Two blankets, a sock, scarf, hat for this year's Bright Week Yarn Along

Making progress on the baby square blanket.

This blanket lives in this wonderful 

drawstring bag that Wanda makes!

 

Did a little work on my baby hat but

will need some guidance...

finished the little doll blanket

that was a practice run for me late last Spring...

My sock for Mr. Husband.

I forgot how/to join in the round and did a few 

rows all on one needle, as you can see above.

But I am feeling more like I can do this,

in time... but most likely I will just 

frog and have my instructor begin it for me again

and walk me through it all...

I don't think I can do this until after I move as I will have

to devote some real time and concentration

so that I don't forget what I am doing! :)

Excited to keep trying though! :)

The Lovie blanket is over half way now!

Am on the decrease! 

Ravelry here. 

Books I read before bed...

Orthodox Study Bible,

the Bible and Fathers for Orthodox 

which has the readings for the day,

and I just last night finished my very beloved

With Elder Porphyrios: A spiritual child remembers

which was such a life-giving book

that I am sure to revisit and that

I can't say enough about:

one of my top reads for this year, without doubt.

Written with such sensitivity and 

with a way that brings us in and gives us great hope

for ourselves in Christ.

*

We've been having a beautiful Bright Week!

Perhaps this week is known in the 

West as Easter Week or Eastertide...

here's our Bright Monday table:

Easter (we use word Pascha, which is where

the term Paschal season comes from)...  

Christ is Risen!!!

Truly He is Risen!

*

Our table is spread!

The Feasting has begun!

*

What has your week been like?

What are you reading and making?

Do yarn along with us!

Pascha Meal at Home this past Sunday evening

Pascha Table,

with Red and White Rushnyk,

Grandma's dishes, cheese, nuts, salad,

cheese Pascha, two pots of tea, Pascha bread,

water, chocolate chip cookies, 

candles and our best silver.

My Sister got me this wooden red egg from Romania

for this past Christmas.

 We had lots of wonderful goodies!

The Rum-Kokos are from a dear Romania friend 

in Ottawa that I saved for Pascha...

This was our candle from our Pascha basket last year.

I decided I will save each candle for one year

and then light it on Pascha/Sunday night at home

when we have our simple Paschal basket meal at home.

I used our wedding reception votive candles for 

icon lampadas...

It is so wonderful to continue the Paschal

celebrations at home!

*

Mr. Husband and I are looking forward to enjoying 

things from our basket over the coming weeks!

*

Christ is Risen!!

Truly, He is Risen!

Agape Vespers, Pascha Sunday

 

Agape Vespers and Pascha baskets!

We had a lovely Agape vespers service on

Pascha/Easter Sunday and

a egg hunt for the kids after church!

It was a lovely time!

*

Mr. Husband and I have a tradition of wearing our

traditional shirts on the Sunday at the Agape Vespers service...

and then we get our picture taken... :)

I think we will be making it a yearly tradition to have

one of these pictures in next year's Christmas Cards, DV :)

*

We had many blessings during this Holy Week,

including lots of stuff falling into place

paperwork wise for the condo we are DV moving

to in later May of this year.

*

It's been such a special time,

the best time of the year,

celebrating our Lord's victory over death,

His Bright and Glorious Resurrection!

Possibilities for our future home

Two nightstands.

Ikea, in white.

One, two.

I love this lamp and lampshade.

*

It is all moving quickly now...

Pascha Baskets for 2014

My Pascha cookies!

A special gift from friends at Christmas that

I told them we will keep till Pascha and have blessed...

Italian chocolate from the town where 

St. Benedict is from!

Four different cheeses for our Pascha basket!

Funny, but I was getting the baskets ready

in our hotel suite and kept feeling disappointed,

because our Pascha baskets seemed to be lacking...

and then I realized I forgot the many cheeses I had 

bought earlier in the week!

Then the baskets seemed great!!!

 The large basket with cookies, with

a white linen cloth... the linen is a heirloom

I found of Mr. Husband's Mother's Mother,

Grandma P, ... when I saw it 

I knew I would use it for Pascha this year!

I used my Ukrainian Rushnyk again this year

that my beloved Ukrainian family gave me as

a wedding gift... this one they gave me was for my Pascha 

basket and I think of them very much when

I am getting ready for Pascha... 

*

I am so very glad to be married to Mr. Husband...

and I love my new Parish...

but of course I love my Ottawa Parish too 

and missed seeing them on Pascha... but!!!

I knew we were all spiritually celebrating together

and I lit many candles for them all on Pascha...  

and told some of my new church family about 

Pascha things we did in Ottawa and that helps 

me feel connected to my beloved past church and 

my beloved new church...

*

Mr. Husband's spiritual father wisely told me

before we were married that I was not 

losing my Ottawa church family

but extending my church family...

it was to get bigger not smaller!

Our Pascha basket this year!

See the daffodils in the basket next?

I loved that and hope to incorporate it next year, 

DV... I love how Pascha traditions grow with the years...

There were so many beautiful baskets this year!

Our church basement is not that large so 

we did the blessing of baskets outside...

Mr. Husband is in this picture...

he is wearing the white cassock that I got him

for his engagement present on Pascha

the year we got engaged...

*

Already in the years we've known each other,

Mr. Husband and I have so many good memories

together...and this was our third Pascha!

*

Christ is Risen!!!

Truly, He is Risen!