over.

~ John Masefield

Elaine takes us down to the sea again. Go splash around a play a little!

Loveliness of Summer Reading

Sarah is hosting the Loveliness of Summer Reading Fair. Stop by and check out everyone's favorites summertime stories.

No library card required!

Mid-summer Reading Update

It might be a bit too late to call it "mid-summer" but its my blog and I make the rules titles around here!

I wanted to update our original Summer Reading list with some more titles we have discovered for the children and also, a list of what Husband and I are reading too. (Original list in yellow.)

The Professor, age 9:
Hans Brinker (Great book when it is 100 degrees outside!)
Hot Wheels Variations: The Ultimate Guide (this kid has always loved non-fiction!)
The Encyclopedia of the Corvette
The Sinister Signpost
Mattimeo
The Phantom Tollbooth
If All the Swords in England
Charlie & the Great Glass Elevator
Legend of Luke
By the Great Horn Spoon
The Penderwicks
The Incredible Journey
The Great Brain Series
Conquests of Invention
The Bellmaker
The Happy Hollisters

Sunshine, age 8:
Encyclopedia Brown and the Case of the Sleeping Dog
Raggedy Ann Stories
Pascual and the Kitchen Angels
Fannie in the Kitchen (What a fun book!)
The Case of the Garbage Monster from Outer Space #32
Cam Jansen Mysteries
Hi-Jinks Joins the Bears
The Wind in the Willows
King David and His Songs
St. Therese and the Roses
The Boxcar Children
Children Everywhere
An Alphabet of Saints
Little House in the Highlands (the original, unmutilated unabridged version)

Shortcake, age 6 (doing some reading but also being read to):
Faded Love #5
The Horse in Harry's Room
lots of Biscuit books
Young Cam Jansen Mysteries (audiobooks from the library)
Many Moons
Who Wants a Cheap Rhinoceros?
It's Raining Pigs and Noodles
Kipper

My List:
Real Learning
Mom to Mom
The Belgariad (Husband remembers reading this in his youth and wanted to share.)
The Kitchen Madonna
Letters to Children from Beatrix Potter

Husband's List:
Amazing Resumes
Same Day Resumes (sensing a theme?)

On hold at the library:
Caddie Woodlawn
Thimble Summer

The girls are pretty set. Any other suggestions for the boys?

Loveliness of Little Boys

In form and feature, face and limb,
I grew so like my brother,
That folks got taking me for him,
And each for one another.
~from The Twins by Henry S. Leigh

The rhino is a homely beast,
For human eyes he's not a feast.
Farewell, farewell, you old rhinoceros
I'll stare at something less prepoceros.
~Ogden Nash

Meet a man,

A man named Harry,
He's in need of a comb,
And it's quite scary!

BigBoy checks on The Professor's toe...

Sometimes being a brother is even better than being a superhero!
~Marc Brown

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Thank you to Monica for hosting this lovely fair all about our rough and tumble, sweet and shy little guys.

Loveliness of Summer Food

Stop by Sarah's for some tasty treats and tell her Happy Anniversary too! I skimmed through her lovely fair this morning but will be back later, coffee in hand (and blank recipe cards too) to savor all of the contributions.

Busy morning, please no rain! Bye!

Loveliness of Summer Food

Summer is in full swing which means... I 'm not cooking! Well, baking actually.

It is usually boiling hot in the house by now and the thought of turning the stove on for longer than it takes to pre-heat makes me break out in a rash. This year has been something of an exception. The constant rain we have been having has flooded neighborhoods, condemned local parks and provided a breeding wonderland for the little blood suckers that like to plague us this time of year but... it has also kept the temperatures cooler which means that the AC isn't doing battle with the sun as much as it is trying to keep our carpets from feeling soggy.

Now, to be fair, I do some baking in the Summer... in my garage. Silly, I know. But I think it helps keep our house cooler.

One of our favorite dishes during this time of year is a peach and blueberry crisp. It makes a great dessert if you serve it warm and bubbly with a scoop of ice cream on top or make it ahead of time and pop it into the fridge to serve it as a nice cold fruit side dish. No other time of the year do the berries look so beautifully dusty and bursting with yummy goodness and the peaches are so juicy they drip down your chin. Georgia might be The Peach State but peaches from the Texas Hill Country can't be beat. I might be a little biased though. : )

Summer Fruit Crisp
1 C. all purpose flour
3/4 C. plus 2 Tbl. sugar, divided
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 egg, lightly beaten
3 C. sliced fresh peaches
2 C. fresh blueberries
1/4 C. butter or margarine, melted

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In medium bowl, combine flour, 3/4 C. sugar, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Add egg and mix with fork until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Set aside. Place peaches and blueberries in large bowl and toss to coat with the remaining 2 Tbl. sugar. Place fruit mixture in greased 8 or 9 inch square baking pan and sprinkle with crumb mixture. Drizzle with butter. Bake 35-40 minutes or until top is lightly browned. Enjoy warm, cooled or chilled.

* * * * * * * * * *

Sarah is our hostess for this fair. Please be sure to stop by on July 9th to read all of the deliciously delightful contributions.

The Loveliness of Fathers

It was just an old worn out jeep

Rusty old floor boards, hot on my feet

A young girl two hands on the wheel

I can't replace the way it made me feel

And he'd say "Turn it left, and steer it right

Straighten up girl now, you're doing just fine"

Just a little valley by the river where we'd ride

But I was high on a mountain

When Daddy let me drive

~Drive by Alan Jackson**

I want to write something meaningful and eloquent about the memories I have of my father; the things I love about him, the special moments I treasure. I ache with envy when I read someone else's moving tribute to their dad because I wish I could do the same so easily. It requires a lot of forgetfulness on my part. Forgetting the disappointments, forgetting the hurts, forgetting the selfishness and choosing to look for the good. It is not a matter of forgiving. I can't judge his culpability. Even though we have our "issues", I know that without him, I wouldn't be me.

So for the sake of this lovely fair, I am putting the "issues" aside and looking for those qualities I can admire in my dad.

Generosity ~ He is always willing to help whether asked or not.

Friendship ~ Once he has made you his friend, he will never forget you.

Pride ~ He is proud of my accomplishments even though they are not the accomplishments he would have chosen for me.

Trust ~ I believe that he trusts me and the decisions I make for myself because he knows that my decisions are guided by my head, my heart and my faith. While he may not understand them, he respects them.

Work Ethic ~ My father has always worked and even now, in retirement, he still works. While he might have served his family by better balancing the needs of the job and the needs of his family, I have to admire his ability to work hard and hope that I have learned the value of it properly placed.

They say that a girl will often marry a guy just like dear old Dad and in my case, that couldn't be further from the truth...except for the good qualities.

So to the wonderful father of my children here is the best tribute I can offer... a portrait of you in their own words:

Well, I like that he knows so much about cars and he's really funny. I like to go bowling with him and go to baseball games. He makes me feel proud to be his son.~ The Professor

I love that he goes to work to help us get food. Sometimes he makes me laugh when I get hurt. He goes to the library with us and picks out really good books for us. Sometimes we even do fun stuff after the library like get milkshakes. (Mom says: Oh really!!?!) He stays home on Saturdays and Sundays and has fun with us. ~ Sunshine

I love how he tells his jokes. I love how he makes us pancakes on Saturdays. And I love the way how he looks when you and him are asleep in your bed. (This could explain why we get the most late night calls from this one!)~ Shortcake

BigBoy, what do you love most about Daddy? His stopper...like the police. He's music. Huh?

*Thank you to Paula for hosting this Loveliness Fair. Check back with her on Monday for the fair and don't forget to offer her your best wishes for her upcoming marriage!

** I included the lyrics above because they describe, much better than I, one of those special moments I wish I could wax eloquently about.

Loveliness of Gardens

Calling All Gardening Cabbies with Hemorrhoids!

I wasn't going to write a post for this fair because I have honestly confessed that I have no green thumb. Then I thought I could sit here and talk about how if a plant in my garden can't survive on it's own then I will only hasten its demise by attempting to nurture it, but what's lovely about that? No... as it says over there on the side, my blog is a personal trainer for the Pollyanna who lives in my head but never gets off the couch! So come on Polly...up and at 'em!

There is a bright spot in my garden that I actually added myself (with the help of Husband's hunky muscles). What is it you might ask? A bulb, a bush, maybe a tree? Hee, hee! You're so funny! Something that climbs perhaps? Nope.

You might have noticed it weathering the strange white stuff that kept falling from the sky this winter. Or keeping a watchful eye on our first attempt at growing things.

He doesn't grow and he doesn't climb. He has no roots or leaves or branches but he is the highlight of our garden. Shortcake dubbed him "Jo- fuss" when he first graced our garden. BigBoy called him "Jesus" at first, but now believes he is St. Joseph and gives him kisses when we come home. His name is actually St. Fiacre, although I am sure he has accepted being mistaken for more recognizable saints by now. I won't tell you what a steal I got him for at the local Stuf-mart because not even the manager could find the price or his name. How much? I'll take 2!

He is the patron saint of many people including gardeners, taxi drivers, florists, box makers, and people suffering from hemorrhoids. Not quite sure what the connection is there. The cabbies claimed him back in 1648 when a man ran a "carriage for hire" stand in front of the Hotel de St. Fiacre. Pretty soon all coaches in Paris were called "fiacres". His garden was a miraculous one in both how he acquired it and the healings it yielded. So remember...Fiacre for flora and Francis for fauna.

For a little more information on St. Fiacre you can read about him here, here and here. The Washington Post also has a funny article about this lesser known Irish saint who stands tall in the shrubs and the shadow of that other guy from the Emerald Isle.

A Spring Walkabout

We went in search of more Texas wildflowers today in an attempt to re-energize our unit study after being drained from our Easter celebrations, the horrific stomach flu we all had and the yucky weather.

All right, so we kind of cheated....

In my defense, most of the wildflowers that we love so much are seen in brilliant bloom only on the sides of the highways where people drive 80 miles an hour in the slow lane. Not exactly conducive to a nice leisurely stroll. So as the kids and I were driving to the local hardware store on Friday we took a route we hadn't been down in a while.

We saw the most gorgeous wildflowers, but not in a field, in flowers beds and along the sidewalk. There was a sign advertising a landscaping company, but this place didn't look like a storefront at all, in fact, we couldn't see anything but this big beautiful garden of wildflowers that spread all the way to the curb. We came back this morning, so Husband could join us and took a closer look at all the pretties!

White Prickly Poppy and friend

California Poppy

Texas Gold Columbine

Wine Cup

Prairie Spiderwort

Dakota Vervain

Orange Zexmenia (?)

Indian Mustard

Bull Nettle

What we had stumbled upon (we realized only after the nice man passed us a brochure through the fence) was the garden of a landscaper who believes in using "native and climatically adapted plants" to provide "year-round interest, beautiful colors and most importantly... low maintenance"!

Now, I like being outside and I appreciate nature. I have grown to appreciate it more since we have been inspired to enjoy it more by people we have grown to love as friends. But my thumbs do not have even the slightest tinge of green. I would love to have a garden, but wouldn't know the first thing about starting one. Oh, we have some beautiful examples of God's handiwork around our house, but those are courtesy of the retired couple who first owned this home, not us! They have survived our ignorance and the previous owner's neglect which tells you that the original owners probably had a lot in common with the landscaper we met today.

A garden is about a personal relationship that reflects how you want to interact with the exterior of your home. It should not represent dreaded gardening chores but it should be an inviting refuge from the daily stress and worldly demands...

I think I've found my new best friend!

A Rose for You

For you, dear Papa!
It was so hard to let you go.
Please come in and remain with us
While we hope to see your smile again.

Allow me to enter your homes; yes, you want to have the Pope as your guest and friend, and to give him the consolation of seeing in your homes the union and the family love which gives rest, after a hard day's work.

It shows me, dear children, that you are preparing seriously for the future; I repeat to you, you are the hope of the Pope.

Do not deny me the joy of seeing you walk along paths that lead you to be real followers of good, and friends of Christ. Do not deny me the joy of your sense of responsibility in studies, activities and amusements. You are called to be bearers of generosity and honesty, to fight against immorality, to prepare a more just, healthier and happier world.

~ John Paul II, from a speech given to 100,000 families in Guadalajara, Mexico