House Art Journal

I had great intentions of posting this last week as we were preparing for Lent, but alas, life intervened again. I wanted to share one of our Lenten traditions that has become an almost natural part of our lives now: the annual clothing fast. My sister developed this concept in high school, when she would pare herself down to a basic wardrobe during Lent to help detach herself from the fashions she loved. I used to try to do it myself by wearing an all-black or black-and-purple liturgical wardrobe during the penetential season. As fun as this was, it was difficult to maintain, especially as our family grew. But now I've hit on an even simpler way to observe the season: we simply put off changing over into summer clothing until after Easter. Our winter wardrobes are naturally filled with duller colors, and of course we're all tired of wearing them once the weather lightens up. But when we delay, Easter season is commemorated in a real, tangible way for our family. So if...

Before Lent takes us further from the Christmas season, I wanted to share this picture of our playroom and extend again a warm "thank you!" to those of you who bought playstands from my brother-in-law Michael Schmiedicke this past Christmas. Mike is still making playstands and other beautiful and durable items from salvaged barn wood. I hope to start a series on some of the unique and clever storage he's made for their small split-level home. If you need a custom storage piece for your shoes, toys, or other items, consider asking Mike to make it for you. Here's the link to his Etsy store again.

If you've ever wondered how a big family gets all their socks mated, please check out this new site by the frolicsome and fun Parente family. Liz and Doug and their gang o'kids are friends of ours, and they've decided to share their experience and garner ideas on how large families can save money and time. I read their "50 + ways to save money" and learned some things! Feel free to check out How do you mate socks? Updated: Our local paper, the Northern Virginia Daily did an interview with the Parentes including wonderful family pictures. I love their laundry room! Click here to read the article. Photo courtesy of WhitKnits , a cool knitting blog I discovered while looking for sock photos.