Thursday, January 22, 2026

A Quiet Thursday with pots of tea and delicious food


Another quiet day at home. It's been a very good day. I got some more writing done. I'm absolutely loving this book. Very short on Einstein.  I chatted with a very dear friend. I enjoyed having the rest of the chicken pot pie which was ginormous! I had a bowl of chicken soup for dinner. I also enjoyed the scone that I'd gotten earlier which my husband said I might as well eat because he hasn't gotten to it. 

I must say I like Tea and Sympathy scones better!  They'll both are good.  Harney and Sons has a bit too much sugar for me. 

I was able to get some laundry done today.  

Grief is a strange thing. I went through a day or so where I couldn't read Lee Smith's novel at all. Today I read a little and it felt stable again. I think I was in so much grief that I couldn't take it. Of course the book has a lot of sadness in it....

I'm so glad that we have such days like I've had today. It wasn't always an easy day but it was a day of quiet. And I desperately needed it. We're getting a snowstorm this weekend. I'm already thinking I need to husband the milk I have! I have enough. I just really like hot chocolate! And I figured out that lactose-free milk being sweet added to cocoa alone is really good without extra sugar. 

The heart-shaped block of tea has rose petals in it. It's really good and I plan on using it again tomorrow. It says you can steep it twice, but actually it's such a profound amount of tea that you can use it more than twice! 

It's funny how grief is that thing that feels like it's swallowing you whole or like you need to yawn or you're desperately hungry and don't know why. Then you realize oh it's only grief. 

But grief takes time as does everything in life. And I've had many good moments today and clearly really good food. I'm extremely blessed and I'm very thankful for that.  

May God have mercy on us all.

Wednesday, January 21, 2026

Wednesday, quiet after a NYC day


Today was a harder day. 

Another layer of loss.

I am wrestling with the need to rest and the feeling that I am very short on time.

I am very glad for the day at home alone tomorrow.

I am loving the organization of my books and journals at my reading table.

I had a lot of tea and hot chocolate today.

So many blessings.

May God have mercy on us.

Tuesday, January 20, 2026

NYC in the glorious cold

New York was really good today! I had breakfast with my beloved husband and then I did some shopping picture above of the things I successfully found! The books I got out from my library the ones on quantum physicists are for my writing project and the Agatha Christie is my comfort read/brain break.  

I had been wanting some new makeup brushes and was quite grateful to find these on clearance! I double-checked with the regular price things at Marshalls as T.J Maxx didn't have what I wanted and it was the best price for exactly what I wanted! And much cheaper than the pharmacy or Sephora! 

Well, $20 is a lot of money. It's actually a very affordable meal in this part of the world! For what it was and for what I'm able to pay. For which I'm quite grateful. So I had the soup and I got mint tea instead of soda and had that for lunch! It was perfect as I'd had a big breakfast! By which I mean I had a lot of scrambled eggs, a nice chunk of potato, one piece of bacon and granola and yogurt with toppings plus 3 cups of tea. So as you can see breakfast was quite substantial!  🤣😳🧐🤔☺️

Anyway, then I had half of the chicken pot pie for dinner tonight. It was a very big portion as you can see in the pictures above! Because that's only half! I'll have the other half God willing on Thursday when my husband will be at work and I will be home! So the $20 actually was four meals for me! So $5 a meal isn't so bad! Americans or North Americans that is in certain restaurants. At least we get huge portions. I've learned portion control over time though it's always an ongoing effort. I also walked almost 7 mi today! I did eat a little more snacks that is is and a bottle of kombucha and I had tea and some nuts. And I'll probably eat a little bowl of Cheerios tonight yet. I usually do something like that. 

I was out of Trader Joe's chocolate almonds which is something I'm usually never out of! I know that means I'm very spoiled clearly! Anyway, I really like them and I use them in the following way. Often in between meals when I'm busy doing things at home, I'll feel like I'm dragging a bit and I will go and eat just one chocolate almond and have something to drink and feel much better. So I'm glad to have these again! 

All this talk about food has gotten me hungry again! That bowl of Cheerios and more tea will be quite enjoyed! 

I hope that I can keep up doing walks more regularly again. I've really been regaining strength as I was so sick from October through December. It's such a blessing to have a period of better health. May God have mercy on all of us. 

Monday, January 19, 2026

Beautiful Winter Snow for Theophany 2026










Beautiful Snow.
***
Liturgy was lovely.
***
I was also very tired as I had an interrupted night's sleep and had to walk 
around after almost falling asleep on my feet...
***
The chili was enjoyed by many as was the cornbread!
***
This is a very busy season for me, 
which is good but the balance for rest is always a 
work in progress... 
tomorrow I am going to NYC... 
a little shopping and then to my library...
to do some work... 
Wednesday-on I am home, and Thursday 
I get to be home alone, God willing, all day.
***
I got some new teas today... a real blessing...
***
Life is lived in-between events - days that I am preparing for guests.
days reading and writing - days of church - it's hard to define - 
it all goes so quickly, doesn't it? 
***
Someone I like very much suggested a goal for my writing but it is just
not doable.  Not with the 12 days of Christmas, having various dinners and such.
These take a lot of preparation... 
***
Today was liturgy, the drive there and back, a long walk and then dinner 
preparation, dinner itself... 
***
And so it goes.
***
May God have mercy on us.

Sunday, January 18, 2026

🎄 12th Day of Christmas 🎄


A good day. Liturgy locally.  Enjoyed tea after at home.  Coffee hour was good.  I made chili tonight and a dish of corn bread 

I taped up the chili because, God willing, I am bringing this to coffee hour after liturgy for Theophany tomorrow.  I was not taking chances of leaking, masking tape for the win :)

I have not made anything for coffee hour, foodwise, in probably a decade! It's not a huge pot of chili but is something.

Thanking God for His mercy 🙏🩷🕯️

Saturday, January 17, 2026

11th Day of Christmas

 




















Yesterday was a very good day!

Some last minute changes as the family with the young kids, one of them got sick

and we did not want to risk getting sick ourselves so we had a party of 4

(including my Husband and myself) instead of a party of 8 total.

So I switched out the table for a table of 4 and was up by 7 getting everything ready;

there's always so many last minnute details. 

I always quick do the hall bathroom a spray down with glass cleaner wipe 

and put out fresh (this time Christmas) towels and light a candle.

Made the salad, refigured out dessert as the cookies I wanted to use were esp.

for the little kids... because I have this super fun music tin to use with them...

and made the Caesar salad, got out the two things for pizza and all that...

sliced an organic lemon for the water, got out only 4 Christmas crackers...

It went well, was really fun and I managed by God's grace to wash the dishes this morning!

I had dishes from the day before and then the glasses we used (since I used paper plates

and paper napkins). 

The pizza ended up having to be reheated, we think we called the place too soon and then

got home with it too soon and then well, we reheated it and it was better!

***

I changed the coffee table decorations back as I had them for the little boy and 

for adults wanted what I normally have... 

***

So that was good.

***

Joy and Sorrow, they are intermixed and there is times that you give 

of yourself to provide a special time for others and other times that you need

time just to rest again...

***

May God have mercy on us.