Goodbye to our first home as a married couple

Bedroom.

Office with the windowsill that Cleo loved.

My beloved kitchen window

that my flowers and icons were on.

We left the place clean and much loved

as our first home of our married life.

Woosh ~ Day 5 ~ Tiring ~ Crazy Thunderstorm with Lightning

These boxes are two deep...

Mr. Husband's chair of over 20 years is now gone.

We will be getting a much better chair for him.

Strangely the new place did not have much

for hanging towels so we picked some out...

*

My Mom came to our place by taxi

to help me pack more yesterday afternoon.

I am really tiring out now.

The packing just does not end it seems.

I thought we could get it all done on

Thursday but I ran out of steam.

*

My Mom and I got groceries for the week,

then made dinner and packed the car to go to the new place.

Just as we were leaving,

big drops of rain started and soon it was 

a downpour,

the water dancing and bouncing off the streets,

intersections soon filling with rain soaked puddles.

*

So it was in a downpour, with thunder and lightning

that we brought stuff into the new place.

In the middle of that craziness,

my least important tea pot crashed to the ground

(I am so glad it was that on, as it was just one I had

bought from IKEA years ago, not one

that was given to me by someone else)

and I was cleaning up broken glass while rain was

pouring and thunder and lightning was keeping me praying

Lord have mercy!

Lord protect me!

St. George help me!

St. Menas help me!

*

It had broken near the sidewalk and was clear glass,

so I really did not want to be responsible for someone

not seeing it and cutting their foot!

I am pretty sure thanks to God's mercy

that we got it all.

*

We dropped off the stuff, said a quick hi to my Dad

and in the middle of that the home depot guy called for me

to drop off stuff; by then it was an official flash flood warning

and I told the guy to just go back to the store where it was safe!

This was just after I cleaned up the broken glass.

Crazy.

*

We got home safe thank God to our old place

and Cleo and had a quiet rest of the evening.

*

I was really hoping to have all packed by now so we could just 

be at the new place and unpack the library

but we are just not done here at the old place

and my energy is flagging.

*

Thank God we have till Tuesday to have it done.

It's just odds and ends now that always take

longer than one thinks they will...

*

Still, I am thankful... 

Our New Home ~ Part One of Many ~ Thanks for your prayers

New kitchen.

Will be repainted this week, 

God willing.

Icons in every room.

We prayed in front of these icons our first night

that we owned this place,

last night and sang

Christ is Risen from the dead,

trampling down death by death

and upon those in the tombs

bestowing life! 

As Mr. Husband blessed our new home

with holy water in the shape of the Cross

and I asked our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ

to bless and sanctify our home,

and have all the Holy Heavenly Angels be within.

*

Today dear friends of ours helped move things 

and we have new keys.

Thanks for your support this morning.

The slightly damaged sink 

we have determined by consulting with 

our friends that we must of just missed it;

the damage was not at all new.

So it is.

*

We move DV in a week and a half.

My parents should arrive tomorrow

to paint and prepare! 

*

We are tired but thankful.

Packing, Mess, Cleo, Beauty and Love

Love.

My Aunt H. gave me this paper box when I was a kid.

I saved it and many of the papers.

They are all used now;

Mr. Husband wrote me many notes and cute poems.

They make me feel really loved.

I put them all back in the box today so they can be packed.

Mess.

We have boxes to be boxed,

boxes packed, 

boxes everywhere...

Cell phone shots of things at home depot.

 

Closet doors I wish to have.

Beauty.

New icons up at church on our iconostasis.

Cleo apparently wants to be packed too :)

She's currently happily ensconced in this box,

in the sunshine, 

bathing.

That's one way to not look at the mess of boxes... :)

Changes, always changes

I remember when my cousin, her son and my Aunt,

her mother, drove me down to NJ

and we were at some small town diner in 

countryside of New York 

and the sensible young son got 

chicken strips

while I ordered sweet potato fries. 

Now for chicken strips in Canada the dip of choice

is plum sauce. 

And for sweet potato fries, a cranberry mayo.

So we asked for both condiments and the woman

serving us was like,

you're all not from around here are you?

as she had never heard of such luxuries ( :) ).

*

Well, I have yet to find the mayo

but did find a fairly similar plum sauce:

for shoprite and it is made in Canada.

Need I saw more? :)

*

Well about the changes.

We were going to have packing help

and boxes delivered.

Our packer has since poor guy

dislocated his shoulder

so Mr. Husband and I are packing away today,

ordered not as healthy food as seen above

(Domino's with what we call mordor chicken

with mango habanero sauce (YAY!))

and we are planning on going out to Home Depot

to buy boxes...

*

Prayers Requested!

Worse but Better?

Whew, after much time on the telephone...

Here's what we know now:

~the close is one day worse than we thought 

(as in more time before we close, making it over half a month's

difference than our original close date).

~Our mover was able reschedule our move for after

Memorial Day instead of before Memorial Day.

All we know is what we are promised:

that God is good and that He will work it out.

Please pray for us as we try to 

make new plans...

Sunshine, Not being in control but trusting God, Cleo and our current home library

What a long title to a blog post! 

But that is what I have to write on this morning.

But first, it is St. George Day today! 

We must take heart! 

*

Well, we got an answer that we are 

looking to confirm is final last night.

It looks like we are not getting

 the close date we wanted.

It is still in May but much later than

what we had hoped for.

Today will have many phone calls to start planning

based on this new date.

*

Meanwhile, I thought I would show some things around the house 

so I can remember things before everything is packed up for the move.

I was mailed this lovely vintage dress as a wedding gift.

It is too small for me (the giver knew only my husband

so while I look thin, it's more illusionary, as

I am more on the thin-looking-solid size 10 or something

depending on the brand).

Anyway, I had the dress as a cheery decoration on this door

of our bedroom closet for over a year and after

taking some pictures of it,

put it in the discard clothes pile as Mr. Husband is right:

we must let go of what we can before we move.

*

So all the Fiesta ware dishes are pretty much packed,

so we are using our blue willow found at rummage sale dishes now.

Since the Fiesta ware dishes had boxes made for them that we kept

this was the easiest to box up.

I eat Cheerios some days for breakfast

and Cleo often loves the little bit of milk that is left! 

The two icons you can't see in this picture are

old ones of St. John the Baptist and the Mother of God.

They came with the gift of the dress and were 

most appreciated.

The Paschal Resurrection icon is one that was Mr. Husband's 

and I believe is also the one, in a large size, that is at

my first Orthodox church, 

in the Altar... 

When I wake up in the morning I see this icon right away;

it is bracing, courage giving and heartening. 

Other icons,

Optina Fathers, the Mother of God, St. Stephan... 

candle from sister-friend from when we both lived in BC...

*

So this is our current library,

it's in our bedroom as we did not have other space for it.

Much of what you see here are all my books, icons, pictures.

Billy Bookcases, IKEA.

Mr. Husband's Dad put them together before we 

were married.

The corner icon shelves.

We have doors for this shelf too for when 

it will no longer be in a corner like that;

these we hope will all DV be in our future

library/guest room/chapel. 

St. Irene of Chrysovalantou, St. Boris and Gleb,

I still remember when I got that icon, 

my Ottawa spiritual father told me they are Passion-Bearers,

Bearers of Sorrow..., 

St. Ephraim Ephraim of Nea Makri

This icon of him (far left of picture) was at my church

in a time when icons that were at church, left for years 

from others in the past, were being distributed.

I noticed this one and asked my spiritual father about it.

He said the Saint's name and to look him up.

And so I did and found much,

including how this holy Saint helps young people,

rescuing them...

Picture of Mother Alexandra in a frame

on top left in the above picture.

I've written how she is an inspiration to me

and shows what it means to be a Mother...

I know people who view her as a Saint and 

I am so very glad I have this picture of her.

My family wedding picture corner in our bedroom...

How I love and will miss this morning view!

This was a wedding gift;

sadly got a bit wet but I am still glad I have it.

All in the end will be solved by love.

*

Please pray for us as we try to prepare for our move

and wait final confirmation of the close date. 

*

May God help and comfort us!

Moving...

A friend and I were emailing the other day

about the many times we have moved;

more and more of us have been in more than 10 places in ten years,

if one tallies them up.

School, new job, home, summer job, new school...

and before one knows it moving has been something done many times.

*

Yet I don't find moving easy.

*

Thank God we found packing help this time

and my Mom and I will pack DV also,

but still, it's never easy.

*

So:

Tell me, what are your best moving and packing tips?

And unpacking?

*

Would love to hear!

Fia Sauce in NJ

One of my favourite dishes to make in
Ottawa was Fia Sauce.
I made it at least twice with an additional meat sauce
added into it for
Pascha dinners on Bright Friday.

I managed to make it last night.

Added the spices needed,
including fresh Basil.
Slow cookers can be great for meal prep.!

I used to use the
No-Name Italian Plum tomatoes.
I could not find that here
so used the above tomatoes.
Well,
It was OK
but I was really looking for
Italian Plum tomatoes in Tomato juice,
not pureed tomato sauce with tomatoes.
So it was a different sauce this time.

Well we had a small three person lunch today.

The sauce,
plus fried mushrooms and a spaghetti pasta
I put in my soup tureen to make it simple.
It was pretty good but I've made better.
*
I hope to make lasagna with the rest of the sauce,
or most of it.
*
The sauce also freezes well.

I had some bread out with
vegan margarine.

 

And a simple green salad.
*
We were not sure exactly when the guest could make it
so it was nice to have everything ready and covered
while we waited.
*
It is a challenge to know what to make for a quick
over lunch visit that is on a Fasting Friday.
*
What are your quick fasting lunches that you make?
I would love some suggestions!
*
Well,
I am going to try to finish up the first baby blanket
I made a while ago...
*
I have to keep counseling myself to be patient with my
building a new life here in NJ.
The dinners I had in Ottawa took time to organize
and I know with the way it is for Mr. Husband and I
with where we live and me having mono
have meant that I can't be out
trying to meet people all the time.
*
A good friend told me once that it takes at least 3 years
to build a new community where one moves to.
It's been 8 months now
(here I thought it was only 7 months!)
but things got a bit derailed with me getting mono in
month 5.
*
And so it goes.
I am grateful for Mr. Husband and that I have
the opportunity to build a life with him.
*
What are you thankful for today?

More Progress

 

I am making a list of things
to do every day as
I figure my way around my new life.
And I got all but one thing done
and that felt awfully good.
*
I had two very helpful phone calls
with dear and old friends
that really were great.
*
I am exploring some new options
for things to do in my new life
and that also is
quite encouraging.
*
I knew this transition time would be
hard in ways
leaving all one knows
but I am also feeling like
I am making some progress towards
this and I thank God for it.
*
This by Fr. Stephen is very worth reading.