House Art Journal

Working on my new novel series from 4 am to 6 am at this desk has been a blessing this past summer. I write at a salvaged desk that just fits between our two bookshelves in our parlor ("away room") surrounded by some of our best-loved books (including the History of Middle Earth, gifted to us by a great friend). Someone noted this desk is very neat. That's because the only thing I do here is write my novel.  This is my "regular" desk where everything else in my life gets done or gets lost. I am grateful for both desks.  And there you have the two halves of my life these days.

Please consider praying and fasting today to end abortion. 

In small amounts, they can brighten my day!

Rainy day. Working on John Paul 2 High Book 5. And Cora is working on learning to crawl. I just bought the little carpet square sample on the floor at a thrift store, and it makes me absurdly happy every time I see it. I must really like rainbow colors, judging from my sticky notes on the plot analysis board.

My daughter Joan convinced us to plant popcorn this year. Popcorn must be dried, so we decided to combine drying corn with harvest decoration, thus getting a double-Morris score ("Have nothing in your home which you do not either know to be useful or believe to be beautiful." - William Morris   Both!=double Morris)

My teen daughter used a window-paint marker to make this delightful mural on the car window next to the baby's seat. What a sweet way to entertain the baby during countless hours in the car!

So many of my babies have spent time in my office next to my desk chair as I work away, and I am always trying to entertain them.  When they are little I like to dangle a soft toy above their legs so that they can move it around as they wiggle and kick--good foundation for movement control! But how to hang a soft toy easily and safely was always a concern -- until some common office tools came to the rescue. One large binder clip and two paper clips made the perfect office baby mobile, and I can change out the toy for another one to keep her interested. This will work until she gets into grabbing the toys -- then I'll either hang the mobile higher up or find something more secure than paper clips. Always glad to find something that works!

Summer is approaching and lots of us are preparing for extended vacations. Next week my daughters and teen son embark on a cross-country trip to see their uncle ordained to the priesthood, for example. Given that they are flying and hitching rides with relatives in already-crowded cars, they have to pack light. But that's fine, because for years, we've used a few principles to create a travel wardrobe that will last a week or more. Now, I didn't come up with this idea myself. I read the basic plan in the sidebar of a women's magazine when I was a teen, and committed the plan to memory. Since I don't have the original, I'm reproducing it here. Obviously the model uses a girl's wardrobe, but this is fine, since our female tendency is to pack more than we need, whereas my sons and husband would toss a toothbrush, a spare tshirt, and a pair of boxer shorts into a bag and consider themselves packed for a weeklong trip! Below, I've shown pictures ...

I should still be in bed, taking the last days of my post-partum bedrest, but it is difficult not to be swayed by a quiet early morning, and the chance of a cup of coffee and the last piece of lemon pound cake shared with your husband before the rest of the house gets up.  So I found myself stumbling out of bed, and sitting in the early morning light, and enjoying the few minutes of silence before the daily roar began.

On April 24th, 2014, our ninth child and fifth girl, Cora Regina was born at our local hospital, weighing almost 9 lbs, and unbearably cute. Even though she was our first c-section after eight home births (she was breech), we were so happy to have her with us safe and adorable!

Being that I was due to give birth, I delegated all Easter cooking to my oldest daughter -- and my, she rose to the occasion! She created a French Toast Casserole (in the pan in front of the teapot) from a magazine recipe, made even more delicious with homemade blackberry jam, which eliminated much of the cloying sweetness. When I had exclaimed several times over the flavor, she said, "Mom, what you're not tasting is corn syrup."  She served it with whipped cream from our family cow, sausage links, and exquisitely fried potatoes chopped into tiny golden pieces. My son and I had set the table using all our fun spring china -- miniature teacups, peacock-printed dessert dishes, fragile demitasse, and small gold chalices to hold the Easter eggs. A patterned folk tablecloth, painted wooden napkin rings, and cherry blossoms in blue mason jars added to the celebration of color. It was a wonderful breakfast, for a truly wonderful feast day.

On Good Friday my husband's idea of a hands-on devotional was to have the whole family pick rocks out of our freshly-tilled field, as a meditation asking The Lord to soften our stony hearts. It was a good morning's work, but we were amazed at how many rocks it generated!

Whether that Chesterton-loving guy is a collegiate bachelor or a husband of many years, we hope that this Gilbert-themed basket will make him very happy. Of course we had to start with the books, namely a G.K. Chesterton classic, Orthodoxy (and this writer's personal favorite) , although What's Wrong With the World or The Poet and the Lunatics might also work, depending on what's needed to read. Be sure to browse our collection of popular and obscure Chesterton books at www.chestertonpress.com . The second choice, like Chesterton himself, may seem absurdly whimsical: the Fairy Tale Novel Alex O'Donnell & the 40 Cyberthieves . But this book is actually dedicated to GKC himself and features a very Chestertonian adventurer, Alex, as the hero.  Lastly, any serious fan of the great man will appreciate this handsome illustrated edition of Chesterton's epic poem The Ballad of the White Horse, with extensive annotations and stunning illustrations by Ben Hat...

For that fun, romantic, and quirky teen girl in your life, we've assembled a few gift ideas that are sure to please. For an Easter basket inspired by the Far East, we chose a cotton scarf in a Chinese pattern and slipped in some Oriental lunch plates from the flea market (they look like china, but these are plastic!). And added an assortment of fun and romantic Catholic books to feed the soul as well.      Many are Called  is the most manga-like of all our Catholic graphic novels, a steampunk & swords adventure that is actually a cleverly-imagined interweaving of Christ's parables of the End Times. In it, a prince whose bride has been stolen away by his enemy seeks to bring her home to the Wedding Feast. Two very different servants and ten equally disparate virgins play key roles in this creative and very Catholic parable. We also included our most romantic of the Fairy Tale Novels,  Waking Rose , a story of unrequited love and impossible quests ...

For a teenage boy's basket, you might put in such necessaries as a iPhone case or earbuds, but don't overlook the power of print media, especially in the form of good Catholic fiction. For this basket, I included  The Shadow of the Bear , which has become a guy favorite. (If your teen doesn't have time to read, consider getting him the  Shadow of the Bear audio drama, four hours of listening adventure for only $9.00 .)  And for Catholic apologetics and an overall good story, I recommend  Book 4 of John Paul 2 High, Undercover Papist,  in which class nerd Brian Burke goes to Bible camp to persuade the most popular girl in his small high school to return to the Catholic faith. Not to be missed! Both of these titles are available in three of the most popular eBook formats on our site .And I can't resist including a classic challenging book by G.K. Chesterton, The Everlasting Man , the book which helped C.S. Lewis become a Christian, and which has inspired c...

 Instead of Easter ribbons, twine a new spring kerchief around the basket's handle, line it with a lace scarf, and organize treats with fun (and doubly useful) containers like a china teacup and a colorful tin box. Then fill the basket with some fun Catholic reads from the new Tween Girl section at Chesterton Press! Specially for this Easter, I am pleased to offer one of my daughter's fav reads, the mystery Riddle at the Rodeo by Claudia Cangilla McAdam, also known as the author of our popular tween novel Awakening . Either book makes a great Easter read, since Awakening is a time-travel adventure about a girl who finds herself in Jerusalem the week of Christ's death and sets out on an impossible mission: to stop the crucifixion. Really powerful book that not a few moms have enjoyed as much as their daughters!  Also check out the graphic novel Judith about a little-known Biblical heroine who deserves just as much status as Esther and Deborah in Bible-lore. ...

 As you can tell, I picked categories according to the children I have in my own family, and I have a ten-year-old son, so I couldn't resist showing off the fiction that he's enjoyed which we carry at Chesterton Press. His favorite read was the new book by John McNichol, The King's Gambit , which features giant chess pieces, cool FBI agents, a missing dad, and a son who's determined to find him, even if it means facing down twelve-foot-tall knights from another dimension. This certainly qualifies as fun Catholic fiction, and with its short chapters and quirky cartoon illustrations, we both bet it will be a favorite with many boy readers! Click here to get a copy. My son also loves the graphic novel Paul: Tarsus to Redemption, available here, and the intriguing adventures of the most famous priest detective ever, Father Brown , who in The Father Brown Reader catches an international jewel thief (three times!) and solves a magician's puzzle in this first in...

Easter baskets for babies should be fun and simple with a few things for Baby that are easy to grab and explore. Our basket, lined with a second-hand daisy-embroidered doily, has a soft and huggable Fair Trade Cuddle Doll and a sunshiny Tug Toy , both specially available for the holiday from Chesterton Press, along with our best-selling baby classic Angel in the Waters . A duck lollipop bouquet provides color and a little Easter sweetness, and plastic eggs might have goldfish crackers and other toddler-friendly treats. The 100% cotton terrycloth Tug Toy has no internal squeakers or rattles to break or come out, just fun petals to grab and a friendly face to smile at. Limited quantities available from Chesterton Press for just $7.00. Still a favorite with thousands of children after ten years, Angel in the Waters is a lovely present for Easter or any time new beginnings are celebrated! $8.00 from Chesterton Press -- and you can request a signed copy! Shop Chesterton...

Sugar and spice and everything nice -- here's some ideas for a sweet basket for a little girl. I started with a colorful cotton napkin from the thrift store that could easily become a tablecloth for a doll's picnic, and added a doll-size picnic tin full of colorful chocolates. Chenille chicks from the dollar store and a secondhand bunny rabbit find a new nest in the rustic wicker basket, along with an fun adventure from Chesterton Press: misfit nuns who solve mysteries: The Sisters of the Last Straw !  I included the first book, The Case of the Haunted Chapel, but the second adventure, The Case of the Missing Novice should be available for Easter ordering!  Plastic eggs hide more treats, but also a homemade rosary ring of wooden beads.  Obscure patron saint? No problem! Google, download and print a pretty image of the saint that bears your daughter's name and glue to an inexpensive plaque from the craft store with Modge Podge or white glue. Decorate with e...

On a chill spring day when I was under the weather with a cold and extended-winter doldrums, two friends and my daughter cheered me up immensely by bringing over a spontaneous tea for St. Patrick's day. One friend brought over exquisitely-baked scones: another brought a selection of jams and a homemade loaf of bread, and my daughter set the table with a tablecloth of green satin and white knitted cotton lace. I boiled the water, and brought out the Baileys for a fun grow up alternative to creamer. All in all, it was a wonderful celebration enjoyed by  adults and our plentitude of children alike.