Welcome to my weekly post, Daybook Online Journal here at The Littlest Way. This is a post where I gather all the ordinary things that happen or are happening in my day to day. Things like what I’m reading or listening to…eating and cleaning and learning…These are the small moments that make up my blessed daily life; and I want to remember them. I would love to read your Daybook Online Journal, just leave it in the comments section below. You can use my prompts or make up your own to include items important to you; mine change depending on season and circumstance.
(This post may contain links to products I use and love.)
Thanking God for…
::rain
::Family Game night (We played Apples to Apples Junior Friday night. I had no idea there was strategy involved until my children informed me.)
::cleaning my bedroom
::quiet time in the Word
::Gaudete Sunday
::a talk after Mass about Ember and Rogation Days
::my children face timing my sister
Praying…
Gosh there are so many prayers y’all…husbands and children, family and friends, parish and work, neighbors and priests…the list could literally go on. So, I pray one at a time, God knows my heart and other’s needs.
Pondering…
Have I already mentioned I feel like I’m starting to come out the survival mode I have been living in? Well, I am. I’m really working on enjoying the present moment and looking ahead to what may be in store instead of “head down plow through.”
Listening to…
Well, right now, Sunday evening, the dog is barking and the dryer is drying.
Reading…
My large print Bible
Rest Assured: A Recovery Plan for Weary Souls
I have my eye on Fr. Michael Gaitley’s book You Did It to Me: A Practical Guide to Mercy in Action for the Year of Mercy. We really liked his book 33 Days to Morning Glory: A Do-It-Yourself Retreat In Preparation for Marian Consecration.
I’m not sure for how long, but Amazon is offering a 25% off one book coupon—25offbook.
Bible Journaling…
I have not been artistically Bible journaling much lately. Still, I have been reading my Bible and marking colored notations as I go along. I keep adding to my color key as I go. I get so much more out of my reading highlighting words or verses consistently through my reading. Part of the reason is because I read the same passage multiple times as I highlight.
Around the House…
We put our Christmas tree up the First Sunday of Advent, but no decorations, only lights. We also put up our Nativity set without the Baby Jesus, our Advent Wreath and some purple lights on the mantle. Then on the Third Sunday of Advent–Gaudete Sunday–we decorate our tree. So, tonight we listened to traditional Christmas songs and decorated. We’ll start some Christmas baking–Veronica’s famous cinnamon rolls and dipped pretzels and adding yarn/hay or straw to the Baby Jesus’ crib for our good works as we lead up to Christmas.
In the Kitchen…
Chris informed me he likes Taco Tuesday, so I guess we’ll have Taco Tuesday this week. Hamburgers were supposed to be tonight buy they weren’t, so we’ll bump them a night or two over. We have a freezer full of venison so I’m set on meat for a while.
Our Domestic Church…
December 17th begins the “O Antiphons.” I’ll admit, I don’t think we have ever completed these prayers but I’m going to try this year.
The seven “O Antiphons” (also called the “Greater Antiphons” or “Major Antiphons”) are prayers that come from the Breviary’s Vespers during the Octave before Christmas Eve, a time which is called the “Golden Nights.”
Each Antiphon begins with “O” and addresses Jesus with a unique title which comes from the prophecies of Isaias and Micheas (Micah), and whose initials, when read backwards, form an acrostic for the Latin “Ero Cras” which means “Tomorrow I come.”
Saving Money…
We are probably six months out from paying off our house! Not only are we working to save money to put on the house, we are also thinking of various ways to make some extra money as well.
Enjoying Right Now…
I’ve been using my big girl camera lately. I forgot how much I love capturing life. I forgot how good and therapeutic taking pictures is for me.
Captured…
Every year we take a family Christmas picture along with one of all the kids (plus individual) and one of Chris and me. This year my best friend kindly agreed to take our family picture because it’s just too hard for me to do it on my own, and then we played with one of Chris and me. As she was taking our picture, our children–sweet little dears–were running around behind us and we decided…it worked! So here is our “Us” photo 2015.
Ellie Augustin says
Thank you for this. I thank our Lord for leading me to your blog! I am SO excited about being able to do my own Daybook Online Journaling come the new year. I have done my own of sorts where I’ve called it “Life around Here” but I never added anything about my own relationship w/our Lord and this is something I feel our Lord calling for me to do. I can not think of a better time then this amazing year of Mercy to get closer to our Lord and so thank you again for this and I look forward to enjoying your further posts.
Jenny says
Yay Ellie, I cannot wait to see your Daybook posts. Please feel free to link to them in the comments of mine. It’s always fun to get a peek into others lives.
Clare says
I loved reading this…Oh the photo is LOVELY!
Jenny says
Thank you Clare. Happy Advent to you.
Jeanette Collins says
Hi Jenny. I just found your website via Pinterest. I’m looking forward to learning more about your journey. I’m a middle child of 7 kids. Yes, I’m number 4! It’s very interesting how that position growing up affected my personality. Anyhow, I’m glad to find you. So interested to read about how you live out the Catholic faith and manage to keep a large family moving forward. So glad to read you are in a good place and learning to take in the sweetness of life instead of letting it consume you. I can relate. God Bless and Merry Christmas!
Jenny says
Hi Jeanette, so glad you are here! My 4th baby is my first boy and he is one of my 3 choleric children…some days I wonder, “What in the world God?” Have Merry Christmas yourself and thanks for the visit.