another beautiful moment

really like this

Saturday

Almost a week ago! Such a beautiful wedding 💒

I am working on a possible dinner party for the first half August!

I made my favourite muffins again!

I am so glad for the weekend! We are staying local for the next 2 weekends and I am looking forward to this! 

May God bless and protect us 🙏 

little by little

Old picture still great.... 😁

Ok so here's today's list 

1. I got my haircut today!💇‍♀️🎊🎉

2. I ordered swimming 🏊‍♀️ googles 🥸 prescription ones because I have terrible vision and swim usually with glasses on. I can't tell you how thankful I am to have insurance. Earlier in my life I didn't. That's why I am able to get this. Have wanted them for years.

3. A dear friend of mine has THE VIRUS and is quite ill. Please pray for her. 

4. I called my Husband post haircut and he agreed that we could have takeout for dinner. I took a train back home (above ground) wore a mask 😷 because I am law abiding most of the time (jaywalking a bad habit however) and I felt so unwell...hot needing water. ... once I was off the train and then home eating I revived. I was SO GLAD to have food at the ready. I don't take this blessing for granted. 🍽

5. I actually on the train wore TWO masks 😷 😷.... I understand it may be excessive but I know a lot of people here and abroad who all have THE VIRUS in the last 2 weeks. So.... I choose to feel unwell for 10 minutes (second 😷 on after train got full) ....

6. I am scheduled to go to NYC Tuesday so carefulness is advisable. 

7. I can't get the house tidy. It's like a constant battle. 

8. I worked on my writing project today. It was overwhelming me (well plus other things) so this was a real 'win' for me. 

9. It's time to wind down and get to bed.🛌😊

God have mercy on us and save us 🙏 

A Simple Meal

I made my favourite lamb lentil and rice dish! See HERE for recipe!

We enjoyed strawberries with French vanilla ice cream and a dusting of cocoa...

I rested today as I have been a bit over tired....but I have managed to take an early morning nap....

That's all for now. 

May God bless us and save us 🙏 

feels like a new beginning

Old phone lock screen ... my niece thought this picture was "so cool" 🙃😎

New phone 

I looked and looked. Found in the earliest photo in my old phone my lock screen picture. 

Here is another older picture of when it was dark and all the lights are on.

I managed to get my Instagram account switched over. So I didn't lose it completely. But I still feel that I need to go away from it. 

I am grieving it to be honest. 

But I need something different right now. 

It will take time. 

May the Lord have mercy on us. 

How fast it goes

Beautiful wedding today!

We became godparents to a 16 year old yesterday afternoon! He is a great delight to us.

We had a simple dinner tonight. 

It's very hot these days here. I am quite tired but grateful. 

May God bless us and save us....

Tuesday a Rest Day

I was quite tired today! I rested up! Also listened to talks & interviews!

And read... 

An unexpected book.... I asked my Husband for it for my names day...

....it's a "you know that you are weird when" moments.... (that I just love, that make me laugh)

I know. ☦️

😁🤣

Seriously though. If you know you know. 

Orthodox funerals are actually the most amazing experience of prayer grief hope lament faith poignancy and beauty that I have ever seen. 

And this one is a bilingual Romanian English version that Fr Roman Braga helped with pubished in 1973.

In other words for Orthodox Nerd me it's basically SUPER COOL. 😎

I love this prayer above so much. It's like perfect headstone material. 

Little known fact: I love Orthodox Monastic Cemeteries. This is the sort of thing I think about (while not being depressed either!)

And it's pretty high theology all about Repentance Hope in Christ and that we are made in the image of God...

Anyway. Welcome to the Ortho-Nerd part of my epic research project 😁📚❤️

Ok. Time to wind down. 

May God have mercy on us and save us!

from Monday

Pictures from our Parish Feast Day! So beautiful...

A Romanian Princess who became an Abbess

I was looking up pictures of Mother Alexandra (a Romanian Princess who founded a Monastery in Ellwood City PA) and found some talks recorded in 1975.  I am sharing them below.  Above are two framed pictures (post cards) I have of her.  

Steps in the Spiritual Life - Part 1 - Mother Alexandra (Princess Ileana of Romania)

Steps in the Spiritual Life - Part 2 - Mother Alexandra (Princess Ileana of Romania)

Steps in the Spiritual Life - Part 3 - Mother Alexandra (Princess Ileana of Romania)

Steps in the Spiritual Life - Part 4 - Mother Alexandra (Princess Ileana of Romania)

Steps in the Spiritual Life - Part 5 - Mother Alexandra (Princess Ileana of Romania)

Steps in the Spiritual Life - Part 6 - Mother Alexandra (Princess Ileana of Romania)

I found Part 4 first so I listened to that one so far.  

I found this to be a special find!

May we have her prayers! ❤️🕯🙏

a beautiful feast day!

I got my new phone! I still have more to do to set up my phone but so far it's working well!  The voice activated talk text is working much better on my new phone! And I'm able to blog pictures again on my phone! 

So that is a noticeable improvement! I don't however have have my pictures from today so I will keep this short…

I do not have Instagram on my new phone. I'm not sure if I'm going to try to have it or not.

One thing at a time!

May God have mercy on us all!

NYC on a Sunny Thursday!

I worked super hard on my writing today - left at 8, got in about 9 am to library, set up, then had breakfast (tea and a homemade bar), then research with break for lunch and going to the MET for other research, leaving library at 7 getting home after 8! 

It's a good thing I am a librarian, some of the research I am doing is fairly involved... but I am figuring it out! Sometimes one abstract (of an article) at a time! 

I got two novels from my library, Anne Tyler's latest novel and a YA novel that I read part of at the library and wanted to finish! 

It's been a long day but a good one.  ... I walked 13k steps, it was sunny, I had ice cream: 

Well, it's late now and I had a very full day.  

It was so good to have this day, it felt really refreshing and encouraging because I was able to have time to really sit down and do some research... 

May God bless protect and save us! 

What Day Is It Again?

 

I've made the vegan cranberry muffins 3 times in the last week and a half.  They are so delicious.  Recipe at top of this post.  I finally added it to my recipes page.

I drank so much tea today.  It was impressive.

Our days are so busy.  Last month was incredibly busy with family visits, etc.

DV I am going to NYC tomorrow to resume work on my writing project.  I am relieved to be starting this again.  It's what I have to do right now and by this I am being taught a lot.

I got to see, when I was in MI, one of my oldest friends.  I really don't have a lot of friends left there but she is one for life and I thank God for her. 

Earlier I thought it was Friday; I promptly called my Mom after realizing it was Wednesday and then forgot that it was, indeed, Wednesday! 

It is late now, so for now, may God bless and keep you, make His light shine upon you... 

Tuesday Feast Day

Today was St Peter and Paul day! 11 years ago my priest in Ottawa gave me the blessing for my Husband to know about me (I knew about him for a month and a half before he knew about me).  We will be married 10 years DV this September! 

So liturgy was beautiful.  The flowers, stunning.  I got to have this Feast twice as I was at the Monastary in Michigan (on new calendar as they say) and had it there... the unity of St Peter and Paul is so beautiful... 

I've been thinking a lot about unity and what it means as a Christian to both desire unity with God (union with, communion...) and unity with others (that they shall be one) ... 

I got some new books (Orthodox books from a Monastery in England that I got via 8th Day Books which is lovely.

So we do have these.  We really hope it is not that plus more.  You can imagine that this has been a stressor for us!  

We are already brainstorming how we may deal with this (could be that our crawl space above the ceiling will need to be examined and that means emptying the pantry again (just refilled it a week ago exactly).  Because I have sciatica (as far as we know), doing that much work can equal being in pain.  So, we are researching hiring someone to do this for us.   

I have researched new cell phones.  Soon that will probably be over.  

I managed to get my writing table clean! That was a feat. 

I did a bit of reading and brainstorming for my ongoing writing project.  That was good. 

I had my first ice cream cone of the season! My Husband and I made a trip to Trader Joes to pick up their French Vanilla Ice Cream. :) 

Well, it's time to work towards bedtime.  I have so much to do and will just have to keep working on it all. 

May God save us and have mercy on us!

Saturday adventures

Last night my Husband and I were talking....

....and suddenly discovered these above us on the wall. A whole swarm of them 😳😳😳😳😳😳

Of course we texted neighours and arranged for professional help to come...

In other news, I just love a good black tea with cranberry muffins. ❤

I am working on getting used to doing some manageable strength training... 1 lb weights to start with.... I have lost some arm strength and at 45 that is just NOT OK. So a new goal....

I am going to try to post a picture via my chromebook as I thought the muffin on the pretty plate (Royal Albert!) was darling 🥰

A Friday in July

Still have not replaced my phone. My phone doesn't let me load pictures here so this post is without any. 

I went swimming this morning! Woke up at 5 AM so I listened to early prayers live at my home Monastery  And I made my favourite vegan orange cranberry muffins.  

I went to Harney and Sons in Soho NYC yesterday! Refilled both my Royal Palace tea and Decaf Paris tea! Walked about 5 miles!!! 

You can imagine that with the early morning and yesterday's walking that I am tired today!

My Dad had minor knee surgery today thank God that it went well ❤ 

I made a simple pasta earlier this week: a smaller jar of pasta (about the size of a can of vegetables) 2/3 of a box of macaroni and a can of drained white beans. We put nutritional yeast on for "cheese" ... it was simple and tasty!

I am just loving having pots of tea... 

I hope you have some encouragement today! May God help us!

Well, I'm Back

 

Picture of the church in Michigan where I became Orthodox 18 years ago this August. 

My Husband and I had a month long adventure... we drove to Michigan the Friday of Memorial Day weekend... it was one of the best trips out we've had yet.  Thank God we left early and missed the storms...

My beloved worked remotely (a new perk because of the pandemic) most of the time he was there... he drove back by himself (we were all praying!) as I had to be at my foster-nephew's birthday party this past weekend... and I had a wonderful long monastary visit that was a real balm to my heart... the birthday party went well... and I met some of the now 3 year old's birth family and that went well... it's not easy (the grief) and I can't write about it more but I can say that I have a lot of hope and am praying a lot about this. 

I got some great advice (and research time!) for my writing project at the Monastery... I can't tell you what a deep blessing that time was... I only can wish everyone would have such blessings! 

I got back last night... my Husband picked me up... and today he helped me put the pantry back to rights... we had to empty much of it so that we could have our AC fixed back in May! 

I really felt like I had a journey this past month, and a lot of it was grieving what we hoped for (an adopted newphew) and adjusting to how things were going. I definetly had a lot of grieving and processing.  Thanks to everyone who has left comments and/or prayed for me (and family) about this...

I feel like my head is back on straight.  Now tomorrow DV I hope to finish cleaning the house (mostly done now! that pantry was a lot of work!).  And then I have to get back to my writing project.

I am mostly off Instagram right now (sorry about that) but I realized that I need to devote more time to the writing project and Instagram is quite addictive for me and I would lose too much time on it.  And I feel very called to my writing project and realized I could not do everything. 

Well, that's what's going on in my world.  I pray that God will have mercy on all of us and save us!