Beautiful New Advent and Christmas Books for Children

The Catholic Saints Advent Calendar for Kids is a perfect Advent and Christmas book for the whole family. It truly prepares the heart for Christmas. It works as a read-aloud for younger kids and older kids will enjoy doing the activities: color the picture, do a crossword, find hidden pictures, etc. We live a liturgical life at home, so I especially appreciated that not only do saints appear on their feast days, but the author has included some Old Testament saints and prophets as well. This is the first Advent book for kids I've seen that also includes the 12 days of Christmas!!! I highly recommend this book. Thanks to Netgalley for a review copy. I loved it so much, I bought multiple copies for my own home and as gifts. 

My First Saint Nicholas Book: Celebrating St. Nick's feast day and Christmas story by Amanda Lauer and illustrated by Julia Seal is such a cute little board book for little hands to hold. The story is in rhyme with bright illustrations for babies and toddlers. Thanks to the author and publisher for an ARC.

Heyward the Horse is back! This time he rescues Christmas in Charleston! This is Andrew Barton's third picture book written in rhyme with bright illustrations. It's a delight for children of all ages, and such a fun way to learn a bit of Charleston history. So get your copy of A Charleston Christmas before they're all gone! I know my grandbabies are going to love it--of course, I still have to prevent them from devouring them.

My dear friend, Evelyn Christensen passed away this fall. She was a mathematician, a teacher, a writer, a puzzle-creator extraordinaire, a wife, a mother, a grandmother, who loved our Lord Jesus. We met through the now-defunct Blueboards that we moderated and shared so many stories over the years. I always wanted her to write a memoir. Here's her obituary. She maintained a page: Resources for Writers and was so very generous with her time and talents. I had the chance to meet her when we were moving from WA to SC 15 years ago. We had such a good time visiting, making music, and taking a walk around her neighborhood. I was looking through my album and so sad to discover I didn't have a picture of her amidst the flowers, rocks, and butterflies. But this is how I remember her, always with a smile. My kids enjoyed her stories very much. 

I saved every Christmas card she made--each a unique creation with original art and poetry. These are just a few of them. It was so wonderful to touch them, read the poems inside, because they were once touched by her. I'm going to miss her very much, but our faith assures us we will meet again in heaven. Requiescat in pace, Ev. And have a grandest Christmas in heaven! Her beautiful adaptation of the traditional song: The Twelve Days of Christmas in Kentucky illustrated by Kent Culotta is one of my favorite Christmas books.

A Conversation with Roxane Salonen

I had the great pleasure of talking with Roxane Salonen on her Matters of Soul Importance podcast to speak about the Prodigal Journey (click on the big green arrow). No two conversations on the spiritual journey are ever the same; each host focuses on a different aspect. And Roxane is a wonderful host--her intro and outro are gold. We had a lot of technical difficulties getting started but once that was resolved, we were able to dive into my childhood, my loss of faith (oh, it still grieves me), living a Godless life, and my return to the Father's Heart. We discuss our spiritual struggles because conversion is continual. At the end we talk a bit about my writing and the new novel that I'm working on, a sequel of Bound. It is the story of my heart that poured out of me as a neophyte. What a gift it was for me, and now it can be a gift for others. When I wrote it, the seeds of this new story were already planted, but I had to do a lot of research so that I could have a viable story. Pray for me that I may write it true and well.

Today is the Feast of St. Margaret Mary Alaqoque to whom Jesus revealed His Sacred Heart. May the Heart of Jesus draw each and every one ever closer to Himself. Enjoy!

October is Respect Life Month and so we are praying fervently for life to be respected from the moment of conception to natural death.

Retreat in WA

I'm always amazed at the Providence of God. Since it'd been over a decade since I'd been in WA, I made plans to spend a few days with my friend Colleen after the family reunion. We'd been neighbors for many years, our horse-acre adjoining her twenty. My kids loved going over to her property and playing on the swing she'd hung beneath the walnut tree, making leaf boats and sending them down the creek, feeding her horses, playing with the big toys her husband had, and enjoying all the treats she prepared for them.  

She sewed colorful and unique clothes for the kids--they were absolute favorites. I only kept a couple once they grew out of them but I wish I'd kept them all for the grandkids. There's no one quite like Auntie Colleen--I tried to capture her spirit in BOUND (Rebecca's best friend). 

Colleen's like my big sister. How grateful I am to have a friend like her when my own family wasn't nearby.   

God knew I'd need time to recover from my fall--I ended up with multiple fractures but within the limits of not needing surgery--so how fortuitous that I'd get to be with Colleen. The vase with the yellow rose is a reminder to slow down. Colleen took marvelous care of me, preparing delicious meals while I read book or wrote in my journal. We enjoyed catching up so much and it was truly a retreat from the daily responsibilities. We walked a bit as I admired her new home, her quilting projects, garden, fishpond, and she-shed :) Truly, she has made her home and life a work of art. May God bless you with a long life, my friend, and bring you to heaven.

We are entering our golden years and they have their own beauty like this beautiful walnut tree. Deo gratias!

Family Reunion in WA

It's been nearly a month since I've returned home from a family reunion in WA. I've not been back for a decade so it was extra-special to spend this time with my in-laws. I felt like we were chasing the sunset across the country as we flew West. I loved spending the week with our children, their spouses, and their sweet babies. Sharing a few pictures of our time together (minus grandkids). Here we are on the Port Townsend ferry. And of course, no trip is complete without a trip to a brewery. Propolis Brewing was exceptional.

 

Of course, I always manage to find a cat to cuddle! 

At the visit to Chuckanut Brewery, the Navy was doing some exercises. So fun to watch them on this beautiful day.

We have so many beautiful memories in my in-laws home in Oak Harbor. Charlanne taught Dagny how to make pies and here she is making a cherry pie, using her grandmother's cookbook, which she gets to keep. Laura made a blackberry cobbler. I spent some time in the sunroom painting. We had a lovely time eating apples, plums, and blackberries. 

Don and Charlanne had such a wonderful time with all the family gathered. It's hard to believe, last year there was only one great-grandchild. And this year--FIVE!!! 

Alas, I had a very bad fall and fractured my ankle. I missed Sunday Mass because I couldn't put any weight on my foot. I was one step ahead of the babies, crawling on the floor. But our dear friend, Fr. Dwight Lewis, was saying Mass at St. Augustine and he graciously waited until Michael could bring me to him. What a joy to see him after all these years. He was a seminarian when we were going through RCIA at St. Jude. We had the great honor of witnessing his ordination and first Mass. He is a powerful preacher, ruffling feathers, not allowing you to stay in your comfortable place, rather challenging you to go deeper into the Christian life.

I think my travelling days are coming to an end, which is just as well, since I love staying home. Still, I'm so grateful to have had this time to spend with my in-laws. I brought home some mementos: Michael's maternal grandmother preserved the butterflies, seeds, stalks and leaves so artfully; a bird's nest that Don removed while we were visiting--I added the Ukrainian Easter eggs I'd made many years ago. On the right is an old hummingbird nest with cracked eggs--I love these marvels of nature; feathers found on the property; and some of Don's barbershop music! These will grace our home now.