Today's Progress and an update...

 

I am almost done with the top
of this baby blanket.
*
My cousin sent me some pictures of his
little boy.
He's so little!
I am so excited to make things for him,
this new little one;
such a miracle, the birth of a new human being.
The baby is doing well and is still in hospital.
*
So, I had the doctor's phone consult.
Got some things discussed that were really needed,
so that is good.
But let's just hope that the naturopath can help me with this
chronic mono / post-severe mono sickness.
My bio-medical doctor pretty much said
she know of nothing for it other than rest,
adjusting your life to account for the crazy fatigue
and that it is hard.
My naturopath believes it can be cured and has me
on a anti-viral supplement and other things.
*
So I will keep praying,
rest when needed and knit lots and seek to pray.
*
Thank you to each of you who took the time to comment on my blog
yesterday as I asked for prayers.
You are all such blessings to me. 
*
I am about finished with the top row of yellow on the blanket.
I am going to try to teach myself the technique of
picking up stitches.
*
Liked this post on making friends.
It's funny,
the line about don't assume if you are mother that
someone who is single and childless would not like to be
your friend.
My goodness.  
My sister-friend in Ottawa has three children and we are
really close and I used to read to her oldest two
boys before bed on a regular basis!
I talked with her the other day and my godson,
who will be two in October,
is talking and doing little prayers that go like this:
LordhavemercyMama
LordhavemercyDada
LordhavemercyBrother's-name.
I know, CUTE. :)
And good, so proud of his Mommy for instilling prayer
like this....
*
I can't wait to see them again!
I miss seeing my godchild on a regular basis!
*
Well, I best get on with knitting.
Not only do I have my cousin's godchild to knit for,
I have things for my three munchkins in Ottawa,
including the above mentioned godson,
to knit for.
Did I mention I have 15 nieces and nephews too? :)
Lots of scarves to make and hopefully
more complicated things in the future.
*
That elephant is hopefully going to be started next week,
once I get the baby blanket done,
not to mention more stitching for the September School Blanket...
*
Oh, was meaning to mention...
am doing a series of posts starting today
on marriage ~ just what I have learned.
I get a bit worried that somehow someone would think I
know more than I do ~ or something odd like that ~
so I have put a bit of a small print caveat for these posts...
Just to try to stay
hey! I love being married and this is what I have learned so far
but remember I am newly married and am not an 
expert!  
I've written the posts and they will be posted over the
next month...since I have lots of  "going-ons" in August
with family visits happening, etc...
*
So, how is your day looking??
Anything I can pray for you for and light a candle?
So wonderful to have a blog community that
prays for each other!

First Day of Summer

 

It's been a quiet day today.
Mr. Husband is working at home.
A good friend called me,
who I only get to talk to every few months
and that was such a blessing.
I was able to knit a small orange square for
the blanket I am making
while we talked :)

Last night Mr. Husband and I went to a beautiful
Catholic church for a
1 year Requiem Mass for a friend's father.
The Mass was in Latin
and beautifully sung.

As it is a fish day today,
I made fish sticks for
Mr. Husband and I's lunch.
As I was making it
I turned around and saw that
Cleo had decided that she wanted a fish stick too :)
*
I recently got news that I may have a bit
of either mono-in-recovery or
chronic-mono.
Still waiting to talk to my naturopath.
Meanwhile,
I am having a really
tired day today.
*
Do say a prayer for me.
It's been a long 4-plus months since I came down
with mono and while I am getting a lot
stronger than I was at my worst,
I am still struggling a bit with it.
*
I thank God for His mercies
and that I have so many blessings in my life,
regardless of this situation!
*
Blessed day to everyone today! 

Monday ~ Sunshine, tired and knitting progress

Well,
here we are again.
Jelly-tired legs,
sunshine,
flowers,
knitting.

Baby blanket progress!
I need to order more baby wool soon...

I finished two scarves.
A small knit scarf for a niece.
Another Christmas gift for one of my guy relatives.
Mr. Husband tried it on and it looked great
and I am quite pleased.

I started knitting yet another scarf.
Yep. Everyone is getting scarves this year!
This one is for an older niece who I think
of as a nice bright soft blue.
I love this yarn and going to need to order more.

After being home all day yesterday
Mr. Husband and I went for a small walk.
On this walk I spied a small posy of dogwood flowers.
Perfect for our icon corner,
for the Mother of God.

So Mr. Husband and I planned out
our weeks in hope that I can make it through
Holy Week.
*
I should of paid more attention to my
tired-out fading signs last week.
I guess I am a slow learner.

Mr. Husband bought me this small new rose bush.
I told him I want to transport this kitchen ledge
where ever we live in the future
(we know we will not be forever in this lovely
first home).

Resting up in hopes that I can bake later.

 

Some of me wonders if one of the reasons
I am continually ill right now
since getting
the mono
is that I went through some really challenging years
and then left my beloved home in Ottawa
and am going through an adjustment period that
involves a lot of transition, some grief, lots of learning
and a lot of energy.
It's a lot to move and have to start over.
*
I've been thinking about the
building of the house of one's soul
a lot lately and it is making a lot of sense to me.
I wonder if some of what I had in me was so
based in where I was that when I moved
some of the moorings and walls could not but
break down.
But I feel like the foundation itself is still there,
though I do not have the discernment to know
how intact or how well.
*
I am thankful that today I can rest.

Friday - a cold grey day but warm inside

Happy to say that
though I did not fall asleep until late,
I slept the night through.
First time in a long time.
That I am still tired is merely not a surprise.
I am thankful.

The tulips from an earlier day.
The purple one are starting to droop.
Going to see if I have a taller vase for them...

I am thankful for the oil for my lampadas.

 

It is almost Great Lent.
*
Mat. Emily has some great ideas for lent with small children.
The Psalter Reading Group is going again.
I signed up this year ~ my first time.
I hope I will have the strength to do it;
I have the cute green Psalter now
and hope to carve some time for this,
while sitting in my cozy corner.
*
It's been a month now since I first got sick.
Various people with mono have said it took them
between 1-2 months to recover.
I am hoping that by Pascha I will be well.
*
Other than some more link-lists I hope to do,
I am happy with how I changed my blog's layout
and look...
I had been wanting to do it for a while.
*
Mr. Husband and I finished watching
The Princess Bride.
Cute.
Mr. Husband thought it was nice to watch once
but would not watch it again.
I on other hand can see watching it again.
*
It's almost Forgiveness Sunday.
I don't know if/that I will make it to the services.
Am tired.
Such a strange time.
But God is still here with us.
*
Am still getting used to Feedly.
It seems to not have archived all of the data I
had in my Google Reader account.
More to be looked at there...
*
What is in store for your weekend?

Tuesday - cloudy but good

My yarn and needles came!
Mr. Husband saw the box when he came home:
that looks like the orange one wears when hunting.
Mrs. Wife thinks...
oh, perfect for a few nephews of mine....
hmmm...
in truth though,
this orange is already taken for my
three Ottawa munchkins.
My sister-friend's boys, the youngest of which
is my godson.
They have links to Holland and Holland's
soccer team has orange as a colour.
So clearly scarves with orange are
in order.
I am thinking orange and cream, with perhaps
some bright blue...
*
I got a size 8 circular needle
and size 29,
which is gloriously large, for a blanket
I hope to knit in the future.
*
Oh, I got the cutest colours... :)
I told Mr. Husband that we call one's
collection of yarn
one's stash
and he of course said,
hmm, sounds like when one is on drugs and
they have a stash.
Are you telling me something Mr. Husband?
I asked.
He nodded.
Ok, I had to agree, knitting can be seen as
an addiction of sorts.
But I love it in part because it makes me feel
like I am doing something useful with my time.

So I was knitting by the dining room table
after dinner as
Mr. Husband is still doing cleanup
after dinner so I can rest.
Cleo is very fascinated by the yarn.

So she took it for a bit of  a ride last night,
of course I had to take pictures
instead of stopping her...

it was rather amusing.

This morning I was sitting by the couch and
suddenly looked at this lampada and realized
it was still burning from yesterday
and I ran over and
whew, it had not cracked or run dry.
I added more oil...
and am thankful that the new wick holders are coming soon.
The floating kind make me nervous as I
like to leave them burning and
the wick holders I am getting will only let
it burn so long before it will
naturally be snuffed out,
ensuring that it will not run dry or
break...

Mr. Husband loves this cereal.
I do too,
I admit it. I try not to have too much processed
food around the house,
but somehow with Mr. Husband's penchant for
this cereal,
it stays with us...

Candle burning bright for the
newly departed...

These flowers bring me so much cheer.
I can tell that as long as the blooms last,
I will be wanting to photograph them.
I miss my Ottawa flower photograph walks.
Hopefully when I get better
from this mono I can
go on walks again
and find some flowers waiting to be photographed...

So we ordered this cheesecake
for Butter Week.
I'd never heard of this brand,
a restaurant in upper Brooklyn. 

Mr. Husband cut us a piece
each last night.
Oh my.

For once I believe what the box says.
Melt-in-mouth good-enough-for-Pascha-morning-breakfast
Wowzah!!
*
I joked with Mr. Husband that I should
eat some more when he is gone
(Mr. Husband loves, loooovveees, cheesecake)
and then he goes and surprises me and says
I need the calories to get better
and to go ahead and eat more than my share.
I assured him I would not
but how generous can my
Mr. Husband be?
Apparently very.
(shhhh, don't tell him,
since it's almost lent and we are supposed to work
on humility... :) ) 

 

Delft hidden in the kitchen.
I love it.
*
Thanks to those who left comments recently...
I changed my comment settings to open it
up for more to comment...
we will see what happens...
*
I am so thankful for my blog community.
This whole
recovering-from-mono and being-in-house-all-week
can be a bit lonely at times.
*
I am blessed to have Mr. Husband.
It could be so so much worse.
*
What are you thankful for today?

Married and it is Monday of Butter Week

I was reading a
new to me blog
and listening to what sounded to me
like rain gently falling outside...
except it was not raining.

Right.
Boiling tea that had gotten cold
on stove.
Waste not - want not!

So...
Mr. Husband came back yesterday
from our
far-away church
bursting with love, greetings and gifts
from my NJ church family.
I have not been there since the weekend
of the Florovsky conference in February
which will be a month ago this coming weekend.
(It feels like two months!)
So now Mr. Husband and I are enjoying the tin
of cookies that were sent along...
made in Denmark and full of butter.
Perfect for Butter Week!!

We have this chocolate bar to savour.

Many pots of tea to make.

Some encouragement for today.

Mr. Husband and I ordered this
very large metal funnel
for oil...
plastic does not fare well in the dishwasher
so we got this metal one.
It's hilariously huge
but perfect for pouring oil from the 1 Liter
containers into the cruet. 

Lamadas burning bright. 

Today is St. Photini's day! 
In Slavic languages, 
the name Svetlana is 
the translated name of Photini. 
I have many friends who
love this Saint.
One of my dear friends has her icon
in her kitchen; 
another friend has spoken to me about 
prayers to her regarding 
heart break and complicated relationships.
*
One of the most moving homilies I ever 
heard was when I was in library school
in London Ontario years ago
(the year before I began this blog).
*
The homilist spoke of 
the woman at the well, 
the Samaritan woman,
coming at the noon hour to draw water
and about the heat of the day
the heaviness of the water pot and 
the mere drudgery of the day,
the dustiness of it all.
I felt the weight behind the homilist's words,
that he knew of the day in and day out
drudgery of hard work and exhaustion.
*
And then
Jesus came to the well.
*
Told the woman she had 5 husbands
the one she was with now is not her husband
and led her higher and higher in 
spiritual understanding
until she realized that 
Jesus is the Messiah
and that 
she was speaking to Him
and her life was transformed forever.
She became St. Photoni
bearer of the light of Christ
and evangelized her city;
she met Christ and her 
life was changed 
forever.
She became known as equal to the Apostles. 
*
I remember how my heart rose
at hearing this homily.
How I wanted to meet Jesus too,
like this, 
how I wanted to love Christ.
*
Lord help!
*
So St. Photini is a Saint for us,
in our confused culture,
our complicated lives,
our often hectic wearying days.
*
So wonderful that today is 
St. Photini's day.

One of the lovely and heart-lifting gifts
I was given had this icon of the Theotokos
attached to it.
It reminds me of the Greek Monastery
in Quebec and I put it in my cozy corner
and there am quietly comforted....

My hand lotions in my cozy corner.
*
So I read this incredibly timely
section on Christ and loving Him
by Elder Porphyrios
So wonderful for us to read as we
prepare for Lent.
You can read it here 
*
I really recommend it
for it's beauty, instruction and encouragement.

One of the lovely gifts I was
given is the loaf of
Honey Oatmeal Bread.
*
The icon I was given was with this loaf.
*
Mr. Husband and I had some toasted
(we love toast)
last night with dinner.
Mr. Husband made a point to eat it with butter.
We often quote what one waiter said
to us on our honeymoon:
everything is better with butter.

Mr. Husband and I were given these
flowers as well.
They are so beautiful.
Purple: the colour of Lent.
They are Chrysanthemums and I love them.

 

Mr. Husband got me this rose plant
either the day we got home from our honeymoon
or the day after...
I think the day of.
I am still striving to keep it alive
and love that our kitchen window sill
has green growing plants...
*
One of my friends sent me this quote this morning
and I found it very deep and beautiful:
*
 "Before we enter the Lenten fast, we are reminded that there can be no true fast, no genuine repentance, no reconciliation with God, unless we are at the same time reconciled with one another. A fast without mutual love is the fast of demons. We do not travel the road of Lent as isolated individuals but as members of a family. Our asceticism and fasting should not separate us from others, but should link us to them with ever-stronger bonds." 

Whole article that this quote is from is found here.
*
Blessed Butter Week everyone!

Weekend - Butter Week is almost here

I found Cleo sitting on my seat
yesterday
somehow hoping for something... :)

Thankful for little things
like ice...
had a bit of a very minor mishap
in the household and ice
has solved the problem...

Mr. Husband and I are
so glad we had our
half-year anniversary yesterday.
I continue to pray that
he does not fall ill in anyway...

I ordered these last week
and they arrived yesterday!

Amazon,
so helpful for so many things.
I have long been wanting
another option for my
buffet icons
other than paraffin candles
which are not the best for health and
then there is the waste of all the small
tins that they are in...
I have used small tea light candles for a long time
and it was something I could do and afford
in Ottawa,
especially with my sister-friend and I's
occasional trips to IKEA;
thought she was concerned about all the
paraffin...
I was just glad to have the candles
as lighting them for help
and to honour the Saints and
ask their prayers
is such a blessing.
*
However,
I had been wanting to change them out
for some sort of table top
oil lampada
but I also wanted to protect the wood shelf
on my buffet from tons of oil spills.
And with me and oil and lampadas,
there is always a bit of spillage.
*
Mr. Husband and I thought about it...
I wanted some sort of saucer to go
under glass votive holders...
but where to get saucers that would be small enough
for the icons that we use
and the size of the shelf?
Normal saucers would really be crowded...
and so it went...
*
Until I thought,
wait a minute: I should use Google
to see if Amazon has smaller saucers.
And then sure enough
it turns out that there are
saucers used for Turkish tea.
So I ordered them....
they came right away,
from Brooklyn it turns out.

4 inch saucers.

I love that they are very small
and curve up so much.
They will keep the oil from spilling
on the wood shelf...
*
I am still waiting for an order
of the wick holders that I will need.
Getting them from
Holy Cross Monastery.
Mr. Husband had their catalouge from last year and
I ordered something for Pascha as well...
to be shown I hope to all
in the bright season.
*
Speaking of Pascha,
I ordered some clear votives as well
to use for the seasons of
Christmas, Theophany and Pascha.

 

I think they will work really well.
This icon of Christ
is Mr. Husband's and is the
first icon he ever had;
before he was Orthodox years ago
from Greece
where he was on business...
*
It is wonderful to be building a home
with Mr. Husband and merge things
like our icon collections...
I must say his book collection is also quite lovely.
*
As a parishioner in my Ottawa parish said
once about his own marriage to his lovely wife,
I know when I've been blessed.
*
Meanwhile,
Mr. Husband and I are looking forward to
our last meal together of meat and dairy tonight.
Left over beef-roast and vegetables. :)
*
I continue to be grateful for popsicles,
my throat is still on the mend...
I made it to our local church today;
Mr. Husband had to go to our not-so-local
church today as he is involved in
service there and was needed.
So a very gallant and kind friend who lives
near by took me with her to our
closer church and it was such a blessing
just to sit in church
(I am quite fatigued and had to sit,
mono,
it really takes the stuffing out of one)
and have Holy Communion.
*
I am so thankful.
*
Lent is going to be really different for me,
as I can't go to as much as I would normally.
But yet I feel God's protective and merciful hand.
That I needed a quieter lent and to just be home.
That said...
I am praying that our lent is not too much heavier
than our current sufferings with my mono.
May God have mercy and bring us
through to Him;
may this lent be for all of our healing of soul and body.
*
Lord have mercy
Lord have mercy
Lord have mercy!

A Friday of snow and quiet

We woke to snow this morning.

I am still having some insomnia
and in the middle of the night
I was standing,
looking at the window,
by this icon corner
wondering why I was so cold
but my face was so hot.
Then I remembered,
oh yeah,
I have mono.
Right...

I am so glad to be done with those meds
I was on for the allergic reaction.
I still feel very shaky.
But I get to eat yummy popsicles
mango is my favourite so far.
Apparently they are being renamed.

 

Today is more sleeping and napping so
far than anything else.
I thank God I can be at home
and do just that.