I Am Listening To: ...the woosh of the dishwasher.
I Am Wearing: ...a pair of Bruce's flannel pajama pants and a long-sleeved shirt. This just might be my outfit for the day.
I Am Thankful For: ... modern conveniences. Everytime I start dreading household chores, I remind myself to be thankful that I don't have to wash and dry each dish by hand or wash each article of clothing with a washboard and bucket in my backyard. I can also take a picture in the morning and within a few hours all eight of my readers have seen it....even if they do live in three different states.
I Am Pondering: "If I saw the gates of Hell open and I stood on the brink of the abyss, I should not despair, I should not lose hope of mercy, because I should trust in You, my God." ~St. Gemma Galgani
I Am Reading: ...Small Steps for Catholic Moms
by Danielle Bean and Elizabeth Foss--as well as working through the Small Steps for Catholic Moms Companion Journal
--and Real Learning: Education in the Heart of the Home
, also by Elizabeth Foss. (If you are interested in purchasing any of the above books, you can visit Elizabeth's E-Store, here.)To Be Fit And Happy: I'll be honest...when the weather is consistantly under 55*, I tend to go into a mild form of hibernation. I've really been trying to find the motivation--and time--to do a little indoor excersicising to get the heart pumping at least a few times a week.
From The Kitchen: Yesterday I made a large stockpot of Taco Soup and some homemade Mexican Cornbread. It will definately be a treat tonight for supper when its cold and rainy, Also, Brinley helped her Daddy make pancakes and bacon this morning for Sunday brunch. Yum!
I Am Thinking: ...about and praying for those affected by the shooting yesterday in Arizona. I especially pray that our Lord will grant comfort and peace to the families of those that have been injured or killed in this incident.
I Am Creating: ... memories. The interesting thing about memories is that you can choose to remember and cherish the good ones or the not-so-good ones. For me, I like to remember and cherish the good ones. There are too many terrible things in this world...I like to savor the good.
On My iPod: I haven't downloaded any new music lately, but I did download the Pandora App and it is my new love. If you aren't familiar with Pandora, it is internet radio. You simply search for an artist or song and Pandora will create a 'personal radio station' of similar artists and songs and play them back to you....for FREE! You can't pick what song you hear at a particular time, but if a song comes up that you don't care for or you'd rather not listen to at the moment, you just push the 'next' button. Muy Bueno!
Towards A Real Education: I've got approximately seven months to make a lesson plan for next fall. Holy Trinity, Have Mercy On Us! Mary and Joseph, Pray for Us! Saint Thomas Aquinas, Pray for Us! Saint Catherine of Alexandria, Pray for Us!
Towards Rhythm and Beauty: Since the Twelve Days of Christmas have come and gone and we have celebrated the Epiphany of our Lord, I guess it is time to take down and pack away the Christmas decorations. (Sigh...) I'll be honest...I'm one of those people that dread taking down Christmas decorations. Its not the labor aspect of it at all. I just know I'll miss looking at the twinkling of lights, the glow of candlelight and the shimmering of ornaments. I keep trying to tell myself that in only ten short months it will socially acceptable to bring it all out again. ;-)
To Live The Liturgy: Focusing on making our little domestic church as peaceful as possible during this time of year.
I Am Hoping And Praying: ...that the sun will continue to shine.
In The Garden: So far most of the vegetation in our flower beds has held up well this winter. This next week the weather will test them again as our highs will be in the mid-40's and lows in the low-20's. Brrr...
Around The House: We've just been piddling around this weekend. Brinley helped her daddy take down the outside Christmas lights yesterday while the weather was tolerable. Bruce also replaced some weatherstripping on the back doorframe that a particular four-legged fur-child has shredded. Also, after living in our home for 18 months, we've finally purchased a large mirror to hand above the mantel of the fireplace. No more large blank wall...yea!
On Keeping Home: It seems as though Mount Laundry has finally been tamed again after all of our holiday travels. I also spent a little time yesterday going through a couple of small boxes of odds and ends that have collected...and seem to breed on their own.
One Of My Favorite Things: ...is spending an evening out with two of my favorite people in the world. Yesterday evening, Bruce, Brinley and I stopped by Cracker Barrel for dinner (Thanks Mom and Dad for the giftcard!) then we ventured over to Lowe's for the mirror that I mentioned earlier in this post (Thanks, again, Mom and Dad for the giftcard!) and then to Marble Slab to savor some of their yummy goodness. (We didn't have any giftcards to use here, BUT if someone would like to send us one, I would happily accept...wink, wink.)
Brinley Anne This Week: ... is changing from a sweet little baby to a rambunctious little girl. When she turned one, I was easily able to convince myself that she was still a baby. When she turned two, I was still able to convince myself that she was still a baby. Now that she's almost three...there's just no denying that she's turning into a 'big girl', especially now that its not uncommon for her to call me 'Mom' instead of 'Mommy' or 'Momma'. (Sigh...)
A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week: Hmmm....stay warm. :-D Seriously though, I don't think we'll be doing a whole lot this week aside from buddling up, sitting by a warm fire, drinking cocoa, etc.
A Picture I'm Sharing: No still pictures today...at least not yet, but I do have short videos from our Christmas morning. I hope y'all enjoy! (Not sure why they are a bit off-kilter...I'll try to get that corrected.)
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