Catholic Woman's Almanac

 Joining in over at Sucipio!

Moments of Gratitude:

This week there are many.  
* We had a wonderful evening at a surprise 30th Anniversary dinner for friends.  Their daughters did an incredible job of setting up a lovely candlelight dining experience for everyone.  There was great food, a lot of laughter and dancing.
* I am incredibly grateful for all the people who gave my daughters rides on Sunday to their events.  It meant one day of us not having to drive, other than to church.
* We might have gotten stuck in stand-still traffic for 1 hr 20 minutes making us late to Mass on Friday night, but we made it in time for the Consecration and two very good talks, as well as Adoration and confession.  Beautiful!
* My mom took me to lunch at the tea room this past week and it was as good as ever.
* For the class Ms 19 yo is taking and the book she got.  It is fun to brush up on your photography knowledge and learn a few new tricks.
* Cool weather and even some rain :)

The Upcoming Week:

Haircuts for me and the boys.  YIPPEEE!!  They are long overdue and I can't wait till we all don't look like ragamuffins anymore.  Other than that, it seems like it will just be the usual fare - school, driving, dancing, theater, music and soccer.

In the Kitchen:

There is a roast cooking in my crockpot as I type this and boy does it smell good.  Add some pierogis to that and a nice salad and we're in for a good feast.  I'm hoping to be able to can some applesauce sometime very soon, but we'll see how that plays out.  Otherwise it's just the usual for meals this week; pork, turkey, beef and chicken!

Pondering:

Seems I keep hearing priests talk about how we need to be courageous Catholics, ones who are not afraid to speak to others about Christ and the faith.  How we need to go out now and reach others and bring them back to Christ - without fear of the consequences.  This is a lot to ponder.  The fear factor usually wins out.

Praying for:

* Peace in our world and in our families.
* A priest friend of ours who is having many migraines and, not having insurance, can't go for further testing right now.
* The wisdom to discern God's will and the grace to do it in a couple of situations in our lives.

Reading:

Still working my way through that awesomeness called "Introduction to the Devout Life", as well as a few photography books.

Captured:

This past Friday we didn't have to rush out of the house in the morning as Mass was in the evening.  This meant sleeping in (till 6:45 for me!!), two cups of coffee and some peace and quiet while everyone else slept in a bit later.  Can I just say that it was glorious to sit and eat my breakfast and sip my coffee and contemplate the day ahead without the pressure of the ticking clock.  This is the view from my seat at the table.  Some mornings it is a blur and on others it is the backdrop for my ponderings.

God Bless!