Outside my window: The sun is pouring through my office window, making a shadow of my fingers on the keyboard. There’s rain in the forecast for later, so my clothesline, which I can see from my window, will stay empty today.

Around the house: The girls watching a movie in the front room, Daddy’s in his recliner snoozing, and the baby’s asleep for a bit longer (I hope). I have a few things to get done in my office, but I think my uninterrupted time this morning is getting gone pretty fast.

In my kitchen: The dishwasher’s running and there’s a basket full of clothes to fold. Let’s not talk about the mental block I have for meal planning lately.

In my thoughts: All I have to do this week! School starts, too, so there’s some excitement–and, if I’m honest, uncertainty–with that.

In thanksgiving: For an answered prayer. For a sister-in-law who brings me joy. For a friend who makes me smile. For a family who loves me.

Nose inserted: I am sitting down each day with Lisa Hendey’s soon-to-be-released book, A Book of Saints for Catholic Moms. I read a chunk of it before it was available as a print version, but sitting down with the book each day is truly a gift from a friend. This book will be one of my favorite gifts. I can’t wait for you to get your copy! I also just started Wholly Mary: Mother of God, by Chris Padgett. I’m one chapter in and hooked!

Recent reads:

  • Introduction to the Devout Life, by St. Francis de Sales – such an awesome book. I don’t even know where to start for a short blurb about it…so I won’t. I’ll just say that it’s one of the most useful spiritual reads I’ve read and that it’s so applicable to me as a mom and wife and person. Wow. SO glad I read it!
  • Stealing Jenny, by Ellen Gable – I met Ellen for the first time at the Catholic Marketing Network trade show and Catholic Writers Conference Live a few weeks ago, and she gave me a copy of this book. I had already started the electronic version she sent me, and it had already claimed me (though I couldn’t indulge and stay up late to read it until I returned home). My niece promptly claimed the hard copy, and I finished the electronic copy. It was amazing! It will be out soon…TOTALLY worth your preorder!
  • A Piece of the Sky, by Michelle Buckman – I didn’t think I could be a Michelle Buckman groupie properly if I hadn’t read her first novel. So read it I did. It’s out of print now, but I found it via Paperback Swap a while back. I really enjoyed it. I’d call it chick-lit, but well done. I’m not a big reader of chick-lit, for the most part, but I liked it. Buckman has a real talent for getting to the heart of an issue and keeping things real, while making faith and God tangible and approachable.

A favorite thing: A good book. 🙂

Worth a thousand words: (courtesy of my road-trip-partner niece, Ree)

The face the boy makes that cracks us all up