The Housewife Journal ~ December ~

~ December ~

Happy New Year! I know I'm writing up my December journal a bit late, but I also know writing something, even if it's simple, will help motivate me to write more later. So here it is! In short, it has been a wonderful month! This is my favorite time of year! Even if the house becomes a wreck while we're hopping from place to place, the relationships and time spent with family and friends are totally worth it. Now that the new year is upon us, we are exhausted but hopeful and excited to see what the year will bring. 😊

 ~ Out And About ~

We've been out and about all December long! Shopping, helping friends, visiting friends, siblings' shows, parents' homes, and everywhere in between! Here are a couple of the highlights: I saw my little sister in the Nutcracker ballet, I went to a Cookie Swap with a wonderful group of women, I was able to volunteer at a local convent helping them with their Christmas newsletter, I went to my first Rorate Mass, we visited family on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and New Year's Eve.

~ In The Home ~

Before Christmas, my husband (he needs a blog name don't you think??) and I were able to do a lot of reading and talking in the evenings since we gave up movies for Advent. We also did a good job of eating at home most nights. I organized a lot of our seasonal decor, which was a big task. I'm putting off buying plastic tubs and trying to make use of a dresser we have in the guest room. It actually worked pretty well for the autumn and spring wreaths and other decor. Oh! Our house got blessed! We had our priest over for dinner one night in early December. He said a nice blessing over our house and our family which I wasn't expecting him to do. We got to know him a little better which is always good. I feel like many priests, especially those who provide the Latin Mass, are taken for granted a lot. We got out of our way to find a traditional liturgy and stop there. We have what we want and it's hard to go out of our way to see what the pastor might want or need. Not that our community is like that, but I'm sure there are some who just don't think about it. Anyway, we are grateful for our good pastor!

~ Kitchen Happenings ~

Baking!! Not as much as I planned on making, but I was able to make my great grandmother's gingerbread recipe and that made me happy. I've been wanting to have my own signature recipe. One that everyone looks forward to me making it every year. My mom's is Italian Pizzelles. She brings them to parties and gifts them to people every year.

I've also made a lot of charcuterie boards this season. I only wish I would have experimented more and made them a little fancier. Maybe next year!  

~ Gifts From God ~

I've been especially grateful for our church community this month. I feel multiple times a week, there's been a party, or a gathering, or we've hosted people at our house. Not only are the families at our church blessing my husband and I with friendship, but it's virtuous friendship. There isn't any drama, the women don't talk bad about their husbands, and we're all striving to be better Catholics together. I'm also very grateful for my family. This month has been full of family events and I'm still not tired of them! Not everyone can say that. I'm blessed and so grateful that I can say it.💕

~ On The Bookshelf ~

In the span of two weeks, I began and finished How to Feel Good and How Not To by John-Mark Miravalle. I was very impressed with the contents of this book. I've had many conversations with different family members about marijuana use and comparing it to alcohol. In the past antidepressants were a big discussion as well. I've heard people argue for these things in many ways, but never in the way that Miravalle does (that is, the ethics of it). He talks about our passions (or feelings) and the attitude we are to have with them. He goes into the feeling of delight and recreation and how some things are true recreation while some things aren't, and why. Miravalle is logical and best of all he has a Catholic perspective. I highly recommend this book to everyone because most everyone uses some kind of chemical drug in one form or another. Knowing why alcohol is a good drug is also important for most Catholics. I think I might write something up on my own personal feelings because I find the conversation very interesting.