Outside my window: Snow! Snow! Snow!
Around the house: Kids in the front room, scuffling around on the last day of vacation. Husband, on the couch behind me, snoozing on the last day of vacation. Me, at the kitchen table, pecking away at a keyboard and sipping coffee.
What I’ve been writing: Nothing. Not a thing.
In my thoughts: Ringing in the New Year with Mary, the Mother of God, and what our very wise priest had to say about it in this weekend’s homily.
In my plans: A whole list of things, from taking in the mountains of recycling to picking up the house to getting back in the work groove.
In thanksgiving: For family. For a newly-minted seven-year-old. For a week offline.
In my prayers: Those who grieve in a special way right now and who feel the pain and the blessing at the same time.
Nose inserted: Oh joy: Darkling Fields of Arvon, by James Anderson and Marc Sebanc. It’s the second in the Legacy of the Stone Harp series, and I’m SO enjoying it. I reviewed the first book, The Stoneholding, a while back.
Recent reads: I’m going to do a post this week with summaries of my recent reading, but here are some short excerpted thoughts from last week’s binge of reading:
- Mind Over Mind, by Karina Fabian – Wow. Wow. WOW. So good I suspect I’ll be rereading it when the sequel comes out. Not because I’ll need to, but because I’ll want to.
- Maximum Ride: The Angel Experiment, by James Patterson – Read at the behest of young people in my life. Bottom line: I didn’t like it.
- Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott – I started this because it was on my list for 2012 and because I was disliking the aforementioned Patterson book so much. It was just as wonderful as I remembered from the four or five times I read it in my youth.
- Women, Sex, and the Church: A Case for Catholic Teaching, Edited by Erika Bachiochi – A book I’d love for every Catholic to read. It will get its own post, either here or at CatholicMom.com.
Links I like:
- Putting Mary Away – Elizabeth Esther writes beautifully, as usual, and shares why she won’t be putting her Mary away after Christmas.
- A Dad at Christmas – A great reflection on Joseph and fathers by Elizabeth Foss. (Hat tip to Pat Gohn at Among Women.)
- Merry Christmas, Baby – Gina Loehr writes about how Jesus as a baby helps her relate with a faith that is sometimes crusty and dusty.
- Whose Name Is Written on Your Foot? – Mike Hays uses one of my favorite movies to point out that we should all remember whose we are.
A favorite thing: New-fallen snow.
Food for thought: “Christmas helps us understand that God never abandons us and always comes to meet our needs. He protects us and is concerned with each one.” – Benedict XVI, January 4, 2008 (via BenedictEveryday.com)
Oh my, she’s 7 already? How did that happen? Happy birthday a day late to E. Happy return to the internet to you.
Yes, she’s SEVEN! I feel the same way…but then, you have one who’s a TEENAGER, so…
Glad to be back. I see you DIDN’T make any big announcements after all, eh? 🙂
I did today. I waiting, figuring that many people were taking a break.
Ah! Well then, I will get on over there and congratulate you loudly in your space! 🙂