By Carrie Gress I recently met Lucia Bertaggia and Margherita Vezzani, the masterminds behind Barefoot Home. Both women were raised in Italy and have brought the bounty of their culture to the U.S. in their stunning linen products. Their goal is to “make beauty indispensable.”  The duo has adapted medieval design to create their unique and beautiful patterns. Their fabric is ordered from Milan, and then stitched with care in the midwest. Barefoot Home’s thoughtful designs, carefully sourced fabric, and attention to detail all create an incredible finished product.  TOH: Ho ..read more

Now available in the TOH Mercantile is a wonderful gift box that can be given to a hostess, bride-to-be, or a loved one "just because" called The Gift of Great Taste. It is an understated gift that packs a lot of flavor, and extraordinary flavor at that.  Contained within this precious kraft box affixed with a navy grosgrain ribbon is a crowd-pleasing appetizer or side dish. It is actually a delectable party in a box...just add a crusty loaf of bread!  As I had mentioned in a recent post on bread dipping oil: "It is always a joy to host a gathering of friends. Breaking bread with th ..read more

“At the sight of the crowds, His heart was moved with pity for them because they were troubled and abandoned, like  sheep without a shepherd.” Matthew 9:36 By Denise Trull This past Lent, I was determined to do one thing well: to attend and pray the Stations of the Cross. My Church, the Oratory of St Francis de Sales, gave me this wonderful opportunity each Friday evening for six weeks, and with the miracle that is grace, I managed to find my way to a pew at 6:00 pm each of those nights. It was intended as a sacrifice to God on my part, but as is the way with the graciousness of the Lord ..read more

By Emily Malloy Education is an essential process of childhood. Simultaneously, an important aspect of parenthood is the cultivation of necessary skills and virtues within children. These younger members of society are like sponges eager to absorb information. Given the ease with which children soak things up, it is vital they are given countless opportunities to absorb the good in a world of chaotic noise. Kids are also eager to take in food, and typically with a greater voracity than information. If your children are anything like mine, they are always hungry. Herein lies an opportunity ..read more

By Muji Kaiser Shortly after the 96th Academy Awards aired, I stumbled upon an article announcing singer Billie Eilish’s win for Best Original Song, “What Was I Made For?”, on the soundtrack for the movie Barbie. I was familiar with Eilish but couldn’t recall the song, and took a moment to pull it up on YouTube. “What Was I Made For” is a sad song, sung beautifully by Eilish: Think I forgot how to be happy, something I'm not, but something I can be. Something I wait for. Something I’m made for. I was taken by the feelings of emptiness it conveyed. Also striking, however, were the comments in r ..read more

By Denise Trull I have been recently taken with the intriguing concept of the desert fathers' admonition to remain a mystery to one another. It is a beautiful thing to think upon. If we are part of the body of Christ, the mysterious Christ who dwells within us, then we too are also a mystery--not to be wholly fathomed by any other creature. It is our dignity to be such, to not be transparent and easily understood. We each exist with hidden depths of joy and angst and great, surprising powers over evil that gloriously erupt at times and shake others awake with the beauty of it--this ‘us’ that p ..read more

By Denise Trull  I am continually surprised, and delightedly so, by the amount of wisdom and knowledge that is gleaned and discussed over a simple cup of coffee. I have had a long standing ‘let’s get together for coffee' date for years now with a professor friend of mine who has her PhD in history, specifically the history of the Catholic French family in the 19th century. She has this particularly fine-tuned interest in the Catholic wife and mother of that time in France. Overflowing with a tremendous wealth of knowledge housed in a charming, gregarious personality, she is blessed with t ..read more

By Emily Malloy My childhood is filled with rich memories of food. Perhaps, as a result of the nature of my food writing, you have already suspected this! So many beautiful festive memories of mine are intertwined with cherished recipes. Babka is a food at the forefront of my mind as Lent comes to a close.  There are many iterations of this beloved bread. The one most familiar to me is the typical sweet yeasted bread many know and love, but baked in a passed-down, antique turban pan. This same recipe can be baked into a bundt pan, but the bake time may fluctuate as a result of the ho ..read more

By Denise Trull  It’s a mysterious thing, spring. You learn patience as you anxiously await its coming because you never know quite when that will be. March days are filled with storms, windy and wet. Snow is not out of the question. It is sometimes a trudging slog through gray days. March can sometimes get a bad reputation. But even on its grayest days, something hangs in the air of March that was not there before: this nameless promise of future beauty rumored in the smell of wet and pungent mud as you walk. If you don’t mind kneeling in the grass, you are rewarded sometimes with the in ..read more

By Denise Trull  In the heart of my busy city dwells an ancient, German-built Church which rises like a great ship sailing unperturbed through endless road construction, traffic, noise, and abandoned buildings. It is as anomalous in its surroundings as perhaps Noah’s great ark was in the desert. The gray stone, soaring arches and curved steps mysteriously beckon the curious explorer with an enticing promise of treasure within. What is this place? You are told by the neighbors that it has fallen into disrepair over the years in tow with its depressed surroundings, a shadow of its former gl ..read more