Mama-luia

This past week, I had to take my children into Ottawa for medical appointments. Given that we live in the middle of nowhere, and I have still been schlepping around in maternity clothes at five months postpartum, I decided it was now or never (or at least, now or not for many, many months) for me to get some clothes that fit my actual size, not my aspirational, pre-pregnancy size. A kind friend had been culling her own wardrobe recently and handed me a big armload of pants that fit. I was delighted. Now all I needed was a new shirt. Or maybe two. That was all I wanted. When the nearest real mall is over two hours away, and you have to schedule shopping around exclusively breastfeeding one child, medical appointments for two others, and the general needs of a needy preschooler, that makes for a full day. Thankfully, Patrick was able to take some time off during the day to come with us. The plan: we'd all go into the mall, he'd take the kids to the Apple store to see if the...

Christ is risen from the dead! The most beautiful feast of the year is here. Time for celebrating -- consuming much chocolate and gouda and crackers, singing Alleluia to our hearts' content, and enjoying a few days off with Daddy. Hall-le-lu-jah for that ! On Saturday we brought our baskets to be blessed in our lovely parish. Our children were so excited that the eggs they had dyed and the Alleluia banner (tied up like a scroll) that they had painted were right there being blessed by the priest at the foot of the altar. I realized I had no decorations in the house at all for Easter, so I got out the watercolours while Patrick and Noah were at the Easter Vigil. This is what I came up with. While watching "Sister Wives" on Netflix. (Things I shouldn't admit online?) The boys wore suits I found through a local buy-and-sell and on consignment. I'm wearing a Reitman's dress bought before I was married, a cardigan I bought at Fairweath...

I'm not sure whether I conveyed what I had intended to with my last post ; I am not wallowing around, feeling unattractive. While I certainly have moments of feeling insecure about this or that aspect of my appearance, for the most part, I look in the mirror and feel quite delighted by what I see . I believe myself to be beautiful. The problem is, to what extent do I need to 'enhance' or 'adorn' that beauty with physical things? That question can't possibly be answered right now. I think it will be a continuous process of examining my heart (as in, in dressing in a certain way, who am I trying to please? What am I trying to say about myself?). For now, I want to be a bit more practical... and fun! So here is a little sampling of beautiful things that are inspiring my upcoming Operation: Defrump-ify.  1. This dress from eshakti .  I love the colour, the neckline, the little cap sleeves, the embroidery.  It's gorgeous, I say! 2. ...

"Beauty will save the world." (So said Dostoevsky, so it must be true.) I have been thinking about this quotation a lot lately. I could easily make a case for beauty in the liturgy saving the world, for beauty in art -- broadly speaking -- for doing so; it seems perfectly sensible and true. Beauty, if you're up on your philosophy, is a transcendental, convertible with truth, goodness and being itself. Since God is all-good, and all-truth, He must also be all-beautiful . So things of beauty bring our hearts and minds to Him. This is simple enough for me to grasp and believe. What becomes more difficult is understanding how this should apply to me . I feel like I have two minds on this subject. On the one hand, I think too much an emphasis on external beauty is unhealthy. It can lead to vanity and insecurity, covetousness and materialism, and you-name-it sin. Plus it says in 1 Peter "your beauty should not come from outward adornment... Rather it should ...

This morning I told Patrick that I have bought exactly 7 pairs of footwear since we met, in 2004. That might seem like a lot at first, but it includes every pair I have owned in total. Mephisto sandals (very Birkenstock-ish -- ie unstylish -- but even more comfortable). I used my birthday money for these that year, because they're not cheap. flip-flops winter boots my wedding shoes (which I still wear in the summer time; I chose shoes that could easily be worn for more than one occasion) a pair of brown shoes that resemble canoes more than footwear from Afelskie's shoes in Barry's Bay. These clodhoppers were the only things I could wear for a few weeks before and after Noah was born, due to my swollen feet via high blood pressure. How very orthopedic. But again, comfortable. another pair of flip-flops that were bought solely for wearing in the shower at the hospital after Noah was born. The shower stall was grungy looking, so I threw them out when we got home....

On Friday I finally "cashed in" the makeover I won for the Mother's Day contest, and suffice to say, it was a truly enjoyable afternoon of pampering. Because some of you have asked (and some of you nagged) here are some photos of my new haircut (yes, yes, I know, this is a rather inane post, but I must appease my adoring fans).

I have only two pairs of pants which fit right now. They're maternity pants. I had Noah almost a month ago and I can't expect to wear any of my old clothes for... a while, if not... forever. I can't fit into most of my maternity skirts either. They either fall off me (which I must say, is encouraging) or sit uncomfortably at my incision site. I tell you this because Noah just spat up on my only clean pants that fit. Instead of feeling sorry for myself, I recalled this quotation, a perfect reflection for Mother's Day: "A mother is the most important person on earth. She cannot claim the honor of having built Notre Dame Cathedral. She need not. She has built something more magnificent than any Cathedral -- a dwelling for an immortal soul, the tiny perfection of her baby's body." -- Joseph Cardinal Mindszenty Thank you, Noah, for your spit-up on my lap. I will 'build my cathedral' of sorts with these pants.