For Today:

Outside my window…it’s cloudy.

I am thinking…of a friend who was once taking care of his elderly grandmother.  As she aged, her mind began to wander and towards the end, she struggled to stay in the present; sometimes she became incoherent.  Toward the end of her life, my friend would wake up in the middle of the night and hear his grandmother in the next room reciting the Hail Mary over and over as she tossed and turned in her sleep.  He realized that even though her mind was no longer with her in the present, she was subconsciously calling on what had been ingrained into her thoughts.  His grandmother had been a devoted Catholic her entire life, attending Mass and praying the rosary daily, so it was no surprise to hear her repeating the Hail Mary.  It made him wonder, though, when he gets old and incoherent, what has been ingrained into his mind that he will he repeat?  It makes me wonder…what am I ingraining into my children’s heads that they might someday find comfort in and repeat to themselves when nothing else in the world makes sense?  I hope that they, too, find refuge in prayer. 

I am thankful for…Signing Times…Joseph LOVES signing and is teaching William everything he knows.

From the learning rooms…I finally started doing the Bits of Intelligence cards (from How to Give Your Baby Encyclopedic Knowledge) with Joseph and William.  Joseph is having a blast with them, reminding me, “Mom, I think we need to review my cards.”  I’m not doing it exactly as the program says, but we’re certainly having fun anyways.

From the kitchen…made a delicious cake…in my crockpot!  Many thanks to you, Les, for sharing the recipe. 

I am wearing…black pants with embroidered pink flowers, a black tank top and a pink and gray striped hoodie.

I am creating…a cocoon of warmth, sunshine, and happiness in the midst of bleak winter day.

I am praying…for my dear friend Ann as her surgery is tomorrow. 

I am reading…actually, I’m re-reading Real Learning by Elizabeth Foss and falling in love again with the idea of a Charlotte Mason education. 

I am hoping…for time to play outside today. 

I am hearing…the quiet hum of the computer and the steady breathing of a baby.

Around the house…with the rain last week, no workers came, so no work was done.  Maybe this week progress will be made. 

One of my favorite things…Sunday picnics.  Here are some pictures from yesterday’s:

Oh! Look what I found!

A few plans for the rest of the week:  Help Joseph make his Valentines.

Here is picture I thought worth sharing…

I could watch this all day!