Plug This: And Sometimes Tea

Our "Plug This" series on the occasional Tuesday, is devoted to lesser-known figures in the Catholic blogosphere. You know, the ones which the mainstream Catholic print media misses while obsessing over the same two or three every chance they get.

The subject of this installment got its title from a line of Alexander Pope's The Rape of the Lock: "Here thou, great Anna! whom three realms obey, Dost sometimes counsel take -- and sometimes tea." I don't know what that means. But its author can tell you about herself if you ask her...

And Sometimes Tea

...and if you ask her, it will be thus:

I'm a homeschooling mom. No, I don't know any good crafts. Crafts at my house end with something glued somewhere it shouldn't be. All my art is abstract, if 'lumpy' is synonymous with 'abstract.' I write because...well, I like this quote from Mason Cooley, "Writing about an idea frees me of it. Thinking about it is a circle of repetitions."

What she wouldn't have told you, until less than a year ago, was her name. The writer formerly known as "Red Cardigan" has emerged as Erin Manning, a mother of three girls. She does not fit into the usual "mommy blog" category, which is what you'd honestly expect given the popularity of that niche.

This is why you probably won't see endless pictures of her children napping on the couch or doing something extremely cute. You won't read about what we used to call "female problems." (Deo gratias!) Not much in the way of recipes or how to get fussy children to sleep. But you will get the kitchen window's view of the world, and the events which shape it, through the focus of a Catholic lens. She is a regular feature at Creative Minority Reader, and she has also been a guest at Rod Dreher's Beliefnet blog with the silly name "Crunchy Con."

So, right now you're thinking, hey, Mister Black Hat Guy, this girl's got some game. What does she need with your small-potatoes endorsement?

And I say, hey, she doesn't show off about it. This gal's got class. That ain't bad.
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