A Simple Woman's Daybook

Outside my window...
gray, foggy, a little rain, 55°. Give me back my sunshine!

I am thankful...
for my Ron.

I am wearing...
jeans, navy blue long sleeved t-shirt, blue socks, big gold hoop earrings.

I am remembering...
well, I remembered to take my synthroid this morning. I forgot it yesterday.

I am going...
to the library to return a book. I'll stop by city hall on the way and pay my water bill. I need to go to BAMC for blood work, but I don't know if skipping my synthroid yesterday is going to mess up the results. The endo needs to see the labs to figure out if my current dosage is correct. Yeah, we're still trying to get that all worked out. And of course, to Mom's. Maybe shopping in the afternoon?

I am reading...
too busy to read right now.

On my mind...
Sister and Katy are at the vets this morning. I took them in around 7 AM to be spayed. They were so excited to be going somewhere. I feel bad that they had to have this done, but it's necessary. I wonder if it will make them calmer? They will be ready to come home between 3:30 and 5 PM.

From the learning rooms...
since we didn't get anything done last week, we'll continue with the children around the world theme, learning about different countries and the world. We'll also be decorating the tree and putting out the nativity sets, so I'll reinforce what Reece has already learned about Christmas.

Noticing that...
the neighborhood is aglow with Christmas lights. I drove over to Dollar Tree yesterday evening to pick up some new collars and leashes for the dogs and it was dark when I came back. Oh my, some of the displays are amazing! I'll have to take Reece around to see them when he is here tomorrow night.

Pondering these words...
Remember that even the mightiest oak tree in the forest was once a little nut that held its ground.
(From Ron's Chinese fortune cookie yesterday).

From the kitchen...
hmm, not a clue. Maybe spaghetti for supper tonight.

Around the house...
A little more Christmas decorating. The advent wreath is still on the coffee table. Candles (electric) are in the windows. The tree is up and lit, but not decorated. Reece and I will decorate it Tuesday evening, and put out the rest of the nativity sets. I have a big poinsettia in the foyer. Today I'll hang a wreath on the front porch. As Christmas nears, we will decorate the fireplace mantel and probably put some lights outside.

One of my favorite things...
The Angelus.

It seems especially appropriate now, during Advent, but of course is appropriate always. The Angelus is traditionally prayed at 6 AM, Noon, and 6 PM. The name is taken from the first words of the prayer, Angelus Domini nuntiavit Mariæ.

The Angel of the Lord declared to Mary:

And she conceived of the Holy Spirit.

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of
our death. Amen.

Behold the handmaid of the Lord: Be it done unto me according to Thy word.

Hail Mary . . .

And the Word was made Flesh: And dwelt among us.

Hail Mary . . .

Pray for us, O Holy Mother of God, that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Let us pray:

Pour forth, we beseech Thee, O Lord, Thy grace into our hearts; that we, to whom the incarnation of Christ, Thy Son, was made known by the message of an angel, may by His Passion and Cross be brought to the glory of His Resurrection, through the same Christ Our Lord.

Amen.
(Source: EWTN)

From my picture album...

Lily and Camryn. Lily has the sweetest spirit. I love the way she is touching Camryn's face and smiling at her. And Camryn is touching Lily's arm and looking at Lily's face. Cousin love. :o)

Please visit Peggy to read more daybooks. She is the wonderful lady who hosts all of us "daybookers."

Have a great Monday!

Sweet, Joyful Sunday

We had a new priest for Mass today, Fr. Jim Sanner. He was wearing lovely dark rose vestments for Gaudete Sunday. He is a retired military chaplain. He said that he has been a priest for 50 years. He asked us to be patient as he gets used to praying the Latin Mass again, but he did a great job. He said it's kind of like riding a bicycle. :o) I thought his name sounded familiar, and Ron told me that he had been at Camp Zama in Japan when we were there. We were not Catholic at the time, so we didn't know him then. I like him.

We ate at the Asian buffet after Mass and I'm still not hungry. I always eat too much when we go to a buffet.

Thank goodness our warm weather has returned! It was a gorgeous day today, with a high in the 70s. My feet are finally warm. :o)

I did a little more Christmas shopping this afternoon, at the outlet mall. Got some clothes for all the boy grands.

When I got home from the outlet mall, I was on poop patrol. I hadn't cleaned up the yard in awhile, and oh my goodness, it was a mess. I'm thinking of fencing off a part of the yard for them, sort of a dog run. They are absolutely destroying the yard, digging holes, wearing paths in the grass, dragging everything they can find from rocks to logs to pieces of plants all over the place. We can't leave anything in the yard or on the patio. They will chew up whatever they can find lying around. It's a good thing I love them!

They are going to be unhappy puppies tomorrow. I'm taking them to the vet to be spayed. Poor little girlies, they don't have a clue about what is going to happen. They are so sweet. They love when we spend time with them, playing, training, or just out in the yard scooping poop. I put them through their paces earlier, and they haven't forgotten a thing. They watch me so intently when I give them their commands. They are very smart little dogs. Not always good, but very smart. :o)

Reece was just here and saw the Christmas tree for the first time this year. It hasn't been decorated yet, just the lights are on it, but he loved it! His eyes were just sparkling, and he came in and said, "Merry Christmas! Happy holidays!" It was sooo cute! He and his daddy came by to drop off Ron's truck, so they didn't stay long. I told him that when he comes to spend the night on Tuesday we will put all the ornaments on the tree. I reminded him about some of the ornaments he liked last year, and he remembers them. He is excited! I love seeing Christmas through his eyes.

Gaudete in Domino Semper!

On this day the Church urges us to gladness in the middle of this time of expectation and penance: the coming of Jesus approaches more and more. St. John, the holy precursor, announces to the Jews the coming of the Saviour. 'The Saviour," he says to them "lives already among us, though unknown. He will soon appear openly." Now is the time for fervent prayers and for imploring Jesus to remain with us by His mercy. Let us prepare the way for Him by repentance and penance and by a worthy reception of the Sacraments. All the prayers of this Mass are filled with what the Church wishes our souls to possess at the approach of the Saviour.
(The Roman Missal, 1962)

Today is Gaudete Sunday. The first words of the Introit at today's Mass are "Gaudete in Domino semper!" Rejoice in the Lord always! Today we light the pink candle of our Advent wreath, and the priest wears rose or pink vestments at Mass, to symbolize the joy we feel as Christ's arrival nears.

The Lord will come, and will not tarry, and will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will manifest Himself to all the nations, alleluia. Vespers Antiphon 1 (1 Cor. 4, 5)
Amen

Saturday Summary

It's been a busy Saturday. Reece and Aubrey spent the night Friday and Ron took them home Saturday morning. Mom and Sandi came by after getting Mom's hair cut, and I went with them to have lunch, then we went thrift shopping and Christmas shopping.

Josh and Cyrise have wanted a heavy non-teflon coated stock pot, and we found a heavy 6 quart Emeril stainless pot at a Goodwill store (like the largest pot in this picture). They are over $100 new, but I paid $31 for it. I cleaned it up and it looks nearly new. Then I read some reviews on-line about people having problems with them, and now I'm almost afraid to give it to them. It sounds like most of the problems are due to people using high heat with them. Evidently, you are supposed to use them at medium heat. I guess I'll go ahead and give it to them with the warning not to use it with high heat. It's not a Christmas gift, just something they need.

I also got some little Restoration Hardware vintage paper lanterns, still in their unopened package. There are 10 of them, for $2.99. I'll use them around the patio for summer birthday parties and cookouts. They are so cute.

Sandi got a heavy cast iron grill pan at another Goodwill. We had fun looking for "treasures."

Mom wanted to get Christmas gifts for the great-grands, so we went to WalMart for toys for them. She had fun shopping for her eight great-grandchildren.

It was a fun day with my mom and sister. Sandi needed to get home, so she left this evening. Her visits are always a whirlwind of activity, and the time is always too short, but we sure enjoy her visits.

The evening was spent watching TV (and sleeping on the couch). :o) I didn't sleep well last night, and was tired after the busy day. Now I'm wide awake and watching Criminal Minds.

And that's been my Saturday.

Brrr. My Tootsies Are Cold.

I'm cold and can't seem to get my feet warm. I think I need these slippers.

Took Mom some meatloaf and potato leftovers this morning, and microwaved some peas for her. She really enjoyed her lunch! We found her Christmas cards and I delivered a couple to neighbors who had left cards in her door. We'll do the rest of them tomorrow, and I'll mail them for her.

My sister will be here tomorrow. She has a conference in Austin, and will drive down when it's over. I'll be happy to see her, and I know Mom will, too.

Reece's dental visit went okay. They are going to see him again on the 29th at the hospital, where he will be sedated and then the dental work done. I wish it didn't have to be done that way, but it will be much easier on everyone concerned. Josh really liked the dentist, which I think is very important when someone is going to be working with your child.

Ron is home from work. He wanted to know what we were having for dinner, and I told him it's fend for yourself night. :o) We have plenty of leftovers, including some tamales he brought home yesterday. Tamales are a holiday tradition in Texas. But Ron will probably have a meatloaf sandwich. I'm not hungry.

I'm looking forward to have Reece and Aubrey overnight tomorrow night. They will be happy to see their Aunt Sandi! :o)

Cozy Winter Evening

It's cold outside, and dark. But I'm sitting at the breakfast room table listening to the Sweet Dreams CD I got at the thrift store yesterday and smelling the meatloaf in the oven and the potatoes bubbling on the stove. And blogging with my wonderful new laptop. What a life. :o)

The puppies are in their crate a couple of feet away. They need to have some supper. I imagine smelling food cooking is making them even hungrier.

We brought in my plumeria tree because it is supposed to freeze again tonight. One of the branches got broken off when we covered it last time. :o( It looks sad.

Hope you are warm and cozy and enjoying this winter night, wherever you may be.

Wednesday With Reece

Reece went to Mass with us last night. It's the first time he has gone since he was a baby. We sat near the back, "just in case." We didn't know what to expect from him. It's not easy for him to sit still and be quiet, and he was wiggly and a bit noisy, but not too bad. I took him out into the hallway just after the consecration. He was very interested in watching what was happening when the bells rang. :o) All in all, it was a good experience. I asked him today if he wanted to go again, and he said, "Okay!"

We told him that if he was very good during Mass, we would buy him a present. (Yes, we do bribe our grandchildren). :o) So after Mass he wanted to go to HEB to buy a present. We needed milk and some other things anyway, so off we went to HEB. I asked what kind of present he wanted, and he mentioned cars and dinosaurs. We wound up buying him a set of Scooby Doo vehicles that he wanted. The child has enough cars, trucks and other vehicles to stock a small toy store, but they are his favorite toys.

We didn't have much time with him once we got home from Mass and HEB, but we played for awhile before bedtime and read some of his library books. He has a little bit of a cold, and I could tell that he wasn't feeling well. I didn't even try to do any of the homeschool lesson plan with him (except for the reading).

This morning we got up around 7:45 and fed the puppies, but by 9 AM he was ready to go back to sleep. So we went back upstairs and had a 2 hour nap. He seemed to feel better, and I took him with me to his Great-Gran's. He was excited to show her his new cars. We put up her little Christmas tree while we were there, and he played with a wooden sleigh she has on her kitchen counter. We're going to get a poinsettia to go in it, but in the meantime Reece loves pretending with it.

He always wants to stop at McDonald's on the way home, so we stopped and got him a cheeseburger Happy Meal and some food for his parents and Aubrey.

He has another dentist appointment tomorrow, this time with a pediatric dentist. The last dentist referred them to the pediatric dentist because, as I feared, Reece would not allow them to look in his mouth or do any work, and they did not want to sedate him. I hope things will go smoothly this time. Please send up a little prayer for him. We want him to have a good experience so that he won't hate going to the dentist. Thanks for your prayers!

Hail, Full Of Grace

...the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou among women, alleluia.

Today is the Feast of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary. It is a holy day of obligation for Catholics everywhere. We will go to the Latin Mass this evening.

"I will put enmities between thee and the woman." In these words the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary was announced to our first parents. It was to be the reversal of the friendship with the serpent contracted by Eve, when she listened to his voice and fell under his power. The second Eve was never to be under the power of the devil; the enmity between them was to admit of no possible exception. This involved the grace of being conceived immaculate. Mary's Immaculate Conception was the foundation of all her graces. The absence of any stain or spot of sin distinguished her from all the rest of mankind. It distinguished her from the holiest of the Saints, since they, one and all, were sinners. Her perfect sinlessness was the source of all her glory and all her majesty; it was this which opened the door to the unlimited graces that she received from God; it was this that qualified her for her divine maternity, and raised her to her throne as Queen of heaven.
"O Queen, conceived without original sin, pray for us, who have recourse to thee."
(The Roman Missal, 1962)

Ave Maris Stella

Hail, thou star of ocean,

Portal of the sky,

Ever-Virgin Mother

Of the Lord most High.

Oh! by Gabriel's Ave

Uttered long ago

Eva's name reversing

Peace confirm below.

Break the captive's fetters,

Light on blindness pour

Chase all evils from us,

Every bliss implore.

Show thyself a Mother,

Offer Him our sighs,

Who for us incarnate

Did not thee despise.

Virgin all excelling,

Passing meek and lowly,

Freed from guilt, preserve us

Blameless chaste and holy.

Still as on we journey

Help our weak endeavour

Till we gaze on Jesus

And rejoice forever.

Father, Son and Spirit,

Three in One confessing.

Give we equal glory,

Equal praise and blessing.

Amen

Thrift Shopping On A Rainy Day

Brr. A chilly, drizzly day is the perfect day to do some thrift store shopping, right? I stopped on the way home from Mom's, just to see if there was anything interesting. I know you want to see what I found. :o)

Three books for the smallest grands. I love the Tomie de Paola Bible story book, and the other two are classics. I'll use one of the little donkeys from the nativity set to illustrate The Small One when we read it.

A black lace mantilla, for less than $2. It has a rounded, scalloped back; very pretty. A Latin Mass lady can never have too many mantillas. :o)

A couple of CDs. One is Christmas music (A Dickens Christmas), and the other is classical bedtime music for little ones. Nice not just for bedtime, but any time you want something soothing for them to listen to, especially in the car.

And two little cups. I already had the saucer. I don't know why, but I like those heavy diner-type coffee cups and saucers. I found two saucers at a thrift store about a year ago, and have watched for cups to go with them ever since. There was only one cup, but I'm patient. I know the other one will turn up some day. It doesn't have to match this cup. I just want it to match the saucer. The other cup didn't have a saucer. It's just pretty. :o) I like china with pink roses. What can I say? I'm eclectic.




Then I got a couple of little outfits for Camryn. This one is a Ralph Lauren. It's so soft and girly.

















And this Christmas-y one is to keep her warm. It has a little hat that matches. She is going to be so cute in it.

I couldn't stay long at the thrift store because the puppies were in their crate, and I didn't want to leave them in there too long. They went outside for a bit, but were eager to come back inside after only a few minutes. They don't like the cold and rain.

Advent Playlist

I've added some "Advent music" to my playlist. The first melody you'll hear is Lo, How a Rose E'er Blooming. You might like to see the lyrics if you are unfamiliar with the hymn.

Lo, How a Rose E’er Blooming
German Carol, Es Ist Ein Ros Entsprungen, ca. 1500
Translated by Theodore Baker, 1894 (Stanzas 1–2),
Harriet R. Spaeth, 1875 (Stanzas 3–4), and John C. Mattes, 1914 (Stanza 5)

Lo, how a Rose e’er blooming from tender stem hath sprung,
of Jesse’s lineage coming, as men of old have sung.
It came, a flow’ret bright, amid the cold of winter,
when half-spent was the night.

Isaiah ’twas foretold it, the Rose I have in mind;
With Mary we behold it, the virgin mother kind.
To show God’s love aright, she bore to men a Savior,
when half-spent was the night.

The shepherds heard the story, proclaimed by angels bright,
how Christ, the Lord of glory, was born on earth this night.
To Bethlehem they sped and in the manger found him,
as angel heralds said.

This flow’r, whose fragrance tender with sweetness fills the air,
dispels with glorious splendor the darkness ev’rywhere.
True man, yet very God; from sin and death he saves us
and lightens ev’ry load.

O Savior, child of Mary, who felt our human woe;
O Savior, King of glory, who dost our weakness know,
bring us at length, we pray, to the bright courts of heaven
and to the endless day.