Friday, Hot and Sunny ~ with reflections on things read

 

The above are the squares I have done
so far plus the other yarns I hope to use for this blanket.
*
Today is a tired day.
*
Mr. Husband is home,
we are eating simple ~ salads, almonds and baked potato.
While I am really tired today,
I am honestly grateful that I have the opportunity to rest
and be in a peaceful place.
*
I am making good progress on the book
on Abbess Thaisia.
She built an incredible female Orthodox convent
in her time as Abbess,
plus other churches as well.
It is hard to believe that within two years of her
falling asleep in the Lord
the Russian Revolution of 1917 happened.
The Orthodox church was quickly under attack,
priests, bishops and monastics (monks and nuns)
were killed, churches and monasteries
destroyed.
*
It has been wonderful to read the book
Everyday Saints
because it gives an idea to us of what was
going on during this time.
*
Mr. Husband is well-versed in history and
has a better memory than I.
*
We have talked together about the
similarities of the French Revelation
and the Russian Revelation
in terms of it's awful desecration and destruction of
churches, monasteries and murdered clergy.
*
I do not know why I was never taught this.
Why I never knew that the Church was under such
attack during these times.
I have known about the persecution of Christians in Russia
before communism fell
yet every time I read about it I am shocked.
*
This blog in general is one in which I do not write about
these things ~ but yet ~ I think it is so
important that we know about them.
*
Mr. Husband has said many times that
these times in history were ultimately
satanic and I cannot disagree.
*
Our world here is changing quickly;
we are so spiritually weak.
Things are increasingly
anti-Christian,
not to mention anti-human dignity
and it seems against all forms of traditional living
(including farming, bee-keeping).
*
It is a fight to the end to be a Christian;
the temptations are often subtle and
sometimes not so subtle!
*
But with God there is always hope...
not the promise that things will be easy
but that God is with us.
*
This new post on God as our Father
is a comfort to us...
*
Lord have mercy on us!
Lord save and protect us!

Sunny Thursday ~ new icons and knitting

I am waiting to hear about the
young adult who is in hospital.
Praying....

I was very happy to get new icons from
this monastery that Mr. Husband and I go to.
This icon is special to me as it is
the monastery's three main icons.
*
The one on the left is St. Mary of Egypt;
I had always wanted her icon and am so happy
to have it now! 

I also got this small diptych
of St. Xenia and St. Matrona.
I had been wanting one of St. Matrona for sometime,
so this was a real blessing!

I am about half-way through reading this book
on Abbess Thaisia.
She went through so many trials yet God
brought her comfort and help in the midst...
It's a real treasure of a book...
of course the reality that a Christian has to bear his or her
God-given Cross is not easy but
God promises to help us...
*
I have been making some new pages on my blog...
the one on Elizabeth and Family
I wrote as a further introduction
since with knitting I am
meeting some new to me people...
And I made one today that I will update as I can
on books I am reading this year...
doing this in part for my own record and
as a place to share books and links on or about them.

I am making a new knitting project ~
a small baby blanket for a
girl's doll.
I am using a 100% wool fingerling weight yarn
and have double stranded it for this knit.
The yarn was 50% off so I bought it :)

I am realizing that I enjoy working with smaller
knits and love the creativity in discovering what
I can do with different sizes of yarn.
Ravelry here.
*
For my yarn quilt
I am well on my way ~ I've made so far
cream, blue and red squares.
Question: I am thinking of using the
fingerling weight wool yarn 
to knit the squares together.
Would using wool yarn/thread to do this 
backfire because it is wool and may shrink?
The yarn I am using for the squares is
washable mainly or all acrylic yarn...
*
I am still tired from all of our travels but
have been so encouraged from
my visits to monasteries.
*
God is good to us and will bring help to us in
His timing...