ofrendas/offerings/break

source - a friend of mine in spain posted a photo of this scene on facebook and it immediately caught my eye. maybe it is the bright colors, or maybe the less-victorian-pristine, more-cubist appearance of the figures that made this nativity (belén) seem so welcoming. probably also why i love the strong lines of byzantine iconography. so visceral.

check out the note in this photo - someone saw the nativity in a cup of coffee

sheep

i am spending the day knitting away, coping with the 23rd day of each month in which i wake up to blood and the reminder that i am, in fact, woman with a life-giving space inside of my body (honor, honor). maybe life-giving isn't the word i want. i am a vessel, for many things. i am also a consumer of ibuprofin.

i would love to have this in my house

maybe some magnetic catholic paper dolls? the holy family set lets you put a shawl on mary that makes her pregnant again.

i love this image too; the plain, unadorned devotion and affection between mother and child.

a few photos from this set

one

two

three


what else is on my mind?
this dress, for new years. which is silly, because i will probably be in something comfortable and snuggling with the kiddo.

she's been drawing a lot. thinking about getting this book.

grace's drawings - the top "--A--" appears a lot on the top of her pages; she says the dash reminds you to pause and look at the picture. well, there you go -- a 4 year old's proper use of the em dash.

a peek at a finished present

books i picked up (one from amazon and the other from the library)

what i am currently reading

also, check out the postcard my friends made with the christmas photos i took for them:

i also made naan the other night. recipe here. i pan-fried them instead of baking, it worked perfectly.