A Place to Hang the Moon

 Dear readers- I don't know about you, but I'm tired.  Exhausted, even.  I'm just so tired of all of the things going on- and it just seems like a never-ending deluge of muck and mire and darkness.  Welp, gotta keep raising saints to shine brightly.  Speaking of which (one of the 4yo’s favorite phrases), I only just reached the age with my boys where I don't have to keep my eyes glued on them whilst they play outside.  I can actually sit out with them and read while they play.  It's been awesome.  Apparently, I'm on a WWII kick this month, because the other title I'm scarfing down is the Boys in the Boat.  That one's great, but it's kind of dry and a bit too full of terminology for me.  

I just needed a little nook to hide in this week, and I found the perfect one.  I know I haven't done a review in a while, so apologies if this may seem a little rusty and unfinished, but I enjoyed this particular title so much that I wanted to write about it.  I knew nothing about it going in, other than it had a pretty little cover.  That's what draws me most to a book initially- the cover.  This one came highly recommended by one of my book groups, and I'm so glad I took the chance.  

A Place to Hang the Moon

Kate Albus
303 pages, Reading time: 4 days

Back cover reads: William, Edmund, and Anna aren't terribly upset by the death of their not-so-grandmotherly grandmother who has taken care of them since their parents died. But the children do need a guardian, and in the dark days of World War II London, those are in short supply, especially if they hope to stay together.  Could the mass wartime evacuation of children from London to the countryside be the answer?  It's a preposterous plan, but off they go--keeping their predicament a secret and hoping to be placed in a temporary home that ends up lasting forever.  Moving from one billet to another, the children suffer the cruel trickery of foster brothers, the cold realities of outdoor toilets, and the hollowness of empty stomachs.  they find comfort in the village lending library, whose kind librarian, Nora Müller, seems an excellent choice of billet--except that her German husband's whereabouts are currently unknown, and some of the villagers consider her unsuitable.  Set against the backdrop of World War II England, A Place to Hang the Moon is a story about the dire importance of family: the one you're given, and the one you choose. 

Initial Reaction: What a cozy little gem of a book.  I was charmed by the wonderful selection of difficult words (well, difficult for the intended audience) and how they were casually defined in context.  I enjoyed the nods to Narnia and even what appeared to be a slight reference to The Sound of Music.  It's all about fellow bibliophiles, libraries, crackling fires, and books.  it was a swift and lovely read that didn't make me think too much, which is exactly what I need right now.  I could also foresee a few plot points- the reason one of the characters was the town pariah and where the children would end up, but it didn't detract from the reading experience.  I appreciated the reading list provided in the back of the book that catalogued each title the characters mentioned.  

Promote Virtue?  Yes.  Fortitude, especially.

Transcendentals? Somewhat.  Goodness and Beauty, definitely.  The Truth isn't as much of a priority.  But Edmund is a staunch defender of truth when he is wronged.  There's a bit of secret-keeping.  Nothing malicious, though.  

Overcome human condition? Yes

Attitude toward Catholicism? NA

Paganry?  None

Swearing?  None

Violence?  Minimal.  A brief description of rat-killing that's a bit sickening, a schoolyard fight, and a foster parent slaps one of the main characters.  Mentions Nazis and internment camps, but not in detail.

Appropriate age?  I would say a well-read 10 year old could handle this as long as a dictionary was available.

Writing Style:  Easy, dreamy, delicious, cozy.  Realistic.  Gloriously bookish.  I did appreciate how she broke the 4th wall every now and then.  A few funny jabs peppered throughout.  

Notable Quotables:  

"The evacuees were glad of the familiarity of a classroom, where well-worn textbooks released a comforting perfume of ink and must" (68).

"William pushed his shoulder into the heavy door of the lending library.  It gave way with a satisfying creak.  inside, the children were greeted by the sort of cool and reverent silence known only to places that house books-well, and perhaps artwork and religious artifacts.  Mismatched bookcases stood back to back and side to side, making raucously wobbly passageways of words.  A fireplace in the corner was unlit on this warm afternoon, but the collection of over stuffed chairs gathered around it was no doubt delightful in winter.  The children followed a sign pointing them to LITERATURE AND FICTION, then another to CHILDREN'S BOOKS.  And they were home" (70)

Great words:  Several, but I really started paying attention when I found the word bibliophile.  

Final Summation:  Can't wait to read it to my boys.  

Can't Brain

 Readers- I've been hunted down by a few of you- so I know you exist.  I'd like to take this opportunity to thank you for your following, but I'm in desperate need of a break.  And when you're living your best mom life:

you kind of focus all your energy on keeping the tiny humans alive, and a few things drop by the wayside.  Unfortunately, this is one of the ones that'll be dormant for a bit.  Your brain functions (or ceases to) on a completely different level.

Surprisingly enough (hah!), I'm raising voracious readers, so you'll be happy to know that I'll return anew with fresh ink and quill when we dive into reading a bit more serious than Where's Spot? and The Cat in the Hat (which is a total commentary on the breakdown of the family and morality, heh).

Until then, Godspeed, and happy feast of St. Junipero Serra

Green Gables, Revisited

 Hey everyone.  Hitting the ground running here in the 3rd trimester.  Well, not really running, walking, but this one's back with a vengeance.  Taking care of 2 under 3 right now is really tough as well, especially since we have only one bathroom, and it's upstairs.

IN OUR NEW HOUSE!

We finally made the jump and became homeowners!  We've got a great place that has good bones and needs a ton of love, but after 5 years in apartments (2 of which were with small children), this place is absolutely gigantic!  I'm so grateful to be in a house of our own, especially amidst all of this covid craziness and societal unrest.  Using my own washer and dryer WHENEVER I WANT feels absolutely resplendent.

Because of all of that and severe pregnancy brain and a bit of exhaustion, I've been trying to keep my reading light.  I've completely abandoned by goodreads goal of 40 this year, and I'm settling for 20.  And no, they're not the twenty tiny titles, either.  Sad day.  Right now, I'm settling for cozy and nostaligic.  So when I found out about these two works, I grabbed them immediately from the library- which is within walking distance of our house!  Huzzah!  I do kind of enjoy back stories, but I don't want them ruining the warm-fuzzies of my childhood.  That being said, I didn't even read the whole series of Anne books until a few years ago- and they were wonderful.  My childhood is attached to the two (yes, the third doesn't exist, much like the 4th Indiana Jones) movies from the 1980s.  

To warn you, dear reader, I'm going to throw format out the window, and there may or may not be spoilers, but we all know how they'll end because of L.M. Montgomery's works, right?  I didn't really do a very close reading of either book because I frequently forget to brain, and these books were just great for escapism.  Anyways, here we go.

Before Green Gables
Budge Wilson
387 pages.  Reading time: 5 days

Back cover reads:  Before Green Gables is the story of Anne Shirley's early life, and the journey that led her to Prince Edward Island- a heartwarming tale of a precocious child whose lively imagination and relentless spirit help her overcome difficult circumstances; and of a young girl's ability to love, learn, and above all, dream.  When readers first meet Anne, she is eleven, and has just been sent from an orphanage to meet her new family.  Readers never learned the events of Anne's life before she arrived at Green Gables.  Until now.  After baby Anne's parents die in an epidemic, she is sent from one foster family to another, always searching for the love and comfort of a real home.  A clever child, she learns to talk early, and even in her darkest times she finds joy in the power of her imagination and, eventually, by escaping into the world of books.  Through her adventures at school and in foster homes and orphanages, Anne's vibrant personality- her imagination, her hot temper, her impetuousness, her dramatic flair- shines through.  For the millions of readers who devoured the Green Gables series, Before Green Gables is an irresistible treat: the story of how one of literature's most beloved heroines became the girl who captivated the world.

Overall Reaction:  Ok, so I just read the back cover for the first time, and I would definitely say that this book is not an irresistible treat for any of us who devoured the Green Gables series (and the movies).  It is a sad story for the most part, but one of hope.  The issue that I have the most with this work, however, isn't so much in the shock value of Anne's back story (the weight which carries most of the work), but it was often the word choice and writing style of the author.  I thought that Wilson did a relatively good job of being at least historically accurate, but there were several points in the book where she used modern-day language or terms (don't ask me to point them out because pregnancy brain) that just confused me.  At one point, I found myself questioning just what time frame she was attempting to depict in the novel.  It just didn't sit well with me.  

Before is absolutely not on par with Montgomery's style.  It tries to be, but it fails miserably.  I'm not saying that the author should have provided a story as similar to Montgomery's writing as humanly possible, but she could have done much better.  It just reeks of poorly-written high school age fan-fiction.  Also, having an almost 3-year-old and knowing his capabilities, it was just an enormous effort for me to suspend my disbelief regarding what Anne's responsibilities (chores and other things) at the age of 4.  I dunno.  Maybe they expected much, much more of children back then, but a 4 year old taking care of babies?  Nope.  Not gonna believe that.  I felt like a lot of the story was all about shock value.  Perhaps that's something that I shouldn't be reading right now whilst 6 months pregnant, but I didn't enjoy it.  There was also a smattering of feminist garbage in there that I thought was completely out of place.  Ugh

One thing that I think was well done Wilson's way of forming Anne's forgiving and understanding nature.  

After reading this, I think I'll leave Anne's past to my own devices, meaning I'd just rather not think about it.  I want to meet her where I first did, in the forest as she reads Tennyson on the way back to the Hammond's (in the movie), or through the curious gossip Rachel Lynde (the book).  It's really Rachel who sets the tone of the first book, and she is somewhat of a heroine in it as well (she makes Anne's puffed sleeve dress).  Anyways.  This book wasn't really all that disappointing, but it wasn't great, either.  So therefore:

Marilla of Green Gables

Sarah McCoy

291 pages.  Reading time: 1 week

Back cover reads: Plucky and ambitious, Marilla Cuthbert is thirteen years old when her world is turned upside down, leaving her to bear the responsibilities of a farm wife: cooking, sewing, keeping house, and overseeing the day-to-day life of Green Gables with her brother, Matthew, and father, Hugh.  In Avonlea, life holds few options for farm girls.  Marilla's one connection to the wider world is Aunt Elizabeth "Izzy" Johnson, her mother's sister, who fled Avonlea for the bustling city of St. Catharines.  An opinionated spinster, Aunt Izzy is a talented seamstress, which has allowed her to build a thriving business and make her own way in the world.  Emboldened by her aunt, Marilla dares to venture beyond the safety of Green Gables.  With her friend Rachel, she joins the local Ladies' Aid Society in helping an orphanage run by the Sisters of Charity in nearby Nova Scotia--a home for abandoned children that secretly serves as a way station for runaway slaves from America.  Her budding romance with John Blythe, the charming son of a neighbor, offers her a possibility of future happiness-- but Marilla is in no rush to trade one farm life for another.  Instead she is caught up in the dangerous work of politics and abolition-- jeopardizing all she cherishes.  Now Marilla must face a reckoning between her dreams of making a difference in the wider world and the small-town reality of life at Green Gables.  

First off, whoever wrote those liner notes must not have read the book.  UGH.  It really is a shallow portrayal of the novel.  Shock value to get the reader to read it.  Luckily, I usually don't read those things before diving in.  

Overall reaction:  After drinking the bitter water that was Before Green Gables, this novel was a joy to read.  On par with Montgomery's style, a sweet and cozy read that I think flows well with the rest of the Anne series.  The story is an easy and quick read.  I thought the characters were believable.  I found myself rooting so much for John and Marilla, even though I knew they were doomed.  It was nice to get into Marilla's head a little bit, as well as Rachel's. I think I liked Matthew's backstory the most.  Far be it from me to push a fellow introvert anywhere, but I thought it was admirable how he bucked up and took a risk to start courting a girl.  The men in this novel were wonderfully written.  They are good, faithful, hardworking men who honor the women in their lives.  

There are only a few gripes that I have with it.  Rachel Lynde's mother, Mrs. White, attempts to make a half-hearted attempt at the Sign of the Cross just because a nun does it.  (Which Marilla found strange.  It was not Presbyterian.  94)  I think this was completely out of place and historically inaccurate, and I'm sure any non-Catholic during this time period would find the patronizing action a little offensive and rude, especially if they knew Mrs. White wasn't Catholic.  I'm glad we hear Marilla's thoughts on it in order to get to know Mrs.  White's character more.

 I wasn't too amused by how silly and girlish Rachel's character is in this book.  It's a stark contrast to her "that's what" attitude in Montgomery's books, but Rachel's mother is quite similar to the adult Rachel Lynde, so it's easy to make the jump.

I do not like all this feminist agenda BS!  The gorgeous thing about L.M. Montgomery, Laura Ingalls Wilder, Louisa May Alcott, and other similar writers of yore, is that they didn't preach feminism.  They just wrote strong female characters who could challenge the status quo and still live a happy, normal life without tearing down the family.  There is nothing wrong with wanting to be married.  There is nothing wrong with NOT wanting to be married.  But spare me all the bra burning, woe-is-me, marriage is a cage for my free spirit BS. GAH.

The prologue.  This work began with a frame narrative.  I wanted it to end that way.  It didn't.  I wanted it to end closer to the time that we meet Anne.

I also enjoyed reading the Author's Note at the end.  It gave me warm fuzzies.  McCoy not only read all the books, did her research, etc. etc., but she loves the Kevin Sullivan movies.  

Marilla of Green Gables was just what my pregnant brain needed this last week.  I can't wait to get a copy of my own.  It's definitely

Not sure if I'll update with another review any time soon.  I'm trying to keep reading light.  I might work on my 7th tour of Miss Prim if it all gets to be too much.  I hope you and yours are well during this tumultuous time.

  

The Awakening of Miss Prim

Hey, friends.  The world is going absolutely crazy lately.  I find the timing perfect to return to my favorite novel of all time.  Mayhaps I'll begin a 6th tour of it this evening.  It's really the only thing that I even want to deal with at this point, after being kept hostage in my own home for the past 3 months due to medical hysteria.  I'm currently somewhat fearful of going out because of the social hysteria that started almost 2 weeks ago. It is starting to turn into absolute anarchy.  On top of this, we're pregnant with baby #3, so my emotions are all over the place.

Oh, hey, Squiffy!

If any of my loyal readers are unaware, I currently work for the Society of Gilbert Keith Chesterton as a content curator and social media specialist.  Them's just fancy words that means: I finds the quotes, I designs some of the emails.  I also pretty much do whatever my boss tells me.  And I kind of geek out every once in a while because my boss's boss is Dale Ahlquist.  Hah.

I'm on a FANTASTIC team of talented people whose goal is to promote the wit and wisdom of G.K. Chesterton to the world! 

This is one of my favorite photos of him.

A while back, I was assisting in one of the online Virtual Society meetings featuring Brandon Vogt and Joe Grabowski on distributism.  Distributism is one of those Chestertonian ideals that puzzles me, but I had recently read a novel that perfectly personified it.  I asked Brandon and Joe if they had ever read it as well as their thoughts regarding its portrayal of distributism.  Several members of my team, including my boss, had never heard of it, and I told them all to read it.  They fell head over heels, and there was emphatic talk of a book review of it to be featured, along with an interview of the author, in an upcoming issue of Gilbert! Magazine.  And who, can you guess, was asked to pen such a review?  Yours truly.  

Now, I tell you.  I was absolutely honored, for one thing, because I would finally be using that dusty old English degree that I have lying around here somewhere.  Secondly, I was terrified.  I only had 900 words to explain why every. freaking. person. needs to read this book.  I'd read it 4 times before tackling it again for the magazine, and I didn't dare touch it with a review, even on here, because I didn't feel worthy enough.  

So, I humbly submit for you now, the feeble 900 words that my little brain came up with to convince you to read my favorite novel of all time.  My typical review format can be found below. I have no time, nor the permission to just retype the entire novel here, so, you should just go read it.  

Charming.  Cozy.  Contra Mundum.  

(Featured in Gilbert! Magazine Vol. 23, No. 4.  Become a member and you get access to the best magazine ever!)

The Awakening of Miss Prim
Natalia Sanmartin Fenollera
Abacus Books
320 pages

So when I attended my first Chesterton Conference in 2016 in Slippery Rock, the word “Distributism” definitely piqued my interest.  This radical idea completely baffled me.  As someone relatively new to Chesterton at the time, I wanted to hear what the Apostle of Common Sense had to say.  I found it a little interesting but very confusing.  I could somewhat grasp the idea, but I just didn’t get it.  I really wanted to.  I did.  But I let it go.  About a year later, one of my online book clubs introduced me to The Awakening of Miss Prim.

Spread like butter and jam on toast across 320 delicious pages, the novel only took me 3 days to devour.  The coziness.  The Catholicism.  The cheek.  The Classics.  Miss Prim made me want to dive into distributism, cozy up to Chesterton, read more books, and not look back.

This book made me ecstatic about distributism, so naturally, I researched the topic, delighted to discover and read The Hound of Distributism in an effort to understand this concept.  Unfortunately, I still couldn’t wrap my head around it.  So I returned to Fenollera’s novel.  Again.  And again.  I just recently finished my 5th (1st!) reading in order to prepare a review for you, dear reader.  So, allow me to introduce you to my absolute favorite book of all time (only slightly beating out my childhood favorite, Harriet the Spy).

Proud and proper, Miss Prudencia Prim takes on a job as a personal librarian in San Ireneo, a small town in the middle of the countryside that seems oddly steeped in the past.  Her employer, only identified as “The Man in the Wingchair” throughout the novel, is a mysterious character whose life is filled with books, curious children, education, and faith. The overqualified Miss Prim longs to escape from the noise of her life in the city, but is somewhat just as exasperated by the old-fashioned simplicity of life in San Ireneo.

We are hit with the inner-workings of the community immediately, beginning with education and the importance of family.  Small business comes next, followed quickly by farming and the ideals of self-sufficiency.  By page 4, the seasoned Chestertonian knows that this novel is already dripping with distributism.  The unseasoned Chestertonian won’t see it coming until a cathartic upheaval somewhere near the end of the book.  The peaceful introduction to the community stands in stark contrast to our introduction to Miss Prim, who represents the educational product, ways, means, and noise of the modern world.

Fenollera’s novel is cozy.  The residents of San Ireneo are always congregating around hearths, sipping tea or hot chocolate, and eating together.  If there is anything that brings a community together, it is the proper practice of feasting in a warm and inviting atmosphere.  This gentle invitation to the culture of San Ireneo is skillfully woven throughout the entire novel.  Fenollera’s writing is imbued with a simple and profound beauty that stirs the heart.  These descriptions, for example, make me want to pack my bags and go there immediately:

“To visitors, San Ireneo de Arnois looked like a place that was firmly rooted in the past.  Old stone houses with gardens full of roses stood proudly along a handful of streets that led to a bustling square full of small shops and businesses, buying and selling at the steady pace of a healthy heart” (4).

“[The Man in the Wingchair] loved to watch the children reading in the sun, stretched out on the lawn, perched in the comfortable old branches of a tree, munching on apples, devouring buttered toast, leaving sticky fingerprints on his beloved books” (27).

Now, the coziness of this book is a beautiful thing.  And just what does beauty do?  It softens our hearts and makes us more receptive to the Truth (which we all long for).

And the truth about Miss Prim is that it is wildly subversive.  It’s radically contra mundum.  The reader is bombarded by worldly conventions and ideals through the internal struggles of Prudencia Prim as she encounters a unique community that cherishes different ideals.  Higher ideals.  Holy ideals.  Allow me to list a few things that the community of San Ireneo holds dear: homeschooling, classics, community, faith, small business, tradition, wisdom, study, education, quality goods, a lack of technology, silence, simplicity, leisure, and more.  Prim, much like anyone who is reading the book who has a similar background, takes some time to get comfortable with the ways of San Ireneo, eventually preferring them to the ways of the world.

And thus begins her awakening to Truth.

The Awakening of Miss Prim is a scrumptious novel about tea, cake, books, relationships, and faith.  Mostly Truth.  But also distributism.  It personifies the practice of a well-ordered distributist society (complete with its own “Chestertonian” feminist league-a paradox, I know!).  My quest to understand distributism had previously yielded confusing results.  Then this unobtrusively charming and cozy little book came into my life, and I was absolutely blown away.  The charming coziness and stunning beauty called to me.  But the depth.  The depth, dear reader, is what grabbed my soul and refused to let go.  Suddenly, I knew what Chesterton was after.  Experiencing distributism through the eyes of someone who didn’t understand it made it all the more palpable.  So read it.  Then read it again.  Then have your friends over for a feast and discuss Truth.

A continuation in typical format

The Awakening of Miss Prim 

Natalia Sanmartin Fenollera
320 pages.  Reading time ranges between 3 days and a few weeks, depending on my status in life.  Hah.

Back cover reads:  When clever, accomplished Prudencia Prim accepts the post of private librarian in the village of San Ireneo de Arnois, she is unprepared for what she encounters there.  Her employer, a book-loving intellectual, is dashing yet contrarian, always ready with a critique of her cherished Jane Austen and Louisa May Alcott.  The villagers, too, are capable of charm and eccentricity in equal measure.

Prudencia had hoped for friendship in San Ireneo but didn't suspect that she might find love - nor that her new life would offer challenge and heartache as well as joy, discovery, and fireside debate.  Set against a backdrop of steaming cups of tea, freshly baked cakes and lovely company, The Awakening of Miss Prim is a distinctive and delightfully entertaining tale of literature, philosophy and the search for happiness.  

Initial Reaction:  Now, the initial reaction has been forgotten, other than a vague memory of my mind being completely blown.  In the discussion thread for Prim in one of my facebook groups, I remember writing a glowing reaction to the read-along in the likeness of some slobbering fan-girl who wants a movie-version made of the book just so it can have a film score composed by Dario Marianelli.  Found it:  Wow. Phenomenal. The second movement of Miss Prim's concerto ends, and the next movement begins. While I would have loved to read a bit more about her homecoming, I don't really think the author needs to continue the story. We see her metanoia and know what she's going to do. So good.   I was imagining a huge orchestra playing at the end of the book... and the last note sounds and has a looooong hang time. It was intense!   Oooh. I feel like Dario Marianelli would do it justice if a movie version came out.

Promote Virtue?  Oh, you betcha.

Transcendentals?  Transcendentals.  Transcendentals everywhere.  Fenollera's writing is absolutely resplendent.  It's simple.  It's cozy.  It's filled with humor.  It is beautiful and good.  And it leads you to the Truth, no matter how much it has to drag you kicking and screaming.

Overcome human condition?  Spoiler alert.  Yes.  Full-blown metanoia.  

Attitude toward Catholicism?  IT IS Catholic distributism on a plate.  Well, on a page.  Several, actually.  It's basically The Benedict Option personified.  The mystery.  The conversion.  The awakening.  It's just so gorgeous.  AND THE SUBTLE THOMISM.  MY HEART.

Paganry?  Nope

Swearing?  Damn, hell.

Violence?  Negative.

Appropriate age?  16+  It'd have to be a mature teenager though to appreciate the likes of this.  Hidden beneath the surface of this charming and cozy story there lurks some very subversive ideas.  It's wonderful.

Writing Style: Charming.  Cozy.  Contra Mundum. I can't do it any justice.  Just read it.  One of the things that I appreciate the most about it, though, is Fenollera's style of humor.  Some of her one-liners literally make me guffaw in public.

Notable Quoteables:  Here are just seven of my favorites..  If I didn't have a strict limitation, I'd just retype the whole book.

"The day before, he'd [the man in the wingchair] found the homilies of St. John Chrysostom in the pantry, between the jars of jam and packets of lentils.  How had they got there?  It was difficult to know.  It could have been the children- they treated books as if they were notebooks or boxes of pencils; but it could just as easily have been him.  It wouldn't be the first time, and it probably wouldn't be the last."  (26)

"Was he some kind of urban hermit?"  (72).  Bahahaha  I wanna be an urban hermit.

"Had she ever sat down with pencil and paper to list the pros and cons of the marital state?  had she?  Miss Prim had to admit that she had not."  (89)

"If you were convinced that the world had forgotten how to think and teach, if you believed it had discarded the beauty of art and literature, if you thought it had crushed the power of the truth, would you let that world educate your children?"  (114)

"Tradition is a bulwark against the decline of culture." (168)

"Miss Prim flatly refused to have someone know her essence.  She refused both in principle and in practice."  (182)

"Miss Prim had always had sufficient respect for poetry not to write any herself" (254). Baha!

Great words:  Now, while the book doesn't particularly have an elevated lexicon, it is CHOCK FULL of great books, authors, and philosophers.  There is even an appendix entitled Miss Prim's Library Catalogue that lists all the of the authors or works alluded to or appearing in the book.  Lovely!

Final Summation:  I've read The Awakening of Miss Prim five times since it came into my life- 3 times alone during my second pregnancy- and I know I'll most likely read it at least once per annum until the end of my life.  It is my new favorite novel of. all.  time, only slightly beating out my childhood favorite, Harriet the Spy.  It is, and always will be

20 Tiny Titles in 2020

Gentle reader.  It's been far too long, hasn't it?  That's pretty much because, as of late, my life can be represented accurately by this stunning photograph.  

And, even as I type these words, the baby wakes from his nap, so lemme run to pop the nimmy back in his mouth so I can have 15 more minutes to tik-tak away in the glorious silence whilst the snow falls gently out my picture window.  #momlife
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So, while my life has been a mell of a hess lately, it's also looked a lot like this:

...and this...

...also some of this...

...rounded out by this...

...with a little of this thrown in.  

Why yes, that is a hobbit clock.  This is a Bag-End basket that I arranged and donated for the annual Chesterton Academy gala.  The clock is a project that I've had in my head for a long time, and I'm happy with the results so far.  It'll soon be available in my etsy shop once I'm satisfied with a final version of it.  

Now.  Where to begin.  Not sure if you're aware that I'm on goodreads, but there you have it.  And every year, they have a reading challenge.  In 2018, my goal was 40 books, and I barely made it.  I made a huge push at the end of the year.  I set my sights high for 50 in 2019, and had 1.5-2 hours every day of quiet during the toddler's nap time.  Figured it'd be no problem since I used to read 50 books during the summer way the heck back when.  '19  started strong, and I was half-way done by April.  Amazing!  Astounding!  Awesome-sauce!  But then, I quickly lost steam and didn't touch a book until June-ish.  Because Baby.  I rounded out the year with 9 more books, and took it down a notch for my 2020 goal.  

This got me to thinking: mom life is hard.  It is hard to get outside the realm of the babies (which I love) to have my own time to read or knit or sew or ink or have a beer or have an intellectual conversation not substantiated on the hows and whys of table manners or to sit with my feet up for 5 silent minutes in a coffee shop with NO ONE TOUCHING ME. Because people tend to have a healthy acknowledgement of personal space in public.

Speaking of coffee. I used to be a fan of mochas, but that's coffee and milk and chocolate, and I'd throw in like six packs of sugar.  When I was in college, I was addicted to Mt. Dew.  Since quitting the sauce, I've rarely had caffeine.  And I haven't wanted coffee because of the bitterness.  Being on keto means sugar is a no no, and when you add artificial flavors, it just gives a weird aftertaste.

Also, I was quite smug when my first kid came along and I could do this whole mom thing au natural.

Welp, that was just not the case when the second arrived.  I found out about the miracle of cold brew, how it makes the coffee far less bitter, and I was intrigued.  So I started cold brewing at home with this trusty droid that I got for my birthday.

Now, I don't drink a ton of it.  It's usually a 1:1 with heavy cream and a sugar free flavor shot.  But man, does it help. get. me. through.  I'm not at the point where I really even look forward to it, but I just kind of keep in mind that I need a bit of a jump start in the morning and a little zap around 230pm or I'll be falling asleep during story time around 315.  

I love it.  I love my vocation.  I really do.  But it is diff.i.cult.  It's the easiest and most difficult thing I've ever done in my life.  And even when I want 7.3 minutes to myself during the day, it doesn't happen, because the naps aren't overlapping anymore.  But the baby is 9 months almost, so SOON.  SOON MY DEAR READER I shall have at least 1 hour of my own time during the day.  

Back to the thought process.  My booklists of late have been heavy.  And I thought, why the hell am I doing that to myself?  One of the things I struggle with so much in my vocation is being scattered.  (UM, hello, spiritual attack?  Diabolos?  One who scatters?)  It's difficult to give enough attention to each kid and my husband that paying attention to me usually gets thrown into the wash (and not while I'm doing it either, as the toddler wants to help, and I usually have the baby strapped to my back hah).  So I looked around our beautiful custom made bookshelves and noticed something.  We have a TINY-BOOK shelf.  One dedicated to pint-sized pages.  It is so adorable.  

Dawww. Da widdle baby books.

I've always had an affinity for tiny objects.  They're just so darn cute.  The reason I play the flute is because it's small.  This grew into somewhat of an emotional obsession during my pregnancy with JP, a little less with Dominic.  Anyways, a spark ignited and made me pay attention.  I wandered on over to see what was there, and two gorgeous little books jumped out at me:

  

So I thought to myself: "Self, you do need to read more.  But why are you reading books that are just so. darn. big?  It's not like a book is any better or worse because it is tiny or gargantuan."  So then the wheels turned about all these other bloggers who are making their book lists and being clever and my brain said:

"2020....2020.... what's clever about 2020 and books.  Tiny books.  We have many tiny books.  Tiny in 2020.  That sounds a little......odd.  20 books in 2020.  No someone else is doing that.  Tiny books in 2020.  Oooh yeah keep going.

TWENTY TINY BOOKS in 2020.

TWENTY TINY TITLES IN 2020.  Perfection."

All alliteration aside, I had to have a standard.  Some book that would be the benchmark for the others.  I quickly found my favorite encyclical:

Reader, I was excited, I tell you.  Euphoric. I dashed around our apartment scouring the rest of the shelves for adorably tiny books that were about the size of The Splendor of Truth.  I had to pare it down slightly, but this is what I came up with.  

Doesn't this picture just give you all the feels?  Pocket-sized pages!  Books only slightly larger than my hand!  Some of them I've read, most of them I haven't.  Some of them are brand new, and some are over 100 years old.  Almost all of them can fit in the back pocket of my jeans.  SO SMALL.  So compact.  So concealable.  So sneaky. Sooooo endearing.

I AM OVERJOYED.

Now, my book goal for the year IS 40.  But 40 doesn't really lend it self to tiny-ness.  So the rest of the books will most likely be normal (like Poems Every Catholic Should Know, my obsessive re-reading of The Awakening of Miss Prim, various titles by GK Chesterton, and Memento Mori during Lent), but for now, I'll start with these wee works:

Ball, Ann.  Blessed Miguel Pro.  TAN, 2011.

Crane, Stephen.  The Red Badge of Courage.  Barnes & Noble, 2004.  

St. Cyril of Jerusalem.  Lectures on the Christian Sacraments.  St. Vladimir's Seminary, 1995.

Dickens, Charles, The Cricket on the Hearth.  Henry Altemus, 1899.

St. Francis De Sales.  Introduction to the Devout Life.  Catholic Book Publishing Company, 1946.

Franklin, Benjamin.  Poor Richard's Almanack.  Hallmark, 1967.

Gasnier, Michael.  Joseph the Silent.  Scepter, 2009.

Gilsdorf, Fr. Richard W.  Go to Joseph.  Star of the Bay Press, 2009.

Housman, A.E.  A Shropshire Lad.  Avon, 1932.

St. John Paul II. Dives in Misericordia: The Mercy of God.  Pauline Press.
St. John Paul II.  Veritatis Splendor: The Splendor of Truth.  Pauline Press.
St. John Paul II.  Centesimus Annus: 100th Anniversary of Rerum Novarum.  Pauline Press.

LaPierre, Wayne.  The Essential Second Amendment Guide.  Boru, 2007

Lyman, Dr. Abbott, et al.  The Guide to Reading.  The Pocket University.  vol xxiii.  Doubelday, 1924.
Martin, Celine.  The Father of the Little Flower.  TAN, 2015.

Shakespeare, William.  Macbeth.  American Book Company, 1910.

Siocardo, Fr. Joseph.  St. Rita of Cascia.  TAN, 1990.

St. Thomas Aquinas. My Way of Life: The Summa Simplified for Everyone.  Confraternity of the Precious Blood, 1950.

St. Thomas More.  Utopia.  Washington Square Press, 1965.

Verne, Jules.  Around the World in 80 Days (complete and unabridged).Barnes & Noble, 2004.

That's it, fellow Word Nerd.  I hope your 2020 brings you great books.  I've already let the baby sleep 15 mins past wake up time, so I need to go.  I'd rather sit and stare at the snow, though.  Ah well.  #VocationSanctification #DeathToSelf #MomLife


PS.  Just what in the flipping heck DOES one do when one receives a gift card to Macy's- an establishment filled with overheated puffery and ridiculous things I would never buy?

Buy coffee.  A metric shit-ton of coffee.

Cheers

Tools I Use (Peg Post #3)

Heyo, everyone!  Happy Feast of the Apparition of St. Michael the Archangel!

So this happened:

 So freaking awesome.  I have a few minutes in between feedings here to type, so I better git to the rat killin'.  Here's a thorough (but possibly incomplete because mom brain) list of the things that I use during the peg doll process.  I love lists.  They're my favorite.  For more peg posts, see here.

Sketch book

First of all, I sketch out my ideas for my pegs.  It helps to have all my ideas in one tidy spot.  

Inspiration & Prayer

Before I even get sketching, though, I need to do research on my saint.  How have they been portrayed?  What symbols are present with them most of the time?  I usually start at Catholicsaints.info for information.  I also take a look at other artists to see what they've come up with.  

Here are some resources that I have helped get my ideas flowing:

Peg Dolls:

Cabrini Creations
Emmaus Road Pegs
Grand Expression
Little Faithful Friend
Petite Fleur Studio
The Wooden Intercessor

Non-Peg Doll Toys
Almond Rod Toys
Good Shepherd Toy Store
Marek Made
Shining Light Dolls
Tiny Saints

Paint and small palette 

(or resealable paint cups)

I typically use the cheapest, non-toxic matte paint that I can find.  I've made a few mistakes along the way in terms of getting my look just right.  My advice is: be consistent.  If you are going to use glossy, make sure all of your paint and your sealant is glossy.  If you're not into the sheen, use matte all around. I also use a small palette like this to keep my colors straight.  I also like to mix colors, which can be dangerous if you don't make enough OR it dries out.  I should really just get paint cups one of these days but meh.

Embossing tools

These are an absolute LIFE SAVER.  After my first peg doll, St. Joseph, didn't really turn out the way I wanted, I started looking for different tools.  The brushes I was using for really fine details were disappointing me.  Initially, I totally stalked some other peg doll artists to see what kind of tools they were using, and these really piqued my interest.  I seriously randomly found them one day at Hobby Lobby.  I didn't even know what they were called, because I got them home, tore them open, and used them right away.  It took me about another week of research to figure out that they're embossing tools.  These are so much better than using brushes for details because you can basically do one thick, even coat for your details.  These save time and frustration.  I use these more than any tiny brush for the details.  I highly recommend!  You can find them on amazon.  Just search for "embossing stylus."

Soft hair brushes

Soft hair brushes are great for large areas that will be painted one single color.  They make the coat of paint even, and you can blend out the streaks.  Small, soft hair brushes are also great for line details because they don't fight so much against the curve of the peg.

Stiff hair/acrylic brushes

I really don't like using stiff hair brushes for anything other than touch ups.

Saran Wrap

     

Before I begin.                      After the project is done.

Saran wrap, while it can be a pain to wrap/tape to my table, is much better than newspaper.  It doesn't stick to the pegs as badly if you happen to leave a wet one on it.  

If you only have a painter's palette, you can saran wrap the crap out of it to keep your paint wet, and save your colors if you happen to mix them.  

Egg cartons

These bad boys are freaking awesome.  I use them mostly to keep the pegs all in one place.  I don't use them so much when I'm painting because the pegs will stick, but when I'm done, they keep me organized.  

Pencils

I switch back and forth between these two.  I use a mechanical pencil to lightly sketch on the details.  I use the pink eraser from the other pencil to get rid of sketched mistakes.  I've found that pink eraser works best on painted wood; it doesn't leave any streaks or gunk.

Vinyl stickers

Much to my delight, I mentioned using a vinyl stencil in my previous post.  I think I'm going to do this from now on to label my pegs.  My writing is sloppy and inconsistent.  I want these guys to look good.  Not saying that everyone has to do this.  If you have the means, try it out!

Sealant

I use a spray on permanent fixative.  In my estimation, it takes a lot LESS time than using something like modpodge or another paint on fixative.  A word of warning.  IF you use matte sealer on glossy paint, it will take about half the shine out of the finished peg.  A sad lesson I learned with my last peg, Our Lady of Good Help.

Lazy susan, the great outdoors, 

& nice weather

If you are using an aerosol fixative, DO IT OUTSIDE on a warm, sunny day.  It dries a lot faster.  I use a lazy susan (that I only use for crafting) to get an even coating.  If I do it too thick or unevenly, the fixative shows makes the peg look "frosted" or "frosted" streaks start showing.  

That's it for now!  If I remember anything else, or find new things, I'll add them!  

Coming up next, my fourth and final post: Mistakes I've Made.  

St. Michael, defend us!

The Process, Illustrated (Peg Post #2)

Happy feast of St. Florian!  

This is my second post about peg dolls.  To see other posts, click here.

I love doing these swaps for a few reasons.  I absolutely LOVE the saints.  Besides Theology of the Body, saints are what I can gush over the most.  I love love love them.  This is a great way to introduce my kids to their family in Heaven and get excited about things like self-sacrifice, joy, heroic virtue, and martyrdom.  YES martyrdom.  I also love meeting other Catholics who are crazy about the saints and want to make them accessible to their kids, too.  It's just great to experience the wider church when we all meet up for the swap.  So great.  I love being Catholic!

The general timeline I have is anywhere between 4-6 months to do a set of 10 (unless the group decides otherwise).  In this post, I'll illustrate the process I used for my 3rd saint peg doll, St. Benedict of Nursia.  I chose him for a few reasons.  He's my son's middle name patron.  Also, the theme I chose for our Saint Swap was shamelessly borrowed from Catholic All Year's amazing post about Saints who were BFFs in real life. Since then, my brain has exPLODED with tons of different themes for future swaps, and I hope to organize more!  Anyways, on to the process!

Purchase pegs

The majority of swaps use  3.5" female pegs and 3 9/16" male pegs.  There are several great places to get peg dolls. I've found craftparts.com to have the best bulk prices.  Super handy if you are doing a larger swap and have plenty of people who want to throw in. 

Saran-wrap work surface

I use this instead of paper.  It doesn't stick to the peg dolls very much if the paint is still wet.


Sand rough spots

Most pegs are pretty smooth, but I tend to watch out for rough spots, as they can make the details difficult to paint.

Pray for inspiration

Ora et Labora: pray and work.  I go to the saint I'm working on.  We don't choose the saints; they choose us!  I try to find as many varied representations of my saint as I can, and start forming ideas.  I also take a look at other peg doll artists out there, as well as various websites.  But more on that in the next post.

Sketch ideas

It really helps me to sketch everything out before hand.  I usually don't settle on one thing right away.  This part of the process gets the creativity flowing, and allows me to look at different details before I start painting them.  It also tells me that if I have difficulty hand drawing certain details, I'll totally suck at painting them on.  This helps me settle on things that are within my talent range.  My internal motto during this stage hearkens back to a quotation I found in high school by Thoreau: "Simplify, Simplify, Simplify," and is complemented by another from St. Thérèse: "Our Lord needs from us neither great deeds nor profound thoughts. Neither intelligence nor talents. He cherishes simplicity."  I feel like simplicity opens the doors for consistency in my pegs.

Paint white basecoat under light colors

 

The wood will suck up the paint.  It's inevitable.  I avoid streaks and uneven coverage with light colors by painting a white basecoat.  I don't do more than two.  Dark colors do not need a basecoat, but I still do two layers.

Plan out color process

Planning out the colors can be a pain, but I try to do it ahead of time as part of my sketches so I can stay on track.  I usually begin at the head of the peg and work my way down.  Or, I cover the lightest major area first, and move on to the darkest.

Sketch on details one at a time
  

One thing I learned with my first peg doll exchange was to sketch, sketch, sketch.  I sketch ideas in a notebook, and sketch them onto my peg doll in light pencil.  This really helps me to avoid making mistakes, and it allows me to be consistent with the details.  If I don't like something, it's early enough in the process to change it.  Tip: Use a pink eraser to get rid of any mistakes in your sketches (think dixon ticonderoga pencil).  It works better on the paint.

Paint details one at a time

  

This is probably the most tedious part, and it takes a bit of brain work for me because I'm starting to layer things.  Again, the original sketchbook comes in handy, but I have to start visualizing how everything will play out with paint.  It's important to focus on one detail at a time so I can get the look just right and be consistent.

Make a facebook poll about facial features

 

  

I can NEVER make up my mind about facial features.  What kind of eyes?  Mouth?  Smile?  Nose?  UGH!  I usually have a few in mind, and I sketch them on the doll.  Then I take a facebook poll.  Sometimes it's helpful, sometimes not.  But either way, it gives me a great place to start.

Label the bottom

      

     

When I'm almost finished with my peg, I label the bottom with the name of the saint and the feast day.  I started using a vinyl sticker stencil because I think my handwriting is sloppy and inconsistent.  Not saying that everyone should do that, but I think it looks wicked awesome.  

Scrutinize and touch up

Now comes one of the most important parts.  I need to step away from the peg dolls for a few days, and return to look at them with fresh eyes.  I look for scuffs, blotches, and other markings that are out of place, and touch them up (this is why it's important to save your paint if you mix it!).  I also save really difficult spots (like overlapping areas) for last.  I want the pegs to look their best because I know that other people are working just as hard as I am to create something awesome.

Seal the pegs

Choosing the correct sealing agent for the peg dolls is pretty important. I typically use a permanent, non-workable spray fixative in matte.  But this doesn't work to well if I happen to use glossy paint, so I have that on standby.  A lot of people also use Modpodge.  I'm not really a fan of it, though.  I feel like it adds too many coats, and if the dolls I've painted already have 4+ coats of paint on them, it can lead to chipping.  The dolls I do have that were sealed in Modpodge are chipping terribly.  Anyways, sealing my pegs prevents them somewhat from being scuffed or marked up by other peg dolls, and the coating protects the paint.  I make sure that I am completely finished painting and let the pegs dry for at least a few days before sealing them.  I start with the bottoms.  After the dry, I use a lazy Susan to coat the pegs evenly.

Pack up & party!

Someone hosts an event.  Food and games are usually involved.  

Set up the pegs like so, and have a blast!

So that's it. Not really as easy as it looks, but easier when you have a solid process that works for you. Coming soon, some posts about tools I use and mistakes I've made.  Stay tuned for more tips and tricks!