An Easy Advent Decoration

This is a rerun of a post from the first day of Advent last year. Since I just finished my annual recovering the art over the fireplace, I thought I'd share this quick and easy way to decorate. 

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Advent is my favorite liturgical season. I love the newness -- a new church year, a fresh start, a time to deepen our relationship with Christ.

And we've started decorating. The Advent wreath is on the dining room table, the nativity set is on the mantle. On Thanksgiving Day (we usually travel, but were at home this year), as we were listening to The Splendid Table's Turkey Confidential (Ramona's favorite thing to listen to on Thanksgiving Day -- beats a parade), I did a quick-change on the artwork above the mantle. I've done this for the last couple of years. It starts out looking like this: 

Then, some burgundy colored fabric. Staples. Pretty easy, even for me. 

Then it looks like this: 

Then I add a beautiful printable from Lesley Austin/Small Meadow, set up the creche, and ... it's Advent! 

A No-Panic Advent: The Monstrously Long Post

It's back! 

Too many ideas for one post! 

And that's why I encourage you to not be insane. 

Don't try to do everything. 

I don't. 

(But I hope you find one or two things that are useful.)

Here it is: 

A No-Panic Advent

Watch. Wait. 

Poetry Friday: Cheerfulness Taught by Reason

On what could be a dreary, snowy day on which I am captive at home while I wait for a plumber, I am, in the spirit of Hygge, choosing cheerfulness. 

(Hygge is everywhere!) 

Cheerfulness Taught by Reason
Elizabeth Barrett Browning

I think we are too ready with complaint
In this fair world of God’s. Had we no hope
Indeed beyond the zenith and the slope
Of yon gray blank of sky, we might be faint
To muse upon eternity’s constraint
Round our aspirant souls. But since the scope
Must widen early, is it well to droop,
For a few days consumed in loss and taint?
O pusillanimous Heart, be comforted,—
And, like a cheerful traveller, take the road—
Singing beside the hedge. What if the bread
Be bitter in thine inn, and thou unshod
To meet the flints?—At least it may be said,
“Because the way is short, I thank thee, God!”

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Tricia has the round up at The Miss Rumphius Effect.

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Speaking of cheerfulness, if you missed my post yesterday about Lesley Austin's swoony, papery goodness, be sure to check it out. 

Lesley Austin's Swoony Papery Goodness

Do you know Lesley Austin? If you don't, you should. She's one of my favorite people on the internet. I was first introduced to Lesley by Lissa, way back when Lesley ran Small Meadow Press. I fell head over heels for her swoony papery goods -- notecards, postcards, gift tags, calendars, wall hangings. Things that looked like this:

Photo courtesy of Lesley Austin 

Small Meadow Press has since been reimagined and its current incarnation could be called Swoon-y Papery Goods, Plus Some (except that Lesley's names for things are much lovelier than that.) The "Plus Some" means that in addition to the beautiful planners and calendars that Lesley sells in her Small Meadow Etsy shop -- things like this:

Lesley's Wild Simplicity Daybook

-- she also offers the beauty of her papery goods in an electronic form at Small Meadow Post. I've gotten a little bit addicted to sending these beautiful e-greetings, which feature a combination of Lesley's photography, soft illustrations, vintage pictures culled and collected over the years, and gentle messages for all occasions. 

In addition to the all of the above, Lesley runs Wisteria and Sunshine, a private membership site where women gather for conversation and encouragement, in a gentle atmosphere of support. 

Right now, Lesley is gathering all of her wares into a "Wild Simplicity Basket." She is offering a year-long membership in Wisteria and Sunshine, a year-long subscription to Small Meadow Post, and a 10% discount on all the handmade, beautiful items in her Etsy shop. Details about that offering are here, at Wisteria and Sunshine. 

So, go visit Lesley! 

(This is not a sponsored post and I am not receiving any compensation of any kind for it. I'm sharing the information because I love Lesley's work and her kind, gentle spirit, and I hope to help her spread the word.) 

Talking With Sarah Reinhard About Her New Book and the Rosary

The lovely, prolific, kind, and funny Sarah Reinhard asked me to do a brief interview about my reflection on the word "hour" in her new book, Word by Word: Slowing Down With the Hail Mary. Sarah invited forty people to contribute reflections on each word of the Hail Mary. The result was first a great blog series and now a great devotional book.

Find out more about Word by Word here, on Sarah's blog, and more about the rest of Sarah's wonderful books here.

My chat with Sarah is here, at CatholicMom.com.

Forgetfulness, by Billy Collins (Or, I Almost Forgot It Was Poetry Friday)

My memory is a frightening thing these days. I used to have an excellent memory. When I was younger, when I was single, when I was newly in the workplace, newly married, my memory was formidable. There was so much less to keep track of in those days. Fewer people, fewer responsibilities, and no meal plans, only take-out.

The other day, in response to a friend's question about Halloween, I proceeded to talk about the evening as if he had no idea what'd gone on at our house. In fact, he had stood in my dining room and I had snapped pictures of his children -- Harry Potter, a ninja, Anna, and an owl -- before they went trick-or-treating.

My memory is a frightening thing these days. (Did I say that already?)

"Come read this poem by Billy Collins," I just now said to Atticus.

"Another one?" he asked.

"Did I already have you read a Billy Collins poem this morning?"


Forgetfulness
by Billy Collins

The name of the author is the first to go
followed obediently by the title, the plot,
the heartbreaking conclusion, the entire novel
which suddenly becomes one you have never read,
never even heard of,

as if, one by one, the memories you used to harbor
decided to retire to the southern hemisphere of the brain,
to a little fishing village where there are no phones.
....

(Read the whole thing here, at Poets.org.)

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The Poetry Friday round up is at Write. Sketch. Repeat. 

(Photo courtesy of FreeImages.com.) 

Bits and Pieces of Our Days

* Last week included the final primping of Pumpkindore which -- Ramona was delighted to learn -- won second place in the family division of the pumpkin decorating contest, hurray! On Halloween, Ramona trick-or-treated as Luna Lovegood while Anne and Betsy, (aka Joy and Sadness) passed out candy.

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 * We also prepped for our Harry Potter movie marathon (Deathly Hallows 1 and 2) and the accompanying feast, which included owl/pumpkin muffins, pumpkin pasties, chocolate frogs, popcorn (not Harry-related, just a movie-viewing must), Atticus's oven-fried chicken, and butterbeer (actually, the girls decided they wanted root beer floats, and I opted for a Sam Adams cream stout.) We finished the book last month, and that whole experience deserves its own post. First, the fact that we kept so many huge spoilers a secret from Ramona delights me to no end. I really thought we'd have inadvertently ruined the books for her over the years, but we didn't, so, yay for all of us.

And then, there was Ramona's reaction to parts of the final chapters: "It's so Christian!" she said, between sobs at one point. Ah, yes, my dear, in so many ways. As I said, it deserves its own post.

It's the end of an era, though maybe not.  I fully expect to talk to grandchildren about Harry one day.

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* Ramona and I are now reading A Wrinkle in Time together, and recently finished The Phantom Tollbooth.

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* Betsy and Ramona are both participating in NaNoWriMo. It's the third time for Ramona, and the fifth time for Betsy. And in added writerly news, the two girls in Ramona's weekly writing group have decided to join Ramona in the NaNo young writers' program. I couldn't be happier!

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* I spent a chunk of last week going over the final edits to my upcoming book. It's due out in February of 2016, and I'll have more news on it soon!

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* I just got new glasses. Please tell me I'll adjust to bifocals quickly. Anyone, anyone? I don't care that they make me feel old, I just don't want to get motion sickness from my glasses. Bueller? Bueller?