I found this courtesy of Colleen and Elizabeth, and thought that, given I have a few moments, it would be a fun little Monday exercise this week. If you find yourself intrigued, do go visit Peggy, who has all the details and has graciously committed to hosting this.

FOR TODAY (Monday, May 19, 2008)…

Outside My Window…the sun is shining, casting the long shadow of the house over the back yard.

I am thinking…about what I should do in the moments while the baby plays and the three-year-old sleeps, before the chaos of “let’s get out of the door NOW” ensues.

I am thankful for…this quiet time, filled as it is with the sounds of the dryer and the happy squeals of the baby.

From the kitchen…where I sit at the long table (it’s my favorite place to be in the mornings, even if it is often the coldest place in the house), I can look to my left through the playroom to the living room and to my right to the baby in her high chair.

I am wearing…comfy pants and a blue shirt. The blue makes me think of May being Mary’s month. The comfy pants make me think of the friend who found them for me at our parish rummage sale and set them aside for me. I don’t think I would have purchased them on my own, but I do like them, and they’re just right for a chilly-but-sunny Monday that promises to bring a big dose of hectic later.

I am creating…nope. I’m not. I’m just working on this post. I’d like to be creating a finished version of an article, but that’s a different topic and it will have to wait.

I am going…to go to work once Babs wakes up. And I am NOT going to spend the day dreading the finance committee meeting tonight. 🙂

I am reading…a fabulous book, In This House of Brede, that has made Offline Evenings even easier to achieve (and has found me up late, late, LATE the last few weeknights, finishing off a chapter and finding reasons to read “just a few more pages”).

I am hoping…that the finance meeting won’t run too late tonight (unlikely), that Daughter 1 will sleep another 10 minutes (more likely), and that the morning will be quiet so I can finish up the bulletin at work (unknown likelihood).

I am hearing…the dryer and the baby, a cacophony of happy homemaking noises.

Around the house…there is stillness and a chill in the air, many toys scattered (proof of a fabulous Sunday afternoon spent dressing up and playing hard), and the anticipation of the day beginning.

One of my favorite things…is the early morning sunshine seen through the window over my kitchen sink.

A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week: Post the Catholic Carnival, finalize plans for the weekend, read, and do whatever crops up.

Here is picture thought I am sharing…My niece Junie B. makes her First Communion far, far away, but my dear sister-in-law made sure we got this lovely photo, which makes me miss them all the more and pray all the harder.