Colleen's Column

Over the past couple of years, I've noticed a couple fashion "trends" among the large number of traditional Catholics that my family knows, and they kind of disturb me. I am curious to see what other trads (especially men, since that's probably who the ladies have in mind) think about them. 1. Pairing an above-knee length skirt with leggings that go either just past the knee or to the ankle, depending on the season. The logic seems to be, "at least something is covering my knees." I agree this is better than bare legs, but...even with nearly impossible shopping conditions, I still don't like it. Especially when the skirt is also too tight through the area between the knees and the waist. If you're going to say short skirts are okay with leggings, why not go to the horrid extreme of a long-ish tunic paired with leggings? (In my opinion, one of the most hideous fads out there) 2. Otherwise modest tops that are skin tight. I mean, SKIN TIGHT...

Well, this is week 10 (Finals Week) of my first quarter teaching. WOW. Definitely a different feeling preparing to give an exam rather than preparing to take one! I will be teaching again over the summer, one night a week, at Baker College in Port Huron. This quarter I'm teaching MTH 091 (third grade math for grownups); over the summer it'll be MTH 099 (fourth-sixth grade math for grownups). I'm starting to enjoy it. At least I know the material practically inside out thanks to tutoring for 3 and 1/2 years while I got my degree. Aside from that, I'm keeping busy sewing - trying my hand at vestments for the first time, which is a little scary! Sometimes I don't really want to know how much the brocade costs per yard, just that I have to be careful with it. My client said to start with the pink/rose set, because then if I make any little mistakes I can do better on the white and red sets that get worn more frequently. Comforting...or maybe not?! The pink se...

In this day and age, it seems like there's a bit of an unfair assumption circulating in Catholic parishes. Despite a seeming lack of eligible, solidly Catholic young men who are actively seeking wives, young women who take jobs are sometimes seen as choosing a career over marriage and having a family. All the "women's libber" arguments are brought up against them: You'll become attached to money; you'll become addicted to climbing the corporate ladder; you'll scare off prospective husbands because you're better educated than they are, etc., etc. Baloney. The very simple truth of the matter is that most of these young women (at least the ones in my numerous acquaintance) have very little or no choice. Their parents cannot support them at home forever, especially if there are many children in the family (Catholic school tuition isn't cheap!). They have no suitors knocking on their doors, especially right out of high school (People would accu...

On the 25th went with my parents and two of my siblings to the "Snowball" dance down in Warren. It was a lot of fun! They had a live band and a caller who talked us through a variety of traditional line and square dances. None of the dances were extremely difficult, and it had more of a hoe-down feel rather than a "ball" per se, but we enjoyed it. I might wear a shorter dress sans crinoline next year - the quarters were a little tight with over 250 dancers, even though it was a large hall!

I've been working for the last two years or so on a resource for Traditional Catholic brides, since a lot of girls don't seem to know what is involved with a Catholic wedding. I'm obviously more of an expert on the dresses and fancy clothes side, so I'm still open to suggestions from recent brides or engaged girls for the later editions. The book is available in PDF format, and is about 40 pages, illustrated. Please email me if you would like a copy, or leave a comment and we can get in touch. Hope it helps!

Carole's Special Moments is an adorable little shop about a half-hour south of where I live that will be closing at the end of September. The owners, Ed and Carole Miller, have had this shop for at least 30 years. Some of their products are vintage, but others are quite up to date and overall they have a staggering amount of very nice wedding supplies. Everything in the store is at 60% to 80% off the marked price! Here's just some of the things they have: Veils Tiaras Jewelry Floral headpieces Some bridal gowns - mostly vintage Embroidered bridal handkerchiefs Candles Bridal party T shirts Toasting glasses Crinoline slips - the big pouffy kind! Silk flowers Bouquet-making supplies Ringbearer pillows & Flowergirl baskets Cake toppers Cake cutting sets Guest books ...and every time I turned around I was seeing more wedding supplies! If you are looking for more traditional-minded wedding decor, I would HIGHLY recommend you go there. Then, on top of all the...