Simple & White, Kiki & Conversion

It's been busy here with 

the 12 days of Christmas, catching up

around the home and 

having a friend visit.

*

So only washcloth knitting is being done.

We are watching a fun Japanese film, 

Kiki's delivery service,

and I've been reading a family friend's book on

why he converted to Catholicism after a life-long vocation 

as a protestant pastor.

*

I am hoping to get more crafting time too;

I have friends coming to dinner though and it seems that

if I am doing a lot of creating in the kitchen, 

I am not doing as much knitting...

*

But one thing at a time...

meanwhile my friend is showing me how to sew!

So I am still doing some crafting!!!

*

What are you reading and making???

Yarn Along with us!

12th day of Christmas....{Sunday}

Theophany Eve.

It's so beautiful in church at night, for vigil...

The Christmas Poinsettias still beautiful...

There is something in the beauty alone that speaks to us spiritually...

Mr. Husband and I spent Sunday near or at our

'far away church' on Theophany Eve,

the 12th day of Christmas.

*

I still had a bit of money from my birthday and it went towards

this very beautiful Holy Water bottle...

With the Mother of God and Christ

beautifully adorning it.

And so the 12th day of Christmas quietly and lovingly

went to a close, opening to the 

Feast Day of Theophany... 

11th day of Christmas {Saturday}...

Mr. Husband and I finished up the mini cheesecakes 

that we were given for Christmas this day!

Mr. Husband being funny, photobombing the picture ;)

We had a few teas mixed together...

ginger, echinacea and such... 

We both have been so busy and have 

some sort of sinus something going on,

so lots of tea drinking was done!

Of course you can see that it did not change our dessert habit too much ;)

We had a simple meal of left overs and used our

dish-washer safe blue and white dishes for a simple

Saturday that was still festive!

It was a really nice day,

ending with vespers and a story about

Saint Athanasius the Great.

10th day of Christmas...

The Christmas candles lit, a nice meal made

on the last Friday of the 12 days of Christmas...

I made a chicken strata casserole that 

I will try to write on making later on.

It was tasty and as promised in the cookbook,

light and airy.

Oreo, hot cocoa and original mini cheesecakes for tea!

We tried an apple cinnamon tea to go with;

it was heavy on the hibiscus but I had used two

tea bags and will try one next time, and perhaps 

add another tea along side to cover the overly hibiscus nature of the tea...

My beloved gave me this book on CS Lewis;

it is one that I found at the Strand bookstore months ago!

I found this first American edition of 

Lewis's Of Other Worlds: Essays & Stories...

Mr. Husband loves this one! 

I got this cookbook on pastries! :))) 

I found this second printing first American edition of

JRR Tolkien's Smith of Wooten Major for a 

really decent price

and I saved it for last and as I thought,

it was one of Mr. Husband's favourite gifts

from me this year!

I was so excited about it! 

*

It was a beautiful 10th day of Christmas!

9th day of Christmas...

We had more of the mini cheesecakes.

And chocolately chai tea.

Origination and hot cocoa 

Green Tea and Original 

We opened two presents each...

Friday we plan on doing the last presents! 

I hope to make a special casserole also!

Gifts included...

The early years of CS Lewis

A really great index too!

A book on Lewis focusing on his imagination...

And one of the early biographies...

This Christmas was a very "Lewis" Christmas!

*

Thanks for all your prayers;

the family friend in hospital with pneumonia is still ill and 

with some sort of added infection.

There are so many temptations and trials in life.

Everyday I hear of new sufferings in the lives of 

my friends and family.

We need to seek God and ask Him for help

in these precious times of our lives....

8th day of Christmas... (a beautiful dinner, a farewell and prayer requests)

On the 8th day of Christmas 

I baked and baked...

Did a roast chicken this way:

butter under skin with garlic cloves,

one small onion in quarters, fresh organic sage and half a zested lemon in the cavity,

French Lemon & Ginger infused extra virgin olive oil over the skin,

with salt, pepper, dried ginger and lemon on top...

450F for about 2 hours... I think next time I will take the chicken out a bit 

before 2 hours.... it was great though and I trussed the chicken 

for the first time (did not want the cavity onion and lemon falling out!)

I made two casseroles 

from a cookbook I got before Christmas:

Bake Until Bubbly

 Potatoes with goat cheese a gratin 

and carrot casserole (with onion, cheddar cheese and bread crumbs).

From the same cookbook I baked for dessert,

stuffed peaces with raspberry sauce.

I only had half the amount of canned halved peaches...

I made the full amount of the mascarpone cheese sauce...

next time I will half the half cup of sugar...

Of course it was super fun to use my Christmas dishes.

Peaches baked and then mascarpone cheese with sugar

and raspberry syrup on the bottom (under the peaches

as they baked at 375 F for 20 minutes) and slivered almonds on top

of the cheese...

*

And so I made what was the farewell dinner for 

my friend, the Mother of our Goddaughter, and our

Goddaughter as they leave for TX at the end of the week.

She is 4 months old now and very healthy, with a cute smile.

She wore a cute Christmas reindeer outfit for the occasion! 

It was a lovely dinner and I thank God for this time.

*

So as I mentioned earlier it's hard to see them go.

I am pretty sure the grief part of this (they were one of the two

main first couples in our book club, some of our first

new friends as a couple here) is why I am not sleeping well.

*

Also a family friend who is prominent in my families life

is in hospital with pneumonia and possible other complications

and a family member is waiting for a biopsy at the end of January

(it was postponed).

*

And my friend's son is still in hospital with unexpected complications...

 *

So that's a few difficult things.

I ask your prayers

and I thank God for them!

A Christmas Book & A (mink!) shawl (redux)

On the 6th day of Christmas

I opened Elizabeth's Goudge's 

A Christmas Book

and it is just lovely ~ both profound, comforting and cozy! 

*

I restarted the shawl I started back in May of last year.

I ended up making mistakes, had to frog it,

and my beloved size 2 needles that were my Oma's

were no longer working (for this project that is)

So now I am using a new set of size four circular metal needles

and (mainly) the seed stitch and am about where I was before.

*

I have various ideas for the edging that I hope to do when it is finished.

It's a slow process as the yarn is so fine!

*

What are you reading and creating?

Yarn Along with us!

On the 7th day of Christmas...

A gift basket from my parents-in-law for Christmas came!

It's official: 

I think will all the wonderful goodies given to us I could

open a tea store :)

We are so thankful!!! 

*

We had our seconds Ladies tea with Matushka...

and our dear friend, the mother of Mr. Husband and I's 

goddaugher was there for one of the last times....

Lovely tea.

Lovely desserts.

Beautiful. 

Delicious. 

We gave our dear friend an icon of

St. Alexander Hotovitzky as 

he founded our parish here in NJ.

*

It was a very special 7th day of Christmas,

on which the world finally heard that 

Elder Paisios is now Saint Paisios!

May we have his blessing!

*

And May God bless each of us during these holy days.