Hello all,

As I've mentioned before, I'm an old-fashioned type of girl. For years, I used to claim that I was born in the wrong century - a sentiment that has been fanned by six months of working in living history. I'm greatly interested in all things vintage - even to the point of trying activities like hand-spinning and driving horses!

So, would it surprise people to know that I have a hope chest hidden somewhere in my house?

For those who have read a lot of classic girls' novels, such as Little House on the Prairie, the term "hope chest" may seem familiar.

Hope chests are one of those things that come from the shrouds of antiquity. It is born of the human sentiment to save things for a later date. In this case, it is things like dishes, linens, kitchen tools, and other small housewares that help jump-start a young maidens' journey into the domestic life.




I started my own hope chest sometime in high school...I think when I was about 16 or 17. I think what inspired me was re-reading some of the Little House on the Prairie books.
At that point, I was also "collecting" various items that I wanted to use in my future home; which included towels to embroider, crocheted hot pads, some small scrubbers, that sort of thing. Some came from family members, some came as gifts, and others....just showed up.

The ironic thing is that I didn't put these items in an actual chest - but in a cardboard box. Over the years, I put things like candles, a doily or two,  a few dishes and crocheted rugs in there...as well as a few other household items. It was kept on this small scale until I was about 21.

My original "Hope Chest" - the Organic Milk box.

The original box's since grown to 4 tubs and 2 cardboard boxes! When I was in my junior year of college, I moved out of the dorms into one of the campus apartments. So in the months before, I greatly expanded my housewares collection so I would be able to cook properly.

In addition to the stuff in the first picture, this stack comprises the rest of my hope chest!

Even now I don't have an actual cedar chest. At least not yet.... the plan is that I'm going to be getting my mother's chest as soon as my grandmother's chest is handed down to her. (My maternal family has a strict generational hand-me-down system for heirloom housewares....). From what I understand, they are rather hard to source nowadays....

But what does that matter if the "chest" is a cardboard box or a tub? The idea is still the same. So don't let the difficulty of finding a good quality wooden chest dissuade you from following this long-practiced tradition. 

In case you ever start a hope chest of your own, here's some suggestions on how to fill it:

1. Start at home! Look through the basements and attics of your family's homes to see if there are any useful articles that have been stored away. I got a lot of things that way.

2. Raid about 30 thrift stores, over a few states or so. I'm serious!
Each thrift store has different items, and they are really good places to find old kitchen devices, dishes, and other little things. And the best part about it - is that everything is cheap! (Obviously, you have to watch the quality; but most stores inspect and test the items before they put them out to sell).

3. Stop and shop at yard sales. You have no idea what kind of gems have been hiding in people's homes!

4. If you're a knitter, crocheter, or seamstress - try hand making things like towels, washcloths, tablecloths, and other linens. And if you are not any of the above, why not try it?

5. Try to store all the items together if you can - and if you can't afford the old-fashioned cedar chest, go with the more contemporary cardboard box/plastic tub! And obviously, keep them away from water and other damaging things.


I would love to see this tradition revived, especially as the domestic arts and vintage traditions are starting to have a comeback in the younger generations.

Will you join me?

Old-fashionably yours,

Catherine


Sites Referenced: 

https://www.amishoutletstore.com/blog/your-guide-to-understanding-and-filling-a-hope-chest/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hope_chest

Chat with me! Have you ever done any embroidery or crewel? What has been your most recent project and how close are you to finishing? 

Old-fashionably yours,

Catherine <3

I've always been on the lookout for a good novel from the Catholic worldview. So when I heard about Paint Everything Blue, I was really excited. I got even more excited when I found out that the author was asking for reviews. Needless to say, I volunteered gladly :).

Paint Everything Blue pitched me into a wonderfully dramatic story worthy for all ages and all time.

I will say one thing....have a tissue box handy. Cause you will cry. A lot.

Don't believe me?

My teenage brother read it after I did. And he cried....a lot.


What I Liked: 

First thing, I love the title very much. It was a really nice way to incorporate a subtle Marian reference.

Lena wrote her character's arcs very well. This is definitely her strength as an author. Each character really did have their own unique cross and struggles. Some share a cross, others bear their cross on their own, but all handle it in their own way - good and bad! And while some go backwards before going forwards, all do go forwards.

Lena also does a great job at using characters to show real-world struggles such as working mothers, physical challenges like hypoglycemia, and mental issues like PTSD. In this book, she also has themes such as the importance of communication, and relief from despair.

One thing that I was very impressed with is how Lena humanized her priest character Don Alphonso. One danger of Catholic writers is to portray priests as these wise, can-do-no-wrong persons, when in reality they are human as well. Lena also did a great job with all of the Confession scenes. Carlo is also a great example of Christian charity (though many people will probably think him idealized, I feel that he was a good example of saintliness).

As an author, Lena is also very good at giving those enticing details and not info-dumping. I also like how we never really see the world through Carlo's eyes, but let the viewpoints of the other characters tell his story. It is an interesting technique. I also liked how all the characters were a variety of ages, instead of staying with one age bracket.


What I Didn't Like: 

The World-Building: This was actually my biggest disappointment of the entire book. According to the author, the story was set in Foggia, Italy in 1960. Besides the Italian dialect and city references, I didn't really get a sense that we were in Italy at all, or at that time. It honestly felt more like it was set in America (for myself, I thought it felt more like something like Los Angeles or New York, while my younger brother thought more South America.) Granted, the word "Padre" was probably the culprit. As for the time period - all the hint that I got that it was not contemporary was the references to Tuberculous (a disease which has mostly been eradicated in recent times). It gave me a jolt to see a year (1947) in the book, only to find out after reading it that it wasn't right. I also had the funny feeling that I was seeing more American than Italian colloquialisms.

The Closeness of Reader's Lens of Focus: Tying into that last note, I believe that the lack of world-building can be explained by the closeness of the focus on the characters and their stories. If this book was in a movie form, the camera would only show closeups and a tiny bit of background that matters at that moment. There really is no big picture to orient ourselves into a specific place or time period. Instead, it felt like we were in a big bubble. Even physical descriptions of character seem a little sparse - we see so much of the "inside" that we are unclear what is on the "outside".

Some inconsistencies: Regina's age threw me a bit - she seemed a high school student at first, and then I find that she's supposed to be 8. Paolo's money issues seem a little confusing too. Eva's pregnancy seemed to hit very suddenly and that part seemed rushed compared to the rest of the book.

Trigger/Content Warnings: Book contains an an attempted abortion (doesn't go beyond talking), an attempted suicide (which is stopped before any harm occurs), thematic elements (married couple sleeping together), an attempted gang attack (and the PTSD that occurs after), mentions of car accidents, and somewhat detailed descriptions of tuberculosis symptoms. There is also a lot of strained family relationships. All of these are handled extremely well.
   

In conclusion: 

For those of you who are teenagers/adults and looking for a good Catholic novel, I highly recommend this book! I rated this book 4 stars out of 5. The main story was really good, and the writing of high quality. I just felt that there wasn't enough world-building and big-picture to give it a full five stars.

If you would like to purchase it, visit Lena's blog One Good Catholic Book.

Note: I recieved a free copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review. All words are my personal opinion.

Old-fashionably yours,

Catherine

Hey y'all,

So, some of you may or may not be aware of an "ongoing" room makeover that I've been doing since last October.

For reasons why this project is being undertaken, see THIS POST.

To see the barest beginnings, see THIS POST.


Oh....you're back? I'm guessing now is when I'm supposed to tell you what is going on, huh? 


So, in terms of actual progress...I'm still at the cleaning stage. It's about 70% of the way to being completely done, which is an improvement over what it was in October. I'm to the point where there is just random junk in my room that needs a home and I don't know where that home is. *sigh* I hate this part of cleaning. 

However, there has been progress made in other areas!

So, before this project was even proposed, I was promised to inherit an old mahogany bedroom set that belonged to my great-grandparents. The bedroom set was in my maternal grandparent's shed, being stored there until I move into my own place.

Fast forward to a couple of months ago.

We find out that my maternal grandparents have decided to sell their current house and move down South for my grandmother's health.

Now, the maternal side of my family tends to be...hem...packrats. They literally save just about anything if it has any sort of useful life left in it. Pain to pack up, but it worked to my advantage this time!

Because, in addition to the bedroom set, I got:

Pictures - some embroidery pieces of my grandmothers, and vintage-y hoop pieces
Bookshelves - which I've needed for some time.
2 more small tables
and, the best prize of all....
My grandmother's big sewing cabinet!!!!   

Why I didn't think to grab pictures before we put them in the storage bin, I will never know. Probably so I don't ruin the reveal later.

The next step (besides finishing the cleaning....) is to research carpet options and pricing. Since I'm working, I'm expected to foot the bill - which kind of annoys me, but...that carpet has got to go. 15+ years of ugly peach carpet is just too much.

*shudders*

Maybe by the end of the summer, I'll have more news regarding this makeover - and pictures!!


Old-fashionably yours,

Catherine 

Hey y'all!!

I'm so sorry for my unexpected hiatus these past few weeks! Things have been CRAZY here...really, they have.

As of three weeks ago, I've been employed full time at a conventional dairy farm about 30 minutes from my house. It's a far cry from the living history career that I've been pursuing for the last three years, make no mistake. But, it's money in the bank and not a moment too soon, for the federal government is now demanding it's money back...

I'll be totally honest in that I definitely jumped off the deep end when taking this job. I'm working about 50-55 hours a week, 5 1/2 "days" (I get three half-days, and they are staggered), and 6 hours of sleep is now a good night for me.

And let me tell you guys, being sleep deprived and running around the house prepping for a trip is a bad combination.

This past weekend, I was getting ready to go out to Ohio for my dear friends Lia and MK's graduation at the same time my family is prepping to go on a trip in the opposite direction. My brothers were changing the water from our fish tank and they were taking a lot out.

So in my big sister admonishing voice, I told them....


"Don't take too much water out, you'll drown the fish!!"


You can imagine the response THAT got from my family.

About 9 hours later, I told Lia about that...and she laughed a lot. Little did I know the repercussions that little decision would cause.....

So day of the graduation arrives with the usual craziness of creating food trays, fighting corset strings (a friend's dress, not mine!), doing each other's makeup and hair, and enthusiastically greeting old friends. It literally felt like I had never left a year ago....

The exercises start - and so do the tears. In my defense, the drops started when one of the speakers' broke and he winked at his graduate daughter...and then continued during the presentation of gifts to moms ("I Hope You Dance" didn't help matters)....and what finished them was when the last graduate hugged his mother (who had barely survived 2 form of leukemia) after the ceremony. *still crying*

Afterwards, we had a nice brunch and hours of dancing, which included a free lesson! I leaned how to rumba and waltz a little (and want more....). 

My favorite memory from that day...will probably be Lia's graduation speech.

Her speech was sentimental and sarcastic. And you know what she ended the speech with?

"The biggest lesson that I learned is "Don't take too much water out of the fish tank or the fish will drown.""

Wise words, Lia.

Old-fashionably yours,

Catherine

Hey y'all!!

Forgive me for my long absence! If anyone has that pause button on LIFE ready, will someone let me know??? I could sure use it!

Anyways....

So, back in November (or was it February? I don't remember...), I picked up some blouses from a thrift store while I was on vacation down South.

One of which was this little beauty....

The original blouse. I apologize for the horrid wrinkliness.

It is a nice simple fitted blouse, in a really pretty shade of lavender purple. I LOVE the color lavender and always wanted a nice lavender blouse to go with some pretty spring colored skirts I have. 

There was some nice top-stitching on the front placard and on the collar

That, my dears, is a finished notch. *sigh*

Now, where was I?

Oh yes....day of the anniversary gets here. I think I mentioned in the last post that there was a nice snowstorm outside, so all of us were stuck at home, right?

Not that I sat around and twiddled my thumbs and fumed for most of the day....okay maybe only half a day.

In the early afternoon, I mixed up what was called a Silver White Cake. I broke down and used the mixer even (even though I hate using that thing, I'm a hand mixer to to the day I die...). I even made some frosting (we didn't have enough store frosting....yet another thing we never picked up.)

Everything went smoothly with the cake, and it got stuck into the oven.

Then the realization hits us at 2 pm...as one of the boys asks what are we going to do for dinner...that we realize that Mom and Dad were going to be stuck at home due to the snow.

Talk about an "Oh crap" moment. We did NOT plan for this. Now what in the world were we going to do? No way were we pulling the quick meal option, not that day?! 

Now, it providentially was my brother Tyler's turn to cook dinner that night. Tyler, while a good cook, is still a novice in the kitchen. But, with my mom out of the kitchen, we had a fighting chance.

So Tyler and I made a fast scour through the deep freezer and the pantry. We found a leg of lamb (Mom's favorite), an old recipe for a fancy macaroni casserole, enough vegetables for a salad, and even some biscuit mix.

After we shoved the lamb in the oven, I moved to get the cake out of the pans.

And what do you know.

The durned thing stuck to the pans.

I cried. Cause a stuck cake spelled disaster and crumbs everywhere. It was right about then that I texted Matthew at college with the following exchange:

yeah...I may have been a little stressed out that day.

Mommy came to the rescue though, and managed to save the cake from being a major earthquake (thank heavens for the motherly talent of fixing things!!). Once the cake was safely deposited in the cake tray with minimal frosting cover, I set it aside to juggle macaroni, cheese and biscuit dough.

Somehow, between Tyler and I, we managed to cram all the prepping and cooking for the dinner in 3 hours without any major catastrophes....which was a miracle in itself.... 

In the meantime, my other brothers Anthony and Robert made themselves useful by cleaning up the kitchen and helping me set up the table with a new cloth and napkins. I even opened new white taper candles.

We cleaned up a little, put on some better clothes and all sat down to dinner, complete with soda for the boys and blueberry schnapps for Mom and I. (Boy did I need that schnapps....).

After dinner, I finished icing the cake. The roses were a bit of a pain - blasted frosting was very cantankously warm. I practically had to freeze it in order to get it to shape. But in all, I was very happy the way it came out.

why does it look PINK in the camera?? I assure you, it was cream. Buttercream, to be exact

So, the day ended well. We told Mom and Dad that their presents were coming, and no one was the wiser.

In the three days afterwards, I finally got the greeting card, deposited the rest of the cash in the bank and got the picture of the silver pattern. It turned out to be a pattern that had a fair selection of pieces in stock, to my relief.

In a phone conversation with Matthew, we picked 2 silver napkin rings and placed the order. Processing took about 4 days and shipping took another 5. All of us kids were on pins and needles waiting for that package to come.

But it finally did. I'm sure I looked like an idiot when I shouted for joy in my pine sappy vest and dirty skirt (I was pruning a pine tree earlier that afternoon.....) when I saw it in the mailbox.

From there, it got opened and rewrapped - with the order slip safely stored away where my dad won't find it, LOL.



And so, two weeks late, Mom and Dad finally received their silver anniversary gifts from us kids: a $25 restaurant gift card and 2 silver napkin rings. Complete with official greeting card, and unofficial note attached to the rings...with missing words and everything. *facepalm* You'd think a writer like me could actually write a note to a present with proper English...

And so completes my tale of the disastrous 25th Anniversary celebration scrape that I got myself into. My dear friends, please learn from my mistakes and plan ahead...at least a month in advance. And have a contingency plan in case you deal with a snow storm.

Old-fashionably yours,

Catherine

Hey y'all!

I assure you, I'm not dead. Just have had a LOOOONG absence.

So, an update from my personal life - I didn't get the job that I had applied to at the beginning of the month. Hence I'm back to looking again. In the meantime, I've been keeping busy around the house, writing like crazy, and trying to keep my sanity and soul intact in all the craziness we call life.

Speaking of which....I got a doozy of a story to tell y'all.....

Several weeks ago, we're just about to say family night prayers and I happen to look over to the calendar hanging on a closet door.

And made the causal remark that my parent's 25th anniversary was in 10 days.

That realization sunk in like a lead weight. As we all knelt, I'm sure my blood pressure was hitting the roof. Because Miss Melancholy Temperament had no blooming clue what her Plan was to execute this thing.

Then I looked towards the door where my brother Matthew was kneeling. As soon as he caught my gaze he mouthed to me:

"Shoebox"

It take me a minute to catch what he was saying but then it clicked and my blood pressure went back down to normal.



See, about 2 years ago right after Christmas, we kids were scheming to buy our parents a replacement washer and dryer set for their 25th anniversary...as our current set was reaching the two decade mark. Pretty ambitious for 2 kids in college and the others on a minimal allowance. Of course, we all thought that Matthew and I were going to have higher incomes 2 years down the road. In the meantime, we all chipped in what we could set aside at the time and set it in a Christmas shoebox. Which immediately got stashed under Matthew's bed (best place for it, no one would think of looking under there....LOL).

2 years went by. A little more money was stashed in the shoebox. Our 20 year dryer bit the dust and our original scheme, and the shoebox, was largely forgotten as the finances got tighter and tighter for Matthew and I.

Until that particular night at prayer.

After we finished, Matthew and I sped off and dug out that old shoebox. We counted all the cash and we had slightly more than expected (~$120). Which was a miracle of providence in and of itself!

So, the schemes began.

We came up with the following plan:

1. We would get a nice card, and include a gift card to a nice restaurant, $25 worth.
2. While they were out, the rest of us kids at home (cause Matthew had to be back at college), would decorate the house a little, have a cake, and give a little silver present.

Simple, right?

If only.....you know that proverb about best laid plans, right??

We managed to get the gift card before Matthew had to go back to college. The problem happened when trying to find the silver present.

Nothing we tried was working or clicking with us. A photographer was way too expensive. Scouring of gift websites drove us batty. Antique stores yielded only silver plate. Talk about frustrating....

So, we had to maintain semblance of daily life while attempting to find a solution.

We quickly discovered that silver, at retail prices, was a lot more expensive that we bargained for too. Which only increased our frustration levels. Deals fell through because of technicalities, and many silver items were out of our reach financially. I'm sure Matthew was ready to string me up because of the grief my perfectionist streak was giving him....

I'm sure Matthew's face mirrored this guy's at least half of the time through this whole mess....

Then finally, 5 days before the anniversary, I found Replacements, Ltd. This is a company that specializes in making replacement pieces for old silver sets. And for decent prices at that!

I knew that we had an old heirloom set in the family. All we had to do was match the pattern and order two silver napkin rings. Simple. We got this.

Only problem was I didn't have a company name or picture of the blooming silver pattern....both of which were very necessary in order to determine which pattern it was! So, I got in touch with some of the extended family to procure a picture and the company name (which was apparently easier to find than the picture...).

In the meantime, in my stupidity, I never grabbed the greeting card or deposited the rest of the cash in the bank before the actual anniversary. See, it was only going to be a quick trip, just hop and the car and go, and life has a funny way of getting in the way all of a sudden...

And yeah, that came back to bite me, big time.

Dad snitched my car cause his was in the repair shop for two days. The two days before the anniversary, of course. Great timing...oh well, there is always the day OF the anniversary right?

RIGHT.

You know what came the night?

A snowstorm. A bad snowstorm. Of course it would. There is over 8 inches of snow outside in the morning, the roads are a mess, snow is falling very finely very steadily (anybody that has lived up in the North KNOWS that that means lots of it).

Perfectly. Squashed. EVERYTHING.

*insert frustrated scream*

But that's not all, of course it isn't....you think that's all?

Keep your eyes peeled for part 2!

Old-fashionably yours,

Catherine

The news is abuzz today because International Women's Day is being celebrated.

International Women's Day is actually one of Russia's errors that has spread throughout the world. It was first celebrated in Russia after 1917 when women gained suffrage, and was kept as a holiday in Socialist countries until 1975 when it was spread internationally by the United Nations. It is widely regarded as a feminist holiday (Wikipedia).

It came to the forefront of my attention a year ago when feminists decided to have "A Day without Women Strike" on International Women's Day 2017 to protest the supposed inequalities in the workplace for women.

In response, several Catholic women started a counter measure: Lady Day.

Held on the same day, it celebrates true femininity. Many ladies celebrate by going to tea, learning about great women saints, or doing other traditional feminine activities. (click here for more info about Lady Day!)

But what is true femininity?

In a Catholic sense, it is focusing on the interior. The home is often the first calling of a daughter. We are tasked with keeping the house in order, keeping clothes on the backs, and food upon the table. All the little details of living are given to us - as we have the wonderful God-given ability to multi-task.

Women are the helpmate of the man - they assist them in everything from little daily tasks to attaining salvation of their soul. Women are also the civilizers of society - champions of the arts and deportment. They are also strong and practical - they place themselves willingly in the breach when the chips are down (The biggest proof of such would be during wars on the home front).

Wikimedia Commons

I'm not of the opinion that a woman should not break a sweat, be petted in idle luxury, or be a damsel in distress. As a matter of fact, I get extremely annoyed when people portray or advocate women to behave in such a fragile statuesque way - to be put on a pedestal and adored. 

Women are equal in dignity to men, but complimentary in role. Like men, we are soldiers for Christ. We are weapons for Christ, and we must do our part in the battlefield. I view it this way:

Men are the swords of Christ. They are the outward weapon, the one that gives the most impact on the enemy. They do the most work in the battlefield.

Women, on the other hand, are the shields of Christ. 

The role of the shield is to protect and defend the soldier. So too, a woman stands as a shield in the face of evil as it tries to invade the home. 

Shields must be strong to withstand the buffets of the enemy's swords. It must deflect the sharp blows that rain upon the soldier. In the same way, the woman must guard her family from scandal and harsh words.

Shields often splinter and give part of themselves in the battle. So too, the sacrificing woman gives part of herself into her children and house. Her body sacrifices it's youthful slimness and softness in the bearing of those children.

Shields can be used as blunt, crushing weapon and as a battering ram as necessary.  The tears of St. Monica acted as a battering ram onto the gates of Heaven with great reward - the conversion of her husband and son, Augustine. Persistence is a woman's trademark.

The shield is often the forgotten weapon, as it is a defensive measure. But, to borrow a masculine sports phrase: defense wins championships. The glory often goes to the sword, but every soldier is indebted to his shield - whether he realizes it or not.

Anybody that doesn't believe that a shield is not an effective weapon really needs to go watch Captain America. His signature weapon is not a gun, nor his fists. It's the circular shield that he carries. And he can do a lot of damage with that particular shield. To give you an idea - check out the first minute of this video....(if that's a steel shield, I really hate to see what kind of damage the vibranium can do!) 


To get back to the point of this post, is it unfeminine to work outside of the home?

I believe that women do have a place in the workforce, in contrast to a lot of traditionally-minded women. While I do believe that married woman need to stay at home unless it's dire, single and widowed women can take outside employment. The food, clothing, education, and nursing industries are well suited to women's talents. Women also do well in people-related industries such as counseling.

It is possible for women to have a vocation to the single life - it certainly isn't as common as the married or religious life for women. I believe single women should take employment when: they have large debts to pay off (college education being the biggest), the home is being taken care of by mother and sisters (especially in a large family), and to prepare for their own vocation of either marriage or single life.

Let me explain that last one a little. As my dear friend Emma pointed out in this post, a workplace can cultivate the virtues of patience, obedience, and sacrifice. These are virtues that are in much demand as a wife and mother. Sometimes a home life isn't enough to teach those virtues - it certainly wasn't in my case.

Wikimedia Commons

And there is the economic advantage too - if she has worked for a few years, a young bride can reduce or even clear her own debts and possibly bring in a small sum in order to set up housekeeping. I certainly would like to reduce my current college debt before I enter into any marriage - because how fair is it that my husband pays for previous debts that I've incurred before I'm married?

Sometimes a daughter's salary is the only support a family has. A dear friend of mine's dad went unemployed for almost a year - as the breadwinner of a family of 8, it was not a good situation to be in. An older daughter's salary at a fast food place was how they managed to keep shampoo in the showers and food on the table. I'm not kidding. 

Now, is working outside the home enjoyable? Not always. I don't particularly like to work outside the home in principle. There is always something else that I'd rather be doing - a book to read, a project to work on, blog posts to write....but my duty lies in giving my talents to others.

At the moment, I'm in the wings, waiting for a response from a stable that I interviewed at. In the meantime, I'm trying to fulfill my new domestic duties here at home, and preparing for a vocation of marriage the best that I can.

And now, to go get a cup of tea and my drop spindle and hold my own little Lady Day celebration by listening to Rosalina's sister's talk on St. Margaret of Scotland, which you can view here! 

Old-fashionably yours,

Catherine 

Hey y'all!

In my last post, I related to you my journey to modesty, which in case you missed it, is HERE. I want to thank every single one of you who commented on that post, your support means a lot to me!

As promised, I'm going to share my personal modesty standards. Be advised, I go into a lot more detail than a lot of other people do!

As a rule of thumb, I use the standard Catholic guidelines for modest dress, which are as follows:

Necklines cannot be lower than 2 inches (or 2 fingers) below the pit of the throat. (Your collarbone is a good indicator of where this lies.)
Sleeves cannot be shorter than quarter-sleeve (it originally was elbow, but the Vatican allows quarter-sleeves as a concession to the market).
Skirts need to be at least 2 inches below the knee (preferably 8 inches below the knee).

Avoid the following:
Sheer/transparent clothing (unless it has sufficient backing)
Nude color fabrics
Clingy or tight clothing
Masculine clothing

Most Church fathers heavily frowned the wearing of pants by women. It was never banned directly, but it has never been really regarded as a feminine article of clothing until recently. As I explained in my last post, I grew uncomfortable wearing pants by themselves after seeing what effects it had on men and society. I'm not totally adverse to the tunic-over-jeans approach, but I view it as a last resort in case more modest options aren't open to me.


Shirts:

• Sleeve length

All of my shirt sleeves are at least quarter-sleeve (ends midway between the elbow and the shoulder). Basically, I'm looking for the sleeve to cover my armpit completely.

• Opacity

I'll think twice about buying a shirt that I can see my underwear through. But, because a lot of my blouses are old hand-me-downs from my grandmother and my great-grandmothers, there are quite a few that wear a little on the sheer side. I've found that if I wear either a camisole or, preferably, a plain white undershirt underneath, it will fix the sheerness problem wonderfully.

• The Fit

If I discover that a casual button-down shirt in my wardrobe is too tight fully buttoned but doesn't hug me when open, I'll wear a modest T-shirt underneath. But otherwise, if clings too tight...it gets either packed or given away.

Length matter to me as well. It has to be past my waist a fair bit in order for it to pass. Otherwise my shirt will pop up and expose my stomach area when I'm *trying* to be productive. As Duluth commercials point out very well, it's not exactly productive to keep tugging on your shirt.

• Style

Color does not matter as much as the design and how the shirt is cut. I tend to avoid shirts that have similar patterns to men's dress shirts. Because women are curvy, I look for blouses that are cut that way (darts, princess seams, etc.). My favorite look in a blouse is the simple classy look instead of the frilly or lacy.

I'll wear almost any color (I do have to be careful with black as it tends to wash me out) except for peach and other skin tone colors (unless it's an undergarment).


Skirts/Dresses:

•  Above all, NO SLITS!

Many women (Catholic, and non-Catholic alike) often wear skirts with slits in them, varying in size from 2 inches to almost the entire skirt-length. Most of the time, a slit is put into the skirt so that the woman can move more comfortably. Slits reveal, especially with movement; which is something that a skirt is not supposed to do.

• Style and fit matters. 

I'm a stickler for how my skirts are draped over my figure. This is not because I'm self-conscious about how bad my figure looks - quite the opposite, actually.

To get a sense of what I mean, take a look at this photo that I snagged from Pixabay after almost an hour of pulling my hair out trying to find suitable photos.....  




See how the back of the skirt on the left hugs the derriere?

I can't stand that. It draws the attention to the derriere and not the face, where it truly belongs. This skirt is also tight enough that every line of her leg will be revealed as she walks.

The back of the skirt on the right, on the other hand, descends and flairs gently way from the woman's figure. There is enough fabric to have a curtain effect, which also helps to hide the figure.

I believe that the wider the skirt, the better. Being an active woman with a fairly long stride, I need room to MOVE. Especially since I still have to practically pole-vault into my bed at night....yes, my room is still that much of a mess. I'm working on it....

• Opacity

I'll avoid garments made solely of lace and other sheer materials (like that outer layer of the skirt on the left of that picture). Most of the time, that isn't a problem when I'm shopping.

• Undergarments

I also tend to be a stickler about wearing shorts and/or tights under my skirts. This is so, in case any unforeseen circumstances arise that cause parting with a skirt, I still have some protection from eyes. Footless tights (yes, there is such a thing) are my favorite to wear everyday.

I do wear petticoats with my skirts, but I'm not a stickler for them as much as the shorts/tights.


Modest dressing doesn't mean that you have to spend all of your days in prairie dresses or a potato sack. As old-fashioned as I am, my entire wardrobe is not made up of dresses from the Amish or centuries past. My style of clothing would probably be considered "Southern Country Girl Contemporary" because I like denim, flowers/calico, and plaid. 

Soooo, what is a typical ordinary outfit for me?

T-Shirt
Hoodie - zippered, usually
Long skirt (usually denim)
Tights/shorts - usually footless
White Socks

Hey y'all!

So I was inspired by my dear friend Emma @ Gloria in Excelsis Deo to write about my own modesty story from reading hers. Please go and check out her blog, she's a gem in the Catholic blogosphere!

And now, allow me to take you back in time to a little Catherine....

As a child, I wore mostly pants. I know that I wore dresses and skirts to church - most of the time - as well as some formal occasions (the occasional wedding, birthday party, etc.).

My modesty journey started when I was about 11, unbeknowest to me at the time.

I had just joined my local 4-H Sewing club - a club that I stayed in for the next decade or so. That is where I learned how to sew, in case anyone was wondering.

My first project? I chose to make a skirt.

I remember reasoning at the time that I had little to no "play skirts" at the time. And I thought it was time to expand that particular part of my wardrobe.

I made a beautiful (fairly long) skirt with Winnie-The-Pooh fabric. I still have it - it is now stored away for my (future) daughter.

2 years later, I was more or less pressured into making a pair of pants. I remember not liking them nearly as much as my skirt. Though I think it had more to do with the difficulty of actually making them than anything else.

Fast forward to when I was 15. 

I had just recently "converted" to the Faith. I say this because I was baptized as a Catholic at 5 months but never received full instruction or was received into the Sacraments because of the fact that my mom is (and always has been) Protestant. Not that I hold it or anything else against her by any means. It just bears a lot on my story, so I feel the need to disclose it.

After I received the Sacraments, I was kinda thrown into kind of an identity crisis of sorts. I knew how to act as a woman in the general sense of the world. But....how was I supposed to act and dress as a Catholic woman?? This may seem like a silly question to ask, but I knew that the Faith was not just a religion but a way of life. And I wanted to live it right - being the perfectionist that I am.

I had no example at home to fall back on. My father was going to be no help in this situation (no offense to him, of course, but....)

So, I began observing other women at church. As I befriended a lot of them, I picked up on their examples and copied them. My Junior Sodality at church was also a tremendous help, as it gave me the example of Catholic girls. It was through their example in dress that I made the decision to wear only skirts to Mass, any Mass whether it was the Ordinary (Norvus Ordo/English) or the Extraordinary (Latin) Mass, as well as veil my head.

At 15, I was still wearing pants in my daily life and functions outside of church. I went to a church picnic around that time, again watching other Catholic women. I noticed that even then, that most still wore skirts!

At 16, I found a book lying around my parent's bedroom. It had a beautiful cover on it, and it was called Dressing with Dignity. With my father's permission, I read it. I'm fairly certain that he bought it with me in mind. Why else would he have it around?

Goodreads

Anyways, like many other Catholic women, that book changed my life.

I will admit that the book bothered me at first. I was horrified at what the effects of immodesty on men really were. I began boning up on what exactly modesty in dress really was - via modesty talks, sermons, and other books on the subject. I felt this distinct "call" if you will, to lay aside my pants for good, especially in the light that I was dealing with a horrible vice of impurity at the time.

I started slowly - I stared wearing them all day on Sunday first for a few weeks, and then started wearing them on weekdays.

There was one distinct problem though - at the age of 16, not counting all of my good skirts for church, I had maybe 3 skirts. And not all of them good.

Hence, I sought to remedy that problem via my sewing skills. I did make several of my skirts, but my wardrobe was supplemented by hand-me-downs from the ages of 16-17.

Now, from the sounds of things, you think everything is going smoothly, right?

Not exactly.

I faced some family opposition to my new dressing habit.

Mostly, I'm sorry to say, from my mother.

I'm still not 100% sure why it bothered her. Maybe it had to do with my conversion, maybe not. Whatever the case, there were a few instances where she insisted that I wear pants for - things like driving (for the first couple of lessons, which really mystified and annoyed me), horseback riding, etc. She also made a point of buying me a couple pairs of jeans before college (my old ones were getting too small).

Being stubborn as my mother, I stuck hard to my new principles. After several heart-to-heart talks between me, her and my grandmother, my mom accepted my position. Now, my modesty doesn't bother her anymore, I'm happy to say.

My maternal grandmother helped a lot in outfitting, as she introduced me to the world of thrift stores and what wonderful finds existed in them. A lot of my wardrobe has come from thrift store finds that I've either altered or done over. I also received several old outfits of hers - outfits from the 50s and 60s that she couldn't wear anymore. But like my mother, she was worried about my safety in a long skirt. A worry that I laid to rest when I proved that I could climb rock cliffs in Hawaii in a long white skirt and not get a spot on it. I did have to weather a little ribbing when I started wearing modest swimwear, but again, example quieted that.

Things took an interesting turn at the age of 18. Now I was going to college - which doesn't have a lot of skirt-wearing or modest women around.

It took only two days on campus for the question to come up - why only skirts?? I had expected the question to come up sooner or later, but I was surprised at the speed that it came! That question would crop up occasionally over the four years of college, but most accepted it as a part of me fairly quickly.

But, I was going for agriculture. A field not exactly known for skirt-wearing women.

I had made one denim skirt that was pretty durable. Granted, the thing is ugly as sin....

Anyways, I fully expected to be required to wear jeans during the hands-on labs. On the first time out there, I got the surprise of my life when the barn manager basically gave us free rein on what we could wear in the barn - besides the safety boots of course. With the fact that I only had one denim skirt, I made one more - one that worked a lot better and that I kept modifying to figure out what worked and what didn't. I did (and still do) wear the jeans underneath my long denim skirts for protection against barn filth and in case an accident did happen.

The skirt that I made and heavily modified throughout college. It probably could use a few more...

I did have to have a brief stint of wearing jeans for a riding class I took, but besides that, I wore skirts 99.99% of the time I was in school. In fact, I became known for my classy style and my lady-like behavior. I suddenly realized what fruits could be gained from modest dress - compliments from acidic professors, doors being held open, co-workers offering assistance.

I spent those four years exploring modesty more and figuring it out from sheer experience how to become modest in different situations: farm work, outdoor recreation, professional dress and even swimming! I blogged about each of them - just look at the bottom of the page in my labels section and click on the "modesty" label to find them!

I can now pretty much safely say that my journey to being a 100% modest dresser is complete!

With the exception of one thing....

I still haven't figured out how to ride horseback with a skirt.....

As I compose this, I suddenly have realized that my story is much longer than I had thought! For the sake of my dear readers, I'll relate my personal modesty standards in the next post.

Old-fashionably yours,

Catherine