Friday and a blur of days

I made beef stroganoff. 

I think this is one of my most favourite pictures of this week.

The week has been good, busy and trying to not have it too busy

but it is very full. 

Lesson: if you forget and add the sour cream at the beginning of the cooking,

just add more at the end (what I did not do until had this again 2 days later)

and it will taste more like it should... 

These muffins are from an older Joy of Cooking recipe and

my local friend brought them to tea and I still have not had time

to make it myself, but hope to tomorrow...

I had a lovely lunch with this friend from our local church...

and a good walk too!

Cleo loving on my beloved red satchel. 

She's having some litter box issues.

I have researched it and am trying some new ideas

next week, once everything I ordered comes.

I had a very beautiful tea, that I want to share more about later,

with another local friend this week,

we had not had tea in months and it was so nice to catch up.

We are studying an incredible book at my local church:

Acquiring the Mind of Christ: Embracing the Vision of the Orthodox Church 

by Abbot Sergius Bowyer

My quilting friend and I tried the lovely

White Truffle (translated from Dutch) tea.

It's lovely, very rich, fragrant... 

 I got out every jam and dessert topping I have in the fridge for the lunch!

As you can see, I have a fridge full of goodies, just waiting for friends to come

and share them with! 

We had crepes for lunch on Thursday...

Did I mention that we had a mishap 2 weeks ago with a grocery delivery?

they are being much more careful with the kombucha bottles now...

Picture from last night's dinner of left overs.

***

Pray for Issac Lamberetson (now tonsured as Monk Joseph) as he is 

battling cancer.

Many of the Akathists we have in English are his work

and we owe a great deal to him in this way!

***

I've managed a walk Mon-Thursday.

Will keep trying...

***

Don't worry if I don't always blog like I used to,

it's just that I am trying to balance a lot of things and still

have the rest and quiet I need...

***

Thanks everyone for your encouragement on Monday and your prayers!

May God save and protect us!
***
Edited to add:



Forgot to mention that thanks to Anna I have been
listening to some very lovely piano music that has brightened up this week.

{My time in Ottawa} ~ my home away from home

My dear friend's daughter painting.

Notice her lovely artist smock/apron and white painters pallet!

*

I and my husband have one friend who we both knew

before we knew each other.

And this lovely Orthodox woman is a wife to a good Orthodox man and mother of two 

very cute kids... 

including the one pictured above 

(with her permission of course!)

*

I guess because I stay with them and their place

is like my 'home away from home' in Ottawa, 

most of my pictures are of their kids

and not their actual home.

*

All my visits to my church and other friends would not be 

possible with out these dear friends who I stay with.

*

And the continued help I get from them by just living with them

is wonderful; and they belong to the Orthodox jurisdiction that I and 

Mr. Husband belong to so there is a lot of continuation with them

and it is most wonderful to stay with them when I am in Ottawa.

*

I always feel welcomed and at home there

and we share the same church and are very much

on the same page on many things, 

including our perspectives on food, medicine, homeopathy 

and having homes with lots of icons and Orthodox books.

*

I got to go to their church for part 4 of the Saint Andrew's Canon 

and it was so nice to be there.

*

I always feel that we are on the same journey

and it is wonderful to share life with them.