Friday, February 20, 2026

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.

Thursday, February 19, 2026

First celebratory pot of tea: Victorian London Fog


Victorian London Fog by Harney and Sons is warm, comforting and creamy. My (lactose free milk aka sweet milk) added to the sense of comfort, brought the vanilla in the tea to the forefront and was just a lovely milk cream black tea swirl of comfort 🫖💜🥛☕🫖

I realized (it takes a bit for me to realize the obvious sometimes 🤣🫣🙃 that my egg salad needed more mayo (the chopped egg was not sticking together). 

My new mug is quite big! Basically my teapot fills it twice + a swallow of tea left behind! 

Great for a quick but enjoyable breakfast! 

There may be a storm coming, I am a bit concerned about the house blessing.  Meanwhile my professional help is coming later today.  I am SO HAPPY to get our house in order again!  

May God guide us and have mercy! 

Wednesday, February 18, 2026

teacups & today


I have been (especially when trying to sleep at night) imagining my teacups and how to make pretty tea party tables.  

We are supposed to, God willing, have our house blessing dinner this Sunday night.  Possible snow storm coming.  

Hopefully everything will be OK. 

I can't wait until I can have caffeinated tea again! I am trying to get better with my bronchitis first.  I am improving..... 🩷🫖

I have a lot to be thankful for!
May God have mercy on us. 

yay! ☺️


My ankle is healing well! I only need the walking boot for two more weeks and then a brace.  I was able to do the X-ray standing and it was without any pain when two weeks ago I definitely was having pain.  So I'm very thankful! 

I know it's in part a large part because of all the prayers going up for me in my healing! 

To celebrate my husband and I are getting takeout Indian food to enjoy! 🥰🍽️🫖

May God have mercy on us all!

Small things & Ortho Appointment


New mug, a Christmas gift 🥰🎁

Orthopedic doctor appointment today.  My ankle seems to be healing well. Sometimes it's itchy which is GREAT because it indicates HEALING ☺️

I hope to get a lot of rest today.

Dorothy Sayers A Cloud of Witnesses is great company (a Golden Age detective mystery novel). 

May God have mercy on us 🙏🕯️💛

Tuesday, February 17, 2026

Larissa's lamp is back


I am so very glad. 💛

Tuesday Progress

Things are still messy BUT the Christmas tree and all under it is put away.  And my table cloth is changed for Great Lent.  

They (the professionals I know personally) come back Thursday.  

Now I get to rest.  I am so thankful for the help!

May God have mercy.

Monday, February 16, 2026

Monday Progress

I am happy to say that some professionals I already know hope to help me Tuesday 3 hours and Thursday 3 hours to take down all my Christmas things and get ready for our DV Sunday house blessing!

My ankle swelling is down! Still more to go but progress 🙏 

Things are very busy.  I hope to rest well tonight.  

May God have mercy on us! 

Sunday, February 15, 2026

Sunday blessings

I had a good day.  I am relieved that tomorrow my Husband and I will be home alone together. 

May God have mercy on us.

Saturday, February 14, 2026

Happy moments from tonight 💝🌹


While my Husband was at vespers I made my little Valentine's Day display!

my beloved husband got me roses as a pick-me-up 🥰🥰🥰🩷🌹🌹🌹💝

Life is not all one thing or another but getting out our traditional Valentine's Day decorations / cards really cheered me up! 🩷❤️🥰 My friend mailed me the cute kitty Valentine's Day card 💝🌹 

May God have mercy on us all.


Even so, today is still Valentine's Day

My husband gave me an Ortho book 🥰 as I call them 📚 ☦️ ... 

I had made him a Valentine's Day card ❤️🌹💝 Earlier this week.

We both had a chocolate (there went my resolve to NOT have sugar 🤔🤣) he had the pecan delight and I had the dark chocolate caramel ❤️🍫... 

I have to find him my other Valentine's Day card ❤️. 

I'm still listening to the same Noble grief song of beauty that I blogged about in my blog post before this one. 

I'm going to go find my other Valentine's Day card for my sweetie. Now. I know just where it is! 🩷❤️

I will not write more about this


I was so excited about having the lady be a caregiver.  Out of respect and charity towards all, I can say this:

Years ago, as long time readers will know, I was let go from a job just days before my 6 months were up and I would be a permanent employee.  A lady who was hired to support me (I had the higher position) stayed in contact with told me how distressed my boss was.  Years later, when I was perhaps more mature, I understood that my boss actually cared about me.  She was in an impossible situation. She actually flew to Ottawa to be with me when I was terminated and was trying not to cry.  

Now I understand because it's me now, crying because I liked the woman we employed but it was in the end an impossible situation and we have parted ways, paid her wages and are done.

The song 2:14​ Prime (Version) and others in this set I was given last summer and I found it again yesterday (remember my phone died in November and I lost all my WhatsApp chats and YouTube downloads) and to me it expresses the great love and tragedy of life. I listened to it a lot this past summer in Ottawa when God did a lot but I was still so pitiablely sick. 

this song REALLY does this ⬆️⬆️⬆️⬆️ 

Music is amazing for what it can express and give words to the unspeakable grief tragedy beauty and love that is all mixed together.

Sometimes you only have a person in your life briefly for reasons you don't know.

I was getting more sick not less because of the situation that is now over.  But I saw great beauty in her even though we only had a week together.

May God have mercy on us all.