So, how ya been?

I thought we'd catch up and chat about how things have been going. 

Clementines are in season, of course, and we go through at least one bag a week here because all the kids like them and I love them. Clementines mean winter to me, winter and cute little fingers peeling, peeling, peeling.

I got the outside decorations mostly up, but I realized Mary and Joseph need new lightbulbs. Commence search. Eventually I will cut some greens to fill the flower pots by the Holy Family and to fill the basket that sits at my front door. But I'm happy with what we've got. The kids looooove the train and I feel ridiculously proud of myself for figuring out its set-up.

I don't have Advent candles for our wreath yet, just a little votive candle sitting where the first week's purple taper should go. I'm reading Isaiah right now in my Bible but I'm finding my prayer time so dry.  Those two facts seem to compliment each other, at least in my mind.


I'm figuring out how we'll do the feast days this season and I'm thinking it will look like this:
Christmas lights and music (we usually keep these off until Gaudete Sunday)
Hot chocolate + candy canes + clementines for after-school snacks
St. Nicholas on the 6th: stockings will be filled when the kids wake in the morning and maybe we'll eat Shepherd's Pie for dinner because we all love it, not because it has anything to do with St. Nick.
Immaculate Conception on the 8th: chicken + pasta + cauliflower + canned pears + white frosted sugar cookies for dessert (it's all white, get it?)
Fulton Sheen on the 9th: homemade pizza with meat and pineapple (for me) but no cheese (it's surprisingly good!)
Our Lady of Guadalupe on the 12: tacos or maybe enchiladas if I can find a good dairy-free recipe (is that possible? Is my gringa showing?)
St. Lucy on the 13th: Brinner!  Santa Lucia roll recipe Grace shared on the blog several years back + bacon + sausage + fruit
The kids' school break starts on the 16th and the feast days stop so we'll see how this all goes.


Today I wanted thumbprint cookies, though Jofis wanted chocolate chip cookies incredibly badly. I told him that we should make the thumbprint cookies, though, because we could frost them with purple Advent frosting and that would be super special. He was half convinced but then he got to lick the beater, roll the dough, smoosh his thumb in the dough balls, and eat frosting. So he stopped complaining.

We're listening to Advent music around here, but not too much of it. I have a playlist (o'er there in the sidebar) but I'm also trying to have silence in the house. Gee golly, it's nice.

I will share one success, if you will allow me to. This year we're doing the Jesse Tree and it finally feels good - like they're getting it. The three oldest kids all have Religion in school and they are learning so much. It's good to see that what we've been trying to do for years is being nurtured at school and then they come home and we can continue to build on it. This relates to the Jesse Tree in that each night I read from the booklet that came with our set. I do this sort of read + ask questions so the kids tell the story + summarize the Scripture and then the child of the night finds the ornament that goes with the Scripture.  It's like, this is what it's supposed to be! And it only took 6 years!


Finally, Likable Art shared this new video they made for Life Teen and I thought it was so beautiful.



What about you? Got any successes or struggles to share? How's life treating you?

The Advent Care Package Giveaway

Update: The giveaway is now officially closed. The winners have been emailed and have 24 hours to respond. Thanks to everyone for playing along. I hope you all had fun and got some great shopping ideas for your loved ones. Please do use this as a gift guide and be sure to tell the makers and sellers that you found them through A Knotted Life!


Welcome to the 2016 Advent Care Package Giveaway. Over thirty amazingly talented artists, crafters, and vendors have donated gifts which have a combined value of over $1000. (!!!)

This is all for you, dear blog readers, and I sincerely hope you love it.

Two winners will be chosen and each will receive a Care Package worth over $500. The winners can keep every blessed thing for themselves or they can divvy everything up, put up their feet, and call their Christmas shopping done.

There is something for everyone. Books for children and adults, jewelry, and skin care products. Practical gifts like an apron, a planner, notecards, and beard balm. Fun gifts like dolls, cd's, and an Advent Mass Box craft kit subscription. Some are religious, some are not. All of it is beautiful, much of it is handmade, and every item is gleefully special.

To round things off, and to hopefully make your Advent a bit easier, I'm going to throw in chocolate coins for your St. Nick tradition. Hope it helps!

So here's how this works:

Each gift is listed with links to where you can buy the product or see more items by the same person. I give an honest mini summary of each product and I link to the item's image on my Instagram account, where I have shared (and continue to share) each individually with a little review.

I know a lot of you will use this as a gift guide and so I'm really happy that several of the makers and vendors have included coupon codes for you to use. The discount information is always the last thing listed under each item so that it is easy for you to find. Also, if you could do me a favor: if you buy something included in this giveaway will you please let the seller know that you learned about their item from my blog / giveaway? That kind of feedback is powerful and will mean I can do this again next year. Thanks!

Hopefully you've been following along on Instagram and the A Knotted Life Facebook page as I have highlighted each item with the hashtag #adventgiveawayAKL. If you click on the hashtag you can see more details of each gift.

Directions and fine print stuff: You'll enter using the Raffelcopter entry form below and all I'm asking for is one simple blog comment. One entry per person. All Amazon links are affiliate links for me, meaning I earn a small commission through my referral at no cost to you. Open only to people 18 or older and those living in the continental United States. (Sorry everyone else, my budget just can't afford the shipping!) The winners will be picked at random by Rafflecopter. After the winners are announced they will have 24 hours to provide me with their mailing addresses and if they do not they forfeit the win and a new winner will be drawn. The giveaway closes on Wednesday, November 16th.

Okay, let's get going, shall we?!

10 Tips for a Happy Life Pope Francis quote prints + Christmas car magnets from Just Love Prints
The prints are 5"x 7" and made with amazing color. The magnets are lovely, with great illustrations. Beautiful.
Buy the print here
Buy the Wise Men Still Seek Him magnet here
Buy the Keep Christ in Christmas magnet here
Read my review here
Coupon Code JUSTLOVE10 good through Christmas


Gaudete Sunday Pink Infinity Scarf + Handstamped Christmas Cards by Katie
Be liturgically correct on the third Sunday of Advent with the pink scarf and impress all (or four) of your friends with these gorgeous hand-stamped Christmas cards. Gorgeous.
Katie's blog: Look to Him and Be Radiant
Follow Katie on IG here
Read my review of the scarf here and the cards here


Advent Charm Bracelet from Faith and Fabric by Jen Frost
Delicate, pretty, hand-stamped with Advent colors. Made from aluminum for sensitive skin. It's charming!
Buy the charm bracelet here
Faith and Fabric Etsy Shop
Jen's website: Faith and Fabric
See the bracelet in detail and read more about it here


Advent Purple LuLaRoe Leggings from Megan Stevenart
Be comfortable, stylish, cute, and liturgically appropriate! You know I love me some LuLaRoe!
Shop Megan's pop-ups
Read my review of LuLaRoe here
See more about the leggings here


Christmas Prints from Printable Prayers by Kendra Tierney
These prints are thick and sturdy, bold and colorful. One is sassy, one is classy, and one is a gorgeous prayer. So much to love.
Printable Prayers Etsy Store
Kendra's blog: Catholic All Year
O Come O Come Emmanuel print
Christmas Anticipation Prayer print
You Better Not Cry print
Read more about the prints here


Africa Sleeps Holiday Gift Set by Karen H
The Holiday Set includes body wash, lip balm, and exfoliating gloves and it smells amazing. All Africa Sleeps products are made from organic, fair trade ingredients. The products are made for children of African heritage but are great for anyone with dry skin.
Africa Sleeps website
Buy the Holiday Set here
Read more about it here


Liturgical Prints from Hatch Prints by Katrina Harrington
Gorgeous, colorful, and high quality. These prints are perfect for enhancing the liturgical decorations in a home and setting a tone of peace and joy.
Shop Hatch Prints here
Advent Candle with Josemaria Escriva quote
Christmas Joy B16 quote
Pause in Silence B16 quote
See all three and read more about them here


The Catholic Woman's Companion Planner by Nancy B
Planner comes with it all: monthly calendars, weekly pages, grocery lists and meal planning, coloring pages!, student / child info, and more! A great resource for a busy mom.
Nancy's blog + website: Do Small Things with Love
Buy the planner here
Read more about the planner here

Breathe doTERRA Roller from Sarah Williams
The Breathe Roller is perfect for adding a little bit of calm to your personal space. It's pre-diluted and perfect for helping with winter's respiratory issues.
Sarah's doTERRA site
Contact Sarah 
Get in touch with Sarah on Facebook
Read my review here

Crocheted Baskets by Theresa B
These baskets are soft, sturdy, and incredibly handsome. My eight year old and I both have heart eye emojis for days.
Buy the baskets here
Theresa's blog: Ordinary Lovely
Read more about the baskets and see them closer here
Coupon Code AKLREADERS10 good until December 1st.


Divine Mercy and Sacred Heart prints from Thomas Valle Studio
These prints literally took my breath away, they are so gorgeous. The Divine Mercy and Sacred Heart prints are both from original artwork by Thomas Valle.
Buy prints here
Read more about the prints and see them better here


Handmade Necklace + Earring Set and Bracelet + Earring Set from Annery's Handmade by Annie
Both sets of jewelry are inspired by chain-mail - so think St. Joan of Arc. They are incredibly beautiful and both delicate and statement pieces. Lovely.
Buy religious jewelry, rosary roses, and more here
Follow Annie on Instagram
See a close-up of the jewelry and read more about them here


Handmade Leather Bound Journal by Wild Things Adventures
This journal is made from soft leather, and thick, cream-colored paper. It is completely unique and the perfect gift for an artist, adventurer, dreamer, or Middle Earth lover.
Buy a journal here
Sarah's blog: Wild Things Farm
Read more about the journal here


Glory to the Newborn King Girl's Hairbow by Polka Dot Bowlevard
We own several of these bows and they are well made and beautiful. This particular bow is sparkly and sweet and lovely. Navy, white, and gold - a perfect way to top off a little girl's Christmas outfit.
Buy a bow, key fob, or non-slip hairband here
Check out Polka Dot Bowlevard on Facebook
Read more about the bow and see a close up here


She Be Fierce and All for You Necklaces by Signs of Love from Rakstar Designs
Each necklace is handmade, on a long chain, and absolutely stunning. She Be Fierce includes a St. Joan of Arc medal and All for You includes a St. Teresa of Calcutta medal along with various charms related to each saint.
Shop the Signs of Love Etsy Store
Buy the She Be Fierce Joan of Arc Necklace
Buy the All for You Teresa of Calcutta Necklace 
See more of Rakstar Designs on Instagram
See close ups of both necklaces and read more about them here
Coupon code of KNOTTYXMAS16 good for 15% off a purchase of $30 or more

The Bethlehem Collection Dolls by Fitz Knitz
These dolls are adorable and the apple of my four year old's eye. Joseph's body stands about 10" and is made from a deep brown yarn and the Baby Jesus is securely attached to Mary's arm. Soft, cuddly, big enough to love and small enough to fit in a stocking.
Contact Rachael directly at [email protected]
Buy a hat, doll set, or mermaid blanket here
Read my review here
Coupon Code: KNOTTED10 - 10% off a purchase of $25 or more, expires 11/30/16


Catholic Beard Balm, Beard Brush, and Bottle Opener from Catholic Balm Co.
The Beard Balm is St. Joseph scented - a mix of cedar, frankenscense, and the lightest hint of rose - and will go to one lucky winner. The other winner will get the handsome and useful beardvangelization bottle opener and beard brush, with its wooden handle and manly wooden case (okay, I wanted to say adorable. How about super neat? Let's stick with manly.)
Buy balms, brushes, lip gloss, and more here
Read my review here


The Gospels of Luke and John from Sacred Art Series
This leather bound book includes the Gospels of St. Luke and St. John along with beautiful, full-colored illustrations from the classics. Gorgeous.
Sacred Art Series website
Buy the Gospels here
The the book and read more about it here
This book is discounted by 20% on Amazon just for the duration of this giveaway!


O Emmanuel Christmas album by JJ Wright from Dynamic Catholic
This Christmas album is unlike anything I've ever heard before - and I like it! Think of the jazz music from Charlie Brown Christmas and then combine that with lush, heavenly high church choral music. Interesting and beautiful.
Buy the album here
Learn more about JJ Wright here
Check out Dynamic Catholic here
Read more about the album here


Juniper Headbands from Christine Coots by Trades of Hope
Handmade in India, empowering women around the world. These are beautiful and a great way to dress up a messy bun.
Buy the headbands here
Shop Trades of Hope here
Follow Christine's Trades of Hope Facebook page
Read my review here

But First, Coffee Mug from Be a Heart Design by Erica Tighe
White and navy with black calligraphy that reads "But first coffee." Big to fit your coffee and metal so no one can break your favorite mug. It's hip and classic.
Be a Heart website
Get the mug here
Follow Erica on Instagram
See the mug up close and read more about it here


Chime Travelers Books 1-5 by Lisa Hendey
These chapter books are great for first-third graders to jump into. Great stories, great saints, likable characters, sweet illustrations. Whoever the winner is: my kids are jealous of your kids.
Lisa's website
Buy any of Lisa's great books here
PS - Lisa's O Radiant Dawn book is what my family uses with our Advent Wreath at dinner each night and it's only $1.25.
Read my review here

Liturgical Apron from Uphill Goods by Megan Whitmore
The apron is two-sided and made with beautiful fabrics and sturdy seams. The apron is approximately 29" long from top to bottom, 25" wide at its widest, and will fit up to a 45" waist / chest with its ties.
Design your own apron or buy a pre-made one here
Read more about the apron here


The Bernadette Book Series 1-3 by Emily Grace Ortega
We love these books in our family! Great for readers in grades 1-3. These stories focus on the children in a loving, realistic Catholic family and are well written with the sweetest illustrations.
Buy the Bernadette Books here or on Amazon
Read my review for I'm Bernadette,  See more about all three books here


Advent Mass Box Subscription
Four weeks of crafts based on the Sunday Mass readings. A great way to interact with your kids to emphasize the liturgical season, Mass, Scripture, and the domestic church.
Buy your subscription of the Mass Box here.
Use the coupon code ADVENT10 for 10% off the December Mass Box subscription.
Read my review here


Lilla Rose Hair Clip from Mandi Richards
Pretty and practical, these clips are great for putting your hair up and looking beautiful. I use mine all the time.
Shop Mandi's Lila Rose site
Read about how much I love these things here
See the clip and read more about it here


Sacred and Immaculate Hearts Hand Painted Wooden Signs by Honeychild Forest
Each sign is handpainted, completely unique, and the perfect mix of whimsy, reverence, and beauty. These are going on my Christmas wishlist.
Shop Honeychild Forest
Read more about the signs here


Catholic Mom Challenge by Sterling Jaquith
Sterling is one of my favorite Catholic speakers and her book is filled with the same wit and wisdom as her talks. This book has practical tips for "striving for sainthood in everyday mom life" delivered in a personable, easy-to-read style.
Buy the book here
Sterling's website
Sterling's podcast, Coffee and Pearls
Read more about the book here

Advent Rosary by Ave Maria Faithcrafts
The Our Father beads have little Infant Christs and the Salve bead has a beautiful depiction of the Holy Family. The other beads are a rich, Advent purple color and the whole rosary is amazing. It's a great weight, too.
Buy a rosary or jewelry here
Check out the Facebook page
Follow on Instagram
See a close up and read more about it here


Meditations 01 by Reverb Culture
The first book of a four set series that walks its readers through thirty days of meditating on the Creed using Scripture and the Catechism. Wonderful for teens and adults, men and women.
Buy the book here
Check out the website
Read more about the book here


Watercolor Hedgehog notecards, 4 pack by Pebble Creek Prints
Super cute and high quality. These are incredibly versatile and incredibly sweet.
Rachel's blog: Efficient Momma
Buy the notecards here
See a close up and read more here
Coupon Code BONNIE good for free shipping in the US, good until November 30th


Receiving Blanket backed in Organic Flannel from Whole Parenting Goods
High quality, beautiful fabric, backed with organic flannel. This receiving blanket is perfect for keeping a little warm and has the sweetest scalloped seam.
Buy the blankets, bibs, and leggings here
Follow Nell and WPG on Instagram 
Read my review here

FYI: I've been getting some emails and messages about comments not showing up. Don't worry. I will trust you that you comment and have even seen some of the ones I've been emailed about. The important thing is that you successfully complete the Rafflecopter form below. I will pick the winner and have your contact info through the form so as long as that takes we'll be good to go!

a Rafflecopter giveaway


Good luck and God bless!

PS - a 7QT filled with postscripts

Linking up with Kelly, who now has a new planner for sale and the full time job of hosting these lovely 7QT! Hip-hip-hooray for Kelly!


1 -So many of you recommended Pentatonix's Christmas album in the comments of the Advent Care Package post that I went ahead and impulse bought it. I was pretty happy to see this song listed on the album since I'm a fan of the original. We listen to winter and Advent songs now but keep Christmas carols for Guadete Sunday, which is when we put up our tree and turn on all our Christmas lights, so I'm keeping this album tucked away and will pull it out for something special to listen to on our way to the tree farm.
PS - I have a playlist of Advent and winter songs on the right sidebar if you want to take a listen.


2 - In mid November our local grocery store had turkeys on sale for dirt cheap. I bought a 14lb bird for less than $10. It was the second turkey I've ever made and it came out really, really well. Even if I cooked the giblets in the bag in the turkey. (Shoot.)

Everyone loved it and I felt like Henry VIII eating my drumstick. 

"yummy yummy yum-stick"

PS - I slathered it with coconut oil instead of butter to make it safe for JF, who has dairy allergies. It was still great - just a little tip in case you need to make a dairy-free turkey for anyone.


3 - The good folks at Firmoo are hosting a blogger contest. They nominated 50 of their favorite blog posts that mentioned their glasses and I was one of them. Who knew stories about mom groups and glasses and posers would get me nominated? Anyways, if you would vote for me I would be really appreciative. I have the chance to win more glasses and $100 that we'd love to put towards my son's tuition. Vote here, pretty please and thank you!

PS - you can vote once a day so if you've already voted for me you can do it again! yippee!


4 - Elise sent me the sweetest gift:

I plan on taking it and a couple of Kendra's images to our local office store and have them printed. I want to hang this Fiat in my girls' room; it's so lovely and feminine and that's a word I want my girls to know.

PS - If you want one too you can get it in her Etsy shop, which is filled with many gorgeous prints.
PPS - I wish I had the talent of lettering. So lovely!


5 - Sometimes a great mind, another great mind, yet another great mind, and a mediocre one think alike, and about Santa Claus of all things!

PS - St. Nick's feast day is tomorrow so dash to the store and get your gold coins or other gifts to fill your kids' stockings or shoes tonight!


6 - Yesterday I was shopping to buy some more eye cream and I spotted a great deal that I thought I'd tell you about. The Oil of Olay Regenerist Starter Kit contains their cleanser, face and neck moisturizing cream, and eye serum. To buy all three of those individually would cost almost $50 but the whole kit is just $30. I've only been using it for 24 hours so I can't give you a full review but I will say that my face feels smooth and not greasy, and usually my skin becomes a grease ball when I wear moisturizer.

PS - Not a sponsored post just a good deal I wanted to pass on.


7 - Things might be slowing down around here in the next few weeks as I try to pace myself and enjoy the seasons.

PS - Hoping and praying that you have a beautiful, holy Advent.

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Santa + St. Nick = how we do it

My first Christmas as a mom I learned something really quickly: I had no idea how to keep Christ in Christmas if Santa Claus was looming large. And he was looming incredibly large.

It was obvious to me that there were parents who had done a good job of raising kids who knew the reason for the season and enjoyed Santa’s appearance on Christmas Eve, but I just knew that what they had in their personalities, gifts, talents, homes, and communities was not what I had.

I noticed that some families have only St. Nicholas and no Santa, some the exact opposite. Some have St. Nick, Santa, and the Three Wisemen, and others have some variation of those. I saw each done really well.

After that first Christmas season I wrote my open letter to Santa Claus and the next year I shared how I was making it work in our home with a couple of little kids.

This year things are a little different. We have school aged kids in public and parochial schools. They are young enough to still believe and old enough to hear and wonder about why Santa is different at our house than at their classmates.

Also, I am less uptight.

Things have changed and because someone asked me recently how we make it work I'm sharing it: a few of my opinions and preferences, and what works for us in our family culture. So here's the six things we do to make our St. Nick / Santa work:

#1 Blend St. Nick and Santa Claus with much, much, much more emphasis on St. Nick.
We use the names interchangeably and images of both are called by either name. However, when I use an image of St. Nick it is always of a Santa-looking bishop and not the traditional Santa. Nine times out of ten when I call him by name I use St. Nick or St. Nicholas.

#2 St. Nick fills only our stockings and our stockings are filled the eve of his feast day (Dec 6).
It was such a thrill for me and Travis to wake up and see what Santa would bring us and that's a thrill we still want to give our kids. This morning my kids were literally jumping up and down in a circle screaming that "Santa is coming in two days! St. Nicholas is coming!!!" The cool bonus for our kids is that they will feel this excited again on Christmas Eve - when they get gifts from Travis and me -and again right before Epiphany - when the Wise Men leave them another gift, usually something small or a group gift.

#3 Santa / St. Nick brings gold coins, pajamas, and maybe one extra something small.
We spend a lot of time talking about St. Nicholas and how he saved those girls from a life of prostitution by giving them money for dowries, except I don't go into that much detail at this point. They understand why they are getting gold chocolate coins from Santa.

The extra something small this year will be a Christmas movie for them all to share with a note that says something about how he was talking to Jesus in Heaven and that Mommy and Daddy had been praying and had mentioned that the kids were really excited to watch How the Grinch Stole Christmas. (This is all true, you know, more or less.) I'll - I mean he'll say something about how the lesson the Grinch learns is really important and remind them that Jesus is why we celebrate Christmas.

This gives me the opportunity to thrill them some more (Santa knows what they want!), to reaffirm their Catholic faith (Heaven, saints, salvation), and establish and re-establish that Santa is not a BIG gift giving machine. They can hope for everything in the catalog and Santa is generous and thoughtful but he does not go into debt. You know what I mean.

#4 Discuss that Santa / St. Nick visits some people on December 6th and some people on December 24th. 
We tell the kids that Santa asked some parents if he could come on his feast day to make his travels a little easier on Christmas Eve and we said Yes. We explain to our kids that this means that they'll get gifts now and later and they love that.

#5 We don't talk up the North Pole and elves but we don't say they don't exist either. 
We let the kids lead those conversations - we let them believe and imagine and daydream. If there's a natural way to do it, we slip in that St. Nicholas lives in Heaven, and we do it in a way that does not negate what they believe about his workshop at the North Pole.

#6 We read books and watch movies about both men. 
The Night Before Christmas and The Polar Express will both be enjoyed at our house. So will the Veggie Tales St. Nicholas: A Story of Joyful Giving and a St. Nicholas: the Real Story of the Christmas Legend. I want my kids to believe in magic but I also want to lay a foundation so when the day comes that they learn Santa Claus is not real they will still know that St. Nicholas is. The love, the joy, the excitement - all of that is real because St. Nicholas is real and as a real saint in Heaven he points us to an even greater Truth.


There's a lot of good ways to build traditions and each family will have its own unique twist on things. And how beautiful that is!

These six steps are what works for us, for our family, for our personalities, and for our values. I'm sure it will continue to change as my kids age and go through different phases, but for now this is how we do it.


Other posts you may be interested in:
Our St. Nick party December 2012
How I pull off St. Nicholas December 2010
My open letter to Santa Claus January 2009

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Doing and Un-doing Advent with More Feasts!

In celebration of my friends Haley and Daniel Stewart's new e-cookbook, More Feasts! I've been invited to be a stop on the blog tour and share a little bit about Advent in our home. You know me, I love taking pictures of my decorations and talking about liturgical living, so of course I said yes.


Last year I took a big step back from all the Advent traditions and activities. It was an incredibly powerful and fruitful step, so much so that this year will look very similar. Last year I wrote:

I decided that instead of doing Advent how I had in the past I would "un-do" it.

Some of the basics are still here... The bare minimum.

And gosh, it feels good. My life feels more quiet. The doing got to be too much, overwhelming, and burdensome. It became my undoing. The un-doing has taken the pressure off.

I so badly want to teach my kids about Christ, the Church, salvation history, the saints, the Bible. I grab hold of all the good things, afraid that if I don't I will bypass the one thing which could have really done it - could have really brought home the Story and the Beauty and the Truth.

But too much of a good thing is still too much.

Me stressing out over an activity is not going to impress upon my children how much God loves them, that Jesus Christ died for their eternal salvation, and that the Holy Spirit lives within them.

But God speaks in the quiet and the still, small voice so maybe making less noise will allow them to hear Him. 

This year I have gone through the calendar and noted which days I wanted to celebrate. I have gone through our new home and set up the few things that I want to focus on.

We will pray and eat around our Advent wreath, using Lisa Hendey's book O Radiant Dawn to guide our prayers and dinner conversation.

Our nativities are set up, but are empty except for the animals and a candle, waiting for the Holy Family.

Our stockings are hung by the chimney with care - and I'm so excited because it's the first time in my life that I've had an actual mantel to hang my stockings on. (!)

Our Christmas lights are up outside the house but will only be turned on for feast days until Guadete Sunday. After that they will be on every night through Epiphany.

St. Nicholas will fill the kids' stockings on the eve of his feast day (December 6th), bringing chocolate coins and pajamas.

On the Feast of the Immaculate Conception (December 8th) we will go to Mass and maybe, if I'm on top of things, there will be rice krispie treats for dessert.

Our family celebrates Venerable Fulton Sheen's feast day on December 9th even though it's not yet on the Church's calendar. This year we'll celebrate by having a good ole, Midwestern dinner and then attending L's school Christmas concert.

Our Lady of Guadalupe's feast day is on a Friday this year (December 12th) so we'll probably have quesadillas for supper.

St Lucy's name means light and so on her feast day (December 13th) we will drive around town and look at the Christmas lights. Maybe, if I'm on top of things, I'll spend part of the previous day making Grace's Santa Lucia rolls.
Maybe.
I'm gonna go ahead and call it: probably not.

And then it's Guadete Sunday, the third Sunday of Advent, the day we take a little break and Rejoice! because Christ's coming is near. This is the day we put up our tree, bring out the rest of the Christmas decorations (not just the Advent ones), and all the Christmas lights stay on and the Christmas music comes out.

Gosh, that still looks like a lot, doesn't it? But it's all pretty manageable.

The nice thing is that most of the feast days are easily celebrated at the dinner table. I have to feed the family one way or another, so it might as well include a nod to the saint we're celebrating. Additionally, since we usually eat meatless meals on Fridays, we add another meatless dinner to the week during Advent. Haley and Daniel's Simple Beans and Rice from Feast! is my go-to recipe for that.

What about you? What special meals or traditions will you be using to celebrate Advent in your home? 

PS - More Feasts! includes ten new real-food, gluten-free recipes, some thoughtful reflections, and lots of beautiful pictures. Click here to view more details and buy the e-book. (I get a small portion for being an affiliate if you purchase through my link.) It only costs $4 and if you use the coupon code HAPPYFEAST you can get 25% off your purchase from now until December 15th.

If you're new here, stick around! You can follow A Knotted Life on Bloglovin' or Feedly.
Plus, I'd love to connect with you. You can find me on Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook. I hope to "meet" you soon!

Seven Quick Takes and Sheen Novena Day 6

1 - Boom. Hilarious. Thank you, Facebook.


2 - Happy Feast of St. Nicholas, everyone! Last night St. Nick came and filled the kids' stockings. Everyone got new pj's, toothbrushes, and chocolate coins. (JF got a candy cane tube filled with Skittles.)

This morning we almost blew up the Catholic Meter when Ben excitedly pulled his coins out of his stocking and said, "St. Nicholas brought me this. THEY WOULD MAKE GREAT HOSTS!" and then ran off to get his play Mass kit.

He had to call it quits when Resa ate most of his coins, snatching them off the patent.


3 - Earlier I was with four Catholic friends. One of them admitted that she couldn't do something because she was pregnant. The others of us squealed and clapped with glee. Then another one admitted that she, too, was pregnant. More cheering and clapping. Then a third friend told us she was pregnant. Even more squealing and clapping and congratulating. Then I yelled out, "I'm not pregnant!" and everyone cheered and congratulated me.

Between all these pregnant friends of mine, and a recent call from another friend about her engagement I have been getting a lot of really great news lately. Praise God.


4 - Drastically changing the subject and tone now.
So this is true:

5 - And this is funny:

It also reminded me of my friend Kelly. She really is doing crazy runs - a bunch of 5ks to help raise money for SMA (spinal muscular atrophy) research. If you're looking for a good deed to do, please consider donating to her cause.


6 - I'm really very tired.


7 - Thanks so much for praying with me for the canonization of Venerable Fulton J. Sheen. I'm sorry this is so late in the day, but here's today's prayer.

Novena Day 6

 “Burning the candle at both ends for God’s sake may be foolishness to the world, but it is a profitable Christian exercise for so much better the light! Only one thing in life matters: Being found worthy of the Light of the World in the hour of His visitation. We need have no undue fear for our health if we work hard for the Kingdom of God; God will take care of our health if we take care of His cause. In any case, it is better to burn out than to rust out.” Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen

Lord, even when tired and sick, Fulton Sheen worked unceasingly for your cause. Help us to learn how to tirelessly work for You through Fulton Sheen. Help us to know that there is no rest unless it is in You.

Prayer of Canonization, Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be

Prayer of Canonization

Father, source of all holiness, You raise up within the Church in every age men and women who serve with heroic love and dedication. You have blessed Your Church through the life and ministry of Your faithful servant, Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen. He has written and spoken well of Your Divine Son, Jesus Christ, and was a true instrument of the Holy Spirit in touching the hearts of countless people.

If it be according to your Will, for the honor and glory of the Most Holy Trinity and for the salvation of souls, we ask You to move the Church to proclaim him a saint. We ask this prayer through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen

Many thanks to Jen for hosting!

7 Quick Takes

1 - The words of this song are so beautiful, and they remind me of the Bible story of when God passed by Moses, quiet as a whispering wind.  I love our good God.

2 - Let's talk a minute about the Advent series.  It is so good!  Oh my gosh - I am loving this and I'm so grateful to everyone who has said yes!  I can't wait to read the rest of them, and I know you feel the same way.  I've gotten so many comments, emails, and messages about how much people are enjoying the posts - what an honor and a delight for me to facilitate it!

3 - Yesterday we had a St. Nick party.  For some reason I decided I had all the talents of a pre-school teacher.  Dudes, I created a timeline for the party.  I think it worked rather well, though.  First, the kids came and did a miter craft, since we were celebrating St. Nicholas, Bishop of Myra.

JF with his finished miter.  So cute!

Next we tried to gather the kids in the living room for a story.  I was going to read a book about St. Nick but L asked me to read Twas the Night Before Christmas.  I gave in and then tried following up with the St. Nick book but Ben was acting dumb, climbing all over me and somehow got hurt.  While all that was going on the jolly old saint was in the dining room, filling all the kids' shoes with treats.

L with her stuffed shoes. 
On seeing pictures of girls with miters one dad asked if it was a heresy party. 

Next was snack time, followed by regular, old play.  It was a lot of fun and I'm so glad so many of my friends were able to make it.  Before everyone left I had wanted to end with a simple prayer, asking St. Nick to pray for us as we continue to prepare for Jesus' birthday, but I forgot.  Oh well!

Yay for candycane cookies, grapes, clementines, chocolate coins, and chocolate covered pretzels!

4 - New post up at Ignitum Today.  It's a bunch of Advent music.  Go give it a listen and let me know if I missed anything: A Playlist for the Next Few Weeks.

5 - This year we're doing something new, though inconsistently, and I really like it.  Every day, or almost every day, I let each of the kids pick a Christmas card from the small pile we've gotten so far.  We then say a special prayer for just those people.  I feel like it gives another purpose to the cards, which would just sit around otherwise.

6 - On a related note, I LOVE getting Christmas cards!  Really!  I have a dream of having a big frame with some kind of roping that I can hang my cards from, hanging in my living room. 

Kinda like this but not quite so fancy.
Image source.

I've noticed that not as many people send us cards as we used to get.  There's three probable reasons for this.  1) I've burned some bridges, unknowingly.  2) They don't send cards any more. 3) They never got a card from us so we were taken off their list.  If #3 is the reason you may consider taking us off your card list this year, please let me tell you that we are just too poor to send out cards.  I would love, love, love to send them out!  I would especially love to hire Kathryn Whitaker to make our cards.  She sent me one of hers and it is a-ma-zing!  Wow!  But we can't afford the cards and stamps, or I choose to not afford them.  There's a lot of expenses this time of year and something had to go, so Christmas cards went.  Maybe some day I can send them again!

7 - Lastly, I want you to know that Kathleen at The Boring Blog is one of the best kept secrets in the blogosphere.  If you don't already read her, please do yourself a favor and check her out.

7.5 - I LOVE JIMMY FALLON!!!!!

As always, thanks to Jen for hosting!

Advent in the Engstrom Home

I'm not an official part of the Advent series, but I thought I'd go ahead and share the things we do to keep the season.  This will be the first year for some of the things and I'm excited to share them.  Also, I'm going to link this post with Katie's Christmas Decor Link-Up and I encourage you to join the fun over at her blog.

Tomorrow, you get Lisa Hendey.  Today, you get me.  So YAY for tomorrow!

Our Advent Wreath

Thanks to Catholic Icing for reminding all her Facebook fans to buy new Advent candles today!  And look what came in the mail today - the copy of Lisa Hendey's new book O Radiant Dawn!  I won it at her blog and I'm so grateful to have it.  I'm not just sucking up because she's posting tomorrow, either.  In the past we've just lit the candles at supper and said, "Come, Lord Jesus!" but I've always wanted a little something more.  Travis and I both agree that this book looks great and we're excited to make it a part of our tradition.

Jesse Tree and Nativity. 

In years past I've had a much nicer Nativity with porcelain figures in this area but after Baby Jesus lost an arm last year I thought I should shelve that one until the kids are a little older.  So we have a nice Melissa & Doug Nativity.  The shepherds are over in "the hills" and you may have noticed that Mary and Joseph are hanging out on the Advent Wreath, making the journey to Bethlehem.

The basket on the left contains all the Jesse Tree ornaments we have from an ornament swap I partook in a few years back. 

Wreath on the front door.

I just re-did this with some new ribbon and the Noel from Wal-Mart.  The ornaments and greens are left from my wedding decorations, which makes it extra special to me.

What do you think?  I'm not sure if I like it.

Stockings.

St. Nick fills them on the eve of his feast day.  Santa and St. Nick are one in the same at our house.  In fact, I recently told L that St. Nick lives in Heaven but his workshop is at the North Pole.  Oh geez.  Santa doesn't come on Christmas; the presents that morning are all from us.

Nativity that sits in the living room.

Decorated bookshelf.

Wise men from the Nativity, beginning their journey from the Far East of the living room.

Just today I learned that Arwen's kids leave their shoes out on Epiphany, filled with lettuce or hay.  Then the Wise Men come, feed the shoes' contents to their camels, and replace it with candy and whatnot.  I LOVE this idea and we'll be doing that this year, for sure.

We're slowly building a collection of Christmas books.  I'd love to eventually have enough to do the "wrap 25 books and have the kids open one every day and read it to them" thing but we've got a way to go.

St. Nick, hanging out by the book basket.

The book I'll be reading through to prepare my own heart for the coming of Our Lord.

Oh! - and where's our tree?  Well, that won't be put up until Gaudete Sunday, the 3rd Sunday of Advent.  That's also the day we plug in the outside lights and begin listening to Christmas music.  We have found that it's a great way to help us all Rejoice (Gaudete is Latin for 'rejoice') and celebrate that our Savior is coming!

I'll see you back tomorrow for the exciting beginning of the Advent Series!

+JMJ+

7 quick takes

1 - I like David Crowder's voice.  A little raspy.  And then I like even more that it comes out of this thin little man with ridiculous hair.  There's been some buzz about DCB's newest album, mostly because the Protestant band's latest album is called Give Us Rest (A Requiem Mass in C - The Happiest of All Keys).  I don't know why people are so upset about them calling C the happiest of keys... 
 
Oh, or maybe because people are afraid he's going the way Rich Mullens and Audrey Assad went - to Rome.  Shoot.

2 - Do you listen to Relevant Radio?  Usually I don't - especially in the mornings.  But when I get a tip on a good show I like to dig around in the archives.  Today's Morning Air is one show I dug around for.  The second hour features Msgr Deptula from my Diocese talking about Archbishop Sheen.  The third hour features Kate Wicker talking about glorifying God with our bodies.  She also mentions the Behold Conference several times which is cool.  You can find the links here.

3 - Speaking again of the Behold Conference - let me just say it's amazing all the things that are coming together so wonderfully.  God's Hand is definitely guiding all of us through this process and it's such a blessing to be a part of it.  I sincerely hope you can join us.

4 - This picture is a little old but I wanted to share it with you.  Usually St. Nick only comes to our house on his feast day but this year, well, you can read for yourself:

In case you're wondering, St. Nicholas brought L this letter, some dress-up shoes, and some more gold coin chocolates. 

5 - In a related "parenting success" story, JF was wearing some pajamas that were a little too long.  As he walked around the living room L, who is 3 and 1/2, started singing, "Pants on the Ground."  I asked; she learned the song from me.  So proud.  *tear*

6 - Last night I slept for ten hours, having gone to bed at 8:30pm.  By 9:30am I was so tired I had to lay down.  I napped this afternoon.  And I'm still super tired.  I also have a cough.  Ugh.

7 - Lastly, I want to warmly welcome to the world Lucy Anne, who was born to our friends Michael and Susan on Wednesday and Elijah Nathan, born to our friends Margaret and Nathan.  I am so happy for our wonderful friends who have all just entered the lovely, crazy, beautiful world of parenthood!  Please join me in thanking God for Lucy and Elijah.

chocolate loving tricky girl of mine

Happy Feast of St. Nicholas!

This morning my family found that St. Nicholas had visited our house last night. (He comes for his feast day, not on Christmas Eve.  It's a special arrangement we have with him.)  In our stockings my kids found new winter pajamas, markers, and golden chocolate coins.

The kids have had a lot of feasting today - lots of chocolate - and I just let them each have two more coins to hold them over until after supper.

Upon finishing hers, L asked me if she could play church. 

"Of course, sweetie!  That's a good idea!"  I was so proud.

"Well, can I have another chocolate coin to be Jesus Christ?"

No, sweetie, you cannot.  Though that is very, very clever, you cannot.

how I pull off St. Nicholas

I received this comment, and I think it has a lot of good points and good questions.  I'm going to repost it here, and respond.  I know that many of my friends have gotten rid of Santa and just have St. Nicholas visit their home during the holiday season.  I would love for you too to respond and share how you make Catholic culture jive with the rest of culture - I think it's important that we not ruin other kids' Christmases filled with Santa, elves, and reindeer!

How do you deal with the culture, the friends, the strangers, preschool, asking your child what they want from Santa? have you been a good girl for Santa? is Santa coming to your house?


When they are in school are you going to tell them that there is not a Santa from the North Pole? Is it okay that they tell their friends that? I have not told my 3 year old anything about Santa, but she knows from others. We talk about Jesus' birthday, but it almost confuses me how to fit in the birth of Christ, St. Nicholas, and Santa?? How am I suppose to explain it all to a 3 year old.

I hate the idea of making a big deal of Santa, but I also feel like I can't escape it??

What are your recommendations?
 
My Answer:
What we do is explain that other people call St. Nicholas "Santa Claus". When L sees pictures of Santa she calls him St. Nicholas. Also, we tell her that he lives in Heaven with Jesus. That hasn't been challenged yet, but I guess we'll just tell her that some people think the North Pole is Heaven, but we call it Heaven.


I don't have a problem correcting L's understanding of St. Nicholas.  Ex: "Some people think St. Nicholas lives with elves, but really he lives with angels, Mary and Jesus."  My hope is that when my children talk with Santa-believing kids they will say the same types of things.  "At our house, we call Santa St. Nicholas."  It will take training, of course, but I think it's important not to mess up the traditions other families are doing, while teaching my children to be little apologists.  Then if little Sally goes home and asks her mommy about Santa's real name it's up to that mom to do whatever damage control she wants - just like I have to do damage control.  But when kids still believe in Santa/St. Nick (just different variations) there is little damage control to do.

If a grandma tells L that Santa left some gifts at grandma's house for her, I instantly say something like, "Oh L, wasnt' that nice of St. Nicholas?!" I don't want to "ruin" everyone else's fun - because Santa IS fun - but I do want to slightly edit it so it can fit into what is important to our family. And usually, grandma will then refer to Santa as St. Nick when around my kids.

For people who don't know my family (store clerks, nurses, etc) I say things like, "We celebrate Advent before we celebrate Christmas." or "St. Nicholas fills our stockings for his feast day on December 6th." A nurse recently told my kids that the vent was a camera that Santa watches to make sure kids are good. I said St. Nicholas watches us from Heaven so he knows how he should pray for us.

About this comment:  "We talk about Jesus' birthday, but it almost confuses me how to fit in the birth of Christ, St. Nicholas, and Santa."  This is the very reason I took Santa/St. Nick away from Christmas completely.  I didn't know how to do it, either!  And by consolidating Santa and St. Nick - well that made things a lot easier.  Now, I'm slowly easing my way into all this, but I do hope that through the years we can spend equal amounts of time talking about St. Nick, the Immaculate Conception, Juan Diego, Our Lady of Guadalupe, St. Lucy - all saints with feast days during Advent.  My hope is that will make St. Nick just one of many saints who help us get ready for celebrating Christmas, minimizing his role in our household even more.  I mean, as great as St. Nicholas was and is, his rightful place is waaaaay behind Jesus - and I think St. Nick would be the first to agree to that.

All of this can be hard, and I know I don't do it perfectly.  In fact, we have a loooong way to go.

I would love to hear how other people work with St. Nicholas to keep Christ the center of Christmas.  How do you address the issues the commenter mentioned?

My open letter to Santa Claus

Dear Santa,

First, may I call you St. Nicholas? I'm much more comfortable with that name.

So St. Nicholas, now that the holidays are over I'm writing to tell you that I'm very concerned. I mean, what happened? For hundreds of years you were this beloved saint, a bishop who loved children and saved three sisters from a life of prostitution. You supposedly punched out a heretic at the Council of Nicea and then proclaimed the Truth. You were cool before cool was a word.

But now you're seen as just being a fat guy in some silly red suit. Sure, people think of you as jolly and an all around good guy, but you've been stripped of all your coolness and left as little more than a large elf who gives overindulged kids whatever they want for Christmas.

I've been thinking about it all and I guess it all began to shift with Clement Clarke Moore's 1822 poem Twas the Night Before Christmas. It's a sweet poem; I'm sure you remember how I had it memorized as a small child. Yet, it removes all of history and Christianity, pretty much changing the very essence of who you are.

Then Coca-Cola got hold of you and there was nothing left of the man you once were.

So I want you to know, St. Nicholas, that things are going to be different in my home. Of course my kids will "believe" in you! You're a real person! A saint in Heaven! But, with all due respect, I don't want you coming to my house on Christmas Eve. And I don't want you giving my kids an overabundance of presents. I would quite prefer if you came the night before December 6th and filled their stockings. That way, on your feast day (the 6th) we can talk about you and celebrate your life as a holy man who lived for Christ. Christmas morning my husband and I will give our children a few presents, and we'll even give them another gift come Epiphany, as we discuss how Christ is the True Gift of Christmas, and how the Wise Men gave what they had to Christ to honor Him. Maybe the Epiphany presents will consist of sacramentals? I do need to think about that one some more. Any ideas?

Also, I don't think we'll be making any more trips to see you at shopping centers. Instead, I would like to invite you, Bishop of Myra, to come to our house for a St. Nick party. I'll invite all the kids I know and when you come, dressed with your miter and crosier instead of a hat with a pompom, you can ask the kiddos what they're doing to prepare for the birth of Christ, instead of asking them what they want for Christmas. My hope is that this will help my family keep Advent, as we prepare ourselves for the Incarnation, and also shift the focus of Christmas away from you and back to the Infant Jesus.

I think this is a win-win situation. My kids will (hopefully) learn more about you as a saint, will see Christmas being less about presents and more about Christ, and will grow up rooted in the traditions of their beautiful faith. And you will regain some dignity in the way you're represented and I'm quite confident you'll rejoice in the way the glorious feast of Christmas is refocused on our Lord and Savior.

If you have any ideas or suggestions I am definitely open to hearing from you.

I am, most respectfully, yours sincerely.
Bonnie E.

P.S. Please pray for me and my family and give Peter a big hug.