CPQ February Newsletter
I’ve heard it is February.
I wouldn’t know because I have been too busy being sick and taking care of sick people and going to the doctor to look at the calendar. We usually have lovely Februarys. It is one of the nicest times of the year in Arizona, and this year, no exception to that rule, is when everyone comes out to play. But this year, we got the flu. And so, we have been laid up inside when we should have been porch sitting and under the covers when we could have been at the park. Ah, well, such is life. I hope you have had better health than us these last few weeks.
My friend always reminds me that getting sick is God’s way of telling you to rest. So, rest we have. With Books. I found a dramatized version of Louis L’Amour’s short stories, “One for the Mohave Kid,” The Strong Shall Live,” and “Lonigan” for my son to listen to. I picked up Wild Things; The Art of Nurturing Boys, and The Heaven and Earth Grocery Story by James McBride for me. My daughter is reading Saving Mrs. Roosevelt. My little kids have resurrected our old Art for Kids Hub account, and we are making it through. As I type this, my older son has run across the upstairs hall to the bathroom so he can throw up.
We’re fine. Everything is fine. Just another February day in the Williams house.
On The CPQ Blog
“Do you have anything to add or correct?”
Behind the Scenes
Upper Years getting finished in layout
Personhood getting ready for layout
Goodness articles are being written
Year SEVEN is being planned
Did you know you can be a part of CPQ? Visit our website to find out how to submit photography, writing, and content pieces from your kiddos.
Giveaway Winner!
Congratulations to Jenny Wingler! We’ll be sending you a message via IG today so we can get a back issue of your choice in the mail to you!
Keep your eyes peeled for more giveaways this year right here in our monthly newsletter.
Digital Access for Print subscribers
If you have a print subscription to Common Place Quarterly, you should have gotten an email this month with access to the digital version of Fortitude magazine—plus more.
This is something new we’ve been working on for our readership, and we hope you like it!
You can now access ALL previous back issues digitally by clicking “manage account” in that email, then the three lines in the top right corner, and then Common Place Quarterly. (If accessing from a computer, you’ll click the Common Place Quarterly in the upper left.)
This will bring up your CPQ “bookshelf” with all twenty-one issues of Common Place Quarterly for you to browse. Enjoy!
If you didn’t get an email, please email us at info@commonplacequarterly.com and we’ll get you set up.
Reflect and Respond
A new feature of CPQ this year is the “Reflect and Respond” section on the last page.
We enjoy many wonderful conversations behind the scenes about these topics, and we’d love to bring that atmosphere to our entire readership by sharing your thoughts on our blog or in future issues of CPQ!
Please take some time to consider and share with us! You can pick from the prompts listed or share something else that came up as you read about fortitude this quarter. You can follow the QR code in your magazine or this link to submit your pieces to us!
And he’s a little reminder about our philosophy on submissions:
Submissions represent feet on the ground. It does not need to be, nor should it be, perfectly written or "perfect" Charlotte Mason (though it does need to be assuming a heart towards Mason's methods). You don't need to sound like you know all the things. Your philosophy does not need to be fully flushed out. You don't have to have all your dishes done, have been previously published, own seven chickens, or know how to make sourdough bread. But you CAN have all those things and write about them, too! Submissions are not, and will never be, about obtaining any standard of perfection. They are about the reality of living life, building families, growing character, and doing the hard thing of educating our children at home.
Come and share with us!
A Freebie For You
A note from our layout editor, Sarah:
I found this artist while looking through art pieces for the Fortitude magazine. The Compendium asked its writers to consider what gets them through the hard days. I wanted to find paintings that represented the tired woman. Bone tired. But has her eyes and heart on something larger than herself…something compelling her forward through the exhaustion, grit, and even fear. That’s when I recalled seeing Bastien-Lepage’s depiction of Joan of Arc. So often, we imagine Joan of Arc as a type of warrior princess, clad in armor, atop her steed, rallying her troops with cries of glory and honor. But Bastien-Lepage painted a young maiden burdened with the same tasks we face as moms ourselves…in this painting, she’s in the garden, a forgotten loom beside the overrun vegetable patch. Her clothes are worn and dirty. Her shoulders are drooping, and her arm hangs limply at her side. If not for her face, one might think the exhausting life of a peasant defeats her.
But for her face.
Tilted upwards, cheeks flamed pink (from the cold? No…the fervor of hope growing within her, I think). A task lies before her…large and unthinkable…but her eyes are focused and determined, and her face is relaxed yet determined. She will face whatever comes with grace and determination, even though today, she is just an exhausted girl in a garden.
Exploring more of Bastien-Lepage’s works showed me some of the same courageous women.
Exhausted but still upright. Still determined. Still looking towards the goal.
Get To Know The Editors
What’s Cara…
Reading: The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store, Wild Things: The Art of Nurturing Boys, The Gillingham Manual: Remedial Training for Children with Specific Disability in Reading, Spelling, and Penmanship
Listening to: the quiet sounds in my ears when I lay in bed to see if the dirty electricity emitted by the electronics at our bedside are causing tinnitus
Eating: Ramen, curry ramen to be specific
Watching: Andy Griffith, the 8th season? Maybe it’s the 7th season…
Creating: O-G-based lesson plans for each of my kids
Drinking: Ginger soother from The Ginger People
Thinking about: How to simplify my desires and commitments so I can be more present for my children’s current needs
What’s Mariah…
Reading: A Tale of Two Cities and Llama Drama: A two-woman, 5,500-mile cycling adventure through South America
Creating: messes in our basement as I make it more live-able for us
Listening to: Imagine Dragons with my boys—it’s the current kitchen dance party favorite.
Eating: pork chops with a tart cherry sauce, sweet potatoes, and green beans
Watching: Cheap Irish Homes
Learning: to recognize where I need help and ask for it.
Drinking: hot lemon water
Thinking about: gardening and how I can’t wait to get my hands in that dirt
What’s Sarah…
Reading: Surprised by Oxford
Listening to: my little kids hum the Lord of the Rings soundtrack incessantly.
Creating: church event pamphlets
Thinking about: why March looks unendingly long, but June feels right around the corner
Eating: warm croissants
Watching: Much Ado About Nothing (the Kenneth Branagh version on Amazon is fantastic.)
Drinking: loads of hot chocolate made with collagen powder