House Art Journal

Paula Kathleen "Polly" born at home December 31, 2007 1:21 AM 8 lbs, 0 oz born hand first (!), reaching out to explore the world already, and with a full head of black hair, a first for us. As usual with newborn pictures, the photo does not do her cuteness justice. Mother and baby are doing well. Praise God from whom all blessings flow! An Explanation of the Names: Paula after St. Paula, friend of St. Jerome and collaborator with him on the Vulgate Translation. Also in honor of the upcoming Year of St. Paul (2008-2009) to be proclaimed by Pope Benedict XVI. "Polly" after Lady Polly Plummer of Narnia :) Kathleen after her paternal grandmother. Thanks for all your prayers and good wishes!

Blessed Christmas! I keep hoping that my next post will be a baby post, but I am now two days overdue, and the baby is not yet coming, so I might as well make a Christmas post during the Twelve Days while I wait and quilt and wait... One cherished treasure from my growing-up years was a little porcelain Napcoware Nativity scene which I received for my confirmation. Alas, when my car was broken into during the time I lived in New York City, it was among the things that were stolen. Unlike most of the things from my trunk, though, I really missed this Nativity scene. Then several years ago, I was able to replace the set, thanks to Ebay. So every year I particularly enjoy setting it up on my dresser with different background pieces, and occaisonally showing off a new acquisition (there are approximately eight other figures that could be part of the set which I still don't have - ah, the thrill of the hunt). This year during my pregnancy I was fortunate to receive a "blessing part...

"This is the shortest Advent ever!" one of my girls exclaimed yesterday. I am inclined to agree: due to upheavals in moving rooms around, we couldn't find our Advent calendar or Advent wreath until last week. And while the Advent Calendar is at last in its familiar place, there's no room for our hanging Advent wreath, due to new light fixtures. So we are wreath-less in the fourth week of Advent, a telling sign as to how behind we are. For instance, I meant to post this photo of our St. Lucy's morning breakfast by the fire last week, but only got to it now... I actually had a few other Advent posts I never got to. I will mention how glad I was that I did manage to find our little Lucy doll . We purchased her from Magic Cabin Dolls last year, and she oversaw the holiday table with the help of an overturned pot and some plasti-tak. Our main course was Monkey Bread (eaten too fast to be photographed), which my husband and oldest daughter delight in making. Since my o...

While pondering a few years ago why my children have never seemed to have difficulty understanding that Santa Claus was actually St. Nicholas, I came across this book in our bookshelf, which I had purchased for my oldest son his first Christmas: Country Angel Christmas by Tomie De Paola . Then I realized that perhaps this oversized thin picture book is part of the reason. De Paola is a great storyteller whose greatness does not lie in his consistency. Some of his books, like The Clown of God or Our Lady of Guadalupe , are masterpieces. Others are forgettable fluff. This book, as a story, is somewhat in between, though I think the illustrations are among his best, particularly if you are fond of country-style-simplicity. This lightweight, pleasant story is set in Heaven among the "Country Angels," a homier and humbler brand of angelic being, whose friend is St. Nicholas. Although he is only part of the background, serving as a friendly mentor to the young trio of angelic hero...

Tonight is the night when your children may exhibiting extra-good behavior combined with a sudden rare desire to locate both of their shoes, for tonight is the Eve of St. Nicholas. We found that once you surprise your children with candy in their shoes for the first time, the yearly ritual quickly establishes itself. So, if your family celebrates St. Nicholas day, you as a parent will probably be readying some shoe-sized treats for stealthy delivery late tonight. My typical tradition is to give books, usually from the annual library sale. Here is a picture of last year's toddler shoes. I was lucky with my candy finds: the church bazaar sold candy canes decorated with marshmallow Christmas figures and chocolate cake-lollipops. Also in the shoes was a frosted gingerbread cookie and a jingle-bell bracelet, respectively made by my two oldest girls. This year I'm packing the shoes with discounted lunchboxes from a fall school sale. I just hope I have enough gingerbread cookies!

Last Christmas, I decided to buy my older girls "heirloom quality" dolls, as they were both reaching the age where they can take better care of their playthings. Plus, (deep sigh) I know that my oldest girl's time with dolls is limited as she will pass the age of ten this coming year. I chose Nova Natural's Peruvian-made dolls as their present. The dolls were an investment, but they are still gorgeous, have held up well after a year's worth of playing, and the girls still refer to them affectionately. The problem was that my youngest daughter, age 2, loves the dolls as well, but I wasn't so willing to buy her a 14" doll. First of all, there was the cost: secondly, from a beauty-lover's point of view, a larger doll just doesn't look right being hauled around by a toddler. So I went hunting for a smaller doll. And once again, Nova Natural solved my problem by choosing to introduce the Kusi doll this year. I snuck my doll out of its Christmas wrappin...

You would think that after having six kids, babies would become "old hat." But the paradox is that each sucessive baby becomes more precious. Is it because you recognize how short a time babyhood actually is? I feel as though I spent all my time with my first baby anxiously awaiting milestones: lifting the head, rolling over, crawling, walking... But now, I'm more delighted in the baby just being an infant, small, helpless, utterly adorable. And with every new baby, I try to gather a few things that are special and new just for them. As I prepare for my December 27 due date, here are a few things I'm setting aside: a silk-and-wool infant cap from Nova Natural . It's dreamily soft and finely made. A thrift-store find of a never-used cotton velour sweater in soft green. Also from Nova Natural : a spiral crystal rainbow maker. Hang one of these in the bedroom window and your baby will have rainbows to play with! (I actually was so enchanted with this one th...