Daybook...looking toward Ash Wednesday

Outside my window...

...a cool, clear day. Not exactly cold, certainly not as cold as it could be in Ohio in February. Not so cold as to keep Faith indoors, she's been out skating all morning. Nine years ago, her first birthday fell on President's Day and we had about a foot of snow.

I am thinking...

...about Lent and some big changes for me. I am not going to go dark, but I have decided to drastically decrease my internet usage and blogging in general. I will attempt to keep blogging limited to Lenten posts (of course, that means I will think of 60 great posts to write during Lent, you know), and cut back on reading as well. My plan is to do something practical -- knitting, rosary making, laundry -- when I have the desire to blog. Of course, I often plop down with my Kindle to read blogs when I am tired, so I am not sure how practical that is. But I can always plop down with some inspirational reading, or knit while I pray the rosary, the Seven Sorrows chaplet, or listen to the audio bible.

I am thankful for....

...friends, in real life and online, especially this past weekend

...my husband's job and insurance

...happy family

...good priests

...hot, black coffee (always)

From the lesson plans...

...off school today because the school kid is home

...more of the timer, it seems to be the only motivator for my procrastinator -- still -- always?

... Jennie's Young Writing Club
though she says this week's prompt is too hard ;-)

From the kitchen...

...leftover frozen pork and gravy for dinner -- not exciting -- but Lincoln Log for dessert

I am wearing...

...Khaki trousers, a French blue turtleneck, brown clogs and "chains"

I am creating...

...a blue, green and brown quilt -- cute colors (almost finished!)

casting on some leg warmers for Faith's birthday (ripping out one leg warmer because my daughter's leg is way skinnier than I thought and they were supposed to be a surprise so I never checked)

...a pretty opal and aqua green, and bronze Seven Sorrows chaplet for my Etsy shop

I am planning...

...to post printable bible verses for children to create a paper chain of sorts for Lent, based on this activity at Domestic-Church.com; hoping to get it finished today, but there are a lot of bible verses there. I plan to make a paper chain for Faith to read and study one verse each day.

I am reading...

...What Would Jesus Eat? Interesting pre-Lent reading which I hope to use as a guide of sorts for Lenten eating

I am hoping...

...to get all the laundry carried downstairs, washed, dried, folded, carried upstairs and put away. It's a Monday sort of thing.

I am hearing...

...the space heater behind me. I can't get warm even though it's not very cold out. I go from cold to super hot, and I think it might be all hormonal.

Around the house...

...just staying on top of clutter and dust

...gearing up for some major Lent cleaning and organizing (and removing)

I am going...

...nowhere today, but I am still planning a trip for a couple weeks from now

I am praying for...

...my children, and my husband.

...two soldiers just deployed, both to Afghanistan

...our priests and all religious

...all of the babies whose mothers are contemplating abortion this week

For the rest of the week...

...school and home -- my vocation

...planning for Joshua's birthday on Sunday

Thought for the day...

St. John Chrystostom (the rest of the article is here) -- Fasting is the change of every part of our life, because the sacrifice of the fast is not the abstinence but the distancing from sins. Therefore, whoever limits the fast to the deprivation of food, he is the one who, in reality, abhors and ridicules the fast. Are you fasting? Show me your fast with your works. Which works? If you see someone who is poor, show him mercy. If you see an enemy, reconcile with him. If you see a friend who is becoming successful, do not be jealous of him! If you see a beautiful woman on the street, pass her by.
In other words, not only should the mouth fast, but the eyes and the legs and the arms and all the other parts of the body should fast as well. Let the hands fast, remaining clean from stealing and greediness. Let the legs fast, avoiding roads which lead to sinful sights. Let the eyes fast by not fixing themselves on beautiful faces and by not observing the beauty of others. You are not eating meat, are you? You should not eat debauchery with your eyes as well. Let your hearing also fast. The fast of hearing is not to accept bad talk against others and sly defamations.
Let the mouth fast from disgraceful and abusive words, because, what gain is there when, on the one hand we avoid eating chicken and fish and, on the other, we chew-up and consume our brothers? He who condemns and blasphemes is as if he has eaten brotherly meat, as if he has bitten into the flesh of his fellow man. It is because of this that Paul frightened us, saying: "If you chew up and consume one another be careful that you do not annihilate yourselves."
You did not thrust your teeth into the flesh (of your neighbor) but you thrusted bad talk in his soul; you wounded it by spreading disfame, causing unestimatable damage both to yourself, to him, and to many others.