Leila Marie Lawler's Blog, page 26
November 5, 2019
God’s Wildest Wonderment of All ~ A giveaway!
It’s not too soon to think about Christmas presents — sorry, I realize it’s too soon, but — I think you will enjoy this book, and I have three of them to give away this week!
The author of the rhymes in God’s Wildest Wonderment of All is Paul Thigpen. He whimsically expresses the verse “I praise You, for I am wonderfully made” from Psalm 139:14 in his own poetry, written from a child’s point of view.
The illustrator is my son-in-law, John Folley, of Mr. Mehan’s Mildly Amusing Mythical Mammals fame. His illustrations, as usual, have a lot of detail; his animals especially have very expressive faces! but then so does the little boy!
John really captures the spirit of the verse — this struck me when I finally had a copy in my hands. I admit I wasn’t convinced by the title (which seemed like it was in danger of being sappy!) at first, but once I got it and read it, I was delighted.
To prove that I’m being objective, I will say that I wish the typography had been more carefully attended to, and maybe a future edition will correct it to be more in keeping with the quality of the text and pictures.
I do think that children will delight in being read this book over and over — and more importantly, adults will be happy to comply!
So leave a comment here to enter the giveaway! We will pick three winners next week — and after that, there will be a coupon code for you for all that holiday shopping!
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November 2, 2019
Serviceable and pretty skirt PSA
I do have links for you, but first, some skirt talk!
About a week ago I posted a lament on Twitter. I simply could not find the kind of skirt I was looking for: A-line, long enough and made of corduroy for warmth, sturdy and yet also pretty. A skirt to wear with boots in winter with warm leggings underneath, or with adorable flats and a cashmere sweater for Mass. And one that is not in aggressively “fall” colors, which I cannot wear.
When they realized I wasn’t doing some sort of odd political satire, people began coming to my aid.
My friend Martha searched high and low and found some on ebay that might have worked. Eddie Bauer used to make the kind of thing I wanted, which is actually called a riding skirt — and is constructed with panels, jeans detailing at the top, and nice felled seams. The examples for sale were not quite the right color for the asking price (and yes, we searched Poshmark, ThredUp, and all the rest)… I could in theory make such a thing, and that was also suggested, but I really wanted to put my crafting energy elsewhere.
I thought I’d search one more time myself. Finally I did find this one! It came yesterday and is actually pretty close to what I had really been looking for!
It looks innocent enough — almost boring, maybe! — but honestly, this sort of skirt is incredibly hard to find right now! Just a nice winter skirt! See those panels, called gores? They make life so much nicer: they flatter the figure and allow you to work; a more slim style requires a slit, which lets the cold air in and hampers your movements.
I’m not affiliated in any way with this site — I’m posting here about it out of sheer helpfulness, in case you too would like a pretty, useful (like, “pop on a pair of jeans” useful, only in a skirt) garment that will be a dependable staple in the closet. You’re welcome! And it has pockets! They are big enough to be useful, and on-seam, so not adding bulk.
If your putative size is 10 — by which I mean you used to be a 6 or an 8, you have conceded that you are a 10, but you often find that the cute thrifted skirt in 12 fits you just fine — the 10 will fit, I think. It has an elastic waist in the back that is comfy and unobtrusive. The length is perfect for me; in winter a longer skirt helps me stay warm.
I got the brown — for me (a “winter” who wears lots of black), dark brown (as opposed to a very warm brown or the forest greens and pumpkin oranges that are the only other colors I’ve seen in a skirt like this) is a useful neutral that goes with my cool, clear tops and scarves.
I can wear my black tops and sweaters with them and not feel that I am auditioning for the role of Casual Morticia — but it’s still practical in a way that a light color wouldn’t be. I might go for the “smoked pearl” — the price is certainly appealing! It has a nice, fine wale corduroy that doesn’t feel bulky.
If you’re not used to wearing skirts but would like to be more in the habit, let me give you this pro-tip: You will need a nylon slip to feel comfortable and avoid that sense that the skirt not moving around your tights in a natural way. The slip seems like a royal pain, but once you have it on, you realize that it solves the issues (including static cling).
You want one like this (this is an affiliate link) — but I have always found good slips at thrift stores for next to nothing (get one that just hits the knee for your shorter skirts and a longer one with a slit for your skirts with slits).
So there you have it! Way more info than you probably needed for something this simple, but I had such a time finding it! I am really psyched that I have something other than practical pants to reach for this winter!
bits & pieces
If you are looking for good, solid spiritual “reading” but in audio form, do listen to this conference given by Fr. Carleton Jones, O.P. on the the spirituality of John Henry Newman. I think you will find it incredibly inspiring for the interior life, as I did. Real solid nutrition for the intellect and the soul.
One of the best things I’ve read in a long time about how untenable progressive ideologies really are. “Treating a massive crisis of unchastity as a “problem of power” that can be fixed by the hiring of more female executives, the expansion of HR departments, and so on, is utterly delusional.” Society cannot sustain itself under this condition of a total war of all against all.
I think your older (college bound, for instance) student could really benefit from reading this essay on the fallacies of Fr. James Martin SJ. Our young people are going to be confronted with spurious reasoning, especially on LBGT matters. We need to know how to combat them.
We need more midwives.
Commissioning babies is wrong. Relatedly: The porn problem in IVF (which, of course, is wrong).
A simple way to prevent illness this winter.
from the archives
A reading list and thoughts — a syllabus if you will — for “Mothering 101”.
Simple family hospitality (welcoming your kids’ friends).
liturgical year
Happy feast of All Souls! November is the traditional month of remembering the dead. It’s also a good month to begin your preparations for living the liturgical year in a calm and reasonable way. We have help for you: The Little Oratory: A beginner’s guide for praying in the home. (this is an affiliate link) Never was there a better time to renew our commitment to home in the liturgical year, and to strengthen its ties to the eternal liturgy.
follow us everywhere!
Stay abreast of the posts when they happen:
I just share pretty pictures: Auntie Leila’s Instagram.
If you want politics, rants, and takes on what is going on in the Church:
Auntie Leila’s Facebook (you can just follow — my posts are public — sometimes I share articles here that don’t make it into {bits & pieces})
The boards of the others: Rosie’s Pinterest. Sukie’s Pinterest. Deirdre’s Pinterest. Habou’s Pinterest. Bridget’s Pinterest.
And the others on IG: Rosie’s Instagram. Sukie’s Instagram. Deirdre’s Instagram.Bridget’s Instagram.Habou’s Instagram.
The post Serviceable and pretty skirt PSA appeared first on Like Mother Like Daughter.
October 26, 2019
Honey cake for honey lovers
When we harvest the honey, we end up with a big pan of wax mixed with honey, dead bees (sorry, nature is real), and other detritus (nature is so real you probably don’t want to know). Melting it all together with water and then cooling it down results in a block of fairly clear wax and a mixture that, when strained and boiled down, is basically a honey syrup — like maple syrup, but honey.
It’s a little bitter in a pleasant way (maybe from the propolis that’s in there too — very good for you), and because it’s been boiled, good to use in cooking and baking.
I use it in my green tomato chutney (I’ve updated this recipe to include my tip that retains the component parts relatively unmushed — sorry I didn’t tell you before) — and honey cake.
I love this recipe and I think you will too! I made it for the feast of St. John Paul. Honey, with its transcendent quality of a golden gift from nature and its resonance with Scriptural and liturgical imagery, will always be appropriate for any celebration!
The recipe is from Cooking with the Saints (for the feast of St. John the Baptist) and is very similar to this one from Smitten Kitchen for the Jewish New Year (I followed Deb and added the almonds, which I toasted first). I used my honey “syrup” for the honey and the brown sugar, and reduced the overall liquid by about 1/4 cup.
The cake is delicious and complex — there are so many flavors and they all go together so beautifully. Yes, you can taste the whiskey! The texture is wonderful. It’s a festive cake that highlights the honey perfectly (unlike this one, which looks pretty but is blah).
Honey Cake Like Mother, Like Daughter
Preheat your oven to 350°. You can make these as loaves (3) or a bundt and a loaf, or two (very full) 8″ cakes. Butter well and line the bottoms with parchment or wax paper if appropriate. I did 8″ cakes (probably should have used my 9″ pans), sprinkling each one with the slivered almonds and freezing one for another time.
3 1/2 cups (440 grams) all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon (15 grams) teaspoon (5 grams) baking powder
1 teaspoon (5 grams) baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 teaspoons (about 8 grams) ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1 cup (235 ml) peanut or olive oil
1 cup (340 grams) honey
1 1/2 cups (300 grams) granulated sugar
1/2 cup (95 grams) brown sugar
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon (5 ml) vanilla extract
1 cup warm (235 ml) coffee (I have a big jar of espresso powder that I use for recipes like this — just reconstitute in the appropriate amount of water)
1/2 cup (120 ml) fresh orange juice
1/4 cup (60 ml) rye or whiskey
1/2 cup (45 to 55 grams) slivered or sliced almonds, lightly toasted (optional)
Mix the dry ingredients in a large bowl.
Beat the eggs and add the wet ingredients to the dry, mixing well.
Pour the batter into your pans, sprinkle with almonds if you like, and bake for 40-60 minutes depending on which size you are using.
Let the cake cool for about 10 minutes, and then turn out onto a rack (if you’ve topped with almonds, you have to do two flips, obviously) to cool completely. This cake would be lovely with some whipped cream, but it’s perfect on its own as well.
bits & pieces
Homeschooling resource alert! Want to get going with that garage schola? Learn chant with this self-guided tutorial. Our choir director, an expert in chant (and homeschooling father) recommends it. I noticed right away that even the exercises preserve the all-important chant “semantic” — the gentle rise and fall with a relaxed, not stressed, voice. Master this and you will be on your way (i.e. no forcing the voice, no vibrato).
Certain ideas are repeated because we’ve heard others say them and we figure they must be true, for instance, that early feminists were virtuous and reasonable. One thing I’ve learned is that we should go back to the sources and examine our assumptions. This book review piques my interest — perhaps things aren’t what they seem: “Satanic Feminism sheds a new light on the early feminist movement. It discusses neglected or unknown aspects of the intellectual connections of early feminism with Satanism in a way that nobody before Faxneld has dared to do.”
An important article on homeschooling from William Fahey (president of Thomas More College and homeschooling father): A Just War Theory of Homeschooling.
“I see no end to the current crisis that calls for homeschooling, and I am glad that the principles of Catholic education allow it and encourage it as a vehicle for the good. Nevertheless, homeschoolers need to take steps to ensure that their education program preserves the goal of traditional teaching: the perfection of the person for God’s glorification and living a life of service and sanctification in human society.”
Parents need schools, but schools need to stay in their proper sphere as support for the fundamental role and duty of parents to educate their children, and where they do not, we find ourselves in a state of conflict.
William offers three recommendations and I would qualify the last of these regarding what we can refer to in short as co-ops: for the mother of a large and young family, this well intentioned and hopeful route can represent more stress than it alleviates. Without entering into all the pros and cons here, I would caution against seeing co-ops as a panacea, and I urge families to count the cost in the encroachment on the good aspects of homeschooling — being home — and the energy expended in travel, fundraising, preparation for duties owed the group, etc. We have to be sure there is a net gain — it’s important to know that when we outsource our children’s education, we are not merely outsourcing for its own sake; we expect a quality return.
My recommendation would be for older and experienced parents to consider opening a school, full stop. The homeschooling movement is now old enough to be able to know what school should not be, and still have the memory of what it could be.
Looking for good movies that add cultural value? (Comes with a study guide — maybe a great resource for your teens.)
Tolkien, Lewis, and The Wind in the Willows.
Thiis is what culture looks like: playing your own music and dancing your own dances! And as this filmmaker says, this isn’t just in the past. People pull back the rug in their living room even now, and you can too!
When Deirdre posted her thoughts on sending Christmas cards with sacred images, we got a note from dear Janet of Emmanuel Press. She sent Deirdre a sampling of the cards they offer, and we can report that the paper quality is high, with nice envelopes that have a good feel. I love that there is a Scripture verse inside relating to the season — Scripture is its own evangelization, along with the beauty of the image. So we wanted to add this to the resources mentioned in that post. You can order here.
from the archives
Do we women serve the good by going out into the world? What we do “in here.”
A beatitude.
liturgical year
(The river that runs through our lives, on the banks of which our tree may flourish, is the liturgical year. That’s why we post a note or two here — without this connection, our home is left without a foundation.)
Today is the feast of St. Evaristus. Upcoming, and a good occasion for honey cake, the feast of the apostles Simon and Jude!
follow us everywhere!
Stay abreast of the posts when they happen:
I just share pretty pictures: Auntie Leila’s Instagram.
If you want politics, rants, and takes on what is going on in the Church:
Auntie Leila’s Facebook (you can just follow — my posts are public — sometimes I share articles here that don’t make it into {bits & pieces})
The boards of the others: Rosie’s Pinterest. Sukie’s Pinterest. Deirdre’s Pinterest. Habou’s Pinterest. Bridget’s Pinterest.
And the others on IG: Rosie’s Instagram. Sukie’s Instagram. Deirdre’s Instagram.Bridget’s Instagram.Habou’s Instagram.
The post Honey cake for honey lovers appeared first on Like Mother Like Daughter.
October 19, 2019
Getting the hydrangea blooms in before the frost
If you follow me on Instagram, you saw my hydrangea harvest. I do hang them up to dry — there are so many blooms on my one little tree (and this is after I helped my friend’s stash for wedding reception decoration).
I have a big basket in my bedroom that I stuff them into once they’re dry (you can see it here).
But I do these other little things too, and some will go on my Advent wreath if I know me.
Hydrangea will dry in a vase, but on their long stems they will be distorted by being smushed up together or bending down. Hung upside down they dry in a nice shape and you can manipulate them gently into baskets or what have you.
On to our links!
bits & pieces
People further away from the equator associate the color yellow with joy.
A different view from the one becoming popular right now: Man is not an intruder on creation, from Msgr. Pope. “Humanity is the crowning glory of this planet. We are not intruders into the world of nature. God made this world and put us here in it.”
Alice von Hildebrand on the glory of the woman — these are themes I have explored a lot here on the blog, without ever having heard or read her thoughts on this subject. She is quite eloquent on complementarity between the sexes, and I find her dry wit refreshing!
Roger Scruton on endangered streets with nooks and crannies: “Classical architecture used moldings and shadows to create mystery and intimacy within the geometrically organized forms. And vernacular architecture has borrowed from both the Gothic and the Classical traditions, aiming for a free and extendable vocabulary… But that free response to human need fits ill with our modern ways of building.”
Fr. Rutler on St. John Henry Newman.
Fr. Schall on Dr. Johnson on becoming acquainted with oneself.
from the archives:
This is the recipe for the chutney (sorry to keep posting it!).
Long ago I posted my tips for doing laundry with a big family. You need a system and this is mine.
Long after I actually redid my laundry room and here are some pics. The truth is that as bad as the before pics are, I didn’t really even show the full reality. That room was like a black hole at the end of the hall, and even today, three years later, I am grateful for its awesomeness every time I go into it!
liturgical year
Today is the feast of St. Isaac Jogues, St. John de Brébeuf, and Companions. It’s also my husband’s birthday! Happy birthday, Chief!
follow us everywhere!
Stay abreast of the posts when they happen:
I just share pretty pictures: Auntie Leila’s Instagram.
If you want politics, rants, and takes on what is going on in the Church:
Auntie Leila’s Facebook (you can just follow — my posts are public — sometimes I share articles here that don’t make it into {bits & pieces})
The boards of the others: Rosie’s Pinterest. Sukie’s Pinterest. Deirdre’s Pinterest. Habou’s Pinterest. Bridget’s Pinterest.
And the others on IG: Rosie’s Instagram. Sukie’s Instagram. Deirdre’s Instagram.Bridget’s Instagram.Habou’s Instagram.
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October 12, 2019
We do love our old books
Last weekend was the annual library book sale. The Chief and I had a little outing to peruse the offerings, and found a few treasures. When I’m shopping with him, I don’t, how shall we put it, feel the same sense of interior freedom to buy all the treasures as when I’m on my own.
“Where will we put it” is the cry heard throughout the land; but he asked me to go so we did get a good armload at the sale.
Now one of my beefs with our library is that they had a good collection of Trollope among other classics. If I needed a read, I could just pop in and get the next one.
But about five years ago they disappeared, and I definitely indulged in my eternal gripe of “why oh why do libraries remove the good books?” It’s not like their collection is so vast. Just leave the books be!I always thought I might find them at the book sale, but they never showed up. It was a mystery and still is, where they were.
But Saturday, they appeared!
But “where will they go?” I left them behind, knowing full well (I mean, just hoping) they’d still be there on Monday, when homeschoolers (among others) can pick books up for free.
So violà, I got my Trollope!
As I was putting them in the bookshelf (ha! there is a place for them!), I spied this bookmark within the pages:
It did look familiar, and sure enough, it was ours — and truly, this must be from 10 years ago at least, maybe longer –when Sukie was still home and making Valentines!
A picture of peppers to make up “for all the mushy Valentines you’ve gotten today” haha! Sisters know…
I know that our librarians toss anything left in books if they find them; truly it must be that I was the last to check this book out (which is what they claim: “The book hasn’t circulated for a long time, so we sell it”). Oh well, it’s mine now!
bits & pieces:
Leonardo da Vinci’s design for a bridge held up only by compression.
Podcasts: I recommend listening to Thomas Mirus interviewing Mary Stanford on the subject of authority and submission in Christian marriage; don’t omit the last bit, from about minute 40 to the end. Also have a listen to “The Effects of Feminism on Divorce” with Leila Miller and LeeAnn Abel on Christine Bacon’s show.
“I am not a legal scholar. I can’t comment on the constitutional ins and outs. But it is patently obvious that giving homosexuals and trans individuals access to the extremely powerful and coercive tools of civil rights law is bad social policy. It will further empower the powerful, allowing them to destroy anyone who resists their agenda.” R. R. Reno: How Gay Rights Empower the Rich
I’m very excited that John Henry Newman will be canonized tomorrow! I have a great devotion to him and read him all the time. His book of Plain and Parochial Sermons (affiliate link — and yes, it’s pricey — but it’s a treasure) is one I read on a loop. A slow loop, but a rewarding one. I will be posting articles about him as they appear (or I get to them).
Here are some suggestions for festive libations in his honor.
This 1965 short film might captivate your youngsters who are learning some biology and appreciate good music! The friend who sent it my way says: “It’s a time-lapse of the development of a chick embryo; an extended visual/musical pun on the Egmont (get it?!?) Overture, cleverly capped by the piccolo at the very end. Both the video & sound are inferior to today’s standards, but it’s still good.” A different kind of chick flick!
from the archives:
A post in which I sort of talk again about The Reasonably Clean House: Redux
A science curriculum resource I don’t want you to miss
liturgical year:
Today is the feast of St. Wilfrid. Tomorrow is the canonization of John Henry Newman — definitely a day to celebrate!
follow us everywhere!
Stay abreast of the posts when they happen:
I just share pretty pictures Auntie Leila’s Instagram.
If you want politics, rants, and takes on what is going on in the Church:
Auntie Leila’s Facebook (you can just follow — my posts are public — sometimes I share articles here that don’t make it into {bits & pieces})
Pinterest is annoying me right now with its PC nonsense, but if you want to see my boards: Auntie Leila’s Pinterest.
Or the boards of the others: Rosie’s Pinterest. Sukie’s Pinterest. Deirdre’s Pinterest. Habou’s Pinterest. Bridget’s Pinterest.
And the others on IG: Rosie’s Instagram. Sukie’s Instagram. Deirdre’s Instagram.Bridget’s Instagram.Habou’s Instagram.
The post We do love our old books appeared first on Like Mother Like Daughter.
October 8, 2019
5 Reasons To Opt for Traditional Christmas Cards this Year
Post by Deirdre! It’s been a while…
I miss my friends and family throughout the year. It is such a delight to arrive at the holidays and have an excuse to reach out to and hear from all the loved ones in my life! Since their faces are dear to me and their families are growing, I cherish the photos that come in the mail each December. I enjoy pointing out to my children, “this is my high school friend and her family,” “these are Dad’s cousin’s kids,” etc. I lovingly hang up every one and we soak them in until The Artist is tired of bending over to get through doorways and there is truly no excuse to observe the Christmas season any longer (usually February 2, the feast of the Presentation of the Lord). I’m so grateful for each and every photo, whether polished and professional or scrappy, we-squeezed-this-in-before-the-toddler-melted-down-and-the-point-and-shoot-lost-battery.
So what I’m about to say may come across as a little curmudgeonly.
Keeping the above in mind — hear me out.
I recall the days of Advent from my childhood when the mailman would bring the best deliveries of the year: one beautiful Christmas card after another from friends near and far. These cards were almost all folded greeting cards, each with an image of or related to the humble but glorified scene from Bethlehem. A glowing Nativity, an image of the Magi, a Madonna and Child, a painting of herald angels. Although the kind and quality would vary, my favorites were the reproductions of the master artists (and probably, usually, the ones with the prettiest Marys).
For the period leading up to and stretching over Christmastide, the best of Western religious art and other valuable traditions was on display there in our living room for us to flip through. After the Christmas season, we would carefully store these away to be enjoyed in future years and, almost always, reinvented and appreciated all over again as they were converted into craft projects.
Sometimes photos of the senders were included inside and these we enjoyed as well – after all, seeing a photo of friends was much rarer in those days. But the message inside was not actually as important as the message on the front, and the photos – while they interested me and probably meant even more to my parents – didn’t captivate me as much as the beautiful images. After all, the medium is the message, and the message we received in all those postal greetings was loud and clear: Christ is made Man as a little baby; Mary is His pure and beautiful Mother, warm and loving; Joseph is His quiet protector and ours; Angels rejoice!; the Star shines down on us; the Wise Men are coming with their mysterious gifts…
So many images to greet the eye and invite the mind to reflection.
Such an ambiance for our holy days.
How often do children today – or any of us – have the opportunity to pore over pictures of this caliber during the Christmas season?
I ask because I note that, over the years, these images have been almost entirely replaced when it comes to Christmas cards (and even other Christmas decor). When I was a child, there was already tension between religious images and, say, the more secular images of Santa’s workshop (toys! toys! toys!) or vague winter scenes (feel good about the season! We don’t know why!). But today it is different. For, as much as I personally do love each individual card made up of a family photo and an accompanying written Christmas greeting, I can’t help but note that the images that have replaced the Manger scene, the Holy Family, the Magi…
…Are images of ourselves.
Having watched this trend grow to the point of the sacred image being almost drowned out at Christmastide, I’ve decided that it’s time to take a hard look. So here are some considerations in favor of a return to the exchange of traditional images at Christmas time — instead of the family photo card:
Christmas Is about Christ.
Christmas cards provide a chance for us to remind each other of the beauty of and the reason for the season: Christ was born of Mary in a stable in Bethlehem. While we are communicating and sharing this joy, it also affords the occasion to catch up with each other and give family updates. But is that the point of the card? We have to be careful that we don’t replace “share the Good News of Christ” with “show our friends how we’re doing.” Each Christmas is a chance to re-focus on the mystery of our Savior born into our world, and the Christmas card itself is a fantastic way to do that. In fact, it can be powerful evangelization for those members of our lists who might not be seeing any religious imagery anywhere else all year!
To me, this is one of the prime ways we can work to ‘keep Christ in Christmas.’
2. The Couple/Family Photo Card Trend Leaves Some Excluded
Christ came for everyone and Christmas is for everyone. But not everyone has a lovely family to feature in a holiday greeting card. I once saw a holiday card that consisted of a photo of a young man standing alone with his printed greeting next to his headshot: “Merry Christmas from Jack.” (I don’t actually remember his real name.) To be frank, this struck me as absurd — marking the end of the year and the anniversary of Christ’s birth by sending a headshot of yourself out to your entire mailing list?! Yet I had to note that it is not categorically different from a greeting accompanying a photo of a couple or a family. After all, if everyone is sending a picture of themselves to him, what is he supposed to do but send a picture of himself to everyone? Or are we only allowed to start sending Christmas greetings once we are married and/or start our families?
Well, a tidy solution is to send a picture of baby Jesus, instead!
Everyone can send a beautiful picture of, say, the Nativity scene (and can always tuck a photo inside!).
But the fact is that there won’t be a selection of appropriate cards for single guys like “Jack” to choose from unless we generate a demand by all choosing such cards.
3. Our Imaginations Need to be fed on Beautiful Art
Not only do I advocate choosing cards that visually depict the Mystery of Christmas; I also advocate choosing beautiful ones! This is a wonderful way to enhance Christmastide and feed our loved ones and ourselves on true Christmas beauty. Aside from the Nativity scene at church (hopefully your church has a nice one) and quality Christmas books, from whence are you receiving the treasury of beautiful, traditional Christmas art and allowing it to elevate your heart and mind?
We see pictures of ourselves and our loved ones more than anyone in history and, I think you’ll agree, more than we objectively need. Let’s not cast aside a veneranle tradition and miss the opportunity to see some of the world’s greatest artists’ finest offerings in the form of images of Jesus, Mary, Joseph, and all the other holy things associated with the Mystery.
4. Traditional Christmas Cards Keep Well – and So Do Photo Prints!
I like to tuck a print of a family photo inside a folded Christmas card (I don’t actually share many photos online and I know loved ones want to see the growing kids; this is also how I do birth announcements). This way, the photo can be enjoyed on its own: popped into an album or frame or put on the fridge (admission: I invest in the separate prints also because I hope it means we do end up on friends’ fridges and they therefore remember to pray for us more!).
But a Christmas-card-photo gradually becomes off-season/out of date.
On the other hand, a beautiful traditional card can have another life as part of a Christmas craft!
5. A Holy Image Will always Be Timely
Some years are harder than others for feeling and being photo-ready. It’s a lot of pressure, especially for large families, families with little ones, families without photographers handy, and/or couples or families going through something tough. And consider the receiving end: there’s no guarantee about what will be the most heart-warming kind of way to present yourselves to everyone on your mailing list.
A beautiful image of the Christ child, however, will always be appropriate, always be timely. Send the message of the Nativity and God’s grace will work out the rest.
What crafts did we do, you ask? Well, you can seek hundreds of ideas on Google and Pinterest, but I’ll just tell you my two favorites: 1) Soak old cards in a shallow dish of water until they become soft. Turn a damp card front-side down on a paper towel and gently rub at the back until the white backing of the cardstock wears away and comes off in little bits. Discard bits and you’re left with just a very fine, thin version of the front image. Carefully tear this image and combine it with other fine bits of cards and wrapping paper, foil, etc. to make a collage on a paper mache or wooden box using Elmers glue or Modge Podge on a paintbrush. When the collage is dry, paint over it with some kind of varnish. Voila! A pretty, collaged Christmas box to give as a gift or use as a container for a Christmas treat. We used to collage any available surface and make gift boxes, plaques, Advent calendars… you name it. It’s really fun and, if you’re starting out with high quality images, actually looks beautiful!2) Make a 3-D ornament but it comes out looking way more beautiful because, again, you’re using beautiful images/paper!
I know that one of the major challenges here is just finding quality, beautiful cards to order. It’s hard to avoid kitsch and it’s difficult to avoid paying an arm and a leg. I realize that many may opt for the family photo Christmas card simply because it’s much more affordable.
Again, I just want to note the matter of supply and demand. This will remain a niche market unless we take collective action and order the good stuff. Suppliers will rise up to the challenge, just as there are currently Five Thundred easy options for purchasing Christmas family photo cards!
Here are some companies we’ve ordered from or from which we’ve received high-quality cards (and keep a lookout for Black Friday sales!):
The Met Museum Store
MFA Boston
Ancient Faith
Printery House
Magnificat Magazine
Mother of Our Savior (see details about having your family photo printed within these Christmas cards for an additional fee)
I received this a few years ago: a clever friend inserted a religious image instead of the expected family photo upload! Please do comment below with your resources as to the best sources for quality, traditional Christmas cards: the ones with beautiful images of or related to the Christmas mystery (I’m talking about more than just scroll-y lettered Scripture verses!).
You can also comment to share your favorite craft using beautiful old cards!
And if you’ve ever sent me a Christmas card, of any description… from the bottom of my heart, thank you!
The post 5 Reasons To Opt for Traditional Christmas Cards this Year appeared first on Like Mother Like Daughter.
September 28, 2019
Knowing what to do
Because I’ve been wrestling with the draft of my book, going over old posts and trying to get them into order, it’s on my mind: How much better life is when you just know how do to things.
How delightful (even in suffering) our duties are when we know how to carry them out!
Out in the world, to be an expert you have to go to expert school and get certified with gold stars on your expert certificate. But at home, you can just figure things out.
As I’ve gotten older, I’ve definitely come across an expert’s instructions and thought, “Well, no, not really — I think I actually know how to do this!” (Of course, most of the time, I’m just grateful that someone has explained things so that I can work my way to figuring out what to do. I don’t know where I’d be without all those knitting videos!)
As the school year gets going, I think it’s important to remember this energizing thought and draw confidence from it. For instance, educating our children is built into our very existence as parents. Other institutions and people can help us, but the overall mission is ours. Along with that charge comes the ability, however little like experts we feel.
I love that our children are pre-disposed to learn from us (even when they seem resistant — don’t let that bother you).
Simply by doing, failing, doing again… that’s how you learn. You get better and even if you remain not terribly good at whatever it is, you receive the liberating joy implicit in G. K. Chesterton’s quip that “anything worth doing is worth doing badly.”
Deirdre recently pointed out that there are not many propositions where the opposites are true — something worth doing is worth doing badly and also well!
The first harvest, on the left, was in early July. The second was in mid-August. The third was in mid-September. All from the same two hives!
We did our last harvest last weekend and got 29 more pounds, bringing our grand total up to 80 pounds this year.
So one thing is that when I melt the wax from the frames, I get a lot of what I call honey syrup — it’s cooked honey, a little bitter, just as thick but of course, boiled; so I should just use it in baking rather than the nice raw honey.
I have about a quart and a half of the stuff — so tell me all your best honey or syrup (maple, treacle, molasses) recipes!
bits & pieces
Fr. Robert McTeigue interviewed me on the subject of the US bishops’ conference. You can listen to the radio show streaming here (it aired yesterday). The article referenced can be found here.
Fr. McTeigue is a real kindred spirit. I had posted this excellent piece of his a while back: The Jezebel Tactic. He has a follow-up: The Ahab Tactic. I also highly recommend reading his thoughts on youth ministry here and here. Also just everything he writes.
These charming illustrations of the church year by the Anglican artist Enid Chadwick are now available in book form here. I’m not sure how they are reproduced (there is no preview available) and I don’t have a review copy, but I thought you might be interested.
A warning on “playing church” from Fr. Mankowski (there, I’ve posted writings from two Jesuits here today!). Don’t worry, this is not about your little boys imitating Sunday worship!
from the archives:
Apple crisp (and make extra topping for another time).
Tomorrow I’ll be making a ham I got on sale, and that means that ham and cheese and spinach pie is in our future!
liturgical year
Today is the feast of St. Wenceslaus, who loved the poor and martyred at his own brother’s hand.
Tomorrow is Michaelmas, the feast of St. Michael, though it’s superseded by the Sunday celebration. Still, I plan on making a honey cake (perhaps this one, as it uses a lot of honey, though I also have a lot of apples, so maybe this one?) — don’t forget to tell me your syrup recipes (see above). (Sadly, I don’t have a goose to roast.) Above all, remember this great archangel and call on him for assistance in everything you do!
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September 21, 2019
Sourdough bread thoughts and tips
I just got back from visiting Suki — you can’t even imagine how hot it is in this picture. We weirdly paid no attention to the thermometer (basically it was 100 degrees out) and opted for a fried chicken picnic by the river.
Of course I had a wonderful time with them!
Before I left home I made this bread and we harvested honey (and plan to harvest yet more tomorrow! I’ll keep you posted on IG!).
I know you want to me to tell you about making sourdough, but I have to resist getting into all the particulars. You’ll have to do what I did: keep looking up various methods by actual experts, and trying different things.
Suki and I talked about how we learned to bake sourdough. I think we arrived at the same place of doing it our own way (that is, we each have our own way!) by the same means, trying to follow different methods and just seeing what works. (Search for sourdough baking and click on King Arthur, The Perfect Loaf, Full Proof Baking; go to Instagram and follow the sourdough hashtag.)
Like so many things, you just have to do it and see what happens, but always test against your previous experience (no matter how little you have — you have to build on what you know and remember your mistakes and your successes).
One thing that frustrated me from the get-go is that all the instructions for the home baker are for one small sourdough loaf. I’ve been baking bread for my whole married life and I cannot contemplate for one instant making one measly loaf of bread!
I feel like I’ve wasted my time if I don’t make four loaves; three feels like an efficiency lapse.
So early on I put my normal yeast-dough knowledge to work. Here are my tips (you really have to know how to bake yeast bread to follow, and I do have lots of tips on that — I know, I know, not as much as you would like!):
Treat your starter like it’s the sponge you’ve developed with your yeast. Start at that point in your process (where you’ve proved your yeast with about a cup of water and enough flour to make a loose dough or batter — just think of your small amount of starter as your yeast). Just pretend and keep mixing your dough as usual, after that sponge step.
Let the mixed dough rest. This is the autolyse (it isn’t really, because you’ve mixed everything, not just the flour and water, but still, the rest allows the grains to absorb liquid and for the gluten to begin lining itself up).
Use more liquid than you think. If you want to wrap your mind around baker’s percentages and use a scale, you can. Lots of info out there to explain it. But you know how to make bread — if you’ve listened to me over the years, you’ve paid attention to how a good dough feels in the mixer or under your hands. Add that much water or a little more. Don’t get caught up in the high hydration craze for now. Aim at 65-68% hydration for now, which is not a stiff dough but is not wet either.
Use more salt than you think or than you are used to from your yeast recipes. For 8 cups of flour I use almost 2 tablespoons of salt.
After the rest (20-40 minutes), mix or knead well. I use the stand mixer.
In your first rise (“bulk rise” or “fermentation”), try doing some stretch and folds 30 and 60 minutes into it. A good demonstration is here — but I would never make this small amount of dough. You can leave your dough on the counter and skip the bowl or container. Just cover with a tightly woven wet cloth in between handling.
Make sure your dough rises fully the first time. Don’t skimp on this step. It should look soft and big.
Gently turn your dough out, folding and stretching it if it’s been in a bowl; if it’s on your counter, just use your bench scraper to divide it and fold it into rough shapes for the loaves you have in mind. When I fill my Kitchenaid 5 qt. mixer with all the flour it can handle, I get enough dough for 4 sandwich loaves (my pans are on the smaller side for loaf pans) or 3 boule-style loaves.
Let the dough rest for 20 minutes. Shape for your loaves. For the best rise and crumb, do something that resembles folding it in thirds, giving it a turn, and folding it again or rolling it on itself. It should resist you slightly (that’s the gluten structure) so don’t force it to deflate, but do firmly get it folded up on itself so that the gluten strands create a matrix for your nice bubbles. Place seam-side down in your loaf pans or seam side up in your bannetons or baskets lined with cloth napkins or tea towels (scrupulously clean of course). I like to use rice flour for dusting and find that I don’t need the liners for the wooden bannetons.
Here’s the trick for sourdough — if you’re making bread in loaf pans, proceed as usual, letting the dough rise at least 50% and baking as you usually do, then popping in a hot oven (375-400) for 40 minutes or until the instant-read thermometer reaches 200.
But for your lovely crusty loaves, after about an hour rising on your counter (depending on the temperature in your house — maybe in summer this would be less and in winter, more), refrigerate your shaped dough for at least 8 hours and up to who knows, a day or even two. Heat your oven on high (450) with your baking stone on a middle rack and get your pan of boiling water ready. Turn your cold dough onto a piece of parchment paper on a baker’s peel, score it, and slide it onto the stone. Or sometimes if I have two loaves to bake at once, I have two pieces of parchment on big baking pans (like cookie sheets) and turn the dough on those, having them as far apart from each other as they can comfortably be.
Suki uses a cast-iron combo-cooker — like this one. I just rely on the steam from a baking tray with boiling water on my oven floor and have had good success with another one on a high top rack.
After about 16-18 minutes, remove the steam pan(s) or lid of the combo cooker and reduce the temp to 425 or 400. Bake for 15-20 minutes more or until the instant-read thermometer registers 200.
This dough is not what I used to make those loaves, but I’m doing my best here to show you some of the process — you know I’m not the expert on these here interwebs!
The same dough can be a sandwich loaf or a sourdough crusty loaf. This batch has a little leftover oat porridge, some milk, and some whole wheat.
I have these little shower-cap like things that I cover my dough with for the fridge. I just use a damp towel for sandwich loaves that are sitting out on the counter.Cool your loaves completely. If you are freezing loaves, let them cool for a good 6 hours at least before you do so.
I am happy to answer questions in the comments! The main point is that if you already know how to bake bread, you can do this!
Bits & pieces
Please stop me before I knit a fence using giant knitting needles made from curtain rods but so help me it’s gorgeous. So is the place where the artist lives.
It took me so long to listen to this short clip of two chants, one Hebrew and one Latin, that I forget who pointed me to it and why… but it’s incredibly beautiful, isn’t it?
Melody Lyons on mothers wondering what their apostolate or mission might be.
A plastic surgeon speaks out on the child abuse that is “sex-change” surgery. Like abortion, there is a vague “wave your magic wand” idea about what actually goes on. Even though this is hard to read, I think for us to be able to speak knowledgeably about our opinions, we need to know the information that leads this doctor to say that these approaches are “totally unacceptable.”
The personalism of John Henry Newman.
The Scientific American had an article almost five years ago, about fetal tissue research, that is worth bookmarking.
From the archives
The binder will help you organize your home school.
Got cucumbers? Make bread-and-butter pickles!
Today is the feast of St. Matthew!
Follow us everywhere!
Stay abreast of the posts when they happen:
I just share pretty pictures Auntie Leila’s Instagram.
If you want politics, rants, and takes on what is going on in the Church:
Auntie Leila’s Facebook (you can just follow — my posts are public — sometimes I share articles here that don’t make it into {bits & pieces})
Pinterest is annoying me right now with its PC nonsense, but if you want to see my boards: Auntie Leila’s Pinterest.
Or the boards of the others: Rosie’s Pinterest. Sukie’s Pinterest. Deirdre’s Pinterest. Habou’s Pinterest. Bridget’s Pinterest.
And the others on IG: Rosie’s Instagram. Sukie’s Instagram. Deirdre’s Instagram.Bridget’s Instagram.Habou’s Instagram.
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September 7, 2019
To be happy at home
“To be happy at home is the ultimate result of all ambition, the end to which every enterprise and labour tends, and of which every desire prompts the prosecution.” — Dr. Johnson
As the school year begins, I know how easy it is to feel a sense of urgency and even panic!
Time to sign up and do all the things, or at least to feel a vague sense of moderate self-loathing if we have little to show for what we have grandiosely designated our home “school” (for can this enterprise we embark upon, with so little actual credentialing or official benediction behind it, no more than a quixotic ramble in unknown territory, destined to bring nothing but mockery on our heads, be called a school?)
I think of the days of yore when I was given the grace in my folly and ignorance, to accept being alone* (I mean, with my many children, but without a “support network” or “online community” — such a thing did not exist — or “outside affirmation”).
*I had friends, but that is a bit different from what I’m talking about here…
I was afraid of being with my children only.
But — I discovered something that I will try briefly to share with you here, something I think others experience as well, if they try it.
“The more our soul is peaceful and tranquil, the more God is reflected in it, the more His image expresses itself in us, the more His grace acts through us.” — Fr. Jacques Philippe, Searching for and Maintaining Peace (affiliate link)
When a mother turns towards her home, this turning requires a certain detachment from the opinions of the world and a kind of blind confidence.
But if she can do it, she discovers something she may not have been looking for: she discovers peace, and as a welcome bonus, she discovers that she can think!
All jokes about pregnancy brain aside — and I know my observation goes against all received wisdom about toddlers not being stimulating, women needing to leave drudgery behind to do what really fires her up, and the company of adults being necessary for intellectual stimulation — the paradox is real.
Thinking happens.
She can think about peace itself, because she is free of the pull of frantic activity. There’s activity all right, but it’s what she sets for herself, knowing that she can actually just… not rush in accomplishing her tasks. This is very freeing.
She can think about how to educate her children, and what education is, and even, astoundingly, read a book or two about the subject. And even sometimes do it.
She can think about beauty, including ordinary beauty (such as she might bring about in her home and garden) that Roger Scruton tells us, “expresses and amplifies the human desire for settlement, for an environment in which things fit together, and people too.”
When she considers how chaotic and intractable the world is, and how fickle with its honors, she can, if she gives herself some breathing room, make her own home a haven for others. I know this is not a popular idea, to do things for others, with sacrifice. But it may be worth pondering.
There’s a fundamental change that occurs with complete detachment.
When she detaches from what consumes the world, far from losing or burying her creative skills, she can use them for those she loves in ever-widening circles, circles that ultimately include whomever she is called to reach, with a serene heart. I wrote about this here. All the posts are linked here. And I edited them and made a little book for easier study (at the moment only available as an ebook.
It’s true that this takes time — the results won’t be immediately forthcoming, fair warning. Again, it does take confidence.
“To serve is to reign.” — Early Church Father (see Mark 42-45)
“For the truth is, that to the moderately poor the home is the only place of liberty. ” — G. K. Chesterton
Devotion to home in this womanly fashion I’m speaking of is the best service, that is, reign — with leisure to think thrown in for good measure. I love that Chesterton gives us leave to consider ourselves “moderately poor” — in his essay (What’s Wrong with the World) from which this quote is taken, he demonstrates that wealth is exhausting — because the home is the end or goal of “every enterprise” and “the only place of liberty.”
Bits & pieces
Doomed to the consequences of bad intentions in urban policy.
Uncovering the reasons for pregnancy loss.
Really excellent review of John Senior and the Restoration of Realism by Michael Pakaluk, and how Senior’s vision can inspire your home and community, as it has done so many before (ours included!).
Thinking about sacred architecture: what should a church look like?
Apologies to those who just signed on the dotted line for Extravagant U, and fair warning to those looking ahead: More honest Latin mottoes for your overrated university.
Prosperity breeds idiots. Solzhenitsyn could not “abide the legion of fools who seemed fascinated, from a secure and prosperous distance, with socialist thought. In his foreword to The Socialist Phenomenon—an extraordinary book by his friend Igor Shafarevich—Solzhenitsyn noted “the mist of irrationality that surrounds socialism… “
You don’t have to play with your kids. By the way, this is an old idea, not a new one. It’s today’s parents, obsessed with what everyone else is doing and abetted by the social media vortex, who can’t let go of their children’s every activity, and who think the mother’s role is to be intentional, by which they mean having something to show for every moment. It’s the chirpy “follow your dreams” skeptics of homemaking who feel the necessity to demonstrate their involvement in what their kids are doing. Old-fashioned moms never played with their kids, unless they really felt like it, or even much noticed what was going on (though they read to them and gave them the occasional safety tip about those knives). But I think they enjoyed them more.
From the archives:
Green tomato chutney — I’m on my last jar now! It’s so good and not at all mushy. Perfect in ham and cheese sandwich.
Today is the feast of St. Regina and St. Cloud.
Follow us everywhere!
Stay abreast of the posts when they happen:
I just share pretty pictures Auntie Leila’s Instagram.
If you want politics, rants, and takes on what is going on in the Church:
Auntie Leila’s Facebook (you can just follow — my posts are public — sometimes I share articles here that don’t make it into {bits & pieces})
Pinterest is annoying me right now with its PC nonsense, but if you want to see my boards: Auntie Leila’s Pinterest.
Or the boards of the others: Rosie’s Pinterest. Sukie’s Pinterest. Deirdre’s Pinterest. Habou’s Pinterest. Bridget’s Pinterest.
And the others on IG: Rosie’s Instagram. Sukie’s Instagram. Deirdre’s Instagram.Bridget’s Instagram. Habou’s Instagram.
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July 27, 2019
{bits & pieces}
The weekly “little of this, little of that” feature here at Like Mother, Like Daughter!
Welcome to readers new and old!
If you are new here, I wanted to say come on in and have a seat!
Lately my blogging has been reduced pretty much to these posts that we call bits & pieces — a little update and then links that have caught my eye during the week.
I used to post a lot, and then the call to round up everything that I’ve written about in the past 11 years into a book took hold of me. Contrary to what you might think, I have been working on it! In fact, I have a very rough draft of… wait for it… over 800 pages.
So please commend my soul to the Almighty.
Anyway, if you just got here, my hope is that you will look around and say, “Oh, wait, I can do that, if she can do it!”
The archives are full of answers to your questions: What to do with my three-year-old, how to avoid homeschool burnout, what to serve for dinner, how I can be hospitable on a budget, what to do with those teenagers, how to start prayer with children, whether it’s going to work out to move and how to tell…
Go up to the menu bar and hit “Start here” — and then poke around all those categories. On the side is a category menu as well.
Your garden can be considerably less weedy and more productive than mine… your house can be neater than mine… your bread can rise higher. I hardly know what I’m doing, but I’m here to encourage you in all things related to home making. Make no mistake — this is the highest calling!
For as Dr. Johnson reminds us:
To be happy at home is the ultimate result of all ambition, the end to which every enterprise and labor tends, and of which every desire prompts the prosecution.
This week my granddaughter (almost 6) pulled the garlic in the bed that’s inside the rabbit fence (there’s still another harvest in the bed near the hives). Look how nice and big those heads are! The variety is called Organic Chesnok Red Garlic from High Mowing.
And I think I’m getting the hang of composting after 20 years. I’ve had a good supply for the garden and it seems to “cook” up pretty quickly. Maybe it doesn’t look like it in the photo, but the first bay on the left is ready to be turned, and the other two have a good amount of finished compost in them of various stages. But I think that in a way, the almost finished compost is even better, because the worms come and finish the job.
On to our links!
I’m poking around a new blog that was recommended to me. Here is a post that caught my eye (you can tell what’s on my mind right now): Gardening for Less from The Prudent Homemaker. I think I’m pretty darn frugal but there is always something to learn! I also just need to do better (and it wouldn’t hurt to have some more sunny areas in my yard!)
Things can change quickly. Here in Massachusetts I never had one smidge of trouble homeschooling my children. The law is pretty clear and pretty simple. But now the early distant warning has sounded. Geoffrey Vaughan, in an excellent article about what lies ahead: If Angels Educated Men, says, “There seems not to have been a particular event that triggered the change in policy [in his school district]. Indeed, according to the elected officials of the school board, there was no change in policy. But one does not need to look far to find an animus against homeschoolers in the educational establishment.” As Vaughan points out, homeschooling will always be, in a sense, marginal.
In an article I have shared before, Christopher Caldwell makes the point about the vulnerability of families when the state slides towards mob rule: “… a Swiss sexologist described the anti-gender-theory parents as groupuscules, or “splinter groups.” Parents, of course, are always groupuscules, usually consisting of two people, sometimes of one. The assumption here seems to be that parents are entitled to speak on their children’s behalf only as part of some nationwide patriotic front.” (My emphasis. It’s a long article, but well worth reading. The theme sharpens right at the end.)
Once you realize that the key to the LGBT agenda is domination, it’s possible to resist. The slogan “love is love” sounds irrefutable, but it conceals a lie.
This past week marked the anniversary of Mary Jo Kopechne’s death at Chappaquiddick, when Ted Kennedy left her to die in the car he drove off the little bridge over the river. Clan Lawler watched the movie and read Mark Steyn on the whole mess. “You can’t make an omelet without breaking chicks, right? I don’t know how many lives the senator changed – he certainly changed Mary Jo’s – but you’re struck less by the precise arithmetic than by the basic equation: How many changed lives justify leaving a human being struggling for breath for up to five hours pressed up against the window in a small, shrinking air pocket in Teddy’s Oldsmobile?”
The burning of Notre Dame Cathedral has revived the stone carving arts. “Notre Dame made people realize these skills are still needed and still important,” he says.
Children need to hear and learn excellent church music, in church! (Of course, acknowledging all that is in this article begs the question of why there should be family Masses at all, but baby steps I guess.)
It’s unthinkable that some Christians would want to entertain the notion of Communism as anything but an evil ideology. And yet, it’s happening. Educate yourself. Read the Gulag Archipelago by Alexander Solzhenitsyn. Read Bob Royal’s Twentieth Century Martyrs. Read this, from Rod Dreher: Jesuits Rehabilitate Communism.
Things you can do for those who are grieving, from Regina Doman.
From the archives:
I have a four-part series on things to do to make your family and marriage as strong as they can be. Since we’re just coming off of a week of people posting about natural family planning, perhaps you’d like to read the third in the series, The Third Secret. (The final one is here, with the others linked within.)
Do you keep bees? Here is my tutorial on how to harvest the honey.
Today is the feast of St. Pantaleon.
Follow us everywhere. I have removed the Ravelry link (see my post on IG about why — all the comments are interesting!).
Stay abreast of the posts when they do happen:
Like LMLD on Facebook.
Follow LMLD on Twitter.
I just share pretty pictures (never political until this past week):
Auntie Leila’s Instagram.
If you want politics, rants, and takes on what is going on in the Church:
Auntie Leila’s Twitter.
Auntie Leila’s Facebook (you can just follow — my posts are public — sometimes I share articles here that don’t make it into {bits & pieces})
Pinterest is annoying me right now for many of the same reasons as Ravelry, but if you want to see my boards:
Auntie Leila’s Pinterest.
Or the boards of the others:
Rosie’s Pinterest.
Sukie’s Pinterest.
Deirdre’s Pinterest.
Habou’s Pinterest.
Bridget’s Pinterest.
And the others on IG:
Rosie’s Instagram.
Sukie’s Instagram.
Deirdre’s Instagram.
Bridget’s Instagram.
Habou’s Instagram.
The post {bits & pieces} appeared first on Like Mother Like Daughter.
