The Family-Centered Life

Happy New Year!  Today we celebrate the Solemnity of Mary the Mother of God (or The Circumcision  if you follow the old calendar).

It’s bright and sunny here —if not cold, really cold.  But we’re warm and we have hot water (yay!) and I am grateful.

The new year always fills me with hope.  It’s my nature to hope. Of course it’s in all of our nature’s but I do have a easy tendency towards hope and I know that’s a gift.

There’s a lot going on here this week and many things are swirling around in my head.  The newlyweds are here and we are enjoying their company.  I am feeling rather comfortable in my role as mother-in-law I think and why not?  What more could I ask for than a daughter-in-law that likes to fabric shop as much as I do?

I am admittedly a little bit in denial about tomorrow —the day we send our 19 yr. old son off to war.  While I know mothers have done this for centuries, it still feels so foreign, so strange, so. . . heart wrenching.  I am both proud and scared.  I trust but I cling.  I’m letting go because I have to and I know that’s right, but a mother’s heart never fully let’s go does it?

Gosh it’s been a long year.  We lost Tim’s mom at the beginning and we say goodbye (for a time) to our son at the beginning of this new year.  In between, our lives have changed forever.  We gained a daughter and saw two of our children afflicted with disease.

But we’re OK —we’re adjusting.  Life always demands those adjustments because it’s ever changing.  Faith, Hope and Love sustains us –quite literally. Despite the sorrow, we feel that God has blessed us immeasurably and we cannot complain.

May God bless you this day and all days.  May this new year fill you with hope and may you have faith in abundance and love in excess.

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This is wild!  We couldn’t figure out why our 30 G Zune won’t work today.  Turns out no one’s 30 G Zune works today.

http://www.cnn.com/2008/TECH/12/31/zune.player.failures/

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I don’t know how many of you have heard about this but it’s a much bigger deal than people realize. I didn’t realize its magnitude until recently and I have to say I am very concerned.

On February 10th, 2009 The Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act will go into effect which will put strict safety measures on product made for children and requires that toys and product (even books!) made for children under 12 be tested for safety (specifically lead) content by independent labs and labeled with their material contents.

But what sounds like a good idea may indeed be very bad for our economy as this act has the very real potential of putting an alarmingly large number of companies out of business. Not just small businesses but large ones as well and many of our fellow Catholic businesses.

But really this will effect ALL of us because it will mean much higher prices and much less merchandise available.

Gte more information at these links:

http://nationalbankruptcyday.com/

http://www.handmadetoyalliance.org/

http://www.fashion-incubator.com/archive/national-bankruptcy-day/

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We have nine out of ten (children) home.

Christmas Day was truly beautiful.

And we are having lots of fun!

warning: young men in video may not be nearly as cool as they think they are.

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“Be not afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy which will come to all the people; for to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.  And this will be a sign for you: you will find a babe wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.”

“And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,’Glory to God in the highest,  and on earth peace among men with whom he is pleased!’”

Luke 2: 10-14

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FOR TODAY . . .

Outside my window. . . it’s currently 11º F with a windchill of -2!  What a difference a week makes.

I am thinking. . . about the day ahead —what needs done and what can be left undone.  We’re in the 4th week of Advent on the countdown to Christmastide.

I am thankful for. . . dh discovering that the water heater may still be under warranty.  It broke Thursday evening (right after the littles had had a bath –no connection, just nice of it to wait until they were clean) and Friday morning when I called a local repair place I nearly had a coronary with the price they quoted me —so we decided to wait and look at our options.  Dh called Sears on Sat. and it seems like it is still under warranty but until they get here and look at it we won’t know for sure what’s covered. They can’t come until Tuesday (sometime between 8 and 5!) so we are making do without hot water.  I have been keeping the 12 qt. stock pot simmering on the stove for when we need hot water —it’s working well.  It’s just a water heater in miniature really. At least the furnace is working.  The irony there is that I have hot water all over my house, just that it’s in the radiators!

From the schoolroom. . . catching up on some things that need finished and then breaking for Christmas.  Christmas Mosaic is our focus right now.

From the kitchen. . . oatmeal –steaming hot and delicious. I put it in the crock pot last night and it is soft and warm this morning.  Perfect for this windy cold day.  Dinner will be split chicken breasts, warm fresh bread, a small salad and rice.

I am wearing. . . black corduroy slacks, a long sleeved navy blue tee, covered by a long sleeved navy blue, zip front cardigan.  I have socks and slippers on my feet and I am currently wrapped in a blanket.  Hair is brushed –no make-up.  My eyes are really itchy this morning for some reason.

I am creating. . . a plan for the day.  Lots to do –need to prioritize and attack!

I am going. . . to the dairy and post office. Which is not an inviting thought on this cold blustery day.  Maybe I will save those for tomorrow when it’s supposed to be not so windy.  We have enough milk to get through tomorrow and of course there’s always the powdered milk (no one wants to drink).  Oh wait –the Sears guy is coming sometime between 8 and 5 which basically means I can’t actually plan to go anywhere.  Maybe he will make my day and come early.

I am reading. . . e-mail and a few blogs is pretty much it for the moment.  I do plan on reading some picture books today and of course there’s my daily meditation.

I am hoping. . . that my dear husband who left in the bitter cold this am (after I persuaded him to eat some hot oatmeal) will do as I asked of  him and stop at Turkey Hill for a large hot chocolate (he doesn’t drink coffee).  I doubt it though.  If you have any extra, maybe offer a prayer or two his way.  He’ll be up high up on roof tops most of the day.

I am hearing. . .the incessant annoying chime of the washer telling me it needs reset.  It keeps giving us error messages and I am trying to ignore the fact that I need to have it looked at.  Why am I not resetting it?  It’s in the cellar and it’s cold down there. . .

Around the house. . . finishing up the gifts I am making, filling the last few orders until after Christmas and trying to keep warm in this drafty old house.

One of my favorite things. . . hot water or better yet, a hot shower which I was able to get last night at my mom’s house.  Thanks mom –sorry we used all the hot water!

A few plans for the rest of the week. . . RCIA, basketball, sewing, cooking, cleaning, filling orders.  Pretty much the same as always but wait —Thursday is Christmas!

Here is picture thought I am sharing. . .

Our little pharmacy.  Stocked and ready to serve, due to the generosity of many!  Thank you!!
I know that looks like  a lot of supplies, but with 2 diabetics it goes pretty fast.

Have a great day!

As always, don’t forget to pop by Peggy’s and see the other entries for this week’s Simple Woman’s Daybook.

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