Kendra Tierney's Blog, page 3

Help ME Help You with the 2018 Catholic All Year Reader Survey and Prayer Book Set Giveaway

Dear Readers,

My big takeaway from all the hubbub of the last week . . . is that I've really missed blogging! Somehow, just microblogging on Facebook and Instagram doesn't feel the same as being here on the blog and writing things that live on to be googled by new readers, or by me, when I need to verify the birthday of baby number seven by googling her birth story. #thankyoublogging

So, even though I've got a handful of major home decorating projects in the works, I've got a bee in my bonnet to be back in this space more often, and creating more content in general, and I'd like your help in figuring out how I can do that best for you.

Enter . . . my first ever reader survey!


It's a quick, 18 question survey in google drive. You stay anonymous, but I get a feel for the types of posts and projects you'd most like to see.

Click here to take the survey.

The Prayer Books Are Back, Baby! (With free printables!)

The three little prayer books are fixed, approved and currently available for next day shipping with prime!

New and improved, now with correct Sign of the Cross pages! They've got the Frankie stamp of approval.


Here's my very professional announcement video:


You're going to ask about the leggings. Here they are.
Here's the set! More details on each book are in this post:
IT'S MY BOOK LAUNCH DAY! NOT THAT BOOK, BUT STILL . . .
All three are available and Amazon seems to be playing around with the prices a bit. Last I looked, the Superhero one was a dollar off! And the others were on sale, too! They'll ship anywhere in the world.


Here are the links to see them on Amazon. The "look inside" feature is showing the original sign of the cross page, but you will receive a book with the new version.

My Superhero Prayer BookMy Fairy-tale Prayer BookMy Woodland Prayer BookEach book contains 23 Traditional Catholic prayers in the USCCB recommended wording, plus how to pray the Rosary.
Prayers included are: Sign of the Cross, Apostle's Creed, Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be, Our Lady's Fatima Prayer, Hail Holy Queen, Rosary Prayer, St. Michael Prayer, How to Pray the Rosary, The Mysteries of the Rosary, Grace Before Meals, Grace After Meals, Morning Offering, Prayer to One's Guardian Angel, Angelus, Regina Caeli, Memorare, Prayer to the Holy Spirit, Prayer for the Souls in Purgatory, Act of Faith, Act of Hope, Act of Love, Act of Spiritual Communion, and Act of Contrition.

The Superhero and Fairy-tale books feature boy and girl characters with different skin tones.




They're also available as
Here's their official endorsement from some of my children. Very impartial:


Here's a blog post explanation of the mistake that was in the original version, and the fun that ensued when I tried to fix it.
MY BOOKS ARE IN PURGATORY, OR: A JOURNEY IN GIFS. CHECK OUT THESE BOOKS INSTEAD?Every time I escalated the issue to a higher level at Createspace (the Amazon self-publishing platform), I got a different explanation as to why the files had been rejected. Finally, my fifteen year old son suggested that I, in direct opposition to the instructions given to me in emails (not phone calls. NEVER phone calls.

The Prayer Books Are Back, Baby!

The three little prayer books are fixed, approved and currently available for next day shipping with prime!

New and improved, now with correct Sign of the Cross pages! They've got the Frankie stamp of approval.


Here's my very professional announcement video:


You're going to ask about the leggings. Here they are.
Here's the set! More details on each book are in this post:
IT'S MY BOOK LAUNCH DAY! NOT THAT BOOK, BUT STILL . . .
All three are available and Amazon seems to be playing around with the prices a bit. Last I looked, the Superhero one was a dollar off! And the others were on sale, too! They'll ship anywhere in the world.


Here are the links to see them on Amazon. The "look inside" feature should be available soon.

My Superhero Prayer BookMy Fairy-tale Prayer BookMy Woodland Prayer BookEach book contains 23 Traditional Catholic prayers in the USCCB recommended wording, plus how to pray the Rosary.
Prayers included are: Sign of the Cross, Apostle's Creed, Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be, Our Lady's Fatima Prayer, Hail Holy Queen, Rosary Prayer, St. Michael Prayer, How to Pray the Rosary, The Mysteries of the Rosary, Grace Before Meals, Grace After Meals, Morning Offering, Prayer to One's Guardian Angel, Angelus, Regina Caeli, Memorare, Prayer to the Holy Spirit, Prayer for the Souls in Purgatory, Act of Faith, Act of Hope, Act of Love, Act of Spiritual Communion, and Act of Contrition.

The Superhero and Fairy-tale books feature boy and girl characters with different skin tones.




They're also available as
Here's their official endorsement from some of my children. Very impartial:


Here's a blog post explanation of the mistake that was in the original version, and the fun that ensued when I tried to fix it.
MY BOOKS ARE IN PURGATORY, OR: A JOURNEY IN GIFS. CHECK OUT THESE BOOKS INSTEAD?Every time I escalated the issue to a higher level at Createspace (the Amazon self-publishing platform), I got a different explanation as to why the files had been rejected. Finally, my fifteen year old son suggested that I, in direct opposition to the instructions given to me in emails (not phone calls. NEVER phone calls.

My Books are in Purgatory, or: a Journey in GIFs. Check Out THESE Books Instead?

Well, that book launch didn't go exactly according to plan. I was going to wait to publish this post until I could tell you the books were available again on Amazon, but they're still not. They ARE currently available as PDFs in my Etsy shop. If you bought any of the books before I took them down from Amazon, I've got some possible solutions for you, down at the bottom. Plus four amazing books you can get NOW to read while we wait (and wait and wait and wait) . . .


Here's what happened in case you missed it



The tl:dw version is: I inadvertently made the sign of the cross illustration in all three books in the Eastern rite style, with the right shoulder before the left shoulder, rather than Roman rite style, which is left shoulder then right shoulder. This is that version:


It is customary in both rites to use the right hand, whether one is left or right handed. So, as it was, it didn't even work as a mirror image, since they'd have to be using their left hands. But that made me realize that it's probably easier for kids to learn by looking at a mirror image anyway, so I redid the pages as the characters looking into a mirror, with clearer instructions for grownup helpers. This is what they look like now:


So, overall, I'm happier with the concept, but I'm not loving the timeline upon which it all happened.

I showed proofs of the book (and the sign of the cross page in particular because it was my favorite

It's my Book Launch Day! Not THAT Book, but still . . .

EDITED TO ADD: I have some not as fun news. My beloved Superman sign of the cross image is . . . backwards. It's also backwards in the other two versions.

It's my Book Publishing Day! Not THAT Book, but still . . .

I have some fun news!

I have three little books out and published today!

Rosary by Chews Life
Dolls by Shining Light Dolls: Our Lady, and Pope St. JPII the GreatI have not forgotten about my *REAL* book! It now has an official name: <trumpet fanfare> The Catholic All Year Compendium: Liturgical Living for Real Life. 

I'm going through the copyedits on the almost four hundred page liturgical living in the home beastie this week, and I am really pleased with how it's turning out. It's been so long since I actually did the writing (I know, I KNOW) that I'm reading through it almost like a real reader and quite enjoying it. Does that sound terrible?

Ash Wednesday vs Valentine's Day: the February 14th Catholic Conundrum

Mailbag time!
The Question:
Hi Kendra, I was wondering if you were going to write a post about how Valentine’s Day is on Ash Wednesday & how you guys will address that at your house. My thought was to celebrate St. Valentine’s Day the day before like the vigil. But I’m having a hard time as to how best to explain that to my kids that are mostly still little (my oldest is 10 but has autism). I’d love to hear your thoughts on this if you have the chance. Thanks!
-Anna



The Answer:
Hey Anna, I wasn't going to, baby George just started sleeping in his crib a couple nights ago and I'm knee-deep in wallpaper samples and paint chips, but yours isn't the only question I've gotten on the subject, so a quick type-it-out seems warranted.

Short answer, I think yours sounds like an excellent plan. Moving feast days when they conflict is a magisterium-approved solution. When St. Joseph's Day or the Solemnity of the Annunciation fall during Holy Week, we just move 'em and celebrate them another day, officially, as a whole Church. Our homeschool group is doing a Valentine's exchange on Friday (today). The husband and I will go out for dinner sometime this weekend to celebrate together. We'll let the kids open their cards from Gramma and exchange their own homemade Valentines and have their treats early. In our family, Fat Tuesday is always a much bigger deal than Valentine's Day, anyway.

We are fortunate to be in control of when our homeschool celebrations take place, and our kids who go to regular school attend a faithful Catholic school, so there won't be any conflict there. They'll also exchange school Valentines before Ash Wednesday.

But I know others aren't so lucky, and have kids who attend public school, or Catholic schools that aren't paying attention <le sigh>. And that's a big ol' bummer. Because on February 14th, Ash Wednesday must win.




I'm in no way against Valentine's Day as a fun, cute tradition. I'm a fan of any attempts to reclaim for Catholicism what has become a very secular celebration. I

How (and When) we Celebrate Epiphany, and Why This Christmas Card is Definitely Not Too Late

Today is January 6th, which is the traditional date of Epiphany, the day that the three Wise Men arrived in Bethlehem, having followed the star to meet the baby Jesus. But for Western Catholics, we celebrate it tomorrow, on the Sunday after January 1st.

Liturgical nerd details to follow, feel free to skip these next two paragraphs if that's not you.

Before the 1969 liturgical calendar revisions, Christmas was an octave that went from December 25-January 1 (the Solemnity of Mary, the Mother of God), each day of Christmas was a solemnity, as is the case with the Easter octave. Christmastide went all the way to twelfth night, January 5th. January 6th was Epiphany, which was its own octave, and (until 1955) the celebration of Epiphany included the celebration of the Baptism of the Lord. Epiphanytide lasted until Candlemas (the Feast of the Presentation) on February 2nd. After Candlemas, the holidays were considered over and it was time to prepare for Lent.

Now, in the Latin Church, Christmas is one Solemnity: December 25, and is an octave, but not an octave of solemnities. This is to preserve the celebrations of the liturgies of the feast days that fall during the octave: St. Stephen, St. John, and the Holy Innocents. Under the new liturgical calendar, in order to emphasize Sunday and Solemnity Masses and the readings that go with them, those celebrations supercede lesser feast days. A saint's day that falls on a Sunday or during the Easter octave only gets bumped every seven years, since Easter moves, but those Christmas octave feasts would get bumped every year. (All it really means for us at home is no Christmas meat Friday.

The Thomas Fire is Not Messing Around, Can You Help?

We are safe and sound, as is our home. It's never even been smokey here, despite us being just a few miles away from multiple raging wildfires. The Thomas Fire has been burning for ten days now. It's named for Thomas Aquinas College, and began near there. The campus was evacuated, and the students were housed in nearby homes. One family we know took in five young men from the school, then were themselves evacuated from their home as the fires spread to Ventura County.

The parents, Nathan and Jessica Haggard, found temporary housing for themselves and their eight kids. We took in the five TAC students, which included Nathan's younger brother. That very night, the Haggard's home burned to the ground.

This is their neighborhood, as houses were engulfed.



And this is the Haggard family. They've got eight kids, who range in age from 2 to 15.

They are all safe and well and have a place to stay, but they've lost their home and everything in it. After MUCH badgering, Jessica was convinced to make a Christmas wish list on Amazon. I teared up a bit scrolling through it, because her kids are asking for the sweetest things, the most normal things, things my kids would want for Christmas. Plus church clothes, and white socks.

THE HAGGARD KIDS' CHRISTMAS LIST
I know you guys. I know how awesome and generous you all are. And I know we can get them everything on this list. Even the laser tag guns you guys. I know it would mean so much to them.

Thank you!

p.s. If you're doing the Nine Day Christmas Novena, it starts tomorrow!

An Easy, No Mess, Kid-Friendly, Not-Crafty-Mom-Friendly, Last Minute Advent Wreath and a Guide to the Upcoming First Week of Advent

Advent starts tomorrow! And that means tonight is Catholic New Year's Eve, so break out the champagne!
If, like me, you are not quite ready to, um, get ready, I thought I'd share this quick and easy Advent Wreath that is our go-to every year now. 


We've had lots of different kinds of Advent Wreaths over the years, but I started making this one a few years back because the kids wanted to have one that we could keep lit during our school days, and regular taper candles burn down so quickly, and make it not unlikely that wreath branches, school papers, and toddlers will at some point during Advent . . . catch fire. 
Then I noticed these prayer candles! They make a quick, easy, pretty, real but less likely to burn the place down Advent Wreath.
Step 1: Get some jar candles. 


Ideally, three purple and one pink. But you can also get white, and tie ribbons around the jar, or paint the jar (but that's basically a REAL craft, and we're trying to avoid that, right? Right.).
Prayer candles are ubiquitous around here, and easily available in the Latin food section of most grocery stores. Also dollar stores, Walmart, Target, etc. They sell them at Target online as well. Aldi has the white ones.
If you can find them with no labels, you're in luck and can skip the next step.
2. Get the labels off.

Soak them for five minutes or so in COLD water. So you don't melt them.
Then using fingers and table knives, scrape the labels off.


Yes. Scraping pictures of Our Lady off DOES stress me out a tiny bit. I may have actually told Gus out loud to quit stabbing Our Lady in the face and just gently slide it off. But there's nothing officially inappropriate about removing a religious image from something. We just blow Our Lady, or whatever saint it is, a good bye kiss and git er done.
For the last bits of glue, steel wool works well.

3. Gather some evergreens.

There's a lot of symbolism involved in an Advent Wreath. The flames represent Christ as the light of the world, the four candles are the four weeks of Advent, and the four thousand years that the Chosen People waited for the Chosen One, the circle stands for eternity, as do evergreen plants. Pine cones and seed pods and berries represent new life in Christ.
So, we like to gather a selection of evergreens from our yard: rosemary, juniper, pines, whatever. We find as many little cones and seeds, and berries as we can and include those. If you don't have evergreens in the yard, you might be able to scrounge some from neighbors, or a park, or a local Christmas tree lot.
4. Arrange on a platter.


It's super fast to put together!

An easy, kid-friendly, non-crafty-mom-friendly Advent Wreath that the kids and I put together this morning, for about $4.