12 in 2016 (a photo year-in-review)

Taking a page from HouseUnseen (cause I saw hers first) and also Revolution of Love and recapping my year with a picture a month. I tend to think my days/weeks are pretty boring, and then I do something like this and find that, "Hey! I'm not that boring after all!" Or at least, not by my standards. (Which can be pretty low. Ha!)

The little dude turned 1! I could hardly believe a year could go so fast. (Now to prep myself for saying that all over again, when in a month, he turns 2).

Lent came early in 2016 - and turned out to be the blessing of the year. I hosted a small group of women at my house and we went through the Blessed Is She Lent devotional together - the friendships formed there have grown through this year and I'm so grateful.

Joyfully celebrated St Patrick's day (with bangers and mash... cuz that's Irish, right?), Easter, and also Grandad's arrival. Not pictured here: little dude's first bike ride with Mommy, and our multiple trips to the Children's Museum. (Multiple.)

Little dude was getting much better at walking, apparently - as I kept seeing more and more photos of him like this rather than on all fours or just plain seated. Other memories not posted: Waffledagen, St George's day, Divine Mercy Sunday

Held our first Blessed Brunch on the feast of the Visitation. It was a lovely morning brunch with quite a few more ladies than I expected!

Took the kids to their first fast food restaurant ever - Amy's Drive Thru - I got kinda excited. Also began Camp Catholic, which turned out to be a great experience!

It was now really getting warm here! We continued doing Camp Catholic stuff and also added the Read the World bookclub to our weekly activities.

More library trips, more trips to the park, more "field trips"... and then the wee girl went and started preschool (Wah! Yay!)

Warm weather lasts a looong time here in California, so there were more trips to the beach and hanging out with the neighbors. Our side yard was overrun with cherry tomatoes. No really. Overrun. And I went away for a weekend to the Setting the World On Fire conference down in Altadena. What else?... Oh yeah! And Amy's Drive Thru picked up my picture from up above and stuck it in their IG feed for a day. #15secondsoffame

October brought us a little rain and a visit from Grammy and Poppy! I attended a one-day retreat with the musician Sarah Hart. The kids played in puddles and piles of leaves. Halloween came and the wee girl finally understood the concept of dressing in costume... so she dressed in her Merida costume from the year before, the wee dude dressed up as the bottom half of BB-8 (because he doesn't get dressing up yet himself) and I wore cat ears. But most importantly we got candy.

For the 3rd year in a row, we went to the Aquarium for the wee girl's birthday. Holding to tradition, she looked, but refused to touch the sea stars. Grandad-dad returned for another visit (and also got a "dad" added to his name, courtesy of the little dude). Advent started...

...and ended! I know this picture is fuzzy and my hair's a mess but I just love it anyway. My little dude... our first real tree... the nearly 2 year old bicycle that the wee girl still won't ride (even with the snazzy new saddlebags on it). It's a beautiful mess. I hope for more of it in 2017.

Thank you for reading and blessings on your new year too!

Advent Songs for the Whole Family

Given that there is only one week of Advent left, I thought this would be a perfect time to share the playlist that has been on constant rotation in our house/car! OK, yes, there's a little sarcasm there... well, really, it's more of a rueful *smh* - I did want to get this post out earlier so that any interested person could add some of these songs to their playlist too (and you still could!) But I guess the tack I'll take instead is that the title of this post is really quite true, as we've listened to these songs for nearly a whole month now and we still love them.

This isn't a sponsored post and there are no affiliate links (some other more experienced blogger will have to show me how to do that), so feel free to click with impunity! And if you would rather just start listening to the songs (and avoid all the blah blah blah) click here.

Rain for Roots - Waiting Songs

I purchased this last year for Christmas, and listened to it a little then, but this year my appreciation for the songs and their content has grown tenfold. As the title implies, these are not Christmas songs, per se, but songs for Advent - so we sing sweet simple renditions of "O Come, O Come Emmanuel" and "Come Thou Long Expected Jesus". And we also sing clever original songs like "Mary Consoles Eve" and "Isaiah 11" (which talks about the 'root of Jesse' - the wee girl didn't catch on to that, but I when I heard it this year, I did a little jump for joy - yeah! Another reference to/reinforcement of our Jesse Tree!*) I also love this CD's version of the Magnificat - it's just lovely.

Even though this is supposed to be in the genre of children's music, it really doesn't feel like it. OK, maybe it does with the song about Zechariah, but that's all. It really will be a family treasure, I think.

Winter EP - Audrey Assad

I love all things Audrey Assad. Her vocals are to die for, her arrangements are lyrical and lush, any covers she does are unique and her songwriting itself is pure artistry. (Have I talked her up enough? ;) ) This EP has just three songs on it - including the one she wrote and sang with Chris Tomlin called "Winter Snow." I would recommend buying it just for that song alone. I get all choked up when I really think about the chorus:

But you came like a winter snow
 quiet and soft and slow
 Falling from the sky in the night
 to the earth below

This Winter's Eve - Sarah Hart

I was surprised by how much I like this album (so no, I'm not just posting this one because I got to meet the artist!) "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" is hauntingly beautiful - the tinkling of the piano at the end gives me chills every time. "Let It Be So" is a gorgeous reflection of Mary's "yes" to God. This is mood music at it's best!

The Vigil Project - Vigil Series #2

Here's the (probably only) upshot to spending too much time on social media: sometimes you come across things that are truly great and special. The Vigil Project is a perfect case in point (I've saved the best for last). I somehow stumbled upon their first series which were songs for Lent + Easter - and now they've done the same for Advent + Christmas. Each week they've released a new song/video that sets the backdrop for contemplating and praying the mysteries of Advent. The first song, "Prepare Him Room" is just perfect (as is that "ecclesia domestica" sign in the video... anyone know where I can get me one of those?)

There you have it! 4 albums that come kid-tested and parent-approved to bless the (fast dwindling) season of Advent. And if you missed it above, here's the link to listen to all the music mentioned. What have you been listening to this month?

*I think we need all the reinforcement we can get. Just THIS morning my (wonderful, awesome) husband mentioned to me, "Hey... I've noticed a theme with the Jesse Tree... it's like the whole Bible story told in small chunks every day!" Yes, honey, it is. *smh* again.

When God knows your "word" before you do

With the end of the year approaching, my mind is starting to look back and take stock. I'm not one to do resolutions (ever) but this year I tried something new: I chose a word to guide/inspire me in 2016. That word was LEARN.

Kind of a nice idea, yes? So open... so wise... so mature. What a good word for me to pick! Yet as I look back on my year, it makes far more sense to say that God gave me this word, and He used it to prime me to accept and seek out new learning opportunities... opportunities that (of course) He had already picked out and planned for me. I can only imagine him in heaven chuckling, "So that's how she wants to approach 2016? With a "word"? Hmmm, let's give her a good one then, shall we?"

Man plans and God laughs.*

But it has been a good year, full of learning. One of the best examples was participating in Camp Catholic this summer - an online "summer camp" with a great tag line: "Don't let your faith life take a summer vacation!" I wish I could remember now how I stumbled across it. Camp Catholic was organized by a non-profit called Catholic Extension - they've been around since 1905, supporting and strengthening churches in the poorest areas of America. So I probably saw it on Instagram, or maybe on Facebook... regardless, I remember being especially drawn to it because so many of my friends were posting pictures of how they were taking awesome vacations, or doing really fun activities with their families and, well, we didn't have any fun trips or special activities on the docket. (It's a natural consequence of getting ready to knock down your dilapidated detached garage to build something a bit more... *ahem* water-tight.) So yes, that means I was comparing and probably a little jealous. Good thing going to confession was one of the activities planned for Camp Catholic! 😉

When I considered whether we should join, I was reminded of my "word". Since the whole spirit of the Camp was to deepen our faith in Jesus and increase our understanding of the Catholic church, it seemed silly to pass it up - so, we joined:

During the 2nd week of Camp we learned about the liturgical calendar: about the seasons (Advent, Christmastide, Lent, Eastertide, Ordinary Time) and the colors associated with the different seasons of the church year. Camp Catholic created a neat infographic about it and we still keep it up on our refrigerator. I also learned that we are woefully short of green-colored clothing.

We had our first "field trip" for a feast day - celebrating St Junipero Serra's day on July 1st. Cline Cellars, a winery in Sonoma, has a small museum with reproductions of all the California missions, and a rather creepy looking mannequin of Fr. Serra too.

I think it's the slightly cross-eyed expression that unnerves me.

We had lunch on their grounds, rang a bell that used to hang in one of the missions, and bought a bottle of wine to commemorate the event (because winery. Can't pass it up!)

Keeping my phone at the ready to snap pictures for Camp actually helped me grab some fun shots too...

On left: my daily reminder to turn to God (week 3),
Top right: my neighbors (week 6); Bottom right: favorite saint (week 5)

Like I mentioned, every week they provided really useful infographics on topics ranging from "What is that thing up on the Altar?" to "Sisters vs. Nuns" (Hint: it's not the newest MMORPG) and "Everyday Catholic Devotions" And while I would really like to say that all of these were for teaching the children... well, we already said my word for the year was LEARN, didn't we?

But these are exactly the topics that I wish I had known more about when I was younger, so I really hope that when the wee ones get to be not-so-wee Camp Catholic is still around to do with them. Because regardless of whatever "word" they can come up with to guide their years, I'm sure this kind of education can always be worked in somehow.

Did you have a word for this year? Or will you be choosing a word for 2017?

Library Love: Advent(ish) Edition!

We've been finding some wonderful books at the library lately! (And of course, a few Maisy books too... you would be disappointed if I didn't mention that, wouldn't you? ;) ) However, I won't be picturing the Maisy books, as I have quite a few books for this post and I don't want to *ahem* waste the space. But first, a note about the title: since this is the season of Advent, I've been (somewhat) trying to find books that are "in season" but not Christmas, per se. So, pretty much, what that means is that many of these books are Winter-themed. We take what we can get!

Kitten's Winter - Eugenie Fernandes
I was pleased to see this one in the library because I had seen it on some other booklist somewhere (the internets is wide and ranges) and for whatever reason, I had put all 4 books in this series on my daughter's Amazon wishlist. Thus, good to see this one now and find out if it's worth keeping on said wishlist. Verdict? Yeah... let's keep it. The text is really simple, but along with the illustrations, it's actually somewhat educational. Plus, it has a cat in it. And as I have learned, cats are one of the good "hooks" into getting my daughter engaged.

The Trees of the Dancing Goats - Patricia Polacco
I had gone to the library for a different Polacco book, but alas, it wasn't available. However, this one was and it came highly rated. It's a story of how a Jewish family helps a Christian family during a particularly cold Christmas. I really like the premise of the book, but we haven't actually read it yet, so I'll just plonk it right here til we do.

Gingerbread Baby - Jan Brett
I have just discovered this author/illustrator and I am in love! The first book I found by her was "Annie and the Wild Animals", and what I loved was how the text tells the main story but her illustrations (vivid and lush and beautiful) tell an additional, supporting story. This story is just as good, and is a variation on the traditional "You can't catch me, I'm the Gingerbread Man" trope. Our library has a few others by this author, so I'm definitely going to check them all out (for myself, if not for my kiddos).

Stick Man - Julia Donalson
OK, so I first saw this story as a cartoon on Netflix - it was "sitting" next to the Gruffalo and The Gruffalo's Child (which I'm so excited to give the Proper Book Version of to the wee girl for Christmas, by the way... thanks Auntie Louise!). And I could immediately tell by the pictures that it was by our favorite British author, Julia Donaldson; but, I couldn't convince the wee girl to watch it on Netflix. Then, lo and behold, I saw it in our library! (Library Love!) It's a sweet story of a Stick Man who gets separated from his family, has quite an adventure and is returned to his family on Christmas day. I have to admit, it's not as lovable as her other books (Room on the Broom, The Snail and the Whale, The Gruffalo, Where's My Mum, etc...) but it'll do. And it's Christmas themed - so, yay! Why not.

As it turns out, there is quite the selection of (Americanized) Julia Donaldson books at our library, so we picked up a few more:

Tabby McTat - The Musical Cat

Where's My Mom? - this one is soo clever! Hands down the best of the 4 here (IMHO)

and also...

Superworm!

The wee girl seems to like this one best, and will quote it at random times during the day... "Superworm is super long! Superworm is super strong! Watch him wiggle! See him squirm! Hip hip hooray for Superworm!" (Bless.)

The Bog Baby - Jeanne Willis
This book was so sweet it brought tears to my eyes! Maybe it was because it was about the adventures of 2 sisters - or maybe it was because the Bog Baby sucked his toes and I just find that endearing - or maybe it was just because I can/do cry at the drop of a hat. In any case, the wee girl and I loved the story and I liked that it also had a little form at the back for what to do in case you find your own bog baby. I'm thinking this one may have also been written first in the UK and then "Americanized" - so I'm going to try and remember to look it up when we head back there next year.

Nobody Likes a Goblin - Ben Hatke
I saw this in Bonnie's IG feed and since it came with her endorsement (and that of everyone who also commented on it) I decided to look it up. Can I just say that I *love* it when something I see online also happens to be at my library? Even if I have to put it on hold, it still means I get to see something that otherwise I would have to buy to take home. And as it turned out, everyone was right! This is a great book to get the fantasy loving girls/boys/dads in your life. :)

A Pipkin of Pepper (and Pumpkin Soup, again) by Helen Cooper
So, I have to admit, the most exciting thing about watching my wee girl grow up is seeing her remember and make connections to things she has done in the past. (This is actually a sophisticated skill that needs to be recognized and encouraged to help little learners become life-long learners. But I digress.) In this case, she was reading one of her eBooks, "A Friend for Merida"... ok, pause. Reading is a very generous word here. She was actually just listening to the bagpipe intro to the book over and over again, when I asked her, "Do you like listening to the music?" "Yes," she said.
"Do you know that the instrument playing is called a bagpipe?"
"Oh, like the cat in that book?!?"
"Yes, honey! Just like that." (Of course, at this point I'm racking my brains trying to figure out what the heck she's talking about. Later on though...)
"Mom, can we go get the Pumpkin Soup book from the library?"

Ah. *That's* what she was talking about!

"Of course, honey!"

So here we have it again in our Library love list - but what should we find when we go to check it out? O-ho, there's a sequel to Pumpkin Soup! So now that is in our books-to-read as well.

As for me? I had checked out a book last week, completely on a whim, which sounded like it would be right up my alley...

The Women in God's Kitchen - Cristina Mazzoni
But after reading the introduction, all of a sudden this came up:

Lab Girl - Hope Jahren
When I had heard about this book, I immediately went to see if it was available at our library, and... it was! BUT I was number 82 in line to put a hold on it (no joke). This was months ago. And funny thing, a few weeks ago when I went to check on this hold, I was still number 59 in line! But here it is, in my hands. So I'll have to put the food writing on hold while I sink my teeth into this one. (ha ha. pun intended). One of the recommendations for this book is from Ann Patchett, and that seems like high praise, indeed.

Whew! So there you have it! Clearly, you like to read too, if you're all the way down here still reading... if so, what have you checked out from the library lately? Would love to hear your recommendations.

Our Jesse Tree Stories & Ornaments (This year, at least!)

Why mention that it's only for "this year", you ask? Well, a couple reasons:

1. The length of Advent is different from year to year. I've always known that Advent is the 4 Sundays that precede Christmas - but it never really dawned on me until recently, that this means the number of days in Advent can (and does) change from year to year. This year Advent is 28 days long - the longest it can possibly be - and that's because Christmas itself is on a Sunday. Next year though, Christmas will be on a Monday, which will mean that the season of Advent will only be 22 days long. So next year 6 of our ornaments will have to be cut from the rotation. Which ones will they be? Decisions, decisions. (Glad I have a year to figure it out.)
2. I reserve the right to change my mind. It's a work in progress! Already there are ornaments/stories that I don't like and want to swap out for ones that I do. (What do we call this? The woman's perogative? 😉 ) For instance, last year I made a baby Moses in a basket-boat ornament, which I actually really like! But in terms of story-telling, it makes much more sense to just tell the story of Moses at the burning bush (and use that ornament) and add another ornament/story in somewhere else.

Since this isn't a crafty how-to kind of post, I'll cut right to the chase. Wherever possible, I'm reading the story from the Jesus Calling Bible storybook, but when that fails then I'm just reading the story straight from the Bible. My audience is a 2 year old and a 4 year old though, so pictures really help, and I really like the artwork in the Bible storybook.

First Week of Advent

Sunday - Isaiah 11:1-10 - the Jesse tree stump
Monday - the Creation story - world
Tuesday - Adam, Eve and first sin - apple
Wednesday - Noah and the flood - ark
Thursday - God's promise to Abraham - field of stars
Friday - Abraham offers Isaac - ram
Saturday - Jacob & Esau - 2 twins

Second Week of Advent

Sunday - Jacob's ladder - the ladder (duh!)
Monday - Joseph - many-colored coat
Tuesday - Moses - burning bush
Wednesday - the first Passover - lamb
Thursday - God gives the 10 Commandments - 2 stone tablets
Friday - Samuel anoints Saul as king - crown
Saturday - David and Goliath - slingshot

Third Week of Advent

Sunday - Elijah and the widow - oil jar and sack
Monday - the story of Ruth - heart
Tuesday - the calling of Isaiah - tongs with coal (I still have to make this one!)
Wednesday - Jeremiah - tears
Thursday - Jonah - whale
Friday - Daniel captured by Babylon - plate of veggies
Saturday - Daniel and the lions' den - lion

Fourth Week of Advent

Sunday - Gabriel appears to Mary - lily
Monday - Mary visits Elizabeth - rose
Tuesday - John the Baptist - seashell
Wednesday - Joseph, protector of the holy family - hammer
Thursday - the wise men - star
Friday - Jesus, creator-redeemer: John 1:1-18 - ChiRho
Saturday - Jesus, born in a stable - manger

So there you have it! Does your family do a Jesse Tree? Are there stories/ornaments that I really should have included that I missed? I would love to hear your thoughts!

7 Ways I'm Adventing This Year - a 7QT

Last year Kendra shared an insightful post called "How to Advent in 3 Steps" and number 1 was a biggie:

"Don't Christmas yet."

Which should seem obvious, right? But it really got me thinking, how do we make the season of waiting (Advent) different from the season of celebrating (Christmas)? We are still just beginners when it comes to living liturgically; however, when I started to think about it, we are doing a few things that we haven't before. So just to prove to myself that we *are* doing something, here are the 7 ways we are making Advent different.

- 1 -

I'm getting off Facebook. I did this last year, and honestly, it was a relief. Like so many others before me, I found that 1) my social world didn't end, 2) it freed up time to do/contemplate other things, 3) I was also freed up from the "comparison bug". I really recommend it. (Plus when you return on, or after, Christmas, you return to everyone's Merry Christmas wishes - which is actually kinda nice!)

- 2 -

Img: Zephrinus

Making mass a thing. Last year we/I were such noobs that I completely forgot that going to daily mass is actually a most excellent way of preparing and praying for Christmas. (Confession: I also didn't know that the feast of the Immaculate Conception is a holy day of obligation. I do this year, so I will remedy that one for sure!) We won't be going *daily*, but we will definitely do the HDO and possibly one other feast day besides the Sunday masses.

- 3 -

We'll do our Jesse Tree again. Last year we used this book for our readings and for which ornaments to make. It was good for the first time around - but I didn't like that it didn't start with Adam & Eve in the garden. (Which, if one is using the Jesse tree to explain the story of salvation and/or Jesus' lineage, don't you think that leaving Adam and Eve out is a bit... well, odd?) So this year, I'm fixing that and adding a few more ornaments/stories in - since I'm not using any one resource to do this, maybe I'll write a post with all our ornaments/readings? Yes, maybe I'll do that (if for no other reason than giving me a place to have it all written down for future years!)

- 4 -

We'll also light Advent candles on Sundays. This will replace the candle that we (usually) light at dinner time. I found the beautiful candleholder above on Amazon and it's just the right size for our small home. I may even put some evergreen branches around it to make it more "wreath-like" (but I will not decorate with fake-sugared-fake-fruit. Just say no to fakeiness.)

- 5 -

St Lucia img: Heather Sleightholm

We'll observe a few feast days. We've more or less been observing Saint Lucia's since we moved into our home with a "Cookies, Cocoa and Christmas Lights" party. But this year, we'll also add in St Andrew's day on November 30th, and Our Lady of Guadalupe on December 12th. We've got a book to read for each saint/day and a little activity or special food planned for that day too. I may or may not do anything for St Nicholas's day... it's just that 3 feast days in one month is already pretty ambitious for me. (I really should do it though, huh?) (I know, I know.) (We'll see...)

- 6 -

img: Blessed Is She

This one is just for me, and may turn out to be the most important preparation of all! I'm going to do my absolute best to get some morning time in, using this journal as a guide. I've heard the author, Elizabeth Foss, speak about Advent twice now - and her wisdom/perspective is so refreshing.

- 7 -

Ok, just kidding! There is no seventh thing. If the whole idea of Advent is to "prepare Him room" I probably shouldn't fill up the schedule with commitments! Right? Right. So, I'm going to go sign off FB, clear some space on the mantle and some space in my heart and begin the wait for the coming King. May you and yours have a blessed Advent.

Swing by Kelly's for some more!

Library Love for November 8th

Technically this is our haul from last week, but what with my father-in-law coming into town and our wee girl turning 4, and... blah blah blah. Excuses. I know. It's all good stuff!

In some exciting news, we've traded in Maisy for...

...a whole 'nuther series! (I can see my little girl becoming a series-a-holic when she learns how to read on her own). The first two books in the Cowgirl Kate and Cocoa early readers are really quite good. The author and illustrator capture the comical nature of a horse, and it's delightful to read. The rest of the series is more of the same, but since same here == quite good, it's not really an issue.

In November - This and the next two books we got off the Picture Books for November list from Read Aloud Revival - I've got to say, that girl's got good taste. In November has been a wonderful book to read at bedtime and it captures the warmth of the season perfectly (even though we never get snow here!). It's beautiful to look at too... plus I learned that bees can/do burrow into the ground during winter! I had no idea.

I Know an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Pie - This one is hilarious! I read it in the library before we even got home and I was just cracking up at the pictures. When the Old Lady swallows the squash... bwahahaha! Plus I get to read/sing this book, and I always enjoy throwing a song in whenever possible. Highly recommended.

A Turkey for Thanksgiving - Can't say much about this yet because we haven't read it. I'm sure we will though, cause who can resist that moose on the cover? Not my moose loving sister - so maybe I'll get her to read it to the kiddos. (Hi, moose-loving sister!)

The Enneagram Made Easy - This one is for me. Ever since I heard Leigh Kramer talk about it on the Simple Show (look for #6 with Leigh Kramer) I've been wanting to learn more. A good friend of mine actually used to host little "Enneagram" parties - to find out who you are, and who your friends/family are - and she had Richard Rohr's book (the one mentioned in the podcast). But when I borrowed it from her, it looked a bit overwhelming. So I'm starting here instead since it was also recommended.

What books have you checked out lately that you love? Will you let me know in the comments? Or maybe join the Library Love link-up with Alicia and share with all of us! Looking forward to hearing about your new favorites... :)