You'll forgive me for the out-of-focus shots as I adjust to my new camera lens, right?

Oh finally I got my hands on a 50mm lens! I've been wanting to upgrade since before Peter was born, but couldn't justify the expense... But when a whole bunch checks came in the mail all at one time, I splurged!

I've got a backlog of "what they said" quotes in my email drafts, so I'm going to try to clear those out and post them in these weekly posts:

Mary Claire, 3

Mary Claire attempts to sniff, but can't because her nose is too stuffy...

MC: *SCREAM*
Me: What's wrong, Mary Claire?!
MC: My nose has no energy!!!

I suppose I can see why that would be so distressing...

What I Wore Sunday: Keeping It Real

Hello friends! Holly is letting me host What I Wore Sunday here this week while she gets Fine Linen & Purple running. Thanks for joining me - she'll have it back up next week!

In true "keeping it real" What I Wore Sunday fashion, I'm going to give you a picture of me, blurry, with a messy house and a baby photobomber! Many thanks to my 6-year-old photographer. This is from January, which is why the Christmas stockings are still hanging up...

I wore one of my new favorite shirts - dolman sleeves are the best! It's got a banded bottom as well, so it doesn't move out of place during the wrangling I have to do during Mass.

7 Reasons to Take Awkward Selfies (and link up with What I Wore Sunday!)

More than 3 years ago (!!!) I started joining up with one of my favorite link-ups, What I Wore Sunday - it was a great way to "meet" fellow bloggers, foster online community, and provide a little accountability when it came to getting dressed nicely for Mass.

Since that time, the leadership at the original blog that hosted the link-up, Fine Linen and Purple, has changed. The link-up has lost a little bit of steam as schedules make it more difficult for the authors to host. But Holly and I would love to return the link-up to its former glory!

I'll be hosting What I Wore Sunday right here this Sunday and would love to have you join in - if you're not convinced, here are 7 reasons to join in the fun:

--1--

It's an opportunity to get out from behind the camera

7/52: Homestead News & Helpful Big Kids

It's not that life has been particularly busy around here, it's just that my free attention is mostly focused on reading about keeping bees (good news, Virginia residents! The beehive grant program is still going on!) and chickens (we just ordered a dozen chicks from our local feed store and the kids are DYING with anticipation) and garden stuff (where to dig the asparagus trench! where to plant the strawberries! why did John Paul click the "3" button for Okra seeds when he was helping me order things!).

So really, if you have helpful resources for any and all of those things, I'd love them!!! I still know basically nothing so you can assume ground zero for animal information :)

In the meantime:

We got a new-to-us laundry sorter for the kids and apparently it has inspired them to go to great lengths to do their laundry! Cecilia (5) dragged her bag downstairs and washed, dried, folded, AND put away her entire load! Plus she added the dish towels and wash cloths to it and got John Paul to fold THOSE and put them away.

6/52

Well, I didn't get a picture of *my* ashes on Ash Wednesday, but I got all theirs!

John Paul, 6.5