this morning ❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️

I think we got some snow 🤔🤣❄️☃️🥰🕯️♥️

It's still coming down!  We are warm, have power 🙏 I had forgotten about a tea from Holland called "Autumn Tea" that's especially warming 🫖🥰☕

Well, Clean Monday (first day of Great Lent) finds me in the kitchen cleaning (dishes ect). 

May God have mercy on us! 

storm inches forward and Great Lent is about to begin

it has begun. Pictures from an hour or so ago.  I already read of some power outages.  Hopefully we will keep power! But if not, we have a gas stove top (so hot tea, soup, etc), candles and lots of blankets.   

We did some laundry, dishes not fully done but OK.

I finished Sayers A Cloud of Witnesses.  Enjoyed it.  Not the strongest ending but much just before the ending was quite good.

Dinner tonight 

Simple salad mix.

(my ice cream)

(Husband's ice cream; I realized I should just give him the container as our goal was to finish it tonight!)

And so we come to the very Eve of Great Lent 2026. 

I am so thankful that I am so much better than before.  My cough is pretty much gone.  I have to be patient about the ankle healing.  There is so much to thank the Lord for!

May God have mercy on us!

Ahead of the storm ❄️☃️🥰

I'm dreaming of taking a picture once the storm is in force to show the difference...

The snow has started. It's very wet right now and not sticking yet to the ground. 

It was so good to be at liturgy, forgiveness vespers and coffee hour! I had Belini with Nutella, banana and strawberries. Very delicious! This is something that is normal for just before Lent! Belini is a pancake And delicious made with milk and eggs.  It was a way for all of that to be used up before Lent begins! 

Hopefully there's a service on Tuesday. Even more. Hopefully I hope I can go! It will depend on the state of the roads and how well things are plowed. Obviously I have to be careful with my walking boot still in place etc. 

I sharpened/change the filters on this to try to show you the snow that's dancing outside the window right now! And it makes the silver and the lines of the lamp by the feet more noticeable. It's like bringing out the beauty that's already there. 

My friend very rightly said next time take a cab. You were too tired. You should not have walked home. She was very right. 4 weeks later with ankle boot!   My husband's decided that if there's snow on the ground, I shouldn't go outside. I think they're a little worried about me. Don't know why 😳🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

Well, I'm going to continue working on my Thanksgiving list!  One of them is that I have milk. I had a lovely cup of hot chocolate! It's super fun that lactose-free milk is sweet so I can just use cocoa and not have extra sugar.  I specifically did not take anything but the Belini with some Nutella so that I could have a little more of a treat later today! 

I had had three or four cups of tea at coffee hour and it was just lovely. Having tea is a glorious, comforting warm thing.  It always feels like such a privilege.   

I'm already dreaming of Christmas presents for next year 🎁🤣 That's how I am! Particularly when I spot a book that would be perfect for a certain person. 

Well I'm all cozy wrapped up in a duvet and now is time for rest. 

May God have mercy on us.

another sign of healing

I didn't take any cough medicine yesterday or today...  

The first sign of healing was having caffeinated tea again. 🥰🫖🫖🫖🫖🫖

I made salmon for lunch (and tomorrow's meal as well)

We went to church together!!! 

I can do stairs as long as I take it slow,

because the walking boot is very cumbersome! 

I have dreams of making vegan fudge! 

For our house Blessing that will be in a few weeks, God willing!

***

so we may get a lot of snow tomorrow! It's not supposed to hit until about 1 PM

so we are hoping to go to church in the morning.....

***

It was good to be out, talk with friends, be at church, go to Confession

and not just be in the house!

***

We had a lot of fun treats today, 

the last hurrah before Great Lent! 

***

Our dear young priest at our local parish was like

you are not to go outside once it's snows LOL.

Don't know WHY he would say that LOL. 

Has he figured out that Elizabeth is good at injuring herself? 

That said, I have no intention of going outside once the snow comes.

Now with my boot!!!! I will be happy inside.

***

Urban life though has a lot of blessings, 

and I did a grocery delivery order for Wednesday.

I love that because I don't have to worry about running out of 

something because of the storm, etc. 

We have all we need and more.

***

I have really been enjoying having whatever tea I wish to have in the 

morning time again! It's really fun! 

***

I keep hoping to get back to more research for my writing project;

but it's a lot of work just doing the basics right now.

Mr. Husband helped with dishes twice today;

yesterday I was up so much that by dinner time, I had to be 

on the couch with my foot up.  My ankle was not happy,

usually it does not hurt at all, but yesterday it did for a while.

It's better again now. 

But I was not able to do the dishes or even clear the table last night.

I managed to get the table cleared and such

but my beloved filled the dishwasher this morning and we 

emptied it tonight while the pizza was baking...

***

I am just glad I am able to do more again; it's a blessing. 

***

I am glad for every good thing.

***

May God have mercy on us.

storm seems more certain

The question about the storm now is will it 

come Sunday or Monday.

***

I really hope Monday, 

I would very much like to go to liturgy.

***

It's so easy to forget (since I have had injuries before

that have kept me housebound) how hard it is

to do.  To not go out, at all, it's not easy to say the least. 

***

I did a lot today. 

Laundry, dishes, meal prep;

had some nice treats 

(and really good tea, as it is Great Lent soon)

but wow, do I miss liturgy and being in church.

***

I have so much to be thankful for, of course.

***

How wonderful it really is for me, 

that my suffering is so slight,

compared to so many.

***

That said, I am glad I am not as sick as I was a few weeks ago. 

***

One Saint I have not mentioned as much, but who we look for

for is prayers is St Panteleimon you can read about him HERE.

***

May God have mercy on us. 

In Between

First pot of tea, caffeinated, enjoyed 🩷🫖☕

Second pot, ginger lemon is going to have fresh squeezed lemon and honey added.  We had gotten extra lemons for the house blessing meal. 

The weather is still unclear but we had to make a decision yesterday.  The thing is that the dinner party, I could do it, but it's a lot of work when one is wearing a walking boot.  The boot means my right foot is much higher than my left (somewhere I have a foot raiser for the other side from when I sprained my ankle but I couldn't find it but to be honest it didn't work).  I'm still healing from the bronchitis. I'm much better but I'm not yet 100% better.   

Forecast for leaning towards snow yesterday and today. They're doing so even more. Will we get a really bad storm? We don't know yet. But I had to make a decision on the food. See I was going to have a fish dinner. But Lent starts the next day and while I can't fast yet normally because I'm sick we still would have too much fish left over.  So I had to make a decision with my husband. And I think we made the right one. That was we are going to postpone it. Hopefully we will have it in two Sundays. I have yet to get confirmation from the others but we're all very busy. 

So our God willing house blessing (our priest already confirmed given the circumstances (he can't come earlier, I could not have had the dinner earlier, and the possible snow storm) he can bless our house in Great Lent exceptionally. 

Usually house blessings are always during the Theophany season.

Meanwhile my silver-plated teapots and silver-plated silverware is polished.  All the Christmas linens, decorations and icons are put away.  My Lenten icons are, for the most part, on display.  

It's a grey day rainy. I lit extra lampadas and have cheery lights on.  

I often use pretty dishes to cheer myself up! I need to work on my thankfulness.  I was really bummed about the house blessing dinner.  However I am regrouping and thinking of what I can serve that is Lenten.

I am so much better than I was 3 weeks ago, I was quite ill.  My ankle hurts a bit when I am up more but I am thankful for the improvements. 

I hope to go to church this weekend.  I just have to do it slowly and safely. 

Of course that includes God willing and weather permitting.  

I must say I feel a bit overtired and such, a little on the teary side HOWEVER how blessed I am.  I have a beloved Husband, a lovely home, pretty dishes, lots of tea, family and friends who love me and a God who is full of mercy.

There is such deep suffering in the world.  

May God have mercy on us all.