Happy New Year!!

A quiet but lovely new year for us...

Went to Heather's last night for a few hours. It was lovely. I got to hang with my celebrity friends!! As promised, Heather broke out an old video of her exclusive debut as a champion game show contestant. It was great! It was an old kids show on Nickelodeon that she was on and won!! A very smart cookie back then as well.

Then Beth reluctantly let us see a music video she starred in with one of her bands back in the day.

I gotta tell you girls, I expected these videos to be hilarious and something I could hold over your heads in the future but honestly, you were both great!! Heather, even back you were pretty calm, cool and collected. And Beth, you have such a beautiful humility that still shines through today.

Thanks for sharing...

I'm not necessarily into resolutions, or about to make any proclamations or promises in this post today. But I do love the clean slate of a new calendar year...

My thoughts on the coming year are mostly about becoming more simple. I have a lot of stuff that needs to go. I'm looking at ways, to spend less, have less, need less and to be and give more.

I will once again try to develop and employ the revolutionary concept of eating only when I'm hungry....Wow! How's that for an inexpensive, healthful new diet plan?

This past year we have implemented a nice time of morning prayer before the teenagers go off to school. It is not always easy, but it is good to be together in prayer before they go off for the day. Good for all of us, but I think it's essential for our youngest one. In many ways she will probably become more and more like an only child, as 2009 brings us to big brother's high school graduation and big sister's senior year. I want to savor these fleeting moments that we are all still living under the same roof.

Anyway, somewhere along the line of building this wonderful prayer time into our lives, I have let my personal prayer time become less of a priority. Not good. I really need time with the Lord first thing, as I believe we all do. I have been reading Kimberly Hahn's book, Graced and Gifted and in it she reminds me of ways to make this time of prayer more effecient.

I am a very early riser so having the time is not ususally an issue, for me, not getting involved in laundry, sewing and the computer is. I have to do this first, before those other important things or it's just not going to happen. At her suggestion, I have put together any materials that I might need during my at least 30 minutesor so.

This is my usual spot to pray/journal/read...

The living room is usually clean and pretty uncluttered so me and my ADD self do well in a spot like this. The less distraction the better.

That little tote is filled with my Bible, The Word Among Us, the Catechism, my jounal, rosary beads, current spiritual reading and a notebook to jot down those little details that seem to constantly pop into my head as I am trying to quiet myself. If they are important things I write them down to address later so I won't forget and get back to the business at hand.
This tote bag idea seems to have been divinely inspired for me. It has made such a difference! It really simplifies things for me. Everything I could need is with me.

My daughter just came back from Florida yesterday from visiting my mom and dad and my sister and her family. She brought me a new prayer journal from Anthropologie.

Love it!! Of course I have to finish the one I am currently using first.


I know this post is way long for me, just some thoughts I wanted to share.

May God bless us and each of our families in this new year.