Our parish priest was away this week, presenting at the Healing Land Homesteading conference. Usually, when he’s gone, we take the opportunity to attend Mass at our previous parish in town. But this week, we decided to visit the Melkite mission instead. When we arrived, though, no one was at the church. Had I gotten…
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Making & Making Do
Are we in a recession? Who knows – I certainly don’t. Labels and certainties have never really been my strong point. And anyway, the answers vary depending on who you ask. All I know is that whether I’m going to the grocery store, filling up the gas tank, or buying feed for the animals –…
Today
Reading: through all the new books I’m collecting for the upcoming school year. We school year-round, but July is off completely and summer is lighter overall. The perfect time to plan for new and better things. Planning is one of my favorite ways to procrastinate. Listening: to Kate Wolf sing my favorite song: The trumpet…
At Home in the Rebellious Quiet
I love quiet mornings. The sun has risen long ago in these early hours, but the light is soft and slanted. The air is cool and even the grass has a new-born freshness to it after sleeping through the night. In the morning, I make coffee, take vegetable scraps out to the chicken yard, and…
Reclaiming in Easter
I’ve mentioned that my word for this year is Reclaim. It’s a slow goal, not something I can snatch up and be done with. It’s more about remembering who I am than checking off a list of goals. I want to reclaim the Masha who read piles of books in a room of incense and…
Little Changes
I like making big, sweeping revisions. I’d rather dump the whole drawer and replace it all, or pull the house to pieces and remake it. The tiny, daily things are difficult. Maintaining motivation is difficult. Grand gestures make more of an impression – and it’s so satisfying to start over again and again. But reclaiming…
Reclaiming Intensity
I’ve been looking closely at myself in the past few months – remembering the passion and intensity that kept me dreaming in my early 20s. I’m an intense person, I’m told I care too much about too many unimportant questions – and since I really can’t imagine what might be unimportant about those tiny questions,…
Washing Walls and Lighting Candles
Earlier this year I was asked to write more on how I use Epiphany water and blessed candles. This year, on Epiphany, we were able to have quite a few jars of water blessed, as well as salt and chalk. The chalk sort of collects around the house after it’s used to bless the doorways…
Boundary Herbs & Emotional Balance
I’ve mentioned before that I’m focusing deeply on healing my adrenals and balancing my emotions this year. It’s been a slow process, but I am seeing some lovely signs of progress. Of course, no matter how good my intentions are, life never stops to wait for healing before piling new challenges on us. “The purpose…
My Favorite Teas for the New Year
January is fast fading away. Our winter weather has finally returned in full force, with deep freezes at night and bright, cold days. I’d love another snow storm to cover all the ice, but for now, we’re enjoying the starry nights and sunny days. Yesterday, we took the kids ice skating on our beaver pond….
Y is For Home! 