• Catholicism Unwrapped,  Faith

    Hand-Holding and the Orans Posture During the “Our Father”

    What do you do during the “Our Father”? Whether using the Orans Posture, holding hands with your neighbor, or simply folding your hands together in prayer, it’s true that the prayer posture used during the “Our Father” is one of the most hotly contested points of the Mass. Nearly everyone seems to have an opinion. The question is, who’s opinion is right? Is anyone’s? Does it matter? According to the USCCB, “No position is prescribed in the Roman Missal for an assembly gesture during the Lord’s Prayer.” Because no position is prescribed, it is true that prayer posture during the “Our Father” comes down to opinion and personal preference. In other words, we as the…

  • How to Celebrate the Easter Season
    Faith

    5 Ways to Continue the Easter Celebration

    It’s been just over a month since Easter Sunday, and though the secular world has already hung up their bonnets, for us Catholics, the Easter season is only a little over half way through. I’ll be honest. I’ve forgotten it’s Easter. Easter Sunday passed me by, and I sunk back into my everyday routine. I gave in to the daily drone of life and forgot that it is not Ordinary Time. The feast of the Easter Season has not yet passed. There are times for fasting and sorrow, times for the everyday, the simple and the ordinary, and times for celebration. The Church has given us the liturgical seasons because…

  • Books,  Elevenses

    May Reading List

    I’ve got a pretty varied line-up of books this month, and I couldn’t be more excited! Finding reading time is becoming more difficult as Clark gets older, so I’m not able to finish books off quite as quickly as I could when I was feeding him ’round the clock with nothing to do but sit and read. Still, I’ve been able to squeeze in some time here and there. These books should be showing up in my Elevenses posts in the next few months (with the exception of Crossroads of Twilight because I’m reeeeally behind on reviewing the series), so if you haven’t read them and want to join in…

  • Books + Tea,  Elevenses

    The Unicorn Chronicles (Book 1 and 2) + Earl Grey Tea

    There’s a story behind this one. When I was younger, I was obsessed with unicorns. It was hard to find novels that featured them, but I read every one I could get my hands on. The unicorns I read about weren’t dainty, cute, pink maned creatures that pooped rainbows — the kind you see everywhere these days. They were beautiful and majestic, pure-hearted but also incredibly dangerous. I think it was that mix of beauty, purity and ferocity that made them my favorite mythological creature when I was young. At some point, I came across a series called the Unicorn Chronicles, written by Bruce Coville. There were two books, the…

  • Fashion,  Outfits

    Holiday Red

    I’ve been spending a lot of days in pajamas and sweats recently, and I’ve definitely seen it impact my mood and productiveness. Therefore, I’ve decided to make getting dressed a priority — even if I won’t be leaving the house and the only people who see me are Brian and Clark. It’s amazing how big of a difference a little bit of effort can make. Getting dressed in the morning isn’t easy, especially when I’ve been up all night with Clark or am finding trouble setting him down long enough to even brush my teeth. Easy or not, taking a little time to dress up helps me feel more awake and…

  • A Sundry

    It’s Beginning to Feel A Lot Like Christmas (10 Things to do This Winter)

    I know winter doesn’t technically start until December 21st, but in my head, December 1st is always the beginning of winter. The fact that most of December is actually fall has always been so odd to me! For me, December is the quintessential winter month. I figured I would share with you all my winter bucket list (a.k.a., the things I’d like to do this winter), in the hopes that it would inspire you to get out and enjoy the season. Maybe, you will even write a bucket list of your own! If you do, please share it in the comment section below 🙂 Find snow: If I’m lucky, this one…

  • Faith

    Remembering Advent in a World Focused on Christmas

    Thanksgiving has passed and already I find myself turning on my favorite Christmas songs and dreaming of decorating the tree. Christmas decorations have been selling in stores for weeks and lit up houses have been speckling neighborhoods since well before Thanksgiving. But as I stand here with arms open wide, ready to embrace the season, I find myself wondering, am I forgetting something? In our eagerness for Christmas, something equally as beautiful often gets lost. That something is Advent. Advent, often called a “little Lent,” is the Catholic season covering the four Sundays before Christmas. It is considered a penitential season, a time of prayer and fasting as we eagerly…