Outside my window...

A cold but clear and crisp morning.  And a beautiful full moon that's been hanging around the last few nights and early mornings.  AND...snow :)  Just a little bit but I'm hoping it sticks around for a while!

Thankful for...

We got almost all our decorations up yesterday which was kind of nice to have done before baby arrives.  For inexpensive Christmas trees.  And for heat.  I'm still amazed that we can press a button and the house heats up.  What other times and cultures have suffered, we take so much for granted.

Thinking about...

Birth.

Learning...

Lessons are happening but are definitely not on the forefront of anyone's mind :)  They're kind of down there on the priority list at the moment.  But math, religion, and English are getting done.  And lots of Advent reading and liturgical living.

From the kitchen...

Oh boy.  Our refrigerator is not working.  Really.  That super fancy brand new one I got for my birthday?  Yep.  We have two coolers on the porch holding much of our food.  Poor Brian worked on it much of yesterday and we can't figure out what's wrong.  It made for a hard day yesterday.  I'm really, really hoping we can figure it out today with the help of the manufacturer who wasn't there yesterday.  we don't really need this right now. 

In more fun kitchen stuff, gingerbread men were made last week (not frosted yet).  And now because of the fridge situation, today I will be baking the double batch of chocolate mint cookie dough that I had sitting and waiting in that freezer.

Creating...

Working on...

Just being ready with the little things that ease my mind during birth.  Laundry caught up, relatively clean, groceries stocked... 

I am going...

Just grocery shopping this week and hopefully nowhere else!

Hoping...

Tonight labor starting??  Maybe?  I've had in my head that if the baby wasn't to be born on December 8 or 9, that it would happen on the 13th...  And really hoping that our camera cooperates for the event.  I don't know what we're doing wrong but it was taking great pictures and now we can't seem to get it to take anything that's not blurry or that has weird lighting.

Reading...

I started The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton, thanks to Sarah's suggestion.  Loving it...exactly what I needed!

Praying...

For baby, birth, and all that fun stuff.  For David's healing.  For the conversion of family members so far away from the love of God.  For the ability to raise four children...  And yes, that our refrigerator starts working again!

Hearing...

The tinkling and tapping of the radiators warming up the house.  I love radiant heat so much better than air.  And that pump in the basement I can't stand.  It is so loud.

Around the house...

We are DONE with all big projects!  So now we maintain and enjoy...at least for a month or two :)

One of my favorite things...

Gaudete Sunday.  Wishing yesterday would have gone as I pictured...  But loving the wreaths in our windows and the candles that will be lit on St. Lucy's day :)

A few plans for the rest of the week...

Having a baby.  Well, that's MY plan anyway.

A picture thought to share...


Dear Snow,
THANK YOU!  I just hope you'll stick around for a little bit because this babe didn't cooperate with us.
Love, Mary