Advent Daybook

FOR TODAY

Outside my window...

The sky is clear and it's rather balmy for a December day.  Feels like it's in the 40's already, and it promises to be a very pleasant day, probably in the 50's or low 60's.  I love these nice days when I have to spend a lot of time walking the dog!

I am thinking...

About all the books I wish we were reading for school and Advent.  And all the ways I want to celebrate  prepare for Advent.

I am thankful...

For the dog trainer, Dennis, who came to the house on Saturday to help with Gus.  He was awesome, and has made a world of difference in our family!  It was a good decision to have him come; it might have been the best $80 I ever spent if we have a dog we can live with.  Not only a dog we can live with, but one that we actually enjoy!  He said it was good that we called him while Gus is still so young (5 mos.) because his biting problem would be much more difficult to eradicate later.  Already, we are enjoying him sooooo much more!  I think he is enjoying us more, too, since he seems to be a bit more eager to please us and obeys better.

From the learning rooms...

We still have school until the 20th, but we'll see how that goes!  We may end up quitting Friday if the public schools are out.  We're all in need of a vacation and I would love to spend the next week doing Christmas crafts and reading books with the kids.  But, hey, that can be called "school," can't it?  I hear enough about how the away-school kids watch movies and do crafts to fill time, so we can, too.

In the kitchen...

My 7 weeks of menus and shopping lists is a real life-saver these days!  I don't end up going to the store every Saturday because, although I only did 6 meals per week, we don't necessarily finish all the meals in 7 days.  So, suddenly, Monday comes and we desperately need to shop, but I have 2 appointments out of the house, homeschooling to do, carpooling to do, and I'm able to squeeze in the shopping since the list is already made and I don't have to spend an hour thinking about meals and making the list!  Whew!

Yesterday, thanks to the Holy Spirit, I already had Mexican scheduled so we were able to celebrate Our Lady of Guadalupe!

I am wearing...

My cozy alpaca sweater that I knitted last year over a pretty purple sweater, blue jeans, and my fun leopard print flats.

I am knitting...

The sleeves on my grey, cotton pullover which I can't wait to finish!

I am going...

Nowhere.  I'm staying here, and I'm missing my brother's speech in Joplin, MO.  When the F5 tornado roared through town in May, Missouri Southern State University cancelled commencement and set up a shelter for displaced residents.  The long-awaited commencement is scheduled for this weekend, and my brother, a graduate of the university, is the graduation speaker.  I'm sure he'll be including some of his experiences of dealing with adversity in his talk.  

I am wondering...

What the final results of our St. Andrew novena will be.  Already, prayers have been answered, even the unasked ones!  I wonder if the rest will be, and how.

I am reading...

Advent and Chrismtas with Padre Pio, Whisky, Kilts, and the Loch Ness Monster, Wheat Belly (still).  And we have a huuuuge stack of Christmas books of our own and from the library!

I am hoping...

That my brother's radiation treatments which start in January eradicate his brain tumor! 

I am looking forward to...

the end of the semester!  Christmas, and several days off!

I am hearing on my ipod...

Lots of podcasts!  I seem to spend all my time "catching up" on podcasts rather than "keeping up."  I listen weekly to SQPN Catholic Weekend.  My other favorites are:  Just a Catholic Dad, Catholic Laboratory, and Latest in Paleo which is very informative and professionally done.

Around the house...

We decorated the Christmas tree on Sunday.  It was already up with lights and Jesse Tree ornaments, but we added Christmas to it after dinner.  Amazingly enough, we only got out one box of the most glittery, breakable ornaments and it was done very quickly.  I've given up trying to create the perfectly decorated tree; I just hand the ornaments to the kids and let them go.  Although they're old enough now that they're getting the whole idea of spacing them evenly.  Mostly.

The house is mostly clean.  Mostly decorated.  But I really have the urge to go through it from top to bottom and deep clean.  Unfortunately, real life doesn't really allow for that right now---and is it something I want to embark on next week, just days before Christmas?

One of my favorite things...

Christmas tree lights early in the morning.  

A few plans for the rest of the week...

We have an off-schedule AHG meeting this week because last week was the Immaculate Conception.  Choir rehearsal. 2 dress rehearsals for A Christmas Carol.  Kids Trivia on Friday.  Piano recital Saturday.

Here is picture for thought I am sharing...

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