A headcovering linkup? I'm there!

Me and my Infinity Veil: In love.

Jenna is hosting a veiling linkup over at her blog, and naturally, I could not resist participating. :) I am a veiler, and I love to read about the experience of other women on this issue. Three years ago I wrote a post on modesty in which I ruminated for a bit on headcoverings, and that Lent I conducted an experiment in which I wore a covering for the entire season. You can find those by perusing all of the posts from this blog with the headcovering tag, just go back to February 2010.

Ok, so, I started wearing a headcovering to Mass about three years ago, and the impetus was a a larger look at how I approached Mass. I had a young son, and usually we were attending Mass by ourselves. My husband is very supportive of my Catholic faith, and he does come to Mass with us sometimes, but not every week. So, I was wrangling a rambunctious little boy by myself and often felt, you know, HARRIED. I wasn't putting a lot of time or attention into what I wore to Mass other than that my shoulders and knees were always covered. But I didn't "dress up," and I realized that God deserves for me to put my best foot forward when I come to be with Him.

And so I started putting time into selecting a pretty outfit for Mass each week and really enjoyed that. Hand in hand with that, to me at least, was wearing a headcovering. I wanted to present myself as really focusing on Jesus when I'm there, and for me, a headcovering is a physical reminder to do that. I also find them quite beautiful, and they lend a spirit of quiet reverence to my Let's Worry About Everything All The Time! soul. I certainly do not think that I am holier because I wear one; if anything, it is that I am *less* so than others since I *need* this reminder to stay focused!

So I wore them for Lent 2010, and then continued after that because I enjoyed it. I started off with kerchief-style coverings and thick headbands (like what Cam sells here).

I don't look that much older 3 year later. DO I?!

Recently, I bought the infinity veil pictured at the top of this post (like Michelle sells here) and that is the covering that I wear exclusively now at Mass (I still wear my other ones quite a bit around the house; they are beautiful and keep my hair off of my face :)). The first time I wore it I did feel more self-conscious because this is a veil and people do notice it more. The other coverings I wore could have simply been just a part of my outfit. No other women at my parish wear veils or snoods. There are a few women who wear hats, but they are pretty rare.

However, after that first week with the veil I really didn't think about it at all. People know now that I wear it and nobody looks at me funny. It seems to me that the women in my parish have a "do what you like" attitude about headcovering, which is the way that it should be. It's a personal choice. No one should be made to feel badly about whether they do it nor not.

I now tow two children to Mass with me, and the veiling hasn't been a problem as combined with the necessary wrangling. My daughter is two so she is the tougher candidate, to be sure. The veil slips a lot as I rescue her from under the pew or stop her from climbing nearby statuary, but I like that it simply settles back down around my neck. When I'm ready again, I just tug it back up into place.

It reminds me not to lose my temper when my son yet *again* does something to deliberately annoy his sister ("well, but I didn't TOUCH her, so I'm following directions!!") and then she squawks at him in response. It allows me to hide a bit when my daughter loudly passes gas in a most unladylike fashion, or even worse, lets loose one of the "silent but deadly" variety like she did yesterday and stinks out half the sanctuary. In between digging animal crackers out of a diaper bag and retrieving sippy cups that have rolled down the aisle, I feel calm and at peace when I glimpse the lace on the sides of my face.

We're at Mass together, and that's what matters. That's what I focus on.

Head over to Call Her Happy for more veiling stories from this weekend. :)

A Catholic...belly dancer? It's a modesty post, settle in folks!

:)

You know, the older I get, the more comfortable I get with myself, I've written about this before. I'm certainly far from perfect, but I am who I am, and I enjoy what I enjoy. I don't take it *as* (gentle snort) personally when somebody doesn't like something about me or something that I care about.

And so, the fact that I am a (fairly conservative) Catholic, who takes her faith very seriously, who attends Mass as often as she can and wears a head covering while doing so, who also belly dances is, you know, *eclectic*. I'm certainly not unaware that people are often surprised to find that I'm a belly dancer, but I like to think of myself as a Belly Dance Ambassador.

I'm sorry, good reader, but if you're still reading you're now in for The Spiel. Belly dance is NOT stripping. It is a cultural, and perfectly acceptable, dance form. It is *family friendly* and G rated. It is feminine and beautiful, and is NOT in existence to provoke lust.

Dance involves moving your body, there's sort of no way around that. And costumes, by necessity, for all dance forms, are designed to showcase your body and the dance. I'm sure you can see where I'm going with this.

Are there dance costumes out there (including belly dance ones) that I deem to be immodest? Yes, there are. Very high slits, super short skirts, and cut-outs come to mind. However, I do not think that bare bellies are, by default, immodest. I'm certain that there are people that disagree with me on this, but this is my opinion.

And I think that we come round on this belly dance angle in the exact same way that we do on all modesty discussions: where does simply "being beautifully modest" end, and "you must wear a potato sack lest you tempt men with your body!" begin?

There are LOTS of opinions out there on this issue, to be sure. And I've received some of them, which is why I'm writing this post. Dialogue is good, no?

I am a devout Catholic, and I am a belly dancer. I post photos of myself belly dancing because I don't think that there is anything wrong with that. Is being a Catholic not compatible with being a belly dancer who bares her belly? I, of course, think that these two things are not mutually exclusive.

Maybe I'm not your average Catholic girl. But I am ME. Belly dance has given me so much and I don't want to hide that. I don't think that being Catholic means that I have to hide my dancing under a bushel.

I figure that if you read this blog you accept me for who I am. And I can't tell you how much I appreciate that.

Sipping tea, and Mass musings...

I'm a tea drinker. I do also drink coffee, but I'm not addicted to it. At work, I exclusively drink tea, and I brew it daily. My absolute favorite black tea is Celestial Seasonings Nutcracker Sweet, which yes, is a holiday tea. That seems to be a theme lately. They put it in the stores in the fall, and I stock up. It's a nutty vanilla tea with a hint of cinnamon. I adore it.

Well, this year I didn't stock up enough. Sometimes I remember to stalk the grocery store *after* Christmas, and then all the holiday teas are on clearance (score!). But I didn't this past year. Hence, I ran out of Nutcracker Sweet about a month ago, much to my dismay.

Thus, I pulled out the regular Salada bags that I'd had since before my pregnancy with Anne. I try to drink more decaf when I'm pregnant, so these had been sitting around awhile. It was fine, but I was missing my Nutcracker fix. This was a BIG box of regular tea bags, and I dutifully brewed a cup every morning until I couldn't take it anymore. I went in search of Nutcracker Sweet.

Happily, I found that via their web site, Celestial Seasonings sells Nutcracker Sweet year round. And if you buy a bulk box of 6 packages, you get a small discount on the price. I snapped one up.

It arrived on Saturday, and so I'm contentedly sipping Nutcracker Sweet at my desk. *bliss*

On a totally different note, Mike and I went to Mass by ourselves Saturday evening. As you can imagine, this is a pretty rare occurrence. We had dinner plans with some friends, and the restaurant is right near our parish, so my in-laws came over to watch the kids, and we went to Mass and then dinner.

I rarely go to the vigil, preferring to attend Mass Sunday morning. But Mike likes the vigil better when he goes to Mass, so I'm happy to oblige. Right away I noticed something relating to a post from last week: the dress of the attendees. The vigil clearly attracts an older crowd, and all were dressed nicely.

Mike and I were talking about it as we walked to the restaurant, and I noted that this was a big contrast to what I see at the Mass I usually attend at 10 am Sunday mornings. That's the "Family Mass" and draws a younger crowd. At that Mass, I often see shorts, flip flops and tank tops. When I mentioned that, Mike stopped short and made what I thought was a comment that summed things up nicely:

"If it's a chore to dress nicely for church, you're going for the wrong reasons."

I think he's totally right. I do think there's a "at least I'm here!" attitude that plays into this a bit (and my friend Karen mentioned this in the comment section of the post from last week) and that's just a shame. Going to Mass is about a lot more than simply meeting our weekly obligation, but I know that I've been guilty of this mentality in the past, so I'm not casting any stones. I don't know what the solution is, but I will just mind my own business and focus on what *I'm* wearing. That's all I'm accountable for.

I will say at when I attend Mass in the Tridentine rite, it's a breath of fresh air in this regard. Not only is everyone dressed nicely, people downright go all out, wearing beautiful dresses and head coverings, men in *suits*! It contributes toward a feeling of reverence, that we're participating in something special, and I truly appreciate that.

Casual dress at Mass...

For whatever reason, this topic has been on my mind this week. I suppose it's because it is now the heart of the summer, and the annual reappearance of shorts and tank tops has infiltrated my local parish.

And the thing is, I'm happy and thankful for everybody that makes it to Mass. I really am. I'd rather that they come to church, no matter what. But I always wonder: why do people wear really casual clothing to Mass? This seems to be prevalent much more in Catholic circles than in other Christian churches (at least, that's how it seems to me).

So, these are my own personal thoughts on the matter (for what they're worth) and then we can analyze. My current standard for dress at Mass is:

Would I wear this to a wedding?

If I wouldn't, I shouldn't wear it to Mass either. Weddings are (usually) formal events in which we feel we should dress up and look our best. Why would worshiping God merit less of a standard?

I used to wear jeans to Mass. I no longer do that, simply because I feel it's not dressy enough. I'm not trying to be judgey, just relaying my opinion and experience. :) I will wear skirts and dresses (length at least to the knee) or dress slacks (which is what I wear 75% of the time). In the summer, I will sometimes wear dressy capri length pants. Meaning no denim, but black "dress" fabric. I will not wear a top that does not cover my shoulders to church. And no sneakers. I usually also wear a convertible headcovering in either the headband form or the longer scarf length.

When I see other people dressed "up" for Mass, it makes me happy. Gives the atmosphere more of a "special" feeling. When casual clothes and lots of skin abound, I just think it gives the wrong impression. I don't give anybody the facey face or anything like that. What they wear is their business. I'm glad that they're there. But I always hope that they see others dressed differently and maybe consider dressing likewise in the future.

This has come up a number of times between Henry and I. I do not allow him to wear shorts to church, although I gave in to letting him wear jeans for the time being, simply because he was giving me such a hard time about not wanting to go to church at all for a spell I figured I had to give a little. But I'm not happy about it. At any rate, when he sees people wearing shorts he asks me why he can't wear shorts if other people are wearing them. I always tell him (quietly, of course) that we have to do what we feel is right and not worry about other people.

In the past, when I've been at a parish in which the priest will say something during his homily or print something in the bulletin about proper dress in the summer it causes a lot of resentment and unrest amongst the congregation. I don't want anybody to feel alienated. But on the other hand, shouldn't we set the bar high?

Thoughts? :)

Crafting modest and feminine clothes...

I haven't bought myself clothes in a really long time. I was pregnant last year, so I did buy some maternity clothes, but everything I wore was either from my pregnancy with Henry or secondhand from the Goodwill. A few friends also lent me maternity clothes. So I haven't bought "regular" clothes in a while.

When I did do a little shopping right before I returned to work following my maternity leave, I was disappointed. Everything was so expensive, and it's not as if they were made out of quality materials. Things just cost more now, even polyester. :) I also had a hard time finding things that I liked 100% in terms of the style. I tend to prefer longer tunic style tops (I think they're more flattering on me), and we've had the skirt discussion before. Modesty issue aside, I just don't look good in knee length or above skirts. I do tend to find pants pretty easily, although the fact that mens' pants are made with waist and length measurements and womens' aren't is completely ridiculous to me. But anyway, a lot of the tops were longer but too low cut, or had a nice neckline but cut funny on the sides, etc.

So, this fall I finally finished up a sweater that I'd been knitting for quite a while. It hadn't taken me all *that* long I suppose, I had just put it aside for a long time. It's the sweater I'm wearing in the photo above. I really liked the neckline on it, and the waist taper, just a very feminine design, to me. And it's made from a wool/bamboo blend yarn. Very warm. It actually could use to be a hair smaller, but overall it fits pretty well and looks nice, especially for a first sweater.

So I've been thinking: maybe I'll start making myself more clothes. Granted, this would be a much faster process if I could actually *sew* clothing, but that's not happening right now, so knitting it is. It'll take me quite a while to amass any kind of wardrobe enhancement, but we'll get there.

I'm going to be making this sweater with a cute snowflake motif at the waist, and this one as well, I think in a deep purple that reminds me of Advent. All out of real wool or alpaca blends. And I can tweak them how I want too, make them longer, slimmer, etc. We'll see how it goes, and it may be 2 years before they're actually done, but I will persevere. :) I'm crocheting a pretty lacy cardigan-like item right now, in recycled cotton. (Mike: "You wear something under that, right?" "Um, YES, Honey." ":) ).

Relatedly, the cost of wool is on the rise, and prices are reflecting it. Despite Mike's alarm at glimpsing my yarn stash last night (it's not THAT large, just 2 plastic bins full :) ) I may buy the wool for these 2 sweaters before the upcoming price increase at Knit Picks. Why pay more later, right? I always like to have enough yarn and books on hand that if we're quarantined due to a nuclear disaster for a year or more, I won't be bored. I mean, it doesn't hurt just to be sure, right?

:)

New maternity pants and weekend plans

Yesterday, I did in fact stop by another Goodwill. And for a mere $12, I bought 3 pairs of perfect fitting maternity pants. *beams* A pair of khaki cords, and 2 pairs of black work pants. I couldn't be more thrilled.

Speaking of clothing, working on a university campus, I see all sorts of interesting fashion choices. Today, in fact, I spotted a student wearing boots so furry that for a few seconds I seriously thought she had a Lhasa Apso weaving between her ankles. Yesterday, though, was a new first. Walking back from a trip to the cash machine, I came up behind a female student wearing a skirt so short that you could see at least an inch of the control top to her pantyhose. This is not merely immodest, my friends, this is a definite fashion faux pas.

Anyway, I have dance tonight, which I hope I don't fall asleep for. My class runs from 7 pm until at least 8:30, sometimes 9, and it's getting increasingly hard for me to stay alert for that entire spell. Tonight is the beginning of a new session, and I should be fine for this 8 weeks. After that, I'll have to evaluate. I'll be over 30 weeks, and I don't know that I can commit to an 8 week session at that point. Perhaps I'll try to go week to week.

For the rest of the weekend, I plan to nest. Maybe get started on the storage, and clean out the baby's changing table/dresser. I have to teach at Children's Liturgy of the Word on Sunday, followed by the open house for Catholic School A. I'll fill you in on all the details Monday morning. :)

Good finds at the Goodwill...

Now that my bump is growing steadily, I've transitioned to some maternity clothes mixed in with regular clothes that still fit me. And as every pregnant woman has experienced, my maternity wardrobe is considerably smaller than my regular winter fare. I have some things from when I was pregnant with Hank, although much of that is summer clothes that aren't practical right now. I have some loaners, but many of them don't fit. Maternity clothes are tough to gauge and fit. Just because all women get bigger bellies during pregnancy does not mean that any maternity item will fit every one of them. And everyone has different comfort zones with how they want to display their body when pregnant. I know that many women prefer to shroud their bellies more than I do. Me, I love my belly. :) Maybe it's the belly dancing, but I find pregnant bellies truly beautiful. I want to show it off, so I prefer bump highlighting clothing. Long, fitted sweaters and blouses are my favorites, with simple classic pants or long skirts. My current closet selection is limited, and the problem is I don't want to spend a lot of money of clothes that I'm only going to wear for 4 more months.

So, I've been scrounging for bargains to enhance my maternity wardrobe a bit. I hit the jackpot at a Target clearance sale 2 weeks ago. I scored 2 sweaters and 2 dresses for about $24. Well, yesterday I had an idea that worked out even better.

Thrift store, baby! On my way home from work, I stopped off at one of our local Goodwill's. What a gem! I couldn't find the maternity clothes at first, so I shopped the skirt section. Now *this* was a refreshing change from my fruitless search for longer skirts in regular stores. :) Long skirts prevailed over their mini sisters by a total of at least 2 to 1. I didn't pause too long over anything that had a fitted waistline or zipper for obvious reasons (or anything dated and frumpy; these abound at thrift stores). I browsed quickly just for stretchy waists, and found 2 items in my size: a t-length black skirt, and an ankle length brown wool. I was absolutely thrilled.

I scoured my way through the whole store without spotting a maternity sign or anything resembling a pregnant woman with swollen ankles as an icon. So, I stopped a high school kid with a Goodwill vest on to ask his assistance. He directed me "over by the evening wear." OOkkk. The evening wear revealed...evening wear, so I was stymied for a minute or so. Finally, I spotted a maternity tag, although the section wasn't labeled.

I suppose that's because it was so tiny. But hey, I'm not fussy. Unfortunately, the section was not all maternity, mixed in with some other odd choices. But I looked through every item carefully, and picked out a pair of jeans and a pair of pin-striped khaki pants that I can wear to work. I'm betting there are many other maternity clothes in their collection, just unwittingly interspersed amongst the regular clothes. Alas, I didn't have time for such a treasure hunt.

The total for the 2 stretchy skirts and 2 pants? $9! Loving it! I'm going to stop off at Goodwill #2 on my way tonight. Super excited. :)

Baby CL's world: January edition

So, news in the life of Baby CL... I had my 22 week ob/gyn appointment this past Monday, and the 20 week mark begins the measurement of "fundal height," meaning they measure your belly. Mine is pretty nonexistent when I lay down, so that was that.

Everything else looks textbook, and the baby has a nice steady heartbeat of 140 beats per minute. Hank got to hear it, which he made his "I'm excited, but trying not to look excited" face for. I asked about my groin (ugh!) muscle pain, and she believes that it is just round ligament pain, and will subside with time. In fact, it has already subsided, and hasn't bothered me at all this week, which is a real blessing.

I go back in 4 weeks, and this will be my glucose screening for gestational diabetes, after which I'll begin appointments every 2 weeks. I mean, seriously. This pregnancy is flying by.

My belly is very much in that "cute" phase. Too bad that doesn't last until the end of pregnancy... I have pulled out the maternity clothes finally. I'm still wearing my regular pants with a Bella Band (the maternity pants are still a bit too big), but the tops are a welcome addition since they tend to be longer and more belly flattering.

I noticed an interesting thing when bargain shopping at Target on Monday. Apparently designers think that pregnant women prefer modest clothing because all the blouses, skirts and dresses are longer. That's fine, no objection there, but why don't they make more non-pregnant clothing like this? I was hoping to find some stretchy sweaters and long skirts/dresses, and once again, slim pickings. But buried in the 75% off rack?

*angels sing*

I found 2 adorable sweaters (Liz Lange Maternity) with cowl necklines and a flattering waist that stretches to the hips marked down to $6.24. I scooped both. I also found 2 dresses that although not ankle length, extend well past the knee. I was surprised to see that both were also Liz Lange Maternity. I would have rather bought regular ones so that I could wear them after pregnancy too, but for $7 I wasn't complaining. I got the dresses in black and gray. I also grabbed a long gray sweater/cardigan that I can wear over my more summery maternity tops from my pregnancy with Hank. It was a very good bargain.

Skirts though were very hard to come by, as always. Unless you wear skirts that go to mid-thigh level, which frustrates me to no end. I'll keep looking. Sometimes Old Navy has long skirts. They don't have any right now, but maybe when the spring clothes come out.

Anyway, Baby CL has been very cutely attired the past couple of days. I feel him/her moving around in there regularly, and I can't wait to meet them in just 4 and a half months!

Headcovering of the week...

Well, you knew I couldn't go too long without adding to my headcovering collection, so I'll just fess up now. Everyone knows of my fondness for Garlands of Grace, so I figured I'd spotlight another headcovering source that I've come to love.

There is a vendor on etsy, called Happy Homestead, that I've bought a few headcoverings from, with two new additions this week. The woman who runs the store, Melissa, is very sweet, and does excellent work. This is one of my new coverings:

It's a convertible covering, can work as either a kerchief or a headband, and I LOVE IT. The style is SO cute, and so comfortable. I also purchased a stretchy lace headband from her, in Cappuccino, that is so super soft and pretty you can hardly believe it. I also bought a gauzy spring print convertible covering back in April, and it is another of my absolute favorites in my collection. She has another one just like it for sale now.

The prices are more than reasonable, with $1.99 shipping. Her items are already made and in stock, so you receive your order within days. I highly recommend this shop. She also makes longer veil coverings, bobby pins, and coverings for younger girls.

A quick caveat to say that she does include Christian (of the non-Catholic variety) tracks in her orders. If this makes you uncomfortable, you can simply ask her not to include them. She's super nice and responsive to all messages. Definitely check her out :)

Old Navy excitement

As I mentioned the other day, I'm in love with my new Old Navy skirts. As I also mentioned, I ended up exchanging a cardigan for another long skirt, since they are ideal for Mass and I own so few of them (and I didn't want to spend additional money). Well. Exciting news :) When I made the exchange, the very cute and perky employee who helped me told me that the skirts were going on sale the next day (today!) and if I brought my receipt in, I'd get the difference back since it was less than 24 hours before. Yay! So, just so that you all know :) those skirts are now only $19! And they do now appear on Old Navy's web site here. There are many more colors and styles in my actual store than appear on the web site, so lots of good skirts to be had. I'm super happy :)

Some happy updates, and Mass with children, part...can't keep track

There were many happy updates over the course of this long weekend, for which I am very grateful. The big one is that my grandmother is home from the hospital and doing well. She's still pretty uncomfortable, but that's to be expected. When she came limping in the door, my extremely frail grandfather just lit up and stood to greet her. Then they shuffled their way over to kiss each other say "I missed you, Honey!" It was too precious for words. They'll be married for 64 years in November.

The other big one is that it seems (for the time being, at least) the furlough threat has passed. It's possible there could be an appeal, but for the foreseeable future, we're safe in this regard, and for that I am unendingly grateful.

My car is still hot, but hey, you can't win 'em all.

On Friday after work (after receiving the furlough news...), I treated myself to a few new skirts at Old Navy since they are quickly becoming a staple of my summer wardrobe and I have so very few of them. As I've mentioned, it's really hard to find skirts that I consider to be an appropriate length. I never used to wear skirts much, but now I'm a total convert. They're *so* cool for the summer, especially with the car situation. Love them. I have 2 skirts from Target, and one long black skirt that I've had for so long I can't even remember when I obtained it. I needed a bit of a bump up in the skirt department.

I had more luck at Old Navy than I would have anticipated. I found the Roll Over Jersey Skirts that I've been admiring on their web site for quite some time. I'm not really certain that I'll wear them to Mass, but they are great for work and for leisure. Super comfortable and flattering, and they come to the knee, so the length isn't bad. They were priced $15 each, so I restrained myself from grabbing too many of them, and happily, one of them (not sure why, maybe that specific color?) was marked down to $4.99 so I was a happy girl. The big splurge was for a long skirt, because for the love of heaven, they are *so* hard to come by. I can't even find a picture on the web site, but it's a long ankle-length brown skirt. Real cute, kind of has a peasant thing going on, with some gentle layers and a crinkly look. It's a *perfect* church skirt, but it was $29.50, yikes! I know that may not sound like a lot to most people, but that's much more than I usually spend on a single item of clothing! I'm dying to get another one just so that I can alternate different colors every other week, but I'm simply going to have to wait until they are marked down. I do have a brand new short-sleeved cardigan that I picked up (good for layering) but honestly I may return it simply so that I can apply the credit toward another skirt. I think I'll get more use out of that. Plots return trip to Old Navy tomorrow...

At any rate, I wore the church skirt to Mass on Sunday, and as expected, it performed up to task. Long skirts have the added benefit of staying firmly put and not doing anything scary when Henry inevitably messes with them and tries to hide under them. We don't want me being permanently uninvited from my parish.

So, Mass. This morning I was catching up on some podcasts, and was listening to a broadcast from a few weeks ago of the Catholics Next Door with Greg and Jennifer Wilits. The topic was getting children to behave and pay attention during Mass, which has been on my mind as well. So, I figured I'd blog :)

Every parent has their own set of rules when it comes to managing unruly children during Mass. I have mine, but I don't begin to cast judgment on others who may see things differently. Wrangling children during Mass is *hard*, and as long as the kids aren't doing anything completely objectionable, I keep my opinions to myself.

In my case, I'm usually attending Mass without my husband, so that adds an additional layer of complication to the child wrangle. You don't have another person to run interference with, so you gotta do what you gotta do. Here's what I see as the stages (in my child, thus far) of child development at Mass:

Stage 1 - Infant. Lots of holding, soothing and rocking. If baby cries, take to narthex.

Stage 2 - Ages 1 to 2. This, my friends, is when things get hairy. So, so much squirming. And talking and crying. LOUD talking. For a month or two, I didn't bring Henry to Mass at this age. It was just unrealistic to expect him to keep quiet for an hour. When I did bring him, I did employ *neat* snacks such as a small container of dry Cheerios or those little packaged fruit jelly things, and 1 sippy cup (the non-spill kind) of milk. I was fastidious in making sure that we didn't make crumbs. I know some parents don't do this, and to each their own. I know that children can easily go an hour without eating, it's just all about noise control. Trying to keep a 1 year old quiet for a full hour on your own could make a grown man cry, trust me, so I saw it as justifiable.

Stage 3 - Ages 2 to 3. Pretty much a continuation of above with possibility of full scale tantrum now added in. See Stage 2, supra. Good times.

Stage 4 - Ages 3 to 4. Some improvement here. No more sippy cups and I gradually phased out the snack. Books are key.

Stage 5 - Ages 4 to 5. I still bring books with us every week, including his little Bible, but I do tote along some secular books like the Look and Finds he likes or a super hero book. I've been noticing that he doesn't look at them as much anymore, and this brings me to what Greg and Jennifer were talking about. As your kids get older, how do we engage them and get them to participate at Mass?

This past week, I had him look at my Missal a bit, and tried to whisper explanations in his ear as things were happening. That seemed to go over fairly well. We do always sit near the front now, which does appear to engage him more. I'm thinking about Magnifikid, but he can't read yet, so I'm not sure the time is quite right for that. Suggestions?

Being a Catholic housewife

My husband has taken to referring to my headcoverings as my "housewife scarves," which he says with a smile and an eyebrow raise, meaning, that he likes them. Because recently, I noticed that I often reach for them to wear on the weekends around the house instead of just twisting my hair up into a bun or a ponytail, like I usually do. And I have to say, I'm enjoying it quite a bit. My hair has gotten longer recently, and I hated feeling I was always wearing it up, just to get it off of my face. The headbands and shorter scarves allow me to wear my hair down, but keep it back out of my way. I adore them.

And I've come to adore acquiring them on etsy a tad too much. I *llooovvveeee* etsy. I mean, it's my new amazon.com. But whereas I was able to replace my amazon book buying habit with a public library card, I'm still spending real money on etsy. I'm a sucker for handmade items, and etsy is a treasure trove. When Mike commented on my newfound crush recently, I made sure to pipe in that he should be grateful I have such wholesome obsessions - you don't normally see support groups popping up dedicated to those who simply cannot help themselves around crafts, books, rosary beads, and head scarves.

Anyway, I'm still awaiting my 2 new additions from Garlands of Grace, but in the meantime...*guilty smile* I found another headcovering vendor on etsy and I tested the waters. They were only $11! And shipping was next to nothing. I barely spent over $20 for 2 coverings. So you see, I'm really still a very good girl :)

The first is this one, which I wore all weekend:



I like, love it. It ties, so it stays put nicely, and it can act as a short scarf or convert to a headband. My precious multi-purpose head covering; I love you so.

The other one is my first experiment with a longer veil:



I wore it to Mass on Sunday. Word to the wise - if you have a covering with both ties *and* snaps (for a taper in the back), do the snaps first. This caused me no end of consternation and muffled swearing for about 10 minutes. Once I figured the snap thing out, my head covering world improved. I like it real well, but I think I now have a definitive preference with these coverings: my absolute favorites are the shorter scarves, and bonus is they can also act as a headband, because I like headbands too. *Tiffany plots future purchases...* You can see where the problem comes in.

Anyway, I happily wore my pink scarf and did some work out in the yard on Saturday. The Catholic Librarian is planning her summer garden, and as you will be unsurprised to learn, she does this with no small amount of overplanning, overstructuring, and overzealousness. I've gotten both front and back weeded pretty well, but you know how weeding is. Two days later, and somehow a weed has not just started to grow back in, but it's a full-fledged young adult weed with wild hair and a bad attitude. How do they do that?! It's infuriating. And I am a ruthless weeder. I go right for the roots.

"Mommy, look at the pretty yellow flower."

"What?! WHERE?!" *spots offending dandelion* *viciously rips its delicate yellow head off*

"Ok, don't worry. We're ok again."

We have fresh dirt, we just need some topsoil, and we're good to go with some annuals and vegetables. I will report back in.

So then, on Sunday, I have yet another installment in what is a continuing saga for parents: Mass With the Children. Not an easy thing.

Henry has suddenly taken to boycotting Children's Liturgy of the Word, and I have no idea why. He says that he's "scared," but he says it with a smirk, so I know that he's up to something. He's declared that he prefers to sit back in the pew with Mommy at church, where he then drives me nuts for a straight hour. Getting into my purse and breaking things. Pulling my hair. Poking me. Whining. You know, all the good stuff.

I will grant, he's not loud and disruptive. For the most part. Nothing like what I will simply call THE INCIDENT from last November, and leave it at that. Now that he's 4, I set high standards for his behavior at Mass, and for the most part he earns at least a B most Sundays. That's pretty good for a boy that age.

I thought about it, and I think my strategy is going to be to just let the children's liturgy thing go. The more I mention it, the more he takes the opportunity to declare that he doesn't want to go and would rather stay with me in church. I think it's newness has worn off and thus it's not so exciting for him anymore. As well, Henry had inherited my shyness. That may have a lot to do with it. He's still at Mass, and that's what's important. We'll get there.

Headcoverings, the ongoing quest...

Now that Lent has come and gone, and I've resolved to continue to cover my head at Mass, I treated myself to a perusal over at Garlands of Grace. I now have 3 headcoverings, and I do love them. Only 2 of them are actually functional for me though, the chocolate brown lace scarf and the black/white velvet headband. The stretch khaki one that I purchased unfortunately isn't working out. It just slips like crazy. The ties on the other 2 seem to make the difference. And I use them regularly, but I was thinking it would be nice to add a few new members to my headcovering collection, so that I have more options on Sundays. And sometimes, I wear them at home, because they're so pretty and keep my hair out of my face.

Well. I immediately knew that I was in trouble when I discovered that they had posted the new spring collection. Dangerous, dangerous. I instantly fell in love with about a half dozen of them, and had to reign myself in. I've been wanting one of the lace headbands, and one of the Cecily style scarfs with ties, so I gave myself permission to buy 2. This resulted in much excitement for my entire workday as I contemplated which to choose.

I did end up scooping up one of the lace headbands, since I've wanted one from the start. I chose this one:



in silver. I figured that will match just about anything, and will go nicely with my dark hair. The big decision was which of the Cecily style coverings to get. I nearly chose an ivory chiffon, but in the end went with my baser instinct that darker colors just look better with my complexion. So I chose this one:



I couldn't be more thrilled. It has ties:



and it can also be worn as a headband:



The other (problematic) covering that I have, is similar:



and I love the style, but it simply does not stay on my head. The stretchy clasp just isn't working for me in that style. It'll stay for a short time folded up as a headband, but even that goes astray after a while. So, I think the ties will keep everything secure and make me very happy. I'm super excited.

So many of the other coverings were so beautiful as well! I'm sure that there is no doubt that before the end of the year, my headcovering collection will grow once again.

Back from Easter, and headcovering debriefing...

Ah, back at work from a weekend away. I'm happy to report that our travel, and our trip, went very well. On the way up, I smugly held my tongue as Mike squirmed in his seat and suggested that we make a rest stop. *My* bladder was fine, but I thought it best not to mention this fact. He and Hank hurried to the Mens Room while I daintily combed my hair in the ladies "lounge." What is it with highway rest stops? In New York they're actually somewhat decent. They maintain them and keep them pretty clean. But others, *shudder*. How hard is it to squirt toilet bowl cleaner and maybe take a mop to the floor once a week? Not hard, as we all know. But alas. They'd rather us wallow in squallor.

For the remainder of the trip, I felt quite nauseous. I have notoriously bad motion sickness, yet I get amnesia about this fact before every trip, because I never have the over-the-counter dramamine that I need. I munched on my snacks and sipped my iced tea, and this would keep the nausea at bay for periods of time. And, the portable DVD player resulted in Henry being an *outstanding* boy for the trip, both ways. Gosh, it feels good to be right. *coy smile*

I brought my knitting in the car this time, wondering if, despite the fact that I cannot read in the car due to my motion issue, perhaps I could knit. Yeah. No more wondering on that issue. I can't. Immediate doom-feeling nausea after barely 5 stitches.

On the way back yesterday, we stopped off at Rite Aid for some dramamine, which I immediately consumed. It knocked me out a few hours later, and I napped for pretty much the duration of our foray into central New York. It felt good to get home.

So. My Lenten headcovering experiment. I said I would write fully about this after Easter, and here we are. Overall, I really enjoyed my employment of headcoverings at Mass. I felt that I was more focused at Mass this Lent; that preparing myself by covering my head prior to attending Mass forced me to focus on how very important it is. It made me feel that I was making more of an effort to concentrate at, and appreciate Mass, and that I was trying harder to hear God's voice at that time.

And I got zero strange looks or comments. Granted, this may be because I was wearing fairly subtle headcoverings, in the form of larger headbands and scarves. I do not have a traditional mantilla. Also, I live in a region with a lot of cradle Catholics, and even if most women choose not to cover, they're familiar with the phenomenon and don't think it odd if another woman does. As well, there are a small number of women in my parish that do wear hats to Mass. Thus, I really didn't "stick out" the way I always feared, which was the reason I chose not to cover in the past.

So, with that all in mind, I plan to continue to cover my head during Mass from this point forward. At some point, I'll pick up a few more headcoverings so that I have plenty of options depending on what I'm wearing, and I'll definitely get them from Garlands of Grace. I'm very happy with the ones that I bought from there. I enjoyed this experiment and will continue to blog about it as events transpire :)

A wedding? You'd think that would be self evident. Not necessarily so - a tale of my weekend...

I had a good weekend, and I'll backtrack to that in a moment. But first, I wanted to start with a sweet anecdote from this morning. Henry had a dentist appointment this morning, and since Mike had class, I took him. We arrive, and are taken back to a dental chair.

Wide-eyed and anxious looking, Hank slips in. The hygienist is all perky, trying to get him to talk and smile.

"Hi Henry! How are you doing today? Did you brush your teeth this..."

"I WANT MY MOMMY."

He was not in a mood to be trifled with :) But he ended up doing great. Precious little sweetie.

Anyway, so my weekend. As you well know, Mass this weekend would mark my first major headcovering experience for my Lenten pilot project. I was all excited. I had chosen my outfit earlier in the day (we attended the Saturday evening vigil Mass this week), and about 15 minutes before we were slated to leave, I went to choose my covering. The one that went with my outfit best was actually the black velvet headband, so I strapped that on. I felt very cute.

I emerged from the bathroom, and Mike noticed right away.

"Oh! I like your hair thing."

:)

We pull up to a church for 4 pm Mass that we don't usually attend. Mike and I had dinner plans that evening, Sunday morning I was invited to a wedding shower brunch (eliminating Sunday morning Mass as a possibility), and my parish doesn't have a vigil that was as early as we needed for our dinner reservations; thus, we ventured down to a gorgeous church in the city. We'd been there before, but not for some time. And Mike often wants to accompany me to Mass when I go to one of the older churches, since they're so beautiful in this area. Thus, it worked out well. We pull up, and I immediately sense something going on.

"Why are all those girls in matching red dresses going up the stairs?"

My first thought was that I wanted to crochet them some shawls right then and there, because their dresses left a lot of skin exposed :) But also important,

"Do you think there's a wedding?"

Mike pshaws. "No, I don't think so. How could there be? I know they have regular Mass at 4."

I raise my eyebrows at my non-practicing Catholic husband, because he does take his Mass times very seriously.

He adds, "Maybe the wedding is after this Mass. Maybe they're just early."

"Maybe." *skeptical* "Look, there's more dressed up people. Oh wait. Oh dear."

"What?"

"There's a bride. There is clearly a bride. And she's coming out of a limo."

We both crane our necks. Girl wearing a full-out bridal gown mounts the stairs.

Mike remains very hopeful that we'll get to attend a 4pm vigil. "But wait. Doesn't that look like the groom? Why would they be arriving together?"

"I don't know. But it *is* possible to get married during a regularly scheduled Mass. You don't get to choose the readings and do all the customization that a separate wedding liturgy allows, but it technically can be done. Maybe they're doing that. Sometimes people want a later Saturday wedding ceremony, and the vigil is the only way to have a wedding after 2 pm in a Catholic Church, usually."

Mike looks utterly flummoxed. "Really?"

"Yeah. I've never seen it done, but I know that you can do it."

We continue to spy on people entering the church, and see people wearing clear non-wedding attendance clothes, so figure that the regular vigil is still on. We get out and head in.

As we enter the church, we see the wedding crowd all jammed into the front hallway, right out in the open. I'm even more confused at this point.

We find a pew, and Mass begins. The wedding folk process up with the priest and the altar servers. I think to myself, "yes, definitely must a wedding during the regular Mass."

Well. I was wrong :) As soon as the priest commenced the Mass, he noted that we were celebrating a Quinceanera - a Latin American coming of age ceremony for young women turning 15. I swear - she looked older than 15 :) Considering I was marrying her off...

Anyway, during the Mass, the young lady professes a statement of faith that she will strive to carry out the responsibilities of a Christian woman throughout her life, and receives a Bible, a rosary, and her first pair of high-heeled shoes. Interesting, huh?

What I was unprepared for was how elaborate everything was. There were a dozen attendants, and they all arrived in a limo. Everybody was wearing either a coordinated suit, bridesmaid gown, or a wedding gown. It really, really looked like a wedding :) But it was all very cool, and we enjoyed being a part of it.

So, on the headcovering. I enjoyed wearing it very much. I'll wait until after Lent to post a longer missive about my larger experience with headcovering, so I'll just say that week 1 was a smashing success. It stayed on my head with no fuss and everything.

Ok, instead of a book today I'm going to link to a meatless recipe. Looking for a good Friday dinner? One of my *favorite* on-the-go meatless dinners is Self's Better Bean Burritos. You mix sauteed onions and bell peppers, black beans, shredded Monterey Jack cheese, and grape tomatoes (I leave out the lettuce), pop into a whole grain tortilla, and voila! It's a family favorite.

Headcoverings! And Lenten book club...

*simmers with excitement* Yesterday, I picked Hank up from school and, as always, as soon as we got home, he wanted to fetch the mail. I set him off while I washed out the lunch dishes and generally tidied the kitchen in preparation for dinner. Suddenly:

*angels SING*

Hank appears with a small package, and I just *knew* that it was my headcoverings. The scripture verse included on the outside of the package also aided in this process of deduction :) Me being the Queen of Patience, I was dying to just rip into the package right then and there, but I put it aside so that I could savor it. I wanted time to play with each covering, try them on, and take pictures, so I figured I'd wait until after dinner.

After dinner came, and aforementioned ripping into package commenced. I practically squealed as I pulled each one out. You would have thought I'd just given birth such was my joy as each creation appeared. Ok; let the pictures begin!

Headcovering #1: Chocolate lace:













This one was almost immediately my favorite. It matches beautifully with my hair. It ties in the back, which I did find awkward at first. I have long hair, and I had a hard time getting it out of the way so that I could tie the covering properly. I did get better at it, however, and this covering just lays beautifully.

Headcovering #2: Stretchy flax:

At first I wasn't certain about this one. I had a hard time getting the clasp closed (this isn't a tie closure; it stretches and clasps together with a metal thingy in the back) and then finagling the whole shebang onto my head. Quickly, it grew on me. This one stays in place the easiest, because of the stretchy function. And I *heart* the color. It's a pretty, versatile khaki. It'll go with so many of my outfits. It ended up swooping into 2nd place in my ranked list.

And finally, Headcovering #3: Black velvet headband:

This is a beautiful covering, and I do like the easyness of a simple headband. You could keep this one tucked away in case you end up stopping for Eucharistic Adoration or a daily Mass on the fly. The long velvet ties are gorgeous, but a bit awkward to tie, and I had a hard time getting the band to lay flat while also trying to tie it. I'm sure I'll get better at it.

In the end, I determined that I *adore* the Cecily style coverings at Garlands of Grace. I love the length and the way they fall on my hair. In that style, they come in all sorts of fabrics and colors. I've already got my eye on a chiffon and a cotton one :)

So, I couldn't be more pleased. I can't wait to wear one of them to Mass this weekend.

Before I got home and discovered my darling headcoverings, I was planning to blog about books for Lent. Since I've already consumed several minutes of your time showing you pictures of me wearing headcoverings, I thought that perhaps what I'd do is each day feature a single book appropriate for Lenten reading. A Lenten book club, if you will. Where to start...

A few Lents ago, I read an excellent book entitled With God in Russia, by Fr. Walter Ciszek. The book chronicles the 23 years he spent sentenced to Russian prison camp. He says clandestine Masses, hears clandestine confessions, and generally prays his way through an experience few would be able to endure. An outstanding and gripping read. He has another book, He Leadeth Me, that I own and have not yet read. I hear this one is even better, so I'm dying to dig in.

Modesty + Stress = Modest Stress? Not so much. But loving Julie & Julia...

This weekend, I wasn't as relaxed as usual on my days off from work. I have a bunch of work-related tasks on my mind, including my ever sweat-inducing nemesis, teaching, as well as my worry for Shauna'h's situation. I tried to think as positive as possible, but sometimes that flat out doesn't work.

All weekend long, I was fielding phone calls from my mom and my sisters. When one of us is in crisis, the phone lines are always burning up:

"Yes, YES, Mom, I know. I agree. I think she should do that too. But we can't...Hold on, my other line is ringing. It's Rhonda. Hold on...Hi! I'm on the other line with Mom. I did talk to Shauna'h. Yeah, she told me that too. Hold on...I'm getting a text. It's Shauna'h! I'll call you back."

So, that was on my mind. Work has also been kind of crazy, as I've mentioned recently. I have 5 classes to teach in the next 2 weeks, plus a column to write for the university newspaper, plus a national committee deadline, plus a million other small things. I had one of the classes today at noon, so I was worried about that all weekend. It ended up going pretty well, but that certainly doesn't stop the worry machine, oh no sir.

Yesterday, my parents came over to have a small Super Bowl gathering with us. My mom brought sangria, and given the above, I was jonesing for a glass from the moment she got in the door. She pours me a glass, and I gratefully take a sip.

"Oh wow. What's in this?"

"Oh, lots of stuff."

"Like what?"

"Oh ,you know. Brandy. Wine. Triple Sec. Champagne. I got the recipe off the Internet."

Clearly, my mother was trying to get us all HAMMERED yesterday. By sip #3, I was feeling all buzzed and chattty. I will say that I did feel more relaxed. Bonus.

In happy happenings, I managed to finagle a Henry-less trip to Target yesterday. It makes Mike's eyes goggle to even contemplate spending 2 hours in Target, so my motivation for wanting to go solo is pretty clear. That's not even getting into the inevitable:

"Mommy, MOMMY. What's that? A waffle maker? What does it do? How does it work? Can we get that Mommy? Why?"

The boys stayed home together and were thrilled to do puzzles together.

We needed a couple of household items, and we had a gift card. Naturally, I spent forever looking through clothes as well, since Henry and I both need some new spring things. And I could do so blisffully uninterrupted :) I found a few shirts for Hank, and I happily found a few things for myself. In my quest to incorporate a few modest skirts into my wardrobe, I browsed carefully. I did end up fetching both a dress and a skirt. Both are made of this really flattering stretchy material that flows really pretty and is super comfortable. I wish the dress were a tad longer, but it does come to my knee. It's pink and brown, really pretty, with short cap sleeves. I'll be able to layer it easily with a shawl or a long cardigan.

So, the skirt. This is a saga that warrants it's own anecdote. There weren't many skirts to choose from. That is, not many that were longer than mid-thigh. I'm not trying to be prudish here, but if one lives in fear of revealing one's underwear should they dare to sit down, this means your skirt is too short. I found one, in the aforementioned stretchy material and in a pretty style, and it happily went to just below my knee. They didn't have my size in brown, so I grabbed a black one and put it in my dressing room pile. I wanted a medium, but they only had a small. I can often fit into smalls, so I hoped for the best.

I got into the dressing room and purposely avoided the mirror for a bit. Doesn't it always seem that dressing room mirrors are purposely designed to reveal every stretch mark, bit of cellulite and other things that every female in the universe wants desperately to keep hidden? They *do* want us to buy the clothes, right? So, my back to the mirror, I step into the skirt. I'm quickly flummoxed by the fact that I inexplicably seem to be stepping into a pair of shorts. This is a *skirt*, right? The sangria came AFTER the shopping trip, I promise.

Suddenly, I catch sight of the tag, which advertises boldly that this is a SLIMMING skirt with special SLIMMING properties. Ah ha. The "shorts" are actually these industrial strength nylons inside the skirt designed to SLIM MY WAIST. Hum. I would rather not have such properties, truth be told. I think my waist is A-ok, plus I soon discover that the slimming nylons are asphixiating me. Determined to give the skirt a try, since I otherwise like the style and length, I yank it up. I will admit that I looked particularly slim. But apparently SLIM and COMFORTABLE are simiply not permitted to coexist. Plus, the effort it took me to shimmy into this thing was downright comical. I can only imagine Mike's reaction. Skirt With Chastity Belt: even husbands can't break through this baby. I mean, this could be the new revolution in family planning clothing:

The Virtuous Skirt - By the time you can remove it, you remember that you have serious reasons for trying to avoid. Let's just head downstairs to watch a movie instead before the baby wakes up... I think I'm onto something. I should get a patent, right?

All that aside, I did love the way the skirt looked, and that length is apparently so hard to come by. When I got back out to the racks, I examined a few skirts that weren't on size-labeled hangers. Eureka! A medium. Life is good.

I also found a gauzy, long gray cardigan that will layer perfectly over things, and a cute elbow-length sweater with an argyle design. I chose a plum color, and would have loved to have gotten it in a few other colors, but no dice - not in the budget.

Ok, finally. Movie news. This weekend, it was my turn to pick a Saturday night movie, and I chose Julie & Julia. I could tell that Mike was exerting a Herculean effort to try and appear enthused by my choice, and for this he receives many husband bonus points. HOWEVER. We *both* loved this movie. This was wholesome, engaging and entertaining. Rated only PG-13, it sports only a few instances of adult language and some scenes of inferred intimacy between married couples. It was so charming and funny that we both laughed out loud at times.

The story chonicles two women - Julia Child when she first went to cooking school and subsequently published her famous cookbook; and a modern twentysomething named Julie Powell, who escapes from her bureaucratic nightmare of a job to cook at night and blog about making all 524 recipes in Julia Child's cookbook in one year. Julia Child's story was by far my favorite, and her portrayed relationship with her husband was just so endearing and sweet.

One of my favorite parts of the movie was when she first enrolled in this prestigious cooking school. She was the only female in the class. The are assigned a task, and they all set to work, chopping an onion. The men around her chop their onions in 3 seconds flat, and meanwhile, Julia is methodically slicing her onion slowly, with the utmost concentration. Everyone turns to stare at her. Later that evening, her husband comes home from work. Julia is at the kitchen island, chopping onions, trying to perfect her technique so that she can chop as fast as the men.

"chopchopchopchopchopchopCHOP!!" The pile of onions reaches at least to her chest.

Before he can even cross the threshold, her husband's eyes begin to water. "oh, oh, honey. What are you doing?"

"I'm chopping onions. chopchopchopchopchopchopCHOP!! Are you hungry, dear?"

Husband, wiping his eyes and backing away. "No, No."

"Good. chopchopchopchopchopchopCHOP!!"

I loved it. Highly recommended.

Weekend bliss, and school talk...

I had a really, really nice weekend. Unfortunately, Monday has to come eventually. I was knocked back into reality quickly by an 8am appointment this morning to register Henry for kidnergarten at our local public elementary school.

School choices are always another hot topic out in Catholic message board land :) A land that I am proud to live in... Anyway. There are 3 schools of thought on this issue: homeschooling, Catholic schooling, or (definitely a minority) public schooling.

I am a product of public schools. I'm one of those people that is pretty open to public schools, with the counterbalance of investigating the local district to see if it will be a good fit in every way.

On the other hand, I'm certainly a huge proponent of Catholic education. Our parish has a school, and I have considered using it. Obviously, with us having only one full time salary right now, money is a huge issue. When Hank was a year old we moved to our current house, which is located in a school district with a solid reputation. Prior to that, if we had stayed, we had already chosen a Catholic school, affiliated with our parish at that time, for Hank to attend.

Homeschooling really isn't an option for me, given that I work full-time outside the home, but I also simply don't feel called to it. I have one good friend who homeschools, and I find the issue quite fascinating. But it's really not on my radar screen.

So we have Catholic school and public school. The public elementary school is right down the road from us, and its reputation is excellent. We figured that we'd try it out and see. I keep telling myself that if we don't like it, we have options. There are a slew of Catholic elementary schools in our area, including two within walking distance, so I know that we aren't wedded to anything. If Hank continues at the public school, he will be immediately signed up for CCD at our parish to start his sacramental instruction in first grade. And of course, I believe that it is my job to pass on the faith to him at home, regardless of where he goes to school.

So, I know that everything will turn out ok. It's just going to be a big change, and change is hard for me. But he's MY BABY. It seems like just yesterday that he was a simpering little newborn, squeaking and spitting up between us in bed at night. *nostalgic sigh* Of course, now I get to sleep through the night, so I guess I'm not *that* nostalgic.

Anyway, backing up to the weekend... I'm so excited about receiving my new head coverings I can hardly stand it. I'm thinking they may arrive at the end of the week. I'll have to decide if I want to start wearing them right away, or wait until Lent...

In preparation for my upcoming experiment, I surveyed the heads at Mass on Sunday to see if I could spot any other head coverers. At first, I thought there were none, but then my little eye happened upon an older woman wearing a hat. Score! During Communion, I spied 3 other hat wearers. A big yea. Once again, I dressed up more for Mass, and I really did *feel* different. All good.

I also knitted a lot this weekend. I'm on round 52 of Mike's 85 round hat, so I'm actually almost done. The final 15 rounds are decreasing rounds, so I anticipate being done by the weekend. Then, I can finish up Christina's lap afghan, and move on to new projects. I've got a couple of baby gifts to make, as well as a few shawls that I wanted to make for myself.

Tonight, my needles and I will once again be perched on the couch with a glass of Chardonnay. Mike has to teach in the early evening, so Henry and are are going out to dinner with my mom. Should be fun...

On to the weekend, and eureka! We have a head covering...or two...

I'm tired. That pretty much sums up my week :) This weekend, I'm looking forward to just spending time with Mike and Hank. I have bellydance tonight, which is always a delight, and the hat I'm knitting for Mike is really coming along. I also have plenty of housework to occupy me. So, I'll be very contentedly busy.

I duitifully worked on some of my to-do list items, and gave myself freedom to finally select my future head coverings over lunch. My Lenten plan will go on as proposed, and I'm very excited. I know that I mentioned that I was only going to select two...

Yeah, I'm sure you'll be unsurprised as to how that turned out. After much scrutiny, I finally went to place my favorite contender in my online cart, only to find out that it was out of stock. In my disappointment, I gave myself complete emotional justification to select three. So there :) They are SO reasonably priced, my total still came in quite low, so overall, I feel that I did well.

You didn't think I'd not post pictures, right? It's what I live for. First, I picked a very traditional covering:

I got it in chocolate brown, so that it'll match my hair.

I wanted a headband, so I went with the super beautiful:

I love the velvet ties. It looks so pretty when your hair is worn up. And then finally, I chose this one:

This one is stretchy, so you don't have to tie it. As well, it scrunches up to form a headband, as shown, or you can pull it down for a short scarf look, like this:

I chose a color called "flax." It's a silvery shade. Very pretty.

So, that gives me a variety of styles to try, and we'll see how it goes. If I enjoy it during Lent, I can keep it up and add to my collection. You'll hear all about it :)

The joy of blogging, and preparations for Lent...

When I arrived at work this morning, one of the first things I did, like always, was open a browser window with my blog; I like to see if anyone has left comments, as well as think about an afternoon post topic. Today when I checked, I had 2 new comments!! I was absolutely delighted, thanks Joe and Cam! And both, addressing my post yesterday on Catholic modesty and headcoverings, were incredibly interesting and informative. I responded to both of you, so make sure you check :)

It just made me realize, once again, how much I value this blog. I enjoy it because it gives me a creative outlet for my writing, and it makes me think about a lot of interesting topics. As well, I have met other Catholic bloggers and treasure the online Catholic community that I've found. For all of that, thank you :)

Couple of things to followup on yesterday's post... I am going to continue my journey in 'dressing up' more for Mass. To this end, I'll obviously use the clothes in my wardrobe better as I select what to wear each Sunday. On the skirt issue, I was thinking that it *would* be nice to have maybe 2 that I could choose to wear to Mass, or out other places. For the winter, skirts just really aren't practical around here. *But* I could use to add some variety to my wardrobe. I have a few gift cards from Christmas, so I started my research today.

Let me tell ya, (Cam, I'm sure you can relate to this :) it is *not* easy finding dresses and skirts that fall below the knee. I'm not talking floor length gowns here, just things at or about calf length. Old Navy and Walmart.com - not a single contender. Surprisingly, I found a decent selection at Target.com. They're not cheap, but they have a few A-line skirts that are approximately calf length, as well as some chiffon overlay skirts that fall just above the ankle. In the next week or so, I'm going to go to the store itself to see if I can ferret any of them out and try them on.

I *was* able to secure a pair of long boots, suitable for wear with skirts, with a gift card. So, that's good. I've been needing those for a while.

Secondly, I was thinking about this headcovering issue at length yesterday; it's really grabbed hold of my attention. I think that what I'm going to do is try this headcovering idea out as a pilot project over Lent. To the extent I get odd looks from others at my parish, I can offer it up as a Lenten sacrifice, if you will. And naturally, I will blog about all of this :)

So...the next part is actually selecting the headcoverings and purchasing them. I am absolutely charmed by the offerings over at Garlands of Grace. Their prices are extremely reasonable, including the shipping rate totaling $2.99! I like the subtler nature of their coverings, and their versatility - there are many that function both as a headband or as a short scarf. With the type of coverings I'm looking at, plus shipping, I would say 2 are in my budget.

That's all well and good, but this is me we're talking about here. For the life of me, I cannot narrow my selection down to just 2. They're all so pretty! I will continue to agonize over this, rest assured.

I like this one, for a more traditional look:

But for the cute, headband styles, I like these:

With these two, you can wear them as a headband, or stretch them out into a scarf:

And of course, all of these come in a multitude of different colors, meaning more happy decisions. Clearly, I need to get back to work now (that is, *real* work), but believe me, you will be updated tomorrow...