Unsorted Socks, Where Are You Friday, And Other Randomness(~Is that even a word?)

Do you like matching socks? I do not. And there is a nice big basket full of them in the laundry room. I am determined to enlist Miss Posy's aid and get to the bottom of the basket by this evening......I've been determined to do this all week.......maybe this time I will be successful.

She and I did manage to get almost all the other laundry folded this morning though! Happiness!

Even if I forgot all about my tea until it was cold.:(

What a week. Colds and sore throats. Gloomy, rainy, sink-full-of-dirty-dishes-from-the-night-before kind of mornings. (Friday, where are you????!!!!) Last night I did manage to get the dishes done, and this morning we woke up to a light dusting of snow ~so things are looking up again......even though it is very cold.

We've been bundling up in sweaters. The one above is a favorite of mine. I love the over-sized buttons. (Had to button it up top because I spilled tea on my shirt this morning and didn't have a chance to change......hope I can get the stain out, as it's one of my favorite shirts!) 

It is the feast of St. John Bosco today, and somehow I managed to make cookies in his honor. Used my cookie press for the very first time, and chose this pattern because I thought it would be a great way to commemorate the "three R's" of the Salesian method: Reason, Religion, and Kindness. It also makes me think of three juggling balls.......and St. John Bosco, if I remember correctly, had a bit of a reputation as a juggler:) We plan to enjoy some with tea. Lots of tea.

Hope you have a happy feast day!

On the Saints...

"In reality, though the saints were of all people always the most sensible, their lives inevitably breathe the fascination of the finest romance.

Whatever their position in life, invariably they understood the language of the soul's best aspirations, and they set out upon their quest of the true and the beautiful like veritable knights and great ladies.

In their wanderings they leave always a trail of mystic glory which weaves into golden threads all the commonplace of their daily existence."

~ +William Cardinal O'Connell

in Saint Gabriel, Passionist

Big Brother Blue(s)....

He loves to hold Little Lady. And crinkles up his face in that cute little way when she starts to cry. Time for mommy to take her back......:)

Miss Posy's Smile....

Frost Picture.....

Can you see him?

 The bearded man on the other side of those icy rocks?

 See the steam floating over his left shoulder, and up into the frosty sky? Miss Posy and I believe it came from a huge pot of stew he was taking to some unfortunate peasants who live beyond the village.... 

You see the village behind him, right? 

A few roof tops and the church spire are just peeking over the hill.

We discovered all this etched in the frosty windowpane yesterday morning. And I am glad I took the pictures when I did, for when I went to look at it again about a half an hour later, the bright morning sun had melted it all away....

Miss Posy's Knitting

We bought her a French Knitting mushroom for her birthday, and she loves it! Currently, she is in the process of making a hat for Little Lady.......or so she claims. We'll have to see how that works out....;)

Baby Hands

Sunrise Through the Frost....

We intend to replace our old windows this spring, and the frost pictures they display after a night of bitter cold will be sorely missed next winter......at least the children and I will miss them! :)

So very beautiful....

Inside

Outside it is very cold and windy....

"Be Simple...

...in the smallest things as well as in great ones, and even more so, for small things more often present themselves and are most pleasing to God."

~Emmanuel de Gibergues

Simplicity.......

"Simplicity will transform all the duties of life for you. Duties of a serious nature will appear even more pressing, more sacred, and in the light of simplicity, you will accomplish them more eagerly. Simplicity will raise up and magnify all lesser duties, showing you in the smallest and most humble the sign of God's majesty." 

~Emmanuel de Gibergues

How it Progresseth.....

Remember this? It has gotten a lot bigger! And that is good considering it was a Christmas gift (unfortunately unfinished:( ) to my Knight. He is quite tall (...for those who have not met him, about 6 ft. 4in.)  so I still do have a good ways to go. The nice thing is, now that he knows it is his, he can tell me exactly how wide and long to make it.

So this is what I have been working on in the evenings, or when I am sitting down to feed Little Lady and not reading Titus Andronicus. I guess I never mentioned how my crazy resolution of the new year was to begin reading The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Vol I. I have always wanted to read his complete works, and figured that if I am ever going to succeed I had better stop wanting and start doing instead. So yes, Titus Andronicus comes first......though it seems there are conflicting opinions about whether Shakespeare did actually write it or not, as it is not really in his typical style. I'm about half way through, and it is very grim and gruesome. I think it has firmly lodged itself in position as the least of my favorites.......so far anyway;) The language is beautiful though. It is hard for me not to read Shakespeare aloud. It begs to be read aloud. It is too grand to be read in silence. So sometimes I can't help myself, and I just do. And the children look at me curiously, as if I have finally lost my last few precious threads of sanity. Perhaps they are right........;)

Life With Five Children.....

.....has been a tad more on the side of crazy than I am admittedly comfortable with. But I am learning to adjust. (And I do love it. :) We are recovering from a very nasty bout of colds.......can you tell from the shot of Blue? I realized after I took the picture that his nose needed to be wiped.......yet again. Oh well......it's real life, right? So are the apple cores and dishes in my sink:) And at the very top is pictured the very last bite of a supremely delicious Epiphany cake. Having a really bad cold didn't keep me from finishing it off.....and that should come as no surprise;)

Precious....

South Door Wreath

Winter Sun and Roses

My Knight brought these home for me the evening before he had to return back to work.......after a two week vacation.(How I miss him!) They are so beautiful, I could take picture after picture. They have been keeping me company in the kitchen, which is where I should be now if I want to get a head start on our Epiphany cake....:) 

From Lunch...

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

We had such a wonderful Christmas.....

Wonderful in every way.

I am so grateful for the many blessings we have received over the past year.

But the one for which I am most grateful

was getting to hold this sweet Little Lady in my arms for the very first time....

.....just three days before Christmas.

I can't imagine a more wonderful Christmas gift, can you? :)