when your own words startle you

I was talking to a friend today about

how God loves us, is with us, how

He is capable of saving us, wants to save us, 

wants more than anything to save us, and

said to her that

people can spit in His face and God still loves them

and wants to save them

and later I realized I was quite startled by this,

how could someone spit in God's face and He want to forgive them?

But truly, this is what the Son of God has done.

Christ saves the thief on the Cross.

He asks God the Father to forgive those who are mocking Him,

as He, Christ, is dying one the Cross, 

to save them, to save us.

***

I often find God's love mystifying and today I can say

Christ's love is so beyond my imagination that even when I was speaking of it,

I was startled.

***

May Christ save us, above all else!

(147) A Fun Day in NYC

It was a fun day.

Tea and Sympathy

Purl Soho

Trader Joe's

Harney and Sons in Soho

a Cookbook store! 

***

It was a really nice day.

Time to have tea, talk and eat nice

British food...

I bought a cute tin of Ceylon tea ...

while in the store...as I wrote earlier elsewhere... I... 

"was in NYC with a dear friend and we were in the store of tea and sympathy (a British pub tea house with a store next door) and my beloved Sweet Husband sent me a sweet GIF saying 'I love you' and I sent back one that I *thought* was of one holding a heart in the middle and being happy but NO. It was a BROKEN heart and SAD tears being cried!!! When I realized this, I immediate texted my mistake and APPROPRIATE loving GIFs (moving pictures basically) but all the while my friend and I were laughing SO HARD at my mistake that I nearly threw up. When I was telling my Husband about this tonight, I began laughing again so much that I had tears running down my cheeks... it was just too funny..."

***

So... Pom Pom, the book I mentioned in my last post - 

you can find I Live Again here...

it seems that it is a CRAZY high price on Amazon right now so I 

am linking to the direct publisher instead! 

***

It was so nice to have tea with my friend and to talk to her

about life and vice versa...

we don't get too much time to take off to do this,

so it was a really welcomed treat...

***

Tomorrow, cleaning house...and Mr Husband is home I believe

both Wednesday and Thursday this week

and Sunday night DV we are doing a Christmas dinner... 

(beef roast!) 

***

So it's going to be a busy week... 

***

I am thankful that we had this nice time... 

I feel all the better for it!

And it's so rare that my Husband

(who had the day off) has the house to himself,

so it was a win-win situation... :) 

***

Tomorrow, I look forward DV to trying my new tea...

May God save and protect us

and provide for us...

***

(I wish dear blog friends I could have YOU over for a cup of tea!)

(146) A Restful Sunday (plus the last few days)

A delicious NYC breakfast with my Husband on Friday

(fast free day!)

I made delicious chicken soup and remade it again on Friday evening

(we had the last of it tonight!)

and I made Marion Cunningham's Rescue Biscuits that are so good.

Here's how I re-did the soup from what I already had,

as I wrote earlier on social media:

"[we had]...Chicken soup and biscuits for dinner tonight (again) for Fast-free Friday! I made a new broth with carrots and a big spoonful of sour cream (cooking the carrots in butter first and adding the broth to the carrots and butter)...then I added the noodles that soaked up yesterday's soup broth at the last minute! I added a bit of chicken bullion (the better than bullion in a jar) to the broth before adding the sour cream. So delicious!!!!"

***

Today was the feast of Theophany,

Christ's baptism... the blessing of waters was after this... 

I was really tired so we did not stay terribly late at Church...

after naps at home, we did another taste testing of caramels... 

I made the mistake of blurting out what I thought it was while

Mr Husband was still deciding... 

(I was right btw)...

the idea behind this box of caramels is to treat it as a guessing 

taste game and the answers to what caramel is which is under the box,

that the cover slides over on both sides... 

It's been fun so far! 

I had thought we would do it over the 12 days of Christmas

but between being busy and that Mr Husband does not want to eat

sugar after 7 PM and and often comes home about then,

we just did not get to them... so we have time to enjoy them still! 

These pages from the later Mother Alexandra's book 

I Live Again really spoke to me. 

May God have mercy on us and save us! 

(142) Rest Day

   

 I prepared for this day the night before...

getting all the dishes done... 

And even setting the table for breakfast...

Fast-Free Wednesday and the 9th day of Christmas! 

Today I enjoyed my Paris tea (I bought the tin the first time

and now by it by the pound, it is much more economical 

that way and I have finished at least one 1lb bag already!) ... 

tea is such a comfort! 

We had another caramel tasting and guessing...I guessed rightly this time!

Mr Husband fixed a pair of his pants, 

I got him the supplies to do so :)

We went on a walk today...

and I slept in and later had a hot bath and in general

feel more rested and very thankful for that. 

For lunch we had organic chicken strips, rice and carrots.

Simple and enjoyable for fast-free Wednesday

(we usually fast from meat this day but it is the 12 days of Christmas

so no fasting today!) 

***

Later on I went through my cookbook shelves and culled over 20 books.

And then I rearranged the books and really like how I did this. 

I have a little more to do yet when I put some more books 

that are in storage there but all of my Ohio cookbook finds 

are now on the shelves!

(Did I show those to you? I can't remember, I got them at the Ohio Bookstore

in Cincinnati the day after my birthday!) 

I am slowly doing some de-cluttering; 

not at all to have a 'minimalist' look, no thank you!

but just making things more tidy. 

***

I have some new recipe ideas to try soon,

including a simple chicken that could pair well with a 

creamy pasta...with thick noodles... 

and I am still thinking about the cookie recipe I want to develop... 

***

Tomorrow afternoon I hope to go to NYC to my library...

I have books I need to return... 

so that will be nice...

***

One day at a time...

I am so thankful for this day.

***

May God help us and save us...

this is always what it comes down to for me...

a call for the Lord's mercy!

(141) Today is St Basil's Day

While I was not able to go to our far-away church for 

liturgy today on St Basil's day, 

I did go to the (new calendar) for St Basil's day on January 1st

and I am so glad I was able to go then! 

***

Today was a quiet day at home.

I got a lot of laundry done,

again scaling "Mount Laundry" that had 

been growing since before our Christmas on January 7th... 

(we already having been in a hotel 2 nights by the

morning of January 7th!).

I still have to put away the things in my suitcase;

it's just been such a busy time. 

***

We opened two gifts of books tonight

and now are enjoying a quiet evening and I hope an early bedtime.

***

I am really tired but I got a lot done,

I am still hoping for a rest day soon,

where I don't have tons of cleaning or other tasks to do.

I know I need the rest... 

***

May God help us and provide for us what we need

and may we know His mercy!

***

PS: I am loving this song