Outside my window 
There are patches of blue sky peeking out from behind the clouds.

I am thinking about 
one of my favorite quotes from St. Francis de Sales:

“Kiss frequently the crosses which the Lord sends you, and with all your heart, without regarding of what sort they may be; for the more vile and mean they are, the more they deserve their name. The merit of crosses does not consist in their weight, but in the manner in which they are borne. It may show much greater virtue to bear a cross of straw than a very hard and heavy one, because the light ones are also the most hidden and condemned, aud therefore least conformable to our inclination, which always seeks what is showy.”

I am thankful for 

the Tridentine Rite Mass, the Fraternity of St. Peter, an excellent pastor, and a great parish.

I wish
that we lived closer to our parish.

From the kitchen

I have dishes to wash and meals to make. I also need to think about what I will serve with the spiral-sliced ham (we usually have leg of lamb) on Easter Sunday. I am leaning towards scalloped potatoes and asparagus.

I am wearing

a skirt with a brown long sleeve shirt.

I am reading

A Year With the Saints. This is actually my second year with the saints. The book focuses on one virtue each month, quoting saints (see quote above) and sharing a little bit about saints and holy people who exemplified the given virtue. The virtue for April is patience.

I am hoping for

beautiful weather the rest of this week and that my youngest children will behave (no whispering) during the Triduum Masses and liturgies.

Some of my favorite things
are the Masses and liturgies of the Triduum. I am happy to hear my children counting the days until Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and the Easter vigil.

We are planting:

Zucchini again. A crow removed all of the leaves from our zucchini plant. A friend told me that broken egg shells can act as a deterrent to slugs; I am hoping that they might do the same for the crow. So far, “Mr. Crow” has removed the largest leaf of our second plant and has started moving the little pieces of egg shell one at a time. Our next line of defense is a broom stick handle with plastic bags attached to it, standing next to the zucchini.

A few plans for the rest of the week

We are going to go to the Triduum Masses and liturgies. As I told the children, going to Mass each day is a small gift that we can give to Jesus who gave us His life, who died on the cross for us and rose from the dead on Easter Sunday. We are also going to continue working on pysanky, make Easter cards, and clean the house.

I am hearing

Bernadette practicing her violin. She is practicing the Ashokan Farewell for her May recital. Usually, I fold laundry while she is playing.  It is so relaxing and peaceful to simply sit and listen to her play. As I type, Catherine has joined her and they are practicing a piano/violin duet of Edelweiss that Catherine’s piano teacher wrote for them. They will most likely play the duet at Catherine’s piano recital in May.

Around the house

The children are working on lessons and playing.

Here is a picture thought I am sharing: