Welcome to Carrots! I'm so glad you're here. This is where I share thoughts on liturgical living, faith, parenting, culture, and an extra dose of Jane Austen. You can sign up for my email newsletter here to stay in touch, or look me up on Instagram!
Have I seriously not posted a TWM since the mysterious pig incident? September is getting away from me, y’all! ( Yes, I’m southern and “you all” is too formal and my mama taught me not to say “you guys” unless you’re talking exclusively to men. Sometimes I say “folks” but then I think…”too old-timey?” Y’all is just a great word and I’m not sorry!)
Where was I? Ah, September is getting away from me! But there’s been a lot going on at Carrots: the Flannery O’Connor-a-thon, talking about comfort and greatness Pope Benedict XVI style, sharing about how I’m finally starting to learn NFP, trying to mother without worrying about productivity and efficiency, outlining what ours days look like and things you might not know about me, and then Daniel brought some levity to that whole women and education kerfuffle. So apparently I haven’t just been watching Masterpiece Theatre on Netflix 24/7.
Oh and Daniel? He’s currently RUNNING 50 MILES. Yes, you read that right. FIFTY. FIFTY MILES. What? How amazing is that?
Gwen and I tagged along for the trip and I’m currently wearing super comfy leggings, drinking coffee, and watching Gwen sleep so…..even Steven, right?
Book Love:
Since we all (except for Benjamin) got hit with a nasty cold, I put down the Russian novel I’m currently sludging through (The Master and Margarita, has anybody read it? Can you send some motivation for completing it my way?) and picked up an easier read: The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making. Delightful.
On the Homestead:
Peppers, peppers, everywhere. We’re trying to sneak peppers into every meal and then we’ve got bags and bags of them in the freezer, too!
The Quotable Benjamin:
“Would you look up a video for me of a giant dinosaur robot eating cars and breathing fire?”
This kid has been so fun lately. He made me the bestest birthday gift ever: a birthday flag that he made himself. It says Happy Birthday and I get to wave it around whenever it’s my birthday. I know. What a good idea!
It was wrapped up “with a frog for a bow!” and this card that says: “I like it when we get frozen yogurt together and when you read to me.”
(on a hot cocoa date with mama: “I having fun!“)
The Quotable Lucy:
Lucy: “My smoothie is purple.”
Benjamin: “Pink, Lucy.”
Lucy: “No! I not Pink Lucy! I just Lucy!”
And as for Miss Gwen…she may not be a great sleeper these days but my, oh my, is she a darling:
Links:
8 Costume Dramas Downton Abbey Fans Need to See: BuzzFeed (I haven’t seen them all, but I just finished the newish Great Expectations and thought it was grand.)
An Interview with Pope Francis: America Magazine
A Tale of Two Popes: Barefoot and Pregnant
A Tangled Web: Don Jon Highlights Real-Life Effects of Internet Porn: Verily
Happy Birthday to Me! I’m Going to Die!: This Ain’t the Lyceum
A Few Thoughts on Following Your Dreams While Putting Your Family First: Conversion Diary
A Global Slaughter of Christians, But America’s Churches Stay Silent: Daily Beast
And the first three parts of my Catholicism Empowers Women series is up over at Catholic Exchange!
Sponsor Love:
A big thanks to Mandi Richards-Lilla Rose (stay tuned for a giveaway soon!) and Angela Thomas-Shaklee for supporting Carrots! Be sure to give them some love!
If you have a business and would like to advertise on my sidebar, you can find information about that here. I have a couple of spots opening up for October!
Coming Soon!
More about the ebook Daniel and I are launching in a few weeks! And tomorrow is Michaelmas, so be sure to eat some glazed carrots just for me!
Happy weekend!
Love,
Haley
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That robot dinosaur video was a HUGE hit when my roommate’s kid was 4. We had to search youtube for that one constantly. To see Benjamin ask for it was hilarious. Hope you found it!!
Aw, your baby has as much hair as you do! I’m at awe at her full head of hair!
Your Mama taught your right! Here are some other salutations of which she approves: “Ladies and Gentlemen,” “Gentle Readers,” “My Cherished Friends.”
I completely concur on the matter of “y’all” as a colloquial means of quick & collective address. I try “folks” sometimes, but it seems pretty forced for me, and it reminds me of being a waitress in high school & my manager warning us against “you guys” for the same reason your mom noted. We were encouraged to use “folks” so customers (often n0n-southern tourists) would think “oh, what a cute, southern place this is…” Yeah, I don’t know either! Anyway, I’m still using “y’all” pretty regularly even though I’m now in the midwest. Loved this post.
Thanks, Jennifer! I’m glad I’ve got support for the usage of y’all
I’m really excited about your ebook. That is right up my ally. I don’t know how you keep up with 3 kids, the awesome blog, Russian novels and writing an e book (and more I’m sure). I think that sounds fairly even stevens to 50 miles.
I barely can drink my coffee in our day to day chaos!
Also the frog for a bow is an phenomenal wrapping choice.
Are you kidding? You’re super mom in my book with juggling a bajillion medical/therapy appointments while chasing after three kids (and surviving our shared fear of sinkholes) ; )
Dinosaur robots eating cars??! You’ll have to show him the cartoon episode of Transformers called ‘Dinobots’! Yeah! Found it on YouTube for my 5yo to watch while I cut his hair.
I always let Benjamin watch movies when I cut his hair, too! Otherwise, there’s just no way he could sit still enough, haha.
Frog bow is the best. I am so looking forward to more and more coolness like that from my boyos
It really just gets better and better
Good for you for reading Bulgakov. This book of his is really great one but I guess it’s mostly for students. I can’t imagine reading it now when I’m mum and all
I love all the hats you wear. Do you knit them yourself?
I slogged through another chapter tonight, haha. I really wish I was reading it in a class because I think that would help be “get” the book. As it is, I’m struggling.
Thank you! A friend knitted one of them for me and the other I bought from GAP a million years ago. I can knit a boring scarf but that’s it!
Great pics! I especially love the one of Benjamin with the glasses and you snuggling with Miss Gwen.
Thanks, Jennifer
Hello from Estonia!
Two inspirational facts about Bulgakov’s M&M:
– It’s a paraphrase of Faust and there’s plenty of Mercy involved.
– It’s an attempt to write about Christ in a society where it was forbidden. It’s one of those deeply christian literary Trojan horses. I can assure you, the atmosphere in the Soviet Russia was more schizophrenic
If you can handle Flannery, you will eventually like Bulgakov too. For me Bulgakov was there first. And now I like Flannery, I’m probably the only person in Estonia who does. (Why should someone read catholic writers in a foreign language, eh?) And I like a bunch of other things you have mentioned in your blog.
Besides, I happen to be the only catholic homeschooling mother in Estonia. (How cool is that! And lonely too.) I’m 30, married to my primary school love, have four kids, grow veggies and teach ethics in a christian high school (1,5 h per week) in the most atheist country in Europe. Come and visit! Seriously! If my English was perfect, I would blog in your language and share my life with you all!
First off, I love your name. One of the names we considered for Gwen was Helena Josephine and lo and behold, our best friends are adopting a little girl and naming her Josephine Helena, haha! Have you read Evelyn Waugh’s Helena?
Maybe my problem is that I haven’t read Faust! But I can see the “Trojan Horse” dynamic you mentioned. That is cool. Thanks for the motivation! I’m sticking with it!
I’m amazed that you were able to get into Flannery! To me, so much of it makes sense only because I grew up in this particular region of the States. I think you’re quite splendid to have read and understood her!
And your English sounds amazing to me! If I’m ever in Estonia, I will definitely look you up
With Flannery, I started with the letters. That’s an easy (and beautiful) way in. And I guess the rural parts of any country can intrinsically be just as twisted as South. I mean, the monkeys at BBQ’s are the Aristotelian accidents, but all that weird stuff going on in people’s hearts, which are unknowingly waiting for God’s Grace to pull them out of that misery – it’s substantially the same. The grotesque is everywhere. Grace is too.
I have read Brideshead. Just to give you a hint of how NOTchristian our society is — one of our top theatre directors managed to stage it as an anti-christian story. Not as an act of rebellion! Just because he didn’t get the point… And he’s considered wise and all that.
I happen to love books as you do. And often our choices match. It’s quite funny to find likeminded people so far away. Katholikos means universal. And that truly is amazing. Otherwize there would only be cultural similarities and differences to wonder about in the world. But being a catholic, book-loving, veggie-growing, nursing, cooking SAHM is like being the best friend next door.
Have you read “The Diary of a Country Priest” by Bernanos?
“The grotesque is everywhere. Grace is too.” So lovely.
I haven’t read The Diary of a Country Priest! Is it one of those books I have to read before I die? (The Brothers Karamazov and Les Miserables is on there for me, too)
Oh, you did reply! (Although it’s quite OK not to feel guilty :))
Bernanos is definitely on the list! By the way, the spiritual narrative is that of Saint Therese of Lisieux, whose feast we are just celebrating. It’s a story of an akin soul. Bernanos said: “Toutes les aventures spirituelles sont des Calvaires.” But for me they are not sad stories. There’s Resurrection in the end, isn’t it?
About the young sick pastor, Bernanos wrote to his friend: “He will have served in the same measure that he believes he has failed.” It all touched me deeply.
If you happen to read it some day, you will discover a beautiful passage on silence. I’m afraid I will never master in being quiet… But it’s nevertheless there for us to use on certain occasions – silence, I mean. And the book too.
Pax Christi!
PS. You don’t have to answer that comment!
I’m soso glad you enjoyed Fairyland! She has sequel! The Girl Who Fell Beneath Fairyland and Led the Revels There. Equally good. And a third, I just discovered while on Amazon, but I haven’t read it yet, so can’t speak to it’s worthiness.
Yes! Loved it! Maybe next year I’ll have a chance to read book two