House Art Journal

I really do! And I love my laundry room, where I retreat almost daily to spot-clean clothes and clean out the lint trap. But until I read this book above, I hadn't realized the spiritual possibilities of making the laundry room a prayer closet. Barbara Curtis , mother of 12 and a recent revert to her childhood Catholic faith, details how to find spiritual solace in the most mundane of chores. On her blog she reflects: I feel it's part of the rhythm of my life - almost as unchanging and dependable as God. It's a service I render to the people I love, thinking of it as a small reflection of Jesus washing his disciples' feet. more Her book is wonderful Lenten reading. So it was natural for Barbara to stride into the fray when furor arose when the Vatican newspaper remarked on International Women's Day that the washing machine had done more to liberate women than the birth control pill. She has posted her own comments praising washing machines on her blog, along with

For years, I've enjoyed the artwork of my friend Sophie Cayless, a Catholic nature artist with a love for the childlike spirit. I'm pleased to announce that Sophie has turned some of her charming images of Little Saints of Spring into cards and t-shirts: the perfect gift for Easter! Saints thus far included are St. Patrick , St. Bernadette , St. Joseph , St. Catherine of Siena , St. Isidore the Farmer , and St. David . I hope she'll do more! Please check out her gallery at zazzle.com!

Slowly but surely we are starting to finish rooms in the addition of our house. I am delighted to be able to announce that our school room/meeting room/den is "mostly finished!" We still need to install one more door, and I would like to put curtains on the window (alas, the Briarwood curtains I won on ebay never arrived from England -- the first time an international purchase has gone tragically wrong on me. I keep praying they'll show up unexpectedly, but it's been since August...!) but for now, the room is done! I am much indebted to the girls who attended the Fairy Tale Novel Fan Gathering 08 at my home. One of them had the idea of transforming the landscapes I had planned to put around the room into vistas of Middle Earth. So now Hobbiton (which I painted) resides over the blackboard... And Minas Tirith, Edoras, and Orthanc's tower are dimly visible above the armoire. On the very top photo, you can catch a glimpse of Rivendell. Someday I'll have to get