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The weather outside is //
Looks like it’s going to be a pretty warm week!
As I look outside my window // I am mentally parceling out future pig paddocks. We move our pigs onto fresh pasture every week and then let the land rest for at least 80 days before using it again. We’re almost through our first rotation – time flies! For the second time around, I’m going to try to set up my fencing in a more rectangular fashion – my first try was pretty wonky.
As I look around the house // I’m trying to figure out how to decorate the mantel. Everything I’ve tried so far has just looked…off. I can’t seem to get the balance right. At this point, I may scrap it all, leaving just my framed print of the Madonna and baby Jesus, and wait until we set up the stockings next week. Life’s too short to get caught up on mantel decorating!
Smiling // at a feel-good story that happened in our community. I am signed up with our local Nextdoor app group and we recently got the notice to be on the lookout for a lost pregnant cow. A few days later, we received an update: “Cow came home with calf by her side. Both healthy. Thank God.” Oh man, this country life…I love it so much.
On this week’s to-do list //
– make cinnamon rolls for St. Lucia’s feast day (today!)
– observe the Advent Ember Days on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday
– wrap more gifts
– make sure I have enough stocking stuffers for all of the kids
– clean out the refrigerator
Making me happy right now // beautiful Christmas cactus buds arriving right on time + candles in the windowsills + silly pigs gaining weight + hens still laying at full production rates + happy memories of my grandmothers + a roaring fire in the fireplace + big dreams being planned for 2022
Currently reading //
- Fiction: Meet Me at the Museum by Anne Youngson
- Nonfiction: Communism and Conscience of the West by Fulton J. Sheen
- Religious: Come Lord Jesus: Meditations on the Art of Waiting by Mother Mary Francis, PCC and Wisdom from the Lives and Letters of St. Francis de Sales and St. Jane Frances de Chantal by Louise Perrotta
On the menu this week //
Monday: steak fajitas
Tuesday: homemade Chick-fil-A chicken tortilla soup
Wednesday: Refrigerator Cleanout Night
Thursday: pasta with Bolognese sauce, garlic bread
Friday: tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches
I’m glad the cow was able to give birth succesfully while being away from her humans!
I guess she just needed a little privacy, haha!
Decorating the mantle can be a chore, especially if you try and change it out often. Our fireplace is non-functional these days and it’s ugly so it looks better when i keep it decorated. I’m not the decorator type but i do keep it liturgically and seasonally festive.
look forward to more pig updates!!
I usually keep my mantle super simple for most of the year, but wanted to change things up for Advent/Christmas. I’m trying not to buy anything new and just work with what I have, but I can’t figure out the right combination. Oh well! Having the stockings hung next week will be festive enough for this year.
Thank you for the Ember days reminder! Whew!
We put up a little Christmas village on our mantle–picked up all the houses at a thrift shop, and my kids love to set it up. We even found a tiny nativity to go outside the little church.
Oh I love the idea of a village on the mantel! I’ll have to keep my eyes peeled for a deal – thank you for the inspiration!