power may be turned off to avoid fire

the garage is flooding badly.
the rain is still going on.
we have power but the building is considering turning
it off to avoid possible fire from
garage flood.
power would not be turned back on until the water
comes back down.
Mr. Husband, myself and Cleo are all fine.
We all have lots of food and water
and between Mr. Husband and I
three powered-up cell phones
for emergencies.
*
Asking your prayers.
Remember that God is with all of us
and will not abandon us!!

garage flooded

power still on here.
garage flooding
got everything up
can't move car
we are fine.
God is with us.
prayers requested.
Cleo fine too :)
garage power is off, up here is fine.

So far so good

We still have power.
The highest winds will be soon.
It is nearing 8 pm.
Please keep us all in prayer.

Day 1 of Hurricane ~ a day of blessings

Up early this morning.
Then they were predicting a 'squall' for 6 hours.
I gather that this is when wind is over 39 mph.
Has been downgraded to heavy rain/wind.
High tide is at near 10 pm tonight
which could mean some flooding.
*
We are not in a flood zone per say
and hope all will be well.

By 9 AM I had roasted an organic chicken
and had chopped up the apples
for apple crisp.
*
I wanted to have something made
esp. if the power went out...

The mail lady was really
kind today and called up to say we had two
packages for us.
*
The above table cloth and napkins
from Ukraine;
a wedding gift that had to wait as
the trip to Ukraine was after the wedding.
I am really love this gift!
*
Saturday the Madeline L'Engle book came
and begins with the main character
facing a hurricane with poise and courage;
it has been so wonderful to slowly begin reading it.
*
And this book came as well,
which is such a beautiful book of icons,
I highly recommend it.
*
A gift of two beautiful Ukrainian shirts came as a
belated wedding gift last week
and two cards in the mail.
*
So many unexpected blessings
in the midst of transition and periodic homesickness...
*
I do not think I will quickly forget all of these
blessings in the midst of the
hurricane and preparing for it...

The apple crisp turned out well,
though next time I will use more apples,
as this batch of apples shrunk down considerably.

Apartment across the way
taped up their windows.
Everyone is navigating their way through
this storm...

The winds have really picked up as the day has
been progressing...

Still enjoying our orchid.
I think the colours have slightly paled
but it is still beautiful.

I've been having fun taking pictures
of the tree outside our
kitchen window
of the wind and the leaves.
It is amazing that those leaves are still on the tree!

 

Candles lit in prayer and for protection...
*
Mr. Husband has been working from home
as no one can get into NYC.
*
Someone on FB said that
cars are not allowed on the roads
at all by us now.
*
We don't have a TV and are not catching
all the news that others are,
though we are monitoring things closely
via the Internet.
*
We've gotten emails and phone calls
seeing how things are.
So far, so good.
Just a lot of wind and rain;
I had not noticed the power lines by us
as much as I have now
and over 30 thousand so far are without power,
though not in our area,
from what I have gathered.
*
May God protect us and keep us all!

Home and waiting for the Hurricane

Oh the drama.
NYC.
I took this picture a few weeks ago
when at lunch with my husband.
We live in a commuter town to NYC
as do millions of others.
*
I was feeling a bit fearful about the hurricane
and after we saw the
state of emergency
sign on the highway
my husband saw my concern mounting
and we went to a more local church
for liturgy this morning.
The priest at the local priest
said a prayer after liturgy
for the storm and
then asked for some strong men
to help with sandbags.
*
Some people were getting sand bags to put by doors
to try to deter flooding.
We are on the second floor and should be fine.
There was no flooding and power was
out for only a few hours.
*
We have everything prepared that we can have prepared.
1.5 working flashlights
(stores were sold out of D batteries)
tons of juice and food
water
and are watching the hourly news reports.
*
Meanwhile,
I have a feeling I am coming down with a cold.
Overtired, sore throat...
*
Asking your prayers.

Soup and Hurricane

Soup Tureen.

 

The soup.
Left overs in freezer.
*
Today Mr. Husband and I are
preparing for possible power-outage from
the hurricane.
*
Found the radio, two flashlights,
discussed water storage,
batteries;
we always have lots of matches
and candles...
Cell phones charging at all times;
weather monitoring
and
praying for those in more danger than we.

Cozy Friday

 

(Picture from summer
when Mr. Husband and I were engaged
and he got me red roses
for the first time).
*
Just wanted to say that
I am happy this day
content
and so glad
to be married to Mr. Husband.
*
And now to bake cookies...

And on towards the weekend...

 

Mr. Husband and I were given
two beautiful pear shaped candles
for our wedding.
I am thinking of getting a tray like above and
one more candle...
to go on our new buffet
after our prayer stand
(we are having one made, hopefully
to be delivered before Christmas)
icons are moved to the new prayer corner.
*
Mr. Husband is working
from home today.
I love the days he is home.
*
Today I get to bake oatmeal and raisin cookies.
The soup I made has proved to be even better
after a day of melding flavours
and Mr. Husband and I look forward to
having some for lunch.

Soup ~ Take One

I made my first vegetable soup
as Mrs. Wife yesterday.

Softened the carrots and onions first in
some water.

Added some Lenten soup broth.

 

Green beans
white Navy beans
orange and red tomatoes
a couple of tomatillos
potatoes.
Salt, pepper and a bit of curry powder.
Garlic.
*
I was hoping to make the vegan biscuits
but ran out of time;
I did however make a great fast-friendly
apple crisp!
This turned out really well.
*
The soup itself turned out pretty well for the first try.
I was going to add some lemon juice to it at the last bit
but forgot,
will have to try this for the left overs!
*
I have a lot to learn yet in
cooking
and am already thinking of
the Christmas fast and
what foods should be made...

The House of one's soul

 

(picture of house on our drive to the monastery)
*
There was one monk at the
monastery that Mr. Husband and I visited
last weekend
who only knew Russian.
*
As we were about to leave,
this monk said to us
through another monk who interpreted
that he was thinking of the
honeycomb shape of the woodpiles
that he builds.
*
I had seen these woodpiles and noticed them
for their circular shape.
They use the wood to heat their buildings in
good wood stoves.
*
He said that building the woodpiles
reminded him of
trying to build a house for his soul
and that the first few times he built the woodpile
he would get almost done
and then the whole pile would fall to pieces
and he would get so frustrated.
He can build these piles now...
*
Mr. Husband and I have talked about
things that got derailed in the last year for us;
for him he spoke of magazines he could not
keep up on;
for me it was some spiritual reading that
I had time for while I was single and working from home.
*
It is so easy to stray from looking at one's
soul and what is going on there.
And indeed one needs a good confessor to help one
understand what is going on.
*
I am still figuring out confessor and spiritual father things
here but know that I have my Ottawa spiritual father's prayers
during this time to protect me.
Meanwhile, a few thoughts on what I know I can do...
*
1. I find it imperative to keep one's lampada
(oil lamp for prayer)
(or a tea light or other candle)
lit daily and at all times
(or at least while you are in the home).
It will really help keep one steady
and can really encourage the heart
when one is feeling inward cold and fog.

2. Confession. Best house keeping for the soul.

3. Visit monasteries.

4. Have a prayer corner / area / wall / even one icon
in one's house and pray there.

5. Seek to keep a rule of prayer, no matter how small
or how badly one feels they do it.
Even, as Mat. Emily's blog post discussed,
if it is going to one's icon corner to ask
God's blessing on the day.
*
For me this includes seeking to do prayers before
I turn on my computer.
As many of my blog friends may know,
this can be a hard habit to break
if one is in that particular habit...
*
May the Lord help us build a good house
for our souls and lead us
to His heavenly house and
have mercy on us!

Blessings and sights...

I have been wanting a copy of this book
by Madeline L' Engle for a long time.
I read it years ago
and it has to do with grief
and was really helpful to me years ago.
I was giving an amazon gift card
for our wedding and today
I ordered this book after long last!

I saw these at a store today
with my new friend.

Mr Husband:
if you got those, would you still
want the soup bowls for your blue and white
set of dishes?
Mrs. Wife:
(hating to be reminded of such practicalities)
Yes.
Realizes she needs to think on this more
but admits to loving the dishes.
In part because they are Asian and
she misses Chinatown in Ottawa and
she loves the soup spoons.
She also remembers the big bowl and 4 small bowls
that have been waiting for her in MI
for years now...

Sigh,
they are pretty though,
are they not? :)

I also saw these glasses...
I am on the hunt for water goblets
and have a gift card for this store...
*
Mr. Husband:
honey, we have limited space.
Mrs. Wife:
but women are magical and can find space for anything.
Mr. Husband:
I don't believe it.
Mrs. Wife:
Sigh.
I still have to convince my husband that
women are magical
and can find room for all things...

Tuesday ~ Rainy Day ~ Lots to do

 

A nice dinner my beloved and I had
upon coming back from
the monastery.
*
Today I went on a shopping trip with
one of my new friends
and went to a grocery store in town
that I had not been to yet.
It is a lot nicer than the one
that is a bit closer to us.
And they do delivery,
just like my grocery store in
Ottawa did.
Slowly I am getting to know more
about where I live
and what it is like...
*
My husband and I talk about my blog sometimes
and we thought it would be fun to
have these blog names,
so simple really:
Mr. Husband and Mrs. Wife.
:) So it may be...
*
Mr. Husband and I have a weekly
date at the Farmers Market
and today I am getting new glasses;
the old prescription was incorrect...
at the Farmers Market we get
local produce,
including apples...
*
I am thinking of making
the blueberry muffins
by my long time blog friend Mat. Emily
had posted in the past...that
another friend and sister of Mat. Emily
referred me too...
*
Am also thinking of biscuits these days;
saw these vegan ones
and these ones take sour cream...
*
I bought some frozen organic blueberries
at the store and am going to make
I hope at one point
blueberry coffee cake that
my Mom would make
I think my Grandmother's recipe...
*
My new friend told me she uses flax seed and water
in place of egg for baked goods
in the fast periods...
so lots to try out in the future, DV.
*
It is very good to be here
but as I told Mr. Husband,
I find it tiring in terms of taking in a lot of
new information daily about my
new environment.
*
I realized I forgot to get eggs at the store.
A women's work is never done,
it seems.
*
I am thankful
and look forward to baking again this week...

Monday, monday...

 

It was such a nice weekend trip.
I just wish I knew
how to process the grief of leaving Ottawa
plus the joy of all I have now.
*
I know we cannot go back in time
and I can't tell you all how
happy I am to
have my husband
but I miss my close Ottawa friends.
*
Today is my dear friend's birthday.
A year ago we had her birthday party
right after I had lost my second to last job.
A job I can assure you
was a blessing to lose...
now this dear friend has lost
her father
and
she and I are both not in Ottawa,
she to go home to her father before he died
and I to marry the husband of my heart,
who I can't tell you enough
how thankful I am for.
*
Well,
I am so glad for my blog community.
For each of you.
Transitions are always a bit bumpy
and thank God I have someone
to see or things to do for the rest of this week
which makes it a bit easier.
It's just every day there is something new,
something that in Ottawa
was one way and now in the States where I live
is another.
*
It's nice to look through my blog;
and remember the good, the beautiful
and how I went through some years of real trial
with job searches and job loss;
and then came meeting my husband;
I met him in person for the first time
just weeks before I lost that job a year ago.
Of course then I could not tell you all about it
it was too new,
my relationship with my husband;
but here I am a year later
married to him,
my wonderful man and that first weekend
he came to visit me
I had this dinner party
and we had such a good weekend
and walks in sunshine...
*
Now we've been married just under two months...
and soon I am going to start on dinner.
Speaking of dinner;
I have extra sour cream
and am on the hunt for something to bake with it;
anyone know a good recipe?
Maybe biscuits or something else to bake?
Would love your ideas!
*
Just being able to write a bit
about the loss of Ottawa
makes me feel a bit better...
*
Now on to make my beloved a yummy
warm hot meal,
one of my favourites...
*
Do tell me if you have any sour cream ideas! :)

Weekend Away (Take Two)

My beloved husband and I went
on a road trip!

See the three Crosses?
Neat...
We saw them in the morning
on our way to liturgy.

We visited a monastery;
these visits seem like finding a sudden
surprising sunny place
after being in fog for miles and miles...

The drive back was so beautiful...

It was great to be away.
Refreshing.

We saw a cool shaped house...

Beautiful farmland...

Mountains this side of the country...

The roads were really well done
and made for more peaceful driving...

Not that I did the driving... 

I took pictures instead!

 

Small town America...
*
This week will include planning,
baking, organizing...

Lemon Bars ~ Friday Afternoon

In the States butter and margarine
are in sticks
(like the above picture)
instead of in half-cup cubes
as they are in Canada.
Can you believe that it takes two sticks for one cup!
Wow...

I made lemon bars!
They were a success!
the first layer,
with sugar, flour and margarine cut in
I did in the 9 x 13 glass Pyrex pan.
*
The second layer I mixed up in my new mixer
and it worked really well!
*
My Great-Aunt gave me the recipe:

 

As you can see from below,
I used powered sugar for the topping,
just like my Mom did when
she made lemon bars...

 

My Ortho-husband confirms that
they turned out well :)

Rainy Friday

 

Today I am really missing Ottawa...

I talked to my sister-friend 

and her darling middle asked

is Elizabeth going to come visit?

and here I am so far away... 

Dinner Table and Left Overs

Simple dinner
of Pasta
and bread and cheese.

Loving the various cheeses we were given
and the dishes I have to
grace my table with!

The baked Ziti.
It was quite good!

Fresh Bread.

My new butter dish!
I am loving it!

Lots of left overs for our freezer!
I am already thinking of who
other than my loving husband
that I can feed them too...
*
Adjusting to a new city takes a lot of energy.
We live in a smallish mini-city
but are near to a much bigger one...
I will post about that some day...
For now,
I can say that I feel a bit
wilted and tired.
*
But I am happy that the pasta turned out well!