{May 2015: my parent's visit} ~ Visit to NYC

My parents and I went on the PATH to NYC

and had lunch with Mr. Husband.

We tooks some pictures off of a deck of the city... 

Mr. Husband said the building that looks like a ship

is an expensive hotel...

We had a great lunch and visit with Mr. Husband!

It was such a nice time!

Meanwhile.... many sweet things in life coming!

This Saturday Mr. Husband and I are 

becoming godparents to a beautiful baby girl.

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We have a blanket, icon, cute kids prayer book,

book for parents, ready.

Reception desserts ready to be ordered;

gown, cross and candles covered.

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Then Saturday night God-willing my cousin H and her son W

are coming for Canadian Thanksgiving!

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We planned this months ago and now it is almost here!

We saw them last in PEI...

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Meal will be simpler this year:

What I wrote my cousin:

 I am thinking of doing a crockpot chicken

(prepared on Sunday night) (roasted at end after it is in the crockpot), 

stuffing (premade but good), cranberry sauce, 

yams with cranberry, 

a pie...

 apple sauce and beans that we have canned, etc. 

 A lot of this I hope to have before hand and ready to go.  

My idea is that if the dinner will be really good but easy to assemble 

(considering it is Thanksgiving Dinner). 

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Sunday night: 

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I am thinking it will be apple pie with

apples sliced night before and stored.

See here for storing apples.

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Prepping yams and chicken also will done Sunday night.

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Monday we will heat/cook on stove top:

~corn (organic frozen)

~canned beans

~stuffing

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Crock pot by 8 AM:

Chicken.

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Take pizza stone out of oven.

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Beginning at 2 pm, in oven by 3 pm, 

yams with cranberry 

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Put cranberry sauce from can in 

appropriate bowls and store in fridge.

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At 4:30 pm prep for apple pie

At 5:45 put chicken into oven to brown and

yams to warm.
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Edited to add: about this time make mashed potatoes with butter!
Possible Jiffy Corn Bread to bake here also!

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Set the table if not set already.

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Put toaster oven to warming setting.

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At 6 pm check chicken, put in warmed toaster oven if 

in danger of over baking.

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At 6 pm cook corn and beans in separate pots on stove,

add salt and pepper, butter as needed.

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6:15 take yams out and keep warm with towels.

6:20 put apple pie in to bake.

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Thanksgiving Dinner at 6:30

Dessert of hot apple pie and French Vanilla Ice cream at 7:30

{Our time in PEI} ~ the Grounds of 'Green Gables' ~ a visit with family

Green Gables is a federal site seeing place on PEI.

A cousin's house of Lucy Maud Montgomery where

her famed books on Anne of Green Gables is

situated and taken from.

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I had a lovely walk there with Mr. Husband. 

Who could not walk down "lover's lane" while there with

one's best friend, one's husband?

So beautiful.

I could of spent a lot more time there

being quiet in these woods.

I heard this gentle stream... 

I can't help but wonder how the author's 

church experience could of been better....

nature is for sure a beautiful healing place

but I can't help but think of how my understanding of

Orthodox Liturgy in contrast to this.

The red clay of PEI.

Beautiful, so verdant, so well kept.

This was a new stove made to look

old and is a place that Mr. Husband and I bought

a bowl of ice cream to share.

We sat on a bench outside eating with two spoons;

a woman with children said she had not seen

anyone do this is a very long time

and that it was romantic.

This was lovely but even more lovely was just that

what we were doing was merely simple and comfortable.

I am so glad for my Mr. Husband.

Lots of flowers here, a beautiful spot. 

I am grateful that our lives included this day.

We were with my Aunt and Uncle and my 

cousin and her son that day,

who were also holidaying in this part of Canada.

It was a very lovely day.

Yarn Along ~ surprise knitting, meals and many books

 I am finding that it is so easy

to ball up the skeins if I use my knees to keep the 

circle intact :)

I can't say much about this knit as it is a surprise! 

It's coming along well though :)

This was the last of the corn and potatoes from

my parents-in-law's garden.

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Learned a new trick when frying up lots of chicken:

for our meal on Sunday we browned up two whole

organic chickens in coconut oil (with flour, salt and pepper

covering the chicken pieces) and some of it

we put in the fridge after browning and did not cook

until the next day.

It cooked up very nicely and we did not have

to worry about dried out chicken because of

baking them and then reheating.

So good!

I am re-reading Gentian Hill by Elizabeth Goudge;

it's such a special, vivid and beautiful book!

Conversations with Children continues to be a 

very engrossing and enlightening read!

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It's been a busy summer with many guests in the last weeks

and I am very grateful for it all!

August is turning up to be a busy one as well...

summer is a special time of year where

schedules are changed and the sun shines

and the pool is lovely in the early morning.

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I hope everyone reading this is doing well

and do tell us what you are reading and creating!

Yarn Along with us!