Around here, I have been:
celebrating St. Nicholas’ day on Sunday with chocolate coins and yo-yos.
surviving one of Mark’s busiest work weeks of the season. Parenting solo makes me so grateful for all the help he gives on the normal weeks! We filled the time with Christmas activities, movies and pizza delivery.
mailing Christmas cards, decorating a gingerbread house, and listening to the Michael Buble station on Pandora. We put the tree up, but are waiting until Sunday after Mass to pull out the ornaments and decorate. The house feels so warm and cozy.
contemplating this passage from Wednesday’s meditation in Come, Lord Jesus: Meditations in the Art of Waiting:
We know that when a receptacle for any liquid is filled to the brim, you cannot expect to move it without spilling some. And that is a wonderful thing spiritually. Because if we are really overflowing with love for one another, we cannot move without its splashing over…Come now, let us begin. And let us keep that measure so full of love, because this is not beyond us. We cannot all of us perform Herculean works of penance. We cannot and need not produce brilliant works of mind or artistry. But we can all be overflowing with love, every one of us, so that we just can’t move without splashing it over the house, over our sisters, over the Church. (page 97)
thinking about 2016 and what I hope to work on in the new year. Lots of thoughts to come, but the short story is: more peace, more creativity, more community and more learning to let go.
reading The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks.
laughing at Sophia’s sudden love for chapstick. She calls it her “lip glops” and applies it quite generously. She’s definitely got the most moisturized lips in the family.
working a little bit on this blog. I simplified my sidebar a bit, taking down many ads and unnecessary items. I also switched over to Mailchimp in case you prefer reading blog posts in your inbox. I set it to send emails Monday, Wednesday and Friday. I’m still working out the kinks, but hopefully all should be working smoothly soon.
P.S. Today is the last day of Big White Farmhouse‘s last promo of the year. Ending at midnight tonight, we’re covering the shipping costs on every order as our gift to everyone who has been so supportive of our little shop. The coupon code is DECKTHEHALLS.