by Leslie Sholly | Jun 7, 2019 | Catholicism, family, Knoxville, teenagers, Vacations
Remember last summer, when I treated my kids to near-daily adventures from the first day of break to the last? I sure do, both because it was fun and because it seems like it happened a few weeks ago instead of a year ago. But if you think I am getting ready to tell...
by Leslie Sholly | Jun 6, 2019 | book review, books, Catholicism
Y’all know I love to read, and that I occasionally review books here. I was enthusiastic about an earlier Amanda Hamm novel, because not only did I enjoy the story but I had always wondered why among the plethora of Christian romance novels there were none by...
by Leslie Sholly | Apr 4, 2019 | Abortion, Catholicism, Contraception, Deep Thoughts, Life Issues, movies, review
I hear that Unplanned, the movie that recounts Abby Johnson’s conversion from Planned Parenthood clinic director of the year to pro-life activist, is under a media blackout, but you’d never know it from my newsfeed. I’d been hearing about it from...
by Leslie Sholly | Apr 3, 2019 | book review, books, Catholicism, family, homeschooling, Life Issues, review
As a student in parochial school, I first encountered the Corporal Works of Mercy, as a list to memorize for a religion grade. Thirty years or so later, I made my homeschooled children memorize them too, write them out in their best handwriting, draw pictures...
by Leslie Sholly | Mar 29, 2019 | Catholicism, Deep Thoughts
A lot of people think of bravery in terms of combat or mountain climbing or running into a burning building to rescue someone. And no doubt it takes bravery to do those things. But I think most of us don’t give ourselves enough credit for the small moments every day...
by Leslie Sholly | Jan 24, 2019 | Deep Thoughts, Politics, teenagers
This will be my first–and I hope last–time weighing in on the post-March for Life encounter between MAGA hat-wearing teenagers from an all-boys Catholic school in Kentucky and Native American activists visiting D.C. for the Indigenous Peoples March. I...
by Leslie Sholly | Jan 12, 2019 | family, Knoxville, linkups, photoblogging
I love taking pictures, and I love this self-indulgent exercise of sharing my best photos of 2018. Or maybe not the best, but the most representative–it kind of depends on the month, really. JANUARY: A bonfire in our backyard–this one was for the burning...
by Leslie Sholly | Jan 6, 2019 | linkups
I love to start the new year by reviewing the old one, and that extends to my blogging. So each year I write a post highlighting my readers’ five favorite posts (according to WordPress statistics) and my own five favorites. Often my most-read posts were...
by Leslie Sholly | Dec 24, 2018 | books, Catholicism, Everyday Ediths
Merry Christmas! I have a gift for all my readers, a book of reflections to help you focus on continuing the Christmas celebration for all twelve days. Based on an almost certainly inaccurate but still fun interpretation of the traditional carol’s lyrics, this...
by Leslie Sholly | Nov 26, 2018 | Babies, book review, books, Catholicism, death, Deep Thoughts, giveaway, Giveaways, Life Issues, marriage, Parenting, pregnancy
Ten years ago, I lost our sixth and last baby in an early miscarriage, a baby who was planned, wanted, loved. I’ve never written about it here. In a very dark period of my life during which I lost first the baby, then my dream home, and finally almost every...