Prayer, fasting and abstinence for a special intention ...

will mean this blog will be on hiatus for the next 14 days. 

We have seen a house that is available for sale ... an 1838 house that is in a perfect spot, cutting dh's commute 30 minutes EACH way, near all the friends we have down here, and more than 1.5 acres around the house (so LOTS of play area for the kids).  I SOOO want to move to this house ...

BUT

we'd need a major miracle to have all things come together.  In asking God's divine providence to "kick in", I am planning to fast (drinking only tea/water/coffee and not eating any sweets), to pray more (by going to daily Mass and carving an hour out of each day for prayer time), and to (and this is a BIGGIE for me) abstain from the Internet (by only checking email twice a day and not doing anything else online). 

We are asking for a clear sign from God whether or not to pursue this house ...

So I will update you all on this intention on March 1st (which is also String Bean's 11th birthday).  Will you please add your prayer to my self-imposed sacrifices while I'm away?

mater et magistra ... the ONLY Catholic homeschool magazine ....

... needs your help.  Margot, publisher of m-et-m, received word that the magazine has been selected by the readers of the About.com Catholicism GuideSite as one of the five finalists for Best Catholic Magazine in the 2011 About.com Catholicism Readers' Choice Awards! 
Starting at 12:00 A.M. EST on Friday, February 11, 2011, and running until 11:59 P.M. EST on March 8, 2011, Catholics from around the world will cast their votes in this category (and in nine more). The competition will be fierce; I encourage you to get the word out to your supporters as soon as you can after 12:00 A.M. EST on Friday, February 11, 2011.

Here's the form to vote for m-et-m (as well as other great Catholic sites) as the Best Catholic Magazine. 
The winner will be announced on March 15, 2011. Please help m-et-m and chose it as the Best Catholic Magazine, because it is!

For the knitters in the crowd ....

stand-up if you know I love knitting .... remain standing if you knew I had a blog just for my knitting stuff ... keep standing if you've checked out my By Hand, With Heart blog recently ... and finally, to the few of you who may be left, give yourself a warm and fuzzy if you've actually checked out my patterns at my Ravelry shop!

The reason for me asking these questions is that I've decided that with the start of June 2010, I am going to make a concerted effort to get my design backlog out to knitters everywhere.  I have YEARS of designs that have only seen the light of day amidst friends and relatives ... and that's just plain silly. 

If you check out my BHWH blog, you'll see some reviews of knitting books and resources, a few tutorials and resource listings, links to books with my designs in them as well as a couple of books of my original designs, and of course the link to the Ravelry store.  The cool thing about my Ravelry shop is that you can instantly download any of the knitting patterns you'd like -- some cost (nothing over $5.00) while some are free -- but all are pure "by hand, with heart"!

As I mentioned on the knitting blog this morning, I am aiming to upload at least three patterns each week in June -- so the shop will constantly be updated, so don't forget to check back.  And let me know which designs you like or would like to see uploaded.  Here's a peak at some of the designs you'll find at my Ravelry shop ....

"Hearts a Poppin' for My Boy" baby blanket

Red Hot Pocket Purse (with CellPhone "sweater")

So So Soft, So So Easy Scarf

Enjoy checking-out my patterns ... and remember to check back occasionally to see what other designs I will tempt you with!

Advent is Joy: Gaudete in Real Life

I’ve always loved the Advent season for the chance to start new, to clean out the cobwebs and dust of my life and prepare a place for the Christ Child in my home and my heart. Advent is filled with joy and hope in the coming of the Christ Child; however, this is something I can forget in the rush to ...

To read the rest of my article, please check out Phases of Womanhood!  Let me know what you think ...

Third Time's the Charm ....

Can you believe it?  After dissing it for years, this will be my third pro-post about Facebook (see here and here for the previous pro-post mentions).  I am really enjoying connecting with folks I haven't seen in a while (like years!) and finding some really cool sites and articles and ideas from a whole new spectrum of folks. 

Thus, the point for today's post.

Thanks to Alicia at Studeo and the brains behind Favorite Resources for Catholic Homeschoolers, I now have a very cool ... insightful ... creative ... interesting ... eclectic ... blog to read:  The Pious Sodality of Church Ladies.

This is a great mix of frugal gift-giving tips, catechesis, knitting notes, and just a wonderfully feminine place to visit.  It's one of those blogs where you grab a cup of tea ... when the house is nice and quiet (or relatively) ... and sip and read and note and generally enjoy.

Thanks, Alicia!  And the Pious Sodality Church Ladies ... please keep up the good work.  You have one very vocal fan here.  Oh, and I love the graphic, don't you?


BTW, just so you don't think I've completely gone over to the other side ... there are still things about Facebook that irritate the fire out of me ... and I continue to stumble through trying to "friend" folks and link blog posts and try and get around.  But, I do have to say, my original general impression of FB has definitely changed for the better.

Family: climbing the mountain to fulfill God's will ...

A dear, dear friend of ours needs help.  She is a young teacher at dh's high school who believes God wills her to become a Dominican Sister of Nashville (an amazing, vibrant community of ladies who teach all over the world). 

This is not an easy journey.  There are many bumps, hills, and even mountains she must scale before she can join.  First, she had to accept the call, the urging within her that God was asking her to "be of use" in this way.  She has climbed that bump.  First she had to be accepted into the novitiatiate.  She has climbed that hill.  There is at least one mountain, a big one at that, which she needs to climb before she is able to join.  She's about two-thirds of the way up that mountain, but it is a big one ...

The Dominican Sisters will not allow you to enter until you are debt-free.  Now, Karen is a very frugal person; however, her one big debt is the student loans she took out to allow her to receive a degree from Catholic University of America.  She has cleared two of the three loans and now has less than a year to clear the last loan.  Donations to Karen are not tax-deductible ... but they will help this lovely young woman on her journey to fulfill God's will.

Won't you help?  On her blog, That I May be of Use, she has a donation button.  There is also an address if you'd like to send her a check. 

She also asks that you send up some prayers for her continued quest to be obedient to God ... all else will follow.