The regular “little of this, little of that” feature here at Like Mother, Like Daughter!
In my last {b&p}, I mentioned about how I was just waiting on some nice “after” shots before I showed you my “before shots.”
But last night, in what I'll just dub a Friday-the-13th sort of turn of events (although, honestly, I pretty much never post a post on here without encountering some kind of glitch!), my computer refused to import the photos that I had intended to put here. So I was left with a lot of “before” photos I already had around as options for today's collection.
My new year's resolution for 2015 is “a place for each thing and each thing in its place.” (Camp Code #3, for those of us who went to Summer Winds girls' camp or any of its sister camps back in the day.) Despite the fact that I've been in the habit of moving (7-9 homes in the past 8 years, depending on how particular I get with counting), I still manage to have some clutter hanging around and items that just tend to drift from room to room, haunting various horizontal surfaces.
Well, the Chesternest is rich in many ways, but it is POOR in terms of available horizontal surfaces – or spaces in which one can add horizontal surfaces – and in a way that is probably good for me, because it forces me to eradicate and/or rehabilitate those drifting items. Also: veeerry short on the closet space. This has been my project and my challenge in our settling in process here.
Today I am hoping to get into serious organizing mode with our art supplies. After 2.5 years of marriage, I finally went ahead and consolidated our various sketch pads, pencils, paints, brushes, drop cloths, etc. etc. (And erasers!! arg the erasers! I don't know what other ladies' husbands shed, but my husband sheds kneaded eraser. It's like it seeds itself and grows around us, somehow!!)
Funny that this was the last category of belongings to integrate from “his and hers” to “ours!” Mainly it hasn't happened until now because organizing art supplies is just. so. daunting. Daunting when one doesn't have a spacious studio with lots of shelves and closet spaces, that is. Or, like, any shelves or closet spaces at all.
So wish me luck!
We have some fun videos this week:
- A whimsical, brief, semi-dramatized history of solfege singing.
- The making of a Dior bag. Auntie Leila says that this is like the crayon factory bit on Mr. Rogers… but for grown ladies. (Well, she said graham cracker factory, but in my mind it's all about those crayons.)
- An aah-dorable piece about the lady who does “makeunders” of those horrible Bratz dolls, and her husband. (That is to say, her husband is also in the video; he's not horrible, and he doesn't get a makeunder.) This couple is so cute and what they are up to is just extremely refreshing. I mean — like the perfect glass of lemonade on a parched July day next to a natural spring water pool refreshing. Tree Change Dolls.
- Our friend Paul Jernberg has recently shared a video of his setting of the The Lord's Prayer, with parts for priest and choir. The video has the sheet music, so you can actually learn easily from this, and literally see how simple it is as well as hear how beautiful. You'll recall that it is Jernberg who composed The Mass of St. Philip Neri, which Auntie Leila wrote about here (this music near and dear to my heart, as he and Rosie and a group of our friends sang this Mass at my wedding to the Artist). If your parish, like most parishes, suffers from poor music at Mass, don't hesitate to introduce this beautiful and very approachable music to your pastor and choir director!
Some manly stuff:
- Kristen Lavransdatter and your Nordic Medieval Catholic Heart. A fun review of our favorite book from a man, for men.
Some other worthwhile weekend reading:
- A brief list of strategies for how to read more, from Austin Kleon.
- A piece (slightly more of a time-commitment than the other things on here) about picky eating among kids and where it comes from and how to combat it: Death to the Chicken Finger. (See the ‘from the archives,' below, for more on this topic.)
- From the bishop of Arlington, VA, a thoughtful piece about porn in First Things. My favorite line: “I suppose we have the option of shrugging our shoulders, ignoring it, or cracking a joke. But I challenge every adult to reflect on this cultural moment from the perspective of a father or mother of young children.”
From the archives:
- This weekend, I know that at least Suki and I will be making paczki. If you suffered through Auntie Leila's deviously-timed post about these doughnuts last year, I am hereby reminding you about these so you can enjoy them now, before Lent starts! Yes, that's right, this Wednesday is Ash Wednesday. Time to stuff yourselves with doughnuts, people!
Liturgical year:
~We’d like to be clear that, when we direct you to a site via one of our links, we’re not necessarily endorsing the whole site, but rather just referring you to the individual post in question (unless we state otherwise).~
Kelsey says
My husband is a marine electrician. (Marine as in he works on boats – he’s not a Marine!) He sheds box cutters, nylon zip ties, and various computer-chip looking things that I do not comprehend… It’s a bit rough on our washing maching 🙂
Kelsey says
*machine*
Melanie says
The last thing we consolidated was music collections,lol. My husband is a nurse, so he sheds pens, packets of miralax, and those rolls of tape they use on IV’s.
Kimberlee says
Oh, that takes me back a hundred years ago when I used to shed rolls of tape, alcohol wipes and hemostats. 🙂
Kimberlee says
We like the tantalizing array in the one picture – so many of our favorite goodies: Priamacolors, W&N inks, watercolors, circle template, Art bin and even a dear little clementine box. That is so sweet that you are consolidating the art supplies. True love. 😉 We also loved the solfege vid (my schola director/organist son is always singing the praises of solfege) and followed the link to the Dies Irae one as well (have to listen for it every year during It’s a Wonderful Life). Thanks for the wonderful links, as always!
Terri says
That video of the Tree Change Dolls is just delightful. I love that she created something fun and beautiful from those trashy toys. Thanks for sharing!
Jennie C. says
I read Kristin Lavransdatter last year, because everyone said it was so good. I didn’t like it. I didn’t like the weakness of her husband, the way he was always reminding her of her own sinfulness in order to cut her down, the way he always mocked her. And I did not like her for being weak herself, for being unable to ever recover from her indiscretion, for failing to teach her children because she was always burdened with that “original” sin.
I appreciate the light that article puts this novel in, but I don’t think I’m going to reread it anytime soon. I found it tragic and hopeless. The Erlands of the world don’t care to emulate men like Lavrans.
I’d really like to know why so many women love this trilogy!
Lauren says
Jennie,
I also felt this way about Kristin Lavansdratter. To be honest, I didn’t even finish it. But, people recommended it so highly. The prose was beautiful but I just decided to read something else.
The doll video was so beautiful! I have been struggling to find pretty first doll for my little girlie that is both well made and lovely. I was so saddened by what I saw on the shelves. This video was so lovely.
Katie says
Haha, the Mr. Rogers crayon factory. In my husband’s family, this is a good-humored shorthand for being advanced in years. Ever notice the silver hair of all the workers? So the joke is, “Well, when granddad retires and goes to work at the crayon factory…”, etc. Funny to hear it pop up in another context!
Mrs. B. says
* The Dior bag video is entrancing! Such expert movements to create something so elegant and beautiful are a joy to watch – they make it seem so easy, as if anyone could do it…
* My husband is a writer and he sheds papers – whole magazines, torn pages from them, printed articles from websites, drafts, and drafts, and more drafts, notes with the sudden inspiration…
* I’ll be making paczki tomorrow, though in Italy we call them bomboloni (= big bomb) – easier to pronounce for me 🙂 And you should try to find a recipe for intrigoni (the meaning has to do with something being intertwined… with itself – a picture will explain better!), another typical Fat Thursday/Fat Tuesday treat where I come from! I wish I had my grandmother’s recipe!!
* Whoever in his right mind would buy such ugly “dolls” for a little girl? How much of your good instincts must you suppress in order to pay money for junk like that and give it to a child?
Ginger says
“Your the parent, don’t give them a choice.”
I love this, but I always give a choice, you either eat that or eat nothing.