Five On Friday

 

5 things I am grateful for this Friday:

1.  Hot Tea:  It's so cold here and winter is starting to drain me.  Hot tea helps

2.  The Bible in a Year Podcast with Father Mike Schmitz:  I LOVE hearing God's word every day.  I'm on year two of this podcast and I'm getting just as much, if not more, out of it as last year.

3. Soul Core's online streaming membership:  I just signed up for this a few weeks ago.  I love being able to stretch/exercise and pray the rosary at the same time.  

4.  Peloton's streaming service:  I used this service (app) during Covid lockdown.  And I really enjoyed it.  There are so many excellent workouts, and the trainers are motivating. So, I kept the subscription going even after things opened back up again. I would love a Peloton machine, but it's not in our budget.  But the streaming service is perfect for me right now.

5.  Grocery Pick Up:  I used the Walmart pick up for several years.  Then our grocery stores starting offering pick up options during Covid.  It's just so quick and convenient.  There are times that I would like to choose my own groceries, but on busy weeks, the pickup saves me so much time and makes my life easier.

What are you thankful for today?

Happy New Year!

 Happy 2022!  The holiday season went by so quickly.  Today is the first day back to school for the Little and the Middle.  The Oldest is still home from college for a few weeks.  

They have all recovered from Covid.  But I got struck down New Year's Eve, so we still have the hazmat tent and caution tape surrounding the house.  They are required to wear masks to school, and since they have been symptom free for several days, they can return.  I, on the other hand, am quarantined at home and have extra free time to plan my New Year goals.

I have several goals for this year:

1.  Reading goal:  I set my Goodreads reading goal for 45 books this year.  Last year I completed 33 books, and I know I can do better.

2.  Organize and Declutter the house:  I got a good start on this last year, but there's more room for improvement with this one.  

3.  Continue to work on my exercise:  This has been a goal of mine the last few years and I've really made some good improvements.  This year I'm going to add in more days of weight training (as soon as I'm over Covid. Right now, I'm in bed).

4.  Eat better and try new recipes:  This is another goal that I've been working on the last few years.  Again, I'm going to try to tweak things to make them even healthier.  I really like cooking, so I'm going to try to come up with some new family favorite recipes.

5.  Grow my spiritual life:  Another goal that is ongoing.  Last year I completed The Bible in a Year podcast and I enjoyed it so much and the graces I received from hearing God's work every day were innumerable.  I've already started over and plan on going again this year.  And my bigger goal this year is to worry less and pray more.  

6.  Do more of what I love.  This one needs no explanation.  Life is too short not to do the things we want to do.  And we all have things we HAVE to do but don't necessarily want to. I'm going to try to find the joy in those and not complain about it.  So maybe this New Year goal should be called " FIND THE JOY IN EVERYTHING".

So Happy New Year, Internets!  I hope 2022 is a healthy, happy, blessed year for all of us.

Things I'm Thankful For (Covid Addition)

 Instacart

I panicked when the positive test came back.  I immediately went to Instacart and had essentials delivered.  I keep a pretty stocked pantry, but we are not pop drinkers (soda for those of you outside of Ohio) and I was worried about the sickies having food and medicine.  So gingerale, chicken soup, extra bread for toast, and acetaminophen were ordered via Instacart and delivered within 2 hours.

Giant Eagle Curbside

I had a lot of what I needed for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day dinners, but there were some things that I wanted to buy the week of Christmas.  And then there's the extra toothbrushes (because they will need to change those out) and baking items that I forgot I needed.  I use Giant Eagle pick up during non-covid diagnosis, but it's really come in handy now.  And Dear Giant Eagle, I have added to this pick up eleventy thousand times this week, so you are welcome for the 5 million dollars I'm spending.

Peloton App

I found the Peloton app during the quarantine of 2020, but I didn't want to pay to exercise (I do not have a Peloton tread or bike...  but I'd love one).  But a month after the new year, I realized I missed this app so much that I subscribed and have no regrets. After the Covid diagnosis, I don't want to leave the house to go to the gym, so I've been using my app even more to get the exercise I need.  

Online Church

Yes, we are now back to not going to church (at least for the next couple of weeks).  I am so glad for our local churches that post their masses on YouTube.  If I can't be there, I'm blessed to at least be able to receive a spiritual communion and watch mass on TV.

Bible In A Year Podcast With Father Mike

I'm on day 355.  This is not new.  This podcast has been a blessing to me all year.  But right now, I need it a bit more than ever.  God's word soothes the soul.  

What I Read In January (and am still reading)

 I'm trying to increase my reading this year.  Last year I read 25 books and I told Good Reads that I also want to read 25 this year.  But in reality, I'd like to read more.  But somehow, life just gets too busy.  I really need to set aside some reading time every day.  I try to do it before bed, but I usually get 3-4 pages in and then fall asleep.  

Some of the books on my list aren't meant to be finished in January.  One will last all winter and one will last all year.  But I'm including them here since I started them in January.

Meditations For Advent  by Jacques Benigne Bossuet:  Yes, that's right Advent.  Which has been over for a while now.  I started off strong with my Advent reading but when things went into the Christmas crunch, I fell off the wagon.  I really enjoyed this book and didn't want to NOT finish it, so I just kept on going.

Lectio Divina of the Gospels 2020-2021  This is the one that will last all year.  I've always been interested in Lectio Divina but I wasn't sure where to start.  I love that it covers the Gospels for the entire year.  After this, I hope to have a better understanding of Lectio Divina and can apply it to my other Bible reading.

Winter Meditations  by John Bartunek:  If you fish around my blog, you will see that I have read this before (2-3 times).  I have all the seasonal meditation books by John Bartunek and I enjoy every one of them.  But I read the Winter one more often because my least favorite season is Winter and it gives me a perspective of this season through God.  It's hard to dislike something when you can view it through a God lens.

Little House on the Prairie  by Laura Ingalls Wilder :  I took this one out of our library via audio book and I listened to it with the 8 year old.  He really enjoyed it.  He's asked to listen to Little House in the Big Woods next.  Look for that in an upcoming "what I read" list.

Clean Mama's Guide to a Peaceful Home by Becky Rapinchuk:  I follow Clean Mama on Instagram and I really like her cleaning philosophy and tips.  I thought I would find this book helpful.  A lot of the information can be gotten from her Instagram or website, but there are things that I either missed or needed to see again.  I also like the way she breaks down the organizing tips by room.  It makes it easier for me and I can go back and revisit her advice when things start getting out of control again.

So that was January reading.  I have my Lenten reading all ready to go.  And I promise to try very hard to actually read it during Lent and not Lent and beyond.

The Anti-Mary Exposed by Carrie Gress.  I had heard of this book, but never really looked into it. But it was censored by Facebook and Instagram so that made me think that there is something here that I really need to check out.

Lent and Easter Wisdom from G.K. Chesterton :  This is more of a traditional Lenten reading than the other book I chose.  I've been intrigued by Chesterton, but haven't delved into anything of his because I'm intimidated.  I hope this gives me more insight into Chesterton and maybe I won't be so apprehensive about it.  

What I'm Listening To:  The Bible In A Year podcast with Fr. Mike Schmizt :  You guys.  I am LOVING this podcast.  LOVING IT.  He reads a section or sections of the Bible every day and then gives insight and explanations for what is happening and why it is happening and how everything ties together.  I think today was day 35, but it's not too late to start.  You can either listen to a couple a day to catch up or start at day 1 today and use February 5 to February 5 as your year.  I can not say enough good things about this podcast.  It is truly blessing me.