Right now...it is rather quiet in the house, in spite of the fact that everyone is up; the only one I hear is Dominic, and I always hear him unless he's sleeping! We are taking the day off in honor of St. Joseph. There is no better way to impress upon young minds the importance of a saint than to make that saint's feast day a real holiday. It is one of the reasons I sort of downplay St. Patrick's Day...it is very close to St. Joseph's feast, and as great as St. Patrick is, St. Joseph is greater. So...pancakes for breakfast, chocolate milk (which has been limited to weekends) and possibly cream puffs for dessert.
This weekend...was quite wonderful, except for the fact that it rained so much last week that the mud is thick around here and I have to do laundry nearly every day. Saturday was pretty exhausting with a lot of kitchen stuff to do and cleaning in preparation for company on Sunday.
Sunday was lovely. A gorgeous springtime drive up to the Chapel of Divine Mercy, Adrian's first confession, a nice Mass, a quick stop at Wal-Mart to pick up a few essentials and then home to get ready for some socializing. My sister, brother-in-law, young nephews and niece came over, as did our friend Father Tom from the Fathers of Mercy. We cooked out and the cousins played together. Before everyone left, we prayed the Chaplet of Divine Mercy and the St. Joseph Novena prayer together, then Father gave our families a blessing. He is off to continue his Lenten mission schedule. The Fathers are pretty busy this time of year.
Some plans for this week: Well, haircuts didn't happen last week, so maybe this week. I need to find new dress shoes for a couple of the boys before Easter. I still have to find a few things for the Easter baskets. I really, really need to start figuring out what Una's first year of high school will look like, so I think I will talk to someone at our umbrella school for assistance. I also need to find some references for scholarships and grants. All this gives me the heebie jeebies. I also need to do the wardrobe change for Bret and myself and try to continue with a little de-cluttering. Still need to do the bathroom and (ugh!) kids' rooms. It will be a miracle if I get around to my work room before Easter!
If I find some time for myself I would like to...finish Dominic's pullover (just the neckline to do) and cast something else on. I also really want to make a few skirts for the girls.
I am grateful for...beautiful weather, work for Bret, the fact that Gemma has been nearly without any pain in the last month or so. This I attribute to the two tablespoons of cod liver oil she has been getting every day. That and the vitamin D3 I think are also helping with what used to be frequent rashes and stys.
Special prayer intentions: praying for a happy death for those who are in their final agony this week (St. Joseph, patron of happy and holy deaths, pray for them!); for our family to receive many graces through his intercession.
Something that makes me smile: Rides for the small-fries...
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