Monday Musings, February 7th

Right now...it's 10:20. I actually got up around 9:30 this morning, which is better than I've been doing lately (see last post), but I need to start shifting that earlier! Also, I think the only reason I woke up that early today is because Tom called from work, asking for permission to agree to a 5-day business trip they had offered him (I said yes, only because it's a good opportunity. But I'm not looking forward to those five days.)

This weekend...was low-key, but mostly nice. On Saturday, Sly took an amazing hours-long nap, so Tom and I both used the opportunity to do work on our computers (he was just given a company laptop, so now he can do all his overtime work from home instead of having to go in to the office!). In the evening, we were both in need of just getting out of the house. As a default, we headed to a local thrift store to browse their wares. It was largely a bust in terms of clothes and household items, but we did pick up a few good kids books. I also found a partial set of the Little House books (5 of them). They were very nice printings of the books, paperback, but they all had the FRONT COVERS RIPPED OFF!!! Tom says they have to do that for some legal reason, when selling "new" books at a thrift store which never got sold at the original store. It makes me so upset that they ruined perfectly good books! I bought them anyways, and Tom and I are going to try to device a way to make some sort of cover for them... While at the store, we got a call from some friends, also bored for the evening. So we all got together, and cooked a simple but tasty pasta dinner, and just spent the rest of the night hanging out.

Sunday morning, instead of going to our usual Mass, we decided to attend a Byzantine Divine Liturgy. It had been a while since we'd been to one (since at least before Sly was born). As always, it was very beautiful and edifying. I think it's a little sad that the Byzantine churches (at least around here) tend to have what seems like only ten regular members each. And most of them are "getting up there" in years. That said, those few faithful tend to be some of the most welcoming and most "Christian" people you'll ever meet. They seem to be more salt-of-the-earth types than the people you usually encounter at a Roman Rite church, and more humble and genuine than some of the Trad Catholics I regularly run into at our Latin Mass. I wonder if it comes from centuries of being sorta pushed aside, and considered almost second-rate Catholics? Anyways, the little old ladies all got a kick out of Sly. Everyone was chatting with us happily after the Liturgy (where they had coffee! and Steelers cake!). So many of them said things like, "well, we'll see you next week." And it made me feel sad, because I'm almost sure they won't. I do love the Byzantine Liturgy, but the Roman Liturgy is my home. I mean, it's in my blood.

In the evening, we went to a Super Bowl party, and watched our Steelers lose. It was a bit disappointing, but a matter as unimportant as who wins a football game can't really bring me down in spirits that much. Tom and I finally made a recipe that I've had in my recipe binder, on standby, for years now. It was a reuben dip. It tasted exactly like a Reuben sandwich (which is: corned beef, saurkraut, Thousand Island dressing...other stuff I can't remember...all on rye bread)! Perhaps I'll post the recipe soon.

Some plans for the week: We still need to get together some sort of anniversary gift for Tom's parents, who visit next weekend! I have the usual tutoring to do, and I'm hoping to get my mom to come out with me one day so I can buy a bridesmaid dress for a friend's wedding (my mom would be with me to occupy the baby. And also to give womanly advice on how a the dress looks on me).

If I finds some time for myself, I would like to...work on the enormous cross-stitch sampler than I've been crawling along with.

Prayer intentions for the week: For Tom's parents, as they approach 30 years of marriage. And prayers that I have the strength to get myself on a more sane sleep schedule, and make it to daily Mass at least a couple times a week.

Something that makes me smile: This crazy picture my husband took. Our cat Lance[lot] is in the foreground, sulking because the baby has taken his once-uncontested spot in our hearts (and on our laps); I'm on the phone and wearing a big smile because my best friend is telling me the story of how she got engaged two days before; and Sly is just staring out in baby-like wonder.



Monday Musings hosted at Patch O'Dirt Farm.