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Watching these two little gals become friends just fills my heart with joy. Lucy is completely smitten with her baby sister and likes to narrate her cooking exploits to her captive audience.
She’s also very serious about nursing her “doll-doll,” although she could use some help on the positioning.
On the Homestead:
I think Daniel is brewing about 10 gallons of alcohol on our counter. The mead will be ready by the fall!
Speaking of homesteads, you simply must check out Elizabeth of That Married Couple’s beautiful vision for an intentional Catholic farming/homesteading community. This is very much our dream as well. So…..who wants to be neighbors and milk goats and sit on porches with us?! (Not joking. I want this.)
Book Love:
I am loving this book. I watched the miniseries (it’s on Netflix right now! Watch it tonight!) a few years ago and have meant to read the book ever since. The author, Elizabeth Gaskell is clever and funny and wonderful. If you’re a fan of Austen and haven’t tried Gaskell yet, start with Wives and Daughters. A delight!
And I just got Jim Gaffigan’s book to read on our upcoming family road trip. I caved and started reading it the other night, but I’m trying to save it because it’s so great and the perfect vacation read!
What books are you loving these days? Tell me in the comments!
The Quotable Benjamin:
So, this is what Benjamin looks like waiting for his dentist appointment. I just have to tell you about our pediatric dentist. My brother and I both went to him when we were little and he is just the dearest man. He’s a toymaker and the dental chairs are built inside of carousel horses. Because if you have to go to the dentist, it might as well be awesome, right?! The same people work there as when I was 4 years old, from the administrative assistant to the dental hygienist, and they always ask after my brother and my mom. It’s just completely adorable, like something out of Starshollow, and Benjamin actually looks forward to going. The cutest!
When I took the kids to the museum the other day, Benjamin saw a summer camp group of 25 kids walking down the sidewalk and said, “Wow! That’s a pretty big family!” #catholickid
“I bet the food in heaven is ALMOST as good as Daddy’s cookin’!“
Links:
28 Things That Happened After the Harry Potter Books Ended: BuzzFeed (I already knew most of these because I’m a super nerd, but it’s a heartwarming little post.)
Organization hacks for the rest of us: Conversion Diary (Jennifer Fulwiler is a genius. And, if you’ve ever been to my house, you’ll know she’s my kinda gal.)
Changing the Bar: More Like Mary ~ More Like Me
Natural Family Seat of Our Pants: Camp Patton
The Invisible Mother: Whatcom Families
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I hope all of you sweet people are having a beautiful weekend!
Love,
Haley
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Me me me!!!! I want to milk goats and sit on porches with you. But we’ll have to throw in some sheep. One black, and one white because well, I just need them.
Yes to the sheep! We raised sheep when Benjamin was a baby and they were just adorable. I’m kind of glad that we ended up selling them before an impromptu move instead of eating them like we planned :/
I love these posts, and I especially look forward to the links. The homesteading community is such a lovely idea. We think we’ll sign up even though we live in South Africa
I’m so glad, Kate! It’s always hard for me to figure out if my readers like certain kinds of posts or are bored by them, haha.
Well they’re great! As a one computer family I don’t get much time to look about on the internet, but when I finally get my husband off the computer (he is a high school teacher so is always setting exams or capturing marks at night), I can rely on your links for a good old edifying blog binge.
I’ve wanted to be a part of a “commune” for quite some time now, so…are we pitching in for some land in Montana, or what? (We’ve researched, Montana’s got some good prices.
)
Mmm, Montana’s beautiful. But can this Florida girl handle a Montana winter? haha
Ok watching Wives and Daughters ASAP. And Dad is Fat has been on my “to read” booklist! Hope it’s great.
Also, if someone finds a way to make a catholic homestead commune work for real–I totally volunteer my hubby. He can build anything and is very strong and handy
…& I will help you drink the booz. Sounds fun! hehe
Oh, Jeni! You will looooove it. Jeni, I’m totally serious about the Catholic homestead. In fact, Alyssa and Adam are coming over Tuesday to toss ideas around. Y’all are totally invited
And we should have an autumn mead drinking celebration, for sure!
I WANT TO BE YOUR NEIGHBOR!! Seriously. Count us in when the commune is being formed. I can’t WAIT.
Oh man, it’s been our dream!
Can’t stop thinking about that intentional community idea – wow. The front porches sold me. : ). Check out Fiat Farm – they are kind of living this, but on a real working farm.
I know! So wonderful. I checked out Fiat Farms and Daniel said he’d seen their blog before when he was looking into Catholic Land Movement stuff! Very cool!
HI there. I’m not sure how I cam upon your blog but I really enjoy it. I have a book recommendation for you if you are a fan of The Sound of Music. It’s the story told by Maria von Trapp; and different from the movie, her Catholic faith is a big part of everything she does. It’s called The Trapp Family Singers by Maria Augusta Trapp.
Oh, great suggestion! Who doesn’t love The Sound of Music?! It’s the best.
I’m reading “Love & Salt” and I really, really like it so far. It’s so real and honest.
And a commune sounds lovely but I have to live in a city….
I haven’t heard of Love & Salt! I’ll check it out
Oh my goodness – Lucy’s doll!!! Looks just like the doll my grandma made me when I was little!!!
And PLEASE let’s make this farming/homesteading community happen!!!!
A friend made it for her for her first birthday! I just love it. And yes, Jamie. I’m totally serious about the farming/homesteading community!
Do you absolutely promise to let me know when you think the book gets weird? Because I think there’s a plot twist that comes out of the clear blue sky, and I would love it if you could explain to me what Gaskell might have been thinking. And: do you know the story surrounding the writing of the ending? No spoilers, I promise.
Sure! I’m over halfway and I don’t think I know the plot twist yet? Have you seen the film? Is it in the film? I don’t know the story about the ending! Tell all!
Watching Wives and Daughters this week! So excited! And I LOVE watching my girls together, too. So precious!
It’s so good! You will love it, Francine!
Awe, thanks! You’re my favorite too
I want to sit and knit and say rosaries on the porch with you guys, too! Could we get a few alpacas to go with the goats, sheep, and chickens? As long as we don’t go to Montana – I don’t know if this SoCal girl (or my cat) could handle that kind of winter.
Just finished Neil Gaiman’s latest, The Ocean at the End of the Lane and it was really well done. Also working my way through everything ever written by Carlos Ruiz Zafon, a brilliant Spanish writer who tells fantastic stories, and just started reading Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, as recommended by my father. I may have to add Elizabeth Gaskell to my list of authors to read in 2014.
I think my husband and I would totally love to milk goats and sit on the porch with you and Daniel, but I’m not sure we’d adjust to the Florida climate!
If there was a Catholic pocket neighborhood in the greater New Orleans area, my wife and I would start packing the house right now!
My husband, kids, and I are in for the Catholic pocket neighborhood!
We would join your community if you let any Protestants in.
The combo of individual family space and community space is lovely. Maybe you should have a rotating home available for people coming through on sabbatical or furlough.
I love all Gaskell that I’ve read so far, but Wives & Daughters is definitely the most Austenesque. (Though North & South might be my favorite. Mr. Thornton!) I think I’m due for a reread…it’s been several years. Also, have you read any George Eliot? I’m halfway thru Middlemarch, my first Eliot ever, and enjoying it a lot.
So years ago after I had chevre for the first time I decided I wanted to milk goats and raise them etc etc And now its like a cool thing Oh well I generally shy away from cool but let’s all get to milkin!