The Simple Woman's Daybook~Welcome to February!

FOR TODAY... from Peggy's Daybook

Outside my window...a warm, 70 degree day!

I am thinking...how blessed I am.

I am thankful for... my dear husband and precious children.

I am wearing...short-sleeved striped knit shirt, denim capris, barefoot

I am remembering...the fun time my children had skating last night.

I am going...be busy this week, as my daughter's 14th birthday is Thursday.

I am currently reading...Tasha Tudor's Garden by Tovah Martin

I am hoping... to continue decluttering and organizing things.

On my mind... hoping we can get our septic tank working better.

Noticing that...there just never seem to be enough hours in the day.

In the schoolroom...hard at work, learning lots of new things every day.

From the kitchen... yummy spaghetti!

Around the house... everyone relaxing after a hard day's work.

One of my favorite things...warm days in February!

From my picture journal...

My daughter's sweet dog, being harassed by my husband and children.

A Whole Year! Small Successes, Vol. 52

A Whole Year! Small Successes, Vol. 52

Good morning! I pray everyone has had a lovely week so far.

1. We finally were able to help our daugher overcome whatever nasty virus she seemed to have contracted some time over this past weekend.

2. I have managed to keep my kitchen in fairly good order this week. It's not perfect, but it is not something we run screaming from either. LOL!

3. We were able to clear-out more things from our hallway, and moving things around in our schoolroom, making it all look nicer and neater.

Feast of Saint Angela Merici

Saint Angela Merici

Foundress of the Ursulines (1474-1540)

Angela Merici, Saint, foundress of the Ursulines, b. March 21, 1474, at Desenzano, a small town on the southwestern shore of Lake Garda in Lombardy; d. January 27, 1540, at Brescia. She was left an orphan at the age of ten and together with her elder sister came to the home of her uncle at the neighboring town of Salo where they led an angelic life. When her sister met with a sudden death, without being able to receive the last sacraments, young Angela was much distressed. She became a tertiary of St. Francis and greatly increased her prayers and mortifications for the repose of her sister's soul. In her anguish and pious simplicity she prayed God to reveal to her the condition of her deceased sister. It is said that by a vision she was satisfied that her sister was in the company of the saints in heaven. When she was twenty years old, her uncle died, and she returned to her paternal home at Desenzano. Convinced that the great need of her times was a better instruction of young girls in the rudiments of the Christian religion, she converted her home into a school where at stated intervals she daily gathered all the little girls of Desenzano and taught them the elements of Christianity. It is related that one day, while in an ecstasy, she had a vision in which it was revealed to her that she was to found an association of virgins who were to devote their lives to the religious training of young girls. The school she had established at Desenzano soon bore abundant fruit, and she was invited to the neighboring city, Brescia, to establish a similar school at that place. Angela gladly accepted the invitation. In 1524, while making a pilgrimage to the Holy Land, she became suddenly blind when she was on the island of Crete, but continued her journey to the Holy Places and was cured on her return while praying before a crucifix at the same place where she was struck with blindness a few weeks before. When, in the jubilee year 1525, she had come to Rome to gain the indulgences, Pope Clement VII, who had heard of her great holiness and her extraordinary success as a religious teacher of young girls, invited her to remain in Rome; but Angela, who shunned publicity, returned to Brescia. Finally, on the 25th of November, 1535, Angela chose twelve virgins and laid the foundation of the order of the Ursulines in a small house near the Church of St. Afra in Brescia. Having been five years superior of the newly-founded order, she died. Her body lies buried in the Church of St. Afra at Brescia. She was beatified in 1768, by Clement XIII, and canonized in 1807, by Pius VII. Her feast is celebrated May 31.

MICHAEL OTT

Original Catholic Encyclopedia

*** Note regarding the date of the Feast: Saint Angela Merici was not included in the 1570 Tridentine Calendar of Pope Pius V, because she was not canonized until 1807. In 1861 her feast day was inserted in the Roman Calendar, but not on the day of her death, 27 January, since this date was occupied by the feast day of Saint John Chrysostom, but instead on 31 May. In 1955 Pope Pius XII assigned this date to the new feast of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Queen, and moved the feast of Saint Angela to 1 June. The celebration was ranked as a Double until 1960, when Pope John XXIII gave it the equivalent rank of Third-Class Feast. Finally, in 1969, Pope Paul VI moved the celebration, ranked as a Memorial, to the saint's day of death, 27 January.*** Wikipedia

The Simple Woman's Daybook~January 25th Edition

The Simple Woman's Daybook~January 25th Edition

Outside my window...beautiful sunshine and will be another warm day!

I am thinking...that we have a lot to do today.

I am thankful for... my family.

I am wearing...short sleeved knit shirt, denim capri pants, and barefoot.

I am remembering...the great Homily at Mass yesterday.

I am going... back into town today, and to church for daughter's youth group.

I am currently reading...The Heart of Motherhood: Finding Holiness in the Catholic Home by Donna-Marie Cooper O'Boyle

I am hoping... the weather continues to stay so pretty and warm.

On my mind... wondering when my husband is going to get the promotion he deserves.

Noticing that...we need to be eating better around here.

Pondering these words... "avoiding spiritual coolness" from the Homily at Mass yesterday

From the kitchen... dinner will be beef cutlets, mac n' cheese, broccoli/cauliflower mix, butter beans, and biscuits

Around the house... catching-up on chores since we've had a round of sickness here.

One of my favorite things...beautiful fall-like days in the middle of winter.

From my picture journal...

My daughter's cat, Tony. He just loved laying in the middle of our Christmas Village. Silly kitty!

For more Daybooks, join Peggy at The Simple Woman's Daybook.

Old, but WONDERFUL news!

On Sunday, November 22nd, 2009, my children and husband fully joined the Roman Catholic Church! What a glorious day that was! I had waited, and prayed fervently, to see that day come, for many years. I fully give all credit to the Holy Spirit. All I did was pray, and what a beautiful answer to my prayers, to see my husband and children standing up and receiving their Sacraments of Holy Communion and Confirmation, together. It was Monsignor's idea, that they all do it together, on Christ the King Sunday.

Here are a couple of pictures. I think the camera angle was weird, as everyone looks kind of funny in some of them.

Small Successes, Vol. 51

One Small Step for Momkind, Small Successes Vol. 51

I know I am late this week, but considering I haven't even been to my blog since August, I hope you will forgive me a few days of being late. I figured I would forget by next Thursday, if I didn't do this now, to get the ball rolling, as they say.

1. Remembering my blog, at long last, and fixing all the errors that had occured on it, since my last visit in August 2009.

2. Finally starting to catch-up on all the laundry. Does it grow behind our backs? I think so.

3. De-cluttering our books and movies, and getting paid for it! We've been consistently cleaning them out, and taking them to Half-Price Books to sell them.

A New Year!

Yes, I know, I am very late in stating that fact on here. I have been away for so long. I have not even been checking other people's blogs, people I had grown to love and learn so much from. It is my sincere hope to resume my reading of all the lovely blogs I had come to know, and to keep this blog updated, as best I can.

I do pray everyone's year has started off wonderfully, and that you have all been blessed beyond all measure!

~Kathy

This is a pic of my two children, right before we left for Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve. They have grown so much!

I have been neglecting my blog!

I do so apologize to those of you who are following my blog. Life has just been ever so busy, and I've hardly had time to even look at other blogs that I love to follow. I don't really have time right now to post an nice, long entry, but promise that on Monday, I will endeavor to start blogging again in earnest.

Pax Christi,

~Kathy

The passing of a wonderful lady

Kathy, from the blog Ambling Along, has passed from this world, into the arms of our loving Lord. Her husband e-mailed me today telling me of her passing back on June 1st. I have not had a lot of time to peruse my favorite blogs, so had not been by hers in a while. I will miss seeing her wonderful photographs and wonderful descriptions of her and John's travels. She had battled a very rare, and aggressive, form of thyroid cancer, for a very short time. She was blessed to see the birth of her latest granddaughter, 32 hours before she died.

It's funny how much you can feel a friendship with someone you have never met in person. When I first met Kathy online, after she had visited my blog, and I hers, I felt so drawn to her. She had such a joy for life. I will miss her. I know we all grieve here on earth for her, but we can rejoice in the knowledge that she had been perfectly healed now and is wrapped in the arms of our Lord.

Please join me in praying for the repose of her soul, and also for her family, who no doubt are grieving and missing their beloved wife, mother and friend.

A "must see" blog on Keeping Purity in Catholic Classrooms

Upholding Purity in the Catholic Classroom

A blog designed to connect parents with children in Catholic schools who have real concerns about the human sexuality and safe environment programs being taught to their children.

Please drop by Josie's blog, as the information she is trying to get out to parents is so important!

Pax Christi,

~Kathy