{Homemaking} ~ Decorating our Home for Christmas

Decorations need not be complicated to be beautiful...

I got this candle holder / ribboned vase last year at 

St. Nectarios Monastery. 

The Nativity Icon is from Holy Dormition Monastery...

Friday, oh Friday...

I woke early this morning, insomnia.

I feel like I am in the middle of a million things

and my heart is having a hard time containing it all.

As if my heart is at once both joyful and light

but yet on the floor weeping.

*

I've had the joy of finally baking again.

I accidentally bought too many apples

in the confusion of weeks and last week's fridge adventure.

I baked up an apple cake.

It's in the freezer safely wrapped up tight.

*

I have been using my new measuring cups

and just love them.

They are easier to clean, can mix cinnamon and sugar in the 

measuring cup, pour easily...

just have to be careful not to drop them or put them

near the edge of the counter when baking.

*

I baked the apple cake on Wednesday

and Mr. Husband asked if it was fasting, but no, 

it was not so I quick whipped up a so all

batch of apple crisp from Katherine's recipe
that is now taken down...thankfully I had Mr. Husband print it!

(I miss her blog, but just know she needed

to go 'underground' for need of silence)

I hope to blog about this recipe in the future

so all is not lost...

The apple crisp was lovely with coconut oil,

raw sugar and maple syrup.

*

Then after dinner, I cut up more apples and made

two loafs of Dutch Apple Cake.

Both in freezer as well.

*

The house has smelled so good with baking...

*

Yesterday I baked two loaves of

cranberry orange bread.

 In the middle of that,

while the bread was rising,

I went on another 1 hour driving lesson.

Half of it in normal city driving, speed limits

generally slow from 25 to 35 mph.

Then I did a good 20 plus minutes on the NJ turnpike.

I need to get used to highway driving and did so 

during rush hour.

It was intense, hard to keep my speed up, and I was

rather miserable side instead of enjoying it.

I just could not calm down/get over my nerves.

*

At least I got to go back home and finish baking

the bread....

*

And then my boots came!

And they fit!

est miracle!

*

I've been listening to these sermons and 

thinking of Ottawa.

I've been missing French and wishing I could take it again.

But seriously, I have too much going on to do it.

*

I am still working on building a life here

and once again it takes so much time and energy.

I am a person who is an introvert but who in Ottawa

had a good amount of friends,

some of who are no longer there either,

and I am really missing these.

*

I am thankful for my new life,

but just aware that I am still in the building stage of it

and it's hard and tiring at times.

*

I really appreciated this article on loneliness

and what to do about it.

*

I ordered a Christmas tree last night.

YES, that early.

A reviewer of it posted this 'real life' photo of it:

It was well under $$100.00 mark and I got three strands of lights for it.

My very Geeky Mr. Husband helped me with how many lights for it.

The conversation went like this:

How big is it?

He then asked me to look up circumference formula ...I googled it and found:

and right away Mr. Husband uses the formula, just standing there and says,

Ok, it's going to be :

120 inches to go around at bottom, at top, 24 inches (or less) around at top

and with cord length two strings will be:

6 times around with two of them, 1 every foot 

So I got three strands, as I want it more than every foot 

and we will go from there.

*

I got one strand of hanging twinkle white lights.

I am thinking of the two big windows

perpendicular to where the tree will be.

I bought a wreath for our door.

Simple.

*

I told Mr. Husband before that if I ever had to 

choose what a church would be named for,

it would be Holy Nativity.

*

It's the beginning of our salvation,

it is God Emmanuel,

God with us.

*

It is the hope of all the earth,

of all the heavens and the deep...

*

God is with us,

let everyone understand, 

that God is with us...

I can still hear my Ottawa spiritual father sing it in 

Great Compline for Christmas...
*
It will be my DV third Christmas here...
I still can't think of what the music for Christmas sounds
like in my new church, but I know
it will be beautiful and Christmas Eve
esp. special...
*
I am grateful:
God is with us.

Decorating for Nativity ~ Cozy, Christmas and Lampadas Lit

Almost everything is decorated for
Christmas now.
I love lighting my lampada for the Nativity every morning.

I saw this plate at a thrift store in MI
when I was there with my Mom this past
Thanksgiving.
I love it's simplicity and vintage. 

My handmade Nativity Glass Bulb from Romania,
with knit square under it from my Oma.

 

A handmade ornament from my family for this Christmas.