This Week’s Miscellany: Vol. 147

This. This right here. You know how some photos are just super flattering, but you know in your heart of hearts that it’s not really quite what you look like? I find that whenever I see a photo of myself that I think I look really great in, Daniel will tell me, “that just doesn’t quite look like YOU.” But this photo right here is us. On a regular day on this muddy farm. And I just love it to pieces.

My friend Holly took it when Benjamin was giving her a little tour of the farm last week. (P.S. she’s a stunning photographer and all around lovely person and you can check out her work here.) Can you see Gwen feeding grass to the goats through the fence in the background?

When it’s not miserably windy and cold, just about my favorite thing is taking long walks with the kids. Lucy always pretends her balance bike is a horse and I love it.

And sometimes we find coyote tracks.

Like father…

…like son.

I mean, can you even? Because I can’t.

So life is good on the farm. I never want to leave. Can this be a 10 year internship?

Another thing I love about Waco is that we can enjoy small city life very close to some cool major cities. We’re about 1.5 hours from both Dallas and Austin and last weekend we trekked to Austin to visit with friends from college and so Daniel could go to a beekeeping conference (this is our life. Beekeeping conferences).

And the whirlwind trip was made even better by spending a evening with this lovely ladies while our husbands read poetry aloud to eachother while drinking sazeracs and the kids went wild on the trampoline.

Ain’t no party like a Catholic party because there might be 14 kids in the mix even though only 3 couples are hanging out.

And while Daniel was beekeeping conferencing I got to spend a couple of hours with one of my favorite writers and podcasters, Tsh Oxenreider. Her blog (which is really more like an online magazine) was one of the two blogs I started reading as a young mom and it inspired me to start a blog. Her family is just fascinating (as in, saved up to take their three young kids on a trip around the world…for a YEAR fascinating). It was just an absolute treat to drink tea and chat.

This weekend should be pretty laid back. I feel like we’re finally in a groove after being in TX for a few months. I feel like there’s finally time to do things that have been on my to do list for ages. Like make homemade deodorant. I have seriously meant to do this for YEARS and then it took 5 minutes and I’m kicking myself for not doing it sooner.

Just coconut oil, baking soda, arrowroot powder, and essential oils. It’s working great for winter, but I might have to make a summer version that can stay solid in the TX heat that works in more heavy duty sweating environments. Yikes.

Alright, before I sign off for the night, my lovely friend Nancy offered to give away her newest printable creation!

Help your little ones fall in love with the Rosary this Lent with these PRINTABLE ROSARY QUIET BOOKS. The 26 PDF will allow you to make a page for all 20 mysteries of the rosary. Each page has a simple “quiet element” that will help even small children understand the mystery of the rosary and a string of beads so that children can begin to follow along as the family prays.

You can get this printable rosary book for $6 and print it as many times as you like OR you can enter to win one below! Two lucky Carrots for Michaelmas readers will get this PDF for free. Good luck!

Giveaway ends Januray 25th at midnight.

Wishing you all a wonderful weekend! Stay warm!

Haley

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