Catholic Women's Almanac

I am joining in with the Catholic Woman's Almanac from Suscipio this week.

::Moments of Gratitude - I am so grateful for the gift of today: going to Walsingham and spending time with Our Lady in her shrine, and with the Lord Jesus in adoration.  Walsingham was long known as "England's Nazareth" and it is, to me, heaven on earth. 

::Pondering - the many thoughts and feelings that filled me today, when Oscar took the kids to the near by seaside for an hour, so I could be alone with Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament.

::Praying - for the children that are longed for and the children who are ill.  Candles were lit, prayers were said, these deepest feelings were left with Jesus and the Blessed Virgin.  I know her prayers are the best prayers.

::Cooking - when we came home it was so dark and cold, and the beef  and red wine casserole I put in the oven before we left was filling with the house with such a warm, welcoming aroma.  It was so delicious - and the best part is, we have leftovers for tomorrow!

::Wearing - dark jeans, a turquoise tunic with old pearl buttons that once belonged to my grandmother salvaged from the button tin and stitched on at the weekend, and pearl earrings that my mummy gave me.  With these cute brown mary jane that my husband bought me in the autumn.

::Creating - frantically knitting away at welly boot socks for my sister who has a birthday on Wednesday and a party on Sunday.

::Going - to visit some newer friends tomorrow afternoon: a very nice little lad and his equally lovely mother.

::Reading - a new book about Walsingham, that I picked up today, but the other day I was visited by a sudden desire to read some DH Lawrence again after a gap of about 15 years.  He used to be a real favourite and I am intrigued to see how I feel about him now, in middle age.

::Listening to - classical music, "The Wind in the Willows" and Hancock's Half Hour, but not all at once.

::Liturgical Living - we enjoyed celebrating Epiphany - we went to the circus to mark the end of the holidays, and enjoyed going to mass afterwards in the dark of early evening, and coming home to sing "We three Kings" and bless our house - it feels so home-like to have the 20 + C+M+B+ 13 above our doors.

::Around the House - we packed away the Christmas decorations and swept up piles of pine needles, and now all we have out is the one nativity set that will go away at Candlemas.  I want to clean and organise and scrub the whole house. 

::Looking Ahead - we will start our next term of home education tomorrow, and Kitten is desperate to move out of kindergarten and start "doing sums" as she calls academics.  I am hoping I can come up with something that feels "more" to her without needing to start academics formally.