Monday Musings--4 April 2011

Right now...it is 6:30 and the sky is steel gray, and the wind is blowing.  We are expecting some severe weather, and that always makes me nervous.  A few years ago, Lafayette, TN was devastated by tornadoes, and one can see the damage to this day.  And we have had smaller ones closer than that.  I do not like unstable weather, and I have a six year old who panics when it gets windy.

Quite a contrast to yesterday, when the sun was shining and the temperature was around 80 degrees.

This weekend...couldn't have been nicer!  On Saturday, upon seeing the forecast for Sunday and knowing we had to go get groceries this weekend, I hatched the following plan:  Saturday morning I would finish baking bread, tidy up and get myself and everyone else showered and bathed.  We would run into town for groceries, go to the vigil Mass at St. John Vianney and then come home for a pizza and a couple of episodes of Martin Chuzzlewit.  This would leave Sunday open for a family outing to Barren River State Park, about 25 minutes from us.  This turned out to be a superb plan.

Laetare Sunday I slept in until 7 without meaning to.  I have done that only one other time in the last year or more.  The house was filled with sunshine, and the air was crisp and cool.  Truly, a perfect day.  After Bret milked and we tidied up, I made a big lunch and we headed out at about 10:20 or so.  We hiked a nature trail (with Gemma on my back in her Ergo) and spent a good while on the shore of Barren River Lake (Gemma's first experience of a little sand and surf), and then headed back for our lunch.  Then the kids played at a playground for a while and I sat and knit.  I was amazed that we seemed to have the park and beach to ourselves, and only when we were leaving did we see a few other people.  We headed back at around 2:15, as the younger kids were fairly wiped out.  Gemma fell asleep within 5 minutes of being strapped into her car seat and Dominic followed shortly after.  In fact, every one  of the kids dozed off on the way home while Bret and I prayed our rosary.

At home, Bret, Sebastian and Gemma took naps and the others went outside, leaving the house quiet.  I continued to knit for a while before making a simple dinner and then we watched the last episodes of Martin Chuzzlewit.  After that is was bed time.

Some plans for this week:  More bread-baking and butter-making in between school and other things.  I have to print up and mail out the handful of invitations for Gabe's First Holy Communion next month (I have invited only 4 families, but including our own family, that will make 31 children and 11 adults.  Don't you love Catholic get-togethers?  I am praying for fine weather!  I also need to order a few things for the Easter baskets.  It can get expensive, especially when one doesn't want to put in so much candy!   I have to try on Gabe's suit jacket and pants for his FHC to make sure everything fits nicely and that we do not need to buy anything.  I still have not started my curriculum list for next year, and I need to get going on it.  And I need to get the rest of the winter stuff out of the boys' drawers and closets.

Weather is not cooperating with us, so there has been no further progress on the house-building project.

If I find some time for myself, I would like to...finish Gemma's Milo vest and work on a project or two for the Etsy shop.

Special prayer intentions for this week:  Continuing to pray for the building of our house and for the sale of my friends farm and my sister's old house.  It sure isn't a seller's market right now.  I am also praying for a deeper spirit of prayer this Lent.

 Something that makes me smile:  The view from my kitchen window, which I will miss when we finally move.  The new view, however, will be nice as well.