(So! Excited!)

Those Winter Sundays
by Robert Hayden

Sundays too my father got up early
And put his clothes on in the blueback cold,
then with cracked hands that ached
from labor in the weekday weather made
banked fires blaze. No one ever thanked him.

I’d wake and hear the cold splintering, breaking.
When the rooms were warm, he’d call,
and slowly I would rise and dress,
fearing the chronic angers of that house,

Speaking indifferently to him,
who had driven out the cold
and polished my good shoes as well.
What did I know, what did I know
of love’s austere and lonely offices?

My good friend Rachel and I have been working on something together …

A show! A TV show! About and for Catholic women! Hosted by the two of us and one other awesome lady! To be broadcast on CatholicTV, beginning early next year!

While we can’t share all the details of the show just yet, I hope that you will consider supporting us in this effort by showing your support for CatholicTV and helping them to reach even wider audiences.

You can fill out a simple form and join their list of supporters here.

Stay tuned for more details. We can’t wait to share this new project with you!

We have officially entered that season of the year where if I do not get up at the crack of dawn and force myself into workout clothes and push “play” before I can even open my eyes … the workouts just aren’t going to happen. I try to play the game for a while. You know, the one where I convince myself, while lying in bed in the early hours of morning, that this indeed is the day from which I will manage to painlessly squeeze 60 minutes for maternal fitness without feeling as though I am abandoning my offspring and/or husband in the process. No it isn’t. Today is not that day. And tomorrow isn’t either. I need to start getting up earlier.

– 2 –
Entertainment

Prison Break. You watch? You obsess? Yes? ME TOO!

– 3 –
Bragging Rights

My name is Danielle Bean and as of this moment, no member of my immediate family has overdue materials checked out from any library in the state of New Hampshire. The kids keep asking me to bring them to the library and I tell them no. Mommy’s basking in her clean record. Someone take a picture or something.

– 4 –
Age Report

My oldest daughter is now a contributing member of society. This week alone, she …

a. started a small job — training a horse! — at the stable where she rides.
b. went on her very first job interview.
c. got offered a part time position as a cashier at our local supermarket.

Her parents are very proud of her. And feeling very old. Small price to pay, though, for a daughter who will now find out the value of a dollar and might rethink her “need” for overpriced sneakers and feather hair extensions.

– 5 –
Awesome Recipe

Mixed greens + balsamic vinaigrette dressing + dried cranberries + toasted pecans + goat cheese crumbles = The Best Summer Salad (that I plan to keep eating through the fall)

– 6 –
Joy

My sister! She’s having a baby! Go tell her how awesome that is!

– 7 –
Reminder

I ran into a woman I know at the store today. I did not realize who she was until after we had passed each other, made eye contact, smiled awkwardly, and then kept walking. She might still be wondering who I am. I remembered later that we worked together at a restaurant years ago and were quite friendly at the time.

Once, when Dan called me at work to ask something, she picked up the phone and pretended to be me. She was a little bit goofy like that.

Dan didn’t suspect anything, she answered his question about when I would be coming home, and they hung up quickly. Then she turned me with tears in her eyes.

“Does he always say that?” she asked.

“What?”

“Does he always say ‘I love you’ when you hang up the phone?”

“Pretty much,” I shrugged.

“You are a lucky wife,” she told me.

I knew that I was, but I was grateful for the reminder. And today, I am grateful for it again.

1. Family Photos Send us a photo of your whole family and you might just find your lovely selves published in Faith & Family. If we use your photo, we will ask for your names, as well as a few other details about your family to share with readers.

2. Kids’ Art Work We’d love to show off your kids’ drawings. Have them create a masterpiece featuring a theme from the liturgical year. For this fall issue, please send us drawings of autumn feast days or saints whose feast days we celebrate in fall (the archangels, St. Therese, St. Francis, etc.)

For both kinds of submissions, please scan your image and email it to me (editorATfaithandfamilyliveDOTcom). I am looking forward to your fabulous photos and beautiful drawings!

While we’re still cruising through these days of summer, I wanted to point out the new look here at DanielleBean.com.

You like? I do!

Many thanks to Ashley at A Little Leaf Design for her excellent work.

We’ll be talking about our culture’s discrimination against children and large families. You can listen online and call in — I’d love to hear from you!

We’ve been busy-busy-busy with lots of lovely summer things around here, and I hope you have too.

You might notice this place is undergoing a bit of a face lift. Changes are ongoing, so a few things might not work properly or look quite right for a little while yet. Thank you for your patience!